Ahhh, your reviews are so kind and makes it much more fun to write this that I know you're enjoying it! Rating will change to M in the next chapter, so stay tuned. Let me know what you think! (:
"Really?" Regina raised an eyebrow in annoyance at him as they crouched near one of the outbuildings surrounding Zelena's castle, hearing his stomach growl. It was nearing sundown and they hadn't taken the time to hunt or find anything to eat, planning to be out of there as quickly as they came.
"We haven't eaten in 24 hours," His mouth dropped in offense before pouting, making her smirk and roll her eyes before turning her attention back to the castle.
"There doesn't seem to be much movement, not too many servants or guards," She nodded once, studying the entry ways.
David frowned, "But how are we going to get in? We're going to stick out like a sore thumb."
"It's not my fault you choose to dress yourself in Christmas tablecloths," She raised an eyebrow at his colored flannel in disdain.
"It's called holiday spirit, you should try it sometime," He quipped, making a dig at her all black outfit as he glanced her up and down.
"We don't have time for this," She narrowed her eyes in response to him before twirling her hand in an impatient manner, a billow of purple smoke erupting around them.
When the smoke cleared, David took in his surroundings, realizing that she had transported them to the downstairs servant quarters and her magic was indeed back with full force. He found himself in one of Zelena's guard uniforms, instantly reaching up to straighten the weight of the hat on his head.
"What?" He frowned at Regina's toothy grin, seeing her try to contain a laugh.
"You look like an idiot," She chuckled, "But at least you have a sword now," She nodded to the one on his waist and he instantly felt more at ease.
"And what are you supposed to be?" His eyebrows quirked at her plain dress and apron, her hair pulled back in a simple knot at the nape of her neck.
"Why, a loyal handmaiden, of course," She jested with a lift of her skirt and a polite bow, giving life to her new identity.
"Quit yer flouncin' about with the guard and get back to work, girl!" An elderly servant lady with silver hair squawked on her way past in the hall, making Regina and David both jump with the reality of where they were.
"Right, you find the baby while I check Zelena's throne for any magic beans. Whichever one of us is done first will find the other," Regina nodded quietly before starting up the steps, glancing back at David for a moment as if she was trying to decide whether or not to say something else, "Be careful," She added firmly with her hand on the rail before turning to run the rest of the way up, leaving him with a hint of a smile on his face.
Regina watched David make his way down the hall towards the living quarters as she studied the entry way to the great hall where Zelena's throne was. She could tell by the green glow coming from the cracks underneath the doors that it would be where Zelena spent most of her time and probably kept her collection of magic. She made a silver platter with goblets appear in her hands to give her purpose in case anyone saw her as she walked across the hall and to the giant doors. Much to her relief the throne was empty when she slipped in, bustling through the columns of green liquid on her way towards the circus looking arrangement. Mother really did do a number on Zelena. At least Regina's castle had taste.
Finding herself alone she approached the throne, setting the silver tray of wine on the stand beside the chair before quickly starting to rummage through the drawers and boxes. Her heart leapt at her own luck when she pulled a long drawer out, finding a small pouch containing just what she was looking for. Stuffing the pouch of magic beans into the pocket of her apron, she turned quickly to make her way back down the corridor, heartbeat pounding in her ears in hopes that David had found the child easily.
"Regina," She heard his voice call out in barely more than a whisper, seeing him slip through the door as she neared it, a bundled blanket in his arms with a sleeping baby in tow. "Did you find them?" He asked urgently.
"Yes, are you alright?" She checked him over for wounds with a quick sweep of her eyes, noticing his shortness of breath, "Did you get hurt?'
"No, but I can't say the same for the guards outside of her room," He nodded towards Madeline, "We need to go, now."
Regina nodded as they both turned to slip out of the great hall's door before seeing the lock latch slam across it on its own and Zelena's cackle sounded behind them. A sense of dread filled her as Regina glanced at David, but he only looked at her with reassurance in his eyes. He believed in her.
"What's this? Auntie Regina paying a visit?" Zelena's sing-songy voice dripped in sarcasm as she made her way towards them, "I knew you'd come. You just couldn't stay away could you?"
