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David flipped through yet another book, not really reading the pages, not really even glancing at the words that littered each page. He knew he should actually be doing research, but that knowledge was futile when it did nothing to encourage him. Dropping another tome with undiscovered (to him, anyway) secrets, David sighed and left the library. He didn't even bother to tell Regina he was leaving, or where he was going.

Traveling through the high-walled hallways, he took turns he didn't know, walked through corridors he'd never seen, and passed doors to which he had no concern where they led. David thought, let his mind wander, remember, who Regina had been, why they were in this mess in the first place. She was evil, he found no problem with thinking that in the past tense, because that wasn't the woman she'd shown him over their weeks in this dangerous, practically vacant land. No, she'd shown him her humanity, even a little humility and a whole lot of kindness. She was beautiful and not just physically, as a whole person, her heart, her soul.

She was complicated, and his friend. Yes, her answer on what she'd done to Belle frustrated him, angered him, but that wasn't the person she acted like anymore and he kicked himself for treating her like it was. She'd performed magic, boatloads of it, in ways that had helped him, saved him. Everything she'd done since they'd been back was to help find a portal home, even when she hadn't been sure she wanted to go back. So no, she certainly didn't deserve his rude behavior and his poor attitude. With a heavy sigh, David turned around and began to head back the way he came.

There was a problem with his plan of walking until he cooled off; he didn't really have one. But he continued walking and walking, despite not knowing if he was making the correct turns. Finally, he found an exit door. Stopping to consider if he should take it and make his way back around to the entrance he knew, David put his fingers around the handle and was blasted back ten feet from the door, landing on his ass.

Less than thirty seconds passed before Regina was appearing in the hall beside him. She looked relieved, though he couldn't place why, so he asked.

"Because that was the protection ward! It's designed to block the use of any entrance unless I take it down," Regina answered, eyes dark, cold, black instead of the warm, chocolate brown he usually saw.

"Oh."

"What were you leaving for anyway?" She asked, keeping her tone bordering disinterest.

Raising his eyebrows, David blushed before saying, "I wasn't. Well, not really. I... uh, was wandering and thinking and I didn't pay attention to where I was going. I was uncertain how to find the library again, so I was going to walk around the outside of the castle to the entrance we used, then find it that way."

She let out a little huff of breath and an annoyed growl. "You're an idiot. Cora is still out there! Do you think she would hesitate to kill you?"

"I wasn't thinking, Regina, I'm sorry." The weight behind his last two words was too much for him to simply be talking about trying to leave, but Regina wasn't having it.

"Something you're guilty of quite often," she countered coldly. "I'll show you to the room, but your assistance in the library is no longer necessary."

"Did you figure it out?" She had started walking, fast-paced and with purpose, so David followed quickly.

"No, but I have no desire to be in the company of someone who finds me so repulsive."

"Regina, I don't, I shouldn't have acted that way, I'm sorry."

"Words mean little, Charming." They remained silent the rest of the walk until Regina led him to the room they'd stayed in the night before. David tried to speak again, wanting her to leave him on better terms again, but she held up her hand and shook her head. "Another apology will do nothing but help you assuage your guilt, so save it."

"Regina-"

"Charming, I said save it!" With that, she turned around and hurried away, back to the library.

Once there, she felt that familiar anger and disappointment fill her veins as she tried to search through books. Unable to bring herself to concentrate on reading the pages, Regina left for the kitchen, hoping there would be something she could salvage from. She was surprised to find it stocked with food, as though some people has taken refuge in the castle and she momentarily felt guilty for taking away someone's safe place. Letting the guilt roll off her back, she found some meat and flour, some herbs and vegetables. Regina didn't make much, just enough to tide them over until they got back to her castle, hopefully the next day.

She ate before telling the others their meals were ready and where to find the kitchen, then returned to the library. She searched for, what felt like, another hour before she heard the door opening. Turning to find, of course, David, Regina didn't acknowledge him, instead choosing to continue flipping through books on portals and how to them.

He came to search the same side of the library as she did, staying close but not hovering, hoping it was enough to show her he meant what he'd said.

