Author's Note: Here is the next update. Thank you to everyone that has responded to this story be it through placing it on alert, favoring it, and reviewing. For those that read A Bounty for a Witch's Heart, an update will be posted tomorrow evening. It is being edited as you read this (for most of you). ;-)

You'll get the answer to the question I posed last chapter right….now. (Enjoy!)

Chapter Five
'Mayor or Queen'

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Regina smiled as she sipped at her cup of coffee. Graham caught her just as she was about to enter her office—like he always did—and handed her the cup, kissed her forehead, and walked across the street to the station. It was their routine. He was up at the crack of dawn, the first to rise and get into the office. They used to rotate the schedule, when Regina could actually afford to wake early and head into work on the second Wednesday of the month or first Saturday. That had stopped when Henry got sicker. Now she stayed home an extra hour or two to see Henry for at least an hour before she came into work. Her work days were cut short, she now worked half days most of the week and got all of her meetings done in the morning leaving her room for paper work during the afternoon. Whatever she did not finish in the office she took home and finished after she had put Henry to bed for the night or for the mornings where she still woke up at the crack of dawn but stayed home instead of coming into the office.

Today she was just happy to have something to take her mind off of the disaster today promised to be. She'd overslept, didn't finish overlooking the budgeting report that was due tomorrow morning for the fire department as well as the Sherriff's department and the volunteer EMTs and ambulance runners. It was going to be a long day of crunching numbers and calling offices and speaking to secretaries before being passed on to the Chiefs. At least Regina knew she could count on Graham to answer his phone since he didn't have a secretary and was currently hoping there was enough money in the budget for a deputy. If there wasn't room for it, Regina would find it…somehow. Graham needed more time for himself. What time he did have off he was often times found at her house, office, or at the hospital with her and Henry. Then again, there was the bonus for him that Kathryn was at her house, office, or the hospital with her and Henry as well. Still, Regina understood that he needed more time to himself. Or at least time he could spend with Kathryn without her and Henry being third and fourth wheels.

Shaking away those thoughts she turned away from the Sheriff's station and sipped at her coffee. She'd woken up late this morning, her night plagued with beautiful nightmares of the past, and surprisingly? It was the past year here in Storybrooke that plagued her more than the nightmares of old. Waking up late Regina hadn't had time to make breakfast as she usually did each morning. However when she walked downstairs she shouldn't have been surprised to find Kathryn already there with breakfast ready and waiting for her and Henry.

Henry woke up late himself and had matching black circles under his eyes. His smile had been infectious however and he'd even spent breakfast talking to her and Kathryn about the book he was reading, one Mary Margaret had given to him last week. It was a fairytale book and he had become immersed in the stories, if the stories hadn't made him so happy Regina might be worried. But anything that could put a smile on Henry's face, the likes of which this book seemed to do, was welcome in her home and in their lives. It had been far too long since she had seen Henry as excited as he was about…life in general.

Before she'd left home Regina helped Henry get ready for the day. He had lessons with Kathryn from nine until eleven before his blood count was checked, lunch, and then another hour and a half of lessons; mostly on doing the homework and assignments he was given. Whatever he didn't finish by the time Regina made it home at three would be finished before dinner, Regina helping him while Kathryn spent the afternoon out (with Graham at the Sheriff's department).

Henry was having a good day. He'd eaten a good portion of his breakfast and seemed chipper, which he normally wasn't in the morning. Before she left she promised Henry she'd be back by lunch today instead of three. They needed to talk.

First, Regina needed to call Dr. Whale and have him meet her at home. She didn't want to have this conversation with Henry in the hospital. She wanted him to be comfortable and free to tell her what he wanted. He was always uncomfortable in the hospital. He did put on a brave front for everyone else—her mostly. He would want to be home for this discussion, and so would she. She would need the comfort of her own home, of the walls that she and Henry had lived in for the last ten years to comfort her in this time of need. Talking to Henry about how he would like to spend the last few months of his life was not a conversation she wanted to have with her ten year old son. Ever.

There was still hope, just a little, inside her that Mr. Gold would come through on his end. She prayed that he was as good at finding Emma Swan a second time around as he was the first. Especially now that she was on the run.

Walking up the stairs to her office Regina greeted Judy on her way passed her assistant's desk. "Good morning, Judy."

"Morning, Madame Mayor." The woman stood as she cleared her throat and handed Regina a folder and the morning newspaper. "You're nine o'clock meeting is here." Judy informed as the Mayor almost made it into the 'safety' of her office. However her announcement stopped Regina in her tracks. "Early." Judy continued her statement as she watched the Mayor look down at her watch, noting the time.

