Jolly Magic
He'd woken before the first rays of morning could lightly stream into his tent. With much on his mind, he'd found sleep eluded him most of the night. Emotions he'd thought were long lost to him were making themselves known once more, gently playing with the strings of his heart, reminding him of what once was and what could be again.
It'd been a long time since Robin had felt a sensation akin to hope rise in his chest, a long time since he'd had a woman in his bed, and an even longer time since he'd allowed one to get so close to his son. He wasn't quite sure what pulled him to Regina, but he'd felt it almost instantly. When Henry had found him that day in the park, asking for help for "the Mayor," he didn't know that that feeling would be the spark of what was now growing within him, taking root in his heart.
Robin traced the lines of Regina's sleeping face, and at his touch, she snuggled deeper into his arms. She was still in the peaceful hold of slumber, only moving, he realized, when the child she carried rolled or tumbled within her.
He smiled and tugged her closer. She muttered something in her sleep and snuggled closer still, her hand curling into his chest, her face burying deeper into the side of his neck. Robin's heart filled with warmth and that same pull drew him toward her without reservation. Her breath caressed his cheek, his eyes drifted shut, and he boldly but gently kissed the top of her head. Her hair smelled of apples and cinnamon, and Robin smiled.
He kept his hand still on her curved abdomen, careful not to wake her. A sense of joy filled him as he felt a small flutter from the little life inside Regina. Just as he didn't know why he felt drawn to this beautiful, sharp-tongued woman, he also wasn't sure why he felt drawn to or protective of the baby that grew within her.
No. If he was really honest, that's not quite true.
He had an inkling, a feeling, and the more he thought about it, the more certain he was. Whether or not Regina was ready to say it aloud, or admit it to herself, he was certain that knew what lay asleep in his arms. As certain as he had been that Roland would be his life's joy and greatest accomplishment. As certain as he was that his arrow would never miss its mark. As certain as he was that the sun would set and rise every day. He knew he was holding his family in his arms.
Years after Marian had died, he never dared to imagine that he'd have this again. He'd never allowed himself to hope for such a blessing. But, he couldn't deny his instincts or that every bone in his body was telling him that Regina was his, the baby was his, and he in turn belonged to them. His instincts had never betrayed him before. They never let him down when he needed them the most, and this sense of belonging gave him a renewed sense of purpose and direction.
"Feel anything?" Regina's tired and raspy voice startled him out of his reverie.
He kept his hand where it was, and though he'd been awake far longer than her, his voice was rough with sleep when he replied, "I can. Can't imagine how you can sleep through it."
She chuckled. "It took a few nights to get used to it."
"How are you? Did you sleep well?"
With a tender smile, she said, "I'm good, actually. I don't remember sleeping so deeply in a long time. Thank you." She sighed, contently snuggled into his side and under the warmth of furs and blankets.
He nodded. "It was my pleasure, Regina."
Regina lightly stretched and yawned. Feeling particularly tired and a bit bold she buried herself back into Robin's side, her head resting on his shoulder. "I'm still so tired. I'd give anything for some of my energy back."
Robin took her hand in his. "Soon, you will."
Seriousness crept into her voice, thinking about last night's encounter with Zelena. "I don't know how well I'll be able to do this."
"What's that?"
"Have a baby."
"You already have Henry."
"Yes, but with the baby it's so much different. Having a daughter…" Regina wasn't sure what it was about this man that broke down her walls. "I suppose I'm afraid of becoming like my mother."
He started to say that it was a little late to be asking that now, but decided to give her the reassurance she was seeking. "While I cannot say I ever had the pleasure of knowing your mother, I can say with great confidence, that you will be an amazing mother to this little girl."
"You think so?"
"I do. I believe that because you recognize this fear, you will do anything in your power to prevent it from happening."
Smiling, she asked, "You seem to have a lot of faith in me. Why is that?"
"Because I know you, Regina." Robin tentatively placed his hand on her belly. "I can't explain it, but I just do."
"I feel the same way." She covered his hand with hers to let him know it was okay to touch her.
Robin gingerly rubbed his thumb back and forth. "She's quiet."
She smiled. "She's sleeping now, I think."
Just then, there was a small movement, and she carefully pressed his hand into her stomach and guided his fingertips so they traced a small pattern around a small, raised bump.
