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The next chapter is up! Enjoy(:

"Let's go, Regina!" David called, barging through the front door and slamming it behind him. "We're going to be late!"

"You know," Regina said, looking up from her papers at the kitchen table as David walked into the room, "I remember a time when people knocked on doors. What was it called? Oh, yeah, common courtesy."

"Oh come on Gina. We slept together. We're past this," he teased and she raised her eyebrow and glared at him.

"I know you did not just say that," she retorted, averting her eyes from him back down to her papers in embarrassment. "I thought we agreed not to talk about that anyways." It was true things have gotten less awkward but there was still tension. David had taken up constantly teasing Regina about it, which she did not appreciate.

"I did no such thing," he defended with a smug smirk. "Now get your ass up and get moving."

"And where exactly am I going?" She asked, knowing perfectly well where David intended on dragging her that night.

"Down to the beach remember? The New Years party, Regina. We went over this like fifteen times and you promised that you would go."

"David, I was humoring you. Besides, why on earth would they have a New Years party at the beach when it's like a damn ice age out there?"

"Well we were kind of hoping that you could help us out…" He looked at her with a hopeful smile. After a few moments, she gave in.

"Fine," she said, standing up from the table and smoothing out her shirt. "Let's go."

"Hold up. You aren't going in that are you?" He asked, eyeing her formal attire with a disapproving grimace.

"I was planning on it," she replied, confused as to why he thought it was a bad idea.

"Regina, we are going to a beach. A beach with sand that will get on your clothes. You might want to wear something more comfortable. "

"Like what?" She asked, not one hundred percent sure that she actually owned casual clothing.

"I don't know….a loose dress maybe," he said after considering this for a moment.

"Okay fine. Turn around," she told him. He was confused but did what she asked anyways. He heard a poof behind him and felt a rush of air breathing down his back. "Alright, let's go." He turned around and saw her wearing an orange sundress that hugged her waist before flowing out at the bottom. And, he concluded, she definitely wore it well.

"Why don't you wear this more often?" He asked, admiring the new look on the brunette.

"I haven't had an occasion," she answered, walking to the door and grabbing her car keys.

"No, I'll drive," he grabbed the keys from her hand and put them down. She gave him an inquisitive look.

"Whatever," she mumbled and he gave a satisfied grin as he opened the door for her and the cold air rushed into the warm home.

"Oh, no, no," Regina said. "This won't do." With a wave of her hand, the temperature immediately rose. She grinned proudly and David, in amazement, took off the coat he had been wearing. "Think this will do?"

"I think it'll do just fine," he replied and they walked out to his pickup truck. David walked around to open the door for Regina and she resentfully slid in the seat with a distasteful look. She would have much rather drove herself.

After a few minutes of driving, they reached the beach where the majority of the people had already gathered. Some were even wearing swim attire, which Regina couldn't understand what their purpose for that was since, before Regina had worked her magic, it had been ice cold.

They got out and Regina spotted Emma sitting in the sand and her son playing. Taking off her shoes near the car, she nudged David and he followed her gaze to them and they walked over, Regina enjoying more than she had predicted the feeling of sand between her toes. It had been much too long since she had been out there. The last time was with Henry. They would make it a regular thing to visit the beach at least once a month, mostly more. That was before Emma arrived though. She and Henry used to have such good times before that damn book put the idea that Regina was the Evil Queen into her precious son's head. Which wasn't untrue, however she would have preferred for him not to find out.

A lump rose in her throat as the memories came back: the pain, the rejection, the humiliation, the fear. She tried to bury them in the back of her mind but the smallest things brought them right back to the surface. She pushed the thoughts out of her head and put on a smile as they neared the two.

"Hello sweetheart," Regina greeted her son, who tackled her into a big hug when he saw her. She gratefully returned it, holding him tightly and squeezing him back with just as much force. David gave her a smile when he saw their interaction. He was genuinely happy that Henry had started to openly express his love for his mother again. Regina raised him well and, in his opinion, she deserved nothing less.

Henry backed away and gave her a smile before running back off to play in the sand. David ruffled his hair as he fled back and he began to sit down next to Emma. Regina glared at him when he motioned for her to sit next to them. She had no interest in sitting in a gritty substance that invaded parts of your body you never even knew you had. He yanked her hand downwards, catching her off balance and making her stumble, almost falling directly on her butt.

"Fine," she hissed through gritted teeth and he smiled triumphantly. She sat down awkwardly and did her best to ignore the smug man beside her. "Emma," Regina nodded towards the blonde, who was having a hard time keeping a straight face. "What?" Regina demanded, her eyebrows furrowed as to what could be so funny.

