~Thirteen Years Ago~

Since the first and unchancy meeting the brunette with brown eyes - Regina's her name she learned later on - she doesn't lose a single chance to make her suffer. Even if her small brunette friend - with whom Emma surprisingly shares genetics - tries to make her stop harassing the new student, "As if she isn't going through enough, being new at school," the petite argues looking merciful afterwards.

"I don't need your pity." Emma speaks with much less than no sympathy for the action.

"See? She doesn't need your pity," Regina mocks looking back over her shoulder with a devilish smile.

Emma closes her fist tightly to the point of leaving marks on the palm of her hand. "Leave me alone." She starts to walk away from the two girls, but is grasped by her forearm and she hates to be defenseless against those brown eyes again, this is already part of her daily routine and the sensations are only getting stronger.

"I didn't say you could leave."

~Present Time~

Her second night in town doesn't have any kids included, and she finally has a bed all for herself to sleep. Although, she has a hard time giving up consciousness because if the thoughts of Regina have made her company night in and out, now that she had seen the woman after so long it seems she can't think about anything other than the brunette. When she's finally able to get some sleep, there Regina is again, invading her dreams.

It's usually the same scene, they are at Storybrooke's pier saying goodbye. She tries to reach Regina before she leaves the platform but it's worthless. She's gone. Emma is awake.

6:30 a.m.

She rolls her eyes at the cellphone screen, it's been less than five hours since she closed her eyes. As much as she tries not leaving the bed, she also knew she won't be getting much sleep. So she gets up.

The letter from Leopold rests on her bedside table untouched. She doesn't even know if she'll have the guts to read it someday.

Unlike her first day, she decides to walk to Granny's for a morning dose of caffeine and one of the delicious pancakes.

The diner is not much different. It seems to have more costumers nowadays. The tables are full. Certainly a busy morning. Emma spots a vacant seat by the counter and heads to take it, but some infuriating soul passes by her and sits before she's able to claim it. Huffing she decides to take her order to go.

Sitting at a park bench is supposed to be a rather relaxing activity. Seeing the birds fly and sing, the kids walking to school, the joggers, dog walkers, and people who like Emma have nothing to do. But it doesn't affect her with anything positive. She only feels smashed at the fact of how useless she's become after the accident.

"Hey there." The puffed jogger stops by her bench and takes a seat.

Ruby seems like one of those people who are happy in the morning, and there's nothing more irritating than happy people in the morning. Surprisingly, Emma doesn't mind.

"Isn't it too early for smiles?" Emma asks grumpily.

Ruby shrugs it off, not seeming to mind the sulky blonde. Only smiling wider as she counters, "Isn't it too early for Emma Swan to be up and about?"

"Somethings do change!" Emma replies sarcastically toasting with her cup of coffee.

"Thankfully!" She joined her bottle of water with the cup before bursting into laughter. "So, Miss Swan, how long will you be bumping into Regina this time around?"

For the sake of her sanity Emma hopes to be gone quickly, she's already done what she came for. Not that she has anything waiting upon her return in Boston. Actually, she doesn't even know if she's going back there. The last stages of physiotherapy are over, she doesn't have an apartment or anyone to go back to. The only thing she's attached to is the damn cable signature. And they were pretty clear about how she can use the equipment wherever she goes.

"Just a couple of days."

Ruby mouths an 'oh', as if she expected a dissimilar answer. "So you are not staying for the wedding, huh?"

"Wedding?"

If there's any wedding happening Emma is pretty sure she knows nothing about it. She tries her hardest to remember anyone saying anything about marriage but nothing comes to mind. She has a sudden panic, because Regina could be marrying someone!

The class is dismissed when the school alarm sounds throughout the building, and Mary starts gathering her belongings to leave her classroom when there's a knock on her door. She isn't expecting Emma, but there her sister is. She seems afflicted, like something's been bugging her. Thus Mary signs for the blonde to walk in.