"Hmmm." Robin concentrated on what he was feeling. "What's that?"
"Her foot," she said tenderly.
Smiling widely, he said, "Have you chosen a name for the princess?"
"Not yet." Regina smiled. "I think I'll wait until..."
Pulling his hand away to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, he asked, "Until?"
"Until the curse is broken."
He nodded. "Oh yes, that would be good…" Tentatively, Robin said, "I'm sure her father," he nodded at her knowingly and bit his bottom lip before adding, "wouldn't want to miss naming her with you."
Regina nervously chuckled and blushed a little. "I hate to say it, but I'm starving."
Robin shook his head and laughter vibrated through his chest. "Breakfast can be arranged then, my lady. What would you like?"
"Actually, why don't we go to my house." She reached over to take his hand. "You never got a chance to try my turnovers."
"Indeed." He smiled warmly and leaned over to lightly kiss her forehead.
"What's this?" Regina asked, as she opened her front door to find the Charming's on her doorstep.
Snow grinned up at her holding a very large wrapped box. "We got you something."
"What is it?" Regina's face fell into a suspicious frown. She wasn't so sure she wanted to see it.
"Can we come in?"
"Fine." Glancing behind Snow and Charming, she noticed a smiling Emma. "I see you've brought everyone, great."
"Regina, Regina, Regina!" Roland yelled, sailing towards Regina and skidded to a halt beside her. "Daddy's made a mess... oh!"
The silence was deafening as three sets of surprised eyes stared down at the little boy. Roland hid behind Regina's legs, quietly watching the goings-on in the room.
"Who's this?" Snow smiled down at the angelic little face.
Regina cleared her throat. "Roland this is Mary Margaret, David, and Emma."
Snow kneeled down. "Hi, Roland."
"Where'd you get him?" David asked, crossing his arms over his chest, his tone serious, but the smile in his eyes held nothing but amusement.
Emma smirked, picking up on David's implication. "Did you steal him?"
"What, no!" Regina gaped at them for suggesting something like that in front of Roland.
"I'm only kidding." Emma grinned and stepped over to Roland. Kneeling down she took his small hand in hers. "We met the other day. Do you remember me? I'm Henry's mom," she said to the little boy.
Roland took a step closer. "Is Henry here?"
"Oh, no, sorry kiddo, but he will be later. Maybe you guys can play then?"
He looked up at Regina, who smiled at him. "Okay," he replied, with a grin of his own.
"Well, we were just about to have lunch." Regina smiled sweetly at them, hoping they would take the hint.
"Daddy's making a mess!" Roland exclaimed excitedly. "You wanna come see?"
"Oh, yes I'd love to see. Why don't you take me to meet him?" Snow held out her hand to Roland, who took it without reservation. Walking by Regina, Snow added for only her to hear, "Does he by chance smell like... forest?"
With their eyes riveted to the massive blueprint and brows creased in puzzled frowns, David and Robin leaned back to study the directions. Their gaze slowly traveled upwards from the perfectly rendered wooden pieces to the small intrusive tools.
Both looked as though they were about to collapse into a confused heap, and not for the first time, Regina wished she'd paid better attention to meditation techniques. A healthy dose of self control would come in handy right about now.
It was almost impossible to look at the two men on the floor without wanting to burst into laughter.
"I've seen enemy battle plans that were easier to decode than this." David said, handing the map-sized instructions to Robin.
"Indeed," Robin agreed, turning the paper this way and that. "What do you suppose this is?"
"Let me see. Good question. All right, it says ,"take screws 'E' with washers 'D' through bar 'C' using wrench 'F,' which is..." David paused, looking at the tools laid out before them then back at the directions. "Not provided."
"I will never understand the things of this realm." Robin sighed, throwing a packet of screws on the floor beside him. "Granted, there are some truly fascinating wonders, but then things like this come along and it makes me miss the simplicity of the Enchanted Forest."
"Well, my baby is not going to sleep in a basket made of twigs," Regina told him in reply. A smile tugged at his mouth as he looked down. "Why don't you just let me use my magic and..."
"No!" David and Robin cried out in unison.
David glanced at Robin and nodded. "We're fine."
Robin hummed his agreement.
