because you're such good reviewers, heres a longer update for you :) honestly though, your reviews make my day when i read them at work and make me want to come home and update! especially the 'marry me' one, it made me laugh out loud. and don't worry, regina and david won't have to fake their consummation...did i mention that this story will most likely turn M soon? hahahaha...and i may have snuck in just a tiny bit of romance that you all requested. read and review, babies. i like this chapter and i wanna know if you did too xxx

A month or so had passed since her breaking point the night she tried to leave and Regina's heart was not healed, but she was considerably less lonely. David had made good on his promise to be there for her and she really felt she had a friend in him. Emma was being kinder as well and the three of them had even started having meals together regularly like the dysfunctional little family they were.

However, today David had been preoccupied with something in the tower above her wing of the castle. She'd seen a carriage approach the castle earlier that morning from her perch in her window and like the nosy woman she was she had watched in an attempt to figure out who or what it came with it. Her husband had quickly met the carriage driver and recruited a couple of guards to help him grab the boxes from the carriage and retreat back into the castle. Nothing exciting.

She was curious as to what he was doing, probably something for his plans for the kingdom. He was a good leader and spent a lot of his time ensuring the people under his watch had what they needed. She couldn't fault him for that, but a selfish little part of her was jealous at how much time she devoted to them.

Their relationship had not progressed romantically since their quick romp the night she'd tried to run away. A tension lingered between them and she knew both of them felt it, though she did not want to be the one who acted first. There was flirting, even light caresses sometimes as they tested the waters with each other, playing on the fine line between friends and lovers.

She heard a thud above her head from the upstairs, frowning to herself and closing the book that she'd held in an attempt to read but ending up daydreaming instead. What in gods name was he up to?

Curiosity got the best of her as she untucked her stiff legs from underneath her relaxed position at the window seat and stood, stretching her petite frame. She was bored, and whatever business David was up to with the kingdom was her business too. She was the queen, after all, she mused to herself as she studied her appearance in the mirror.

Despite her mother's criticism she had been missing less meals and her figure had filled out into feminine curves again, though her stomach stayed slim and narrow. She found David put his hands around her waist and on the small of her back every moment she could, seemingly appreciative of her shape that she'd once been so self conscious of. Something had changed in her since the night they had almost had sex; she felt like a woman instead of a girl.

Cora had always raised her to believe that sex was simply a wife's duty and that to act in such a wanton nature was unbecoming of a lady. She'd also imprinted into Regina that outwardly seeking or showing affection was weakness. Regina had repressed her sexuality for so many years she often felt awkward when David reached for her hand or wrapped an arm around her waist for a brief moment.

Sometimes she still found herself being distant with him. They'd have their good days where she'd allow him to charm her and she'd give it back to him, but some days she had trouble letting down the wall. She supposed they were both like that, especially when either one of them felt moody. They were reaching the point in their relationship that they were so close to crossing the threshold into something romantic that they were cautious around each other when it came to moods or speaking their minds.

Granny had even made Regina blanch one morning with a comment about how the two of them needed to fight or make love before they drove each other crazy. They'd both been in sour moods that morning and breakfast had been tense, both of them wanting to snip at each other for silly things but not quite knowing how to approach each other. Their relationship was so fragile and new that they weren't sure how to navigate it sometimes.

She sighed, deciding to go find out what her husband was ignoring her for and making her way out of her bed chamber. She grabbed a shawl to wrap around her shoulders from the bed post at the chill in the air. The weather was growing cold with the onset of winter and December just a week away. It was growing too nasty outside for riding, hence her being holed up in her room and growing restless without the company of Rocinante or David.

Making her way down the chilly corridor, Regina wrapped the shawl tighter and entertained herself with possibilities of what David was up to. He'd been working hard at rebuilding some of a nearby village that had been effected by severe weather. Maybe that was it. Or possibly a new defense plan in preparation for the whisperings of a revolt happening in George's kingdom.

During her pandering down the hall, she couldn't help but notice at the door to Snow's chamber being cracked ever so slightly. It distracted her for a moment and she felt temptation bubbling within her to go inside. The room was considered a sacred one in the house; she'd noticed Emma in there a few times on her was past it, though she'd pretended she hadn't. She knew Emma would prefer it that way as it seemed to be a private area for her.

