Disclaimer, I own none of the original OUAT character/content
Regina sat at her desk, staring dejectedly at the paperwork laid out across her desk. She looked at her phone to check the time – 8:39pm. She told Robin she would be home by 8:30. A sigh escaped her lips before she picked up her pen to sign a few more documents, a twinge of guilt sitting uncomfortably in her stomach. This was far from the first time she had stayed late to work, but it was quickly becoming the norm.
Regina knew there was no reason for her to actually still be in the office. One of the perks of being a CEO was getting to set your own hours, most of the time. All the paperwork in front of her was far from urgent, and she could take care of it the next day. She could just put the cap on the pen in her hand, get up, and just leave. She could call her fiancé and let him know she ran late, but that she would be home soon, and that she loved him. She didn't do any of that. Instead, she continued adorning papers with her elegant signature, trying to ignore the unease creeping from her stomach to her chest, settling in as a tight little knot. Another sigh was let out.
A soft beep came from her office telecom. Her personal assistant, Mulan, always stayed in the office until Regina left. She smiled slightly to herself, thinking that the young woman was more dedicated to her job than she was to hers. "Yes, Mulan?"
"I've got Robin on the line, Ms. Mills. He wants to know when you're going to be home. Should I put him through?"
"No," Regina replied a little too quickly. "Just…tell him not to wait up for me, and to give Henry my love when he puts him to bed." The guilt tightened in her chest more.
"Okay. Would you like a coffee, Ms. Mills?"
"Yes. No." She sighed for the third time. "Just a decaf, Mulan. Thank you." Regina then turned her attention to her computer, staring at her inbox, but not really seeing anything. Her mind was focused on her son, Henry. The guilt she was feeling wasn't about avoiding Robin, but that avoiding Robin meant having less time with her son. He was paying the price for her own muddled feelings, and it wasn't fair to him.
Her eyes drifted over to the only photograph on her desk. It was taken the first week she brought her son home. She was standing in the park, the trees in the background just starting to show the first colors of autumn. Henry was in a tiny, yellow onesie, with a cartoon lion on the chest. He had a matching hat on, and the biggest toothless grin. Regina's face in the photo was bright, and joy radiated from the scene.
She was stirred from the moment by a gentle knock on the door. Mulan came in after Regina signaled that she wasn't interrupting. The young, Chinese woman gave a small smile, and set the cup of fresh coffee down in front of her boss. "It's going to be another long night again?" she said, but her tone held no judgement or disappointment.
"Yes, it is. Why don't you go home, dear? Surely you have something you would rather be doing with your evening?"
"Oh definitely, but none of those things pay me overtime," Mulan quipped. "It's fine, Ms. Mills. I'm happy to be here. Honestly."
"If you're sure then. Just know, you can go home any time you like. I promise I won't fire you. I'm not sure there's anyone out there who can do your job as well as you." She offered up a weary smile.
"Good to know I've got job security in this economy!" Mulan said, and the two women shared an awkward chuckle. "Hey, can I ask you something?" The young woman's voice was full of trepidation, making Regina feel wary.
"Yes."
"It's just…you know, I don't mean to pry, but-"
Regina cut her off, her demeanor rapidly changing. "If you have to preface a statement with that, then you're probably prying. You can leave my office now," she said icily, her lips pursing.
"Yes, ma'am. I apologize," her assistant said, ashamed. She turned to leave, when Regina called out to stop her.
"No, I'm sorry. That was harsher than I meant. What were you going to ask?"
Mulan swallowed hard. "I was going to ask if you were okay?"
"Yes, of course I am. Why would you ask?" Regina's tone was clipped and defensive.
"I know you were working a lot of late nights a couple of weeks ago, because it was the end of the quarter, and we were all in crunch time. But, things have been light here lately, and your schedule hasn't been busy at all. You don't seem yourself, and I just wanted to know if things were okay." When she finished, she fidgeted with a button on her blazer.
