Ok, so I know this took a little bit longer than I said it would, but in my defence… I get distracted very easily, ask anyone who knows me.
This chapter is – again – unbeta'd because nobody seemed to pick out any faults or stupid mistakes from last chapter.
Just thanking the usual people; my dear friends Bela and Mickaela. And also… all the wonderfully brilliant people I have been talking to, including good old D who made this beautiful poster thing and therefore got to read this before anyone else as a huge thank you.
You guys – readers, reviewers, friends - all mean so very much to me, so cheers m'dears :D
xXx
…
Regina was pressed into the wall just outside the general council chambers. She hadn't intended to be; she'd had a whole list of things she should have been doing. But she had exited from a meeting with the Royal Guard and Robin had been walking past. And, like always, the moment he was within arm's reach, he had her pressed into the nearest flat surface and was invading her space.
So now here they were, his left hand tangled in her long ponytail, the right slowly working its way under her heavy cape, her hands just above his hips and gripping at shirt – that she had untucked several kisses ago…
Regina felt oddly content, and the tasks that she had deemed important at the start of the day no longer seemed to matter.
She tilted her head up until her lips met his again, just a simple, affectionate kiss before they parted and their noses brushed against each other's.
"Regina…" Robin started, the hand he had wormed between her cape and corset trailing down her spine, fingertips catching on each and every lace securing the garment to her curves, "why do you wear such difficult clothing?"
"Because it's amusing watching you try to remove it when you're distracted," Regina retorted.
Robin withdrew the hand from her hair, leaned back, put it over his heart and scoffed. "You wound me, your majesty," he mocked.
"We both know what I do to you…" Regina drawled, walking her fingers up his chest, "is not called 'wounding', dear."
Robin withdrew his hands from her person, placing them either side of her head and bending his elbows until his nose was bumping hers.
"Are you sure about that?" Robin questioned, before moving his mouth to press under the corner of her jaw, "Because sometimes I want you so bad it hurts."
Regina couldn't tell if her reflexive gasp was from his words or the way his lips parted so he could bite down on her skin, but either way, her hands clutched at his biceps and her head tilted to the side.
Closing her eyes, Regina quietly moaned and bit her lip when the thief decided to suck at the point on her neck he had just bitten, a hand trailing down the front of her beaded corset, catching on the lace and then smoothing over the soft silk weaved into her skirts.
When, after a couple of moments, Robin pulled back, his eyes appeared darker as they flickered from her neck to her lips – which Regina curved into a smirk – before he leaned forward, fully intending to kiss her again.
The sound of footsteps – and Regina's groan – halted his plans.
He looked up to see Snow – surprise, surprise – heading towards them, and Robin honestly felt a little of the temptation Regina must have felt to try and remove her from the situation.
When Regina tried to subtly push him away from her, the little temptation he felt grew somewhat.
Regina mentally catalogued her appearance; her fingers quickly brushing any possible smears of lipstick caused by the outlaw's lips; she knew her hair was fine – he had only tangled his hand in her ponytail and her hair was not the straightest that day anyway; a quick glance down assured her that her clothing was still covering everything it was supposed to and looked no different than it had this morning.
The thief had done well.
Except she still felt the dull throbbing of that spot on her neck that was most likely going to bruise, thinking quick, she flicked her long ponytail from her left shoulder to her right to hide whatever mark was there. Glaring at the thief she decided she'd bring up the 'making bruises' issue later, but Robin's response to her glare was a mere shrug of his shoulders and a smug smile.
Arrogant thief…
Regina missed the reflexive smile tugging at the princess' lips as she watched the pair pretend to be disinterested in each other, before she remembered what she came for and quickly sobered.
"Regina, can I talk to you?"
"Now?" The Queen sighed.
"Yes. Now." Snow's voice was fairly sharp, Regina looked over to see the princess wringing her hands, pressing her lips together and frowning. She was worried, nervous, and if something had the ever-hopeful, 'everything-will-be-fine' Snow White this concerned, Regina felt a little reluctant to just dismiss her like she usually would.