Still, she found herself glancing in both directions before gravitating towards the door, slipping inside and wincing at the slight creak the door gave when she opened it just enough. It was a beautiful room, with dark wood furniture and white bed dressings and curtains, much like her own room. She felt like an invader, her heartbeat increasing slightly at the thought of getting caught snooping.

Regina couldn't stop herself, though. She had so many questions about the woman who undoubtedly still held her husbands heart. For her to still have this kind of hold over him after nearly six years said a lot about her character and their love. It made her heart ache with longing to have a connection like that with someone again. She'd loved Daniel, but to have what David and Snow seemed to take years of being together and the time to learn each other inside out, which she was never afforded with her fiancé.

She wandered around the room slowly, taking in every detail. The woman's jewelry was still laying on the dresser like she had just taken it off the day before, yet it was all dust free, as if the maids still came in here and kept the room pristine. Her fingertips glided over some of the jewels before picking up a framed portrait of David's former wife. She was beautiful; a heart shaped face that reminded her much of Emma's, but with raven hair and a porcelain complexion.

Regina wondered if David would ever be able to love her like he did the woman whose portrait she held in her hand. She bit her lip with the niggling feeling that she'd always be second best. Her self esteem never allowed her to expect anything more, for there was nothing special about her. Sure, her looks turned quite a few of the guards heads, but did they care about who she was? Did they imagine anything else than having her in bed? No.

"Trying to study up on your competition?" A shrill voice made her jump and set the frame down quickly, the realization of who it was sending a pang of irritation through her.

"You shouldn't be here," She grumbled with a glance towards Rumple who stood leaning against the bed post.

"Neither should you, Deary."

"Why are you here?"

"You've been skipping your lessons lately. What's the matter? Are you actually believing that your husband is paying attention to you out of anything more than pity?"

Regina turned around with a huff, crossing her arms over the ends of her shawl at her chest, "Why do you care?"

"Because as we discussed, I am teaching you magic and you are going to do something for me in the future," Rumple reminded her with a certain amount of annoyance in his tone, "Or have you forgotten our deal? Have you lost interest in magic now?"

"Of course not, I just," She sighed with a frown, "I only wanted to learn how to control my magic and now that I can do that…I don't want to partake in whatever evil plot you're creating."

"So sad to see you losing your fire so you can play happy housewife to a man who is in love with a corpse," He replied with a mocking smile, "I'm assuming Leopold hasn't gotten a piece of the queen yet, hm?"

"You're disgusting," She hissed at him, stepping forward with a glare.

"And you're not living up to your full potential," He matched her angry expression, uncharacteristically showing how frustrated he was with her, "You could be great, Deary, magnificent. You could be a legend. So much power and no idea what to do with it. All because you're scared of the darkness inside of you. If only you realized that's all you have and what all it could give you."

"Why do you want me to delve into dark magic so badly? What's in it for you?" Regina rolled her eyes, knowing he was only trying to entice her with the idea of power. She'd tried running already and it got her nowhere.

"I don't think I trust you enough to tell you now," Rumple gave a flamboyant flick of his wrist, "Will you be attending your lesson tomorrow?"

"I don't know," She lifted her head in defiance, knowing since she hadn't seen David today he would most likely plan to spend some time with her tomorrow. It was as if Rumple read her mind.

"Oh Deary," He smiled but his eyes were filled with rage, "How pathetic you are wasting your talents and pining away for a man who will break your heart once your pretty, thick skull realizes he will never love you like he did her," His grimy finger pointed towards Snow's portrait before vanishing into thin air.

She hated the man. Hated him for introducing her to the power of magic. Hated him for liking it so much. Hated him for always showing up in her moments of weakness to try to bend her to his will. Hated that he always seemed to know the insecurities that ran through her mind and used them to stir the darkness inside of her.

Regina had been trying so hard to stay positive and make the best of her situation. Her relationship with David was confusing but getting better. Her friendship with Emma was blossoming. It wasn't the life she chose, but she was here and trying desperately not to sink back into the darkness that nipped at her heels. She didn't need to be around Rumple who constantly tried to manipulate her and pull her into dark magic.

