Once Upon a Time 1. Chapter 1

A loud buzzing came from the small alarm that was placed in the corner of the plain white room and Emma slowly rolled off the thin mattress that she was laid on and her feet met the cold wooden floorboards which sent shivers through her skinny physique. She stared through the small window that was at the other side of the room although it didn't offer much light and the sky was still as a dark as it was when she went to sleep.

The blonde wrapped her arms around herself trying to conceal any body heat that she had left and made her way to the bathroom that was just outside her room. She stared into the small mirror that was placed in the middle of the wall; she held her arm up closer to the mirror to offer a better view. The cuts were much deeper than she first imagined and her skin wasn't pink any more but a light shade of purple covered by an extensive amount of bruises that throbbed continuously. She filled the sink halfway and plunged her hands in watching the water ripple within the small area of the porcelain sink. A cold splash of water hit against her face almost stinging her sensitive skin but it felt refreshing and it helped drag her away from the negative thoughts that consumed her mind.

Emma reluctantly dragged herself out of the confines of the bathroom where she felt safe and quickly changed into her clothes. She chose a long plain black sleeve top which would help to cover her marks and a collar that would stop any exposure. She quickly jumped into her skinny jeans and threw on her boots and jacket as she had a three mile walk to school.

She quietly tip toed downstairs and scoured the kitchen for any food she could find. Her stomach was rumbling uncontrollably and her mouth was increasingly dry from the lack of supplies that were in the house. Her parents were too busy having a good time on the town to worry about leaving any decent food in the house for their daughter. The young blonde grabbed the last piece of bread that was in the bottom of the dirty bread bin and quickly made her way out before her parents woke up.

The weather was bitterly cold and a large sheet of ice smothered most of the pavements making it increasingly difficult to stay up right. Emma slowly made her way through the neighbourhood avoiding eye contact with anyone that came into contact with her as it wasn't exactly the safest place to live.

As she passed the small bakery that was situated on the corner the smell of freshly baked goods wafted through the air which tempted the young girl and reminded her of the things that she couldn't have.

In the distance she could see the school which was previously an institute for prisoners but was then replaced with a secondary school. She anxiously made her way down the small path that was surrounded by forestry. Her eyes remained focused on what was ahead of her and the sound of the music coming from the Ipod that she managed to steal from her previous school helped to keep her calm.

Emma made her way through the glass double doors and swallowed hard before approaching the small reception desk that was ahead of her. The woman sat behind it was of small stature and she peered over her glasses at the blonde giving her a look of disapproval before asking what she was waiting for.

"Are you one of the new students that are joining us? I heard we are getting some pupils transferring from other schools."

"Hello, I'm Emma I was transferred from my previous school and I was sent here, this is my first day and I'm not really sure where to go so I guess you're the person to tell me." She reciprocated a response nervously and could tell that the other woman took an instant dislike to her.

"I will call the principle she can take you to her office to sort out your timetable and where you should be." She scowled at Emma and pointed towards a small tatty chair in the corner for her to sit and wait.

Emma looked down at the floor and begrudgingly shuffled over to the chair trying to avoid looking at the woman at reception.

As she twiddled her thumbs in between her clammy palms an older looking woman approached her and gently tapped her on the shoulder causing Emma to jump and pull away as quickly as possible.

"Its aright my dear there's no need to react like that, I'm your principle, my name is Cora Mills and I will be giving you guidance on where to go and will help you with any problems you might have throughout the year. If you follow me I can show you to the office." Cora smiled warmly exposing her perfectly white teeth.

Emma quickly glanced at the woman, she had her hair wrapped tightly in a small bun and her face was more aged then the young girl expected but she seemed pleasant enough with her cherry red lips and her mysterious brown eyes.

The older woman offered a hand as a polite greeting but Emma quickly dismissed that offer and followed her down the corridor.

Emma watched all the other pupils around her they kept their gaze on her, some sniggered and pointed while others smiled. There were mixes of responses as she expected.

She admired the painting that had been done by previous students that adorned the walls but everything seemed so daunting compared to her other school. Everything was much larger in comparison and there were some students that didn't exactly seem like the friendliest of people.

Emma quickly rushed behind the principle in order to catch up and not get lost in the hustle and bustle of people.

They both made their way into the office and the blonde scanned around the room noticing every little detail and the expensive furniture that had its place in the surprisingly spacious office.

Cora gestured for the blonde to sit down and pulled out one of the draws within the cabinet to find her file which had been sent from her previous school.

As she glanced through the thick wedges of paper she was horrified by what she read about the incident in her last school as Emma came across as a timid and reserved young lady rather than something that would involve herself in fights.

"Emma I hope you don't mind me asking this question, but in your file it says that you attacked one of the girls in your previous school which resulted in her getting a broken nose, you don't seem like someone with those characteristics, correct me If I'm wrong." Cora lowered her voice to a softer tone and looked at the young girl waiting for a response.

Emma scratched at her arm trying to avoid the question, her expression remained the same "I don't know why I just did."

"Well if you can promise me that it won't be a regular thing in this school then things here will work out well for you."

"I promise." Emma mumbled

The older woman handed her a piece of paper which had her timetable printed on it and she was given a map which would help her navigate around the school.

"That's your timetable and the map of the school if you find places difficult to find then don't hesitate in asking me or someone nearby they would be more than happy to help, your lessons will start properly as of tomorrow and today will be an induction to give you a taste of what things are really like here." Mrs Mills removed herself from the seat and thanked Emma for coming in and showed her where the induction would take place.


	2. Chapter 2

Emma shuffled her way out of the safe confines of the office and slowly made her way down the corridor, directing her vision to the floor avoiding eye contact with anyone. It took some navigating to try and locate where the induction was going to take place, but after searching in several rooms the blonde finally found where she was meant to be.

As she gently tapped on the door a young lady approached her and introduced herself. "Hello I'm Miss French, you must be one of the new students here for the induction?"

"Yeah I'm Emma." the young girl mumbled.

Miss French smiled warmly at the blonde and gestured for her to take a seat near the front where she would be able to keep an eye on her. As Emma sat down she felt numerous pairs of eyes glaring at her. The heat in the room was almost unbearable and the Blonde felt her heart racing with the feeling of everyone judging her.

One girl in particular kept a more than close eye on Emma, as If she was stalking her every move and waiting for the right moment to say or do something.

"Hello class I'm Miss French and I will be giving you an induction for your first day, we have a few activities to do which involve getting to know each other and then I will show you a map which will show you where you need to go, If you have any questions then don't be afraid to ask."

The class rose from their seats and grabbed a sheet from the desk which had a list of questions on it. Everyone reluctantly made their way around the room in an attempt to get to know each other. Emma stood towards the corner of the room staring down at the piece of paper that was held between her hands, trying to avoid talking to the rest of the class.

Stacy confidentially strolled over to Emma and narrowed her eyes onto her. "I don't know who you are but I'm the top girl around here, soon everyone will hate you because your a skanky little creep that spends all her time cowering in the corner like a lost puppy." Stacy laughed to herself and triumphantly made her way back to the front of the classroom.

Emma watched as she walked towards the front of the room and another girl approached her. Except this time she was much taller and had a larger build than the girl previous to her. Emma swallowed hard and accepted what ever abuse would be thrown at her.

"I'm Alicia Stacy's friend and don't think I'm going to be nice to you because I'm not. There's something weird about you and I'm determined to find out what it is so you better watch your back next time your alone."

Alicia put on a fake grin to Emma as Miss French was keeping a close eye on her and trotted back down to where her friend was. Emma stared blankly at the floor hoping that soon the class would be dismissed so she could escape the wickedness of the two girls.

A loud ringing of a bell echoed through the room and all the students rushed out before Miss French could utter enough word.

Just before Emma left she felt a small hand press over her shoulder and she froze in the spot.

"Emma are you alright, you seem awfully distant with everyone and your a very quiet young lady. Is there something bothering you?"

"I'm fine I wish everyone would stop asking me questions all the time, I just want a quiet life." Emma barged past Miss French and rushed down the corridor trying to find a place where she wouldn't be disturbed. As she rushed outside to a small bike shed that was located behind the playground a familiar voice sounded in the air. Alicia and Stacy were hiding behind the bike shed, waiting for Emma to be on her own.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Emma casually walked towards the bike shed; she just wanted to be alone for a bit away from the screeching of other school kids and the constant sound of laughing which was always directed at her.

As she made her way closer to the shed so did Alicia and Stacy. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her feet felt heavy and her legs stiffened making it hard to move. She never did like confrontation and she was always used as someone's punch bag.

The two girls sniggered to their selves as they moved in closer to the blonde. They looked her up and down, she was scrawny compared to most of the other kids at the school and she always had a strange presence about her, something wasn't right about her.

"What are you doing here swan? I told you to watch where you go alone as I would get you, guess you chose the perfect time now it's just the three of us." Stacy smiled deviously and gestured for her friend to copy her actions.

As they moved in closer Emma could feel the heat of their body against hers and the fear was almost taking over her. Alicia was much larger compared to the blonde which made things even more difficult.

Alicia punched Emma in the stomach as her friend watched the colour drain from her face. The blonde clutched her abdomen and contorted her face in pain. Stacy laughed to herself as she kicked her to the floor, watching her body fall to the ground like a rag doll. Emma curled into a ball trying to protect herself from another beating, she felt the intense throbbing in her stomach area and she kept her arms covered so they wouldn't see the deep incisions that she left on herself.

Before they kicked her again Miss French caught the three girls out of the corner of her eye and quickly rushed over to them. "What the hell is going on here, you two have a lot of explain to do before I take you to the head teachers office."

"We haven't done anything miss, she threw herself at me like a wild animal I had to get Alicia to pull me off her, she just fell to the ground." Both girls stared at Miss French trying to protest their innocence.

"We will see about that young lady, now follow me down to the office where you can do all of your explaining, you too Alicia." Miss French carefully helped Emma up from the hard gravelled floor and guided her to the medical office while the other two girls marched down to the office.

Emma slowly stumbled into the medic's office and the nurse eased her over the bed. She pulled out the first aid kit from the cupboard in order to clean up the superficial injuries and tried to take a look at the extent of the damage.

"Emma I'm the school nurse, I need to determine if there is any serious injury so I am going to have a feel of your stomach area. If you feel any pain then you need to tell me." She smiled warmly and handed a tissue to the blonde.

As she gently felt across her stomach area she saw the blonde flinch and she let out a small whimper indicating that there could be some bruising. As she tried to lift up her top to see her injuries, Emma pushed her top back down and refused for the nurse to look.

"I'm fine I don't need you looking at my injuries, just give me some painkillers then I will be out of here." Emma stared at the poster on the wall and carefully slid herself off the bed pressing one hand onto her side.

"If you don't want me to look then I can't force you too, but you're going to need to see the head teacher as this is a serious incident. I will take you there now."

Emma begrudgingly followed the nurse down the corridor, slowly trailing behind.

As she approached the office she saw the two girls sat there looking all innocent as if butter wouldn't melt in their mouth.

The blonde tapped on the glass of the office door and waited for a response. Miss Mills answered and smiled kindly at Emma offering her a place to sit.

As she sat down Miss Mills began to pace around her desk, glaring at Stacy and Alicia waiting for a reasonable explanation.

"Why don't you explain to me how this happened?" her vision directed on Stacy first as she had a reputation for lying and starting fights with people.

"Miss it wasn't me, I was hanging around by the bike shed and then that little blonde bitch threw herself at me, I thought she was going to kill me."

"LANGUAGE", Cora slammed her hand onto the desk making the two girls jump. "Don't be so melodramatic and explain to me how Emma managed to get the injuries that she has."

"I don't know maybe she does it to herself, she's weird and has no friends so there must be something wrong with her mentally." Stacy winked at Alicia and slumped into the chair with her arms folded across her chest.

"Enough of that young lady, both of you have detention for a week and you will both be separated into different classes." Cora dragged Stacy's file from the drawer and scribbled the incident into the record page.

"What, this isn't fair I shouldn't be getting punishment, it was all her fault."

"Get out of my office and if I see you pulling a stunt like that again then it won't just be detention you have to put up with." Cora pointed towards the door and watched the two girls shuffle their way out in shame.

Emma bowed her head towards the floor and slowly walked out of her office feeling as if it had been all her fault.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews you have been posting on my chapters, I appreciate it and I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I'm trying to update it every day so I'm not keeping you waiting too long :)

Emma begrudgingly made her way down the silent corridor and dreaded her next lesson especially with the possibility that Stacy or Alicia might be lurking in her art class. As she approached the small brown door she gently tapped on the glass and waited for a response. After a couple of minutes of waiting a tall slim lady with brown hair and kind eyes answered the door.

"Hello I'm Miss Lucas, I will be your art teacher for this lesson, how about you come and find somewhere to seat and then I will explain what we will be doing for today's lesson." she smiled warmly and had a soft tone to her voice.

Emma scanned around the room for the nearest seat and she saw that there was an empty space towards the back of the classroom. It was the perfect spot where she could blend into the crowd of pupils and wouldn't be noticed too much.

As the blonde found her way to the seat a group of girls swivelled in their seats sniggering and pointing at her, making her feel more uncomfortable then the previous situations she had been in.

She slumped into the seat and stared at the paintings that were covering the multi coloured walls. Some were mysterious looking and there was one next to her that portrayed something much darker than the other drawings. There was something disturbing about it but Emma was somehow drawn to it.

The blonde paid particular attention the underlying meaning of the drawing and tried her hardest to figure out what it could mean and the kind of person that could have conjured up something like that. She was quickly pulled from her thoughts by the sound of the teacher's voice being directed towards her.

"You seem to be quite drawn to that picture on the wall Emma? Is that something you would be interesting in drawing do you think?" her eyes brightened at the thought of the young girl taking an interest in the artwork that had been done by previous students.

Emma shrugged her shoulders in dismissal of the comment made and kept her eyes focused towards the floor. In the background she could hear other pupils laughing at her and the whispering was a constant sound, something that never seemed to disappear no matter what she did.

Miss Lucas grabbed a large handful of task sheets from the desk and began to distribute them to the pupils. She kept a close eye on Emma as she seemed to be a more withdrawn member of the group whereas everyone else was quite chatty and more involved.

Emma read through the sheet of the paper that was handed to her and the list of equipment that she needed was daunting as she knew her parents would never give her the money for it. Everything seemed to be expensive and she knew that everyone else would be able to afford the equipment and she would be the only person that would be singled out from the class.

Her heart sank at the thought of what her childhood was like, she wished she could be like all the other teenagers in her school, but she was different, her life had been different ever since she was born and it didn't seem to be changing any time soon.

Miss Lucas made her way back to the front of the classroom and typed out the first task on the interactive board. Each student had a plain piece of paper and a pencil. Their task was to draw something, anything they desired and it would help to showcase their skills.

