Hello there! Again, thank you for the feedback. Although I have to admit there wasn't a lot, but hopefully this chapter will be more of your liking, lol. Now enjoy and your reading and don't forget to leave a review! They really encourage and inspire me to write!

CHAPTER FIVE

David walked around the house for what felt like minutes. He kept looking at the mansion until he spotted the huge garden behind it. Then he saw Regina with her back to him, kneeled on the ground by the tree, picking a few apples and putting them on a basket. He could only see her back but he knew she was beautiful like this. It was early so the sun was still gentle but it illuminated her in ways that made her vision seem like a dream.

"Regina?", David called her softly.

He could see that she tensed it up and stopped what she was doing right away. But she didn't turn and instead kept looking forward, steadying her arms on her knees.

"David?", she asked still looking at the grass. Her voice was a mixture of surprise and fear. "I thought I said I didn't want to be bothered", she then said with a harsh voice.

"Regina, I had to see you again", David pleaded. "Last night…", he said but couldn't manage to find words, "I-I couldn't leave it at that."

Regina let out a gasp and looked down. How was she supposed to get out of this situation? David couldn't see her like this, what would he think of her? She started to mentally process all her alternatives. She could run inside the house. No, that's just pathetic, she thought to herself. She could tell him to leave her alone. Yeah, she should do that.

"David, please, just leave me alone", she said half demanding, half begging.

"Regina, I don't believe that's what you really want", David replied.

Regina let out a huge breath, clenched her fists, got up in a second and started to walk away without even peeking at David. Then he knew something was off. "Regina, please!", he called her. He reached her and wrapped his fingers on her arm, quickly turning her around to face him. He wasn't exactly prepared for what he saw. Her face broke his heart. She quickly turned her head away from his gaze, looking down. But he wasn't going to let that go. He gently put his finger on her chin, lifting it up. Their gaze met and yer eyes were already wet from the tears that were about to come.

"God, Regina, what happened?", David asked with hurt and worry in his voice. He didn't exactly know why he was asking, he knew what must have happened to her last night. He saw how Gold treated her.

Regina pretend to laugh and looked away again, she couldn't bare to look into his eyes. "You know what, I-I-I'm so clumsy, I hit myself opening the car door last night and-", she was cut by David.

"Regina, you don't have to lie to me", David pleaded while putting a string of her hair behind her ear. Her fake smile faded away. "And don't make excuses for him", he said the last word like it was poison.

At the mention of Gold, Regina looked up at David. She licked her lips as David moved his hand to her cheek. He gently caressed her skin and it immediately made Regina remember last night when he did the same gesture. It was so simple, yet it meant so much. She felt safe and secure with him. As gentle as he could, David put his fingers on her nasty bruise, which made Regina flinch a little bit at the pain.

David shook his head in denial, he was furious. "He did this to you, didn't he?", he said clenching his jaw. He knew that if he saw Gold right now, he would kill him without a second thought.

Regina didn't respond, she simply looked at her feet as a single tear dropped from her eye. She looked up again to meet his eyes. "I didn't want you to see me like this", she said with a shaky voice.

"Regina", David started, "Wh-why?"

Regina gasped and frowned. "It's not like I want this, David."

"It's not what I meant", David said in a apologizing tone. "I mean, why are you still with him? I'm guessing this wasn't the first time", he said like he was the one hurting all this time.

Regina nodded nervously. "You don't know him. You've only seen your boss. He's a lot more powerful than you think. And there's a lot more underneath this whole situation", she said wiping a tear.

"Let me help you", David pleaded. "Let me do something."

"There is nothing you can do, David. There is nothing anyone can do. Anyone who tried ended up hurt or worse", Regina said staring at the void. She blinked and shook her head. "Anyway, you should go". She started pushing him.

"No, no, I'm not leaving you like this", David said.

"You have to. Robert has cameras all around here. If he decides to see the recordings and sees you here, I'll be dead. Or worse, you'll be dead", she paused thinking about the unthinkable. "I'm not gonna lie. I shouldn't, but I want to see you again, David", she smiled as he sighed in relief and smiled back, "But not here. Not like this". Regina put a hand on David's face, making him almost melt at the touch. "Let me handle this my way."

