Here's a chapter for you all! I think this story should be ending soon. There will be a couple more chapters but it is wrapping up shortly. Is everyone looking forward to the return of Once? I know I am. Cannot wait to see what is planned for this season!

Regina ran through the forest cursing herself as she glanced down at her watch and saw the time. She was suppose to meet Robin half an hour ago but Gold had kept her longer at her magic lessons making her late. She came to the clearing of her and Robin's special place and smile a little as she saw him sitting on the big log there. A twig snapped beneath her feet causing Robin to look round and she could see he had a worried look on his face.

"Robin I am so sorry I am late." Regina huffed out as she sat down beside him on the log and tried to catch her breath.

"What has made you so late? You are never late." Robin said turning round slightly to look at Regina.

"Erm…I got caught up doing something…" Regina shrugged.

"What were you doing?" Robin asked. He did wonder what seemed to keep Regina so busy lately.

"Nothing much really…" Regina replied.

"So you got caught up doing nothing much?" Robin questioned raising an eyebrow at Regina.

"God what is this twenty questions?" Regina snapped and pushed herself up from the log. "I just got caught up alright? It was nothing and I said I was sorry that I was late. It does happen sometimes."

"Not to you. You are never late for anywhere. I just want to know what seems to have kept you so busy lately Regina. That is all." Robin threw back.

"Yea well you don't need to know." Regina mumbled. "I can't tell you."

"You can't or you won't?" Robin asked. "Is there someone else?"

"What? No. No Robin of course there isn't! I would never do that to you." Regina said quickly. She sat back down on the log beside Robin and took his hand in hers. "I promise you there is no one else. I just…I can't tell anyone what has been keeping me busy. I have been told not to say anything."

"I won't tell anyone Regina. I just want to know what's going on." Robin sighed.

Regina bit her lip and ran her fingers through her hair. Should she tell him what was going on? She was sure he wouldn't tell anyone and what harm could it cause for him to know. Gold would never find out he knew. "Okay I will tell you…but please promise me you won't tell anyone else…"

"Yea I promise." Robin said.

"Okay…well you see not long after I got my magic I went to Gold about it and well I made a deal with him…he said he could help me control my magic. So I have been receiving magic lessons from him." Regina explained.

"Magic lessons? From Gold? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Robin asked.

"Well he of all people knows what to do with magic and I needed help to control it." Regina replied.

"And what did he want in return?"

"He said he would let me know when he needs something from me." Regina said. "He told me not to tell anyone. He doesn't think my parents or Emma would approve of him teaching me. He said they would just jump to the wrong conclusions and things."

"Well you can't exactly blame them. Have you heard the stories about Gold?" Robin said.

Regina shrugged her shoulders. "Sure but he has been fine to me. He has been the most help with my magic so far. My parents and Emma don't know how to help me with it…and with everything else that is happening now I didn't want to tell them about Gold too."

"You mean the dreams you have been having?"

"The memories yes.…It's all very confusing." Regina sighed. "Anyway let's stop talking about this." She said and leaned forward pressing her lips to Robins.

Later that night Regina awoke, gasping and sweating from another dream. She tried to ease out her breaths and calm herself down, running her fingers through her hair. It had been another memory. She was sure of it. This time she had seen Maleficent. They were fighting, she had wanted something Maleficent had and she was not going to leave that castle before she had gotten it. She knew in the dream that if she had wanted to she could have killed Maleficent but she didn't claiming that she was her only friend. Regina sighed and lay back down to rest on her pillows. All these memories were really confusing her. None of them seemed to be in any order they seemed to be mixed up all over the place.

She looked to the side and looked at her alarm clock on her bedside table which flashed four thirty am. She wished she could sleep better. She hadn't gotten a good night sleep in weeks. She sighed again and threw her covers back pushing herself out of bed knowing she would not get back to sleep now. She grabbed her blanket and made her way out of her bedroom and downstairs into the living room trying to be as quiet as she could so as not to wake up anyone else in the house. She dumped her blanket down on the sofa and quickly went into the kitchen grabbing a glass of water before heading back to the sofa.

She gulped at the water before placing the glass on the coffee table and reaching over for the TV remote. She made sure the TV was on a low volume and lay down pulling her blanket over her and flicking through the channels. She finally landed on a film and placed the remote back on the coffee table. Pulling the blanket closer around her she snuggled into the sofa. She hoped to fall back to sleep again and she did ten minutes into the film.

Mary-Margaret slowly walked down the stairs, yawning to herself and rubbing her eyes. She glanced into the living room to see the TV on and walked in a little further to see Regina fast asleep on the sofa. Mary-Margaret smiled to herself. She was glad to have Regina back home. She had missed her when she had been staying at Emma's. She turned on her heel and headed towards the kitchen to make herself some coffee.

It was as she was making the coffee that she heard Regina shout. Mary-Margaret frowned and stopped what she was doing quickly leaving the kitchen and heading back towards the living room. She walked closer to Regina and could see she was still asleep but was obviously shouting in her sleep.

