AN: Starting here, the perspective will be Regina's through the rest of the story.
Standard Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me, which is a good thing else I might never get anything done. They are Adam and Eddie's. Please, guys, don't sue me!
"When you can't climb your way out of such a hole, you tend to crouch down and call it home…" - Nikki Sixx
Chapter 1 – Of Plucky Bandits and Fairy Wolfmothers
The sun is high in the sky on a crystal clear day and it is almost noon when Regina finally returns to her little hovel nestled within the heart of Sherwood Forest. She has been out hunting and gathering since very early in the morning.
Considering the time frame and the season – it is nearly winter – she managed to land a respectable haul of 3 small hares and a decent assortment of berries. While she would have liked to stay out longer to forage, there were other pressing matters she had to attend to during the afternoon. Thus, once the sun neared its crest in the sky, she made haste for home.
She returns in good time and upon arriving immediately begins the laborious and somewhat grotesque process of skinning and gutting her haul. Once that is done, she hangs the denuded hares up to bleed them so that she can cook them later on in the evening. After accomplishing those preparations, she sifts through her berries whilst sneaking an indulgent handful here and there. The rest she sets aside with the intent to store them in a nearby stream fed by chilled mountain water until an opportunity presents itself to turn them into preserves.
Her next project this afternoon is to mend her everyday attire, which is in dire need of repair. She strips her well-worn clothing off the second she is inside her little shanty and then exchanges them for one of her two tattered dresses which remain in wearable condition. After fetching her needle and thread, she plops down on her makeshift bed of straw and feathers and starts making the necessary repairs, which consume a little more than an hour.
Next on the agenda is weapon maintenance, and to that end Regina returns outside to retrieve her sharpening stone. Restoring the bladed edge of her prized carving knife is a tedious but relaxing task, and she settles into it out of a dual sense of habit and necessity. The blade must be razor sharp to properly shave down branches she will utilize to craft vital arrow shafts. Aside from that, though, she truly enjoys taking care of this simple yet essential object, mainly because of its sentimental value.
In a stroke of luck some few years ago, she happened across a particularly odious bandit who was holding up a beleaguered family of four for what little pittance they had. After disarming the man and binding him, she left him for the authorities to the profuse gratitude of the family. Very politely, she declined their subsequent offers to pay her from their meager supply of food, saying she hadn't needed anything in return. It was the truth, for in searching the bandits belongings, she'd happened across a very fine carving knife that would suit her purposes perfectly. That knife – along with their safety – was all the payment she required.
Once her prized knife is sharp enough to split the flesh of her thumb at a feather-lite touch, Regina collects the bundle of branches she'd obtained earlier in the week. After lugging the stack of wood over to a well-worn stump in front of her ramshackle home, she assumes a comfortable perch upon it from which to fletch them.
Shaping the wood of such thin branches is a delicate operation that requires all of her concentration, so she switches off her mind to singularly focus on the task at hand. Swiftly but efficiently she takes a solitary branch and then sweeps the blade down the length of the shaft being careful not to take away too much or too little wood. Perfect arrow shafts require precision, and Regina has always been a perfectionist. By the third branch, she has lost all track of the passage of time to the repetitious nature of her work.
It is only the crunching of leaves in the woods nearby that alert her out of the monotonous process. Someone is nearby.
Placing the mostly carved branches next to the stump, Regina crosses the small distance over to her hut without making a sound. Years of avoiding the Queen's guards have taught her how to move in nearly undetectable silence, and she utilizes those skills to great effect in order to sneak in, grab her long-bladed hunting knife as well as her bow and quiver of arrows, and then sneak back out to confront the intruder.
Like a ghost, she maneuvers her way into the woods, following the nearly imperceptible sounds of her target maneuvering about the terrain. Whoever it is has a very light step, for it is only the stray break of a branch or snapping of a twig that enables Regina to decipher which direction they are moving. Such obvious missteps are a cause for confusion when otherwise she cannot make out their path. And yet she is less concerned about such considerations when there are so few people living nearby her section of the forest, meaning there are only two possibilities as to whom she is currently stalking.
