This is my contribution to celebrate OQPrincessWeek
This story has a Prologue (that took all my free time this week) and hopefully will settle the basis for the actual prompts
***Warning***
This story has minor suggestive adult themes
This story is unbetaed
English is not my first language
Her heart broke; the sight in front of her was the cause. Robin holding her dead wife and his son in his arms was all she needed to give up the hope of a happy ending with him, he now had a real second chance with the woman he loved and their beautiful son. Who in their right mind was going to choose her and give that up? No one, she wasn't that worth it. With a last look at Miss Swan she turned and left the place.
What she didn't expect was for Miss Swan following her with an "I didn't know" on her lips
"Of course you didn't Miss Swan, you had to fulfill that insatiable need to play hero and now I'm the one suffering the consequences of your actions but don't worry everything is just fine because you reunited a family, you brought happiness and joy to them and forever you will have their gratitude. What I lost today only matters to me, only affects me and it doesn't matter because I need to pay forever for all the mistakes I made. I just need to set up my mind and accept it"
Emma was taken aback, it wasn't her intention to interfere in Regina's life "Regina I won't apologize for saving a life but I..."
Regina cut her off "Of course you will not, you did something good, you're a hero you will never save a life and apologize for it later. I'm pretty damn familiar with the fact of my life getting screwed up and have to learn to live with it. All I ask is for you to stay away, for you to stay out of my life Miss Swan, for you to mind your own business. You have done enough!"
"Regina I saved her from you maybe now..."
"Maybe now what? Now you want me to thank you? Now I have to give you peace of mind?... Fine Miss Swan, thank you, thank you so much for reminding me that I don't get to be happy because all I deserve is to be alone and miserable, that it doesn't matter how hard I try I'll never get redemption for my past mistakes, that I don't even deserve a glimpse at happiness without you or your family taking it away from me. There, go away with your clean conscious Miss Swan now you can have a nice and happy life"
Regina turned to walk away when she heard Emma talking again "What about Henry? You're his mother, are you going to leave him?"
Regina just stopped her steps and answered "Hmm. Where was that concern a few hours ago? Nice played Miss Swan, you didn't take him back to New York but you may take him away from me anyway, as soon as you tell him about your heroic feat, he'll be the one staying away from me... He's happy with his real family and all I want is his happiness. Maybe is for the best, my soul is doomed, the last thing he needs is to be near me" with that she poofed herself home.
.OQPW.
As soon as Regina left, a frantic Robin got out of Granny's and behind him Henry, Hook and the Charmings. Robin left Roland with Little John and Marian with Granny, she was supposed to get her a room and help her to settle and rest for the night, in the morning they would have a much needed talk.
"Where's Regina?" He asked visibly trying to control himself. Marian already told him the short version of how she got alive to Storybrooke.
Emma swallowed hard still in shock by Regina's words, taking a deep breath to try and steady herself she answered that she wasn't sure, maybe at home.
"I cannot believe you did this" Henry started to run and when Emma made the first move to go after him Robin stopped her "You're not going anywhere near that house Emma"
"That's my son! Are you going to judge me? I saved your wife's life, the mother of your child, you should be thanking me, what the hell is wrong with you?"
Robin took a deep breath clearly upset and trying his best to control himself "That's her son a lot more than he is yours. You don't have a single idea of what you did Miss Swan, the mess you created, actions have consequences and you need to learn to deal with it, you didn't save Marian from Regina, I did it, I did that back in the past, I saved Marian from Regina's knights, I stopped her execution, Marian's death had nothing to do with Regina, but today your heroic actions may put my son's life in jeopardy" at that Emma was speechless, her eyes full of tears and Robin continued "Marian gave up her life willingly to save Roland's, when she was pregnant with him she got sick and I used magic to save her life, magic always comes with a price and after his birth Roland was the one going to pay it, behind my back she made the deal. Now thanks to you the price wasn't paid. I want you away from all of us and yes that includes Regina"
Emma was sobbing "Robin I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention to..."
"To what Emma? You're reckless, an I'm sorry doesn't fix anything. You screw up my life and others in the process. You even played with your parents past. And let me remind you of something more Miss Swan, the wonderful son you have today was raised by Regina, you owe her that much, she gave him what you didn't, all of her love and a home, she's his mother whether all of you want to accept it or not"
"She doesn't want Henry near her"
"He's safe with her, there's no safer place for him than by her side but you, you should go and pray because I swear Miss Swan if something happens to my son or Regina you will have no place to hide"
.OQPW.
He ran towards the mansion, he needed to see her, to explain some things to her. When he got there he found a crying boy standing on the sidewalk with his gaze directed to an empty space.
"Henry?... What the hell...?"
"She put a spell, she's in there, I know she is Robin and I will not move until she lets me in"
Robin sighed and started to talk aloud, he knew she would be listening, Henry was there alone before his arrival and she would never leave him unattended.
