At that point, Regina had slammed her paperwork down and hissed his name, her deadly glare making Sidney shrink into his oversized trenchcoat. She stood slowly, her domineering presence rising as she was with her palms pressed into the marble table top, her eyes never leaving Sidney's shifty, wounded gaze.
"Mr. Glass, as I have already informed you, not for the first time I might add, neither Corporal Swan nor I are interested in being subjects of your paper for the time being. She is here for only a short time, and I think it would be wise not to parade her around town like some zoo animal when we already owe her so much for protecting our country, wouldn't you agree?" Regina raised an eyebrow daring Sidney to question her.
"No, no, of course not," Sidney stuttered, bowing his head. "My apologies."
When Sidney backed out of the room and Regina had settled down in her chair, she couldn't help but feel eyes on her and looked up to see Emma, a large smirk adorning her face. "What?"
"You get off on that, don't you?"
"Excuse me?" Regina asked appalled.
"Not like that," Emma abated quickly, though the smirk was still on her face. "You like the power trip."
"I am the Mayor," Regina reasoned. "I need to exert my authority over those less inclined to respect it."
"Right, and watching people squirm?"
"The perks of the job." Regina rolled a shoulder casually though the amusement on her face was evident.
"Well thank you, anyway."
Regina furrowed her brow and looked up from her papers. "What for?"
Emma rung her hands and gave a tight lipped smile. "I'm not used to people investigating my life unless they're trying to put me in another home."
Regina nodded, understanding the reason behind Emma's thanks. The young woman was and would continue to be almost as private as Regina. "Don't mind Sidney, he's anything if not dedicated to his job. I'm sure Storybrooke will have another scandal for him to report on."
"I hear the Mayor is the head of organized crime," the blonde joked.
"I'll let the underground drug cartel know you're on to them," Regina teased back.
Another knock at the door interrupted their laugh, and this time, even Emma looked annoyed.
The Sheriff whom she had met at the party peeked his head in and had the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry to interrupt, Madam Mayor."
"What is it, Graham?" Regina asked shortly.
He stepped fully into the room, his hands clasped around his belt. "Pan's boys again. They've vandalized another building - Mr. French this time. They've gone missing, but Maurice is threatening to press charges."
"They'll be wards of the state if they get one more charge against them," Regina argued, nearly rising from her seat.
"That's why I'm letting you know."
Regina sighed and pressed two fingers to her temple conflicted. "Do you have any idea where they are?"
When Graham shrugged, Emma looked between the two Storybrooke officials and spoke up. "They probably split up." When they both looked at her she continued. "When I was younger, a few friends and I got into some bad trouble, and it's easier to hide when there's more targets to find. They'd split up in different directions and lay low. I'd check the woods. You said they're kids?"
"Early teens," Graham confirmed.
"They're orphans?"
"More or less. A guardian who couldn't care less about their well-being," Regina answered with conviction.
Emma nodded, knowing very well what that was like. "They're angry and scared too. They'd want some familiarity right now, so check some obvious places. Known hideouts but secret rooms you didn't think to check."
"You talk from experience," Graham noted.
"First hand," the blonde confirmed with a slightly smug smirk.
"Do you have first hand experience in finding them?"
Emma turned from Graham to Regina and back again. "Yeah, I can find anyone," she said. "Search and rescue is kind of my forte. That's how I got promoted."
She caught the small proud smile teasing Regina's lips before the Sheriff spoke again.
"How would you like to be an honorary deputy for the day?" Graham asked.
Emma's eyes widened. "Me?"
She looked to Regina who seemed to be taking to proposition in thought. Finally the brunette nodded. "If you find them in time and talk some sense into them then perhaps we can convince Mr. French to drop the charges."
Emma considered it and nodded. She stood and slipped her arms into her leather jacket. "Okay."
Graham pulled up to Town Hall and placed the cruiser into park hours later. It had taken a good chunk of time to find the twins in the woods, but the other two teens who had hid out in an abandoned shack and the clock tower were relatively easy, given Emma's advice. It's where Emma would have hidden if she had no other options in this town. Seeing the boys, Emma was reminded of herself at that age, alone and pissed at the world. From what she picked up from Graham, the boys' guardian, a young man old enough to be their big brother didn't give two shits about them and spent his days reliving high school glory days. She had taken the eldest aside, a scruffy sixteen-year old with a scowl and a temper to match, and got him to tell her about vandalizing the shop. He had scoffed at her "it gets better" speech, but when she showed him her dog tags and clasped his shoulder, she promised that with a little guidance and some good decision making, he and his brothers wouldn't be as lost anymore.
"I don't know how you did it, but if you ever decide to be a Deputy, Storybrooke could always use an extra pair of hands."
Emma grinned and shook her head. "Not really a fan of your uniform."
"You can wear your own from what I hear," he enticed.
The idea of settling down in this town quickly coursed through Emma's mind. Apparently she already had a job, and she could see Regina and the kid every day. What was better than that?
At Emma's contemplative silence, Graham smirked and continued to enhance his offer. "If you want, I'll even look for a place for you to live."
"Oh." Emma said aloud when she realized that in her mind's eye, she'd be walking home to the mansion on Mifflin. She swallowed sharply at the thought, her mind betraying her. She was sure to give August an earful for planting thoughts into her mind. She shook her head and smiled again. "Ask me that again when I'm done my active duty."
"I'll keep that in mind." Graham waved as Emma stepped out of the cruiser and made her way back into the building.
Graham's offer continued to ring in Emma's ear, and during the walk from the lobby, past the court room, up the flight of stairs, to Regina's office, Emma seriously contemplated freshening up her résumé for the chance to stay in Storybrooke. She had only been in town for more than a week and she could see herself living there? God, there must be some magic in Storybrooke's water or something. Emma never liked to stay anywhere. Which was ironic since she constantly looked for home, but now? Now she wanted to stay. Well then, she thought, shrugging her leather jacket closer around her, that's a concern for another day.
Her fist was raised to knock on the partially closed office door when she heard the phone inside Regina's office slam down and the brunette emit an aggravated groan. Emma knocked twice and stuck her head inside offering a sheepish smile. "Bad day?"