THE BACHELORETTE~ Storybrooke Edition
One:
A joke.
That was how it all started. That was all it was meant to be.
One big laugh, that they could all look back at fondly and tease each other about. That was all it was meant to be. A silly little dare done while drunk on one of their weekly girls nights. Emma was still a little unsure just how the whole thing had happened, something along the lines of Belle finding an advertisment in the Daily Mirror. It was all still a little vague in Emma's mind but she was sure Ruby had spied the ad and brandished it in front of Emma's face, yelling something about how this would be the perfect way for Emma to get herself noticed as an actress.
With tears streaming down her face, laughing so hard that she felt winded and gasped for air, she logged onto her laptop and filled out the online form. That had been six weeks ago. Emma had forgotten all about that joke and had got on with her life.
The executives at the television station, however, had not seen the application as a joke.
Emma's throat felt draw and she was having trouble swallowing, like she had a massive gold ball stuck in her throat that was hindering her abilty to swallow and to even talk. She opened the letter with shakey hands and had to read the letter four times before it started to sink in. She had been chosen to be the next bachelorette. The show was coming to Storybrooke, and what was worse, they were casting next week for the potential men that would try and win Emma's heart. Was this really happening? Was Emma really going to be on a national show with a bunch of men taking her on dates? It was all so surreal and scary. Emma was beyond terrified. What if she met the man of her dreams on this show? What if she met her future husband? Worse still, what if she didn't?
Emma had never really watched the show. She couldn't understand how the hell a woman could be desperate enough to get on national tv, go out with a bunch of different guys, kiss them, flirt with them. It was always hard to tell if the men were in it to really find love or whether they just wanted fame and money? Emma had heard that once the woman chose the man she wanted and he had left her standing at the end of the show, holding a rose and nothing else, abandoned and broken. Emma was so afraid that this was going to happen to her. She had been abandoned enough in her life to know the pain and emptiness. She wasn't sure she could live through going through that on television. It would break her.
It was too late to go back now, she thought cynically. She had already filled out the form of what she was looking for in her perfect man. Well, on the plus side, she didn't need to worry about things like what dates to go on, or what to wear, or costs. It was all going to be taken care of by the producers of the show. She just had to turn up and go on the dates. And if worse did come to worse, she would be paid a good amount of money at the end of it. If she got lucky she could be walking away with a serious relationship. That was worth the risk.
So Belle kept telling her...
PILOT~
Emma shifted her weight from foot to foot. Nerves were a bitch. Emma hated them. Ordinarily she wouldn't care. It was acting, it was tv and it was what she wanted. Yet this was more than that. This was reality tv. It was her heart on the line. And for what? People's sick idea of entertainment? Emma wasn't sure it was worth it. She wanted to yell, she wanted to curse. She wanted to tell everyone watching this show that they needed to get a life. Yet at the same time she was eager to meet the men that were arriving to the mansion at this very moment. Emma paced the room that had be given to her, the place she would call home for the next few weeks while the show was being filmed.
Emma had to admit the room was nice. It was all toasty and warm with its large fireplace. The flames danced merrily in the hearth and the wood crackled as the fire danced and licked its way over them. It added a gentle ambiance to the room and Emma watched as headlights pulled into the long drive that wrapped around the front of the mansion. With each car that pulled into the drive it meant another man had arrived. Another guy that would try to vie for her heart. What were they like? Who had been selected? Emma had no clue. She was somewhat new to Storybrooke and hadn't had too much time to meet the guys that lived here. She knew her dad of coarse, and Mr. Gold. Then there was Archie Hopper, the town shrink. She hoped to God that the town wasn't just filled with old guys? That would be way too awkward.
Finally there was a soft knock on the door.
It was time.
Emma stood on shakey feet and tugged down the hem of the red dress she had on. It was short and sexy and Emma had to admit it was going to make a hell of a first impression. Something she really wanted to do. Both for the men and also for the producers and people watching the show. Emma had to try and remember that the reason had orginally entered this show was to help her career. Sure, meeting guys was a bonus but she had to focus on her long-term goal.
