Chapter 2
Note: In this story, everything that happened after Robin's death (i.e. everything that happened in New York, and destruction of magic, and crystal being used as a tether) has not/will not happen. Also, Belle is still pregnant, but Rumple took her out of Pandora's box, so she's with him, pregnant (they are definitely still having relationship problems).
Last chapter was really emotional, obviously, but this chapter won't be exactly like that, it'll be more plot driven.
Also, I'm sorry for all the breaks in flow in this chapter, but I had to cram so many things and different conversations into it that it was almost impossible to make it all flow. Sorry about that!
Regina viciously despised herself for this. It's not like she really believed that Snow's theory had any basis in reality, but she just couldn't shake her last point… what if? What if she really could fix everything? And just the mere thought of having Robin back with her was too much for her to ignore, no matter how implausible.
She approached Rumplestiltskin's shop wearily, very much dreading having to speak with him this way. She knew he was going to exploit her weakness as much as possible, and she absolutely hated the idea of letting him see her so fragile. But she also knew that she had no other option. He did, after all, 'frustratingly know everything'.
Regina, shivering slightly from the harsh cold, mindlessly pulled her black wool trench coat tighter around her body and, ignoring the obvious 'closed' sign on the window, reluctantly pushed open the door to his shop. The annoying bell rang, alerting Rumplestiltskin of her presence. She stood in the opening of the shop, glancing around at all the objects, as she waited for Rumple to emerge. She momentarily became fixated on one of the objects in the glass cases lining the walls, and she briefly turned her back to examine it.
"Why would I ever truly expect the blatantly obvious 'closed' sign on my door to actually keep out unwanted visitors?" Regina suddenly heard Rumple snark from behind the counter in the back of the shop. She rolled her eyes, and tried to prepare herself for just how unpleasant this was going to be.
"I need your help," Regina forced herself to say, attempting to sound at least somewhat forceful and intimidating. Not that intimidating Rumplestiltskin was ever possible, as he always remained aggravatingly still and impassive, calmly roasting everyone with sarcastic digs and logical pessimism.
Rumple raised his eyebrows.
"Naturally. And why on Earth would I agree to help you?" he replied, appearing annoyingly relaxed. For a brief second, Regina pondered how infinitely satisfying it would be to solidly punch him in the face. This thought brought her much comfort, and helped her through the conversation.
"Because I'm your best student," Regina tried. Rumple laughed rudely at that.
"That's debatable. Try again," he responded flippantly. Regina exhaled deeply, attempting to control her anger with the frustrating little imp.
"Snow White suggested that I ask for your help, because our relationship is 'complicated and sometimes almost lovely'," Regina said, speaking the quotation from Snow in an obnoxious sing-song tone of voice. Rumple laughed again.
"Well that one is just untrue," he said, staring at her menacingly. She knew that he could sense her desperation and just enjoyed watching her beg.
Regina also knew that this was getting her nowhere, and decided to just go full throttle and explain the entire issue to him. She prayed that, deep down, Snow was right and Rumple would come through for her. In the past, he had occasionally acted affectionally towards her, and all she could do was hope that he was still capable of doing so.
"Snow doesn't believe that Robin is really gone. She thinks that, somehow, there is a way for me to get him back. She doesn't believe that the universe could treat me so cruelly, after all the 'good changes I've made'. And, seeing as you always appear to have all the answers about all things magical and whimsical, you seemed like a good place to start in investigating her ridiculous theory," Regina explained, doing her very best not to portray her desperation in her voice. She attempted to distance herself from the hope that Snow's theory was correct, she needed Rumple to believe that she truly did think it was absurd. She knew that if he perceived her weakness, he would never agree to help her without a painfully high cost. And at the moment… She had nothing to offer.
Much to her frustration, Regina could not decipher Rumple's facial expression throughout her explanation. She searched for a sign of affection, or pity, or just any sort of emotion that she could use to her advantage. Naturally, she got nothing.
