A/N: I am so excited for you to read this story! 'Guide Me' was inspired by the first episode of 'The Magicians.' You may see influences from 'The Magicians,' as well as, 'Legally Blonde' and 'Harry Potter.' This is an Emma and Regina-centric story. It explores the twisted relationship between Regina and Rumplestiltskin, as well as Regina's journey with darkness, and Emma's journey with becoming the savior. Swanqueen is endgame. I really hope you enjoy! Everything up until Regina cast the Dark Curse happened, then it is AU after that. Hopefully, it will all become clear throughout the story.

Warning: This could honestly be rated T, but I wanted to make sure I had it in the right rating. It is M for slightly graphic scenes(?), language, and dark themes.

Storybrooke University wasn't freakish in appearance. It was a very prestigious school, dedicated to providing magically-inclined students with an excellent education that exceeded all other schools in the known realms. Alumni from the school went on to lead highly successful lives. The task ahead of the incoming freshmen would be to excel in their studies and not get themselves killed. Magic was dangerous, after all.

"She is in this class of students." The dean of SU, Merlin, said to his companion as he looked out over the marble balcony. The throng of new students were enjoying themselves on the cool grass outside of the testing facility. Those students would make up the new freshmen class. The ones who didn't pass the required test were having their memories erased by Dr. Hopper. They would be sent back to wherever they came from.

"So I hear," Rumplestiltskin responded, hands resting easily on his gold-tipped cane. His dark eyes swept over the students, searching for one in particular. He found his target away from the other students, staring at the pages of a book. Recognizing it, the corners of his mouth twitched upwards. Cora's daughter was already trying to get ahead by using her mother's old spell book. Come their first class together, he would really test if she would be the one to carry out his plans. He only hoped she would prove more useful than her sister, who was a disappointing mess.

"She will need our protection." Merlin brought him out of his thoughts. Rumplestiltskin followed Merlin's line of sight to a blonde in a striking red jacket. She was alone on the other side of the group of students. It was ironic, seeing the two alone on opposite sides when their futures were so carefully intertwined. "Take special care to prepare her for her destiny."

"The tides may change yet." Rumplestiltskin mused.

"It is doubtful that Cora's daughter will deviate from her dark path." Merlin assured him, so sure of himself and the future.

"It is equally doubtful that Emma Swan will be the savior we're looking for."

"An orphan born of true love who has defied time and traveled realms, I'm sure the prophecy refers to her." Merlin's tone signaled that the discussion was over. Rumple's eyes searched for Regina again.

"We shall see." He agreed, then turned his back on Merlin to leave the fresh air and students behind.

That night the dorms were alive with young adults celebrating their acceptance into the school. Emma made an appearance, of course, but was back in her room after only a few drinks. She didn't know what to expect from the school, and while her new friends were cool, she needed time to think. Magic was real. This thing she had grown up admiring in fantasy books and on TV was now at her fingertips. A whole world she didn't know was now hers.

A girl with a pixie cut startled Emma by stumbling through the door. She was dragging along an excited guy that Emma recognized from the party. He had a name like an animal, but Emma couldn't remember it. They didn't seem to notice her, so Emma slipped out, not wanting to witness anything that might transpire between the two. She figured the girl must have been her roommate. She hoped so, anyway. All of the music and booze were downstairs, so Emma climbed an extra flight to the third floor. In the hallway, a girl with red streaks in her hair was all over a dark skinned guy. Emma remembered him saying something about how he was good with animals, mice or something... Somehow, the girl was floating in the air as she ravaged his mouth and tightened her legs around him. Not wanting to disturb them, Emma entered the first room she came to. She had expected it to be empty so she could lie low for awhile, but a single inhabitant in the room was sitting on a bed, gazing intently at a flame in her hand. The girl jumped two feet at Emma's unexpected entrance and the flame in her hand vanished as she floated back down to her bed. Her angry eyes fell on Emma who had just exclaimed, "Wow, cool trick!"

"Do you have a habit of barging into people's rooms and shouting at them?" The girl sneered.

