Author's note: I blame how sexy Robert Carlyle looked in the season 3 premiere for this. So does Regina.
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Nothing Left to Say
Regina knew she was done for the second she caught a glimpse of Rumpelstiltskin in that outfit.
In fact: while she was trekking through the jungles of Neverland, she simply couldn't stop thinking about him in all that dark, form-fitting leather.
That man is going to be the actual death of me someday… The sorceress cursed quietly as a new, decidedly erotic image of her mentor swept into her mind.
She pushed foliage aside to clear her path, trying desperately to eradicate the thoughts she was having about a man that she had convinced herself was strictly off-limits from her head.
Unfortunately: with each attempt something worse invaded her imagination, and she knew that enough was enough when she started picturing him half-naked.
Groaning, Regina drew to a halt and squeezed her eyes shut, doing her best to regain her composure and her bearings.
She breathed in deeply before exhaling, taking in the woodsy scent of her surroundings, and repeated the exercise a few times before daring to open her eyes again.
The Queen blinked rapidly for several moments, and then cursed again, loudly.
Somehow she had transported herself to a completely different part of Neverland, which meant that she was separated from the Charmings and Hook (which would have made her happy if it didn't mean that she was lost in the jungle on her own).
"It just fucking figures," she muttered, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at a nearby tree as if it were to blame for her current misfortune.
Leaves rustled in answer, and Regina tensed: forming a fireball instinctively to defend herself, expecting a Lost Boy or some sort of beast to come rushing out of the bushes towards her.
Instead, she got a much more pleasant surprise.
Rumpelstiltskin emerged from the shadows of the forest, and judging from the incredulous expression on his face: he was just as shocked to see her as she was to see him.
They stood facing each other for an immeasurable amount of time, until, finally: the dark wizard spoke.
"What are you doing here?"
Her awestruck expression died instantly. "Looking for my son, what do you think?!"
"I didn't mean here in Neverland, I meant…" he gestured around them. "Here as in here!"
"Well, your guess is as good as mine, because I have no idea. One minute I'm minding my own business, following those two idiots and their idiot daughter and that idiot pirate and now: I'm here."
He arched an eyebrow, "You mean you were actually trying to work together? That's…progress."
She scoffed. "If you call progress jumping into the ocean where there were killer mermaids just to get the rest of us to stop fighting and then appointing herself our leader without so much as a thank you for saving her life, then yes: Miss Swan showed progress."
Rumpelstiltskin sighed heavily. "Is it always going to be one step forward, a hundred steps back with that woman?"
"At the rate she's going, yes." Regina shook her head and leaned back against a nearby tree. "So…you look like you've had about as much luck as we have."
The sorcerer rolled his eyes and moved to stand next to her. "Aside from a run-in with a former adversary, I'm no closer to finding Henry than the rest of you."
She glanced at the ground, tracing a figure into the dirt with the toe of her boot before stating softly: "You shouldn't have come out here alone, Rumpel. You know how dangerous it is."
"Is that actual concern I detect in your voice?" His tone was teasing, but then she looked over at him and saw genuine gratitude in his eyes.
Slowly, Regina smiled. "Rumpel, do you really think after all these years and all that we've been through together that you mean nothing to me?"
He searched her gaze for a long moment. "I didn't realize that you cared."
She stared at him for an equally long moment before she chuckled and nudged his shoulder with hers. "And that proves that you're as much an idiot as the rest of them."
After another minute, he smiled softly and nudged her back.
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It didn't take long to agree that travelling as a pair would be safer than splitting up, especially since Neverland was a dangerous place.
For a while, they walked in companionable silence, until Rumpelstiltskin decided that it was time to satisfy his curiosity on a certain subject.
He cleared his throat before speaking: "Perhaps now is a good time to explain to me how you managed to accidentally teleport yourself to my location."
Immediately, Regina colored and began to put some space between them. "I told you, I have no idea."
He looked over at her. "Teleportation focuses on emotions and ideas, my dear. And accidental magic simply doesn't happen. Which begs the question: what were you thinking about?"
She drew in a shaky breath. "What does it matter?"
He drew to a halt and grabbed her arm, turning her towards him. "It matters because I study magic, love. Something unusual has happened here, and I think it may have something to do with our location."
"Are you saying that you think the island messed with my head?"
He grasped at her arms and stilled her movement. "It's possible that it's messing with our heads right now."
Dark amber eyes bored into hers, causing the fantasies she had entertained earlier to come flooding back into her mind.
Rumpelstiltskin's serious expression faltered as he noted the way her features softened, her lips parting slightly and her cheeks flushing with color.
