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The mermaid returned as the evening was nearing, the sun heading towards setting. She brought her sisters, each carrying a bucket of the whitest sand Regina had ever seen. David tried to convince her to stay the night by the beach, saying they could head back in the morning, but she insisted they start the mirror as soon as they reached the castle, which she wanted to do that night.

It was with a heavy sigh that David nodded and tied the buckets to rope across the second horse's back. Once their things were all packed and ready, Regina mounted the horse, followed by David. The ride back was silent, calm, though Regina knew David wanted to talk, she wasn't in the mood. When they were back at the castle, she unloaded everything with magic, pleased to be able to use it again.

She started walking through the halls, once everything was taken care of, with David hot on her heels. He wasn't familiar with where she was headed, but followed regardless. When she opened a heavy door, David spotted the buckets of sand, lined up in an even row and ready for whatever it was she needed to do. He tugged on her arm lightly, pulling her to face him.

"Tomorrow, please? I'm just asking that you wait one more night before you start whatever you need to do to make that a mirror," David requested gently.

Looking up at him, his clear blue eyes visible and bright even in the dim light of candles, Regina sighed and nodded. "Tomorrow, then. No other delays."

He nodded back, agreeing, "No other delays. Not unless you want one."

"It won't change things."

"I know. We'll still go back, I'll go to my family and Henry will come to you. And we'll be friends, and it'll change. I know."

David said it with such finality and certainty, that it made Regina's heart ache, but she wouldn't admit why or what it meant about the turn her feelings for him had taken. "Good," she muttered, slowly letting one of her walls rebuild itself around her heart, one she'd put into place long ago and foolishly had allowed to drop in David's care.

"Good." He brought his hand to her forehead, fingers brushing her hairline as he tilted her head back and captured her mouth in a hard and rough kiss. His other hand moved from her arm, pressing against the small of her back and pushing her body against his. David moved to deepen the kiss, and while just as passionate as any they'd shared, he changed it. It was no longer tender and careful, but wanting and needy.

Bringing her arms up and curling them over the back of his shoulders, Regina closed the last space between their bodies, kissing him back, their tongues sliding together heatedly and knowingly. They both understood that the number of kisses, of moments, between them was dwindling, and neither cared for the teasing caress of their desires any longer. She nipped at his bottom lip, that full flesh she'd grown so used to, and David let out a low growl, pushing her back against the nearest clear wall. He tugged the string that tied her leather vest together, the material falling open and allowing him to pop open the buttons down the front of her white shirt.

Bending his neck, David nipped and kissed and sucked along her jaw and neck until his mouth was on her clavicle, biting roughly, his stubble leaving rough red marks in his wake. His fingers had moved lower to tangle in her hair and he tugged her head back roughly.

She released a heavy moan through his name, her hands moving to grasp his face and tug him back up to her mouth. Regina kissed him deeply, slowly, tampering down the heat between them before things went too far as they nearly had by the ocean. When she pressed a soft kiss against his swollen lips, David sighed and rested his forehead against hers, dropping both his hands to take hers.

"Good," he muttered again, and she almost let herself believe there was more disappointment laced in his tone than she knew there was.

The next morning David woke up still holding Regina. Her body was tucked close to him, his chest along her back and their legs tangled together. He had one arm bent at the elbow and supporting her head against the pillow, his other wrapped around her body, her hand squeezing his to her chest. Sighing softly, David considered how much he would miss this, miss her, and tried, instead, to remember he would be back with his wife and his daughter. He intended on keeping his promise to Regina, they would stay friends and spend time together. There was no way he was going to let her get so lonely again, no one deserved that. Regina didn't deserve that.

Regina shifted against him, yawning and turning in his arms to look up at him. Her chocolate eyes were bright with renewal from her sleep, and she smiled softly at him. "Good morning," she murmured, pressing her face into his shoulder to hide from the sun.

"Good morning, Regina."

"We can eat breakfast first, and inform Mulan and Aurora that it's time for them to leave."

"Okay," he whispered in response, smiling softly at her and bending his neck to kiss her, just barely brushing his lips against hers. "You don't want to wait until we're gone to make them leave? What about your mother?"

