A little one shot I wrote a while ago for no reason at all. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I did writing...
Snow was dead to begin with.
It had been 2 years since that May they'd lost her. Nothing compared to the loss and grief of that town when they all returned from the Underworld without her. Sure they'd eventually managed to save Hook but things were never that simple, it couldn't have gone right for them. That'd mean life was fair and life certainly was not.
No one was blamed, not by anyone but themselves anyway. Snow's death was planned and calculated by the only person capable, even with her heart back inside her chest. Cora did it for her daughters heart break, she completed the task Regina had set for herself all those years ago and expected to be rewarded for it.
It's strange how the mind works. Cora truly believed that if she fulfilled Regina's 40 year old wish then she'd be granted freedom to pass on to a better place. After doing all she could to ensure Regina and Zelena mended their relationship she disappeared and the next time they saw her she had Snow White over the river of souls and with one last declaration of 'This is for you.' She flung Snow into the river and Regina retaliated by losing control of her magic and blasting Cora in right after her.
No one was prepared, no one expected. The whole thing crushed them all and it didn't help that when they got back Hades killed Robin. Everything seemed to fall apart all at once and things weren't ever really the same after it.
Emma blamed herself. She was the one that dragged them to the Underworld to save Hook so without that her mother would still be alive. David blamed himself. If he'd have protected her and reacted when Cora grabbed her his wife would still be alive. Regina blamed herself. It was her mother in her name so it was her fault Snow White was dead. If it wasn't for her, her step daughter would still be alive.
It was the people that banded together to help each of them and remind them that it was nobody's fault but Hades and Cora's. Hook was assigned to Emma, Red was assigned to David and Granny was assigned to Regina. Each were met with resistance and sky high walls but eventually they were broken down. It was safe to say that Granny had the hardest job with Regina. Robin and Snow had been murdered the same day and she just shut down after it'd happened: locked herself away, didn't eat, didn't sleep.
Only when her condition was critical did the wards she'd placed around the house weaken and Granny forced herself inside. The week following saw Regina in hospital regaining her strength and being forced to talk through everything with Granny seems as they were alone in her room most of the day.
The process of their recovery was long and involved the whole town banding together, especially Emma and Regina to begin with. It was a strange bond that formed, stronger than the bond they had over Henry or maybe it had just built upon it. Starting with a drop in visit here and lunch at Granny's there it soon developed into a solid friendship and one that couldn't seem to be rivalled or broken. They shared everything with each other including their grief and it was visible to all that this had brought Regina a lot closer to Neal and David to a certain extent.
But more of that later.
*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•
"Regina! Get out here for Christ sake!" Emma was stood outside her bedroom door.
"No!" Regina shouted back looking in the mirror. "I can't go like this! I can't go at all, it's stupid!"
Emma sighed and leaned against the door. "It's a wedding and it's been two years, Regina. You have to get out there some time. Dads coming too." Emma added with a little smirk on her face.
There was silence at the mention of her dad and Emma knew that meant Regina was thinking. The bolt on the door slid across and Emma smiled broadly as the door opened. "What is it with your obsession with David and I? He is a friend and is not the reason I opened the door, is that clear?" Emma nodded but the stupid grin still wouldn't remove itself from her face.
There Regina stood in a deep red, off the shoulder dress that stopped below her knees and had a small slit up the left leg with black heels that gave her an extra four inches. Her hair was wavy and her makeup perfected with a shade of lipstick that matched her dress. "Wow." Emma smiled in a silly fashion looking at her best friend.
"Shut up." Regina huffed and looked down at Emma's outfit. Her friends stood in a blue, long sleeved dress that reached just above her knees. Her heels were the same colour as her dress with a clutch to match and her hair and makeup were flawless. "You look nice too."
"Thanks." Emma grinned. "I know I do." Regina rolled her eyes at Emma's confidence. "Now come on, the others are waiting downstairs."
"Others? This is a group affair?" Regina raised an eyebrow and Emma sighed.
"Yes but for now it's just Ruby and Zelena, the others are meeting us in five. It's alright." Emma knew this was hard for her. As much as she tried to hide how much she was hurting behind sarcasm and anger Emma could see through her.
