I own no one but my own people
A/N So seeing as how OUAT doesn't even care about their own TLs, I don't see why I should either. So I have made Hope Swan-Jones no longer a baby but she is instead 23, two years younger than Robyn, and Neal Nolan is 26, a year older than Robyn.
"Papa!"
Hook grinned as Alice came running up onto the deck of the Jolly Roger.
After the Queen had cast her curse, Regina, as thanks for all the help 'Rogers' had given 'Roni', she had helped him procure his ship and he had lived on boat parked at the docks of Storybrooke for the last few months.
"Hey, Starfish!" he greeted happily as he embraced her in a warm hug. He had missed this so much, hugging his girl, holding her hand, just being able to be near her that anytime they were together it was as if he didn't want to let go because he was afraid he wouldn't be able to touch her ever again.
"I made us some marmalade sandwiches for lunch," he told her, motioning to the table where the sandwiches laid out. "Then I figured we take one of the dinghys out, see what the catch of the day is?"
"That sounds lovely, Papa," Alice said with a smile, bouncing rather eagerly . "But before we do all that, I have got some news."
"What is it, Starfish?"
Alice just beamed as she held up the hand her ring was on.
"Robyn asked last night and I said yes!" the words practically exploded out of her mouth with a rather adorable squee.
The blonde waited for a response, for any emotion, for anything other than the dumbfounded look on his face.
"Are-... are you happy, Papa?" she asked nervously, her smile waning some.
A slow smile spread to his lips. "I've never been happier, Alice."
Alice beamed before she took hold of his hand and his hook and the two spun on the polished wooden deck.
"Oh it was so romantic! She took me to a picnic down by the shore, just us and the moonlight and a few torches and she had marmalade sandwiches and candy apples and wine and then after we ate she asked me to read some of my adventures in her Alice book and I opened the book and there was the ring and, oh Papa, it was the bestest night in my entire life! Even better then when I escaped that tower!"
Hook laughed at the excitement in her daughter's voice and hugged her again. "I'm so happy for you. I can't wait to walk you down the aisle. Has Robyn told her family yet?"
Alice's smile faded somewhat.
"Um no, she's-... telling them now."
Hooks face fell at the sudden shift in his daughters enthusiasm.
"What's wrong? Talk to me, Alice."
"Nothing, it's just…" Alice glanced down at the deck, shifting her feet almost ashamedly. "Her mum's the Wicked Witch and her Papa is Robin Hood and her stepmum is the Evil Queen and that means that technically she's step sisters with Snow White and her cousin is the truest believer and all of them are heroes and… and none of them have 'bad days'. Not like me."
Hook felt his heart shatter as his little girl sniffed. "Wot if they think I'm not good enough for her?"
"Alice… of course they're going to think you're good enough for her. They love you."
"They've never seen my… seen my bad days though. Even when we were cursed, the only one of them I really knew was her Papa."
The curse had made Robin Hood 'Robert Locs,' and instead of the happily married outlaw, he was a common thief who lived out on the train tracks near Alice in the boxcar next to her, along with the rest of the cursed Merry Men, and spent a fair amount of time drinking whiskey and flirting with the owner of Roni's Bar.
As a cop, Robin was Hooks biggest adversary. He would constantly elude him, managing to escape not only from his grasp but from the handcuffs and even jail cells that Hook would put him in.
What had caused most of the cops hatred for the thief was that Robin had tried to convert Alice into being part of his group, to stop assisting Hook and 'Weaver' in their investigations and to just live outside the law with him. He tried to get her to become a criminal, to ignore the law and turn her back on the police officers as he and the rest of his men had.
But, and this was what had made Hook forgive the Outlaw once the curse broke, Robin had looked out for the blonde when he and Rumple couldn't. When he stole food, he always gave Alice the bigger share, he had stolen her warm blankets and heavy coats in the winter months and, to this day it confounded Hook how he even managed this, stole her an air conditioner in the summer so she didn't roast to death in her metal home.
