Finally made it for Day Four (Thursday) of OQPromptParty!
Prompt 60. Season 7 AU: Roni takes in a stray fox who turns out to be Robin.
Enjoy!
He came to her in the dead of night, little paw scratching against the door of her bar. Roni had just closed after a long, tedious day of tending to rowdy patrons of a typical Friday night. She remembers the relief that poured from the depths of her chest as she finally slammed that bloody door shut for the night and locked it securely. Intent on heading upstairs to her minimalist apartment, eager to pass out on her squeaky old mattress, the hardworking bartender had just killed the lights when she suddenly heard a soft scratch, scratch, scratch come from the very direction of the door.
Heart lurching in her chest, and a faint sensation of cold trickling down her spine, Roni froze in the darkness. Scratch, scratch, scratch. For an area that wasn't always the safest, she knew that a potential robbery would not be out of the ordinary. Grabbing her trusty old bat, the bartender crept towards the door in silence. How strange for a robber to have come now, especially since he would've known that she was still up and about. But then again, one would never know.
Step, step, step.
Roni drew in a breath, leaning herself up against where the wall ended, leaving open a small alcove for where the door was located. Craning her neck, she squinted into the dim light of the lamppost just outside. Nothing out of the ordinary… Scratch-scratch-scratch. The sound seemed far more urgent this time, prompting Roni to adjust her line of vision with a dip of her head in its direction. And there it was, the culprit of that ghastly sound. It paused the moment she laid eyes upon it, little claws digging into the wood of her freshly painted door.
It was a fox.
With its eyes wide like saucers, it sat curled up on the welcome mat, staring at her with a solemn, pleading, slightly frightened expression as it looked between the bartender and her bat.
"What the…" Roni breathed, slowly lowering the weapon and placing it upright against the wall. Hands up in a placating gesture, the bartender inched forward.
What was an animal like this doing here? As far as she knew, the nearest forest was miles from here. So how did this poor creature find itself lost in the heart of the city?
Shaking her head slowly, the bartender narrowed her brown eyes at the little ball of fluff. She was rather hesitant to open the door, in fear that it could be rabid and bite her. But the pained look in its eyes drew her to act otherwise, and she slowly unlocked the door.
"Hey, little guy," Roni whispered, "What are you doing here?"
The fox let out a plaintive yowl in reply, ducking its head in fear as she squatted down to its level.
"Shh," Roni was quick to soothe as it started letting out short little whimpers. "I'm not going to hurt you." With some trepidation herself, she extended an unsteady hand. But by the way the fox recoiled, shifting its head further from her reach, she knew that he wouldn't be a threat.
"Where's your family, huh?" Roni questioned still reaching for the fox who had begun to quiver ever so slightly. She persisted however, successful in finally laying a tender palm to the top of its head and feeling its prickly fur against her skin.
"See?" She breathed out a soft chuckle as the fox melted into her touch. She watched as it licked its lips and pushed at her hand, letting out a small sigh, perhaps one of relief.
"You're a curious thing, aren't ya?" The bartender crooned softly as she continued to run her hand over the creature's head in gentle strokes, "What do you want? Are you hungry?"
The fox seemed to perk up at her last question, peering up at her with its expressive gaze. Who knew an animal of the forest would appear so tame?
"Brrr it's cold," Roni commented, abruptly retracting her hand to wrap her arms around herself. She shivered slightly as a sudden gust of wind whooshed by. "Come on. Let's get you inside."
Reaching forward with both hands, she grabbed the fox around its middle, not missing the way it grew stiff to her touch. "I can't believe I'm doing this," the bartender murmured as she hoisted the little animal up and under her arm when she stood. Then, using her free arm, she shut and locked the door once more.
She flicked the lights back on, carrying the fox snugly on her hip into the middle of the bar before placing it down on the old wood floor. Now what? Roni stared with a frown and her hands on her hips at the fox who'd promptly sat down, looking rather expectant. With a sigh, the bartender turned on her heel and headed around the counter to grab a bowl and fill it with water, supposing that would be a good place to start. The fox followed on her heel like a dog, trotting along, its nails clicking against the ground. Idly, the thought of how they would scratch up her floors flashed unbidden through Roni's mind.
"Here ya go," she said, placing down the bowl of freshly poured water from the fountain. She took a minute to watch with slight amusement as the fox immediately took to lapping at the cold refreshment. "I don't even know what you would eat… some kind of meat, I assume. Though, you can't get into my steak. I just got that fresh this morning." Roni sighed. "Well… I don't know, I guess I'll just—" She made a face. "Here I am talking to some wild animal at three in the morning. Is this really what my sorry life has come to?"
