A/N: After reading a review just now from an anonymous guest, I have decided to use their suggestion and let you all know that this chapter contains similar ideas to a movie entitled The Mirror Has Two Faces. The scene itself is a topic I have made up although the situation is much like a scene from that movie. And I have used one line in particular from it in my story that I felt would assist in making my point. I do not claim any rights to the movie or its characters/plot. Just using a bit of help from it to enhance my story. Thank you for reading and thanks anonymous guest for your input.
Chapter Six: The Reality Behind the Happily Ever After
Regina hurried into her office 20 minutes late, her heels clicking furiously against the hardwood floor. She threw her purse onto her chair and straightened her blazer before making her way to the conference room. She was startled when an arm reached out from a private room, the one usually reserved for board meetings, and pulled her into it.
"You know Regina," his voice was strong and stern yet calming as he spoke; when she was a child, she imagined he was a King. "Just because this firm is called 'Blanchard and Mills' does not give you special privileges to stroll into the office as you please."
Leopold Blanchard was a rather small man with gray hair that was balding at the top. He was kind to his employees, lenient with their schedules to accommodate their private lives; something extremely rare to find in this field. However, he was feared amongst the legal world. His was the most successful law firm in New York City, handling and winning more cases than most of the other firms combined. His staff was held with the upmost respect in the public eye, something which Regina did not take for granted.
"I know, Leo. I'm sorry. I could explain myself, but what good would that do?" She stated, her question obviously rhetorical.
"What would your mother say if she were here?"
Regina admired Leopold, she really did. He was her mentor and confidant as well as her boss, but he often used her mother against her in times like these. Although the name Mills was in the name of the company, it did not mean Regina was his partner by any means. That title was still held firmly in place by her mother, Cora Mills.
Cora was a cold, arrogant woman in the workplace; never making eye contact with those she believed to be beneath her. However, she was an incredible attorney. She spent most of her life dealing with the mass media cases handled by the firm; her vocabulary was eloquent, her words often manipulative. Needless to say, she could have the press eating out of the palm of her hand or kissing her boots if she worded it correctly.
When Regina's father, Henry Senior, had fallen ill, Cora was granted temporarily leave to care for her husband. As horrifying as she was in the office, she admired the love her mother had for her father. After his passing, she started to work from home or wherever she felt like being. At the moment, she was litigating from their family vacation home in Spain. When she would be returning was a mystery even to her own daughter. Cora was a legend in the field and Leopold, as well as the rest of her colleagues, made it their life's mission to always remind Regina of her proper place in the company: hidden behind her mother's shadow.
Regina didn't answer his question, understanding that his was rhetorical as well. She just nodded, her comprehension clear to him. She enjoyed her job, but she felt Cora and Leopold still treated her like a child or worse, an intern.
"Do you need ice?" He asked, his voice changing from disciplinarian to concerned parent instantly. She tilted her head slightly, his question taking her by surprise until he pointed to her forehead. The bump. She imagined it swelled during the subway ride uptown and shook her head. "At least it's clear by your injury that your tardiness was not without reason. Mr. Booth is waiting for you in the conference room. Perhaps he will be more understanding upon the sight of the bruise than I."
And with that, he was gone. Regina remained frozen in place, her jaw clenching with frustration. This was exactly what she wanted to avoid, but she couldn't say she necessarily regretted the events of her morning. She felt the tension leave her body instantaneously upon the image of a certain professor, smiling from beneath her, entering her mind's eye.
"That's it for today. Next week we will be jumping ahead slightly in the syllabus to discuss Poe's 'The Pit and the Pendulum.' I expect it to be read, in its entirety, for an interactive, collegiate conversation amongst peers. And trust me, I will know who has completed the assignment and who cheated and read the SparkNotes on their way to class. My advice to you: don't be that guy," the class chuckled, packing their belongings as he spoke. "See you all on Wednesday."
