Regina walked down the stairs to her vault, methodically, almost mechanically. Her head held high, her legs straight. Perfect posture.
She breathed in deeply before taking the final step. The air smelled like death and peppermint. She understood the death part, that was easy, but where the hell did the peppermint come from.
She laughed. Like it mattered anyways. Because soon, it would be gone. The source of any smell, and sight, anything, would soon be gone. Last time she had cursed them to live forever in this realm, supposedly without happy endings. But the happy endings came, for everyone except her. Even Gold get's one, and he's the dark one. Or rather, he was the dark one. Now, he is stripped of all magic. Powerless. And she...Well, before she was powerful, but now... Well, now she could cast another world-destroying curse without so much as blinking.
It was simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying. The fear must be that pesky bit of humanity left within her.
She wasn't just the evil queen. No, the evil queen was nothing compared to what she was now. Nor was she just the dark one, if one could really be, just the dark one. She was a twisted creature, a being that should not be. Two of the greatest evils in all the worlds, combined. With all the knowledge, all the power, and all the darkness that accompanied them. Most likely mixed with insanity.
She raised her hand above her head, and after that, muscle memory guided her fingertips. She bent her fingers slowly, savoring the sensation that followed each and every movement. She relished in the magic building up within her. So much power at her beck and call. All she had to do was command, and just like that, it bent to the will of it's dark queen. Her every wish, her every desire, was simply waiting for her to move forward and claim it.
She was the one in charge. Every other living thing was simply a scurrying little creature. A tiny little insect not worth a second glance. After all, who really needed love when you had the darkness? Or, even better, why not just have both? She could pretend to still be good for her son, and then...Well, then it would be perfect, wouldn't it?
Robin Hood would have to go. He could go rot in hell. Or rather, he would go rot in hell. He would pay for leaving her. Even if it was for a so-called noble cause, his ideals conflicted with his desire for her. Therefore he was a threat to her reign, and all threats, no matter how pretty their face was, had to be eliminated. Now that she was the dark one, her so called soul-mate wasn't worth it. He could have her sister. He could take the scraps like the animal he was. Because now, she really was more powerful. Now, she could have everything, and more.
Already, she was in control of so many lives. So many hearts, just waiting for her to call them back into active duty. And she had a plan to use each and every one of them. The town would continue to hunt evil doers, but the stream would never end. Because she had more than enough hearts to bring down the entire state of Maine. Storybrooke would be beyond easy.
So why not start now?
She opened a random box, and smiled at the sight of the heart pulsating in front of her. She saw through the eyes of a young girl, 16 at most. So young to be made a monster. What a pity. She was almost able to care.
Then, her sights landed on an even younger girl, who looked to be around 13, and a plan began to form in her mind. She couldn't wait for the deaths to begin. But not today. No, if she began so soon after her...Metamorphosis, they would know she orchestrated it. She would have to be careful, and wait until another villain came out of the woodwork. Then, her plans could begin. Then, she could have her fun.
She put the heart back in the box, taking care to change the color of the metal to gold, from the silver it had been before. She didn't want to risk forgetting which heart she was currently using, did she?
A squeak from a rat on the floor interrupts her thoughts, and with a flick of her wrist, the rat is unable to move. She grins. Seeing as the real fun would have to wait, she could still have some play time.
She presses down on the rat, her heel acting as a spike, being driven right through the rodent's skull. Within a minute, the rat is dead. She uses magic to lift it into the air, right in front of her face. She took a deep breathe, savoring in the scent of the death she had just caused. She breathed in the scent of death like she had spent her entire life choking for air. Even as the evil queen, killing had never been quite this enjoyable. It was just another threat, another tool to be utilized when necessary. But now... It was something to be enjoyed.
It must have been the dark one, now residing inside of her.
She is once again taken out of her thoughts, this time by the sound of footsteps. They're female, but definitely a bit more masculine than your typical woman's. Boots. And a clear purpose for being there. It's Emma.
Emma, who had tried to stop her from attaining this wonderful power. Emma who probably thought she was saving her. Emma, who was gifted with powerful magic.
Regina Mills would not have been able to identify the person based solely on the sound of their footsteps before they even began descending the staircase. Of course, she was no longer merely Regina Mills. Now, she was also the dark one, with all the inhuman sensing capabilities than came with it. Why...If she had known how good it felt, she would have stabbed Rumple back when she was still married.
Better late than never, she supposed.
