A Whole New Beginning

Chapter 1

Mayor Regina Mills sat in the small study in her mansion, nursing a migraine and a cup of tea while she finished some paperwork. There was so much work to be done, so little time. Her assistant Sidney needed the property values reports done by Monday and tomorrow she was to attend a town meeting for sheriff elections.

A knock at the door disrupted her concentration. Annoyed, she glanced up at the clock. It was 12 o'clock at night. Everyone in the town knew better than to bother her past eight. Nonetheless, she got up and answered the door. "Yes?" She snapped, seeing a young woman standing on her porch. She didn't recognize her at all, and that just added to her irritation.

"Um, hi. My name is Emma Swan. I'm sorry for bothering you so late, but your son showed up at my apartment in Boston. I thought I would return him before his mother got too worried. He said this was his house."

Regina stared at the blonde in confusion. "My son? I don't have a son, Miss Swan." She said. The mayor expected the woman to apologize for being so rude and mistaking her for another person or admit to this being a joke, but she was surprised to see the stranger was dead serious. Instead the blonde laughed and made a gesture as if she was pushing something. "Go inside, Henry. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Are you drunk, Miss Swan?" Regina asked, on guard. The woman looked taken aback, and her eyes furrowed in confusion. "No. I was being responsible and bringing you your son. You are Regina Mills, right?"

Now it was Regina's turn to be confused. How in the hell did this woman knew who she was, let alone where she lived? Talking about children that didn't exist, seeing children that didn't exist. Regina had to get away from this woman, and fast. She was obviously crazy.

The brunette smiled politely and looked the blonde up and down. "How would you like the best glass of apple cider you ever tasted?" She asked. "Got anything stronger?" The blonde smiled, meeting her eyes. Regina stepped aside to let her in, cautiously following behind her. "Nice house." The woman commented. "What did you say your name was again?" Regina asked, pouring both of them glasses of cider. "Emma."

The mayor simply nodded and led her to the den. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back."

As soon as she was out of earshot, she quickly dialed Sheriff Graham's number. "Hello?" A voice on the other end answered sleepily. "Graham, its Regina. I need you to come to my house right away." She said quietly, peeking into the den. "What is it?" Graham asked, alert now. "A woman showed up at my doorstep and I think she's mentally unwell. She says she brought back my son. I have her distracted but I need you to come take her to the station." Regina explained. "On my way." The sheriff answered, hanging up.

The brunette hid her nervousness, smoothing out her dress before joining the blonde. "Look, I'm sorry about your kid. You must have been worried sick when you found out he was missing." Emma said. Regina decided to play along. "Of course. Thank you for returning him."

The two sat in awkward silence for a few moments. "So, how did you know my son?" Regina asked. The blonde finished her cider and set it down before speaking. "Well, 10 years ago I kinda got together with this guy and then he framed me for a crime I didn't commit. 9 months later I had a son. I was only 18 at the time and I was in prison so I gave him up. It's good to know he found a good home." Emma said.

"So you've never heard of Storybrooke, then?" The mayor questioned. The blonde shook her head. "Nope. Henry showed me how to get here and well, here I am. The weird thing is, I had just finished making a wish on this cupcake I was eating, and it was to not be alone on my birthday. Then your son- my son- showed up. Crazy, right?"

"Yes you are." The mayor thought to herself. Instead, she sipped her cider until she heard another knock at the door. "Excuse me." Regina said, getting up to answer it. Graham came inside, gun in his hand and ready to drag the woman out. "Graham wait." Regina grabbed his arm as he headed towards the den. He stopped and looked at her. "What?"

"Maybe she should stay here for tonight. I mean, it's already late enough as it is, and she doesn't seem dangerous." The brunette suggested. "Regina, are you crazy? A stranger shows up on your doorstep and starts talking about a son that doesn't exist and you want to spend the night alone with her? She is obviously a stalker, she knew which house was yours and who you were." Graham argued.

"I have you on speed dial. If anything happens, I'll let you know." Regina said. "I don't feel safe leaving you."

"Is everything alright?" The two turned to see Emma standing in the doorway. "Everything's fine, Miss Swan. Sheriff Graham here just noticed the yellow bug outside my house and came over to check on me since he hadn't seen it here in town before." Regina quickly answered.

The blonde smiled and looked out at the vehicle. "Yep, that's mine. One of my only possessions." She said. "Do you mind if I take a look inside it? Since you're new to town and all." Graham asked. "Sure." The woman led the two outside. After a thorough search, all Graham found was a storybook. "Oh, that's Henry's. He must have left it. Will you give it to him?" She handed Regina the worn book.

"Of course." The mayor answered, flipping it open. "All it has are fairytales. The kid says that this town is magic and is under some sort of curse. He called me the Savior or something like that. Quite an imagination he's got." Emma chuckled. Regina and Graham exchanged a quick glance, laughing politely. "This woman really is nuts. Now she's talking about magic and curses?" Regina thought.

"Since it's so late, why don't you stay at the station? I have another cot you can sleep on." Graham suggested. Regina gave him a grateful look. "Okay. Is it alright if I come by and see Henry tomorrow? Unless you have other plans this weekend." The blonde asked. "Sure. How about I call you?" Regina answered. The blonde quickly jotted down her phone number before getting in the bug to follow Graham. "I'll do a background check on her and find out who she really is." The sheriff informed her before leaving.

Forgetting all about her important paperwork, Regina started reading through the storybook, looking for clues as to who this woman was. There was something peculiar about Emma Swan, and she was going to find out what.