A/N: So you know how I was so proud of myself for surprising you all and putting Daniel as VP? Well, turns out using an always dead character makes him forgettable … he should have been in that meeting in Regina's office - oops. I've amended the chapter now but those eager beavers among you who read the chapter within 24 hours of the first posting might want to flick back and re-read that last scene. Oh, and just before you say anything, it wasn't Daniel. But thanks to the content of your reviews, I now have the entire storyline mapped out …
The television studio was a hive of activity even at the early hour Emma arrived. She bumped into Ruby in the car lot and the two of them weaved their way through the bustling corridors to the blonde's office. Once the door was shut, they took their respective seats and got to work.
Over the past 24 hours, the number of articles reporting on the President's divorce had exploded. The two women were working to weed out the fact from the fiction but after an hour's work, it became clear that the only reliable article was the one written by August. There was no follow-up information escaping the tight-lipped White House.
"Still no press release?" Ruby asked.
Emma glanced at the muted television mounted on the wall and showing rolling NBC news.
"Nope."
She wondered what was going on inside the White House, inside the Oval Office. It would be a media frenzy at the forthcoming press conference. She wondered what Sidney Glass would say.
Ruby's phone buzzed and she answered at once. Emma was only half listening to the one side of the conversation she could hear until Ruby called her name.
"What?" she asked, looking up from an article ABC had just published about Robin's still unnamed mistress.
"August said he's got us both press credentials to the White House. He wants you up there personally to hear this morning's announcement."
"Why?" Emma frowned. "Isn't Parker up there already?"
Ruby shrugged, holding the phone away from her ear and waiting for her boss to make a decision.
"Fine," Emma said. "Tell him I'll be ready to leave in ten minutes. Can you go and get hold of a couple of dictaphones?" Ruby nodded and left the room at once.
Emma hadn't been to a press statement in the White House since she had started her show. The network employed two journalists to be present at all press releases who then reported back to Emma. It left the woman free to focus on the way the news would be presented on her show and had been a system that was working well. So why did August want Emma to be at the White House that day? He must know something, she mused.
She got to her feet and headed down to make up and wardrobe. She wasn't about to appear in front of Regina in old jeans and a hoodie. Tina sorted her out with a power suit and soon she and Ruby were bundling into the back of a network car and speeding through the streets of D.C.
As they drove into the White House grounds, Emma got the familiar overwhelming feeling of excitement she always experienced when she crossed the threshold. Even when she was regularly attending press releases, the awestruck sense of power and grandeur and history had never faded. The White House was special and being allowed inside was an honour.
They parked in the allotted area and were escorted through the corridor which led directly to the press briefing room by a security agent. As expected, it was packed; everyone eager to know how Sidney Glass would address the news which had broken the day before. It was a strange move not to have made an announcement immediately, Emma had noted. Damage control was always more effective the sooner it was implemented. Now all they'd managed to do was give the news a full cycle to print their own fabricated stories and offer their thoughts and opinions on the situation.
Two seats to the side and near the front had been reserved for Ruby and Emma. They took them and set up their equipment, chatting to other journalists they knew as they waited for Glass to appear. Parker was a few rows away and he frowned at their appearance. Evidently August hadn't told him that the woman to whom he reported was going to be present herself for that day's conference. He wondered why she was there. Did she know something? Did she have an inside source? But he still smiled and nodded at her when Emma's green eyes met his own before they both went back to preparing for the statement.
"Are you sure about this?" Kathryn asked as she watched Regina check her make-up in the mirror for the umpteenth time.
"Yes," Regina said. "It's the right call."
"Because it was Zelena's idea?"
Regina raised a sculpted eyebrow and looked at her Chief of Staff's reflection behind her. "No, because it's the best way to deal with this situation we have found ourselves in. Why, what would you suggest?"
"Not my area of expertise," Kathryn replied. "She's the publicist."
"She is," Regina agreed. "And she and I both agree this is the right move."
Returning to her notes, Regina tried to concentrate on what she was about to do rather than the fact that she was still working alongside the person who had betrayed her. It irked her that whoever had caused the problem in the first place was now involved in its resolution. Maybe that was their plan, she mused. But regardless, in many ways she wished it had been Emma who had betrayed her trust because at least she would be able to cut the blonde from her life. Her team, however, she was stuck with. For now. The FBI and the CIA had already assigned their best agents to do a deep search of all seven individuals' cell phones, emails and Internet history to see if they could discern a link to August and NBC.
"Are you ready?" Zelena asked, entering the room without even knocking.
Regina nodded, a little disgruntled at how comfortably Zelena was treating the Oval Office. Surely the door deserved to be knocked upon. But now was not the time to be annoyed by something to comparatively trivial. She closed her notes, picked up the folder and followed her publicist from the room, her Chief of Staff right behind her.
