If you have any reviews or requests, they would be much appreciated.

Okay, so I have an idea of how I want the story to end, and this chapter will be much more Snow/Regina bonding. I don't want to smother Regina's character when she and Snow actually get together, so I'm gonna work on some things.

Despite her constant fatigue and pain, Snow was having fun being bed-ridden, as long as Regina was there. Every other morning she helped her father in court, but came back to Snow. Regina had ended up spending more time with Snow than her father. He came in to check in on her in the mornings and to say goodnight to her before letting her sleep.

Snow was to be in bed resting for several weeks, and wasn't intending to let go of Regina for more than an hour. They didn't do much of anything, sometimes they would read or talk, but most times they would sit in silence with Regina massaging, soothing and caressing the girl in her arms.

Secretly, Regina loved it, but she would briefly talk coldly to Snow, despite handling the brat in such a kind manner, a manner which Regina would normally say she didn't deserve. Besides, she couldn't argue when she was staying in bed all day, having your meals brought to you, and avoiding Leopold, even if she had to withstand her mortal enemy.

"Regina? How come you and daddy don't have any kids yet?" The child asked out of the blue.

"Um…I haven't been able to yet."

"Why is that?"

"Well…I don't know, so you should mind your business, it isn't polite of a princess."

"I'm sorry, I was just wondering." Snow fell speechless again and turned to her knitting project, a skill Johanna taught her, despite the Queen telling her it wasn't fit for a royal.

Regina wondered what could've brought on such thoughts to Snow's mind. Regina knew that they were both alike; their reticent natures, but her interrogation was not unlike the princess.

Snow spun around to face Regina. She looked distantly cold, but saw a glimmer of something in her eyes; something that she could only think of as love. Her heart fluttered at the thought of Regina loving her like that.

She turned back around in enough time to hide her blush and continue knitting.

A couple of maids came in with a bath, soap, and supper.

"I thought you would like your bath up here, so it's easier to get to," the same mousy maid from before replied.

"That was thoughtful of you, but I'm still able to move," she said coldly, and to prove it, began crawling out of the sheets smothering her in bed and leaned onto the bedpost to get to the bathtub which had yet to be filled with water.

Three other maids came in and filled the bath, to which Snow kindly regarded them, then began undressing.

"Can you, um…leave? Or just turn?"

"Relax, dear, nothing I haven't seen before," she muttered before turning on the bed. She heard a splash and turned back around. She pulled up the leather armchair near the fireplace up to the bath, where Regina sat with her dish in her lap.

Snow softly scrubbed her perfectly fair skin, and gazed at Regina. She couldn't hide the pure adoration and adulation, luckily, the Queen was looking down at her food.

Snow looked down to the plate beside her bath.

For dinner was mutton glazed in honey and corn, as well as a bowl of fruit for a snack. Snow picked around her dinner and instead ate the fruit.

"I've always loved apples," Snow said vaguely,"to me they've always symbolized…impulse. They're my favourite fruit."

"They've always been mine as well," Regina said. Snow picked at her fruits once more.

"Can you wash my back?" Snow asked innocently. Regina sighed and knelt behind her.

She swept her chocolate-y hair back over her left shoulder and grabbed the soap Snow handed to her. If she wasn't mistaken, she almost heard Snow sigh dulcetly.

After Regina softly rubbed her shoulders and massaged.

"You should really be careful when you're climbing, you aren't even supposed to be there, it's very deplorable for a princess to even venture off castle grounds."

"I know, I felt remorse as soon as I was eight feet in the air," she said humorously, "Can you turn around once more?" The older woman nodded guilefully as she caught a glimpse of Snow's milky legs climbing out of the tub, and once more a peek at her body after she was nearly dressed.

"I didn't tell you to turn around yet,"Snow scolded halfheartedly, but not minding one bit. Regina shrugged and climbed into bed before laying her head on the Queen's lap.

"Now sleep," Regina ordered. Snow nodded and almost immediately drifted off, but without thinking that she slept much better when Regina was with her.

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Once Snow let go of sleep, she felt for Regina's comfort beside her, only to find a note.

Your father and I have gone out to settle a dispute between villages. Have Johanna keep you company, and please forgo leaving your bed. We will be back around late afternoon.

Regina

Snow sighed and waited for her breakfast. Glancing over, she saw Regina's pillow. Since staying in her bed, she had insisted on sleeping with it, for the strangest of reasons.

