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Today's prompt is from sandmann993 on twitter.
Thanks as always gos to my beta Geli, I'd never post if it wasn't for her.
Not mine.
Prompt – Page 23.
Storybrooke, Present day.
Regina stared into her glass as she run her fingertips over the rim, so much for not being a day drinker. She lifted the glass to her lips and swallowed the clear liquid down, it burned her throat and brought tears to her eyes but she welcomed the slight numbness it also gave her. She wasn't keen on the taste it left on her tongue, vodka wasn't really her drink of choice but she couldn't really stomach the thought of whisky or wine these days. She took a deep breath and rapidly blinked back tears as she was overcome with memories of wine and whisky soaked and lips against hers.
He had been gone for three weeks and the harsh loneliness and pain she felt from his absence was still as fresh as the day he had left. Life for everyone had gone back to normal as they enjoyed the rare quiet of no current threat looming over them. They were like a united family of peace and togetherness and Regina couldn't stand it. They had all made it their mission to make sure she was ok every second of the day, most likely terrified her recent heartbreak would send her back to the dark side. She was constantly being invited to other people's houses for dinner, girl nights out and lunches at Granny's, with the acceptation of Henry they were all driving her insane. Through her irritation she knew they meant well, but she couldn't take the look of pity in their eyes or the hesitant way they sometimes looked at her like she was about to go full on Evil Queen on them. As if she would do that to Henry. Or Robin. He may be gone but she still imagined the disappointment in his eyes if she gave into her darker impulses again.
Hence, why she was here at The Rabbit Hole, a place she would normally never be seen dead in, but that was the point. They would never think to look for her here and she needed some solitude. Time where she could just focus on the loneliness she felt in his absence, vast stretching loneliness that none of them could fill no matter how hard they tried. The pain almost overwhelmed her and she knocked back the rest of her drink in the hopes it would lessen it to some extent.
God she missed him so much.
She had missed him when he had originally gone back to Marian but at least she had the knowledge he was close and would be there for her if she ever needed him. Now he was gone for good and after three weeks of no leads on the author, it was looking less and less likely she would ever see him again and the pain she felt with that realisation almost took her breath away.
She was so lost in her misery she didn't hear the approach of someone and was startled when she heard a gentle voice ask her.
"Is this seat taken, Your Majesty?"
She didn't even have the energy to scowl at Will Scarlett, so she just looked at him with disinterest before turning back to her now empty glass and answering.
"I'm not much in the mood for company. I came here to be alone."
She sighed as he appeared to ignore her and took the seat to her right at the bar anyway. He seemed unaffected by her lack of enthusiasm because of his presence and his voice was light and carefree as he spoke again.
"I'll make it quick then, you appear to have dropped this a few weeks ago and I thought I'd return it to you."
Regina suppressed a gasp and fought to hold back her tears as she looked at the piece of paper he had pushed towards her. She stared at the image of her and Robin, which was slightly distorted by the tape that now held it back together. The image of her and her soulmate leaning in for a kiss outside the Tavern seemed to mock her from the page and she glared in Will's direction before sliding it back towards him. Her voice had a hard edge as she spoke.
"Was shredding it to pieces and dropping it at the side of the road not a big enough clue for you? I don't want it."
Will looked unimpressed by her anger and just gave her a thoughtful look in return.
"Really?" He asked with doubt. "I would have thought you would want the reminder of what could be to motivate you."
Regina sighed deeply as she lifted her hand to massage her temple, she had a headache coming on most likely brought on by the thought of having a conversation that she had already had forced on her many times by many different people in the last three weeks. Her voice was tired as she spoke.
"If you give me a hope speech I will light you on fire."
Will chuckled lightly.
"Not my thing I'm afraid, never been one for talk of belief and dreaming."
This got Regina's attention and she glanced at him, surprised that his eyes showed none of the pity she was tired of seeing in other people, all she saw in his was kindness. Once he could see he had her attention he continued.
"Fight, however. That's something I can get behind and you need this to remind yourself what you're fighting for."
Regina scoffed and turned away, he could call it what he wanted but it all just came down to the same thing, disappointment and she doesn't have the energy for it. Three weeks of dead ends she couldn't find a way to break the spell on the town line and she couldn't find the author, she was well and truly out of fight.
"And what am I fighting for exactly?" She asked him sarcastically.
Will pushed the page back towards her, making her look down again at the image; his voice was firm as he answered.
"Besides yourself? Him. You're not just fighting for your own happiness, you're fighting for his. He didn't choose the life he has now, Your Majesty, it was forced on him and as you're the one with the magic mojo you owe it to him to give him that choice back."
