April 22nd 2013
"We need to talk."
David sighed. "We do but not here." He looked around for his daughter and grandson.
Snow answered his unspoken question. "Emma took Henry home. She thought we would need some time to talk."
David nodded and wrapped his arm around his wife's waist. The gesture felt uncomfortable to him but Snow didn't seem to notice. Or at least she didn't comment on it. They walked silently to the parking lot. He grabbed the tarp he usually kept in his truck's bed and opened the passenger's door. Snow gasped at the amount of blood Regina had lost on the trip to the hospital. Emma had tried to warn her but for the first time tonight, Snow felt pity for the woman. David looked at his wife. "She was dying, Snow."
The woman nodded and helped her husband placed the tarp inside the cabin. She climbed onto the passenger's side and waited for her husband to get in. As soon as he closed the door, she asked the question that had been burning on her lips since she had learned he had fathered a child with her mortal enemy. "Why, David? Why did you do it?"
David started the car. "Charming didn't. David Nolan did. I slept with Regina before the curse broke."
"That doesn't excuse anything. You were married…"
He interrupted her. "And almost started an affair with you. And what about Whale? Should I get mad about the good doctor as well?"
Snow swallowed. "It's not the same."
David started the car and drove toward the loft. "No, it's not." Snow snapped her head toward her husband in surprise. David continued. "Regina got pregnant and because of me, she couldn't get the care she desperately needed. She almost died tonight."
Snow swallowed hard. "A few months ago, you were ready to let her die at the hands of the wraith. What changed?"
"She did. Or at least she let me see the person she truly is. You were right about her. She can be good."
Snow shook her head. "I gave her so many second chances. The last time we tried she stabbed me with a knife!"
David was trying to keep his voice down. "She wasn't ready then."
"Oh! And she is ready now?"
"Yes."
"So she magically changed overnight?"
"No, she had almost thirty years and Henry."
"But Henry was miserable with her! He went to find Emma because he didn't want to be with her!"
David tried to contain his anger. They should keep the fight between them. Henry had nothing to do with him sleeping with Regina. "Snow, you saw that little boy tonight at the hospital. Can you really tell me he doesn't love his mother?"
Snow stayed silent for a while. David was right; Henry loved his mother. There was no doubt in her mind about that. She took a steadying breath and tried to gather her thoughts. The betrayal hurt but they had slept together while he was still under the curse. Yes, he had been married but David Nolan was not the man she knew in the Enchanted Forest in much the same way that she wasn't Mary Margaret Blanchard. The one to blame was Regina but she shouldn't. Not after tonight. Nobody deserved to lose their child so horribly. Although she didn't want to think about the miscarriage as punishment, she couldn't suppress the feeling. And she hated herself for it. She hated that it reminded her of a time where she had been a spoiled little brat. She had learned compassion over the years as a bandit escaping her evil stepmother. And she was grateful to Regina for teaching her this valuable lesson. But tonight she felt like that little child again, the one who was afraid her father would stop loving her if he spent too much time with his new wife. She turned her head away from David when she finally spoke. "I loved her too."
David looked at his wife. "I know."
"But she couldn't love me back."
"Because of Daniel." Snow snapped her head back toward her husband, surprise written all over her features. "Let's leave this discussion for another time, Snow." David shuddered at the thought of the man and what he had become.
Snow nodded. "Because of Daniel…. because of my father." David stopped the car abruptly to look at his wife. Snow tried to hide from him. "Because of what he did to her."
David's breaths were shallow and his heart was hammering in his chest. Regina had never told him explicitly what had happened with Leopold but the way she tensed every time his name was mentioned and their night together had been enough for him to get the picture. But he had always thought Snow had no idea about the nature of Regina's relationship with her husband. "What… what are you saying?" He swallowed hard. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear this but strangely, he needed to.
Snow kept her head down, averting his eyes. "I didn't… I didn't know at the beginning. I thought she loved my father, that she loved me as well. We went to balls together, she taught me how to overcome my fear of riding… she read me bedtime stories of princes and princesses … she was here to soothe every fever... and.. and after every nightmare."
