(A/N-This was a Christmas idea I had months ago, originally was a very different direction but the last few months changed it dramatically. This will not be an Outlaw Queen fic, even though Robin will be in it, in a way.)
Regina Locksley was on her way to the Triple S ranch just outside of Dallas, her seven year old son, Roland was excited to be going to his first lesson. Matter of fact, he had talked about nothing else for days except for the upcoming holiday that Regina hated the most.
Christmas
Regina hated Christmas, like really hated the whole Christmas season. She hated the trees, the decorations, the big red bows everywhere. She hated hearing Merry Christmas as she went into her job everyday. She just wanted to skip Christmas! But the reason she couldn't, the reason she would be putting a tree up, fully decorated with lights and ornaments, was sitting in the backseat of her SUV at this moment.
Her son, Roland.
The reason she existed now. She couldn't imagine her life without him in it. He was her everything, her reason to smile in the morning, her reason to rush home from work. Her reason she was driving right now to the ranch for his riding lesson. He loved Christmas, he loved every aspect of it. The sounds of Christmas, the feeling of Christmas. He was Christmas. And it wasn't just this time of year her adorable little boy was like this, no he kept his Christmas spirit the whole year long. He was a very giving child. There was no way she could show how much she hated this holiday in front of him. The reason she dreaded this holiday was because, four Christmas' ago, she had lost someone very important to her, Roland's father...
Robin...
God, would the pain ever stop? She missed him so much. She still would catch herself going to his old study to ask him about dinner or something else, and she would stop on the way and just let the pain wash over her. It seemed to be like a hurricane, sending wave after wave of pain into her heart. She had lost him on Christmas Eve four years ago in a skiing accident, they had been in Canada for the holidays, he went out that morning and had hit a patch of loose snow, which triggered a small avalanche, and had fallen several feet, unfortunately he had died an hour later from his internal injuries.
She had hated the season ever since then, it was always a reminder of what she had lost and would never have back. Her little boy looked exactly like her, except for his dimples, those he had inherited from his father. He also inherited his joy in life, his good nature personality. Roland was not a shy child at all, why on his first day of school he had went right up to his teacher, Mrs. Lucas and told her he couldn't wait for her to teach him how to write cursive.
Roland was a very bright child, he loved school, loved learning new things. He was so like his father. Regina had her hands full with Roland, when he wasn't in school or her at work, he was constantly asking her questions, always eager to learn. Sometimes he was fine with just watching cartoons, but then sometimes he wanted to watch the discovery channel, and learn about volcanoes, and thunderstorms.
He had adjusted pretty well after his father's death. The first few months had been hell for her, with Roland constantly asking when his father was going to come home. That didn't his Daddy miss him? Did he do something bad to cause his Daddy to be away? How did one go about explaining to a three year old that his Daddy, the man her son idolized would never be coming home again? Never be there to tuck him in, never be there to pick him up and toss him around. Never be there to comfort when he fell and hurt his knee. Never be there to get him from his nightmare and bring him into their bed, and place him between the two of them.
She had done the best she could to explain and comfort her young son, while still dealing with the fact that her son had lost his Daddy and she...she had lost the love of her life, her soulmate.
Forever.
Life truly was not fair, not when you have to go to a funeral the day after Christmas to say goodbye to your husband. She was only in her early thirties! They had even talked about having more children one day, another son, a daughter! Robin had not cared as long as they were healthy and Regina as well. It had taken them a few years to have Roland, his birth had been a day that they had truly become a family. They were responsible for this tiny little soul, he was the direct result of his parent's love for one another. It had been too much for just the two of them, so he was the ending result.
What she had not realized until a few days after the funeral, and too late at that, was that she had been pregnant that Christmas. But due to the stress of her loosing Robin, her soul mate, her baby had been lost to her. She had blamed herself for loosing the baby, Robin's baby. Robin had never known he was to have been a father again.
Robin!
Regina wiped a tear from her face, then two. It just wasn't right that she was a widow, with a young son to raise by herself. Robin should be here with her, helping her decide decisions that were thrown at her.
They had been foolish with their belief that they were going to have forever. That they would grow old with one another, that they would be on their back porch one day, telling their grandchildren to behave. They thought they had forever, they were so very wrong.
"Mommy?" Roland asked from the backseat.
"Yes, Roland?" Regina replied back.
"Are you thinking about Daddy again?" Roland asked.
She smiled as her son always knew when she was upset, as much as she tried to hide it from him, she couldn't always. "Yes, I am."
"I miss him," Roland said as he lowered his head.
Regina hated seeing her little boy so sad, but there was nothing she could do to bring his Daddy back. Nothing. "But you know your Daddy is always watching over you right?"
She saw in the rear view mirror Roland's small nod. "Roland, you do know how much your Daddy loved riding horses?"
He lifted his head at that,"Yes, he told me. He told me that's how you two met."
Regina smiled at that, it technically hadn't been their first meeting, she had met him a month before in an Irish tavern in Ireland. She had gone on holiday with some college friends and had walked into a tavern one day.
That day had changed her life, forever. Her and her friends had started to be harassed by some drunken men, when Robin had come over and walked right up to her and had put his hand around her waist and said,"About time you got here, my love."
And with that he had lowered his head and kissed her in front of everyone in the tavern. The other men had left them, her friends had just sat back down, watching this strange man kiss her. And boy could the man kiss, what had started off as an inquisitive kiss, had turned into a passionate one. His tongue had come out of his mouth and licked her lips, causing her to open them and his tongue had sneaked in quickly, enjoying every crevice of her mouth.
His hands had brought her body against his, and as quickly as all this had begun, she had felt his erection against her. They had continued to kiss until they had been forced to stop...due to much needed oxygen.
He had looked down into her face, into her eyes and had fallen in love with her right then and there. He has asked for her name, when she asked him why he needed her name he had replied, "So I can ask the lady who is going to be my wife, out for dinner tonight."
He had smiled at her with those dimples, she had not been able to resist and had taken a chance and given him her name, her number, her heart eventually. Their first date after the tavern dinner had been at a park, where they had gone horseback riding. And a few short months later, they were married. Everything had seemed so perfect, until...Christmas four years ago, when her world had fell apart.
She had not dated, no matter how many times her friends had tried to set her up, she just had no heart for it. Her heart was buried with Robin. Only Roland would know her love, she had sworn to herself.
"Look, Mommy, it's the ranch!" Roland yelled loudly, his excitement clear.
She pulled into the long driveway, and followed the signs for the horse stables. After parking and getting Roland out they headed for the stables, where the owner was to meet them. Regina had Roland's small hand in hers.
"Hello?" Regina called out as they started inside the barn. There were horses in their stalls but no one to meet them.
"Mommy, where is he?" Roland asked.
"I don't know, baby. Maybe he got busy and-" Regina was saying when she heard a voice.
"Mrs. Locksley?" Regina turned and saw a man standing there, he was in riding pants and a nice shirt. He looked to be around her age, with dark hair.
"Yes, I'm Mrs. Locksley," Regina said as she walked up to him.
"Hi, sorry I'm late," he said as Regina raised her eyebrows at him.
"Excuse my rudeness, we spoke on the phone last week. I'm Daniel, Daniel Stallion," Daniel said as he smiled at her.