"This is over Zelena, I intend to end it once and for all," Regina growled, stepping in front of David and the baby.
"Oh me too, sis," Her green sister chuckled in disinterest, smirking at the pathetic garb her sister had adorned just to pull off this scheme, "Why do you think I packed our bags and got out of Storybrooke? You and your not-so-soulmate split the sheets and even though it did me good to see you so miserable, it still wasn't enough," Zelena showed her teeth in a vicious smile, stepping up to Regina, "I knew the only way to truly see you suffer was to get you on my turf. And what better way to do that than to bait you with the baby of your great love? I knew you'd try to come and get her. To be the hero and make up for the fact that you'll never be able to give him a babe of his own. Poor, barren Regina," She pulled her lips down into a mocking pout.
Regina rolled her eyes in disgust at how low Zelena would stoop to get a dig at her, though it didn't surprise her. She stood firm in between David and Zelena, letting out a breath of impatience, "Alright, I'm here. What is it that you plan to do now, sister?"
"Well, I have to say though my plans for you to suffer the rest of your life in a miserable existence were creative, they weren't as good as this," She nodded towards the brunette's outfit with a grin, "Perhaps I will turn you into my personal handmaiden? Better yet, slave."
She scoffed, raising an eyebrow as she matched her sister's wicked grin to hide any unease she was feeling about how she'd get the three of them out of there, "And just how do you think you'll manage to make me do anything?"
"Because I know you're helpless," Zelena's grin widened, a wicked sparkle in her eyes proving just how much she thought she'd already won, "Poor little pumpkin was rather hurt, but he made it back in time to tell me just how your magic is failing you in my land," She smirked, nodding towards the winged beast that had attacked them earlier in the morning, perched in one of the window sills of the hall.
Regina glanced back at David with the revelation that Zelena thought she was still without magic, and although both of them remained stoic, she could see the hint of a smile gleam in his eyes. Knowing they'd found their way out, she turned back to her sister and took a step backwards towards David as he drew his sword with his free hand, as if it was their only means of protection, "You don't have to do this, we can work something out," She managed a pleading tone that her sister delighted in.
"Oh, but I do, and while I only planned to keep you here in Oz, I suppose he'll be fun to play with, too," She cackled before lifting her hands that instantly radiated green, hurling a bolt of magic containing a spell that Regina instantly recognized as it made its way towards she and David. She counteracted it when it made impact on David first, summoning her own magic as her palms glowed purplish blue and deflected the stream back towards a very surprised Zelena.
"You bitch!" She cried out when the magic struck her, the combination of her own powerful magic with Regina's counteraction deeming her unable to strike back. Instead she vibrated as it radiated through her and the curse took hold, leaving her rigid, "I'll get you back for this!" She screamed with wide eyes at Regina.
"Good luck trying," Regina smirked before waving a hand and transporting them yet again, leaving behind only a cloud of purple smoke in front of a helpless Zelena.
"Did we actually do it?" David laughed in relief when they reappeared in a field similar to the one they arrived in and back in their own clothes, looking at Regina who matched his wide-eyed stare, "How did you manage that? What the hell happened? You always said you weren't powerful enough to take her."
"I'm not," Regina smiled, catching her breath as she glanced down at the baby still tucked away in his arms, whimpering now that the noise had woken her, "She threw a containment spell at us, one that would've cursed us to Oz and killed us if we tried to leave. Luckily my magic was powerful enough to reverse it onto her. The combination of both of our magic's is equal to that of which our mother wielded, and neither Zelena nor I are capable of breaking that on our own."
David stared at her in awe as she took the baby from his arms to quiet it. He'd never seen her with an infant and she was a natural, whispering warm coos as she soothed the child against her shoulder. "Will she be coming after us?" He asked after processing for a moment, glancing back to Regina's face.
"Not exactly. I added my own twist when I reversed it on her," She nodded, swaying with Madeline who was quickly settling again, "She's not only contained to Oz like she'd intended for us, she's contained to her own castle." Regina couldn't help but smirk and David smiled at the hint of evil in her grin as he realized he found it rather sexy when it wasn't directed at him. "And now we have something we need to do before we open the portal," She nodded over his shoulder and he turned to find a pond not far from them.
