Chapter 37

A/N: As always, a huge thank you to Outlawqueenalways, Slickangel97, Michebellaxo, nacy3451, SukieWookie, MayP, Guest, evilcharmingparrillas, Guest, Guest, Guest, Guest and SilviaZed for your reviews! I can now say that we are one chapter away from the shit really hitting the fan and the next chapter is already written. Reviews really motivate me to keep writing more ;)

The creature was barely as high as her knee. Amber eyes blinked up at her out of a leather-skinned face, sharp little teeth bared threateningly as she leaned in to examine it, a warning growl escaping its throat. Small, clawed hands were curled around a bottle of rum, and despite the fact that the imp had no-where to go, it held on to its prize fiercely, scratching little white lines into the thick glass with its death grip. Standing beside her, Killian grinned, rapping his knuckles against the metal bars of the cage that surrounded the little imp.

"Not very smart, are you?" he taunted the creature. "You spotted the bottle of rum lying out in the open and you didn't even stop to consider a trap."

The imp hissed at him, its features twisted with fury.

"Rum?" Emma sighed, straightening up. "I was going to try tuna."

"Alcohol always works best," the pirate said sagely.

Emma made a noncommittal noise, her brow furrowed as she continued to stare at the little creature. Killian seemed to regard it as casually as she might a racoon, a common, everyday pest. Nothing to get excited about. But to her… this creature was something straight out of a story book. Pixie ears and luminous eyes aside, it looked almost humanoid – like a tiny, devilish little child. She couldn't stop staring at it.

"Woah! Hey you caught him!" Henry's voice came from somewhere behind her, his footsteps loud against the wooden deck of the Jolly Rodger as he walked over to them. "Mom's going to be relieved."

"Yup," Emma sighed. "We should probably get this thing to her so that she can send it back."

"I'll carry it for you," Killian offered. Leaning down, he scooped up the cage, causing the imp inside to let off a string of high pitched, angry chattering.

"It talks!" Henry said wonderingly, falling into step beside the pirate as he led the way back to Emma's car.

"Imps have their own sort of language," Killian said. "I knew a wizard back in the Enchanted Forest who wasted years of his life trying to figure it out."

"And did he?"

"Nah," Killian shook his head. "The imps played along just enough to keep him going… but all that noise is pure gibberish if you ask me. The man couldn't make heads or tails of it."

"Pity," Henry said, his eyes fixed on the imp. "I think it would be cool to be able to talk to them."

"The only thing you're going to be saying to that imp is 'goodbye'," Emma told him. "It's nothing but trouble. I want it gone."

"I know, I know," Henry sighed. He moved ahead a little, opening the back seat of the police cruiser for Hook.

"I'll sit in the back," he said, running around the car to the other side and clambering in just as Killian set the cage into the car.

"Of course you will," Emma said, smiling.

"Great," Killian grinned. "I get the front then."

"Hey, you're not coming," Emma shook her head at him.

"I caught the thing," Killian pointed out reasonably, walking over to the passenger side door. "And he has my rum. I need that back."

Muttering a profanity beneath her breath, Emma opened the driver side door and slid into the car. Sometimes when it came to Killian, it was easier to just not argue. Behind her, she could hear the imp muttering darkly to itself from within its cage. Henry muttered something back.

"It's not going to speak to you, mate," Killian advised.

"You can't blame a kid for trying," Henry joked. Emma caught his eye in the review mirror, smiling at him. He smiled back widely.

It was strange, Emma thought, turning her gaze back onto the road ahead, how even when everything around her was going wrong, just having her son smile at her could brighten her mood. Maybe there was hope for her after all. For a time it had started to feel like her dream of having an actual family had fallen apart irreparably.

If only David and Mary-Margret could figure things out, she thought wistfully. No matter what David had told her, a small, secret part of her still clung to the hope that somehow they would find their way back to each other. At the thought of Snow, a small frown furrowed her brow. She hadn't come back to the apartment last night, and she hadn't been there that morning when Emma had left to fetch Henry.

