Rise and shine, fine citizens of Storybrooke, today is going to be another perfect summer day with the forecast with promises of nothing but sunny skies ahead...
Regina groaned as she hit the snooze on the alarm clock, hitting the button twice before the radio cut off. She threw an arm over her eyes, wondering why the hell she set the alarm for six in the morning when she'd only just gotten settled in barely three hours before. She had spent only a short time on the phone with Zelena before finding clean sheets in a linen closet to put on the bed in the only bedroom that had a bed.
She had a lot of work ahead of her regarding the house as she had quickly found out upon her arrival. The former sheriff had been a pack-rat and everything the man owned before his death was still in the house, the other two bedrooms filled to the brim with boxes upon boxes, filled with who the hell knew what, but she was certain she'd find out over the course of the weekend.
After showering, and finding out the hard way that the knobs in the shower were the opposite where hot meant ice cold and cold mean scalding hot, Regina dressed for her first shift at the station. Uniform or not, she was dressed for comfort, not dressed to impress. Her favorite pair of faded, not to mention tight, blue jeans hugged her skin as if they were painted on. She chose her dark, navy blue button down cotton shirt and skipped the jacket, rolling up the sleeves to her elbows and leaving the top four buttons undone, revealing cleavage but not too much. She wore her regulated police boots, well worn and polished and paired well with the rest of her outfit.
She was satisfied with her choice in clothes and after a once over in the mirror on the back of the bedroom door, she headed out, deciding to dine at Granny's Diner just around the corner as she had no food in the house and no coffee to make. The ride was quick and the diner was packed, but she found herself a seat at the counter and placed her aviators in front of her as a grey-haired older woman promptly placed a menu in front of her.
"Welcome," she said with a slight drawl. "Can I get you some coffee, ma'am?"
"Please," Regina exhaled with a relieved smile. "Black, one sugar."
"Coming right up. When you're ready to order, just give me a holler."
Regina nodded, turning her attention to the rather basic menu she held in her hands while the woman poured her coffee into a small mug and promptly dropped a cube of sugar into it. Before the sugar cube could dissolve completely, as she knew it was far too much for her taste, Regina fished it out as soon as the grey-haired woman's back was turned and placed it on the saucer. She lifted the mug to her lips and sipped the nearly searing hot liquid, her eyes falling back on the menu in her right hand.
After an almost solitude and quiet breakfast, Regina drove down the street to the sheriff's station, finding it rather peculiar that the front doors were locked upon her arrival. After finding the right key on the key ring Gold had given to her the day before, she entered the station and was greeted with the very unpleasant smell of vomit with a hint of whisky.
"Woman!" A gruff voice greeted her upon the arrival into the main area of the small station. Regina took in her surroundings for a moment before turning her attention to the man in the first cell, the second one empty. "Do me a solid and let me out, yeah?"
"And why would I do such a thing?"
"I'll owe ya."
Regina scoffed as she approached the bars, ignoring the putrid scent of fresh vomit that hung stalely in the air. "You'll owe me?"
"That's what I said, sister."
"Don't bother," a man said from behind her, slightly startling her but not enough to break her stoic demeanor. "He's in for drunk and disorderly. Twelve hours. It's only been eight, hasn't it, Leroy?"
"I'm sober," he protested, all the while he swayed on his feet and grasped on to the bars to steady himself. "Let me go, Bobby. I'll sleep it off in my own damn bed. Tell you what, I'll even let you take me home and sing me a lullaby to sleep if that's what it takes!"
"Bobby Gold, deputy sheriff," the brown haired man with the shaggy moustache said as he extended a hand towards Regina, one that she hesitantly shook. "Leroy here is a regular."
"I'm a regular because you target me, you fucking asshole!"
Bobby shook his head and gently guided Regina towards the small, glass encased office just off to the side. "Ignore him. He's a regular here. One might think this cell is his second home."
"You're a daddy's boy, riding on the coattails of the mayor," Leroy slurred as he gripped the bars tighter until his knuckles went white. "You only got power cos daddy says so, you little fucking privileged piece of shit."