"Get a drink?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Something like that," She pressed her lips into a thin line and began leading them across the field.
"Wait, is this The Truth Pond?" He eyed her suspiciously as he followed, remembering what he had read about this particular body of water in Oz, "The one that you wash in to rid yourself of enchantments? But always makes you tell the truth after?"
"Mhm," She glanced his way, "Zelena's magic touched you first before I could deflect it, we need to make sure you're free of it before we open the portal and try to pass." She noted his hesitancy when they approached the edge of the pond, seeing his eyes shift as he mulled something over silently.
"What are you waiting for? You could die if you don't, David," Regina raised an eyebrow, "If you think I'm scared of hearing whatever you really think about me, I'm not. Trust me I've had people say and do much worse to me than anything you could come up with, Charming," She scoffed, though she wasn't sure the statement was entirely true. The way he had been standing up for her lately had softened her towards him, and she wasn't sure how well she could take hearing the awful things he had to think about her deep down.
He eyed her slightly surprised that she would still believe he harbored ill feelings after everything they'd been through. David didn't realize how skewed her self-worth actually was that she would expect him to still hold her past over her despite everything she'd done for him since. She swaddled the sleeping baby tighter and laid her down in the grass before grabbing his arm, "Come on, let's get this over with. I'm ready to get the hell out of Oz," She pulled him towards the water, making him more uneasy with each step. He knew he didn't hold any resentment for Regina and wouldn't be nasty to her once he washed in the Truth Pond, but he also didn't know what he would say.
"Go on," She motioned towards the water, crossing her arms when she brought him to the very edge. "I can take it, Nolan," She rolled her eyes at his last minute hesitation, steeling her emotions for whatever was about to come as he ducked down and began washing his face and hands in the magical waters of the pond. She bit her lip as her nerves got the best of her at the last minute, turning to start walking towards Madeline and away from him. She'd intended to stand there firmly and take whatever he had to say, but she couldn't face the initial look of disgust she was bound to see on his face when he stood back up.
David washed his face and hands thoroughly, seeing a green tint appear in the moonlight over the water and recede from him as the remnants of the spell dissolved. He heard her walking away as he stood, drying his face and hands on his flannel shirt as he tried to make sense of what he was feeling. It was a combination of urgency and desire and something else he couldn't quite put his finger on.
"Regina," She felt her stomach drop at the way he said her name. His tone was dangerously low and his voice nearly faltered on the syllables. Hearing him stalking through the grass towards made her spin around, heart thumping faster at the determined look on his face. She swallowed her emotions, preparing herself to hear what an awful, evil person he thought she was and how she had ruined his life.
She tensed as he grabbed her face with both hands, looking up at him with wide and fearful eyes when he tilted her head towards his. "I think you're the most captivating woman I've ever met," The words came out of him as if drawn by a magnetic force to her and despite the fact that it was because of the pond's magic, he knew it was true.
He watched the surprise register in her eyes as her lips parted slightly and he used it to his advantage, pressing his lips to hers and making her gasp at the passion behind them. She stiffened in surprise before relaxing her mouth as he held her face to his, David only pulling back enough to tilt his head the other way and kiss her with more force. He delighted in the soft moan that reverberated in her throat when she opened her plump lips to the kiss and allowed him to taste her tongue.
She broke the intimate contact after a few moments, leaving them both standing breathless as she stared up at him. Her throat moved but nothing came out as they looked at each other, trying to read what the other was feeling. David stood before in honesty, no hint of regret to his expression as he allowed her to try to make sense of what had just happened. It was only when she spoke did his expression change into something she couldn't read.
"We should get back home," She said shakily, taking a step back as she pulled the magic bean from her pocket and turned to scoop up the sleeping child.
David only nodded, biting his lips as he held his hands behind his back and watched her throw the magic bean into the air and spark its magic. "After you," He said, moving one hand towards the portal when it opened and she looked at him. There was no malice in his tone, nor any regret. What in the hell was going on with them? She swallowed, stealing a last glance at him with the knowledge that whatever it was, wasn't going to be any easier in Storybrooke.