Chapter 15 – The one with the kiss.
"You remember?" Reina stares at Kavalan in disbelief, her dark eyes wet like glittering charcoal. The throne room is empty, void of people. The castle itself is eerily quiet, most of the staff long gone. Reina's kingdom had crumbled around her, and she'd been too angry and heartbroken to care. "After all this time—"
"I can't believe I ever forgot," Kavalan breathes out, regret and remorse in her face as she moves ever closer, yearning eyes drinking in the sight of a Queen she'd once pledged her life to. "Your Majesty..."
"My name, Kavalan," Reina demands hoarsely of her Guardian, even as her eyes blur with tears. "We've been through too much for that."
"Reina." Kavalan sinks to her knees before Reina, clutching the Queen's hands and pressing her forehead to the woman's thighs reverently, breathing in deeply of a perfume she'd never truly forgotten, one whose scent she'd craved even when amnesia had clouded her mind. Slowly, Reina sinks to her knees as well, their foreheads slowly pressing together. "My Queen. My love."
"Oh, Kavalan," Reina cries out, cupping her Guardian's cheeks and drawing their faces together, lips melding in a desperate kiss. It's eager and messy and wet with their tears, both women gasping and crying between each kiss, bodies pressing together as they cling ever tighter. Kavalan cradles the Queen's face, kissing her like she's the most precious thing in the world, and Reina buries her fingers into Kavalan's golden tresses and pulls the braid loose in her attempts to keep Kavalan close, never again wishing to be apart from her Guardian.
"Cut!" a voice calls out, echoing across the throne room, and they come apart slowly, noses nestled together, lips grazing as they breathe hard, eyes still shut in the moment. The excited thud of Belle's footsteps has them slowly parting like molasses, Regina untangling her fingers from blonde hair as Emma gently releases her face. Their eyes are dark, pupils blown wide, and Emma is still reeling while Regina recovers faster, smiling a dreamy smile as she laughs softly and reaches over to smooth down Emma's ruined braid.
"Thanks," Emma says, sheepish, even as Regina grins at her and backs off to let the swarming hair and makeup people get at them. They're both a mess, really; hair mused, lips swollen, makeup starting to run from their tears.
"That was perfection," Belle gushes, fanning herself with her hands. "Exactly what I envisioned. I don't even have any notes for you. That was just... god. The KavaReina fans are going to die."
Emma thinks she's going to die, honestly, with the way Regina smiles at her, eyes warm and crinkled at the corners and oh so beautiful. Their hair and makeup is fixed and the cameras adjusted for another shot, and they end up filming the scene so many times from multiple angles that Emma and Regina are intimately familiar with each other's mouths by the end of it, knowing exactly how to kiss and nip and to sweep their tongues into the other's mouth to get the perfect moan out of them.
"That's a cut on our window shot," Neal finally announces, and Emma and Regina just kind of stay attached at the hip, leaning heavily against each other as they blink across the set to where Neal stands with the walkie held up. "And a show wrap on Emma and Regina!"
The entire cast and crew burst out in applause, swarming out onto the set to hug and congratulate each other on a season well done. Swept up into the celebration, Emma and Regina just share a shy smile before they're pulled in opposite directions.
"You were amazing, Regina," Henry says, slinging an arm around her shoulder as she falls willingly into his hug. "Congrats."
"Thank you, Henry." Her eyes are warm and she pulls him down by his collar to plant a solid kiss to his cheek, and he blushes and tries to look nonchalant as he presses a kiss into her hair, the way he's imagined doing so for years ever since wondering what it might be like to have her for a second mother.
Across the stage, Emma watches them longingly even as the weight of Ivy and Ruby descend on her, the brunettes hugging and kissing her cheerfully with cooes of congratulations.
"You two were amazing!" Ivy gushes, as Ruby thrusts her phone out in front of them all.
