April 22nd 2013
The blonde woman turned toward her son. "Where did Regina go?"
Henry frowned. "I don't know."
Before they could reply, the brunette hurried them along. "I need to wake Charming. He is trapped in that world! Come on, this way." She pointed in the general direction of Main Street and started running. When she realized that her daughter and grandson were not following, she turned around and motioned for them to follow her. "Henry, Emma, come on."
Henry started after his grandmother. But Emma turned around to look at the spot where Regina had been only a few seconds ago. The former Evil Queen and Mayor of Storybrooke had not looked well and Emma could not shake the feeling that something was very wrong. She jogged toward her mother. "Mary Margaret, we should check on Regina. Whatever she did to save us took its toll."
Mary Margaret looked at her daughter admirably. Even after everything Regina had put her through, she was still concerned for her well-being. "We can after we rescue David."
Emma did not argue further and followed her mother and son. They arrived at the edge of the small town and Henry pointed toward Mr Gold's shop. The feeling of dread settled one more time in Emma's stomach. She remembered the way he had looked at Regina as they were coming out of the well. She had seen that look before on the face of one of her foster mothers after her husband had been diagnosed with cancer and given six months to live. They had been one of the nicest foster families she had lived with but after the diagnosis, they had decided to put her back into the system. Emma was once again shaken out of her thoughts by Mary Margaret, who was tugging at her sleeve. She followed the woman inside the shop, where her father was lying. If she hadn't known any better, she would have thought him dead.
Mary Margaret kneeled by the bed and cupped her husband's cheeks with both her hands. Emma watched as her childhood fairy tale came to life. Snow White and Prince Charming. Her parents. When Henry had come to her a year ago, she had not expected her life to be turned completely upside down. But here she was, watching Snow White kissing her True Love to wake him from a sleeping curse.
Snow frowned. The rush of magic she had expected never came. She could feel the sleeping cursing pulling at the magic between them. She kissed him with renewed fervor and, finally, the spell broke. David flicked his eyes open and gulped as much as air as he could. He sat up and looked around him, astounded. "What… What happened?" His gaze focused on his family and he smiled. "It worked."
Snow smiled at her husband and leaned toward him to steal a kiss. She felt him tense at her touch and the kiss lacked the intensity she remembered. She pulled back slightly surprised. David averted her eyes and settled his gaze over his grandson. "It worked…"
Henry smiled. "You found her! Like you always do in the book."
David smiled at Henry. "Except this time I had a lot of help." He frowned and looked around the room. "Where is Regina?"
Henry walked excitedly toward him. "She saved them. She saved both of them!" He was grinning from ear to ear.
David smiled at the boy fondly. He knew his relationship with Regina was far from mended but she had truly tried to be better for her son. And he was glad that Henry had noticed her efforts. "Remember I asked your mom to use magic. She made the sleeping curse for me."
"I know. But she absorbed the trap to let mom and Mary-Margaret through!"
David frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Mr. Gold cleared his throat. He had been standing in the doorway for a few minutes, watching the Prince's reaction to True Love's kiss with interest. "I'm afraid Regina is not as redeemed as you thought she was."
David seethed. "Stop with the riddles, Gold. Where is Regina?"
The man limped toward the bed. Snow settled besides him, hugging her husband around the waist. But the man turned away to face the imp. Gold smiled. Something had definitely changed between the Prince and Princess. And this was a weakness he was sure he could exploit somehow. "See, there is something about Regina that will never change. She will always choose herself over others. Including her son."
Henry's eyes filled with tears. David put a reassuring hand over his shoulder. "You and I both know that's not true."
The man giggled. "Really?" He started pacing in front of the couple on the bed. "When faced with the threat of her mother, Regina helped me cast the spell over the well."
Henry screamed at the shop owner. "But I convinced her to stop it and she did!" Tears were flowing freely down his cheeks. "She absorbed the curse and she let them through. She believed me!"
David freed himself from his wife's embrace and kneeled in front of his grandson. "It's ok Henry. Your mother helped all of us today." His heart was beating faster. He did not like the sound of her absorbing a deadly spell. "Do you know where she is?"
