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poundstonaira · 4 years

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Leopold x Reader - Stormy Nights

A/N- I’m bored and I wrote this in honor of his birthday.

Word Count: 1581

It was the middle of the night when Y/N heard the pounding thunder erupt from outside the window. When the thunder erupted, Y/N quickly woke up out of her sleep and heard the hectic rain and wind slam the window ruthlessly while thunder roared in the sky. At this, she checked the time on her clock and saw that the time was 2:39, she then stared back at the window and let out a tired sigh knowing that her boyfriend is an absolute pussy when it comes to thunderstorms and heavy rain, meaning that she would have to check on him or sleep with him until the storm stops.

The h/c haired girl then got out of her bed, tidied it, then put her red fluffy slippers on and went over to the door. Since it was early and she didn’t want to wake her squadmates up, she made sure that she slowly and surely unlocked the door, and quietly tiptoed through the hallways of the base the belonged to the Crimson Lion Kings brigade, trying to head towards her boyfriends room without making a single sound from the wooden floor creaking under the dark red carpet of the hallways because of her footsteps. Y/N turned the corner quality, seeing that some of the rooms in the hallway still had their lights on, probably meaning that her teammates were woken up by the furious storm or that they were still up, doing whatever they wanted.

She walked further down the hallway, the same amount of quietness and pace while she walked down. Y/N was right around the corner, she heard footsteps walking at a quick pace towards her direction, the h/c haired girl thought of no other choice but to check who it was. When she quickly checked the corner, she saw the familiar figure of her red-haired boyfriend; Leopold. Right when she saw him, she immediately walked up to him while keeping the quick and quiet pace that she was walking with before.

“Leo, are you okay? What’s wrong?” Y/N whispered as she used her left hand to check her boyfriend's temperature. Leopold's head felt strangely cold for a fire user. The green-eyed boy had a nervous but annoyed look on his face, Y/N stood back a bit and examined his expression, she had an understanding on why he had that face on but at the same time, she didn’t.

“I’m scared…” Leopold quietly whined to Y/N who only gave him a tired smile because of his astraphobia which was stupid to her. Y/N wasn’t really scared of anything at all, she enjoyed thunder and storms. To her, thunderstorms were her comfort weather when she was sad or wanted to sleep. The sound of rain slamming on the windows, the sound of the violent wind hastily twirling around, and the thunder that pounded was her favorite thing to hear. She only gets up when it's storming outside because of her boyfriend’s fear of them.

“Okay…do you need me to stay with you until sunrise?” The said girl then sighed with the same tired expression on her face, staring at her boyfriend who was shaking and sweating from the sound of the violent wind and rain hitting the large glass windows in the hallway.

“Come on, Y/N…! You know the answer to this…” Leopold quietly whined at his girlfriend before looking at the window again to see if another flash of lightning was going to strike out again.

“Alright… let's get going to your room before the lightning strikes again.” Y/N sighed and gently grabbed Leopold’s right hand before they quickly ran to his room, trying not to make a sound in the empty, dark hallways of the base.

The young couple were almost there when they saw multiple flashes of lightning from outside the windows of the hall, followed by thunderous thunder that made the two feel the base was shaking and that it was going to collapse. Of course Leopold was frightened, he was about to cry and faint from the sound of the thunder. Y/N stopped Leopold from running.

“Hey… calm down… When we get to your room, you can cuddle me all you want, okay?” Y/N whispered in her boyfriend’s ear gently, rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb.

“O-okay…” Leopold shakily sighed before clenching onto Y/N’s hand tighter before making himself and his girlfriend run towards his room again. They have finally made it to his room before sounds of violent wind and rain slammed the windows of the base again.

The little Vermillion opened the door quietly, making sure not to make a sound since his elder siblings were right across the hall. The young couple quietly entered the room, Leopold slowly closed the door before locking it. Since Leopold’s room is quite big, his windows are large; that might explain why he would be scared to hear the rain and thunder-- especially the lightning when it strikes since he has the perfect view of the sky at night.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s get to sleeping before the storm gets worse…” Y/N whispered to Leopold as he quickly ran to his king sized bed, fighting the covers to hide under them. Y/N yawned as she walked towards her boyfriend’s bed, joining him after she took her red slippers off.

“Do you know w-when the storm is g-going to end? It looks like it’s getting worse by the minutes…” Leopold quietly stuttered with a nervous look on his face, putting the duvet over his head, sitting up while looking at Y/N as she joined him in bed. Y/N and Leopold shifted around until they got into a comfortable position that would fit the both of them perfectly. Y/N had her head laid on the large pile of pillows while Leopold laid on Y/N’s plumed chest. Every time there was a storm, Leopold would lay on Y/N’s chest, the sound of her heartbeats soothed him and calmed him down. It would make the boy think that the storm was gone and that all that was there was Y/N and only Y/N.

“I don’t know… but I did hear on my mission today by a farmer that the storm was supposed to get stronger and more dangerous overnight and then there will be flash flooding by daytime… I think it’s getting worse as I speak…” The h/c-haired girl spoke gently while running her hands through her boyfriend’s hair. Leopold flinched at her words, he didn’t want the storm to go on, but Y/N wanted it to. She adored it every time she saw violent winds, heavy rain slamming onto the windows, and the lightning and thunder do it’s work. It made her happy because she hated seeing the sun.

Even though Leopold was scared and Y/N wasn’t, Y/N was there to comfort the red-haired boy because of his horrible case of his astrophobia. The way her fingers went through his soft, spiky hair made him want to melt and submit himself to her, the way her fingers glided across his back when he needed comfort when he felt restless made him embrace her with his callous hands, and the way her voice entranced him when she hummed a silvery tune made him want sleep in her hands forever, making sure the storm didn’t scare him at that moment.

“Oh my God… that's the worst thing ever… I hate storms…” Leopold groaned into his girlfriends chest as he pulled the covers over his and Y/N’s head, not wanting to hear nor see the rain at that moment. Y/N let out that same tired smile at her boyfriend because of his scaredy-cat antics. She took the covers off of her and put on top of Leopold only.

“I want to watch the storm, this type of weather is a personal favorite of mine.” Y/N giggled, ruffling her boyfriend's hair again.

“Hmm… whatever…” Leopold muttered, shifting a bit as he let out a yawn of sleepiness.

Y/N did nothing but watched and felt her boyfriend fall asleep on her chest. When she first met Leopold, she thought that he was a brave magic knight who wasn’t afraid of anything and would do anything to become the Wizard King. Y/N had no idea in her mind that a storm could scare this little lion cub into absolute fear. It’s not like a storm would instantly kill you- well yes-- it could but only if you are careless enough to stand outside where lighting could easily strike you.

You just have to be careful not to stand in the middle of its rage while it's raging.

Y/N looked up at the black sky, it’s rain droplets still slamming onto the windows, making its loud sound still, the wind making the branches from trees slaps and slamming the glass, and a multiple strikes of lightning popping out, flowing the trace before dying out which was soon followed by booming thunder making the winds and rain worse for Leopold but not worse for Y/N.

Y/N let out a yawn before feeling her eyes giving in to her need of sleep, she then laid down properly, holding her now sleeping boyfriend tighter into her embrace.

“Goodnight, Leopold. Don’t let the storms scare you next time.”

#black clover #black clover scenarios #black clover headcannons #leopold vermillion

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lilacmoon83 · 6 years

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Dreaming Out Loud

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03:

Chapter 49: Deception

Two weeks. Two weeks has passed since they rescued Belle and two weeks since Regina had disappeared, seemingly without a trace. It was a very uncomfortable peace, but for the most part, they had proceeded to move on with their lives. They had a constant dwarf patrol on Regina's mansion, but not one soul was seen physically coming or going from her house. They knew better, of course and remained diligent.

With time moving again and people settling into new lives, post curse, it was clear that an election for Mayor was simply a formality and held just the day before. Snow won over Midas in a landslide victory, still surprising the somewhat still unsure Princess. But Persephone told her it really was no surprise at all. Snow had fought for them and made sacrifices for her people that other leaders never had. Despite her family's support, Snow was still unsure about her rule, but was glad to have her mother beside her to help her navigate this new world. David and Emma continued to run the Sheriff's station and had their share of issues to deal with. Some people were still in unrest and trying to figure out their new lives. It often led to domestic disputes and civil quarrels, but somewhat normal duties for a law enforcement team in a town with magic. Henry also continued going to school, and though he did ask about Regina here and there, he was happy living with his biological family.

They were just beginning to discover what it was like to live together as a family. Though they loved the loft, it was cramped with five of them and a dog, even with magical extensions. And now that families had shifted, there were a few vacancies now in town, but they weren't sure any of the houses were right for their family. And unfortunately, knowing that Cora was out there and Regina by her side still managed to cast a cloud over them.

Persephone could almost feel the looming storm stirring in her blood. She knew Cora wouldn't be silent much longer and she should have realized she would begin her siege on the very day that was so precious to Persephone. Her beloved little Snow's birthday.

Instinctively, David and Emma knew how Snow felt about this day, but this was the first birthday they would be spending together outside the dreamscape. They also knew to tread lightly as well. They suspected it would be much harder for Persephone not to want to celebrate, but knew Snow would steadfastly reject even a hint of a party or gifts.

As she came out from behind the curtain that morning though, she eyed her husband with scrutiny, as he made pancakes.

"What's this?" she asked suspiciously.

"Just breakfast," he replied innocently and she cocked her head to the side, as she looked to her daughter, who was devouring a plate of pancakes and bacon. Then to Henry, whose cheeks were adorably sticky with syrup. The boy seemed to want to tell her something, but had probably been warned against any happy birthday wishes.

"I know what you're up to," she said, as she sat down with them. He kissed her temple and put a plate in front of her.

"I swear it's just breakfast, my darling," he promised.

"Pancakes during the week...right. I know you, Charming," she responded, but proceeded to eat anyway. He had gone through the trouble and she would never miss an opportunity to sit down with Emma and Henry, even on this day. He sighed.

"We love you...and we love showing you how much, even on this day," he said. Her irritation deflated a little and she nodded gratefully.

"Okay...but there better be no party or gifts or anything. You know how I feel about celebrating this day," she said with vehemence. He held his hands up in surrender.

"We promise," he assured. The true test came when Persephone joined them and all present could definitely sense a tension between mother and daughter.

"You're not even going to let me say it, are you?" the Goddess asked. Snow shook her head.

"I really wish you wouldn't…" she replied.

"Snow…" she started to say.

"No...she may not have been my real Mother, but she raised me and she died on my birthday," Snow argued. Persephone took her hands on her own.

"She was just as much your mother as I am. Eva came to be a very good woman and she instilled that goodness in you. I couldn't have asked for more from her. This day...I know it has much sadness, but your birth on this day was my greatest joy," she said.

"How can you say that?" Snow asked.

"How can I not?" Persephone countered.

"Because...I was born with a death sentence on my head and you had to give me away. How does this day not make you sad and angry?" Snow asked. Persephone gave her a watery smile.