"Hey guys, that's a wrap on our favourite Emma Swan!" she cheers, Ivy immediately flashing her flirty smile towards the camera while Emma just kind of gawks, her hair mused and her lipbalm smeared. She looks like she's just had an intense makeout session (which she did) and Ruby must be doing it on purpose to give the fans something to squeal and titter about, the asshole.
"Can't wait for you guys to see season five!" Ivy says, waving before blowing the camera a kiss. "Mwuah!"
Ruby ends the recording and immediately tweets it, and Emma self consciously wipes at her mouth and tries to smooth down her hair.
"Alright, I love you assholes, but I need to get out of costume and makeup stat. I'm itchy."
"You two do that," Ruby says when Regina and Henry finally make it through the crowd to stand near them, "And then come back and meet us in the greenroom. No one gets to leave! We're going for drinks! Unofficial cast wrap party!"
"Got it," Emma laughs, receiving a hug and a kiss on the forehead from Henry before he scampers back to help Leroy and the camera team pack up. Regina takes a breath and loops her arm through Emma's, smiling at her as she leads the way, and the blonde just flushes and follows willingly.
"Good work," Regina says softly as they step out into the cool night air, heading through circus towards the costumes trailer.
"You too," Emma murmurs, eyes soft, gently grasping Regina's hand to help her up as the brunette steps up the metal walkway and into the truck. The wardrobe people help them out of their elaborate costumes and soon they're taking their seats in the makeup trailer next door, relaxing into the comfy padded chairs and wiping the makeup from their faces while the stylist gently releases their hair from their intricate braids.
"Where do you think the girls are gonna want to go tonight?" Emma asks, scrolling through her emails on her phone while the hair people work on her. Somehow her hair has always been more complicated than Regina's, blonde tendrils carefully woven into a ton of different braids making up one large braid, each one tied off with a strip of leather and adorned with glass beads or feathers. Taking it apart at the end of each night is much easier, but just as time consuming.
"If it's up to Ruby, probably somewhere loud and obnoxious," Regina says, not unkindly. Running a hand through her hair now that it's finally down from its heavy updo, she stands and motions to the door. "I'm going to pack up my trailer. See you in five?"
"Yup." Emma grins up at her, green eyes bright and vibrant like dewy moss, one cheek dimpled with her lopsided smile. Regina can't help but reach out for even a little bit of physical contact, squeezing her shoulder briefly with affection before she leaves.
The light is on in her trailer, which is unusual because she'd turned it off before leaving it after lunch and had stayed in the greenroom for the rest of the day. Frowning, Regina pops open the door and steps up, eyes immediately falling upon the figure sitting stiffly on her leather sofa.
"Shut the door behind you, dear," Cora says, her eyes dark and piercing. "We need to talk."
Regina doesn't so much as shut the door as it falls shut behind her while she stands there, frozen in indecision. She's only ever seen Cora briefly during her trips back to LA and on holidays - and even then, those don't happen often, not since her father passed away and Cora buried herself in work. The woman manages not only her, but many popular actors and actresses that keep her busy and away on business, and Regina prefers it that way. She respects and fears her mother in equal measures.
"Mother," she says hoarsely, swallowing down the lump in her throat. Kingdom Come is her show. This studio is her home. Vancouver is hers, and Cora's presence here for the very first time makes her feel both threatened and anxious in a way she can't yet comprehend. "What are you doing here?"
"Checking in on my client? Visiting my daughter?" Cora motions for her to sit and Regina promptly drops down on the leather sofa across from her. "I have half a mind to be offended. Why do you look so shocked that I'm here?"
"It's just that you're a busy woman," Regina offers, finally forcing a smile as she gathers herself together. It's no time to show weakness. "I didn't expect you."
"Well, it is the finale of your show. How many seasons have you had now? Three? Four?"
"This is the end of the fifth season." Regina's voice is monotone. Her mother had wanted her to continue pursuing big movie roles; it comes as no surprise that Cora is still callous about her TV series. As if to prove her point, Cora gives a dismissive wave of her hand.
