Trigger Warning - abuse/ rape


Chapter 6 No Hope

As the night came to an end and the last of the guests started to head home, Katherine could see Regina was getting more and more nervous by the minute. She could also see Leopold was seething. Of course he hid it well in front of his guests. He would never do anything suspicious that might give him away. It wasn't until after she realized Emma and Henry had left, did Regina hastily disappear into the study alone. Most of the guests were out in the foyer and sitting room. She guessed she didn't have it in herself to socialize anymore. She could see the exhaustion as well as the anxiety in her eyes as Leopold continued to parade her around on his arm. It wasn't until one his colleagues offered him a cigar did he finally let Regina go and he headed out to the back yard with his buddies. Katherine followed her, shutting the door behind her. Regina turned quickly from where she stood in front of the minibar, fearing it was her husband and sighed in relief that it was only her friend.

"It's just me," she said softly, her blue eyes full of concern. Regina downed her drink and started to pour another. In fact she noticed she had heavily started indulging in her cider after dinner. "Talk to me, Regina."

"I'm worried about Henry," she whispered, sipping her drink and then making one for Katherine as well. The blonde took the offered drink, but her gaze was fixated on the terrified brunette. She noticed the slight tremble of her hands and the way she avoided eye contact.

"Come with me," she pleaded one more time, feeling utterly helpless at how afraid she was. She couldn't even call the sheriff, knowing he was the one covering up the abuse. She didn't know what else to do.

Regina scoffed and downed her drink before pouring another. Like she was trying to drown her fears.

"Regina," Leopold's voice suddenly washed over them and Regina jumped and looked fearfully over her friend's shoulder. Katherine turned to face him, seeing him standing by the now opened door. "Stephan and Rose are looking for you to say goodbye. It'd be terribly rude to keep our guests waiting."

The tone in which he spoke held no room for argument, and Regina immediately walked towards the door with no hesitation. However, Leopold stopped her, grabbing her wrist before she could exit the room. Katherine felt sick to her stomach at how quiet and submissive the usually confident woman became in her husband's presence.

"What were you discussing in here?" he asked, his tone curious but threatening just beneath the surface.

"She was just offering me some cider," Katherine spoke up. "I was interested in her recipe." Leopold held her gaze and Katherine didn't back down. When he realized she wasn't going to relent, he let go of Regina's wrist.

"Go on, I'll be right behind you," he said, ushering her out and then turning to Katherine once she was gone. He went over to his mini bar and proceeded to fix himself some cider as well. Katherine stepped aside, putting distance between them.

"You know, I've had my suspicions that you may know more than you let on," he said, pouring the cider into a decanter and then taking a sip. "I know you two weren't discussing her cider. It's not worth half the attention it's received tonight."

"You're right, in fact I was encouraging her to leave your sorry ass!" Katherine hissed, slamming her glass down on a nearby table. "She's so afraid of you, she won't let me help her! You belong in jail you sick son of a bitch!" She spat with so much hatred and venom in her voice. Leopold chuckled at her audacity.

"There's a reason why she's so afraid to leave me. I showed her what happens if she does, over and over until it finally got through in her stupid head!" he snapped, suddenly rushing towards her and getting into her personal space. He seized her up, challenging her to deny him what he believed was his property. Katherine felt a spark of fear, but shoved it down. She wouldn't give him power over her.

"What are you going to do? Hit me?" she goaded him. At those words, clarity overshadowed the hot anger on the mayor's face. He backed up, taking a sip of his drink.

"You care about her," he stated. "I understand why you're upset."

"Upset is an understatement," she scoffed angrily.

"If you really care about her, you will keep your mouth shut and stay away from her. If you're not careful, you might just get a taste of her own medicine, perhaps worse. And keep in mind, I won't hesitate to punish Regina for your actions."

"Is that a threat?"

"Take it as you wish," he smirked. "Who's the one with the power here?"

Katherine felt chills go up her spine at those words. It was like he was insinuating something bad would happen to her if she said anything about the abuse or even went near Regina again. He started to walk away as he left her to think about those chilling words.

"For the record, Regina's cider is worth everything. Just like her."

Leopold only laughed at that.


It wasn't long till all the guests had finally left. Katherine and Frederick had been among them, and as hesitant as they were to leave, Regina couldn't help but notice a certain kind of fear and grief in Katherine's eyes. She wondered what Leopold had said to her that seemed to have shaken her up so much. She had hugged her tightly, mindful of her wounds and Regina got the sense that her goodbye went deeper. It was then that she understood, Leopold probably warned her to stay away. That meant he knew she was aware of the abuse. She held her friend tighter, whispering, she'll be ok. Katherine of course didn't believe her.