"There are things about this day that are very hard...I both gained and lost you on this day. I mourned that your real father would never see you...how fair you were. You took my breath away the moment I saw you," she recalled.

"Then my Mother escaped with you and a piece of my heart went as well...but I absolutely do not regret this day. You are the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me," Persephone added, as she pillowed her daughter against her chest in a hug. A few tears escaped down Snow's cheeks.

"That day...I learned that there is love at first sight and though it was heart wrenching, I knew that there is nothing I wouldn't do for you, even if that meant giving you up so Hades would never touch you," she explained. Snow sniffed and was about to say something when they heard a knock at the door. She opened it and found no one behind it, except a box made of crushed velvet. She picked it up and brought it inside, before opening the lid.

Tears filled her eyes and she struggled to keep from breaking down in sobs, as she took out a beautiful tiara.

"What is it?" Henry asked.

"It's a tiara...it was my...it was Eva's," Snow replied tearfully.

"It must have come over with the curse, after all," David said, as he put his hands on her shoulders.

"Most items of any importance or value did and a lot of them are in Gold's shop," Persephone added.

"Why would Gold leave it on the doorstep? We're in his shop all the time and he may not loathe us, but he just doesn't strike me as the type to give stuff back," Emma said, as she read the card in the box.

"He didn't leave it...someone else did," Snow said. Persephone felt a spark of dread fill her. With Cora in town, it was just too coincidental.

"Snow...there's something I need to tell you and it concerns Johanna," she said, as they sat down.

"Is this what you wanted to tell us a couple weeks ago?" David asked. The Goddess nodded.

"I shouldn't have put it off, especially with Cora lurking. I should have known she would attempt something like this," she lamented.

"What does Cora have to do with Johanna?" Snow asked in confusion.

"Sweetheart...this is the last thing I want to tell you, because I know that woman was there for you after Eva died," Persephone began. Snow nodded.

"She was...father was grieving too and Johanna helped a lot," she said.

"Except that she was planted in Eva's court...by Cora," Persephone revealed. Snow stared at her for a moment, trying to comprehend what that could mean.

"I...I don't understand," Snow refuted.

"Eva and Cora had history that began before you were born," Persephone said.

"They knew each other?" Snow asked. She nodded.

"How?" Snow asked. Persephone closed her eyes, wishing that she didn't have to tell her, for it was about to shatter everything she knew and thought about Leopold.

"They knew each other...because before Leopold was engaged to Eva...he was engaged to Cora," Persephone revealed. Snow blinked and stared at her.

"That's...that's not possible," Snow refuted.

"Snow…" Persephone started to say.

"No...that can't be! My father didn't know Cora until he married Regina," she cried.

"I wish that were true, but he was once in love with Cora. He broke off the engagement when your mother revealed a secret of Cora's that she was hiding from Leopold," Persephone said.

"She told a secret?" Snow squeaked.

"I'm afraid so...but Cora's secret was not innocent. She blamed Eva for ruining her chance at becoming Queen," Persephone explained. Snow swallowed thickly. It was a lot to take in and she had a feeling there was more.

"So...what does this have to do with Johanna?" she asked. Persephone sighed.

"More than you know. Johanna, like everyone, has a past," she said.

Many Year Ago

One year after Snow was born

Today was a happy day in the Kingdom, a very happy day, or so it had been decreed by King Leopold and Queen Eva. The Kingdom had been blessed with a Princess one year ago on this day, during the worst snowstorm the Kingdom had ever seen. The King and Queen doted upon their perfect little bundle and she was already being called the fairest in the land. But this day was not a happy day for Johanna at all, as she lay flowers on the grave of her husband. For the King and Queen, this day was joyous and special. For Johanna, it was the day her husband had died in the service to Queen Eva's family.

He had been out in the storm that day, unnecessarily carrying out the orders of their royals to spread the word that their Kingdom had an heir to the Queen's family in the north, when an avalanche swallowed his carriage on his way back through the north passage.

The King and Queen had offered her family their condolences and even compensation in the wake of his tragic death. But their joy did not dull and their perfect world still spun, as they rejoiced in the birth of their precious Snow White. Johanna's world was shattered and forever changed though. She knew nothing would ever be the same again and she couldn't help but blame them.

"So tragic...another life ruined by that insipid girl," a female voice said, as Johanna whipped around.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"That's not important. What is important is that you and I have much in common, my dear," Cora cooed.

"I don't know what you mean," the other woman replied.

"Oh, but like you, I lost everything important to me, because of Princess...now Queen Eva," Cora responded. Johanna looked at her.

"You?" she asked. Cora nodded.

"What did she do?" Johanna asked curiously. Cora looked around like she was seeing if anyone else was around.

"I have a secret...a dark secret that King Leopold and Queen Eva would very much like to stay buried. Can I trust you?" Cora asked.

"Of course...it's not like I have anyone left to tell anything," Johanna replied sadly.

"Yes...I suppose that's true now, thanks to Eva," Cora said bitterly.

"What happened to you?" Johanna asked.

"I was once engaged to marry Leopold, but Eva ruined it by divulging a secret I had about a foolish transgression I had before I even met him. He rejected me and married her instead," Cora replied.

"That's awful," Johanna gasped.

"Oh it was...she did it deliberately and vindictively so she could be Queen. She stole everything from me, just like she stole it from you. We're kindred spirits, you and I," Cora said. Johanna swallowed thickly.

"They're happy...and today, the entire Kingdom celebrates the birth of the Princess, while I mourn the death of my beloved," the woman said bitterly.

"Yes...what if I told you there might be a way for us both to get revenge?" Cora asked.

"Revenge?" Johanna asked in confusion. Cora nodded.

"Yes...you see I managed to pick this up in one of the villages earlier," she said, showing the parchment to Johanna.

"Queen Eva is looking for a new handmaiden and a nanny for the Princess?" she asked.

"Yes...I think you should inquire about the position. I think you would be perfect for the job," Cora replied. Johanna looked at her incredulously.

"You want me to be near that woman every day?" she asked in disbelief.

"Have you ever heard the saying keep your friends close, but your enemies closer?" Cora questioned. Johanna nodded.

"I suppose so, but I don't see how the Queen will pay for what she did by me becoming a nanny to her perfect little brat," she responded. Cora smirked.

"Revenge takes time, my dear. But I can assure you that if we plant you in Queen Eva's court, then it will allow me to plot against her and get revenge for the both of us," she offered.

"It's wrong...revenge is wrong," Johanna refuted, no matter how much she wanted it. Cora nodded.

"So is injustice and Eva thinking she can ruin lives, just because she was born a royal and we were not. Think of your husband...he would be alive if not for her. Doesn't he deserve to be avenged?" she asked.

"Of course...but we don't even know if I will get the position even if I do apply," Johanna reasoned. Cora waved a hand over the parchment and handed it to her.

"Oh trust me...present this to Queen Eva and you'll be hired on the spot," she replied. Johanna took the parchment and her jaw set in determination. She looked at Cora and nodded. Instinctively, she knew revenge was wrong, but for the first time since her husband's death, she finally felt like she might have a purpose. And that purpose would be avenging her loved one…

Persephone finished telling her the story and looked at her stunned daughter.

"I'm sorry honey...I don't like having to tell you all this," she said.

"I...but this is Cora we're talking about. She obviously manipulated Johanna, right?" she asked.

"Oh I'm sure...it's what she does best. But Johanna making contact with you now of all times is too coincidental," Persephone replied.

"You think she's still working for Cora?" Snow asked.

"I know she is…" Persephone replied. Snow swallowed thickly.

"But...she was always so kind to me and she really helped me after my...mother died," she said.

"At Cora's insistence, she was told to remain close to you and she did until Regina chased you out of the castle. Johanna was dismissed then, but Cora had what she wanted. Eva was dead. You were suffering and Regina became the Evil Queen," Persephone replied.

"I...I need to go. I need to see her," Snow decided, as she got up and put her coat on.

"Snow...that isn't a good idea. It's exactly what Cora wants," Persephone warned.

"Is anything I ever thought about my life...at least my life before Charming, real? Or is it just one lie after another? One big deception?" Snow asked bitterly. Persephone reached out to her.

"Snow…" she started to say. But she shook her head.

"No...I have to do this," she refuted.

"Snow…" David tried to go to her, but she held her hands up.

"Please Charming...I need this. I'll be fine," she promised, as she hurried out. He sighed.

"This woman...Johanna, tell me she doesn't really blame Snow for her misery? Snow had nothing to do with what happened to her...or Cora for that matter," David said, a touch angrily.

"I wish I could...but they both hate Snow simply because she exists. Johanna won't show her true colors yet though...not if she is once again working for Cora," Persephone replied.

"Mom's not going to see her coming then. She's going to forgive her if Johanna asks for it," Emma reasoned.

"Then we'll have to watch out for her," David said. Emma sighed.

"Come on kid, let's get you to the bus," she said.

"Aw...I miss everything because of school. Come on Wilby," he called, as the dog followed them down the stairs.

As the shop door opened that morning, Rumple could feel her presence even from the back room. Cora carried an air of coldness and he could sense her magic from anywhere. In many ways, she was his most accomplished student with the true potential to surpass her teacher. And that's where Cora worried him deeply. He had created this monster and he wasn't sure if he could defeat her alone. Surprisingly, David's suggestion for him to play the double agent was a good plan. He just had to really sell it and he knew even as convincing as he might be, Cora might still see right through him. She knew his weaknesses better than any and that made him very uncomfortable. And as someone who had ripped her own heart from her chest, Cora had little weakness to exploit. He had to trust that between himself and Persephone, they could match Cora. The latter had little to lose though, while Rumple and Persephone potentially had much to lose; much that could be used against them by Cora.

He couldn't see the outcome either with his foresight. He was finding that even with magic returned to him here in Storybrooke that the future was very cloudy, probably due to magic being different here and the multitude of factors that might determine the future. He saw so many paths and none were clear. It was unnerving to him when he didn't have all the answers and he berated himself internally for not seeing these complications. Trusting others was still not something he did well, but in this case, he didn't have a choice.

Clearly, Persephone and her family were allies and Cora was the snake waiting to strike at them all as prey. If there was one thing he knew for certain, with Cora around, he did not have a future, nor did his family. And that meant only one thing. Cora had to die. And how they would accomplish that, he couldn't see. He was going into this blind and he only hoped she would buy his performance.

"Don't lurk in the shadows, dearie...it's not polite," he growled, as he stepped out from the backroom, finally coming face to face with her.

"Hello Rumple," she cooed.

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever show your face. You're never one to keep a low profile," he mentioned. She smirked.

"Sometimes it's necessary, especially when you need to study your enemies," she responded.

"You mean the Charmings and me," he retorted.

"Persephone and her little family are most certainly that. But I never wished for you and I to be enemies, Rumple," she cooed in return, as she stepped closer.

"Is that why you're here? To make nice with me so I won't vaporize you on the spot?" he questioned. She chuckled.

"We both know that you and I are quite evenly matched, as much as you hate to admit it. But yes...I am here for a truce of sorts," she replied.

