Regina's POV
Robin and I parted after breakfast at Granny's. I had assured him that although Granny's cooking could not compare with mine, I had to concentrate on the ensuing battle, therefore it was the best we could hope for. He understood. He always understood. Even without my heart, I couldn't help the love to felt for that man bursting from my mind, body and soul. It was so strong that I didn't need my heart to be able to tell that this was the man I had dreamed of for all my life. Although I still felt that a large part of myself was missing, I knew that Robin would fight alongside me to gain back my heart. Even if I died, at least he knew what I felt for him. I would value the time we had together.
The knowledge that Zelena was trying to re-write the past shook me. For years, I had tried to do the same to return to Daniel, but all my efforts had been fruitless. I now see how it was this senseless pursuit that had darkened my heart so many years ago. That same pursuit, just as surely, was now darkening Zelena's heart.
"Regina, a moment please."
My musings came to a halt as I turned towards the pirate. "Killian, how can I help you today?" I looked quickly around to see if I had missed Henry nearby.
"He's with Marco and his boy." Hook said knowingly. "Snow thought it would be good for him to spend time with someone closer to his own age."
"Gepetto certainly knows how to keep a secret as well. Well then Hook, talk while you walk, I have a meeting in a few minutes."
He quickly set his steps in time with mine as I made my way to my office.
"I was working with Belle on researching your sister's curses. Since you know more of magic than anyone else not directly under her control, I had a few questions I was hoping to ask."
"Speak quickly as I'm not sure I can help."
"Why your heart?" He asked without skipping a beat and I was glad we had stopped for a vehicle to pass as I surely would have missed my step after such a direct question. I had to answer it just as directly. Hook wasn't trying to get mushy on me and we had the same agenda at the moment.
"I believe it is two-fold." I said matter-of-factly as we began walking again. "The spell asked for a 'resilient heart'. I've been through much, but in the end I could still find it in my heart to carry on and love Henry. Second, I believe she's trying to get back to my mother when she was young. Regardless of my history with my mother, I always loved her even as I hated her actions. That love would help guide the spell to the correct person. This is why yours or Belle's, even though you both have suffered, wouldn't have been the ideal ingredient."
"So it had to be a specific heart to meet the specific goal. I understand that many curses can be specialized like that. Aurora told me once of a spinning wheel that was well used by others, but as soon as she touched it, she was placed under a sleeping curse."
"Exactly, curses can be very general in nature but the more powerful are always going to be specifically honed to a particular person or mix of ingredients. The consequences of a powerful spell getting out of control and harming the castor are well documented."
"But you love others, not just your mother. Would it be possible to use that love to guide the spell to someone else or some other time?"
I stopped again, but this time from contemplating the question. I thought on it for some time.
"I don't know. I suppose that is what Pan did when he reinstated the same curse I had cast bringing us all back to the enchanted forest, but it would require ingredients of similar magnitude to counteract. As much as we need to stop Zelena, I can't see anyone volunteering to allow us to sacrifice their child for the same purpose. Hook," I grabbed his arm to make sure he understood the importance of what I was about to say. "There is no way to cast the same curse to counteract Zelena's. Even if we could, we must not."
"I would never harm a child. Even in my darkest moments I never considered sacrificing a newborn. There are places I will not go and I am glad you will not as well."
I could hear the sincerity in his voice. "Of course, you wouldn't. Thank you for knowing the same about me."
"But could we use your love for another to counteract Zelena while she's casting hers."
"I have no control of the ingredients once they are in her possession, when she casts the curse she will use only the part of my heart that she needs. She will be in control and it matters not what I think and do. It will destroy the heart and I will die. Even if she fails in her quest to change history, the ingredients will be destroyed. Gold will be perpetually mad if not dead, Charming will be a cowardly shrivel of a man, scared of his own shadow and the child and I will be dead. That is the best case scenario if we allow her to cast the spell."
"Then we need to find a way to keep her from casting the spell, don't we Regina?" He smiled at me, offering the hug of a friend, which I greedily accepted before setting my mask firmly in place again.
"Yes, well is that all the time you needed? I must get to this meeting."
"Aye, you have helped me greatly. Thank you."
It was only after he left that I noticed how odd that he would think of trying to redirect a curse. To my knowledge it had never been done. If you discovered that a curse was designed to harm you, a person ran. Those lucky enough to have loved ones would sometimes find a way to break it, but to have it deflected onto someone else as Hook had vaguely suggested, was unheard of.
I put these thoughts away as I entered my office where Emma was waiting for me for our next magic lesson.
A/N: I'm a huge fan of Regina and Robin. They are great together. Also, I always seem to forget the disclaimer, but just in case it wasn't clear, I own nothing associated with OUAT.