"Sorry, I thought most people would be at the party." Emma stammered, kind of pissed off and not really knowing what to say. She was in the wrong, of course, but jeeze.

"Well, I'm not and clearly neither are you. It's infuriating enough that I have to listen to those idiots making fools of themselves all night long and now you insist on disturbing my peace too."

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't realize-"

"What's your name?" She asked, head tilted and voice a sickeningly sweet tone that screamed 'I'm going to kill you in your sleep.'

"Emma Swan," Emma answered despite her better judgment. Regina looked shock, like she wasn't expecting her to say that that was who she was.

"Emma Swan," Regina let the name roll off her tongue. Any kind of alarm she had was quickly masked. "I'm Regina Mills."

"Nice to meet you?" Emma questioned, thinking that it really wasn't nice to meet Regina at all. Regina's red lips pulled into a cruel smirk.

"People are talking about you. I heard one of the teachers mention your name. Apparently, the dean thinks your special, but he threw away the key as to why."

"Really?" Emma asked, immediately on edge. Any type of expectations from adults made Emma want to run. She couldn't have people relying on her or believing she was special. Regina nodded, much to Emma's despair.

"You seem surprised. Well, go on, show me what you did during the practical test. Prove why you've been singled out by the dean of SU." Emma hesitated. "Well?" Regina stared at her with expectation. It was almost as if she knew Emma was new to magic.

"I don't know how to repeat what I did. It just... happened." Emma couldn't help but feel like a disappointment. She hadn't even been at the school for one day and she was already letting people down. Regina smiled.

"Oh, thought so."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emma asked defensively. If Regina was trying to mess with her head, she was going to get angry.

"It means that you don't deserve all the praise you're getting and by class time tomorrow, your teachers will realize it."

"What's the matter with you? That's the bitchiest thing I've heard since I got here." Maybe Emma shouldn't have said that. Regina's eyes turned dark and a flame appeared in her hand again.

"Get. Out." She growled. She didn't have to ask Emma twice. As Emma ran out the door she heard, "I hope we have the same classes so I can watch you fail!"

Regina glared at the door as the imbecile blonde ran cowering. Perhaps she had been harsh. A tiny voice in her head said that she had just scared off a potential friend.

"I don't have friends!" She hissed and the flame crackled and exploded in her hand. She was thrown back and the fire climbed up her arm, leaving a blistering, red burn in its place. She screamed as the pain began to hit her. She placed her left hand over her burned arm and a blue light emitted from her left hand. She was trying to heal herself, but wasn't as adept with that spell as others. After a few seconds, the burn began to heal itself and the pain faded. After a few minutes the only thing remaining was a nasty pink scar that marred her palm and went up her forearm.

It wasn't fair. A group of students had fallen all over themselves to get away from her earlier that day. The teachers weren't just talking about Emma. They mentioned her name too. And her mother. She was finally away from home, and her mother was still poisoning her life. She hadn't even been able to introduce herself to anyone. Why were people afraid of her? She didn't want to hurt anyone.

Emma sat outside her bedroom for several minutes after the fiasco with Regina. Eventually, the guy (Whale, she remembered) left her room and she snuck back inside. The girl was laying in bed reading a book, looking completely normal and sober.

"So... You and Whale?" Emma asked awkwardly as she changed into pajamas. Her roommate's cheeks flushed.

"No... um, this was the first time... Uh, Sorry if we kicked you out."

"It's cool. I had a weird run-in with a flame throwing goddess." Emma laid back on her bed. "I'm Emma, by the way.

"Mary Margaret." Mary smiled then cocked her head. "Who was the goddess?"

"Regina Mills," Emma said as she stared up at the ceiling, contemplating the brunette beauty. What was her deal?

"Oh, it's amazing she didn't kill you."

"Why?"

"She has evil in her blood, Em."

"'Practical Uses of Advanced Magic'... I've never used magic before, why am I in an advanced course?" Emma asked her roommate that morning. Mary glanced over from behind her closet door.

"Maybe they see something in you, Emma. Also, doesn't that class start soon?" Emma glanced at the clock, ignoring Regina's voice in her head about the dean expecting great things from her.

