Wait For It

by ER-OQ

Regina Mills was never the patient sort. However, after a plan gone awry, she will have to learn this skill if she is ever to reclaim the life she desperately craves. OutlawQueen with a side of dimplesqueen and maybe some regalbeliever thrown in too. This is a multi-verse story and the raiting my change depending on where my muse takes me.

5. Chapter 5

Okay so I've got a better idea now as to where this story is going. If you like what I'm writing - fav/follow and review. I really do like to hear back from people and it really does make me write quicker. Sorry for any mistakes, there will be many I'm sure. Currently pulled an all nighter writing this and attempted to proof-read at 7:45 am. Alas I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. A x

Dream Scape:

Darkness entrapped her. Practically suffocating her in its unrelenting hold. Piercing hands clawed at her exposed flesh, never seen but cutting like a thousand knives. She tried to scream but no noise came forth from her. It was as though the darkness itself was sucking out her power, dragging her further into its despair. Tears stung in her eyes, threatening to fall as she willed herself to remain standing. Warm blood seeped from the wounds towards to ground, pooling itself at her feet. The air thick with the stench. A distant cry could be heard in the distance from a time long forgotten before she was swallowed entirely.

Robin's POV:

As Robin went around the titivating the hidden room, a small whimpering sound broke through the still night air. If not for the absolute silence, he would have surely missed the broken sound. Turning around cautiously, he glanced over to the table where the queen still resided. He studied the erratic movements of her chest and the way her nails tense and released against the splintering wood. Her face was scrunched up as though in pain and her head continuously moved, never fulling resting. Her hairline was drenched in sweat and small whimpers continued to escape her parted lips. He had never thought that the Evil Queen of all people would be affected by something as human as a nightmare. It seemed bizarre that anything could knock this tyrant yet today, he had already seen so many knew shades to her. Robin studied her as though she were a shattered mirror. Beautiful in its destruction but destruction nevertheless. As a guttural scream forced its way through her distressed slumber, her now raw and splintered hand grasped onto his arm. The feeling of fire spread through him as her palm covered the tattoo on his forearm. He needed to shut her up…and fast. It was a miracle that they'd been close to a safe house shelter as nightfall approached but that would do them seldom any good if she acted as a bloody human siren. As he went to pull his arm away, her grip tightened and her body lurched upright. Nails breaking into the callous skin of his arm as hot tears created glistening tracks down the Queen's face. Undecipherable mumbles fell from her lips, growing in strength until he could finally make out a single name. Henry. The name poured from her, desperation corrupting her tone as though this were her only tether to sanity. Gingerly, he tried to sedate her as the threat of discovery grew with every passing second. Panic overtook his senses as the sounds of beating wings and screeches bled through her agony. He lifted the woman from the table and fled under the canopy of flora nestled in the furthest corner. He prayed that the magic of old would still protect her whilst she resided under its cover. Instinctively, he ran his hand through her sinuous hair. His fingers gentle whilst grazing her scalp with every measured stroke. Malicious chatter rained from above. Snarling mouths and hooked claws hunting in the twilight. Holding her ever closer to him whilst pleading to her subconscious, he thought of his son. His warm inquisitive eyes the mirror of his mothers. His smile reminiscent of the summers brightest sun and his laughter the sound of the bird's chorus at dawn. He thought of the life he wished they could have had and prayed for the one he wished his son to have. Turning his head into the Queen's he heard the beasts ripping away the vines and branches that covered the entrance to their hideout. He felt the ice cold draft pierce through his skin whilst their impending doom stormed through the defenses. Dank fur and stale blood drowned them in its thick musk, clear in what it brought. Death. The Queen was still screaming and clawing her way further into him when all noise ceased. Robin felt his whole world stop. The colours becoming muted as his heart pounded in his ears. A delicate hand rose to cover his heart as the door burst open and hell was unleashed upon them. Dozens of winged beasts surged through. Their sharp yellow teeth displayed in a disturbing smile, snatching in attack. Wings flapping in an uncontrollable hurricane of horror. Long talons searched for fresh victims. Beating on their fur clad chests, the unprecedented war cry of this disfigured breed finally split through the Queen's slumber. Terrified whiskey eyes met his own, panic set clearly in them. She looked down to her hand, still resting over his heart and pulled it back as though she'd been burnt. Hostility radiated from her as the imminent fight loomed and for a moment, they could do nothing but wait for it.

