A/N: This takes place during 1x18. We have two more chapters after this and season one will be complete.

I'm going on a trip from August 5th to the 8th so I'm going to try my hardest to update as much as I can this week. I'll also be cracking down on updates when I get home because I'm going off to college for the first time which means my writing time could be limited in a few weeks.

TW: There is a brief mention of marital rape.


Regina's phone buzzed for the third time that morning. She pursed her lips and frowned as it vibrated against her desk. She glanced up and checked the name that appeared — 'Robin Locksley'. Her heart ached a little when his contact picture, a lovely image of him smiling that charming smile of his, appeared on her screen. Regina told herself that she would have to delete it.

While Robin thought she was mad about encouraging Henry's supposed fantasy, Regina had pushed him away for other reasons. The primary one being that he was her soulmate if the lion tattoo was any indicator. It meant that the feelings she was beginning to develop for him were ones that she needed to push away as soon as possible. Love was weakness, and falling in love with Robin was a bad idea.

Not only was she falling in love with the cursed version of the man who she was destined to be with, but if he ever happened to wake up, he'd only break her heart when he realized that she was a monster. Robin Hood didn't care about Regina, even if Locksley did. In fact, Robin Hood was a thief and a scoundrel. Regina's guards had captured him numerous times, tortured him, killed his Merry Men… how could he love someone like her when she had caused him a great deal of pain? And now, she had separated him from his family.

That brought about another question. His family. Robin could very well have a wife somewhere in Storybrooke. He may think she was dead, but there was a high chance she wasn't. His son might also be alive, perhaps living with his mother or another family. Once he remembered, Robin would return to them anyway. The only thing he would remember Regina for was when he had cheated on his wife numerous times with the woman who cursed his family.

So, she had saved them both the heartache. Well, perhaps more so herself. If the curse broke, and it was growing weaker each day, then Regina would've fooled herself into thinking someone could love her and she could love someone else. But she didn't, and she never would.

She watched as her phone screen faded to black again. She exhaled a deep breath and leaned back in her chair. She had nothing to look forward to anymore. Henry was as closed off as ever, Emma was closer to solving the murder case, and Mary Margaret rotting in jail only strengthened Emma's resolve and weakened the curse.

Perhaps she should go pay Mary Margaret a visit. She wanted to revel in her misfortunes, especially after learning that Mary Margaret had, in fact, taken the bait with the skeleton key. She had let herself out of jail a few days ago with a key Regina had planted in her cell. Now everyone was convinced she was at fault for Kathryn's murder, except for Emma. Gold had been right, Emma would figure things out and Regina wanted to see Mary Margaret suffer before things worked out perfectly for her as they always did.

Besides, she wanted to see her before her interrogation today. Gold had promised that he would convince Emma to let Mary Margaret speak to Albert Spencer, who was King George in the Enchanted Forest. He had always hated Snow White for ruining his little sham with Prince "James". Now, he was the district attorney. She would surely crack under the pressure and admit something that would cause her to slip up.

Deciding that would be the best way to spend her day, she got up from her seat and grabbed her purse, heading for the door of her office. Just as she was about to grab the handle and pull it, the door flew open. Regina jumped back with a gasp of surprise.

Robin stood there, blue eyes determined, or perhaps angry. Regina couldn't tell.

"You've been ignoring me," he said harshly.

"Yes, thank you for stating the obvious," Regina scoffed. She hadn't wanted things between them to be this way, but the snark rolled off her tongue so perfectly that she just let it go. She would drive him off eventually, might as well get cold towards him now.

She went to push past him, but Robin stepped in the way of the threshold, not allowing her to pass.

"I have places to be," Regina said and frowned at him.

"I don't care if you have places to be," Robin said. "I've tried reaching out to you all day. I've given you a few days to cool off and I want to talk."

"Not during work," Regina said.

"Yes, during work. You're the mayor. Whatever it is can wait," Robin argued. "I know you'll avoid me any other time during the day, so we're talking now."

He shut the door and locked it behind them.

Regina crossed her arms. "Let me through or I'll—"

Robin laughed bitterly. "You'll what, Regina? What will you do? Throw another temper tantrum?"

Her jaw dropped and she raised a brow at him. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Robin said. "Regina, you've blown this whole thing out of proportion and you're acting like a child! I just want to have a conversation and resolve whatever it is that's going on, but I can't do that if you ignore me and try to storm off whenever we're in the same vicinity."

She frowned up at him. "I just want to be left alone."

