Heya guys!

So I'm pretty proud of myself, it's not been a year yet haha. I just would like to say that I am very bend on finishing this story, and I hope it won't get me ten years. Fear not, I have people pushing me to write faster, I'm doing my very best. But, you know, life.

I'm still not English, so forgive any mistakes.

Anyways, on with the show.

Disclaimer: I do not own neither Harry Potter nor Once Upon a Time.

She wasn't quite sure why she was doing this instead of her paperwork. It was stupid to try and read Harry Potter, to get more of an insight on Bellatrix. It was very much like the Fairytale Book that Henry had. The raven witch was a villain, but there wasn't much on why she became like that. Exactly like her tale as the Evil Queen. Her worse actions were discussed in length, however, what made her who she was, wasn't discussed, or not really. She found it unfair. Of course they were monsters in the eyes of others, because their actions often had no cause. Most people were too gullible to come look for the truth, or to simply look further than the obvious. This is mainly why she disliked Harry Potter so much. The boy had known hardness, of course, but he still didn't question anything. If it was obvious, than it was the truth, plain and simple. His friend, Hermione, now she was more than likable. She had a brilliant mind, so it seemed, and she was always prone to actually look beyond what was right in front of her. Regina decided she liked her, and she wondered if she was also real. Maybe she was very different to the book character, after all. Or maybe not.

She wanted to ask Bellatrix. She wanted to ask so many things, and she was so intrigued by all of this, but she didn't know how to breach the subject with the witch. She had seen her rage, and she had seen what she was capable of — that curse still made her twitch from time to time. But still, she wanted to know, and she decided that Bellatrix would have to tell her, eventually. Not now, of course, seeing her recent reaction to memories of where she came from, but soon.

The door of her office flew open and she closed the book in a hurry, frowning at the intruder. Miss Swan. Of course.

"So, Regina, what are we going to do with Bellatrix? How do we send her back?" The former Mayor remained silent, arms crossed and jaw working with irritation.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to barge into my home, Miss Swan?" At least, the Sherriff had the decency to look sheepish; it was a start.

"Sorry …" The answer was mumbled — terrible habit, if you ask her — but she heard it, and tsked.

"And I don't know how to send her back. We obviously would need to open a portal, but not knowing to where is not helping. To be honest, I doubt it would be a good idea to send her back." And she meant that. Thinking about it, it was actually the worst idea. In this other world, there was no doubt in her mind that she would be hunted down and probably murdered, executed, whatever you want to call it. She knew what would happen if they sent her back, and she didn't want to.

"Why not?" Came the clueless reply, and Regina snapped back to the conversation, frowning.

"Are you daft? You know what these so called heroes will do to her if she comes back." Her answer was somewhat called and she saw the sheriff scowl.

"So? What if she deserves it?" Those words shook Regina to the core and she stared, disbelieving. How could Emma say that about that woman when she insisted for so long that Regina was not the Evil Queen? Why was there such a difference between the two of them? Emma seemed to realise her words and she blushed, taking a step back. "I mean—"

"Get out." Regina was angry, and she believed she had every right to be.

"Regina, come on. I'm sorry."

"I said, get out." She stood up, dropping the book on her desk. "Get out before I make you."

"Regina, we have to talk about this. This situation cannot go on forever." That made her frown. Why not? Bellatrix wasn't doing anything too reprehensible.

"What situation?"

"Her! Living with you! And, and—" Regina stared, and stared some more, watching the Sheriff become more and more flustered.

"Why do you care? What does it matter to you?" Regina's voice was confused, and just a tiny bit cold. Emma was acting strangely, and had been for a while now. But it got worse since that day Bellatrix kissed her. Did she know about it? And if she did, why on earth did she care?

"I'm scared for Henry, that's why." It was a lie, and the Queen could see it. She played along, still, because the real implications of the blonde's upset were too disturbing to think about.

