Alright you loyal followers I'm sorry I had to do this but unfortunately things can't stay happy forever :( I will make it better but it is going to get worse before it gets better and I'm only a little sorry for that ;) reviews are greatly appreciated! Seriously it's like I live off of them hahaha :)

Regina walked up on Rocinante behind Ruth. She was hunched over and unsettlingly still, if she wasn't standing on her own two feet Regina would have been worried she had passed out or even died, "Ruth?" She jumped slightly, startled when the older woman whipped around with wide eyes.

"Regina," she whispered but her feet still remained stuck to the ground. She brought a hand to her mouth and willed herself to move forward, "Regina I need you to ride Rocinante like you've never ridden before," she pushed on the mare's chest and she obediently backed up.

"What? Why?" The stern emptiness to her voice was making her nervous and the way she pushed her backwards was more than concerning.

Ruth ignored the questions, "you need to run, and when I say run I mean run, down and take the trail down at the west side of the clearing," she continued to push the horse backward, "you know the one?"

"Yes I do but Ruth-"

"Run Regina!" Her voice was demanding and she was certain the urgency was written all over her. Regina instantly clamped her mouth shut and spun Rocinante back around and took off in a full gallop toward the trail, "oh god please let her make it in time."

...

Rumplestiltskin walked with a skip in his step, the shepherd trailing behind him with shoulders hunched. He could have quite easily transported them to the king's castle but he knew Regina would turn up soon and he was not entirely a heartless man contrary to popular belief. He would allow her to say goodbye to her lover. He hadn't the chance to say goodbye to his son. Besides, a little twinge of false hope would be a welcome addition in the process of bringing her back down to him.

As though on cue he heard the distant sound of furious hoof beats and he pivoted around in a smooth gliding motion with a quiet shrill laugh through closed lips. He stood still with his hands out at his sides and grinned at the confused shepherd, "you may want to prepare yourself," he pointed at the man and then looked over his shoulder, "you're about to see a different side of her. She's not going to be too pleased with me," another shrill laugh escaped his teeth.

James furrowed his brow in confusion and turned around to try and see what the imp was looking at. Nothing was there and he glanced back at the strange man before he turned back to the entry of the trail. Regina came racing around the corner on Rocinante and he smiled and exhaled in relief. She caught his eyes for a moment but didn't slow Rocinante's pace.

Rocinante kept galloping but once she reached them she slid off quite gracefully and landed on her feet. He could see she was beyond furious. She landed and walked right past him and right up to the Dark One. He instantly feared for her safety but she was not the slightest bit scared of the man. If you were to call him that.

"Where are you taking him?!" She demanded angrily, stepping well within his personal space.

"Hello Regina it's nice to see you too," he grinned and held his ground, "I think I like this look on you! So different than what you usually wear."

"Where are you taking him Rumple?!" Her voice had quieted but it was no less venomous or demanding.

He shot her a toothy grin and cocked his head, "he is a vital part of a deal that needs maintaining and as you know I never break a deal!" His voice rose and fell through many different tones and volumes.

"Then find a loop hole," she tilted her head aggressively and the words slipped easily from her tongue, "there always is one with you."

"Yes indeed there is! But not one for this particular situation," he flicked his eyes to the still confused shepherd and then back to Regina, "besides! I'm sure in doing this I'm saving you a lot of trouble at home aren't I dearie."

Regina shifted her weight and gave him a dark smile, "you're not saving me any trouble and you know that."

"Sure I am! Or do I need to remind you of what happened when your dear husband found out about this shepherd," he brought the back of his fingers to caress the cheek Leopold had hit. She didn't even blink but the shepherd behind her looked like he was ready to tear his head off if he continued. He smirked at his pretty little monster, "imagine what would happen to you if he were to find out you had continued against his direct order for you to stay put."

Regina forcefully swatted his hand away, "yes because you're doing this with my best interest in mind," she was closer to him now, angry, their bodies nearly touching.