They worked late into the night, until the dimming of the sun had long switched to the low light of the moon and the burning candle was nearly out of wax. Regina left silently, and David followed, disappointed but not surprised to see her pass the room he'd stopped at. He let her be, understanding she wanted the space.

•••

The next morning, after a long, lonely night, which was really only a couple of hours, as both got up with the first peek of the sunrise, both were back in the library. It wasn't long before David found a book strictly on mirror portals. Bringing it to Regina, he handed it over and watched as she flipped through it. He noticed when a light of knowledge appeared in her eyes, and then a frown took to her lips.

"What is it?"

"It appears we'll need a trip to Lake Nostos and to the sea. And once we get to my castle, we'll have to leave our companions behind. We need as much sand as the horses can carry."

"Anything else?"

"Nothing I won't already have or be able to conjure." David nodded silently at her response, then told her if she wanted to inform Aurora and Mulan, he would gather their things.

•••

When they'd set up the other women in her castle, David and Regina each mounted a horse after tying the third to David's to follow. They travelled in silence, an ear-splitting thing it was, and Regina kept to her thoughts. She considered the twist their relationship had taken, the blurred lines they had been living their lives by. It was for the best really, that he'd been so quick to anger about a truth from her past; they were growing far too close as it was and she needed to separate herself from him before they took a step too far, too unforgivable.

It wasn't much travel time to Lake Nostos, and they arrived just before sunset. Using her magic, Regina punch a hole in the ground just big enough for a small stream to shoot up from the sand. She took out two vials, filling both up, then corking them.

David watched her as she worked, smiling affectionately at her brilliance. He then led her to a nearby clearing, deep enough in the woods that they wouldn't be stumbled upon accidentally. "This is where I know, I'm not sure of another safe place to stay, but I assumed you wouldn't want to travel to the sea in the dark."

"Certainly not." Her words were still clipped, still too short in their interaction and David was still disheartened. Pushing on, he tied the horses to a tree and set up his bedroll while he snuck glances at Regina setting up her own. She still wouldn't budge, still wouldn't look at him and he grew frustrated. It hadn't even been much more than a day since he'd upset her, but he was missing her voice, missing her lips, missing her hand in his and their bodies against each other's.

"Regina, please," he began, walking toward her. She gave him a cursory glance, then focused her gaze on a bare patch of dirt. When he was in front of her, he cupped her cheeks in his hands, tilting her face up to look at him. "Please. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted that way when you've done more than enough to prove that's not who you are anymore. I'm supposed to be by your side no matter what and I wasn't acting very loyal. Let me show you I still am."

"David… this-this is a bad idea. Maybe it's for the best that you acted the way you did. Friends don't act like this."

"You and I do." Leaning down, he pressed of soft kiss to her lips, brushing his thumbs over her cheekbones. "You're my best friend. Don't let me being a jerk ruin our friendship."

"Why do you care? You should be happy to be rid of me before we go back and you have to return to Snow."

"I care because like I told you, you're my best friend and I intend for us to stay friends, even when we go home. You've proven yourself more than necessary, it's time for me to prove myself. I can do that. Can you please forgive me?"

Tipping her head back, Regina tilted her jaw up, clenching it and giving him a small nod. "You're an idiot. Apparently that's going to work for you when it comes to gaining forgiveness."

"The biggest idiot in the world," he agreed quickly, causing Regina to narrow her eyes at him.

After that, he moved the placement of his bedroll so it was right next to hers, and they were laying on their sides, at least two feet between them, talking.

"What's next?" he asked softly. "How exactly do we do the sand thing?"

Leaning up and propping her head on her hand, Regina rolled her lips together. "I will use a seashell to call for a mermaid I knew long ago. I will request her help, and that of her sisters, to fill all our buckets with the purest sand possible. Mermaids travel incredibly fast, it shouldn't take long for them to obtain it and fill all the buckets, but you and I may have to double up on your horse tomorrow so we can use two horses to carry the sand."

"And then we make the mirror," he guessed, earning a nod of agreement from Regina. "How long will that take?"

"Hopefully only a day or two, speeding up the lengthy processes with magic. We'll mix the wardrobe ashes with the sand, pour a vial of the water over it, and then I will use magic for almost everything else."

