Disclaimer: As well as all the character stuff, I am aware that this could be a sensitive topic. This story is written with the purest of intentions, but if any of the content of this story upsets you in any way, please do not hesitate to message me.

Dedicated to, and based on a lengthy prompt from, swanfckngqueen on twitter.

Another note: Emmanuel means "God is with us". If God is considered our saviour… I'm beginning to think there was a whole lot of depth to E's name in OUAT!

EMMANUEL

Emma gritted her teeth as she stared down her reflection in her bathroom mirror, gripping her kitchen scissors so tightly her knuckles were white. This was ridiculous. It was only hair. It would grow back! And she needed the paycheck. Badly. She took a deep breath and loosened her grip on the scissors. She'd always wanted to try this, anyway. And she wouldn't have to spend hours drying and grooming it. With a newfound resolve (mostly from thinking about the money) she grabbed a chunk of hair and snipped viciously.

Half an hour later, she sported a scruffy pixie cut and a bemused expression. She actually kind of liked it. And her head felt so light, like she was floating… She grinned, then moved on to step two of the transformation. It was amazing how much detailed instruction she'd found online, but after her third attempt at trying to tape her breasts flat, Emma had a great deal more respect for the crossdressing community. Finally, she succeeded in morphing her figure into something that, with clothes over it, could pass as male. She put on the clothes she'd purchased and turned to her full length mirror to examine the full effect.

She gasped. She was a guy. A CUTE guy. She practised walking around, posing for the mirror, deepening her voice and experimenting with a few choice phrases. She grinned, but rolled her eyes as she considered the fact that her profession really was a boy's club - she was proving the point today. She sighed. Whatever. She was in it for the money, not the politics. She checked her watch, and after looking herself over one more time, swaggered out of her apartment.

It was after midnight when Emma finally collapsed on her couch, her feet aching from chasing down her perp in unfamiliar shoes. But it was worth it. She'd caught her. Damn straight women, falling so easily for men. She grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and had just popped the cap off when there was a knock on the door. What? She groaned, going over to yank it open, swigging her beer as she did so.

"Mo- Wait, who are you?"

The child in front of her narrowed his eyes before barging past her into the apartment.

"Where's my mom?"

"Who's your mom?" Emma sighed. Kids. "And who are you?"

"I'm Henry. And I thought she lived here."

Emma stared at him. He couldn't be…

"What's your name?" he asked, helping himself to the orange juice carton from the fridge.

"Em-Emmanuel," Emma stuttered. Henry's eyes widened.

"Do you know Emma Swan?"

Emma nodded before she could help herself. Shit. "She's… She's my twin sister," she explained.

"So she does live here! Where is she?"

"No, she doesn't live here. She's… She's out of town," Emma finished lamely.

Henry's face fell. "But…" Then he frowned. "My book doesn't say anything about a twin brother."

Emma frowned back. "What book?"

Henry produced a huge, brown volume from his bag.

"That's a book of fairytales," Emma said slowly.

"I know," Henry told her.

"Why are you looking for Emma?" Emma asked.

"She's my mom," Henry explained. Emma groaned inwardly. It was him. It was HIM.

"But it was a closed adoption."

"I used an online service. But you know about me! Did she say anything else about me? Do you know who my father is?"

"Hey, hey, slow down, kid. Where are your real parents, I mean, the ones that you live with?"

"I just have a mom. She's evil. And she's in Storybrooke, Maine."

"Does she know you're here?"

Henry raised his eyebrows. "What do you think?"

Emma sighed. He really did take after her. "I'm taking you home," she told him firmly. "What's your mom's phone number?"

"I don't remember," Henry lied.

"Bullsh- I mean, that's not true," she said, trying to remember to keep her voice low. She took out her phone and checked the journey. "It's a three hour drive. We'd better get going," she told him. Reluctantly, Henry picked up his backpack and followed his new uncle outside.

Emma looked at her son. He was the perfect mix of her and his father. He was beautiful. And defiant, and smart, and really brave… She thought about him more than she'd like to admit, wondering if he was happy, wondering what his life was like. From the looks of things, it wasn't anything like as good as she'd hoped.

"So, why did you come find me, I mean, come looking for Emma?" she asked. Henry shrugged.

"I thought Emma would be able to help. She was supposed to be here."