Stepping back out the door Regina hooked her head around the corner and saw the two waiting men. "Gentleman, good morning, please follow me." She left her office door open for the two men and stalked towards her desk where she put down her coffee, the folder and newspaper. "Close the door behind you." She instructed and with a click the black and white door sealed the three patrons in the room together.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Pulling her leather jacket tighter around herself Emma made her way to the Mayor's office following the signs. Second floor to your right they directed. The second floor hallway is decorated in black and white tile and Emma thinks it fits Regina perfectly.

'Light and Dark, Caring and Cunning, Good and Evil, huh, more than fitting.'

Walking through the open door into the front of the Mayor's office Emma sees a young woman at her desk look up from a phone call.

"How can I help you, today?" The woman asks as she hangs up the phone with a bright and cheery, "have a pleasant day," to the caller.

"I'm here to see the Mayor." Emma looks to the closed doors of what must be the Mayor's private office directly across from the secretary/assistant's desk. Behind the desk slightly down into the large spacious office is a small waiting room with two chairs, a couch, and a small rectangular table in the center of the formation. There are paintings and even scattered magazines and what looks like the morning paper on the table as well. 'Like a doctor's office. Sterile, quiet, and passively engaging.'

Emma admits to herself that the painting behind the couch along the wall, four foot by three, is nice. It's a detailed oil painting of a forest at the edge of a sea shore with a castle high on a cliff above the crashing waves. From this far away Emma can't make out the entire drawing but even from here she can see the white dots that look like birds flying in the white clouded sky.

"Name? Appointment?" The sound of the other woman's voice pulls her from her thoughts away from the painting and the reigning monarch of such a castle, truly ruling from above.

Emma laughs, "Emma, and I don't have an appointment."

"I'm sorry, but unless you have an appointment I can't just let you in. She's very busy today so if you'd like to speak with her I can find you an opening…tomorrow evening at the earliest."

"No, that doesn't work for me."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you Ms…" The woman is pulling for her last name, but she wants this to be a surprise. Kind of like how Mayor Mills surprised her on her birthday. Unexpected and life changing.

'Fair is fair after all.'

Emma doesn't offer her last name, she's too busy making her way closer to the closed doors. "She in the office now?" Emma juts her thumb to the door as she stands in front of…she looks at the name plate…Judy's desk.

"She's in a meeting right now that can't be dis—hey wait!"

Emma shakes her head no, she won't wait. Besides, she has a feeling that whatever meeting the Mayor is in currently will simply be put on hold. After all, the woman had made it very clear to her that the most important thing in her life was her son, the kid, Henry. If she wasn't just trying to pull one over on her—and Emma really hopes she wasn't playing some kind of sick joke—then Mayor Mills will see her right now, this minute, the second she walks in without pause. That is, IF she hadn't been lying and for her sake? Emma hopes she wasn't lying because even if she is Mayor of this township in the middle of nowhere Maine, she is going to take great joy in kicking her ass.

As Emma walks into the office she whistles lowly at the magnificence of the office. She really wasn't off on her assumption that the Mayor was loaded and Henry was probably spoiled rotten. Emma really likes the horse, or is that a unicorn? Whatever it is, she likes it, on the wall and the black and white theme. It suits the Mayor just like the black and white tile did in the hallway. The way the room is set up almost resembles, in Emma's mind, a throne room.

With the large desk and black ominous looking arm chair and the grand windows behind it with the light shining in behind Regina, putting those sitting towards the Mayor at a slight disadvantage, it makes the Mayor look like the reigning queen. The light and grace of the Gods in her favor as they bathe her in their golden halo. It doesn't hurt that the room seems to be a bit off, there is a slight lift in the floor towards the desk, putting Regina slightly higher than anyone else in the room even if it is by an inch or two. It's like in the painting! A monarch, in this case a queen, reigns above her people.

'You just have the painting on the brain Emma. Regina's no queen. Queen like, yeah sure, but a Queen? Ha if she's a Queen then you might as well be a knight in shining armor come to save the day. And, like you already know, we're no knight of shining anything.'

"I don't want to hear excuses you said that you…" Emma realizes that she really did interrupt some kind of meeting and here she was thinking Judy just didn't want to let her in. There are two men sitting in the chairs in front of the large desk where Regina sits leaning forward aggressively.

Emma knew she was a tough one, and she can practically feel Regina's frustration from here by the open doors, where Judy has just gotten to her. "Judy what is the meaning of this I said I was not to be dis…"

The two men in their chairs turn around in them to look at who has interrupted the meeting. Emma recognized one of the men as the cane man from last night, whose name she never got. In the chair beside him is a glaring obviously frustrated and a bit uncertain dark skinned business man if his suit is anything to go by. She isn't sure what ethnicity he is and doesn't have long to really ponder on it because now that the two men have moved their chairs Regina has a clear line of sight of her.

