A/N: Thank you lovely Oncers for reviewing my last chapter! Much appreciated! This chapter might upset some of you all, as it did me writing this, but it is necessary for what I have planned, I assure you. Full of angst and whatnot, enjoy, though!


A hissing storm passed over Storybrooke, causing the day to look like nightfall. It was dreary, cold, and gloomy, matching everyone's mood that afternoon.

Emma rushed over to August's place, having to go to her last resort for catching Regina. She knocked on his door fervently. The Sheriff didn't know why she was in such a hurry that day, perhaps the storm got the best of her. Or, it had been nearly four days since anyone had last seen Mary, and a climactic build wallowed within her. She missed her friend deeply.

August opened the door slowly, but was knocked back by Emma barging in, pacing around the room, vexed. Emma started first.

"I need something, something, to get Regina. I've been seeing her eyeing me around town, waiting for my next move to crush her, but she knows I have nothing. I need your help, August," she babbled irritably.

"Woah, slow down there, Emma. What is it you actually want to accomplish?"

The Sheriff ran a cold hand through her curls, trying to calm herself. "She has destroyed so many lives, and I know she's done something to Mary Margaret. She needs to be stopped."

"How do you know she's actually done anything?" August asked, gesturing Emma to take a seat at his desk. She obliged, sitting down in a fit of pique. "She's been seeing David," the Sheriff claimed, a disgusted look spread across her face. She was not too fond of their affair.

"Regina and David?" August asked, unbelieved. "You saw them together?"

Emma took her eyes off of him, letting them wander. "Well, no, not exactly . . ." she drifted, realizing she had less than nothing and has accomplished so little within the last few days.

"Just take my word for it," she uttered peevishly. "I just don't want her setting this example for Henry. "Okay. But with that said, I can't help you," August said, stuffing his hands in his leather jacket.

Emma looked up at him, her brows knitted. "Why not?"

August shrugged. "You saw it. I didn't."

The Sheriff's eyes narrowed and she stood up. She knew this was a useless idea to go see August. Emma rolled her eyes, no wonder she had him as a last resort. Then, realization dawned upon her.

"I know someone who can help me," she said, eyebrows raised, heading for the door. She closed it behind her, not giving August one last look. Baffled, August shrugged again, knowing that Emma was a difficult puzzle not to deal with.

o0o0o

"The shop's closed, dearie," called a voice from the back room when they heard the bell from atop the store door ring.

"Yeah, well, I'm not here to buy anything," Emma exclaimed, rolling her eyes as she scanned the shop's mysterious items.

Mr. Gold emerged from his office and placed his hands on the glass counter. "What can I do for you, Miss Swan?" he looked at her, noticing her furrowed brow and her hands-on-hips stance. "You look like you have a bit of a problem on your hands."

"Regina," Emma said blatantly, walking up to the counter. Mr. Gold nodded, "ah, and what exactly do you intend for me to do?"

"I need something," Emma started, "to ruin her."

Mr. Gold smiled deviously. "I can certainly take care of Madam Mayor for you, then. I have just the plan," he said, lifting his pointer finger in the air.

Emma's head cocked to the side. Her eyes whiskered. "But," she stated, drawling out the word. "But what, dearie?" he replied, a smirk across his face.

"What do you want?" Emma questioned unsubtly. "I'm glad you asked," he said as he walked about the space behind the reflective counter. "I have something hidden, and I need it back. With your help, of course."

"What do you want me to do?" she asked, eyeing him beadily. Mr. Gold pulled a large, narrow case from beneath the glass. "To kill the beast, dearie! And what's inside, will not only help me, but you as well."

Emma leaned in. "What beast? I'm not going to play any of your games, Gold. Just expose Regina," she growled, moving to go.

"This also will help you get custody of your boy," he said reassuringly. He opened the case to reveal a marvelous sword, with detail so precise, it was hard to look away once noticed.

The Sheriff stopped short and turned around. "And you'll take care of Regina?"

"Not only you and myself share hatred with the Mayor, Miss Swan."

Emma looked down at the shining object. It was something so beautiful but yet, at the same time, it could do unspeakable damage. She marveled at the sword, placing her hand delicately on the handle.

