Thank you for the feedback! So sorry it's taken me this long to follow up, I've had zero freetime lately it seems. I'm glad you all are interested in this idea. James and Regina are similar in so many ways, and I've never read any fics about them, so writing this feels very organic because I'm not influenced by an on screen ship or fanfiction. plus with the current state of the show, i want to address what Regina must be feeling now dealing with the loss of robin. keep reviewing and let me know what you think! xoxo
Regina blew into the sheriff's station with gusto, the wind from her magic blowing papers off of the desk as she stalked into Emma and David's office. She donned an all black entire of jeans and a leather jacket, dark eye makeup masking her puffy eyes that were narrowed in anger. Her movements were stealthy and her shoulders squared, anger vibrating within her.
The sheriff and deputy's eyes only widened as they gawked from their seats at their desks after having stopped in the middle of whatever it was they did. Papers in the air fell to rest on the floor in disarray as Regina stomped carelessly over them on her way to David's desk. Regina noted the way they looked at her, like they did when Emma first arrived and the curse broke. They were intimidated, as if they were certain the Evil Queen was resurrected and had snuffed out any trace of the Regina they had come to know. And who was she to deny them of their assumptions?
"Where in the hell is your brother?" She hissed, pressing her hands on Charming's desk and leaning down to look him in the eyes.
"Regina, are you okay? We haven't seen you in months-" Emma cut on from behind her, causing the brunette to straighten and roll her eyes.
"Did I address you, Miss Swan?" Regina bit out with a sarcastic raise of her eyebrow when she cocked her head sideways at the blonde. Emma's lips pursed instantly, a frown drawing her thin brows together.
"I didn't think so," Regina gave a fake smile before turning back to look at David. "You heard me Charming, where is that piece of trash you call a brother hiding out?"
"What do you want with James?" David frowned in response, sitting up straighter in his chair as if he were preparing himself for Regina to squash him like a bug.
"I caught him robbing my home," She glared, "No one comes into my home! Now I'll ask you one more time, where is he?" Her voice was clipped, though the volume was elevated in sincerity.
"He's been staying at Zelena's farmhouse," He said after a moment's hesitation as instant doubt showed in his expression at telling her.
"Regina," Emma's voice was cautious as she stood up from her own desk and approached them, "Whatever you're planning for James, let us handle it. We're the law in this town and we can't allow you to hurt someone. If he stole from you, we'll lock him up."
"Lock him up?" Regina spat back at her with a bitter laugh, "Why would you imbeciles let him stay in the first place? You hate him, David. Why was he allowed to stick around when we all came back? Have you both forgotten what he did down there, how he got here?" Her voice faltered with the last sentence, making her angry at herself for the hint of vulnerability she displayed.
David and Emma exchanged a glance as if they were starting to understand exactly why Regina was out for James. David reached his hands out towards Regina in a calming manner, "I understand you blame him for Robin's death Regina, but I confronted him myself. He didn't know that's how Hades would pay him back for helping him. I know that doesn't make him blameless, but I couldn't end his life or lock him up for it. That's why I told him to stay away from everyone in this town, and he has been laying low..."
"Until now it seems," Emma let out a breath, looking at Regina with an expression that begged her to think rationally, "Which is exactly why we'll take care of this. We can lock him up for something he is guilty of, and you won't have blood on your hands..."
Regina swallowed the anger, tears welling in her eyes as she stared at them both, "So this is what Robin's life meant to you? We risked everyone's safety going to the Underworld to get Hook back and Robin died because of it. And now you're just going on with your lives as if nothing happened? And refuse to let me avenge his death," She clenched her fists, struggling with the inner voice that told her to blast them both against the wall with her magic.
"We're trying to save you from doing something rash, Regina," Emma replied firmly, locking eyes with her. The Evil Queen boiled inside of the mayor's body, anger and hurt twisting and clawing to come to the surface. Of course Emma would try to stand in her way; they all would with their self righteous hero complexes. The Charmings' and Swan both thought they knew what Regina was going through, but they didn't. They'd come close to losing the ones they loved, but they never actually did. Snow and David always found each other and Hook came back from the Underworld with Emma. They had no idea.
