A long time ago, in the Enchanted Forest….
Regina held her breath as she hid behind the long, crimson, velvet drape of her bedroom window. She was hiding from her mother, who was looking for her after a disagreement that they had about her future. She considered her mother's ideas for her life as outdated and unfair. She wanted to be free and to find true love, she wanted to explore the realm, get out of the walls of their home that confined her and distinguished her hope. She straightened up upon hearing her mother enter the room.
"Regina Mills, I know you are in here" she called as she squinted, searching each corner of the room for her daughter.
Regina peeked out from behind the curtain trying not to be spotted but her mother found her straight away. She approached her as Regina appeared properly knowing she wasn't going to get away with hiding any longer. She could tell that her mother, Cora Mills was about to give her a lecture and she couldn't stand it. She listened as her mother insisted she was going to marry the gentleman she was betrothed to. It had all been arranged and their family needed the wedding in order to remain in their social circles. Regina knew she was marrying a king, and that her mother wanted for her be queen, but she simply wasn't interested.
"Mother, I don't want to get married. I want to explore!" she exclaimed with a heavy sigh as she looked upwards and prayed for help from the one person she knew could grant her wish, the Blue Fairy.
"Regina, we have the ongoing ogre war and the dark one causing terror, the Blue Fairy has bigger things to worry about than you!" Cora insisted.
Regina sighed heavily. She was so desperate for her dreams to come true that she couldn't lose hope now. If they weren't granted now then she would be forced to marry King Leopold, and she just knew that wasn't what was fated for her future. She took a deep breath once more as her mother ranted and tried one last time to see if the Blue Fairy would take pity on her.
"Oh please help me" she prayed.
Suddenly the candles in the room were distinguished and they were both plunged into darkness as outside thunder clapped and lightening flashed in the sky. As Cora Mills grabbed a candle from the sideboard that she was stood beside and with a swipe of her hand lit it magically the storm was over. In front of her Cora saw the dress her daughter had been wearing in a heap on the floor, she gasped as she realised that Regina had just vanished.
Boston: Current Day…..
Emma sang to herself as she got on with her work. She was really enjoying her day and grabbed the torso of the mannequin that she had spent the best part of her week creating. Choosing the right head and body had taken her a long while but she was quietly confident that today she would finally finish her first mannequin for Geppetto's. It was the best job yet, she had been through many establishments but this one finally allowed her to get creative as she had always wanted. She headed over to the area where several options of lower body were on display. Placing the torso on the first pair she shook her head, the tone was too pale for the skin of the torso so she moved on. Daydreaming as she admired her mannequin she fitted her onto the next option and took a step back before realising they were the wrong sex!
"Whoops, sorry about that!" she smiled, talking to her mannequin as she moved her one more to another pair that were just perfect.
She continued to sing along with the radio as she crossed to the rail displaying many different arms and reached for a pair. Her manager was watching her through the many mannequins he was inspecting for quality that her colleagues had already completed. He imitated her singing as he grabbed his clip board to head over to where she was working. Lost in her own little world Emma fitted the arms, before deciding they were too 'butch' looking and changed them for a more slender set. Fitting them with ease she grinned. Her mannequin was just beautiful, enough to take her breath away and she looked at her in complete form with an adoring look. So proud with her work, she picked up her mannequin and as she sung twirled her in a half attempted at a dance, when she accidentally waltzed into her manager.
"Boss!" she exclaimed as she smiled and placed her mannequin back down on the floor, so that she was stood between them.
"I should give you the dummy of the week award Swan!" he exclaimed.
Emma misread the comment as a compliment and smiled as she glanced between her boss and her work. The mannequin really was a piece of perfection. She looked back to her boss.
"I know she is just perfect right? She turned out pretty real huh? And she has only taken me six days, I reckon I can knock out about four of these a month!" she exclaimed excitedly.
"I wasn't talking about the dummy Swan, I was referring to you. Four a month? Four a month? You are supposed to knock out four a day?! You're fired Swan" he yelled his frustration toward the blonde increasing.