She's fine, Emma told herself. She probably went out with Ruby and stayed the night. I'll phone her once I've dropped off the imp at Regina's. She'll be fine.

She made the turn into Mifflin Street, barely listening as Killian and Henry continued to their conversation about communication with imps.

I've been a terrible daughter, she decided. She'd barely taken note of what was going on with Snow since David had left, too caught up with her own personal dramas. She pulled into Regina's driveway, sighing as she parked the car.

"Mom's still not home," Henry noted.

"Have you got a key?" Emma asked. She wanted to dump this imp inside and be done with it.

"Uh-huh," he nodded, opening the car door and struggling to pull the cage out with him.

"Here, lad," Killian hopped out the car and moved to help him. Emma opened her own door, sliding out of the front seat.

"Emma?"

"Mary-Margaret!" Emma exclaimed, utterly surprised to see her mother round the corner and walk into Regina's driveway. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see David," Snow said simply. There was something wrong, Emma thought suddenly, staring at her. She couldn't put her finger on it… but something seemed off. "Why are you here? And with an imp?" she gestured to the back seat of the car, where the creature still sat in its cage. Hook and Henry stood in front of the open doorway, neither of them making a move.

Emma sighed heavily.

She needs to hear the truth, she decided. "It's for Regina," she explained. "It… well, long story short, it came from a book that Albert Spencer asked Regina to give him, to show that she was on his side."

"On his side for what?" Snow shook her head.

"The revolution he's planning," Emma answered gravely.

"Wait, what?" Killian broke in.

"Now that Rumplestiltskin is dead, Albert has decided he wants power over the town… or something. And he asked Regina for her help. She's been playing double agent. She gave him the summoning book that he asked for, but she got Mother Superior to seal it with fairy dust so that he couldn't use it. But this imp comes from the book and it's been running amok around town, and if any of Albert's people see it they'll know Regina's been lying," Emma said, feeling a little out of breath once she had finished. Snow arched her brows, taking it all in silently. Behind her, Killian was fuming.

"All this time! All this time you've been on about this damn imp and you never thought to tell me what was really going on? What the hell have you been playing at Emma?"

"It was a need to know situation," she sighed.

"And suddenly we need to know?" Snow asked. Her voice was so calm, Emma noted distractedly. It was strange.

"They're planning on attacking the town. Soon. We all need to be prepared."

"Did you know about this?" Killian asked wildly, looking down at Henry. He nodded solemnly.

"Yup."

"You're effing kidding me," the pirate hissed. "He gets the need to know information but I don't?"

"Why are you looking for David here?" Henry asked suddenly, ignoring Hook as he stared across at Snow.

She shrugged delicately. "Well I tried looking for him at the inn but since he wasn't there I figured I might find him at his mistress' house," she said casually.

It felt like a slap in the face. Emma took half a step backward, shaking her head. "What did you just say?"

"That's…" Henry's face had gone red with anger. "Why would you say that? My mom is not…"

"Sleeping with my husband?" Snow laughed, a strange, cold laugh that sent shivers down Emma's spine. "Yes she is."

"Mary-Margaret…" Emma shook her head. She took a small step closer to her mother. "What is going on? I don't understand…"

"Regina is having an affair with David. She stole him from me – her final act of revenge, I suspect," Snow shrugged.

"That's a lie!" Henry shook his head. "She's not… she wouldn't do that…" he took a step away from her, moving closer to the house. "You're just trying to turn everyone against her. I don't have to listen to this!" Turning on his heel, he stormed off in the direction of the house.

Emma watched him leave, then turned back to Snow, her heart thudding painfully in her chest.

Her mother met her gaze with feverishly bright green eyes. "They're having an affair, Emma. David told me so himself."

Oh God.

Her mom was telling the truth. She could tell. Emma was a human lie detector… or she was supposed to be. Somehow she had missed this. Somehow her father had managed to have an affair right in front of her and she hadn't even realised it.

