Hey SwanQueen lovers! I know I probably shouldn't be starting another fic while I'm still writing the legends, but I needed something light hearted and fun to play with. Life sucks and I miss Regina! I don't own any characters and all that jazz. Hope you like it. Let me know what you think!
Regina Mills was running late for her next appointment. The secretary of Joseph Radley Middle School had called her an hour ago, interrupting her meeting with a divorcing couple, to announce that her son had gotten into yet another fight at school. She had excused herself from the room to take the call and a few moments later advised the ex couple that she would have to reschedule their meeting. Henry had been getting into more and more fights ever since her own divorce a year ago. She knew he was acting up because he missed his father, but she was unable to control his behaviour.
Robin had left them both for another woman that he'd somehow managed to get pregnant. The man hadn't even had the courage to tell Regina face to face that he was leaving her. She had arrived in her office one morning to find a note scribbled on top of her paperwork which explained that Robin had been having an affair for 6 months with a woman called Zelena and she was carrying his child. He went on to explain that due to the fact he and Regina could not have children of their own, he was taking the pregnancy as a sign from God that it was never meant to be between him and his soon to be ex wife. He also stated, with no emotion whatsoever, that he had never felt a connection with her adopted son and he did not wish to continue contact with him.
Regina had been relieved at first knowing that she wouldn't have to face custody battles, but when Henry found out the truth after snooping through her private files one day, he went off the rails. She had tried to protect him and lied saying that Robin just needed some time and that he would call him soon enough to arrange something, but the call never came and after 4 months trying to protect him, Henry found the note and punished Regina for lying to him by not speaking to her for 3 weeks.
After that, he started to cling to her a lot more than before, apologising all the time and begging her not to send him away. Of course, Regina would never do that to her boy. She had raised him since birth and to her, he was and always would be her child. She had been honest with him as soon as he started asking questions about his father when he was four. She told him how she had chosen him to be her son and raised him alone for many years and he had loved to hear stories of how special he was to her.
Regina met Robin through a blind data set up when Henry was 9. She had been reluctant at first to introduce them as she was pretty certain that Robin wouldn't be around for too long. However, after 8 months of dating, Robin proposed and she accepted. He had wanted children so much and to be a part of Henry's life, she felt almost guilty for not allowing him access to her precious son beforehand.
Robin was playful with Henry and taught him how to build a campfire, make a bow and arrow from sticks and Regina was happy that her son had a father figure in his life. For a few years, everything seemed perfect. Robin was a contractor and often spent weeks away from home which suited Regina just fine as she had never really felt comfortable sharing her space constantly with anyone other than her son. Their sex life had been quite awful but Regina chose to overlook it. It had been so long since she'd been with anyone before Robin that she had just assumed it was normal to not be that into it and it was something they could work on in the future. It never improved and eventually, Regina made more and more excuses to avoid sexual contact with him.
If she was honest, she knew about his cheating and she had turned a blind eye. Better he gets it with someone willing and leaves me alone. She'd thought. She never thought he would leave her completely though. After all, she was extremely wealthy, undemanding and he really could do as he pleased. The note was a shock but deep down, she really didn't care anymore.
Regina pulled up at the school and Henry flopped down in the passenger seat. He had recently turned 13 and his legs didn't quite fit comfortably in the small convertible any longer. Regina stared at her son, eyebrow raised, waiting for an explanation.
"It wasn't my fault, I swear!" He whined and placed the ice pack on his eye which Regina now noticed was extremely red and swollen.
"Explain. Now, Henry Daniel Mills." She said determinedly. She wasn't going to let this one slide.
"It's nothing Mom, honestly. Just some stupid jock crap. I'm sorry ok, it won't happen again I promise."
Regina didn't believe that it wouldn't happen again but he was now suspended for a week so at least she would be able to keep him out of trouble in the mean time. She started the engine with a sigh and continued, "You know I'm going to have to ground you."
"But Mom..."
"AND, no Internet for a week." She continued, ignoring his protest.
Henry shut up instantly knowing that if he said anything else she would take away his Xbox and t.v. rights too. If she knew the truth, she'd be straight on the phone to the Principle and that was something he couldn't risk.
After dropping Henry at home, Regina glanced at the clock on the dashboard. She was fifteen minutes late for her last appointment. She grabbed her BlackBerry and tapped in the number as she read it from the file of her next client and text:
Regina: My deepest apologies. I will be running late if you could possibly wait another 15 minutes and you will have my undivided attention. Regards, Ms. Mills
She drove frantically back to her building, which luckily wasn't that far away from home, parked up and almost ran back to her office. In the elevator, She reapplied her lipstick and fluffed her hair. This was a new client and she was not happy about making such a terrible first impression being late to a meeting at her own offices. She quickly scanned the file again to check the name and stepped out of the elevator.
