A/N: The number of you darling readers who wanted me to write wild SwanQueen sex in the Oval Office was brilliant. I love our optimism. Sadly, I am writing what I hope is a semi-believable story so you shall have to wait a little longer for our ladies to get down and dirty. Rest assured, it will happen.
Ruby stared at Emma in disbelief as the tall, handsome, bearded man caught up with them just as they were about to climb into the back of the network car, calling the woman's name.
"Miss Swan, your presence has been requested by Madam President," he said, face completely unreadable as he carried out his orders with the professionalism he was displayed to perform.
Emma, who recognised Graham from the previous weekend, was about to ask why but thought better of it. Instead, she turned to Ruby and told her she'd meet her at the network.
"How will you get back?" Ruby asked.
"I'll find a way," Emma replied. "Or I'll call you and get you to send another car to collect me. Go on and get started transcribing that speech and I'll be back as soon as I can. Keep an eye on the alerts I set on my computer too as there'll be more articles appearing over the next few hours. Anything which is written, scan the content and bookmark it for me if there's anything which seems to be new information."
"Ok," Ruby said, still hesitant. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'll see you later."
Without waiting to see if Ruby was going to obey her, Emma turned and followed Graham out of the press car lot and back into the White House. They marched down familiar corridors but instead of stopping at the press room, they continued. While Emma had been to the White House many times during her career, she had never been further into the building than her basic press credentials had allowed. She tried to take in as much as possible.
Grand portraits lined the walls, which were all a perfect white. Countless, unmarked doors gave Emma only the vaguest sense of just how large the building really was. People passed them but paid little attention to either Emma or the man leading her. She guessed he was the head of Regina's private security team; probably a decorated FBI agent or former police officer who had risen through the ranks with a penchant for personal security.
It didn't take long for them to reach a large waiting area. The young blonde behind the desk looked up from the computer, on which she was furiously typing and peered curiously at the woman walking behind Graham. The man himself knocked on a large wooden door and stood aside.
"Come in," called the now familiar voice from the other side.
Graham turned the handle and stood back to allow Emma to pass through first. Although he followed her inside, one glare from Regina made him hastily back out. He planted his feet firmly, shoulder width apart, hands clasped behind his back and settled into his position just to the right of the office.
"Hi," Emma said when the door was closed.
Regina, who was still seated behind her desk, said nothing. Emma shifted nervously, unsure why she had been summoned. Despite her nerves, she was unable to stop herself looking around in awe at the inside of the famed room. Regina watched the blonde scan the Oval Office and waited patiently for the green eyes to land back on her again.
"I was surprised to see you this morning, Miss Swan," Regina said at last.
Miss Swan, Emma thought to herself. So we're back to formalities.
"I guess I was surprised to see you as well, Madam President," Emma said, following the woman's lead.
"Really?" Regina said, gesturing for Emma to take a seat as she stood up herself. "You had no idea that I would be making that press announcement myself?"
"No," Emma said as she sat on a cream couch. "How would I know that?"
"Well, someone clearly knew," Regina said as she sank into her favourite, high-backed armchair. "Why else would you take time out of what I'm sure is a busy schedule to come and see a standard press release yourself. No doubt you have journalists working for your show to do that for you."
"August told me to come," Emma said simply. "I guess he knew somehow."
So, the man really did have an inside source, Regina thought to herself. She had known the man had to have a connection somehow to have gotten the exclusive he published in the article. But the fact that he knew Regina herself would be addressing the press meant that the White House mole was still very much in the loop. There weren't many people who knew Regina had been scheduled to address the press rather than Sidney Glass.
"Do you know how August was privy to this information?" Regina asked.
"No," Emma replied. "But he told me he has someone on the inside, someone he's paying to feed him information."
"Who?"
"I don't know," Emma said. "Honestly, Regina, I did ask him but he refused to tell me anything."
"Regina?" the brunette repeated, eyebrows raised.
Emma balked. She hadn't noticed the mistaken term of address. She was surprised, in hindsight, how natural it felt for her to be calling the President of the United States by her first name. "Sorry, Madam President," she amended quickly.
Regina surveyed the blonde, trying to read her facial expressions. The blonde looked calmly back, her cheeks a little pinked from the earlier slip but otherwise stoic. She had nothing to hide after all. And, after a long moment, Regina accepted that fact. She knew it wasn't Emma who had talked to her boss. It couldn't have been because whoever it was also knew that Regina was due to speak today and Emma had looked genuinely surprised when the woman stepped up to the lectern.
