A/N: I am so sorry if you read my other SQ stories... I am SQ burned out, and I have used up all of my banked chapters in those other stories, so I have to write them as I go now. But, I have finished a few other stories, so I might have more energy for them after a short break. It's also my birthday today, so I had to come in with This one... this is actually complete I just have to go over it with a fine toothcomb, so It will stay regular. Enjoy ~ S.K.

Support System

When I arrived at the office, Emma was already there, diligently working as always. I sighed in relief, knowing I needed to talk to her. She was like my best friend when Ruby wasn't around. "What happened?" she asked, her keen eyes assessing my demeanor.

I came over to her and perched on the corner of her desk. "I really messed up last night."

Emma quirked a brow and leaned back in her chair, settling in to listen. I could tell she lived vicariously through me, finding entertainment in my lesbian escapades. She often mentioned that it reminded her that men weren't the only ones capable of questionable behavior. "What happened this time?"

So, I recounted my magical night to her, and she seemed into it. Her eyes went dreamy when she heard that I could have possibly made a connection with someone. It was clear she was genuinely happy for me. However, she hadn't discovered where I went wrong yet.

"So you didn't lie to her," Emma stated. "I'm failing to see the problem here."

"Well," I began, tilting my head, anticipating the discontent in my best friend's eyes. "She found my wedding band in my purse."

That triggered laughter from Emma, a hearty and loud burst. "I told you that fake married thing was going to bite you in the ass someday." She finally stopped laughing and reached for my arm. "Why don't you just tell Dorothy the truth?"

"That I use the ring as a ploy to pick up women?" I rolled my eyes. "She'll think I'm a pig."

She snorted. "You are a pig…" I sighed and began my walk toward my office, contemplating the crook in my neck from Dorothy's bed. I really should spend more time in my own bed. "Threw your back out last night?"

I sighed, "Dotty's bed was one of those cheap Ikea beds, my back is shot."

"You need to strengthen your spine," she advised.

"Is that a comment on my character or my physical fitness?" I teased.

She shrugged. "I guess both." I took a moment to appraise her physique. If she didn't wear those shapeless dresses under her lab coat, I could probably understand her better. At least she wasn't overweight. "Seriously, Regina, you need to start exercising more than once a month."

"I don't have time for the gym," I replied, turning back toward my office.

"My foster mom Ingrid said that Helen Mirren never goes to the gym. She always takes the stairs wherever she goes and never the elevator." Emma shrugged again. "Helen is in great shape for an eighty-year-old."

"You know I am half her age, right?" I pointed out.

Emma smirked and handed me some Tylenol. "For the pain." She stepped back and examined me. "I always take the stairs and get a great workout every day."

I laughed. "I don't need to work out. I'm a plastic surgeon."

She laughed and went back to work. I'm grateful that she is my emotional support, and sometimes I wish she had someone in her corner. I supposed I could be that person, but I'm her boss, and she doesn't tell me anything. Ever since her divorce three years ago, she has been overwhelmed with life and her two little humans. I pay her well enough, though, so childcare isn't an issue for her.

Later that afternoon, my office door opened, and her two kids bounced in with Tiana, their sitter. "Mom, we need some money!" the boy declared, approaching Emma's desk.

"Mommy!" the little girl chimed in, running around Emma's desk. The blonde startled, picked up her towheaded daughter, and looked up at me.

"Uh, Hi guys. Say hello to Dr. Mills," Emma said, coming out from behind her desk holding her toddler.

"Hi, Gina!" the little girl said. "How you livin'?"

I lifted a brow and turned to Emma. She shrugged. "Tiana lets us watch BET when she calls her boyfriend," the boy explained.

The three of us turned to the young woman having a pretty intense text conversation, oblivious to the rest of us.

I turned to Emma. "You run a tight ship at home."

"It's what I can afford. Plus, BET isn't so bad," Emma stated.

"Until they accuse your toddler of appropriation," I answered.

"Mommy, I gotta go potty," the little girl stated, and Emma turned and took her to the bathroom.

"Hey, Regina…" Her son… I don't remember either of the kids' names really. Waited until she was out of earshot to speak to me. I turned to face him. "Will you take me to Hawaii so I can swim with the dolphins?"

"What?" I barked out startled. "No."

"I saw this show on the Discovery channel. They said in Hawaii they have dolphins and that you can swim with them if you pay a lot of money. But I don't have any money, and my mom says you're rich."

"Henry!" Emma's voice came from down the hall.

I turned to Henry. Huh… how did I not know Emma's kid had my favorite man's name? I would have loved to have a son named Henry. "I am rich. But that doesn't mean I'm going to take you to Hawaii," I answered him.

"My mom said you do charity for kids all the time." Henry insisted.

"Yeah, I fix life-threatening deformities, I don't take them to Hawaii," I answered.

Henry paused, and it's like he is thinking extremely hard. "What if I was deformed… Then would you take me to Hawaii?"

I chuckled despite the fact Emma was pissed. "No."

Emma reached into her purse and handed Henry a ten-dollar bill. "That's enough Henry, here's money. But I want the change. And Hope. Will you eat for Tiana, please?"

"Wait, Mom," Henry said, putting the money in his pocket. "Before I go, can I make a Lilly?'

"Right down the hallway, on the right," Emma stated, handing the toddler to Tiana.

"A lily?" I asked, confused at the word he used.

Emma smirked. "One of my friends in college. Her name was Lily Paige. She was actually more like a nemesis than a friend."

"A frenemy."

"But worse," Emma stated. "You'd probably love her. She was horribly fake. Very competitive."

"What do you mean?" I asked, sitting back to listen. This was the first time she was really opening up to me about something in her life. In the past, she always just stated that her life was dull in comparison.

"She always had to have a better boyfriend, clothes, everything," Emma answered. "A few years ago, I heard from one of our mutual friends how awesome Lily's life was going, and here I am at 34, two kids, and divorced."

"And?" I asked because this still didn't explain the reason Henry had used that word.

"So one night, I'd had a glass of chardonnay-"

"A bottle?" I asked.

"And some whiskey," she added with a smirk. "And I had heard Henry saying that he had to shit. So I told him it's called "making a Lily" and they liked it, so it stuck."

I laughed. "I like that. I'm gonna use that. It is so much more feminine." I sighed because I knew that she would love the attention off of her Lily issues. She liked meddling in my unattached life, so I changed the subject. "What am I going to do about my love life?"

She laughed and walked back to her desk. "I'd feel terrible for you if I were emotionally invested in you successfully banging a 23-year-old."

She sat at her desk as Henry came out of the bathroom. I watched her say goodbye to her kids as they finally left the office. "Holy Lily, you're not listening to me!" I stated. "I think this is the real Lily."

Emma laughed at my use of the word. "Come on be serious."

"I am being serious. I could see myself ending up with this girl." I said seriously.

She dropped her smile. "No Lily?" She asked. She sighed and shook her head. "You're right, you can't tell her the truth. You're screwed."

I perched on her desk the same way as I had done in the morning. "What do I do?"

Emma looked at the picture of her and her kids and frowned. "You don't want to get serious anyway. Getting serious leads to marriage, and marriage leads to divorce, and divorce sucks." I frowned. "Their dad was supposed to take them this afternoon."

"And he was a no-show?" I asked and she shook her head. "What a piece of Lily."

She smiled slightly. "At least I finally divorced him…" Then her eyes widened. "Hold on, I have an Idea!"