A/N: Hi all! This is a 5 to 1 trope that focuses on all the times Robin comforts/reassures Regina in various points of their relationship and the one time she reassures him. It's in chronological order, but jumps forward in time a bit with each snippet. Hope you love!
1.
It's inevitable that they talk about it.
Regardless of Regina's dancing around the subject, Leopold is bound to come up, and when he does at last, it's when Robin least expects it. They're in Regina's bed, kissing in a moment of passion, when Robin pulls back, a crooked grin on his face. "I bought a little something to make things more interesting."
Regina tilts her head in amusement, her dark hair spilling onto his shoulder. "Oh really?" she says, her voice an octave lower with lust.
Robin reaches over on the nightstand, grabbing the package he brought in with him earlier that morning. Regina, not knowing what to expect, watches as he opens the package with a devilish grin on her face.
He pulls out a pair of handcuffs, almost identical to the ones that police use. He grins at Regina wickedly, waiting for her reaction to their new toy, but he has no way of anticipating what her reaction will be.
She hyperventilates.
No. Not handcuffs. Not any type of restraint that will keep her from getting away if needed. That's what Leopold used to do, back when they were married and he wanted to have his way with her. All those times he used handcuffs, belts, whatever he could find to keep her tied to the bed and unable to fight him off. She jumps up from the bed, tears springing into her eyes, and her breath coming fast.
"Regina? Love? What is it?" Robin asks, jumping to his feet, and reaching for her. Regina backs away, her hands out to keep him at bay.
"Not those," she manages to choke out. "Please. It's what … it's what Leopold used to do when he wanted …"
Suddenly it clicks. Everything makes sense, and Robin realizes why Regina is panicking. He's always known her marriage to Leopold was not a happy one, but he never realized that it was abusive. He never knew, and he's suddenly kicking himself for not realizing it sooner and triggering her.
Robin, not knowing what else to do, reaches out to her slowly. He can tell that Regina is scared, and he doesn't want to alarm her further. "I'm sorry," he says. "I didn't know. You've never talked about it before, so I didn't ... " his voice trails off.
Regina knows she needs to talk to him about Leopold. He's been around much longer than any of her other partners, so she takes a deep breath and allows him to embrace her. She knows their relationship cannot progress further without him knowing the truth. He needs to know what broke her, what made her this way. She begins to talk, resting her head in the crook of his neck for strength.
All he can do is hold her close.
"It's a long story," she says quietly. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner. It's just … hard. I'll save you the gory details of it, but … I never wanted to marry him. Mother was insistent that it was the only way for me to become queen. He was so much older than me. I was barely seventeen, and Leopold was up in age at that point, already pushing fifty.
"Daniel was dead. Mother had already killed him, ripped his heart out and what felt like mine along with it. When I entered that loveless marriage, I ... thought it would be easy, that I would mostly be there as a prop to hang on Leopold's arm and be a mother for Snow. But it wasn't. He had expectations of me, and when I disobeyed … things got ugly.
"If he wanted his way with me, I was expected to lie there and let him do whatever he wanted. If I tried to fight him off, he would tie my arms and legs to the bed posts, making sure I couldn't get away if I struggled. Eventually I learned how to disassociate myself when it happened. But it took me years to get to that point, and I was tied up more often than not.
"He forbade me to leave the castle. I wasn't allowed to go out and ride Rocinante or take my art lessons anymore. My private tutor went away. Leopold didn't want to chance me running away or meeting another man away from the castle. Once, he caught me talking to one of the chefs, and he went crazy, thinking that I had feelings for him or that we were having an affair."
Regina's voice cuts off in a sob, and Robin pulls her closer, his hand in her hair. "Don't push yourself, love, you can tell me the rest when you're ready." He pauses to press a kiss to her forehead. "I'm so sorry this happened to you. "
Regina takes a shaky breath, forcing herself to continue. "When Leopold caught me in the kitchen talking, he grabbed me by my hair and forced me onto the floor. He pulled my dress over my head, and well … I'm sure you can figure out the rest. The chef just stood there, watching, not doing anything or trying to stop it. When he was done, Leopold slapped me, saying that I wasn't to talk to members of the opposite sex, unless it was him. He told them to handcuff me in my room for the rest of the night, and then he came up to have his way with me again."
Regina pulls back from Robin a little to see his face. "I'm sorry I panicked," she says. "It's just when certain things happen, even if I logically know that Leopold is dead, it takes me back. I relive it again."
