Red

by Isah Underhill

What if Robin Hood hadn't been able to save his wife when she caught a deadly disease whilst carrying his child? What if the newly widowed Evil Queen had summoned him instead of the Huntsman to hunt down and kill Snow White? Set in the Enchanted Forest AU, dark! Regina, dark! Robin, dark! Story

37. Chapter 36 - Breaking Down Walls

I am so sorry I took more than a month to finish this chapter, it was not easy writing it. I'd like to thank everyone who has left a comment here! They fill my heart with joy!

Now, read at your own risk ;)

…

He snores.

Regina had noticed it before, had noticed that he was quick to fall asleep, had noticed that he would always cover himself up in the middle of the night and search for her embrace, snaking his arms around her, burying his nose in her hair.

A week had gone by since she had told him about Daniel and ever since then, her nights had been warm and wonderful. The entourage was making it's slow way towards the summer palace, they would stop at random villages and she would put on her show. Where was Snow White, she would scream and set fire to a house or two for the lack of response, but it was all an act, for their real plan was to get someone else. But first they needed to get to the summer palace.

She was surprised to notice that she had not killed anybody during that week, which was a real feat given she had had more than one accident interrogating her subjects before. She felt strangely calmer, one could even say lighter.

Regina refused to believe that it had anything to do with the fact that she had shown Robin some of her most awful memories and they actually found some common ground there. Not that they talked about it, ever since that day visiting the moldering house of sweets they had stuck to talking about their secret plans, bantering which would quickly turn to sex that was always followed by a moment of uncharcateristic tenderness which had led them to fall asleep in each other's arms everyday over the past week.

His snoring is not that bad, of course she had teased him about it, called him several colorful names because of it and was surprised that he gave back in the same coin telling her how sometimes when she slept on her back, she snored as well.

Regina liked that, she liked having someone around that wasn't afraid of her but who also understood her reasons and believed in and fought for her cause.

She took a deep breath as she adjusted herself in their coot, sitting down slowly to look at him while he slept. It was another thing she enjoyed about this new arrangement - arrangement which they had not arranged, had simply happened and kept happening every night, not that she was complaining - watching him sleep, it brought her a strange sense of peace, which was ridiculous but still-

"Good morning-" his voice sounded, bringing her back from her thoughts.

"Look who's finally woken up-" she sent his way quickly, trying to hide the fact she had been watching him sleep, "I thought you were finally going to manage to swallow your tongue today."

He gave her a smirk and spoke with a croaky voice, "My tongue would rather explore places other than my own stomach, thank you very much." His eyes roamed her body, which was only covered by a black sleeveless camisole, shamelessly.

She raised one perfect eyebrow and felt her heart race a little, a wonderful, strange feeling she was beginning to get used to, "Where would your tongue like to explore?"

He raised himself to his elbows, now very much awake thanks to her words, "I think it would be much more interesting if I just showed you-"

She hummed at his words, "I would very much like to hear what you would do with your tongue. Make your case, thief." She threw the challenge his way.

He huffed out a laugh and adjusted his body so he was sitting on the coot they shared facing her. His stare was adoring and fervent at the same time, "Well, since my actions need to be approved by the Queen now-" he bit his lower lip and continued, "I would like to request permission to run my tongue down the column of your neck,"

She liked to hear him talk like that, maybe it was the accent, maybe it was that he actually had a good way with words in the most outrageous way, or maybe it was because he always made good on his promises.

His eyes followed the path he described and Regina found herself hanging on his every word, "After I treat that spot on your neck that makes you moan my name, I would like to humbly ask to linger for a while in the valley between your breasts," Regina's breathing was getting a little bit heavier already, "And if only permission is granted, suck kisses over the warm silk of your skin, travel down and then down some more, lift that teasing nightgown-" he gave her a pause there, "-and finally find home between your thighs-" he was moving now, lifting himself to his knees so he could hover over her, their mouths a breath away, "-and make you scream my name."

Regina acted fast, both her hands found his face and she gave him a fast, "Permission granted-" before crashing her lips to his.

Both of them had morning breath, which wasn't the most satisfying thing in the world, but his words had ignited a fire inside that he alone knew how to treat. It was a messy kiss, full of tongue and their hands seemed to be everywhere at once, groping, kneading, pulling at clothes that shouldn't be there.

His hands had already found their way under her camisole, at first grabbing her ass then moving to skim his fingers through her very wet floods when a loud noise outside startled them apart.

Regina noticed how he quickly positioned himself facing the tent's entrance, in front of her, acting as a shield from whatever it was that was happening outside. She let out a frustrated breath and opened her mouth to speak but he beat her to it.

"I'm going to check out what happened-" and before she could protest or tell him she'd put a protection spell around the tent so they could continue - fuck what was happening outside - he stood and left.

As it turned out, nothing out of the ordinary had happened, a wagon carrying supplies had given in to the weight it was buried with and had made the crashing sound. When Robin had returned to the tent Regina was already ready for the day - because like hell she was going to be waiting around for him to come back and finish what he shouldn't have stopped - the thick riding clothes fitted her perfectly, enough to ride in comfort and tease him along the day - it had become a hobby of hers.

On this particular day she had decided she would not travel inside her carriage but admire the view of the snow covered forest while riding a horse. It was not Rocinante but it was good enough, their pace was slow and it fitted her just fine, that way she was able to gaze upon the trees, spot an animal or two, and the endless view of white.

That was until she saw red on the floor.

"Is that, blood?" She asked the question aloud.

She looked around but nobody seemed alarmed by the now very distinct trail of red that marked the ground. It was bright, fresh…

"Robin-" she called his attention using his first name before she could stop herself, he was riding behind her on his own horse. She turned around to meet his eye, "There's a trail of blood on the ground."

"I know-" he gave her simply, his face not betraying any emotions.

It really got to her last nerve when he would simply change his demeanor during the day for no particular reason. She knew she was being a complete hypocrite since she was much more mercurial than he was.

"Would you care to inform me of the source of said blood then?" She spoke in between clenched teeth, guiding her horse so they rode side by side now.

His response was a simple, "It's Bishop's."

Regina had to take a deep breath before asking, "And why is it that he is bleeding oh so much?"

"Crimes against the crown."

"Has he stolen from me?"

"No."

"If I get another petty answer from you, I will-" Regina was beginning to lose her patience.

"You'll what?" He snapped at her and it was then that she realized he was quite irritated, something had happened.

But what?

She waved her hand and the entire entourage became deaf to their conversation as she neared her horse as close to his as she could. Regina spoke, trying her hardest not to sound as if she wanted to burn down his eyebrows for snapping at her, which, in fact, she did want.

"What's wrong?"

He was looking ahead, when her words reached his ears he took in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. Regina did not press him but waited for him to respond to her question, which was completely out of character for her but she was trying her hardest, the reason behind such strain she did not want to acknowledge.

"He-" he cleared his throat, "He made a colorful comment about-" he looked at her then, "-you."

"What do you mean colorful?" She asked.

"Meaning he was commenting on something that was none of his business and he was lucky I didn't cut out his tongue for it." Now that she managed to get a full sentence out of him, Regina could register how whatever Bishop had said had affected Robin.

Regina felt a mix of curiosity, flattery and something else that was so light and pure she could not place when she asked, "What did he say?"

He huffed again, probably remembering the moment, before he spoke, "How he would really enjoy it if the Queen would delay the entourage for three hours while warming up his coot for a change." He paused then, clenched his teeth and Regina wondered for a second if they had delayed the entourage the other days as well, "He was about to elaborate on what he thought you looked like without your royal attire when I grabbed him by the back of the neck and nearly killed him."

"What did you do?" Regina could not help but ask, her dark curiosity taking the lead, loving the fact that he was so wildly jealous of her.

He raised both his eyebrows at her response but complied, "I had him by the back of the neck and threw him on the floor, kicked him in the balls then on his face, that broke his nose" he spoke with no sentiment, as if he was reading a recipe aloud, "after I kicked him a second time on the face his nose started to bleed a lot, but I didn't care I was adamant in ending him for what he had said." His tone changed then, firm and angry, "I was going to lift him up and snap his neck-" he stopped then, looking ahead again, up this time. He shook his head and continued, "But I didn't," he blinked a few times and looked back at her, "-after I kicked him in the shins again I told him I'd better not see his face again for a very long time and walked away. It was rather strange-" he licked his lips, "-when I'm-" he tried to find the words, "-resolute in killing a person, and boy did I have a good reason for that, I never back out-"

Regina was curious about his not finishing the job as well but also drunk in flattery, "You're jealous of me then?" She gave way to a sinful smirk.

He frowned as he questioned her, "You find this funny?"