Emma swallows, suddenly feeling like this probably wasn't the greatest idea in the world because the look of shock and rage on Regina's face? It scares her enough to second guess herself, which she hates.

Judy seems out of breath even though she just had to run around her desk and five feet. "I'm sorry Madame Mayor I can call…"

"No, no, thank you Judy that won't be necessary." Regina blinks, unsure that she is truly seeing Ms. Emma Swan in front of her grinning like a kid who got away with taking the cookie from the cookie jar and helping to hide the cat's victory over the canary—which she'd obviously never liked to begin with—from mom and dad.

"Yeah, she did try to keep me out, but you see…I never got the chance to tell her that you'd be interested in seeing me. Even without an appointment." Emma offers her best grin, hoping to at least appear cocky and sure of herself when she's neither at the moment.

"Madame Mayor?" Judy asks unsure looking between who she thinks is a crazy woman and the Mayor whom she holds in high regard.

"It's alright, Judy. Do make sure no one else comes in unless it is Sherriff Graham or Dr. Whale. You know I am not to be disturbed by phone also unless…"

"Yes, ma'am." Judy already knows who to put through and who to let in but being reminded like it's the first week on the job stings. She's been Mayor Mills' secretary for five years. She knows what she is supposed to do and what she is not supposed to do. She quickly leaves and sighs, swearing she'll sit in front of the door if she has to, to keep anyone else out of the Mayor's office.

"Thanks Judy…" Emma feels bad for the girl, but only a little.

"Who are you?" The man Emma doesn't know asks first. Not that she knows the man with the cane, but at least he is familiar enough to have given him a nick-name. Man with cane, or Cane Man makes him sound like a superhero, no no that won't do. He's too creepy to be a super hero. It's also a bit plain for a super hero, even if Batman and Superman are just as plain, at least they kick ass. Besides he has villain written all over him with his cocky attitude to rival that of Lex Luther. Hopefully he'll be the smarmy type of villain that never wins. Now THAT she thinks fits him well; kind of like Two-Face or Joker, but hopefully without the bloodshed, bad jokes, and explosions.

Turning back to the crowd of three and out of her comic book fan regression, she steps into the room, sticking her hands into her leather jacket as she walks around the office taking it all in. It gives her time to think about what she should say, how she should say it, and why she didn't think about this before coming in here.

"You don't like to answer questions do you, deary?" Cane Man asks as he follows her movements around the room, watching her carefully. There's a sparkle in his eyes that belies that he already knows the answer to all the questions he'd asked her last night. It makes her skin crawl.

Emma simply grins cheekily at the man and shrugs, running her hand over a particularly interesting engraving on the mantel she's now standing in front of. Its horses, racing horses in movement are carved into the marble looking surface.

Regina stands from her chair to watch Emma's every movement. "Do be careful, that's expensive."

No shit Sherlock, "You don't say?" Emma rolls her eyes as she moves away from the mantel only stopping when she notices pictures of Regina and Henry on the table beside the black leather (yum) couch. Emma picks one up the photo of Regina kneeling next to Henry. The boy's in a wheelchair and holding a stuffed animal while Regina looks at him. The adoration that is clearly visible on Regina's face slices at Emma's heart. She puts down the picture quickly, carefully as if by putting it down any other way the memory might be lost or disturbed.

Regina allows Ms. Swan the time she seems to need to acquaint herself with the room. She waits until she's standing behind Mr. Gold's chair before she addresses her. "What are you doing here, Ms. Swan?"

"Ms. Swan?" The cowering minion—which is just perfect because with Regina standing the way she is leaning slightly on the desk she truly does look like a queen and the man to Emma's right her faithful servant, or lap dog. Whichever. He sounds surprised, but the easy way her name rolls off his tongue makes Emma think that he's said it more than this once. 'How interesting.'

"This is the second time I've seen you around. Maybe it is time I introduced myself." Emma looked to the man with the cane. "Emma Swan."

"Just passing through?" He asked with a knowing grin. Emma notices he hasn't offered his name yet. Payback perhaps for making him work or wait for hers?

"You two have met?" Regina asked looking between the two. "When?"

"Last night," Emma answers off handedly, "Mr…?" Emma raises a brow at the man, having not caught his name while passing through Granny's Inn.

"Gold." Ha…how fitting.

"Mr. Gold here was conducting some business at the B&B last night when I got in." Business that looked like the illegal sort but that still wasn't any of Emma's business.