Nothing was wrong with it, she could see that, but every pillow in the castle is the exact same. She picked it up and felt a weight on the bottom. She deliberately peeked her hand in to grab the weight.

She pulled out a jewel encrusted book with fancy writing on the cover. She flipped it open and a name stuck out to her.

"Ru-Rumpeel-Rumpeelshtiltskin" she pronounced, and a scaly man stood in front of her, grinning foully.

"That's not how you say it, dearie," he said in a screechy high voice.

"What…are you?" She asked.

"What? I'm not a what, in fact, I'm the. The Rumpelstiltskin. You should fear me, in fact."

"If you don't mind me asking sir, why are you so…green?"

"It's a long story, now what are you doing, calling on the most powerful sorcerer in the realm?"

"You're a sorcerer?" She asked intently. He nodded.

"And you're princess Snow White, now with formalities out the window, I see you have a spell book in your hands. Why is that, dearie?"

"I found it in my stepmothers pillow."

"Nice for subtlety," he muttered under his breath,"now, if you would stop wasting my time, do you want me for something or can you stop wasting my time and leave me back to spinning."

"Actually…" she started, but couldn't finish over the imp's incessant giggling and rapid clapping of his hands.

"…I want a love potion, I want Regina to love me as I do her. Can you do it?"

"Magic can do much, but no that. No bringing back to life, no love potions, none, zip zilch." She nodded meekly, feeling stupid for suggesting such an idea.

"Can it…mimic a love potion? Give the impression that she loves me?"

"I can do that, but all magic comes with a price," he said, donning a devilish grin.

"Name it. Your price."

"I need you to simply say, how much do you love Regina? How badly do you want her to love you?"

"As much as I want happiness; with all my heart, with every piece of me. I need her as much as oxygen and I am drowning in my love for her. And I…"

"Okay, that's enough, I got what I asked for. Enjoy!" He said, handing her a vile of orange liquid.

"Make her ingest this, in any way you think possible, if it's in her body, it will start to take effect. I look forward to more business with you, dearie." He giggled erratically and left as fast as he came. She stared at the potion in the vile and laughed.

"Maybe now, you will love me as I will always love you; forever." She whispered, than hid her spell book in the pillow once more, then moved the cushions of her leather armchair to shove the bottle between the cushions, then ran to bed before Johanna came in with breakfast.

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Snow read her book for the rest of the day in her armchair in front of the fire in the fireplace, but faced a moral dilemma that came with the books her tutor instructed her to read, and of course it would be about heroism. She obviously knew that magic always had a price, and she knew she would disappoint Eva by dabbling in dark magic, and she knew heroes wouldn't take the short cut.

At the same time, she knew Regina could never love her like she wanted her to. She would always be a mother figure to her, and not a lover, no matter how many times she wished on a star. Regina is allowed to use magic, so why couldn't she?

She fondled the vile filled with a potential for love, but the door opened and she hid the hand grasping her potion, and Regina walked in.

Snow brightened at the sight at the Regina, and her glamorous figure shaped in her dress. Snow looked away before Regina could tell she was staring, but Regina did, in fact, know of the girls recent obsession.

"How was your day?" Snow asked politely. Regina cracked a small smile, one that didn't reach her eyes.

"Quite tiring, and yours?"

"Boring," Snow huffed. Regina chuckled.

"Here. I brought tea." A light switched on in Snow's brain and she grasped the vile tighter.

"Thank you," she said duplicitously. Regina walked off to change and Snow eyed the two teacups. What would father think? But what would Regina think? What would be her reward for doing this? She thought hard as time ticked away and Regina was closer to walking in any second.

And Snow White's soul grew darker that day.

She popped the cork off the bottle and swiftly poured the liquid into the right teacup. She took the left teacup as Regina sauntered in and took the teacup.

Snow watched her sip her tea, enthralled. She had made the Queen think she loved her. She never felt more selfish in her life, and she gave way to such feeling.

Regina looked to Snow, who was staring at her, but feeling no effect that the potion should've given. Snow knew the ghastly beast tricked her as Regina watched with the same familiar, cold glance. Snow shivered and sipped her tea.

Rumpelstiltskin watched the girl's heartbreak through her vanity mirror and laughed. But no magic could tell him that Regina was slowly growing kinder to the girl and abandoning her master.