Jordan you're a doll, I love you
OMG MIDTERMS!
Outside, the weather was getting dark. Regina was lying on the bed, her back against the headboard and head buried in stacks of paperwork she had brought back to the hotel with her. True, she really had to work, but she was focused on the papers on her lap partially because she didn't want to deal with the insufferable man that was sitting right next to her on the bed. Even though she had insisted that he go sit someplace else, he had countered by saying that there was nowhere else to sit and he wanted to watch TV, and she had let him, but only because he was sleeping on the floor that night and she thought she'd at least give him the pleasure of watching TV from the bed.
And now, his eyes were glued to the screen, because after all there wasn't any technology neither in the Enchanted Forest or the tent he was living in now in Storybrooke. And of course like a classic male, he had found some sort of sports program and he was also leaning against the headboard with his legs spread out in front of him, crossed at the ankle.
Regina found herself reading the same sentence over and over again. She was used to working alone in her office so having the thief sitting right next to her, just inches away from her body was not helping her with her concentration. From the corner of her eye, she watched him; with his eyes not leaving the screen even once, he even refused to blink! How could he be so into that thing while she sat there, unable to focus just because of him? The thought irritated her just like he did. So prying her eyes off the stack of papers sitting on her lap, she leaned her head back, against the head board and closed her eyes.
If she can't work then she wasn't letting him have his fun either.
So she grabbed her papers and set them down on her bedside table. Turning her head towards him, she watched him with expectant eyes. When he didn't react and kept on watching TV, she cleared her throat.
Still no response.
She cleared her throat even louder, coughing a bit in the process.
Nothing.
Letting out a loud sigh, she suddenly raised her right hand and hit him on the arm.
"Ow!" he suddenly exclaimed, snapping out of his trance, his other hand coming to rub the spot on his arm where she had hit him. "What was that for?"
"Get up."
"What? Why?"
"I want to sleep." She said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Then sleep." With that, his attention was turned to the screen once more, getting lost in that stupid sport program that Regina did not care about.
Upon seeing him turn his attention back to the TV, she hit him once more.
"Hey!"
"I said get up!"
"Why?!"
"Because I am going to sleep and I don't want you on the bed." She replied, slowly this time just so he could understand.
"I will go in a second, just let me watch this first."
And once more, he was turned away from her, eyes glued to the screen. Regina groaned in frustration but then her eyes caught the remote that was resting right next to his thigh. A wicked idea popped into her head and wanting to annoy the thief further, she launched for the remote, having every intention to turn off the TV. But of course to her luck, he was faster.
Thanks to his reflexes, perfected by living in a forest for all those years, Robin guessed what she was going to do even before she made a move towards it. So grabbing the small remote before she did, he instantly pulled it away from her with irritating smirk on his face and Regina had no choice but to pull away, eyeing him.
"Give that to me." She gritted between her teeth.
"No."
"I'm warning you, thief." She spat out, eyes not leaving his, not even once.
"If you want it that much then come and get it, your majesty." He replied, eyes filled with mischief as he raised the remote even higher, away from her grasp.
She looked at him daringly. That thief had the courage to disobey her? She was going to show him.
With one swift move she launched at him one more time, but this time managing to climb on top of him even though there was a considerable strength gap between them, and she reached for the remote one more time. Her legs straddling him, she fought for the control over the tiny device and for a while he just let her do it, enjoying her determination in the process. But he was a lot stronger than her and when he had enough of it, he tossed the remote aside and grabbed her by the waist. His big hands encircling her hips, he turned them over so quickly that she wouldn't be able to counter and he landed on top of her, his hips in between her legs.
Regina froze on the spot, unable to move or speak as the outlaw's body trapped her between him and the soft mattress. With her mouth hanging open, she had no choice but to stare at his blue orbs, as she breathed heavily. What was going on? The last she remembered, she was trying to annoy the thief. How come they had ended up with him on top of her and his hips rubbing against her ever so softly that made her feel a pleasant ache down her stomach. Her hands came to rest on his shoulders but she didn't have any control over her actions. She felt hypnotized.
Robin also froze, not having come to the realization that his actions would cause this much close proximity. He didn't know which one was the most surprising, the fact that he was still alive and not burnt to a crisp or her legs spread apart so he could settle comfortably between them.
He, too, also looked down at her and when their eyes met, he felt a shiver going down his spine and electricity jolting through his veins. He had to pull back, he knew he had to pull back but why did this feel so right? No, Robin, listen, get off of her his brain yelled at him but his body refused to listen.
