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Chapter twenty-six

Adeen sat in her hospital side room's bed, her hawk eyes looking at everything as she waited for a visitor to appear. Having been in the side room of the teen ward for roughly 9 days, 14 hours and some number of minutes - not like she was counting or anything - all Adeen was allowed to do is sit and wait for someone to visit her.

She sighed and lowered herself down to be laying down and stared up at the ceiling wanting nothing more but the sweet release of death. Regina had gone to the diner to discuss with Emma a new plan of action because she refused to allow her little knight to be taken from her again and placed with such vile creatures known as Adeen's parents.

Ruby had yet to make an appearance. Adeen supposed that Ruby felt guilty for not calling Regina before Adeen had made the 'brilliant decision of getting on a motorbike with a drunk manipulative swine' as Regina had so kindly put it for her.

She let out a sigh as she attempted to come up with ideas of what she could do in the meantime. Henry was no doubt at school, Rachel was at school she guessed but, then again Adeen didn't know that for sure. Adeen closed her eyes as another sigh escaped her lungs, awaiting for something to happen.

And as if her prayers had been answered, the sound of someone magically appearing. She inhaled for a good few seconds and she knew just based on the smell of this person that it was not her beloved Regina. No this was not the scent of vanilla and the smell of the outdoors after working on her apple tree for a couple of hours. No. This wasn't Regina. She let out a warning growl. This person smelt like dried blood and silk. The hawk eyed girl pulled herself to sit up with moderate discomfort as she looked at the person intruding her personal room.

"So you're up." The voice matched the scent, silk. It made Adeen's skin prickle with goosebumps and she felt a terror filled shiver run down her spine.

A predatory smirk, and she was showing that she had pools of confidence and defiance to back it up. "I am." Adeen stated. Calculating her next move.

"You're the one who seems to have my daughter incapable of doing anything." The voice spoke once more, the person's brown eyes staring at her with utter contempt. Not the same warm honey whisky colour of Regina's brown eyes, no. This brown was the same brown of scorched trees.

Adeen smirked, her eyes darkening as she pulled her legs up to become crossed under her. "And suppose I am?" It was more as a mocking statement than it was a question and both knew it.

The woman stepped forward, a clicking of heels and Adeen noticed that Regina probably got her sense of style, power suits, from her mother. Except Regina could pull it off better. "Then I'd have to kill you." The older woman, wrinkled and cold. Much like a bitter old woman, ground out.

Adeen laughed before coughing, her chest still not used to being injured and needing to heal from such a serious injury. There was no doubt in her mind that if she didn't have Regina healing her with magic, she'd have been dead by now.

A hand plunged into her chest, it was rough, harsh and honestly an invasion of her person that she didn't want to experience again. This scorched tree eyed woman was hateful and was generally, a bad person it seemed.

The hand pulled out and soon connected with Adeen's face with a resounding sound that caused her ears to ring and the deafeningly silent room to become disturbed in such a way it could never come back from.

"Where is it?" The woman seethed out through gritted teeth and a glare that could haunt even the most seasoned war veteran.

Adeen smirked wildly, animalistically. The smirk grew, into a feral grin as her eyes began to brighten with excitement. "What? You thought I'd allow my heart to be with me in a place I do not trust?" Her questions attacked the woman as if the very thought of keeping her heart on her person was ludicrous. "And here I thought that you were the Queen of Hearts." The feral grin that played on her face morphed into a triumphant smile. "I even had my hopes up for you."

Another open hand connected with her face as the wrinkled hateful woman was enraged at the simple fact that someone had so openly defied her. Someone dared to not keep their heart in the chest when she wanted to destroy it.

"Where is it?"

"If I told you that, it'd take away the fun of watching you suffer."

"I will find your heart."

"I count on it. Although, you're disappointing me. I assumed you'd have found it by now."

"Watch yourself girl." The Queen of hearts threatened, her magic swirling around her as she disappeared into smoke and away from the teenager's personal room.

When she was sure that the heart hunting Queen was gone she let out a shaky breath trying to calm herself down. She pressed the panic button, throwing up the facade that something was extremely wrong.

A nurse, that poor unsuspecting nurse an in, as Adeen broke down tears rolling from her cheeks as she demanded to see Regina. Demanded that there was something wrong and that she began to pull IVs out of her body in an attempt to find the Mayor until the nurse had 'calmed' her down. Promising to call the mayor as soon as she calmed down and allowed the nurse to put the IVs back in and check that everything was okay and in it's place as they should be. Adeen kept sniffling when the nurse rushed to the phone to call for Regina and in all honestly it took the Mayor a good twenty-eight seconds to magic herself at the bedside of Adeen who latched on to her quickly.

Adeen didn't think she was that shaken up, but she wasn't expecting to latch herself onto Regina either, she wondered if she was actually scared. She'd probably need her heart soon.

"What's wrong Adeen? What happened?" Regina asked the girl questions, worry alight in her eyes as the woman rubbed her back and rocking them gently.

"S-She, the Queen of Hearts," She felt Regina tense against her and she whispered the last part. "She came for my heart Gina." She felt Regina pull her closer than she had already been and she almost couldn't breath as her caregiver kept her so close that she felt like she'd need to be put on oxygen.

"She was here?" Regina asked the girl, worry was now an understatement when compared to the look in her eyes and the tone she spoke with.

"Yeah, she, she tried to take my heart." Adeen admitted, holding the woman closer, almost on Regina's lap as she tried to fold herself in the woman's lap in a way that would be physically impossible for a human. "I hid it." She told Regina.

"Where is it Adeen?" Regina asked, pulling away slightly looking at the girl that was basically on her lap and siffling. "Adeen I need to know in order to protect you."

Adeen shook her head.

"Adeen." Regina stroked the girl's hair, brushing it away from her face. "I need to know."

"I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"Because I don't know who could be listening or if you're you." Adeen confessed, paranoia getting the best of her.

Regina nodded before thinking on it. "Okay." She sighed gently not liking the Adeen didn't trust her but she understood why she didn't trust her. Cora had magic, she could turn herself into anyone. "I know you have to make up for two detentions and you're long overdue a trip to my study as soon as you're out of his hospital."

"B-but I didn't do anything." Adeen whined not liking the fact that she was indeed long overdue a field trip to the study.

"Lying about detentions, abouting coming home early, endangering yourself, endangering others and not to mention the fact I found you wandering the hospital hallways." Regina cocked a perfectly shaped eyebrow at the girl, daring her to argue.

Adeen leant back into Regina's embrace mumbling something very gently, very quietly. "It's in your secret place. My blood." She knew that it was Regina, only Regina could threaten her in a way that the Mayor could.

Regina placed her chi on Adeen's head. The darkened heart of Adeen Marshall was in Regina's vault, protected by Adeen's blood magic.