"No. I'm done with you now!" Regina murmured and she tossed a little on the sofa. "I won't let you do this to me!"

Mary-Margaret frowned some more and she stepped towards Regina, crouching down to her and placing her hand on Regina's shoulder. "Regina honey. Wake up." Mary-Margaret said softly.

"I won't let you!" Regina shouted and tossed again.

"Regina honey. Regina wake up." Mary-Margaret said slightly louder and shook Regina's shoulder a little more.

Regina woke up, her eyes flickering a little before settling on Mary-Margaret. Regina frowned a little as she tried to take in where she was. She then pushed herself up and looked around her.

"Are you okay Regina?" Mary-Margaret asked.

Regina nodded her head. "Yes…I…It was just another dream that is all…" Regina said still trying to register what she had dreamt.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Mary-Margaret asked softly.

Regina shook her head. "No I'm alright. It was nothing." Regina said but she really wasn't convincing Mary-Margaret. Not after what she had heard. But she didn't want to push Regina too much. Not when she had only just gotten her back.

"Okay. Would you like some coffee and some breakfast?" Mary-Margaret asked.

"Yes that would be nice." Regina replied with a small smile. Mary-Margaret smiled back and then stood up and walked back out of the room leaving Regina alone to process her thoughts.

She had had another memory. A memory of herself learning magic, dark magic. She had felt so angry and so hurt, horrible feelings that she didn't think anyone would be able to cope with if they felt them. Her mentor…he spoke with a shrill voice and his skin was sparkling gold and he looked very familiar. Too familiar. He looked Exactly liked Mr Gold and this scared her. If these were memories then Mr Gold had already tried to teach her magic…but not to help her but to help himself.

Regina ran her fingers through her hair. She guessed Emma was right when she said not to let Gold teach her magic and not to trust him. She doubted this time round that he was just trying to help her. She doubted this time round was any different. But what was Gold after from her? She had nothing to offer him. She had told him as much when she asked for his help.

It was then that Regina decided perhaps to call off the deal with Gold.

Regina had quickly drank her coffee and ate her breakfast. She had quickly showered and dressed and was quick to say her goodbyes and leave the house before anyone could stop her. She had a magic lesson with Gold and she was determined this was to be her last. She made her way through the forests, towards the usual meeting place for her magic lessons and as she came to the clearing she saw Cruella, Ursula, Maleficent and Gold all standing waiting on her. She took a deep breath as she walked towards them.

"Your late." Gold snapped as she walked towards them.

"I know." She replied simply. She couldn't very well deny she was and there was no point making any excuses because he never took them anyway.

Gold raised an eyebrow at her. "Well as you are late we will have to hop straight to things and you will work through any breaks we may have had."

"I won't be learning magic from you anymore." Regina said quickly.

"Excuse me dearie?"

"I said…" Regina said taking a deep breath. "I won't be learning magic from you anymore."

"Yes I thought that is what I heard." Gold said quietly as he stepped towards her. "And why this sudden change of heart then dearie?"

"I…I know who you are…what you done to me in the past…" Regina said not sure if her confidence was going to stay. "I-I seen it. In a dream."

"Sure it wasn't just a silly dream?" Cruella drawled out. "He has done nothing but help you with your magic and you are just going to throw it all back in his face. Spoilt ungrateful brat." Cruella sneered as she stepped closer to Regina. Regina stepped backwards, hitting her back against a tree. She was trapped between the tree and Gold, Cruella and Ursula. Maleficent was nowhere to be seen and this unnerved Regina.

"I'm not ungrateful…and it wasn't just a silly dream. I know it wasn't. It felt exactly like all the others. It was a memory and I won't let you do that to me again. I can't let you!" Regina said turning to Gold, holding her head up high trying to hide her fear of him and looking more like the regal queen she once had been.

Gold smirked and he placed a couple of fingers under Regina's chin making her flinch a little. "You won't let me do what dearie?" he hissed.

"I-I…I won't let you…" Regina stuttered out. "I…"

"Come on dear spit it out." Cruella smirked. She loved watching the young girl squirm.

"I won't let you turn me into that Evil woman again." Regina said quickly.

"Oh really? And tell me dearie how would you stop me?" Gold sneered. "You can't stop me Regina. You have no control over that magic of yours and compared to me you are nothing to my magic. You my dear…" Gold said pulling Regina up to look at him, holding onto her chin tightly. "Will do what I want."

"But I…" Regina started.

"No more talking Regina." Gold said stopping her from saying anything else. "I think it is about time that we get on with why I have been teaching you magic. The time has come for you to help me and to come true on our deal."

"What do you want from me?" Regina asked. She realised it was a mistake to come back to Gold. She should have just stayed away from them all. Stayed with her family where she was safe.

"Your soul dearie." Gold said and with that he placed a hand on Regina's shoulder and they disappeared in a puff of smoke with Cruella and Ursula following behind.

None of them noticed that Maleficent hadn't followed. She wasn't going to follow them anymore. She couldn't let Gold take Regina again, this time she was going to help her and this time she would succeed.