"Regina!... Regina let us in!... Regina, please, we are not going anywhere until you do!"
"Mom, please!" Henry followed "I beg you!"
They waited and waited, calling her, standing right there but nothing happened. After an hour Henry was freezing, the temperature was too low and the boy wasn't prepared. Not for the first time Robin tried to talk some sense with him but the boy in his arms was reluctant.
She couldn't take it anymore, she couldn't see her little prince like that, she should have known that they were not going to go but she had hoped so. She finally lifted the spell and opened the door.
Henry ran to her, circling his arms around her waist hugging her as much as he could.
Robin was standing in front of them watching her holding her son against her, tears running down her cheeks, he could see her red eyes and pain written all over her face. She didn't give him a look until she spoke.
"You need to go... Both of you"
A firm NO was heard coming out of Henry, he lifted his head a little exclaiming that he was not going to leave her alone.
"Regina I know right now the last thing you need is to talk about what happened but it's important that you hear me out, this can't wait"
She cleaned her tears and let them in. "Henry go get ready for bed, it's too late for you to still be up"
He nodded "I'll wait for you in your room" and with that he left them.
Regina was containing her tears, the pain was consuming her and his heart broke. In a swift movement he brought her to him, holding her impossible close to his chest. She let her tears fall from her eyes. He kissed the top of her head not wanting to let her go... Never.
"Regina you need to hear me out"
She knew what was coming, reproaches and complaints about her killing his wife, if only she could stop time and be able to remain in his arms.
She took a step back, feeling the void of his arms around her. She walked to the kitchen and busied herself with tea. Robin waited for her to finish and signaled her to take a sit in front of him.
"Regina please look at me" once she did he said "I don't want to pretend I know what you're going through because I'm not but be sure that I have a pretty clear idea, that's why I'm here right now, I couldn't wait until tomorrow or another moment to tell you this" he took a deep breath "You didn't kill Marian, you're not responsible for her death, I saved her from your knights before her execution"
She was startled, to say the least. She didn't blink while tears left her eyes, she wasn't breathing either and color left her face, her eyes were looking into his trying to find the lie waiting for his soul to tell her the truth. His hands were holding hers and he got closer to her and leaned his forehead against hers "You're innocent My Love, you didn't do it" She closed her eyes and more tears came down, the weight that left her soul was so big that she felt a physical weakness. All strength left her body so he took her in his arms, carrying her to her room.
Once there he found the boy curled in her bed, exhaustion definitely took him over. He put her down beside him and tucked them in, a deep sigh leaving her lips, kissing her forehead he whispered that they needed some more talk.
Now that mother and son were sleeping he left her house and headed to his camp, to his son.
.OQPW.
The next morning Henry woke up and found his mom still asleep. He watched her, he could see the pain reflected in her features, her swollen eyes and the trail that the now dry tears left over her face. His heart broke, he had never seen her like this. "I love you mommy". He got up and headed to the kitchen, some hot cocoa was in order to lift her spirit and fill her stomach, he knew she wouldn't want to eat anything but she will have to amuse him with this.
He picked up the tray and when he turned he found her standing there, looking at him and leaning against the door frame. She had cleaned her face and changed her clothes, he had never look at her in skinny jeans and a knit sweater, even less with a pony tail, it suits her. He smiled at her "I was on my way to bring you some breakfast to bed, if you don't want the sandwich I can order something else at Granny's"
She walked towards him and kissed his forehead "Thank you sweetheart... I'm not really hungry but I'll try some of that chocolate"
They remained in silence, Henry didn't want to push her and she didn't want to upset him but things needed to be done "I called your grandma"
Henry swallowed hard he knew where this was going "I'm not leaving"
"Henry you need to go home, right now I'm not..."
That upset him "I said I'm not leaving mom, right now this is the place I need to be, you need me, this is my home and I have a room to prove it to you" with that he got up and took care of the dishes and cups while she answered the door.
Once she opened it, she found a conflicted Mary Margaret standing there "I came as sooner as I could"
"He doesn't want to listen to me and I don't want Emma to come in here claiming her rights as his real mother, talk to him and make him go with you"
"Regina she's not going..."
"She had done it before, so do you and that husband of yours"
"Those were other times Regina, very different circumstances..."
"Really? That's new, last time I checked I still was the Evil Queen, people needed to be rescued from me and I needed to be grateful when once again my life was destroyed. Where's the difference?"
A few tears were falling down Mary Margaret's cheeks "things aren't like that anymore Regina, you changed, you grew, anyone can tell. I can't force Henry to come with me and I'm sorry but I agree with him staying with you, he's the only person you will let stay by your side, he will prevent you from falling apart and I will not take that away from you. I know you won't believe me if I tell you how sorry I am about this mess but I am Regina and I will be here if you need me"
Regina was astonished by her words and she found it hard to talk without letting the tears she was holding from fall but she managed "I need to go to the station, can you make sure that the town hero won't be there?"