"I have left you alone," Robin said. Regina could tell how hard he was trying to keep his frustration at bay. "It's been a week. I want to talk. How much longer are we going to wait?"

"I guess you will be waiting until you're six feet under because it's not going to happen," Regina replied. "I don't want to talk to you."

Robin rubbed his temples. "Damn it, Regina. This is ridiculous! What you're mad about is… it's stupid."

"You don't know what I'm mad about," Regina replied bitterly.

"No, I don't," Robin said. "And that's why I want to talk."

"How do you know it's stupid if you don't know, then?" Regina inquired.

Robin sighed. "Based on this childish argument we're having, I'd say it's stupid."

"So you're just going to discount my feelings because you think I'm mad at you over something stupid," Regina replied. "That proves exactly why I don't want to talk to you. Now move."

She went to push past him, but Robin reached out and grasped her wrists. Regina tensed.

"No, no! Please, let me go," the young woman cried as the old, drunk king grabbed her wrists and forced her down on the bed for the second time that night.

"Now, Regina," the king chided as he ripped off the final piece of her clothing. "You're mine tonight."

"Let go," she said desperately when she had snapped out of a memory she didn't want to remember. Her hands quivered.

"No, you're going to—"

Regina felt her chest constricting and tears pressed against the back of her eyes. "I said let go!" she yelled.

Robin stared at her a moment, confused. His grip loosened but he didn't let go.

"Please… please don't hurt me," she whimpered, finding it difficult to catch her next breath. She knew Robin wouldn't hurt her, but that flashback had been so strong.

Seeming to sense that she was terrified, Robin instantly released her wrists and held his hands up. He didn't speak. Regina was glad.

She turned away from him and rubbed her wrists, body quivering as she tried to recover from her moment of panic. She hugged her arms close to her body and went to stare out the window at her apple tree. Over the past few days, the fruit it bore had begun to rot. Her lip trembled as she gazed upon it.

"Regina," Robin tried quietly.

"Leave me alone," she snapped halfheartedly.

He bit his lip. "I'm sorry. I didn't—… I wasn't expecting…"

"Don't," she growled and turned to him again, having regained some of her composure.

He sighed. "Please, can we talk? I want to fix things."

"There's nothing to talk about," Regina said.

"This really isn't about me playing along with Henry's game is it? This is something else," he said. "I know you wouldn't be that mad about that, so why are you upset?"

Regina frowned and didn't say anything.

"In fact, if I were to guess, I would say this is over the soulmate thing, isn't it?" Robin inquired. "Look, I am sorry for what I said. I really didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. And maybe I should've told you the whole story about Henry's book and how he thinks we're actually soulmates…"

Regina frowned. We are actually soulmates, she thought bitterly and crossed her arms over her chest. Robin approached carefully and gently placed his hands on her biceps. When she didn't protest, he pulled her into a hug that was very much one-sided.

"I'm sorry, love. I know there are things in your past that you'd rather not share, and I know enough to realize there was someone you loved very dearly long ago. Whether this is because of him or not, I have no idea, but I hope that you'll at least give me a chance," he said and rubbed her back. "It's only been a short time but I can tell we have a good relationship and a strong bond. I care for you and I don't want to see that all go to waste."

His words were almost enough to make her uncross her arms and hug him back, maybe let him fuck her on the couch, but she resisted the urge. Instead, she pulled away, cruelly reminding herself that this could never be. His feelings were fake and if the curse ever broke, she'd only be hurt because love was weakness. She had fooled herself once but never again, not even with her soulmate.

"I'm not ready for this, Robin," she said. And I never will be. "I'm not ready for a relationship."

The hurt on his face was almost too much to bear. "We don't have to call it anything official. We can go back to how we were before."

"I can't," she said. "Just… l need you to leave."

"Regina—"

"Go," she snapped. "I don't want this anymore."

Robin let his shoulders sag in defeat. "Tell me this, Regina. Did you ever care?"

"Excuse me?" she scoffed.

"Did you ever care about me? Because if you did, I will keep coming back to prove to you that we can work, once you're ready. But if not then I'll never bother you again," he said. "So did you ever care?"

She knew what answer she should give him. The truth, that yes, she did care for him more than she ever should allow herself to but if she did, he wouldn't leave her alone. So, she lied. "No, I didn't."

Robin scoffed and shook his head. "Emma was right, then. You were just using me. Just like you used Graham."

Before she could even react, he slammed the door behind him, leaving her with her anger, sadness, fear, and guilt. Fuck you, Robin. Damn you, Emma.

