So, apparently, I'm terrible at warnings because I just assume everyone expects me to be horrible and I don't want to spoil the chapter… so, this is your warning. There will be female badassery.

That said, thank you all so much for the reviews and bashings and all the glorious things I've encountered in the past two days! The one about being hit with a crowbar was my favorite. *winks* This is not sarcasm, I'm super glad I could move you so deeply and that you love my little creatures as much as I do.

Songs: Hunger and Invincible by Amaranthe (love these guys!)


Rolling from her back and onto her side towards Regina, Emma stretched her arms above her head. She left one under her cheek and draped the other over Regina's hips. She squinted at the bright sunlight pouring across the bed and clamped her eyes shut tightly as she pressed a kiss to Regina's bare shoulder.

"Morning," she murmured and nuzzled the soft skin that smelled faintly of the citrus tang of expensive perfume. "Did you change your body wash?"

"How on earth have you memorized my scent already?" Cora in Regina's body griped, tensing slightly under the tender affection. The beautiful allure of The Savior sucked her in, too. Such unhindered attention seduced her into a tentative security, and Cora secretly hoped the time spent with this partially naïve woman repaired Regina's soul enough to withstand whatever horrors her master inflicted.

"It's a very intoxicating scent. How could I not memorize it?" Emma crooned around increasingly persistent and amorous kisses. "No more nightmares?" She asked when she reached her neck.

"No," came the clipped answer. Regina squirmed and turned her head to the side, squeezing Emma's face from the sensitive flesh. Too much time had passed since she'd felt such a tender touch, and something in her soul wriggled to life. Rumpel used to touch her with such affection, before Regina had been born, before he felt the sheer force of Regina's blood magic.

"Hey, you okay?" Emma asked, brow furrowed, and raised her head to study Regina's face. The older woman felt off last night, and she felt off now, like Regina but not quite. They'd not had sex. Regina expressed her emotions with the physical act of intercourse, just like others cried or talked their issues to death. It felt wrong to have gone to sleep without easing her queen's suffering.

"I do not wish to discuss the matter," Cora groused and sat up, removing the temptation of her daughter's body from the obviously wanting savior.

Emma flopped back into the bed and wiggled into the pillows, taking the rejection in stride. She grinned up at the face of the woman she loved, head cocked slightly to the side. Thin fingers linked over her muscled stomach. "If you want to talk, I'm here. You're obviously really upset about whatever you dreamed last night, so if you want to…" She left the statement open, refraining from commenting on Regina's odd behavior. Whatever she'd seen combined with the past few days really threw her for a loop. No wonder Regina felt off, unreadable.

Cora stared down at the other woman, face indecipherably blank. Emma squinted, turned her head to the other side. Finally, she sighed with a little laugh and glanced toward the clock beside her bed. Regina refrained from slapping her or sniping at her, so she figured The Queen only needed to collect her thoughts before sharing them. Perhaps she felt too raw after their emotion-fest the previous afternoon to go thru it twice in one day.

Her body jolted with a thick sense of wrongness as her brain registered the clock, something, everything yet nothing felt wrong. "Huh. Astrid didn't come to wake us?" Emma tossed out absently and shoved a thumb into her eye, rubbing away the sleep.

"I sent her away. You slept so peacefully," Cora lied easily as she slipped from the bed. "You should ready yourself for the day." Emma observed far more astutely than she'd given her credit for initially. Within a day, The Savior will have uncovered their plot, and the thought gave her a sense of satisfaction. Regina would not suffer long.

"Hey," Emma caught her attention before she disappeared into Regina's bedroom. "Are you sure you're okay?" Cora held the extended gaze before nodding once, foreign yet familiar black hair bouncing around her shoulders.

