Case in Point
Chapter Three: Deals
Regina was beaming as she entered the school.
Nothing much had changed, really. Law school was still overwhelming, she was still amassing a mountain of debt, and dread still curled in the pit of her stomach at the thought of her mid-terms. What's more, she'd had gotten nearly as much studying done on the weekend as she had meant to. Hardly any, in fact.
But it didn't matter. She'd gotten to spend time with Daniel – Daniel – and he'd given her the most wonderful news.
They wouldn't have to be apart anymore…
"Hello, Ms. Mills."
He startled her. He always startled her. She ought to be getting used to it by now, him seemingly materializing out of thin air…
Frowning slightly, she turned. "Professor Gold," she greeted him with forced calm.
"How was your weekend?" He smirked at her. "Pleasant, I trust? I don't imagine you got much work done …"
Regina felt her face grow warm. "That's … that's none of your business …" she stammered.
He quirked a brow at her, and then chuckled. "It appears I've embarrassed you, dearie. I'm sorry."
"No, you're not," she said.
The smile left his lips, but not his eyes. "No," he admitted softly. "I'm not. But please, accept my apology anyway. We must preserve the niceties."
"Fine," she muttered.
"Fine," he echoed smugly. "Well then, time for my class, isn't it? I know you're less than prepared today, so …" he leaned in, and his voice dropped to almost a whisper. "I'll make sure to call on you."
Regina leaned in as well. "I … I can answer any question you throw at me, professor."
"Hm. You'd better. And you'd better come to my office hours later, too. I need a student who is … dedicated, Ms. Mills."
"I am dedicated." She didn't know why she suddenly felt so sure of that, but she did. When she was in his presence, she always felt like she had something to prove. She felt the same way around her mother, actually. But somehow, with him it was much more … exhilarating.
"We shall see, dearie. We shall see."
Professor Gold called in her no less than five times during class, and despite the meager amount of studying she'd done, she managed to answer every question correctly, if not eloquently. Still, she found that verbally sparring with him had left her strangely energized, and the rest of her classes passed quickly.
Afterwards, she made her way to his office. She was very annoyed, after all of Gold's insistence, to find someone else there with him.
The man, who couldn't have been much older than herself, gave her a lopsided grin. She might have actually found him a bit charismatic, had she been in a different mood.
"Ms. Mills," Professor Gold said, seeming to sense her annoyance. "This is –"
"Jeffrey Harman. But you can call me Jeff, all my friends do."
" –And he was just leaving," Professor Gold continued smoothly.
"Oh, not until I've made the acquaintance of your latest and loveliest protégé, professor." He extended his hand to Regina, and when she shook his, he took her hand and kissed it. She found that she was beginning to warm to him despite herself.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Mills."
"You can call me Regina."
Jeff's grin widened. "Regina. Tell me, have you ever –"
"She has a boyfriend, you know."
Jeff glanced back at Professor Gold. "What? I was just being friendly –"
"I remember what happened the last time you tried to get friendly with one of my mentees, dearie."
"Now that was … a misunderstanding …"
"A misunderstanding? Ms. Draco gave you a black eye, I seem to recall."
"Which is a battery tort. She's lucky I didn't sue. Besides which, that was just foreplay." He turned back to Regina. "You're not going to give me a black eye, are you?"
Regina laughed. "Only if you don't get out of this office. I have an appointment with Professor Gold."
"Hats off to you, then. I was once his protégé too. And it's served me well. I'm only a first-year associate, but I make more money than people who have spent years in the profession. Speaking of which … I've got some work to do. You'll get back to me about those contracts, won't you Gold?"
"That's Professor Gold to you, dearie." There was a slight edge to his voice now.
"Oh yes, professor, of course. Regina, a pleasure to have met you. Maybe I'll see you again in court someday … or at least at the negotiating table." He flashed a final, mischievous grin at her, and then took his leave.
Regina raised an eyebrow at Professor Gold. "So I'm you're protégé now?"
"Aren't you?"