Regina's POV:

She felt as though she was falling through endless nothingness, screaming for help when something caught her. Felt her weight being supported in this dystopian world. Felt a tender touch caress her head. Felt her hand rest against something in the nothingness that ignited the fire within her. Suddenly, an inhuman blast shattered the illusion and she was brought back to the realm of the living. Her eyes sprung open and her breath hitched as she saw what lay ahead of her. Numerous what looked to be…winged monkeys were preparing themselves for battle. Their bodies showed the scars of past events but she knew it that moment, there was no hope. She had no magic. No weapons. No idea of how to fight even one of these creatures let alone the small army that stood before her. Impulsively, she huddled into herself when she noticed the arms holding her were not her own. Glancing upwards she met the crystal blue eyes of her entrapper and was taken aback by the fear she saw in them. What was this world she had fallen so unceremoniously into? Regina felt a warm spark following through her body, radiating from the very hand that was currently lay upon his chest, directly over his heart. She ripped her hand away at the realization but the spark remained there. Just below the surface. Humming. Like magic. Turning herself around to their impending doom she squared her shoulders and fixed her best sneer. Mentally, she apolagised to Henry. She apolagised for who she was, who she became. For what she put him through and prayed that he got the life he deserved, even if that wouldn't be with her. Regina kept his beautiful face in her mind as she looked into the face of death.

With a single breath, the hoard propelled forward in their nightmarish formation. A tyrant of frenzy and malice too dark for any one person to withstand. Regina remained rooted in her spot. There was simply no point running this time. She had nothing left to live for. No one else to go. Slowly, she counted down from 5 and waiting for the end to finally meet her. 5…the mass of fur tore through the hole where a door once stood. 4…It destroyed the simple wooden chairs where they sat only hours ago.3…They ripped the table apart, branding the splinted wood as though swords. 2…Straw tore through the air adding partially obstructing the oncoming attack. 1…She could feel their hot rancid breath on her face.0. They lunged forward. Teeth poised…talons bared. Cries of vulgarity as they finally caught their prey. But she felt no pain. In fact she felt an odd tingling feeling and a sense of calm overtaking her. Before she could register what was happening, a beam of white light burst from her and up into the surrounding flora. Cocooning the couple in bright white light. The smell of singed fur and charred flesh enveloped her senses, turning her stomach more than she'd ever admit. The sight of mangled bodies, too close the light, littered the floor ahead of them as their fellow cluster fled back into the night in defeat. Not even Regina herself could explain what was currently happening. Never had she possessed light magic nor did she call her own forth which left the question. How did they survive? As she spun around the man she still didn't know the name of, she couldn't help but take in the awe she saw painted across his face. So he had no ideas either it seemed.

Hours past and the night finally gave way to the day. Neither had spoken of what had occurred that night. They had simply sat inside the protection field and at some stage, fallen asleep there on the floor. As Regina awoke that following morning, she felt a deep, sharp pain through her ribs again. Sleeping on the dirt covered ground definitely did not help when it came to refusing her bones back together. As she tried to push herself into an upright position, she couldn't help the harsh hiss that left her mouth in protest. It seemed she was destined to be stuck on this godforsaken ground forever. Or at least until she was carted off to be executed. Cynically, she laughed at the position she found herself in. Why couldn't she have died last night in the raid. It would have been quick and over by now. The feeling of marching towards her doom annoyed the fuck out of her. Especially now she had given up on her will to fight. Regina was brought out of her musing by the sound of rhythmic tapping by the man sat opposite. She was not sure how long he had been awake, probably all through the night if the dark shadows under his eyes were any indication. His eyes studied her closely. His brow creased in deep thought, only amplified by the way he bit his bottom lip in concentration. The intense gaze made Regina uncomfortable for she didn't know as to what answer he was searching so desperately for. She went to move again only for the attempt to completely knock the wind out of her.

"If you continue wriggling, you will only prolong the healing process." His voice left no room for discussion however, when had that ever stopped her. Once again she tried to sit up, this time using the wall as support only to have the pain return tenfold.

"I swear to god. Every time I think you couldn't be anymore stubborn you surprise me."

"Well it's good to know I made an impression. Always important." She teased through grit teeth. Realising that this particular woman wasn't going to stop until she either reached her goal or hurt herself in the process, Robin lifted her up.

'How dare you touch me! Filthy peasant. I am your Queen. Show some respect unless you don't wish to see another sunrise." She sneered in his face, daring him to continue. Desperate to realise the typhoon of emotions she currently had brewing inside of her. He met her glare with one of his own, refusing to be threatened by her.

