AN: This is set during the events of 3x20, after Zelena is defeated, and explains why Regina gave Belle the dagger.

AN2: I'm a horrible person for doing this to Regina, and I should be shot.

Flawless Failure

She knew it was him before she even turned around.

Not even because it was only a matter of hours for him to find her, but she could sense him. Some sort of connection by magic that never really faded between them. Gold walked calmly into her office, but she felt the tension radiating off of him. He was anxious and frustrated, and that was something that Regina rarely got to see on him.

"You know why I'm here." He finally spoke, and the Mayor finally turned towards him and away from the small bar in her office, with a drink in her hand.

"You could've saved yourself a trip." She didn't try to sound arrogant when she said it, no need starting any kind of unnecessary feud between the two, but it came off as such anyway. She took a few steps towards him. "Drink?" The glass in her hand stretched out towards him, but he made no move to take the offering, so she brought the glass to her own lips slowly, taking a generous sip. Gold could tell by the half empty tumbler and Regina's glassed over eyes that stayed focused on him, that this was far from her first drink of the night.

"Give me back the dagger." It wasn't a request, and the former Queen's face twisted slightly from the burn of the alcohol as it slid down her throat.

"It kills you, doesn't it?" Regina asked, in a slightly amused tone, setting the glass back on the bar behind her. "To have someone else in control?" His teeth were grinding at the words, because of course she would have to make this difficult for him, and he swore on this land and every other that he would no longer be anyone's pet, least of all hers. "Or do just hate the idea that it's me? Finally being the one that has power over you."

She was proud of herself, Gold could tell, and it made a smirk start to rise on his lips. Regina's eyes skirted to his mouth briefly in a show of insecurity.

"You play games." He stated, simply and calm, causing her to scoff slightly. "Like a child playing with a loaded gun in a school yard, but you have no idea what those bullets even do, Regina." She looked away, with a raised eye brow, feigning disinterest. "I know you. You're not like Zelena. You never wanted control, or power." Gold took a step closer to her, making her look back at him, scanning his posture with caution. "All you are is waiting for someone to come and take the gun from your hand and scold you for your foolishness. You thrive for the attention, and that is something you do have in common with your sister." For a moment, he saw a spark—just a glint in her eyes filled with fire and passion, and it made a realization dawn on him. But soon enough, it was gone, replaced by features that were forcibly softened.

"It's still fresh in your mind, Rumple. Your son's death." His entire body tensed, as he gave her a look a warning that told her she was to be very careful on the ground in which she treaded. But she only looked back at him with care and sympathy. "You're too dangerous at full capacity, and I won't have you undo all the good done just for your revenge. Lie to yourself all you want, but you know Neal wouldn't want you to do this." There was a fire burning under his skin at the mention of his son's name. The rage was tempered though, due to her sincere intentions. But the irony of it alone made him want to laugh right at her face. Instead, he held her sight with a dark glare and low voice.

"Spare me your speech on morality, dearie. I'm in no mood for a comedy at the moment." The former Queen hardened her face at his cold tone, and Gold saw that glint in her eyes again.

"Then spare me your subtle threats. You won't get your dagger tonight." She turned away from him, facing her bar and preceding to make herself another drink.

"You've put your heart back in, haven't you?" It was a question but it didn't sound like one, which made the former Queen straighten her back but not turn around. "You must be so thrilled." Gold's voice held a sarcastic levity to it. "All that passion and genuine feeling coming back again. All the hopes and dreams…" He advanced a few steps towards her, and saw her shoulders tense. "And the fears and insecurities. No longer an unbiased rationality guiding your every choice." The Dark One lowered his voice just above a whisper. "Those voices in your head coming back, telling you that you'll never be good enough for them, or for anybody." Regina's hands started to shake as she slamed her empty glass against the counter of the bar, almost hard enough for it to break. He was looking at her through the mirror that they were both facing, but she didn't raise her sight to meet his. "How long before you start to believe what your black heart tells you? How long before you simply rip it right back out of your chest? Before you do just as your mother did?" At that, she finally turned around in defiant anger, but stumbled back slightly when she realized how close he was to her, her lower back digging into the bar.

