I know it may be hard at first to think of Henry and Roland ten years older, but we'll all get used to eventually. By what you guys told me, seems like updating Mondays and Fridays will work. Here's chapter two!
Snow had always been something she was fond of. It was something simple, yet it made such a beautiful appearance through her front window. This day, however, Regina wasn't looking outside her window for enjoyment- her daughter was out there somewhere. And even though the snow looked stunning, she knew there were hidden dangers laced beneath the surface.
"I knew one of us should've went with her," Regina signed, managing to tear her eyes from the scene in front of her to face her husband.
As usual, there was a pleasant smile on his face- after ten years of knowing him, she knew exactly what he was going to say.
"You worry too much, dear, she's just going to Granny's."
She then heard a moan from the living room. "And she's taking forever!"
Caroline was taking forever. That was what had begun her worry in the first place. A nine year old shouldn't be out in such horrible weather.
"It's probably just busy today, that's all," Robin said, comforting her to the best of his abilities, as always.
Soon, she felt a pair of arms around her, filling her with a warmth only he could give. Maybe her complete family wasn't there, but at least her husband was.
"Guys, we established this- no romance in the living room!" Roland hollered when he saw them, trying to avoid the mushy couple as he plopped down on the couch.
Robin responded to his son's outburst by playfully pecking his wife on the cheek, knowing it would irritate him further.
"I don't remember making any deals about that," he stated, holding Regina tighter and watching the teen blatantly ignore him.
Robin didn't want to call his fifteen year old son awkward, but that was exactly what teenagers were- awkward. Sure he had passed through all the voice changes, the random bouts of growth spurts, the hormones, but Roland was still turned off completely by love or affection. He absolutely hated his mother giving him hugs, which she still enforced upon him, or even just complimenting him on simple things. Regina worried it was because he was scared of girls; however, Roland did have a few friends that were girls. And, as far as she knew, her second son had received the exact same 'birds and bees' talk from Robin that Henry got when he was his age. His twenty two year old brother was getting along well with girls- a little bit too well, for Regina's liking.
"What's Alex doing for the weekend?" She asked, his focus down on the screen of his phone.
"Uh, I think she's helping out her mom at her studio. Why?"
"Just asking," she said, sensing his defensiveness, "you haven't invited her over for a while. Same with August."
Even though August Booth was a year and a half older than him, he was one of Roland's best friends. He had been fairly successful in keeping up with his second chance at being a good boy, spending a majority of his time with his grandfather in his woodcarving shop. It was slightly weird when they first started hanging out, because Regina knew August as a thirty year old writer who rode a motorcycle around town. The seventeen year old August rode that same motorcycle.
"Don't worry about me, Mom," Roland chuckled, setting his phone down when he heard the front door open.
Relief flooded through her system when she saw her daughter trudge into the house, her shoes squeaking against the hardwood as she set the bags of food down on the kitchen table.
"What took you so long?" Regina asked; naturally the first thing she said.
Caroline shook the snow from her hair, slipping off her coat and taking off her shoes.
"Granny's was super busy! And, uh-"
"What happened to your jeans?" Regina demanded, practically gasping when she saw the rip on her left knee.
She honesty didn't think her mother would notice as quickly as she did. "I slipped! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
Lowering herself down to her knees, Regina began to inspect the problem. "At least you got a bandaid over it- does it hurt?"
Caroline was beyond relieved she didn't ask about who had helped her. "Not really. Just stings a little. Can you fix it with magic?"
Behind her, Roland already had his arm dipped inside the paper bag, pulling out the food one by one. When Regina turned around, both he and Robin were caught in the act. She pointed a threatening finger towards them.
"We eat when I say we eat, so sit down and be patient."
Robin set his fork down in defeat, letting out a faint "yes dear," as he took his seat.
Satisfied, Regina turned back towards her daughter, waving her hand over the rip and watching the fabric mend itself.
"There you go," she said with a smile, standing up to give her a hug, her skin still cold, "thank you for going out there."
It really wasn't a big deal, but she smiled anyways.
"Now, let's have some of that lasagna I've been craving," Regina said, sitting down at the head of the table and beginning to dish out the food. Family dinners were always a pleasure for the Hoods; it was time when they could all be together, even with all the business in their lives. Robin was still ran the animal shelter, Regina was mayor of the town, Roland had baseball practice just about every day, and Caroline had recently taken piano as an interest, which meant lessons once a week over at Mother Superior's house. Their oldest, Henry, was attending college in Toronto, living close to where Neal and Tinkerbell had ran off to. Regina was happy to hear about her dear friend, the fairy who had brought her and Robin together in the first place, and the blossoming relationship she and Neal shared. Henry had said in his latest letter home that they were doing just fine. It seemed as though Henry were still her little prince, the boy who read comic books and dreamed of fairytales- now he was an adult, a senior in college, majoring in political science.