How could you be such an idiot? She silently screamed. All the times she had arrived at Regina's house, only to find David already there? How had she not noticed? And they were so close, so easy and natural around each other these days. They were supposed to be old enemies for fuck's sake! How had she forgotten that?

"Emma," Killian called her name gently. She blinked and the tears that had started to haze her vision fell down her cheeks.

"I'm going to check on Henry," she said, turning in the direction of the house.

"Emma!" Hook called her again, as she ran from the driveway, and she could hear his footsteps behind her as he followed. Snow stayed behind, strangely still and calm, and had Emma's whole world not been falling apart again she might have wondered why. But she couldn't. All she could feel was rage and betrayal. Her parents were never getting back together. Her fantasy of having a real family was falling apart. Once again. Why on earth did she ever expect things to be any different for her?

…

The car smelled faintly of roses. Regina spared the white bouquet sitting on the passenger seat a glance as she drove, her brow furrowing a little as she regarded the flowers. It wasn't a Wednesday, but she had missed so many Wednesdays by now that it didn't really seem to matter. With everything that had happened, visiting her parents' graves had fallen by the wayside. A part of her wondered if she'd bought the flowers that morning because she was afraid that this would be one of the last opportunities she would have to pay them her respects, but she pushed that dark, cynical part of her aside. She wasn't going to die, she told herself. No matter how deep of a mess she had buried herself in, she was going to find a way out. She had to.

She slowed the car, turning right into a quiet street lined with houses and stopping across from the third one in. Regina glanced down at the piece of paper in her hand, confirming the address she had scrawled down earlier from a file in her office. She looked up again, dark eyes flitting over the quaint little house across the road. A tall, well-built man in his mid-fifties was busy fiddling under the hood of a blue pick-up, parked in the driveway outside the house. He looked almost exactly the way she remembered him, his grey hair still closely shorn to his head, his features still set into their perpetual scowl. It was the only sort of emotion she'd ever seen from the man, in all the years he had worked for her. Regina didn't think she'd ever seen him smile. Killing the engine, she opened the car door and stepped out onto the street. She let out a slow breath, trying to ease the nervous energy within her.

This wasn't going to be easy.

"Grey."

The older man lifted his head, steely eyes regarding her warily as she approached. He gave her an up and down look, his brows pulling together in faint confusion at the sight of her.

Good, she noted. She'd deliberately dressed herself down, in low heeled boots over black leggings paired with a simple white buttoned up blouse. She wanted to look as ordinary as possible – as far from the Evil Queen as she could. It was the only thing she could think of that might help convince him to help her.

"Your Majesty," he greeted her, in the same, familiar gruff voice she remembered from him. He wiped his hand across his face, smearing some of the black grease that had stained his hands across his forehead. "This is a surprise. I figured you might try to reach out to your Black Guard one day… Didn't think you'd be so lacking in sense that you'd come to me."

"Will you at least hear me out?" she asked softly, once she'd reached his side. She had to tilt her head a little to reach his gaze. Without the usual added height of her heels, she felt suddenly small and vulnerable beside him.

"I can't imagine what you could possibly have to say. You can't afford to pay your entire army's worth of men out of your own salary," Grey pointed out harshly. "And I don't know many of your men that'll follow you for loyalty alone."

"I can't think of any at all," Regina said, with a mirthless smile. She hadn't inspired loyalty during her reign as queen – she'd paid her men to stay in line, and scared off anyone who couldn't be bought. "That's why I'm here."

"You really think I'd help you?" he all but growled, turning fully to face her. "You know I never… I never…"

"You never wanted to be a part of any of it," Regina finished for him quietly. "But you were a great soldier, an even better leader, and I needed you," she said honestly. "So I held the lives of your family over your head and forced you to do my bidding. I knew how much you hated it. You were an honourable man." Perhaps one of the only honourable men in her army. Most of the soldiers in her guard had been little more than thugs, using their position to get away with terrorising her people. And she'd allowed it. Encouraged it, even. Her stomach churned a little at the memory.

