CHAPTER 28

The atmosphere was something straight out of a horror film. The single lane road was lined on either side with tall, thick trees that were so tall you couldn't see their tops. The sun had set a couple of hours ago since it was the dead of winter and the moon only gave off so much light. Some people would've been spooked out by it. Especially after just hearing a wolf howling where she was certain they shouldn't live. But Emma had spent her life living off of horror movies. For her, it was awesome.

Emma had the radio turned up as high as the cheap speakers in her trusted old bug would allow as she continued down the road. She was jamming to some classic rock from the '80's when out of nowhere a small figure appeared in the street.

"Holy shit!" she screeched as she jabbed both feet onto the brake. She only just managed to swerve the car and missed hitting it by a hairbreadth. She managed to regain control of the car and pulled it over to the side of the road before jumping out. She ran back over to the figure that still stood frozen in the middle of the street.

She was both scared and relieved to find that there was a small child in the middle of the road. Relieved that it wasn't something worse and that she'd missed hitting it but scared that a little girl was out alone and she'd come very close to running her down. "Are you okay?" she asked breathlessly as her head whipped around her trying to take in as much information as she could. When she received no answer, she knelt before the small child. She took a deep breath to steady herself and asked again, "are you alright?"

The child's wide blue eyes just stared back at her from her pale face. She was breathing heavily and her mouth was slightly ajar. She was wearing a weighted backpack and her fingers were nearly white as they tightly gripped the shoulder straps. Obviously, the near death experience had seriously shaken her up.

Emma looked the child over and saw nothing that would alarm her outright. There was no blood in sight and she didn't appear to be hurt in any way. She briefly wondered where her parents were. She looked in the direction that the child had come and saw no movement. There was nothing and no one following behind her, "are you from around here?" she asked as she wondered why a child would be out in the woods alone. It was after 8 o'clock and in the dead of winter it was damned near pitch black. She didn't have a lot of experience with small kids but she figured this late and this cold out the kid should've been tucked up in a warm bed by now.

When the silence stretched too long and it became clear the child wasn't going to answer her Emma sighed deeply. She ran her hand through her hair as she thought the situation through. After one last look in the direction that the girl had come from and still seeing no one coming after her, she decided to take matters into her own hands. "Come on kid," she placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and began to guide her toward her car. "It's late and freezing out here. Let's see about getting you home."

The girl didn't fight her as she opened the door and placed her in the car. She continued to sit quietly as Emma put her in the front seat and clicked the seatbelt into place around her. She hurried around the car and slid into the driver's seat. She turned toward the girl, "where do you live kid?"

Again with the silence. Emma was starting to get peeved. She took a deep breath while staring straight ahead, "right. Onward and beyond." With that, she put the car into gear and continued down the street.

She kept to the road until it opened out into what appeared to be the main street of a small town. The place looked like it had been brought to life from a Norman Rockwell painting. There were Mom and Pop type shops lining the both sides of the road. There was even a barber shop with spinning red and white cane posts out in front.

She inspected the buildings as they passed them trying to get a read on what was available in the town. Finally, she came across a Sheriff's station.

"You see that kid?" she pointed out the window toward the Sheriff's office. She still wasn't sure how old the kid was or anything else for that matter. She'd tried getting her engaged in small talk the entire drive but the child had just sat sullen in her seat glowering out the window. "It says Sheriff's Department," she took the scowl the child threw at her to mean that she could read just fine. Ignoring her and moving on, "If you don't start coughing up some answers, I'm going to have no choice but to march you in there and hand you over to them."

Still she received no answer. She knew that she should do the right thing and take the kid to the police. But she'd grown up in the foster care system and had a deep rooted long history of not trusting in law enforcement despite her current career as a bail bondsperson. She had no idea how deep the situation with the kid went. If she was a runaway then handing her over could mean doing more harm than good.

