Hey peeps. So I know I have not updated in a lot of weeks, but I've either been busy or in a low place or concentrating on other stuff, and so my creative mode has been kind of lacking.
I vowed to try and do OQ week as a way to get back into it all, and so far so good (I think). Obviously this is the first thing I have published in a while and so I doubt it will be to the quality of other writers right now, but I really wanted to post this one because I had this general idea last year and now I have an excuse to write a oneshot for it :)
Hope y'all like it.
…
It was not supposed to be like this.
It was supposed to be a quick bank heist; Regina causing havoc in the front to keep attention on her, and Robin sneaking in the back to worm past security and steal a good deal of cash.
They had planned everything beforehand; they were going to do the heist at a time when the bank would be relatively busy so Robin could blend in and the guards would have a lot to focus on; their itinerary was detailed down to the minute accounting for time to bypass locks and security measures, pack a bag full of money and get the hell out of there without drawing attention. They even left a couple of minutes "just in case".
What they did not - and could not – plan, is for the police to have been called out to an incident a few streets over. And so the 7 minutes they had allowed for the police to arrive had been cut down to 2.
There was no way they could have both gotten out in time and not be caught.
The impromptu, emergency plan they had come up with is by no means secure; a 'pray for a miracle' at the very best. Robin left by the front exit, to distract the police and lead them around the east side of the building long enough for Regina to escape out of the west exit with the cash, and then make her way a few streets down to their getaway car and wait for him there.
But that was 10 minutes ago. Regina had got to the car, leant against it and had waited five full rotations of the second hand on her watch. Her uneasiness had grown exponentially with every minute that had passed and now the need to check on her partner is overtaking every promise they have made to not put themselves at risk if something may have happened to the other.
She allows for one more minute. One more minute until she will go back around the building to find out where her partner is. If anything had happened to him…
The minute comes and goes, and aside from a woman walking in shadows past the end of the side street, with her collar turned up and her chin tucked into her scarf to ward off the cold, there has been no sign of anything.
Regina places her hands in her pockets, fists clenching as she looks from the alleyway to the east side then back to the car again. She sighs, watches as her breath mists and dissipates before pushing herself off of the body of the vehicle, hoisting the duffle bag with their £500k further up her shoulder and starting to make her way to get Robin out of whatever had kept him.
She makes it nearly all of the way around the back of the building – sneaking past two colleagues having a cigarette and startling at a cat running across her path – before she hears muffled voices around the corner and the faint glow of flashing, blue lights from down the road.
"I won't ask again, son." A man says. He sounds large, one of those voices you'd imagine belonging to a brawny guy, and one of those tones that fit a policeman to a T.
"I'm here alone," Robin answers, low and numb, giving nothing away.
"If you say so mate," another voice says, though this one is a little higher and belongs to someone who sounds a little nasal, as if recovering from a cold; "though you're not doing yourself any favours."
Regina tilts her head back against the wall, letting out a frustrated sigh.
Her ears tune in to hear Robin being given his rights; "…arresting you on suspicion of robbery. You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned..."
Her eyes dart from side to side as she tries to work out what to do.
She is not going to leave; she dismissed the notion as soon as it came into her head. Robin is her everything, there is no way in hell she'll let him be separated from her without the chance to see him for years. So regardless of what happens… She is turning that corner. Worst case scenario: they're both arrested, both given 25 years for their multiple crimes, and both kept apart in prison with mere glances to satisfy them. Best case scenario: they miraculously escape before they get to the station and manage to start a new life yet again.
They've escaped prosecution from many a crime, ranging from high-tech thefts, to armed robberies, to common assaults…
Someday their luck had to run out.
There is the click of too-tight handcuffs, Robin's grunt and the police men's chuckle.
'Someday' is today.
Tightening her grip on the shoulder strap of the duffle bag, taking in a deep breath and slowly releasing it, Regina pushes herself off of the wall and walks with her head high towards Robin and the two cops.
They turn their heads at the click of her heels on the cobbles. Robin is held facing the other way, having started to be escorted to the police car, but he starts to strain against the burly man holding him to see what's going on.
