Summary: Regina does her best to weave David in her net but it leads them to a fate that neither one of them has expected and leaves them tangled in each other and in the mess they made. Canon Divergence in 1x20 "The Stranger". Written for @evilcharmingweek 2019 Day 1. Rated T for mentions of sexual situations (not explicit). So sorry this is late but I had to study for exams.
Word Count: 1275 words.
Read on FFN or AO3
She’d underestimated him. He’d had the common sense to pull away when she’d tried to kiss him. But that would hardly be enough to save him from her clutches.
He was spilling apologies and lamenting his poor judgment but all she could hear was the sound of an opportunity to take him away from Snow for good. It could be her last one and she had to grab at it. Her own family had broken apart. The least she could do was take theirs down too.
“David,” she interrupted his awkward rambling, causing his blue eyes–wide and uncertain–to find her face. “Fate sent me to give you another chance at life. Maybe it’s time you gave me one.” It came out sincere enough even though what she was really begging for was another chance to destroy him and his precious True Love completely.
He was looking at her, caught up in the spell of her words. One simple mention of fate and he was all ears, waiting for someone to shed some clarity amidst all the confusion. And the best part was that that naive romanticism wasn’t even an added trait from the Curse. His own character held him captive in the little fairytale fantasy she was building around him.
“I know things are a mess right now,” though he didn’t even have a clue about it, “but we don’t have to rush. We could go with the flow, leave it to fate and see where it takes us,” she used her magic word and it worked like a charm. Maybe it called to the memories of him and Snow buried deep down, or maybe it was something entirely different that required a lot more knowledge of him as a person than she had to decipher, but it didn’t matter. She had him exactly where she wanted him and she knew it for he didn’t move away when she leaned in. “No strings attached,” she whispered against his lips and captured them in a kiss.
She had to hold herself back from smiling into it. He was all hers now. He might have broken a curse with True Love’s kiss but he had no defense when the kiss and the curse were one and the same. She knew how to make men she despised believe she desired them. And David was very alluring as the center of her revenge.
He kissed back, entranced by her passion, and kept doing so as they climbed up the stairs, still tangled into each other, barely parting for air before attacking each other again even more hungrily. His hands found the zipper of her dress and she shivered at the sound it made when he pulled it down, the sound of her victory.
They fell in bed, getting tangled in all the strings around them – invisible to him, but Regina could see them clearly. Their families, their titles, their entire lives. Everything was at stake and they were losing it all. As they climbed towards pleasure, they were crashing down faster than ever before, but her desperation and his confusion were too thick to see through, clouding their judgment enough to make them cross the line to the point of no return.
***
His first thought was about Snow. About how he’d betrayed her. Memories flooded his mind. Memories of Regina writhing in pleasure beneath him as he panted on top of her, pushing them both towards ecstasy. The reality of what had happened that night in her mansion hit him so hard that he couldn't move. And when Snow found him and threw herself in his arms, he hugged her tightly, but all he could remember was Regina’s skin against his.
He wanted to tell her, confess everything to Snow and beg her forgiveness, but it wasn’t just them anymore. Everything was chaos and pandemonium after the Curse broke. And then there was Emma. And Henry. Emma was having a hard enough time accepting the truth about them already, and Henry was so enthusiastic about them being his grandparents and sharing True Love. He’d break their hearts.
It made him pause and then it was too late. They had to go and save Regina. He had half a mind to spill everything and slow them down enough to give the angry mob a chance to kill her. After all, no one would’ve gone after her if she didn’t deserve it. But that meant losing his family too, and he just got them back.
So they saved Regina from the mob and then saved her again from the wraith, and the only good feeling he’d had all day was when he’d turned the key of her cell door. But she was out again, there was no door to hold her back thanks to the wraith, and Emma was ready to save her life thanks to Henry. And Regina had the audacity to look at him in disbelief and outrage when he wasn’t quick to jump to rescuing her as if she didn’t deserve what was coming for her.
But the look on her face was nothing compared to the one Snow gave him when he suggested them to let Regina die. She looked at him as if she couldn't recognize him, as if he wasn’t the man she’d fallen in love with. And he wasn’t. Regina had made sure of it. And there they were, saving her again when all she ever did was take from them until there was nothing left to take.
