Back in civilization and ready to get rollin! Here's some fluff and stuff! Enjoy! Please leave a review :) review count has been down lately and I know you're all out there reading ;)

"Are you making dinner?"

"Yes," Regina replied as the queen wandered up to her and lifted her chin so she could look over her shoulder. The queen tended to watch her cook and Regina would often let her help but this evening the hovering queen had something more on her mind, "did you need something?" She opened for her as she tied her apron behind her back, her black skirt and green silk top exchanged for dark skinny jeans and a loose fitted burgundy v-necked tshirt partially tucked in to her jeans. Her black heels still remained though.

"Well, you see, I lost a bet."

"Oh? With whom?"

"My husband."

Regina chuckled lightly as she finished the bow behind her back, "and what was this bet regarding?"

"Whether or not the sheriff was finally giving you a good snog," she stated and was sure the mayor was rolling her eyes after she had turned her back to her with a smirk.

"And you bet against me."

"Always the pessimist," the queen smiled and leaned her hip against the counter.

"And the stakes?"

"The winner got bragging rights and the loser had to take on this modern kitchen and cook a meal for the other."

Regina smiled to herself and feigned being busy until she could school her expression to a less amused state. As if the queen could hide her true motives. Regina had been that woman, there was very little the queen could hide from her. There were easier ways to ask for a proper cooking lesson so that she could cook a meal for her husband without him falling ill or dropping dead. But this was the method she had chosen.

"What did you have in mind?"

"Well...I am not exactly sure what I am capable of in this regard."

...

Pizza.

She was capable of ordering a pizza.

Actually Regina was beginning to wonder if the hopeless queen would even be capable of that on her own. She had begun to think the stories of the queen's ineptitude in the kitchen were all extreme exaggerations. They were not.

Regina had let her help many times in the kitchen but they were all small tasks like cutting vegetables or stirring the contents of a pot or pan or pulling something from the oven. Or using the microwave. Asking her to deal with something just a little more complex seemed to just be asking far too much of her. Sure the prep had gone smoothly with hardly a hiccup but everything past that had been an absolute disaster.

The pork chops were unrecognizable chunks of charcoal and Regina honestly did not know how the hell that happened. The gravy was so dense you could throw it at someone's head and severely injure them if not knock them out cold. And it was as salty as the Pacific Ocean she was sure. Same went for the mashed potatoes as she had been too late to catch the queen from pouring the salt in. She swore she had told her to put it in slowly and in small amounts. The broccolini was burnt and Regina hadn't a clue as to why she felt it safe to assume the queen would know to put water in the pot to steam the green vegetable. After all the other mishaps, why would the queen draw a line between "steaming the broccolini" and the necessary element for steaming. Water.

It was truly a painful thing to watch.

So with that dinner literally in the garbage, Regina had decided to switch to something that required a lot less skill. Not that any of the previous tasks required much. But surely boiling pasta would be something the queen could handle.

Sad joke.

Regina was leaning back against the counter as she watched the queen with a tired expression. She had her arms folded and her eyes focused on the fistful of long dry spaghetti noodles in the queen's hand as the woman watched the lidded pot for the boiling of her water. She was certainly determined not to screw up this time but Regina had little faith that she would succeed. Those long noodles in question were awfully close to the open flame of her gas stove.

Sure enough, a few noodles caught fire and soon enough the entire one end of the fistful was slowly burning down like one giant matchstick. Regina merely closed her eyes and bowed her head as she lifted a hand to gently pinch the bridge of her nose. Why the queen could not grasp this, was beyond her. It wasn't as though she was a stupid woman.

The queen stared dutifully in to the pot of water so it wouldn't boil over and put out the mayor's stove as it had done with the potatoes. This whole evening had gone horribly wrong. And it wasn't like the mayor was overwhelming her with difficult tasks. She was just a terrible cook. So she would boil this god damn pasta and she would do it right.

"Shit!" She gasped when she glanced at her hand to figure out what the building heat was from. Out of reflex she opened her hand but really that only made it worse as individually flaming noodles flew all over the kitchen and scattered across the floor. But with a quick wave of her hand, every tiny flame was extinguished and what was left were dry noodles that were half the length they used to be and scorched black on one end.

She stared at the mess with a scowl and when she was done she looked to the mayor. The woman was still standing with her lower back against the counter while one arm fell across her stomach and her other was up so her hand was against her cheek and cupping her jaw so her head could tiredly lean in to it. Her expression was that of someone entirely lost and baffled but she she didn't say anything and simply stared at the pasta on the floor.

