A/N: Special thanks to Grace for helping me out with the storyline of this chapter! I'm sad to say that this will be the first out of the last two chapters of this fic! If the next chapter gets too long when writing, I will split it up in two. Though I am not set on how things will go length-wise, do expect one or two more chapters. Enjoy!

Regina and David held hands together on their way to Granny's for ice cream. Henry was tagging along, and though the small scene he and his mother made in the diner a week ago, he paid no mind to their intertwined fingers.

She leaned against David's shoulder a bit, her hair flowing nicely behind her on their short walk. David rubbed invisible circles over her knuckles to sooth her already peaceful mind, and she smiled at that.

The trio entered Granny's all-smiles, resulting in an awkward moment of gazes following Regina and David's every move. This has happened before, and everyone stuck to passiveness - not wanting to upset the former queen and her new boyfriend that just so happened to be married to Snow White.

This was new to some, but not all. As Granny approached them at the bar, she looked at the couple up and down but remained quiet, turning to Henry slowly to take his order. Granny supposed she could deal with it. She couldn't do anything about it, after all.

Regina tightened her jaw at Granny's reaction. She didn't care how she thought about them, she was just impatient. Wanting to be accepted yet having everything she wants was a tough goal, and small pieces of it failing made her blood boil.

After much protest on Regina's part, Henry finally ordered a double-chocolate sundae and took a seat at the bar. Regina stood stone-still in the middle of the diner, not sure whether to sit by her son or take a seat at the booth. Or to tell David to go, or she'd just leave, or take Henry with her. Or make them all leave, leave the awkward stance that she put herself in at Granny's.

Regina shook her head, she didn't even know what she was thinking. She was scared to even remotely show affection now that everyone knew what was going on. She just wanted to go back home and snuggle up in her bed with David and tune out the world. What was that thought?

Regina blinked rapidly. Was she going soft? Either way she couldn't deny the feeling that she wanted it. She felt cold without David's touch but he came to her side after he ordered a sundae for himself and slid is fingers in between hers.

Regina was known to be a cold human, even cold-blooded. But she couldn't shrug away the warmth that David gave her.

Heat crept up her neck, and she was able to croak out a, "Henry, we're going to sit in the booth over here," faintly. A nod and a smiling mouthful of sugary dessert gave them the go, and David led Regina to a booth.

He pulled her in front of him so she could get in first, and she hadn't realized until she sat down that he was going to sit on the same side of the booth as her.

"Hi," she said lowly, but there was a playfulness to her voice. "Hi," he replied with a smirk. The smile that had fainted as Regina entered Granny's shop found its way back again.

Belle was sitting on the far end of the diner with a burger at in her hands. Before she took a bite, she stopped mid-motion with her mouth hanging open - she couldn't tell whether it was from the sight she saw or that she was about to take a bite of her burger.

Though her jaw dropped completely when she saw, what she thought was the Prince, and Regina whom she knew far too well, sit on the same side of the booth with each other kissing. So this was what everyone was raving about, according to Rumple.

She continued to watch their reaction, paying no attention to the burger stilled in her hands. She was thankful that they were facing away from her for she was not blinking nor averting her eyes from their every move.

David whispered something in her ear, and Belle felt the blush that crept up Regina's neck just then. Henry made his way to their booth and Belle looked down for just a moment. When she dared to look up again, she was surprised to find David and Regina in the same spot, with Regina snuggling into David's side even more. Huh.

Belle continued to watch, the half-eaten burger now getting stale upon her plate after she absentmindedly put it down. She soaked up their touches and smiles and kisses, the way David wrapped his arm around her and how Regina grew stiff at small instances of contact, but grew accepting of it all in the end.

Belle's hand moved down to her coat pocket, checking to see if the magic-contained bottle was still there along with the directions Rumple gave her. It was. She bit her lip and glanced towards the couple again.

Ruby was over to take their order and she heard something about two small coffees. Her ears perked at the sudden change of tone coming from the voices of Ruby and David and she leaned closer over her place. They seemed to be having an argument, and with their voices growing louder, she could make out nearly everything they were saying.

"Ruby, please," David protested, one hand out in front of her, the other on Regina's arm protectively as he leaned forward.

"No, David, I will not let this go! Snow is going to be home soon, I know it, and she's going to find out! What then?"

David's leather clad back hit the smooth cushioning of the booth seat, two fingers at his temples to sooth an oncoming headache from the argument that always seemed to sprout in the diner.

"Do you even know what you're getting into, David?"

Regina's eyes went wide and her brows raised. She had to avert her eyes from Ruby and suppress a chuckle. David noticed this and could've slapped her if she wasn't the most powerful woman in all the land. She'd have his head before he could even say 'Storybrooke'.

"Yes, I do know Ruby, and I want you to know that this is my choice," David replied. Regina blinked.

She remembered when she seduced him to get her vengeance on Snow, but it soon turned into something more. Regina was happy that she could admit that, and stunned that David felt the same way. She just needed to hear it.

"And I just want you to know that there will be consequences to this all," Ruby gestured with warning.

"Ruby?" Granny called in a concerned tone from behind the bar. Ruby whipped her head around to Granny and then back to David and Regina. She opened her mouth for another quip, but closed it and pulled a strained smile and pivoted on her foot to leave.

Regina turned to Henry, "I'm sorry you had to hear that, dear."

Henry swallowed a mouthful of ice cream before replying. "S'ok. I'm used to kids saying bad things about you in school, I can deal with it."

Regina was taken aback, even a little heartbroken. Kids? "Your classmates say bad things about me?"

Henry was baffled. How could she not know? "Yeah, but don't worry, I defend you!"

Regina's heart melted. She reached across the table and ruffled his hair with a laugh. She grabbed a spoonful of ice cream and plopped it in her mouth, "my hero."

Henry couldn't help but smile ear to ear. A hero was all he ever wanted to be! "I have to defend you because I want you to be happy. I like when you're happy, and . . . you are."

Regina would've kissed her son's face a million times over if she didn't know he'd run away will a shrill scream and an annoyed face, but she was touched.

She reached down for David's hand and laced it with her's perfectly. He leaned in and kissed her temple sweetly. Happy.

Belle watched it all and paid for her order. She gripped the bottle in her pocket more tightly as she got up to leave.

As she passed by, she took a glance at the trio that she watched attentively that afternoon. Their hands were intertwined between them underneath the table as they conversed. They were in love, and neither of them were afraid of it anymore.

When Belle left the diner she pulled out the bottle and untied the little note that displayed directions on how to perform the opening of the portal. It read:

Pour into well in the forest. Before this, know that there is unwanted, true love, between the Queen and Prince. The portal will find Emma and Snow, and lead them back to Storybrooke.

- Rumple

It felt like a spell, something wicked or obscene. Though it was for the princess of the white realm, the beloved of all the kingdom, and her daughter. Rumple wanted true love to stay intact, and this is what was needed to be done.