A/N: Yet another Emma workplace appreciation chapter. Filler with a little drama. Emjoy

Capitulo 15

"If we don't get those signatures by noon, we won't be able to pay our bills or payroll," Emma sighed, the weight of the situation pressing on her. "And if that happens, that would be the end of High Concepts and Regina Mills." She hurriedly began printing off the necessary paperwork and gathering her belongings to head to the club.

As she worked, Mulan entered her office. "Hey Em's, do you know when the bosses get back from the club today?"

"Not 'til late," Emma replied, still focused on her task.

"Oh man, one of our vendors is in need of Mr. Hatter…"

"Don't talk to me about problems," Emma interrupted, her mind racing. "The funding for next month is falling through with the bank. I have to get to her."

"Well, if she's riding, she isn't about to answer the phone, and the club won't give them the messages either."

"I can't wait for the club to give her a message; this is time-sensitive," Emma stated, feeling the pressure of the ticking clock.

"What are you going to do?" Mulan asked.

"I have to go down to the club," Emma replied, gathering her things. "Hey, is Mr. Locksley with them?"

"Yeah, I think so. Why are they all gone at the same time? This is really bad timing."

"Sure is," Emma agreed, scanning through her paperwork. "I gotta give them a call."

She picked up the office phone and called Mr. Locksley. "Hi, Mr. Locksley," she stated.

"Girl, what do you want? Don't you know we're indisposed at the equestrian club?"

"Yes, sir, I know, but something came up, and I need to speak with Ms. Mills urgently."

"Didn't she ask not to be disturbed today?" Mr. Locksley grumbled. "I can't reach her right now; she's on her horse. Call her at lunch."

The man disconnected the call, leaving Emma frustrated. "I have to get this over to her. I would fax it, but the information is sensitive."

"Hey, why don't you send it with August? He's still here; he can get it over to Ms. Mills and then shoot it over to the bank. And you can get this craft services contract over to my boss because if you don't, there's going to be one hungry crew at the location," Mulan suggested, offering a solution.

Emma sighed, realizing the urgency of the situation. She took the paperwork and looked around the office, spotting Regina's briefcase and her cell phone. "Well, even if I tried calling her, she wouldn't even have known."

Mulan nodded, understanding the dilemma, and quickly helped Emma pack all the necessary documents into Regina's briefcase. She also added the cell phone and ran to catch August before he left the building on his errands. The race against time had begun, and Emma was determined to do whatever it took to save High Concepts from its impending financial crisis.

Emma burst out of the elevator and rushed to the front desk. "Ruby, where's August?" she blurted out without preamble.

"In his makeup chair," Ruby replied, pointing towards a lobby chair where August sat, admiring himself in a compact mirror.

Emma dashed towards him. "August, come on, you've got to take this to Ms. Mills at the club..."

"Hey, hey, calm down, please," August said, attempting to slow her down. Emma was tempted to slap him, but instead, she took a moment to compose herself, looking at the preening man with as much patience as she could muster. "You want me to get into the club and give her the stuff, real quick? It's a huge club. How am I supposed to find her?"

"Easy, she's in a jumping competition. Follow the contest for that," Emma urged, coaxing him in the direction of his motorcycle.

"Are you crazy?" August exclaimed. "You want me to infiltrate that club with the snobs and disrupt a riding competition? What if I spook the horses?"

"Come on, August!" Emma pleaded.

"Do you have any idea how much Regina's horses cost?"

"I don't know, and I don't care. August, please help."

"That's it," Ruby declared, coming over and pulling at his ear. "Get up and help her right now."

"Okay, fine. What should I say?" August asked, rubbing his ear.

Emma instructed him, "Give the big envelope to Mr. Hatter; he needs to sign them to allow the craft services to be sent to the location. And the other one, Ms. Mills needs to sign the highlighted portions of the paperwork so that we can pay our bills and payroll."

"Did you say payroll?" August questioned, taking the briefcase from Emma.

"Yes, and I would appreciate it if you got it there ASAP. And it has to be done before noon."