She realized her surroundings and decided she should slip out before anyone noticed, peeking out the door before stepping out and closing it but leaving it cracked like it was. Her emotions were all over the place so instead of inviting herself into whatever David was up to, she went back towards her bed chambers with swift steps. She'd catch up with him later, but right now she needed to be alone.

"Where's Regina?" Emma asked Granny, trying to seem disinterested as she did so when she entered the kitchen. Granny looked up at the girl from over her glasses and gave a smirk. She could tell the Princess had grown fond of the new Queen, as much as she'd rather die than admit it.

"In her bed chamber, why?"

"She missed lunch."

"I know, I sent one of the maids to fetch her for lunch, but she said she wasn't hungry," Granny sighed, flipping over the dough she was kneading for dinner. "You know she can be a bit reclusive sometimes. Why don't you take her something to eat?" She nodded towards the stove where the remainder of what was left from the lunch buffet was. It hadn't been a formal lunch since David had been busy and Granny smiled at the thought of what the King had been up to.

"If you insist," Emma said with a sigh as if Granny was forcing her to, making her chuckle.

"You like her, just admit it," Granny didn't turn to look at the girl but she knew she was undoubtedly giving her signature eye roll.

"She's not as bad as I thought she was," Emma admitted, scooping out some of the soup for Regina after noticing it was the tomato bisque she'd seen the Queen go for on multiple occasions.

"Mhm," Granny hummed in agreement with a smirk on her face, knowing Emma's approval of Regina was a little deeper than that. "I bet it's nice having another woman near your age around."

"I guess," Emma shrugged as she came back over to the kitchen island where Granny worked, setting Regina's bowl and utensils onto a serving tray. She and Regina got along rather well now, though neither one of them were going to freely admit it.

"Go on, Princess," The older lady raised an eyebrow at Emma who looked at her as if she were trying to make Granny understand that taking Regina's food to her was not in any way a kind gesture. Nice try.

Emma sighed and rolled her eyes with a hint of a grin at Granny's incessant stare before picking up the tray and leaving the kitchen. She carefully made her way through the main part of the castle and up the grand staircase, her arms aching from holding the tray so tightly to not spill it by the time she reached Regina's wing.

None too gracefully, she managed to get the tray onto one arm before lightly tapping on Regina's door and hearing a faint 'come in' before turning the latch and opening it.

"Hey, I brought you some food," Emma stated as she stepped in, seeing the Queen sitting in the middle of her bed writing in her journal. "You busy?"

"No, come in," Regina gave her a kind smile and closed her writing, setting the journal on the nightstand beside her. "That was thoughtful of you."

"Granny made me," Emma shrugged with a raise of her brow and a bit of a grin, bringing the tray over and setting it beside Regina on the bed.

"Mhm, sit," She nodded towards the edge of her bed, reaching for one of the crackers on the tray with a smile. Emma had been finding more and more reasons to come see her in the past month after their day of riding. There was a point when the sight of the blonde turned Regina's stomach, but now she oddly looked forward to it.

"What's up with you? Why didn't you come down for lunch?" Emma peered up at Regina, sensing that the Queen was not in the best of moods.

"I guess I just wasn't in the mood to be social," Regina let out a breath, leaning back against her headboards as she took the bowl into her hands when her stomach growled, "Don't you get tired of constantly having to be around people in this castle? The guards, the maids. It's like you never have a moment alone." She didn't mention Rumple's visit, but it was to the same effect. He never ceased to be around and it was part of her bad mood.

"Do I?" Emma let out a breath, "Mom always said it was part of being royalty. No one had the privilege that we did and it was part of the package. But Dad on the other hand.." She grinned, "You know how grumpy he gets when people bother him incessantly."

Regina grinned from behind her spoon at the mention of David, knowing exactly what Emma meant, "And he gets that little crease in his brow when he pouts."

"Exactly," Emma let out a laugh, "He's a good King, but he wasn't cut out to be in the public eye."

"Neither was I," She responded before spooning another bit of soup into her mouth.