"I suspected, but I'm afraid you have nothing I want, dearie. So kindly get the hell out of my shop," he growled.

"That's where you're wrong…" she countered, as a case appeared in her hand and she put it on the counter.

"I've heard you have somewhat of a friendship with Snow's peasant Prince. I'll admit it puzzled me...just what could you two even have to talk about?" she inquired.

"The Prince and I both love our families. Not that you would understand that," she retorted.

"Now Rumple...that's unfair. You know I love Regina…" she argued.

"If what you show Regina is love, then I pity her," he countered.

"Are you sure you don't want what is inside here? Are you really going to risk not finding your son to preserve some pitiful friendship you have with Prince Charming?" she tempted, as she took the globe out of the case. Despite knowing exactly what was inside, the surprise on Rumple's face was well acted. He gingerly reached out to touch it, but she pulled a way. He clenched his teeth.

"What. Do. You. Want?" he bit out angrily.

"A truce. You get the globe and in return, you do not interfere when Regina and I finally make Snow and her family pay," Cora responded.

"You really think you can defeat Persephone?" he questioned.

"Persephone's love for her family is weakness...it's a problem I have overcome. Regina will learn to as well under my guidance. For her precious Snow, the Queen of the Underworld will do anything and that is why she will lose," Cora responded.

"Well, then I wish you luck, dearie...you'll need it," he replied.

"Then we have a deal?" she asked. He glanced longingly at the globe and his jaw was set in determination.

"We have a deal," he confirmed.

"Shall we seal it like we used to?" she cooed. His stomach flipped at this. Kissing her was the last thing he wanted to do. It was betraying Belle, but if he didn't sell this, then it could endanger Belle later on. So he did what she wanted and they sealed the deal with a kiss. The look of smug satisfaction on her face was enough to churn even his stomach and he watched her leave with trepidation. Cora was one of those people he couldn't read very well, probably because there was no heart in her chest to betray any emotion. He had no idea if she really believed they had a truce and had a gut feeling that she was probably expecting him to double cross her later on.

"I hope you're ready when she comes at you, dearie," he said, as Persephone peered in from the backroom. The Goddess didn't look so certain either and that worried him even more.

"Me too," she agreed.

Snow spied the woman in her garden, as she approached. She was planting snowdrops and it instantly made her feel that perhaps her mother was wrong. After all, if Johanna secretly hated Eva, then why would she plant an entire garden full of snowdrops?

"Johanna…" she called out. The woman looked up and smiled brightly.

"Snow...my dear Snow…" she said, as she opened her arms and the raven haired beauty went into her arms. She sniffed, as they pulled back and she just knew her mother had to be wrong about this one. Even if Johanna had initially been prodded to take a job in her Eva's court by Cora, it was obvious that things must have changed.

"I never thought I'd see you again. Or this," Snow said, as she held up the tiara.

"Oh, I came across it in Mr. Gold's shop and I knew how much it meant to you. I knew you had to have it," Johanna replied. Snow had been in Gold's shop quite a few times over the last couple weeks and had never noticed it. But then she hadn't really been looking for it either.

"Mm...thank you. Oh, you're planting snowdrops," Snow said fondly.

"They remind me of you, because you were born during the harshest winter of all and they, like you, survive anything," Johanna replied, with the same fondness.

"That's why she named me Snow…" Snow murmured, now realizing that Eva's memory of naming her and the reason were actually Persephone's.

"I thought keeping the garden would be a nice way to honor her," Johanna mentioned.

"But you're aware that Eva wasn't my biological mother?" Snow asked. The other woman nodded.

"Yes, but Eva will always be your mother to me. She loved you so much," Johanna replied. Snow sniffed.

"I miss her," she said.

"Me too," the older woman agreed, as she brushed a tear away from Snow's cheek. A rustling noise was suddenly heard and Snow looked around curiously.

"What was that?" Johanna asked.

"Stay here...I'm sure it's nothing," Snow replied.

"Snow…" Johanna started to protest.

"Please...I'll be right back," she promised, as she trekked off toward the woods to investigate. She crept silently and peered into the clearing from behind a tree. Years in the forest made her quite adept at being absolutely silent. She had learned such to survive, of course, for if the game she was hunting got away, then Snow went to bed hungry that night. She resisted the urge to gasp, as she spotted Cora and Regina there. Suddenly, another man approached from the other direction and Snow didn't recognize him. But there was one thing about him that she did. For one hand, he had a hook.

"It's been a long time, Your Majesty," Hook greeted, as he bowed deeply to Regina.

"Hello Hook," Regina said in return, before turning her attention to her mother.

"Did he go for it?" she asked. Cora nodded.

"We made a deal. He has the globe and won't interfere with any of our plans," she replied.

"And you trust him?" Regina asked incredulously.

"Oh of course not, darling...but the globe will keep him occupied with finding his son, while we search for the one thing that can kill him...his dagger," Cora replied.

"I deserve to be the one to kill him...I've waited centuries to get my revenge on the Crocodile!" Hook spat.

"Lower. Your. Voice...the animals would only be too happy to wander into town and tell Persephone or her wretched daughter everything we're saying," Cora snapped.

"Now Hook...if you kill the Dark One with the dagger, then you become the new Dark One and I'm afraid that is a pleasure I'm going to reserve for myself. Once we have it and I'm the new Dark One, we can then eliminate anyone that stands in our way of having what we want," Cora stated. Regina looked unsure at best. Somehow, her mother becoming the Dark One gave her fear that went bone deep. But if it could get her Henry back and she could manage to get across the town line, they'd be free, for her mother would never follow her into a place with no magic. As for Hook, the look on his face was pure rage.

"You promised me revenge on the Dark One!" he shouted.

"He's going to die...isn't that enough for you?" Cora asked.

"No, it's not bloody enough...and you know it!" Hook growled.

"Perhaps not, but this takes precedence over your revenge. My daughter's son has been taken from her and that Charming little family...and everyone they care about must pay," she said.

"You can either help us bring about a new order and reap the benefits...or you can take your chances in going against us," Cora warned. Hook clenched his teeth, but was clearly relenting.

"Fine...I suppose watching the Crocodile die is something at least," he said, as he pointed a finger at her.

"But I want a good life here…" he demanded. Cora smirked.

"And you shall have it. But first...we must find the dagger," she said, as they trekked back toward town. The look on Snow's face was pure horror, as she hurried back toward Johanna's house. Suddenly, she heard a noise and froze in her tracks.

"Who's there?" she called, as a twig snapped. She jumped and started running, as there was someone now following her. She looked back though and saw that there was no one there. She stopped and looked around in confusion. Suddenly, she screamed, as she felt a hand on her arm. She turned, ready to punch whoever it was when she saw it was her husband.

"Whoa...it's me…" he soothed and she fell into his arms.

"Oh Charming…" she cried, as she felt relief at being folded against his chest.

"I know I probably shouldn't have followed you to Johanna's, but I was worried about you," he said, as he kissed her hair. She shook her head.

"No...I'm glad you did. I just saw Cora and Regina...we're in so much trouble," she fretted tearfully. He shared her troubled look, as he led her out of the woods. Once they were gone, Hermes appeared, as he removed Hades' cap of invisibility from his head and glared at their backs. He would have to wait for another opportunity...

#Snowing #SnowxCharming #greek mythology meets farytales #Persephone #Swan Believer #feat rumplestiltskin #and Cora #romance #adventure #season 1 retelling #now season 2 retelling #Charming family

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evils--reign · 6 years

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* mentality !!

TRIGGER WARNINGS ; mentioned in this post are references to child abuse ( both mental, emotional and physical ), sexual abuse ( marital rape ), anxiety, an eating disorder ( anorexia nervosa ) , violence and suicidal thoughts ( depression ), infertility, and an undiagnosed case of dissociative identity disorder ( multiple personality disorder )

regina is not mentally stable, especially in her youth, her marriage and, predominantly, her reign as queen. none of this information condones what regina did, the people she killed and/or terrorised - but it does explain a lot of her habits and why she does/says the things she does/says.

( SOCIAL SKILLS )

in “regina rising”, there are passages that imply regina was not permitted to interact with other children her age, let alone children of a lesser class.

“my mother and i had gone to town, and a pair of little girls had invited me to play marbles. my mother had scooted me past before i’d even been able to answer, and when i’d begged her to let me play one little game, she’d said - we’d had more important things to do - only i couldn’t think of a single thing we’d done that afternoon that was important at all”

it’s imperative for a child’s development to spend time with children their own age. more than that, it confirms that regina didn’t have a single friend until she was sixteen years old ( and she later learns that that friend was actually spying on her for cora ) - regina isn’t very good at making friends, even during the curse where the evil queen didn’t hang over her head. this explains why - because she’d never really had one that she made herself ( until maleficent ).

in season four, ( though i do not portray anything beyond season three ), emma mentions to regina about being friends, and regina was genuinely surprised at the suggestion. at first, it might seem to be because of their history but it makes sense that regina would be confused by the idea of friendship with a supposed enemy.

friendship in general is a concept regina is unfamiliar with. she has severe trust issues, which will be discussed, but it doesn’t help that after being kept from making any by her mother, she was then trapped inside a castle as the queen. befriending anyone then would have been entirely out of the question, because any friend of the queen was just that - a friend of the queen.

( ABUSE )

in season one, “the stable boy”, cora restrains regina with leather straps and raises her in the air until regina submits, begging “i’ll be good” as she cries. in “regina rising”, cora locks her daughter in her room with her magic and regina expects to be there for far longer than just an hour. cora also verbally belittles regina’s attire, her figure, her eating habits and her talents. cora instills in regina the idea that she needs to watch what she eats otherwise she will put on weight, and that would be unacceptable in cora’s eyes. later in the book, she then slaps regina across the face, viciously.

“i reached for the biscuits, but my mother slapped my hand - you’ve had enough, regina ‘ she said, almost sweetly. - i’ve only had one. i’d like another - i sounded like a little girl, and i hated myself for it.”

“ - i’ve heard quite enough from you, regina - my mother narrowed her eyes and waved her hand. i covered my ears and steeled myself as best i could for whatever terrible magic she had in store for me** …….. the sash that had been tied around my waist loosened. after floating before my eyes for a second or two, it snapped straight and wrapped itself over my mouth and around my head.”

“the words were barely out of my mouth when her hand crashed against my cheek. i held back a whimper and stood still.”

** - clearly, regina is used to cora using her magic against her as a form of discipline. she comes to expect that it will hurt her and it surprises when it doesn’t initially.

in another passage, regina is anxious to show cora her progress at art. when cora sees regina’s painting, she says “well, we cannot be good at everything” - in another chapter, young regina sings and dances with village children and cora later comments that she cannot sing. while not necessarily as damaging as previous put-downs, it does make regina feel insecure and thus, i class it as abuse.

while it is not touched upon in either the show itself of “regina rising”, regina is eventually married off to king leopold who is more than three times her age. regina is only seventeen when she saves snow white and it isn’t long after that she is forced to marry the king. in the show, leopold is originally interpreted as a jovial character, a kind king and loving father. but he is still a king, and he is still much, much older than his new wife. it is not outside the realm of possibility that regina was forced to endure sexual acts with her lord husband.

in “regina rising”, cora attempts to force regina’s hand at courting an older “prince” named benjamin who had already been through two marriages. it is implied in the books that regina’s youth would suit benjamin well and also supports the implication that young wives were often forced to please their husbands.

it is not confirmed, but i will be writing it as if it were - regina suffered through marital rape in the early years of her marriage to king leopold. she never told snow white, and would not tell her even now.

