"We cannot change the past, but we can start a new chapter with a happy ending."-Unknown
It took them longer than they expected to get back to Storybrooke from Camelot after Emma was saved from being the Dark One. Before she and Merlin could destroy it once and for all, Arthur took up the dagger and became the Dark One himself. His first act was to fatally wound Merlin and though she was weak from her ordeal, Emma managed to transport him back with her. Everyone gathered around as he gave some last minute instructions on how to destroy the darkness for good before dying.
Determined to destroy the darkness forever, they all agreed they needed to stay in Camelot. They were a small but fierce resistance who spent months annoying Arthur as they sought a way to defeat him once and for all. It was a monumental task, though, since the people of Camelot were still loyal to Arthur despite him being the Dark One and they all protected him. Some even tried to attack them and Regina had to instruct Emma on how to put up wards to hide and protect Granny's with blood magic. With Zelena still on Arthur's side, she knew her wards would be useless.
They discovered secret tunnels into and out of the castle, which they used to spy on Arthur as well as launch little attacks to annoy him. Regina and Robin also snuck into the palace so he could monitor how Zelena's pregnancy was progressing. She grew larger every time and crankier as well. It gave Regina immense joy to known pregnancy did not agree with her sister but she hid it around Robin, whose main concern was his unborn child.
Zelena proved to be chatty, especially with the handmaidens Arthur had assigned to care for her. She told them her plans for her child, made with the belief that Arthur would ultimately destroy the heroes from Storybrooke. With Robin and Regina dead, she would be able to raise her child alone and she wanted to raise him or her to be just as wicked as her. She planned to return to Storybrooke once the child was old enough and destroy the city with him or her. They would then take over the Enchanted Forest, where she would crown herself queen and rule with her child by hers side. Her plans chilled Robin and Regina to their core and they vowed to find a way to either stop Arthur or to get the baby away from Zelena until they could return to Storybrooke, where they could hopefully limit the amount of time she spent around the child.
The tide turned into their favor when they were discovered by Zelena's room. Robin and Regina barely escaped but found a secret tunnel that led to a hidden cabin in the process. After looking around, they realized that it was a secret hideout used by Lancelot and that he wrote a detailed account of many of his adventures. One included a tale about magic dust used by Arthur to turn Camelot into the perfect country it was as well as make the people of Camelot love him. It explained their intense devotion to their king. Lancelot also found a cure—the pollen of a rare flower—but never got a chance to find it so he could free the people of Camelot, especially his beloved Guinevere.
Using Lancelot's writing as a guide, a small search party went to retrieve the flower. It consisted of Emma, Hook, David, Belle and Merida. Robin didn't want to go far with Zelena so close to giving birth and Regina wanted to be with him to help get his child from her sister. They also wanted to be close to Henry and Roland, both who were starting to grow tired of being in hiding.
Right after the search party left, Robin and Regina worked on plan to rescue the baby as they ate dinner with their boys. Henry helped with a suggestion or two while Roland was uncharacteristically quiet, pushing his food around his plate instead of eating it.
"Is something wrong, sweetheart?" Regina asked, concerned. She reached out and brushed her fingers against his forehead to make sure he wasn't running a fever.
He shook his head and Robin frowned. "Then you should eat your food, Roland. Don't just push it around."
"Why bother," Roland muttered. "You're just going to give it to the baby since you love it more than me."
Robin's eyes widened before she saw the same guilt she felt fill the blue orbs. She pulled Roland closer. "We don't love the baby more than you."
"But that's all you talk about. The baby, the baby, the baby," he said, leaning against her as tears filled his eyes. "You don't have time for me."
"I'm going to go see if Granny needs any help in the kitchen," Henry said, sliding out of the booth. Regina was grateful and proud.
Robin stood and moved to sit next to his son, pulling the boy onto his lap. He brushed away a few tears that had started to roll down Roland's cheeks. "We have been focused on the baby lately, haven't we?" he asked softly.
Hiccupping, Roland nodded. "Don't you love me anymore?"
Regina felt her heart break and she could tell it choked up Robin as his voice sounded strangely higher when he next spoke. "We love you very much, Roland. Nothing is going to change that. No matter how busy we get with the baby, we will always love you."
"You're still going to be too busy for me?" Roland asked, focusing on that.
His father glanced at Regina for help and she moved to sit next to them, reaching out to rub Roland's leg. She smiled softly. "I'm not going to lie, Roland. The baby is going to need a lot of our attention. We need to get him or her away from Zelena so we can keep them safe, just like we're keeping you and Henry safe. And once the baby is living with us, we're going to have to help the baby as he or she will be too small to do many things for themselves."
