Title: 12 Days of Redemption.
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Pretty much everyone. Hints of Robin/Regina.
Warnings: None.
Summary: In the run up to the holiday of forgiveness, Regina works on making amends with those she has wronged.
This probably won't be done in time for Christmas but oh well. Enjoy. There may be a few spelling/grammar errors in this, I was trying to hide from finishing my essay, I will come back and edit.
"Wait!" The little boy walking next to her said and she willingly did as he commanded, stopping just outside the entrance to Granny's. "No, I don't mean stop, stop. Keep going, I'm starving," he whined as she chuckled opening the door to let him into the warmth that filled the diner.
"Well, why did you say wait then?" she asked lightly as they made their way to the counter.
"Explain Christmas again, I still don't get it," he said as she lifted him up onto one of the few stools left at the counter.
"Again? Roland, I've explained it six times already," she replied back, amused at how the boy still didn't quite understand the holiday.
"Yeah, but, can I really ask for anything for Christmas and actually get it, I mean, really?" He asked excited at the prospect of gifts.
"Well, yes, but only if you've been good however," Regina replied, as Granny started to come over.
"How good?" Roland asked in all seriousness.
"As good as you can," she answered again, "have you been good this year, Roland?" she asked him, eyeing him with a hint of amusement.
"Well…." He started, trying to think of anything bad that he ha done this year, "apart from the mud thing," he answered quietly, avoiding her eyes.
"Well, yes, apart from that," she said with the tiniest hint of annoyance, remembering the incident well – it took her a good couple of hours to get the house back to it's original state after Roland decided it was absolutely fine to run around the house covered in mud.
"Nope, can't think of anything else, so does that mean I'll get a present?" he asked innocently.
"I'm sure Santa will get you more than just one present," she replied with a smile, "it is after all, your first Christmas, I'm sure he'll turn a blind eye to a few mishaps," she finished laughing slightly.
"Yay!" came the excited squeal next to her as she turned to Granny to order their food.
"What can I get the two of you?" Granny asked with a genuine smile on her face at seeing the pair – well, more like seeing Roland, he was definitely one of the cutest kids she had ever seen.
"I'll have my usual, please," replied Regina before turning to Roland, "what would like?"
"Cheeeese Burger, please, Granny," he replied and turned to Granny with biggest grin on his face.
She smiled back in earnest, "coming right up," she said before turning back to place their order with the kitchen.
"So, what would you like for Christmas then?" asked Regina, as Ruby placed their usual drinks in front of them.
"Well, Regina, since you asked, there was a pair of shoes that…." Ruby interrupted their conversation with a mischievous grin on her face.
Turning to face her, Regina gave a playful glare before remarking, "I wasn't asking you, Miss Lucas."
"Well, a girl can try. Tis the season of giving Regina," she replied winking before walking off to serve some more customers, leaving a chuckling Regina.
"Can I get a bow and arrow like daddy's for Christmas?" Roland looked up at Regina as he began to drink his drink.
She paused for a second in thought, contemplating the idea of giving a five-year-old what could possibly be a deadly weapon. Until she reasoned with herself that there were probably many child friendly replicas out there, that were suitable for the young boy, "I'll discuss it with your daddy later," she replied, just as their food was being set down in front of them.
"Thank you, Granny," said the young boy as he began digging into his fries, Regina also giving her thanks. Just before Granny turned to leave them to it again Roland spoke up, "what would you like for Christmas, Granny?" he asked, with just a tiny amount of ketchup smeared onto his chin, causing the older woman to laugh lightly, before Regina wiped it off his face, eyes rolling as per usual.
"I would like…" Granny began but trailed off, trying to think honestly at what she would like for Christmas, "…peace, Roland. No more curses," she looked at Regina briefly, who in turn avoided eye contact, the slightest hint of guilt showing on her face, not that she would admit it, "no more child snatching shadows, no more battles, no more arguments, no more portals, none of it, just peace. I'm too old and tired to live through many more of them," she said, smiling gently at the young boy.
"That would be nice," said Roland.
"But unlikely, in this town," said Regina, picking at her food.
"You never know, Regina, maybe one day we can all live peacefully amongst each other, but I won't hold my breathe for it being any time soon," she finished as she began to walk away.
"Well, it's never gonna happen with you still in town," came a slur a couple of places down from her, causing her to turn her head. Grumpy. Never a fan, never will be. She'd learnt very early on since the curse broke, that the two of them would never see eye to eye.
