Hey guys, this is part two of the series (if you haven't read Skyhigh I'd recommend you go and read it first or else this won't make much sense).
This is a three-chapter story, a lot more angsty than the first one, so please consider yourselves warned. *The character Maggie is not Mary Margaret (just in case you will wonder).
I hope you enjoy it, please let me know if you do :)
"Where are you?" Maggie sounded stressed and Emma pressed the speaker button.
"I'm coming, I'm coming" she guarantied while jumping into her skin-tight jeans, managing to almost break her neck in the process.
"You can't be late" she admonished.
"I know, I'm leaving my apartment now" Emma promised and ran to the kitchen. Not putting a lot of effort on her looks since she has no one to impress in that room, she quickly splashed tab water on her make-up free face.
"Just now?" she could hear her sigh "You promised" she eventually said, defeated.
"I know and I'll keep my promise." Emma spoke confidently while shoving her feet into her boots. "I have" she looked at the clock "twenty minutes? Fuck!" How is that even possible?
"Just come as soon as you can, I'll try to hold them."
"Fine"
Emma grabbed her phone, not bothering to end the call, and shoved it in the back pocket of her pants. She grabbed her keys and shut the door with a thud.
She walked through the streets of New York as quickly as possible while fighting the urge to crouch at the side of the pavement and throw up the contents of her stomach.
The last few months have been hard, extremely hard, and Emma had a tough time handling all the crap that fell on her. That included last night. Knowing what was about to happen today made her want to drown herself in booze. And she did. The fact that she's even alive right now, let alone walking to the meeting, is a miracle.
She took a right turn and climbed up the stairs. Entering the large lobby she heard her name being called. She turned around and spotted Maggie.
"Dear god" she exclaimed as she signaled Emma to follow her "How did you manage to make it on time?"
Emma glanced at the clock, to find that she indeed made it there on the time. A minute prior if she's being smug about it.
Maggie latched to the door handle but turned around, her abrupt turn almost causing a collision between the two.
"Remember, you let me do the talking. You want to say something, fine, you say it to me and then if I give you a go you say it out loud." She ordered "Think about it like that: you have a case but we'll win this only if you keep your mouth at bay."
Emma nodded her agreement and Maggie turned to open the door.
"Oh" she halted "I forgot to tell you, she switched her lawyer. Not that it affects us in any way."
A new lawyer?
They entered the room and Emma's breath caught in her lounges.
"Regina?" she squeaked and the brunette lifted her head "what are you doing here?"
Regina cleared her throat, seemingly uncomfortable with the whole situation.
"I'm Lilith's new lawyer" she responded.
Emma had to be dragged into her chair. She kept shooting daggers at her while the arbitrator explained the process.
"As you probably know, we would all wish to avoid going to court if it can be helped." He spoke calmly as he continued "This is why we're here. Since prenuptial wasn't signed prior to this marriage we're in need to settle the parting details including material objects starting from cars and apartments and ending with books, TVs and so on."
Emma chewed her lip angrily, regretting on skipping a gulp of some kind of liquor. Anything would help.
"I would like to remind us all that every part requires a compromise and we won't reach compromise until we learn to respect each other and discuss calmly."
"Like fuck I would respect her" Emma mumbled under her nose, luckily, no one caught it.
"I'd wish to start by understanding the background story including when you got married, how was the financial state at home during this time and the reason for the parting."
That's when the lawyers started showing off, each talking endlessly and in high terms. Though it could all have been said quite simply; they got married 3 years ago and when they got married Lily was working as a DJ. The minute they got married Emma took the financial burden on herself. Honestly she wouldn't mind spending most of the money, firstly because she earned a lot of it and also since she wanted the best for her wife and since her wife couldn't afford that level of comfort and lifestyle Emma was happy to do it for her. And she would've continued feeling that way if Lily had shown even the slightest of efforts to actually contribute to their joined income. But Lily started booking less and less gigs, claiming she wanted to be with Emma since their time together was so precious and rare. Eventually it ended with Lily spending all of her days at parties partying rather than working, wasting obnoxious amounts of money on excessive shopping and outside dining. Emma became the only provider, working her ass off at the studio while her wife flirted around like she was single.
Then the flirting turned to kissing, the kissing turned to cheating and Emma turned to the biggest fucking fool in New York City. Lily shagged her way for months, feeding Emma lies and she bought it. Why? Since she never had a family to call hers and when she proposed to Lily and she said yes, Emma finally felt the void in her heart start filling. Emma didn't want to throw that away, the only family she had, just due to some rough patches. And despite knowing in her heart that she was fed with lies, part of her hoped Lily would come to her senses and stop it. Not only she didn't, it got worse.
"As to the infidelity claims," Regina claimed calmly "allegedly" she added in afterthought "those couldn't be proven to the point of-"
"Couldn't be proven?!" Emma snapped and Maggie turned to look at her.
"Emma" she pleaded but Emma wasn't having any of it.