"But I really don't know what I have to give to whom. Come... come with me, hike up that skirt, and let's get on the motorcycle."

As they rode, Emma, initially scared, soon found herself thrilled. She loved the speed, and her hair, loosened by the wind, flew out behind her. When they arrived at the club gates, they were stopped by the guard, who was not informed of their arrival.

Emma explained the situation, and the guard seemed unyielding. Emma looked behind August and then back towards the gate, aware that the disheveled state of her dress and wild mane of hair wasn't helping their case. "Alright, fine... Let's go, August."

"We're leaving? Wasn't this important?" August asked.

"It is," Emma mumbled. "A car is coming; when he goes to talk to them, I want you to go through. The gate is coming up."

"Emma, you adventuresome gal, you," August said with a grin, liking this crazy, "ugly" woman more and more.

"Just drive, man," she said, and they sped off, leaving the guard shouting behind them. The guard watched them go, scratching his head, perplexed by the whirlwind of chaos that had just swept through.

"I have to give this to him now so that you can take it to the bank right away," Emma explained to August.

"Well, that's if they don't arrest us or, worse, fire us," August remarked, attempting to tidy himself up to look like a proper gentleman. Emma, on the other hand, had been whipped by the wind, her curly blondish hair wild around her as her bun unfurled.

She grabbed as much of her hair as she could, creating a sort of messy bun, and tried to straighten her dress, now with a noticeable rip on the side from the bike ride. People, if not captivated by the lion's mane on her head, might have noticed the shapeliness of them.

Emma ran and watched as Regina, regally riding astride a beautiful black horse, took her breath away. The contrast between the chaos they brought and the grace Regina exuded was stark, but Emma couldn't help but be captivated by Regina's presence in the midst of it all.

Regina sat astride Rocinate, fully immersed in her moment of triumph during the jumping competition. The thrilling energy of the event was abruptly interrupted by Emma's urgent call. "Ms. Mills!"

Regina halted Rocinate, a mix of frustration and curiosity etched on her face. "Emma?"

"Please come!" Emma's voice carried over the distance.

"Don't you see I'm riding?" Regina responded, looking around nervously.

"Please come!" Emma shouted again, the urgency in her voice cutting through the equestrian ambiance.

Regina dismounted and approached Emma, finding her facing off with Robin and her uncle George. "What the hell are you doing here?" Robin's tone was accusatory.

"Y-Yes, Mr. Locksley, but I need her signature-"

"I'm going to explain something to you, and after that, I want you as far away from this club as possible. And hopefully gone from High Concepts too. Regina rides because she is stressed with her job, and this is her only hobby, her only release. And you come to disturb her? She doesn't need this right now, so leave…" Robin's anger flared.

"Wait a minute, Robin." Uncle George interrupted. "You don't have to talk to her like that."

"M-Mr. Locksley, I-"

"That's her! Get her!" The security team moved in, ready to take action.

"What did she do?" Robin demanded.

"She jumped the gate out front." The guard explained, and they began to escort Emma back forcefully.

Emma screamed just as Regina rounded the corner. "Wait, wait, wait… what happened?" Regina said, halting the security officers.

"That woman doesn't obey orders. She entered the club without authorization to bother you." Robin accused.

"Take her away."

"No, wait, wait!" Emma fought to stay on her own two feet. "The bank president called, and he said he will not give us the loan."

"Why not?" Regina asked, placing her helmet under her left arm. She glanced at the security guards. "Would you just let her go? She's coming with me."

The security guards released her, and Emma attempted to straighten up. "The reason I came, Ms. Mills, is that I brought you the document that you need to sign, but I need to get it there by noon. I couldn't wait until you got back this afternoon." Emma exhaled and opened up the briefcase. "I don't know what we'd do if we missed this opportunity."

Regina turned to Robin and her uncle. "Why didn't you tell me before? The club has phones."

"Well, they didn't let me." Emma said, pulling out the paperwork and readying it for a signature.

Robin glared at the women, frustrated that he looked like some jealous antagonist. Regina understood the urgency, and Emma could virtually do no wrong in her eyes when it came to her company. "Jefferson, come here, we need to have a quick meeting."

