Chapter Text
Word had spread quickly. Surprisingly not spilling from Snow's mouth but from David's. He had let it slip out of frustration to Robin that Saturday afternoon fishing at the docks and the former outlaw then made mention of it to Regina.
She was livid.
She loved that boy dearly like he was her own but this rebellious streak needed to be wrangled in. It was more than your usual teenage antics of staying out late or being caught at the movies trying to see a film underage... no, Daniel was becoming almost out of control. He use to be such a quiet child, how Regina imagined David must have been. He got some of his looks from his father, perhaps the chin, but the rest of him and his smarts came from his mother.
As he got older it looked like he had also inherited her wild temperament as well but only on overdrive. For a while Snow and David were able to keep up but with this last outburst he had gone too far... now the boy had magic at his disposal.
Right before noon the following day, there was a knock on the front door of the Charming residence as the Mayor entered. Their front door was unlocked practically all the time. Anyone who wanted to stop by and visit was more than welcomed to. Snow would throw cookies in the oven or whisk up tea and lemonade before you could turn down the offer. Those were just the kind of people they were. Good, kind hearted people who lived on the edge of town. They were closer to Emma out there and not much further from Regina, not to mention they had all the space they could have wanted with plenty of land. With a five bedroom farmhouse everyone expected there to be more children for the couple and lord knows they tried but it seemed fate had different plans for the pair of them.
"It's me!" She called out as she closed the door behind her.
"I'm in the kitchen!" It was Snow. She was mostly likely pulling a cake out the oven, some how sensing she'd have a visitor at that exact moment.
Regina makes her way down the hall, coming around the corner with an empty tupperware container. "Been meaning to return this to you."
It wasn't a cake but rather a custard she was making. "That's mine?" When she reached for the container Regina was able to partially see the burn above her left wrist that had been mentioned to her by her husband. She'd be sure to heal that later.
"I think it is." It wasn't that she just needed an excuse to drop by. She knew she didn't and Snow would have been quick to remind her of it but she still felt like she needed one for this particular visit. "Maybe it's for Emma?" She shrugs her shoulders. "Well, it's your problem to figure out now." That gets a small smirk out Snow along with a quick glance.
"You staying for lunch?"
"That's why I'm here. I'd like to take Daniel to lunch with me."
Snow cracks two eggs into a bowl with a not so too amused look on her face. "I don't think right now is a good time, Regina. He's currently serving what David is referring to as a 'life sentence'." She begins to whisk the eggs, allowing some of her frustrations out. "Maybe next weekend."
This woman was too forgiving. One week? That was barely a punishment! If Henry or Roland had acted the same way they would have been lucky to see more than their room and the bathroom until reaching eighteen. "I know he's in trouble. That's why I'm here."
Snow immediately stops and looks at her. "......David told you?" She's nearly whispering in that hushed library tone of hers.
"No, not directly. He mentioned it to Robin.... thought maybe I could help in some way. " The younger woman looks away for moment but it doesn't last long as she makes herself busy again. Strained relationships in this household didn't sit well with Regina but she's not sure if she should push the subject even though it clearly has upset Snow. She's about to say something but Snow beats her to it.
"Fine. He can go but he doesn't get ice cream."
"He won't."
"See, you say that but I know you. Emma is the same way with him." She's back to mixing her ingredients but the quick swipe with the back of her wrist to her eyes doesn't go unnoticed; her back facing the older woman as she turns the kitchen sink on. Emma not being there is another reason Regina has dropped in. The oldest of the Charming children was currently tracking someone across Rhode Island, otherwise she's sure the blonde would have dealt with her brother herself had she been there. "He's upstairs."
The older woman slides away from the counter top she had been leaning on. "No ice cream. Scout's honour." Moving back up the hall she sets her jaw but then relaxes. He was a kid and she needed to treat him as such... even if he was already taller than her. At the top of the stairs she turns right and heads down the hall, stopping and knocking on Daniel's bedroom door. When she doesn't get an answer she knocks harder and calls out his name.
Still, no answer.
She grabs the knob and opens the door with and eye roll, ready to find his bed empty and window open... but she doesn't. His bed is empty and the window is open but he's in there; sitting at his desk, hunched over an open school book taking notes as loud, but muffled, heavy metal blares through his headphones. He truly was a good kid. Always courteous to others and especially respectful to adults, kept up his grades though she had heard his literary class was kicking his ass. He was even on the track and swim team; not the best at either but she was sure he was pulling his own weight. But ever since he'd been given the title 'freshman', things had changed. He had changed. No longer preferring to come home and study after swim practice or pitching in to help his father around the farm without being asked. His clothes had changed, his music had changed, the way he carried himself and the way he spoke… or at times, didn't speak. She hated to say this but he was becoming distant. Things had first started up with the music. Snow had come home from shopping only to find the house blaring with indecipherable screaming until a couple 'fucks' were dropped along with the bass threatening to shatter the windows... yes, that word had been all to clear and recognizable to her. Snow and her ability to keep a secret hadn't changed so she opted to tell Regina about the whole ordeal before coming clean to David. After that, things with their son went down hill no matter how hard the Charming's tried.