"I'm going to send them to Rumple's castle, since it was obvious there were people staying there, I think they can keep them protected, and if not, Mulan can handle it; she's an excellent warrior. My mother, however, she can't stand against. The castle will provide some protection from her until it's safe to move on."

David grinned, kissing her again, then said, "I like how good you are, beneath all those layers of snark and grumpiness."

"Shut up. I'm going to make breakfast."

After the group ate, Regina gave the other two women several minutes to gather their things. She told them of the plan she'd relayed to David, to which they agreed and thanked her for. The goodbye was harder on Regina than she thought it would be, the friendship she had made with them hesitant, but there, and she had enjoyed people being on her side, for once. But as soon as they were set and ready to go, Regina sent them to the Dark Castle with a wave of her arms and all that was left behind were the last remnants of purple smoke. David wrapped his arm around her waist, but it was only a moment before Regina stepped away, telling him they should get started.

They walked through her castle to the room with the supplies. When they got there, The pair shoved two long tables together, and Regina used magic to seal them together to make one large table. After that was finished, they dumped all the sand onto the surface, and Regina added three vials of powder, including the ashes from the wardrobe. She scanned the pages of the book they'd retrieved from Rumplestiltskin's castle, then added the vial of water from Lake Nostos.

David watched as her magic mixed the small vials' contents into the sand, amazed at her power and abilities once more. They both then used the edge of his sword and her dagger to straighten the sand into a flat and large rectangle, big enough for both of them to walk through.

When Regina was satisfied, she turned to David. "I need you to find as much of the shiniest metal throughout the castle as possible."

"Okay. Do you want it to be flat or will you be able to do that, too, even after all this magic?" he asked gently, concerned that she was going to wear herself out.

"Find anything flat and bring that first, otherwise, yes, I'll manipulate it if I have to."

Nodding, David left the room, heading to the kitchen to start. He found several flat metal sheets used for cooking in the ovens. It wasn't nearly enough, but it was a start, so he headed back to the room where Regina was to leave them before he searched for more.

When he returned and opened the door, the room was blazing hot, and Regina was holding fire over the perimeter of the sand, slowly pushing it inward, covering the entire surface. David could tell she was cooling the room as she worked, and he wanted to tell her to slow down and take it easy, to not push herself so hard, but he knew she wouldn't listen.

By time the sand had properly melted, David had found enough metal for Regina to mold into a thin sheet big enough to lay on the back of the forming glass. It didn't have to be perfect, just good enough, which it was. Once they were done with that, David asked what was next.

"Now we let it cool. I'll assist if need be tomorrow night, once I've rested."

"And how do we know the glass won't stick to the table?" he prompted.

Giving him an unimpressed raise of her eyebrows and purse of her lips, Regina said, "Because I thought of that and protected it."

"So... how long?"

"Tomorrow will be our last day and night here. We will return the following morning."

"Oh. Well... alright, then."

The next evening, after they'd eaten and relaxed as David insisted, Regina went to check on the mirror. It was nearly finished, and that felt bittersweet. She wanted her son, had missed him beyond words. But she didn't want to lose her friendship with David, didn't want to go back to being alone, if Henry chose Emma still.

It took minimal magic until the mirror was cool to the touch, and David pleaded with her to let him help her lift it instead of using magic to set it upright. The act proved rather difficult, but they managed to get it standing against one wall. The mirror stood just slightly taller than David, and wide enough to walk through, standing close together. The reflection was distorted, since they didn't have proper metal, but Regina told David it didn't matter, it would get them home anyway.

The night had settled enough that David didn't protest when she requested they go to bed. So with conflicting thoughts in their heads and diverging emotions in their hearts, they headed back to Regina's room, the room they'd been sharing for what seemed like ages now.

David climbed onto the big bed first, wearing only his boxers, and Regina changed behind a room divider. When she stepped around it, his breath caught at the sight of her in a short, chocolate colored gown, though he'd seen her in similar sleepwear before, this would be the last time. She didn't go straight to the bed, moving to her wardrobe instead, and pulling out the satchel she'd been using. Regina reached in, taking out the second vial of water from Lake Nostos and carrying it with her to the bed.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she set the vial on the nightstand when she felt David's hand on her arm.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly, moving to sit beside her.

