Gideon
Gideon is admiring the slope of her nose. It slopes gently down, somehow meeting up with the pink of her lips and the curve of her chin. He can see her collarbone and the dip between her breasts. Her shoulders are covered in freckles, dotting constellations from her all the way down to her pale wrists. She doesn't realize he's staring at her because her eyes are closed and her hand is curled gently into the pillow. Outside, the crickets welcome the night in joyful chorus. Inside, Robyn sleeps soundly, looking as peaceful as a babe in the little bed by the window.
She had fallen asleep soon after he brought her to the Sun Room. They had laughed together, and then she had thrown herself on the bed and fell instantly asleep. Gideon wishes sleep were that easy for him. Instead, it eludes him like so many other things in this world. He has missed out on so many dreams.
Robyn sighs in her sleep and turns her nose into the fabric of the pillow. Gideon smiles. She looks a lot like Zelena. A strand of her hair falls across her face, turning bronze in the moonlight. Her eyes flutter slightly, and her hand twitches. Gideon wants to capture the image for his memories, but knows he can't linger here all night. So he turns around in the doorway, and lets his eyes wander down the long, dark hallway towards his room. A room where he knows he will not find any of the comfort he needs. A room that is his, but only by name.
It would be different if he had grown up here, in this house with his parents. With the Storybrooke characters, and all their families. He enters his room and turns on the light. It would have been different if the Dark Fairy hadn't stolen his childhood from him. Maybe the room would feel like his and maybe the town wouldn't be such a stranger.
If not for her, he might have been the one sleeping with his hand curled and his eyes fluttering.
Emma
It feels like they've been walking for days, when in reality it is probably closer to a few hours. Aethalbald sits on Emma's shoulder, croaking directions every so often and complimenting them on their looks. Emma doesn't have a problem ignoring his comments, but Regina is quite perturbed by their amphibious companion.
"Through these trees, maiden. And might I say your hair is like a crow's wings?" he says to Regina when she steps in front of Emma.
"Do you ever shut up?" Regina asks. Her patience is wearing thin. "How much longer is it to Morpheus's place?"
"Do not fret, my pretty. We shall arrive at his palace shortly," Aelthalbald says. Regina scowls and Emma fights to contain laughter.
"Can you please stop referring to us as your pretties? It doesn't really fit our situation," Regina says. Emma feels Aethalbald move a little further away from her neck. He doesn't say anything, but after a moment, his tongue darts out and grabs a nearby fly. Emma jumps a little at the action, but thankfully Aethalbald doesn't fall off. She can hear him crunching on the fly and the idea of it is sickening.
They do some more walking and Emma feels like collapsing. Her legs feel chafed from the crinoline skirt, and the bottom of the dress is so muddy it's weighing her down. Just when she thinks she can't go on any longer, she spies the tip of a tower through the trees, silver against the impossible blue of the sky.
Aethalbald seems incredibly pleased with himself.
"You see? I told you it was close."
"It's about time," Regina said, looking as weary as Emma feels. She wears a tired expression and Emma notices she has let her hair down from its confinement. It falls well past her shoulders in messy tangles. She raises an eyebrow and Regina shrugs.
"There's a reason I keep it short, now," she says. "I forgot how annoying it was at this length."
The trio approach the castle, and it is closer than Emma had originally thought. Soon they stand at the large, marble doors with dark opal knockers shaped like lions.
Aelthalbald slides off of Emma's shoulder and hits the ground with a PLOP.
"Woah, are you okay?" Emma bends down, but it's hard to look a frog in the eye. Aethalbald makes a tiny movement with his front legs that might have been a shrug.
"I am perfectly alright, thank you for your concern," he says, then turns to the doors and hops up to it. He sits up as best he can on his back legs and raps on the door with a tiny fist. Emma can't help herself - she chuckles at the strange sight. Regina surprises them both by showing some sympathy towards the creature and picking him up. Emma smiles when the former evil queen gives Aethalbald a gentle, almost motherly pat on the head.
"I'm afraid he won't be able to hear you while you're in this form," she says. Emma takes a knocker on her hand and knocks, but the sound falls flat and a rush of wind pushes her hair back. She blinks in surprise.
"What was that?"
"You must knock together," Aethalbald says. Regina takes the other knocker, and the two women look at each other.
"On my signal," Regina says. Emma nods, knowing better than to start an unnecessary argument. Regina lifts the knocker, and Emma does the same.