Regina walked up behind Daniel and laid a hand on his shoulder causing him to practically jump out of his skin. He flings his headphones off as he looks back wide eyed and panting, half expecting to see one of his parents.
"Good grief, Aunt Gina, you just about gave me a heart attack!"
"Well, if you weren't destroying your hearing one electric guitar solo at a time maybe you would have heard me knocking." He smiles, a little embarrassed. "Now come on, put your shoes on. We're going to lunch."
For a second there he starts to smile but it fades as he slouched back in his chair. "Mom's gonna say 'no'." He flicks his notebook closed. "I'm grounded."
"Mmm, I know." She raises an unhappy eyebrow, hinting at the sole reason she was there. "Lucky for you, I have enough good will with your mother." She slaps at his shoulder with a subtle wink. "Now come on before I decide to go to Granny's alone instead." She turns and leaves him to follow.
At those words, the boy is fumbling over himself to get his shoes on. It had been forever since he had been to Granny's and that shepherds pie they had was possibly his most favorite thing. With shoes managed on the correct feet, he flies down the stairs to catch up with is Aunt and soars straight out the door ahead of her without a second thought or acknowledgment to his mother... the latter catching Regina's attention. She tries to make light of the subject. "You're right, no ice cream. He's got too much energy as it is." With that she leaves, closing the front door behind her.
"Why didn't you just... you know, fly us over?"
She locks her car, the lights blinking as she presses the button on the key fob. Some days she missed her iconic vehicle but that old girl had given out some years back so she upgraded to a newer Mercedes. "Because I think we needed the drive." Some days his Aunt was just as cryptic as Mr. Gold. The two head inside, Ruby welcoming them both to the diner. The Mayor takes the lead, winding her way through the tables and chairs to the booth in the back that's closes to the jukebox, the spot away from most of the other patrons. Their order doesn't need to be taken; the former Queen visits often enough for her special to be memorized and Ruby knows her nephew well enough to make an educated guess. A coffee and a soda are delivered to the table and Regina gets down to brass tax. "I take it you're smart enough to know why we're here."
He's playing with the paper from his straw, twirling it around between his finger. "....yes, ma'am."
She leans back, crossing her legs beneath the table. "Well? Let me hear your side of the story. What happened?"
He looks up, his gaze quickly scanning the street as the traffic passed. Like the teen that he his, he shrugs his shoulders. "I got mad." He really didn't know how to explain what had happened. "I didn't mean it I just... I don't know... sometimes I just get angry and I can't control it." He an Emma were the same in that manner. Every time Regina needed the Savior to tap into her powers she found provoking her anger or fear worked best but Daniel's magic hadn't surfaced until last Friday. His anger seemed to activate his own power but he had a hair trigger just like Regina, as well as someone else she knew, which was a combination for trouble unless it was addressed. "I didn't mean to do it, I really didn't." He sounds so disappointed in himself.
"I know you didn't and your parents know that too."
"I don't want these powers, Aunt Regina, I'm a freak! I don't want people afraid of me or hate me." He wipes his nose against his shoulder then his eyes with his palms. "I accidentally burned Marcie on the bus and now my friends don't want anything to do with me.... soon my parents won't either." The poor boy was getting himself all worked up and they hadn't even been there ten minutes.
Regina leans forward, lightly resting her hand against his forearm. "Look at me, Danny." Without looking, she digs through her purse and hands him her embroidered handkerchief. Daniel was such a soft hearted boy with a big loving heart but he wore it one his sleeve. "Your parents love you unconditionally. Trust me when I tell you there is nothing in the world you can do to change that... nothing." Regina knew that first hand. "I know you're overwhelmed but we need to address this. First, after we finish lunch, we are going to go back home and you're going to apologize to your mother and explain everything." He whimpers at that, ashamed and attempting to look away but Regina's other hand reaches over and tilts his chin back up towards her. "Then I will talk to them about you and I scheduling some lessons of our own. Twice a week." His eyes widen and his head lifts. "We need to work on controlling your magic and I think we need to do it sooner rather than later." He nods with a gentle and familiar smile. "As for your 'friends' at school..." She shrugs her shoulders. "...fuck 'em." This gets cheeky grin from Daniel. Hearing that word made any teenagers laugh especially when it was so unexpected from someone of her caliber. "Your real friends will stick by you and support you no matter what... they'll refuse to abandon you even when you deserve it. Believe me, you'll know who these people are when they come around and when they do you hold on to them. Everyone else doesn't matter." She wishes she could explain to him just how well she knew these things to be true but she knows Daniel has heard stories of the Evil Queen, all the children of Storybrooke had, but no one had said the Queen by her real name. Daniel had only ever known Regina as his Aunt and nothing more. One day he'd have to know the truth but today didn't need to be that day.
