I'm super excited with the enthusiasm thus far for this fic, so quite a long chapter ahead!
I hope everyone enjoys this!
Emma takes a deep breath, standing on the rooftop beside MillsCo. She could see her boss pacing inside her office, no doubt waiting for Emma to arrive. Well, for Supergirl to arrive. She had to marvel at how, in her costume, she could speak to Regina as an equal. Sure, she could try the same while being Emma Swan, but Ms. Mills might not agree with her cheekiness and lack of proper etiquette.
When she glances at Ms. Mills again, she's on the balcony, and Supergirl flies down to meet her, shifting out of her assistant persona.
"About time. I was figuring I had to get some sort of smoke signal or a skywriter to flag you down," Regina greets with a huff. It's dismissive and condescending, but there's a faint hint of happiness at seeing her. She then seems to change tack a bit, realizing she's not speaking to just anyone. "I've seen you're keeping busy defeating all the notorious criminals in National City. Congratulations."
Regina holds her glass tumbler up as if toasting her before taking a sip and setting the drink down on the table. Supergirl's certain it's the cider, something Regina always seems to gravitate to for a casual drink. It's quite strong, and she marvels at Regina's ability to hold her liquor.
"I suppose you didn't just ask me to come by to congratulate me, so what's up?" she asks, flying close enough to the balcony so she's floating at Regina's eye level, hands coming to rest on the railing as if she was just standing on the other side, rather than floating over twenty stories above ground.
There's a twitch of something in Regina's forehead and she tilts her head ever so slightly, her eyes narrowing. The hero almost wonders if Regina has x-ray vision. "Ms. Mills?"
With a huff and a sigh - and Supergirl didn't think this amount of exasperation could fit inside one human being without it being harmful - Regina levels her with a calculating look. "How is it possible?"
Supergirl blinks. "How is what possible? Me flying? Because that's just-"
"No." Regina cuts her off. "How is it possible that you don't wear a mask or anything to hide your identity, and yet in the two months you've been active, absolutely no one has caught wind of you outside of your costume. How is that?"
"Well uhm, you see…" she flounders. How pissed would her boss be to find out that Supergirl is none other than her bumbling assistant? She would not like that. At all. "I suppose no one is really looking."
"Not really looking? I doubt that. People are very perceptive when you give them the chance." Regina speaks from years of watching people with a scrutinizing eye, garnering the best stories that way.
Supergirl nods. "And I'm not fighting that. But my experience is that no one's really looking for me if I'm not wearing this." She gestures to herself and Regina runs an appreciative glance over her costume. It's probably more conservative than the costumes on comic books, but it works for her. Though on the other hand, her red skirt much was too short for Granny's standards, who berated her on the phone for at least half an hour the first time she saw her on the news.
"Nonetheless, costume or not, your face remains the same…unless you are a shape-shifter?" Regina queries, and it's so casual, it's how Emma has almost slipped on other topics in the past and almost given herself away.
But this question is harmless enough, so she answers with a simple "no" and a shake of her head. She adds a smile too, just in case her boss thinks she's being snippy. She actually enjoys seeing this side of Regina. She's so curious and determined, but still respectful.
"Then? What magic do you possess to blend in with everyone else?" Regina insists.
Supergirl shrugs her shoulders and tries to come up with an answer. "It's like I said, people aren't really looking for me. They're thinking that Supergirl has to be the same when not wearing the costume so they won't see me if I'm unassuming like a meek little wallflower."
The powerful reporter latches on like a moth to a flame. "Meek huh?"
Trying to backtrack, she stutters out, "I meant nothing by it."
"Quite to the contrary, I'm sure you meant something." Regina walks closer to the balcony and rests her own slightly cooler hands over the hero's, their eyes meeting.
Emma shakes her head. "No, really, I was just giving an example. A very random example."
It's noticeable to Regina that Supergirl hasn't removed her hands from beneath her own, something she could easily do, and so she continues with an amused smirk. "I will give you this. You are a horrendous liar, so how you can keep your identity such a close guarded secret is commendable. You must have a very close and trustworthy group of friends."
"Yeah, I do," Supergirl responds easily, before she flinches at having given Regina yet another piece of information. Then she feels Regina's hands reassuringly squeeze her own.
"Relax, tomorrow's headline won't read 'Supergirl works with a team'. Not that I think it's bad, some of the best things come from a good team, but you seem a little bit distressed whenever you talk to me, so rest assured that I'm not trying to get information from you so I can turn you into the next big news piece."
