Author's note: It should not, I repeat: should not take over a month to complete one chapter. However, this was a long one, and there was a lot to cover. I hope this was worth the wait, and I also hope it will not take me as long to complete this story, but at least I'm on the way to getting to the end.
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Chapter Ten
There were decidedly less pleasant ways to wake up, Regina mused, as she was drawn from slumber by the sensation of her husband's soft lips against her bare skin.
She twisted into his arms with a quiet sigh, content to bask in his warmth, the crisp white sheets of their bed curling further around her naked form as she did so.
Regina nuzzled sleepily at Aiden's throat before whispering: "Good morning."
He chuckled dryly and ran his fingers lightly across her spine. "Actually it's closer to noon. We slept half the day away."
Regina stretched languidly and let her eyes flutter open, her heart skipping wildly when she was treated to the sight of him.
The sheets were pooled around his waist, baring a lean yet exquisitely muscled torso, and his nearly shoulder-length hair was tousled in a manner that was unbearably sexy.
Warmth began to pool right below her stomach and she curled closer, reaching out and running a hand over the scratches that were visible on his chest. "Considering how long we were preoccupied with each other last night, I'm not entirely surprised."
Aiden smirked and leaned forward, touching his lips briefly to hers. "True enough."
"Oh you can do better than that," she muttered as he began to pull away, which caused him to laugh as he was dragged back for a proper kiss.
They embraced heatedly for several moments, Regina reclining back against the mattress as she draped her arms over her husband's shoulders.
She moaned when he punctuated his kisses with teasing nips, and slid one long leg against his under the covers to keep him close as she arched her hips instinctively.
It did not take much for him to get the hint, and then they were both pleasantly distracted for a while.
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"I guess I can run errands after the sun goes down from now on…and maybe change my hours around at the shop," Aiden murmured, making no move to pull away from his wife after several rounds of lovemaking.
She glanced up at him. "Sorry. Am I being too much of a distraction?"
He shook his head and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Don't you dare apologize! I'm not minding this one bit, although I may need to eat something soon."
At this, Regina chuckled. "Yes. You need your strength. And I could use some blood soon too."
He fell silent, and then gently resituated them both so that they were in a sitting position. "It's good that you brought feeding up, actually; because there was something I meant to ask you last night but we never got around to much talking."
"No kidding," she grinned. "What did you want to ask me?"
"I was hoping that you'd let me be your donor."
"You're going to have to explain to me what that entails so I understand."
He took her hand within his and twined their fingers together. "A donor is someone who willingly volunteers their blood as the sole source of nutrition to a particular vampire. In other words: you wouldn't have to drink from blood bags all the time or learn how to hunt. You'd get all that you need from me."
"That's a very kind offer, and I'll gladly take you up on it, but there's one problem," she squeezed his hand briefly. "I've never fed on a live person before. At least: not that I can remember anyway."
Smiling sweetly, Aiden kissed her palm. "I've already taken that into consideration. Come on: let's go down to the kitchen and I can show you."
She watched as he got out of bed and pulled on a pair of slacks, and then he tossed her one of his shirts.
She caught it with ease, even though she was still getting used to her vampire reflexes.
As soon as she was decent, Aiden offered her a hand to help her out of bed and then, together, they left the bedroom and headed downstairs to where the kitchen was located.
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Regina ran her fingers over the marble counter-top as her husband walked over to the refrigerator and rummaged around inside.
After a few moments of searching, he located what he was looking for and emerged holding a blood bag.
"We're going to start you off with this. Once you know how well you handle drinking my blood this way, we'll try drinking from the source. In other words: from me."
A look of mild disgust crossed his wife's face. "You keep your own blood in your food locker?"
He swallowed a laugh at her reaction. "It's called a refrigerator, and let's just say that I've been stockpiling."
"That better not be 28 years old," Regina muttered as she walked over to the kitchen table and sat while he poured the contents of one bag into a mug.
Aiden chuckled softly. "It's fresh, my love. Let me warm it up for you."
There was something genuinely surreal about her husband warming a mug of blood for her, but she also found it rather touching.
She jumped, however, when the device he had placed the mug inside beeped erratically.
"Sorry, I should have warned you about that," Aiden walked over and retrieved her now-warmed breakfast.
"There are a lot of things I still have to get used to…like all the appliances in here," she looked around curiously. "You'll have to show me how it all works."
