Hi there! Life has been busy, but I am trying to work on finishing my older works because I know how frustrating it is when lengthy stories are abandoned. Thank you for following and still reading updates despite my insane hiatuses. This is a shorter chapter, but sets up the final bit of drama in the next. There will probably be one more chapter of this and an epilogue. I want to give this story the ending it deserves if there is anyone still interested in reading it. Please let me know!
"Emma! Wake up!"
The blonde felt Ruby's sofa bounce with Violet's considerable dive and let out a groan of disapproval.
"It's late! Wake up!" The little voice chirped again.
"What're you doing here? Ow!" Emma's eyes popped open when she felt knees and elbows and one particularly sharp object hit her in the ribs.
"Sorry," the mini-Regina scrunched her face adorably, moving the offending storybook from Emma's side to her own lap once she was situated on the couch.
"Oh good, you're awake. You and the kid are on my watch," Ruby snickered at Emma's expression and kicked her front door shut as she hung her keys on the hook, "Regina is headed to the stables today."
"And she didn't call me?" Emma asked sleepily and watched Ruby wag her brow in acknowledgement. "That must mean David is helping her out today…"
"Yeah, lots of rolling in the hay to be done," the waitress gave a wolfish grin as she plopped down in the chair opposite them.
"I'm surprised she asked you to watch her for that. She still acts like-" Emma paused and glanced at Violet to ensure she was preoccupied by her book before continuing, "-like David's never been in her stable."
"Oh, she didn't ask. You know she's too prim and proper to suggest I babysit for her so she can go riding," Ruby laughed at her own innuendo, "She and the munchkin were at the diner for breakfast and she mentioned David was coming to the stables for lunch. So I offered to take half-pint and for you both to hang here today since you'd already spent the night here."
"Smooth," Emma nodded.
"I just want her to enjoy herself," Ruby shrugged, "I haven't seen her as happy as she's been these last few weeks in…god, I don't know how long. If ever."
"Mommy loves the stables, especially when my Dad visits," Violet piped up, making their eyes widen at the fact she'd been listening and what she'd called David.
Emma smiled weakly after a moment of shock and decided to address it while Regina wasn't around, knowing it upset her to think she couldn't give Violet the family she needed. "Being at the stables and riding horses does make your Mom really happy, you're right...and I'm sure Sheriff Nolan enjoys visiting, too…but you know he's not actually your Dad, right Vi?"
"But he is." The girl looked up with one dark brow arching skeptically at Emma's sanity in a very Regina-like fashion.
"I know it's easy to feel that way because you like David, kiddo," Ruby assisted with a gentle smile, moving from the chair to the other side of Violet on the sofa, "But this is just a book. Your Dad's name was Daniel. Remember how your Mom tells you about him? I know you never got to meet him and it's okay to feel confused about that. It will get easier to understand as you get older."
"But I'm not confused," Violet countered, sighing in frustration.
Emma took a deep breath and tried again to explain it in a way the girl would understand, "You know how it makes you sad that you didn't get to meet your Dad? Well, your Mom feels sad about that too, and she works really hard to make you happy...So sometimes when you play make-believe that David is your Dad, it makes your Mom feel like-"
Violet cut her off, "But it's not make-believe! David is my dad. Daniel just worked in Mommy's stables before she was the queen, look-" she furiously flipped through the pages and pointed at a picture of a brown-haired man with the woman she'd previously identified as Regina, "That was Daniel!"
"I...I get why you would think that," Ruby said softly, "That does look a lot like your Mom."
"But she doesn't have me until after she saves Emma," Violet flipped to the next page that depicted a blonde girl being saved from a runaway horse by the raven-haired woman, "And that's how my Dad met my Mom," she added, turning a few more pages to show a king and queen on their wedding day, "Look, Ruby. I told you that you were in it, too!"
Emma frowned and looked to Ruby for help in navigating the conversation, but Ruby's gaze was pinned to the book with an unsettling expression. The blonde returned her attention to the page Violet pointed out, seeing a taller light-eyed brunette standing next to an older gray-haired woman with wire-rimmed glasses in the picture of a wedding reception.
"You and Granny lived at the castle with us," Violet explained, glancing between Emma and Ruby as they shared an uncertain look.
"That's...that does look like Granny, doesn't it?" Ruby frowned and shook her head, "Hey Violet, why don't you change into the playclothes your Mom sent with you and we'll go to the park. We can look at the rest of this later."