Emma studied the expression on Regina's face, seeing the hint of frustration in her comment, "You really didn't want this kind of life, did you?"

"No," Regina replied quickly before looking up at her. She didn't want to seem too eager to put down the lifestyle that the princess led, but she felt the urge to share who she really was with the girl for some odd reason. "I would have been perfectly fine marrying a stable boy…"

"But your mom had other plans for you," Emma suggested with a knowing glance. "That's what I hate about being born a princess. There's so much I want to do, but none of it would be considered proper."

"Like what?" Regina tilted her head to the side in interest as she glanced up at the girl.

"Like be a knight," She admitted before glancing down a little embarrassed, "I don't know…something like that. Someone who fights for justice and does more than wear a pretty dress."

Regina was a bit surprised by the girl's confession. She hadn't expected Emma to be someone who would want to do something out of the ordinary like that, but she admired it. Her stepdaughter was actually starting to make more sense to her now, for she struggled with being someone she didn't feel was herself, just like Regina had.

"I think that's very noble," She smiled genuinely at Emma, "Most aren't that brave."

"My mother just had such a good sense of right and wrong…yet because she was the Queen she was forced to only standby and look pretty while my dad led armies and got the glory in everyone else's eyes," Emma frowned with a shrug of her shoulders, leaning more to the side on her elbow, "I want to honor her in that way. To do something that I know she would've had she been given the chance."

"That's beautiful," Regina nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat. If she ever had children, she hoped they looked up to her in the way that Emma looked up to Snow. If anything was a testament to the late Queen's character, it was her daughter.

"But enough about me, what did you want to do when you grew up?" Emma asked, propping her head up on her hand. She was surprised by how natural it felt to be in Regina's chamber, laying on her bed and talking casually like they were old friends. She supposed they'd been horrible enough to each other in the beginning to surpass any worries of being too forward now.

"Me? I don't know," Regina gave a shrug and a sad smile. "It sounds very old fashioned and foolish, but I guess I always kind of wanted to have a family."

"Is that still what you want?" Emma asked genuinely, no traces of judgement or disapproval. She imagined how she'd feel if her father and Regina would ever have a their own child in the future and surprisingly she had no strong urges against it.

"I.…" Regina stumbled on her words, not knowing how to respond to her stepdaughter, "I've sort of given up on that dream, given how my life turned out."

"I don't think you should," The younger blonde said earnestly, "If it's meant to be it will happen."

Regina's mouth opened but she didn't speak for a moment, deciding instead to lighten the conversation, "You've been listening to Granny rattle on too much," She grinned, making her stepdaughter give a laugh at the snarky humor they both appreciated.

Regina was angry. She was probably overreacting, but she felt it with every fiber of her being. Two days had went by without seeing David and she was restless and bored and pissed off that he had not stayed true to his word.

He'd been in and out of the castle and when he was home, he was up in the godforsaken tower doing god knows what. She'd told him more than once it wasn't his place to be there for her, but he promised he would be. She'd actually began to think that he cared about her and was making an effort to sort out their sham of a marriage.

Apparently she was wrong and she was angrier at herself more than anyone to think he'd actually follow through. She felt like a stupid girl with her first crush, waiting for days for him to remember her existence and give her an ounce of attention. Maybe Rumple had been right, he'd never truly care about her. And to think she'd missed her magic lessons for this.

She paced the halls on the bottom floor, trying to decide what she was going to do next. Normally, she would have went riding to clear her head, but it was a particularly dreary and cold day and it was dangerous to go out in elements like this and catch a cough at this time of the year. She was almost past the point of caring, though.

Part of her wanted to storm upstairs and confront him about it. The other part of her wanted to summon Rumple and channel her anger to learn all of the dark magic her shady little heart desired. She hated her temper and the urges it gave her sometimes. Just another thing that pissed her off; being pissed off at how pissed off and irrational she got when she was pissed off.

She'd worry about that tomorrow. Right now she was going to get to the bottom of this. She was sick of she and David dancing around truly expressing their feelings towards one another. If one of them were angry, they should let each other know. They were probably the only married couple in the realm who struggled with not knowing how to yell at each other.