"Can I at least finish her, she is my masterpiece and I want to be an artist" Emma explained.
She had tried all her life to get a job doing something creative. Something where it was acceptable to express her artistic capabilities and it seemed a shame she was getting fired from somewhere that was perfect for that without being at least allowed to finish the most perfect piece she had ever worked on.
"Get out Swan!" he yelled infuriated.
After her job at Geppetto's, Emma had a series of jobs but none of them were a success. She had a few days as a party entertainer but after an unfortunate incident at a spoilt, rich brat's birthday party involving a balloon that she gave to the kid after they insisted that they didn't want a stupid animal balloon and that they wanted the official business balloon because her father was paying for the party. Emma hadn't handled the situation well and after taking a barrel of abuse from the kid's father, she also then got fired on the spot as a result. Her next job was as a flower arranger but again there she didn't even manage a day. After making each arrangement into animals and other designs when that wasn't in the order specification she found herself once again fired. Her final job, making pizzas for a takeaway chain she only managed to hold onto for half a shift. Her boss there, an overweight Italian man, had watched over her closely and was growing increasingly frustrated with how slow she was when creating orders. All of the other employees just did their job. It was simple, grab a pizza base, cover it in sauce, throw on the cheese and toppings and get it in the oven. Of course Emma had to turn her creations into art and so spent much longer organising the toppings into a pretty pattern upon her base. Her boss stormed over having lost his temper and breathed against her neck as he glared at her.
"Oh hey, what do you think?" she asked as she glanced up at him.
"What do I think? What do I think?!" he yelled through gritted teeth as he got intimidatingly close up in her face.
"I'm fired, get my paycheque, and get out!" Emma squeaked as she went running from the kitchen before she could get in any further trouble.
Emma rode through the streets on her motorcycle heading to the other side of town, where outside department store Rumple's, Ruby was waiting for her to pick her up. She was stood with a group of the guys she worked with and hurried across to the motorcycle. She struggled onto the bike in her tight pencil skirt and wrapped her arms around Emma's waist.
"You know it would be nice if you could pick me up in a car. So where are we going?" she asked.
"Well….I'm not really hungry…." Emma muttered.
"What? You lost your job again!" she exclaimed.
She was desperate to get seen and so quickly pressed her cheek into Emma's back and prayed that the motorcycle would start up but it didn't. She rolled her eyes impatiently as Mr Gold, the regional manager of Rumple's walked out to go to his limousine. He stopped, glancing over towards the motorcycle and smiled as he called out 'goodnight' to her. Ruby glanced back quickly and with a tight smile replied goodnight also as she lifted her hand in a stationary wave. She was mortified and quickly looked away again just as the motorcycle started up and Emma finally pulled away from the sidewalk.
Emma took Ruby for a corndog from a local street vendor that she was familiar with, and they finished up their date after a long walk, with an ice cream as they walked back to where Emma had parked up the motorcycle. Ruby couldn't believe that her girlfriend had lost yet another job. It was just ridiculous and she was so fed up, and Emma teased her as they got closer about the fact her job at Rumple's was destroying her sense of humour. Ruby stood beside the motorcycle, waiting as Emma attempted to get it started but she wasn't having much luck.
"Look Emma, I think if we sleep together tonight it is only going to confuse things. You clearly need some help. Professional help" Ruby explained as she threw her trash from her ice cream in the nearby bin, and sighed as she stepped out between the parked cars to hail a cab.
"Goodnight, I am going home" she sighed as a yellow cab pulled up and she jumped in.
Emma was disappointed and watched as the cab disappeared and her bike continued to refuse to start. Then as she sat on the bike and began to feel fed up in the darkness, the heavens opened and instantly soaked her from head to toe. She was left with no choice but to walk her motorcycle back to her apartment. She pushed it through the now deserted streets, drenched from the head down and looking at all of the shop windows as she passed them. She passed a window that was still lit and quickly left her bike by the sidewalk and ran over as she recognised the mannequin at the window as her art from Geppetto's. She couldn't believe her luck or that she had found her.