"Ok," Regina started, turning to fully face her, her shoulder brushing against the outlaw's, "what's wrong?"
Snow put her right hand in a pocket of her dress that Regina had been subconsciously picking faults with ever since she had sorted out her own clothing; it did nothing for her figure and just hung off her frame in white drapes, it wasn't even as if she had a bump to hide yet – the curve of her stomach was slight and only just noticeable.
Regina's attention was diverted away from the Princess' poor fashion choices when she revealed a piece of folded, cream parchment clutched between her fingers.
"What's that?"
"I don't know." She responded. "It was given to me…"
"By..?" Regina prompted.
"I don't know."
Regina rolled her eyes and sighed. "Is there anything you do know?"
"He said it would be important, that we'd need it someday."
"Wait, who's 'he'?" Robin asked.
The response was another; "I don't know."
Regina put her hands on her hips, letting out an exasperated; "Snow!"
"I don't!" She protested. "I was just walking past the castle doors, and they flung open. This man appeared, gave this to me and told me it would be important."
Robin's question of; "what did the man look like?" was jumbled with Regina's; "what else did he say?"
The two stared at each other for a split second before Robin bowed his head, muttering "apologies milady", then gestured towards Snow in a silent 'after you'.
"What else did he say?" Regina repeated.
"He just said that this would be important, he told me to be careful and that there was powerful magic on here…" Snow's features scrunched together and she tried to recall the conversation she had been part of not five minutes ago. "He said the spell chooses its caster."
"What spell is it?"
"He didn't say. Just that it was powerful."
"Well what does it say on the parchment?" Regina took Snow's confused frown as the girl trying to pretend she hadn't read it; "Snow, we both know how you like to have your nose in everybody's business. You're not telling me that you didn't open it?"
"No, I did," She confessed, "but… there's nothing there. It's blank."
Regina frowned, if there was powerful magic on this parchment, an important spell that they would apparently be needing later, surely there would be some sign as to what said spell was? Usually there would be some instructions or diagrams, or at the very least the person holding it would feel what kind of magic it was.
Regina's eyes widened; if there was nothing on the paper, it was likely the spell had tried to tell Snow how to cast it. The magic had probably been absorbed by Snow the moment she touched the paper.
They knew nothing about this magic; nothing about the person who gave it to them; nothing about what kind of spell it was; nothing about what this spell could do to a person, or the price of it.
Regina felt something twinge inside her. Had that magic done something to Snow? The girl was not a magic wielder; she did not have the strength to control her own bladder right now, let alone powerful magic from some unknown source.
If that unknown source was Zelena – there were no other threats as far as they knew – Regina vowed that the green witch would not know what hit her. It was one thing to go after Regina; she was jealous of her life – goodness knows why – after all. But to go after Snow, who hadn't actually done anything to upset the woman? It was a sure-fire way to have her green ass royally roasted.
Though Regina had spent a long time going after Snow herself – for a fairly valid reason – they had come a such a long way since the last time they were in the Enchanted Forest, and apparently, the maternal instincts that had made Regina save Snow without a second thought when they first met - and had her reluctant to exact her revenge when she was just a child - every so often reappeared, whether the Queen wanted to admit it or not.
Plus, if anyone was going to spend time making Snow White's life hell, it was going to be Regina Mills.
"Snow," Regina started, sounding more concerned that she would have liked, "are you feeling ok?"
"Um, I'm not usually one to point out the obvious," Robin started, before raising a hand to point at the calligraphy swirling onto the paper, curved letters decorating the beige paper, "but it's not blank anymore."
Snow raised the letter to read before either of the other two could decipher it.
Her face blanched, her delicate, porcelain complexion becoming ghastly. Her eyes met Regina's and something inside the Queen tugged at the expression on her face.
"Snow," Regina asked softly, taking a step towards her, "what is it?"
Snow swallowed, reaching out towards Regina, the parchment shaking between her delicate fingers.
The Princess' voice was quiet and weighted when she declared; "it's for you."
