Thank you all for leaving reviews or following/favoriting my new story; it truly makes my day. I love love LOVE the positive response this story gets - DragonQueen is my new favorite ship. Here's chapter 2 already. I hope you like it.
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- np

Regina would've sworn her head was about to split in two when she woke the morning after "going undercover". They had spent the evening with destruction (of town property which basically meant HER property) and risky dares and the night with lots of alcohol. Now she had a killer headache but was also the newest member of the club of "Queens of Darkness", which the three liked to call themselves.
She groaned. Her vault was a mess and she would have to clean it. At least nothing of value had been broken during their drinking spree…

The night before

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" Cruella giggled at Regina's mirror, a glass of wine in her right hand.
The woman waited for a moment but didn't get an answer. "Answer me, mirror!" she barked, throwing her half empty glass onto the wall next to it, where it shattered into dozens of pieces.
"Cruella," Regina scolded the fur clad woman. "It can't speak. The genie is no longer trapped inside of it. And you wouldn't want to know the answer anyway..."
"And why would that be?" Cruella drawled in her London upper class accent, glaring at Regina as best as she could in her inebriated state.
Regina laughed. "Oh dear…"
'I am certain the mirror would proclaim Maleficent the fairest of them all. I would...'
She looked over at the blond woman, who was busy studying her collection of hearts.
"They're all empty," Maleficent said, pointing to the wall of small chests, furrowing her brow. "Did someone rob you?"
The dragon downed a tumbler of whiskey before filling it up again.
"No," Regina lied. "The Charmings kind of forced me to give them back. They threatened to take my son away from me if I didn't do it." 'There,' she thought. 'They'll believe that.'
"Where's Ursula?" Cruella chimed in. Regina pointed to a corner of the room. The sea witch laid there, passed out and lightly snoring.
"Leaving the party early as usual," Regina smirked. Then she refilled her own tumbler with whiskey. She needed to participate in this if they were to believe her charade.
The problem was just: The more she drank, the more she was drawn to Maleficent. The alcohol slowly made her forget why it was a bad idea to run her hands all over the woman, push her against a wall and just take her.
'Stay calm, Regina. You can do this,' she told herself. 'Do not give in. Remember that while you were a love sick puppy, someone else pushed his dick into her cunt and spilled his cum. She doesn't love you, Regina. She doesn't want you. You've never been the only one.'
She nodded to herself, rage and deep sadness overtaking her once again. She drew in a shaky breath and left the mausoleum. Outside she sat on the damp grass, looking up at the stars above her.
She wished she could be a happy drunk. Although maybe it was for the better that alcohol made her retreat into herself, that it made her depressive even. If not she just might be an alcoholic. After all being happy had always been what she wanted.

Present

She was just collecting the shards from Cruella's wine glass from the floor, when steps on the stairs startled her and she cut her finger.
"Ow," she cursed, sucking the bleeding digit into her mouth. "Just what I needed," she mumbled around her finger.
Healing still wasn't easy for her as it was the highest light magic there was and her heart had been blackened. It wasn't worth exerting her energies for a simple cut.
"Regina," the footsteps stopped next to her. Maleficent was towering over the kneeling mayor, grinning to herself.
"You know… I could always kiss it better," the blonde mock suggested with a wink. "But that is not why I am here. We have one final test for you before we show you our little secret."
Maleficent grabbed the woman's arm and teleported them to a house close to the borders of town.
"What are we doing here?" Regina asked, stepping away from the other woman. The closeness was making her uncomfortable.
"You know whose house that is?" Maleficent asked and Regina nodded.
"Good. Take the boy and bring him to the cabin." In a cloud of black and silver the blonde disappeared, leaving a conflicted Regina behind.
She knew how important it was for the whole town, not only Snow and David, that she upheld her cover and found out what the three were planning.
But endangering an innocent child for the greater good? She didn't really need to think about it. So Regina opened the door to Gepetto's workshop and greeted him and his son.

"She should've been back over an hour ago," Ursula stated, looking at her clock. "Kidnapping a child wouldn't have taken her 5 minutes."
"She's betrayed us," Cruella added. "She really turned sides. She's fighting with the heroes now."
Rumpelstiltskin nodded. "You know what you have to do. Dear Regina is a risk to our success. Kill her." He grinned devilishly, before rubbing his hands together. "Now off with you dearies. The one who kills her shall be the first to get her happy ending." He cackled as the three witches left the cabin. Two of them on legs and tentacles, the third in a whirl of smoke. Regina wouldn't stay alive for long with those three on her trail. And once she was dead there wasn't anyone who even had the slightest chance to stop him.