The corridor was quiet. Regina knew why. Everyone in the White House would be gathered in the press room. Even those who knew what was going on were eager to hear from the woman herself. What Regina had said to Kathryn was true. Both she and Zelena agreed that the best way to quash the gossip was to address the problem head on, as planned. Of course, the press statement had been altered from its original form and it would be she, not Glass who delivered it, but the premise was the same. Complete transparency. They wanted to humanise the presidential office and remind everyone that at the centre of this scandal was a woman who had been deeply wounded. The divorce may be a media sensation but they hoped by Regina herself taking the stage they would be able to speak to the population as one of them. No one is perfect. No marriage is perfect. And everyone has the right to live a happy life. Regina was just asserting that right while holding the most powerful office in the land.
"Fuck," Ruby gasped, causing Emma to look up from her cell phone just as there was a flurry of movement about her and blinding flashing lights.
Emma's jaw dropped as she saw Regina Mills herself walk up to the lectern to deliver the long anticipated speech. She had not been expecting that. Her eyes raked appreciatively over the cream dress Regina was wearing before she remembered why she was seeing the brunette beauty in the flesh in the first place. Was that why August wanted her up in the White House in person? And if so, how the hell did he know? Who was his source? Fumbling to turn on her dictaphone, the room around her fell silent but she could practically hear the excitement vibrating through the air. Journalists were terrible gossips. The more scandalous and more personal the story, the better.
"Good morning," Regina said with a small smile as she glanced down at the sea of faces, microphones and cameras all directed at her. Despite the crowded room, she couldn't fail to spot Emma, seated just a few rows from the front. Her eyes lingered for a second longer on the blonde, whose cheeks reddened visibly under her gaze, before she turned back to the room at large.
"I suppose it's no secret why you are all here this morning, so let's get straight to the point. The article published by NBC yesterday was broadly true." There was an explosion of noise and questions as the journalists clamoured for more information. Zelena, standing by Regina's side, stepped forwards and held up her hands.
"Please hold your questions until after Madam President has finished her statement, thank you," she said with a snarl.
Regina waited for silence to fall again and went on with her speech. "While that article was not the way I had intended to break the news, the fact that Robin and I are going to get a divorce was due to become public knowledge. My policy when it comes to the media and the voters has always been transparency. I believe it is important for the people to really know their President which is why you are hearing from me this morning, not Mr Glass."
The man in question was stood in the cluster of people who had accompanied Regina out onto the stage. He looked a little disgruntled at not being allowed to address the biggest gathering of journalists he has ever seen inside the White House press briefing room.
"As I am sure you are all aware by now," Regina continued, "Robin had an extramarital relationship approximately seven years ago. This affair resulted in a child. Although the relationship with the woman in question ended when I found out about it, Robin has had some contact with his son for many years. Now, he has decided he wants to play a more active role in his son's life, something I agree is important. While we tried to work through the infidelity and wanted to save our marriage, we ultimately failed. Like countless other couples across the United States, we have come to the decision that we would be happier apart."
"But you're the President," came the voice of a journalist somewhere near the back.
Emma turned around, eyes narrowed. Who had the nerve to shout out in the middle of Regina's speech? The woman herself, however, took the remark in her stride.
"I am the President," Regina nodded. "And while I am aware that no President has ever gone through a divorce while in office, I would like to believe that I won the election based on more than who my husband is or even the fact that I have a husband in the first place. This divorce will change my personal life but it shall have no bearing on my determination to deliver on my campaign promises. Robin shall be moving out of the White House this afternoon and I will continue to serve you, the people, as your President. Unprecedented though this may be, I firmly believe that I will be a better, stronger and more dedicated President from now on."
Regina paused, took a sip of the water which had been placed on the lectern, and continued. "Divorce isn't easy. It's messy and painful and no one enters into a marriage believing their union will ever end in such a split. Robin and I have been married for almost fifteen years and we have shared some wonderful memories together. I am grateful for all his support during my electoral campaign. But now we have mutually decided that while we tried to overcome the damage caused by his infidelity, we will be better people if we are no longer married.
"At the end of the day, I have a job to do and my abilities were, I don't believe, ever affected by my marital status. Therefore, I see no reason why my future in the role of President of this great nation will be affected by my divorce. I join many other Americans who have fallen out of love with their partners and are ready to move on. That's all this is. While I have no say in the way you will report this story today, tomorrow and over the next few weeks, I would just like to end by saying one final thing.
"This is not a media sensation. This is not an event to sell more papers or get more Twitter followers. This is not a political scandal which should be used to further a career. This is the unfortunate breakdown of a previously loving couple and, most importantly, a private issue. While I recognise that as President I get very little privacy, I would appreciate some humanity when it comes to reporting this story. If not for me, then please consider the way in which your reports will affect everyone else involved. Robin and his son, in particular, should not be seen as media goldmines. Please, be respectful, and allow us to deal with this as a family." Regina paused to let the words sink in, although she knew full well that few of the journalists would have taken the slightest bit of notice. The blood was in the water and the sharks were circling. "Now, I would like to open the floor to questions for a short period of time."