"The park? Okay!" The girl shifted the book onto Emma's lap and jumped up, grabbing her backpack and running towards Ruby's room in a flash.
"That was…" Ruby hesitated with a befuddled look and gave a forced laugh.
"Weird," Emma nodded in agreement, "You know, when she first showed me this, I thought it was kind of eerie how much these people looked like me and Regina but...seeing somebody that looks like David and you and Granny is creeping me out."
"Right? I didn't know what to say for a second," Ruby sighed, "It's kinda hard to talk sense into the kid when the pictures are so believable. It's no wonder she's convinced herself."
"Seriously," Emma closed the book, re-opening the front cover, "I slept through most of my English classes, so I'm no expert, but...don't they usually have the author's name or the publishing company on the first pages? This one's just...blank."
"I think so, but I skipped my English class all together," she joked, "I know Dorothy gave it to Violet at school. She has a ton of books in her classroom. I can ask her if she knows where it came from."
"No need," the blonde squinted in confusion when she opened the back cover and the classroom library card fell out, "Donated by Gold & Son Pawnbrokers and Antiquities," she read out loud.
"That's not too weird is it? Businesses must donate to the school all of the time," Ruby shrugged, eyeing Emma, "What's that look on your face for?"
"I don't know...something just feels off about this, don't you think?" Emma frowned. "I remember my old caseworker looking for a job placement for me after I got expelled from school. She asked that Gold guy if I could work at his shop. He said he didn't have any work for me, but to check with the stables…"
"What would that have to do with this book, though?" Ruby laughed skeptically, "I knew we shouldn't have binge-watched that show on conspiracy theories."
Emma rolled her eyes, "I know it sounds crazy...but he's on the town council with the mayor and my last foster parent, Albert Spencer. I think between them they own most of this town. And I know Spencer is the mayor's attorney and helped her come down on Regina's property and business a while ago..."
"Still, I think someone trying to screw with Regina by giving a storybook to her daughter is a little far-fetched," Ruby chuckled, "I mean, Dorothy was the one who technically gave it to Violet. Is my girlfriend in on this, too?"
"Shut up," Emma laughed, shutting the storybook firmly and tossing it onto Ruby's lap, "I just don't trust these people. The mayor already came after Regina, and now Regina's sticking her neck out for me again with this whole foster thing. I'm worried what could happen if the mayor finds out what she and David have been up to…I guess I'm just being paranoid."
"I know, but they're two grown adults, and David is actively trying to divorce her. Their marriage was over long before the issues with your foster home or anything happened between David and Regina. If that psycho bitch tries to come at Regina for anything, we'll have her back," Ruby reassured as Violet charged out of the bedroom.
"I'm ready for the park!" The girl exclaimed with a bright smile, her blue eyes sparkling between dark brows and high set cheekbones.
Emma's mind flashed with a memory of David smiling at Regina the week before and it caused her to stare at Violet for a moment. Was she making up the resemblance, or did the girl actually look like...No. She scolded herself for the thought. Now that was crazy.
"Are you coming with us?" Ruby asked, jolting Emma from her insane thoughts.
Emma hesitated for a moment and then she shook her head, "No, I think I'll sit this one out. Maybe I'll run to Granny's and get lunch later when you get back?"
"Alright. Put it on my tab there," Ruby smiled as she picked up the over-zealous five year old, "And get me something good. I have a feeling I'll need the energy."
"David, I don't know if I can-" Regina whined, panting harshly as she fell flat against the tack table he had her draped over.
"You can," David hummed between her legs as he continued his assault on her swollen clit, flicking and licking and tugging with his tongue, "Come for me again."
She let her head roll to the side, letting out a moan at the sight of his head bobbing between her thighs and almost feeling guilty for the length of time he'd been on his knees in the stable. Almost.
It was David that insisted he keep going, pushing her through orgasm after orgasm, until she was so sensitive she wasn't sure her body could take any further stimulation.
But then his hands gripped under her knees and he lifted them from his shoulders, spreading her thighs wider, and she cried out at the change of position. The sensitivity dissolved into a burning heat, rushing from her clit to her abdomen as he lapped at her methodically. Her neck and face were flushed pink at how exposed she was to him and how erotic it felt, never having experienced an act so heady and intimate.