"Not funny at all-" she assured him, malice still playing in her features, "I find it most alluring," he then picked up what she meant and his expression eased a little, "Thinking of what you did to him, for me-" she left her red lips hanging open for a second, getting as close as she could to him, "Is really turning me on."

By the end of her sentence, Robin's air had completely changed, he bit his lower lip looking at her as if she was good enough to eat.

When he spoke again, his voice was low and sensual, "What about you come over here and sit in front of me on the saddle?" He adjusted himself slightly to the back of his saddle.

"And why would I do that?" She questioned even though she had an idea of what he wanted to do, but there was something about the way he spoke-

His mouth was as close as it could get to her ear when he replied, "Because that way I can snake my hand under that coat of yours and scratch that itch for you-" his breath was hot and his voice low and sensual as he continued, "-and you can scratch my itch by having that glorious ass of yours rubbing against my-"

The moment was abruptly interrupted when his head shot upwards again, this time his eyes were fixed on a single spot.

Regina had been hanging on his every word, so when he stopped suddenly, she could not help but complain, "Would you mind finishing that sentence?"

"There's something up there," he gave back to her, his stare did not move from where it was fixated on, his tone of voice had changed completely. Regina looked up but could not see anything out of the ordinary.

"I can't see anything," she commented as she squinted in order to get a better look.

"Oh, but I did and it had a weapon-" he spoke as he guided his horse out of the path they were following and up a small hill that led to the place he had been eying.

"Hey!" Regina was beyond stunned when he simply left her there, urging his horse to go faster. "Don't you dare walk away from me!" But he wasn't listening, he didn't even turn around, simply kept on going until his figure disappeared.

Regina was stunned to say the least, but she would be damned if she would give him the satisfaction of running after him like some lovesick adolescent. She took a deep breath, straightened her spine and thanked her lucky stars she had put a silencing spell on herself and him.

She would punish him some way or another when he got back. Regina smirked at the memory of their very first time together, right after he had failed to kill Snow White. Then she had given him the prize she had promised with a twist, he could not touch her. Maybe tonight, once they were at the summer palace, she could give him the same treatment, or maybe she could tie him up, the possibilities were endless really.

As she looked down at the ground, a small trail of blood was still noticeable, Regina could not help but think how strange it was that she felt so pleased with herself and even guidy knowing Robin had had such a violent jealous response. She was no fool, she knew he was violent, period, never with her though - only that one time he tried to strangle her but that was months ago. But there was something different about this and Regina couldn't put her finger on it.

Leopold had been the jealous type and she had hated him even more for it. Hiding her away in the castle, locking her in her own room, making her an actual prisoner over one simple note on a diary. She found his 'protectiveness' of her disgusting and revolting. That, of course, had made her extremely reactive to anybody else trying to do something even remotely similar to being jealous of her.

Why then did she feel so differently when Robin showcased his jealousy?

Regina managed to stick to her resolution to not follow him for exactly six minutes. When she turned her head up for what felt like the tenth time to see if she could spot him and it snapped painfully, sending zaps of electric pain down her shoulder, she knew she had to go after him.

Some parts of Regina told her she transported herself to the top of that hill because she wanted to teach him a lesson, but others, traitorous ones, were really concerned that he went out there on his own armed with his weapons, wits and good looks.

It was not difficult to find him, she saw him crouching down, probably looking for footprints, but the memory of how he had left her high and dry, not once but twice that day, made her words come out angry and demanding, "What on earth are you doing up here?"

He looked up, stood when he saw her and started to make his way towards her, "I think I saw something odd and wanted to check-"

Regina huffed before she gave him, "And 'something you thought you saw' was important enough for you to simply walk away in the middle of our conversation?"

"I trust my instincts, there's something here-"

"I also trust my instincts." Regina could see his point but at the moment she wanted to show him that he couldn't simply walk away from her, twice, "My instincts tell me you are irritating the shit out of me and I should incinerate your trousers."

The scoundrel simply clicked his tongue and gave her, "Your majesty, you don't need to make excuses to take off my pants-" he got so infuriatingly handsome when he smirked that way, "All you have to do is ask nicely."

Regina snorted and replied, "It may surprise you that I actually preoccupy myself with other things, not just with what's inside those tacky khaki trousers you insist on wearing."

"Ah," the bastard sounded satisfied, "So you do think about me and what's inside my tacky khaki trousers."

"Don't flatter yourself thief-" Regina immediately shot back, finally meeting him.

"We're back to 'thief' then?" He asked and stepped closer to her, snaking his arms around her waist, thumbs caressing her there.

"Yes," Regina replied, "You are a thief," and Regina would be damned if he would seduce her like he had done not 10 minutes ago with his very interesting suggestion of riding arrangements, or his more than suggestive words earlier that morning. Now that they were so close again, no entourage around to speculate what exactly was going on between the two of them, Regina felt herself relax and brought her arms to rest on his shoulders. She wanted to say something that would shake him, something that would get to him, so upon impulse, before she could think over the consequences of her words, her lips were nearing his ear as she whispered, "My thief."

Since he was pressed against her at this point, she could actually feel him groan before he told her, "I do like the sound of that-"

Regina smiled, she had the upper hand again, time to make him suffer a bit, "You know what sound I like?"

"Tell me-" Robin replied.

"This one," Regina spoke and brought one of her hands down until she found his package and squeezed with gusto. He let out a pleasure filled groan she enjoyed drawing out of him oh so very much, "That's the one."

"Careful your majesty-" he found his voice, it was a tad lower, "-if you keep drawing those sounds from me I might just have to ravage you here and now." upon his last words his lips touched her neck, searching for that special spot he had mentioned before.

Regina hummed in satisfaction before replying, "That does not sound like a bad plan-" as she pressed herself harder against him, lifting her leg and trying to hook her ankle behind Robin's leg. His hands travelled down until they reached her rear, taking two handfuls, he pulled her flush against him - and ah, that felt so incredible, would she ever get enough of him? - and then finished by squeezing with gusto.

"Have you ever done it in the snow?" He asked her with a grin in his voice.

"Not in the snow-" she replied, remembering something reckless she had done years ago and chuckling, "-but I have done it on Snow's bed."

It had been a terrifying yet so delicious day, that day when she and Jamie had done it on Snow's bed and had nearly gotten themselves killed in the process. That had been the same day she met Will, the day she gave him her earrings. Earrings Robin used to propose to Marian.

A pang of sharp pain hit her square in the heart.

"Oh-" Robin's voice was different then but she hardly registered it, "Did you do that with Prince James?"

"No, it wasn't with Prince James-" she replied trying to sound indifferent, "He would always come to my chambers for that. I did it once on her bed with Jamie, her fiance."

"Jamie? That red hair lad from the engagement party?" Robin did not sound amused at all, "He was Snow's fiance?" He sounded almost as if he was shocked by the information.

"Are you surprised I slept with her fiance?" She chose to answer his question with one of her own, but he was looking at her with something different in his eyes, "What's that I see?" Her tone changed completely then, something ice cold and horrid began coursing through her veins as she tried to interpret that look he was giving her, "Are you judging me with that look?"

Regina then took an unconscious step back from him, putting some space between them, waiting for his answer and trying her best not to show how much it could hurt her.

He huffed first and his expression softened as he shook his head, "Why would I judge you now? I never have before." His voice was very serious, was looking deep into her eyes, "I just-" he paused for a moment, "I don't like to talk about-"

Regina saw it happen in slow motion, how his facial expression changed from earnest to very alarmed, his eyes wide, seeing something behind her she was not able to see. She did not know if he screamed her name or shoved her to the side first, all she knew was that a second later she was tripping over her feet, trying to keep balance as he positioned himself where she had stood.

It was strange how the forest became eerily quiet and all she was able to hear was his voice, followed by his heavy breathing and then the horrible sound of something metallic finding its home on flesh and finally the choked sound that came from Robin's figure.

As he fell down on the ground Regina's mind took her back to that night all those years ago.

Daniel's body fell lifeless on the hay covered ground. His kind blue eyes wide, his once loving expression frozen, lifeless, dead.

She looked again and saw snow instead of hay, dirtier blonde hair instead of light, but most importantly, she saw blood on the snow for the second time that day, and this time it was definitely not amusing.

I'm doing you a favor, her mother had said.

DANIEL! She had screamed as she kneeled down, desperation coursing through her veins.

She felt the same brand of desperation as she screamed out his name, her knees finding the ground, her hands trembling as the vision of Daniel's dead body gave way to Robin's. She felt a sob come out of her throat when she saw the arrow had hit him on the left side of his chest, his eyes were closed and she felt as hopeless and despairing as she had that night all those years ago.

For a moment she just looked at him, pools of unshed tears pricking her eyes, anguished in a way she had never, ever felt before. Then something snapped at her, she remembered who she was and what she was capable of, she wasn't a scared 17 year old anymore, she was a Queen. And Robin's heart had not been crushed into dust, it had only-

She remembered, feeling like a complete fool, that his heart was safe and sound, under lock and key inside her vault.

