Cursing. Thousands of curses and grumbling complaints greeted them as the pair came into the house with the last of the boxes finally unloaded from the moving truck.
Alice and Rogers shared an amused glace between themselves as they set their boxes and in Alice's case Tilly's backpack something she'd taken to carrying around herself even with the curse broken all down in the hallway following the sounds farther into the house. "Your archer is even making me blush love." The pirate captain whispered impressed with the amount of foul language some of it in several different languages the pair didn't know Robin knew but both guessed that was more Margot's doing than her own.
"No, I just stubbed my toe on this stupid bed I just need your help with this before Alice gets back." Robin huffed in admission now on the phone with someone "No because I kind of used them for target practice an hour ago, but I still can't make head or tails of what's left of them…..What I was getting frustrated and Mom wouldn't answer my calls and my bow was right here and I needed the stress relief." Her fiancée was explaining making Alice giggle at the somehow adorable stressed tone in her archer's voice as the blonde quietly crept to the bottom of the staircase leading to the second floor of her and Robin's new house.
"Besides how was I supposed to know half of what I need to finish wasn't included? I mean how does that?"
Robin was leaning in the doorway of what they had decided would be their bedroom the phone cradled against her ear and her shoulder clade in what was becoming Robin's favorite shirt from Margot's collection the green checkered over shirt Alice loved so much matched the sleeves rolled up showing off the bracelets she'd- well Margot- had collected during their two years apart during the curse this time pairing it with a plain blue tank top the archer had clearly borrowed from Alice's wardrobe with a well-worn pair of sweatpants. Her hair down rather than up or braided and unkempt from the repeated times Robin had run her hands in it in frustration over her task as she bent over rubbing what Alice guessed was her injured foot with Margot's glasses hanging lopsided on her nose and.
Alice guessed she must really be upset seeing as the normally keen-eyed huntress had yet to notice the blonde ogling her from the bottom of the curved staircase "Can't you just…." Robin started to ask making Alice swoon just a little when she pulled the tail of her stolen shirt up as if fidgeting uncomfortably but also showing off her toned stomach to Alice's appreciative gaze below her.
"Please Aunt Regina, you're stopping by already and she'll be back any time now and I feel like all I've done is pick up these annoying things and driven them home. Help me out. Please." The archer tried again the hand not holding the phone raking in her hair as the paced the hallway landing of the second floor. Alice shook her head muffling another laugh behind her hand at the shocked "What do you mean magic doesn't work on IKEA? It's magic it always works!"
Alice quickly scurried into a little shadowy alcove just off the stairs when instead of pretending they weren't listening in on the amusing conversation her Papa had dropped one of the boxes that by the rattling thank as it hit the floor had been destined for the kitchen and Alice guessed from the muffled laughter he hadn't realized yet that he at least had been caught.
"Aunt Regina I'm gonna call you back." Robin said into the phone heading back into her and Alice's room returning seconds later with her bow. An arrow already notched and ready as she crept down the steps.
As soon as she was sure Robin was a safe distance down the hall toward her still laughing Papa Alice slipped out of her hiding place taking the stairs two at a time for once grateful for Tilly's talent of being a street kid making her as quiet as Robin when she needed to be when it came to sneaking around since the curse broke.
Inside the bedroom, it was a mess of wooden boards from all three half started projects laying cross crossed over one another and some that appeared to be thrown against the wall in frustration, scattered metal washers, and screws.
Despite the hurricane-like look of the room Alice felt her heartwarming at the thought that Robin had seemed to want to surprise her with it all but going by what she'd heard her telling Regina, yet she had been a little annoyed at the evidence of the arrows still embedded in the wall with the tattered remains of the directions for what looked like all three of Robin's chosen projects.
The bigger bed with its convenient storage under the bed that Alice found so interesting that they had picked out the week before, the bookcase Margot had had her eye on for a while that Robin had to admit would easily accommodate the growing collection of book the pair, as well as their cursed selves, had between themselves, and the storage lounge seat Robin had moved in front of the bay style window knowing Alice would like having a nice view of both the wooded backyard behind the house and the shooting range the archer had set up in the backyard for the days she insisted on making yet another sketch of Robin while she was practicing.
She knew it was cheating but Alice knew Robin would understand as she finished each project with a few waves of her hand, but she decided to leave the arrows and their tattered targets in the wall just to tease her before heading back downstairs as quietly as possible.
She could hear Robin and her Papa talking in the kitchen the blonde making a note to thank him for telling Robin she wasn't with him at the moment as the pair started unloading the boxes and at least getting the kitchen sorted out giving Alice time to slip out of the house closing the door as quietly as possible behind her and heading out to the car to retrieve the bag of candies her Papa had picked up for her on the way back to the house from the Heights.
It'll be good to get out of the house for a while longer to give Robin and Rogers time to talk before the party that afternoon.
She stayed out longer than she'd intended having hunted all around the sleepy town for the perfect gift for her fiancée.
"Is Robin around?" Alice asked in a hushed whisper shifting the bundle in her arms as she looked around apprehensive having slipped in while the party was in full swing out back.
"Not right now she said she had to go out for something why?" Regina questioned pausing on her way to the patio door sharing a puzzled glance with Rogers when the blonde beside them flashed an even bigger smile as she shifted the bundle in her arms enough for them to see what was tucked inside sleeping against her chest.
Killian let out a little gasp in surprise making the pup look up with a little whimper at being woken up from its nap. "Sshh sweetie he's a friend." Alice promised scratching the cocoa colored fur tenderly.
"Do you think Robin will like her?" the blonde asked her tone laced in worry as she let the puppy down to let it sniff around Rogers's shoes. "We're about to find out." Rogers grinned as the door opened. "Where are you Alice?" Robin was saying just to pause when she heard the clattering of tiny nails on the hardwood floor.
"Sherwood don't." Alice called out jogging down the hall just to find Robin kneeling down in the hall with a grin on her lips and a happy whimpering puppy jumping up to cover her face in greeting kisses. "Um…..Surprise." the blonde backtracked with a sheepish half smile.
"Sherwood huh?" Robin questioned picking up the squirming pup as she met her fiancée in the middle of the hall. "You are just full of surprises, today aren't you Tower Girl?" the archer chuckled leaning in to press a kiss against Alice's lips.
"I don't know what you're talking about Nobin." Alice answered innocently just warning a teasing wink from Robin.
"Yeah from what I heard you should name him IKEA." Zelena chuckled sliding the back door open with a laugh and soft cooing at the animal in her daughter's arms and earning a few licks against her fingers in answer.
"Her." Alice corrected her eyes still on Robin. "Ruby said she was a Chesapeake Retriever when I stopped by the shelter earlier." The blonde told her watching as Robin cradled the pup closer against her chest, "That would explain a few things since she and Dorothy showed up earlier." The archer chuckled pressing a kiss against the pup's head. "Good thing we have the town in our backyard, so she can meet everyone." She commented, "And now that you're here the party can really start up." Robin grinned wide holding out her other hand to her true love.
"Okay everyone we have a new family member to introduce and before any of you can ask the answer is no she belongs to Alice and I. If you want one of your own I'm sure WolfGale over there can find you someone at the shelter." Robin called out to the amusement of everyone in the backyard.