David could picture Regina easily as a mother to young Snow. He had seen her with Henry. "The perfect stepmother."
Snow let out a soft sob. "Yes." David waited for her to continue. "But I was a brat back then. I wanted everything and the world had to revolve around me." David could hear the self-loathing in her tone. He put his feelings aside and took her hand. Snow squeezed it hard for support, grateful for him. He deserved to know the truth about his wife so she continued. "My sixteenth birthday was approaching and as usual, I had asked my father for a list of extravagant gifts. But he had been distant lately, preoccupied with matters of the Kingdom. He also had started to spend more time with Regina in the evening and I … I …."
Snow couldn't bring herself to admit it so David finished for her. "You were jealous." He was trying to hold back the tears. He knew why Leopold was so preoccupied and he suspected Snow knew as well. Maybe not back then, but after ruling the Kingdom for a year she knew what happened to princesses at the age of sixteen. At sixteen, Snow would have been expected to commit to a Prince or a King in an alliance between kingdoms. She would have been married within the next two years. Unless Regina could produce a male heir.
Snow cried out. "Yes!" She let go of David's hand and placed both her hands in front of her mouth. "I went to his chambers but … I wasn't prepared… I didn't know." She was sobbing hard now.
David placed a comforting hand on her knee. "Regina was there."
Snow nodded. "I heard the screams and cries leaking from behind the door… I was frozen in place. I couldn't …. I couldn't move. Regina came out of his chambers after a while... She.. she collapsed into one of the maid's arms. She was clenching her stomach hard…. she was crying…and…."
David wrapped his arms around his shaking wife. "Stop." He was trying to comfort her but he couldn't help the anger. "Why didn't you try to help her?"
Snow cried in the crook of his neck. "I was only sixteen… he was my father… there was nothing I could do… I avoided her after that night… A few weeks before my birthday, Father moved her to another wing of the castle… I never asked why…I….I…."
David wasn't listening to his wife's pathetic excuses. Instead of helping her, Snow had abandoned her. "How old was Regina when she saved you from that runaway horse?"
She didn't answer him directly. "Regina is thirty-five."
David closed his eyes and breathed evenly. He couldn't believe Snow had been so selfish. Regina had barely been sixteen when she married Leopold. The same age Snow was when she discovered what her father was doing to her stepmother. When he went under the sleeping curse yesterday to bring his wife and daughter back, he had known that his feelings for Snow had changed. The cursed memories and his friendship with Regina had changed him more than he had been willing to admit. But he had thought that once Snow would be back, they could try to work on their marriage. Tonight, he realized that he wasn't willing to try. He released her from his embrace and put the car in drive. "Things can be different this time."
Snow looked at him though her tears. "How?"
"She doesn't have to be alone."
Snow nodded. "You're choosing her, aren't you?"
The choice had been made a long time ago. But he wasn't ready to admit it. "We're friends. But she is more than that. She is family. She took care of you as a mother when she was still a child. You're an adult. Do the right thing." David parked the car in front of the loft.
They climbed the stairs in silence and went through their bedtime routines mechanically. Snow climbed into her side of the bed. She watched desperately as her husband grabbed a pillow and blankets and moved toward the couch. "You're not coming to bed."
He looked at her. His heart already knew what he wanted but his mind was still fighting the decision. He wanted his family and his heart's choice would destroy it. "I'm going to sleep here tonight. I need to clear my head…. I need some time …"
"David Nolan may have slept with her under the curse. But you fell in love with her as Charming."
David didn't answer his wife. He laid on the couch and closed his eyes, his thoughts drifting toward the woman across town. He hoped she was sleeping peacefully. Snow curled on the bed and bit her fisted hand hard, trying to muffle the cries. She could feel the jealousy take over every ounce of her heart. She hated herself for it but she hated Regina more. As a child, she had prevented her father to see the beautiful soul he had married. But she hadn't been able to keep her husband from her. She fought against her own feelings. Perhaps if she helped Regina, David would see the woman he fell in love with, the person she truly was. Maybe he was right. Maybe she needed to be here for Regina in a way she had never been.