"Yes, that's it," David encouraged when she began to rock up to his mouth, knowing her body had relented once more. He released one of her thighs to bring two fingers to her opening and probed gently as he licked, slowly pushing his digits in until her walls clamp around them tightly. "You are so wet, Regina," he groaned against her before flattening his tongue and moving his fingers in a curling motion.
Regina gasped and reached for his hair, "Like that, yes!" she exclaimed breathlessly.
The combination of his hot, wet tongue on her clit and the stretching of her walls around his fingers triggered a new, promising sensation within her. He flicked his tongue steadily as he worked his fingers against the heavy, growing feeling inside her until it suddenly snapped. Her body convulsed and she let out a strangled noise at the intensity of the warm, wet wave of her climax rushing through her. And out of her.
"Oh god, yes," David murmured, gripping down on her left thigh firmly as he kept his fingers buried while she thrashed and flooded him. "Yes, Regina."
Regina blinked rapidly at the black dots in her vision and fought for her breath, feeling almost incoherent and unaware of his presence until he stood and loomed over her. Her brows furrowed in confusion at the dampness of his shirt and then her face flushed with embarrassment, "Oh god. Did I do that? I'm…"
"That was so sexy," David shook his head and slipped an arm under her back as his hand cupped her neck, pulling her into a sitting position, "Don't ever apologize for that."
"Yeah?" she whispered breathlessly as their foreheads met and she felt him nod before he kissed her. She moaned into his mouth, tasting her arousal on his tongue and feeling her insecurities vanish with the knowledge that he was turned on by her body's reaction to him.
"We've got to find a way to see each other more than once or twice a week," He groaned as he picked her up, stepping back until he felt a chair hit behind his legs and sitting down with her straddling his lap. "I miss you."
"Me too," Regina murmured in between deep kisses, reaching between them to tug open his belt and jean button. "I can't stop thinking about this when I'm not with you."
"Mmm, you have no idea," he grunted when she slipped a hand into his boxers and tugged him out, "Do you touch yourself when you think about me?"
"Yes," Regina's eyes fluttered closed as she palmed him, letting her head fall to the side of his.
David groaned at the thought and quickly lifted her hips, rocking them forward so she could slide his tip through her folds to position him. He pushed down until she was impaled on him fully, ripping moans from both of them as she stretched around his size. Her legs draped over his lap, feet not reaching the floor and entirely at his mercy in the position. His hands caressed her thighs and ass and lower back, allowing her a moment to adjust as her fingers found his hair, bringing him in for another hungry kiss.
Regina cried out softly into his mouth when he began to rock her hips in a slow, forward and backward motion, keeping himself rooted inside. Straddling his lap like this made her feel gloriously full and open, allowing her to experience every inch of him. She looped her arms around his neck when he began to grind her harder and faster, clutching him close. His hands gripped her ass and her thighs spread wider each time he jerked her hips towards him and she moaned loudly at how deep he felt.
In a matter of moments they'd worked themselves into a rough, frenzied pace. She used her arms around him for leverage to bore her hips down, grinding harder as he curled his hips up on her rock forward. She whimpered against his temple as he murmured encouragement and they took from each other unapologetically, until they were both so close they could only focus on breathing through the sensations.
"David," She suddenly gasped out in warning before her body locked with pleasure and she cried out, hips faltering as she peaked.
David pushed down firmly on her hips to keep himself inside, growling into her neck at the feeling of her clenching around him. Her body jerked and shuddered through her orgasm, prompting him to move his hand up her back to hold her as steady as he found his own release with a sated groan.
"How do you do that?" Regina murmured breathlessly as she slumped against him.
"Do what?" He hummed and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Know what I need before I do," she tilted her head to rest against his shoulder, soaking up the feeling of being so close to him.
"You tell me," he smiled, nuzzling his nose in her hair, "I've never had this before."
"Neither have I," Regina lifted her head then, studying him with a hint of uncertainty, "It's not like this with other people, is it?" she asked, nervous for his answer.
