A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks so much for all your wonderful feedback on ffnet, twitter, Ao3 and Tumblr! It's a blast writing this story for you. Also a huge thank you to the anonymous readers as well. This chapter will deal a little with Regina's life apart from the show and you're going to meet two very important people. Also, you'll get to know about the next group date which I am very looking forward to writing!
We will also get a bit of MadQueen for all those of you who like Regina/Jefferson. Once again I'd like to emphasize that I told you from the beginning this story is going to contain multi-ships with primary focus on OutlawQueen, of course. It'll all turn out well in the end for OQ, so don't worry if you get bits of HuntingQueen or StableQueen or EvilCharming. Also, please don't complain about it because if you don't like the glimpse of different ships I'm afraid there's nothing I can do otherwise than to advise you to not read it.
In case you haven't seen it, I wrote an OQ Missing Year phone sex oneshot in case you'd like a little smut ;)
A huge thanks to waterbaby for betaing! Enjoy and please let me know what you think
(9)
The next Night of the Roses came in the blink of an eye for Regina. She'd been busy with interviews the whole day and before she knew it, Ruby had ushered her into the styling room where she'd gotten her make-up and hair done for the night. Now she was standing in the large reception hall, waiting for the men to arrive, nervously smoothing the soft leather of her tight black pants. Today Ruby had picked a rather comfortable outfit for her, which still underlined her "assets" as the woman had called it.
"Damn it, Regina - you have a great ass and we need to show it." So tight leather pants and a loose cream-colored blouse combined with black strappy heels, which she sadly wasn't allowed to keep, it was. Her shoulder length hair fell in soft waves over her right shoulder; fixed to stay in place with so much hairspray she could still smell it when she took a deep breath through her nose. After last night and the emotional talk with Tink she really didn't want to see Robin tonight, but there was no way to get out of it.
"They're here, Regina. Get ready. Camera starts in three, two, one…" Leroy the cameraman instructed her, nodding his head when the red light of the camera started to blink on. Regina quickly straightened her posture, a big smile (which she hoped looked at least a tiny bit real) on her face. It was time to get this evening over with. She had a day off tomorrow. Well, it was not a day off in the direct sense however there were no dates and she could finally, finally take the time to have a proper Skype talk with her son for more than ten minutes before his bedtime. Yesterday, she hadn't even made that. It hurt her. Yes, she knew she would be having a tight schedule when she agreed to the show but she didn't think it would be this hard to squeeze in time with her son - along with the time difference she was glad to hear him on the phone at least twice every day for a few minutes.
The door of the mansion opened and the rush of men stepped inside. They were all dressed up neatly, each one of them greeting her with a quick kiss on the cheek. She tried to avoid Robin's eyes, which were desperately trying to get her attention. His touch made her feel heavy with the emotion she wanted to try to keep at bay tonight. It was Jefferson, the last of the men to greet her, who lingered a moment longer with her, his eyes picked with uncertainty.
"I… need to talk to you. As soon as possible, please."
"Of course," she answered softly, squeezing his hand. Jefferson immediately looked relieved and stepped back into the row, so Regina could officially greet them in front of the cameras. She sent the men off outside to the pool area, where comfortable seats, champagne and canapés were waiting for them. Jefferson received a few stares, especially from the men who hadn't been able to talk to her yet. Today was their last chance to make an impression on her and some of them were desperate to try and get her attention before she would kick them out tonight.
Regina lead Jefferson into the living room where they sat down next to each other on the couch. Even though she didn't feel much like drinking, she asked him to open the bottle of cooled champagne, which was resting on the glass table right next to two flutes. Jefferson opened the bottle with a plop, quickly reaching for a flute so the drink wouldn't go to waste on the floor.
Once they'd clinked their flutes and each of them took a sip, silence settled over them. It was Regina who set her flute down on the table, her hands folded in her lap. "You wanted to talk to me?"
"Yeah… I just don't know how to start," Jefferson admitted. "I guess it's better to get right out with it instead of talking around it. Listen Regina; you're a remarkable woman. You're incredibly beautiful and I think that if things were different, something could be happening between the two of us. Maybe… I don't know. The thing is just… my heart beats for someone else."
Regina swallowed hard, trying to not look too surprised at all. "It's not… Oh God that came out wrong. I mean, I mean my heart beats for my daughter, Grace. I… miss her and she needs me. I'm not asking you to understand this, but I can't stand to be without her any longer. It's killing me to see her unhappy in the place where she is now and I don't want her to feel like I abandoned her for…"
"Me," she whispered, her eyes soft with understanding.