David simply nodded. Despite everything, he was incredibly happy to hear this. Regina then leaned into him, standing on her tiptoes to reach him, and kissed his cheek. It was a longer kiss then usual and sent a shiver through David's whole body. It was such an innocent act, but it made David feel like a little kid again, hopeful. She made her way back to where she was and smiled at him. That damn smile, he thought.

"Will you be ok?", David asked with a pained look gazing at her bruises again. He made a face once he realized how stupid that question was. Of course she wasn't going to be ok.

"I'll be just fine", Regina replied reassuring him. "Please, please, leave", she pleaded.

Deep down David knew the needed to leave, but he had to fight every cell on his body to make himself move towards the exit. He started to walk away reluctantly. There's nothing he wanted more than to stay beside her forever, right there and then. But he knew that it was not the time, nor the place.

She returned his gesture and got back to her apples, letting out a huge breath.

David got out of the property, entered his car and drove away. What a ride of a morning. He was trying to understand everything that happened in the last hour. He asked Ruby for Regina's address, he drove there, met Granny and got lectured by her, saw Regina bruised, imagined a hundred ways to kill Gold in his head, got a confirmation that she wants to see him again, received a kiss. One thing he knew for sure, he was going to take Regina away from this nightmare and build a life with her. There's nothing he wanted more.

David ran to the office, probably way over the speed limit. He still had a job after all. Although he couldn't shake the feeling that this job no longer spiked his interest like it did before. Knowing the kind of monster Gold truly was, he couldn't imagine himself working for him anymore. Since he got into college, David aspired to be the "great Robert Gold, the best lawyer in America". Little did he know back then that Gold had nothing to admire about. What kind of professional life does one lead if it hides a despicable character? No, David, couldn't look up to a man like that.

He still didn't know quite sure what he was going to do. But at least he could enjoy the afternoon when he didn't need to see Gold's face (or God knows what could happen) and get some work done. He checked his phone in the elevator. 15 messages from his secretary, freaking out looking for him. He simply replied with a "Almost there" and put the phone back in his pocket.

The elevator's door opened and he was startled to see Killian standing there with that devious smile of his. "Just the man I was looking for!", Killian said with a smirk.

"That's just creepy", David said trying to get out of the elevator.

"No, no", Killian said holding David by the shoulders and turning him around again. "It's lunch time and you're buying me food, I'm starving."

They got in the elevator and Killian pressed the button.

"Early lunch…", David commented looking at his watch. "Are you kidding me?", he turned to his friend again and asked him with a frown.

Killian waited for the doors to close and turned to David. "Are YOU kidding me, mate? Going off to Gold's house to see Regina? Are you crazy?"

"Ah! That", David replied. "Ruby is such an open mouth", he said more to himself than to his friend.

"I didn't hear it from her."

David turned to Killian and frowned in wonder. "Who then?"

"Emma", Killian said pretending to look at his nails.

"And how the hell did she know?"

"Ruby told her", Killian said, matter-of-factly.

"There it goes."

"But that's not the point!", Killian said looking up to see that they were almost hitting the ground floor. "The point is you must be out of your goddamn mind, and you're about to explain it to me." The doors opened. "Oh, and you are going to buy me lunch", Killian said with a grin getting out of the elevator, leaving David rolling his eyes behind.

They arrived to a crowded restaurant, but the manager, a young woman, got a glimpse of them just as Killian was winking at her. She made sure they got seated very comfortably before everyone else. Sometimes Killian's annoying charm did have its perks, David thought.

"What can I get you boys?", the manager asked with a flirtatious tone while the two men simultaneously opened up the single button of their suits to sit.

"Two beers and two steaks, please, love", Killian asked and looked at her name tag, "Thank you, Sarah", and smiled again. He knew his way, that son of a bitch.

"Dammit, Jones, I gotta hand it to you, you have a superpower", David said making a fake bow.

"It's more like a gift, my friend", Killian started, "When mother nature makes you handsome like this", he pointed to his own face, "You have to honor the duty".

David roll his eyes again.

"But enough of my good looks", Killian said making David rolls his eyes for the third time in the last fifteen minutes, "Spill".

"Wait, why isn't Emma with us?", David asked.

"She's extremely busy with this ass of a case- but hey, that's not the point here", Killian said as he realized David was trying to avoid a conversation. "How did it go there?"

"Uhmmm, well…", David started mumbling. Killian raised his eyebrow, expecting his friend to continue. "I don't know, man", he finally let it out.

