Day 2 of EvilCharming Week: David wakes from his coma during the curse with all of his memories.
David was hiking through the woods, trying to keep the events of the past three weeks to the back of his mind. He had woken up from a coma in a strange land with the Evil Queen herself holding his hand. Except Regina had looked different here: her hair was shorter and her features softer. She was also the only one with her memories intact.
Although David had recognized all the people in town, they did not seem to know him as Charming. For all of them, he was the stranger who had woken up after his long coma. He was married to Abigail - Kathryn in this world - and his name was David Nolan. Prince Charming was just a fairy tale character, one that he loathed heartedly from the Disney movie. He had tried to convince the others that they were living a cursed life, bound to repeat itself every day. All he had gained had been intensive sessions with the town's psychiatrist, Archie or rather the conscience of the group. Eventually David had learned to play along to regain his freedom and formulate a plan to break Regina's curse.
David frowned when he heard the tires screeching, followed by the noise of metal crunching. Without sparing a thought for his own safety, David sprinted in the direction of the accident. He gasped as soon as he reached the main road. A black car had impaled itself against one of those giant poles that he had seen everywhere around town. When he noticed a form moving inside the strange vehicle, he rushed to render assistance. He did not know much about the metal boxes they were using for transportation in this world but David had watched enough television to know they could be lethal.
David stopped in his tracks when he recognized Regina at the wheel. She was frantically trying to free herself from her crushed vehicle. Her eyes were wide with fear and David soon understood why: flames were licking the back of the vehicle, getting in close contact with the liquid spilling from underneath it.
Regina locked eyes with David. She saw the hesitation reflected in his blue orbs, still undecided on whether or not he should help her. David shook his head and ran toward the driver's door, the frightened brown orbs of the mayor enough to force him out of his trance. During that split second, David had truly considered to let Regina die in a car explosion. The town would be better off without her. But she had a son, a three-year old boy innocent in all of this. And he would not be better off without his mother. Regardless of what Regina had done in the past, her son did not deserve to pay for her sins.
David hurried to take the few steps that separated him from the driver's side. "Regina, I'm gonna help you." David looked around him, not exactly sure how he was going to do so. A large boulder prevented the door from fully opening and the crack was not enough for Regina to slip through despite her small stature. David removed his leather jacket and wrapped it around his hand. He motioned for Regina to stand back and to protect her face before smashing his arm through the car's window. Regina immediately reached for him.
After a few minutes of struggle, David managed to pull Regina out of the vehicle. He could feel her shake in his arms and her breathing was fast and erratic. As soon as she was free, he carried her behind a boulder just in time before the car exploded. Regina cried out when she heard the explosion. She could have been trapped in her car when it went up in flames. She could have died without seeing Henry again. Worst, he could have been in the car with her.
David gripped Regina's head tight enough to get her attention but not to the point of hurting her. "Regina… Regina, listen to me. You're going to be all right." The mayor of Storybrooke was hyperventilating. David needed to stop whatever horror movie she was playing in her head. "You're safe. Everything is alright."
"Henry…" Regina whispered in-between choked sobs.
"Henry is... " He actually did not know where her little boy was. "Henry wasn't with you but you'll be able to hold him tonight. You're ok." His heart constricted at the thought of Emma being forced out of his arms by the woman he had just rescued. But he could not afford to think about his loss now. Despite everything that had happened in the Enchanted forest, Regina was family, the only family his wife had left. His dear Snow strongly believed that Regina could be redeemed and he had made Snow a promise a long time ago: to let Regina live. David continued speaking soothingly to the shaken mayor until the ambulance arrived fifteen minutes later.
As they were loading Regina into the ambulance, she reached for David. "I…. I don't know how to thank you."
Her expression was softer than he had ever seen it on the Evil Queen. "Help me… help me break your curse."
"I… I don't know how." David searched her eyes for a trace of a lie. Regina shook her head. "I'm not lying to you, David. I don't know how to stop this… all of this. If I could,..." She let the sentence hang.
"Then prove it! Prove that you want this… charade to end."
Regina raised her eyebrows in surprise. "How?"
"Rumplestilskin told us that Emma was the key to break your curse. That my daughter would save us all. Help me find her, Regina."
Regina nodded. "I promise." The medication the paramedics had given her was slowly starting to take effect. She closed her eyes, murmuring one last sentence. "I want to change."