Dead Inside

Once Upon a Time AU

Chapter 3: Decadence

Alpha-Wolf619- "Thank you for commenting on the last two chapters! I really appreciate your feedback! Anyways to reply to your comment on chapter 3, I'm glad I was able to make you feel so strongly about a fictional character. I love Regina's character, but I wanted to try something new. Regina does have a lot of flaws, so I decided to use that against her. I'm very evil, so yeah. :)"

Author's Note: I am skipping ahead in the story so we can move forward a bit. I had to delete a few things because I felt it was out of place or too slow. So if you all feel this is a bit fast, I am sorry. I just needed to get to a place where I wanted this story to be at.

BTW; this is kind of like Regina-bashing. If you love Regina, do not continue reading this fanfic. You will be angry and/or sad. But if you don't care, the warning was here!

"You think she is cheating on you?" Dr. Hopper repeated to Chaste. She nodded. He wrote something down on paper, "And why do you think Regina is cheating on you?"

"I don't think Hopper, I know."

"You know she is cheating?"

Chaste nodded, "Yes."

"Have you gotten any proof to see if she is cheating on you? Maybe catching them on the act or something of the sorts?" Chaste sighed, feeling slightly defeated. Her mind was now clouded with negativity. Regina was seriously taking a tole on her. She couldn't think straight, nor could she function correctly. It was sad.

"Not really..." Dr. Hopper nodded and then leaned forward.

"Well, then you think she is cheating on you. You have no proof she is participating in these acts," He paused and wrote something down on his notes, "What have you seen with her? Strange behavior, the way she looks, or is it something else?" Dr. Hopper studied Chaste closely for any forced reaction.

"Yes, in fact. All of the things you've mentioned, she's been showing signs of." Chaste changed her position and leaned back into the couch, trying to relax and clear her mind.

"Can you go into detail for me?"

"Yes.." She paused, now deep in thought.

"She comes home late at night. I didn't think much of it at first, but she comes very late, like 1 to 3 am. She also tries to sneak in without my noticing, but I do because I don't sleep until she is home." Chaste grips the edge of her seat tightly.

"We would argue often. We can't have a regular conversation without one of us getting irritated. She never wants to talk things out either, she just ups and leaves. She's even ignoring Henry." Dr. Hopper's eyebrows furrowed. Chaste looked at him and shook her head for him to speak.

"She's ignoring Henry?"

Chaste looks at the ground sadly, "Yes, she hardly speaks to him. I know because Emma speaks about it all the time with me. It bothers her as well. Whenever he comes over, she isn't home. So, it's just me and Henry for the weekend usually."

Dr. Hopper scratched the back of his head in thought. He didn't expect to hear that. From what he knows; Henry is the most important person to Regina. It's strange hearing something different from that. He frowned, jotting down a side note.

"Continue what you were saying before." He said.

"Right. Anyways, we never talk. I feel like a stranger in my own home whenever she's around. But get this, whenever she does come home, she has this strange glow to her and she looks happy. There's magic in her eyes and she seems refreshed. She comes home smelling like...pine trees or something." Chaste suddenly feels angry. Pine trees reminded her of Robin, and Robin made her livid. The thought of him slamming Regina against the wall, thrusting deeply inside of her, making her moan out his name several times infuriated Chaste.

Chaste has never had the chance to make Regina scream like that because they have never gotten intimate. Well, they did get intimate, but they didn't get far because Chaste was not exactly ready. She was sort of nervous because she was unskilled; she feared not being able to please Regina right.

Dr. Hopper coughed awkwardly, trying to get Chaste's attention. She snapped back to reality and apologized.

"That's why I think she is cheating..." Dr. Hopper took everything in. It was a lot to go off of. Chaste's explanation was making more sense. Archie felt as if Regina was cheating as well. He could recall a few weeks back he saw Regina exiting Robin Hood's house in the dead of the night while walking Pongo. He held back a sigh and wondered if he should tell this piece of information to Chaste. He decided he will, but only when she tells him more of the situation.

"When did all of this start?"

"Uhh...I think maybe right after the second curse was enacted. Maybe even when we were back in the Enchanted Forest, I'm not sure." Chaste replied softly. Her eyes were downcast as she felt another pang of sadness. Helplessness, maybe even depression.

"I'm going to ask you another question, Chaste. I want you to think about this one before answering." She nodded and waited for the question. He wrote down a few things on paper, before shifting his position in his seat.

"Alright, I want you to think; Who do you think Regina is cheating with?" He asked steadily. He starred at Chaste, seeing different emotions displayed on her face. Anger and Sadness were the ones that appeared the most.

She clutched her knee tightly and dug her nails deeply through the fabric. Now all she felt was rage.

"Robin Hood." She muttered bitterly through barred teeth.

"Thank you for that wonderful piece of information, Dr. Hopper. Here's the money I owe for our visit." Chaste said flatly. Her expression was blank and on the inside, she felt empty. Her heart stopped it's erratic beating and it felt as if it wasn't there anymore. Her breathing evened and her nerves leveled out.

Archie looked at her worriedly, he now wondered if that was the right decision to tell her. "Chaste, please be careful. Don't do anything rash, think things through before confronting Regina." He took the money hesitantly and she lowered her hand. She faced him while putting on her jean jacket. "Of course I will think things through. Don't I always?" That was a rhetorical question, and after that she left.

Chaste walked out the building to feel the cold air coil around her. It didn't bother her. She already felt cold inside. She walked steadily down the sidewalk. The bright light from outside blinded her. It was still day time. Chaste guessed it was around 4 maybe 5 pm.