"So, I suppose I really do have a mole in my team," Regina said, her whole body deflating.
"I guess," Emma nodded. "I'm sorry. I know that's got to be tough to accept."
"Yes," Regina replied. "I trusted these people. I brought them with me to the White House and for one of them to betray me like this is … unforgivable."
The dark look which came over Regina's face was almost scary. Emma silently prayed that she never got on the wrong side of the woman. And then she sent another prayer that the two women would get to know each other well enough for that even to be a possibility in the first place.
"The FBI and CIA are looking into it for me," Regina said, without Emma's prompting. "They'll find out who it is and we'll deal with them. Until then, I suppose I'll just have to make sure there are no more scandals which they can leak to your boss."
"I hate August for doing this to you," Emma murmured. "He had no right to publish something so personal and use it to boost his career. You were right in your speech, you know. This has nothing to do with the press. If I had the choice, I wouldn't even report on it."
"You do have the choice," Regina said. "It's your show, isn't it? Can't you choose not to mention it."
Emma had to admit that was true. But wouldn't it be an elephant in the room situation? The President's divorce had been the headline of every rolling news channel for 24 hours. Emma couldn't just not mention it, could she?
"It may be my show but I don't think I do have a choice," Emma said softly. "I have to report the political news."
Regina accepted that. She really did. And she didn't want to damage Emma's career by playing on the affections she knew the woman felt for her to persuade her not to mention the divorce. It wasn't like The Swan Show was the only political broadcast. Emma's report on the events would be a drop in the ocean. Her not mentioning it would simply stir up suspicion, considering it was NBC who broke the news in the first place.
"I know," Regina said. "And I trust you to report it respectfully."
"Of course," Emma said, moving to the edge of the couch she was sitting on and reaching out to pat Regina's knee. It was a reflexive move; it felt right, natural, to want to physically comfort the brunette. Regina stared at the fingers laying against her thigh, half on the material of her dress and half pressed against her nylon covered skin where the dress had ridden up.
Emma, realising that the older woman was frozen in place, went to move her hand away. But then, quick as a flash, Regina's fingers landed on top of Emma's, warm and gentle but firm, holding the blonde's touch in place.
"Are you ok?" Emma asked after several seconds, trying to ignore the burning heat radiating from both Regina's palm and thigh.
"No," Regina whispered, gaze still locked on their hands, her own olive skin contrasting beautifully with Emma's alabaster colouring.
"Can I help?" Emma offered. "Is there anything I can do?"
"No," Regina said again. "No one can help now. I'll just have to ride this out and then do as much as I can in these four years. It's not like I'll get elected for a second term."
"You don't know that," Emma said, fingers lightly curling and digging into Regina's thigh.
Eventually, those deep brown eyes rose to meet Emma's. The blonde offered a reassuring smile but the brunette looked unconvinced. "The American public are not ready to elect their first female single president," she said flatly. "This is it. This is the peak of my political career."
Emma looked pointedly around the Oval Office. "Isn't this the peak you were always aiming for?"
Regina couldn't help but chuckle. "Fair, but I would have liked to serve two terms. Make twice the impact, you know?"
"Don't write yourself off just yet," Emma said. "The public might surprise you. Or maybe you'll meet someone new and then you can run as a happily married President again. The next election isn't for almost four years."
"I don't think Presidents can date," Regina said.
"Presidents are entitled to a life," Emma said, her fingers squeezing the soft flesh once more. "And they're also entitled to a private life. You don't have to endure the next four years splashed across the pages of a newspaper, Regina. Once you find out who the mole is, everything will go back to normal, you'll see."
"Will it?" Regina asked.
"Well, as normal as life can be for a President," Emma acknowledged.
"Even when this all dies down, I don't think Presidents can have a normal dating life," Regina said. "It would be full of non-disclosure acts and I'd always be worried whoever I was with wanted me to use my position to somehow benefit them politically. And anyway, it's been years since I've dated. Even if I do feel ready to move on from Robin, how does a President go around starting a new relationship."
Emma shrugged. "I'm afraid I don't have the answer to that," she said. "I'm crap at relationships and I don't have a country to run as an excuse. But it's possible, I'm sure. Otherwise you're going to be in for a very lonely four years."
