There was a lot of glass crunching under a black pair of heeled boots. Some of it was kicked under the bar in frustration, but most of it was still spread far and wide behind the counter. A deep sigh was let out before a broom was fetched from the corner and the cleaning of the mess began.

Roni muttered some curses out loud as she was cleaning up a second broken glass of the day. She was feeling really cranky for some reason and her mind was filled with business of the people around her. Often times she preferred it that way since if she dived too deep into her own thoughts... well, that often didn't end well. She had enough drinks during work hours as it was.

After she had refused the offer Victoria Belfrey had made of her bar, the business had picked up. She was a lot busier than she had been in months and she could say that she was really proud of herself. Also helping Henry and Officer Rogers to take down Victoria definitely made her feel really good. She was ready to kick some ass, quite literally if anyone asked her. She wasn't hiding a baseball bat behind the counter for nothing.

Several people came to order drinks after she finished cleaning up the shards of glass. Seeing the mess cleared made her feel much better and she was back at handing out drinks to her customers, many of which she knew by name.

Heights was quite of a small community. There weren't many bars around either so everyone ended up at Roni's at some point anyway. And when those systems got some alcohol in them, they were all about sharing their gossip and stories.

Under her almost cold exterior she presented to the world though, Roni felt such care for her community and the people in it. She wanted her bar to be a safe place for everyone to come and enjoy no matter the background or package they came with.

Roni walked among her customers, clearing some empty glasses and bottles from the tables. She returned back behind the bar to make a new patch of drinks when she felt the tell tale breeze of the door opening. She didn't look up right away, too focused on her mixing, until a swift of perfume found her nose.

It was something sweet, like vanilla, not too strong, but mysterious enough to make you curious. Which is why Roni lifted her gaze to her new customer.

If she wasn't at work, she would have definitely needed to sit down for a while because gods in heaven the woman in front of her was gorgeous. A long blonde hair was expertly braided to go around her head to form a crown. The striking green eyes were framed with tasteful amount of black but otherwise the woman seemed to be sporting a very natural look and with a face that beautiful, who would even need make up.

Giving the blonde goddess a quick once over, Roni was quite literally floored. The blonde was wearing a black strapless dress that was quite literally hugging every single curve the woman had, paired with a short leather jacket, matching the color of the dress.

Roni wasn't sure how long she had been staring at the woman, but at some point a throat was cleared and her eyes snapped back to the face of the blonde woman in front of her. She also suddenly remembered she had to go and take the drinks she had been making to the table.

Holding up a finger to signal a minute, she put all the drinks on a tray and walked as steadily as possible to the table where a group of four were happily chatting, having not noticed that their drinks took a while to arrive. Walking back to the bar, Roni tried to cool herself a little bit.

She had seen her fair share of beautiful men and women, but my god wasn't this woman something. Making her way behind the counter and turning towards the blonde, Roni plastered her signature grin on her face before asking. "Welcome to Roni's! What can I get ya?"

The blonde was looking her up and down like she had done just minutes ago to her. Roni was patiently waiting, knowing that the other woman was making an assumption of her and disturbing her might not be her best interest. Roni didn't really know what she was expecting but what the other woman said caught her off guard.

"Something that ends the week with a bang." her voice was beautiful, but there was something rough in it as she wiggled herself into the bar stool right in front of Roni.

Roni was slightly confused. She didn't usually pry anything from the newcomers as it wasn't her place, but she was curious. It was only Wednesday and she didn't know a one job that had a work week that ended in Wednesday. She inquired about this from the blonde, who immediately had a fire in her eyes and she snapped angrily.

"Mind your own business!"

No matter how beautiful this woman was, Roni could feel a fire rising inside her. She had a bit of a temper and there was no one she allowed to talk to her like that. And this woman was no exception. "Excuse me?!"

Roni was quite sure her anger was easy to read from her face and her voice definitely wasn't friendly and it seemed that the blonde had gotten the hint. Few deep breaths later and cheeks definitely a shade pinker, the blonde whispered.

