The next morning Regina finds Emma in the kitchen sat at the island with her headphones on and looking intently at the screen. It's a sight she's gotten accustomed to over the past months. She despises the fact it will soon be over again when the second album launches and the next tour begins. Not that she doesn't want Emma to have her success. She knows all too well how lucky they both are to be following their dreams and she'd never think of taking it away from her. She creeps up behind her girlfriend and is about to go in for a tickle when she notices the screen.
It's not the DAW screen she was expecting, but a text Emma seems to be engrossed in. She can't help herself reading a few lines and then it hits her. Emma is reading a GwenAsh fic. Oh she's going to tease her for this. She pulls off one of the headphones and whispers, "so last night wasn't enough you have to turn to fanfiction for more?" It was meant to be a flirtatious joke but Emma had noticably prickled and looked extremely guilty.
"Regina I'm so sorry.. I didn't want you to find out like this I..."
Regina cut in. "Relax Emma. I knew you read it since you and Mal introduced me to the whole thing how long ago? If it makes you feel any better, I might have read a couple too to erm, educate myself." She winked and went to pour herself a coffee.
Emma still looked like a guilty child with her hand caught in the cookie jar. "Yeah I know it's just, I wanted to talk to you about this before but we never really got the chance and then I totally forgot and then the other day I was looking for some lyrics on my laptop and I found this and knew I had to come clean."
Regina paused with coffee mug midway to her lips. "Wait a minute. Are you telling me you wrote about us?"
The colour drained from Emma's face as she shook her head violently. "No! Oh God no! It was before... before we were together."
Regina took a huge gulp of coffee not entirely sure how she felt about this revelation. The smile now completely vanished from her face as she tried to wrap her head around all the crazy thoughts swimming around in her mind.
"Okay. You are going to need to tell me in plain English here because it's too early for riddles."
Emma nodded. "Before we met, I mean long before, I was kind of into GwenAsh fanfiction as you know. But the story I wanted to read, the one I could see clearly in my mind wasn't anywhere. I didn't understand. It seemed so obvious to me that these two strong women would be great together and I erm, well I decided to try and write it myself. The story I wanted to hear."
So far Regina was calm. This wasn't ringing any stalker alarm bells in her head, not just yet. She nodded slowly for Emma to continue.
"So I started writing it and then I got a bit adventurous and started another one along the lines of 'what if..'" She groaned. "..what if it was Ash and say maybe, an unknown rock star."
Alarm bells went off in Regina's head as she processed this new information. Her heart banged and she spoke slowly. "I need to read it. All of it. I'm honestly not sure how I am supposed to react. I mean, I knew you were a fan and I suppose I can understand you projecting some sort of fantasy onto me."
Emma cut in. "Yeah but you have to understand, this wasn't You. It was Ashra, your character. Like I didn't know anything about you then and I swear Regina, I never wrote another line after that night I met you in the hotel. Only the music, which, of course you know about."
Regina wasn't angry. If she thought about it and as the images of that first meeting in the hotel flooded her mind, she remembered the exact words she had said to Emma about people projecting their fantasies onto artists. She herself was guilty of that with Emma, since the first time she saw that profile picture in those tight leather pants. She poured herself another coffee and swung the laptop around to face her. Emma just looked on helplessly as her world came crashing down around her.
It was a long story. Over 60,000 words. She knew Regina would be reading it for as long as she could stand it and she wasn't sure what to do. "Should I go and.." She began.
"Sit." Came the monotone response.
So she did. She sat and waited for her sentencing, occasionally stealing a glance to try and decipher the brunettes facial expressions. Regina just wore a concentrated expression under her glasses making it impossible to know what was going on inside that gorgeous head of hers.
After an hour and half Emma was getting antsy. She poured herself a coffee and considered sticking a shot of bourbon in it just to calm her nerves but it wasn't even 10 a.m. Regina registered the movement and half out her own mug to be refilled without glancing up from the screen. Emma breathed deep and filled the mug. Ok, she thought.. She hasn't kicked me out yet. There's still hope. She took her seat again on the couch and pulled out her phone for a distraction.
Another hour later and an unhealthy amount of time wasted playing solitaire on her phone, Regina finally spoke.
"and how does it end?"
Emma looked up sheepishly. "I don't know. That's why I never finished it. I couldn't see past the hook up and then I met you for real and I just cringed and felt like a perv for objectifying you, I mean Ash, like that."
Regina had a faintly amused look on her face.
"You need to finish it. It's well written, succinct and plays like a script."