With that, Regina grabbed her things and left the office. Time to go gloat to Mary Margaret. Torturing Snow White had always been her go to activity when she felt heartbroken. After all, it was her fault anyway. Had she not shared Regina's secret, she could be happily married to Daniel and they'd have a family of their own. She could be watching her kids, or even grandchildren now, grow up. Instead, she was stuck in a time loop at thirty-three years, heartbroken, alone, and unable to have children of her own.

All because of her.

And no one cared.

So yes, seeing Mary Margaret in her pitiful state was just what she needed to make her feel better. And then later, she would watch her fall apart before she inevitably got off the hook once again.

Regina tried to push that last part away and pretend that Mary Margaret would get thrown out of town.


When she arrived at the sheriff's station, the parking lot was vacant. Robin was off sulking, Emma was most likely still focused on solving the case. The rest of the imbeciles who worked at the station were handling smaller tasks. So, that left Regina and Mary Margaret.

When she walked in, she found Mary Margaret curled up on the prison cot, legs tucked up against her chest. She was still, perhaps sleeping.

Regina grabbed a chair and moved it in front of the cell. She sat down and primly crosses her legs, hands resting on her knee.

"They say only the guilty sleep in prison," she said with a cruel smirk.

Mary Margaret jumped awake and sat up, turning to stare at Regina with wide eyes. "What are you doing here? Where's Emma?" The gleam in her eyes was acute to fear. Absolutely wonderful.

"She hasn't come back yet," Regina said smugly. "I just stopped by to give you a chance — a chance to spare yourself and this town the messiness of a trial. The chance to confess."

Mary Margaret got up and slowly approached. "But I didn't kill Kathryn," she said. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, in a way that made her appear more like Snow White than sweet, soft spoken Mary Margaret. "Why won't anyone believe me?"

"The murder weapon was found in your apartment. Your fingerprints were found on the box containing Kathryn's heart," Regina said. She tipped her head and smirked. "Shall I go on?"

Regina stood up and approached the cell. "Why not, for once, make it easier on everyone? Because, confession or not, you're leaving Storybrooke."

To her surprise, Mary Margaret smiled bitterly. "And you like that. Why? Why do you take pleasure in this? What did I ever do to you to make you hate me so much?" She looked hurt, but her eyes were devoid of the tears Regina had been hoping for.

Regina stared at her. Mary Margaret was slowly beginning to fade away. Mary Margaret would have started crying by now, begging for Regina to spare her. But this was Snow White, always asking why Regina hated her so much, always knowing there was a legitimate reason.

"You'll soon find out," she said and turned on her heel to leave.


Only hours later was she back at the station. Gold, Emma, and Mary Margaret were talking about whether or not the suspect should speak to the district attorney. Regina was waiting outside with him, and Sidney who had chosen today of all days to plant the bug.

With Regina right there.

Idiot, she thought to herself as he gave her a nervous smile and walked in with the flower vase.

Regina turned back to Spencer. "You can't let up on her. Push her until she breaks, got it?" she said. "She'll play innocent, but if you get her emotional, she may say something we can use."

"Yes, Madame Mayor," he said.

With that, the two of them were walking in, just as Mary Margaret said, confidently, that she would talk to Spencer.

Perfect.

Gold, as Mary Margaret's lawyer, led the way into the interrogation room. He sat down beside his client and Albert Spencer across from them. Regina and Emma stood outside, the tension between them at its height.

"Robin told me the two of you are over," she said.

"Are you going to turn him against me, too? Like you did with Graham?" Regina scoffed. "If getting people to join your side involves getting in their pants, Miss Swan, then that's a low blow."

"And you're no different?" Emma scoffed.

"I meant that it's a low blow for you. I play dirty and you know that, but you claim to be Henry's hero. You're good. You can do no wrong," Regina said mockingly.

"At least I have a sense of honor," Emma said. "And I have no interest in Robin. If he turns against you, then it's your own fault."

They settled into silence after that and the interrogation began.

"After she learned about your affair, Mrs. Nolan, the deceased, came to your school to confront you. Is that correct?" Albert Spencer asked.

Regina stared intently at the scene unfolding before her.

"She was hurt. She felt betrayed," Mary Margaret said in that horrifyingly innocent, gentle tone. Regina wanted to strangle her.

Spencer nodded. "She struck you in the face, was it?" he inquired.

"Well, yes, but—"

"That must've made you angry," Spencer said, cutting her off.

Gold cut in. "Now, you don't have to answer that," he said. He was very good at putting up a front. She should have expected nothing more from the imp.

