I'm a tease. I apologize. Hahahahaha! Please leave a review! Any and all ideas or criticism are appreciated! Unless you're an asshole lol then you're not all that appreciated ;p lol! Happy reading, my lovely readers :)
"Tell me truthfully," he started as they stopped at the door to the flat, "how big of a storm am I walking in to?"
Emma scoffed lightly as she flipped through her keys, "David you had a sleepover with inarguably the hottest woman in town and neglected to charge your phone. A hot girl friend and a phone that goes straight to voicemail equals an affair in anyone's handbook."
"I am not having an affair with Regina!"
"I know that, Snow doesn't. But my god that woman does need to get laid," she huffed out as she turned the key in the lock.
"Regina?"
"She needs someone she can dig her claws in to other than Girl Scouts and birds," Emma drawled out as she swung the door open and stepped inside.
Shivers shot down David's spine at the images behind his eyes of Regina arching under a man's touch. Her next partner would be a lucky man in that regard. Taking a deep breath, he walked in after Emma. A part of him was actually looking forward to fighting with Snow. At least she wouldn't be so god damn cheery about the accidentally implied but nonexistent affair.
His hopes for an argument were crushed when he walked in and she was smiling at him. Happy again. He was confused and it appeared Emma was equally confused at the sight.
"What's with the faces?" Snow laughed lightly as she braided the challah in preparation to bake it.
"Well we were both expecting you to explode at David," Emma answered rather bluntly as she dropped her things on the table and walked up to the island with David in tow.
"Oh. Well there's no need. I already talked to Regina."
At that Emma gave a long exhale in to her hands as she leaned against the island with her elbows bracing against its surface and David raised his eyebrows in disbelief, "you did what?"
"Talked to Regina. She cleared it all up. A little heads up though may be nice in the future so that you don't have the rest of us jumping to conclusions."
"What did you say to her?"
"Why are you being so snappy? Are you hiding something?"
"No of course I'm not hiding anything, Snow! But you don't just walk in to people's homes accusing them of having an affair when they've done nothing of the sort!"
"She will get over it, David!" Snow yelled back with a slightly confused tone to her voice that paired with her confusion on what had him so riled up.
"No she won't, Snow! Just because it looks like everything is fine it doesn't mean it is! You should know that better than anyone! She raised you and you had no idea that she wanted to kill you until you were running through the forest with the huntsman on your trail!"
"That was for something entirely different!"
"The point is we have been ignorant, Snow! We don't see her as a person! She is no different than any of us! Her anger is simply shown more vibrantly than any of her other emotions!"
"David-!"
"The whole Cora situation for example! You killed Cora, you tricked Regina in to killing her own mother and no one cared! We were all focused on you! We didn't stop to so much consider that Regina had watched her mother die in her arms! Her only family left! We saw her as a villain and nothing more! We didn't stop to think that Cora was important to anyone! She was just dead and the world was all the merrier until the next villain knocked on our door! We didn't even try to reach out to Regina! No one tried to help her cope, no one gave any thought to the fact that she had just lost her entire world again! She's just Regina! She'll be fine! She'll get over it!"
"Where the hell is this coming from, David?!"
"I am not fine, Snow! I am not okay! We missed our daughter's life! We missed it! Look at her! And now we have lost Henry! We don't know if we will ever see him again! We could miss his life too! And yet you are still smiling and laughing and baking bread without even considering that the rest of us are not alright!"
"That is not fair!"
"You are not being fair!" He yelled in exhaustion as tears burned in his eyes and hers rolled down her cheeks.
"I am doing the best I can to make sure we don't fall apart! I am trying to put on a good face-!"
"Stop trying!" He roared and she flinched but he didn't care, "we don't want to be happy, Snow! We are not happy! Just let us be unhappy!"
"I am unhappy! You don't think it kills me every time I look at her and I don't see that little infant I gave up?! You don't think I'm struggling every day?! You think I don't care that Henry is gone and that we may never see him again?! I am falling apart, David!"
"Then show it!"
"You're never here!" She screamed as her tears rolled quickly down her face, "you're with Regina!"
"I go to Regina to breathe! I am suffocating here! I cannot be Prince Charming for you! I just can't!"
"You don't have to be!"
"I feel like I do!"
"Stop being such a god damn hypocrite! How the hell am I supposed to trust you with my grief if you can't trust me with yours?!"
"Do not turn this on me!"
"It's not just on me, David! We are both in the wrong! We need to communicate!"
"I can't do this anymore! I'm exhausted!"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean!"
"I'm going for a walk."
