So screw me and my other stories, I seem to be starting yet another 'fic. I probably shouldn't but eh, I guess inspiration has other plans.
Hopefully it's not too bad, it's my first step into the Once fandom! :)
That this had been a grueling day for her would have been a vast understatement, Regina reflected as she carefully shrugged off her tailored grey jacket and hung it up on the hanger by the door before stepping out of the pain-inducing high heeled sophisticated shoes her job required. If she were honest, she didn't think anyone should be kept in an office once the eight o'clock mark had come to pass, but alas, when the important paperwork required attention, she often found herself to be the one having to see to it and stay the extra hour or two given that she was the one qualified to both tread with and organize such important notes (the other secretary, Aurora, had tried once, and the office had made it quite clear that it was better that she never touch the files again).
Most days, Regina didn't mind. After all, the workplace itself was usually rather quiet and uneventful, and the peace and solitude of typing away, keeping accounts or seeing to the occasional hotel reservation in her own personal little alcove brought to her was not something many jobs had to offer.
Today, of course, had not been one of those days. And between having to classify Eric's flight to Argentina and seeing to the payment of Milah's speeding fine, it had been a near ten-hours since she'd had the opportunity to really sit down and take the chance to breathe a little, and once the front door closed behind her, Regina didn't even think that an emergency call saying that the nation was under imminent attack would be enough to get her to leave the house, which was saying something about how drained she was.
Shoes off and leather bag tossed carelessly on the table, she had been about to see to dinner for herself given that she had not yet had the opportunity to have anything much during the day when the all-too comfy-looking sofa made her change her mind at the last minute, and opting to have dinner later, she flopped down and sank into the designer leather couch.
It did wonders to her sore back and the gentle support it offered to her exhausted body was more than welcome, and she might have fallen asleep right there and then had it not been for Robin's quiet approach, a small plate of what must have been the share of the evening's meal he'd set aside for her for once she came back in his hand. It might have been a small, almost insignificant, gesture to anybody else, but it meant a lot to her knowing she could now simply relax in front of their TV without having to worry about paperwork and flight bookings.
"So, what kept you so long? Not another pompous hotel manager I hope?" He asked as he sat down, reaching for the remote control for their flat television screen and flicking the device on and turning down the sound before resting it back on the arm of the couch.
Regina scoffed, remembering all too well how last week's potential Chinese client had been especially grueling in his demands for luxuries and "little daily comforts" as he put them –what a joke. Why she had been the one assigned to seeing to his coming over, she still had no clue, but she was definitely going to have a word with Aurora about that one, pretty sure the other brunette secretary had just shoved the responsibility of looking after the picky client onto her shoulders because she hadn't wanted to deal with the hassle it would entail for her –not that she could entirely blame her for that.
"No, just paperwork, typing, phone calls and files, the usual really." For all that he might not look like the type, Robin's cooking was actually quite good, and his carbonara always delivered, even if it was a re-heated plate hours after the initial serving.
Leaning into him as he sat down next to her, the two shared the bowl in a companionable silence, the low sound coming from the TV a pleasant backdrop as they took the time to appreciate the meal itself. It was still something Regina was finding hard to get used to (but that she liked a lot none the less), the slow pace of a life at home, what with having spent almost seven years as a CIA agent and then quitting for a far more simpler job as a secretary. Granted, it was a lot less risky, especially since she'd decided to have a family of her own, but some days really had her wondering whether leaving her former post as an agent was well truly worth it. Today was definitely one of those days.
Well, putting a final end to what had been a glowing career was a bit of a strong word, if she really took the time to truly think about it. Truth be told, she was still in the business a little, given that her ex-superior had asked her to keep contact with a few of their assets, but it had been months now with nothing exceptional to report, and her life had just become calm and relatively peaceful despite the occasional loaded schedules, and almost what any ordinary person would have called normal. She was married, had a job and a lovely little girl sleeping in her white laced-cot in the room right above them, and Regina could not hope to be happier.
"How was the baby, she go to sleep all right?" She asked, setting the plate back down onto the glass coffee table before leaning into Robin's side, arms circling around his waist in an attempt to make up for whatever closeness they'd missed out during the day because of her impromptu delay at the office.
