A/N: Hello, readers! Well, I am looking forward to this Sunday's episode of OUAT. To help the wait, here's a chapter to tide you over. Now...do you really want to know what Regina is searching for? Do you want to know what's inside that box?
Well...read on and find out! (-;
Chapter Twenty One
It was half past nine when Regina stealthily slipped up to the front door of Mr. Gold's estate. It occurred to her now that she had never been inside, and a tingle of anticipation shot through her.
Mr. Gold wasn't home tonight-he was currently busy on his little date with Emma Swan. For her sake, she hoped the two occupied themselves for a little while longer.
Digging out her ring of keys, it took her a few tries to find the right one. It was a secret of hers, having nearly every key to every door in Storybrooke. The door clicked and swiftly edged open, inviting her to step inside.
After having a little too much fun between her silk sheets, Chase had willingly explained the location of the box. In the library, underneath the floorboards. How appropriate; she really could expect no less from someone like Mr. Gold.
In the darkness of the estate, Regina carefully climbed the grand stairs, hand sliding along the smooth banister. In a matter of moments, her feet led her in the direction of the library at the end of the hall. The box-or rather, its contents-were practically calling out to her.
The library was massive, but she paid it no mind. Striding across the floor, she knelt before the cold marble fireplace and rapped on the boards until she found the right one. The hollowness echoed within the room, indicating a hidden space underneath.
Grinning, Regina edged the floorboard out with the tips of her fingernails, as sharp as miniature daggers. A musty scent invaded her nose as she peered into the space beneath the floor, her nose scrunching in distaste.
Gingerly, she dipped a hand into the dark space and scrambled around. Fear descended upon her as she imagined Mr. Gold removing the box, hiding it somewhere else due to Chase's break-in. The estate was enormous; she did not have considerable time to search for it.
The bastard...it's not here anymore. All because that lousy doctor failed to-
Her fingertips glided across a solid, hard object and relief swept over her, easing her mind. It was still there. How lucky for her.
Dragging it forward, Regina lifted the heavy black box from the hidden space, a satisfied smirk playing on her lips. Who had the upper hand now?
I always get what I want. One way or another. I always win, she thought with a sensation of victory, cradling the box in her lap.
Gently stroking the carved detailing with a finger, Regina closed her eyes to savor this wonderful moment. The memory-that awful, unbearable memory-swam up from the depths of her mind. The memory of a forgotten land and a mistake that had scorched her with vulnerability.
...
The mirror was black as night, the glass smooth as diamond. No matter her efforts, the Queen failed to locate Snow White and her precious dwarves. Impatiently, she awaited the imp, to whom she still owed a favor.
The Queen glared spitefully at the mirror. Where, oh where, was that girl? Distastefully, the edges of her red lips pinched in a miserable frown. On a whim, the Queen wrenched back her hand and launched it into the mirror, shattering it into a rain of shards.
"Oh, so anxious," the lilting, gleeful voice arose from the window. The imp was standing there, something caught between two of his scaly, gray-gold fingers. Snow White's ebony hair.
The Queen hastened across the marble floor, skirts whispering like the driest of fallen leaves, to wrest the thin strands from his grasp. The trickster spun on his heel, swiftly dodging her.
From the depths of his throat escaped a shrill giggle, the high-pitched sound of it shimmying along the Queen's spine.
"Not yet," he taunted her, swinging the hair back and forth in front of her. Worried lines creased her otherwise flawless features, dark eyes burning into the imp.
"If you recall, we had a deal," she bluntly reminded him, hands placed firmly-if not a little childishly-on her hips. That hair...it was the final piece required to end Snow White's existence. It was the key to her happiness.
"That we did, dearie. It is well past time you owed me that favor." The pitiful dealmaker was requesting his favor. Now, when she was cornered hopelessly on the chessboard. Just as he wanted.
"You...you planned this moment. You knew I had no choice but to rely on your aid," she outright accused him, rage coursing through her veins. Of course he knew. It seemed the imp knew everything. He tilted his head, grinning down at her with sheer amusement.
"Only one of us is a worthy negotiator...me. And I demand my favor." He circled her like a vulture, his hot breath occasionally brushing along her ear. The Queen whirled, keeping her enemy in sights. Certainly she was not foolish enough to consider him an ally.
"And what might this favor be?" The Queen could only imagine what the imp desired of her. If she was right, it might be something she could twist and use to her advantage. Even intimidating monsters such as he had their weaknesses.
The imp tempted her by wheedling the hair between his fingers. One second passed, two seconds...
"All I ask of you, dear Queen...is your heart," he demanded, lifting her chin with two fingers, her fiery gaze locked with his. Swooping in, the imp's leathery outfit grazed her bare skin.
The Queen smirked. That was his desire...to replace the pathetic girl he'd lost. The girl he was convinced was dead. He desired to have her submit to him and ease the longing.
Leaning into his body, the Queen arched her head back, exposing the fullness of her white throat. Her crimson lips were inches away from his own black, cruel ones. His free hand delved into the rich, black swirls of her hair, fingers burying into and stroking the strands.