Emma lets out a nervous chuckle and looks away. "That obvious huh?"
One of Regina's hands goes out to hook under Emma's chin gently, getting her to make eye contact again. "As I said, you don't seem to be the type of person to lie, as you aren't very good at it. In fact, you seem very earnest. Heart on your sleeve type of person."
"Is that a good thing?" Emma genuinely asks, brows furrowed as she regards the woman in front of her. Regina returns her hand back to rest on top of Emma's, and Emma finds that she quite enjoys Regina's touch.
"For the city's symbol of hope?" Regina glances at the insignia on her chest, another revelation that Emma had blurted after Regina referred it to as an 'S' for an entire article. She hadn't believed the Daily Planet's claim, thinking it to be a fluff piece on Superman. "Certainly. I would be careful that the trust you seem so ready to give out doesn't end up biting you. I would hate to see you jaded and cynical."
Supergirl lets out a silent laugh and appreciates Regina's advice.
"Now, I must ask," Regina begins anew, this time with the rushed fervor of someone who is clearly impatient and dissatisfied with the current situation she's faced with. "What the hell do I have to do to get your number once and for all? I mean really, I do despise having to go through the system of demanding that my assistant fetches Marian and then have her get in touch with you. I'd rather not have half of the office know when I'm meeting with you."
As Emma opens her mouth, once again intending to tell her that she can't for some vague reason, Regina adds, almost as if she's talking to herself, "I'm beginning to think that the reason is because I have your number in my phone already, and that would lead to your identity being revealed. So I suppose you should count yourself lucky that I have so many contacts, otherwise finding you would be so much easier. Then again I could have you here and just call every single number until I find you."
"M-Maybe I don't have a phone," Emma tries, because she can't be this bad at keeping secrets. Everyone has said it, but she can't be the superhero who can't have a secret identity because she's so bad at keeping a straight face.
Regina blinks, looking entirely too unconvinced by the effort. "You, my dear, are a millennial; if you really don't have a phone, I will be quite shocked."
Not one to let someone else have the last word - even though she's terrible with witty comebacks, a shame for her superhero side - Supergirl retorts, "You say that like you're not a millennial yourself."
With a sigh, Regina rolls her eyes. "On the cusp, so yes I suppose I am. But I fail to see that my having a cellphone has any bearing on you owning one."
The hero flounders a bit but she's got nothing. "Still…"
"Supergirl, just forget it. I'll keep doing this song and dance if you're truly so determined to not have me find out your identity," Regina says, and Emma can't quite believe that she's just folding. Regina never just settles for things, that's how she always gets everything, and everyone to do her bidding. Something's not adding up.
"Thank you. I suppose I should leave you to it, if there's nothing else?" Supergirl diplomatically asks, not wanting to leave but at the same time, with all the curveballs Regina seems to be throwing her way today, if she stays any longer, she'll probably blab her identity completely and half her life story to go along with it. A Tell-All extravaganza entirely about her.
"No, no, I imagine someone is needing your help right now, so go and do what you do." Regina's hands leave from their perch atop Emma's own, and Emma's already missing the feeling. But she takes her cue and leaves, not without a wave and a smile, which Regina returns with a smile of her own and a tight nod.
Emma flies off and heads home. When she enters her living room through the wide window, she's faced with Walsh and Ruby both looking at her almost accusingly, both still wearing their work clothes.
"Uhm hi? Were we having game night?" Emma starts, certain that if they were here for game night, they wouldn't be sporting such deep frowns.
"What was that?" Ruby blurts, and points to Walsh's laptop, where they must've heard the entire exchange via her earpiece.
"Ms. Mills wanted to talk to me," is Emma's dumb explanation. Surely there's nothing wrong with that, she's done it plenty of times before.
Ruby rolls her eyes and throws her hands up. "Talking to her is dangerous as it is, but you were practically flirting with her!"
"What?!" Emma splutters. "I was not flirting with her!"
"Oh you were, even Walsh seems to agree."
Walsh says nothing, but she knows he's incensed. He has always been a bit upset at finding out that Emma doesn't return his affections, but she thought he was okay with it and understood that she's gay, and therefore not interested. It seemed jealousy reared its head into the conversation.
"And what if I was? It's not like it could ever happen or be anything," Emma counters.