Emma ran to the window and pressed her palms up against it as she smiled geekily up at the perfectly poised mannequin in the window. At that point she didn't care that she was soaking wet and that the rain continued to soak her through to her skin. She was just so happy that they had been re-united.
"It's you! I wanted to take you home but they wouldn't let me!" she exclaimed excitedly as she pushed on the glass and continued to admire her work through the glass.
The light faded and the mannequin was plunged into darkness. Emma was desperate not to lose her and pressed her hands harder into the glass as she disappeared.
"No! No!" she cried but she was still smiling as she started to back away from the window.
It was just a relief to know where her work was. She returned to her bike and decided to give it a go in the hope that her luck was improving. She tried to start it up and was ecstatic when it roared to life. She thanked her lucky stars and smiled as she looked back to the window just thankful that she could finally get home.
"See you tomorrow!" she called out.
The next morning Emma was up early and downtown outside of the store in which she had seen her mannequin in the window the night before. She stood on the sidewalk looking up in awe at the grand building, as a sign advertising the 100th anniversary was being hung. She was eager to get inside but wasn't quite sure she was ready just yet. Lost in her own little world she didn't notice a lady come up at her side. She was young looking like herself, with a bright smile, short, dark pixie light hair and kind eyes.
It wasn't quite right and she called out to the work men that it wasn't straight. Emma looked up again and actually didn't think it looked too bad, but the lady beside her obviously wasn't satisfied with the work being done. Emma glanced back down at the lady, who warmly smiled at her and spoke to her ever so sweetly.
"Oh how exciting, a customer lined up to get into our store!" she stated excitedly as she joined Emma and looked up at the sign.
"Do you like our new sign" the woman continued.
Emma nodded and smiled kindly back. The woman obviously was important to the store and Emma quickly took the opportunity to ask some questions in an attempt to find out some more information. She continued to look at the woman who was still glancing up at the sign and shaking a head a little at it still not quite being right.
"Have you really been here a hundred years?" Emma asked.
"Well not personally no, but this store was built by my grandfather and then passed to my father. He ran it until he passed away recently and now I am in charge" she explained.
Emma was quick to give her apologies at hearing of the loss the woman had suffered. It must have been terrible for her, a great sadness, but the woman seemed upbeat and positive nonetheless. She smiled at Emma once more as she explained that her father had been happy and died as he had wished. It was a joke, but had confused Emma and the lady had had to explain to her that she hadn't meant literally that he'd had a heart attack in woman's underwear, but in the department of the store. Emma had smiled and nodded her understanding, after her first thought that the woman and her family were just strange.
"That still isn't right!" she frowned slightly with concern as she glanced up again at the sign.
Emma looked down the street, along the sidewalk to where the workman controlling the supporting ropes for the sign was standing and carrying out her work. She just happened to notice that as the man stepped back, another workman was moving an industrial waste bin behind him. She called out to him but it was too late, he had stepped back into the path of the bin and tripped. Releasing the rope the huge sign suddenly dropped and Emma just new she had to try and help.
"Oh mind yourself mam!" she stated in a quick rush as she guided the woman forward into the doorway and went to grab the sign.
In an attempt to stop it swinging dangerously into everyone walking up and down the sidewalk she grabbed it, but it was in full motion and managed to sweep her up with it as a workman the other side attempted to secure it his side. Emma's eyes widened as she realised she was now stuck there, clinging onto a large sign that was dangerously swinging through the air. Her hands sweated and she felt nervous and sick wondering if she would actually get out of the terrifying ordeal alive. Down on the ground and in the doorway, the store owner who she had been chatting with gasped and called out to her. She couldn't be more apologetic to the young lady who had assisted in getting her out of harm's way.
"Young lady, you must let me make this up to you!" the woman insisted as she watched the poor blonde swing through the air and suddenly get a shock off of an electric cable as she knocked into it.
"I could use a job!" Emma called back seeing an opportunity.
