MERRY CHRISTMAS! Or Happy Holidays or whatever lol! Here is my Christmas gift to you! As well as the promise of a kiss in the next chapter ;) please leave a review! You guys are awesome at reviews! Thank you! :)
David jumped a bit when his mother so silently appeared at his side and snapped him back from his thoughts on Regina. But he was quickly smiling and looking out at the forest again through the large expanse of glass that was the wall of this spectacular hallway, "you scared me."
"Glad I haven't lost my touch," she teased and David laughed, "what are you thinking so hard about?" She questioned with a smile and he shook his head while a whole assortment of emotions filled his face. She understood though and nodded her head, "the darling queen."
David relented with a long sigh and a few nods of his head before he started shaking it again, "I don't know what to make of it."
"Which part?"
"All of it."
Ruth nodded and he kept his eyes out on the forest and then with a small sigh she looked out at the forest as well, "we don't choose who we love, dear. People just burrow their way in to our hearts and stay there and a great deal of the time we don't notice until we get slapped in the face with it. We also don't notice when we are burrowing in to someone's heart," she added quietly and David let out a long breath and shook his head.
"I don't believe she returns my...affection."
"It's a whole lot more than affection, dear," Ruth laughed lightly with a shake of her head and then changed her voice to a more serious tone, "she loves you. Believe me."
"I don't see it."
"She doesn't want you to."
"Why not?"
"She believes it is a weakness," Ruth shook her head as she parroted the young boy's words, "she refuses to appear weak to anyone if she can help it. She also does not believe she is worthy of love," she added her own observation quietly and David looked at her curiously. Ruth smiled a small sad smile as she shrugged a little, "this woman is more than I ever believed her to be. She loathes herself for many things. And I believe her to be on a vicious cycle of wanting and needing love but denying herself of it to punish herself. She is not...right in her head, she has been manipulated and played with too many times. She wants to love you. But she'd sooner die than make you aware of it."
David stared at his mother as her words were analyzed in his own mind. He trusted his mother and had always admired and sought after her ability to know people so quickly but this wasn't just any given day with any given person. This was the queen. And no one knew the queen.
Without a word he looked back out at the forest and decided that he would answer Ruth's first question regarding what he was thinking about, "the first night I stayed in the castle rather than the dungeon I came upon this hallway. I couldn't sleep and the view took my mind to Snow. That is beside the point though for I do not think of Snow anymore. Regina found me here and while I was bitter, she was gentle. She told me that she had always wanted to go out and explore the forest for a few days. Just wander around in there to see what she could find. No magic, no power, no throne. Just get out of this gloried canary cage. But she couldn't do it because she knew she would end up being hunted."
Ruth nodded when he finished his story and the words touched a place in her heart that had been reserved for the tired and troubled queen.
"I want her to be able to do that."
...
"Nope don't go that way," Henry instructed quickly as he caught David's arm and started pulling him in the opposite direction.
"What why?"
"Mom's in a mood and trust me you don't want to cross paths with her," he explained and David stopped walking and his arm slipped from Henry's grip, "I'm serious!"
"What has her in such a bad mood?"
You working your way in to her heart. Her wishing to give her heart to you. The fact that she misses your touch. The way she wants you but refuses to let herself have you. "I don't know she's angry at something. Plus she is giving Belle back to Rumple today so that's not helping her mood. But she's like verging on full out Evil Queen mode and you really don't want to get in her way," he insisted and then bit back a smile when David ignored him and began walking in the direction he had specifically told him not to go in, "did you not hear me?"
"I heard you."
"Well then what are you doing?" Henry questioned as he half skipped to keep in step with David, "do you want her to tear your head off?"
"Don't be ridiculous. She doesn't tear people's heads off. She rips their hearts out," he smirked down at the boy and Henry breathed out a laugh and rolled his eyes.
"She has snapped necks before. I wouldn't put it past her to take it a step further," he retorted and David nodded.
"Fair enough."
"Seriously though she's really mad."
"I'll be fine."
...
"Where are you taking me?!"