Mary Margaret knew better than talk about Emma's emotional state so she limited herself to reassure her "Emma won't be there I promise"
.OQPW.
Robin arrived to Granny's early morning, he couldn't let Marian remain in the dark with the whole out of the ordinary situation. After explaining everything to her she was disconsolately. She was reunited with her family just to lose them again.
"I'm so sorry Marian I wish... I wish there was some other way to avoid you this pain"
She shook her head "All that matters right now is to be sure that Roland will be safe"
He stood up "I don't even know where to begin to make sure of that"
"There's one. You need to talk to her, she can help you... Us... if she wants"
How can he ask Regina for help when she herself was so wound?
"You don't think she will help?... I thought she had changed you said so yourself"
"She did Marian, she's not the woman you knew. It's just that... This situation has hurt her too"
"What? Why?" In that instant she figured it out the rest of the story "Were you... Were you two together? You let my son near her?"
"She saved Roland's life a year ago without even knowing him, so yes I let him be near her because she didn't give me any reason to not do so. She's a wonderful mother Marian. We started to see each other recently, I..."
"Robin, are you in love with her?" She had to ask, tears were pricking her eyes, she knew the answer but she needed to hear it from him
He couldn't lie to her, she deserved the truth "Yes Marian, I am" he wasn't going to mortify her with details but he needed to be honest with her and himself.
"Does she reciprocate the feeling?"
A tear rolled down his cheek "As I told you before we just started to see each other, she haven't said that to me but I believe so" he was hurting her, he didn't want to but facts needed to be addressed in order to get things done the right way.
"Then she will help"
.OQPW.
Regina arrived to the station founding David trying to convince Zelena to get something to eat. He didn't have to, after all Zelena did, she didn't deserve the attention.
He gave up after not getting any response from her.
When he turned, he found Henry and an unrecognizable Regina standing there.
"Still haven't incinerated anyone so don't bother to ask" Regina blurted out at him.
"I wasn't going to... Never mind. What can I do for you Regina?
"I came to talk to my sister so if you can take Henry for ice cream it will be nice"
"Nice try mom, the only way I'll get out of here is with you"
"Henry, I will be here when you come back"
He looked intently at her. "Fine! I'll be back soon. I love you mom"
"Love you too sweetheart"
As soon as they were out of the office Regina approached Zelena's cell "Have you thought about the deal I offered?"
"You look like crap sis, a truck hit you?"
"You have no idea. It will please you till no end but that's a story for another day. Answer me or I'll be gone and I will let the justice system to take it's course, sis"
"You didn't offer anything in particular, you said you will give me a second chance but what's that exactly? Do I have to follow you like a puppy everywhere you go, talk when you order me to and answer every question with a yes master for the rest of my life or I'll actually have a chance to live a life of my own?"
"That will depend on you and only you Zelena, your magic will be restricted by the bracelet while we stay here and you'll live in my house. You have to find a way to support yourself and prove that you're trustworthy if you want to get rid of me"
"What do you mean with while we stay here? Will we be going somewhere?"
"Great, you're actually paying attention, that's a good start" after a long pause that Regina used to calm herself she continued "We will cross the town line. It will be a second chance for us both, we will have to start anew in a place where no one knows us, our past or where we come from. Are you in?"
"You and me? No little brat? What about your thief and his son? Are you expecting me to believe this crap? I know you won't let them here Regina. What is the real plan, to dump me in the town line so I can't bother you again?"
She felt the knife in her heart just by his mention "He's not my... thief or anything. And no Henry will not come he will never leave his real family for me, besides if I take him I will have to deal with Emma and the Charmings and that's what I'm trying to prevent"
"So you had a little fight with your boy toy and now you want to run away? It had to be something big for you to want to leave the town and your son"
Zelena was getting to her nerves and she wasn't in the mood "That's the offer Zelena, it's your choice"
"So little sis, let me see if I got this very clear, you are offering me a whole new life, in a whole new place, just the two of us. We will leave this town, your son, your thief and all the people you know and knows you... forever. No tricks"
With a sigh and a defeated voice she answered "No tricks"
While Regina saw the growing smile in Zelena's face she could hear the gasps behind her.
"Oops" was all Zelena said
"You can't be serious Regina, you can't leave the town"
"Mind your own business David, you don't have a say in the matter anyway"
"You're my grandson's mother I believe I do"
"You're a meddler, I'm not your daughter and don't pretend to care for me when we both know that you don't"
"Regina that's insane. What are you trying to accomplish with this madness?"
"I don't owe you anything David!"
"What about me? I'm your son!... Why you want to leave me?"
