Chapter 41: Learning a Lesson

Mandy kept Regina busy all morning trying on different outfits with different hairdos and makeup styles. It gave Daniel plenty of time to prepare a lovely meal for the love of his life. Once Regina got Mandy out of the house, she got herself dressed and headed downstairs to join Daniel.

"Finally done I see." He said when he saw her coming down the stairs.

"Yes. Thank heavens! I swear she tried on everything in her closet. She wanted to try mine on but I told her she was too young for my wardrobe." She chuckled.

He wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm sure should looked fabulous in whatever you chose for her."

"She looked great in everything she put on. I don't see why she needed my help."

He smiled. "I bet all that dress up has made you hungry. I made us something to eat."

Her eyes grew wide in shock. "You cooked?"

He nodded and led her to the dining room where he had a whole bunch of her favorite meals laid out on the table. "Oh Daniel, this looks absolutely amazing! How on earth did you learn how to cook all of this?"

He pulled out a chair for her to sit in. "I used your cook book. I knew you had one because that meal last night was delicious."

"Well thank you, Daniel. I can't wait to eat!" She said smiling.

"Go right ahead!"

They ate their meal as they chatted about the past and the good times they used to have while riding. When they finished their meal, Regina was about to clean up but Daniel pulled her back down.

"There's something else I have to ask you."

"Ask away." She said adjusting her position.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring. He got down on one knee and looked up at her. Her eyes already watering. "Regina, I know things didn't work out well the first time around but I will never give up on trying to marry you. So will you make me the happiest person in the world and marry me?"

Regina covered her mouth with her hand. She couldn't believe he was proposing again especially with the same ring as the first time. She nodded vigorously for no words were coming out. He slipped the ring on her finger and stood up pulling her with him. He picked her up and spun her around before placing a kiss on her lips.

"I love you, Daniel." She whispered. "I love you too, Regina."

"Wait a minute. Did Miranda know about this?" She asked.

He nodded. "She helped me distract you so I could prepare all of this without you interrupting."

Regina smirked. "That little trickster. Remind me to thank her when she gets home."

Mandy was meeting Jake by the docks. She saw him sitting on the edge and sat down next to him.

"Hey stranger!" She said cheerfully.

"Finally!" He said kissing her.

"I didn't think you missed me that much." She playfully hit his arm.

He laughed. "I asked you to be my girlfriend and then 5 minutes later you don't even know who I am."

"That reminds me. I have to kill Henry." She joked.

"You know, you were a cute little kid."

"So I've been told. My mom took a ton of pictures." She said rolling her eyes.

"Good. I can't wait to see them."

"Who said you were going to see them?"

"If you won't let me see them willingly, I'll just have to find another way then." He said smiling as he stared off into the ocean.

"I don't doubt that." She also looked out to the ocean. "Besides, I'm sure my mom would gladly show you."

"So what happened yesterday?" He asked looking back at her. "You never said why you couldn't meet only that you were busy."

"Oh right!" She exclaimed. "I brought my dad back…like from the dead!"

"He's a zombie?!" He looked scared and shocked.

She laughed. "No. I used a spell to restore his heart. Now he and my mom can finally be together, like it was meant to be."

"I'm so happy for you and your family! I bet your mom was thrilled." He said wrapping his arm around her.

She rested her head on his shoulder. "She really was. I've never seen two put look at each other with so much love in their eyes like they did when they first embraced."

He looked down at her and smirked. "Did you cry?" He asked knowing the answer.

She hit his leg. "Shut up!"

He laughed. "I hope your mom and my mom hang out more. My mom couldn't stop smiling after she talked to Regina at the party."

"I'm sure they will." She said reassuring him. "Since you're a Prince and all, does that mean you know how to ride?"

"Yea, I've had riding lessons since I was 3. Why do you ask?"

