the eras of us ⎹ Lana Parrilla & Jennifer Morrison

Chapter 14

"Has Jen arrived yet?"

Bex, who had been in the middle of a conversation with Colin, turned her head to look at her best friend. The brunette was busy letting her gaze roam over the hotel lobby, in search of her co-star.

"No, I don't think so," the Hook actor answered. "Why? Do you need her to hold your hand?"

"Ha ha," Lana mumbled ironically, "Really funny."

Bex couldn't hold back a little chuckle before returning her attention to her conversation with the man in front of her, though her hand lovingly caressed the brunette's arm. It was exactly 5:42 pm, and most of the actors from Once Upon A Time were standing inside the lobby of the Paradox Hotel in Vancouver. They had all arrived in the last hour, driving from the set directly to the hotel—except for the people who hadn't been filming, which included Jen.

"Lana, I checked you in," Julie, the brunette's assistant, informed her. "Are you coming upstairs with me? It's almost time to get ready; the party starts at 8."

"Can you give me five more minutes? I'm just gonna try to call Jen real quick because she should've arrived like 20 minutes ago."

"Fine, but don't be too late."

"I promise," Lana replied with a thankful smile on her face. She grabbed her phone out of the pocket of her jeans before walking through the luxurious lobby and out of the hotel. Standing at the entrance and ignoring how freezing cold it was, she tapped on the blonde's contact to call her.

As soon as she got sent straight to her voicemail, she felt her heartbeat quickening. What if Jen had a migraine attack while driving? Or an accident? Or something else terrible happened? The brunette swallowed hard before trying to reach her co-star again.

"Shit!" she hissed when the voicemail was heard again.

It wasn't until Lana had called for the fourth time that the hum of a car engine finally broke the quiet ambiance at the hotel's driveway. The brunette's eyes remained fixated on the doors, and as they swung open, revealing Ginny and Jen stepping out, Lana felt a wave of relief wash over her. She released the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. Swiftly, without a second thought, Lana made her way over to the two women, closing the distance before wrapping her arms tightly around Jen.

"Oh-" the blonde began, clearly surprised, "Hello to you, too."

"I was so worried!" Lana whispered, hugging her tighter.

"What? Why?"

"That something happened to you. It's almost 6 pm, and I thought maybe you had an accident or a migraine attack or-"

"The streets were full," Jen softly interrupted her with a little smile, her arms wrapped around her co-star's body, reciprocating the embrace. She inhaled the scent of Lana's perfume and shampoo, her nose almost buried in the dark waves of her hair. "But it's sweet you were worried about me," she almost whispered, causing the brunette's lips to curl into a genuine smile.

"I'm always worried about you."

"And me?" Ginny suddenly chimed in. "Were you worried about me too? I mean, I'm late as well, and Josh is already here."

"Oh, I-" Lana cleared her throat, reluctantly releasing Jen from the hug but, of course, holding her hand in exchange—like always. "Of course, I was worried about you too."

The Snow White actress raised her eyebrows in playful skepticism, exchanging a knowing look with her TV daughter before giving Lana an amused expression and strolling into the hotel.