As the huntsman grasps her waist and buries himself deep inside of her, Regina closes her eyes, and her mind colors his fingers a shade of golden green. As he grunts her name with urgency, she holds another name on the tip of her tongue, which she hides with a moan. The next instant all contacts are lost and she feels the chilly night air on her bare skin. Her eyes fly open in shock, the huntsman is now nowhere to be seen, and there he was standing by her bed, expression hard to read, skin glittering faintly in the quiet moonlight.
"Well well no need to be alarmed dearie", says Rumplestiltskin nonchalantly, "Good evening to you too. What did you summon me here for?" Regina scrambles to cover herself, feeling her face flush red with indignation and rage. "Get out! Obviously I did not call for you!"
"I am here, so you must have called for me", he giggles, "See, the terms of our contract is simple: say my name when you are in need, and I'll appear by your side, magically, and help you out with your need. Rumplestiltskin at your service, my queen." He bows down with a flourish, bringing his face close to hers, his eyes dark and insistent. She can't help but inhale his scent of straw and leather - he smells good, like friendship and love, like her Daniel. She banishes that thought immediately, as if it is blaspheme to compare her blue eyed angel with her dark eyed monster. She catches herself thinking of Rumplestiltskin as hers, and her lips involuntarily curve into a smile.
He watches her intently and sees sadness flicker across her face followed by a dreamy smile. His hands clench into fists and nails break skin. He leans in even closer to her and sees her close her eyes as if expecting a kiss. He hesitates a moment before hissing in her ear: "Listen carefully dearie, I can't bring back the dead, nor can some madman from another realm. Oh yes I know of your little escapade, and trust me he did the best he could. His brother came back to him a monster, nothing more than a reanimated corpse. Don't ever again call my name when you think of your pathetic dead stable boy." She slaps him, hard, surprising them both. He silently curses himself for becoming so distracted and vulnerable, before disappearing into a swirl of angry black smoke.
She stares at her red palm and lets her tears fall.