"No… Yes… It's just… There's always the chance things wouldn't work out between the two of us and I cannot take the risk to lose the trust of my daughter. As I said, I'm not asking you to understand. I just want you to know I'm sorry, I…" Jefferson started rambling, desperate, as he was to make it not sound like he turned her down for an invalid reason.
"Jefferson… Jefferson!" Regina covered his hand with hers and for the first time since they started to talk his eyes met hers. "I understand… better than you might think. Thank you for telling me. You should never put the welfare of your child second to a woman you don't even know."
"I didn't mean to…"
"I know. I know what it means to be separated from your child. I… please, I must ask you to keep this to yourself." He nodded, so Regina felt safe to continue. They shared an invisible bond now due to their children. She'd never ask him to stay; she knew all too well how he felt right now. "I… have a son and I miss him, too. Terribly." And just then she realized how much she missed him and what she would give to be able to just quit it all like Jefferson did just now.
"You… Have a child?" he asked more than stunned.
"I do and this is why I know how you feel right now. I know a few short phone calls don't do the trick, not for yourself and not for your daughter. If… if you really miss her that much and if she needs you, you should go. I won't blame you since it is the thing I would do if I were in your position. You shouldn't wait until this whole thing is over. Take the next flight to wherever it is your daughter is staying and… go." She squeezed his hand with a reassuring smile and before she could do anything, Jefferson had wrapped her in a tight hug, squeezing the air out of her.
"Thank you, Regina. Thank you for understanding. You really are incredible - not just in looks but also in heart. I really hope one of these guys out there is the right one for you."
"I do, too. Good luck to you, Jefferson." With a last squeeze of her hands and a thankful kiss pressed onto her forehead he'd gotten up and headed for the door.
"Good luck, Regina," he said honestly before he vanished through the doors. Regina let out a long sigh she didn't realize she'd been holding. It was admiration and a tiny bit of jealousy she felt for Jefferson right now, but deep down she hoped he would be happy with his daughter. Nothing was worth the loss of a child, something she knew all too well.
After she was left alone, she gulped down the rest of the champagne, settling back into the couch cushions to take a deep breath.
"Do you need a moment?" It was Leroy who asked, having the camera turned off. The look he was giving her was unidentifiable, perhaps a mixture of surprise, understanding and annoyance but she could be wrong about it entirely.
"I'm okay. I'll be out in a second, I promise." He gave her a quick nod, being a man of few words had always made him more likable to Regina. One down, fourteen to go. She didn't quite mourn the loss of Jefferson, even though she'd kind of liked him. They hadn't spoken much, however she could tell they'd been somewhat on the same wavelength. The fact he was a single parent and had a daughter for who it seemed he would do anything, made him even more likeable in her eyes.
Well, the chapter Jefferson was over now and she should concentrate on the fourteen men who were waiting outside for her to join them. She pulled herself up and put on a smile before she stepped outside to the pool area where the men were busy drinking and picking at the delicious looking but bad tasting canapés. They really needed a new caterer.
"There she is," Killian, who was nearest to the French doors which lead out of the house to the pool area and thus spied her first. "Ye look a little worn out, love. Is everything alright?"
"Fine. I'm fine. Jefferson just dropped out."
Immediate silence settled over the pool area, only disturbed by the noises of the night and the bubbling of a tiny stone waterfall installed closer to the garden of the house. It was as if she'd dropped a bombshell, even though some of the men didn't look all surprised. In fact, when her eyes unconsciously wandered to look for reactions, they locked with Robin's, who gave her a knowing nod followed by a quick smile.
"Don't worry Regina, he was a loser anyway," Hans cheered, raising his glass toward her. Regina met his gaze with a stern look, her inside burbling with satisfaction that she could kick this asshole out of the show tonight.
Xxxxx
The Night of the Roses was over in the blink of an eye. It hadn't been much trouble to decide whom to keep and who to kick. She could see the satisfaction in the other men's eyes when she'd given the last rose to Lancelot, a tall dark man with an even bigger heart, as she'd found out in their conversation tonight. This left Hans, Eric and Philip without a rose - the first of them seeming definitely more upset than the other two. Hans had balled his fists in anger, his face trembling to stay in place and not slip into an angry grimace. Apparently he wanted to hold on to the bit of dignity he still had.
