A/N: I'm letting my other stories rest on updating and giving all of my attention back to this one. I'm sorry it took me a while to come back to it. Especially when this story holds a special place in my heart. I'm so happy to be receiving more reviews on this first-person version to this story, and it makes me even happier that you are all enjoying it all over again. Living it along with me through the eyes of Emma and Regina. Here are two new updates to hold you over until I update again tomorrow. :) Happy reading and a happy weekend to all!


Chapter 9: Emma


"It's just through here." Leopold says to me, and I immediately halt in front of two double dark wood doors. I step aside for him to move before me and slide them open. As he enters his private office space, I stand in between the sliding doors, silent and observant of it all.

The office was big, and dark. Much like him. I wonder, almost chuckling to myself at the thought that possibly the man was the mere reflection of this room.

Homes were the reflection of their owners after all. And judging from my observations, I've come to realize that this house was all Leopold White. Except the library. That was all Regina.

This room however was all covered in dark wood. There was a shelf along the wall to my right as you entered the room that was covered in books. No pictures. I take notice, not even on his desk. The shelf to my right holds books on how to conduct the perfect business. Dictionaries. Clearly this guy was all business. Very direct. Carried on as if nothing frightened him. But in the end, we were all afraid of something.

On his desk, there is a glass ashtray, followed by a black statue of a horse standing on its two back legs. There was a phone and a few pencils and pens neatly placed inside their own holder. Followed by a stack of papers, and a laptop. No pictures there either.

I gathered the knowledge that whatever Leopold White wanted to talk to me about, he wanted it to stay between us.

And by me agreeing to step inside his space, I knew it would be like stepping inside the wolf's den.

Ironically enough, as I watch Leopold move behind his desk, I spot a stuffed wolf, just over his shoulder. Prepped up along the dark corner of his office. The predator's paws were up, exposing its claws that hooked their way into its prey- a deer's- thigh that was clearly running for its life.

It was hunting to say the least, leading to a cold electrical feeling to run up my spine.

This whole place gave me the creeps. But the stuffed animals, the gnarl look on the wolf's features. It all made me think of Chief Irons from the Resident Evil 2 video game. Trust me. If you'd play the game and get to know his character you'd agree with me. He loved the idea of taking out the animal's insides himself. And he loved young girls, as if killing innocent animals wasn't eery enough.

I knew Leopold was older than Regina. I wasn't sure by how much, maybe ten, fifteen years older at the most? But clearly he had liked her young and made a sport out of mistreating her, instead of lying the world at her feet.

That much was clear to me.

I knew that what Audrey and I had witnessed at the library was only one of many incidents between them. Anyone- I- could clearly see that Regina was in no way enjoying what was happening in that library just a few minutes ago. I was just glad Audrey and I arrived in time to prevent things from moving further. Whatever twisted and sick turn they would take.

I was very observant. Plus, it didn't take a genius to figure this guy out.

Leopold must've caught me looking at what was his most prized hunting possession in this room. "Do you hunt?" He asked me, looking back at me with a smug and proud look.

"No, never." I answer truthfully while swallowing down the hard lump that formed in the back of my throat. I could never kill any animal for sport. That was just cruel.

"Oh, that's right," Leopold chuckles, his hand landing on top of the wolf's head before he turns back to me. "You enjoy watching them through the lens of a camera rather than hunting them, don't you?" His eyes are on me.

Mine locked along with him, showing him no fear. This is what he wanted. To scare me. But that didn't come easy.

"And I can see you don't." I say to him, earning myself another chuckle from the man. He motions to the two chairs along his desk, and I realize I'm still standing by the two parted doors. It's then I can see the surprised look in his eye as I turn to close them, providing us with some privacy before I welcome myself to take a seat. "Do you hunt them yourself?" I ask him, keeping the conversation afloat.

"I did, yes." He nods at me while relaxing back along his chair. He eyes the wolf. "Years ago. I traveled all the way to Alaska for that wolf. Tracked him down myself."