"How the hell are you marrying and you didn't tell me anything? And who the hell is David?!" Emma asks halfway inside. She feels automatically out of place pacing through the classroom which she doesn't hide with the grimace on her face.

Mary takes her time to answer while organizing the last papers inside her purse. She has fought to find a good moment and break the news, but Emma's been back for just two days and that's just not her top priority conversation. "I was going to tell you! And you know David."

"Uh... No, I have no idea who David is." She's pretty sure she's never heard of anyone with that name. Ever. And she hasn't been introduced to as many people since getting back. So, no, she has no idea who this David person is or where he came from.

Mary Margaret bites one of her pears, and only now Emma sees she's got many of those around her table. It's a bit weird but she doesn't bring it up. "Blonde, tall, handsome, friendly guy who opened the door when you came to my apartment like two days ago?"

David?! Well, that certainly isn't David. "Mary, that's James! I remember him. And I don't remember a lot, you know?"

"They are kind of twins."

"Oh my God." Emma is just so confused and a bit abashed because well she did call him James. Multiple times.

Still Emma is kind of relieved that her sister is marrying and not Regina! It's also a bit contradictory because she's most definitely not about to engage in anything with the woman. She's leaving anytime soon and she's very likely to be the person Regina hates most. Even so it's an anaesthetic to her guts.

Emma leaves the school to wait for Mary outside, she's spent less than thirty minutes in and already can't take more of the environment. It's all too colorful, cheery, and childish. Everywhere she glances there's a little board with artwork, handwritten texts, and science projects. She has no idea how anyone has the patience for it. And maybe it's because she's so stranger to the tiny human's world.

She breathes deeply once outside and climbs down before taking a seat at the bottom staircase. The weather is gentle, it's an auroral afternoon, it genuinely feels like spring. The students are all gone, the field is clear, the wind is light, the sunbeams are slightly warming. It's a delight, and she closes her eyes to deeper the calmness.

Which is rudely interrupted when she's thrown back and licked in the face by a giant horse she's only able to see the white with black smudges while she lies back. The giant horse doesn't move away, and incredibly, it is able to bark. And, oh, God! What is this breath?

"Jesus, Pongo! Get off of Emma!" Thankfully the Pongo creature is removed by Mary Margaret, and Emma quickly recovers from the slam.

She never thought Dalmatians to be huge like this one, she certainly didn't catch that detail from One Hundred And One Dalmatians! Already standing on her feet she overlooks the surroundings searching for wherever the dog ran from and is not at all surprised to see Ruby and Henry - she hopes that's the kids name - easing their desperate path when they sight the ginormous dog. Well, Henry is just not that worried.

"Pongo!" Ruby yells scolding at the dog while fastening its dog-collar. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay, Emma? He can be a little heavy." She chuckles clumsily when Emma starts cleaning her face with the sleeve of her jacket.

"I'm fine." She says still disgusted. "That dog seriously needs to brush his teeth."

"My mommy says that too." Henry finally says kinda hugging or petting Pongo ungainly. Emma half smiles at the childish ways of the boy, he's nearly same size as the dog.

Emma slaps at the paw marks, but still her dark blue jeans aren't free of them. She scrambles over death glaring the animal and is replied with a sorrow moan. Still she doesn't ease her eyes just so he knows that no, she won't forgive Pongo. "Your mother is a very reasonable person, trust her words."

"What is wisonalo?" Henry asks puzzled, in a quite adorable frown.

"Reasonable means i'm right." Regina arrives. "And unreasonable is when a certain someone sneaks his section and has everyone worried."

Henry's instant reaction is to let go of Pongo and face his small blue pair of sneakers shyly. "Sorry." He whispers.

"Not working, you'll still be grounded young man." Regina assures as she stands a hand waiting for him to catch.

The other three present are just watching them as mother and son leave hand in hand, Henry whining about the unfairness of the situation and Regina just ensures him of how badly he behaved.