I am SO sorry this one took so long to get up! But I do appreciate all the follows, favorites and reviews! You guys are amazing! Thank you! I hope you like this chapter...it was a harder one to write, but I like it. The next couple of chapters we will see them becoming more emotionally close instead of just tension... this one is FILLED with tension. Please let me know how you like it!

"Time to go," David breathed. All at once he felt an explosion of different feelings; fear, excitement, self-doubt, underprepared, willing. But mostly, he felt protective. Protective of Regina, mostly. He shook off that feeling, worried it would prevent him from fighting properly, but he couldn't let his grandson's mother die. Regina stood next to him, both had their bows drawn and Aurora was cowering behind Mulan. "Get behind me, face opposite me and we'll walk against each other to the middle of the clearing. You ready?"

"Of course I'm ready," Regina answered, turning herself so her back touched his. Her boots here were hardly heeled and he was so much taller than her that her head barely reached the top of his shoulders, but she stood defiant and ready, pushing against him so he knew she was ready when he was. David began walking and the pair stayed touching the entire time, shooting and reaching for their arrows whenever they had an open shot. They each had taken down 2 ogres by time they were finally in the middle of the clearing. They had both been concentrating on the space in front of them, and they both shot at two ogres coming from Regina's right that they didn't realize there was one coming from her left.

The ogre smashed his hand against the pair, sending them flying across the field. Regina landed hard on her back, her quiver pushing into her muscles and David's legs slammed hard against her abdomen, successfully knocking her breath out of her. After scrambling off her and checking she was still alive, (though she was unconscious) David drew his bow and shot an arrow straight into the eye of the ogre that had knocked them aside.

Mulan and Aurora dragged Regina to the edge of the field, Mulan taking Regina's quiver and bow and assisting David with the rest of the ogres. By time they were finished, the field was littered with ten dead ogres. Walking around the bodies, David pulled all of the arrows from their eyes, wiping them on his pants and shoving them all into his quiver. He walked back to where Aurora was pressing a wet cloth to Regina's forehead.

"I know you probably want to tend to her," Mulan began, before David could say anything. "But we need to move. There may not be more… but it is also quite possible that there will be."

"I shouldn't move her until she wakes. What if she is having pain in her back… moving her could paralyze her!"

"Not moving her could kill her, Prince David."

"David is fine, please." He thought a moment, looking Regina over and deciding what to do. "I suppose you're right. I'll try to wake her, and if I can't then I'll carry her." David crouched over Regina and Aurora moved to the side. Shaking her shoulder gently, David spoke to her, "Regina. Regina I need you to wake up." His voice was soothing, comforting and he found it disconcerting on himself. He wasn't supposed to be gentle with this woman. They were enemies. But that wasn't true… they were becoming friends and Regina took care of him fairly well, it was his turn to do the same. "Regina, please? I really need you to tell me if you're in pain." He still didn't get a response, so David sighed and asked Mulan to carry Regina's pack. Hoisting his own onto his back, David knelt and lifted Regina in a cradle, one arm behind her knees and the other around her shoulders. Aurora tucked the Queen's arms onto her stomach so they wouldn't be flopping around and the group set out for a safe place to rest.

They hiked for an hour before they found a river in an area thick with trees. Huffing from the extra weight of carrying Regina, no matter how small she is, David lowered her down gently onto the ground and dropped his pack. Taking Regina's pack from Mulan, he set up the small shelter for her, small pillow and blanket included. He then lowered her into it, laying her down to rest until she came back to consciousness. Mulan hunted while Aurora tended to the Queen and David set a fire. It took nearly an hour more before Regina woke. Rushing to her side, David helped her sit up.

"How are you feeling?" he asked earnestly.

"Let's see… I was knocked aside by an ogre and clearly knocked out. And considering this looks nothing like the area in which I was knocked unconscious," she started, looking around at her surroundings, "I must have been out for some time. How do you think I am, Charming?"

"Right. Sorry. Yes, you've been out somewhere around two hours."

"And how did we get here?"

"We walked. What do you mean, 'how did we get here?'"

"I mean… you carried me?"

"Yes."

"The whole way? For how long?"

"Just an hour."

"Oh. Well… thank you."

"Of course. Uh… there's a river through the brush there, if you wanted to wash up or anything. Mulan is hunting, she should be back soon, I think."

"Yes… perhaps I'll do that. Am I correct to assume we're going to stay here tonight?"

"I don't see why not. We've already set up your camp."

"Yes, but we're losing good daylight hours."

"I'm not letting you travel anymore today. You need to rest."

"Letting me? Who are you to let me do anything?" Regina demanded. Huffing, she grabbed her satchel with a towel she had packed and headed in the direction David had told her of the river.

Once she arrived, she angrily stripped herself of her clothing, tossing everything to the side by her bag and towel. Stepping into the water, she walked to the middle of the river for the deepest point, which came to just above her navel. Regina cupped the water in her hands and brought it above her head, letting the water run over her face and her hair. Repeating the action until she was completely wet and her hair entirely damp, Regina ran her hands over her face and tried to breathe deeply. She was frustrated with David and his words. Frustrated because who did he think he was saying he wasn't going to let her do something. Frustrated because he cared. Frustrated beyond belief because… god was she getting lonely. It had been too long since Graham.

