Originally written for OQ Happy Ending Week and posted in that collection, but now a standalone verse.
Hyperion Heights, Roni has an interesting conversation with her ex Archer, that Regina can't get out of her head once she wakes up.
Roni Malum had had a lot of heartbreak in her life. Lucy's outburst that morning, the "Regina bomb," as Henry termed it, had sent her down memory lane, thinking about all of her regrets and the what ifs. There were two major what ifs in Roni's life, what if the mother hadn't backed out the adoption and what if she hadn't let Archer Locke get away. They were two of the biggest heartbreaks in her life and only one of them she had been able to do something about.
She had loved Archer more than any other man. They had been instantly attracted to each other and she had fought it initially, preferring to stay on her own and independent. But he had broken down her walls, and for the first time in her life she felt like someone really saw her, not her persona, her past or her mistakes. He saw and wanted Roni, all of her and it had terrified her to let him in, but on her friends urging she went for it. For a while it was everything, she had never felt so supported loved and cherished than in those moments with Archer. But she was Roni and life always came and kicked her in the ass. So, she wasn't that surprised when a woman showed up out of blue claiming he was the father of her son.
After verifying it with a DNA test Archer had become a father, to a son that lived in New York. Archer was a good man and he loved his son. Roni saw how much it killed Archer to only see his son one weekend a month. Seeing Archer as a father was both sexy and painful for her. Archer was an excellent father to Robert. And when Archer and Roni were alone he confided in her how he always wanted a child and he thought she was going to be his chance. Though he was angry at Maria for keeping him away for the first five years of Robert's life he was grateful to have his son in his life.
It was then Roni knew she couldn't give Archer what he needed and what he deserved. Roni couldn't have children and she knew it would be selfish to keep Archer around when he already a child especially when she could never give him one. Though it broke her heart, a wound that never healed, she convinced him to move to New York to be with his son. She knew that she was the thing holding him back from being with his son full time and so she ended it. Telling him to go was the hardest thing she had ever had to do, but she knew him going to New York was the best thing for him and his son. He gave her his New York phone number and address and begged her to call or visit if she changed her mind. To this day, 15 years later, she still wondered what would have happened if she had fought harder for him.
She would never have wanted to take him away from his son but she could have tried harder, saw where it went, maybe moved to New York. She had loved him enough, but she had been too scared to take that risk. Too scared to leave the only family she had left, her best friend Kelly and her daughter Margot. She and Kelly had just opened the bar when Maria had shown up, and it was far easier to make excuses why it wouldn't work than to fully commit to a future with Archer. She had tried that once before and had her heart trampled on when her fiancée Damien Equus had died suddenly of a heart attack. As much as she loved Archer, Roni had been too scared to take that risk.
And so here she was 15 years later still hung up on Archer Locke. The family she had used as an excuse to stay had abandoned her and so she was alone yet again. It seemed to be her destiny. She still had his number saved in her phone and every once and a while she thought about calling. He had probably changed his number at some point, but she just couldn't bring herself to delete it. Every time she tried something held her back. The same thing happened every time she thought about calling she would open up his contact in her phone and then chicken out.
Tonight was one of those nights where she stared at his contact in her phone, complete with an adorable picture of him and his son and imagined calling him. Would he still sound the same, would he even want to talk to her, what if he hated her (that might kill her) a million questions swirled in her brain. Her conversation with Henry had opened up old wounds, reminding her how alone she was and she found a courage she hadn't had before to complete the call.
Her heart raced as the phone rang once and then a second time, this was probably the most stupid thing she had ever done. Her heart was racing and time seemed be passing at an exponentially slow rate. It rang a third time and she realised she hadn't checked the time in New York. It was 8pm in Seattle, so 11pm in New York, so it wasn't exactly a middle of the night call but still the timing was bad. She was just about to hang up when she heard "Roni?" in that sensual voice that always makes her heart race.
"Hi" she stammered out breathless, "I know its been a long time, I hope its not too late to call."
"It's not though I must admit I was very shocked when I saw the caller ID, I didn't think I would ever hear from you again."