"Back off," Regina said as she snapped and grabbed a hold of Bobby by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the nearest wall. "Drunk or not, you will speak to him with respect and professionalism. Seeing how I am now your boss, I do have a say whether or not you continue to be a part of the department."
"You have no say whether I'm a part of this department or not," Bobby said through clenched teeth, his face red with anger. "My father will not permit this to happen."
"We'll see," Regina smirked as she grabbed the keys she guessed were for the cell and selected one. "I am the Sheriff, Bobby, and the only orders you shall follow will be mine. Beyond that, yes, your father will have a say, but for right now?" She sauntered towards him with a self-satisfied smirk promptly displayed. "You answer to me. You disregard my authority and I'll have your ass handed to you in federal court. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Did this man do anything else regarding breaking the law, Deputy?"
"No, ma'am."
Regina smiled at the short, balding man as she selected a key and tried it. When the lock clicked open, she pulled open the door to the cell and the man stumbled out with a grateful, relieved smile on his face.
"Take a good look around, sister," Leroy whispered to her. "It stinks of corruption in this town."
"Deputy," she said over her shoulder, ignoring the still intoxicated man. "Take him home and make sure that he gets inside safely, please."
Regina escorted the two out of the station, watching from the back door that opened to the small parking lot while Bobby Gold put the man in the back of one of the three cruisers in the lot. Once they were off, she headed back inside and was genuinely surprised to find she wasn't alone once again. A tall, skinny woman wearing shorts so short they could barely be legal was sitting behind the dispatcher's desk sipping from a Styrofoam cup.
"You must be the new sheriff," she said with a smile. "Ruby Lucas, dispatcher."
"I'm Regina Mills," Regina replied with a smile and an outstretched hand. They shook each other's hand firmly and she stepped back. "Have you worked here long?"
"Only since I graduated high school, so about eight years now."
"Perfect, you can show me around the station then, help me get my bearings," Regina replied and watched at the woman gasped and nodded as she jumped up from her chair.
The tour of the station was rather quick and Regina made notes on a small pad of paper as they went along. Ruby was friendly with a bright, bubbly personality. After she'd finished her coffee, she popped a piece of pink bubble gum that she proceeded to chomp on loudly while she conducted the rest of the tour around the station. It ended in the small office in the corner, the walls made of glass and covered with blinds that were open.
Regina came to several conclusions, one being that the former sheriff wasn't terribly organized considering the state of the desk and the rest of the office, and the other being that Ruby Lucas was dressed more like a prostitute than someone that worked at the sheriff's station. Had she been blonde, Regina might have appreciated all the skin on display and might have even allowed her eyes to linger for more than a handful of seconds, but even then that would've been unprofessional and unacceptable.
"I have a question for you," Regina said as she took a seat behind her new desk. "Have you always been allowed to dress as you please?"
"Uh yes?"
"You seem uncertain."
"Sheriff Graham never said anything to me before about the way I dressed."
"Perhaps Graham appreciated the show," Regina snapped. "Starting tomorrow, you will dress a little more professionally, Miss Lucas. If you show up in anything less than what I find acceptable, you will be sent home. Are we clear?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Another thing," Regina continued as she folded her hands on the desk in front of her. "You will address me as Sheriff Mills or Regina, not ma'am."
"Makes you feel terribly old, doesn't it?" Ruby asked with a wink and Regina couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, Sheriff Mills. I can tell you'll be enforcing change around here."
"As I deem fit, yes."
"Do you want me to run home and change? I can be back in ten minutes. I only dressed with the forecast in mind. It's going to be a hot one today and it gets really, really stuffy in here."
"If you wish to," Regina replied and Ruby turned on her heels, her flip-flops smacking the tiled floor as she sauntered out of her office and out of sight. Regina barely took another breath before she heard footsteps again, paired with the subtle sound of a can. "Mayor Gold," she said with a smile as she rose from her chair to greet him as he walked into her office. "Good morning."
