Regina couldn't sleep, and not for lack of trying. The bed was cold and empty without Robin and she felt like she was missing a limb without his loving arms wrapped around her waist.
She had been tossing and turning for hours before she began to give into defeat.
The day had been pretty long and boring, especially since Tink ditched her to go for a ride on Hooks boat.
She couldn't help but grin at the thought. She was happy for Tink. For them both. Hook had taken Emma choosing Neal pretty hard, he had taken the news of the wedding even harder so it was nice that he had finally found love and happiness in Tink.
She hoped that whatever they had would last and that it could blossom into something truly beautiful.
It seemed like the darkest residents of Storybrooke were finding solace in the most unlikely of people. Rumple and Belle, herself and Robin, and now Hook and Tink.
If somebody had told her she would forgive Snow and she would fall in love again and be happy back when she was The Evil Queen, she would have laughed before shoving her hand in their chest and turning them into dust.
She rolled over to look at the alarm clock, the neon numbers blinding her slightly before letting her know it was just past 3am.
Regina pushed herself up, shoved her feet in her slippers and made her way downstairs.
Maybe some cocoa or hot milk would help her sleep, although she doubted it. She rarely slept when Robin wasn't beside her.
She heated some milk on the stove, her body on autopilot as she did. She had done this for Henry so many times when he was little, and Roland too, so it seemed second nature to her. So much so that she almost reached for the cinnamon.
That was a weird and gross Charming family trait, she couldn't stand the stuff!
She leant against the marble top kitchen counter and looked out the window as she sipped at the warm milky beverage.
Even in the dark of night she could make out the black rain clouds. It had rained heavily for about forty minutes around 2am, and it looked as though the heavens were about to open once more.
Her mind wandered her family. They had chosen the wrong night to go camping! She hoped that they had sufficient shelter, not only from the rain but from the cold too.
Roland was a strong kid and never got sick, but the one time he did have a cold the poor kid got it bad. He was flat out for a week and was convinced he was dying. It broke her heart the week Roland had the flu. Henry was the same; a part of Regina was slightly glad that he had come from two teenage runaways that lived in their heinous yellow car. No illness seemed to mess with him, or if it did Henry just shrugged it off.
Thinking of Henry brought her thoughts to Emma once again. Her behaviour was slightly odd, to say the least. She had picked up on it at Luke's party, but didn't think too much into it. She noticed Emma didn't touch the food and looked physically ill at the mere thought of it, that added with the vomiting in Snow's potted plant and Neal telling everybody she had a bug seemed to add up.
But it was over a week later and she was pretty sure Emma had thrown up in Granny's that afternoon. Plus, the Emma she knew literally inhaled Bear Claws, not nibbled at them gingerly before giving them to a pirate.
Emma's behaviour worried her slightly. She and Emma were close now, but not only that, she worried for Henry. It would break the boys heart if his mother was ill.
She didn't think Emma was ill though. Maybe she just didn't want her to be? Emma had never even so much as sniffled in the whole time she had known her. The only time she had ever seen Emma under the weather was when she was pregnant.
Wait... She couldn't be, could she? No. Ella was like 6 months old... But then again, her and Neal did have a track record for unplanned pregnancies. Pregnancy would account for Emma's odd behaviour. It was certainly the better option over her actually being ill. But why hadn't they hold anybody if she was? Neal practically ran through the streets and screamed it at the top of his lungs when they found out about Ella. Plus she knew Neal wanted a large family, whether Emma herself knew that she wasn't sure.
If Emma was pregnant, shouldn't she be jealous? She was doing everything in her power and everything was failing! Shouldn't at least a part of her want to punch Emma Swan-Cassidy in the face, cast a curse and take a leaf out of her sisters book and steal the baby? She was... happy for the couple. Sure she was a changed woman now, but shouldn't at least a tiny part of her be envious?
