Author's Note: I don't know about my fellow shippers, but I seriously needed some Golden Queen comfort fluff after the last episode. While this took a bit longer than I anticipated to complete, I'm ultimately happy with the result and I hope my readers are too.
Nothing Else Matters
The pain had finally stopped, leaving Regina in an exhausted, entirely defeated state.
She was vaguely aware of someone yelling her name. It was a male voice, familiar, but her senses were still jumbled after her ordeal and she couldn't quite place it.
"Regina!"
She managed to turn her head enough to look at the door, but was unable to make a sound, hoping that whoever was searching for her would find the room she was in by chance.
Seconds later, the door burst open, and she found herself gazing at the one person she had not expected to be on the other side.
Aiden Gold froze, his handsome features conveying abject horror upon seeing the state Regina was in. "Oh love," he murmured, "what did they do to you?"
Her instinct was to reach out to him, but she was still tied down.
Luckily, he wasted little time by rushing to her side and freeing her from the cuffs that kept her bound to the table.
He took more caution in unhooking the wires that connected her to that infernal machine, making sure not to accidentally hurt her, though considering all she had just been through she doubted she would have felt anything at all.
She tried to find her voice to thank him, but was unable to make more than a soft, pained sound when he gingerly helped her sit up.
"Sssh…don't try to talk," he whispered, caressing lightly along her face, and then leaning in and pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. "Can you put your arms around my neck?"
Regina managed a nod, and he carefully lifted her off of the table.
She had always been surprised by how deceptively strong he was, circling her arms around his neck as he began to carry her out from the cannery.
"Rumpel…" she finally was able to speak, though her tone was soft and raspier than normal. "How did you find me?"
"I'll tell you later," he promised, and she tilted her head slightly to see just how much concern was conveyed on his face. "Right now, let's get you out of here."
Sighing, she rested her head against his collar, assured in the knowledge that, for the moment, she was safe.
Regina fell asleep in the car while Aiden drove her to his home.
When they arrived, he was as quiet as possible so he wouldn't wake her: once again scooping her up into his arms and carrying her into the mansion.
He placed her gently on the couch and took a moment to discard his coat and shoes before heading back to his library, where he kept an extensive collection of books on magic.
He'd recognized the leather wristlet that she wore. It had been Cora's, so it didn't surprise him that her daughter had wanted the memento, but he'd also noticed that it was tainted so as to suppress her magic.
He did his best to quell the fury that currently ran through his system: whoever had dared torture Regina in such a way deserved swift retribution, but it wasn't the time. He needed to take care of his Queen first.
As luck would have it: helping Regina was simple. He just needed to get the wristlet off her so her magic could return and with it, her strength.
The question, of course, was how to go about it. He couldn't touch the object because it would affect his magic the way it had hers, but then he recalled that he still had that wand he'd stolen from Cinderella's fairy godmother.
Once he found the wand, it took a few minutes to release Regina's wrist from the leather cuff, but as soon as it was off, he already noticed a change for the better.
He sighed in relief as color returned to her cheeks, and she shifted to get more comfortable before murmuring his name quietly.
Aiden took her hand in his and kissed the knuckles sweetly, thanking several gods for the fact that he had found her before it was too late.
When Regina finally drifted back to consciousness, she noticed two things: one was that she wasn't at her mansion and the other was that someone was holding her hand.
She glanced to her left and found a dozing Aiden Gold half slumped over in a chair, his fingers entwined with hers tightly.
Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him watching over her, and she squeezed his hand within hers.
It was a simple action, but it was enough to wake him, and their eyes met for a long moment before he sat up and reached out to check her temperature.
His hand was cool and reassuring against her forehead.
"How long have I been out?" she whispered, her voice still hoarse.
"About six hours," he confessed. "And your fever broke so that's a good sign."
"You watched over me for that long?"
He simply nodded, his fingers slipping down, over her cheek.
Her hand caught his, and she pressed her lips to his palm. "Thank you."
The affectionate action warmed his heart and he swept her hair away from her eyes with his other hand.
It was silent for a moment, the pair basking in each other's presence, before Regina glanced around at her surroundings. "You brought me to your home?"
"I figured it would be safest."
She bit at her lower lip before inquiring: "In that case, is it all right if I stay here for a while?"
A gentle smile crossed his face. "I insist on it. Do you think you're strong enough to eat something?"
She managed a small smile in return. "I'm famished."
Dinner was a simple affair: angel hair pasta covered in a light butter sauce since Aiden didn't always care for tomato, salad, and a sliced French baguette. He indulged in a glass of merlot while she decided not to push herself and opted for iced tea.
They ate in companionable silence, and it wasn't until he started clearing the table that Regina finally brought up what had been on her mind all evening. "You said you were going to tell me how you found me."
He glanced over his shoulder as he set their plates in the sink to wash. "Did I?"
She gave him a look which made him bite back a chuckle, and it was clear that she was returning to her old self.
"You remember when I was teaching you the importance of objects in magic? Why it was sometimes required to use a lock of hair or an article of clothing?"
Regina nodded.
"Then you also might remember that one time, I asked you for one of your tears." He walked around to her side of the table and grabbed their glasses.
"I do remember that. You said it would be important."
"Well it was," he turned on the faucet and began washing. "I used a specific spell to find you that required that tear."
She rose from her chair and slowly approached him. "What did the spell do?"
He paused and took a deep breath before fully explaining: "Tears are incredibly powerful…especially in the case of binding spells. I took your tear and added one of mine, mixed them together, and then put the potion into my eye."
What do you mean by binding?"
He shut the water off and dried his hands, and then turned around in order to face her. "I mean that I could see what you saw…and I felt what you felt."
Her breath caught in her throat as she realized exactly what that meant, and she bridged the space between them, placing a hand on his chest as she murmured: "You risked your own well-being to save me? I was being tortured, Rumpel…"
Aiden inhaled shakily. "I'm well aware. It was the most horrible pain I'd ever felt, Gin, but I endured it because there was no way I'd abandon you."
Tears sprung to her eyes. "I was beginning to lose hope until I heard you calling for me."
There were tears in his gaze as well, and he framed her face between his hands before leaning in and touching his lips lightly to hers: conveying how grateful he was to have her there.
Regina sighed softly against his mouth and draped her arms over his shoulders. Without the heels that gave her a few extra inches, they were the same height, and all it took was coiling her fingers into the silken strands of his hair and tugging him closer to deepen the kiss.
They embraced with steadily growing passion, forgetting their surroundings and focusing solely on each other until they had to part for air.
Aiden rested his forehead against Regina's and swept his fingers through her hair. "I'm so glad that you're with me right now."
The corners of her mouth tilted up into a smile. "Is that your clever way of suggesting that we move this to the bedroom?"
He chuckled from low in his throat, but shook his head. "Honestly? After everything you've been through today, I'll be fine with just holding you."
Her heart fluttered at his consideration for her, and she decided that she was more than content to settle for that option.
After all: her prince had come to her rescue, so as long as they were together… nothing else mattered.
The End