DISCLAIMER:: do not own. just borrowing for purposes of creative expression. no profit obtained.

A/N:: first off, bonus points to KillerElephants for guessing who emma called and asked a favour from as well as the favour she asked for. i hope everyone enjoys this chapter. i really appreciate the positive feedback and i hope i'm doing a good job of establishing two seperate worlds with two very different regina's. enjoy and review.

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-Chapter 11: Pushing Forward and Arching Back-

"You're up early." Mary Margaret looked up from her cup of hot tea, earl grey with just a touch of blackberry honey this bright Saturday morning, as Emma came down the stairs, fully dressed and ready for the day. "I thought you didn't have to go into work until this afternoon."

Emma shrugged. "I don't, but I have a very important meeting this morning." She opened the fridge door and wracked her eyes quickly over the contents. After finding nothing satisfactory, she closed the door and snagged a banana from the fruit bowl, peeling it.

"I didn't hear anything about a town council meeting."

Emma bit into her banana. "That's probably because it's not a town council meeting."

"Then who are you meeting?"

Emma grinned. "The mayor." She couldn't really explain why, but the idea of a confrontation with the brunette sent a thrill through her, a rush through her system at the thought of another argument. It was the only passion she saw from this half of Regina, the only hope she had to cling to.

Mary Margaret's brow furrowed. "But it's Saturday morning. That's when she and Graham… oh Emma! No! Please don't tell me you're going to… The mayor actually agreed to that?"

Emma shook her head, tossing her empty peel into the waste can. "Nope. I thought I'd surprise her."

Mary frowned. "Emma… don't you think you shouldn't be pushing her buttons quite so much? She is the other mother of your child after all."

Emma sighed. "She doesn't waste any opportunity to press mine, why should I act any different?" She knew the argument wouldn't hold weight, especially with a teacher.

"So, just because she's acting immature, that all of a sudden justifies you behaving the same way?" Mary Margaret shook her head. "Really Emma, I wish you wouldn't stoop to her level."

Emma huffed and rolled her eyes. "You're such a mom sometimes."

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There was no need to stop at the front desk or make any fake pleasant conversation with Granny. She had seen that she and Graham had discreetly received a key to the room and that it would always be made available for their usage. Granny's Bed and Breakfast never saw enough business that one room couldn't be set aside for the mayor to effectively scratch her itch.

And boy did it need scratching today! Something had inflamed her, incensed her very existence. And that thing had blonde hair and green eyes that haunted her. How dare this woman come into her life and ruin her perfect creation? And yet it wasn't perfect. It never had been. She'd never gotten what she wanted from this curse. No matter how much control she had, she still felt… incomplete. That was infuriating enough, but Emma Swan had taken it to a new level. She'd thrown Regina the first curve ball in a game that had been going on for nearly twenty eight years. It was frustrating, but also rather exhilarating. Just when she thought she knew the game backwards and forwards, Emma had shown up and proved she didn't know all she claimed to.

Then there was the matter of her body's reaction to Emma Swan. There was no denying the woman was attractive. Though Regina would never admit it out loud, she couldn't deny the desire that burned hot in her stomach at the mere presence of the blonde. She wanted her, as much as she didn't want to. She wanted to control her, to own her, to possess her, though she wasn't quite sure whether it was because she felt a need to make Miss Swan fall in line like everyone else, or if it was because she really wanted… her. But what she did know for sure was that she needed to get Emma Swan out of her system. And the sheriff upstairs was going to help her do just that.

Regina pulled out the long, slender, old fashioned key as she came up the stairs, her heels clicking on every step. She walked down the hall to the door and stuck the key in the lock, turning it with a smile of anticipation. She pushed open the door and her smile dropped as she saw the person sitting on the bed. Her eyes narrowed and she quickly shut the door behind her, not wanting the inevitable conflict to reach prying ears.

"Madam Mayor, you look slightly dismayed. Were you expecting someone else?"

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Emma had made sure to get there early. She didn't want to run the risk of Regina showing up before schedule and losing the element of surprise. So she ended up waiting nearly forty five minutes, positioning and repositioning herself around the room, just to see the look on the mayor's face when she walked through that door and found that Graham wasn't the one waiting for her. The sheriff had been all too grateful to give over her usual meeting time to her. He'd even had the decency to not question why she wanted to trade places with him in his role as the mayor's sexual liaison. There were some things he'd rather not know.

Regina's expression when her eyes fell on Emma had been well worth the early morning and the long wait. She was smiling to herself, probably complimenting her control freak prowess in one way or another, but when she caught sight of Emma, her smile dropped.

