I got to the school to find Regina waiting outside for me, tapping her foot impatiently with her arms crossed over her chest. "It's about time, Miss Swan," she said sternly. I rolled my eyes as she turned to walk into the school. I noticed a few of the teachers were cowering when she'd turn her head to glare at them. There was a group of kids walking out of a classroom and as the last few came out, Regina walked in.
I walked in behind her as she started to talk with a woman who was as white as snow. She had short black hair, green eyes, and pale pink lips. She offered Regina a kind smile as Regina started in on her. She kept trying to defend herself, but Regina continued to hound her. "I'm sorry, Mayor Mills, but I never loaned my credit card to Henry," she said. "He's only ten years old." She pulled out her wallet and opened it to show Regina that all of the credit card slots were empty.
"You don't know anything about this do you?" I asked. She shook her head and I could tell that she wasn't lying.
"I should never have given Henry that book." Regina looked inbetween the both of us.
"Could someone please tell me what this whole book nonsense is about?" she said frustrated. Ms. Blanchard began to explain.
"I gave Henry a book of fairytales...I thought he could use it."
"Why?" Regina took a step forward and Ms. Blanchard backed into a desk, causing her to stumble.
"Regina, that's enough," I said sternly. Her back straightened and she turned around to face me. She walked away, knocking a tower of books over in her wake.
"Have a nice trip back to Boston, Miss Swan," she said. She stopped in the doorway and turned back to face me again. "And don't call me Regina." Her brown eyes were dancing as if they were looking into the blaze of a fire. I nodded my head and she stormed out. Ms. Blanchard started to pick up the fallen books. I knelt down to help her.
-Regina's POV-
I got back into my car and drove to my office. I unlocked the doors to my office and dropped my briefcase next to my desk. I ran my fingers through my hair worriedly. 'He'll come home. Just calm down.' I assured myself. I opened up my laptop and attempted to work. A knock came at my door and I looked up as Mr. Gold came in. "Hello, dearie," he greeted cheerily.
"I don't remember there being a meeting with an urchin in my agenda," I replied. He chuckled as he sat down across from me. He grabbed an apple from the white ceramic bowl on my desk.
"I thought you might like to know that I saw your boy this morning, not heading to school." My gaze meet his. "Being the man that I am, Mayor Mills, I stopped him and...tried to convince him that he needed to be at school, but from the look on the poor lad's face...it looked like it was hard for him to even breath." I sighed heavily.
"Where was he going?" Gold shrugged his shoulders.
"Can't really say...I'm sure that he is somewhere safe though. Especially with that new woman in town." I dug my nails into the palm of my hand.
"Don't worry about Miss Swan, Mr. Gold. She is none of your concern. Especially when she's leaving town as we speak." He nodded his head and rubbed the little stubble on his chin.
"Funny...because I just saw her heading in the very same direction that your boy was heading." I nearly strangled him.
"And why, Mr. Gold, has it taken you until now to tell me this?" He shrugged his shoulders and took a big bite of the apple. 'I hope you choke on that.'
"Didn't think it mattered."
"When it comes to my son it does. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go get the Sheriff so that he may arrest Miss Swan." I rose from my seat and threw my jacket on before picking up my briefcase.
"Oh! You mean, the man that you are sleeping with? Is that the sheriff that you're talking about?" I stopped in my tracks and turned to face him.
"I don't have time for your games, Gold. I need to go get Henry." When I left, he was right behind me. I went running into the station. "Graham! Graham!" He came out of his office and wrapped me in his arms as I started to break down. "Arrest Emma! She has Henry!" Graham held me for a few seconds, trying to calm me down.
"Calm down, Regina, it's okay," he said. I smacked his chest.
"No, it isn't! She's with my son!" He held me at arms length.
"Regina, tell me where she has taken Henry and I can help." I shook my head as more tears cascaded down my cheeks.
"I can't!" His eyes widened.
"And why not?" I stared down at the ground.
"Because I don't know where they are, Graham! Gold came into my office today and said that he saw Henry and that, later on, he saw Emma heading in the same direction."
"Which was?"
"I don't know! He wouldn't tell me." He sighed heavily and looked away from me, deep in thought.
"Alright," he said as he looked back at me. "I'm going to go pay a visit to Gold and see if I can't get more information out of him, while you go home and wait for Henry there. She returned him the first time, I highly doubt she'd try taking him after just returning him. Call me when he comes home. If he isn't home by ten o'clock tonight, then we'll put out an APB for them both. Everything is going to be alright, Regina." I nodded my head and did as he said.
I heard a car pull up and I rushed to the door. I opened it to see Emma and Henry talking. Henry's face fell when he saw me. "Go to your room," I said firmly. He walked passed me into the house as I walked onto the porch. Emma wasn't looking so well. She looked so frail and small. "I thought you were leaving, Miss Swan." She sighed heavily.
"I did too...but I figured that Henry just needed someone to talk to."
"And you thought...that that person should be you? Forgive me for saying so, Miss Swan, but you signed over your rights as Henry's mother ten years ago. I am the one who changed every diaper, soothed every fever, and endured every tantrum. You did not. You can't just...waltz into his life as if you belong...because you don't belong here. You belong in Boston...and I suggest that you get into that deathtrap of a car and go home." She looked hurt.
"Miss Mills, please hear me out. Yesterday was my birthday-"
"And why would I care?" She sighed heavily, a tear rolling down her cheek, but she wiped it away.
"And I made a wish on this cupcake that I had bought for myself. I wished that for once I wouldn't be alone...and then Henry showed up...right after I blew out the candle."
"Leave, Miss Swan," I said as I headed back into the house. "And leave Storybrooke." I slammed the door behind me and rested my back against the door, feeling a strange feeling in my heart. 'Please don't tell me that I actually care about Emma Swan.'
