The Vampire and the Beast. Part 2.
Chapter 1: Dreams Vs Reality
000
"You don't have to do this! Any of this!" a woman was screaming.
Jennifer's eyes were blood shot, the bright yellow becoming clouded in rage. Her nose became a bat's snout, her teeth were jagged and sharp; the incisors lengthening to fangs. Jennifer watched the young woman huddle her body against a wall, her eyes widening when she saw large batty wings ripping through Jennifer's back, tearing her long black dress. Jennifer laughed wickedly, the sound traveling for miles as she cornered the woman against a building.
"I'm sorry, Jennifer! I'M SORRY!"
"Pretty little Snow," Jennifer breathed darkly, her voice eerily honey sweet. She licked her lips, the tongue folding out of her mouth like a snake's tongue, split down the middle as it slithered around Snow White's beautiful pale column of her neck. "You hurt me. You took away my happy ending. You took away what I loved. And now..."
Jennifer's mouth stretched into an ear-to-ear grin with all of her large teeth showing as the monster grinned largely at Snow White who held an infant in her hands, cradling it from the dangers before her. Jennifer touched Snow White's face with her clawed hands, whispering, "Now I will take away something you love."
"LEAVE MY DAUGHTER ALONE! Please.." Snow begged. "Please, please...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...please don't hurt her...I'm begging you."
"Sorry," Jennifer responded, smirking. She snatched the baby by the foot, dangling it in front of its screaming mother as she said, "All...out...of mercy..."
Snow White shrieked in pain and devastation as Jennifer's jaws snapped, and falling to the mother's feet were two halves of the baby.
"NOOOO!" Snow White cried. "NOOOO! How could you! You're a monster! You're vile! How could you do this, how!"
Jennifer transformed back into the human form she was accustomed to using, and the blood ran from her mouth down the collar of her blue dress, making the color more violet than cerulean. Snow White was bowed on her knees, weeping.
"No person would do this...evil...wicked...monster." Snow White whispered. She looked up at Jennifer, her eyes swimming in tears, but they were just as furious.
"Evil isn't born." Jennifer whispered. "It's made."
Snow White, having always been the one capable of forgiveness despite her own personal anguish said in an attempt of understanding,"It's not too late, Jennifer. It's not. You can change."
"I can," Jennifer agreed.
Snow White sadly looked down at the baby, then when she saw Jennifer's eyes glowing yellow, fear gripped her heart.
"I just don't want to." Jennifer growled. Then, with her hands on Snow White's shoulders, she ripped her in half.
"NOO!"
Jennifer sat up suddenly, knocking the covers away. Beads of sweat rolled down her face, matting her shoulder-length black hair against her neck and forehead. Her entire body was shaking; she felt the silk of her pink night slip become uncomfortably sticky with sweat. Jennifer's chest rose and fell in a panic.
A man, who'd lied next to her in the bed, sat up when hearing Jennifer's cries. Jennifer looked at him, her fear slowly leaving as his hands touched her shoulder, a soft touch to let her know she was fine.
Her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the bedroom. When they did, she saw her husband looking at her, a great deal of concern on his face but he seemed to already have assessed the problem. Jennifer exhaled deeply, knowing she was safe. She smiled a little when she noticed her husband was lying in bed with her, wearing nothing but his pajama pants. He pulled her to him, his fingers combing through her hair to calm his beautiful wife.
"It was just a nightmare," Gold whispered to her, his voice soft and light.
Jennifer put her arms around him and he lowered the both of them back to the bed. She didn't feel in the mood to discuss this nightmare that she had for as long as she could remember. There was something about nightmares she could always detect—they were terrible, and they had the ability to make an adult feel just as small as a child. Jennifer knew this was not a nightmare. What scared her was not the monster she became to a kill a princess named Snow White—she expected to feel horror and remorse. For every time she had the dream and ripped both the baby and its mother in two, Jennifer enjoyed it more and more.
And because of that, Jennifer was afraid.
