Week One part two
The morning after Emma's first stakeout outside of the restaurant Regina met Emma on her drive again and the two took off on their jog.
"Where's your car" Regina asked confused when it wasn't parked in its usual spot in her street.
"I parked further away" Emma murmured "I've got something to show you, but didn't want to risk it to close to house in case Robin was still about."
"Okay" Regina replied looking intrigued.
"Don't get your hopes up it's not that good" Emma sighed leading the way to the next street where her car quickly came into view.
She and Regina quickly climbed in and Emma started the engine driving in silence until she pulled in again down by the docks, Then she fetched a folder from her boot and led Regina to a picnic table overlooking the water pushing it towards the brunette once they were both seated.
Regina accepted the file opening its cover and immediately gasped as her eyes fell onto a familiar face.
"That's his receptionist Ashley", Regina said tapping the photograph where the woman's face was printed "That sneaky bastard" she cussed as she continued to flick through the photo's "I knew it."
"I'll keep going back" Emma said "he's clever but they're bound to slip up somewhen and when they do, I'll be there to catch the smooching in glossy colour" she promised.
"Thanks Emma" Regina smiled reaching across the table to squeeze her hand "You've no idea how much this means to me."
"Yeah, well you deserve so much better than that asshole" Emma replied.
Emma took Regina back to the house after that waited for her to shower and change then dropped her to work before heading to her own workplace.
Regina had, had enough of this job already, John was a pig and there was never really anything for her to do, she felt certain that John had only created a role for her as a favour to Robin because he had gotten him out of a sticky legal situation years before and John still owed him one, this she was sure would make them square.
But on top of the boredom and John being a creep her new colleagues resented her hugely because she had come on board at a time when many were losing their jobs to redundancy.
She couldn't say that she really blamed them for the way that they all felt, none of their jobs were safe and here she was swanning on in and even getting her own office which according to workplace gossip was a highly sought after commodity.
Everybody wanted to get out of their little stalls and into an office of their own and here she was landing one from the get go, so her frosty welcome was only to be expected really, still she wished that things could be different, this wasn't better than staying at home as Robin had promised, she still couldnt escape from the idea that Robin was a cheat and here she just felt more isolated, Emma was her only saving grace.
While Emma spent her lunch hours hiding in the same cab outside the restaurant taking photos of Robin and Ashley, Regina spent hers hiding in her office poking at salad in a plastic Tupperware containing and each morning Emma drove them to their table at the docks to show Regina her most recent pictures, but they were still more of the same, frustratingly enough she still hadn't gotten the kissing shot that they were both was hoping for.
Friday morning started the same as the previous four, Regina took her pill and freshened up in her bathroom then moved into the bedroom where she began to straighten out the bedding, the corner of the sheet on Robin's side had popped off in the night so Regina moved around the bed to pull it back into place, as she tucked the sheet in, she felt something stuck under the corner of the mattress that shouldn't be there grabbed hold of it and pulled it out.
Gasping she fought back the acid that was rising in throat as she pulled her hand back and looked at the pair of black lace knickers that were now dangling from her fist, knickers that didn't belong to her, had Robin brought the knickers home with him she wondered or had he had Ashley in their marital bed?
Stomach churning she shoved them back where she found them, so as not to risk tipping Robin off before she could confront Ashley, because if he had hidden them down the back of the bed then surly he would go back looking for them later, then she rushed to the toilet her stomach heaving at the very thought.
Standing shakily at the sink a few minutes later Regina scrubbed her hands until they were sore wanting to get rid of all traces of the knickers from her skin, she didn't know if they had been worn or not, but she wasn't taking any chances.
She was very quiet on the car ride that morning barely speaking until she went to reach for the folder at the docks and Emma saw her hand.
"What happened" she exclaimed horrified at how raw and painful Regina's hand looked.
"I found her knickers in my bed this morning" Regina replied tapping on a picture of Ashley then promptly turning to throw up on the floor, Emma rushed around the table rubbing her back and offering comforting words.
"It's okay, I've got you" she murmured.
"Sorry" Regina said sheepishly as she sipped at her water a few minutes later and Emma used what was left of her own water to wash Regina's vomit away, though she had heaved and wretched until she ached inside her stomach was relatively empty so fortunately there wasn't much to wash away.
Emma was sorry to have to drop Regina off that morning, but she had a plan for her lunch time excursions outside of Boppiti's that afternoon.
Leroy picked Emma up from the usual place at the usual time that day and drove the familiar route to Boppiti's stopping a short distance away from the entrance as he usually did, only today unlike the others his passenger presented him with a new proposition.
"If you go in there wearing this" Emma said holding up a pen with a tiny camera inside it that she had brought online for a laugh a while ago, it was far from being the highest tech but it worked and that was all that mattered "sit as near to them as possible without arising suspicion and try to face in their direction, I can watch from here" she held up her laptop "and capture anything worth catching and they'll be a big tip in it for you at the end" she smiled.
"Okay" he shrugged slipping the pen in the breast pocket of his shirt "How's that?."
"Perfect" Emma grinned as a reasonably clear imaging of the interior of the driver's side of the car showed up on their screen, then as soon as Robin and Ashley were out of sight inside the building Emma sent Leroy in after them.
The plan worked a treat and Emma got many more stills from that excursion but still no kiss though. She slammed the lid of the laptop closed as Leroy made his back out, she had even had to suffer through a visit to the men's room, averting her eyes when Leroy had leaned forward to open his fly.
Oh how she had wished that he had an ear piece or she had the power to turn the damn camera off from the laptop but she didn't the power button was on the device itself, even some sound so that she could hear what was going on might have spared her the trauma of looking back too soon and seeing his, well his little Leeroy hanging over the urinal mid flow, damn she needed to invest in some better equipment.
