Silent Hearts
A/N: Hello again! The first chapter had a great response so I wanted to get another chapter out!
Chapter 2- Dark Places
Emma paced back and forth in her apartment, tapping her phone in the palm of her hand impatiently as she waited for her guest to arrive. Her first day at the magazine had gone rather smoothly, aside from the encounter with Regina. Emma liked her new team, and had gathered they were all very capable people who were willing to follow her lead. The blonde was thankful for the cooperation and was happy to have people on her side for once.
Isaac lay on the sofa watching her curiously as Emma continued to pace around the room. The sun had long since set, and the city lights illuminated the dim apartment, giving it a sense of life for once. Emma didn't like being indoors causing the apartment to always seem devoid of anyone presence at all.
Emma paused in her pacing to stare out of the large window, her gaze set on the large building jutting out of the land and flashing like a strobe light. The whole of Insiders Magazine headquarters was bizarre, full of strange furniture and people. Emma thoughts immediately strayed to her new boss, no… her new owner. The blonde bristled at the term and spun away from the window to glare at her front door. It was clear that hidden beneath all that beauty, there was something quite evil lurking within Regina Mills. She was a temptress, trying to lure Emma into a trap with no exit.
The heavy apartment door suddenly flew open to reveal a frazzled looking blonde, clutching a lead in one hand and a pizza box in the other. Isaac gave an excited bark and bounded off the sofa to greet the other blonde, before immediately engaging with other dog, a large German Shepherd.
"I have pizza, so you better have booze!" Exclaimed the new comer, charging into the apartment and slamming the pizza down and releasing her dog to gallivant around with Isaac.
"Nice to see you too." Emma muttered, walking into the kitchen and flinging open the fridge, grabbing two bottles of cold beer and setting them on the counter next to the still hot pizza.
"Geez what's up with you?" Emma grunted, hopping onto a bar stool, her best friend quick to follow. Elsa had been Emma's best friend for several years now, and the two had been inseparable since the day they met.
"Just work." Elsa raised an eyebrow while retrieving a slice of pizza.
"You've only been there a day, is it really that bad?" She asked, frowning at Emma who shrugged.
"No, it's an okay place… It's just my new boss." Emma popped the caps off the beers, offering one to Elsa and taking a swig from her own. They sat in silence for a moment while Elsa chewed her pizza, azure eyes narrowed at Emma.
"Is she hot? Do already have a thing for your boss?!" Emma shot her a glare, shoving her slightly to rid the annoying look of amusement off her face.
"No I don't!" She snapped, huffing into her beer. "I just- I don't know what it is okay!"
"Alright." Elsa said gently, dropping the playful attitude and becoming serious. "Walk me through it."
"She had this document from my last gig, describing my personality and what not." Emma began. "She talked about how I was a loyal and obedient person."
"True."
"And that I only show these "qualities" when I trust someone." Emma said harshly.
"Also true." She glared at Elsa who put her hands up in defence." It is though."
"She also kept saying how I now belonged to her and her alone." Emma carried on, ignoring the other blonde. "Like I was some kind of new pet or some freaky shit like that."
"She sounds like lots of fun." Elsa giggled, but Emma shook her head.
"Of all the people I had to get stuck with, it had to be someone who would push my buttons." Emma growled, jabbing the pizza with her index finger in frustration.
"It might not be that bad, I think you should just play it out." Elsa suggested, squeezing Emma's shoulder reassuringly.
"I guess." She said eventually, smiling at Elsa. "You want to see if there anything on Netflix?"
"Of course."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Emma groaned out loud as her alarm clock wailed in her ear, shattering the serenity of sleep and bringing her back to reality. She shifted in bed, her hand brushing over Isaac, who lay sprawled next to her, his tongue hanging comically out of his mouth. Smiling gently at him, Emma ran her fingers through his fur, relishing in its soft touch.
Emerald eyes drifted over to the alarm clock which continued to scream at her to get up. Slamming a hand down on the small device, Emma swung her legs off the bed, her bare feet connecting with the cold wood of her floor. Stretching, the blonde pulled herself up and headed into the bathroom for a quick shower.
Leaning against the tiled wall, Emma contemplated how she was going to approach her second day of work. A quick decision to avoid Regina came about in no time, and Emma concluded it was the safest option for getting through the day smoothly.
Once she was showered and clean, Emma pulled on a similar outfit to the day before, however opting for her signature red leather jacket instead of the black. Wandering into the kitchen, Emma snatched up a discarded piece of pizza from the previous night, thoughtfully chewing on it as she retrieved her purse and keys from down the side of the sofa.
Traces of the night before still lingered around the apartment. Elsa hadn't returned home till late, causing the two to stay up drinking way later than they should of. Emma rounded up some empty beer bottles and dumped them in the bottle bin in her kitchen. She frowned at how full it was all of a sudden. Perhaps she should cut back on the beer.
Checking the time, Emma skipped into the bathroom to brush her teeth and freshen up before having to locate her purse and keys again. No matter where she put them, they always seemed to disappear.
