Chapter 1

One could predict that the livelihood of the morning sun, and the lightening sky would be everyone's favourite part of their day. Watching the sun rise over the hills, spreading its orange glow over the colouring clouds, and extending its rays to all the waking eyes of those needing to start their long days.

One can also predict that this was the exact same reason Emma Swan truly hated mornings.

Even though it was an unreal place, she regretted buying the fabulous condominium she had purchased only a few months after finishing her doctorate. The promising career and chance of a ten-year position at her alumni university gave her the ability and means to afford the place.

"You are going to just love all the natural lighting Ms. Swan." Her realtor had told her, and she only remembers this because she tried to bite back the retort of correcting the 'Miss' with the more informative and suiting word 'Doctor'.

Though Emma never really fit in with her arrogant fellow colleagues, so she never corrected anyone for the mistake and always gave them the time of day.

Very uncharacteristic for a professor, especially in her field.

The condo actually was a dream-like buy, and Emma had spent many hours (and most of her savings) decorating the place in order to set roots down in her first real home.

Unfortunately, all good things are never what they seem, even with the picturesque perfection they are presented with.

She always preferred the beauty of the setting sun, and moving into this particular place two years ago accurately explained the reason as to why she did. In the morning, every morning in fact, all that magical 'natural lighting' of the condo acted as the best alarm clock possible. The sun's rays hit Emma in the eyes every time, and woke her up from her peaceful slumber. She never found herself being able to fall asleep before midnight, due to her heavy workload, so sleeping for more than six or seven hours a night was entirely out of the question.

Just like this morning.

Fuck me. Emma thought to herself as she pulled a white pillow over her head and buried her nose into her comfy mattress. Just five more minutes Mr. Sun, that's all I'm asking for bud.

Turning her cheek to the side, Emma looked at her clock and saw it was almost seven.

Shit.

Shoving off the covers rather ungracefully, Emma yawned and stretched on the side of her bed, as she shook out her light brown curls and felt their greasy roots.

Time for a shower Swan.

Emma didn't even bother putting on her slippers, as she felt the flannel pajama bottoms were long enough to slide on to the bathroom. She felt her feet dragging along beside her as she practically slumped over to her shower and attempted to successfully squint out the light to be able to turn on the tap. These same flannel bottoms matched her button up shirt, both which screamed "I'm single, sleep alone, and am terribly comfortable doing so".

Once finally in the shower, she felt her muscles loosening beneath the warm water that spilled over her exhausted form. After a few days of evading the task, Emma doused her darker tresses in shampoo and groaned pleasurably at the fruity scent.

It wasn't that she hated her darker brown hair at all. In fact, Emma received multiple compliments almost hours after the dye job, most saying that the tone brought out the true green in her eyes. Not surprisingly, her close friend Tink was the first to make the most outlandish of descriptive comments.

"You kind of look like a woodland fairy now."

"What the actual fuck Tink?" Emma had said, choking on her food mid-chuckle. "Do they have those things in Australia, or is that Evolutionary Biology seminar finally getting the best of you?"

"Har-Har Swan." Tink had replied with pure sarcasm. "No seriously, you kind of now look like that elf from Lord of the Rings!"

"Are you saying I have pointy ears?" Emma had joked.

"Personally I had hoped someone would have already told you, but I guess I have to be the bearer of bad news." The girl's down under voice had come out with the hilarious jab.

No, Emma definitely loved the brown colour. Change was something that never bothered Emma.

She just missed her bright blonde hair so much, that even the showering schedule changed once the dye job really set into her life. For example, Emma came down to the conclusion that blondes can hide their greasy hair with much more skill than brunettes.

I should probably not share my findings with others. Emma considered to herself whilst brushing out her damp locks in the foggy, wet mirror. Students will start doubting my hygiene.

After blow-drying her hair, and setting her annoying bangs on top of her forehead, the thirty-two-year-old stared back into the mirror.

First day of classes, might as well put some makeup on.

Finding herself finally completely presentable for the day ahead, Emma slipped into some comfortable slacks and a button-up violet blouse. Before packing up her laptop and getting ready to leave before 7:45, Emma took a look at her schedule for the day.

She was only teaching one subject this semester, and she was very delighted that the department gave her the Molecular Biology class on a bit of a whim. Dr. Banks had taught Molecular Biology for third year for almost twenty years, and his retirement was completely unexpected. Partly because he held a monopoly on the class, and then partly because he spent the last ten years of his career refusing to allow the use of laptops and Smart Boards in his classroom. Her preferred the classic use of chalkboards – the messy kind.

