Regina raised a hand to cover her mouth, stifling her cough. King Leopold looked up from his lunch and peered at her thoughtfully.

"Are you feeling quite well, Regina? That cough has persisted for some days now, has it not?"

Lowering her hand once more, Regina plastered a simpering smile on her face.

"I'm sure that I am fine, my lord, but I am most grateful for your concern."

A dismissive nod, and then Leopold's attention was back with his food, his previous concern all but forgotten. Overcome with frustration and a very definite desire to cough again, Regina excused herself – did her so-called husband even notice? – and returned to her chambers, her feet feeling heavier with every step. Once there, she collapsed on her bed and let her coughing fit overtake her.

Regina had heard rumours amongst the servants about some terrible illness plaguing the land, beginning with the symptoms of a simple cold but rapidly changing into something much more life-threatening, and she was praying that her affliction was something else. Even if she did survive it, the mere thought of being bedridden for so long terrified her. Without being able to spend long afternoons riding or studying magic with Rumpelstiltskin, Regina wasn't sure how she would be able to bear the daily headache that was dealing with Snow White.

A knock on her door roused Regina from her thoughts. Sitting up and rearranging her dress – rumpled from her graceless fall onto the bed – she called out.

"Come in."

She regretted it immediately, of course, because when the door opened the face peering round it was that of her teenage step-daughter. Regina forced a smile, hoping that her disgust hadn't been too obvious.

"Snow? What are you doing here?"

"I heard you coughing while I was passing by. It really sounded rather awful, so I thought I should make sure that you were alright."

She's convinced that she is so good. Regina tried to resist the urge to scowl. Instead she opened her mouth to dismiss Snow with some pathetic excuse, but all that came out was more coughing.

"Oh!"

An almost comical look of surprise on her face, Snow glanced around the room. Upon finding a jug of water on a table, she ran over to it and fetched Regina a glass. She handed it to her with a worried look that Regina might have found heart-warming on anyone else, but she took the glass with a nod of thanks all the same. Once she had finished it and the scratching in her throat had receded a little, Snow refilled it and brought it back to her, before standing uneasily next to the bed.

"I heard… I heard my maidservants talking about a terrible illness amongst the peasants. You don't think that that's what you have, do you?"

Ugh. Don't remind me. Regina shook her head; even if she couldn't be sure, she didn't want to consider the possibility.

"I'm sure it's just a normal winter cold, and absolutely nothing to worry about. Now, shouldn't you be in your lessons at the moment?"

Anything to get rid of the brat, who went an amusing shade of red at the accusation.

"But what about you?"

"Me?" Regina frowned, genuinely confused as to what Snow was referring to.

"Well, even if you only have a cold, you should still be resting, shouldn't you?"

Regina took a moment to answer, surprised by the honest concern and just general sensibleness of the idea.

"…I suppose I should."

When Regina showed no sign of actually removing her dress and going to bed, however, Snow huffed impatiently.

"Must I do everything myself?"

Too busy laughing at the over-dramatic response, Regina was unable to stop Snow when she climbed up on the bed behind her and started unlacing her dress. After a second, she composed herself, trying not to think about the fact that her detested Snow White was in the process of undressing her.

"Really, dear, you don't need to bother. Run along to your lessons and I'll get one of the servants to help me."

Even if she couldn't see the pout on Snow's face, Regina know it was there.

"But I want to help you! You're my step-mother, so we should take care of each other."

"Snow…" A pang of guilt shot through Regina's heart at the genuine confession, but then Snow was climbing off the bed and pulling Regina up with her. As she stood, her dress fell to the floor, leaving Regina feeling far too exposed around her – she had to remind herself – enemy.

"Why don't you go fetch a nightgown from my closet while I take the rest of these clothes off?"

As Snow bounced happily to the other side of the room, a bitter struggle was raging in Regina's mind.

You're being far too familiar with her. You can't just let her get to you like this.

It's not a big deal… Couldn't you just call this me taking advantage of her disgusting kindness? Won't that work?

No! She's Snow White and you're enjoying the attention. You're going to regret this.

…So? I feel terrible. I don't care. I want someone to take care of me. I don't care if it's her.

When Snow returned, Regina took the nightgown with a smile and – her weaker side having won out – let the girl sit behind her and gently unbraid her hair. Eventually, she was lying in her bed while Snow tucked her in and felt her forehead.

"I've left you a glass of water right here on your bedside table, alright? So you just get some sleep and I promise I'll come check on you as soon as I've finished my lessons."

Regina mumbled her assent, sleep already pulling her into its reaches, and watched as Snow stood and let herself out of the room. Her eyes closed, and sleep took her.

Snow didn't come back.

When Regina woke, the sun had set and her room was shrouded in darkness. It wasn't hard, however, once her sleep-induced grogginess had worn off, to notice that she was completely alone. As the realisation sunk in, she laughed bitterly.

Really, what did I expect? Snow hardly has the best track record for keeping her word.

Even as she was thinking that, though, Regina caught the sound of rushing feet in the corridor. Curious – Leopold's palace was nothing if not orderly – she pulled her covers away and stood up. Pleased to find that she could support her weight, Regina pulled a dressing gown on and opened her door, looking in the direction the feet had gone.

