Author's note: This was supposed to be short, simple, post "Queen of Hearts" fix-it fluff…and then my muses had other ideas that involved sex….and ice cream. And yes, Rumpelstiltskin's nickname for Regina is "Gin," which coincides rather hilariously with her alternating between "Rumpel" and "Rum" depending on what mood I'm in (or how lazy I am when writing dialogue).

Forgive Me

"Maybe one day, they'll even invite you to dinner."

He hadn't meant for the words to sound so harsh, and he regretted them the moment he witnessed the look on Regina's face.

Aiden Gold mentally kicked himself for being so careless. The woman had nearly sacrificed her own life in order to ensure that Henry be reunited with Emma, only to be completely shut out by nearly the entire town despite the fact that she had acted like a hero.

It got worse when Regina choked back a sob, clearly not wanting to be seen as weak in his presence.

Unable to stand it, Aiden rushed forward. "Gin…I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." He gathered her into his arms right as she began to cry in earnest, which only broke his heart further.

For a while, he just let her weep in his arms, rubbing his hands over her back soothingly as she snuggled close and clung to him.

"I'm so sorry, Regina…" he muttered, resting his chin against her hair. "That was a horrible thing to say."

She sniffled, her sobs growing quieter, and he heard her mumble something against his coat but he couldn't quite pick out what.

"You mind repeating that?"

She sniffled and then looked up at him. "I said you're an idiot."

He laughed sharply and reached out, wiping away the tears that stained her lovely face. "At least that's something we can agree on. Although if I were in your position right now I might have gone with "you're a bastard" because at the moment: I truly feel like one."

Despite the fact that her heart currently felt like it was shattered into a million pieces, her lips quirked up briefly. "You're not a bastard, Rum…a bastard wouldn't be doing this," she sighed and rested her head against his shoulder. "A bastard wouldn't be offering me comfort."

Touched by her words, Aiden dropped a quick kiss to the top of her head. "Well, since we both agree that I just acted like a huge jerk, I think the only thing left is for me to make it up to you."

Regina blinked and tilted her chin to stare at him, surprised and yet grateful at the same time. "And how do you propose to do that?"

"By doing what all those idiots didn't do: inviting you to dinner. I'll even cook."

Abruptly, she burst into laughter. "Cook? You?!"

He frowned. "What? I've cooked before."

"I'm not sure nearly burning your house down trying to microwave a frozen dinner counts as cooking," Regina smirked, recalling the panicked phone-call he'd made to her right after.

Aiden groaned. "That was 28 years ago! We'd just arrived in a town without magic. How the hell was I supposed to know how to work that thing?"

Chuckling, she smoothed out the front of his suit jacket. "In any case, I think I'll do the cooking if you don't mind. At least that way I can ensure that we have something edible. But you're welcome to help me."

Relief swept through him. Her humor had returned, which was a good sign. "You have a deal, lass. Now…"he offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

For the first time that day, Regina grinned, and after a moment she linked her arm with his, and, together: they left the pawn-shop.

Regina smiled fondly as she watched Aiden devour what remained of his lasagna. "I take it you like it?"

His gaze met hers from across the table, and he took a moment to swallow before replying. "I don't think I've ever tasted something so delicious."

She chuckled softly, rolling her eyes. "Now you're just trying to flatter me."

He shook his head. "No, I mean it. This is amazing…you're amazing."

Regina felt the beginnings of a blush form at his praise, and quickly drank down the last of her red wine. "Well, apparently you're the only one who thinks so," she rose and began to clear the table.

He got up and moved to her side, placing a hand over hers to stop her movement. "Let me."

"Oh that's all right, you don't have to—she began.

"Gin," his tone was firm, and he tugged her forward by the plate they were both holding, so that their faces were only inches away. "I insist. You cooked. I'll clean."

Her breath caught in her throat at his proximity and the mischief mixed with far more tender emotions in his eyes. "Are you certain you can handle the dishwasher?"

