Chapter 2:

Five Month Earlier

I just stepped foot into my childhood beach time for the first time in almost two decades. I have been waiting years for this moment and I cannot believe it is finally happening. It looks just like it did all those years ago. I take a deep breath and compose my face. I cannot show any emotion. I, Emma Swan, have never seen this house.

The realtor starts to tell me about the house, "I can't tell you what a rare opportunity you have here, Ms. Swan. The current owners live in the city, of course, but they've been loyal hamptonites for years. Perhaps if Mr. Scarlet had been a bit more loyal to his wife, they wouldn't be renting out this season."

I walk over to a near the large glass door and pick up a photograph of the couple who lives in this house, Mr. Will Scarlet and Mrs. Belle Scarlet. I stare at the "happy" couple in the photo. If they only knew what I knew.

The realtor continues to ramble on about the Hamptons gossip, "Word has it, he dumped her for a girl half his age." She laughs at her comment and adds with a smirk, "men."

I interrupt her before she can continue talking, "Do you mind if I walk around a bit?" I place the photo back on the table as I stare out the glass doors.

"That's what we're here for." The realtor responds.

I walk out through the glass doors and onto the porch. I stare out to the familiar beach and the familiar beach ramp. It all looks just like it did when I was a little girl. I see the double infinity symbol etched into the porch baluster. I run my fingers over it, feeling nostaglic. I remember the day my dad carved that symbol into the porch. I look out onto the beach and remember when we lived here when I was younger and this was our new summer house.

I run up the beach ramp towards our new summer home, a bucket full of sand in my hand. I run up and dump it onto the porch near where my father had the grill out. He was cooking our dinner for the night.

"Dad?" I voice to my father.

"Hey, kiddo. You having fun exploring?" My father responds. His bright blue eyes shining down at me full of love.

"We're gonna spend the whole summer here?" I ask him with childlike disbelief, a smile spreading across my face. I couldn't believe that this is where we were going to summer. There was an endless beach to explore.

"And every summer after that." My father says with a wide grin. "What do you think?" He asks me.

"I think mom would've have loved it." I respond staring up at him.

My father kneels down so he is eye level with me. He places his hands on my shoulders and looks me right in the eyes. "Hey, you know how much I love you, Emma?" He asks me.

"Infinity?" I respond with a smile.

"Well infinity," he starts. He flattens the sand from the pile I dumped onto the porch. He draws on the sand two infinity signs intertwined "time infinity."

The relator starts to talk and breaks me out of my reverie. "Ms. Swan?" The relator walks behind me as I walk around the porch.

"Now you have to imagine, its Memorial Day weekend, 75 and sunny, all those boys of summer wondering who the new girl is." She continues to talk as we walk; I stop as the Mills manor comes into view from the porch.

"And that's Mills manor. You won't find a better address than this." The relator tells me matter-of-factly.

"I'll take it." I tell her.

"Oh. Wonderful. I'll get the contract." The realtor responds shocked and then delighted that she made the sale.

I hear her walk away back towards the house. I continue to stare at the Mills manor. It is the perfect place to keep an eye on my new neighbors. It's time to get to work.

A few days later

I am unpacking and fixing my "temporary" summer home. I am moving a box of books into the kitchen when I hear a knock on the glass doors leading to the porch. I left them only out of habit. It's what my father did the summer we lived here. I see Tamara arrive with a bottle of wine in her hand.

"Hello, hello" Tamara says as she walks through the door.

"Tamara, hey." I say as I move forward to hug her.

"Hey" Tamara responds as she moves sway from the hug.

"What do you think?" I ask her.

Tamara looks around the "new" beach house. "Are you kidding? Look at this place. I want your life."

"You love your life." I chastise her as I start to unpack the box I put on the island in the kitchen.

"Yeah, you're right. I just want your money." Tamara responds with a smirk.

"What's mine is yours." I tell her as I place another candle onto the island. "Should I get us some glasses?" I ask her.

"I wish. It's for Regina Mills." Tamara responds as I pick up the box.

"Who?" I ask her as I start to walk towards the living room.

"You are hopeless. Regina Mills…. reigning queen of the Hamptons. Not to mention, your new next door neighbor." Tamara follows me as she chastises me for not knowing who Regina Mills is. She takes the opportunity to eye up the beach house as she walks to follow me.

Oh, if she only knew how much I actually knew about Regina. It would make her head spin.

"Queen Regina?" I say as I put the box down in the living room.

"Mm. Believe me, she's earned the title. My boss has me handling the guest list for her Memorial Day party." Tamara says not thrilled about her new task.

"Mm" I say as I smile holding up a recent photo of Tamara and I that I plan on placing in the living room.

"If I screw this up, I might as well move back to Croydon." Tamara tells me dramatically, complete with over the top hand gestures.

"Well, how much are the tickets?" I inquire as I continue to unpack boxes. Little does she know that I already know the answer and I am just using her as an in to this exclusive party. It is the perfect place for the first meeting between the Mills family and Emma Swan.

"Ten thousand a pop." She says quietly.

I shrug, "count me in for one."

"Are you sure?" She asks her eyebrows raise in disbelief.

"It's for a good cause, right?" I shrug again making myself seem casual and non-challant about the whole thing. Emma Swan is a philanthropist so this is right up her alley.

"Yeah, my career. Thank you." Tamara tells me again being overly dramatic.

I continue to unpack the box in my living room as Tamara walks towards the glass doors.

"You want to get drunk on cheap margaritas later?" I call out to her.

"With or without you." Tamara responds with a smirk.

"Good luck with her majesty." I say with a smirk, knowing full well how Regina could be.

"Bye." Tamara calls over her shoulder as she walks out the door.

I continue to unpack. I pull two pills off of the table and move towards the door. I walk outside onto the porch to place them on the wooden two person couch I have on the porch. Conveniently, the couch faces the Mills manor.

I have a lot of planning and preparing to do before the Memorial Day party.

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