The first and least worrisome is that it is a hunter merely tracking their own prey – perhaps a deer or squirrels or even rabbits such as Regina regularly hunts – through the woods. If that is the case, she will need to frighten them away if only to keep them out of indirect danger from the Queen. The only other option as to the identity of her quarry is that the Queen has finally located her and sent either a trusted knight or, even worse, has recruited a new Huntsman.
Steeling herself against either of those dreadful possibilities, Regina clenches her jaw and readies her bow. With an arrow nocked in place, she draws the string back to her elbow and then presses on deeper into the woods.
"Careful," a voice speaks from her left as she rounds the trunk of an enormous oak. In one fluid motion, Regina pulls the arrow back to full draw and then whirls about on the source of the voice. "Whoa, there," a gorgeous brunette in a striking red cloak says, holding up her gloved hands in a gesture of good will. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"Well, you shouldn't have snuck up on me then," Regina replies in a hostile manner, far more startled than angry. She should have recognized the voice instantly but had been so intent on listening for movement that she'd reacted on instinct. Still, she is annoyed enough to chastise her beautiful visitor. "Dammit, Red! How many times do I have to tell you to announce your presence when you arrive unexpectedly? You weren't due for another two days, so I thought you were someone sent by the Queen! I could have killed you just now!"
"But you didn't," Red retorts, smirking crookedly. Her eyes twinkle in merriment that is infectious in spite of Regina's annoyance at being blindsided.
Sighing, Regina swipes at the dampness upon her brow as she relaxes her stance. Allowing the bowstring to loosen, she removes the arrow from its readied position, replaces it in her quiver, and then lowers her bow. She glares at Red, only half-aggravated now, but still enough to sound chastising when she speaks.
"What are you doing here so early?"
Looking a bit wounded, Red strides forward to close the distance between them. Stopping just a step away, she nervously rubs at the pale skin of her forearms exposed between her gloves and sleeve.
"I just wanted to see you. I've missed you more so than usual."
Closing her eyes, Regina takes a shaky breath. What remains of her anger all but flees at the heartfelt confession. Truth be told she has missed Red, too, and that far more than she is willing to admit aloud. Her tragic and painful past has restrained Regina from saying the words, but in her heart she is certain she loves the strong young woman before her, a woman who has risked death on many occasions to save Regina's life.
Each time Red ventures from Misthaven to visit, she is placing her life on the line just as if she were in open rebellion against the Queen. If the vengeful monarch were to ever discover that Red is consorting with her most hated enemy, there will most surely be hell to pay, and childhood friends or not the Queen will unleash every last ounce of vengeance she can upon Red.
It is out of a misplaced sense of protecting Red that Regina holds back her feelings. She is painfully aware of what will happen if she confesses her love. The idiotically loyal woman will almost assuredly feel compelled to abandon her post at the Queen's side so that they could truly be together, incurring a price on her head that would rival the one of Regina's own. What's more, the truth would then come out as to the nature of their relationship, and when that happened, the Queen would go to any length to capture Red in order to leverage her well-being to secure Regina's surrender. That nightmarish scenario is one Regina simply cannot permit to become reality.
The Queen is vicious and vindictive, which is no secret within the realm of Misthaven, and fear of her has spread far beyond the borders of that kingdom. What isn't common knowledge, however, is the lengths to which the Queen is willing to go to get what she wants.
Judging solely from the tales Regina has heard from Red, Regina simply cannot risk her lover falling into the hands of a maniac who has abandoned every tenet of human decency in the treatment of captives. The guilt would only be worsened since the blame for Red's suffering could then justly be laid at Regina's own feet. For committing the unpardonable crime of daring to love a woman the Queen hates with all of her being, Red would surely be made to endure brutal indignities before suffering a most agonizing death. With that the case, Red being apprehended would leave Regina with no alternative to surrender in order to spare the only person left in the world she cares for more than her own life.
Yet while Regina does not wish to be the cause of Red falling under the Queen's wrath, she is powerless to resist the temptation of her werewolf's strong arms and is incapable of denying the comfort of very welcome advances. The way Red provokes her body to respond, to come alive with a single touch, is unlike anything Regina has ever experienced.