"I do apologise. I didn't mean to go off like that..."

That calmed Roni instantly, seeing the regret shine from the striking green eyes. She didn't want to fight and it seemed that neither did the blonde.

"It's okay. It's not my place to pry. What would you like to drink?"

Roni looked at the woman, waiting for an answer. Before the raised voices the blonde had had a certain sense of powerfulness, regalness even, radiating off of her. But having the encounter with the bartender seemed to have completely drained her out and left her open. Roni though it made the blonde look even more beautiful.

"It's not your fault. I shouldn't have snapped. I'm sorry. It's been really hard and busy few weeks and I need some time off to recover..." the woman trailed off. "... but you are working, I'm sorry I'm taking you away from it." she quickly changed her tone back to more formal and straightened her back.

It was quite sad that the other woman felt like she couldn't share and that she felt like she was bothering Roni. Granted they were strangers but no one deserved to look quite so lost and lonely as the blonde did.

"You know, I might be working but I'm still a good listener." Roni flashed a warmer smile towards the other woman. "Just let me know what you're drinking and let me do a round of refills and I'm back by your side before you know it." a warmer smile turned into a grin and a wink as the other woman blushed deeply.

"Deal." green eyes tried to find a place to land and they settled on what felt like was Roni's cheeks since she didn't seem to be able to meet her eyes. "Surprise me with something. Just as long as it had vodka in it." there was a small grin playing in the pink lips.

Roni started to work out a drink. She knew a lot of different ones but she wanted to make the blonde something she had never had before. Something special.

She slid it on the bar and said. "One vodka based magic special foooor..." Roni trailed off, waiting for the stranger to fill in the blank for her. And she wasn't disappointed.

"Emma."

Yeah, the name really fit the green eyes beauty in front of her Roni decided as she leaned back against the counter behind her. She was observing how Emma was biting her bottom lip while trying to decide on what colored straw she would like to use. She decided on yellow which seemed somehow out of character for when looking at the whole black assemble she was sporting.

Slowly the blonde sucked some of the drink into her mouth and her eyebrows shot up, her face clearly showing her surprise and how pleased she was with the taste.

"Not bad huh?" Roni laid her hands on the counter and leaned subtly closer.

"Not at all, it's actually amazing." Emma smiled at her. After a bit of a pause and few sips later she opened her mouth shyly. "Weren't you supposed to go to do some refills so we can... talk?"

The noticeable pause in the sentence made Roni perk up. Was Emma actually... flirting back at her? Seemed like that was the case, but Roni didn't want to assume. She wanted to determine this though in order to not make Emma uncomfortable if she had been reading the situation wrong.

"Oh of course, but my current company is just a bit too good to walk away from." Roni leaned just a tiny bit closer and flashed her perfect full teeth smile.

She could literally hear how Emma swallowed thickly and how she still met her eyes bravely. There was a slight tremble, a slight blush and Roni felt like she had assumed correctly on Emma. That didn't stop Emma from giving back the same she was receiving.

"Well, the sooner you go, the sooner you can be back here with me."

Now it was Roni's turn to falter. Oh, Emma was good, but she was ready for this challenge. She rose to her full height, shot the most charming grin she could to Emma's direction and quipped. "Well, this definitely has made the entire day worth it. See you in a bit, dear."

With that said, she rounded the bar and made her rounds. Her customers seemed to be all okay, only few new beers were requested in the corner table which she swiftly took care of. In no time she was back in front of Emma, who was happily slurping her drink. While Roni was gone though, she had removed her black leather jacket, leaving her milky shoulders bare. If she was honest with herself, Roni wanted nothing more than to touch those shoulders, just rub them gently. Well, maybe not all that gently.

Emma could see the reaction her barer upper body had on the bartender and she straightened her posture a bit as well. She felt really good about herself for the first time in ages and all of it had to do with the smoking hot bartender in front of her.