"If this modification to the deal so happens to work toward your best interest in the process then so be it," he almost mocked her, he wanted to push her, perhaps she would lose her temper once more and her world would come tumbling down by her own doing, "nevertheless I'm keeping the beautiful wife of Le-"

"Do not speak his name!" She yelled at him, her fists clenched at her sides.

"Regina, Regina, temper, temper," he tisked but the grin never left.

Had she gone mad? He watched in disbelief as she viciously confronted Rumplestiltskin without batting an eye. She stood well within his personal space, her tone and posture aggressive and authoritative. Perhaps she had a death wish? Surely she had to know what he was capable of and yet she only became more aggressive.

What he didn't quite understand why Rumplestiltskin hadn't hurt her yet. For someone who claimed she didn't want power certainly had a lot of it if she was able to keep him rather at bay. His stomach twisted and he clenched his jaw when he brought a hand softly to her face. She was his, she wasn't the imp's and he wanted to make it known but she swatted his hand away before he could open his mouth.

He didn't want to think on the implication the imp had put in his mind of Regina getting hurt if she were to continue with him but he couldn't stop himself. Images of her cringing and falling to the ground, the possibility of blood and tears, filled his mind and it made him angry. He had gotten the impression that he would never hurt her but he had snapped once who's to say it wouldn't happen again?

It was like they had forgotten he was there despite the fact that their heated conversation was about him. He was waiting for things to explode and for her to get hurt in the process of Rumplestiltskin losing his temper on her. He watched every detail, heard every word, analyzed every tone the pair used and he honestly couldn't tell if she was brave or foolish for confronting him in such an angry manner.

With the way she yelled at him about her husband's name he was certain he was going to retaliate but once again he remained standing still. He had never heard such demanding rage enter her voice before. Quite frankly it startled him.

Rumplestiltskin looked over the furious and rather nervous brunette with a dark grin, "I will allow you to say your goodbyes," he leaned back slightly to get around the queen. He walked a couple strides toward James and then spun on his heel to face Regina and pointed over his shoulder, "I will be taking him though."

"You bastard," she snarled at him and quickly looked him up and down. He offered a wide grin and then disappeared in a cloud of deep red smoke.

James jumped slightly at the sudden cloud but when it disappeared the anger was but a small flicker in Regina's eyes. It was replaced with worry, sadness, and more than a touch of fear. They stood standing still and silent for a few seconds before she began to move toward him, nearly breaking in to a jog, "Regina what was that? What were you-"

She cut him off with a desperate kiss, pulling herself up to him and him down to her with her hands on his face. His arms wrapped around her and held her so tightly she almost couldn't breathe when she was forced to remove her mouth from his for air. Her heart started to ache in her chest and she wanted to cry but she could cry later. She could cry when he was gone.

He didn't want to believe that this could very well be the last time he would kiss her. He tried to memorize everything. The way her soft hands gripped his face, the way her lips moved firmly against his, the sweet taste of her tongue when it slipped past his lips, how she smelled when she was so close, and the warmth of her body pressed against his. She pulled away from him but the instant her lips left his her face was buried deep in his neck and her arms wrapped like a vice around him.

He craned his head in to hers and slid his hands up so one held her head close and the other held the middle of her back. Her hands balled in to tight fists pulling at his shirt and he closed his eyes tightly and spoke gently in to her dark hair, "Regina I promised I wouldn't leave you alone," he swallowed back the tears when she started to shake in his arms, "and I plan to keep that promise."

"How?" She drew out the word sadly.

It felt like he was being stabbed in the heart over and over again, "I will be back. In a month or so I'll have finished this task the kings have planned for me and I will come back to you."

"How do you know that? Do you even know what they are asking you to do? What if you die?" She struggled to keep her voice even as the fear of truly losing him forever like she had Daniel started to soak in.

He rubbed her back slowly and shook his head softly against hers, "no I don't know. But I'm not going to die, I will come back."

"But you don't know that James."

The despair in her voice was causing his throat to tighten and he dropped both his hands to her waist and pushed her gently off of him. He could feel how reluctant she was to let go but she did and he moved his hands to hold her face and she placed her hands over his. He cocked his head and tried to smile but he knew it wasn't coming across very strong, "I do know that Regina."