"You think this is rash?" She gritted, "I've been alone for three months fantasizing about how I could rip James' heart out and torture him mercilessly until I was finished. This is not a sudden decision, it's what's kept me going for weeks now. I am going to end him," A demonic smile graced her lips as she watched their expressions fill with dread, "I'm not the one who needs saving Swan, but you all will if you stand in my way."
Emma and David stood in silence for a long moment after Regina vanished in a cloud of purple smoke, looking at each other with a sense of impending doom. She understood Regina's anger and hurt, she'd felt a hint of it when she thought Hook was gone forever. But this was different, Robin was actually gone, and she couldn't imagine the heartbreak her friend was going through.
"Dad, if she turns evil again I'm afraid she'll never come back," Emma looked at her father whose eyes reflected her own worry, "What do you think she's going to do?"
"I don't know," He frowned, grabbing his gun belt from his desk and putting it on with haste, "But I've seen what she's capable of, and right now James is not safe."
"Is that such a bad thing, though?" Emma bit her lip, seeing David look up at her incredulously, "Hear me out. James tried to kill you, and he can't be trusted. If we just looked the other way this once...and let Regina get her revenge, you wouldn't have to keep looking over your shoulder for him and she may be able to start healing..."
"Emma we can't stand by and let her kill someone, even if it would be for the greater good. It could send her spiraling into self destruction even more so than she is now," David frowned, letting out a frustrated breath, "Besides, he's my brother...Even if he can't be trusted..." He shrugged, looking down to finish clasping his gun belt.
"I get it," Emma frowned to herself as she begrudgingly understood David's sense of duty. Her estranged uncle wasn't a good person, but he was still family. He'd been obeying David's orders to stay away from the people of this town until now. He at least deserved to tell his side of the story.
"We should get to him before Regina does. Otherwise we'll have nothing but ashes to put in a jail cell," He glanced at her with his lips pursed as if he knew this wasn't going to be an easy task. Emma, however, was already well aware of that.
The old farm house was dark save for a few dim lights on the main floor, making the small home glow softly from the outside. Regina had transported herself to the land nearly an hour outside of Storybrooke in just a few seconds, walking stealthily around the parameter. She stopped near the living room window, raising up on her toes to get a better look at the activity inside. A cat-like smile graced her lips when she saw James down a glass of liquor before unceremoniously sliding it onto the end table beside his chair where he sat.
He looked to be half drunk by now, lounging back in the chair, though he didn't seem relaxed. The leather jacket he'd worn in her home was thrown across the coffee table, the black tee shirt he was wearing exposing tattoos on his upper arms that she wasn't aware he had. He probably didn't have much else to do in Underbrooke than sit at an ink parlor, she mused with a roll of her eyes.
James leaned back in his chair as she watched him like an animal stalking its prey with hungry eyes. Cold chills ran up her spine at the anticipation of tearing him apart, making him suffer to his very end. He drew a cigarette from the pack laying on the end table near him, casually lighting it with a flip lighter before discarding that to the side carelessly. Her heart beat a little faster at the thrill of watching him while he was so unaware of the pain he was about to endure.
James took a long drag from the cigarette in his hand, causing the cherry to glow against the chiseled angles of his face. A large cloud of smoke blew from his lungs upon his exhale, hiding his face from Regina's view for a few moments as it dissipated in the air around him. When it cleared enough to make him visible again her breath caught in her throat. He was staring at her with a dark expression, eyes locked with hers as if he'd known she was there the entire time. Regina slipped back from the window into the shadows of the dark quickly, hating that she let herself be caught off guard by him. She was the Evil Queen, she didn't shrink away from a challenge. If he was foolish enough to stand up to her, she'd give him what he deserved.
Her eyes narrowed in irritation as she peered around into the window again, ready to challenge him. Instead of seeing him, there were merely wisps of black clouds remaining in the chair where he sat. Determination flooded her veins at the idea of him trying to avoid her. She began rolling up her sleeves as she stepped from the corner of the home, preparing herself for attack.