Emma wished she could tell him who she was, but it was too late. He'd freak out, he'd run… "I'm sorry, kid," she told him. "But what do you need help with?"

"It's my mom. My other mom. She's… She's the evil queen," he said, utterly convinced.

"She's the what now?"

"The Evil Queen. Like in the fairytale."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Why do you say that?" she asked, going along with the boy for now.

"Because she's evil. She's the mayor, which is like a queen. And she… She hates everybody. She's so mean…"

Emma studied the boy out of the corner of her eye. He seemed healthy. His clothes were nice. He didn't look like a kid with an evil mother. He seemed well looked after.

"Is she… Did she hurt you?"

Henry looked horrified. "No! Of course not. But…" he trailed off, seeing the relief on his uncle's face.

They sat in silence for a while, both watching the dark road that stretched out in front of them.

"Emmanuel?" Henry piped up.

"Em, call me Em," Emma said.

"Okay, Em… Well… Nevermind," Henry said. He'd been thinking. If Emmanuel was Emma's twin, Emmanuel was also the product of true love, could also be the saviour, and could also break the curse. He was very disappointed not to have found his mother, but if he befriended his uncle, he'd be able to see her soon, and there was still hope for Storybrooke, too.

Emma drove on, feeling more and more stupid for the hole she was digging herself. She should come clean before she had to lie to anyone else. But Henry would hate her. Right now he thought she was awesome. He also thought she was a guy, but…

The journey seemed incredibly short to Henry. Before he knew it, they were pulling into the town. It was morning now.

"Where's your house?" Emma asked. Henry gave the address, realising that lying would be pointless. Emma followed his directions and pulled up outside a huge white mansion. She turned off the engine and looked down at her shirt and pants, feeling ridiculous. She told herself it didn't matter, she was leaving. But she had to be a convincing man for Henry's mother. She couldn't do anything suspicious.

She led the kid to the door and knocked. It was opened almost immediately-

By the most stunning woman Emma had ever seen. And probably the most angry woman, too. The woman, on seeing her son, let out a sigh expressing a great deal of emotion, before schooling her features and glaring at Emma.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"He's my family. My real family!" Henry shouted. His mother frowned.

"Go upstairs, Henry. I'll deal with you in a minute."

"I'm Regina Mills," Regina said. "Thank you for bringing him home. Now, what does he mean?"

"I'm Em, I'm his biological uncle," Emma explained, hating that she was still lying. The fact that the lie was to someone so beautiful somehow made it worse.

"Em?" Regina raised an eyebrow.

"Emmanuel. Emmanuel Swan. I'm his birth mother's twin brother. He showed up at my place looking for her, but she's out of town. Out of the country, in fact," she amended.

"I see," Regina said slowly, though she still had a million questions. She looked the man up and down. He wasn't heavily built, but there was something strong in the way he held himself, and his rolled up sleeves showed well toned arms. He had scruffy hair and complicated eyes. He was gorgeous. Regina let out a shuddering breath and forced herself to concentrate. She did not need to be dealing with this man. She had enough on her plate without adding him to the mess.

"Henry is going through a difficult time," Regina explained, "But I assure you, I am a good mother."

Emma noticed that Regina seemed to be telling herself that, too. She nodded.

"I'm sure you are. I'm sorry about all this. But don't be too hard on him. He's a sweet kid."

Regina thought of several snide comments, but in the end she just murmured in agreement.

"Will you be leaving?" she asked. Emma thought about it. Henry's face as he stormed upstairs… She couldn't just leave, despite Regina's clear wish to see her go.

"I… I might stick around for a few days, actually. I'm owed a vacation," she chuckled. Regina narrowed her eyes.

"And you're choosing to take it in Storybrooke, of all places?"

"Henry… You said he's having a rough time. My sister told me about him. She'd never forgive me if I didn't bring back a few stories, get to know him a little."

"Fine," Regina said shortly. "You can stay."

"I know…" Emma said slowly. Regina huffed, but seemed to change her mind and soften a little.

"Very well. If you insist on spending time with my son, I should get to know you, first. Meet me at Granny's, at 8 tonight. It's the Bed and Breakfast on Main Street. I suppose you can stay there, too."

Emma had spotted the place when she drove past. She nodded.