Ruby nods. "As long as you remember that. I know you have a crush on her, but it's dangerous to flirt with her, not to mention you ended up giving at least three facts about yourself to her just tonight. What if she finds out? You can't trust her to keep her mouth shut."
Emma flinches. Maybe she should have been more careful.
Walsh finally speaks. "Plus you know what she's like. She always gets what she wants, it's part of her whole image as the Queen of all Media. Ruby's right, you can't trust her. She might've gone easy on you and been all 'I won't say a word or publish it' but you can bet she's arming a portfolio full of facts to launch an exclusive edition of Supergirl on her magazine. Plus your crush is pretty hard to miss, she might use that to her advantage to get you to trust her and tell her everything."
"Alright, fine, I'll be more careful next time. It's not like I actually gave her my number," Emma grumbles and heads to her room to change. She slams the door closed a bit more forcefully than she intended, but she's sure her sister and friend will get the hint. She's doing this flying by the seat of her pants - somewhat literally - and of course she's going to screw up a bit. But they don't see Regina like she does, she doesn't seem like she's out to get all her secrets and spill them.
"Ugh, who am I kidding, they're probably right," Emma bemoans out loud. Silence is her only answer, but it's expected, talking to herself. She throws on her pyjamas and opens the door to see an empty apartment. Satisfied that she won't be scolded anymore today, she collapses onto her bed and groans. "I'm the world's most naïve superhero."
Well, naïve or not, she's soon going to have things get a little bit complicated, as elsewhere, a villain begins to plot. Because after all, who enjoys it when everything is so quiet and so very dull?
Emma glances at the clock as she comes to a stop in front of her desk. 6:28. She checks her planner - well, Ms. Mills' planner - and memorizes the schedule so that she can prattle it off when her boss arrives.
"Cutting it close much?" Walsh comments with a grin, leaning back on his chair.
Emma gives him a look, begging for compassion. "There was a long line at Tiana's!"
Walsh is ready to deliver what will probably be a quality retort, but Emma's sensitive ears pick up on her boss arriving. She shushes him and takes a few steps forward, ready to begin the day.
Regina Mills steps out of her personal elevator and everyone quietens. She has a presence that makes the whole room stop to look at her. Waltzing in like she knows she's the most important person in the room and expects everyone to act accordingly, her custom-made designer power suit moving perfectly against her body and her heels clacking against the floor in such a way that, if someone somehow didn't notice her before, they would now. She truly put on an image of being the Queen of All Media. She didn't need a crown to complete the look, but Emma was certain that if she did have one, everyone would be bowing down in front of her.
"Good morning Ms. Mills. Here's your coffee," Emma starts once her boss is standing in front of her, and she extends an arm out to take Regina's jacket, bag, and other items she may have brought with her, in exchange for the warm cup of specialty coffee.
Regina says nothing, taking a sip first, and finds the beverage to her satisfaction. She begins to walk again. "What's the schedule for today, Miss Swan?"
"Well in one hour you have a meeting with the copy editors. At 11am you have the conference call for that piece you're doing on Wall Street corruption, and at 1pm you have a meeting with layout," she prattles off with expertise as they walk up to Regina's desk. Emma sets the folders down on the polished surface, and the purse on the countertop to the side, before heading to the closet in the back to put away the very expensive wool jacket that Emma's sure is worth at least six of her paychecks.
"Very well, please inform me five minutes before I'm due for each appointment. You may go to your desk and take care of your other duties. That will be all." Regina waves a hand dismissively and sits on her desk, perching her reading glasses on her nose, and reads from the folders' contents. In Emma's opinion, those glasses make her look even sexier.
For the first couple of hours, everything is quiet, the low din of working in an office sounding like any regular job. And then the mail arrived. A pasty boy named Peter who has a proclivity for playing pranks and giving people the wrong mail, wheels his cart into the office and begins handing off the day's correspondence. Then he reaches Emma's desk and pulls out a medium sized box. It's got a traditional wrapping, green paper with a blue ribbon wrapped around the four sides of the box and tied off into a neat bow at the top. "Alright, got this lovely box here for one Regina Mills. Says here to hand it to her personally."
"I'll hand it to her," Emma sighs and stands up, holding her hands out for the box, but Peter doesn't give it to her.
"Sorry, her hands only," he explains and begins walking towards Regina's office.
Emma splutters. "But you're holding it!"
Peter turns around to smirk at her. "Mailroom privileges."
