Happy holidays, everyone! This year I'd like reviews under my tree. And maybe a sequel or standalone story to Baker's Dozen by SomewhereApart. Hopefully she hears my Christmas wish, because she's basically OutlawQueen Santa. Just saying. Does anyone have that kind of connection? Can you hook a fangirl up? I'll write whatever you want in return for some of that Christmas magic.
Standard disclaimers apply.
Lost and Found -
Holiday shopping season was in full swing, and that Saturday found Regina at the mall, fighting crowds of people in search of Christmas gifts for her six year old son. This year Henry had decided on walkie talkies. The perfect tools for reconnaissance missions, part of his latest boyhood phase. He fancied himself a spy right now, giving everything code names and giving his mother a heart attack every time he disappeared "into the shadows, Mom."
For a few hours that afternoon she had sent him off to lunch with Emma, a trusted friend and part-time babysitter. She was under strict instruction not to hype the boy up on sugar, though she knew that directive would be disregarded once they left her sight. There was a play area near the food court, which she knew would keep them occupied long enough to get her holiday shopping started, though probably not entirely finished in one afternoon. And she had promised Henry a visit with Santa at the end of the day if he was good.
"Where do you keep these?" Regina asked the teenage clerk at the toy store, handing him a folded ad from the Sunday newspaper. Henry had circled the walkie talkies the week before when he was looking through the toy catalog.
"Just over there, near the end of the aisle," the clerk offered, pointing her in the right direction.
"Thank you."
Regina pulled her handbag tighter against her side as she walked further into the shop, intent on grabbing what she came for and nothing else. Henry was a good boy, but she wasn't one to spoil her son too much. He usually only received a couple of large gifts and several smaller ones. During the Christmas season, she emphasized the importance of appreciating what one had, not what they wanted to receive.
Of course, buying gifts for her son fell into the former category. She appreciated her son, and she wanted him to be happy. She felt it was alright to indulge the boy in the spirit of the holidays. There were already a couple of spy videos wrapped and hidden in the closet at home.
She grabbed her bounty and turned around the end of the aisle, browsing quickly at other wares the toy shop carried. In addition to walkie talkies, they also carried some other spy-related goods. Regina's lips turned upward slightly at the idea of her son dressed like a sleuth, pretending to be on super secret missions, saving the world.
A tricked-out spy watch caught her eye. Its packaging proclaimed it a must-have for secret agents. It was techie and to a little boy, very cool. She knew Henry would love it. It was an impulsive buy, but she had a little extra money set aside, so she took it to the register with her to pay.
After that, she walked over to the bookstore for some Sherlock Holmes books to complete the list she had made for her son. She still had her mother and father to buy for, as well as Emma. Her close circle was small, which was great for her pocketbook this time of year. It also helped with the overall time spent shopping, which was great for a single working mother.
Her phone rang loudly in her purse, barely catching her attention over the sounds of the bustling crowd around her. She shifted the shopping bag to her other hand and dug in her purse.
"Hello?"
"Hey, how much longer are you gonna be?"
"I'm finishing up with Henry's gifts now, why?"
"The office called, I've gotta go in. They've got a runner with a court date tomorrow morning."
"Okay, I can finish up later. Are you still down by the food court?"
"Yeah, in the play place by Santa. It's chaotic, prepare yourself."
"I'm sure I'll be fine. See you in a minute."
She tucked her phone back in her purse and set out for the opposite end of the mall, where she knew the crowds would be larger and more rowdy. Kids and parents and Santa were always a rough mix, which she found ironic given the nature of the season. Peace and joy were in short supply for families with children around the holidays. Forget about good will toward all men. It was difficult for her to muster up the desire to jump into the middle of it all, but she knew how much her son loved it all.
So when she found herself standing in the children's play area, she took a deep breath and tried not to lose her cool at all of the chaos surrounding her. There had to be at least a hundred children running and jumping and shouting as their moms and dads stood around chatting amongst themselves. She knew it was a good idea to let the kids get out some of their energy, but her own son had never been quite so rowdy.
A shock of bright blonde hair caught her eye on the far side of the sectioned-off area. Emma was seated on one of the dozen or so benches, focused on her phone, texting furiously to someone. Regina was glad she wasn't on the receiving end of the bondswoman's fury.
She made her way over to her friend, holding tight to her bags, lest some errant child make off with Henry's gifts. She had taken extra care to stuff them inside of a larger bag from a department store so curious eyes wouldn't be interested in what she bought. Sears was much less interesting than the toy store.