"It took a while this time, she probably misses her mother. You're better at doing all of this looking-after-the-baby-stuff than I am." He added, the knowing smile and light-hearted comment almost erasing the fatigue the day had kept heaping on her mercilessly. True, since the company had requested that she work overtime, Robin had taken to coming home earlier to look after their child, and while Regina was certain he put all of his heart into it, he still seemed to be in need of a little help here and there–if only she could manage to come back a little sooner, then she would be sure to make the most out of the time she had to spend with her family, and teach Robin that looking after their daughter was nothing to be anxious about.
"I promise I'll try to get back a little earlier tomorrow. And if I'm told to stay, well I'm half inclined to just wait until Aurora turns to her screen and list of flights for the upcoming week and sneak out the back door, I'd be willing to bet that nobody will notice. I have a wonderful daughter whom I do not wish to be parted from for too long in the day and a perfect husband with whom I pledged to live my life, I don't want to be spending my days working until impossible hours in an office if it means I'll be missing out on those wonders." She whispered, leaning forward to twirl another string of pasta around her fork.
As it happened almost every time she had the chance of having a meal at home, Regina found herself blessing her stars for finding a husband with such good cooking skills as the spiced pasta and perfectly cooked meat delivered an array of wonderful flavours once they hit her tongue. It wasn't something Robin often prided himself in, rather, he was more often than not embarrassed that his best skills lay in preparing meals and putting together dishes made from fish and spinach, but Regina knew she wouldn't have it any other way. Robin maybe wasn't the most extraordinary man out there, but his cooking skills were definitely something she'd learnt to appreciate over the years after they'd married, especially when he happened to have something ready for her on those late nights such as these, when she would come home too tired to make anything herself and have something so wonderful just waiting there for her once she passed the threshold of their home.
"Thank you, it's lovely." She managed to offer between two bites and flicking her gaze to the silent TV.
Sometimes, she really hated her job, feeling like much too big a weight was being put on her shoulders when her colleagues requested that she see to too many things at once, never taking the time to actually see the struggle she went through behind the position she held. Robin did though, for to him, she was Regina, not Madam Hood or "the strict-looking secretary for Hamelin INC", she was above all his loving wife, and coming home to someone who let her know how much he cared about her when spending the day at the mercy of ungrateful clients and prissy hotel-managers was the best welcome anyone could hope to give her.
"Difficult day then, I guess, huh?" Casually, his hand rubbed her aching shoulders soothingly, easing away the tension of the day little by little, and it was rather frightening how, all of a sudden, Regina felt her legs turn to jelly as whatever exhaustion she'd been pushing back for the past few hours crept back out of the shadows where it had hidden itself, almost making it feel like a chore to simply lift the light inox fork.
"If by difficult you mean a Chinese client making specific requests as to have an exceptionally costly hotel, what probably amounts to more than we ought to spend on fine wine bottles for him every-day, luxurious transport and a first class office in our building, then yes, I'd wager that he was quite difficult." She huffed in annoyance, not meaning to be snappish but needing to vent out her frustration with their overseas guest somehow.
Although the initial anger she'd been harboring towards their esteemed eastern-liaison soon evaporated when Robin began to massage her shoulders gently, helping the pent-up anger to evaporate and her tired bones to finally get the rest and attention they deserved and let go of any tension that might still be seeking to nestle itself in there.
"Just, let it go for tonight. Forget about it and try and think about better things. That carbonara for example, I'm pretty sure Roland would have rather ate it with you when you came back, but it was getting late and… "
"All right, all right, I get it." She said good naturedly, understanding where he was coming from. Truth was, thinking about the awful day wasn't going to do much to improve her moral right now, especially since Regina knew there was little she could do to change things, and instead of dwelling on it, she opted to curl up on the sofa, pulling over half of the blanket Robin had nicely tucked around the two of them, earning a cry of protest from her husband. Maybe he usually was an upstanding sportswear company manager, but only she knew how get that childish cheek out of him, and Regina knew she would be lying to herself if she were to admit that she didn't enjoy it.
Battling for who got the most of the cover eventually resulted in Robin offering her his chest to lean back into, his arms coming around her and the blanket safely tucked around the both of them, which wasn't too bad a result, given that she was getting abroad and sturdy man to lean into, and no way was Regina ever going to complain about that.