Emma offered one last smile before Cora fled to the safety of Regina's room. She waited until the spray began in Emma's shower and then waved her hand over the mirror on the back of Regina's vanity, spying on her daughter and her master in the room Regina kept hidden so well for so long. A sliver of pride swelled in her chest. Regina had never really submitted to any of them. Dread eclipsed the feeling far too quickly because she understood that The Dark One gave her unfettered viewing access for the sole fact that he knew she'd used it and that it tortured her soul to be so helpless.

An ear-splitting scream came thru the portal before an image flickered to life. Regina hung in the magical nexus, one of her own creating. Rumpel stood at the edge of the cliff, hand outstretched towards The Queen. Regina fell limp as he simultaneously dropped his hand. Dark eyes glared from the bowed head at the wicked imp, determined eyes, unyielding and unbroken eyes.

"Regina, dearie, this pain can stop if you only agreed to my offer," he reminded her condescendingly. Regina raised her head slowly, methodically, and Rumpel perked.

"You're a bastard," she seethed. Her head snapped to the side under the force of his magical strike, and she chuckled darkly before spitting blood and saliva into the chasm below, some sticking to her lip to dribble down her chin. "I'll never willingly give you what you want, and you can't use my heart," she taunted him.

His hand flew out in fury, and Regina's head snapped backwards as the energy coursed thru her body. Every nerve ending sparked and crackled, like the harsh bite of static electricity that originated beneath her skin and bubbled to the surface instead of an external source. She gritted her teeth against the satisfactory scream trying to rip from her throat. Anything that gave him joy she denied as long as possible, but not forever.

He grinned savagely as her hollow squall bounced off the damp stone walls, reverberating to his very core. He'd dreamed of this day for so long, the day Regina had no choice, the day he exuded complete control. Given her fragile mental and emotional state, he figured she'd have broken after a night of his games. He released his magical hold, and her head fell forward again, jerking violently against her neck.

She half laughed, half panted. "You can't break me," she rasped, voice raw and scratched from screaming every few minutes.

"We'll see," he lilted. Kicking Astrid's cold foot intentionally, he stalked towards the back of the cave where he set up his supplies, mostly water and energy bars to maintain his level of power. Non-magic wielders had no clue how much energy magic required, sure, it came from emotions, but those wore a person down eventually.

Regina clamped her eyes shut tightly, head whipping to the side and away from the image of her slain companion. It'd been burned into her mind already, but she thought perhaps less exposure might have spared her the nightmares of it. She knew that, too, was only a fantasy. She waited until the image of Astrid's unseeing gaze and gray skin faded, regaining her strength and resolve. Emma gave her a reason to fight, and her mother provided a clarity previously unseen for decades. Both soothed the harshness of her reality.

"What exactly do you think will be accomplished by this child's game you play?" Regina belittled his efforts hoarsely, words almost indistinguishable from the abused throat.

"Your life was supposed to be mine," he explained, swaggering confidently to the edge of the chasm.

Regina loosed an insane giggle that might have intentionally mimicked his own had she been of sound mind. The Queen teetered dangerously on a psychological cliff, swaying to and fro, teasing him with her almost-lunges into that darkness, that delicious insanity. "I'd have happily been yours. You destroyed that when you attempted to break me last time," she taunted.

Whimpering, her arms pulled tight against the magic restraints of her web. A slow, excruciating slice, like a blade dragged horizontally over her chest with care and precision, split the fabric of her shirt and skin. Hot crimson liquid spilled onto her chest, soaking the royal blue shirt with more stains. Her blood this time, not Astrid's, though the feeling of it still warmed her hands.

"Give me a child, Regina, and this shall end," Rumpel dangled the offer in front of her like a lifeline.

"I cannot bear children," Regina seethed, wanting more than anything to rip his eyes out with her nails. Instead of pulling fruitlessly and wasting her strength, she forced calm, even breaths into her lungs. Her mother spent much time teaching her how to withstand mental and physical torture. She prepared her for this moment without even realizing it.

"You can now," Rumpel countered gleefully. "The Savior made love to you, broke the curse's hold on your body." Excitement grew in his eyes, and Regina rolled hers, fed up with this game.