Nodding, David cast his eyes away before slowly raising them again to take in her dark features. "Can I ask you one more thing?"

"I suppose so," she answered softly, voice low and breaching a yawn.

"You said we'd pour a vial of the water over it. What do you plan to do with the other vial?"

"That's personal."

"You can talk to me, Regina."

She didn't say anything for several minutes, ignoring the encouragement that she could open up with him. They laid there, silently looking at each other for a while, but eventually David leaned toward her and pressed a kiss to her forehead, squeezing her shoulder and then turning over.

•••

When they woke at dawn, David leaned up on his elbows and stomach and smiled to himself as she blinked herself awake. Regina crooked an eyebrow at him, asking what he found so amusing.

"Nothing. It just seems unrealistic that you should be so easy on the eyes in the morning. Doesn't seem fair," he mused, giving an easy grin.

"Do those lines truly come so easy to you, Charming? Or do you have to think hard on them? Practice all night what to say to flatter your bedmate?" she snarled, obviously unamused at his flirtatious words.

"I would hardly call you my bedmate," David countered, shrugged as he sat up. "Perhaps in the technical manner of speaking, yes, but we've not done much for us to acquire the particular name for each other."

"No, we have not, nor will we."

"Alright, and moving on." He pushed himself to stand and started packing up the few belongings they'd brought. Once everything was tucked into his bedroll, and Regina had packed her own up, David took care strapping them onto the horses. It wasn't long until he and Regina were making their way to the sea.

The ride was long, but not terribly, and they had left early enough to make it there before midday. Regina asked David to tie up the horses while she walked along the beach, searching. She didn't find what she was looking for until David walked up behind her. Bending to pick up the conch shell, Regina smirked and brought it to her lips, whispering her beckoning for the mermaid to come to them.

When vibrant red hair emerged from the ocean, Regina asked David to get their buckets. She recalled how she had left the mermaid; voiceless and prince-less. She doubted that one more reminder of who she had been would help her strange relationship with David. Regina did not allow herself to dwell on why his opinion of her truly mattered. With a wave of her hand, the mermaid's voice was returned.

"What do you want from me?" she asked.

"Ariel, is it? I require the help of you and your sisters."

"And why would I help you, of all people?" Ariel snarled. Of course, David returned with the buckets and Regina looked at him before returning her eyes to the mermaid.

"Do you see this man?" When she received a nod from the redhead, she continued. "This is Snow White's Prince."

"Are you going to kill him?"

Regina gave an amused laugh, shaking her head. "No, no. He's my friend. Much has happened since the days of my hunt for Snow White. David and I were sent here accidentally, and I'm trying to return to my son, and to return him to his wife. In order to do so, I need to create a portal. That is where you come in." Gathering the buckets from David, Regina tossed them into the sea beside Ariel. "I need for you and your sisters to bring me the purest sand you can find, fill the buckets as much as possible, quickly, then return here."

"I still see no incentive to helping you," the mermaid said defiantly. "You ruined my chance at happiness."

Regina looked at David, checking his face for some reaction, but he was staring at the woman in the water with the best poker face she'd ever seen him give. "Because I know where your prince is. He's in a land called Storybrooke, and should you do me this favor I will make you a cuff like the one I made before, only there will be no stipulations and no one will control your legs but you."

"How can I trust that you will?"

"Perhaps you cannot trust me, but you can trust him, he's as honorable and kind as you perceived Snow White to be."

"Then why is he traveling with you?"

"He is merely using me. I have magic and the ability to get him where he needs to be," she answered, voice low. With a nod and and agreement, Ariel grabbed the buckets and swam away.

Taking her hand once the mermaid was gone, David pulled Regina to him and tilted her chin up with one hand. "What did you do to her?"

"I took away her voice so she couldn't call to her prince. I manipulated her into trapping Snow by pretending to be Ursula, the sea witch. I nearly killed Snow in front of her, that was the closest I ever got to your dear wife." Regina rambled them off like a list, detached herself from it, afraid of what his reaction would be.

