Wow, I wasn't expecting the follows, favorites and reviews. Thank you! Hopefully I'll be able to keep up whatever it is that you're liking so far. Be sure to review and let me know what you think; it certainly helps! Now for some typical Evil Charming snark...
"This really wasn't necessary, Charming," Regina mustered her most condescending tone after he rounded his truck and got in the driver's seat, "I'm fine, I could've found my own way home." She'd be damned if she even hint at the fact that he'd just saved her from making yet another mistake when it came to Robin, oblivious to the fact that David had already read that from her expression in the diner just moments ago. She had to say she was rather satisfied with the way her soulmate's features twisted as he eyed her walking out on the arm of another man. Though she was sure it was only a fraction as hurtful as him jumping into bed with another woman weeks after claiming he loved her. The bastard.
"Are you sure, Madam Mayor?" David raised an eyebrow skeptically as she missed the receiving end of the seat belt buckle not once, not twice, but three times before he reached out to help her connect it, "Because I'm pretty sure even Neal could do a better job at strapping himself in." He'd never seen her be anything but stealthy and graceful and he had to admit that it was rather amusing seeing the Mayor with disheveled hair and clumsy hands.
Her lips parted in offense before she pressed them into a thin line, "You're lucky I'm in a good mood, Nolan."
"This is a good mood?" He scoffed a little, smirking to himself as he put his own belt on and shifted his truck into gear. No one had said a cross word to him in months and it was refreshing to have someone treat him like he wasn't made of glass for once.
Regina turned her head to give him a glare but he wasn't looking at her, instead focusing on the road, "I think you missed a pothole back there, should we turn around and hit it too?" She sniped dramatically when he hit a bump in the road. If she were sober she probably wouldn't be so crass with him given the last year, but she was hammered and right now he was getting on her damn nerves.
"What's the matter? Can the Evil Queen not handle her own poison?" David egged her on with reference to her past, not knowing why it gave him a little thrill to see her snarl her scarred lip or flash those feisty eyes at him...It always had. In the past it had been fun to get under her skin because he hated her so much. Now he guess he quite liked Regina, but it still gave him a rush. He'd chalk it up to the saying 'old habits die hard' for now.
He knew the liquor had to of been getting to her with the amount of empty glasses he had seen on their table. Who would've thought Regina and Emma would go from enemies to drinking buddies? Though, he was glad Emma had someone to talk to, a pang of guilt running through him at the realization that he probably wasn't the best listener lately. Emma had been through so much while he had been blinded by the pain of losing his wife, and even if she had talked to him about her time as the Dark One or her issues with Killian, he wasn't sure he'd have understood or been able to give her advice. Not like Regina had, and for that he was grateful to her.
"If your dwarves weren't hopeless at their jobs we wouldn't have potholes the size of Swan's bug. Besides, I'd be fine if I weren't subjected to this beastly monstrosity you call a vehicle," She threw up her hands in an exaggerated movement at the truck surrounding her, as if it were the most revolting thing she'd ever stepped foot in, "My horse drawn carriage road smoother," She added, disdain dripping from every syllable.
He glanced at her, letting out a chuckle at the glimpse of the Evil Queen rearing her head. It used to irritate him when he'd see those qualities in her, but what was the point now? Their history in the Enchanted Forest seemed like a lifetime ago. Hell, it practically was at this point. Regina was no longer the Evil Queen, but the spunk and sass were definitely a part of her that he'd come to accept and even appreciate at times. "Hey now, I love my truck…but I have to admit, nothing beats riding horses."
"Hmm," Regina let out a contented smile, her attitude shifting instantly at the thought of her horses and time spent riding during her adolescence. It was the only time she'd ever truly been happy or felt calm, until her mother squelched that too, of course, "You probably miss life back then, don't you?" She turned her head to watch him drive, resting it on the palm of her opened hand, elbow propped up on passenger door. He looked tired and a few years older than he had just six months ago, reminding her of the toll grief took on her own appearance after Daniel's death and her marriage to the king. She'd spent hours simply staring at the mirror in her royal bedchamber, studying her gaunt reflection with no traces left of the carefree 18 year old she'd been before.
"Some of it," He nodded, his expression becoming harder to read than it usually was for her, "What about you? You miss anything about it?" He gave her a glance casually before looking back to the road as he slowed the truck in order to make a right onto her street. He didn't know much about her life, only bits and pieces he'd gathered from Snow and Emma. Though he doubted she missed her reign, he wondered if she was happy before her marriage or the death of Daniel. Had she ever experienced true contentment? He'd never thought about it before.