As long as he kept staring at her deep smoky brown eyes, he realized he wasn't going to be able to move. So forcing his will, he closed his eyes and took a moment to calm his breathing. Get off of her!
So he managed to listen to his brain and slowly sit up, and slid back away from her just so he wasn't in between her legs. His body instantly missed the contact but he shook the thought away. He watched Regina do the same, also sitting up and leaning her back against the head board, arms coming to rest in front of her, on her legs in a defensive position. He cursed himself.
Tension filled the air as both of them stayed silent and looked at anywhere besides each other and thankfully Robin broke the silence.
"I'll… I'll just get myself on the floor then." He said, stuttering slightly.
"Yes, okay." She replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
With that, he quickly lifted himself off the bed and started to search the wardrobe for a spare blanket, pillow, anything. As a matter of fact, he was just trying to distract himself from the intense moment that had just shared, trying to keep his hands busy. Because if he hadn't, those hands were going to be all over her and they couldn't have that.
As for Regina, she only sat there, unable to move. The TV was long forgotten and she didn't dare to reach for the remote, which was now lying on the floor, and turn it off. Because if she did, there was going to be silence again and that was the last thing she wanted.
"I couldn't find an extra pillow, can I have one from the bed?"
"Huh?" his sudden question had caught her off guard.
"Can I have one of your pillows?"
"No."
"But there is no-"
"Not my problem." She interrupted him, her lips curving into a sly smile. This was good. The tension was fading away and they were slowly getting back to their old bickering selves.
Groaning, he grabbed the only blanket he could find in the wardrobe, it was an old and dirty one, and crossed the room. Laying the blanket down on the floor, he started unbuttoning his shirt.
"What are you doing?" Regina suddenly asked, her eyes following his every move.
"Going to sleep. That is what you wanted, isn't it?"
"Yes, but not like that."
He halted his movements and watched her with raised eyebrows.
"Well then how would you like me to sleep, your majesty?" he asked sarcastically.
"Fully clothed."
"I'm just taking off my shirt." with that he continued with the unbuttoning.
His smirk grew into a big grin when the last button was undone and he took off his shirt, leaving him with only a wife beater which put his toned arms up for display. Regina's gaze instantly switched to the exposed flesh as her eyes roamed over his body.
But after a couple of seconds, she caught herself on the act and quickly averted her gaze unaware of Robin's smirk. Mumbling something incoherent, she quickly excused herself and disappeared into the bathroom.
Get a hold of yourself, Regina scolded herself the moment she closed the door behind her and leaned against it with a deep sigh. It was nothing. As a matter of fact, she had learned her lesson; never play games with the outlaw. There was just a little excess tension that was all. After a couple of days she would be back in her apartment and never have to see his face again, she just had to get through those couple of days ahead of her.
She took a couple of steps forward to face the mirror that was attached to the bathroom wall over the sink. The first thing she noticed was how tired she looked. She still hadn't gotten her much needed sleep and deep purple circles were beginning to form around her eyes and her smudged make up wasn't really helping. She ran her hands through her dark locks and wiped off the extra make up that had pooled around her eyes with her fingers. There wasn't much she could do about it, but it was better than nothing. She looked down to her clothes, still wearing her pants suit with a white blouse and a dark grey blazer.
She had no pajamas. And no extra change of clothes.
She took off her jacket first then her pants. She looked at her pure white blouse but deciding on not to get it dirty since she was going to be wearing it the next day, she took that off also.
She looked at herself in the mirror one more time but this time, she gasped. She had completely forgotten the fact that in a hurry that morning, after leaving the shower, she had grabbed the first underwear she could find, thinking that no one was going to see it anyway and now she was standing in the bathroom just a few feet away from the thief with only a wooden door separating them, clad only in a pink underwear and bra decorated with red hearts.
The last thing she wanted was to leave the privacy of the bathroom wearing that underwear.
Well maybe, the thief doesn't have to see it.
She walked over to the door and cracked it open as quiet as she can and peeked inside. He was nowhere to be seen, presumably already asleep on the floor at the other side of the bed. Good. He wasn't going to see anything.
And tomorrow she could always wake up earlier than him, go to the bathroom and put her clothes back on, skillfully avoid his mocking.
She liked that idea and at the moment, it was her only choice.
So opening the door even further, she stepped into the room and made her way towards bed. She hurriedly sat down on the bed and slipped under the covers, making sure the thief stayed oblivious of her current choice of underwear.
