A/N: Like the summary says, this fic is loosely based on the book The Price of Salt though it also takes elements fromthe film Carol. It's set in the 50's,just so there's no confusion. Finally, thank you so much to Jane, Michele and Amanda for helping me figure this out and listening to me ramble. I own nothing.

When Regina walks into Brookes department store for the first time, she feels like she's on the set of a movie. The main floor alone is huge; Regina can't even see where it ends past the towering Christmas displays and decorations. From the glittering Christmas trees scattered throughout the store to the customers adorned with jewels from head to toe, everything about Brookes screams opulence.

It's the kind of place that her mother would love, and standing in the elevator, Regina finally understands why Cora had pulled strings to get her a job all the way down here, rather than in East Harlem. She reaches back self-consciously to smooth down her ponytail as the elevator doors open to the second floor.

With a jolt, Regina realises that she doesn't know what she's supposed to do next. She scans the floor until she sees the sales counter where a young girl with long dark hair is scribbling on a delivery slip.

Regina walks to the counter and clears her throat. "Excuse me, I'm here for my first day of work. Do you know where I am supposed to go?"

The girl looks up and smiles. "Thank goodness we finally took on another salesgirl! It's been so ridiculously busy here, what with that goblin Rupert Gold breathing down our necks to compete with Saks and with half the staff-"

The girl cuts herself off at the confusion on Regina's face. "Sorry, sorry," she says with a playful grin. She sticks her hand out. "I don't think I got your name?"

Regina stares for a moment, taken aback. "Regina," she says finally, shaking the girl's hand wearily.

The girl continues, unabashed. "Nice to meet you, Regina! My name's Ruby." She steps out from behind the counter and loops her arm in Regina's. "I'll take you to the staff room. You can talk to Granny and get your name tag."

"Granny" turns out to be the toy department manager, a small woman named Eugenia Lucas, with grey hair piled on top of her head and piercing eyes that size Regina up from behind thin wire framed glasses.

Granny takes her on a short tour of the toys department before leaving her back at the counter. "You can work with Ruby in dolls." She tells Regina. "She'll show you the ropes."

"Of course I will!" Ruby says with a grin. "She'll be as perfect a salesgirl as me in no time!" She throws an arm around Regina's shoulder, and despite her involuntary flinch, Regina finds herself comforted by Ruby's easy confidence.

The rest of the day passes in a blur as Regina alternates between listening to Ruby explain the different kinds of dolls that Brookes carries and helping customers find them. It's a simple enough job, especially with Ruby's chatter to help pass the time between customers.

By the time the subway takes her back to East Harlem, Regina is exhausted. The familiarity of the neighbourhood soothes the remaining anxieties of the day but the moment that she walks into the apartment, her mother is waiting for her.

"How did you do?" She demands, swooping on Regina before she can even remove her coat. "Did you make a good impression on Rupert Gold?"

"Cora, let her come inside at least before you start interrogating her," Henry calls from the kitchen.

Cora frowns but moves aside. "Well?"

Regina sighs, shrugging her coat off and hanging it by the door before answering. "It was fine, and I did not meet Rupert Gold. He is the manager of the entire store, not just the toy department."

This seems to mollify Cora, though the frown remains.

Regina feels her nerves settle as she enters the kitchen. Unlike the front hall, with the door constantly opening and drawing the chill in, the kitchen is warm and bright, even in the evening when there's no sunshine to flood through the window that overlooks the street. The walls are a soft yellow that reflect the light from the old brass chandelier that Regina had helped her father install the summer before.

Regina goes to the table and gives her father a peck on the cheek. "Hi papi," she says, reaching to lift the foil off of the plate on the counter. "Fried plantains!" She says happily.

He wraps an arm around her and squeezes gently. "A treat for my working girl," he says as Cora wrinkles her nose.

"Don't eat too many of those things, dinner will be ready soon." Cora says with a sniff.

Henry waits until Cora has turned back to the stove to push the plate toward Regina. "How was your first day mija?"

"It was nice," Regina said, taking a bite of the plantain. "I was mostly working under another sales girl today but it was easy to figure out. In any case, you should see the all the different types of dolls they have. There were some so expensive I couldn't believe customers actually bought them!"

"Those are the kinds of people you should be getting friendly with, Regina," Cora cuts in. "You should see the way they live; the sheer amount of coats I clean for one of those women alone is more than the three of us have put together."

Regina and Henry share a glance but before anyone can respond the apartment buzzer sounds three times in a row.

"That must be Marian," she says, jumping up from her seat. By the time she dashes to the bottom of the staircase, Marian has begun pounding on the door again.

Marian swears when Regina lets her in, rubbing her hands together and stomping her feet. "It's fucking freezing out there!" She wails, pressing an icy hand to Regina's cheek.

Regina yelps and slaps Marian's hand away, laughing. "I believe you! I just got in myself."

"That's just revenge for keeping me out there waiting," Marian says, sweeping past Regina towards the apartment. "Is her majesty home?" She calls over her shoulder.

Regina bounds up the steps after her. "Yes, but papi will probably let you stay for dinner anyway."

They enter the apartment and Marian stops only to give Henry a hug and snatch some plantains for herself before heading to Regina's bedroom.

She flings herself onto Regina's bed. "So, how was it? Did you meet any handsome, rich men that we can marry?"