All tension gone, it was quite relaxing to be able to make the most of the movie currently screening on whatever channel Robin had been watching earlier, and the fact that she was, for once, ranted the opportunity to share such a tender moment with him was like heaven. Regina had only very rarely gotten the time to share a casual moment with her family since the whole talk about the Chinese clients had erupted at work, and in a way, she understood how much their investment was crucial to her company so anything to keep them on negotiating terms was necessary, but it also entailed that she spend less time with those she loved, and it was only now, wrapped in her husband's embrace that she truly realized what it was she had been missing out on for the last while.
"Once those pesky Chinese are gone, I'm definitely not staying once closing hour comes around." She muttered, the attempt to make it a bold statement thrown off by the way Robin looked down at her, one eyebrow raised in skepticism as a goofish grin played across his face, knowing better than to expect his wife to go against the decisions of her manager.
"Sure."
"I'm serious!" Regina argued petulantly, gently tapping his forearm and crossing her own as to re-enforce the boldness of her statement. "I'm pretty sure Aurora could deal with all this perfectly –actually, I think I might even let her see to our next Russian clients all by herself, given how she dumped me with the responsibility this time around." She added in a conspicuous tone, wide grin breaking on her face as Robin just shuffled her hair and brought her back to his chest, arms hugging her once again.
"Looking forward to see how that turns out." Robin assured quietly as he was about to drop his head onto her shoulder.
Of course, at that precise moment, Regina's mobile phone chose to go off in her pocket, disturbing the quiet peace the two had been enwrapped in, and the brunette almost wanted to roll her eyes at how the day seemed to be doing literally everything within it's power to make her regret ever stepping out of her bed that morning.
Sighing, she slid her hand down to the small pocket slit at the top of her skirt, pulling the ringing device out and had been about to bring it up to her ear when she felt her husband's hand on her wrist, gripping it gently so as to make her unable to take the call.
"Can't you leave it?" He asked, eyes wide and pleading, and for a moment, Regina almost wanted to indulge him, let whoever was calling deal with the fact that she wasn't going to pick up so she might finally have the chance to fully relax and actually enjoy being at home and free from work for a short while, but sparing a quick glance down at the caller's ID, she knew she had to take this.
"Sorry Robin, I really can't pass this one up I'm afraid. But I'll be right back, I promise." She said as she stood, up, stealing a kiss on his nose before skipping to the kitchen, knowing it was in Robin's best interests that he get no wind of anything she might say in the next couple of minutes.
At the third ring, she swiped her finger across the screen, effectively answering the call and brought the device to her ear. "Queen."
There was a shuffling sound on the other end of the line, that she was pretty much sure she could hear, along with a distinct panting and… Were those actual gunshots sounds she thought she could make out in the background?
"Agent Humbert?" She asked, more urgently, still trying to keep herself under control, knowing it would do no good for her to panic now, not if she wanted to avoid Robin getting wind of any of this. The less he knew, the safer he'd be.
When still no answer came, Regina felt her hand clenching around the device, the relaxed and peaceful atmosphere she'd been basking in only moments ago dissolving into something tense and hard, pressuring her down and making her heartbeat soar. "Agent Queen , Humbert, come in."
She took a deep breath, reminding herself to stay focused and make this brief, to not worry or betray any hint of emotion (not when there were potential civilian casualties in the room right next to her).
There was a cough again –a wet one, if Regina's ears were not deceiving her, and the shiver that ran up her spine was definitely not due to the cold- and more grunting as Humbert kept up his running pace before she felt him bring the phone back up to his ear.
"Humbert! It's Humbert! You have to pull me out!" And even a novice in her line of work would detect the note panic in his voice. Damn, keep it cool, Regina, it'll be okay.
"You need to calm down, Humbert." Deep breath, it'll be fine, he's okay, he'll live. "Tell me where you are, talk to me."
But despite her best efforts to keep her tone cool and as docile as she could make it, the man on the other side of the phone seemed to be sent into hysterics as she could still hear him panting as he kept up his pace, and when he coughed the next time, expelling something wet, Regina didn't need to think very hard to know what exactly it was he'd expelled. She'd spent enough time in a similar job to know.
"Humbert, say something!" She hissed into the speaker, desperate now for him to answer without having to raise her voice, any more and Robin would be sure to barge in, worry and concern for her etched onto his face, and while she appreciated everything he did for her, this was not something he could ever get wind of.
"They know! Hearts knows I'm not a dealer, they know!"