His strong calloused hand were warm and steady on the sides of her face and she made work of committing his face to memory. It was difficult though, her eyes kept falling back to the warm blue that looked back at her. She had never seen such a blue before. It was almost as though it changed every time she saw him. How she was going to manage being alone again after having someone so close she did not know. She didn't want to think about it.

Her dark eyes were glossed over with tears and he wished he could take her fear away, "have faith my precious girl, I will find you again," he knew that was a lot to ask. Trust was a difficult thing for her to find and faith was an even more trying concept. The doubt was clear on her face but in all of that doubt there was a flicker of hope and hope was a powerful thing.

He took a small step forward so their bodies were touching once again and he leaned in and closed the small distance between them. His hands slid back so that his fingers could bend around to the nape of her neck and her hands gripped his biceps. This kiss was slower than the first as they both wanted to savor the contact before it was gone.

After one last long synchronized movement he pulled away, chest tightening painfully when she followed him wanting more, "I love you and I always will," he ran his thumb over her cheek and he was just far enough away from her for his eyes to focus on hers. They swirled with seemingly every emotion possible but the most prominent was the worry and pain.

"I love you too," she forced the words out through the feeling of her heart being crushed. She meant it, she meant it with all her being.

"Time's up!" Neither one looked his way and neither one even flinched at his sudden presence. Almost a little disappointing.

Slowly he trailed his hands from her face and down her arms as he stepped backwards towards Rumplestiltskin, never once breaking eye contact. He stopped when he reached her hands and they hung gently between the two of them, "goodbye," it hit her hard, he could see the way she stopped herself from flinching despite his gentle tone.

"Goodbye," she whispered sadly and watched the deep red smoke obscure him. Then her hands were empty. The space around her was eerily quiet and still, as though no life was there at all. She stumbled backward a few steps and tried to catch her breath, placing a hand on her stomach in a hopeless attempt to stop the way it was churning within her.

Finally she let the tears fall down her cheeks and near silent cries shook her shoulders gently.

...

"Regina," she whispered sadly as she walked slowly seeming to have the weight of the world coming down on her, "please tell me you had enough time to say goodbye."

Regina nodded silently, keeping her eyes on the ground and her fingers hanging on the reins resting around Rocinante's neck. She was having a hard time accepting she wasn't going to see him again for a long time, "I think I need to sit down," as she began to lower herself to the grass Ruth took a few steps toward her and put her hands on her sides to balance her.

"Whoa slow down, dear," she caught her gently and guided her down and sat next to her. Regina kept her head bowed to look at her still fingers resting limply in her lap. Her mouth was set in a troubled frown and her eyebrows slowly knitted together as she lost herself in thought. She looked like she didn't even know where to start.

"Why do you think it is that the people I love keep getting taken from me?"

She didn't have an answer. There was no answer for such a question from such a loving girl. She put a hand on her knee in an act of comfort, "do you want to talk about him?"

"Who?"

"Anyone."

Regina's shoulders slumped and sadness pulled on her features as she turned her head to look over to Ruth. How she still managed a smile after her son had just been taken she had no idea, "I'm sorry you lost your son Ruth."

She swallowed back the lump in her throat but she could manage barely more than a whisper, "he's not lost dear," she blinked back her tears and shook her head all without pulling her eyes from Regina's, "he will come back, all three of us are just temporarily inconvenienced."

"You really believe that?"

Ruth nodded and cocked her head, "you don't?"

"I want to," Regina forced a sad small but it quickly disappeared, "but I've known Rumplestiltskin for a long time and I know that there is always something more with him and his deals," she dropped her eyes back down to her hands as she quietly fiddled with her fingers.

"I know that now," Ruth agreed and nodded slowly. She had regretted giving up her other son the instant he left her arms and now the other was gone as well. If she had known that in time both of them would be taken she would have never agreed. A sudden concerning realization came to her and she ducked her head and tried to catch Regina's eye, "what do you mean you have known him for a long time?"