Getting back out there was scary and new and she hated it. "I know it's alright, Emma. That still doesn't mean I want to go. I don't even know why I'm invited." Regina folded her arms and Emma could only imagine her dads face if Regina did that in front of him.
Just as Emma was going to reply, they heard the front door open and people enter. They both frowned at the top of the stairs but couldn't see who was coming in. Making their way down they entered the living room to find a group of people. Of course there was Zelena in green which didn't surprise anyone and Ruby in an off white colour that they were sure the bride would hate. What they hadn't anticipated was the arrival of Killian, Arthur and David all in suits.
"Of course, come in." Regina interrupted them. The first pair of eyes she met were David's and they seemed to hold hers for longer than she'd intended. He had a black suit and tie on and everything fit his body so perfectly that she was stunned for a second.
The breath was knocked from him the second he saw her. She looked stunning. Absolutely, positively, without a shadow of a doubt stunning. "Thank you, Regina." Killian replied with just as much sarcasm.
Rolling her eyes she gave a smile as she noticed that Killian's navy suit matched Emma's dress perfectly. "Are we leaving then? We can't be late." Ruby pointed to the clock and the others nodded.
"Yes, I fear Maleficent would slaughter us all if we were." Arthur stated as Regina and Zelena avoided his eyes. They started to filter out and Arthur took his chance. "Zelena-"
"No." She cut him off as she walked past him.
"Try later when she's had a few drinks." Killian shrugged as he walked past him and saw that Regina quickly caught up to David. "Hey." She smiled at him as they walked side by side.
"Hey." He replied as he looked at her. "You look beautiful, I have to say."
"Not too bad yourself, I suppose." David laughed and gave her a gentle shove making her laugh too. "Pushing a lady in heels? Not very Charming of you now, is it?"
David couldn't shake his smile. "Maybe the charm wore off."
"I highly doubt that, Charming." She teased in a whisper as they all got to the end of the driveway and were met with Granny, Henry, Neal, Robin, Grumpy and Archie. Neal toddled over to David and Robin was passed to Zelena as Regina and Emma made their way to Henry. Straightening his tie, Regina beamed at him. "Very smart."
"I figured Maleficent would kill me if I was anything less than smart." Henry smiled.
"She'll also kill us if we're late." Emma put her hands on Henry's shoulders.
David looked at them all. "We're not all going to fit in the cars."
Everyone looked at the bug and the Mercedes and Regina sighed. "Some with Emma, some with Zelena and some with me." Regina nodded to Zelena and she nodded back.
"But we won't all fit in the cars." Emma frowned.
"We're not using the cars." Regina looked to Emma and saw her eyes widen.
"Oh, right, yeah." Emma nodded as Killian, Grumpy, Archie and Henry stood with her. David, Neal and Granny gathered with Regina and Zelena took Robin, Arthur and Ruby.
With a wave of their hands they were all gathered outside of the church and Maleficent was stood on the step at the door. "What did I tell you about magic!" She squealed and looked around to see if anyone saw. "You better get your butts in their right now."
"Nice to see you too, Mal." Regina gave a small smile and saw her soften.
"It is." She agreed before looking to the rest of them. "Now get in there."
They all scurried in quickly and saw a lot of people they didn't know filling the whole church. Looking around sceptically they saw a few pews at the side and decided to take a seat. "Jesus, it's a bit of a tight fit." Killian squeezed in the pew next to Emma who was next to Henry at the end. Regina got in next and David just about got in next to her at the end. The rest of them got in behind with Granny holding a sleeping Neal.
"Is it too late to take us all back home?" David whispered in Regina's ear.
Turning her head to him she realised just how close they were but shrugged it off. "I think it might be. It looks like it's starting." The music started and they all stood up craning their necks to try and see the bride but it was impossible from where they were sat. Finally she'd walked the length of the isle and stood on the pedestal at the front giving them all a clear view as the music stopped.
Looking to David, Regina saw him raise his eyebrows at her. Regina shrugged. "Not as good as the last wedding I was at." She whispered quietly.
The laugh that escaped him couldn't be helped and heads turned in his direction as he covered it with a cough and Regina was forced to look down as she tried to contain her laughter. They all sat down and Emma rolled her eyes at Granny who was behind her. "Something funny?" Regina resumed their conversation.
"I don't know what you mean." David feigned innocence. "I just had a tickle in my throat."
