A/N: This chapter is a little shorter than my previous ones but I thought, what better part to leave it on than a very suspenseful one? ;) I'm funny like that lol. Tomorrow I shall write out and post another update. Stay tuned and happy reading!
"Hey, Marco." Emma comes in through the back entrance as usual, clocking herself in for the day.
"Emma, lovely as always." Marco smiles.
"Yeah, right. I'm in a hurry today." Emma enters the booth where Marco sits.
"You're always in a hurry."
"Yeah, well, someone's gotta be." Emma grins as Marco laughs. Her eyes look to the monitors in front of Marco. "What's the view for today?"
"Mr. Brahms brought over his mistress again. He was almost caught this time by the Misseus."
Emma's brows hit her hairline. "One of these days he will get caught." Her eyes move along to the newspaper placed along the table within the book. Her eyes grow wide at the photograph that's displayed on the front page. It was a photo of Regina with Emma, walking alongside one another in the park. Luckily, Emma's head was turned away from the camera by the time the photo was taken. Henry beside them, walking along with Pongo. "Shit." She mutters.
"What's the matter?" Marco's brow lifts as he rotates in his chair.
"Nothing. I'm fine." Emma holds the newspaper along her chest before she rolls it up. "Hey, Marco, would you mind if I borrow this newspaper?"
"Not at all. Knock yourself out."
"Thank you." Emma rushed out of the booth, walked down the familiar hallway until she reached the crowded room where Ingrid was giving her daily instructions.
"That'll be all for today. Thank you." Ingrid smiles, nodding in gratitude.
Emma slithered through the crowd, reaching for Ruby's wrist and taking her into a storage room where accessories were kept.
"Em, what-?" Ruby's eyes are wide as they come to a halt.
"Ruby. Have you seen this?" Emma flattened out the newspaper. Her hands were shaking.
"What is it?" Ruby's head cocked to the side, holding the other end of the newspaper. She sees the same picture, reading the headline: MYSTERY ROMANCE BETWEEN CANDIDATE AND UNKNOWN WOMAN. "Yeah, so?" Ruby turns to Emma.
Emma scoffs, "What do you mean, so, Ruby? If this gets around the hotel, Gold and Ingrid are soon to find out." She says in panic.
"Em, sweetie, relax." Ruby holds up the paper, "Look at this, you can't even tell it's you."
"What about Henry?" Emma asks.
"What about Henry? The kid's so far away, you can barely see him. What, like he's the only kid with that pair of clothes? Please." Ruby reaches for Emma's shoulders, halting her from her jittering feet. "As far as you're concerned, this could be anyone, right?"
Emma nods, her breathing trembling.
"Em, Jesus, relax. You do one spontaneous thing in your life and you think you're going to hell." Ruby's arm swings along Emma's shoulders, gripping her close. "Come on, it's gonna be okay."
Emma nods, leaving the room with Ruby.
"Your voting record is outstanding. We do hope you win this election." A man in a dark suit smiles at Regina, along with a group of others who are enjoying an early morning breakfast.
"Oh, thank you. Thank you." Regina smiles.
Killian marches right into the breakfast hall, attempting to calm himself as he puts on a smile. A newspaper clutched to his hand. "Good evening, gentleman. You don't mind if I steal Ms. Mills away for a moment, do you?"
"Oh, not at all." Another man chimes in.
"It'll just be a moment." Killian smiles, his eyes moving to Regina. "Regina, can I talk to you for a minute?"
Regina wipes the corners of her mouth before she smiles. "Excuse me." Her brow furrows as Killian holds her by the arm and drags her over toward the bar. "What's the problem, Killian?"
"What's the problem?" Killian slams down the newspaper along the bar so hard, it rattles. "This!" He hisses, slamming his palm along the front of the page. "Do you know what this is gonna cost me? Huh? An entire evening of me covering your ass!" He keeps his voice low as he spits.
Regina's brow furrows, her head tilts as she reads the headline for herself. A small smile dances along the corners of her lips as she remembers the tranquility of that day with Emma. Up until the point where Emma said they could no longer see each other again.