After the three of them left, everyone could feel how the mood in the room had lightened. Eleven smiling and well-dressed men were looking back at her, each one of them wearing the red rose she'd given them proudly on the breast pocket of their jacket. Seeing how Killian and David fist bumped with August, Robin, and Daniel made her actually laugh. Graham looked incredibly smitten, as did Victor and Keith. It seemed like Arthur and Lancelot had teamed up as well in the group, each of them giving the other one a light pat on the shoulder. The only one who was left alone a little was Sidney, who looked at her with so much adoration she couldn't help but give him a quick wink, which he returned with a huge toothy smile.
Regina cleared her throat, having gained the attention of the men back within seconds. "It was a hard decision to make tonight." It wasn't, but none of them needed to know that. "But I really am glad about the outcome. Thank you for a wonderful evening, I'm so glad I was able to get to know a some of you better and I hope the next week will be as much fun for all of us like this one here. I do hope you will enjoy your day off tomorrow. Thank you all for coming here tonight."
She bid them each of them goodbye with a sweet kiss onto each cheek and the wish of a "Good night!"
"It was lovely to see you, Regina," Daniel whispered affectionately when she bid him goodnight, "I hope I'll get the chance again, soon."
Robin was the last one in the row and thus had the chance to linger a moment longer than the others. Regina's hands trembled when she felt his cool fingertips through her thin blouse. "I…"
"I know. I know," she shushed back, her hand tracing the red rose on his front pocket. They needed to talk, really talk, but they couldn't. Not in front of the cameras and not in front of the others, however it was difficult to find a place where they could really be alone for a surely emotional talk like this.
We will find a way, his eyes told her with determination and oh, how she dreaded the moment she would finally be alone with him. Up until now she'd been more or less able to ignore the elephant in the room. So much had changed between them in ten years. She was different, he was different! They weren't the same people they had been ten years ago. Too much had changed… and at the same time it was all the same.
"Good night, Robin," she whispered meaningfully.
"Good night, Regina."
Xxxxx
"Snow White & Rose Red" was a small but successful florist business in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Its entrance was located right on the corner of the street with three steps leading up to the entrance. Above the door hung a neatly polished sign with elaborate lettering of the business's name. Four large shop windows, two to each side of the street gave the passersby a look into the shop with its beautifully arranged flower bouquets and other plants.
The door was pushed open by a woman with dark pixie-cut hair, her hands full with two buckets of freshly cut colorful gerbera flowers.
"Wait, I'll help you!" someone called from the counter on the other side of the room, which was slightly hidden behind three well cared-for, hip-high hibiscus trees. "Here you go!"
The door was held open so the woman could stumble inside. "Oh my God, Henry. Thank you! I don't know what I would be doing without you. Wait, wait, put the stopper under the door, there is more outside which needs to be carried in here. The stupid deliveryman put all the flowers on the sidewalk and the parking spot in front of the shop - again! Next time I see him, I'm gonna kick him in the balls!"
"That's a nickel for the swear jar Mary Margaret," Henry answered with a grin.
Mary Margaret rolled her eyes. "Duly noted, Mister. Your mom is going to kill me once she comes back and sees this stupid jar. Well, your college fund will welcome it anyway. Here, take these and put them… somewhere." She looked around skeptically. Her shop looked full, but not crowded. It was the right balance between neat and chaos, which made the shop seem friendly and homely.
"I'll go outside and get them right away - oh and there was a woman on the phone named Anna Rendelle. She asked whether she could come by tomorrow to check in with you for her wedding bouquet. I checked your timetable and there were no entries so I told her she could come by after lunch break." Henry smirked proudly, reaching for the buckets.
"Henry, you are a treasure. Thank you! You are more competent at your nine years than some other people in their thirties. But please don't tell your mom I let you watch the shop and handle the phone, otherwise she'll kill me."
"I think the two of you are past that stage," the boy joked which Mary Margaret answered with a grimace.
"Still, you are nine years old and child labor is forbidden in our country. Oh damn! Do you know what time it is?" Mary Margaret hastily handed him the flower buckets.
"It's time to put another nickel in the swear jar. That's a third today Mary Margaret." Sometimes, Mary Margaret thought, the boy was too clever for his own good. And yes, she probably had to bring the content of the swear jar to the bank before Regina came back because since she left it kept rising and rising.
"Yes Mr. Know-It-All! It's past twelve, your mom wanted to call at half past! Come on, we need to get the flowers inside quickly so I can lock up the shop for lunch break."
The two of them brought the flowers, which were standing outside half on the street, half on the pavement into the shop in quite a hurry. It was a wonder nothing broke or was knocked over by both their anticipation to talk to Regina.
At exactly five minutes to 12:30, Mary Margaret locked the shop's door, turned the 'open' sign to 'closed' and rushed up the stairs to her small apartment where Henry was already waiting at the kitchen table, her laptop in front of him.