Jefferson approached, curious about the commotion. "What's going on?"

"We need Regina to sign these papers," Emma explained.

Regina took the form, signed it quickly, and handed it back to Emma. "Who is taking it to the bank?" Just then, August appeared, straightening his clothes.

"August is taking it, Ms. Mills." Emma said as Regina handed her the paper. She made it presentable, put it in the envelope, and handed it to August. "Fly to that bank if you have to, Augie. There can't be any delays," Regina instructed.

"Yes, ma'am," August said, receiving the envelope from Emma and running away.

"Why do you keep undermining me?" Robin asked Regina.

"Robin," Regina said, rolling her eyes. "She didn't come here for shits and giggles; this was a very important reason. Leave her alone."

"I just want to know what rights she has to come barging in here."

"Robin, it was time-sensitive," Regina explained. "What did you want her to do?"

Jefferson then came closer to the group. "What did she want? You were almost done with the jump."

"Hey, Regina," Robin asked with his brows furrowed. "Is something up with the company's assets?"

"No… nothing is wrong. We don't have any liquid funds; everything is tied up… It's a routine issue."

"Um… Ms. Mills," Emma interrupted.

"Yes, Ms. Swan?" Regina stated.

"Um… Augie is off to the bank. So I'm off to catch the T so I can get back to work," Emma said.

"Nonono… You are staying here with me. I have lunch with the people from Cinerent, so you can help me iron out the deal with them."

"Regina, are you serious?" Robin stated. "You know how they are!"

"I'm sorry… I'm not… dressed for a meeting at the club. The bike ride with Augie got me completely tousled, and I …"

"Yes, absolutely, come inside and get yourself presentable," Uncle George said, guiding Emma into the club to deflect Robin's suspicion.

"Go ahead and get cleaned up," Regina instructed. "See you in about twenty minutes."

"Yes, Ms. Mills," Emma said, entering the club.

"Hurry!" Regina added, aware of the ticking clock. The unfolding events left Robin frustrated, realizing that Emma seemed to have a unique place in Regina's professional life.

Emma stood in front of the mirror, taking a moment to scrutinize her appearance. The remark from Mr. Hatter about her looks earlier lingered in her mind. She wished she had makeup, not that she knew how to use it. Her mother had tried once, two years before Henry was born, preparing her for a rare party invitation…

"What color is it?" Emma had asked about the eyeshadow.

"Close your eyes, and I'll put it on you," her mother, Mary, replied.

"What's taking you so long?" David shouted from downstairs.

"Calm down, we will be ready in a bit," Mary responded.

David entered Emma's room, questioning, "What are you doing?"

"I bought Emma some makeup so that she can learn to put it on," Mary explained.

"No! Nope!" David vehemently rejected the idea. "She's not going to paint herself like some hussy like the little girl at her school."

Emma frowned, thinking the girls looked nice. Very nice. But if her father said so, "No, it's okay, Mom. I don't like makeup. I'd rather have a clean face."

"That's my girl," David said, patting her shoulder. "You are smart like your father."

That was how Emma learned she would be accepted by using her brain. But she never learned the finer things of being a girl, as every attempt from her mother was shot down.

Sighing, she ran a brush through the length of her thick mousy blonde hair. The wind-whipped strands were tangled, so she wetted the top, slicked it back, secured it with a ponytail holder, and braided the strands before rolling it into a chignon.

Exiting the bathroom, Emma spotted the two people she had been searching for. She joined them at the table, answering Jefferson's questions about the loan they were taking out.

"Do you think maybe we should have rented the studio kits like Emma said you should in the first place?" Jefferson pondered.

"Are you kidding? This is a good long-term investment," Regina insisted. "The agencies just need to pay us for our work." She paused thoughtfully. "Is there a way to pressure them to make payments?"

Emma shook her head. "Of course not," Jefferson stated, both trying to make Regina understand that the money could be delayed for a while. "We gave them contracts that were contingent on their satisfaction and sales. And we are the ones that have to mitigate the cost."