"I am already getting phone calls from the London Times, the Washington Post, Chicago Sun, asking about her identity, her background, who the kid is- a kid!" Killian gives a quick look around the room, noticing a few eyes on them. His hand brushes along his thick, black hair, urging himself to calm down. "Just when I am getting them to focus on your assets, they're focusing on hers."
Regina's smile grows a little as she flips back to the front page. "Well… They are terrific ass-ets. Don't you think so, Killian?" She smirks, calmly moving back to her table to continue with her conversation. "Apologies, gentleman, where were we?"
Killian glares upward, in no particular direction. He just glares and shakes his head about how careless Regina was being. Acting like a fool in love.
"Alright, now, reach up! Straight up! Feeeeel that streeeetch!" A yoga instructor in Emilia Clarke's suite instructed. "Very good."
Emilia kept her arms up and slowly leaned forward as instructed, placing her palms along the floor. She and a friend had decided to spend the day together doing yoga. Her brunette hair tied up in a messy bun, with a few strands coating her eyes.
"Now, back up! Arms up, palms up, and feeeeel the stretch!" The instructor mimics their stretching position.
There's a knock at the door before Emma picks in through the crack of the door. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'll come back."
"No, no, it's okay- Emily you can work around us." Emilia beckons her.
Emily- the other day, Emma had a run in with Emilia down the hallway and she finally asked for her name. If only she could get it right and remember that it's Emma.
Emma enters the room, leaving her cart by the door while retrieving a few cleaning supplies to start in the bedroom.
"We could use some more towels, please- chop, chop." Susan- Emilia's best friend claps her hands.
Emma's jaw tightens as she reaches for a couple of towels from her cart and places them aside where they would be able to access them after their session. She moves into the bedroom, leaving the door ajar.
Suddenly, Emilia begins to sob very uncontrollably, remaining lying on her back.
"Ohhh…" Susan sits up, ignoring the instructor. "Sweetie, what's the matter? Is it Eric again?" She asks.
Emilia nods, "I don't know why he hasn't called me. I mean, am I so… not marriage material? So… outdated? I mean, what is it? No man or woman that I have ever dated wants to pop the damn question!"
"Sweetie, sweetie," Susan places a hand along her friend's shoulder. "It's not you. Remember that. It's them. They are the stupid ones."
There's a knock at the door, followed by Sidney's presence, lingering through the crack of the door. "I beg your pardon, Ms. Clarke."
"Oh, yes?" Emilia wipes the corner of her eye with one of the towels.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, but I have a message from Ms. Regina Mills." Said Sidney.
Emma's hand stops the wiping motion along the wall mirror. Her eyes grow wide as she hears Regina's name being mentioned.
"Regina Mills?" Susan's jaw drops to the floor as she exchanges a shocked look with Emilia. "As in Regina Mills?"
Sidney nods, "She's staying in the York Suite and was wondering if you had any response to the luncheon invitation I placed in your room yesterday."
Both friends launched to their feet, mouths still wide open.
"An invitation?" Emilia asked.
"We're done here, thank you." Susan whips her head toward the yoga instructor.
"I have to charge you for the full hour." Said the instructor.
"That's fine, just get out!" Susan snaps, following the instructor with her bitty eyes until he is out the door.
Sidney holds up the invitation which he had placed along a side table by the front door. "She would really love it if you'd join her for the afternoon."
"Where?" Emilia asks, grinning from ear to ear, her eyes reading over the note that she had apparently missed.
"In her suite, ma'am." Said Sidney.
Emma gasps, moving a little closer to the bedroom door. Her hand pressed the paper towel she used to clean the mirror along the door frame, subconsciously wiping it down. Regina wanted to have lunch with her? Well, not her- her- but Emilia. Except she was Emilia- or rather pretended to be. But Regina doesn't know that she was her Emilia and not this Emilia.
It made sense in Emma's mind.
"Shall I provide her with a response?" Sidney asks.
"Yes, tell her yes!" Susan chimes in, feeling jealousy-happy for her best friend.
"What time?" Emilia asked.
"One pm." Sidney replied.
