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Beyond Here Lies Darkness	By : LotornoMiko Category: M through R > Once Upon A Time Views: 3724 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Once Upon A Time fandom. Nor do I make any money off of it or this story.

Chapter List
- 1-One
- 2-Two
- 3-Three
- 4-Four
- 5-Five
- 6-Six
- 7-Seven
- 8-Eight
- 9-Nine
- 10-Ten
- 11-Eleven
- 12-Twelve
- 13-Thirteen
- 14-Fourteen
- 15-Fifteen
- 3
- 4
- 5
Things haven't been going exactly the way Regina Mills would have hoped, her happy ever after still lingering out of reach. Still taunting her with it's promise, the hope that everything will become perfect if Regina just do what is needed, and make a sacrifice of everything that everyone else has ever wanted, and has ever had. It's not a decision Regina makes lightly, not when she has had years of bitter disappointments, of heart break and despair. Resentment has taken root inside her, nearly blinded her to what is right. Regina wants her happy ending, and she's almost not above using Emma Swan to get it.

And so Regina tries to ignore the guilty pangs in her stomach, pretends to not care that she has stumbled upon Emma Swan being violated. Tries to act as unconcerned as Cora truly is, when all the while her head is screaming that it's wrong. For all the heartless things Regina has done, all the lives ruined, the people that have died, the queen has never felt so evil then as at the moment she meets Emma Swan's frantic eyes, and sees the hope there spark and then die.

Revenge suddenly doesn't feel quite so sweet, leaving Regina to wonder if anything is worth the sick feeling that's now festering inside her. Wondering if even Henry's unconditional love will be enough to make her forget what she has done, Regina feels regret of a different kind. Such a strange, foreign feeling, Regina looking past her own pain and sorrows, and realizing she's probably, finally gone too far.

There's a hitch to Regina's breath, one she can't quite hide to feign amused indifference. She's finally realized that her revenge is costing her EVERYTHING, including her son's love, and there is nothing Regina can do to change that. Nothing because she's finally done the one thing that's gone irrevocably too far. Her son has a forgiving nature, but even Henry won't be able to overlook this rape and violation.

Choking on air that tastes foul, Regina opens her mouth and knows her sorry won't be good enough. So she does the only thing she can think of, the only thing she knows to fall back on. She raises an arm, and makes a fist. Feels as well as sees the purple colored energy crackle around it, gathering strength and form. Her regrets and disappointments, her shame and even her anger at herself, give power to the magic. It's one hell of a spell Regina throws at the darkness, and it's still not enough to do more than surface damage.

And yet the darkness roars, actually drops hold of Emma, who collapses to the ground. The blonde haired savior just lays there, a small crumpled form that's trying to not get noticed. Once Regina thought she would have loved to see Emma brought so low, but even that is no longer true, and that fuels the second surge of power Regina needs for her attack.

The spell hits the darkness directly on the chest. The tanned skin discolors briefly, first the dark black and blue of a bruise freshly made, and then the more repugnant browns and yellows of a hurt that is older, but already healing. If the darkness had been mortal, had not had it's ancient, evil magic as backing, Hook's body would have been destroyed. But now existing as he is, the pirate's body remains intact, with not even a single imperfect speck to mark the damage the spell had briefly done.

The darkness looks at Regina, and though it's been a mistake, it's one she repeats gladly. She flings her third ball of energy at the monster, scowls in the face of her fear, and does her best to keep from shaking in her expensive pump shoes.

The darkness moves, and it is with a speed unmatched by anything mortal. One blink of the eyes, and then it is there, it's hand around Regina's throat, lifting her up off the ground. Regina can't focus to call on her magic, can only claw at the darkness' arm. She's gasping for air, and then her mother snaps out a command.

"STOP!"

The Dark One freezes exactly as Cora asks. It doesn't relax it's hand, keeps the grip at just the right pressure, neither crushing nor releasing, and still Regina is going to choke to death if something isn't done and soon.

"Release her." Cora's voice is calm, the woman seeming unaffected by what is happening to her daughter. "Gently." The caution comes a moment too late, the darkness abruptly relaxing it's hand, letting Regina drop to the ground. She sputters and gasps, her face turning red.

"Get up Regina." An unconcerned Cora commands. Regina has to try twice before she can manage to stand. She's wheezing as she does this, her throat sore, her neck bruised. "Honestly." Cora's heels click on the pavement, the woman approaching both her daughter and the Dark One.

"I know you're impatient for results..." Cora continues, looking at her daughter. "But antagonizing him is not going to get you Henry any sooner."