The woman thought that was a reasonable request and quickly agreed. She called out to the young lady again asking her what type of job she was looking for. Emma couldn't think, she supposed she had just about every job so anything was a bonus. She advised the woman the same, and she called out to her again.
"Young lady, what is your name?" she asked.
"Errrr, Emma, Emma Swan" Emma called back nervously, as she tried to keep herself attached to the sign to prevent falling after feeling her hands slip.
The woman called back and confirmed she was hired. Emma smiled and felt her luck changing. She couldn't have asked for anything better to happen that day and she was eternally grateful. She thanked the woman and informed her she was available to start as soon as was finished with the sign.
Emma walked through the halls of the store, aptly named White & Co after the owners. After getting off of the sign she had learned that the woman who had just hired her was name Mary Margaret White. She was escorted by her through the large store that had more departments of goods than Emma could have ever imagined. It was a magnificent place, with high ceilings, tiled floors, show pieces and many floors. She was in awe as they headed through the perfume and hosiery sections and Mrs White told her stories of how she had walked the halls since she was just a child.
"The stars used to get their make-up done over there" she smiled as she pointed to a very exclusive looking make-up counter.
"Wow" Emma exclaimed as she smiled and followed the woman.
"I just don't know how I am going to make this store great again" Mary Margaret sighed as she headed for the elevators that lead to the offices.
She hadn't slept much in week's worrying about it. The store just didn't seem to be performing as well as it had done in the past and with increasing competition in the city she had been trying everything she could, but nothing was pulling in the crowds she hoped for. Emma glanced around and thought it all look great. She couldn't understand the problem. She was sure once the store actually opened it would be alright and told Mary Margaret the same. The woman stopped for a moment and glanced at the hopeful young blonde on her left.
"We are open" she confirmed with a sad sigh.
"Well lunch time then!" Emma confirmed hopefully.
In his office, the store manager Sidney Glass was deep in conversation with Mr Gold. He was plotting and scheming and informing him he had nothing to worry about when he suddenly heard Mary Margaret's voice in the distance. He informed Mr Gold that 'she' was there and that he would have to go. As Mrs White barged into the office unexpectedly, he was just hanging up the phone, and looking very guilty.
"Mr Glass, do you know what this young lady has just done?" Mary Margaret asked as she approached the desk.
It was clear to Emma that Mrs White was one tough chick, and that when she wanted something sorted or done, she was going to get it done. She was abrupt and to the point, yet sweet and polite at the same time. She was certainly unique and made Emma want to smile. She followed after her into the office, where at a desk a man who seemed very together was sat. He seemed unimpressed at the unexpected interruption, but Mrs White didn't seem to care at all, she had something to say to him and she was going to say it.
"Shoplifted?" he stated dismissively as he grabbed a file to make it look as if he was busy.
"No, she just saved my life! Those idiots you hired outside just nearly killed me. It is a good job I am not paranoid Sidney or I may believe it was on purpose" Mrs White declared.
Mr Glass looked at the blonde girl stood just behind his employer and eyed her head to toe as he dismissed Mary Margaret's comments, and judged the young woman harshly upon first impression. He took an instantly dislike to her. He looked back to his employer and tried to justify his hiring of the workman outside, insisting he knew what he was doing.
"Let's show her some gratitude Sidney" Mrs White insisted.
"Well, I think maybe $5 should do it" Mr Glass confirmed as he pulled a bill from his jacket pocket, and made half of an attempted to push up from his seat and extend it to within an inch of Emma's reach.
"No, No, I want you to give her a job. Take good care of her!" Mary Margaret insisted as she patted Emma on the shoulder encouragingly and made her exit.
Mr Glass sighed heavily as she eyed up the blonde once more and asked what she was qualified to do. Emma knew exactly what job she wanted to do at White & Co and wasted no time in hesitating to express that she was creative, artistic and wished to work with mannequins. Mr Glass sat back in his chair and shook his head before leaning forward again to address her on her request. He prided himself on knowing what a person was capable of, and well Emma Swan, she was definitely not good enough to be a window artist. He expressed that he had just the job for her and then the next thing Emma new, she was dressed in a white jacket and pushing a cart of stock.