Robin packed his notes into his briefcase and headed for his office. He was stopped by a student here and there to answer questions about various lectures and term paper requirements. With the end of the semester quickly approaching, the anxiety of the campus was in full bloom. He did his best to reassure and advise them without guiding them directly to the answers they were seeking.
When he finally arrived in the small, cupboard of an office, he was greeted with a pleasant smile from his office mate, Belle French. She was a young woman, newly hired by the university after the completion of her doctorate in French Literature last semester. She was his student prior to being his colleague so they had quite a history. She was an adjunct to start, much like they all were in the early days of their teaching careers, but if anyone deserved the position, it was Belle.
"You seem rather pleasant this morning," she observed, her Australian accent resonating against the walls of the tiny space. He placed his briefcase on the floor and plopped into his chair, spinning as he stared up at the ceiling with a grin.
"I like to believe I am a naturally pleasant person," he quipped, getting a laugh from the young woman seated across from him.
"More so than usual," she replied. "Have a particularly insightful lecture this morning?"
"Not quite," he chuckled, recognizing her question as an obvious joke. Teaching a morning lecture to a room full of undergraduate students was not the best start to his day. Most slept through the lesson, others didn't bother to show up at all. There were a select few, much like Belle when she was a student, who arrived promptly to every class and participated with great enthusiasm, but they were a rare handful in a sea of underachievers.
"Well you're not grinning like a lovesick schoolboy without good reason. So either share or don't, but I know something is different about you," she spat playfully.
Robin laughed at her comment, reveling in the memory of the gorgeous brunette he held closely in his arms that morning. The mere thought of her chocolate brown eyes, so bright with life and hope yet dark with hidden secrets, had his heart racing. The puzzle that was Regina Mills playing games with his emotions, a game he was all too willing to participate in.
"If you must know," he began. "I have a date this evening with the most sensational woman I've ever met."
"I knew it," Belle exclaimed happily. "Does this sensational woman have a name?"
"Regina," he replied, the sound of her name rolling effortlessly from his lips like music to his ears.
"Regina, you minx," Mallory teased, crossing her legs as she sat atop her friend's desk. The women ate lunch together in her office everyday, but there was something different in the air. Mal had suspected it the minute she entered, grilling Regina until she finally spilt the beans. "He sounds divine."
"Oh, Mal. You have no idea," Regina's voice was deep as she spoke, her sultry tone providing insight into just how sexy this man was.
"What time are you meeting him?"
"His lecture ends at seven. I thought I'd stop home and feed the boys before heading across town," she said before taking a bite of her salad.
"Call Henry, tell him to heat up some of that lasagna, and go there straight from here. I'm sure there's no harm in sitting in on his class. And just imagine the infinite growth of his sex appeal as you see him in his element," Mallory leaned back dramatically as she spoke, earning her a chuckle from the brunette.
It really wasn't such a bad idea. Just from their conversation the other night, she knew how passionate he was about his field. It would be interesting to see him lead a class full of future innovators in an intellectual discussion about the magic of this world: language. She picked up her phone and texted her son, her fingers flying across the keys and pressing send before she could change her mind.
Regina entered the administration building of the large campus on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. She carried her purse close to her side, taking in her surroundings. Her heels were the only sound heard echoing throughout the room as she approached a woman seated behind a glass window that lined the back wall.
"Excuse me. Would you be able to direct me to Dr. Locksley's evening lecture? I seem to have forgotten where he told me I could find it," Regina smiled brightly, hiding the fact that she was lying through her teeth. The woman was older, but seemed kind enough to provide her with directions. Luckily, her assumption was correct as the woman opened a campus map and circled a building just a short block away.
"Thank you so very much," she smiled again at the woman, taking the map and hurrying away before she was able to question her.
She arrived after a short walk to a smaller building, but beautiful nonetheless. She took her time entering, admiring the original architecture and marble sculptures lining the halls. She stopped in front of a board at the entrance to the building, listing the classrooms and what lectures were taking place in each that night. When she spotted his name, she couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face.