"We've done many things, making love was never one of them," she muttered darkly. Even she struggled to believe the weak protest. She may have been slow on the uptake, but Emma had only ever made love to her, loved her, comforted her with sex because Regina understood it. Her head whipped up suddenly, the words only now processing in her hazy mind. "What curse?"

"Ahhh, have your attention, do I, dearie?" He purred, his timbre an ice cube slipping up her spine. She almost regretted asking the question when he clearly felt so much satisfaction from her misery. Her teeth clamped shut, refusing to say anything else that added fodder to the breadth of his already expansive arsenal.

"When you came of age, your mother very inconveniently slipped a potion into a cup of tea during one of your lessons. Perhaps you recall such a day when you were forced to consume all the liquid before being released?" Regina's features hardened, the memories of that day very clear. She'd been confused by her mother's behavior, forcing her to drink an entire pot of tea. Everything made sense now.

"My mother cursed me with infertility," Regina summoned the strength to utter the words. A clash of conflicting emotions swirled and struggled for dominance in her heart. The truth finally set her free, but the years of torment remained. How much had her mother tortured her at her master's behest? How much had she done to protect her? How much had she done because she envied her, hated her? Had she been capable, Regina might have grabbed her temples in attempt to acclimate all of the new information to her reality.

The Dark One waved his hands in a flourish, like a two bit magician yelling abracadabra. A solitary tear blinked onto her cheek and left a cool, itchy trek to her jaw. Her entire life had never been her own. She was a thing, a pawn. Brand new rage coursed through her, and the bracelet glowed and shimmered as she tried to break free with the sheer strength of her will.

"OO! Feisty," Rumpel exclaimed, jumping bodily as though the display of power gave him a jolt of arousal. Regina swallowed thickly and forced more magic into the bracelet. Weak, physically and mentally, the rage faded and the leather band slowly returned to a dull black. If she'd never released Emma's magic, he never would have captured her. Yet, not on thing inside of her regretted having done it. Emma would come for her, she felt it.

"What do you hope to achieve with my child?" Regina demanded regally. Surely, his insane desire ran far deeper than paternal instincts.

"To rule the world, of course. Your mother set us back a few decades, but no matter when you're immortal," he explained, grin growing as different emotions danced across her face and settled in her eyes. "With our combined powers, the child would be unstoppable, capable of opening a portal to any land, any where, at any time, with only a thought. Your entire life is testament to how easily a child may be controlled by her parent."

Regina swallowed, the rawness in the tender flesh of her throat burning with the motion. "You're mad. I'll never submit to your will," she said, tipping her chin defiantly in challenge. Cora had controlled her for the last time. She'd spent a life time searching desperately for a way to prevent this very event, breaking her mind slowly to keep her close. It wasn't quite love, and yet, it was. It was the best they'd ever had a chance of experiencing.

He giggled and squeezed his fingers into a fist around her guts. She winced and whimpered but endured the pain without breaking eye contact. She was not a dog. He bared his teeth in a feral smile and twisted harder. She cried out, gasping and heaving but steadfast in her defiant stare. Another moment passed, and he released her. A cry of relief bubbled in her chest, but she caged it, controlling what she gave him.

"If you shall not give me what I want, do not think for a moment that I will not take it. I've done it before, Regina. Do you remember?" He twisted the knife in her mind. She gritted her teeth, struggling more now to hold her head up than during the physical torture.

"Do you remember that night? The night you cried and begged, and then…" He shuddered, eyes slipping shut, enjoying the memory fully. A hand slid down his stomach and rubbed at his rapidly hardening crotch. "You came to life that night, let yourself enjoy it. Hurt me as much as I hurt you, do you remember, Regina? I allowed the scratches on my shoulder to heal, to scar. You have no need for Emma Swan, my queen, I've borne your mark for decades."

