The Robin Locksley Memorial campsite was Regina's idea. The campsite where Robin and his Merry Men had stayed while in Storybrooke was turned into a campsite a couple months back for anyone wanting a weekend away in the woods. In addition to sectioned campsites, there was a rangers station, a building with showers and bathrooms, and even Roland's Corner, which was a play area for young children. A river flowed through the northern edge of the site and there were trails leading up to Firefly Hill. It was the perfect getaway for all of Storybrooke.

The Swan/Mills group had the biggest campsite, or the "Locksley Suite" as it was called. There was a flat area for the tent and a fire pit. They pulled up to their spot in David's borrowed truck and started unpacking. Emma was in charge of setting up the tent, Henry got their bags, and Regina set up their cooking equipment. Regina and Henry took a mere five minutes to do their job, but it seemed Emma was having difficulties with hers.

"Let's see... This piece is connected to this thing..." Emma mumbled to herself.

"You're setting up a tent, dear, not building a skeleton. What's taking so long?" Regina questioned.

"It's fine. I got this." Emma said, her eyebrows scrunching with concentration.

"Here, let me help." Regina held the tent poles still so Emma could slide them through the loops at the top of the tent, then helped her drive in the stakes to keep the tent from flying away. They then set up their sleeping bags (and Regina's air mattress), moved their overnight bags into the tent, then set off towards the river.

The water was crisp and cool and crystal clear. A few families were enjoying themselves by dipping their feet in the water. Ashley and Sean were there with little Alexandra, as were Philip and Aurora with their son. The kids were having a blast in the water and eventually roped Henry into their fun. Regina simply stood under the shade of a tree and watched her Prince play with the children. He'd be a good big brother if either she or Emma ever had another child. Regina was about to comment on just that when she saw that Emma's attention was elsewhere. Emma was looking over at the bridge that spanned across a wider part of the river.

"What is it, dear?" Regina asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. It's stupid." Emma shrugged, but Emma didn't give that look to just anything.

"I'm sure it's not stupid. Just tell me." Regina said, putting a hand on her arm.

"It's just... have you ever heard of Pooh sticks?" Regina shook her head. "Well, it's a game Winnie the Pooh played with his friends. You stand on a bridge and drop a stick or a pine cone off the side. Whoever's stick comes out the other side first wins. As a kid, I've always wanted to play it, but I never got the chance. And since we're doing all the stuff we never got to do as a kid this summer..." Regina smiled. She was glad that Emma opened up to her.

"If you want to play Pooh sticks, we'll play Pooh sticks." Regina said. She reached for Emma's hand and held it in hers as they walked over to the bridge. They each picked up a stick from the ground and got into position.

"Ready? On three. One... two... three!" They dropped their sticks and ran to the other side of the bridge. Their sticks floated into view, Emma's in the lead.

"I won!" Emma cheered. Regina smiled at Emma's childlike glee. "One more time?" Their second round attracted Alexandra, who won the third round. Philip Jr. joined the fourth, and eventually, all the kids in the camp were playing Pooh sticks.


After a quick lunch, the Swan/Mills trio hit the trails. The hiking trail snaked its way around the mountain until it's end up at Firefly Hill. Birdhouses from the local elementary school lined the trees along the way, giving homes to birds and giving the people good photo opportunities. Signs gave facts and warnings about the local flora and fauna and pointed out particularly photogenic views. All-in-all, it was a great family bonding experience.

Well, it was.

Regina hadn't been paying attention when she tripped over a root and fell.

"Mom! Are you okay?" Henry asked.

"I'm fine. I just-" Regina grimaced in pain.

"What's wrong, Regina? Is it your ankle?" Emma asked. Regina nodded. "Let me help you up. We'll take you over to the nurse's station back at the camp and-"

"No! I promised to do this hike, and I'm going to finish it." Regina said stubbornly.

"Regina, if you're hurt-" Regina cut Emma off.