"They're as thick as thieves, I genuinely don't believe anything will happen to him." And she was certain of that. Bellatrix was many things, but she didn't believe that she was downright evil. And she'd seen her with her son; she knew that she'd do anything in her power to keep the boy safe. And it was a hell lot of power.

"Well I'm sorry if I don't trust a murderous psychopath." This annoyed Regina some more, and she took a step forward, aggressive.

"Why do you trust him with me then?" Her words had hurt more than she thought possible, because she was just as guilty of charge than Bellatrix. She too murdered a lot of innocent people without looking back. She had tortured and maimed and if sometimes it was for a good reason — in her eyes at least — more often than not, it was for pride.

"Wait, no, it's not like that." Emma tried to save, but it wasn't working.

"It is exactly like that, Miss Swan. I can't believe you. Acting all good and mighty, saying that I reacted to a set of circumstances, that I'm not that woman. Why can't you do the same for her? Why do you treat her so differently when we are so much alike?" And she wanted to know, even if she had a terrible feeling in her gut that she should be avoiding this conversation. She just knew that nothing good would come out of it.

"You're not alike."

"Yes, we are. We are, Miss Swan. And you are so yourself that it is a miracle that she hasn't killed you out of annoyance yet. I know I want to." She was being harsh but she wanted Emma to leave. And fast.

"Will you stop always defending her?" They were closing in on the source of Emma's annoyance, and Regina was scared. But she was still angrier than scared and she continued, against her will. She should have known better.

"Because someone has to, that's why! Isn't it why you're always defending me?"

"No! I defend you because I care!" And boom. Regina should have seen it coming. Hell, she saw it coming but she didn't stop anyway, and now she was left with the Sheriff beside herself with fury and embarrassment at her outburst, and she didn't know how to react to that confession. It scared her, because deep down she had known. Bellatrix did imply it the other day, and even though she had tried to deny it, she couldn't anymore. Emma cared and she didn't know what to think.

"Regina? Where are you?" The foreign voice, with a distinct British accent, came from the living room and Regina took another step back, startled back into reality. She didn't miss the look of annoyance settling for a second on the Sheriff's face.

"In the office." Came the simple reply. Seconds later, Bellatrix came through the door, flashing a smile to the Queen and not sparing a glance to the blonde.

"Your son is trying to blackmail me into teaching him how to make potions." Bellatrix threw herself onto the couch, causing Regina to roll her eyes and Emma to scoff.

"What did you say to him?" Regina answered, her attention now completely focused on Bellatrix.

"Well no, obviously." It was Bellatrix's turn to roll her eyes, and she did so dramatically. "Whom do you think me for?" Blondie mumbled something in return, and Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at her, her face changing for a scowl. "Got a problem, Blondie?"

"Yeah, I have a problem." The Sheriff of course reacted to the aggression and took a step towards Bellatrix, causing the Queen to sigh.

"Well then, what do you plan to do about it?" Bellatrix was smiling, and it wasn't the good kind of smile.

"I'll show you—"

"Alright, enough!" Regina snapped, crossing her arms on her chest. "Just … God you're both so exhausting. Do you realise that? Now if you'll stop fighting like children!" They at least did have the decency to look a little sheepish. Well, Bellatrix smirked and Emma scowled. "Miss Swan, I think we're done here, yes?"

It wasn't like she could overstay her welcome any longer, even the daft blond realised that. Huffing, which didn't intimidate Regina in the least, she turned her heels, but not before a final word thrown at the witch.

"I've got my eye on you." Not only wasn't it intimidating, but in addition to making Bellatrix laugh, it made Regina scowl. And so she left, cursing the damn witch under her breath, making sure to slam the door to announce her departure.

"Now that this is sorted, wanna make out?" The enormity coming out of Bellatrix's mouth took Regina by surprise, and she started for a second, dumbfounded.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You know, French kiss, snog—"

"I know what you mean! This is all just a big joke to you isn't it?" Bellatrix frowned suddenly, and she sat straighter.

"Regina, wait. I'm sorry." She tried a smile and Regina simply sighed, coming to sit down next to her.

