She's out of her element. She's so far out of her element, that she feels like some trained monkey that everyone has paid big bucks to see perform, yet all this animal is doing is dry humping it's trainer's leg. And there's nothing more uncomfortable than an animal making direct eye contact when they are going to town on that leg. That's exactly how unbearable this moment is for Emma as Regina's mother scrutinizes her from head to toe, very visibly loathing everything that is Emma.
Emma burst through the doors at exactly five o'clock and was informed that she was late. She hurried to Ruby's side, mumbling her apologies even though she was on time, while her friend just smirked, fully amused by the disheveled blonde. It's now five minutes later and Emma is informed that she is to work her magic while Ruby straightens Regina's hair to perfection.
"Her?" Regina's mother, Cora, spits in distaste while three people frantically move all around her to transform the older woman into a more approachable manager, because that permanent scowl doesn't express her ability to cooperate during an interview.
Emma ignores the spiteful inflection that's directed toward her and very carefully skims her finger over the indent embedded into Regina's delicate lip, remembering how she flinched the day before. The brunette stiffens yet again, but this time she recovers a lot faster as she glares at her mother through the mirror.
"I trust Ruby," is all that Regina says and even though it's stated with conviction, there's still an icy tone that sends shivers down Emma's spine.
Emma doesn't murmur a single sound as she focuses on the foundation seeping into Regina's flesh and hoping she can make this new red mark that appeared overnight disappear. She suddenly panics, her finger pressing into Regina's chin as she freezes-shit, did she wash her hands with Dove?
Regina's eyes dilate as she focuses on Emma's face that is quickly draining from all color. Regina narrows her eyes, silently requesting what the hold up is, but apparently doesn't want to vocalize her concern in front of her mother. Emma notices right away, so she quickly plasters on an awkward smile and screams internally at her hand to begin working again. Thankfully, it does.
"I didn't ask if we can trust Ruby, now did I?" Cora so cruelly inquires, causing Emma to flinch in response, however Regina, nor Ruby, or anyone else in the damn room for that matter, notices the woman's harsh tone. "Miss Swan, I trust you signed the non-disclosure agreement already?"
"I did, Miss Mills," spews out of Emma's lips as if her mouth is working on reflex.
"And you do understand, the moment you paint my daughter a fool I will not only fire you, but I will also guarantee you will never work in this industry again."
It's not even a question of if, Emma screws up, no, it's a damn declaration to the day that she will indefinitely fuck up once again. Despite every instinct that is screaming in Emma's head to run as far and as fast away from these melodramatic people as possible, she swallows down her fears and nods, for her family's sake.
"I get it," she mutters, tilting Regina's chin up a little higher without any thought not to touch the woman in such a manner, so she can make sure the color is even.
Ruby's thin stiletto presses down against Emma's flats, that are actually Ruby's anyways, but never mind that, because the pain is searing and snaps Emma's head up to glare at her friend. Ruby furrows her brows and shakes her head subtly, but Emma hasn't a clue as to why. Her eyebrows pinch together in confusion as she shrugs her shoulder and thankfully Regina's eyes are closed and miss the exchange entirely. Emma rolls her eyes, because she doesn't know what Ruby is silently warning her about and she just really wishes her friend had enough common sense to warn her before these meetings.
"Honestly, Miss Lucas, where did you find this one?" Cora sighs in annoyance, but Emma softly sweeps her thumb beneath Regina's eye and ignores the anger pulsating in her gut.
"She's my kid sister," Ruby casually mentions, sleeking down the shiny inky strands swarming around Regina.
"We are the same age," Emma grumbles under her breath, this new bit of information inspires Regina's long lashes to flutter back to life. Regina doesn't have to say a word, because Emma already sees the questions floating around in those big brown eyes. "We don't have the same parents, we were just raised together by my mom and her Granny."
Regina doesn't bother with words, her eyes slowly slip closed again and allows Emma to work in peace once more. She rather have Regina's eyes closed anyways, so she doesn't feel the judgement and scrutiny pulsating from them. It helps her relax so she can produce the best display to her ability.
"Well," Cora exasperates, "then it will be your career as well Miss Lucas if she does not live up to my standards."
"You betcha," Ruby instantly replies with far too much perk and enthusiasm, not at all affected by Cora's threat.
Emma's nerves about this older woman, who is already threatening to sabotage her within thirty seconds of meeting her, are prickling in fear. She knows that these aren't some empty threats, she can tell Cora means every word, but if Ruby could survive this long, she could too, right? She has a good head on her shoulders and has always been more goal oriented than Ruby Lucas.
She inhales sharply as her thoughts scramble around in her mind and completely is unaware that she just breathed on Regina. That is until cold, hard, accusing eyes are glaring back at her. Emma swallows and quickly steps back to avoid confrontation.