She went very still and her eyes looked up at something off in front of her but her head remained tilted down. It was like she had given up something that she really shouldn't have and now she was struggling to find a way out. Ruth didn't want her to be in the hands of the Dark One.

Slowly she tilted her head sideways before turning to look at Ruth, "I really don't want to talk about that," it was almost a plea for her not to push for answers and she softened her face accordingly. The concern in Ruth's expression did not go unnoticed and it was rightfully there but she didn't want to talk about the things she had done under his instruction. She wished she was able to forget at least half.

"Alright," she agreed reluctantly and gave Regina's knee a squeeze.

"Thank you," she whispered gratefully and gave her a weak smile before straightening her neck to watch Rocinante graze in front of them. She was perfectly content and practically unaffected but James' leave. Regina wondered what it would be like to trade places with her just for a little while. She'd be able to run away and bound happily through the fields and forests without a care in the world, a very welcome relief to the throbbing pain she was feeling now.

"Have you ever been in love?" She asked curiously and looked back up at Ruth who wore a heart lifting smile.

"Yes," she nodded and was encouraged to continue when Regina gave her her full attention, "my husband was quite the romantic once he got me," she smiled and shook her head teasingly, "it took me a long time to give him a chance and when I did he screwed up royally and then he wouldn't leave me alone until I gave him a second chance," she chuckled lightly, "he practically begged me."

She smiled fondly at the memories and when she looked at Regina she was happy to see the stress straining her body had lifted and was replaced with a smile as she listened attentively. Ruth shook her head, "the very second I agreed to give him a second chance he gave me the widest most excited smile and then he leaped forward and pulled me in to a kiss. I couldn't help myself, I kissed the idiot back and there was no turning back. We never left each other's side after that."

Regina's smile widened to show her teeth and the corners of her eyes creased because of it. She could picture it clearly and it made her laugh quietly, "and where is this Mr. Ruth? What happened to him?"

"The bastard gave out on me and left me to run his damn farm," she laughed and shook her head, "but he's still with me," she lifted her left hand, "I've never taken it off."

Regina's heart swelled with a combination of happiness and sadness at the sight of the ring. She knew exactly what that ring meant to Ruth.

Ruth sighed quietly at the ring and then put her hand back in her lap, "what about you, dear? My son has told me that you loved someone once."

She nodded stiffly and pushed her lips together in a small smile, "his name was Daniel. Years ago he was our stableboy. I had just turned eighteen when he was brought in to work for us and there was something there between us instantly, a little spark," she brought her hand up and brought her pointer finger and thumb close together to indicate a small amount.

"I already knew how to ride very well but I took lessons from him anyway, there's always more to learn and we would have the greatest time together. He would have me forgetting about how unhappy I was with just one look. When my mother wasn't around we would tease and flirt all the time. I remember our first kiss like it happened yesterday. We were in the stables and it was dark and as I was leaving I said some smart ass comment and then turned and started walking out to get home. Well, he called my name and when I turned around he was right in front of me and I nearly jumped out of my skin and for a second I panicked, scared of what could happen but when his hands held my face I relaxed instantly and when he kissed me it felt like everything was right and that nothing could bring us apart."

"What did?" Her joyous smile faded and her brow creased with sorrow.

"After nearly a year of stealing kisses and riding away to be alone together we got in to a little bit of a disagreement about telling my parents about us. Well telling my mother really, I'm sure my father knew, but my mother...she pushed for excellence and so help you if you stepped off the path she laid for you. He believed she would get over it because of her background but I knew better. I ended up saving the life of a young girl on a runaway horse and we never really did get to finish talking about it. Turns out that girl was the daughter of a very powerful man," she cocked her head and pressed her lips in an unfortunate line and raised her eyebrows slightly.

Ruth could see where her story was going and she could already feel her stomach twisting uncomfortably. What she didn't know was how truly cruel the ending was.