"Henry... Sweetheart... I need to go away if I want to find some peace, I need to find a way to get on my feet and I will never get that in this town. It's impossible, I'll always be The Evil Queen in this place. As you can see I need distance from your family, it'll be better for all of us"
"Mom, please don't, we are family, all of us I now that right now things are complicated but it will get better you'll see, you need to have faith and believe. Believe in me, please don't go, don't do this to me"
"I don't have it in me anymore Henry, hope or faith aren't within my reach... I'm tired and maybe this could be the only way to find some"
"Give me some time, please mom. If things don't get any better I'll let you go"
Tears were falling down her cheeks "I'm sorry honey, I really do, I tried so hard for you and for me. I let myself believe but one more time it wasn't meant to be. This is the only way I can deal with it, I don't have the strength to fight my past anymore"
"No! You have to stay I won't let you go, you will be happy here" with that Henry ran away
"Henry!" She ran behind him but he was faster and once in the street she couldn't tell which way he went.
.OQPW.
Henry arrived at Granny's asking for Robin, he didn't know if he was going to find him there but that was the first place that came into his mind. Fortunately he was right.
"Henry? What's going on? are you okay? Where's Regina? Is she okay?"
"No, nothing is okay. I'm losing my mom"
"Henry what are you talking about? where is Regina?
"Do you love her? Please Robin I need to know do you love my mom?"
Robin was confuse, what the hell was happening? He closed his eyes to get some focus and answer the question "Yes Henry I love your mother"
Henry hugged him "You have to help me Robin, she's leaving town, she wants to cross the town line and leave us all behind"
Robin's heart was racing, he couldn't believe it, he couldn't let her go "Where's she?"
"I don't know, I ran away from the sheriff station, probably she's trying to find me. I can call her"
"Yes, do that; tell her you'll see her at home"
.OQPW.
It was the middle of the afternoon when Robin and Henry arrived to the mansion. The front door was open and they found a nervous Regina pacing the foyer.
"Henry!" She ran to him as soon as they crossed the threshold "You need to stop doing this"
"I'm sorry mom, but you didn't want to give me time so I needed to act immediately"
"Henry what are you talking about?"
"You two need to talk and you have to do it now, I'll be in my room and Robin" he looked intently at him "You can't go without fixing this"
Robin nodded at him. When Henry started to climb the stairs Robin turned towards Regina "We need to talk"
Regina cross her arms, she wasn't ready for this, not again. She can't have him this near, it hurts so much to not be able to hug him or better yet to be held by him when her body is craving for it.
She took a deep breath "Thank you... For bringing him home and... I also wanted to thank you for last night... For letting me know that it wasn't me who... You know"
"Regina I told you not once but twice that Marian's death was my fault. Can you please listen when I talk to you? I knew you let yourself believe it was your fault when I couldn't find you at Granny's so I needed to let you know that it wasn't. Regina last night that was all I could tell you but there's more that needs to be said"
"It's okay Robin I understand, you don't have to explain anything to me, your wife is back, she's the mother of your child, you now have a real second chance with the woman you truly love. Me more than anyone understands the meaning of that, the value of an opportunity like that"
She walked to him closing the space between them and looking into his eyes, she brought her right hand to the left side of his face caressing his cheek with her thumb and whispered "I really wish you happiness Robin, you deserve it"
He bowed his head so his forehead rested against hers and circled her waist with his left arm his right hand came to her face cleaning the single tear that left her eye. She closed her eyes, her heart was broking again, it was so hard for her to let him go when every fiber of her body was screaming to love him, to hold on to him, to never let him go. But he wasn't hers, she couldn't keep him. How she was supposed to live without him when he's the air she needs to breath?
Robin held her "Regina I need you to listen to me?" He felt her nod "I do hope to have a second chance at love with the woman I love... But to achieve it I need that said woman stops hiding and running away from me"
She shook her head and brought her left hand over his right intertwining their fingers "What?"
"Is you Regina, the woman I want by my side is you, I can only be happy with you next to me every day and every step of the way. My day starts and finish with you in my mind and in my heart" he closed the gaps between them and kissed her.
Slowly they grew apart but both of them remained with their eyes closed "Promise me that you'll stay with me"
She opened her eyes and found his looking intently at hers.
"Robin, this... Us... Can't be, it's wrong. You need to stay away from me, to forget about me, your wife is back, you have a wonderful opportunity to be happy with your family and you'll be better with her, both of you, you'll see"
"Stop it Regina. You don't get to tell me who should I stay with, my heart and my soul are yours, I'm following them because they know best. Can you, for once, listen to yours too? Why are you fighting this?"
"Because I'm certain this will end badly. Sooner than later you'll realize what a big mistake you made and then I will not be able to recover... ever again"
"Nonsense Regina, don't listen to your brain, let your mind take a break. Listen to your heart, feel your soul, what are they telling you?"
