This is a gift to Marissaand it's part of the OQ Secret Santa goodie over on tumblr. So many good fics posted. Track them down, it's worthy!
Happy Holidays, everyone! :)
Even for a small city, Storybrooke is buzzing with excitement over Christmas. Of course they didn't have this kind of holiday back in the Enchanted Forest, especially because of the reason it is celebrated, but everyone in town don't mind getting in the mood and buying gifts for family and friends and emptying the shelves at the supermarket to prepare the best Christmas dinner possible.
Regina isn't at all different, especially after everything that happened in the past three years with fights and losses and doubts and victories. She is careful not to brag about anything; despite finding the author of the storybook and finally understanding that his influence on her destiny was nonexistent, Regina feels like she has to cherish what she has now: her very different family, her son, Roland and Robin.
Regina is so lost in thought that she fails to see someone approaching her. She is looking at the shelf where various types of wine are at display. Anyone could mistake that look as one of complete concentration, but he knows better.
"You're probably thinking about me, aren't you?" Robin asks, coming into her view before planting a soft kiss on her lips, breathing her delicate scent in.
"If thinking about you means that I will choose what bottle of wine to pick, so yes, sure I was thinking about you," she replies, and he mockingly huffs, pouting, looking absolutely adorable in the process.
"You hurt me like that," his dramatic sigh makes Regina laugh out loud. She waves a hand to her mouth to muffle the laugh, but he's right there with her, smiling broadly, with unwavering happiness shining through his eyes. "Have you chosen your wine already? Henry called and said he wants to go to Snow's place to help them set everything for tonight."
"I have," she reaches out for two bottles of a special Chilean red wine she was curious to taste for quite some time now. "Now we just need some coffee, otherwise there will be only tea tomorrow morning," she showed him the shelf where the coffee was.
Robin picked the coffee and a bar of chocolate for Roland, costing him a glare and a few mumbled words about how he was spoiling his son for good. Robin paid no mind and just put his hand on her shoulder.
"Why are you buying all these?" He asks, picking up a bottle of something green that reminds him of some strange food he and his men used to steal from castles and big farms back in the Enchanted Forest.
"Remember when I explained to you about the Christmas traditions?" She asks, and he nods whilst reading the label of some kind of beverage he never heard of, "Snow invited us to be at her house tonight. Now that she declared I'm officially part of the family, she told me our first Christmas as such has to be special, and apparently crowded, because I am still trying to figure out how all of us, the pirate, Belle, Ruby and the dwarves will fit inside that small place."
"Magic," Robin says simply, now holding a package with marshmallows. "Are we going to make s'mores again?" He asks happily, and Regina thinks he positively looks like a 4 year-old boy.
"Magic can't possibly solve the space problem of that apartment. And no, we're not making s'mores. Not this time," she looks at him, smiling at his disappointment.
"I like to make s'mores with you," he pouts and looks even more like a kid in the verge of crying.
"You look really adorable all pouty like that," he instantly protests, "but this is for Henry and Roland. Remember they will go hiking with David this weekend?"
"Yes, I remember," he tells her, putting the box back inside the shopping cart. "But I still wanted to make s'mores," Regina laughs heartily and laces their fingers while the line looks apparently stuck forever.
Twenty minutes later, Robin and Regina are on their way home when snow starts following lightly. A snowy Christmas Eve was always Henry's favorite way to spend the night. He loved to make snow angels when he was little, even dragging Regina out of the porch of the mansion do it with him. Looking back, she realizes how lucky she is to have all these unstained memories of her little prince; memories of a time when life was simpler, and despite Henry's presence in her life, much lonelier.
"Where are you right now, Regina?" Robin asks when she turns the corner from Main Street to Mifflin Street.
"I'm right here, driving the car, something you should learn," she answers, and he rolls his eyes.
"I'm not sure if I will ever want to learn how to use this machine. And I was asking because you were suddenly smiling, a fond memory I believe," he explains and opens the door of the car when she parks it.