He gave her a curt nod before placing a manila envelope on top of the desk. "I've taken the liberty of delivering your badge and gun to you personally. I see you've met Miss Lucas. She informed me on her way out that you were displeased with her state of attire."
"It's not appropriate."
Gold chuckled quietly and shook his head. "Not quite, no. Have you had the pleasure of meeting my son yet? I assumed he would've been here by now."
"Yes, I've had the pleasure of meeting Bobby," she replied, trying hard to keep from sounding sarcastic. "He's taken the man he arrested last night home and under order to make sure that the man gets inside his home safely. He can sleep off his hangover at home."
Gold was silent as Regina reached for the envelope and ripped it open. She ran her fingers over the badge before slipping it on to her belt. The gun was the regular issued glock, complete with two additional clips that were full. The holder was simple enough as well, one that would just clip on to a belt of any kind. She checked the gun, making sure that while it was loaded, that it looked clean and in working order. When she was satisfied, she clipped the holder on to her right hip and sat in her chair, unable to fight off her smile. Gold looked less than thrilled, but his stoic expression was nearly impossible to read.
"Do you have any questions, Sheriff?"
"What are the hours am I expected to work?" Regina asked, not wanting to mention that she came in at eight because it seemed like she was expected to.
"You are on call at all hours, even on weekends. Pick yourself up a CB from storage so that dispatch can get a hold of you if you are at home," Gold replied. "You may think it is rather excessive to be on call all the time, but this is a small town, and you'll find that there is not a lot of action like you saw down in the city. Monday to Friday you are expected here at the station, but you have no set hours so to speak."
"That seems acceptable and as you said, it is a small town. I'm sure not much happens here on a daily basis," Regina replied with a smile. "Is Bobby the only deputy?"
"Yes, but his hours are set, eight to four," Gold replied and Regina fought the urge to roll her eyes. Of course his son had set hours while she would be on call twenty-four seven. "If you have any problems with Bobby, you come straight to me. Understood?"
"Yes, of course, but I can handle any issues with Bobby myself."
Gold smoothed a hand down the front of his suit and his lips twitched, but he said not a word. He sauntered around the office, poking and prodding at different things, his face remaining in a stoic expression as Regina watched him.
"You may want to deal with this, ahem, clutter and soon, Sheriff."
"Did Graham have any family?" Regina asked and upon the look of confusion on Gold's face, she continued. "I am living in his house now and it's full of all his things. Doesn't he have any family or friends who would want his belongings?"
"Not that I am aware of," Gold replied. "Graham never listed any family and when we did a rather thorough search we found nothing that would suggest he has family here in Storybrooke or elsewhere."
"What am I supposed to do with all of his things?"
"Sell it, take it to the dump, donate it. I do not care. That house? It is yours now, not his such as this office now belongs to you," Gold replied sharply. "Do what you wish with the former sheriff's things."
"Was there ever an investigation?"
"Pardon me?"
"Into his death?"
Gold folded his hands over the handle of his cane. "It was a hunting accident. His gun backfired and exploded. Why would there be an investigation, Sheriff Mills?"
Regina clamped her mouth shut. Gold was angry, she could see it in the way his nostrils flared and his cheeks tinged pink. His eyes were darkening and dangerous. She knew that there was far more to this man than she suspected anyone in town even knew.
"I just wanted to make sure before I got rid of his things. If it wasn't an accident, every single thing that man owned could be considered evidence," she said and she swallowed thickly. "I just wanted to be sure, Mayor Gold."
"You truly are a city cop, aren't you?" He asked in an eerily calm voice. "It shows in your nature and your passion when it comes to serve and protect." He smiled but it was an empty smile and one that sent chills down her spine. "Now, as for the weekly reports..."
Mayor Gold explained the process of the reports she was to fill out weekly and bring to him no later than three in the afternoon every Friday. She jotted the information down on her pad of paper without glancing down as her pen scratched furiously. He cast a few curious looks at her before he wrapped it up and left the station.