Everything between them seems fit together so seamlessly, almost as if they are two halves separated from one another by the accident of birth and drawn back together by the invisible and eternal strings of fate. The mundane with Red is sublime while sex is no longer merely an act of physical pleasure so much as it is a transcendental experience of which Regina never wishes to be deprived. After almost a year now of being lovers, she has grown too attached to Red to survive being severed from one another.
For most of that year, their only opportunity to be together is during the days surrounding the full moon – a time when Red, as a werewolf, requires space and freedom to indulge her wild alter ego by hunting game to her heart's content. Because the Queen favors her oldest friend to the point of blindness, Red is permitted lengthy absences surrounding Wolf's Time. It is during these days that Red comes to Regina, each time running the ten leagues that separate Sherwood Forest from Misthaven just so they can be together.
That level of fidelity is indicative of the more general way Red showers Regina with affection. Being so openly cared for and in such tangible ways, is new for Regina. To be frank, at first it was downright uncomfortable considering Regina was a woman raised by a coldly distant mother who literally lacked a heart. Regina has never been an overly tactile or expressive person, and while part of that is surely genetic, it is also partly due to her raising.
For the most part Regina's mother could never be bothered to pay attention to her beyond administering punishments for her various failures during the grueling lessons she was subjected to on a daily basis. Her father, on the other hand, had loved her, but only ever in secret to avoid his wife's wrath. Indulgences for Regina such as birth presents or any type of affection that might be misconstrued as coddling were never permissible, and as a result expression of affection has never come easy for her. Only with Daniel did she feel able to freely display her true self, but that had ended tragically with his death.
Aside from that general aloofness, Regina is simply unused to being put first. Her mother had chosen power and her father fear of her mother. Daniel gave her a glimpse at that unique brand of selfless devotion of which writers and poets loftily penned, but it was brief and fleeting and ultimately caused her only pain. As if that were not reason enough to swear off love, immediately after Daniel's death she was married off to a king she despised and made to be his royal ornament and dutiful even if unwilling human sheath. When the king died suddenly with two years, she then was lead to her so called destiny, a man named Robin Hood with a tattoo of a lion upon his forearm, but she spurned that opportunity out of fear. Years passed before she found him again, and after scrounging up the courage to tell him how she felt, he broke her heart by proclaiming his love for her half-sister.
Again and again Regina has been cast aside for the sake of others. But Red always puts her first. Always. If Regina is being brutally honest with herself, it is only in bed that they are true equals, and that is a first for her also. The rest of the time Red expends herself protecting Regina from any and every threat, utilizing her boundless energy to hunt and forage for hours at a time to provide weeks worth of meals capable of sustaining Regina through the long separation to come. In order to bolster the defenses around Regina's cabin, Red built and maintains a series of clever traps that even a seasoned tracker like Regina cannot detect. And during the cold months she chops copious piles of wood for fires that Regina rarely has enough time to work through before it is time for her lover to return.
None of this is done at Regina's behest, either, nor is it as if Regina approves of Red doing all of these things in her stead. There is simply no stopping the stubborn brunette when she's set her mind on something, and even though Regina pitches in as best she can, Red so far outpaces her that she can never quite make sense of why she even bothers trying while her supernatural paramour is present.
And despite the affront to Regina's immense sense of pride, she cannot find it in herself to begrudge Red her unnecessary doting when the days with her during the full moon are what make life worth living.
In the years before Red arrived in her life, Regina had persisted only out of an unbreakable will to not be defeated. She hadn't been living, though, not really. She'd been existing on fumes at best and then only out of a simple determination to not allow the Queen's irrational hatred to be what finally killed her. Persisting to merely exist left her unable to enjoy her life in any meaningful way, but she'd lacked the resources or opportunity to change her pitiful state of being.