Regina looks at her mother, and realizes the woman is truly without heart. Cora doesn't see anything wrong with what they have witnessed, with the rape they have come across. Cora doesn't seem to even think of Emma Swan, like the woman is just a bug the redhead has already swatted away.

"Henry is gone." Is what Regina croaks out loud. "He's lost to us...."

"Maybe, maybe not." Cora counters. She's holding the dagger, the enchanted blade never far from her hands. It's the one thing that gives her power over the darkness, the only thing that is keeping it from killing indiscriminately. Most certainly, the dagger is the only thing standing in the way of the darkness killing Cora and her daughter, a desire the creature makes no attempt to hide. Regina looks into the murderous slant of it's eyes, and knows the darkness is very, very angry, and all but out of patience.

"What do you want?" The words are ground out like gravel, the darkness speaking with a furious growl. Regina shivers to hear it, but Cora doesn't so much as blink in reaction.

"Ah ah ah." She says out loud. She taps blood red fingernails on the flat of the dagger's blade, striking the name carved into the metal. The darkness narrows it's eyes at her, feigns indifference to the blade that controls and makes a slave of it. "We will be the ones asking the questions."

The darkness hisses, a sound Regina realizes is it's attempt at hiding it's irritation. Cora smiles in understanding, a second before she is pulling back her hand, striking it and her magic across the darkness' cheek.

"Why isn't she dead?" Cora asks, and her smile is no longer anything Regina wants to see. "Why haven't you killed her already?" She's gestured with the dagger, actually pointed it at the prone figure that is Emma Swan.

The darkness's expression is something horrific, Hook's features twisting in a nightmarish way. With one look, Regina knows her mother is a dead woman, walking around on borrowed time. It doesn't matter that she holds the blade, that Cora has made a slave of the darkness. It's merely waiting, patient for it's chance. Biding it's time, knowing that it WILL come, and already reveling in the fact.

"Answer me!" snaps Cora, her own anger distorting her expression.

"Mother perhaps..." Regina begins, and her own voice sounds small and uncertain. She's not even acknowledged, both the queen and the darkness locked in their own private battle, wills tested, anger strengthened.

The air seems to crackle between them, magic sparking off both powerful beings. Cora's eyes narrow, her lips pursed together as though she has tasted something horrible. "You're not..." She begins to say, and then brings a hand to her face. "Oh yes, you are!" She actually laughs, Cora delighting in her realization. "Oh you stupid fool. Trying to fight against the dagger, against your master's will!"

Regina's eyes widened, and she takes a cautious step back. She feels the darkness slither it's gaze in her direction, then snap it back to Cora who is not only still laughing, but actually stepping closer to the Dark One.

"You have to realize how futile this is." Cora says. "How utterly pointless it is to try and resist so long as I have control of the dagger." She's actively taunting the darkness, actually tapping the dagger's tip against the side of the Dark One's cheek. Regina stand frozen, watches as the darkness' jaw clenches.

"With this dagger even the darkness is my slave." Cora continues. "And there's not a damn thing anyone can do..."

Her gloating is interrupted by a growl, the darkness making a grab for the dagger. Cora reacts without thinking, slashing open the palm of that reaching hand. An arc of blood follows that, the blood splattering on the front of Cora's navy blue suit. The darkness howls, actually draws it's still bleeding hand close to it's chest.

Even Cora is stunned by the close call, her mouth hanging open as she watches the darkness voice it's pain. The wound is slow to heal, more of the darkness' blood splattering to the ground. Cora looks at the blood, then looks at the dagger, and actually appears shaken. She doesn't try to speak, not until she's retreated a safe distance.

"Were you trying to get me to kill you?!" Her eyes narrow. "After all I've done for you?!"

"Done for me?!" snarls the darkness. "What exactly have you done for me?!"

"I freed you from Rumplestiltskin for one." Cora retorts. "And I even went so far as to hand pick you out a nice new vessel. One with a mind and will far easier to subdue. Though I'm beginning to wonder if Hook's stupidity hasn't begun to affect you."

"No matter." She continues, ignoring the darkness' incensed growling. "Stupid or not, even you can't mess up this command. See that girl over there....you're going to kill her, as painfully, as slowly, as..."

"Mother, stop!" Regina snaps. She's moved in reach of Cora, actually made a grab at the woman's arm. The surprised look Cora gives her, soon turns suspicious, the woman staring at her daughter with narrowed eyes.

"I'm sorry, you want me to what?" Cora demands. The look she is giving Regina, makes the dark haired woman feel as though she is still a small child, uncertain and powerless.