000
The restful sleep that came after was gratifying; Jennifer woke to her natural alarm clock, feeling the sunlight warming her face. She was lying on her front; turning on her back, she glanced to see that her husband, Mr. Gold, was already up—per the empty space beside her—as usual. She sighed deeply, remembering the terrible dream from last night but she always came to the same conclusion: damn junk food...or something along the lines of it.
Sitting up, Jennifer glanced at her hands, remembering them to be claws in the dream. Seeing her wedding band, she smiled, thinking of Gold. Touching the band endearingly, her worries of the nightly nightmare seemed to leave her. The band itself was black with red swirls moving through it; on the top and center was a red diamond, something the jewelers called a 'Sun's Kiss'. Jennifer figured it was a name christened for its beauty, like the 'Heart of the Ocean'. Turning the band on her finger, she sighed.
No more bad dreams.
It was time to start the day.
Jennifer pulled herself out of the king-sized bed, folding the black comforters back as she creased the fold. She moved to the wardrobe, opening the doors and pulled out a deep blue dress, which would set just off her shoulders and show off her calves. Pulling off the night slip and stepping into the dress, Jennifer heard a knock on the door.
"You know you can just come in, Darling," Jennifer said as she selected a pair of heels and sat on the bed; entering the room was her husband, Mr. Gold, who smiled at her. He walked in, using his black cane for usual support against his limp, which he'd gotten years ago although Jennifer seemed to forget how. Gold dressed in the manner similar to how he lived—stylishly. Wearing a three-piece suit—black and red themed for today—he always looked so debonair and Jennifer could hardly turn away as he stood in front of her. Wordlessly, he moved to her wardrobe, bending at the waist to select a pair of black, open-toed heels, and placed them in front of Jennifer.
"Don't like the white ones?" Jennifer guessed.
"Oh I do," he said in a smooth voice which always made Jennifer's skin crawl pleasurably, "but I like these better."
Jennifer shrugged, and she kicked the white ones she'd selected aside. Standing, she stepped into the pair he preferred, and Gold smirked at her.
"Black dress, black heels—seems a little dark, don't you think?" Jennifer questioned.
He put his arm around her waist, and surprised her with a sweet kiss that lasted a little longer than most.
Gold uttered softly, "Darkness looks best on you, Jennifer."
Jennifer giggled when he kissed her again. As usual, the simple kisses always became the most addicting and what had started out as a simple few good morning pecks became passionate ones. Jennifer wrapped her arms around his neck, and quite easily, pulled him to her, then side-stepping so he 'accidentally' landed on the bed instead. He chuckled, having expected this from her.
"You realize it's time to open the shop," Gold reminded.
"The shop can wait. I, on the other hand," Jennifer whispered breathlessly as she began undoing his tie and then his pants, "can not."
"Right now?" Gold asked curiously.
"Yes. I want you right now." Jennifer growled, pulling up her dress and sliding her red lacy underwear down her pale legs. Feeling her soft flesh now akin to his (for she had quickly undressed him just enough for the purpose she wanted), Gold could hardly argue with her.
"As you wish," Gold told her.
Jennifer's laugh that emitted from her as he flipped positions was animatedly dark, but it resounded well with his entire being. This woman he married years ago (for they'd been married as long as he could remember) still maintained her youthful appearance, allowing people to think she was eighteen when really, she was nearly middle-aged, like himself. Her low voice that demanded he spare her no gentle strokes, to make her feel every single thrust baited his entire body; her eyes, like sapphires, would gaze at him and, unknowingly, he would become lost to her every command.
When she wriggled underneath in her scheming attempt to 'get away', she was dangling the bait. And while he could wean off the inane feeling to rip off her clothes and bury himself so deep inside of her that she would be sore for days, he managed to keep a level head as he took her in a way that was pleasurable for both of them.
She begged for release, for his permission to feel the crashing of waves, to feel it engulf every sense, and when Gold finally could restrain himself no longer, he would grant her that easement. They fell into a pool of elation and satisfaction, both exhaling moans of pent-up anticipation, their chests rising and falling quickly in attempt to catch their breath. A morning worth living over and over again.
