Chapter 40: A Family Reunited
Mandy decided to take Daniel on the scenic route through Storybrooke pointing out different places here and there. He had no idea what some of things were in this world so Mandy was trying to help him understand. She finally led him up to the big white mansion on Mifflin Street.
"Mom doesn't know I brought you back so she's gonna be in shock." Mandy said before opening the door. She ran to check if anyone was in the living room before returning to Daniel in the foyer. "I want to surprise her so go wait in the living room until I tell you to come out." He nodded.
Once he was in the room she yelled for Regina. "MOM!"
Regina appeared at the top of the stairs in an instant. "Where have you been?" She asked angrily coming down the steps.
"I had some things to do." She replied meeting her at the bottom of the stairs.
"Like stealing from Gold?" She asked arching her eyebrows.
Mandy was surprised she knew about that. "But...how…"
"Gold came by enraged. He said you trashed his shop and stole something. He wants it back."
Mandy sighed. "I figured he would."
"What did you take?" Regina asked.
She picked the book off the floor and showed it to her. "The Grimmerie."
Regina looked at it in awe." How the hell did he get this?!"
"I stole it for him." Mandy answered.
"How?"
"Ya know, this isn't important right now. I stole it for a reason and I think you'll be happy." Mandy said smiling.
"Miranda, what are you talking about?" Regina asked growing frustrated with the lack of answers she was receiving.
"You can come out now." She yelled.
Regina heard footsteps behind her and quickly turned around. She was startled by the figure in front of her. "Daniel?" She whispered in shock.
He took a few steps closer to her but she took three steps back putting a protective arm in front of Miranda. "Regina, it's me." Daniel said.
"Mom, what are you doing? It's daddy!" Mandy said trying to push her towards him.
"Miranda, he's a monster." Regina said remembering the last time she encountered Daniel.
"No he's not! I brought him back. I've been with him the entire time and he has yet to do one aggressive thing. He's the Daniel you knew and loved." Mandy yelled.
Regina turned back to Daniel. She looked into his eyes searching for recognition that this was indeed the Daniel she knew and loved.
"Regina, please. I love you." Daniel whispered.
Regina saw it written all over his face. She began crying tears of joy; this was her Daniel. She ran forward straight into his arms, the same arms that held her when she was upset, when she was happy, and everything in between. She missed his loving touches and the way he smelled. He brushed her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear and caressed her face. She pulled his head down and kissed him. She couldn't wait anymore; she wanted Daniel's lips on hers. It was gentle, yet captivating at the same time. It was as if they had been transported back to the first time they kissed.
They didn't want it to end but were brought back to reality when they heard light sobbing. They looked over to Miranda, their daughter, the product of their love and saw her crying. "You guys are so cute together." She whispered wiping away her tears but they just kept coming.
Regina smiled and extended her arm inviting her into their loving embrace. "Come here, darling."
Mandy didn't have to be told twice. She ran straight over to them and squeezed in between her parents. She held on tight to both of them; her dream finally coming true-she had her family.
Daniel kissed Regina again over their daughter and then kissed the top of Mandy's head. "I finally have my girls with me."
"I've missed you so much, Daniel." Regina cried. "I'm so happy to have my family together, at last."
Daniel smiled. "You can thank our daughter for this reunion."
Regina looked down at her daughter's watery eyes and wiped away her tears. "She's amazing, Daniel, just like you." She said still looking into her daughter's eyes.
"I already know how wonderful she is." Daniel said also looking at their daughter. "And how beautiful she is, like her mother."
Mandy laughed. "Alright, you guys can stop now." She said pushing them a little further away from her.
They both smiled wickedly at each other before turning back to Mandy. "We're never going to stop showing you how much we love you!" Regina said before they both squeezed her into another hug between them.
"Well, well, well what do we have here?" Cora said standing behind the group.
Regina's eyes grew wide. "Mother." She whispered. She forgot all about Cora.
"How the hell is he here? I killed him." Cora said a little angrily.
Regina and Mandy instantly jumped in front of Daniel, not wanting a repeat of last time.
"I brought him back with the Grimmerie." Mandy said.
"Is that what you stole from Gold?" Mandy nodded. "You can read it?" Cora asked shocked.
"Yea, it's a gift I guess." Mandy said shrugging her shoulders as it were no big deal.
"Interesting." Cora said eyeing her granddaughter.