I nod and decide to let my humor get the best of me. "So, you're a fan of wolves, huh? And here, I thought it was the deer that captured its way into your heart." I feel the corner of my lip twitch as a frown forms along Leopold's lips. They're set in a thin, hard line.

I watch him as Leopold abruptly stands and walks over to the mini bar inside of his office. He opens a glass cabinet and reaches for a glass, filling it with his favorite whiskey. I assume. Followed by another.

"How about some whiskey?" Next, he is standing two feet from me as he offers me a glass.

My eyes study the glass hovering before me, but I make no attempt to reach it. I make no attempt because I know that's what he wants. This intimidation game- whatever the fuck this was to him- was all a part of it. He wanted to feel a sense of security to know that I believed whatever this game was. That he had me right where he wanted me.

If I were as they say one of the boys, I'm sure he and I wouldn't be having this conversation. But I wasn't. And that was always something that would grind on his last nerve.

I almost want to smile as I think back to Audrey and mine's unexpected conversation on moving in together once classes started up again. What possessed Audrey to change her mind about taking that next step into this relationship, I'll never know. But, it wasn't a marriage proposal, so I supposed moving in together wouldn't be so bad.

Audrey was so surprised when I had said yes to the idea. She was so happy, her eyes lit up before me.

And that's what kills Leopold White. The fact that she's happy with another woman.

He didn't like me. And that much was clear. But then again, I didn't care. I didn't exactly like him either. And I wasn't here to impress him either. I had impressed Regina, and that was enough for me.

I watched him gulp down his own drink, taking a seat behind his desk. "You mentioned you wanted to have a quick word with me?" I ask directly, leaving my drink untouched.

"Right to the point, I see." My eyes deceive me as they glance toward the stuffed animals again, and Leopold notices as he says, "Do they offend you?"

Yes. Yes, they did. There's killing animals for sport, which still didn't go with me. But then there was a sadistic asshole like Leopold, who gave me a full on Chief Irons vibe every second I'm in here. But, I had to remain collected and above all calm. "No." My eyes diverted to him again. "I was just wondering- simple curiosity- why a wolf?" I ask.

He smirks at me and instead of answering my question, he stands, moves along his desk over to a set up chess board in a corner of his office. He's looking at me. "Tell me Ms. Swan… Do you play? My daughter mentioned to me before that you liked a good game of chess."

Of course Audrey would brag about that. I did like the occasional game of chess. I could thank David for teaching me how to play. However, I wasn't the next Bobby Fisher.

"I'm okay, yeah." I shrug. "I'm probably not as great at it as you are, though."

"How about a game, then?" Leopold's brow lifts in a challenging manner. Thinking he could beat me. Maybe he could, but then again, maybe not. I liked a challenge.

However, I knew, as I moved along the to join him by the chess board- taking black- I just knew this wasn't about a simple game of chess. This was something more. He wanted to get the better of me anyway that he could. Prove something, maybe. As to what that might be, I had yet to figure out.

To my surprise, as my eyes studied the pieces before me, the entire board rotated.

"If you don't mind- I always play black." Leopold said to me, making sure the black pieces were his and the white were mine.

Because they're black just like your heart? "Not at all. I actually prefer the white pieces myself." I answer truthfully. I watch his hand as it swiftly moves over the board, placing his first piece down. Any gentleman would have allowed me to go first, but clearly- Leopold White was far from one.

"Your move." He said to me, already sounding pretty sure of himself.

I reach across the board for one of my pawns, placing it down. I wait. My eyes move back to his.

Leopold moves one of his pieces as he says calmly to me, "From what I gather… You and my daughter seem to be becoming pretty serious, wouldn't you say? Your move." He nods toward the board and waits.

"You could say that." I make my next move and wait.

He hums and follows with his next move as he says, "And would you have any idea what exactly Audrey wants to talk to her mother about that she can't tell me?"

He's asking as if I would give Audrey up. Surely, this is about us moving in together as soon as we return to school by the end of this summer.