"Looking for me, Your Majesty?" A gravelly voice startled her from the darkness of the outside as James appeared before her with a hint of a smirk on his face, "I knew you couldn't resist my offer."
"There you are," She reflected his own half smirk, flexing her wrist casually as they stood before one another, "Just when I thought your brother was the stupid one. I see it runs in the family..." Regina chuckled at him practically placing himself on a platter, offering himself to her by giving her a chance to get close.
"I take it you're here for one of two things, Queen," James eyed her, his gaze scanning her entire body, lingering longer near her hips and chest before reaching her face again, "To kill me or fuck me. I prefer the latter, just so you know," His white teeth came to view behind his smile, though his eyes remained dark and heated, proving his suggestion was not just a joke.
Regina arched an eyebrow at his bluntness before snarling, "You have no idea who you're dealing with." She raised her hands abruptly, deep purple energy shooting from her palms towards him. The magic hit his chest with a thud, tossing him like he weighed nothing and pinning him against the outside of the farmhouse. He wheezed, gasping for the air that had been knocked out of his chest as he looked up at her with eyes glistening in anger.
"Nice try," He grumbled when he finally caught his breath, clenching his fists that were pinned beside his body against the home. Regina felt her own magic begin to shake and falter as it poured from her palms to keep him where he was. She kept her hands outstretched, forcing more of her magic as her eyes shifted down to see the purple electricity sparking while James struggled against it as he summoned his own dark magic, procured from the black gem of Rumple's he possessed.
James' mouth turned upwards in a demonic grin as his body tensed, his own hands beginning to glow as he freed them from the lock of her magic. He thrust them forward, causing her magic to lose it's power against his own as he returned the bolt of energy towards her, thrusting her backwards to land on her back.
His feet hit the ground when his body's elevated position was released from her hold, stalking towards Regina as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. He advanced towards her rapidly, causing her to scoot back with her legs, leaning back on her hands as he came to stand practically over top of her.
"If that's all you have, Your Majesty, why don't you save us both the wasted time and follow me inside for some real fun?" James smirked as he held his hand up over her, turning it from side to side as he inspected his powerful limb in awe of it's new capabilities. Regina gritted her teeth, seething at the fact he'd gotten the best of her. She pushed herself from the ground, prepared to lunge at him in an attack as he once again disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.
The pain in her back from the fall fueled her anger as she scanned the house in front of her. So he wanted a chase? That was fine, she actually preferred it, as it made the kill all the more satisfying. The dark magic he possessed may be more powerful than her own, but hers was real, not borrowed from Rumple. Regina knew how to handle her magic, she'd lived with it for years, had been trained by the most powerful sorcerer there was. James was new to the power and hadn't had enough time to learn how to use it and that was what Regina planned to use to her advantage.
With the flick of her wrist she transported herself inside his home behind the front door, her jaw tense with an animalistic desire to kill as she scanned the bottom floor for any sign of him. She reveled in the feeling as she crept silently towards the kitchen to begin her search. It was a sick, twisted game she was playing, but it was the first time she'd felt truly alive in months. She'd been stifling this side of herself since Robin's death, afraid to let the Evil Queen out to play for fear she'd never get her back in. But no one was here to witness this, besides her victim, and he wouldn't live to tell of it. After she was done with him Robin's death would be avenged and she could be at peace. At least that was what she was telling herself.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are," Regina called out with a wicked grin. She trailed the counter-top with her fingertips on her way through the small kitchen, leaving scorched burn marks on the wooden surface. It felt like such sweet relief to give into her destructive side and let out the dark feelings she'd been suppressing. Her body was practically humming with excitement.
"Have a drink, Queen," She heard him respond from the other room, out of sight to her. A whiskey glass slid from the other end of the kitchen table beside her, falling into the floor and shattering in front of her feet, "Now now, that's no way to treat my things," She heard him add mockingly at the sound. Regina crunched over the shards with her heels, smirking to herself. At least he had a sense of humor during his final moments before he was cast back to the Underworld.
