Impossible (Swanqueen)

Chapter 1

It all began on the coldest day of winter in New York City. It was snowing so hard that it was almost impossible to see. Businesses were closed, and the streets were empty; a rare sight in the city that never slept.

A small coffee shop in the village was open, much to Emma Swan's dismay. All of the other employees were on vacation, so she, being the only one in town, was put in charge of the shop for two weeks.

She loved the place, and she got paid fairly well, but so far it had been two days and no one had even walked by the shop.

She wasn't surprised. It was just too cold to be walking around, plus the coffee shop was kind of a hole in the wall. The common passerby hardly noticed the place.

It was small, but quaint, featuring exposed brick and a very homey feel. Rustic, wooden tables and stools completed the look.

It was a place that Regina Mills would have never walked into. She felt comfortable in sleek and pristine coffee shops. Starbucks was definitely her go to.

Yet today she was on her way home from work and decided to see if she could take a shortcut to the subway. The less time she had to spend in the freezing cold, the better. She walked briskly through the empty streets, her heels clicking sharply against the asphalt.

However, she began to freeze and realized she needed to warm up. She spotted the only coffee place that was open and entered it wearily.

Emma was startled when a bell sounded from the front of the shop, revealing that someone was coming in. She looked up, eager to see who her only customer was.

A woman stepped inside, her stockings and heels the only visible things to Emma's eyes. She was bundled up in a black coat and red scarf. The door closed behind her, and she elegantly brushed the snow off, before taking off her coat and scarf.

Emma's mouth dropped open at the sight of the woman in front of her. She was stunning. She shook her head slightly, snow falling from her short, raven locks. A black, modest business dress hugged the woman's curves. Her full lips were painted a deep crimson, and her eyes were a deep chocolate color.

She looked around uncomfortably, and seemed to feel out of place.

Emma was unable to take her eyes off of the beauty in front of her. She cleared her throat and finally found her voice.

"Uh, excuse me, miss. Do you want anything to drink? It's really cold out." Emma stated dumbly.

The woman looked up, her eyes landing on Emma. The brown eyes met the green for the first time and she smiled curtly.

"Coffee sounds wonderful. Cinnamon please, if you have it." The woman said, taking a seat at the counter. She sat stiffly, obviously out of her comfort zone.

Emma tugged at her t-shirt self consciously and rubbed her hands on her faded jeans. She started brewing the coffee before turning back around to look at the brunette.

"I'm Emma, by the way. Emma Swan." She said nervously, trying to sound confident and mature. The brunette looked amused, her brown eyes twinkling ever so slightly.

"Pleasure to meet you, Emma Swan. I'm Regina Mills." Regina said, the ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

"Are you coming from work?" Emma asked, fiddling with her hair.

"Yes. I'm the manager of the tech industry on the corner." Regina said.

"Manager?? How old are you?" Emma asked bluntly. She suffered from the lack of a filter.

"I'm thirty five." Regina said, quirking a brow. Most people were very intimidated by her, yet this young girl seemed the least bit phased.

Emma's heart sunk when Regina said her age. Emma was only 18, meaning Regina was 17 years her senior.

"If you had told me you were twenty, I would have believed it." Emma said.

"And how old are you, Emma?" Regina asked. Emma got chills at the way her name sounded on Regina's lips. Soft and delicate.

"I'm eighteen. I'm at NYU, majoring in writing. I want to be a writer." Emma explained. The brunette's eyes seemed to lighten at Emma's words.

"I used to teach creative writing before I got into business. I have a love for English." Regina admitted. She wasn't usually a social person, but something about the blonde made her want to talk.

"Would you like this to go?" Emma asked, referring to the coffee. She looked at Regina hopefully. She clearly wanted her to stay.

"Yes. To go, if you please." Regina said. She watched as Emma's eyes fell, and the look of rejection on her face was clear. Regina felt guilty.

"On second thought, to stay would be fine. I'm not looking to go out in the cold anytime soon." Regina said quickly. Emma's face brightened and she poured the coffee into a big mug.

"I've been put in charge of this place for two weeks, and so far I've had zero customers." Emma said, leaning over the counter.

"That's a shame." Regina said, sipping her coffee.

"What's your favorite thing to write?" Emma asked Regina. Regina was touched that the blonde seemed to be interested in hearing about her. People were usually interested in her money or her power, yet the blonde truly seemed intrigued.

"I enjoy reading and writing poetry. I also have a guilty pleasure for reading cheesy romance novels." The brunette admitted, quickly pressing her lips together. Why was she divulging embarrassing quirks?

"I write poetry." Emma said quickly, her eyes on Regina. She was still stunned by her beauty. She could feel her attraction for the older woman in front of her growing by the second and she tried to suppress it.

"I should really get going. Thank you for the coffee, Emma." Regina said, digging through her purse.

"No, it's on me. It was nice to have some company." Emma admitted

"Oh, no, you don't need to do that." Regina said, bringing out her wallet.

"Really, please. It's on me." Emma said.

"Well, okay. Thank you, dear." Regina said, putting her wallet away. She put her coat and scarf back on and picked up her purse.

As Regina walked out the door, Emma called out softly,

"Please come back any time."

But the brunette was already out the door. Emma realized her heart was racing and she took a sip of her coffee.

She only had one thing on her mind for the rest of the day: Regina Mills