Emma listened to her parents getting ready for bed. She let the tears flow. Not tears of sadness but relief. Her parents may be fairy tale characters but they were human after all. She didn't have to live up to the expectations she had read about when she was a child. She couldn't relate to Snow White and her Prince Charming. But she had a chance to have a relationship with the less than perfect parents downstairs.
ECECEC
March 1st 2013 - Morning
David sighed as he parked his car in front of 108 Mifflin Street. He had spent more time at the mayor's mansion in the past twenty-four hours than in his own home. He had spared Henry the details of what had happened last night but the kid hadn't seemed shaken up at the idea that his mother had been attacked. Instead, he had calmly asked his grandfather if he could get some of his things for him. After recovering from the initial shock at Henry's lack of concern for his mother, the Prince had agreed to drive to the mansion in the morning.
He had just hung up with Archie, who had insisted to talk to both Henry and Regina soon. David had promised he would talk to Henry about the idea but wouldn't forced him to go see Archie. He had to be different from Regina. As for Regina herself, David had reminded Archie that there was no way to reason with that woman. Archie had tried to convince the Prince to give her a chance but after everything that had happened between them in the Enchanted Forest and more recently in this land, David doubted very much that there was anything worth saving in Regina.
He eyed the sword resting on his passenger seat and sighed one more time. He had memories of this world's jokes about evil mother-in-laws and the misery they inflicted upon the poor men brave enough to marry their daughters. But in his case, it was literally true. His hand hovered over the sword but he decided against it. His words would hurt Regina enough; he didn't need to threaten her.
He jogged up the stairs leading to the elegant front door and rang the bell. After a couple of minutes with no response from inside, he walked around the house to check whether her car was still in the driveway. He knew Regina could leave Storybrooke with her memory intact. And deep down, he hoped she had chosen to leave. It would make his life easier, everyone's life easier. He frowned when he saw the black Mercedes parked in its usual spot. He walked back to the house and rang the bell one more time. He gave Regina another five minutes to answer. When he was sure she wouldn't come, he started banging on her door. "Regina! Open up!"
Regina was retching over the toilet bowl. Her 'morning' sickness had started a couple of days ago. Although in her case, she couldn't call them morning. She was throwing up around the clock. The nausea was so bad that she hadn't been able to keep any food down. She needed to see a doctor. If not for her sake, for the baby's. She had started to make arrangement to leave town but her plans would have to wait until she healed properly. The bruises and cuts from yesterday would raise too many questions. Questions she couldn't answer truthfully.
"Regina, I know you're here! We need to talk!"
She grunted. Why wouldn't he go away? What more did he want from her? He had taken her son away and he had seen her in her most vulnerable state. Twice. She couldn't allow him in her life. He couldn't know about her baby. She stood and flushed the toilet. She grabbed some mouthwash and sprayed some water over her face. A more thorough cleaning would have to wait until she got rid of her unwanted guest.
She was walking toward the foyer when David banged on the door again. She opened it abruptly and the Prince almost fell face first at her feet. If she wasn't feeling so lousy, she might had been able to find the humor in the situation. Instead, she settled for a cold greeting. "What do you want?"
David gasped. He was frightened by her appearance. Her right eye was almost completely shut from the swelling and the cut underneath it had not been cleaned properly. The color of the bruise was accentuated against her pale skin. She was wearing a turtleneck and pants so he couldn't see any of the other injuries that he knew were there. He tried to cup her head to get a better look at her. "You need to have someone look at you."
Regina slapped his hand away from her face. The gesture was more in fear than anger but she hoped the righteous prince would take it as a warning. Apparently, he was foolish enough not to interpret it as such. He steadied her with his right hand around her bicep and placed two fingers under her chin, forcing her to expose more of her bruising to his prying eyes.
"Let go of me!" She growled.