Deciding it best to quit the yapping, for her own sanity, Roni set off in search for some scraps for her newfound friend while it remained occupied with the water. In just a few minutes, she returned with another bowl of leftover meat, fatty chunks that had been cut off from the main pieces, and a few handfuls of vegetable skins and whatnot. It was not the tastiest looking thing in the world. However, she did assume it would not make a difference to an apparent starving animal. The poor thing was thin, far too thin that she could feel its ribs poking so prominently through its skin when she'd picked it up before.
"Buon appetite," the bartender bid as she set the meal down next to the fox's water bowl. She stared intently at the animal as it eyed the food with a hint of suspicion. "Please eat…"
The fox swiveled its head, pinning her with an expression as if to say, "Are you sure about this?"
Roni crossed her arms, narrowing her tired eyes at the animal. "I know you want to," she coaxed, "Go ahead."
With a visible sigh, the fox turned back toward its food bowl, dipped its head, and began to eat. Roni let out a breath. After all of two seconds, the bowl was empty, and the fox peered at her again as if to ask for more, to which the bartender firmly shook her head.
"That's it, I'm afraid," she said before she was suddenly overcome with a wide, undignified yawn. "Will you let me go to bed now?"
Not having the heart to kick the poor animal back onto the streets, Roni grudgingly let the fox follow her up the stairs into her tiny apartment. There was barely enough space for the two of them in her bedroom, but she managed to create somewhat of a comfortable nest for the little guy with a few old blankets at the base of her bed.
"I don't know about you, but I'm pooped," Roni declared as she fell rather clumsily into her bed, clothes still on and everything. Lifting her head, she peered over the bedside at the fox sitting looking rather lonely in its little nest. It seemed to give her somewhat of a woeful stare, prompting the exhausted bartender to shake her head. "Don't even think about it," she warned.
The fox cocked its head, forlorn. It was almost a look enough to cave the woman but she was adamant that it not touch her bed, at least until she got it checked—
Hold up.
Was she really considering keeping it around? Part of her wanted to laugh maniacally at such a preposterous thought. But the other half, born of her heart's center, knew that perhaps the little curious thing needed her.
And so, their relationship started.
First thing the next morning, Roni sacrificed opening up early for a quick trip to the vet, braving the bewildered stares and hushed whispers to get her new buddy checked out. It turned out that the fox was clean of any disease or infection. Aside from being a little underweight, it was healthy as a horse—or well—never mind.
Upon returning back to the bar, the fox quickly became acquainted with its new home in full, trotting and sniffing about the space with utmost curiosity. Its wide eyes—a stunning sapphire blue that Roni had just noticed now when in daylight—took everything in with such great enthusiasm that it greatly amused the bartender, eliciting strange feelings of fondness and adoration.
Her patrons were surely in for a surprise, eyeing the suspicious creature wearily as it scampered about, following Roni and watching her every mood with rapt attention like a puppy. To any questions, and there were many, the bartender simply flashed the certificate of health and went on her way, surprisingly finding herself having not given a single damn about what they would think.
The fox was loyal, and unbelievably so. It stayed by Roni's side no matter where she went or what she did. Its devotion to studying her every movement, her mannerisms and behavior, were truly fascinating. And by week two, the bartender's loyal customers found the creature to be somewhat admirable in that regard, having learned to respectfully leave it alone to do its own thing: either following Roni around or taking breaks on the stairwell whilst watching the bar's happenings with a sleepy eye.
By week three, Victoria had shown up, threatening to call the Department of Health for Roni having such a filthy animal in her bar. But the bartender brushed the bully off, undeterred by the woman's unrelenting harassment about how she should do away with "that" immediately. But by then, Roni knew she could never do such a thing.
Surprised as she was to admit it, she knew that the fox became such a significant part of her life in offering her a soothing company that she never even realized she needed. It—he—became more than a simple pet. He was her friend, her confidant, and the only being that saw her as she truly was behind closed doors. He was the only one in front of whom she felt comfortable to be herself: bare and vulnerable, not always the strong, confidant woman and mother figure that everyone in Hyperion Heights believed her to be.