Regina froze when she saw the silver cloud of smoke and the woman who appeared once it dissolved.
"Regina," the woman seemed relieved about something. "I'm so glad I found you first."
Maleficent took a few steps in Regina's direction, but the raven haired witch took a step backwards with each one she took.
"Listen to me Regina, we might not be on the best terms but I am here to warn you. The imp wants Cruella, Ursula and me to kill you," she rushed out. "You have to hide."
"And why would I believe you?" Regina spat. "You never cared - why would it be different now?"
"That's not right Regina and you know it," Maleficent tried to explain. "You have to listen to me."
"I don't have to do..."
Regina's angry voice broke in the middle of the sentence. Maleficent heard her gasp before she clutched her chest and crumpled to the floor with a gasp.
"No!" the dragon cried out, crouching down by her side. "Regina!"
A knife clattered to the stone floor behind Regina's fallen body and Maleficent just managed to see a green tentacle withdraw. "Ursula!" the blonde yelled, her voice raspy with pain.
The woman must've heard her outcry when Regina fell, realizing that she'd gotten herself into trouble with the much stronger dragon witch and fled.

"Regina, don't you dare! You're not dying now, your son needs you," she shook the woman's shoulders, trying to keep her conscious. "Hold on," Maleficent lifted her up into her arms and teleported them to Snow White's apartment.
"She needs help," she said to four shocked faces, one of them Regina's son Henry.
The boy gasped and ran to Maleficent.
"What did you do to her?" he wanted to know, taking his mom's limp hand into his own. "Mom! Wake up!"
"I did nothing to her," Maleficent defended herself, glaring at Charming who had drawn his sword, pointing it at her.
"I know it may be hard to believe, but I would never cause Regina harm if there was a way to prevent it. It was Ursula."
Tears were running down the young boy's face and Maleficent thought she saw one shimmering in the savior's eyes as well.
"Can't you just heal her?" Henry asked, his brown eyes staring up at the tall woman holding his mom.
"I'm sorry. I can't... only someone with very powerful light magic…" She looked apologetic.
"I'll call Blue," Snow White took one of those talking devices out of her jeans, pressing a button and holding it to her ear.
Maleficent walked over to the small couch and gently laid Regina down, stroking a strand of hair out of her face.
"Emma?" Henry tugged on the sleeve of his birth mother. "Why don't you try? You're the savior."
"I… you know I don't really got this whole magic thing figured out kid," Emma glanced at the unconscious Regina and the blonde standing next to her. She felt like the two of them were more than just "friends". Could this be Regina's happy ending? The one she'd sworn to help her get? She and her son's adoptive mother had come to an understanding sometime during the last year and Emma was proud to now call the woman her friend. She wanted Regina to be happy.
"She's barely breathing anymore," the alarmed voice of Maleficent came from the sofa.
Emma nodded. She would try to do her best until the fairy arrived.
Laying her palm on Regina's chest, she concentrated hard, trying to focus on happy memories because they were where she took her power from. She thought of the alternative life she'd had with Henry, about finding her parents, her first kiss with Hook and befriending Regina and willed the light to flow from her hand into the witch's body.
"It's working," Henry exclaimed in awe, Snow and Charming embracing each other with happy smiles. No one had noticed Maleficent get up and slip out of the apartment.

_
"Maleficent betrayed us," Ursula in the meanwhile informed Rumpelstiltskin and Cruella. "She warned Regina. I was still able to stab her although I don't know if it was lethal."
The Dark One looked furious but not exactly surprised. "Should've seen that coming," he muttered to himself, shaking his head. "Maleficent will come crawling back to us once she realizes she needs me to find her child."
He turned to the two women and ordered, "Go. Find out if Regina survived. And try to stay clear from Maleficent for now. She's always had a bad temper."

