Sorry for the wait everyone, busy busy couple of days with family. Here's more angst, surely you're tired of all the merriment by now ;) thank you for the reviews and keep them coming! xoxo
Emma led the way, much to Hook's chagrin, as they walked down the alley near Granny's. It was late morning and they'd already taken the time to have breakfast with David and talk to him some more about the way things were currently. Emma could tell her father was having trouble processing so much information, let alone having it actually sink in. He seemed to be operating in a constant state of confusion, functioning only for his sense of duty to take care of the son he'd never met.
"You think any of that about he and Regina sunk in this morning?" Killian asked as they wandered around the empty alley, looking for any signs of what had happened there.
Emma frowned, sighing as she scanned their surroundings, "Who knows? I mean he barely has a grip of what year he's in, let alone his current relationship status. I'm hoping we can fix this before we have to do much more explaining."
"Ye think it was a good idea to let him go to Regina's by himself to get Neal?" Killian questioned, his brow raising skeptically as he knelt to look at the tracks in the road. They looked too small to be David's, but who knows who'd been through here since the night before.
She let out a groan and an eye roll, throwing him a glance that he answered with a mockingly innocent expression, "I called Regina this morning. Told her we planned to check out the scene today," Emma explained as she rounded the corner behind Granny's, "I convinced her to stay home and do some research on spells and magic that could've caused this. I told her Dad would be coming for Neal and I offered to come with him, but she said she'd rather it just be him."
She gave a shrug, understanding Regina's need for privacy in this situation. She was undoubtedly feeling vulnerable and not wanting anyone else to witness the current state of things between she and David. Emma knew that the scene in the diner had humiliated Regina, even though it shouldn't have. It wasn't her fault, or David's, but for that to unfold in front of the whole town had to be embarrassing for such a private person as her friend.
Killian nodded as he followed, his hand coming out to stop Emma before she took another step, "Swan," He motioned before crouching down to pick up a feather from the ground, bringing it back up as he twisted it in front of their faces, "This look familiar?"
"That's a feather from one of my dream catchers," Emma's mouth parted in confusion as she looked at the thin string hanging from the end of the feather. She recognized the material instantly, she'd certainly crafted enough of them. "Killian, my dream. You remember?" Her voice sounded more urgent as the memory of it flooded back.
"The one with your mum?" He nodded with a frown, "You reckon it was a premonition?"
"But she's gone, and even if she could come back why would she do this?" Emma shook her head, "The dream was months ago..."
"Call me crazy, but I'd imagine Snow would be a bit perturbed at David and Regina playing house," He gave her a weak smile, not knowing what else it could be. He knew it was hard enough for Emma dealing with her mother being gone, but holding this responsibility to fix things and having to look at it with a level head was another challenge in itself.
"You think my mom is back?" She swallowed hard at the possibility, trying hard not to get her hopes up, "That doesn't seem like the answer...I know her, she'd want dad to be happy. I can't see her doing something like this. And if she was angry about it, why wouldn't she target Regina?" She shook her head, staring at the feather in thought, "It doesn't make sense."
"Is it even possible for her to come back?" Killian frowned deeper, "Summoning the dead is no easy feat, look how long it took Regina with Cora, and she's one of the most powerful magic wielders around," He ran a hand through his hair absentmindedly in thought, "Then again, crazier things 'ave happened in this town."
"Yeah but Regina was summoning the Underworld," Emma reasoned, leaning back against the back of Granny's building, "Would Mom even have gone there? She was good. Plus, we don't even know if this was her, it could've just been a dream and we're reading too much into a stupid feather," She added with a frown, "I need to tell Regina about it, see what she thinks. She's got more experience with this type of thing than me."
David took a deep breath as he made his way up Regina's path. It felt like just yesterday he had stormed in her home and demanded she tell him if the Enchanted Forest still existed, but apparently that day was over three years ago. Emma had tried filling him in on some of the things that had happened over the past few years during breakfast, but right now it was hard for David to process it all. He was grieving over Snow, to him it felt like they hadn't even had a chance. The spell had been broken, they realized who they were to each other and now he'd woken up and she was gone...and he was living with her enemy.
His mind reeled over everything, not being able to match his emotions with his logic. He just wished he could wake up from this and it all be a bad dream. Emma had said that he truly loved Regina, and while he found it hard to believe, he was going to try to approach her carefully. After all, she was carrying his child. That fact still hasn't sunk in. How did he move on from Snow so quickly? It didn't seem like him.
David knocked on Regina's front door a couple of times before shoving his hands in his pockets. He didn't even recognize his clothing these days, though he couldn't deny that he seemed to have upgraded. Was that the Evil Queen's doing?
"David," The door came open, the subject of his thoughts standing in the threshold. Her tone was softer than he'd remembered as he looked down at her, inches shorter thanks to her being barefooted. He saw her hopeful smile fade when she caught him taking in her appearance slightly confused. He'd never seen Regina in casual clothing, let alone a button up shirt covered with a half tied robe, her rounded belly causing the sash to come undone.
