City sidewalks busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the there is a feeling
of Christmas
("Silver Bells," Jay Livingston and Ray Evans)
Chapter 7: A New York City Christmas
After returning from Maine, I threw myself into planning our long weekend getaway to New York. I wasn't trying to forget Emma and she became a permanent fixture in our house when I framed one of the pictures the Swans had given us, placing it on the mantle next to our family photo. Robin kept another copy in his wallet as well and I had caught him looking at it from time to time.
I kept myself busy to keep myself from worrying about Emma living with the Swans (though I failed miserably) by focusing on New York related concerns. Would New York at the holidays be too crowded for Robin and Roland? They had felt more at home in Maine than Boston so would the Big Apple be too much for them? But there was something magical about New York at Christmas and I wanted to recapture the feeling of the Enchanted Forest for us.
When I voiced all of this to Robin, he smiled and took my hand. "I think we'll be fine, Regina. Yes, Roland and I are not quite accustomed to living in a city like Boston but we're getting there. I think we'll be able to handle New York."
"At Christmas," I stressed before sighing. "Maybe we should go another time."
"But that might not be for a while now."
I bit my lip, knowing he was right. At my last appointment, I had asked Dr. Johnson to assure Robin that it was safe for me to travel. He had done so but then explained when it would no longer be safe and when I would need to keep close to home in anticipation of the birth. Once Rachel arrived, it would be some time before I would consider traveling with a baby. And since we had enrolled Roland to start kindergarten after the Christmas break while I started to put out feelers about returning to work, this was probably the best time to go.
So I booked our hotel and our flights and packed our suitcases for our trip. Lucy drove us to Logan, where we would catch out flight to JFK. She helped us unload the car and hugged each other us. "Enjoy your trip. And take lots of pictures," she said.
I promised to do just that before taking Roland's hand to lead him into the terminal. Robin followed with our luggage, carrying them to where we checked in for our flight. We passed through security and Robin muttered, "I wish we had this for the palace. Would've kept some people out."
"Like your father?" I asked, hatred in my voice.
"He's a snake," Robin replied, picking up Roland. "He would've slithered in anyway."
I sighed. "He's far away, stuck with the Queen. I hope she makes his life miserable."
Robin chuckled. "I'm sure he's regretting backing her now."
We settled in the seats by our gate and I pulled out a book to read to Roland. He curled up on my lap, looking at the pictures as I told him the story of Alexander and his monster friends. Robin watched us, a smile on his lips.
As the gate attendant announced that our flight would be boarding soon, I tucked the book away and gently tilted Roland's face up so he was looking at me. "You remember the rules I gave you for the airplane, right?"
"Yes, Mama." Roland sat up straighter. "I have to sit still with my seatbelt buckled like in the car. If I have to go to the bathroom, I need to tell you or Papa. And I shouldn't kick the seat because someone will be sitting in front of me."
"And?" I prompted.
He thought for a moment before saying: "And I have to hold either your hand or Papa's hand when we get on the plane and when we got off."
"Good." I hugged him, smiling. "Soon we'll be in New York. What do you want to do?"
"Everything!"
Robin and I laughed before he ruffled Roland's hair. "I think that's a bit much, my boy. We can't tire Mama out, right?"
"I think I'll have more energy than the two of you," I said, taking Robin's hand. Concern though flitted through his eyes and I wondered what it was for. I was healthy and active. New York was going to be a piece of cake—pregnant or not.
Boarding started and I gathered our things, taking Roland's hands as we got on the plane. I took the window seat while Robin was on the aisle, Roland sitting between us. He buckled himself in and sat back, ready for the flight.
I talked them through takeoff, starting with us leaving the gate and heading to the runway. "We'll probably have to sit here a bit if there are other planes waiting to takeoff as well. But first, we have the safety instructions."
"Safety instructions?" Robin asked, frowning. "Why do we need those?"
"We discussed this," I said, reaching over Roland to take his hand. I had gone over the safety instructions, telling Robin it was just a precaution but that traveling by plane was safe.
Robin relaxed as the stewardess rattled off everything I had already told him. I turned my attention back to Roland as I heard the plane's engines rev up. Handing him a lollipop, I told him it would help with takeoff. Roland was just happy to have the sweet.
I took his hand as we sped down the runway, explaining we were picking up speed to help with lift off. As the plane tilted for its upward climb, Roland leaned over me to watch us leave the ground with wide eyes. His father gripped the armrests and kept his eyes shut until the plane leveled off.
"Look, Papa, we're above the clouds," Roland said, amazed.
Robin took a deep breath and leaned over to see the white clouds under us. I heard him take a sharp intake of breath but wonder danced in his eyes. "Amazing," he said.
