All my love and gratitude to the wonderful mods who organized this year's super smooth SwanQueen Supernova, as well as a big thank you to my supernova partner Lesbrarian for the beautiful artwork she made! (Check it out on her AO3 page!) As for everyone else; keep calm and SWEN on! Mwuah!

Don't forget to go to my Tumblr or AO3 page and check out my Protostar art submission "Back To You!" It's a SwanQueen fanart music video. ;)

Chapter 1 - The one where Emma gets a call.

"I think you'll like this one."

"Depends, does this one run marathons?"

Emma Swan kicks her feet up onto the table with a sigh, tilting her foot back to stretch out her sore calf muscles. That was the last time she agrees to bodyguard a professional athlete. She's athletic, sure, but chasing after her principal during his daily marathon run for a month straight is ridiculous. Bastard refused to stay indoors even after receiving a death threat. Luckily that all ended when Jecob finally tracked down the whereabouts of the man's supposed stalker and sent the cops after him. Emma had been ecstatic to get paid and leave after that.

There's a loud snort from the other end of the line. Jecob's laughing at her. "Bet it was good for your lazy ass. Nah, this one's a celebrity actress. Nice and cushy job."

Getting to her feet with a grunt, Emma crosses the room to the kitchen, rummaging in the fridge for a beer. Popping the cap off against the edge of the marble island counter, she pads back towards her dining table by the floor to ceiling windows. Her apartment isn't huge but it's a comfortable size and has a damn good view of the city below.

"I could use an easy one. My calves still burn. Which actress?"

She drops down into her chair and props her feet back up on the table.

"Regina Mills. Heard of her?"

Emma thoughtfully swishes around her mouthful of beer before swallowing. "She's the brunette from that big rom com last year, right?"

Romantic comedies don't usually propel people into stardom, but Fourth of July is one of those big star-studded Hollywood ensemble casts full of big names, just like in Valentine's Day or New Year's Eve, so as soon as Regina Mills appeared on screen with Hollywood's finest she'd become one of the newest and trendiest actresses in the industry. It certainly helped that she does, in fact, have a lot of talent, and draws a lot of attention to herself by dominating every scene she's in with her smoldering eyes, seasoned voice, and powerfully emotive facial expressions.

"Yup. She's heading to Vancouver to start filming a TV show. It's a six month contract if they get the green light for a full season. They film the pilot next week and you get paid for a month upfront, regardless of whether or not it's picked up."

"Why does she need a bodyguard for a TV show?"

"Minor threats from a love-struck stalker of some sort. Something about an overprotective agent? Either way, it's easy pay."

She chuckles at that, slouching down in her seat and turning sideways to look out the window. It's nearly midnight and the city is still glowing with life below her, millions upon millions of lights flashing and moving, never stopping.

"Henry's not done for another eight months anyway, right?" he adds, and Emma sighs at the reminder of why her young teenage son is away from home in the first place. She still owes him a phone call this week, but it's too late to call him tonight.

"Six months tops, huh? I guess I can do that. It'll be nice to be somewhere quiet for a change."

"Great. Emailing you the documents now then. You leave Friday night."

The flight over is a peaceful affair. Emma doesn't have much in the way of personal items so she's packed light, bringing only the bare essentials plus her usual gear. Vancouver International is quite pleasant compared to the airports she usually goes to, and it's rather quiet for a Saturday morning, so she helps herself to some breakfast and a coffee at the local Starbucks before settling down at a table to wait. Ms. Mills' flight doesn't arrive for another hour, giving her plenty of time to catch up on her homework.

"Dang," Emma murmurs, revisiting the photo Jecob had sent her. Her principal is attractive, that's for sure. The rom com had rocketed her into the spotlight, resulting in her easy claim of the starring role in this new TV series she's doing. Something about playing a Queen in a medieval fantasy. That part doesn't matter to Emma. What does matter is the eruption of her fandom. A quick search of "Regina Mills" on Google brings up millions of Tumblr and Twitter pages, gif sets and manips and video clips all of Regina and the characters she's played. Her role in the rom com is most popular, obviously, but it has set fans loose on her previous, more minor roles, thus Emma is treated to screenshots of Regina playing a doctor, Regina in a cop uniform, and even one of Regina in a skimpy maid costume in what looks like the 70's. Lord.