She had been standing in the river for well over fifteen minutes, thankful that the temperature was lukewarm. She turned to head out of the water, but stopped a moment longer, cupping water one more time to bring and pour down her neck. The water trickled over her cooled skin and she looked up and noticed David walking through the trees toward her. Just as she noticed him, he looked up and their eyes caught, both stopping their motions and standing still, shocked at the moment. Blue eyes shifted down her wet body, lingering over her breasts and dropping down the flat expanse of her stomach. Finally able to move, Regina waved her hand and David was facing away as she made her way slowly to the shore.

"Regina… you used magic," David breathed, his eyes wide and filled with fear. Picking up her clothes, David turned and tossed them to Regina as quickly as he could. Neither addressed what had just happened between them, they didn't have time. "What do we do?"

"We need to get to Mulan and Aurora. Then we have to move as quickly as we can."

"But your castle… it has a protection spell, can't you poof us all there?"

"Then we lose our progress!"

"I'd rather lose progress than our lives! Regina… you're the one that told me how dangerous your mother is." David's eyes raked across her body as they walked, Regina was just finishing pulling her white shirt over her shoulders and beginning to button it. David was holding her boots in his hands, and her riding coat over his arm. She only buttoned four buttons on her shirt, concerned with saving time and not dressing properly at the moment.

"Fine… you want to do that, we can. But it's not just the progress we've made today that we'll lose, using enough magic to transfer us all back to the castle will put my energy level down for…I don't know really how long, I haven't used that much magic at once in a long time."

"Will you be ok?"

"Of course."

"Then it's worth it! It isn't worth your life if your mother is out to kill you."

They arrived back to their camp, and her disheveled appearance set something off with Mulan and Aurora, who began gathering their things.

"I'm not worried about any of the shelter supplies, anything really, I have it all at my castle and more. We need to go. Did you find food?"

"I did." Mulan held up a swan. Regina smirked lightly, kicking dirt at the fire to put it out.

"Keep hold of it, we won't be able to leave my castle to hunt for a couple of days. My mother will be able to track that I used magic here, but she shouldn't know we're at my castle, not by tracking anyway. She will likely put the pieces together and be watching. Are you all ready?" Looking at the other three and taking in their nods, she grabbed David's hand and Mulan's, signaling that they each grab one of Aurora's hands as well. After checking that everyone had their weapons and Graham's satchel was on David's shoulder, she vanished the entire group in a cloud of thick purple smoke and they all reappeared in the bedchamber hall of her castle.

Upon their landing, Regina sunk quickly to the floor. David figured that like she said, the amount of magic would wear her out, and that on top of being knocked unconscious just earlier probably didn't help. David asked Mulan to take care of the game in the kitchen and he would tend to Regina. Aurora was hesitant to leave, making David wonder why, but Mulan just pressed a hand to the redhead's arm and shook her head quickly. Once again lifting her in a cradle, David carried Regina to her room and laid her on the bed. He went back to close the door and emptied the canteen on his hip onto a cloth he found near her bathing area.

Pressing the wet cloth to her forehead, David sat on the edge of the bed next to her hip. He was sitting to her left, his left hip against hers, and his left arm hovering over her body and holding her right hand against the bed. Stroking slow circles into her palm, he used his right hand to continue patting the cloth against her forehead. His eyes wandered over her body again, though he tried not to let them. He could see tan skin above the highest button she had clasped, which was the fourth button from the collar; it was also the button that was just over top of her bra. The last button she had done up was just above her navel, so he could see plenty of tan skin on her stomach as well. She was surprisingly toned, not that she looked out of shape; she just always seemed to be too busy to work out. But the proof was there, hiding under the shirt he so badly wanted to remove and let his hands roam her body.

Fuck, David. Stop thinking like that. You're married. His thoughts fought back and forth. Not that he would ever do anything with a woman who was lying there unconscious anyway. That didn't stop him from imagining what he wanted to do when she woke up. It had been too long since he'd been with a woman. And seeing the top half of her completely exposed and wet in that river had been almost too much. Looking back to her face, David saw her eyes begin to flutter open and he wondered how long he had been sitting there admiring her beauty. Chocolate eyes looked up at him in confusion.

"You've been unconscious three times already since we've been in the Enchanted Forest… I'm beginning to wonder if this place isn't too dangerous for you," he teased in a whisper. Regina gave him a light smile.

Waking up to his face… his shocking blue eyes looking at her… it wasn't the worst thing she could imagine. It had only been a week that they'd been here and things were changing too much between the two of them. She had to get him home quickly… before her feelings became too strong… before either of them did something about the growing sexual tension between them.

