Daniel had awoken in a place called Granny's. Walking into the diner part downstairs, he found it empty for the time being. And sitting down in one of the stools, he sighed and asked the waitress what would be best to eat. Daniel was now waiting for something called the 'Grand Slam' breakfast.
Regina had just stepped through the diner's doors when she noticed her former lover sitting at the end of the bar, slumped over staring at a cup of coffee. She made it as far as the cash register before stopping, waiting until Ruby had made her way back out from the kitchen. "Two coffees." Regina's voice was steady despite how she felt, her eyes on the waitress who nodded and turned back to the kitchen. Red knew exactly how Regina and Emma liked their coffees. The former evil queen came in often in the mornings to grab them, after all.
The man didn't take his eyes off his coffee before he spoke to his ex. "Good morning, Regina." Daniel said plainly.
"Good morning." Regina said curtly, the woman's arms crossed as she leaned against the counter and waited for Ruby. Some of the dwarfs walked in chatting excitedly until they spotted the queen, harsh glares honing in on her. She still wasn't liked much by the townsfolk.
Daniel saw the looks shot her way. "Tell me, are those looks toward you due to you becoming a lesbian or from something else?" He asked in a rude manner.
"Not all men are as simple minded as you are." She replied sharply, a glare directed his way that once had men quivering with fear back in their kingdom. "I'm not the only woman in this town who sometimes favors femininity over masculinity. Those looks are for a much different reason."
Daniel sighed. "You're right... I apologize." Taking a deep breath he got up and moved next to her. "I just... I finally found the love of my life again and... I can't do anything about it. It hurts. Deeply."
One of Regina's perfectly sculpted eyebrows rose slightly, but the queen's tone softened. "I'm sorry things turned out the way they did, Daniel..." She sighed, looking away as she shoved her hands in her jacket pockets. "I truly am."
"If only I had found my way sooner..." With a huff, he left a silver coin on the counter to pay for his meal that had yet to come out and sadly walked to the door.
Regina took a deep breath and let it out slowly, ignoring the dwarfs who were staring at her as she pushed herself off the counter and began to follow Daniel outside, ignoring Ruby calling out her name, two coffees in hand. She'd just burst
through the door when she called out to the man nearing disappearance behind a corner. "What would you have me do, Daniel? I held onto you for forty years, never allowing myself to love another human soul until just recently."
Stopping, he turned around. "You love her?" he asked with a sadness in his voice. "I'm not asking you to do anything. I know I've lost you and now there is no point to dream any longer."
"I..." Regina hadn't even realized what she'd truly said until he'd pointed it out. "I do." She said softly, nodding her confirmation. But she still loved Daniel, too. She'd never let go of that. "You haven't lost me. I'm still here for you. I still care about you. I don't want you to have waltz back into my life just to walk away."
"I can't be just your friend, love. I can't watch you love someone else while I still am crazy for you. That's not a life I want to live." Walking up to Regina, he moved his hand to the side of her neck , staring into her eyes.
Regina's dark orbs remained locked with his until she couldn't take it anymore, moisture building up in her eyes until she closed them and leaned into his touch, her hand covering his. "I know it's selfish, I know it is, but I can't just give you up again." She finally opened her eyes to look into his again. "Just... give me a day. I could show you the stables, we could talk like we used to. It doesn't have to be about anything Storybrooke related."
Daniel made up his mind that he would just have to win her over. "Okay." He smiled then kissed her forehead. "I want to know the real reason behind the dirty looks those short men gave you."
Regina swallowed the lump in her throat but nodded. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know. Tomorrow? If that works for you? I really need to go back in, grab those coffees and head to the station right now."
"Tomorrow is fine. I'll meet you here then." Watching her walk back inside, he walked away to explore some of this 'Storybrooke'.
"All right." Regina smiled slightly and then walked away from him to head back inside, ignoring Ruby's look of curiosity as she paid for those coffees and made her way over to the sheriff's station. She set Emma's cup down on the desk next to her, the blonde bent over a pile of paperwork, and then took a seat at the corner.
"Mm, thank you, baby." Taking her cup, Emma sipped the warm liquid. Setting the cup down and placing her hand on her lover's thigh, she smiled. "Got a busy day ahead of you?"
"Yes, it's just full of imaginary meetings for my imaginary job." Regina chuckled, slightly bitterly. "Oh and let's not forget the hours of hateful stares that lie ahead of me as I make my way about town."
Emma pulled Regina into her lap and wrapped her arms around her. "Well your girlfriend is the town's sheriff and let's not forget the savior. So, if my lady has any problems, you know I'll take care of ya." She winked then kissed her jaw.