"And what, pray tell, did I do just then to deserve that?" she asked, trying to keep her anger under control, especially with Roland sitting next to her.
"Nothing, but, you know, you did curse me and the rest of the realm to a time-frozen, magic less land where we lived a completely different life," he drawled on, finishing his drink.
"Change the record, Grumpy, as if I haven't heard it a million times over," she said, rolling her eyes at the drunken dwarf.
"Whatever, sister. But you know, you're not the only one to have been brokenhearted in this town. The rest of us never took it out on anyone else," he said as he put his coat on and turned to leave the dinner "maybe it's time you started making up for that." He left, leaving Regina sat there with Roland, contemplating that very thought. It left a bad taste in her mouth. Maybe it was time she started making up for her behaviour, she would have thought saving a town from destruction was enough but apparently not. Maybe it was time to start making up for it on an individual level. Great, she thought.
Later that day, as she returned home from dinner with Roland in tow, she was greeted with a series of, "NO, no, no, how the…you cheated!" to "no I didn't, you just suck at this game," to multiple cheers and groaning all at once. Not again, she thought.
"I leave you for a few hours and you've resorted back to this mindless nonsense," she said as her cheerful way of 'hello' making her way into the living room and seeing both Henry and Robin on the couch, controllers in hand, both with a guilty look on their faces.
"You two are back early," said Robin, slowly placing the controller next to him.
Regina raised her eyebrows at him, "clearly," she remarked, before stepping further into the room, as Roland ran round and grabbed Robin's controller.
"Don't worry, Daddy, I'll beat him," he said as the two boys resumed the game, whilst Robin briefly looked over at his son, smiling.
As the two boys got lost in their game, Regina came over to stand behind Robin, placing her hands on his shoulders, leaning down to ask, "have a good day?"
He leaned his head back to smile back at her, "very much," he replied; before she leaned down to kiss him.
"Good, I'm glad to hear," she said as she resumed to her normal height, with a smile – although, for the first time in quite a while, it didn't quite reach her eyes.
Robin frowned as he turned his body to face her properly, "what's wrong?" he asked as she gestured to take the conversation to the kitchen. Getting up and ruffling both boys hair before he left, he followed out into the kitchen, gently shutting the door behind him, "what happened?"
"Nothing serious, just, whilst me and Roland were at the diner I got into a… conversation with Grumpy," Robin frowned, "the drunk dwarf," she clarified.
"Ah, got it, carry on," he said. He still wasn't quite up-to-date with all the names and faces in town but he was getting there.
"Anyway, he was drunk and going on about the curse as he usually does, but before he left he said something about making amends. I thought I'd done somewhat enough for the town, I mean, most people no longer look at me as if they want my head on a stick," she said frowning slightly, "but, I think there are some people that would like me to make amends to them as individuals. I just don't know how," she finished, fiddling with the ring on her finger, looing down.
Robin came over and pulled her into a hug, one that she greatly appreciated. It felt as though every time she ever got somewhere with the town there was always something else she had to do to prove herself. She was tired. "Don't worry, you'll work it out," he whispered into her ear as she nodded against his shoulder.
"You could always do something for them for Christmas," came a voice from the door way. Looking up, over Robin's shoulder she saw Henry grinning at her. She pulled out of the embrace to look at him properly.
"What?"
"Well, Christmas is the time of forgiveness, to give without expecting anything in return. You have magic as well, maybe you can give some people something they need, something that will make their lives better, make them happy, I don't know," he finished as he came further into the kitchen taking a seat by the island.
"He has a point, you know," said Robin, "maybe there is something you can do for these people that would make them truly see the kind of person you are, how much you've changed." She hesitated, thinking over in her head, it wasn't the worse idea she has ever heard.
"Hmmm, maybe you're right," she said, "Henry, go get you book," she told him with a smile. Time to make amends, she thought as Henry ran through the house.
"We'll call it your 12 Days of Redemption," said Robin, laughing lightly.
"Very funny," she deadpanned as Henry came flying through the door.
"What's funny?"
"Nothing," said Regina, simultaneously to Robin's "me". Henry looked at them with a confused look. "Robin just thinks he's funny."
"Huh?"
"Operation: 12 Day of Redemption," replied Robin as Henry laughed.
"That's good, I like it."
"Don't encourage him, dear."
* The first character she'll be making amends to will come up in the next chapter. As you may have guessed, there will be 12 characters/pairings in total. So, there will probably be around 14 chapters.