Regina met Snow's smiling eyes and shook her head.
"Fine, if you two want to waste your time on that, go right ahead." Regina got up from the couch and started pacing. "Should we even be doing this? Ever since the showdown we haven't seen my sister or Rumple at all." She stopped and looked around at them all. Bringing her hands to rest on the small of her back she told them, "I think we should be ready for something."
Emma, who had been helping Roland put together a puzzle on the floor, looked up at Regina then at the others. "I agree, shouldn't we be focusing on her next move?"
David looked to Snow. "We are."
"We just can't stop living," Snow insisted. "And this crib is a statement, Regina. Zelena is not gonna get your baby."
Regina crossed her arms over her chest. This was getting far too emotional for her. "Well, I can't just sit here doing nothing."
Snow sighed. "You put up a new protection spell, right?"
"Yes." It was Regina's turn to sigh. "One that, thankfully, can't be undone by blood magic."
Snow nodded. Then, as if she were speaking to calm a small child said, "Which means Zelena won't be able to put her hands on you. So why are you so worried?"
"Wait, any idea why she would want your baby?" Emma asked, stopping the current conversation.
As much as she didn't want to say it, Regina admitted, "The number of spells involving baby parts would surprise you. That greenie is clearly one twisted witch."
"So as long as we're in here, we're safe." Snow nodded, as if that was final.
"That's useless. We can't stay in here forever," Emma disagreed. "I think we need to stop playing defense and start taking the fight to her."
"Did you not see how I barely outwitted her yesterday?" Regina asked Emma. "She has magic, powerful magic."
"I have magic, too. You've seen me use it. I just can't always control it. But if we teamed up, if you taught me..." Emma let the thought hang in the air.
Regina smiled up at the ceiling. "Now, why does this feel so familiar?"
"I'm ready this time."
"Okay, but if we do this, we do this my way. This isn't drinking stale coffee at a stakeout or whatever you did as a bail bonds-person." Holding up her hand, she replied, "This is a way of life. You have to fully commit to it."
Emma looked earnestly at her. "Not a problem."
"And no complaining." She shook her head.
"I'm doing this. It's the only way," she replied immediately.
"Alright, I'll go get my jacket, and we'll head to my vault," she said, leaving the room.
"Regina," Robin called out, getting up and following her into the hallway. "Should you be going out there right now? I thought the whole point of putting up the protection spell was to protect you? I may be missing something, but don't you need to be inside it for it to work properly?"
She stepped closer and put her hand on his chest."You're not missing anything, but I can't just sit here and put together baby furniture. If my child is going to have a future, I'm going to need help. And as much as I hate to admit it, Emma's magic is much stronger than mine. It's the best chance we all have right now."
He bowed his head while he collected his thoughts. When he looked up at her again, he let out a breath. "Well, when you put it like that."
"I know you're feeling very protective of us, but I'll be fine. Trust me?"
His heart hammered in his chest as he covered her hand with his. "I do."
"Are you sure you don't want me to just use my magic on ..."
"Actually, I'd rather you not. David and I have got this well in hand."
"If you're sure?"
He smiled. "I am."
Pulling her hand away, she smirked. "I'll be back later."
"Do you want us to wait?"
She turned her face up to his. "Well, I think since you provided dinner last night, it's only fair that I cook for you tonight."
"Oh, her Majesty cooks?" A smile tugged at his mouth as he looked down at her. "Well then, this I have to see for myself. Will we be dining with or without the aid of magic, milady?"
Regina chuckled. "Without."
He looked down into her eyes. "Then Roland and I shall await your return."
After lunch, Robin, David, and Snow moved the crib upstairs and got started working on the nursery. Regina had given Snow free rein to set up the baby's room, and Snow had made it her mission that she would help Regina get excited for this new change in her life.
From her contorted, yet surprisingly comfortable position in the glider, Snow watched as Robin and David took the gifts they'd brought out of their bags and put them away. She made note of where they placed things, but for the most part, would let Regina know she could move them if she didn't like it.
After Snow put the soft pink bedding on the crib and gently placed a small, plush white horse in the corner, she found herself gazing at the crib with affection.
"Did you hear me, Mary Margaret?" David asked.
"Hmm?" She moved her gaze to her husband.
"I just asked where the other stuff is."