She skims through social media pages, taking stock of how Regina's fans interact with her. Regina's Twitter consists mainly of her taking photos of the gifts and flowers that her fans send her with little "Thank you!" messages attached (and one too many smiley faces and heart emojis, in Emma's opinion,) and each has thousands of likes and retweets. It's surprising how sweet and supportive most of her fanbase is, always encouraging of her work and friendly in tone. There are the occasional insults, rude comments, or trolls, but nothing that stands out or gives her the impression that Regina's safety could be threatened. If anything, this is going to be a babysitting job.

Next on the agenda is location and hotel bookings. Jecob had sent her all that info earlier so she'd already had time to look the locations up on Google Maps. They'll be doing most of their filming in studio or out in the wilderness, so crowd control isn't going to be a huge issue except during transportation between sets and to the hotel. Vancouver itself seems tame compared to bigger Hollywood locations she's worked at before, so she isn't worried.

Eventually her phone chimes with an alarm, prompting Emma to pack up her laptop, grab her bags and head towards the right terminal. She'd be meeting Regina there before escorting her out of the airport and into her waiting limo, so she's made sure to come readily dressed. Dark slacks, black boots, and a white dress shirt made of a stretchy material that hugs her form and shows off her muscular arms while still giving her a full range of motion. Atop that, a sleeveless black vest. It's professional but simple enough that she isn't going to stand out in a crowd. Her long blonde tresses are pulled back into a ponytail to finish the look.

She stands by the windows to watch the aircraft pull in, her hands in her pockets and her shoulders relaxed. As expected, the entire plane's occupants disembark first, blissfully unaware of the actress waiting quietly in first class. When the gate is finally emptied, Emma pulls her suitcase forward and waits by the desk. The flight attendant there gives her a curious look.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" she questions, thinking her to be a nobody and wanting her gone before their celebrity passenger disembarks. Emma's brow twitches and she sucks in a breath to give the usual "Bugger off, I'm doing my job" speech, but a smokey voice beats her to it.

"She's my bodyguard."

The air leaves Emma's lungs in a whoosh as the brunette strides from the walkway with her suitcase in tow. Regina wears a crisp white dress shirt and pinstripe vest over fitted dress pants, paired with sleek black heels much like the ones that dominated most of her paparazzi photos on Google.

Recovering quickly with the air of someone who is used to being around celebrities, Emma flashes a polite smile. "Ms. Mills. How was your flight?"

The flight attendant long forgotten, Emma motions for the woman's luggage, to which the brunette shakes her head.

"You've already got your own suitcase to worry about. Besides, I'd be rendering you useless if your hands were full carrying luggage instead of bodyguarding me." A soft, husky chuckle rumbles from her throat as she motions for Emma to lead the way. "My flight was fine, thank you. Ms. Swan, was it?"

"Please, call me Emma." She watches as Regina pulls large black sunglasses from her pocket and slips them on over her face before they rejoin the airport's population. Not like it will help, she thinks wryly. The actress's wavy black hair, devilishly arched eyebrows, and lush red lips are a dead giveaway. No one needs to see her eyes behind those glasses to recognize her.

"Emma," Regina repeats with a flash of a smile. Emma just hums in the affirmative, her gaze panning across their surroundings repeatedly as they make their way through the wide halls, retrieving Regina's remaining suitcase and bag from baggage claim along the way. She walks at Regina's side but a step ahead, prepared at any moment to be a physical shield if someone recognizes the actress and approaches.

Regina, meanwhile, takes the chance to examine her new personal security from this angle. Emma's back and shoulders are taut with obvious muscle, as if ready to spring into action at any moment, her gait that of a lean predator stalking down the halls. Thick, long blonde hair has been pulled into a tight ponytail, swaying side to side with each step. She's a definite improvement from the previous male bodyguards Regina has had. Clearly trained and professional, but not a giant mass of muscle and testosterone that stands out like a sore thumb either. She'd wanted subtle protection and her agent finally came through with this one.

