Clock Chimes

Chapter One

STORYBROOKE, MAINE, 2022.
Two weeks before Emma's death.

"Honestly, it was ridiculous. Isn't saving cats from trees what firefighters do on a slow day, not sheriffs? Also, I thought that type of shit only happened in crappy movies, not real life." Emma huffs, shoving her hands deep into the pockets of her stiff, new leather jacket (that she had insisted on wearing because Henry had given it to her for Christmas, despite the weather being far too cold and harsh for such a garment,) a childish scowl settled deeply into her face.

A giggle bubbles out of Regina's lips, and she shakes her head at her wife beside her, the icy, snow-filled air slicing at her lips and drying the inside of her mouth. "Aww."

Emma stops walking beside her momentarily to sigh loudly, stomping on the ground with both feet. It's unclear whether she's stomping due to the cold or her attitude, and Regina finds that she can't decide which is cuter. "Come on, Gina. You're supposed to be on my side here."

"I am," Regina stresses, beginning to walk again, watching Emma wait a few seconds out of spite before jogging to catch up. The packed snow crunches loudly under her black heeled boots, and icy flakes dust onto her hair, dampening the strands. "It's just....you're right. It's ridiculous."

Emma grins at her, finally accepting Regina's reaction to her tale. "My ass still hurts," she complains, mind flickering to a couple hours ago, when she'd been a few branches high in the skeleton of a tree, coaxing the tabby kitten above her to come down. She'd lost her balance on the slick, snowy branch, and....well. She'd collided hard on the ground, a large pile of snow completely soaking the denim of her jeans. It wasn't a total loss, however--the kitten had decided that Emma had put on enough of a show and had hopped down a few branches until the blonde could just reach up and grab it, handing the ball of fur to a wide-eyed Archie.

"I wasn't aware the Cricket had a cat," Regina comments, shivering under the thick, wooly fabric of her stylish peacoat. Her leather-covered hand reaches out blindly beside her until Emma's soft glove meets hers, and their fingers intertwine.

"Neither did I, but apparently he's...new. Pongo brought the kitten home, can you believe it?" She asks, trying to imagine the large Dalmatian bringing home a bundle of grey fur to Archie. Aren't dogs and cats not supposed to get along? Pongo is a ridiculous sweetheart, however, so it's not hard to believe.

Regina shakes her head, rolling her eyes, and stops beside Emma just outside the Granny's neon sign. She produces her thin, sleek, new iPhone from her coat pocket (a Christmas gift from Henry--as he had insisted that she only have the newest and best--but she can't figure out how to work most of the applications), hovering her gloved thumb over the home button, flashing the time. Her lock screen makes her smile--it's a recent picture of Emma, Henry and her on Christmas, all wearing matching terribly-knitted sweaters from Snow. Emma and Henry are both doubled over, laughing and pointing at Regina's sour expression, who had been forced to wear the ugly, itchy sweater for the picture. Henry had jokingly set it as her lock screen, and while Regina had batted at his arm and pretended to scowl, it's been weeks and she hasn't changed it.

Regina shakes the happy memory from her mind, replacing the smile with a frown as she checks the time again. "Henry was supposed to be here almost an hour ago."

Emma scoffs, playfully slapping Regina's bottom. "Oh, come on, don't be so hard on him. You see this weather? At least we know he's not speeding."

"Oh, speeding like you do?" Regina questions, turning to face her wife with a glare that falls entirely too short of looking remotely real.

"Just because I don't drive like a grandma like you do---" Emma winks, sinking her fingers into--

Regina squeals and takes several steps forward, nearly slipping on ice in her impractical boots. "Hands off my ass, Miss Swan; it's inappropriate in public," she hisses, glancing around the vacant outside dining area.