Emma stared down at the paper, unsure of what to draw as she had never been given an opportunity to show her creativity before; instead she was punished for trying to do things she enjoyed.

She carefully picked up the pencil and began to sketch out her design. Drawing seemed to be a natural talent and the pencil effortlessly made its way across the paper. The time limit came to a stop and a loud ping came from an alarm that had been set on the computer.

Miss Lucas glanced at all the drawings and was most impressed by what Emma had produced. It was something unexpected and she had a different style to most people but there was talent.

"Emma that is an impressive drawing, a lot of care and detail has gone into that piece, you should be proud of yourself." she gestured for the blonde to show it to the rest of the class but she refused.

"It's not good, actually its crap so I don't know why you're pretending to make such as fuss about it, I might as well screw it up and throw it in the bin where it belongs." Emma sighed heavily and tossed the drawing to one side.

"Don't you ever get a chance to do any drawing at home? You have something special Emma and you should pursue." Miss Lucas handed a piece of paper to the young girl which contained information on free after school clubs for art.

The blonde crumpled the piece of paper and shoved it in her back pocket, trying to withdraw herself from the attention she was receiving.

A hand tapped against the door quite loudly, startling some of the pupils in the class. They all shot their eyes towards the door and waited to see who would enter.

Regina Mills sauntered into the classroom and everyone diverted their eyes back to their work. Emma looked directly at the woman. She had never seen her before and she was beautiful, cherry red lips, a pale complexion and dark brown hair.

Her voice was different to what the blonde was expecting and she watched intently as the two women indulged in what seemed like an intimate conversation. Regina moved in closer and whispered to Miss Lucas "Hello I was wondering if there are any of the new children that are having trouble settling in and might need to have an appointment booked with me, I know how hard it can be for the new students."

Miss Lucas whispered in a softer tone in order to stop the other students from listening in to the conversation. "Yes Miss swan, she is a new student she was transferred from her previous school, she seems very withdrawn and was attacked earlier by two pupils."

The other woman's eyes widened and she gasped in shock by what she was hearing "That is awful, I will clear a space in my diary for her, it might help for her to talk to someone that she can trust, rather than confiding in just anyone."

"Thank you Miss Mills, I think that would benefit Emma a lot."

Regina smiled at the blonde that was staring back at her, but she didn't reciprocate the same response she quickly averted her eyes in a different direction as she didn't want to give off the wrong impression.

The sound of the school bell violently echoed down the corridor and everyone jumped from their seats as quickly as they could. Emma reluctantly packed the little belongings that she had and made her way out of the class room to go home.


	5. Chapter 5

As she made her way outside the rain was rapidly beating down onto Emma and the sharp sting of the cold droplets drenched her skin. The thin coat that was draped over her didn't offer much protection and the freezing gushes of winds pushed against her thin frame, making it increasingly difficult to walk home.

Her hands were becoming numb from the cold and she could feel the water seeping its way through her absorbent shoes. She watched all the other children laughing and chatting to their friends, with the pleasant thought of going home to a good family and being able to interact with friends. While Emma had the thoughts of the unexpected and she had no idea what she could be going home too.

Emma made her way down the dark ally way that was located a couple of minutes from her house. Her heart was pounding at the thought of the kind of greeting she would receive

As she approached the house a whistle of wind surrounded her and she quickly rushed inside hoping she would avoid encountering her parents.

There he was stood there in the doorway holding one hand onto the top of the door frame and another on his hip. There was something about his smile that was different this time, more sinister and terrifying.

Emma tried to barge past him but nothing happened, his weight was too heavy to shift and she was trapped in front of him, trying to beg for mercy in order to avoid a beating.

"Please don't do anything, I have done nothing to you, you're suppose to be my guardian not abuser."

His large hands ran through her thick blonde hair gripping a small handful quite tightly. Emma felt the pinch against her scalp and her head was being renched back.

"have you been a good girl today then Emma? Or have you been a bad girl?" he grinned sadistically and watched the expression on her face change.

Emma eyes widened as she watched his hand raise in the air, his fists clenched tightly. He punched his fist into her stomach, the blonde tried to conceal the pain she was experiencing as she didn't want to show weakness in front of him. They kept on coming each one becoming harder. Her body dropped to the floor in a weakened state. She wrapped her arms around herself hoping that the beating would stop.

He watched as his daughter crawled up into a ball like a baby. He laughed to himself and forced a kick straight into her ribs. The young girl let out a almost breathless whisper and a heated tear rolled down her cheek.

"Your just as pathetic as you always were, no fight in you, weak and feeble a typical woman."

He strolled off outside and the slammed the door behind, leaving Emma in a crumpled heap. She felt an intense throbbing in her side and her body felt weak as if all of her breath had been sucked out of her.

Emma laid there just about breathing, she carefully lifted her top and stared at the large bruises that were covering her body. Her side was a deep shade of purple and it was extremely tender to touch. Her eyes began to stream with floods of tears and the sound of his voice was still drifting through her mind. The memories of her early childhood began to rear their ugly head and negative thoughts consumed her.

She managed to muster the last bit of energy she had and slowly picked herself off the ground sobbing in pain and clutching tightly to her side, Emma hobbled over to the staircase and leant up against the banister for support.

She gradually pulled herself up each step, every time letting out a small whimper. As she made it to the stop of the stairs she collapsed onto the floor of the bathroom clutching her arms around the base of the toilet. An acidic taste filled her mouth and she threw up violently filling the space of the toilet.

The pain was becoming almost unbearable and she felt her body hit the ground, suddenly everything went black.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated for a couple of days. I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you to everyone that has reviewed, favourited and followed my story it is much appreciated :)

Emma slowly stirred herself after passing out. She glanced around the room trying to familiarise herself with the surroundings. Somehow she managed to get into her bedroom and her body was laid out on the bed, her legs spread apart. Her head felt as if it was spinning, making it hard to focus on what was going on.

She gasped loudly as she looked up and realised that her father was on top if her. His protruding stomach pressed tightly against her chest making it hard to breath and the smell of booze and cigarettes were lingering on his stagnant breath.

She tried to release herself from him but his weight was too much to move, his eyes had a darkened look about them and he grinned pleasingly.

"You're going to love every second of this Emma and I expect you to be a good girl for me." he snarled

Emma tried to shout but the words couldn't escape her mouth. She felt his large hand grip over her mouth as he stopped her from making a sound. Her breathing became more erratic and her heart was beating like a drum.

His hands groped over her breasts and the blonde tried to squirm away from his dirty touch. He pulled out a reel of tape from his pocket and quickly taped her mouth before she could utter a scream.

He unzipped his trousers rubbing one hand over his genitals, forcing the young girl to watch. He pulled down her panties, letting his hands run all over her body. The sweet smell of her perfume drifted through his nose which excited him even more.

The blonde tried to focus her mind on other things as a distraction from what was really happening and she turned the opposite way of her father, just seeing him staring down at her was enough to make her stomach churn.

Emma felt a throbbing sensation in her sex and she turned her head away as she watched her father zip his trousers back up.

He strolled out of the room and left the blonde to come to terms with what had happened. Her body froze in shock, she still couldn't believe what had happened especially by the person that was supposed to look after her.

Emma slowly shuffled into the bathroom trying to hold her legs close together in order to relieve some of the pain. She crouched down at the base of the toilet clutching tightly at her stomach. She vomited violently down the toilet and tears streamed down her flushed face.

She leant over to the grimey looking bath tub and turned the taps which made a creaking noise from the rust. The water gradually trickled out and Emma removed her top and bra. As the bath filled with the steaming liquid Emma eased herself in, gripping onto the edge of the tub.

The temperature of the water was much hotter than she expected but it relaxed her body and helped to numb the pain that she was experiencing. She grabbed the nearest bar of soap and lathered the sponge. The texture of the sponge was rougher on one side which helped to scrub her body clean.

Emma scraped at her skin with the sponge, trying to remove the feeling of dirtiness that covered her body. As much as she scrubbed at herself the feeling wouldn't disappear. Her skin changed to a darker shade of red and the skin became more tender.

The blonde dropped her head onto her knees, she let out a deep breath and broke down into floods of tears. She couldn't comprehend how someone could be such an animal and how no one seemed to care.

She lifted her head from her knees and picked up the razor that was resting on the edge of the bath. She pulled her arm from the heat of the water and propped it over the bath. She pushed the razor deep into her skin causing the previous cuts to open up more than before. She watched as the blood dripped onto the floor. A pool of blood accumulated across the bathroom floor and the colour drained from her. Emma stared into the rippling water as her body slid under.


	7. Chapter 7

Emma's body had been submerged in the luke warm water for several minutes now. A strange feeling came over her and she quickly lifted herself from the bottom of the bath. She breathed heavily and managed to stop the lacerations on her arm from bleeding. They were deeper that she anticipated and were extremely painful. She stumbled out of the bath in a confused state and grabbed the nearest towel and wrapped it around her arm, protecting it from any dirt getting in.

She stared out the window in a daze, unsure of why she slipped under the water but she also felt frustrated that she couldn't stop herself from coming back up. Emma looked at her arms in disgust by what she was doing to herself and what her father was driving her to do. She thought back to the first moment when she saw Regina. She had no idea who she was but she had a kind looking smile and she seemed to be a woman of sophistication. She was soon pulled from her thoughts when she heard the violent shouts coming from her father. The sound rumbled through the thin walls of the bathroom and Emma prayed that she would escape his clutches at least once.

The blonde wrapped the rough white towel around her body and rushed out of the bathroom into her bedroom. As she entered the smell of alcohol and cigarettes still tainted the room and it would never be the same. It was pitch black outside and there wasn't much light shining into the room which made it difficult to manoeuvre around the room. She tore off the sheet that covered the thin mattress and tossed it to the other side of the room. Emma grabbed the blood soaked towel and hid it in the bottom of the shabby wardrobe in order to hide the evidence.

A small pink robe which had a few holes in it hung on top of the door. It wasn't the most pleasant of clothes but it would help to cover her exposed body. She draped it over herself and laid down on the hard floor. Trying to avoid any contact with the mattress.

As she rested her head onto a small pillow that was situated in the corner of the room a cold breeze drifted through the small crack in the window. Emma curled her legs up close to her chest in order to try and retain the body heat that she had left. Her teeth were chattering together but there was no way of stopping her eyes from feeling heavy. After a few minutes she felt herself drift off.

As she slept the thoughts of her father plagued her mind once again. Emma sat in the white room looking around at the plain white walls. It wasn't a place she recognised and there was complete silence. It felt like everything was closing in on her, there was no way of stopping it, shouting and screaming didn't help it just made things worse. The only thing that was familiar was the figure present, she was trapped in the small room with her father. The smell of his vile breath was still lingering and his stomach bulged over his trousers. The sight of him made her stomach turn.

He watched as she tried to squirm away, tears were rolling down her pale face and she was left alone with him again, powerless to stop him. He moved in closer to her, his sadistic smile made her feel more uneasy and his grubby hands were tucked in his pocket.

He seemed to enjoy watching Emma fight to get away from him, he felt in control and had power over her. The blonde tucked her knees in close to her chest, trying to stop him from getting access to her again. He stopped moving closer, instead he sat on the edge of the bed. One hand sifted through her long blonde hair and he inhaled the scent of the apple shampoo that wafted from her hair. He couldn't take his eyes off her, Emma diverted her eyes in the opposite direction. His hands were rough and his breath was hot and clammy against the back of her neck. She felt herself shivering from the cold surrounds of the room and the way her body was being exposed to someone who shouldn't be able to see it. He pulled at her arms trying to release the grip that was covering the rest of her body. As much as she tried to resist she didn't have the strength to push against him.

Her eyes scrunched shut as she tried to block out what was happening, was it a nightmare or was it actually reality.

Before it got worse Emma jolted out of bed, her heart was beating rapidly and her breathing was much deeper than it was compared to when she was asleep. Her clothing was stuck to her back and she felt clammy and shaky. She glanced around the room and realised nothing had changed it was the same as she left it. Emma ran her hands over her body and breathed a sigh of relief that her father hadn't touched her again. She slowly turned over and rested her head on her hands, trying to regain some of the sleep that she had lost.


	8. Chapter 8

Emma aroused herself from what had been a less than pleasant nights sleep. She gently rubbed her eyes with her stiffened fingers and groggily dragged herself off the floor. She squinted towards the window trying to adjust her vision to the change of light. As her eyes widened she stared down at the deep incision that she had made in her arm. The blood had congealed but a dull aching sensation still remained.

She ran her fingers through her tangled mess of blonde hair and tied it back into a lose ponytail. She rummaged through her small collection of clothing in order to try and find something decent to wear. At the back of the wardrobe was an oversized white long sleeved top and a pair of black skinny jeans. As she glanced over at the small alarm in the corner she realised that there was only twenty minutes until school was due to start. She quickly slipped on her shabby looking boots and slung her bag over her shoulder before charging down the stairs.

As she stepped outside a sudden rush of heat engulfed her, the sun was rapidly beating down onto the pavement and it was much hotter than she was anticipated. She trundled her way to school, avoiding the temptation to pull her sleeves up.

She observed all the other girls that were dressed more suitably and had designer handbags hanging off their shoulder. A feeling of jealousy consumed her as she imagined what it would be like to be in possession of such luxuries.

Emma marched down the small narrow path that led her straight to the front gates. As she approached the school she rushed in hoping that she wouldn't be the only person that was late. A strong smell of black coffee wafted down the corridor and the sound of high heels clopping against the hard floor resonated through the area.

She quickly glanced up making sure that she wasn't going to bump into anyone. A familiar face looked back at her, the same face she first saw when she was in her art class. Her hair was in the same style as it was before and she had impeccable taste when it came to clothing.

Regina smiled warmly at the young blonde "Hello I know we haven't been formally introduced yet but my name is Regina Mills, I'm the school counsellor and I believe your name is Emma from what Miss Lucas has told me."

Emma stared down at the floor shuffling her feet in circles "Why what has she been saying about me? You no nothing alright."

Regina's expression changed as she was slightly taken back by what the blonde had said "she hasn't been saying anything about you Miss Swan, I can assure you of that she was just making me aware that you were a new student here that's all, I didn't mean to cause any offence to you I was just making polite conversation."

"Well don't bother next time, I don't need you talking about me to other people." Emma stormed off to her class before she was late.

Regina parted her mouth in shock by the blonde's reaction but she was determined to offer her the help she needed. The dark haired woman sauntered her way to her office clutching the mug of black coffee tightly between her fingertips. As she stepped into the office she made herself comfortable in the black leather seat. She sighed as she tried to figure out why the blonde acted so hostile towards her and what could be bothering her. She loaded up her laptop and searched though her diary to find the nearest available space in order to book a counselling session for Emma. She noticed that she had some free time later in the afternoon and booked to see the young blonde as a priority.