"What other stuff?" Robin inquired.
"The diapers and other things Regina's going to need." Snows brow furrowed in thought. "Are they in the truck with everything else?" she asked as David left the room and went to look.
Snow ran into the hallway and called out, "Actually David, if they're not in the truck, they might be in Emma's car. Call and see if she can drop them by after she grabs Henry."
David called out an affirmative, and Snow appeared in the doorway, with Robin carrying a sleepy Roland who had just woken up from a nap. She put her hands on her hips and asked, "I hope I haven't forgotten anything."
Robin asked, very amused as he looked around the room of pink and white. "What else could she need?"
The princess replied, "Well, I gave Regina a list of things for the baby, just the necessities, and she said she'd get to it after she sees to the Wicked Witch."
Robin nodded knowingly. "That might be a while."
"Exactly, the baby could be born by then, and the poor thing would have nothing to wear." Snow adjusted the blankets in the crib once more. "So I thought I'd just surprise her."
"So you did all this, and she has no idea?"
"Yes, why? Do you think she'll be upset?"
Robin looked around as he thought about the woman he cared very much for. The woman whose current thoughts lay with protecting her loved ones and keeping them all safe. The woman who did not have the energy to spend on things like cribs and things of no use to her in this moment. "No, I don't think she'll be upset, quite the contrary. I think Regina will be very grateful for all your help."
Snow smiled. "I hope so."
"You both have come a long way."
"We have, yes. I won't tell you it's been easy, but she's changed. She isn't the woman she was before."
"No, clearly not."
"You care for her."
"I do."
"I'm glad, for both of you. It's easy to see she feels the same for you."
A blush crept up Robin's face. "Yes, well..."
"Okay," David voice called, as he came inside the room. "Here we go. Emma put them in the kitchen."
"Oh good!"
"Well, what's left?" David asked, clapping his hands together and looking around.
Snow nodded toward the curtains. "We still need to put up these curtains."
She handed him a pale pink set of fabric that matched the crib bedding.
David raised an eyebrow, looking around at all the pink filling the room. "Regina found out it was a girl I take it."
"Not exactly." Robin shook his head. "But she has a feeling."
Snow's face fell. "But... I thought, I thought Dr. Whale told her it was?"
Robin bit the inside of his cheek. "Not exactly."
David snorted. "That doesn't surprise me. I wouldn't worry about it Mary Margaret. You knew Emma was going to be a girl. Maybe it's just a motherly feeling? Robin, can you hand me the screwdriver?"
Robin looked over the variety of instrument he and David had been working with, and, if memory served, handed David the tool. "This one?"
"Yes, thank you," David replied as he took it from him.
"Alright, I've got everything Regina will need for bathing her but nothing for grooming."
"Grooming?" David asked. "She won't be styling her hair for a few years, Snow."
Snow sighed and added, "A baby's fingernails grow fast, and they tend to scratch up their little faces. Also, she'll want a thermometer, gas relief drops, diaper rash cream, and baby powder. That includes diapers, too. I didn't think of that," Snow noted.
"Is that a concern?" Robin asked.
"Let's see, she has onesies and sleepers. Am I forgetting anything?"
"Omm," Robin replied. "If you ask me there isn't anything else the baby could need."
"I know." Mary Margaret's eye light up. "Pacifiers!"
"What's a pacifier?" Robin asked, his left eyebrow rose in confusion.
"Don't touch anything," Regina called out as they entered the vault.
Emma curiously started looking around, and as if she hadn't heard Regina, she picked up something from a nearby shelf. "How am I supposed to learn magic if I can't touch anything?"
"The same way I did with Rumple. We're going to create a solid foundation first, and then build your skills from the ground up," Regina said, turning toward the blonde. Noticing her lack of attention from the object in her hand, Regina took it from her placing it back in its spot. "I said, don't touch."
Emma rolled her eyes but complied.
Regina opened a large chest covered in dust and started scanning the books inside. "So, while we're here, who's looking after Henry? The Un-Charmings?"
"Actually, Hook is."
"Well, those two have been spending a lot of time together lately." Regina observed.
Emma shrugged. "Hook's good with Henry, and Henry likes him."