That was a fair observation "I didn't think I'd ever call again" she admitted.
"So what changed?" he asked curiously but without judgment.
She wasn't really sure how to answer that question but settled on "I met someone."
"Oh I see" he said darkly.
Oh god this was not going how she wanted it, not even a minute in and she was already fucking it up, wasn't that just par for the course. His tone told her he thought she was seeing Henry and the fact that it bothered Archer thrilled her more than it should.
She quickly responded, "Not like that just a kid who's been hanging out at the bar, he got me thinking about the past is all."
"I've also found myself thinking about the past lately," he replied softly. "I've often wondered how you were doing but I didn't think you ever wanted to speak to me again."
She could understand where he got that impression. She had been quite harsh when she broke up with him, in order to convince him to go and to let her go. She winced remembering how he had said she was his future and she told him she had never loved him.
"I always wanted to say I'm sorry, I just…" thinking about that night had brought up too many emotions and Roni's throat was tight and she was torn between wanting to hide her emotions, and that impulse she always had with him to be completely honest. "I just needed you to go, you needed to be with your son and I was holding you back and I couldn't do that to you." With that she choked back a sob remembering how awful it had been to do that, breaking both their hearts.
"I understand why you did what you did and moving to New York being Roberts father was and is amazing but I never got over you." His began to rise in anger "I would have died for you Roni and we could have made it work. If you had just been honest with me then things would have been so different." His voice was shaking as he said "We could have been a family me you and Robert. But you, you took that chance away from us when you lied to me."
He was so right and Roni couldn't stop the tears from welling in her eyes. She let out a shaky breath in response trying to collect herself before speaking. "I couldn't give you what you needed and you deserved so much better than me."
"You shouldn't have decided that for me." He said bitterly adding "I would have done anything to make us work and it would have worked. I found out later the reason Maria found me was because she was dying Roni. She died 6 months after you broke my heart. If you had just hung on for six months everything would have been different." He was getting choked up too "Why couldn't you do that Roni? Why couldn't you let yourself be happy?"
"I don't know," she said weakly, "I'm just destined to keep making mistakes, ending up alone."
"You know I've never been able to love any one after you. And god knows I've tried."
"Me too," she whispered pitifully.
"I kept your number this whole time and I'm glad you called, I'm glad to know but please don't ever contact me again. You ruined my chances at love and I cannot forgive you for that."
Roni heard the click and knew that he had hung up. In all the times she had imagine how that conversation would go, him crushing her heart like that wasn't one of them. She thought the worst she could hear was that he was with someone else, but now she would give anything for that to be the case, to take away the knowledge that she ruined Archer Locke's life.
The next day Weaver brings her the adoption papers and Ivy wakes her up. And Regina wants to kill that bitch for what she did to Henry, but she is not that person anymore. But god she wants to wipe that stupid smirk off her face.
She can't help the anger as she asks "What do you want huh a gold star or did you just wake me to gloat?"
"As much fun as that is no I woke you up because I need your help, I am on the verge of showing my mother what true suffering is I can't have anyone breaking the curse now."
She realises in horror she's been pushing Henry toward Jacinda, unintentionally endangering her son and its too much.
It's the last line Drizella leaves her with "breaking hearts is kind of what your good at" sticks with Regina. And it triggers that conversation she had with Archer yesterday. He had sounded just like Robin but that couldn't be, and though she wants to know who that was, a weak part of her hoping it was somehow Robin. Regina is a mother first, so she calls Henry back pretending to be Roni and arranges to meet him. It's pure torture knowing the pain the curse caused him, especially given her role in its enactment.
She didn't finish the drink Ivy had poured for her so she saves it, hoping there is enough magic left in that drink wake another person. It's too risky to wake Henry because contact with magic may jumpstart his cursed heart. But even in her pain she's smart enough to save this bit of magic knowing it may be useful to her later on. For now, though she needs to see her son, though she saw him the day before as Roni, she has to see him now that she's awake.