He could not be dead then? Could he? Her hands were suddenly on him, because he couldn't be dead, he was not dead, this could not happen to her twice.

The words, "No, not again" tumbled from her lips as she placed her hand on the arrow.

He groaned and Regina felt as if she could breathe again.

"Are you alright?" He had the nerve to ask her.

Regina was so happy and so angry at him that she promptly hit him in the arm as she replied, "Are you out of your mind?"

"Well, that answers my question, you are perfectly fine." He replied with a simple yet sincere smile on his lips that made her heart ache. Gods, she had gotten in too deep.

"What were you thinking?" Regina could not stop herself from being livid with him at the same time, for putting himself at risk-

"The arrow was going to hit you in the heart," he gave her simply as if it was nothing.

"But it hit you in the heart, you idiot!" She threw back at him feeling waves of immense relief and irritation at the same time.

"Good thing you're keeping it safe for me." Robin told her, smirking, as if he was glad she had his heart.

Which was ridiculous, ludicrous, how could he-

She was trying too damn hard not to label what his eyes carried for her, what his double meaning words actually meant, but at that moment, just for that moment, Regina let herself fully feel what he had to offer. She gave him a watery smile, full of hope and devotion.

The change did not go unnoticed by him as he lifted his hand and rested it on her arm, stroking it lovingly, the blue depths of his eyes filled with-

Regina broke the spell and spoke again, "You are lucky this arrow is not enchanted, so I can do this-" she waved her hand and the arrow was gone from his chest in a small cloud of purple smoke, "Now let me see it-" because he was still injured and she did not know what the arrow had actually done to him, and also because those thrilling feelings scared her half to death.

She made it to open his shirt but he tried to dodge her fingers, "It's fine-" he tried to reason.

"Don't be daft, there's no need for you to walk around with an open wound," she slapped his hands away and quite forcibly.

Regina felt as if her chest was going to burst, her hands were swift on the fabric of his shirt quickly tearing it open to reveal a bloody mess on his chest. She winced at the sight and brought her hand to hover over the wound, taking a deep breath, focusing on the healing magic she had been training. She knew that to do this particular kind of magic she did not have to reach for her anger, hate or frustration but focus on merry moments. When she practiced she would think of the moments she had shared with Daniel but now it felt odd to think of Daniel.

Before she could really think of what she was doing, a very recent memory fuelled the spell. She had her eyes closed and could nearly see as she pushed Robin into the lake and then he had caught her by the waist and brought her down to the water with him. They had talked, laughed, kissed, made lo-

When her eyes snapped open there was no more blood on his chest and not a single trace of the wound she had just healed, not even a scar, she gave him a broad smile she could not hold back, "All better now." She sighed, relieved.

He ran his hands about his chest as if to check and then looked down at where he had been hit, "Not a scratch! See?" He chuckled, carefree and merry, a far cry from the man she had met all those months ago. He ran a finger by a red scar on his chest, one she knew very well, since she had been the one to create it, "Only this one, but I rather like it-"

For them, the fact that he had just said he rather liked a scar she had given him was almost romantic. "You kind of deserved it," she told him as he raised himself to his elbows.

"There are two sides to that story," he managed to sit on the floor, "That lad Jaimie deserved it, he had no business touching your brea-"

But his words were muffled by Regina's lips as she crashed them into his in a searing kiss. Things were getting a bit out of control in the emotions department and if Regina was not careful she would end up saying something she would regret so she went back to basics. When things were physical, no harm could be done, everything, every loving word, every tender gesture, every gentle touch could be pinned on lust, on the heat of the moment.

He hummed against her mouth and the kiss started to deepen, grow more intense, Regina's hands went to his face controlling the kiss and Robin's hands found her waist, trying to guide her atop of him. She was straddling him, kissing him with such heat as if to make sure that he was really there, that she had saved him, that he was not going to die.

When one of his hands wandered to her cape, trying to undo the hooks that secured it together Regina felt a little bit more grounded, her knees were wet and cold and she was not sure if he was still injured, the magical healing process had been so strange. And as much as she wanted him, now more than ever before, she had no interest on having sex in the great wide open upon a frozen floor.

"As much as I like to try new things-" Regina spoke, breaking the kiss, "I think we've had quite enough excitement for one day." she was still holding his face in her hands, running her thumbs along his stubbled jaw, while his hands were on her hips, a soft smile played on his face.

"Well, I think the fun has just begun-" Robin gave her drawing a smile from her lips.

"You are insatiable, aren't you?" Regina spoke as their foreheads met.

"When it comes to you-" he bent his neck a bit to give her a kiss behind her ear and then slurred, "Yes, I am quite insatiable."

That alone had every single hair in her body up, "I think I have enough magic in me to transport us straight to the summer palace-"

"Straight to your bed?" Robin suggested wiggling his eyebrows.

"I was thinking straight to the throne room-" she replied, thinking how a little bit of sex and destruction could be a wonderful way to finish their day, "I was thinking we could get creative today."

He bit his lower lip before asking, "Do elaborate."

She didn't reply at first but rather spun her hips against his, drawing a groan from him, with the help of her hands on his shoulders she moved again feeling a flame of heat rise from where she ground herself against him, "I was thinking we could fuck on Leopold's throne and then set it on fire."

Robin gave Regina a naughty smile, "Sounds like a plan."

The perfect antidote for all those out of control feelings was to go back to basics, destroy Lepold's legacy and enjoy herself. But the resolution felt weak and uninteresting and Regina's actions betrayed her reason when she gave the very tip of his nose a sweet peck.

"I think we've done enough talking already-" Regina replied and waved one of her hands in the air, making them both disappear in a cloud of purple smoke.

She did not, however, transport them to the throne room as she had told him she would. Instead, when the purple smoke cleared they were both standing in her secret room, the room where she kept all her most potent magical artifacts and potions.

After he had been ill and she had to resort to Maleficent for help in healing him, Regina had dedicated herself to practicing healing magic. She had gotten better and was satisfied to see that she had been able to close Robin's wound quite successfully.

But one could never be too careful, so instead of engaging in kicky, naughty sex with the outlaw on Lepold's throne, which was bound to strain them both, which would not be good if he still had an internal wound, she had brought him there for further investigation.

"This is a very weird throne room-" Robin spoke, taking a look around.

Regina huffed out a laugh and explained, "This isn't the throne room. The throne room is much more pastel than this. Which reminds me we should remodel this castle as soon as possible, I cannot stand pastels."

"Why do you hate pastels? It's a strange thing to hate with such fervor." Robin asked.

Before she could think her answer over, it was out of her mouth, "My mother used to make me wear pastels all of the time, saying they made me look virginal and virtuous. All a good husband wanted." She put so much contempt in the two words she felt a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Virginal and virtuous are not words I would use to describe you-" he pointed out.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Regina replied.

"It was a compliment." He gave back to her smirking handsomely.

There was a moment in which they both just looked at one another, his eyes were so expressive she could detect things in their depths that took her breath away. Adoration, lust, curiosity, respect…

He cleared his throat and the connection was lost, "What are we doing here then?"

"Right-" she replied, licking her lips, "This is a secret room I used to keep in the castle before-" she stopped, "-before I killed the king. Now I keep many of my potions here."

"You want to make potions, now?" he asked, still confused.

"Of course not!" she snapped, "I want to check if your wound is really healed."

"Didn't you heal it with your magic?"

"I did-" she replied, turning around to look for the red vial she would need, "-but this magic is very new to me and one can never be too sure. You can still have an internal wound."

"Oh-" from the tone of his voice he finally seemed to understand, "All right then."

Once Regina found the vial and checked a potions book to make sure she remembered how to use it correctly, she turned back to him.

"Alright-" she waved her hand and every single object on the rectangular, wooden table before them disappeared, "Lay down."

He obeyed her without any protests, which was a real first, and laid down on the table on his back.

"What now?"

"Now I open your shirt -" Regina started then realised she had ripped his shirt before, "-oh it's already open."

"I have become quite the customer at the royal tailor, you know-" he chuckles, "-you do realise you rip apart more or less three to four shirts of mine per week?" Regina wanted to laugh, because it was ridiculous, but instead she lifted a quizzical eyebrow at him. "I'm not complaining though-" he quickly justified, "- rip them apart, set them on fire, I really don't care about the clothes."

Her smile betrayed her then and she was graced with another dazzling show of teeth of his that made her want to climb atop of him on that very table and-

"Hold still-" she railed her fiery feelings in and instructed him, "-I will pour a little bit of the potion on your chest and cast a spell to take a look inside."