She did it again. She took Snow and Emma from him. He hadn’t said a thing about the night he’d spent with her, and yet, they were gone, fallen through a portal that led who knows where. And it was all her fault.
He should’ve told them. It would’ve changed everything but it would’ve been better that way. At least they’d still be there, and Regina would’ve been the one to pay the price. Instead, he was stuck in that world with no way of finding them and he had to listen to Regina spitting venom in his face.
She dared him to kill her as if he wouldn’t do it. As if the sudden spurt of magic could save her life. But it wasn’t enough. He could destroy her life and he didn’t need magic to do that.
He lunged forward and captured her lips in a searing kiss. It was his turn to take from her. He’d take the information he needed from her and he’d take her breath, leaving her unable to speak anymore.
“Mom?” Henry’s shocked voice cut through his thoughts.
“David?” Ruby joined his grandson.
He had no time to break the kiss before Regina’s magic teleported them, nor did he want to. He knew the betrayal on their faces would stop his onslaught and save Regina from his wrath again, so he just let her take him away.
Her magic fizzled out and they had an abrupt landing in her bedroom, stumbling into her bed. She held on to him, silent tears spilling down her face, and it looked like he’d finally managed to shut her up. She seemed afraid to let him go–he was all she had left–but he wasn’t going anywhere. She was all he had left.
Hands pulled hastily at clothing and hearts got sliced into pieces by all the strings around them, but his anger and her helplessness made them unseeing and uncaring, all the ruination they’d caused each other forgotten in favor of a few blissful moments that would only get them further entangled in the mess they’d made together.
So here we’re doing something a little different. I’m going to give a list of each of the prompts from previous EC week events, and you’re all going to vote for your top two from each week. The one that wins from each week will be the prompt for that day (EC week one winner will be day one for the new week, week two for day two, etc). There were six weeks previously, so we should come out with six prompts, one for each day 1-6, and day 7 will be a free day.
Please vote by Sunday, May 5th at midnight Central time. I’ll post the winners the next day. Also, when you vote for your prompts, vote for a week. The options will be May 27-June 2, June 3-June 9, or June 10-June 16. Thank you! I look forward to seeing votes!
Day One (From EC Week One)
Pre-curse Enchanted Forest - Prince Charming and the Evil Queen/Shepherd David and Young Regina/Huntsman David and Bandit Regina OR Canon/AU Merge - Shepherd David and Bandit Regina/Huntsman Charming and the Evil Queen
David didn’t leave after Regina made him lasagna
Trapped/Lost
Missing Year
Role Reversal
Sleeping Curse
Snow’s heart didn’t save Charming canon divergence
Day Two (From EC Week Two)
Arranged Marriage AU/Enchanted Forest (Regina never marries Leopold)
Evil Charming and Children
Dreams
Lyric/Poem
Stayed in Neverland
Online Dating AU
Teacher/Parent AU
Day Three (From EC Week Three)
David becomes the Dark One instead of Emma
David wakes from his coma during the curse with all of his memories
Magical Creatures AU
No Curse Storybrooke AU
David and Regina are married during the curse
James kisses Regina in the Underworld
Crossover AU (Pick your favorite TV show/book/movie and write David and Regina as characters in it, or as replacement of characters)
Day Four (From EC Week Four)
Caught in the Act
Regina’s diaries from the Leopold years surface
Enchanted Forest AU (Young Regina meets Shepherd David)
Fake relationship
Accidental marriage
Handcuffed together
Day Five (From EC Week Five)
David is the man with the Lion Tattoo
Amnesia
Bed sharing
Rescue or Illness/Injury*
First Date
Regina loses magic
David visits Regina after execution (season one)
Day Six (From EC Week Six)
Vampires
Pumpkin Patch
Werewolves
Coffee Shop (Pumpkin Spice Latte, Warm apple cider, etc.)
