Regina's bedroom had a bay window. It was her favorite thing about the house. She sat on the plush window seat and stared out over the town. It really was beautiful, in its own unique way. She had opened the window and the cool salty breeze brushed gently over her skin. If she closed her eyes, she could almost pretend she was back in California.

She wrapped a soft blanket around her and leaned back on a pillow. She started to drift off when she noticed the sound of angry shouting coming from somewhere down the street. Sitting up quickly, she looked down and could barely make out the shadows of man and woman screaming at each other from inside a smaller house. The window was wide open and Regina registered a few choice curse words. She saw a light turn on in a room on the second storey, and she looked up to see none other than Emma Swan. She couldn't see much but a silhouette, but the halo of golden hair was unmistakable. The girl didn't move, and Regina realized she was probably staring right at her. Feeling like a voyeur, Regina closed up her window and turned out her bedroom light, before climbing under the covers of her bed. She stared at the ceiling for another hour, wondering what she had just witnessed. Was Emma in some kind of bad home situation? No, she couldn't be. She was well-dressed, healthy, played sports and her parents obviously had money if they were living on this street. All the houses on this block were upscale. No, her parents were probably just in an argument, like all couples are bound to do once in awhile. They must have forgotten their windows were open.

After trying to convince herself that everything was fine, Regina fell into that deep, exhausted sleep that always came after the first day of school.

The next morning, as Regina sleepily lowered herself into her desk in Ms. Drake's class, a whirlwind of purple and gold flashed in front of her tired eyes. "Oh, hey, Regina," Emma breathed as she crouched next to her, looking up into her eyes. "Hey…I'm glad I caught you before everyone came in here." Emma looked a little uncomfortable, and Regina could take a bet as to why. Her theory was confirmed when Emma continued, "Look, I'm sorry if my foster parents kept you up last night…" Regina shook her head. "Not at all…I was just sitting in my window seat enjoying the evening…I closed the window when they started. It wasn't my business, right? I didn't want to eavesdrop." Then something clicked in her brain. "Wait…foster parents?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Ugh, yeah. You don't know yet. I was new to this school last year. Been a foster kid my whole life. James and Kathryn Nolan took me in after my last stay at a group home in Augusta. They're…a little intense, sometimes. I just wanted to apologize for what you may have overheard."

Regina watched Emma's face carefully as she asked, "Do they…do they fight often?"

Emma's face flickered with an unknown emotion before a mask of indifference slid into place. "Well, they…they're not bad. I prefer them to some other homes."

More of their classmates began to file into the room, and Emma brightened and sent Regina another dazzling smile. "I'll talk to you later, Regina," she said as she crossed over to talk with a few of her friends. Regina was left dazed and confused to stare out the window until the bell rang to mark the beginning of the school day.

Regina cast a few glances at Emma throughout that hour, noticing that Emma kept rubbing her left bicep. Maybe she pulled a muscle during softball practice, Regina mused as she began to think about what she knew of Emma so far. For being a foster kid, Emma was really comfortable with herself, made friends easily it appeared, was bright and happy and as it turns out, really good at math. She proved it when Ms. Drake called her to the front of the class to solve a problem and it took her less than ten seconds to do so. She lived with "intense" foster parents, was accident prone judging by her cut leg yesterday and whatever was wrong with her arm today. She appeared to be an open book, but Regina couldn't help but think there was much more to Emma Swan than meets the eye.

Lunch time rolled around and Regina was feeling overwhelmed. The school work had started, but it wasn't what was overwhelming her. She missed her friends. She didn't seem to be making any at all yet, really, and she wondered if something about her was off-putting. She grabbed her sack lunch from her locker and wandered into the courtyard behind the school. It was a beautiful place, with trees and summertime flowers still blooming, and Regina's favorite feature was the smooth stone fountain in the middle of a circular walkway. She sat on one of the benches that surrounded the fountain, and opened up her pathetic lunch of pre-packaged salad that she'd put in a Tupperware bowl this morning. Drizzling a bit of the dressing she'd packed with it on her salad, she began feeling as pathetic as her lunch. Eating alone in the courtyard, indeed.

Until…

"Hey, Regina, can I sit with you?"

Regina looked up at the familiar voice and was surprised to find Emma standing in front of her with a brown paper sack in hand. "Um, sure," Regina said, scooting over to allow room. Did Emma follow her out here?

"Thanks," Emma sighed as she plopped down in an unladylike fashion. Out of her paper sack she pulled a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich. After taking a bite, she exhaled sharply. "Sorry if I'm like, bothering you. I just didn't want to be in the lunch room today. They're serving 'surprise' casserole, no one knows what's in it and it always smells horrible."

