Once Upon a Time 1. Chapter 1

**I know I have another multi-chapter story on the go (that I will update soon!), but since the show has been rather depressing of late for Swan Queen shippers, I wanted to do a bit more of a light-hearted fic as well.**

**The main pairing of this story is Swan Queen, although some other couples pop up too. It's most certainly AU, and some relationships and facts about the curse may not be the same as the show (yay for 'artistic licence' and all).**

**Disclaimer: I'm a poor student who owns nothing…**

**This story is unbeta-ed, and so all mistakes are my failures *sobs***

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Emma Swan had a headache.

This was not a big surprise. Since becoming sheriff, she had had to deal with many frustrating situations, including, but not limited to: escaped Dalmatians, drunken hospital janitors and of course the rather irritable (and scary, Emma was loathe to admit) town Mayor. Alas, just because Storybrooke was small, didn't mean that its people led uneventful lives.

It wasn't even as if Emma had been living a boring life beforehand. She'd been firmly ensconced in the world of bounty hunting until two years ago, when a rather precocious ten-year-old had turned up unannounced at her apartment door, claiming to be her son Henry. After capitulating to a bit of sneaky blackmail, she had soon found herself driving her yellow bug to a strange little town in Middle-Of-Nowhere, Maine. On the way, Henry had spouted off a fantastical story about beautiful princesses, Evil Queens and a terrible curse. Emma had 'mmm-hmm'ed in the right places, but she was rather too busy focusing on the 'I really do have a son' aspect of the evening than fictional books about fairy tales. It wasn't until Henry had declared that his adoptive mother was the Evil Queen that she started to properly pay attention, and wonder about the woman who had been raising her son for the past ten years. She began to envision an ugly old woman, cruelly barking orders at Henry as he slaved away scrubbing floors.

Instead, she met Regina Mills, a worried single mother who was struggling to deal with her son's erratic behaviour. Regina explained to Emma, whilst plying her with apple cider, how he had been 'acting out' ever since he had discovered his adoption papers, and how the situation wasn't being helped by her demanding job as town mayor. She had also stated, with a terrifyingly polite smile upon her face, that Henry was not, and would never be, Emma's son.

The wisest decision would perhaps have been to return to Boston, never to bother the hostile Regina Mills or Henry ever again. However, Emma was not known for her wise choices, and now that Henry had barged his way into her life, she was reluctant to give him up. If the fact that his mother was rather attractive and alluring, despite her temperament, had something to do with her choosing to stay…_well, _Emma wasn't about to admit that to anyone, least of all herself.

What followed was a tense battle of wills between the esteemed Madame Mayor and herself, as she became deputy sheriff in an attempt to belong to the Storybrooke community, and Regina fought to oust her. Then an accident happened, with Henry becoming trapped in a mine shaft after trying one of his wild schemes to prove his mother was the Evil Queen. A grudging truce was called, as both women realized the only person getting really hurt was their son, and they began to work together in order to distract Henry from the ludicrous idea of fairy tales being true.

They now tolerated each other, to the point where they were able to have snarky exchanges without one of them feeling enraged and/or murderous. This was a good thing, especially since the then-sheriff, a man called Graham Humbert, decided to move away and work in a wildlife center, leaving Emma to take over his duties. She had finally become a permanent fixture in Storybrooke.

Of course, none of this could help Emma's current headache. She had just finished the largest pile of paperwork she'd ever had the misfortune of seeing, all thanks to Madame Mayor (who might not be a queen but who could certainly be evil), and now the phone was ringing.

Emma sighed. She hadn't even had a chance to stop for lunch yet.

'Hello?' she grunted, dropping her head to the desk in a quiet yet dramatic fashion. It would have been more impressive had anyone else been there to see it.

'Emma?' a timid voice came down the line. 'It's Belle. There's been a…happening at the library.'

The vagueness of the call did nothing to ease the pounding in Emma's head.

'A happening?' she repeated sceptically. 'What sort of 'happening'?'

'It's difficult to explain over the phone,' Belle responded earnestly. 'There was a purple cloud, and now lots of people are here. Mr Gold is acting rather strangely towards me, everyone is dressed in an odd fashion and…Oh my god, is that David? Is he hurt?'