"You" he started "Are no Queen of mine. You didn't deserve that title then and you don't deserve it now. These are no longer your lands so…" He lifted her and set her against the wall behind "you are no more important than I." An infuriating smirk grew on his face as she simply learnt further into the wall and took in her first proper breath. For a time, she studied the exposed roots that acted as a ceiling/room to the now destroyed safe room.

"How did you do it. How did you save us?" Regina readied herself for yet another series of back and forth but was genuinely taken aback by the lack of accusation in his tone. If she was honest, it threw he off for a moment.

"We should have died last night" he continued "and trust me I am not complain with this rather fortunate change in events but…I have never seen magic as powerful as that. At least not protective magic. Furthermore, you hadn't any magic so forgive but I don't understand as to how we are still alive." The look of puzzlement matched perfectly with the expression his face wore when she awoke. Obviously, this question has been plaguing him for hours. Regina herself didn't know the answer to his question. At least nothing more that parts of speculation. Soul magic and what not but that seemed impossible.

"I don't know what happened last night." She told him honestly. I had no intentions of creating a shield and I've never created one on instinct. Especially not from light magic of all things. It just came out of me and I couldn't stop it." Regina began playing with a loose thread on her sleeve before she added "I don't even know how we got over there. All I remember was you resetting my ribs and then waking to see those beasts. Everything else is gone." She remembered the feelings of hopelessness and despair alongside a tenderness that brought the feeling of fire but that was nothing to do with him.

"Well that m'lady, I can indeed answer for you. Shortly after I set your ribs you passed out on top of the table. I had hoped the tea would have done more to numb the pain but, herbs are scare nowadays. A while after you began calling out in your sleep, screaming over and over for someone named Henry." At this she whipped her head up, desperation and embarrassment marring her features. "I wouldn't have moved you but with the ruckus you were creating, it alerted out guests of last night as to our location. During your years as Queen, fairies enchanted trees such as this one to hide villages from your Black Guard. I had hoped that there may have been something…anything left that would have helped us." Upon hearing the events of the night previous, Regina was mortified with how much he had already seen of her. Not even Henry had been aware of her nightmares. Oh god Henry. She called for him so desperately that she'd caused last night's events. She was a complete disaster and needed to focus on something else before the wave of guilt and loathing hit.

"Can I see what those moths used to protect dirty criminals during my reign?" He fixed her with a pointed glare but did as she asked still. The flower itself seemed ordinary at first glance but as she looked closer and split the steam down the center, thousands of tiny diamonds shone through. Sneaky. Hiding pixie dust inside of flowers. This was Blue's doing most certainly which meant Snow must have been here at some point. Regina thought that this realisation would bring white hot anger but it didn't. In fact, it didn't affect her at all. The pain in her heart over the loss her son – because he was her son, no matter what anybody else said. Not even what Henry may now- left no room for the trivial hatred of Snow White. It left no room for anything but guilt and self-loathing.

Regina wasn't sure how long her dark thoughts consumed her but eventually Robin asked of the flower that now lay crumpled in her lap. 'The flowers had pixie dust running through them however it cannot be tapped into without light magic. Probably a precaution against me no doubt. However, they must have mistaken my stored magic as none threatening allowing unknowingly linked my magic with them in my…unconscious state. That's the only explanation I can come up with. As to why it was so powerful, I don't know. There are no known books or documentations of light and dark magic working coherently together. It must have been an anomaly." She studied his face as he mulled over her theory, his brow once again scrunching up and he bit his lower lip. Finally, he accepted the half baked idea as the closest thing to an explanation he was going to get. Running his hand through his dark blonde locks, she noted the fabric that he'd tied around his forearm. She rose her eyebrows in silent questioning and motioned towards to offending items. He glanced at his arm before a wide smile broke out across his face and he turned back to her, eyes dancing in amusement. "That m'lday, would have been all your doing. You turned out to be a little rougher last night than I'd previously anticipated." His smile grew with the innuendo. Enjoying the way Regina averted her eyes away with a short sarcastic remark in a futile attempt of cover. He laughed at her quip before scanning the room. He explained that it wasn't safe for them here. The beasts of which fled would have returned to their master and by nightfall descend upon them once again. There was another safe room not far from here if you continued through the forest heading north. Normally it would not take more than a few hours but with her injures and no doubt the tightened security, it would most likely take them up to mid-afternoon. A few hours before dusk so they had to get moving soon if they wanted to live. Resolute in the knowledge that she couldn't get out of this, she allowed him to help her stand and after the small morsels of food he's acquired they left.