000
Jennifer was making breakfast when Gold had come down the stairs, having fixed himself up and straightened his suit and tie from the morning's escapade. Jennifer was cooking ham and eggs...well, eggs anyway. The ham was sitting on a plate, raw as the day it had become from the animal, and Jennifer was taking little forkful pieces of it in her mouth as she made the eggs. Gold approached quietly from behind her, and leaned against the counter, watching her do a little jig as she flipped the eggs, stirring in cheese, salt, and fried bacon.
"Do you want an omelet before you leave?" asked Jennifer. Gold looked a little taken aback; smirking at him, she said, "I have an incredible sense of hearing; you know that, Love."
"I do," Gold admitted. He couldn't sneak anywhere in the house; she could hear him coming a mile away...sometimes, he wondered if she literally could. Like her hearing, she always had an incredible perception of sight, and with those senses came an unusual amount of strength. Jennifer was short and petite, but she was a lot stronger than one could have guessed.
Watching her eat another piece of raw ham, Gold shook his head.
"I will never know why you eat meat raw—rare, I can understand." Gold stated.
"I like it for some reason," Jennifer returned. "Tastes better this way."
"I hear it can make a person sick," Gold reminded.
"And I have been doing it for years and yet..." said Jennifer, proving a point.
Gold stepped behind her, wrapping his free arm around her stomach. She leaned back against his chest, turning her head so when they both tilted their heads slightly to the side, their lips touched in a soft, sensual kiss. Jennifer felt her libido stirring again, but she ignored it—Gold was already late for opening the shop.
"Did you have that same dream again last night?" Gold asked curiously, considering eating that omelet; she gave him a plate, sliding a bacon-and-cheese omelet onto it, then giving him a fork. He took his place at the table in the kitchen.
"Same one as always," she said.
"It's strange you can have a terrible nightmare one night and then..." Gold began.
Jennifer finished the sentence for him, saying, "And be ready to fuck you the next morning?"
Gold smiled at her turn of phrase—but he knew she had no filter. She was as blatantly honest as they come, but her straight talk was one of the many reasons he had fallen in love with her so quickly and so madly in love—not to mention her odd sense of humor.
"Yes," said Gold.
"I don't know; it's weird to me too." Jennifer uttered, placing the frying pan and spatula into the sink. "But in the dream, I'm never afraid."
This was the first time hearing this part of the dream assessment for Gold, so he looked at her curiously. Jennifer sat at the table with him, eating the raw ham with the fork. Gold could have lost his appetite just now if this was the first time seeing her eat it, but—as with many things—he couldn't remember a time when she wasn't eating raw meat. It was just another quirk of hers that—with time—he had gotten used to and just another thing he had come to adore.
Jennifer was not common. And, that, he liked.
"You're ripping a woman and her baby in half," Gold said slowly. "And that doesn't terrify you?"
"No...I mean, I thought it would...It might." Jennifer muttered uncertainly. "In the dream, I enjoy it. I love it, even. And then, I wake up and I'm just..." She shrugged, saying, "I wouldn't feel so terrible about it if I didn't recognize her."
"Who?"
"The woman," said Jennifer softly.
Gold finished his omelet, wiping his mouth with a napkin. He leaned forward, noticing the expression on her face.
"Who's the woman?"
"Mary Margaret Blanchard—the teacher," Jennifer answered quietly.
Gold sat back, saying, "That doesn't surprise me. You have a dream about someone you don't particularly like."
"But it's not her," Jennifer returned. "She's not Blanchard in my dream."
Gold was intrigued, saying, "Really?"
"Really—she's Snow White."
"The princess?" Gold inquired, genuinely amused.
"And she has a daughter," Jennifer said, trying to remember her dream but like with everything anyone dreamed, after some time it had passed, it just seemed one big blur.
"Snow White has a daughter," Gold stated, even more amused. He stood with his cane and placed his plate in the sink with the other dishes. "Your dreams have always been an interest to me."
