Author's Note: Their trio song is 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton and the dance marathon song is I Know You Want Me by Pitbull. Neither of their dances are based off of anything.
WEEK 8
You're in the same boat with a lot of your friends
Waitin' for the day your ship'll come in
And the tide's gonna turn
And it's all gonna roll your way
I know you want me (want me)
You know I want you (want you)
It's Trios Week, so directly after the show ends, the remaining couples have to pick the troupe member or previously eliminated pro that will be joining them for a dance.
"We should talk strategy." Regina says as they're moving back up to the skybox where they'll be doing the picking.
Emma looks at her with a smirk. "I already know who I want."
"Emma, it isn't just about you. It's about me too. I have to be able to work with this person. We need to discuss this."
Emma just grins. "Relax. I've got this."
"Emma!"
"Emma and Regina, since you two have the highest combined score of the season so far, you'll get to pick first." Sarah says, pointing to the board where the headshots of the troupe members and pros that they can pick from are hanging. Emma's eyes catch on the headshot she wants and she smiles.
"Zelena." She says and feels Regina's fingernails bite into her upper arm.
"Are you crazy?" Regina hisses in her ear.
Sarah looks at Emma for a long moment. "That will be three women in one dance. Are you sure you don't want to pick a male professional?"
Even though the nails are still biting into her skin, Emma can feel Regina bristle next to her at the thought that Sarah was making it seem like they needed to dance with a man."
"We're sure. We want Zelena." Emma confirms, raising her eyebrow and daring Sarah to say anything else.
"Alright." Sarah smiles, moving Zelena's picture over next to Emma and Regina's name. "Mary Margaret and David, you're up next."
"I'm going to kill you." Regina says into her ear. Emma just smiles at her.
"I cannot believe you chose my sister as our third person!" Regina huffs.
"Don't sound so excited, sis." Zelena says as she enters the room.
"It's gonna be great." Emma enthuses. "I've already got an idea."
"You've got an idea?" Regina's eyebrows go up.
"I have ideas, Regina."
Zelena chuckles as she watches them. "Oh, you two are just so adorable."
"Shut up, Zelena." Regina snaps. "Alright, Emma, what's your idea?"
"Well you told me we're doing the quickstep to 9 to 5, right?"
"Yes." Regina confirms.
"Have you ever seen the movie? It's about three woman who band together to get rid of their awful boss. It couldn't be more perfect for us! The three of us can play the three of them!"
"And who, pray tell, would I be?"
"You're the sassy brunette leader." Emma grins. "You're obviously Violet."
Regina seems to think this over for a moment before she nods.
"And being the blonde one, I'm obviously Doralee, so Zelena that makes you –"
"Do I look like Judy Bernly to you?" Zelena huffs, looking and sounding so much like Regina that Emma has to almost do a double take.
"Come on, Zelena, it's perfect." Emma bats her eyes to try her charms on this Mills sister.
"It actually really is." Regina says, still sounding half surprised.
Zelena pouts, but begrudgingly admits that it is a good concept.
"Well, if we're going to do this, then we need to get to work. Now."
"Maybe this wasn't a good idea." Emma sighs as she sits down on the rehearsal steps, feeling a bit defeated. Their first rehearsal isn't going well. Quickstep is difficult with two people, let alone a third.
"It was a good idea. We just have to make it work with the hold and the footwork." Regina insists. "It's a lot, but you can do it. We can do it."
Emma looks at her and offers a nod, then looks at Zelena.
"Of course we can do it." Zelena offers. "But I think we need a little break right now. Stop worrying about everything. Maybe we should do one of those silly videos you so like to make."
Emma perks up at that. "You want to Dubsmash?"
"Well, why not? Since I'm no longer on Team Wild and Wicked, I might as well join Team Swan Queen."
"Awesome!" Emma grins, holding out her phone. "I'll even let you pick what we do."
"Oh, great." Regina rolls her eyes.
They go back to working twenty minutes later, after Emma sends out a tweet with the video of them doing their best Munchkin impression attached.
EmmaSwan We represent the lollipop guild.
"You're in love with my sister."
Emma has just taken a drink of her water and begins to promptly choke on it, coughing and spluttering as she tries to catch her breath.
"Zelena!" She gasps out. They're back at Regina's house and Regina is just in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on the dinner that she's cooking for them. She could walk through the door at any minute, which is only one of the reasons that Emma's heart is pounding like a freight train.
"Am I wrong?" Zelena challenges, picking up her glass of wine.