She lifted her head to look at him. "My parents love riding, that's kinda how they met actually. They took me riding for the first time yesterday and I was scared out of my mind. It's something they love to do and I know they want me to love it too so I was wondering if you could teach me?"

"Sure, no problem but I'm sure they'll understand if you don't enjoy it. Riding isn't for everyone." He said.

She stood up. "Well I wanna try."

He got to his feet as well. "Alright, let's go."

"This is not an appropriate outfit for riding. I have to go change…" He rolled his eyes. "And I wanna see how the proposal went."

"Proposal?" He questioned.

"My dad was going to propose to my mom today." She said happily as she began to walk.

"Can't wait for the wedding!" He linked his arm with hers. "Neither can I."

Mandy and Jake both walked into her house and saw nobody around. "MOM? DAD?" She screamed with no response. "CORA?" She tried. Nothing.

"Maybe they're already out planning the wedding?" Jake suggested.

"I suppose. I'm gonna run upstairs and get changed. Make yourself at home." She said motioning towards the living room before running up the stairs.

She was about to go into her room when she noticed Regina's door was shut. Maybe she didn't hear me. She made her way down to her mother's room. She was dying to know how the proposal went. She opened the door and was not prepared for what she saw.

Her eyes grew wide. "Oh my god!" She couldn't believe what she was seeing, let alone hearing. How could I have not heard this before I opened the door!

"Miranda!" Regina screamed as she pulled the covers up over her and Daniel's naked bodies.

Miranda closed her eyes and began fumbling her words. "Ugh…sorry…should've …um…knocked….oh my god." She quickly shut the door behind her and ran straight down the stairs.

"Jake!" She screamed coming down the stairs.

"What's wrong?" He asked coming out of the living room. "You looked like you've seen a ghost."

"I would take the ghost over what I just saw." She said the image burned into her mind.

"What happened?" He asked.

"We need to get out of here." She said pulling him towards the door.

"I thought you were getting changed?"

"This outfit will have to do." She said closing the door behind her. She started running towards the stables.

He took off after her, not expecting her to take off in a full on sprint. He finally caught up to her and grabbed her arm and made her stop. "Would you tell me what's going on?"

"I saw them." She said shaking her head trying to erase the memory. "They were having sex."

"Your parents?" He asked furrowing his eye brows. She nodded and he laughed. "Oh my god."

"Yea, that's all I could say."

"That sucks but it's hilarious!" He said not able to hold his laughter back.

"It's disturbing!" He laughed harder. She started to giggle herself. "I can't believe that just happened."

"Come on! Let's get you on that horse. Maybe it'll take your mind off of recent events." He suggested.

She grabbed his hand. "I highly doubt that."

Jake finally managed to get Mandy on the horse after twenty minutes of convincing her that the horse would not move unless she told him to. Mandy was sitting on the horse, well more like hugging the horse as Jake tried to coach her through it.

"Miranda, you have to sit straight up. You can't ride if you're huggin the horse." He said from the ground.

"Ya know, I think I changed my mind. I don't want to ride anymore. Get me down." She commanded.

He shook his head. "If you want to get down so badly, then you can do it yourself."

"But Jake, it's really high up." She argued.

"If you at least try riding and still want to get down, I will help you." He said trying to make a deal with her.

She glared at him. "Fine."

He smiled for his victory. "Good. Now sit up and hold the reins."

She slowly sat up and grasped the reins firmly in her hand. "Now what?"

"Stop being scared."

"Yea, I don't see that happening."

"Well calm down a little bit. The horse can feel your tension." He said crossing his arms. "Just take a few deep breaths.

She listened to him and relaxed slightly. "You remember how to steer right?"

"Yes, you showed before I even got on the horse." She said rolling her eyes.

"I'm just making sure." He said putting his hands up in defense. "Now lightly kick the horse and he will begin to walk."

She did as she was told and the crème colored horse did in fact start walking. "Hey, look at me! I'm horseback riding!"