Regina snarled and hissed silently through her teeth as she dragged the woman alongside her with her hand around her upper arm. She dug her heels in like a stubborn mule and it only added on to the fury that bubbled inside her over the fact she had to give her back to Rumple.
"Where are you taking me?!" Belle growled furiously as she tried to pry the queen's hand off of her. But the woman's grip was surprisingly strong and wouldn't so much as budge. So she dug her heels in again but was roughly tugged forward again so she let out an angry growl which subsequently had the queen stopping in her tracks and spinning around to face her and get in to her face.
"Quit your whining and do as you are told," she barked and the woman scoffed furiously.
"I am not some penniless servant! I am a woman of great value and skill! I am of great status and wealth-!"
"I know who you are, girl," Regina snarled with a quirk of her head, "I simply do not care. Now will you follow or shall I take your heart and move you like a puppeteer does its puppet? Hmm?"
"Well I had been told you had woken up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," David chimed in as he walked up behind her and she twisted sharply at the waist to glare at him with a snarl and truly vicious dark eyes.
"What do you want, shepherd," she bit out as he walked so easily up to her.
"My excuse for being here? I took a wrong turn. Truthfully? I wanted to see if you were okay," he explained with a tangible amount of concern in his voice but she didn't seem to care for it.
"Get out of my way."
"Are you alright?"
"I am fine now get out of my way."
"If I have learned nothing else about your womanly kind it is that the word 'fine' means the exact opposite," he countered simply and her rage bubbled further but he found he was neither scared or wary of it. He knew this was simply an amplified side to her and not who she truly was in her heart. So he would wait patiently and stand by her until it passed.
With her rage curling her lip back to show her perfect white teeth, the queen spun back around and Belle swallowed at the wildness in her eyes that was not there before. She had been furious before but still had herself under control and now that control was thrown away with the presence of this man and the boy a few strides behind him. She didn't believe the queen had noticed the boy though. Belle tried to lean away from her as she stepped closer but didn't get far before a spell kept her feet heavy upon the floor. Belle had believed she had dealt with the worst of this evil queen before but now as she looked at those dark manic eyes and twisted mouth she realized she had previously dealt with nothing of the sort. That is when the fear settled in and it was like the woman could smell it for her lips curled up in to a sick smile.
"If you are not going to step aside then I suppose you may watch as a bring this precious pet back to its master," she stated with a smooth and deadly voice. She knew she was out of control. She knew it quite well. But she was out of control which meant she couldn't stop. She knew she was better than this, she knew that if she had just explained the situation to Belle in the first place that none of this would have played out like it had. She knew all of it. But it was just so easy to fall back in to old habits when she was in this state of mind, this foul mood.
Her hand flew forward and Belle gasped but before her hand could sink in to the woman's chest and take a grip around her heart, he snatched her upper arm in a firm grip and gave her a sharp tug that pulled her off balance and had her colliding in to him. She was practically vibrating with her fury as he kept her arm up and in his grip and her body pressed lightly to his as she held his gaze without blinking. She was absolutely livid. He had never seen her in such a state, "Regina-"
"No," she interrupted firmly but not angrily and he cocked his head ever so slightly in confusion at her tone as she leaned heavier in to him and his eyes flitted across her face for any hint as to what she was playing at. "That isn't how you want to say my name," she argued and channeled her rage in to making him remember his place. Beneath her. "Say it the way you want to. Whisper it against my skin. Compliment me as you let your hands roam over me."
He knew what she was doing. While her body had relaxed in to his and moved slowly against him, her jaw remained tense and her tongue was direct and sharp. She was pushing him, playing with him. And while he wanted to do everything she was saying, he knew it would do him absolutely no good if he were to follow through.
"Touch me," she whispered and very intentionally let her voice break in to a small whine with her words as she pushed herself in to him and let her eyes fall to his mouth, "kiss me. Make me beg for more," she whispered against his jaw and her free hand moved to his hip so her fingers could lightly trail over his side. "Taste me," she whispered and felt him let out a long exhale, "thread your fingers in my hair. Bite me. Pin me down," she permitted as her nails scratched down his side and his breath caught in his throat, "make me shake and writhe beneath you. Make me sweat. Make me scream. Break me."