Robin's POV:

As they left the tree that had sheltered them the night before, Robin now found himself even more confused about the woman he was travelling with. He knew that he shouldn't want to know her story. Shouldn't get involved but she was a puzzle that he wanted to put together. A mystery he so desperately wanted to solve. He closed his hand around the pendant still in his pocket, not exactly sure as how to broach the question he so desperately wanted to ask. However, if he'd learnt anything over the past 24 hours it was that this woman needed time and space. He had to tread carefully if she was to tell him anything of actual importance. Hell, he didn't even know her name yet. None of the legends saw fit to tell of anything but her beauty and blackened heart. Spinning tales of her destruction but never any solid reason as to why. He believed them of course. It was hard to ignore what was happening at that time whether you were involved or not. Before this mission he had never seeked the answers as to whom was the woman behind the moniker. Until yesterday he had never seen the need but then again, he'd never met her. She walked a few paces ahead, every now and again asking as to which direction to go in. Always alert in her surrounds as though waiting for an ambush. At first glance, the Queen seemed a force of nature. Unpredictable, dangerous but with a certain beauty to it when viewed from afar. From where he now stood, he could see the cracks in the mask. The pain she tried so had to hide. The fear she refused to let show. Even now as she walked through the forest, her face was the picture of composure and her posture every bit of the Queen. However, if one was to look close enough they would see the wounded arm hidden behind a heavy cloak, the way she favored her right in an attempt to remove pressure from her left. Would see the broken skin on her face she'd attempted to heal and the redness of her eyes reminiscent of the inner demons she faces at night. Yes, there was far more to this Queen than Robin had ever previously believed. In the distance, Robin could see the next village just a valley over. It was likely that they would encounter people in the forest from now on meaning he had to talk to the Queen about a plan she was not going to like. She wasn't going to like it at all. 'M'lady," he started jogging in front of her, "as you can see there is a village in the next valley. Many of the locals travels these trails in hope of food or goods and they cannot know who you are." Regina gave him a pointed look, waiting for an explanation. "If they realise it is you, there will be a riot. I know it sounds crude but I have to be the one to deliver you otherwise it is I that shall be punished. This was my mission so it shall be my punishment. The Queen set her lips into a thin line applying so much pressure they turned white. He could see the wheels turning in her mind as she took her lower lip into her mouth. Meeting his gaze once more she looked ready to scream at him until a look of understanding washed over her features. "They have someone. Someone you love dearly. It's not you they are threatening but somebody else in your name. I'm right aren't I?" The conviction in her voice told him there was no way she would believe anything less than the truth but could he trust her with this? Could he trust her with him? 'My son. She…she has my son. And I'm sorry but I cannot, I will not lose him because he is everything to me."

"What do I need to do?" Robin looked at her, completely in awe. How could this woman be willing to go along with one of his crazy schemes? She had no reason to trust and no reason to help him. As he went to question her actions, he suddenly noticed something he hadn't before. The look of torture that remained undecipherable until you too had the same fate. It was the look of a childless parent. The look of eternal suffering kept away from the world in private grief. The wish to have done better by them but still to keep the precious time you had together. Yes, Robin knew this look well as it was the one he saw every time he looked at his reflection. The Queen was helping him as a mother without her child. A mother torn away from her son. "Henry." Robin looked at her in confusion so she elaborated. "Henry is the name of my son. The son I left in the other realm. The son I left to forget about me."

She pulled her cloak tighter around her petite frame as though it were her only anchor to this world. "I already lost my son so if I can help someone else find theirs, then I will. So, what do you need me to do?"

Robin's plan, he'd admit, was not the most original but it was the most likely to work. It was understated and heavily tested. The pair of them needed to pass for a married couple that were just stopping in the village overnight before they moved on to visit family. They needed to act so in love that no one would question them too deeply. In fact, they needed to act so in love no one could stomach to be around them for too long. However, this plan always worked better when both parties could actually have a conversation without actively trying to one up the other or maybe…knew each other's names! As he explained his plan to the Queen along with the reason as to why they had to stay in the village, Robin could see he temper rising. The vein in her forehead began to throb and her uninjured arm kept flexing and tensing in a fist. The controlled, overly so, time of her breaths alongside the was she'd locked her jaw firmly in place had him waiting for the shit to hit the fan. With one deep breath, she unleashed her fury against him.