After a long pause she whispered with a trembling voice "I'm too scared to listen to them"
"Then listen to me, put your doubts far away and believe in my words... I. Choose. You!... I'll always choose you because I love you... I am in love with you"
Tears were falling free down her cheeks and he kissed them away. She could feel it, the love, but it was something she wasn't familiar with and it didn't help that doubts and fears were there, front row.
"Robin I... I" She hesitated.
He gave her a quick peck on her lips "It's okay My Love, I can wait until you're ready, until you let yourself to believe it. I'll be here to reassure you until the day you get tire and believe it and you send your doubts and fears some place they no longer exist"
This time she kissed him, she needed to be sure this wasn't a dream. He chuckled and held her strongly against him.
"What?" She asked.
"I'm just recounting everything that happened to us in the last day and a half and it looks so unbelievable crazy"
"Hm. Let's see, we... had sex"
"No, we made love!" he corrected her
"Fine Mr technicality, we... made love" he kissed her and she continued "We spent a wonderful afternoon with Roland"
"Who now loves you more than me thanks to ice cream"
She chuckled
"There it is, there's that elusive but satisfying smile I think about every time I close my eyes"
"Shut up" her smile faded away "Then... Wonder Emma had to play God deciding who gets to live and who gets her life screw up"
"She created a big mess and you didn't help by secluding yourself from us and deciding that the best idea was to run away"
"I was trying to do the right thing Robin. I couldn't stay here watching you with her, so near and so far at the same time. I needed to put distance and give you space and get some for myself. Besides, as long as the Charmings are near I'll never be happy"
"You had to talk to me, for good or bad, but talk to me first of all"
"Well I was rooting for the bad, I was already living a living hell and the last thing I needed was you coming in here to tell me how nice it was meeting me but now that you had your wife back I had to understand that everything between us was over because your family comes first. I wanted to avoid me more pain"
He sighed "I know sweetheart, I understand it. Just, promise me that you'll never do that again, no matter what, you will not hide or run away from me. I cannot live without you"
She kissed him again sealing her promise "Neither do I" she peck his lips once more and took a deep breath "How... How is she doing?"
Now his features were showing a sadness that wasn't there and he started to move his thumb over the side of her face, a soothing gesture, definitely more for him than for her "I talked to her this morning, she knows everything, what happened back then, how and why she really died and she knows about you, about us and my feelings towards you. It was really hard for me to tell her but I know that it was a lot harder for her"
He filled her in with the story about her death and their current concern about Roland's safety.
"I don't know what to do Regina, I'm so scared of losing my son"
She put her arms around his neck, bringing him down to her in a tight comforting hug "I have no idea about how it plays out, as long as I know no one ever succeed time traveling and even less coming back from death, well she didn't but for us she did. It could go many ways and only time will tell"
"I can't seat and wait"
"We will do everything we can but there's not much to it as I told you this is an uncommon situation, probably this is the only time that something alike happened. We'll talk to Gold, maybe he knows something"
"I went to his shop, he's not there. Apparently he got married last night and they are out of town or really well hide"
She sighed "Ok then, in the meantime let's take Roland and Marian to the Hospital, Dr Whale will run some tests on both of them that will settle a base in case their health starts to decrease. There's nothing else we can do right now. Except for one more thing..."
"What?"
"That nonsense about Marian not wanting to see her son because she may die has to stop. She doesn't know how long she's gonna live, I get that, but that's the same situation for everyone else. She has a unique opportunity to meet her son and is stupid to throw it away"
He hummed his agreement and gave her a big meaningful kiss that left her without words "You're amazing My Love and you make me fall for you every single day" he distracted her with another kiss while he slipped his hands in the back pockets of her jeans "Did I mention how amazingly good you look in this outfit?"
She chuckled "These old rags? No, you didn't but glad to know, I guess"
"Hmm, how rude of me..." Looking into her eyes he continued "Stunning in every way"
"You can't be serious I'm not even wearing any makeup and my eyes are swollen"
"OH, but I'm very serious, this way I can kiss you all I want without worrying"
They laughed and he removed his hands from her jeans before calling out for Henry.
He came down immediately "Is it fixed? You're not going to leave, right?"
She hugged him tight "No sweetie, I'm not leaving Storybrooke but right now we're leaving the house. Granny will take care of you for a few hours or you can call your grandparents to pick you up"
"Why? What's going on? Where are you going? What aren't you telling me?"
"Why can't you do what is asked of you without so many questions?"
"Because I know when you're hiding things from me and sooner or later I'll find out"
She sighed, he was right "Just. Let's go"
.OQPW.