"So, Emma," she pipes up, watching as Emma's head tilts ever so slightly in her direction. "Tell me about yourself."

That seems to take the blonde by surprise. She glances over her shoulder at Regina, brows raised. "Uhh— not much to tell, really. I've been in personal security for almost ten years now. This is the first gig I've had in Vancouver. Never been here before."

She talks as she looks around, voice steady and easily heard despite not facing Regina. The brunette quickens her pace to walk next to Emma.

"Who else have you worked with in the past? Anyone I might know?"

"Can't tell you that." Emma offers a brief smile in apology, gesturing with her arm as they come to a split in the hall. She whips out her phone to check her messages, confirming that their driver has indeed found a parking spot in the pick-up zone, then goes back to eyeing everyone in sight. One woman standing in line at the corner Starbucks is staring at them, wide-eyed, her body tense as if wanting to approach. Emma glares, taking an extra step in front of Regina, and the woman quickly thinks better of approaching.

"If you don't mind my asking, Regina; why do you need a personal bodyguard for a TV show? I've only ever been hired for feature films and special events." It isn't that she thinks a TV actor is any less than a movie actor, but they generally don't require personal protection on a 24/7 basis. The ones that do tend to be big Hollywood film stars with paranoia or actual death threats against them. Besides, the cost adds up and she can't help but wonder how Regina can afford paying for a constant bodyguard for a six month term. She couldn't have made that much money off of Fourth of July, certainly.

"My agent is... overprotective. And she hadn't wanted me to take this job in Vancouver originally, but I insisted, so my having a bodyguard was kind of our compromise."

They reach the exit and Emma strides through the automatic glass doors first, immediately whipping out her sunglasses and sliding them on to shield her eyes from the glare of the sun. "Overprotective is an understatement. Is your agent paying for me or is this coming out of your own pocket?"

"She's paying. And she also happens to be my mother, so." Regina gives a little shrug, hefting up her suitcase as they reach the waiting limousine. Emma cocks a brow at her and simply hums in reply as the driver helps load their luggage into the trunk. Regina keeps a simple tote bag slung on her shoulder as they climb into the vehicle.

"To the Shangri-La Hotel?" Emma asks the driver through the little separation window once he's back behind the wheel. He nods and pulls out of the loading zone.

"Actually, can we stop somewhere for food on the way?" Regina asks, settling back into the black leather seat and digging her phone out of her tote.

"You didn't eat on the plane?" Emma questions, baffled, because who doesn't eat in First Class? They even get the fancy peanuts. Of course, she immediately chides herself for the pointless question and adds, "Sorry. Where would you like to go?"

"A friend actually told me about an amazing pizza place in downtown Van," Regina admits, fiddling with her phone. "I was hoping to try it out. It's my first time in Vancouver, too; thought I'd make a day out of it." She smiles tightly, as if she thinks she sounds silly now that she is saying it out loud. Emma plasters on her professional smile - the same polite and reassuring smile she always uses when humouring a principal's whims.

"No problem. What's the place called?"

"Bufala."

"Your friend was right; this is amazing."

Emma can't help but moan as she takes another large bite of her pizza slice, the hot scent of fresh marinara sauce and spicy pepperoni tickling her nose. It isn't anything like the greasy, doughy pizza from Boston. These pizzas are fancy, with quality ingredients and expensive meats and homemade sauces on thin crusts, paired with glasses of wine and even a bottle of sparkling water. She'd had her reservations when they first arrived at the classy looking little restaurant, but now she's already planning return trips for these next six months.

"I'll have to thank her for the recommendation," Regina agrees, polishing off her slice of chorizo, spinach, and portobello mushrooms. Unlike Emma, she eats hers with a knife and fork, delicately cutting up the pizza into perfect bite-sized pieces. She sets her utensils aside to lift her wine glass to her lips for a long, slow sip, savouring the rich mix of flavours.

Emma claps her hands together to dust off the crumbs before picking up her own wine glass. "To your first day in Vancouver," she offers. Regina smirks and clinks their glasses together.

"To our first day in Vancouver."

