Why do I have to be so busy on my week off! Agh! Lol oh well :/ a little fun and games and some emotions breaking out of their cage :) I hope you all enjoy it! And if you want anything to be written in this story, a particular scene or whatever let me know and if I like I tans can make it fit I'll stick it in here :)
"David," she half whined she stomped her foot a little as she hung her head back irritably and pivoted to face him when she heard him sigh and drop down behind her.
"I think we should take a break."
"David we haven't even been walking for more than three hours."
"Today!"
Regina rolled her eyes and walked up to where he sat on a large log but she did not sit with him and instead stood in front of him with her hands on her hips, "so what you're just going to sit here for the rest of the day? We are not going to get anywhere fast if we travel merely three hours a day from here on out."
"I think we should take a couple days to just relax and enjoy the fact that we are back home."
"This is not my home," she snapped a little too harshly but then silently apologized with a shift of her weight and a softer expression.
David smiled up at her with a cock of his head, "it was mine though. And as much as I want to get back to Storybrooke I am quite enjoying it here right now."
Regina stared at him with her jaw crooked in thought as he looked back at her with hopeful blue eyes. Perhaps she was not being fair. As much as she wished to rid herself of her past she knew he missed his and she truly didn't consider that perhaps unlike herself he did miss this damned forest. He had done so much for her, it wouldn't kill her to spend an extra couple of days there. So she caved with a long huff and lifted a hand from one of her hips and waved it around a little, "so what? We are playing house now?"
David beamed up at her but she didn't smile back. Not really anyway. But he did see the way her eyes lit up at his excitement, "no we don't have to play house," he chuckled with a shake of his head and then shrugged nonchalantly with a smile, "but I certainly don't loathe the thought." She watched him through guarded eyes and try as he might he could not read the thoughts that were going through her head at his comment, "besides I'd like to get to know you for you and I know that the very moment we step foot in the streets of Storybrooke you are going to bring out your claws and your teeth. You aren't going to let anybody in you don't trust and you do not trust anyone over there. I want to be the one who gets to know you," he smiled up at her and her expression remained carefully guarded.
To be known...how terribly tempting a thought. It felt like there was a string attached to her aching heart and he was pulling her toward him and pulling hard. She was finding it quite difficult actually to keep her feet in place and keep from following that strong tug right in to him. She craved the soft touch his fingers provided against her jaw when they were close enough to breathe the same breath, she wanted to have him close just to have him close, she wanted him to tempt her with the idea of a kiss as he hovered over her parted lips but never followed through with one.
She yearned for intimacy with him and not necessarily sexually. Every soft touch, every gentle breath across her skin, every tender whisper, every smile she felt curl his lips when he just skimmed them over her own, she wanted it all and more. She wanted it so bad she felt her chest constrict with the strong desire to cry.
With a shake of her head she cleared the wishful thinking from her thoughts. She had fooled herself in to a life with him deep enough. She needn't fall any further. It would only hurt more in the end, "well I'm afraid you are going to have to buck up and walk a little more until we find clean running water. Then we'll stop."
David reached forward and pulled her in by her hips, happy to feel practically no resistance in her slow steps toward him. "Deal," he smiled and looked up at her as he left a kiss on her stomach to which she smiled at. Just a small curl of her lips that she tried to hide from him but it only had him wrapping his arms slowly around her waist and underneath the bow and quiver slung across her body.
He could only smile when she lifted her hands to his face, one curling around the nape of his neck as her thumb rested in the corner of his jaw while the fingertips of the other traced over his brow and cheekbone. "Kiss me," he grinned and she hummed a soft laugh as her dark eyes followed her fingertips, "I know you want to," he teased and was happily silenced when she shrunk down and caught him in a kiss with her soft hands still holding him in place.
He smiled against her mouth and it caused her to do the same and kiss him with a light playfulness that allowed her heart to flutter out of control. With her forbidden wishes of closeness and tenderness still present in the back of her mind she found herself to be kissing him slower and softer and her nerves were sent haywire when he reciprocated in kind.
His smile faded slowly at the change in atmosphere between them and he found himself falling harder for her when she responded so eagerly to softness. She inched closer to him until her legs hit the log he sat on and her front was pressed against his only they weren't pressed as firmly together as they had been in past kisses shared. She wasn't looking for heat and passion she was looking for close and loving tenderness and he was more than willing to oblige.