"Some might say that this sword here, is fit for a prince."

o0o0o

"David, she knows," Regina groaned, pushing him away before he can sneak in a nip at her neck. "And I don't want Henry finding out either," she mentioned, nodding up towards the stairs.

They were standing in the threshold of the Mayor's house. David had a number of excuses not to see her, but he gave in. She told him about when she went home, and how Emma was there, waiting to ruin her. He feared this would end their whole affair, but it only added to all the more reasons for what he initially came there for.

"Maybe you should've kept better track of Miss Blanchard or Miss Swan wouldn't have come knocking on your door the other night bombarding you with questions." Regina was irritated, her whole scheme of completely destroying Mary Margaret's life and building her own happiness was beginning to fall to pieces.

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear with a scoff. And having David coming to see her was of no help.

Her face grimaced when she blamed him for her actions. Her eyes were beating into his blue, a twisted expression upon her lips. Regina hadn't softened. She refused to believe it. Their affair only made her colder, and even more harder on herself than she ever was.

The Mayor leaned against the side of the door frame, a heel crossed over the other, waiting for his response. "I don't know where she is, and I don't know what's happened to her. You should know that at most - I was with you the whole time. Maybe I shouldn't have been," he said, stepping back.

Regina's face faltered. Her head perked up and she glowered at him, suppressing the emotions she had developed lately that scared her so. She began to doubt herself then.

He had been thinking about Mary's disappearance more and more in the past few days, and he came to the conclusion that this needed to stop. He wanted to see Regina so badly, to fall back into her poisonous spell, to take her again. But it was wrong. All of it, he finally realized wholly.

Her dark and twisted ways had him entrapped between right and wrong, good and evil, pleasure and pain. Though the pain Regina felt was loneliness, and it only pained her more to hear those harsh words fall from his lips.

He felt Regina backing away, too, when she mentioned "a kiss" nights ago. David didn't understand what she meant, but he thought that she had been thinking about their wrongdoings just as much as he did. She avoided it, and him as well. This was the first time they had seen each other in days, and David fell right back into her seduction.

But now, he had to stand firm. He came to say goodbye; not hello again, as he did night after night, indulging in his fantasies. David took another step back, not wanting to give in as he did so moments before.

"So this is your choice," Regina said in a bleak tone, her jaw clenched tight. David lowered his head and began to fumble with his jacket. He looked back up to meet her glacial stare. She hadn't blinked. "Yes," he whispered, pity wallowing in his eyes when her face began to redden.

She nodded slightly, acknowledging his decision. "She isn't even here - you haven't even seen her, and your leaving -"

"Regina, please," David begged, cutting her off. She recoiled in her position, unconscious to his new tone. It was almost like he had enough, that this choice he had made was decided long ago. Did he even feel anything?

"Just let me do something, then answer me, okay?"

David turned his head to the side, then nodded in submission. Regina took a hesitant step towards him and held his chin in her hand. David stood firm, knowing what she was going to do.

She grabbed his lips with hers in a soft kiss. It was filled with something that Regina couldn't put a finger on, but she knew she was going to miss it dearly when they were going to part. She felt his lips twitch beneath hers, yet nothing more. Regina pulled away. She looked up at him with hopeful eyes. "Anything?" she murmured, her voice dry and shaky.

David took a moment to answer. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it. His eyes then found hers, staring straight through her. "No," he said breathlessly, and turned to leave.

Regina stood there and watched him go, tears pricking her eyes and she didn't dare call out his name. She lowered her head, yet her eyes stayed put on his figure approaching his truck. A fist was clenched tightly against itself and Regina could feel her nails digging into her skin.

She swallowed harshly though it didn't help the growing lump in her throat. She retreated back into her home, closing the door behind her with a gentle click. Her ears hummed with emptiness, her mind buzzed with questions. She had fallen.

The Mayor's back hit the wood of the door, purposefully hitting her head against it roughly as she cried. Her eyes fluttered closed in distress, a single tear traveled down her flushed cheek in response.

She then inhaled sharply, her eyes shooting open. With her fist still clenched, she punched the mirror adjacent from where she was standing. She let out a well-needed yell as she did so. It shattered under her touch, a million pieces disarray among the floor, shattered.

Her knuckles stung with some of the glass that cut into her. She held her shaking hand close to her as it bled. She silently picked out the glass, dropping them to the floor with a clink.

