A/N: Well, I said to myself I wasn't gonna do this whole spiel of writing for my current favorite fandom again. Especially considering how downright awful the writers of Once Upon a Time have been Once-upon-a-timing. But meh…
Summary: Beauty and the Beast with a sci-fi spin. Meaning aliens. Swan Queen. AU.
Warnings: Dark themes, kidnapping in a certain way, future violence, cussing.
Also: Ignore the Stable Queen at the beginning. I'm Swen all the way.
This is an AU, meaning this story is no way following the canon storyline.
Regina could argue that her mother had her best interests in mind when she made the sixteen-year-old take advanced classes.
What she didn't understand was why it was so necessary for Regina to sign up for college-level Comparative Government and Politics, and with Statistics thrown on the side perhaps a bit randomly.
What is she expecting from me? the young girl thought forlornly. To lead the nation maybe? Take over Google?
She let out a soft breath. "Don't think a country or a successful company would be enough for her."
Stopping to find a better hold of her books, Regina winced at the indents on the flesh of her hands. The hardcovers dug painfully on her wrists and arms as she brought them closer to her chest.
"If she wanted me to collect as much college credit as possible, she should've just let me take AP Spanish," Regina said to herself. A habit of her as of late.
Goodness, that would've been wonderful. She'd get to talk with other fluent Spanish speakers and cash in easy credit for it.
She should've guessed that her mother would've been against easy and fun.
"Hola, señorita," a voice behind her said.
Instantly, Regina felt her heart flutter inside her chest. Warmth spread to her cheeks, both which rose with a smile.
"Hi, Daniel," she said softly, turning to face him.
"And us, don't forget us!"
"I would never," Regina teased, looking over at her friends.
Daniel, like the sweet guy that he was, rushed to help lessen the burden in her arms. Her other two friends, Tink (whose real name was actually Mae but preferred the nickname for one reason or another) and Mal helped her out of her shoulder bag.
"Shit!" Tink exclaimed. "The hell are you carrying in this, the entire school library?"
Regina breathed in relief and rolled her shoulders. "Almost."
"Gurrkk!" Tink tried heaving up the bag, but only succeeded in waving it around like a medieval flail.
"You look ridiculous," Mal said. "Take some of the books out before you break your spine, or worse, someone's leg."
"Tempting! Er, well, the last part I mean. Seriously though, get out of my way."
Regina smiled as the two broke out into an argument before gazing at Daniel just in time to see him wink.
"Like a married couple, huh?"
"It seems so!" she giggled.
"So where are you heading now? I thought your house was the other way."
"Piano lessons. Mr. Hopper lives in this neighborhood."
Daniel's eyes filled with sympathy. "Piano lessons too? Does your mother enjoy working you to exhaustion?"
Regina's smile fell, ducking her head to stare at her feet.
Silence, then, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't—"
"No," she said, her eyes shiny as she looked up at him. "Daniel, I—thank you. I understand, it's just that, she invests so much in my future. She didn't have much growing up, and she wants to avoid that with Zelena and I."
And she truly did. Cora raised them on her own after Regina's beloved father was torn away from them. And since then, her mother fought tooth and nail to get her daughters where they were now. Even if she imposed strict curfews and schedules. And tended to be overly critical, or you know, throw a fit if Regina didn't bring home the appropriate grades.
"Well, if there's ever anything I can do to help out, please don't hesitate to call me."
Daniel's words soothed her, sending her heart into a frenzy of a dance until she was sure it would break out of her ribcage.
"Gah, you're disgusting." Tink nudged her arm. She carried a few of Regina's binders and books, while Mal shouldered a less heavy bag.
"Disgusting?" Daniel echoed.
"Repulsive," Tink clarified. "With your gooey eyes and shy longing looks like you both came out of a 1400s chivalric romance."
"Do you have that piano lesson now?" Mal asked Regina, deciding to provide a distraction as the latter's face nearly matched her red cardigan.
"It starts at four thirty. Why do you ask?" she replied, her tone curious and apprehensive.
Mal flicked a lock of blond hair off her shoulder.
"We got nearly an hour to kill. What do you guys say if we go and have a bit of fun?"
The rest of the group shared worried looks at the mischievous glint in their friend's eyes.
"Why?" Regina bemoaned at the eager faces.
"Why what?"