Regina's POV:

He wanted her to do what? Of all the stupid, insensitive ideas he could have chosen that's the one he picked? For nearly 10 years she'd been forced be the wife of a man of whom did not love her. A man that didn't even respect her enough to not call her his dead wife's name. To celebrate, enquire or even talk to unless it was for show or other less pleasant activities. The thought of having to walk on the arm of a man that once again didn't love or know her anymore than the first had a burning anger rising in her. The more he tried to justify it with experience and safety the lesser her will to not explode became. As he stood there gawking at her with a nervous smirk she was so close but, it wasn't until he questioned if she had any problems with the plan that she lost it.

Finally, the typhoon inside broke out and sought to annihilate everything it its path. Starting with the very man stood in front of her. Vile insults and mayhem was thrown on him quicker than a summer downpour. Attack after attack was launched at him with no breaks in between to assess the damage. Regina was caught up in a storm of her own creation and she could quickly feel herself shattering from the inside. There was no way he could have known about her marriage or the trauma it left behind. No way he could know that being told to smile and be pleasant was forever branded into her memory by her mother's own form of discipline. There was no way but it had gone too far to now be stopped until she had finally gotten it all out. Eventually, the shouting turned to cries which fell to hiccups and tears poorly hidden. And he just stood there. Unmoving. Regina surveyed the area surrounding them, surprised to see no physically evidence of her destruction anywhere. But that didn't mean she didn't see it in his eyes. In the way, he hadn't spoken a single word as she unleashed her innermost demons upon him. Regina went to walk away, giving them both a moment to collect themselves and make sense of what just happened. Much to her surprise, he placed a firm hand on her arm to stop her from leaving and guided her to a nearby fallen tree. Sitting to face her, he fixed his gaze upon hers before beginning. 'I do not know what has happened to you in your past but I do not wish to hurt you. I know that due to the nature of our meeting and where I must take you gives you no reason to trust me but I do not wish to hurt you m'lady. You now know why I must do what I am to do. For my son. In my position, I am positive you would do the same for your own son. Honestly, yes when I took this job I suspected it would be far easier. You had no magic, no weapons and were not expecting an ambush. I thought I could just deliver you as I would a sack of grain and feel no more remorse as I would have my son safe. However, in these past 30 hours you have proved to be anything by easy or simple. I don't even know your name and yet I want to protect you even after I know who you are. What you have done and it scares and confuses me to no end. I truly wish I could return you to the other land but it is now too late I fear. Your presence in this land is already known. One hears stories on the wind of your returns. That is why I created the scheme I did. I did not create it to harm you in anyway but simply because it was the safest way I knew. If it truly makes you uncomfortable I will come up with another way to keep you safe this night. I swear on my honor."

Regina didn't know if it was his heartfelt words or conflicted thoughts but in that moment with him, she felt safe. It was not a feeling that made sense to any rational part of her brain but it was there nonetheless. He kidnapped her and dragged her back to the enchanted forest (using the portal she'd already opened to that exact place), he'd shown he no little kindness upon their first meeting (though nor had she) and he completely confused her to no end. However, he hadn't let her die and he could have. He'd tended to her injuries (even if a little too much force was used) and he seemed just as mixed up as she was currently. So, for once she ignored the voice in her head and trusted that feeling. Leaning her head on his chest, she allowed herself to cry in such a way no one had seen since she was 17, crouched over Daniel's body. She allowed herself to feel and express what she could not say aloud. Soon after, she felt a pair of arms bring her closer to him as he simply offered his comfort all the while instinctively running his fingers though her hair once amore. Regina felt the tension leave her body and a sense of calm beginning to filter in. The pain over Henry was still present but it for a moment, it wasn't suffocating her. Wiping the tears falling from her face, Regina turns her head away from him. "Regina. From now on that is what you may call me."

"Regina." He speaks it aloud in his accented voice and for a moment, she believes her name has never sounded more beautiful. "It suits you…Regina." He smiles at the fact he can now use her real name. He probably didn't know it until that point.

"And yours?" she prompts.

"My what?"

"Your name. What am I to call you?"

"Robin. Just Robin."

"It's nice to make you acquaintance Robin. How about we carry on into town, nightfall is not something I wanted to experience again."

Robin nods understandingly at that, himself too wishing to avoid any further problems and so he continues to lead her towards civilization, not knowing what is about to unfold.