Disclaimer: The ship wouldn't have holes in it if I owned OUaT. Evidently, the ship has a boatload of holes in it. Therefore, I do not own anything.
Chapter 2:
She freezes. Her strong arms tensing at her sides. Knees locked in place. Her expressive espresso brown eyes wide open as if she were the deer in headlights. Her breathing is erratic. She can hear her own heartbeat as if she ripped it out of her own chest cavity and put it to her ear like a seashell. Ironically enough, the thought of ripping her own heart out has come across her mind. But hearing his voice shattered her already damaged and fragile self.
"Regina, please…I—I need…I need you to open the door."
Turning around to face the white painted door, she exhales deeply. She's shaking. Her knees buckling at the sound of his rough and rugged voice. That accent. It just gets to her every time. She feels herself getting drawn into his heavy foreign drawl. Her legs begin walking toward the door on their own accord. She reaches for the gold doorknob, pausing before she feels the cold metal beneath her fingertips and palm.
She closes her eyes—willing herself to believe he'll just walk away. But just as much she is resilient, his persistence may be worse than hers. Regina's not ready. Not ready to face her harsh reality. Not ready for someone to leave her. Not again. Just as she takes a deep breath in, she feels the all too familiar sting from her eyes. Refusing herself to cry once more, she shifts her eyes from the upper right to the upper left corners. It's a tactic. One that she's perfected to ensure that tears could not escape from her eyes. I am the fearless Queen she reminded herself. These mantras are getting harder and harder to believe as the night goes on.
"I know you're right behind this bloody door, milady. I can feel you near. Please, my lo—"
She swings the door open. Her anger briefly forgotten as the cold air enters her home. She remembers something as goose bumps arrive on her legs and the chill goes straight through her body. Regina does not have pants on. Shaking her head as she crosses her arms, she realizes that he's seen it all before. However, her body betrays her. With her nipples hardening and the fluttering in her lower stomach, she tries to prevent the flush from arising on her makeup free face. Hoping to avoid this conversation, she reverts back into her long time enemy, the Evil Queen. The taciturn words leave her mouth without hesitation.
"You lost the right to call me that, thief. Leave. Go home to your family."
At a loss for words, Robin can't help but stare at her in his green long sleeve. Her strong and toned, yet petite legs are showing—the only thing the oversized piece of clothing does not cover. He's briefly remembering how her smooth legs felt around him. Pulling him deeper inside of her. Squeezing him around the hips to stay right where she needed him. On the other hand, his stare gives her instant flashbacks of the way he would look at her as she released all control of herself. The way she clenched the silk bed sheets. The way she arched her back into him. The way she bit her lower lip to prevent the wanton moan from escaping.
As Robin's silence and blatant staring prolongs, it gives Regina the time to get her bearings. She has resurrected her walls. The same walls that came crumbling down when she bared her heart and soul were now stronger than ever. They even came with reinforcements. It's as if she was her castle in the Enchanted Forest and her walls were being guarded by her notoriously lethal Black Knights. She blankly stares at him with cold eyes.
"Leave, outlaw. You are no longer welcome here."
Finally finding his voice, "Regina, please. We need to talk. Let me in…please."
Her dry, loud laugh sends shivers down Robin's spine. The double entendre is clearly lost on him. She can't stop. Her body is shaking with every laugh. With her hands clenched in fists, she doubles over. Now bent at the waist, her arms wrap themselves around her midsection. It feels like eons before her laughter subsides. She wipes away the tears that must have fallen from her laughter or his words—she isn't sure.
"Let you in? And what good has that brought me?"
"Regina. I know that I've hurt you. But Marian…she is my wife."
Wife. A word that makes her feel violently ill. She is and has been many things, but never once had she ever bore the title of mistress and she isn't about to brand it upon herself now. Not when she has reached redemption and acknowledged the flaws of her past. Not when all she really wants is that perfect family she thought they could be together. Not when she knows that should she decide to settle for mistress—second best really—he is not hers. Not completely. In the end, he will go home to his loving wife. It's all too much for her. She's losing her strength. Her will to fight a battle she knows she will not be the victor of. Regina's body becomes languish. No longer are her shoulders square. Her head is bowed down. Eyes cast downwards to the concrete beneath his scuffed boots. She finds her voice, but it has been reduced to whispers.
"Please leave. Please leave and don't ever come back."
She ends her plea with the turn of her heels and the soft click of the door. The deadbolts lock into place and the gold chain makes its way into its matching chain guard. She drags herself up the stairs and back through the second door on her left. Pulling the down comforter from underneath the pillows, she settles herself in bed. Face buried in the pillows, she closes her eyes and lets a heart-rending scream. She could feel her own vibration from her piercing anguish. No tears have fallen, but she pushes her face harder into the softness. Her screams are muffled. Her mouth is getting dry and her throat is becoming hoarse. She screams louder and pounds her fists against the bed—rattling the headboard against the wall. Gradually, the bed stops shaking. Her arms grow sore and tired. The screams turn into whimpers. Eventually, silence makes its entrance. Regina's eyes are gently closed and her breathing has evened out.
The Queen has fallen.
A/N: A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed! I hope I'm not too horrid at this. This idea has been floating around in my head for quite some time. Fear not, our regal Queen shall return next chapter with some mother-son bonding time! Unfortunately for Regina, I quite enjoyed writing this, but this will be the last "damsel in distress" chapter of her I will ever write. (Possible lie) Also, updates will be pretty slow between this chapter and the first week of November...work. I'M SORRY. R&R and please let me know if there's anything you'd like to see happen—whether it's between Regina & Henry, Regina & Robin, or anyone really. I'll try my best!