"I'm afraid that's something she wants to tell you herself." I say, making my next move along the chess board. My eyes focus on him, his expressions as he is studying the board before us.

Leopold hums again, only this time his eyes lock on mine with an almost deathly glare. As if that would intimidate me. "Well, she is obviously not going to tell me. That's why I was hoping you would shed some light into this matter for me." Again, he thinks I would tell him.

I watch him finally make his move, and I make mine right after as I reply, "She'll tell you. I'm sure she just wants to wait and see that you haven't murdered me first." I try a hint of dark humor. Very direct, dark humor.

As I hear him chuckle at my dark humor, I feel free to smile. But I don't give one of my genuine smiles. I could instantly tell he knew that I knew what this was about. This wasn't an average conversation between me and the man who could possibly someday become my father-in-law. Hell, I don't even think Leopold White would be the father-in-law type. Then again, if the idea of marriage was ever in the cards for me, and I was cursed to have a father-in-law like Leopold, I don't think I would think twice about shooting myself.

This whole moment inside the privacy of his office-bit all came down to one thing. Territory.

"Do you really think I'm capable of such a thing?" He asked, not even sounding appalled as he made his next move.

Yes, I do. I think to myself before saying out loud, "What father wouldn't, when it's about his daughter?" I give my attention back to the board in front of me and make my next move.

Under different circumstances, this would actually be a pretty relaxing moment. But nothing was with him in the room. I could see just by looking at his wife, how the tension fell along her shoulders every single time he walked into a room. The same tension my own mother would carry on her shoulders around my father.

Shit. His next move wiped off one of my pawns off the board, and he's gloating with a smirk stretched out across his lips. "You're right about that, Ms. Swan. You see, Audrey means the world to me. And, frankly I would sleep better at night knowing that she's with someone who is going to take care of her instead of hurting her."

I see a chance and take it, wiping off one of his pieces with my next move. I can't help but chuckle as his lips thin out in a frown. "Don't you mean you would sleep better at night knowing that she is with a man of your status, instead of with me?" Let's be blunt here.

He frowns and makes his next move. "Your move. And you're right," he clears his throat. "Why deny what's no secret? I've never approved of my daughter's lifestyle, I probably never will."

"I can respect that." I say calmly, making my next move on the board. "But, you have to respect that she is a consenting adult, and as one- she has a right to live her life the way she wants to." He loosens the top button on the collar of his shirt before he makes his next move. Good move.

"Your move." He murmurs.

But not good enough. I make my move, taking down one of his pieces. I try not to look so smug as I do by carrying on our conversation. "And, let's be honest here, sir," my eyes lock onto his dark gaze. Which doesn't phase me. "The way I see it, Audrey is probably better off leaving this place. She needs a life of her own where she can be happy."

"On that we agree, Ms. Swan," there's a smirk there, fainted but it's there. His eyes look away from me for a second as he makes his move along the board. "And while we're on the topic. I'd like to make a suggestion to you, if I may."

A suggestion? I nod, curious as ever. I make my next move, removing another one of his pawns from the board.

"If you wish to make my daughter happy," he observes the board before his eyes are on me again- he makes his move. "I suggest that you do just that."

"Oh, I intend to. Don't worry." I watch his eyes. You could uncover a lot by looking at a person's eyes, and my discovery tells me that he is trying to hide something as we both sit here. And as I patiently wait, I am rewarded.

"My wife, however, doesn't need any attention from you, much less a friendship. I think it's safe to say that you already have her approval when it comes to dating my daughter."

And there it is. So this little chat wasn't just about Audrey.

I almost want to chuckle. This guy is so easily predictable. He carries on as a caring husband, but really, he is a controlling bigot. And my suspicions of him beating on his wife are more than confirmed. I make my next move as I say, "Well, with all due respect to you, Mr. White, but," I make sure to look him in the eye. "I think it's important for your daughter's girlfriend to get along with her parents. Wouldn't you say? After all, in the end it's what Audrey wants. I honestly don't see any harm in that. Do you?"