He unwound his arms from around her narrow waist and instead used his hands to hold her in place by her hips. Her mouth was soft against his with every slow and savouring movement and her fingers moved lightly over his jaw and through his short hair, touching him as she kissed him. With every passing moment her fell more in love with her, every touch and every look had his heart racing and left his breath stolen. He moved his hands up her sides lightly and encouraged her closer to him to which she responded with pushing her hips closer to him and running her fingertips through his hair above his ear and tilting her head down a little further to catch his bottom lip between both of hers.
Without breaking their soft slow kiss he carefully stood up from the log so he was again taller than her. He kept one hand spread out on the small of her back to hold her in place against him while he moved the other up her side over her ribs and then her arm and then to her head. As his fingertips trailed softly across her cheek and jaw and in to her hair he felt her slip. For only a moment she lost control of herself, caught up in the moment and let all of her defenses crumble away and he felt her love him. Only a moment, just a split second he felt an overwhelming feeling of love.
It felt like a hard hit to the chest, a force that knocked the air from his lungs as she simply melted in to his touch and purred against his mouth. But a moment is just a moment and as soon as it had come it was gone and she all but leapt out of his arms and turned her back to him before walking away. He watched her walk away and run a slow tense hand through her hair as she did and he tried his best to catch his breath. He wanted more of that powerful sensation. It was a love he had never felt before and he was more determined than ever to convince her to give in to it again.
Regina rolled her lips in to her mouth as she walked forward with her eyes closed and a hand back in her hair. She should have stopped the kiss sooner, she never should have let it go any further than the simple chaste kiss she had planned on giving. She had felt herself starting to slip away and she should have had the sense to stop there but no she let herself fall instead. She gave her head a quick and subtle shake as her heart pounded against its cage in search of that incredible freedom it had achieved only seconds beforehand and only for one thrilling moment.
She could feel the tears pricking her closed eyes as she walked away from him with slow steps and took long deep breaths to try and calm herself down. It was hard to walk away when all she ever wanted was right behind her. She couldn't give in though, she had to stay strong. She knew she wouldn't be able to handle another break in her heart. She just couldn't.
"There is a uh...river," she stopped walking and swallowed as she shook her head to rid her voice of its subtle quiver, "maybe a half hour ahead of us," she could hear him walking up behind her but she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes let alone turn and look at him. She agreed to play things out with him...she did not agree to fall in love with him. "The water is deep and clear and therefore great for-" her voice was taken from her when he wrapped his arms slowly around her middle and he pressed his warm body against her back as he lowered his head so his mouth was at her temple, "swimming," she finished in a breathy whisper and found herself leaning back in to him and holding her hands over his as she turned her head toward his but kept her eyes closed.
David slowly tilted his head down so his nose brushed against the side of her face as he looked to find her neck, "you make me happy," he whispered and left a soft kiss on her neck as he heard her breath catch in her throat.
Her mouth was open as though to speak but she had no words and instead felt a tear roll quickly down her cheek. She wouldn't, she couldn't. Anyone but him.
...
David watched her drop her dagger and the bow and quiver to the ground with a long sigh as she approached the bank at a bend in the river. The sun was hot now that they were out of the shade of the trees and it had him pulling off his leather jacket and dropping it with the bow and quiver as well as tossing the phone and his dagger in the pile before walking up beside her. She had remained rather quiet on their last stretch to the river and he really couldn't blame her. They both had a lot on their mind.
"That is really clear," he raised his eyebrows in surprise as he looked in to the water only to find he could see right to the bottom, "how deep is it right here?"
Regina shrugged and folded her arms across her chest as she avoided eye contact by staring in to the water, "deep," she offered and then gasped when large arms suddenly wrapped around her waist and he began pulling her down with him, "David!" She shrieked and gripped on to his shirt as they fell the short height from the river bank and in to the cool clear water. The current was slow and not difficult to swim against as she pushed herself off the riverbed and burst up through the surface of the water for air only to be followed by David shortly after.
She glared at him as she treaded water but he only laughed at her, "really?"