In with the old, out with the new. Emma thought to herself as she saved her "Introduction to Molecular Biology" PowerPoint to her hard drive and packed up her briefcase.

Once locking up her condo and feeling the outside air, Emma immediately regretted the decision concerning pants. Canada may have one of the most coldest and diverse climates in the world, but the month of September was just a giant question mark and toss up when it came to picking clothes for the day. The cool, morning air already felt heavy with the impending humidity that threatened sweat patches on her purple blouse and a severely sticky fringe. Luckily, all her work was in one building, and she only needed to drop stuff off at her office today because after class she was needed in one of the labs to meet and greet her new teaching assistants.

Not that this was something she was actually looking forward to.

The BioScience building was located on the same side of campus that was minutes away from Emma's lavish condominium, and the trek barely took ten minutes in the summer and warmer months. Canadian winters held a historical tendency of its own volition, and Emma felt the true wrath one day last year. Minutes before an eight-thirty lecture, Emma was almost run over by a snow plow, and forced to jumped head first into a snow bank to avoid the collision.

She cheated pain though, and was happy that nothing was physically broken, but her dignity was another story. Emma's dear friend Ruby from the History department had watched the entire thing go down from her office in the building above, only to tape the leap on her iPhone and send it to all of their closest friends and colleagues.

That's what I get for setting her up with my ex on a blind date. Emma laughed to herself and opened up the door to the BioScience building upon reaching it.

"Hey! Hold the door Em!" A high, shrill voice rang behind her. Blonde hair peaked out from under a thick green headband, and Emma immediately felt a smile spread across her face.

"Tink!" Emma exclaimed, placing her briefcase down at her side and tossing her arms around her shorter friend in the doorway. "It is so good to see you!"

"You too! It really is good to be back." Tink said into her ear, undoing herself from Emma's death grip of an embrace. "I see the summer did not do much for your tan then, did it Swan?"

Emma rolled her eyes and felt her shoulders droop. "Thank you for pointing that out."

"You're welcome." The quirky blonde said with a beam.

"I didn't mean that."

"I know." Tink said slyly with a wink. "But I know how much you missed me, so I'll let it slide this time."

"How is everything back home?" Emma asked her friend as they started to walk upstairs towards their offices after passing the lobby.

"S'alright I guess." Tink shrugged. "Ma and Pa want to know when you are coming down to visit them again. They miss their exchange-child."

Emma laughed at the title. She had met Tink during her Master's degree when she went on exchange to New Zealand and lived with her in a 'shabby, dung-filled flat' as her friend had once called it. Every Sunday though, the two starving students would make their way to Auckland's coast and have dinner with Tink's parents, filling up for the entire week ahead.

After a few months, the two native Australian parents began to call Emma Swan their 'exchange-daughter' or 'Tink's missing twin' and Emma never bothered correcting them. It gave Emma the first real sense of what family is all about.

Besides, family was something Emma never had the luxury of getting up until that time.

Finding themselves inseparable at the hip, and Emma primarily growing inconceivably attached to someone in her life, Tink surprised her by joining her for their degree in Canada for her very own PhD.

Exactly where Emma was going to go for hers.

They spent the four years getting their doctorates together in Biology, and formed a sisterly bond that not even genetics itself could testify to.

Or the local bar that welcomed the girls each Friday night after their week of pure hell, even to this day.

"I'll have to go down next summer then, but man the students over this one that just pasted kept me so stupidly busy." Emma replied finally, unlocking her office and letting Tink come in to sit down for a coffee. "I had to buy my own coffee machine just to keep up with all the crap that I had to correct with all the labs and testing going badly each time." Emma said irritably, indicating to the new machine that sat on the table next to her desk that she began to brew.

"Their all fucking idiots, that's why." Tink said sharply, sitting herself down on Emma's chair across from her desk. "This is what the department gets for hiring inexperienced undergraduates with no desire in the field and all just want to go to flipping Med School."

Emma did not disagree, but poured two cups of the streaming dark liquid for Tink and herself. "I just want to meet some undergrads this year with real potential, and not have the department needing to pick them out for me to take under my wing over the four summer months." Emma said with interesting determination, which made Tink's head tilt as they both rose to leave for their lectures. "They have to be cool too, you know? Like be in a band in their spare time or do taxidermy."