Henry would be so proud of her right now if he knew... Did Henry know? If Emma was pregnant, they'd be raising a teenager, a one year old and a new born. It was a good thing Emma didn't take no shit.
Should she dig further? Or wait until Emma and Neal say something?
Regina's milk was now cold and her head was starting to hurt. Thunder rumbled angrily and the sky lit up as lighting struck, causing Regina's thoughts to once again float back to her boys.
Roland, despite spending the first three years of his life living in the forest, was terrified of thunder and lightning. The young boy would scream bloody murder and cling onto either Regina or Robin every time there was a storm.
Usually Regina would put the boy under a sleeping spell until it was over, cradling him close with Robin as they rode it out. But she wasn't there to do that right now. She prayed that he would be okay. He was starting to get better after Henry had gotten Anton to tell him it was just the giants playing bowling and that the lightning was just one of them getting a strike, but Roland was still scared.
Hopefully he would be too deep in sleep to notice.
Regina felt her eyelids become heavy as she watched the raindrops slide down the glass window pane. Chasing one another, as though they were racing toward the finish line. She fell asleep with her head in her arms before the fat rain droplet even finished its journey.
(-)
Regina shot up, startled as she was tore from her slumber. It was still dark outside and the rain was still pouring heavily, hammering against the window pane.
She heard muffled sounds coming from the hallway and the front door clicking shut.
Her body was still full of sleep as she hazily made her way toward the hallway, yawning and rubbing her eyes as she did.
Robin was making his way toward the staircase, soaked through to the skin and a sleeping Roland on his hip.
"Robin?" Regina asked sleepily, wondering why he was home so early.
"Oh hey babe" Robin grinned slightly upon laying eyes on Regina.
"What're you-?"
"-We left camp at first light" Robin said as he made his way up the stairs, Regina hot on his heels. Roland groaned and stirred against his father's shoulder. He lifted his head slightly and his eyes were sunken deeply in his head and his cheeks and nose were rosy. The boy looked like death warmed up. "The rain was so heavy that the kids tent caved in and they got soaked. They got changed and fell asleep in our tent, but that caved soon after too. The kids got soaked again, now all their clothes were either wet or damp. Then it started to thunder and lightning, which of course scared the daylights out of an already grumpy Roland. He screamed bloody murder, which caused Luke to too. We all sat in the car with the heating on, but that packed out around 5am. Roland caught the flu, I think"
They had made it all the way into the bathroom, which was deliciously warm as the central heating had come on half an hour previous.
Roland mumbled something incoherent as Regina turned on the shower.
Robin stripped his son of his cold, sodden clothes. The young boys milky skin was goose pimpled and he was visibly shivering.
Regina swallowed thickly, helping Roland into the shower before turning back to Robin.
"You too" she said, noticing that Robin was shivering too. Although he was doing a better job of hiding it.
Robin didn't argue, he just stripped off his shirt, placed a quick kiss to Regina's lips before following his son into the warm depths of the shower.
Regina got two fresh towels out of the cupboard and placed them on the heated towel rail before gathering her boys' sodden clothes from the floor. She made her way to the bedroom, placing the clothes in the laundry hamper and going to collect some clean, dry pyjamas and laying them out on their bed.
It was barely 6am and after falling asleep on the kitchen counter, Regina had an ache in her lower back and a crick in her neck. Although she worried more about her sons aching joints than her own pain. She stretched before she made her way downstairs once again to make some hot cocoa and a hearty breakfast for the boys, hoping Roland would be feeling a bit better after warming up and would be up to eating something.
She was almost done with the pancakes when Robin and Roland emerged. Roland was once again in his fathers arms, his own tiny arms wrapped around Robin's neck and his eyes droopy once more.
"Look, Bud" Robin grinned over enthusiastically. "Momma made breakfast!"
"Momma?" Roland's words were slurred slightly and it seemed like it took great effort for him to say them.
"I'm here, dear" Regina said soothingly.