"Where is Henry?" She decided to change the subject, because she had had enough excitement for one day. This discussion with Emma really did a number on her and she just wanted to relax with a glass of cider. Or something.

"I left him with Ruby at the diner." Regina nodded, and let her head rest upon the witch's shoulder, for a second. "Thank you, Bella." The British woman just grunted, and threw her arm around the mayor's shoulder.

How they fell asleep, she had no idea. She supposed it was because she felt safe, with the British woman. She felt like they could understand one another, and in her book, that was something. She could relate to Bellatrix (and the opposite was true) like no one else in Storybrook, not even Emma. Of course, Emma had done several things in her life time that would hardly be considered to be fair, or right. But she had not murdered, nor tortured, no matter how right the reasons might have been. Emma, in that context, was as pure as they come. Therefore, it was attractive, in a strange way, to be able to understand another human being in this fashion. Their lives may have been very different, but their souls were similar enough. Hence, she trusted the older witch. At least implicitly.

It was Henry that discovered them first, and though he stared, he made no move to wake them up. He prepared himself a sandwich, that he ate while doing his homework, and later on, played some video games.

Bellatrix woke first, in a start. She had been content, peaceful even, and this in itself was disturbing. Not once in her life had she slept peacefully. There was always something, be it nightmares or stress, that kept her awake and awake, until she finally succumbed to a dreamless, exhausted, sleep. This time, she actually felt rested, which was a huge progress. Distractedly at first, she stared at the Queen's face, that was conveniently resting upon her stomach. She traced the lines of a jaw, her cheekbones, with a smooth finger, and took the time to caress her hair, and to scratch her scalp. She realized suddenly that she had never taken the time to observe someone like she was doing at the moment. She had never taken the time to show tenderness, nor kindness. It had been pointless in her old life, seen as a weakness. However, now, she didn't see how appreciating the aristocratic lines of a face, or tracing soft skin, could be weakness. It had taken her a while to understand it, but violence was not strength.

She did not notice Regina waking, and the Queen took that time to stare right back at the dark witch's face. There was something there, something mixed with sadness and melancholy, and she wanted to kiss it away. That thought startled her and she jumped, pulling Bellatrix out of her trance. Both strangely embarrassed, they stared some more, before blushing and looking away. Seeming to remember her position, Regina sat straight right away, and pretended to arrange her hair.

"Ah! You're awake, good. I'm hungry." That was Henry, and if it was possible, Regina would have blushed some more. Since when was he standing there? She rolled her eyes, however, and stood up quite suddenly, not giving Bellatrix a glance.

"Aren't you always?" That was purely rhetorical, and Henry just sighed. "What do you fancy?"

Her attention was solely concentrated on Henry, though she could see the dark witch rearranging herself in the corner of her eye.

"How about leek and salmon quiche?"

"I thought you hated leek?" Surprise was clear on her face, and Henry rolled his eyes.

"No I don't." Bellatrix snorted in the background, and the Queen simply through her a look, that scold her instantly. By the time she looked at her son again, he was gone. Sigh.

"I suppose leek and salmon quiche it is. Help me, will you?" It is clear that it wasn't a question, and with another heavy sigh, the British woman rose from her spot on the couch.

"We're going to avoid it then?"

"Avoid what?" Regina was already in the kitchen, distracting herself with cleaning the vegetables.

"Us." She made a valiant effort not to look up, but in the end, she couldn't help it. She stared at Bellatrix, reaching for a knife.

"What do you mean, us?" The dark witch had her transfixed, her dark eyes so intense that she stopped what she was doing. There was a silence, and the two women stared at each other.

"Are you going to add some goat cheese?"

Just like that, the moment was broken, and Regina was quick to find Henry's face with her gaze, strangely relieved. She noticed Bellatrix slipping away, but did nothing to stop her.

"Of course."

It was Henry's time to stare, and he looked at Regina, then the retreating back of the British woman, raising his brows.

"Eumh, mom? Is there something going on?"

She was back at cutting the leek, symmetrically, clinically almost, her sole attention focused on the task. "No."