"How do you think Operation 'True Love' is going for mom? Do you think she has found the right guy already?" Henry asked excitedly. It'd been three days since he'd been able to Skype with his mother in L.A. and even though he talked to her two, sometimes three times a day, it wasn't the same. Yes, he was content to stay with Mary Margaret until she was done but he missed her hugs, her food - Mary Margaret's cooking repertoire was mostly limited to noodles and salad - their morning cuddles and her bedtime stories. Of course he'd been too eager to send her off when she'd told him about her chance to become part of Aunt Tinkie's show. She'd been more than reluctant to leave him behind but he wanted her to be happy and perhaps… bring home someone who could become like… like a father to him one day. It wasn't that he wasn't happy with the two of them being alone - his mom had always done her best to make him not miss anything. Still, the older he became, the more he longed for someone who… understood what it was like to be a boy his age.
"Okay, are you ready, Mister?" Mary Margaret asked excitedly. "Look, she's online!"
Their screen immediately changed to the incoming call of Regina and Henry happily pressed the answer button. "Mommy!" A close-up of her face appeared on the screen. Her hair was wet and her face free of all make-up. She must have called right after her shower.
"Henry! Hello, my little Prince. It's so good to see you. I've missed you." Regina blew a kiss toward the camera, her smile incredibly wide.
"I miss you, too! Is today your day off?"
"Well, apart from a few interviews I don't have to do anything. I can just go outside and enjoy the pool…" she explained with a wink.
"I want a pool, too! With a big floating island and a shark."
"Of course you do, honey. Now tell me what happened since we talked yesterday? What happened in the last two chapters of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"? - Oh don't look at me like that, I know you've stayed up past your bedtime last night to read them."
"Told you she'd know," Mary Margaret grinned from behind Henry, and then she waved at the screen. "Hi, Regina! I'll be downstairs, Henry. Just call once the two of you are finished, okay?"
"Yes, Mary Margaret," Henry agreed before he went on to tell his mother all about the Dementors who disturbed the Quidditch match and how Harry's broom was smashed by the Whomping Willow. Regina listened in awe as her son told her about the exciting events in the book, how he helped Mary Margaret in the shop today, and how excited he was to watch a new episode of his favorite animated Batman TV show tonight. Now and then, Mary Margaret had clever ideas and one involved to give Henry a collection of various animated 90's kids shows of different superheroes on DVD for his last birthday.
Regina had promised him he was allowed one episode per evening while she was gone and hoped this way she could keep his TV consumption at least a little under control. It seemed to work out. Henry kept on babbling; making her wish to be able to touch him through the screen the longer they talked. One hour and a half passed by in the blink of an eye and both mother and son were a bit startled when Mary Margaret came back upstairs, asking them if they were still gossiping, which Henry protested they were not!
"Henry, do you think you could let me talk for Mary Margaret for a moment? I have to go in a while, but I promise to tell you goodbye." Mary Margaret seemed surprised at her request but Henry was all too eager to leave the two of them alone, announcing he would continue with Harry Potter, and oh, by the way, he needed the fourth book soon!
"Would you mind…" Regina asked but Mary Margaret was already nodding.
"I have a few things I wanted to order from Amazon anyway. I'll make sure 'The Goblet of Fire' will be the first thing in my basket," she reassured. An awkward silence settled in between them, each of the women taking a deep breath, wondering how to continue.
"How-?"
"Is he-?"
"No, you go first. What's on your mind, Regina?"
Regina bit her lip. "I just… I miss him. Is he doing all right? I mean with school and everything… How is he handling it?"
"He's fine, Regina. You call at least twice a day. He is a great kid and you know it. Of course he misses you, but that's normal. I miss you, too."
"Of course you do," she answered in a mocking tone but smiled at the other woman.
"How are you holding up, Regina? We haven't really had the time to talk about anything apart from Henry the last few times you called. In case you want to talk to anyone who is not involved…" She meant Tink, of course she did. Mary Margaret and Tink were…tolerant of each other. Mostly because of her and Henry, but otherwise they couldn't really stand each other. When Regina had told Mary Margaret it had been Tink's idea to apply for this whole bachelorette thing, she'd voiced her opinion in a very clear and direct manner Regina was usually not used to when it came to her. In the end it had rather been about her annoyance at the fact Tink would take her friend and business partner away from her for three months to the other side of the country than Regina's chance to find love.