"So, Princess, how was school today?" Robin asked, watching his daughter pick at the food scattered around her plate.
"Boring. We just talk about boring stuff all the time."
She didn't think her response was amusing, but both her parents smiled and exchanged glances with one another.
"You must do something fun at school," her father continued, "what's fourth grade without any fun?"
It was cool to have her godmother, Snow White, as her teacher, but she could never get herself to sit still and pay attention. There were so many other places she could be, anywhere but trapped in a desk and chair for eight hours.
"Is there anyone else in this town with magic?" She asked, completely out of the blue. Caroline couldn't help but ask; the question had been nagging her since Zelena had told her.
Regina gave her daughter an odd look, not sure what to say at first. "Well, Mother Superior has magic," she began, "and so does Rumple, Emma, and myself. Why are you asking?"
For a second, Caroline froze. She didn't know why, but her encounter with the redheaded woman wasn't something she wanted to tell them about. But if Zelena was telling the truth about coming into the town with a portal, by the looks of things, her parents most likely didn't know about it.
"I don't know, it just seems like more people should have it, I guess," she admitted, before taking a sip of her milk.
Her mother gave her a look from across the table. "People are fine without it," she reassured, "magic can make things crazier than they need to be."
Beside her, Roland smirked. "Then I wouldn't ever have to do homework again."
Regina cast her eyes down towards her plate as the bitter memory of Roland's accident returned into her thoughts. He had been young, so close to the edge of death; yet now, almost ten years later, he didn't remember a thing about it. More specifically, the fact that Caroline had magic. Both parents had told him that he had simply slipped on a wet floor and bashed his head- everything else that had happened in that week was subtracted from the conversation. Henry, being twelve at the time of that disaster, hadn't forgotten about what had really went down between his mother and his uncle. He still knew Caroline had magic, though, since his sister didn't, it certainly wasn't a hard secret to keep. The turquoise earrings were never something discussed- the girl thought nothing of them. So there they were, a normal family, just like everyone else, their children filled with enough ignorance to allow them to live a happy, content life. There was no magic needed. The price simply wasn't worth it.
Robin seemed to notice the change in behavior of his wife, for he was at her side within seconds.
"You'd still have to do it," he chuckled, "I'm not about to raise uneducated children in this household."
Rolling his eyes, Roland took the last bite of his second hamburger and downed his soda.
"You're one to talk, you never had to take geometry, or chemistry, or history..."
Well, he wasn't lying. Robin had taken off when he was around his age.
"True, but knowing that stuff won't kill you. Henry graduated with all A's, and look where he is now. Speaking of your brother, you better get that room cleaned before he gets in town tomorrow."
The mention of her oldest brother instantly perked up Caroline's attention. She was more than excited for him to visit again; the last time had been Christmas. He always had so many stories to tell about the world outside Storybrooke. Sometimes, Henry even brought her back little gifts.
"What will we do with him?" She asked, interest sparking across her small face.
Regina smiled. "Whatever we want. I want to arrange a little arrival party with Emma and her parents so we can all be together when he gets here- oh, and Grace too."
Grace Hatter was Henry's girlfriend. They had officially been together for about three years, starting in their senior year of high school. She lived with her father in that huge mansion of a house, and took online classes from the University of Maine. Obviously having Henry away for a majority of the time made her lonely, but Regina had made it very clear to her that she was welcome at the Hood home any time she liked. Caroline absolutely loved having her over- to her, Grace was an older sister she could always confide in. Both Robin and Regina enjoyed her company, too- she was such a sweet girl. She worked long hours at the hospital, studying under Doctor Whale's watchful eye in hope of becoming a nurse one day.
For the first time since the nine year old had returned form Granny's, Caroline let the encounter with Zelena slip from her mind. Her brother Henry was finally coming home.
So, is Zelena completely evil, or is she searching for a second chance? We'll find out as the story goes on :) I honestly don't think there are enough fanfics out there that truly justify Zelena's character. Obviously most of us will be forever mad that Adam and Eddy killed her off the way she did (maybe she'll be in season 4?) because she had so much potential with Regina. I really can't wait for you guys to read what I have in store for the both of them, as well as Caroline. Thank you all for reading!