Emma entered the small classroom. This time it was maths which meant meeting another new teacher and having to become accustomed to different people within the class. As she took a seat she glanced up at the bored and saw that her teacher was going to Mr Gold. He was much older looker than most of the teachers in the school and there was something strange about him. He had shoulder length brown hair which was tinted with hints of grey. His smile was almost crooked and there was a sarcastic tone in his voice which made the blonde unsure of him.

"Well hello class, today we will be learning algebra and I'm sure all of you will be capable of completing some simple worksheets." he grinned and made his way round the class passing out the worksheets.

All the pupils let out a large sigh and Mr Gold paid particular attention to Emma. He noticed that she avoided eye contact with most people and her appearance wasn't as polished as most of the people in the class.

As he handed the paper to Emma she looked in the opposite direction and waited for him to make his way around to the rest of the class. Once everyone had been given a sheet he made his way back to the desk and informed them on how much time they had in order to complete the task.

Everyone scribbled down their answers while Emma pushed her pencil around the table staring aimlessly into space. Her mind was too busy being focused on other things and she could sense that some people within the class were making comments about her.

"Look how greasy her hair is and her clothes always look the same, does she ever wear anything different." the same comments circled around the classroom coming from all different people.

Emma pushed their comments to the back of her mind and Mr Gold gestured for them to shut up and get on with their work.

After several minutes a small timer went off and the answers to the questions were revealed. Some people let out positive comments as they got them all right where others groaned as their scores were much lower than they expected.

Mr Gold went around the class in order to make a tally of everyone's score and to give an indication of who needed more assistance.

"Well what score did you get Miss Swan?"

"I didn't answer the questions." Emma mumbled.

"Why not my dear, was there something you didn't understand? If there was then you should have asked." Mr Gold watched Emma puzzled by her lack of response.

Emma shrugged her shoulders and refused to give a proper answer to the question.

Mr Gold arranged the class into small groups and assigned them each a task in order to help them with their understanding and to give the quieter pupils a chance to participate. Emma reluctantly lifted herself from the seat in the corner of the room and made her way to the front of the class and joined a group of girls.

They all looked down at Emma and pushed a piece of paper towards her, indicating that they wanted her to do all the work while they watched. The blonde sighed and tried to figure out what she had to do.

The room vibrated as the bell went and everyone packed up their bags ready to go for break. Emma slowly made her way out of the classroom before she was tapped on the shoulder by Mr Gold.

"Not so fast Miss swan, I would like a quick word with you before you go for your break. I think there are some issues that need resolving."

Emma picked at her fingernails and muttered a few words to him "what's the problem?"

"You don't seem to be taking an active part in the work and you don't exactly seem to be doing the work I set either, if this carries on then I will have no choice but to speak to the principle."

"Fine." Emma stormed out of the classroom and slammed the door behind her.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

She stormed down the corridor angrily, how dare he say that, if he knew what was going on he would understand. She made her way to the double doors leading out to the field and shoved them open. The sun was beating down onto the grass and in the distance was a large oak tree that had drooping branches. It seemed to be the quietest area of the field and it offered the most protection from the sun as Emma had much paler skin that most, which meant she didn't fancy getting burnt.

The blonde marched over to the tree and propped herself against the arch of the trunk. The smell of the flowers that had been planted nearby let off a pleasant fragrance and the tranquillity of the area helped to diffuse her anger. Emma reached into her bag and pulled out a sketch book which was filled with her extensive collection of sketches which she kept hidden from most people especially her parents.

She flicked through the book admiring some of her handy work even though she would never admit to anyone that she thought it was good. She had always been put down her whole life and nothing seemed to be good enough. She began to sketch out the memories of her childhood. The drawings would be enough to disturb anyone that looked at them but it didn't seem to affect Emma, it was a way of expressing herself and she used it as a way to let go of what was happening to her. She added darker shades to the face of her father and she exaggerated his features slightly, depicting him as something different to what he actually looks like, making him look more disgusting and giving him a more menacing appearance.

Emma tucked a lose strand of hair behind her ear and rubbed her finger over the drawing blending all of the details. the sound of two familiar voices made their selves present, two girls that Emma wasn't expecting to see again. As she glanced up to see who the two figures were, standing there as happy as can be was Alicia and Stacy.

"Alright skank, I bet you thought we were gone for good, but you don't get rid of us that easily, were going to make your life a living hell." Both girls laughed simultaneously as they watched her reaction change.

"I've done nothing to you so why don't you get lost." Emma plucked up the courage to pull her vision away from her drawings and to look them directly in the eye.

"Yeah like that's going to happen, clearly you don't know us that well." Alicia aggressively snatched the sketchbook from Emma's grip, rummaging through the drawings that she had created. She parted her mouth in horror at what she was looking at.

"Why don't you just leave and mind your own business." Emma stood up trying to regain ownership of her drawings.

"What are these drawings? Their sick and twisted, no wonder you have no friends and you just sit in the corner moping around all the time, your pathetic and worthless." Both of them grinned at each other and began tearing pages out of the sketchbook.

The pieces of paper flew across the field as if they meant nothing. Emma quickly rushed over to them frantically picking up the drawings in order to prevent anyone else from getting their hands on them. Alicia and Stacey quickly ran off before they could get caught as they knew no one would believe what Emma would say without evidence.

Regina flicked the switch to activate the air conditioning in her office and she brushed a strand of her from her face. As she made her way to the window she gently pulled the pale string that was hanging from the blinds, the sunlight quickly illuminated the darkened room and the heat reflected through the window.

As she admired the fine weather outside and watched happily as all the pupils seemed to be enjoying themselves she noticed that Emma was isolated from everyone else. She seemed extremely unhappy and she didn't seem to connect with people very well. Regina thought back to when she first encountered Emma, she seemed to have a fiery temper and she was instantly dismissive of wanting to talk to anyone.

Regina couldn't help but feel concern towards Emma and she worried about what she feeling and not many people seemed to take an interest in trying to get to know her. The dark haired woman let out a deep sigh and ran her hand down her skirt in order to remove the creases that had formed. She grabbed her jacket that was hanging over the chair and she made her way out of the office, ensuring that she locked the door behind her.

Regina sauntered her way down the corridor and made her way through the double doors in order to get access to the field. It was on a rare occasion that she would remove herself from the confines of her office in order to offer counselling with a student but this time she was going to make an exception.

She cautiously approached Emma as she didn't want to scare her off or give her the wrong impression.

"Hello Emma, I know our first impressions of each other weren't exactly the best but I want us to have a second chance, I'm the school counsellor and I just want to talk to you, nothing formal and you don't have to talk if you don't want too, I'm here to listen and I will wait for when you are ready to open up." Regina smiled warmly and offered her hand for Emma to shake.

The blonde refused the offer of a handshake but she sat back down at the tree and held the drawings close to chest and she didn't want to reveal them to someone she hardly knew.

"Thank you for coming to sit with me." Emma mumbled

Regina kept quiet but she was grateful that the blonde offered a response.

"I want to help you Emma, you can trust me and anything you say to me will not be told to other pupils, I have some free time over the next few weeks and I could offer you some sessions, you don't have to come to them if you don't want to but the offer is there."

Emma nodded her head in agreement and watched as Regina made her way back inside as it was the end of the lunch break. the blonde gathered her things together and admired the older woman's beauty and how she carried herself confidently.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a few days, but I hope you enjoy this chapter it looks like things are finally starting to look up for Emma.

Emma whacked her knuckles against the hard wooden surface of the door of the counsellor's office. She stared at the gold plated sign that was embedded into the wood. It read Miss Regina Mills doctorate in counselling. She hovered by the door shuffling her feet around anxiously waiting for a response. After what seemed like five minutes too long Regina slowly opened the door and raised her eyebrow in surprise by the blonde's sudden appearance.

"Hello Emma, I wasn't exactly expecting you to be here this early, its still fifteen minutes until your session. But you might as well come in now your here." Regina gestured for her to take a seat on the couch that was propped up against the wall.

Emma perched herself on the edge of the white leather couch and glanced around the room, she noticed that Miss Mills seemed to have expensive taste in furniture and an excellent eye for clothing. She was wearing a red dress that accentuated her curves perfectly and blood red lipstick. Emma tried to keep her eyes on the ground hoping that the other woman wouldn't notice her looking at her.

Regina wandered over to the seat opposite Emma and made herself comfortable, a notepad in one hand and a mug of coffee resting on the edge of her desk. She noted down the position Emma was sat in and the way she was directing her vision to the floor, every meticulous detail would help her in getting to the route of the problem.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions Emma which will help me get to know you better and if you want you can ask me question as well, that way we can familiarise ourselves with each other and it will help you to feel more comfortable in my company." Regina kept her focus on Emma hoping that at some point she would lift her eyes from the ground.

"Okay." Emma nodded her head in agreement as Regina made a list of questions she was going to ask.

"I'm going to ask you some questions about your life, if you don't feel comfortable in asking then just shake your head and I will move onto another question. The first is how have you been feeling over the past year?"

Emma paused for a moment trying to contemplate how she was going to answer that question. She couldn't exactly bring herself to blurt out the whole contents of her life to a woman she hardly knows.

"Not very good, I've got a lot of things going on which I don't wish to discuss at the moment." Emma kept her eyes glued to the floor.

Regina could hear the hesitation in the young girl's voice and she considered how to approach her with the nest question.

"How about you ask me a question next? It can be anything you want it might help you to get an incite into my life before I can understand yours." Regina pushed the notepad to one side and rested her hands into the middle of her lap, waiting for the question that Emma was going to ask.

"What made you want to become a counsellor?" Emma lifted her eyes from the floor and looked directly at Regina intrigued by what her response could be.

"That's an interesting question to ask, well I wanted to become a painter if I'm being truthful as it's a passion of mine but it was never a career I could pursue as it wouldn't exactly pay the bills. I looked into counselling and it made me realise that I could give something back to the community and I could give young people a chance at rebuilding their lives and working towards a better life. It gives me the most pleasure in life, seeing other people happy." Regina parted her lips for a smile and she could see that Emma was cracking a slight smile as well.

Emma rubbed her hands together nervously and she tried to control herself from saying something stupid. She watched as Regina grabbed her notepad once again. She also saw a small silver ring that was on her finger, she wondered if she was with someone and she also considered the thought that she could be married.

"I have something I want to say." Emma mumbled.

"Of course Emma, you can reveal any information that you need to, the information you give me will remain confidential." Regina watched patiently as Emma tried her hardest to let the words flow from her mouth.

"Everyone here hates me and its impossible to get on with anyone, none of them even give me a chance and I'm finding it really hard to cope." Her voice became shaky and a heated tear rolled down her cheek as she let her emotions get the better of her.

Regina quickly removed herself from the seat and rummaged through her drawer trying to find a box of tissues to offer to her. After a couple of minutes she managed to find some in the bottom draw. She handed them to Emma and she gladly accepted them. Her hand unintentionally brushed over Regina's making the older woman's cheek blush a light shade of pink.

"I'm sure that isn't true Emma, you must have a couple of people that you speak to? Or friends from your previous school?" Regina tried to offer the young girl reassurance and she felt for her as she seemed like a pleasant young lady.

"No I don't, I never really have." Emma burst into floods of tears again and she felt her throat becoming sore.

Regina gently rubbed her hand over the young girls back in order to offer her some comfort. Emma accepted her gesture of kindness and composed herself as the counselling session was nearly over.

"Emma I'm sorry but that is the end of the session, I have another appointment soon. I've checked my diary, it's the 24th today and I'm free on the 26th which means I could book you in for a longer session which would give you more time to talk if that's alright with you?" Regina gave the rest of the tissues to Emma and gave her a wipe and a mirror which allowed her to clean up before she went back to class.

"Thank you that would be good." Emma smiled and slowly made her way out of the office and reluctantly made her way down to her class. Regina watched as she made her way down the corridor wishing that she could do more to help her.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: This chapter is two days after the first counselling session. Regina and Emma seem to be getting closer. I hope you enjoy it.

Emma trundled down the corridor in a more relaxed mood than she was previously. The thought of going into art was still daunting and the possibility of Alicia and Stacy being in there made her feel anxious. Emma quickly made her way into the classroom as she wanted to give the teacher a better impression this time and didn't want to end up being late again and showing herself up in front of her peers.

Emma casually made her way into the class and was greeted by a very cheery Miss Lucas. "Hello Emma, how are you today? I must say you seem to look a bit perkier than you have been the last couple of days." She smiled widely and pointed to a seat at the front which would allow Emma to have a desk to herself.

"Thank you." Emma allowed a small smile to creep across her face and she quickly made herself comfortable at the desk. She rested her back against the plain wall and listened intently to what was being said. There was something about Regina's session the previous day that encouraged her to want to learn. Her smile seemed to stir a more positive attitude into Emma. As Miss Lucas was explaining the task in hand Emma's mind seemed to wander, as much as she wanted to focus on her artwork she kept thinking about what her next session with Regina would be like. Even know she hardly knew her there seemed to be a kind and nurturing nature about her.

She was quickly pulled from her thoughts when an assignment booklet was slid in front of her. She flicked through the booklet, arching one eyebrow in confusion by the task that she had been set.

She looked up at Miss Lucas in a puzzled state trying to indicate that she needed some kind of guidance.

"Emma if you weren't too busy daydreaming then you might know what you have to do. I have set a four week project for everyone to complete. It can be anything of your choice, there has to be a series of detailed drawings in order to put them into a portfolio." Miss Lucas folded her arms across her chest waiting for a response from the blonde.

"Sorry Miss I just got distracted." Emma looked in shame, hoping that she would gain forgiveness from the teacher.

"Just don't do it again okay, I need you to remain focused." Miss Lucas sighed quietly and made her way back to her desk.

Emma watched the rest of her classmates as they began pulling out large notepads from their bags and sketching out ideas for their project. The thought of being able to do her own artwork without criticism excited Emma. It was the first time in her life that someone had given her the chance to do something for herself rather than what they wanted.

The blonde rushed over to the paper pack at the front of the classroom and scribbled down ideas for her project. Numerous ideas floated around but it was hard to pin down just one idea as there were so many.

As she filled the paper with different plans a loud buzzing of the bell drifted through the classroom, causing everyone to jump out of their seats as quickly as they could, including Emma.

Emma loitered outside the counsellor's office. She glanced up at the clock that was hung on the wall opposite to her; she was still ten minutes early. She paced up and down the corridor trying to pass some of the time that was remaining. After a few minutes of restless wandering she tapped her fist against the door.

Much to her surprise the door opened straight away and she was almost pleased to see the familiar figure standing on the other side of the door.