She succeeded.
She was safe.
She was-
"Nice undergarments."
Damn.
"Fit for a queen." He continued and she could hear him chuckle lightly between his sentences.
She lifted her head and leaned over to the side of the bed to see him indeed laying down on the floor with that dirty old blanket spread over him.
"Shut up."
"As you wish."
He did. He stopped talking but she could still hear him laughing silently to himself. Groaning to herself she put her head back on the pillow and buried herself in the covers.
She closed her eyes and forced herself to go to sleep. But she wasn't even remotely tired, even though her legs and back still ached, her eyes hurt from staring at the computer for too long, her brain was still active and her stomach was doing jumping jacks in her stomach.
Okay. Sleep. Now.
After an hour, she was still wide awake and tired of staring at the ceiling. Turning to her side, she glanced at the clock.
1.18 am.
Great, even if she went to sleep now, she was going to end up waking up late the next day. She turned to her other side and shut her eyes once more, trying to go to sleep but her attempts were interrupted when she heard him speak from the floor.
"I can't sleep with all the tossing and turning."
"Too bad." She spit back and turned her side as loudly as she could.
After a beat of silence, he spoke again.
"Why can't you sleep?"
"I don't know."
"Tell me." This time his voice came out more serious.
Regina contemplated it. She had no intention of opening up to the outlaw, never did, but the way he shaped his question was that of worry, not curiosity. She liked that. And maybe she wanted to give up.
"It's Henry." She found herself saying without actually thinking long about it.
"Isn't he with Emma?"
"Yes…"
"That means he's not with you." He concluded after a pause.
When Regina kept her silence, he spoke again.
"Do you miss him?"
"Do you miss Roland?"
"He's just one floor away but yes, I do."
Robin sighed and turned to his side, the hard floor hurting his back. He winced in pain and waited for Regina to speak but she never did. From her breathing he could still tell that she was awake and stressed.
"You know what? Before I came here, to Storybrooke, Baelfire, well Neal, came to me and asked me to help him get his son back. And to do that, I put Roland at great risk. What I'm trying to say is that I see what you're doing for Henry and the lengths that you can go to just for him and I admire it. And to be honest, the only time I see you smile is when you're with him." He finished with a chuckle, waiting for her reaction.
He relaxed when he heard her laugh slightly.
"Henry used to cry all the time when I first got him, couldn't get used to me. And I couldn't bond with him, couldn't form a connection that a mother and son would." She confessed quietly and Robin was surprised to hear her speak. But he listened intently, also staring at the ceiling.
"Then what did you do?"
"I asked him to give me a chance."
Raising his head, Robin supported himself on his elbows on the floor, the hard wood hurting his skin, and tried to see Regina's face. When he did, she also turned her head towards him. When the two made eye contact Robin's breath got caught in her throat and Regina felt captivated by him. Even though they were in the dark, she could still see his blue eyes, the moonlight coming from the window making them shine.
"You're a great mother, Regina."
"Thank you." And she smiled at him.
It was the first smile she had given him directly and he cherished every moment of it; he memorized how her lips curl, how the side of her mouth wrinkled and how her eyes shined with hope even just for a second, but while he watched her intensely, she quickly averted her gaze and he lost the contact.
"I still hate you."
"I know." He replied with a smirk playing his lips.
After that, they didn't speak again until the morning and Regina finally fell into a deep sleep.
Hours later Robin was awaken and left his dreamland, which was much better than the real world, when he tried to turn in his sleep and a wave of sharp pain hit him on his back. Wincing in pain, he instantly opened his eyes and when he tried to move he realized it wasn't just his back, it was everywhere; a little souvenir from sleeping on the floor. Yes he was used to sleeping on the ground, spending many nights in his tent had taught him the habit but in his tent there were more blankets and the ground he was sleeping on was much softer. But this? This was hardwood floor and it didn't do much good to his body.
He opened his eyes and saw the sun streaming through the windows; a sign of a new day starting. Raising his hand, he rubbed the sleep off his eyes and tried to sit up.
Wrong move.
Another wave of pain shot through his body and he groaned in agony. But no, sleeping in and waiting for the pain to be over wasn't going to do him any good and he guessed Roland was already downstairs by now, looking for his father. So he tried one more time and this time he succeeded but when he was on his feet, the pain was much worse and he could barely walk.
Turning around, his eyes looked for the brunette he had shared the room with and when he spotted her, he gasped in surprise.