"I was remembering when Henry was little. He used to love when snow started following before Christmas Eve," she tells him, an apparently endless smile upon her face.
She thinks about Henry and how grown up he already is and that maybe in a few years he will be out in the world to study and build his own life, marry and perhaps have kids. That thought sends a jolt of the strangest kind of happiness she ever felt. Her boy, she knows, will be a great man.
"Hey mom, can you take me to grandma's? Can Roland come along, Robin?" Henry's agitated. Excited is probably a better word to describe him because he's always like that when it's Christmas.
"You want to take him with you?" Robin asks, both adults looking at Henry standing by the door. Regina hands Robin the last two packages left in the trunk, she looks at Henry questioningly.
"Yes, he told me he wants to help because it's Christmas. I'm pretty sure he still has no idea what Christmas is, but he insists on going to help whatever way he can," Henry chuckles, and looks at Robin. "It's okay, right?" Robin only nods. The young boy taps him lightly on the shoulder and runs inside the house, calling out for Roland and taking two steps at a time to retrieve his backpack in his room.
"These two, they are really looking a lot like brothers now," Robin says, quirking a brow up and grinning. "Go, take them to Snow's. I will organize the kitchen for you in the mean time," he tells Regina like he does every single time he knows she is trying to decide what to do first.
"Are you okay with Roland going as well?" She asks just for the sake of asking; as far as she knows Robin loves the fact that Henry embraced the big brother role and is always willing to help Roland adjust with everything about this land.
"Of course I am. I think it's only fitting to let Roland get to know all these traditions with Henry. You know he looks up to Henry, right?" Regina nods and helps him while the boys finish packing.
It takes almost an hour to drop the boys at Snow's and get back home. The snow is starting to make it difficult to drive, and Regina wonders how she and Robin will go to the Charmings' later, once she isn't still cleared to use magic at its fullest.
She decides not to worry so soon, maybe the snow will stop as it did in the past three years. So, when she gets home, everything is ready for her to use her magic cooking skills as Roland often tells her whenever she cooks something new. Robin is in the kitchen, but remains quiet and helps when she asks for, knowing full well how focused Regina can get when she puts her energy into a task.
He helps her to prepare an Italian sauce, and some dessert for the kids. Time flies, and neither of them pay attention to the clock or the weather outside. That's why Robin gasps when he looks out the window; he can't see anything and the snow storm is in full swing. Regina groans and grabs her phone.
"I don't know if I can just appear at your door Snow," she replies exasperated. "You know Whale didn't clear me yet after that concussion and I don't want to take any chances. We'll wait, maybe this storm will subdue. But don't panic, stay inside and wait. Have fun with them, it's only Neal's second Christmas, enjoy it."
Regina and Robin finish the food by 6pm, clean up the kitchen and set everything up just in case the snow storm gives them any chance to go to the Charmings'. Time passes by and nothing happens; if anything there's more snow on the streets and Regina realizes that her first with-family-Christmas is officially ruined for good.
Obviously upset, she opens one of the bottles of wine and decides to sit on the floor by the fire and curse her luck.
"At least Roland and Henry are there, Christmas is not ruined for them," she tells Robin when leans on the living room's door, a soon to be full glass in his hand.
"Well, I think ours is not ruined either. At least we have each other," he says simply, and Regina takes his free hand when he sits by her side.
"Yes, we do have each other, but what's the fun if our boys aren't with us?"
"Point taken," he agrees. "Do you mind?" Robin asks, pointing to the fire place.
"Not at all, the system should work just fine, but just in case. Who knows what's going to happen with all that snow outside," Regina sounds and looks sad, and Robin can't really deal with her like that, especially after everything they've gone through ever since the Wicked Witch.
"Come here, my love," he sits by her side after lighting up the fire. She's still not used to the ways he shows affection. He's always hand in hand with her everywhere, he flirts when they are at Granny's, he drops flowers to her every Monday at the Mayor's office, now that she works with Snow, he texts her every day at 2pm just to say he loves her. Little thing that mean the world to her, and she would never want him to change a bit for anything.