The Queen's hunt for her was – and still is – never-ending. Patrol after patrol scours the forests near the border Misthaven shares with Sherwood Forest, and guard towers have been erected on every major thoroughfare leading into and out of the realm. Even the minor routes less prone to traffic are now garrisoned, sometimes by squads and sometimes by platoons of the Queen's best troops. The Queen also employs magical means to procure Regina's location, such as her magic mirrors and her beloved conspiracy of ravens.
With such a vast network at her enemy's disposal, all Regina could do while on her own was hunker down and hide, eking out a living by utilizing resources from the forest and robbing any careless nobles who ventured beyond the border into Sherwood. That she was able to survive that first year after her banishment was due to almost wholly to sheer tenacity. By the end of it, though, she had developed what she skill was necessary to survive and honed what few others she'd already possessed. She'd become the most famous bandit in all of Misthaven. And yet even having attained notoriety and a fierce level of independence, she had also lost all hope for finding happiness in the future.
Breaking free of that pessimistic outlook on life required something more than Regina was able to supply for herself. Her deliverance came in the form of a tall and radiant young woman who possessed an inner strength and goodness that, since they met, has often put Regina to shame while simultaneously inspiring her to rise above the petty criminal she'd become.
When Red burst onto the scene of Regina's life it was in the guise of her other self: an enormous wolf with black fur, razor sharp teeth, and eery amber eyes. Regina had been injured and cornered in the forests bordering Misthaven, out of options and sure it was the end. Her leg had been pierced by an arrow, and though she'd applied a tourniquet, she lacked the strength to outrun the Black Knights that were in rapid pursuit. In pain, without hope, yet still desperate to survive, she'd propped herself against a gnarled old oak tree, drawn her bow and waited to make her last stand. It never happened. Screams soon echoed into the night, and she had only been able to listen in horror as the knights that hunted her down were ripped apart one by one.
Minutes later, glowing eyes peered out of the inky darkness in her direction. Emerging out of the shadows, the wolf approached, blood dripping from its enormous jowls. With its head lowered but ears erect, it approached slowly and cautiously, strangely appearing as nonthreatening as such a frightening yet majestic beast can seem considering the carnage it was wearing proudly upon its fur. As if influenced by some force more powerful than her own conscious will, Regina lowered her weapon and awaited the wolf's decision.
To her eternal surprise, a deep groaning began, and she watched in utter fascination as the wolf transformed into a woman before her very eyes – and not just any woman, but the most beautiful creature Regina had ever laid eyes on.
"Hello, I'm Red," the woman greeted, her voice nectar and honey for sweetness.
"You're the Queen's werewolf," Regina had replied, stating the obvious. Still panting lightly from pain and overexertion, her head began to swirl, so she eased herself down the trunk of the tree until she was sitting awkwardly at the base.
"Yes, I am," Red had acknowledged as she walked the last few yards on her human legs to stand before Regina. Kneeling gently, she removed her leather gloves and extended her arm toward the arrow protruding from Regina's leg.
Regina jerked back out of fearful reflex, a jolt of pain lancing through her wounded limb from toe to hip. She bared her teeth menacingly, a foolish reaction in retrospect considering the power lurking behind smooth ivory flesh and impossibly green eyes.
"What are you doing?"
Withdrawing her hand slightly, Red looked back up innocently, eyes so startlingly different from the throbbing intensity of the wolf's. "Relax," she assured, "I'm not here to hurt you. I can help with that leg if you'll let me."
"How?" Regina grunted, trying to sit more upright by scooting backward against the trunk of the tree.
"My Granny taught me how to mend wounds," Red explained. "We werewolves tend to get hurt a lot, so it's necessary for us to learn how to treat ourselves. Our ability to regenerate quickly can take care of most wounds with time, but there are occasions emergency intervention is required. I've patched myself up more times than I can count, so I'd be more than happy to take a look at that for you. May I?"
Drawing her bottom lip in, Regina had to bite down to keep from crying out against the pain. Before answering, she took a moment to study Red's brilliant eyes. The eyes, her mother had taught her, were windows into a persons thoughts and intents, and Regina had learned how to read them very well. Many times her life had depended on that ability and it had never failed her. In Red's, she saw only kindness and compassion, which was a bit disconcerting considering to whom the werewolf owed allegiance.