"Oh," Regina said, realizing that Emma hadn't followed her, and for some reason that disappointed her. "You're not bothering me, Emma. I find I like your company."

Emma grinned at her and took another bite of her childish sandwich. "Gotta hab thomeone to thabe you from thray thoftballth," she said through a mouthful.

"What?" Regina asked, mildly disgusted. Emma laughed and swallowed before trying again. "I'm sorry, that's a horrible habit of mine. I said, you gotta have someone to save you from stray softballs."

Regina recalled almost getting hit with a ball yesterday and smiled. "Yes, well, thank you for that yesterday. Luckily you have good reflexes. I bet you're a good catcher on the field."

"I'm a much better pitcher," Emma laughed. "You got lucky and caught me on a good day to save your face."

"I know, I watched you yesterday," Regina blurted out before she could stop herself. She realized what she said and felt her face heat up. "I mean, I was walking home from school and I saw the team out there, and I've always enjoyed baseball, so I stopped to watch for a minute."

Emma was grinning again. "It's all good, no one said you can't watch if you want to." She finished off her sandwich and pulled a bottle of water out of her bag. After taking a few huge gulps, she wiped her mouth and then turned to Regina quickly, as if suddenly having an idea. "Hey, that reminds me. My best friend Neal, he's the guy that almost squashed your face yesterday, plays for the baseball team and they have their last game on Saturday. Softball season is already over, but we still like to play as long as we can until the weather gets too bad. Anyway, me and a few friends are meeting in town at the ice cream parlor before the game, if you'd like to come with us. It might help you, you know, make some friends and feel more comfortable here."

Regina's heart was pounding at the invitation, but she felt a little hurt when Emma basically told her she needed to make friends. "I'm perfectly comfortable here," she insisted, taking the first bite of her almost-forgotten salad. Soggy. Ugh.

Emma threw her head back and laughed. "That's why you're eating a salad in the courtyard, alone. Don't worry, Mills, your secret is safe with me." She got up from the bench and pointed at Regina's salad. "You might wanna hurry and finish that, lunch period is almost over."

She started to walk away, but turned around and continued to walk backwards as she shouted, "'Any Given Sundae'! Noon on Saturday. Be there!" She turned back around and hurried off.

Regina sat on her bench, staring after Emma Swan and completely forgetting about her pathetic, soggy salad.

The next few days passed in a blur of stacks of schoolwork, horrible meals made by her mother (Regina was really considering using her allowance to hire a cook, if things kept on like this she was going to die of malnutrition. One could only eat so many frozen dinners in a week), and flashes of Emma Swan.

She had started a tentative friendship with Lily, but they only really talked in between classes and before and after band class. That class was fun, at least. They were playing simple music, but there was something soothing about the hum of the different instruments coming together to make a song (some wrong notes played by her classmates aside).

She overheard two more fights coming from Emma's house as she kept up her new habit of sitting in her window every night. And every night, Emma appeared to do the same. Every time the fights started, Emma would appear in the window. Regina figured it was probably to make sure the neighbors weren't peeping…Regina included. So Regina would close her window and go to bed, trying to ignore the voice in her head telling her that couples shouldn't fight that much.

Saturday rolled around in no time. Regina woke feeling excited for the first time since moving to Storybrooke. She finished up what was left of her homework, then showered lazily, soaking up the steam and letting it relax her after her stressful week. She then braided her long brown hair to keep it out of her face, put on a light layer of makeup and dressed in a pair of shorts and a royal purple v-neck shirt. Might as well represent the school colors, she figured. After slipping on a pair of sneakers, she grabbed her purse and headed downstairs, where she found her parents waiting for her. "Are you ready to go see the town?" Cora asked, slipping on her boots as Henry finished his coffee and closed the morning paper. Regina felt a guilty twinge as she realized she never told them about her weekend plans. "Actually," she began, "One of my classmates invited me to the ice cream parlor, and to the last varsity baseball game this season…I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you."

But Henry and Cora looked anything but upset. "How exciting!" Cora exclaimed. She elbowed Henry in the arm and said, "I knew the parlor was still the hangout place." She clapped her hands together and beamed with pride. Henry hugged Regina and said, "I'm happy to see you're adjusting. Have a good day sweetheart. Your mother and I will make it a date of our own, then. Be safe. Call and check in every few hours, if you will." Regina hugged him back tightly and said, "I will, thank you," before rushing out the door.