"I will," he handed her the mug and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Now, take a sip of this and tell me if it tastes all right."
Tentatively, she took a small sip and was relieved to discover that his blood tasted divine.
Suddenly hungry, she began to gulp it down.
He watched, intrigued by her response to it and unable to help the jolt of arousal that ran up his spine when she moaned happily and licked the remnants of his blood off her lips.
Regina set the mug down and looked over at her husband, unaware of the fact that her eyes were now a bright crimson in color.
He cursed under his breath, as he found her particularly alluring that way, and inhaled sharply before stating: "I'm going to take the fact that you're not trying to kill me right now as a good sign."
"I admit that your neck is a rather tempting target, but my reasons for wanting to bite it have nothing to do with feeling peckish."
They stared at each other for a lingering moment before they both lunged at the same time, lips crashing in a fervent kiss as Regina found herself hoisted up in his arms and pressed back against the table.
"Control is obviously going to be a bit of an issue here," she mumbled when he tore open the shirt she had on.
"Yours or mine?" he growled.
"Difficult to say," she shrugged out of the remnants of the garment and dragged him closer.
In the blink of an eye it was skin against skin, and then nothing mattered save for each other (and the hope that the kitchen table would not break in the onslaught of passion).
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"If we keep this up we're never going to leave this house, are we?" Regina groaned as she ran her fingers carelessly through Aiden's tousled copper waves.
He mumbled something incoherently against her shoulder, and then glanced up at her. "Not unless we get better at the control thing."
She laughed and dropped a kiss to his temple. "Well stop being so irresistible."
"I'll do my best," he smirked and leaned in to capture her mouth with his, gathering his wife into his arms and holding her close as they embraced languidly.
She sighed and pulled back long enough to whisper: "I love you…so much."
His heart skipped a beat at her words and he nuzzled his nose against hers. "I love you too."
Before the tender moment could escalate, however, it was interrupted by the phone ringing.
Aiden exchanged a glance with Regina. "What time is it?"
She looked over at the clock on the kitchen wall. "Around 3, why?"
"Then it's probably Belle…she runs the shop when I'm not in," he explained and, very reluctantly, got off of her. "I'd better answer it and find out what she wants."
Regina twisted onto her side and enjoyed the view from her vantage point on their kitchen table as he wandered over to the phone, still completely naked, and answered it.
"Hi Belle, what's going on? Oh. Yeah I'll send in an order for that tomorrow. Thanks for taking care of the store for me; I didn't want to leave Regina by herself today. Yeah, she's doing fine" he looked over his shoulder at his wife and smiled sweetly. "She's adjusting as well as can be expected." He paused for a moment, listening to the woman on the other end of the line, and then colored considerably. "That's the understatement of the year. We'll still be at the meeting though. Oh? Oh really? That would be excellent. Yes, I'll tell her. Wonderful. Thank you so much. Okay. We'll be there at 6 then. All right, talk to you later. Good bye."
Regina tilted her head curiously as he hung up the phone. "What was that all about?"
"Apparently the sunlight issue will no longer pose a problem. Belle found a medallion that will allow you to walk around in the day. Which means: I won't have to change my store hours after all. And I don't have to keep all the curtains drawn."
"That's wonderful!" She moved away from the table and walked over to him, completely at ease with her nudity. "I won't have to sequester myself away in the dark during the daylight hours."
"Mmm. And you can help me run the shop if you like," he leaned forward and kissed her lightly. "Although we'll have to set up some guidelines. I doubt my customers would appreciate it if we did business naked because we can't stop having sex with each other long enough to get dressed."
A bright laugh escaped his queen. "Yes, I can see how that would be a problem."
He grinned and kissed her again. "In the meantime, we have three hours to kill before we're supposed to meet up at the library."
"The library?"
"It's where Melanie holds all the meetings."
"Belle mentioned that she was the head of the Organization, but I saw the way Jefferson reported to you. It sounds like you're important."
To her delight, Aiden colored slightly. "They consider me the boss because I formed the Organization with her, but generally I prefer that she runs things. I trust her."
Regina smiled. "Well, I understand that. It'll be good to see her. So…how should we entertain ourselves for the hours we have until then?"
"Well a shower would be nice to start…and clothes. Clothes are necessary."
"Most unfortunate," she teased, nipping at his jaw playfully. "I was enjoying this immensely."
"As was I, but there's still a lot to explain and Mel's always been the better story teller. How about for now: we take that shower? It'll probably preoccupy us for another hour anyway."
