Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or any of the characters. I'm new to this particular fandom – CuriousArcher, MadArcher, whatever you want to call it. I mean, how hard was it to not love Robin and Alice? They're totally adorable! Thanks, OUaT! Any and all mistakes are mine.

Different Magic

By Random Gnome

Revelation

Robin Mills-Jones turned onto the dirt road that would take her to her childhood home. It had been nearly a year since she'd last seen it, the day before she and her wife had set off on their journey around the world. As she approached the old farmhouse, she was surprised to see just how much it had changed in the time that she had been gone. It still resembled the place she'd grown up in, but it no longer appeared as run down as it had once seemed.

The paint on the outside had been refreshed and Robin could swear she still smell the fumes, even from the road. The white shone in the light of the sun, nearly blinding her. What had once been a covered wrap around porch had the siding removed. The wood was lightly stained, to go with the fresh paint job, and the stairs leading up to the porch were new as well. As she turned into the driveway, Robin could see that a cute swing had been added, as well as a quaint little rocking chair. Even the roof looked brand new. It made her smile.

What made her smile even larger was the impressive looking fort in the yard. It contained a swing set, a slide, monkey bars, a rope climb, a pole slide, and, the crowning glory, at the very top, a castle tower, battlements and all. It made her giggle, imagining the kind of 'adventures' that must take place within and atop the structure.

Along with the fort, she saw more evidence of the occupant she had missed the most while they were away. A tricycle, a small bicycle with training wheels, toy trucks and cars, a rocking horse painted to look as though it were wearing armour, a wooden toy sword and a toy bow with a quiver of 'arrows'. There was also a small pile of dirt that looked as though it were being 'groomed' for something, though Robin couldn't imagine what. Sitting alongside the porch was a large plastic container with a lid, painted to look like a treasure chest, that she was sure contained even more toys. She snorted, shaking her head.

Pulling her car to a stop, Robin looked over at her passenger and smiled softly. Her wife, Alice, slept peacefully, the seat leaned slightly back for comfort. Her mouth was slightly open, and she would let out a light snore every so often. Alice only snored when she was truly exhausted, which she was, most of the time these days. They'd cut their travels short, in fact, due to her wife's current state. It was hard to walk several miles per day when you had no energy to do it.

Robin didn't mind, though. Her eyes moved along her wife's sleeping form until it reached the sizable bulge in her middle. As it did most times these days, she felt tears of joy prick her eyes at the sight. It was a miracle. Okay, not a miracle, really, but magic, which in this day and age sort of amounted to the same thing - at least anywhere not within the borders of the United Realms. Neither woman had expected it, considering that neither of them had the parts required to make it happen.

It wasn't that they didn't want children. She and Alice had been discussing the subject, on and off, since before getting married. It wasn't until Robin's baby brother, Oliver, had been born, that they started to make plans. First, though, they wanted to travel. After all, Margot had promised Tilly that she'd get to see the world, and Alice had been dying to see more than just the country they lived in. So, the idea they had come up with was to spend a year seeing the world, then go back to Storybrooke, and start a family.

It was a good plan, as those things go, but fate had other ideas.

Alice didn't even stir as the car came to a stop and Robin turned off the engine and she was loathe to wake her, even just to get her inside. So, she rolled down the windows, to make sure it didn't get too hot, then got out of the car as quietly as she could. Even the closing of the door wasn't enough to so much as disturb the blonde's slumber. Robin shook her head in amazement, went to the back of the vehicle, and opened the trunk. The least she could do is make sure their luggage was inside, so Alice wouldn't have to carry anything. It might make the blonde cranky - her mood swings as of late had been unpredictable - but Robin didn't like seeing her wife struggle if she could help it.

As she approached the stairs to the porch, the front door swung open ahead of her. She heard a shout of delight, dropped their bags, and fell to her knees, arms open wide. In moment they were filled with a smiling, squirming, happy little boy. He flung his little arms around her neck and squeezed for all he was worth. Robin hugged her little brother and sighed dramatically.

"Wow, Ollie, you sure have gotten big and strong while I was gone!" She exclaimed. The boy in her arms giggled and pulled back so he could look her in the eyes. Oliver had the same light blue eyes and flame coloured hair as their mother. His crooked grin was all his father's, though.

"Wobin! You camed back!" He said, pronounced loudly. "You were gonned for-ev-er!"

"I know, buddy. I missed you." Then she put her finger to her lips. "Shh, Alice is sleeping."

The boy looked towards the car, his face even more excited than before. "Owlice?"

"Mm-hmm. She's very tired, so we are going to let her sleep for a little while, okay? We don't want her to be grumpy, do we?" She told him, keeping her voice low.