Regina's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Whatever you think may or may not be happening in my personal life is no concern of yours. I'm done here for tonight. Take care of this," she gestured to the undrunk coffee. "And then leave. I will see you tomorrow morning."
She felt guilty for being so dismissive. Mulan was only showing concern, but Regina hated that she had let her personal troubles bleed through enough that her own employee could see that she was struggling.
Once she was alone in her office again, she grabbed her phone and quickly dialed a number. It rang three times before the call was answered. "Mal? Please tell me you're free to get a drink?"
"Regina, are you okay?" the woman responded.
"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" she scoffed.
"You just never really do impromptu plans, but I'm free. Where do you want to go?"
"Let's go to The Well. I don't want to be anywhere too loud."
"Okay, babe. I'll see you in a few." The line went dead.
Regina tidied up her desk, and checked her hair and her makeup in the large, ornate mirror hanging in her office. It was a gift from one of her investors, Sidney Glass. Satisfied with her appearance, she left the office, pausing a moment at her assistant's empty desk. She knew she was going to have to apologize to Mulan the next day.
~8~
Regina entered the bar, which was more of a lounge and Jazz club. It was an open mic night, so, with all of the extra patrons, it took her a little longer to scan the dim room to see if her friend was there yet. She wasn't, so the brunette headed to the bar. "Hello, August. Busy night tonight?"
August, who owned the club, was a quiet but charming man. He set down the glass he was wiping out, and came over to her. "Hey, Regina. Yeah, I've started doing open mics every Wednesday now, and they've really taken off. What are you drinking?"
"Just a cosmo, please."
"Coming right up," he said with a wink and a warm smile. It only took him a minute before he was back, placing the drink before her. "No Robin tonight? I haven't seen the two of you together in a while?"
Regina's mood soured further, wondering if her problems were written across her face. "No. I'm meeting with a friend. There she is." Regina caught Mal's eye, and the woman wound her way through the other patrons to her. "Took you long enough," Regina remarked, dryly.
The blonde woman gave her a sly, sultry smile. "You didn't give me very much time to get ready."
"Please, dear, you're always ready." Regina smirked into her drink, as her friend shot her a withering look.
Mal ordered a drink for herself, and then turned her full attention to the brunette before her, who usually looked composed, shrewd, and confident. The woman she was looking at appeared tired and almost fragile, which made her feel alarmed. Regina Mills was a great many things, but fragile was far from one of them. "Okay, so what's going on? It's a Wednesday. Why are you here at a bar, and not home with Robin and Henry?"
"You think I'd rather be here than with my own son?" Regina snapped back. "Sorry," she said after seeing the look on her friend's face. "It's just…it's," but the words were stuck in her throat.
"It's Robin, isn't it," Mal said matter-of-factly, sipping on her vodka soda.
"Yes," Regina said in a mixture of anxiety and relief.
"Mhm. I knew he wasn't right for you. But you never listen to me, do you? Why do you even want to marry him anyway?"
It was Regina's turn to shoot Mal a look. "We're a good match."
"She says with burning passion in her voice! Babe, come on. You two are a good match on paper, and that's it. Where's the fire? Where's the desire, and the electricity! You and I had all of that, remember?"
"Yeah, and how did that end up? A relationship is about more than just passion. It's got to be solid and-"
"Boring! You and Robin are bo-ring. Of course, a good relationship needs to be solid, babe. I'm not a stupid teenager, but it's got to light into your soul too. It's got to burn, and rage, like a dragon!"
"That sounds unhealthy," Regina smirked.
"But so much more fun, Regina!" Mal returned, unfazed by her friend's remark.
"And that, dear, is why you are still single," The brunette said with a grin that bordered on wicked.
"At least I'm getting laid," Mal said with satisfaction. Regina's cheeks flushed at that comment. "Wait. Babe. Are you and Robin still having sex?"
"Don't be crass, Mal." Regina drew herself into a stiff, upright position, pursing her lips in defensiveness.