Regina shook her head and slapped him playfully on the arm, but allowed him to escort her back upstairs.
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Despite their penchant for distracting one another, Aiden made certain that he and Regina arrived at the town library on time, right after sundown.
Unexpectedly nervous, she smoothed down her hair and tugged self-consciously at the edge of the charcoal grey, thigh-length dress that her husband had picked out for her to wear that evening.
Aiden noticed her anxious fidgeting and smiled warmly before draping an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry. You look beautiful."
"You're supposed to say that because you're married to me," still, his words were encouraging enough and she leaned into his embrace instinctively.
He laughed quietly and pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head before escorting her into the building.
The first person she spotted was Belle, who looked quite a bit different than she had when they had first met.
The huntress was sitting on top of the main desk, wearing a feminine dress made out of cobalt blue lace, combined with a cute pair of silver heels. Her long, auburn hair was falling in loose waves around her face, and a pair of black-rimmed glasses was perched adorably upon her nose.
To complete the picture: she was reading a rather dense-looking book, which was bound in dark green leather.
As they walked further into the room, Belle peered over the edge of the tome in her hands, and her bright blue eyes seemed to sparkle with mischief before she drawled: "Well, good evening lovebirds. I trust you had an enjoyable afternoon?"
Regina's cheeks turned a fetching shade of red, while Aiden scowled and replied: "I swear, French, if you used your powers on us today…"
Belle chuckled and put her book down. "I don't need to read your minds to know what you've been up to. It's written all over your faces."
"Is it really that obvious?" Regina ducked her head, mortified.
Belle just smiled sweetly. "I can't say I blame either one of you. 28 years apart from your true love is far too long a time."
"That much is very true," Aiden wrapped an arm around his wife's waist and squeezed her to his side.
Regina relaxed and then gestured at Belle's outfit. "That's an interesting look. Quite different from what I saw you in yesterday."
Belle grinned and came out from behind the front desk, and then spun in a circle coquettishly. "You like it? It's one of Jeff's favorite outfits."
"It suits you," Regina admitted.
Belle's grin widened. "Why thank you, Mrs. Gold."
At this, Regina smiled in return. "You're very welcome."
"Speaking of your boyfriend…where is Jefferson?" Aiden glanced around, but saw no sign of the Hunter.
"Mel had him on patrol."
"Patrol?" Regina tilted her head, curious.
"Unlike vampires, wolves are active during the day, so we have to keep an eye on their territory." Belle explained. "The wolves have control of about half the town, but their numbers are growing, and if we don't patrol our borders, they could over-run us easily."
"It sounds like there's quite a situation going on here," Regina stated, unease creeping into her voice.
"That's because there is."
At the sound of a regal, familiar female tone, Regina turned to see a woman emerge from the shadows of the library shelves.
She was clad in a sleeveless dress made of black leather, which clung to her shapely form and was paired with red heels that made her appear even taller than she already was. The dress was accented by a thin, crimson-colored belt that matched her shoes, and her long, golden hair was waving in perfect curls around her striking, pretty features.
It took a moment for Regina to recognize her, but when the woman smiled: it was obvious.
"Malificent?"
"It's Melanie in this world," the sorceress corrected, "But it's very good to see you my friend."
Relieved, Regina walked forward and caught her friend off-guard when she pulled her into a fierce hug.
After a moment, Melanie relaxed and returned the embrace. "I've missed you too."
Regina chuckled and moved back to give her some air. "You look amazing."
"Oh, I've found that the fashion of this realm has much to offer. I'm sure once you've adjusted, you'll start rummaging around your closet too. I believe your beloved has kept it well-stocked."
"I will if he actually lets me get dressed once and a while," Regina smirked and threw a knowing look towards her husband, who colored slightly when Melanie arched an eyebrow in his direction.
"Heh…I uh. I think I'll go see if I can find Jeff. You ladies go ahead and catch-up." He walked over to give Regina a sweet kiss on the cheek, and whispered that he would see her later, before taking his leave.
Regina watched as he walked out the door of the library, worry creasing her lovely features. "Will he be all right out there on his own with the wolves out? Belle mentioned that they are more active at night."
An odd look crossed Melanie's face. "You mean he hasn't told you?"
Regina blinked at her friend, puzzled. "Told me what?"
"That he's part wolf himself."
There was a very pregnant pause, and then Regina screeched: "EXCUSE ME?!"
