Rain Drenched Nonsense

Full color commission for Alyssa Anderson

Written for @evilcharmingweek Day One

Read on ff.net

No. It was the only thought in David’s head as the darkness swirled around Regina. Consuming her, devouring, destroying. They’d been through too much; fought too hard for their ending to be a horrific twist of fate that would take them back to the beginning, back to the manic rage of the Evil Queen. He couldn’t look away from her, hardly noticed anything else that was going on around him. Regina was curled in on herself, terror evident in her every feature. He willed her to look at him, to focus on anything, but she looked everywhere and nowhere at the same time. He knew only one thing for certain: she wouldn’t survive this.

When it came down to it there hadn’t really been a choice. He was the hero, after all, the prince, the white night. In the end he was the friend and the father. So it came to down to him, down to a split second decision that had him reaching out with steady fingers, pulling the dagger from Emma’s hand, and allowing the darkness to take him away. He never heard the screams of the three women he left behind.

He hadn’t thought about the consequences. Had never imagined he’d be ripped from his land, sent back to the Enchanted Forest alone, empty and full at the same time. He hadn’t expected the power constantly bubbling under skin, never imagined it could feel so damn good. David felt he understood Regina now more than ever: her wild desires, her unchecked authority. It all came down to control. He came from a world where everything was constantly threatened, where the safety and protection of his family, his kingdom, his town, his hope, had always been hard fought and rarely won. He could change that now, could manipulate fate with a flick of his finger. It was addicting. How had Regina been so afraid of this? How had she ever let it go?

“It would have ended me.” David turned to see Regina standing behind him. Her eyes widened at his appearance, but she wouldn’t let herself look away. He’d done this for her, become this so she didn’t have to.

“Regina! You’re here!” David closed the space between them, engulfing her in his arms. “How did you get here?”

“I…” she started, but there was no need to finish. She could feel David in her head, poking around, reading her thoughts before they became words. She couldn’t have stopped him, she could have tried, made it more difficult for him to prod and probe, but what would have been the point? She hadn’t come here to keep secrets from him.

“You came to get this out of me?” he asked her needlessly.

“You saved me, David,” Regina took his hands in her own. They were cold; his hands were never cold. “Let me do the same for you.”

“I don’t want to be saved, Regina,” David shook his head, laughing with manic eyes. He was excited, giddy even, and so very dangerous. “I get it now, I do. What you can do, what you can feel? It’s so much more. Everything is so much more. I don’t need to be saved.”

“Like hell you don’t,” she interrupted. “Look at yourself, David. Look!” she waved her hand and a mirror appeared before them. For the first time, David saw his new self. It wasn’t what he’d expected. There was a golden sheen to his skin, his eyes were dark, jeans and flannels replaced with heavy leathers, but the new Dark One didn’t seem to find the changes nearly as disturbing as the woman next to him.

David smiled once more at his reflection before snapping his fingers and transforming himself into Prince Charming. “Is this better?” he asked her innocently, sweeping his fur lined cloak towards her. “Or perhaps this?” Another snap and he is David Nolan freshly awoken from his curse induced coma; the man that almost kissed her in her kitchen. “You wanted this,” he taunts, stepping close. “You could have it now. I could give you whatever you want.” His lips are so close they brush her cheek with each word.

“I want my friend back.” Regina plants her hands on his chest, pushing him back so that they’re no longer breathing the same air.

“We were never just friends, Regina. You can’t deny that. There’s always been something.” He steps close again, cups her cheek, and leans in to whisper in her ear. “Even when you were trying to kill me. Did you ever ask yourself why you couldn’t get the job done?” His tongue slips out to lick behind her earlobe, nipping and sucking his way down her jaw.

“This isn’t you.” Regina tried to step away again, but he’s holding her firmly against him with a hand behind her neck, the other making its way to her backside.

“Maybe it is,” he said against her neck. “Maybe this is what I was always supposed to be.”

“The David I know would never say that. Let me bring him back.” Regina wiggled out of his old. She had to do this before she lost her nerve, before the promises he was making became impossible to refuse.