Regina looked at Will as she regarded his words, he looked fierce and she frowned in confusion at the passion he seemed to hold for the injustice done to her and Robin, she was curious as she asked.
"Why do you care so much?"
Will signalled the bartender over and ordered two more drinks, she nodded her thanks as he signalled that one be placed in front of her. He knocked back half the glass before finally turning his full attention on her, his English accent made her ache with its familiarity as he began to speak.
"Robin is a good man, a better man than any I have known. He once offered me a purpose, a home and a family not to mention his trust and I threw it back in his face and betrayed him. Yet when I saw him here in Storybrooke again he offered it to me all again without hesitation because that's who he is. He gave me a second chance without a single hint of bias."
Regina swallowed tears as she listened to Will speak of her soulmate. Yes that was her Robin, he took the most damaged of people and focused only on the good he could see in them, like he had done with her. Her reputation had not fazed him in the slightest as far as he was concerned when they met it was a clean slate, rumours and past be damned he would judge for himself. Her voice was little more than a broken whisper as she spoke.
"Yes, he does that."
Will nodded in understanding before he continued.
"He never gives up on people, and you owe it to him to not give up on him either."
Will downed the rest of his drink and got to his feet, purposefully patting the page in front of her. She watched as he turned for the door of the bar when suddenly a thought occurred to her and she called.
"Will."
He turned and waited for her to continue, his eyebrow raised in question.
"What's in this for you?"
Will smiled slightly and she swore she saw a flash of pain and longing in his eyes. Seemed the Merry Man had a story of his own.
"Besides getting a mate back? Well let's just say I like you Your Majesty. You remind me of someone I once knew."
He turned and left the bar without giving her a chance to reply.
Regina looked down at the page and gently ran her fingers over the image of Robin. Will's words had hit a cord in her and given her a new determination. She could get on board with fight much more than she could with hope, especially if it was him she was fighting for. She swallowed the rest of her drink and got to her feet, the page in her hand. She had an author to find.
Time to go to battle.
...
New York, present day.
A man sat hunched over a desk, pen in hand in a darkened room lit only by candle light. He put pen the paper as he recorded the recent happenings in Storybrooke as he attempted to get every detail correct. He paused with a sigh and looked around at the towering bookshelves brimming with books. A sound at the door way caught his attention and he looked up, he scowled at the figure leaning against the door and his voice was hard as rock as he spoke.
"What do you want?"
The Dark One smirked as he entered the room as if he owned it.
"I just thought I'd come congratulate you dearie, you have managed to keep yourself hidden despite Regina's best efforts to find you."
The author sneered back at Rumple and harshly threw the pen he was holding down on the paper.
"Worried I will tell her what you made me do?"
Rumple chuckled in reply and moved further into the room so he could perch on the desk, the author lent back in his chair nervously as he tried to put some distance between them. His voice dripped in arrogance as he spoke.
"I may have made a couple of suggestions to you but you're the only one that could have made it happen, this is all on you."
The author let out a bitter laugh and looked Rumple directly in the eyes; his voice was hard as he spoke.
"You villains, you still don't get it do you? I may wield the pen but that's not the way I work. You're always looking for someone else to blame for the way your life's goes but I deal in free will, I only record it. It's up to every individual to make his or her own story. I don't interfere even though I have the power to. Your life's turn to crap because of the decisions you make not me."
He paused and took a deep breath before continuing as Rumple looked on with an amused look on his face.
"All apart from Regina that is. She had the chance to be happy, she had made the decision to be happy and you forced me to take it away from her and that had a knock on effect on the rest of her life and now she's stuck. Miserable with the life you planned for her."
A look of anger crossed Rumple's face and his voice was a snarl as he spoke.
"Why should her happiness have come at the price of mine?"
The author smiled cruelly.
"And how is that working out for you? You took Regina's happiness from her in order to use her to do your dirty work and yet it seems to me you still haven't won. Your son is gone and your wife banished you and do you know why? Because of your decisions to keep doing selfish and wrong things. That is why you will never get your happy ending."
Rumple appeared to bubble with rage as his eyes flashed dangerously.
"Careful dearie." He ground out. "The leverage I used to get you to change the book still stands, do I make myself clear?"
The author glared in Rumples direction but knew The Dark One had him tight in his grip and so he reluctantly nodded.
Rumple appeared satisfied with the way the meeting had gone and with a final evil smirk turned to leave.
"How long do you think you can keep this from Regina? Neither of us can keep this from her forever" The author called after him making him turn.