"My dreams are vivid," she returned unhappily. "They feel more realistic than I care to admit."
Gold could see that she was deeply concerned. She stood to do the dishes, but as she moved past him to the sink, he took her hands in his so she was caught in mid-step, having to turn to him instead. She was about to say that she needed to do the dishes before she became distracted by something, but Gold's brown eyes caught the uncertain worried sapphire stones in his gaze.
"You say you're a vampire in these dreams of yours," Gold told her.
"'Dream'. I only have this one. Over and over again," Jennifer reminded. "And yes—I'm a vampire. In the dream, I just feel..." She struggled with the word and finally found one: "Vengeful."
"You don't like Blanchard," Gold told her factually. "That doesn't mean you'd want to kill her."
"True," Jennifer replied, "But in the dream, I wanted her to pay. I wanted to make her suffer, to feel something that I had been through. Darling, these feelings were so real."
"Dreams can do that," Gold rationalized.
Jennifer smiled, saying, "I know these dreams are not real. I know it."
"There's no need to be frightened then, if you know they're not real." Gold said.
"But that's just it." Jennifer said quietly. "I'm not frightened in these dreams. I'm happy. And when I wake up, I don't feel scared or threatened." She smiled weakly: "I feel like I have done something I have wanted to do my entire life and I feel so good after that...that..."
"That you can make love to your husband who is more than happy to participate," Gold finished humorously.
Jennifer gave him a look, and he chuckled.
"It doesn't surprise me you'd enjoy such a dream," Gold told her, placing a hand underneath her chin, his fingertips grazing her lower jaw. "All the horror movies you spend your time watching—I'd be surprised if you were not having them."
"Watching a horror movie and being a monster are two different things," Jennifer pointed out.
"You're not a monster." Gold reasoned.
"I don't know," said Jennifer, cracking a smile. "I'm known in Storybrooke to have a dark, twisted sense of humor."
Gold smiled at her, saying, "You're in luck."
"Why?"
"It's one of the things that keep me interested," Gold told her.
"One of many," Jennifer clarified.
"Of course," Gold responded; he closed the distance between them and their kiss was just as soft and sensual as it had started out this morning.
When she returned it, cornering him against the kitchen counters; Gold felt as though he was being pulled into another distraction, and he forced himself to pull away. Jennifer simply smiled at him mischievously, her eyes narrowing knowingly. Breathless from the excursion of another furious battle behind Jennifer's lips, Gold smiled at her apologetically, but his eyes simply watched her with a wanton expression.
"I really...have to go," Gold told her.
Jennifer nodded with understanding. She walked him to the door, and before he left, he caressed one side of her face.
"Think nothing of these dreams, Jennifer," he said.
"And what if they became real?" Jennifer asked softly.
He kissed her bottom lip, inwardly damning his brain to having done so because the kiss that returned to him was so intoxicating, he felt as though he had to literally rip himself away fromher so he could get to the shop on time. Gold told her, "They're not."
"But what if they are?" asked Jennifer, smiling. "I think—in a sense—being a vampire would have its advantages."
Gold found her theories to be amusing; she dwelled in the fascination of the macabre and fantastical; she read enough fictional books involving murder, vampires, and dark magic to last an entire lifetime of imagination.
Jennifer said sweetly, "I love you, darling."
"I love you too, Jennifer."
"Will you come back this afternoon for dinner?" Asked Jennifer as he started down the sidewalk.
"Of course. I'll be back. I'll always come back." Gold told her.
Jennifer beamed, waving at him. He winked at her, then got into his Cadillac and drove to work.
000
Jennifer stepped out of her dress and heels, throwing on matching blue tank-top and shorts. She tied the laces of her tennis shoes and pulled back her long hair in a high ponytail. She and Gold had lunch around one o'clock in the afternoon and afterwards, she went for a jog. Her route was always the same. She'd jog from the two-story house and throughout the streets of Storybrooke, then her jog would steadily become difficult as she would tread through the woods; her runs always went around in a circular route so when she bypassed the docks, she ended up at Granny's; as always, when the hour had passed, she was sweating, her hair would mat to her forehead, and the sweat would glimmer in the sunlight. As she made her circle to Granny's diner, she always would order an iced tea and a very rare burger.