"Emma, I am fine. I'm sure it's just a sprain." Regina pulled herself to her feet and used Emma as support as they slowly hiked the rest of the trail.

The top of Firefly Hill was the most romantic spot in Storybrooke. It not only overlooked the entire town and the forest surrounding it, but it was the perfect spot to watch the sunset. Not to mention the fireflies that lit up the air at night. It was like the lantern scene in Tangled, but smaller. Emma was trying to get kids to ditch the place so she could take Regina there for a date in the future. At the moment, the sun was barely starting to descend and they had to be sure to get back to the camp before it got too dark.

Regina settled on a fallen log and massaged her ankle.

"Here, let me." Emma said. She gingerly removed Regina's shoe and gently massaged the hurt ankle. It was definitely swollen, and Emma could see the beginnings of a bruise. It was probably sprained, but they wouldn't know for sure until they got it checked out. Emma wanted to heal it for her, but she would need to know exactly what was wrong before she tried to fix it.

They spent some time on the hill, then decided they should get going. Emma helped Regina walk the two mile long trail back to the camp.


"I can't believe you walked that trail with a fractured ankle." Emma said, shaking her head. The second they got back to camp, Regina and Emma drove the short distance down to the nurse's office at the ranger's station. A quick check with a portable x-ray machine revealed a tiny fracture in Regina's ankle. It was wrapped up and Regina was instructed to stay off her feet, so there she was, sitting in a camping chair with her injured ankle elevated, instructing Emma and Henry on how to make their dinner on the portable gas stove.

"I've dealt with worse." Regina replied with an eyeroll.

"Still! We should not have walked three miles with your ankle injured." Emma said, flipping a burger patty.

"Emma, I'm fine. Really. What's important is that we made some good memories." Regina looked down at her phone, a new picture as her home screen. It was the three of them at the top of Firefly Hill, smiling and having fun. Her lock screen, naturally, was the picture she took moments before the other, of Emma and her kissing.

"Well, the patties are ready. How do you take your burgers, Your Majesty?" Regina instructed Emma on how to make her burger and they all sat together, enjoying their meal.

After dinner, they gathered around the campfire for a desert of campfire banana splits and then a very important camping tradition: scary stories. Henry brought out a book of scary stories and a flashlight. According to Henry, that book got the highest rating on Amazon and was guaranteed to give them nightmares. The flashlight was more for dramatic lighting effects than helping him read.

These were different than the kind of stories they'd grown up hearing. Sure they sounded just as fake as the rest, but as the fire began to die, and they got snuggled up in their sleeping bags, it was all they could think about. Regina curled up on her air mattress, wondering if each swish of the trees or every crackle was a skinwalker or a wendigo. She bit her lip. She was an adult! She should not be scared of a story her son told over a campfire. Then again, she found how easily belief could make something real. Magic was real in this world. How did she know if the tales were true?

"Emma?" Regina whispered into the darkness.

"Yeah?" Emma whispered back.

"You can't sleep, either?" Regina asked.

"Nope. The kid's going to be grounded for life for reading us those stories." Emma replied.

"Agreed."

"Want me to... Can I..." Emma mumbled.

"Can you keep me safe tonight, Savior?" Regina asked.

"Sure. Unzip first." They unzipped their sleeping bags and used them to make one big one. Inside, they spooned together, Regina curled up with Emma's arms around her.

"Try to sleep. I'll protect you." Emma whispered. Regina settled in Emma's arms and with her scent surrounding her, Regina finally fell asleep.

A.N: Shout out to my aunt who actually fractured her ankle and still went with us to the beach. That, along with someone who commented inspired that part of the chapter.

Also, my favorite scary stories are the ones that sneak up on you. At first, you don't pay them much attention. They're just like any old ghost story you've heard, but once you're trying to sleep and the lights are out, suddenly they're all you can think of and you're terrified. ;)