Her magic buzzed on her fingertips with her heightened emotional state and she flicked her wrist to transport herself to the third floor hall that led to the staircase to the tower. Her control over her temper was long gone by the time she appeared where she wanted to be and she knew this would be a show. But she wasn't scared of David, she was fed up with him. And she was going to let him know.

Luckily he was right in front of her when she appeared in the hall, looking up with a startle and nearly jumping out of his skin when a figure appeared out of purple smoke.

"Regina! You scared the living shit out of me," He stumbled for words with wide eyes.

"What's this? No hi, Regina, long time no see? How have you been?" She snapped at him sarcastically, crossing her arms, "Are you avoiding me again?"

"What?" David looked at her with a bewildered expression, not knowing where all of the anger was coming from. Sure, he'd been distracted the past couple of days but he hadn't any idea it effected her this much.

"If you didn't want to spend time with me you could've just said so," Regina said in a harsh tone, laying all of her insecurities out in front of him but trying to keep up a front like she wasn't hurt by it, "If you've changed your mind about making an effort for our marriage then don't be a coward and just say it."

"Regina, Jesus," He shook his head in shock at her sudden outburst, glancing back towards the staircase leading to the tower in a distracted manner.

"What is so important up there that you can't talk to me for five minutes?!" Her eyes widened at his seeming lack of interest. "You know what? Forget it. I was a fool to think you'd actually hold true to your word."

"For god sake, woman," David grabbed her by her upper arm when she turned to storm off, causing her to turn back to him, "Will you calm down for a damn minute?" He frowned at her, trying to wrap his head around the situation and see where she was coming from.

Regina started to feel foolish for her outburst, but she held her glare at him out of sheer pride, "What?" She snipped, pulling her arm from his grip.

"I'm sorry I've been busy the past couple of days but that doesn't mean my intentions with you have changed," David reassured in a softened tone. He knew she was riddled with insecurities from her upbringing and he was grateful that she'd express them to him rather than just shut him out. "Trust me."

She looked down at her feet now, guilt rising in her with each passing second at the way she'd acted. Damn her temper. "Forget it," She crossed her arms and lifted her head but turned it to the side to avoid his gaze.

He only chuckled, seeing that she was calming down but too proud to let go of the angry front she'd appeared with, "So stubborn," He mused out loud, seeing her turn her head to look at him with her lips parted in preparation for a comeback before he grabbed one of her hands and started pulling her for the tower staircase.

"What are you doing?" She hesitated but he only pulled her by the hand harder until she was forced to follow him. He didn't answer her, just shook his head and chuckled again to himself as he drug her towards the staircase.

"You want to know why I've been avoiding you, see for yourself," He said when they reached the top of the spiral staircase that opened up to the one large room in the tower. She followed him, reaching the top just a few moments after he did and nearly running into him when her eyes scanned the room.

Her lips parted as she peered around, seeing bookshelves lining the walls of the octagon shaped stone room. They were obviously new and halfway filled, reaching tall enough that there was a rolling ladder that could be pushed around in front of them to reach the top shelves. There were boxes of books stacked on the floor still yet to be put away, a mop and a broom leaned up against a few of the boxes in evidence that someone had been cleaning. She looked back to David who stood there in a dirty, simple cotton shirt and faded brown pants fit to work in and the pieces of the puzzle began to come together.

"Is this..?" Regina looked at him, all traces of anger gone.

"For you, yes," David nodded with a small smile, "I know you've been practicing your magic and I thought you should have a space all your own to study in."

"You've done this by yourself?" Her heart threatened to leap out of her chest at how fast it started to beat.

"With the exception of the bookcases and carrying the boxes, yes. I had some of the guards help me carry those up when they were delivered. I might not have survived if I'd tried to bring them up all four stories by myself," He gave a laugh, stepping further into the room and motioning for her to do the same.

"The books, they're for me as well?" Her eyes scanned over the wooden crates full of fresh, new books. She approached one crate, running her fingertips over the spines of the books, seeing ones on herbs and spells and the history of magic.