"Mr. Swan, I'm ever so sorry for keeping you waiting. I can assure you..."
"It's Mrs. Actually, but hey it's cool. No biggie." Interrupted the blonde woman say in the chair facing Regina's desk.
Regina blushed from making such a rookie assumption that her client was a man.
"Of course, Mrs Swan, again, my apologies. So, if I am to understand correctly, Lily Swan is having a tough time coming to terms with the divorce?" Regina swiftly sat across from her client and placed the rest of the papers in front of her.
"Please, call me Emma. And oh yes, she's being a total fire breathing dragon about it!" The blonde said with an eye roll.
Regina began making some notes and motioned for her client to continue.
"She says if she can't have me then she wants everything I have, including this jacket! I mean, seriously, can she even do that?" Emma continued.
Regina looked up and properly observed her client for the first time. She was very athletic, of course, she had expected that from her client notes. She had read that her client was a private investigator and ex soccer star. She had really thought it odd that someone in the public eye would choose to become a private eye! Now she realised her client was a woman, her interest peaked even further.
"Was there a pre-nup in place?" Regina enquired, tapping one finger to her cheek as if she were concentrating.
"Nope! I'm such a douche. I honestly thought we were in love and I wanted her to have access to everything. Hell, we fought so long to have the same rights as heterosexual couples, I didn't even think about D.I.V.O.R.C.E." She spelled out in song.
Regina allowed a small smile to curl at the corner of her lips. This Emma Swan was a breath of fresh air from her typical clients. Considering the seriousness of her predicament, she seemed in high spirits and extremely down to earth.
"So..?" Emma asked her lawyer.
Regina hadn't responded and she jumped as she realised she had, infact been staring at her client inappropriately for God knows how long in silence. She cleared her throat and licked her lips which had suddenly become extremely dry.
"Ms. Swan, I mean, Emma. Let me ask, as I do need full disclosure if I am going to be your lawyer, is or has there been any extra marital affair on your part?" Regina eyed her with her signature raised eyebrow. She knew the effect it had on her male clients and hoped it would do the same with Emma Swan.
"Honestly, on my part, definately not! But Lily is a sneaky bitch so I wouldn't put it past her. She's a psycho you know! She set fire to my bug because she found an earring in the passenger seat. It was my Mothers! God, I should have divorced her after she posted those pictures of me hugging my cousin." She trailed off.
"Please, tell me what happened? This could all help your case." Regina nodded enthusiastically.
"Well, I should have known she was a bunny boiler after that. I'd gone to visit a cousin for coffee, which I told her about, but she had a PI follow me and take pictures. Anyway, a few days later, I come home from work and there are photos everywhere, all over the apartment, down the street, In the elevator with the words 'cheating whore' written across the top in red pen."
"Wow!" Regina exclaimed, her eyebrows almost in her hairline. "And do you still have any of those pictures?"
Emma chuckled and opened a messenger bag she had been holding on her lap. "Yeah. Here look. I have pictures of her setting my car on fire too, look." And she handed her lawyer the photos.
Regina eyed the evidence with intrigue. She looked at this Lily in the photos and the first thing she thought was how plain looking the woman was. Emma was certainly very attractive and Regina imagined that she had no problem meeting equally attractive women. The fact that she was also unstable was completely bewildering to Regina.
"God, what did you see in her?" Regina asked not realising she was talking out loud and looked up again with apology written all over her face. "Emma, I am so sorry. That was unprofessional and I can assure you, that is NOT who I am!"
Emma just chuckled. She could see how uncomfortable her lawyer was and how she really hadn't meant to say it, but it was true. Everyone always asked the same question whenever they saw her and Lily.
"I like to see the best in people, I guess. I honestly thought with me she'd be different. Guess my superpower failed me that time." She replied and gave her lawyer a friendly smile.
"Super power? Now I am intrigued Ms. Swan. Do tell." Regina drawled with just a little too much familiarity.
"It's silly really. I just have this thing where I know people are lying. That's why it's taken me so long to find a lawyer. You, Ms Mills are a rarity."
Regina felt her cheeks flush at the compliment but nodded in agreement. She knew she was the best divorce lawyer in town and the reason being because she was brutally honest with her clients, at least about their lives anyway.