A/N Hello everyone! I pray life has been well for all of you. It's been an eon, hasn't it? I struggled with myself on whether or not I should pick this back up, but after rereading it I was astounded by my audacity to leave you all on such an awful cliff hanger. Life for me has been a rough journey. Still hanging here with no job but that's to change come the Fall semester. My wonderful girlfriend has left me for ten months for FEMA, so here I am again hoping that you're still here. Writing is a such a good distraction away from the pains of the world. I hope my writing isn't too rusty.

Please don't forget to leave a review so I know that you're still interested in this story. I know I've had people ask me over the last year if I was ever going to pick it back up again.

One Month Later

"Ow!" Emma yelped as a wooden sword slapped against her bicep, leaving a sharp sting. The faux swords may have been only wood, but they sure as hell could leave a bruise. She glared at the huntsman who looked at her without emotion, shrugging indifferently.

"You need to be more aware, princess," Graham said as he took a step back from the blonde, getting in position for their next dance with wooden sticks, "You can't just be on the offensive. You have to anticipate your opponent's next move, constantly analyzing them."

Graham had been assigned duty of training Emma. They had been at it for two weeks now, but today the atmosphere between them seemed rough with a sharp edge. At first the huntsman had been acknowledging her surprising skill for being a princess of pacifists, but now he was treating her as if she were a stick in the mud. He was pointing out each and every flaw: she was focusing too much on strength; she was too hot headed, impulsively attacking. While his words may have had some truth, they were getting stale. She could tell by this point he was saying them only to mock her.

"You know Regina won't like these bruises you're leaving," she retorted, ignoring his criticism. The only response was another slash of wood, which she blocked in the nick of time.

Past events of people leaving marks upon the brunette's lover hadn't ended well. The reprimands had been enough to warn the majority, but it seemed Graham was oblivious today. Or perhaps he just didn't care. Bruises were to be expected when you're hurling sticks at one another.

A sudden blow to the leg left the blonde in a fight against balance and she fell backwards into the dirt with a loud thud. Dust went up in a cloud, entering her mouth and eyes, only aiding in her irritation. She silently cursed, rubbing the area which was now panging.

"Get up."

He spoke with little regard.

"Have I pissed you off or something?" she growled, glaring up at him, "Or did you just wake up as an asshole today?"

"There's no time to be acting like a child. You need to be more disciplined," he responded coldly.

Disciplined? Like an animal being domesticated? He may have meant in their training, but it sure as hell felt like he was referring to other things. Was he annoyed that Emma had free reign over the palace? That she wasn't being smacked around like the Queen's previous bedmates? Or maybe that she wasn't being treated as a prisoner?

"Is this some display of dominance? Are you jealous she's not giving you the attention you think you deserve?" she asked him with a laugh of disbelief, "I'm sorry you're not Regina's plaything anymore, but you don't have to take it out on me."

Graham shook his head and merely watched as the blonde rose and dusted herself off.

"Don't be so arrogant, princess. That ship has long since sailed."

"Then what? Because obviously there's some grudge you're holding against me."

She knew he didn't have a heart, but did that automatically make him a douche bag? She remembered what he was like months ago when she had first met him in the forest. He may have been a bit emotionless, but surely he wasn't this cold to her.

"You really want to know?" he marched towards her until he was in her face. "I think Regina's decision to start a war in the name of you is outrageous when all she's going to do is grow tired of you just like everyone else. You're just a pawn to piss off Snow White. An innocent child for her to corrupt. All she's doing is poking the flames and very soon it's going to set ablaze when all of Obscuria crumbles. There is already enough famine and poverty in this land. How is bloodshed going to fix any of that? It's because of you that the Queen's priorities have been perverted. It's because of you that I'm back in this demented palace and not off enjoying what freedom I have. I told Red I wanted nothing to do with you and now here I am. I should have ripped your mother's heart out when I had the chance."

The last words hit Emma harder than she was expecting and her cheeks flushed with anger. She pursed her lips and thought for a moment, but then decided that thinking took too much time. Impulsive outrage swelled inside of her and she punched him straight in the face. Hard. He wasn't expecting it either, as he stumbled back. His hands went to his eye where a gruesome, dark splotch was slowly appearing.