Emma exhaled and opened the door, fluffy her gold curls around her shoulders and smoothed the dress. "Yes?" She asked the technition softly as she opens the door.
"Are you ready to meet the guys?" He asks and Emma breathes deeply.
"Yeah, sure. Let's do it." Emma smiled and followed him down the halls of the mansion. She was immediately thankful that she had guide to lead her because if she had to walk through this massive house all on her own then she would be completely screwed. She would get all lost and turned around and either end up in the broom closet or one of the boys rooms. Try explaining that one away. Emma wondered, briefly, if she would actually get to see any of those rooms but shook the idea off.
She passed closed doors and her mind wandered. Up until she reached the staircase. With her hand on the gold gilded banister she slowly walked down the spiral staircase. The camera lights came on and a voice in Emma's head says "Showtime." With that Emma put on her most dazzling smile and followed the path out to the back yard where lights glinted and the sound of men's voices and the clinking of glasses could be heard. It was a short trek to the pool area but Emma took her time. Damnit she needed this. The last few minutes she would get to herself before she would find herself neck deep in wardrobe changes, make up chairs and hot dates.
A small gathering of hedges lined the cobblestone walkway and Emma found her hand reaching out to glide over the top of the green foliage. Her hazel eyes lifted to the sky, admiring the blinking silver lights that dotted the dark navy sky and she smiled. It was a beautiful night. Perfect for meeting her true love, she mused. Well, she hoped she would meet him at any rate. Her heels clicked softly on the stones as she walked. She wondered if anyone would hear her coming. Emma quickly decided that no one would hear her. The guys were being far too loud. Laughing, joking and general conversation would easily drown her out. It drowned out the steady rhythm of the waterfall that Emma knew was at the back of the entertainment area.
Emma took the small step up into the large entertainment area that contained a decent size pool, an eating area, barbeque, spa, gazebo and of coarse, the waterfall. Emma let her eyes wander around the entertainment area, to the men that were gathered and she felt her stomach jump up somewhere in her throat. How was she meant to pull this off? They were all gorgeous! Well, from what she could see at least. Emma had no time to wonder about this when she was suddenly joined by the host of the show.
"Gentleman!" He spoke loudly and there was a sudden and definitive silence, all eyes now trained on her and Whale. "Hello, and welcome gentlemen." He said jovially, a sentiment Emma couldn't find the will to share. Not when she was being gawked at. She could understand how it would feel to be a chimp in a glass case in a zoo. Faces pressed in on you all the time, sizing you up and cat calling to you, waiting for you to entertain them. It was terrifying. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Victor Whale, the host of 'The Bachelorette- Storybrooke.'" He chuckled softly and Emma had the sudden, irrational urge to slap him, wondering why he irrked her so much. "Of coarse, you fellows don't care about me, you're here for our lovely Bachelorette. Allow me to introduce you to Emma Swan." He motions to her and she smiles, trying to look each guy in the face as her eyes travelled over them.
"Now, tonight is a chance for you to meet Emma but more importantly, for her to meet you. Mingle, chat and get to know each other. Get to know Emma and get to know your competition. Remember to be yourselves and try to impress the lovely bachelorette. You all get three minutes private time with our bachelorette so work out what you want to say to her, and make it good. You only get one chance to make a good first impression. Good luck gentlemen and have a good night. Good luck Emma." Whale said and Emma flashed him her best fake smile.
"Thank you, Victor." She said sacrine sweet, not meaning it at all. Something about this guy was off and it rubbed her up the wrong way. Victor smiled and waved as he walked away, leaving Emma standing there awkwardly like a deer caught in headlights. Where the hell were the waiters? She needed a drink, and a damn hard one! As she went to take a step forward a glass appeared in front of her.