Ollie, who loved his sister's wife as though she were his own, shook his head. He would do anything for Alice. It was utterly adorable how he would cuddle up with her just to listen to her tell stories of some of the adventures she'd had before she had met Robin. Before they had left, he would often bring her little 'treasures' he found while playing. Whenever Alice and Robin visited the farm, the blonde would often be dragged outside to play. One of the many things that Robin loved about her wife was Alice's willingness and enjoyment to do so.

Robin just knew that the beautiful woman she loved with all her heart was going to be a fantastic mother.

Speaking of mothers. The front door opened again and a tall woman with flaming hair stepped out onto the porch, grinning from ear to ear. She wore a long sundress of light grey and her feet were bare. Robin was surprised at how relaxed her mother looked as she descended the stairs to meet her.

Letting go of her brother so that she could stand up and hug her mother, Robin realised just how much she'd missed her parent. Not that travelling with Alice wasn't grand, because it was, it was just that, well, to be completely cliché, there really was no place like home.

"Oh, Robin, my darling, it's so good to see you!" Her mother greeted her, hugging her hard.

"Hi, Mom. I'm so glad to be back. We both are." Robin embraced her mom just as energetically.

"Where is your other half?" Zelena Mills-Sage asked as she released her daughter.

"Shh!" Oliver told his mother, "Owlice is sleepy, Mama."

Zelena looked over to the car and nodded. "Well, why don't we just let her rest for a few more minutes? Robin, I'll help you get your things stowed in your room." The older woman reached down and took one of the bags, hefting it with ease. She was deceptively strong, just like her daughter.

As they made their way up the stairs, Robin commented, "This place looks great, Mom."

"Thank you, darling. Chad will be pleased to hear it." Chad was her mother's husband, and Oliver's father. Robin's own father was gone, killed when she was just a baby. She liked Chad, though, and he was a good dad and husband.

"Where is he?" Robin wondered. They stepped inside, and she paused to look around. Even the interior of the house had been updated. She shook her head. It was amazing how much could be done in a year. The repairs and renovations had only just begun when she and Alice had left on their trip.

"He went to the store in town to pick up a few things for dinner. He plans to make your favourites." Zelena grinned back at her daughter as they started up the stairs. Ollie stopped at the bottom step, looking up at them and biting his lip. "Oliver, why don't you go outside to wait for Daddy? You can be a big boy and help him carry the groceries."

The boy lit up at that idea. "'Kay, Mama." He turned and dashed back out the front door.

"He won't wake up Alice, will he?" Robin worried. "The flight from Amsterdam to Boston really took it out of her." Mostly it had been the uncomfortable seats - even in first class - and a little bit of motion sickness.

Zelena shook her head. "He'll be quiet. At least until his father gets home. Don't worry, though, I'll text Chad and let him know." As they walked down a short hallway to another, shorter flight of stairs leading up to the door to Robin's room in the attic, she added, "I'm surprised you aren't tired as well."

The truth was, Robin felt bone weary. However, since Alice's pregnancy was still a secret from their family, she just shrugged and smiled. "I hit my second or third wind somewhere above the Atlantic. I'm sure I'll crash pretty hard later."

Her mother chuckled and opened the door to what had been her room since she was ten years old. Inside the room, she set her luggage down at the foot of the big canopied bed. Apart from a new coat of paint and clean blankets and sheets folded in the middle of the bed, it looked like it had the last time she and Alice had stayed there. It was comforting. She asked her mother to help her make the bed so that, if Alice should need more sleep, she'd have somewhere comfortable to do it.

When they were done, the went back downstairs and out onto the porch. Chad hadn't come home yet, so Zelena did as she promised and sent her husband a message to be as quiet as possible when he came home. He sent back that he would and that he was just leaving town, so he'd been home soon. Oliver was happily swinging on his stomach, arms outstretched, making airplane noises.

"I can't believe how big he's gotten," Robin commented as she and her mother sat on the porch swing together. It was perfect weather for being outside. She'd almost forgotten that it was spring here. A light breeze ruffled the dark blonde hair that had come loose from her braid, bringing with it the scent of the ocean. It smelled like home. "I mean, seeing him on Skype is one thing, in person is another."

"Tell me about it," Zelena looked proudly in her son's direction. "If it weren't for my magic, I'd have to replace his clothes every other month. You didn't really grow like that until you were older. He is a complete joy, though."

Robin looked over towards where she'd parked. No movement from the passenger seat, so Alice was still out cold. Well, she couldn't leave her there much longer. Her pale haired, pale skinned wife would catch one hell of a sunburn if they weren't careful. Still, if Alice was out this hard, giving her a little more time was for the best.

Ten minutes later a green pickup truck pulled into the drive and came to a purring stop behind the car. Zelena's husband, Chad, climbed out of the driver's side, closing the door as quietly as he could. Oliver forgot his play and ran to his father, who scooped him up into a hug. From the back of the truck, Chad extracted a few cloth bags of groceries and approached the women on the porch.