"Mhm," he grinned as he stopped swimming against the current and floated the small distance down to her to hold her glare a little longer, matching her irritation with amusement. Drops of water settled on her face and her dark hair was slicked back from the water and her beauty still made him smile despite the displeasure clear in her expression. He flicked his eyes back and forth between her own only to have them narrow at him before widening comically when he pulled her down underneath the water once more.
"That's it!" She yelled as she splashed back to the surface and pushed his head underwater and climbed on to his back with her irritation fading in to laughter. He was laughing happily when he rose back up for air but she only pushed him back under to which he retaliated with sinking further under the water, taking her with him and peeling her off his back and throwing her away from him once they were above the surface again.
She yelped and flailed during her momentary flight but hit the water laughing and quickly swam back up to him and wrapped her legs around his waist as she pulled hard on the collar of his shirt to send him off balance and fall face first in to the water as she fell backwards with him. The cooler temperature of the water felt wonderful paired with the heat of the sun and the smile on her face when he took advantage of their position underwater and pulled her head in to kiss her. He was smiling against her mouth as they floated back up and when they resurfaced they broke the kiss but stayed close, their foreheads resting against each other as they laughed happily and held each other close.
"I'm feeling kind of bad," he chuckled as he held his hands around her waist and she hummed with the expectation of an apology from him, "I should have asked you if you could swim."
"Oh you little-!" She laughed and pushed his head under the water again and held him there until he pulled her down by her legs. She opened her eyes under the water and despite the blur the water caused her vision she could still see the wide white grin pulling his mouth open. She allowed a grin of her own as she reached forward and gave him a hard push against his chest before hurrying back up to the surface to get away from him.
She swam upstream because she knew she wasn't getting back up the bank he dragged her off of but she could easily get out where the water shallowed and ran flush with the solid ground. At the playful call of her name she flipped on to her back and kicked the water at him with a joyous laugh and he moved his hands in front of his face to avoid the spray. Finding the rocks beneath her feet she stood up and the water hit just under her breasts but being taller than her, David was able to touch the bottom before her and the sound of his splashing behind her had her laughing with the chase.
She made it on to solid ground moments before he did and she leapt forward with a yelp to escape his reaching hands as she ran. She laughed as she ran, no longer caring that she was soaking wet and only caring that he may catch her and throw her back in. She had no idea where she was running to and it no longer mattered when he managed to catch up to her and wrap his arms around her middle as they both stumbled to a halt, "David!" She laughed and that same laugh went playfully shrill for a moment when he lifted her off the ground.
The sound of her laughter was a beautiful thing and he could not help but laugh along with her. "Gotcha," he gloated and she dropped her head back to rest on his shoulder as she continued to laugh and her neck was left to tempt him. They were playing though and he wanted to keep hearing her laugh so he reined himself in and did not give in to temptation and kiss her neck. He let her slip from his arms and back down to the grass covered ground but did not miss the opportunity to feel her every curve and every muscle move with her panting breath and laughter through her wet clothing.
She turned in his arms to face him as she laughed quietly and he smiled down at her soaking wet just as she was. Her eyes held his as she moved her hands up to hold his face before she rose to her toes and gave him a soft lingering kiss as she continued to laugh happily against his smiling mouth. Taking extra precaution to not let this kiss get out of hand she pulled away laughing and lowered herself back down and then turned and walked away toward their pile of possessions.
With a shake of her head she began tugging at the sleeves of her blazer in an attempt to get the stubborn wet fabric from her arms. When she was successful she hung it on a branch in the sunlight and then hung her vest as well before working at pulling off her wet boots, "these are expensive articles of clothing Charming. They are not meant for swimming in."
"Oh but they are perfect for tracking through the forest, fighting dragons and ogres, and climbing beanstalks in," he retorted and got a boot whipped at him that he caught with a laugh just before it hit him in the face.
"It's not like I was planning to do all of that when I got dressed two weeks ago," she laughed and pulled off her other boot.
"I thought you planned for everything," he teased and rolled her eyes with a light scoff. He watched her as she turned a little and closed her eyes as she smiled up at the sun and took a long deep breath to fill her lungs. It made him smile and as she exhaled he stepped forward, "you know, I don't want you to get a chill."