"I'm going to get some air kid. I expect you to start talking once I get back," she climbed. She leaned against the hood with her arms folded across her chest as she contemplated her options. Looking at the kid's determined and challenging face let her know for sure that this was going to be a long night.

MF

Regina hurried down the street toward the diner. Her Mother had sat around all day doing next to nothing before leaving the office. But not before she'd dumped 2 days' worth of work on Regina's desk and told her that she needed it by tomorrow morning.

Usually by this time, Regina was already at the diner relieving her sister for the night. The dinnertime rush came and went by 7 pm and with the cold people tended to come and go even earlier. After the rush, she would hold down the spot with the few dawdlers who had nothing better to do but to sit around drinking and gossiping while she prepared the desserts that were to be sold the next day before shutting down the place.

Working basically two jobs made her days long but she never minded. Keeping her body busy helped stave off the nightmares that were the only things waiting for her at home. Her sister – on the other hand – had a large family that needed their Mom.

Her heels clicked against the pavement as she hurried on. But she practically fell over midstride when she caught sight of something she'd never seen before. A stranger. In their small town.

Storybrooke was a tiny town in Maine that had no tourist attractions to speak of. It was isolated enough that there was no way anyone could get lost in their neck of the woods. No one in their right minds would ever drive that far north. And yet – here was the first person she'd ever seen here who wasn't from here.

She was going to just continue to walk right by. But her curiosity got the better of her, "excuse me," she cleared her throat loudly to get the woman's attention. "May I help you?"

Emma had grown up on the streets and strangers stopping to ask if they could help wasn't exactly a common occurrence. The only times she could ever remember a stranger stopping and asking if they could help was when some sleazy guy thought she was an easy pickup. She had a scowl on her face and was ready to tell whoever it was to buzz off before she swung her head over and got a good look at the person speaking to her.

For a moment, the air flew out of her lungs and all she could do was stand there and gawk at what had to be the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen in her life. When she realized she was standing there like a gaping idiot, she immediately shook herself out of her daze, "well - ," she moistened her lips. "I was driving down the road when I almost ran into this little lady here. I'm trying to get her home safely but she's not exactly cooperating," she gestured inside her car.

Regina peered down at the yellow monstrosity that stood so out of place on the street of their conservative little town. She gasped as she looked inside immediately recognizing the girl, "Zara! What are you doing?! You're supposed to be at home with Daddy!"

The child looked up guiltily as the door to the car was pulled open. She unclipped her seatbelt and began to make her way across the seats and out onto the sidewalk.

Emma stood watching unsure of whether or not to step in. She didn't exactly know any of these people. She wasn't going to just let the girl go off with someone unless she was certain it was someone trustworthy. That is – until she looked closely at the woman and the child staring across from one another. She chuckled, "Oh! You're her Mom!" she thumped herself on the side of the head, "You look just alike. Except for the eyes of course."

Regina turned the frown that was directed at her niece back to the strange woman, "I'm her Aunt actually. Her Mother is my sister." After explaining she turned her attention back to her little niece, "and what do you think she's going to say about this?"

Zara's head hung low as she scuffed her shoes on the sidewalk, "But I had to find Wolfy. He wasn't home when I got there and he's so little. He could be lost."

Regina rolled her eyes at the child, "And so are you! Not to mention it's late. Does your Dad even know where you are?" The child's cheeks reddening and her avoidance of eye contact was all the answer she needed. She pointed to the diner located just a few more steps ahead of them, "march."

Zara stared at her Aunt's unwavering face and knew that arguing was futile. She walked over to the diner and stood waiting at the door.

Regina turned back to the blonde who was watching after the girl with a frown on her face, "thank you for bringing her home. I'm sorry she inconvenienced you. She really is a good kid."

"Yeah, sure," Emma answered absently as she looked at the girl nervously fiddle around while standing there knowing she was minutes away from punishment. She remembered that doomed feeling and hoped whatever she had coming to her wouldn't be too bad. It was times like these that made her certain her choice to leave the system at 17 had been the right one.