( ANXIETY/TRUST ISSUES )

regina, as a young girl, craved cora’s approval more than anything. she was trained and conditioned to cora’s expectations and quickly learned that nothing she did would ever live up to them. until “regina rising”, when she is sixteen years old, regina is submissive to cora’s every whim and fancy. she suffers from panic attacks when she knows that she has done something that would upset her mother but has since learned to hide them until she is safely hidden in her room. in “regina rising”, it is mentioned that regina digs her nails in to the palms of her hands and at one point, wishes that the marks would bleed. this is caused by loss of control and her attempts at regaining it.

it is a subtle habit that she has not broken. while not as present in storybrooke as it is in the enchanted forest, if she feels the need to, she will clench her fists until her palms bleed, or her skin is marked red.

because of past experiences, regina has come to expect the worst from people. it’s why she does not trust as easily as she used to when she was younger. in “regina rising”, the story includes a girl named claire fairchild who regina befriended, her first friend, whom regina later learned was playing her all along. she was really there at cora’s request, and cora even stole claire’s heart at some point in the story. regina was so utterly heartbroken by the betrayal and she even questioned her own naivety.

it was this act that prompted regina to commit her first grey deed that belied her then pure heart. regina made a deal with cora in exchange for claire’s heart to be returned to her, and a forgetting potion. she then instructed claire to read a note that told her about her impending wedding before cora gave her heart heart back, and then slipped prince benjamin a forgetting potion. she then lied to him, telling him that he was to wed claire.

this was regina’s first glimpse of true betrayal and it leads in to her meeting snow white in the show. though regina’s trust in others her age and those older than her is fleeting, she has no reason not to trust children until she meets snow again. with her already questioning her faith in other people, snow’s betrayal and the subsequent death of daniel as a result immediately broke what was left.

( EATING DISORDER )

anorexia nervosa is characterised by persistent energy intake restriction, intense fear of gaining weight and disturbance in self perceived weight or shape ( link ). as mentioned above, cora belittles regina’s eating habits and in later chapters of “regina rising”, regina catches herself limiting her food intake as a result. it does not go in to detail in either the show or the book, so i have taken some liberties with this aspect of regina’s mentality.

in season three, “quite a common fairy” ( referenced again later ), regina sits at a banquet table, alone. the table is full of food but regina only drinks out of a goblet. though it is a lot of food for one person, it doesn’t actually look like she’s attempted to eat any of it. maybe she’s just not hungry? in the back of her mind, cora will always be there telling her that she’s had enough to eat and that she should watch her figure, especially now that she’s officially the queen.

in storybrooke, she seems to have overcome this disorder, no doubt in part thanks to her newfound freedom in a new world. in season two, “welcome to storybrooke”, it’s reaching a bit high but she honest to god looks like she’s in love with the pancakes granny serves at the diner. though it is not as prevalent in storybrooke as it was in the enchanted forest, she does sometimes still catch herself counting calories or pushing food around her plate.

i do want to point out that her eating disorder is not so severe as to make her sick or skeletal. cora would have never allowed her to show such weakness. but her constantly thinking about what she’s eating does affect her to the point where she has gone without eating every now and then. she also forgets to eat as the mayor in storybrooke and has to be reminded.

( DEPRESSION )

in season three, “quite a common fairy”, regina falls from her balcony and is then saved by tinkerbell, who later asks regina why she jumped. regina laughs and plays it off as if she fell, but tinkerbell doesn’t believe regina’s story one bit. and regina stops laughing.

there is a massive gap between young regina the newly crowned queen, and queen regina the reigning monarch, who has the king killed and a hunter sent after snow white. what turned regina from the docile queen resigned to her fate into the vengeful monster desperate for freedom? i have not yet decided what to headcanon for this.

there was a fanfic i read once where regina had made a deal with rumplestiltskin. i think the deal was that he promised her that she would be happy one day, and she wouldn’t try to kill herself. this deal is a brilliant theory and i’ve decided to incorporate it in to regina’s backstory. let’s look at all the things so far that could contribute to regina contemplating suicide.

she’s abused as a child

she’s forced in to marriage

and then sexually abused

she has to play mother to a child only six years younger than her

that child broke a promise, that resulted in the below

her true love was killed right in front of her

she was trapped by a spell of her mother’s that prevented her from leaving the castle before she was married

regina was not happy. she was miserable and at some point, she thought the only way out was dying. at least then she would be with daniel. but rumplestiltskin needed her to cast his curse, because she was apparently the only one capable of casting it ( i have a headcanon about why ) - maybe he genuinely cared about her well-being, but in my opinion, he only cared about himself and he didn’t want to wait another few centuries to find someone who could take him to the land without magic. so he did the only thing he could do ; strike a deal. regina wanted to know if living was worth it, so she asked him to swear that she would be happy in the future. he swore, and she agreed to not kill herself.

but that didn’t stop her from hating every minute of her life as the queen, as leopold’s wife and as snow white’s mother. and with snow white getting everything that she wanted, regina’s resentment only grew. eventually, when she saw a way out, she took it without hesitation. that way out was the genie and the death of the king.

( DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER )

also known as multiple personality disorder. i have mentioned in previous posts that regina has a lot ( and i mean, a lot ) of layers. there are so many different aspects of her character and several different personalities where most are completely different to others. it could just be character development, but i have decided to go a different route. the below points are all experiences that come with dissociative identity disorder ( link )

DEPERSONALIZATION. this is a sense of being detached from one’s body and is often referred to as an “out-of-body” experience.

DEREALIZATION. this is the feeling that the world is not real or looking foggy or far away.

AMNESIA. this is the failure to recall significant personal information that is so extensive it cannot be blamed on ordinary forgetfulness. there can also be micro-amnesias where the discussion engaged in is not remembered, or the content of a meaningful conversation is forgotten from one second to the next.

IDENTITY CONFUSION or IDENTITY ALTERATION. both of these involve a sense of confusion about who a person is. an example of identity confusion is when a person has trouble defining the things that interest them in life, or their political or religious or social viewpoints, or their sexual orientation, or their professional ambitions. in addition to these apparent alterations, the person may experience distortions in time, place, and situation.

it first started when daniel died. depersonalization - an out of body experience, feeling detached from one’s body. she watched in horror as daniel’s heart was ripped out and then crushed in to dust. at first, she didn’t understand. it happened so fast but to regina, it happened in slow motion. then daniel fell and regina screamed, and she came too.

it happened frequently after that. in season one, “the stable boy”, at the end of the episode regina is being fitted for her dress. if you look at her, she looks completely out of it. as if she’s not really there. she’s not really paying attention to what snow white is telling her until she mentions telling cora about regina and daniel. something snaps in her then. we get the first glimpse of what will one day be the evil queen in that scene where she looks away from snow white, processes what was said, and then transforms on screen ( in the commentary, you can hear adam and eddy talk about it with lana, about how that’s how she gets in to character usually off-scene ) - when regina walks away, she is a completely different person. it doesn’t last long, but it is a glimpse.

it happened the most during her marriage to the king. she would disassociate herself with her surroundings. it was almost automatic, the way she would smile and the things she would say. no one paid her much attention beyond being a pretty thing on leopold’s arm, so it wasn’t out of the ordinary for her to stare of in to space, completely lost.

the amnesia aspect also comes in to play here, as well as at some points in time during her reign as the evil queen. but during her time in leopold’s bed, she would often lose track of time and after long enough, she started to black out what she would go through. she remembers the first few nights, but anything after that, she doesn’t recall.

as the evil queen, she found it difficult to remember faces and names, especially of those she victimised ( re. season three, “snow drifts” and “there’s not place like home” - she didn’t even remember having held marion as the evil queen, or when she met her again in the diner )

identity confusion and identity alteration come in to play with the evil queen. though i have not seen the episodes themselves, season six includes the evil queen as a separate entity to regina mills. to regina, the evil queen is someone else entirely, and not really a part of who she is. it is my opinion that the real regina lost sight of who she really was and what she believed in, and the evil queen was born. nurtured by both rumplestiltskin and her growing resentment of snow white, the evil queen came to life the moment leopold died. regina is a completely different person from before his death compared to after it. she’s not nearly as deranged as she is in later years, but that comes with time and isolation and addiction ( magic )…

magic absolutely is an addiction. once you learn it, you can’t let it go without serious consequences. it has always been my headcanon that if you were born with magic, you cannot survive without it. for example, rumplestiltskin and cora were both given magic. but regina, emma and zelena were born with it. despite canon information, it is my opinion that if cut off from their magic or if their magic is taken away from them, born magic-users would get very sick and could possibly die. it is a part of who they are. taking it away is as good as taking away their soul. it can be locked inside you, and once it is released it is near impossible to put back away.

it’s affect on you depends on how you use it, and with rumplestiltskin feeding the evil queen’s magic with his own influence, it heightened regina’s reliance on it.

during the curse, magic still existed in storybrooke, regina just did not have access to it. it was still there though, and it was enough to keep regina’s addiction sated.

after regina’s failed execution and the subsequent result ( her inability to directly hurt snow white ), regina’s desperation only grew stronger and so the queen’s delusion grew to match. regina does remember most of her actions as the evil queen, but some things she completely forgets until she sees it in her sleep and she wakes up screaming.

though she does originally feel like the evil queen is a completely different person, that does not mean that she denies responsibility for her. she knows what she’s done but she justifies it as, in a nutshell, karma.

when the curse is cast, regina is finally free of the enchanted forest, the crown and the queen. it’s easy to slip in to the role of mayor mills and completely ignore the monster that still resided under her skin. she put the evil queen aside, and didn’t think about her until the book came to be, henry started to pull away, and emma swan came to storybrooke.

this is where regina first started to dig her nails in to her palms again. it was the only way she could think of to control her more malicious instincts and she didn’t want to release the evil queen when she had other options to consider.

regina has a temper that she was both born with, and built on as the evil queen. she’d always been stubborn, and she had always been hot-headed, but in her youth she was very submissive, and so she bit her tongue. as the queen, she didn’t have to, so she took advantage of that. in storybrooke, she had to relearn how to control herself otherwise she would completely lose it.

** in my characterisation, my main storybrooke verse regina has not yet come to terms with the evil queen and has not accepted her as a part of herself. until she does that, the evil queen is another entity sharing regina’s body that she has difficulty controlling.