"Hi." she whispered sweetly, feeling happy unlike she had before she entered the bar. She was really looking forward to talking with the mysterious brunette, who she quickly realised she didn't know the name of. The place was called Roni's and she definitely could see that the brunette could be called Roni but she felt like she had to check that out somehow.

"Hello." Emma's sweet smile was matched with Roni's own. There was something mysterious about Emma, something utterly... magical. Roni wanted to roll her eyes at her choice of words, but decided against it. She had more important things in front of her now.

"So tell me about your day, Emma." Roni requested sweetly, leaning her head on her hands, setting her elbows comfortably on the table in front of her.

Emma wasn't usually a sharer by any means but before she noticed, she had told Roni everything. How things hadn't worked out with funding for work and how worn out and tired she really was of being in the public eye constantly. She wanted nothing more than to take some time for herself which she was now able to do when her project was put on hold. Emma was a director, who had made a few well recognized short films. She told Roni about her trips to different film festivals and how well it had all gone. But now, she was tired.

Roni couldn't say that she had seen any of the movies Emma mentioned, only because she didn't really watch a lot of anything. She often spend her time reading if she had the chance or felt up for it in general. But she was going to see what these movies were about, because she wanted to know more about Emma. She let the blonde tell her story without interrupting her, occasionally making another drink for her.

She could hear the disappointment in Emma's voice, the sense of self hate that came with having failed at something. Roni knew those feelings better than she wanted to admit and she felt sorry for the blonde and she wished she was somehow able to make her feel better.

"... so yeah, now I'm officially a director without a movie but if I'm honest... I'm pretty damn happy about that. This came in the right time, because of the time I need for myself." Emma said quietly, finishing off her third drink. The vodka had started to kick in the midway of the second and now she was feeling a little bit woozy.

"You shouldn't feel bad about wanting to take some time off and to feel better with yourself." Roni said locking her eyes with Emma. Damn those eyes were green. "You cannot do what you love fully, if you don't feel okay. So you shouldn't feel guilty at all."

Emma thought about that. In some way she knew it but having someone else say it out loud actually made her believe it. "Maybe you are right. It's just pretty damn hard."

Roni laughed. "I know, Emma, but things worth having aren't supposed to be easy."

The way the brunette woman laughed affected Emma's entire body. It was like a cleanse of all things heavy that were weighting her down. She felt suddenly less bad about her situation at work and more excited with the possibilities of other things she could achieve now. It wasn't like her to be optimistic but damn, she was really feeling it now.

"Thank you, Roni." Emma said before realizing she had completely forgotten about her plan on figuring out the bartenders name. Her eyes widened as she waited for the other woman to say something.

But the brunette smiled warmly and said. "You're welcome, Emma."

Roni had to go back to serving her other patrons but she occasionally came to chat with Emma. They talked about silly, mundane things like their food preferences and Emma even asked for Roni's favorite color which was black, to no one's surprise.

It was getting late and people were starting to leave. Roni waved her goodbyes and called a cap for the few of them. She did some cleaning on the tables and brought glasses back behind the bar before putting them all out for a wash.

Emma was still there, sitting by the bar, clearly pretty damn drunk. Roni had switched the blonde from drinks to water and juice ages ago but she was unsure had the blonde noticed that. From the way she was laughing at something on her phone though, it was unlikely.

"Emma." Roni said sweetly coming to stand next to the blonde woman. "Emma, I have to close the bar."

"Roni, look at this dog, isn't it funny?" Emma turned her phone towards the other woman, trying her hardest to keep her laughter in but she nearly fell from her chair when the dog eventually jumped over the fence.

Roni couldn't help but laugh as well but it was more to Emma's fun than it was to the video, although it was pretty funny too.

"Emma, did you hear what I just said?" she laid her hand gently on the bare shoulder. Damn, her skin was really smooth.

The blonde turned to look at the hand as well before she smiled up to Roni. "I did hear you, but I don't wanna leave yet, I'm having too much fun!"

Roni shook her head. "But I have to sleep, my dear. I have work to do again tomorrow and I have to be ready for all of it. Who knows which kinda blonde walks into my bar tomorrow and wants to talk?"