"Well, technically you're only walking." He pointed out.

"Still counts!" She said turning the horse.

He laughed. "Alright, I'll give it to you." He let her walk around for a few minutes before he spoke again. "You seem comfortable on Castor."

"I am. I think he likes me." She said petting the horse.

"Would you like to try trotting?" He asked hoping she felt comfortable enough to move on to the next level.

Mandy's face froze. "Are you sure I'm ready for that?"

"Only you can tell when you are ready. If you don't want to, you don't have to do it today. You've made great progress so far." He said trying to encourage her.

"Did you trot the first time you were on a horse?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yes, but that was different. I had to learn fast. You can take your time. There's absolutely no rush."

She tried to sound confident. "If you can do it at three years old, I think I can handle it at 16."

"I don't doubt you can." He said smiling up at her. "As long as you believe in yourself, you can do anything you set your mind too. That doesn't just apply to horseback riding."

Mandy loved that he believed in her. She looked into his sparkling blue eyes and found the confidence she needed to move on to the next level. She couldn't help but smile back. "Thanks Jake. You're a big help."

"No problem. If you want to try trotting just kick your horse twice and try not to tense up." He instructed.

She was hesitant at first but she did it. She was surprised by the difference between walking and trotting. She didn't realize she would be bouncing so much. "Is this right?"

"Don't squeeze your legs so tight!"

"I'm gonna fall off if I don't!" She yelled.

"You're so dramatic!" He said playfully as he rolled his eyes. "You're not gonna fall. Relax, Miranda!"

"I swear if I fall off, I'm gonna hurt you!" She warned.

"If you fall you can beat me up. How's that sound?"

"GOOD!" She said as she kept trotting. After a few more minutes she was becoming anxious. "Alright, I'm getting a little scared. How do I make him stop?"

"Just pull back on the reins." She did and sure enough, he stopped. Jake helped her down and gave her a big hug. "You were awesome! I didn't think you would last that long."

Mandy hugged him back. She was happy to have her feet back on the ground. "Honestly, neither did I."

"We should start heading home. It's going to be dark soon." He said looking at the setting sun.

"I'm really not looking forward to going home. My mom's gonna wanna talk to me about it, I just know it." She said remembering what happened earlier.

"Wait they saw you?" She nodded. "That makes the whole thing even funnier!"

She playfully shoved him. "You're enjoying this way too much. Don't you have to take care of this horse?"

He laughed. "You're going to help me."

Jake tried teaching Mandy what some of the terms were that went along with horses. He also taught her to properly remove tack from a horse. By the time they finished all that, the sun had set and it was late by the time he walked her up to front porch and kissed her goodnight. She opened and shut the door as quietly as she could. She just wanted to get a shower and go to bed without anyone seeing her.

She successfully made it up the stairs and went straight into the bathroom. She took a quick hot shower and didn't want to risk running into anyone in the hall especially in her towel so she just poofed herself into her room.

"Look who finally came home." Regina said sitting on her bed in the dark.

Mandy screamed and jumped at the sudden voice. She quickly turned on the light and saw her mom. "Oh my god, you scared me!" She said trying to catch her breath.

"You've been avoiding me. You haven't answered any of my calls or texts."

She shook her head. "No, I've just been busy. That's all. My phone died anyway." She lied.

"We need to talk about what you saw earlier." Regina said patting the spot next to her on the bed.

"No, we really don't!"

Regina stood. "You weren't supposed to be home."

"Yea, I know. Totally my fault…and I definitely should've knocked. Great talk! Bye!" She said trying to get out of this awkward conversation as quickly as she could. She started rummaging through her drawers for her pajamas.

Regina magicked her pajamas on her so she could move on with the conversation. "Come here and sit, please." She said more firmly.

Mandy had no way out now. She took a seat next to her mother and sighed. "There's really nothing to talk about…you two are both grown-ups, you love each other and you haven't seen one another in a very long time. I'm surprised you waited a whole day to jump into bed together."