Suddenly dubious, Regina asked, "Why are you doing this?"
As if expecting the question, Red did not miss a beat, although there was a sadness about her that betrayed her conflicted loyalty.
"I'm the Queen's oldest friend but I no longer share her view of the world," Red answered. "I stay with her out of love for the sweet girl she used to be. But only for that. I don't condone or participate in her cruelties, so I help out wherever and whenever I can. I don't agree with her obsessive pursuit of you, either, by the way." She crooked her lips into a knowing smile. "Just in case you were wondering."
Regina blinked. She had assumed Red knew who she was, but to hear it confirmed aloud only reinforced the precarious nature of her position. Although spoken of in mythical terms more than seen, the Queen's werewolf was the most feared beast in all of Misthaven. Regina always wondered why so pragmatic an individual as the Queen didn't utilize the most valuable weapon in her vast arsenal to hunt her sworn foe down.
Since an opportunity to indulge that curiosity had so auspiciously presented itself, Regina took it.
"So you know who I am?"
Red nodded. "I do. It's why I chose to help you."
That only furthered Regina's confusion, and her head cocked subconsciously in concert with it. "Excuse me for seeming obtuse. But why?"
Red chuckled at the onslaught of questions, eyes crinkling with amusement. "Simply put, you interest me." When Regina quirked a brow indicating the insufficiency of that answer, Red gave her a grin that bared impressively rows of pearly teeth. Regina had thought then – and still does – that Red's was the prettiest smile in the whole world if not the most dangerous. "To be more specific," Red continued, "no one has ever stood up to Snow like you. You defy her without fear while at the same time going out of your way to help those in need. Over time, you've become a symbol of hope to people. I respect the hell out of that. Am I making any sense?"
Regina nodded her confirmation even though she thought Red's explanation was absurd. She was no symbol of hope. When she opened her mouth to retort, she shifted a bit, which jostled her injured leg. The intensity of the resulting pain had her sucking in air through her teeth.
In response, Red reached forward with her hand, attentively following Regina's eyes the entire time for final approval. With anguished nod, Regina at last acquiesced. Having been granted permission, Red leaned in closer and then stuck out a single finger to inspect the area around the wound. The contacting pressure of the long, thin digit caused Regina to curse each time it was repeated.
"Sorry," Red winced, blushing just a bit in apology upon completing the examination. "I don't feel any signs of internal bleeding, so I think the arrow missed the major blood vessels, which is good news. You should be okay for me to get you back to your cabin to treat you properly."
The casual nature of that statement shocked Regina out of her woozy stupor. She stiffened reflexively at the revelation that the Queen's werewolf knew where she lived.
"That's a generous description of my home if ever I heard one," she said, feeling out Red's intent even though she had been nothing but kind. "I'm curious how you know where I live, though, and for how long you have known."
Red responded by giving Regina a conspiratorial wink and then replying, "I've known since a week after you built that quaint little shack in Sherwood Forest."
"And you said nothing? Surely turning me in would have afforded you a handsome reward."
Red shrugged as if the concept lacked meaning to her. "Nothing to say. As I told you, I don't support the Queen's methods or her vendetta, and gold holds no allure for me. I'm a simple woman who values much more intangible things. So, I won't be helping her kill you if I've not made that abundantly clear already. Besides, even if I did support the Queen, I admire your pluckiness too much to ever hurt you."
Narrowing her eyes, Regina huffed. "My pluckiness, you say? Never imagined that would be why I still have a head on my shoulders. I always figured it was my razor sharp wit or sparkling personality."
At that, Red laughed, a sound so delightful that warmth blossomed in Regina's chest that quite unexpectedly lifted her spirits while also dispelling a small but appreciable measure of her pain.
"And you're sassy, too!" Red said after a moment, her laughter having subsided. "The lady has more charm than the Queen gave her credit for."
"That's right, I'm a regular princess," Regina sighed, the corners of her own rebellious lips turning up at Red's mirth.