Her voice sounded fainter, as if she had pulled away from the phone and was talking to someone else. Emma sat up suddenly and began to pay more attention.

'Belle?' she demanded, standing up and grabbing her keys.

'David's lying on the ground,' Belle responded after a moment. 'I think he's badly hurt.'

'Hang up and call an ambulance,' Emma ordered. 'I'm coming right over.'

Paperwork-induced stupor gone, she hurried out of the station.

* * *

Arriving at the library, the first thing Emma noticed was a huge crowd of people. It seemed as if half the inhabitants of Storybrooke were wandering the streets in front of the clock tower, with more spilling out of the library doors as she watched. She recognised the faces, but was stunned to see the strange outfits that adorned their bodies. Apparently Regina had failed to mention Halloween had come a week early this year.

'Emma!' Belle called out. 'Over here!'

David Nolan was being loaded into the back of an ambulance by the paramedics. Mary Margaret, wearing what appeared to Emma to be a strange white dress and wig, was in hysterics as she climbed in after him, giving a terrified cry as the engine roared into life and the doors slammed shut.

'What happened?' Emma demanded, watching the ambulance screech away, sirens blaring. Belle, attempting to wipe blood from her hands, turned to her with a dazed expression.

'An accident, I assume?' she responded, as soon as she seemed to find her voice. 'Honestly Emma, I don't know what's going on. There was a purple cloud, and suddenly the library was full of people! I tried asking them to leave, but they're acting all confused. Mr Gold was talking about how I wasn't dead, and he'd found me again. Mary Margaret was crying over David, and kept insisting that her name was 'Snow' when I tried talking to her. I didn't even realize she knew David all that well!'

Emma put what she hoped was a reassuring hand on Belle's arm. The girl stopped trying to wipe the blood away, and took a deep breath.

'If this is the town's idea of a Halloween role-playing game, or a joke or something…then it's not very funny,' she said in a low voice. Emma nodded in agreement, and took another look around the crowd that had formed. Blank or confused gazes turned her way.

'Seriously, guys, what's going on?' she half-shouted in order to be noticed. There was no reply, and she opened her mouth to again demand answers when loud shouting drew her attention to the interior of the library.

'You lied to me about Belle!' a man's voice screamed.

'You lied to me about the curse!' a woman shrieked back. Emma broke into a run as she neared the doors – she would know that voice anywhere.

'You told me she was dead. And yet you kept her locked away for all these years?' the man snarled. Emma pushed her way into the library, which appeared to contain the rest of Storybrooke's inhabitants that weren't already outside. She could see Mr Gold, who was dressed as oddly as the rest of the crowd, yet had gone even further, with gold, sparkling make-up covering his skin.

'This curse was supposed to work! It was supposed to bring me happiness! And yet, here we are, simply deposited inside another world. Jefferson's ridiculous hat could have done that! My father…my father died for _nothing_.'

'I had to make sure I would remember everything, Regina! I didn't have time to wait around for the saviour to break the curse. I need to start searching this world now. When I changed that detail of the curse, it must have…altered other parts of it.'

'You gave me a faulty curse, you mean,' Regina snapped back. She raised her hand, and Gold followed her example. Emma anticipated a punch perhaps being thrown, but instead they both stood there, hands poised. Regina began to grin.

'Oh look, Rumple, it seems that we really have come to a land without magic. I guess the tie to your little dagger won't save you anymore,' she leant in closer. 'Now, you're just as mortal and powerless as everyone else.'

Emma chose this moment to dive head-first into the fray, metaphorically speaking.

'Come on guys, this is taking the role-playing a little too far,' she announced loudly. 'David has been badly injured, so we're going to have to clear out of the library and stop all this…'

She waved her hand vaguely towards Gold's outfit.

'That,' she pointed. 'Although I do have to commend you on the costume, Mr Gold. Were you going for a 'Twilight' look? I knew they sparkled, but I didn't know they were so…golden.'