She stares at their picture as she waits for him and wills herself not to cry. And then he's telling her how well things went with Jacinda and she wants him to be happy, for them to be together. But she knows she has to interfere and stop it. It breaks her heart because this Henry is so miserable. All she wants and is to just hold him in her arms but she can't.
She can't help herself and she asks him who his mother is. And of course he was born in prison and grew in the system like Emma. She hadn't meant to vocalize that part and now she's forced to make up an explanation. She needs to be more careful, thank god there's a book in this curse too, or she would be screwed.
All this Henry ever dreamt of was having a mom, her heart is breaking and she is aching to tell him he does have two but she can't. She prays that her grabbing his hand isn't weird to him because she needs to touch him, offer a slight bit of comfort that's for both of them.
Its when she gets home that she thinks again about Archer, Roni's version of Robin. She wouldn't think twice about it, knowing that the curse modifies their memories, except that she spoke to him the day before and that can't be a part of the curse. He sounded like her Robin, not Locksley, but that was impossible and she didn't think the curse could manufacture that conversation. Snow had definitely rubbed off on her because she lets herself hope somehow someway he is her Robin. She needs to see Archer, she has to see him and find out who he is. It will inevitably cause her heart break but she has to know.
Now that she's awake and she's seen Henry she can't help herself and she calls Archer. She is blatantly ignoring his request that she never contact him. It rings once then goes to voicemail and she knows that he's ignored her call. She doesn't leave a message because well what would she say, but she vows to figure out who he is and get him back where he belongs. It has to be Locksley and this curse shouldn't be making both versions of her miserable. She owes it to Queen to try and send him back.
She goes to Rumple for help but he won't stop pretending he's not awake. She uses every weapon she can think of even pulls the Belle card to get him to admit it but he won't. He's picked his side and its not hers which is a problem for another day. She was counting on his skills to find Robin well Archer for her. Luckily, he's not the only person she knows at the station. She brings Hook a cake to make up for the one she threw out and he finds her Archer Locke's address. She knows Jacinda is busy with Nick which means Henry is safe for the time being so Regina gets on the next flight to New York.
She's nervous and jittery the entire flight. This man hates her (or at least his cursed self does) and she has to somehow convince him to have a drink with her so she can slip him the last of the potion from Ivy.
She knocks on his door and she hopes he doesn't use the peephole. She doesn't know what she will do if he doesn't open the door. Thankfully she doesn't have to find out.
He opens the door and glares down at her "Roni what are you doing here? I though I made myself perfectly clear?"
"You did, but please just have a drink with me, you will soon see that all of this is meaningless."
"Meaningless?" He asks incredulously and she regrets her word choice "You ruined my life"
And this is going horribly as expected and so Regina says "I'm not leaving until you have a drink with me" She knows he could easily slam the door in her face and she'd be screwed but she's counting on their being just enough of Robin there to prevent that.
"Fine, one drink and then you're leaving." He says letting her step in the door.
His place is not bad and not the worst she's ever seen, it's a bit sparse, but she wouldn't really expect otherwise from a man who lived most of life in a tent in the woods. Robin had been a man of few possessions and it seems that aspect of his personality stayed with Archer.
He comes back from kitchen with glasses that he sets down on the coffee table clearly wanting to avoid touching her. He sits back in silence and waits as she grabs the glasses.
"The bottle is in my purse I'll uh be right back" she says awkwardly, having it dropped it there so she could pour his special drink without him seeing.
She comes back and set his on the table for him and he grabs it, downing it before saying "Alright well time for you to go"
She waits a second but his face doesn't change. And oh no, shit it wasn't enough it's not working. This has to work she has to know who he is. She doesn't know what to do but maybe he just needs a little push. He's going to kick her out anyway so what does it matter if he thinks she's crazy.
"We're cursed you don't remember it but you're Robin Hood."
He looked at her curiously for a second before his face screws up in confusion for a moment before he looks at her with recognition.
"Regina" He says reverently in way Locksley never had and it is music to her ears. She doesn't have a chance to say anything because he grabs her and kisses her passionately.
Somehow someway this is her Robin. She melts into the kiss, pulling him tight to her, never wanting to let him go. She revels in the feeling of him here, alive. She never wants to stop kissing him, doesn't think she will ever be able to stop touching him, feeling that he is here and real, but she also needs to know how this is possible.