“Or,” he pulled her close again, transporting them both to the bed chambers of her castle. “You could join me. Think of what we could do together.” When the smoke cleared he once again appeared as the Dark One and she as the evil queen.

Regina shoved away from him, almost tripping over the heavy skirts and too high heels she was no longer accustomed to wearing. “Think of what we’ve done together!” her screams echoed around the stone walls. “You and me. David and Regina. You did this to save me from the Evil Queen and now you dress me up like some doll?” She swept her arms up, her magic righting her appearance to someone much less deadly than her former self. “I know what you’re feeling, David. I know how good the power feels, but you can’t give into it. You helped me. You helped me find myself again and get back my son. I’m not leaving here until I can take YOU back to your daughter.”

“I haven’t lost Emma!” he yelled right back in her face. Mirrors shattered all around him; the dark magic was coming off of him in waves.

“She’s afraid of you, of what you’re becoming. So is Snow.” She took a cautious step toward him, glass crunched under her feet.

“But you’re not.” He closed the distance between them, settled his arm against the small of her back and leaned his forehead against hers.

“Of course I am,” her voice shook with the confession. “I’m terrified.”

David’s fingers brushed against her cheek, then slid down to her neck. His fingers paused, pressing over her pulse point. “Your heart is racing,” he whispered, sliding his hand further down to her chest, reaching in to feel her heart.

Regina gasped at the intrusion, but didn’t pull away. Instead, she wound an around his neck, her other hand loosely circling his wrist where it disappeared into her chest. He wasn’t squeezing.

David closed his eyes to the feel of her heart fluttering wildly against his fingers. This was life: so small, so fragile, so frantic and in the palm of his hand. He could crush it. It wouldn’t take any effort at all. One gentle squeeze and there would be no one left to stop him.

There would be no one left to stop him.

His thoughts were racing. She was the only one who had come, the only one who had dared to face the raw power of the Dark One. His fingers tightened their grip without him realizing. He was squeezing harder and harder until Regina’s whimpers broke through his trance.

“David. Please.” She was still leaning against him, not moving an inch save for her fingers running through the hair just above his color, pulling to try to get him to focus. “I know you’re still in there. This isn’t you,” she was barely whispering, her panted breath warming his face, tears falling freely between them.

You know how to get this out of me? He wasn’t speaking, but Regina heard him plainly; his voice was in her head, in her heart.

“I know where to start,” she gritted out, squeezing desperately at his wrist as the pain in her chest was becoming too much to bear.

He released her heart as gently as he could, retracted his hand and let it rest where she held it against her chest. Regina sagged against him, muscles tense from holding so still for so long. His grip on her waist tightened enough to support her while her breathing evened out. David took their hands from her chest, guided them to the dagger secured to his waist. “Take it,” he urged, squeezing her fingers against the hilt. “Don’t let me hurt anyone else.”

Who did you hurt? she thought but couldn’t say. She had hoped she had gotten to him time, hoped that she could spare him the pain and regret of taking a life, of using power to hurt and destroy.

He stepped back once the dagger was safely in her grasp. Back, but not away. He watched her watch the dagger in her hands; he listened to the thoughts of failure and remorse running through her mind. But she was wrong; he hadn’t yet gone that far. David extended his hand, tipping her chin up to meet his eyes. “You. I hurt you, and I don’t want to do that.”

Hey all! With the summer hiatus starting Monday, it has been brought to my attention that Evil Charmers want another Evil Charming Week. I’m considering sometime in mid-to-late July. This would allow two months for prompt suggestions, voting, and then some time before the week starts to give everyone a head start to getting their contributions started. Drop me a message and let me know what week would be most convenient, and the one with the most votes wins.

July 10-16

July 17-23

July 24-30

Evil Regal problem: you start shipping Regina with EVERYONE or EVERYTHING

Bonus

The Queen and her fireball

Bonus 2 QueenPie

ouat 20 day challenge → day one: favourite episode from s1