"NOW!"
The knockers slam against the doors with a boom so loud it echoes through the forest and comes back behind them. The doors swing open and the action is so swift; so magical that Emma is surprised when there is no accompanying mist or ominous music. Aethalbald hops hops of Regina's hand, and starts hopping into the castle with much glee and unsurpressed excitement.
"I haven't been here in ages! I missed this deliferous place!" he made his way towards a large plant that sits next to a table. Emma wonders if he made that word up.
"Ah, my favorite plant!"
Emma and Regina enter, and the doors shut behind them. The room is smaller than expected, but no less magnificent. Bottles of colorful liquids and various ingredients line the walls and there is a hearty fire going in the fireplace near a long table that is set up for dinner. No place on the wall is bear; the spots where the potions end are decorated with elaborate paintings. On the far side of the room is a table that looks like it came directly from a wizard's handbook. Emma has met Morpheus before, but she didn't realize he lived like some sort of warlock.
"That's funny, I wasn't expecting it to be empty," Regina says. Emma rolls her eyes in good nature and walks towards the stairs they are closest to.
"Maybe he's upstairs?" she suggests.
"Maybe he's making dreams?" Regina responds. Her voice doesn't sound sassy, but her words emit a sarcastic vibe. Just as she finishes talking, someone clears their throat. Emma whirls around and Morpheus is standing at the wizard table, watching them with dark eyes. He frowns at them but not in an unkind way.
"Weren't you just-" Emma doesn't finish the thought. It doesn't really matter, anyway.
"Emma Swan, we meet again," Morpheus says. "And you still aren't dreaming. Honestly, do you never sleep?"
"Morpheus, we need your help!" Emma says. She picks up her skirts and walks over to him as fast as she can manage. Her feet ache from walking and she wishes she was wearing her normal clothes.
"Of course you do," Morpheus sighs. "What is it this time?"
"Emma," Regina is at Emma's side. She grabs her arm and whispers frantically in her ear. "It's Robyn."
She gestures to a small photo displayed proudly on the desk, framed with a golden trim. It's a picture of Morpheus and a little girl with red hair. It isn't the best picture, but they both look incredibly happy. Despite her situation, Emma is glad she grew up in the Dream Realm loved.
"You know Robyn? She found you?" Morpheus asked, knitting his eyebrows together.
"Yes. We need your help to get her back to the Dream Realm. Somehow she arrived in Storybrooke as her dream-self."
"I understand." Morpheus' eyes take on a sad note, and he shuffles some papers around. "If she doesn't return her body will eventually disintegrate and she will cease to exist in both worlds."
"Well then we need to get her back here!" Regina says. "That's why we came!"
Morpheus shakes his head sadly, "Unfortunately, I am unable to help you-" he tries to go on but Emma interrupts him.
"What about one of your potions? You're the master of the Dream Realm for God's sake. Can't you magically transport her back here or something?"
"Alas, my power does not extend much past the borders of this world. In order for Robyn to be returned, she must be reunited with her body."
"How do we do that?" Emma asks.
"Once her dream-self meets her body, the two will once again become one and she will wake up from the Dark Fairy's curse. Unless you do this, she will be lost to you forever." Morpheus clasps his hands together and his lips set in a grim line. Regina snorts in defeat.
"Great, we don't even know where she is!" She throws her hands up in exasperation and Emma's heart falls.
"Do you know where she is?" Emma asks. Morpheus shakes his head again.
"All I know is she is in a relatively safe place. She doesn't seem to have been disturbed."
"How are we supposed to find her, then?" Regina runs a hand through her long hair.
"The person who can help most with that would be Robyn herself. Her connection with her body may be weak, but it is still alive. Somewhere inside her she is somewhat-conscious of her surroundings."
"What does that mean?" Emma asks.
Morpheus opens his mouth to respond but at that moment Aethalbald decides to speak up. Emma has almost forgotten about the frog until he hops casually between her legs and looks up at Morpheus.
"It means you'll have to get her to give you clues about where she is. Like Morpheus said, she still has some contact with herself and is sleeping soundly somewhere. She is probably not aware of this, but she's probably already given clues to her whereabouts."
Morphus grunts at the sight of the frog: "Where have you been, Thal?"
"Oh, you know...around." Aethalbald's speech is more coherent for once - less filled with Shakespearean expressions and more like a person from the present age.