She made it as far as the next street over before a bright red car pulled up beside her. "Are you going to walk all the way downtown?" came a deep voice from the car. Regina looked over and saw Neal Cassidy grinning at her from the passenger seat. In the driver's seat was a dark-haired boy she'd never met. "Um, yes?" Regina said hesitantly. Neal laughed and said, "Hop in. We've got room."

"I'm…good," Regina said. She barely knew Neal, and she didn't know August at all, and didn't feel comfortable riding with them.

But then the tinted back window rolled down and Regina saw Emma leaning up to punch Neal in the arm. "You look like a total creeper, Cassidy. Jesus." She turned and flashed that billion-watt smile at Regina. "Come on Regina. August is a senior, he's a good driver. If he pulls any stupid stunts, I'll slug him for you."

Emma looked so beautiful, Regina noticed. She was wearing a white athletic tank top and had her hair piled high on her head in a messy bun. She'd also put on makeup, and her skin was practically glowing.

"Uh, Regina? Hello? You okay?"

At that moment, Regina realized she'd been standing there, looking like an idiot, staring at Emma Swan like some kind of weirdo. "Um, yeah," she said, her face heating up. "Okay," Emma opened the door for her and she slid in. After she put her seat belt on, August pressed the gas pedal and they were off.

"Regina, this is August Booth. His dad is the best freaking woodcarver I've ever seen, almost everyone in town gets their furniture and stuff from him." Emma said.

Taking one hand off the wheel, he waved it at Regina without taking his eyes off the road. "Hey Regina. Nice to meet you. My dad knew your mom, they went to school together back in the day. He was quite a bit older than her, though."

"Hello, August. Nice to meet you as well."

"And I'm Neal!" Neal piped up from the passenger seat, turning around to face the girls in the back. "I'm the resident baseball star and heartthrob, pleasure to finally get to talk to you."

Heartthrob, huh? "Pleasure is all mine," Regina quipped, accidentally putting a bit too much sarcasm into her words. Emma laughed and slugged Neal again. "Turn around, idiot. You're making her uncomfortable."

"Why do you seem to always think I'm uncomfortable?" Regina asked, even though Emma was one hundred percent right. "Well," Emma said, cocking her head and appearing to ponder the question. "It was either Neal made you uncomfortable or you were checking me out back there, one of the two."

Her unfiltered reply shocked Regina so much, she didn't even blush. "F-fine, you got me," she stuttered out quickly. "I've never ridden in a car that wasn't being driven by my parents' personal driver."

They arrived at the ice cream parlor right then, and all three turned to look at her after August parked the car. "Personal driver, huh?" August repeated. "That's something." He turned to Emma and said, "You hear that, Swan? When I'm a famous novelist, I'm going to get myself a personal driver."

Emma scoffed. "You like driving too much, Booth. I'll believe it if I ever see it."

As they got out of the car, Regina walked beside August behind Neal and Emma. "So, you're aspiring to be a novelist?" she asked to start conversation. August nodded. "Yeah, uh, I'm already almost done with my first book, it's kind a of a twist on fairy tales. Just gotta add a few more things and figure out an ending, I think," he blushed a little and scratched the back of his neck. "My dad wants me to take over the woodworking business, but it's not my thing." Regina nodded as they entered the parlor and were blasted with cool air. She felt goosebumps rise on her arms and regretted that she didn't bring a jacket. "I know how it is," she said. "My parents wanted me to write, or to draw or design, but I chose a musical instrument. We have to live our own lives, I think."

As they crossed the parlor to join a group of other people, Regina added, "You know, I bet Daddy-I mean, my father-would help you, if you want some tips on writing." August's eyes lit up. "Advice from the famous Henry Mills? He would do that?"

"Of course," Regina laughed at his, placing a tentative hand on his arm. "I'll talk to him about meeting with you."

"Thanks, Regina. That would be awesome." He smiled at her and then wandered off to greet a couple of his other friends. Regina then noticed that among the crowd was Lily. "Lily!" she exclaimed, walking up to her band mate. "Look at you, Regina," Lily smirked. "Out and about, finally." She grabbed the arm of a girl next to her that had been in conversation with Emma and dragged her close. "This is Ruby Lucas, my girlfriend."

If Regina's jaw hadn't been hinged to her skull, it would have fallen to the floor. "Oh wow," she said, reaching out to take Ruby's hand. "Nice to meet you, Ruby. Wow. So, you guys are…openly together?"

