A/N: Part of this is based on a prompt I received in a message when I first started writing this series. I tried to work it in as best as I could. I hope you like this chapter!
Snow opened the door to her apartment only to slam it in the face of the visitor. "Snow," Regina called through the door. "Please let me explain."
At her words, Snow spun and viciously threw the door open. "I don't want to hear any explanations from you. You took my husband from me! What could you possibly say to remedy that?"
Regina stepped across the threshold and Snow stepped back, suddenly a bit fearful as she noticed the pie in the queen's hands. "Don't worry, dear. It's blueberry pie. I know you have a certain disdain for apples and I remember from your childhood that you loved blueberries."
Snow's face softened a bit at her stepmother's mention of her childhood. She remembered how as a child, she'd so admired Regina. Her beauty and kindness—however false the latter may be—made her long for affection from the woman her father had married. She'd secretly hoped to grow up to look something like Regina and to be as kind as the woman had been when she saved her from the runaway horse. For Regina to remember a tiny detail such as this one brought back the little girl in Snow who longed for her stepmother's affection so much.
She shook the memories away, the angry face returning. "Regina, I can never forgive you for what you've taken from me."
"Well then you understand how I've felt for the last forty-two years," she replied. The comment wasn't malicious or sarcastic. She was simply trying to connect to Snow. She walked slowly past the girl to the kitchen, where she pulled out plates, forks, and a knife. She cut two slices of pie and plated them before moving to the table, where she sat and took a bite, looking at her stepdaughter. She swallowed the dessert. "See? No poison," she said.
Snow remained standing by the door, expecting Regina to take the hint and leave. But she remained sitting at the table. "I just want to talk to you, dear."
Snow sighed and closed the door, walking tersely to the head of the table and sitting. She was astounded by how the little girl in her still desperately wanted her stepmother's love. Regina stared at her until the girl finally took a bite of pie. It was the first food she'd eaten since returning home, and she was incredibly grateful for it.
"Snow, I want to apologize to you," she said.
"I told you. I can never forgive you for stealing my husband."
"I know," she said. "But maybe you can forgive me for blaming you for my unhappiness?" Her eyes were pleading with her stepdaughter.
Tensely, Snow said, "You put me under a sleeping curse. You killed my father. You tried to kill me multiple times. Why would you ever expect me to forgive you?"
"Love can make you do unspeakable things, dear," Regina said, tears filling her eyes. "I realize now that instead of focusing all of my energy on avenging Daniel's death, I should have been honoring his life. I should have mourned, yes, but…" She held back a tear and took a deep breath. It took everything she had to get the next words out. "I should have tried to find love again. It's what he would have wanted for me. I didn't realize that until he told me."
"What?" Snow's eyebrows furrowed.
Regina sighed. "Dr. Whale was able to bring him back from the dead," she told her.
"Then why aren't you together?"
Regina didn't let herself become agitated by how dense the girl was this time. Instead, she simply explained. Snow's face softened.
"I'm sorry, Regina. I know how much you loved him," she said quietly.
"That's why it was so hard for me to resist David," Regina told her. "I hadn't been loved in a long time. Even by my son. David came in and reminded me what it was like to love someone. He helped me get my son back. It was so easy to fall in love with him."
Snow's blood began to boil again. "You should have tried harder," she said through clenched teeth.
"I ended it once," she said. "I wanted to prove to Henry that I wasn't trying to exact my revenge on you anymore. But…"
Snow was shocked. "Are you telling me that he pursued you?"
Regina's face fell. She promised she wouldn't lie to the girl. Her silence was enough, though. "Regina, I think you need to leave," Snow said, trying to compose herself.
The older woman nodded and made her way to let herself out. Before she exited, she turned her head back to the girl. "I truly am sorry, dear."
"Just go!" The girl cried. Regina did, closing the door behind her before hearing the crashing of glass breaking as it made contact with bricks before falling to the floor in pieces.
David bolted off the couch at the sound of the front door closing. "How did it go?" He asked eagerly.
She dropped her keys into the dish by the door and made her way to the kitchen. "Not so well," she said. "I was starting to get through to her, but she's just too upset. I really do feel awful, David."
He took her face in his hands gently. "I know you do," he said. He wrapped his arms around her as she leaned her head into his muscular chest. "One day she'll find someone else, though, and she'll start to heal. Just like you did."
"Except my recovery required one dead husband, a powerful curse, twenty-eight years in Storybrooke, an affair with my arch enemy's husband, and one resurrected fiancé," she said, rattling off the list like a recipe.
He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "But you found your way there," he said. She looked up at him and he ran his thumb over her cheek before leaning down and capturing her mouth in his. It was different than their other kisses. Though filled with their usual passion, this one reminded them of something else they shared: true love.
He placed his hands on her hips and pressed her against the cupboard, aching to feel her naked body against his. He took her bottom lip and lightly rolled it between his teeth, eliciting a moan as he began to unbutton her blouse.
Regina's fingers roamed to his shoulders, easily pushing the flannel down his arms to fall on the tile floor of her kitchen. Soon after, she allowed her blouse an blazer to fall as well, the latter catching on the knob of the cabinet behind her.
He moved his mouth and rolled her earlobe between his teeth before kissing down her neck. She reached for the buckle of his belt and began to unfasten it when they heard a thud.
Standing in the doorway to the kitchen was Snow White, a box fallen at her feet. Her mouth was wide open and her eyes never left the couple as they scrambled for their clothes. Regina was buttoning her shirt when her brown eyes fell on the girl's tear-filled ones. "Henry's upstairs," she said, tears falling down her face. "He needed some things to stay the night with Emma and me." She looked down at the box at her feet. "These are yours, David," she said, the name tasting bitter on her tongue. "I'll pack up the rest and Emma will bring them by." She ran out and the pair heard the door slam as they stood in awkward silence.
Regina ran her fingers through her hair as David moved to pick up the box. It looked as though she'd packed the necessities: toothbrush, shampoo, underwear, a couple pairs of jeans, and some shirts. Despite her pain, she still had his best interest at heart. "I feel awful," he said.
"I know, dear," Regina said, running her hands down his arms, trying to comfort the man she loved. "But like you said, she'll come around eventually. She may never like us being together, but she'll find someone new to love." She kissed his shoulder. "Someone will make her happy, and she'll learn to accept us someday," she told him.
"I hope so," he said. "I should probably call granny to get a room until I figure out a living situation," he said, putting the box on the table and pulling out his phone.
Her hand took the phone. "David," she said. "What if—instead of going through all the trouble to find a new place—" She took a deep breath. "What if you lived here?"
He looked at her, furrowing his eyebrows. "Really?" He asked, not moving. "That means people have to know about us."
She wrapped her arms around his neck, running her fingers up and down it. "I think you not living with Snow is going to reveal that you two aren't together, and I don't think Emma is going to be capable of keeping the secret that we're together." She raised her eyebrows hopefully. "So what do you say?"
He covered her lips with his, causing a sharp intake of air by the queen. "I would love to live with you," he said, their mouths curving into smiles as they continued the kiss.
Eeeeee! My babies! Is it bad that I have so many feelings about the stories I write? I don't even care though. Haha. Please let me know what you think. :)