They kiss, both of them crying. "You have nothing to apologize for, love," Robin says. "I didn't know it was a trigger for you. I promise I'll never bring those out again. I'll throw them away, burn them, whatever you want me to do with them."
Regina only nods. "Thank you," she says. "I know it's a bit much, but I just can't look at handcuffs without seeing his face."
He reaches for her hand. "It's alright," he says. "I understand. Things like that, traumatic things, can be scarring for life. No judgment."
Robin cups her face with one hand, feeling himself fall further in love with the woman in front of him. He wants nothing more than to protect her, to assuage her fears, to show her the way love and marriage is supposed to be.
"I'll never let anyone hurt you that way again," Robin says. "I promise."
2.
Regina runs a hand across her bulging stomach, smiling as the baby kicks and moves within her. She can't help but be thrilled over the pregnancy, as having a baby of her own is something she never dreamed possible for herself. She is supposed to be barren. Unable of creating another life. Yet, here she is, five months pregnant and welcoming a new baby into the world with Robin. It's exciting and certainly a happier ending than the former Evil Queen expected to receive.
But the thought of being a mother again terrifies her.
This time around will be different. Dr. Whale confirms it at the 20 week ultrasound. He asks the happy couple if they want to know the gender of their baby, and when Regina agrees, she thinks she knows the outcome. A little boy. One who will play with Roland and carry on the legacy of the Merry Men alongside his father and older brother someday.
She is wrong.
Dr. Whale zooms in at a certain angle, explaining that the hamburger like image on the screen is that of a little girl. "See the lines, there? That's how we can tell it's a she. Congratulations you two. It's a girl."
Regina and Robin share a kiss, both of them surprised at the turn of events. They expected a little boy, and this throws them for a loop. Suddenly Roland's old furniture and clothes won't do, the back bedroom will need repainted a shade of pink, and a new name selected.
A little girl changes everything.
After they leave the doctor's office, Regina is happy, but she can feel the tears building behind her eyes. She knows nothing about little girls. How to raise them, interact with them, parent them in effective ways. She only knows her mother. Cora, with all her toxicity and control, is the only model Regina has had, and she surely does not want to subject their little girl to that.
Robin is walking slightly ahead of her in the parking lot, talking a mile a minute about how happy he is and everything they need to get done. Whale has written Regina a prescription for anti-nausea medication, and Robin is saying that they will run by the pharmacy to get it before they go home. "So you can feel better, milady, alright? I can run in and get it for you while you wait in the truck."
Regina manages a small smile, putting her sunglasses on to hide her emotion as they make the drive across town. Robin holds her hand across the gearshift, bringing her knuckles to his lips occasionally to kiss. He's ecstatic.
They pull in at the pharmacy in a matter of minutes, as one of the perks of living in Storybrooke is all the businesses being so close together. As soon as Robin is out of the truck, Regina lets her insecurity seize her, and when she feels the tears falling down her cheeks, she makes no effort to stop or dry them. She sits in the passenger seat and continues to rub her bulging stomach, a smile ghosting her lips at the movement inside her, as she lets the mascara she so meticulously applied that morning leave tell-tale streaks in their wake. Her oversized sunglasses hide her red rimmed eyes. What if she isn't a good enough mother for their little girl? What if she turns into the controlling witch her own mother was?
Robin climbs in the truck, prescription in hand and fumbling with his seatbelt, but he stops cold when he hears Regina's sniffles. He turns to her, tossing the prescription aside, and takes her hands in his.
"What's wrong?" he asks, panic bubbling in his chest.
"...not good enough," Regina manages to sniffle. "For her … I don't know how to take care … of a little girl."
"What?" Robin says, surprised by her reaction. He's grown used to her hormonal outbursts, but this sudden change in her demeanor throws him. Just a half-hour ago Regina couldn't stop staring at the sonogram and smiling. It's a complete 180.
"I'm going to mess this up, Robin," Regina says, refusing to meet his eye. "She deserves so much more than someone like me."
Robin reaches out, pulling her sunglasses off so he can see her better. "Regina Mills, you are the best mother I know. You raised a wonderful son, and you've already been amazing at helping me with Roland." Robin pauses to place a hand on her belly. "What makes you think that this little lady will be any different?"
"She's a girl," Regina says, continuing to sniffle. "That makes it different. Girls are notoriously harder to raise. Most of them hate their mothers, but little boys are different, they almost always love their mothers. Look at me. I can't stand to be in the same room with my mother. Who's to say I won't turn out just like her? Controlling and so horrible that our baby won't even want to be around me?"