Robin had also been her protector. The blondes naivety had almost gotten her into trouble with some less than scrupulous men who saw her as easy pickings due to her mental health issues and the fact she was homeless and the outlaw had saved her from being a victim more than once.
Even when Regina had been awakened by Drizella and offered Robin a place to live in her apartment he refused her, telling her that he had to stay in his boxcar so he could be close enough to protect Alice, choosing honor over his true love once again, even when he didn't realize it. And he stayed by her side until Hook offered the blonde a place to stay in his spare room. Only then did he take the Queen up on her offer, not realizing he was moving back in with his wife.
Hook would never be able to repay the outlaw for what he did for his daughter but giving Robins child his blessing to ask for Alice's hand in marriage seemed like a good start.
"What If… what if I have a bad day during the wedding?" Alice continued. "Or- or when I'm dress shopping or when we're meeting with an adoption agent or-."
"Love, slow down," Hook interrupted the rant. "You're gonna be fine. You haven't had a bad day in a while."
"I know but I'm still scared, Papa."
Hook frowned as he pushed a stray curl from he pale face. He hated when she was upset, especially about something she had no control over. The pain in his heart when he saw her without a smile was almost as real as the pain when his heart was poisoned.
"Listen to me, Starfish." He took her hands and pulled her close, wiping away a tear that had fallen from her pale blue eye. "They aren't going to care about your bad days. Robyn isn't going to care about your bad days."
"I know Robyn won't but… I really want her family to like me and not think I'm not good enough because I really really love her, and I don't want her upset 'cause her families upset and-."
She tried to muffle the sobs but it came far too sudden. Hook instantly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her towards him, letting the blonde cry on his leather clad shoulder.
"It's alright, Starfish," he whispered sweetly to her, gently running her back through the warm red flannel she had on. "It's alright…"
…
"Yes… yes… yes… no!"
Regina groaned into the phone as she walked into Granny's, the small tinkling bell appearing far more annoying than usual.
"Look, for the final time, I can't authorize ice coverage insurance in your area… Because your sister-in-law sets off eternal winters anytime she gets upset, Kristoff! Okay, Elsa is the Queen in Arendale, take it up with her but I think you'll find she agrees with… well same to you too!"
The Queen huffed as she hung up on the man who, in her opinion, had a relationship that was FAR too personal with his reindeer.
The way it worked in the new Storybrooke was the same as it worked in the country she had chosen to put them in back when Regina cast her first curse.
Each little realm of story, if they wanted to when she first cast the curse, kept the monarchs and leaders who ruled over them, like a governor would preside over a state.
Then Regina acted as President, overseeing the issues that affected the entire land as a whole, as well as pulling double duty as Mayor of Storybrooke.
While she appreciated the trust that new Storybrooke, had put in her, the Queen would be lying if she said she didn't occasionally miss only ruling over her little town in Maine.
She spotted Zelena sitting in the booth closest to the back, stirring her coffee as she waited for the rest of their odd family.
Regina walked across the small diner. "You have any idea what's this about?" she asked the moment she sat down.
"Not a clue," the redhead admitted. "Where Robin?"
"He's out hunting with John," Regina said. "He said he'd meet me here around noon."
"Indeed I did," the thick accent the Queen adored rang out and, just like the day the two met so many years ago, she couldn't help but smile at the sound of it.
"Hello, M'lady," Robin greeted with a quick kiss to the Queen's lips before he slid in next to her, putting his bow and quiver down on the floor next to him. "We are going to be feasting like royalty for the next few weeks. I do hope you enjoy wild turkey."
"The king is doing his own hunting, how quant," Regina said as she put on fake airs, laughing when he grimaced at the title.
"Hey I legally abdicated the throne the day after we got married," he reminded her as he motioned Ruby over so he could order a coffee. "I'm no more a King then Granny is a Queen."
"Doesn't make it any less amusing to see you scowl everytime someone calls you 'your majesty', your majesty," Zelena said with a smirk.