"Did you know that Snow was once made barren? George told me he gave her a curse so she couldn't have children."

"What? But... we had Emma," David answered in confusion.

Regina nodded softly. "Yes, you had Emma. When I found out she was pregnant, I searched and searched for answers. I didn't want her to be able to have a child, to have a family, when she'd taken my possibility for that away. I found out that you had all traveled to the lake, that she had drank water from it and it healed her."

"How did you know?"

"My mirror found out for me, I don't know how or who he spied on to get the answers, I didn't care to ask. All I cared about was how she'd won, once again."

David thought on her words for a moment, clarity washing over him and he pulled her against him, tucking her head beneath his chin. "How did it happen?" he asked gently, not wanting to push if she didn't want to tell him.

"I asked Rumplestiltskin to curse me. Not at first... at first I thought that even if I didn't want to marry the king, maybe a baby could be my light in the darkness, maybe it could make me happy. Initially, Leopold wasn't terrible, he'd been searching for a wife and how was he to know I didn't want to be his? My mother answered yes for me, but he didn't have proof that I had no desire to be married to him."

She shrugged, tears pooling in her eyes at the memories. "But after the first night he became rough, demanding. He told me he wanted an heir and whenever I didn't fall pregnant, he was angered and blamed me, my lack of desire for him and for a child, and then I found out I was pregnant. The baby didn't survive, and I was devastated. I didn't want to go through that again, and I didn't want to give him another heir, a possible male who would take the throne and follow in his father's footsteps. So... I spoke to Rumplestiltskin."

"Regina... I'm so sorry," David whispered, squeezing her tighter against him. "The vial then... you want to have a baby now?"

"I don't know." Pulling back, she looked up at him and rolled her lips together. "Not that I have anybody who wants to give me a child anyway. I just want the option. Does that make me a horrible mother?"

"To Henry? No, not at all. Many people have more than one child, it doesn't mean they love their first any less."

Regina nodded, picking up the vial and looking at it. "I will never love anyone the way I love Henry. But the idea of having another child, even the possibility of it... I always wanted two or three, so they could be friends and play together and never get lonely. I know now that what I did to Henry was selfish... bringing him into my world, where he would be the only person aging. He didn't ask for that."

Cupping her cheek, David tilted her head up so she was looking at him. "You are a good mother, Regina."

"And how would you possibly know that? You've been in a coma, you barely know me or Henry."

"Because think about who he is. Henry is good. He is kind, loving, hopeful. He has manners and cares about the happiness of those around him. Granted, he's not perfect, and I've seen him be hurtful toward you, but we all do that to our parents at some point, because we know they'll love us no matter what, or they should, so you should take it like that, because I've seen him angry with you, but I also saw him ask Emma, very upset mind you, to make sure you weren't hurt, because you're his mom."

"Thank you, David."

Taking the vial from her hands, he uncorked it and held it out to her. "I think you should drink it. I think Henry would love to be an older brother, and you won't be alone this time. You'll have Henry and me, I can be like... the baby's fun uncle or something."

Regina smiled up at him, nodding and taking the water back. She nearly chugged it, anxious to have it (hopefully) work. When the small bottle was empty, she set it back on the table beside the bed and shifted to the middle. "We should sleep."

David woke in the middle of the night, his nerves jumbled up about going back home. He pressed his face against the back of Regina's neck, and tugged her tighter against him with the arm he had wrapped around her waist. Breathing her in, he pressed a soft kiss to her skin after brushing her hair aside with his nose. Then he kissed her again. Her skin was warm against his lips, her body tiny in his arms.

Regina stirred, slightly groggy, but aware of his lips. She turned in his arms, tilting her head back enough to clearly see his features. Before she could say or do anything else, David pressed his mouth to hers. He kissed her fervently, his tongue finding hers and sliding along it. Regina hesitated a moment, but gave in to him, her arms wrapping around his shoulders, one hand moving to the back of his head and holding him close.