He saw her break down, he saw her cry in her cups of tea or glasses of liquor. He saw her hum sad little melodies while strumming her beaten-up guitar, his head resting on her thigh as he listened to such melancholic tunes. But then the fox also witnessed her let go of herself: laughing out loud to funny podcasts, crying big crocodile tears to silly romcoms, singing at the top of her lungs to Def Leppard, dancing half naked about her kitchen with wild uncombed brunette curls bouncing about. For every bit of it, he was there. A silent but powerful pillar of strength, noble in the way he would let her either cry into his fur when the days got too rough or prance by her side as she danced to the little joys in life.
Needless to say, he was everything to her. So when the time came for Roni to sell the bar, she'd been absolutely devastated at the fact that she may not be able to keep her precious best friend. Other apartments within her meager budget would not allow for pets, let alone a fox.
But then a saving grace happened. A little girl she'd loved, by the name of Lucy, defied her step-grandmother, the old witch Belfrey, in bringing a new stranger to the town, thus prompting Roni to change her mind and stand up to the bully once more. It was a significant win for the bartender, having known that the tyrannical woman had conveniently caught her at her lowest point and almost forced her to sell. But Roni rose above it all, and she knew that she owed much of it to her trusty fox friend.
But then things got weird.
Lucy started spouting nonsense about how Roni could be a completely different person. And then suddenly a picture showed up as some pretty scary evidence to prove. It knocked the bartender for a loop upon unlocking the revelation that the stranger—Henry was his name—could really be her son.
"What do you think of that?" She'd asked the fox that night as they both stared at the picture in her hand. "Do you really think I could be her, this… Evil Queen?" Roni may have done some regretful things in the past but certainly they wouldn't make her evil.
The fox pushed its nose at her hand, blinking up at her with wide blue eyes. "I know, I know," Roni sighed, petting it on its furry snout. "It's all crazy talk. You must be thinking I'm really losing it now." The fox licked at her fingers. And Roni heaved another large sigh. "I wish you could talk," she murmured, lowering her head to press her nose into its fur. "I really wish… Sometimes I feel like you aren't even a fox. Crazy, I know."
Roni exhaled loudly, lifting her head to gaze once more into its eyes. "I just… I wish I knew what you are thinking. You mean so much to me and I… I feel like I know you, really know you—like we've somehow met before." She stared into the oceans in its eyes, pools of swirling blue whose depths were as endless as the starry night sky. She frowned, a sudden wave of familiarity, of recognition, washing over her. But she shook her head. "I'm really going crazy, I—"
Roni suddenly gasped as a paw stretched forward and pressed itself to her lips as if to shush her, the look in its eyes telling her so clearly that everything will be okay. "Oh God I love you," Roni burst, breaking down and leaning forward to press a fervent kiss to the top of the fox's head, her fingers entangled in its fur.
And then suddenly she saw things… many things.
The sparkle of green—the lion tattoo, the arrow—the fear, the pulsing heart—the trust, his soft blue eyes—the love, the touch of his lips—the passion, the strength of his embrace—the solace, the flash of light—the panic, the cry from her lips—the pain.
It all came rushing back in a rapid fire of light and color and emotion until whoosh! A blast of cold air and now, Regina remembers everything… everything.
She sits there breathless, her vision blurry with tears. She does not register anything but the weight of her memories until a soft touch to her cheek beckons her out of her trance. And when she looks up, Regina sees a pair of shining blue eyes before her, staring at her with a look she'd long missed.
And suddenly, it's as if time comes to a complete halt.
"Robin," Regina breathes, her voice shaking.
Robin smiles tenderly, his eyes wet with tears as he swipes his thumb over the apple of her cheek. "Hi." He speaks but one word before the brunette is throwing herself at him, nearly knocking them both from the couch where they sit.
"I missed you," Regina cries into his neck. He smells exactly the same, of pine—of forest.
"And I you," Robin returns, holding her tightly with a hand cradling the back of her head.
Their embrace lasts for minutes before Regina finally pulls back, though doesn't let go for fear that he may disappear again. With wide eyes, she looks him up and down, still in shock at his return.
"I thought you were gone," she whispers, voice breaking.
Robin shakes his head, a wider smile spreading across his lips as his eyes continue to sparkle beautifully. "Not a chance," he replies, "I'm with you always."
"You were the fox," Regina breathes, everything suddenly falling into place. "You were watching over me?"
Robin nods. "It took me a long time to find you," he admits, "And I hated playing the part. But I'm here now…" He wraps his arms around her tightly. "And this is true."
A small wet bubble of laughter erupts from Regina as she falls into his strong embrace once more, completely in awe at this third chance with which fate was so kind to present her. And she knows now that this will be permanent, that he's here to stay, because he never ever left. He will be with her and she with him, forever and always.