Sorry for such a delay. I haven't been in a really creative mood lately and felt as though the last few chapters haven't been as thrilling. So I wanted to spend a bit more time in this one and make it good.

Bellatrix stood outside of Regina's mansion. Of course the woman would have a fit if she caught her doing so. After all she couldn't get caught, especially standing outside of the mayor's house. Bellatrix had to admit that she would, for once, feel guilty if she got Regina hurt.

All the same, she couldn't stand being cooped up in that house. It was too spacey, just like the Malfoy Manor. And when Regina wasn't around all of that space made her feel all the more lonely. So she stepped outside, the outdoors always helped her think.

That night her thoughts circled around the couple Regina had sent her after. They had been a joy truly, but all the same they had made her feel empty. They were the kind of couple that would fight over who sacrificed their life for who. Bellatrix knew that feeling all to well—ready to die for her lover. Ready to die for her master. But they would never fight over whose life was put on the line, it would be hers, always hers .

Somewhere down the line, she had come to accept that.

Rather accept it as far as she could accept that she wasn't worth dying for.

She scowled. And it was happening again. While Regina sat upon her luxurious sofa with a glass of expensive wine, Bellatrix was out putting her well-being at risk.

The woman offered her praise for her hard work but that was only a single step up from what she had in the past. The very small sensible part of Bella considered wandering into the mansion, stealing her heart back while the opportunity was pristine, and going on her merry way leaving the other woman to her rage. But the other larger part of her told her to wait until Regina's Benz pulled into the driveway and await her next order.

Her fingers wrapped around the door knob and she let herself back inside. She slowly padded up the stairs and over to Regina's dresser. Her hand lingered upon the latch to the jewelry box. And then the what if's hit her—just as they did every time.

What if I do so well she'll admit that she loves me? What if she's already planning on how to tell me? What if…

And that was it.

That was Bellatrix's madness.

What could possibly be madder than seeing false hope over and over and still not recognizing it? Yes indeed, allowing herself to be a means to an end time after time had truly become her own special kind of madness.

All the same Bellatrix withdrew her hand, sauntered back downstairs, and sat upon the loveseat closest to the door where she'd wait for Regina to come home like a faithful good girl.

Just like she had each and every other time.

.oOo.

Regina found Bellatrix drumming her fingers of her loveseat. The one she had told the witch time and time again to stop sitting on. Of all of the chairs, sofas, and other places to sit in the mansion, Bella just had to choose her spot. Of course she did, the woman just loved to piss her off.

"What did I tell you about sitting on that couch?" Regina snapped, leaving the other woman pouting like a kicked puppy. Regina sighed; of course she looked like a kicked puppy, but then again she had just spoke to the woman as if she were a dog. She couldn't find a way to backpedal the conversation either so she watched Bellatrix slink off of the couch.

"So which one of your majestic fairytail friends am I tormenting today?" The witch asked losing any sign that she had been offended at all.

"They aren't my friends." Regina scoffed. "Today you will be tearing apart another lovely romance. You see I don't believe that Mr. Gold deserves a lover. If I can't be trusted not to abuse a lover then surely he can't be."

"You want a lover?" Bellatrix mused aloud, whether or not she had intended to was beyond Regina.

"Of course I do. No one wants to be alone forever. Why?"

Bellatrix's face flickered between a number of expressions, each as uninterpretable as the next. Regina took that as an opportunity to get them back on track. "As I was saying, I don't care how you do it, make sure Mr. Gold and Belle French do not get their happily ever after."

"People think I'd abuse my lover too." Bellatrix murmured.

Regina let out an impatient hissing noise, pressed her lips firmly together, and glowered at the witch. "Do focus Bella. Tell me what I asked of you."

Bellatrix drummed her fingers upon the nearest surface, which in this case just so happened to be a particularly expensive decorative marble figurine Regina had resting on her coffee table. With another scowl she wondered why the woman couldn't just drum her fingers on the table like anyone else would have.

"Can you repeat the question?"

"The question or my orders?"

Bellatrix hummed as she gently rocked back and forth, "both."

Regina held out two photographs, "this is Mr. Gold and this is Belle French. You will tear their romance apart. It shouldn't be too hard, their relationship has been on the rocks for some time now." She slipped the images into Bellatrix's hand. "He owns the pawn shop, hard to miss."

"Bella must get rid of Belle." She tasted the mantra on her tongue. The witch repeated it gleefully to herself a few times. "I can do that."

"Wonderful." Regina replied. "I'll let you get to it." She showed Bellatrix to the door. The woman stood there for a moment as if waiting for something—a wish of good luck perhaps. Regina opened her mouth to give it to her, but by the time she had decided to do so Bellatrix had left.

.oOo.

Starring at the clock, Regina had come to conclude that Bellatrix would probably be home late again and hoped that it was because she decided to exceed her expectations. But another hour slipped passed and the former queen was growing restless.

On that night her orders were clear enough. Find a certain one-handed pirate and be-rid of his beloved moldy-planked ship. And then toss that wretched Hook of his into the dark depths of the Storybrooke coastline. Frankly Regina didn't hate him quiet enough to do anything worse, she just wanted to drive a point home. Send a message to Emma about what would happen to the people she loves when she stole away the people Regina loves.