"Why do I always let you drag me into something so fastidious and risky every other week?"
"Technically," Tink pointed out. "It's been about three weeks since we dragged you to that Holi powder rave. And you enjoyed yourself, so don't even."
"Yes, but I had to make sure my mother didn't see me when I came home. Do you realize how difficult it was to clean a shower stall covered in rainbow colors without rousing my mother's suspicion?" Regina whimpered, closing her eyes at the memory. "And Zelena took photos of me, posted them online, and tagged them—"
"Hashtag blackmail material," Tink finished, cackling at Regina's weak glare. Such expressions were difficult for her to pull off, and more often than not, she ended up looking more like a disgruntled puppy.
"Can we please just do this already?" Mal crossed her arms, peeved.
Regina swallowed down her fear and panic as they stepped closer and closer to their destination.
In the end, she had agreed to take her books and bag over to Mr. Hopper's, explaining to him that she would be back just in time for her lesson.
Mr. Hopper was so kind. Any other teacher would've just marched her inside for a few extra minutes of practice. Instead, the private music teacher encouraged her to have fun with her friends, relax, and free her mind from bothersome chores.
If Regina had to guess why Mr. Hopper showed so much sympathy for her like that, it would be because Mr. Hopper had personally dealt with Cora. It probably gave him a clear picture of how tight the girl held on to those few moments of happiness.
But Regina was feeling anything but happiness as they approached the last house on the street.
Because this was a fairly well-off neighborhood, most of the houses were pretty flashy. But this was a massive three-story dwelling made out of brick, tainted by an ominous energy just like any old building.
The chimney peeking just off to the side gave no hint of smoke despite the Maine weather in mid-autumn. Every window, from the ground floor to the attic, was devoid of curtains. And yet, they remained empty and dark, not giving a peek of the inner walls and rooms.
Regina eyed the yard. There was no car, though the property was fenced in. The grass, which had yellowed out due to a previous snowfall, had gone uncontrolled for what seemed a few weeks.
"It looks empty." Regina shivered. The whole scenic view looked too perfect for a Stephen King film adaptation.
"Duh, that's the point," Tink said, practically breathless from the excitement.
Mal chuckled. "Let's scope out the inside. Maybe we could use it for a late Halloween bash."
"I'm not so sure about this."
Daniel rubbed a comforting hand on Regina's shoulder. "If it's empty, what's the harm? Maybe we'll find ourselves a fun place to hang out before your piano lessons."
"How did you find this place, Mal?"
"Rose and Phil," was all Mal answered with.
"Ah," Regina nodded. It made sense. Rose also had music lessons with Archie Hopper. Regina had seen her enough times to be acquainted with her at school and after. Rose must have taken the wrong turn in the neighborhood and ended up here. Mr. Hopper's house was also the last one on the street.
"Kinky! Did they sneak in to do the dirty in a haunted mansion à la 80s slasher film?" Tink said.
"Please, they were too scared to even step into the yard."
"I don't blame them honestly," Daniel said, shaking his head. "This place just oozes with creepiness."
Tink waved her hands. "Well are we going in or are we just gonna stand here and enjoy the view?"
Regina eyed the metal fence, particularly the sharp points at the top.
"I don't think I can climb that."
"No need." Mal walked off, ushering them to follow her. "It's open."
"Lucky break, I guess." Daniel shrugged his shoulders.
He was the first one in. With a bit of a push, he popped open the lock of the wrought iron gate. Mal followed after him, then Tink, leaving Regina at the end.
The dead grass crunched and snapped under their feet, further adding to the unsettling feeling of abandonment. Regina pulled her coat tighter around herself, sheltering her hands underneath her arms.
The building loomed over them the closer they got, while the main doorway seemed to have grown larger. It was as if the dwelling was inviting them to go inside.
Daniel may have been the first to arrive, but it was Mal who fumbled with the doorknob.
She smirked back at them. "I knew it."
The door opened, letting a waft of damp wooden furniture and dust to seep into Regina's nose.
Once in the foyer, with Tink gently closing the door behind them, Regina's heartbeat calmed down enough. There was not a single hint of personalized décor in sight, whether it was a mat near the entrance or a picture frame on the walls.
It was indeed as empty as it looked from the outside.
"Well, come on then, fan out!"