The queen was about to say something but Regina had already pushed herself up straight and was walking to the fridge. So the woman closed her mouth and waited patiently but in defeat. No she had not been as terrible as the queen but there had been a time when her cooking was subpar. She understood the frustration and while the queen was likely feeling a little more than frustration, Regina didn't want her to be entirely discouraged from ever trying again.

So she pulled two eggs from the fridge and let it swing shut as she walked back to the queen and offered her an egg. A hand that was a mirror image of her own carefully took the delicate parcel and then she walked to the stove and the queen followed silently. Regina placed her egg on the counter so she could take the pot of hot water and pour it out before she pulled out two frying pans and two spatulas and when she looked at the queen she was humoured to find her still cradling her egg in her hands.

With both pans settled on either burner, Regina passed a spatula to the queen and she tentatively took it. Regina turned her burner on with a gentle click and a quiet whoosh as the flame was lit and then she waited for the queen to catch on and copy her movements. And she did and switched her burner on to the same strength. Regina spread butter around her own, the queen did the same, Regina cracked her egg in the pan and the queen did the same but her yolk fell victim to a sharp eggshell or an amateur finger and spread itself in to the white of the egg.

There was a frustrated frown on the queen's mouth but Regina simply smiled and popped her own round yolk with a corner of her spatula. Scrambled eggs would be harder for the queen to screw up anyway. At the gesture the queen breathed a quiet laugh out her nose and proceeded to copy her again and put just a pinch of salt and a couple rounds of freshly ground pepper before scrambling it all together in the pan.

In a matter of a couple minutes, the queen had a finally succeeded in cooking something almost on her own and the pride was clear as day on her face as she carefully pushed the eggs out of the pan and on to a plate. "There is hope for you yet," Regina smirked a little as she offered her a fork.

The queen laughed with a raise of her brows and took the fork with a nod. The patience the mayor had gathered over the years between them astounded her. She would have lost her temper on herself a thousand times over but the mayor stayed calm and encouraging with every new task she gave her to do all the way to the end. It was certainly an image she herself wanted to live up to in time. And perhaps she was just starving but as she took a bite of her eggs she couldn't help but think that they were some of the best damn eggs she'd ever eaten.

And it was a good thing Henry was having dinner at Hansel's because there was no dinner made here.

...

Regina had ended up ordering in a pizza. The last thing she wanted to do after that whole escapade was spend yet another hour in the kitchen to cook them a proper dinner. An egg each wasn't going to cut it and the king hadn't eaten anything yet and Henry usually liked a snack before bed and would probably ask for one when he got home. So pizza it was. Just as she had hung up the phone there was a knock at the front door and she glanced toward to door and then frowned at the phone. There was no way there was a pizza at her door that fast. Confused, she made her way to the door and when she saw David coming up in to her foyer, it all came back to her, "oh, David, I completely forgot that you wanted to go out tonight I-"

"Yeah I kind of gathered that when you didn't answer any of my texts or phone calls," he teased with a smile and she let out a tired laugh, relieved that he wasn't mad.

"I don't even know where my phone is right now," she laughed tiredly and he hummed kindly.

"They causing you grief?"

"No. Just...testing my patience," she settled for that and David laughed softly as he slowly hugged his arms around her waist, "let me just go change and-"

"You are perfect the way you are," he assured and she hummed shortly in doubt.

"Will there be food on this outing? I have only managed to eat an egg this evening and that is not enough to keep me going. It isn't even enough to get me going."

"I will feed you," he chuckled with a nod and held her head between his hands and she finally started to relax, "you needn't worry, my love. It is going to be just fine," he promised and before she could voice her concerns over his choice of endearment, he gave her a kiss. One single and lingering kiss and when he broke it off she tipped her forehead against his to keep him there and hung her hands on his wrists by her face.

She let out a long breath and kept her eyes closed as she wondered how it was that the universe had seemed to turn in her favour and give her such a kind and truly charming man. He understood her and had this unique ability to simply take away all the things on her mind and lock them away where she couldn't find them while he put all her focus on him. Not in a selfish way but just a gentle coax or a warm hug that just slowed her mind down and let her enjoy him and what he was trying so hard to offer her to make her life easier and happier.

Needless to say, the events in her kitchen had put her a little of kilter. And here he was straightening her out with a gentle hand. Why hadn't she let herself give way to him sooner?