They break apart both breathing heavily and she asks "Robin how did this happen?"
He pulls her down on the couch beside him pulling her into his arms and she sighs as she places her head on his chest and hears his heart beating.
He tells her "That Milady is a long story. Unlike Killian, Zeus gave me a choice. He told me that returning me to the world at that time would change the future significantly and put our children at risk. Henry would die and Robyn's soulmate would never exist."
"What, how did he know that and why now?" She has so many questions but she also cant stop staring at him and touching him, her hand running up and down his arm before he grabs her hand with his own.
"He showed me the future and how you would split yourself, which created the Wish Realm. If I came back right away you wouldn't have split yourself and Alice would never be wished into existence. I thought I could return after the wish happened and in way a part of me did but that would have meant Henry's death and I couldn't allow that. You see if I had been around you wouldn't have followed Henry on his adventure and his heart would have been taken to wake Anastasia."
Regina is flabbergasted she can't believe Robin gave up his life for her and then waited 15 years to come back to save her son. It's too much and she doesn't deserve it but her heart fills with love for this extraordinary man. She doesn't notice the tear that falls down her face until Robin gently brushes it away.
"Don't cry darling we are together again and our children are safe and will be happy again soon."
She didn't think it was possible for her to feel anymore but hearing him say our children makes her ache with love, longing and regret "But you lost so much time because of me, and I don't deserve it."
"Regina love, that was my choice, I could have came back right away but I didn't." He caresses her face as he tells her "I'm here now and I'm not leaving you."
His other hand is running up and down her back gently soothing her. It strikes her that she should be the one comforting him, he was the one who lost all of that time to protect her son and she loves him so much for it but she can't stop the feelings of guilt.
She looks up into his eyes and then she kisses him, this time more intensely and with purpose. He is back and she is going to reclaim what is hers. She pulls herself on top of him, desperate to feel him again and soon her only thoughts are of being with Robin. They try to savour the moment but it had been too long and they need each other too desperately. Within minutes she is naked on top of him throwing her head back at the feeling of him, how he fits with her perfectly. She hadn't had a man inside her in years, swearing off men because it was never going to be as good as with her soulmate.
But this, this is so much better than she remembered. They've barely started and she's already so close. And it turns out Robin isn't far behind, urging her on, telling her how much he's missed her like this, how hot it is to be with her again, how many times he has wished for this, how desperately he wants her and then begging her to come for him. For how fast it comes it's a surprisingly intense orgasm that has her crying out loudly, she's shaking from the sheer force of it when Robin follows her over the edge.
She wakes up the next morning naked in his bed curled up against him and lets out an mmm as she remembers their passion filled night. Something about him being back after so long had put both of them in frenzy, their bodies somehow able go again and again until they were both too exhausted to continue.
She watches him sleep, tempted to spend all day in bed with him, and it's very tempting, something about him being back has made her insatiable and she wants him again, but she knows she has to return to Hyperion Heights and figure out how to break the curse without killing Henry.
Robin stirs waking up and she moves away so he can stretch out, and so she can get her ridiculous hormones in check. As soon as he finishes stretching he pulls her back into his arms placing a chaste kiss on her lips.
"G'morning love, did you sleep okay?"
"Better than okay, that was the best sleep I've had in a long time." He smiled at her, recognizing the words and thinking back to when he initially said them to her.
He's about to ask whether she actually means the sleep when she asks hesitantly "Robin if your back does that mean Henry's safe then? Do you know what happens if the curse breaks?"
"No my love when Zeus gave me the choice and when he showed me the future he told me I would only remember things that happened before I returned so I couldn't use what he told me to alter the timeline. So if I had returned initially, I wouldn't have known any of this." Her face falls and he looks deeply into her eyes as he tells her, "I know you'll figure it out my love or I wouldn't be here."
"No" she says "We will figure it out, together" and then she pulls him into another heated embrace, determined to come together with him in as many ways as possible before they return to Hyperion Heights.