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Chapter 8
"We need to talk."
David approached Regina the second Henry disappeared into his bedroom and she scoffed irritably.
"No. We don't."
"Regina!"
"David?"
He threw his hands into the air, frustrated beyond measure. Regina followed him with her eyes, as he fell down on her couch with closed eyes.
"You kissed me back."
Regina sighed deeply and sat down next to him.
"That doesn't mean anything, David. It was a mistake and I suggest you forget it."
She lifted her hand and aimed it at David's head, a purple glow forming in her palm. David grabbed her wrist before she could touch his head, frowning confusedly.
"What are you doing?"
Regina smiled tiredly.
"I am taking your memories, David. Just… Just the ones that you shouldn't have. The ones that will eat you up inside."
David could not hide his shock – not because she wanted to solve a problem with magic, but because she was willing to be selfless. His grip around her wrist tightened and he pulled her hand down to her lap. They had been working together for quite a long time now and he had grown to care about her, to even like her.
David leaned forward impulsively and brushed his lips against hers.
"Don't. I don't want to forget it."
"David…"
It was a pained whisper and it broke through the last thin walls of protection he had around his heart. He lifted a finger to his lips and shook his head, unable to speak through his constricted throat.
"No… don't say anything."
Her hands moved through his hair of their own accord and she bent her head forward, her breathing shallow.
"David… Remember who I am. I'm the Evil Queen, I'm… I'm a villain."
Although she meant for the words to discourage him, it only served to make his desire for her stronger and he shook his head.
"No, Regina… you're not."
He smashed his lips to her suddenly and she felt herself respond to his kiss once again, giving in without a second thought. His tongue darted out to caress her lower lip, silently begging for entrance. Regina hesitated and for a dreadful second David feared that she was going to push him away. After the initial hesitation, however, she relented and opened her mouth under his, welcoming his kiss. David groaned when he moved his mouth downwards to taste the soft skin on her neck and shoulder. Regina pushed him away suddenly, her hands grabbing onto his hair. Her eyes were conflicted, but lust soon settled in them and she stretched her neck to brush her lips against his quickly.
"This is a one-time thing, Charming."
David smiled against her lips and lifted her up in his arms.
"Understood. I'll take what I can get."
They moved up the stairs between clumsy kisses and David kicked her bedroom door closed when they entered her room. She let out a supressed yelp when the tumbled down on the bed, David falling down on her. Her heart was beating frantically, the reality of what they were about to do settling down on her.
She had to stop him, she couldn't do this.
He was Prince Charming for crying out loud! He was one of the many people she had tried killing back in the Enchanted Forest. He was married to her arch enemy and he was a dim-witted shepherd-turned-king! He was Henry's grandfather!
Henry.
Henry would never forgive her if he found out.
His lips brushed against hers again and she moaned softly.
He was the one who comforted her after she had to kill Daniel. He was the one who stayed with her to make sure she was okay. He was the first person to be worried about her safety in a long, long time. He was her friend… wasn't he?
Daniel.
Her true love's face flashed before her eyes and a sob stuck in her throat. She couldn't have Daniel, she could never have Daniel again and… was it that wrong to feel cared for? Even if it was Prince Charming, even though they would most certainly regret it in the morning, even though she despised him…
His hand had travelled up her skirt without her having noticed and she let out a sharp hiss when his fingers started tracing patterns on her inner thighs. The hesitation was back.
The truth was that she truly had come to see him as a friend and she knew beyond all doubt that what they were doing would only serve to ruin that friendship – a friendship she secretly treasured. It took every ounce of restraint she had, but she managed to push him away using magic. David landed on his back on the floor and he looked up at her with a confused frown.
"What the hell, Regina?"
She shook her head, slightly out of breath.
"I'm sorry, David… But I can't. I just can't."
She was right and he knew it. That didn't mean he liked it. He nodded, however, and made his way out of her room without looking back. It was insanity – he had absolutely no logic to explain the way he desired her, the lust he felt when he looked at her. He had tried reasoning that it was sexual frustration, he had tried telling himself that it was not serious. He even tried to convince himself that she had put a spell on him. He ran his hands through his hair and tried to calm his racing heart. How was it possible that he was so enamoured with her that she was the one who managed to put a stop to it every time? She was the Evil Queen and although he now knew that she wasn't pure evil, he also had to admit that she was no saint. To top it all, she was vulnerable, lost and confused – if he was in her position; he would certainly not have been able to say no. As it was he was not able to say no anyway. There was only one solution – they needed to find a way to bring his wife back and they needed to do it now.
"Gramps!"
David nearly bumped into Henry on his way to the stairs and he had to hold out a hand to steady himself against the wall. If it wasn't for the fact that Henry had big news to share, perhaps he would have asked questions about David's presence upstairs – luckily he didn't.
"I know where mom and Snow are."
"What?"
David grabbed onto Henry's shoulders and knelt down to look at him.
"What are you talking about?"
"Well… I dreamed about Snow. Sort of…"
It felt as though a thousand rocks had dropped into David's stomach. Why had he not considered it? He knew the effects of the sleeping curse, he knew… Henry was in the Netherworld. He just knew it. Yet, he decided to ask – hoping against all reason that he was wrong.
"Henry, what do you mean?"
Henry looked guilty for a while.
"Well… I've been having dreams… Usually, I'm alone but tonight… Snow was there and…"
Regina made her way out of her room before he could continue, frowning when she saw Henry awake.
"What's going on?"
Henry was quick to hide his arm, but Regina was quicker and she grabbed his arm, gently turning it around to inspect the ugly burn marks on his wrists.
"Henry… care to tell me what's going on?"
He pulled his arm out of her grip, avoiding her eyes and she turned to David, facing him.
"David?"
David sighed, unwilling to tell her what he knew. Something in her eyes convinced him and he rubbed his neck awkwardly.
"Well… one of the side effects of the sleeping curse… is that you go back sometimes. To the Netherworld… where it sent you and…"
Regina took a step back, horrified. Her eyes were stuck on Henry's wrist and her face was deadly pale. David moved quickly, placing a cool hand on her neck.
"Regina… you didn't know."
"It's my fault."
Her world was spinning and David had to hold on to her to keep her from falling. She could see his lips moving, but not a sound came out. It was Henry's voice that finally registered amidst her swirling thoughts.
"I saw Snow! And she said something about a witch there, something about a woman called Cora… Mom, she said it was your mother."
That was it. The straw that broke the camel's back. She saw Henry's worried face, felt David's supportive hand on her back and then…
Darkness.