Jennifer sat in a booth, thanking Granny for the menu although Granny always answered with a grunt. Jennifer simply shrugged it off; for some reason she could never understand, Granny and her beautiful granddaughter, Ruby, never seemed to appreciate her patronage. If she was simply a nobody, they might have kicked her out a long time ago for simply existing but being married to the owner of Storybrooke seemed to pay off in more ways than one..
"What'll you have?" voiced the flat tones of Ruby, who stood at the table, looking at Jennifer as though she was a bug that needed to be squished.
"A waitress with a better personality," Jennifer mused, smirking when Ruby simply glared at her in return.
"Why do you come here?" asked Ruby unhappily. "You ask for a menu, then you order the same thing."
"I'm not the only one that does it," Jennifer reminded. "A lot of people do that."
"But you..."
"Ruby!" Granny called from behind the counter.
Ruby and Jennifer looked in her direction; Granny was shaking her head to Ruby, probably reminding her nonverbally that the customer 'was always right' and they didn't need to be needlessly bothered. Especially when she was married to the man to whom they owed this month's rent. Ruby looked at Jennifer, who scowled right back at her. Scathingly, Ruby sighed and walked to take the order from someone else. Caring little about what Ruby or her granny thought, Jennifer simply went back to looking at the menu.
Jennifer could ignore what people thought of her. She looked like she was eighteen years old, married to a man that could have been the age of her father. That seemed to spark a lot of crap between her and the many people of Storybrooke but they never said anything...at least not to her face. The rumors that spread were humorous; Gold had supposedly taken Jennifer to be his bride and when her parents had passionately refuted the marriage, Gold had done something terrible to the both of them. Being as powerful as he was, Gold was never arrested for Jennifer's parents' disappearance. Jennifer, however, never volunteered any information about her missing parents, and—to the townspeople—seemed to care less about them.
What really happened was that Jennifer and Gold were very much in love and her parents had long ago decided Jennifer was a waste of time. They cut their losses and stopped talking to her; and she had made little effort to reconnect with her mother...not even when she found out her father died from a heart attack.
"They don't like you much, do they?"
Jennifer looked up quickly to see Henry sitting in another booth across from her, standing on his knees and facing her direction.
Henry Mills—the ten year old son of Mayor Regina Mills. He was a cute kid, sweet too. It was hard to believe he lived under the roof of such a strict woman. Many people feared Mayor Mills; she could be so intimidating at times and while Jennifer had her fill of moments with her, she had always kind of admired that skill. It was hard to make an entire town fear you.
"Henry..." Jennifer voiced. She watched Henry plop down in the seat in front of her. "Aren't you supposed to be at school?"
"It's Saturday."
Jennifer nodded. That explained a lot.
"So where's your mother?" asked Jennifer, looking at the menu.
"Working."
"At the Town Hall?"
"Yeah."
"And what is she working on?"
Henry shrugged, saying, "No idea."
"Shouldn't you be at home, then?"
"I like it here," Henry told her. "The food's great."
"If you say so."
"You don't like it, do you?" Henry said, knowingly. He watched Ruby come by with a very rare hamburger on a blood-soaked bun, her face twisted in disgust as she also set an iced tea in front of Jennifer.
Ruby saw Henry, and said, "Do you want anything?"
"Nah—I'm just here to talk to her." He said, gesturing to Jennifer, who looked at Henry, surprised.
Ruby looked at Jennifer resentfully again, then left in her little booty shorts to talk to some boy named Billy. Jennifer glared after her then returned to her burger. The look of disgust on Henry's face amused her.
"So what do you want to talk about, Henry?" asked Jennifer. "You don't ever talk to me."