Regina shuffled through another chest of books and with a little sarcasm, said, "He's prone to violence, impulsive, and has a hook for a hand. What about him would a 12-year-old boy not like?"
"I trust him. He brought me back to Storybrooke, and he didn't have to."
Regina rolled her eyes. "Oh, of course he brought you back."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Emma asked defensive.
"Seriously?' Regina turned around to face her and raised an eyebrow. "You're going to pretend everyone doesn't see the yearning looks and doe-y eyes?"
Emma shot her with an unamused stare. "I don't yearn."
"Well, maybe." Regina then lowered her voice to add, "But he does."
She gaped at Regina, disbelieving. "Seriously? You're going to talk about doe-y-eyes when you have Robin Hood and his perfect kid at home building a crib for you?"
Regina turned back to the books. "We're just friends."
"Yeah, okay." Emma walked up beside her. "You gonna keep telling yourself that when your kid comes out with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes?"
"I'll deal with that when the time comes, but until then, let's start with roots for incantations." Regina held out a book to Emma, choosing to ignore her comment.
"Are you kidding me right now?" Emma said taking the book from her. "What language is this, Spanish?"
"We're not making tapas. We're making magic," She replied, as if it were obvious. "It's Elvish. Well, half Elvish."
"I'm never gonna get this," She said flipping through the pages. "Is this how Rumple taught you? Just think about your training. What other methods did he use?"
"Rumple was a bully," Regina replied in irritation. "He didn't suffer fools, and he certainly didn't coddle his students. If he tried to teach you how to swim, and you couldn't learn, you drowned."
"Drowned?"
She focused on Emma as she thought carefully for a minute. Regina realized abruptly what the blonde needed and smiled. "That's it."
Emma looked up from the book."That's what?"
Regina appeared a second later overlooking a high ridge, which fell into a river canyon, with only an old-fashioned rope bridge where Emma Swan now stood, hanging between.
Emma's voice was panicky, "What the hell are you doing?!"
Calmly, Regina answered, "Teaching you to swim."
"Are you out of your mind?!" Emma cried out as the bridge swung precariously.
"Every time you've exhibited your power, it's been spurred by your instincts," Regina said as if she were teaching a classroom full of ten-year olds. "So today, we're going to push those instincts until you master them."
Emma was holding onto the ropes. Her voice trembled, "A little reading doesn't sound so bad now."
"You can stop me."
"Stop you from what?"
Regina smirked. "This."
The wooden planks from the bridge started ripping away from each end of the bridge one by one. Coming closer and closer, to Emma.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Emma cried out.
"Making the bridge collapse," Regina told her. "You can either stop it or die."
Emma screamed looking down as the planks disappeared under her feet. She took hold of the rope before she fell. Dangling from it, she cried out angrily, "Regina! Enough! Stop this!"
Voice like steel, Regina said, "No, you stop it. No more hand-holding. You have to do this. Reach into your gut. You know you can do this. It's inside you, Emma. Save the bridge. Save yourself!"
But she didn't.
She fell.
Regina's eyes widened in fear for a moment when Emma didn't immediately resurface, as she had expected her to. Panic gripped her for a heart stopping second. She let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding a moment later, as Emma floated up on a pile of jangled wood and twisted rope.
Breathing heavily, Emma managed to say, "Did I just do that?"
"Yes." Regina sighed, aggravated. Emma was capable of so much, and all she did was squander it. "When all I wanted was for you to retie the rope."
"It was like you said, instinct," Emma stated in wonder of her own gift. "Why are you pissed? I did it. Why does it matter how?"
Regina scoffed. "You think I'm mad because you didn't listen to me? I'm mad because look at all this potential inside of you, and you've been wasting it."
As soon as Emma pulled into her driveway, Regina breathed a sigh of relief. The ride wasn't the smoothest, and Regina found it impossible to avoid being jostled around in the small vehicle. She never imagined that riding in a car would become so cumbersome. Even more of a chore was getting out of the tin-can Emma Swan called a vehicle with as much grace as she could muster.
However, she didn't have to worry about that because the passenger door was opened and Robin was there with a hand. "Some aid, my lady?"
She held up her hand to forestall his concerns. "I'm fine."
She took his offered hand anyways.
"Swan."
They all looked up as Hook walked up to Emma who was surprised to see him.