"But we're never going to be too busy for you," Robin said, jumping back in. "We promise to always make time for you and if you need us, Mom and I will always be there for you."
She took in a sharp intake of breath as his words sunk in. Regina looked up at him, to see if either Hood had a reaction to what he said but Robin was focused on Roland, who was sniffling as his tears started to dry up.
"You promise?" Roland asked his father.
Robin nodded. "I promise."
When Roland looked at her, Regina nodded as well. "I promise too, Roland. We will always make time for you."
Placated, Roland leaned against his father. He then gave them a little smile. "Can I have some dessert?"
"First you need to finish your dinner," Robin said, dragging the plate over to them. "Then you can go see what Granny made for dessert. Okay?"
"I'm going to step outside for a minute," she said, starting to slide from the booth. "I'll be right back."
She hurried out of the diner and took a few steps away from it, careful not to go beyond the protection spell's boundaries. The cool night air felt good against her flushed face and she took a deep breath, trying to calm her mind.
As far as she was concerned, Roland was her son. They had gotten close during the Missing Year, with her taking on a motherly role toward him. It had been an ideal—she was a mother without her child and he was a child without his mother. They completed each other in ways no one else could and it had brought her closer to Robin before her sister's curse halted everything. She and Robin, though, managed to connect despite their missing memories. Once they it all came back, Roland had been eager to spend time with her. They had to wipe the memories of the fake Marian, so she was still the only mother he had ever truly known. It should be natural, then, to be Mom to him. It was natural.
She just never thought that Robin would so casually start calling her that. Regina always figured that either Roland would be the first to call her it or she would accidentally slip. Or she would finally approach Robin one day about it, talking it over with him before they agreed that Roland could call her Mom. She had believed he would be hesitant to call her that because of Marian, because he still remembered the fake Marian and how she had been with Roland. (From what little she could tell, Zelena had been somewhat maternal toward Roland while pretending to be Marian and that was something Regina had been grateful for throughout the entire ugly affair). The fact he had said Mom as if she had always been that to Roland through her for a loop.
It was natural for her. Just never thought it was natural for him.
"Regina?" Robin stepped out of the diner, looking concerned. "Are you okay?"
"You called me Mom. Why?" she asked, her heart beating wildly in her chest as she waited for his response.
He paused, tilting his head. "Because you are his mother. You make sure he eats his vegetables, finishes his meals, you give him his baths, brush his hair, help him dress, correct him when he's misbehaving, read to him, teach him, hug him, kiss him, cuddle him, comfort him…I could go on, Regina, but you treat him just like you treat Henry. Like he's your son. I always thought you considered him your son."
"I do," she assured him, stepping closer. "I just…I didn't think you would be ready for me to officially step into that role. You technically just lost Marian again…"
Robin nodded, swallowing. "I did. This whole situation has been awful but what makes it easier for me is you, Roland, Henry and even the baby."
He paused, a strange look coming to his eyes as he approached her. Placing his fingers under her chin, he made sure they were both looking in each other's eyes. "Regina, as far as I'm concerned, you are also the baby's mother. I want all of five of us to be a family."
"Robin," she gasped, her stomach doing flips. She cleared her throat. "I want us to be a family too. I just don't know how well Zelena will accept me also being the baby's mother."
"It's not up to her," he said, a dark look in his eyes. "I'm not thrilled with her being around the baby at all, not after everything we've heard. She needs to prove to us that she can be a mother because right now, she is the farthest thing from one."
She nodded, knowing he was right. Zelena had taken Robin and Roland away from her and hurt him to get what she viewed was the one thing she could have that Regina couldn't—a baby. Regina didn't know what her sister's initial plans had been but she figured that Zelena had always planned to raise the baby, using the innocent child as a pawn to try to make Regina's life miserable. She could parade the child around town past Regina, gloating how she had given birth to Robin's child, and could call Robin away at any inopportune time, knowing he would put his child first. The baby deserved better than that. He or she deserved two loving parents who would always have his or her best interest at heart, not their own. Robin and Regina were the best choice to be his or her primary caregiver and so that fact seemed like karma to Regina. Zelena had hurt so many people to get what she wanted and now, she was going to reap what she had sown.
Robin's eyes lit up as he saw Regina coming around to his way of thinking. He moved his hand to cup her cheek. "Can I hear you say it, sweetheart? Can you say that you're the baby's mother?"