"Yes, my white knight. Always there to rescue me." Regina gave her lover a small smile and kissed her lips softly. "I can handle them, though. Without magic and without the town's savior running to save me. No matter how good she looks doing it."
"Funny how things turned out, huh?" Emma said. "We used to hate each other and now look at us. Me holding you and you actually liking it."
"Whoever said I like it?" Regina grinned and kissed the sheriff again soundly. "So anything exciting going on in this bustling town of ours today?"
"Oh, you know, gotta take care of those imaginary prisoners." She winked. "I may send them to the dungeon today."
"Any plans of torture?" Regina played along. "That's the best part. So entertaining."
"Oh yeah. I was thinking the one where it stretches out their body. Slowly pulling their bones apart. However, I could find another way to use it with you."
"Mm, and how would you use it on me, Miss Swan?" The former mayor ran a clump of blonde locks through her fingers before playing with the front of Emma's red leather jacket.
"Well first things first I'd get ya naked. Then I would strap your wrists and ankles to the wooden contraption. Next I would pour warm massage oil and rub it over you til it covered everything I could touch. Finally, I would fuck you like you've never been fucked before."
Regina bit back a groan, definitely hot with the image that had filled her mind thanks to Emma's words. "I'm thinking we need to implement a dungeon full of fun toys somewhere in my house. One we could utilize when Henry stays with your parents. And right now..." Regina leaned close, her lips brushing Emma's. "I'm thinking that replay we discussed last night needs to happen."
"Oh you think so, huh? Well who the hell made you queen?!" She shouted, already getting into roleplaying mode. Standing up quickly, she looked at Regina with both fire and lust.
With Emma's sudden movement Regina had to basically jump off the blonde's lap. The former mayor then smirked as she leaned closer to the sheriff. "Well, you're the one who's been worshiping my body the past few months. You tell me, knight."
Emma gave a chuckle. "Worshiping or just using, my lady?" She smirked and started backing the queen up slowly.
"I've most certainly never seen someone pay such close attention to the small details. You, my dear, also spend a lot of time pleasing your queen." The smirk was still firmly in place on Regina's face as the brunette's back hit something solid,
preventing her from backing away any further.
Once the woman's back was against the bars, the blonde smirked. "Oh, I please thee do I?" Taking Regina's wrists in her hands, she held them up against two bars above their heads. "I've accomplished my duty but I'm far from wanting to flee from you." Her lips ghosted against the queen's.
"That's because you're a loyal little knight. I could throw you in the dungeon, torture you and you'd still beg for more." Regina craned her neck just enough that she could run her tongue along Emma's top lip.
"If it's you dealing the punishment... I'll take it all." Emma moaned against full lips then kissed her hungrily and passionate. That was, of course, until there was a noise at the doorway to the office.
Both of their heads snapped in the direction of the doorway, the brunette actually shoving Emma away in a scramble to get out of their compromising position. Regina straightened out her blazer and wiped at the corner of her lip, where she knew her lipstick would be smeared, as she took a couple of steps in Daniel's direction. "I... didn't expect to see you in here."
Emma stumbled back and looked at Regina with furrowed brows. Yes, they were in a secret romance, but they had never seen this man before. That's what she thought until she heard her lover speak.
Daniel sighed. "And I didn't expect to find you here... with her."
Regina's eyes didn't leave Daniel's face for a moment, the queen registering the pain there, maybe anger. It had been so long since she'd seen any emotion on that face that she knew she may not be reading him as well as had when she was just a teenager involved in a forbidden romance.
"I-I'm sorry, Regina. I didn't mean to intrude." With a lowered head the man turned and walked out the door and down the hall to the front door.
"Who the hell was that?" Emma asked with a curious expression.
"I-I'll explain as soon as I get back." Regina just barely glanced at Emma over her shoulder before taking off after the man; the moment echoing this morning's at Granny's. "Daniel, wait! Please!" The brunette called out as soon as she'd stepped foot outside, catching a glimpse of Daniel's retreating figure.
"I'm going back to the doctor, Regina." Daniel said, stopping but not turning around to look at her. "I can't do this."
"And what?" Regina asked as she walked to him, her heels clanking against the side walk. "You're just going to ask him to take back the heart he gave you?" She took his hand in hers and tugged so he'd turn to face her. "You're just going to leave me again?"
Looking at his love made it now easy for a couple of tears to slide down his cheek. "Yes, because I have no chance with you. When we were in love it was so long ago. Hell, we weren't even intimate. I'm sure you and that woman..." Daniel pulled away and shook his head unable to complete his sentence.