Regina tossed the pad of paper down on to the cluttered desk and sat back in her chair, sighing heavily. Her eyes wandered over to the clock and she found it curious that Ruby and Bobby had yet to return. She walked out of the office and to the dispatcher's desk and found a list of radio codes and call logs. She pressed four and pulled the microphone off the stand.
"Deputy Gold, this is Sheriff Mills, 10-20, over."
After a moment, the squawk sounded and she hit the receive button. "Sheriff, I'm responding to a 10-56, over."
"What is the 10-20, over?"
"Main and Elm," he replied. "Where is Ruby?"
Regina rolled her eyes at the unprofessionalism Bobby Gold was displaying. "Return to the station, Deputy. Now."
"You know, I spent years studying all the codes and Bobby never uses them," Ruby said from behind her, startling her. Ruby spun around with a laugh and stopped, popping the piece of gum in her mouth loudly. "Is this acceptable attire for work, Sheriff?"
She was dressed in light green capris and a white t-shirt. She still wore her flip-flops but there was a lot less skin on display. "Yes, this is acceptable, Ruby," she said with a smile and rose from the dispatcher's chair. "Tell me, on average, how many calls do you field in a day?"
"Maybe one or two."
Regina clapped her hands together. "Perfect. Come with me, we've got some work to do."
"Doing what, exactly?" Ruby asked with wide eyes.
"I'm not sure why, but I have a feeling Graham's death was no accident. Where are the reports kept and filed?"
Ruby pointed to the row of filing cabinets along the wall. "Everything from the last thirty years is in there."
"Great. I want you to find his file."
"Me?"
"What do you normally do all day, Miss Lucas?"
"Uh—"
"Besides sitting behind that desk looking pretty?" Regina asked with a bit of a bite to her tone. Ruby was ramrod stiff and she glanced down at her hands. "Do you paint your nails and flirt with Bobby between those calls?"
"No."
"Then what is it that you do?"
"Please, Sheriff Mills, I need this job," she whispered tearfully. "It's always been very laid back and casual around here. Graham never minded that life around here was dull and he certainly didn't mind having me around."
"I can see why," Regina said huskily, her eyes raking over the brunette's body. Ruby Lucas was a very attractive women, but definitely not her type. "Find the file. I have an office I need to clean."
Regina turned and marched into her office and began the tedious task of cleaning up what the deceased sheriff had left behind. What she found was nothing more than clutter and reports that were half completed and dated back to earlier in the year. With a roll of her eyes, she began to make piles on the desk, one for the incomplete reports, one for garbage and the other for the pieces of papers she found with sentences or names written down, dates and times and nothing indicating what any of it was related to or what it all meant.
Placing those papers in the surprisingly empty top right drawer of her desk, she slammed it shut the moment she heard Bobby's voice just short of a dull roar as he yelled at Ruby.
"What the hell are you doing?" He demanded as he grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the filing cabinet she was looking through. "Answer me, woman!"
"Unhand her at once," Regina growled. "Now, Deputy."
When Bobby didn't follow the order, Regina drew her gun and pointed it at him. Ruby's eyes went wide in shock and Bobby tightened his grip before he let go and placed his hands in the air in front of him. Regina barely moved, her hand steady. She only lowered the gun when Ruby was no longer within arm's reach of the clearly deranged deputy.
"She shouldn't be going through this," he said as he waved back at the filing cabinets. "She is a fucking dispatcher and she has no right—"
"She is doing exactly what I asked of her, Deputy, now step aside and let her continue doing the job that I tasked her with."
"This is wrong, you have no right—"
"I have every right. I run this station now. If you have a problem with that, you can turn in your badge and your gun and leave."
Bobby Gold was shaking, his anger clear as day, a stark contrast to his father's controlled emotions. "You can't fire me."
"Why not?" Regina tested. "Because you are the mayor's son?" She asked, laughing sharply at the dumbfounded look on his face. "I am giving you one chance, Bobby Gold, one single chance and if you fuck up, you're gone. Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Regina smoothed her hands down her hips and flashed a wide grin his way. "Perfect. Now, I need some boxes. I'm in the process of cleaning my office and I need somewhere to put Graham's things until I decide what to do with them."