"I am the baby's mother," she said, voice firm and confident. "Just as I am Henry's mother and Roland's mother. We're going to be a family."
He laughed before kissing her. Regina knew he wouldn't press her on marriage—he knew what a nightmare her first one had been. However, she was already starting reconsider her viewpoints on it. After all, Robin wasn't Leopold and if she did marry him, it would be her choice and no one else's.
Still, there was plenty of time to worry about that. For now, they needed to free the people of Camelot, stop Arthur, destroy the darkness, get Zelena back so they could make sure she didn't keep them from their child and then return home to Storybrooke.
Once the search party returned with the flower, things progressed faster than they had since the small group arrived in Camelot from Storybrooke. Regina was able to distill pollen from the flower and make a potion to free the people from Arthur's spell. Leaving the children in Granny's and Doc's care, the small resistance headed to the palace for what they hoped would be the final battle.
Arthur and his knights were waiting for them. He taunted them, wondering how a small party that barely numbered ten would defeat them. Regina used the time to conjure up a storm cloud, infusing it with the potion she had brewed. When the order to attack was given, the cloud sent down a rain that drenched all the knights and grew to cover all of Camelot. The knights stopped, looking as if they had just woken from a dream. Arthur tried to rally them but free of the dust's influence, David was able to convince the knights that Arthur was the one they needed to fight.
They turned on Arthur, who found himself outnumbered. He tried to retreat but found the path back to the palace blocked by the angry people of Camelot. None was angrier than Guinevere, who fought her husband one-on-one. Everyone rushed to help her and in the chaos, Guinevere grabbed Excalibur from Arthur. With the dagger restored to the blade, when she ran him through, the darkness left his body and dissipated before their eyes as Arthur's lifeless body landed on the grass. Regina and Emma examined Excalibur, finding the entire blade silver and bore no one's name.
The reign of the Dark Ones was over.
Guinevere was declared the rightful ruler by the people of Camelot. She apologized to the heroes from Storybrooke and invited them to move back into the palace until they could return home. They accepted and David went to get Granny, Doc and the children. Everyone agreed they couldn't leave Camelot until Zelena gave birth, which was likely to happen any day. Regina placed the magic blocking cuff back on her sister's wrist and Guinevere ordered knights to watch the room to prevent Zelena from running away.
Zelena went into labor a few days later on the same day a ball was held to celebrate Guinevere's coronation. Robin and Regina skipped the ball, as did Granny, and the three spent the night with Zelena until she gave birth just as the sun started to rise over the horizon. The midwife held up the crying infant, happily announcing it was a girl. She swaddled the baby and handed her to a teary-eyed Robin.
He looked up at Regina with a proud smile. "A daughter," he started before choking up.
"She's beautiful," Regina replied, looking down at the little girl. She had all ten fingers and all ten toes, a healthy baby girl. Her eyes were closed and her pink lips pursed as she slept in her father's strong arms. Wisps of reddish blonde hair covered her head and Regina gently ran a finger over one curl, already imagining the cute headbands she would buy for the girl.
"Now who is turning green?" Zelena's mocking interrupted their moment. They looked up to find her smirking. "How does it feel, Aunt Regina?"
Regina shared a look with Robin, who gave a slight nod. He let Granny take the baby to finish cleaning and dressing her and once she left the room, he took Regina's hand. They faced Zelena and he addressed her: "We need to discuss the custody arrangement."
"What's there to discuss?" she asked flippantly. "She's going to live with me and you can visit her. We're going to spend a lot of time together, Robin."
The last part was aimed at Regina as Zelena smirked, no doubt believing she was torturing her sister. Regina just smirked back at her. "No."
"I'm sorry, you don't get a say in this," Zelena shot back. "You're just the aunt."
Robin squeezed Regina's hand. "She gets a rather large say in this, Zelena. She's also the baby's mother."
Zelena's smirk fell away before her lips twisted into a scowl. "No. The baby is mine. She's something I can call my own, something I won't let Regina take away from me."
"She's a baby, Zelena," Regina replied, "not a thing. A baby who needs constant love, care and attention. You're a parent now, Zelena. It's no longer about you but it's clear you don't get that yet."
"Really? And what makes you say that?" Zelena snapped.
"You never asked to see her," Robin said softly. "Her first few minutes here with us and you spent them taunting Regina rather than asking to see her, to bond with her."