Their kisses had always been heated, hot and delicious and passionate, but somehow this moment felt different, sweeter and needier, like goodbye, but also like they weren't ready for that. She moaned softly into his mouth when he pushed her onto her back, covering her body with his and laying on her, holding his weight off her on one elbow. Shifting beneath him, Regina brought her knees up, squeezing his hips between her thighs and whimpering when she felt his arousal against her.

David took her in, his eyes running over her features, the softness of her expression from waking in the middle of the night, and he leaned down to kiss her again. Instinctively, he started moving against her, and Regina did the same, their hips rocking together, heavy breaths mingling between their kisses. Moving his lips down her jaw, David sucked lightly down her neck, nipping her skin and licking it as they moved.

His hips shifted higher, and Regina's breath hitched when his hardness rubbed against her clit and she let out a reedy moan. She nudged her chin against his forehead, wanting his mouth back on hers. David complied, their lips and tongues moving together once more in tandem with their bodies.

Regina clutched his body tighter as he moved on her, kissing him deeper than before. Her nails dug into him as she let out a throaty cry, coming undone beneath him even through their underwear. David pulled his face away, taking in the bliss filled expression on her face before pressing his mouth to her collarbone and sucking as one hand slid to her breast, kneading it through the thin silk of her nightdress. His thumb brushed over the peak of her nipple and Regina let out a soft whimper at the touch, kissing his hairline as he sucked at her skin.

It took him less than a full minute more before his hips were jerking erratically as he came in his boxers. David pressed his forehead into her neck, relaxing his body on top of hers before she nudged him off and climbed off the bed, retrieving clean underwear for both of them. Neither watched as the other changed, though once he was certain she was decent, David pulled her back against him and wrapped his arm around her waist, spooning her once more as they fell back into sleep.

When they woke up in the morning, Regina let herself relax further into his hold, sad this would be the last morning she woke up with him. But he belonged to someone else, someone else whom he would be going back to in less than two hours. Sighing, she turned in his arms and kissed his jaw.

"It's time to wake up, David," she whispered, kissing him once more.

His eyes opened slowly, the beautiful blue eyes she'd learned so well looking at her with a small sadness all their own. "Was it real?" he asked, his voice scratchy from sleep.

"Yes," Regina answered, a blush covering her cheeks despite her attempt to not let it show. David leaned into her, kissing her sweetly before he pulled away and sat with his legs over the edge of the bed.

It took her a moment, but she knew guilt was plaguing him. They'd made it so long without crossing that line, and even though they hadn't had sex, there were mutual orgasms, and that was enough to bother him. Regina walked to him on her knees, resting her chin on his shoulder and cupping his cheek to turn his face to her.

"It's okay, David. It-it doesn't matter, it doesn't count," she reasoned. "We weren't even... we were wearing clothes, I've never even seen you naked, and you haven't seen me, not in that context. You don't have to tell her. And you don't have to feel bad. It doesn't count, okay?" Pressing a kiss to his shoulder, Regina moved to hug him, pushing aside the sadness in her heart at telling him that what they did didn't matter, because to her it did. But he needed to know it was okay, that he didn't have to go share his indiscretion with his wife and hurt her after so many years spent apart at Regina's hand.

David looked at her, taking her face in his hands and kissing her once more, fast and hard and eager. It didn't last, and when he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers. "We should probably go," he finally whispered, earning a nod from Regina.

"Gather anything you want to take back with you and we'll go."

"I can take something back?"

"Of course. I'm taking a few things back."

David thought a moment. "Can I take the bow and arrows you let me use here?"

"Of course. Is there anything else you want?"

"No. Not in particular."

"Then get ready and we'll go."

Fifty minutes later they were both dressed in the clothing they'd arrived in. Regina had packed a few things in Graham's satchel, which was strapped over her shoulder and across her chest. David took her hand into his and they walked to the room with the mirror. Once they were standing in front of it, they looked at each other and Regina nodded. She reached her free hand up to touch the mirror and watched her fingers disappear through it.

"Just think of where you want to be and we'll get there," Regina instructed. She then moved forward, stepping through the glass and pulling David with her.

"Regina?! David?" a familiar voice cried. Regina's eyes shot up and and she dropped David's hand when she looked around to find they were in Snow's loft apartment.