Regina hung her head at those words and Emma bit her lip. She hadn't meant to sound so harsh. Of course the woman was already lonely. She had been trapped in a loveless marriage for six years. No matter what Regina had told the press today, Emma knew that the union between her and Robin had long since ceased to be a romantic one. Regina had effectively been single for six years. This week was just making the split official. It still hurt, of course, but it was also understandable that Regina was already in a place where she was ready to meet someone new. She was over Robin, over the heartbreak. She was still in pain, of course, but she had accepted that their marriage no longer existed.
"I have work to do," Regina said suddenly, standing up and causing Emma's hand to fall from her knee.
Emma stood too, smoothing down her pants and watched as the woman strode away from her and back to the other side of her desk. Settled once more behind the solid wood, Regina felt her body relax a little with the barrier between them, although the skin on her leg still tingled slightly. She turned on her computer before looking back towards Emma who was looking a mixture of awkward and guilty.
"Thank you for coming here, Miss Swan," Regina said.
Emma's eyebrows rose. "Really? We're back to Miss Swan again?"
Regina's heartbeat quickened as the woman questioned her. Few people had dared challenge her in years and she had forgotten how it felt to have someone stand up to her. Regina was a strong woman but it was only fun to command a situation if you have a worthy opponent to stand up against. Regina loved to be the one in charge and yet …
"Thank you, Emma," the brunette said softly. "I'm sorry to have kept you from your work. I suspect you have a lot to prepare before tonight's show."
"Not as much as you might think," Emma said.
Regina frowned. "What does that mean?"
Emma smirked. "Perhaps you'll just have to tune in and find out, Madam President."
With a wink, the blonde spun on her heels and strode confidently from the room. Regina watched her go, jaw agape. The brunette rarely had the chance to watch television and relied on her staff to inform her when it came to how the media were reporting her political movements. Tonight, however, she was determined to be sat on her own couch in time to watch Emma's show live. She wasn't sure what the blonde had meant, exactly, but she was certain she didn't want to miss whatever the woman had planned.
As the familiar theme tune began to play, Emma stacked the cards of questions neatly in front of her. She was actually looking forward to her guest she was due to interview on the show that evening. But before she could get to that moment, there was another piece of news she needed to address.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen," Emma said when the camera settled on her face. "Welcome to The Swan Show. I'm Emma Swan. I'm sure you have all been reading the news with interest these past couple of days and are keen to learn more about the story which was premiered on this very network."
Behind the camera, Emma could see August grinning at her, still proud of his exclusive scoop. She had not run her next move past her boss but she was beyond caring. What she was about to do was right and the head of the network was not going to tell her otherwise.
"Earlier today, the President of the United States addressed the White House press room herself to speak about this story. We have a short clip of this for you now."
The show cut to the selected segment. Emma had watched it countless times, in addition to being there when it was first given but her eyes were still drawn to the monitor as Regina spoke.
"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."
The broadcasting image returned to Emma's face and the blonde forced the pained look from her features just in time.
"This is a political commentary show," Emma began. "We are here to comment on the politics of this country on a daily basis. And I have spent the last two days following a story which is frankly irrelevant to that. While this development does mean America is due to have its first divorced female president, I do not believe that the professional capabilities of President Mills will be negatively affected by the breakdown of her marriage. I am aware that most of my colleagues will continue to report this story over the coming days but this will be the last you will hear of it on my show. As far as I am concerned, the marital status of our President is not," she used air quotes on the next word, "'political'. This is a personal issue and, therefore, I believe it has no place on a political commentary show."
Behind the camera, August was fuming. He had no idea his star commentator was about to torpedo her own show. What the hell was she doing? He had half a mind to storm up onto the stage and take over the broadcast himself. But he stayed rooted to the spot as Emma continued, completely oblivious, or deliberately ignoring, the deadly look from her boss.
"And now, onto relevant, political news. I will be joined after the break by Victor Whale, Senator for New York, to discuss the anticipated gun control legislation due to be presented later this week. I'll see you after this short commercial break."
The second the cameras turned off, August was storming up onto the stage. Emma stayed where she was, ready for his wrath.
"What the fuck was that?" he asked. "Are you crazy?"
"No," Emma replied. "I was doing what our President asked and respecting the fact that her marriage or divorce is nothing to do with her politics which I am paid to report."
"Of course it fucking is," August fumed. "Everything in her life is about politics. That's what it means to be a politician."
"No, August, that's not what it means," Emma said, sitting up a little straighter. "That woman has made the choice to serve this country and she is doing so without the help of her husband. Her private life should have no bearing on the way we report her party's political decisions because, frankly, it's none of our business."