"Oh, nothing," she lied, struggling to regain her composure. The fact that Regina, the once-oh-so Evil Queen, was now best buds with Prince Charming of all people had Emma in fits of laughter every time she thought of the absurdity. And on top of that, the fact that they had actually slept together made it all the better.

"You are both insane. It must be hereditary," she sneered and David and Emma shared a quick smile. "Why are you over here anyways? Shouldn't you be making out with a pirate or something?"

"Regina!" Emma exclaimed and a blush crept onto her cheeks. David looked as though someone had just punched him in the gut and knocked the wind out of him. Regina just sat there, admiring her handy work. "I'm actually trying to avoid them both. They follow me around like lost dogs looking for food or something."

"Ironically, I know the feeling," she shot a glare to David who pretended to be offended.

"I'm hungry. Did they get food?" David asked suddenly.

"Yeah. Leroy made hamburgers and hot dogs. They set them up under the tent," Emma pointed to a tent that many people were sitting under.

"K thanks. Hamburger Regina?" Regina shook her head. "You?" He asked Emma.

"No thanks. I've had one shoved down my throat three times," she explained. When he gave her a strange look, she elaborated, "Hook, Neal, and Mary Margaret."

He chuckled as he walked off to get his food. Regina and Emma sat there for a few moments watching Henry play with a few of his friends but the funny thing was, it wasn't as awkward as it was previously before the whole ordeal. It was surprising how Regina and Emma could actually tolerate each other and be civilized, and maybe, dare she say it, have the potential of becoming friends?

"So," Emma broke the silence first, "you and David…"

Regina didn't even bother to look the blonde's way. She knew what Emma was hinting at. "What about me and your father?"

"Well, you know, you both have seemed awful friendly towards one another."

"Miss Swan…"

"Emma," she interrupted, making Regina sigh.

"Fine," she cleared her throat, "Emma, you clearly know little to nothing about subtly so if you would like to ask me something I suggest you come right out and ask it before I set you on fire," Regina gave a harsh grin but Emma didn't want to see how much truth there was to that sentence so she did as she was advised.

"Are you sleeping with him?" Regina laughed loudly at Emma's absurd question.

"Absolutely not," she confirmed but Emma wasn't finished.

"But you did. That one time." Regina's smile disappeared and she sucked in a big breath of air through her mouth and exhaled slowly.

"Yes," she said finally. "Once."

"And you have feelings for him?"

"Emma, how the hell can you talk about your father like this? I would think you would choose to stay the farthest away from that ordeal as possible," Regina attempted to change the situation.

"So you admit you do love him?"

Regina looked at Emma seriously. "No, I do not love him." Emma didn't believe her but dropped the topic for now, letting Regina take the lead for a while.

"Have you made a decision?" Regina asked casually.

"About?"

"Hook or Neal," Regina said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Emma groaned.

"No. But they are driving me crazy! I can't go to the bathroom without being stalked." Regina chuckled quietly. "It's hard." They sat in silence for a moment before a question struck Emma. "Who would you choose?"

"Me?" Regina asked with a laugh. When she realized Emma wasn't kidding and she did actually want Regina to choose between the thief and the pirate, she cleared her throat and seriously considered the question.

"I would choose the one I felt safest with. The one I knew wouldn't hurt me. I know that's probably wrong. You should pick the one who makes you feel special and the one who makes your heart stop every time you see him but that's what I would do. I couldn't risk being hurt again." She took a sharp breath in. "But what would I know?"

"A lot more than you let on," Emma smiled at Regina, finally realizing that maybe Regina didn't just wake up one day and took a stroll on the evil side, deciding she like darkness better. Maybe Regina had gone through more pain and heartache than anyone. She stood up from her place in the sand.

"Where are you going?" Regina asked.

"I think I have something to do."

"So you've made a decision?"

"Yeah," she began to walk away but turned back around. "And Regina?"

"Hm?"

"I know you're lying about not loving him. I think you underestimate my superpower sometimes," she turned and walked away. Regina rolled her eyes but felt an uneasy feeling in her stomach. Maybe Emma was right.

"Hey," David came walking up to Regina.

"Hey where were you?" She asked before thinking about it.

Why the hell did she say that? Now she's sounding like a needy girlfriend. She really needed to distance herself from him.

"I got caught up talking to Ruby and Granny. I ate over there with them. Thought you and Emma could use some bonding time," he said, holding out his hands to help her off the sand.

"What are you doing?" She asked, taking his hands and letting him help her up.

"Trying to pull you into the social world," he said, linking their arms together and walking toward the tent.

"Why? I like hiding in my antisocial bubble," she half joked but reluctantly walked with him, holding on to his arm tightly as they neared the crowd.