Leopold was out on the porch talking to Spencer, the last to leave when Regina slipped into the kitchen to answer her cell. She had seen it was Mary Margaret on the caller ID, and figured the younger woman wanted to update her on Henry.

"Hello."

"Regina…" Her stepdaughter's voice sounded on the other end. "Emma brought Henry back to the loft. I thought you'd want to know."

"Thank you," she whispered in relief. "I know Emma wouldn't hurt him. I know she cares for him… but I don't know her and I don't trust her completely. So I'm… trusting you."

Mary Margaret was speechless for a moment at the words she just heard and Regina could understand that. A long time ago, she had completely lost all trust in her stepdaughter, but here she was, trusting her with her son's safety.

"He'll be home Sunday," Mary Margaret's voice shook. "I'll make sure of it and I'll have him call you to say goodnight."

"No, don't force him," her voice shook with pain. Her heart was broken. She missed her son, and she was barely able to stand on her own two feet with the injuries Leopold had inflicted. The alcohol she had been indulging in barely took the edge off.

"Regina, are you ok?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Why wouldn't I be, dear," she asked, her walls suddenly going up.

"You know why," she said straight out. "I can come over and spend the night. You know he won't do anything if I'm there."

"Stay with Henry," she said just as Leopold walked in. "I have to go."

"Regina!" she cried, but she hung up before Mary Margaret could even say anything else. She slipped the phone on the counter as she turned to face her husband.

"Who was that?" he asked, his calm voice making her tremble. Her hands shook and she fearfully looked at him.

"Henry was just saying goodnight," she lied. "He called on Mary Margaret's phone." She made sure to mention that last part as he grabbed it and started scrolling through her calls and texts. He nodded in satisfaction and put the phone down.

"I think it'll be good for him to spend time with his real mom. I'm sure you and Miss Swan can come up with something. Maybe the crazy fairytale obsession would stop."

Regina glared at him, making him chuckle. He loved rallying her up and breaking her back down. He loved seeing her anger rise and then fall into submissiveness.

"Got something to say, Regina?" he goaded her.

"I am his real mother," she hissed, her eyes blazing and maybe if it were anyone else standing here, they would have been cowering. Leopold however wasn't fazed in the least.

"That rage is getting you into trouble again," he sneered. "You think I forgot about the little display you and Miss Swan had tonight."

"I don't trust her and you gave her my son!" she snapped, unable to hold back her anger any longer.

He smacked her hard, her face falling to the side. Her cheek was throbbing, and she brought up a shaking hand to hold it. She had been waiting for that all night.

"I don't care what you think! You do what I say and you keep your mouth shut!" he yelled in her face. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes…" she whispered. She started to panic, her breaths becoming heavy and she felt as if she could barely breathe. "Leo… Don't. I'll be good."

He didn't even acknowledge her pleas. Instead, he pushed her back against the sink so her bruised back was pressing against the edge. She cried out from the pain. He grabbed her arm in a tight bruising grip and she struggled to pull her arm back.

"Your problem is, you don't learn," he stated in frustration because no matter how much he tried to beat it out of her, she was always fighting him. "You think you're in charge around here? I'll show you what real power is!"

He yanked her away from the counter and dragged her up the stairs and into the bedroom. She started to panic as she realized what her punishment would entail. Not only was he abusive, but he also forced her into having sex, wether it was for his pleasure or just to show her who was in control. He used it as a way to remind her that she was powerless against him. She was his to control and was expected to do as he pleases. To him, it wasn't marital rape, it was taking what belonged to him.

"No!" she cried, unable to stop her panicked sobs. "Please! I learned my lesson. Don't, please…" She usually never begged, but sometimes there came a point when all her dignity went out the window and she was too scared not to at least try to get him to stop. It never worked.

"Shut up!" he snapped, yanking her hard into the room. She started struggling, fighting against him. He got frustrated and punched her in the stomach, stunning her and making her fall to the floor. She was winded and he took that opportunity to pick her up and bend her over the edge of the mattress. He pushed her head down, imbolizing her with his body weight. The edge of the mattress dug painfully into her bruised abdomen. He pulled up her dress and tore off her panties.

She sobbed into the comforter, wishing she would have just taken up either Katherine or Mary Margaret's offer to help her. Why did she have to push them away? Why did she have to be so stubborn?

She heard the loud sound of a zipper. She realized with disgust that he was stroking himself, getting himself ready to take her. She started to struggle again, panicking even more than before. She started sobbing and pleading, but his weight was so heavy, she felt like she was suffocating. Her head was swimming from the lack of oxygen, and she felt like she was about to be sick.