I kissed his cheek. "Now sit back and relax. We'll be in New York soon."
He did as I said, closing his eyes again as I handed Roland a coloring book. I pulled out a book of my own, finally getting a chance to finish Cosmos as I wondered what Carl Sagan would've said about my little trip to the Enchanted Forest.
Within an hour, we were preparing for descent. Roland began whimpering and clutching his ears. Concerned, Robin looked at me. "What's wrong?"
"It's the pressure. It can affect kids as young as Roland."
"What can we do?" Panic coated his words.
Roland tilted his head, looking at me with tear-filled brown eyes. I cupped his chin as I told Robin: "Flag down the stewardess. Ask her for hot compresses."
We were brought two warm bags of cotton and I placed them on Roland's ears. I had raised the armrest between us and let him rest his head on my lap. The warmth from the compress seeped past my jeans as it was pillowed between my leg and Roland's ear. I held the other against his ear, talking through the landing in a low, soft voice, while Robin rubbed his leg. Roland screwed his eyes shut as the wheels lowered and let out whimpers as we touched down.
Robin carried Roland off the plane as I thanked the flight crew for their help. After waiting for our luggage, Roland felt better and was okay with being let down so Robin could grab our bags. I took Roland's hand and crouched down to be eye level with him. "Feel better?"
He nodded and I asked: "Would you rather we drive back to Boston?"
"Would I have to sit still longer?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied. "For almost six hours."
His mouth fell open. "That's a long time."
I nodded. "So you'd rather fly?"
Though he covered his ears, he nodded. I smiled, stroking his cheek. "Okay, then, we'll fly back. But that's not for a few days, so let's go see New York!"
We checked into our hotel and settled into our room. Robin studied it, impressed. "Much nicer than most of the inns I've stayed in," he said.
"And you won't have to sleep outside my door to protect me from ruffians," I teased, recalling how I fell over him. It felt like a lifetime ago.
He wrapped his arms around me from behind, bringing his lips to my ears. "Of course not. This time I can hold you in my arms to ensure your safety."
I brought my hand up to his head, guiding him for a kiss. We exchanged a few more kisses before Roland interrupted us. "Mama, Papa, stop being yucky and come look at New York."
We chuckled but joined him at the window. He was pressed against the glass, looking out at the city below. "So many tall buildings. Why?" he asked.
"Manhattan is a small island. So to get the most use out of the land, they built up," I explained. "So where do you want to go first?"
"The Em…Em…" Roland's brows turned down as he narrowed his eyes in concentration. "The building where James' peach landed on."
I nodded. "The Empire State Building it is. A good choice, Roland."
As Roland shrugged on his coat, Robin leaned close to me. "Do you have your knife?"
"It was too big," I answered. "And I didn't want to bring a weapon onto the plane. That wouldn't have gone over too well."
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You should have a way to protect yourself."
Since introducing Robin to the TV last month, he had started to watch the nightly news. He thought it was a good way to get to know this realm and I agreed. But it also made him more protective of me and Roland after he saw all the violence in our world. Of course, the news had reports of violence and crimes in New York the week before we left so he was more concerned than ever.
I reached into my purse and took out a little canister. "This is mace. It's very painful when sprayed at someone. I can use this."
"And you'll stay close to me on the subway, right?" he asked.
"Yes, Robin," I said, humoring him. I wasn't going to lose either Locksley man in the urban jungle. So I was going to stay very close to them.
I tugged on his jacket collar, giving him another kiss. "Are you satisfied? Can we go now?"
He smiled, nodding. "Roland, take your mother's hand. It's time to go explore New York City."
With a cheer, Roland took my hand and we headed back down to the lobby. I took Robin's hand as we boarded the elevator, leaning against him. "This is going to be the best vacation ever," I said.
"I'm sure it will be," he replied, kissing my head.
At the foot of the Empire State Building, Roland tried to see all the way to the top. He craned his neck back so far, his back began to arch, but still he couldn't see the spire from where we were. I gave his hand a little tug, leading him and Robin inside so we could pay and get on line for the elevator that would take us to the observation deck on the 86th floor.
Roland raced around the deck, trying to see everything at once. Robin and I followed, making sure he stayed safe and didn't collide with anyone else up there. I managed to get him to hold still for some pictures and a nice gentleman offered to take a picture of the three of us.
Once my camera was away, Roland took off again. He stopped and pointed toward two identical buildings rising from downtown. "What are those?"
"The Twin Towers," I replied. "They're the tallest buildings in New York City."