Regina wet her lips as she stared curiously at the woman. She had no idea why but something about her was familiar. She felt drawn to her for some odd reason and hated the thought of not seeing her again, "May I offer you a drink?" she gestured to the diner. "I can offer you the best apple cider you've ever tasted."

Emma grinned, "Got anything stronger?"

Regina smiled and beckoned her on as she moved to join her niece. Emma quickly grabbed the door and held it open for them to pass.

The diner was one of those places fitted to look like a throwback to the '50s soda shops. Again, Emma got the odd feeling that she was stepping backwards in time.

As the bell above their heads dinged their arrival, a redhead who was just checking out some customers looked over at them. Her eyes widened as she saw the little girl, "Zara! What are you doing here?!" She and her husband had a nanny that came in the afternoons to keep the kids so that David was free to pursue his life goals. Then he would get dinner going and the kids in the bath while she waited for her sister to relieve her at the diner.

The girl's head dropped and her shoulders sagged as she avoided eye contact. Regina placed her hand on her shoulder and addressed her sister, "she was out in the woods looking for that wolf."

Zelena rolled her eyes as she came around the counter. She shook her head as she pinned her daughter with her steely gaze, "You are in serious trouble young lady."

"But he's just a baby! And he's out there all alone. I had to go and find him!" Zara protested.

"No excuses! It's late and you're supposed to be at home with Daddy. Anything could've happened to you out in those woods alone. Now go and have a seat while I finish talking with your Aunt. Then we'll deal with this at home."

The girl pouted then stomped over to a seat at the counter. She was helped atop the stool by a pixie haired brunette teenager. The girl looked to be about 16 but again, Emma wasn't good with matching ages to faces. Once the girl was seated, she gave her a hug then offered her a sip of what looked like hot chocolate.

Zelena turned to her sister, "I have no idea what could possibly have told her that this was a good idea."

Regina held up her hand to stop her sister before she could get started, "It's fine. Miss - ," she turned toward the blonde who was standing just over her shoulder questioningly.

"Emma," Emma stepped up and held her hand out to the redhead. The woman stared at her suspiciously but shook her hand and gave her a halfhearted smile anyway. "Emma Swan to be precise."

The brunette turned back to her older sister, "Luckily, Miss Swan here found her and brought her back safely. Everything's fine."

Zelena pursed her lips and began to remove her apron, "well everyone's already been fed. And Granny and Ruby are finishing up the clean-up in the kitchen. You just have to keep an eye out for the dawdlers," she reported to her sister as she prepared to take her leave.

Regina looked around the diner and nodded, "I've got it covered. There's nothing else here for you to have to worry about. You just get home safe."

The steel door that obviously led into the kitchen opened and an older woman accompanied by a leggy brunette with red stripes in her hair emerged. They were both wearing their coats and Emma surmised they were the infamous pair the redhead had just been talking about, "My ears are burning. Did I hear someone call my name?"

Zelena smiled at the older woman, "I was just letting Regina know that everything's under control. She should have smooth sailing for the rest of the night." She made her way back to the counter as she began to collect her things for the journey home.

Eugenia, aka Granny, nodded as she gathered herself together. She did a slight double take as she saw the stranger in the diner but covered it well, "Who's this?' she barked as she peered at her over the rim of the glasses that sat on the end of her nose.

"This is Emma. Emma Swan," Regina introduced the woman who nodded at the newcomers as they joined their little group. "She found Zara on one of her exploration walks and got her back home safely."

"And what are you doing here?" Granny asked in her usual straightforward manner.

Emma shifted from foot to foot as she slid her hands in her back pockets. These people sure didn't beat around the bush, "Well I was lost myself. So I guess you could say that Zara and I kinda found one another."

Ruby stepped up after looking the newcomer up and down, "well it's great to see some new blood around here. No one ever shows up in this town."