But then Red's expression abruptly changed, and she stood up, pulled on her gloves, and then extended her hand. "Well then, Princess, what do you say we get you home and all fixed up?"
Against her better judgment, Regina took the proffered hand and allowed Red to pull her up. She groaned in agony as she came upright. Another shot of pain erupted from her leg, causing her to wobble unsteadily in place.
"I'm not gonna lie, this will hurt like hell," Red then said with remorseful eyes, and then hefted Regina up into her arms bridal style without any warning whatsoever.
She was right. The searing, white hot explosion of pain in Regina's maimed leg was so terrific that she passed out almost immediately.
Upon awakening once more, she was shocked to find herself back abed in her tiny hovel. It took a few seconds for the cobwebs to clear in her head, but once she was more alert she immediately noticed that her leg was freshly treated and bandaged and a small fire was burning in her crudely fashioned fireplace. She tried to sit up only to gasp at the protest from her leg and then fall back into her poor excuses for pillows.
"I wouldn't do that," Red commented from just outside the entryway where she was hovering while carrying a modestly sized deer over her shoulder like it weighed next to nothing. She then proceeded to dump the carcass next to the door before wandering in to check on Regina. "Your wound is healing well but it'll need several days to be useful again. During that time, you shouldn't be out of bed more than a few minutes per hour."
"How am I supposed accomplish anything productive laying around like an invalid?" Regina protested, her mind already calculating how far behind she'd fall in her daily requirements in such a time span.
"You shouldn't have to," Red supplied with a tone as kind as her brilliant emerald eyes. "I'll be here at least that long. I can take care of your chores until then."
"I can take care of myself, thank you. I'm no charity case," Regina had groused back, not liking being disabled and hating being cared for even more. She had looked after herself for so long by then that it was offensive to consider allowing anyone to help her.
As if perceiving her thoughts, Red gave a longsuffering sigh, though her expression was more amused than annoyed. "And I won't treat you like one. Even plucky bandits deserve a rest from time to time, so think of me as your fairy wolfmother who's decided to grant you a little much needed rest and relaxation."
Unable to help herself, Regina snorted. "Fairy wolfmother, you say. What are the magic words to summon you? 'Abracadaver?' 'Hocus lupus?' 'Howlakazam?' Or how about: 'Yipfora-Lapandthen-Chew?'"
A burst of laughter spilled from Red as she bent over at the waist and clapped her hands on her thighs. "By the gods, those are amazing!" she spat out around peels of laughter. After a long bout of merriment, she finally calmed enough to straighten up and compose herself. "Beautiful, charming, plucky, and funny," she then said, voice that lovely shade of amber once more while her green eyes shimmered with some mysterious emotion that made Regina's heart speed up and her skin begin to tingle. "I don't think there's anything I could add to that list that could make you more perfect."
Watching Red laugh and then hearing her sweet compliment signaled a shift of perspective for Regina that had her questioning the way she was living her life. Up until then, she'd slogged through each day miserably and was happy just to be alive once the sun went down. But Red made her remember what Daniel had spent so much time teaching her: that there was more to life than existing. There was laughter and tears and love and friendship to experience, those human emotions that enrich life and elevate it into a higher plane.
When Red departed for Misthaven a few days later, it was with a promise to return, one that an alive and healthy Regina clung to over the three weeks that followed. To her great bewilderment, however, those weeks did not seem so interminably bitter as they once might have. In analyzing the situation for a reason for her sudden spate of hopefulness, it suddenly dawned on her that she had finally found something – or rather someone – to look forward to. And so when her new werewolf friend appeared in her doorway three weeks and five days later, Regina could not contain the pleased smile that spread across her features.
Months passed by all too quickly after that until eventually their routine became so important to Regina that she would await Red's arrival at the border nearest the area of Sherwood where she made her home. Each time Red arrived in her wolf form, loping steadily along with her tongue hanging out, and each time upon catching sight of Regina waiting, she would break into a sprint with her tail wagging and her ears back, a look of such delight on her wolfish features that shivers of affection would spread through Regina's chest. But then seven days were gone in a blur of wonderful memories, and it would inevitably come time for Red to return to the Queen's side within the foreboding confines of the Dark Palace.