"Ha! Crazy, right?" Ruby laughed. "Yeah, Lily's mom is a total hippie underneath all those business suits, she believes in the 'one love' stuff. And my gram-my parents died when I was little, so my gram raised me-is just happy I'm not going to end up a pregnant teen statistic." She leaned over and pecked Lily's cheek. "Graham just walked in, we haven't seen him in weeks, I'm gonna go say hi!" and she bounced away like a toddler on caffeine. "She's cute," Regina said conversationally to Lily, who was laughing at her girlfriend's antics. Lily gave a fake angry face and said, "Stay back Mills, she's mine." Regina shook her head and chuckled. "All yours," she agreed. "So, how does the town take…homosexuality?" Lily shrugged. "It's Maine. Even the small towns aren't that bigoted anymore. Some people are, but who cares when we're happy, right? Was it all sunshine and roses in California?"

"Definitely more than what I've heard about other states," Regina confirmed. "But you two are cute together."

"Thanks, Mills. I'm gonna go pry her off of Graham, he's looking for someone to save him." And true to her words, a tall man with sandy brown hair was being bear hugged by Ruby while trying to talk to a few other people. Regina made a mental note to ask who he was later. She meandered up to the counter and was greeted by a beautiful blonde woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties. "Hey, a new face! You look a lot like Cora Mills. You must be Regina!" She pulled a glove off her hand and leaned over the counter, proffering her hand for Regina to shake. "I'm Ingrid Keller, I own this place. What can I get you today?"

Regina looked from the stunningly beautiful woman to the seemingly endless ice cream flavors in front of her before saying, "I don't really know. What do you recommend?" Ingrid gave her a wink and said, "My Rocky Road is a town favorite. Want to sample?"

Regina glanced at the tub of ice cream labeled Rocky Road and shuddered at the overload of marshmallows and chocolate. "Um, no thanks," she said. "I guess I'll just have a scoop of vanilla in a cup today, please."

Ingrid moved to get her order, but Regina felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and her nose was invaded by a pleasing scent of warm vanilla and cinnamon as Emma appeared behind her, yelling, "Live a little, Gina! Get her a scoop of the Rocky Road, Ingrid. I'll pay for it." Regina started to argue with her, starting with that awful nickname Emma had just bestowed on her, but Emma held up a finger to her lips and said, "Shush. You don't come into Any Given Sundae and order a scoop of vanilla, Regina. That's just sooo…vanilla." She laughed at her own joke and said, "Look, if you don't like it, you can buy yourself a boring vanilla scoop and I'll eat the Rocky Road. But just give it a try."

Quicker than Regina could say I don't like sweets very much, a cup filled to the brim with the delectable-looking Rocky Road ice cream was in her hands and Emma was pushing some cash across the counter.

"I also do specialty cakes, just so you know!" Ingrid added hastily as the girls walked away from the counter to rejoin the now huge crowd of students at the tables.

Regina sat down and glared in disdain at offending confection until Emma laughed and grabbed the spoon, scooping up a sizeable amount and holding it up to Regina's face. "Come on," she urged. "One bite." Regina, ready to now explain that she didn't like overly sweet foods, looked up at Emma's face and found herself barking with laughter at the ridiculously cute pout she found on the blonde girl's face. "Okay," she gave in. "One bite." She leaned forward and wrapped her lips around the spoon, pulling the ice cream into her mouth. An amazingly rich flavor exploded over her taste buds and she moaned in surprised delight. "Oh my god," she said, smiling. She looked at Emma again and noticed a blush on the girl's face, her mouth slightly agape. She quickly recovered from whatever was wrong with her, and slapped Regina lightly on the arm. "I knew you'd love it," she crowed victoriously. "Hey, Ingrid!" She shouted to the parlor owner, who popped up from where she'd been restocking a flavor in the chiller. "She loves it!" Ingrid grinned and gave a thumbs up before returning to work.

Regina willingly ate the whole scoop of ice cream, keeping her eyes on Emma as she left her side to talk to a few other people. Regina admired the way Emma was so confident, standing tall and proud and not afraid to talk to anyone. Regina had had a fair amount of friends back in California, but most of them had been her friends since kindergarten. She'd always been a bit shy, and that mostly stemmed from being the daughter of two fairly famous people. She was never sure if people wanted to be her friend because they liked her, or if they just wanted to befriend the famous Mills' couple's daughter.

But Emma, beautiful, golden Emma, was working the room like a socialite, a big wide grin pasted on her face and her incredible green eyes shining with mirth. That girl was scared of nothing, open to everyone. And yet she was a mystery to Regina, one that Regina found herself wishing to solve.