Thank you once again for the reviews, ssuggestions and follows. So many great ideas! I wish I could use them all. Sorry for the delay in updates. Enjoy!

Regina got to DeVill's in five minutes. She figured even if Ursula was lying she could still make it back to the other audition in time judging by the length of the line. She walked down the steps to the underground bar and pushed the door open. The bar was empty except for the bartender who looked at her with disdain.

"We aren't open for another 2 hours luv." He said.

Regina blushed. "Sorry, I was told there were auditions being held here." She went to leave but the guy spoke again.

"Ah right. Take the back stairs up to the auditorium. They've only just started."

She gave him a grateful smile and made her way to the staircase he had signalled. She hadn't noticed it before but then she'd only ever been there to drink. She climbed the stairs and was surprised to see it led directly onto a fully functioning theater for about 100 people. Now it made sense to her why the bar was so popular with thespians. She walked down between the corridor the seats a little nervous and a few people immediately noticed her.

"Can I help you?" One of the men asked looking slightly perplexed. He didn't recognise her from his company.

Regina extended a hand. "Good morning. I'm Regina Mills. I heard you were holding auditions for the understudy role of Maria and I'd like to try out if I may."

The director raised an eyebrow. "I don't recollect seeing you before and I certainly wouldn't forget a face like yours. Tell me, how is it you came to know about this audition?"

Regina smiled civilly realising this was probably the smarmy guy who'd cheated on his wife with Ursula. "I heard about it from an old colleague."

"I see. Well, I wasn't going to see outsiders but beings as you're here, show me what you've got. I'd like to hear Somewhere and then a small routine, either from the show or of your own." The director motioned for her to take the stage.

Regina felt her heart beat quicken. She hadn't trained for this and the last time she sang in an audition was over 12 years ago. She didn't think she had the best voice but this was her dream and she would be damned if she'd let her nerves and self doubt get the better of her. She took to the stage and waited for the piano to key her in. She took a deep breath and as the spotlight shone down on her, she recalled the lyrics with ease and let herself get lost in the moment.

...

Emma had managed to turn the bathroom of her apartment into a make shift dark room with some ingenuity and a lot of duct tape. Mary M was surely going to kill her for the mess afterwards but she figured she could play the hey I just cleaned the whole place and bought you an amazing dress card if she had to. She hadn't had the opportunity to set up a home dark room for years and it wasn't as easy as she'd remembered. There were chemicals everywhere and she'd forgotten to pick up gloves so she was carefully tipping and measuring stuff out with plastic carriers fixed to her hands with elastic around her wrists. The first couple of tries she'd got the exposure timing wrong and the prints came out much too dark. She'd never been great at printing but she was stubborn and wouldn't give up until she got it right. That stubbornness paid off when she looked around the bathroom and properly took in the prints she'd made hanging on bits of string.

Emma finished fixing the rest of the prints and left them to dry in the bathroom. She was feeling a bit dizzy from the smell of chemicals and her stomach was crying out to be fed. She'd spent a good 6 hours or so without a break and she was exhausted. The blonde collapsed on the couch with a pile of pastries. She knew she should probably eat some of the real food she'd bought but right now all she wanted was sugar and sleep. Soon enough, she was dozing on the couch with crumbs all over her.

...

Regina danced the routine she had prepared for her other audition as though her very life depended on it. It took every last ounce of energy to perform but she found extra force from the adrenaline. The fact she got through the song and was allowed to continue to her dancing gave her the extra boost of confidence she needed and she knew the choreography was her forte. She saw nothing except the lights above her and the wooden stage beneath her feet. She thought of nothing but her breathing and execution and when the music finished, she thought she might cry from the sheer nothingness. The adrenaline now gone from her system, she was but a shell. How she'd missed being on stage. How she'd longed to feel this quite solace that came from giving her all and pushing her limits to the extreme. Nothing sated her appetite for this and everything else paled in comparison. Everything except Emma now. How she wished the blonde was with her now to take her in her arms and comfort her. To give her the support she so desperately needed at this moment.

"Thank you Ms Mills, you may leave the stage."

Regina somehow managed to smile and find the gratitude for being given this opportunity.

"Thank you so much for seeing me. Have a lovely afternoon."