When he appeared in the empty seat opposite Regina, he could feel her unhappiness and irritation. But for what? She wasn't dressed the way that she liked to be these days, the way he liked her to be because her black and sexy garments helped her to channel some of her confidence into power, which bled into her magic. Instead, she was wearing something that, if he had to guess, the King had probably given her to make her appear softer and kinder to the people, like some kind of delicate flower. Judging by the waves of aggression rolling off of her at the moment, he'd need far more than a garment to convince the people of that. Perhaps the King should have started with a marriage that wasn't a complete falsity, upheld at this point only for appearances. Though, at this point, he supposed he should be thankful for that sham of a marriage. It worked in his own favor.

Regina wasn't as crazy as her sister or heartless as her mother. In truth, she was simply average, capable of being swayed one way or another. She was, like all humans, manipulatable. That was why he was here, after all. But being easy to manipulate meant that it could easily always play out another way. Regina wanted love, if not from Daniel then from someone. She wanted to succeed at being good too, he could sense that just as easily as he could sense her frustration now. With all hope that Daniel might someday be resurrected squashed, she'd finally buried him outside her estate, in the fields the pair used to ride together. And the irony in all of that was that now, if he tried, the King might have a chance. Yes, he was twice her age, but that didn't so much matter to other girls of the Kingdom. If the King had tried, if he attempted to court his wife, invite her for long walks by the shore of his castle, read poetry, engage her in conversation, pay attention to her, or whatever tricks men like Jefferson used to get women into their beds, then Regina might have been salvageable. In time he'd break her, she would fall in love with him, learn to forgive Snow White, and they might actually have a decent chance at having a loving and even healthy relationship. They might even learn to support each other in their mutual relationships.

It was a very good thing for him that the King didn't try.

For here she sat in the dark, alone, in one of the gowns he'd purchased for her to try and change who she was turning into. And where was her King? His reports said that he was out with his daughter on another people-pleasing mission. Without his wife? Who he supposedly loved and dressed and wanted the people to love so much?! The wife he turned a blind eye to when it came to her magic and her hatred of his daughter. That would, of course, come back to bite him eventually. But for now, the Queen was here, and her King was away. And all that accomplished was that he got to take a bite out of the Queen.

"I thought you were dead!"

Regina jumped in her seat and fumbled her goblet before looking up to meet his gaze across the table.

"Go away," she snapped. Her tone hadn't changed, fortunately. Before Daniel's failed resurrection, her voice had been so light and airy, so girlish, and now it was only harsh and severe and ragged. Dressed in white or black, it seemed that it made no difference. Good. At least that pleased him.

"When you didn't show up for your lessons today, I assumed you went toes up. And yet, here you are…"

She said nothing, just left him to look at the quiet banquet for one the servants had prepared for her, and...oh!

"Roast Swan!" he exclaimed, looking it over and laughing as the image of Regina staring daggers at the blonde-haired Savior, "The Swan," filled his head all over again. "That's amusing! You'll get that later," he commented, seeing the Queen's lack of amusement.

"I'm not sure about these lessons anymore," she drawled. "I don't wanna have a future that looks like…"

"Like what?" he pressed.

"Like you," she snarled in a low tone. Well, now, there was a woman in a sour mood if he had ever seen one. How pathetic, he thought they'd moved past this long ago, after Daniel. First she didn't want to be like her mother, now she didn't want to be like him…she had to be someone!

"Feeling a little persecuted, are we, your Majesty?" he snapped.

"Why shouldn't I? I'm the Queen, but practically a prisoner. With a husband whose heart is still with his dead wife and his insipid daughter." He watched as her hand grew into a fist at the mention of Snow White, and he bit back a smile. He'd been noticing that more and more lately, Snow White was becoming the object of her derision, someone she was growing increasingly tired and jealous of. That worked for him just fine! "It's intolerable. Nothing to do and nowhere to go!" she let out a sigh of frustration as she rose, and tears threatened to intrude on their conversation or perhaps just her ranting. "I need freedom. I need options."

"Ah, can't be done. You see, this is how it is," he explained as she moved around her chair. Options were dangerous. The game he was playing was dangerous. He was giving her magic, something that would, in fact, enable her to leave this place and hide from the King quite well for the rest of her life. But he needed her here. He could see that clear as day with the Seer in his head. Regina's departure would never get him what he needed to get back to Bealfire. He needed her here, but more than anything, he needed her to see this life and only this life. And he needed to let that fill her with hatred, the very darkness she was desperate to rid herself of. "You think you're the diner at the feast, tasting the offerings; a little love; a little darkness. What you don't realize is, you are the feast. And the darkness has tasted you."

"Oh, you're vile," she sneered, advancing on him. "Leave my home!"

He could do that, but he couldn't change what had already begun in her. He could leave, but she'd be back because what he and the King and even Snow White and Cora had left her with, was only him. He was the only source of freedom and power she ever got. It was a temptation that she could never ignore, not anymore, not without someone else to support her, and fortunately for him, there was no one.

"The darkness likes how you taste, dearie. It doesn't mind the bitter. And now that it's started the meal, it's gonna finish it. You can no more fly from your fate than can that Swan," he concluded, pointing at the bird on the table but seeing the blonde in his mind's eye. Her fate was sealed too, and she hadn't even been born yet. But in thinking of her he was getting ahead of himself. This was a step by step operation after all. And the next steps all lay with Regina.

"See you tomorrow. Don't be late. Oh, and bring that simmering rage. It's all you have!" he exclaimed before he vanished from her sight.

Placing this chapter was hell on earth. I did a lot of research for this fiction and whenever this episode came up I was happy to find that it wasn't just me that struggled with it. Often I found that people agreed it doesn't seem to be a story issue, so much as a wardrobe issue (hair and make-up share the blame too). All seem to be in agreement that with this attitude the episode obviously takes place after the Doctor failed to resurrect Daniel. The problem is her clothes. At the end of the 2x05 episode, Regina appears in all Black sporting her "new look". That scene has an air of surprise and revelation. And yet in this scene, she has all the attitude of "Daniel is gone so suck it up buttercup", but is wearing a long flowing white gown with her hair down. It sounds like what we saw at the end of 2x05 but it doesn't look like it. I tried everything to make this episode work better. I even tried having it happen right after the resurrection and the "reveal" came later...it just didn't fit together. So this was the best I could do with it. I tried to explain her clothes. I'm sorry if you don't think it's up to snuff.

Thank you MerlockVonBaron, Alarda, Jennifer Baratta, and Grace5231973 for your reviews and your constant support of this fiction. I know it's a long one but I'm so grateful that you are sticking with me for it. That means more than you know after writing it! Peace and Happy Reading!