"You're right, there's nothing to talk about." Regina realized this was super awkward for both of them. "Are you scarred for life?"

Mandy nodded. "Yea, pretty much."

Regina put her face in her hands. "I am so embarrassed."

"You're embarrassed?! You're not the one who saw her parents having sex!" She flopped back onto the bed.

"Just knowing you saw us, is making crazy." Regina said lying down next to her.

"Now you know how I feel." Mandy sighed. "At least it sounded like you were enjoying it."

Regina sat up quickly. "Miranda!"

"What?" She laughed. "It's true."

Regina's face turned red. "We aren't talking about this anymore."

Mandy closed her eyes. "I never wanted to in the first place. You're the one that kept on insisting."

"I just wanted to make sure you were handling it well."

"As best I can." Mandy sighed. "Can I change the topic?"

"Yes, please!" Regina said lying back down next to her daughter.

"How did dad propose? Was the food okay?" She asked eagerly propping her head up with her hand.

"The food was great! He got down on one knee and pulled out the ring he gave me the first time. I'm assuming you gave it to him?" She asked arching her eyebrows.

"Yea, he came to me this morning and told me his plan. That's why I had to distract you; sorry about that but it was for a good reason."

Regina laughed. "You're forgiven."

"Get on with the story." She urged.

"Well, when he asked me I wanted to say yes but no words came out. I just nodded like crazy and hugged him tight."

"That's too freakin cute! I bet I know what happened next…" She said referring to her parents' time in the bedroom.

Regina playfully nudged her. "And what exactly did you do today?"

She originally wanted to keep her horseback riding lessons a secret but changed her mind. She wanted to tell Regina really bad. "I made Jake teach me how to ride."

"You got on a horse? By yourself?" Regina asked shocked.

Mandy nodded. "I was scared at first but Jake helped me through it. I even learned how to take care of the horse and all the names for different things…there's a lot ya know." She said sitting up.

Regina nodded with a huge grin on her face as she sat up also. "Indeed I do."

"We walked most of the time, and I tried trotting at the end but that was it." She said kinda disappointed in herself.

Regina rubbed her arm. "Hey, that's great for your first lesson. It's better to take things slow and get used to your horse."

"I guess." She said looking down as she played with her thumbs.

"Why are you suddenly interested in riding lessons?" She asked, questioning her daughter's motives.

"I wanted to learn about something you and dad are both passionate about." She held her knees to her chest. "When we went horseback riding yesterday, I had no idea what you guys were talking about half the time. I just wanted to feel closer to you two." She admitted.

Regina wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close. "Hey, you'll always be close to us…whether you like it or not. Just because we like doing something doesn't mean you have to."

"I know, I just wanted to make you both proud." She said looking anywhere but Regina.

"Whatever you do, your father and I will be proud of you." She guided Mandy's head to rest on her shoulder. "I know how much courage it took for you to get on that horse today. You've definitely proven how much you love your father and me."

Mandy wrapped her arms around Regina's waist and nestled closer to her smelling her perfume. "I really do love you. Both of you."

"I know, angel." She kissed her head. "You don't have to take anymore riding lessons if you don't want to."

"Oh no. Once I start something I don't stop until I master it. I'm going to learn how to horseback ride even if it kills me!"

Regina smiled. "That's my girl. I can even help you."

"No I don't want you or daddy seeing me while I suck. Jake will teach me and then when I'm better I'll go riding with you."

"Honey, I don't care how bad you are…" Regina started but was interrupted by Mandy. "I made up my mind. You can't change it." She kissed her cheek. "Night mom."

"I guess that's my cue to leave." She kissed her head once last time before she got up. "Good night, dear."

Regina woke Mandy up the next morning and told her they would be going to Granny's for breakfast to meet Emma, Snow, David and Henry. Henry had called and begged them to come. Regina thought it would be a great opportunity to show Daniel around and let him meet new people.