"Ah, so this is about Robin Hood. Of course, I should have known. I've been watching you become weak and dependent for some time now, I shouldn't be surprised by this. I do confess myself… Disappointed, though," Rumple said coldly. Regina knew that he really didn't mean what he said, she knew that he was just trying to get under her skin and hurt her. Unfortunately, he succeeded.
"And, besides, before you enter into a bargain with me, dearie, are you sure you want to do this for him? He did sleep with your sister behind your back and have a child with her, doesn't sound like a terrible loss to me…" Rumple trailed off, smirking contentedly at his own cleverness, knowing there was no possible way he had failed to upset her with that comment.
Upset was an understatement. Regina's heart sank, her skin crawled, and her blood boiled. Hearing Robin talked about in that way destroyed her. Not to mention the way it made her feel every time she was forced to think about Robin with another woman.
Regina lunged forward across the counter and grabbed the collar of Rumple's suit, glaring viciously at him.
"Listen, you disgusting little imp. I've lost everything, again. Now really is not the time to be testing me-" Regina was in the middle of shouting venomously at him, when suddenly a very pregnant Belle emerged from the back of the shop.
"Whoa, what is going on?" Belle inquired anxiously. Rumple, having been smirking complacently the entire time, glanced briefly at Regina and then at Belle.
"Regina was just leaving," he said quietly, indirectly ordering Regina to leave his shop. Unfortunately for him, Regina had absolutely no intention of going anywhere.
"Actually, I wasn't," Regina replied almost immediately. She released Rumple's collar and stood normally on her side of the counter again, regaining her composure.
Regina had never much taken to Belle. She found her unending goody-too-shoes attitude to be unbearably obnoxious, and her constant references to books and the things she had learned from them to be equally as annoying. Not to mention the fact that she had chosen Rumplestiltskin as her lover, so God knows what that says about her actual intelligence. However, in this very moment, she had never been so thrilled to see her. Despite the fact that Rumple had never really made any true sacrifice for her when it counted, she did seem to possess considerable sway over his everyday behavior and small decisions.
"Rumple, what is going on?" Belle asked Rumple, seemingly upset by this exchange. For the first time, Regina saw emotion flicker across Rumple's face as he looked at Belle. He opened his mouth to respond to her, but Regina seized the opportunity to take advantage of Belle's easily obtainable sympathy and compassion.
"I am attempting to convince your husband to help me find a way to get Robin Hood back," Regina explained to Belle calmly, allowing herself to convey some of her grief. It was unfortunately easy to show her sadness to others, what was difficult was trying to hide it from them.
"Which is impossible!" Rumple interjected immediately, for the first time offering an actual opinion on the matter. Of course she had expected this response, she knew Robin was gone, but his statement still felt like being punched in the stomach by a prized fighter. It was as though she could physically feel her last strain of hope exiting her body, leaving her hollow and horrified.
"Wait a second, Regina, what makes you think there could be a way to bring him back?" Belle asked curiously, ignoring Rumple's pessimism, and staring intently at Regina. In that moment, Regina remembered that Belle and Robin had briefly been friends in the Enchanted Forest. She realized that, if there actually was a way, Belle would be a very valuable asset to winning over Rumple, due to her previous friendship with Robin.
"Absolutely nothing, simply that Snow White, for whom things have always worked out, didn't believe the universe could treat Regina so poorly after the way she's changed. Evidently, you neglected to teach little Snow White the notion that life's not fair in your time as her mother, Regina," Rumple sneered. Regina felt anger quickly rising in her, and she leaned forward again.
"I swear-" she started viciously, before Belle interrupted.
"Rumple, stop it," she scolded sternly, and Regina was surprised to see Rumple actually look like he might back down. If she wasn't here begging for his help, she definitely would have made fun of him for it.
"It's not like Snow is wrong, Rumple. Nobody in Storybook could deny the obvious ways of karma in this town, between the heroes and villains. And also, nobody in Storybook could possibly ignore all the good changes Regina had made in the past two years," Belle said, smiling briefly at Regina. For a second, Regina somewhat regretted disliking Belle so much before.