"I...."

"You didn't actually tell me to stop." Cora continues over her. "Regina, there's simply no room for compassion this late in the game. That girl is our enemy, she's kept your son from you. She HAS to die."

"I know that!" Her voice snaps in agitation, Regina's mind thinking frantic thoughts, questing for some plausible reason why Emma Swan should not be killed. "But...but if we want to find Henry..."

Cora's look is one of impatience, the woman too close to dismissing her daughter completely. Regina stiffens her spine, draws breath into her body, and lies. "You know Snow and her prince have gone to ground, most likely taking Henry with them. There hasn't been a clue, any leads, no chance of discovering their whereabouts until now. Miss Swan might very well be the key to finding them, to reuniting us with my son. It would be foolish to waste the opportunity she gives us."

Regina almost thinks she's tried too hard, that her mother isn't going to take the bait. It takes every bit of will for Regina not to hold her breath and appear too eager, as she waits for her mother to make a decision.

Nodding ever so slowly, Cora casts a look towards where Emma Swan is. The blonde haired savior has heard what Regina has said, heard and reacted enough to push herself upright. She's no longer trying to be unnoticed, her look downright defiant as she glares at the queens.

"Why yes..." Cora says, turning her attention back to Regina. "Why yes, you are right. If anyone might know where they've hidden Henry, it would be her." The gleam in her eyes is crafty, Cora fingering the sharp end of the dagger.

"Of course....." Regina quickly speaks, hoping to interrupt whatever wicked command her heartless mother had been about to voice. 'She might not actually know."

"Then we determine what she DOES know, and dispose of her after."

"We could do that." Regina agrees slowly. "But then there's also the chance Snow and Charming will try to rescue her. You know how they are, how they'd do just about anything for their daughter."

"But would they really give up their grandson to save their daughter.." Cora wondered out loud.

"It's not much of a choice we'll give them." Regina retorted. "And of course, we'll have the Dark One searching as well." She nerved herself to look at the darkness, actually meet it's glowering glare "We might as well get SOME use out of your new slave."

Cora actually smirks at that, the look in her eyes approving. It's a look that once Regina would have killed to see, and now it means nothing to her, because she simply doesn't want to be anything that her mother could be so proud of.

"And if the Dark One should find them first...."

"We can't have it traumatizing Henry." Regina interrupted, her tone firm.

"Oh it's nothing a memory altercating spell won't be able to fix." Cora's words chilled Regina, who began shaking her head no.

"I won't use magic on Henry." Regina insisted. "And I won't have him hating me for the murder of his grandparents."

"You won't have his love either." Cora was quick to point out. "Not even if you spare them."

Regina manages what she hopes is an evil smile. "Who said anything about sparing them? Not when the knowledge of what is happening to their friends, their family, to the people of this town they swore to protect, will hurt them a lot worse and for far longer then killing ever could."

"And what about Henry?" Cora demands.

"I am his mother." Regina answers, still smiling. "He will HAVE to love me." She's smiling on the outside, but inside she is crying. Because Regina knows she has lost Henry, that nothing she ever says or does will ever fix things in his eyes. But she wants to try, wants to do the right thing at long last, an attempt to make up for her many sins, so that maybe in some future life, Regina will have a real chance at obtaining love and the happy ever after she so craves.

It's not going to happen in this life, Regina's simply too much the evil queen. She's one of the villains of this story, and it doesn't matter that her intentions had been done with a pure goal in mind. The love of a young boy, the love of any one, doesn't justify the hurts and manipulations, the deceit and destruction Regina and her mother have done.

And yet it doesn't stop Regina from wishing it could be otherwise. From wishing she could somehow truly fix things, and not just selfishly for herself. She looks towards Emma Swan, meets the blonde's angry, accusing stare, and Regina knows there's not enough she can do fast enough, to save Emma from the coming darkness.

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To Be Continued...

Sorry, super short chapter. It drove me nuts too...and I didn't get it to the point I was hoping for. Now I'm left debating if it will be a Emma POV for next chapter, or if I will keep on with a Regina POV....

Regina wasn't originally set to have a POV for any chapters. But then while working on three, she started demanding it, and it worked to present a lot of the information I needed. But this chapter feels very talk heavy, and less on the emotions and angst side.

I actually am feeling pretty drained from struggling with this chapter. Sorta want to work on something not so dark and heavy. Might try to finish the first chapter of the sequel I owe ya'll, before trying to write five of THIS story. We'll see how I feel after I get some sleep.

--------------Michelle
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Beyond Here Lies Darkness