Emma jumped slightly in surprise and turned to face the man who was offering it to her and her heart stuttered in her chest. He was sin incarnate and Emma mentally declared that no man in the world had the right to be as sinfully hot as this man was. His eyes, bluer than the ocean, his hair, blacker than midnight, the dark stubble that lightly dusted his jaw which Emma was certain would always be there whether he shaved it or not. Studying him, Emma decided he wasn't the type to shave but that he still took great pride in his appearance. His beard was well trimmed and even kept even though it framed his face and he smelled like spice and honey. Emma had to fight the urge to lean in and bury her face in his neck, smelling him. God, but he was so damn beautiful. Where the hell did they find this guy?
His smile curved his lips as Emma took the glass, mumbling softly a 'thank you.' "You're welcome lass." With the reply and Emma fought a shudder. Even his voice oozed sex appeal. He had an accent that Emma wasn't sure on. Maybe Irish? Yeah, that had to be it. Especially when he said lass. It was almost a purr. Emma would have to be careful. A guy like this could do some serious damage. She opted for the best thing she could think of at a moment like this. She tossed him a dazzling smile.
"Hi." She said sweetly. "I'm Emma." The man nodded and motioned her to sit next to him at the gazebo. Emma supposed he wanted his three minutes and she lifted her brows. This one had self confidence. Or maybe he was just cocky. The jury was still out on that one. Emma followed him to the gazebo and sat down beside him. "So... are you going to tell me your name or do I have to guess it?" Emma asked with a nervous laugh. She was doing her best to pretend that the camera's weren't there but it was difficult. The soft sound of laughter passed his lips and Emma was struck wondering what it would be like to kiss those lips. Luscious Lips were the words that sprung to mind.
"Killian Jones." He said and Emma smiled.
"Well, Killian, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine love." He purred and Emma wanted to giggle. What the hell was wrong with her? She had met many hot guys, and she was all too aware that they were all jerks and she was smart enough not to go there, but this guy was getting to her. What with his charm and charisma and sexiness.
"So, Killian..." Emma began trying to steer the conversation into safer waters. "Tell me about you. Remember... you only have three minutes." She had hoped this would get him talking but it only seemed to make him all the more amused. "I am more than aware of how long I have to try and impress you." He said slowly. "I am confident that three minutes is plenty of time. Besides, I would like to wait until our personal date to truly get to know each other. Three minutes is no time at all." He said and Emma huffed. Damn but this guy was bold. It was kinda sexy if she were to be perfectly honest.
"You assume that I won't kick you out tomorrow." She said, watching him. Killian smiled and winked at her.
"No, I am more than confident that you will keep me around. I have a strong feeling that we have a long road ahead of us." With that he stood and smiled, wandering off into the crowd. Emma sat there for a few minutes reeling. She had never had a conversation like it. He was cocky, arrogant and sure of himself, but he was handsome, charming and Emma be damned to hell but he had been right. They HAD spoken for three whole minutes, she realised and she knew nothing about him, and screw it, she wanted to know more. She wanted to get to know him. She was going to have to give him a rose so she could have a one on one date with him and get to know him. She hoped that Killian wasn't as big an ass as he seemed to be. That would suck.
Emma stood and downed the glass of champagne, placing the empty flute on the tray that one of the waiters was holding as he walked past. Who was she going to meet next? She wondered. Even as the thought entered her mind a voice spoke gently behind her. "Hey, Emma. I'm Neal."
Emma turned to him and smiled, reaching out her hand. "Hey, Neal." She smiled as he shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you." She continued and he smiled genuinely.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. Can I have a quick chat?" He asked and Emma laughed.
"Of coarse! You all get three minutes. How about we go sit at the gazebo?" She asked and Neal shook his head, making Emma frown a little.
"If it's okay I'd rather not. I don't want to sit where you just sat with that other guy. I'd like to be different. How about we just stand?" He continued and Emma folded her arms.
"That's a bit formal." Emma huffed, feeling a little offended that he was suggesting it. "Why would you want that?"
"I don't think it's informal, I just think its easier. We're already standing so we can just talk and not waste time walking around and sitting down."
Emma sighed and nodded, unfolding her arms. He did make a pretty sound point she had to admit. "Okay. So... Tell me about you Neal?" She asked and Neal paused, seeming to think.