She huffs and follows after him, knowing her boss won't be happy at the intrusion. Although the glass doors are perennially open, Regina despises when someone bursts in unannounced.
And true to form, Regina looks up from her work when he comes in, and she's clearly outraged at Peter's presence. "Excuse me, what are you doing here?"
"Delivery for you," Peter says simply, and Emma wonders if he's just that clueless or he has a death wish. He was probably dared by his friends to act this rashly.
Regina looks behind him to Emma. "And why the hell didn't you leave it with Miss Swan?"
Emma knows the question is aimed at her, since she knows quite well that she should take Regina's mail, so she opens her mouth to answer, but Peter beats her to it. "It says to hand it to you personally. See?"
And indeed there's a card sticking out that says just what Peter's claiming. So she smiles sheepishly and waits by the door as Peter deposits the gift on Regina's desk none too gently - she glares at him for making some of her papers fly away - and as he walks off, he flashes Emma a smirk and a wink.
Regina begins unwrapping the gift and Emma decides she should at least help pick up the papers that fell. She walks behind her boss' desk and bends down-
POOF!
"AHH!"
Emma jerks up just in time to catch Regina's chair from falling to the ground, holding the back of the chair and in turn, her petrified boss, at a 45 degree angle. Around her, coloured confetti floats down, clearly coming down in droves from where they burst as the box was opened.
"What the-" Emma mutters, but then she looks at her boss again and sets the chair back upright. "Ms. Mills, are you okay?"
Regina's knuckles are white and still firmly clutching the chair's arms as if they were a lifeline. If her paled face and distracted eyes hadn't been enough of a clue, Emma's enhanced hearing caught the rapid heartbeats. She had clearly been spooked.
"Ms. Mills? It was just a prank, I'll get the custodial staff to clean this up later while you're at your meeting, okay?"
Regina turns to face Emma, as if only now realizing she's there. It's amazing how quickly she shifts, coming back to the real world and realizing where she is and who she's supposed to be. She clears her throat and composes herself, back once again to being CEO of MillsCo, and not a scared woman. Emma swears she'll get revenge on Peter in a wild moment of protectiveness.
"Thank you Miss Swan, now take this box-" Regina had grabbed the edge of the box with a clumsy hand, ready to tell her to get it out of her sight, but was met with a curious expression upon seeing something inside.
Emma glances inside and she figures this couldn't have been Peter's doing. Inside, in green fluorescent paint, a message is written.
DROP THE INVESTIGATION
Beneath it is a crude depiction of the symbol Emma wears on her chest. "Contact Supergirl, tell her to meet me here for lunch."
"Yes Ms. Mills, is there anything else?" Emma asks. "You have the conference call in half an hour."
Regina glances at the clock. She curses under her breath, and Emma's certain it's in Spanish. "Get me a glass of water and an aspirin. Rather, make that two. And cancel the conference call. Tell them I have more pressing matters to attend to."
"Of course." Emma rushes to the counter where Regina kept an assortment of beverages - some of them alcoholic; though Regina had once told one of the shareholders that it was mostly for show and for guests, Emma knows otherwise - and heads for the small fridge hidden beneath, where she finds a bottle of Perrier water to serve chilled in a glass decanter. A bit fancy for 10am, but it would do for now. She locates a pair of aspirin tablets and leaves Regina to go call some hotshot Wall Street pencil pusher.
Her mind though, is on the box. Who sent it, and what do they want?
"Do you understand what this is about?" Emma is due for lunch with Regina in fifteen minutes, and yet she's still having to deal with this annoying financier who clearly believed himself important enough to not understand that Regina had something more important to deal with. "What am I saying, of course not, you're an under-paid assistant who's clearly not worth her salt. Mark my words that I will be mentioning your incompetence when I talk to Ms. Mills. Now patch me through to her right now or I swear to-"
Before the man could finish his threat, the phone was snatched from her hand by none other than Regina Mills. Seeing her standing in front of her desk and berating the man within an inch of his life made Emma appreciate that her boss could sometimes swoop in at the perfect moment. She had better timing sometimes than Supergirl, an impressive feat.
"So if my hardworking assistant is saying that I am busy, you will do well to respect that and back off, or so help me, I will make sure that your reputation is so damaged, no one will believe a word you say." She slammed the receiver back onto the stand and took a calming breath before looking at Emma. "Now that that's done, could you fetch lunch for me and Supergirl? Get my usual and whatever you can think of for her, unless Marian can take her order."