They arrived at Granny's and were waved over to the table the Charming's occupied. Snow's eyes grew wide when she saw Daniel.

"Morning everyone." Regina said.

"Morning mom!" Henry ran over and gave her a hug.

"Don't tell me we have another kid I didn't know about." Daniel whispered in her ear.

"No dear. I adopted Henry. Emma is his birth mother." She said pointing to the blonde sitting in the booth. "She's Snow's daughter."

Daniel looked at Snow. "Wow, you sure grew up! You were just a little girl the last time I saw you."

"How…." Was all Snow could say.

"Regina, is this the man in the stables that almost killed Henry?" David asked concerned.

"No! Well technically yes, but he's not a monster anymore." She said.

"Wait, this is Daniel? Your dead fiancé?" Emma asked shocked.

"He's not dead anymore." Mandy replied.

"Is he like a zombie?! Cuz that would be kinda cool." Henry said looking Daniel over.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Henry but I'm not a zombie." Daniel said lightly tapping the kid's shoulder. "And I'm sorry for almost killing you last time."

He shrugged his shoulders. "It's cool."

"Can we sit down?" Mandy asked seeing everyone was still in awe over Daniel being back.

"Oh, yea sure." Emma said scooting over for them.

"Snow, why do you keep staring at him?" Regina asked from across the table.

She snapped out of it. "I just…never thought I'd see him again."

"That makes two of us." Regina said looking at Daniel.

"Did you know they're gonna get married?!" Mandy exclaimed.

"That's great, Regina." Emma said genuinely. "When is the wedding?"

"Next Saturday."

"That's awfully soon." David said.

"We've been waiting forever. We just want to make sure it happens this time." Daniel answered.

"Can I be in the wedding?" Henry asked.

"Of course Henry. You can be the ring bearer." Regina said. "We are having something small in my backyard. I know people are still angry with me so I thought it be best just to keep things low key."

"Makes sense." Emma said. "Are we invited?"

"Yes, but you don't have to come if you don't want to." Regina answered.

"We'll be there!" Henry answered for them all.

"How is Cora with Daniel?" David asked.

"She actually hasn't been around that much. I think she's been staying over Geppetto's." Mandy answered. "I don't think she's too thrilled but she's just going to have to get over it."

David almost choked on his orange juice. "Cora's sleeping with Geppetto?"

"Are you kidding me?" Emma freaked out.

"I'm afraid not." Regina answered. "It's pretty disturbing; I try not to think about it."

"No wonder." David said still trying to recover from choking.

They ordered their food and chit chatted like they were one big happy family. They asked Daniel a ton of questions which he returned with many of his own. As they got deeper in conversation, David and Daniel realized they had a few interests in common. It was weird at first but seemed to feel right, like it was supposed to be that way.

Mandy, Regina and Daniel got up to leave and told them they would keep them updated on the wedding details.

Snow grabbed Regina's arm. "Regina, can I talk to you."

Mandy and Daniel looked at Regina curiously. "Go on. I'll be out in a moment." She said shooing them out the door. "What is it Snow?"

"Are we okay? Like our relationship?" She asked.

"I wouldn't call what we have a relationship." She answered. "Daniel might be back and I couldn't be happier but he wouldn't have died in the first place if it weren't for you."

Snow just stared at her in silence. "I'm trying to forgive you, Snow but it doesn't happen overnight."

Snow nodded. "I know. I just want things to get back to when we first met."

Regina took a deep breath. "I don't think things will ever go back to that time. They might improve, but I doubt it will be the same….If there's nothing else you wish to discuss, my family is waiting for me."

"Right, of course. Sorry to waste your time." Snow said making her way back to her family at the table.

I honestly don't know about that last part. It kinda just happened…this whole chapter kinda just happened. I got stuck but hopefully I will be back on track soon.