I don't own these characters; Disney/ABC does.

A/N: this story during/takes place after "Save Henry" and ignores everything once Pan has Regina, Emma, and Snow trapped at his tree. I've also changed up bits of "Save Henry" because I couldn't remember what happened and for the sake of my insanity did not go back to re-watch the episode. I read a summary of the episode and hopefully that'll be enough. If not, please, bear with me. Thank you.

A/N the second: I do not have a beta, so please excuse my mistakes. This story plays with a few concepts from my last story in this fandom, but you don't have to read that to enjoy this one. There will be SwanQueen, so consider yourself warned if same-sex relationships aren't your thing. Last but not least, if you want updates on the story, you can catch my Facebook page (there's a link on my profile) or just check my profile. Okay, so, after all of that, on with the story!

Devil's Spawn

1: To Hell and Back

Regina did not have any regrets in life. Yes, there were things she was sorry for. Tons of things she wished never happened when she was younger, but she would not change things in her life. They all got her to the point of adopting her son, the love of her life. So, Pan had grossly miscalculated his latest trap.

While Emma and Snow wallowed in what they considered missteps rather than owning up to their decisions, Regina could push it all aside. It was not that she did not care. It was just that she had learned not to look back, not to dwell on the past, as that only led to pain.

Thanks to that, Regina had been able to pull Henry's heart right out of Pan's chest while also taking possession of Pandora's box, holding that useless imp. Now, she had her hand in Pan's chest again, clutching the heart of Neverland's god and ready to pluck it like a ripe apple. He gagged, more in surprise than pain, staring at her with wide, disbelieving eyes. She smirked at him, feeling his desire to breathe easy in the palm of her hand. Guess he did not know how fast she was and how much Henry meant to her.

"Regina!" Emma and Snow White cried, still stuck to Pan's stupid tree. Good. She did not want them to try to stop her.

"H-how?" he managed to croak out of his trembling mouth. She was not sure what the question pertained to. How was she able to live a life with no regrets? How was she able to put her hand in a god's chest, not once but twice within the blink of an eye? How was she a mere fist away from slaughtering said god? Who knew. Who cared?

Regina stared him down with no problem, no fear, just fury. How dare he think he could just steal her son? The nerve of him to think she would not punish him, the arrogance. But, now, as their eyes locked, she could see his pride dim just a little, knowing he lived at her whim now.

"You honestly think you can just try to take my son's life and there would be no repercussions whatsoever? Fool doesn't begin to cover it," she hissed and gripped just a little tighter.

He whined and winced, looking very much like the teenager he wished he could be forever. She laughed as she tilted her head to regard him. He was nothing more than a disgusting worm, even with all his power.

She smirked at him. "Don't you know who I am?"

"Wait," he begged as her grip tightened a little. A bead of sweat ran down his cheek. His eyes implored her to reconsider.

Her eyes flashed. "Why should I?"

She had killed for far less. This monster had stolen her child's life, and undoubtedly done more while he had custody of Henry. He deserved nothing short of the cruelest tortures she could think of, but since her dungeon was back in the Enchanted Forest, she would settle for feeling his life drain from him as she crushed his heart into dust. Her muscles jump at the sheer thought of it, tightening her hand for just a moment. He flinched and twisted, but remained on his feet.

"Regina," Emma said, reminding Regina that she and her infuriating mother existed. She grunted, displaying she was still stuck to the tree. Good.

Regina did not bother to look at them right now. She did not care to hear whatever goody-goody nonsense they wanted to spout. This thing — creature — had harmed the only person on Earth that mattered to her. She snarled at him and he choked up a bit as she tugged at his heart. And then he smirked at her. She growled again and held tighter. How dare he look at me like that, like he has me?!

He winced and swallowed hard, closing one eye briefly. A thrill ran through her and then he looked in her eyes. He dared to try to look challenging at her, as if she could snuff his life out with a mere flex of her fingers.

"Regina, we both know you're not going to do this," Pan had the nerve to say.

Tilting her head, Regina glared at him like the insignificant insect he was. "Do you honestly believe that? Don't you know who I am?"

Pan chuckled darkly, like he had some grand scheme in place. "I know you better than you know you and if you take your hand out of my chest, I might be able to illuminate you."

"I don't want anything from you other to watch you die a slow, painful death!" she gritted her teeth and squeezed. This so-called god screamed and squirmed under her control. It felt delicious, invigorating even. Breathing in, she felt like she took in his fear and it sated a deep hunger in her that she could not begin to describe. But, she would need more.