He nodded and Regina went to work, dropping some potion on the place where he had been hit by the arrow, extending her hands towards the place and concentrating on her magic.

Healing magic, new magic to her, unpredictable magic that made her want things she did not feel like she deserved.

She tried to go by the book again, accessing the merry memories from her past in order to use healing magic. She thought of Daniel as they rode together to hide away from the world. A timid green light started emanating from the palm of her hand but it wasn't doing much good.

Her traitorous heart shifted the memory to another one in which she was also riding a horse. But not with Daniel. It was that very morning, she had felt so deeply when he spoke of his jealousy and then made the most agreeable suggestion about them riding together.

She opened her eyes then, heart pounding and brow frowning as she assessed that her magic was green, not purple as it had always been. After the initial shock, she was able to see that she had been able to heal him completely back then, he was as good as new, inside and out.

Regina took a deep breath, the green light fading from her hands, draining the last drop of potion on his chest, "Everything seems in order-" she spoke, trying not to betray that her heart was beating fast against her chest, "-well, apart from the fact that there was no heart there. But I think you already knew that." She smirked down at him, trying to ease her nervousness with humor.

It backfired when he lifted his back from the table, sat down and told her, "A very fair woman has stolen my heart, actually."

She quickly replied, "You offered it to me." Thinking he was being literal.

At first he simply smirked back at her and then added, "That's not what I meant." Before she could say anything, he jumped from the table back to his feet and asked her, "Why is your magic green now? Has it always been green?"

"What do you mean?" Regina asked, trying not to think about what he had just said about her stealing his heart in a sense other than having actually done the physical deed.

"Before, I used to see it in a different color-" he tried to explain himself and Regina could tell he was holding something back, "-but it was green just now."

"I have no idea-" she spoke truthfully, "Maybe it's because this was a different kind of magic, it's not exactly dark magic. It's healing magic, it's fueled by different emotions."

"Fueled by different emotions?" He scrunched his nose a little, "What does that mean?"

"To create magic we need to channel our emotions in a certain way-" she explained, finding it much better to just give him a lesson about magic than to ask about what he really meant when he had said she had stolen his heart. "When I was showing you my memories my emotions got out of control, and so did the spell."

"What emotions fuel your spells?" He seemed rather interested in the subject.

"My anger, it's all I have." she told him, because that's what she told herself ever since that day when she was too afraid to go inside the tavern and meet her soulmate.

"That's not true," he was frowning, "I mean, sure, when you shoved that arrow on my chest all those months ago at that engagement party, I could feel your anger radiate from you." He was looking away from her, probably remembering that day, "But-" his eyes met hers again, "- I find it hard to believe that you healed me with anger magic."

Regina bit her tongue at that, he was getting far too close to comfort, "No, I didn't heal you with 'anger magic'." She narrowed her eyes.

"Care to tell me what emotion you used then?" He had the nerve to ask.

"None of your goddamn business." She neared her face to his as she spat back the answer. Like hell she was going to tell him she actually thought of him and her unlabeled feelings towards him.

"Alright, keep your secrets-" He raised his arms up in a sign of surrender, "But aren't you a little bit curious to find out why your magic changed colors?"

"Not really," she lied, because, yes, it intrigued her and she would look into it as soon as she was very, very far away from him and all the bad influence his touch and handsome smile had on her.

"Well, I am," he then looked around the room quickly and grabbed something shiny on a shelf, "Let's find out, shall we?" And without another word he slashed the metallic object across the palm of his hand creating a horrid gash there.

"Are you insane?" She nearly screamed looking from his wounded hand to the weapon he had chosen to harm himself. She let out a relieved sign upon seeing that it was just a letter opener. "This could have been a cursed blade that would kill you instantly!" She was screaming now.

"Then you better heal me quickly," he tried to sound as if he was feeling no pain but winced when she unceremoniously grabbed his hand in order to fucking heal him.

She did not want to think of him in order to perform this spell, she really didn't.

Love is weakness Regina, her mother's voice insisted.

Love was sacred, it was reserved for Daniel alone because Daniel was dead and there was no other way he could be harmed thanks to her damned love for him.

Robin was alive, Robin was right in front of her putting himself at risk most of the time, for her.

She thought of Daniel that precious night when they had shared their first kiss, when he had cleared away the blood from her face and in the process cleansed her soul, filled her heart with hope and love.

She could feel the magic was working, but it seemed as if it was also looking for a better source of energy, another memory. The memory changed to one where she was also bathed in the moonlight and her cheeks marked with trails of tears as well. But in the new memory she was older, wore black instead of cream but the man standing there with her had the same grip around her heart as Daniel.

Tell me your name. He had asked, and ever since that day, every single time he uttered her name she felt closer to him.

You are beautiful, he had told her when she knew she wasn't.

No, I'm not, she had said with humorless laugh, I'm a mess, she had finished brokenly.

He had frowned and told her in earnest, You're real, you've never looked more beautiful.

She opened her eyes and brought them from his wound to his face and was surprised to see his eyes were tightly closed, his brow knitted, his teeth clenched and he was holding his breath. Regina could feel the spell working, closing up the wound, but was concerned about his reaction.

When the spell was done his eyes shot open again and he took a sharp intake of breath.

She took that moment to snap him out of it, "What were you thinking?" She hit him across the head. "It's the second time you've hurt yourself because of me-"

But he wasn't listening, his eyes were huge and his mouth was hanging a little bit open.

She took him by the sides of both his arms and shook him, desperation starting to tip again, "Robin!"

"I saw him!" He finally spoke and Regina wanted to kiss and slap him at the same time.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"The person who shot you!" He took in a big breath, "When we were riding our horses and we were talking, I had only seen a shadow lurking." He licked his lips, "But now I had some sort of vision! It was as if I had a hawk's eyes, I could see him clearly. Then the image changed and I saw the very moment he shot at you." He took her hands in his, "At that time I saw him for just a fraction of a moment when he shot you, but now-" he squeezed her hands, "I could see him perfectly."

"Who was it?" Regina was so caught up in his tale she forgot she was angry.

"No idea, but that's not important." He smirked and Regina felt that irritation come back to her.

"How is it not important?"

"Doesn't matter who he is, but what he is." He licked his lips again making her hang in the suspense, "A dwarf."

As Regina's penny dropped, an evil smile took residence upon her lips.

"I know of a runaway princess who has loads of dwarf allies, don't you?" He played and she loved his wicked sense of humor.

"We need to get back there now!" Regina spoke, summoning her magic to transport them back.

"No, you can't go-" he protested and she could not help but feel somehow confused.

"Why the hell not?"

"Because you're the target-" he explained, "The second they see your purple smoke they will shoot at you."

"I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I've stopped arrows before." she

"You didn't stop that last one though-" he argued.

"What do you suggest we do then?" Her voice grew as she became more and more irritated.

"I'll go. Send me to the top of a tree, where no one will see me arrive." A different kind of smile graced his lips now, one filled with bloodlust and anger, "Then I'll kill that fucking dwarf with my own bare hands, that ought to send Snow White a message about who she is dealing with."

Regina liked his plan, she really did. There was nothing that she would rather do than to kill one of Snow White's pet dwarves. But she had a better plan.

"Although your plan sounds tempting, mine is better."

"Try me."

"What if we send Snow White her dwarf minion safe and sound, as if nothing out of the ordinary happened to him?" She raised both her eyebrows at his still quizzical expression, "She won't notice that the only thing missing would be his heart." He let out a soft 'Ah' understanding her plan, "If I have his heart I can control him and he will give me a full view of all Snow's plans. But-" she raised a finger, "-in order to get the heart, I'll have to go."

He shook his head and Regina felt like kicking him, "Teach me then."

At first Regina thought she had not heard him right, "What?"

"Teach me how to pull out a heart," He asked her with the simplicity one would use to ask her to pass the salt.

Regina didn't answer at first, thinking she'd halocianated, "You're serious?"

"Dead serious."

She stopped to think for a while, he had a point, as reluctant as she was to admit it, as soon as she appeared there she would be a walking target and Regina knew from past experiences that tree climbing was not her forte, she couldn't risk transporting herself to a hidden spot above a tree. She would most likely fall on her royal behind and then get shot, but he wouldn't, he had lived in the forest for many years, had slept on tree branches. Much to her dismay, he could go by unnoticed.

She pointed a finger at him, "This is very serious," she waved her hand and the letter opener he had used to wound himself was gone in a cloud of purple smoke, "You have to do exactly as I say, no more juggling sharp objects, understood?"

"Fine-" he agreed, raising a single eyebrow at her demeanor. "How is it done? Tell me what to do and I will do it."

"It's not that simple, magic takes practice." She waved her hand, searching for any living being inside the castle so they could use it to practice, but she found nothing, "Damnit, there's no one in the castle. The entourage is too far away."