"Hello Miss Swan you have impeccable timing, why don't you come in and make yourself comfortable." Regina smiled warmly and made herself a mug of coffee.

"It's nice to see you again." Emma's cheeks blushed a light shade of pink as she watched Miss Mills walking around the office in her gracious fashion.

Regina grinned "There's no need to be embarrassed Emma, I'm glad that being in my company isn't as terrible as you might have anticipated it to be."

Emma smirked at the other woman's comment and pushed herself towards the back of the sofa, trying to allow her body to relax rather than tensing constantly. She rested her hands into her lap and admired the way Regina was so comfortable around her.

"I was thinking that we could have a longer session today as school is nearly finished anyway and I don't exactly have anywhere to be, that's if it's alright with you I wouldn't want to pull you away from any arrangements that you might have made." Regina crossed one leg other the other and nursed her cup of coffee in-between her fingertips, keeping her eyes on Emma.

"Yeah that's fine with me I don't have anywhere to be." Emma looked up at Regina and managed to muster a more confident smile.

"What would you like to talk about today? We could do the same as our previous session if that makes you feel more comfortable around me." Regina placed her mug of coffee back on the table and opened up her notebook.

"What was it like for you growing up?" Emma asked anxiously

"It's not something I usually disclose to people but if it will help you to open up to me then I will. I had a pleasant upbringing when I was a child and my family supported my decisions and they helped me through school and did what most parents would do to help their child. But everything changed when I was a teenager, my feelings towards people began to change and they couldn't accept that I didn't have a boyfriend and being with men was never a burning desire for me. They treated me as if I was a stranger in their house, an unwelcome visitor which resulted in me moving out at the age of sixteen. It wasn't easy but I managed to get by and I haven't had contact with them since." Regina felt a lump form in her throat as she tried to conceal her emotions from Emma.

"I'm sorry Miss Mills; I shouldn't have asked I wasn't exactly expecting you to say something like that." Emma had the look of guilt on her face as she waited for her to respond.

"No you don't have to apologise Emma it isn't your fault, call me Regina there are no formalities in this office." Regina smiled and handed a small booklet to Emma.

The blonde looked down at the small booklet and flicked through the pages realising that it was completely blank. She was surprised by the strange gesture from the other woman.

"What's the empty book for?"

"Class it as a journey if you like. I thought we would try something different over the next couple of weeks; I want you to write your feelings into it and things that are happening to you. It will help you to express yourself and it will give me a better incite. I thought it would be easier for you than having to tell me everything."

Emma smiled and slipped the book into her bag in order not to lose it. Regina intently watched the blonde. She had deep brown eyes which seem to reflect a good nature and she seemed awfully thin which was a concern to Regina.

She quickly pulled her vision away when Emma looked up again.

"I think that will have to be the end of the session Emma, I'm sorry but I'm sure you need to get home before your parents worry and wonder where you are." Regina announced in a sympathetic tone.

"Yeah I guess, thank you for the session though it was good. Will I see you on Friday?" Emma begrudgingly removed herself from the comfort of the office surrounds.

"Yes you will Emma and I have something more interesting planned for our next session." Regina followed Emma out of the office and said her goodbyes.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: This is the third counselling session. Regina thought she would try something different this time. I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to leave a review

Regina parted the thin blinds that hung from her office window. She stared out onto the field admiring the fine weather and the brightness of the sun scorching down onto the grass. Regina happened to notice that Emma wasn't wearing her usual attire. Her hair was wrapped into a lose bun and she was wearing three quarter length jeans and a thin looking long sleeved top. There was something about her that made Regina smile. Even though she was a quiet character and not much of the chatty type there was something sweet about her. She seemed quite cheery and her pleasant smile made the other woman feel uplifted.

She patiently waited for the familiar sound of the knocking against the door. She paced around the office, twiddling a pen between her fingers unsure of what to do with herself while she waited. After waiting for ten minutes the noise she was expecting to hear made an appearance. She let out a deep breath and slowly approached the door.

Regina parted the door open and greeted Emma with a pleasing smile and surprisingly the blonde reciprocated the same response.

"Hello Emma, its nice to see you again and I see you opted to wear something a little more suitable for this kind of weather." She smirked.

"Yeah I didn't realise how hot it was until I stepped outside the house." Emma smiled and made her way over to the couch to make herself comfortable.

"I wouldn't make yourself comfortable on the sofa; I thought we would try something a little different this time. I was thinking about going outside, it would give us both a chance of some fresh air rather than being cooped up in here, if that's alright with you?"

Emma nodded her head in agreement and happily followed Regina out of the office. As both of them made their way down the corridor they were greeted with some peculiar looks while some people just smiled as normal.

As they made their way through the double doors, the heat suddenly hit them. It had to be one of the hottest days of the month and there was only one large tree that was going to offer them some protection from the almost blinding light.

Regina gestured for them both to take a seat under the tree as they wouldn't be able to be disturbed by other people and it would prevent them from being scorched by the sun.

Emma propped her back up against the rough surface of the tree and watched as Regina tried to seat down graciously without exposing herself too much. The dark haired woman placed herself close to the blonde and rested her notepad and pen on her lap.

"I'm surprised you sat down leant up against a tree with those clothes on." Emma smiled to herself as she noticed the other woman's expression change.

"What is that meant to mean miss swan? Do you think I cant be fun and a little more adventurous just because I'm a counsellor?" Regina asked jokingly

"You just seem a little posh I guess, with your nice clothes and the way you speak." Emma giggled slightly and fidgeted trying to get in the right position.

Regina arched one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows in surprise and lowered her eyes onto Emma. "You think I'm posh? I may speak in a more formal manner but I can assure you I'm not posh, quite the opposite actually."

Emma rolled her eyes and both women laughed simultaneously.

"Did you manage to write anything in the journal I gave you? And one question I also haven't asked you is about your childhood? Considering you asked me about mine." Regina took on a more serious tone.

Emma lowered her eyes to the floor and felt more reluctant into revealing the information to Regina.

"Emma you know anything you tell me will be in the strictest confidence and you can trust me." Regina gently placed her hand on the blondes shoulder and gently squeezed it to reassure her.

"If I tell you something please don't freak out and start calling loads of people or going all professional talk on me, I need to do this in my own time and I need your support to do that."

Regina nodded her head and leaned in closer to listen to the blonde.

Emma looked around to make sure no one was watching and slowly rolled up her sleeves. Her arms were covered in scars and some of the lacerations still looked fairly recent. Regina tired to prevent herself from acting out. She was horrified by what she was seeing and Emma seemed to be more troubled than she initially thought.

Regina gently picked up Emma's arm and hoped that she wouldn't recoil from her touch. Emma gave in and relaxed her arm. The dark haired woman looked deeper into the cuts in order to check that there was no sign of infection and what she could have been using to make the cuts so deep.

"Have you been doing this to yourself Emma? And how long has this been going on for?" Regina softened the tone of her voice and tried to remain calm in order to prevent Emma from over reacting.

"Yes I've done it myself, it helps me to release the pain and its my way of expressing emotions, no one has wanted to listen to me before and its been going on for a few months now." Emma hung her head in shame for what she was doing to herself.

"There's no need to be ashamed of this Emma, I'm going to give you the support you need and we will carry on having this sessions which will help you to express how your feeling. I'm not here to judge you; I'm here to help you." She placed her hand over Emma's trying to give her the reassurance that she needed.

Emma slowly lifted her up her head and her eyes met with Regina's. Both women parted a smiled and the blonde kept her eyes focused on the other woman.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Just carrying on from the last chapter but things definitely seem to be hotting up between the two women. Sparks might fly in the next few chapters. Keep reading to find out!

"Thank you for being so understanding, you seem to be the only person that actually cares about me, my family don't and I'm not exactly the most popular person." Emma gently rubbed her hand over Regina's and smiled.

In the distance Regina could see Cora marching her way down to the tree. She quickly released her hand from Emma's and grabbed her notepad. She couldn't afford to jeopardise her professionalism. She swallowed hard as she feared that not only her mother but her boss might have seen her acting differently towards Emma.

As the older woman approached the pair she smiled warmly "Hello Regina I see you decided to take one of your counselling sessions outside? What a wonderful idea it saves you from being hid away in that office of yours."

Regina sighed in relief "Hello Cora, I thought it would do Emma some good instead of having to stare at the walls in my office all day, it gives her a chance to enjoy the marvellous weather."

"You are certainly right." Cora soon moved away from the two women and began patrolling the rest of the field making sure everything was in check.

Emma pulled herself away from Regina trying to stop herself from getting to close to her. After all she was just her counsellor.

Regina looked at Emma in surprise by her sudden movement. "Sorry was it something I said?"

"No I just didn't want people to get the wrong impression and I don't want people to think your taking advantage by us sitting so close to each other." Emma brought her knees up close to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, trying to conceal the feelings that she needed to push towards the back of her mind.

"I see, how about you tell me more about how you are feeling? There must be a reason why you are cutting yourself." Regina handed the small notepad to Emma hoping that she would write down some of her feelings.

Emma reluctantly took the book from the other woman's hand and stared at the blank pages, unsure of what she was meant to write.

"I'm not really sure what to write." Emma spun the pen in-between her fingertips considering what she was going to reveal to her.

"Write anything Emma, it's your book and I thought it would help you to express how you're feeling without having to use words." Regina parted a small smile and watched as Emma began to jot things down.

As Emma scribbled into the book she could sense that Regina had her eyes on her. She could sense her eyes lingering on her and there was something about that which was exciting. The blonde could feel her heart beating faster and it became hard to grip the pen. Her nerves were all over the place about a woman that probably wasn't even interested in her.

After a few minutes Emma dropped the pen into the crease of notepad and handed it to Regina, allowing her to gain a better understanding of her life. Regina slowly read through the page, she tried to defer what had been written through the scruffy looking handwriting. After careful inferring she managed to figure out what had been put.

_I've never had a good life, everything has always been difficult. I've been a constant disappointment to people and that is something that will never change. I feel as if everything has been stripped from me my identity, my emotions and my life. The cuts on my arm are just a small indication to how much hurt I have been experiencing. No one seems to understand and no one knows what my childhood has really been like. I have no friends and a family don't care. Imagine how it feels to have a body but a mind that seems to be somewhere else. Constantly wandering about how things could be different and the lack of self worth that I feel._

Regina felt a lump forming in her throat and she was trying to prevent the tears from rolling down her cheek. She wasn't meant to get so emotional over a student. They are just meant to be someone that she offers help to but it certainly didn't feel like that.

Emma saw the instant change in the others woman's face and she removed the journal from her lap and placed it on the ground away from her reach.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you, I was just writing down how I feel I wasn't expecting you to react like that." Emma looked in the opposite direction, unsure on how to comfort her.

"Its not your fault Emma, just reading what you put brought out emotions in me that I thought were put behind me and it just made me think about previous experiences. I didn't mean to alarm you by expressing my emotions." Regina grabbed a tissue from her bag and carefully wiped a single tear from her eye, being careful not to smudge her mascara.

Feeling bad for what she said Emma glanced around to make sure no one was looking and placed her hand within Regina's. She began to interlock her fingers with hers and Regina watched in horror by what she was doing and instantly pulled her hand away.

"Emma what do you think your doing, I'm your counsellor and your my client." Regina's jumped up from where she was sitting and brushed herself down keeping her eyes narrowed onto Emma.

"Just learn to trust me okay, your not going to get caught I thought we could go on a walk, there's a forest just behind the school and I like to go there sometimes for a bit of peace and quiet. We have loads of time before the session is over and everyone is too busy concentrating on having fun. I promise you'll be back before your mother suspects anything." Emma smirked jokingly.

"How do you know that she is my mother? And I don't normally do this but you have to remember that I am your counsellor Miss Swan." Regina responded in a more serious tone.

"I can tell, you have the same surname and when I saw you both stood near each other I could see the similarities." Emma smiled and gestured to where the path was that leaded to the field.

Emma kept a few steps ahead of Regina but enough in order for them to still communicate with each other without having to shout. The blonde admired the beauty of the forest. It was lavished with large oak and birch trees and some of the bushes were adorned with small purple flowers that let off a sweet aroma.

Regina increased her pace in order to keep up with Emma. She saw how happy walking through the forest and being away from the school made the young girl. This was the first time that she had a real idea of what Emma was like. She was completely different she was able to release the guard that she had been putting up in order to protect herself.

Emma glanced at Regina every so often. She admired her beautiful dark brown hair that always rested above her shoulders perfectly and the enticing smell of the perfume that she spritzed across herself.

"I can see why you like it here so much, it's very tranquil and there is a calming feeling when passing through this area."

"Yeah It's nice, but its better when I'm here with you. I know it's not something I should to say to someone that is counselling me but I like you. You're the first person that has believed in me and I just want you to know that means more than you could imagine." Emma cheeks blushed a light shade of red at the confession she had made to the other woman.

Regina carried on walking taken a back by what had been said. She wasn't sure how she should respond, she didn't want to lead her on and give her false hope but she didn't want to end up diminishing the trust that they had began to build up.

"Thank you Emma, I'm glad you think that the sessions I am providing you with are of some benefit."

Emma felt her stomach flutter by the kind words that Regina always managed to say. As they made their way further down the forest the ground felt softer under their feet. Regina could sense that her shoes were getting deeper into the thick mossy surface.

She looked at Emma and suggested that they should be getting back before people start asking questions as to their whereabouts.

Emma reluctantly followed Regina back in the direction that they came and she laughed to herself at the other woman's attempt to plough through the mossy mess in shoes that weren't exactly appropriate for the occasion.

Emma sneaked them both back onto the field without anyone noticing and she covered her mouth as she smirked at the state of the other woman's shoes.

"I'm glad you find it funny Miss Swan." Regina responded jokingly.

"Yes I do Miss Mills." Emma smiled widely.

"I have an even better idea for our next counselling session as you seem to like adventure and surprising people. Tomorrow evening if you don't have any plans then I will come and pick you up, its going to be a surprise so don't ask any questions." Regina watched as the look of confusion consumed Emma's face,

"That's not fair I don't like surprises." Emma watched as Regina made her way into her office refusing to utter another word.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: It's the evening and Regina thought she would take a more relaxed approach to their next counselling session. I wonder what will happen. I hope you enjoy it!

Regina searched through the large drawer under her desk trying to find where she placed her car keys. Frustration was gradually beginning to set in and she grunted under her breath hoping that they would eventually make an appearance. After a few minutes of searching she managed to find them hidden under a pile of paperwork.

She let out a sigh of relief and made sure everything was locked away safely before she exited the room. As she made her way down the empty confines of the corridor she spotted Emma patiently waiting by the double doors at the end of the corridor. She began to increase her pace as she didn't want the young girl to think that the counselling session had been cancelled.