She crossed her arms, suddenly self conscious in front of the man whose child she carried. He was looking at her like he'd never seen her that way before and she suddenly felt vulnerable, like she was on display to a stranger. "Can I help you?" She managed to say, trying to keep her composure.
David watched as the Mayor's eyes change with emotion as he tried to figure out what they were. Were those tears welling in her eyes? "I'm here for my son," He gave an uncomfortable shrug, seeing her nod once and bite her bottom lip, stepping to the side to let him in.
"G'na, g'na," A baby looking to be around 18 months came toddling in, his bright blue eyes glued to Regina as he tried to say her name. David watched as the child's unsteady steps took him to Regina before tugging at the hem of her robe, "Up, up," He demanded.
Regina smiled warmly at the baby, leaning down to pick him up out of habit before realizing this was anything but normal. She lifted her gaze to David who still stood near the door, watching the two of them with an unreadable expression. This was the first time for him that he'd seen his son, let alone seen her with him. "This is Neal," She forced a smile, turning the baby towards him, seeing him squeal and reach at the sight of his father.
David felt instant love for the child, recognizing Snow's and his own features in the baby as he reached to take him, "Hello, Neal," He cooed, smiling at his son as he took him in. He chuckled in amazement at his son in his arms before feeling Regina's gaze, lifting to meet it with his own. She looked sad, and maybe even a little fearful as she watched the two of them.
"I'll go pack him a bag," Regina offered when David caught her watching them, squaring her shoulders and trying to steel her emotions. She wouldn't get upset in front of him, not now. To him, it was three years ago and he despised her. It made it confusing for Regina to know how to act. Half of her waned to embrace him and plead for him to remember, but the other half of her remembered the way he recoiled from her touch in the diner. She wouldn't embarrass herself again, she'd respect his space and the fact that to him she was still the enemy. As much as it hurt, she'd try to understand.
David watched as she ascended the stairs without looking back at them, seeing her disappear into the hall. He glanced at his son in his arms watching her. Neal seemed to be rather attached to her. Who would've thought? The Evil Queen treating his son like her own. He let out a breath as he took the opportunity to look around, wandering into the living room.
There was something warmer about the house now, like it was actually lived in. A few of Neal's toys were scattered throughout, a baby blanket on the back of the sofa and pictures on the mantle. He walked closer to view what was in the frames, seeing one adorable picture of Neal in what looked to be Regina's backyard. Henry's more recent school picture was in the next frame, shocking David at how much the boy had grown. His breath caught at the third, finding a picture of he and Regina in an embrace. It looked to have been around Christmas time from the decorations, David's arms were wrapped around her waist from behind and he was kissing her cheek. She was smiling widely, her hands resting over his arms as someone had obviously snapped the picture while they were unaware.
He'd never seen such a genuine smile on the Mayor's face, her expression full of love and warmth. David noticed his hands rested on her abdomen and wondered if that's when he'd found out about the baby? He didn't know when he had, or how they'd come to be. He was curious, but it didn't feel like the right time to get into things. He needed a moment to process and be with his son. Maybe after he got a better understanding of the last three years he could approach the Queen about it. The picture of them did indicate he loved her as much as Emma and Henry claimed he did. Trouble was, he didn't know her now, not like he must've before whatever happened to him.
His eyes found his son who had laid his head on his shoulder, his heart feeling full at the piece of Snow he still had in the boy. It made the idea of losing his wife hurt a little less. He knew the rest of them had already worked through Mary Margaret's passing, but it still felt fresh to him. Just a few days ago did they realize who they were and reunite, in his mind.
"Here's his bag," Regina interrupted his thoughts when she came in, rolling a small suitcase and looking to be a little out of breath after maneuvering the case down the stairs despite her rounded belly. He had to admit she looked beautiful, her hair was a couple inches past her shoulders, much longer than it had been before. She wasn't wearing any makeup, her face looking fresh and youthful, glowing even. Her figure wasn't as thin as it had been, but he found it more appealing this way. Her breasts were fuller, her stomach rounded with the baby and her thighs slightly thicker. She looked more approachable this way, and he could understand where he would've found her attractive. It was far from the icequeen aesthetic he remembered.
"Here, I'll take that," He hurried to take the suitcase out of her hands, forcing a smile at her, "Uh, thank you."
"You're welcome," She nodded once, crossing her arms over her chest to try and seem less insecure. The thought of saying goodbye to Neal made her want to crumble. Sure, she'd see him around but it wouldn't be the same, and who knew for how long this would go on for...or if it would ever get back to normal. The thought of being apart from both of them was enough to make her facade threaten to collapse.
"I uh, I'm sorry for how I reacted in the diner," David offered, noticing Neal was now asleep against his shoulder as he held the suitcase in his free hand. He watched Regina's eyes well with tears, making it hard for him to hold to his feeling of hatred for her. This wasn't the Regina he knew, she was different to his memory. She wasn't fighting him or throwing bitter barbs. He found himself feeing guilty for this, which confused him even more.