"Where is he?" Regina asked in way of greeting as she sunk on the bench.
"I don't know," Emma said offhandedly, not taking her eyes off of her phone.
"Some babysitter you are," Regina frowned.
Emma clicked off her phone and shoved it inside the pocket of her red leather jacket with a huff. "You don't pay me for this anyway, you realize that, right?"
Just then Regina caught sight of her son running underneath the giant playset that the mall had erected for its youngest patrons. He was playing tag with a couple of other boys. The sight made her heart swell. Henry, as sweet as he was, didn't make friends quite as easily as she would have liked. He was a quiet child, with interests that usually fell out of the mainstream.
"I've gotta get going. If you need me again…"
"I'll be sure to call. Thank you for watching him," she smiled.
"Anytime."
Regina checked her watch, noting the time. It was still early in the day, earlier than she thought it would be when she finished her errands. Santa could wait for a bit while Henry played. She knew social interaction was important for her son, and she didn't want to interrupt him when he seemed to be having such a good time.
The line for Santa wasn't quite so long for a Saturday afternoon. It looked to be about ten people deep. Parents standing in line with their young children, certainly talking about gifts and wishes. Soon enough it would be the two of them standing in the line as well. She wondered how long he would continue to believe in the magic of Christmas. Maybe a few more years at most.
"Mom!"
She turned back to the play area, smiling as Henry ran up to her, out of breath. He was pink-cheeked and smiling, obviously having a good time.
"Having fun?"
"Yeah," he gasped. "Where'd Emma go?"
"Work," she answered. "You know how she has to run sometimes."
He nodded quickly. "When do we get to see Santa?"
"Whenever you're ready. The line isn't too bad right now."
"Cool," he grinned. "Let's go!"
Regina gathered up her purse and her shopping bag. She shouldered them on one side and used her free arm to take Henry's hand, keeping him close in the crowd. It was easy for children to get lost this time of year. With his penchant for running off and hiding, she didn't need the extra worry of losing him.
So they moved to the line and waited patiently as the children ahead of them spoke with Santa and took photographs for their moms and dads. Behind them people had begun to line up. The afternoon influx of shoppers made the mall much more busy than when they had first arrived. Even in the few minutes they had been waiting, the line had almost doubled in size. It was a wonder they didn't employee more than one Santa to handle all of the traffic. But with all of the time left in the day it would be fine. There were still two weeks to go until Christmas anyway. Plenty of time to visit.
"What are you going to ask Santa for this year?"
"It's a secret," he responded immediately. "If I tell you, I won't get it."
"Is that how it works?" They had the same discussion in line every year. He had always so freely told her exactly what he wanted for Christmas. He was a very specific child. It was a surprise to her that he wouldn't give her a solid answer.
"That's what my friend told me."
"Which friend?"
"Roland," he pointed. "See, he's right over there."
Regina looked in the direction that Henry was pointing. A tiny, dark-haired boy was standing just outside of the play area, looking somewhat distressed at the crowd around him. She could tell that something seemed wrong. The way he scanned the faces of the strangers walking by worried her.
"He was playing with you before?"
"Yeah."
"Where's his mom?"
"I don't know. Do you think he's lost?"
Regina watched him for a moment from the line. He shifted from foot to foot, unsure of where to go. He really was a small boy, three or maybe four at the most. Easily snatched up by the wrong person. The mother inside of her was fighting with whether or not to approach him and find out what was going on. Before she could decide, Henry was running off in his direction. She called out for him to no avail.
Under her watchful eye, she let her son do exactly what she was thinking. A moment later, Henry was tugging the little boy over to the line with them. She crouched down to his level to make sure he was okay. His dark eyes were filling with unshed tears.
"Sweetheart, are you okay?" she asked, holding one of his hands.
He shook his head side to side slowly, shyly.
"Where's your mommy?"
"In heaven," he answered quietly.
"What about your daddy?"
"He went shopping before Santa," Roland explained.
"We're going to see Santa!" Henry offered. "Maybe Roland can see Santa with us?"
Roland grinned at Henry's enthusiasm and the thought of Santa and the visit that he had obviously been promised by his father beforehand. But he seemed nervous in the presence of a strange adult. Truthfully, Regina wasn't quite sure what to do. She looked around for a nearby security guard, but their black uniforms were difficult to pick out in the crowd of black winter coats and hats.