"You aren't totally turned off and ready to run for the hills?" The hope resurfacing in her heart.
The brunette ponders for moment trying to find the right words.
"I should be. I wanted to be. But I'm an actress dear. I can put myself into all sorts of situations and I know how to distinguish creative license from fact. This here has the potential to be made into a movie and I just so happen to know a certain someone who would be willing to make that happen. But it needs a big Hollywood finish." She slowly rises from her seat and creeps towards Emma seductively. "It's very flattering by the way. I enjoy being your muse..." She adds as an afterthought, "but I am questioning my own sanity and whether or not I have some form of Stockholm syndrome from being with my captor for so long." She was teasing, a bit, but went in for a kiss anyway.
"So we are good?" Emma mumbled through kisses.
"We are good. But seriously, finish that story. Re-write it and change the names. Oh and if you need some more inspiration for the big finish, I'm willing to help you out with that."
"You are honestly the most amazing person I've ever met Regina. How did I get this lucky?"
Regina grinned. "I believe I am the one who got lucky dear."
###
Emma's new album was done. It was much more political and feminist than her first one and she just hoped her fanbase was ready for something so stark in contrast to the first album. Even so, she felt good about it. Better than anything she had written in the past. She was well aware that she would be stepping on a few toes but that was the point wasn't it? Regina had been right. She had been given a gift and a chance and she wanted to honour that by at least trying to get a message across. It was in post production and she had only got one show a week now leading up to the new album launch. Gold had been clear that this next tour would be bigger than her first and she should take as much opportunity to rest as she could. But she just couldn't. Her mind was still trying to work out that 'big finish' Regina wanted her to write and she couldn't do that with said woman distracting her. She felt so much pressure, knowing that it would not only be likely turned into a movie, because she knew just what that woman was capable of, but the fact that whatever she ended up writing was going to set the standard or reveal what she really wanted from her relationship. It was too much to process and she needed to put things in perspective, so she flew back to Boston.
Originally, she'd set out to write a tragedy, a cautionary tale if you will about meeting your idols. Then she changed her mind as she got into the writing of it and planned to give the characters a happy ending. But she still couldn't work out just what that happy ending would look like. Not now she was with the woman who inspired the story in the first place. Music she could write. Music was wham bam, thank you ma'am and on to the next. But this story was basically her life with a few minor exaggerations. She hadn't noticed how many similarities there were before. If she were honest, maybe she had but pushed them out of her mind. Their relationship was so much better than the fictitious one she'd long ago crafted. Hell, that would be one fluffy movie she would want to see! With that thought, a lightbulb went off in her head and she knew there was only one possible ending to the story, no matter how cliche. Hey, cliches are cliche for a reason!
###
Regina was a bit annoyed. She'd just gotten off the phone with her agent who explained that the trilogy was being signed up for yet another crossover with new characters and more back stories. She wasn't under contractual obligation anymore but she was torn between her sense of obligation and her desire to move forward. She needed to get out. Do something fresh and exciting. She'd been moping a bit because Emma hadn't been around for the last few days as she'd gone home to visit Ruby. She didn't begrudge it but she would have loved to go too if she were truthful with herself. Her apartment seemed empty without the blonde there. She just couldn't think about doing another stint as Ashra and then Emma going off on tour again. They would never see each other. It hurt so much. She sent a quick text to Belle and then began packing up a small overnight bag. Her phone vibrated it's response a few minutes later then she was out the door and impulsively making her way to the airport.
###
Later that night as Emma stepped onto the stage, her stomach was in knots. It was her final show for the "A Taste" tour; her new album would launch next week and what she had planned for tomorrow was making her jittery. She hadn't heard from Regina since she left and she'd tried to call earlier to let her know she'd be back in New York the next day but it had gone to voice mail three times making her all the more agitated. She'd thought of all the possible reasons her girlfriend wouldn't be picking up but she knew her schedule was open so her conclusion was that either something had happened to her, her phone or she was pissed that Emma had chosen to spend the last few days in Boston. She hoped she was just pissed. She could totally handle that.
Her eyes swept the crowds of fans and their banners not really paying much attention to anything until one caught her eye midway through her debut single, He won't love you like I do.
She read the sign.
'So what are you going to do about it?'
The sign disappeared as she sang the next line. She couldn't see the person who had held it up. Could have just been Ruby fucking with her knowing what she'd got up to earlier that afternoon.
Another one popped up in the same place and she read it.