"You didn't know," She offered, her voice cracking on the last couple of syllables before she swallowed hard in an attempt to keep herself under control. His harsh words in the restaurant had been one thing, but him being kind to her in this situation was entirely another. A tear escaped down her cheek as she quickly swiped it with the back of her hand, cursing herself for breaking in front of him, "Neals usually asleep by 8pm, he likes to be rocked," She offered, her eyes shifting to the baby as she bit her lip, holding herself back from touching him.
David found it bizarre that the Queen was standing before him in tears, telling him how his son preferred to be put to sleep. They'd actually been a family. He watched her avoid his gaze as she ran a hand up to tuck her hair behind her ear. David knew he should leave, but he felt guilty for simply walking out. If all this was real and they had been in love, it wasn't fair to break up their family simply because he couldn't remember. He knew this, but he couldn't force himself to feel or remember things that he couldn't. "How are you feeling?" He asked, biting his bottom lip as he nodded towards her bump, mentioning her pregnancy.
"Fine, we're fine," Regina replied, her voice gravelly. She shifted on her bare feet in a telltale motion that suggested she was uncomfortable and wished him to leave. He was uncomfortable too, but neither staying nor leaving felt like the answer.
"That's good," David said, instantly feeling foolish at what an empty response it was, "Well, if you need anything," He offered, seeing her acknowledge it with a small nod before he turned to make his way towards the door, "Thank you for taking care of him," He glanced back at her, seeing tears falling freely now but her posture remained stoic.
"My pleasure," She forced an empty smile before biting down on her bottom lip, watching David look at her hesitantly before going out the door, Neal in one arm and his suitcase in the other. Just like that, she was alone again in the big house that had just been full of life and love. Henry would be back, sure, but her heart still ached for the two members of her family that had just left indefinitely.
"Mom?" Henry brought Regina out of her trance when he came down the steps of her vault and rounded the corner. She was in the floor, her multiple trunks open and books stacked around her. "What you up to?"
"Henry," She smiled weakly, looking up from the large, old looking book in her lap, "Just doing some research," She let out a breath, gazing back down at the pile in defeat.
She'd gone to her vault for solace after David and Neal left, deciding to focus her energy on figuring out just what had happened. So far she'd been unable to figure out anything. There didn't seem to be any residual traces of magic on David that she could feel earlier, so she didn't think it was a spell. Whoever did this to David must've used some sort of artifact to conduct the magic. Her theories all seemed to hit dead ends and she was becoming frustrated. Being almost seven months pregnant and stressed didn't help matters either, she was far from the top of her game. Thankfully Emma and Killian were on this, and she was supposed to meet with them tomorrow to discuss any progress. Regina usually hated accepting help, but David was more important to her than her pride.
"Find anything useful?" Henry returned her same half hearted smile, sitting down beside her and picking up one of the old magic books. He thumbed through it, not having any clue what the symbols and writing meant. The Author may be his new title, but these books definitely weren't his subject of expertise.
"Nothing yet," Regina sighed, closing the one in her lap and setting it back in the trunk, "I'm hoping Emma and Killian found something today that will help, because I've contributed nothing."
"Yes you have," Henry looked at her, watching her raise a brow and turn her gaze on him skeptically before he continued, "You managed to stick to doing research, keeping the baby out of danger instead of charging though town demanding answers and burning things down like I know you wanted to. That took restraint," He grinned playfully, earning an eye roll.
"You have no idea just how much," She admitted with a groan, resting her head back against the wall tiredly, "I feel worthless, I don't want to use my magic for fear of it effecting the baby, but I don't even know for sure that it would. Whoever did this is probably sitting back and laughing at how helpless I am, and that definitely makes me want to burn things," She gritted.
"Mom is on it, don't worry," Henry replied seriously, wrapping his arm around Regina's shoulders to her surprise, pulling her against him in a comforting manner. She glanced up at him, giving him a brief but warm smile at just how grown up he seemed. "We'll figure it out together, I know we will."
Regina leaned against him, accepting his comfort and resting her head on his shoulder that was higher than hers now, "Thank you Henry. I love you so much," She patted his knee, letting out a sigh as she relaxed, becoming aware at just how tired her body was.
"I love you too, Mom," He nodded, resting the side of his head against the top of hers, "And so does David, he just doesn't know it. True love breaks any curse, remember?"
"Hm," Regina mused at the irony of the situation, "But what do you do when the curse is not being able to remember true love?"
"That's where we have work to do. I know you're up to it," Henry nudged her playfully, "You can't resist a challenge, Mom."
She chuckled a little at his light hearted jest, knowing he was trying to lift her spirits and keep her optimistic about it. His comfort lightened the weight on her shoulders and she smiled at how lucky she felt to have him in her corner, "What do you say we make pancakes for dinner tonight?" She mentioned, referring to their tradition.
A small, knowing smile graced Henry's lips and he squeezed her shoulder gently at the sentiment, "Pancakes have never sounded better."