IIIII
"Regina, isn't that enough? You're not going to be able to walk, let alone stand, if you keep this up." Loki told the woman as she downed half a glass of beer, her fifth one so far. In comparison, he'd only drunk a small glass but stopped after discovering the weird aftertaste. Alcohol, while not his favorite, wasn't bad now and then. However, the bar they were in definitely could have been better regarding drinking quality. Not that it was all that surprising as Regina had walked into the first place with a beer logo on the window. A small, dimly lit place with a few tables and two other customers other than themselves.
"I'll manage."
"I'm sure you will." Loki agreed, then pushed away a rather terrible salad he'd ordered. He decided to ask a few questions he was sure Regina was ignoring. "So, how will we get back home? Where are we going to stay for the night? How wil-"
"Enough." Regina snapped, interrupting him, slamming her glass down on the wooden table they were sitting at. "I don't want to talk about that. I don't want to talk about Storybrooke, the Charming's, or even Henry... Oh... Henry. What am I going to do?"
Knowing she wasn't genuinely asking him to answer her question, Loki went ahead and did it anyway. "You could move away, Regina. It would solve a few problems. One of which is living in a place surrounded by people that hate you. I can't imagine what Henry hears from them all when you're not around."
"Oh, plenty." Regina waved a hand before taking another sip of her beer. "Have you ever had children, Loki? It's like a battle or has been for the past few months since he brought Ms. Swan to Storybrooke. I'm constantly fighting against him, doing everything wrong, or making mistakes. Never perfect enough, never trying enough, never good enough. It's... It's exhausting."
Hiccupping a little, Regina frowned at her empty glass, then poured herself another from the bottle on the table. "I don't know what to do now. I can't seem to ever be right. Not with his perfect family there around him. He has no need for me, his mother. I raised him, yet because I didn't give birth to him and adopted him, I'm not his mother?"
"You are his mother," Loki said before Regina continued her rant. Memories of finding out he was adopted and not Freya's true son, not Odin's son, and not a possible heir to the throne flashed through his mind. "I was adopted, Regina. Unlike Henry, I hadn't known for a long, long time. But once I did... Things changed. Not for the better. I did and said things I regret and can never take back. Yet despite everything, adopted or not, I still consider the woman who raised me to be my mother. Not my biological parents."
Of course, what Loki wasn't telling Regina was that most of his regrets were because his plans didn't work out. Not starting the plan or idea in the first place. Even now, he didn't truly feel bad for what he did, not for almost any of it. Only that it never succeeded... Except for perhaps trying to take over the throne with the help of the frost giants. Blood or not, that plan going wrong had probably been for the best.
"It's not the same," Regina replied, resting her chin on her palm. "I sincerely doubt, witch or not, that your mother has as much blood on her hands as I do. Or if she does, that she told you at the age of eleven. Something I didn't even get to make a choice about with Henry. All because of the wretched book of his. A historical, accurate, and almost nakedly revealing book with details no one should know or ever know. Most of which has every dark and terrible thing I've done since I've become queen."
Loki had to agree with the witch across from him at that. The book of Henry's from the little he'd seen did hold quite the amount of information. If someone had such a detailed retelling of his life, Loki wasn't sure what he'd do. But leaving it for anyone to see certainly wasn't an option. "Why did you let him keep it? Why not lock it away, or find a way to destroy it?"
"I considered it. But by the time I knew of it. Henry had read everything about me and formed his opinion of his mother being the evil queen. I never got the opportunity to explain or tell my side of the story. It was mother one day and evil queen the next."
"He does appear to be fixated on that part." Loki agreed, having seen first hand during dinner the previous night. "Have not Snow or perhaps Ms. Swan explained it better? They didn't seem to hold too much animosity towards you."
"Ha!" Regina scoffed. "Snow is the reason for this entire mess. All of it. She's the one who gave Henry the book. She's the one who told my mother about Daniel. She's the one who got him killed and the reason for me cursing everyone to this forsaken land. If it weren't for Snow, pure-hearted righteous Snow. None of this would have happened!"
"...And she's still living. I'm surprised." Loki raised an eyebrow. From the sounds of everything, Snow was a nightmare. One he would have tried to remove at the first opportunity. Yet they'd just had dinner with the woman and her family. Sure, it was for Henry's sake, on Regina's side at least. But still, he had to give the witch a clap of applause at her self-control. He doubted he could do the same if it was him in her place.
"Not for lack of trying on my part. I've attempted to kill Snow since she was in her teens. But she could and would always find a way to avoid it. If not her, then someone was around to help her." Regina sighed and shrunk down into her chair with a forlorn look. "Unfortunately, even until my curse, things would unravel before my eyes if Snow was involved. In fact, my curse was one of the few things to go right. And I had to kill my father to accomplish it."
"Really? Bad father?" Loki questioned, surprised. With how much Regina cared for Henry. He'd assumed it was the same for all of her family.