Emma runs down to Tiana's, a popular and tasteful restaurant that had a mix of fine dining and casual fare, as well as excellent coffee, which is why Emma is a very regular costumer, considering her daily orders. That had led to a budding camaraderie with Tiana herself who, despite being the owner, still insisted on being around the customers, saying that being disconnected from the clientele is why most restaurants fail.
So when Emma showed up in the lunch rush and approached the bar, she saw Tiana already smirking at her, wearing her trademark green dress. She always wore something green, her favourite colour and also the main motif of her restaurant. "The usual kale salad?"
"And my regular order," Emma adds, sitting down on the bar.
Tiana flags down Naveen and relays the order. He's Tiana's very supportive husband and part-time musical entertainment on weekend nights for the restaurant; today he was dressed smartly in a waiter uniform, his black vest bringing out his stark white shirt. "Special lunch with your boss?" she asks playfully, leaning on the counter.
Emma shakes her head and tries to hide her blush. "Nope, but she does want me to be on-call and not leave my desk, so to-go it is."
"Fair enough. So I'm guessing you still haven't told her how you feel?"
She groans. She has to stop telling people that she's crushing on her boss. "There's no point. She's freaking Regina Mills! She probably wants someone larger than life."
Tiana hums. "True, maybe you should ask Supergirl for tips. I mean if there's anyone larger than life nearby, it's her."
The only thing Emma manages is a tight smile. "Right. Supergirl."
"Oh come on, you can't compare yourself to her, I mean, isn't she Regina's golden star? She's not really attainable. You on the other hand, are clearly reliable and very kind, who wouldn't want that?" Tiana lists off, gesturing vaguely to Emma.
Emma looks down at herself and sees her very average work clothes, black pressed pants, a white dress shirt and a blue cardigan. "This doesn't exactly scream CEO-dating material."
Naveen approaches with the orders already packed in the white and green paper bags, and butts in, "Well, not with that cardigan, but some of your casual wear with a swanky leather jacket though, and you might be in business."
Tiana agrees. "Just give it a shot!"
Emma would've wanted to dispute it, but she has her boss to get back to. So she thanks them for the lunch and has them put it on her work tab, before rushing back to Regina's office.
"Ah, Miss Swan, I trust you made a decent order for Supergirl?" Regina asks as soon as Emma enters and sets the bags down.
"Yep, Marian managed to get Supergirl to relay her order," she beams with practised ease, always making sure to put Marian in the middle. "Will there be anything else?"
"No, you may go." Emma gladly does so, and rushes to the roof, where she'll quickly change before flying down to meet Regina for lunch.
She watches Regina from the other side of the balcony, floating ever so close. She then notices the box and wonders if Regina thinks she did it. Before she can think more on the subject, Regina realizes Supergirl is there, and walks out onto the balcony. "Must you be welcomed inside? Are you part vampire?"
Supergirl smiles and flies closer, landing right beside her boss. "Nope. Just alien. And I didn't want to impose, I would've walked in through the front doors, but I think it's a bit presumptuous to do that."
Regina smirks. "Yes, especially considering your proclivity to just do what you're doing now, coming in through the balcony. You love the theatrics."
"Totally, that's why I wear this," she gestures to her costume.
"Touché," Regina agrees, and then opens her arm towards her office. "Shall we? I haven't really told you why I called you here."
"Something about a box?" Emma keeps it vague. She figures that she would've asked Marian what this was about, and gotten a vague answer.
"Precisely. This box specifically." Regina comes to stand in front of the box resting on the coffee table. Emma grabs it and sees nothing new, the same old box with a few confetti and the same cryptic message with her insignia. Regina is meanwhile explaining what happened earlier, and Supergirl nods along.
"Who would want to do this?"
Regina lets out a mirthless laugh as she leads them to their lunch, still packed and sits down. "In case you haven't realized dear, I'm not exactly National City's most beloved person. I have quite a list of enemies, almost as long as my contacts list. If I have to comb through one list, I might as well tackle my contacts list first and find you."
Supergirl feels her cheeks redden and she tries to busy herself with sitting down and moving her cape so she doesn't sit on it. Well then. "Ms. Mills, maybe you should focus on the person who is doing this? They might be out to hurt you."
She gets a scoff in response. "This is just a harmless prank."
"It doesn't feel like it's harmless." Emma counters with a raised eyebrow. "And if you do think that, why call me?"