EXTRA INFORMATION. as mentioned in my rules, regina took an infertility potion not long after marrying the king, to ensure she did not fall pregnant with an unwanted baby. this is canon information for both main verse one and main verse two. regina does not like to talk about it and will become hostile if it is ever mentioned to her, the possibility of her ever having a biological child. in “regina’s rising”, cora mentions only wanting the best for regina, and then tells her that she will understand when she has her on children. regina then starts to think about it and decides that she would rather marry an older prince than have a child, because she is absolutely terrified about what kind of mother she would be. obviously, she overcomes that fear when she adopts henry. but there is still that inkling of insecurity and self-doubt when she takes henry back to the adoption agency and considers giving him up - not just because she learns he’s the savior’s son, but because she doesn’t think she has it in her to raise him right. later, henry’s continued insistence that she is nothing but evil and his manipulations of her dredge up all that insecurity and it hurts her deeply.

#aesthetic * isms . don’t apologise for the way you chose to survive #* long post /#* meta post /#* trigger warning /#misc * reference . something to think about

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evils--crown · 7 years

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SOCIAL SKILLS.

in “regina rising”, there are passages that imply regina was not permitted to interact with other children her age, let alone children of a lesser class.

ABUSE.

“the words were barely out of my mouth when her hand crashed against my cheek. i held back a whimper and stood still.”

** - clearly, regina is used to cora using her magic against her as a form of discipline. she comes to expect that it will hurt her and it surprises when it doesn’t initially.

ANXIETY/TRUST ISSUES.

EATING DISORDER.

DEPRESSION.

she’s abused as a child

she’s forced in to marriage

and then sexually abused

she has to play mother to a child only six years younger than her

that child broke a promise, that resulted in the below

her true love was killed right in front of her

she was trapped by a spell of her mother’s that prevented her from leaving the castle before she was married

DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER.

DEPERSONALIZATION. this is a sense of being detached from one’s body and is often referred to as an “out-of-body” experience.

DEREALIZATION. this is the feeling that the world is not real or looking foggy or far away.

it’s affect on you depends on how you use it, and with rumplestiltskin feeding the evil queen’s magic with his own influence, it heightened regina’s reliance on it.

during the curse, magic still existed in storybrooke, regina just did not have access to it. it was still there though, and it was enough to keep regina’s addiction sated.

#* ( m ) ; she is broken and won't ask for help ( meta )#* ( a ) ; i am made of insecurities ( about )#* ( re ) ; regina rising.#* ( tw ) ; multiple ( trigger warning )#reposted from malevolentqueen.

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evilqueens · 7 years

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A vampire mermaid AU. After surviving a shipwreck caused by deadly sea creatures, a recovering Robin’s left to wonder why he was spared. He wasn’t left completely unscathed by them however, and he soon learns that one particular mermaid may not be finished with him after all.

yooo. guess what i finally finished! here’s chapter two of the (still untitled) vampire mermaid au (like tbh at this point i will take suggestions on the title because honestly i just don’t know).

tagging my fav cheerleaders @idoltina @the-alpha-incipiens (who both were so kind as to look over this) and @the-notsoevil-queen (who made art and more art like seriously go look at it bc i’m still crying about it).

and here’s part one.

(chapter two - bitten)

Three days Robin spends in bed, and by the the last evening he swears he’s about to go mad from the tediousness of doing nothing. His aches serve as a distraction at first — that first morning was the worst when he woke to muscles feeling even more sore than the night before, and he couldn’t deny how nice the prospect of sleeping it off sounded. But a whole day of sleep quickly lent to a good portion of that night with him wide awake and having nothing to do.

Mary Margaret had fussed over him the entire time, insisting he sleep once he’d decided he’d had enough of doing so, bringing him his meals herself and keeping him company while he ate. She’d taken Roland to the market, and had come back to the manor delivering well-wishes from everyone in Mist Haven who knew Robin, and it had made him itch even more to leave this damn room and get a proper start to his summer.

Today he’s finally going to get to do just that — no matter what his aching body or Mary Margaret had to say about it.

He changes into the clothes Leo Blanchard had been surprisingly thoughtful enough to come deliver to Robin himself, and Robin spares a quick thank you to the Fates that he hadn’t thought to bring anything of particular value with him on this trip, or else it would’ve found its way to the bottom of the ocean. He trains himself to ignore the pains that shoot through his body as he moves his way around the room. But he’s still left a bit breathless by the time he’s deemed himself presentable enough to go out, and he’s grateful that Mary Margaret had been so kind as to care for Roland herself these past few days — he’s not sure he would’ve quite managed getting them both ready for the day.

He takes a quick look in the mirror, his eyes immediately landing on the bandage on his neck, and he sighs. The sting of the bite has subsided to slight pains that come and go, and the redness and swelling have let up a bit as well, but Robin can’t help the unease of having the wound as he changes the small bandage for it. The relief of living through a mermaid attack is still fierce, and strengthened by the fact that his boy made it through something that’s normally unavoidably fatal with barely a scratch on him. But seeing the bite in the mirror fills Robin with a vague sense of violation, along with unwanted questions regarding how exactly he and Roland ended up safely on Mist Haven shores, miles away from where the ship had crashed.

He covers up the bite again, and idly considers throwing on a scarf despite the hot and humid weather. Another discomfort at having the bite — people looking, people asking questions. Mary Margaret stares at the bandage far more than Robin appreciates, and he’s loathe to go into town and receive the same attention.

He makes his way downstairs, each step just a touch away from brutal as the sore muscles in his legs and his back protest. He makes sure to mask the pain however, as Mary Margaret insisting he spend another day holed up in his appointed room is not even close to an option he’s willing to entertain.

He finds her and Roland in the kitchen, along with a maid washing dishes who offers him some breakfast. He turns her down, much to Mary Margaret’s dismay.

“I’ll eat at the tavern,” Robin assures her. “I’ve wasted three days of this trip lying in bed, I’m far enough behind schedule as it is,” he jokes.

Mary Margaret quirks an eyebrow, unamused. “You were recovering,” she corrects him. “And you have the whole summer to catch up with everyone in town. You need to eat,” she insists, and Robin glances at the poor maid, who’s stopped washing the dish in her hands and is waiting unsurely for direct instruction.

Robin nods towards the leftover food sitting on the stove. “Scrambled eggs sound lovely,” he says, and the maid smiles in assent and sets the soapy plate down. He immediately cuts off Mary Margaret’s insistences of him having more than scrambled eggs, “A plate of scrambled eggs is more than enough to get me to the tavern, where I promise you I will insist they treat me like a king.” He smirks at her scowl.

“Papa,” Roland pipes up before Mary Margaret can continue her argument, “can we go to the beach?”

The air gets tinged with tension. “What for, my boy?” Robin asks, though he certainly doesn’t need to.

“I want to see the mermaid,” Roland answers, oblivious to the strain in the mood. He pushes around crumbs of food on his plate with his spoon.

Robin sees Mary Margaret glance at the bandage on his neck.

Robin moves to pick the boy up, swallowing down a groan as his muscles ache in protest. “Maybe later my boy,” he says with a slight tightness in his voice that he hopes Mary Margaret doesn’t notice. “First we’ve got to go see all our friends at the pub. I know Will and Little John are dying to see you!” He ruffles Roland’s curls, earning a giggle and a nod. “Let’s get to it then!”

He forces his aching legs to move forward, as quick as he can to avoid Mary Margaret’s protests, though he spares an apologetic glance at the maid standing with a plate of scrambled eggs in hand.

He manages to make it out the front door before acquiescing to his screaming muscles and putting Roland down, and he counts it as an accomplishment.

—

It’s impossible to venture out into the village and not think of Marian.

It’s the main reason Robin waited so long after the loss of her to visit Mist Haven. For most of her life, this place was the only home she’d ever known — the only place she’d ever cared to call a home. As much as he knew she enjoyed the forests of Sherwood, he’d long since accepted the ingrained sense of peace and comfort Marian carried for this small, seaside village. And he knows, if she’d still been around, they eventually would’ve found themselves back here, settled in a nice little cottage, with Marian raising Roland to love the sea as much as she did.

The ache in Robin’s heart is one he knows will never fully disappear.

The heat of the sun is more uncomfortable than Robin expects as he and Roland make their way through the village square. It’s late in the morning, not yet noon but close, and Robin supposes his lack of tolerance for the heat is probably more due to all the other discomforts on his body.

Trying to distract himself, he takes a good look at the square, at the people, and keeps an eye on Roland, who’s skipping a few paces in front of him — most likely impatient with the irritatingly slow stride Robin’s managing. He takes note of familiar establishments, Marian’s favorite shops, and new places he plans to come visit in the next couple of days. As Mary Margaret had pointed out, he has the whole summer to become reacquainted with Mist Haven and all that he’s missed in three years he’s been gone. And he’s determined not to miss a single spot.

A nostalgic warmth fills his chest that brings some relief to the ache in his heart.

When they reach the tavern, Robin takes hold of Roland’s hand and opens the door for them. There’s not much change in humidity inside the pub, but Robin breathes out a sigh of relief once he loses the feeling of the sun’s rays on the back of his neck.

The tavern’s not busy, probably won’t see more people till lunchtime at the earliest, and Robin guides Roland towards the counter with ease. He watches Little John take notice of their arrival with a huge smile, and the man sets down the rag and mug he was wiping. Roland hollers when he sees him, escaping Robin’s grip on his hand and running the rest of the way to the counter.

“Little John!”

John’s one of few people from town Roland’s already gotten to meet, thanks to the occasional trips they’ve made to Sherwood over the last few years. Little John, a friend Robin’s had long before they’d both stumbled into this little seaside village together, had visited the most recently along with Will Scarlet, and it’s the most vivid memory four-year-old Roland has of any of his honorary relatives. The excitement emanating from the boy brings a smile to Robin’s face.

He braces himself for the onslaught of pain, and then picks up Roland and places him on the counter. He can’t help the tight grunt of pain he lets out, and the grin on John’s face falters.

“Take it easy, there,” John tells him, a big hand moving to grip Roland’s leg and slide him closer. Roland giggles at the motion. “I hear you’ve had a rough couple of days.”

Understatement, Robin thinks, and John smirks at his friend’s grimace.

“I’m a bit worse for wear,” Robin admits, taking a seat on a stool. His mind brings forth a brief flash of remembrance for the men he saw lose their lives a few days ago, and his eyes turn somber.

John’s face turns apologetic. “The guys and I would’ve made our way over to the Blanchard manor to see you,” he explains, “but y’know, I’ve never been as close to good ol’ Leopold as you have.” John gives him a wink, which Robin meets with a tight smile.

“I wouldn’t have been pleasant company anyway,” Robin dismisses. “Not much excitement in watching me toss and turn in bed for three days.”

“Well how about you catch me up on how you ended up bed-ridden in the first place?” When the discomfort doesn’t leave Robin’s face, John adds, “Maybe over a drink?”

“I can’t imagine you haven’t already heard what happened,” Robin said, “If not from the rumor mill, then at least from Mary Margaret.”

John smirks at the quip, but pushes on, “Nothing like hearing it from the source himself. Now c’mon, tell me exactly how you managed to walk away from a ship doomed to mermaids.”

“A mermaid helped!” Roland pipes up, and Robin suppresses a groan.

