When Blue was out of sight, Regina's hand remained on my shoulder as she stayed put and I tilted my head back to look up at her. Trying not to focus on the way she seemed to subconsciously knead me, I asked. "So, what's this other secret?"

Fingers paused their ministrations as she glanced down to me, resuming their movement a moment later as they traced a path up my throat, over my chin and along my jaw. "It's not much of a secret since you're already aware of the curse I didn't cast."

Holding back the disappointed sigh that came with the loss of contact when her hand fell to her side and she stepped around my chair, I distracted myself by admiring the subtle sway of hips as she crossed to her seat. "The one you were surprised I knew about?"

"Had I known you'd been eavesdropping that night..." she trailed off as she sat down. "Well, things could have been different but it's too late to dwell on that now."

After spending a significant amount of time together, I knew not to push for an explanation and filed away my curiosity on that for another time. "Okay.. so what don't I know?"

"It was given to me by a man who goes by the name of Rumpelstiltskin, he was also the one who taught me how to harness my magic. He made me believe that he wanted to help me, that by casting the curse I would have all that I desired. Only before his plan came to fruition, I learned that Snow White was pregnant."

As she talked, she appeared to be studying me for a reaction and by the crease of her forehead, I would chance a guess that my indifference to the tale confused her. All I learned from it was that Rumpelstiltskin was real and that he was no different from the other fairytale characters I grew up hearing stories about; wrong. The fact he sounded more villainous than a gold spinning, deal-for-your-baby making weirdo came as no surprise. "And this stopped you from casting it? Why?"

"Not stop, it delayed me. He told me that when I cast the curse, it would send us to another land where time would be frozen. Due to my thirst for vengeance, I decided that I would allow Snow to have her child and upon her birth, I would cast the curse and take her to raise as my own."

"I uh.. don't know what to say to that."

Clearly not expecting the admission, she sounded unsure in her belief of my response. "No?"

"Well, I've seen the kinds of things women go through during a 9 month pregnancy. Having to go through that for the rest of your life? I couldn't even imagine how much that would suck, so your whole revenge thing actually seems more like a mercy."

Running a hand through my hair, I chuckled sheepishly at how insane that sounded. "I don't approve of what you did, but I don't think it's my approval that you want and it's not like you can undo the past. Even if you could, I don't expect you would so.. really what can I say to that?"

"You're not going to accuse me of being evil and leave?"

I smirked. "It's a bit late for that, don't you think?"

The rise of her eyebrow made it clear she was going to need more of an explanation, so I did my best to provide one. "I've known who you were since I woke up in that tavern. I've heard the stories of your reign, the misery and death you've inflicted over the years and all this was before I swore my life to you. Judging and turning my back on you now, doesn't really serve a purpose or make any kind of sense."

I've known from the beginning that she wasn't someone who shared things about herself, let alone her motivations behind said things, so the silence that followed wasn't unexpected. What she was doing, here with me – it was new, something she had very little experience with. Having someone who understood but chose not to judge when they very well could, I suppose sometimes it could be just as difficult to accept as negativity, especially when that is what you've come to accept from others.

When I thought enough time had passed, I prompted her to continue with another question. "So, the kid – what happened?"

She sighed in a way that made it clear she was resigned to finishing her story, even if she wasn't entirely comfortable with it. "Someone shared my plan with Snow and as soon as she gave birth, she sent the child away - I was too late."

"But you still didn't cast the curse?"

With a shake of her head, she began to explain. "I discovered a few days later that Rumpelstiltskin was the one who warned her, that the child was somehow important to him and as Snow was already suffering with the loss.."

Connecting the dots, I came to the conclusion out loud. "You made it even worse by hitting her with the fact she gave up her child for nothing, which also happened to mess with whatever Rumpelstiltskin had planned – it was payback."

"Yes."

One day, I was going to make it my mission to find out the story behind this feud - as well as I could understand exactly how fulfilling revenge was, the lengths she had gone to for hers seemed a little extreme. "Do you regret any of it?"