"Because your symbol is etched onto that box, so I figure that whoever sent this clearly does not like me and is using you for it. The only quote unquote 'investigation' I'm holding that is in any way related to you is the one regarding your identity, and that isn't even going to be public, it's just for personal satisfaction," Regina smirks at the end and Emma is hoping that her composure isn't betraying her even more.
"Who else knows about it?"
"Just Henry. He wants to make an operation out of it, Operation Chameleon." Emma has to smile at that. Regina however, continues. "How about you? Anyone who might want to stop me from finding out who you are?"
She thinks to Ruby and Walsh. They wouldn't do that, so Emma is left to shrug.
"Well, shall we dig in?" Regina opens her container and finds her regular kale salad. She glances at the hero who is opening her container, and spots what Emma's having. "A grilled cheese sandwich? Honestly, don't tell me you ordered this?"
Supergirl looks up and gives a bashful smile, picking up a triangle with both hands. "It's good!"
Regina's face has morphed to one of barely contained disgust. "It's not a proper meal. You need proteins and nutrients-"
"Regina, it's fine!" Supergirl assures her with a reassuring smile. "I feed myself properly."
Not that she technically needs it, but now isn't the time to get into the semantics of her eating habits.
"Well I assume so, considering your-" the sentence tapers off as Regina gesticulates to Supergirl in general, and the hero can't help but realize that Regina has clearly paid a lot of attention to her figure. At seeing that Emma's mouth is curling into a smirk, she hastens to add, "The point is that you need to eat healthy, that is a heart attack waiting to happen."
Supergirl pretends to ponder that. "Hmm, I wonder if my Kryptonian physique might help…"
"Oh god, you're sarcastic too," Regina huffs. "But very well, if you know best."
After a few minutes of silent eating - that Emma can't help but feel that it's very much like a casual date, barring the cape - Supergirl ventures to ask, "So what are you going to do about this?"
Regina sighs and glances at the box that has secretly been occupying her mind the entire morning. "For now, nothing. I will request a mail screen for packages that appear suspicious. There is no point in blowing this out of proportion."
Supergirl was about to disagree, but then Marian strolls into the room, cellphone in hand. "Regina- oh! Supergirl! I didn't know you were going to be here!"
Right now, Emma is wishing the floor would swallow her whole. In her haste, she completely forgot to actually tell Marian about Supergirl's visit, or anything really. She really should establish something so Marian knows when she's going to be there as Supergirl so that when she forgets to do a heads-up, there's no chance Marian will barge in, confused.
Regina looks between the two women, very very confused. "Didn't you contact her earlier to meet me for lunch?"
Emma is looking at Marian, pleading with her eyes, wishing that her powers extended to telepathy. Thankfully, Marian gets the message. "Oh! Right! Yes, sorry, it's been a busy day and I spaced out. Anyway, have you checked Twitter recently?"
"No, why?" Regina's already halfway to her desk to fetch her phone.
"It might be easier to just look at the screen." Marian points to one of the multitude of TV screens in Regina's office that are perennially on news stations. Much like the screens above the desks in the bullpen, they try to capture the news at all times so that everyone can stay up to speed on latest developments. Right now though, most stations were reporting the same thing, and Regina unmutes one with a press of a button on her universal remote.
"It seems that the ice cold Queen of All Media is actually human. In a viral tweet posted a few hours ago, an employee of MillsCo posted a candid video of Regina Mills being spectacularly pranked by a gift box containing a lot of confetti. It's a must-watch for anyone who ever doubted that the CEO of the famous media company had any feelings."
Emma was sure the remote was about to break in half - she sure would've broken it if she was in Regina's position - but Regina just slams the power button once again and drops the remote on her desk. She can see that her boss' nostrils are flaring, but neither she nor Marian can think of what to say or do. The latter sits down beside her, not saying a word. From what Marian told her, she and Regina had formed a close friendship, Latinas in the news industry with successful careers. Considering that this sort of press could be very damaging for the CEO, Marian doesn't want to leave her alone, as a sign of solidarity.
Regina, meanwhile, is a woman on a mission, scrolling through twitter to find the offending tweet.
And she finds it after a few moments, before she storms out of her office. "Mr. Erson!"
Emma quickly looks to Marian and asks, "What was the tweet?"
Marian bites her lip and shows her phone screen to Emma.