“A mermaid helped?” John repeats, a little dumbfounded. He indulges Roland nevertheless, “You don’t say?”

Roland nods enthusiastically. “Yes, she helped me and Papa and she bringed us to the beach!”

John looks up at Robin’s tight expression and raises an eyebrow. Not quite knowing what to say (not quite knowing if he could truthfully dispute Roland’s story, if he’s honest), Robin settles on what he does remember. “I fell off the ship, somehow ended up on the shore, and woke up at the Blanchard manor.”

“With a bite,” John adds, looking pointedly at the bandage on Robin’s neck. “You forgot that part.”

“I don’t really know much about that part.”

John stares silently at him for a moment before shaking his head. “Only you would get attacked by mermaids and live to tell the tale,” he marvels. He raises the glass he’d been cleaning in the air. “Tonight, I say we drink, to the almighty Prince of Thieves —”

Robin rolls his eyes at the title, but he can’t stop the smile curving his lips. Drinks that night sound great, if he’s honest. A night out with friends he’s missed dearly. Even if the attention will be on the tragedy he just survived, or the wound on his neck, it’s still step toward some normalcy — toward the idea he’d had of how he’d be spending his trip before even having boarded that boat.

“—with charms so strong not even a mermaid could resist,” John finishes, and Robin’s smile falters.

“You believe him?” Robin asks, glancing at Roland who’s gleefully lifted his fist in the air to match the glass in John’s hand.

“I believe the kid has no reason to lie,” John answers. And despite the absurdity of it, Robin can’t find it himself to disagree.

—

The steady sound of the waterfall gushing a few meters away has become rather comforting in the short while Regina’s been its presence, and with each passing second she’s even more reluctant to head home.

The end of her tail dips into the water as she sits at the edge of a rocky piece of land, shoveling up to splash water as she braids parts of her hair. It’s been three days since she’s been home — three days since she saved the boy and his father, and she has since been too troubled by her actions to face talking to anyone. Particularly anyone who might’ve seen what she had done.

She doesn’t regret saving them (the boy’s sweet, brown eyes and dimpled cheeks haven’t left her thoughts since she deposited him next to his unconscious father that evening), but she knows her motives would be troubling to her peers — laughable to most — and altogether a great opportunity for them to bring up her mother.

No one shies away from any chance to badmouth Cora.

Once Regina finishes her braid she starts on another, resolved to stay just a little longer before finally making it back to the reefs. The longer she stays away, the more questions she’ll have to face. She’s halfway through the braid when she senses movement in the water of someone fast approaching. She flips her tail back out of the water, let it land next to her with a wet thud. Her eyes narrow as she sees the bright green flash moving towards her in the water, and though she immediately recognizes who it is, she stays tense, bracing herself for the conversation she’s been trying to avoid for the past couple of days.

Tink’s head breaks through the surface bun-first, and she moves her hands to grip the edge of land where Regina’s seated. “What’re you doing here?” she asks, raising her voice against the gush of the waterfall. “I’ve been waiting for you to come back for days.” There’s a hint of exasperation in her voice.

“What for?” Regina asks, hoping to direct the subject away from her.

“Aurora’s baby was born,” Tink tells her, and Regina feels a tinge of guilt in her chest. She and Aurora aren’t close; but still, the birth of a baby is an occasion involving the whole family of mermaids in the reefs. A hint of irritation sweeps through her, knowing that missing such an event had to have drawn attention to her absence by more than just Tink.

“I’m sure she managed just fine without me being there,” Regina says. “Why aren’t you there now?” she asks.

Tink glares at her. “I’ve been looking for you!” she shoots back, miffed. “I hope whatever it is that’s kept you here is worth Blue’s wrath when you get home.” She looks satisfied when Regina’s face falls.

“Of course she would take the time through helping someone give birth to notice I’m not there,” Regina mutters. She lets the end of her tail fall back into the water.

“So why weren’t you there?” Tink probes.

“I’ve had a lot on my mind,” Regina answers vaguely. “Too much noise in the reefs to think clearly.”

Tink raises an eyebrow. “And what exactly is on your mind that you’ve been away for three whole days? I asked everyone who came back from that hunting trip for you, even Zelena” — Tink makes a face at the name — “and no one knew what happened to you.”

Relief floods through Regina. She strongly hopes it’s the truth, and no one had paid enough attention to witness her heroic antics. She thinks of the man she left half-conscious on the shore, and one of her other worries comes to sit first on her mind. Without really thinking about it, Regina asks, “What do you know about the biting bond?”

Tink’s face turns to one of confusion. “Sorry?”

Regina looks away. “You know, when you bite a human, but don’t kill them. Surely your access into the Knowledge Caves has granted you some information on that.”

“It’s not something I’ve ever cared to look into,” Tink answers unsurely, still thrown by Regina’s question. “Why do you ask?” She gives Regina a suspicious look. “You didn’t… do that, did you?”

Regina’s attention goes back to the braids in her hair, which is slightly drier with the amount of time she’d been sitting out of the water. She notices the dryness of her upper tail now as well.

“Regina,” Tink says firmly. “Did you create a bond with a human?” There’s some admonishment in her tone that Regina immediately resents, and she rolls her eyes at the little blonde.

Seeing no point in lying, she responds with, “You say it as if I set out to do so.”

“Well I don’t really see how you could’ve done it on accident,” Tink says. “Even if for any reason you were interrupted mid-bite, they still would’ve drowned.”

Regina sighs, leaning forward to cup some water in her hands. Letting the water fall on the scales of her tail, she starts, “You know I don’t like eating human children…”

Tink’s eyes soften slightly, but she doesn’t answer.

Regina continues, “There was a little boy on the ship we hunted three days ago. He fell overboard, and… I couldn’t handle watching anyone get to him. So I rescued him.” She takes a breath. “His father was on the ship. And I wasn’t gonna leave the boy without him, without someone to care for him, or what was the point?” Though her resolve was solid at the time, the excuse now sounds weak saying it aloud to someone who doesn’t share the same position as her.

She avoids Tink’s eyes, cupping more water in her hands to drop on her tail. She keeps going, “I saved the man, but I didn’t get a chance to feed beforehand. So I had to bite him…” She awkwardly looks over at Tink then, having nothing else to say.

Tink’s eyes are wide as she looks at Regina, seeming at a loss for what to say. “That’s…” she trails off.

Regina rolls her eyes at her friend’s reaction (overreaction in her opinion). “It’s not like I’m gonna do anything about it,” she tells her, exasperated. “I’ll never even see him again.”

“Won’t you?” Tink asks. The question throws Regina, and Tink continues, “I may not know the details of bonding, but I do know basics. They’re not just bound to you, you’re bound to them too. You don’t sense him at all?”

“No,” Regina answers, and to her relief it’s the truth. Yes, she’s spent the last three days thinking of nothing but him and his son (were they rescued? has he recovered?), but aside from this unhealthy new obsession, she hasn’t felt any different since having bitten the man.

Tink’s eyebrows knit in confusion. “Really? That’s not how I’ve heard it goes.” Her eyes brighten with an idea. “Oh, Miss Nimue would know for sure, we could go ask —”

“No!” Regina launches herself into the water, Tink moving back instinctively. “You will tell no one about this,” she tells her friend darkly. “I told you, I feel nothing, and I’ll never see him again so it doesn’t matter. Let’s just go home,” she says, and dives underwater.

Tink follows her, looking uncertain. “This could be dangerous Regina, you should try to —”

“There is no danger,” she cuts Tink off. Then, knowing Tink’s thoughts must have drifted to Cora at least once during this conversation (it always comes back to Cora), Regina asserts, “I won’t go near another human ever again and let them live to tell the tale.”

Although she means it as the truth, it sounds like a lie to her ears.

—

Robin can’t sleep.

It’s been over an hour since he’d returned from the tavern, with just enough ale in his belly to give some relief to the sore spots on his body. But apparently, not enough to lull him into sleep. The manor is dark and quiet, and Robin takes a seat on the couch in the parlor, the thought of lying awake in his bed not at all an enticing one after having done nothing but for the past three days.

Instead, he sits back on the couch and lets his thoughts run. He thinks of Marian, whose memory is so engraved in every inch of this town that he sometimes finds it hard to breathe. He wonders if he’ll be able to make it through the whole summer here when he has a memory of her for almost every part of the town, memories he hasn’t had a chance to make peace with yet, and he wonders if he’s ready to do that now.

He knows she would want this, he tries to remind himself, that she would want him here. She would want him to show Roland every place in this village that mattered to her, to share this part of his mother’s life to him because for so long it was everything to her. She would want Robin to take him to have lunch with Granny Lucas, and to show him the quirky trinket shop that wasn’t there the last time Robin was here, but he knows that Marian would’ve loved. She would want him to take Roland to the beach as often as was allowed, have him become acquainted with sand in his shoes and his curls, and learning to collect seashells and how to be mindful of the tide.

Roland wants that now, an unwanted voice reminds him, though another part of Robin is quick to argue that his constant requests to visit the beach have little to do with the beach itself and more to do with the deadly creatures living deeper in the waters. Robin sighs, rubbing his eyes as his thoughts turn back to this dreaded subject he’s learning is inevitable now.

He needs to change his bandage, he remembers, and his hand moves to gently rip the cloth off his neck. He can’t bring himself to move however, to go clean the wound and cover it up again. His mind goes back to his night at the pub, where Little John had gleefully told everyone that Robin had charmed a mermaid into saving him and Roland from certain death. And all his friends, pleasantly drunk and needing little more to celebrate, had cheered without a second thought.

He thinks back to Roland, who’s tried to get away with enough fibs that Robin knows when the boy’s being untruthful. And so he knows his son isn’t lying, he truly believes the story he’s told anyone who would listen. And though that’s not exactly enough for Robin to believe something so absurd, so unheard of, one thing is certain -- for there’s no other way he and Roland could’ve ended up safely on the shores of Mist Haven otherwise: someone (something?) in the water had saved them.

And despite his desire to just forget the incident happened and move on, Robin knows he has to find out who or what it was that did. He feels a stirring in his chest as he reaches that decision, and it seems to help solidify it as Robin tries to figure out how exactly to go about solving this mystery. The beach, something inside him says, and he doesn’t shy away from the thought this time, as he figures that’s as good a starting point as any, maybe talk to Mr. Smee again to see what he remembers, what he saw…

The beach.

He doesn’t really think about it as he gets up, moves out of the parlor and to the front door. It’s when the warm heat outside hits his face that he thinks to himself that what he’s doing is ridiculous, but it does nothing to stop him as he starts making his way towards the beach.

It’s a bit of a walk, and by the time he reaches the shores his muscles are complaining once more, but he pays his discomfort little mind as he ventures closer to the water. It’s faint, but he can hear it now; a soft tune that he now knows has been humming since he left the manor, not loud enough to reach his ears until he reached the beach, but with a luring quality strong enough to reach his heart from all the way back in the parlor.