"Me?" Bobby asked as he pointed a finger at his chest. "You want me to get you boxes? Why don't you get her to do it, huh?"
"I am asking you," she said, gritting her teeth. One hour in on her first day and she already knew that life was going to be rather difficult working with a man-child like Bobby, who simply thought he can and would do as he pleased because of who his father was. "Ruby, continue to look for the file I asked and Deputy?"
"What?" Bobby snapped, his face now redder than a ripe apple.
"The boxes, please?"
He grunted and stormed off out into the hallway and a moment later she heard a door open and slam shut, no doubt that the privileged deputy had left the station. Regina sighed in frustration and motioned for Ruby to continue the job she'd tasked her with.
"Is he always like this?"
"An immature prick?" Ruby asked and she laughed. "Unfortunately he is."
"He keeps this up and he can kiss this job goodbye."
"You can't fire him, Sheriff."
"I can and I will."
Ruby shook her head no. "You actually can't. Graham tried to and Gold threatened him."
"Threatened him how?" Regina asked and Ruby audibly gulped and shook her head. "Miss Lucas, if there is something that I need to know, please tell me."
"I—I can't."
Leaving her to continue looking for the file, Regina returned to her office and sat down heavily in the chair. Something didn't feel right about how things were done in Storybrooke and something definitely didn't feel right about the town's mayor either. The wheels in her head were turning and being a seasoned police officer, she knew she couldn't jump to any conclusions without any damning evidence. She would get to the bottom of things, she would find out if things were just different because it was a small town or if there was something else going on, something anyone else would be blind and oblivious to.
Regina pulled open the top drawer in the desk and glanced down at the papers inside, staring long and hard at them as if she were waiting for things to make a speck of sense. When the station's front door open and slammed shut a few minutes later, she shut the door and greeted the angered, flustered deputy carrying several boxes with a sweet smile.
[X]
It was dark by the time she returned home, but the progress she'd made at the station throughout the morning only reminded her of the mess that was waiting back at the house. Her afternoon had been spent exploring the town and introducing herself to the people she met out on the street. She was tired and hungry and cursed at herself quietly when she opened the empty refrigerator. She grabbed the keys and headed back out to her car, making the drive to the grocery store a block away from the station.
Despite it already being past eight in the evening, the small store was busy. She stocked up on the essentials and found a shelf of wine near the back of the store and she gratefully placed the chosen half-dozen bottles into the shopping cart. She turned the corner and headed down the next aisle. A few people she'd met in the afternoon greeted her as she walked past and Regina simply just smiled, not in the mood to socialize with anyone.
"Sheriff Mills?"
Regina groaned quietly before placing a friendly smile on her face as she turned around to face the woman behind her whose voice sounded a little familiar. "Hello," Regina smiled at the blonde woman who was standing there holding a basket full of groceries. "What can I do for you, ma'am?"
"Oh, I'm Kathryn Midas," she said as she shifted the basket to her left hand and held out her right hand, one that Regina promptly took and shook firmly. "I'm Mayor Gold's secretary. We spoke on the phone the other day."
"A pleasure to put a face to the voice and a name to the entire package."
Kathryn blushed as Regina withdrew her hand. "You are not at all what I expected."
"That is the second time I've heard that in a handful of days," Regina chuckled lightly. "What were you expecting, Kathryn? A bigger woman, perhaps someone less feminine?"
"I uh I—I don't know honestly," Kathryn stammered, the blush on her cheeks deepening.
"I'll have you know that I am just full of surprises, dear."
"Right. What is that for?" Kathryn asked as she stared at the toothpick that settled where her lips met at the corner. It had become such a staple for her that when she had it she hardly even noticed anymore until she started chewing or sucking on it. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude."
"Not at all," Regina said. "I quit smoking a short while ago. The cravings are hard when they hid and this seems to help."
"That's interesting. Who would've thought, hmm?"
"Is there something you wanted or needed, Kathryn?"
"Oh no I just thought I'd come over and introduce myself. I suppose we'll be seeing each other on a regular basis."
