Aaaaaaaand there we go! Super excited to write the next chapters! It's gonna be fun! Enjoy this chapter and hopefully the next one will be up soon :) please review and let me know what you think and what you want to see happen!
"Alright kid we are almost home," David whispered with a smile as Regina pulled out their items and did inventory as she sat on the ground in front of him. She sat cross legged and he sat with one leg folded in front of him and the other stretched out straight along Regina's side. "It is very early in the morning, the sun is just rising, and how your mom looks so put together I have no idea," he chuckled and focused the camera on her as she laughed under her breath. "I'm pretty sure I don't look so great this early in the morning," he turned the camera to himself and gave a tired smile only to laugh and bow his head when Regina reached her hand forward and ruffled her fingers through his hair with a laugh.
"Ah well you can't say I didn't try," she laughed quietly and sat back down.
"Your effort is greatly appreciated," he chuckled and she laughed through her teeth as he turned the phone back around. "Alright, so, we've got our magic compass," he whispered and pointed to the compass and then to the vial of ashes, "and then we've got a little bit of ashes from baby Emma's enchanted tree. Yes, ashes. Your mother will now explain all the magic jibber jabber."
Regina rolled her eyes with a quiet laugh, careful not to wake the others, "we are going to lake Nostos. The water there has the ability to return what was lost to you. So," she lifted the bottle a little, "a vessel exhausted of it magic will have its function again. As for the compass it will steer us back to Storybrooke rather than the place Emma landed outside the town line. It is rather fool proof really."
"In short, your mother is a genius and I am just tagging along."
"Like a leach."
"Hey!" He protested and she leaned back a little with a greatly amused laugh that she fought to keep quiet, "you like having me around," he laughed smugly and leaned forward.
"That is true," she admitted with a smile and a quiet laugh vibrating in her throat, "now what else do we have here. Bow and arrows. I suppose we could take those. Um...daggers. And a water canteen."
"Our whole entire trip right there."
"You mustn't forget the hours of footage on that phone there," she smiled and began packing up their few items, "and the pictures."
"Yes of course! I want to look through them all again. We should actually put these all on the computer before we give it to Henry."
Regina hummed happily and looked up at him, "that is a wonderful idea."
David ended the video right there and then leaned forward and caught her in a soft kiss. She lifted her hands to hold either side of his face and kissed him back slowly and softly, "ready to go?" He whispered against her lips.
"Yes," she smiled and gave him a soft lingering kiss before pulling away, "let's wake Mulan and Aurora."
"I'm actually already awake," Aurora whispered from behind Regina and the couple snapped their attention up to her, "I just spoke with Henry."
"What did he say? Is he alright?"
"He's fine," she smiled and nodded, "he's thrilled that you're both alright and getting along. I assumed it correct to leave out the part where the two of you are romantically involved."
"Thank you," Regina whispered with a grateful smile.
"Of course. I also told him that you should be arriving today and that I will be checking in tonight to see if everything went well or reassure him if we get delayed."
"Thank you," Regina laughed quietly as she stood up and pulled Aurora in to a cautious hug to which she happily returned, "I think I'm going to miss you a little."
Aurora laughed quietly as Regina stepped away from her and let her arms fall back to her sides, "well I am definitely going to miss you," she nodded and then turned her head and looked over her shoulder, "we should wake Mulan and get going before Hook wakes up."
"Yes, let's hurry."
...
"Can I look at that little black box again?"
"The phone," David supplied with a laugh and pulled it from his pocket so he could set it up for her, "sure. Camera for still pictures," he pointed with an amused smile and Aurora watched carefully, "tap it to take a picture. Slide this over for moving pictures and tap this to start and then tap it to end."
"Okay," she grinned and carefully took the phone from him and laughed in excitement at how the world around her appeared in the phone as she moved it around and took a video. "This is amazing! Mulan, look!" She laughed and Mulan took the phone for herself for the first time.
"What is this magic?" She asked and turned it around to look at what was capturing the world in the device.
"It has your face in it now!"
"What!? Did it give it back!?"
Regina and David laughed quietly in their amusement as Mulan touched her face in a panic, "it is like a mirror, dear," Regina soothed and Mulan relaxed with a quiet 'oh' and a soft laugh at her foolishness, "it shows images but doesn't take anything."