Regina was still asleep, her arms were spread on the bed in a distraught state. But she was no longer curled up in her blanket, no, she had discarded the said blanket during the night and it was now only covering her lower body and legs. Her bra clad body was still visible to him and Robin couldn't help but to roam his eyes over the swell of her breasts, the curve of her waist and her toned abdomen.
To be honest, she had the sexiest body he had ever seen in a woman.
Her lips were slightly parted and she was breathing slowly, indicating that she was in deep sleep. But among all that, what made Robin's lips curve into a smile was her pink bra with red hearts on it. It gave her a touch of cuteness that he was finding very heart to resist.
But Robin knew he had to quit staring and wake her up.
"Oh your majesty, time to rise and shine!" he half yelled in a sarcastic tone and with one swift move, opened the blinds that was covering the window.
When the sunshine hit Regina's face and Robin yelled even louder, she slowly fluttered her eyes open. For a few seconds, she couldn't remember what was happening and closed her eyes again. With her voice still groggy from sleep, she spoke.
"What time is it?"
"Nine."
"Am or Pm?"
"What do you think?"
She opened her eyes once more and when she witnessed the bright sunlight streaming in from the windows, her eyes widened in surprise and she quickly sat up.
"I'm late!"
"To what? You're the mayor." Robin replied, picking up his clothes in the meanwhile.
Ignoring him, she quickly picked up her clothes, not even bothering to hide her half naked state from the man standing at the other end of the room; she quickly went into bathroom and closed the door behind her with a loud bam.
Half an hour later, they were both descending from the stairs with Regina quickly making her way to the diner and Robin following behind her and groaning with each step. She noticed the pain she was in but didn't dare to address it, knowing that it was her fault for making him sleep on the floor. She would take care of that later but now, she had other business to take care of.
Once she entered Granny's diner and headed for the door, she was stopped by a voice which belonged to none other than a certain blonde.
"Where are you going?" Emma asked, getting up from her seat.
"Oh Miss Swan there you are, I need to go back to my house."
"No!" the other woman practically yelled and Regina was startled by her sudden outburst.
"Excuse me?"
"You can't. There are bugs everywhere."
"I'm not going permanently; I just need to get a change of clothes."
"You can't even do that." Emma responded, her eyes searching for the diner. When she spotted Mary Margaret, she indicated for her to come closer.
When Mary Margaret reached the two women standing by the doorway, she quickly joined the conversation.
"Regina's going back to her house?"
"Yes, I am."
"No, she's not."
Regina and Emma spoke at the same time and they stared at each other.
"Miss Swan!"
"There are huge bugs there, Regina."
"Huge!" Mary Margaret said, backing up her friend. Just then Henry appeared out of nowhere and stood right next Emma, also wearing a worried expression.
"And spiders." He said.
"And cockroaches."
"I heard that they can fly."
"Enough!" Regina stopped the group before they can utter another word. "I need clothes and I need them now."
"I can get some for you!" the blonde volunteered quickly.
Regina eyed the group before her. Something suspicious was going on.
"I can't go into my house but you can?"
"I don't want you to get your hands dirty." Emma's response was quick which made Regina even more suspicious. From the corner of her eye, she watched Robin hugging his son and chatting with Little John but she quickly turned her gaze away from them. She wasn't going to let the thief distract her again.
"Fine."
With that she turned around but when she was about to open the door, she was interrupted one more time.
"Where are you going now?!" Henry said.
"To work. Besides, what are you doing here? Don't you have school?"
"It's Saturday."
She had forgotten which day it was. And it was outlaw's fault. Everything was the outlaw's fault.
"Oh…"
"Why would you want to go to work, its Saturday. You can stay here in the diner, or go to the woods maybe. Ow!" Henry's excited speech was interrupted when Emma put his arms around the boy and squeezed his shoulders a bit too tightly.
"I am going to my office to work. Or is that forbidden also?" Regina sighed and without giving them a second glance, headed out the door. Everyone was acting weird today.
Once Regina was no longer in their range, Emma quickly turned towards the boy.
"What are you doing? You almost ruined Operation Hedgehog!"
"I was just trying to keep her here!"
"Well that is getting harder." Mary Margaret spoke. "She is getting suspicious. They both are."
With that, their eyes turned to watch Robin who was interrogating Will Scarlet at the other end of the diner.
Guys I got so many positive reviews for this story and I want to thank everyone who read, reviewed, favorited and followed this story.
I just hope the following chapters will live up to your expectations.