It wasn't exactly her dream job, but she supposed it would do and at least it gave her the chance to take a look around, maybe find her mannequin and be able to get her out of the store. She pushed the cart through a few departments, fulfilling a few of the orders she had been instructed to deliver before she found a phone. She took the opportunity to use it and call Ruby. She hoped her girlfriend would be pleased by her news.
"You got a new job? That's brilliant. What is it?" Ruby asked as she sat at her desk, with an annoying colleague called Killian stood over her.
"Oh just like merchandising stuff" Emma mumbled, as she picked out one of the packets in her cart and examined it.
She was embarrassed to admit she was just a stock girl. Ruby had such a good job at Rumple's. She was in management, running the store and well they were the main competitor of White & Co, so Emma wasn't keen to identify her new employer over the phone either.
"Ruby, I am taking you out for a celebration dinner" Emma confirmed excitedly, after all she really did need to make things up to her.
From behind her one of the other stock assistants called out something about panties. Emma called back her understanding of the instruction and Ruby was quick to question her on it. The blonde didn't answer her but re-confirmed the plans and the time that she would pick her up later, before saying goodbye and hanging up.
"Panties?" Killian questioned as he draped himself over Ruby.
"I have seen her come to collect you Ruby. What are you doing with a little girl like her?!" he questioned getting very hands on at her shoulders.
He tried too hard and was a sex obsessed, self-acclaimed lover of females. How someone as stunning, beautiful and sexy as Ruby could be with a pathetic little girl such as Emma confused him beyond belief and he was desperate to have a piece of her. He followed her like an excited, obedient pup that couldn't wait for a treat. Ruby of course was bisexual, would happily take a man or woman lover but was not overly keen on Killian. She had to work with him but he didn't half make it awkward for her. He was so dumb though, his mind only ever on one thing which meant he was no threat to her; that of course made it easier.
"She can't possibly be satisfying you sexually!" he declared in a loud whisper within her ear.
"That is none of your business!" Ruby frowned as she jumped out of her chair and narrowed her eyes at him.
Annoyed Ruby glared at him as he stated that he would like to make it his business and get a hold of her gorgeous little bottom. She was insulted and slapped him in her rage at him. She was too busy for this rubbish today, she had reports due and things to do. She needed him out of the way.
"Our relationship is strictly business!" she told him firmly in a raised voice.
"Got that?!"
"Yes, Yes of course" Killian quickly confirmed as he got out of her way and returned to his own work.
At White & Co Emma was on the hunt for her creation. She pushed her cart around the lower floors, at the edges where she guessed some of the doorways led to the windows. Making swift work of getting through the hats section, she glanced around to check she wasn't being monitored and watched as she parked up the cart, and made her way towards a small white door that said private. She was nervous, not that she had realised until she placed her hand on the door knob to open it up.
A squeal came from inside and Emma quickly apologised and covered her eyes as she backed out again and closed the door. She had embarrassingly walked into a lady's changing room, and accidentally just caught half a glimpse of a partially dressed customer, who had been in the middle of trying on a garment. That certainly hadn't been the entrance to the window. She caught her breath and was aware her cheeks were flushed as she quickly returned to her cart and went to push it away.
"See anything you like?" questioned Mr Glass as Emma almost pushed the cart straight into him.
"Ummm, just looking for panties" she stuttered awkwardly.
He raised an eyebrow and stared at her firmly, as he spoke to her, his voice dripping with distain as he pointed out that she had found what she was looking for, however that the department she was looking for her was on the third floor. He smirked pleasurably as he watched her hurry passed him with the cart. Emma rolled her eyes and scowled as she pushed the cart through the hat stands once more.
"Arsehole!" she muttered, but the grandeur of building made her voice echo.
"Excuse me?!" Sidney questioned firmly.
Emma paused for a moment, glanced back and him with a smile. She had to think fast because she was sure he had heard her clearly.
"Nice hall!" she rushed as she glanced up and then hurried away before the situation could get anymore awkward for her.