"Wow," Roland said before running to look uptown. He pointed to the trees stretching out before him. "Look, Papa, a forest!"
I chuckled, placing my hand on his back. "That's Central Park. It's like Boston Commons."
"Can we go?" Roland asked.
"Of course we can. Tomorrow."
He looked up at me. "Can't we go now?"
"It's getting late, my boy." Robin pointed west, toward New Jersey and the setting sun. "We should get something to eat and then go to bed. We have a busy day tomorrow."
"Do we have to?" Roland's lower lip quivered.
I took his hand. "Yes, we do. But we'll still be in New York in the morning. And we'll have more time to do more things."
"Okay," Roland said with a sigh. Robin picked him up and carried him as we headed back to the elevator.
When we left the building, I took Robin and Roland down the block. I stopped and had them turn around. "Okay, look at the Empire State Building now."
They looked up and both their mouths fell open as they took in the building, washed in red and green lights. The Christmas spirit filled me and I clutched Robin's arm, leaning closer. "What do you think?"
"It's pretty," Roland replied. "How do they do that?"
I laughed. "I'll explain it as we head back to the hotel."
"Wait, I want to get a picture of you and Roland in front of the building," Robin said, handing me our sleepy son in exchange for the camera. I bounce Roland to wake him up a bit and we smiled as Robin snapped a few pictures. Hopefully, he actually got us but we'd find out when I developed the film.
But I wouldn't need pictures to remember this forever.
We slept soundly that night. Roland barely made it to his bed and he didn't wake up as I took off his clothes then put on his pajamas. I tucked him in with Little John Bear, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Sleep tight, my little knight," I whispered.
Robin had managed to get his boots off but not much else before collapsing on the bed. Soft snores rose up from him and I sighed, trying to undress him. It was a bit of a struggle, but I managed to strip him down to his boxers. Once I changed into my nightshirt, I pulled the blankets out from under Robin and climbed into bed. He rolled over and wrapped his arm around me, pulling me close. My eyes closed and didn't open again until morning.
"Regina? Regina, love, it's time to wake up," Robin whispered in my ear. "Or I'm going to let Roland have at you. He's very antsy to go back to exploring New York."
I opened my eye to find Robin still lying next to me, propped up on his elbow. He made a motion with his head and I glanced over to find Roland sitting on me, dressed and with his arms crossed. "Come on, Mama!" he huffed.
"What time is it?" I asked, trying to look at the radio clock.
"Seven," Robin replied.
I groaned, rubbing my face. "It's a bit early, Roland. New York will still be out there in a few hours, I assure you."
"But I want to do everything!" Roland insisted.
"And we will. Just at a slightly later hour. Right now, the streets are filled with people who are busy trying to get to work. Let's let them all get there and then we can head out. So, let's stay in a bed a little longer, okay?"
Roland realized he was fighting a losing battle and sighed. He crawled between me and his father, snuggling under the covers. "How much longer?" he asked.
"How about we give Mama an extra hour of sleep?" Robin suggested, winking at me.
After thinking about it, Roland nodded. "Okay. One hour. That's it," he said.
I thanked him and settled back down to get some more sleep. After a few minutes, I felt Roland curl up into me. His curls tickled my nose as he laid his head on my shoulder but I held him closer, enjoying being with him. As I drifted back off, I felt Robin's hand rub my arm and I smiled.
Roland woke me up at eight o'clock sharp by shaking my shoulder. I opened my eyes and he gave me a pleading look. "Can we see more of New York now?"
"Yes, we can. Let me go get ready." I kissed his forehead before sliding from bed.
As I headed toward the bathroom, I shook Robin. He snorted before popping up. Roland giggled and his father pulled him close, tickling him. "I'll give you something to laugh about," Robin said.
The sight of the two of them in our hotel bed brought a smile to my face as I closed the bathroom door. I hopped into the shower to quickly refresh myself, washing my hair as fast I could before little hands started to bang on the door. Bumps rose on my skin as I stepped into the cold air that filled the bathroom and I dressed as fast as I could to warm up.
Robin slipped into the bathroom as I dried my hair. He had changed and grabbed his brush to tame the bedhead he had woken up with. We both did our hair, though I did blow the drier on him a few times playfully. He pinched my side, bringing out a peal of laughter from me. It also brought Roland to the door and he stood there, arms crossed and frowning. "You're taking forever," he told us.
We bit back our laughter, amused that our son was scolding us. Robin put down his brush and scooped up the boy. "We are. But we're almost done. Right, Mama?" He winked at me.
I put the hair drier down and grabbed my coat. "Shall we go find some place good for breakfast?" I asked.
Roland cheered, taking my hand as we left the hotel room to continue our New York adventure.