"Listen," Robin says, brushing the tears from her cheeks. "You're a great mother, and you're not a bloody thing like Cora. You care about your kids, you go the extra mile for them. When Roland wants to have the craziest get-up for the 100th day of school, you help him design the best costume in the class. If Henry needs help understanding Spanish conjugations, you sit and help him for hours until he understands it. You're nothing short of incredible, Regina, really. Cora never did that sort of thing or cared as much as you do. That's why our little girl will love you."
Robin stops, peering at Regina. Her tears have stopped falling, but she's still staring at her lap, not meeting his eye. He puts a finger under her chin, tilting her face into view. "Do you believe me?"
Regina looks up at him, into the blue irises of the man she loves so much, the one who gave her the precious gift that grows inside her, and she knows his words to be true. She is not doomed to repeat her mother's mistakes. She is her own person. She loves her children, prides herself on being the best mother she can be.
"Yes," she answers, her voice hoarse from crying. "I believe you."
3.
Regina turns to the side, groaning at the sight she sees in the mirror. Despite six weeks passing since she gave birth to Reagan, she still has weight around her middle, making it impossible to button her dress pants. It seems that her daily walks and yoga practice have not been enough to eliminate the extra pounds she gained from her pregnancy. She needs more exercise. She needs to run on a treadmill, take a spin class, something.
Whale still hasn't cleared her for that kind of exercise though. She's supposed to take it easy, focus on her healing until he gives her the go-ahead for resuming her normal activities and exercise habits. Regina, always the slim one with a fast metabolism, is having none of it though. She's tired of seeing the extra pounds on the scale. Her daughter is almost two months old, and she needs to shed the pregnancy weight and look like her old self again. Having a C-section not only left her with a scar that now adorns the lower half of her stomach, but it's also taking her longer to recover.
Regina groans again in exasperation, knowing that she'll have to change into yoga pants for her meeting later this afternoon. She still isn't able to fit into her pantsuits, and the thought of wearing her maternity clothes after having the baby makes her want to go to the gym that much more.
"Babe?" Robin says, walking in the room, Reagan in his arms. He must've heard her discomfort. "What's wrong?"
Regina blows her hair out of her face, hands perched on her hips. "I'm fat," she says.
Robin's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "No, you're not."
Regina huffs, snatching the yoga pants off the top of her dresser. "Yes, Robin, I am. You don't have to lie to make me feel better. I can't even button my pants, so I'm stuck wearing leggings from now until the end of time."
"You've just had a baby, love," he says. "No one is expecting you to be back in pantsuits. You look fine, and you're certainly not overweight."
Despite her best efforts, Regina's chin trembles. "I just … I want to feel normal. I want to look like myself and wear my old clothes and go to the gym again."
"You will," he reassures her. "Your body will go back to normal. These things, they just take time. You can't expect to lose the weight overnight, and you have to let the stitches heal properly. Wearing tight pants and exercising might rip the incision back open."
Regina looks at the yoga pants in her hand and back up at him. If it wasn't for the stretchy material, she wouldn't even be able to wear them. "So you don't mind?" she says incredulously. "That I'm heavier now than I was before?"
"Of course not," he says, locking eyes with her. "I find you just as attractive as the day we met. A few extra pounds doesn't change my feelings for you."
He reaches for her hand, bringing her closer to him and Reagan. "Besides, we wouldn't have this little one without those few extra pounds, would we?"
Regina's expression softens at the sight of her daughter. Reagan is just waking up, gazing up in the direction of her mother's voice. Regina feels her heart melt, and Robin hands Reagan over, knowing she is just what Regina needs to feel better.
4.
Regina buries her face in her hands, sighing heavily. It is not the stack of papers covering her desk that is stressing her to a breaking point. It's one of her children who have sent her anxiety soaring through the roof.
Henry and his girlfriend Ella are getting married.
Regina should be happy for them. Thrilled. Instead, the news is upsetting for her. Henry is twenty, and he's only in his sophomore year at Penn State. He's much too young to be committing himself to one person in such a way, and Regina isn't afraid to tell him so. She simply cannot fathom Henry wanting to settle down so young. Why on earth is her little prince in such a rush to grow up? Doesn't he realize the level of commitment that a marriage will require from him, especially in regards to his spare time? He won't be able to jet home for a weekend as often, and when he does come home for holidays, he'll have Ella in tow with him.
