The Only Exception (Swan Queen)

Chapter 10

To know that I miss you so much when you leave; to know that I need you like the air that I breathe. To know that I want you with a passion so blind, is to know that I love you – with no doubt in my mind. ~Lena Leav, To Know.

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Whilst everyone was conferring about what they were going to do, Regina managed to sneak off into the woods. She needed rid of this aching feeling that was growing inside her chest. When she felt like she had gotten far enough away, the woman did the only thing she knew how to do – she ripped out her heart.

It mostly sedated the aching feeling, but the feeling of fear and regret still lingered in the back of her mind. She picked up a reasonably sized stick and began to dig a hole to bury her heart.

"Regina? What are you doing?" Snow's voice called out from behind her.

Regina groaned in annoyance. Of course, it would be her to notice that I was missing and come after me. She scowled and continued to stare at the ground, blatantly refusing to look at the other woman. "Go away, Snow. This doesn't concern you," she snapped.

"Is that your heart?" she asked with a large amount of worry in her tone. She was standing next to her within seconds, glaring over her shoulder. 

"I told you, it's none of your business," Regina hissed again.

Instead of leaving her alone, Snow sat down next to her and laid her hand gently on her arm. "I know how you're feeling, Regina."

Regina scoffed. "No, Snow, you don't," she growled causing the younger woman to flinch.

She sighed. "But I do, Regina. I just said goodbye to Emma for the second time in my life. I know exactly what you're going through with Henry."

Regina couldn't stop the bark of laughter that escaped her lips. She knew the woman was oblivious like her daughter, but she didn't think she was that bad.

Does she not remember anything that I said in Neverland?

Regina felt tears begin to form on her eyelids. "Henry means everything to me. You have David. I-" she came to a stop not knowing how to continue. 

"This is about Emma, isn't it?" she asked after a moment of silence. "You really do love her, don't you?" Her tone softened.

A small tear fell down Regina's cheek. "Yes, I do," she choked out. "And now I have no one left."

"Come on, we'll be home soon. Put that back where it belongs," Snow whispered, her voice was soft and reassuring.

Regina nodded and got to her feet. She gently shoved her heart back into her chest, letting out a soft mewl at the feeling. Regina stiffened as Snow suddenly pulled her into a hug. She didn't know how to respond to her attempt at comfort, so she returned the gesture. Snow shot her a reassuring smile before they headed back to the group.

#

"What do you think of the new guys?" Snow asked curiously, suddenly standing next to Regina trying to spark up some form of conversation.

Regina shrugged and basically refused to answer. The guy saved them from some form of monster. So what? Now he and his Merry Men were joining them to her castle. Regina couldn't care less.

Snow sighed as they reached the castle. "What's that?" Charming perked up.

Regina groaned as she studied the force field that surrounded the castle. "It's a force field, but it's not the one I put up," she grumbled in annoyance.

She quickly explained to everyone what she was going to do. The new guy, Robin Hood, was pretty determined on coming with her into the castle. He was so intrigued by everything on the way in that he wouldn't stop asking questions. It annoyed her a lot.

When they reached Regina's old chambers, he followed her inside whilst she started rummaging through her desk trying to find her potion ingredients. When Regina found what she was looking for, she pulled them out and started working on a potion.

Robin cleared his throat softly. "Is that something that can help us?" he asked peeking over the woman's shoulder.

"No, it's a sleeping curse," she muttered. "I'm going to use it on myself."

He gasped and stretched out his hand attempting to take the bottle from her but she used her magic to freeze his body in place. The man seemed to struggle slightly but soon got the picture. "Why would you put yourself under a sleeping curse?" he questioned, relieved that he could still speak.

"I've lost the two people I love more than anything else in the world and I'm never going to see them again," Regina mumbled. She looked up fast enough to see his face fall.

"Are they dead?" he asked hesitantly.

Regina shook her head. "No. They're in a different realm with no memory of me, and I have no way of getting back to them," she explained. She stared down at the freshly brewed potion. "There is one way for me to wake up and it's the only reason I would ever want to. When I'm back with them."