"Everything is our business," August said. "We're the media."
"No, you're the media," Emma replied. "I'm a political commentator and I see no reason why I should spend my time discussing how two people have fallen out in love where there are other changes happening which affect more than just a few people's lives. This gun reform bill is revolutionary, August, and I'll be the only person talking about it today because of this damn divorce. She's due to address the Senate tomorrow and present the draft of the legislation. I'd say the fact that we at last have a president who is willing to stand up to the NRA is far more important, life-saving news than the fact that her dickhead of a husband cheated on her. So I'm sorry if you feel like the cash you forked out for that news wasn't worth it but I don't care. I'm going to be the only political commentator rising above salacious gossip and actually doing my job."
August's face was beet red by the time Emma had finished. But before he could reply, a show runner announced that they had 30 seconds until they were back on air. With one, final glare at Emma, he retreated from the stage. While they had been talking, the New York Senator had been brought onto the stage and Emma turned to smile at Victor Whale. As a former ER doctor before he had moved into politics, Emma was eager to find out how the man felt about the chance to reduce the number of guns on the street once and for all.
By the time Emma's show finished airing, August had disappeared. She was glad; she wasn't in the mood for another tongue-lashing. The blonde thanked her guest and headed back to her office where Ruby was waiting for her.
"Did he get as mad as we expected him to?" Ruby asked when the blonde collapsed onto her couch.
"Yup," Emma nodded. "But I don't care. It was the right thing to do."
Ruby hesitated and then sat down on the edge of the couch, beside Emma's feet. "What did the President want to talk to you about earlier?" she asked.
Emma hadn't said much about whatever had transpired in the Oval Office and Ruby had simply followed her orders when it came to writing her opening monologue. But she couldn't deny that her curiosity was piqued. She wanted to know what had happened, what had been said and, most importantly, why it had been said.
"She just wanted to know how I'd report the news," Emma said, the half-truth coming easily to her lips.
"Did she ask you to do exactly what you just did?"
"No," Emma replied. "That was what she told the entire press room. You were there, remember?"
"Then why did she want only you to come to her office?"
Emma sighed and rubbed her hands over her eyes. What the hell? she thought to herself. She trusted Ruby. She could tell her the truth. To an extent.
"She wanted to know if I knew who the White House leak is," Emma admitted. "She knows August has someone reporting to NBC and she wondered if I knew who it was."
"Do you?"
"No," Emma replied truthfully. "Why? Do you?"
"No." There was a long pause and then; "what's it like?"
"What's what like?" Emma asked.
"The Oval Office," Ruby said in an almost reverent whisper.
"Oval, surprisingly," Emma said. "And posh. It kinda oozes a feeling of power, I guess. It's intimidating but in a good way."
"And what was she like?" Ruby asked. "Was it different to meet her on her own turf?"
Emma wished she could tell her friend about the visit to her apartment that weekend but she knew she couldn't. "It was a little different, I guess," she said after a slight hesitation. "She just wants to know who's betrayed her."
"Robin betrayed her," Ruby said. "He's the idiot who cheated on her."
"I know!" Emma exclaimed. "I mean, who in their right minds would walk away from Regina?"
Ruby's eyes went wide. "Regina?"
"President Mills," Emma hastily corrected.
"Yeah, but you said Regina," Ruby frowned.
"Well, that is her name," Emma said, pushing herself up and moving towards her desk to gather her things so she could go home.
"Presidents don't have first names," Ruby said. "We never refer to her as Regina Mills."
"Maybe we should," Emma said. "Maybe if we spoke about these people as if they were as normal as you or I, the media wouldn't think their personal lives were a feeding frenzy for scandalous, money-making stories."
"So, you want to start referring to her as Regina on your show?"
Emma rolled her eyes. "No. It was a slip of the tongue. Can we just forget it?"
Ruby shrugged and picked up her handbag just as Emma grabbed her cell and slung her own bag over her shoulder. As the two women left the room, Emma glanced at the phone screen.
There was a text message from Henry telling her was studying at the library until nine but would be home soon afterwards. There was also the monthly reminder to pay her rent. And a third message from an unknown number. But Emma knew immediately who had sent it.
Thank you. RM.
A/N: The number of you darling readers who wanted me to write wild SwanQueen sex in the Oval Office was brilliant. I love our optimism. Sadly, I am writing what I hope is a semi-believable story so you shall have to wait a little longer for our ladies to get down and dirty. Rest assured, it will happen.