"Well that makes much more sense," Mulan laughed and turned the phone back around and watched it focus on Aurora's face, "now it has your face in it!" She laughed and Aurora laughed with her. When she turned around and walked backwards she laughed excitedly at David and Regina, "and now you both are in it! This is fascinating."
"Let's try the picture part now!" Aurora laughed eagerly and Mulan nodded in excitement and ended the video before allowing Aurora to switch it over.
"This is hilarious," David whispered in to Regina's ear as she laughed quietly.
"I can't wait to see the other ones she has made."
"You let her make more while I wasn't watching?" He laughed in to her hair and Regina laughed some more but before she could answer, Aurora bounced up in front of them with the phone pointed at them.
"Got it!" She cheered victoriously and then touched the little square in to which the picture had been stored. "Mulan! Hey Mulan look! I figured out how to see what we have done!"
"It's like they're frozen in there," Mulan squinted her eyes and studied the device as she brought it closer. Then she quickly handed it back to Aurora, "do one of me and I'll do one of you!"
"Alright!"
"This last stretch just got a whole lot more entertaining," David laughed and Regina laughed with him as Mulan and Aurora let their excitement out.
...
"David," she whispered when they got close to the lake and touched his arm gently as she stopped walking.
"Yes?"
She didn't say anything more and instead stepped in to him, sliding her hands slowly up his chest and to the nape of his neck as she studied him with a worried and tender expression. He remained silent and offered her a smile as an act of comfort and she allowed a small smile in return but didn't meet his eye. Instead she studied him and paid close attention to the way it felt to be held in his arms and the way his warmth seeped in to her and calmed her heart.
Goodbye was the last thing she wanted to say to him but she couldn't let him go without a proper kiss. So she rose on to her toes and softly pressed her lips against his. It was true, she had resigned herself to heartbreak at the very beginning of the relationship and she had been fretting this the entire time. He returned the kiss softly but firmly as he slowly pulled her tight against him and her fingers moved over his cheek and temple as she opened her mouth only to close it around his again.
He was trying to reassure her, trying to tell her that he was going to stay but she would have none of his silent promises. She didn't trust him enough for that. She didn't trust anyone enough for that. So he held her close and kissed her with the love he felt so strongly for her. He felt her start to break, he felt her quiver and he heard her whimper ever so softly against him but she did not cling desperately to him. She savoured him. Every touch, every taste, every movement was slow and tender and even if he had been leaning toward going back to Snow he would have likely changed his mind over such a kiss. He knew her intentions were for a last kiss but it only strengthened his desire to stay.
She pulled away softly before she lost control of herself and started crying. She gave a small smile and moved her thumbs over his cheeks as she rested her forehead against his, "I love you."
David smiled and pushed his head a little more against hers, "I love you too," he whispered and she tilted her head up for another lingering kiss before she pulled away and settled against him once again, "I'm not going anywhere."
She smiled at his effort but she did not believe him. Not when his wife was waiting for him back in Storybrooke. His good, undamaged, bright hearted wife. "Let's go," she whispered with a nod and reluctantly stepped past him, "we don't need Hook catching up and trying to get a ride."
David followed her with a nod and then for whatever reason he remembered a vital piece of information, "holy shit," he stopped in his tracks with his furious and panicked voice and gripped his fingers in his hair.
"What?"
"I forgot the lake is dry because of me."
"...how the hell did you dry up an entire lake?"
"I killed a siren, what does it matter!? The lake is dry and we are stuck here! Why are you not freaking out right now?!"
"Because I know that the lake is dry," she furrowed her brow as though it was a foolish thing to not know.
He struggled to finds words as she shook her head with an amused laugh and stepped out of the trees and closer to the lakebed. "You knew?!" He managed to get out as he walked after her.
"Regina," Mulan cringed a little as she stopped in front of her with Aurora at her side, the phone in Aurora's hand, "the lake..."
"It's dry," she nodded and continued past them leaving all three to stare at one another in confusion, "you three need to stop underestimating me and you also need to start thinking a little outside the box."
"I like my box thank you very much," David retorted playfully and Regina laughed quietly as did Aurora while Mulan actually took her words to heart and started thinking. He gave Aurora a playful nudge and nodded to the phone and she lifted it with a laugh and started a video of Regina as she half skipped down the dry sandy bank and on to the dry lakebed with a quiet laugh.