"I thought you might come here," he told her closing the distance between them.
"What do you mean?" Emma asked looking around her. "Where's Henry? Is everything alright?"
"He's fine. He's with his grandparents inside." Hook gestured back to the house. "I thought I might have a word with you before you went in."
Emma looked back at Regina and Robin, who looked on curiously but took no time in making themselves scarce.
Once out of earshot, as they walked up the path to Regina's front door, Robin grinned and asked, "How was your time with Emma?"
"Well let's see... She doesn't listen to instructions, she thinks she can rely on her emotions for everything, and she thinks her ways are better after practicing magic for a day," Regina responded. "She's infuriating."
"Let's try and remedy that mood of yours then, shall we?" He put his arm around her back as they walked up to the house.
The front door opened and Henry, Roland, David, and Snow were in the living room laughing and smiling happily, as Henry taught Roland how to play the Wii.
"There you are," Snow said. "I was starting to worry about you both."
Regina raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow, "Yes, well your…" Regina realized she was about slip in front of a curious Henry and corrected herself, "I mean we ran into a slight setback, but everything's fine."
The front door opened once again, and Emma followed in behind them.
"Gina, Henry's teaching me to play games!" Roland cried, running up to her and hugging her legs.
Regina ran a hand through his mop of curls. "Is he?"
Roland nodded. "Wanna watch me play?"
"Roland, let's let Regina relax a bit, and then she'll come watch you. Okay, my boy?"
Roland shrugged, "Okay." And he ran back over beside Henry.
"How about you, Henry?" Emma asked as she went to sit beside him, picking up the controller.. "How was your day?"
"Only the best day ever." Henry told her as he looked back at the screen, continuing to play the racing game. "David let me drive his truck."
Regina's mouth fell open."You let him what?!" Robin's hand rested on her back making her pause. Realizing, as the "mayor," she should have a reaction like a mother would have. Henry and everyone looked at her now. Softening her tone she backtracked, "Oh, as mayor, I can't let an unlicensed, underage driver on the streets of Storybrooke."
"As mayor, you might want to throw a little money at road repair," David deadpanned.
Regina looked up in dismay. "Excuse me?"
"Nothing." David smirked, ducking out of the room and into the kitchen.
Regina tried not to show her immense discomfort. "This is a terrible mistake."
"She's right." Emma shook her head. "Someone could have been seriously hurt."
"Only if you're a mailbox," Snow mumbled, looking away.
"It was so much fun." Henry grinned.
David smiled proudly as he came back into the room. "What can I say? I've got a reckless, carefree fun side."
Regina rolled her eyes, and Robin bit his lip attempting to stifle a grin at her outrage.
With barely contained excitement, Snow got up from the couch, walking up to Regina and taking her hand she announced, "I have a surprise for you."
"Oh?" Regina couldn't help but feel wary of whatever Snow had done. Especially when she had that look of excitement on her face. Regina was too tired for excitement of any sort. "I don't like surprises."
"Come on." She took her by the hand and began to lead her to the stairs. Looking back Snow noticed that Robin hadn't moved. "Robin, you too," she coaxed.
"What did you do?" Regina asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at the younger girl.
"Just what you said I could do," Snow told her, still pulling her along until she reached one of the spare bedrooms down from Regina's where they stopped. Snow turned to Regina. "If you don't like it you can always change it."
"You didn't."
"I did."
Regina inhaled sharply as the door opened to what was once an empty room of white walls and now was filled with a white sleigh bed crib, a matching changing table, and a dresser. The soft, pale pinks of the curtains and bedding added just the right amount of simplicity and elegance to the room. She would never have imagined Snow would know her so well.
"You did this all today?"
The raven haired girl's eyes brightened. "Well, I can't take all the credit. David and Robin did most of the work."
Pushing the tears that sprang to her eyes away, she swallowed hard before turning to face Snow. "This is perfect."
"I'm glad you like it," Snow replied softly.
She walked up to her and pulled Regina into her arms. Vibrant warmth spread throughout Regina from her chest all the way down to her toes. Snow pulled away after a moment and walked to the door, shutting it behind her to leave Regina alone with Robin.
