Regina pushed her way through the crowds with an annoyed sigh. She enjoyed shopping, but was not into the insane chaos of seasonal sales. Unfortunately for her, however, the only person she could really consider a close friend was.
Like herself, Mallory was very much into fashion, and looked like the type of person who would turn her nose up at the very idea of bargain hunting.
In fact, though, she thrived on it, so mush so that she dragged Regina all the way to Boston for clubbing the previous night and hitting up Christmas Eve sales starting early that morning. Both activities weren't Regina's cup of tea, but she'd come along to humor Mal, and, in fact, had managed to find a few items at the many stores they'd been to.
As she pushed her way through the crowd, she stopped next to the glass window of a store where the throngs of people couldn't rush her along.
Taking a moment to catch her breath, she glanced into the store. It was an outdoor sports store. A place that normally would not have interested her, however, through the glass she caught sight of a set of red flannel pajamas that brought up memories of hot apple cider, crackling fire, and warm arms surrounding her in the crisp smell of soap and faint undertones of hay.
Even a year prior the sight and resulting memories would have resulted in a dull, cold pain gripping her heart, and tears welling in her eyes.
As she stared through the glass, however, all she felt was the bittersweetness of nostalgia.
Tomorrow would be her third Christmas since Daniel died, and that the fact hurt less than it used to was both somewhat satisfying, and sad in its own way.
Picking up her shopping bags, she walked through the doorway. Stopping in front of the display rack, she stared at the flannel PJs, a small smile playing at her lips as she noted that they were exactly like the pair she remembered Daniel wearing their first Christmas after they were married.
They had long since gotten worn out and been trashed, even before he died. However, she was, without a doubt, staring at their exact replicate.
Her warm musings were interrupted abruptly by a man stepping in front of her, and pulling the hanger up off the rack.
Blinking in surprise, she whipped her head around to him, "Excuse me!"
Pausing the man met her eyes.
"That was mine," she grumbled, frowning at the now empty rack.
"Ah...," he hesitated in surprise before answering in an unexpectedly polished British accent, "I'm sorry. You were standing there for so long, I figured you hadn't decided what you wanted."
"Well..." she cleared her throat as she answered, "...I had."
"I see," he responded smirking, "I think they have the same style in green-"
"Good, then you can give that one back to me."
"I already looked. They don't have my size in green," he answered.
"I don't see how that's my problem!" she snapped, "Those are mine, give them back!"
"I'm sorry, but from what I saw these were never yours. You weren't touching them, and that is the rule right? If they're on the rack they're fair game?" he responded with a smirk that only served to further annoy her.
"Well...I need them!"
"You need these exact pajamas?" he asked doubtfully.
"Yes!" she insisted, swallowing hard, "Can you please just give them to me? Please...look, I'm sorry, okay? I apologize for snapping at you, but can I please just have those pajamas?"
"Well..." he paused to consider, "...how about we split them?"
Regina raised her eyebrow, taking a moment to decided whether he'd just said what it sounded like he had, "You're suggesting we split a pair pajamas?"
"Yes," he nodded stripping the top off the hanger, "You can take the top, and I'll take the bottoms."
"You're serious?" she asked.
"Yeah," he answered, "I usually only wear the bottoms anyway, and they'd probably be too tight on you-"
"Excuse me?!" Regina demanded.
"No...I wasn't saying...I just meant you aren't shaped like a man," he scrambled to explain, all of his polite yet sarcastic wit instantly falling away into an embarrassed expression.
Regina huffed in exasperation, "Oh forget it! You ruined it anyway."
"Ruined it?" he asked, sarcasm immediately back, "And what exactly did I ruin?"
"None of your business!" she shot back, snapping again and this time not feeling one bit guilty about it. Turning, she prepared to storm out to find Mal.
"Wait!" the man called, stepping after her, "Please, I'm sorry."
She paused at his tone of voice.
