I Believe In You [Once Upon A Time] {1} *rewriting*

The Thing You Love Most

I was dressed in my school uniform, brushing my hair.

Regina walked inside, holding my book.

I put down the brush, turning to face her.

"The missing pages, where are they?" Regina asked.

"It's an old book, stuff's missing," I told her. "What do you care?"

I walked past her.

Regina grabbed my arm, turning me to face her. "I care because you think I'm some Evil Queen. And that hurts me, Rose. I'm your mother."

I moved away from her. "No, you're not."

 I started getting my things together.

"Well, then, who is?" Regina asked. "That woman you brought here? I don't like what she or this book is doing to you. Thankfully both are no longer an issue." I didn't respond, putting my books in my backpack. "What?"

The bell in the clock tower went off.

Regina turned her head, looking at it in surpsie.

I quickly picked up my backpack, walking out of my room, leaving.

~~

I passed by Granny's diner and saw Mom sitting in the diner.

I walked inside and sat down at a booth.

Ruby walked toward me, smiling. "Hey, hon, what can I get you?"

I smiled. "Hey, Ruby. Um, can you give a hot chocolate with cinnamon to the lady over there with the red jacket?"

"Sure thing," Ruby told me, walking away.

~~

I heard Graham's voice. "Ah, so you decided to stay."

"Observant," Mom told him. "Important for a cop."

"That's good news for our tourist business, bad for our local signage," Graham told her. "It's, it's a joke . . . because you ran over our sign."

I smirked.

"Look, the cocoa was a nice gesture, and I am impressed that you guessed that I like cinnamon in my chocolate, 'cause most people don't, but I am not here to flirt, so, thank you, but no thank you," Mom told him. 

"I didn't send it," Graham told her.

I turned around. "I did." I got off the booth, walking closer to them. "I like cinnamon, too." I looked at Graham. "Hey Graham." 

Graham smiled. "Hey kid."

"Don't you have school?" Mom asked. 

"Duh, I'm ten," I told her. "Walk me."

Mom sighed, nodding her head. "Let's go."

I looked at Graham. "Bye Graham, see you later."

"Bye Kid, see you later," Graham told me. "Bye Emma."

"See you later, Graham," Mom told him. We walked out of Granny's. "So, what's the deal with you and your Mom?"

"It's not about us, it's about her curse," I told her. "We have to break it. Luckily, I have a plan. Step one: identification. I call it, 'Operation Cobra'."

"Cobra?" Mom asked. "That has nothing to do with fairytales."

"Exactly, it's a codename," I told her. "It'll throw the Queen off the trail."