Growling, she knocks the papers off her desk, watching as they scatter in every direction. It's already becoming a rarity for Henry to come home on weekends and breaks, but now his visits may become non-existent. Grabbing the paperweight from her desk, she flings it against the wall, her satisfaction immediate when the glass shatters into a thousand pieces. Oh well. She'll worry about cleaning the glass up later.
Robin pauses in the threshold to her office, eyebrows raised at her erratic behavior. He's come looking for her, knowing that her office is her escape when she's angry. "You're upset," he states.
Regina scoffs. "That's the understatement of the year."
"Regina, I know the news is upsetting for you, but Henry and Ella want your support. You should come back home, talk things over with them."
Regina rolls her eyes, huffing as she stalks across the room. She pours herself a drink. "I can't believe he wants to marry this girl," she says. "He's twenty! He can't possibly know if he's in love or if she's the one he wants to spend forever with."
"They've been together over a year," Robin points out. "They already live together, and you've had no problem with all of that. What difference does it make now if Ella has a ring on her finger?"
Regina chugs her drink. "Let me guess. You completely support them wanting to get married?"
"Well, yes," Robin says. "Henry and Ella seem happy. That and I seem to recall a certain someone wanting to run off and marry a stable boy when she was a few years younger than Henry even. They hadn't even been together near as long."
Regina glares at him, eyes blazing with a fire that would make most run for the hills. Not Robin though. He stands his ground, not breaking eye contact.
"That was both a different realm and time -" she starts, but Robin overpowers her.
"Yes, it was, but Henry's got a good head on his shoulders. If he asked the girl to marry him, then he really loves her. We should be happy for them."
Regina walks past her husband, placing her glass on her desk and stooping to pick up some of the fallen papers. "Well, I'm not happy."
"Unless this is about something else?" Robin presses. "Is there anything else about Henry getting married that's bothering you?"
Regina tucks her hair behind her ear, continuing to pick up the scattered documents. "No, not aside from the fact that he's much too young to be doing so. He's still a kid, for Pete's sake. He needs to enjoy his time in college, finish his degree, get a career. Then if Ella's still around, they could get married then."
"Oh," Robin says, leaning against the desk. "So it's not that you're afraid of losing him? Your reaction to their engagement is exactly how you reacted to his decision to go to Penn State. You thought his living so far away would make him need you less."
Regina whips toward him, anger swelling in the pit of her stomach at his bluntness. Robin has no idea what he's talking about, or how Henry's decision to marry Ella makes her feel.
But he does.
Damn Robin for knowing her so well, for knowing when she's lying and attempting to disguise her hurt as anger. Because, yes, she's terrified she'll lose Henry with Ella in the picture and that his marriage will change their mother-son dynamic.
Regina hangs her head. "He won't need me anymore," she says quietly. "Once he's married, that will be it. My little boy will be completely grown up, on his own, a full-fledged adult. He won't call to ask me all those silly questions I used to tease him over, whether the machines at the laundromat work the same as the ones at home, or if you need to clean your oven. He'll have Ella to answer all his questions. A new woman to take care of him when he needs it."
Grateful for her honesty, Robin pulls Regina in his arms, embracing her. "Love, I promise you that Henry will still need you, regardless of whether he's married or not. He's young. He still needs guidance, and you have to remember that Ella is the same age. They both have limited life experience. They'll still need their parents for a while yet."
She takes a shaky breath. "Be honest. How often did you visit your parents when you were twenty?"
He rubs her shoulder. "Not very often," he admits. "Definitely not as often as I should have, but Henry is different. Even if he doesn't visit or call, he always texts you, doesn't he? Plus there's all these modern advances to keep you guys connected. Skype and Facetime."
Regina pulls away a little, reaching for his hands. "You think he'll still call me from Pennsylvania then?"
Robin gives her a small smile, knowing Henry and the love he has for his mother. "I know so, love," he says. "Believe me. You have nothing to worry about."
5.
Regina rushes through the hospital corridor, heart racing, fear pushing her to a near sprint as she hurries toward the emergency room. Robin is there. He's in one of the rooms, bleeding and injured and possibly worse, and she has to find him. Make sure he's alright.
The paramedics assured her on the phone that Robin only sustained minor injuries, but Regina won't believe it until she sees him. Her heart is thumping so loud that she can hear it in her ears, and she wonders if she might faint. How could he be so stupid? Robin gravely put himself in danger against the latest Storybrooke evil, and she's pissed at him for it. She knows he's a hero, that he fights with his men no matter the circumstance or danger, but it doesn't change her irritation at him for putting his life on the line. They have a family he needs to think of, after all. What would she do if he had perished? What about their children - Henry, Roland, and Reagan? They would be lost without Robin, and he should know it.
