Emma was in a bad mood. She had been in a bad mood all night and all day - and, you know what, she planned on being in a bad mood until the end of freaking time. She was the Grinch – screw that – she was Grumpy dwarf – it didn't matter, all that mattered was that if this damn barista didn't get her cup of coffee into her hand very freaking soon she was going to gnaw his freaking arm off with her bare freaking teeth.

She's moved on.

Her mind rattled in a high pitched mocking imitation of Ruby's voice.

That's what you're supposed to do, isn't it?

"Emma?"

"Thank you, geez!" Emma growled as she snatched the cup. Guilt flooded her immediately so she sighed and apologized, "Not your fault that I'm in a bad mood."

The young barista behind the counter just eyed her wearily.

Three months. It had only been three months since we split up and Regina was already dating a Robin. A fucking Robin! Who the fuck was Robin? How is it she felt ready to date? I don't feel ready to date!

Ruby had clammed up as soon as she let the announcement slip. All she had gotten from her was that the relationship was new and that the notorious Robin was nice.

I'm fucking nice!

What was Emma supposed to do with this information? She would have paid a lot of money to go back twenty-four hours and not receive the little tidbit right before the big audition. Wasn't she enough of a wreck? Her stomach had been twisted in knots since she woke, knowing she had less than forty-eight hours until it was time. It was like the opposite of a Christmas morning joy.

She really just didn't want to think about this Robin. Hell, was there a way she could make it not be true? This Robin - this fucking Robin was dating her girl!

Okay so maybe she isn't my girl anymore but that's not the point. Hands freaking off! Go find something of your own instead of taking someone else's.

She was still grumbling when she crashed through the stage door catching August and Killian's eye immediately.

"What's with you, Swan?"

August just chuckled, knowingly.

"Shut up, August." Emma snapped moving to pass him but he caught her in a bear hug, lifting her off the ground easily despite her kicking legs and swinging arms. Emma felt like a preteen girl caught by her annoying older brother. "Putme-putmedowngoddamnit!" she cried, muffled against his chest.

"Her audition is the day after tomorrow," He explained to Killian making her glare all the harder. "No sightings yet," He whispered into her ear "but I did finally get Ruby to go out on a date with me."

"Oh?" This news was interesting enough to distract her.

"Yeah." He grinned a huge boyish grin, "It was great."

"Kiss?"

"Second base."

She punched him playfully in the arm, "Good job."

"Hey, Em." Ruby appeared at her arm, a huge grin planted on her face.

"Speak of the devil." August teased.

"Did you just call me the devil?"

Emma tried to smile at their playful banter but her stomach was too busy dropping. She felt her eyes involuntarily rake through the crowd but the perfectly brushed chocolate hair was not there.

"She isn't here yet."

It took Emma a while to realize they were talking to her, eyes continuing to scan the crowd. "Uh, sorry, what?"

"Emma!" Ruby groaned, "She's not here yet, I told you. Besides the meeting is upstairs, I doubt you'll see any of them."

"What? I wasn't – I uh - I have to warm up."

She did her best to concentrate but the task was nearly impossible when her emotions were rollercoastering back and forth from anger over the fact that she had moved on so soon, elation at seeing Regina for the first time in weeks and distaste for this evil Robin person.

See this; this is why I don't date. Break ups are – just stupid.


"Twenty more hours. Twenty more hours and assuming Becca is free I am going to tie one on so hard it will become a legendary master of all of the I-just-saw-my-lover-with-her-new-lover slash post auditions drunks in all of Illinois – screw that in the world."

August clapped her on the shoulder, chuckling a bit, "Well, of course, you will, you'll be celebrating!"

She would have been touched by his sentiment if the words hadn't been exactly the type of thing all musicians say to a fellow musician about to walk into an audition comparable to a sand trap filled with broken glass and angry scorpions.

"She's deaf, August. She's fucking deaf."

"So?"

"So?" her voice squeaked, "So! How can I compare to that? They're from the same world! That's something I can never have in common with Regina."

"That's like saying a Parisian would only be happy dating another Parisian." Ruby scoffed, arm in arm as they walked.

"If both Parisians were deaf then yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying."

Ruby just rolled her eyes but punched her hard with a bony fist, "and you didn't sign again! What's wrong with you, why won't you sign?"

Emma cried out, batting the assailing fists away "I did a little bit! Besides, what's the point?" She had vowed on her couch the night of this last terrible birthday that if given the chance to sign to Regina again, she would no matter what, but that had been B.R. - Before Robin.

"Well, first off you looked like an idiot speaking through me when I know you can speak for yourself and second, clearly you still think you'll get her back since you're comparing yourself to her new date and you won't do that unless you fucking sign!"