"Perhaps it is," she answered. Her eyes raked his worried features, his strong nose… she really liked his nose. She reached her hand up and placed it on his cheek, her fingertips brushing his eyebrow and temple, her thumb tracing the scar on his chin. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"Of course." David paused, taking her hand in his and pulling it away from his face. If she kept touching him he wouldn't be able to stop himself from kissing her. "Regina… look I'm, I am really sorry about earlier. I was coming to tell you that the fire died out and to get the matches from your satchel. Seeing you like that was... surprising, I just assumed you would be simply washing your face and hands. It's not an excuse for my being inappropriate, but I wouldn't ever cross your boundaries like that intentionally."

Pushing herself up against the headboard, Regina smiled at him. "I know. I'm… I'm sorry I used magic on you. And I'm sorry that I set us back a couple of days. I know you want to get home."

"I don't blame you for either, it was an instinct. And… I would rather be set back than have you harmed. I meant that. And so we got set back a couple of days… it's not a huge deal. You're not such bad company." David ran one hand down her cloth-covered shin, squeezing it gently. "Should I go find some water so you can bathe?"

"NO!" Realizing she had shouted, Regina lowered her tone before speaking again. "You must not leave the castle, David. She'll find you. You can't be harmed. I can't… I wouldn't be able to explain your being harmed. Please don't do anything foolish."

"A week ago you would have said 'stupid.'"

"A week ago we weren't… friends. David, you cannot be reckless, ok? I would have to give that news to my son, your daughter and… your wife. I can't deliver that news."

"How do we bathe, cook and clean, then?"

"I should be able to conjure enough magic to cook and clean tonight… probably enough for bathing by tomorrow night."

"Then aren't you lucky that you cleaned off in the river today?"

Chuckling, Regina smiled and spoke, "Quite. Unfortunately for you… you didn't get the bath, just the show." There was a glint in her eye, mischievousness showing through.

"Yes, I did get the show… and more, while we were walking and you were dressing. That was pretty talented by the way. I've never seen someone get dressed while walking." David smiled at her, his teasing made her blush lightly and he wanted to make that happen more. She was so beautiful completely bare of make up… her cheeks slightly pink and her eyes dancing. And her smile… her smile he would never find one to compare to.

When Regina spoke again, her voice was husky. "Yes, well I am quite talented." She leaned in, her face less than half a foot away from his. David leaned in closer, parting his lips and licking them as he watched her eyes.

They were startled apart by a harsh knocking at the door, sitting now two feet away. Regina called for the intruder to enter. Mulan came into the room.

"I have prepared the meat. You didn't have anything else I could start, but the swan is ready."

"Thank you, Mulan. We'll be down momentarily." After the other woman left, David sighed and stood, stretching a hand out to offer Regina assistance. Taking his hand to help herself stand, she let go of it once on her own feet. She walked slowly beside him and he kept pace with her. Smirking, she teased him, nudging him with her elbow. "Told you I would eat swan any day of the week."

"Regina… that is not even appropriate."

"I'm sorry." She had the decency to act properly chastised. "That was not nice. You're just too easy to tease."

"You… are a brat."

"Oh… I get called the Evil Queen for years and years and I am supposed to be offended by brat?"

"Yes. Yes you are." Their laughter echoed through the halls as they made their way down to the kitchen.

"She looks like you… you know. More than Snow." She spoke tenderly to him, like a friend talking about a baby. Only his baby was 28 years old.

"You think?"

"Definitely. She has Snow's chin, and cheekbones maybe, and her eyes, but the rest is you. Including that annoying blonde hair."

"What's wrong with blonde hair?" he asked, pretending to be insulted.

"Pesky blondes. They all think they're so much more beautiful than the rest of us. Brunettes are better."

"Well… you'll just have to wait and see." Their eyes caught quickly and they both looked away. He had meant it as a joke, not realizing how it would come out before he caught the words. He was being too inappropriate, but he couldn't deny that she seemed to be enjoying it. They were flirting… they could flirt… there was nothing wrong with it unless they actually crossed the line. And thanks to Mulan, they hadn't. He would just have to be more careful not to be so intimate toward her… to not get in her space anymore and not let her get into his.

Both were silent as Regina prepared broth from the grease and juice of the swan. It wasn't much, but it was something to add to just having the meat. The four ate in relative silence until they were all finished and Aurora spoke.

"Are you well, Regina?"

"I will be. It may take a couple of days. I'm surprised I passed out… but it was probably because I had already been harmed earlier."

"I mean…" Aurora cast a hesitant glance at David. "I don't mean to be inappropriate here… I just—"

"What is it, dear?"

"You left to clean up, and you came back angry and afraid… hardly clothed appropriately. Were you harmed?" Again she looked at David quickly, her eyes flicking back to Regina's.

"No, dear. David would never hurt a fly unless it was trying to kill him. I appreciate your concern… but it was a misunderstanding, and all is fine. David is every bit the Prince Charming you have heard of."

"Then I am very sorry for my implication, David," Aurora offered with a bowed head.

"No need. I would have likely had similar thoughts on your end."

"Very well."