Authors note: To make up for those 2 short chapters. Warning: talk about marital rape!

"So how was your talk with Emma?" Daniel asked while he dropped himself down on the couch next to her.

"It was... an eye opener."

"Oh, well I just dropped Henry off there and Emma said that you two are becoming friends."

"I guess you could call it that. She just gave me some advice. Very useful advice, it would seem."

Daniel looked at her confused.

"I think I'm ready to talk to you about my nightmares." Regina said with a pained expression.

"Really? Are you sure, darling? I don't want to push you."

"No I'm sure, I need to talk to someone and you need to know this. So just let me, let me say this."

"Alright."

Regina took a deep breath before she began. "I'm pretty sure you already know this, but my nightmares were about the King, Leopold."

At Daniels nodd she continued.

"I already told you that it wasn't a very happy marriage. I was only there to be a mother-figure to Snow and bed warmer to the King. I was rarely allowed outside the palace, and on the few occasions that I was, it was under the supervision of the King. Before we were married he was very kind to me, which I expected, seeing that the King was known to be a very kind man. Turned out he was kind towards everyone but me."

Daniel was listening intently, watching his true love with a pained expression.

"It wasn't until after the marriage that he showed his true self. He was a drinker. Almost every night he would get drunk and ask for me to come to his bedchamber. In the beginning I didn't have the courage to say 'no', but later I would fight him, scream at him, I even tried pleading but there was nothing I could do to stop him."

Regina felt a tear fall down her cheek. "If I refused him he would beat me, if I screamed for the guards they would ignore me, even my own father was too much a coward to do something."

Daniel felt sick to his stomach that even Henry, the man he respected, wouldn't help his own daughter.

"As years went by and I didn't give the King what he wanted most, a male heir, he became violent, saying that I was useless. I would never be as good as his first wife, Queen Eva. And he took great pleasure in letting me know that.

Every time he raped me, he would scream her name when he came inside of me. I wasn't even sure what hurted more, the physical or the emotional pain."

Daniel cupped her face with his hands and wiped a tear away with his thumb. "I'm so sorry that this happened to you, Regina."

"It wasn't your fault, I'm not telling you this to make you feel guilty. I'm telling you this because I think you should know this very big and ugly part of my life."

Daniel nodded and took his hands from her face.

"Sometimes even after all these years I can still feel his disgusting breath on my face. His cold hands on my body, touching me and restraining me. He liked to restrain me and put his hand over my mouth so I couldn't cry out for help, not that anyone would have come, anyway." Regina said in a bitter voice.

"At banquets I was supposed to act happy and stand beside my husband while he was showing me off, like I was some sort of possession. He drank a lot of wine and when he thought I was getting a little to friendly with a noble he would grab my arm and say that I was acting like a whore.

I was supposed to be grateful for what my King gave me. And Snow, well Snow just needed a mother. She came to me when she wanted to ride horses or when she had a problem. When she had a nightmare she would ask me if she could sleep in my bed, I always allowed her, at least when she was in my bed there was no room for that bastard of a King .

I tried to love Snow, in the beginning. But it was just too hard. Every time I looked at her I was reminded of you. I never told her about her father and she still doesn't know it. Even when I actively tried to hurt her, I thought it was too cruel, and coming from me that says something.

I was trying to keep her from finding out the truth, it was difficult, though. She was a very curious child. Sometimes she would point out a bruise that the King had put there and I would lie, saying that I had tripped over something.

It worked for a while, until she became older."

Regina took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she was about to say.

"One night, when Snow was about 16. I stumbled inside my chamber after a very violent night, I was in so much pain that I couldn't even keep myself standing anymore, I broke down once I closed the door behind me. I hadn't noticed that Snow was sitting at my vanity, she was waiting for me so that we could talk, I don't even remember about what anymore.

She came rushing over to me and helped me to the bed. I didn't even know that she had called for the royal physician. I wasn't paying attention to anything, only on the searing pain that I felt between my legs, I was lightheaded and everything hurt. Snow was forced out of the room by some guards and the physician healed me. I was forced to stay on bed rest for the week.

The same night Leopold came to my chamber. He was angry at me, he said it was my fault that Snow almost found out. He slapped me in the face and left without saying another word. After that night I always checked my chamber before I finally let my emotions out."

She sobbed and buried her face in Daniels chest.

"Shhh, darling. It's over now, he's long gone."

Regina took fistfuls of his shirt and laid her ear on his chest, calming down when she heard his heartbeat.

"We will get through this." He said while he rubbed calming circles on her back.

...

"I told Daniel yesterday." Regina said while she squinted her eyes against the bright sunlight.

She was sitting next to Emma on a park bench, watching Henry playing on the swing set a few feet away.

"How did it go?"

"I'm glad I told him, it feels like there's a weight lifted of my shoulders."

Regina smiled at the memory of them cuddling on the couch after she had told him.

"He promised he would help me get through this."

"You will get through this, Regina. I will help too."

"Thank you Emma."

Emma smiled at her. "It's nothing, besides that what friends do, don't they?"

"You really see me as a friend?"

"Yes, you're actually a pretty good friend... when you don't try to kill me." Her grin let Regina know that she was teasing her.

Regina chuckled. "Good to know, dear."

Regina turned her gaze towards Henry again. When he saw her watching him he waved.

"He's growing up, isn't he." It was Emma's voice that snapped her out of her trance.

"In 3 weeks he will be 11." Regina sighed.

"Makes you feel old, huh." Emma grinned at her.

"Oh dear, I'm considering myself lucky." Regina said with a grin of her own. "I've been 35 for the past 28 years."

"So you're 63?! Well you look good for your age."

Regina chuckled. "Thank you, dear. Monthly juice cleanses."

Emma snorted. "Yeah, right."

...

I hope you enjoyed it! Leave a review, please. ;)