These chapters will most likely continue to be shorter than usual for my stories, but it's meant to be light and fun - both for you to read and for me to write - and I'll most likely be publishing close to daily until it's complete. Thanks to all who followed/favorited/reviewed! Writing this is too much fun!

Holiday Spirit

Chapter 2

Regina blinked at David, temporarily losing the ability to speak. "I…You…You think I did this?"

"Well, what else would explain it? You're the one with magic, and it would be just like you to play some nasty prank like this."

"Yes, because if this were some kind of childish prank, I would immediately go for making you believe we shared children. Actually…" she tapped her chin, smirking a bit "that could be quite an amusing prank. But I didn't," she said, sobering immediately at the situation they'd been thrown into.

"It had to have been you. You magicked those poor children into thinking we were their parents, but it's not funny Regina. Fix this."

"I didn't do anything!" She spat at him. "This isn't me. I don't disagree with you that this has magic written all over it, but I had nothing to do with it. Maybe Rumpelstiltskin…" she mused, staring off into the distance. "No, even he wouldn't go this far."

"Well then, who do you think would, because somebody did it, and they need to undo it now."

"I don't know. I need to think," she sighed, drawing her knees up and resting her elbows on them as she ran her hands through her hair. "Whoever they are, they had to have been powerful, because these children are our children."

"What do you mean? Of course they're not," David said, sounding completely disgusted. "I never…I would never…"

"That's not what I meant," Regina snapped. "But thank you for that. No…what I meant was that these children aren't from Storybrooke. I know everyone who lives in this town. They were created to be our children. The older girl – she looks just like me, and surely you noticed Oliver's resemblance to you."

"Honestly, I wasn't paying much attention to what they looked like. I was a little more caught up in the fact that I woke up in this house – in bed next to you."

"Yes, I can see how that might distract you."

David ignored the snarky comment and sat heavily on the edge of the bed, earning him a glare from Regina as it bounced. "So what do we do to change it back?"

"I don't even know what spell was used…coming up with a solution without knowing the problem would be virtually impossible." She pressed a palm to her forehead as she thought, but then she shook her head. "There's nothing. We're going to have to figure out who did this or what spell they used if we have any hope of reversing it."

"So we're stuck with it?"

"For now…yes."

"No," he said simply, casually standing back up. "No. I'm not doing it." He said it calmly. "I'm going home to Snow, and when you have a way of putting things back, let me know. The sooner the better. I don't think people would be very receptive to even the idea that I shared children with the Evil Queen."

He felt a wave of guilt wash over him at the fleeting expression of hurt that crossed her face when he used the title, but he swallowed it back. There was too much happening, and he still felt his head swimming. What about Snow? How was she going to react when he tried to explain what had happened? He was trying desperately to catch up, and he didn't think he could deal with Regina at the same time. After Neverland, he couldn't exactly label them as strictly enemies anymore, but they were nothing near friends.

Just as soon as the expression had appeared, however, it was gone, and Regina's mask slipped back into place. "You can't ignore this, David. Those kids think we're their parents – in a way…we are."

"They're not real." he said irritably.

"As long as they're here, they're as real as you and I."

"But they'll disappear as soon as this goes away, won't they? So none of this will matter. They won't remember any of it, because they won't exist anymore."

Regina looked at him incredulously. "They'll remember until then. They're children, David. They won't understand. Oh, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to hear this coming from the man who sent his daughter away after she was born." She winced, knowing she'd gone too far and regretting the words instantly, but she still didn't take them back. It was habit.

David clamped a hand over his mouth and pulled it down roughly scrubbing it across his chin and sighing as he finally dropped it back to his side. "You're right," he said, surprising her. "I just…I don't know what to do with this."

Regina leaned back against the headboard. "And you think I do?"

David shook his head. "I'm sorry." Though he still sounded frustrated, his words were sincere. "It wouldn't be fair to leave you alone with this mess. I'm not going to ignore it – I'll help you get to the bottom of this."

"Thank you," Regina said quietly. She looked up at him. "It doesn't seem possible at all, though, does it?"

"Which part?" His expression finally softened. "The children, this situation, or how we're going to deal with it?"

"All of it," she chuckled. "I mean…what could possibly have done this? Who? Why?"

Those were the same questions running through his head, and he kept eye contact with her as they tried to think of something that would bring some sort of sense to it all.

They were startled out of the wordless exchange when the door suddenly burst open to reveal a breathless teenager.

It took a moment, but Regina suddenly gasped. "Henry…" she breathed. "Is that you?"

The grown teenager that was supposed to be her little boy nodded his head and then glanced up, catching sight of David for the first time. He did a double take when he saw the odd pair and the panic already written into his expression intensified.

"Mom…I think I did something bad."