"Stay still," he grunted, and she jumped when she felt his member stroking her dry. "God, you're so much work!" She couldn't move and so she finally just went limp, not having the strength to continue fighting. It was going to happen no matter how hard she fought or didn't fight.

Suddenly, his body was fully on top of her, pushing her further into the bed if it was even possible. She felt his member painfully entering her. The wounds on her back stung from the pressure and she could actually feel them reopening and seeping blood. She gasped for air, feeling like she was being suffocated. The lack of oxygen made her panic and she started to weakly struggle against him once more.

"Stop!" she cried. She just wanted to be out from under the heavy body of her husband. "I can't breathe!"

"Shut up!" he yelled, smacking her hard on her backside. She felt so degraded at this point. He grabbed her wrists and held them to the side, pinning her down further. She started to get dizzy and he must have realized she was about to pass out, because he put his weight on his knees, slightly lifting himself off of her. "Breathe," he growled into her ear.

She took several breaths into her deprived lungs, the pressure finally easing and before she could even start to register the pain between her legs, he started thrusting into her hard and fast. She cried out in agony. This wasn't even about pleasure for him. It was about showing her who was in charge.

"Get off of me!" she gasped, her voice strained from nearly being suffocated. Her pleas fell on deaf ears. He was rough and didn't even care how much he was hurting her. She could feel the blood streaming down thighs. She bit her lip hard, drawing blood to distract herself from the agonizing pain between her legs and the burning in her belly.

When it was finally over, he finally got off of her and she sank to the floor in a heap. She was in shock from the pain. She couldn't even register the words he was telling her. Her head was spinning and darkness was closing in. She was about to pass out.

He was saying something again. His voice was distorted and she couldn't seem to focus her gaze.

"Regina!" he yelled, pulling her up and the moment she was on her feet, her head spun worse than before. Her stomach painfully heaved and she vomited, barely missing his feet.

"Bitch!" he yelled in disgust, throwing her back down. He gave her a swift kick to the ribs, making her cry out. She curled up, fearing he'd kick her again. Instead he walked out of the room, finally leaving her alone.

She must have passed out because the next thing she knew, Leopold was putting her in their bed. She started to panic, her breaths becoming fast and hard.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, terrified he was gonna give her another beating. Instead he just pulled the blanket up over her.

"Sure you are," he grumbled. "Maybe now you'll think twice before humiliating me in front of guests."

She turned on her side, not wanting to face him anymore. She hissed from the pain radiating from her stomach where he had punched and kicked her.

"You're going to be sore for a while," he chuckled. The bastard really did enjoy seeing her in pain and submissive. "Good thing you don't have Henry to look after this weekend." He knew where to hurt.

Her heart clenched as she remembered where her son was. He just gave him to that Swan woman without even consulting her. The only thing that made her feel a little better about her son being with a stranger was that Mary Margaret was with him. She may have lost trust for the young woman that was her stepdaughter, but she at least trusted her to keep Henry safe.

"And don't forget to clean your mess," he threatened, before finally leaving the room.


The weekend flew by with trips to the park, ice cream at grannies, and hot chocolate with cinnamon as they discussed operation Cobra. Mary Margaret could see Emma felt a bit uncomfortable planning to break a curse that didn't exist, but she humored him anyway. She could remember a time where two little girls not much older than Henry used to fawn over that book, fascinated by the different versions of fairytales and the curse that suggested everyone was sent to their world. At a time, she could remember asking Regina if the curse was real. She had scoffed and told her they were just stories. Now that Henry had the book in his hands, he believed they were real and he believed his mother was the Evil Queen. She knew it was a way for him to cope with the devastation of not being related to the mother he had known his whole life. Regina had never told him the truth, and because of that Henry was burying himself in his fantasies. They had been so close, and now it was heartbreaking to see Henry so angry at his mother to the point where he believed she was the Evil Queen.

Maybe she really shouldn't have given him the book. All it did was take him out of his depression and into his delusions.

Just as soon as the doubts started encompassing her, hope did as well. Hope was the reason she had given it to him in the first place. The memory of Regina passing it on to her after her mothers funeral so many years ago flashed in her mind, and she knew Henry needed it.

I want you to have this. I don't want you to lose hope.

Regina had seemed to have grown up overnight when Eva had died, and that was when she started looking at her differently. More as a mother figure than her best friend. Now she knew how wrong that was. If only she had seen it then.

She walked Henry up the steps of the mansion Sunday evening. Her stomach had been in knots all weekend. She was so worried about her father's brutal punishments towards Regina. She didn't know the extent of the violence. She's only ever seen him slap her across the face once. After that she would see numerous bruises on Regina's face or arms.