"I'll be there. I… Thank you," she said stiffly. She didn't know how much this woman really deserved her thanks.

Regina nodded at the man and stepped inside her house, closing the door and resolutely ignoring the flutter she felt in her abdomen.

Granny's Diner was a bizarre place. The decor looked as if someone had put together everything they imagined an American diner should be, and then combined it with a homely, cottagey feel. Emma liked it, though. It was welcoming, somehow. And the old woman and gorgeous granddaughter who ran the place were very sweet. She arranged for a room for the next week, then went into town to find a clothes shop. She caught herself just in time, and went into the men's section. She had been heading for the women's.

Missing her skinny jeans tremendously, she bought herself several outfits, as well as a pair of boots (the dress shoes were awful), underwear, and some sweatpants to wear in bed. She went into the drugstore next, and bought a great deal of bandages, ignoring the strange look the clerk gave her. Then she went back to her room, closed the curtains, and ripped off her shirt, carefully but quickly unwinding the bindings from her chest. She sighed gratefully as her breasts were finally free. For once, she was glad that they weren't bigger. She kicked off her shoes and stripped down to her underwear (boxers she could get used to) and flopped onto the bed.

She slept until her growling stomach forced her awake. She used her ensuite and tried out the new bandages. They worked fine, she was getting the knack for it already. She washed the old ones in the sink and hung them up to dry, then dressed herself in a gray t-shirt, jeans, and her new boots. She went down to the diner, evaluating the people inside. They all seemed pretty harmless. She grinned at Red, the granddaughter, who almost blushed. Emma raised her eyebrows before remembering she was a guy. So weird. So, so weird.

She asked Red what was good to eat, allowing her eyes to wander, admiring Red's attractive and scantily clad figure. Red led her to a booth and suggested a cheeseburger. Emma also asked for a coffee; Red went to fetch it and lingered by the table when she brought it back.

"Em, right?" she asked, batting her eyelashes. Emma smiled.

"That's right."

"And you're Henry's uncle?"

Boy, word travelled fast in this town. "Yeah."

"He's a good kid. And the mayor… She's alright, really."

Emma nodded. "She seemed… She seemed alright," she said. Red laughed excessively.

"How do you like Storybrooke so far?" she asked.

"It's nice. Quaint. I'm a city g-guy, so it's kind of a new experience for me. Everyone's very friendly, though."

Red was about to respond when her grandmother called her over. With an exaggerated groan, she left Emma to her coffee. Emma reached over to the table beside her to pick up a discarded newspaper, and fascinated herself with stories of town meetings and missing dogs. Did anything ever happen here?

The old woman, who everyone seemed to call Granny, brought over her cheeseburger.

"Don't mind Red," Granny said. "Small town. Limited supplies of young men. She's a good girl, really."

Emma smiled good naturedly. "She seems great," she said, already digging into her food. Granny disappeared back to work and Emma ate enthusiastically. After her mid-afternoon meal, she left the diner. She'd realised she needed toiletries of every kind. She made her way around the grocery store, surreptitiously opening bottles and sniffing them until she found something she liked. Then she thought of something else. She dropped a box of tampons into her basket, remembering a "real men buy tampons" thing she'd seen online. She hoped that was the case.

After finishing her shopping, she explored the town a little further. She still had a while before she was supposed to meet Regina. It was getting kind of chilly. On impulse, she pushed open the door to a kind of antique store, a black leather jacket on the rack of vintage clothes catching her eye. She shrugged it on. It was perfect. She took it to the counter.

"Ah, Mr Swan. I was hoping to meet you."

"Right. Mr…"

"Gold," he told her. "How do you like my shop?"

"It's…" Emma looked around, "great."

Gold smiled. "I'm glad you think so."

"How much for this?" Emma asked.

"For you, Mister Swan, nothing."

Emma ignored the way he emphasised "mister", brushing it off as her nervous imagination. "No. Everything has a price."

"Very wise, young man. But in this case, I will make an exception. I insist," he said firmly. Emma didn't see the point in arguing, so she put on her new jacket and left the store.

By the time she'd unpacked all her purchases and tidied her room (hiding the tampons under the bed just in case) it was time to meet Regina. Reminding herself over and over that she was a guy, Emma went down to the diner and sat at the bar. Her "date" had yet to arrive, so she ordered a beer and made small talk with Ruby, who was working the bar.