Roland perked up slightly at the sound of Regina's voice, reaching out for Regina to take him. She gladly accepted the child and cuddled him tightly to her chest. He was lighter and seemed smaller and fragile in her arms. He nuzzled his face into the crook of Regina's neck, breathing in her scent deeply and twisting a lock of her hair between his fingers, the way he always did whenever he was tired.
Robin gave her a quick peck on the lips before eating his pancakes hungrily.
"You want some pancakes, dear?" Regina asked softly, feeling Roland shake his head. "No? What about some hot cocoa?" Roland shook his head once again before nuzzling it even deeper into Regina's neck.
Regina could feel Roland's already heavy and deep breathing become heavier and deeper by the second.
She got the child flu medicine from the cupboard and managed to get a spoonful of it into Roland's mouth before he swatted her hand away and moaned.
Once Robin was finished, Regina cocked her head in the direction of two pills for him to take. He did so and they all made their way back upstairs, Roland half asleep in her arms.
Robin pulled back their comforter as Regina climbed into bed with Roland still attached to her side. The three of them snuggled closely, Roland between his parents and falling asleep almost as soon as Robin pulled the duvet up around them, wrapping his arm around the two of them.
Regina and Robin's foreheads pressed together as they lay in a comfortable silence, listening to the deep, laboured breathing of their son curled up between them.
"What about Henry and the rest of the guys?" Regina asked, breaking the silence.
"Henry seemed fine, just a little tired and annoyed. Luke just seemed overtired and confused, I think Roland and Henry made sure he was warm and dry before themselves and the other guys are okay, I think. David seemed to have a little sniffle but I think Roland took the worst of it"
"Poor baby" Regina sighed, her fingers ghosting up and down the sleeping boys back. "I'm glad Henry is alright though. I'm sorry the camping trip was suck a dud"
"Me too" Robin replied, his voice thick with sleep. "Wha' did you do while we were 'way?"
"I think I set Tink and Hook up"
"Good!" Robin exclaimed despite the fact that he was half asleep. "The guy has had a thing for her for years!"
It didn't take long for the three of them to fall asleep, warm and content in each other's arms.
(-)
"I don't think Henry's doing too well" Emma sighed as she leant against the kitchen counter top, a mug of green tea in one hand.
"He's getting ill?" Neal asked, groaning internally.
"I think so. He keeps sneezing and he hasn't touched his cocoa. What are we going to do if he's got the flu? Ella hasn't got her flu shot yet and I already feel bad enough without getting the flu too" Emma groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"I'm sorry babe" Neal sighed, his body racked with guilt.
"What? Neal this wasn't your fault. This wasn't anybody's fault. You don't need to apologise... Do you think Regina would look after him whilst he's ill? I mean, you said Roland was already coming down with something"
"When has she ever given up the opportunity to look after Henry?" Neal grinned slightly. "I'm pretty sure if we just explain that Ella doesn't have the flu she'll understand. We'll just conveniently leave out the threat to you and number 3"
"Speaking of" Emma raised her brows, the sudden urge for ice cream taking over her. "Rocky Road is calling my name"
"Seriously?"
Emma nodded and shrugged innocently, holding back a giggle. Neal grinned as he stood from his spot at the kitchen table and made his way toward the freezer where two empty tubs of ice cream fell out.
"The baby and I missed you and Henry last night, and Ben and Jerry seemed like a plausible substitute?" Emma let out her giggle as Neal shot her a weird look, scooping her more ice cream into a bowl.
The blonde almost jumped Neal as he handed her the bowl. He chuckled and kissed her cheek before he went to check on his son.
Henry was lying on the sofa, half watching some cartoon on the TV and half asleep. He looked awful and very much like Roland did that morning.
The boy who never got sick had apparently gotten the flu, and gotten it bad.
Neal spied his cell phone on the table.
"Henry?" Neal asked, getting his sons attention.
Henry stayed silent but turned to face his father.
"You okay?"