"Mom," Henry was leaning over her, his eyes full of worry, when Regina finally opened her eyes.
"Hey," she gently stroked her son's cheek with her right hand. "It's good to see you my prince."
The boy smiled down at his mother. "You really scared us mom... Emma was the one who healed you, she was great."
"I bet she was," Regina said, trying to sit up but falling back to the couch when Henry wouldn't let her.
"You've gotta rest," he said sternly, keeping his hand on her shoulder, stopping further attempts of Regina getting up.
"Blue said a wound like that needs more than just magic to fully heal. Time."
Regina nodded; her son was right, she shouldn't be up and about just yet.
"You know," Henry began. "I first thought Maleficent had been the one to hurt you but she said she never would. I guess you were right about her."
Regina nodded, remembering their talk and how she'd picked her up. Everything after was a blur but her memories of Maleficent saying that she cared about her were clear as day, as well as the feeling of being carried in her strong arms.
At least she obviously mattered to her.
"Where is everyone?" Regina asked her son, looking around the room. She was in Snow's apartment but didn't see anyone other than Henry.
"Grandpa and grandma are out for a stroll with Neal and Emma's at the sheriff station," he said. Sensing that his mother actually only wanted to know where one person in specific was, he added: "Maleficent stayed a while but she disappeared when Emma was healing you. I haven't seen her since."
"She might be after Cruella," Regina thought aloud when something else hit her. "Henry! I need you to go find Belle and tell her to come here with the Dark One's dagger. I'm pretty sure Gold is back in town."
"Alright," Henry already got to his feet. "I'll be quick. Just. Stay here, will you?"
"I will," Regina promised. "At least if there is a reason for me not to."
'Good enough,' Henry though and kissed his mother's still pale cheek before hurrying out of the room.

"He's a good boy," Maleficent said stepping out from the shadows, revealing herself to Regina.
"How," Regina's eyes widened at seeing the other woman. She sat up a little too quickly and winced, pressing her hand to her not yet fully healed wound.
"Easy there, Regina," Maleficent had rushed to her side and was currently stuffing pillows behind her back to help her sit.
"Thank you," Regina mumbled when the woman was done. Maleficent sat down on the coffee table, looking Regina over.
"You look like hell," she stated.
"Well, thank you for the compliment," Regina sarcastically said. "When did you get in here?"
"This morning just when the two idiots and their daughter left the house. They really should install some traps and wards…"
Regina chuckled. "You know they believe in the good in everyone. " She frowned. "But now that Rumple is back in Storybrooke they should probably consider it."
Maleficent nodded. Then she looked into Regina's dark eyes thinking of a way to tell her what she needed to.
"I know we didn't part on the best of terms," she began and saw Regina wince. "But need I remind you that you looked me up for almost three decades? In my dragon form nonetheless?" She raised a brow and Regina turned away with guilt in her eyes. "Hey," Maleficent touched her shoulder. "Look at me." When Regina did, she continued. "I think we're even. Or well, maybe you actually owe me - I did save your life after all." She grinned at Regina, baring her teeth. She smirked when she saw the woman shiver. Not with fear of course… Regina had always had a thing for her teeth and her more... dragonly features.
"I need your help finding someone I lost," she finally admitted.
"Your child, I assume," Regina didn't blink an eye but the dragon saw the pain in her eyes. She couldn't find an explanation for it though. Why would it pain Regina, she didn't know...
"How do you know of my child?" she asked the former queen.
"Snow and David told me the whole story," Regina quietly said. "Of the egg you laid and the terrible things they did to you and the baby."
"They told you?" Maleficent asked with disbelief before something came to her mind. Of course. "They wanted you to find out if I was after them, didn't they?"
Regina nodded.
"Well I am not. I only seek to find my child. I don't even know if it's alive or if it is a boy or girl..." She looked at Regina, smiling. "There are more important things than revenge. But who am I telling that?"
"I will help you, Mal," Regina found the courage to reach out and take one of the dragon's hands in her own. "Not because I owe you, but because no mother deserves to lose her child and every child deserves loving parents."
"You really changed Regina. You remind me of the woman I first met, not the one who stole the Dark Curse from me and enacted it." She let Regina's hand linger for a moment before she retracted her own.
"I still have this rattle I made for my child," she carefully took the object out of her coat and held it out for Regina to take. "Is it of any use?"
But Regina only nodded and waved her hand over the rattle, purple magic surrounding it before a vision appeared.
The two watched how Maleficent's child was sucked into the portal and landed in... their land! Then they saw how she was adopted by an older couple; it had been a girl and they'd named her Lilith.
Then the vision stopped.
"Lily," Maleficent just whispered with teary blue eyes. "Her name is Lily."
_