hello everyone! thanks for sticking with me and being patient! i am currently training in a new position at work, so between that and holiday prep, my writing time has been scarce. although I'm still updating more than I have in the past, so I guess that's progress :) thanks for all of the love on my other story, Alternate Endings! it amazes me that it received so much love when I thought it would get lost in the forum at the beginning. You're awesome! Please read and review! I want to hear your thoughts, or even if you're still reading xoxo

Regina had babbled on throughout the entirety of dinner, not even realizing it herself. There was so much she wanted to tell her father and talk about, and it was especially freeing to be able to engage him without Cora's interference. She loved her father, but he was much too weak to stand up to her mother.

Emma and David were the only ones who had joined them for dinner, Red and Granny opting to have their meal separately to let the immediate family get to know one another. Regina had insisted that they join them, but she knew Red wasn't very vocal around people she didn't know and Granny had politely declined, reassuring the Queen that her father needed to get to know her husband and stepdaughter without interference.

Emma and David had both been kind to Henry. Though quiet by nature, Emma had even spoken up, complimenting Regina's riding skills when they reached the subject of Rocinante and the stables. Regina had smiled, biting her lip in an attempt to not reveal too much of a prideful grin when her father praised her abilities and said she'd always been a natural equestrian.

Even though he barely got a word in edgewise, David was delighting in watching Regina run off at the mouth, talking with so much animation to her father who was listening intently with such love and adoration in his eyes. She rarely showed this side of herself so openly, was usually much more reserved until you got her one on one. He'd heard her ramble before, but it was usually with his head in between her thighs. That usually got her talking.

"Isn't that right, David?" Regina looked at him with a smile, bringing him from his thoughts that had trailed more towards dessert. He cleared his throat and shifted in his chair, feeling heat in his cheats when he saw her father looking at him for a response, meanwhile he'd just been thinking of how soon he could get the man's daughter in bed. "What was that?" He managed a casual smile, reaching for his wine goblet.

"Thomas and Ella's ball next month," She smiled with a quick raise of one brow, biting back a smirk at the look on her husband's face when she'd caught him staring off. She recognized his expression, could tell his mind had taken him elsewhere. It caused a flutter in her stomach to be the only one who knew the content of his thoughts when he looked that way, for it was so subtle that no one else would. As silly as it was she almost felt proud.

"Oh, yes," David gave his most genuine smile, "Its very grand. Thomas and Ella love to entertain, they met at a ball, so it holds special meaning for them. You should attend with us, Henry. It will be an affair to remember."

"Oh, I'm much too old for that kind of thing," Henry chuckled, giving a shake of his head, "I can barely stay up past the dark hour, anymore. Between my two goblets of wine and a full belly, I'm near retirement right now."

"It is nearly nine o'clock, it seems we lost track of time with all of this good company," David chuckled in agreement.

"Nine?!" Regina gasped quickly, causing the three of them to look at her with confused eyes. She glanced at Henry and then to David, "I told Ruby I'd come down to the dungeon to lock her in the cell, we're going to try a new potion."

Henry coughed on his sip of wine, looking towards his daughter with concern before glancing at David as if to ask if he approved of whatever the Queen was up to, "Lock who in the dungeon? Regina..."

"No, it's nothing like that," She glanced back at her father with a reassuring smile, "I'm helping David's friend control her own brand of magic...at least, I'm trying to. I lock her in there to protect her from herself while we experiment," She explained and he seemed to relax.

"Very well, I'll have one of the chamber maids get a fire started in Henry's chamber while we have a drink before retiring. How long will you be?" David asked his wife as he began to scoot his chair back, seeing Emma stand and curtsy before slipping out.

"Oh, I'm going to stay down there tonight to monitor her," She nodded adamantly, causing David to remain seated for a moment, feeling Henry's eyes on them from his own seat.

"Regina," David hesitated before replying, "You can't continue to sleep in the dungeons with Red, you're going to catch a cough down there. It's too damp." He was worried about her down there with Red, didn't see why she needed to be there the entire night...and of course, he was looking far too forward to getting her under the covers of their large, soft bed.

"David," She started back at him with the same reprimanding tone he didn't even realize he'd taken on, a defiant look in her eyes. Her entire life had been controlled by someone and now that she'd found her freedom, she resented any attempt at dampening it, "I will be fine, I'll be done by early morning. You know Ruby is an early riser. Plus, the maids always bring me down plenty of blankets."

David felt himself being backed into a corner, saw Henry's eyebrow raise at the idea of his daughter sleeping in a dungeon. David understood that, hell, he didn't want her down there anymore than Henry did. He felt he had to say something as her husband, to show Henry he was looking out for his daughter, but he feared Regina may shy away from him or put her wall back up if he tried to tell her what to do. This would look bad on him either way.