"That's not true." Henry called her on it. "I talk to you a lot more than what most other people do."
"Touche," Jennifer responded.
Henry was an outgoing little boy, very independent. While most acted towards Jennifer in the similar manner as Ruby and Granny, it was mostly because of her association with Mr. Gold. Mr. Gold wanted his payment on the day the rent was due and wanted it paid in full. If he didn't get his payment, then something had to be taken in collateral. Some people thought this was unfair, but Jennifer was never the one to complain to—in her opinion: if a a deal was made, involving contracts and accurately informed decisions, the person who couldn't do their part simply lucked out.
"Ruby and Granny don't like you here." Henry observed.
"Figured that one out all by yourself, huh?" Jennifer responded. She bit into her burger and sighed happily. She touched her chin with a napkin when some of it got away from her.
Henry said pointedly, "It's not because of Mr. Gold. I don't think so anyway."
"Oh really?" Jennifer asked.
"Yeah," Henry said. "It's because you're a vampire."
Jennifer nearly choked on her food, and coughed harshly into a napkin as some of it went down the wrong pipe. Her face changed to a slighted shade of pink and Henry looked surprised, and a little concerned. Jennifer warranted the eyes of a few who looked genuinely concerned—obviously, not everyone got up at once but Jennifer was fine as sighed deeply, having nearly lost her ability to breathe.
"Are you okay?" Henry asked.
Jennifer said hoarsely, "I'm fine."
"Well..." Henry began, taking caution this time in any case it happened again, "Ruby and Granny...they don't like you because you're a vampire."
"I'm not a vampire."
"But you were. You just don't remember," Henry said casually.
Jennifer smiled, saying, "I would remember being one, wouldn't I?"
"You'd think so," Henry said, smiling secretively. "Ruby and Granny—they're Red Riding Hood and the little grandmother that gets eaten by the wolf."
"Wolves and Vampires—classic folklore rivalry," Jennifer uttered. "But Red Riding Hood and the little granny should be on my side then, right? If the wolf..."
"They're the wolves," Henry corrected.
Jennifer chuckled saying, "Ruby is a wolf."
"Werewolf." Henry corrected again. "And that's why they don't like you. They can tell you're a vampire."
"Henry," Jennifer began, "Werewolves and Vampires don't exist."
"But it makes sense," said Henry. "You go out running all the time. I see you run for hours but you never tan."
Jennifer shrugged, saying, "I don't have the skin for it. And if I was a vampire, would I not burst into flames? I've seen all the movies, read all the books. Wouldn't I have burst into flames by now?"
Henry shrugged saying, "I thought that too, but I guess not."
"Where are you getting these theories?" Jennifer asked, taking another bite.
"A book."
"What book?"
Henry said kindly, "Sorry—not telling."
"Fine. Keep your secrets," Jennifer said, laughing a little. "But you've got a wild imagination brewing in that head of yours. Does the Mayor know I'm a vampire?" She might as well fuel the kid's imagination; he wouldn't be a kid forever.
"I think so."
"I should be staked by now then, right?" Jennifer humored him.
"No. She's the Evil Queen; she wants you alive." Henry returned.
Jennifer stared at Henry incredulously.
"What?"
"She's the Evil..."
"I heard you the first time," said Jennifer, waving her hand at him. She said slowly, "You're being serious...aren't you?"
Henry shrugged, saying, "It makes sense, Mrs. Gold. I mean, look at the facts."
Jennifer finished her burger, licking her lips then drank the rest of her iced tea.
"That bite on your neck," Henry said, pointing at the small gray marks on Jennifer's jugular, "Those were made from a vampire."
"They've been there as long as I can remember," said Jennifer.
"And you eat hamburgers cooked rare," Henry continued.
Jennifer sat back in her seat, saying, "I like them this way."
"And you don't tan."
"I told you I don't have the skin for it."
"And you're beautiful." Henry told her.
Jennifer grinned broadly.
"You're sweet, kid," Jennifer said smoothly. "And flattery will get you far, but it won't convince me that I am a vampire."