Regina hesitated for a couple of seconds before reaching out and taking the thick paper in her hand, her eyes still on Snow's. When she let her gaze drift downwards, there was no mistaking the cursive, swirled lettering…
Regina Mills
Robin came to stand slightly behind her, looking over her shoulder, and then – sensing his Queen's uneasiness – rested a hand on the small of her back.
Regina nodded once, taking a deep breath and then releasing it, before asking; "What did the man look like?"
"Um, he was old; had grey hair; a beard; wore these blue robes…" Snow listed, creating a mental image of the man who had thrown open the doors and strode up towards her, his shaky hands pressing that folded piece of paper into hers.
"Did he have a staff?" Regina asked, eyes wide.
"Yes," Snow answered, sounding wary.
Regina took in a sharp breath. "Dark metal; twisted; blue gem encased at the top?"
Snow swallowed. "Yes, how did you..?"
Regina turned on her heel and stormed away from the duo, leaving them to share a glance before hurrying to follow her.
…
They catch up with the Queen just as she's throwing open the doors to the library with a wave of her hands.
"Regina!" Snow shouted. And then again – a little more desperately – when she and Robin Hood barely had time to make it through the heavy doors before they shut again.
Robin stood one third of the way into the room, arms folded, watching Regina as she walked along the bookshelves, head tilting back as she looked to the higher rows of books. "What's going on?"
Regina didn't even turn around to ask; "That wizard you met, Snow?"
Snow sounded very wary and slightly anxious with her quiet; "yes?"
"Merlin." Regina stated. "At least I'm fairly sure of it."
"Merlin?" Snow repeated, "from Camelot?"
The Queen finally turned around then, to snap at Snow; "Do you know any other powerful wizards called Merlin?"
"But, he's a good guy." Snow stated, feeling somewhat chastised. "He helps people. Why are you so...?"
"'So...' what, Snow?"
Robin looked between the two women, knowing that if the young Princess had any desire to remain in one piece, she wouldn't continue with her thoughts.
"Uptight." The girl answered, and Robin had to commend her on her bravery.
"What have I told you about black and white, Snow?"
"That it's never that simple." Snow admitted, before looking wary; "does that mean that it's dangerous?"
"Snow, dear, I know about as much as you do at this point."
"So, what do we do?" Robin asked, clasping his hands together and ready to help, if only to stop Regina becoming a little more temperamental than usual.
"I am going to research." The Queen declared. "You two are going to stay out of my way."
"Why?" Snow asked, at the same time as Robin's; "What for?"
"Are you honestly telling me that you could research this and know what you're looking for? Either of you?" Regina remarked.
The two dropped their gazes and shook their heads; they wouldn't have the first idea on where to look.
"Well then. Robin; go back, and spend some time with your son. Snow; go to Charming and… canoodle, or whatever it is you two do in your free time. I'll be here." Regina looked back down at the card again, nothing else had appeared since her name, and even that was fading. She sighed as she continued; "probably for a long while."
…
It wasn't five minutes after she had ushered Snow and Robin out of the library that the doors opened again. She didn't need to look up to know who it was.
"Get lost on the way back to your room, thief?" She quipped.
Robin scoffed. "Well, aren't you boring when you're researching?"
"I'm many things, dear, 'boring' is not one of them." She teased with a wink.
"Then," Robin started as he walked over and leaned against the other side of the table until Regina had to look up to meet his eye, "would you be up for a little distraction?"
One look at the thief moistening his lips before taking his lower one between his teeth had Regina tempted to say 'yes, to hell with it…' but she was not some horny teenager and she was not that easy to seduce. She wasn't.
"Nope," she said, pretending her mind wasn't still chanting 'yes'. She turned to grab a piece of paper from a pile to her right, and the quill she had pushed towards the center, scrawling a few titles down. "I want you to find me those books."
Robin huffed, walking around to her side. He placed the list down on the table and kept his hand over it, his other moved to rest on the table on the other side of Regina, caging her in his arms as he leaned forwards so his head was by hers and his chest was pressed against her shoulder blades.
"Wouldn't you rather I take you - right here, right now - until you have to bite your lip to stifle the screams that would let everyone know what I'm doing to you?" Robin growled into her ear.