"Shit. Gotta go." She slung her backpack over her shoulder and ran out of the room. Bizarre thoughts came through her head as she ran across the school grounds. She didn't want to be late on her first day of class. Especially in Rumplestiltskin's class. She had heard bad rumors of him. Apparently he was just as powerful as Merlin, maybe even more. And he really hated the Blue Fairy, who was second under Merlin. His specialty was dark magic, which was the most dangerous type of magic. Emma only knew that because she had read it somewhere before coming to the school. She had kind of been a magic fanatic. What else do you have to believe in when you're jumping from foster home to foster home. Emma's mind reverted back to the prolem at hand. What if they put her in non-advanced classes because they realized it was all a mistake. Or even sent her back to her old life because she's not magical at all. Just as she thought that, Emma came to a halt as she was somehow in front of the Main Building for Magical Studies. She glanced behind her. There was no way she had covered that much ground.

"Did I just...?" She shook her head. "Can't think about it now." She ran up the flights of stairs and looked for the numbers on the doors. When she entered her classroom she saw it was completely round, almost resembling an amphitheater in how the tables were set on different levels and the teacher's large desk was down below. It smelled vaguely of parchment and rosemary. Emma found a seat in the back just as the bell rang and another student came in running in. It was a blonde, doubled over and out of breath. Some sort of magic came over her and she was frozen.

"I do not tolerate lateness to my class." The teacher growled, then glanced casually at the seat chart that must have filled up by itself. "Miss Mills," he said, approaching Regina in the middle of the classroom. Emma shrunk in her seat. "Should I allow this student to remain in class while everyone else arrived on time? Or should they be punished?" Emma didn't like how he said 'punished' and had a hard time seeing what was happening. Regina's voice filled the room as she said, "punished," in the coldest term Emma had ever heard. Rumplestiltskin turned his cruel gaze upon the frozen student.

"Tinker Bell, what a sickeningly precious name. You heard your classmate. You are hereby kicked out of this class. I suggest you look for another that will fill your... More simplistic needs." He unfroze the blonde and she stared at them all before running crying from the class room. Rumplestiltskin walked back to the front of the room. "If any one of you plan to waste even a second of my time this year, the door is right where the lovely Miss Bell just exited." A hushed silence fell over the class. "Good." He said as he turned around. "Now let's begin.

Emma had never had a teacher as hard as Rumplestiltskin before. In that one class alone, he kicked another student out and made three others cry. He asked questions from the assigned reading that they had and Emma didn't read, but it was okay because she wasn't called on. Professor Rumplestiltskin seemed to ignore her completely, which wasn't that hard, considering the class was easily one hundred students. The scariest part of the class was that some of the students were called upon to demonstrate spells in front of everyone. Regina was the only one who didn't look like she was going to piss herself. She really was pretty, Emma thought as Regina performed some kind of spell and controlled the vines of some weird plants. Regina was off-limits she told herself as everyone clapped in recognition that Regina was the only one who knew what she was doing. Emma knew it was probably just gossip about Regina having evil in her blood and that she had barged into Regina's room unannounced last night, so her reaction was valid. Yeah, so maybe Regina wasn't as bad as she seemed. Their eyes met when Regina walked through the aisles to sit back down and Emma quickly realized the look of hatred on her face wasn't going away any time soon. Nevermind.

"Miss Mills, stay after class." Rumplestiltskin discreetly informed what would be his star student as the bell rang. He waited at his desk for the students to file out, watching them exit patiently, until it was only he and Regina who occupied the large room. "You are already familiar with what I teach, I see." He spoke from across the room. Regina looked incredibly eager as she weaved between the tables to reach his desk. Rumplestiltskin vaguely wondered if she realized she was an open book with her emotions on full display. He had watched her during class, though, and her manners were polar opposite of now. They were closed off, untrusting and superior. Now she merely looked focused and confident that he had chosen her. She resembled Cora an incredible amount. Rumplestiltskin looked forward to corrupting her almost on her looks alone. A tiny smirk appeared on his face at the vengeance he would finally be getting on that wicked woman who tricked him.