"Yeah, I'm sure that was it."
"It was." David nodded. "I wasn't thinking about how you intruded my wedding at all."
"That was your fault you know." Regina tried to stop the smile spreading.
David raised his eyebrows at her again. "How'd you work that one out?"
"Well." Regina folded her arms and David could hear his heart beat in his ears at the view he had. "If you'd have just given me an invite..."
"Ohhh." David played along. "Sorry, we were under the impression that you didn't fancy coming."
"Quite the opposite." Regina smirked. "And because I never got the invite I had to guess what time it started."
"Well that makes sense. But what about the threat of the curse?"
"Clearly I was still really upset about not getting that invite." Regina shrugged before they both started laughing.
Emma looked around Killian at the pair. "I swear to god if you two don't shut up."
"Sorry." Regina bit her lip but felt David laughing beside her and couldn't help but begin laughing again.
The wedding continued from there with David and Regina missing most of it as they carried on chatting throughout. With the announcement of where the after party was, the church was cleared out.
Just as they all gathered and were about to leave a shout was heard. "Regina!" Spinning around at the sound of her name she was met with Mal. "Thank you."
"For what?" Regina frowned.
"For coming. For being around. You're the only people from home and I'd have felt a bit outnumbered if you hadn't have been here." She smiled before looking to Emma. "Lily's really glad you could make it."
"It was no problem." Emma gave a small smile. "She looks beautiful." They all looked over to the bride and groom.
"Who's the groom?" Regina asked as she stared at him.
Mal shrugged. "He's called Matt, he's a police officer and he treats her well enough. I don't know much but I know they're happy and I'm trying to support them."
"Good." Regina nodded looking back to Mal.
"Come to the after bit now." Her eyes lit up and she sensed the hesitation. "Please. If only for an hour."
The group looked around at each other before Ruby made the decision for them all. "I don't see why not. We've got nothing else to do."
"I'll take the kids back." Granny jumped in quickly.
"I'll go with you." Archie and Grumpy both said at the same time making them all hide their laughter.
Emma smiled. "You three go back and take Neal and Robin. Come on, I'll take you all back." She led them to the side of the church before coming back alone. "Let's go then."
They all agreed and hopped in cabs to get there. Emma, Killian and Henry got in one, Regina, David and Ruby got in another leaving Zelena and Arthur to get in the last one. "Can you just hear me out, please."
"No." Zelena sat as far as she could and looked out the window.
"Come on, Zelena." He reached over and placed a hand on hers causing her to rip it from his grasp and face him.
"How dare you even touch me after what you did!"
"You forgave her!"
"Because she pushed you back! I saw it all, you can't deny it!"
"I was hurt!"
Zelena scoffed and looked away again. "That's no excuse for going after my sister. She freaked out after it you know, she thought I'd blame her, that maybe she'd led you on and betrayed Robin. It wasn't just my head you fucked with."
"I know." Arthur sighed. "I know it was wrong and the only reason I did it was to try and hurt you the way you'd hurt me. It was stupid but I thought it'd make me feel better."
"What? You thought that if you got my sister into bed then I'd be a blubbering mess? You thought it'd take away the pain of me sleeping with him?!"
"I don't know what I thought! I just wanted to feel something, to get you out of my head for just one night." He let out a deep breath as she looked him in the eyes but before she could reply the cab came to a halt and she was paying and getting out. "Zelena, wait." Arthur ran around to her and grabbed her hands so she couldn't pull back.
"You need to let it go, Arthur. I'd been with him before us. I didn't cheat on you, I didn't try and get your sister into bed." Her voice was rather calm considering her words.
Arthur nodded. "I know but he was my best friend and I didn't know for so long. When I found out I just flipped and I know it was wrong, I'll apologise to Regina. I'll do whatever it takes to get you back."
Her resolve was dwindling rapidly but she stayed strong. "Okay." It was the first piece of hope he'd gotten since his mistake. That wasn't cold or unforgiving, that was her giving him a chance to not mess up and he'd be damned if he didn't take it.
Removing her hands from his she walked over to where Emma, Killian and Henry stood. Just as she was about to ask where the others were they all saw Ruby roll her eyes at them as Regina and David walked close behind her and extremely close to each other. "I'm not going with them on the way back." Ruby whispered as she got to the others.