Henry shook his head. Emma watched the imp closely. She was certain he knew where Regina was and that feeling of dread at the pit of her stomach intensified. They needed to talk to Gold but she also wanted Henry out of the room. She locked eyes with her mother. The weeks spent surviving in the Enchanted Forest had forged a deep connection between the two women and Snow understood her daughter's silent plea.
Snow walked toward Henry. "Your mother still has a lot of good in her. But sometimes we need someone to help us remember that. That's what you did today. You reminded her that she can be good." She knew Henry was a human lie detector much like his mother and this was the most truthful statement she could come up with regarding her former stepmother. It seemed to calm Henry. She wiped the tears away and took his hand. "How about I take you to Granny while your mom and David go find Regina so we can all celebrate?"
Henry smiled. He wanted his family together and over the past few months he had learned that his family included his adoptive mother. He reluctantly nodded as he sensed that the adults were hiding something from him. "Ok."
Snow gave him a small smile. She raised her head and locked eyes with her husband. She could see the fear reflected there and she wondered not for the last time today when he had started caring for the Evil Queen. Silently, she took Henry's hand and they exited the shop.
As soon as he was convinced that Henry was out of earshot, David launched himself at Gold and pinned him against the nearest wall. His hands were fisted around the man jacket, holding him up. He shook the imp with every word. "Where. IS. REGINA?"
David was screaming now. Emma had never seen him act like this before. But again, this man wasn't exactly the David she had gotten to know during her year in Storybrooke. Snow and Mary-Margaret turned out to be very different. Yet, she couldn't reconcile the image in front of her with the Disney prince. She placed a hand on his forearm. "Let him down. He can't answer if you're strangling him."
David looked at her. "You don't know who he is." He turned his attention back to the Dark One. He reluctantly let go of him. "And lose the limp. You're not fooling anyone."
David walked a few paces away as the man straightened his jacket. "I don't know where Regina is. But she couldn't have survived the curse. So wherever she might be, be assured that the Evil Queen is taking her last breath." He turned to Emma. "You'll have Henry all to yourself, dearie."
David clenched his fists, struggling to control his anger. Emma approached her father carefully, ignoring the other man. "We need to find her. We should check her home. She looked sick when she left the well, this is the first place she would have gone."
David was not so sure but it was a place to start. He nodded. "I'm parked in the back."
They ran out of Gold's shop, rushing toward the truck. Emma caught David's arm. "You're in no shape to drive. Let me and try to call her."
David was about to argue but the thought of being able to talk to her stopped him. He had completely forgotten about his cell phone. He climbed in the passenger seat while dialing Regina. "Please Regina…. please... pick up."
Emma started the truck and headed toward the mayor's mansion. David let the phone ring to voicemail before hanging up. He redialed immediately. This time, Regina picked up on the fifth ring. "David?..."
Her voice was weak and her breathing labored. David turned toward his daughter and mouthed 'faster'. Emma floored the gas pedal. David turned his attention back to Regina on the phone. "Regina, you need to tell me where you are." No response. David waited an instant before talking again. "Emma and I are coming to your house. Regina? Regina, are you there?"
Her voice was not louder than a whisper. "yes…"
"We are coming to help you. But you need to hang on. Everything will be ok."
David kept talking into the phone until Emma screeched to a halt in front of the white mansion. They jumped out of the car and ran inside. "Regina?"
ECECEC
January 28th 2013
Regina sipped on her wine, watching the man sitting across the table from her. Her curse was about to break. She knew there wasn't much she could do to prevent it from happening. But tonight she would make sure that she would have her revenge against Snow White. She had thought that keeping her Charming in a coma was vengeance enough. But even without their memories, they had managed to find each other … again. Her grip on her wine glass tightened. Tonight she would make sure that Snow would not get her happy ending. Her stomach twisted in excitement mixed with apprehension. She put her glass down and smiled at her guest. "How did you like it?"
David dabbed his mouth with his napkin before answering the gorgeous woman who had invited him for dinner. "Best lasagna I ever had." David threw his napkin down. "You really know how to work some magic." Regina smiled inwardly. After all, she had almost three decades to perfect the dish. He was just lucky he did not get to try the earliest concoctions. David smiled and stood, picking up the plates. "Here. Let me do the dishes."
Regina tried to stop him. She had other plans for tonight. "Oh, no! David!"
"No, no, no, no. It's the least I can do."