'I miss you like crazy'
She still couldn't see who was behind the sign but her stomach churned with the possibility of who it could be. She wouldn't, would she? Moving into the second verse, her eyes fixed on that one tiny spot in the crowd waiting for a glimpse. One more sign.
'Move in with me please Emma?'
The sign popped out of sight and a small face she'd recognize anywhere appeared looking slightly worried.
Emma cut the band off abruptly to the confusion of all in the jam packed venue. Her heart was thudding fast as she called the crowds attention. "Sorry to stop the show but this is kind of a big deal. See that woman there in the red shirt?" She pointed out Regina and the crowd whipped their heads around looking frantically everywhere in the direction she was pointing with curiosity.
"Regina Mills?" Someone from the crowd called causing oohs and ahhs to go up.
"Yes! Regina hot damn Mills!"
Regina blushed and laughed at her sudden recognition in the previous anonymous crowd. She had no idea what Emma had planned but she'd hoped it would be good otherwise she'd just made a huge fool of herself.
"I need you to get her up on stage. Any way you can.. to hell with it... crowdsurf her ass up here!" She grinned hard and couldn't stop the laugh at the woman's face as she was unceremoniously picked up and motioned forward by hundreds of unknown hands. A few copped a feel, pinching and slapping her ass but it was such an amazing rush that she didn't care in the moment. When she reached her destination to roars of applause and was pulled up to her wobbly feet by two burly security guards, she quickly straightened her shirt and fist punched the air as she turned to the crowd. She'd never been on stage at a rock show and she understood now that buzz Emma was always talking about felt like. She was so happy for her. All those people there just for Emma.
She turned to the blonde and bit her lip shyly realising she was very publicly about to be either humiliated or embarrassed. Maybe she hadnt quite thought this through.
Emma shuffled on her feet looking more nervous but she spoke confidently into the mic.
"So guys, I don't know if knew but Regina Mills is my girlfriend."
The crowd roared and wolf whistled in appreciation and the stage floor rumbled with the stamping. The women couldn't tell if it was their heart's beating in their chest or the vibrations but either way it felt amazing.
She giggled into the mic and shook her head. "I had no idea she'd be here tonight.. this is awkward."
Regina's face looked worried. Emma quickly back tracked "no! Oh no not in a bad way.. I hope I mean.."
Someone heckled "make out already!"
Emma heckled back.
"Give me a second alright! So Thing is, she just asked me to move in with her with an awesome sign... the answer is yes by the way...but hold on.. wait here one sec..." She dropped the mic and ran off stage.
The crowd who had just started cheering began booing at the 'but' and Regina was left alone on stage while the masses started a clap chant of why are we waiting. She felt like a complete fool stood up there expectantly. She was definately going to kill the woman if the angry mob didn't do it for her.
Emma bounced back on stage, cheeks flushed and panting like a dog. It wasn't that she was unfit, she was just nervous but Regina had made a move first. She knelt down to pick up the mic but didn't get back up. Regina looked down and now noticed the box in Emma's free hand. Her heart fluttered.
"The thing is, I was going to do this tomorrow but you kinda stole my thunder." She laughed and continued. "I hadn't finished that thing you asked me to do so.. I was waiting for that inspiration to come. But you are all my inspiration Regina. I think I figured out the ending. So.." She put down the mic and opened the box revealing the shiny diamond solitaire sparkling vividly in the spotlight She looked up into those shining eyes pricking with tears and felt more confident in the response she'd receive she whispered "will you marry me?"
Regina nodded as the tears fell and allowed Emma to place the ring on her finger. "Yes I will now get up you idiot so I can kiss you!" They kissed passionately as the crowd roared it's appreciation once more. Emma picked up the mic, reluctant to break away from the long overdue kiss but knowing the show must go on.
Regina whispered "that's certainly going to be a great ending to the book, but I feel like this is just the beginning."
Emma pulled her back in for another kiss. She giggled a bit then nervously looked at the woman in front of her wide eyed.
"But this is for real right? You really are going to marry me?"
Regina laughed but had the most puppy dog face and said sweetly. "Of course I am! Don't think you're getting rid of me that easily!" She winked and began to saunter off the stage feeling she'd had enough limelight for one evening.
Emma called out quickly before she was out of earshot "Better than fiction. I love you."
"I love you too." She sobbed and the crowd sent up a colllective aww.
Emma watched her walk off and then turned to the band. The drummer bashed out a click, click, click, click with his sticks and the music screeched back into action, dulling the sound of the crowd. The rest of the performance was the best of her life and was noted by the captivated audience. Emma sang, but her heart sang louder.