"What the hell, mate?", Killian frowned. "Oh! Oh, shit. She dismissed you, didn't she?"

"No, no! Thank God, no! In fact, I think she shares my feelings", David said smiling. "She says she wants to see me again."

Killian smirked at his friend's visible happiness, but frowned once he saw the smile on David's face fade. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"He beats her, Killian", David said with a mixture of hurt and rage. "I got there, she didn't want to see me, and then I understood why. Her hurt face broke my heart", he continued.

"That son of a bitch", Killian said almost as a whisper to himself. "I knew something was up with him. So Gold is more of bad guy than we thought he was."

"I can't encounter Gold, Killian. I can't, or I swear to God, I'll kill him", David finished clenching his jaw, leaving even his best friend scared with the reaction.

Their foods quickly arrived, which left both of them quiet, not wanting to speak in front of anyone.

Killian waiter after the waitress went away. "So what are you going to do now?", he asked trying to deviate David from murderous thoughts.

"I don't know… She asked me to wait, but I honestly don't know if I can wait."

"Maybe you should forget her, David", Killian said quietly.

"Are you crazy?", David snapped. "That's just impossible, out of the question."

"Well, do I need to remind you that she's your boss' wife?"

"No, her bruised face already did that job", David said with a poisonous voice.

"Okay, David, I'm going to be a friend and reason for you here, since you're not thinking straight", Killian sighed, "If you really want to go through with this, which I don't recommend, you should probably wait", he said which made David look at him quizzically. "Give her some time, mate. If this is all too much for you, imagine for her. I don't know her that well, but she's probably going through a lot and it's never good to push a woman. So I ask you to be patient."

"Ok, mister wise-ass", David responded with a harsh tone, "Care to tell me how exactly just I just stand by while the woman I love is suffering in the hands of that monster?"

Killian sighed again. "Ugh, I know this isn't easy. But it's a very delicate situation, David. I'm just asking you to think this through, okay?"

David nodded. He knew Killian was right. If he had his way, he would drive to her house right now, swipe her in his arms and get the hell out of this city. But things were never that simple. Not to mention that they barely knew each other, aside from understanding that there was something deep between them that neither could explain it.

xxxxx

Regina entered the house with a basket full of apples. She spotted Granny running from the library to the kitchen. "Hey, you!", she shouted to get Granny's attention. The maid dusting the room stopped what she was doing to look at Regina too.

Granny turned like a child who had just being caught. "Yes, miss Regina?", she teasingly answered and started walking towards her.

Regina turned to another maid and kindly asked for her to take the basket and put it in the kitchen. The maid didn't quite look up, but she knew Regina was bruised. Granny might have been the only one that knew for a fact about the abuse, but everyone else living under the same roof could tell something was off. They just weren't stupid enough to say anything.

Regina then turned again to Granny with a hand on her waist. "Now what do you have to say for yourself, old lady?"

"I don't know what you're talking about", Granny said while making a turtle face.

"Very funny trick you put out there, Mrs.", Regina tried not to laugh. "Now he saw me like this!"

"Maybe it was necessary! Honey, it's quite obvious that man likes you."

Regina stopped her track of thinking. "Is it?", she asked, full of hope.

"Uhmmmm… Yes. So don't blame me for helping you get your happy ending here. I'm just an old lady who wants nothing but your absolute happiness", she smiled, making Regina blush.

"He's quite wonderful, isn't he?", Regina said more to herself than Granny.

"Oh, child, he most certainly seems that way", Granny winked at her and started to leave.

"I'm afraid, Granny", Regina whispered, getting the older woman's attention again. "I'm so afraid", she swallowed has a single tear dropped from her eye. "The last time I felt happiness, it was took away from me in the most brutal way."

Granny came closer to her. Regina was speaking very softly, but with such pain in her voice. Not a surprise, she thought, considering everything the poor woman has been through. Granny took her hand, "My sweet, sweet child, look at me", she said making Regina look up from the ground, "Don't be afraid of happiness, don't let it paralyze you. You deserve this more than anyone. Now go after your happiness."

Granny always knew what to say to make Regina feel safe and her words were a comfort to her, making her feel warmth through her body. She loved that woman more than she loved her own mother, more than she loved anyone really. Regina simply took a deep breath, squeezed Granny's hands and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

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