Chapter Two:

David was in shock. His wife and daughter had just fallen through a portal, all to save Regina. Deep down he knew it wasn't her fault, but he'd provoked her anyway. He had ended up pinned against the wall by her magic. Henry had came in and had told her he didn't want to see her. David then took the boy home with him, but he was left feeling very guilty. He had taken her son.

"Henry, we need to talk." David told Henry. He had tucked his grandson (who had almost been his step son) into Emma's bed. "About your mom."

"We're going to get her back, gramps!" Henry assured him. "Her and Mary Margaret. And then, we can all be a family."

"I actually meant Regina." David sighed.

"I don't want to talk about her." Henry stated looking away. "She's not my mom. She's the Evil Queen."

"We both know there's more to it than that. She may have done some bad things in the past, things that may never be forgiven. Despite that, Kid, she is still your mother." David said. "She raised you, and you know as well as I do that she loves you. You are her whole entire world."

"Not her whole world." Henry whispered. "Do you think she's okay? She lost both of us."

"No, Henry." David admitted. "I don't think she's okay. I think she's hurting."

"David?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"I want to go see my mom."

Regina had just poured a glass of scotch. She was planning on drinking enough to numb the pain of, once again, being alone. A knock on the door halted her. She was prepared to defend herself against whoever was banging on the door. She was shocked when she opened the door and was met with little arms wrapping around her.

"Henry!" She exclaimed hugging him tightly. "Are you alright, dear?"

"I'm fine mom." He assured her. "I just wanted to check on you."

"Come on in." She grinned and ushered her son through the door. She noticed David hanging back. "Would you like to come in?"

"Spend the night with your son, Regina." David instructed. "I'll come by in the morning."

Regina couldn't believe that Henry wanted to be here with her, or that David was allowing it. Just moments ago she had given up hope of ever being happy again. Maybe she could have her happy ending with Henry.

"Can you tell me your story?" Henry asked her as he cuddled next to her on the sofa.

"It's a long and sad story." She warned him. He nodded, indicating that he still wanted to hear the story. "Your book left a lot out."

"I know." He admitted. "I want to know the truth, mom. I'm ready."

"Okay, Henry." She gave him a small smile before she began. "Once upon a time there was a young girl whose father was a prince. Her mother was a gifted sorcerer, but she used her powers for evil. When the girl acted up, her mother used magic to restrain her. Sometimes she even resorted to physically harming her daughter. The girl was lonely. Her father was too afraid to stand up to her father, and no one wanted to be friends with the girl when they knew what her mother was capable of."

"That's so sad." Henry whispered, moving even closer to Regina. "She didn't have anyone?"

"Not for a long time." Regina told him ."Until one day, a boy began working at the stables at the girl's home. He was a kind young man, and he liked to make the girl smile. Before she knew it, the girl was sneaking off to meet the boy. He wanted to tell her mother about their relationship, but she feared for his safety and insisted they keep it a secret."

"I don't like where this going." Henry gulped.

"One day, Daniel, the stable boy-"

"Hey! That's my middle name!" Henry interrupted with surprise.

"It is." Regina confirmed. "Anyway, Daniel and the girl were secretly meeting when they heard a scream. A girl's horse had been spoked and she was still on it as it raced through the fields. The girl mounted her trusty steed and rushed to save the girl. A few days later, the girl's mother announced that the little girl had been Snow White, King Leopold's daughter. The king was searching the land for a wife, and Snow White had chosen the women who saved her life."

"But what about the stable boy?" Henry asked with concern.

"Well, the girl knew they had to run away. They decided to get married and flee from the girl's wicked mother. Unfortunately, Snow White caught them in the stables."

Henry didn't like where this story was going. Clearly, the was no Daniel in this world. He feared what happened to the man that his mother had loved. When Regina started speaking again, Henry made sure to hug her extra tight.

"I followed Snow out of the barn and explained that I didn't love her father. I loved Daniel. I begged her not to tell Mother, knowing it would not end well. She promised me it would be our secret." Regina took a deep breath. "But Snow broke her promise. She told my mother about our plan to leave. My mother caught us. She was angry at first, but then she acted like she just wanted me to be happy. It was a trick to get Daniel to trust her. When he did, she ripped his heart out and crushed it right in front of me."

"No!" Henry cried tearfully. "That's not how the story is supposed to go."

"I'm sorry, Honey, but sometimes fairytales don't have a happy ending." Regina told him softly. "I think that's enough for tonight. How about some cocoa?"

Henry knew there was more to his mother's story, but he didn't want to push her tonight. He figured, thinking about Daniel was hard enough. He would learn the rest later, but for now he would drink hot chocolate with his mom.

David sent Henry with Ruby the next day, much to Regina's dismay. He promised her that it was just so they could talk and that Henry would be back later. Regina was still hesitant on talking to David. She wished he would leave things alone.

"I need your help getting them back." David began. "Emma and Snow."

"I don't know where they went." Regina informed him.

"I know." David sighed. "But, it's going to involve magic. I don't trust Gold, Regina. So I need you. Please."

"I'll see what I can find." She agreed. "Is that all?"

"Come on, Regina. You know that we need to talk about the big pink elephant in the room." David ran a hand through his hair. "Us."

"David, you have a wife." Regina reminded him. "I'm your mortal enemy. There is no us."

"That's not true, Regina. What we had...it was real." He stated. "Those feelings, maybe they should have gone away when the curse broke, but they didn't. Regina, I love you."

"Don't say that." Regina snapped.

"It's the truth!" David exclaimed. "I'm not going to pretend otherwise."

"Snow White is your True Love." Regina stated. "In case you forgot."

"Of course I didn't!" David almost yelled in frustration. "But, it's not that simple anymore."

"I want you to leave."

"No you don't."

"David so help me-"

He cut her off with a rough kiss to her mouth. If she thought she could just force him out of her, she was wrong. David was determined to prove to her that he loved her. He wanted her. Despite all the reasons not to, David desperately wanted her. She stopped fighting and gave into his kiss. She didn't fight him when he lifted her up and carried her up the stairs. Both of them knew, this was far from over, but for now, they gave into their wants.

A/N I was surprised by how many of you were interested in this story! I am so glad to see others who love EC fanfic! I'm going to continue on and see where it goes! I have it mostly mapped out, and I'm hoping to update fairly often!

-Kaila