"When you say "around" do you mean here around, or there around?" Morpheus asks, not looking particularly interested in Aethalbald's response.
Aethalbald's tongue darts out from between his lips, "Don't worry, I haven't offered to find any princess's golden balls."
Emma laughs.
"Clues? What clues? I haven't seen anything," Regina mutters, completely ignoring the conversation between frog and man. Morpheus blinks at her. It seems as if he's forgotten that she was there.
"Oh, yes, well, let's say she's somewhere cold, for example. Her body language or temperature preference will indicate a reaction to this. She may shiver at odd times, or complain about always being cold." Morpheus shrugs, "Other than that, it's hard to say what Fiona would have done with a baby."
Emma thinks about the first time she met Robyn and tries to think of anything out of the ordinary. She hadn't complained about the cold, even though she was wearing a thin little nightgown. She recalls her face when Zelena rejected her. Nothing irregular about that, other than the fact no child should have to question the love of their mother. She remembers eating dinner with Hook and Henry. Henry had told her that he walked around a bit with Robyn. She wonders if he noticed anything.
Regina starts pacing and muttering underneath her breath. She is just as deep in thought as Emma is, and no less concerned. Whatever happens, they are all in this together. Emma clears her throat and nods at Morpheus.
"Thanks, Morpheus. We'll find her."
Morpheus smiles gently, "Be sure that you do. I've grown quite fond of the lass."
Robyn
When she wakes up, Robyn stretches and yawns, feeling pleasantly refreshed. She dresses herself in the chocolate dress and goes out to the hallway. The door opens with a loud creak, and she freezes. There is a cool breeze in the air, accompanied with heavy scent of dust. She strains her ears, but she can't hear anything but silence. She tiptoes out of the room and towards the entrance.
"Good morning, Robyn!" The chirpy voice makes Robyn jump nearly two feet into the air. She cries out and jumps back against the wall. Belle holds up her hands in apology.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you!" Belle says. She rushes to help Robyn stand, and starts brushing her off in places where Robyn is sure there is no dirt. She shrugs off and smiles.
"I'm fine, now," she says.
"If you're looking for the bathroom, it's about a quarter of the way down the hall and is the first door to the left. I put out fresh towels, and you can use my shampoo and brush if you need one."
Robyn is once again struck by this woman's kindness. Belle barely even knows her, and yet she has opened her home, and her heart to her. She smiles again, and makes sure it reaches her eyes.
"Thank you for everything, Belle," she says. Belle nods and walks past her. Robyn hesitates only a moment before heading to the bathroom. It has been ages since she last felt clean, and she's been holding in pee since last night. She has been dreading walking through the hallway, but it's not so bad this morning. There is a window at the end of the hallway that is letting in some light, and the rays are pleasant. The bathroom has a small window of its own, and a nice, bright mirror-light.
After her shower, Robyn combs through her auburn hair. There are some hairbands scattered around the sink and she thinks about putting her hair up. She prefers wearing it down (it feels free that way) but perhaps it would look better in a more proper style. After a small debate, she pulls it behind her in a thick ponytail. She has always liked the way her hair feels against her neck when it is up like this. When she moves her head, it brushes softly against the back of her neck and dress.
When she comes out, Belle has a breakfast of pancakes ready. The rest of the family is already sitting around the table, eating in silence. It's not so awkward as it is peaceful. She gathers that none of them are morning people. She, on the other hand, appreciated the dawn.
Gideon looks up when she sits down, but Rumpelstiltskin could not care less about the stranger at his table. He is preoccupied with an experiment and only grunts a greeting when Belle nudges him in the arm. Robyn fills her plate and tries not to feel self-conscious about the fact that Gideon is watching her with his dark eyes. He is wearing a well-fitting brown shirt and blue pants of a fabric she's never seen before. As she leans across the table to syrup her pancakes, she almost swears that she can smell the same woodsy scent that was clinging to him last night.
Her cheeks flush and she refuses to look at him, even after he says good morning. She replies, of course, but she cannot bring herself to meet his penetrating gaze.
"I hope you slept well in the Sunroom," Belle says, "It can be kind of drafty in there, sometimes.
"I did, thank you," Robyn says. Something brushes against her leg, and she realizes with a shudder that it is Gideon's foot. He is trying to vie for her attention with his feet? She shoots him a glare. He is smiling at her, but it's a smile only she can see. Too small for Rumpelstiltskin or Belle to catch, but she sees it. How incredibly annoying.