Emma stared out the door watching the rain pelting down against the glass. She could hear the familiar sound of large heels clopping against the hard ground and she knew straight away that it was Regina. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of going somewhere completely different with a woman she was begging to feel an attraction towards.

Regina gently tapped Emma on the shoulder and watched as she turned around, their eyes locking onto each other and they both smiled widely.

"Hello Emma, are you ready to go out? My car is parked just outside and I have an umbrella that will shelter both of us so hopefully we won't get too drenched." Regina slipped her bag off her shoulder and grabbed her umbrella.

"Hello Regina, I'm ready and I don't fancy getting soaked so good job you brought an umbrella with you." Emma smiled and gestured for them to make their way out to the car park.

Regina quickly opened up her umbrella and they both rushed outside simultaneously. Regina held it over both of them and directed them to where her car was parked. Emma looked in complete shock when she realised what car belonged to the other woman. It had a black exterior and when she glanced inside there were cream leather seats and an expensive looking stereo.

The dark haired woman unlocked the car and released her umbrella throwing it onto the floor of the driver's side. She pointed at the other seat indicating for Emma to get in rather than standing by the door.

Regina ran her finger over the dial and put the heating on full whack in order to help warm up her freezing hands. She glanced over at Emma and could see that she was perched on the edge of the seat as if she had done something wrong.

"Emma you don't have to sit as if you're in some kind of palace, you can make yourself comfortable I'm not expecting you to sit on the edge of the seat." Regina said jokingly.

"I know you just seem to have really expensive taste and I don't want to end up ruining any of your things." Emma stared out the window and waited for a response from the other woman.

"Don't be silly Emma you know I don't think like that, make yourself comfortable and relax okay." Regina placed her hand over the blondes and smiled brightly.

Emma smiled and listened to the calming sound of the raindrops patting against the windows. The journey seemed short and both women stayed in silence which made a change and it didn't seem awkward. There was a small American diner that was situated on the corner of the highway. It was one of Regina's favourite places to eat and it had a friendly and warming atmosphere.

Regina slowly pulled into the path that lead up to the diner and found a parking space that was located just outside. She released the key from the ignition and exited the car with Emma slowly following behind.

As they made their way through the glass double doors an enticing aroma drifted throughout the diner. Regina spotted a booth in the corner towards the end of the diner. It was somewhere discrete which would allow them to talk freely.

Both women made their way down to the seat and Emma slid in one side while Regina carefully stepped into the opposite side. They both glanced through the menu at the tempting treats that were on offer.

"What made you want to come here? I wouldn't exactly have put it down as somewhere you would eat." Emma's eyes glanced over the menu at the other woman.

"Why am I too posh to eat here then? Were you expecting me to take you to a sophisticated restaurant with calamari and oysters on the menu?" Regina teased.

"I don't know what I was expecting to be honest your just completely different to me, your so classy and knowledgeable where I'm just a lower class teenager." Emma lowered the menu and focused her gaze on Regina.

"Don't talk like that Emma, you're a lovely young lady and I understand you have been through some difficult times but you shouldn't put yourself down. I believe you have the potential to do what you set your mind too." Regina smiled and noticed that the waitress was making her way over.

She was a young lady of small stature but she had kind looking eyes and a pleasing smile.

"Hello I'm Mandy I will be your waitress for tonight. Are you ready to order?" she instantly looked at Regina for the first response.

"Could I have a cream soda and the Texan burger with fries please." Regina smiled and handed the menu to the waitress.

Emma quickly glanced through the menu one more time "could I have a root beer and the Philadelphia special please."

The waitress jotted down the orders on her small pad of paper and strolled over to the kitchen.

Emma flicked through the music selection on the old jukebox that rested on the table. Most of the songs were too old for her to recognise but there were a few more recent country songs that were more familiar. She opted for the track before he cheats by Carrie Underwood.

She watched Regina's expression change as she began to mouth the words of the song and let herself given to the sounds of the music. Emma giggled as she saw enough side to the other woman rather than her serious exterior. Emma released her hair from the bun that it was encased in and she let it loosely drape over her shoulders.

"What are you laughing at Emma?" Regina asked curiously.

"Just seeing you let your hair down and relax rather than being professional all the time. I've seen a more fun side to you and it's nice." Emma cheeks blushed a light shade of pink.

"I've seen a different side to you as well Emma, a much happier side it's nice to see you laughing and enjoying yourself."

"It's because of you that I'm happier, you're the only person I can open up to and you make me feel like an actual person rather than an object."

Both women smiled at each other and the waitress slowly walked over carefully carrying the tray of food and drink. Emma inhaled the delicious smell of the food and grabbed the burger in-between her hands and took a large bite. The taste of it excited her senses and it was the best meal she had eaten in a long time.

Regina unwrapped the serviette and placed it over her lap in order to try and avoid spilling any sauce on herself. She grabbed the knife and fork and sliced the burger in half as it was too much for her to muster as a whole thing.

She watched as Emma readily tucked into her food as if she hadn't been fed for a week. Considering she had such a small frame she had the ability to each quicker than she expected.

Once they had finished Emma noticed that Regina had a small spot of barbecue sauce by the side of her mouth. The table had been cleared which gave the blonde the opportunity to wipe the sauce from her mouth. She carefully leant over the table and ran her finger over the sauce, wiping it from her mouth. Regina smirked and placed her hand over Emma's.

"I guess I had some sauce over my mouth?"

"Yes you did."

Both women grinned and Regina left the money on the table and helped Emma out of the booth and they made their way out of the diner. As they stepped outside the rain had eased off and there was a slight chill in the air.

Regina unlocked the door of her car and Emma opened the driver side for the other woman and then made her way round to the passenger's side.

"Thank you for tonight it meant a lot, I know you are my counsellor but you went out of your way this time and I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome Emma, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself and I thought it would make a change from the office surroundings."

Regina pulled up outside Emma's house and realised how different the neighbourhood was to how she expected. Most of the houses were more rundown that she first thought and there was something about the area that didn't seem quite right.

As much as she wanted to help Emma Regina knew that she couldn't cross the boundaries and she had to leave it at that.

Before Emma left the car she placed a small kiss on the other woman's cheek. She felt the soft texture of her skin under her lips and she let it linger more than she should have done. Regina wasn't sure what to say and she said her goodbyes to Emma.

"Enjoy the rest of your evening Emma I will see you tomorrow bright and early." Regina smiled and watched the young girl make her way inside before she drove home.


	15. Chapter 15

Regina sped into the school park and checked the dashboard. She realised that there were only five minutes until she was due to start work. She flipped down the drivers mirror and liberally applied her lipstick and ruffled her hands through her hair, trying to make herself look somewhat presentable. She etched the small brush over her face letting the powder foundation loosely touch her pale skin. A small bottom of perfume sat on the floor of the passenger's side which she grabbed and spritzed over herself.

She ran her hands down her blouse trying to decrease any of the imperfections. Regina jumped put of the car and threw her bag over her shoulder while trailing the keys in-between her fingers trying to locate the lock button. She was becoming flustered and when she heard the familiar ringing of the bell she knew she would have to get a move on in order to not be late.

Regina rushed through the double doors of the school and sauntered down the corridor in a hurried manner. As she turned the corner she managed to get to her office just as the clock turned and all the students filed into their classrooms. She sighed in relief and made herself comfortable at the desk.

The sound of the rain pattered against the windows and the wind whistled through the thin material that surrounded the edge of the windows. Her thoughts reverted to last night, she was considering her professionalism and was she taking her role as Emma's counsellor too far? Were her personal feelings clouding her judgement on how she should be treating the young girl?

She was immediately pulled from those thoughts when Cora walked in. Expect this time wasn't for personal reasons but on a professional level. She carefully closed the door behind her and greeted the other woman with a pleasant smile. At first Regina was expecting a less than polite response and she automatically thought that it would have something to do with her and Emma. The younger woman took a deep breath and prepared to explain herself to her boss.

"Hello Regina, I just came in to see how you are getting on with Emma and if you have had any major breakthroughs with her impending recovery?" she lowered her eyes onto the other woman waiting for a comprehensive response.

"Hello Cora, I was meaning to have a meeting with you in order to discuss Emma's progress. She seems happier than she has been over the last couple of weeks and she is most definitely opening up to me, she hasn't completely revealed her whole life story to me but there is definitely progress being made." Regina smiled confidently.

"I'm glad to hear it Regina, your one of the best counsellors we have and it's good to know that Emma is in safe hands and she is making remarkable progress by the sound of it." Cora smiled and made her way out of the office.

Regina let out a deep breath and composed herself. She thanked her stars that Cora didn't suspect anything was happening between the two women.

Emma made her way into class with a smile on her face something she had managed to muster for a long time. Miss Lucas was pleased to see that Emma was more uplifted and she wasn't withdrawing herself as much as what she was used to.

"Hello Emma, come in and take a seat you will be working on your project a little more this lesson." Miss Lucas grinned and took her seat at the desk.

Emma happily made her way to the seat at the front of the class. She blocked out the usual snide comments that were coming from a few people in the class and she tried to focus on her art work.

Miss Lucas gathered the large pieces of card and laid them over her arms making sure that they didn't topple over. She distributed them to the rightful owners and gave the students the freedom to decide how they were going to carry on with their project.

Emma picked out some charcoal from the table in front which was covered in a large array of art materials and grabbed some darker colours in order to give her project the intended effect. As she began sketching out her outline onto the card she thought back to the first evening she had spent with Regina that didn't involve being confined to the office. She wondered how the other woman was feeling about the kiss she gave her and if she felt anything towards her. As much as she knew it was wrong Emma couldn't help the feelings that were developing towards Regina. Everything about her was beautiful and Emma couldn't help but admire how kind hearted she was and how much she understood what she needed.

She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind as she looked down at her card and noticed that she sketched out a completely different idea to what she intended to do. She quickly rubbed out the outline and began to sketch it out again.

Miss Lucas wondered around the room monitoring what the students were doing and offering assistance to any student that needed it. As she approached Emma she noticed that she was really getting stuck in to what she was doing and she seemed to take more of an interest than previous time.

The dark haired woman leant over the table in order to have a quiet word with the blonde "How are your counselling sessions going with Miss Mills? You seem much happier which indicates that she must be doing a marvellous job as I thought she would." She smiled warmly and kept her eyes focused on Emma.

"Yeah they are going really well thank you, she is really helping me to understand my emotions and she is helping me through a lot." Emma responded politely.

Miss Lucas made her way around the rest of the classroom and kept an eye on Emma. The blonde managed to sketch out more than she expected to achieve and she glanced up at the clock realising that it was nearly time for her next counselling session with Regina. Her heart raced at the thought of being able to spend more time with the dark haired woman and no one else would be able to interrupt.

The class gathered their things together and Emma carefully packed her artwork into a large plastic folder that had been supplied by the school. As the bell rang all the students quickly filed their way out of the classroom and Emma wandered down the corridor trying to spot Regina. As she glanced towards the smoking shed that was located by her office she saw her standing there with a cigarette in her mouth leant up against the bench.

The blonde quietly made her way outside to the smoking shed; even though student access was restricted she didn't care and was prepared to take the risk.

As she stepped outside a sudden cold breeze hit her and the rain was pouring down. Luckily there was a shelter which stopped Regina from getting soaked. She slowly made her way over to the shelter and stood next to the other woman.

"I didn't know you were a smoker? Its bad for your health you know." Emma said jokingly.

Regina glared at Emma "I know I don't usually smoke I've just had a bad morning that's all and last time I checked I didn't need a lecture from a student."

Regina folded her arms across her chest and watched as the blonde made her way back inside not taking a second look at her. Regina cursed herself and realised that she should have kept her mouth shut rather than taking it out on someone that is meant to be her client.

The dark haired woman tossed the cigarette on the floor and stomped her heel over it making sure that it was completely stubbed out. She quickly rushed after Emma hoping that she would still be prepared to go to the counselling session.

Emma was stopped in her tracks when she felt a warm hand brush over her shoulder. She reluctantly turned around with tear filled eyes.

"I'm sorry Emma I shouldn't have taken it out on you, please come in my office and I can give you a hand with your homework. Does that sound like a good idea?"

"I guess." Emma shuffled her feet towards Regina's office and begrudgingly made her way in.

She took a seat on the white leather sofa and pulled out the vast amount of homework from her bag.

Regina made her way over to the window and drew the blinds trying to hide the distraction of the terrible weather and to keep them away from peoples prying eyes. She grabbed a pen and a few pieces of paper in order to scribble a few notes down to help assist Emma with her work.

The dark haired woman placed herself close next to Emma and searched through her homework trying to familiarise herself with the task in hand.

"What piece of homework did you want to do first?"

"The maths homework is due in first so I guess that needs to be done before anything else."

Regina smiled at the blonde and made herself comfortable. She crossed one leg over the other allowing one leg to be exposed. Emma swallowed hard and tried to avoid making herself look stupid.

"I had no right to speak to you the way I did I hope we can get over this and move on?"

"No I'm sorry I didn't mean to over react its my fault."

Emma smiled and inhaled the sweet scent of perfume that was drifting off Regina. She also loved the way the blouse was fitted and complimented Regina's frame perfectly.

Both women stared at the homework and tried to decipher what they had to do. Emma felt her stomach doing summersaults as Regina leant in closer and the warmth of her breath sent Goosebumps over her neck.

She pointed down at one of the questions and began to explain how to answer it "For that question you need to find out the area of the shape, there is always a diagram which shows you what you need to do in order to answer the question which means you shouldn't have any trouble with it."

Emma swivelled her body around which meant that she could be in a better proximity of Regina "you must have better things to do with your time than helping me all the time? And Miss Lucas seems to speak quite highly of you is there something going on between you two?"

Regina laughed half heartedly "I don't know what gave you that impression Miss Swan but there is nothing going on between us, if anything I have my eyes set on someone else but its more complicated than I hoped it to be."

"Why who is it?"

"I cant say, anyway I'm meant to be helping you with your homework not you asking me questions about my relationships." Regina smiled and tapped the paper suggesting that Emma should focus on the task.

Emma dropped her shoulders in disappointment by the other woman's refusal to reveal who it was. After an hour of completing homework two of the tasks had been finished and there was still some that needed finishing.

As Emma glanced up at the time she realised that she needed to get home before her parents started to become suspicious. As she made her way to the door Regina placed her hand gently over Emma's wrist.

"I know Its not the typical thing to do but I was wondering if you wanted to come over my house tomorrow? I could cook dinner and we could have an informal chat, there's no pressure so you don't have to feel obligated to come." Regina smiled and hoped that the answer would be yes.

"I would love to come round Regina what time should I come?"

"How about 6?"

"Sounds good to me see you tomorrow."


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: I know it's quite a long chapter this time but I hope you enjoy it.