She meant it as a joke, but Emma looked suddenly sad again. "But... but I wanna be the blonde who you talk to..."

"Emma." Roni held onto her more tightly. "It was a joke, I was talking about you."

And just like that Emma's mood made a full 180 as she was back to being happy again. "Damn right it's me!"

Roni rolled her eyes now before trying to help the blonde to stand. She had seen her fair share of unsteady people trying to leave but Emma was something else. Those high heels were gonna be the reason the other woman broke her leg. Roni felt she was responsible for Emma now since the blonde seemed to be unable to even stand. Sending her home would be unwise because she wasn't sure would the blonde even be able to tell the driver her home address.

She had an idea.

"Emma." she started. "I live in the apartment above the bar. Would you like to stay for the night?"

The blonde looked at her clearly surprised and her mouth was hanging open for a bit. But then something in her brain kicked in another gear and a smirk spread on her face. "Are you trying to get me into your bed, babe, because I'm totally game!"

Roni shook her head before helping the blonde towards the stairs. She shut the lights on her way, giving the place a quick once over. Around the halfway she sat Emma down and removed the heels the blonde was sporting. The rest of the way in was way easier.

The apartment was rather large but very homey and warm, which might have not been the first thing that came to mind when you saw a badass like Roni. The livingroom was conveniently connected to the kitchen that only had a small island to eat on. There were book cases everywhere and there was a massive brown leather couch in the livingroom.

Emma had a hard time registering any of that because she had to put so much effort in keeping herself upright. Roni was leading her towards her bedroom with her arm wrapped around her waist, taking small, steady steps. She asked Emma did she have to use the toilet which the blonde had to think about a while. She eventually decided it must be a good idea and Roni led her to the bathroom.

Waiting outside Roni stretched and changed into her night gear which was a combo of leggings and a black t-shirt. As it seemed Emma was not yet done, she went to get some water and aspirin from the kitchen. She returned just in time to hear a flush and a wash, before the blonde stepped out. It seemed she was slightly more in control of her extremities but her face was still very flushed from the alcohol.

She wobbled to sit on the bed, while Roni hovered near by, ready to catch her if she was going to fall. The brunette handed the other woman the water and aspirin which the blonde accepted gratefully. They were quiet for a while, before Roni asked. "Can I give you something to sleep in?"

"I could use a shirt." Emma mumbled, looking down at the dress she was wearing. It wasn't going to be a comfortable night if she fell asleep in this.

Roni retrieved her another dark shirt and told the blonde she was going to go lock up while the blonde changed. As the brunette disappeared from the view Emma tried her hardest to make fast work with the zipper of the dress. She fumbled a little before she managed and the dress fell to her feet. Shrugging on the comfy shirt she snuggled into the bed.

It all smelled sweetly of the woman who was letting her stay in her house. Even though she was drunk Emma knew that there was something special about Roni and she wanted to see her again. Well, she was gonna see her in the morning for sure.

"I see you have made yourself comfortable." Roni smirked from the doorway, leaning against it. Emma looked positively adorable, having pulled the duvet all the way up to her neck so only her head was peaking out. She braid crown had gotten looser during the evening but now it was nearly coming undone which made Emma look even softer.

"Yes. I hope you don't mind." Emma whispered, feeling the tiredness hit her.

"Of course not, that's why I brought you in here." Roni said as she sat next to Emma on the bed. They were just looking at each other for a while before Emma yawned a bit. Roni laughed before smiling down at Emma. "I think it's time for you to sleep."

"Are you gonna join me?" Emma looked so hopeful but Roni had made her decision before she even had suggested that Emma would stay at hers tonight.

"Not tonight, my dear." Roni said but pressed a kiss to Emma's cheek. The blonde looked at her in amazement before another yawn. Her eyes were slowly shutting and she let out one more deep breath before it was clear that she had fallen asleep.

Roni stayed a while longer before she got up and turned off the lights. It had been an interesting day indeed.

/ my love, my inspiration, thank you for this 3