Emma felt a surge of satisfaction that she'd been able to successfully surprise the woman, a feeling that grew exponentially when Regina closed the door softly, obviously not wanting to draw attention to the situation. "Madam Mayor, you look slightly dismayed." That was an understatement. "Were you expecting someone else?"

"Deputy Swan. To what do I owe your unwelcome appearance?"

"Graham sends his regards, but he'll be unable to attend your little rendezvous this week." Emma got up from where she was sitting on the bed and stepped up to Regina. "I hope you're not too terribly disappointed." She stepped away again. "What is he to you anyway?"

Regina smirked. "Why Miss Swan, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous of your boss?" Now it was Regina who took the lead in the dance, stepping up to Emma, invading her personal space. "Is that the way of it? Do you wish it was you in my bed every week?"

Emma closed her eyes, trying to fight against the pull in her stomach, her body's desires crying out for her to touch, to taste, to consume.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you Miss Swan?" Noticing an exposed throat when one was offered to her, she went in for the kill. She leaned in perilously close to the blonde, pressing her body up against the other woman's.

Emma's eyes popped open and she knew that Regina could read the desire in her eyes like a Broadway marquee. The brunette's own eyes lit up like a predator spying the weakness of its prey. The change both excited her and reminded her that she wasn't a slave to her desires. "I've already been a resident of your bed, and while I did enjoy my time there, it's not why I'm here."

Regina scoffed. "Since when have you ever been in my bed? I believe you're referring to your dreams."

Emma laughed hollowly. "You have no idea how much I wish that were true."

"Despite whatever opinions you may have about me Miss Swan, I don't sleep around. I choose my bedfellows with extreme discretion."

Emma smirked. "I don't doubt that. But that doesn't change that I know about the birthmark on your inner thigh. It's small, barely even noticeable to someone who's not paying close attention, but it's there. I know the inky depths of your eyes when your desire takes over and I know…"

"Stop!" Regina turned from her. "Why are you here Miss Swan?" She sighed in frustration.

"Because I care about you. I won't leave Storybrooke until you believe that. You kicked me out of your house, so I thought I'd bring you to neutral ground, to a place where you can't kick me out so easily."

Regina narrowed her eyes. "Make no mistake Miss Swan, everyday I am merely tolerating your presence here. If I truly wanted you gone, I have the power to make you go away."

Emma nodded. "And I believe that. You are the Evil Queen after all. But you won't. You won't get rid of me until you figure out who it is I am."

"That will only get you so far Miss Swan."

Emma conceded with an incline of her head. "Fair enough. But right now, it's all I have." She bit her lip. It crossed her mind to admit to Regina that she was in love with her but she knew it would be met with a scoff and she wasn't sure she could handle the damage that would do to her emotions. "I'm trying Regina."

Regina felt it again, another chip in her carefully constructed armour. "And what are you hoping to accomplish Miss Swan?"

Emma shrugged. "It's a long story, and even for someone with your history, who knows the things you know, it would seem unbelievable."

Regina regarded her warily. "Try me."

Emma opened her mouth to let it all pour out, to tell Regina everything, but she could tell before she even uttered a word that she couldn't tell Regina the truth, not all of it, not yet. "You're not ready. I see it in your eyes." She shrugged. "But I'm here, and I'm staying. So when you are ready… I'll be here, and I'll tell you everything." She walked over to the door, her hand reaching for the knob. "I wish you'd let me in."

Regina frowned. "The person you think I am doesn't exist anymore Miss Swan; you'd do well to remember that."

Emma smiled at her sadly as she opened the door. "Yes, she does. You just lost her somewhere along the way… but don't worry, I'm here to help you find her." She exited the room.

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"I brought you donuts. Eat. Fight crime. Be merry." Emma tossed the pepto bismol coloured box onto the sheriff's desk and then turned her back on him, going over to her own desk and flopping down.

Graham got up and walked to the doorway of his office, leaning against the frame and studying the exhausted deputy. "That good huh?"

Emma grunted in response.

"Yea, that's exactly how I look every Saturday afternoon."

Emma rolled her eyes and leveled a glare at him. "We just talked."

"Talked." Graham raised an eyebrow and gave her a look that told her he didn't believe her for even a second.

Emma frowned. "Well it was more like a heated discussion, but our clothes remained on the whole time."

"And why do I have a feeling you are slightly upset about that?"

Emma glared at him.

He held his hands up in surrender. "Hey, you can trade places with me anytime. For the first Saturday in a long time, I actually slept in."

