Chapter 15

By the end of the meeting Regina was furious, she had kept her phone on loud throughout the meeting - something that she doesn't normally do, just in case Emma had text her. Which she hadn't. Regina didn't talk to anyone as she tidied the table up and stacked the chairs away.

By the fourth chair she slammed down Maleficent had clearly thought it was enough

"If you break them you'll only have to buy more" Regina didn't reply, she just glared at Maleficent before continuing to stack the remainder of the chairs. "All right, what's wrong?" she took the chair of her, and turned Regina to face her.

"Nothing, I'm fine"

"No, you're not. Where was Emma tonight?"

"I don't know"

"Well maybe she just thought she'd take a break tonight"

"She could have at least text me to let me know" Regina looked down, sadness filling her.

"You had a date didn't you?"

"Yes, afterwards, we were going to go for a meal"

"And you haven't heard her from her?"

"No, I've text her and I've called her but I haven't heard from her since last Thursday"

"So you've been stood up?"

Regina's eyes flashed and anger filled her again.

"That wasn't how I was looking at it"

"But you have, effectively she has stood you up"

"Where you supposed to make me feel better or worse?"

"You deserve better than to be stood up Regina, especially without an explanation"

"Well maybe I'll get an explanation" Regina said as she continued to stack the chairs.

"And how are you planning on doing that if she wont return your calls or texts?"

"I'll think of something" Regina said, picking up her things, turning her back on Maleficent, indicating that the conversation was over.

Regina sat at her desk flicking through her latest case notes, she'd been staring at the same page for the past half an hour getting nowhere, she glanced at the clock it was nearly half six, she should probably make her way home. She placed the file in her briefcase, then she noticed a post it note that she had wrote earlier underneath the file. She looked at the post it note drumming on the desk with the pen. Before she could change her mind she picked up her phone and dialled the number on the note. It rang a few times before she heard a voice on the other side

"Hello?"

"Ah Doctor Hopper, it's Regina Mills"

"Ah Miss Mills, how lovely to hear from you, how are you?"

"I'm alright thank you and yourself?"

"Never better, what can I do for you this evening?"

"I was wondering if you'd heard or seen Miss Swan recently?"

"Only in passing, why?"

"Well she wasn't at the group yesterday and I was a little concerned"

"Oh and why is that?"

"She seemed a bit off last week"

"Well I don't have an appointment with her till Monday, but she seemed ok"

"I was wondering if you would be able to give me her address so I could call on her and check on her myself, if that's alright" Regina held her breath waiting for his answer

"Regina, you know I can't give out confidential information about a patient like that"

Regina sighed, she knew it had been a long shot, then she thought of a way to get around it.

"Well how about you tell me where Snow lives, unless she is also a patient?"

"No she isn't, I don't know Regina"

"Please Archie, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important"

She heard Archie sigh on the other end.

"Alright Regina, but you didn't get it from me"

"Ok, thank you" Regina took out a piece of paper and quickly wrote down the address that Dr Hopper gave her.

/-/

Emma sat in the bar with another beer in front of her, she picked up her phone and flicked through her messages, all of them from Regina. She still hadn't replied to any of the numerous messages, missed calls or voicemails.

"I hope you walked here"

Emma turned to see who the voice belonged to

"Sheriff Graham" Emma nodded to him.

"So did you walk here?" Graham asked

"Yes, I did"

"Good, since you've moved back here I'm gad that you haven't attacked any of our town signs"

Emma glared at him "look sheriff I'm not really in the mood for company, so if you don't mind"

Graham nodded and then walked towards the exit. She sat there alone for a few more minutes finishing her beer and ordering a new one.

"So does your parole officer now you're out?" Emma looked to see Ruby had joined her, sitting down on the seat next to her.

Smiling Emma replied "no, Snow doesn't, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell her"

"My lips are sealed" Ruby said "but you're drinking?"

"Only a couple, but don't worry I walked here"

"Are you alright?"

Emma nodded avoiding eye contact with Ruby.

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked

"Nothing Rubes, I'm fine" then Emma saw her beer lift and move away "What the hell Rubes?!"

"You can have it back when you tell me what's wrong"

"Alright I'll tell you, but I need my beer back, so give me"

Ruby handed over the beer and Emma took a swig then sighed

"So you know I've been going on those date?" Ruby nodded "well the last time we went for drinks I asked her if she wanted to go for a proper date, you know a meal or something?"

"And she said no?"

"No she said yes"

"So I don't get it what's the problem?"

"Well at the end of the meeting some tool from the group asked her out"

"Tell me she didn't say yes!"

"I don't know, I never stayed"

"Wait, you didn't hear her answer? Well then Emma she probably said no!"

"I don't know Rubes, this guy is always leering over her and sucking up to her"

"And how does she react?"

"She's just as nice to him, but why would she put up with that if she wasn't interested?"

"I don't know Em, maybe because she runs the group?"

"Just before he asked her out he was talking about how he was living somewhere that wasn't ideal for his son to visit and how he needed somewhere else to live and she said 'we'll get you sorted' who says that? Shouldn't she have just said 'you'll get sorted' to me the fact that she said we'll means something"

"can we have two tequila shots please" Ruby asked the bar man. The bar man nodded and walked away. Emma faced Ruby who smiled at her "I feel like you could do we a little bit of chill time, just don't tell Snow she may kill me" the two girls grinned at each other as their shots arrived.

Two hours later Emma was slowly staggering through the flat into her room, trying hard not to awake the other people who lived there.