Robin was just too careful, five days of spying, finally getting into the restaurant in a manner of speaking and still no kiss to photograph.
"What next?" Emma asked after she regaled her latest tale to Regina during their Saturday morning run.
"Monday morning Robin has to be in court to represent a client, once he's gone inside, I'm going to confront Ashley, see if I can't persuade her to confess" Regina replied.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Emma asked.
"Do you have another?" Regina replied.
"No, I guess I don't" Emma shrugged as they arrived back at Regina's house.
"In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy one of the perks of my new crappy job" Regina smiled looking toward her front door "weekends off to spends with my boys."
"Lucky you" Emma grinned jogging towards her car "Tell them that Aunty Emma said hello, but I've got to get going, we've run over this morning and unlike you some of us do have work this weekend" she laughed and lowered herself into her car while Regina walked towards her house.
"Did you have a good run?" Zelena asked as soon as she entered the kitchen.
"I did thanks" Regina smiled "I'm just going to grab a shower then I'll be back down, and we can decide what to with the kids today."
"Sure thing" Zelena beamed.
As soon as she was ready Regina returned to the kitchen where Zelena had just finished clearing up the breakfast things and sat down to plan their day. They decided on bowling seeing as Henry had been asking to go for weeks.
Zelena drove them in her very green car that might have been in even worse shape than Emma's bug, but it still got them all there in one piece. The red head turned out to be insanely competitive and Regina happily managed to forget her problems for a few hours as the two of them laughed hopelessly at each other's attempts to outdo each other, whatever else was going on Zelena, Regina felt was a really great fit, she really seemed to care about the kids and they her and even Regina enjoyed her company.
Zelena made the dinner when they returned home, cleaning up after then helped get the boys into bed before retiring to her own room for the night.
Regina purposely gave Robin some extra time alone in their bedroom that night, slipping into bed while he was in the shower, she felt around where the knickers had been stuffed to see if they were still there and found nothing, hopefully that means that she hasn't been in my bed she thought with a shudder rolling over and closing her eyes.
Though she pretended not to be she was still awake when Robin joined her in the bed and she was still awake when his snoring sounded, unable to stand the noise anymore she got up crept to the kitchen and poured herself a brandy, then finding the lights much too harsh she flicked them off and sat in the dark with nothing but her drink for company.
That was where Zelena found her when she came out of her room for a glass of water a short while later, when she flicked the light on, it flooded the kitchen revealing Regina, cheeks streaked with tears and the glass of untouched brandy still cradled in her hand.
"Oh my god, what's happened?" Zelena asked when she saw the state of her.
"Nothing" Regina replied "It's fine, I'm just having a moment, but I'll okay in a minute".
"Shall I go fetch Robin?" Zelena offered.
"Please don't" Regina sniffed, "just sit with me for a while".
Zelena nodded and sat next to Regina wondering what to say next.
"You've been great you know" Regina sniffed again "you don't know how wonderful it is knowing that I have someone that I can trust with my boys."
"It's my pleasure" Zelena smiled "They're great kids, you're lucky to have them."
"I really am" Regina agreed "You know the only reason that we have little Roly at all is because Robin cheated on me" Regina laughed bitterly and finally took a swig of her brandy.
"Shit, I'm so sorry Regina" Zelena exclaimed looking appalled.
"It's okay" Regina suddenly yawned hugely and downed the rest of her drink "It doesn't matter anymore, and we still love our little Roly tjust he same" she smiled and rose from the chair, "back to bed for me" she said the warmth of the brandy seeping through her body already beginning to work its magic as she went.
Monday Regina was all kinds of ready, she caught a cab to the courthouse and remained out of sight watching Robin and Ashley flirting shamelessly as ever together from a distance. They were so comfortable together that Ashley was even reaching out to adjust his tie, the audacity of them both Regina thought as she continued to watch them until Robin was in the courthouse and out of sight.
Not wasting anytime, she approached Ashley
"I know that you're having an affair with my husband" she stated
"What?" Ashley replied looking genuinely confused
"Don't play dumb with me I've seen you both, every day at that restaurant."
"Look I don't know what you think you've seen but I can assure you that your mistaken, I'm a happily married woman with a young daughter at home" Ashley said holding her hand up showing off her wedding ring, the stone on the engagement ring sitting alongside it sparkling as it caught the sunlight.
"But the meals, the flirting, I found your knickers in my bed" Regina growled this was not going as she had planned at all.
"Not mine" Ashley denied "and the meals were client meetings that I set up for this case, she waved a hand towards the courthouse and the flirting is harmless fun, I love my husband and have no interest in yours" she said.
"What's going on?" Robins voice suddenly cut through them.
"Why aren't you still in there?" Regina demanded.
"There's been a hitch and the case has been pushed back now answer my question, what the hell is going on here?" he asked.
"Your wife seems to think that we are having an affair" Ashley supplied.
"What, you can't be serious" Robin gaped between the two women and Regina not knowing what else to do in that moment turned on her heel and fled.
"I'm so sorry about that" Robin said turning to Ashley "I don't know whats gotten into her lately" he shook his head sadly.
"It's okay" Ashley replied placing a reassuring hand on his forearm.
No, it's really not" Robin said shaking his head "The nanny found her crying alone, in the dark drinking brandy the other night, I mean I guess I understand why now but still I'm concerned about her Ashley."
Ashley nodded sympathetically and squeezed his arm comfortingly but unsure of what to say she remained silent.
"Hey" Robin implored looking at her earnestly "I don't suppose you would be able to do me a favour?" he asked her, and she looked at him questioningly in response.
"I just want you to write down everything she said to you and sign it, just in case I need it later on, could you that for me?" he offered a small smile.
"Of course, I can" Ashley smiled back.