Regina whacks her with a pillow. "Yes, plenty of young men come shopping for dolls, Marian."

Marian roars with laughter. "Isn't that why Cora insisted you work there instead of at the bodega with me?"

Regina lifts Marian's legs to sit on the bed. "Something like that," she says, rolling her eyes. "How are things with you?"

"Same old, same old. I almost got stuck babysitting Roland again today."

Regina smiles at the mention of Marian's little brother. "You should have brought him!"

It's Marian's turn to roll her eyes. "I wish I could leave him here, honestly. Let him come bouncing into your room at all hours wanting to play bandits and we'll see how much you like him."

"You're the worst," Regina says, just as they're called for dinner.

Dinner is a dry meatloaf and some steamed vegetables that Marian pretends to gag on when Cora's back is turned.

"You know Regina, this job will be a good way for you to make friends of a higher caliber." Cora says, sitting down and looking pointedly across the table at Marian.

Regina tenses but before she can respond Marian gives her knee a reassuring squeeze and looks across the table with a grin. "Oh Cora, none of those snobby rich girls will stick around once they taste your cooking."

Henry coughs loudly and Regina snorts in spite of herself.

Cora, on her part, replies through clenched teeth. "It really is getting late Marian. I think it's time you went home, don't you?"

Marian excuses herself happily, and gives Henry and Regina each a peck on the cheek before grabbing her bag and heading home.

Cora wordlessly takes her plate to the sink, and begins washing up.

Henry chuckles quietly as he and Regina clear the table. "That girl really takes advantage of how closely her parents work with your mother, doesn't she?"

Regina giggles. "She's going to get us killed one day, I'm sure of it."

Henry puts his hand over hers and smiles warmly. "Don't worry about your mother, mija. You know how she gets into her moods." He takes the plates off Regina's hands with a wistful look towards the kitchen. "Go and get ready for bed, I'll take care of her."

Regina hugs him tight. "Thank you papi."

"Hey kid, you doing anything on Friday?"

Regina finishes propping a doll in one of the display cases. When she turns around, Ruby is perched on the counter.

"So?"

"Nothing, I think." Regina says eying Ruby cautiously. "Why?"

"Me and some of the other girls are planning a little Christmas get together at the Rabbit Hole. Some of the boys from the Mens department are coming too, it's gonna be a gas! Wanna come?"

Ruby sounds so excited that Regina finds herself nodding. "Okay, what time?"

Ruby thinks for a moment. "You finish at 3 o'clock, right? Go on home and freshen up, put on something foxy," Ruby starts laughing. "If a baby like you even has anything like that!"

Regina pouts. "I'm nineteen, not six, Ruby!"

Ruby throws her hands up, laughing harder. "Alright alright, firecracker! Just come back downtown for 6 o'clock. You can bring a friend if you like. I'll meet you and we'll go together."

Regina smiles enthusiastically. "Sounds good!"

Ruby winks at her. "We can also celebrate you making it two weeks at Brookes without getting chewed out by Granny."

"I can hear you," Granny calls from further down the desk. She lightly whacks Ruby on the back of the head as she passes on her way to her office. "Off the counter, you heathen. The store opens in five minutes."

"Regina, will you hold still?" Marian says, pulling back her eye pencil. "The wings won't be even if you keep squeezing your eyes shut."

"I feel like a clown Marian. Can't you at least let me see what you're doing?"

"Shush. You'll thank me when you're playing backseat bingo tonight." Marian holds Regina's face in place to finish her eyeliner and mascara.

"Marian!"

"What? It's not about Daniel, is it?"

"That was ages ago! Of course not."

So, you do want to move on, don't you?"

"Yes, but not like that!"

Marian steps back, pulling her hand mirror from the dresser and holding it up to Regina. "My masterpiece!"

Regina rolls her eyes but when she looks at her reflection, she is surprised. Marian has gone beyond the usual quick swipes of lipstick and liner she does whenever Regina has to wear makeup. Regina's lips are a bold red and the kohl around her eyes makes them look sultry.

It's like she's looking at a different person and she feels a small thrill at the idea of getting to step into another personality for the night.

Just then Cora calls her the sitting room. Her voice is honeyed and light, which means they no doubt have a guest.

She looks at Marian applying her own makeup and shrugs. "I'll be right back." She says.

The guest is a man who eyes Regina in a way that makes her wish she had her coat on. He sits across from Cora as Henry watches wearily from the armchair in the corner of the room.

"Regina, this is an old friend, Leopold Blanchard," Cora says sweetly. "Come say hello."

Regina steps forward and politely shakes his outstretched hand. He seems more like old friend of her late grandfather's if his age and expensive suit is anything to go by. "Hello," she says.

"My my, Cora. You've certainly raised a beautiful young woman, haven't you?" Leopold says, holding onto her hand for a moment too long.

Regina gives him a tight smile, pulling her hand away quickly. "Thank you sir."

His eyes linger on the neckline of her dress until Marian bounding down the hallway. "Regina, we're going to be late, let's go!" She calls from the foyer.

Regina lets out a sigh of relief and promises herself that she'll buy Marian a drink tonight.

Leopold smiles. "Well, you're clearly on your way out, please don't let me keep you."

"Thank you," she repeats. "Nice to have met you, Mr. Blanchard."

With that, she bolts, stopping only to grab her coat before dragging Marian out the door.