"I can't allow you to keep spending the night down there, it isn't proper for a Queen," He frowned a little more firmly, seeing her eyes widen as she sputtered.

"Since when do you care what's proper for a Queen? You didn't care much this morning in the forest when-"

"I'll be excusing myself for bed," Henry piped in then as he pushed back his chair and cleared his throat, forcing an understanding smile at David before leaning down to kiss his daughter's head, "Goodnight darling."

"Goodnight, father," Regina replied with a softer tone before narrowing her eyes back at David, waiting for her father's footsteps to fade away before continuing, "When you had me on the forest floor, bare from the waist down."

"Well to be fair, you didn't much care for propriety at that point either," David smirked and soon realized that it was the wrong reply, seeing her brows draw down over her eyes in anger that he was not taking her seriously.

Regina stood abruptly, knowing she was probably being childish but not caring at this point. She felt safe enough with David to know that even if they argued, if she disagreed with him, he would do her no harm. So she wasn't about to let him tell her what to do, or not take her seriously, or be condescending. The first eighteen years of her life had been enough of that.

"Don't tell me you can't allow me to do something," She glared at him now and David leaned back in his seat, letting out a breath and glancing towards his wine goblet.

"Damn it, Regina you know I didn't mean it like-"

"I don't care how you meant it! You know helping Ruby is important to me and it should be important to you, too!" She guilted him, knowing it probably wasn't entirely fair but she was beyond fighting fair at that point. He had spoken to her like a child, like she didn't know what was best for her. Similar to the way Cora had spoken to she and Henry, and David had done it to her in front of her father. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a prior commitment. Contrary to your belief, not everything revolves around you."

David's lips parted in surprise, watching her storm out of the dining hall towards the servant staircase. He let out a loud breath, reaching for his goblet of wine. Was sleeping in a dungeon more appealing than sharing his bed tonight? Picking up the decanter, he refilled his wine glass and proceeded to feel sorry for himself.

Logically he knew why she was upset. He'd tried to tell her what to do, hadn't supported something she cared about, which was helping Ruby. She'd lived under the thumb of a controlling person for her entire life and he'd told her she could do whatever she wanted here. He had reassured her that he didn't care about roles or expect her to be a certain way because of her title. Yet, he'd just used the Queen card against her. In front of her father.

But if he hadn't? Henry would've surely thought David did not care about Regina. That he wasn't looking after her properly. That he wasn't protecting her the way he should be. It was important to him that he made a good impression on Henry, especially considering how dear he was to Regina. Had she ever considered that maybe he was slightly nervous and eager to reassure her father that he was treating her right?

David continued his pity party, sipping his wine and sinking into his chair at the head of the empty table. A blonde maid came in sometime later, one that looked familiar but he wasn't sure why, to gather the empty dishes for washing. She smiled when she saw him, giving a curtsy and a flirty smile 'your majesty' floated from her lips.

He only gave her a polite smile before pushing his chair back, deciding it best to remove himself from any awkward situation. It wasn't uncommon for the chamber maids to flirt with him, for he would often hear them giggle and whisper whenever he would enter or exit a room. It wasn't something he took seriously, most of these girls were the same age of his daughter, from peasant villages nearby and trying to improve their station in life. Of course they would throw themselves at a king.

"G'night," David said in good manners as he walked past her, trying to seem a little more sober than he was.

"Are you all right, your majesty?" She purred, turning to him with an empathetic look in her eyes that was clearly an act. Stepping in front of him, she added, "I heard what happened. Do you wish for company in your chamber?"

David looked down at her a little stunned. She was one of the older maids, probably mid twenties, and was far from the young and innocent facade she was painting, "No, I'm quite all right, thank you," He replied and watched her brows draw down. Oh god, it was her. The chambermaid he'd let go down on him one night when he was inebriated, sitting in the chair near the fireplace in his bed chamber.

"That's not what you said last time, Your Majesty," She giggled, reaching out to fiddle with a button on his suit.

He felt ashamed that he'd ever let her do that in the first place, especially now that she continued to serve in his castle, with his new wife unaware. It was awkward, he had no reason to be cruel to the girl, for he had consented at one point. As much as one can consent after two decanters of wine on top of blinding grief. "Things are different now, I am married and happily so," He reached out to gently nudge her hand off of him, "Excuse me."

Almost an hour had passed. Regina had helped Ruby in the cell and locked it, had given her the potion and watched her transform. She seemed less aggressive this time, had calmed faster and was now curled and sleeping in the straw. The wolf had been asleep long enough for Regina to spread out the pile of blankets the maids brought down, cuddling up on the mound and covering herself with a few.