It has been almost six weeks after that day and things have been running smoothly. Sort of. Zelena accepted Regina's offer, she was living in the mansion with her and Henry. They fight all the time but Regina soon understood that it was their way to bonding so she let them be. She still calls him little brat and he calls her auntie Zelena every two seconds because he knows how much she hates it and even more after Roland began to call her like that too, since then she calls the kid little monkey, hopefully because of his toy. Regina reinforced the spell on her bracelet before taking her out of the station. She's the only one with the power to remove it and if she cuts her hand off, she will lose her hand and her magic. Zelena wasn't too please with that but she was dealing with it. Of course, the sweet reminder of Regina's white and dark magic didn't leave her much of a choice. Now she's working at the Hospital, her knowledge as a midwife is shockingly appreciated and at the same time she's taking some courses in the ob-gyn field.
Marian is still alive, adapting fast to this world, bonding with Roland and working with Granny in the diner's kitchen. She's a good learner and likes to cook, Granny is happy with her so that says a lot. She's some therapy sessions with Archie each week to help her deal with her emotional ordeal. Marian and Regina are getting along, besides their weird situation, they are doing their best for Robin and Roland and they even discovered that it is not too hard. Regina has a theory about Marian's situation that is running in her head, she has not talked about it with Robin because she doesn't want to give them false hopes, only time will prove if she is right. Belle is helping researching in every book available and Gold sometimes helps her, the subject too interesting to let it pass, sometimes that scares Regina, she knows him and she knows his interest isn't for Marian at all, the mind of the little imp is scheming something for sure.
Henry is mostly staying with Regina and visiting Emma and his grandparents almost on daily basis, he had spent a few nights at the loft but not in a row and no more than two, each week.
Roland started kindergarten three weeks ago. He's excited because he's learning new things and has new friends.
For his father, it wasn't that easy and maybe, just maybe, Regina found herself performing some enjoyable techniques to help him relax and be a little more receptive about the whole idea. Robin and Regina's relationship is stronger than ever, they have succeeded surviving the whole mess and they feel good about it. She haven't said those words to him yet, not exactly, but she's more than ready now, he on the other hand says them to her every single day. Over the last month he has been working in the animal shelter, Regina thought it was a great idea, that way the kids gets to take care of the pets once in a while and stops asking for one to themselves. Meanwhile, Regina accepted Mary Margaret's offer of being part of the town's council, they constantly meet to discuss town affairs but under no circumstances personal issues. Unless is Henry.
.OQPW.
Tonight was one of those perfect nights for Robin and Regina, they had the house for themselves so she refused to accept his offer to go out, he was adamant because he had big plans but she managed to convince him when she told him about lasagna for dinner and she used some very persuasive kisses.
He arrived at 7 o'clock, wearing a very dark blue suit with a vest underneath, tie and white dress shirt, he looked so handsome that she was speechless. She was wearing an elegant ivory gold trim sleeveless knee-length dress, with those impossible ivory high heels, her hair down and a very simple and natural makeup. He couldn't find his voice but somehow he managed a "Stunning"
He walked to her and peck her lips and then again and again. Out of nowhere he handle her a big bouquet of beautiful red roses and another kiss.
"Hello to you too handsome"
Laughing they made their way inside and she immediately found a vase for her gorgeous flowers. The dining room was beautiful, she set everything to make that evening memorable.
They ate and took their wine to the living room. She put some soft music for them to dance, until a special one started to play.
"I always loved this song but now that you're here with me... It just fit, it's the way I feel about you"
He hugged her tighter to him and rested his forehead against hers and while they sway looking into each other's eyes he listened to the lyrics
Only you can make all this world seem right
Only you can make the darkness bright
Only you and you alone can thrill me like you do
And fill my heart with love for only you
Only you can make all this change in me
For it's true, you are my destiny
When you hold my hand I understand the magic that you do
You're my dream come true, my one and only you (x2)
One and only you
By the end of it they both had tears in their eyes, her arms were around his neck and his around her waist. She brought her face even closer to his, lips barely touching and whispered loud enough for him to hear "I love you Robin, so much, with my whole heart and soul"
"And I love you Regina... my heart and soul will forever be yours" Robin took that moment to get on one knee and pulled out of his blazer the little red velvet box and opening it in front of her he asked "Regina, My Love, will you marry me?"
She gasped, thousands of thoughts and fears running through her mind, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves and brought her hands to the sides of his beautiful face and looking into those perfect blue eyes she answered "There's no place I would rather be than by your side every day for the rest of my life. Yes Robin, I'll marry you"
He got up and kissed her while tears of happiness fell down their cheeks.
.OQPW.
The next morning Regina woke up first, or so she thought, she didn't move she was warm in his arms lulled by the sound of his heart. She was recalling the events of their previous night and playing with the new ring that was in her left hand a beautiful and perfect 18k white gold diamond solitaire. Her thoughts were interrupted when his hand came to rest over hers and was brought to his lips to be kissed.
"Hmm, morning"
"Good morning, my lovely fiancée! You know you owe me big time, don't you?"