Regina found herself seething with jealousy when she saw Ruby practically shoving her breasts in Em's face. She marched into the diner anyway, telling herself this was just business. She would not get attached, she would not get involved. If Em wanted to sleep with Ruby, that was his mistake to make.

"Mr Swan," she said by way of greeting. Em turned to her.

"Mayor Mills," he said, raising his beer. "What would you like to drink?"

"I will buy my own drink," Regina told him, ordering an appletini.

"Fancy," Em chuckled.

"And delicious," Regina informed him.

"I'll take your word for it," Em chuckled, swigging his beer.

Regina knew she should get down to the questions she had prepared, but for some reason she was reluctant to do so.

"How was your day?" she asked instead.

"It was good, thanks. I did some shopping. I met Mr Gold."

"That must have been a pleasure," Regina said dryly. Em chuckled again. Regina loved the way his laughter bubbled from his throat. She bit her lip and smoothed down her dress - a dress which she had changed into just to meet Em.

"He's a piece of work. But then again, so are you, apparently."

Regina frowned.

"Hey," Em said hurriedly. "I meant it as a compliment."

The brunette let the corners of her mouth twitch. "Oh, did you now?" she asked. "I'm sorry to tell you, but flattery will get you nowhere."

"Who said I wanted to get anywhere?"

Regina looked him up and down, a pointed expression on her face. He laughed, giving her the same treatment.

"Maybe you're the one who wants to get somewhere," he suggested. Regina felt a slight blush rise to her cheeks and touched them with fascination. She hadn't felt like this since… She gave herself a shake. The last thing she needed right now was to be thinking about him.

"I…" she said weakly.

Emma was fascinated. This woman, her body, her figure, her confidence… And her eyes, deep and dark, trying to hide so much emotion. There was something sad about her… She must have one hell of a story, Emma thought to herself. She was so compelling… Emma was almost hypnotised.

"How was your day?" Emma asked. Regina was grateful for the simple question.

"It was quite dull. Mostly paperwork."

"And how's Henry?"

Emma loved the way Regina's eyes lit up when she talked about her son, though the sadness did not leave them entirely. "He's… Very angry with me. Even though it was you who brought him back."

Regina watched as a plethora of emotions crossed Em's face. She admired the depth of the man, especially when he was confronted by a child who should never have been a part of his life.

Their conversation drifted in different directions; Emma learned more about Storybrooke; Regina learned what Em did for a living, that he was single, and that he didn't like to settle. There was a slight flirtation throughout the evening which neither woman could ignore. They both found it rather unsettling, but Emma couldn't help herself from offering to walk Regina home, and Regina was unable to refuse the gallant young man. It had been so long since anyone had shown any interest in her, let alone any willingness to take care of her.

They walked through the darkened streets in an amicable silence. A block from her house, Regina finally plucked up the courage to suggest the idea she'd had about two hours ago.

"Would you… Would you like to have dinner with Henry and me tomorrow?"

Emma was on the verge of saying yes when she realised the scale of the lie she had already entered into. She had just had drinks, very friendly drinks, with an innocent woman who also happened to be the mother of her biological son, and she was playing her, playing her to an insane level. This couldn't go on. She had to leave, she couldn't do this… Regina was a good person. She was a good mother, she loved their son, and she would do what was best for him. Emma had been right to give him up, he would be fine…

"I… I would, but I think… I think I should leave," she said. Regina tried desperately not to show how crushed she was.

"Of course," she said shortly. "You need to get back to your life."

"I'm sorry," Emma said weakly. "Will you tell Henry?"

Regina nodded. "I will."

"He… He's lucky to have you," Emma said.

They had reached Regina's house. She marched herself to the door, furious that a few minutes ago she had been considering the possibility of a goodnight kiss.

"Goodbye, Mr Swan. Thank you for returning my son to me."

"Anytime."

The door slammed shut. Emma stared at it. She had done the right thing. She had done the only thing…

She went back to the diner, throwing all her belongings into a bag. She left some money on the bed and hurried to her car, starting the engine and setting off before she could change her mind. She pushed all thoughts of the hopeful little boy from her brain. She was lying, lying to him, lying to his mother… She had to go. She accelerated, already well on the way out of town.