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Prince Charming | David Nolan, Henry Mills/Violet
Characters: Evil Queen | Regina Mills, Prince Charming | David Nolan, Henry Mills (Once Upon a Time), Violet (Once Upon a Time)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Halloween, Pumpkins, EC Halloween AU Week 2018
Series: Part 2 of Evil Charming Halloween AU Week 2018, Part 4 of Trust and Intimacy
Summary:
"Look, I can't help that he sees me as a positive role model, Regina. I mean, he knows I treat you like the queen you are. You want him to use some of Hook's moves instead?"
I thought I’d go ahead and post writing here for my readers who don’t follow me on twitter or receive ff.net updates. So, in honor of @evilcharmingweek, here is my day-late contribution--an update to Remnants. I went ahead and added the drabletto I posted in this verse some months back, as well, since it is vital to the timeline. The drabbletto is posted on ff.net as Ch 4, this update as Ch 5.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank those of you who’ve sent such lovely messages my way over the past few days. They mean so much and have put a huge smile on my face, even in the midst of a difficult weekend. So again--thank you! You bless my life in more ways than you know.
And as always, I wish everyone of you a wonderful week.
She starts, her eyes blinking haphazardly as she props herself up on her elbows and gazes around the bedroom.
There it is again. Someone is pounding on her front door.
David snorts in his sleep beside her, and she puts on her glasses so she can see the clock. Eight twenty-eight a.m. Shit. They overslept.
Regina slides out of bed and grabs her robe, tying it around herself securely as she hurriedly makes her way down the steps. The last thing she needs is for Nadia to wake up and start howling again--they’d had a rough enough night with her as it is. An eleven month old with an ear infection isn’t exactly a recipe for a good night’s sleep, and she’d had a hard time resting at all, even after David took a shift with the baby so she could try to get some shut-eye.
The floor is cold under her bare feet, and she reaches the door and looks out the peephole, cursing under her breath when she sees exactly who’s standing on her front porch.
It’s Emma. And she does not look pleased.
Regina breathes in and unlocks the door, attempting to steel herself against whatever might be coming her way.
“Is he here?”
Regina blinks, tossing Emma what she hopes is a withering look.
“You’re out and about early today.”
“That’s because I was supposed to meet Dad at Granny’s almost half an hour ago,” Emma returns. “I’ve tried calling him, but he’s not answering his home or cell phone or his texts.”
“He’s probably still asleep.”
“Don’t bullshit me, Regina,” Emma cuts in. “You know I can always tell when you’re lying.”
The women stare at each other as cool air rushes under Regina’s robe, making her shiver as she crosses her arms over her breasts.
“Is he here? With you?”
Regina swallows, inhaling sharply before a sound behind her takes her off guard.
“Yes,” David answers, moving down the stairs to stand directly behind her. “I’m here.”
Heat floods her face as his presence warms her body, and an arm slides protectively around her middle, leaving Emma with no doubt as to the current state of their relationship. She leans into him slightly, greedily taking the support he so freely offers before opening the door a bit further and gesturing towards her fourier.
“You’d better come in before you wake the whole neighborhood,” Regina says, and Emma closes her mouth, moving past both of them, bringing the cold inside with her. Regina’s stomach drops to her knees, but a soft kiss whispered across her temple allows her to take a deep breath.
“It’s alright,” David breathes, and she nods, even though her mind and emotions fear that nothing may be alright ever again. Emma turns and stares at the pair of them, her face moving through a myriad of emotions before she clears her throat and puts her hands on her hips.
“Were you ever planning on telling me? About...this?”
Emma gestures towards their covered-up state of undress, Regina’s hastily knotted silk robe, David’s shirtless, pajama-pants only attire, prompting Regina to tug the corner of her robe a little closer to her neck. David sighs into her shoulder before moving out from behind her and taking her right hand within his, leaving her back feeling uncomfortably exposed.
“Of course we were,” he answers. “When we felt the time was right.”
Emma’s mouth drops open again, her eyes rounding in two seconds.
“When was that going to be? After the two of you moved in together? Maybe had another kid or two?”
“Shhh,” Regina says, pointing towards the staircase. “The children are still asleep.”