"My mother made sure I would be prepared for this school before I applied." Regina answered as she reached his desk. "Cora Mills, you taught her?" Rumplestiltskin leaned on his cane. He was finding it most difficult to focus on Regina's eyes when her low cut blouse was simply demanding his attention.

"My legend precedes me." He gave her a signature smirk.

"People say I look like her when I was younger." A smug smirk appeared on her face as she raised her head. Regina must have known her looks could bring grown men to their knees. Yes, she was trying to play him. 'It's going to take a lot more than that, dearie.' Rumplestiltskin thought. He inched closer, where he could breathe in her sultry perfume and take the opportunity to relish in examining her curves. It was a moment before he answered.

"I don't see it." He whispered, elliciting a frown from Regina. He laughed to himself. It was so easy to entertain himself when his students were so easily influenced by his words, but he had to remind himself that this wasn't a simple game to pass the time. No, the chess match he was playing was all or nothing, and Regina needed to be his Queen. This moment was integral.

"It's been some time, but I knew this day would come. I've been waiting for it. And I'm so happy, we're back where we belong." Rumplestiltskin put on a show with his words and mannerisms. His goal was to entice. One hand rested on the desk and he let his cane stand up by itself with magic. He placed a firm hand on Regina's waist. Regina gasped. She wasn't so confident when she wasn't making the rules.

"And where's that?" Her voice rose. Rumplestiltskin could see her throat tightening as she forgot to breath. He supposed she wasn't used to men being so forceful with her. If she was going to flaunt herself, she was a fool to think that men wouldn't take advantage. Although, she had never met a man like him before.

"Together." He grinned, moving so that he was trapping her against the desk with his body. "You can do so much, if you just let yourself." Her dark eyes pierced into his, trying to figure out his game, but finding it hard to think when he was so close. He emanated an air of power and darkness, something that could easily attract young women drawn to such qualities. Regina looked almost drunk off him.

"I don't know how." She sucked in a breath as his right hand began inching behind her to where a zipper held her skirt together. His fingers hooked onto it and the slow sound of her skirt being unzipped cut through the silence.

"Well, let me show you the way."

"Through magic?" She asked, her cheeks already flushed as he pulled her skirt off her and it pooled around her ankles.

"Through many things," Rumplestiltskin said as his lips met the exposed skin of her neck. Regina moaned at the contact. "I believe you have what it takes to excel from private lessons with me." His mouth trailed lower until he was kissing and nipping right between her breasts and his fingers were working on dragging her black thong down.

"I- I don't understand. This isn't-" Her voice was incredibly shaky as she tried to resist his advances. Rumplestiltskin stopped, met her dark eyes and said coldly, "Don't tell me you want to be mediocre. Regina, under my guidance, you'll be a legend." Her thong joined her skirt on the floor and he stopped his assault of her exposed skin to begin pulling off her blazer.

"You see that much potential in me?" Regina asked hungrily and in seven words she had showed her hand. Rumplestiltskin never saw Cora as the motherly type and while he had bed plenty of students with daddy issues before, evil and negligent mothers was a whole new playing field. He tossed the blazer to the side and pulled her blouse over her head, rough and unrelenting.

"Would we be here if I didn't?" His patience was running unbearably thin, but this was important. This moment would be the foundation of everything.

"And what do you get out of it?" Regina was soon completely exposed in front of him. She was beautiful. Her olive skin made his mouth drool and all he wanted to do was ravage and destroy her. The best part of his plan was that she wanted too.

"Let me show you." He growled, then turned her around and forced her to bend over his desk.

Regina stumbled down the hallway, barely able to walk as she rushed to the nearest bathroom. She would never admit that that had been her first time having sex. It had hurt an incredible amount, and her professor hadn't helped by being so aggresive. She also imagined being taken while bent over a desk wasn't the usual standard for comfort either. She leaned against the sink, staring at herself in the mirror. This is what it had come to? Banging teachers to get ahead? Regina ignored the thoughts in her head as she ran her fingers through her hair and dug through her purse to find her lipstick and painkillers. She popped the pills in her mouth and swallowed them dry, then began fixing her makeup. He thought she was special. There was nothing wrong with what she was doing. In fact, she didn't mind the pain at all. She wanted him. A small shiver ran down her spine as his voice filled her head.

