AUTHORS NOTE:
I'm sorry for the delay folks and even still this is sort of a rush chapter as I really wanted to get something posted for you guys ASAP!
I have been incredibly busy lately; including work, Storybrooke 3 (I met Lana!), work, betaing for my girl GreekRegal.24's SQ fic Happily Ever After?, work and messing with some cover 'art' for OzzyJ's SQ fic: Drag the Waters - I've had a bit of a sneak peak at where she's taking that story and damn! you do not want to miss it!
Your feedback is always appreciated and reviews/faves/follows are love!
Thanks for sticking guys. 3
Gold had several motivations for ensuring the fashion show went ahead and he wasn't sure which one held the most power. The more he did for his girls, the more they owed him in return; and being able to go above Regina's head and overturn her decisions made his 'rewards' all the more sweet. After some consideration though, he realised it would be better if she didn't find out it was him; which did put a dampener on his warm, fuzzy feelings of victory but he really didn't need any extra attention from Regina Mills.
He made a quick phone-call right to the top, the number one and it proved the correct move. Prison Governor Albert Spencer was not at all happy with Regina Mill's decision to remove G wing from participating in the fashion show.
"I do think it would really upset the girls to not get to take part, and we don't want that do we Sir?" Gold said in his most sympathetic tone; which wasn't completely necessary with Albert but Gold thought it better to not let on that he may have other motives than keeping the peace.
Albert Spencer had been in the prison service long enough to know that keeping the girls happy was the key to a smooth running prison and he felt overlooking the indiscretion of a 'couple of out-of-turn comments' would be worth it in the long run. That and he didn't fancy having to explain why a whole wing was missing from the fashion show. He needed to show off his prison and his girls to the state; show them what a fantastic job he was doing. Admitting that one of his subordinates had let a wing get out of control to warrant their absence would not support that image would it?
"I appreciate your concern Bobby; I will of course have a word with Regina."
Gold smiled to himself, revelling a little in his victory already. One last thing; "And Albert, I would hate if Regina thought I'd gone over her head, but I really had to say something, so I'd appreciate it if she wasn't made aware of the origin of this…suggestion."
"I completely understand." Spencer replied, and he really did, it was important to keep the women in his life more or less oblivious.
Annabelle was trying her best to keep her head down and keep out of anyone's way but having Zelena's lackey, Vicky, for a cellmate made it impossible. She spent most of her days confined to her cell, knowing Vicky preferred to spend her time causing havoc with Zelena on the wing. Prisoners weren't allowed in each-others cells which meant that Annabelle could usually get some peace and quiet during the day, while they were preoccupied making some other woman's life a misery. However, that was little comfort to Annabelle when she felt in constant fear of lock-up, when the cell door was locked in the evening, and Vicky had no-one else but her to torture.
Vicky was on her way up to see Zelena when she caught sight of Anabelle out of the corner of her eye, sitting in her cell looking through the few pictures she had of what looked like her young son. Vicky decided Zelena would appreciate it if she gave Annabelle a little chase about their previous conversations.
"Give us a smoke." she demanded nodding towards Annabelle from the doorway.
Annabelle looked up and was unable to stop the fear that flashed across her face before she got a hold of herself a little. She tucked her photos under her pillow and picked up the limp packet of cigarettes sitting beside her.
"I've only got one." She replied shrugging and attempted to tuck the packet away again.
Vicky lunged forward, roughly grabbing the packet from Annabelle's hand and huffed right in her face. "Well now you've got none!"
Annabelle felt her hand stinging from where Vicky's long nails must have cut her skin and she bit her tongue lightly in an attempt to distract herself from reacting to the pain.
Vicky moved a little closer to whisper in her ear "You better get some blow bringing in or you've had it." Annabelle could feel Vicky's spit land on her cheek but she didn't dare move.
"Annabelle." A voice called from the doorway, saving her.
Vicky slowly withdrew smiling towards Anabelle and turned to greet the intruder. "All right Miss?" she asked Officer Booth who was watching their interaction very carefully. April nodded in response to Vicky and addressed Annabelle again.
"Come on Annabelle, you've got work to do."
Annabelle, more than grateful for the interruption, got up quickly and made her way out the door. Officer Booth followed close behind as they made their way towards the wing office to get started on her new work duty thanks to Officer Gold's recommendation.
"Albert, I really have to disagree…" Regina replied, beginning to pace her office as far as the telephone wire would let her, exasperated by the whole conversation. "We can't let them get away with kicking off every time they get angry or upset about something."
