A/N: I have always wondered what would happen if Regina understood about Whale, Jefferson and Rumple's deception back in the Enchanted Forest. That's how this was born.

Credit to my friend Veronika for the cover. You can check out her other drawings at Terironi Art in tumblr.

Reviews are greatly appreciated.

Regina was sitting on the couch in her living room and staring into the empty space in front of her. She was so exhausted that even the thoughts that had tormented her during the day were now gone. After what happened with Daniel and the session with Dr. Hopper she couldn't find the energy even to climb the stairs and go to her bed.

Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door. She decided to ignore it, thinking that it was David wanting to check up on her but the knock came again and it was louder this time. Someone was practically pounding on her door.

"Regina, I know you're there."

She was surprised to hear Whale's voice. What was he doing there? She wasn't in the mood of talking to anyone but she wanted to know why he decided to bring Daniel back and how he did it. She didn't have the chance to ask him given the circumstances.

Driven by her curiosity she managed to stand up and make it to the door. The first thing to draw her attention when she opened it was that Whale's left arm was in its place. He must have visited Gold. The second thing she noticed was how worn out he looked. Just like her.

"May I come in?"

Regina considered her answer for a moment but her need for answers wouldn't allow her to close the door. She stepped aside to let him in without saying a word. She led him to the study and offered him a drink when he made himself comfortable on the couch. He accepted and downed the apple cider the moment she handed him the glass.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, not bothering with politeness. She didn't have the patience for that.

"I want to talk about my brother," Whale said directly.

Regina sighed. She was too tired for that nonsense. She was about to tell him that she couldn't bring his brother to this land but just then she saw an opportunity.

"How about a deal?"

He eyed her suspiciously. She could tell though that he would accept. She was offering him exactly what he wanted so desperately. He wouldn't resist no matter what suspicions he had and they both knew it.

"What deal?"

A smile appeared on Regina's face. She didn't care she was going to promise something she couldn't do. She would find a way to take his brother to this land if need be. Or she simply wouldn't keep her end of the deal. It didn't matter. It wouldn't be the first time she tricked somebody.

"I will bring your brother here if you tell me why you brought Daniel back to life and how. As I recall, the last time you failed. How did you succeed now?" Regina didn't look away from him even for a second so she noticed the worry that ran across his face for a moment. She knew he was ready to turn down her proposal but she wouldn't let him do it. He was hiding something. Something he didn't want to tell her even if it meant that he would get what he wanted so badly. Something she was determined to find out. "You know that I can easily make you tell me simply by ripping your heart out but I am not doing it. Instead, I am offering you what you want in return.

Whale knew that at this point he couldn't prevent her from learning the truth. Nothing could. Not even her promise to Henry not to use magic because he knew without a doubt that she would rip his heart out if needed but she would get her answers. The only question was how. Would he tell her willingly or would she have to force him?

"I'll tell you," he said, not even bothering to accept the deal because he knew that every possibility of her helping him would be gone in the second he told her the truth "I thought that if I helped you, you would help me," he decided to start with why he did it.

Regina almost rolled her eyes in irritation and he knew that she must have figured that out already. Or she simply was bored by his obsession with his brother.

"The first time it didn't work because I wasn't trying to bring him back," he continued. She frowned.

"What were you doing then?"

Whale considered lying to her but that was a bad idea. He had already mentioned too much. Besides, the last time he lied to her didn't end well for anyone.

"Breaking you. I had made a deal with Rumplestiltskin. He wanted you to lose every hope of bringing your true love back to life so that he could turn you into his monster." He waited with fear for her reaction. He expected her to throw a fireball at him or rip his heart out and crush it but nothing of the sort happened.

Regina was staring at him shocked with eyes wide as saucers. Her world crumbled again. For the second time that day. She had been manipulated and deceived in the vilest way possible. Of course she knew that Rumple had used her to serve his own purposes but she had never imagined how far he had gone to turn her into the Evil Queen, into his puppet. The truth hit her so hard that she just couldn't take it. Tears started falling from her eyes and she didn't care if she looked weak or pathetic.

Whale looked at her awestruck. In a second the Evil Queen in front of him disappeared and her place was taken by the young and naïve Regina who only wanted to love and be loved. She looked so pure and innocent again and yet so broken that it made him hate himself for what he did to her. He had played his part in turning her into a monster and the blood of her victims was on his hands too. He felt filthy and pathetic but she – she had managed to save her innocence through the years and the dead bodies she had left behind. And that awful innocence of hers was driving him crazy with need. He needed to feel pure again.

Before he could process what he was doing he stood up from the couch, grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her. His tongue invaded her mouth before she could stop him. The kiss was hungry and greedy. He was trying to devour her whole.

Regina was too shocked to push him away but when they finally parted she saw red. She was ready to set him on fire but the look in his eyes made her change her mind. He looked as if he had lost everything and she knew that was more painful than anything she could do to him. She turned around and exited the room. The bang of the front door informed Whale that she had left the house.

He slumped on the floor, devastated by the recent events. The kiss just made him feel worse than before. He had tried to steal the only thing she had left. He could blame it on the alcohol and he probably would in the morning but not now. Now he knew that his selfishness was the cause of everything. Because of his selfishness he had helped Rumplestiltskin create the evil residing in her heart and again because of it he had tried to take her innocence for himself to ease the guilt of what he had done. The irony was that that innocence was the most evil thing about her because it would always remind him that no matter what dark deeds she had done, she would always be better than him.