"Don't get any ideas, mother! She is returning that book to Gold." Regina said seeing the look on her mother's face.
"Why are you two in a defensive stance?" Cora asked. "I'm not going to kill him again."
"Better safe than sorry." Mandy said still in a defensive pose.
"Well now you get a second chance, Regina. Welcome back Daniel." Cora said smiling at him.
"Ugh, thanks Cora." Daniel said unsure how to respond to that exactly. She was the one to kill him after all.
"You can all be a cute little family that you all longed for." Cora said mockingly.
"Exactly! So don't ruin it again!" Mandy said angrily.
"Oh relax, Miranda!" Cora said rolling her eyes.
"Mother, I would feel better if you just stayed away from him from now on." Regina said.
Cora huffed. "Fine. I have my own man to satisfy anyway." She said sticking her nose in the air.
"Who is it?!" Mandy exclaimed. "We were supposed to find out who it was at the party but things got crazy."
"Is it King George?" Regina asked eagerly.
"Ew no." Cora said making a disgusted face. "If you must know, I am seeing the woodcarver."
"Wait, you mean Geppetto?" Regina asked confirming that it was him.
"Mmhm." Cora hummed. "He's great at making things out of wood…among other things."
"You slept with him?!" Mandy shouted in shock. "Ew gross!"
Regina sighed, also disgusted by her mother's bed partner. "You can go now, mother. You have officially put a mental picture in my head that will be there forever."
Cora laughed. "You would never think an old man like him could move but he really can give me pleasure and..."
"Mother!" Regina yelled stopping her from finishing her sentence. "That's enough! Now go!"
"I'm going, I'm going." Cora said walking towards the door. "to let him make me scream his name over and over again."
"Mother!" Regina yelled.
Cora only laughed as she walked out the door.
"I'm officially freaked out and I won't be able to look at Cora the same way again." Mandy said when a shiver ran down her back.
"You let your mother live with you…and our daughter?!" Daniel said.
"Well she's trying to change, Daniel. She doesn't want to hurt anyone anymore." Regina said trying to calm him down.
"How can you be sure?" He asked.
"because she has her heart back." Mandy said. "Just like you."
"Wait, how does he have his heart back?" Regina asked. She realized she had no idea how her daughter brought Daniel back.
"The spell I used was very powerful. I was able to restore his heart but only because I truly loved him with all of mine." She said smiling up at her father.
He grabbed her hand. "Thank you, princess. I love you too. You must be very powerful."
Mandy put her head down. She didn't want to tell him of the dark magic that seemed to consume her. Regina noticed the change in her daughter and walked over to her. She cupped her face in her hands to look into her eyes. "If dark magic completely took over, you wouldn't have been able to bring Daniel back. Don't worry; I think there is still plenty of pure magic within you." She whispered before kissing her forehead. Mandy smiled.
"Regina, let's go to our favorite spot!" Daniel said.
"I haven't been there in a while." Regina said taking his hand.
"Where's that at?" Mandy asked.
They arrived at the stables a half hour later. Daniel and Regina both tacked up their horses and led them out to the field.
"Where's your horse, Miranda?" Daniel asked.
"If you think I'm going to go horseback riding, you're crazy!" She said backing away from them.
"You've never been horseback riding before?!" Daniel asked.
Mandy shook her head. "No and I don't plan to start now."
"Someone's scared." Regina said smiling as she sat upon her horse.
"Damn right I'm scared." Mandy said crossing her arms. "There's no way I'm getting on that animal!"
"The horses won't hurt you, dear." Regina said trying to convince her to get on the horse. "At least pet one of them."
Mandy still looked scared. "Are you sure they won't like bite me or anything?"
"You'll be perfectly fine." Daniel assured her. Mandy slowly made her way over to Regina's horse for it was the closest to her. She reached out her hand and shut her eyes as she pet the horse. She opened her eyes when she realized the horse seemed to be enjoying it.
"See, it's not that bad." Regina said looking down at her.
"I guess not." Mandy said still petting the animal. Daniel looked to Regina to make sure she was thinking the same thing. She was.
He quickly lifted Mandy into the air. "What are you doing?" She asked worriedly. He placed her on the horse behind Regina. "I don't want to ride."
"You'll have fun, trust me." He said patting her leg before getting on his horse.
"Ready?" Regina asked to Daniel. "NO!" Mandy yelled. Regina kicked the horse lightly for it to start trotting. Mandy was holding onto Regina's waist.
