Breath of Life ; Regina/David
Disclaimer: FEEEEEELS are mine. Characters and OUAT aren't. But the feels man. The feels.
Author's Note: Written for 'Into the Deep' because how is an Evil Charming shipper to resist THIS SHIT RIGHT HERE. It was set up so perfectly, the scene basically slapped me in the face and was like "BITCH, THIS IS WHERE YOUR MIND IS GOING. FOLLOW IT." And I didn't want to be slapped again so I said ok. A mixture of jittery I CAN'T and I JUST LOVE THEM SO MUCH, so this probably isn't the best. Thank you, inner fangirl. For distracting me several times throughout this fic. Hope my fellow shippers enjoy, as it's mostly Regina "feels" Mills.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
'True loves kiss…' she thought, it had never worked for her before, and there was absolutely no reason for it to do so now. But somewhere between making promises she knew she couldn’t keep and berating herself for pining for a man because he held reserves that were not unlike her ex-fiancé, she had come off her chair, and was now kneeling beside one Charming prince.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
It was amazing how difficult Regina found it to be to lie to Henry after her initial promise to better herself. The details of the agreement were to limit the use of magic, cut it out altogether. However, desperate times called for desperate measures, and this was one of those scenarios where lying was unavoidable. The truth would have devastated him, and Regina could take no more heartache for her son, especially when she felt responsible for the majority of it. And now she sat beside yet another victim of a curse she had wrought. Of course, this time under very different circumstances, but that did little to quell the gnaw churning in the pit of her stomach as she stared at the man who belonged to her adversary.
Henry had gone to dinner with Belle, an obvious attempt to stall the boy’s inquiry, giving Regina enough time to gather her composure, to strengthen her resolve to deliver the news she knew Henry would take with a heavy heart. How odd it was that she found her life sustaining organ beat painfully now, too, at the sight of a man who had lost everything and for what? All because he had been caught in the cross fire? Because that’s where every train of thought ended. Regina’s disdain for Snow White had become all consuming, taking with it the world and it’s inhabitants. Well, for the most part anyway. There were few who escaped her wrath, but all had eventually suffered because of it.
And as she sat dwelling on it now, gazing with eyes unclouded by hate, Regina Mills found herself utterly appalled by her behavior. There was cause only in her ire, not in the deeds she had invoked because of it. And now Prince Charming lay in a coma once more.
“Oh David, I’m so sorry for all of this.” In a rare moment of weakness, she allowed the walls that had erected around her heart to come crashing down. It was inevitable with the turn out of events as of late. Tears cascaded down her cheeks silently, her shoulders shaking, head swaying from side to side, as if to brush off the sympathy she knew Prince Charming would give to her now - now that he had witnessed the woman beneath the rage. Sniffling, and after the initial onslaught of emotion, the once Evil Queen found herself leaning towards the sleeping prince. Resting her forearms on her knees, she folded her arms and tucked them inwards, waiting until her voice had lost the hiccup.
“The truth is, I stopped caring about myself a long time ago, and when you cease to care about your own well being, you lose sight of everything else. I began blaming your wife for everything inconvenient that ever happened to me. It was her fault I wasn’t happy, she had taken my true love and found one of her own.” Dropping her eyes from the rough tenderness of his face, the way his brow set in that steely determination, the firm line of his mouth and the swell of his lips. She focused momentarily on the scar on his chin, and then her gaze moved elsewhere.
“She was able to marry, and have a child, all the while knowing how that luxury had been taken from me. But it never had anything to do with you. Or anyone else, for that matter. My bitterness was so great, that it consumed everything. Even now, I sometimes feel smothered by it, and the only thing keeping me grounded is Henry.” It had escaped her notice how close she had gotten to the edge of her seat. Regina took a shaky breath, swallowing thickly to stay the burn of her words, the depth of her despair.
“Ever since Daniel… Henry’s been the only constant in my life. I wanted a semblance of the love I had lost back, and I found that limitless affection by having a son. We haven’t exactly seen eye to eye since he was eight years old but, thanks to all of this, and now thanks to you, I think I might have a chance of being invited to his eleventh birthday party.” The humorless laugh that escaped her drew her back to reality. The silence that enveloped her was only a little uncomfortable, but the soft sounds of David’s breathing soon soothed the disquiet beginning to take her. Licking her lips, she adjusted herself, straightening her posture.