His voice sounded like it came from the living room, prompting her to continue to the archway that connected it to the kitchen. She heard his footsteps before transporting herself suddenly to take him by surprise. Once again she was greeted by an empty room, "You're testing my patience," She gritted out, flicking a few fingers in the air, knocking the pictures off of the wall and swiping the vase from the mantle of the fireplace.
"Come upstairs and I'll test something else of yours," He suggested, the nearness of his voice causing her to spin around, bringing her attention to where he was standing at the bottom of the staircase. Her eyes narrowed as she brought her hand up and shot a fireball in his direction, burning a hole through the wall behind him when he shot up the steps with movements accelerated by his dark magic. The chase was on.
Regina transported herself directly above where she stood to the second story, greeting him face to face with a sardonic smile. He stopped abruptly in his tracks before taking a blow of her magic to his stomach, causing him to stumble backwards, half falling against the wall behind him. James grimaced in pain, causing butterflies to flutter in her stomach and euphoria bubble within her.
She advanced on him quickly, nearly reaching him before her body was seized by his own magic. His magnetic force pulled her body against his, causing them to come face to face and chest to chest. Regina reached for his neck, gripping it with her magic as she stared into his eyes, cutting off his air. James only smirked as he reached under one of her arms and up her back, grasping a hand full of her hair roughly pulling her head back.
"Killing me won't make him come back," He choked out as they struggled against one another's grip, "Hades gave me his life...and gave Robin my death...which means if you kill me...his life is gone for good...and there'd be no getting him back then."
Regina squeezed his neck harder at his words, though they hit her like a blow to the stomach. Smoke started to billow up the stairs from the fireball she'd put in the wall moments ago catching and spreading. Between the polluted air and the million thoughts that ran through her mind, her focus faltered for a moment before anger shook her again, bringing her back to her task.
"You're lying!" She hissed, forming another fireball and grasping his wrist that held her hair, causing him to curse out loud as she burnt him. He released his grip, causing them both to stumble apart, "You're just trying to save yourself," She brought another fireball up in her palm, hurling it at his head. James ducked, allowing the fireball to land in the bedroom behind him and spread over the rug rapidly.
"What if I'm not?" James taunted, breaking one of the stair railings with his unrefined magic and sending it spiraling towards her, missing her by a few inches. The smoke became thicker in the upstairs, flames traveling up the old, paper thin walls of the farmhouse and causing pictures and light fixtures to start falling above their heads.
Regina watched him struggle for his breath, which couldn't have been an easy task after he'd been choked and then gasped in smoke. If Hades had merely switched Robin's life for James' death, then maybe it could be reversed? As much as she wanted to kill him right now, if there was a chance she could get Robin's life back to him, she couldn't risk it. No matter how satisfying seeing James' take his last, pitiful breath may be.
"What do you say, Queen?" James struggled to speak, dodging a falling piece of the ceiling while she stood stoically, "Should we go back to your place?" He mocked, though his offer for them to call a truce for now and escape the burning home was a serious one.
She felt her own chest begin to constrict from the flames and smoke, causing her to cough, "This isn't over," She warned, bringing her hand up in an attempt to transport them, but she was too weak. The smoke inhalation had affected her more than she knew, as she began to realize how stupid they both were for caring more about destroying each other than getting out of the burning house.
James seemed to notice her inability to transport them, and she knew he was past the point of being able to himself, "The ladder," He said, grabbing her arm as they both ducked to miss falling debris, running down the upstairs hall to the smaller, ladder staircase that would lead them back to the downstairs foyer. The ceiling was beginning to fall in places, the smoke becoming so thick they could barely see. Regina followed him without question at this point, her own survival being more important than killing him in the moment.
They skidded to a stop near the top, James stepping down on the first rung and going down a few steps before looking up at her, motioning with his hand to help her on it, "Come on!" He beckoned, helping her onto the ladder and assisting her down it as they sloppily reached the bottom, half falling from their consciousness slipping in and out due to the lack of oxygen. They fell in a heap as their movements started to become a blur for Regina. She heard him say something about the back door, though her last images were of him struggling against their decreasing strength, proving he was in just a dire of a condition as she. She felt her legs give out from underneath her as the sound of yelling outside became fainter and fainter...and then, darkness.