"Some of it," She replied with his own words, the meaning behind them lingering silently and mutually understood. They'd been different people in the Enchanted Forest, a thousand things had happened since, and now both of them had lost love. There was too much to say when it came to their past lives, too many painful parallels to mention. "Though I can't say I regret casting the curse, or our time here in Storybrooke. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have adopted Henry."
"Hm," An understanding half smile graced David's lips as he pulls up in front of her house, glancing down at his lap, "I wouldn't have Neal."
Regina nodded, reaching a hand out before she realized what she was doing and squeezing the larger one rested on his knee, "Thanks for the ride, David." God, was she really being overly nice to him of all people? All of those evenings building up her alcohol tolerance in her Evil Queen days were really failing her now. A couple shots of Granny's honey whiskey and she'd gone soft.
David glanced up at her when her hand made contact with his, seeing the surprise register in her own eyes that she would be so openly warm with him. She really was drunk, he mused. Sure, they'd come to work together and share family in recent years, but they'd always kept up their distant dynamic of dislike and snarky remarks for the most part. Alas, much had changed over past months and things had shifted for everyone. He had lost Snow, and that was a heartbreak that Regina understood all too well. He recognized the sentiment behind the gesture Regina had just made and he appreciated it. She acknowledged his heartache in her own Regina-like way and for a moment he saw his own loneliness reflected in her eyes.
"Anytime, Regina." He gave a small smile that she returned for a brief moment, her hand finding the door handle before sliding out of his truck. He watched her make her way up the brick path without looking back, swaying a little on her heels as she fumbled the keys out of her pocket and disappeared into her large, empty home.
Yes, David had suffered through the well intended but irritating sympathy stares and the generic 'how are you doing?'s for months now. Though, for the first time he felt someone had not only meaningfully acknowledged his pain, but proved to him that they truly understood it…With one simple squeeze of a hand.
"You're up!" Henry exclaimed, startling Regina from her fragile station beside the counter that was home to the coffee pot.
She held her mug with both hands, squinting her eyes that had not yet come to appreciate the sunlight streaming into her kitchen thanks to last night's activities, "You're up?" She stated more so than asked, "You're never home this early from Emma's on a Saturday."
"Yeah, but I thought you may need this," Henry grinned, setting the breakfast croissant on the island counter, "Killian had to go get mom waffles from Granny's and judging from her state...we thought it best to grab you something, too."
Regina couldn't help but chuckle, a bemused smile coming to her lips as she shook her head at her son who was too smart for his own good. When had he grown up so much? She had to admit that him looking after her like this made her feel good, despite how terribly inappropriate her son bringing her hangover food was. "Thank you, Henry."
"So, what are your plans for the day?" He asked, sitting down on the stool near the counter and reaching to pull a new comic book out of his bag, giving Regina an innocent smile when she perked her eyebrow knowingly. He'd already spent his weekly allowance on one Marvel alone.
"Probably just some paperwork I didn't get finished this week," She sighed, setting her empty mug down in the sink before running a hand over her aching forehead and messy bed hair, "And giving you an advance on next week's allowance when you want to go to the arcade later, no doubt," She added, rolling her eyes playfully.
"You're not going to Roland's birthday party?" Henry asked her and she internally cursed. Shit. She closed her eyes for a brief moment before letting out a sigh.
"That is today, isn't it?" She muttered as she drummed her fingernails on the counter top, averting her eyes while troubling her bottom lip with her teeth. She couldn't bear the thought of not going and hurting Roland's feelings by it. He'd been so excited when he appeared on her doorstep a couple months ago with a handmade invitation to his party at Granny's. Besides, she knew with the arrival of his new baby sister Roland had been through quite the transition, and he deserved all of the attention to be directed at him for one day. Surely she and Robin could handle a couple of hours together at Granny's without making too much of a show. Plus they'd be in public, so there was reassurance that she wouldn't find herself pinned against the wall of a foyer in a heated lapse of judgement that she'd hate herself for later.
"I can go and take him the present from us, Mom," Henry looked at her knowingly after watching her debating it in her own head, "Roland will understand someday, honestly."
"I appreciate that Henry," She gave him a tight smile, leaning her hands on the counter, "But Storybrooke is small, and there are going to be times like this that Robin and I will be around each other and it's just something we'll have to get used to."
Her son gave her an empathetic nod, "Don't worry, Mom. I'll be there with you." He replied and Regina's heart swelled at the earnest look on his face and protective tone to his voice. She swallowed the lump in her throat before smiling again through slightly glossier eyes, running a hand over his hair as she rounded the counter and pressed a kiss to his head on her way out of the kitchen.