He looked sideways but said nothing. Regina bit her bottom lip thinking how she could not lose this chance to have a spy of hers in Snow White's midst. He could fuel her with information from the very inside, she could sabotage Snow's plans, she could lure her allies to ambushes and destroy her from the inside out.

She had to have that dwarf's heart.

But how could she teach him how to rip out a heart if there was no living thing near enough for them to practice?

Regina's heart skipped a beat as she realized what she would have to do in order to get what she wanted. Her hand trembled as she brought it to her own chest, she was scared, she had never let anyone get ahold of her heart before, had only ever ripped it out from her chest once.

You can trust him, he would never hurt you, the young woman tried to dispel her fears.

Plus, you have his heart, it's leverage, you're safe, the Evil Queen reassured her.

Ooooh, that's the most foolish idea you've ever had, bye bye Queen Regina! The imp's voice mocked her.

You cannot be seriously considering this ridiculous idea? The heartless Queen questioned.

Regina opened her eyes, - when had she even closed them in the first place? - and looked at the man before her. He had risked his own life for her, without second thoughts, no hesitation. Had supported her throughout her entire reign as a solo Queen, had been rather reluctant at taking orders but had embraced her cause and her revenge on Snow White.

How could she not trust him?

"Right-" she broke the silence, "This isn't the very first thing one should learn about magic but we don't have a lot of time." He nodded and she continued, "In order to rip out a heart you need to have precision and confidence. Your goal needs to be very clear in your mind, you need to focus on the feeling that's making you want to rip out the heart. In the case of the dwarf you can think of how much you want to kill him, that feeling alone will be more than enough to make you traverse his skin and bone so you can get the heart."

"That I can do-" he assured her, his expression was of a little awe, his eyes never leaving hers.

Regina stepped closer to him and broke eye contact in order to look at his own chest. His breath picked up a little when she placed a tentative hand to his chest, where his heart had once been. The zaps of energy that jumped in between them were ridiculous and only increased when he brought one of his hands to cover her own.

"This is the spot," she told him, trying not to show her feelings in her voice, and doing a very bad job at it, it came out just a little too breathy, "Left side, not too high, not too low."

He looked down at their joined hands and nodded, she took a final deep breath and clasped his hand in hers, guiding it towards her own chest, left side, not too high, not too low, just where her heart was beating in the most ridiculously erratic pace.

He had touched her there before, quite a few times over the past week, but this was so different, it was terrifying and it felt so intimate Regina was sure she might pass out.

With his hand over her heart, she asked, "Can you feel it beat?"

His eyes were glued to their joined hands on her chest, hers over his, looking mesmerized, their connection stronger than ever but he managed to reply, "Yes-" his voice also came out breathy, "- it feels so intense. So strong." he looked up at her then, "Is it always like this?"

Regina couldn't lie, "No, it isn't." but she was not giving him more than that, she was not ready to tell him that she felt a special connection to him ever since the moment they met, a connection that had only grown in time. She straightened up her spine and told him, "Rip it off then."

"P-aardon?" He stuttered.

Regina tried to be all business, "You need to practice." She lifted a brow in order to pretend she didn't care, "So rip my heart out."

His eyes were huge, looking back and forth from her face to her chest, "What if I hurt you?"

When the words reached her ears Regina had half a mind to just forget about the whole thing, kiss him senseless and see where they went from there. He cared, that she already knew, but everytime he showed her that he cared something warm and wonderful took over-

"You won't-" she reassured him, "I trust you." She pressed her own hand to his, encouraging him to give it a try.

He took a deep breath, "Alright-"

Regina wanted to close her eyes, but knew he needed her there with him, every step of the way, in order to ground him, show him he could do it. So she locked her gaze in his and nodded.

When his hand traversed her skin, muscle and bone and the pain was there. She remembered the pain from before, but this time it was different, it stung but at the same time it soothed, he was being gentle, had not shoved his hand inside her like she had done to him nearly a year ago, but went in slowly as if not to harm her. She could feel his calloused fingers wrapping around her heart so gently Regina had to wonder what emotions he tapped into in order to be able to perform the deed with such tenderness. His hand was coming out of her chest as slowly as it had entered and Regina was able to feel her overall feelings diminishing little by little until her eyes caught the dark red shine of her heart.

She felt very little about Snow White, the dwarf that had tried to kill her, the King, her heartless mother, her cowardly father, her past, her lovers. The only thing that remained as it was, intense as ever, were her feelings for him. Intact, they were, just as agonizing, strong and wonderful.

He held her heart with such care, as if it was going to break at any moment.

"You did it!" Her voice was a mere whisper.

His eyes had not left her heart ever since he had pulled it out, "Your heart-" he lifted his eyes to hers then, "-looks a lot like mine."

Her cheeks flushed and Regina kicked herself inwardly for having no heart in but still feeling so much for him nonetheless, "We have both done things to blacken our hearts,"

"Yes, I guess you are right-" he turned his hand a little to the side in order to inspect the heart a little bit better, "- I don't remember mine having this though."

She knew he was talking about the golden thread that now adorned her heart, Regina had no idea why that had appeared there, it had been on the day she had removed it in order to try to 'negotiate' with Jamie-

Regina stepped forward, running a delicate finger across the golden thread in her heart, "That's a mystery even to me-" she noticed how his eyes grew, "-it just appeared."

There was a moment of silence in which both looked down at the heart in his hands. He was nervous, she could tell, there was an almost untraceable shake in his hand, the vein in his neck kept popping up, and his breathing was quicker than normal.

"You're really trusting something so valuable to a common thief like me?" He asked, sounding as if he did not believe he was actually holding her heart.

Regina's impulse answer came out to match his answer from before, "Can't steal something that's been given to you."

She could not say she regretted her words, she was so tired of being afraid, exhausted to pretend to be something she was not, fed up with having to raise walls and walls around her heart so no one could hurt her and no one would get hurt.

Now he physically had her heart in the palm of his hand and Regina could not deny his hold on her heart went much further than that.

As her words sank in, the meaning behind them crystal clear by the way she was looking at him, he started to lean forward, his eyes shining and full of emotion. Regina felt her body gravitate towards his-

"Ahh!" he exclaimed, looking at the hand that still held her heart, "Something's wrong-"

Regina felt something was off, as if something was happening to her heart, although nothing had physically happened to the heart itself, "I can feel it-"

"It feels as if your heart is melting into my hand-" he told her, she could trace the tone of desperation in his voice.

"Put it back-" she told him.

She expected him to shove it into her chest as quickly as he could as it was clearly hurting him, but instead he took a calming breath, putting his free hand to her shoulder and gently pushing the heart inside her chest again, exhaling deeply as he did so. The action did not hurt, not physically anyway, what did hurt was the return of all the feelings that had been dulled inside her over the last few minutes.

Regina could not help but gasp which startled Robin, who removed his hand quickly from her chest after having returned her heart back where it belonged.

There was a moment of silence in which they did not meet each other's eyes, her brown orbs looking at his hand and his blue ones fixed on the left side of her chest. Regina did not even know how to feel at that moment, her emotions were overwhelming, so much that pulling her heart out again in order to get a breather did not sound like a bad idea at all.

What good would it do?

She knew now that it didn't matter if her heart was beating inside her chest or not, her feelings towards Robin did not diminish even a bit. Regina felt a rush of joy at the idea that this had also happened to him, that regardless of the fact that his heart was not there inside his chest, had not been for months, nearly a year, that he felt her just as much as she felt him.

That very idea both thrilled and terrified her.

"Are you hurt?" His voice broke the silence, it was hesitant.

Regina cleared her throat, "I'm fine." She met his eye then, "You should go. You know what you have to do." She swallowed, trying to push her feelings down. Her mother's mantra of love is weakness pounding in her head, again and again, "Get the heart and bring the entourage back to the castle."

And before he could say anything else that would tug at her heart, anything that would make her feel warm and safe, anything that would make her believe that she deserved this kind of love in her life, she waved her hand and he was gone when the cloud of purple smoke cleared.

...

Him being gone did not help ease her apprehension. Her head was a confusing turmoil of emotions that was making her question many things she had done, many things that she had told herself that she had the right to do because Daniel needed to be avenged, because the King needed to pay, because mother needed to stop controlling her life, because using magic made her feel free and wonderful.

Her traitorous thoughts had gone as far as questioning her decision to walk away from meeting her soulmate. Had she made the right decision? Choosing her anger over the possibility of love? Would she have shared with the mysterious man with the lion tattoo the same kind of sentiment she had with Robin?

Regina huffed at the thought, thinking that no, she wouldn't. Robin understood what she went through, he had seen the ugliest part of her and still lingered, still looked at her as if nothing she ever did would dissuade him from what he felt for her.

Whatever it was.