Regina looked curious, as if to say 'oh really,' "And what time did you get in?"

"Around one a.m." Would have been later had she not lucked out. "Got a little lost." Emma shrugs as if it wasn't such a big deal. When in reality the fact that she was here at all was the biggest deal in Regina's long life and Henry's short one.

"Is that so?" Regina inquires, and Emma can practically see the mines the Mayor is throwing out around her to catch her in a trap. Which, if Emma is honest with herself, mines aren't the best way to trap someone. Exterminate them certainly. But a bear trap could be just as painful but less deadly. The bear trap would also award the Mayor the answers she is looking for at the same time not just a corpse. It's a win-win for everyone—especially the one who would have been blown up otherwise.

"Yea, you see, for some reason my GPS didn't recognize this little township. It wasn't on any maps I bought either, which is a little weird…" There were a lot of small little places in the middle of nowhere that weren't on certain maps. "…but not completely uncommon." She did only buy the standard maps not the in-excruciating-detail ones that took up the entire width and length of the front of her car.

"If it wasn't on a map or you're GPS, how pray tell, did you find your way?" Regina was interested; she hadn't known that Storybrooke would not appear in certain maps or even on the GPS. She spared a look to Mr. Gold and saw him lift his eyebrows for a show before relaxing as he listened to Emma's explanation. He obviously wasn't as surprised as she was.

"It's what I do." Emma didn't want to admit that she'd really only found this place on accident. She'd stopped at just the right gas station and spoken to the right attended to get general directions here. Kind of like Fate was intervening, except Emma didn't believe in Fate. It was just dumb luck, because luck was something occasionally on her side, unlike Fate which was never kind to her.

"What is, dear? Getting lost?" Mr. Gold grinned at the Mayor's dig.

"Finding people." Emma replied, her tone a bit defensive. "I'm a bail bonds-person. I find people for a living. I figured finding you wasn't going to be that hard. You at least wouldn't be running from the law. Just upholding it."

There was silence in the room for several lone moments, uncomfortable. In Emma's opinion it was the 'I need to say something quick to end this madness' type of silence. However no one seemed willing to break it until…

"Hmm…" Mr. Gold looked to Regina with a smile. "We can reschedule if…"

"Yes," Regina cleared her throat, looking to Mr. Gold and Sidney. "Yes, I think that would be a wonderful idea. Tomorrow, speak with Judy about appropriate times on your way out. Thank you, both gentlemen, for your consideration in this matter. I will not forget it." Especially since Regina was sure Mr. Gold would make it impossible for her to forget it. That last bit was said for Sidney so he understood how grateful she would be if he left quietly and without a fuss even though his very nature was probably begging for him to stay and find out all he could about Ms. Swan. More so than he already knew now that he had a face to go with the file he had created on her.

"Of course Madame Mayor." Mr. Gold stood. "Good day Ms. Swan."

Emma nodded her goodbye, watching as Mr. Gold left immediately but Mr. Somebody stayed to talk/whisper secrets with Regina.

"Sidney…Sidney! I'll be fine. Yes, I'll call you." Regina plastered on a smile and walked the two men to the door. Once there she told Judy she was not to be disturbed (again) and stood before the closed doors for several minutes.

Turning around she saw Ms. Swan sitting in Sidney's former seat, facing her desk. Regina was grateful for this moment to compose herself. She had called Sidney and Gold here to talk about how they were going to get Ms. Swan here to Storybrooke and…here she was. Just like Gold said she would be.

Wonderful, another thing I may or may not owe him for. This all counts as one favor. It's all part of the same deal. Regina thought as she steeled herself before walking with her usual confidence to her desk. Instead of sitting behind it she leaned on the edge closest to Ms. Swan. "I am surprised to see you Ms. Swan." Especially after their last meeting, her subsequent return to Storybrooke, alone.

"Look, Madame Mayor, if this is going to work you are going to have to call me Emma." Because the Ms. Swan thing was old the third time she'd said it while standing in her doorway back in Boston.

Regina looked skeptical, "You are," a beat, "considering…this?"

It wasn't like she hadn't just driven five hours and passed this practically invisible town twice in her attempts to get here not to be considering it. "Do you think I would be here if I wasn't?" Emma rolled her eyes, because really what did Regina take her for?

Regina couldn't relax, not knowing how quickly Emma had dashed her hopes just a day before. "What's the catch, as they say?"

"Huh?" Emma didn't follow.

Regina rolled her eyes and sighed. She rearranged herself, shifting her weight onto her opposite leg as she crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her chin down as she looked at Emma. "What do you want?" The Mayor spelled it out for the blonde.