"Oh we will, will we?"
Kathryn blushed even deeper and raised her hand to tuck a few errant strands of blond hair behind her ear. "I'm a regular visitor down at the station and seeing how you'll be handing in your weekly reports to me every Friday...yes, we will be seeing each other regularly."
"I'll be seeing you tomorrow afternoon then, Kathryn," Regina said with a nod, anxious to get her shopping done and to get home, perhaps enjoy a glass of wine or two before calling it a night.
"Of course. Have a wonderful night, Sheriff."
"You as well."
They went their separate ways, Regina waiting until she saw the blonde haired woman pay for her groceries before making her way up to the register. The man behind the register, the owner and pharmacist of the establishment introduced himself, but Regina's mind was in a fog and her only focus was getting home, taking off her boots and enjoying a glass of wine and some dinner.
She also had the file she had Ruby find for her that morning and she was a little anxious to read it with some privacy. The file itself wasn't thick, nor was it thin, yet as soon as it had been found, Bobby Gold's eyes were on her at all times, on her and the file.
The drive back to the house was quick and after she unloaded her groceries and quickly put together a garden salad for dinner, she sat at the dining room table, the only surface in the house that wasn't covered in clutter. She sipped her wine as she flipped open the file and began reading on the investigation into the former sheriff's accidental death.
The first red flag hit her the moment she realized who had done the investigation. Right on the first page was Deputy Bobby Gold's name and signature as the officer reporting the investigation. The more she read, the more she drank and her salad went untouched for nearly forty minutes. She had to hand it to the mayor's son, he had gone in excruciating detail over the very brief investigation into the former sheriff's accidental death, so much detail in fact Regina was more than certain she could just smell the signs of a cover-up. One that disguised murder as an unfortunate hunting accident.
The dusty grandfather clock in the back hallway chimed loudly, causing Regina to jump at the unexpected noise. She downed the last of the wine in the glass and shut the file folder quickly. It was past midnight, she discovered when she brought her nearly finished bowl of salad into the kitchen to dispose of the wilted lettuce in the trash.
Regina disposed of her toothpick, the end soggy and splintered. She rinsed out the wine glass and gripped on to the edge of the sink, struggling to find her bearings and finding it impossible to when the former sheriff's death and the details surrounding the quick investigation just didn't add up at all. Even though the case was closed, Regina had half a mind to re-open it and conduct her own investigation. There was something definitely not right going on and she suspected that Mayor Robert Gold was behind it all.
Before she could even strip out of her clothes and get ready for bed, the scanner she'd brought home with her squawked as an unfamiliar voice requested for her. A domestic disturbance was relayed over the radio and Regina tiredly responded to the call, informing the night dispatcher she would respond. She grabbed her badge and her gun and headed out to her car, the night dispatcher not only giving her an address, but detailed instructions on how to get there.
While arriving in a squad car was something that she should've done, she knew the advantages of arriving in her own vehicle had over the situation. Domestic calls were usually dealt with by one officer backed up by another on stand-by and usually within thirty seconds of responding. Her calls to the deputy went unanswered as she made the drive halfway across town to the address she had been given. Arriving undetected gave her an advantage, but zero backup put her a giant step backwards.
Upon her arrival at the scene, she pulled the Mustang to the curb and shifted it into park. She unlatched the strap on her holster as she exited the car and found a woman sitting at the curb and smoking a cigarette. The woman was, as she guessed, mid-forties, and her left eye was blackened and swollen and there was a slight trickle of blood rolling down her chin from the deep cut on her bottom lip.
"Ma'am, is everything all right?"
"Does it look all right to you?" The woman snapped at her and shook her head as a few tears fell from her eyes. "That asshole nearly killed me. Who the hell are you?"
"Sheriff Mills, ma'am. We received a call about a disturbance."
The woman snapped her head to look up at her with a look of disbelief. "Really?"
"Yes."
"Ain't nobody ever responded before."
"I'm here now," Regina said as she crouched in front of the woman and reached out to stop her from taking a double inhale of her cigarette. "Can you tell me what happened here tonight?"