A bruise for a bruise, Emma thought to herself.

"I should have followed orders and did away with you the moment you stepped back into Obscuria," he spat, "Maybe then we wouldn't be spilling blood for a delusion."

Without any other words, he tossed his sword onto the ground and stomped away, carrying his battered pride with him. Emma had no regret, not even the soreness of her knuckles. Served him right.

"You asked for me?" Emma inquired as she poked her head into the Queen's washroom. She found the brunette in the midst of dipping her olive skin into steaming water. The sweet aroma of lavender hit her nostril and she breathed in deeply.

Regina only needed to beckon her towards the bath for Emma to get the hint, and she proceeding to slide off her sweaty, soiled clothes. The hot water was soothing for her achy muscles as she sunk in, and she sighed pleasantly.

"I've had a long day," the Queen huffed with a tired voice.

"Do I need to ease you into relaxation?" Emma huskily purred with confidence and was taken aback when the brunette merely laid her head on her shoulder.

"The water will do that. I just want your company."

A soft smile broke across Emma's face. She still wasn't used to the Queen being so soft, but it was a new side she was willing to become familiar with. Regina hadn't made it a public display to the world, but everyone could tell there was something brewing inside the Evil Queen and this time, it wasn't a vengeful anger. Neither of them dared to put a name to it yet, and for that they were both thankful; it was better off that way rather than complicating things more than they had to be.

Their relationship was like a river, racing like rapids with boulders and currents one day, all to turn into a peaceful lull on others. They were simply riding it where it took them, unwillingly to look ahead to see if there was a waterfall ready to drown them or a delta spilling out into the depths of an ocean.

Regina shifted in the water after minutes had passed and paused, lifting the blonde's arm out of the water to reveal a painful memory of her day with the huntsman. It was just a bruise, surely she had received worse wounds from the Queen herself, but she still flinched when slender fingers ran across it.

"Did Graham do this to you?" Regina asked with a small amount of anger building up.

"We were just training."

"I don't care. He—"

"Regina, I'm fine. It's not like I haven't been through worse."

Emma saw a flash of regretful pain in brown eyes and she reached out, tucking a strand of wet, black hair behind her ear. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to the brunette's and soon the older woman forgot about her irritation, soaking up the feeling of warm lips against hers. This feeling of comfort was so foreign to her. Her darker, shallow side had tried to pull her away from this many times before, but she was letting herself fall one brick at a time.

"Besides," Emma spoke lightly between kisses, "I took care of it myself."

"How do you mean?"

"Let's just say your huntsman may have a black eye now."

Regina sighed, but it was quickly replaced with an amused chuckle.

"What is everyone going to say when they find out I'm letting the princess beat up my guards?"

"Don't let them say anything," Emma replied as her eyes grew dark, "You are the Queen, aren't you?"

The way she husked the last words sent a chill down the brunette's spine and she grabbed the blonde by the back of the head, tangling her fingers into golden, wet curls. A tongue dipped between pale lips and teeth nipped at it. It didn't take long for the older woman to pull the other onto her lap.

The gods only knew what time of night it was as Regina lay awake, staring into the darkness of her room. She turned her head to find the princess sleeping away as if she held no weight on her soul. It must have been nice to have little thoughts to keep one up at night. No haunting visions of the past. No shadows whispering into her ear. Slender fingers reached out and ran themselves through light hair, gentle enough not to wake her.

This was just another night that sleep eluded the Queen, but tonight it felt as though she was suffocating from prophecies of days to come and days that had past. She moved quietly and slowly out of the bed and adorned a simple shirt and trousers, before slipping out of the room.

Regina made her way to the stables and made effort not the startle the rest of the horses as she got her black steed ready to ride. She pressed her cheek against the softness of Nyx before hopping up and riding away from the castle.

She rode fast, the sounds of hooves galloping against the earth as wind rushed against her face. There was always a rush within her every time rode, just as there had been when she was a teenager. She slowed down as she approached the Obscurian forest before sliding off of Nyx. Tying her to a tree, she waved her hand to cast a cloaking spell before proceeding on her own two feet into the depths of the trees.