Regina looked down and took a small step from David that only he seemed to notice. "Right here, Ruby."
Again smiles were hidden as they all made their way inside to find the place packed. "An hour." Regina whispered to herself and David bumped into her side again as he had that morning. "What?" She smiled at him and kept her voice in the whisper.
He wanted to ask why they'd sat so close in the cab, why she'd stepped away when they got out but those thoughts were lost the second she smiled at him. "Nothing. You just... you look stunning."
The light blush that crept up to her cheeks couldn't be stopped. "I believe you've already mentioned something along those lines today."
"Maybe that's because it's true." His hand brushed hers and she had to bring it to her hair before she lost control and grabbed his hand. What was she doing? David was a friend. Nothing more.
Shaking her head she turned to him and paused for a second just taking in how close they were. "I-I'm going getting a drink. Do you want one?"
"Yeah, I'll go and find a seat." He smiled lightly before turning and walking away.
It was that exchange that made her stop and think. He'd not said what drink and he knew full well that he didn't need to. She knew him. A little too well now that she thought about it. Making her way to the bar she tried desperately to find something she didn't know about him but she was coming up short. All the late night visits and phone calls, all the breakfast dates and lunches, all the work meetings and trips. Maybe that's when it happened? "So..."
A voice came from beside her and she turned to see Mal next to her at the bar. "So?" Regina replied.
Looking back, Regina followed Mal's eyes to a certain blue eyed prince. "So you and Prince Charming?"
A groan left her as she turned back to the bar and put her head in her hands. "I wish people would stop that."
"Stop what?" Mal barely got out.
"Stop assuming!" Regina spat before reigning herself in. "Is it such an unbelievable notion that we are friends and nothing more?"
"When he looks at you like that," Mal shot her eyes to David and Regina followed just in time to see him look away subtly. "I do find it hard to believe, yes."
Regina could have killed him in that moment. "We are friends. Good friends. I won't ruin that."
"Hey." Ruby bobbed up at the bar.
A smile was forced and that's about all Regina could manage as she ordered two bourbons because this day was already giving her a headache. Why not have one tomorrow too? "Wow, you're on dads drink? Are you alright?" Emma crept up behind her and Regina had just about had enough.
Grabbing the two drinks she took a breath. "I'm fine. Excuse me." She slipped past Emma to the table they were all on and passed David his drink as she sat next to him with a heavy sigh.
It was clear she was troubled but he wasn't sure asking would be very effective so he sat and sipped his drink as she drained her glass in an astonishingly quick time. Soon the table was filled with all the others and she was on her third glass of bourbon. He'd only known her to have that particular drink when there was something she wanted to drown out. Most of the time she was with him when she did it because it was his drink of choice and he had it stocked at the loft.
They were together most of the time and he liked it that way. He wasn't completely sure when but he knew in his heart of hearts that he'd fallen for her sometime along the way. She was spectacular in every way and she captivated him like no other ever had. It was obvious that she wasn't ready and he wasn't going to push her, he'd let her come to him in her own time.
The louder it got the quieter she got as she slipped into her own thoughts. Did they all truly think her and David were an item? Were they? No. He would never. Not with her. "Regina." She looked up to see him looking at her. "Are you alright?"
She tried to nod but it didn't work. "I think I just need some air." She stood and with that she was making her way outside quickly. Once the air hit her she felt those drinks but it was a nice kind of tipsy that she could handle.
With her back against the wall she looked out and sighed. "Hey." She turned quickly to find a blonde man with blue eyes. Not David, definitely not. No, this man was the groom. "You must be from Lily's side. I've not seen you before."
"Matt, isn't it?" Regina replied.
With a nod he offered her something. Nodding down to his hand Regina saw a cigarette. "You look like you could use it."
"Why not?" Taking the cigarette, Regina had to refrain from lighting it with her hand. "Thank you." She took the lighter from him and placed it between her lips. Not a second later was it lit and Regina found herself falling back into old habits because when she'd first cast the curse the stigma around it wasn't quite there and who was she to deny one of this lands inventions?
"Better?" He smiled lightly at her and she nodded. "You look like you've had quite the day. No offence."
"Hmm, I guess you're right."
"I hope my wedding didn't have anything to do with it."
