Deception. That's how he had gotten here, standing in front of some home that meant almost nothing to him but virtually everything to the woman of his life. He wanted nothing more than to ease her pain and suffering. Something to relieve her of all the weight that she had been shouldering for far too long.
And so he told a lie... a small one but a lie nonetheless. Consorted with her best friend for a chance to salvage a situation he wasn't even sure was his business to fix. But he had to try. For her he would do anything. Even if it drove her from him. He would bring her son back.
He had to.
"A business trip?" she asked with a raised brow. What kind of business could trip a landscaper take, she wondered to herself. If he had been another man, Graham maybe, she would have been more than a bit suspicious of his motives. But he wasn't any other man. He was Robin and, unlike Graham with his animals and zookeeper lover, he had yet to really mislead her. Save the phone thing. As it stood she was just slightly amused.
Of course, now with her sister finally home, he'd have to take a trip out of town.
"It's nothing unsavory, if that's what you're thinking. It's…," he trailed off as she raised a hand to stop his rambling.
"I… I trust that whatever it is it's something good," she'd said before turning back to her book.
Robin sat for a moment just watching her. When this was all over he was going to make her his wife.
Henry had thought, without a shadow of a doubt, that he'd hate staying with his grandparents. After reading the articles and talking with his grandfather… he couldn't really see anything redeemable about the pair. But, as usual, he was wrong.
His grandmother, who insisted on being called Nana, was very rough around the edges. She threw out biting remarks more than she seemed to breathe. Almost every moment spent in her presence was spent listening to her talk about one dumb decision she had made or another. She was so full of regret it sometimes made Henry gag with how thick the air was with it.
But also… she was gentle. She'd rant and rave and then ask him about school and his interests. She'd berate his mother, his aunt, and his clothes and then go to cooing over the small things she missed about her children.
She missed his mother's smile most, she said. Remembered when Regina had lost her two front teeth and how she'd given her hell but secretly loved her daughter's toothless grin. She missed Zelena's devotion. Had taken it for granted so long and now that she found herself without it she wasn't sure how she would cope. And their trust, the way they'd both look at her like the heavens themselves bent to her will. She missed that too. Missed the way they'd follow her around the house just for a bit of positive attention. Missed the love she had offered them before her own pain and hatred had tainted it.
His grandmother was a sad creature and he felt sorry for her. He couldn't even bring himself to fully hate her, not when she told the best stories about his mom and aunt growing up. Not when she was so candid about her wrongdoings. But he wanted to. For his mother's sake.
His grandfather was much the same yet somehow totally different from his grandmother. He had a hardy laugh and a kind spirit. It was hard to imagine this man, with his wispy white facial hair and bald head, as an abuser. Hard to think that once upon a time he'd tormented his grandmother to the point that she had completely changed her personality into someone cruel enough to force her daughters into the most heinous of situations.
But he had.
Henry tried to remember that whenever they cooked together. With every laugh and piece of advice he remembered his abuelo's past.
When he watched his abuelo tuck his grandmother in. When he watched him sit by her side and hold her hand as she slept. Or when he caught the way his abuelo looked at the old pictures of their children.
He was staying with two retired monsters. Which seemed fitting since he was a monster himself.
It was a Tuesday when they heard the knock on the door. They'd been sitting up together playing a game of cards, which his grandmother was most certainly cheating at, when it sounded for the second time.
No one visited his grandparents, not in the time he'd been there and he was sure the same could be said about the time before he'd arrived. People around town looked on this house with disgust so he was sure it couldn't have been anyone from around their. Which begged the question… who exactly was at the door?
Robin was nervous. More nervous than he'd been in a long while.
Here he was, in a town he'd never been in before, about to meet a boy he'd never seen before to try and convince him to came back home with him. It all seemed like a terrific idea when he'd contacted Regina's friend Mallory about it. He'd fly with her to Maine and then ride with her to Regina's parents' house, find Henry and somehow convince him to leave with him. Sounded easy enough.
Except now he was here, standing outside their front door waiting for someone to answer it. And he wasn't too sure he could do all he'd thought he could at first.
There was so much blood everywhere she looked. And pain, so much fucking pain.