She couldn't sleep, she was too frustrated. As much as she wanted to be down here helping Ruby, she also wanted to be upstairs. Making up with her husband. In more ways than one. It was torture.

Regina knew she'd overreacted. She could've gotten her point across without huffing and puffing like a child. In retrospect, it did seem like an odd thing to be doing, even more so for her father who had no idea why she'd be spending time in a dungeon. David had invited her father to visit, after all, and he'd probably been meaning to make a good impression. Letting her sleep in a dungeon was probably not on that list.

Ruby was asleep, would most likely stay that way. Temptation to slip out and go upstairs ate away at her, causing her to sigh and roll with her back to Red, face towards the other cell on the opposite side. What was wrong with her? She was like a lovesick puppy.

She missed him already. Although she knew he wasn't faultless in this she wanted to make it right with him. Knowing he may be upset with her filled her with longing to appease him. This was not good. If she gave in this easily, she'd forever be a doormat. No, she would not go to him yet. She would not crawl into their bed naked and wake him with kisses, would not slip her leg over his waist and grind her...

Her thoughts were interrupted by footsteps near her bed, causing her to look over her shoulder and startle when she saw him crouching down towards the blankets. "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," He whispered, kneeling onto the bed when she rolled onto her back.

"What are you doing down here?" She bit at her lip, trying to sound indifferent when he gripped the edge of her cover, still kneeling as he looked down at her.

"I'm ready for bed," He suggested, more like asked, and then stayed silent for a long moment.

She eyed him, seeing the serious look on his face before she replied, pushing her limits, "It's upstairs."

"No, it's wherever you are."

Regina bit her bottom lip, glancing down at the covers before back up at him, reaching out to hold them up. He gave her a half smile, crawling under them and cuddling up against her, "I'm sorry, Regina," He sighed, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her body closer to his.

"Me too," She turned her head to the side before rolling on her side to face him, "I just...I overreacted. You're always so even tempered, so fair. I have this fear that it's only because this is new, and once the newness of me wears off then you'll be frustrated by me. That you'll see that maybe my mother had reason to be controlling. That maybe she wasn't as harsh as she-"

David scoffed, giving her a firm frown, "Don't you ever think that anything your mother did to you was warranted. I'll never consider you a burden or a frustration." He watched a tear slip over the apple of her cheek, prompting him to cup her face and brush it away with his thumb. "In fact the only good thing she's probably ever done is that she brought us together. I promised you I'd never let her harm you again. And you certainly don't ever have to fret that I will treat you as she did."

"I know that, logically, I do," She swallowed the lump in her thrust as both of them talked quietly as not to wake Ruby, "But when you said you could not allow me to do something, in front of my father, it just felt like history repeating itself."

"Regina," He let out a breath, pressing his lips to her forehead as his arms tightened around her, "Im so sorry. That was never my intention. I simply saw him observing the conversation and I didn't want him to think that I wasn't properly looking after you. I wanted him to know I was concerned for your well being and that I wasn't just some selfish King who considered you property."

Regina's heart warmed, hearing him explain himself. It was what she had expected, the reasons behind his actions, but the fact that he hadn't been able to stay away from her, that he'd caved and came to her first, told her everything she needed to know, it meant everything to her. A stark realization blossomed in her chest as she looked into the blue eyes that had started to feel like home in the past year. She loved him.

"Should we promise that no matter what we argue about in the future that we never go to bed angry?" He asked when she didn't respond, a warm smile on his lips as if he could read her expressions, like he knew the emotions that were filtering through her and respected her enough not to pry.

"I think that's reasonable, or I'd never get any sleep," She spoke after a few moments, letting out a pent up breath and giving him an emotional smile. He merely pressed his forehead to hers and grinned. If they were in the privacy of their room, they'd no doubt be making love, be making up for this brief and silly argument. Their first argument.

"Me neither," David whispered in agreement, snuggling her closer, "Goodnight, my Queen."

"Are they always this tardy for breakfast?" Henry joked, smiling at his step granddaughter as they shared breakfast in the dining hall, neither King nor Queen joining them yet. He feared it may be awkward when he'd come in to see her, but there was a familiarity in the girl that reminded him of his own daughter.

"Always," Emma smiled and gave a playful roll of her eyes. The man across from her seemed gentle and kind, and like he'd genuinely be so behind closed doors. At first she'd expected him to be like Leopold, putting up a front but sinister deep down. Yet she hadn't seen an ounce of that. The way he talked to her step mother was similar to the way her own father spoke to her. Full of love and adoration. She was glad Regina had that from at least one parent.