"So that's it, is it?" Grey growled, looming over her. He glanced over her shoulder to his house, his expression mingling with fear. "You've come here to threaten my family again, have you?"

It would certainly be the easiest solution, Regina silently acknowledged, even as she gently shook her head.

"No. I'm here to ask you to help me, Grey. If you say no, nothing will come of it."

"What the hell has gotten into you?" he muttered, shaking his head. He lifted his hand, and for an instant Regina thought he was going to strike her. By the time his fingers had reached his face, wiping away the beaded sweat against his forehead, it was too late. She had flinched. It was only the slightest of movements, but his sharp eyes narrowed, the anger in his face shifting just a little, making room for an expression she couldn't recognize on his features. She took a step back, swallowing. She hated the fear inside of her, the knot of tension that seemed to live in her stomach these days, causing her to startle at the smallest of things. If Rumplestiltskin were still alive to see her like this... He would have never let me live it down. He would probably have used up just about every synonym there is for weak and pathetic on me by now.

"Tell me then," Grey said, distracting her from her thoughts. Dark brown eyes flickered up curiously, wondering what had caused him to cave. "Go on. Don't just stare at me like that."

She almost smiled, feeling some of the tension ease from her frame.

"King George is planning a revolution. He's amassed quite a number of magic users and he's going to unleash them upon the town. I'm trying to stop it from happening, but if it does… a lot of innocent people could get hurt."

"Since when have you cared about innocent lives?"

She deserved that. Regina took a breath, ignoring the words. "The soldiers you commanded in the Enchanted Forest, many of them looked up to you. They would follow you, if you rallied them."
"You want us to fight? Most of us haven't touched a blade in years."

"I can provide you with weapons," Regina said quickly. "Just tell me how many. There's still time… not much but..." she shrugged helplessly. "I can pay you. And whoever else you need me to."
"I don't want your money," Grey waved her off. He glared at her. "This is really what you're asking me to do? Protect the innocent? That's it?"

She nodded her head. "That's all I'm asking," she said carefully.

"Huh," he grunted. "Maybe that electric shock therapy has some merit to it after all."

"What?" Regina's head reared back, her eyes wide.

"We all know what happened to you back when…" he trailed off suddenly, staring at her face. Too late, Regina tried to school the horror and fear from her features. Her stomach had turned to ice, her heart thudding too loudly in her chest. Just like that she could feel the cold metal gurney beneath her, feel the sting of her burnt skin beneath the electrodes, could see Owen's crazed face above her head, his eyes lit with a manic light as he taunted her.

You feel that? Huh? That's the end of you…

Grey cleared his throat, dragging Regina out of the dark memory she'd started to lapse into. She wrapped her arms around herself, her fingernails biting into her skin through the thin fabric of her shirt.

"I'll get back to you as soon as I know how many of my men are willing," he told her, and she nodded quickly.

"Very well," she said, relieved to find her voice was steady. "Thank you for hearing me out."

She turned around before he could say anything else, walking swiftly away from his house and back to where her car was parked against the sidewalk. Once she was inside, she allowed herself to slump forward against the steering wheel, shuddering. The faint smell of roses hit her and she shook her head. Visiting her parents was going to have to wait. She suddenly couldn't face driving down to the graveyard and going down into her mausoleum. Instead, she reached into her handbag blindly, feeling for her phone. With trembling fingers she found David's number and dialled it, holding her breath as the phone rang.

"Hey," his voice was warm and familiar. Immediately the knot inside of her loosened and she released her tightly held breath in a soft sigh. "Regina? Are you okay? Where are you?"

"I'm fine," she said, smiling a little at the sharp concern in his voice. "Just running errands."

David laughed softly. "Errands? That sounds a little too normal for our lives."

"Well, they're not exactly normal errands, if that helps," Regina joked. As she spoke she transferred the phone to her shoulder, keying her car to life.

"I think I would prefer it they were," David replied, a little wistfully. "Seriously, where are you?"

"On my way to the middle of no-where," Regina said. "I need to try and figure this magic out."

"It's getting late," David pointed out.