It'd been her who'd kept on babbling about all the gorgeous dates she was going to have with all the gorgeous men and who insisted that there was something like 'love at first sight'. She'd also not hesitated when the topic of Henry came up, had directly agreed to take the young boy in for the time being. Regina had felt better to know she would leave Henry in the care of someone she trusted completely and wouldn't have done it if Mary Margaret had declined.
Yes, she could have brought him with her, but this was the last thing she wanted. Thinking about how things turned out, it was probably the best decision she'd ever made. There had also been the option to ask Mal to watch him, however her friend was one of the busiest people she knew and she didn't want to rip Henry out of his usual environment to send him to Miami for three weeks. No, Mary Margaret had been her best option.
"You look exhausted," the woman in question stated, making Regina flinch.
"Uh… I'm not. It's just a lot to take in. I had to kick out three candidates yesterday and one left for his daughter. I envied him, you know. He could just go… and I have to stay."
"You don't have to stay, Regina. Is it so bad with the men there? Are they all idiots?"
"Not… all of them. Some, maybe. I don't know. I haven't really had the chance to get to know them all. I have to make my decisions based on intuition."
Mary Margaret bit her lip, suppressing a deep sigh. "You can talk to me, Regina. I… I know it hasn't always been this way but you can trust me. I've proven that you can trust me, right?"
Regina nodded, one of the wet strands of hair falling across her face. "You did, Mary Margaret. But at the moment I have to deal with things myself. I have to figure out what I want… or rather who."
"Alright. In case you want to talk, you know where to find me. I'm afraid I have to get back to the shop now. Lunch break is almost over. Shall I get Henry to say goodbye?"
"That would be great. Thanks." Regina watched Mary Margaret abandon the laptop and call for Henry who came running immediately, slightly out of breath.
"You're leaving already, Mom?"
"Yes honey, I have to get ready to shoot a video. I'll call tonight to tell you good night as always, I promise, okay?"
"Okay. Bye. I love you mommy!" He leaned forward to press a kiss onto the camera, which made Regina's heart ache immediately.
"I love you too, my little prince. Take care - and don't forget your homework." The guilty smile on his face told her enough that Mary Margaret wasn't as persistent in making him do his homework as she'd have liked. Henry and Mary Margaret waved back, each of them shouting a long "byyyyye" into the camera and the screen went black.
Regina leaned back into the cushions of the couch, her heart aching a little for her beloved son and the woman who'd become so much more than a friend in the past years. It'd taken time to overcome their difficulties, the betrayal that started it all, but now she knew she could trust Mary Margaret. It hadn't always been like that. For a moment, Regina wondered how differently her life would have turned out if she'd never asked the young girl to keep her secret in the first place. She definitely would have been spared a lot of pain…
Xxxxx
The next morning, the men were asked to come into the living room of their house. Each of them had enjoyed their day off differently. Apart from a few interviews on how each of them had experienced the Night of the Roses, most had taken the free time to lounge outside at the pool or do some sports in the gym. Now that there were less candidates and Hans, who'd been annoying everyone with his talk was gone; the atmosphere in the house was less keen.
Robin had taken the time to block the phone room for over an hour to talk to his son and later that afternoon, he'd had an interesting conversation with Graham about archery. Other than that, nothing much had happened.
Now, they were all cramped up in the living room, eyes glued to the TV where Regina would announce the next group date.
"Everyone here?" Lancelot asked, counting the men. No one was missing, so he walked over to his spot on the couch and hit the play button.
Regina appeared on the screen, her hair put up in an elegant braid, with a cheerful smile on her red lips. "Hello guys! I really hope you enjoyed your day off yesterday and are ready for the next group date." She snipped her finger and as if with magic, a deep red apron with the bachelorette logo appeared on her. "As you can see, today we'll make an excursion to one of my favorite spots in the house which is the land of flavors and tastes - the kitchen!"Some of the men groaned, other seemed excited. Someone shushed them so they could hear what she said next. "The six of you to join me on to today's date are Sidney-" A loud "yes!" came from the colored man on the outer side of the circle. He'd kept on complaining the whole day yesterday and hoped he would finally get the chance to get to know Regina better on the next group date.
"Then we have Victor, Arthur, Lancelot, David and Robin." The latter seemed surprised he'd once again been asked out to a group date, as did David. Nevertheless, both of them high-fived, happy to get out of the house today.
"So now that you know who's going to accompany me to today's kitchen-date, you should get your aprons ready… Because today, you're cooking! See you later, guys. Bye!"
The screen went blank, as did Robin's face. She knew well enough he couldn't cook, so why would she ask him of all people on a cooking-date?