"Regina is in the kitchen and Henry is in the living room." Emma says instead, trying to point out why they cannot be having this conversation right now.
"My nephew adores you." Zelena shrugs. "He'd be over the moon if you and my sister got together."
"Well we're not." Emma says, snapping more than she intended. "We're not together and we're not getting together, so just drop it, Zelena."
Zelena's eyes soften then as she looks at Emma. Her hand reaches out to cover Emma's on the dinner table. "You have to understand… our mother was… not a kind woman."
Emma nods because she's gathered that from the little that Regina has talked about her. Zelena continues. "Because of her neither Regina nor I know how to love very well. And after Daniel… Regina's built walls so high around her heart that I didn't think anyone but Henry could ever get in. But then I see her with you and –"
"Don't." Emma whispers, shaking her head. She can't hear this.
Zelena stops talking and everything goes quiet for a long moment. Then Zelena squeezes her hand. "If nothing else, you have to know that you make her happy. She's enjoying dancing again. So thank you for that."
Emma wants to respond, but there's a lump in her throat that makes it too difficult. She swallows hard when Regina comes back into the room, calling for Henry to come join them.
Still, the lump remains, built up of words like family and dance and trust and happy and hope and pain and love love love.
"Have you two even thought about the dance marathon?" Zelena asks on Friday when they're on a break. They've had a bit of a breakthrough and things have been going very well with their rehearsals for the quickstep, which is all they've been focusing on.
"Is there anything to think about really?" Emma shrugs. "We won't know the song until we start to dance, so we can't really prepare."
"Emma and I will be fine." Regina dismisses Zelena's concerns easily.
"Oh really?" Zelena's eyebrow raises and once again Emma is reminded of just how alike the Mills sisters can be. "You may be dancing for up to four minutes, lifts are permitted, and everyone is going to be trying to take you out, and you think you'll be fine with no practice?"
"Yes. Emma's done very well with the Latin dances. We're very in tune with each other. We'll make it work as we go." Regina says, and Emma tries her best not to think about what that means. "Besides, I'd much rather us focus on getting this quickstep perfected. We're still having trouble with all the kicks and flicks. Break time is over. Back to the dance."
They're dancing first, but this time, Emma isn't worried about it. In fact, she's actually rather excited. It had been an intense week of training for this dance and it had taken a lot out of her, but she feels like they finally conquered their issues and have a dance that is everything she wanted it to be.
"Hey, thanks for doing this with us." She says to Zelena as they're taking their places.
"Thank me after we get our scores." Zelena teases.
The familiar clicking of the opening of the song begins and Emma leans over the typewriter they have set up, pretending to be typing. She pulls the paper out of the typewriter once she gets to the end, holding it up in triumph while Zelena and Regina come in from either side.
And then the song kicks into high gear and so does their dance. They move in hold, all three of them perfectly in sync. Emma starts out in the middle, but as they do turns throughout the routine, they rotate who is in the middle so there's never just one person in the spotlight.
On the kicks or foot jumps, the outside two go one way and the middle person goes the other. When they chasse, they move as though they're one person instead of three. It took hours of practice, but it pays off in the end, when the music stops and they all hop up to sit on top of the desk. The audience is on their feet.
"Emma, Regina, and Zelena!" Sidney calls and Emma feels fingers entwine with her own on each side of her as they all get down, Regina and Zelena raising their arms up to hold hers up in victory.
They bow and then walk over together, hands still held, to face the judges.
"Well done, ladies. Let's get some thoughts from the judges, starting with Lacey French."
"First of all, this was just a fun number. The audience loved it, it was light hearted and it was fun. And it could have just been that. But what I loved about it was that you took the time to really make it an outstanding number by having the technique there too. I thought it was wonderful."
"Well, darlings, you can tie me up like your naughty boss anytime." Jefferson leers just the littlest bit at them before he start to laugh. "Really though, it was quirky, it was unexpected, and it was refreshing. Marvelous."
"Astrid, your thoughts?"
"I was a bit nervous when I found out that you'd be doing a trio quickstep because I didn't know how it would play out, but you managed it beautifully. I loved the constant switching, the way that you all got to be in focus. That was wonderful. And as everyone else has said, it was a fun ride to watch you. Excellent."
"You know, I was worried about you, dearie." Gold says as soon as Astrid is finished speaking. "I thought you having another female was a bad decision, because it would make it so obvious who the pro and who the celebrity was. But tonight, you have proved me wrong. You held your own with Regina and Zelena and I couldn't tell the difference. Great, great job." Gold finishes off to more cheers from the crowd.