"I'm beginning to learn that while life comes with its fair share of hardships, the paths we travel mean nothing in the overall scheme of things. Regret is ultimately pointless, Fate will occur regardless of how one feels. The past is what made me the person I am, without it I might not have my son or even my life and I probably wouldn't have met you. Do you think I should regret the things I cannot change, when they are responsible for what little happiness I have in my life?"

As important as everything she had just said was - no matter how many times I tried to dislodge the thought, my mind refused to focus on anything other than that one, specific sentence. "I'm sorry, did you just admit that I make you happy?"

Any other time, I might have been embarrassed by the blank stare my words received and would have attempted to stumble my way through a change in subject before she laughed in my face. As it were, speech eluded me and after a minute or two of silence - rather than a laugh – she gave an exasperated sigh. "Had anyone else barged into my chambers, unannounced and without a modicum of respect, I would have set them on fire."

Ignoring the note of irritation in her voice, I stood from my chair and slowly walked over to her. "So, that's a yes then?"

She rolled her eyes. "Are you on fire?"

I pursed my lips to prevent the grin that wanted to spread across my face. "I have a feeling if I don't stop teasing you, I will be."

The corner of her mouth twitched. "That's a fair assumption."

"Well then.."

I positioned my hands on the arms of the chair where she sat, I bent down and brushed my lips against hers. While she didn't lean away, I was disappointed that she didn't immediately accept the invitation. "What are you doing?"

My stomach fluttered at the feel of the soft lips, lightly caressing mine as she spoke. A sigh of contentment escaped me, followed by my murmured question. "Aren't you tired of talking?"

When she didn't respond, I retreated a little to give her some space and smiled at the sight of her biting her lip. Coaxing it from between her teeth with a stroke of my thumb, I gave her the one chance to back out before it was too late. "Do you want me to leave?"

Shaking her head, she nipped the tip of my thumb and purred. "I very much do not want you to do that."

"Good." I ran my fingers along her jaw, curling them around the back of her neck as our lips connected. Urging her to stand with a gentle tug against her neck, I pulled her against me and slipped an arm around her waist.

What began as something tender, soon deepened and evolved into so much more. Hands threaded themselves within my hair while her tongue demanded an entrance, one that was quickly granted as I eagerly parted my lips. The instant our tongues met, my body heated with arousal and all the thoughts, the fantasies, the lust-filled glances and years worth of longing - for the woman who now had her tongue down my throat – merged and filled me with the desire to simply take her then and there.

When our mouths parted, I reached for the laces along her spine that held the sinfully tight corset in place, loosening each one before pulling it apart and tearing it from her body. With the piece gone, there was nothing in the way to prevent me from fully appreciating breasts that were shamelessly displayed day in and day out.

The second I lowered my eyes to take in the sight, she chuckled and took three steps back, providing a view that had my mouth drying instantly. The way she looked now – free from the confines of those ridiculous corsets, her lower half encased in tight, black leather as it hugged each curve – would have me on my knees, were my life not already hers.

"See something you like, dear?"

Sucking my bottom lip between my teeth, I soaked in every minute detail and burned the perfect vision into my brain. When our gazes finally met, I confessed my thought of just how much of an understatement that question was. "Like - doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling right now."

Brown eyes flashed with an unmistakable hunger and she beckoned me forward, her hand knotting in the fabric of my shirt as soon as I was close enough. With the sensation across the back of my neck as my only warning, I grasped her hips just in time as we were transported to her bedchamber in a billow of purple smoke.


When the smoke cleared, I was surprised to find myself on my back with her straddling my waist. Grinning down at me as her fingers trailed the buttons along my shirt, she expertly popped each of them open and seemed to read my mind, answering a thought I had yet to ask. "I assumed this was where you planned for us to end up."