After breakfast, we spent the morning in Central Park. Roland ran across the grassy fields while Robin and I sat on a park bench. We explored the rest of the park, following the paths until we arrived at Belvedere Castle. Roland's eyes went wide and he hid behind my legs. I frowned. "What's wrong, sweetie?"
"Is the Queen in that castle? Is she going to take you away from me?" he asked.
I shook my head. "No. The Queen is far away, remember? Besides, that's not a scary palace. The Queen only lives in scary palaces."
Roland inched out from behind me and I moved to block his view of the castle. "You know what? I think it's time for lunch. Let's go get something to eat."
I took one of Roland's hands while Robin took the other and we headed out of the park. Every so often, we'd lift Roland up and let him swing forward as his laughter echoed around us. His mood was lifted again, letting me relax and enjoy the rest of our New York trip.
"No way!" A young woman approached us, mouth hanging open. "You're that woman who disappeared and came back! Regina, right?"
Tensing up, I inched away. "Yes, and I would like to be left alone. Thank you."
"Of course, I'm sorry. I just wanted to say that I'm glad you came back safe and that your story sounds really romantic," the woman said. She smiled at us. "Have a great vacation. You three deserve it."
She jogged away and I blinked a few times. "Well, I wasn't expecting that to happen."
"Indeed," Robin agreed. "I think I like New York much better than Boston."
Our weekend was busy but fun. We slept soundly every night we were in New York, despite the constant hum of the city outside our hotel window. Roland woke us up early each day and I didn't have the excuse of waiting for the rush hour crowd to fade away those last two days in the city. So every morning I hauled myself and Robin out of bed, ready to please our eager five years-old.
We went all around Manhattan. There were ferry rides to the Statue of Liberty and down the East River, Roland enjoying being on a boat for the first time in his life. He also enjoyed the Museum of Natural History, marveling at the creatures that existed on our planet (though I steered clear of the monkey display as well as the evolution of man. Roland was still not ready for that), but not the Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Maybe this is a little too much for a five years-old," I conceded as he pouted in front of a Matisse.
"He'll probably appreciate this when he's older," Robin agreed, chuckling. "I assume we're coming back, right?"
I smiled, nodding. "Yeah, of course we are. If New York is magical at Christmas time, it's gorgeous in the spring."
"Magical?" Robin asked, tilting his head. I realized that in my eagerness to show Roland everything, I had neglected the very reason why I had chosen now to visit New York: the city lit up for Christmas.
So Sunday was dedicated to everything Christmas. We started with a visit to Macy's, which both recognized from the parade, to see Santa. Roland didn't quite grasp the concept of Santa, which surprised me. I thought coming from a land where magic was commonplace would make Roland more apt to believe that a man could fly around the world delivering presents to good children. But he did believe that—he just didn't understand the concept of sitting on Santa's knee and telling him what he wanted. "Shouldn't he know? If he has magic to watch all the children?" Roland reasoned.
Having no answer for that, we just stood watching as other children took their turns with Santa. Maybe next year I could convince him to at least sit on the man's lap for a picture but for now, we were happy to do this. He was wrapped around me, probably one of the last times I would be able to hold him as Rachel and Roland grew bigger. Robin leaned closer to us, relaxing as much as his protective nature would allow him.
Once we had our fill of watching Santa at Macy's, we then went strolling down Fifth Avenue to look at the store displays. Roland ran from window to window to take in each scene of holiday spirit, from whimsical scenes of elves and reindeer to heartwarming images of family and home. "Can we decorate our house like that?" Roland asked, looking at a display of a Christmas tree and red stockings hanging by a roaring fire.
"Of course," I replied with a smile. "Once we get back to Boston. Now we have to go or we'll miss our show!"
I took Roland's hand and guided my small family to Radio City Music Hall. We got on line with the other families filing into the theater to see the annual Christmas Spectacular. Robin let out a low whistle once we got inside. "I would've had my hands full if I had been in a place like this back during my thieving days," he admitted, eyeing the gold embellishments and expensive décor. "This is grander than many places I had the privilege to plunder."
"Then I'm glad those days are far behind you. I do not want to end our New York vacation by bailing you out of prison," I told him.
He chuckled as we took our seats in the mezzanine. The lights dimmed and orchestra started up as the performers took the stage to being the show. As it went on, Roland hopped out of his seat to stand at the railing. He was mesmerized by every high kick executed by the Rockettes, every synchronized step, and every routine. Watching the Wooden Soldiers marched about the stage brought tears to my eyes as I recalled sitting between my parents when I wasn't much older than Roland. Robin took my hand and kissed my fingers, a comforting gesture.