Regina chuckled. "You saved me from having to call the tow truck today and now you're doing my dishes. It doesn't seem right." Even without his memories, he had to be charming.
David walked toward the kitchen with the dishes. "Please. The last couple of weeks haven't exactly been easy for me, and you've been there the whole time."
Regina followed him to the kitchen, glass in hand. She would need all the wine she could drink to get through her plan tonight. "Well, I can't help it. I feel responsible for you, ever since I … found you."
David ran the hot water over the soiled plates. "You know after all this time, no one's ever told me the story."
"What story?" She answered in a seductive voice, cocking her head to the side.
"About how you found me."
She smiled. She had rehearsed her story this afternoon. One she hoped would bring out the tender and romantic side of her guest. " That's probably because I'm the only one who knows it." Regina chuckled at the inside joke. She was the only one who knew all of their stories. "I was working late. It … It was a cold night. Must've been ten below. And on my drive home, I realized I left my phone at the office. I remember thinking just to forget about it and I didn't really need it. But … something inside me told me to turn around and go back."
He crossed his strong arms across his chest. "And that's where you found me?"
"You were on the side of the road, unconscious… so cold, you felt like ice. The doctor said if I found you ten minutes later, it would've been too late." David averted his eyes and sighted. Regina continued with her thoughts. "It's amazing, isn't it? If I hadn't forgotten my phone, I wouldn't have been on the road at that time."
Her chocolate brown eyes settled on him. He hesitated an instant before answering. "Yeah… it's almost… almost like the universe wanted you to find me." He raised his head to look at her.
The intensity of his blue eyes twisted her stomach. If she wanted her plan to succeed, she needed to act now. She slowly approached him, tilting her head toward his lips.
David pulled back. He really wanted to kiss her, to feel the softness of her lips on his own. But the situation with Kathryn and Mary Margaret was complicated enough without bringing Regina into it. It would not be fair to her. It already was not fair to any of them. "Uh… I'm sorry. I… I hope you didn't get the wrong idea."
Regina looked disappointed. However, deep inside she could feel a tinge of relief that she would not have to go through with her plan after all. "No, I'm sorry. I just got caught up in the moment."
David left the kitchen, Regina hot on his heels. He put his jacket on and turned one more time to face her. "Thanks again for dinner."
She gave him a soft smile as he left her home. She turned around to face the mirror, holding back the tears. Why was she so unlovable?
David took three steps outside before turning back toward the door of the mayor's home. Before he could talk himself out of it, he ran back inside, capturing the woman's mouth into a deep and hungry kiss. Despite having a wife and an undefined relationship with Mary Margaret, he had not had sex since he had woken up from his coma. The divine taste of her mouth on his made his desire grow rapidly.
Regina gasped but tried her best to relax into the kiss. She swirled her tongue in rhythm with his and moaned, encouraging him further. She was pressed firmly against him and she tried to suppress the shudders when she felt his hard member. There was no going back from this. Her plans had worked and she now had to see it through.
They parted for air. David leaned his forehead against hers, rubbing her cheek with the back of his fingers. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"Being weak." He kissed her again, literally taking her breath away.
David moved his hands down her sides and rubbed her core through the fabric of her dress. Regina tried not to flinch at his touch and moaned softly, hoping that he would take it as a sign to continue.
The man was completely lost in the kiss and he failed to notice the way her body tensed at his touch. He kept his movements steady and started kissing down her jaw. He sucked gently at the skin above her pulse point. Regina wrapped her arms around him and silently prayed for him to be gentle. She whispered. "Upstairs."
The man nodded and swiped her off her feet. She gasped in surprise and forced herself to smile. She needed him to believe she enjoyed this. She had had a lot of practice over the years of her marriage with Leopold. But it had been a long time and his kisses reminded her of the pain that was about to follow. She took comfort in the knowledge that her sacrifice would bring the end of Snow White's happiness.
Regina directed her lover to her bedroom. David delicately laid her down on the bed, admiring her perfect body. He sat down next to her and gently removed her shoes. She smiled at him and tried to relax. He was showing her tenderness and care she had never experienced before. She let herself hope that it would not be as bad as she remembered. He traced his fingertips over her tights-covered legs, eliciting shivers throughout her body. She sat up and pulled him into a kiss. He moved his hand over her back and slowly unzipped her dress. She tensed slightly when his hands made contact with her bare skin. He broke the kiss and looked at her. "Regina?"