She turns the final corner, finding Whale standing right outside Robin's door. He looks up at the incessant click clack of Regina's heels, obviously expecting her.
"He's doing okay," Whale says when she's close. "The wraith knocked him out, and he sustained a concussion and some lacerations, but he's strong. He's a fighter. He's ready to see you when you're ready."
Regina nods, pushing past Whale. She steps into the room, walking past the curtain … only to find Robin in bed, covered by a sheet.
She breathes in sharply, feeling as though a knife twists in her chest, stabbing her in the heart. But Whale said that he was fine, that he was doing okay! Has Robin flatlined while Whale is in the hallway, waiting for her and reading his chart?
Tears fill her eyes, and just as she's about to scream for Whale, the sheet begins to shake with laughter.
"Robin!" she cries, hurrying over to him just as he pulls the sheet away, revealing his smiling face. "Why on earth would you do that? I thought you were dead!"
"Love, I'm completely fine, you heard the doctor," Robin says, struggling to sit up. Regina helps him. "I hit my head, but I'm fine now. Just a few scrapes and bruises, nothing to worry over. My men helped me, got rid of that bloody wraith once and for all."
The stress hits her all at once, and she's crying. Literally sobbing over her fear of losing him, of how things could've gone so wrong. "Oh, Robin," she says, sniffling. "I thought … I thought I'd lost you. And the kids … what we would do without you? If you were hurt or … Her voice trails off, and she can't bring herself to say killed.
Robin, realizing his joke went too far, reaches out for her. He pulls her close until she's sitting beside him on the bed, her head resting against his shoulder, her tears dampening his hospital gown. "I'm sorry, love. That was stupid of me. I should've known better than to make light of this when you were already under stress. I just wanted to lighten the tension, make you realize it's not that bad, that I'm alright."
Regina pulls back and smacks him on the arm. "I know you're hurt, but you deserved that," she says, placing her head back on his shoulder. "Asshole."
He laughs a little, and before she even says it, he replies: "I know, I know. I'll be more careful from now on, and I'll stay away from the more dangerous missions. My men can handle it, but I need to step back. You and the kids come first."
Regina looks up at him with a watery smile. "Really?"
"Yes," Robin says, brushing away a tear on her cheek. "I can't stand seeing you so upset and distraught like this, and if my lack of involvement will make you feel better, then so be it. I'm a husband and father first."
Regina presses her lips to his, her gratitude at his decision obvious in the passion they share.
6.
It's Roland's graduation day. Regina and Robin are sitting in folding chairs in the school auditorium, waiting for their son's name to be called, signaling the end to his years in high school. No longer will he walk the halls of Storybrooke High, play the drums in the school marching band, or struggle not to fall asleep in history class. This chapter in Roland Locksley's life is over. Done with. He's moving forward to bigger things, becoming an adult.
In the fall, he'll be heading to Columbia University in New York to study film. He'll be hours away from Storybrooke and his family, which is something that makes Robin's eyes mist over when he thinks about it too long. His son, the little boy with dimples and big brown eyes, has transformed into a man.
Robin can't believe it.
He is seated between Regina and their daughter Reagan. Reagan is busy snapchatting her friends about how boring the ceremony is, using all the crazy filters in the app to take selfies.
Seeing his daughter is distracted, Robin leans over. "Gina, do you think …" he clears his throat before continuing. "Do you think that we did a good job? Raising him?"
Regina looks at him in surprise, as Robin is not someone who seeks reassurance often. In fact, the tables are often reversed between them, with Regina being the one that Robin is comforting. Is it odd to see him in such a vulnerable light. His blue eyes search her brown for the answer he seeks, the one he needs to assuage his fears.
She squeezes his knee. "Of course," she says. "Look at how much he's accomplished. Graduating with honors and heading to that school in New York. I'd say we did an incredible job."
Robin nods once, his lips pulling into a small smile at her reassurance. He turns back to the stage, just in time to hear Roland's name and watch the teen make his way across the stage to accept his diploma. No longer is he the little boy playing with stuffed monkeys and begging to go get ice cream. He's grown up. He's become a man, and when Robin looks over to see the same pride reflecting in Regina's eyes, he knows she is right.
They did an incredible job raising Roland.