"Hello!" A young man and woman approached the group.

"Hi, Miguel and Diana, a pleasure," Regina said, standing and taking their hands. Emma stood as well. 'I would like you to meet my assistant, Emma."

Emma looked over at her boss. This was not the first time she had heard the woman call her that, but she still paid her like a secretary.

"A pleasure," Diana said.

"Likewise," Emma said, and they all sat to order. Emma felt like a fish out of water. As a matter of fact, that was exactly what she ordered. She didn't know what else to order; she had never eaten somewhere like this before.

She was aware of the looks she was getting from the other women at the table. She'd never been more uncomfortable in her life. Diana looked at the blonde and decided that this wasn't worth the lunch hour to discuss.

"So let's get to the point… You want us to finance the importation of your movie equipment and tech, which… is super expensive. And this deal isn't even convenient to us."

"We have increased productions since we purchased our studio equipment," Jefferson said.

"I get that, but I am not going to finance your tech," Diana said.

"Fine… this doesn't have to be this difficult," Regina stated, then turned to Emma. "Emma, please explain the deal to them." Emma went head-to-head with Diana in the negotiations. Emma had an explanation for each "no" Diana threw her way, and in the end, Emma won the debate. Cinerent signed with High Concepts to get the equipment they needed.

The trio walked out of the restaurant, still celebrating their successful meeting. Emma hung back a bit as Jefferson talked to his friend. "Hey, if Emma wasn't so fugly, she'd be an awesome executive. A hidden gem in plain sight, but someone can steal her away from you," Jefferson remarked.

"Yeah, she is," Regina replied, congratulating herself for having hired Emma.

"But you shouldn't allow her in places like these. She can't dress, she has no etiquette, she knows nothing about food. These things are embarrassing."

"She's an executive. She is my assistant."

"Secretary, assistant, that doesn't make her look any better," Jefferson stated.

"Come on, Jeffy," Regina said.

"Put it to the test, see if you can stand it. A long ride with her back to work," Jefferson challenged.

"What, you aren't riding there too?" Regina asked.

"Nope, I have work to do. I called an Uber, so he could take me to the Craft Services company. Remember that little debacle?"

"Right…" Regina said. "I have to talk to her about the meeting tomorrow anyway."

"Throw her in the trunk; that way, no one sees," Jefferson suggested.

"Shut up, Jeffy," Regina said, and the man laughed, heading toward his ride. She turned to face Emma and said, "Let's go. We have lots of work to do."

But before they got to the car, two beautiful women approached Regina. "Hi, love, how are you?" They said, kissing Regina on the lips. Emma froze, watching her boss blatantly cheat on her fiancé. Though she knew she didn't love him because she was gay, she couldn't judge her or the two women who were upsetting her day right now because she would have taken advantage of having Ms. Mills' attention too.

"Baby, you didn't call me and stood me up last night."

"Oh, darling, I'm sorry," Regina apologized and smirked. "You should spank me."

The two women giggled next to Regina, "I'll get even when I go back to High Concepts for the next video," one of them said. "Maleficent already showed us the choreography; it's beautiful."

Emma watched her anger boiling over as Regina charmed the two women. Though she was not mean to her, she was also not like that. And she wished it was her. She rolled her eyes as the smarter of the two women said, "Listen, I don't want anyone to see me standing here with you because Robin will execute me if he sees me hanging all over you."

"Come on, don't be like that," Regina said as the woman kissed her cheek and walked away.

The other woman, now that the first had left, wrapped her arms around Regina's neck and said, "Can you take me home and give me but a measly hour of your time?"

"I could give you three," Regina said, her voice dipped in silk. Then she looked at Emma. "Hey, Emma, did you say something about the T?"

"Wait…" The woman turned to look at Emma. "She's with you? The woman laughed and went after her friend. "Daniela, wait, Regina already has plans."

"Wait…" Regina said, then she turned to Emma. "Give me that." She said, taking her briefcase back again.