He blinked in realization. "You were thinking of me."
"Not difficult to do when you're wearing that outfit," she breathed, unable to keep the words from slipping out.
Slowly, a seductive smirk crept across his lips. "Oh really?"
Part of her wanted to slap that smug look right off his face.
A larger part of her wanted to kiss it off.
It wasn't much of a surprise when the primal side won.
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If Rumpelstiltskin was startled when Regina hooked her fingers around his collar and tugged him into a searing, passion-filled kiss, he didn't show it.
In fact, it only took a split-second before he responded: curling his arms around her waist and dragging her against him as the embrace deepened and all logical thought disappeared.
The sorceress moaned quietly against his mouth, weaving her fingers into the silky strands of his hair as he punctuated his attentions with playful, teasing nips, keeping him close while he backed her up against the nearest surface.
She found herself pinned between his lean body and a tree, the heat between them jumping several degrees when she instinctively rolled her hips and felt the evidence of his desire against her thigh.
A low, almost feral growl escaped him at the action, which caused ripples of want to slide up her spine.
Clever fingers slipped under the hem of her blouse, his touch nearly burning through the silk camisole she wore beneath.
She pulled back to catch her breath, taking in the alluring image he made in the outfit that she now desperately wanted to get off him.
As if he could sense her need, he shrugged out of his coat and divested her of the blazer she wore, his hands moving quickly to the buttons of her blouse.
She attacked the buttons to his waistcoat in retaliation, leaning in to kiss him again when he slid the fabric of her shirt down her shoulders.
His lips strayed from hers in order to press tender kisses along her jaw-line, travelling down along her neck, pausing so he could slide the small strap of her camisole down her shoulder in order to gain access to more skin.
She hissed softly when he bit lightly at the junction of her throat, finally ridding him of the waistcoat and tugging insistently at the open-necked shirt he still wore underneath.
He got the message: pulling back and lifting his arms so she could whisk the fabric over his head.
She took a moment to admire him, taking in wiry tone of his chest and abdomen, and reached out in order to feel the smooth texture of his skin under her hands.
He carefully dragged her camisole upwards and tugged it over her head, and then his skin finally brushed against hers and whatever self-control she had remaining was lost.
Regina lunged, initiating an ardent kiss that Rumpelstiltskin gladly returned, the pair urgently ridding each other of the rest of their clothes before he cast a spell that shielded them from the rest of the island: ensuring their privacy.
With a quick wave of his hand there was a blanket for their comfort, and she couldn't help her delighted smile when he lifted her up in his arms and carried her over to it.
For the first time in ages, she felt like a Queen again, particularly when he took the time to worship every inch of her body after depositing her gently on the make-shift bed he'd created for them.
Her head fell back as he traced paths along her skin that he followed with his mouth, lingering purposely along the more sensitive areas, driving her absolutely insane with even the lightest of touches.
Determined not to let him have the upper-hand entirely, Regina slid one long leg against his and twisted until he was the one trapped under her.
He stared up at her, the dark depths of his eyes flashing in challenge, and she smirked before lacing their fingers together and dipping her head so that she could kiss him again.
A playful battle ensued as she took advantage of having him at her mercy, but eventually he managed to pin her beneath him once more.
She gripped at his broad shoulders, her nails digging into the skin of his back as she arched her hips in an invitation that he wasted no time in taking: joining them together in a fluid motion.
He stilled for a moment, adjusting to the feel of being one with her and appreciating the lovely image she made with her hair feathering out beneath her head: lips swollen from his kisses and moisture glistening on her sun-kissed skin.
Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the affection that tempered the lust in his gaze, and she drew him down for another fervent kiss as they became all-too-pleasantly occupied.
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Several hours passed before the couple stopped to rest: recuperating from what had become a rather relentless love-making session.
Regina sighed softly, resting her head upon Rumpelstiltskin's chest and listening to the steady beat of his heart as she drew invisible figures along his sweat-streaked skin.
Gentle fingers curled under her chin and tilted her face towards his, and she quickly found herself once again swimming in the amber depths of his eyes.
Smiling, the sorcerer leaned in and touched his lips to hers. "I'm glad that you found your way to me."
She smirked and deepened the kiss. "I'm well aware."
There was a low, decidedly sexy-sounding chuckle and she found herself swiftly pinned under him again as he captured her lips with his.
In the back of her mind, Regina knew that there were still many matters to discuss, but for the time being she decided that it was better if nothing more was said.
And considering the direction that Rumpelstiltskin's attentions were currently headed, it was clear that he was thinking along the same lines.
The End