"No, he was a good father. Weak-willed and too afraid to go against my mother, yes. But so was everyone." Regina replied. "My mother, on the other side of the spectrum, was a crone in every sense of the word. Having her killed was a much easier decision. One that was unavoidable if I was to accomplish my curse."
"I see." And he did, Regina at this moment relatively unguarded, showing her emotions more clearly than he'd ever seen her do. Hence why Loki could see written all over her face the struggle she'd no doubt had when making her choices. Her tone mixed with love, bitterness, and fury, all together as one whenever she mentioned her mother.
"Was the curse a sacrificial one?" Loki asked after some silence. He'd heard of a similar branch of magic that required sacrifices of emotion. More often than not, the price was the love of a relative or spouse. But Regina's curse had brought everyone in their land to a new world. A much steeper cost would no doubt be required for such a spell.
"Yes, I don't suppose you've heard of it?" Regina asked in turn. "One of the requirements was killing what I loved most."
"I haven't, though I would have loved to meet the creator."
The possibility of such as spell, if it could be altered, was incredible. Of course, given the cost, one that probably couldn't be changed was most likely why it wasn't in further use. However, if that could be changed. Having the ability to flee to a whole new world was quite a card to hold should danger arise.
Tapping the table, Loki studied Regina for a moment, taking in the raven-haired woman. She was beautiful, of that there was no question. However, now that he was learning more about Regina and her history. Loki was finding his liking for the witch growing. Partly because she was most definitely a dark witch, her aura alone like a beacon in that regard. But also because of the few similarities they shared. Such as her ability to hold a grudge.
Now Loki wasn't blind to himself or others. He knew what people thought of him and the rather ridiculous degree he went to when holding a grudge. It was just the way he was, and he didn't care how it was interpreted. Discovering Regina was like-minded, however, was a pleasant surprise. That is, if he was reading into her knowing Snow for at least forty years, given their age, and holding a grudge during that time, right.
So, as Regina becoming his future companion was looking more and more likely by the day. Loki decided to open up a bit more about himself. It couldn't hurt and might help bring Regina closer to his side should something go wrong down the road. "Well, you've told me about some of your past. It's only fair I tell some of my own. Let's see, hmm... Family-wise, I killed my father, my biological father. I could never succeed in killing my adopted father. Anyway, moving on. I attempted to kill my brother twice, no three times... I've forgotten the exact number, to be completely honest. And while I failed, I also attempted to kill my biological father's entire clan. I believe their numbers ranged into the thousands."
Hearing a glass shatter from the other side of the room, Loki snapped his attention to it. Finding a waitress with a look of shock on her face, shock that quickly changed to fear before she ran away past an employee-only door. Thinking nothing of it, Loki turned back to Regina, who was staring at him in total surprise. Something that was understandable as he really only gave her cliff notes without any reason or explanation for why he did what he did.
"I wasn't in the best state of mind at the time. I had discovered I was adopted, and my brother was to take my father's place as... Leader in a way." Loki explained a little, keeping quiet about being a prince and his brother king. He wasn't sure how well history was kept in the enchanted forest. So skirting around mentioning a kingdom that could be used to poke holes in his false background should anyone dig around was presumably for the best. "It didn't help that my adopted father was never going to tell me the truth of my origins. Leaving me to believe in a fantasy that would never happen. No matter how much I tried to make him see I was worthy of being his son."
"So you attempted to kill them?" Regina asked, her lips smiling in amusement. Whether that was because she was now drunk or was honestly amused, he couldn't judge.
"Yes, but only after he tried to have me executed. Once again, choosing to ignore me and favor my brother. It's a shame my plan didn't work. I imagine many things would have gone differently if it had. Still, Thor's survival was perhaps for the best in the end. We never truly see eye to eye. But..." Loki sighed with a half-hearted shrug. "He is still my brother."
It was hard to explain to put the relationship he shared with Thor into words. It was weird, filled with betrayal and backstabbing... On his part, of course. Not to mention the many attempts on Thor's life courtesy of Loki. Really, it was incredible that Thor hadn't woken up one day, had a change of heart, and killed him. Something that annoyed him greatly. Both at the fact Thor could accomplish it if he wished and also at his brother always being the good one between them. A statement he'd heard from many Asgardians. Even after he'd helped rescue them from his half-sister Hela.
"I can't say I understand. But with my messy past, I'm not one to judge." Regina said with a slight shake of her head. "Heaven knows how much of a hypocrite I'd be if I did that. I'm not Snow or her stable boy."
"Yes, I can't imagine it would go well if they knew some of my past." Loki chuckled. "What do you think Henry would call me if my story appeared in that book of his? I doubt he'd continue being so focused on you being the evil queen if he knew."
"Ugh." Regina rubbed her temple. "That would be just what I need. For Henry to think I'm having a secret meeting with another villain. Maybe even planning the demise of Snow as I can't be civil with the woman."