"You're going to Regina!" She yelled furiously but the door was quickly opened and slammed behind him without another word. Silence filled the flat and Snow felt her hands shaking as her rage and pain made her nauseas. Never had they fought like that before. They had gotten in to a fair amount of spats in the past and they usually revolved around Regina but never had they escalated to such an intensity and never had they been so personal.
Emma flinched when Snow yelled and threw a glass in to the sink, effectively shattering it. She wasn't quite sure what her place was at the moment. Snow and David never fought. She knew that tensions were rising between them but knowing something and seeing the results of it were two entirely different things. It was unsettling to see them fight like that. Perhaps it affected her more than she thought it would because they were her parents. Either way it made her feel unsettled and slowly she stood tall but kept her eyes down.
"I'm gonna go...buy a dog. One that's really lazy and fat..." She stated quietly as she slowly made her way to the door to solve her desire to have something to hug.
-Enchanted Forest-
The forest felt strange. She had been living in this spot for well over two weeks now and it was odd. She was usually moving camp every other night at the very least so that she wouldn't get caught. But she had seen no threat that hinted her to move on. She hadn't seen a black guard in nearly three weeks and she hadn't heard anything from Regina or anything regarding Regina. Well that wasn't entirely true. Red had come to visit a couple days prior with the rumour that Regina had found herself hopelessly in love and that that was what accounted for all the strange behaviour.
Initially the rumour had Snow laughing in disbelief because she doubted anyone but her could see the good in Regina these days let alone see enough good to love her. But the longer she thought on it she supposed it could be true. Perhaps David was making a difference up there with her. It wouldn't be the strangest thing to happen in her lifetime. To be honest she would be thrilled to know that her stepmother had found love again.
She was humming an aimless tune as she hung a small iron cauldron over her fire to warm her broth. Everything was out of the ordinary but in a way that made everything ordinary and when she saw the colour red out of the corner of her eye she assumed it to be Red. But then a cold shiver ran down her spine and she snapped her head toward the colour to see Regina standing hardly three feet from her and she let out a sharp shriek as she leapt backward and caught her heel on a root which had her falling backward to the forest floor.
"Really it is a wonder to me how my black guard has yet to apprehend you," she drawled out as she watched Snow on the ground trying to catch her breath and decide if she should spring up and run or stay put.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Snow huffed out as she tried to calm her nerves and rather ungracefully got back on her feet, dusting off the remnants of the forest from her hands and pants.
Regina watched her stand and waited until she stilled before she answered, "I need you to do something for me."
Snow stared at her entirely baffled and gave a shake of her head and a confused scoff, "you need me to do something for you?"
"I could find someone else. But I know you will be more efficient. It will of course come with payment."
Snow breathed out an irritated and confused laugh as she looked off to the side, "of course. And what would this payment be exactly?" She inquired and focused her eyes back on Regina's before she did something while she wasn't looking.
"Once you have retrieved what I need at any cost, I will be willing to sit down and talk. I will answer any and all questions you may have and once that is done you will stand in as queen until I return," she replied easily and Snow stared at her entirely dumbfounded. Regina knew quite well it was an undeniable proposal and she waited rather impatiently for Snow to gather her wits and reply.
"I..." she tilted her head and furrowed her brow, "what is the catch?"
"There is no catch."
"There is always a catch."
"No catch," Regina shook her head as she stepped closer and Snow leaned away ever so slightly and looked her up and down warily, "you must simply bring me what I ask for. One rare item. Once it is in my hand I will be entirely forthcoming."
It had been a long time since she was this close to Regina. She didn't even have to extend her arm to its full length to touch her. Her scent wafted in to her senses and brought back so many memories just as those dark eyes always did. The closeness actually had her relaxing a little against her better judgement as she gave a long slow breath, "I'm not sure if I believe you."
"That doesn't matter. The fact remains that I need this item and you need answers."
"What is the item?"
"Do we have a deal?"
Snow looked back and forth between those dark and playful eyes and those red lips that smiled at her and while her expression was daring and powerful, Snow sensed no danger or trick. Despite her mind's warning, her gut and her heart had her nodding which had Regina smiling a little more, "I get one question answered first or there will be no deal."
Humming quietly as she tilted her head, taking her turn to look her opponent up and down before Regina agreed carefully, "one question."
"There is a rumour flying through this kingdom that you have fallen in love," she started and Regina's expression grew guarded as she straightened her head and tucked her chin ever so slightly, "is it true?"
Her jaw was clenched shut as she let out a long and silent breath. Of all the questions she could have asked this one she did not see coming. How in the world did she hear that blasted rumour? Were the damned birds spreading the news? She didn't mind the common folk knowing because it helped her in many ways amongst them as well as made her feel like it was the right path to follow and that it was important and wasn't for nothing. But Snow was not common folk. Snow was different.