Licking his lips, he maintained eye contact with her and tried his best to look smug. She could see where Rumple got it from. "Regina Mills, daughter of Cora, the daughter of common, drunkard miller, and Prince Henry, fourth in line for the throne before his father saw fit to lose the entire kingdom. Did you ever wonder why Rumple was so infatuated with you? Did you ever wonder why your life went so fantastically wrong?"

She growled and held just a little tighter. "Nothing went wrong." She tingled as he coughed in agony.

"Regina!" Emma called to her again, maybe to rein her in or maybe to keep her from listening to Pan. It did not matter. Emma was an afterthought to her. Right now, Pan had her complete attention, as she did so want to feel and watch him die.

Wincing, Pan somehow worked a laugh from his tense throat and looked down on her with such condescension, as if he focused on a small, sniveling dog. "Everything went exactly as planned. Only you don't know it and you're too stupid to figure it out."

She gave his heart another little tug and his knee buckled as he hollered in pain. "Watch who you call stupid."

"Regina," Emma tried to get through to her again, but Regina could barely hear her voice now. What the hell did Pan know about her life?

Coughing again, Pan stood as best he could. "No, stupid is rather an understatement. Haven't you ever wondered why he used you to cast the Dark Curse? Why not cast it himself? He's the Dark One, after all. Shouldn't he have the power to do this? These questions never crossed your mind?"

Of course they had. She had never been able to figure it out, though. Why did Rumple need her? He had waited some three hundred years for her. Why not someone else? Why not himself? She had done so much research on the Dark Curse in her near twenty years of downtime. Getting Henry had caused that to pause, but she had not found much on it. She definitely could not figure out why Rumple needed her, but it did not matter.

"I need you to stop talking," Regina said.

"Why? I have all the answers for all of the questions you were too scared to ask. I know exactly why Rumple picked you, targeted you," Pan hissed.

Part of her wanted to just crush his heart before he could go on. Surely this was a diversion, some kind of tactic to distract her and gain the upper hand. Unfortunately, she was the curious type over certain things, but her hand never left his chest.

"Talk," she growled, giving an encouraging squeeze.

Flinching, he bent over more and groaned in pain. "So, once upon a time…" He hollered in agony as she gave a good, proper press to his heart.

"Don't get cute. Just talk."

He looked at her with one eye shut tight. "It had to be you. A child of darkness. The child of darkness. Haven't you wondered how you picked up on magic so easily? How your mother was so good at it? Humans, regular humans, tend to have some trouble with spell casting without ingredients and especially have trouble with pure dark magic. You… you took to it like a fish to water. Why?"

"Just talk," she snarled.

He chuckled and smirked at her as he opened his eye again, trying so hard to glare at her. He panted before continuing. "The fairies refuse to touch you because of your blood, Regina. Rumple needed you because of your blood. It is practically black, but with a touch of gold. You need so much power to cast the Dark Curse, beyond needing the heart of the one you love the most. The power was even beyond the Dark One. He needed your blood, but also… his blood."

"His blood?" Regina felt like she should just pop his heart like a grape, not engage in this any further, but she needed to know. Where was Pan going with this? Dread bubbled into her stomach and she felt her own fear creep into her veins, troubling this blood he just mentioned. The anxiety drowned out the delight she felt from holding Pan's heart in her head.

Licking lips, he gave her another smirk. "Oh, yes, the Dark Curse required his blood as well, but he couldn't ruin the risk of you growing to love him, now could he? He just needed you to cast the Curse, so he could go off and find his son, the one he dared to abandon, but the child he adored above all things, including you, and ruining your soul meant nothing for him to do it. He just needed your power, your blood, your love, your life to get him back to his beloved Baelfire. It did not matter what happened to you. Baelfire meant everything him and you meant nothing."

Regina's body shook and it felt like something inside of her clawed at her very bones, cutting through everything inside of her. "No! He's not my father!" Never! She knew her mother had history with Rumpelstiltskin, but nothing like what Pan implied.

"Regina! Regina, don't listen to that bastard!" Part of her could hear Emma struggling, grunting, probably trying to get to her, but still stuck to the tree. Regina did not turn away from Pan, though.

Pan laughed darkly, still hunched over and still under her control, but it was like he had all the power yet again. "Oh, really? Do you honestly believe Prince Henry was your father? Your biological father? Hell, do you even believe he loved you? After all, did he ever really help you?"

Regina growled and tried to keep out thoughts of her father. He had been a coward, but he was still her father. He loved her. He was scared of her mother. That was why he never helped, but he loved her.