"I don't feel too good" Henry groaned, pulling the blanket around his body tighter.
"I think you're getting the flu, Bud"
Henry nodded slightly, his whole body ached and felt like it weighed a tonne. He hoped that Luke was okay, he didn't want his and Roland's efforts of keeping the toddler warm and dry to have been in vein.
"Is that why Ella's stayed with Mom all day?"
"Uh huh. Would you mind if you stayed with your other Mom and Robin?" Neal asked tentatively. "Only, we don't want Ella to get sick too"
"No, no" Henry brushed his father off. "Its fine. Honest" he grumbled as sleep began to overtake him.
Neal pressed the back of his hand to his sons forehead before Henry rolled over and turned his back to him. He was burning up and was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, despite the fact he was shivering.
Before he dialled Regina's number, he pulled Henry's blanket up around him further, making sure he was warm and comfortable.
(-)
When Regina and Robin awoke, it was gone twelve. Roland still slept between them, his breathing shallow and stunted by his snotty nose.
"No" Roland mumbled as Regina began to move, wrapping his arms around her tighter so she couldn't leave his side.
Regina settled back down again and Roland snuggled closer, this time his head rested on her chest. The sound of her heart beating lulling him back into his much needed slumber.
With great difficulty, Robin managed to carefully and gently un-tangle himself from his sons grip. He turned the TV on, threw the remote over to Regina and crept quietly out of the room, with the silent promise of coffee.
Regina ran her fingers through Roland's thick curls as he slept. He was probably due another dose of his medicine and hopefully Robin would realise that once he was down there.
It didn't take long before Robin re-emerged, a cup in each hand and Roland's medicine tucked under his arm. He placed the cups down on the bedside table before pouring the thick pink liquid onto a spoon and giving it to Roland, who was basically still asleep.
He clambered back into the bed and wrapped his arm around Regina's shoulder, smiling as he felt her snuggle into his side. He placed a kiss on her forehead and began to flick through the TV channels. They settled on an old re-run of the X-Files, a show Robin had come to enjoy (although he would never tell Regina it was because he had a slight crush on the red head).
They watched a few episodes in a comfortable silence before Regina's cell phone began to ring. Her hand grabbed the device quickly, and answered the second she could, not wanting the shrill ringing to disturb the sleeping boy.
"Hello?" she asked.
Robin watched on as he listened to Regina's side of the conversation. He gathered that Henry had also come down with the flu and suspected that the Cassidy's wanted to see if he could stay there till he was better. He assumed that's what Regina had agreed to, anyway.
"Henry's sick" she said as soon as she hung up. "Emma and Neal wanted to know if he could stay here so Ella wouldn't get ill too. Neal's dropping him off within the next ten minutes" Regina said simply, her fingers still raking through Roland's thick locks.
(-)
Regina had managed to break free from Roland's grip and was now currently in the kitchen making soup. The three boys were curled up on the sofa under the blanket as they watched a movie. Robin had perked up drastically since this morning, but he still felt slightly under the weather.
She carefully placed the four bowls onto a tray and made her way into the living room. It made her cringe that they weren't eating at the table, but her boys were ill so she would let it slide just this once.
Henry and Roland barely touched their dinner, but Regina was satisfied that they at least tried to eat something.
Roland was still clingy and had crawled onto Regina's lap, once again playing with a silky lock of her hair.
They watched some more TV before Regina decided it was time for bed. Both Henry and Roland had their medicine and didn't kick up a fuss at going to bed before the sun had even set.
It was barely 7pm, but she was shattered herself and happily climbed back into her bed and Robin's loving arms.
"Was I dreaming, or did you tell me you set up Hook and Tink?"
"Nope. That was true" Regina said with a grin. "He took her out on his boat and everything!"
"Really? On the first date?"
"Get your mind out of the gutter" Regina rolled her eyes and chuckled. "They just went sailing, that's all"
Robin was sure there was a joke in him somewhere about Hook riding the SS Tinker Bell but he decided not to voice it.