But back to the question at hand, the one that she truly did not wish to answer under such circumstances but needed to regardless, "yes."
She hadn't believed she had heard her correctly. She couldn't tell what surprised her more. That the rumour was true or that Regina had admitted to her face that she had fallen in love. Her eyebrows were nearly in her hairline before she huffed a shocked laugh under her breath as she folded her arms, "who is the lucky man?"
"The agreement was one question," Regina snapped back but Snow didn't stop looking at her with a cautious smile slowly pulling at her mouth, "stop looking at me like that."
"You're really in love?" She questioned with a small smirk and the woman scowled back, "Regina that's-"
"I agreed to one question," Regina interrupted sharply and immediately Snow's mouth snapped shut but she was still smiling, "if you wish for more answers you must retrieve what I need."
"And what is this rare item that has sparked your interest?" Snow laughed lightly, curious and further relaxed now that she knew Regina was serious and there was no game or ulterior motive to this deal. No matter how bizarre it sounded. A big part of her was having difficulty breaking habit and running at the sight of Regina but the small part of her that had her staying put was the same small part that still hoped that Regina's redemption was possible.
"A magic bean."
"Regina," she laughed incredulously under her breath with a confused shake of her head, "magic beans are next to impossible to come by."
"That's not my problem, now is it," she replied smoothly with her eyebrows raised and a slight shake of her head.
"Alright," she nodded with a quiet breath of rather irritated laughter. This had better be worth it.
"You have one month," she stated simply and then moved to walk past her.
"One month?! Regina I-!"
"One month or the deal is off. The treasury is at your disposal. I will have eyes on you," she informed her simply and Snow scoffed with a shake of her head at the difficulty of the task, "I trust I will see you soon enough," she nodded and then engulfed herself in purple magic. She reappeared in her castle next to David as planned and he was smirking at her and she hardly had time for her expression to question his before she was gasping and flinging her hand up to catch the arrow about to whiz past her head.
"Dang it!" Henry whined out with a laugh as he dropped his arms limply to his sides with his bow still in hand, "I'm never going to win this game!"
Regina huffed out a laugh as she shook off the sudden rush of adrenaline and David laughed beside her, "you were quite close that time."
"Not close enough though," Henry chuckled as he walked up to her and she gave him back his arrow, "but I've gotta go or I'll be late for my spar with Claude," he nodded and Regina smiled down at him with a hint of amusement and a whole lot of satisfaction, "I'll see you guys for supper!"
"Have fun," Regina nodded and watched him run off. She really did adore that boy. Her thoughts on Henry were lost the moment David's hands were on her hips and she was smiling like a damn fool but she didn't care.
"Where did you go?" He smiled as he lazily wound his arms around her middle.
"I went to go and procure a bean," she replied and he hummed through his smile, "someone will be retrieving it for me. As per your suggestion."
"I am clever," he smirked and she breathed out a laugh as her smile grew to show her teeth, "my god you are beautiful," he whispered and she averted her eyes to the ground and tried and failed to rein back her smile.
"I was thinking that we still have time before dinner..."
"Mhm."
"And as we already know, Henry is working with swords..."
"Indeed."
"And your mother is likely aiding in the kitchen as she always does..."
"Most likely."
"And my father tends to spend his time in the library for dinner..."
"He does."
"And I can't help but come to conclude that we have at the very least one hour before we are in danger of being interrupted," she smirked and he grinned with a small tilt of his head that had her grinning all the more.
"I do hate interruptions," he grinned as he stepped forward and she allowed him to step her backwards.
"Who doesn't?" She teased back and stopped walking when her back was pressed against the cold stone of the wall and he comfortably kept her pinned there beneath his warm body.
"The question is: whatever shall we do with all of this uninterrupted time?" He questioned with a smirk and she let out a long hum as her lips fell to his mouth.
"We shall have to get creative I suppose," she whispered.
"Indeed," he whispered against her smiling lips and then he kissed her and a long and satisfied moan vibrated low in her throat that had him hissing when he broke that kiss. She slowly rolled her hips in to his in a response to that hiss and he was quickly kissing her again and pinning her harder against the wall. His palms were against the cold stone wall on either side of her waist and her fingers had hooked in to the waist of his pants to keep him pressed against her as she rolled her hips over and over and continued as he started to grow hard.