Emma breathes in as if she’s about to say something, then stops herself, dropping her hands to her side in frustration.
“Maybe we should take this into the kitchen,” David suggests, doing his best to keep the situation as calm as possible. “I’ll make everyone some coffee, and we can talk.” The look he gives his daughter is pointed, the squeeze to Regina’s hand meant to be reassuring.
Emma stares directly into her before nodding and following her father into the other room. A wail from upstairs captures Regina’s attention, and she rubs her free hand over her scalp, silently counting the seconds until Nadia cries out again. She motions for David to go on into the kitchen before heading back upstairs, her hopes that Nadia will just go back to sleep as rudely interrupted as her own morning lie-in. She steps into the nursery and picks up her red-faced, unhappy baby, cradling the child to her chest, kissing dark, matted hair before laying her down to change her swollen diaper.
She kisses Nadia, now sporting a dry footed sleeper and smelling of baby lotion as they make their way back downstairs. Regina’s heart hammers loudly into the kitchen’s weighted silence, and she glances at David before returning her gaze to Emma, now standing by the counter with both arms crossed over her chest.
“We’re doing nothing wrong, you know.”
David’s words slide over her, the very reassurance he’d whispered over her nakedness in private now shared with the one person they both need in their corner.
“Then why in God’s name have you been sneaking around?” Emma fires back. “Acting like kids trying to grab a quick fuck behind their parent’s back?”
Regina’s eyes narrow.
“It’s not like that,” David states, laying a hand on Regina’s shoulder as Nadia begins to whimper into her mother’s robe. “At all. And Regina and I have every right to keep our relationship private until we see fit to bring it out into the open.”
“Of course you have that right,” Emma returns. “But don’t you think you could have let me know before all of Storybrooke figures it out? For God’s sake--I’m your daughter,” Emma continues before looking directly at her. “And your best friend.”
Regina swallows hard.
“It’s nothing personal,” she begins as she strokes Nadia’s hair and sways back and forth to sooth the girl. “But you of all people should understand the sort of talk we’ll be facing once we let the proverbial cat out of the bag. Prince Charming and The Evil Queen--come on. Do you think everybody is going to just accept us as a couple and wish us well?”
“People might just surprise you, Regina,” Emma says. “And I’m not just anyone. I’m family. So’s Henry.”
She draws in a sharp breath.
“Henry knows?” Regina questions, earning herself an eye-roll from Emma.
“Who do you think told me to look for Dad here?”
“Shit,” Regina mutters, wondering what in God’s name she’s going to say to her son when she next sees him. “I wondered if he suspected, but…”
“Our son isn’t stupid,” Emma fires back. “And he’s not upset about....this...either, just so you know.”
David gazes back at Regina and gives her a soft smile, the sort he offers her when she confesses her fears to him while lying naked in his arms.
“So he’s okay with us?” Regina asks. “Me and David?”
“He was really matter-of-fact about the fact that Dad had more than likely spent the night here last night,” Emma returns. “Like it’s just part of his life now.” She pauses to take a deep breath as the coffee maker sputters out its final drops of Kona Roast. “He wants both of you to be happy--shit, we all do. Losing Mom like we did…and Robin...”
Nadia starts to cry and reaches out towards David who takes her in his arms as if she belongs there. The baby rubs her right ear before settling into his chest as he strokes her back and kisses her dark hair, sniffing back tears Regina knows are pressing hard to get out.
“I’ll always love your mother,” David manages, his tone fractured and low. “Always. You know that, Emma. But I’ve come to love Regina, too.”
The silence is overwhelming, making Regina wish that she still had Nadia in her arms as a distraction. It’s out there now, the fact that they love each other, the fact that they’ve chosen to move forward after losing their perspective soul-mates to circumstances beyond their control.
“Wow,” Emma breathes, running a hand through her hair. “So this is serious, then. Not just a rebound thing?”
David looks over at Regina, the tenderness in his gaze washing over her in waves.
“It’s serious,” Regina answers, earning herself that soft smile she now needs as much she needs air.
“And do you love my dad?”
The question hangs between her and Emma, daring her to share feelings she still considers private.