"Besides, you were the Prince of Thieves, you had to have known you were going to move up the throne eventually," Regina teased, she too knowing how much Robin hated being referred to as royalty.
"You two are hilarious," the archer said, wrapping an arm around the Queen's shoulder. "The joke hasn't worn thin in nearly thirty years, not a bit."
"You mean the joke where you're King of every realm of story?" his daughter said as she walked over to the group before she took the spare seat besides Zelena. "That would make me next in line for the throne right?"
"I'm not a King and you are not a princess, as much as you liked to pretend you were when you were a child," Robin said as he gave a nod of thanks to Ruby who dropped off his coffee.
"Or when you were in Middle school," Zelena chimed in.
"Don't forget High School," Regina added
"Hey! What is this, insult the Robins day?" the blonde cried with fake offense. "Besides at least I grew out of my mean girl phase, Hope Swan hyphen Jones is still a bitch," Robyn muttered, rolling her eyes at the mere mention of the girl Robyn was positive was put on this earth just to torment her.
"Language," Robin chastised while Zelena and Regina nodded in agreement about the assessment of the blonde.
"Sorry, sorry… But anyway." Robyn cleared her throat and straightened out. "I have brought us all here for a very special announcement."
Robin knitted his brows together. "Is everything alright, Sweetheart?"
"Everything is actually better than alright. It's perfect, actually." Seeing the confused look on her parents and step mother, Robyn took a deep breath, trying to keep a rather dorkish grin from appearing. "So last night, I asked Alice a question."
"Question? What question?"
"If… she would marry me…"
"WHAT?!"
"And she said yes."
The delighted scream that Zelena let out was enough to deafen the entire diner before she wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter. "MY BABY'S GETTING MARRIED!"
"You're getting married?!" Robin asked aghast before abandoning his seat and joining Zelena in hugging their child as tight as he could. "Oh Sweetheart, I'm so happy for you!"
As Regina looked at the two parents and their child, the child Regina loved as much as she loved Henry and Roland, who she had help raise right alongside Robin and Zelena, she couldn't help that same sliver of envy that pierced her heart every time she was reminded of the one thing she and Robin would never have together.
The Queen was happy for Robyn. She truly, genuinely in her heart of hearts was. She was even happy for her sister and husband. But, even after all these years, she still couldn't help herself…
Robyn was supposed to be hers. Zelena was supposed to be the aunt. Regina was supposed to be sharing this moment with Robin, not as a confusing add on that needed a five minute explanation, but as her mother.
Yes it had been almost thirty years since that day when Regina had showed up at Robins doorstop in New York but still…
Regina wasn't exactly known for letting go of a grudge.
But this moment wasn't about her or her jealousy. This was about Robyn's happiness and Regina would rather throw herself off the top of her mansion then to make this day about her and not about the girl sitting in front of her.
Regina beamed at her niece/step daughter, reaching out and taking the blondes hands.
"Robyn, this is amazing," Regina said with a sincerity that was as true as Zelena's excitement had been and a smile. "You deserve your happy ending."
"When's the wedding?!" The redhead asked, hugging her daughter tighter. "Oh tell me it's sometime in the winter, then you can use a nice beautiful green as one of your colors."
"Okay, I'd love to answer that but I'm literally being squeezed to death," Robyn gasped out.
Both Robin and Zelena let go of her and the outlaw took his seat besides his wife again, unable to suppress the beaming grin on his face. "Sorry, Love. But have you two set a date yet?"
"We're not really sure, I mean we didn't… exactly do a whole lot of talking last night…" Robyn muttered, a deep red blush appearing on her cheeks.
"... Didn't need that visual," Robin said as he cleared his throat. "But whatever you and Alice decide on, I'm sure the wedding itself is going to be just as lovely as the bride will be."
Robyn smiled an easy smile at her father. "Thanks, Dad."
"You're very welcome, Love."
Regina couldn't help herself as she reached over and grabbed hold of Robins hand while he looked at his daughter with the same softness and care and love as he did the day she was born.
Please Review, I know it's slow but it'll pick up soon I promise