"Oh shut up, Red. You know what I said to her? On New Year's, you know what I said? I said I wanted to kiss her every day for the next twelve months. How stupid is that? I would be dating too if my ex was that lame! God!"

"Maybe you should be." August shrugged, holding his hands up in defense before Emma turned on him, "I just mean, maybe that's the best thing you could be doing."

"I've thought about it."

"Well, even if you do you're never going to find someone that nice."

Emma couldn't argue, "Fuck, Robin was so god damned nice! What the hell is wrong with her?"

It had been the social gravitational pull that had brought Regina and Robin to Emma; not that Regina was necessarily willing or happy about it. Emma had been sitting on stage discussing her audition plans at great length and for the first time all night she wasn't thinking about the imminent appearance of Regina and Robin.

Ruby had slid up behind her, putting an arm around her shoulder. Emma smiled briefly, concentrating on August's meditation technique and wrapped an arm around her friend's waist. It was just so easy to be affectionate with Ruby; she gave it so freely – once she had forgiven her for being broken up with that is.

"So do you have this meditation on your iPod or do you get it from the Internet because I think the idea of meditating in the warm-up room at the audition is so much better than sitting and practicing all the crap you've been practicing for months. You either know it by then or you don't, right?"

"Right, right. Yeah, it's on my phone. I think it's short enough I can email it to you."

When the couple had finally appeared at the foot of the stage Emma's heart had clenched in her chest. It was a convulsion she had expected but it had been far more painful and frankly maddening than she had anticipated. For once her eyes did not sweep longingly to her former lover as they usually did, but instead to her former lover's new lover, the beautiful woman next to her with the perfectly straight chestnut hair, strong chiseled features and strangely soulful eyes. Emma had been torn immediately between hatred and the absolute want to chuck her cello directly at the woman's face – either way, it was a win/win in her mind. Trying not to pay attention Emma couldn't help but to notice they were arguing lightly.

"No," Regina signed, "let's just get going. Really, I have to insist."

"But I would love to meet everyone. We can invite them to join us at the bar! Please? I feel as though I've heard so much about so many of them. Which one is Killian? It has to be that one, right? He's the only one that could ever be called a hairpiece."

Emma laughed quietly into her hand.

"No really, I don't want to interrupt them, plus" Regina's eyes shot in Emma's direction "let's just get going, Ruby will meet us later. There is no need to invite them to join us. I'm sure they're busy." Regina looked worried as Robin stared toward the stage; her hand rubbing at her stomach absentmindedly as if it pained her; a Regina Mills nervous tick.

If you don't want your current to meet the ex, Regina then you don't bring your current to the ex's work.

Emma was enjoying watching Regina struggle. She wasn't simply saying let's avoid Emma which meant that she hadn't told the woman about her. The thought was slightly cheering, surely if she had really moved on so completely then in full disclosure Regina would have spilled the information, right?

"You don't want me to meet your friends?" Robin's face fell into knowing concern.

"No!" Regina replied biting her lip, "It's not that. I can just tell they're going over the audition coming up and I don't want to interrupt. Plus they are hardly my friends they were more -." Regina looked flustered, "the only one up there that I've known for longer than a year socially is Ruby."

"Oh, don't be silly. They are clearly your friends! I've heard all the stories." Robin continued, "Your friends won't mind being interrupted and I'm sure they would love to come and have a drink." Regina finally noticed Emma watching over her shoulder and glowered, hand still rubbing absently at her stomach.

Emma couldn't help herself, smirking she signed, "Something you ate, Regina?"

Regina's eyes narrowed, her face flushing. "Okay fine, let's go." Regina gestured that she would follow Robin up the stairs to the stage. Once at their side, Regina cleared her throat, mask thickly in place, "I apologize for interrupting. Ruby, we're going to the bar for a drink. Would you like to join us? The invitation is, of course, open to all of you."

"All of us?" Emma asked, dryly. "Oh! That sounds nice! Doesn't that sound nice, August?"

Regina glared at August, daring him to answer.

Emma fought to hide a smile, amused and pleased she was getting under Regina's skin so easily.

Call it a vindictive pleasure.

"Well, I know that I'm free. Anyone else?"

"By all means, Ms. Swan. Join us." Regina gave her a cold stare and Emma grinned.

The mention of Emma seemed to bring her to Robin's focus. She waved for Ruby to translate for her, "You must be Henry's mother! Emma, right?"

Emma's own jaw was not the only one to drop to the floor; it seemed each jaw hit with a collective thud including Regina's, "Um, yeah." She said stiffly taking the hand offered to her.

And you're the jerk sleeping with my woman. Hi, nice to meet you.

"He just looks so much like you, it was clear you're his mother. He has beautiful eyes, just like yours."