"I know we're meant to impress you and all that. The problem is I'm not sure how interesting I am in fact. I guess what you need to know is that I don't have a dad. He... well he.. died." He said and something in Emma arched up. He was lying. She could tell. She could always tell. Ruby called it a super power but Emma always laughed it off. No one had super powers. It was more like reading people. It was scientific, not magic. Emma wondered why Neal would feel he had to lie to her. She hated liars and was almost sure she stipulated that on her list of turn on and turn offs. Which then posed the question, why had the producers brought Neal into the show? Did they want drama? Distrust? To give Emma someone easy to kick off the show tomorrow as she would invaribly have to do. Neal was still talking and Emma was ashamed to admit she wasn't listening. She wondered if it was obvious that she had just wandered off in her own mind, not caring a whitt about what Neal was saying.
She chose to listen in, paying him the best attention she could muster. He was talking about moving back to Storybrooke just recently, having been living in New York but having to move back because of personal reasons and Emma frowned. It sounded genuine but something was off about it. Her radar was working overtime. She could just get rid of neal but they was something about him. Something almost kindred in the way that he spoke, the way he held himself and Emma wanted to know more. Seemed like she would probably end up keeping him around too.
Next to meet Emma was...
"Graham?" She gushed in surprise. Now here was a man she knew. Emma had been working at the deputy in town since she had moved here. She had always thought that Graham and Regina Mills had a thing so she had never made a move on him, even though he was cute and filled out the sheriff uniform in all the right places. Emma had made a point of keeping things strictly professional between herself and Graham, not wanting to complicate their working relationship. Now she had the chance to truly get to know him outside of work, get to know the man that was underneath the uniform. She could allow hereself the luxury of talking to him without the burden of professionalism.
"I didn't expect to see you here!" She said and was faintly aware of the men all staring. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew how this must look to all of them. The familiarity between them. Emma was sure they would all be thinking that therew was history between herself and Graham and honestly? There was. Just not in the way that they thought. It was work, that was all. They didn't need to know it though. Perhaps it would do them all some good, thinking that they had real competition here when it came to Graham. Though, maybe it wasn't such a great thing for Graham. The other guys might try and take him out, or sabotage him. Emma had no idea what these guys were capable of. She hoped that the fact that she was acting so familiar with him wouldn't cause him any unnecessary attention.
Graham simply smiled in response, placing his hands on his hips. "Why wouldn't I be here? Miss the chance to go on a date with our town's very own bachelorette? I'd have to be mad." He laughed and Emma found herself laughing with him. It was nice, she mused. "I admit that I found myself more than just a tad surprised and curious when Ruby told me about this. Why you let her talk you into it, I will NEVER understand." He continued and Emma shrugged.
"Ruby can be quite persuasive." Emma said and Graham nodded.
"Don't I know it?" He agreed, making another smile appear on Emma's lips. "Well, my time is over." He says and Emma nods.
"We'll talk again soon." She assured him. She wasn't about to give up on a chance like this. She had so many burning questions for him. He was going to stay.
Emma was feeling better now. She had met three of the guys and so far they were all so diverse and interesting. It was getting more and more interesting by the minute. How the hell was she going to choose who not to give a rose to tomorrow? Feeling more elated and confident in herself than she had been when she first stepped into the entertainment area, Emma found that her feet were leading her to one of the last two men here. He had his back to her, his sandy hair was shaggy and he was thinner than the others. "Hi." Emma said slowly and he turned to face her. He smiled and it seemed to light up his whole face. It was infectious and Emma felt happy. She was smiling unconciously.
"I'm Emma." She told him.
"Emma... It is truly lovely and might I just say, you are beautiful." He said and Emma felt the blood rush right to her cheeks. Was she blushing? On tv? What the hell was that about?! Emma didn't blush. Well, not that she would ever admit to. Then again, he was the first man to actually tell her that she was beautiful. "I am Walsh." He continued and Emma smirked, nursing her second glass of champagne.
"That's it? Walsh? What is that? Like Cher or Madonna?" She teased and he seemed to huff slightly.