She knew what it was. She felt it too.

But knowing was very different from acknowledging, if she did, what could she lose? What would she be? An Evil Queen in love? Happy? Wasn't she happy already?

How can you be happy while Daniel's death is still not avenged? The young woman's voice was indignant.

Regina let out a pain filled scream at the turmoil inside her head, she needed to get out of her own head, she needed to put all those thoughts out of her head.

"Mirror!" She commanded, turning towards a square shaped mirror that hung on the wall behind her, "Appear!"

Dutifully the head of the once Genie appeared on the surface of the mirror, "Yes, your majesty."

She felt her bile rise at the sight of him and that knowing smirk that seemed to be forever plastered on his lips.

"I wish to speak to my father," she ordered him.

"Of course your majesty," he bowed his head ever so submissively but Regina could notice how his eyes lingered on her cleavage a moment too long before his image disappeared.

She felt sick, her questioning mind asking her again and again why she had attached herself to that man, even if his fate was to serve her and never betray her, he would always be there, waiting for her.

"Regina-" her father's voice brought her from her thoughts.

"Daddy-" she felt her heart ease a little at the sight of her father, "-where are you?"

"I'm in the Dark Castle dear." he told her, "You have received an invitation for another engagement ball for King Midas' daughter."

"Another?" Regina shook her head, "It doesn't matter, I have no interest of going to any ball-"

"Maybe it's a good idea to go my dear-" her father tried to make his case, "- leaders from all the lands will be there-"

"Leaders who all already fear me, so I have no reason to go." She cut him before he could finish, "I didn't summon you so you could tell me the Enchanted Forest gossip father-" Regina then waved her hand and the image of her father disappeared from inside the mirror only to reappear right next to her.

He was not used to those magic trips, especially when Regina did not warn him about them, so when her father landed he nearly tripped on his own feet.

"Sweetheart-" her father told her, "-at least tell me when you are going to do that."

"I'm sorry father-" Regina felt a small pang of guilt for her recklessness. She turned her gaze back to the mirror and spoke, "Be gone mirror!" She knew that even if he wasn't visible, he was still there, looking at her, she had to make sure she dismissed him every time.

"Is there anything you need?" Her father asked after a few moments of silence. Now that he was there, Regina felt a little reluctant to talk about how she felt-

"I'm conflicted-" she started but now did not know how to put it into words without sounding helpless.

"How so my dear?" her father asked, ever so gentle.

"Lately I've been feeling different about certain things-" she started, "Been questioning some decisions I made-" she was not sure how to put it.

"Yes, my dear?"

She tried to approach it a different way, "I know you did not love my mother. She did not make you happy." She sat down in a nearby chaise lounge and looked up at him, "If you had had the chance to find true love. A chance to leave her for someone who truly loved you. Would you?"

Both her father's eyebrows went up at her question, "I-" tilted his head to the side a little, "I never thought about that-" he sat next to her on the chaise lounge, "I don't think I would my dear" he took her hand, "I would never leave you alone with your mother."

Regina felt a small smile grow on her lips as she looked back at her cowardly but sweet father, "I know that daddy-" she placed her other hand atop of their joined ones, "But what if you didn't have me? What if it was just you?"

He blinked a few times before answering, "I guess I'd be terrified your mother used her magic on me if I ran-" this was the answer Regina had expected him to give her, "But-" for the first time in a very long time Regina saw his eyes grow brighter, "If I had that chance, to start over-" he looked at her then with those tender brown eyes she had inherited, "I think I would take that chance." For a moment he just looked ahead, as if seeing before him the scene of his happy ending unfold, then shook his head, "Why are you asking this my dear?"

Regina took a deep breath taking her hand from his and placing them on her thighs, "I never told anybody about this, it happened years ago, feels like it happened a lifetime ago."

"What happened, Regina?" he sounded concerned.

"I had just started my magic lessons with Rumpelstiltskin, but I was doing poorly, I wasn't happy. That thrill that magic had given me at the beginning had started to dull." he nodded and she continued, "I met a fairy."

"A fairy?" He was surprised at her words, "You detest fairies."

"Well, I didn't detest them back then-" she huffed, "She told me that she could help me, that she would get pixie dust and use it to find my soulmate."

Her father nearly jumped from his seat, "Your soulmate?"

"Yes, she said he was out there and that he could be my second chance." For a moment sounded just like that hopeful young woman who had dared to befriend and believe a fairy.

Her father turned to face her in his seat asking, "What happened then? Did you find him?"

"I did find him-" she looked down at her lap then, "-in a tavern."

"I don't understand, Regina-" he was frowning, confused.

"I-" she lost her voice for a moment, "I saw him there, drinking ale, laughing, he had his back turned to me, I couldn't see his face, but I could see he had a lion tattoo on his wrist. He was wrapped by pixie dust, it all looked like a dream-" she wet her lips, breathing deeply before continuing, "But I never went in, never actually met him, I ran." Her eyes went back to her father then, as her voice broke, "I was afraid."

"Oh Regina-" her father wrapped his arms around her then, comforting her in his embrace. Regina breathed in deeply, feeling tears starting to prickle in her eyes. She blinked them away and broke the embrace. Her father looked at her differently then, "Are you looking for him now? Is that the real reason behind this whole hunt?"

His questions had done it, had shaken Regina back into her reality, "No, of course not." She was a little indignant that her father would think such a thing, "I need to find Snow White, I need to avenge Daniel's death." She rose from the chaise, suddenly regretting going to her father.

"Don't you need to be happy as well?" He threw back at her, she had to give it to him, he was being brave enough to fight her soulmate's case here.

"I will be happy once Snow White is dealt with." The automatic answer came out.

"Then you will look for this man?" He was really not going to let that go. Why had she told him this story anyway?

"Why would I do that?" She squinted her eyes at her father, "I don't need him anymore-"

"Regina, my dear, everyone needs love in their lives, you can-"

"I already have it, father."

The silence that followed her confession was tense, it was the very first time she had spoken of this. Her father was no fool, he knew she was involved with Robin and that he was the only man she had been with ever since the death of the King. For him it wasn't hard adding two and two, she saw it in his face when his penny dropped and his mouth opened just a little but he did not speak, he waited for her to continue.

"That's why I wanted to speak to you father-" she cleaned her throat and looked around, afraid that anybody else but her father would hear her, "I, I have feelings for Robin."

There she said it.

She liked him, and that was as far as she dared to go when words beginning with "L" were concerned.

Nevertheless, it felt as if she had lifted a whole wagon from her back.

Her father simply looked back at her, a slightly dumbfounded expression on his face, "I see-" he spoke and looked away from her, "I guess you two have a lot in common."

Regina did not know how to take his words, "How so?"

"You are both impulsive and out of control most of the time." She could not hold back a gasp, it was rather shocking that her father would say something like that. He must have noticed his words hurt her for his manner changed then, "I'm sorry sweetheart, you are my daughter and I will always be on your side. I just-"

"What?" Her voice was grave.

"I never thought you'd want to be with, with a-" stutured, she could sense he was afraid of finishing the sentence.

"A what?" Her voice had risen a bit, felt a bitter taste in her mouth, "A commoner? A peasant? A thief? An outlaw? I thought that the sense of royal superiority was mother's trademark, not yours-" She sneered at her father.

"-a murderer, Regina!" he managed to find his voice and spoke truthfully, his eyes already carrying an apology for his words.

The air that Regina pulled in with her next inhale stung her chest as she replied, "He's an assassin, father. He kills when he's told to do so." Her response came out much more put together than she imagined it would. But her explanation fell flat when she realized who the real murderer was, "And in case you haven't noticed, I'm the murderer."

She lifted a brow at him waiting for his reply, he must have realized he should have kept his option to himself because he did not reply, only looked back at her with those eyes that told her he only wanted what was best for his little girl, which was complete bullshit, only made her angrier, "Would you prefer I was with a man thrice my age who abused me daily?" She inquired with sarcasm, "Oh, wait, I already was-" she spoke in between clenched teeth, "-with your blessing."

He found his voice but it was small and cowardly, his sudden charge of courage gone, "Regina, my dear-"

But she did not want to hear it, she felt a raw kind of rage towards her father for judging Robin, for thinking he was not fit for her. The feeling was strange, almost adolescent, but it made her feel irate and defensive.

For how dare he judge Robin? He did not know what they shared, did not understand her, them. Her father would rather she go out on a wild goose chase after a man she did not even know whose only perk was being her soulmate other than being with Robin.

She was stunned when she realized she had only felt like this once before.

I didn't make the sacrifices I did in life, to get you to the cusp of greatness, so that you could end up the wife of a stable boy. Her mother's cold and unfeeling words managed to rip through her soul even now.

At that time, her mother would rather she married an old man whose only 'perk' was a crown other than marrying the man she loved.