He follows the song now, entranced. Somewhere in the back of his head he recognizes the hypnotic song, and a voice screams to turn back, to cover his ears, but the thought’s muted as Robin gets closer and the voice grows stronger. He reaches a small cluster of rocks by the waters, and his heartbeat quickens as he ventures his way through them. The moon was strong enough to light his way when he first reached the beach, but he’s careful now to watch his step amongst the dark, bumpy path, bracing his hands against boulders as he struggles to reach the water.

He sits on a low boulder resting on the sea, easing himself slowly into the shallow water. He’s wading waist-deep when the tune stops. He grips another nearby rock for purchase, his mind going foggy without the lilting guide telling him where to go.

“Interesting.”

Robin’s head whips around at the unexpected voice, and his eyes scan the sea trying to find its owner in the dark. He slowly wades further into the water, his feet beginning to lose contact with the floor of the sea, and his heartbeat quickening again as his mind slowly starts to clear. He can hear his instincts now telling him to get out of the water, but before he can process the thought enough to follow the instruction he sees her, peeking out from behind the farthest boulder.

He freezes at the sight of her, and after a moment she deems his lack of movement safe enough for her to venture forward. He notices her slight struggle with shallowness of the water and before he can tell himself not to, he’s moving forward himself to meet her. She tenses a bit as Robin approaches, but a quick glance at his eyes has a slight smirk gracing her lips.

Not breaking his gaze, she begins to wade backward now, her iridescent tail flipping forward underwater. She crooks a finger as an indication for Robin to follow her. He does, swimming deeper into the waters until they’ve reached the rock she was hiding behind. He’s submerged to the neck now, only the tips of his shoes touching the ground, and he idly realizes he went into the water fully clothed.

He stares warily at the mermaid, who seems to have lost any apprehension she might’ve had when he’d first entered the water. She’s beautiful, with long, dark hair falling over her shoulders. He has a flash of remembrance to what were probably those same thick locks blocking out the beam of the sunset almost four days ago. She seems to sense his anxiety (his fear, though he doesn’t wish to admit it), and she smiles in amusement. Her exposed teeth make him aware of the wound on his neck that he never got to re-bandage.

She moves closer, pushing into him until his back hits the side of the boulder. Her eyes are pitch black in the night, but they still seem to sparkle as she murmurs easily, “I never thought I’d see you again.”

#oq ff #oq fic #outlaw queen fic #outlaw queen #vampire mermaid au #ouat #look i wrote a thing

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lilacmoon83 · 7 years

Text

Dreaming Out Loud

Chapter 13: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Graham awoke with a start and shot up in bed, before swinging his legs over the side. He put his head in his hands and took in deep breaths of air.

"Is everything okay?" Regina asked, as she rolled over.

"Uh...yeah, just a weird dream," he muttered. She gave him a long gaze and then got out of bed.

"Henry will be up soon. You should go," she suggested. He nodded and got dressed, as Regina went into the bathroom to shower. The weird dream had not been a lie, but it was more like a nightmare of things that didn't make sense. He hated waking up here, but somehow he had ended up here again, despite initially telling Regina no. He quietly hurried out the door, but stopped dead in his tracks, as he spotted a wolf in his path, staring at him intently. It seemed to look through him and then ran off, leaving Graham feeling oddly stunned with memories of the nightmare searing his memory.

Approximately 3 Years Before the Dark Curse

As Zelena sat upon the bicycle with Hades, she studied him for a moment.

"Am I that interesting, my dear?" he teased. She smirked.

"I'm just wondering why you're here romancing me. Aren't you married?" she inquired. He smirked.

"If you want to get technical," he responded.

"And your Queen doesn't mind that you're here, romancing another?" she challenged.

"She prefers it, I assure you. She doesn't exactly return my...affections. She never has," he confessed.

"If you don't love her and she doesn't love you, then why keep her around?" she questioned.

"There was a time, centuries ago, when I was quite infatuated with Persephone. And in my more volatile youth, I didn't take no for an answer. Persephone was fairest of all and so I made her my Queen. She was mine...then she betrayed me," he explained.

"She cheated on you?" Zelena asked. He nodded.

"With a mortal of all disgraces. And that wasn't the worst part. She gave birth to his halfbreed spawn and her meddlesome mother put a protection spell over the child, preventing me from laying a hand on the little wretch," he explained.

"How dreadful," she lamented.

"That's why I employed my loyal nephew to find the child. When she was born, Demeter took her and hid her away. Unfortunately, he has failed to find her and it's been over twenty-five years," he continued.

"And the only way to truly make your beloved Persephone pay for her betrayal is to destroy her child," Zelena deduced. He smirked.

"I do love the way your devious mind works. You were truly meant for me, my love," he cooed.

"I do not play second string to anyone, especially not some fairest goddess," she refuted.

"Persephone may be the fairest of all, but she lacks your wickedness," he purred and she giggled, as something he said struck her.

"Persephone is called the fairest of all, yes?" she asked.

"Yes...a term coined by her sanctimonious mother," he replied.

"Why?" he asked, noticing the pensiveness on her face. She smirked.

"It's just not the first time I've heard such a term. There is a mortal princess whom the same moniker has been coined for her. My sister seeks to destroy her for getting her true love killed. Perhaps such a moniker is not a coincidence," Zelena suggested.

"But Persephone's daughter would be half immortal…" he said, as he trailed off for a moment.

"Unless…" he started to say.

"Unless?" she questioned.

"Can you show me this princess?" he asked. She looked at him for a moment and then nodded.

"I have a way to see the Enchanted Forest from my palace," she confirmed. He smirked evilly.

"Take me there. We may still make chaos together yet," he said gleefully.

For the most part, Graham had been able to carry on his day as normal. He didn't really want to face Emma, having woke up again in Regina's bed, so he texted her, offering to take early patrol. The strange dreams played through his head though like a movie.

There was a forest and he was there, looking down at Mary Margaret. Except it wasn't Mary Margaret exactly. This woman looked exactly like her, but with long raven tresses and the most innocent face he had ever seen. He was horrified, for in his dreams, he was going to end her life. She forgave him and was waiting to die. But he couldn't do it and let her get away.

That's when he saw the wolf again, standing in the middle of the road on the back roads of town. He slammed on the breaks and stared into the wolf's eyes, as more flashes assaulted him. This time he wasn't asleep though, so how they could have been dreams, he had no idea. But they were becoming more clear and these new visions were frightening.

He saw himself enslaved to Regina, his glowing heart in her hand. Despite that, he defied her and helped the Prince escape his execution. Therefore, Snow White was awakened with true love's kiss and Regina lost.

But she wasn't about to accept her defeat and cast the Dark Curse. And this place they had been living in for the last twenty-eight years was that curse.

His eyes widened, as it all came rushing back to him like a stream of images in his head.

He remembered everything...because things were changing in Storybrooke and all because of the Savior. Snow and Charming's daughter...Emma.

"Emma…" he uttered, as he did a sharp u-turn and sped back toward the station.

After leaving the library, they stopped into Granny's for something hot to drink to take with them on their walk. They still drew a lot of attention when they entered the diner together, her hand hooked on his elbow. There were whispers, but Mary found she was able to pay them less mind than before. They could talk all they wanted, because what she and David had was between them.

"Well...if it isn't Storybrooke's newest item," Granny mused, making Mary blush.

"What'll it be?" she asked.

"Two hot cocoas with cinnamon," David replied. The elderly woman smiled at them.

"Coming right up," she said, giving them a cheeky look, as she went to make their drinks.

"You'd think they'd have better things to do than stare at us," she muttered.

"People love gossip," he agreed. It was true in this land it seemed, just as it had been in their land. The other royals and nobles of the court loved to gossip, especially about them. A marriage based on true love in royalty was an anomaly. He and Snow had begun a trend though. They were one of the first royal marriages in many years that was not arranged and based solely on true love. Thomas and Ella followed their example, though King Christopher was a bit more open to this kind of thing. Abigail and Frederick had been next, though Midas was reluctant. Frederick wasn't a royal, but being that he was a Knight, the King allowed it, though Charming doubted Abigail would have let her father stop her.

While Thomas' kingdom had accepted a former peasant as their Queen, Charming knew that Snow's much more conservative court, still loyal to the long dead Leopold, might have put up much fuss if they had known he was not the real James.

He knew Snow would never allow them to tell her who she could or could not marry, but he was well aware of the uproar it might cause if it were to become public that he was raised as a poor shepherd.

It seemed not much had changed in that respect. They were still under scrutiny, though they had never let it bother them. They had always been too absorbed in their powerful, passionate love to let the opinions of others factor into their lives. And he was determined to keep that trend, as he leaned down and kissed her, probably with a little more heat than was appropriate in public.

She gazed up at him in surprise, as their lips parted.

"What was that for?" she asked. He smiled.

"We might as well give them something to stare at," he replied. She bit her bottom lip, a clear tell that she was turned on and leaned her head against his arm, just as Granny returned with their finished drinks.

"Thanks Granny," he said, as he paid her. She smiled at the pair. There was definitely something about them. Together, hot cocoas in hand, they joined their free hands and left the diner for their walk. Wilby had waited outside and now trotted alongside them.

Regina unlocked the box and picked up the glowing heart inside. She had been keeping it locked in her office, but stopped there to get it, before coming to her vault. She was too paranoid to leave it unattended any longer, especially after her jarring run-in with a defiant Dr. Hopper.

She decided to come survey what little magic she had left, for her curse was unraveling faster than she could ever have imagined. She had to keep Graham close. She had a very big problem in Emma Swan. Add to that, those two idiots were so ridiculously in love, it made her sick. She had heard all the gossip how David Nolan was shacking up with the pretty, shy schoolteacher and literally sweeping her off her feet.

And if that wasn't irritating enough, there was Gold, who was far too cocky with his little bookworm around. Belle was the leverage she had been keeping for a rainy day and with that gone, it gave him far more control than she was comfortable with.

She needed a triple strike against all of them. If she was lucky, sending Damon after the two idiots again would take care of that problem. In addition, as soon as she knew all there was to know about Emma Swan, she'd be able to proceed with destroying her. That just left the bookworm and a devious smile spread across her face, as she opened her potions cabinet.

"You may have prevented me from putting David and Kathryn in a fake marriage by manipulating the false memories I gave her, so I would say turn about is fair play," she hissed, as she picked up a matchbook from the Rabbit Hole and picked up a blue vial of potion. She put a couple drops on the matchbook and smirked gleefully.

"Let's see how smug you are when your precious Belle becomes a trashy barfly," she mused. She pocketed the matchbook. Of course, first she would need someone extra to plant doubt of her identity in Belle, before she planted the false memories. And that would require a visit to a certain flower shop owner. Yes, she was feeling very good and so she picked up Graham's heart and then dialed his number.

"Not now Regina," he answered.

"Excuse me, is that any way to talk to your Mayor?" she asked.

"I'm busy," he said.

"And I don't care. Meet me at my house," she ordered.

"No...I have much more important things to do," he replied, as he hung up on her. Regina's mouth dropped open in disbelief. He had never so blatantly refused her. Even with his heart in her hand, he was resisting. And the last time he had refused her so utterly had been...back in the Enchanted Forest. When he had his memories. If he was remembering, he could ruin everything in one fell swoop.

