Heartless

by Kedi

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Author's note: Thanks to the awesome Celeryaneffigy on tumblr for beta and for pointing out just how ... suspect my original title was. :P

Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT, except on DVD. I own nothing but my imagination. I wrote this to exorcise some of the fears I have about the upcoming episodes. I didn't work all that well. Let's all pray I'm not clairvoyant.

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The look of hurt surprise on his face as she plunged her hand into his chest bewildered her slightly. It was as if ... as if he had trusted her not to do exactly what she was now doing.

"R-Regina – please... I – I can h-help -"

He choked on the last part of his plea as she yanked her hand back with a grimace. Staggering slightly, but still on his feet, his wide, frightened eyes flickered to the heart in her hand before coming back to her face. He opened his mouth to speak again, but she clenched her fingers and he collapsed to his knees with a pained gasp. Only a weak grip on the armrest of the couch stopped him from hitting the floor.

He knew too much, and she simply couldn't risk him running to Charming before she had the chance to implement her plan.

But as she stood above him, with the power to crush his heart as easily as she could swat a bug, she felt conflicted: this man had genuinely wanted to help her, and even with his life literally in her hand he was still pleading with her to turn back from the path she had chosen. Maybe... maybe given time he could have guided her to salvation.

Time had run out, however, at least for him.

She should put him out of his pain quickly; it was the least she could do for her only ally... her only friend.

He looked up at her beseechingly, shaky breath coming in pained gasps. "Please... you – you promised Henry..."

Sudden indignation welled up in her and the anger felt familiar and heady, just like magic. Judging by the look in his eyes he realised that he had said the wrong thing, and it was not without a smidge of satisfaction she saw him sink to the floor with a strangled groan as she put more pressure on his glowing heart.

But the thud as he hit the ground had a sort of finality to it that somehow shook her out of her rage and she immediately eased up on the pressure. For a moment she held her breath, strangely worried that she had already killed him, but then she detected a reassuring if very slight rise and fall of his chest, and the heart in her shaking hand started pulsing haltingly again.

Regina swallowed. The part of her that had grown fond of him and was grateful for his help battled to try to overcome the part of her that still wanted to punish the whole world around her for the pain she had endured. She had to admit she didn't want to kill him, but she couldn't very well let him get in the way of her plan either. How... There really was only one option.

A living conscience would no doubt be harder to control than her Huntsman had been, though. Confined to her castle the Huntsman had been unable to aid her enemies by virtue of isolation, but she couldn't exactly go with that approach this time. She was well aware that most of Storybrooke felt Dr. Hopper was wasting his time trying to help her, thinking she did not deserve a second chance. If he suddenly started acting strangely or even worse, disappeared altogether, the lynch mob would amass outside her door sooner rather than later. Actually, as she understood it, he had played a vital part in her rescue from the last one. No, Archie Hopper had to be seen going about his business as usual so no one would get suspicious – but of course he would not do that; he would immediately go to Charming, despite knowing she would crush his heart in retaliation. She had a feeling Archie Hopper would consider his life a small price to pay to stop her plan.

So she would have to take complete control. It would require most of the magic she had managed to regain, but having a mole in Charming's court would be worth it. A voice in the back of her head, sounding frighteningly like her mother, assured her that it really was the best possible course of action: if he managed to fool Charming he could bring her valuable information and maybe even sabotage on her behalf, and if Charming found out... well, then she could just crush the heart and not be any worse off.

'A win-win situation, really,' the familiar sweet voice whispered. 'Remember, Regina, you need to get your son back - at any cost.' Coming to a decision Regina gently put the heart in her hand bag, and using magic she willed the doctor to revive. He rose mechanically and Regina forcefully pushed away the last remnants of her guilt.

But though she tried she couldn't quite muster up her usual cold smile as Archie Hopper looked at her dispassionately, blue eyes strangely dull.