'Perk' to her mother, more like 'curse' to Regina.

"Father-" she was dead serious, her voice low and dangerous, she closed her eyes and continued "-get out of my sight before I use my magic to make you."

There was a beat and then she could make out the sound of his hurried footsteps against the cold stone floor. Regina took a few calming deep breaths as the sound became more and more distant.

What was happening to her?

That talk with her father had done nothing to ease her troubles, it had only woken up slumbering ghosts.

Her mother had thought she could do better than Daniel. Her mother had killed Daniel.

Now her father thought it was a better idea to search for her long lost soulmate instead of being with Robin. What would her father do?

Nothing, he's a coward, doesn't have the backbone. The heartless Queen reassured her.

Just because he won't kill doesn't mean he will do nothing. The imp tormented her.

What if he asks for her help? The young woman shuddered.

That's simple, you'll kill her before she even thinks about getting her hands on what's yours. The Evil Queen inside her spoke, strong, determined and full of hate.

Regina was so lost in her own internal battle that she did not register that the entourage was approaching the castle. She jumped in surprise, bringing her hands to her chest, when the doors of the throne room opened with a loud bang. She twisted her body to face the doors, fireball already in hand to doom the responsible for startling her, but as her eyes captured Robin walking towards her, safe and sound, alive and looking too smug for his own good, the fire died.

He led the way for a few more soldiers and only then did Regina notice that they had a prisoner, a tall man with a sack over his head, barely able to walk with shackles around his ankles and securing his wrists as well. Robin took the man's arm forcibly and continued to walk towards her, biting his lower lip in anticipation.

Who was that prisoner?

"What a tall dwarf you got there-" Regina commented, wanting to sound disinterested, "-I thought we had agreed on another plan-" She clicked her tongue looking at the prisoner from head to toe.

"This is so much better than a dirty dwarf." There was a devilish smile on his lips that Regina felt like kissing away.

"So mysterious-" she took two calculated steps towards the pair, "-and yet so very stupid to think I would want a prisioner instead of the one thing I asked you to bring back." She looked him dead in the eye to show in she meant it, they had agreed on a plan, she had let him take her heart for fuck sakes, what for? So he would come back with a prisoner instead of the heart of that dwarf-

"I would bet all my gold you will be much more pleased with this one-" the smirk had not left his lips, which threw Regina a little bit off, "Would you like to do the honors?" He gestured towards the sack that hid the prisoner's identity.

"The honors are always mine-" she took the final steps in order to come face to face with the prisoner, "- I am the Queen." She wrapped her fingers around the rough cloth of the sack and pulled.

She had not been expecting this.

This was too good to be true.

Her dark brown eyes recognized blue eyes, flushed skin, short blonde hair, handsome features but for a scar just above the cheek that should not have been there because James had been very careful not to let anything hit him in the face. But that was not James, that was so much better than James.

There were very few things that made Regina speechless, this was definitely one of them. He had captured David, Snow's true love, Regina's ticket to getting Snow to do whatever she wanted. They had planned on kidnapping the man, that was true, but Regina had believed they would only be able to get their claws on the man when the Blue Fairy had been dealt with.

She was not breathing, her eyes glued to David, drinking in his image, thinking he might disappear at any minute, she must have looked like a manic staring at the man without moving a muscle. David looked quite desperate, his eyes were wide and red, his brow creased, he was gagged, thankfully, she had no interest in listening to how he would always find Snow and that love would prevail.

"Regina-" Robin's voice was different then, it was soft and fretful. It was followed by the lightest touch of his hand to the small of her back and that snapped Regina out and she took a long deep breath through her nose but not before seeing something quite strange cross David's eyes, it was almost as if they had gone softer.

Her hand shot up on it's own accord to grab at David's face, squeezing his cheeks, "You were right, this is much better than a dirty dwarf-"

Robin's hand was now resting on the small of her back, his touch a little bit stronger as he came closer to her it sent waves of warmth through her, spurred her on to have some fun on her new prisoner's account. She let go of David's face pushing him back with her gripping hand, the man tripped and because of his shackles fell on his behind.

Regina cracked a smile at the man's helplessness, "You know, James would never have gotten himself into a situation like this-" she taunted him, she waited for his reply, was hoping for some banter just to spur him on, but then remembered he was gagged. Regina waved her hand and the gag disappeared.

"I never knew my brother, but he was a fool not to believe in love-" David spat in her direction as soon as the gag was off.

Regina rolled her eyes at his uncreative reply, "Oh please, if you are going to give that kind of answer I'm going to gag you again."

He managed to get to his knees and asked something that actually surprised Regina "Why are you doing this?" But it wasn't the question, it was the tone, a weary strange tone he used, as if he knew she was better than this, as if he knew her to some degree, which he most certainly didn't.

Regina was ready to gag and kick him in the gut for that question but then she realized that her words could be much more hurtful than a physical blow, "If you must know why, and coming to think of it I am doing you a favor by showing my stepdaughter's true colors to you, I will tell you why. I. am. doing. this." she parroted his question overpronuncing every word.

Robin's hand on her back moved as if calling her attention, she turned to the side to meet his eye raising her shoulder so it would meet her chin. She could see the question in his eyes, Are you really going to tell him what you told me? But Regina just huffed out a small laugh through her nose and blinked once at him, to reassure him.

She then turned her attention back to David who was looking at the pair of them strangely, he did not seem surprised at all by their closeness, after all it was not common for a Queen to be this close to the captain of the guard. Then again, he was a shepherd, what did he know of royalty?

"Your precious little snowflake isn't as innocent as she pretends to be." Regina started walking towards David who was still kneeling on the ground, "Did she ever tell you how it was that I ended up marrying her father?"

David was firm in his answer, "No, she hasn't told me much about her-"

Regina was not interested in his answer, "I will tell you then-" she was close enough to him in order to touch the tip of his nose mockingly with her finger, "-I married the King after the man I loved and was engaged to mysteriously disappeared." She started to prowl around him, "Snow was so happy I was going to be her new mommy." She spit out the word mommy with disgust, "But one funny thing about Snow-" when she was behind him, she placed her hands on his shoulders and spoke the next words directly to his ear, "She knew I was secretly engaged to a man beneath my station-" she squeezed his shoulders, "She knew my mother wanted me to marry the king, not my true love-" she squeezed harder, "And she knew that I was going to run away with him." Her grip was so strong her nails started digging into his vest.

She surprised David then by kneeling directly beside him and looking him in the eye while asking, "And do you know what Snow did, David?"

David only shook his head but Regina could spot the dread in his eyes.

Regina's face was very close to David's as she whispered her answer, "She told my mother about my plan and my mother killed my fiance right in front of me."

David's voice was croaky as he replied, "That cannot be true."

Regina brought a delicate hand to his cheek as she told him, "But it is the truth. The truth isn't always pretty-" the hand fell and she stood and took a few steps away from him, "Do you want to know what happened next?" Irony laced her words as she turned back to face him, "Well, our little Snowflake got her wish! Her dream! Do you know what she wished for?" Her questions had become rhetorical by now, "She had wished for a young, beautiful and healthy new mommy she could play with!" She spoke her next words between clenched teeth, "Just like a living human sized doll!"

At this point David had lowered his head, rather shaken with everything she was disclosing, but Regina was not done yet.

She went back to irony, "But Snow wasn't the only one who got to play with this new doll." She felt her chest clench for a moment as she pondered on what she was going to say, this was a very soft spot for her, one she had not even disclosed to Robin yet, "She became the King's favorite toy! After all she was so pretty, so fresh, so young, only 17 years old."

David's head shot up fast when she revealed how old she had been when she married the King, his expression carrying a mix of deep sadness and disbelief. Regina wanted to tell him more, wanted to let him know just how Snow's actions had ruined her life. But what she had disclosed was as far as she dared go about the subject without breaking down, she had made her point.

"Guards," She commanded and two guards grabbed David by the arms and lifted him up forcefully, Regina approached David one last time and asked him, "Can you imagine what it must feel like to be married to man thrice your age against your will only days after the love of your life is murdered right in front of you?"

David's eyes were very expressive, he did not need to say anything, she knew looking deep within his eyes that to some degree he did believe her and that something magical he had shared with Snow had been cracked, no longer pure, no longer without sin.

"You know David," she brushed the dust from one of his shoulders, "This is not personal against you. I wish it wasn't you, that her true love, soulmate or whatever, was someone else. After all, me and your brother, we shared good times and it gives me no pleasure in harming his kin." She gave him an almost sympathetic tight smile, she really meant what she said. "But it does give me pleasure to see Snow suffer and harming you is how I can make her suffer." She looked at one of the guards that held him by the arms and commanded, "Take him to the dungeons. You may all go."