"Belle, sometimes there are forces more powerful than simple karma. This is the Olympian crystal we're talking about, the literal weapon of the Gods…" Rumple trailed off, for the first time responding genuinely rather than sarcastically. Regina's heart sunk in her chest again, feeling that familiar logical pessimism of Rumple's set in.
"Yes, but there's no reason to take that as the be all end all. There isn't really a reason not to at least try and get to the bottom of this. I mean, how much do we all really know about this olympian crystal, anyways?" Belle continued thoughtfully. This was the first thing that actually slightly lifted Regina's spirits, and gave her some true passion for her cause. Regina considered that the only things they knew about the crystal were things that Hades had told them, and clearly he wasn't all that trustworthy.
"Well, among the fact that it happens to light up in a pretty blue color, we've also been told that it obliterates people from the face of the planet," Rumple replied sarcastically. Belle rolled her eyes, frustrated by her husband's dry humor.
"Yes, but Hades is the only person who told us that, and I can think of a few people that I trust more than him," Regina argued. For a moment she made eye contact with Rumple, and as she held his stare, she attempted to show him how much she was hurting. She knew that it wouldn't affect him the way it affected Belle, but she really needed him to at least understand how serious this was for her. She had to make him understand that this was all she had to hold onto, and if she lost it… She would have nothing.
Regina saw in his returned gaze that he was at least a little bit moved by her plight. He sighed.
"Regina, you're grasping at straws-" Rumple started.
"Rumple… please, these straws are all I have. I'm asking… begging you for your help. Please," Regina whispered.
"Alright, I'll tell you what I know in exchange for… what?" Rumple replied, all prior traces of empathy disappearing. Regina panicked a little, knowing she had nothing at all to offer that could really interest him.
"No. No deals. You will help her," Belle interrupted firmly, surprising both Rumple and Regina with her forcefulness.
"And why am I going to do that?" Rumple replied immediately, but it wasn't exactly like he was arguing with her, it was more like he was genuinely curious.
"You will help her because it's the right thing to do. And because I'm asking you to," Belle replied simply.
—
Regina returned to her home around two in the afternoon. Snow was seated in the living room, giving Neal a bottle.
"Well? What did he say?" Snow asked eagerly, upon Regina's return. Regina raised her eyebrows at Snow's excitement.
"Calm down, Neal is going to drown if you squeeze that bottle any harder," Regina quipped affectionately at Snow. Snow rolled her eyes, but she actually was delighted by Regina's dig at her. It was lovely to see some life in Regina, even if just for a second.
"Be nice. Sit down, and tell me what he said," Snow replied, lightly patting the seat next to her on the couch.
"Well, as predicted, he was very reluctant to help me, and I can't say I would have gotten his help without Belle, who, surprisingly, really does have considerable power over him," Regina took a moment to muse, as she sat down next to Snow.
"Essentially, all Rumple could tell me was that the only person who would know anything about the crystal and how it works would be Hades' brother, Zeus," Regina finally said. Snow nodded slowly, attempting to process this information.
"Well, that's good news, isn't it? It wasn't a definite no," Snow said optimistically. Regina sighed.
"Perhaps. But it was miles away from any real sign of hope," she responded quietly. Snow lightly touched Regina's hand, sensing her depression returning.
"Still, then you need to find Zeus and find out everything you can!" Snow pressed.
"That's easier said than done, Snow. He is the king of the Gods, I assume he's a decently busy guy," Regina snapped, standing up again so she could pace around the room.
"Regina, I know you're going to want to kill me for saying this, but… Zeus is the one who sent Hook back to Emma… He must be somewhat compassionate to have done that," Snow offered gently.
Regina laughed coldly at that. What didn't Snow understand about the way the universe worked when it came to someone like Regina, and someone like Emma?
"Well, I'm not Emma, Snow. And I find that things often work out differently for the two of us," Regina snarked. Snow sighed.
