Hey! I return with a chapter. In this we have Regina starting to go a little mad with the darkness. Hope you enjoy!
Regina lay in her bed in Robin's arms trying to sleep but her mind seemed to be working overdrive. She thought about everything King Arthur had said and everything she knew about Pandora's box and the Dark one. She feared the worst. Everyone had tried giving her the hope speech. Telling her they would find another way to get the darkness out of her but Regina seen only one way to do it.
Everyone knew to rid the darkness out of the dark one they need to be killed by the dagger. There was no other way. It was all that could be done no matter how much hope people had it was the only thing they could do. Regina sighed and she moved a little glancing up at a sleeping Robin. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as she thought about the people she loved, her family that she would lose and would in turn lose her when the time came.
She would have to do it. To save them. She couldn't let the darkness consume her. She had seen what it done to Rumplestiltskin. He lost all the ones he loved. That was what the darkness eventually did to the person that possessed it. Pushed all their loved ones away until they clung to the darkness and power with everything they had left. She wouldn't let that happen to her, not again. She couldn't. She sighed again and slowly pushed herself up and out of Robin's arms and slowly slid across the bed and over to the edge. She pushed herself out of the bed and made her way into the ensuite bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her.
Walking over to the mirror that ran from one end of the wall to the other she ran her fingers through her hair and then leaned against the counter. She reached over turning on the tap and gathered some water in her hands and splashed her face a little. She grabbed the hand towel and brought it to her face, wiping it and letting out a deep breath as she glanced up to the mirror. She gasped and dropped the towel and she looked at her reflection. Her skin seemed to sparkle in the light, not quite like Rumpelstiltskin's. Not gold, but sparkling. She closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head, rubbing her eyes before opening them again and looking in the mirror again to see her skin back to normal.
You liked it. I know you did. See what you would look like if you only let the power in. You could be invincible. Think how you could protect the family you love so much.
Regina shook her head again. "No. That's not what you want from me." Regina muttered staring into the mirror. "You don't want me to protect my family."
I want you to give into what you inevitably can't fight against. You of all people know the darkness is a strong pull. You can't deny me for much longer. Think of the power you could possess.
"No." Regina muttered, gripping onto the edge of the counter. "I don't want it! I don't want your power!"
You can tell yourself you don't want it Regina but I know the truth. Deep down you like the pull of the darkness once more. It puts you in a safe place, you remember it well. It was the only thing you had at one point. They will all turn on you Regina. They all know what they need to do to get rid of the darkness in you, you really think there will ever be another way to rid yourself of me?
Regina shook her head and closed her eyes swallowing back the tears that were threatening to fall. "Stop it." She whispered and she kept repeating it over and over and over again, getting louder and louder each time she repeated it. "Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Get out of my head!" Regina shouted and she slammed her hands down on the bathroom counter. Magic flew out from her hands causing the mirror to shatter. Regina gasped and pushed herself away from the counter, looking down at her hands she saw her skin sparkling once more.
"Regina? Regina are you okay in there? What's going on?" Robin shouted through the door, thumping his fist on it. She could hear the worry in his voice. "Regina let me in. Open the door."
Regina's back hit the wall and she slid down, bringing her knees up to her chest she finally let the tears fall and she cried and cried letting all her built up emotions out. Robin, thumped against the door and finally it flew open. He darted in and looked around the bathroom seeing the shattered mirror and then his eyes landed on a broken looking Regina in the corner of the room, cuddling her legs and crying her heart out. He slowly walked over to her and crouched down beside her.
"Regina…what's going on? What happened?" Robin asked softly. He wanted to touch her. He wanted to hold her but he didn't want to scare her. He had no idea what was going on.
"I can't get rid of it. It won't stop. It won't go away." Regina said as she stared out, looking anywhere but at Robin. "I told it to stop, I wanted it to stop!" She said, a sob escaping her. Robin shuffled closer to Regina and slowly moved his arm around her shoulders. She didn't flinch away so he pulled her closer to him, holding onto her as tight as he could. "I can't escape the voice." Regina whispered, clutching onto Robin, a fistful of his top. "It's always there, taunting me, reminding me of who I once was and encouraging me to give in. I can't take it any more Robin."
Robin kissed the top of her head and continued to hold her. He wanted to help her. More than anything he wanted to but he had no idea how to help her. "It's going to be alright Regina. We are going to figure out a way to save you. I won't let that darkness take you."
"It's already started Robin." Regina said, holding her hands out in front of them. Her skin sparkling like stars in a night sky. "Look at my hands, my skin is changing."
Robin frowned as he looked down at Regina's hands. He saw no change. Her skin looked like it always did, soft olive skin. "Your hands look fine to me love." Robin replied.
"What?" Regina asked pulling away from Robin slightly. "What do you mean they look fine?! Look at them. My skin is changing. Just like Rumplestiltskin's did. It's not exactly the same…it's not gold but it is changing. Look at my hands." Regina said holding them a little closer to Robin.