LOL #awkward. She's human! Thank u to whoever sent this box & made the experience possible. #whosaidevilqueenscantbescared
"It's trending worldwide," Emma notes in trepidation. She recognizes the name on the tweet. Jeff Erson was in charge of lifestyle. Before thinking too much through, she shoots up and walks over to where Regina stands, arms crossed.
Jeff has the demeanour of a man without a care in the world. He's probably proud of having created his first twitter trend. He approaches them with a wide and lazy smirk. "Wow, so is this the new thing? Getting your golden puppy to stand behind you for intimidation?"
Emma wants to retort but knows she will just be proving him right. Then again, standing silently with her arms crossed, glowering, is not much better.
"So you know that what you did is wrong?" Regina calmly asks. For anyone who doesn't know her, she doesn't seem at all angry, but Emma's well-versed in this tactic. She's livid. Thankfully she has never had the experience of being on the receiving end of this.
Jeff scoffs. "Wrong? I work for you, the shining example of cutthroat newsmonger. You will do anything for a story."
"I have principles," Regina is quick to fire back. "And I don't need to explain myself to you. If you think you have my technique down so perfectly, then very well. You're fired."
He splutters. "You can't fire me!"
"And why not? Clearly you have what it takes to make it in the news world by yourself, so off you go. I will be very interested to see if ErsonCo eventually rises from the deep hole it's in right now. Certainly not with the reputation you have amassed."
Jeff's cheeks are inflamed in fury as he turns around and stalks off, yelling over his shoulder, "Fine! I knew working for a woman would lead to this-"
Emma stops listening and takes a step forward, fully intending to pummel this guy into the pulp he deserves to be, but a quick and subtle hand to her wrist makes her pause. A squeeze lets Emma know that Regina is silently thanking her for it, and they watch as Jeff storms off to his desk and pack his things.
"Alison, do you mind letting security know about Jeff? I have a feeling he's not done quite yet." Ashley nods and picks up the phone. She's the receptionist, and with a press of a button on her very fancy desk phone, she's in touch with security. As Regina beckons Supergirl to follow her and return to her office, she sees two security guards exiting the elevator and heading to Jeff's desk.
Regina sighs as she enters her office and heads to the balcony. Emma and Marian exchange glances, and the former nods, letting the photographer know that she will talk to Regina. Marian gives a reassuring smile before sitting down on the couch, and Emma walks to the balcony.
"You can leave you know, I don't even know why I called you." Regina doesn't even turn around to face her, she's just leaning against the railing and looking out. Emma bites her lip and tries to think of what to say.
"It scared you," Emma settles, taking small steps closer.
Clearly that is the wrong thing to say as Regina whips around with a furious look in her eyes. "I don't get scared, and you would do well to remember that. Now leave!"
"But-" Supergirl tries, hands coming up, placating.
"Leave!" The words made Emma flinch, and she wondered if she should heed her words. "Now!"
Complying, Emma leaves with a whoosh, and Regina begins to regret her snapping at the blonde hero the minute she does it. Even Marian notices it.
"So, who ordered the speedy delivery of the ten tonne concrete personal wall?" Marian quips when Regina enters her office again.
Regina sighs, collapsing beside her friend. "I know, I know, I should've handled this better, but I can't just count on her to save me every time something happens, even tiny things like a prank."
"Well maybe not, but if you have her with you, and since this doesn't seem like a garden variety prank, then why not confide in her? She can help you. Not to mention protect you."
"I don't need protection," Regina huffs in that self-assured way that has fooled millions.
Excluding a few well-versed in Regina, such as Marian herself. "Okay, you keep telling yourself that. But just a reminder, I'm not a lecherous gossip columnist trying to find out what makes the Regina Mills tick, or if you're human, as the Twitter trend shows. I'm on your side, remember?"
Regina has to agree that Marian is the closest thing she's had to a friend ever since she founded MillsCo. Anyone that wanted to be her friend was usually looking for some sort of perk, like previews of her magazine releases, a chance to be in the limelight by being seen beside Regina Mills, or favours - money or connections - so this is a nice change of pace for her. "What do you think I should do?"
"I think you should open up to Supergirl. Her heart seems to be in the right place, plus you could use having someone else in your life."
"Even if it is a superpowered alien?" Regina smirks, getting Marian to scoff and roll her eyes. "But fine, can you tell her to meet me tonight?"
Later, Marian lets Emma know about the meeting, alone in the photographer's office. "Also, you really should make a system so we don't have any more gaffes like that one. Regina could've easily found out, you know?"
