A/N: Here's Chapter 8, my pretties! Haha, I sound like Zelena.

….

CHAPTER 8

Rumpelstiltskin merely gave her a challenging smile. "You know dearie, Emma probably won't like you doing this."

The brunette woman smirked, and batted her long eyelashes. "Oh…you mean you don't know? Emma is the one who sent me here to get my revenge."

If the man was intimidated, he didn't show it. "It seems Miss Swan is spending a little too much time with you. You're corrupting her morals."

Regina tilted her head to the side. "Oh, you have it wrong, imp. Emma is simply more comfortable revealing her vengeful side now that she's with me."

Despite the situation, Rumpelstiltskin maintained a calm expression. "Well then, go ahead dearie. Kill me."

The brunette witch laughed, the sound cruel and threatening. "You think I'm here to kill you?" She paused for a moment. "Oh…I get it." Her eyes brightened with an almost childlike amusement, "You though I'd have mercy on you. Well you were wrong. I'm going to take a page out of your book, imp."

His face remained emotionless. "Oh? Do tell, dearie."

Regina broke into a grin, "It's simple. I'm not going to kill you…just to make you watch as I live a happy life with Emma," she pressed her face against the bars of the cell, her dark eyes drilling into the imp's own, "While you rot away in this cage. Without love, without compassion, without anyone."

Rumple gritted his teeth in anger, "The Saviour may think you've changed Regina," he hissed, "But you're still as heartless as you've always been. Face it, you will always be The Evil Queen."

Regina gave a sly smile, "You know what…you're right. About one thing, anyway. The Evil Queen will always be a part of me. I just have complete control of her. I choose when she's released, and I can reel her back in when I please."

"Ah yes, you're speaking of your…interesting relationship with Miss Swan. Well, it's nice to know that the once powerful Queen has been reduced down to a little play-thing."

Regina's slim arm shot through the gap in the bars, her hand plunging into the man's chest. Her eyes gleamed with rage and power. "Oh really?" She reefed her hand back, slipping her hand and its contents back to her side.

She raised the glowing heart she held, up to Rumpelstiltskin's eyes. It was almost completely black. "Would a 'little play-thing' have done that?"

Rumpelstiltskin smirked. "You see, if you were truly reformed as you claim, you wouldn't have ripped out my heart."

She squeezed the organ in her hand.

The imp stumbled back to sir on the edge of his cot, gripping his chest. Sweat trickled from his forehead. "So…I take it you're going to keep that?"

"Why on earth would I want to keep this? You're going to suffer in here. It doesn't matter if I have your heart or not. I just wanted to make a point."

Rumple limped closer, "Then give it back." He gasped in pain as his heart was returned to his chest, sighing in relief when he felt it beating in his body again.

Regina faked a pleasant smile, "Well, I'll leave you now. Goodnight, imp." She turned and walked out the door, a smug smirk creeping across her face.

OOO

"So is Gold still alive?"

Regina rolled her eyes as she slipped off her heels. "Of course he is."

Emma, who was draped across the couch with a sketchpad in her hands, glanced up. She smiled, "Good. I didn't want to have to charge my own girlfriend with murder."

"I was never going to kill him. I just told him that he wasn't going to get in the way of our happy ending, no matter how much he tried." Regina walked over, resting her arms on the top of the couch. Emma's sketchpad caught her eye, "What have you been drawing?"

The blonde blushed in embarrassed, "You."

"Let me see…"

Emma clutched the sketchpad to her chest, "No!" Seconds later, the sketchpad disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. Emma scowled as it reappeared in Regina's hands, "Hey, that's not fair."

Regina shrugged, "You've never objected to me using magic before." She studied the sketched portrait, smiling proudly. "I don't know what you were so worried about Emma, this is wonderful."

The blonde cleared her throat, "Then you're not upset?"

Regina gave a small laugh, "Oh, I get it. You thought I was going to care that you drew The Evil Queen. We're still the same person, dear."

"I know…it's just…you've changed, you know?"

Regina nodded, placing down the sketchbook to lovingly wrap her arms around her girlfriend. "I know. I changed for Henry at the start…then I realized I wanted to change for you too. When I used to see you with that pirate," she gritted her teeth to force back the anger, "All I could think about was how you deserved so much better. That's what got me to really start letting go of my darkness."

Emma patted Regina's hand, "Babe, I thought we agreed not to talk about Hook anymore. I know how upset it makes you."

"Don't worry Miss Swan," Regina joked, "It's not like I'm going to turn into The Evil Queen again."

Emma pouted, "Really? Too bad. She's fun."

"Well you know you can have her any time you want, my dear. All you have to do is ask."

"So…was it The Queen who visited Gold?"

"Yes. She had a very nice chat with him."

Emma raised a brow, "It was just a chat, right?"

Regina pursed her lips. "Well…I did rip out his heart and give it a little squeeze. But then I gave it back."

"Well, at least you gave it back."

Regina patted her girlfriend's shoulder. "How about we go to bed, dear? We'll both need our rest for what we have to do tomorrow."

"Wait, what do we have to do?"

"We have to talk to your parents and Henry about all of this."

Emma froze, her hands shaking from panic. "Oh crap. This is going to be so freaking awkward!"