But how was he remembering? It wasn't possible...was it? She pursed her lips, her rage barely contained. All the recent problems with her curse could be traced back to one Emma Swan. She hoped to hell that Damon came through with that information. She needed to know why one woman was unraveling everything she had worked for. But if Graham was remembering, then he now a very big threat. A threat that had to be neutralized. She hurried out of her vault and to her car. She had to get to the station.

Emma jumped in surprise, as Graham ran in, practically crashing through the door at the station.

"Where's the fire?" she asked, as she took in his appearance. His eyes were wide with wonder, as he gazed upon her. He was disheveled and looked like he hadn't slept much in days.

"Emma…" he uttered.

"Yeah...what's going on with you?" she asked.

"Emma…" he repeated and she raised an eyebrow.

"Yes...I think we've established that I'm Emma. Me Emma. You Graham," she teased, with a smirk. But he seemed too distracted to be amused by her joke.

"I remember…" he stated.

"What?" she asked.

"I remember...and this is going to sound nuts...but you're the Savior," he replied. Her eyebrows were in her hair at that point, but it was her turn to shock him.

"Yeah...daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. The Savior, destined to break the curse," she stated, in a matter of fact tone. His eyes got bigger, if that was possible.

"You...you know?!" he exclaimed. She smirked.

"Long story...but yeah I've known since I was old enough to understand. You really remember?" she asked, hope in her voice.

"Everything...I was the Huntsman. I...I tried to kill Snow White," he said regrettably.

"My Mom tells it a bit differently. She says you made a different choice and defied the Queen, knowing very well that you were probably forfeiting your own life," Emma replied, enjoying his surprise even more, as he closed the distance between them.

"Regina...she has my heart," he uttered.

"I know...I've been trying to figure out a way to get it back. I think she's keeping it close to her," she replied.

"I...I can't believe you know…" he stammered.

"I'll tell you how, but first I think we need to get this," she replied, as she touched the spot on the center of his chest. Their eyes locked and they stared at each other for several moments.

"Regina...I never…" he started to say, but she stopped him.

"She forced you...I know that now," she replied. And with that, he closed the remaining distance and pressed his lips to hers.

Unbeknownst to them, Regina glowered at the picture of them from outside the window of the station. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but their body language spoke volumes. And then when their lips met, the rage burning inside her became too overwhelming for her to ignore. This woman...this interloper was ruining everything and she had to teach her what happened when you crossed her. She extracted the glowing heart from her pocket and thought about his rejection. If he was remembering, he was a very big threat, but his rejection is what stung the most; that he would choose this woman over her. He had defied her for the final time and he had to pay. With no more hesitation, she squeezed his heart and crushed in into diamond dust that floated away in the wind, before stalking away. The gloves were off and she was declaring war on her enemies. When she finished, nothing but dust would remain of them all if she had her way.

Their lips parted and they shared a smile.

"I guess we have a lot to talk about," Emma mentioned. He smiled. They did, but he wasn't too interesting in talking at the moment. He leaned in, about to kiss her again, when he paused.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked. The pain was sharp and excruciating. Instinctively, he knew what was happening and he should have known all along that a happy ending was not something in the cards for him. It nearly broke him, but he knew she'd go on without him. She was destined to break the curse and defeat Regina. She would avenge him. So he said the only parting words he could.

"I love you," he uttered and then collapsed to the floor. Emma cried out and crashed to her knees beside him. She shook him violently, but she knew what had happened.

"No...no...no...no…" she cried repeatedly, as she searched for a pulse. But he wasn't breathing and would never again, for she knew his heart was now dust. The Queen had done this...she had killed him. Emma sobbed against his chest, her fists clenching his shirt. Her eyes glistened with fury, as her shoulders racked with sobs and her expression was pure rage...rage for the woman that had caused all of this.

She had terrorized her parents, cursed them, forced them to give her up, forced her to grow up without them, at least when she was awake. She had her son and would do anything to keep him away. She had sent a monster after her parents and would do so again. She had killed a man she was falling in love with; the first man she had let close to her since Henry's father. The gloves were off and she was declaring war on the Queen. And when she finished, Regina would finally lose, once and for all.

She sniffed and tried to wipe her eyes in an attempt to gather herself. But it was no use. She needed the only two people that could possibly comfort her in any way right now. She picked up her phone with shaky hands and dialed her mother.

Mary Margaret leaned her head against his arm, as they walked through the woods and over the Toll bridge. Wilby was ahead of them, but not too far, quite enamored by all the wilderness and wildlife. They stopped in a clearing and were stunned by the sight of a mother deer and its baby. The doe looked at them curiously for a moment and then relaxed when she decided they weren't a threat. He gazed at her, loving the awe on her beautiful face.

"Such a beautiful sight…" Mary uttered.

"Yeah…" he agreed, though he was referring to a different sight of beauty.

"You are not even looking at the deer," she teased, as she nudged him in the ribs.

"Sorry...they are beautiful, but definitely the second most beautiful thing I've seen today," he replied. She looked at him, almost in disbelief, as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. As their lips parted, Mary gazed up at him and the love in his eyes took her breath away.

"I keep pinching myself to make sure you're real," she mentioned. He smiled.

"Maybe I should pinch you," he teased and she gasped in surprise, as he pinched her rear. He chuckled at the look on her face.

"David…" she said, as she blushed.

"What? You can pinch me too if you want...in fact, I'm sure I'd enjoy that," he replied, as he wriggled his eyebrows at her playfully.

"Maybe I will…" she challenged.

"By all means, Ms. Blanchard," he challenged back, as their lips met passionately.

"Mmm...there is so much more I want to do than pinching right now," she purred. He smirked, as she took his hand and started leading him back over the bridge.

"Come on Wilby…" he called, as he slipped his arm around her waist and she smiled up at him, her eyes shining with love. As they reached town again, they decided to pick up take out from Granny's, but that's when Mary's phone rang.

"Hi Emma," she answered. But a stifled sob made her frown.

"Mary?" she asked.

"Emma...what's wrong. You're crying," she said in alarm.

"Um...it's Graham. He's dead," she sobbed.

"What?" she asked in disbelief, as her knees almost buckled. Luckily, David was there to hold her up.

"Where are you?" she choked out.

"The station. The ambulance is on its way...but it's useless. He's gone…" she said.

"We'll be right there," Mary said, as she hung up and looked up at David with a tearful gaze.

"Is Emma hurt?" he asked, as fear seized his heart. He had to try and remember that to everyone else, Emma was just his friend. But if his baby girl was hurt...he didn't know if would be able to keep up that charade.

"It's Graham...he's dead," she cried, as he took her in his arms and held her, as she cried.

"Emma needs us…" she sobbed. He nodded and they changed their direction toward the station. He huddled Mary close to him and knew her tears were still falling, as they hurried to the station. Emma needed them.

By the time David and Mary arrived at the station, Emma had already called the hospital to tell them she needed the coroner, but they hadn't arrived yet. So David and Mary found her knelt beside Graham's body and it was a heartbreaking sight.

"Emma…" David said, as they knelt down on either side of her. Mary gently pulled her into a hug and David rubbed her back.

"What happened?" Mary asked. Emma sniffed and looked at her father over Mary's shoulder. He knew what had happened, but she couldn't exactly tell Mary that the Evil Queen had crushed his heart.

"He...just suddenly collapsed," Emma said. It wasn't untrue, as it had happened in a blink of an eye.

"I'm so sorry," Mary said, choking back a sob. Emma held onto her tightly and then pulled back, as the paramedics arrived. She quickly started wiping her tears away. Mary and David sat with her, while Graham's body was loaded into the Coroner's van.

"I know there's nothing we can say to make this better, but why don't we go home?" Mary suggested. Emma nodded.

"I'll run to the diner and be right behind you. I know grilled cheese and hot cocoa won't make it better, but it will at least be something warm in your stomach," he said. Emma managed a nod, as he saw them off toward Mary's apartment, while he headed for the diner. He took out the phone in his pocket and found a text from Emma. It read words that Emma couldn't tell him aloud.

Graham remembered everything. He told me and then he died.

That stunned him, but if he had been remembering, then it meant it worried Regina enough to eliminate him.

He went to his contacts and picked the number he wanted from the names Emma had programmed into the phone for him. He pressed the green button and then put it to his ear.

"Hello," Jefferson answered.

"Graham's dead," he said bluntly. He heard Jefferson blow out of low whistle.

"Let me guess...she finally did it, didn't she? She crushed his heart," Jefferson said.

"I think so. Emma said he just collapsed and was gone, just like that," David replied angrily.

"She's getting scared," Jefferson said.

"Emma told me he remembered. She must have thought he was enough of a threat to kill him," David replied.

"Yeah, because a healthy man his age just doesn't keel over. Even the hapless people in this town might ask questions," he mentioned.

"Too bad they'd never believe the truth," he said with a sigh.

"We need to be careful. This is just her first strike, you know. She's probably busy plotting away right now," Jefferson warned.

"I know...I need to get back to Mary and Emma. Can you call Gold? He should know," David replied.

"Sure...be careful out there," Jefferson warned.

"You too," he said, as he hung up and went into Granny's.

Regina crinkled her nose, as she stepped into Damon Tromera's club. She hated this place; this eyesore in her town. Sleazy was being too nice when used to describe this establishment. The carpet in the whole place was blood red and tacky as hell, but then Damon didn't remember exactly why he had such a penchant for red. It was late and there were only a few patrons, drinking and they paid her no mind, for the scantily clad girl on stage held their attention. She barely looked legal and under normal circumstances, not even she would let this kind of thing go on under her nose. But Damon was her means to making her stepdaughter truly pay.

"Madam Mayor...welcome. Can I interest you in a drink?" Damon asked, without taking his eyes away from the girl on stage. It was no wonder why he had hired this one. Long raven curls, green eyes, red lips and fair skin.

"This isn't a social call. I'm here, because you have yet to hold up your end of our deal," Regina said. He smirked and put his drink down, before retrieving a file from underneath the bar.

"Oh, I think this will satisfy you," he said, as he handed it to her. She eagerly opened the folder and started reading. And what she took in made her blood run cold, but suddenly made frightening sense.

"This is legitimate?" she asked. He nodded.

"Seems she was abandoned on the side of the road as an infant, not far from here. Quite a coincidence," he replied. Oh, but the Queen knew it was no coincidence. It all made perfect sense now. Emma Swan wasn't just an ordinary orphan. She was the Savior...daughter of her enemies. Her protectiveness of those two idiots was no longer puzzling. She had found her parents and was chipping away at her perfect revenge, day by day.

"Now that you have that, I expect you to return the favor," Damon said.

"Mary Margaret and her...coma patient have been frequenting walks in the woods lately. Getting the drop on them shouldn't be that hard, but that's up to you," Regina replied. He smirked.

"That's excellent news," he said. But she ignored him and took the file with her, as she left quickly. Her curse was in more danger of unraveling than she originally thought...

#Snowing #Charming family #season 1 AU #Snowing fanfiction

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