Hey guys! Hope that was a bit of a shocker. But also predictable, depending on how you think of Elsa and her powers/emotions. Don't be mad about the Anna-Hans abuse thing. I couldn't kill her, but she needed to be in danger in order for Elsa to take heroic sister action. Consider it plot development. Enjoy this chapter! It'll take a step backwards for a bit, but we'll get back to Frozen, don't worry. :)
Chapter Seven
Charming came downstairs right when she was sliding back into bed. "What happened? Where are Snow and Emma?"
"Elsa showed up out of nowhere and set off a surprise winter after I told her something about her sister. Snow and Emma went after her."
"And you're just going back to bed?"
She glared at him. "On your wife's orders."
He squinted at her suspiciously and rearranged his fussy son in his arms. "Fine." He licked his lips, looked around the chilly apartment, and then took a step towards her. "Would you be willing to watch Neil while I go help?"
She sighed. "Why not?" Ten minutes later the prince was bundled into his winter gear and locking the door, baby Neil sucking on her finger as she wrapped the two of them in Snow's old quilt. "Well little one, I guess it's just the two of us for now." And that's when the child inside her gave two feeble kicks.
"Really, two kicks? That's wonderful!" Tinkerbelle squealed with excitement. "Isn't that such a good sign?"
"No, the last time my baby kicked he ended up still-born and buried in the garden under my window."
"Oh." She was silent for a minute. "Well, perhaps we can take this as a good sign anyways."
"I suppose." She looked down at sleeping Neil, finally warm in her arms. "It's dangerous to hope Tink. I'm afraid."
"I know. It must not be easy. I've never had a baby, so I wouldn't know. I'll do everything I can to help you though. Is there anything you need?"
"No. Snow put me on bed rest and insisted I stay with her and Charming. I'm babysitting Neil while they work on this surprise winter."
"I was going to ask about that. What happened?"
She explained and then Tink said she had to go, complaining that the weird door handle was hurting her ear. She promised to visit once the nice weather returned and hung up, leaving Regina to once again lie in bed and contemplate the life growing inside her, just like all those years ago.
She needed to call Robin. With everyone gone it was the perfect opportunity and she had taught him how to use a phone. Presumably he was still at Granny's and wouldn't be overheard at the back stairs payphone, but with his wife around she needed to be cautious.
But with the third kick bumping under her hand she persuaded herself to dial the diner-hotel, conversed quietly with a sympathetic Red (who thought the call was only about their tumultuous relationship, not a newly-conceived life), and before she knew it was stumbling over saying 'hello' to the love of her new life. Neil gurgled in her lap and she placed a kiss on the babe's forehead as Robin whispered his own greeting.
"It's you. I-I didn't know your phone number and after we met in the street I thought it was best to-"
"Don't. I need you to come over to Snow's apartment. I can give you directions."
"Is something wrong?"
"I'll explain when you get here. Is the weather too bad yet?"
"I've been through worse."
The call ended without a goodbye.
The fifteen minutes it took him to arrive felt like eternity. She remembered sneaking out and waiting to meet Daniel and how a similar sensation would fill her. What if he wasn't coming? If he forgot or changed his mind? Her very soul seemed to hang in those minutes, those tiny ticks of a clock that with every passing second seemed to mock her. Another minute gone by and still nothing, look at her, the loving fool!
The loving fool with a baby in her belly she corrected this time. Mockery might as well be accurate. Neil squirmed and she re-arranged him just as a soft knock touched the door. So much for only thirty minutes on my feet.
She walked carefully to the door, unlocking it while balancing her step-grandson in one arm. The child seemed unaware of his danger, that if he wiggled just an inch to the left or right he might tumble and meet a hard floor head first. Children always seemed to live like that. As soon as the lock turned and she twisted the knob she returned her arm to its proper place. She would not be accused of improper childcare on the verge of biological motherhood.