The lights came back on and Roland looked at me, disappointed. "Is that it?"
"Yes, sweetie. The show's over." I let Robin help me up before I took Roland's hand. "But there's still a few more things to see before our trip is."
His eyes lit up. "Like what?"
"Like the tree outside. Come on."
We pushed our way through the crowd of people to see the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. The sun had set and a soft snow fell as we had enjoyed the Spectacular. Each tiny white flake added more magic to the moment Roland took in the evergreen tree wrapped in multicolored lights that twinkled in the night. A golden star shone from the top and stood guard over the people ice skating in the rink below. Golden angels played silent trumpets, still heralding the season as "Feliz Navidad" drifted from some speaker somewhere nearby. The smell of chestnuts roasting at food cart wafted past me and I felt like I had as a little girl, eagerly waiting for Christmas.
"While I'm not sure why someone would do this to a perfectly good tree," Robin began, causing me to laugh, "it certainly is magical. Thank you for bringing us here."
"Thank you for giving me someone to share it with," I replied, kissing him as Roland groaned.
I pulled away and reached for my camera. "We should get a picture in front of tree. All three of us."
"If you want, I can take your picture." An older gentleman offered, approaching us. "I promise to return your camera."
"You do seem trustworthy. And I imagine my husband can outrun you," I replied, nudging Robin.
The man chuckled. "I bet he could. Had to keep everything sharp while living in the woods, right?"
"Good Lord, is there a person on this planet who doesn't know who we are?" I groaned.
"Probably not," the man said, adjusting the camera to get a good shot. "And I must say the coverage you three get isn't fair. They see a scandal, I see a beautiful young family that should be left alone."
I sighed. "Could you tell that to everyone else?"
"I wish I could," he replied before raising the camera. "Okay, say 'Christmas.'"
He took a few shots of us and I thanked him for his generosity. "You're welcome," he replied. "Have a Merry Christmas."
"You too," I replied. Turning back to my family, I found Robin holding a tired Roland and I smiled. "Let's go back to the hotel and see if room service can send up some hot cocoa for us."
The next morning, we checked out of our hotel. Robin and Roland sat in a chair together, our bags piled up next to them, while I arranged for a car to take us back to JFK. "It'll be about ten minutes, ma'am. Someone will come get you," the hotel staffer told me.
"Thank you," I replied, tipping her. I sat down next to my men and sagged into the chair. "I feel like I need a vacation from this vacation."
Robin frowned, reaching out to me. "I hope you didn't do too much."
"I'm fine, Robin," I replied. "Just tired, but in a good way."
"If you're sure," he told me. When I nodded, he turned his attention back to Roland, reading from one of the books I had bought him about New York.
One of the doormen approached us. "Ms. Mills? Your car is here. Can I take your bags?"
"Yes, please," I said, standing. "Are we ready to go?"
Roland shook his head, pouting. "I want to say in New York forever."
"Forever is a very long time," I told him. "You'd miss your playdate with Donna and Michael if you stay here."
"Oh. Okay, then I guess I can go home," Roland said with a sigh.
He held my hand as we exited the hotel. The doorman gave us a little bow. "I hope you enjoyed your time in New York."
"We did," I replied, smiling. "Thank you so much."
He returned my smile. "Then I hope you come back soon."
I took a deep breath and nodded. "Me too."
A/N: Happy anniversary to me! It's been one year since I posted "All That Was Me" and it has been an amazing one. I really was just sticking my toe into the Outlaw Queen fanfiction world. Now, I have several fanfictions and have interacted with a lot of amazing people in this fandom. Thank you, thank you, thank you. In a lot of ways, you've brought back a lot of confidence in myself as a writer. Words cannot express my gratitude for that.
I hope you enjoyed this fluffy chapter. I felt we needed it after last week's somewhat of a downer with the Swans and Emma. It also feels weird to be writing Christmas before Halloween, but that's just how the timeline falls. And the next chapter will deal with Christmas as well.
Speaking of the next chapter, I will not be posting next week. I barely got this finished for today and I'm planning to go out on Halloween. So I'll be posting Chapter 8 on November 8th.
Tomorrow I'll post the next part of "Comfort Food," so stay tuned for that. And Friday will see Chapter 11 of "The Prince of Darkness." I also may have a new one shot to add to "A Thief and a Queen." So there should be plenty of read this week.
Once again, I'm conducting a Q+A on my tumblr. Stop by and leave a question. It doesn't have to be about this story. It can be about any of my OQ stories.
So, thank you to all my faithful readers. You have made my year amazing. I appreciate and love you all.
-Mac
