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Cursed Hearts

Chapter 3

Regina's eyes shot open the moment she heard someone scream her name. The cry sounded so desperate, but she couldn't see anyone at first. That voice…

She forced her eyes to refocus as she looked over Daniel's right shoulder, and that's when she saw him.

Loki!

He was here! He was standing only a few feet from them, and the eyes she'd just pictured were bright and shining with tears. If Regina had been able to breathe properly, any air would have left her lungs at that moment.

She hated the look on his face and it made her heart break for him. The god looked panic-stricken as he met her eyes. Regina had never seen so much fear and desperation on his face.

Fear for her.

Seeing him gave Regina new determination. She would not let Loki watch as she was slowly strangled to death.

She tore her eyes away from him to find Daniel again. Far too quietly, she whispered the first thing that came to her mind through the haze.

"I love you."

She watched as Daniel's eyes widened and his jaw went slack. It was amazing that he'd even heard her, but it didn't matter because suddenly his eyes closed and the hand around Regina's neck disappeared.

Regina gasped, coughing violently. She stumbled away from the wall as she took in air so rapidly that she almost felt light-headed, and she had to bend over to keep from falling.

"Regina..."

The quiet voice caused her to straighten before she froze.

"Daniel!" She breathed.

Suddenly all Regina could think about was the fact that for the first time since this all started, Daniel looked like himself. The cold stare was gone and she recognized every emotion she saw in his eyes. This was the Daniel she knew.

The realization overpowered everything else in her mind and she closed the distance between them in a matter of moments. His arms came around her immediately, and Regina honestly couldn't tell which one of them was hugging the other tighter.

She pulled away from him and grabbed the front of his shirt, "I can't believe it's really you!"

Regina's smile was blinding, but her joy was short-lived because very suddenly Daniel's eyes closed tightly and he cried out before stepping away from her.

"Daniel?" She questioned him, quickly closing the distance between them again.

"Stop." Daniel begged. He sounded tortured. "Just stop the pain…"

"How?" Her voice came out rough, but strong despite her fear. She would do anything he asked of her, anything to help him.

He brought his hands up and hovered them over her neck and jawline, and despite the fact that he'd nearly choked her to death only a few moments ago, Regina was no longer afraid of him.

"Let me go."

He said it like it was so simple, and Regina felt her heart stop beating in an instant.

No, please… anything but that.

"No!" Her response was immediate as she shook her head. "No, I won't lose you again."

Daniel cried out in pain again, louder this time and Regina could feel herself trembling.

"Daniel!" She grabbed onto him quickly and cupped his face with her hands.

"Come back to me!" She was practically begging now, but she didn't care.

"I can't." Daniel told her even as his voice shook. It sounded so final.

"I love you..." Regina said the words as though they would make a difference, as if this wasn't making her heart shatter inside her chest, but she was almost resigned now because she knew it was hopeless.

Daniel looked at her sadly as he cupped her face one more time and whispered, "Then love again."

With another horrible cry of pain, he stumbled away from her for the final time.

When he looked back up at her, Regina knew almost without looking at him that the monster Dr. Whale created was back. The word felt terrible even just thinking it, but she knew it was true.

Daniel's eyes looked dead again, and the hatred she saw earlier had returned with a vengeance. With a low, threatening growl Daniel advanced toward her with his hand raised above his head, making his intention to strike very clear.

Her breath came in short gasps as she watched him moving toward her, but Regina knew she couldn't let herself be attacked again. Daniel would surely kill her this time.

Almost on instinct alone, Regina brought her hand up to meet his before he could reach her. Regina's magic ensnared him and Daniel was forced to stop in his tracks.

She couldn't stop herself from crying as she looked at his eyes one more time. The beautiful, clear blue eyes that once again she did not recognize.

Regina's entire body shook as she closed her eyes and waved her other hand between them. She didn't have to watch as her magic made Daniel's body evaporate as if it'd never been there in the first place. She knew he was gone without having to see it.

I swore I would never use magic on him.

All she could do was sob.

When Daniel's hand finally removed itself from Regina's throat, Loki suddenly felt like he could breathe again. He didn't even care that Regina needed to confess her love for Daniel to finally break through to him, just as long as the torture was over.

Loki still did not move from his position on the other side of the corridor. He knew that Regina had seen him. Their eyes had met for the briefest of moments, and he saw the shock, joy, and even the apology in her eyes. However, Loki knew the moment Daniel said her name that her focus would be entirely on her first love.

The god only watched patiently as the two briefly reunited, offering what little support and comfort he could from where he was. In all honesty, Loki's hands were practically shaking with the level of restraint he was maintaining. He could feel his protective instincts simmering just under the surface, but he didn't know if he was more eager to hold Regina or blindly tear apart the man who dared touch his queen so violently.

If this had happened even a century before, Loki knew with 100% certainty that he wouldn't have been able to stop his rage from ripping the mortal apart or control his jealousy at hearing the woman he loved declare her love for someone else.

But, Loki was different now. He knew that a piece of Regina would always love Daniel. No matter how much his instincts called for retribution, this was Daniel, and Loki could never hurt Regina like that.

His heart shattered for her when it became clear that while Daniel had indeed managed to come back to himself for a few moments, it wouldn't last. The man looked like he was in tremendous pain that only seemed to get worse with each passing second, and the god watched the anguish return to Regina's features.

This time when Daniel advanced, Loki had already started to move. He wouldn't harm Daniel for Regina's sake, but he would at the very least get in between them.

Loki never got the chance. He'd hardly taken a single step in their direction when Regina's own hand came up and her magic stopped him. She closed her eyes, and Loki was the only one that watched as Regina's magic disintegrated his body, suddenly making them the only two people in the stables. Her cries tore into Loki's heart, and he was sure it was a sound he would never forget no matter how many lifetimes he lived.

"Goodbye, Daniel."

Her voice held so much pain that Loki couldn't stand it anymore, and he crossed the distance between them with inhuman speed and finally pulled his queen into his arms.

A/N: One more chapter to go!

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