"And now you have," Granny cut her off briskly. "Come along girls. We're off," she turned to the pixie haired teen who hopped off of her stool and strode over to the group. "I guess we'll be seeing you soon?" she left the statement hanging as a question toward the blonde.

Emma nodded, "If by soon you mean tomorrow then I guess so. I for one have no plans on being out trying to find my way in the darkness."

Ruby, Granny, and the teen all smiled and waved as they passed Emma who was still standing just inside the door.

"We're off too," Zelena kissed her sister's cheek before turning to Zara and waving her toward her. "I guess we'll see you all tomorrow." Just before leaving she turned back to the newcomer, "Thanks for bringing my daughter back home safely."

"No problem," Emma called after her just before the door closed. She waved Zara away right before it shut.

"Miss Swan," Regina gestured to a seat at the counter as she put away her coat and purse.

"Emma," she volunteered with a grin as she plopped herself down on a stool.

Regina began to pour out 2 glasses of her homemade apple cider. She slid one over to the new guest and leaned against the counter as she sipped delicately at her own, "Do you have family in these parts?"

Emma took a swig from the glass placed before her but choked as her throat began to burn from the alcohol. She thumped her chest, "this stuff is strong. I'll have to remember to take small sips."

"It's a secret recipe. Handed down by monks who've taken a vow of silence I believe," she teased.

Emma narrowed her eyes at her as one of her lips curled upward, "Is that so?" At the delicious sound of the chuckle that made her toes curl she answered the young woman, "to answer your question, no. I have no family at all. Except for a brother. Kind of," she shook her head and sipped at her drink again.

Regina thought that was interesting but didn't feel it was her place to pry, "well I can offer you a room for the night," she pointed to the stairwell that read Mills Family Inn just above it. It conveniently led into the diner for their guests who had stayed over the night before.

Emma nodded, "Great. I think my days of sleeping in my car are long behind me."

Regina pulled out a registration form and slid it over to the woman along with a pen, "I'm guessing you haven't had anything to eat yet either?" it was more a statement than a question but she had to ask anyway.

Emma winked at her, "You're a genius," she quickly filled out the registration form before handing it back to her hostess.

Regina handed the woman a key to one of the best suites they had available, "We shut down the grills after the dinner rush," she gestured around the almost empty diner. "We don't really get much foot traffic after 7. But there's always leftovers for just in case," she raised her eyebrows in question.

"Anything is fine with me," Emma told her. "I'm not picky when it comes to food."

"Be right back," she quickly made her way to the kitchen to check the fridge.

She dished out the leftover meatloaf and added the potato mash, gravy and vegetables to two plates. As she waited for the food to heat up she felt antsy. She was glad that Emma was staying. She had only just met this strange woman. But for some reason she didn't want her to leave.

"Here we go," she put one of the plates in front of the blonde as she came around the counter. She put the other plate down at the stool next to hers before handing the woman a roll of silverware. After taking her drink order and pouring up two strawberry lemonades for them both, she came around the counter and sat down to her own meal.

The two chatted comfortably as they enjoyed their meals. Regina occasionally had to see to customers but for the most part the food and company were both engaging.

After their meal, Regina looked around the diner and noticed that they were alone. For the first time she did something she'd never done before. She decided to close up shop early. The desserts would have to wait until tomorrow. It had already been a long day. And she supposed the excitement of a newcomer had worn her out, "I can't even remember when I've ever been this tired," she said as she bit back a yawn before collecting the plates.

"If you want I can show you to your room," she offered as she walked toward the kitchen to handle the few remaining dishes.

"Oh, sure," Emma accepted immediately. "I just have to grab a few things out my car first."

Regina nodded her understanding before she went into the kitchen. She quickly dispatched of the handful of dirty dishes before washing her hands. She took off her apron and placed it on a hook reserved for the staff.