“I do,” Regina confesses, her bottom lip trembling at the sheen in David’s eyes. “I love him very much.”
Emma presses her lips together before blowing air out of her cheeks.
“Then I’m happy for you,” Emma says. “I truly am. God knows the two of you have been through hell and back over the past couple of years and deserve some happiness.” She pauses to clear her throat. “But you need to talk to Henry. Now. He deserves to hear about this from you.”
Regina exhales and nods as a small set of feet make their way down the steps and into the kitchen. Neal walks straight over to her, raising his arms up in her direction, and she picks him up, snuggling into her chest as he sticks his thumb into his mouth. She strokes blonde hair sticking up every which way as she makes her way to a chair and sits down, looking back at Emma who is studying the four of them rather intently.
“Morning, buddy,” David mutters, walking over to stroke his son’s tousled head, balancing Nadia securely with his other arm.
“You all make quite the picture, you know,” Emma states, her expression oddly neutral. “Like an actual family.”
Regina’s heart flutters beneath Neal’s sleep-warmed forehead, and she realizes that if Henry were here, this new family of hers would feel complete. She’s put her heart out there again, damn it, knowing full-well what can happen when it’s entrusted to another human being. But blue eyes gaze into her from where he stands, promises made to her in private now on full display for his daughter and everyone else to see.
“This works for us,” David replies, taking a step towards Emma. “Being together like this--like the family we’ve become. It’s not what we expected and certainly not something we planned, but it’s good and healthy and...and right.” He pauses to look back at Regina, his gaze warming her in places nobody but he’s allowed to see. “And it would mean everything to us to have both your and Henry’s blessing.”
Emma stares at David before casting a glance over at Regina and Neal.
“Then you’ve got my blessing,” Emma says with a shrug, stepping into her dad’s embrace, careful not to squish Nadia in the process. Muscles relax around Regina’s ribcage, and she draws her first full breath since Emma showed up this morning as father and daughter hug.
“Mama,” Nadia babbles, effectively forcing Emma and David to separate and making them chuckle. Regina waves at her daughter from her seat, wincing as the baby whimpers and rubs her ear again before leaning back into David’s chest.
“Dada.”
The room freezes as Neal snuggles further into her breast, all air seemingly sucked out of it. Three adults look back and forth at each other, the weight of Nadia’s pronouncement hitting them all like a Mack truck in a head-on collision.
“Well,” Emma finally breathes out, placing her hands back on her hips. “If things between you weren’t already serious, they sure as hell would be now.”
Summary: When Emma Swan’s arrival in town threatens to engulf in flames Regina’s happiness, she finds the warmth of support in her husband’s arms. Set after 1x02 “The Thing You Love Most”. Written for @evilcharmingweek 2019 Day 3. Sorry this is so late but I had no motivation to edit it whatsoever.
Word Count: 1059 words
Read on FFN or AO3
Regina slammed the front door shut and marched up the stairs, her heels clicking loudly against the floor. Everything had been going so well, and now it was falling apart, unraveling at her fingertips thanks to Emma Swan's presence even though it had barely even been a day since she was in town. Regina had no intention of watching her perfect life burn down around her like a sheet of paper set on fire. She had no intention of losing her family.
"Is everything all right?" David peeked out from the kitchen where he was working on dinner. He often insisted on cooking instead of her so that she could relax. He reasoned that his job at the pet shelter felt more like a hobby rather than an obligation, especially compared to her job as the mayor. A real Prince Charming indeed.
She usually found it sweet, at times even ironic, but today it made her sick. It was a part of their old lives which she hated for it reminded her that the ones they had in this land were fake. Fake and unstable while Emma Swan's presence was a very real threat to her ever-so-fragile happiness. Emma was the Savior. Which meant she was David's daughter. And that made him Henry's grandfather. And that, in turn, made such a mess of things that all she wanted was to forget. Forget that she was the Evil Queen and he was Prince Charming, forget that he only loved her because her Curse had made it so, forget everything but him.