"I'll see you tonight at nine." Her first private lesson was already upon her. His age or the short notice didn't matter. When Regina looked upon him she saw power and wisdom, two things nearly everyone else she met lacked. It was such a turn on to be able to connect with someone on an intellectual level. Regina smacked her lips and began tucking in her blouse. This would be good for her, it had to be.

Another girl came into the bathroom talking on the phone. Regina gave her a once over in the mirror. She looked like a librarian, with her dress buttoned all the way up over hideous, colored tights with matching shoes. She felt sorry for the poor guy that was in a relationship with her.

"Sorry, I can't." The girl talked into the phone. The accent made her presence even more annoying. "Tonight at eight... I start my first job." A small smile appeared on her lips and she blushed. "No, no, I'm just cleaning for a professor here..." Before Regina threw up, she gave herself one last look in the mirror and left.

"Professor, your house needs cleaning?" Belle French stood at his door, clad in a blue dress and heels. He smirked at her before opening the door to let her in. She would be perfect: here on a scholarship and in desperate need of money.

"Yes, thank you for coming on short notice. I'll need your services at least three times a week." He explained as he guided her through his estate.

"Yes, sir." She answered happily, marveling at all the paintings and antiques lining the hall. This one was curious, something Rumplestiltskin liked in women. He even found she brought a certain light to the place. Now only if she could clean.

"I'll need my laundry cleaned and pressed, my antiques dusted, the dishes cleaned, floors swept and mopped, you get the picture." He said as they came to the first room filled with antiques. He handed her a duster and sat back in a chair. Belle nodded and began to straighten his things and dust. It was after a few minutes that she brought him out of his thoughts of how lovely she looked in that dress.

"Are you just going to watch me, sir?" She asked, a little confusion to her accented voice.

"I have to make sure you do it right." He answered. Belle nodded, very obedient, and went back to dusting his collection. His doorbell rang a few moments later. "That would be another student. Once you finish, the money is on the counter." He told her before leaving. At the door, Regina stood in a black dress that was meant to show off all her curves. Rumplestiltskin didn't have any idea how she could focus on magic in such a dress, but luckily, the events he had planned for that night didn't require her to be clothed.

"Professor," Regina smirked, sashaying into his house without invitation. His eyes followed her hypnotic movements as he shut the door behind her.

"Lessons will be upstairs. Follow me." He ordered, passing her in the hallway to lead her upstairs. They passed many doors and hallways before he opened the door to his study. Regina paused in the doorway to stare at the magnificently decorated room. Rumplestiltskin snapped his fingers. Immediately, a fire roared in the fireplace. Regina entered, running a small hand against the mahogany wood of an ancient bookshelf. Without warning, Rumplestiltskin shoved her up against the wall. He forced Regina's hands above her head and pressed his body against her's, trapping her in place. He couldn't place a finger on what to call her expression. It was hungry, excited, wanting him to ravage her right there, but also fearful, as if she expected him to hurt her. Good. This wouldn't be fun if Regina didn't have any inhibitions.

"You're at my mercy." He growled, bringing his face close to hers. Regina let out a shaky breath and he chuckled. "I can do anything I want to you." He mused, staring into her fierce eyes. "But you would give yourself to me. No, tonight is about taking what I want." He let her go, and as he walked towards the fireplace, a poof of dark smoke engulfed Regina and she reappeared in front of him, tied tightly to a chair with her legs spread. "You will have completed today's lesson once you've successfully made me stop."

"Made you stop what?" She asked carefully, her adrenaline rising. A light pink tinted her skin and Rumplestiltskin knew it would be warm to touch. He grinned, making a jagged dagger appear in his hand. "No." She growled.