Pan pressed on, leaning in just a little closer, as if to taunt her. "He served you out of fear. He knew what lurked inside of you. He knew the Dark One's blood coursed through your veins. He could feel the horror inside of you. He knew you had the potential to be even more of a terror than Cora could ever be. He knew you could be worse than a million Dark Ones because you had the imp's blood, but you also had a god's blood."

"He's not my father!" Rumpelstiltskin was no relation of hers!

There was that damned smirk again. "He let your mother think she won because he needed you to grow up loving your father. He planned this all out. It was the only way, after all. Your birth, upbringing, destruction, all so he could find his precious son, Baelfire without losing the only other thing that mattered to him, his power. He had allowed Baelfire to fall into another dimension without him and it ate at him for centuries until he could create you. His perfect little key to an impossible lock, making it to a land without magic, but with magic. He used you as a tool, just for his son. Ruined you, just for his son."

"No!" Regina pressed herself closer to Pan and clutched his heart even tighter.

His breath hitched and he paused for a moment, but he pushed forward. "Yes! You're nothing more than a tool. A little pet project Rumple made to save his precious son. You didn't matter. You never mattered."

"Regina, don't listen to him!" Emma was probably screaming, but she sounded so far away.

Regina took a breath, trying to calm a building torrent, but it was impossible. It was one thing to use her. She had always suspected. But, could that lying bastard of an imp actual be her sire? No. Not possible. Her mother would never have… Of course her mother would have if it meant power.

Pan laughed. "You've always been a tool, nothing more. Something your mother used to try to put one over on the Dark One, then something she used climb the social ladder, and, lastly, something your father used to find his beloved son. You know all about beloved sons, don't you, Regina? Wouldn't you do anything for Henry? Travel across dimensions? Become a monster, well, more of a monster?" He glanced at Emma and smiled. "Create a monster?"

"She's not a monster," Regina snarled and clutched his heart tighter as her own heart punched her ribs. She could feel his heart pulse in her palm and she itched to destroy him, to shut him up. She had not turned Emma into a monster. She had done best to keep Emma from having to dig deep and see what deviltry might emerge.

Regina had done much wrong in her life. So much wrong. Things most people could not imagine in their darkest moments or nightmares for some of the most frivolous reasons imaginable. Was it all just a set up? All for what? Her blood? The Dark Curse? Some little bastard who squirted in a vulnerable, teenaged Emma and abandoned her as well as their son?

Pan choked a little before he found his voice again. "No, she's not a monster. Just Henry's real mother, the one who will take him from you, the real monster. He has his true family now and you're nothing. A tool, a means to an end, a key. Someone Rumple put in place to raise his grandchild until the real family showed up. A tool, Regina, just a tool." Pan leaned in again. "Nothing more than a tool. A thing, Regina. You might as well be a hand."

She squeezed and he groaned. "Speaking of hands."

"Regina, don't listen to him!" Emma grunted more as she struggled to pull free from Pan's tree, wanting to save the day, play the hero.

Pan shook his head. "No, Regina, listen to every word. You're nothing. A drop of ichor from the god Lilith and poisoned ink of the Dark One. The mix made you, a pen, essentially. And, best of all, you stupidly killed the one person you loved, thinking it would make you happy. You can't be happy because you don't exist. You're not a person, not a queen, not a lover, not a mother. You're a tool."

Regina snarled and squeezed even more. "You forgot a killer."

He coughed, blood even dripped from his nose, but his eyes were so amused. "But, more the blunt instrument than anything else. Every move you've ever made was because Rumple engineered it that way. You're nothing and you never will be. No one cares, has ever cared. Why else did no one ever come to your rescue, Regina? No fairy godmother, no knight in shining armor, and no wish upon a star. All you ever got was Rumple, just as he planned."

Her life flashed before her eyes and she swore she could see Rumple's hand in everything, and if not his, her mother's. She had been used since birth. Worthless to everyone. Even the son she wanted to protect. When this was all over, he would return to his "real" parents, be with his "real" family, and she would be left alone. But, he would be safe and that was enough.

"Be that as it may, at least I'm not dead yet," Regina said and Pan gagged as she finally closed her fist around his heart.

"Regina!" Emma screamed her name like she had actually thought Regina would take the high road here.

Pan's eyes went wide and Regina reveled in watching the light go out. If I had a glass of wine, I'd raise it in honor of this moment. She discarded his body like the refuse it was, as the vines trapping Snow and Emma fell to the ground. Pan's body hit the dirt with a heavy thud before crumbling to ash to fertilize the dying Neverland. Regina curled her lip and looked beyond them.

