Chapter 23 - The Heart of the Matter

Hey, guys!

Sorry I'm so late with updates, no real excuse other than I'm a complete tit :/

Seriously though, lot of college homework and it's just one report after the other for EVERY subject. Still! I have not been idle, there are twenty more chapters of this bad boy to be uploaded still as I have continued to write onto the end of it even though I am freaking slow as hell when it comes to updating.

Y'all love me anyway though :D

Yes, that and the show has been pretty sucky lately (Addicted1, you know what I'm talking about) and I've been frantically trying not to rewrite every episode so I keep from throwing things at the telly.

Also...BLACKBEARD'S NOT DEAD!

Not. Dead.

You know what that means?! It means my ovaries can continue to implode every time he snarks his way onto the screen and -for the love of god- let that be often :D

Anyways, thanks for all the beautiful reviews but I haven't even had time to reply to them either :(

Sorry again, will try to update tomorrow (emphasis on try). Enjoy!

She appeared deep in thought.

"It won't hurt you. In fact he's protected himself against the one thing that could kill him. Hyde regenerates so quickly that I suspect I'd have to get him to eat a grenade in order to cause enough damage so that I could burn him to nothing. Without the advantage of being able to take his heart…remind me to think about this later, I just realised something much more important."

"Which is?"

"Hyde can't be killed." Her fingers walked back up the scar so her palms could rest against his chest. She tugged gently on the hair there making him intensely aware of her.

"Why do you look happy about that?" Daniel frowned at her slowly growing grin, trying not to let his own hands go exploring. If he started he'd never stop.

"Don't you see? Hyde IS you. You ARE him. In a physical sense, you're exactly the same and –if Hyde can't be killed…you can't be taken from me either."

"I've been telling you that for weeks."

"Daniel, not even I can tear out your heart and I'm the strongest one here." Her hands inched higher, up towards his clavicle, fisting in the collar of his shirt and tugging him, bending him to her.

"Also been telling you that for weeks." Daniel tried to focus on what she was saying still.

"Which means," Regina reached up and cupped his face in both hands pulling him closer, "I can't hurt you. Even if I wanted to, even if you wage such sensual torture on me that I lose my damn mind, you can survive me."

"Oh…kay." Daniel refused to let himself hope she was talking about what he thought she was talking about. "We'd have to be in bed for some serious sensual torture though."

"My love, after forty years, we're not going to get that far." Regina's voice was a throaty purr and she dragged him down to her level.

Daniel grunted in surprise when her mouth crushed up against his and he was simultaneously walked backwards until he crashed into the dining room table. He had said that he was fascinated by the Evil Queen and he had been electrified by her presence. Regina had said that they were one and the same, but he hadn't quite realised what that had meant until her nails dug into his shoulders and she kissed him like she wanted to devour him.

His surprise did not last long.