"She'll be there- thank you!" Susan waved Sidney off, turning back to her friend. "You little secret keeper! When did this romance happen between you and the future Candidate?"
"We met last summer at the Hamptons when she was giving a speech for a charity event." Emilia's grin grows, "I thought we had a moment!"
They did meet, and she was indeed all over Regina. But there was no moment.
"Can you steal away an hour, please?" Emilia gasps dramatically after reading the note aloud, pressing the message to her chest.
Emma, hearing everything every word of Regina's beautiful note, smiles so widely, her cheeks hurt. Regina wanted to see her again.
"This is unbelievable!" Emilia grins.
"See! I told you you aren't a lost cause!" Susan grins.
"What am I going to wear?" Emilia hurries toward her bedroom.
"Whatever you wear, you will look divine in." Said Susan, following close behind.
Emma's eyes grow wide as she quickly hurries into the closet, but quickly exits and runs into the bathroom instead. She comes back out, acting nonchalant as Susan and Emilia enter.
"Oh, thank goodness, Emily! You're still here! I have a luncheon at one." Emilia stands before Emma, grinning. "Could you please do a massive favor and get me my dry cleaning?" She turns to Susan, "There's this gorgeous white Dolce jacket I own that will just look divine-"
Emma's heart stops. "Actually, that's already in your closet, but I thought you might want a second look. You know something a little more casual, perhaps."
Emilia grins, "You know, you are too good. You should be a personal assistant." She heads into her walk-in closet.
"She's a maid, sweetie." Susan rolls her eyes.
"Actually, I'm up for a… position." Emma mutters, going about her business as she starts to unmake the bed from its current sheets.
"Alright, what do you think?" Emilia comes out of her closet with two clothing items in each hand. A pair of Gucci pants, and a silk sleeveless red blouse. "These two?" She holds them in front of a long mirror.
"They are both divine." Susan stands behind Emilia, her eyes taking her in. "But how about the Gucci pants, with a see through blouse, colored bra, and that Dulce jacket for effect." She grins.
"Hm," Emilia's head tilts. "Emily…" She turns around to face Emma.
Susan chuckles mockingly, "What would a maid know about designer clothes, sweetie?"
Emma bites the inside of her cheek, her eyes roll before she turns around. "Yes?"
"Would you mind giving me your opinion?" Emilia asks, giving Emma a pleading smile.
Emma stands behind Emilia, observing her through the mirror. "What about the beaded skirt with that beige crocheted halter that you have hanging in the closet? You know, casual, sexy, no stockings. Definitely eighty-six the jacket, it sends the wrong message. Looks like you're going someplace."
With that Emilia tosses the jacket aside without thinking twice about.
"Besides, that whole, see through blouse, colored bra thing, reads a little you know, desperate, older gal, trying too hard, don't you think?" As Emma asks this, her eyes trained right on Susan who's mouth falls open. She couldn't look more offended than she did right now.
The corner of Emma's lip lifts into a tiny smirk before she turns back to Emilia, "You know, you wanna make her work for it." Her brow slightly lifts as she walks away.
"What gives her the right to talk to me like that?" Susan whispers.
"Thank you, Emily." Emilia grins at herself in the mirror. "I have two words for you Susan: Eric who?"
Emma tosses the duvet along the bed, lifting it up and making sure it snaps on its way down hard enough to where the corner of it whips Susan's ass. "Oh, excuse me." Said Emma, grinning to herself as Susan lets out a squeal.
Sidney stood behind Emma, observing how she placed a couple of coffee cups along a tray. " Very good, Ms. Swan. All handles parallel with the right elbow." He motions his hand, nodding as Emma slightly twists her cups. He hums, "Very good.
Emma looks over her shoulder, "Thank you, sir."
"Review your protocols for table setting and wine service. We're serving lunch at the York Suite today." Sidney walks away.
Emma makes a sound in the back of her throat as her heart stops entirely. She would be serving lunch for Regina and the Emilia she's never met before. And there was no way she could say no due to her being tested for her promotion by Sidney. "Oh, my God…" She murmured to herself, looking up and performing the holy cross on herself once again. She needed to say every prayer in the book and hope that Regina would not see her.