Hello to all my lovely readers/followers! Sorry for the delay in getting this up...I have been busy with the trailer, and then my mother decided to cut off my internet without informing me (grrr). Anyway, as promised, this is the start of the substorm from Chapter 27 of Evil Desires. OutlawQueen Baby is on its way! Happy reading! :)

-OUATAddict xx

The last thing that went through Maria's mind before she was enveloped in the green cloud was Zelena's final words to her. "Remember Maria. In order to create a life, you must take a life."

It had been written in the stars that this would happen eventually. Just not this soon. She was still working through her grief. Damn her habit of wine and whiskey when she was depressed. Regina looked at her reflection in the mirror, disgusted with herself. Robin wasn't even living with her yet, they had barely been dating two months. God, she wished Maria were here right now. She'd know what to do, how to comfort Regina. But as of this moment, the only thing Regina could do was find Robin and tell him. She looked at the mirror again, then back down at the item on the sink. She was pregnant.

Awaking in a run-down cottage, the old woman looked about her to find her bearings. She didn't recognise this place, nor when she ventured outside did the land look familiar. It was rather drab, not full of life as the other kingdom, but in a vague place of her mind she knew what this place was called. Oz. And she would be here until the portal opened again. She shook her head trying to make sense of the things going through her mind. Where was this knowledge coming from? The woman wandered back inside, catching her reflection in a broken mirror. What she saw horrified her. It was her, but not her. Her body, but not her eyes. They had changed from a soft blue to a bright emerald green. And then the smile. It was her mouth moving, but not her smile. Not the warm, motherly smile she used to wear. No. This was a wicked smile. And then the woman realised. She'd become Zelena.

Robin had noticed when he had seen Regina last that she had not been herself, and since then it had been eating away at him that perhaps he had done something wrong. Likely to be something he had gotten himself into after downing a few whiskeys with the Merry Men at Maria's memorial. Damn it Robin, why'd you have to go ruin something so great? He thought to himself. Regina had called him earlier, asking him to meet her at her home. Her voice had sounded…strange. Like she was nervous or uneasy. Like she was calling him to tell him they were over. Robin let out a breath, trying to summon the courage he would need to convince Regina he wouldn't let her go that easily, before knocking on her door.

She opened it wide, meeting his eyes for a brief second as she invited him in, following to her sitting room. Robin's only concern was for Regina now, something about the way she took his hands between hers as they sat down on the sofa draining any bravery he had just minutes before with the added affect of the serious look in her eyes.

"Robin…I don't know where to begin this conversation." Regina started. Robin could feel his hands becoming sweaty. Breathe, you fool! Hear her out first before you go trying to win her back! Regina searched his eyes, still holding tight to his hands. "Do you have any recollection of the night...After the memorial?" Robin was puzzled, this didn't seem to be the conversation he'd been thinking it was. He thought for a moment, then answered. "I recall that neither of us were exactly sober…and the next morning I had a pounding headache…Why do you ask?"

Regina released his hands, changing her gaze from him to stare out at the portrait of Rocinante that sat above her fireplace. "Robin…I'm...I'm pregnant." She finally said, turning back to see his eyes widen and his jaw drop in shock as her words registered. "Please say something!" Regina said anxiously. Robin was speechless. Here he was, thinking that Regina had been going to end their relationship, and instead he was being told he was going to be a father again? Mind-blowing. He cleared his throat, before a huge smile formed on his face. "I thought you were going to end our relationship", he said, planting a gentle kiss on Regina's forehead. "But I'm glad you didn't, " Robin continued, placing another soft kiss on Regina's cheek where a tear had fallen. "Because a baby…with you…is so much better" he finished, gently wiping the tears that Regina had forgotten she'd let fall before kissing her on the lips with all the love she deserved.