"Of course," He nodded without looking at her as he scanned the room, "There should be enough to fill most of the shelves, but you'll still have some room to add to your collection. I want to put a table in the middle of the room as well as a workspace for you, but I haven't had a chance to yet…because…well, you're a stubborn and impatient little thing," He gave her a teasing smile and her face turned red at the thought of how she'd reacted earlier.

"I'm so sorry to ruin the surprise…I never thought…I.." She stumbled for words, still too in shock that anyone would do something so nice for her, "You actually want me to continue learning magic?" She swallowed hard, turning more towards him.

"I want you to stop looking at it as a curse and start looking at it as a gift," He stepped towards her, reaching down for her hands, "You're special, Regina. And just because your mother chose to use her talent for evil doesn't mean you will."

The words hit her heart like a ton of bricks. David knew what her mother was capable of, knew Regina had that same capability. He knew the darkness that she'd struggled with in the past year and still yet he trusted her. He didn't try to suppress who she was for fear of what she could do. He was giving her the tools to improve her talent and had faith in her that she'd use it for good.

She knew he had no clue about her lessons with the Dark One and she wasn't sure she deserved his trust, but it touched her all the same. It made her not want to give into the darkness. It made her want to embrace who she truly was and use it for good. It made her want to prove to him that she could be trusted with what he'd just given to her.

"...Thank you," She managed to choke out after a moment, tears welling in her eyes.

David gave her a gentle smile and swallowed hard at her reaction. He didn't know how she'd react to it when he'd first gotten the idea, but he felt that she needed to explore who she was and he wanted to give her a safe space to do that in. He was relieved and elated that she was this touched by the gesture.

"Hey, don't do that," He said in a soft tone as he swiped a tear that rolled down her cheek with his thumb and gave her a playful smile, "That wasn't my intention."

She tried to give him a smile but it ended up being watery and muffled by her emotions. Her mind searched for something to say that would accurately portray how grateful she was to him for this, but nothing came to her. Instead her hands sought the sides of his face, pulling his head down slightly as she lifted on her toes and pressed her lips to his in a long, gentle kiss.

David couldn't have imagined a better reaction from the Queen as he felt her soft lips meet his, his hands instinctually reaching out to run over her narrow waist and bring her closer to him. She carried so much emotion and depth in such a petite package. The way she could go from hopping mad to this sweet little emotional mess in his arms in just a few minutes made him adore her even more.

He brought one of his hands from her waist, cupping the side of her jaw and tilting it the opposite direction and he lengthened the kiss. She felt so right in his arms and he could practically taste the sexual chemistry between them. Not to mention she was a fantastic kisser.

Regina sighed contentedly into his mouth as she brought her arms up to wrap around his neck and keep him close to her with their height difference. She felt both of their mouths open slightly when he pulled her body up against his and she gave a soft moan when their tongues brushed. Butterflies erupted in her stomach when he took it one step further and dipped his tongue into her mouth, deliciously caressing it against her own.

"Mm," He gave a groan in the moment and Regina lost her doubts that he was not attracted to her or didn't want her. She felt it in the way he grasped her back and hip to keep her up against him. The way he nipped her bottom lip before kissing her deeply again. "Mmm," He groaned again, almost in annoyance at himself when he lifted his mouth from hers, "This is not why I did this for you, just so you know," He gave her a lazy, heated smile and she noticed how his blue eyes were a shade darker. It felt good to know she'd gotten to him.

"I know," Regina smiled reassuringly before biting her bottom lip, keeping her arms wrapped around his neck as he held her to him. David noticed the flush to her cheeks and it stirred something inside him to realize how responsive she was to his touch and kiss. He had a feeling when they crossed that line that he wouldn't be able to get enough of her.

"Should we go to dinner before we get ahead of ourselves?" He smirked down at her, running his hands over her back.

Regina grinned, bringing her hands down from his neck to rest on his chest. She'd never been very comfortable with affection other than with Daniel, but with David it felt strangely right. She relished in being able to finally let out this side of her with desires and for it to be met so equally by her husband. There was a tinge of excitement that ran through her at the thought of everything he could teach her.

David chuckled at her cat-like grin and lack of response before adding playfully, "After all, I'm sure you worked up quite an appetite yelling at me earlier."