He knew was she was doing but that didn't stop him for falling for it and falling victim to her and the fog in his mind.
He started to lean in to her just a little and she felt alive with the victory as she softly dragged her parted lips up his neck, "growl my name," she growled lightly and felt dizzy with him reacting to her and turning his head in to hers, "moan my name," she moaned out slowly against his jaw and felt his grip relax around her arm, "cry my name," she demanded lowly and he blew a shaky breath down her neck, "and I will do the same to yours," she whispered against his lips and with what little control she had left she refrained from proving her point with a firm kiss. For she knew quite well that there was a good chance he would prove a point to her instead if she did such a thing.
So with a quick motion she pulled her arm from his loosened grip and wrapped her hand around his throat. He gasped and his eyes flew open as his hands wrapped around her wrist and Belle yelped behind her in surprise but her grip never faltered and her snarl was back in full force as she leaned in to his face and her nails dug in to his skin. His blood warmed her fingers and his breath was hoarse but she only grinned furiously at those wide blue eyes.
"Mom!" Henry screamed but kept his distance. His eyes never left her but out of the corner of his eye he saw Belle swing her full attention to him and then back at the queen in confusion.
"Never think you are so important as to say my name with such misguided power," she seethed and he pulled at her wrist but her nails dug deeper, "I am your queen, shepherd," she bit out through her teeth and leaned in so their faces were scant inches apart, "do it again and I shall tear your throat out," she warned with her snarl and a cock of her head and then tore her fingers back to her side as she spun around and left him gasping for air, "come!" She demanded with no room for argument and quickly Belle obeyed and fell in step behind her.
"Mom," Henry protested as she walked past him but she only glared at him which had him sighing out his nose and crossing his jaw before turning to check on David. It was situations like these that gave him pause over whether or not he should keep pursuing Operation Fox. But it was all the other moments that kept him going.
...
Regina stared at her hand in front of her as it hung over a basin of water. His blood still stained her skin and she didn't realize she was crying until the water rippled beneath her hand from the drop of her tear. With an exhausted breath she closed her eyes and slowly shook her head as she gently submerged her hands in to the warm water and rubbed the blood from her fingers.
Rumple was gone with Belle. Where he had gone she didn't know nor did she care. She didn't stay to watch the reunion. Simply threw the girl at Rumple and turned and left as he held her up against him. And now here she stood on her own with her temper finally calmed.
She didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want to make him bleed. But she had a tendency to destroy everything she touched. Guilt twisted her gut and worry plagued her mind as the water turned rosy with the addition of blood. She hoped she hadn't burned everything down between herself and David. She would be truly heartbroken if he left her here alone. She felt another tear roll down her cheek as she shook the water from her hands before drying them. She loved him. She didn't want to but she did. And now she feared she had pushed him away and he wouldn't know how much it killed her.
...
Henry sat in his oversized bed with a piece of paper and a chunk of charcoal wrapped on a smooth stick. He had his tongue between his lips as he focused on all the small details and he didn't notice he had company until the bed sunk down beside him. He shot his attention up and smiled when he saw those friendly dark eyes, "hey mom."
"Hello," she greeted happily and quietly in return as she braced her weight on her hand on the bed behind him, "what is this?"
"My home. In Storybrooke," he replied and looked down at the drawing with her as she smiled and nodded, "I can't get it quite right...that's my room right there though," he pointed and she smiled.
"It is a beautiful home."
"The inside is even better," Henry assured with a smile and she hummed a small laugh.
"You miss it."
"Always," he nodded and then to soften the blow he leaned in to her and rested his head against the side of her neck. "I knew you'd snap out of it," he said quietly as he placed his medieval pencil down and wrapped his arms around her waist. She hummed apologetically in return as she rested her head upon his and then turned it so she could kiss the top of his head and then take a deep breath before straightening her neck once more and laid the side of her head on his. Henry smiled at the gesture and felt his heart skip as his chest filled with warmth, "that's the first time you've kissed me."