When Regina didn't answer, his voice dipped to a low purr as he asked, "Don't you want to be? I promise, it will be worth your while."
An honest-to-goodness shiver went down her spine. His words, his voice, filled her with a feeling of foreboding, and at the same time a feeling of … well, something she didn't want to name.
"Let me guide you," he said.
"And what do you get out of it?" She asked.
"Someday, you'll do something for me."
"And what's that?"
He gestured to the chair in front of his desk. "Please, sit down, and we'll talk about it," he said.
Sometime later, Regina was contemplating the paper he had given her.
"An internship," she said.
"Yes. A paying one." That was extremely rare, she knew especially for a 1L.
"At the …" Her eyes widened. "The Albert Spencer* law firm? That's one of the most prestigious law firms in the state. How on earth did you manage …?"
"I know Albert Spencer, dearie. Worked with him for years. How do you think Mr. Harman got his high-paying job?"
"That's the firm where Jeff works … what?" She asked, as he made a face. "He said I could call him that."
"Yes, that's the firm where Mr. Harman works."
Regina looked down the paper again. "So you gave him an internship there too."
"I didn't." She looked up. "This is just for you."
"And yet, you still haven't told me what you get out of it."
"I'll get out of it what I always get out of it, Ms. Mills. Another brilliant young lawyer in my debt. If I'm giving you more than I gave Mr. Harman, it's because I think you have even more potential than he did."
"You seem very intent on flattering me, professor."
"Miss Mills, if my intention were to flatter you, I would be talking about how stunningly beautiful you are." Regina willed herself not to blush as he continued. "You have a sharp mind, and I would not see it wasted. But if you can honestly tell me you don't want this …"
"It's just … Albert Spencer is primarily a commercial firm. I was … I was kind of hoping to go into family law."
"Family law?" He sounded genuinely repulsed. "Oh Miss Mills, please don't tell me you want to waste your time helping heartbroken couples squabble over their possessions and fight custody battles in which they treat their children like possessions."
"That's not all there is to it! I mean, there can't be! I want to help families. I want to help people."
"You can't help people well enough in the field of contracts, Miss Mills."
"But professor –"
"Divorce court is no pleasant place, dearie, I promise you." There was such bitterness in his voice, and sadness, and even … regret. For an instant, Regina felt profoundly sorry for him, though she couldn't quite understand why.
"Marriages are contracts too," she said. It sounded stupid even to her own ears.
"Indeed. And they're more easily broken than most."
If only they were, Regina thought. Her father would never break his word, never go back on his vows, no matter how much better it would have been for all of them if he did, no matter how much her mother had hurt them both …
"Miss Mills?" His voice was suddenly much gentler. "Miss Mills, I didn't mean to upset …"
"You didn't." Regina swallowed against the tightness in her throat.
"Yes, well." For a moment, he looked almost awkward. "Your interest in family law notwithstanding, what's the harm in a brief little internship at such a prestigious firm, even if it's not your preferred field?"
"I don't suppose there's really any harm in it, professor. And I am extremely grateful for this opportunity. It's just that …"
Daniel's going to move in over Winter Break.
"I understand you have a personal life, Miss Mills." He was reading her mind again. "But really, you can't afford to pass this up. Say you'll accept?"
"I …"
"Please."
"Yes. Yes of course I will."
He smiled. "Good. And now, I believe I'll let you get back to your studies, since your mid-terms are coming up." As if she could forget that.
"I suppose it wouldn't look very good for my internship if I failed them."
"Oh, you'll pass with flying colors. And the finals too. Of that I have no doubt."
When he said it, she believed.
"It is late," Regina said.
"Indeed it is. I've kept you longer than I meant to. I have a bit of work to do myself before I leave, but still, I could walk you to your car … if you like."
"No. Thank you, but … I'll be fine." Regina stood up.
"Good night, Professor Gold."
"Good night, Miss Mills."
*JIC you don't recall, Albert Spencer (the district attorney) was the Storybrooke counterpart of King George. I don't think I need to tell you who Jeff is. ;)
