A Whole New Beginning

Chapter 2

By the time Regina had gotten halfway through the storybook, the sun was rising and she still hadn't finished the paperwork she had started the night before. Glancing at the clock she realized it was 5 in the morning. Five hours, and she still hadn't found any clues as to who the mysterious woman really was.

The mayor sighed and set the book down before going upstairs to shower and get ready for the day. When she got out she already noticed that Sidney had called her seven times. Rolling her eyes, she dialed his number. She wondered how the poor neurotic man functioned. He was so anxious about everything it was a miracle he lived this long without having a heart attack.

"Regina I've been calling you for 30 minutes! Are you coming to help set up for the sheriff elections?" The man answered. "Well hello to you too, Sidney." Regina said, struggling to keep the sarcasm at bay. "I have another commitment to attend to, I'm afraid. But surely you can take care of things in my absence."

Silence on the other end. Then, "Of course. However, we have been planning this election for months. What could possibly be so important as to not attend?"

"That is my business, Sidney. I'll have your reports to you by Monday morning." With that, she hung up. She reached in her pocket and grabbed the phone number Emma had written down and dialed the number. Straight to voicemail. Figures.

So she sat down with another cup of tea and finished the reports before faxing them to Sidney. That should keep him off her back for a while. A knock at the door once again interrupted her. She got up to answer and was surprised to see the stranger standing on her doorstep. "Miss Swan." She said dryly. "It's rather rude to come over without calling me back first, don't you think?"

"Cut the crap, Regina. Henry found me at Granny's. You think you would keep a closer watch on him since he managed to leave town on his own, but obviously not. I noticed he has a few questionable marks on him." The blonde said menacingly. Regina tried not to roll her eyes. When was this woman going to stop?

"Where is he?" Regina asked, deciding to keep up the charade a little while longer until Graham gave her some information. "He's in the car." Emma motioned to the bug pulled up in front of the house. Regina noticed her front tire was just barely edging onto the well-manicured lawn, and she fought hard not to say something. She needed to find out who this Emma Swan was.

"Did you hurt him?" Emma's voice caught her attention. "What?"

"I said did you hurt my son? He won't tell me anything. And he sure as hell doesn't want to come back here." The blonde growled, coming closer. Regina stood her ground, her head held high. "No, Miss Swan, I didn't hurt him. Little boys get hurt all the time. You would know that if you hadn't given him up for adoption." The brunette knew she hit a nerve when Emma's mouth dropped open in surprise.

Something happened to this young woman, and despite her irritation, Regina wanted to help. She didn't believe in magic, and she sure as hell didn't believe what this woman was saying, but she did believe in fate. There had to have been a reason she found this town, found Regina. "Madame Mayor." Both women looked to see Sheriff Graham enter the front gate. "I uh, have those reports you wanted."

Emma turned back to face her. "I'm watching you, lady. When I find out the truth- and I will- and if it turns out you've been hurting him, I can guarantee that you will never see him again."

As soon as the bug was headed down the street, Graham handed Regina a file. "There's not much here. She grew up an orphan, she was in the foster system in Boston her whole life. A few little jobs here and there, no mention of a son at all." Graham explained. "Who's this?" Regina pointed to a name. "Neal Cassidy."

"No idea. I tried to search for the name but there's so many people I didn't have any luck pinpointing exactly who he was." The sheriff answered. "It says here they were both in the same foster system in Boston. Maybe he knows something." The mayor mused. "It's a long shot, but you could try it. Do you want me to keep searching for some clues as to who he is?" Graham asked.

Regina closed the file, waving her hand in dismissal. "No, thank you. Just keep Emma Swan busy. I know someone who can help me find this man."

Graham nodded and left her alone. Regina grabbed her cell phone and headed to the square, going into the pawn shop. "Madame Mayor. What a surprise." The man behind the counter limped over to greet her. "How may I be of service?"

"Mr. Gold. I have a proposition for you. You're an expert at finding people, I need you to find this man. Neal Cassidy. The last place this file said he was at is in Boston. I need you to find a website, a phone number, something." Regina answered. "Would this have anything to do with the new woman in town? Emma Swan?" Gold asked. "How do you know her?" The brunette asked suspiciously. "She came into my shop. She said her son Henry was showing her around town."

"She's delusional. She thinks he's my adopted son as well. Somehow she found this town and found me. I'm trying to find out who exactly she is, which is why I need you to find this man." The mayor huffed impatiently. "I suppose I could do so. But what's in it for me, dearie?"

"I'll let you choose another business to take ownership of." Regina offered. The man thought for a second. Then he slowly nodded. "You've got yourself a deal. I'll call you when I've found something." He said. Regina nodded, making her way to Granny's. She was surprised to see Emma sitting at a table, drinking hot cocoa and reading a newspaper. "Miss Swan."

The blonde looked up, her eyes narrowing as she realized who was talking to her. "You're alone, I see." The mayor noted, sitting down across from her. "Henry said he was going to play with a friend. Unlike you, I know where he's at." The woman said, taking a sip of her drink. "I didn't come here to argue, Emma. I just figured since you're the birth mother of my son I should at least get to know you."

Emma looked surprised, but no longer angry. Ruby brought Regina over her regular order of tea. "There you are, Madame Mayor." The waitress said before leaving the two alone again. "What do you want to know?" The blonde asked. "How did you end up in prison?" Regina asked. Emma set down her drink, avoiding her eyes. "Well, I was seeing this guy and he told me he worked as a bail bonds person. After getting to know him, I realized I really liked him. He offered to introduce me to his boss, and that's how I ended up working with him."

Emma looked up, and Regina nodded at her to continue. "It turns out he was working undercover for some loan shark, and he tricked me into helping him. We met up with some perps, and then the cops showed up. I didn't get away fast enough, so I was caught red-handed with stolen jewelry and a suitcase full of money from a bank that had just gotten robbed. I was in prison for a year."

"What was this man's name?" Regina questioned. Emma became guarded again. "No, it's my turn to ask you something. You are my son's mother, after all." She said. "Alright. Fair enough." The older woman complied. "Honestly, are you hurting Henry?"

Regina wanted to get angry, but seeing that the younger woman was seriously concerned about the well-being of this imaginary child, she decided to cooperate. "Emma, I would never hurt him. I would never hurt any child. There's a reason why I adopted him. Henry saved me, he means the whole world to me."

Emma nodded, and Regina could tell she believed her. Honestly, the mayor didn't exactly care for children. They were loud and rude and impatient. She was quite content running a town of independent adults, although some of them acted more like children, it seemed. "I guess I should apologize. Boys will be boys, and I should know better than to jump to conclusions. I guess that's what happens when you find criminals for a living." Emma chuckled, and Regina smiled politely.

This woman may be crazy, but she was smart. And there was just something about her that the mayor couldn't quite put her finger on. "So where are you staying, Miss Swan?" She asked. "Graham offered for me to stay at the station for now until I found a place. I thought I would stay in town for a week or so." The blonde said. "How would you like to stay with me?" The words were out of her mouth before Regina could stop them. Emma looked surprised, but she smiled. "That would be great. I'm sure Henry would love that."

A few days later, Emma was set up in one of the guest rooms. Graham had fought against Regina's decision, insisting the woman was still dangerous, but Regina wouldn't change her mind. What better way to get to know Emma? She was surprised to feel an almost maternal instinct when she was with the younger woman. And who knows? Maybe this would be good for both of them.