"Oh Gold's in for an earful later tonight," Belle muttered, which caused the vampire to whirl in her direction and glare.
For her part, Melanie looked apologetic. "I didn't realize that he wasn't going to tell you right away. I'm sorry." She placed a soothing hand on Regina's arm. "Come…I think this is a conversation best had over tea. I can explain everything."
Regina took several calming breaths, but then she nodded and followed Melanie to her office, with Belle trailing after them both.
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All three women took a few moments settling in: Melanie prepared the tea while Belle and Regina sat in the chairs that were placed around a small table.
"I'm sorry I didn't mention anything about Gold's wolf-side. I thought for sure he'd tell you," Belle said.
Regina shook her head at the younger woman. "It's not your fault. He should have said something and he didn't."
"I'm sure it was because he was so thrilled to have you back," Melanie chipped in, coming over to the table with a tray of cookies. "At any rate…it's not like he's a full-fledged lycanthrope like the others."
"Lycanthrope?"
"It's a term for werewolves. We like it a little better," Belle explained. "And Mel's right. Gold is not a full wolf. He's got some of the senses like scent, speed, and sight, but he doesn't transform into an actual animal."
Regina stared at her companions: "How is that even possible?"
"We believe it was because he was scratched, not bitten." Melanie informed. "Lycans can only turn people by biting them."
"Can…can vampires do the same?"
"According to the books that I've read, yes, but you're the only vampire this town has had, and you've been under a sleeping curse for almost 30 years, so we haven't been able to study your kind the way we have the wolves," Belle stated.
"Which brings me to a more important question: why was I under a sleeping curse to begin with? What happened that was so terrible that Aiden had to lock me away for so long?" Regina accepted a cup of tea when Melanie handed it to her, but didn't take a drink as she was far too consumed with finding out just what was going on.
Belle and Melanie exchanged glances.
"I think you'd better handle this one," Belle took a sip of her tea and sat back in her chair.
Sighing, Melanie sat across from Regina and looked her directly in the eyes. "I suppose I better start at the beginning, then."
Regina just nodded and brought the tea-cup to her lips.
Melanie flipped her hair back over her shoulder and leaned forward. "Well, the obvious part is that your spell worked. We were all transported here: to a new world. At first: everything was fine. You and Aiden married very quickly right after we came here, and we all looked up to the two of you to run the town. You were mayor, and he was your right hand, and it was peaceful…until the signs of your vampirism began to show."
"How long was it before that happened?" Regina asked.
"Roughly a month. To this day, Aiden and I aren't sure why it took that long, and it wasn't like you suddenly began biting people or something. It was a slow process: first you became sensitive to light, especially sun-light, and then you began having cravings…blood cravings that you began to hide from everyone, even your husband. He knew something was off, but his love for you was—is – so strong that it blinded him from the truth. It wasn't until the attack that he realized too late what you had become."
"I recall flashes," Regina admitted. "There was a lot of blood and…and Snow White dead on the ground. Is this the attack you're referring to?"
Melanie nodded. "Your memories of that time were suppressed when he put you under the sleeping curse. You hunted Snow White, or Mary-Margaret as she was known here, and you killed her. I don't think it was out of malice. I firmly believe that you had been hiding your nature for so long that you just couldn't control yourself. But Snow's death broke you, Regina. Something about murdering her in that way snapped your hold on reality, and then Aiden and I had no choice but to find a way to keep you under control. He didn't want to enact the sleeping curse: that was my idea, but I thought, at the time, that it was the only way to heal your mind and keep you safe. Especially because of Ruby."
"Ruby?"
"You knew her as Red Riding Hood. Her relationship with Snow White was much deeper than anyone realized: they were sisters, and when we were brought here, their wolf-sides would emerge at the full moon. Snow's death hit Red hard. She lost a sister and her pack-mate, and she figured out that you were responsible. At the time you were in no state to defend yourself, so that's when I brought up the sleeping curse. I know that it killed Aiden to do it, and the reason he was scratched in the first place was when he was protecting you in order to get you safely to the crypt. That wasn't the end of it for him either, he searched everywhere to find a way to cure you of this condition while I used what magic I could to bring your mind back, but it took Aiden and your dream connection to fully heal the damage that Snow's death made." Melanie reached across the table and took Regina's hand in hers. "He loves you so much, Gin…don't let one secret get in the way of what you two have."