"How are you doing Miranda?" Daniel asked.
"It's really high up." Mandy said looking down.
"You fly around town like it's no big deal and you're telling me this is scaring you?" Regina asked.
"Because I know I'm not gonna fall when I'm flying." Mandy countered.
"You're not going to fall now either. I won't let that happen." Regina assured her.
Before Mandy could protest, they took off in a gallop. Mandy screamed, shut her eyes tight and was clinging to Regina for dear life. Regina and Daniel couldn't stop laughing. Mandy peaked an eye open to see how fast they were going. She saw how beautiful the pastures around her were and opened her eyes completely. She realized it wasn't that bad but still clung to Regina. She began laughing as the wind blew her hair around and it felt like she was flying again, well almost.
By the time they got back from their ride it was around dinner time. Regina showered really quick and then came down to make dinner for her family while they took showers. Daniel raved at her cooking and the new dishes she learned how to make. He had a million questions for both of them but he really wanted to get to know his daughter better. Mandy told him about her time in Neverland, the adventures she had, and she even told him about her painful childhood. She felt better that Regina was there when she told him; she helped finishing her sentences when she had trouble.
After dinner, Mandy insisted that she clean up so her parents could spend some time with each other. She couldn't help but smile when she heard their laughter all the way from the kitchen. When she finished cleaning up she tried to sneak up to her room but was caught by Regina.
"Where are you going?" She asked.
"Just to my room." Mandy answered.
"We were waiting for you to watch a movie." Daniel said picking up the DVD. "It's a moving picture. How splendid is that!"
Mandy laughed. "People say 'cool' here dad."
"Cool." He repeated testing it out. "I like it."
Regina laughed playfully hitting his arm. "So are you going to join us?"
Mandy shifted as she twirled her hair. "Well I thought you two would want to spend more time together, just the two of you. You don't want me hanging around."
Daniel shook his head. "Nonsense. We want you with us."
"Don't you think we spent enough time separated from one another?" Regina asked her.
"I just wasn't sure…" Mandy started but was interrupted by Regina. "Go get changed. We'll wait for you."
Mandy ran up the stairs obeying her mother's command. She did want to spend time with both of her parents but she didn't want to overdo it too soon. She knew they wanted, needed to spend time alone together but they had made it clear that they wanted her there. When she came back down she only found Daniel sitting there.
"Where's mom?" She asked.
"She is making popcorn. She said to pick out a movie." He said.
"Okay, did she say what kind of movie she wanted to watch?"
He shook his head. "She doesn't care, and neither do I."
She scanned the DVDs on the self and picked the first Harry Potter film. "You'll like this one dad. Well, I'm hoping."
"I'm sure I will." He said flashing her a smile. She set up the DVD as Regina came back in with the popcorn and took a seat. "What did we decide?"
"Harry Potter. Is that okay?" Mandy asked.
Normally Regina would object, but she was too happy. She had her family together and that was good enough for her. "It's perfect." She patted the spot between her and Daniel, that's where she wanted her daughter to sit. As soon as she sat down, they moved closer to her but she didn't mind. She liked feeling their warmth; it meant she was safe and that she was loved.
"Did you like riding today?" Daniel asked once she was settled between them.
"No, it scared the crap out of me!" Mandy said.
"You were holding on so tight, I could hardly breathe." Regina said playfully.
"I'm sorry but I didn't want to fall." Mandy said.
"I heard you laughing. You seemed to enjoy it after a while." Daniel said wrapping his arm behind her.
Mandy didn't want to admit it but she did enjoy it but she was still scared to get on by herself. "Maybe a little."
"I knew it!" Daniel said before tickling her.
Mandy laughed trying to fight him off. "Stop. This. Isn't. funny. Mom. Help me!"
Regina did in fact help but it wasn't Mandy. She began tickling Mandy from the other side. "Help me, not him!" Mandy yelled but laughter overtook her voice. "We are missing the movie!"
They soon stopped and resumed watching the movie. Mandy explained things to Daniel that he didn't understand and he really seemed to like it. The movie was almost over when Regina noticed Mandy had fallen asleep on her shoulder.
"Daniel." She whispered and nodded to their sleeping child next to them.
"I got her." He picked her up and too her to her room followed my Regina.
He gently placed her in her bed and kissed her head. "Goodnight, princess." He whispered before walking over to the door to wait for Regina.