"You ready to go?"

"Yes. Let me just give them money for pizza," she told him and he breathed a quiet laugh and moved a thumb over her cheek.

"You should grab a sweater too."

...

Regina hopped from his truck and took a good look at her surroundings before she asked, "where are we?" It was dark. The only light offered was that of the moon and the stars. They were in the middle of the forest, of that she was sure. They had spent the last few minutes of the drive laughing and bouncing around in the cab of his truck due to the lack of an actual road to his desired destination. With his comment for her to bring a sweater she had gathered it to be a rather informal outing and she was quite pleased with herself for exchanging her stilettos for flats as she maneuvered herself over the uneven forest floor.

David hadn't answered her question with anything more than a quiet laugh so she had rolled her eyes and walked toward the back of his truck as he had. She had only made it a couple steps before she was laughing as he was banging and swearing under his breath at something unknown to her. "What are you doing?" She laughed and when she got to the tailgate of his truck the whole truck bed lit up with the soft warm glow of strings of round bulbs strung around the inner sides of the bed. Then the rest was filled with scattered blankets and pillows and enough of each to keep an entire family warm and comfortable for the winter. It looked so immensely comfortable.

"So I've got some wine if we need it," he started as he shut the door to the truck again and made his way back to where Regina stood, "and I've got some hot soup and some mugs and various CDs should we wish to listen to anything," he listed off as he pushed through the items in the bag he had packed for them, "oh and lots of water," he nodded and looked up at Regina to find her grinning at him with her lips closed and a look of absolute adoration on her face, "what?" He smiled and she shrugged her shoulders and shook her head and looked at the truck. The dim warm light made her look even softer and more beautiful than before.

"I feel like you went home and googled 'romantic date' and then picked the one most practical for you to pull off," she teased and he gave her that brilliant smile that was all joy and good humour.

"I did not, for the record," he laughed and she grinned a little more, "I am quite capable of romance without the aid of the Internet, I'll have you know," he raised his eyebrows playfully and then gave her a quick kiss.

"You are quite charming," she laughed and reached in to his bag for the thermos of soup.

"I am," he agreed with a smug grin that had her laughing and shaking her head in amusement.

...

She was nestled right in to his side with two blankets wrapped around their shoulders and one over their laps while they sat on a various arrangement of blankets and pillows and looked up at the stars. He sat with his back against the cab of his truck with his legs stretched out straight and she was happily curled in to his side with her head on his shoulder, his arm around her waist, her legs over and under his, and the last of her soup in her mug between her hands. It was quiet. Only the sounds of the forest at night and the quiet music playing through the windows of the truck.

It was a perfect way to end the day.

"I still can't believe she managed to set the pasta on fire," David laughed and didn't stop.

"I can't either and I watched it happen," Regina grumbled and then laughed as his quiet laughter bounced her against him, "it was an absolute gong show."

"It's hilarious."

"It's not yet hilarious to me," Regina mumbled with a smirk and he laughed as he pressed a kiss to her head, "maybe tomorrow."

David laughed a little more as she smiled in to her mug as she drank the last of her soup, "are you ready for Henry's party tomorrow?" He asked as he took her mug from her and stretched to put it next to his on the side of his truck.

"No. You've been distracting me," she smirked and he hummed playfully.

"Well then I suppose we should get you home and I will refrain from distracting you until the birthday is over," he teased and her reply delighted him to no end.

"I am not going anywhere until we make out like a couple of horny teenagers," she quipped and then smiled when he laughed.

"Is that so?"

"Mhm," she tried not to laugh but the childish grin on his face was too much for her to handle and she was failing.

"Well in that case, we'd better get on this so that her majesty can get home and rest before her busy day of catch up tomorrow," he nodded with a serious but still playful tone as he pulled her down and in front of him while she laughed and laughed. Her eyes were closed with utter joy and her laughter came through her teeth and lifted his heart as he put her on her back and rolled on top of her. With a grin plastered on his face and blankets tangled around them, he bent his elbows and kissed her laughing mouth.

Regina tried to kiss him back but she was laughing too much. He was kissing her like an absolute moron and it was hilarious. He was taking her teenager comment a little too seriously. "David!" she laughed and tried to turn her head away but he followed her and nipped at her lip as he laughed, "David, you idiot," she laughed and tried to push him off but he was heavy and continued to laugh as he trailed his purposely clumsy mouth over her jaw and down her neck, "David!" She scolded louder through her rich laughter and managed to clap a hand over his mouth and he laughed against it, his shoulders bouncing with the sound.