Regina frowned at that. Just a small frown but a frown nonetheless. The boy had been here for months. When she didn't say anything he sat up straight again and loosened his arms around her but didn't remove them as he looked up at her.
"You okay?"
"Mhm."
"You sure?"
"Yes, Henry."
"You know David's still here right?"
"What do you mean?"
"He hasn't gone anywhere. He's just giving you space until you settled back down."
"Why?"
Henry laughed a little at the confused look she gave him but felt his chest warm at the sight of hope in her dark eyes, "because he loves you."
"Don't be naive, Henry," she scolded tiredly and he shook his head at her.
"You're just in denial because you don't think you're good enough for him," Henry countered and before she could argue that he stretched up and left a lingering kiss on her cheek before snuggling back in to her side, "I bet you if you kiss him you'll see."
"Henry."
"Just sayin'."
...
David moved his gaze from the fire when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and smiled when he saw Regina timidly approaching him. Her maniacal demeanour had entirely dissolved and he had never seen her quite this quiet and timid, "hey," he whispered with a smile when she got close.
Regina didn't say a word and crouched on the floor between his legs and hesitantly brought her hands up toward his neck. She didn't want to push too far or too fast but he remained content and still with a relaxed smile even when her fingers reached his neck. She pulled the clean white bandage from his neck and felt her features cringe ever so slightly at the sight of five small wounds around his throat. One on the right side from her thumb and the other four on the left from her fingers.
"It's not as bad as it looks," he reassured as her soft fingers moved down his throat.
"I'm sorry, David," she whispered and felt the vibration against her fingers when he hummed.
"I know."
"I don't believe you do," she argued softly as she brought her magic to her fingers and carefully healed the marks one by one as well as any bruising around the area.
"Well then please," he nodded and her eyes met his, "make me aware."
She held his gentle eyes for a few moments longer before her gaze fell to his lips and then to his neck where she continued with her magic. "You mean a great deal to me, David. I know that I am not always pleasant to be around or to deal with but I want you to know that I do not take you for granted. I simply do not know...how to show it. I was not raised in a particularly affectionate home and living here in the castle with Snow after losing the one light in my life...it didn't serve me well. I am not trying to make excuses it is just that I truly do not know how to love or how to be kind or how to...be happy. I am still learning and yours and Henry's patience and support and instruction mean everything to me. I just don't know how to show you that. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you to a mistake I made. I am sorry I hurt you."
"...you love me?"
"What?" She answered too quickly as her eyes snapped up to his and her work on his final wound came to an abrupt halt.
"You said love."
"I...said I didn't know how to love not that I loved you."
"It was implied."
"It was not."
"You were talking about me."
"The phrase 'I love you' never left my lips."
"It did now," he smirked just a little and she fought over what words to argue back with.
"You are twisting my words."
"Hmm," David hummed thoughtfully as he watched those startled dark eyes and waited for the right denial. But it never came. She did not say a word to negate his question of her love for him, "am I?"
"Yes."
Not wanting to push any further because he knew he was treading on thin ice, he let it go with a nod and after a moment of pause she pulled her focus back to his neck, "Rumplestiltskin certainly gets you riled up."
"Indeed."
"You're skills of seduction are very much up to par by the way," he smirked a little and she breathed a single silent laugh out her nose.
"I'm sorry about that."
"It wasn't like I suffered," he teased and she crossed her jaw to keep back a wide smile as she withdrew her hands from his neck. "You know, until I was choking and bleeding," he shrugged and she shook her head with a small uneasy laugh. "It was kind of my fault anyway. Henry told me not to go down there but I just couldn't help myself."
"Why not."
"I wanted to make sure you were alright. And didn't do anything you'd regret."
"Why?"
"Because despite what you may think, my queen, I do care about you and I do want you to find your happy ending," he smiled softly down at her and she tilted her head as she looked up at him with big dark eyes, "I am not going anywhere."
"I am a woman who has been lied to her entire life. Words mean nothing to me, shepherd."