"Henry's spending the day with Emma," Regina said. She took the road that led to the bridge, her dark eyes flicking up to the sky above her as she did. He was right, it was getting late in the afternoon. She probably had a little more than an hour of sunlight left.

"Let me meet you," David suggested.

"What? You want to watch me burn myself up?"

"I want to help you," he sighed.

"You don't know the first thing about magic," Regina argued.

"As far as I can see, when it comes to your magic, no-one knows the first thing about it."

"Fine," Regina sighed. "I'm heading into the woods just past the Toll bridge. Come find me," she added the last part almost teasingly, before ending the call. She smiled a little as she dropped her phone back into her bag, her mood lifting. She didn't know if David being there would help her magic at all, but it certainly would help her emotional state. With Belle pretty much living in her house, her opportunities to be alone with him were rapidly starting to dwindle.

She left her car on the opposite side of the bridge, shivering a little as she wandered off the road and into the gloom of the woods. The sounds of the forest surrounded her as she wandered deeper in, soft twittering of birds overhead, the first chirping of crickets starting up their song for the evening, the soft wet noise her boots made as she walked over the damp ground… The sounds soothed her, bringing her back to herself, and she felt the knot inside of her unwind a little further. She was safe in the woods… a million miles away from that dark, sinister space beneath the cannery.

Don't think about it, she cautioned herself, finding an overturned tree and settling herself down upon the moss covered trunk. She didn't want to go back there, not even in her memories. She lifted her hand in front of her, swallowing as she tried to focus on the task before her. As always, a slight prickle of fear preceded her drawing on her magic, and a sharp pain shot through her fingers as she tried to draw the energy into her hand. She hissed, releasing her hold on the power, and watched in dismay as an angry red blister formed over the back of her right hand.

It's just a blister, she told herself sternly. It's only a little pain. Stop being so weak.

She tried again, bright purple sparks of light flaming around her hand, only to fizzle out as the pain shooting down her arms and into her hands became near unbearable. The skin on her hands turned an angry shade of red, and Regina let out a soft, frustrated gasp, dropping her head down until her forehead rested against her knees. She didn't know how long she sat like that for, shaking in fear and fury at herself, before the soft sound of footsteps approaching made her lift her head.

"How's it going?" David asked, his brow furrowed worriedly. Regina glanced away, tears of frustration sparkling in her dark eyes.

"I can't do this," she breathed.

"Okay," the prince said simply. He came to stand in front of her, offering her his hand. "Let's go for a walk."

"Really?" Regina arched a brow. "You're not going to tell me how important this is? Or give me a pep talk or something?"

"You already know how important this is," David said calmly. His expression darkened as she placed her burnt hand in his. "Shit Regina," he breathed, holding her hand in his like it was made of glass. "You can't keep doing this to yourself."

"What else am I supposed to do?" she asked desperately, fighting back tears. She turned her head, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "Just tell me how to fix this."

"Take a walk with me," he repeated, and this time she stood up, sighing softly.

"This isn't going to fix anything."

"It isn't supposed to," he shrugged. Keeping her hand in his, he began to walk, leading her deeper into the forest.

"Then what's the point?"

"The point is you're shaking. And from the little I know about your magic, I know that you're not going to be able to do anything until you're calm. So we're going to walk around until you feel ready to try again."

She sighed again, feeling a little more tension ebb out of her with the long exhale. "And what if I'm never ready?" she whispered. What if she was going to be condemned to a life without magic, forever?

Gently, David released her hand, wrapping an arm around her instead. She leaned in to him heavily as they walked. He turned his head, pressing a kiss into her dark hair.

"One step at a time," he murmured. "Let's just focus on walking, okay?"

"Fine," Regina hummed in reluctant agreement. After a few moments of silence she smiled a little. "Do you remember when the curse first broke? You stormed into my house with that damned hat..." she shook her head in amusement. "I was so pissed off with you. All I wanted to do was send a fireball your way and put you in your place… and you knew I couldn't do it."