Tink scoffed. "Shame we can't just hire more Masters students."

Emma reconsidered her collegue's statement. "Most of them are just as presumptuous though, let's be honest."

"You mean pompous love."

Emma giggled. "Shame we can't just hire really hot undergrads."

"If it were up to you Emma, the entire lab would hold interviews based on cup size." Tink said with a gleeful wink.

"Shut up Virginia." Emma teased, knowing her friend to not be telling anything less than the truth.

Using her given name though, that was an unforgivable act in itself.

"I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU BLOODY JUST CALLED ME THAT SWAN!" Tink yelled, and could be heard continuously shouting insults as Emma scurried out of her office, freshly brewed mug and lab coat in hand, and walked to her lecture hall.

As the blaring cries of her alarm clock rang once again, Regina slammed her hand down on the hard snooze button, trying to silence its loud rings. Tossing her thick, fallen curls out of her face, Regina groaned loudly once more and let her sore hand fall back beside her resting head.

Regina had once considered herself a definite morning person. Actually, she had once thought she was an all-day person. For years, her mother Cora had instilled a disciplined schedule that included early morning exercise and healthy sleeping habits, all for the eventual gain of a 'beneficial life in her later future'.

All of this training and etiquette still stuck with her even as she turned 20 in February, and began her third year as an undergraduate student today.

The sleeping however was completely driven by the fact that she spent almost every night either studying until the wee hours of the morning, or dancing around her apartment to ABBA with her amazing roommate Kathryn, whilst having girl talks.

Friends were not a luxury that Cora Mills allowed her young daughter to have when she was in school, as they were dubbed to be 'deceiving and distracting' to her young, once vulnerable child.

"You do not need them Regina." Mother had once told her, almost twelve years ago when Regina was not allowed to invite any of her classmates to celebrate her eighth birthday with her and all the older people her parents invited.

"But why Mommy?" Regina had asked, questioning so evident in her dark chocolate eyes.

"Friends always leave you." Cora said sternly. "Family is the only thing we know for certain."

Regina's eyes dropped her stare intently at her feet, finding interest in the pattern of the rug.

Cora yanked on her daughters arm, and then scolded her. "What have I told you Regina about not looking people in the eyes when they are speaking to you!" Her mother's grip on her forearm had tightened, and Regina recalled crying out in pain, only to be silenced with a sharp, open-handed slap to her left cheek.

"Silence Regina." Cora spat harshly, causing the child to quiet immediately, and allow her mother to readjust her hair and dress from the sniveling tears that invisibly painted her cheekbones.

After that particular incident, Regina never questioned her mother again, and thankfully never received the same harsh blow. Regina knew it was from her obedience, and partly because her father Henry noticed the blue bruise the next morning at breakfast with his daughter. Her father never legitimately stood up for his daughter in front of his fearful wife, but seeing the blackened-blue that painted Regina's face must have really ticked him off.

Wishing to rid her thoughts of her overbearing parents whilst trying to fall asleep, Regina tried to fall back into a harmless slumber for a few moments longer, only to be interrupted by the rapid banging on her bedroom door.

"Regina, wake up sleepy head!" Her roommate's voice rang from the other side. "Do you even know what time it is?"

Regina groaned, then sat up in her bed, ignoring her clock on the bedside table. "Ugh, maybe time for you to stop drinking so much coffee this early Kathryn?" Regina shouted at the intrusion, as she ran her hands through her unruly thick curls. "And maybe time for you to stop banging on my door perhaps?"

Kathryn opened the door with a slam, her blonde hair streaked with fluorescent pink undertones peaking in the opening of the door, and then fully emerging. "Dumbass, it's almost eight. No time for you to have some coffee this morning, guess that leaves it all for me."

Regina jumped out of her bed at once, throwing her cerulean duvet off of her figure. She looked at her clock that read exactly 8:14.

"Oops, my bad, I thought it was before eight." Kathryn teased into her oatmeal bowl. "Hurry up and throw a bra on, I can't imagine the infamous Regina Mills being late to her first class of the year."

Regina heard her bedroom door shut and tripped over her schoolbag when trying to reach her dresser. Desperately yanking open the second drawer, Regina grabbed the first shirt she saw and tossed it onto her bed. Opening the fourth drawer with just as much might, Regina grabbed a pair of jeans and threw them on the bed right beside her chosen shirt.