"No," David locked his gaze with hers as he brushed hair back from her face, "Each time I see you I'm more convinced that we...I don't even know how to explain it without sounding like all of those cliches you hate," he smiled playfully, earning a soft laugh from her, "I didn't used to believe in it either, but it's like we have a connection, like I've known you before. I know it sounds crazy...I probably shouldn't have said that, I just…"
"It's not crazy," she brushed her thumb over his jawline, "I feel it, too. I just...didn't want to admit it. I kept second guessing myself, thinking maybe it felt this intense because it's been so long since I've had something like this, but I..." she hesitated nervously before seeing the reassurance in his eyes, "I tried remembering feeling this way with Daniel and I can't...and that made me feel guilty at first. I thought maybe it was just my memory, that time and what happened to him made me forget. Because it feels like I've experienced this before, but at the same time, it feels like it's only been with you…"
David inhaled slowly at the magnitude of her confession, watching her in wonderment, "That's...exactly how it feels," he shook his head in disbelief, "I think my mind has been trying to make me realize it. I've been having...dreams about you that seem almost like memories. I was worried for a minute I was going insane," he laughed softly.
Regina eyed him for a moment, feeling caught off guard, "Memories of what?"
"In my dreams?" he raised an eyebrow, "Well...Some of them are strange. Almost like we're in another time. There's one in particular that I've had a few times now," he paused briefly, contemplating whether or not to admit to it, "This may scare you off…" he joked.
"Tell me," she encouraged, feeling her stomach flip with anticipation.
"It's...well, you're holding a newborn, I assume it's Violet, like you just gave birth to her...but in the dream, she's mine," David admitted, feeling uneasy at the sudden shift in her expression, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean any disrespect-"
"I had the same dream," Regina nodded and tried to swallow down the painful knot forming in her throat.
"That's...strange," he murmured, staring back at her as he tried to process the information, "Really?"
"Really…." her voice hitched but she forced a smile, deciding to play it off, "Violet would have a field day with this."
David exhaled his pent up breath and chuckled, following her lead in making light of the strange coincidence, "Maybe she's on to something."
Emma had tried to ignore her intuition the entire way there, but stepping into Gold's shop brought back the unease she'd felt earlier. She clutched the storybook in one arm as she glanced around and slowly made her way in, running through what she'd rehearsed to say.
If her experience in the foster system taught her anything, it was to trust nothing but her gut, and that was a hard habit to let go of. Especially now, when nothing in this town had ever felt right to her, and she finally had the family she'd always wanted and was determined to protect.
Maybe she was being paranoid, but what would it hurt to poke around a little?
The sound of the older man's cane against the hardwood floors made her aware of his presence and she forced a friendly smile as he appeared from the backroom.
"Looking for anything in particular, dearie?" He asked, giving her a snake-like smile as she approached the glass counter he stood behind.
"Uh, yeah, actually," she untucked the book from her arm and set it down between them, watching his expression closely, "I was wondering if there was another copy of this book for sale."
His eyes shifted to the storybook for a mere second before he met her gaze again and Emma could tell he recognized it despite the casual expression he wore.
"Aren't you a little old for fairytales?" he joked coolly.
"You could say that. Growing up in the system doesn't make you a big believer in fairytales," Emma shrugged, "But I know a kid that's a huge fan of this book. They checked it out from the school library and I saw it was donated by your shop. I thought it'd make a nice gift for them to have their own copy, maybe even a sequel if there is one…So, can you help?"
"I'd have to check my inventory."
The man eyed her in a way that caused Emma's speculation to skyrocket. "That would be great."
It wasn't the first time she'd dealt with a shady character, but he was better than most at hiding what he was thinking. His lack of a reaction only compounded her suspicion that something underhanded was going on behind the facade of this idyllic little community. And if it involved the people she cared about, she couldn't let it go.
"I'll hold onto it for reference. It's a rather old book, which can make it harder to find if you don't have a copy to go by," He pressed his hand on the cover to stop her when Emma reached for it, "Give me a few days to follow up and then stop back in. I'll do my best to give you what you're looking for."
Emma hesitated to leave it behind, but his reasoning made sense and she figured she could manage distracting Violet from it's absence for a few days. If he was telling the truth and found another copy, it would squash her paranoia about the whole thing being connected to her family. And if he didn't, then she'd have another excuse to come back and snoop around for more information.
So she lifted her gaze and nodded, answering with intent, "I'll be back."
"Don't say I never gave you anything, Dearie," Rumple gave a menacing smile as he dropped the book down on Zelena's desk.
"A children's book?" The witch sneered.
"A very well written one. Take a look, you might find yourself intrigued by the story."
"What in the hell are you playing at, Rumple?" Zelena scoffed and leaned back in her chair.
"Pardon me, Madam Mayor. I thought you might find use for a very special book that belongs to a very special child."