Bluest of Grey Skies

Chapter Two

Rise and shine, fine citizens of Storybrooke, today is going to be another perfect summer day with the forecast with promises of nothing but sunny skies ahead...

Regina groaned as she hit the snooze on the alarm clock, hitting the button twice before the radio cut off. She threw an arm over her eyes, wondering why the hell she set the alarm for six in the morning when she'd only just gotten settled in barely three hours before. She had spent only a short time on the phone with Zelena before finding clean sheets in a linen closet to put on the bed in the only bedroom that had a bed.

She had a lot of work ahead of her regarding the house as she had quickly found out upon her arrival. The former sheriff had been a pack-rat and everything the man owned before his death was still in the house, the other two bedrooms filled to the brim with boxes upon boxes, filled with who the hell knew what, but she was certain she'd find out over the course of the weekend.

After showering, and finding out the hard way that the knobs in the shower were the opposite where hot meant ice cold and cold mean scalding hot, Regina dressed for her first shift at the station. Uniform or not, she was dressed for comfort, not dressed to impress. Her favorite pair of faded, not to mention tight, blue jeans hugged her skin as if they were painted on. She chose her dark, navy blue button down cotton shirt and skipped the jacket, rolling up the sleeves to her elbows and leaving the top four buttons undone, revealing cleavage but not too much. She wore her regulated police boots, well worn and polished and paired well with the rest of her outfit.

She was satisfied with her choice in clothes and after a once over in the mirror on the back of the bedroom door, she headed out, deciding to dine at Granny's Diner just around the corner as she had no food in the house and no coffee to make. The ride was quick and the diner was packed, but she found herself a seat at the counter and placed her aviators in front of her as a grey-haired older woman promptly placed a menu in front of her.

"Welcome," she said with a slight drawl. "Can I get you some coffee, ma'am?"

"Please," Regina exhaled with a relieved smile. "Black, one sugar."

"Coming right up. When you're ready to order, just give me a holler."

Regina nodded, turning her attention to the rather basic menu she held in her hands while the woman poured her coffee into a small mug and promptly dropped a cube of sugar into it. Before the sugar cube could dissolve completely, as she knew it was far too much for her taste, Regina fished it out as soon as the grey-haired woman's back was turned and placed it on the saucer. She lifted the mug to her lips and sipped the nearly searing hot liquid, her eyes falling back on the menu in her right hand.

After an almost solitude and quiet breakfast, Regina drove down the street to the sheriff's station, finding it rather peculiar that the front doors were locked upon her arrival. After finding the right key on the key ring Gold had given to her the day before, she entered the station and was greeted with the very unpleasant smell of vomit with a hint of whisky.

"Woman!" A gruff voice greeted her upon the arrival into the main area of the small station. Regina took in her surroundings for a moment before turning her attention to the man in the first cell, the second one empty. "Do me a solid and let me out, yeah?"

"And why would I do such a thing?"

"I'll owe ya."

Regina scoffed as she approached the bars, ignoring the putrid scent of fresh vomit that hung stalely in the air. "You'll owe me?"

"That's what I said, sister."

"Don't bother," a man said from behind her, slightly startling her but not enough to break her stoic demeanor. "He's in for drunk and disorderly. Twelve hours. It's only been eight, hasn't it, Leroy?"