Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. Certain scenes and dialogue, belong to ABC.
Emma's eyes widened as she took in the mansion they had stopped in front off. Light blazed from the house, and it seemed that almost every room was lit. The garden surrounding the house was immaculate down to the neatly trimmed hedges along the footpath. The only thing that looked out of place was the police cruiser parked in the driveway.
"You live here kid?"
"Yes". Henry didn't look happy to be back. He opened his car door and set off towards the house without another word. Emma winced. She'd been adamant about returning Henry home immediately and he hadn't taken it well. He needed to understand that she wasn't his mom. It was too dangerous for either of them to indulge that fantasy any longer. Her mouth set into a determined line and she got out of the car. She followed behind him at a slower pace, and was halfway down the path when the front door flew open. A stunning dark haired woman rushed out and grabbed Henry in a fierce hug. Everything about her screamed money and privilege, right down to the bottom of her 4 inch Louboutins.
"Henry"! The relief in her voice was obvious. "Where did you go? Do you know how worried I've been". She bent trying to look at his face.
Henry struggled in her grasp and refused to make eye contact. "I went to find my real mom". The woman's arms went slack at his words, and that allowed Henry to break free. He pushed past and ran into the house without a backward glance. Emma was close enough to see a flash of pain cross the woman's beautiful face, but it was quickly erased as she turned her attention to the blonde.
"I'll just go check on him". Out of the corner of her eye, Emma saw a man dressed in sheriff's uniform edge his way into the house.
Her attention was entirely focused on the impeccably dressed woman in front of her. She was wearing an elegant grey dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. Dark eyes locked with Emma's, and the world froze around them.
"You're Henry's birth mother?" The woman's voice trembled slightly, the only indication that she was not entirely in control.
"Hi", Emma managed awkwardly after a desperate swallow, as she tried to shake off the effect the woman had on her. She raised her hand in a pathetic half wave and then quickly turned it pointing at herself. "Emma Swan. That's me."
The woman's gaze dropped to Emma's hand and then flicked back to her face. "Regina Mills". Something flickered in her eyes briefly, before her perfect features shifted into an expression of cool regard. "Miss Swan, how would you like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?"
"Sure. Why not?" Emma followed her into the mansion, still reeling from the intensity of her reaction to the dark haired woman. She clamped down on her first instinct, which was to run. It was her default response to anything that threatened her equilibrium. That was not an option here. She had to make sure that the kid was in good hands first.
It had been a while since she'd been invited into anyone's home for any purpose other than her job. The inside of the house was as stunning as its owner. Warm wooden floors polished to perfection gave the place an air of refined elegance. Two vases with white flowers were artfully arranged on matching antique side tables, obviously colour coordinated to match the décor. The foyer had several rooms leading off it, but the dominant feature was the staircase at its centre.
There was a muted thump of a door closing from upstairs and the sheriff appeared at the top of the stairs. "The lad's fine. He's just a bit tired, but other than that, everything seems to be ok."
"Thank you Sheriff". Regina nodded at him.
"I'll see myself out Madame Mayor". His gaze briefly flicked to Emma before he exited the front door.
The kid's mom was the mayor. Just great. Emma's hand twitched as she forced herself not to touch her chest. As if she didn't have enough problems already. Now she had to deal with someone who very likely had the power to dig into her life and turn up all sorts of awkward things she didn't have answers for.
"You have a job I assume, Miss Swan?" Regina's heels clicked on the wooden floor as she walked into the dining room and busied herself at what looked to be a minibar.
Emma unsure about what to do just hovered in the foyer. "Yeah I keep busy".
"Imagine having another one on top of it. That's being a single mom". The clink of ice dropping onto crystal acted as a sharp underscore to the mayor's honey smooth voice. "You have to understand, ever since I became mayor, balancing things has been tricky. So I push for order. Am I strict? Sure, but it's only because I want Henry to excel in life." Regina finished assembling their drinks and came back out with two crystal glass tumblers filled with an amber liquid.
"I don't think that makes me evil". She flashed Emma a smile and handed her one of the glasses. As Emma's hand closed over the glass, their fingers brushed, sending a jolt through the blonde. She almost dropped the glass in surprise, and going by the expression on Regina's face she'd certainly felt something as well.