"Alright," she mumbles, reaching for the scarlet lipstick that will match the red splash in Regina's silk blouse, but the cranky woman is quick to snatch it away.
"I will do my own lipstick," she vacantly declares, catching Emma off guard once again.
This woman is a pistol and Emma knows she's going to have to find her composure over this woman, so she can fight fire with fire. Once her mind will finally accept that Regina is just another woman and grows accustomed to the woman's presence, then hopefully, Emma will find her backbone again.
"Yup," is the only word that falls stupidly from Emma's mouth.
Ruby peeks over her shoulder to flash Emma an amused smirk while she continues fluffing Regina's hair. They share a knowing look, one that simply states that Ruby is mocking Emma for her inadequate vocabulary whenever she's around Regina and Emma just knows it dammit. So, she quickly averts her eyes and shoves her hands into the pockets of her dress pants that Ruby forced her into this afternoon.
There's a sudden timid knock against the door, which somehow forces everyone in the room to rush around as if a fire alarm was just pulled.
"Five minutes, Miss Mills," a strange man's voice calls out through the door, encouraging Regina to stand from her throne.
Butterflies erupt in Emma's stomach like she's the one that's supposed to deliver some elaborate interview, while she observes carefully as Regina struts confidently across the room toward the bathroom and disappears without a word. Hardly one minute whisks by before the celebrity is reappearing, fully dressed in what Emma had seen laid across Ruby the night prior. Regina might as well be a damn magician for how quickly she changed.
Just one corner of Regina's mouth quirks up as she peers up at Jefferson and he plops her stylish black hat upon her head. It's a subtle sign of affection that she feels for the man, but it's enough to prove to Emma that there is just a person hidden away behind all that glam.
Jefferson readjusts the hat, pulls out a few of her silky smooth strands and smiles lovingly down upon her. Regina purses her lips and it's so obvious she's trying to be playful with him without anyone noticing. And that small, fragment of affection, is enough to send Emma's heart soaring, but she really isn't sure why.
This woman has been nothing but cruel and cold-hearted since the second Emma bothered her with her presence. There's just something about the woman that screams miserably alone, despite the massive crowds always swarming her and that, well, that's something the two of them might have in common.
"Jefferson!" Cora's shrill voice cracks through the air and slaps Emma back to the now. "What on Earth did you choose for my daughter? This was not what I approved."
"Regina and I agreed, she needed a fresh look for this new album," he carelessly replies, his hand waving around to ward off the bitterness radiating from the older woman.
"Mother-"
"You, hush," the fuming woman firmly demands with a boney finger poking at her daughter. "Regina Mills has a reputation to uphold and I will not allow any of you to drag her name through the gutter," Cora scolds the entire room into silence, despite her lack of height. The petite woman stomps across the hotel room, her authoritative heels clicking in disapproval as she reaches her daughter. She roughly grasps onto Regina's chin and forces her daughter's attention toward herself. Even though Regina is much taller than Cora, the older woman is towering over her daughter right now. "You are not some mysterious rockstar testing the world with your vast eccentric outlook on society. You are America's prodigy and they have watched you grow up before their very eyes. You are a role model with a reputation to uphold."
Emma swallows thickly, her heart thumping just a bit faster as she watches this woman degrade her talented daughter in front of a room full of people. She can't even imagine her mother ever being so crass and disapproving toward her and suddenly there's a different ache in her beating organ. She's fairly confident it's guilt and empathy for this outstanding woman and maybe, just maybe, she might understand now where all those tears miraculously appeared from in those movies, all those years ago.
"Cora," Jefferson luckily speaks up as Regina remains stone-cold, not blinking, not responding, not showing one damn emotion toward her mother's jarring tongue. "Regina's not a kid anymore. This is a new album, with a new style. She needs to express her different traits that make her, well...her. It's a positive influence for the young girls out there to see that they don't have to be labeled just one way," he attempts to defend his fashion choice while Emma nervously sways from side to side, half expecting this to be her first and last day in her makeup career.
Cora shoves Regina's chin away in utter disappointment before she glances at her fingertips, wondering if any makeup was left behind, so she can attack the new girl since she clearly lost this round. Emma holds her breath, even though she knows the witch will find nothing. Luckily, the older woman grunts under her breath before confidently strutting toward the door.
"The next decision that any of you try to sneak pass me without my executive final confirmation, will be fired." Cora's dark eyes glance over her shoulder with a vindictive fire burning murderously as she gazes upon her daughter. "Don't you forget who built you from the ground up and how easily I can make you crumble," she seethes, before slamming the door behind her.
"Gina-" Jefferson softly whispers, but the woman hastily interrupts him with venom dripping from her scarlet lips.
"Kathryn, move," she growls, storming through the room with the frantic blonde hot on her heels until they disappear from existence and everyone exhales the breath they were all clinging onto so tightly in their lungs.