Regina opened her eyes – not quite remembering the moment they'd fluttered shut – and turned to look at him, her eyes flitting from her list of books – that she desperately needed – to her thief – that she also desperately needed.
She was just about to tell him to fuck the list – and fuck her – when he withdrew, making her shiver from the sudden loss of warmth.
"No? Ok then." He mocked, before looking down at the paper in his hands. "Right, first on the list is: A History of Camelot…"
Regina narrowed her eyes at him in a glare. How very dare he? How dare he suggest something like that, distract her so thoroughly from what she had set out to do, and then just saunter off?
It was unacceptable.
Standing, turning, then nudging the chair to the side with her foot, Regina leant back onto the table and lowered her voice; "So, are we doing this on the table?"
"Up to you," Robin replied, in his usual tone. Regina huffed.
"Well, I really like this table," Regina hinted as she lifted herself onto it, mentally demanding him to turn around and just take her already.
Robin looked back at her, chuckled, then quipped; "it's just a table."
He didn't see Regina's jaw drop in slight disbelief as he moved to stand a couple of feet in front of her, facing the opposite direction that she wanted him to as his gaze swept over the bookshelf, his head tilting to the right so he could read the titles on the spines.
As Regina closed her mouth and tilted her head, letting her gaze sweep over his figure – admiring broad shoulders, strong arms, delectable backside – she supposed that she could deal with this view a little while longer.
"Don't you ever get bored?" Robin asked, sounding somewhat distracted in his search.
"Sometimes," Regina confessed, before she shuffled forward on the table, kicking off the heel on her right foot and stretching it so she could slowly trail her toes up the inside seam of his trousers, "but that's why I have you."
She heard him audibly gulp when her foot climbed higher, her toes just brushing his hardening length.
Regina grinned when she pressed her toes a little harder against him and his breathing hitched. Having thought he should have got the message by now, she hooked her foot between his legs, and then bent her knee to pull him towards her. After two small steps he pushed her foot away and turned to face her.
"And here was me thinking you wanted to do some research," Robin taunted.
Regina grabbed the front of his shirt and tugged until his face was mere centimetres away from hers. She lowered her voice to a sultry whisper; "I want to do you more."
Robin rested his forehead against Regina's and then leaned forwards so she had no choice but shuffle backwards.
"Is this table sturdy enough?" He asked, hands clutching at Regina's hips.
"Seemed to be last time," Regina quipped, before she recollected 'last time' was when they didn't actually get anywhere because you-know-who decided she wanted to read this particular book at that particular moment; "or the time before I guess."
Robin blinked and then frowned. "Oh, I had forgotten about that,"
Regina mock gasped, "how could you?"
"Forgive me if I'm a little distracted."
Regina smirked, kicking off her other shoe and then locking her ankles behind Robin's back, pulling him until his thighs were pressing into the edge of the table, teasing; "Well, why don't you let me remind you..?"
"Who am I to stop a Queen?" Robin muttered, before she leaned forwards and her lips met his.
Her hand came to reach for one of his, moving it until her skirts were bunched between his fingers and his other hand came to trace patterns up her thigh.
Then his hand stopped, his fingers so close to the apex of her thighs, but he stopped.
"You went a little further than that," Regina huffed, shifting her hips forward slightly.
"How much further?" He teased, before creeping his fingers higher oh so very slowly; "tell me when to stop."
Regina locked her gaze onto his, resolutely keeping her mouth shut and raising one eyebrow as if to say 'as if that's ever going to happen.'
He chuckled and moved his head to nip and suck at the skin on her neck, his fingers brushing over her sensitive flesh so lightly she whimpered.
"Well?" She breathed in encouragement, opening her eyes when he pulled back to look at her.
"It's coming back to me, yeah," he rasped, and Regina lowly chuckled. "You have no idea how much I wanted to ruck up your skirts and bury my head between your thighs that day,"
Regina moaned, biting his lower lip and then pulling away, letting it slide between her teeth. "So why didn't you?"