"Look, if I upset you I really do apologize," he said sincerely.
She sighed, her indignation melting into tired weariness, "It's fine."
He looked doubtful, and stepped forward to hold the hanger and pajama top out to her, "Here."
"No," she shook her head.
"Take them," he insisted, "It's just a bloody pair of pajamas, and I can see it means something to you-"
"No! Well it does, but it probably wasn't a good idea in the first place...counterproductive," as she finished her non-explanation explanation, Regina was mortified to actually find herself feeling flustered.
"Are you certain?" he asked, meeting her eyes.
She swallowed firmly before answering, "Yes."
He looked like was about to argue further, but, before he could do so, she was saved by the sound of her phone buzzing in her purse.
Setting her shoppings bags down, she quickly dug it out, giving him a 'sorry, gotta take this' look.
He nodded, stepping away to give her some space.
"Mal," she answered her phone, "Where the hell are you?"
"Getting out of Saks," Mal responded, "Where the hell are you? I turned around you were gone."
"Turned around?" Regina asked
She could practically hear Mallory's eyeroll through the phone, "Alright fine, I may have spent some time in there before I realized you were gone."
"Yeah, that sounds like you," Regina answered dryly.
"Well where are you now?" Mal asked, "I thought you were the one who wanted to get on your way back to Maine?"
"Yeah, I'd like to," she responded.
"Then were are you?"
"Well..." Regina glanced around, catching sight of the man's sandy blonde hair in line at the cash register, "...I just got side-tracked for a moment."
"Okay...whatever that means," Mal answered, "So do you want to meet at the car or are you not done getting side-tracked?"
"I'll meet you in 10 minutes," she hung up the phone with an eyeroll.
Stamping down an inexplicable urge to look back at the register, Regina scooped up her bags and made her way out of the store toward the parking garage.
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
The drive back to Storybrooke in Mal's BMW was uneventful, and, miraculously, they even managed to make it back before nightfall.
After refusing Mal's invitation to go to her place for a glass of wine that would, no doubt, turn into 10 glasses of wine, Regina found herself carrying her shopping bags up the steps to her front porch.
With a tired breath, she dropped them in the entryway and let the door slam closed behind her.
She peeled off her coat and shoes, and stored them in the hall closet. Stretching her aching feet Regina padded her way to the kitchen to fill up the kettle, and begin thinking about finding herself something to eat.
As the kettle brewed, she prepared a small plate of grapes and cheese slices. She moved the kettle off the stove as it whistled, and began brewing herself a cup of tea.
She relaxed in the livingroom with her stocking covered feet resting on the table as she ate her meal. After finishing the last sip of her tea, she washed the dishes in the kitchen sink, set them out to dry, and then returned to the entryway to retrieve her shopping bags.
Regina carried the bags up stairs to her bedroom, and began sorting through her purchases; clipping off tags and sorting out those items that needed to be washed from those labeled dry-clean only.
In one bag, beneath a purple silk blouse, she unexpectedly found a wad of familiar red and black fabric. Her lips falling open in surprise, she grabbed up the bunch of fabric. It fell open, revealing itself to be the top to the pajamas she had seen earlier at the outdoor sports store in Boston.
Glancing over, she shook her head in dismay. Reaching for the sleeve she pulled up the tag, wondering if she should trim it off or not, and found a 10 digit phone number scrawled on the white part followed by a message "If you change your mind, all you have to do is call. - Robin"
An incredulous chuckle escaped her throat, and Regina stared at the note for a moment. She chewed her bottom lip in consideration before making an abrupt decision.
She picked up her phone from where she'd tossed it on the bed earlier, and tapped in the number.
"Hello?" the same British accent she'd heard earlier answered.
"So it's Robin, huh?" she asked.
"Yes, this is Robin," he answered through the phone.
Regina smirked at hearing the slight confusion in his voice.
"You don't know who I am?" she asked, "Does that mean you gave out your phone number a lot today?"