"You need to get to the hospital."
Regina snorted. "And who will take care of me, shepherd?" Regina freed herself from his grip and backed away further into her house. "And who gave you the right to touch me without my permission?" She was breathing heavily, trying to hide the fear.
David looked at the woman in front of him. He could almost see the mad woman from the Enchanted Forest. But there was something more, something he couldn't define. "Regina, you need a doctor."
Regina was trying to calm herself. She could feel the nausea coming back in full force. She barely made it to the bathroom before she vomited the rest of her stomach content. David was following close behind and pulled her hair back while she finished. He rubbed her lower back soothingly. "Are you ok?"
"What do you think?" Despite the venom in her tone, she was touched by his concern.
David sighed and helped her sit on the edge of the bathtub. "I'm sorry I grabbed you. I shouldn't have. You're not an object." Regina nodded. David gently moved his hand toward her. "May I have a look at your eye?"
Regina looked into his eyes. She could only see concern in them and although she didn't want to appear vulnerable in front of him, she couldn't resist his offer to help. Everything hurt after yesterday's attack and she knew she needed someone to help her. She nodded but looked away as he moved his hand to cup her face. He gently moved it to the side so he could see the cut and bruise. "I'll clean the cut. It's not deep. But we need to put some ice on your eye soon."
He placed two fingers along her cheekbones to make sure nothing was broken. Regina didn't flinch. Satisfied that the bone felt intact, he let go of her. "Disinfectant?" Regina silently pointed to the bathroom cabinet. David opened it and smiled when he saw Regina's idea of a first aid kit. He wasn't sure that the pediatric ward at the hospital was better stocked. He took the bottle of disinfectant, cotton balls, and an analgesic cream and walked back toward her. He gently cleaned the cut on her face and put some of the cream on the bruise. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"
Her voice was weak when she answered. "My back."
David shifted around Regina so he could have a look at her back. But as soon as he reached for the hem of her sweater, she jerked away from him. David moved back to his original position to look at her. In the second it took Regina to slip her mask back on, David saw the terror in her eyes. "You're ok?"
Regina nodded and swallowed hard. She gathered all her courage and slipped her sweater off, wincing at the pain the motion provoked. David gasped when he saw the extent of her injuries. She had bruises over her rib cage, around her neck and wrists, and on her lower back. "You need a hospital. Let me take you."
Regina shook her head. "Nobody will help me. You know that some of the people working at that hospital were there last night."
David sighed. "Why didn't you try to defend yourself?"
"And how would I do that exactly?" Her tone was harsh.
"How about magic?"
She shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. "I promised Henry I wouldn't use magic."
"I don't think Henry wants you dead. You need to defend yourself." She didn't answer. "Can you heal yourself?"
Regina took a shaky breath. "No."
"Regina, Henry doesn't want you hurt."
She was losing patience. She didn't owe anyone an explanation, least of all the idiot shepherd who woke a Princess with a kiss thirty years ago. "Why do you care anyway?"
He frowned. "You're Henry's mother."
She snorted. "No. I'm not. You and I both know that. He doesn't really care about me."
"Then if you really think he doesn't care, use magic. It won't matter anyway." David watched her reaction carefully but her mask didn't slip. "What is it about?"
"Why did you come here in the first place?"
David sighed. "Henry wants some of his things."
Regina let out a laugh laced with pain. "And you still want me to believe that he cares?" She grabbed her sweater.
"At least let me put some cream on those bruises!"
"I'm fine."
"Regina, please. Let me help you."
"I don't want to ask for your help!"
"You're not asking. I'm offering. Can you please tell me what's wrong?"
Regina put her sweater on and stormed out of the bathroom. He sighed and followed her upstairs to Henry's room, still holding the analgesic cream. She was already busying herself with boxes when he entered the room. His jaw slacked open when he saw the amount of toys, books, and electronics Henry kept in his room. How was he going to bring all of it to the loft? And most importantly, where would they be able to store all of this?
"You should close your mouth, dear. At least you look less like an idiot when it's closed."