"Regina," she whispered softly as she tried to push herself up. She gritted her teeth when there was no answer. She should have told her to stay back while she did this on her own. She knew, first hand, how violent he could get. Regina, as tough as she was, was no match for him when his temper really got going. Hell, Mallory has barely come out unscathed in the times she'd been brunt of his ire.
She had to get them out before anything else could happen to them.
Mallory brought her hand up and rapt lightly on the door before her. It was green this time instead of the orange it had been the last time she'd seen it. She wondered if it was Jefferson's idea or Grace's. It seemed like a cute thing to do but also it as a waste of money. Money that Jefferson, with his business barely holding on, couldn't really afford.
"Who is it?" a voice asked on the other side. Mallory rolled her eyes before coughing slightly. He knew exactly who it was. Why he insisted on playing this game every time she'd never know.
"Open the door you dunce," she hissed, her ire seeping through her words like venom. In the next second the door was pulled open hastily. She stepped past him and looked around the small living room. It was the same as it had always been, hideous. It was no surprise really; Jefferson had always had horrible taste in everything. Especially women.
"Where is she?" Mallory asked after a silent moment.
"At a friend's house. She'll be back in a few hours if you want to hang around and wait for her. Or I can call you when she gets back," He said stiffly. She avoided his pleading eyes as she made her way towards the steps.
"I'll be in her room," she said softly.
"She doesn't… she doesn't like people going in her room," he murmured softly as he watched her. Mallory shrugged and continued on, needing to be as far away from him as she could.
"I hear you're engaged," he said. She nodded, stopping at the top on the steps without turning to face him.
"I hope he treats you well," he stated after a short pause. She nodded slightly and smiled to herself.
"He does."
"Bastard," she muttered under her breath as she shakily stepped into the living room. Her step father, Greg, sat asleep in his favorite armchair while the television played some infomercial or another. She sneered in disgust before moving the direction of the kitchen. His favorite place to dish out beatings.
Once inside she spotted Regina laid out on the linoleum floor, her face covered in small cuts and bruises. She didn't look too worse for wear and for that Mallory was thankful. What caught her attention was the blood soaking through her shirt. Mallory rushed to her side and peeled back the fabric and bit back a sob as she looked at the deep cut into her friend's stomach.
"Regina," she whispered softly, shaking her friend. They'd only come to get a few of Mallory's things before she was to leave town. She couldn't stay any longer. Not even after all that had happened with Daniel. She knew Regina needed her but she just… couldn't.
And, as always, Regina insisted on coming with her. 'To protect her,' she'd said. And now look, she'd almost gotten her best friend killed by her deranged step-father.
"M-Mallory? Did he hurt you?" Regina asked softly as she tried to sit up. Mallory pushed her back down; fearful she might hurt herself by irritating the gash.
"I'm fine. We need to get you out of here," Mallory said softly.
"He shot at me, Mal. That bastard shot at me," Regina whispered fiercely, fire flashing in her eyes. Mallory shifted Regina slightly and finally took in the blood stain on her forearm. If she had been a dragon she was sure she'd had spat fire in that moment as her rage reached a crescendo.
"I'm going to kill him," she promised as she pulled Regina up into her own weak arms. She grimaced as her friend tried to hold the majority of her on weight. It was just like Regina to be try and lighten the burden for her. Just once Mallory wanted to be the hero in their friendship.
When she returned hours later she got her wish, watching the flames engulf the little shack her mother had left her. For once she felt victorious. For once she'd won. For once she'd saved the day.
His grandfather was the one who answered the door. From his spot in the dining room he couldn't see exactly it was but figured it was a man by the voice. A man with a British accent at that.
"I um… I've come for Henry," Robin said quickly.
OMG! Is that a cliffhanger after months of silence? Why, yes it is. Nice of you to notice.
In all honesty I'd like to take this moment to really apologize to everyone who's been waiting for an update to this, TAOLG, and Fairy Blood. It's been a crazy hectic year with school and work. I can't say that I'm back for good but I'm going to try and finish this story on up before the end of this year and if not then definitely before January is out.
Also during the course of writing this installment I realized I couldn't avoid stuff meshing together to get to where I need to get. Sorry if anything's confusing at all.
