An ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE fanfiction of Swanqueen -(Can be read without knowing the original story. ) Seventeen-year-old Emma Swan has always been a survivor. After her mother's overdose, she and her baby brother Neal are placed with caring foster parents. Struggling to trust and haunted by her past, Emma navigates a new school where she meets Regina Mills, a stern yet compassionate teacher who sees beyond Emma's guarded exterior. Can she open her heart to those reaching out before her past pulls her back under?