After Snow left, Regina closed her eyes, letting a few tears fall. It wasn't that she minded what Snow did for her and the baby, but she was just sad that this whole ordeal with Zelena continued to impact her life to such a degree that she was not able to fully enjoy it.
Regina found herself gazing at the crib with affection. Running her hand along the smooth painted wood. She caressed her ever-growing belly and smiled as she felt her daughter moving around, having just gotten a dose of energy from her turbulent emotions.
"Do you like it?"
Regina nodded as she tiredly slid into the rocking chair. "I do."
Robin knelt down beside her, reaching up and pushing back a lock of hair from her face to behind her ear. "And yet you're crying."
"It's these hormones." Regina growled, wiping away the tears angrily.
He pulled her gently to him, his forehead against hers he asked, "It is?"
She let the tears fall then, and grabbing a fist full of his shirt, she admitted, "I just don't... I don't know why she cares."
Robin kissed her forehead. "It's about love, Regina."
She pulled back and looked into his bright blue eyes; she smiled softly at him, and then rested her head against his shoulder as he pulled her into his arms.
Snow smiled as Regina and Robin came back down the stairs. "Dinner at Granny's?"
"Can I drive?" Henry piped, walking to the foyer with Roland trailing behind him.
"No!" Regina, Emma, and Snow yelled out in unison.
"As much as I hate to miss this, I'm going to have to take a rain check; I'm a bit too exhausted," Regina told the group, as she and Robin came the rest of the way down the stairs.
Making her way behind David, Emma suggested, "Let's just have dinner here. It's not like there isn't enough room for us all."
Everyone around nodded and shrugged in agreement.
David clapped the younger boys on the shoulders. "Okay boys, let's go see what we've got."
Robin's eyes followed her, and even though she already knew his question, he still felt compelled to ask, "Are you sure I can't do anything to help?"
A raised eyebrow and a dubious look was his only answer, as Regina looked up from the apple pie she was making. Robin chuckled quietly as he raised his glass in a playful toast. "Fine, if you insist. Although, I have to tell you, I have peeled an apple or two in my day."
Her face broke into a grin. "You really want to help?" She nodded towards the knives. "Grab one of those and get to work then. I still need five more."
Robin shook his head, taking her knife from her and scooting a chair up behind her. "How about you sit, and I peel."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "I think this is some sort of conspiracy between you and Mary Margaret."
"Never, Your Majesty."
She huffed a quiet laugh and smacked him lightly with a towel, before giving into him and taking a seat. Her sore back and feet immediately thanked her for the relief.
The quiet clatter of pots and pans, the occasional billow of steam, and the delightful warmth that radiated from her guests and her surroundings were a balm to her jangled nerves.
He turned and smiled, his eyes briefly meeting hers. Regina returned the smile, blinked slowly and then breathed a quiet sigh. They didn't seem to need words.
Regina looked over the kitchen. Henry and Roland were coloring at the dinner table; occasionally they'd look away from their drawings and smile at each other. Reluctantly, Regina pulled her eyes away from them and let her gaze drift around the room. Snow and Charming were preparing the lasagna, and even Emma was busy pulling out plates and silverware. A soothing sensation of stillness settled over Regina, and for the first time in forever, she felt at home and loved.
She'd been looking forward to this moment all day. With her eyes following Robin as he peeled an apple, the tension wrought from her frantic day slowly ebbed, and a wonderful feeling of calm pervaded her senses.
Robin must have felt her gaze because at that same moment, his hands stilled, the apple forgotten. He looked up, and his eyes met hers. His eyes crinkled at the corners, and a heart-stopping smile spread across his face. The connection between them sizzled with electricity, and she could feel it pulling her magic to the surface. It was as though he knew exactly what she was thinking and how she felt. Robin offered her a small piece of apple, which she accepted without breaking their stare. This connection between them was stronger than any spell she'd ever said, stronger than any curse she'd ever cast.
It was all so blindingly obvious and ridiculously simple that she couldn't believe it had taken her so long to recognize it.
He was her soul mate – the missing part of her that she'd run away from all those years ago in the tavern. The missing part of her that she'd never dreamed she'd find again or be lucky enough to deserve.
And for a moment, as Robin's fingers brushed against the side of hers, another slice of apple exchanged between them, Regina could almost forget that a Wicked Witch was after her and her unborn daughter.
Almost.