"I do understand your view Regina but there is no way they can be absent. The entire board is visiting along with two MPs, a whole host of campaigners… How can I explain to them why an entire wing isn't taking part." Albert's monotone drawled back through the phone.
"Albert, if we allow them to dictate…" she tried…
"I'm asking you to think again how you can solve this problem. Honestly Regina, there's a lot more at stake here than your pride."
"Yes, Sir." She placed the phone back on it's holding and fought to stop herself from throwing it across the room. Groaning outwardly she slumped down into her chair and buried her head in her hands on her desk. Was she going to have to defend every situation she made? It wasn't even about her pride; going back on your decisions was not a good way to govern a women's prison. True, they weren't happy with this decision, but she needed the women to trust her and part of that trust comes from her doing what she says she will. Damn the 'old boys club'; she had to find a way to make this work without the women thinking she was to be walked all over.
She counted her breaths in her head to try to calm herself down, when an idea came to her. Not only could it help her with the fashion show, but she might be able to get a two for one.
Shaking her head free of the tension she got up, straightened her blazer, flicked out her dark hair and marched out of her office, head held high. She was going to try and get Emma Swan onside, but first she had some 'revenge' to settle, and then she needed the largest glass she had full of red wine.
The wing office wasn't a big space, and was smaller still with even only three officers in residence.
"Well I'm happy" Cora Hershey said as she thumbed through the weekly paper, "Saves us a load of bother."
"Come on Cora," Gold sighed, "The girls have put a lot of work into that fashion show, they're gutted."
"What else could the Governor do?" David Nolan chimed up in Regina's defence, turning from his paperwork. "At least she tried to be open about it."
Gold huffed and continued flicking through his own files, "What the Governor needs David, is a bit more jail craft."
"Quite," Hershey agreed, "And what I need is a brew!" she added. "Where is April with that new tea girl? she queried turning to ask Gold, slapping her paper on the coffee table. Gold turned to answer her and spotted Regina in the doorway.
"Regina!" he called, half surprised, half to alert his colleague to keep her mouth shut.
Regina flashed him her brightest smile and made her way into the office.
"Who's least busy?" she asked as Cora quickly picked up a clipboard and looked ever so intently preoccupied. "Cora?"
David chimed up, "It's probably me." Fortunately for him though Regina had a little punishment to settle.
"I'm afraid it's gender sensitive David." Regina said with the most sincere voice she could muster given her excitement at her pending delegation.
"Cora, I need you to help out front; we've got someone with a particularly difficult hygiene problem…" She paused knowing her next sentence would achieve the reaction she was after.
"One of our regular old shoplifters apparently."
Cora Hershey's face went wide with shock. Bingo! There it was.
"Oh not smelly Nelly Edwards?" she pleaded more than asked.
Regina beamed back at her, "See I knew you'd remember!" she grinned, please with her small but satisfying revenge. "She needs a top to toe please."
Cora Hershey begrudgingly got up and shuffled out the door, and Regina turned towards Gold.
"So you thought you'd go over my head Bobby?" She quizzed, eyebrows raised. "Man to man? The way the prisoner service loves best?" She snarled sarcastically. Gold faltered a little and his gaze shifted to David before replying.
"David, don't you have something to be getting on with?" he queried and David took the hint and made a swift exit from the office, and the quickly gathering tension.
Regina wasn't ready to let Gold try to defend himself yet though. "I know you've got a problem with me Bobby; my age, my background, the fact that I'm a woman." She trailed off, her rich voice lacing around the words, as she stared him down. "Look, I want to come into work and get on with it, and I don't expect us to agree all the time but tell me to my face, don't go sneaking behind my back." She almost spat at him, "and then I can trust you." She added but she knew in her heart of hearts it would take a long time and a lot of effort on his part before she trusted him completely.
However, Gold didn't appease her, and didn't give her the reaction she was hoping for.
"But I did tell you Regina; both before and after chatting with number one, but you weren't interested and…" he paused deliberately, scrunching his lips together, "I still haven't heard you admit you made a mistake." He trailed off watching her intently, begging for a reaction. He thought for a second and decided to try a different aggravation. His eyes gleaming, he continued, "Maybe we could meet and discuss it over a rink sometime?" he asked.
Regina's eyes flared with fire and she was seething but she bit her tongue and made no attempt at a comeback; she needed to remain professional and allowing herself to open her mouth right now would throw all of that out the window.
The smirk smudged across his face gave away his feelings of victory and huffing at her he turned his back and made his way out of the office.