Emma has enough sense to look abashed, rotating from one side to the other on Marian's desk chair. "Sorry, I was pressed for time and I just spaced. Just assume that I probably called you before Supergirl appears."
Marian looks up from her proofs and levels Emma with a glare. "Your party, hero. But don't come to me when that plan backfires spectacularly."
Ever the hard-headed and stubborn one, Emma insists it will be fine.
When night falls and Emma is once more approaching Regina's balcony, she's feeling nervous. She's never seen Regina snap that much at her, not even when she's Emma, and she's heard that Regina's reputation is that of a dragon, very easily provoked, and quite something when angry.
Regina's working at her desk, clearly preoccupied, and Emma approaches the open doors and knocks. When her boss looks up, she says, "Marian said you wanted to talk?"
"Yes, come in." Standing up, Regina beckons her inside. Supergirl comes to stand by the couches, hands clasped in front of her, looking expectantly at whatever Regina has to say when she's standing in front of her. "I'm sorry."
Emma blinks. In the two years she's worked for Regina, she's never heard her utter those words before. Of course, in her surprise, her very eloquent response is: "What?"
Regina finds humour in that and chuckles. She looks down and bites her lip, and Emma finds her beyond beautiful then. She wishes she were allowed to tilt her chin to get her to look back up, but she refrains.
"I know, I know; the great Regina Mills is actually capable of apologizing, you may go add that to the array of tweets currently racking up in the trend," Regina quips as she makes eye contact with her again, and Emma notes with a pang that Regina has probably been reading all of them, and it must be a blow to the ego, no matter how put-together she tries to be.
"I wasn't thinking that," Supergirl says.
Regina doesn't believe her, but in jest she counters, "You weren't surprised by my apologizing?"
"Well, yes I was," she admits, but then she adds, "I just wasn't going to tweet about it. That would reveal my identity."
Her attempt to lighten the mood was successful as Regina lets out a rich laugh. "Oh yes, we should think about getting you an official twitter account. It wouldn't do you any good to have your personal twitter account gain notoriety for always being where Supergirl is, hmm?"
Supergirl blushes and says nothing. Meanwhile, Regina continues. "You could take pictures of the sky and bird's eye view of National City."
"That would require me to take a phone with me," Supergirl adds, and Regina huffs.
"Again with the cellphone? Honestly-"
"I meant that I don't carry it with me," she is quick to rectify.
Regina seems satisfied with the confirmation that Supergirl does carry a cellphone, and decides to change topic. "Let's get back to why I called you here. I was somewhat harsh with you-"
"Somewhat?" Emma raises an eyebrow.
"Oh grow up, aren't you supposed to be the girl of steel or something like that?" Regina crosses her arms petulantly and then says, "The point is that I apologize for my behaviour earlier today."
Supergirl nods. "It's okay, I figure you have your reasons."
And she does. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to be in my position?" Emma shakes her head no. "Being a CEO to a news corporation is already tough, but add to that being a woman, and it becomes doubly hard. You're expected to dress fashionably every single day, makeup impeccable. As if that wasn't enough, combine that with being a Latina, and you have racist comments whispered behind your back and condescending jerks claiming that I am a dirty immigrant who will soon enough be deported. All of that without mentioning the judgement that comes with being a single working mother, and how I must be making Henry into a lonely and strange child, by being absent in his life while I work, and 'why did you even adopt him? You don't have the time or skills to do it.' It's a lot of pressure, and it makes you want to control every move, every whisper and conversation. So it's not a matter of whether or not I was scared, but rather that I can't afford to be scared. Already, there are people talking about how dainty I am, so easily scared. I. can't. be. scared."
All through the speech, Regina's voice got louder and angrier, until she ended it by collapsing against Supergirl's chest. She got over her surprise quickly, and wrapped her arms around Regina. She heard the quietest sniffles with her enhanced hearing, but said nothing. She was sure Regina wouldn't appreciate a comment right now.
After a minute, Regina backed away and cleared her throat, taking a deep breath and smiling gratefully. Emma took the opportunity to say, "You're safe with me, you're allowed to be scared, and I will never judge you for it, or hold it against you, okay?"
Regina says nothing, she only nods once, and it feels like something has changed between them. Something good.
And that was chapter 2! Some insight into our characters, and next chapter, things get a bit more intense!
I'll hopefully have it up for later today or tomorrow!
