You all asked - some of you more than once ;) - so here it is - Thief Queen. This story will alternate between the past and present. There will be headings letting you know where we are in the timeline. Sorry - I couldn't think of a better way to do it. A few things you should know: 1) This will be a romantic pairing between Regina and Neal, so fear not. 2) The fact that Neal is somehow magically the same age in the two timelines, despite not being under the curse, will eventually be explained. 3) Be patient with me - I'm juggling three stories, a full-time job, school and the occasional bit of a personal life. I'll try to update at least once a week. I'm an Evil Charming shipper, so reviews would help - I want to know if I'm doing Thief Queen justice! :) Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1: Welcome to New York
-New York 1985-
Regina stood at the entrance to the train station staring around in wonder. Everything was so big! She'd never imagined a city could look like this. It was tall, loud, and full of people. The only direction to look if she wanted to see open space was up, and even then, buildings took up some of her view.
She'd grown bored with Storybrooke. It was a nice town, but the everyday routines were exactly the same and she found it tiring. She needed a break. One benefit to having been the caster of the curse was that she was free to leave. No negative side effects followed her when she crossed the town line.
Now that she was here, she was rethinking her trip. At first it had seemed like a good idea; something new, something different. Now she felt overwhelmed. As Queen, she'd grown used to crowds; villagers, people in her court, maids, guards. But this was different. None of that came even close to comparing with this. There were people everywhere.
Pulling out the map she'd purchased, Regina searched the full page for her destination, a hotel about fourteen blocks away. But how did she get there? After several months, Regina was still adjusting to the ways of this world. They were strange and completely foreign. Her minimal experience in Storybrooke meant nothing here in New York.
"You look like you could use some help."
Regina turned to find the source of the voice. The man was standing only a few feet away, watching her. She raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"
"Well, first of all - you're holding a map, so you must not be from the city. Then there's the expression of confused panic you were wearing a minute ago."
"I was not," she said hotly, folding the map up quickly.
"Hey, it's fine," the man said, holding his hands up. "I'm not judging you. New York is a whole different world. It can take some getting used to."
"And do all of the people in New York make a habit of harassing strangers?" she asked with irritation.
"Mostly they keep their heads down. Actually, people would tell you to avoid the ones who talk to you. "
"Mmm," Regina hummed. "But I should make an exception for you?"
"Me?" The man grinned. "I'm harmless. Just a man who saw a gorgeous woman that looked like she could use some help. I normally don't talk to strangers either, but with you, I had to. I couldn't help myself."
"Am I supposed to be flattered by that?" she asked him.
"Yes. You should be. I don't compliment just anyone. In fact, I don't talk to just anyone."
"You're not helping your case," she told him.
He shrugged his shoulders casually. "So…business or pleasure?"
Regina looked appalled by his continued attempt at conversation. Had he mistaken her flippancy for interest? "Excuse me?" she asked.
"Why are you in New York? Is it for business or for pleasure?"
"Neither," Regina answered shortly.
"How can it be neither?" the man asked curiously. "It's either one or the other."
"Not necessarily." Regina sighed in frustration. She turned to face him more fully, realizing escape from this conversation wouldn't be easy. "I'm not here on business, but I'm not expecting to enjoy myself. I simply needed a change of scenery."
"Glad it's not just me."
Regina tilted her head in question, annoyance plain on her face. "I thought you said you lived here?"
"I do. I meant you. I'm glad to know you're that cynical about everything. It's not just me who brings it out. It means there's still hope for me."
She rolled her eyes and huffed. "I wouldn't bet on it."
He simply grinned at her again, not moving or blinking, and Regina – not for the first time – found herself irritated by the people in this world. Without her position as Queen, she held no power over them and, where most people would flee from just simple eye contact, it seemed people here were used to verbal sparring. In fact, they seemed to take pleasure in it. She'd have to find a new method of scaring people off. Realizing she was currently stuck, she sighed again. "I suppose, since you refuse to leave me alone, that you may as well help me. I need a way to get to my hotel."
The man's smile brightened and he clapped his hands together. "That's the spirit!" He stuck his hand out. "I'm Neal."
Regina warily put her hand in his and was surprised when he turned it gently, placing a quick peck to the back of her hand. It was an unexpectedly familiar and civil motion from such a gruff man and she found that some of the edge had disappeared from her voice when she said, "Regina."
-New York 2013-
"So…" Emma said awkwardly as they waited for Henry to finish gathering his things. They'd decided to spend a few days in the city before trying to get Neal to follow them back to Storybrooke. "New York?"
"Yeah."
"What made you choose New York?"
"Familiarity."
Emma raised her eyebrows. Neal had just spent the better part of an hour trying to get her to talk, but he had suddenly clammed up himself. "Care to elaborate?" she asked.
"It was a place I'd lived before. Why does it matter?" He hadn't meant to snap and when Emma's expression became angry and she opened her mouth to retaliate, he was quick to apologize. "I'm sorry. I just…maybe this is something we can talk about later?"
Anger only slightly faded, Emma once again opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted – this time by Henry's reappearance, Gold close behind him.
"Okay. I think I have everything."
Masking everything else, Emma shook her head in amusement. "We've only been here a day – how do you have that much stuff, anyway?"
"I didn't know what we'd be doing," Henry defended. "I wanted to be prepared."
Emma chuckled. "Well you're prepared alright. You ready to go, then?"
Henry nodded enthusiastically. "I've never been to a zoo before."
Neal looked at Emma incredulously before turning back to Henry. "Never been to…kid! You're gonna love it! How have you never been to a zoo before?"
"There isn't a zoo in Storybrooke," Henry told him.
Neal shook his head. "It's an injustice! Okay, let's go."
Henry bounced happily out of the apartment. Emma caught Neal's eye. "We're not done, you know."
"I know," he sighed. He locked up the apartment behind them and started down the stairs. It shouldn't have been such a big deal. It was just a city – why should it matter if Emma wanted to know why he chose this place? But as he looked around when they stepped out onto the street, he knew why it mattered to him. It was a place he didn't want to share. In all of his travels, he always ended up back here. If things with Emma had worked out and they'd run away together, he would have taken her to Tallahassee just as they'd talked about. With someone else, it could never be New York. New York was their place. It's where he'd met Regina and they'd shared something special. He'd chosen New York because, even if it was small and desperate, it was a connection; an anchor is his messy life, and he found he couldn't let it go.