Zelena opened her mouth but realized that she had no retort. She closed it again and leaned back, still scowling. But Robin pressed on. "As you know, we've heard your plans for our daughter and we cannot let you raise her to be wicked, taught to kill and enslave. It's best if Regina and I are her primary caregivers."
"So you're just going to take her away from me and let me never see my baby?" she asked, almost yelling.
Regina shook her head. "Despite every instinct in us saying otherwise, we're going to let you spend time with the baby. It will be supervised in a location of our choosing, one you can't escape from. You will continue to wear the cuff so you don't run off with her and you will attend parenting classes as well as sessions with Archie Hopper. Depending on your progress, we'll revisit how much time you get to spend with her."
"This whole situation is fucked up," Robin said, "but we don't want it to be us against you. Hopefully we can get passed everything and learn to work together for our daughter's sake."
Zelena crossed her arms. "So you decided all of this without talking to me?"
Regina rolled her eyes. "And when were we supposed to do that? You aligned yourself with Arthur and had us chased from the palace every chance you could get. So don't act like some victim, Zelena. You're far from it."
"Well stop acting like I have a choice," she shot back.
"You do have a choice," Robin replied. "You can abide by our rules and be a mother to our daughter or don't. It's up to you."
Zelena scowled. "Can I add a condition? I'm her only mother. Regina is just her aunt."
"Condition denied," he said, annoyed. "Regina and I are together. We are a family and she is going to be just as much a mother to our daughter as you, if you chose to work with us."
"Great. Another thing Regina gets instead of me," she muttered.
Unable to help herself, Regina snapped: "Well, maybe you shouldn't have had a baby with the man I loved."
"She should get some rest now," the midwife said, finally interrupting the tense debate. "And so should you. It's been a long night."
Robin nodded, wrapping his arm around Regina. He smiled at her. "Let's go see our daughter."
When they got back to their rooms, Henry and Roland were already awake. Roland knelt on Robin and Regina's bed, looking into the cradle Guinevere had provided for them as their daughter continued to sleep. Granny had swaddled her in a soft white blanket and placed a soft knit cap on her head.
"She's so small," Roland said, awestruck.
Robin chuckled, picking him up. "You were small too. And I'm sure Henry was as well."
"He was," Regina confirmed, wrapping her arm around her son. "And he was just as adorable."
"Just like you." Robin kissed his son, who giggled.
Roland then tilted his head. "So, what's her name?"
"Oh," Robin replied. "She doesn't have one yet. We need to get to know her a bit more. A name is a very special thing. It took me and your mother three days to name you, Roland."
Henry smiled. "Well, if you need any help, we're right here."
"Thank you, sweetheart," Regina said, kissing his cheek. "Can you take your brother to breakfast? Robin and I need to get some sleep."
"Sure. Come on, Roland," he said, taking the boy's hand once Robin set him down. They left the room and Robin closed the door behind them.
Regina sat down on the bed, sighing as the sleepless night hit her. Her eyes grew heavy and she yawned. "I feel like I could sleep forever."
He chuckled, undoing the ties on his vest. "I feel the same but I doubt this little lady will let us sleep that long."
"Oh, I remember," she said, recalling all the sleepless nights she had when Henry was a baby. "I remember that we need to sleep when she does, so let's get a start on that."
Robin climbed into bed, undoing the ties on her dress and sliding it off her. He kissed her shoulder, pushing back the blankets. "Good night, sweetheart."
"Good night," she said, lying next to him. She began to drift to sleep when soft whimpers startled her. Sitting up, she looked into the cradle to see the baby's face start to turn red as she struggled against her blanket, mewling her displeasure.
Regina picked her up, undoing the blanket to reveal the white nightgown Granny had made for the baby. Though she stopped squirming, the baby burst into full blown cries and Regina smiled. "Are you hungry, little one? I can fix that."
With a flick of her wrist, she conjured up a warmed bottle and coaxed the nipple between the baby's lips. She latched onto it and began suckling in earnest, her little legs kicking as her blue eyes focused on Regina. Her heart swelled and she kissed her daughter's forehead, not caring how tired she was. She could always sleep later.
She sat up against the headboard as Robin softly snored next to her. Despite how tired she was, she saw everything so clearly. She had a man who loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, whether they got married or not. He loved her son as much as his own and considered her Roland's mother. Now they had a new baby daughter and it didn't matter that they had to share her with Zelena. They were a family and all felt right in Regina's world, her own happy ending.
For OQ Happy Ending Week Day 2: Stuck in the Missing Year/Camelot Happy Ending