Regina's eyelids fluttered. She knew the night he spoke of, the night she discovered the one way to harm Rumpelstiltskin without consequence. And she liked it. She loved the feeling of him squirming and writhing beneath her as she took him as roughly as he'd taken her. As many as she'd murdered and tortured and maimed, nothing had replicated the dirtiness her soul felt that night as she sat in a cooling bath with knees drawn tightly to her chest. Water and soap rinsed his touch from her body, soothed the ache between her scratched and shaking legs, the bruises across her skin. Nothing erased his fingerprints from her soul.

Except Emma's. The thought struck her fast and hard, and Regina recoiled with the sudden flood of emotions coursing thru her. Emma healed the festering wounds inflicted by this demon, by her mother, by The King, by the world that had abandoned her. Emma would come for her. She knew it, she felt it.

"I will never be your queen," Regina seethed.

"Then you will see your people slaughtered, your pet killed, your sister raped and tortured until the wolf's body has become to weak to pump her heart. Wolves are resilient creatures," he said pointedly, and Regina's stomach churned, sending bile up her throat. If captured, Ruby's wolf strength ensured more torture than the human mind capable of withstanding, even if her body continued living.

"I wonder how many times I can rape her before she dies," he pondered, almost casually. "How many holes can I fill before her heart quits from exhaustion? Her hips are thin. I suppose her perfect ass to be the tightest sheath I've ever attempted, tighter than yours, Regina. Do you remember that night?"

She knew exactly what he meant to do, to break her mentally as much as physically. He tortured her with her worst memories, linking them to those she loved the most, ensuring the emotional torture lasted long after she'd escaped, every time she glanced at Ruby until this ordeal passed. The implication shone brightly, even if it never fell from his lips. If Ruby or Emma became his victims, she'd be blamed, by herself if no one else, for refusing to submit to him.

Regina screamed for a different type of pain, jerking against the restraints. She remembered that night perfectly. He'd not prepared her, physically or mentally, and she might have died from the damage he inflicted had he not healed her… at least enough to stop the bleeding, not enough to take the pain from her. "If you touch Emma or Ruby, I will find a way to kill you. And if I can't, I'll make sure you spend eternity in a thousand pieces scattered over the four corners of this realm and any other I access."

Rumpel laughed, but the fierce determination in The Queen's eyes gave him a slight pause. She'd worn that exact same expression the day before she'd cast the curse. His attempts to break her have achieved the opposite.

"What is so special about your little pet to instill such a power in you?" He wondered aloud, almost not having meant to. His eyes darkened with an elated savagery. "Has she surpassed my ability to please you?"

Regina grinned gleefully. He hadn't figured it out, and not even the underlying threat of Emma's pending violation tainted her satisfaction. Her mother had not betrayed her, not even while he held her heart. "She's The Savior," Regina announced happily. The soulless goblin stared, breathing calmly as though she'd not just dropped an incredible obstacle in his path. Slowly, death and destruction sparked in his lifeless eyes, and Regina chuckled silently, knowing she'd forced his hand and sent Emma a message of his plot.

"Then she will be the first to die before she can be made a martyr," he tossed casually, nodding towards the mirror. He knew the second Cora began watching and gave her an indiscreet order. "The Savior will die, and the vault of hearts you have so vigilantly protected shall be used to start a war that will leave this realm in ruins."

Regina gasped. Her guards, all of them trained killers. Her people stood no chance against them without her help. "You slimy bastard, I will ki…" Another scream tore from her throat as he pulsed magical electricity into her body with barely a flick of his wrist.

"You'll do nothing," he whispered harshly, spit flying from his lips. "You brought us to this place. You took me from power. You took my son. I've watched Bae grow into an old man in the 30 years it took you to find someone to make you happy. He's dead, and now, you are going to give me what I want." He raised his hand, meaning to strike her, stopped at the last second, and sent a puff of magic over her cheek, caressing her with the tenderness of a devoted lover. She swallowed bile.

"Together, we'll start a whole new kingdom, Regina, rebuilt in our image."