"Do we have to tell my parents?"
"Yes. That is nonnegotiable." Their food is delivered, one shepherd's pie with fries added and one chicken ceasar salad.
"But what if they say no?"
"Danny, I'm not going to teach you magic behind their back. You're mother would skin me alive." She pours her dressing, mixing it in as she does. "Besides, I don't think we have to worry about that being a problem. I was able to get you here today, wasn't I?" She winks and he smiles again.
"Aunt Regina?"
"Hmm?"
He shoves a fry into his mouth and thinks over his question in his head. "I know you an my sister have magic... but why don't my parents? Why doesn't mom?"
She now takes a bite of her salad, a rather large bite in hopes to buy herself some time. Daniel was bright and quick witted... maybe he had worked it out that this woman and he weren't technically related. She finished chewing and wipes her mouth with her napkin before taking a sip of water. "I was taught magic when I was very young and continued to study it ever since, but your mother was never taught." It's not a lie but it's also not the full truth of how things happened. "You and Emma, however, were born with it. Your parents have something very special between them and giving you and your sister magic is just what their love does."
"Oh..." He nods his head as he thought a little longer. "Could they learn it? If you taught them, I mean."
"I have no doubt your mother could. She's used magic before in the past, I believe your father has as well, but I don't know if they'd ever be able to perform it like we can. Brewing potions or reciting incantations are one thing. Making fireballs and vanishing into thin air is another." She knew in her heart that if given heavy lessons and strict teachings, Snow would be able to.
Daniel nods, understanding that maybe magic was like sport. You can practice all you want but it doesn't mean you'll be good at it. He shoves a bite of his pie into his mouth, the two of them quietly sharing a meal together. His Aunt was possibly one if his most favorite people next to his parents and Emma. She just brought a good energy to him whenever she was around. The rest of their time in the diner goes by swimmingly. He tells her about the rest of school, how his classes are going... even mentions maybe getting into the music class because he wants to learn drums or may the trumpet. For the two hours together this boy comes alive, returning back to the way he was.
When they get back to the car and things fall silent for a minute he’s able to understand what his Aunt had meant when she said she thought they had needed the drive. The radio is low as the they go, his eyes watching the town pass by as he tries to prepare himself to face his parents. He's worried about what they might say, worried that maybe they really will say no to him learning magic. Emma had told him a little of what it was like when she had first started. It had been hard for their parents to accept it, hesitant to let their daughter learn but she had been an adult when her magic came in. She was able to make her own decisions, he was only fourteen. The sound of the their gravel drive brings his mind back from wandering. One look at his face and Regina knows there are million things racing by behind those eyes of his.
"Come on, Danny-man. You can do this." With his nickname being dropped he smiled. The same comfort and security he felt with his sister was now shared between him and his Aunt.
He doesn't even get halfway through his apology before he's wrapped up in his mother's arms, his father not too far behind with his own bearhug. Without being prompted he goes as far as apologizing for how he had been acting even prior to the event, vowing to helping out more around the farm and doing better in school and sports. By the end of it, David has his arm around his son, his hand ruffling his hair as the two walk off down the hall towards the kitchen with the promise of ice cream. His parents had agreed almost instantly to his Aunt's proposal of magic lessons and for him it was a breath of fresh air. He had support just like Emma said he would.
Snow goes to follow but her sister's hand on her shoulder stops her. "Let me see."
"It's fine, Regina. It'll heal."
"That wasn't a request, dear." She takes Snow's left arm by the elbow and raises it herself, a near perfect handprint marking her porcelain skin. The majority of the burn is first degree but where the tips of his fingers had been things turned ugly. If Regina doesn't heal her she'll be left with this as a permanent scar and that simply wasn't an option. "Oh, Snow... you should have called me about this."
"I know he didn't mean it, it's just... I knew he had scared himself. And it didn't help things when I told David, he absolutely lost it when I told him."
"...and rightfully so." A soft purple glow shines from her hand as she holds it over Snow's arm.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I don't want to say this but I have to be honest. I think your son may have inherited your father's anger tendencies."
"Don't say that... he won't be like him."
The healing finishes and she rolls Snow's arm over to inspect her work. "I know he won't because he has you and David as his parents. But seeing this?..." She motions to the slowly vanishing mark. "...it makes me sick to think about it being even a microscopic possibility which is why I suggested working with him while his magic is still developing. If we can get him to keep his emotions in check then I don't think we have to worry about this happening again." The younger woman pulls her arm back, her skin looking like nothing had happened.
"It won't."
"No.... it won't." Yes, she loved that boy dearly but if this ever did happened again he'd learn first hand exactly who she had been Once Upon A Time.