All Magic Comes With A Price , Dearie!


Storybrooke

The door shut with a loud thud! David wasted no time. His muscles were tense and all his nerve endings were on fire. His nostrils flared and his heart raced. The burning fire within him roared.


His truck raced off. His eyes narrowed as he raced through town; he had little regard for other road occupiers. With the high pitch squeal of his brakes being slammed, he stopped rapidly before the Pawnbroker's store. He knew there he'd find Rumplestilskin; in this world known as Mr gold.


The bell rang as he pushed the door open. His eyes squarely landing on the store owner. Just like he expected there stood Mr Gold, hardly phased by David's abrupt entrance.

"You!" David's gaze was intense, his eyes darkened with fury. He felt the heat within him rise.

Gold just slumped his shoulders in response, his facial features relaxed. "David", his lip quirked. "How can I help you?"

"Regina! I need to know if she's alive!" His chest heaved. His mouth going dry.

Gold's head cocked as he pointed to himself. "And you think I would know?"

David spoke through bared teeth, "you have a funny habit of knowing everything!" David now stood only inches away from the Pawnbroker. His chest thrusted out and feet planted wide.

Gold turned around reaching for a glass vial on his shelf, he then placed it down onto the counter with a gentle clink. "This will tell you."

David went to reach for it, but not before the Pawnbroker could pull it back.

"Uh Ah", he dangled the vial, gently swinging it back and forth. "Not so fast, dearie."

David's nose scrunched and eyes narrowed. With his teeth showing, he responded, "what do you want Imp!"

With a slight cackle and cock of his head he spoke, "you dearie, should already know. All magic comes with a price!"

David's brows furrowed, "name it!"

Gold cackled again. His hands swiped the air as he spoke. "I hear you spent two years in the Enchanted Forest, with our dear Queen". He leant forward onto the glass counter, "now tell me dearie, exactly what happened between you and our Majesty in those two years galavanting!"

David huffed through his nose. "Fine! But one thing first. Why do you want to know?"

A devious smirk appeared onto Gold's lips. His eyes twinkling with delight, "knowledge is power, dearie!"

David grunted with disgust, his nose turned up. But he found himself with little choice but to oblige to the imps request. The ache in his chest required him to know.


The Enchanted Forest

With widened eyes and a exhausted puff from their travel, David remarked. "This is a Palace! You grew up here?"

Regina nodded as she looked towards David then back to the Estate. "Believe me", she started, "it wasn't as glamorous as it looks!"

With the building being vacant for some years, debris and dust had built up over time. His eyes still wide, David gazed at the large portraits hung on tall walls. He blew a thick layer of dust from a painting; briefly chocking on the dust he stirred. Rubbing his eyes from the dirt caught in his eyes, he blinked before his gaze landed back onto the portrait. He stumbled back, his eyes like a dear caught in headlights.

"You're! You're….."

With a huff and a eye roll, Regina spoke. "Spit it out Charming!" Her fingers planted onto her hips.

"You're royalty!" His head shook slightly back and forth.

"David. I've been known as a Queen for years, though be it Evil. But never the less, still a Queen. So what's the big surprise?" Her lip quirked downwards, her brow following.

"Yeah, but by blood royalty! Not just marriage!"

She sighed heavily as the back of her hand reached her forehead, "it's what made me a fitting bride for the king". She shuddered at the word.

"How did I not know, or even recognise you?"

"I lived a very sheltered life, David". She moved forward and he followed. "This 'palace' was my prison". They corned through several corridors as she continued. "Remember, I told you. When you're on the run you need to know the country side. The amount of times I escaped," she trailed off.

"only to be caught again!"

She nodded, "and that was after my mother tore out Daniels heart". Her eyes narrowed as they darkened. "She was determined for me to marry the King. I had no such choice in the matter". She sighed heavily. "She was making me crazy!"

David's heart sunk at the thought. His mother would never dare push him into a arrange marriage. She supported his relationship with Snow White. He remembered his own feelings of desperation when George decided to marry him off. Marriage with someone you didn't love, to David, was a punishment worse than death. He imagine the misery Regina would have faced every passing day looking at the king, rather than her dead fiancé. He frowned, his lips forming a thin line.

"I did try. To make things work with Leopold". She sighed. "He only had love for his dead wife. I was merely a glorified babysitter. Overtime the resentment grew".

"It's how your hatred of Snow began?"

She nodded. "Rumple started to teach me magic. I wanted to learn it, to bring Daniel back. With that failing, it was my only escape". Her eyes lowered, "from the loneliness."

His chested tightened; he focused on her with soft eyes, his lips parting slightly. He wanted to say that he was sorry. However, he knew that apologies wouldn't fix the past. He could no more change her history than she could his and Snow White's. Pain inflicted can not be undone. As he continued to journey with the Evil Queen, he was slowly starting to believe that it could be moved on from.


They approached a large double wooden door. She turned to face him. Her facial features soft. "I've never spoken about my past, to anyone".

"Why?" His brows furrowed, "maybe a lot of pain could have been avoided if we just knew". His shoulders shrugged, "you know?"

Her lips pushed together. "No one cared to ask."

His stomach pitted. He knew, he himself was guilty for not caring about her personal history. He had her tried, judged and executed her, all without taking a second glance. Snow White had tried to justify Regina's action. She had believed right up until the last moment, that the Regina she first met was still there. He didn't want to believe a single word of it. But now, now he could see it with his own eyes. She could have killed him, a dozen times over. And sometimes it would probably have been justified, but she hadn't. He was starting to believe they were more than getting along just to get home. A large part of him wanted to call her a friend.