Regina sighed, "bastard."
Still relishing in his victory over Regina, Gold makes his way towards Zelena to reap some more rewards. He made sure no-one else was in the kitchen and slid up behind her, incredibly close, and tucked her red hair back to whisper in her ear. "You're going to want to thank me over and over again tonight."
Zelena twisted out of his reach and crossed her arms defiantly. "Oh yeah?"
Gold wasn't deterred in the slightest and moved towards her again, his hands finding her hips and pulling her in close. "Yes really. The fashion show is back on thanks to me."
Zelena relented a little and uncrossed her arms allowing Gold's chest to press against her breasts. "What about the Evil Queen?" she queried.
Gold laughed low and throaty in her ear as his stubble rubbed rough against her cheek. "Regina is no match for me, dearie."
Zelena pulled her head back to look him in the eyes and the gleam she found there matched her own. Grateful, she replied, "You better hope so, but if you're right then maybe I should thank you…properly…"
She had turned the water as hot as she could stand it and let it burn through her skin and into muscles. Regina raked her hand through her hair, making sure every bit of it was soaking wet, before pouring some shampoo onto her hand and massaging it into her head. She tried her best to press out out all the stress of the day, but somehow her own hands just weren't hitting the spot. She gave up and rinsed the shampoo out, watching the bubbles fade away down the drain; much like her dreams to influence improvement in the prison system…
She soaped and rinsed her body, letting the soft smell of her almond and coconut body wash fill her nostrils and calm her. As she stepped out of the shower, she heard the front door open and close. She pulled a warm towel from the radiator and made her way into the bedroom drying herself off. She shrugged on a pair of soft sweats and a t-shirt, and dumped the damp towel back in the bathroom in favour of a smaller, dryer one and began to towel dry her hair as she made her way into the living room to great her boyfriend.
Graham Hunter was sorting through a stack of papers when his girlfriend appeared in the doorway roughing her hair with the towel. He looked up, eyes dark but bright, and smiled at her fresh, flushed face from her recent shower.
"Hi baby."
Regina smiled back. "Hiya" and moved closer to kiss him briefly on the lips, his beard roughing her cheek.
"How was your day?" Graham asked, looking back to his paperwork, as if he wasn't about to get lucky.
Regina inadvertently answered the question; "Let's get pissed tonight."
Regina lay across most of the sofa, her legs pulled up and a large glass of red wine held firmly in her hand. The bottle on the coffee table was already more than half empty, and Graham wasn't even drinking it. Graham was squeezed in beside her, his beer balancing precariously on the arm of the sofa as he focused again on the paperwork from earlier.
"So your mini crisis went maxi." He stated passively in response to Regina's explanation of the day's events.
She huffed. "Fucking mafia. And I played right into their hands." She shook her head at herself and took another large gulp of wine.
She poked a foot out and poked Graham's thigh. "Will you give me a shoulder massage?"
He didn't look up as he replied, "Just give me half an hour and I'll be yours. I really need to finish this estimate."
Regina poked him again. "What good is being a freelance landscaper if you can't set your own hours?" she quizzed teasing.
Graham laughed and looked up at her pouting face, "You need a damn good fucking, that's what you need." He replied and she laughed snuggling back into the sofa.
"Oh well, it's only a job, who cares." She muttered, thinking aloud. "I want a job like yours. No asshole co-workers, no stress, high satisfaction…" she trailed off listing the benefits of working for yourself.
Graham sighed, "You'd miss the people contact though."
Regina was sure in that moment that she absolutely would not. "No I wouldn't!"
"Regina, this job is not for you, you couldn't be bothered to water your window boxes!" he laughed remembering the first time she'd invited him into her home and allowed him to see all her dying plants begging for love, or at least some water!
Regina laughed, remembering herself. "True."
She pursed her lips again, "You've got that fantastic feeling of doing something really well that you totally believe in. Why can't I have that?"
Graham didn't respond as he carried on with his estimate.
Her face scrunched up as she thought it through; all the hard work she'd put into her education and all the passion she felt for the job. Today had stamped it all out of her and left her with nothing but apprehension; she needed to get absolutely drunk and shake it off and when she woke up the next morning she would forget that she ever felt weak. She was better than this. She was Regina Mills.
AUTHOR HERE AGAIN:
Remember this is a slow burn, especially as I'm finding my feet with it, but I promise we will get another Emma/Regina scene next chapter - and after that they won't be as far between!
If you keep reading and reviewing, I promise to keep writing!