"I don't follow…" What did she want? To help? She'd made the conscious decision to do what she could for her son. She had the miles in her car and the sleepless nights with black circles to prove it. She was here, in Storybrooke Maine, which might as well be a cow lick township in Canada for how little Emma knew about it or cared.

Regina wasn't buying it. "How much money do you want in return for doing this?"

Well, there's the answer to Emma's previous question. Apparently Regina thought Emma was a con artist or some form of gold digger, maybe both or something worse. It made her angry, just a big bit.

Emma shook her head and stood up. "I'm not doing this to get your money. I'm doing it because it's the right thing to do." It had just taken her a long grueling twenty four hours to realize that. "If you think I'm some kind of con artist then you can go to heh…"

"Please…" Regina reached out and grabbed Emma's wrist, holding the younger woman still. "I merely want my bases covered. I am willing to pay, do…anything to save my son. I thought…"

Emma sighed, "You thought I would take advantage of that." Emma was still cold, her voice crisp as she turned to look over her shoulder at Regina. She had had a clear line of sight of the door. Had Regina not grabbed her hand she would have left cursing the Mayor the entire way. Regina had a right to worry about her but not because she wanted the Mayor's money. Looking from the Mayor to the hand holding her wrist she looked back up, "You going to let me go?"

Regina contemplated not letting the woman go. She could borrow a pair of Graham's handcuffs and keep the woman here whether she wanted to stay or not. It would be a bit harder to get things done as Connor was certainly not going to approve of kidnapping as a method to ascertain part of an organ but if it was what she had to do, she would do it. Without a second though. It wouldn't be the worst thing she'd ever done. Not by a long shot.

However, there were several benefits of not holding Emma against her will, so she let her go, releasing her wrist slowly. She was glad to see Emma turn to face her, her back now to the door, rather than watch as the bail bonds-person continue to walk right out of her office.

Emma didn't make her way back to her seat, but it was a start that she hadn't left Regina's office yet.

"I heard you…" The sound of Regina's desperate pleas echoing through her closed and otherwise still and empty apartment made her shiver even now. "…the first time about doing anything for your son. I just, I needed to figure out if I could do that too, you know?" Emma looked down at their shoes. How fitting that her white tennis shoes were the opposite of the Mayor's black heels in color and class. It matched the room even in this.

White and black; good and evil. Emma felt more like the bad guy in this matter, especially with the memory of Regina's strangled voice sounding through the apartment.

"And?" The rest of the statement was left unsaid, Regina's eyes and nervous shift spoke it for her. 'Can you?'

"Yeah, I can. So…where exactly do I have the tests done to see if I am supposed to do this?" Emma asked, testing herself as she looked up for a few seconds before focusing on the Mayor's black pencil skirt instead of her eyes. Her hands self-consciously slipped back into her jacket pockets. She pulled at the material of her jacket as she forced herself to meet Regina's eyes.

Emma still wanted to make sure that she was able to do this, to donate whatever she needed to donate. Thinking about it, Emma didn't even know what type or kind of cancer Henry had. She didn't know what organ she had just volunteered to give up or give a piece of. For all she knows, she could have just agreed to give up a lung or something. Not that she thinks people can give up an entire lung…can they? Ha, is that what they mean when they say you'll do stupid things for love? Before now Emma wouldn't know.

Emma's never been in love, and although this situation wasn't the type to have a budding romance of any kind, it had a form of love. One that Emma had felt while talking to her stomach late at night as she felt Henry kicking and moving around inside her. It had been ten years since she'd felt that light feeling she felt back then surround her chest. She had thought it was gas or just a pregnancy phenomenon but now, she was doubtful. Maybe it had been love the entire time.

As Emma thought more on what lengths she was suddenly willing to go to for a child she had still not even met Regina held up one slender finger, reached for her phone, pressed several buttons and tapped her foot twice before she spoke: "Dr. Whale, this is…"

"Dr. Whale?" Emma mouths the name, huffing a laugh at the sound of it before listening in to the Mayor's continued conversation.

"Yes, I will be coming by the hospital with Ms. Swan. She wishes to speak with you about…wonderful." Regina smiled as if she was the cat that just got the canary and the cream as she hung up.

"Follow me."

It wasn't a question and Emma quickly fell in step behind the brunette mumbling, "yes your majesty" under her breath.

Sparing one last glance around Regina's thrown room—ah office—Emma closed the doors behind them and wondered, not for the first time, what she was getting herself into as they clicked closed.

End Chapter Five

I think the majority of you are/were right. Regina is a bit surprised at Emma's entrance but so far so good, right? After all the day is far from over yet. ;-)