Bane of His Existence

Chapter Twenty-Four

"I'm sorry… I'm not sure why I'm still feeling so weak even after you've healed my wounds and my fever," Hook finally said quietly when he was the first to break the passionate silence that had fallen over them and pulled away from the woman kneeling in front of him, as the love they suddenly felt for one another seemed foreign for them both. "I can't seem to shake whatever's happened to me. The strange thing is, I think it started even before we ever went to Neverland."

"You're right about that," Regina replied, then moved to sit down beside him. "It's because you're just exhausted, both physically and emotionally because of all the pain you've suffered these last couple of days. I'm really sorry that things didn't work out like we hoped it would. But it was very brave of you to tell your daughter the truth about why Gothel has done this to you both. I wasn't eavesdropping. Or at least I wasn't really trying to. I promise, all I heard was the last bit of your confession to her when I came down here to find you. I wanted to make sure you were alright."

He smiled sadly and whispered, "It's okay. I don't mind that you heard. But you're wrong about me being brave. I should have told her about Gothel being her mother years ago when I could still hold her to comfort her. I wanted to. But I was too much of a coward. I was weak because I didn't want her to hate me too. She already hated the woman she could only imagine was her mother because I hadn't told Alice about her. Tonight was too late and now she's out there all alone."

The Queen shook her head as she responded, "She isn't alone, Hook. Henry will have gone off by now to go after her, in order to make sure she's alright. And Alice knows you think of her often, so she never forgets how much you truly love her. I came down here to be with you and you're hardly a coward. You were only trying to protect your daughter from the pain of what this truth has made her feel. She doesn't blame you for your actions back then, because she's sees that you're not that man anymore. Just as me and Henry see so too. You made a very difficult choice to give up everything you had in the world. Not just your revenge, but also your ship, your crew and friends… your entire life as a pirate after two hundred years, just to be there for Alice. And from the look I saw in Alice's eyes before she left just now, your sacrifices mean everything to her. She loves you, Hook. More than you know. Believe me, I've seen that same look in Henry's eyes many times, especially in the days that were the darkest for me. When I was still the Evil Queen."

Before either one of them could understand the feelings that swept over them in that moment, Killian surprised Regina when he gently reached up to touch her face and then leaned in as he began to kiss her. She continued to kiss him back until she suddenly pushed the pirate captain back much to his surprise.

"I'm sorry," she stated fearfully upon seeing a brief hint of sadness in Hook's eyes after she did so.

"No, I'm the one who's sorry," he answered gently without looking back into her eyes again. "I don't know what came over me. I just… I thought you might have felt it too, but…"

The Queen shook her head and interrupted him saying, "I did feel it. I'm not sure how you and I have come to become so… I mean, you're Captain Hook and I'm the Evil Queen. Not that we don't deserve to find love again because we were once villains. But… falling in love with me is a bad idea, Hook. I've been in love twice in my life, with Daniel and Robin. And they're both gone now. Because of me."

Hook began to caress her cheek again while he steadfastly replied, "You're wrong about that, Regina. Daniel was killed because your mother made a choice to hurt you. And Robin died protecting you from Hades' wrath. They died because of other villains' cruel actions, not because you didn't deserve their love. We've become the heroes we are now because we both decided not to allow fate, or destiny determine what becomes of us. If you think I'm afraid that someone will come along to try to destroy what I feel for you now by threatening my life, you're wrong. I want whatever this is, be it love or something else… to work out between us. I'm willing to risk everything, as I've always done for Alice too. Please don't allow your fear to get in the way. You deserve to be happy in every way."

"Then… I suppose I'm willing to risk everything too," Regina responded happily, as she used the back of her hand to wipe away the joyful tears that began to slip from the corners of her eyes, then laughed before they finally continued to kiss one another again and again.

Henry and Ella were happily married, while Killian Jones of the Wish Realm and Regina were together and happily in love for six months, until one dark night when Gothel suddenly appeared before the former Evil Queen as Regina was sitting alone within the same spot where their love first began, waiting for Hook to join her when he returned from a scouting expedition with Henry.

"Gothel… I should have known you'd make an appearance at some point," she said coldly as she rose from the rock and stood before the witch head on. "I'm guessing word about Hook and me being together all this time has finally reached your ears."

The evil woman glared at Regina until she stood taller and answered snidely, "It isn't as though you've been making much effort to keep your love a secret. Not even from me. Which was a mistake. You really should have known that this relationship was doomed to fail. Whether Hook knows it or not, his love is mine for the taking. It's just as I've tried to tell him. Like I've told you back when we were in Neverland. You will only wind up with your hearts broken. But how that happens now is up to you. I'm about to give you a choice. Tell Hook that you don't believe this relationship of yours is working out anymore. Break his heart, or I will take him now and none of you will ever see him again. He'll wind up a slave again like most of his former life before he ever became the pirate he is now. Only he'll be a slave to me. For me to do with him as I please. And I will break him until he's mine of his own free will, whether he's happy about it or not. Are you willing to allow him to suffer just because you're too selfish to let him go?"