Within her mind, Maria's soul fought against Zelena's, trying to gain control of her body. It was cruel what Zelena had done, and it was more wicked what she had planned. Zelena's soul was too strong for the old woman to win her fight, that was why the wicked green shone through Maria's blue eyes. Why her wicked smirk distorted the welcoming smile of Maria's kind face. There was no sense of time in Oz, and it was that fact that worried the inner soul of Maria. She didn't know how much time she would have here, didn't know how the time between here and Storybrooke would pass. She just knew that Zelena had her trapped where she had no way of warning Regina. Because Maria knew that once the new portal opened, Zelena would be strongest, and Maria would have little to no control over what Zelena did with her body. If she got to Regina….Maria didn't want to think of that.

He already couldn't bear it, seeing her so sick. Robin had been staying with Regina the past two weeks since she had told him she was pregnant. He was trying his best to help her, to comfort her, but she had been so sick that today she was simply grumpy and snapping at him and anyone who so much as smiled a greeting at her on the street.

"Robin?" Regina said, holding her head in her hands as they sat at a booth at Granny's. He turned away from the window to look at her. "Are you okay Regina?" Robin reached out his hand, concerned. She nodded, still hiding her face from him, then mumbled something behind her curtain of black hair. Robin frowned, then gently tucked Regina's hair back behind her ear. She met his eyes, and he could see that she was upset about something.

Regina took his hand between her own, kissing his fingertips as she brought it close to her. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. And for throwing that plate at you this morning…I know I'm grumpy today, I don't mean it."

Robin smiled. Admittedly, he had a bruise from the plate, and he'd only been trying to do something nice for her that morning when she'd snapped at him. He didn't mind her grumpiness, for it wasn't much of a change from the sass that he had copped from her in the Enchanted Forest. But he stretched across the table and kissed her forehead gently to let her know that it was okay.

Granny watched the two at a distance from behind the counter. She could tell Regina was hiding something she obviously didn't want the town to know. She'd seen her behave the same way countless times before whenever Regina had had an agenda for the town that hadn't been voted on. This seemed different though, and Granny watched as Robin gently kissed Regina's forehead. The man had to be special. Gosh, with what Regina dished out to Granny and Leroy that morning when she and Robin had come in, Granny wondered how on earth Robin could put up with Regina's attitude; especially since Granny could recall their time in the Enchanted Forest hadn't been particularly friendly.

Granny busied herself cleaning the counter, making her way to the empty booths around the pair to clear and wipe away. She glanced over, noticing Regina had barely touched her food. It wasn't that unusual really, Regina preferred eating healthy, and it had been Robin that had ordered the omelette and muffin that now sat cold and uneaten on her plate. Granny almost felt like she should ask if Regina was okay, but having been snapped at by the woman earlier, Granny decided if Regina wanted her to care, she wouldn't treat people as she had. Granny had only said good morning to Regina and the brunette had snapped that 'no it wasn't a good morning, and if she had any sense she would stop being so cheery and go back to washing dishes'. Luckily Robin had apologised to Granny for Regina's mood, else Granny would have simply asked Regina to leave.

She saw as they went to leave, the protective gesture Robin had around Regina's waist. It made her wonder about what exactly it was that Regina would want to hide.

Regina was loathing what her body was putting her through. She hadn't felt this miserable at this point of her pregnancy with Daniel's baby, but then, Maria had given her tinctures to hide her symptoms from her mother. Apparently this baby abhorred anything Regina normally loved to eat, and she wasn't just suffering morning sickness, she was sick morning, noon and night. And Robin had to bear the weight of Regina's misery.

She hadn't been sick that morning, so Robin had tried to make her a breakfast she might actually eat. Unfortunately, he had managed to burn the toast and set off the fire alarm, which had annoyed her to the point of tears, then when he had tried to soothe her and tell her it was okay, she had just snapped at him and told him how useless he was that he couldn't even cook toast and wondered how on earth they could raise a child together if he couldn't even get that right. Poor Robin, he really had tried. He toasted another slice of bread and put jam on it for her, but she'd thrown the plate at him in frustration when he'd offered it to her. Then Regina had decided to go to Granny's for breakfast, because at least Granny 'doesn't burn the toast'. And Robin had followed her, apologising repeatedly along the way to all the townsfolk she passed that she snapped at for so much as greeting her good morning. Regina was truly feeling quite sorry for herself.