"Hi." His accent made the word melt around her. How many times had they exchanged such simple greetings?
The world spun too quickly on its axis to contain all she felt and needed to say, so she satisfied herself with "Hi. Come in."
They sat at the table and she hoped he didn't see the wrinkle of her jeans and t-shirt. She'd estimated her pregnancy to be about three months along and already jeans were biting into her flesh and fitted t-shirts had to stretch to cover everything properly. Not to mention bed rest wrinkled her clothes and Snow wouldn't let her iron anything ('too heavy').
"How have you been?" He kept his jacket on, but she was mentally peeling away the layers, wishing they could be tucked warmly under her thick sheets at home.
"I love you so much." Robin whispered, kissing her passionately. Daniel kissed her as if she were made of glass. This man over her kissed with the passion of an affair, as if every moment was stolen and important and special. She doubted that she'd ever felt more loved.
"I love you too. I don't think I've ever loved someone more in my entire life." She hoped she didn't sound like a fool, saying things like that, but apparently she didn't, because it only made his touch more passionate and their lips tingly with added ecstasy.
They did their best to be quiet, as Roland was just down the hall, but how could they deny themselves the sounds of pleasure? This was their first time being together and she was certain a similar sensation had never been known on all the earth.
"Fine. I've been staying here for a little while because . . . some stuff came up." He cocked an eyebrow and she looked down at little Neil, his large baby eyes blinking at her and giving her the courage to confess. "I'm pregnant."
Now the world spun too slowly. Noise travelled through air as thick as molasses and movement slackened to match it. If only he would say something! She dared a glance up to at least gauge his facial features and found she couldn't even translate those. Even his eyes- those deep gorgeous windows- were unreadable.
"Robin?" She seemed to have swallowed her voice; it squeaked out of her stomach and made baby Neil giggle.
"Regina, I-I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do. I love you." He risked a glance at her eyes, those sparkling chocolate jewels. "But I love Marian too."
Of course he loved Marian too. She would always love Daniel. But unlike Marian, Daniel had not survived his return from the dead. If only he had.
"I know you do. And you deserve to be happy. I'm sorry I'm ruining it-"
"You could never ruin my happiness Regina."
"Then I'm ruining your family, you can't debate that. But there's more." Again he cocked an eyebrow, his silent way of questioning. A man who knew the price of words. Sweet Hades she loved him. "I might miscarry. I've lost three babies in the past. That's why I'm here; Snow put me on bed rest on Dr. Whale's recommendation. We're hoping that will help him or her." She paused, licked her lips, and added tentatively, "I felt three gentle kicks today."
"Well then that must be a good sign."
She shrugged and rearranged her arms under Neil so that he smiled up at her. Would she get this opportunity with the child she was carrying now? "The still-born one, my last one, kicked once."
"Marian had a miscarriage before she had Roland. Although that was probably from the guard punching her in the stomach and shoving her to the ground." He paused at the memory but quickly re-started his reassurance. "But still-" He couldn't finish his sentence because she had shoved Neil in his arms and was running to the bathroom heaving.
There was only one type of guard that would punch a woman in the stomach and shove her to the ground. One of hers.
She had allowed a miscarriage of an innocent woman. In her own pain and suffering she had permitted someone else to go through the same thing. Murder. That's what she'd done, endorsing her guard's un-discriminatory violence. She had robbed her future lover of two beautiful children. Stolen from him, in a sense. And this pregnancy, this child blossoming inside her and possibly ruining both of their lives, was payback. Whatever person perched himself in Heaven truly did extract revenge, like the (Catholic) nun-fairies had once told her. She wouldn't be surprised if she died in childbirth or had twins at this rate.
But first she had to vomit her dinner.
This wasn't filler, I promise! I hope you enjoyed. A meeting had to happen sometime, so why not throw it in with all the other crud that's going on? The actual show does it all the time in my opinion. Please leave critism. God's blessings. 3