Falling into a wordless reverie, she propped her elbow upon the stand next to the bed, using her fist as a head rest. This whole situation brought back unwanted memories. There was something familiar about David that she hadn’t noticed until further inspecting the man in his potion induced sleep. A common shepherd who fell in love with a royal. Since when was he so similar to her Daniel? Was this ever a factor in her schemes whenever she involved the man Snow married? Face contorted in deep thought, Regina wondered why she had never connected the two before.
They were two men who had been at the wrong places, wrong times.
Shutting her eyes, she knew why she’d never pondered it. The agony was excruciating, and her heart had already bled enough.
Flicking her gaze to David’s facial features, she reached out with her free hand and set it over his own. She mistook the sudden warmth that flared through her being as a sign of working herself up.
Despite the connections that could be made, David was not Daniel. David had every right to hate her, and yet somehow, he didn’t. At first, he seemed to. But then again, who wouldn’t despise the woman who had tried to kill you and yours for years? Who manipulated curses to rip them apart? However gradually, she had noticed that David had begun to lose that fury. After she had nearly bent in front of him at the barn, he seemed to view her in a new light. Perhaps most would, if she would forsake her pride but it wasn’t pity that she wanted. She wanted to be forgiven, and David had done just that. Even before that day, he had let Henry speak with her on the phone. Those conversations were few and far between, but they were cherished, and it wasn’t long before David had invited her over for dinner, and taken up her invitation for he and Henry to join her.
This man was not a man who held a grudge, who acted upon the necessary and never without just cause. Because of him, Henry was happy. Closing her fingers around his, she gave a squeeze, leaning back over his slumbering form.
“I won’t rest until you return to Henry, I‘ll find some other way to counter the curse. Henry needs you.” I need you.
The instant the thought shattered the walls of her mind, Regina blinked through the rapidly growing confusion. She paused when she felt David’ hand briefly flinch, watching as his brow began to twitch. It was over within moments, but her eyes remained glued to his, even though they were closed, and she almost expected them to open and for that icy blue stare of his to turn towards her.
True loves kiss… she thought, it had never worked for her before, and there was absolutely no reason for it to do so now. But somewhere between making promises she knew she couldn’t keep and berating herself for pining for a man because he held reserves that were not unlike her ex-fiancé, she had come off her chair, and was now kneeling beside one Charming prince.
She didn’t know, nor did she care, what she was doing, she only knew that her heart was beating oh so fast and his lips were there, and just once.
Just once, she wanted to know what it was like to be kissed by a man who held as much love and devotion as David held for Snow. She wanted to feel the same way Daniel had made her feel.
And before she could come to her senses, before she had the time to stop herself, her lips were hovering over David’s. She could feel his shallow breaths as her lips parted and settled over his.
She gasped in surprise when she felt his lips beginning to move against her own.
The door in the other room creaked open then, Regina broke the kiss soundly, hurriedly pushing herself to her feet as she straightened her attire, wiping the tear stains from her cheeks, and hoping the flush wasn’t too obvious. Heaven’s knew her ears burned, and her pulse raced. As she stood watching David’s expression contort, and his eyes flutter open, they briefly connected with hers before Henry burst into the room.
“Is he awake yet! Is he awake yet?” Opening her mouth to answer him, he dropped to his knees beside the bed and found out for himself. “He’s awake! Grandpa, you’re awake!”
Leaving the two to their little reunion, Regina avoided David’s probing gaze and instead turned away. Henry caught her hand before she could make her escape. “Was it you? Did you do something to help him? I thought he was gone.” Small arms encircled her waist, drawing a laugh from the Mayor.
“Henry, I…” the kiss burned in her memory. Her eyes looked toward David and then instantly averted themselves as she laid a hand across Henry‘s back. “It must’ve been Mary Margaret because I… didn’t do anything.”
Rumplestiltskin, who had been observing the scene from the door, chimed in suspiciously, “Of course you didn’t, dearie. Only true loves kiss is powerful enough to break that curse.”
Somehow, Regina didn’t think she could blame this one on coincidence.