"Don't avoid the question, Regina. When was the last time you two had sex?"
"I don't feel comfortable talking about my intimate life with Robin!"
"Wow. That long, huh?"
Regina glowered at the blonde. "If you must know, the last time we…made love, was…three weeks ago. I think." Regina felt her cheeks go scarlet with embarrassment.
"Made love? What, was it in the missionary position? Oh my God, it was," Mal said, incredulous, when she saw her friend's expression. "Did you at least come?"
"Keep your voice down!" Regina hissed angrily, but the other woman kept staring, demanding an answer. "No. I didn't. Happy now?" Regina stiffened further with anger and acute self-consciousness.
"No! What woman is happy hearing that another woman was denied the pleasures of an orgasm during sex. Has he ever made you come?"
"Are you serious right now? Mal, this is ridiculous!"
"Babe, we are at an open mic, and I heard someone on that stage deliver a heartfelt ode to the Big O. No one cares that we're talking about sex!"
"I care."
"You're the only one. Now answer my question," Mal said with a calm, but prodding tone.
"You are seriously making me regret asking you out for a drink."
"You're still avoiding my question, Regina. Has Robin ever made you come?"
"No. Never." Regina admitted, to her deep chagrin, avoiding eye contact.
"Jesus. And he doesn't even notice?"
"No. He doesn't. God forbid he ever pay attention to anything other than his own pleasure! He goes limp, almost immediately. He used to be a more exciting lover, but over the past five months or so, it's just so…mechanical. It's so boring, and unsatisfying, and it leaves me feeling so empty, and used at the end." Regina looked away from Mal, whose face was a mask of pity and anger. She dabbed delicately at her eyes, wiping away the tears that had defiantly welled up in them.
When Mal spoke again, her voice was surprisingly tender. "It's okay, babe. I bet that it felt good to say all of that. You need to get it out."
"What do I do? I don't want to just leave him. It's just sex. After all, we have built a stable life, and it's good for Henry." Regina felt her friend's hand cover her own, and she gripped it back, finally allowing herself to feel everything she has been keeping down lately.
"I don't know, Regina. In my opinion, sex is a pretty important part to a relationship, but I'm not the one you want to come to for relationship advice. You said it earlier; I'm a disaster in love. A hot disaster, though," she said with a wry smile, and the brunette smiled slightly in return.
"That's true, I would not take relationship advice from you," Regina said, seeming a little more relaxed again.
"I'll still give you some. I love you, babe, and I want to see you happy. This," she gestured at all of Regina. "Is not the picture of happiness."
"Fine. Let's hear your advice. It can't be that bad."
"In that case…I say you need to experience what you've been missing! You need to feel hot, and alive! You are hot, Regina, and you're being wasted on Robin. I've got a friend, an ex, really, who can set you up with someone at a hefty discount." The last part made Regina choke on her drink.
"Discount? For what? A match-making service?"
"Well…it's a service," Mal said, coyly. Regina's eyes widened.
"No, that's some truly bad advice, Mal. Even for you! That's," She looked around to see if anyone was listening. "That's illegal."
"It's only illegal if you get caught, babe!" Regina choked again.
"Oh, Mal, tell me you haven't!"
"Once! What? Don't hit me, Jesus! Just listen to me for a second! It's a reputable business. It's not some cheap hooker in an alley. Hey! I said don't hit me! Look, if you're really worried about the legality of it all, I'll pay!"
"Oh, that makes it so much better!" Regina said venomously.
"You asked for my advice. Listen. I'm going to set you up for a session. I'm going to pay. You can show, not show, whatever, it's not like you're required to put out anyway. Just…just think about it."
"I won't, and I'm leaving. Goodnight, Mal," Regina said curtly, offended and uneased by the woman's entire proposal. She dropped some money on the bar, and left without even looking at Mal.
"I'll text you when and where!" the blonde yelled after her friend's retreating form, a mischievous smile playing across her face.