There was a brief moment of quiet before a soft chuckle echoed on the other end of the call.
"Not at all," he answered, "And, yes, Robin Locksley at your service. Did you decide you wanted the rest of the pajamas?"
Regina's lips quirked, "Well that depends...will I be risking arrest for receipt of stolen property if I take them?"
He laughed, "No, I paid for the set. The cashier thought it was strange that I didn't want him to find me set that wasn't missing the top, but I still paid full price so you shouldn't have anything to worry about."
"I see," she answered, "So you're not a thief?"
Another laugh was his only response, "I didn't catch your name, by the way."
"I don't recall giving it," she answered.
"You didn't," he acknowledged, "I just said that to try to get you to do so."
A smile spread across her lips in spite of herself, "Oh is that so?"
"Yes," he answered.
She could hear the expectant tone in his voice, which is exactly why she merely hummed in response.
"So how exactly did you sneak the top into my bags? I only set them down for a second."
He paused before answering, "If you're going to keep your secrets it's only fair I get to keep mine."
Regina sighed, "Has anyone ever told you you're a very aggravating man?"
He barked a laugh in response, "I may have heard that a few times."
"I'm so shocked," she deadpanned.
After a moment of surprisingly comfortable silence, she finally said, "Regina."
"Pardon?"
"My name," she clarified, "It's Regina."
"Regina," he repeated softly, "A pleasure meet you."
This time she didn't even notice the smile stretching her lips.
"So have you decided you want the pajamas after all?" he asked again.
She chuckled, "I don't know. Have you already worn them?"
Pulling the phone away from her ear, Regina winced, wanting to slap herself for saying that.
The pause on the other end of the phone told her that he had caught the accidental implications of the question, but apparently decided not to make anything of him as he simply answered, "No, of course not."
"Well," Regina answered seriously, "It's very nice of you to offer, but you did pay for them. If anything I should be offering to give the top back to you."
"No," he responded, "Don't worry about it. Unless, of course, you fancy driving up to Maine just to return an, admittedly somewhat inappropriate, gift?"
"Maine?" Regina asked.
"Yes," he answered, "I'm actually not from Boston. I'd was just out that day doing some shopping after might flight got in."
"You live in Maine?" she repeated.
"Yes," he laughed, "There are a few of us that do."
"I...I know," Regina answered, "What part?"
"Well," she heard some rustling through the phone that sounded like shifting upholstery, "I don't really live in a city, per se. I have a cabin in the woods along the central coast."
"Are..." she paused shaking hear head, "...you aren't anywhere near Storybrooke are you?"
He paused for a long moment before asking, "How did you know that?"
"You are?" she said incredulously.
"Storybrooke is the nearest town to the north. I think there might be one a little closer to the south but...Regina how did you know that?"
"I didn't," Regina told him, "I only asked because...I live in Storybrooke."
"You do?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Truly?"
"I'm the mayor, in fact," she answered.
"You're the mayor of Storybrooke?" he asked, amusement evident in his voice.
"Look it up if you don't believe me."
"I believe you," he responded, "This just quite a coincidence."
"Yes, it is," Regina couldn't help but laugh slightly as she acknowledged the fact out loud.
"Perhaps..."
"Yes?" she prompted.
"A few friends of mine live in Storybrooke, so I visit on occasion," he said pausing before going on, "I might be town fairly soon...perhaps you'd like to have lunch sometime?"
Regina sat silently before finally taking a deep breath and answering, "That might be nice."
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Well, you know...maybe," Regina answered.
"Maybe?" Robin asked.
"Maybe," she repeated.
"Alright," he finally answered, "maybe it is."
Grinning she responded, "Goodnight...Robin."
"Goodnight, Regina."
Regina slowly lowered the phone from her ear, and ended the call. Staring at her phone she bit down on her lip, and thought back over that what have proven to be a most interesting encounter...most interesting indeed.