The men who had come in with Robin turned in military presion on their heels after they bowed to her and walked out the grand oaken doors of the throne room. To her surprise David did not fight his captors as they started to lead him by the arms out of the room, he kept looking at her with eyes that held a million questions. She watched him go in silence and just as the double doors were being closed his stare diverted to Robin, who was standing behind Regina just to her side, the look he gave Robin was different but she was not able to figure out what it meant.

The sound of the closing doors reverberated through the room and for a few moments it was all that could be heard. Regina felt herself relax after taking in a deep breath and letting the air out as her shoulders went down, she did not have to hold herself so straight now that it was just her and Robin in the room.

She blinked a few times, still looking at the doors before speaking, "I don't even know what to say-"

He was right behind her and spoke in her ear, as if it were a secret, "A simple thank you would suffice."

She turned to meet his eye, "Words are rather tricky for me-" she confessed, looking down at the buttons on his shirt, not wanting to let her feelings show through her words any more than they already had that day. "Why don't we do something to celebrate this victory, hun?" She asked, looking up at him and raising a perfect brow.

He smirked at her "What do you suggest?"

But she shook her head, "No, this victory is thanks to you." Her fingers found the waistline of his pants and pulled him towards her, "Tonight, you choose what we are going to do."

Both his brows went up in surprise, "Really?"

Her hand tugged him closer, extinguishing the distance between her bodies, "Really." She rotated her hips against his, "Anything you want."

His hands found her waist and traveled down to her behind as he met her sensual movements with a set of his own. He looked deep into her eyes and asked again, "Anything?"

"Not for much longer if you keep asking me over and over again," she replied jokenly.

He smiled down at her, "Fine, I already know what I want."

"Care to share?" She felt light, all the heaviness of the day melting away as she felt his strong arms around her waist once more.

He started guiding her backwards as he spoke, his accent so pungent making him sound incredibly sexy, "I want to take my time tonight. I want to divest you slowly, I want to kiss, taste, worship your entire body-" They came to a halt when her back met the cold surface of the wall, his mouth found her neck then, sucking her pulse point with gusto.

Regina let out a small moan and managed, "Are we already getting started then?"

His mouth left her neck then as he looked up at her, "Oh no-" he ran his hands up her sides feeling her up as much as he could, "First we are going to have a drink-" his hands left her then as he turned around heading towards a small table that contained a different sized bottles and a few crystal glasses. "Because we have survived this hell of a day and we deserve it."

She watched him as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and chose one of the bottles, removed the stopper and poured the amber liquid into two fat but short crystal glasses. When he was done, he took one glass in each hand and started making his way back to her, she had left her half ravaged position against the wall, standing tall.

"I do have a request though-" he spoke sheepishly.

"As I said-" she reminded him, "-anything you want."

"Right-" he seemed a bit uncertain and Regina could not understand why, "-after we have our drink, I want us to go to my room, I want us to do all those things I told you about on my bed."

Regina frowned at his strangely vanilla request, "On your bed? How original. And here I thought you wanted to do it on the roof or something wild like that-"

"We've never been together on a bed before Regina-" he told her simply as he reached her, two glasses in hand.

Oh

Regina tried to think about all the times when they had been together, far too many to remember like this, but she could not recall any time that they had been together on a bed, hers or his or any bed for that matter. It seemed silly but at the same time so intimate that he wanted to share his sleeping space with her for the night. It was something so mundane for a normal couple but a real step for them who had always kept their guard up.

She cleared her throat, trying to convey in her expressions that she understood what he meant, "Well, here's to first times then-"

He smiled back at her and offered her a glass. Regina looked down in order to retrieve her glass but she lost her footing and nearly tripped when she saw the mark he carried on his extended wrist. She felt cold and hot at the same time, sweat quickly prickling her forehead as she started at the lion imprinted in black ink she had only seen one time before.

"What the hell is this?" there was a tremble in her voice.

"What?" He sounded very confused, but it seemed as if her ears were being muffed, she only barely heard him as he asked, "You don't like whiskey?"

"Is this some sort of joke?" She practically spit out the question, her insides turning cold, her eyes glued to the tattoo she was sure had not been there before.

"I really don't understand what you are talking about-" he sounded earnest enough but Regina was not thinking, or she was thinking, she quite frankly felt too overwhelmed to know.

She grabbed his wrist abruptly with such force that the glass in his grasp found it's end on the floor, spilling amber color liquid and shattering into pieces. The skin to skin contact was intense and Regina did not want to admit that that connection they shared, that soothing buzz she felt when they touched, now had a very obvious explanation.

He was her soulmate.

But he could not be, this had to be a trick.

She showed him the crest on his wrist, "When did you get this?" Her heart felt as if it was going to come out of her mouth. He frowned looking at the lion tattoo on his wrist and then back at her, when he opened his mouth to reply, she beat him to it, "How did you even know about this?" suspicion snaking it's way into her heart, denial was her forte after all, "Did my father tell you about this? Did you speak to him before coming here?"

He surprised her by yanking his wrist from her tight hold looking quite annoyed, "You're angry over a bloody tattoo?" He huffed and continued, "It's my family crest, I got it a million years ago when I was 15-"

For someone who had been so quick to ask so many questions and judge, Regina found herself quite speechless at his words. Because his words, his oblivious tone, the confused frown he was giving her meant only one thing.

This was no trick.

Robin was the man with the lion tattoo, the one pixie dust had led her to all those years ago, her soulmate, her second chance at love and happiness. And for a moment Regina's mind was taken by Tinkerbell's voice, remembering what she had told her that day.

You can let go of all the anger that's weighing you down and be happy.

She had been with her soulmate this entire time? Had she been happy?

Regina's head was spinning, the voices inside her head were having a field day at this new discovery, contradicting one another, telling her what to do, what to say. It was all too much, she couldn't take it anymore, she wanted them to stop, she just wanted to be. Her head was suddenly light, her knees wobbly, her hearing was muffled again, her sight began to blur and she was able to register Robin's voice, "Regina" as she felt his arms around her before everything went black.

When she reopened her eyes again she was still standing, but only because Robin held her in his arms. His face scrunched with worry, his eyes seeking hers as she blinked a few times and tried to gain her footing again.

"Regina-" his voice gave way at the end, "Are you alright?"

He sounded so worried, for how long had she been out? His arms tight around her, that delightful buzz running free between their bodies, reminding her that there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for it now.

He was her soulmate, they were destined to be together.

Destiny had brought them together.

"Destiny-" she muttered looking from his eyes to his lips.

She was not herself, she felt lightheaded, her loss of consciousness had made her dizzy, all those confusing, clashing feelings and thoughts had been silenced for a moment.

For that moment all she could feel was his touch against her skin, all she could hear was her own heartbeat pulsating in her ears, all she could see were his blue orbs holding a million questions, but she could not find a voice to answer them, because all she wanted to taste were his lips on hers. Taste the lips of her soulmate.

And so she started to close the distance between their lips, it was a slow affair, her hand finding the back of his neck, their noses bumped softly first and the electricity between their lips jumped freely even though they were not touching yet. But it was a matter of seconds, because a moment later their lips met in a kiss that blew her mind away.

It was not full of heat and passion as many of the kisses she had traded with him had been, but gentle, tender, tentative even. It was strange that she felt as if she was kissing him for the very first time, somehow the realization that he had been her soulmate all along had unlocked something inside her that had been guarded, kept at bay.

She sighed against his lips, finding her balance again, standing on her own without his assistance, although his arms were still around her waist, but his grip had loosened, instead of gripping his hands caressed her waist, followed her lead in what could only be described as a sweet kiss.

It was the perfect kiss, filled with delusional promises of second changes and happiness, but just as Regina reached that new height of delight, her past caught up with her. They came back at full force.

We had the chance to be with him before, now there are no more chances. The young woman's words stung.

You're too damaged to give him what he deserves, dearie. The darkness has feasted on you for far too long. The imp's voice

You will destroy him, Regina. The Evil Queen whispered in her ear.

He will die, I'll make sure of it. The Heartless Queen assured her.

Regina was so caught up in her internal battle that she didn't realise the kiss had been broken, her forehead was against his. She opened her eyes and gazed down at his lion tattoo, it seemed as if it was looking back at her, mocking her, showing her what she could never have, what she did not deserve.

It took all the strength she had left in her to pull back from him, she felt the tears pooling in her eyes as she found her voice, "I can't do this-"

He frowned a little, his expression still soft, not understanding what she meant, "What do you mean?"

She took two steps back extinguishing the contact between their bodies and told him "I cannot do this to you."

Regina engulfed herself in a cloud of purple smoke before he had the chance to answer.

How could she ever think she could win when her biggest enemy was inside her head?

…

Uhhh! What an ending, right? Let me know what you think on the comments ;)