"Well sure, I just thought it might involve a little more.. walking." My hands took on a mind of their own as they began to play along her sides, fingers lightly stroking across her ribs which elicited a shiver that pimpled her skin with goosebumps.

"Up." She tugged my shirt even as I complied with the command, whether it was because of her impatience or that she had dim-witted lovers in the past who needed emphasis to understand the obvious - I wasn't sure. And really, this was hardly the time to ask. Once she had flung the shirt to the floor, she brought her arms up around my neck and pulled me into another kiss. There was no tenderness involved in this one, the feel of our breasts pressed together had moans erupting from both of us that fuelled an already heated kiss as our tongues explored and devoured each other.

It was the hand on my chest, pushing me back that broke us apart and even before I had fully laid back down, her lips found my pulse point and latched on. As she began to suck, I arched into hands that caressed the sensitive flesh of my breasts and my own hands wandered the naked expanse of her back, nails softly scraping each time I felt the light pain of teeth as they sank into my neck.

On a path littered with lips, tongue and teeth - she made her way from collarbone to chest. The feel of her breath had my nipples harden in the second or two it took before one was engulfed in the wet warmth of her mouth. As I clung to her back with one hand, I raised the other to free her hair from its bonds and tangled my fingers through the silken strands.

Her hand travelled the length of my stomach before it came to rest above the waist of my trousers and I could feel the quirk of her lips against my breast as I squirmed beneath her, my hips bucking in an attempt to find a friction that wasn't there.

When she switched her attention to my neglected nipple, I groaned aloud as my impatience got the better of me and she chuckled - which only served to add to my frustration as it sent vibrations through me. With a murmured, "Patience." she kissed a path between my breasts and slowly descended my torso, nipping and licking every inch of skin as she went.

If I had to wait much longer, I had a feeling something was going to spontaneously combust and I couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't start with my own body. "Says the woman who magicked us on to the bed." I mumbled.

"Hush." Her tongue swirled my bellybutton before teeth bit into flesh and her fingers slipped beneath the waistband of my trousers. She scooted back until she rested between my legs and the slight pull was all the encouragement I needed as I raised my hips from the bed, eager for her to ease the throb that had built-up and bordered the edge of pain. Sliding from the bed, she removed my boots with a yank and tossed them to the floor before she peeled the form-fitting leather from my legs.

She stroked from ankle to thigh as she resumed her place between my legs, her eyes firmly fixed to my wet, aching core as she purred. "Excited, dear?"

Patience long since gone, I huffed. "I swear to God."

"That's rather inappropriate when you're already sworn to me, Captain." She smirked as she leaned in to brush her lips against mine and I gasped as her fingers suddenly and easily penetrated me, giving her the opening she needed to slip her tongue passed my lips. Pelvis firmly pressed against the back of her hand, she gave me no time to adjust to the intrusion as she began to thrust into me with her hips.

The second she was inside of me, my mind went blank and every single sense became amplified. The sound of my heart pounded in my ears, mingling with her moans as she seemed to relish fucking me – relentlessly and with unbelievable precision as she never once failed to hit the spot that would inevitably lead to my being thrown over the figurative edge.

I could feel the familiar pressure that promised a sweet release into oblivion and I did everything in my power to resist giving in so soon. I tried to focus on the kiss and the feel of soft lips, losing myself in the delectable flavour of her tongue as she consumed me but then her mouth was gone, returned to my pulse where teeth grazed and a tongue soothed. I tried to slow her down by wrapping my legs around her body but even with the decreased pace, her fingers delved just as deep, just as hard and I was quickly losing the battle to make it last.

Walls clenched around fingers as she tore her mouth away and started to whisper words in my ear, demanding that I reward her for all that she was doing to me. When her fingers curled to repeatedly stroke the rough patch of skin, I cried out her name and my body shook as it surrendered to its Queen.


Author Note: I swear I thought writing this would never bloody end, do you people realise how insanely difficult it is to write smut in first person? It's ridiculous!