Here's a new chapter! I hope you enjoy it. :)

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and before they knew it, a year had gone by since the night they were torn apart. Regina walked through the ballroom. As Queen, it was her duty to prepare the annual ball as celebration of the new year. This particular ball was to be planned in conjunction with King Leopold's kingdom, in an effort to bring the kingdoms into a closer relationship.

Daniel and Leopold spent much time together discussing politics and working to forge a relationship based on trust. Daniel found himself enjoying the older man's company. Unfortunately, this tasked Regina with entertaining Leopold's daughter, Snow White.

Snow had immediately recognized Regina from the last new year ball, when David had attended. Regina clenched her fists as Snow talked about the handsome Charming, as she called him. Though Regina was not much older than Snow, she found the young girl infuriatingly childish. She practically bounced around and rarely stopped talking. Regina's disdain for the girl most likely stemmed from Snow's infatuation with David, despite only having met him once.

"Why didn't you ever date Charming?" Snow asked.

"Whoever said I didn't?" Regina replied, smirking evilly and causing the girl's face to turn as pale as her name insinuated. She continued walking even though the girl was frozen in her tracks.

David loitered near the palace, trying to find an appropriate time to get past the guards. He'd yet to find appropriate clothing to wear to this masquerade ball at the palace. He'd hoped that he could sneak in, but dressed in his own clothes, the clothes of a lowly shepherd, he knew he'd never get in.

He scoped out the castle many times, trying to find an area where he might be able to climb through a window, but of course he didn't. Nothing was quite that simple.

"Looking for help, dearie?" David turned to find a man standing behind him. He hadn't heard him approach, which was unnerving.

"Who are you?" The shepherd asked.

"Just someone who can help you get to your love," said the imp. "Rumplestiltskin," he said with a flourish. "And if you like, I can help you get into the castle and find your dear queen."

"How did you—"

"It doesn't matter. All that matters is that I need your help and you need mine. What do you say we make a deal?"

David steeled his gaze. "What do you want?"

The Dark One looked him up and down. "Your coat," he said.

David raised an eyebrow. "My coat?"

"You give me your coat, I give you the masquerade of a prince and get you inside the castle." He leaned forward. "Do we have a deal?"

David hesitated, thoroughly uncomfortable with the older man in front of him, but he removed his coat, offering it to Rumplestiltskin. With a wave of his hand, the Dark One had turned David's attire from that of a shepherd to that of a prince. "Pleasure doing business with you," said Rumplestiltskin before waving his hand and having David inside the palace.

Regina twirled about the floor with her husband, forcing a smile to her face. It had been a year since they married, and Regina had yet to become pregnant. Daniel was under a lot of pressure from his advisors to produce an heir, and said advisors all blamed his queen.

And as much as the royal couple denied it, Regina still knew it was her fault.

"You want me to give you a spell to prevent yourself from becoming pregnant?"

Regina nodded her head. "And why wouldn't you want to produce an heir to your throne, dearie?" The imp asked.

"Because I don't want to condemn my child to a life where her parents aren't in love!"

"Well, if I remember correctly, you're the one who doesn't love your husband. The dear king does love you. You could have gotten out of this engagement when you pushed your mother through the portal," he pointed out. "I think you got your taste of power and never wanted to let it go." He ran his fingers over hers, letting the magic spark against her fingertips. "You love magic."

Regina felt a pang of guilt. He was right. She'd changed since that night. Daniel didn't deserve to be in a marriage where he wasn't loved, but she had let it happen. And now she was trying to manipulate her own body so that she could get out of something she could have ended a year ago.

Something she convinced herself she only stayed in because of her mother.

"Just teach me the spell," she said, pushing aside all of those thoughts.

"You do realize that if you perform this spell, you will never have children," he said.

She took a deep breath and nodded. "Teach me."

After a few dances, Regina excused herself, making her way out of the ballroom and down the hall. When she was far enough away from the ballroom, she ducked into the servants' quarters and slid down the wall, allowing herself to cry.

At first she attempted to stay quiet, but as she cried, she began to sob audibly. "Is everything alright?"

Regina looked up to find a tall, muscular man in a simple black mask that concealed the area around his eyes standing in the doorway. "I'll be fine," she answered, wiping a tear away.

He removed his mask and was astounded to see his face was identical to that of her love. "Wh-who are you?" She asked, highly confused by this man's appearance.

"Prince James," he said. "King George is my father." He took her hand, bringing her to her feet and kissing the back of her hand. "Now, what is a beautiful woman such as yourself doing crying in a servants' hall?"

She smoothed her dress, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "How do you know if I'm beautiful?" She asked. "I'm wearing a mask."

He chuckled darkly. "It's a gift. I can sense a beautiful woman from miles away." He'd moved closer to her and was tucking a flyaway hair behind her ear. "I was drawn to you." He paused and took a step toward her. Her back was pressed to the wall now, and he breathed against her lips, "Your majesty."

James untied the mask and removed it, letting it fall to the floor before pressing his lips roughly to hers.

David made his way through the castle, following the music to the ballroom. After a year, he was finally going to speak to her. He was going to be able to get answers to all the questions that wracked his mind day and night. He had to restrain himself to keep from running toward the ballroom.

Then he heard voices. He heard her voice. The other belonged to someone he didn't recognize. He quickened his pace before he saw it.

In a shadowed hallway was the woman he loved. He ducked behind a curtain where he could still see and waited for her to finish her conversation, but instead of words, he saw the man kiss her.

Her hands came up to pull him closer to her, and David couldn't stop the tears that formed in his eyes. He ran back from whence he came.

Regina pulled James closer to her, her mind swimming with thoughts. Even though he wasn't David, he looked and sounded like him. When she opened her eyes, she could imagine that she was with her true love.

But he felt nothing like the man she'd fallen so hopelessly in love with. When her eyes were closed, he felt nothing like David. He didn't hold her the same way. He didn't make her body tremble with desire. She pushed him away.

She saw a flash of red going down the hall, and her stomach dropped. She ran, leaving the prince dumbfounded in the corridor.

Despite her heels, the queen was able to catch up with the man who ran ahead of her. He finally slowed, hearing the footsteps behind him. Regina slowed, too, and before he turned, she recognized his posture. The way his body tensed. The way his hands balled into fists before releasing.

Then he turned around.

CLIFFHANGER! Sorry, I had to! But you'll get to see them together in the next chapter, I promise. :)