She pulled him into a kiss, crashing her lips against his hastily, hungrily, desperate to feel something else other than the desperation that had taken over her. Her hands clutched at his flannel as if to keep him from slipping away, and she pressed her body against his, seeking the comfort of his presence. She'd never admit it but the warmth of David's body was so much more pleasant than that of the fireballs she'd used to summon with her magic.
David kissed back, even though her sudden fervency had obviously caught him off guard, and only pulled away when she broke the kiss. Even so, he pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her waist, the affection only making her fear of losing it worse. His eyes found hers and he waited for her to speak, his expression gentle and inviting.
She kissed him again instead, her tongue too preoccupied with his own for her to even form a proper thought. The only thing she managed was a groan of protest when he broke the kiss.
"What's going on?" David asked, a little breathless from her onslaught, and wasn't that a pretty sound? Prince Charming was so affected by the Evil Queen's kiss that he had to catch his breath. What would dear old Snow White think?
"I want you," Regina said firmly, trying to ground herself in the present. Because she didn't want Snow White's husband. She wanted her own husband, and there was such a vast difference between the two.
"What about Henry?" David asked and she knew it was a logical question of a caring father, but in her frightened mind it sounded like rejection and that only made her anger flare even more fiercely.
"I imagine he won't be home any time soon," she hissed, the thought of her son running to Emma Swan instead of her causing all the venom in her to resurface, but it just made David's expression soften. Twenty-eight years was enough time for him to learn how to read her. Though she knew he'd been able to do that from the very start, from the first moment he'd looked at her. The real her.
David stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. "Is that what this is about?"
She knew he didn't mean it like that, but to her it sounded like a mockery. Because of course, to him Emma Swan didn't seem like a threat–she was his daughter–and, of course, he liked her–she wasn't trying to take his child away for Henry was his grandson.
"This is about us," she said and it sounded raw and sincere rather than sweet and seductive as it had always been supposed to be. The Curse had been supposed to be her revenge, and so had been her marriage to David. But for her things never went according to plan, and so there she was, drowning in her feelings for a man who... who loved her. She'd fallen in love with the David who saw and cherished the real her and she did not intend to lose him.
She tugged on his flannel, pulling him down and crashing her lips on his once again. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she attacked his mouth, causing David to tighten his hold on her.
"What about dinner?" David asked between pants when they finally parted, turning his head to glance back at the kitchen, but Regina's hand on his cheek stopped him and redirected his attention back to her.
"I don't care about dinner," she said and leaned in again.
David met her halfway, kissing her fiercely and causing a little yelp to fall from her mouth when his hands found the back of her thighs and he picked her up, making her wrap her legs around his waist. He headed for the stairs and up to their bedroom, all the while peppering kisses and the occasional bite on the skin that was left exposed by her dress and she moaned.
She loved it when he was no longer sweet and careful with her and got all possessive and primal. Because Snow had given him every piece of herself, but Regina was making him work for it and take it from her. And he did. He took away all the worries and all the memories of her troubles to the point where she could hardly remember her name in the heat of his embrace. And later when she had to throw away the burnt dinner and put up with the burn of Henry's words, the warmth of David's touch soothed her, reminding her that she had him to lean on now rather than having to rely on the destructive power of the fire conjured by her magic.
Thank you to everyone who voted! Before I get on to announcing the winning prompts, I would like to remind you all that EC week will take place August 7 - August 13, please do not post your creation before the day of the week that it goes with. When it is time to post, I will be checking the tag #ecweek. Any original creation is welcome, fanfiction, edits, manips, playlists, drawings, basically anything you can come up with, and if you have any questions, please feel free to message me on here, or on twitter with them!
So here goes:
Day One, August 7 - Caught in the Act
Day 2, August 8 - Regina’s diaries from the Leopold years surface
Day 3, August 9 - Enchanted Forest AU (Young Regina meets Shepherd David)
Day 4, August 10 - Fake relationship
Day 5, August 11 - Accidental marriage
Day 6, August 12 - Handcuffed together
Day 7, August 13 - Free day! (Use an idea of your own, or a prompt you liked that didn’t make it into the list)
So, have fun! I hope to see you all back in August when it’s time to start posting! As always, my inbox is open!