Robin looks at her and touches her cheek, bringing her lips to his, kissing her slowly, his fingers delving between her dark traces as they always do. She sighs deeply when he pulls out, and rests her head on his chest, but can't really shake away the awful feeling of not being with Henry.
A full hour passes by and the snow is still persistently falling, covering the streets of Storybrooke, and keeping Regina and Robin inside the house.
"This is boring, Regina," Robin tells her, tired of doing nothing (there was still a bit of hope that they could go to Snow's).
"We can eat something or play cards," she tells him, downing the last bit of wine and seriously considering to open the second bottle. "Or maybe call in the night and get some sleep. The day was really busy," she stretches her legs over the coffee table, something she never does, but apparently the alcohol is starting to make her defy her own rules.
"I have a better idea," he grins and takes off up stairs. She relaxes and closes her eyes, not bothering to figure out what he's up to. It takes him a few minutes, but soon he's back with several blankets in his arms and a boyish smile across his face.
"What are you doing?" Regina asks when Robin puts the blankets on her lap and starts moving the furniture in the living room careful not to let the last bit of wine spill over the rug. The coffee table is now at the far corner close to the window, the arm chairs are close together and the couch is the only item that remains in its original place. Regina just looks and has no idea what Robin is doing, until she realizes she is hidden inside a very well built blanket fort. "Why are you doing this?"
"Well, if we can't go to a proper Christmas party, then let's not sleep in a conventional way either. Besides, I've never had the chance to do such thing when I was a kid and seeing how Henry and Roland have fun when they do this is the main inspiration for me."
He looks around the gigantic fort he just built, a grin spread in his handsome face, and Regina can't help but laugh and laugh hard. She's rolling on the floor, uncontrollably laughing, her stomach hurting so much she is gasping for air. And he looks pretty offended.
"Why are you laughing?" He is pouting again, thinking that Regina is making fun of him, and his momentarily hurt, until she looks at him with such sweetness and love in her eyes he can't help but think he's just done something good.
"Only you to make me laugh like this and think I'm making fun," he's surprised by her mirrored answer. He goes to the kitchen and opens the remaining bottle of wine. He sits in front of her, filling their glasses and looking at Regina with a small smile gracing his lips.
"A toast, my love," he raises his glass and waits. Regina recalls the last time they did something like this, smiles sweetly and waits for him.
"First time we did this, we were celebrating the return of this amazing heart of yours," he speaks slowly, places his free hand where her heart is beating strongly, and looks into her eyes, stripping her off of any dreadful feeling. "Second time, you gave me the hardest time after I came back to Storybrooke because you knew something bad could happen. I'm thankful that you were wrong; luckily the author of the book told you otherwise, and we could celebrate," he is still looking at her, and there's so much love shining through his eyes that Regina's heart thumps wildly in her chest, aching with love and gratitude for everything he's ever done for her until now. This was real, so very real. "And now, it is the third time and we are stuck inside this house, our boys far from us, but we still have each other," his hand leaves her chest to grasp her free one, kissing her knuckles, he closes his eyes, breathing heavily when he speaks again. "I vow to you, Regina Mills, that I shall never let your side again for I cannot live without the best part of me, the one that shines more than one thousand suns, the one that inspires me to be better every day, the one who loves me despite me being a common thief, the one who looks at me like I'm the most important person in the world. The only one I love now and forever because I was blessed with a second chance with the fairest of them all, who happens to be the sweetest and most amazing human being in this whole world."
Robin touches her face and she feels the intense love sipping through her skin. He cradles her face, and she closes her eyes, savoring his touch, his presence. She was finally happy; she could say that at last, and when their glasses clink and their eyes meet, matching grins on both their faces, Regina finally accepts that loneliness is no longer a friend; she shrugs its presence off when she cuddles with Robin, the warmth of his entire being making her soul sing with true happiness. The future, this thing she always feared, looks as bright as ever, defying the darkness that's now nothing more than a long, lost memory.