She turned to Regina, intent on continuing this train of thought, but the words died on her lips as she took in the Mayor's outfit. Gone was the usual power suit, and in its place was a skin-tight black dress and…was that a feathery cape? Emma shook her head slightly; shocked that Regina had ever agreed to wear the outfit. If she didn't know any better, she would have said that this was Regina's evil(ler) twin. However, she did know better – the Mills family was well-known enough in high society that hiding a second Regina would have been downright impossible. So instead, she decided to play along with the ridiculous situation for a minute.

'Nice…um…wig, Regina,' she tried as she looked at the poufy hairdo. She had to admit (but only to herself) that the Mayor looked rather hot in this outfit. Minus the crazy expression, perhaps.

'Excuse me?' the incredulous reply came. 'You will address me with my proper title, peasant. I am your Queen!'

'Peasant? I would've thought being sheriff would elevate me a bit,' Emma grumbled. 'Now, _Your Majesty,_ can you stop arguing with Mr Gold and tell all these people to go home?'

Mr Gold was already sneaking away.

'We'll just have to rectify that power issue, won't we, Dearie?' he called over his shoulder.

Regina lunged forwards, a snarl on her face, before Emma caught her around waist.

'Seriously, Regina?' she grunted as she tried to hold back the struggling Mayor. 'I don't think it's very wise – or nice – of you to play into Henry's fairy-tale-world fantasy like this! If he seeing this whole charade, it might undo all the work we've done this past year. What the fuck are you doing?'

Under the circumstances, Emma felt rather justified in swearing. Even so, she was expecting (and, for the sake of normalcy in this strange situation, hoping for) the usual 'Language, Miss Swan!' admonishment. Instead, the woman in her arms abruptly stopped struggling, and spun around. Emma found herself practically nose-to-nose with an irate Regina, which was never a good place to be in. Actually, her treacherous brain was whispering about how that was a lie, but Emma chose to ignore it.

Both women froze. Before anything happened, however, another voice had rung out over the crowd.

'WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?'

Regina Mills was standing in the library doorway, in all her power-suited glory. Emma slowly looked at the woman still trapped within her arms, and then at the Mayor standing at the entrance.

'Oh shit.'

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**Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated. Let me know if the story is worth continuing. Those poor Storybrooke inhabitants have no idea what's in store for them with their fairy tale doppelgängers…**


	2. Chapter 2

**I am so so sorry that this hasn't been updated in months! I was busy with exams for my last year at uni, so had to put aside all my writing. Updates should come more quickly from now on!**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and followed this story. Each email notification that came through made my heart jump for joy (even if it is encased in a wooden box ehehehe). I struggled with this chapter, and am still not 100% happy with it, but hopefully it doesn't disappoint.**

**One point: I know that Storybrooke version of Belle should be called Lacey, and have a different personality. However, chapter 1 was done before 'Lacey' aired. I won't change it, since I think library-lovin' Belle suits this story more than racy Lacey!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, not mine :(**

**This story is unbeta-ed, so all mistakes are glaring monuments of my failures *sobs***

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Everyone had fallen silent. Emma, being glared at by no less than two Reginas, felt her life begin to flash before her eyes. Leaving that last bear claw had been a mistake, she realized morosely. Then, she snapped out of her daze. Unclenching her fingers from the waist of the funnily-dressed Regina, she stepped forward and confronted the Mayor, who was stalking towards her with a thunderous expression on her face.

'Please tell me this is your crazy twin that your family kept locked in the attic for decades,' Emma begged before Regina had a chance to say anything else. 'I'm not sure I can handle a clone of you.'

Her words seemed to break the spell that kept the surrounding people quiet. A murmur rippled through the crowd, before Leroy the hospital janitor, or at least someone who had the appearance of Leroy, raised his fist in anger.

'This is all her fault! She ripped us away from our homes, attempted to curse us and even made herself a double in order to be twice as strong, no doubt!' he called to the group. 'But she no longer has her powers; she said so earlier! I say we take this witch down.'

Regina Mills had an affronted look on her face, as if she couldn't believe the audacity of what she had just heard.

'I am your Mayor!' she snapped, just as another voice rang out.