Robin took Regina's hands in his and he kissed each one and then looked up at Regina. "I see no change Regina. Your hands look the same as they always do."
Regina looked confused. She looked down at her hands, seeing the change that clearly Robin couldn't see. She didn't understand. Why was she the only one to see this change? "I want it all to go away…" She whispered, letting her shoulders sag a little and leaning back into Robin. She was tired, so tired. All she wanted to do was sleep. She rested her head on Robin's chest, holding onto him she closed her eyes and let the sleep she needed take over her.
"We are working on it Regina. No matter what I will save you from this." Robin said with a sigh as he held onto Regina and let her sleep in his arms for a bit.
The next morning Robin had convinced Regina to stay in bed for a bit longer and rest after the events of the night before. He had tucked her back into bed, kissed the top of her head and whispered his 'I love yous' to her while he stroked her hair and guided her off into what he hoped would be a peaceful sleep.
When she had finally fallen to sleep he slowly and quietly walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him and turning round to come face to face with Henry. "What's going on Robin?" Henry asked. Robin motioned for Henry to be quiet before motioning for Henry to follow him. They walked down stairs and through to the kitchen where Robin went about making some coffee (something Regina had shown him how to do. It took many times before he perfected it like she had). "What's going on Robin?" Henry repeated leaning on the counter and giving Robin a look that really reminded him of Regina. It made him smile a little.
"Your mother is just a little tired. She didn't sleep well last night." Robin replied.
"I know. I heard…whatever happened last night…I heard her crying…" Henry sighed.
"What else did you hear?" Robin asked, stopping what he was doing and walking over to Henry. He leaned on the counter and looked at the boy.
"I heard her talking about the darkness already working on her…and something about her skin looking different. She seemed really scared and…confused I guess…I've never seen her like that before." Henry said.
Robin sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. He knew Regina didn't like to let Henry know everything that was going on. Still seen him as her little prince, the little baby boy that she had raised but Robin also knew that Henry was not going to settle with anything less than the truth from Robin. He wanted to help and protect his mother. "She is scared and I think she is beginning to become a little confused with whatever is going on." Robin started trying to figure out what to say.
"What did she mean about her skin changing?" Henry asked.
"Hey do you still have that book? Your fairytale book?" Robin asked and Henry nodded. "Go get it…" Henry frowned in confusion but he pushed away from the counter and left the room to go and get his book anyway. He soon returned, book in hand, and walked back over to Robin placing the book on the counter. He watched as Robin flicked through the book and landed on a page of Rumplestiltskin as the dark one. "Now I don't know if you ever saw Rumplestiltskin as the dark one, I mean the proper version when he was in the Enchanted Forest…" Henry shook his head. "Well his skin…it was like gold…it sparkled like gold and your mother well she kept telling me last night that her skin was changing. She said it was sparkling." Robin tried to explain.
"Like Rumplestiltskin's? Her skin is turning Gold?" Henry asked.
"Well your mother said it wasn't exactly like Rumplestiltskin's. It sparkled but it wasn't gold. I think Rumplestiltskin's being gold was perhaps due to the whole spinning straw into gold thing. So your mothers would be different I guess." Robin said.
"But you said to her she looked the same…" Henry said.
Robin nodded his head. "I did. I couldn't see any changes."
"Why? Surely if the darkness is trying to take over her we would all see it…" Henry said.
"Well I'm not sure. I think this is perhaps a way for the darkness to mess around with your mother. She kept saying something about it taunting her, it wouldn't stop and it wouldn't go away. She has told me before about it telling her she needed to let it consume her so I think…"
"The darkness is talking to her." Henry finished. "I already worked something like that out."
"You did?" Robin asked.
Henry nodded his head. "I have been working out a way to try and stop the darkness getting to mom, long enough to perhaps work out how to get it out of mom."
"The locket?" Robin said.
"That was part of it. I'm still trying to figure out how to maybe get rid of what I think must be a voice in her head. The darkness is probably talking to her and that's what she means by it taunting her. It is taunting her and pushing her trying to get her to just accept it, but if we can get a way to maybe shut down that voice then she can fight harder against it." Henry explained.
"You're a smart boy Henry." Robin said with a smile on his face.
"Well not smart enough. I still haven't figured out exactly how to shut out the voice." Henry sighed.
"That's not your job Henry." Regina said making both Robin and Henry jump and turn around to face her. "You don't have to look after me or figure out a way to shut out what is in my head."
"Yes I do." Henry said firmly walking over to Regina. "I'm your son and as your son it is my job to protect you when something is trying to hurt you or get to you. No matter what you say that is what I am going to do mom."
Regina gave Henry a watery eyed smile and she opened her arms letting Henry fall into them and holding him close to her. "I love you Henry."
"I love you too mom." Henry replied. He then pulled away a little and looked up at her. "And don't worry. We are going to fix all of this. We will help you mom."