Aiden smirked and successfully yanked the plate from her hand now that her grip had loosened. "If I recall, you were the one who had trouble with that."

She followed him as he gathered the dishes on the table. "Yes, well…I wasn't the one who refused to get into a car because I thought it was alive."

He glanced over his shoulder at her, his lips curving into a smirk. "And I wasn't the one who thought that horsepower meant that there were tiny enchanted horses running around in the engine."

She paused as he moved past her and headed into the kitchen. "Is this going to become some sort of competition now? Who screwed up the most when we arrived here?"

Aiden laughed softly. "Hasn't everything between us been a competition?"

Regina sighed and walked over to where he was now standing at the sink. She leaned back against the counter and watched him rinse off a plate before replying quietly: "There was a time when it used to be like this, remember?"

He stopped what he was doing for a second and looked over at her.

Her heart leapt when their gazes locked. Despite all their bickering, she had never stopped loving him, and she could tell that he cared just as deeply as she did.

Aiden carefully put the dishes he'd been rinsing into the dishwasher, and then slid closer to Regina. "I do remember, Gin. Those are the days I still look back on happily."

She nearly started crying again and had to turn away from him so he couldn't see the tears starting to brim in her eyes. "That means a lot to me, Rum."

He gently reached out, cupping her chin and coaxing her to face him.

She inhaled shakily when he stroked lightly over her cheek. "Rumpel…"

"Yes?" he leaned close.

Her hands came to rest upon his chest, fingers toying with the buttons to his waistcoat. "This better not be a trick."

He shook his head, and tangled his elegant fingers into her shoulder length hair as he pulled her as close as possible. "It's not a trick. This is me…telling you…" he dipped his head towards hers so that their lips barely brushing. "That you're wanted."

Her breath hitched, but before she could reply, he claimed her lips in a fervent kiss which proved just how true his words were.

Long pent-up emotions bubbled to the surface, which caused desire to spark quickly between them, and in the next moment Regina found herself pressed back against the kitchen counter while Aiden ravished her mouth with his.

She moaned when he nipped and teased at her mouth, his hands coming to rest on her hips while her legs wrapped around his waist for balance as they embraced with a rapidly growing hunger.

His talented hands flew to the buttons of her blouse, and she retaliated in kind: practically tearing his shirt open in her haste to get at his skin.

He pulled back when she shoved the garment down his shoulders, arching an eyebrow at her determination. "What's the rush, love? We have all night."

Regina flushed at the realization that her craving for affection had caused her to get carried away. "Sorry, I just…it's been a while," she admitted. "I haven't done this in a long time…" she trailed off as Aiden carefully slid her blouse away from her body, shivering when his fingers came in contact with bare skin.

He smirked at the reaction caused by a mere touch, before leaning in again. "How long are we talking about, exactly?"

"Almost a year," she managed, nearly losing her composure entirely when he trailed those hands ever-so-lightly along the small of her back.

"Definitely far too long," Aiden muttered, his lips descending on her neck while he deftly unhooked her bra.

Her head fell back, which offered him better access to the slender column of her throat, and the next few minutes were spent exploring each other as they finished undressing.

Somehow they made it to the bedroom. In fact Regina was certain that magic was involved, but she was so caught up in Aiden that it didn't matter to her how they got there.

They crashed back on her bed, naked limbs entwining instinctively as they met over and over in heated kisses.

Clever hands traced paths along her skin that he followed with his mouth, lingering purposely along more sensitive areas: intent on worshipping her body in every manner possible.

She inhaled sharply when those elegant fingers slipped over the curve of her hip, drawing their bodies closer as he captured her lips in yet another kiss, trapping her beneath his welcome weight as he bore her back into the pillows.

She smirked against his mouth, sliding one long leg against his and, with a dexterity that impressed him: she turned the tides, flipping them over so she was in control.