"I..." Regina hesitated a moment, not sure what to say. "I have been intimate with multiple partners. After Cora took your heart, I was married off to the king, Daniel. I never once felt any love for the man. And..." She shook her head. "Just, please don't give up. You can start over. Things will get better."
"Start over? You say that like it's easy." He sighed.
"I know it's not easy!" Regina was frustrated, on the verge of tears again, which she hated. Following Daniel's 'death,' she had detached herself from feeling anything akin to love or true compassion for another human being. Besides her father, of course. And after his death, she had hardened to the point that not another tear was shed until Henry lay on his death bed. "Two days after Cora had ripped your heart out, I was forced to marry and bed another man. I felt numb for years. And then I was just angry. I went through a very dark period before reaching this point. So, yes. I know it's difficult. But things do get better."
"Please, we have a second chance to be together, give me a chance. Choose me."
She sighed and shook her head. "I still love you, Daniel, I do. But I can't just walk away from Emma. Because I love her, too."
Daniel shook his head "Yes, but for how long and does she know?" He questioned, stepping closer and bringing Regina close. He didn't see Emma standing at the door.
"I haven't told her yet, but that doesn't mean my feelings for her will just fade away because you're back. It doesn't work like that."
Ignoring Regina's words and taking the back of his ex's neck he pulled her into one of the kisses he remembered her loving oh so much.
Regina took a sharp inhale of breath as he stepped into her personal space and pulled her close for a kiss. She knew she should shove him away, she'd actually placed her hands on his chest to do so, but her mind was hazy, her body responding to his naturally. Regina closed her eyes and gave into him for just a few moments until she pulled away. "Stop. I can't."
Daniel nodded. "I'm sorry. Your lips were always my weakness."
Regina looked away, her eyes focusing anywhere but on Daniel's face. "I should get back inside. Emma will be wondering where I am. We can talk more tomorrow." She glanced up at him briefly before turning to head back inside.
Emma had witnessed the kiss and was on the verge of tears as she sat on the desk. However, when Regina walked back into the station she was silent and her eyes wouldn't go near the queen's form.
Regina noticed the way Emma avoided her gaze - much like she'd done to Daniel - and slipped her hands into her jacket pockets. "I'm sorry I just ran out like that. He... he's the someone from my past I was talking about last night."
"Figured." She said bluntly
Regina moved closer to the sheriff and gently took her chin in her hand so Emma was looking at her. "Emma, it's..." Nothing. Completely over. That's what she wanted to say but couldn't while still being honest. "...complicated." She sighed and took a seat next to the blonde.
"You kissed him..." Her voice was sad and broken.
"You saw that?" Regina's brow furrowed and she took Emma's hand in both of her own. "I'm sorry, Emma. He kissed me and I should have pulled away immediately. But we have a complex history." She looked away from the blonde. "Not to mention I was stunned."
Emma pulled her hands away. "I think you're just sorry you were caught." Hopping off the desk she walked to the cell and gripped the bars where their hands were previously. "I saw the way you looked at him."
"That's not true. I am genuinely sorry for hurting you." She watched Emma walk over to the bars, an ache in her chest. "I loved him. For a long, long time. And I never thought I'd see him again. Not like this." She sighed. "Emma, that was Daniel."
Turning, the blonde leaned against the cell. "Daniel? I-I thought he was dead." Fear and worry now coursed through her mind. "You're gonna leave me aren't you?"
"No!" Regina stood quickly and walked over to the sheriff. "I care about you too much to just walk away." Dark eyes scanned the blonde's face. "Dr. Whale brought him back somehow. I just want to help him adjust."
Emma nodded. "Then help him... just don't kiss him again." She placed her hands on Regina's hips and pulled her body against her own. "Because if you do... you'll never get this again." Emma leaned in and kissed the brunette with every ounce of secret love in her soul.
Regina gasped as Emma pulled her close but quickly moved her hands to the sides of the blonde's neck as she kissed her back deeply. Afterwards, she rested her forehead against Emma's. "I won't. I'm so sorry I allowed it to happen."
The sheriff wrapped her arms around Regina and held her. "Me too." Emma was still so afraid she was going to loose the one she loved. She had been abandoned so many times in her life, why would this time be any different?
The rest of the day was an uneasy one, Emma obviously wary of the situation with Daniel and Regina fearing she may end up hurting the blonde, no matter how much she would try not to.
When the sheriff went off to work the next day, the queen left to meet Daniel.