Regina slowly rolled over and saw the dim light that was shining from her alarm clock. It was only 7:00 in the morning and it was an inset day which meant that she could lounge around leisurely without having to rush around in order to get to the school on time. Her hair was smothered across her face and her legs were sprawled out wide across the mattress. As much as she tried to pull herself back into the slumber that she needed, her body seemed to have a natural clock that insisted on kicking in regardless of what day it was.

The room was still completely dark as she couldn't stand waking up to the bright sunlight pouring through the windows that opened up onto her balcony. Regina grunted under her breath and haphazardly stumbled out of bed. Usually her bedroom was in uniform order with her clothes neatly piled into the wardrobe but there were high heeled scattered across the floor and a few items of clothing from the night before.

She groggily made her way into the bathroom, gripping onto the edge of the door for support as her eyes were half open and her body felt as if it was still in sleep mode. She stared into the mirror and looked at her washed out complexion and the mascara that had smudged across her eyes as she was sleeping. She filled the sink with hot water and watched as the water rippled around the porcelain bowl, creating a whirlpool effect. She plunged her hands into the heated liquid and liberally splashed it across her face. She grabbed the towel that was resting next to the sink and gently dabbed her face.

After feeling more refreshed she made her way back into the dingy bedroom trying to navigate herself around without causing herself an injury. She cautiously made her way to the curtain and pulled them across the gold pole that was supporting them. A sudden change of lighting hit her and the sun was shining bright onto the hard floor of her apartment. She squinted as her eyes gradually became accustomed to the change.

Laid on the floor was a red silk nightie, she picked it up and gave it a once over before she placed it over herself. The feeling of the smooth material caressed over her shoulders and it felt like heaven. She wrapped it around her semi naked body and tied the long string of material around herself. She casually made her way into the kitchen and immediately flicked the switch for the kettle. She tried to distract herself from thinking about later events. She couldn't help but imagine what it would be like when Emma came round to her apartment. Even though she was her client there were feelings that she had never known she could feel for someone so young. To some people it might be seen as weird or perverted but to Regina it felt like something that came naturally to her almost like breathing, something she couldn't help and something she didn't want to stop.

She was quickly pulled from her wandering thoughts when the kettle whistled loudly through the kitchen and she picked out her favourite coffee from the cupboard. She generously shook the granules into her mug and added the hot water. She nursed the cup in between her hands and inhaled the strong aroma that drifted from the cup.

Regina took a large mouthful of the coffee making sure she didn't try and drink it too quickly as she didn't want to end up scalding her mouth.

Emma woke up the feeling of her body shivering all over and the thin blanket that covered her almost skeletal frame didn't offer much protection from the lack of heat. She begrudgingly shifted herself from the thin mattress that she was laying on. She glanced over at the alarm and it was only 7:30 am, Emma was never much of a heavy sleeper and she tried to keep herself alert just in case she had an unpleasant visit from her father.

The thought of seeing Regina in the evening was the one thing that seemed to make her situation a little more tolerable. Her mind constantly wandered onto her and she hoped that Regina was thinking about her as well. She looked down at her once deeply cut arms, the scarring was still visible and the mental scars were still there but Regina seemed to have the power to stop her from carrying on. Emma knew that she had to stop acting the way she was if she had any chance of making a full recovery and she needed Regina on her side in order for that to happen.

Emma tiptoed her way into the bathroom hoping that she wouldn't wake her father as she knew what would be waiting for her if she did. Sneaking around people had been something Emma had become accustomed to and she had become better at it as the years went on. She filled the sink with what was left of the warm water and she rummaged through the box of toiletries, trying to find something that smelt half decent and would help to brighten up her appearance.

Once the sink had been filled to the brim she quickly turned off the rusty taps hoping that they would stop the water from flowing before it flowed over the edge of the sink. The blonde submerged her long locks of blonde hair into the water. She gently massaged the sweet smelling strawberry shampoo over her scalp and applied a small amount of pressure in order to evenly distribute the liquid.

Emma rinsed the liquid from her scalp and wiped her eyes with a cloth trying to stop it from seeping into her eyes. She ran her fingers through the tangled mess of wet hair and wiped a rough towel across her face.

Regina checked her watch and realised that it was only an hour until Emma was due to come round. She quickly rushed into her bedroom and scoured through her wardrobe in order to find something more appropriate for the occasion. She couldn't exactly parade around the apartment in just a red nightie, no bra and red lacy knickers. Regina ruffled her hands through her hair trying to get it to retain the shape it usually held. She applied a thin layer of cherry red lipstick followed by a sparkling lip gloss. She pouted in the mirror and brushed her features with a pale shade of mineral foundation.

Regina pulled out a cream dress from the back of her wardrobe. It was a piece that she hadn't worn for a while but it exposed the crease of her back and there was something sexy but sophisticated about It which immediately grabbed her attention. She carefully stepped into it and managed to curl her hand around the back to zip it up unassisted.

She spritzed her favourite perfume across her chest and paid particular attention to applying it to her neck and wrists. As she made her way into the kitchen there was only thirty minutes until Emma was meant to arrive and no preparation of food had even been considered. Regina instantly dismissed the idea of cooking and cracked open a bottle of wine instead. She convinced herself that Emma wouldn't mind having the option of take-out rather than something that had been not so lovingly prepared by Regina.

Regina paced around the room with an unusual nervous feeling consuming her, considering it was someone that was meant to be her client it seemed to feel more like a first date. Regina took a deep breath and tried to compose herself before the young lady arrived.

As she heard the knock at the door that she had been thinking about all day her heart was thumping and her hands felt clammy. Was Regina Mills seriously feeling like this over someone that was almost half her age? Regina brushed herself down in one final attempt to make herself look as presentable as possible. She slowly made her way to the door, as she opened it Emma looked completely different to how she expected. There was something extremely beautiful about her, the way her long blonde hair draped effortlessly over her shoulders and she was wearing a dress which was a complete eye opener to Regina.

"Hello Regina you look absolutely stunning, the dress you are wearing is quite something." Emma tried to stop herself from talking but the words kept flowing before she could stop them.

"Hello Emma, thank you I must say you look lovely too, why don't you come in and make yourself comfortable." Regina smiled warmly and gestured for Emma to take a seat on the black leather sofa.

The blonde glanced around her apartment and saw how lavish Regina's taste really was and she seemed to have an eye for the finer things in life. Even though she seemed to have a wealth of money she wasn't one to rub it in people's faces which was one thing that drew Emma to her.

Regina grabbed a root beer from the fridge and handed it to Emma. She made herself comfortable next to be blonde and made some light hearted conversation.

"There is a confession I have to make to you Emma its nothing bad but it's about dinner, I never got round to preparing anything so I hope you don't mind if we order something in instead?" Regina smiled.

"You're telling me that Miss Mills is actually going to order a takeaway, I never thought such a thing would happen." Emma replied jokingly and noticed a smirk playing on Regina's lips.

The dark haired lifted herself from the seat and rummaged through the small cabinet that rested next to the TV. She pulled out a bunch of different takeaway menus that she had collected over time and handed them to Emma.

"Have a look through the menus and tell me what you would like then I will call them to order it." Regina smiled and placed herself back next to the blonde.

Emma stared down at the menus spoilt for choice and was torn between Chinese and Indian. After a few minutes she decided on Chinese. She handed the menu of choice to the other woman and she retrieved her phone from the arm of the sofa.

"Hello can I have the special for two please and I would like the delivery to be as soon as possible if you don't mind."

Emma moved further down the sofa which allowed her to sit opposite the other woman and her eyes were fixated on her. It was hard to look away from such a beautiful woman.

The blonde stretched her arm across the sofa and brushed a strand of her from Regina's face and carefully tucked it behind her ear. She saw her face colour a deeper shade of pink and she smiled in appreciation.

"Your arms seem to look a lot better Emma can I assume that you have stopped cutting yourself?" Regina asked sympathetically.

"Yeah I have, you're the reason that I've stopped you're the one that keeps me going and makes me realise that my life is actually worth living."

Before Regina couldn't even comprehend how she was going to answer there was a loud knock at the door. She quickly sprung from the sofa and answered the door.

She grabbed the food and handed the money to the short ginger haired boy that was standing on the other side of her apartment door. As she shut the door Emma hovered by the kitchen trying to figure out where Regina kept any of her plates. The dark haired woman smirked and pointed at a small cupboard under the cooker. Emma carefully slid two plates out being extremely careful not to break anything as she knew how clumsy she could be.

Regina distributed the food between the two plates and both women happily seated themselves at the small glass table that offered a view of the streets from a different perspective. She watched as Emma readily tucked into her food the same as she did the previous night that they had dinner together. There was something about Emma's eating habits that made her suspicious of what was really happening at home but she knew it wasn't her place to start forcing answers out of the young girl.

Regina graciously tucked into the food being careful not to let any of the food drop onto her dress. She preferred to keep her clothes pristinely clean.

Regina cleared the meagre amount of food that was left on the plates and placed them in the dishwasher. She accompanied Emma back on the sofa and indulged in a glass of her favourite wine.

"Have you got someone special in your life then Emma? A boyfriend perhaps?" Regina asked inquisitively.

"No I don't have a boyfriend, the funny thing is we both have something in common I'm not interested in boys or men for that matter and there is someone I already have my eye on." Emma slowly ran her finger around the rim of her bottle and glanced up at Regina.

"Oh I wasn't expecting you to say that, I'm quite surprised that a pretty young lady like you isn't with someone special."

Emma shuffled herself closer to Regina and ran the tips of her fingers down her arm, sending shivers down the other woman's back. The dark haired woman could feel the heat of the young girl's body against her and the smell of her perfume lingered.

Emma moved her face closer to Regina's only leaving a small space between them and the feeling of their warmth breath against each other. The blonde gently pressed her lips against the soft cherry coloured lips of the other woman. They were smooth and delicate offering a pleasant feeling against her own skin.

Regina's eyes widened in shock by what the other woman was doing and the contact was almost immediately broken. "What the hell do you think you're doing Miss Swan! You seemed to have forgotten that I'm your counsellor for one and secondly I'm 30 years old nearly double your age."

"I'm sorry I thought you wanted it too, silly me thinking that you actually cared about me you can piss off and leave me alone."

Emma stormed out of the other woman's apartment with tear filled eyes. Her heart felt as if it had been removed from her chest and stamped on. She rushed down the road wiping the tears from her eyes and refused to look back at the lack of compassion from the other woman.

Regina slammed the door behind her and slid down the wall of her apartment. She dropped her hands in her head and released all the emotion she was bottling up. As much as she didn't want that to happen her head was telling her something different to her heart. She loved Emma but had no idea how she was meant to express that kind of emotion to someone that was meant to be in her care.


	17. Chapter 17

Regina awoke from her unpleasant night's sleep. The vicious words that she let escape from her mouth still haunted her mind and she knew she couldn't take back what had already been said. She propped herself against the hard black headboard that helped support her bed. Her hand wandered through the tangled mess of hair and she didn't care to open the curtains to let any of the light in. She wanted to block the whole world out but more than anything she wanted to reconcile with Emma. The previous night she couldn't stop herself, the words kept flowing without any thought. As much as she denied her feelings for the young blonde she knew deep down that those feelings couldn't be brushed to one side like how she would normally deal with things.

Regina leant over the silk duvet and pulled out the drawer of the small bedside cabinet. She ran her hand over the surface trying to detect the location of her phone. As she carried on searching she felt the familiar object. As she scoured through her messages there was nothing of interest and there seemed to be no way of pulling herself out of the slump she was in. She saved Emma's phone number onto her phone from a previous session when she searched through her file. She knew it wasn't the most professional way to conduct herself but she was past those formalities. It was too late to try and act as if nothing happened she was falling for Emma and there was nothing or no one that could stop her.

Regina looked at herself in the mirror that adorned the wall opposite the end of the bed. She had let herself become a shadow of her former self, moping in bed like a sulky teenager. The thought of Emma was a way to spur her on, a way to encourage her out of bed and to face up to the reality of her impending feelings. Regina gathered her thoughts and crawled out of the warm confines of her duvet. She dragged her body into the bathroom and haphazardly flicked the switch. The brightness of the light was an unwelcomed surprise and it took a moment of constant squinting to become adapted to the sudden change.

She grabbed the toothpaste and scrubbed the brush over her whitened smile. After a few minutes of waking herself up the dark haired woman ran a brush through her hair and tried to decide on what she was going to wear to face Emma. She searched through her large collection of blazers and chose the cream coloured one accompanied by a vest top and a pencil skirt. There wasn't time to trawl a layer of make up on her face; the natural look would have to do.

Regina's heart raced at the thought of speaking to Emma again. She couldn't decide what to say and the thought of stumbling over her words and coming across like an idiot was a daunting prospect. Especially to someone that was nearly half her age and her client. She picked up the phone and dialled the number trying to control her hands from shaking. As she waited for a reply her mouth was dry and the thought of Emma completely rejecting her was a thought she couldn't begin to imagine.

After seconds of silence there was a reply "Hello who is this? I don't recognise the number.

Regina pulled herself together in order to give a comprehensive response "Hello Emma, it's me Regina; I know I'm not your favourite person at the moment but I want to apologise and I don't mean a measly sorry. I want to make you realise that I didn't mean to react in the way I did, I'm scared of committing myself to you, your young and vulnerable and I don't want you to get your heart broken."

"You should have thought about that before you even opened your mouth. You treated me as if I was a stranger in your home. I can't help the way I feel towards you and you can't expect me to suddenly switch off how I feel." Emma replied with hesitance but she wanted to make Regina realise how much hurt she has caused.

"I know sometimes I don't comprehend the effect the words I say can have, I want you to come to my house and we can talk properly rather than over a phone call, if you're willing to give me that chance." Regina tried to respond without revealing the hurt in her voice.

"I guess I could come round for a while, I will be round in about an hour just don't expect me to have much to say." Emma cancelled the phone call before Regina could respond.

Regina flopped onto the bed, clutching her cell phone close to her chest. She had spent her whole life convincing herself that she would never fall in love with a client and it couldn't be possible. But this time was different she was drawn to Emma, there were so many unsolved mysteries about her and there was still so much to learn.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Just carrying on from the last chapter, hope you enjoy it and don't forget to review!

Emma dragged her feet out of the house she was still reluctant in seeing Regina but she wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. As she made her way outside a cold chill was present in the air and she felt her chest becoming tighter from the nerves she was experiencing. Her hands were stiffened from the dramatic change in temperature and her feet felt heavy, almost as if they were being pulled down by a force stronger than her.

She slowly trailed down the road kicking the stones across the frosty pavements as she walked past. Immediately she began to imagine what Regina would say to her and how she would explain why she reacted in such an unexpected way. The distance from Regina's house was surprisingly short but the cold made it seem much further away. As she turned the corner she saw the large row of apartments that were situated close to children's park. The area was always silent and there didn't seem to be many people that entered the area. The buildings were of a grand design and only people with a decent amount of wealth could afford such a lavish lifestyle.