She was trembling slightly in fear but she needed him to believe it was in anticipation. "It's …" She swallowed hard. "It's been a long time."
He smiled at her tenderly. "For both of us then."
He captured her lips into a searing kiss. He slid the dress off her body and let it fall to the floor. He then unclasped her bra and let it join the other piece of garment near the bed. He kissed down her neck toward her breast. He flicked his tongue across her nipple, encouraged by the feeling of the hardening bud against his lips. He gently sucked and nipped at her skin, alternating between breast.
Regina stopped breathing. She was thankful he could not see the fear in her eyes. She closed them and tried to imagine the look of despair on Snow's face once she would tell her stepdaughter how her prince had ravaged her body. Although that thought gave her the strength to continue, she needed to get this over with. She moved her hands up David's torso and slid his shirt off his shoulders. David stopped playing with her breasts long enough for her to remove his t-shirt. She smiled at the sight of his muscled stomach and ran her fingertips over his chest, biting her lower lip. David smiled at the mayor. "Enjoying what you see?"
Regina snapped her head to meet his eyes and nodded, hoping that her fear was not showing. "Yes."
David kissed her again, pushing her down on the bed. Regina tried her best to relax and moved her hips against him. David caressed her sides until he reached the hem of her tights. He broke the kiss and smiled naughtily as he slid both tights and panties off her body. Regina gave him what she hoped was a teasing smile. He kissed her ankles all the way up to her thighs. Regina could not suppress the shivers of pleasure running through her. Her body had always enjoyed the teasing but her mind was already preparing her for the pain.
David shifted and removed his pants and boxers. She almost cried out at the sight of his hard member. He was much bigger than the King and she did not want to think about what was about to happen.
David gently lowered himself onto his lover, rubbing her clit with his member. Regina writhed beneath him, feeling the wetness albeit still very dry starting to emanate. He positioned himself at her entrance and slowly pushed inside her. Regina closed her eyes tightly and fisted the sheets. David paused when he felt her dryness. "Regina, are you sure?"
Regina held back the tears and nodded. "Yes." She wrapped her legs around him, inviting him deeper. David pushed all the way into her and started thrusting gently. She turned her head to the side, burying it into the pillows. She started counting in her head, hoping that he would finish soon. She tried to keep the image of her former husband from invading her mind. David was not hurting her the way the King always had. He was careful and considerate but she could not seem to relax. She was paralyzed by fear even after all these years and she did not seem able to enjoy the friction David provided on her clit.
Once in awhile, she moaned out to urge him on. David tried to look at her face but she kept it hidden from him. She was wetter than when they had started but he could not tell whether she enjoyed their love making. He brought his lips to her neck and hummed against her pulse point. He kissed her softly and felt her relax into his gentle caresses. He thrusted a few more times to his climax, releasing himself inside her.
Regina squeezed her eyes shut when she felt his seed filling her. Finally, she had won. Snow White would never see her husband the same way. David pulled out of her gently and laid on his side next to her. He caressed her cheeks, worried that he had hurt her. "Regina?"
She took a deep breath and answered without looking at him. "Get out!"
David raised himself up to try to look at her. "Are you ok? Did I hurt you?"
She was on the verge of breaking down. She just wanted him out. She sat up abruptly and pushed him off the bed. "I said, get out! Get out! Get out!"
David did not know what else to do but acquiesce to her demand. He scrambled to his feet and dressed hurriedly. He open his mouth one more time to speak but no words seem to be able to pass his lips. Silently, he left her bedroom.
As soon as she heard the front door close, Regina curled on the bed and cried. She felt dirty and used even though she was the one who had seduced him. She was sore but nothing compared to the pain she had felt each night she had to share the King's bed. Most of all, she cried for the hold he still had on her. She could not enjoy being touched. She had not been able to enjoy any of David's gentle kisses and caresses. Much as she had done on her wedding night, she cried for her lost innocence.
Regina did not know how long she had stayed in a fetal position on her bed. But the sudden desire to feel clean again coerced her to the bathroom. She sat under the hottest shower she could bear for over an hour, soothing the aches in her body. But the scorching water did nothing to clean her soul.