I see him frown, but soon that frown turns into a forced smile. And his voice is just as forced, "No, of course not."

Unlike him, I actually smile at him. I smile because of how pathetic he was. It wasn't surprising to me at all. Guys like Leopold White, who possessed all the power in the world only wanted more power. He wanted to keep things under his control and I know it was killing him that he couldn't keep me in control. I liked Regina, and I intended to befriend her and get to know her better. That's all I wanted to be- a friend- and there was no harm in that. God only knows the poor woman could use a new friend in her life. Someone she could trust. I wanted to be that for her if I could.

"Your move." He said to me plainly.

I look at the board and see plenty of pieces surrounding Leopold's king. I see the chance, take my queen and perform my final move that guarantees my win. "Checkmate."

I see the shock build up on his face and I sit back, proudly. My hands resting along my lap. I can tell Leopold's pissed. Clearly he doesn't like to lose. "Very impressive, Ms. Swan," he forces another smile on me as he continues, "I must admit you are the first to beat me in a game of chess in quite a while."

I give him my best smile as I stand and walk over to his desk to reach for the drink. Once I've downed the drink, feeling it burn on its way down my throat, I place the empty glass back down along the desk. "Thank you for the drink, and the entertaining talk. It's really… Shed some light."

Our conversation had shed some light, alright. I learned that I was right about Leopold White being every bit controlling. Especially toward his wife. I learned that he isn't okay with Regina having any friends of her own, and he wanted me to know that. But knowing my stubborn side, and because I know what Leopold doesn't want. I was determined to befriend Regina, and hopefully she would see in me someone she could trust.

I leave his office without looking back, letting out a breath of relief once I am out in the hallway again. I'm woman enough to admit it- I was shitting bricks but I never once showed intimidation, and I held my head up high the entire time I was in there with him. For that, I say I had earned myself a pat on the back.

I look around the house, still not familiar with the house all the way. I walk further into the hallway and see a partially open door.

"May I help you, miss?" Sidney startles me as he's standing behind me, a kind smile to him.

"Shit- sorry." I smile nervously, tucking my hands inside of my pockets.

"You're not lost, are you?" He asked me, kindly.

"No, I was just… Exploring." I smile.

"Of course. That's my room. So, if you ever need anything, you know where to find me if you don't see me around the house." Said Sidney.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

Sidney smiles at me again. I liked him. He seemed trustworthy and friendly. "If you're looking for Ms. Audrey, you can find her in the kitchen with her mother."

I nod, returning the kind smile he's given me with one of my own as I walk my way down the hallway, past the living room and into the kitchen. Well, my feet changed course as I remembered the note I had left Regina inside of that book. I quickly changed direction and moved back into the library where the crumbled piece of paper still lay.

My suspicions confirmed that what Audrey and I witnessed here as we arrived wasn't a private moment between a husband and a wife. Leopold had found the note, probably, and wanted an explanation from Regina. Bastard. I bend down and pick up the paper off the floor before I head back out.

"You really love her, don't you?" I hear Regina's voice as I enter the kitchen.

"Love who?" I look at both mother and daughter with my eyebrow raised in a teasing manner.

"You, silly." Audrey moves along the kitchen to where I am and kisses me.

"Thank you. You're silly, too." I smile and I hear Audrey chuckle. My eyes moved to Regina who I saw smiled before she gave her back to us. I'm quick to pick up on the scent of the soup Regina so carefully stirs and it smells divine.

"So, what happened with my dad?" Audrey asked me.

I pick up on the stirring from Regina has stopped, but I don't make it obvious. I shrug, "He just invited me to play a game of chess and talk about you."

"Oh, no. Was he too hard on you? He can be very competitive." Audrey frowned.

I chuckle at the memory of his shocked defeat lingering on his face. I feel smug all over again. "Ask him." I say just as smugly.

As Regina turns to look my way, Audrey's eyes grow wide. She knows my smirks well. "Get out! Did you beat my dad?" She asked in shock. My smirk only grows, and Audrey doesn't waste time in running out of the kitchen. "Oh, my God, no way! Dad!"

