Complicated (An OUAT Fanfiction) (ON HOLD)

Chapter 6

Regina POV
"She needs to go to school!"

I groan, putting my head in my hands. School. High school. Full of boys and bullies and drama. How could I possibly send my Ava to that hell? But Mary Margaret was being annoyingly persistent. "Mary Margaret, why can't I just teach her at home?"

"Do you have a teaching degree?" she asks, exasperated. I look down at my hands. "That's why not."

"Fine," I snap. "What do you suggest?"

"Regina, there's only one high school in Storybrooke," Mary Margaret replies. "Storybrooke High."

So, long story short, the next day I was driving Ava to school, knuckles white as I gripped the steering wheel. I was nervous, and she could tell. "Why are you nervous?" she asks. "I'm the one going to high school for the first time."

"I know," I say. "I just... there's gonna be... don't make out with a boy on your first day, alright?"

"Oh my God, mom!" she exclaims.

"Sorry," I say defensively. "You can't blame me. I've never had a daughter before, ok?"

"You're doing a great job," she tells me as we pull up to the school. She grabs her bag from the back and gives me a hug. "Love you, mom."

"I love you, too, sweetie," I tell her as she gets out of the car. I watch her walk through the double doors and shake off the urge to call for her to come back.

Ava POV
As I walk through the doors, I can feel my mother watching me. I was excited for my first day, but I felt bad for leaving her there. I knew she hated the idea of me going to school. Mary Margaret had told me how nervous she was. I sighed as I walked up to my assigned locker. I pulled it open and tossed my bag inside, taking only my books for my first class: science. As I walked through the hallways full of kids, I began to feel more nervous than excited.

Regina POV
I pulled away from the school, driving back to my house. It felt lonely here without the kids. Henry had gone with Emma to the bus stop this morning. She must have known I wanted to drive Ava on her first day. I was grateful when she offered to take him. As I set my things down, I heard a voice say, "Regina!" and I whipped around, prepared to hurl a fireball if neccesary. Emma stood in the doorway, a smile on her face.

"Swan," I say, clutching a hand to my chest. "You scared the hell out of me!"

"I know," she replies, laughing. "That was the point."

"What do you want?" I ask her, crossing my arms.

"I was thinking we could talk," she says, and I notice a sudden change in her demeanor. She seems almost sad now.

"About what?" I ask her carefully.

"Hook," she says, and I can hear the pain in her voice. "He cheated on me."

"He what?" I said, and a sudden and strange anger sparked inside of me, if only for a split second.

"I saw him at the docks with some other girl," she says, a tear rolling down her cheek. "They were kissing. I guess he didn't see me. I ran, and I came straight here." I was going to murder that sorry pirate. She began to cry then, just that Emma Swan cry, not quite crying because she never, ever wants to show weakness. Much like myself, she saves her tears for the pillow. I let her sit down on the couch, and I brought her a glass of water.

"We'll go out tonight," I tell her. "We'll forget about that sorry excuse for a human."

"Where?" Emma asks.

"Anywhere you'd like," I tell her.

"Granny's?"

"Of course, dear," I say, sitting down next to her and allowing her to lean into me.

"Thank you, Regina," she says, her voice small.

"You're welcome, Swan," I reply.

"Please," she says, looking up at me. "Just this once. Please call me Emma."

"You're welcome," I say again. "Emma."

Ava POV *Six Hours Later*
I waited outside for my mom to pick me up. School had ended just minutes ago, but I was really excited to see her and to get home.

"Hey," someone says, causing me to jump. I turn around and see the cute boy from science class.

"Oh," I say, smiling. "It's just you."

"I didn't mean to startle you," he says.

"It's fine," I reply. "I'm easily scared."

"Ah," he says with a laugh. He runs fingers through his blonde hair. "You're... Regina's daughter, right?"

"Yeah," I say. "I'm Ava."

"My name is Reese," he tells me.

"Cool," I say, trying my best to stay calm. He was near perfect, with his sparkly blue eyes, blonde hair, and tanned complexion.

"You're new here, right?" he says.

"Yeah," I say. "I am."

"I figured," he replies. "None of the other girls here are as pretty as you." With that, he kisses my cheek. I feel myself blush as I reach a hand up to the spot where he kissed me. "See you around, Ava." Then, he's gone, getting into a black Hummer and driving off. I sighed. This was the best first day ever...

My mom pulled up to the curb, and I was so happy she hadn't seen Reese kiss me. Granted I wanted to tell her about him, but I didn't think it would hurt to wait. I slid into the passenger seat, a smile still on my face. "Good first day, I take it?" Mom asks.

"Absolutely," I reply as she pulls away from the curb. "How was your day?"

"Emma's having some boy problems, but I'm going to get it sorted out," she replies. There's a look of both determination and hatred on her face.

"And by 'sorted out' you mean..." I begin suspiciously.

"Let's just say that if Hook shows up missing tomorrow, I'm gonna have to keep it on the down low for a while," she says. I widen my eyes, but she just shrugs as we pull up to the house. I slide out of the car, worried for my mother's sanity as I pull open the front door. She follows behind me, and as I walk inside, I see Emma sitting on the couch, knees pulled up to her chest and a sad expression on her face. I turn to my mom, and she nods. I walk over to the couch and sit down next to Emma, leaning into her.

"You ok?" I ask, still not turning to face her.

"I'm fine," she replies, putting an arm around me.

"Really?" I ask.

"No," I hear her say, her voice shaky. I turn around and hug her, and I feel tears wetting my shirt. I felt awful for her, but I didn't know how to help. All I could do was sit there, hugging her, and let her cry.