Mary Margaret just shook her head. "No, it's okay," she began softly. "I was not angry. I was sorry for all the pain I had caused her."

Regina locked her jaw and pursed her lips. What a Snow White thing to say, that little bitch.

Spencer scoffed. "Miss Blanchard, this is not a courtroom. I'm not here to judge you. You can be honest with me."

Gold tightened his grip around his cane. "Shall we end this?" he asked lightly.

Mary Margaret narrowed her eyes. "I am being honest with you," she argued.

Spencer leaned in disdainfully. "The wife of the man you loved humiliated you in public. Surely you must've felt some anger towards Kathryn."

"Yes, I was angry—"

"And did you ever think about acting upon that anger?" Spencer asked, cutting her off.

Regina watched Mary Margaret grow flustered. Got her.

Mary Margaret rolled her eyes. "Of course not."

"I have a hard time believing that," Spencer growled.

The suspect gasped in shock, as if it was absolutely preposterous that someone wouldn't believe that she was perfect and innocent. It seemed as though she and Snow shared something in common. "Why?"

"Because you wanted Kathryn Nolan gone," Spencer said calmly.

Mary Margaret's jaw dropped. "I never said that!"

Gold leaned forward. "Alright," he interjected and stood up. "My client is answering no more questions for the day."

Spencer looked up at Gold fiercely. "Your client agreed to this interview because she claimed she had nothing to hide," he snapped.

"I don't have anything to hide!" Mary Margaret exclaimed.

"Then what's your answer?" Spencer pressed. "You wanted Kathryn gone, didn't you?"

"No," she said firmly.

"Even after she tried to keep you and David apart, after she slapped you in public, after she made you the harlot of your own town—"

"Yes! Of course I wanted her gone!" she cried, eyes filling with tears. "She was the only thing keeping us apart so yeah, I wanted her gone! Is that what you wanted to hear?"

The room fell silent. Regina couldn't help but smirk as Mary Margaret turned, shocked, towards Gold so he could help her out of the hole she had just dug for herself.

But of course, he just looked away, unable to do anything.


That evening, after things had settled down for the night, Regina decided to pay her nemesis another visit. After what had happened earlier, she wanted to see Mary Margaret at her ultimate low.

When she walked into the dark station, Mary Margaret sat on her cot, sobbing into her hands. Regina would cherish the moment until her final breath.

"Having a bad day?" she asked as she approached the cell.

Mary Margaret stood. "What're you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you while I can," Regina said.

If Emma couldn't ruin it beforehand and prove that Mary Margaret was innocent, there would be a trial and she would surely be found guilty. She would be cast out of Storybrooke forever and the curse would grow stronger. Regina would never have to face the town alone, she would never lose her son, and she would never have to confront Robin when he woke up. The best part? Snow White would officially be lost forever. She would never find David or her daughter ever again.

"What does that mean?" Mary Margaret sniffled.

"Simply that the trial starts tomorrow and it won't be a long one," Regina said. "And you'll be sent out of Storybrooke for good. I will never have to see you again."

Mary Margaret looked appalled, at her ultimate low. Regina felt like she was at her ultimate high.

"Ah, I want to enjoy this while I still can," she gloated.

"Enjoy what?" the other woman inquired.

Regina smirked. "Justice."

"J-Justice?" Mary Margaret asked, her voice choked. "Watching an innocent suffer?"

There she was, admitting it. That's all she ever was. Innocent. She didn't know the lives she had ruined, the pain she had caused. "You've always seem yourself that way haven't you?" Regina scoffed. "Innocent."

Mary Margaret placed her hands on the bars and leaned forward, tears streaming down her face. "I am innocent! I don't know what this is about. I don't know what ever did to you but whatever it was, Regina, I'm sorry. I truly am."

She was sobbing, her body shaking, her face scrunched, tears creating paths along her cheeks.

Regina smiled, eyes memorizing every feature of her face. "Apology not accepted," she growled.

"Please," Mary Margaret begged. Ah, there it was. She was no longer Snow White. She was the cursed schoolteacher Regina had pegged her to be. "Don't do this to me. I don't deserve this! I did not kill Kathryn!"

Regina leaned forward and brushed her fingers against her cheek. "Oh I know," she said in mockingly soothing voice. She grabbed Mary Margaret's face which was frozen in a look of shock and betrayal and leaned in, "But you do deserve this."

Regina let go of her and stormed out of the sheriff's station, reveling in the sounds of the sobs from the woman who had ruined her life all those years ago.