"How so?"
"I had planned this perfect way to propose to you and you used your... charms to change my plans... I need to learn to stop falling into those traps"
She chuckled "I didn't do such a thing and last night was perfect don't you dare change a thing about it"
Grinning he turned them and now he was on top "I wouldn't dream of it"
She had her hands around his neck "Do you realize how handsome you looked in that suit?... I'm still speechless"
"Not as gorgeous as you in that dress. You're the fairest of them all, Your Majesty" they laughed and he kissed her "Hm, as much as I would love to stay right here between your... sheets, we need to get up. Downstairs is a major mess, we need to clean up"
She pout and he got up fast before she could convince him otherwise but as soon as he was on his feet he felt dizzy and fell down on the bed.
Regina paled "Robin? What's going on? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine sweetheart, I just got a little dizzy. Come on, let's get ready"
She didn't buy it. Even less when she heard him throwing up. Something was wrong.
Once down stairs she sighed, everything was a real mess, their clothes were everywhere, dishes on the table and their untouched wine lying there staring at her.
"Why in hell we didn't drink it?"
She wasn't in the mood for all that cleaning so with a flick of her wrist everything was done. Now she could focus on breakfast, while doing that her mind went round and round around the issue. It wasn't a hangover, he didn't touch his wine and what about three days ago she listened him throwing up too.
She was going up stairs when he started to come down, she waited until he was in front of her "What is going on Robin? And don't you dare to lie to me"
He sighed "I really don't know Regina. It's only in the mornings, I thought it was just a stomach bug..."
"How long?"
"A week, more or less"
"After breakfast we are going straight to the Hospital"
As soon as they went into the kitchen the smell of the scrambled eggs made Robin's nausea hit him hard and he had to run to the toilet for the third time this morning.
Regina was there supporting him but as the nausea hit him again a couple more times she had to get out, she was starting to feel sick too and she had to drive him to the Hospital.
When they arrived, he was sweating and pale, he almost couldn't stand on his own feet. As soon as they entered, he was taken away and she had to remain filling some forms.
Zelena came out immediately "So what's wrong with boy toy there?"
"If I knew what the hell is wrong with him I wouldn't be here... And can you please stop calling him boy toy? He's not a boy and definitely not a toy"
"Wow, I can see that. Nice rock you have there, sis. Congrats?"
Regina rolled her eyes "Not the time Zelena"
Zelena could see that Regina was close to a nervous collapse "Hey, take a breath; he's going to be fine. He's in the examination room, Whale is going to run some tests and take care of the dehydration"
Whale came out to find her "I'm waiting the blood results, right now he's resting. We put an IV to help his body recover"
"What do you think is wrong with him?"
"I will wait for the results but in the meantime I want to examine you"
"Me? Why? I'm fine!"
"You look sweaty and pale I want to be sure that you don't have the same. Don't worry it would be just a few questions and a blood test"
They entered the examination room and Whale started his questions
"What did you eat this morning?"
"Nothing we were going to take breakfast when he got really sick"
"Did you drink something? Coffee, water, juice?"
"A glass of water when I got to the kitchen"
"Today or recently have you felt any pain? Abdominal discomfort, back pain, headache or maybe some tiredness?"
"Well right now I can see a headache coming my way and I'm definitely getting tire of this s..."
Whale cut her off "Regina I'm doing my job"
"I'm not the one who needs attention, you're not doing a very good job if I have to point that out"
"If Robin has something viral I will prefer to treat it now and not when it becomes an epidemic a lot harder to control over the town"
Whale didn't believe that but he knew that playing that card will do the trick.
"So, any pain?"
"No"
"What about fatigue? Had you experienced some physical or emotional fatigue?
"Maybe a little bit of physical... More than normal but nothing to worry about"
"I'll determine that. Any heartburn, nausea, vomiting?
She doubted "No"
"Regina if you're going to hide information or lie about symptoms we can leave this right here"
"I'm not hiding anything, I felt nauseous when I was with him this morning but he was leaving his guts in the toilet. I think is a pretty normal reaction"
"I'm the Doctor here, I ask, you answer, you don't get to decide if it's relevant. Alcohol? Any type of it, beer, wine, gyn, vodka, whisky, rum, a sip, a glass, a bottle"
"None! Not today, not yesterday, nothing over more than a month"
"Why are you so sure?"
"Because I remember the last time and that's a detail you don't need. We were going to drink wine last night but for some strange reason we didn't. That was a good bottle that was wasted"
He sighed and saw Zelena going through the room. She definitely understood where he was going. He love to work with her, she always knows what to do before he asks.
"What about breast tenderness?"
"Yes, but for me that's normal at certain point of the month"
Good she opened the door for the next question
"Are you in that moment of the month?"
She thought about it "I..." she was confuse now "No, I'm not"
"When was the last time?"