After seven months of such happy meetings and melancholy separations, it grew intolerable for Regina to endure saying goodbye. It got to the point that she began to dread that one heartrending moment with such intensity that it sullied her final hours with Red.
On the last such occasion, unable to face watching her precious werewolf leave yet again, Regina chose not to escort Red to the border on her way back to Misthaven. She'd told herself she was sparing them both the hardship of a painful parting, but all she managed to do was leave a confused and teary-eyed Red to tear off into the forest before transforming into the wolf and howling her sadness to the waning moon.
While Red ran and mourned in hurtful confusion, Regina wept miserably inside her hut. It was in that moment she realized she had fallen in love with Red and had just sent her away without telling her the truth. Guilt settled into her gut almost immediately where it stayed for the three months that came and went before Red showed up again.
In spite of the nagging fear she had scorned Red into staying away, Regina followed their routine each month without fail. In the days leading up to the full moon she could be found sitting alone in the forest at the border worrying herself sick over that the Queen had found out Red was visiting and had her mercilessly slaughtered in retaliation. During those interminably long months, Regina castigated herself over and over and over again for her callous treatment of the woman who had given her so much without asking for anything in return. She pined ceaselessly for Red with an ache in her heart that refused to fade no matter how many rich, portly nobles she robbed or how many of the Queen's men she made fools of. The things that used to satisfy her now only left a void.
When Red finally showed up that fourth month, Regina was waiting as usual. Yet unlike she would normally, Red transformed before reaching Regina and walked slowly but steadily toward the guilt-ridden bandit who had hurt her so badly.
"I didn't think you'd come," Regina had said in lieu of greeting.
"I wasn't going to," was Red's sad reply. "I thought you didn't want me to so I stayed away as long as I could. But I couldn't make myself stay away anymore." Before Regina could blink, Red advanced rapidly and closed the gap between their bodies.
"I need you," she then admitted, so close that Regina could smell the sweetness of her breath – crushed pine needles and wolfweed (which is a specialized herb found only in Misthaven that smelled like jasmine and tasted like sweet mint and was particularly favored by wolves for quick bursts of energy). Leaning in closer, Red pressed herself flush against Regina from hip to breasts and rested her hands low on Regina waist. Drawing in a shaky breath, her expressive eyes were dancing with unadulterated affection. "But that's not all," she whispered as she bridged the distance between their lips. "I love you, Regina. More than you'll ever know." That first kiss was one Regina would never forget.
The next three days were spent largely within the cramped but homely confines of Regina's hut. The only time they ventured outside was to relieve themselves, to take brisk morning walks, or to cuddle up beneath the canopy of twinkling stars upon a thick bear pelt and ensconced by layers of blankets. Otherwise they occupied themselves by making love for hours and talking even longer.
Over deer jerky and mint tea they spoke of their pasts, of their hopes and dreams for the future, and learned about the hurts that had driven them to become the women they were. Under the flickering flames of a roaring fire, they mapped each others bodies, deciphering how to fully please, how to tantalizingly tease, and how to draw out the ecstasy until all cogent thought was banished away to be replaced by primal lust-driven instinct. With kisses, bites, and suckles, they marked each other and claimed each other, promising through actions both passionate and tender that there would never be anyone else.
Nothing was ever the same after that except for the fact that Red was liberal with her declarations of love while Regina held hers in. She didn't know how much longer she could do that, though. Every time Red went away it got harder to watch her leave without crying after her, "I love you, Red! More than you'll ever know!" just as Red had whispered to her so many moons ago. Were circumstances different, she would have been proud for all the world to know how much she cherished her beloved werewolf, but because she loved Red so much and understood the consequences of their relationship, she was unwilling to externalize what she felt.
"I'm guessing by your silence that you didn't miss me at all," Red states, breaking Regina from her trance-like reverie. "While I was away, I cried myself to sleep at night. Bitter tears, Regina. Choking sobs. Needing your arms around me just so I could sleep. It was horrible!"