"If I remember correctly," Robin started, "we were interrupted by a certain Princess."
Regina rolled her eyes and glared at a spot behind him as she remembered Snow's penchant for interrupting them at almost every moment. But she wasn't here in this moment; the girl was with her husband.
"Well, what's stopping you now?"
Robin chuckled, dropping a quick kiss to her lips before kneeling, taking the hem of her skirts into his hands and so very slowly pushing them up again – they had fallen back down when he had stepped away - his fingers tracing the skin of her legs as he did so.
With a smile and a bite of her lower lip, Regina rested one hand behind her – leaning back a little – and used the other to card through Robin's hair. He pressed a kiss to her right knee, then another an inch higher, then another, and another…
Regina's breathing grew heavy, her head tilted back and she sighed as his lips hovered over just where she wanted them.
The doors behind them flung open.
Robin ducked down, shifting to the side so Regina could quickly stand and right her skirts, huffing and trying to will away the blush on her cheeks. The thief's knees ached already from this awkward, crouched position, and he knew for a fact there was no way he would be able to stay where he was for the duration of the conversation between Regina and whoever the fuck had interrupted them… again!
Think quick, Robin.
"Found it!" he exclaimed, standing with a book that Regina had no need of whatsoever, before handing it to her. "There you are, your majesty."
"Thank you," Regina said with an amused smile as she took the leather-bound journal he had – thankfully – found on the floor whilst she was trying to collect herself to a calm, unflushed composure.
She turned to see Snow standing at the door, and almost turned back around again.
Every. Damn. Time.
Robin noticed and leaned to mutter in her ear; "deep breaths, try not to kill your pregnant step-daughter."
Regina lightly kicked him in the shin in a silent 'shut up before I kill you'.
Snow looked between the two with wide eyes and a slight blush, "am I interrupting something?"
"Of course not," Regina said, plastering a fake smile on her face, "did you need something Snow?"
She better need something important.
"No, I just wanted to see how you were doing." Snow confessed.
Regina's fists clenched, her smile hardened, her breathing deepened.
"We're doing fine," Robin offered, stepping in to avoid witnessing a murder scene, "still at the researching stage."
Regina tried to focus on anything other than the fact that Snow had interrupted them again; a new order to rearrange her books into, a new design to redecorate the library, changing the furniture into something a little more elaborate, except the table she was on; she'll have Robin fuck her on this table at some point – and probably some other dirty things too – if Snow stopped appearing at the most inopportune moments.
And her thoughts had led back to the urge to murder Snow again. Brilliant.
Regina ran a hand over her hair, tucking in small pieces that had escaped her jewelled grips, then clasped them in front of her as she looked anywhere but at her step-daughter, who seemed to be even more frustrating in the Enchanted Forest than she had been in Storybrooke. If that was even possible.
Her eyes landed on a candelabra, gold and ornate in design, and she almost scoffed at the immediate thought of one of Storybrooke's board games; 'Snow White has been murdered, in the library, with the candlestick'.
There was no prize for guessing who the culprit was.
"Actually we were kind of busy, so if you don't mind..?" Regina snapped, gesturing towards the door.
"Of course," Snow grinned that infuriating, all-knowing, smug grin, and Regina frowned, her fists clenching again.
"Any time you like, Snow." Regina urged.
"Sure. I'll let you two get back to 'researching'." Snow commented with a wink and more than enough suggestion in her tone to imply she meant anything but 'research', before she left, shutting the door behind her.
"Am I missing something here?" Regina asked, frowning with her hands on her hips as she looked at the door, then to Robin, then to the door again. Robin hummed in response. "What's going on?"
Robin sighed and ran a hand through his hair, mumbling, "I think Snow and Charming know."
Her frown left her, her eyebrows rose and she slowly blinked before muttering a low; "What?"
"I think they know," he repeated, a little louder, before clarifying; "about us."
"How?" Regina asked, her voice cool and collected, which made the thief more nervous than if she had yelled at him.
"When you were injured, I came to visit you a few times."
"And..? That is not enough for the two idiots to figure this out." Regina sniped. "What did you tell them?"