"I'm better than my mother." Regina still had a strength and determination in her voice, that Gold knew she didn't believe.

"Better at pretending to be dearie. Smiling when they tell you to, shaking hands and kissing babies, but it won't last. Your blood is still hers." He watched fascinated, as red started to flood her eyes, all that fire and destruction he remembered fondly.

"Get out of my office, or so help me—" She snapped, standing up straight, her body almost brushing against his, but the Mayor didn't even notice as she was being baited farther and farther down by her mentor.

"Now, now, careful of those dark thoughts." Gold's finger pressed against the center of her forehead, like a bullet to her head. Regina was quick to smack his hand away and push him back roughly, only gaining a high pitch laugh from the older man. That only infuriated her even more, darkness clouding over her face, and Gold could feel the magic start to rise in her, the violent instinct about to come to a head. But he didn't want her violent, or even angry. He wanted her broken.

So with a quick move, he wrapped his hand in her hair, bringing her body against his, and kissing her fiercely. His tongue forced it's way inside her mouth, despite her small sounds of protests and the weak fists against his chest, she still opened up to him just as she always did.

Gold didn't waste time for her to become heavy headed enough to put her defenses back up, turning them around quickly so that he could push against the nearest wall. His body pinned hers in place, secured and helpless, and the passionate move made her quiver just a little.

Regina took in deep breaths when he released her lips, trailing his mouth along her jaw to bite and suck at the space behind her ear. There was mild notice taken that she was more reserved about his effect on her, more so than Zelena was. But still her back arched off the wall, and Gold's knee pushed between her legs, hands pulled her dress farther up her hips.

The former Queen suddenly was pulling him away from her neck by the collar of his suit jacket, forcing him to look at her.

"What about Belle?" She asked, with an almost sad tone, and he considered her curiously, remembering that she used to have more bitterness in her voice when it came to the librarian.

"This isn't about her." The former mentor pushed his thigh firmly against her, causing her eyes to flutter against her will, and hands grip at him a little tighter. "This is the part of ourselves that we don't let them see, isn't it?" Fingers moved past thigh highs, collecting the red material on it's way. "That darkness." Gold whispered against her parted lips, feeling her breath catch as he pushed his chest against hers. "I know you, dearie. You never have to hold back for me." The thin material of black lace got tangled in his strong grasp, as he ripped the mayors underwear off of her in a quick and violent action, one that Regina had to use all of her energy not to moan at, teeth biting harshly into her lip. "And neither do I." A dangerously dark smile crossed his face, one that brought back so many memories for both of them. But once his hand moved between her legs, to replace his thigh, she grabbed his wrist tightly in her hand.

"I've changed, Rumple." She whispered with no strength left in her words. "I have." She was trying to convince herself more than anything, that much was obvious to the Dark One. His smile never wavered.

"People don't change. They just get better at pretending." Then Gold's lips captured hers again, opening her mouth with his, causing her to whimper and shudder against him, but her meek protests didn't last much longer, as his fingers found purchase between her legs, delving into the wet heat that was all for him. Even he couldn't stop the growl that rose deep from within his chest. He always did have a bit of a weakness for this girl. Not as the mayor, or even as the Queen, but as that eager young woman that wanted only to please. She certainly pleased him, she was everything he ever expected her to be—a flawless failure.

It was a powerful addiction, that even the Dark One himself couldn't break from completely. She was a pliable doll, and still remained one of his favorite toys. It had been so long since he allowed himself to play.

Gold's other hand quickly undid the zipper on the back of her dress, as Regina's hips twitched and pushed against his fingers. She pulled at his jacket, desperately trying to rip it off his shoulders. Another growl from his mouth as he broke from hers, pulling away just enough to pull the jacket off his arms and tossed on the ground. He was quick to go back to her, pulling her dress down her arms, moving his lips along her chest as the red material pooled at her hips. Her fingers gripped his hair, as his hands pushed their way under the black bra, palms pressed against the peaks of her breasts, making her moan out at the feeling.