With as much speed as Regina could muster, she yanked off her tank top from sleep and fell to the floor, remembering the bra her roommate so deftly recommended.

She's so freaking lucky she's an A cup sometimes, Regina thought as she placed the white lacey bra over her plump bosom. What I'd give to go one day without the worry…

Regina put on her tank that she slept in, the simple black tank, before buttoning up her white blouse and settling herself in a pair of rather form-fitting jeans - a pair Cora would burn if ever seeing her daughter in. Regina then scurried over to her bathroom and took a good solid look in the mirror after quickly, but deftly brushing her perfect white teeth.

No makeup today then. Regina knew her golden skin hardly needed any whatsoever, and her mother was not here to reprimand her into looking prettier with some heavy eye makeup.

Well, my hair has definitely seen some better days, she thought grimly, knowing that a ponytail would have to suffice for her first day of classes considering showering ten minutes before class was no longer an option. She securely bound her hair at the base of her neck, not even bothering to antagonize her thick Latin curls that her father's side of the family so willingly blessed her with by actually brushing them out.

Regina then speedily grabbed her bag out of her room, and before making it to her door, she heard her roommate call out to her.

"Your mom called by the way." Kathryn said without any interest of emotion. "Wants us to come up to Montreal for Thanksgiving."

Regina's teeth clenched, knowing her mother's plan all too well for that forsaken holiday was to ensnare Kathryn's family.

Primarily, when her mother found out about her roommate during Regina's first year at university, Cora was outraged at the notion that her child was required to share residence with another girl. Upon finally meeting Kathryn though, Cora Mills was exuberantly delighted to hear about how wealthy Kathryn's family was, especially considering they owned a large portion of stock in gold.

"You may keep this Kathryn girl as your friend Regina." Mother had told her. "She will be very beneficial to you in finding a suitable man for the future."

Regina nodded, overtly enthusiastic at the idea of finally being permitted to have a friend. "Yes mother, of course." She falsely praised the older woman, knowing how to deliberately manipulate Cora Mills ever since she grew into her teenage years and began to fight against the obedience.

The brunette shrugged by the frame of their apartment's entrance, shoving her feet into her blue pair of Toms and readjusting the straps on her bag. "We don't need to go if you aren't up for it Kat."

Kathryn laughed. "But I want to dye my hair more and see the look on your mom's face when she sees I added more colour! Maybe blue next time!"

Regina giggled. The look on Cora Mills' face when she saw Kathryn's pink hair was forever imprinted in her mind, and almost drove her to wanting to add purple highlights in her own dark curls.

Not that she'd ever dare.

"Gina," The blonde-pink haired girl started, and walked over to her roommate, shamelessly unbuttoning the white blouse and allowing the black tank to cup her chest in plain view. "Here. Now you can show up late, and that poor Banks will not know what hit him when he can just get a good look at the girls."

Regina scowled at her friend's crudeness. "Not cool Kathryn."

"I know how big of a prude you are Gina, but come on! You have so much to show off!" Kathryn practically exclaimed, and Regina shoved away her hands with a playful giggle.

"I need to go to class!" Regina scolded, tightening her ponytail and immediately remembering what she had forgotten. "Oh my goodness! My glasses!"

"In your bag, remember?" Kathryn said, pointing to the open zipper on the right side of her schoolbag. "You put them in there last night on the ride down when your parents helped you unpack last night."

That's probably why I am so tired, Regina thought. They didn't leave until midnight, especially after Mother had her particular words about me needing to conduct myself as a lady – and not experimentally dye my hair like Kat.

She put the lenses over her eyes, and then took a final glance at the clock.

8:26.

"Go Regina! Don't wanna be more late that necessary!" Kathryn said, pushing the brunette out the door.

Regina waved goodbye, then ran all the way out of her apartment complex to the BioScience building, praying she would not be too late for her first Molecular Biology class.

I am in the middle of writing my other Swan Queen AU, but I just had the urge to start this today, especially after all the messages I have been receiving on Tumblr.

These characters are based on Emma Swan as we know her, and a young Regina is going to be a very slow-building relationship, and I am very excited to test the waters. I did not have a Beta for this story, so all mistakes are mine.

I am Canadian, so the setting is obviously Canadian - mostly because I know how terms and school works.

If anyone would like to Beta, please let me know.

More importantly, I would like to know if I should continue...