David chuckled against her. "I hoped you couldn't do it. If it makes you feel any better, I was pretty damn scared when I walked in there. I kept thinking you were going to figure your magic out at any second and I would be done for."

She tilted her head up, smiling at him softly. "And yet here you are trying to help me get my magic back this time. Strange isn't it?"

"It is," he nodded. "These last couple of years have been pretty crazy."

"Especially after twenty eight years of nothing changing," Regina sighed. "I wish you'd been awake," she said softly, her brow furrowing. Granted, if he had been she probably would have been treated to twenty eight more years of the Snow and Charming saga… she didn't think she could have handled that.

"I wish I had kissed you," David told her. "That night in your kitchen…"

"Don't remind me," Regina laughed softly. "I still get embarrassed just thinking about it." They stopped walking and she turned in his arms, facing him. "I don't take rejection well," she joked, scrunching her nose a little.

He smiled at her, soft and warm. "Do you want a do-over?" he asked her mischievously.

Smiling, she moved in closer, rising on her toes to reach his mouth. Her hands slid up and into his hair, holding him against her as she kissed him. David's hand slid over the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. Regina hummed, pulling back a little from him.

"If only you'd been so accommodating last time," she joked.

He wrapped his other arm around her, holding her close. "I wonder how things would have turned out if I had," he mused.

"The curse would have broken, Snow would have accused me of raping you and then the town would have stoned me for being an adulteress," she told him deadpan. David burst out laughing.

"That never would have happened," he said, chuckling through his words.

Regina arched a brow. "Are you kidding?"

"I would have been angry," David allowed. "But I would have been in love with you. I would never have allowed anyone to hurt you."

"How can you be so certain that you would have fallen in love with me?"

"Because there's no way I could have kissed you and not ended up wrapped around your finger," David shrugged, and Regina laughed quietly. He leaned in and kissed her again gently.

"Do you want to try practicing some magic?" he asked, almost apologetically. She stiffened a little in his arms.

"Sure," she said, trying to shake off the dread rising within her.

"I… uh…" he released his hold on her, taking a small step back. "Can you try and make an orb?"

She smiled. "Taking pages out of Emma's lesson book are you?"

"It was all I could think of," he admitted sheepishly.

Sucking in a breath, Regina lifted her hand, palm upwards.

"Hey," David caught her eye. "Look at me. You can do this. I know you can."

She shook her head slightly, even as she drew on her magic. Pain filled her hand, shooting up her arm, and she gritted her teeth as she struggled to weave her volatile magic into an orb.

"Stop, stop," David reached out, grasping her wrist. Gasping, she let the magic go. Her eyes fell to her arm, watching as small, pinpoint blisters began to form along the inside of her arm, tracing the lines of her veins. It was as though her very blood was burning her.

"I can try again," she said.

"There has to be a better way," David hissed, obviously frustrated.

"If you think of one, let me know," Regina murmured, concentrating again. A moment later her face contorted with pain as an orb began to form anew in her palm. If Rumplestiltskin had been coaching her, he would have forced her to endure it. He would have made her practice until her skin was burned black, ignoring her pain completely. David, however, didn't share her late teacher's views on learning. No sooner than she had grimaced in pain, his hand was back on her wrist.

"Stop," he told her firmly.

"I'm never going to get anywhere if I stop every time it hurts," she growled in frustration.

"There's no way in hell I'm going to watch you burn yourself up while you try figure this out," David snapped back.

"Then don't watch," she retorted. David jerked a little, as though her words had stung. "I'm sorry," she breathed, hanging her head. "You told me you wanted to help," she said, her voice turning pleading. "I can't do this without you."

He stepped in to her, his arms lifting to hold her close. "I know," he murmured against her head. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I just don't think that there's anything in the world that's worth hurting you for. Not even this."

"As much as I appreciate the sentiment," Regina replied, "George is planning on killing people. If I can figure out this magic I can use it to stop him. A few burns shouldn't be worth more than people's lives."