She made sure to call Regina every night so Henry could talk to her, and so that Regina would get reassurance that Emma wasn't taking him anywhere. She sounded fine, but she could hear the slight tremble in her voice. She knocked, hoping Regina would be the one to answer the door. She wasn't in the mood to face her father.

The door opened, and she was relieved to see Regina although she could see she was in pain. Henry pushed past without a word. She could see the rejection on her stepmother's face but she quickly masked it with indifference. Her hand was on her belly and she seemed as if it hurt to stand straight. She looked at her fearfully, almost as if she were daring her to question the obvious cause of her pain.

"He hurt you," she observed, taking in her rigid posture and slightly bruised cheek that was heavily covered in make up for a Sunday night in.

"Thank you for bringing back Henry," she dismissed. "Good night, Mary Margaret."

"Regina, wait!" She stopped her before she could step inside. She placed her hand on her arm and Regina flinched away from her. "Let me in, let me help you. Please… How long can you keep doing this?

Regina looked at her, anger flaring in her dark eyes. She didn't trust her and Mary Margaret didn't blame her.

"I can't risk losing Henry," she said. "He will take him from me if I try to leave. You know that."

"So then you're just gonna wait until he's 18 and out of the house?" she asked, unable to stop her anger from lacing her words. Regina looked stunned for a moment, and then her face became emotionless. Her mask was going up, and her eyes fixated on her.

Mary Margaret felt her short burst of anger turn to anxiousness. She was unable to read the woman in front of her.

"You're the reason I'm stuck here," she said, her voice calm, but hauntingly void of any emotion. She was shutting down. "The first time you tried to help me I got arrested, and I paid dearly for it. The second time, I lost a child and I will not lose another. Everytime I run, he always finds me. He always takes away the thing I love most."

Mary Margaret's heart broke at the reminder of the baby she carried for 5 months. The baby she had lost because she tried to run. Mary Margaret had once again convinced her to leave him, and it went horribly wrong. It was another loss that Regina blamed her for. A loss that scarred her so deep, she was terrified of running again.

That was when she had lost hope. She had lost her fire, and when Henry came into her life a year after she lost her baby, she was too afraid of losing him too.

"You lost hope," she whispered, her eyes burning with tears she desperately kept from falling.

"There is no hope for me," Regina snarled and then shut the door in her face.


That night Henry laid under his covers with a flashlight pointing at his notebook of all the curse details. It was way past his bedtime, but he couldn't sleep. He could hear his father yelling at his mother. He's never really been exposed to their arguments, but lately his father seemed to be getting angrier at his mother to the point where he couldn't stop himself from snapping or yelling at her in front of Henry sometimes.

Emma's question from after the dinner party was strange.

It brought back flashes of a memory long forgotten. He was young, 8 maybe and he had snuck out of his room during one of their fights. He could remember looking over the landing just in time to see them both in the middle of the foyer and Leopold striking her across the face. He had been so scared he ran back to bed and tried to forget what he saw. He didn't understand what he had just seen and over the years it became a distant memory.

Other than that, he's never really thought about his father hitting his mother again. He's never seen their arguments escalate to that point. His young mind could never accept that Leopold would actually physically hurt her, so the memory turned into a faded nightmare. She was always so strong and strict, but now that he thought of it, Regina was afraid of him. He was always yelling at her and it seemed like she would just take it. Maybe all the times where Leopold was scolding him and he thought Regina was on his side, was simply because she was too afraid to stand up to him.

Even tonight at dinner, he couldn't help but notice the way she avoided eye contact with his father as he talked and talked about the politics at the office. He noticed the way her hands trembled, and how she couldn't seem to sit up straight as if she were in pain. She barely ate, barely said a word and rushed Henry to bed without even tucking him in. He didn't miss the heavy makeup that had been reapplied so late into the evening as if she were trying to hide something from him.

He looked at his notebook where he had listed all the inconsistencies that didn't make sense anymore. Things weren't adding up like they were before. He was confused and a bit frustrated. He wished he had his storybook, but he wouldn't be getting it back for a while.

When Emma had asked him if he had seen Leopold hurting Regina, he was so sure of his answer. Now… As he was remembering a long forgotten nightmare… If she were to ask him again, he wasn't sure what he'd say.

The shouting was starting to die down, and no matter how much he strained his ears he couldn't really make out what was being said. Leopold was mostly just yelling at her. He sighed, flipping through the pages where he had written a list of characters that he matched with the townspeople. His eyes locked on Regina's name where he had written "Evil Queen" beside it. Now he wasn't so sure.