His heartbeat was pounding in his ears and he tried not to snap and tear her apart so she was screaming his name. Nearly two weeks. Interrupted every single time they tried to have sex over the past ten days. It was getting old fast and they were growing needy. They had all the time in the world when they retired to bed but by then they were tired from the night's events or were simply in no mood to do anything but lay there with one another and enjoy the silence and soft touches and kisses. But now? Now there were no soft kisses or touches. Now their kisses were long and deep and needy and their touches were heavy and their hands grabbed and clawed at one another.
She was moaning and already short of breath and it had his head spinning. His lips dragged down her throat as she pushed her head back in to the wall and he pulled her hips closer to him. He wanted more. His breaths were heavy as he curled a hand around the back of her neck so he could bite and suck on her neck causing her to whimper and moan in encouragement as she rocked her hips harder against his firm length. His hand tangled in her hair at the base of her skull and pulled her head back further so his mouth could latch on to her jaw so he could feel the thrill when he got her going by that one little spot.
Shivers flew up and down her spine when he found that particularly satisfying spot that she swore was never there until he came around. It had a whimper catching in her throat as her fingers opened and then closed again around his shirt. His stubble scratched her soft skin in the very best way and she moaned again as she felt his hard cock against her pelvis through his pants and her gown, "I want you," she whispered and was then silenced with a fervent kiss that filled her mouth and made her knees threaten to give way beneath her.
"I need you," he countered and a strangled moan caught in her throat before he kissed her again, swivelling his head to change the angle and cause her to snap. Her hands were tugging roughly at the waist of his pants to try and get inside while his hands wandered her body and kneaded her breasts through her red velvety gown. He had her whimpering and moaning and needy and panting and he was not in much of a better state. But then he came to his senses.
"Stop," he whispered but she either ignored him or didn't hear him, "no, Regina, stop," he panted as he caught her wrists and pinned them to the wall.
"What now?!" She growled furiously through her breaths that caused her chest to heave.
"I want to do this right," he breathed out as he tried to catch his breath and steady his heart and she seethed beneath him. "As much as I want to fuck you against this wall, I don't want that to be our first time. I want to do it properly," he nodded as he held those dark eyes and she remained relaxed beneath him. Unhappy. But relaxed and listening, "I want to make love to you, my queen," he told her and she blinked and looked him up and down cautiously with a small shift of her weight. "I want to make you feel," he whispered as he leaned in closer and pressed his full body against hers which had her swallowing and her fingers twitching nervously.
"You are important, my love. You are precious to me and deserve to be treated as such," he told her softly and he knew very well she didn't quite know what to say to respond to that. "I love you and I will show you just how much tonight when we have no time restraint," he whispered and waited a moment and when she didn't say anything he raised his eyebrows in a silent question and she gave a wary and subtle nod in reply as her dark eyes flicked between his.
Intimacy. It scared the hell out of her. Sex was one thing. Intimacy was a whole different thing. She craved it. She wanted it. But she was terrified. She wasn't good at intimacy. She was both eager and terrified. But mostly terrified. He seemed to understand that though and she relaxed a fraction when he gave her that adoring hum he gave only when she did something he found to be tender and vulnerable that he liked and encouraged. She was certainly vulnerable. "Be patient with me," she whispered much smaller than she had hoped for but David only hummed again and lifted a hand from her wrist to hold the side of her face.
"Always," he whispered and then softly bumped his nose against hers in encouragement before he kissed her.
-Storybrooke-
Yes he had found his way to Regina's. But to be fair he had wandered a lot of the town before he arrived on her doorstep riled up and pissed. He hadn't even bothered knocking and walked straight in to the house but she wasn't there. He had searched the entire home calling her name but the damn thing was empty. He didn't know where she went, she could be anywhere. Probably to escape the drama that was this charming family. He couldn't say he blamed her.
Regardless of her being there or not he sat down on her stairs and put his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands and took some time to gather his thoughts. He wasn't all that sure how long he had been sitting there trying to calm himself down but it was long enough for Regina to return. In riding attire no less. It caught him by surprise actually. Polished black riding boots, tight beige jodhpurs, black belt, and a pristinely white button up shirt. "You were riding?"
"Well it would appear that way wouldn't it," she retorted bitterly as she spared him a glance and walked past him on her way to the kitchen, "how long have you been here, David?"
"Not sure," he answered as he stood up and followed her.
"Well the fact remains you probably shouldn't be here."
"Regina I'm not going to just walk away from you because Snow pitched a fit."
"You still shouldn't be here."
"Regina-"
"No, David!" She yelled as she spun around to face him and he stopped in his tracks, "you don't get it! Go home! Love your idiot wife! Because that stunt she pulled this morning was unacceptable and you are carrying just as much of the blame as she is for making her think that an affair was even a remote possibility!"
"I'm sorry, Regina, I didn't mean for you to get hurt in all of this."