T.S. Eliot Lecture Hall (Room 138). Dr. Robin Locksley- The Reality Behind the Happily Ever After.
Regina followed the signs that directed her to the designated room, quietly entering, unnoticed, and occupying a seat to the far right. She settled in, realizing he was already in the middle of his lecture, and silenced her cell phone to avoid any surprise interruptions. She rested her chin in the palm of her hand, her elbow leaning on the desk while she listened intently as he demanded the attention of the room.
"Fairytales, according to history, were actually folktales meant to frighten and teach children a valuable lesson. Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, etcetera. So why now do we see companies like Disney and Dreamworks romanticizing these classic tales?"
Hands went up and Robin leaned against his desk, crossing his arms after calling on a young, blonde female who sat in the middle of the room.
"To inspire through a positive message rather than frighten?" It wasn't a bad answer. Slightly juvenile, in Regina's opinion, but not entirely wrong.
"Not quite where I was going, but an excellent point," he replied before choosing another student, a male with broad shoulders seated to the left of the room.
"Marketing agenda?"
Although true, that's definitely not where he's going with this, she thought to herself with a quiet chuckle.
"That definitely doesn't hurt, now does it?" The class laughed at Robin's response, but quieted when he lifted his hands to continue his thought. "These are good, intellectual answers. But humor me just for a moment by opening your minds to another possibility."
Regina sat up, mesmerized by the way he pulled the attention of every person in the room, herself included. He paused, allowing the silence to settle in and gathering his thoughts before continuing.
"These modern fairytales don't show you what happens at the end of the story. The prince marries the poor, servant girl with a pretty face and a pure heart and they live happily ever after. The prince rescues the princess from a deadly sleeping curse with true love's kiss and they too live happily ever after, riding endlessly into the setting sun," the class laughed at his clever quip. "They don't show you the prince's frustration with Cinderella's obsessive compulsive tendencies or his inability to comfort Snow White's outbursts at the sight of an apple. Reality does not appeal to an audience. But hope does."
He paused and let his words linger there for a moment. Regina leaned back and crossed her arms, interested in the direction he was headed with this lecture.
"These major fairytale producing companies are satisfying our desire to believe that hope is not unrealistic. And the most successful way to provide this is through romanticism and the overarching idea of true love. Raise your hand if you believe true love exists."
Only about a handful of students volunteered their hands into the air while the rest looked around. Robin nodded, as if they were proving his point exactly.
"Now, raise your hand if you hope true love exists," he amended and even volunteered his own hand. She watched as almost the entire class raised their hands.
"Love is the single most successful way to produce hope. Why is that?" He scanned the room for a new voice and chose a mouse of a girl seated in the front row.
"Humans are preconditioned to seek comfort and fulfillment from others."
He shook his head and pointed to another girl just above her.
"Biological necessity?" A few chuckles were heard when they realized the girl provided an intellectual way to say, 'People desire sex.'
"Again, you're thinking too logically. How do we feel when we read a fairytale or watch a Disney movie?" Robin offered a different approach that the room seemed to respond to.
"Happy."
"Content."
"Enlightened."
"Comforted."
"Overjoyed."
"Has anyone in this room ever been in love or thought they were in love? Show of hands." He took a look around as a few hands went up. He nodded and gestured for them to lower their hands when he said, "When a person is in love, they feel similar to the way they do when they witness the happily ever after of a fairytale. And that is why these stories have been romanticized. People don't want to be sold reality. They want to be sold hope and passion and shooting stars, but they especially want to be sold love. Because when we are in love, as some of you may already know, it feels fucking great."
The entire room roared with applause. Regina felt a knot in her chest, her heart tight and a wetness in her eyes that she hadn't felt in a very long time. He was sensational. She wasn't seated in this lecture hall feeling lustful after his discussion. She felt hopeful, just like he talked about. She felt hopeful that he could be the one that made her feel cherished and adored and loved; in other words, she wanted him to be the reason she felt so fucking great.