"Steve came home from his shift at the cannery completely shit-faced," the woman murmured and Regina remained unmoving from her crouched state. "We got drinking, you know, looking to have a good time as we always do together, but he got angry and started yelling."
"Ma'am, what is your name?"
"Carla."
"Carla, is Steve your husband?"
"Not legally," Carla replied with a shrug and took a long drag of her cigarette. It was long enough for the cravings to kick back in and Regina was struggling. "He yelled at me, called me a barren whore and hit me."
"How many times did he hit you, Carla?"
"Ain't it obvious?" She asked as she pointed to her face and with a scoff, she took another drag and this time blew the smoke directly into Regina's face. "Four times," the woman said with a roll of her eyes. "He smacked me around four times before his royal asshole-ness locked me out of my goddamn house!"
Regina stood and glanced towards the house. It was small, the yard was unkempt and the sight of numerous beer bottles painted the picture so very clearly to her. Motioning at the woman to stay seated, she walked up the path towards the front door and rapped three times.
"Sheriff Mills, open the door!" She yelled out and after thirty seconds of no response, she banged on the door louder than before. "This is the sheriff," she yelled out. "Open the door!"
"Get the fuck off my property, bitch!" A man shouted from directly behind the door.
Regina drew her gun and kicked the door down, catching sight of the intoxicated man stumble back in surprise. "Are you Steve?" Regina barked and upon the lack of reply she reached for the cuffs she had tucked in the back pocket of her jeans while keeping her gun pointed at him with a steady right hand. "Either you come quietly or we'll make some noise. What do you say?"
"That fucking whore hit me first!" The balding man screamed and Regina moved more quickly than his ailed senses could react to and she twisted his left arm behind his back while grappling for his right. "What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm placing you under arrest, sir," she responded just as she managed to get the cuff on his other hand. "You have the right to remain silent..."
She recited the Miranda rights to the man as she forced him out of the house and towards her car. Once he was secure in the back seat of her car, she called it in to the night dispatcher and received no response. She tossed the CB radio on to the front seat and approached the woman still sitting on the curb.
"Ma'am?" Regina tried, but the woman seemed to be locked in a trance. "Carla?"
"What?"
"Do you want to press charges? Enforce a restraining order?"
"What for?"
"So this doesn't ever happen again."
"Steve is just drunk, Sheriff. He didn't mean any of it," she scoffed. "When can I pick him up in the morning? He won't be able to sleep locked up at the station and he needs to sleep before his afternoon shift down at the cannery."
"Eight," Regina replied tightly and the woman's relieved sigh told her all she needed to know.
The town, including the police force, was not under its own control nor did it enforce the law as was written. She had no idea before arriving in Storybrooke just how bad things were and as she got behind the wheel, she had an inkling that things were far worse than she could even imagine.
The call had turned out to be far more than just a domestic disturbance call, it had been a complete eye-opener in itself. After booking and placing the man in the second cell, the first preoccupied with Leroy against her knowledge, she placed another call out to Deputy Gold that once again went unanswered. The dispatch desk was also empty, something she hadn't anticipated as she hoped to meet the woman who worked the nightly dispatch shift.
She left the station in utter exhaustion with Leroy yelling out to her and Steve banging his head against the wall until he drew blood from the split in his forehead at the sheer force he smacked his head against the wall.
By the time that she made it to bed, Regina was solely convinced that her life in Storybrooke would be anything but the small town life she envisioned it to be. Sleep wasn't about to come easy and if it weren't for the thoughts in her head, it was from the stale heat in the bedroom that just lingered and caused a thin layer of sweat to cover her barely clothed body.
When the alarm clicked on a few hours later, Regina lay still in the bed, her eyes trained on a single crack in the ceiling just as it had been going on for the last handful of hours.
It's going to be another beautiful summer day, Storybrooke, so I hope you have plans to spend this weekend enjoying the most out of the sunny, sunny day!
Regina hit her fist against the alarm, breakingit and rendering her into much needed silence. She had wanted change and shesure as hell was about to get it.