Bellatrix had gone above and beyond with Gold and Belle in producing a potion of forgetting. She slipped it into Belle's drink and then sent her over the town line with Gold's car and cash. Not before convincing Belle that it was Gold's fault that she couldn't remember anything. What she did to Gold himself after that she wouldn't vocalize, but the coppery smell of blood that lingered around her was telling enough.

Apparently she hadn't killed him though.

Regina eyed the clock once more. How long could it possibly take the witch to take on one single-handed pirate? She pitched the bridge of her nose.

By 11:30 Regina was at her wits end with the other woman. She stood up, deciding that she could do for a bit of fresh air. Naturally when Regina stepped outside the air was anything but fresh, littered with the gasoline aftertaste of cars long passed by and the greasy smell that Granny's diner always gave off. She didn't even know how the scent carried all the way to her mansion. Fanning her nose, Regina stepped off into the autumn night. It was just chilly enough for her to see a faint trail of fog spilling from her lips. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered, already regretting her decision. And yet her feet continued to carry her to the park. She stood at the park's center for the longest time staring at one of the many apple trees she had planted. Its branches twisted and curled gracefully towards the night sky until they met a blanket of stars.

Once upon a time, Regina had taken Henry out to that very spot. It was his birthday so she let him stay up far past his bedtime. She had spread a picnic blanket out and the two of them lie there gazing at the distant cosmos. At that time Henry was in his astrology unit in science class so she tried to make it educational by listing off a few constellations and asking him facts about the stars.

She didn't notice her tears until they had significantly wet her cheeks. Why did Swan take Henry from her? What had she done? She thought she was doing good at keeping her own darkness in check. Regina roughly wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. And gave the most dignified sniffle she could manage before sinking to the ground, ready to weep again.

She hadn't even begun to cry when a figure came skipping into view, kicking up leaves along her way. It was a relief and a curse all at once to see the dark witch prance up. "And where the hell have you been?" She snapped.

"Just exploring the neighborhood luv."

Regina dropped her voice into a low hiss, "after torturing a pirate?"

"He didn't see me. He saw Mr. Gold. I heard Gold mention hating a pirate and thought I could use that. So I plucked his hair and used a polyjuice potion…rather I used your world's equivalent of it. The real thing takes months to make. Only problem is your version of a polyjuice only gave me a half an hour." Bellatrix complained.

"So what were you doing for the past," she looked at her watch, "three hours?"

"Just what I said. I've been exploring the neighborhood since you couldn't be bothered to show me around the way I showed you."

"I don't recall ever having asked you to do so. In fact I very clearly remember saying I didn't want to go to Gringotts but a certain witch cursed me into doing so. You wasted your own time." Regina snarled, letting anger fill the places sadness once occupied. "So don't you tell me that I owe you something."

"Did you sit on a fallen branch luv because clearly something is stuck up your ass. Something even the most potent firewhisky probably can't even remove."

Regina abruptly shot to her feet. She was growing extremely tired of Bellatrix's crude and inconsiderate outbursts. "It's you Bella. You know just how to get under everyone's skin don't you? You know just how to make a person loath your entire being. And here I was all worried about you. Wondering when you'd get home when I should have been hoping that the pirate fought back and…" she fell short at the sudden change in Bellatrix's demeanor.

Her childish smile turned into a mad and twitching frown. Her eyes gleamed with a fury Regina hadn't ever seen on the woman, leaving her suddenly aware of just how far out of reach the witch's heart was. She waited for the woman to pin her against the tree and claw her to shreds. What came was very nearly worse. "You weren't worried about me! You were worried about you and what would happen to you if I got caught." She practically shrieked. "You know what's funny luv? Even if someone caught me I wouldn't have kept my mouth shut about you. So yes your majesty, you're right I am insane, I have to be. Why else would I put up with your petulant moods and your lack of appreciation?"

Regina opened her mouth but Bella threw up a silencing hand. The former queen dared not dispute the gesture. "I've done everything you wanted me to do. I've tortured Snow White as the pretty boy watched, I tortured him shortly after, I ripped Gold away from his fragile little lady, I did so in secret…I've done everything you've asked. And I don't even get a thank you."

"You did it because I am…was" Regina corrected herself, "holding your heart."

Bellatrix's bearing shifted once again, this time more somberly. "Yes. You do. In more ways than one." she slumped into the nearest park bench. "I would have done it even if you didn't bring my heart into the equation."

Regina scrunched her eyebrows.

"You've never had someone who'd just listen to you because they wanted to. Have you? Well lucky for you, you finally have someone. I'd do anything you ask." She paused. "I had a master once…" she looked up at the street light. "I did everything he asked me to. I loved him with all of what's left of my soul. He couldn't even spare me a second thought. Are you like my master?"

"Bella…" Regina started, her face softening.

"Are you like him?" Bellatrix repeated more firmly.

"No." Regina answered quietly, "I don't think I am."

"Really? Because a few days ago you reminded me that I am replaceable. And that are many other hearts for you to steal and use. I'm just one of many." Bellatrix's fingers tightened around the edge of the bench.

Regina crossed her arms over her chest and pressed her lips together, throwing her head back to briefly stare at the light Bellatrix had been eyeing. She exhaled and, in a puff of purple smoke, drew out Bellatrix's heart. The sound of her heels meeting the pavement echoed softly around the park as she approached the witch. Without a word she firmly pressed the woman's heart back in place. "If you want to keep doing what I say, feel free. If not…well your sister is eager for your return."