'I am your Queen!' the other Regina announced, with a disgusted look on her face. 'And I am nobody's twin or 'clone'. How dare this person try to look like me!'

Emma wasn't sure how it had happened, but suddenly the crowd of spectators had turned into a snarling mob, that began pressing inwards as fingers scrabbled to grasp onto either version of Regina. She threw her hand out, gripping onto the Mayor's wrist and yanking her to safety. Pushing both women behind her, she pulled out her gun in preparation for facing the danger. It was tempting to fire a warning shot into the air, which would have the bonus of making Emma look extremely badass, but she refrained. Regina was rather protective of Storybrooke's heritage, and would certainly not approve of bullet-holes in the library's ceiling. Besides, there was a possibility of someone being upstairs, and it'd be an even more awkward situation if Emma managed to shoot someone by mistake. She had to be content instead to wave her gun around with what she hoped was a menacing look.

'If anyone tries to attack Regina again, I'll arrest the lot of you. Also, my finger might just accidentally slip on the trigger and fire a round into someone's ass.'

The mob ceased its forward momentum, and Emma sighed in relief. Before she could even start thinking about her next move, however, Belle reappeared, this time wearing a dress in keeping with the fantastical costumes of the rest of the people squashed into the library.

'Has anyone seen Rumpelstiltskin?' Belle asked softly. 'I must let him know that I'm alive.'

'Oh, not you too,' Emma groaned in disappointment. 'You were acting normal just a minute ago.'

Belle did not respond. The young woman had caught sight of both Reginas standing behind Emma, with identical frowns on their faces. Her complexion paled.

'T..two of them?' She gasped in fear, before taking a deep breath. 'You will not separate us again! What Rumple and I have is True Love, and I shall save him from his curse.'

'I highly doubt it, dear,' sniffed the other Regina (Not-Regina? Bizarro-Regina? Eviller-twin-Regina? Emma really had to come up with something to call her). 'Although, I must find that imp also. He deserves to pay for his lies.'

'You…just be quiet!' Emma spluttered. Fists clenched, not-Regina looked for a moment as if she wanted to argue, but then seemed to think better of it as she eyed the waiting crowd.

'Belle,' Emma continued without pausing. 'I need you to go back to normal now, and stop talking about having "true love" with Mr Gold, or Rumpelstiltskin, or whatever you want to call him.'

'Why on earth would I be going after Mr Gold, when I have a gorgeous girlfriend waiting for me at home?' Belle's voice questioned. Emma twisted her head to see the version of Belle that she had conversed with earlier, and then turned to 'her' Regina, with an even more confused look on her face. Regina's expression mirrored her own, as the Mayor gripped Emma's arm.

'Miss Swan, do you have any idea what is going on here?' she hissed quietly. 'I certainly don't have some secret twin, and I highly doubt Miss French does either.'

'I may have just had a horrible thought,' Emma hissed back, eyes wide. She put away her gun, and pulled out her mobile instead, searching hurriedly through her contacts before dialling a number. Regina, she noticed, had not moved her hand from her arm.

'Hello?' a voice answered the call.

'Mary Margaret?' Emma asked breathlessly. Without waiting for confirmation, she plunged ahead, eager to test out her theory. 'Where are you exactly?'

There was a pause at the other end of the line.

'I'm at school, Emma,' the response came back. 'Teaching, like I do every weekday. You're lucky you caught me at lunch break. Is everything alright? Did you need to speak to Henry?'

'No, that's fine. So…you're not at the hospital with David Nolan?'

'David Nolan? He's at the hospital? No, Emma, I'm not with him. I barely even know him. Why are you asking?'

'No reason! What…what are you wearing?' Emma tried for nonchalance.

'Umm…Emma? I know we're close, being roommates and all, but I do hope you haven't gotten the wrong idea about our relationship…'

'NO!' Emma practically screamed. Regina leant in closer, trying to hear the conversation, whilst not-Regina seemed to be enjoying the look of distress on Emma's face. 'I just needed to know if you happened to be wearing a white dress and wig, is all. Gotta go, talk to you later.'