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"What can I get for you deputy?" Ruby gave Emma a brilliant smile as she leaned on the counter.

"Just two coffees to go. It's the only thing that seems to make Saturday paperwork a little less daunting."

Ruby winked at her. "Coming right up."

The bell above the door tinkled and Emma gave a cursory glance over her shoulder at the new patron and stopped dead. Standing in the doorway, holding a motorcycle helmet under his arm, was a face she recognized all too well. His rugged good looks and playful eyes. He was someone she had known very well once. But… how was it possible that he'd aged? A product of the 'curse' was that time stood still. No one here could age… except Henry, but he wasn't from her world. But this man surely was.

The man crossed to an empty booth and sat down, picking up the menu in front of him. He'd just read the contents of the first page when, as if sensing her unwavering gaze, he met her eyes. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Emma moved over to his booth casually, as if she did this all the time with Granny's patrons. "I haven't seen you around town before."

The man lifted a dark eyebrow. "That's probably because I just rode in."

Emma's face fell into a look of puzzlement. "Wait… you're not from around here?"

The man's eyes slipped from her puzzled face down to the badge on her hip. "No offense, but you're not a very good sheriff if you don't know I'm not from around here. Isn't it your business to know that?"

Emma frowned. "First off, I'm the deputy, not the sheriff, and secondly, I'm new to town too. Only been here a week, so pardon me if I haven't had the opportunity to memorize everyone's name yet."

"August."

Emma's frown only deepened. "What about it?"

The man shook his head with a small chuckle. "No, my name, it's August."

"Oh." Emma ran a hand through her hair absentmindedly, trying not to look embarrassed. "Emma. Emma Swan."

"Deputy?"

August and Emma both glanced at the counter where Ruby was holding two coffees up pointedly.

Emma nodded and walked back over to grab them. "Right. Thanks Ruby." She set one down to reach into her pocket and pulled out a few notes and tossed them on the counter. She turned back to August, coffees in hand. "Planning on being in town long?"

August shrugged. "I haven't decided quite yet."

Emma nodded. "You'll let me know when you do?" Upon seeing his eyebrow raised, she shrugged and grinned. "A deputy should know the citizens in her town after all." She turned and disappeared out of the diner, leaving both Ruby and August staring after her curiously.

Ruby glanced over at the man in the booth. "Have you two met before?"

He was still staring after the blonde. "I was just asking myself the same thing."

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Regina led Henry over to their usual booth and they sat down, picking up the menus, more out of habit than actual need to peruse it. Granny's diner had served the same things for twenty eight years.

"Good evening Mayor Mills, Henry." Ruby appeared by their table, pad in hand. "What can I get for you?"

The door opened and the man from earlier in the afternoon walked in.

"Hey Ruby. Food was so good I decided to come back."

Ruby rolled her eyes at the man. "Yea right. You're only back because unless you want to have a romantic dinner with yourself, we're all there is."

"Well, that too." August grinned and grabbed a stool at the counter.

"Who's that?" Regina raised an eyebrow towards the man's back.

Ruby waved her hand at him in a dismissive gesture, but there was a smile on her face. "That's August. He just came into town today."

Regina frowned. "Is there a sign on the highway that says 'Exit Here For Storybrooke: A Quaint Small Town That Is In Short Supply Of Big City Trash'? First Miss Swan and now him…"

"Yea, it's weird. I think Emma has a thing for him. She was in here earlier and she got all tongue-tied when she saw him. It was kinda cute."

Henry stuck out his tongue and made a disgusted face.

Ruby rolled her eyes, but Regina was staring holes into the man's back at Ruby's words. The waitress almost, for a moment, thought the mayor looked slightly jealous. But that was impossible, wasn't it?

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"So you know this guy?"

Emma nodded, taking the cup of tea Mary Margaret held out to her. "We were friends once. When we were kids, before he…" She cut herself off before she could say anything about the Enchanted Forest. The only person she could discuss that with was Henry, lest she sound crazy. "Well, you know how kids are… you grow apart." She took a sip of the tea.

"Does he remember you?"

Emma shook her head. "We haven't seen each other for many years."

Mary Margaret frowned. "Maybe, but you think he'd at least recognize your name."

Emma yawned and got up off the couch. "Yep, you'd think. I took an Ambien, so I'm heading off to bed before I pass out where I'm standing."

Mary Margaret frowned and looked at her watch. "It's five thirty. Even I don't go to sleep this early."

Emma shrugged and trudged up the stairs. "Busy day tomorrow, need lots of sleep." It wasn't a total lie. It was going to be a busy day, just not in this world.