"That man asked for my hand and my mother accepted for me. I was devastated. That same night I ran to the stables and asked Daniel to marry me and we could run away and we could be happy and we could be together. I told him of the girl and he said I deserved to have that life, that life with a stableboy was a far cry from life as a-" she paused and cleared her throat gently, "I disagreed and assured him that I didn't want that life. He agreed finally and he turned and pulled a metal ring from a saddle and he slid it on to my finger, it fit perfectly," she smiled happily and tears started to blur her vision, both from the happiness of that memory and the pain of the following.

Quickly she wiped an escaped tear and dropped her hand back into her lap, "I was so happy but when we kissed the little girl saw us and ran off. I chased her down and explained to her that I did not want to marry her father. She didn't understand why so I explained to her that I loved Daniel and that true love is magic and that it is even the most powerful magic of all. She was star struck and she believed we should tell everyone but I had her promise not to tell anyone and especially not my mother."

Regina went very still and the words came out cold, "but she did."

There was a long pause before she came back from her thoughts and Ruth wondered if she would hear the end of her tale. She was about to question her but she started speaking again and Ruth sat quietly.

"The next night Daniel and I were ready to run. We didn't even make it out the door," the tears started to slowly trail down her cheeks and she made no effort to stop them or wipe them away, "my mother stood just outside the stable and tossed us back in, slamming the doors on either end shut. Needless to say she was not happy. We stood our ground and pleaded our case telling her that there was nothing she could do as long as we were together. We were right. There was nothing she could do as long as we were together. Looking back on it now it was so clear I don't know how I didn't see it."

"She changed her approach and claimed she would let us go and be together, I guess I was so relieved I didn't think to look for the danger that always followed her actions. She pulled Daniel aside to talk to him and everything was fine, I believed that finally everything was going to be okay...then her hand was in his chest and she ripped his heart out," she pushed her eyes shut to try and push the image away, "he collapsed to the ground and I ran to him but there was nothing I could do, my mother had crushed his heart to dust. Not even true love's kiss can wake up the dead."

Ruth had a hand over her mouth and she looked at Regina with wide and disbelieving eyes. She had no words, she was still trying to soak it all in.

Regina avoided eye contact and she looked down at her hands as her tears landed in droplets on the backs of them, "I still have the ring. I wear it on my finger when I'm alone or on a chain around my neck when I'm not. I miss him so much."

Finally finding her voice, Ruth dropped her hand from her mouth, "Regina I'm sorry I asked, I didn't mean for you to walk through that again."

"No, please don't say you're sorry," she quickly responded and shook her head as she looked at Ruth, "I haven't told anyone that story, you have no idea what a relief it is for someone else to know it."

"You mean you haven't told a single person what had happened?" She stared at her incredulously.

Regina shrugged and sniffed softly, "there was no one to tell. I've been alone since then. I couldn't tell the girl that because of her inability to keep that secret my mother had killed Daniel and I certainly couldn't tell her father. There has been no one else. I nearly completely shut down and I didn't think it was even possible for me to love or for anyone to love me again."

She was quiet but then an entirely humorless laugh came from her mouth, "so imagine my absolute relief when I find James and find that I love him and that he loves me, that I'm not completely broken but then he is taken too and I have to sit and wait and hope that he won't be gone forever, that I won't have to go through what I had to with Daniel again. I honestly don't think I'll be able to recover from that."

Silently Ruth pulled gently on Regina's arm and she caved and followed the contact, laying her head on her lap when she gently held the crying girl's head. She made no sound but her body shook with worry and fright of losing the person she held so dear. Ruth pulled her long dark hair back from her face and started soothingly running her fingers through it, "you're going to be alright, you are a strong woman, you've made it so far already."

"But I'm tired," she whispered defeatedly, "I'm just so tired of having to pick myself back up again only to be knocked back down once more," she let her eyes close and enjoyed the feeling of Ruth playing with her hair.

"Well I need you to show me the ropes, dear," she began a small braid in the shiny curls, "I'm not letting you give up until you show me how to get back up. Understood?"

Regina breathed out a small shaky laugh, "understood."