"What's your daddy's name?" she asked, hoping maybe she might be able to get some information out of the shy little boy.
"Daddy," he said, his tone making her feel like an idiot for asking.
"Isn't there anything other people call him?"
"No," he shook his head, pointing back toward the crowd. "Daddy."
Regina followed his finger, looking back toward the play area. She immediately zoned in on a man in a green knit sweater who was red in the face and rubbing the back of his head in frustration. A much larger man stood next to him, looking worried at the crowd of kids in the play area. Even in his anger, Regina could see the resemblance between father and son. The dimples were a clear giveaway.
"What does Daddy's friend call him?"
"Robin."
"Come here," Regina said, pulling Roland into her arms. She lifted him up on her hip and held him close. He immediately wrapped his arms snugly around her neck. "That's your daddy in the green shirt, right?"
"Yep," the boy nodded, clearly relieved that he wasn't lost anymore, even if his father didn't know that yet.
"Robin!" she shouted loudly, hoping her voice would carry the thirty or forty feet through the crowd.
Immediately the man turned sharply, looking around for whoever had called his name.
"Robin!" she shouted again, waving her arm. Roland did the same, trying to catch his father's attention.
It worked. He hopped the low wall of the children's area and jogged over to them quickly, his face showing relief at finding his son. He immediately took the boy from Regina's arms and hugged him close. He let out a great, shuddering breath.
"Why did you run off from John?" Robin asked, pulling back from his son just enough to look at his face. "I told you not to leave the playground."
"I'm sorry, Daddy," he sniffed, the tears threatening to spill over.
"No, don't cry," Robin begged. "There's no reason to cry. This nice lady found you and you're fine. We're fine. Everything is fine."
"Mom, the line is moving," Henry said, tugging on her arm.
Regina shuffled a few feet down with her son, with Robin and Roland idly wandering along with them.
"Thank you for watching him," Robin grinned sheepishly. "I was quite beside myself."
"It's no problem. I frequently lose my own son," she teased. "Though on a much less grand scale."
"Yeah… John was supposed to be watching him. I should have known better than to leave those two alone. Kids shouldn't babysit kids, you know."
Regina chuckled, grinning at him. He didn't seem like an irresponsible parent, just a man who had irresponsible friends. Or babysitters. She couldn't blame him for the mistake, as she understood what it was like to be a parent. Kids got lost, it happened.
"Robin Locksley," he offered, reaching out a hand to her.
"Regina Mills," she responded in kind. "And this is my son, Henry. He's the one that found Roland in the first place. You should really be thanking him for all of this."
"Is that so?" Robin reached a hand out to Henry, shaking his in thanks. "You're a real hero."
"We're going to see Santa. Do you wanna come?" Henry offered.
"Yeah!" Roland cheered. "Daddy we gotta go see Santa. Pleeeeease?"
Robin looked at Regina with raised, questioning eyebrows. He didn't want to jump in the middle of their family time anymore than he had wanted to line jump twenty other people. But it had happened, and he was at her mercy. The children seemed more than pleased at the idea of visiting Santa together.
"I suppose that would be okay," she agreed. "It looks like you got the fast pass, after all. Use it."
"Nothing says 'excuse me' quite like a child in crisis," he laughed, scooting closer in to the space so he could be considered 'in line' with the rest of them. He let Roland down to stand on his own and talk with Henry. Regina scooted back to accommodate. Immediately the two boys began to talk excitedly about toys and Santa.
"They seem like old friends," he grinned.
"To be a child again," she nodded. "If only adults were so friendly. Have you done much shopping today?"
"Not much," he relented, holding up a single medium-sized bag. "I found a jacket for myself. I was on my way to the," he mouthed the words toy store, "when I got a phone call from John saying he couldn't find my boy."
"Haven't you abandoned him?" she asked, looking back for any sign of the larger man.
"I suppose you're right. Hmm..."
"Isn't that him?" Regina gestured toward a cafe near the food court where the imposing form of the man could be seen standing in line.
"Caffeine addict," Robin muttered as he began typing out a message on his phone. "I'll relieve him of his duties for the afternoon. I can always come back and finish shopping."
"My babysitter ducked out on me," she sympathized.
"Well aren't we the pair."
"Christmas shopping can't be easy, you know. There's always got to be some disaster waiting to make things interesting."
"Interesting? Well, that's one way of putting it. Tell me more."