The rest of their impromptu lunch is perfectly pleasant, comprised of small chatter and pockets of silence where they simply enjoy the soft music and the calm atmosphere. Regina had kept her sunglasses on since there was plenty enough sunlight pouring in through the big windows, but sure enough another patron in the restaurant eventually recognized her and posted about it on social media, if the small gathering of people outside was any indication. Emma ends up texting the limo driver to pull up by the sidewalk directly outside the front door so that she can hurry Regina into the vehicle, only having to redirect a small gaggle of fangirls clamouring to get a selfie with the brunette.

"Wow."

Emma's head slowly rotates back and forth, staring around the lobby of the Shangri-La with her brows nearly hitting her hairline. She hadn't expected such gorgeous architecture and decor. Everything is a rich shade of browns and golds and white marble, polished black wood and deep red armchairs, brass rails and golden handles. She tugs her suitcase along and follows on the heels of Regina, who now walks ahead with purpose. "Did you choose this place yourself or is this what the producers put you up in?"

"My mother has instilled in me an appreciation for the Shangri-La, so I told them I'd stay here out of my own pocket," Regina says simply, looking entirely at home as she strides up to the front desk and hands over a shiny membership card. She leans against the counter and turns to Emma as the concierge scans her card. "They offered to pay a portion, same as whatever they're paying for the rest of the main casts' hotel rooms, and besides, my family's membership status gets me a good rate here. I've never been to this one, of course, but we've been to the ones in London, Brisbane, Paris, and Fiji."

Emma gives a low whistle in response but keeps quiet when the concierge finally lifts her gaze from the computer to address them.

"I have you down for the double-room suite for one month, with a potential extension; is that correct, Ms. Mills?"

"Yes. I'll confirm the extension in a couple weeks."

"Excellent. Here are your room keys." She hands two keycards over. "You'll be in suite number one, eighteenth floor. Would you like a bellhop to assist you with your luggage?"

"No, thank you." Regina tips her head at Emma and the two women proceed around the desk and down the hall to the elevators. Emma continues to soak in her surroundings; she can appreciate lavish decor and expensive architecture.

"This place is gorgeous. Are all Shangri-La's like this?"

"More or less." Regina smiles indulgently as they step into an elevator and take it up to their floor, catching each other's gazes in the mirrors as they lean against the same handrail. Emma sticks her hands into her pockets and holds Regina's gaze in the mirror.

"So, I've got a bunch of questions for you regarding your preference for how I work, if you feel like answering them now. Or we can discuss it later after you've settled in."

Regina lifts a brow. "Ask away."

"Alright. What's your comfort level with fans like?"

"I prefer dealing with them on social media, but I'll do autographs and selfies in person as long as it's not a rowdy group. My fanbase is generally quite sweet."

Emma nods along, taking note of Regina's softened expression. Her words could have been construed as mildly vain, but it's obvious from her face that she genuinely appreciates her fanbase. No celebrity would spend the amount of time that she does tweeting thank you notes and interacting with fans unless she actually cared about them.

"That's cool of you. I've had clients who loved interacting with their fans, but others who wouldn't even go near a crowd of fans with a ten foot pole."

Regina laughs at that. "That's a little dramatic, isn't it?"

"Actors," Emma scoffs teasingly. "Always dramatic."

Regina smirks at her as the elevator opens, letting them out onto their floor. She swipes her keycard at their door and heads right into an open-spaced living room complete with a small kitchen area and multiple doors leading off to the bedrooms and their ensuite bathrooms. Like the lobby, the furniture is luxurious. Emma gapes.

"Wow. This is nice. I usually get put up in a separate little hotel room until I'm needed."

"Well, I plan on taking full advantage of my time in a new city, so it seemed more convenient to stay together. Is that alright with you?" Regina turns, a hint of uncertainty in her eyes, and Emma grins and gives her a thumbs up.

"Cool with me, boss."

Regina gives an undignified snort as she pulls her luggage towards the bedroom door on the left. "Please don't ever call me that again." She nudges open the door to assess the queen sized bed and the lavish decor, then glances over her shoulder to find Emma checking out the bedroom on the opposite side of the room. "Is the size okay?"

"You kidding? This is awesome." Emma trots over to peer into Regina's chosen bedroom. "Same size as yours; twin bedrooms. Give me a minute."