"Let's get the hell out of here," Regina said.

"Regina," Emma said her name so softly now, like she was trying to provide comfort Regina did not need, want, or ask for.

Regina did not want to hear it. "Let's go save Henry, Miss Swan." She did not need the Sheriff's pity right now. She only needed her son, even if it would only be for a moment. At least he would live. She had done some good in the world, even if she was merely a tool.

-8-8-8-8-

Henry was safe and resting below deck with his heart where it was supposed to be and perfectly shielded from any other attack. Regina had set Pan's shadow — or whatever the hell it truly was — into the sail of Hook's ship to get them home without so much as a thank you from anyone on board. And now that she was of no use to anyone, no one looked Regina's way. She expected as much. She did not exist.

She found a corner of the flying tetanus shot Hook called a ship and observed, sitting on rotting crates. The researcher in her was fine with this, taking in the actions of the Lost Boys, the Charmings, and of course Rumpelstiltskin. Her stomach bubbled and her chest burned, making her feel like she might vomit acid. She blamed both on the high altitude and sting of the night, dying Neverland air.

Rumpelstiltskin stood with his son, Baelfire or Neal or whatever the hell his name was. They stood close, spoke low, civilized. Rumple even smiled without looking demented or like he might eat someone. They looked like they might make up, like life would be fine for them. Of course it would. Because life was always fine for everyone, everyone except her.

"Misery and woe have always been my only options," Regina muttered, shaking her head. It would never get better for her, only everyone else.

Just looking around confirmed this for her. The Lost Boys would be going to homes in Storybrooke, regardless of their roles in Pan's plan, while she would be lucky if her home was still standing. Who knew how long they had been gone, after all? Snow and her pretender prince were all cozy as usual. Emma would somehow become their perfect daughter, and magically be the perfect mother for Henry. It would all just work out, like magic. It's doesn't matter.

She needed to believe it did not matter. This ordeal with Henry, Pan, and Neverland, changed something within her and she did not mean the bullshit Pan spouted. As long as Henry was safe, she felt like she might be able to let go. And then her heart clenched in her chest to the point of pain. Okay, maybe not let go completely. He's my son, even if he doesn't want to be.

Henry was her son just like Henry was her father. Even if what Pan said was true, it did not matter. Blood did not matter. Prince Henry had raised her. She called him "Daddy." And then you killed him. All to be happy. Had that worked? For a while. Maybe.

She had only experienced happiness a couple of times in her life. Once on the lips of a darling stable boy and again in the giggle of a usually colicky baby. The latter hung in the air for several years before even that turned to ashes before her, just like the former.

Everything beyond pain and suffering only lasted a while for her. She looked down at her hands. Just underneath the skin, it felt like something wiggled inside of her, like there were maggots in her muscles.

Was it because of this… ichor? The darkness flowing inside of her. Was she a descendent of the ancient god Lilith? Fire formed in her hand, dancing across her fingertips. She never felt demigod power inside of her, never felt anything to suggest she had any sort of divine blood in her. But, now, it felt like something seeped out of her and slowly oozed through her system, crawled through her flesh.

"No, it's nothing." Shaking her hand, she put out the fire. On her fingers anyway. The burning in her chest worsened, the feeling of decay wiggling in her bones remained.

She had ignored the feeling while in Neverland. She took it to be anxiety about her son, worry over Henry. But, Henry was safe and her body felt… odd. Her heart was still troubled.

Maybe that was what this was about. Pan took a parting shot at her, trying to play her, ruin her for killing him. But, that did not mean it was a lie. Even if part of it was the truth, her body seemed to think it changed everything. No, it changes nothing.

Yet, she could not take her eyes off of Rumple and his son. The son who was worth everything. She should be able to understand. Was Henry not worth every wrong thing she had ever done in her life? Was Henry not worth every pain she had ever endured? Was Henry not worth every horrible move she had ever made as long as those moves led to him? Yes. Could she go to the lengths Rumple had, though?

Well, she would never abandon Henry in the first place as Pan said Rumple had done with Neal, or Baelfire. Whatever the hell his name is. Rumple apparently did not realize what he had until he let his boy slip through his fingers. But, would someone who waited centuries and purposely corrupted her do such a thing to his own child? She could not see this, could not understand it. Or do you not want to see it?

Rumple was the Dark One. He was a demon. Well, not really a demon, just evil and extremely powerful Fae. A terrible imp, but practically the Enchanted Forest equivalent of Satan. What did Rumple care about her? He had a goal and he had used her to accomplish that goal. She would have only been a tool for him, like Pan said.