"I fucking caught her, in my house" she yelled, the vain in her forehead threating to pop out "after everything I've done for her I had to find her fucking another girl in my bed." her eyes watered and her voice wavered "In my fucking bed, the one I bought," she continued, letting anger fuel her "Fucking her with a ring-clad finger, a marriage ring." She turned to Lily who was still slouched in her chair "Our marriage ring. After everything I did for you, for us" she pointed at her. Suddenly, feeling overwhelmed by all the emotions that were swirling in her chest she realized it was the first time she admitted to herself, said it out loud.
She stood there, breathing in and out while everybody stared.
"So don-" her voice broke and she cleared her throat "don't try to act like you didn't, we both know the truth. I'm not even asking you to fucking apologize, that ship has sailed. All I ask is that you stop treating me like I'm an idiot, you've humiliated me enough." She stopped the sob right at the back of her mouth. She could feel her eyes water and for the first time since she started this rant she turned to look at the impeccably dressed brunette who broke her heart 5 years ago and was now helping another brunette break her heart again.
And what she hated most was that pathetic pitying look she was wearing, as if she wasn't standing with Lily fighting her to the ground. As if Lily hasn't broken her heart enough, no, now she is going to try make her the liar and steal half of her hard earned money.
"I didn't ask anything from you" she deflated "only to be my family, my first and only one. You couldn't even do that."
She was making her way out of the room when the tears started to fall. She didn't bother wiping them out nor answering the calls for her to come back. She kept charging forward, searching for a safe spot. Emma never cried in public and she wasn't going to start now.
Relieved, she pushed the bathroom door forcefully and locked herself in a stall.
That was when hell took over. She crashed on the floor while her body wrecked in silent cry. The hangover joined the party and soon she was throwing up, saying goodbye to whatever sense of dignity she had left.
What did she ever do to deserve this? This crappy, lonely life?
"Emma?" the blonde fumed at the gentle voice, who does she think she is?
"Fuck off" she gritted, sniffing and wiping her tear-stricken face.
"No" Regina said sternly and Emma's ears perked up "I left you once, I'm not making this mistake again." Her voice became louder as she approached the cell Emma was currently in.
Emma let out a humorless laugh.
"Who do you think you are? Who do you think you were?" she spat out in disdain "you're a fucking stranger on a plane, do you think you meant something me?"
She hoped the amount of venom and disgust in her voice would push Regina away, insult her until she doesn't feel any compassion left. Emma would take hatred upon pity every fucking day.
"I know I did" she said, still confident sounding and Emma snorted in return.
"You're delusional" she stated and started picking herself off the floor.
"I know you wrote that song about me," Regina said softly and Emma halted in her spot, paralyzed and petrified. When nothing was said in response, Regina continued.
"Right after you left me in the bathroom, when I came out you're scribbling furiously and you tried so hard to ignore me that I could watch you as much as I wanted."
Emma swallowed thickly.
"I saw you scribble 'Yet again' on the top. I know you wrote it because of me."
Finally coming to her sense Emma sneered "You were and are nothing to me." She tried convincing both herself and the brunette.
"Then why did you write it then?" Regina challenged and Emma scoffed.
"You were merely a trigger, this song was not about you." She went with the foggiest truth she could've gone with that would still pass as convincing enough for Regina to believe.
"This song is one of the most beautiful yet hurt filled songs I've ever came across. You won your first Grammy with that song, you melted the hearts of thousands upon thousands of people. It has so much emotion, pain and vulnerability in it that even setting you off and being the trigger for it must meant I hurt you pretty bad. I couldn't have hurt you that bad unless I meant something to you." She reasoned and Emma wanted to punch her in the face for being so fucking perceptive and smart.
She didn't answer. Instead, she opened the door and made a beeline to the sink. She heard Regina's almost silent gasp and she looked at her red as a tomato face in the mirror.
"Emma-" she tried again and Emma lifted her hand angrily.
"May I ask why the fuck are you here talking to me?" she asked, fuming. "I'm not going to give you more ammunition against me, if that's what you hope for." She stated bitterly. When she turned to face Regina, after washing her face, there was no ignoring the hurt all over the brunette's face.
"I would never-" she started and Emma cut her immediately.
"Then why would you even take the case? I bet you knew it was me all along didn't you?" Regina opened her mouth to reply but Emma continued accusing "and I'd also put money on the fact that she told you everything, attorney-client confidentiality and shit."
She turned to look at Regina, who was suddenly was looking extremely eager to keep quiet.
"She did, didn't she?" her lips quirked up but it look nothing like a smile.
"I-"
"How could you represent her, knowing that? Knowing me?"
Regina sighed while Emma looked at her expectantly, as if there was something she could say to make it all seem fine, reasonable even.
"It's my job, she is just another client" Regina provided lamely and Emma shook her head in disbelief.
"You could've dropped the case, it's not like you're lacking in the money department" she gestured to the expensive looking tailored suit and designer heels.
Regina bit her lip and cast her eyes down.
"I couldn't turn it down, one of my partners asked me for this favor. I had to."
"You don't have to do anything" Emma stated in defiance.
"But you chose to, you chose to come here and crush me to ash, as if I haven't been beaten enough before."
Feeling like there was nothing else she could say, Emma charged out of room, leaving a guilty looking Regina.