Regina throws the bag of money down at her feet, and her voice is low and steady when she says; "I'm here."
The police man not escorting Robin smiles and stalks towards her, his eyes raking over her from head to toe before he takes out his own pair of cuffs and moves behind her.
She doesn't listen to her rights, doesn't feel metal encase her wrists; her eyes meet Robin's and a whole storm passes between them.
He looks confused, disappointed, worried…
Then he looks away, to the ground, worries his lower lip between his teeth in the way he does when he's desperately thinking.
When he looks back up at her his eyes are alight, flickering from her to the cop behind her muttering about 'harming her defence' and then back to Regina. He nods towards the cop, mouths 'one each' and then lifts his brows in question.
Surely he doesn't mean…
That's idiotic, even for him.
But the fear creeping into his expression again has her inclining her head in agreement, has her watching as his mouth subtly counts one, two…
On three Regina steps back and puts her weight on the guy's left shoe to keep him anchored whilst she leans forwards, brings an elbow up behind her and knocks the guy in the jaw with enough force to make him teeter. Whilst he's a bit dazed, Regina steps forwards, turns, and uses her momentum to propel her into a round-kick aimed at the guy's neck.
He falls down, his head thunking against the kerb and knocking him out instantaneously.
Regina has to take a few steps to stop from joining him, her balance hindered by this damn metal digging into her skin.
When she looks back to see if Robin needs assistance, he's just delivered a headbutt that would likely bruise his own forehead, let alone the copper's. But it does the job and knocks the guy out before he even hits the floor.
His eyes meet hers and for a short time they're just ensuring they're both ok, alive and free.
Robin opens his mouth – presumably to reprimand her for not keeping herself out of danger – and Regina, not wanting to have this conversation in the alleyway with two unconscious officers of the law nearby, heads back to the one she knocked out, kneels at an angle and blindly reaches into his pocket with her hands, feeling around for the key to these blasted cuffs.
By the time she has stolen the key and freed her hands, Robin has done the same. They both spend a second rubbing their wrists, assessing damage and either trying to start a meaningful conversation or avoid one completely.
"Regina…" Robin starts, fully intent on having that 'meaningful conversation' and no doubt questioning her temporary insanity that made her think it was a good idea to turn herself in.
Regina evades the topic altogether before he could even blink, choosing to offer a witty: "You used your head? That's a first."
Robin sighs, resigning to the fact that he would not be getting any answers from her now.
As they make their way to the car, Regina picking up the bag and leaving Robin to follow her, he vows to not let her escape this conversation.
She was not to put herself at risk again.
…
It's a while later before he brings it up again.
They're packing their things, clothing, toiletries, technology...
Regina is just zipping up her suitcase, eyes scanning their room to see if she had forgotten anything important when Robin steps up beside her, puts a hand over hers on the luggage and waits until she's looking at him before he speaks.
"Why did you do that?"
Regina's brow furrows. "Do what?"
"Turn yourself in." He explains; "You could have ran, could have been free. Why did you risk all that to get arrested?"
"You looked as if you needed a little help dealing with the coppers," she jokes with a quick up-down of her eyebrows.
"Regina..." He warns, his tone clearly communicating that he wants a straight answer.
She sighs before she turns her hand over under his and laces their fingers together, contemplating before giving her answer as a quiet; "You could have gone to Prison."
"So could you." He counters.
"We would have been together." Regina says as she turns her head to face him.
"Regina-"
"I..." She starts, before she pauses, taking a deep breath and biting her lips before she continues; "I don't want to live without you, Robin... I don't think I could."
Robin lightly grasps her chin, ensuring her gaze stays directed on him. "You won't have to; we'll be more careful in the future. It will be just me and you, against the whole world, until the end of our lives."
Regina blinks, her eyes searching his before her face breaks out in a smile.
Robin can't help but reflect it. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me forever, Milady."
"I see no problem in that."
"Good," he presses his lips to hers and smiles, and when he pulls back she's smiling too. "And who knows? Maybe in our next life we'll make it official?"
He kisses her on the cheek and then walks off to start moving their stuff to the car before she has the chance to process what he said.