Regina summoned her magic from within her as she suddenly forced the witch back hard against the large tree behind her, then she shouted, "You don't have the power to decide our fates! You seem to remember Neverland so fondly… I told you then that we would protect him from you. We have so far, and we won't allow you to get near him enough to take him from us. I won't break his heart because of fear."

"You may not be afraid enough about losing him, but how do you think he would feel if his daughter was suddenly found dead in this river?" Gothel then asked cruelly, as she slowly rose back to her feet from where she fell against the ground. "How do you think Hook would continue to feel about you if he were to learn that you had a chance to save Alice's life, but refused because you loved him too much to let him go?"

"You wouldn't kill your own daughter?" Regina questioned, knowing in her heart that this witch had no love for Alice because she had already made the decision to let her die once the morning she had been born until Hook stepped in to care for her.

The evil woman spoke up again coldly saying, "You already know deep down that I would. You may be able to protect Hook while he's within the protection of your rebellion, but Alice is living out there, within these woods all alone and she's a much easier target to kill. Make your choice, Regina. Break Hook's heart, or look for his daughter's body come morning."

At last, Gothel vanished again without her usual theatrics of calling down the thunder and lightning, just in time as Hook returned, then came rushing down the hill to greet the woman he was in love with, with a long deep kiss which Regina cherished because she knew what she had to do next, and that it was going to break the heart of the man she loved as well her own like Gothel wanted.

He was the first to break away from their passion when he pulled his head back and looked deep into Regina's eyes as he smiled, then stated, "You're looking as radiant as ever tonight, love. How are you?"

"I'm fine," she replied shortly, choking back a sob that threatened to come out as she struggled with finding the right words to say to him without hurting him too deeply. "How did the scouting go? Have Lady Tremaine's soldiers moved on yet?"

"They have," the pirate responded, then he noticed the sadness in her eyes. "Is everything all right? Has something happened?"

Regina shook her head despondently and then answered, "No… I promise, everything's fine here. But Hook, there's something we have to talk about. I'm just not sure what I can say that will make what I have to tell you any easier."

He looked at her strangely while he took a few steps back and replied, "You can tell me anything, Regina. Whatever it is…"

"We can't be together any longer, Killian," the Queen abruptly responded more brusque than she intended and her own heart broke upon seeing the despair appear in his eyes as she spoke. "I don't… This doesn't mean I don't love you any longer. Because I do. So much."

"Then why?" Killian asked sadly. "If I've done something wrong, I'm sorry. I've made many mistakes in my long lifetime, but I know that you were never one of those mistakes. You and Alice are the best things that have ever happened to me."

Regina let out a sigh and then continued, "And you're one of the best things in my life too. You haven't done anything wrong. But the truth is… I've realized that I've been acting selfish by holding onto you for so long. I've distracted you from what's most important and that's your daughter."

Hook said again, "I don't understand. You and I have been looking for a way to cure the poison over my heart together all this time. You haven't distracted me from her. And she cares about you as much as I do. Has something frightened you into saying these things? Has someone threatened you if you refuse to hurt me?"

"I need you to trust me when I say… that everything will be better for both you and Alice if we're no longer together," she answered curtly and then ran away from him as she suddenly began to break down, in order to keep him from seeing her cry.

"Regina… wait!" Killian cried out to her as she did so, then collapsed onto the rock at his feet as he struggled to understand what happened to them.

The next morning…

Neither Hook, nor Regina slept that night as they both tried to understand what had come between them. For the next several hours, she did everything she could to avoid him as they both went about the rebellion's business. Henry had noticed the strain had fallen over them, yet Killian couldn't explain much and his mother refused to, knowing that her son would tell her that she was being foolish to give up on another chance at true love.

However, as Regina walked back down to the river to fill up a number of canteens for a group of the rebels who were about to head out on another mission, Hook suddenly appeared behind her and spun her around in order to kiss her again. Regina knew she should have pushed him away, but her heart made it impossible for her to do so until he was the one who finally pulled back.

He then looked into her eyes as he whispered, "Forgive me. I just had to kiss you one last time if you're certain we can't be together any longer. I want you to know, Regina… that I respect your decision and if you think I hate you, you're mistaken. I could never hate you. But I hope we can at least remain close friends. Come what may."

She closed her eyes until she opened them again a few moments later to find herself looking deeply into his while she sincerely replied, "Come what may then. I will always love you, Killian. And maybe one day we can be together again. But it can only be when this war against these villains we're fighting is finally over. You have no idea how grateful I am that you understand."

"I wasn't sure I did at first," Killian responded gently. "That is… until I remembered Henry telling me how hard my other self had to fight for Emma's love as he broke down her walls one by one, and that he never fully gave up hope they could be together someday. And they are. I won't give up on us, Regina. I love you. Please, don't give up us."

"I won't," Regina answered, then watched the man she was in love with as much as he loved her walk away to join those about to go out to find an old friend they had heard had been taken prisoner by Lady Tremaine and her army. "I promise you I won't."