"Please pass the strawberries," she says. She is talking to Rumpelstiltskin who is sitting in front of the fruit, but it is Gideon who grabs them and passes them to her. When she takes it from him his hand slips a little and it collides with hers. His hand is warm and the contact sends a rush of tingles through her arm. She pulls away and leaves the strawberries behind.
He did that on purpose, she thinks. She tries to be angry, but she is more annoyed than anything. Forgetting her place for the moment, she clears her throat and speaks her mind (as she always does).
"I'm not sure what you think you're doing, but I don't want you touching me, anymore," she says. Rumpelstiltskin chokes on his drink and Belle's eyes go wide. For the first time that morning Rumpelstiltskin acknowledges the girl in the room.
"Excuse me?" he asks. Robyn doesn't even have the decency to blush at her bluntness. She pops a piece of pancake in her mouth and waits for Gideon to apologize. He looks at her, and she looks at him.
"Sorry, that was an accident," Gideon says.
"You call jabbing me with your foot an accident?" Glare. Chew, chew.
"I was stretching."
"And were you stretching yesterday when you grabbed my hand in that inappropriate way?" Glare. Chew, chew.
"What? I don't remember that!"
Belle looks back and forth between her son and Robyn, intrigued. Rumple, on the other hand, looks fairly disgusted. Robyn stands up and reaches for his hand. He takes it and they sit there, holding hands at the table. Gideon smiles at her for real this time, and Robyn realizes what she's done.
"That's enough out of you. We don't need Zelena's daughter flirting with our son," Rumpelstiltskin says. His voice sends a jolt through Robyn and she withdraws her hand, flushing redder than ever. Flirting? Oh, no, was that was this was? She could have none of that business. No, no, no. She needed to get back to the Dream Realm. She needed to get back to Morpheus. She needed to get back to her body.
She stands up and holds her arms at her sides.
"Thank you very much for your hospitality," she says, "I will be going, now."
She doesn't wait for a response, and she doesn't turn around when Belle starts shouting after her, and then scolding her husband. She walks quickly through the pawn shop, and exits the shop with the doors jingling behind her. She doesn't notice that Gideon has followed her out onto the street. He grabs her arm and twirls her around to face him.
"I'm sorry, Robyn, I wasn't trying to make you feel uncomfortable," he apologizes. He doesn't look that sorry. "I just...you're cute when you're angry."
Cute? "I don't think so, Mr. Please leave me be!" she says, furiously. She doesn't move, though, and neither does he.
"I've never interacted with a girl who's as close to my age as you are. And the fact that you're - " Something in Gideon's throat catches. "I didn't mean to be so attracted to you," he mumbles the last words and releases her. He looks like a little boy, all shy and embarrassed.
He's attracted to me? Robyn can't say anything for a long pause. He feels bad, she knows he does. At least he knows he was being creepy, she thinks. Though if she's honest with herself, it wasn't creepy. Not exactly. She takes his hand again, slowly, unsure of herself. She stares down at their entwined hands, unable to look him straight in the face again.
"You infuriate me," she whispers.
"I'm sorry," he says again.
"I don't even know you." Robyn takes a step backwards, and is hurt when he does not follow. She speaks the truth, and yet she wishes she did know him. She wishes she knew the reason for the sadness behind his eyes. She wants to know what his favorite color is, and what his pet peeves are. She wants to feel his hand in hers forever. But she does not belong in this world, and, from what little she knows, neither does he. He is the boy who grew up too fast. Everything about him is too fast.
This is too fast.
She steps away from him and drops his hand. He doesn't argue, and he doesn't come any closer.
"Well, I know something about you," he says. His voice is soft. Robyn tilts her head, wondering what he could possibly know about her. She mentally prepares of list of responses, but she isn't expecting his words.
"You're afraid of the dark," he says matter-of-factly. And Robyn isn't upset because he's wrong, she's upset because he's right.
She is afraid of the dark.
*Special Author's Note*
"Deliferous" is not a real word. It just came out when I was writing, and it seemed appropriate. If it turns out that it's a real word and means something entirely unrelated, just let me know and I'll make up another one. In regards to the insta-love, it happened because that sort of thing always happens in OUaT.
Thanks for reading.