Regina tucked her in and placed a kiss on her cheek. "I love you angel. Sweet Dreams." She walked over to Daniel and noticed he couldn't stop staring at their daughter. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" She whispered.
"She really is. The more time I spend with her the more I see you when you were her age." Daniel whispered back.
"Really? I see you." Regina said hugging him as they watched their daughter sleep. "I love her so much, Daniel. I'm so happy you told her to stay with me. I'd be lost without her."
Daniel kissed her head. "I know you would. She's an amazing kid."
Regina nodded. "That she is." She quietly closed the door and went to bed for it had been an exhausting day.
Daniel snuck into Mandy's room the next morning before Regina woke.
He gently shook her awake. "Miranda, Miranda."
Mandy groaned not wanting to wake up. "Miranda, I need to talk to you." He whispered a little louder than before.
"So talk…I'm listening." She said keeping her eyes closed.
He took a seat on the edge of her bed. "I want to propose to your mother."
Mandy's eyes flew open and she sat up quickly." What?!" She said loudly.
"Shh!" he said holding his finger up to her mouth to silence her. "I don't want her to know."
"This is awesome! How are you going to do it?!" She asked eagerly trying to whisper.
"I wanted to make her a nice brunch and propose to her with the same ring I did in the stable back in the Enchanted Forest." He said.
Mandy clapped her hands together. "Oh that's perfect!"
"If you don't quiet down, she'll hear you. You know she's a light sleeper." He reminded her.
"Sorry." She whispered but still kept a smile on her face.
"I couldn't help but notice that you were wearing the ring. Did she give it to you?" He asked.
She clutched the ring around her neck. "Oh I forgot I had it. She gave it to me to remember you…" She took it off and handed it to him. "But I think you and mom will make better use of it."
"Thank you sweetie." He kissed her forehead. "Will you be here when I do it?"
"As much as I would like to be, I really think it should just be the two of you. " She patted his hand. "Besides, I have plans today."
He arched his eyebrows at her. "Oh you do, do you?"
She giggled. "Yea, I'm meeting Jake. We were supposed to hangout yesterday but I was with you and mom instead."
"I'm sorry we just whisked you away. We should've asked you if you had any plans." He said.
Mandy shook his head. "No don't be sorry. I loved every minute with you and mom yesterday. I wouldn't trade that memory for anything."
Daniel smiled. "Neither would I...but i want to meet this boy you're dating."
"You will. I promise but you should go get brunch ready; mom will be up before you know it." She said.
"You're right. Do you think you could do me a favor before you leave?" He asked.
Mandy nodded. "Of course!"
"Can you distract her until about 11am so I can get everything ready?"
Mandy smiled. "No problem. Just go wake her up like it's a normal day then I'll take it from there."
"You have that look your mother used to get when she had an idea. What are you planning?" He asked suspiciously.
"Don't worry about it, just go!" She said shooing him away.
He walked back into their room. He leaned down to give Regina a kiss. As soon as she felt his lips on hers, she woke up.
"Good morning." He smiled.
"Good morning indeed." She smiled back at him. "Did you sleep well?"
"How could I not when I slept next to the most beautiful woman in the world." He placed another kiss on her lips.
"Mom! Mom!" Mandy screamed running into the room.
"What's wrong?" She asked quickly.
"I need your help picking out an outfit for my date with Jake today!" She said hopping on the bed between her and Daniel.
"What do you need my help for? You picked out your outfits without my help before." Regina said.
Daniel thought she was going to get caught but he was shocked when his daughter found another excuse. "Because I haven't seen him since the party and we didn't leave things in the best of places. I just want to look perfect! I'm really nervous and I know you're like an amazing dresser and I could really use your help and…"
"Whoa Miranda, calm down honey." Regina said putting her hands on the young girl's shoulders. "Of course I'll help you."
Mandy leaped into her mother's arms and flung her arms around Regina's neck. "Thank you mommy! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Regina was surprised by the sudden hug. She looked at Daniel confused but he only shrugged his shoulders. His daughter seemed to be quite the little actress. Mandy grabbed Regina's hand pulling her to her feet. "Come on mom! We can't waste any more time." She pushed her out of the room and did a quick wink back to her father. This was his chance to do something special for Regina.
I hoped you liked the reunion between Daniel and Regina. I had so many feels writing that. I couldn't stop smiling. I just wanted to give one chapter to just the three of them spending time together, hope you don't mind. Let me know what you think:) Reviews keep me going!