Regina smirked and left her eyes closed, "in this weather?"
"You never know," he shrugged and she turned only her head to look at him with dark playful eyes, "the clothes would dry faster if you hung them up anyway."
She hummed a greatly amused laugh and turned on her heels as she placed her hands on her hips and pushed her chest out just a little more as she walked up to him, "if I'm not mistaken I would have to say you are just trying to get me to take my clothes off."
"Well then there is your answer," he smirked and she tilted her head as she stopped in from of him, "you are mistaken."
Regina hummed in mock thought and lifted her hands from her hips and brought her fingers to the first closed button on her wet white shirt, "I am not often mistaken," she whispered with an added rumble to her voice and then grinned when his eyes glanced down at her breasts for only a split second as she pulled her shirt from her trousers and continued opening the remaining buttons.
...
He walked up to her where she laid on her back in the long green grass and soaked in the warm sunlight over her skin. Her wet hair was now dry in soft loose curls and her arms were lifted above her head and bent at the elbows while one leg laid flat and the other was bent at the knee only enough to lay her foot flat against the grass. She was clothed in only her black bra and panties and her eyes remained closed to keep out the bright sun but just because she couldn't see him studying her didn't mean she didn't know he was.
With a smile and dry jeans he lowered himself down on top of her and she smiled at the movement but didn't open her eyes. He laid flush on top of her, holding up some of his weight on his elbow as he smiled down at her. Her skin was warm against his bare chest and his heart skipped when she opened her friendly dark brown eyes. It was still astonishing to him how the warm gentle eyes looking at him now were the same eyes that had been so maliciously cold and empty in the past.
"Thank you," she smiled a little with her quiet voice and held his gaze when he cocked his head and smiled a little in return.
"For what?"
"For giving me another chance," his expression softened tenderly and she took a quiet breath in and spoke on the exhale, "and for pushing me to use that chance to its fullest. I know that I am not easy to deal with sometimes," she smiled a little and he cocked his head the other way and brought his fingertips to push softly through her hair. "I just wanted to say thank you. Sex and emotional train wreck aside," she teased with a small and quick shake of her head that had him laughing under his breath, "thank you for trying for me. No one has ever really done that for me before."
David frowned a little at her words and continued moving his fingers through her hair, "you're welcome," he whispered with a conflicted heart. He was everything to her. She had no one but himself and Henry and Henry was less than steadfast in his belief in her so really he, David, was everything to her. She didn't need to say it, it didn't take any genius mind to know that this lonely woman held him so dear to her precious broken heart. She kept him safe and protected in her strong hands.
Snow was back in Storybrooke and he knew she was working day and night to find a way to get him back home to her and Regina had given him a way home, a simple and safe way and they were almost there. They were almost back to Storybrooke and he could not take everything away from Regina. He simply couldn't. The very thought made him sick but what shook him harder was that leaving Snow did not bother him as much as leaving Regina. The guilt was consuming and the love was fighting.
"Please say something," she whispered uneasily beneath him. She wasn't one to put herself in such a vulnerable position and his silence was making her nervous.
David shook his head slowly and focused his glazed eyes back on her nervous dark brown ones as he moved his fingertips across her jaw and she moved her hands to his face, "I'm sorry," he whispered slowly with another shake of his head and she furrowed her brow in a question. "I am sorry that I didn't believe Snow when she said you were worth all the effort in the world to save. I am sorry I didn't give you another chance sooner. I am sorry I didn't allow myself to see the person beneath the queen. I am sorry I hurt you and even though I could have done nothing to stop it I am sorry you lost Daniel and I am sorry you had to be queen."
Regina shook her head and swallowed her tears as her quiet voice quivered, "you don't have to be sorry for-"
He silenced her protest with a kiss, a soft slow kiss before pulling away only far enough to speak, "I do."
"Okay," she whispered with a subtle nod of her head in his hand and a quick glance at his eyes before she focused back on his mouth and accepted his second kiss. It was reassuring and fulfilling, kissing him felt right even though she knew quite well it was the furthest thing from right. It was tragically insane how much clarity she found when she kissed him. She couldn't understand why the things that made her happy were never there to stay. Daniel, Snow, Henry, and now David. Perhaps it was her...