"Mayor Mills," said Mary-Margaret as she opened the door. "Is not election campaign time already, is it?"
"No, Miss Blanchard, nor nowhere near," sniped the older woman. "I'm here for my daughter."
"Regina?"
"No, my other daughter," snapped Cora. "Of course Regina! She wasn't at school today, so I assume she spent it here with that corrupting little foster child of yours."
"I'm sorry, Mayor Mills, but you assume wrong," said the teacher. "Emma's been in bed sick, and I haven't seen Regina since she came over last."
"You are a horrible liar, Miss Blanchard," said Cora, pushing her aside as she strode into the house, her heels loud on the wooden floor. She paused near the couch, a somehow familiar smell reaching her nostrils from the small kitchen. Brushing it off, she turned to the teacher. "Miss Swan's room is upstairs, yes?"
Regina was practically panting as her feet finally reached the floor. With Emma guiding her, her descent out of the second floor window had gone much more smoothly this time.
"Now get in my car and keep down!" hissed the blonde as she disappeared from the window, throwing herself in bed and grabbing the tissue box. Crumpling a few, she let them litter the bed around her, before quickly pinching her cheeks to redden them slightly. She had just settled when her bedroom door swung wide open, Cora storming in.
"Miss Swan, I'll be taking my daughter home now," she said firmly.
Emma gave a fake cough. "What?"
"Don't play dumb with me, girl," snarled the older woman. "Where is Regina?"
"Shouldn't you know that?" asked Emma, coughing once more.
"I said don't play with me, Miss Swan," said Cora, her voice menacingly low. "Now where is my daughter?"
"I don't know!" said Emma. "You think she's here, feel free to look." She watched as the woman eyed the tissues on her bed with distaste. That didn't stop her from leaning down to check under the bed, then quickly moving to yank open both the wardrobe and the small ensuite. Snarling when she found them empty she turned back to Emma. "You know where she is, I know you do!"
"Have you checked with Ruby or Katheryn?" asked Emma, doing her best to sound dumb. "I haven't heard from her since probably yesterday afternoon, before dinner. She didn't even reply when I told her I was sick." The blonde hoped this lie would sit well, knowing Cora took Regina's phone after dinner, and so hearing from her by phone since then would be out of the question.
Not giving her an answer, Cora stormed from the room. Emma could hear the sound of the other door in the house opening and closing as Cora's search continued. She could hear Mary-Margaret taking offense to the intrusion, her voice high and whiny. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the front door slammed. It took all of the self control Emma had not to launch herself towards the window to check whether Cora was going to check her car.
"That woman is evil," said Mary-Margaret from the doorway. "Pure evil. Now, where on earth did you manage to hide her?"
"Is she gone?" asked Emma.
Mary-Margaret went to the window, watching the sleek new Mercedes screech along the street towards town. "Yes, probably to collect some instrument of torture before coming back."
Grinning, Emma, shot out of bed, making for the stairs. Slipping outside, she headed towards her car. Tapping the roof of the car, she called Regina's name softly. She jumped when the bonnet popped open, having expected the brunette to have hidden in the back seats. Running round to the front of the car, she helped raise the bonnet as Regina clambered out of the space where the spare wheel should be. Another thing her car was lacking.
"I'm impressed you fit in there," said Emma as she brushed her girlfriend down.
"I'm impressed you thought to hide in there," added Mary-Margaret. "It's probably the one place your mother didn't look."
"I'm sorry you had to lie for me," said Regina, eyes on the ground. "That she turned up here in the first place."
Mary-Margaret shook her head. "Don't be silly. You're welcome here as long as you need. Come on, let's get you back inside before your mother drives back this way."