"Regardless… What did Rumple say about how you could find Zeus?" Snow asked calmly.
"Nothing, because he doesn't know. He said that he would look into it, and that I should come see him again tomorrow," Regina responded sadly, sitting back down next to Snow.
Realizing that she would again have to spend the night without Robin, she felt the horrible gaping pain of his absence again seizing her. She had been temporarily distracted from it when she had been arguing with Rumple and theorizing about potentially finding Robin again. She felt the gradually more familiar ache in her chest as she began to miss him unbearably. Images of his ruggedly handsome face began to flash across her mind, and her eyes almost involuntarily flickered shut. She began to imagine how indescribably amazing it would feel to have his strong arms wrap around her and just… hold her as she allowed herself to cry. How it would feel to have him kiss her, and touch her, and…
"What are you thinking about?" Snow asked Regina softly, snapping her out of her sudden, wishful daydream.
"Nothing, sorry," Regina answered too quickly.
"You miss him," Snow said. It wasn't a question, it was stated as a matter of fact. It was the understatement of the millennium, but certainly was correct.
"I'm fine," Regina responded flippantly.
"You're not, and it would probably be much easier for you if you would stop trying to pretend that you were, you're not fooling anyone anyways. Regina, I've told you before that you feel things, deeply. Use those feelings, use the horrible pain you're feeling right now to help drive you to find Robin Hood! We both certainly have personal experience with just how strong your feelings can be, use them," Snow encouraged Regina passionately.
—-
After Regina picked Henry up from school, which was a much needed spot of happiness in the midst of all her sadness, she helped Snow make dinner. As mentioned earlier, the Charmings, Emma and Henry seemed to have made Regina's home theirs for the time being, and all were to be in attendance at dinner.
Regina was unsure whether or not she should fill the others in on her dealings with Rumplestiltskin, seeing as she really did not wish to have everyone asserting their opinions into her business, or worse, offering their help. But on the other hand, she knew there was no way the secret would remain hidden for long, as Snow would certainly tell Charming, who would certainly tell Emma, who would certainly tell Henry. Not that Regina wished to keep secrets from Henry, she just hated to have him burdened with her suffering. She knew how much it hurt him to see her in pain, so no matter what Snow said about being honest about how much she was hurting, she never would really let her guard down, for Henry's sake. So until she could be absolutely sure that this wild theory had any hope of success, she didn't want to burden Henry with it.
David and Emma came home from the station together, just as all the food was being finished by Snow and Regina and set out by Henry.
As dinner progressed uneventfully, Regina was thrilled to conclude that Snow obviously had not yet told David about her conversation with Rumple, as no one mentioned it.
However, the ignorance of the others clearly was not meant to last very long, because just as dinner was concluding, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it," Emma offered, as she was already on her way to the door. Regina's interest was not particularly peaked by the unknown visitor, and she began to clear the dishes with Henry.
"Good evening, Ms. Swan," Regina suddenly heard Rumplestiltskin's calm, eery voice say coolly. She almost dropped the plate she was handling in the sink at the sound of it, knowing that he must only be here with information about Robin.
Regina immediately made her way towards the front door. She was received by a very suspicious glance from Emma.
"It's Rumplestiltskin…" Emma trailed off uncertainly.
"Yes, thank you, Ms. Swan, I may have lost my boyfriend but I seem to have maintained my eyesight," Regina snapped. Emma rolled her eyes.
"What the hell are you doing here, Gold?" Emma asked, cutting through all the formalities. It was clear that she very much disliked being out of the loop.
"Yes, what are you doing here?" Regina asked him, arching one dark eyebrow at him. Rumple smirked, displaying his usual air of sarcasm, disinterest, and superiority in the fact that he knew something everyone else didn't.
"To see you, of course! I have some information for you," Rumple replied. Regina's heart leapt in her chest.
"Information?" Emma asked confusedly, looking back and forth between Regina and Rumplestiltskin quickly, trying to process the situation.
"I've found a way for you to find Zeus."