Visions of her life plagued her mind. Shadows floated past her eyes and she heard them whisper meaningless words, twisting the very being of her soul. She recalled the words of the young blonde who told her that her heart wasn't black, but wasn't it? So many lives had been taken by her own hands. So much blood had spilled for reasons lost to time, or sometimes no reason at all. Was it wrong that she still felt no remorse? Was it cruel to admit she cringed at the thought of giving back all the hearts her and her mother had collected over the years? So much time had been put into this evil personification. Honestly, she was tired; so very tired of it all.

How could she think of a life away from it when it was all she had ever known? But there had been a time when her heart wasn't stained. Those memories were ancient, but they still burned as if she was watching Daniel wither away right before her eyes again. How could her heart still be mourning for a boy that would hate her now? He wouldn't approve of who she had become.

But her mother? Surely, she would have applauded her brutality. That awful woman may have even tried to show her love, if such a thing were possible. But what did her mother know about love?

Her father had always astounded her, always loving her mother even after he watched countless times as she abused their daughter. Regina wanted to hate that man, but he had always been at her side, trying to coax her out of the darkness.

His heart was the only one she had ever known to be unconditional. He tried so hard to pull her from that dark embrace, but he had failed with his dying breath.

"I miss you daddy," Regina spoke weakly as a single tear slid down her cheek.

What would he tell her now? He would tell her to shed the veil she had over her heart; he would tell her to let the blonde in. And she would argue back that she already had. She would come up with alibis such as letting Emma sleep in the same bed or not murdering her in front of Snow White, but he would look at her and shake his head. Those things were progress, but surely she could do better.

Emma was a confusing girl. A product of True Love. Why was she falling into the arms of the Evil Queen? Regina still didn't understand what Emma truly wanted from her. Nor did she understand what she, herself, wanted from the blonde. All she knew was that she was willing to fight for her even if it meant losing Obscuria because as much as she tried not to think about it, her kingdom was in no shape for war. Her selfish ruling had left her with so few soldiers and so much illness.

There was no escape no matter which way you turned. Either the darkness would suffocate you or the light would blind you until all you could see was a bleached version of the truth. Was there any in between? Emma seemed to be that middle, knowing there was more to the story than what met the eye, but she was so eager to delve into the dark arts and that scared Regina more than it should have.

An awareness broke the Evil Queen from her thoughts. She could never have a night in peace.

"What are you doing here, imp?" she scolded without even turning around. She knew the Dark One was there, examining her with curiosity.

"Seeing how you were fairing, my dark queen," he replied casually, walking over until they could see one another.

"I bet you love watching me squirm," Regina replied with disdain.

"It's a pity actually. I worry about you, dearie," he met her eyes with a soulless look, "Do you think the girl will give you what you want? Do you think her innocence will fill that hole inside your chest? You could have everything and more if you would just give her what she wants."

Regina raised an eyebrow.

"And what is that, dear?"

"Dark magic, of course. Yes, I know about her ungodly obsession. Do you see the opportunity you're missing? Don't you wish to see Snow White fall to her knees at the clutches of her own daughter? You have had every opportunity to corrupt that white swan yet you've withdrawn. Are you losing your touch, Regina?"

"Stay out of my affairs," she bitterly snapped, "You have no right to walk in and question my personal choices."

"But don't I?" he snickered, "I taught you everything you know. Maybe I could teach the girl a thing or two."

"Don't you dare!"

The brunette's nostrils flared. Rumpelstiltskin let out a high pitched squeal as he thrilled himself on his former mentees rage.

"But it would be so fun, dearie! Turning the product of True Love into a haunting—"

"You will not come near her; do you understand me, Rumpel? I will find a way to destroy you if I have to."

"That would be a sight to see. You'd love to have all my powers wouldn't you, dearie? Let's just hope your precious lover won't come to me first. You know I can't deny an eager pupil."

He sung the last sentence, stirring the boiling cauldron.

"She would never. I've already warned her of the dangers of venturing into the dark."

"But does she ever listen?"

Regina's eyes flashed a darkly hue and a fireball appeared in her hand. By the time she hurled it at him, the Dark One had vanished into the night as if he had never been there.

A/N Please don't forget to review! Let me know how bad (or hopefully good) this chapter was and I'll kindly write up some more. Thank you so much for your time!