As I'm left alone with Regina in the kitchen, I turn to her, and she gives me a small smile as she turns her attention back to stirring. "I bet he wasn't one bit happy about losing." She says to me.

"He wasn't." I reply, carefully moving along the kitchen until I am standing beside her. Now that I know what Regina's situation has been in this house, just like I did for my mother as a victim of domestic abuse herself- I moved how I knew I should around her. Watching her stand in front of that stove, stirring the soup along, even when it didn't need any more stirring, she reminded me of my own mother for a moment. "Are you okay?" I ask as soon as her eyes find mine.

Her eyes lock intensely on mine. I can see her lips part a little before she says, "Why wouldn't I be okay?"

I can tell she is trying her best to seem like a strong woman, who was perfectly fine, without a trouble in the world. And she was a strong woman. I had no doubt about that. But she was also scared. Scared of being figured out, and scared of her husband finding out. Maybe to other people, Regina looked okay. But it was different for me. I could see through the layers she tried putting up, because I've been through it with my own mother. So to me, this had become quite personal. Something inside of me had to know that in some way, some form, Regina was okay.

"It's perfectly fine not to be okay, you know." I tell her, sounding as honest as I possibly can.

Regina chuckles as she turns her attention back to stirring the soup. Another defense mechanism. "I can assure you I'm fine, Ms. Swan. But, thank you for your concern. I have nothing to feel bad about."

"You don't?" I ask her, as she refuses to look into my eyes again. This frustrates me a great deal. For someone with such beautiful eyes, she sure likes to hide them.

"No."

I don't know what the hell came over me. My frustration getting to me, very carefully, I reach over to grab Regina by the wrist, forcing her to stop her unnecessary stirring. And something inside of me pulsed through my veins as I touched her. Regina was so surprised and taken aback by my action that her eyes met with mine as they stared widely at me.

"What are you doing-?" She instantly pulls her hand back, away from me. But right now, I am filled with such frustration for her, and anger that I dare to be bold and reach for her hand again. Carefully. My eyes lock onto hers as I turn her hand palm up, and place my own hand on top of hers.

There they were. Those beautiful eyes staring back at me. They looked broken, but a little more relaxed. As relaxed as I became as soon as my hand touched hers. Something new in me that never happened before with anyone.

I don't know why I had to do it. I just know that inside my head, rang my own mother's voice, that always told me to do good for someone in need. Well, Regina was someone in need. In need of understanding. In need of friendship. Possibly love. And I wanted to give her that. I wanted to live by my mother's words.

My hand presses firmly along Regina's palm that she looks down as I move my hand away, leaving her with the crumbled note. Regina looks down at the note and immediately back up at me in surprise. My other hand continues to hold onto her wrist as my now free hand comes up and I lift the sleeve of her shirt, exposing the bruises that sit there like some type of bracelet. Anger fills me up as I see the bruising, while Regina's cheeks turn a shade of pink.

I look into her eyes again, more intently this time as I say, "It's perfectly fine not to be okay, Regina." I whisper it to her.

I want to say more. I want to say, 'He will never hurt you again,' but before I can dare myself to do that, Regina pulls her hand back, away from me. Her eyes are on me, glaring in anger this time.

"Don't pretend like you know me. Because you don't." She's wrong. I can see her bottom lip begging to quiver. "You'd do well to remember one thing, Ms. Swan. Just because you're dating my daughter, that does not give you the right to meddle into whatever you think my personal life is. You have no right."

Regina storms out of the kitchen and so fast past me that she bumps into my shoulder. My hand instinctively lands on my shoulder as my body turns, watching her as she walks out of the kitchen for good. She was right, of course, I had no right to meddle in her personal life, and I might have fucked up and tried to move things too fast in exposing her bruised wrist. I had to remember to be more careful around her. More thoughtful.

It might not be my business to meddle in. But as long as I was staying here, I didn't want to see another bruise along Regina's body, either.