"Jeez," Emma breathes, leaning heavily into Ruby's side. "What the hell-"
"You'll learn to ignore it," Ruby flatly says, smiling brightly and showing off each and every one of her perfectly white teeth.
"What? This is typical behavior?" Emma practically squawks in disbelief, spinning on her heels to gaze upon her friend.
The brunette shrugs casually and sets off on cleaning up her supplies. "Yeah, but like I said, you'll learn to live with it. After a while, you won't even notice Cora's tone anymore."
"Or the depressing look in Regina's eye?" She mutters under her breath, but her friend doesn't quite catch the small admission.
"What?"
"Nothing," she mumbles and carries her heavy feet filled with guilt to help Ruby clean up their mess. "So, do you guys not watch her interviews?" She curiously inquires and she's not entirely sure why she feels so nervous asking such a simple question, but it's there like a shocking bolt of lightening.
"Not...really," Ruby slowly replies as if this bit of information is pulling her toward some realization she never truly thought about before. "The interview isn't live or anything. We can catch it tonight."
"Alright," Emma drawls while her mind sputters on why, all of a sudden, after years of Regina in the spotlight, is she now finding herself curious to catch one of the woman's interviews. "Hey, so how does this all work now? What happens next?"
"Well, we usually clean up before Regina and her mother get back and then we retreat either to our own hotels, if we are out of town, or we go home. Unless there's another event after."
"So, we are free to go home? We don't have to wait around for a lashing? Get blamed for something that happened on camera?" She mocks, zipping up the last of Regina's makeup.
Ruby actually chuckles at this and nudges her kid sister's arm playfully. "Nah, we aren't allowed to be in the room when they return."
"Why? So Cora can continue running her mouth in private?" Green eyes roll at the audacity of the older woman, but Ruby is quick to grab her arm and stop her big mouth from proceeding so recklessly.
"Look, we all know she's...harsh," the brunette whispers, her frantic eyes scanning the room to make sure nobody else is listening, "...but, Regina will be the first to defend her mother, that's why nobody says anything. Jeffy, well, he's family and frankly, he doesn't give a fuck what anyone thinks of him, but other than that, we all keep our heads low, mind our own business, do our job and go home."
Emma sighs dramatically, her eyes rolling just to express her defiance toward the cruel situation, but inevitably she nods along. Because in the end, this money is far more important than the ill-tempered women she works for. She's on the right track to better her family and current living situation, so she can easily keep her head down, do her job and collect her money....right?
"Hey, I'm going to head out."
Ruby's inquisitive eyes flick toward Emma's as she offers another award winning smile. "Yeah, for sure. I'll give you a call tomorrow and fill you in on the schedule for the summer. Get ready girl, rest up, because the next day we are headed to Paris, baby!"
Emma's stomach drops out from under her. How the hell did she not even consider, until this very moment, that she has never even been on a plane before? And now she has to be trapped inside one, her first experience ever, for seven and a half hours. Her face instantly pales while the acidic liquid crawls up her chest and tickles the back of her throat.
"Yeah," she croaks out, hitching her bag higher up her shoulder. "Paris, baby!" She fakes enthusiasm and rushes out of the hotel room, avoiding human contact like the plague.
She inhales sharply, loving the sting of cool air as it flows through her nostrils and expands her lungs. Besides her hometown of Storybrooke and now New York, she has never traveled a day in her life. Her mother could never afford anything beside a trip to a park and now she's a struggling adult who never thought about anything costly besides rent.
She takes one more calming breath, pushing all her worries aside and walks calmly toward the elevator. Her fingers nervously strum against the strap to her bag that's lying diagonally across her chest while she waits for the doors to open. She presses the button that glows pink for the lobby floor, then checks her phone for any messages. When her screen remains blank, except for the adorable picture staring up at her, she types out a quick text to her mom and shoves her phone back into her pocket.
The doors ding open and she slowly exits the elevator, excited to spend an evening at home before her life whirls her around in a messy tornado that's sure to come. As she calmly walks through a narrow hall, something in the back of her mind whispers that her surroundings aren't familiar. Emma lifts her head, her eyes darting around the dimly lit hall to discover that this is not the main lobby.
Her fists clench tighter around her bag as panic sets deep in her chest and spreads like vines to an old brick building. She stops dead in her tracks and glances around again because she could have sworn she hit the button marked, lobby.
Then there's a smooth, yet commanding voice that's floating in the air and cooling the anxiety burning in her chest. Her heavy feet move to their own accord, following the voices as if she was placed under some bewitching spell.
Two extravagant double doors, decorated in a soft cream with gold trim, comes into view. She suddenly stops just behind one of the doors and eavesdrops, listening to Cora's sinister laugh bounce off the walls and echo through this underground lobby. Every little hair on the back of her neck stands to attention, screaming their protest not to enter. Her heart takes off racing, pleading with her not to take another step forward. Her hands even grip her strap tighter as she ignores her instincts, because Emma has always been very good at that, and she peeks around the door.