"Yes, shame too. It would be simple to get rid of her if not for the detail you'd have the town after your head." Loki replied, then leaning back in his chair. "You know... We could do it. Leave the town, vanish for a few months. Then sneak in and kill Snow while no one's watching. They might still blame you. But if you're gone. The town would need to find another scapegoat."
"Tempting, very tempting, I admit," Regina said with a short huff. "Knowing the sheep, they'd probably blame Gold too. I can't do that to Henry, though. My son adores Snow and Charming. He thinks their perfect and can do no wrong. That book of his isn't helping any. I worry about what it will do to Henry. When something truly terrible happens, and he discovers his fairy tale grandparents aren't exactly as pure and good as he believes."
"Hmm... I suppose. Pity though. It would've been fun." Loki mused, not too bothered by Regina rejecting his idea. It was just another thing to backlog for the future to use if needed. It would be cruel and make Regina hate him if she knew, if only because of Henry. But should the need arise, he could kill Snow and frame Regina. Leaving her nowhere to turn but him. Of course, that was if something were to happen with his quest item, and Regina refused to help. Still, he'd keep it in mind for the future as a last resort.
Loki was about to make another suggestion when someone coughed next to the table. Alerting Loki to the fact someone was even there. He'd been so focused on the conversation everything else had blurred in the background, including the minor detail of the entire bar being emptied. Now, there was no bartender, waitress, or patrons in sight. Only Loki, Regina, and now the cop beside them. A man who didn't look happy at being ignored.
"Ah, Officer, my apologies. We didn't notice you there." Loki put on a smile, shifting in his chair to face the cop. He was getting the feeling the cop wasn't here by accident, the empty bar adding to that feeling. Increasing the strangeness of the whole situation. "How can we help you?"
"It's fine sir, ma'am. I just have a few questions for you, then I'll be on my way." The Officer said, pulling out a phone. "About half an hour ago, we received a disturbance report about a couple talking about attempted murder. You both fit the descriptions. So why don't we cut to the chase and move on with our day. What exactly was being discussed here and please be honest."
"Nothing of much importance," Loki replied. "My wife and I were discussing the past. Reminiscing old times, if you will. Someone must have overheard us speaking about her mother's death. It happened a few years ago and was ruled as suicide. Though privately, we've always suspected murder and were discussing theories on the subject."
Looking a little skeptical about the story but nodding, the cop noted Loki's words in a small book. "I see. Interesting location choice for such a heavy topic. But that's you're business. If you'll both give me your names and show you're ID, that should be about it."
"You need our ID? Why?" Regina asked, and if Loki hadn't seen her drink as much as she did, he would have sworn she was sober. Regina's face was an impassive mask, a look he hadn't seen since the jail.
"Nothing too serious. I just need to verify your address in case of a follow-up investigation. Standard protocol, I assure you." The cop held up his hands, voice calm. "At most, someone may stop by to check on you both. Now, can I see you're ID?"
"Of course, forgive my wife's curiosity. I can't say either of us expected this tonight." Loki smirked, and slipping a hand into his pocket, he pretended to pull out his and Regina's ID. Using illusion magic over the cop's eyes to make the man believe he was actually seeing something and not an empty palm.
"Alright, thank you for your cooperation. I'll leave you both to your discussion. But try to keep things a little quieter this time. I'd rather not have to come back here again." The cop smiled before giving a slight nod and walking out the door.
"That was interesting." Loki chuckled.
"It was, though I don't think he believed it when you called me your wife." Regina chuckled as well, standing up from her chair.
"Oh, why is that?"
Shrugging, Regina raised her hand to show her bare fingers. "He glanced at my hand as soon as you mentioned me. He probably has a different opinion on why we chose such a place to have a drink."
Standing up as well, Loki nodded in thought. He hadn't noticed that. A mistake that could have gone badly if it was another more dangerous situation and not something so simple. But then again, he usually did things alone. Having a partner would take some time to get used to. Something he'd have to remember in the future should it happen again.
"So, are we now going to find a hotel? Or do you have something else in mind?" Loki asked as they stepped out of the bar. The cold air felt quite nice after being in the stuffy, dimly lit building for so long. Hearing no answer, he glanced back to see Regina swaying on her feet, looking ready to fall over. Quickly grabbing her arm to help hold her up. Loki was about to repeat his question when Regina's head fell on his shoulder, soon followed by the rest of her weight.
Closing his eyes, Loki sighed, wishing for a moment that he could teleport them back to Storybrooke. Unfortunately, he couldn't, so picking up the unconscious witch. He shifted her into a better position on his back for him to walk. Then began heading down the sidewalk in search of a hotel. He'd probably have to use some magic to hide Regina so as to not have the cops appear again, given he was carrying a drunk woman at this time of night. But if by chance no one saw them until he found a hotel and they managed to get past the front desk. It shouldn't be too big of an issue.
IIIII