The scene in the corridor was chaos.

Regina could just about see Snow's open door at other end, but it was mostly hidden by the crowd of servants moving in and out of the room with piles of cloths, jugs of water and other such inanities. Puzzled, Regina grabbed the first servant she reached.

"What on earth is all this fuss for?"

"Please, your majesty, the princess has fallen most ill. Gravely ill, or so the healers say."

As the servant run off with her bundle of herbs, Regina watched the chaos disbelievingly.

Snow is ill? Could it be what has been plaguing the peasants? But how?

She shook her head.

Gods only know where those servants have been. And why should it matter? I am finally to be rid of her. Maybe it would have been more satisfying to kill her myself, but… One should never look a gift horse in the mouth, after all.

Regina couldn't stop the small smile that spread across her face. Of course, once she realised it was there, she schooled her features into a more appropriate expression and strode to Snow's door with all the majesty of the queen she had become.

"Where is the king?"

"He left this afternoon to visit the neighbouring lords, your majesty. A rider was sent after him the moment the princess fell ill, but…"

Dismissing the servant with a wave of her hand, Regina finally entered Snow's room. One quick glance told her all she needed to know; the healers were huddled around their patient with terrified looks on their faces, and the servants were bumbling around uselessly. There was no hope for the poor, poor princess. Regina pulled herself up to her most imposing heights.

"Leave. All of you. This instant."

The healers turned to face her, a new look of terror crossing their faces. Regina found it rather satisfying.

"But, your majesty…"

"Are you actually doing anything to treat the princess right now?"

"No, but…"

"Well then, leave! Find your colleagues, study your books, find a way to treat her elsewhere. I wish to be alone with my step-daughter."

With tentative bows, they were gone. Only a few seconds later, so were the rest of the servants. Regina and Snow were alone.

"Finally."

Regina walked up to Snow's bed, watching as the girl – delirious with fever – tossed and turned.

"Finally, I will have my revenge."

She reached out and brushed Snow's hair from her face, almost lovingly.

"Everything I have lost because of you, everything you have taken from me will be repaid."

She trailed her hand down Snow's cheek.

"And it will be so very soon."

"Mo…"

Regina stilled, looking at the girl.

"Mother…"

"Yes, it always comes back to that, doesn't it? You wanted me to be your mother so much that you would take Daniel away from me. It was all in vain, of course."

She ripped her hand away, pleased by the fear on Snow's face when she did so. But almost immediately Snow had reached out and grabbed her hand again, pulling it in close to her.

"Don't go, mother, please. Don't leave me again."

Shocked, it took Regina a moment to gather wits and try to remove her hand again.

"Let me go, you little…"

"Please, mother, I'm scared. It hurts."

And then suddenly Regina wasn't in Snow's bedchamber, wasn't even in Leopold's palace; no, she was at her home, a young girl again, trapped in vines created by her mother's magic, unable to understand just what was so bad about playing with the children in the nearby village.

"Mother, please, let me go. It hurts."

But the vines remained, and now tears were streaming down Regina's face.

"Please, mother, I'm scared!"

Her own pained sob shocked Regina out of her recollection. Within seconds, her decision was made. Snow whimpered as she extracted her hand, but whispered reassurances – "I'll be right back, I promise" – pacified her. Regina walked to the other side of the room and steeled her nerves.

"Rumpelstiltskin."

"You called, dearie?" Like always, he was there in an instant, lounging against the back of an armchair.

"Save the girl."

The shock on his face would have been comical if the situation hadn't been so dire.

So he doesn't know everything.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said, save the girl. Help her. Heal her."

"You are aware that this is Snow White? You know, the girl that betrayed you to your mother and caused the death of your One True Love? You remember him, don't you? Daniel?"

"How could I ever forget?"

"Then surely this is what you want? The girl dies, you get your revenge, everyone's happy?"

"No."

Rumpelstiltskin raised a gold-tinged eyebrow. "Do elaborate."

Regina considered for a moment. Taking her hesitation as an unwillingness to answer, Rumpelstiltskin continued.

"Now, don't tell me she's grown on you?"

"No! She needs to know what she has done. She needs to suffer. She needs to die by my hand and my hand alone!" Regina's outburst left her breathless, although she couldn't quite tell what had angered her so much. Was it outrage at the suggestion that she had grown fond of Snow, or was it anger that her feelings had been noticed, that they might be real?

Either way…

"Now, are you going to heal her or not?"

"Everything has a price, dearie."

"Yes, yes, and I'll pay yours, whatever it is."

"Very well, then." Rumpelstiltskin glanced over at Snow and waved his hands showily, then turned back to his apprentice.

"That's it?"

"That it is. Anything that doesn't result in certain death is simple magic. You could have done it yourself, really."

"…Good. Alright. Thank you." Rumpelstiltskin already forgotten, Regina returned to Snow's bed and felt her forehead. Was it just her imagination, or had her fever gone down a little? With a flick of her wrist, Regina summoned a chair and sat in it, her fatigue and her emotions and the remnants of her own cold catching up to her. As she brought her head down to rest on the soft bed in front of her, her eyes were already closing.

Revenge can wait for one night, surely…