"Very well. I give you my heart," she breathed softly, lips parting to accept his own. The imp grinned, dipped his head forward, and-
The hand in her hair clenched, twisting the strands brutally and wrenching her head back even further, until her neck felt like it would snap off her shoulders.
Abandoning Snow White's hair on a nearby table, his hand thrust into her chest and she moaned with agony as his blackened fingernails curled around her heart. It pumped violently and thudded against his rough skin.
Ripping it out, the Queen shrieked as blood soaked her dress, the empty void devouring her chest. Head spinning, knees weak, the Queen collapsed on the floor.
Far above her, the imp clutched the magically glowing heart in his hand, the organ throbbing and gradually losing all sign of life. Her heart. The imp had actually meant...oh, she was to be sick any moment.
The imp leered menacingly at her, her life resting comfortably in the palm of his hand. A flash of mockery marked his shadowy eyes.
"Oh, dearie. You assumed I was speaking of...love?" The word spat from his lips as he had no taste for such a notion...anymore. She had destroyed whatever love dwelled within him. She had figuratively ripped out his heart and so he literally ripped out hers.
Forcefully, he brought a black boot down on her heartless chest, knocking the air from her lungs and pinning her body to the marble floor. Gritting his teeth, the imp glowered.
"Say my name," he demanded, emphasizing each syllable. The Queen turned her head to the side, gazing absently at the broken mirror. The blackened nails spiked the heart and tendrils of pain crushed her chest. The Queen closed her eyes against the agony. "Say. My. Name."
"Rum...pel..." She gasped, unable to breathe. His fingers eased on her heart just as his boot lifted an inch or so from her chest. His lips curled in a grimace.
"I'm afraid I can't hear you," he snarled at her. The Queen drew in a poor, ragged breath.
"Rumpel...stiltskin," she managed, a steady ache drumming along her nerves. He released her from his boot and the Queen unsteadily rose to her feet, swaying. "If you're going to kill me...then do it. Coward," she snapped, though it probably was not the smartest decision to taunt the person who held her heart. Literally.
Rumpelstiltskin wandered towards the window, a noticeable bounce in his step. The Queen's eyes remained on her heart, anticipating another suffocating squeeze.
"Don't be foolish, dearie. I do not plan to kill you...yet," he informed her, gazing at her as if she were prey. The assuring note did not lift her spirits. "Suffering, however, is a different matter altogether."
Once more his fingers dug cruelly into the heart, squeezing...squeezing...
The Queen felt like she was on the brink of death, the pain intolerable and shattering her skull. Unwillingly, a scream pierced the room and she realized it belonged to her. Oh, how she screamed in torment.
Bent at the waist, the Queen helplessly watched the room spin from underneath her. The idea of her nerves exploding and erupting into flames was a generous understatement.
Rumpelstiltskin raced forward, tangled her black hair in his fingers and forced her to stare into his endless, murky eyes.
"That, my dear, is for Belle," he growled before throwing her body to the floor, her head connecting painfully with the marble. He towered over her, his fierce power crackling in the air. For the first time in a long time, the Queen was afraid.
"Believe me, I intend you to suffer. For every day she was locked away in that tower, for every second her soul was cleansed, for all the searing pain she endured...by the time I've finished with you, Regina, you will beg at my feet for death."
And then Rumpelstiltskin squeezed her heart again, much tighter than ever before to prove his point.
And oh, how she screamed.
...
Regina opened her eyes. She could swear she still felt the lingering sensation of his cruel fingers around her heart. But no more.
She promised she would take back what was rightfully hers. This was her way of keeping that promise.
Gripping the handles of the black box, Regina pried the lid open, peered into the box, and...
Every muscle in her body froze. Her mind could not process what she was seeing. Fingers desperately reaching in to touch...nothing. Just a flat, cool bottom of the box. It was gone.
"Looking for this, dearie?"
...
Dun, dun, dun!
I know this scenario might seem similar to the whole "heart in box thing" going on in the show recently...but I actually wrote this chapter like a month or so before Red-Handed. Go figure.
And maybe that was a little payback for Regina for Skin Deep. Maybe. I figured there might still be some anger there in Rumpel. And we all know what he's like when he gets angry (*envisions swinging cane with Psycho music playing in the background*)...
Well, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and will hit that wonderful review button down there!
Oh, and speaking of reviews...I want to thank Witchy-grrl, Swarkles, yuiop, Night Owl 33, and J-Walker C for their marvelous reviews recently.
Now for an advertisement (mostly for you OUAT fans)! There is a hilarious, brilliant parody series on LiveJournal called the Abridged Once Upon A Time series. It is written by DaesGatling and it has been my saving grace for getting through the intense wait between eps. So, I strongly recommend you fans to check it out!
Also, are any of you Gemma fans? If so, I have a new story up called "Sunshine and Rain" that I think you'll find pretty amusing. (-;
That being said...I'll get writing the next chapter and it should be up soon! (=