"Well I did!" She yelled and then let the silence hang in the air between them as he slumped his shoulders and tilted his head just enough to make her want to cry because she knew he was truly sorry. People were not often sorry for causing her pain. They usually didn't even notice. "I care about you, David. You are incredibly important to me and just the thought of losing you is enough to put me in tears. I don't have anyone. You are the only person who has taken the time to be in my life and to be my friend and to have that compared to an affair, a meaningless fling, is insulting and makes me feel like I am worth nothing. That I am just a plaything to you until you get back on your feet and that," she shook her head with a quiet and teary laugh, "that hurts. That is unfair and it is cruel and I am tired of it. I won't stand for it anymore. I need to know what this is between us David. Do you care? Or are you just killing time?"
Kissing her was the wrong answer. But right then in his state of mind he didn't really care. He wanted to show her just how much she meant to him and he wanted to kiss her, wanted to love her, wanted to make her feel good for once. So he stepped forward and took her head between his hands and leaned in.
But kissing her was the wrong answer despite how much he wished it to be the right one. He stopped with his parted lips hovering over her own and her startled shaky breath blew across his jaw. He stepped forward with his grip fluctuating between light to possessive and back again as she walked backwards until she was stopped by the dining room table. Her breaths were shallow and far in between as she stood between him and the table and he fought himself. His teeth were clenched and his grip tightened on her head as he pushed his forehead against hers.
He wanted her. He didn't know why or where this sudden burning need for her had come from but he wanted so desperately to rid himself of the tension in his body and to make her feel good and loved and important. But he knew that come morning, neither of them would be able to look the other in the eye because of guilt and regret and complication. He wanted her and he was angry that he couldn't have her and that she couldn't be touched by him.
She was tense and confused and shocked and she could not move so much as an inch. Her heart was racing and her breaths were short and uneven as her hands kept a white knuckle grip on the wooden table. A part of her wanted him to kiss her. A part of her wanted them to throw caution to the wind and just enjoy one night together but a bigger and more sensible part of her wanted him to do the right thing. But that sensible part of her was quickly fading away when he moved his thumb along her bottom lip.
"You are invaluable to me," he whispered and a shaky breath blew past her soft pink lips and over his thumb. With one last waver in his resolve he leaned forward to kiss her but the moment his nose touched her cheek and her breath hitched he stopped again and then turned and walked away. Furious and confused, he walked away and slammed the front door behind him.
Regina watched him leave but didn't release her breath until the door was slammed and he was out of sight. Then her eyes were focused ahead of her and her hands were in her hair as she tried to make sense of what had just happened. Her fingers fell to her lips and she blew out another shaky breath to gather her thoughts but they were far too frazzled to be gathered. She hated that she felt lonely in his absence and as her fingers fell from her lips to the pendant around her neck she wondered how everything had gotten so completely out of hand.
Before things got even worse she shook her head clear of all notions of David and any deeper feelings she may have for him and simply hadn't noticed. His feelings for her, whatever they may be, were unimportant. As it had just been proven, he wouldn't pick her over Snow. So she willed herself to push any and all thoughts regarding David to the back of her mind as she moved toward the kitchen to find something strong to drink.
She missed Henry.
...
The buzz was starting to settle in nicely as Snow stared at her wine. She had hoped for something a little stronger but Emma had yet to refill the liquor cabinet. So wine it was and she was already a healthy glass and a half in. She was miserable and exhausted but still trying to figure out the fight she had with David. Where had it come from? How long had he been holding back? How long had she been holding back? Would this pass?
She was sighing as she closed her eyes and then the door swung open and she lifted her gaze to find David slamming the door shut behind him. He was tense and looked absolutely furious as he marched up to her and her shoulders dropped in exhaustion as she made herself stand up and stop leaning in to the counter. "David I don't want to do this right n-" she was cut short when he swatted the wine glass out of her hand causing it to shatter against the floor and glass and wine went everywhere and then her gasp was cut off when he kissed her.
Hard and angry and nothing like she had ever gotten from him before. And then she was being lifted on to the counter and more dishes shattered against the floor but it didn't faze him in the slightest. He was pulling at her, digging his fingers in to her thighs as he bit her lip and she found herself raking her fingers through his hair and opening her mouth beneath his. Then his hands were pulling at her shirt and they broke their heated kiss to rip it over her head and then he was back on her with a violent hunger that had her head spinning and her heart racing.
"David-"
"Shut up," he hissed at her breathy whisper and silenced her with another rough kiss as she tugged her closer by the bends in her knees and she stopped what little resistance she was giving him and wrapped her legs around his hips as she moaned and kissed him back.