Emma hung up quickly, trying not to think about the awkward questions she'd have to face that evening, and turned back to the Reginas, the Belles, and the waiting crowd.

'I think we might have two versions of Mary Margaret too,' she announced, almost apologetically. She felt fingers dig into her skin.

'That is perhaps the worst news I've had in a long time,' Mayor Mills snapped, her eyes dark and her lips pressed into a thin line.

'I would have to agree with this imposter on that point,' chimed in the other Regina. Emma frowned. Of course Regina would bond with herself over her hatred of the poor, sweet schoolteacher…

'We need to work out how many people have…doppelgangers,' Mayor Mills continued, ignoring her counterpart. 'We need to sort out what exactly is going on here, and why.'

Leroy stepped forward once more.

'This witch cursed us all,' he gesticulated wildly at not-Regina. 'That is what's going on! And now she must pay for her crimes!'

Madame Mayor held up a hand, and he fell silent once more. Emma noted with some satisfaction that for all his grand talk, this Leroy still seemed to be scared of any version of Regina (and why Emma was satisfied about this was anyone's guess).

'I think we need to first deal with this mob,' the Mayor amended. 'Let us take all of these people to the town hall, and try to find some sort of solution.'

Emma stared.

'I am the sheriff of a small town in the middle of nowhere. My duties are meant to be rescuing cats from trees and putting up with you in a bad mood, not dealing with what are apparently alternate reality doubles-'

'We're from another world,' interjected not-Regina, with a sneer. 'Not an alternate reality, as far as I'm aware.'

'-who think they're named after fairy tale characters. I mean, really, Snow? Rumplestiltskin? I feel as if I'm on an episode of some science fiction show… And you! How can you be so calm about all of this?'

Emma was breathing rather heavily at this point. Regina, her face displaying no inner turmoil except for the slight twitching of an eye, leant closer in a conspiratorial manner.

'This is my "disaster mode", so to speak, Sheriff Swan,' she confided quietly. 'Tonight, when all this hopefully seems like a bad dream, I'm going to have the biggest glass of apple cider possible, and try to forget this ever happened.'

Emma pondered over this information for a moment, relieved that this Regina was acting her normal self, and that she wasn't the only one freaked out by the situation. Her and Regina were not by any means 'friends', tolerating each other mainly for Henry's sake, but she felt a strong sense of camaraderie with the Mayor in that moment, surrounded by people acting out of character.

'I really, really need alcohol right about now,' she admitted.

* * *

It was Ruby who came up with a solution. There was no way that the invasion of the town by these doubles could be kept a secret from the citizens of Storybrooke. Nor was there any place to house all of them in one place (no matter how much Granny would appreciate the extra business). Instead, each strange doppelganger would need to be paired up with their Storybrooke equivalent.

What had then ensued was a long afternoon of calling up unsuspecting citizens of Storybrooke, requesting that they come to the Town Hall, and then attempting to explain to them the highly unusual situation, even though no-one, including Emma, actually knew what was going on. They were then given strict instructions to prevent their doubles to leave town, to question them, and then to report back to the Mayor or Sheriff.

'We need to gain full knowledge about what has happened,' Mayor Mills had insisted, her face a mask of calm. 'And I highly doubt our only Sheriff can interview this many people by herself.'

Emma didn't even want to protest.

Some people took the news shockingly well. Ruby, with a large grin on her face as she ran around organizing the crowd, had loudly announced how amazing it was to have something interesting actually happen in Storybrooke. Others were decidedly not so open-minded, and once the hospital staff had overcome their own shock at the sight of their doubles, they gave aid those who were struggling. Archibald Hopper, the town psychiatrist, was being run off his feet.

Seven hours later, Emma had still not been able to have lunch, nor had she had any alcohol. She'd thankfully avoided becoming hysterical, however, and now the crowd of strangely dressed people had finally dwindled down. She slumped down on a seat.

'We've almost completed the database of the pairings,' Ruby informed her, sitting down to her left. 'Every new person had a Storybrooke equivalent, but I made a list of people from our town who don't have one.'