Hearts? Who was Hearts? She had to know, this was new information, and she needed to know more about it, right now.
"Agent Humbert, who is Hearts? Talk to me!"
Her knuckles had gone beyond white as she gripped the phone tightly, afraid that if she let her grip loosen even a little, she might lose precious information. Standing there against the counter, biting her lip as anxiety was quick to course through her body, Regina waited, hoping for the agent to make it out all right and to hurriedly tell her everything.
Anxiety wasn't something she was overly familiar with anymore, not since she'd been in the field years ago. Her simple job as a secretary, while often hard to deal with and stressful in its own rights, had never managed to reach the heights of what she could recall feeling when she'd be anxiously waiting to meet her first assets, back in the time when her days were filled with adrenalin drops and secret meetings Nolan would send her to, and the new wave of it she could feel rising in the pits of her stomach were most definitely not welcome.
Steeling herself against the rush of emotions, knowing reminding herself that she was the one in control, Regina gripped the phone tighter, bringing it impossibly close to her ear once again.
"Hold on Humbert, you need you calm down-"
"They know!" Was the terrified answer that cut what she'd been about to say. "You have to pull me out, they-!"
Whatever reassurance Regina might have been able to come up with went to waste as the very distinct sound of a gunshot echoed through the phone before a clatter resonated sharply in her ear, causing her to pull the device away slightly and wince as the pain traveled through her head. She leaned back onto the table, anxiously waiting for the agent to contact her again, but as the seconds passed and still the line was broken, what she'd been trying to deny became increasingly apparent, and it was only when Robin's worried face appeared through the doorway of the kitchen that what had actually transpired fully dawned on her like a ton of bricks. And it was not pleasant.
"Regina?" There it was again, the worried apprehension in his voice that made her long to be able to tell him everything, let him in on the details and horror of what had just happened and let him comfort her like only he knew so well how to do. And she'd been about to do it, spill everything and let him find the words she needed to feel better, only the knowledge of the danger he'd be in if she ever came to know everything made her stop. She couldn't risk him –her family, their child-, not in a thousand years.
"Regina, are you all right?" He asked, even more hesitant now as he knelt down in front of her, a tentative hand coming up to stroke the side of her face, a hand she immediately grabbed so as to anchor herself in reality, to remind herself that she was still here, okay, alive.
If she'd paid more attention, Regina might have noticed that her hand was shaking.
"Please, tell me what's wrong."
The crease in his brow, the earnest way with which he looked at her, begging to be let in, had Regina falter, wishing she could do just that, and it was only with great pain that she shook her head no, that she couldn't do this to him, to the man she loved with all her heart.
This was precisely why she'd quit the job, why she'd left the secret service after meeting him. She knew of the difficulty between the duty and the heart, knew how one could not mix with the other in such a line of work, but meeting Robin, that had changed everything, and it had taken Regina very little time to know that whatever they became, that she could never lie to him. Which was why she was finding it so excruciatingly difficult to have to close herself off to him now.
"I'll be okay, I promise." Give it a few days, Regina, everything will go back to normal, that isn't your life anymore.
"Thank you." She offered him a watery smile before kissing him on the cheek in an attempt to make him believe that everything truly was all right (which it wasn't, but he couldn't know that). "Mind if I take a moment alone? I'll come back to join you with a mug of coffee or something –just, give me a few minutes, I'll be right back. Need to make a call." She tried to make it sound casual, use skills she'd long since put to rest to convince him that it was the truth. Whether he truly believed her or simply decided to let her have her way, she wasn't sure, but she was grateful when Robin turned back towards the living room with no further questions, taking her up on her offer for a warm mug of something strong.
She sighed, taking a few moments to lean her exhausted body against the counter before picking up her mobile phone again, tapping the contact icon and flicking through the names until the long-since disused number and name appeared in bright bold letters.
Regina took a few moments to compose herself, remind herself of who she was about to talk to and how she ought to be in her right state of mind when speaking, not an emotional wreck before bringing the device to her ear, the ominous ringing as it called the number she'd just inserted making her stomach twist uncomfortably. It had been a long time since she'd made contact, even longer since she'd had to call for such an emergency such as this one, and she wasn't liking any second of it.
Eventually, there was a rustling sound at the other end of the line as a strong male voice took up the call:
"Nolan. Who am I speaking to?"
"Ex Agent Queen. We've got a big problem."