[A/N] it's my birthday today and you get an update, cause I am nice like that.
Chapter 8
His name in this world is Mr. August Booth.
Every few minutes he sips on the bottle of beer in front of him.
The story he tells us is puzzling.
He helped his father build the closet which was supposed to bring me to a safe place when the dark curse hit.
Only that Regina never casted it.
"So, your sneaky father talked the blue fairy into hiding you inside the closet."
August nods his head.
"That's how I came here."
Regina bites her lower lip.
"What did you do to the remains of the closet?"
He shrugs his shoulders.
"I left them in the forest where I landed. Don't think I would find that place again. It has been t-"
Regina grabs his arm roughly. Her fingernails leave marks.
"You will remember, puppet."
August chuckles. He gulps down the remainder of his beer.
"You don't get it, majesty, do you?"
He leans closer. The beer smell is mixed with something lemony.
"In this world you have no power. Here you are not a queen. She's not a princess. I am not a puppet."
Regina takes a mouthful from her wine glass.
"I refuse to be powerless. This land...it was supposed to be my happily ever after."
Villains don't get their happy ending. It's a rule. It's an unwritten law in our world. Our world but here? What if it's different in this realm?
"I have no desire to go back."
I can feel the frustration beginning to boil inside me. He's just like Neal. It's like they are refusing to see we don't belong here.
Regina looks him over while he swiftly empties a second beer.
"Let me guess, you haven't exactly been a good boy, have you?"
I look at Regina. Why is she grinning like that?
"Why does it matter?"
She runs her fingertip slowly over the edge of the wineglass. Her nails are painted in a similar color as the drink.
"It matters because being a good boy is part of his deal with the blue fairy."
"I would turn into wood again should I return to the Enchanted forest."
He gets up and fishes some of the paper money out. My face turns hot when he shoves it between the breasts of the tavern maid.
"These ladies are my guests tonight, sweetie. They get whatever they like."
He grabs her behind and hands her more money when she makes a comment that I don't look old enough to drink.
The brown liquid makes my throat and eyes burn when I swallow.
Regina laughs. Her eyes stay on me. She doesn't even flinch when she drinks.
The more she has of the wine and the brown liquor the more talkative she becomes.
She tells me how both my parents volunteered to take my spot as her prisoner.
When they made it down to the dungeon they were faced with a hysterically laughing Rumplestiltskin, not me.
"Snow thought it was a trick. It took me a while to convince her that I had nothing to do with your disappearance."
I sip on my drink again. There is strange warmth in my belly.
I move a bit closer against Regina.
"You came here to get me back."
"I was trying to get you back. Me coming here was not part of the plan."
My heart begins to flutter.
She tried to get me back home.
She cares.
She must care.
"Your magic is strong. It must be if you still have it in a land without magic."
"I have trouble controlling it though."
Her hand is on my knee now. I hold my breath.
"I can teach you."
"Why would you care to do so?"
I am surprised by the anger I feel towards her. If she hadn't thrown me into the dungeon…
"You are upset with me."
She gulps another small glass with brown liquid down.
"I was upset with you too."
"Angry, you mean."
I cross my arms in front of my chest. It's like I am ice cold suddenly.
"You lied to me."
Like I had a choice!
"If you had known I'm Princess Emma, you wouldn't been friendly minded."
She nods.
Her hands reach for the wine bottle to refill her glass. The more she drinks, the more she tries to get physically closer.
I crave her touch but I am hesitant to give in.
She hurt me. For the first time though I realize, I've hurt her too.
Regina let me get close to her. Only to find out, I wasn't the one she thought me to be.
"Why did you run away from your charming parents?"
"I told you. They were trying to marry me off."
Regina bites the corner of her lip.
"So that part wasn't a lie."
"Many things I told you were the truth."
She raises an eyebrow up a bit.
"Like what."
My face feels hot.
"I never kissed anyone before you."
"I know."
Her mouth is close to my ear now. I shiver when warm, wine-moist lips touch its corner.
From the corner of my eye I see August fondling the tavern maid.
He is way too distracted to notice Regina and I leaving.
It takes me a while to find our way back to Neal's apartment.
He still hasn't returned.
"This place is filthy." Regina states, flicking off dust from the edge of the couch.
"I doubt they have castles here in this world."
"There's still soap and and water to clean, isn't there?"
I laugh and plop down on the couch.
"Are we stuck in this world forever now?"
"Forever is a damn long time."
She sits down next to me. Her knee rubs against my thigh.
I moan into Regina's mouth when she leans closer for a kiss.
Her tongue nestles between my lips. I can taste the bitterness of her drinks mixed with essence of sweet.
That is what Regina is like, bitter and sweet.
I embrace both with unknown hunger.