Zelena met him with a kiss to his cheek and took one of the bags. They all three went inside and into the kitchen. Once he had divested himself of his burdens, Chad gave Robin a quick welcoming hug. Oliver sat down at the dining room table and immediately began to tell his dad all about his flying adventure and the enemies he'd brought down. Chad listened intently, asking questions, while Zelena put things away that needed putting away and got out others that would be required for making dinner. When Ollie ran out of things to say, he got out some crayons and paper, and began to draw a picture - for Alice, he said, since she wasn't there to hear his story.

His son now occupied, Chad joined the ladies in the preparation for dinner, taking over the chopping of veggies from Robin and telling her to sit down. They talked about the last part of Robin and Alice's travels and asked if there was any problem getting through customs. There hadn't been. Even the flight from Amsterdam to Boston had been relatively quiet, though long. After a bit, Robin excused herself to go see about rousing her wife and getting her inside.

She opened the car door and smiled at the sleeping woman. She couldn't help it. Alice looked so peaceful when she was asleep, and so unbelievably beautiful. Leaning down, Robin pressed her lips gently to her wife's. Alice drew in a sharp breath through her nose as she pulled away, and her eyes fluttered open. Eyes the same colour as a cloudless summer sky met Robin's green ones.

The blonde smiled sleepily. "Are we almost there?"

Robin grinned. "We are there."

"Oh." Alice yawned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pass out for so long." She fumbled for the electric controls on the side of the seat, pressing the one that would sit the seat back up.

"Don't worry about it," Robin told her. "Are you feeling better?"

"Much. This seat is far more comfortable than the one on the plane." Alice yawned again. "Where's our welcoming committee?" She meant Oliver.

Robin chuckled. "He is drawing you a picture of his latest adventure."

This got a grin from the blonde in the car. "Well, then, I suppose I ought to get out of here and go accept it, shouldn't I?"

Robin held out her hand and Alice took it, getting up out of the vehicle. She didn't need the assistance. Pregnant or no, Alice was still the same strong, stubborn, surprisingly athletic person Robin had met all those years ago in a very different place. Her wife didn't need help getting around, but she allowed Robin to help with a few things because it made her wife feel better. For her part, Robin did her best not to treat Alice like she was breakable.

On their way up the front stairs, Alice stopped with a gasp.

"Are you alright?"

The blonde groaned. "Fine. But now, I really have to use the bathroom."

Robin gave a sympathetic wince. The baby was active lately and its favourite thing to do was play soccer with Alice's bladder. They got inside, and the pregnant woman made a fast beeline for the downstairs bathroom, while Robin went back to the kitchen doorway and leaned her shoulder against it. She found Chad and her mother making out while Ollie was engrossed in his colouring.

Rolling her eyes, Robin cleared her throat. Zelena broke the long kiss and flushed, but the satisfied smile in her eyes didn't diminish. The older woman frowned. "Weren't you supposed to be getting your wife?"

"Long trip. Long nap. Full bladder."

"Ah."

Alice approached a few minutes later. Her wife could always tell when she was there, no matter how quiet she was. Robin reached behind her and felt the blonde's soft, warm hand slide into hers. Alice leaned into her wife's back with a soft sigh. She was nervous. Robin understood that - this was going to be a shock to everyone, just like it had been to them. So, they stood in the doorway to the kitchen, watching their family for a few minutes. Chad had finished the vegetables and had moved on to seasoning a large hunk of meat. Zelena was mixing something in a large bowl that was probably going to be pineapple upside down cake, Alice's favourite. Oliver continued his colourful labour at the table, muttering adorably to himself.

Robin coughed and cleared her throat again. Everyone looked up at the two women who stood in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Oh, Alice, good to see you up and about, dear." Zelena said.

"Are you feeling better?" Chad asked?

"Yes, thank you." Alice replied. "I'm glad to be back. The house looks lovely." Zelena exchanged a look of pride with her husband.

Oliver looked up from his drawing and shouted, "Owlice! You woked up!" He jumped up from his seat at the table and hurried towards her. Without thinking, Alice stepped around Robin, crouched, and held out her arms.

Ollie skidded to a halt, his eyes going wide. Likewise, his parents stared at the blonde, utterly shocked and confused.

Not being old enough yet to mix words, Oliver turned to glare up at his sister. "Wooobiiin! What you do to Owlice?"

Author's Note: I know, I know! I've already done one of these. But for some reason the character of Oliver just wouldn't go away and when the muse talks, I gotta do what she says, for fear she'll think I'm ignoring her and go away. I think this might be a two, or maybe a three shot. We'll see. Cheers!