"No, it's not true. It was just to rattle you. His swan song. His parting gift to the person who stole his paradise," Regina whispered to herself. Yet, her lungs still burned as if the air she breathed was made of acid and she felt a low hum buzzing through her entire system. Her muscles jumped and her stomach twisted. You are not a god. You are not a tool.

"Hey, you okay?" Emma flopped down next to her and the wood she landed on cried out, creaking loudly. It was a surprise the crate underneath her did not break.

With a sneer, Regina moved away from Emma just a little. What did Emma care if she was okay? What did Emma care if she lived or died? No one else ever did. Yet, this foolish woman had carried her out of a fire, had come back for her in the mine, had tried to assure her Henry was fine, and was now sitting here to check on her mental stability. Of course, this could have all boiled down to self-preservation. The trigger needed to be stopped for Storybrooke to survive and Emma seemed to like living in Storybrooke with her family and little friends. Emma obviously needed her to find and rescue Henry. Now, Emma probably assumed she was necessary to make it back to Storybrooke. After that, all bets were probably off.

"Fine," Regina replied in a clipped tone. "Shouldn't you be with your parents now? Celebrating the fact that you all somehow didn't die, despite the fact that there's hardly a brain cell between you." The Charmings had to have some kind of good luck in their blood, as that was the only way they could all still be alive. Maybe they are of the gods. It made more sense than her being some kind of demigod.

Emma frowned, like she was truly insulted. "I know you're stressed everything, but you don't have to be that way. I know Pan said some stuff to you that had to be upsetting, but Pan's a liar, you know that, right?"

Regina wanted to glare at Emma, but she refused to look at Emma. What if she locked eyes with Emma and Emma saw something new there? Something beyond her, just like she felt in her body right now. She refused to run that risk right now.

"I like to think I know more about Pan than you do. So, don't try to give me a pep talk. I know Pan's a liar and I know he just wanted inside my head." She suspected he had been stalling for something, but it did not matter. He did not get a chance to push his final play. This made it even more obvious that he just wanted to get in her head. But, was he in her head with the truth or was it a lie? Did it matter?

Huffing, Emma ran her hand through her hair. "Look, I'm just trying to help, be there for you."

With a scowl, Regina made sure to look off to the side, away from Emma. "Why? We're not friends. We're not close." Well, they were not friends. They were something, something that had enough power to move the moon, but it did not matter. When they got back to Storybrooke, Emma would take her son and settle down with Neal and have the happily ever after that had always been so elusive for Regina.

"Since when?" Emma demanded. It felt like her eyes were boring into Regina, daring her, challenging her.

Regina growled and turned, forgetting about not wanting Emma to be able to see if something was different in her. And, when Emma actually flinched as they locked eyes, Regina feared everything had been confirmed. Emma saw something in her, something frightening, something so disconcerting it made even Emma back down. Regina suddenly felt whatever it was, like an oil spill in her heart.

"When have we ever been friends? Your whole time in my life has been about stealing my son, the only thing that matters to me," Regina stated through gritted teeth, making a tight fist. It felt like she was trying to keep herself under control rather than threaten Emma.

Emma groaned and balled her hands into fists, too. "You know I never wanted to steal him."

Regina narrowed her gaze and felt like she was not careful, she could render Miss Swan into ashes without touching her heart. Emma swallowed, but her gaze did not waver. It was almost like Emma could feel whatever was inside of Regina, hear her thoughts, and decided to stand strong like always. It was entirely possible, which only pissed Regina off even more.

"And yet we all know what happens when we walk off this ship," Regina spat. She would never have her son again, possibly never seem him again. They both knew that.

"No, because everything isn't a story book with an ending already written. Pan's words were just to mess with you and whatever you're thinking about isn't true. You are letting him win by letting him in your head. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. That means something," Emma insisted.

Regina turned away, eyes locked on Rumple. Her body tensed and she did her best to control tremors scratching at her bone marrow. She shivered like she was cold, but on the inside, it felt like everything was on fire. "No. Nothing means anything."

"Henry means something," Emma stated.

Regina nodded. This was true. Henry would always mean something, even when he was gone, even as he was gone. But, she… she would never mean anything to anyone. No, she was not nothing, like Pan insisted. Maybe she was a tool, but beyond that, she was hated, by the living, the dead, and apparently the cosmic. A universal joke. A universal punch line was not nothing.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Regina decides to do something about life being unfair.