And he didn't ask again.

When Bellatrix wasn't present at diner, she couldn't say that she was surprised. Whatever the witch had wanted to say, it had seemed important, and Regina had the feeling that somehow, she had hurt the volatile woman. However, now, she was starting to worry. It was well past midnight, and the dark witch was nowhere to be seen. She couldn't help but be reminded of the last time this had happened, when they had found her in the woods, and she had suffered that dreadful piece of magic. This time, it was different though. Regina knew, somehow, that Bellatrix would not be doing something like this again. It seemed that she felt better, more at ease maybe, and such a fall back she did not think possible. It was something else, something that made her worry.

She stayed awake all night, sitting on the couch, maybe dozing off from time to time. One thing was for sure, however: the older woman had not returned during the night. It was in times like this that Regina felt sorry about not forcing the witch to learn how to work a cell phone. At least so that she could know if she was alive, and well, and simply just taking some alone time. Because Regina wanted to believe that Bellatrix was only just having a moment.

She still phoned Ruby.

About ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door, and she bolted out of her seat, throwing the door open. She was slightly disappointed to see the wolf behind it, but she still smiled, though it was tired.

"Have you slept at all?" came the simple question, and she just shook her head, marching to the kitchen, Ruby following her. She started to make some coffee, the gestures mechanical, anything to distract her mind.

"What happened?" Regina stopped what she was doing, and rested against the counter, the only noise coming from the expresso machine.

"She … Well … She seemed to want to tell me something about … about … well, us. And we got interrupted by Henry, and she just disappeared." She was not used to fumbling that much with her speech and it left her frustrated, and slightly flustered. She didn't know what to think. Sure, they had kissed, and it had been nice, and she felt good around the other woman, safe. But they were too alike, she thought, to be together. She couldn't help but think about the amount of skin she had already seen of Bellatrix, and she flushed. "Maybe she thought I was rejecting her? I don't know, I really don't."

She felt so tired, suddenly. When did things become so complicated? In a reflex gesture, she crossed her arms on her stomach, looking away.

"Do you think she ran away?" Regina shrugged, and Ruby was near her in a second, putting her arms around the Queen. She sighed, and let herself fall into the embrace, closing her eyes.

"I can't help but wonder if something happened to her. I mean, she has been upset before, because of me, but she always came back at some point."

"We'll find her, Regina. I'm sure she's fine. Maybe just wait a little longer?" The Queen shook her head, far from being convinced.

She had to admit, leaving was not her brightest idea. She didn't even know why she was upset. It wasn't like she wanted that there'd be anything between them. For a moment, sure, Bellatrix had been lonely for so long that she would not have minded some company. However, her mind was completely enthralled by those gorgeous brown eyes, sparkling of life, and because of her, of fear, and pain. That woman had her bewitched, and even if she knew that she would not see her again — how could she? Go back to her world and die? — it didn't stop her from pining after the younger woman.

Regina was a welcome distraction, a friend — she dared think — but not dating material. And even if they were both lonely, she knew that they could never last. Companionship, maybe, but a couple, very unlikely. So why on earth had she decided to leave when there was nothing to be said? The rejection wasn't really one anyway.

She felt frustrated, she felt stupid, so stupid that coming back after a couple of hours was just shameful. So she ignored her rumbling stomach — that quiche sounded so good right about now — and she kept on. The passing hours almost made her change her mind, but she simply cast a warming charm and walked around in the forest. It was all fine, really, until something knocked her out.

When she woke again, she could have sworn to be in the presence of the annoyingly jealous blonde, the Savior. But no. She was alone, locked into some kind of basement, and more importantly, without her wand. It was that detail that made her tick. Something was incredibly wrong indeed.

"Good morning, dearie."

Startled, she turned in the direction of the voice, felling faint at the movement. She did not know the man, but the smile gracing his face did not bode well.

I do so hope it was worth the wait. Don't forget to review if you've got time, it's always good to know what you think.

'till next time !