Author's Note: Hey, guys! I'm back with a new idea. We'll see how it goes.
I apologize in advance for any grammatical or spelling mistakes.
Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time or its characters.
Regina Mills strutted into the Empire State Building, not bothering to give the dozens of voices or hurried bodies making their way in and out of the building a second glance as she walked across the lobby, nodding her head in acknowledgement to the security guard standing at his post. She quickly made her way to the elevators, pressed the button, and shuffled somewhat impatiently on her heels as she waited. She swiftly made her way inside once the doors slide open, turning to press the button that closed the doors then pressing the button that led to her offices.
She closed her eyes as she stood there, allowing herself a moment of solitude as the elevator started to ascend, preparing herself for the day. All too quickly, her moment ended as the elevator came to a halt. She took a deep breath, her signature mask of indifference immediately making an appearance as the doors slid open revealing her personal assistant, Kathryn, who stood there like she stood every morning, patiently waiting for her to arrive with a to-go cup in one hand and Regina's agenda in the other.
"Good morning, Ms. Mills." The blonde woman greeted her brightly, her crystalline eyes twinkling as she handed Regina the to-go cup she'd been holding.
"Good morning, Kathryn." Regina greeted her in return, a sincere smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she accepted her coffee. "Thank you." She said gratefully with a nod before she started walking in the direction of her office, knowing that her assistant would be quick to follow behind her diligently. The two of the made their way across the busy floor, her employees knowing all too well that they were not to interrupt her so early in the morning if they didn't have a valid reason to do so.
"Ms. Mills, I called Prime last night and I was able to make the reservation you wanted. I also took the liberty of requesting a table in the Wine Room for you because of how much you seemed to enjoy yourself the last time you were there." Kathryn told her as soon as Regina had unlocked her door and stepped inside, the blonde carefully closing the door behind them.
"That's great. Thank you."
"You're welcome." Kathryn smiled kindly. "You have a conference call with Macy's schedule for this Thursday morning at 10 o'clock. Oh, and that restaurant opening that you said you'd be attending is tonight."
Regina couldn't help but groan, not bothering to hide her displeasure as she sat down, moving the mouse around a bit to wake her computer screen. "Honestly, I'd completely forgotten about that."
"I had a feeling you'd forget."
Regina looked up, meeting Kathryn's gaze as smirked slightly. "I supposed that there's absolutely no way that my lovely assistant could help me get out of attending since she seems to know how much I'd rather not be there…" She trailed off, watching with a hint of amusement as her assistant tried, and failed, to hide a smirk of her own.
"Unfortunately, no matter how lovely your assistant is, you already had me RSVP the event for you." Kathryn reminded her. "What you didn't do was tell me if you wanted me to give you any date options for the evening."
Now, now, Ms. Midas. There's no need to make me sound so pathetic." Regina teasingly reprimanded her, laughter bubbling in her throat as she watched the other woman's eyes widen in horror. "Oh, Kathryn, relax. I'm only teasing you." She told her with a laugh. "I don't want, nor do I need a date for the evening. Oh, and please, tell Cora that she will wait for me in the car." She finished in a much more serious tone.
Regina could see the apprehension in Kathryn's eyes, already knowing what the other woman was going to say before she opened her mouth to speak. "She's not going to like that."
"Unfortunately for her, she works for me." Regina told her with a firm nod of her head before she turned her attention to the computer screen, silently letting her assistant know that they were done talking about it.
"They've gotten completely out of control." Regina muttered begrudgingly to herself as she slid into the backseat of the car. She nodded her head in silent gratitude at her driver who smiled back in acknowledge before he quickly closed her door and made his way back to the driver's side of the car and getting in.
"You them a lot of money to talk positively about the brand every week. I hope you were courteous to them." Regina barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the older woman who had reprimanded her without bothering to look up from the paperwork that she had scattered across the open leather folding resting on her lap.
"I was courteous." She gritted out.
"Why didn't you bring a date to the event?"
"Why would I bother to bring a date?" We both know that you would've already taken it upon yourself to have the driver pull over and kick them out if I'd brought anyone."
"Regina." Cora sighed out in exasperation, only then bothering to meet her gaze. "We want the tabloids to think that these men are sleeping with you, they're not actually sleeping with you."
"Oh, you know damn well why none of the men I bring to these events have a chance with me, even if the men and the tabloids that write about us don't." Regina gritted out, her hands clenching into tight fists at her sides as she felt her patience run out. She met Cora's gaze head on for a few seconds before the older woman blinked and returned her attention to the paperwork in front of her.