"I didn't say anything was going on." Robin said, before reluctantly admitting; "But I didn't say anything wasn't."
"Robin…" Regina warned.
"They caught me off guard, ok?" Robin defended. "I was lost in my thoughts, worried about you, and then I either got a 'what do you want from Regina?' or an 'are you in love with her?'. I didn't have an appropriate response planned for that!"
"They asked what?" Regina fumed. "They have no right to-"
Seeing the Queen get riled up, Robin stepped forward, trying to placate her with an honest; "Regina, they're just looking out for you."
"Well they don't need to; I can look after myself."
"They may not need to, but they want to," Robin protested. "They care about you, Regina. They were just making sure I wouldn't hurt you."
Regina scoffed. "Yes, well, I make my own mistakes, they have no reason to-"
"I'm a mistake?" Robin asked, trying but failing to keep the hurt out of his tone.
"What?" Looking at the thief, Regina saw him withdraw, frowning as he took a step back from her. She was honest in her assurances; "No. No, you're not a mistake."
Unsure why she felt so adamant that there was something just… right, Regina frowned, but still she grasped Robin's chin and tilted his head to face her so she knew he was listening. His wary gaze met hers, but his eyes softened when she gently – but firmly – declared; "Robin, this isn't a mistake."
Robin leaned down and kissed her, taking her lower lip between both of his as his hands came up to frame her face. She moaned when his tongue swirled around hers and he wrapped her long ponytail around his hand, tugging to tilt her head to the angle he wanted.
He pushed her back and grasped her waist to lift her onto the table again. His hands moved to her skirts and he gathered them once again before pushing them higher until they're at the top of her thighs.
"Now then, where was I before we were so rudely interrupted?" Robin teased.
His grin faded with the demand hidden in Regina's answer; "on your knees."
Sinking to kneel before the Queen, he looked up and drank in the sight of her before him.
"Well don't just gape at me," Regina said with a smirk as she ran her hand through Robin's hair, "put that mouth of yours to good use."
"At once, milady," Robin remarked, before leaning forwards and putting his mouth to very good use.
Regina threw her head back with a small groan, gripping a fistful of his hair even tighter before whispering an encouraging; "more."
With a smug grin Robin complied, lightly scraping his nails up her thigh and then pushing one finger into her, waiting until she bucked up her hips before he actually started moving it.
He sucked harder at her clit and crooked his finger towards him with each withdrawal, moving his hand a little faster, harder.
Regina bit her lip to stifle a sharp cry, it wasn't long before she could feel herself spiralling higher and higher, the anticipation of this having built ever since their stolen moment in the hallway.
Pleasure bloomed in her core, having her releasing loud moans between whimpers of 'yes,' 'fuck' and 'Robin!'
There was the sound of heavy footsteps walking past the doors, and Regina vowed that her and the outlaw would not get interrupted for the third time that day;
She would incinerate them on the spot before they even got the chance.
Curbing homicidal tendencies be damned.
…
By the time Regina – and Robin – were sated, cooled down and had realised that they were somewhat hungry, the multiple footsteps in the corridor they had heard were long since gone. Regina just hoped that the people responsible didn't hear her muffled shouts and curses from within as they passed by. Not that Robin had been any quieter.
She heard someone walk behind her and automatically hated them; the mere sound of footsteps enough to remind her of the seemingly non-existent privacy her and the outlaw seemed to have been getting lately.
When the owner of said footprints hooked a hand in the crook of her elbow she almost let loose a fireball as she whipped around to face them.
Her irritation faded when she saw the sandy blond hair, blue eyes and freckles that belonged to probably the only other Merry Man apart from Robin that she doesn't mind spending time with.
She had to laugh at George's immediate reaction of raising his hands in a panicked 'I surrender' move. At the sound of her chuckle he warily lowered them, asking; "am I going to die?"
"No," Regina comforted before adding a teasing; "not today anyway."
"Charming…" He quipped.
"Do not associate me with that trait," Regina sniped; "that belongs to the other royals, who may not exist for much longer."