Turning around to face them she found Aurora with the camera pointed at her and she let out a laugh and extended her arms out on either side of her, "a dry lake Nostos! How do we fix it? Any takers?" She was met with silence aside from the quiet laughter from David and Aurora. When Mulan suddenly showed a bright smile Regina snapped her attention to her and the woman came down the bank as well to stand next to her.
"We dig," she answered with a smile and Regina grinned and motioned to her with her hands in approval before looking back up at Aurora and David who pushed their heads back in self annoyance as they groaned out a laugh.
"We dig," Regina parroted and then snapped her fingers with a laugh and the ground behind them began to sink and the water shot up from the ground to fill the ever deepening hole. David and Aurora cheered as they hurried down to her and Mulan as they turned to face the water.
"Brilliant!" Aurora laughed and handed David the phone and then threw herself at Regina and the woman laughed and hugged her back, "be safe."
"There's no fun in that," Regina chuckled and lifted her head from Aurora's shoulder and Aurora lifted her head as well, "find Phillip."
"We will," she nodded and gave her one more hug before she let go and stepped away only to give David a hug goodbye, rising on to her toes to wrap her arms around his neck, "I wish you two good luck," she smiled as she lowered herself back down and let go of him.
"Thank you."
"Goodbye, Regina," Mulan smiled and gave a small bow of her head.
Regina smirked in return and cocked her head a little before giving a bow of her own, "goodbye, Mulan."
"Alright let's get this show on the road!" David grinned and shared a quiet goodbye with the warrior as Regina pulled out the ashes and Mulan and Aurora backed away with wide smiles. When Regina poured the ashes in the water began to move and soon enough a wild vortex was formed and she grinned up at him and then in to the camera.
"We will see you shortly Henry!"
"Regina!"
David was just about to end the video but both his and Regina's attentions were caught by the panicked call of her name and the video lasted a few seconds longer as Cora ran up to Regina, wearing the more practical wardrobe choice of black leather pants and boots and a white loose linen shirt tucked in to the waist of her pants.
"Regina," she called softer when she stopped in front of her and lifted her hands to hold her daughter's face and push her hair behind her ear, "please, darling, don't leave me again, give me just one more chance."
"I already told you no, mother," she replied quietly and Cora shook her head desperately, "you are much too late," she whispered and a tear rolled down her cheek but when she tried to step away Cora stepped with her. Out of the corner of her eye she watched David put the phone away and pull the compass from his pocket and for a moment she was worried he would do something stupid for her but she quickly figured out he was getting ready to jump at the quickest chance they got to get away from Cora and now Hook.
"Regina, please, I don't want to be alone anymore," she shook her head and Regina bowed hers as she closed her eyes, "I want to be with you, I want to mend our relationship, I want to be better for you."
Regina shook her head in quick short movements as her heart ached with conflict, "it will only take two," she whispered helplessly, "and I need to get back to my son. I will not leave him without a mother."
"Regina please," she whispered and combed her fingers through her hair above her ear, "let David go by himself and you stay here with me. We can find another way and we can go together."
Regina shook her head with the saddest of laughs and lifted her head to look at her through tear filled eyes, "as easy as that would be, I can't. I'm sorry," she whispered and felt her tears fall as she backed up, "I don't want to hurt anymore," with Cora frozen and stumbling over the right thing to say, Regina took David's hand in hers and quickly they both jumped in to the portal.
"No!" Both Cora and Hook yelled as they jumped forward to try and catch what they both wanted. Cora's voice more desperate and mournful than Hook's as she stared in to the water that had gone from a swirling vortex to eerily still in moments. "No," she whispered and shook her head at the water as she fell to her knees in the dry sand. "Regina," she whispered and her eyes searched the still water for any sign of her.
Then suddenly she was on her feet again and she marched up to Mulan and Aurora, paying no mind to the sword Mulan unsheathed and placed at her neck, "you two are going to tell me how she got out of here."
"We don't know," Mulan shook her head and continued, "even if we did we wouldn't tell you."
"Tell me!" She bellowed and felt the sword push a little harder.
"They don't know, Cora," Hook assured her but the woman did not back off, "your daughter wouldn't speak a word of their plan. She only divulged their destination so she wouldn't have to lead the way all the time. The pair are useless," he motioned to Mulan and Aurora and after a long few moments she left them and came to him with a certain fury burning in her eyes paired with the painful sting of rejection.
"We are backtracking now," she growled and got up in his space, "we have a beanstalk to climb."