Isaac strode into the sitting room lazily, his eyes droopy. Emma wished she could stay home and snuggle with him. The idea was so inviting. Shaking the thoughts away, Emma forced herself out of the apartment and off to work.
The drive over to HQ wasn't very eventful, and by the time the blonde arrived, Emma had quickly concluded today was going to be a very long day. Grumbling to herself, Emma jabbed at the elevator button while fixing her ear piece in place, wincing when a shrill voice filled her ears. Emma rubbed her hands over her face as she listened to Phillip and Mulan argue over the line, she wasn't sure what had caused it, but Emma had a feeling it was along the lines of Phillip eating something of Mulan's.
The elevator doors pinged open, and Emma stepped out, relieved that the two had finished their petty argument.
A familiar face appeared from one of the offices and greeted Emma energetically. The blonde scrunched up her face as Killian began to talk in a very chipper tone.
"Morning Swan!" He said loudly, clapping her on the shoulder. Emma hummed in reply as she made her way towards the main staffroom, hoping their might be a bear claw lurking around. "Good to see you bright and early."
"Why are you so full of energy?" Emma grumbled as she snatched up one of the last bear claws and eagerly taking a bite.
"He's always like that when he's had a drink." Said Will, one of the security guards stationed just outside the entrance to Regina's floor.
"Are you drunk?!" Emma snapped, rounding on Killian.
"Nope, just chucked a little rum into the morning coffee to get everything up and running." He grinned, raising said coffee with a wink.
"Right…" Emma shared an amused look with Will before heading over to the seating area where August and Graham, another security guard, were sat.
"Morning chief." August greeted.
"So Swan how are you enjoying HQ?" Killian asked, hoping over the back of the seat to land next to Emma.
"It's alright I guess." She said vaguely. "You guys are all pretty great."
"Of course." Smirked Graham.
"Where were you working before here Emma?" Asked August.
"A small place, nothing special." Emma said shortly, not wishing to discuss it.
"Not giving any other details?" Probed Killian, raising an eyebrow.
"I just-" Emma began but stopped when a voice filled her ears.
"Hey Emma?" Asked Ruby chirpily.
"Oh hey Ruby, what's going on?" Emma waved away the curious men, lifting her finger to her ear to help focus on Ruby.
"Miss Mills has requested your presence in her meeting." She said and Emma groaned.
"Fine, I'll be right up." The line went dead and the blonde rose to her feet, grabbing her bear claw and walking towards the door. "Sorry lads, the devil summons me."
"Good luck." August chuckled.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Emma made her way through the top floor, continuing to chew through her bear claw and she strode along. She spotted Ruby swinging vaguely on her chair, her attention fixed on something across the room.
"Morning Ruby." Emma greeted as she came past, making the other woman jump in surprise.
"Hello." She choked out in surprise, letting her chair fall back on all fours. "Miss Mills is ready for you."
"Thanks." Emma said, continuing on towards the office, and pushing the door open. Regina sat regally behind her desk, head bent down as she filled out files. Emma shut the door with some force, alerting the powerful woman to her presence, a smirk curling upon her deep red lips as she looked up to see Emma.
"Miss Swan." She purred, her eyes drifting up and down Emma's body, lingering on the bear claw now tightly clenched in a pale hand. "Glad you could make it."
"Well I don't have much else to do." Emma muttered, still remaining by the door.
"I have a meeting with I client, all I require of you is to stand by if needed, okay?" Emma nodded her understanding. "Do not interrupt unless it's urgent or you're needed elsewhere."
"Sure thing." The blonde straightened out her jacket, and took position by the door, doing her best to ignore the searing chocolate eyes burning a hole in her face.
"Red leather? Bold." Emma flicked her eyes over to Regina who was smirking, clearly enjoying Emma's awkwardness.
"I like it." She replied shortly, making Regina chuckle.
"So do I." Emma noticed the suggestive tone but said no more as a light knock sounded at the door.
The client was a short, middle aged man with a goatee and greying hair. The second he walked in, Emma immediately started to doubt Regina's innocent intentions of having her here. The meeting was beyond boring, and the blonde was beginning to lose her mind. Regina kept sending her lingering looks that made Emma squirm and blush. She didn't know why the way the other woman looked at her was winding her up so much, however Emma was beginning to give in to the feeling it caused.
Another knock sounded at the door, only for it to slam open seconds later. Emma didn't need to look to know who would enter the office in such a way. Zelena grinned slightly manically at Regina who was glaring at her.
"What do you want?" She snapped, putting down her papers and rising from her desk chair to glare at her sister.
"I need to borrow Miss Swan if you don't mind." She said slyly, her electric blue eyes grazing over Emma.
"What for?" Emma looked between the two sisters. To be honest, she didn't want to be around either of them.
"I'm sure you've given her the "I own you" speech, but technically we both own her." Emma raised her arms in expiration at both women, fed up with the constant ownership claims.
"I need her to protection." Zelena smirked at Regina and turned to the client.
"Mr Hughes do you promise not to attack my sister while I speak with her body guard?" Zelena asked mockingly.