"You missed this, didn't you?" She gasped, but her voice was far too smug for Gold's liking, his head raising from the crook of her neck to look at her.

"Not as much as you, obviously." His fingers pinched and pulled against her nipples, making her arch of the wall, face twisted in pleasure and pain.

It was only seconds later that he had Regina at the front of her desk, a quick swipe of his hand and magic cleared off the surface. He grabbed the back of her thighs and lifted her to sit on the edge, which made her eyes scan down the length of his body.

"Don't be coy." She said with a smirk, hand trailing up his chest and around the back of his neck. Her lips pushed against his ear. "You've been hard for me since the minute you walked in here." A growl broke out of Gold's throat as she whispered her words that dripped with sex. Her nails scraped against the bulge in his pants, causing his hips to buck a bit against her hand. He always had a bit of a weakness for her. Gold pushed her dress higher up her hips, then pulled her thighs forward harshly, causing her to lose her balance, and lean back on her elbows.

The hands that were gripping her legs loosened, then gently ran up the inside of her thighs. He could see how wet she was for him already, and it really was a shame he hadn't done this sooner.

"Just admit it." She said, with only the very slightest hint of desperation and vulnerability in her tone. Anyone but him wouldn't have even noticed. He smirked, looking down at his fingers as two of them pushed their way inside her slowly, causing Regina to gasp. Gold's thumb moves back and forth against her bundle of nerves, faster and then slower, not settling on a rhythm.

"Why would I do that?" He asked softly, as his other hand moved to the buckle on his pants. Her hips jerked and shifted against his hand. "It would only give you more reason to hate me." The buckle was undone, and zipper pulled down, causing the former Queen to sit up at the sound, his fingers pushed farther inside her, and as he pulled himself free of his pants, she felt herself throb at the sight of him. "Poor little princess," Her eyes skirted away from him stroking himself, to look at Gold in light of the patronizing title. "Only wanting love, but never thinking you deserve it. So you push away their good intentions, their earnest smiles, and their happy endings…" He pulls his fingers out of her, making a sudden feeling of cold emptiness surround her, but quickly enough Gold distracted her by pushing the entire length of his cock into her with one thrust. She cried out slightly at the sudden invasion, hands gripped hard at his shoulders. "And it always leaves you here, alone and pleading for empty comfort." He continues, smirking at her. "That cold mother of yours raised you into quite the masochist." Red flashed in the Regina's eyes at the mention of Cora, but it meant very little as her body reacted so blatantly to him. Because this is what she wanted. She wanted him to break her open and dissect her insides, tearing her apart with such painful words—just as he had always done. It's all she knew of intimacy. It's the closest thing she had to love.

He pulled out of her slowly, pushing back in fast. Each time she felt reach a place inside her that she forgot was even there. Deeper and deeper, causing electricity to shoot through her at every thrust. Her hands slid away from his shoulders, as he went faster, not making a sound, because Regina was making enough for the both of them.

His thrust started to grow in strength, turning almost violent when it's intensity, and all Regina could do was try to breath. Try to hold onto the edge of the desk as she fell back, lying flat on the surface. A screeching sound started to echo in the room, as the legs of the desk started to slide across the floor inch by inch to match his hips. She'll be bruised by tomorrow, the thought just vaguely filtering in her head as she felt his hands grip her bare hips a little tighter. It didn't matter much to the former Queen anyway, because she was close—so close—and just a few more thrusts had her soft grunts turn into loud moans, and just a few more after that would have her flying over the edge. Just a few—

Suddenly, she felt him stop. So quickly and abruptly, the head of his penis just barely inside her entrance, and it took a few seconds for her to realize that everything became still. His fingers still dug into her upper thighs, stopping her from moving her hips, and Regina took in a few deep breaths that almost sounded like sobs.