"You've had a long day, Regina, but tomorrow is going to be even longer. You have an interview at 9 o'clock in the morning about the company, so make sure you do something with your hair." Cora told her with a tight smile. "I'll be there to make sure that everything is in order. All you'll have to do is take about your passion, your creativity, your drive, blah, blah, blah…"
"Wow, I've never heard anyone speak as beautifully about my work as you do." Regina spat out bitterly.
"In Rusty Armor is a multi-million-dollar company that you created." Regina crossed her arms defiantly over her chest as she waited for the older woman to continue. "You chose me to help you make executive decisions. It's your company, Regina. I'm just your employee."
Regina rubbed at her temples as she walked into her apartment, making a beeline for her answering machine, something that she wouldn't have even bothered to purchase if Cora hadn't insisted that she do so when she'd been handed ownership of her home. She pressed the button on the machine, crossing her arms over her chest as the automated voice began to speak. "You have thirty-seven messages." The brunette rolled her eyes, an exasperated sigh escaping her lips." She pressed another button on the machine and walked away as the automated voice started to speak again. "All messages deleted."
She made her way into her bedroom, walking straight into her closet where she removed what she'd been wearing all day and changed into something she found much more comfortable, an old jersey and a pair of gym shorts that no one who knew her in New York would possibly believe she owned.
She made her way into her kitchen afterward, pouring herself a glass of wine before she grabbed her phone from where she'd left it earlier and made her way into the living room. She grabbed one of the many remote controls that were sitting in the middle of her coffee table and proceeded to press a few buttons, sighing in contentment when the all-too-familiar sounds of a piano started flowing through her speakers. Much like any other time that she'd listened to this album, she couldn't keep her conflicting feelings at bay, but no matter how much it pained her to listen to these songs, one more than the rest, she couldn't bring herself to stop listening to it. She always found herself gravitating back to it because in a way that surely made sense to no one else but her, the dulcet tones and the images that assaulted her mind, memories, whenever she listened to it, it grounded her. Oddly enough, it kept her sane. It reminded her that everything she'd once had wasn't merely a figment of her imagination. It had been real. It had been hers.
Her cell phone rang about an hour or so later, interrupting her inner musing and she didn't hesitate to answer once she saw who was calling her."
"Hey Zelena, you're calling me later than usual."
"Yeah, I know. I should've waited until tomorrow to call you instead. I'm sorry."
"There's no need to apologize. The time hardly matters. I'm just glad that you called me at all."
"You're listening to that album of yours again, aren't you?" Regina bit her lip, somewhat reluctant to confirm what her big sister already knew to be true. "Regina, you know that I'm not going to judge you for doing it."
"Zelena, what happened to me?" Regina asked, her voice hitching slightly as she did.
"I don't kn-" Regina heard her sister take a deep breath before continuing. "What exactly do you mean?"
"I think I've lost sight of who I am, or who I was. I don't know who I've become, or how it was that I became this person who I don't even recognize anymore."
"You're Regina."
Regina couldn't contain her scoff when she heard her sister's answer. She couldn't help but resent how little comfort those words offered her. "Hardly."
"I can't help you find answers to the questions you're asking if you don't tell me what's going on, Regina."
"Nothing. Nothing is going on." Regina sighed into the phone. "That's not true, but I don't know how to describe what's going on with me, or what it is I'm feeling. I- I think I'm homesick. I miss the friendships I used to have, the ones I truly believed in. I miss you too."
"I'm only a phone call away, Regina. You know that."
"Yes, I do, but it's not the same, Zelena, and you know it. It's not the way it used to be, the way we used to be, and I guess..." Regina found herself hesitating to continue, but she knew that if she'd already started speaking her mind, she couldn't stop herself now. "I miss everything I had." She laughed humorlessly. "I'm sound selfish, don't I? I'm probably not even making any sense."
"You're making more sense than you give yourself credit for, little sister." Regina felt her lips twitch into a small smile at the term of endearment that Zelena so rarely used anymore. "I'm sure that things seemed so much clearer to you, to us all, when we graduated high school. We were going to save the world, only to claim it as our own and live happily ever after. Regina..." Zelena stopped, a twinge of sadness in her voice as she continued. "Are you happy?"
"Honestly? I think that I can occasionally fool myself into believing I am." Regina answered. "But at the end of day, I know that I'm not.
"Okay, then let me ask you something. What do you think it's going to take for you to find your happiness, little sister? Would it be enough for you to change your surroundings? Would meeting new people make you happy? Is it more money, more power, that you're after?"
"I already have more money than I could ever hope to spend in my lifetime, and power is not something I've ever cared about or wanted."
"What do you think is going to make you happy then?"
"Love."
"Okay, and what are you planning to do to find that love?"
"Zelena, I think it's time to go home."
"Oh, I was hoping you'd say that."
"Really?"
"Yes, because lately, I've been thinking the same exact thing."