Author's Note: Thanks as always for the reviews and things. They really mean a lot. This chapter is shorter than the others have been - although not by too much - but it gets the ball rolling on a few things. I've been working on this fic and I've gotten to a point where I know the canon that I'm writing is going to be Jossed by the April 1st episode, so it's my intention to get up to those chapters posted before that happens. So, as long as all goes according to plan, I'll be posting new chapters every other day for a while. And I've got some minifics (that aren't so mini in some cases) that I've been writing over on Tumblr that I may post on the off days. Anyway, that's the plan. I hope you still enjoy and can hang in with me for the ride. :)

The diner had only a few occupants in it when Regina entered. She glanced around, remembering times when the diner had been full of her citizens, coming to congratulate Emma on her win as Sheriff, or even just sitting together, talking and laughing over eggs or drinks. But now everyone was back in their own little worlds, not caring about what was happening with others, only worried about their own humdrum little lives. It was as she'd wanted, but again, Regina found that getting what she wanted was now lacking.

"Good morning, Madam Mayor. What can I get you?" Ruby asked, leaning over the counter. Regina noticed that even Ruby's outfit wasn't nearly as scandalous as it would've been if Emma had still been in town.

"A coffee to go, Ruby." She sighed, sitting down on one of the stools to wait.

"You want a hot chocolate to go with that?" Ruby asked, not even writing anything on her notepad.

"Why would I want a hot chocolate?" Regina asked with a hint of venom. Still, she was rather pleased that someone seemed to be questioning her again. Perhaps this could be worthwhile.

"I just thought maybe Henry was with you." Ruby shrugged and then turned away, saying no more.

Again, Regina sighed. Henry was not with her. And it was with Emma that Henry had always gotten hot chocolate.

"Something the matter, Madam Mayor?"

Regina turned to find the strange man who had come into town sitting next to her. Emma had said she was going to look into him before her accident but now… Regina shook her head. She was tired of being reminded of the former Sheriff at every turn.

Her eyes narrowed as she took in the man. "Who are you?"

"August W. Booth." He replied easily, holding out a hand. "The W stands for Wayne. And you're Regina Mills, mayor of this great town."

Regina rolled her eyes and ignored the outstretched hand. "What are you doing in my town, Mr. Booth? And why are you approaching my son?"

"Just passing through." The man smiled at her. And there was something familiar in that smile, something that Regina couldn't quite place. "As for your son, I was just saying hello. He seems like an interesting boy. Does he still have that book he was carrying around?"

"No." Regina said sharply. "You stay away from my son."

August raised his hands as though in surrender. "I mean him no harm, I assure you." He picked up the coffee mug in front of him and drank from it. "It's a shame about the book though. Losing something that's so important to you is always difficult. Isn't it, Madam Mayor?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Regina hissed, her eyes cutting over to Ruby. How long did it take to pour a cup of coffee into a Styrofoam cup?

"Oh?" August put his own cup down and tossed a few bills onto the counter. "Well, in my experience, when you lose something of great value, it plagues your thoughts and dreams and you're never really satisfied until you get it back. If you can get it back, that is."

Before Regina could reply, August stood. "Have a good day, Madam Mayor." He called to her as he left the diner, climbing on his bike and riding away.

"Weird having somebody new in town." Ruby commented as she placed the Styrofoam cup down in front of Regina. "He's certainly no Emma, is he?"

"What?" Regina's eyes flew to Ruby.

Ruby shrugged. "He keeps to himself. Doesn't talk to anyone. I don't think he's going to stick around. Not like Emma."

"Miss Swan didn't stick around either." Regina reminded her quickly.

Ruby frowned. "That's true, I guess. Too bad. I think she was good for us."

Before Regina could reply, another customer entered the diner and Ruby moved away to take their order. Regina clutched her cup, allowing the heat to seep into her skin, as she left the diner, never taking notice of the half empty mug of hot chocolate that August had left behind.

"You're gonna leave me, aren't you?"

Emma glanced around the café, trying to figure out where the voice came from. She was sitting in a corner booth, keeping her eyes peeled for a woman who had skipped out on the bail that her mother had put up with Emma's help and was known to frequent the place. But there was no one else around her and the café was quiet.

"Help me."

Emma blinked. This time she knew where she heard the voice. It wasn't from in the café, it was from in her head.

A woman's face flashed through her mind suddenly, frightened and dirty, but hazy as well. Had she been looking through smoke? She tried to remember, but just as quickly as it had come, the flash faded.

"Regina?" She whispered.

"I'm sorry?" Came a voice and this time when she looked up, she was looking into the face of the very woman she was looking for. "Did you say something?"

"Y-yeah." Emma cleared her throat and stood up on slightly shaky legs. "I said, why did you skip out of your bail, Vivien?"

The woman's eyes got wide and Emma started mapping out all the ways she could run, but luckily, she didn't. Instead she sighed and sank down in the chair in front of Emma. "I guess you're here to take me back?"

Emma nodded, pleased that this one would be easy. "Your mother, with my help, put up your bail. She loves you and believes in you. I'm not gonna let you screw that up."

Vivien's dark eyes looked up from under her lashes and for a second it was no longer Vivien, but Regina, wide eyed and frightened. "What do you know about screwing up?"

And Emma blinked, something about that question seeming almost familiar to her, but she couldn't grasp what it was. She shook her head and sighed. "A lot."

"The sheriff is here as you requested, Madam Mayor."

Regina looked up from the same pile of paperwork that had been on her desk all week. Things were still unchanged. She was still bored.

"Thank you, Leslie. Send her -" She caught herself quickly, "him in."

A few seconds later and Sidney was walking through the door, the Sheriff badge pinned on his shirt for all the world to see. Emma had always worn her badge on her jeans, settled on her hip with a quiet confidence, visible but not flashy. Regina shook her head to clear away the thoughts.

"What have you found?"

"Nothing, Madam Mayor." Sidney replied slowly.

Regina's brow arched. "Excuse me?"

Sidney cleared his throat. "Well, you see, I -"

Regina's voice was icy. "I gave you a job to do, Sheriff. If you can't do it, then perhaps I should rethink your position."

"No. No." Sidney was quick to try and soothe her. "I am doing my job, I assure you. It's just that I can't seem to locate her."

"You can't?" Regina's eyes narrowed.

"She's no longer in Boston, that much I'm sure about. But she didn't leave a forwarding address, naturally, and there's no one that seems to know anything about her or where she might have gone."

"There has to be someone." Regina hissed. "She had to have been seeing a doctor. Something."

"She did see a doctor, once. Had her staples removed. She set up a return appointment but never showed. I've checked into the old locations where she lived and worked but so far -"

Regina shook her head. "She wouldn't go back to any of them." 'You idiot' was unspoken, but heard loud and clear. "If she's running, she would've gone somewhere new."

"Y-yes, of course."

Regina's eyes were hard as she leveled a stare at Sidney - sniveling Sidney who had always done her bidding and who had caused this whole mess in the first place. "Find her."

Sidney opened his mouth to reply but Regina waved her hand, cutting him off and signaling that he should leave. He quickly turned and left the room.

Regina looked back down at her desk, opening one of her drawers to reveal a newspaper with a picture of her and Emma after the fire on the front page. "Where are you?" She asked the empty room.