"About what?"
The line inched forward as another family made their way to Santa. Regina could see them ahead, the little girl scrambling up the velvet red staircase onto the platform where Santa's festive chair sat. The sounds of holiday music filtered through the crowd, coming from the speakers ahead. Baby, It's Cold Outside filled their ears.
"Tell me about you."
"Well," she started. "What do you want to know?"
"Whatever you'd like to tell me. What do you do? What did you have for breakfast? What color are the lights on your Christmas tree?"
"I work for the mayor's office. A croissant with honey. And red."
"Red lights? Very fitting. Red seems to be your color," he motioned to her blouse. It was a festive Christmas red that complemented her dark eyes and hair. And if she thought about it, also complemented the green of his own outfit. Together they looked like Christmas itself standing in line.
"What about you?"
"Same," he shrugged.
She laughed good-naturedly at that, enjoying his dry humor. Truth be told, she was enjoying everything about their conversation. He was easy to talk with, and even easier to look at.
The line continued to move forward, inching closer and closer to their destination until the four of them were very next in line. The boys' energy seemed to grow by leaps and bounds as they bounced on their heels, so excited that they could barely contain it. Henry, being older and also more patient, held his composure much better than Roland. She could see the excitement in his eyes.
"So what are you going to ask Santa for?" Robin asked mischievously.
"I heard through the grapevine that if I tell anyone but Santa my wishes won't come true," she frowned playfully.
"Ah, I think I'm familiar with that rule," he ran a hand through his son's messy black curls. "It makes things more difficult for me, you see. Four-year-olds want anything and everything. I'm sure you know that."
"It gets easier," she offered. "What about you? What do you want?"
"Coffee," he said without any hesitation. "With you."
A deep blush stained her cheeks at his frank admission. Of all the things she expected, she definitely hadn't expected him to say that. She was pleasantly surprised, however. He seemed like a very nice man, and she could feel the chemistry between them, heavy and powerful. In the fifteen minutes she had known him, she felt drawn to him in a way she hadn't felt drawn to anyone in a long time.
"That could be arranged," she agreed.
"Mom, it's our turn," Henry said, tugging on her hand. The four were ushered into the staging area, where a teenager dressed as an elf helped the boys up the stairs, past highly decorated trees and tinsel to where Santa sat on his golden throne.
Regina and Robin stood at the bottom of the steps, watching their kids with amused eyes. To anyone watching the scene, they looked like any other family visiting for the holidays, not some strangers who had just met under odd circumstances.
From below, the parents couldn't hear what their kids were talking about. Roland was sitting on Santa's lap, and Henry was hovering very close, leaning over Roland's shoulder. The three looked to be having a very serious conversation. Santa's beard shook ever so slightly as he spoke to the children. Henry nodded seriously at the old man. Roland pointed in their direction, and Henry pushed the finger down quickly.
"What are they up to?" Robin asked curiously.
"I have no idea," she responded, equally confused.
After a few minutes, the kids posed for a photo, and then raced back down the stairs. Santa caught Regina's eye, smiling and giving her a deep nod of his head. There was a gleam in his eyes that she couldn't quite place. It wasn't unsettling by any means. It was very confusing, though.
They collected their photos on the other side of a tinsel-covered archway, paying another employee who was dressed in a similar green and silver elf outfit like the one who had led them up the stairs before. The whole setup was very charming, with exception to the high cost of novelty photos and the lengthy wait.
"Well, that was fun," he said as he stuffed the commemorative photo in his shopping bag.
"I would normally say we should do that again soon, but Christmas comes but once a year," she commiserated.
"Who needs Santa when we've got quite the Winter Wonderland outside to adventure?"
She remembered then the forecast that had called for snow in the late afternoon hours. It was going to be more than a dusting, but less than what she would have considered trouble. Enough to make the season seem almost romantic from inside somewhere warm.
"I much prefer a cozy fire," she admitted.
"That can be arranged," he offered, mirroring her earlier words. "After all, it's still early and you did agree to let me buy you a drink. I have the perfect place in mind."
"And the boys?"
"They'll have the finest hot chocolate the cafe has to offer. Maybe a scone to share."
"You sure are laying on the charm," she said with a skeptical mask across her face.
"Is it working?"
Her answering grin was all the response he needed.
A/N: This does have potential for a second or third chapter. I usually don't, but it seems like a strange place to end it. I dunno, just a thought.
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