"I, well- er-"
"Splendid!" Zelena cut across the spluttering man and spun around to firmly take hold of Emma's arm, directing her towards the door. "I'll have her back soon." Zelena called back. Emma glanced at Regina who was glaring at them. If looks could kill, Emma feared the whole building would burn down.
Zelena didn't say much as she brought Emma to her office, located on the opposite side of the floor to Regina's. Quickly stepping inside, the other woman steered Emma towards the chair across from her desk, before going to close the door. Emma took a moment to look around the office. Unlike Regina's which was made up of reds and blacks, Zelena's was almost entirely green. The blonde felt like she was inside a vegetable it was so green.
"Is everything to your standards?" Zelena asked, seating herself in the large desk chair.
"It's so… Green." Emma muttered, looking at the other woman.
"A beautiful colour don't you think?" The blonde didn't reply, and instead stared at the woman before who was grinning at her in a slightly crazed way. "Tell me about yourself Emma."
"What do you want to know?"
"Anything."
"I'm twenty four and I like not being hauled into offices." Zelena smirked at her.
"You're not an easy person to pin down it would seem, and Regina snatched you up before I could." Emma frowned.
"My job is to protect, not talk." She said coldly.
"Not on the friendly side are you dear." Zelena chuckled. "Must be why Regina likes you so much."
"It's difficult to tell if she does or not." Emma muttered, leaning back in her chair, feeling uneasy about relaxing in the strange environment.
"Oh she does… As do I." Zelena purred, making Emma's eyes snap up to look at her. The blonde was slightly taken aback by the other woman's bold and flirtatious comment.
"Thank you Miss Mills." Emma said awkwardly unsure of how to reply.
"Call me Zelena." She practically whispered, her eyes growing slightly darker.
A loud shriek from outside caught the blonde attention and she turned to see the source of the commotion. She frowned at the tinted window, which unlike Regina's, you couldn't see out of. Ruby's voice suddenly began speaking in her ear.
"Emma we've got a situation over here, hurry!" She said in a panicked voice.
"I've got to go Miss Mills." Emma said, standing and hurrying towards the door.
"What's going on?" Zelena snapped, clearly unamused about being interrupted.
"Perhaps Mr Hughes really did go berserk." Emma suggested, before running from the room and down towards Regina's office.
She was there in seconds, breathing heavily as she hovered by the door. Green eyes glanced over at Ruby who was huddled behind her desk looking rattled. Emma focused on the door, and slowly pushed it open. At first all seemed normal, until Emma noticed an unfamiliar man standing across from Regina, his fists clenched and his posture hostile. He didn't seem to notice Emma sneak in, but the blonde instantly made eye contact with Regina, who silently told her to wait.
"Robin this is not the time or place for this." She hissed, raising her hands slightly to try and calm the clearly angered man.
"We made vows Regina! I won't let you just run off and leave me!" He yelled; spit flying from his mouth as his face grew red.
"Robin please, don't do this." The brunette snapped, the distain in her voice clear, but Robin didn't back down.
"I'll make you come back!"
"No! Enough Robin, I don't love you anymore, why can't you accept that!?" Regina bellowed.
"Accept this bitch!" He snarled, raising his fist to strike Regina. The brunette flinched, preparing for the blow that never came, instead only a strangled cry. "Ahhhh!" Robin screeched as Emma grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back and pinned him to the desk. With her free hand, she tapped the button on her ear piece.
"I need back up at Regina office now!" She ordered, as Robin struggled under her, cursing her violently. Regina stood off to the side, her face looking shell shocked. Emma managed to manoeuvre herself and Robin so that she could plant a hard kick in his nuts, sending him wailing to the floor in a heap.
A few moments later, Killian, Graham and Mulan burst through the door, their hands raised and ready for action. They all stared in bewilderment at the scene in front on them. Robin lay sprawled on the floor, moaning in pain as Emma grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and dragged him towards the others. Regina had gone over to Mr Hughes who had hidden behind a sofa and was coaxing him out.
"Pathetic." Emma thought as she looked at the quivering man.
"What the hell happened Swan?" Killian asked as he and Graham roughly grasped Robin under the arms and hauling him up.
"I wish I knew." She muttered. "Do we have a detainment unit?" She asked, they all nodded. "Good, take him there, I'll be down soon."
"Aye, aye captain." Killian said, and led the other two and Mr Hughes from the office. Emma watched them all go, and closed the door before approaching Regina, concern in her emerald eyes as she gently touched Regina's arm.
"Are you alright?" The blonde asked and Regina nodded shakily.
"I will be. I want you to call the police and have them remove Robin and leave him in a cell where he can't get out of." Emma nodded.
"Sure thing." She backed away from the other woman and made her way towards the door, but stopped when Regina called to her again.
"Emma?"
"Yeah?"
"… Thank you." Emma nodded.
"No need to thank me Miss Mills, my job here is to protect and care for you. It's not something I take lightly."
"I'll hold you to that." Regina said with a smile, and Emma couldn't help but smile back.
The devil has a sad side?
A/N: Hey again! Hope you all enjoyed chapter two, and are as into this story as I am. Seriously, I am very excited! Please review and tell me what you think, and follow for more! Till next time Kids.