Rumple just let out a small chuckle, his voice mocking as he answered.
"And what would I have to fear? After all you are the one that holds the pen."
The door swung shut as he left and the author hung his head in shame.
...
The Enchanted Forest, a long time ago.
Regina let out a tinkling laugh that sounded like music and she couldn't believe that it came from her. It has been so long since she had laughed.
She had been terrified to enter the tavern to meet the man that Tinkerbell insisted was her soulmate and she had nearly turned away as she felt fear paralyse her, but she couldn't, the pull towards him was just too strong. She had taken a deep breath and stepped inside though she had no idea how to approach him, she needn't have worried though he looked to her as soon as she entered and one smile in his direction had sent him straight to her. That had been several hours ago yet it had seemed like only minutes, being with him had made time stand still.
He was amazing; she had been skeptical with Tink's revaluation that this was her soulmate but that doubt had slipped away the more time she spent with him. He was kind, sweet, funny and so handsome it made her ache, it was insanity but within a few hours she felt half in love with him already, like her heart and soul was rejoicing and screaming to her "Yes Regina, he's the one." It was unlike anything she had ever felt before, she had known she loved Daniel but it had never been this strong this fast.
She laughed again at something else he said as he led her out of the Tavern with his hand at the small of her back. She shivered lightly at the heat radiating from where he touched her and bit her lip to stop from gasping, god what was happening to her? She felt like she was drowning in him yet she was more than happy to let him pull her under.
They stopped outside the doors of the tavern and he smiled at her brightly as she smiled back shyly. His voice was liquid silk as he spoke and it gave her chills.
"I cannot even begin to tell you how good it was to meet you tonight M'lady."
Her smile got even wider as she looked at him through lowered eyelashes before the reality of her situation hit her like a blow to the chest. She took a deep breath before she spoke with regret.
"Tonight has been wonderful, but I really need to be going."
Even as she said the words her stomach dropped to her feet, god she wanted to stay with him but she knew she couldn't, she would be missed soon and then the knights would be out looking for her and she dreaded to think what would happen if they found her with him.
He took both her hands in his and he looked almost frantic as he looked into her eyes, his voice was almost begging as he asked.
"When can I see you again?"
She sighed deeply as looked at him getting lost in his clear blue eyes.
"I don't know." She whispered. "My life – it's complicated."
He frowned as he noticed the sadness in her eyes and she felt a rush of warmth at the concern she saw for her, it had been so long since anyone had cared to look at her like that and it made her ache to stay with him all the more. He nodded slightly in understanding and his voice was gentle yet encouraging as he spoke.
"I tell you what, I'll be here every night waiting in hopes that you will come, so just come when you can, ok?"
She smiled slightly even though she knew in her heart that she was going down a dangerous path, she was married to the most powerful man in the land and falling for this man could mean both their deaths, yet she was powerless to stop it.
"Ok." She whispered.
The smile he gave her erased the worry for now, and she trembled as he lifted his hand to brush her cheek.
"You're so beautiful." He whispered and she tilted her head to press further against his hand.
"I don't know what's happening." He told her in confusion. "I feel like I've waited for you my whole life, yet I didn't know what I was even waiting for."
"I know." She whispered back.
Brown eyes locked onto blue ones and she held her breath as he began to lean in. Her eyes drifted shut as she waited for his lips to meet hers.
...
A short way away The Dark One seethed in rage as he watched the pair outside the tavern hidden by the darkness and trees. Blood ran from his palms onto the wet grass as his finger nails dug into the flesh.
The look on Regina's face made his anger rise until it took all his power not to storm over and kill them both.
Hope. There was hope in her eyes and happiness appeared to radiate from her and he couldn't have that. Happy people did not enact curses. She was going to ruin everything; she and that stupid outlaw were about to smash all his plans to pieces. Plans to get back to his son.
Suddenly a thought occurred to him and his lips went from a snarl to a sly smile.
He knew what he had to do.
He had an author to talk to.
...
New York, Present Day.
The author took a book from the shelf and placed in on the desk, he flipped through the pages before finding the right one and tearing it from the book. He glanced at the image in front of him and his guilt rose again at the image of what could have been for Regina if it wasn't for him.
He had to make it right.
He took an envelope from the drawer and wrote the Storybrooke address on it before adding a stamp. Before placing the page in the envelope he glanced one more time at the image of Robin kneeling in front of Regina, a ring in his hand as she stared back at him with a look of pure love and adoration on her face.
With a deep sigh he folded the page carefully and placed it in the envelope before sealing it.
It was time to send Regina another clue.