"So, Zelena," Sidney says as a way to kill time for the judges to score them. They're not going to the skybox because they need to go get changed directly after this segment, so Sidney is keeping them for the after dance interview. "Why haven't we seen you and your sister dance together before? It was wonderful!"
"I think the reason we haven't danced together yet was because we were waiting for the perfect time and the perfect person. And Emma is that person for us. She's probably the only one who can handle us."
Sidney laughs and then looks towards the judges where they have their paddles at the ready.
"Astrid Faye."
"It was campy and fun and I loved it! 10!"
"Robert Gold."
"It's a 10!"
"Lacey French."
"10!"
"Jefferson Tarrant."
"10!"
"That's a 40 out of 40… their second perfect score of the season!"
Emma is engulfed in a group hug, surrounded by the warmth and the press of the Mills sisters' bodies.
She loves every second of it.
Zelena pulls her into a hug as she's about to go into the dressing room to get changed. "You did wonderfully, my pretty."
Emma laughs against red hair and then pulls back with a smile. "Thanks, Zelena."
"Don't give up on my sister." Zelena murmurs before moving away to get changed herself.
As if I ever could, Emma thinks as she watches her walk away.
"Ready?" Regina asks, holding Emma's hand back stage.
"What's another four minutes when I'm dancing with you?" Emma grins. They had gone back on Saturday and Sunday to do some basic planning and training for the dance marathon. They'd practiced various lifts, but mostly, they were planning on showing technique.
"Charmer." Regina laughs.
"Let's get our couples out here on the floor for our Latin Dance Marathon!" Sidney calls.
"Each couple will be entering their own individual pool of light. They will need to stay within those pools of light until there are only three couples left. Then the floor opens up for those couple to do whatever they'd like." Tina explains. "Our judges will be watching and knocking out couples as they go. Depending on where they place, our couples will earn points to add to their scores. First place 10 points, second place 9 point, and so on down to 5 points for our first eliminated couple."
"So, let's get this party started. Couples, begin dancing!"
The music begins to play and Emma instantly recognizes it as I Know You Want Me by Pitbull. Regina pulls her close as they begin to move together. "Cha-Cha." She whispers to Emma and instantly Emma knows what she means. She begins to do the movements that they did during their cha-cha, moving in and back with strong, solid leg work.
"Robin and Marian are our first couple eliminated by the judges." Comes Sidney's voice and their circle goes dark.
"Stop smirking and salsa." Regina tells her and Emma instantly changes gears. They haven't done the salsa in competition, but Regina took her through some basic moves that she and Emma go through now.
"Mary Margaret and David are our second couple to be eliminated." Sidney calls as their circle goes dark.
"Now who's smirking." Emma grins. "Samba." She pulls away to come behind Regina, leading her in a series of samba rolls before transitioning into parts of their Disney Night dance.
"Not bad." Regina grins, pulling away to do some kicks before coming back into a tight spin with Emma.
"We've lost Jim and Kathryn." Sidney says, and suddenly the whole dance floor is lit up. "So now, the floor is open."
"Tango." She and Regina say at the same time as they start to move.
"First lift." Regina says and Emma's leg comes up around her waist while Regina spins her around.
"Second." Emma says when they're done, her eyes catching on the two remaining couples who are giving it their all.
Regina drops to her knees and Emma does the flip over her shoulder just like she had with Killian.
"Stealing my moves, Regina?" Killian teases as he lifts Milah up, swinging her from side to side of his hips.
"Improving upon them." Regina sasses back, pulling Emma close and grinding their bodies together.
"Killian and Milah, your time is up." Sidney calls and then it's just Ruby and Peter and she and Regina.
She goes into her split and then is pulled up and brought back down again, but on the other side of the floor, Peter has Ruby in a full out spin, her body flying out from his, and Emma isn't exactly surprised when she hears, "Emma and Regina, you have been eliminated, which makes Ruby and Peter our winners."
The music stops and Emma moves over to Ruby right away, hugging her tightly. "Congratulations!" She laughs.
"Thanks, Em." Ruby grins. "You were pretty damn hot out there, girl."
Emma just laughs.
"That's all for Dancing with the Stars tonight. Tomorrow night we'll be back with our first live results show of the season and our double elimination."
"None of our stars are safe, so make sure you vote!" Tina reminds everyone.
The music starts back up and the couples dance around until the cameras finally stop.