Chaste walked for a while, not bothering looking at where she was going. She tuned out the world, like Regina tuned her out when she was talking to her.

She came back to the world and realized she was outside the Charming's apartment. She knocked steadily on the door. She tried to change her facial expression to look natural, but it was hard. She got it just in time for Snow to open the door.

Chaste smiled at Snow, but it didn't reach her eyes. Yet, Snow didn't seem to notice and invited her inside. When Chaste entered inside, she could hear a baby giggle. She could tell it was Neal Jr. She saw Charming on the sofa, sitting down watching TV with Neal. David noticed Chaste and stood up to greet her with a hug. Well- almost hug, since he was still holding Neal.

"It's been a while since we've seen you, Chas." Mary Margaret said excitedly. It was nice to see them smile, Chaste thought. Chaste still felt no warmth from their smiles and hugs. She felt nothing.

"I'm sorry, but I need to know where Henry is. Is he with you guys?" Snow nodded and said he was upstairs in his room. Chaste gave a polite 'thank you' and made her way upstairs. She came by Henry's room and knocked on the door.

When she heard a 'come in' she opened the door and entered inside. When she was inside his room, it was dark. The only light was the sun setting from outside the thick curtains. Henry was hunched over in his bed playing with his phone. He looked tired.

He looked up from his phone and his face brightened and he smiled. Yet, his smile didn't reach his eyes. 'Seems we have something in common.'

"Hey, Henry. How are you? It's been a while."

"Yes, it has. I'm fine, how are you?" He asked.

"I'm alright." She moved towards his bed, "May I?" He nodded. She sat down on the edge of his bed.

"Henry, have you been feeling alright lately?"

Henry froze, "You just asked that-"

"I know, but for real. Are you alright?" Henry hesitated and Chaste caught him trembling. He looked into her eyes. They were similar to hers. Dead, yet his still had some light.

Chaste leaned over and hugged him and he was stunned for a bit. He felt an overwhelming feeling to cry; so he did.

His tears ran down his cheeks and onto Chaste's jean jacket. He was crying silently and when he sobbed loudly, it came out in soft rasps. Chaste stroked his back, telling him that it was okay. She wondered if they were sad for the same reason.

Half an hour later, Henry released his vice-like grip on Chaste's jean jacket. He looked at her, examining her.

"You found out, didn't you?" He whispered. Chaste did feel surprised that he knew. She had a feeling he knew for a while and was trying to keep it a secret. It was tearing him up inside, though.

"Yes, I did. You knew too. Tell me, how did you find out?" Chaste asked softly.

"It's not something I'd like to remember. Also, not the best way I could have found out either." He shuddered and Chaste's eyes widened. She moved to hold his hand tightly. It must be hard for him to even think about it not to mention talk about it.

Emma dropped Henry off at Regina's house as usual. She stayed in the car since he was old enough to be by himself. She watched him walk up the porch steps and take out a house key to open the door to the mansion. After she saw him go inside, she drove off.

Henry went inside and closed the door behind him. He kicked off his shoes and went to go look for Chaste to play video games with. He went into the family room, where she was usually at, but she wasn't there. He looked all over downstairs but couldn't find her. He decided to get out his phone and text her to find out where she is.

"Hey, where are you? I need to find where my Call of Duty game is." He txted. He sat on the couch and waited for a reply. As soon as he placed his phone in his pocket; he felt his phone vibrate. He took it out and opened up the text.

"I'm at Granny's getting take out for later. Your game is in your room on top of your bed. See ya soon, kid. :)))))"

He replied back quickly, "Thanks, I'll see you soon!"

He made his move to go upstairs, but when he reached mid step he heard a moan. He froze and he felt his heart skip a beat and not in a good way. Someone else was here. He was frightened by the thought that there might be an intruder in the house.

Then he heard another moan, but it sounded familiar. He arched an eyebrow and crept up the stairs. His feet glided lightly over the stairs. As he grew closer, the moans were getting louder and he could feel his stomach squeeze tighter.

Those moans were from his mother.

His eyes widened as he grew sick. Chaste wasn't here. Who was she with? Henry was scared, but he went forward to his moms room which she shared with Chaste. The door was cracked slightly. The crack was wide enough to see through it. He hide behind the door and calmed his breathing before looking through.

The moans were bothering him a lot. This wasn't right.

He then heard screaming and he was about to charge through the door because he was afraid his mom was getting hurt.

She kept screaming a name...

"Robin! Oh, Robin! I-I'm cumming!" Henry's heart stopped. Robin Hood was in there with his mom!

He peaked through the crack and saw Robin Hood on top of his mother doing..ugh..stuff. Yet, it wasn't sickness he felt, it was betrayal. Betrayal for his friend and third mom, Chaste. How could his mom do this to her? She didn't deserve this...

Henry tore his eyes away from the scene and he felt his eyes water. He ran for it, but was careful not to make a noise. He slipped his shoes back on and left the house. He ran far from the mansion, away from his mom, and Robin.

He ended up at the park. He found a bench and sat down. His heart was racing from all the running he did. He tried to catch his breath as he felt tears run down his cheeks.

"H-how could you mom!" He screamed out, frustrated. He felt foolish for believing that she was trying to change. He felt lied too. His heart hurt and he wondered if he should tell Chaste about his discovery.

Henry was lost in thought until he heard a thud next to him. He jumped in surprise and looked to his left.

"Chaste."

To be Continued!