Regina didn't hear Henry calling to her from upstairs, seeing his small figure emerge from the steps, running towards her. He grabbed her arm and asked her what happened. Even though her son was right there, his voice sounded faint, distant. Her breath was shallow and her heart raced.

"Nothing, dear," was all she managed to breath, slowly turning to his worried face giving him a weary smile that was intended to be an assurance of hope, but failed. She had failed. Her world had fallen; she had fallen, and she couldn't will herself anymore false hope.

She unconsciously made her way to the kitchen to retrieve a broom and dustpan to clean up the destruction she had caused. Henry watched her from the stairwell, questioning what might've happened or who pissed her off.

Regina swept up the shattered remains silently, her fears droning in her mind. She wasn't completely sure that she was mad at him, though more so mad at herself; for letting her get things out of hand.

It was over, and she didn't care the slightest what Emma thought and what she might do. It didn't matter anymore, David didn't want her. No matter what Regina did, he still went back to her, even when she wasn't here.

The glass clinked together as they gathered in the dustpan. Regina's thoughts were in a jumble as she picked up the remaining pieces of the mirror. She walked over to the trashcan in her kitchen and dumped the pieces in.

She closed the lid with a heavy sigh, dropping the broom and dustpan next to it.

She leaned against the counter, surrendering. She fucked everything up, plain and simple. What now? she thought.

Regina contemplated on Mary's position and no matter where she was, David would still choose her. It didn't matter, though she still wanted her to suffer for what she had done in the past. She could easily pluck her existence in Storybrooke for ruining her. Mary Margaret seen or mentioned anywhere made Regina's day a field day.

Her ears perked up suddenly when she heard Emma's voice on Henry's walky-talky from the stairwell.

"Henry - Henry - Jefferson found Mary Margaret. She's alive."

o0o0o

Nearly everyone gathered at the hospital and surrounded the bed as it was brought in, Mary Margaret atop of it.

Regina was hesitant to go, knowing David would be there, but Henry dragged her along, making her drive. It was a good decision though, because all sleeping curses can be broken with a single kiss.

She speed-walked inside, interrupting the commotion within the patient's room. She scanned around for David, but didn't see him. Regina stepped out of the room and into the waiting room, tapping her foot simultaneously as she looked down the halls.

She heard solid footsteps approaching where she was and she knew by instinct that they were David's. When he turned the corner, he was startled by her presence, even more so when she pushed him into a nearby closet, locking them in.

"Regina! What are you doing?" he questioned breathlessly, gaining his balance. "We need to talk," she said firmly, blocking the door to prevent him from escape.

He sighed, shaking is head. "Regina, we can talk later, Mary's out there and-"

"That's exactly the point."

"What?"

Regina huffed, crossing her arms together. "You left me when she wasn't here and now you're leaving me because she is. Something tells me that you're trying to avoid me."

David sighed again, tucking his hands in his jean pockets. "Look, Regina, you were avoiding me first. What we're doing - what we're doing isn't right. It's ludicrous and I shouldn't have led you on to think it was more than what it is-"

"But it is more that what it seems, David. We're both avoiding this. We're both avoiding us. We can't do it for much longer," she barked pleadingly. "At least I can't."

"You're right, we can't. And - I'm sorry," he murmured, cupping her face for a moment. He sided passed her and unlocked the door. "No!" she yelped, attempting to stop him from leaving the closet.

"Regina, Mary's out there I have to go," he said, batting away her hand, exiting the room. "David!" she called out, clutching onto the door, falling into what she said she wouldn't do her whole life: weaken.


A/N: To be honest, I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter, though I am happy with the ending though that's quite a juxtaposition when to take a gander at my Evil/Charming feels, ha! Next chapter, I can tell you, will be much angst, and might possibly be what I've been intending to write from the beginning (not quite sure it will be next chapter though).

On a much lighter note, what did everyone think of OUAT episode 2? Let me just say it had me crying. Ugh. By far the most sad and moving episode in my opinion, and it's also my new favorite. Please review and tell me what you think! x

p.s.- I tried out a new way of separating the scenes in this chapter by placing the o0o0o in the center. I think it will keep things more organized. If you could tell me what you think on that and if it helps, I will put it like that on the other chapters and new ones for old and future readers. Thanks!