"I... I'm not sure, I'm never late..."
"A rough idea?"
"Maybe two months, or almost two months. I have the exact date at home"
"Regina, don't worry about it, sometimes stress can interfere, good thing is you're here and we can figure it out. Zelena it's going to measure your blood pressure, weight and height. A nurse will come in a couple of minutes to take your blood sample, after that, Zelena will take you to Robin's room, I'll be there as soon as I have both results. Oh, and one more thing you need to eat, no coffee, some fruit will be good and water"
.OQPW.
Short after Whale left her, she entered Robin's room. He had his eyes closed but he opened them as soon as she got in.
"Hey, where were you?"
She walked to his side "Whale wanted to check on me just in case"
"Everything okay?"
"I hope so; he will come to tell us once he gets the results"
Robin took her hand "Come on, lie down here with me, My Love"
She was going to protest but she wanted to do so. She needed him, she was scared and all she wanted was his solace. He held her and he could tell that something was off.
"What's going on?"
She sighed and got closer to him, burying her face in his neck "I just found out that I'm late, around two months and I'm never late. I have had this feeling over the last couple of weeks, I don't know how to explained, this strange sensation inside of me that I have never felt before. Now I can't stop thinking that maybe my body was trying to tell me that something is wrong"
He held her tighter against him "Nothing is wrong with you Regina, there have to be an explanation and we're in the right place to find out. Close your eyes and let those worries go away"
"I can't do that while we are just waiting"
"What do you want me to do?"
"I don't know, whatever"
He thought for a moment.
"When you told me about that song last night and how meaningful it was now that you have me, you made me think about the first song I heard when we came to Storybrooke, I couldn't let it out of my head until I learned the lyrics. After our first time together, in your office, by the fire, I realized that this is a song that I can only relate to you because as soon as you fell asleep right there next to me, beautiful as always, the lyrics came to my mind describing perfectly what I was feeling"
"Wanna sing it to me? I'll love to hear it"
"I'm pretty sure you have heard it before"
"Perhaps, but never from you"
She looked up at him and he kissed her "Okay". They got a little on their sides so they could see each other, he cleared his throat and started to sing, slightly changing the rhythm to suit a cappella version
I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping
While you're far away and dreaming
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever
Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure
Don't wanna close my eyes, I don't wanna fall asleep
'Cause I miss you baby and I don't wanna miss a thing
'Cause even when I dream of you the sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you baby and I don't wanna miss a thing
Lying close to you feeling your heart beating
And I wonder what you're dreaming
Wondering if it's me you're seeing
Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together
I just wanna stay with you in this moment forever
Forever and ever
I don't wanna close my eyes, I don't wanna fall asleep
'Cause I miss you baby and I don't wanna miss a thing
'Cause even when I dream of you the sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you baby and I don't wanna miss a thing
I don't wanna miss one smile, I don't wanna miss one kiss
I just wanna be with you right here with you, just like this
I just want to hold you close, feel your heart so close to mine
And just stay here in this moment for all the rest of time
Don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
I don't wanna miss a thing
As soon as he finished her eyes were full of tears that started to fall the second she kissed him.
"I love you Robin"
"And I love you Regina... Forever and ever"
.OQPW.
An hour later Whale and Zelena entered the room. Robin was awake watching her sleep, he couldn't help it, it was something he really loved to do.
"We can come back later"
"It's okay, she wants to know what's going on" bringing his hand to her face he whispered "Sweetheart wake up, they're here"
She took a deep breath "What?" Her mind was a little foggy, not processing where she was.
"Whale have the tests results"
"Right" She said trying to get up fast from the bed when Zelena helped her
"Regina you need to be fully awake before getting up"
"Fine, next time... Do you know what's going on with us?"
"What Robin has is known as Couvade Syndrome, it's an unusual condition that some men can experience, is temporary, the symptoms and the intensity of them can vary from person to person"
Regina was trying to process the information "In English Whale, what the hell are you talking about? How long is temporary and what are the symptoms?"
Whale instructed Zelena to clarify.
"Regina before I explained this to you, you need to know that we are not crazy, we are not joking about it, we are completely sure, we have tests results but mostly we need you to remain as calm as possible and do not burn us out"
"Start talking Zelena"
"This syndrome is commonly known as sympathetic pregnancy, a condition in which a partner experiences some of the same symptoms and behavior of an expectant mother"
"Are you two out of your minds? Or are you implying that he's out of his? Even if it's true, something like that seems psychological and you can't determine that by a blood test"
"We are not trying to imply anything, his blood tests were used to discard any other anomaly, your blood tests helped us diagnose you and then him. Regina, what I'm saying is you are pregnant"
***Credits***
Characters are property of ABC and OUAT Creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis
Song: Only You (and you alone)-The Platters
Song: I don't want to miss a thing-Aerosmith