Emma glanced at a list being waved under her nose. Her name was right at the top, as she had now guessed it would be, and she was thankful to note that Henry's name had also been included. For all she loved her son, having two of him around might be more work than a double dose of his adoptive mother.

'Great job, Rubes,' she said tiredly. Ruby's attention was elsewhere however, focused on the pair of Belles who were talking to her doppelganger, Red. Emma instead turned to smirk up at the Mayor, who had approached during this conversation, and indicated the list.

'Guess I'm just too unique.'

'I think I too must be unique,' a smooth voice proclaimed. Mr Gold, who had watched the entire proceedings from a dark corner, had limped his way to join the group. 'I don't see another copy of me anywhere.'

'Oh no, Mr Gold, you definitely have a double,' Regina informed him snidely.

'He sparkles,' Emma added gleefully.

'Sparkles?' Mr Gold choked out.

'_Sparkles,' _Emma emphasized with a nod.

Regina's double, the 'Evil Queen' as everyone seemed to call her, had earlier been handcuffed to a chair after one too many escape attempts, and had spent the rest of the time glaring at the back of Emma's head. Hearing this, however, made her sit up straight.

'You let him escape?' she growled. 'You fools.'

'We do need to find him,' Regina agreed with a worried frown. 'We don't want anyone leaving town right now.'

'I think we should currently concern ourselves more with her,' Emma pointed to the 'Evil Queen'. 'I think she knows more than she's saying. And everyone seems to be scared of her.'

An almost-proud expression flitted quickly across Regina's face.

'I told you, I cast a curse that Rumpelstiltskin gave me,' Queen Regina snapped, beginning to struggle against the handcuffs again. 'It failed miserably, and my father paid the price of the imp's incompetence.'

'Suuure, and you come from the land of fairy tales,' Emma grimaced.

'Exactly!'

Emma was relieved to see that Ruby had gone to usher the last few people out of the Town Hall.

'Let's get your clone to the station, and interview her there,' she suggested to the Mayor. 'After all, Henry's safe at Mary Margaret's. We need to understand what's going on, and I think she's the best place to start.'

That call back to her roommate had been slightly uncomfortable, Emma had to admit. At least the topic had been about Henry, and not what Mary Margaret was wearing. However, both the schoolteacher and Henry were most likely out of the loop, having gone straight from the school to the apartment, and Emma wanted to avoid having to explain the entire situation yet again for as long as possible. She also didn't think leaving the Reginas alone together was the best plan (and truth be told, there was perhaps a _miniscule _part of Emma who didn't want to miss out on the fun). Instead, she un-cuffed the Queen, and pushed her out of the hall. The Mayor followed at a brisk pace, with Mr Gold limping quietly behind.

'I really need to have a big drink of something alcoholic, go to bed and wake up tomorrow with the realization that this is all a really weird dream,' Emma muttered, knowing that it was wishful thinking. Her Regina snorted.

'For once, we might be in agreement.'

The fresh air hit Emma's face as they exited the building, and she inhaled deeply. Turning to the Mayor, she asked, 'Want to follow me to the station in your car?'

Regina's response was drowned out as a thunderous rumble sounded, and the sky darkened dramatically.

'What is that?' Mr Gold breathed. He was pointing to a large purple cloud which had begun to roll into town from the forest. The group froze in the street.

'Belle described something like that. Last time, it brought all these people with it,' Emma recalled with astonishment. 'Maybe it'll take them back, and then I can hopefully just wake up.'

Emma, holding onto the handcuffed wrists of the prisoner, pulled not-Regina closer as the wind began to howl. Her leather jacket brushed against the feathery cape of the Evil Queen, and had she not been pressed quite so close, she would have missed the whispered exclamation.

'Magic.'

* * *

**Mwhahahaaaa. Magic is coming. But who is it going to come to? Dun dun duuuun.**

**Now that the humungous crowd of doppelgangers has been dispersed, we can have a lot more focus on 'Emma + Regina + Evil Queen' scenes! However will poor(/lucky) Emma cope?**

**Thank you for reading! Reviews are very much appreciated.**


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Once Upon a Time, Humor, Romance