Tink took her own advice and happily strode over to what seemed a den. Mal rolled her eyes and mumbled something about going over to make sure she didn't break anything. Soon enough, excited titters reached her ears, helping her relax her breathing.
But still...
Regina suppressed a shiver. It was so wrong to intrude like this. If not occupied by a family, there was still a chance that a caretaker frequented the place. With three floors and many rooms to go over, she feared it was just a matter of time before they bumped into said caretaker.
She shuffled closer to Daniel, who smiled reassuringly.
"How about we go check out the kitchen?"
"Hmm… alright." She returned his smile with a small bashful one. "But I am not opening any cupboards or drawers. I'll leave that up to you, my brave knight."
"Of course, my lady." He played along with a deep bow, then said, "I shall protect you from springing rodents and hungry arachnids."
Regina giggled and accepted his arm. They passed the living room where Tink and Mal were busy inspecting an old bookshelf. Regina was a bit more surprised to see that the very little furniture that remained there was actually left unprotected. She thought the previous owners or whoever would've covered everything up with blankets or plastic sheets.
The hallway was a long corridor with wooden flooring that creaked every other step they took. And again, Regina's brows furrowed as she looked at the faded wood.
Dust collected only on either side of the corridor, but it was clean in the middle. It was like the hallway was cleaned out a path by simply walking to-and-fro on it. It was disconcerting. She and her friends were definitely not the only ones in the house recently.
"Oh, damn."
She was snapped out of her thoughts by Daniel's soft cursing. When she looked quickly at what might have startled him, she too stood frozen in shock.
An old woman sat hunched over a table, right in the middle of a very pristine kitchen. The woman looked back at them with sunken eyes, framed by disturbingly pale features.
She had been right! The house was not empty! And now they would pay for their misbehavior. Regina swallowed down her fear. She hoped that they would get a simply scolding and be off. She didn't know what would happen if her mother found out about this.
Daniel, ever courteous and calm, raised a hand in front of him.
"We're very sorry, ma'am. W-we thought the place was abandoned."
Regina nodded quickly. "We didn't mean you and your property any harm. Please don't call the police."
The old woman's eyes were glazed as if she was deep inside her head.
"We'll… we'll be going now, ma'am."
Together they inched toward the hallway. They didn't taking their eyes from the woman hunched over the table.
"You poor things."
Regina nearly had a heart attack at the sound. The old woman's lips barely moved, but the rough voice clearly came from her. She looked so defeated, sitting almost half-dead on that chair.
"Please," Regina whispered, though she wasn't sure what she was begging for. The owner of the house didn't look like she would get up to call the police any time soon.
But then the woman's gray eyes went from looking straight at them to gazing at the space just over their heads.
Oh, dear god.
Regina's heart seemed to want to climb out of her mouth as she felt a presence behind them.
And judging by the way the old woman looked close to bursting into tears, Regina had a feeling it wasn't any of her friends behind her.
She turned her head…
And just about collapsed to the floor, gasping for air that would not stay in her lungs.
Scaly white skin.
Blanched blond hair.
Glowing yellow-green eyes.
Red lips.
She was much too tall, easily towering over her and Daniel. Her thin frame was covered up by a black dress that pooled at the base of her feet. A black shawl was snaked around her neck and shoulders.
The scales of her skin shimmered, actually shimmered, as the woman (the… thing) smiled.
"Welcome," she—it said.
Regina recoiled at the sound of its voice, both familiar and unknown, both humanly feminine and unnatural. It echoed loudly inside her head despite the fact that the thing had not shouted.
Without another second to spare, Daniel pulled her arm and practically dragged her past the ghoul lady.
Regina stumbled and tripped over her feet, but Daniel did not let go, and somehow they made it to the entrance without getting chased.
Tink and Mal were nowhere nearby, and Regina choked back a sob as Daniel tugged at the knob, banged his fists, and threw his weight against the door without success.
The tall being with the bright scales and glowing eyes never left its spot from the kitchen doorway, gazing at them with an empty stare.
"Put the male in the lower chamber with the others."
Regina twitched at the loud voice in her head. She wanted to reach inside her brain and tear the sound from it.
Red lips moved again. "Prepare the female to be tested."
Regina could not breathe in enough air to scream.
Anyone else excited for Halloween? Yes, no, maybe?