"You want to learn, don't you?" He inched closer and closer, then made a blindfold appear over her eyes. Regina strained her arms against the rope. Rumplestiltskin placed the tip of the dagger at the beginning of her dress, and began to slide it down, ripping the fabric. Regina's breathe quickened. "Careful, or I'll nick your skin." He teased. He kept going until it was cut all the way open and he could see all of her beautiful skin. "I have a feeling we're going to become very acquainted with each other throughout your training."

"Bastard. What are you going to do?" Regina scowled. She didn't realize that she was giving all her cards away again. Now Rumplestiltskin knew that when she was scared, she got feisty. She had more bark than bite. Backed into a corner, she wouldn't admit to being weak.

"Not telling," He said playfully. He placed the flat side of the dagger on her right inner thigh and Regina jumped. "Ooh, forgot to warn you it's cold." He placed the tip against her skin and pressed down. Regina squirmed as he began dragging it along her skin. Her breathe caught in her throat.

"I can take pain," She hissed. His hand stopped and a line of blood dripped to the floor. He thought Regina looked at her most beautiful like this, completely at his mercy and with the evidence of his abuse bright red against her milky skin. He wanted to hurt her more.

"That's not the exercise. Make me stop."

"Make me want to." She snapped back. 'Be careful what you wish for, my dear,' he thought back. He dug even deeper on his second line and a muffled groan came from his student. He began on his third and Regina was again struggling against her restraints. "I don't understand what this is teaching me." She breathed.

"I can cut deeper." Rumplestiltskin offered, placing the tip of the blade against her skin again.

"Do it." She growled. Rumplestiltskin chuckled at her pride. This would be a weakness he would have to exploit at some point. He began the fifth line.

"Stop me," He reminded her. Regina tried to muffle her groans and take the pain, but by the time he moved onto her other thigh and began carving the sixth line, she couldn't take it.

"I-I can't stop you." Regina breathed heavily. As he placed his dagger back on her for the seventh, her entire body was shaking. "Okay, stop. I've learned whatever you're trying to teach me."

"No, you haven't." He said forcibly then began to cut once more. Regina screamed beneath his dagger.

"Please, please, please." She begged, and he saw a tear come out from under her blind fold. He ignored her and continued to cut. As he began the tenth deep cut, a purple magic threw him backwards. He stood up and looked on at Regina with pride. He made all the rope and the blindfold disappear. Regina blinked as the light came back to her eyes. "What the hell was that?!" She examined all the blood that covered her legs. Where he cut, the skin was raised and pink.

"Raw magic. Rough on the system, but necessary in your training. Once you master the magic from your gut, everything else will be easy." He came forward, and Regina flinched when he procured a handkerchief and began to clean her wounds. She hissed as the sting came from whatever was on the handkerchief. "Did you think this was going to be easy?" He asked gently as he began to place bandages over her wounds. "Magic always comes at a price."

"I know that." Regina said irritated, putting forth her hand for him to see. She squirmed as he examined the burn that marred it.

"Fire spell gone wrong, dearie?" He quipped, then began to heal it until no mark remained. Regina gave a sigh of relief.

"Thank you... Is this how you taught my mother?" Regina's voice was soft, tired.

"I had similar methods. Cora was more bloodthirsty than you. How did you lose control of your flame? Simple mistakes don't come to someone as diligent as you." He purposely made himself sound like a parent as he looked into his pupil's eyes.

"I was angry." Regina answered almost immediately.

"Ah, I thought that would be where your strongest magic lies." He smirked.

"What?"

"Hold onto that anger. One day it will be all you have. How about I escort you to your car?"

"I have nothing to wear."

"That's not really my problem, now is it?"

A/N: Thanks so much if you made it this far! Constructive criticism and your thoughts are totally welcome! Please review. You may have noticed some similarities with a few of the Rumplestiltskin/Regina scenes and the flashbacks in the actual show. I ship Goldenqueen, as well as Swanqueen, and I can't see Rumplestiltskin and Regina having any kind of relationship that isn't toxic and damaging and involving lots of sex. I love those two.