"No, I mean, you're beautiful in an unusual way," Henry said. "You make people look at you without them knowing and you look eighteen when you haven't been eighteen in a while."
"Good genetics," Jennifer reasoned.
Henry shook his head, saying, "You're just as in denial as the rest of them."
Jennifer furrowed her eyebrows at him curiously, but she simply watched him stand to his feet, throw on his backpack, and then walk out of the diner. The kid had a wild imagination—no doubt about that. Jennifer reached into the pocket of her shorts and as she stood to her feet, Jennifer felt a few people looking at her. When she glanced a little to the left, she saw several men watching her as though they were entranced. Slowly, she placed a twenty on the table—paying for her meal, and a 10 dollar tip for the waitress...who apparently was a werewolf.
Ruby brushed past her rudely, but Jennifer didn't acknowledge it.
She went for a walk down the road and passed the school. She scowled, thinking of the teacher crassly, but her attention was divided when she walked right into someone. She apologized distractedly, then focused her attention, seeing Mayor Mills. The woman had a sense of fashion, and the cold brown eyes reflecting back gave Jennifer the sense that she was a little disgruntled for the day.
"I'm sorry," Jennifer apologized gently.
"You should be." Regina returned coolly.
"Well," said Jennifer smoothly, "I am."
She began to walk away, but Regina said, "Mrs. Gold?"
Jennifer turned on her heel, looking at her.
"Yes, Madam Mayor?"
Regina looked a little uncertain as she said, "Have you seen my son?"
"He was at the diner earlier," Jennifer informed.
"You talked to him?" asked Regina—Jennifer could practically see the protective mother barrier climbing up.
Jennifer said politely, "He talked to me."
Regina looked at Jennifer curiously. Jennifer knew why. Not a lot of people went out of their way to speak to Jennifer. Because of her association with Gold, she was untouchable and because she was untouchable, they always thought she was not an amiable person. She was a personable being with much to talk about, but her interests made a lot of people uncomfortable.
The movies she watched, the creepy, disturbing books she had been seen reading made a lot of people uneasy. Aside from Henry and her husband, Jennifer had very few friends.
"I sure hope he wasn't rude," said Regina, folding her hands in front of her.
"He says what's on his mind," said Jennifer politely. "That's always a good thing."
"What was on his mind?" Regina questioned.
"A lot of things," said Jennifer. "He has a wild imagination."
Regina seemed to click with what had been discussed for laughed, "Oh no. Who does he think you are?"
"I'm sorry?"
Regina smirked, stepping towards her.
"He thinks I am the Evil Queen," said Regina, looking as though this was absolutely ridiculous—although she seemed pretty flattered by it. Humored (obviously), Regina said, "Who does he think you are?"
Jennifer shrugged, saying, "Not a 'who', Madam Mayor. A 'what'."
Regina waited for the answer.
Jennifer said, smiling, "He thinks I am a vampire."
Regina suddenly frowned.
"Doubt it though," Jennifer told her, shaking her head. Regina approved of this answer for whatever reason for she smiled happily—whatever suspicions she had of Jennifer were wiped clean from her mind.
"Kids have wild imaginations, don't they?" Regina chuckled.
"We all did at one point," Jennifer offered. "But I think it's nice to dream of a magical land."
Regina said carefully, "I don't know, Mrs. Gold. I think magic can be dark."
Jennifer smirked, saying, "What's life without a little darkness?"
Regina looked at her as though trying to size her up but whatever Regina saw in Jennifer made the mayor smile widely. Just as they were getting into that little conversation, Jennifer felt someone roughly brush against her shoulder. Regina and Jennifer saw Mary Margaret look suddenly disoriented.
"Oh my god," Mary Margaret said quickly, "I am so sorry."
Jennifer suddenly thought of her dream. Something triggered an impulse and a lack of it followed all the way through. Regina's eyes widened, her eyebrows arching as she watched, impressed, as Jennifer punched Mary Margaret square in the jaw. The school teacher went down, and stared at Jennifer incredulously—and a little hurt.
Regina put a hand over her mouth, hiding the smile that tugged on her lips as Mary Margaret stood to her feet, still too shocked to speak. At some point, she found her voice.
"Why did you do that?"
Jennifer narrowed her eyes at her, saying, "You know why."
"I...I don't."
"Really?" Jennifer retorted. She said darkly, "Stop talking about me behind my back."
"I didn't..." Mary Margaret whispered.
"And stop lying to my face," Jennifer said. "I've heard you telling teachers that I am standoffish and cold."
"I've told them you can be a hard woman to talk to." Mary Margaret said quietly. "And your humor can be a little...well...dark."
Jennifer frowned, saying, "Think about me in any way you want, Miss Blanchard, but stop talking behind my back. You can stand there in your little happy-world dress and tell the children and the teachers that I don't have a personality and laugh behind my back—but I have exceptional hearing. And you..."She pointed at Mary Margaret, "are not the perfect snow-white happy doe you think you are."
Regina was grinning widely as Mary Margaret stared at Jennifer, clearly intimidated as Jennifer's eyes stared unblinkingly at her. Mary Margaret apologized quickly and then left in a quick stride, not looking back. Jennifer brushed herself off, looking at Regina.
"I'm sorry about that," said Jennifer, shaking her head. "I get tired of people pretending they're so sweet and innocent when really they're not better than me. Fucking hypocrites."
Regina was still grinning and she put an arm around Jennifer, saying, "You know, I don't think you're a hard woman to talk to at all. How about we go to Granny's, get more acquainted..."
"I don't really think I should," Jennifer said pointedly. "Henry tells me there are werewolves than run the diner and they don't like me."
Regina chuckled, "Oh, right. Because you're a 'vampire'.
"Henry has a wild imagination, for sure." Jennifer said, smiling brightly. "I have to cut him some slack though; after the dreams I've been having, I guess I should let myimagination run wild for once."
Regina chuckled saying, "What dreams?"
"Just the ones I have been having as a vampire," Jennifer answered carelessly.
"Really?"
"Yeah," said Jennifer. She giggled, "It gets pretty disturbing at the end."
"How so?"
Jennifer said, "I kill Snow White."
Regina stared at her. A large grin suddenly appeared and Regina patted Jennifer's shoulder saying, "That does sound like an interesting dream. I'd be interested in hearing it and from the sound of it, you sound like you could use a drink. How about my place?"
"Really?" Jennifer asked.
"Why not," said Regina. "You seem like an easy person to talk to and obviously, my son thinks so as well."
"Sounds like a good idea." Jennifer said, "Thank you, Madam Mayor. Oh wait..." she giggled, adding with a curtsy that was all too well rehearsed, "Your Majesty."
Regina laughed, offering her arm to Jennifer, who linked it with hers. They walked down the street to Mayor Mill's manor. Regina grinned broadly, as did Jennifer.
"I think it's important to have friends in Storybrooke," Regina told Jennifer as she opened the door to the manor, allowing Jennifer to enter first before she closed the door on her way inside. "It's important to befriend someone I know I can trust. And I think it's fascinating that you and I should become friends."
Jennifer said smoothly, "Friendship is a wonderful thing."
Regina emphasized, "A useful thing." Chuckling, she added to their previous conversation, "Like magic."
Regina offered a seat and poured Jennifer a fifth of scotch.
"Well, you know what they say about magic," Jennifer muttered.
Regina gave her a curious look.
"It always comes with a price," Jennifer said smoothly.
Regina's smiled faltered.
"Where did you hear that saying?" Regina asked quietly.
Jennifer began to speak but it was lost on her. Laughing, she said, "You know, that's the oddest thing. I don't even remember where I've heard it."
Regina quickly bypassed the concept though as she said quickly, "Tell me about this dream of yours."
"It's really dark," Jennifer warned, her lips lifting in a wicked grin.
Regina leaned forward, and said, "A little darkness never hurt anyone."