He grabbed her arms and pulled her into a sitting position, and she complied dutifully, looking up at him with a dazed sort of pleading. Gold pushed inside her again, buried himself slowly, making her gasp at the burn. He kept his pace inside her slow, and it hurt but she also felt the heat start to grow again in the pit of her stomach. A quiet cry twisted Regina's features when Gold moved his hand between their bodies, moving steady circles against her clit. Slow and steady, his pace never faltered as he moved in and out of her.

His head dipped low, lips moving to her neck, and she accepted the generosity, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, fingers tangling in his hair.

"We can kill her together, you know." He whispered darkly in her ear, causing her to try opening her eyes, knowing that his voice held a danger to it—one that she would do well gaining some clarity on. "A courtesy given, considering she's your family and all." She couldn't focus though, shifting her hips to meet his. "You know you want to, almost as much as you want to come right now." One hard thrust knocked the air out of her, as he pulled her clit between his knuckles. She almost fell over the edge, she felt her body tense, but he was right there to bring her back, his hand removed from between them as he wrapped his fingers in her hair, jerking her focus back on him, his face close to hers. "For every time she beat you down like you were nothing but the muck under her boot." He moved faster inside her, but she couldn't really tell anymore, her nerves were already sparking at every touch and movement. "For every slight against your very existence." Her eyes started to darken along with his. "She was going to erase you like a bad mistake. She's the mistake though, isn't she?" A deep moan fell from her lips, as her eyes couldn't look away from his. Dark thoughts surfaced in her brain, one's of angry revenge, and pain and death and—God she hated them all—she hated herself. "We'll do it together…" Gold's words became more breathless and held a dark tone. "Take our time…" She couldn't speak, couldn't even manage to try. "Make her understand why we were so feared." She felt his lips brush hers, but didn't close the space, and she swore in that moment she saw a shine of gold back in his eyes, felt the coarse skin of the once Dark One under her hands. "You and I, my darling. Like it used to be." And years and years of memories flood into her brain, as he suddenly spoke to her with such kindness and understanding.

Regina kissed him then, in a show of utter stupidity, and it was a move that she regretted immediately, because she could sense the arrogant thoughts spinning in his head along with him smiling against her lips. He was manipulating her. He always manipulated her, but with a sharp tongue and quick thrusts, the former Queen was already falling into the darkness with him. She shook and bucked against him, as the orgasm ripped through her and she fell back onto the desk with a sharp cry.

And he did it on purpose, she knew he did, purposely waited until the euphoria faded, until she was almost clear headed enough to speak again before he finished inside her with a primal grunt. So she would know, she would remember clearly how low she had sunk—just as she always did.

Some moments passed, a slight whimper as he pulled out of her, and Regina knew she would have to get up and move, to make herself somewhat presentable, to try to salvage what was left of her dignity. But she could only manage to close her eyes tightly against the tears threatening to fall, not wanting to stand and realize that there was no dignity left. He took it all, just as he always did.

Regina heard the sound of his belt buckle being fastened, and it snapped her out of her haze slightly, sitting up on the desk and doing her best to pull down her dress, still not sure if her legs would support her standing yet.

"Well, dearie. I suppose I've had worse." He said with a cruel kind of glee, but she doesn't look up at him, head bowed and hands gripped tightly at the desk's edge. It made a twinge of guilt strike him, one he never used to feel for her. Gold's face fell, and he opened his mouth to take back to insult that he had no right to give, but she cut him off.

"Get out." She almost whispered it, her voice sounding hoarse. He expected what he always got with her, a thrown lamp at his direction, perhaps a fire ball or two, but it surprised him when no tantrum followed. Just; "Please."

He wanted her broken. That was what he got. Even though it didn't feel nearly as satisfying as it used to, he shook off the crawling on his skin.

"As you wish." Gold's words held no bite in them, as he turned from her and walked over to grab his jacket that was abandoned on the floor. A few quick brushes of stray lint on the sleeves, and he slid it back on.

"I want my dagger, Regina." He didn't look over at her, granting her that small favor, as he moved to walk out the door. There was a pause though, right before he left.

"The next time I ask, I won't nearly be as kind."