"Something like that." He said evasively. Emma wanted to push him for more of an answer than that but she got the sense that the conversation was over. If she decided to keep Walsh around she would make a mental note to ask him about it later on. For now she would keep the conversation casual, like she had with the others, and would decide later what she was going to do.
"So, Walsh, what do you do for work?" Emma decided to stick with something that was easy and nuetral. He seemed to latch onto the question with ease which was what she had been hoping for and he relaxed noticeably.
"I own my own furniture business." He said and Emma nodded thoughtfully. A man that owned his own business was good. It meant that he was financially independent and secure. Emma liked that. Having been a bailsbonds person in the past she knew all too well that a lot men were blasé with money and it scared Emma at just how many men could swindle away the money both he and his wife had worked hard to make. As if money was unimportant. It also showed Emma that Walsh was reliable and knew how to prioritise. Something she so sorely needed when it came to a man. If Emma was looking to be serious and settle down she needed a man she could count on. Someone who could provide for her and whatever family they may eventually have together.
Emma bid Walsh goodbye when their three minutes were up and then she finally made her way to the final man. He, like all the others, was quite handsome. Though Emma had to admit that the hat was a little bit out there for her. He had been surprisingly reclusive and quiet the whole night and Emma was curious. While the other men seemed to be quite happy to get to know each other, he had spent the whole time in the corner talking to no one in particular. Emma walked over and sat down across from him, smiling. "Hey, I'm Emma." She says happily.
He seemed to look around for a minute, almost as if he wasn't really sure who had said that to him and was looking for the culprit before his eyes finally fell on her. She held the smile though she was wondering what he was looking at when it seemed apparent that he was almost looking right through her. Emma wondered if she should say hi again, thinking that perhaps he hadn't heard her the first time at all but his eyes seemed to come back into focus. "Hello." He finally said and smiled. The smile didn't seem to reach his eyes and Emma suddenly felt uncomfortable. It was weird, it was strange, it was disconcerting. He was talking about something strange, double lives and two minds in his head or something. Emma wasn't sure.
All she had gotten out of the whole three minutes was that his name was Jefferson and that he was nuts. Emma was almost positive on that one. She sighed softly. Emma had met all the potential candidates, had chatted to them and gotten to know them briefly. Her feet were sore from standing so long in high heels and her head was lightly buzzed from the champagne she had been drinking. But it was over. She knew that for a fact as Victor walked onto the entertainment area smiling that creepy smile of his.
"Well then gentleman. You have all met our lovely bachelorette Emma and she has now met all of you. It has been a long and eventful night for all of you but none so much as Emma. Now it is time for Emma to retire. She will spend tomorrow thinking about who she wishes to keep and get to know more and who she wants to send home tomorrow. Tomorrow night four will have roses and one will go home empty handed. Good night and see you all at the rose ceremony. Emma... if you will please." He motioned for her to follow him and Emma stood. She bid farewell to the bachelor's and made her way to her room.
Once inside, Emma kicked off her shoes, sinking a good four inches down to the flat of her feet once the heels were gone. She slowly unzipped her dress, grabbing her robe and heading to the bathroom. After a shower, removing her make up and her hair falling down her back in its natural wave and not the neat curls that hair and make up had spent hours on, she felt more like herself. Emma flopped back on the bed exhausted but her mind racing. So many cute men and all of them had the potential of dating her. It was humbling. Emma was going to have a hell of a time kicking one out. Well, maybe not tomorrow night. That seemed pretty obvious in her mind.
It had been a long day and an even longer and draining night. Emma wasn't sure, though, that she would be able to fall asleep. It seemed almost impossible. She never slept well in a bed that wasn't hers. And this place was new, strange and unfamiliar. Sleep was not going to happen, she was sure of it. Maybe she could use the time to go over everything that had happened tonight? She could remember every man, every face and name. Each one had his pro's and his cons. Emma's last thought before the comforting embrace of sleep claimed her was that she was looking forward to seeing what each man could bring to a date.