She had just made it back out up front and was reaching for her things when Emma stepped back into the diner. Neither wanted to admit it but their hearts sped up at the sight of the other.

"Ready when you are," the blonde gave her an appreciative grin. She held up her overnight back that she kept stashed in her trunk. Between her chosen profession and her transient upbringing she'd learned a long time ago to always be prepared for any eventuality. That included a fresh supply of clothing and toiletries kept handy at all times.

Regina walked around her and turned the diner's open sign to closed. She turned out the lights and turned to her guest, "follow me."

When they arrived at the door to her room, Emma reached around her and used her key to open the door. She walked into a spacious and comfortable looking room. It seemed clean and comfortable which was all that she expected. She unceremoniously dumped her bag onto the bed before turning back to her hostess.

"There's towels and extra blankets in the closet," she informed her. "If you need anything just pick up the phone and dial 0. I'm right downstairs so there's no bother."

"You live here?" Emma asked surprised. She had seen the wedding ring on her finger and figured someone so beautiful had to already be taken. But aside from Eloise or the filthy rich she'd never heard of anyone living inside a hotel before.

The way the brunette's face clouded over before she schooled her features didn't go amiss by Emma. She figured that was a discussion for another time.

"Yes well," Regina flicked her wrist dismissively. After a moment of awkward silence she collected herself, "I'll leave you to it."

"Goodnight," Emma called before the door closed behind the young woman. After a quick wave, she was gone.

Alone in the room, Emma fell back onto the bed. Wedding ring or not she sensed a deeper story there. And to say she was smitten was the least to offer. Just from the brief contact she'd had with the woman, she already knew she wanted – no needed more.

She sat up and pulled her phone from her back pocket. She quickly sent off a text to her best friend/brother from another mother. Found a quaint little town here in upstate Maine. Thought I'd stay a while since I lost track of our guy.

She had barely put the phone back down before it dinged. What's her name?

She chuckled as she texted back. Her brother knew her so well, Regina the Goddess sent from the heaven's above. She's smokin' hot with a body to die for and a bedroom voice that'll make your toes curl.

You know what they say. When you fly too close to the sun you can get burned. Be careful and stay safe.

LOL. Will do. Thumbs up emoji. Emma put her phone aside as she made her way to the bathroom for her nightly routine.

-:-

"Henry!" Cora called as she put the finishing touches on her makeup. "Get my things. I'm going out for breakfast this morning," she commanded.

"Yes dear," her buffoonish husband called upstairs to her.

"Yes dear," she mocked him as she finished fixing her face. She stood back and after inspecting herself from head to toe in the full-length mirror, gave herself a nod of approval. She smiled as she left the room and glided down the stairs.

"I'll be early tonight Henry. Make sure dinner is ready so I won't be kept waiting. I have no idea how you can spend all day doing nothing and still swear there's not enough time to do the few simple things that are asked of you around here."

"Yes, dear," Henry intoned automatically as a man who was used to saying the words. He handed Cora her purse and briefcase as she walked out the door, "Have a nice day dear," he said as he held the door opened for his wife.

Cora rolled her eyes as she climbed into the car. Thankfully, Henry had already gotten the heat going so she immediately put the car into gear and took off. The drive to the diner was short but Cora still enjoyed the freedom that being behind the wheel gave her. She did miss the peasants understanding of their place around royalty from back in the old world. But this world definitely had its perks also. Driving her prized Mercedes always made her feel better.

She had parked, stepped out of the car, and was just making her way towards the diner when a chiming from above stopped her in her tracks. She stared up in horror as the minute hand on the old clock in the clock tower moved forward.

"Good morning Mayor," the scroungy flea had the audacity to look happy as he passed her with his flea ridden mutt in tow. "Looks like someone finally got around to fixing the old clock."

"Yes," Cora's tone was ice cold as she searched around her for the culprit. "And I have no problem with fixing them either," she said to herself as she glared up at the clock.

Obviously the time was now at hand.