But David had learned his lesson from his reaction about Belle, and all he did was pull her close to him in a tight hug. "Regina, you did the right thing today, that's what matters. You could have threatened her or her sisters, instead you offered something that would make her happy. That's the Regina I know, the one I've come to care for."

"You're not getting pissed this time? Not going to accuse me of being such a horrible person?" she asked doubtfully.

"No. That's not how I feel and I'm sorry my previous actions allowed you to feel like that. I was an asshole and you deserve a thousand times better than that."

Eyeing him doubtfully, Regina gave an eventual nod and moved away, finding a seat in the sand. David following, dropping next to her and laying down, settling his head on her thighs. She looked down at him in amusement and raised her eyebrows.

"Sure, make yourself at home," Regina said sarcastically, but she started playing with his hair. "David... why do you think it was so easy for us to become friends here? If we had stayed in Storybrooke and you'd been with your wife, so this sexual tension between us wouldn't be here, do you think we'd have become friends?"

Humming, David nodded and grinned up at her. "I like to think so. There's Henry and he'd want to spend time with you and time with us, get to know the rest of his family. And I feel like, after all the mess about the town wanting to kill you calmed down, we would've figured out how to coexist."

"Are you sure you're not being overly optimistic?"

David smirked and rolled off her, kneeling at her feet and gripping each ankle in a hand, pulling them apart. Crawling in the space between her legs. David chuckled when his face reached hers and he nipped at her lip. "I think I'm very grateful for things turning out this way, and I'm glad we became so close," he said softly. His hands were on either side of her hips and David urged her down onto her back, though she stayed propped up on her elbows. "We're friends, and I care a great deal about that. Stop doubting it, okay?"

With a nod, she agreed, though David knew he'd probably have to reassure her at least once a day until they got home, then continue back in Storybrooke. Leaning down, he kissed her, his body now hovering over hers and their legs tangled together. Regina deepened the kiss, and in her upset she let it get too far, before long they were wrapped around each other, rocking their hips together and she could feel him hard against her hip.

Flipping them, she straddled his lap and began grinding her hips on him. David's hands came up and cupped her breasts, something she didn't allow, but she wanted his touch, wanted that moment to corrupt him further. Regina brought her own hands up to cover his, squeezing to let him know it was okay. Pushing himself up, David held his weight on one palm behind him, his other hand wrapping around the back of her neck. David pulled her down to kiss him, his tongue snaking out as she continued rolling herself on his lap.

"Regina," he whispered, his lips and tongue trailing down her neck. She was tugging at his hair and he loved it, wanted more of it. He wanted her, every bit of her she hadn't given him. Their kiss deepened, teeth biting tongues and lips hungrily, then soothing and tasting, exploring and wanting and it was unlike any moment they'd shared before.

"David," Regina moaned in response, desperation evident in her voice, but then she heard splashing and she jerked from him. Standing abruptly from his lap, she turned. Grateful to see it wasn't the mermaids returning, just a high tide hitting the shore, Regina straightened her clothes and looked down at David. "That cannot happen."

"You seemed very into it until you were ripped from the moment," he said smugly.

Giving him an unamused glare, she shook her head. "Yes, well the moment is now lost. And besides, had that been our mermaid friend, who is good friends with your wife, or was anyway, what do you think would stop her from telling your wife what she saw? After all, I'm sure she intends to use her legs to find her prince, and unfortunately, your wife has an innate ability to insert herself in everyone's business."

David sighed and pushed himself up. "Fine, you're right. I will behave myself until we're back at the castle."

"You should probably behave yourself from now on."

"Regina… you were practically dry humping me two minutes ago," David argued with a half-laugh. "What's going on?"

"We're… we should be home in less than three days, David. You should probably be preparing yourself for seeing your wife again. You need to not be thinking of me in such a manner when you have a wife to go home to, one who will probably be very ready to take you to bed after so many years apart, so perhaps you should be thinking about that." She wouldn't let herself admit what the churning in her stomach at those words meant, instead tried to convince herself it was merely because she could imagine how good David would be in bed. Still, Snow having one more thing back, having happiness in her life once more annoyed Regina and if David wasn't her friend, she would be more tempted to take the younger woman's happiness right out from underneath her, like Snow had done to her so many years before.