"Of course. Regardless, I'm actually here because Gold mentioned something of... concern to me. I didn't think he was serious; surely the network couldn't be foolish enough to allow this pandering in one of their top tier shows. And so I fly all the way here from LA to watch you film your final episode, and do you know what I saw?"
Regina goes pale, eyes wide as her mother gives her a look of utter disappointment. It's a rhetorical question, because Regina knows and Cora knows, and so she can only open and close her mouth a few times in stunned silence. Answering would be incorrect.
"You know, Regina, I might have congratulated you on your acting talents, pretending to be in love with that blonde," Cora spits, distaste coating her words like venom. "America adores you and I will admit you have your skills... but you're not that good, dear."
"Mother—"
"You cannot love a woman. You will not." Cora stands suddenly, towering over Regina in her unforgiving stilettos and dark power suit, and as if she were ten years old again, getting slapped on the hands and scolded about her weight and how she shouldn't have had a second helping of dinner, Regina curls back against the sofa with a tiny, almost soundless whimper.
"I did not train you for the past thirty eight years to destroy your career over some woman you work with on a silly TV show. Use your brain, Regina. Think. You think it was hard enough getting to this point in your life where I can book you auditions for Hollywood blockbusters? Imagine how much harder it will be when you're in the middle of a gay scandal. Hollywood is full of straight white men like Gold and Leopold who will easily use any excuse to pass you over for girls like Mary Margaret. Is that what you want? To give them more reasons to pass you over?"
Regina cringes, eyes fluttering beneath the spitting fury of her mother. "Mother, I—"
"No! You don't get to speak. I have done everything to get you here and you want to throw that all away? You want to tease another woman on stage and talk about lesbians with your fans? No more. I will not allow this stupidity to continue. Find yourself a man, get back with that Graham Humbert if you have to, but you make sure the fans know you're straight and that this ridiculous KavaReina bullshit is only a job to you. And enough of this bodyguard foolishness - clearly you're fine and no longer need that woman following you around like a lovesick puppy making those disgusting rumors worse. You fix this, Regina Maria, or I will disown you faster than you can destroy your own career."
She doesn't register Cora's swift exit, barely winces at the slam of her trailer door. All she can hear is the painful thud of her own traitorous heart as it slams away inside her ribcage, the pulse of blood in her ears and in her head, and the broken sob that eventually escapes her lips moments later.
Family emergency, I had to leave for LA right away. I'm sorry, enjoy the afterparty.
Emma stares down at her phone, re-reading the text for the hundredth time as Ruby appears at her side with a fresh drink for them both. Their booth at the club is otherwise empty at the moment, since the others had decided to hit the dance floor for a while.
"Emma, let it go! She's got something to deal with, I'm sure she's fine." Ruby forces a drink into her hand, watching as Emma reluctantly puts her phone away.
"I don't know, Rubes. It was like we were getting to something good, and then she just suddenly disappears from the studio without even a goodbye. The cast driver took her to the townhouse and then straight to the airport, said she looked awful."
"Maybe her grandma died or something." Ruby shrugs, taking a drink, and then ducks her head to catch Emma's anxious gaze. "Hey, we were all watching that last scene. You two were sizzling. She almost kept kissing you even after Belle called cut. Whatever's bothering her right now, I doubt it has anything to do with that. Next time you two meet up, she'll probably pick right back up where you two left off."
"You think so?" Emma asks, half jokingly, but the fear of rejection is clear in her eyes. Ruby slings an arm around her shoulders and gives her a squeeze.
"I know so, babe. Now how about you finish your drink and join us out on the dance floor, huh? We could grind up on Ivy and make all the boys in the club jealous."
"You're so gross," Emma laughs, but Ruby's comforting affection loosens her up and she downs her drink, letting her friend drag her out into the thrumming crowd and pulsing music.