She disappears into her room again with her luggage, tossing the suitcase onto the end of the bed and popping it open, then heads back towards the suite's entrance door to kick off her boots and leave them on the shoe rack. When she returns to Regina's bedroom door, the brunette is already in the process of unpacking her belongings and settling into her new temporary home.

"Any allergies I should know about? Diets? Restrictions?"

Regina glances over from where she's hanging up a lovely gray dress in the closet. "You're not going to unpack your things first?"

The blonde's shoulders lift in a shrug. "My suitcase is sitting open on the end of my bed, that's all the unpacking I need to do."

Regina hums in response. "No allergies. I'll eat anything as long as it's not fast food." She turns back to her open suitcase with another hum. "Nothing medical-related that you need to know either, unless chronic bitchiness due to caffeine withdrawal counts."

Emma snorts out a laugh. "Keep Regina caffeinated. Got it."

"Oh, and chocolate."

"I'm starting to feel more like your personal PA than a bodyguard," Emma jokes.

"Hey, I think you're paid well enough to warrant an occasional coffee or chocolate run," Regina fires back, teasing. Emma chuckles, but the thought reminds her that she is indeed Regina's employee, so she moves away from the doorframe and steps back out of the bedroom.

"Gonna do a security check," she offers when Regina cranes her head to watch her go, a questioning look on her face.

Emma makes a sweep of the room, examines the location outside their windows, then checks the door and makes a quick patrol of the floor's hallways. She sees only one other person, a short haired brunette who gives a meek but kind smile, and nods politely before returning to the suite. Regina leans against the counter in their little ensuite kitchen, starting up a pot of coffee.

"Do you know if any of the other actors are staying here?" Emma asks, padding over and hopping onto a bar stool. Regina shakes her head as she retrieves two mugs from the cabinet.

"No idea. I was hired as the showrunner and producer's first choice, actually, and they didn't need me for chemistry lines with the others, so I don't actually know who else has been casted."

"Ah." Emma props her chin on a fist. "I take it you'll have your own trailer whenever we're on set?"

"Mm hmm. You're welcome to hang out there while I'm filming."

"Only if we're at a lot. If we're filming at an outdoor or public location, I should hang out nearby. You'd be surprised how fans will just appear out of nowhere. One principal I worked with—"

"Principal?" Regina repeats.

"The actress I was bodyguarding. We call our clients 'principals.' Anyway, she was in the middle of a scene, delivering some intense dialogue, when she looked over and suddenly realized there was a group of fans watching from the other side of the lake. Jumped a foot in the air and made this hilarious shrieking sound and ruined the whole shot, she was that startled." Emma laughs at the memory, absently wondering what that actress is up to now. She was a charismatic redhead with a very successful career, and she'd been very fun to work for, even if Emma did have to chase her around quite often. The woman had a penchant for strolling off set to go for a walk or to hit up the nearest Starbucks during her breaks, meaning Emma was constantly working crowd control to keep the fans off her.

Regina looks contemplative. "Was your principal Zelena Greene?"

Emma's eyebrows lift. "How'd you know?"

"She told me about that story."

"You're friends, then?"

"Sisters, actually."

Green eyes widen in surprise. "Really? I had no idea."

"Well, half sisters. Which is why we look nothing alike." Regina chuckles, eyes crinkling as she removes the coffee pot and pours out the hot caffeine into two mugs. "She took her father's last name. He was a pretty distinguished actor in his days but he died when she was very young. It's her way of carrying on his legacy, in a way."

"That explains why she kept watching those old movies in her trailer," Emma realizes, dumping a spoonful of sugar into her coffee. "Huh. She never mentioned that to me, even though she invited me to watch them with her during her breaks."

"She doesn't mention that to most people," Regina admits, sipping at her black coffee. "Her father is a very personal subject - she's very vague when asked about him in interviews, too. Actually, please don't tell her that I told you."

"Everything that you tell me is confidential," Emma promises with a little salute. Regina laughs.

"Good, because it seems I'm already carelessly running my mouth around you."

Emma smiles crookedly and ducks her head, and they finish their coffee with very little else said.