//End Notes: THOUGHTS? HATE? LOVE? DON'T GIVE A FUCK? I just might continue this.
Author's Note: Written for 'Into the Deep' because how is an Evil Charming shipper to resist THIS SHIT RIGHT HERE. It was set up so perfectly, the scene basically slapped me in the face and was like "BITCH, THIS IS WHERE YOUR MIND IS GOING. FOLLOW IT." And I didn't want to be slapped again so I said ok. A mixture of jittery I CAN'T and I JUST LOVE THEM SO MUCH, so this probably isn't the best. Thank you, inner fangirl. For distracting me several times throughout this fic. Hope my fellow shippers enjoy, as it's mostly Regina "feels" Mills.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
'True loves kiss…' she thought, it had never worked for her before, and there was absolutely no reason for it to do so now. But somewhere between making promises she knew she couldn’t keep and berating herself for pining for a man because he held reserves that were not unlike her ex-fiancé, she had come off her chair, and was now kneeling beside one Charming prince.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
It was amazing how difficult Regina found it to be to lie to Henry after her initial promise to better herself. The details of the agreement were to limit the use of magic, cut it out altogether. However, desperate times called for desperate measures, and this was one of those scenarios where lying was unavoidable. The truth would have devastated him, and Regina could take no more heartache for her son, especially when she felt responsible for the majority of it. And now she sat beside yet another victim of a curse she had wrought. Of course, this time under very different circumstances, but that did little to quell the gnaw churning in the pit of her stomach as she stared at the man who belonged to her adversary.
Henry had gone to dinner with Belle, an obvious attempt to stall the boy’s inquiry, giving Regina enough time to gather her composure, to strengthen her resolve to deliver the news she knew Henry would take with a heavy heart. How odd it was that she found her life sustaining organ beat painfully now, too, at the sight of a man who had lost everything and for what? All because he had been caught in the cross fire? Because that’s where every train of thought ended. Regina’s disdain for Snow White had become all consuming, taking with it the world and it’s inhabitants. Well, for the most part anyway. There were few who escaped her wrath, but all had eventually suffered because of it.
And as she sat dwelling on it now, gazing with eyes unclouded by hate, Regina Mills found herself utterly appalled by her behavior. There was cause only in her ire, not in the deeds she had invoked because of it. And now Prince Charming lay in a coma once more.
“Oh David, I’m so sorry for all of this.” In a rare moment of weakness, she allowed the walls that had erected around her heart to come crashing down. It was inevitable with the turn out of events as of late. Tears cascaded down her cheeks silently, her shoulders shaking, head swaying from side to side, as if to brush off the sympathy she knew Prince Charming would give to her now - now that he had witnessed the woman beneath the rage. Sniffling, and after the initial onslaught of emotion, the once Evil Queen found herself leaning towards the sleeping prince. Resting her forearms on her knees, she folded her arms and tucked them inwards, waiting until her voice had lost the hiccup.
“The truth is, I stopped caring about myself a long time ago, and when you cease to care about your own well being, you lose sight of everything else. I began blaming your wife for everything inconvenient that ever happened to me. It was her fault I wasn’t happy, she had taken my true love and found one of her own.” Dropping her eyes from the rough tenderness of his face, the way his brow set in that steely determination, the firm line of his mouth and the swell of his lips. She focused momentarily on the scar on his chin, and then her gaze moved elsewhere.
“She was able to marry, and have a child, all the while knowing how that luxury had been taken from me. But it never had anything to do with you. Or anyone else, for that matter. My bitterness was so great, that it consumed everything. Even now, I sometimes feel smothered by it, and the only thing keeping me grounded is Henry.” It had escaped her notice how close she had gotten to the edge of her seat. Regina took a shaky breath, swallowing thickly to stay the burn of her words, the depth of her despair.
“Ever since Daniel… Henry’s been the only constant in my life. I wanted a semblance of the love I had lost back, and I found that limitless affection by having a son. We haven’t exactly seen eye to eye since he was eight years old but, thanks to all of this, and now thanks to you, I think I might have a chance of being invited to his eleventh birthday party.” The humorless laugh that escaped her drew her back to reality. The silence that enveloped her was only a little uncomfortable, but the soft sounds of David’s breathing soon soothed the disquiet beginning to take her. Licking her lips, she adjusted herself, straightening her posture.