Did you just tell me I have beautiful eyes? Because Henry has my eyes - different color - but my eyes.

"Uh, not to be rude or anything but how the hell do you know what my son looks like?"

Robin's face flushed deeply at Emma's cool stare making Emma feel bad for just a moment, "The picture. In Regina's office?"

All eyes turned to Regina who bristled a bit under their gazes, arms folding over themselves defensively as she glanced from side to side, "I just haven't gotten rid of it yet."

Robin frowned, confusedly but Emma beamed, smug satisfaction filling her chest. "I didn't know he was there at all."

After three months, huh? Well, at least if I didn't make it Henry did.

Regina pretended not to see her speak.

"Oh my goodness." Robin covered her face clearly embarrassed, "Should I not have said that?"

Is she fucking kidding with this?

Emma raised an eyebrow at Regina giving her a look that read clearly, really, Regina?

Regina's posture seemed to stiffen even further, "Anyway, this is August, Emma, and Killian." She still spoke Killian's name with sour venom. He rolled his eyes and walked back toward his bass grumbling about past wrongs. "And now that you've met everyone, Ruby?"

"Right. I will meet you there."

Regina nodded once and avoided Emma's gaze as she and Robin turned toward the back door.

"She still has a picture of Henry in her office?"

Ruby shrugged, "I think she misses – him."

Emma frowned, "There's a lot you're not telling me, Red."

She didn't like the way Ruby chuckled at that.

Turning back to August, the amusement of the situation drained and she was left with a sick empty and oh so lonely feeling.

She wanted a drink but now she knew she couldn't go to her favorite bar unless she wanted to watch Regina and Robin.

Twenty more hours.


She had planned on waking the next morning calm, cool and ready but her stomach had other plans for her. She woke from a vicious stress dream to find her stomach in knots. She had been playing and playing in her dream, trying to force the beautiful melody but the only sounds that came from her cello were awkward squawks and groans. The judges had run from the room screaming, their hands pressed firmly over their ears.

She groaned, wrapping her arms around her waist before dashing to the bathroom where she was violently ill.

Henry came around the corner looking surprised, a box of dry cereal clutched to his chest. "You sick, mommy?"

"No buddy," Emma smiled weakly, "I'll be okay. Go watch cartoons and I'll join you in a minute."

She was sure she wasn't sick. She washed her face and brushed her teeth then pulled on her most comfortable I don't feel good sweater.

She tried to settle into the cartoon with Henry but all of the negative thoughts she was trying to hold at bay kept kicking her hard in the soft spot of her temple. She stood pacing the length of the living room imagining herself stepping up on stage but instead of sitting as she was supposed to she tripped and fell flat on her cello - shattering it - ruining her chance at the audition and ending her career in one swoop. She imagined getting halfway through the first piece and forgetting everything that followed, her hands running dry. She imagined beginning, playing better than she ever had in her life until suddenly the strings sliced her finger open to the bone. She imagined every possible and unlikely version of failing over and over again, tormenting herself.

She rushed to the bathroom and was sick again.

At some point in the day she thought she would be drained, her fear eliminated or, at least, reaching its highest peak but it never seemed to happen. She had never taken an audition this big, where the odds were stacked so perfectly against her.

It's because the odds aren't stacked against me. That's the problem. If I knew that there was no chance in hell of winning then I wouldn't be nervous – but there is a chance.

She rushed back to the bathroom.

The only time she stopped getting nervously sick was when she spent the hour of Henry's naptime trying out August meditation. It worked well until Mary called to sweetly wish her luck, reminding her of just how big of a deal the situation was.

As the afternoon wore on she couldn't help but to think about the plans she and Regina had previously planned for this day. They had agreed that distraction was the best plan, a day trip maybe.

Wouldn't that be nice?

Around dusk, she heard someone knock forcefully on the door. Sweaty hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, her cheeks were sallow and she was on her fourth Smart Water of the day.

August stood behind the door carrying a take-out bag and looking stunned as she adjusted back and forth from one foot to the other, "You look like shit, Swan."

"Thanks, August."

"You all right?" he scooped up Henry who giggled at the man's scratchy face.

"Mama throwd up."

"What? You sick?"

"No."

"Worried about tomorrow?"

"No," she choked and rushed back to the bathroom.

"Don't do this to yourself!"

"Shut up, August!"

She had planned on kicking him out but his unannounced appearance was actually a blessing in disguise. He made her laugh. He force fed her Chinese food and then kept her giggling so she would keep it down. Then after helping to put Henry to bed, he forced her into bed as well.

"There is no reason to be nervous. Just see it as a growing opportunity. You got this, stop worrying."

Emma scoffed, "Easy for you to say."