When she realises, she freezes, and then hurries out into the front room only to find it empty. Typical, she thinks, usually it's her running from these kind of things.
She waits.
Leaning against the doorframe to the bedroom, gaze focused on the door, Regina waits for him and ponders if she even wants to have this conversation.
They should. They have been together for nearly two years now, have seen both the good and the bad sides of each other, have made each other laugh, cry, scream, sigh...
It was only a matter of time before the whole subject of 'marriage' got brought up.
Apparently after they have been caught, arrested, escaped and added 'ABH' to the list of charges to their names is when Robin thinks it is best to drop that particular bombshell.
Regina can't help but smirk; she should know better by now, she does know better by now. She knows him inside and out, everything from his favourite memories to his deepest fears to his wildest dreams. She knows all of him, owns all of him; 'everything I am is yours' he has said, and she has never been able to stop tears pooling in her eyes as she has replied in kind.
She is his. Forever and always.
When Robin opens the door he sees Regina standing against the jamb, her expression is one he can't quite remember seeing since he has known her but would strive to see again in the future; her eyes are wide and full of love, glistening with tears, her smile is broad, red lips contrasting with her perfect teeth as she beams.
Her whisper of "yes," is barely audible, but the word still reaches his ears, and if Robin was to look in the mirror at that moment, his expression would match hers.
They each start walking towards each other, smiles growing with every step. But then Robin stops and frowns, which makes Regina do the same...
"What?" Concerns about him changing his mind so soon already worm their way into her mind.
He doesn't answer. Instead he moves to his right and starts rooting through their kitchen drawers.
"Robin?" Regina asks as she takes a few steps towards him so he's in her line of sight. "What are you doing?"
Again he doesn't answer, shutting a second drawer before opening a third. He reaches an arm towards the back and pokes his tongue out in concentration as he feels around.
It takes two seconds before his eyes light up and he exclaims; "got it!"
In the time it takes for Robin to walk over to Regina her frown has deepened. He reaches for her left hand but she takes it back, asking him again; "what are you doing?"
Robin just smiles, takes a breath and then lowers himself to one knee.
His smile widens at Regina's gasp.
"Regina Mills, my world, my everything," he starts, and his usually strong voice is just that little bit wobbly. "Before I met you I was just a common thief stealing from corner shops… and now I'm a wanted criminal planning bank heists on the run from the rozzers."
Regina chuckles at his attempt at humour at a time like this. "Robin..."
"Regina, I don't want to live without you either. You are my heart and soul. I'm incomplete without you by my side."
Robin watches a tear roll down Regina's cheek, and then one falls the other side to mirror it.
"And so..." Robin holds out his fist, then uncurls his fingers, palm up, to show what he had been so desperately searching through the kitchen for; a simple gasket. It looked small, a little dull from where it had been hidden amongst everything else for goodness knows how long, but nevertheless, Regina's sniffle and watery giggle soothes his worries that it is anything less than perfect. "Regina Mills, will you wear this gasket until I can buy you a proper ring, and do me the tremendous honour of being my wife?"
With a soft laugh, Regina nods. But Robin brings a hand up to his ear and tilts his head mockingly until she gives in with a roll of her eyes and sighs "yes".
He turns sincere then, holding her gaze as her smile fades before he whispers a heartfelt 'thank you' that has Regina's eyes watering again.
Before he can see the tears fall he focuses on sliding the makeshift ring onto her finger. It slides past her first knuckle, but gets stuck on the second. He looks up at Regina with a nervous laugh; "it's a bit smaller than I thought."
"It's perfect," Regina assures, before teasing; "at least until you get me a proper diamond."
"Wonderful," he mutters, getting to his feet and then noting the damp tracks on Regina's cheeks. He can't help but use a thumb to wipe them away.
"Now then, no more tears, future-Mrs Locksley," Robin says before lifting her hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to the improvised engagement ring that refused to slide all the way onto her finger.
He holds her hand between both of his, eyes shining with love before a mischievous smirk grows on his lips.
"Come on Milady; let's go and cause some more trouble."