"I feel like I should rephrase my last statement," she laughed and he raised one brow while the corners of his eyes remained creased with the curve of his smile still hidden behind her hand, "I am not going anywhere until we make out like a couple of horny educated adults," she corrected and her laughter never faded as she drew her hand away from his mouth.

"Ah well that is a much more enticing idea," he grinned and she continued to laugh beneath him, "now let's get you detangled from these blankets so we can do just that."

"I don't know why I put up with you," she grumbled under her breath but couldn't stop grinning as he laughed and gave her enough space to kick her legs free of the blanket that confined her.

"I'm pretty sure it's only to reap the benefits of having me close by," he chuckled and kissed her throat, smiling even wider when it vibrated with her laughter.

"But I am starting to wonder if it's even worth it," she teased and pulled her bottom lip to try and keep her laughter somewhat contained as she ran her foot down the back of his calf to straighten her knee and he lifted his head from her neck with a wide and hungry grin and eyes shining with a playfulness she hadn't seen on him before.

"Well then I suppose I am just going to have to remind you what it is you're staying for," he promised and she laid there beneath him laughing in a mattress of various pillows and blankets. She was beautiful and bright and happy and he couldn't stand it any longer and dropped his head and kissed her properly. He kissed her hard and deep and slowly their smiles faded as their brows creased and their hands wandered.

He had never felt her figure through jeans before. He loved it. And her simple tshirt felt like it cost more than his entire outfit which he found amusing but entirely unsurprising. But his favourite part was that the soft fabric was loose around her so it was easy to slip a hand beneath it and appreciate her body even further. Her mouth was warm and sweet and everything about her was soft and feminine. Even the power she held over him was something he loved.

He hadn't planned this night to tell her. That was not the purpose of this night. He just wanted to get her out of the house and spend a night with her just being her. And it was going better than he had hoped for. She was an absolute delight. She was happy and sexy and relaxed and funny and herself. He couldn't stop the words that left his mouth, nor did he necessarily want to as it was the truth, "I love you."

She paused immediately at the soft sound of his voice. It startled her and when he started dipping his head down to kiss her again, she stopped him with gentle fingertips on his chest, "what?"

Her voice was so quiet he wouldn't have heard it if he hadn't been listening for it. "I love you," he repeated over her lips and moved a thumb over her chin and cheek.

"David..." She whispered softly but didn't really know what to say past that. She was at a loss for words and her heart was racing and echoing in her ears so when he started speaking again she was quite happy to focus on that instead of her racing heart.

"I don't want you to say anything until you are ready. I don't want you to feel obligated to parrot those words back to me. I want to only hear them when you are certain that you will not doubt or regret them the moment they leave your mouth. So when you are ready you may tell me you feel the same. And if you know now that you will never feel the same, please let me know now and stop me from continuing proclaiming my love for you," he breathed a light laugh and clung to the fleeting faith that she did feel the same.

She wanted to tell him but she wasn't ready. If she said it now she would be up all night fighting with herself that it was the right thing to say and wondering all day tomorrow if it was going to change things between them and if so, how? So she wanted to but the fear in her chest didn't allow for it. Instead she sat up just a little and cradled his head in her hands as she kissed him. He relaxed instantly at the contact and she was quickly overwhelmed with the unbridled passion for her from him. Her heart was in her throat and his was on his sleeve.

She had hoped and wished that he would love her but she had developed such a mindset that she had grown accustomed to the idea that she could never and would never be loved again. And now this man, this kind and charming and patient man, was here loving her. Against all odds. She could cry.

She pushed at him but didn't let him stop kissing her and he was quick to take the hint and sat up with her. She pushed him back against the cab of his truck with a careless thud but he didn't protest or complain. He kissed her back just as hard as she straddled his lap and her breath shook with silent cries of relief.

"I love you," he breathed out and pulled her harder to him so she knew he was there. The shaky whimper in her voice broke his heart and the silent love she was giving him was as important to him as it was to her. As big as her gestures could be, it was usually the smaller ones that were huge to her.

"Shut up," she breathed and cursed the quiver in her voice as she kissed him again and arched her back in to him as her fingers raked through his hair and his spread over her back beneath her shirt while the other held her head and wiped a rogue tear from her cheek. She loved him too.