"Regina always loved to sleep in, that is when Cora would allow it," He smiled, applying butter onto his piece of toast, "But I do enjoy the mornings, I'm usually up rather early."

"Me too," Emma nodded matter of factly, taking a sip of her juice, "Its when I can get the most peace around here. No tutoring lessons, no social commitments. In the summer I like to sit on my balcony and read as the sun rises."

"I bet it's lovely out here," Henry nodded, "What do you like to read?"

"History, mostly," She gave a shrug, looking up at him as if she maybe shouldn't have admitted it, "It's hardly considered a genre for ladies, but I love reading about wars of the realms, and rulers, anything to do with the past, really."

"I love history," The jolly man nodded with a genuine smile, "I studied it at finishing school. In fact, I took a peek into one of the libraries on the wing my bed chamber is in, and it looks like the castle has quite the selection of books. Any good historical ones?"

"Hundreds," Emma's eyes lit up, reveling in the fact that Henry didn't seem to find anything unladylike about her fascination with war and battle. Leopold had caught her once in the weaponry room, admiring a bow and arrow of her father's, and scolded her, saying it wasn't for a woman to know about. Apparently her mother had taken up archery during her rebellion against her parents, and her grandfather was none too pleased. "The one near father's chamber has the best."

"The what?" David asked with a yawn as he entered the dining hall, rubbing a hand over his back as he walked, eyes suddenly spotting Henry and straightening his demeanor, "Forgive me for being so late. Regina will be down in a moment."

Emma's gaze raked over her father's disposition. Wrinkled clothes, the ones he'd worn yesterday, actually, and messy hair. Not to mention the way he was holding his back and gingerly setting down. Had he been drinking again? "Are you feeling all right, father?"

"Yes absolutely, I'm fine," David nodded before letting out a groan as he dropped in his chair, feeling the muscles of his back cry out, "Damn dungeon floor got the best of me," He grumbled before remembering Henry's presence, looking up quickly with an apologetic smile.

Henry grinned at his son-in-law with the knowledge that he'd given in to Regina, not only allowing her to stay in the dungeon but sleeping with her. It spoke volumes of the kind of husband he was and the relief Henry felt was immediate, "I hope you recover soon, Your Majesty."

Regina made her way down towards the kitchens, in a genuinely good mood after the night before and first half of the day. It was nearing lunch time and she wanted to find Granny and Red to insist they join them for this meal, at least. Henry and Emma were preoccupied, David giving them a tour of his library and weaponry room, something they'd went on and on about during breakfast. It didn't appeal to her in the slightest; but she was happy the three of them were bonding.

"There you two are," She smiled, coming into the kitchen to see Granny at the wood stove and Red at the table, slicing vegetables.

"Come on in, girl. Make yourself useful," Granny snorted towards the table and Red rolled her eyes up at Regina in good humor. She was relieved that she and Granny were now close enough that she didn't treat her like a fragile Queen who needed to be fussed over, and instead felt comfortable enough to put her to work slicing potatoes.

"I was going to say I hope you join us for lunch," Regina said as she came over to sit adjacent to Ruby, picking up a knife and a spud, "Please?"

"Will you quit your fussin' if we do?" The older wolf asked without turning to look at them, but Regina could hear the teasing in her tone.

"Of course," She smiled, knowing she'd convinced her, "How are you feeling? Are you still retaining some of your memory from last night?" Regina turned more towards the younger wolf, not having seen her since they woke this morning in the dungeon.

"You mean when you and David kept me up with your whispering?" Ruby gave a toothy grin, "Yeah, some of it. I felt more in control, you know, without the rage that I normally feel."

"Were getting closer," She nodded in determination, "We'll figure it out soon, I promise."

"Thanks, witch," Ruby teased and gave a wag of her brows, "If we don't pretty soon you're going to have to make one of those chamber maids guard me so David doesn't throw a tantrum."

"Ha, I have one maid I'd like to feed to a wolf," Granny smirked and turned from the stove, bringing the kettle over to the table and looking at Regina over her glasses, "Don't worry, I got rid of that little hussy."

"What?" Regina smiled up at her in confusion, seeing Granny was rather satisfied in whatever she'd done.

"Molly, the one who came onto the King last night," Granny shook her head and let out a sigh, "Can't find decent help anywhere anymore."

"What are you talking about, Granny?" Regina's voice questioned more firmly, feeling her stomach turn.

The wolf's eyes widened over her glasses as she plopped down on the chair, realizing David hadn't told her yet, "Oh, perhaps you should talk to the King, girl."