Emma swallowed nervously and decided ignoring it was the best option. "I'm sure he's just saying that because of the fairytale thing".
"What fairytale thing?" Regina turned on her heel and made her way to one of the other rooms. It was a study with wall to wall bookcases and a blazing fire that took up one side of the room.
"You know his book?" Emma eyed the large bowl of red apples sitting on the coffee table as she gingerly sat down on what looked to be an antique couch. "How he thinks everyone is a cartoon character from it?"
Regina took a seat opposite her on a matching piece and crossed her legs elegantly. "I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about." The dark haired woman sounded honestly bewildered. She was either a great actress or she really had no clue about Henry's fairytale fixation.
"You know what. It's none of my business." Emma raised her glass to her lips and took a big gulp of it. Her hand froze mid motion as she realised what she had done.
Oh shit.
Emma's eyes widened in shock as an explosion of tart sweetness overwhelmed her taste buds. She hurriedly swallowed the cider and it left a pleasant burn in her throat, a nice change from what she usually experienced.
"Wow you weren't kidding. This apple cider is great". She sighed in relief and slowly lowered her glass.
"Thank you. I make it myself." Regina's lips compressed into a thin smile.
Emma carefully placed her glass on the table. "Look he's your kid. I'm not here to cause any problems for you." She took a deep breath and met the other woman's eyes.
"Do you love him?"
Regina's gaze never wavered from hers. "Of course I do". Her voice was quiet but there was no mistaking the feeling behind the words.
Emma nodded. "That's all I needed to know." She got to her feet. "And I really should be heading back."
"Of course". Regina looked surprised, but she rose gracefully and headed to the study door. She held it open for Emma and before the blonde knew it she was sitting in her car again.
She sat for a long moment, her fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly. She'd done what she'd come here to do. As far as she could see, Henry was in good hands. The mayor seemed pretty intense, but she could tell that the woman did actually truly care for him. In the end that's all that really mattered.
Emma knew she should start the car and leave but she couldn't make herself do it. She stared in bewilderment at the house. What was wrong with her? She was in the clear, absolved of all responsibility to the kid. It was well past time to move on. As she watched, the lights on the lower floor started flicking out, and pretty soon most of the mansion was in darkness. Her lips twitched into an unconscious smile as she thought about the owner of the house. She certainly was easy on the eyes. In fact Regina was attractive enough to almost pass for one of them. At that thought, she abruptly sobered. She definitely had no place in Henry's life and certainly even less in Regina's.
"Game face on Swan". Emma started the car and headed back the way she came. Her instincts were telling her that once she left Storybrooke certain things would resolve themselves. Once that happened she fully intended to get as far away from this quaint little town as possible.
If she'd looked back she would have seen curtains twitch, as a pale hand held them back. Dark eyes filled with turmoil, gazed after the taillights of her car long after they disappeared.
Emma slowed down as she saw the sign up ahead. She squinted slightly and the letters resolved themselves into 'You are now leaving Storybrooke.' She pulled over to the side of the road, and stopped a couple of feet away from the sign. Going by what had happened when she had arrived into town, something told her that she didn't want to be driving her car once she left it. She got out of the Beetle and walked the remaining distance to the sign. She stopped just before it and then glanced back. If what she thought happened once she stepped past the sign, it was going to make retrieving her car a bit of a problem.
Her mouth twisted as she stared at her beloved Beetle. It was a big price to pay, but it would also guarantee her freedom. She had a feeling that Henry might try to find her again, and her car was definitely one way to do that. She was also pretty sure that the sheriff would have noted her plates and if a certain mayor wanted to do some digging, it would be a big blinking arrow leading directly to her. If what Henry had said was true, and bad things happened to people who tried to leave Storybrooke, then her abandoned car would send the message she needed it to.
Emma Swan needed to disappear for good.
She stepped forward and her world turned to fire.
Back in Storybrooke, Regina Mills clutched at her chest in agony and sunk to her knees on her bedroom floor, bewilderment and fear etching her features.
Thanks again for the awesome reviews. Some of the dialogue here may seem familiar as it's directly from the first episode of OUAT. I've changed a couple of things around of course, since this is AU. The next chapter will definitely have confirmation of what world we're playing in. Maybe.. ;)