Focusing back on her lover, Regina notices the corners of Red's alluring lips turned up in a teasing way. Reaching out, she swats a toned shoulder.
"Don't be an insufferable ass. You know I missed you."
"Yeah?" Red grins, sidling up to press her body into Regina's. They still fit together perfectly, just like always. "How about a kiss then? You know...to prove it."
"You think you've earned proof of my affections, do you?" Regina quips, teasing her lover back. It is part of their game, part of their monthly dance of courtship. Red teases, Regina teases back, they kiss, clothes go flying, and then indelible memories are made.
Narrowing her eyes, Regina purses her lips in exaggerated contemplation. She hums for a moment before continuing, "I don't know. Not only do you come here on a month basis to eat my food and steal my blankets and my kisses, but you sass me continually. If that wasn't bad enough, you persist in smacking my ass or tickling me until I can't breathe when you know those things drive me insane. The worst of it all, though? You influence me to sleep in way past sunrise with your wicked ways. I lose hours a day because of you, Red! Hours I can't get back. I'll lament those hours when I'm on my deathbed. With all of that in mind, do you still believe you've earned that kiss?"
"When you put it that way, yes, I do!" Red replies, still smiling. "Sounds to me like you were a boring old lady when I met you. Now your life has spice! I'd say that definitely earns me a kiss...at the very least."
"Hah!" Regina barks out, eyes twinkling with delight at their repartee. "If by spice you mean the way you shed all over the place? Yes, my life is so much more exciting. In addition to dirt, one per month I now have to pick fur out of my bedding and my hair and my food stores, as well as off of my floor and table. Oh, and don't think I didn't catch that not-so-subtle dig at my age. I am your elder, dear, but I am by no means old. Tell me: did you want to sleep outside tonight? Because if that is your goal, you are most admirably succeeding."
Red shrugs playfully and then presses a kiss enticingly near to the corner of Regina's lips. "I'll bear that privation only if you promise to join me."
Sighing in tacit resignation, Regina leans in to give Red what she wants, placing a chaste kiss to her lover's lips. Red whines in disapproval when the kiss is broken after a scant few seconds.
"Since I can't very well be sleeping outside, that will have to suffice," Regina taunts, drawing away while Red chases after her lips, much to Regina's smug satisfaction. "That's all you get for calling me an old woman. Twelve years is not that much difference, you kn..."
Regina never gets to finish the sentence because in a flash of motion, Red is upon her, grasping her face and plunging their mouths together in a heated kiss that becomes delightfully indecent within seconds. As Red backs Regina into the hovel, she begins to deftly disrobe the shorter woman between feverishly sloppy kisses.
"Mmm," Regina moans into Red's warm mouth, and then gasps when Red breaks the kiss to attach her mouth to the junction of her neck and collar bone. "I missed you," she breathes, and then gasps again when Red moves south, parting Regina's blouse as she goes, and a third time when Red's mouth clamps wantonly upon a much more sensitive area of her anatomy then proceeds to lave it in circles with her velvet tongue. "Oh, gods...so damn much."
Red responds with a prideful smile before returning to plunder Regina's mouth. Long fingers bury themselves into the raven tresses at the back of Regina's neck, freeing them from their hasty tie so that they spill about her shoulders in loose waves. Stumbling at the edge of her tattered bed mat, Regina falls back onto it with an audible oomph. Red does not allow her a second to recover, pouncing immediately so that she lands atop Regina. The enthusiastic werewolf immediately seeks out another probing kiss.
"So damn much, huh?" Red asks, still panting after pulling away to shed her own clothes. Quick work is made of a corset and tunic, and somehow Red miraculously shimmies out of her skirts without losing her position straddling Regina's thighs. Left in naught but her flawless skin and a sultry smile that sends heat straight to Regina's core, Red commands with rumbling timbre, "Show me."
Grinning wickedly, Regina pulls her lover roughly down by a handful of her silky brown mane, one of the brunette's many exquisite features.
"With pleasure."
And much like the overachiever she's always been, that is precisely what Regina does until Red is howling out her ecstasy to the luminous moon overhead.