Regina walked over to her car, with Emma close behind. She imagined that she had Emma ride in the trunk. That way, no one had to see her. She shook the thought from her mind and told Emma to get in the car. As she drove off the club campus, she ensured that the security guards would let Emma in without impunity if she needed her.

As they drove, Emma had thoughts about what she really meant to Regina. She opened her mouth to speak several times and changed her mind.

"What?' Regina asked.

"No, nothing Ms. Mills. I was just thinking," Emma said.

"Obviously, there's more than just thinking. You keep wanting to say something," Regina said, her eyes focusing on the road.

"It's just that…" Emma paused. "Sometimes you introduce me as your secretary, and other times your assistant. Which is it?"

"The truth is, your functions are not that of a secretary, and it's embarrassing that a president would do so to some secretary. The real reason is that I didn't want to argue with Robin and Lily. You know what, just say you are my assistant and that's it," Regina stated. "I know it's late, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

Emma stared at Regina, the shock plain on her features. She had known Regina thought highly of her, but this was an amazing feeling. Emma could no longer speak and turned to look out of the window. She was on the verge of tears, but she couldn't let Ms. Mills see that. "Thank you. " She whispered after a while.

Regina walked into the company, leaving Emma to join her friends. As she approached Lily's desk, she noticed Lily crying, but Regina chose to ignore it. "Any messages for me?" Regina asked.

"You didn't get too many calls, but Robin has been waiting to talk to you," Lily responded.

Regina rolled her eyes. "I don't have time to deal with him right now; I have a meeting to prepare for. I'm going to my office to start that and let Robin know I am here."

Lily nodded, and Regina headed towards her office. Before going in, she glanced over Lily. She scrunched her nose and said, "For god's sake, Lily, you should stay home if you have the flu. Be considerate of the others here." Regina entered her office, and not long after, Emma dropped her things and excused herself to the bathroom.

Upstairs, the group of friends approached Emma. "Why didn't you come back with Augie?" Bell asked.

Emma smiled. "Because when I got there, Ms. Mills asked me to stay for a business lunch."

"Oh my god… we gotta get to our conference room so we can get the real tea," Bell said, and they all dragged Emma to the bathroom.

Emma dropped her things in her office and excused herself to the bathroom. When the entire group followed her, Emma said, "Okay, real quick because I have a lot of work today."

"Okay, we're ready," Bell stated.

"Well, it's like this. We had a business lunch. And she asked me to stay at the Club so that I could close." She told the entire story, and they were so excited.

"Didn't you feel weird in that place?' Ashleigh asked.

"I really did; I'm never going back there again."

"Why not?" Granny asked.

"I went to the club, and Robin got so mad at me for being there."

"Not surprised," Ashleigh said. "My boss is an asshole."

"But what did Ms. Mills say?" Belle asked.

"She didn't say anything. In fact, she made sure I was able to come into the club whenever I wanted."

"Wow…" Ruby stated.

"Guess what else?" Emma added. "In the car on the way here, I was promoted to assistant." The group shouted in excitement.

Ruby pulled out a bottle of scotch from her locker. "Let's celebrate."

"No, come on, we're still at work," Granny said, telling her granddaughter to put it away. As Ruby did, Lily walked into the room.

She looked at Emma and smirked. "Is that what you wore to the club? You didn't even belong there. By the way, I had to answer your phones."

"Oh great, you can give me my messages later," Emma said.

"Oh, please, I'll never be subservient to you," Lily said, facing off with Emma.

"Oh really?" Belle came to Emma's defense. "If Emma tells you to clean the floors in this room, you have to do it because she is superior to you."

Emma blanched and shook her head frantically.

"What?" Lily asked in confusion. This couldn't be happening. She had just been talking to Robin to make Regina move her into being his assistant. What was this coven of witches talking about?

"Nothing, nothing at all," Emma said, glaring at Belle.

"Of course, it's something," Mulan stated, ignoring Emma's pleas. "Ms. Mills has named Emma her Executive Assistant."

Lily's eyes bugged out like a cartoon character. Emma's face was drained of blood. She didn't want it to come out this way. Now Ms. Mills was going to be in the dog house with Robin. "She what?"