David chose not to take the bait. He knew that packing Henry's things would be hard on her and he didn't want to hurt further. He walked up to her and grabbed a box. He frowned when he saw that it had already been packed. He placed it back down and looked around the room one more time. "You were expecting me?"
"I was expecting that Henry would like some of this stuff. So I started packing them to drop them off at your house." She lied. She had planned on leaving town herself. Once - or rather if - they realized she was gone, they would probably come for Henry's things.
David tried not to show his discomfort. Henry hadn't expressed any desires to come home and he didn't want to pain the woman further. David filled the box with the rest of the comic books. He noticed that they had been carefully organized, with the more worn-out and therefore most treasured ones at the top of the box.
Regina grabbed an empty box and moved to the closet. She packed lighter clothing for the spring as well as the rest of Henry's shirts and jeans. She stopped when she found Socks, Henry's beloved teddy bear when he was younger. The bear would go everywhere with him and was probably in more pictures of Henry growing up than Regina would have wanted. But after she had told him he was adopted, the bear had disappeared into the closet, soon to be replaced by the book. She held the bear close to her heart and buried her face into it, trying to hide the tears from David.
As he watched Regina cry softly into the teddy bear she was holding, David felt a tinge of guilt. He had taken her son from her; and he knew the feeling of desperation that came with abandoning one's child. David didn't try to comfort her. She was too proud to accept it and he didn't want to antagonize her further today. He was still worried about the extent of her bruising and he hadn't given up on the idea to either have her use magic to heal herself or, at the very least, allow him to put some of the analgesic cream on her back.
Regina gently packed Socks on top of Henry's clothes. David watched as the woman softly caressed the bear's cheek and tickled its stomach, a ghost gesture from when Henry was a baby. David looked at the list one more time and mentally checked all the items off. But this room contained so much more. It contained memories, framed pictures of Regina and Henry. David packed a few of them on top of the teddy bear. Regina looked at him in surprise, fresh tears forming in her eyes. "He.. he wants those?"
He could hear the desperation mingled with hope in her voice. So he lied. "Yes. He asked me to take them."
The smile she gave him was worth the lie because it wasn't exactly a lie. Henry had proven that he loved his adoptive mother and he may not have explicitly asked for the pictures but David knew he wanted them. Maybe not today but soon. He grabbed a few of the packed boxes and headed for his car.
Regina was standing in the mostly empty room, hugging herself tight. The last box containing Henry's clothing, Socks, and the pictures was taunting her. When David walked back into the room, she slipped her mask back on and looked at him. "You have everything. Now would you please get out of my house?" She needed some time alone. She wasn't going to cry in front of him.
"Let me put some of that cream on your back."
"I won't let you touch me!"
"Then, please heal yourself!"
"No. And get out of my house! NOW!"
The woman was infuriating and he didn't have the patience to deal with a three-year-old tantrum. He grabbed the last box and left without acknowledging the former mayor of Storybrooke.
As soon as she heard her front door close, Regina collapsed on the floor of Henry's room and curled into a fetal position. She had lost everything. There was no reason for her to stay in this cursed town. She placed her hand on her abdomen. There was no reason to stay but plenty to leave. She needed to see a doctor, she needed to make sure her unborn child would be safe. She had refused to use magic because Henry has asked her to. But Henry didn't want to be in her life anymore. And her unborn child needed her to heal. With one last soft cry, she chose her unborn child over the son she had raised for the past eleven years and magically healed herself.
Regina allowed herself a last silent goodbye to Henry before closing the door to his room. With a new resolve, she walked into her bedroom and started packing everything she would be able to take with her across the town line. She knew she would be safe. None of the other idiots in this town could cross the line and by the time Emma would be back in Storybrooke -if she could make it back at all- she would be long gone.
Thank to my beta for reviewing this fic and thank you for the reviews and comments. Remember that this story is far from over and a lot of the developments in the Regina/David relationship over the months (in this fic) that Snow and Emma were gone will be told in flashbacks.