Hands shot into the air around Emma, Ruby's included. Her own, however, were lying limply in her lap. Regina had just delivered one of the most powerful speeches Emma had ever heard. And yet, she realised as she looked around her, the vultures were still going in for the attack.
"Yes," Regina said, pointed to a young journalist near the front.
"Who is the woman your husband had an affair with?"
"That is a privacy issue for her and her son and also irrelevant to this office," Zelena said before Regina could reply. "Next question."
"What's the name of Robin's illegitimate son?"
"Again, you are asking us to broadcast the name of a six-year-old to the world," Zelena snapped. "If you have any questions which don't put the privacy of those involved at risk, we'll answer them. If you don't, please leave."
There was a rumble of annoyance and most hands stayed high in the air.
"Yes," Regina said, pointing to an older journalist and hoping they'd be able to come up with a viable question.
"Who is going to assume the duties which would have fallen to our First Gentleman of the United States?"
"We shall be appointing someone in the same manner as we have appointed cabinet members," Regina said, grateful for a question to which she had an answer. "By the end of the week there will be a person in the equivalent position who will take over all of the responsibilities traditionally assigned to the First Gentleman or First Lady."
The next question was expected and Regina had her answer ready. "Was your marriage a sham throughout the election?"
"No," Regina replied. "We have been trying to work through our issues for years and have attended regular marriage counselling sessions. This continued up until after I assumed office. While it may have been evident for quite some time that we were never going to be able to move forward, we were still trying. I believe in the sanctity marriage and both Robin and I worked hard to salvage ours. Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful."
"Why did Robin cheat on you?" came the next question.
There was a collective intake of breath. Regina levelled the journalist with a cold gaze for three, long seconds before answering. "I suppose that is a question you should ask him."
"Will he be giving a press conference?" someone shouted from the back.
"No," Regina replied. "As of this afternoon, Robin will no longer be connected to the White House and we saw no reason for him to address the nation."
"Is he going to live with his mistress and son?"
Regina's heart clenched at the question. She desperately hoped the stab of pain she had felt hadn't shown on her face. Without thinking, she glanced at Emma and saw the blonde's eyes gazing straight back at her, sympathetic and concerned. There was a cough and Regina was reminded of the question.
"I don't know what his living arrangements will be after he leaves the White House," Regina said, "and now I must bring this press conference to a close as I have a very busy day ahead. Thank you all for coming and, as I said earlier, please report this story with some awareness as to how it will affect those involved. Thank you."
There was a clamour of more questions shouted after the President as she turned and walked off the stage and disappeared from the room. Ruby was already talking enthusiastically to the journalist beside her, the juicy exclusive going to keep media outlets busy for weeks. Emma, however, couldn't think of anything she wanted to do less than report Regina's broken marriage.
"That went really well," Zelena said as soon as they were back in the Oval Office.
"Hmm," Regina said, circling the desk and sitting down in her chair. "I suppose. Do you think it will make any difference to how they report it in the end, though?"
The redhead shrugged. She knew there was no point sugar-coating it for the President. Both of them had been in the game for long enough to know that there was little anyone could to do control the media.
Regina, meanwhile, was thinking about something else. Or rather, someone else. Emma Swan. What had the woman been doing in the press room? She must have her own reporters who are sent from her show to listen to the daily announcements. So why, on the day when Regina herself graced the stage to talk about her divorce, was the blonde there in person? How had she known to come?
"Is Graham outside?" Regina asked suddenly.
Zelena walked over to the door and poked her head into the corridor. "Yes, you want him?"
Regina nodded and Zelena called the head of security inside. "Yes, Madam President?" he asked, standing to attention before her as always.
"Thank you, Zelena, you may leave us," Regina said bluntly to her publicist.
Zelena's eyebrows rose but she heeded the command and left the room. Graham remained where he was, waiting for his orders.
"Do you remember the woman whose apartment I went to on Friday night?" she asked once the two of them were alone.
"Of course, Madam President," Graham responded, not a hint of an emotion appearing on his well-trained face.
"Her name is Miss Swan and she works for NBC. She was in the press room earlier," Regina said. "Can you find her and bring her to me here, please. The woman who was with her can return to the studio or wait in the car lot, whatever she prefers. But only Miss Swan is to come to my office, do you understand?"
"Yes Madam President," Graham said before he turned to leave.
Regina leaned back in her chair and swivelled around so she was overlooking the White House gardens. It was a dreary, grey D.C. day but the sight was still impressive. She watched as one of the countless gardeners who were employed to tend to the grounds pruned a bush. The minutes dragged by and Regina was starting to wonder whether Emma would have already left and Graham had arrived too late.
She jumped when a knock sounded on the office door.
"Come in," she called, heartbeat quickening.