"Hello Emma" Regina, said, her voice taking a slightly higher pitch, almost a playful tone, than she was used to. But, the dark one in her told her that this would unnerve the woman. And that would please her, very much. So, she decided to try something new.
She nearly laughed when she sensed the hairs on the woman's neck standing up straight. Good, now she was alert. Too busy looking for something wrong to pay full attention to her own actions. Just how the dark one liked it. And Regina had a feeling that fighting the dark one wouldn't be a good idea.
"Regina" Emma said, gasping a little. "You just scared the shit out of me!"
"I do have a bit of a talent for that, don't I" Regina said with a smirk. "I'd offer you something to drink, but somehow I don't think you're much in the mood."
"I'll pass" Emma replied instantly. Even if she wasn't saying it, even if she was trying to hide it, there had to be some fear in there somewhere, right? The dark one in her couldn't wait to find it.
"What a pity. Now, do you care to tell me what on earth possessed you to go into my vault? My private sanctuary? Did you really think you'd make it out alive" the dark one hissed, for that was what this was, almost completely dark one now, because even with all it's power, the dark one was too impulsive to play chess. That was it's hosts job, in it's mind.
"To see if you were okay" Emma said, stepping forward.
"Did you really think that I wouldn't be" the dark one questioned, actually curious. Was the savior really that stupid?
"No. But, it sounds better than 'Hey, I came to make sure you weren't murdering anyone' " Emma said with a shrug. "Not that I thought you'd do that. You fought your demons before, and you're going to fight this one too."
"You mean, I tried to fit your definition of perfect? Your definition of good? I'm sorry, but I don't play by those rules anymore. I have my own" Regina said, once more a perfect blend between her darker self and the Dark One. Their two voices mingling inside her mind simultaneously, though only Regina's ever spoke.
"Jesus Christ Regina. I thought we went over this. We weren't asking you to be perfect. We were asking you not to be a psychopath" Emma said, clearly in a bad mood. What a pity. She was looking forward to winding the blonde up herself.
"I am many things dear, but a psychopath is not one of them" Regina said, suddenly feeling an odd desire to let her go. She'd come back, but maybe that was a good thing. Maybe this entire conversation was a good thing, if she were to just get it to...Change a little. Just letting the blonde go would be proof that she could be 'saved. As if she really needed saving from something that made her feel so good, so...Alive.
"Tell that to your body count" Emma grumbled, shuffling from foot to foot. "Come on Regina...For Henry" she said, pleading again. Regina tilted her head curiously, and manipulated her face to pretend to have a change of heart. She found the blonde to be rather...Attractive while she was begging. Regina would definitely have to see that again, but not now, some other time perhaps.
"You're right. Henry...I nearly forgot about him completely. It's...So hard, to fight it. It's just whispering thoughts of 'kill,kill, kill' in my mind. You have to help me" Regina said, pretending to plead as well. Pretending that she wanted to fight the call of darkness. For someone who was supposed to be a hardened bailbondswoman turned small-town sheriff, she was quite easy to manipulate. It was disappointing really.
When the game was rigged in your favor, you might as well have some mild resistance. It made it that much more entertaining.
"Cut the crap Regina. I know you're in there. But that...I know you, and what you're saying, that isn't you" Emma said, even more frustration building within her.
"You're right. It isn't me. Because, my dear, it isn't just me in this little head anymore. There are two of us, spinning around, slowly driving each other mad. Well..Madder" Regina said with a grin and a cackle.
"Is that all" Emma said, suddenly acting rather bored. And every human instinct inside Regina was saying that it had to be another trap, but then the dark one inside her was saying that it wasn't. The savior was genuinely bored with her and her games.
Suddenly, they got a lot more boring for her as well.
"Because you're my son's other mother, and I know he'll never forgive me if I kill you" Regina said, making sure to add an extra dose of humanity into her words "so I'll let you leave alive. But..." at this a glint appears in her eyes. "You're mine if you come back."
"I will save you Regina" Emma said, before she walked back up the stairs, her steps even harder than before.
Once Emma could no longer hear them, Regina and the dark one laughed simultaneously. As if they could really be saved.
Author's Note: First off, I don't own anything. Secondly, I'm going to try my best to update regularly, but I can't promise anything, and third, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! This is slow burn swan queen, and by slow burn, I mean slower than burning wood that was just in a thunderstorm kind of slow burn. But, I can promise a happy ending for both of our lovely ladies, after some angst, magical fights, drama, more angst, and conflicted feelings.
Feel free to review, they are much appreciated, and I'm quite curious about your opinions on the story thus far.