Emma manoeuvred closer to the building and made her way through the glass doors that lead to the bottom floor of the apartments. It was only the second time she had been to the other woman's house which meant that it took some racking of her brain to remember which number was hers. She anxiously stepped into the lift that was lined with a gold plated interior and a patterned carpet that covered the bottom. It made her feel uncomfortable as she knew it was luxury compared to where she was living. The lift slowly made its way up each floor and Emma watched as the numbers lit up indicating when it was going to stop.

When she finally reached the top floor she took a deep breath and nervously stepped out from the confines of the lift. She slowly made her way over to the apartment door and breathed deeply trying to think about how she was going to greet Regina. She tapped her knuckles against the plain door and waited to see the expression of the dark haired woman.

Regina quickly opened the door and sighed in relief that Emma turned up and didn't leave her wondering if she was going to see her again or not. She gestured for Emma to enter and to make herself comfortable. Emma picked at her finger nails trying to avoid initiating the start of the conversation.

Regina placed herself on the sofa next to Emma and placed her hand under her chin slowly raising it, allowing their eyes to meet.

"Emma you don't believe how sorry I am for reacting the way I did, I shouldn't have treated you like that, I'm scared of getting myself in too deep but I think it's too late for that. Of course I care for you and I don't want you to believe otherwise. Relationships for me haven't exactly been easy and I never expected to have feelings for someone as young as yourself, you need to understand where I'm coming from." Regina placed her hand over Emma's and caressed her thumb over her skeletal looking fingers.

Emma looked deep into Regina's eyes and she could sympathise with her and realised that she meant what she was saying "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have shouted at you like I did. I know we haven't known each other that long but I love you. I've never felt like this about anyone before and I'm not going to hide my feelings."

Regina brushed a lose strand of blonde hair from Emma's face and tucked it behind her ear. "I know you do Emma, I care a lot for you and I don't want us to end up falling out I want you to still be able to trust me and I don't want to lose the connection we have."

Regina felt her beating at a much more rapid past and her hands were shaking. Emma was the first woman to have that sort of effect on her. She wasn't sure if it was a good thing or if it was something she should be wary of.

Emma scooted up close to Regina and placed her head in the curve of her collar bone. She inhaled the intoxicating smell of the perfume that lingered on her perfect bronzed skin. Regina placed her arm around Emma and folded into the embrace. She ran her hand through her thick locks of blonde hair and kissed her gently on the forehead.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: This chapter could get a little upsetting for some people. There is going to be another rape just to pre warn you. If I manage to reach 100 followers then the 100th will get a one shot written with a prompt of their choice, as appreciation for all the feedback.

Regina felt as if her stomach was being squeezed, how could she be letting herself have feelings for someone so young and broken. As much as she wanted to give in to what her body was really craving her head was telling her something completely different. She wanted to deny all recognition of the feelings she was having and wanted to block them out completely but it was too late for that.

Regina let out a frustrated sigh trying to make it as discrete as possible as she didn't want her evident doubts to rise to the surface. Emma could tell that there was something Regina was holding back. It was etched into her features and her eyes were locked onto the wall, there was something bothering her but she wasn't exactly the kind of women that openly expressed her emotions for someone. At times she came across cold and distant. Emma couldn't pin down if it was her doing or if there was something from the past that was resurfacing.

The blonde looked up and kept her gaze on Regina, her chocolate brown eyes were still busy looking at other things as if her body was there but her mind was elsewhere. Emma placed a gentle kiss on the other woman's warm cheek in order to try and bring her out of the trance she was fixated in. Regina's vision suddenly diverted towards the blonde her eyes meeting the depths of the blonde hazel eyes.

"What was that unexpected gesture for then Miss Swan?" Regina asked surprisingly almost confused by the kiss.

"You seemed to be too busy thinking about something I could tell by the look in your eyes and I wanted to offer a distraction." Emma smiled cheekily and watched as the dark haired woman's face barely made an effort to change in expression.

"Have I done something wrong? You seem to be lacking in emotion towards what I'm saying." Emma dropped her eyes to the floor and waited for a response.

"It's getting late Miss Swan and I think your parents will be wondering why you are out gallivanting and aren't at home where you should be at this time. We both have to be at school early tomorrow and I suggest that I drop you off at home and then we can have a proper talk in our session tomorrow." Regina pulled herself away from Emma's embrace and stood by the sofa, running her hands down her dress in order to smooth out the imperfections.

Emma's face contorted in a mixture of confusion and hurt. How could someone be so cold towards her all of a sudden? She had confessed her true feelings towards her and all she could do was brush them off as if they didn't mean a thing.

The blonde quickly removed herself from the comfort of the cream couch and manoeuvred towards the door. "Can we make this quick I wouldn't want to inconvenience you anymore than I already have."

Emma stormed out of the apartment and hurried down to the car park waiting for the other woman to follow behind. Regina managed to pick up the pace and caught up with the young girl.

"Miss Swan there is no need to act in that way, I would appreciate it if you showed me some respect, I don't expect you to speak to me in that tone."

"What do you expect me to say, it's going back to how it used to be calling me Miss Swan instead of Emma and you couldn't wait to rush me out of your apartment as soon as I said I love you. I'm sorry the likes of me isn't good enough for you and you would prefer someone that is prim and proper and can afford the luxuries in life." Emma felt her eyes filling with tears and she stared to walk in the opposite direction before Regina could see how she was making her feel.

"MISS SWAN! You can't walk home in this weather, it's raining tremendously and you're end up getting soaked before you reach it back to your home, at least let me take you home."

Emma waved her in the air suggesting that she wasn't interested in what she had to say. Regina stood in the rain feeling the cold droplets of water pelting down onto her skin. Once again she had let her mouth run away with her again.

Emma felt her stomach churning and the freezing drops of water ran down the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. As she made her way down the block she saw her house in the darkened street and begrudgingly made her way towards it.

Standing in the door way was her worst nightmare. Her father propped his self against the frame of the door. Emma could tell that he had been drinking as he could just about hold himself up.

"What are you doing home so late you stupid little bitch? You were meant to be home at 7 you know the curfew. Now get upstairs before I do something I might regret." He barked out his orders and Emma quickly rushed up the stairs her feet stumbling over each step.

She rushed into her room and forcibly pressed her body against the door trying to stop him from gaining access. She could hear his deafening footsteps trundling up the stairs, her heart started to pound and her throat became dry. Emma felt his firm grip pressing against the door trying to force entry. As much as she wanted to stop him she couldn't muster enough strength to keep him on the other side of the door.

He barged his way in and shoved Emma onto the thin mattress. She watched as he unzipped his trousers and the bile rose in her throat. He threw his trousers on the floor and moved in closer to Emma pressing his protruded stomach onto her skeletal frame.

His weight felt heavier this time and the smell of alcohol and stale cigarettes consumed his breath. She knew that screaming didn't help and giving into his sick demands would make things easier and quicker meaning she would avoid a beating.

His rough hands groped over her body and she felt his chapped lips rubbing over her neck. She felt disgusted that this was another thing she had to endure. She looked away as his boxers slid down his hairy legs and rested on the floor.

An intense pain shot through her body and a heated tear rolled down her cheek. His body forced against hers harder each time and his eyes turned darker and his smile was enough to make anyone sick.

He rolled off her breathing heavily and slipped his trousers back on as if nothing happened. Emma reluctantly looked down and saw spot of blood running down the inside of her leg. There was an excruciating burning in her lower half and she could barely stand.

Emma stumbled out of the room crossing her legs tightly together trying to conceal the pain that was circulating through her body.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: I'm sorry I have taken forever to update this story I intend on writing a few more chapters which will get much more interesting. Thank you for all the people that have taken the time to read my story it means a lot. I hope you carry on enjoying the rest of my writing and don't forget to leave a review to let me know what you think. Thank you.

Emma rushed through the gates of the school and hurried down the corridor trying to push aside what happened the previous evening. She could still smell the faint scent of Regina's perfume lingering down the corridor. It was a smell that she had become more familiar with and she knew that it hadn't been long since the other woman had made her way into work.

Regina watched from a far making sure that Emma couldn't see her. She waited for the right moment to approach her and make her realise that the way she had been acting wasn't right and it wasn't fair to keep treating her like that. A nervous feeling filled Regina's stomach as she thought about the blonde. There was something about her that was drawing her in, the striking eyes and her slim physique. Regina's feelings were growing by the day and she didn't know how much longer she could keep them a secret.

The blonde slipped into the girl's toilets and looked around making sure no one was around to point the finger or to make snide comments about her. She locked herself behind the door and trapped herself in the unpleasant confines of the toilet cubicle. Her stomach was rumbling profusely and the dull aching sensation was still present. She pressed her back against the graffiti covered door and basked in the unaltered silence. There was no one there to disturb her and it was the only place where people couldn't stare at her and judge her from a distance. It was like a safety net; somewhere she could go to escape the harsh reality of the real world. Home wasn't somewhere that she felt safe and it certainly didn't offer her the love or security that she was craving. The pungent smell of cigarettes filled the small area and unsanitary items were scattered over the floor.

She could hear the door creaking open and she swallowed hard worrying about who could be entering. Would it be Stacy and Alicia again? Or would it be someone that could offer a little more concern?

The lock was turned and the sound of high heels clopped up. Emma glanced down to catch a glimpse of the shoes. She knew straight away who was behind the door; the shoes were a bright red only someone like Regina could pull of a colour that bold. The blonde slowly opened the door and peered round the corner double checking that it was the woman that she expected it to be.

Her eyes locked onto Regina and she slowly walked out of the toilet cubicle. A genuine look of concern was etched into the dark haired woman's features and she felt herself wanting to show a display of affection towards the young girl. The girls toilets weren't the typical environment that she intended to spend her time in but she wanted to help Emma in any way that she could.

"Emma dear what's wrong? I saw your rush in here is there something going on at home? You know I'm here to listen and to help you through your troubles." Regina placed her hands on Emma's arms and watched as her expression immediately changed.

Emma's bottom lip quivered and she tried to hold back what she was really feeling but she couldn't hide behind a mask especially not in front of Regina. She had seen her cry before and she had seen her uglier times but still seemed to want to help. A flood of tears streamed from the blondes eyes and she could feel her throat becoming tighter as she let everything out.

Regina grabbed the blonde and pulled her in close letting Emma wrap her arms around her waist. The blonde nuzzled her head into the crook of Regina's shoulder and sobbed onto her. The other woman brushed the hair from her face and gently tucked it behind her ear trying to console her in the best way that she could.

"Emma dear there is something I need to tell you but I don't want you to over react as its something of momentous proportion and if anyone was to find out then there would be serious consequences for both of us. I need you to promise me that while we are at school things will remain the same?"

Emma slowly lifted herself from Regina's shoulder and looked into her chocolate brown eyes. Her face was flushed and her eyes were slightly puffy from all the crying that she had been doing. "What is it? Are you saying you're not going to be my counsellor anymore or something?"

"No of course not Emma I will still be your counsellor and I will support you in every way, but there is a confession I need to make and I've been holding back for quite some time now. I know confessing your love to someone in a toilet isn't the most pleasant of ways to conduct yourself but it's the only time I can see you alone without anyone else prying into our business. I've tried to stop my feelings but nothing seems to work I can't stop being your counsellor but I can't help falling in love with you either." Regina felt her hands shaking uncontrollably and she tried to control the tone of her voice.

"Are you being serious? I understand we will have to keep a low profile relationship I just cant believe your saying this, especially to a girl like me." Emma's cheeks flushed a deep shade of red and she took her gaze away from Regina.

"Don't be ridiculous Emma, you are a wonderful young lady and there is nothing that will stop me from having feelings for you. Once school is finished I want you to stay at my apartment for the night, we can have a proper talk about things and it means that I will be able to look after you in the evenings and I can drop you off at home in them morning if that's alright with you." Regina smiled warmly.

"That sounds amazing, thank you for being the person that actually believed in me and I will see you after school." Emma pulled Regina in and wrapped her arms around her waist. Their lips pressed together and they embraced in a deepened kiss. They both prolonged the kiss and Regina slowly pulled away before someone came in.

"I really have to go my dear but I will pick you up later, I love you."

"I love you too Regina."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

A/N: I wasn't expecting to get as much response from this as I have and I certainly wasn't expecting to get 106 followers so far. It means a lot that so many people appreciate what I'm writing and I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. I'm trying to update as soon as I can and all the reviews I've been getting are great. This chapter is set towards the night just so you don't get confused and hope you enjoy it. Thank you all.

Regina sauntered down the empty corridor; she had been anxiously waiting for everyone to disappear in order for her not to be caught with Emma. Everything seemed silent and only a faint whistle of the wind could be heard through the thin windows that were surrounding the school. Regina popped her head round the corner of the sports hall and saw the blonde perched on the edge of the bench patiently waiting. Regina tiptoed into the hall and snuck up behind Emma wrapping her hands over her eyes, darkening her vision. The young girl let out a light hearted giggle and felt the warm touch of the other woman's hands against her skin. Regina whispered into her ear "Guess who?"

Regina slowly pulled her hands away from Emma's eyes and took her hand removing her from the bench. The blonde could see a playful smile gracing the other woman's cherry red lips. The sound of high heels clopping down the hall echoed into the sports hall and Regina ushered Emma behind the curtain just in case it was her mother.

"Emma dear you need to hide behind that curtain, I can hear footsteps and it could be my mother, I can't afford for us to be caught like this." Regina pointed towards the shabby looking curtain that hung over the p.e equipment and Emma quickly hid behind it making sure that her face wasn't visible.

As Regina expected her mother made her way through the double doors of the sports hall, her hair loosely hanging over her shoulder and a look of exhaustion plastered across her face.

"Mother what are you doing here? I thought you would have been at home by now?" Regina questioned in a surprised tone.

"I think I could say the same thing to you my dear." Cora lowered her glasses down the bridge of her nose and glanced over the frame at her daughter who had a look of guilt etched into her features.

"I had something to pick up as part of one of my counselling sessions; I thought it might be helpful to introduce something a little different. A new technique, which I have been looking into to improve my client's outcomes." Regina replied.

"I see well make sure that everything is locked up before you leave I can't afford for anything to be out of order when we come back on Monday. Enjoy the rest of your evening dear." Cora smiled warmly and sauntered out of the sports hall.

Regina made her way over to the curtain that Emma was hiding behind and pulled it back reassuring her that she had left "The coast is clear as they say."

Emma smiled and placed her hand into Regina's, letting their fingers interlock. Regina felt her stomach fluttering and she took a firm grip of the blonde's hand smiling in order to assure her that she accepted the gesture.