"Ouch," George winced, "what have they done now?"
Regina scoffed as she looked to the ground. She may have decided to share little bits and pieces with the man, but she drew the line at subjects of a private matter. "You don't want to know."
"Oh, ok then," George chuckled, "if you want me to set something up to annoy them…"
Regina's eyes snapped up to see George's sparkling with mischief. It appeared they had a pranker in their midst. With a sly grin, Regina replied; "I'll know who to come to."
They both grinned before Regina suddenly winced and brought a hand to clutch at her torso.
"You ok?" George asked, placing a hand on Regina's shoulder and bending down slightly to try and read her expression.
Her features were set in a grimace, her eyes screwed shut and her jaw clenched. She just managed to grind out; "I'm fine."
"No, you're not." He declared, before standing straight and shouting; "help!"
"George!" Regina admonished, her voice strained, "I told you; I'm fine."
For a split second he almost stopped worrying so much, but then her pain intensified and she sank to her knees, her arms wrapped around her torso, and new waves of panic washed over him.
"Regina!" George knelt next to her, placing a hand on her back and feeling all her muscles tensed so very tight.
Between a couple of very slight whimpers she still managed to assure George – through gritted teeth; "it'll be over in a second. Don't panic."
Sure enough, after a few short moments, Regina's body relaxed and her breathing became deep and steady.
"What was that?" George asked, his voice stern and leaving no room for argument.
Regina sighed, taking a couple of deep breaths before she even thought about responding.
"It's just… the remnants of Zelena's magic," she explained; "It's working its way out of my system."
"By what? Tearing you apart?!" George exclaimed.
"No. Well, not really. It's difficult to explain." She stammered, pursing her lips and thinking; "I think the easiest way would be to call it a temporary harming curse. It flares up every now and again, but it has become a lot less frequent lately."
George's eyes widened. "Curse?"
"Temporary." Regina stated, of course he'd focus on 'curse' part. "And slightly weakened."
She looked up to see George's freckles standing out on his skin that seemed several shades paler than it had a few moments ago. "Look, it will be completely gone by tomorrow, the day after at the latest."
"Are you sure?"
With a comforting smile, Regina confirmed; "Positive."
George stood and held out a hand to her, helping her on her feet, and then leaning down to brush dirt off of his dark brown trousers. "I doubt Robin's too happy about you being cursed."
At Regina's silence he turned to her and found her gaze downturned. He frowned as he understood; "he doesn't know, does he?"
Steadying her voice, she declared; "He doesn't need to."
"Of course he does!" George protested.
"No, he doesn't." Regina insisted. "Look, he knows that it's Zelena's magic, and he knows that I'll be perfectly fine in a day or two. You don't need to scare him by throwing around the word 'curse'."
Regina turned and started walking away from him, and George almost missed her quiet mutter of; "he was emotional enough as it is."
They walked in silence for a short time, before George suddenly stated; "he cares about you, you know."
Regina's smooth steps faltered. She swallowed and kept her gaze firmly fixed on the wall at the end of the hallway.
"Do you care about him?" He continued, tucking his hands into his pockets.
Regina could see him glancing at her from the corner of her eye and vowed to keep her gaze focused on the dark bricks in front of her.
"I'm not one for discussing my relationship status," she snapped, although consciously making an effort to sound a little less harsh than she would if it had been one of the Charmings or that stupid dwarf.
George nodded. "So, you're in a relationship?"
"No, it's not a relationship." Regina automatically denied.
He looked puzzled. "But you're... together,"
Regina sighed, "We're not 'together'."
"Well what are you then?" George retorted, halting, standing in place and waiting for her to turn back to face him.
When she did, it was with an indignant frown.
"I… I mean, we're…" She stammered, mouth opening and closing as she tried to find the right words.
George looked at her, eyebrow raised, arms folded in front of him with a smug smirk on his face that seemed to be a requirement for the Merry Men.
Regina glared, narrowing her eyes with a testy; "Oh, shut up," before she turned on her heel and walked away from him.
She rolled her eyes when George's loud laugh followed her.