•••

Those next few hours were absolutely horrible. Ok not horrible. Maybe not even that bad. But she would tell everyone that she was miserable just because she could. After a while, Leroy, who had taken to running the show, told everyone it was time for fireworks. They all gathered around a platform that a few guys had built out of wood.

They were sectioned off into groups. David, Regina, Emma, and occasionally Hook and Neal were standing on the left and Snow, Ruby, and the rest were towards the middle. It was surprising that Emma chose to stay with them. They seemed to be labeled as the black sheep. At least Regina was and anyone who was associated with her kind of just fell into that category. The people didn't appear to hate her quite as much since she hadn't killed anyone in a while but she definitely wasn't a crowd favorite.

"Ooo that one was pretty," David said as a huge blue firework blew up in the sky. Regina nodded in agreement and leaned over to Emma.

"I thought that you made a decision," she said in the blonde's ear as she watched in amusement how the two men swarmed her like flies.

"Oh, I have. I just don't want to ruin their New Year," she confirmed.

"And?" Regina asked. Emma leaned over and whispered a name in her ear. "Good choice."

"That's who you would've chosen?" Regina was curious as to why Emma wanted to know her opinion. But she bit her tongue.

"Oh, dear, I would rather die alone."

"What are you two whispering about?" David asked.

"Nothing," they both answered in unison.

"Now y'all are keeping secrets from me?" He asked, pretending to be betrayed.

"Hey, you wanted us to bond. Stop complaining," Regina quipped.

"Last one of the night!" A yell came from Leroy who put a very big box on the platform and lit it up. After a few moments, a loud boom was heard and a streak of light hit the sky, exploding into a multicolored masterpiece. Everyone watched in amazement as the fire dwindled down and eventually disappeared all together.

After a few more moments of talking, the guys started to clean up. It wasn't midnight yet but they decided to do the fireworks a bit early so that the young ones could get to sleep.

"Are you ready David?" Regina turned towards him, eager to get back home and go to sleep.

"Not quite. See there's this tradition…"

"What tradition?"

"Every New Year, people go for a swim in the ocean."

"But it has been ice cold every New Year before this one," she said, confused.

"I might have started the tradition this year…"

"And who all knows about it?" Regina asked skeptically.

"Well, everyone's about to," he said mischievously.

"Wha-" Realization hit her like a brick and she began to back away from the smiling Prince. "Don't you dare!" Before she could send out a threat, he charged her, scooping her off her feet bridle style. "David!" She shrieked, drawing everyone's attention. People started to gather to watch them. "Emma help me!" She cried out but the blonde was too occupied laughing to do any real help.

David took off running full speed towards the ocean. He tripped once and almost fell with the both of them but eventually made it to the water. She got in one final scream before she was plunged into the water, her arms wrapped around David's neck so he came down with her. While underwater, she managed to untangle them and use his body as leverage to push herself up. She gasped for air when she came up and was met by the whole beach staring at them. Some were giving them strange looks but most were laughing. She reached down for David and helped him up.

"I'm going to kill you," she said, hitting his soaking wet chest with her fist. Out of the corner of her eye she saw someone quickly approaching them. She kept her mouth shut when she realized it was Henry. "But you know what?"

"What?" He asked with a goofy smile.

"I think I can forgive you," she pretended, waiting on Henry to get close enough to attack. He was a few feet behind David and he gave his mom a knowing smile just before he pounced on his prey.

Regina busted out in laughter when she saw them both come toppling down. She clapped her hands in amusement and attempted to stand but was quickly pulled back down by Henry.

"I thought you were on my side!" She exclaimed. She noticed how some of the people were also wading out into the ocean.

"Let's play Mom!" Henry pleaded and she quickly gave in to his puppy dog eyes. "Emma! Come play with us," Henry called and Emma began to come out to them as well.

"Look at what you started," Regina said, elbowing David in the ribs.

"You know you're having fun," he replied with a smile, before getting splashed in the back of the head by Emma. He gasped and turned around to splash her back and a full water war begun.

The rest of the night went on like this: people just having a good time. The only person who wasn't enjoying themselves was Snow, who was sitting under the tent just watching. Watching her ex-husband and her daughter and her grandson have a great time without her. She didn't think it would be possible for David to move on so fast. He would deny it, but she was almost sure he was falling for Regina. And the bad part was, Snow couldn't give him one good reason not to.

I got feels from writing this one3 anyways I have a question for y'all:

I personally don't care who Emma ends up with but I have a feeling some of you readers do. So just leave a review saying who you want because if I don't get any votes, I am flipping a coin. I think she looks good with both.

Don't forget to review(: