By the time Regina reached the office the aspirin had begun to kick in and her pounding headache was subsiding a little. She collapsed into the high backed office chair at her desk and answered the phone quickly dealing with someone moaning about a crooked street sign. She slammed the receiver down scathing, and jotted down a note to send Emma over later to check it out. She felt tired already despite only just getting into work and regretted not having any breakfast. She was beginning to feel a little light headed and slightly nauseous again. Trying to ignore it and sipped at a glass of water as she made a start on sorting the pile of paperwork in her in-tray. Not long after an unwelcome distraction came knocking in the form of Mr Gold.
"Good morning Regina" Gold greeted as he strode into her office and stood in the middle of the room, hands resting on his cane in front of him. Regina took a moment to finish composing the sentence she was writing before she addressed him but he continued without acknowledgement.
"You look like you should have taken the day off. Feeling a little …." He paused to place emphasis on his next few words. "Sick, this morning?"
A cold fear swept over her at his last few words but she hid it and deflected him.
"I'm fine, what do you want Rumple?" she replied in a warning tone still without looking up from her paperwork.
"I simply stopped by to offer my congratulations."
He was teasing her but she wasn't going to bite.
"For what?' she looked up arching a perfectly sculpted eyebrow and adorning a queen-like puzzled face.
"Oh I'm sure you know exactly what I am talking about." He started pacing her elaborate office as he continued, speaking slowly. Regina froze where she was, stopped writing and kept her eyes on him without moving.
"What is he up to?" She wondered to herself as Gold examined the blue bird painting snow put up during her stint in the office which Regina had since neglected to take down.
"There is only one form of sickness that cannot be mended by a healing spell. Simply because, inside the body, physically there is nothing wrong. Something is, in fact, quite right." He stopped pacing as he approached the front of Regina's desk and leant in close.
"I know your secret" he said in a threatening breathy whisper to her ear before stepping backwards out to the centre of the room again.
That cold fear rushed over her again but she held her cool, she didn't want him to sense her weakness, she didn't want her body to give him any validation towards his words.
Her mind was screaming at her.
"How could he know? How in hell could he possibly know?!"
The threw her hands onto the desk and stood cloaking herself in a subtle rage.
"You're going to have to be more specific" she snapped "You know me well enough to know that I hold onto a universe of secrets Gold. You could be referring to any number of things." She spoke quickly exasperated that she had let him get to her.
"You know the one…" he sang very like his Rumpelstiltskin persona "Oh yes you do" Regina glared at his comment not giving him anything.
"You can't tell me you don't know." He scoffed, his tone changing.
Regina rolled her eyes hoping her unwillingness to show a reaction might deter him.
"Oh for gods sake Gold. Get to the point, what the hell are you on about?" She replied exasperated. She knew Gold was like a dog and a bone, once he was onto something he could never just drop it.
"A woman always, knows." He purred. His eyes made a point of dropping to her abdomen and then locked on hers for a moment before he turned and proceeded to leave. In that split second she saw the flicker of a threat and felt entirely exposed.
"And you have no business knowing" she growled scowling at his back. Inside she panicked.
"How could he possibly have found out? I haven't even told Emma."
He stopped and spun to face her. She adjusted some paperwork on the desk and recomposed herself before he spoke.
"I have no intention of sharing this with anyone, but how long do you think you can keep it a secret? Hmm?" He questioned slightly manic.
"As long as I feel the need to." Regina hissed in a deep whisper. Absolutely livid that her privacy has somehow been breached itching to throw a fireball at him just to get him to go away.
"As your belly grows it'll become increasingly difficult to hide." He pressed on testing her.
"Get out." She growled.