She felt him breathe out a laugh against her hair. "I never thought I would be trying to deter you from being selfless, Regina Mills."

"I never thought a lot of things would happen," Regina said simply. "You said it yourself. It's been a crazy couple of years."

"Come on," David gestured above them. "It's getting dark. We should get back."

"Magic lesson over already?" Regina sighed, falling into step beside him. Another failure on her part. What else had she expected?

"We still have time," David told her.

They walked back in silence through the woods, back to the roadside where David's car was now parked next to hers.

"Feel like coming over?" Regina asked, as he walked her to her car door. He smiled.

"Always. Am I getting flowers as well as dinner?" he teased, gesturing through the car window to the flowers still resting on her car seat.

"Damn, I still need to drop those off."

"Wait, they're not for me?" David gave her a look of mock horror.

"They're for my parents," Regina said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh," David frowned, the humour vanishing from his features.

"I'll drop them off on the way home," she sighed.

"Do you want some company?" he offered. Regina blinked at him, surprised.

"Sure," she said softly. "You don't mind?"

"Of course I don't," he shook his head at her gently. "I want to come."

She smiled up at him, touched. "Okay," she nodded her head. "Do you want to follow behind me?" she added, gesturing to where his car was parked behind them. David pulled his keys out of his pocket, smiling back at her.

"Lead the way."

…

As evening crept into night, George sat himself down upon his favourite armchair in his living room, a glass of scotch cradled in one hand. The house was quiet, unusually so with all the recent activity it had seen. Even Armand was out, having set out into the woods hours before with a muttered explanation of 'disturbances in the barriers'. George shook his head, snorting. The old man's sensitivity to magic made him more than a tad eccentric. He could prattle on for hours about different magical energies and the nuances that characterised one type of magic from another, until George was ready to throttle him into silence.

A fool, George thought, sipping his scotch. But a useful fool, at least. Without him, George would never have been able to locate even half of the magicians that he had collected to power his revolution. And he would never have known the truth about Regina.

"Such a pity," George sighed into the silence. If only he had known about her potential years ago, before Rumplestiltskin had gotten his hands upon her and turned her into the dark, vengeful creature he knew so well. What a powerful ally she could have been, had he gotten to her sooner. Instead, she was now simply a weapon, and a volatile one at that. He couldn't be certain who would get caught up in her crossfire.

Careful. He would have to be so, so careful with her.

A knock at the door resounded loudly through the house and George frowned, setting his glass on the table beside him. It couldn't be Armand, he reasoned, walking through his empty mansion, toward the foyer. The old fool came and left as he pleased. Reaching the door, George impatiently pulled it open.

The last person he'd expected to see standing at his front door was Snow White, a polite smile painted on her dark red lips as she regarded him.

"George," she greeted him, her voice soft. He felt a shiver creep unexpectedly down his spine at the sound.

"Snow," he returned curtly, trying to shake off the strange, disquiet feeling her presence had inspired within him. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Still smiling, she lifted her hand, holding up the limp and broken body of what appeared to be an imp.

George stared at the small corpse uncomprehendingly. "Where did you get that?" There were no imps in Storybrooke.

"Regina had it," Snow said simply "I think she summoned it from a book," she added and suddenly something clicked in the back of George's mind. His throat went dry as the implications of that dead imp started to dawn upon him. Snow's smile widened. "I have your attention," she noted. "Good. Now, can I come in?" she lifted her other hand, threatening green sparks of light flickering around her fingers.

George felt his eyes widen as he stared at the small display of magic.

"You can't… that's not… that's not possible." She couldn't have magic. Snow White did not have magic…

"You're being very rude, George," Snow sighed, cocking her head to one side as she regarded him. Her smile had turned to a pout. "I brought you a present. It's only polite to let me in." Her soft voice held a note of danger that snapped him out of his reverie. Finally regaining control of his senses, the old king took a step back.

"Of course," he forced himself to smile at her, his mind spinning as he tried to get control of the situation. There had to be a way to turn this to his advantage. "Come on in. It seems we have much to discuss."