Just as she suspected, Regina is sitting ramrod straight next to her mother slash manager, and across from her is some redhead woman that Emma somewhat recognizes as a host from some stupid celebrity gossip show. Kathryn is hanging in the shadows, behind the obscene amount of cameras and blinding lights that would cause any rational person to sweat profusely.
"Your fans are dying to know," the redhead enthusiastically gushes as she leans forward in her chair. "Why the random breaks where you drop off the face of the planet? Where do you even find a place to hide out for months at a time without any paparazzi sniffing you out?"
Regina smiles kindly at the woman, but there's a nagging sensation in Emma's gut, telling her that the woman is acting. There's just something about that smile that says, rehearsed, fake, nothing more than a mask to protect herself. Emma's always been very inept when it comes to reading people's facial expressions. That's one thing she does pride herself on. Except for one, but that's the last thing she wants to think about right now.
"Well, I couldn't really tell you where I hideout now, can I? The paparazzi would be all over that place in a heartbeat." Regina chuckles to herself and it's so damn depressing how scripted every word, every laugh, every smile is forced upon her. "But I will say this, everyone needs a moment to themselves and I believe that it's important in my life to take some time with my family, in private, before I begin such a long world tour."
"And you deserve it," the interviewer happily concedes, all three women flashing their most impressive fake smiles for the rolling cameras. "Now, it seems you have some rather big news for your fans..." the woman trails off, waiting for Regina to jump right in and take the bait. However, the singer's face falters for a moment and Emma finds herself leaning even further into the doorway, suddenly enthralled with celebrity gossip.
"Oh dear, I would love to take the lead on this one," Cora cheerfully supplies for her daughter, resting her hand on top of her daughter's knee. Regina nods politely, always so poise and in control even if she is drowning in confusion. "Regina has been working on her next album, which will drop at the end of this year," she excitedly replies, while Regina's mask slips for a split second before she plasters on another practiced smile.
Emma's brows pinch together in confusion as she watches the shocked faces all around, gaping at Cora.
"Another album? You just released your latest," the redhead obtusely points out.
"Well..." Cora proceeds to bullshit some lie that Regina is obviously unaware of.
Regina's stoic dark eyes drift away from her mother's, away from the obnoxious redhead in front of her and seem drawn to the doorway. Where a certain blonde has no business being at this moment in time.
Emma winces, appearing to be apologetic while she offers Regina a crooked little smile. Yet, the brunette just blankly stares at her new makeup artist, so many thoughts flickering across her mind, but for some reason, Emma can't read a damn one when that professional mask is firmly set into place.
Emma tries again, flashing her most sincere and adorable smile to help alleviate some of the tension knotting in Regina's shoulders. Dark brown pools, swimming in concealed perplexity, squint at Emma before Regina dismissively turns her neck and focuses on her interview once again.
Emma sighs, because as much as she knows this woman is going to make her life a living hell, there's still something tumbling around in her mind that is just itching to uncover the real Regina Mills. The woman behind her fans, her makeup, her songs, her hairstyles and more importantly, far, far away from her mother.
She hitches her bag higher up and quietly sneaks away without another person discovering her where she definitely shouldn't be. She climbs back into the elevator and kicks herself when she notices the difference between lobby and ground floor. She rolls her eyes and jams her finger against the ground floor, waiting impatiently to just go home and spend the rest of the evening with her family.
She thinks about how she is going to summon enough courage to say goodbye in less than forty-eight hours while she hails a cab on the bustling streets of New York City. Cars are zooming passed, horns are brutally honking, but all of it is a giant blur to her. She spots a yellow splash and mindlessly tumbles inside the cab, rambling off her address and pretending she doesn't notice the cringe from the man who knows the awful neighborhood.
Her mind is screaming for her to reconsider this new job because three months is a long time to be away and so much could happen in that time. It's a crucial time to be present, but god did those zeros at the end of her salary look heavenly when she signed her contract yesterday. Sometimes money outweighs life, she just never thought she would ever have the option to choose.
Emma pays the cab driver and watches as he peels away, screeching tires and all. She sighs, staring up at the rickety brick building that used to be a shoe factory once upon a time. She shakes her head and ignores the cracked windows and the balconies hanging on by one screw. With heavy feet and a heavier heart, she unlocks the door and climbs the four stories up, wincing as the neighbors scream through the walls, along with a very unhappy baby and the awful stench of musk.
Finally, she tumbles through her door, hastily locking each and every lock with relief washing through her bloodstream. Familiar footsteps pad through the rundown apartment, creating the most giddy grin to spread across her face. Her green eyes dance as she sags against the door and kicks off her shoes.
"Hi," she breathes out and pushes herself off the door for a comforting hug.