It was early in the morning and Regina slipped out of the loft walking down the streets of Underbrooke which reminded her so strongly of the windswept and dreary streets of Storybrooke during the years of the curse. Something that none of the others in the group really registered even those who had lived in the town. And something she had no desire to dwell on too closely.
She entered the diner and ignored the eyes on her as she saw a balding grey haired man sitting in a booth a bowl of unappealing looking oatmeal in front of him.
She almost asked him if he minded if she saw, but a bit of anger and fire in her gut wouldn't let her and she slipped into the booth opposite him without asking.
"Regina..."
"A king is easy to spot in a crowd. Even a pathetic one like you."
He chuckled, "Somehow I can't figure out how I missed how much you hated me."
"You don't want me to answer that."
"Perhaps I do."
"I long ago stopped having to care what you wanted, Leopold."
"You are still my wife."
"The reason you aren't swimming in the waters on the way to hell is my fondness for your daughter." Regina warned. "Don't test me."
Leopold sobered. "Snow doesn't understand. She doesn't have the experience..."
"Snow isn't a stupid woman but I have no interest in hurting her more." Regina folded her arms vaguely aware that she was protecting herself from the man across the table.
"The Evil Queen is judging me?"
"So you know..."
"You are far more famous here than I am. There are many kings in the underworld but there is only one Evil Queen."
"That's not who I am anymore." Regina said defensively.
"Is it?"
She shook her head, "I don't know why I came here. You haven't changed. You are still the self righteous jackass you were." Regina stood up and leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Of all the people I've sent here Leopold, there is one I do not for a moment regret, you."
Regina put her gloves back on and walked out of the diner only to come face to face with Hades.
"That's my girl, Regina."
She sighed and raised an eyebrow, "Don't you have some creepy romantic gesture to make for my sister?"
"She'll come to me when she realizes I love her." He waved a hand dismissively, "But how could I pass up a chance to rekindle an old flame of a different sort and offer my favorite monarch a deal."
"I'm not interested," Regina said starting to walk away only to find herself face to face with him.
"I'm not Rumplestiltskin, my dear Regina. My deals are much much more interesting."
"I'm still not interested in deals, interesting or boring."
"What if I offered you a chance to send the man who tormented you to somewhere even more unpleasant than this domain." Hades smiled, "Without your family finding out you shoved Snow's daddy into the fire."
Regina clenched her jaw.
"Ah, so you are still a bit that person." He clapped his hands together.
"The grave stone..."
"Oh you really think that is something that can't be fixed? A tippy happy stone made to order... all you have to do is what you really want to do anyway." He whispered in her ear, "Make him suffer."
Hades disappeared in blue flame and Regina inhaled and looked over her shoulder to see her husband leaving the diner himself to go on his rounds collecting the refuse of the little town from hell.