To her horror, Emma felt tears slide down her cheeks as she reached the sign declaring that she was leaving Storybrooke - and then she saw the wolf. She swerved violently, crying out as her car veered off the road and slammed into the very sign she had just teared up at reading. Her head slammed onto the steering wheel and everything went black.

Emma woke up to a tapping on her window.

"I think you should come with me," the Sheriff told her. He held up a pair of handcuffs. Emma felt a chill in her stomach as the metal snapped around her wrists, bringing back many unpleasant memories. The Sheriff, whose name was Graham, guided her into the back of his cruiser and drove her to the precinct. Emma raised her eyebrows at the weird layout, then struggled slightly as Graham escorted her into a cell.

"Settle down, Swan," he told her. Then he leaned in conspiratorially. "Look, man, I know this is a load of crap, but the mayor has it in for you for some reason. She'll be here any minute. Just do what she wants and you'll be out of here in no time."

Emma groaned, but let him lock her in the cell. Sure enough, it wasn't long before they heard the click of 4 inch heels. Graham left the room; Emma stared down the woman approaching her, who seemed extremely pissed off.

"Seriously?" Regina opened. He didn't even seem apologetic.

"Not only have you led on numerous people in this town, you have destroyed valuable town property, and you a still here, causing trouble!"

"I'm only here because of you," Emma said angrily. She realised, too late, that her statement could be read in more than one way. Regina took it as it was intended, though.

"I want you out. Stay away from me, stay away from my son, and stay away from my town."

"As you wish, Madam Mayor," Emma said, "Just as soon as you let me out of this cell."

Regina took the key, playing with it. "How do I know you won't cause any more trouble?"

She was loathe to admit it, but having Em locked up like this was oddly… Enjoyable. Somehow, Emma caught her mood. She waggled her eyebrows, deciding to use the attraction between them to her advantage.

"You don't. I guess you'll have to take the risk."

Regina gaped at her prisoner. "Take a chance on you?"

"Why not? Honestly, you look like you could use a little mischief," Emma continued shamelessly. Regina raised an eyebrow.

"With someone like you? I do not consort with common criminals, Mr Swan."

"Oh really? You strike me as someone who enjoys flirting with danger."

"And why do you say that?"

"Well apart from anything else, you're doing it now."

"Flirting? I am not flirting," Regina declared incredulously.

"Sure you're not. Swaying in here in your tight skirt with your blouse half unbuttoned…"

"Men! The way I dress is not an invitation."

Emma was slightly wrong footed. "Sorry," she said, the word full of understanding. More times than she could count, men had judged her by the way that she dressed. "I just meant… You're very beautiful."

Regina softened, but very little. "Thank you for apologising. But it's not enough for me to want to let you out." She turned to leave the room.

"Come on," Emma groaned. "I… I'll buy you dinner. You can wear sweatpants."

"I thought you were leaving?"

"A farewell dinner."

"Very well. But to negate your rampant sexism, I will pay. And it will be coffee, not dinner, so I can get it over with more quickly."

Emma pretended to be hurt, watching as Regina unlocked the cell and opened the door for her. "You want to get me over with? You should get to know me better… I've never had anyone say that before."

Regina didn't miss the change of topic. "I'm sure you'll find plenty of women to get to know you back in Boston."

"What if I'm not interested?"

"Then you might just get a taste of your own medicine. Come on. Coffee. Then let's get you on your way."

It infuriated her beyond belief, but no matter what he did, Regina couldn't bring herself to hate the man. He was so endearing, so sweet… And he had seemed genuinely upset at saying something sexist, which was rare in a man, even in this modern world.

"Henry was devastated this morning," Regina admitted. "I told him that you left. I don't suppose… Well, you could still stay. He would love it if you stayed, even for a few days."

Emma thought about it. It was only a week. She felt Regina looking at her, her eyes so full of hope and… Oh God, those eyes. And Henry. She really, really wanted to get to know him. He was such a gutsy kid, he'd come all the way to Boston for her… He'd forgiven her for giving him up. He must have done. So maybe… Maybe she'd tell him, and he'd forgive her for pretending to be someone else, too. She could play it by ear. Maybe she wouldn't have to lie. She could stay for a few more days…

"Okay. I'll stay. But only for the week."

The smile that broke across Regina's face almost made Emma's heart burst out of her chest.