"Partly." Regina looked to him out the corner of her eye and saw him laugh. "What about you? Shouldn't you be in there thanking guests and dancing with your new wife?"
"All in good time. I just needed a breather." He smiled. "What's my wedding done to you?" He saw her hesitation. "You might as well. I don't know you, I won't judge."
A breathy laugh escaped her at that. Taking a second to think she shrugged. "Screw it." She whispered under her breath. "There's this guy."
"That much I guessed." Matt looked her in the eye and saw her deflate.
"Right, to start I have to tell you about Snow and Robin."
"Snow?" He frowned at the odd name. Was it a nickname?
Rolling her eyes, Regina had to contain herself. "Snow White. Just go with it." He nodded with a broad smile. "David, the guy, he was married to Snow. They were married for years and I hated them, I was their enemy. It was dark and twisty but eventually we became acquaintances when we... moved to Storybrooke. Eventually I became quite good friends with Snow and she helped me accept my relationship with Robin. I loved Robin, I loved him so much but two separate accidents later and Snow, Robin and my mother were all dead."
"Oh my god, that's awful." Matt said and the emotion in his voice didn't go unnoticed.
Regina nodded at his statement. It was awful. "That was two years ago and in that time I became friends with David. Really, really good friends."
"But you feel more." Matt guessed and again she nodded.
"He-I... I don't know what to feel anymore, I don't know if I can trust it or not. But yes. I feel so much more and all people do is point it out. How close we are, how much I care for his son, how much time we spend together. It makes me question everything and the biggest issue of all is that I don't have a clue if he feels the same. I doubt that he does and I can't get hurt again."
Matt paused. "What makes you think he doesn't feel the same?"
Taking another pause, Regina had to think about her wording. She couldn't just blurt out that she was the Evil Queen who'd tried to kill them multiple times. "Like I said, we used to hate each other. I terrorised him and his wife relentlessly for years and I can't see him forgiving all of that and falling in love with me. I'm not fooling myself."
"Look." Matt threw the end of his cigarette on the floor and stood on it. "I know you think whatever you did is unforgivable but you said it yourself, you're both close, you both spend a lot of time together. I think he's healed. He had all that time that his wife was alive and he's had the past two years. I think he'd back off a bit if he wasn't looking for more. You're in with his son, which is always a bonus, and that means he's comfortable around you. You won't know unless you try and you could have already wasted time that should be spent with him."
"You think?" Regina copied his earlier action with the cigarette.
"I know. I'm a guy myself. If I was spending that much time with one woman, letting her get close to my kid, I'd want to be more than friends. Take a chance, I think you'll be happy with what you find."
Taking a deep breath she smiled at him. "Thank you, honestly. I think I needed that."
"No problem." He pulled the cigarette packet out and placed it in her hand. "Just in case you need it." He smiled broadly and she smiled back as she went to make her way inside. "I want an invite to the wedding!" He shouted to her.
"You can be a bridesmaid!" She shouted back and heard him laugh as she entered the building again. It felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
Scanning the room she saw Killian and Emma dancing and Henry speaking to some girl. Next her eyes landed on Ruby and Mal at the bar and Regina made a note to warn Mal away from the young girl. Zelena and Arthur were out of sight which could only mean one thing and as much as she didn't like the man she was happy for her sister.
Finally her eyes fell to the one person she'd been looking for and upon seeing her, he stood as she made her way to him. "Are you okay? I wanted to follow but Emma said I should leave you for a second."
"I'm good." Regina smiled and took his hand. "I feel better than I have in a while and I know what I want."
"You do?" David asked with fake scepticism.
"Yes!" Regina shoved his shoulder with a smile and the step back that David took brought her straight with him and the hand that had been in hers slipped to her hip and his other hand rested on her face. "I know what I want." She breathed out.
"So do I. I have for a while." He seemed to draw her closer.
She wanted him to make the first move but she knew full well that he was waiting for her. Flicking her eyes to his lips she made her decision and ran her hand up his chest to behind his neck. With that she slid her nose next to his and brought her lips to his softly. He reacted by bringing her even closer and returning the kiss eagerly. Pulling back they both smiled like idiots and he kissed her once more.
Emma and Killian had stopped dancing and were grinning broadly. As were Ruby and Mal at the bar and Henry did a silent cheer. That was most definitely a long time coming.