Regina pushed the key into the plain white door of her apartment and pushed the door with a little force in order to enter her apartment. Emma felt the warmth of it and there was a pleasant smell that wafted through the living room. The dark haired woman carefully took her shoes off and placed them by the front door and Emma did the same in order not to get any dirt on her pristine carpet.

Regina opened a bottle of her favourite wine and took in the intense fruity aroma that drifted from the newly opened bottle. She poured a small glass for Emma considering they were taking monumental steps in their relationship. Regina moved her free hand into Emma's and guided her over to the white leather sofa where they would be able to make their selves more comfortable.

Regina propped her back against the arm of the sofa and stretched her legs out allowing enough space for Emma to lay in-between. The blonde carefully positioned herself close to Regina her back pressed against her stomach and her head rested in the curve of her collar bone. She inhaled the intoxicating scent of her perfume something a smell she had become more than familiar with. Regina's hands slid over Emma's stomach and wrapped over it holding her in a tight embrace. Emma felt her body tense as it was the first time someone else had touched her.

"Do you feel comfortable sat here like with me Emma? I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable in any way and I just want you to be happy." Regina brushed a few lose strands of hair from Emma's face and gently pressed her lips onto her forehead.

"Of course I feel comfortable Regina, you're the person that I trust and I love you so you don't have to worry about making me feel uncomfortable."

"I'm glad you feel that way Emma I don't want to end up ruining things like the times before, do you parents know that you're going to be staying out tonight?" Regina asked with concern.

"They don't care about me I'm just like a lodger that lives there; I don't really care what they think anymore they could be dead for all I care."

Regina went silent and removed her hands from Emma's abdominal area and ran them across her arm trying to comfort her. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked I know it's a sensitive subject for you to discuss."

"You don't have to apologise Regina it isn't your fault." Emma smiled and lifted her head to plant a kiss on Regina's plump lips. "I love you."

"Emma I have a proposition for you but I don't want you to take it in the wrong sort of context." Regina swallowed hard before carrying on with her sentence "Do you want to come upstairs with me? It would be much more comfortable for both of us and we can have a proper talk."

"I would like that." Emma replied.

Regina showed Emma to her bedroom and Emma admired the fine furnishings that adorned the room. It was a deep red colour scheme and everything had its place as she imagined it. There were scented candles that covered the dressing table and the bed was covered by a dark red satin duvet that was embellished with small diamond style detailing.

"I have some silk pyjamas you can change into if it would make you more comfortable for sleeping later." Regina smiled and handed the light blue pyjamas to Emma. "The bathroom is just across the hall."

Emma smiled and accepted the kind gesture that had been offered to her by Regina. She quickly slipped into the bathroom and stripped herself from the shabby clothes that she was dressed in previously. Regina's sense of style was much more tasteful and expensive. She draped the silk vest over her top half and indulged in the luxurious feeling of the fabric. She slipped on the trousers and tied her long blonde hair into a messy bun.

She made her way back into the bathroom and watched as Regina undressed. She was standing in just her red bra and lacy red knickers, something that got Emma's heart beat racing. Her stomach was toned but she still had the curves that Emma loved when she first saw her.

Regina ruffled her hands through her short dark hair and reapplied a layer of her favourite bright red lipstick. Regina spotted Emma standing in the doorway and encouraged her to come back into the bedroom. "You don't have to stand there Emma, come in and make yourself comfortable on the bed."

Emma strolled into the room and slid onto the bed propping her back against the headboard that rested behind the double bed. Regina tucked herself under the duvet cover and ran her hand gently across Emma's face caressing her warm cheek. "I love you Emma and I want to have a life with you, not just a quick fling I want something with meaning and I want you to be a part of my life not just someone I'm dating."

Emma slipped herself under the duvet and moved in closer to Regina only leaving inches between each other. "I love you to Regina, but I'm not ready to take our relationship a step further, things have happened to me throughout my childhood which our difficult to explain and I don't want you to think any differently of me."

Regina took Emma's hand in her own and held them close to her chest. "Emma don't be silly I'm not expecting that at this stage of our relationship. Its just one step at a time and what do you mean that things have happened? Remember I'm here to support you."

Emma felt the memories of what her father had been doing to her coming back. It was something she wanted to push to the back of her mind but she knew it was something she couldn't hide forever and Regina would find out eventually. Her stomach was churning and the feeling of sickness consumed her body. How could she tell the woman that she loves what her father had been doing to her for so long? Would she even believe her or would it be something that just gets brushed to one side?"

A heated tear rolled down Emma's cheek and she tried to explain what had been happening to her between the deep breaths that she was taking "It-it-s my d-aa-d" Emma felt her hands shaking profusely as she tried to carry on.

"Emma what has your father been doing? Has he hurt you in some way?" Regina pulled back the cover and sat up against the headboard her face full of concern.

"He's raped me, it's happened more than once and it's all my fault if I just did what he said than maybe it wouldn't have happened. I just couldn't stop him and I haven't seen a doctor or anything so for all I know I could be pregnant." Emma's body felt weak and she dragged herself off the bed letting herself drop to the floor. The tears streamed from her face and a dull aching feeling washed over her.

"That sick bastard!" Regina shouted "When I get my hands on him I will kill him, how could he do something like that to his own foster daughter. We are going there tonight this cant carry on any longer." Regina felt herself getting more angry just thinking about, she lowered herself down to Emma's level and wrapped her arms around her letting her body fall into her embrace. Regina felt her own emotions taking over as she saw the reason why Emma felt so broken and for ages there was nothing she could have done about it. "I'm sorry." Regina whispered through a distant breath.


	22. Chapter 22

Regina slowly regained her composure and helped the fragile blonde rise to her feet once again. Her body felt weak and lifeless, she hated what her step father had done to her and it was one of the hardest things that she had to admit to the one person that actually gave a damn about her. She perched herself on the edge of the bed and Regina gently rubber her back trying to offer as much reassurance as she could.

Regina looked into Emma's eyes and told her that this issue needed to be resolved "I know this is a hard time for you Emma but I need to call the police for you to give them a statement about what happened. You need to be checked out at the hospital as well to make sure no serious damage has been caused." Regina spoke to her softly and gave her the reassurance that she needed.

Emma nodded her head in agreement, she just wanted the whole ordeal to be over and she wanted to make her stepdad pay for what he had done to her. Regina grabbed her mobile from the small bedside cabinet and rang the number. Her hands were shaking but she tried to keep a calm tone of voice. She needed to be strong for Emma to give her the support that she needed through her recovery both mentally and physically.

An older sounding man answered the phone with a gruff sounding voice "Hello what's your emergency."

"I need the police my girlfriend has been raped by her stepdad on more than one occasion and I expect you to go round there and arrest him straight away. He has ruined her life and I would hope that you and your team will respond in the appropriate manner." Regina could feel her anger increasing which was evident in her tone of voice.

"You need to calm down please mam, I will send one of my colleagues out to take a statement from her and then we will go from there."

Regina sighed in annoyance but agreed with him "Fine but we don't have time to waste I need to get her to the hospital in order for her to be checked out."

The phone went silent and Regina turned her attention back to Emma. The young girl's body felt cold and she was staring blanking through the window. Regina knew she was making the right decision but a part of her still wished that she could have acted sooner and then she might have given Emma a better chance of escaping him.

The sound of the police siren screeched through the town and the car swerved into a small space that was located outside of Regina's apartment. A police man dressed in a thick high visibility jacket wrapped his knuckles against the front door and waited for a response.

Regina rushed down the stairs by the sound of the knocking and quickly answered the door hoping that it was the police. A young man smiled at the other woman and she allowed him entrance into the apartment. He made himself comfortable on the sofa and pulled out a small notepad ready to note down what Emma had to say.

The blonde could hear muffled voices and made her way downstairs in order to see who it was. As she suspected it was a police man holding a notepad and pen. She swallowed hard and sat opposite him trying to avoid eye contact.

"Hello you must be Emma, I'm officer Michaels and I just need to know what has been happening in order for us to make an arrest and to get you checked out by a professional." He smiled warmly and prepared himself for what was going to be said next.

"It's my stepdad, my living conditions are awful I have to sleep on a dirty mattress in a house that has no heating and the bath is barely fit to wash a dog in. He's a monster and I've been made to live with him since I was a young girl. The abuse has happened on frequent occasions and I've been too scared to say anything. He raped me more than once and the pain was indescribable. I was only young and he took away everything including my innocence and dignity." Emma felt her eyes filling with tears and a feeling of sickness filled her stomach as she thought about all the awful things that happened to her and no one seemed to stop it.

The police man noted down everything that was being said "Thank you Emma I know it's not the easiest thing to do but you're doing great. After you've been checked out by the hospital and we've received the report then we should be able to make an arrest. For the time being I suggest you don't go the house anymore and maybe we could find you alternative accommodation."

"That won't be necessary thank you officer, Emma is going to live with me from now on and I am going to take care of her and make sure that nothing like this happens again." Regina smiled and saw an instant change of expression grace Emma's face.

"Are you sure Regina?" Emma asked hesitantly.

"Of course I'm sure Emma, I will give you the love and support that you need and I promise that I won't leave your side through the good and bad times." Emma moved in closer to Regina and hugged her tightly. She inhaled the intoxicating smell of her perfume and planted a passionate kiss on her lips as a sign of her gratitude.

The police man smiled and made his way out of the apartment. "Here is my number get the hospital to give me a call once Emma has been checked out and then we can go from there." Regina smiled and saw him out of the apartment.


	23. Chapter 23

This is the end for this part but I am writing a sequel for this story which will guide you through the rest of Emma and Regina's journey throughout both the good and bad. There will be many things you don't expect but I am so grateful for everyone that has taken so much interest in this story I never expected it to get such an amazing response. I hope you enjoy the end of this and the sequel to come.

Regina took Emma's hand in her own and guided her out of the apartment in order for them to make the all-important visit to the hospital. Emma's physical and emotional state didn't need to take another beating and her step father needed to be shown for what he really was. Emma reluctantly followed Regina to the car and eased herself in.

the main thought that ran through her mind was that she could be pregnant with his baby. In her mind that would be a nightmare coming true and it wasn't something she could possibly prepare herself for. The journey to the hospital was short and both women remained in an awkward silence unsure of what to say to each other. Things between them had developed so quickly and Regina could sense that Emma was worried but her own stomach was doing summersaults, petrified by that the doctors might say.

Regina pushed on the brakes and took a deep breath before she attempted to break the silence "Emma I know you're scared because I am too but this is your chance to put everything behind you and for us to have the fresh start that we need."

Emma parted her lips into a forced smile and nodded in agreement. They both stepped out of the car and looked up at the large building that seemed to daunting to step foot in. The hospital was once place Emma hated, the thought of having people prying and poking her around wasn't the most pleasant of thoughts. Regina held out her hand towards Emma trying to stop it from shaking, the blonde slid her hand into Regina's and slowly walked into the hospital with her.

The whole building was plastered with white paint and the smell of disinfectant wafted through throughout. Regina marched up to the reception desk and peered over at the young lady that was occupying the area. She was too busy on her phone to even realise that someone was standing there.

Regina coughed trying to grab her attention "excuse me, could you at least have the decency to book us in. If you weren't too busy staring at your phone you might have noticed that we were stood here."

The receptionist quickly pulled her gaze away from her phone and search through the database on the computer "what's the name?"

"Swan, Emma swan." Regina replied in a more hostile tone.

The receptionist nodded and directed them towards the waiting room. Emma could sense that Regina was worried about what was going to happen and what the professionals were going to say. They both took a seat in the uncomfortable blue chairs that were scattered around the room. There were a large pile of magazines chucked on the table as some kind of distraction from what was really going to happen.

Regina rubbed her hand over Emma's in order to try and show her that she was there to support her no matter what the outcome was going to be. After a few minutes of waiting a slim man in a white coat strolled into the waiting room. He seemed to have a smug grin on his face and there was something about him which made Regina take an instant dislike to him.

"Miss Swan." He called out "would you like to follow me."

Emma quickly rose from her seat and plodded down the corridor, Regina slowly following behind. They turned into a small room which consisted of a black leather bed lined with white paper and an array of equipment.

"Please take a seat on the bed Emma then I can check you out. I have to pre warm you that I need to check things which you may find uncomfortable but I am doing this for your health and best interest." Dr Whale explained.

"What do you mean by that exactly?" Regina asked assertively

"I assume that you are Emma's guardian? And I have to perform tests to see if there has been any damaged caused internally. I have received information from the police which means that I have to check everything." Dr Whale narrowed his eyes onto Regina.

"I happen to be Emma's partner before you make assumptions about who I might be and I suggest that you just get on with the tests to make sure that she is healthy." Regina stared at Whale.

Dr Whale slipped his hands into a white pair of rubber gloves and parted Emma's legs to check to see if there was any internal damage. He could see the bruises that were left on the inside of her legs and there seemed to be signs that she had been raped on more than one occasion.

He removed the gloves and disposed of them in the bin before reporting the information back to the two women. "I can see that there has been some damage internally Emma and you have been raped on more than one occasion. There is quite a lot of bruising on the inside of your legs as well. I know this is something you don't want to hear but I'm going to need to do a pregnancy test as well."

Emma looked at Regina searching for the answer in her chocolate brown eyes hoping that she would tell her what to do and give her the guidance that she needed. Okay how long will it take for you to find out the results?" Emma asked worryingly.

"It will only take a few moments but I need a urine sample from you in order to find out." Dr whale handed a small plastic pot to Emma and guided her to the ladies.

After a few minutes Emma returned to the room and handed the pot to Dr Whale. He swiftly left the room in order to find out if she was pregnant or not.

Emma turned over in the bed and looked at Regina who was staring into space "What are we going to do if I am pregnant, it would be a horrible decision to make."

"I don't know Emma it isn't my decision to make, it's your body but it wouldn't seem right to raise a baby knowing what that man did to you and how disgusting he was." Regina could see a tear rolling down Emma's cheek; she pushed it away with her thumb.

"I know but we are together now which means that decisions are joint and I need your help." Emma swung her legs across the bed and moved closer to Regina.

Before Regina could respond Whale strolled back into the room holding the results in his hands. "Emma you will be relieved to know that you are not pregnant and there is no sign of an infection. I suggest that you take it easy for the next few days and you try to avoid doing anything that is too strenuous."

Emma felt a rush of relief fall over her as she didn't have to live with the burden of carrying her step father's baby. Regina's eyes lit up with the first piece of positive news that they had received in ages.

"This is finally going to be our chance to start a fresh and to put all the negative things behind us and live the life that we want." Regina grinned in excitement and threw her arms around Emma pulling her into a warm embrace.

Emma allowed her body to fall into Regina and for the first time in her life it seemed as if things were going in her favour rather than going against her. 


End file.