He was more than happy to be the sole object of her attention, taking a moment to gaze up at the wanton image she made in the moonlight filtering through the window.

Regina flipped her shoulder length raven hair away from her eyes and drank in the sight of him, dark eyes raking appreciatively over his leanly muscled form before she set to task.

She delighted in having him entirely at her mercy. For centuries they had been playing a game: maneuvering around each other, but now: now this man was finally hers.

It became apparent that he was more than an even match for her as they grappled playfully, exchanging bites and scratches as easily as kisses and touches, until finally, their struggled ended with Aiden pinning her successfully against the pillows.

She tugged him down to her level, her eyes dancing with promise as she arched her hips in invitation.

He wasted no more time and joined them together in a fluid motion, the pair meeting in a passion-filled kiss as they gave in to the sensations that being one caused.

Her legs locked around his waist to anchor them as they moved in time. The urgency that had started died down as they reveled in how perfectly they seemed to fit together: wanting the moments between them to last as long as possible.

Eventually that base need took over again, and their movements lost grace as instinct assumed control until finally: they fell.

"I know this is probably my hormones talking, but do you know what would make this moment even better?" Regina sighed happily as she and Aiden recuperated from several bouts of lovemaking, resting her head against his chest and listening to his heartbeat slow down.

Smiling, he pulled her as close as possible, kissing her forehead tenderly and nuzzling affectionately at her hair. "What?"

"Chocolate ice cream," she glanced up at him. "But I'm too lazy to go into the kitchen right now."

He laughed softly. "Who said anything about leaving this room?" In a casual manner, he snapped his fingers and suddenly there was a full carton of double-fudge ice cream in his hand.

Regina stared at the container. "…should have thought of that."

He smirked. "One condition though: you must share."

"Oh I was planning on it," she sat up and took the pint from him, and then gathered the sheets around her naked body like a make-shift dress before she opened it. "Spoons?"

He snapped his fingers again and handed her a pair.

She grinned as they got comfortable and dug into the ice-cream, and for a few minutes, it was quiet as they shared their dessert.

Another contented sigh escaped Regina as the rich, creamy flavor of the cold treat melted on her tongue, and she snuggled up to her lover, delighted when he draped his free arm around her. "By the way…there's something I've been meaning to tell you."

"What's that love?" he brought another spoon-full of ice cream to his mouth and looked over at her quizzically.

"Yesterday…at the well: when I stopped that magic, I heard you call out my name." She brought her eyes to his.

He paused, the spoon still in his mouth, and the corners of her lips quirked upwards at seeing how adorably "caught" he appeared.

Another silence stretched between them, Aiden struggling to find the right words to explain, which caused Regina to grin, shake her head, and go back to eating. "It's all right. I won't damage your reputation by revealing that the almighty Dark One has shown actual concern."

He half-glared at her for the remark, but settled instead for purposely dripping some of the ice cream on her collar.

Regina shrieked at the cold sensation, and he grinned in triumph before startling her further by leaning in and licking it away.

A pleased moan escaped her. "That's not playing fair."

His low chuckle reverberated against her throat. "With you, there's no point in playing fair."

"Oh really?" she arched an eyebrow and set the ice-cream aside for a moment, digging her fingers into the silken strands of his hair to tug him back up to her.

Aiden grinned and captured her mouth in a loving kiss, nipping at her lips playfully before muttering: "I like the ice-cream but I think you taste sweeter."

"Flatterer," she grumbled, dragging him closer as the embrace deepened.

"I try," he remarked before bearing her back against the pillows and setting about distracting her entirely once again.

It was another couple of hours before they decided to try to rest properly: pleasantly exhausted and still entangled with one another.

Content, Regina glanced up at Aiden, smiling warmly before whispering: "Rumpel…thank you. I think this was exactly what I needed."

His response was to smile in return, and then kiss her in a manner that let her know that her gratitude was as much appreciated as his actions.

The End