Falling into a wordless reverie, she propped her elbow upon the stand next to the bed, using her fist as a head rest. This whole situation brought back unwanted memories. There was something familiar about David that she hadn’t noticed until further inspecting the man in his potion induced sleep. A common shepherd who fell in love with a royal. Since when was he so similar to her Daniel? Was this ever a factor in her schemes whenever she involved the man Snow married? Face contorted in deep thought, Regina wondered why she had never connected the two before.
They were two men who had been at the wrong places, wrong times.
Shutting her eyes, she knew why she’d never pondered it. The agony was excruciating, and her heart had already bled enough.
Flicking her gaze to David’s facial features, she reached out with her free hand and set it over his own. She mistook the sudden warmth that flared through her being as a sign of working herself up.
Despite the connections that could be made, David was not Daniel. David had every right to hate her, and yet somehow, he didn’t. At first, he seemed to. But then again, who wouldn’t despise the woman who had tried to kill you and yours for years? Who manipulated curses to rip them apart? However gradually, she had noticed that David had begun to lose that fury. After she had nearly bent in front of him at the barn, he seemed to view her in a new light. Perhaps most would, if she would forsake her pride but it wasn’t pity that she wanted. She wanted to be forgiven, and David had done just that. Even before that day, he had let Henry speak with her on the phone. Those conversations were few and far between, but they were cherished, and it wasn’t long before David had invited her over for dinner, and taken up her invitation for he and Henry to join her.
This man was not a man who held a grudge, who acted upon the necessary and never without just cause. Because of him, Henry was happy. Closing her fingers around his, she gave a squeeze, leaning back over his slumbering form.
“I won’t rest until you return to Henry, I‘ll find some other way to counter the curse. Henry needs you.” I need you.
The instant the thought shattered the walls of her mind, Regina blinked through the rapidly growing confusion. She paused when she felt David’ hand briefly flinch, watching as his brow began to twitch. It was over within moments, but her eyes remained glued to his, even though they were closed, and she almost expected them to open and for that icy blue stare of his to turn towards her.
True loves kiss… she thought, it had never worked for her before, and there was absolutely no reason for it to do so now. But somewhere between making promises she knew she couldn’t keep and berating herself for pining for a man because he held reserves that were not unlike her ex-fiancé, she had come off her chair, and was now kneeling beside one Charming prince.
She didn’t know, nor did she care, what she was doing, she only knew that her heart was beating oh so fast and his lips were there, and just once.
Just once, she wanted to know what it was like to be kissed by a man who held as much love and devotion as David held for Snow. She wanted to feel the same way Daniel had made her feel.
And before she could come to her senses, before she had the time to stop herself, her lips were hovering over David’s. She could feel his shallow breaths as her lips parted and settled over his.
She gasped in surprise when she felt his lips beginning to move against her own.
The door in the other room creaked open then, Regina broke the kiss soundly, hurriedly pushing herself to her feet as she straightened her attire, wiping the tear stains from her cheeks, and hoping the flush wasn’t too obvious. Heaven’s knew her ears burned, and her pulse raced. As she stood watching David’s expression contort, and his eyes flutter open, they briefly connected with hers before Henry burst into the room.
“Is he awake yet! Is he awake yet?” Opening her mouth to answer him, he dropped to his knees beside the bed and found out for himself. “He’s awake! Grandpa, you’re awake!”
Leaving the two to their little reunion, Regina avoided David’s probing gaze and instead turned away. Henry caught her hand before she could make her escape. “Was it you? Did you do something to help him? I thought he was gone.” Small arms encircled her waist, drawing a laugh from the Mayor.
“Henry, I…” the kiss burned in her memory. Her eyes looked toward David and then instantly averted themselves as she laid a hand across Henry‘s back. “It must’ve been Mary Margaret because I… didn’t do anything.”
Rumplestiltskin, who had been observing the scene from the door, chimed in suspiciously, “Of course you didn’t, dearie. Only true loves kiss is powerful enough to break that curse.”
Somehow, Regina didn’t think she could blame this one on coincidence.
//End Notes: THOUGHTS? HATE? LOVE? DON'T GIVE A FUCK? I just might continue this.