"I'm not," Regina shook her head. "But I'm going to have a long conversation with him about all of this nonetheless. So from what you're telling me: it was because I killed Snow White that Ruby wanted to come after me, but you and Aiden took action?"
"Yes. Ruby became the pack leader and began turning more people. By the time we were able to enact the sleeping curse to protect you, the wolves had taken over about a quarter of the town. Those who weren't changed began to band together, and that was when the barriers were created. Between Aiden and I, we were able to protect our half of town, including where we hid you, and for a long time, it all worked just fine, but they've gotten clever. I'm certain they've got some magic-users of their own over there. Perhaps a few of the fairies. They were getting closer and closer to finding you, which is why Aiden had to act quickly and wake you. We were both worried about how it would affect you, but you're literally the best weapon we have against the wolves. You're not only a powerful sorceress but you're now a vampire, and if you're able to control the darker sides of your nature…we think we may finally have a way to defeat them."
Regina sunk back into her chair; trying to process the barrage of information she had just been given.
It was silent for a moment until Melanie spoke up again. "Has Aiden started you off on his blood?"
"Yes. I take it that my husband being my "donor" is important?"
"Very. Belle here is our top researcher and it took a long time to find the books on the subject that we needed, but she was the one who discovered the secret of donation."
At this, Belle chimed in: "The whole reason that most vampires are out of control is because they feed from different sources. By feeding from one specific source, it makes your cravings more manageable. You won't feel the need to go out and hunt, and because of the connection that you and Gold have—the blood magic bond that you created before the curse was cast—it will also be easier to deal with the return of your memories and learning how to control your abilities."
"Aiden was insistent that, in terms of memory recovery, we'd go slowly. I agreed to that so long as I can start training you," Melanie grabbed a shortbread cookie and ate it daintily before taking another sip of her tea.
"Training me for what?" Regina nabbed a cookie herself.
"For becoming that weapon we need so badly in our fight against the wolves. We're at war, Regina…and we need a victory. I know this is all a lot to take in, and I think I'd prefer that you take a few days, allow yourself to adjust to the lifestyle here…Belle, you should give her that medallion," Melanie glanced at the petite huntress.
"Oh right! I have it here," Belle gently tugged a necklace that she had been hiding under the collar of her dress out and unhooked it. She handed it to Regina. "This will allow you to function during the day. Sunlight isn't entirely lethal to vampires like certain legends will suggest, but you are sensitive to it."
Regina nodded and took a moment to admire the design of the medallion. The pendant was made out of a bright red jewel, which was encased in swirling gold filigree so that it was protected. It was quite lovely to behold, and after thanking Belle, she took a moment to place it around her neck.
Melanie smiled in approval. "As I was saying: take a few days to adjust. Talk things over with your husband, and then when you're ready, we'll begin."
"Right. I guess it was foolish of me to think that I could get a happily ever after that easily," Sighing heavily, Regina stood. "In the meantime…I think my husband and I need to have a little chat."
"Think of it this way: it'll be your first fight which means you two can have fantastic make-up sex," Belle teased, which caused Melanie to nearly choke on the tea she was finishing.
Regina laughed. "I suppose there's always a light at the end of the tunnel…and I can find out just how much he's been holding back on me."
"And with that mental image that will take hours to erase…I hereby adjourn this meeting." Melanie placed her teacup aside and rose from her chair to escort Regina and Belle out from her office.
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As they came back into the main hall of the library, Regina noticed that Jefferson and Aiden were both chatting quietly while they were waiting for their respective lovers to be done with their meeting.
They both looked over at the same time, and Jefferson's handsome face brightened the second he saw Belle in the dress she was wearing.
"Is there a special occasion I'm unaware of?" he quipped.
She grinned when he didn't hesitate to sweep her up in his arms. "No, just felt like being girly today."
The Hunter chuckled and kissed her lovingly before waving at Melanie. "Well, we're off. Have a good night, you two," he smirked in Regina and Aiden's direction, and then ushered his girlfriend out of the library.
Aiden chuckled quietly and draped an arm over Regina's shoulder, but when he glanced down he noticed that she looked less-than-pleased at him.
Immediately his expression fell. "What did I do?"
"We're going to have a very long discussion when I get home, wolf boy."
It took him a solid minute to realize what she was referring to, but the look of "oh shit I'm in trouble" that crossed his face when he did was entirely worth it.
Suffice to say: it was an awkward drive home.