"Oh. Well. That's nice. You think it'll last?" He said instead.
"I hope so! I mean, they've both been through so much, and a lot of it together. They've been friends for years and have a history together. I know she likes him, like, really likes him... She's good for him. I just hope she doesn't get her heart broken"
"Neal said he had a thing for her when he was a kid... Then he got side-tracked with the whole Emma thing, but its always been Tink. He would kill me for saying this: but he's smitten. I didn't think he would actually do anything about it though"
"Me either. But I'm glad they did"
"Me too"
The sound of the bedroom door opening caught both Robin and Regina's attention. Roland padded into the room, the stuffed bear Regina made out of a flying monkey being dragged behind him.
"Can I have cuddles 'gain?" He asked, sleepily.
"Of course, Buddy" Robin grinned as Roland made his way over to the bed and took up his former position between his parents.
They settled down again and were just on the verge of sleep themselves, when Henry appeared at the door.
He might be nearing fourteen, but he was ill and he wanted nothing more than his mother's warm and loving embrace. With a silent request from Henry, Regina scooted over and held the duvet up for him. He climbed in and snuggled close to her side before falling back to sleep almost the instant he breathed her in and felt her loving, soothing embrace wrap around him. The kind only mothers knew how to give.
(-)
Emma sat on the floor, playing with Ella on the brightly coloured play mat when Neal came into the living room, baring two plates of spaghetti. Quickly, Emma scooped the baby up and put her in the play pen before plopping down on the sofa next to her husband.
"I hope Henry is okay" she said with a sigh, twirling a string of spaghetti onto her fork.
"Regina text me about half an hour ago. She said he's okay, just spending most of the time snuggled up with her on the sofa"
Emma sighed and started into her plate. It was killing both her and Neal knowing that Henry was sick, and not being able to make him feel better. It was a comfort that he was with Regina though. But still...
Ella let out a high pitch squeal from her play pen and started to cry, demanding attention from one of her parents.
"I got her" Emma said almost too quickly, putting her plate down on the table.
If she couldn't hold Henry then she would cuddle Ella twice as hard. Ella's cries subsided as Emma held her, bouncing her in her arms and cooing the baby.
Emma placed her hand on Ella's forehead and breathed a sigh of relief when Ella's skin was the usual baby warm beneath her fingers. At least she wasn't screaming because she had caught the flu. She was probably just annoyed at being put in her play pen, or 'baby jail' as Henry had so aptly named it.
"You want to sit on the sofa with Mommy and Daddy?" Emma asked, despite the fact Ella couldn't answer her with words. Instead the baby pointed towards Neal and squealed again.
Emma plopped her down between them on the sofa and began eating her dinner once again, both her and Neal handing her the odd string of spaghetti which she devoured in a less than graceful manner. Apparently she had inherited her mother's appetite.
(-)
Robin awoke early the next morning, to find the bed half empty. Henry was still asleep, now star fished in the now vacant space. The kids had been taking it in turns to get up and vomit throughout the night so his sleep had been light and interrupted.
The soft glow of the en suite bathroom light glowed under the door so Robin assumed Roland must be throwing up again. He carefully got out of bed and threw his robe around him as the cold of the morning nipped at his skin. He was shocked when he made his way to the bathroom.
Regina was hunched over the toilet bowel, retching as Roland held her hair back and tapped her back in what Robin could only assume was supposed to be a loving and soothing manner.
"Mama got sick" he said, his tone tinged with fear as he looked at his father.
"I'm okay, dear" Regina groaned unconvincingly before she threw up again.
"Why don't you go back to bed?" Robin suggested. "I'll look after Mom, I promise" he added, picking up on his sons hesitancy to leave Regina's side. Roland was clingy to her enough, but now she was apparently ill too, his protective side was starting to creep through. "Henry needs some cuddles too"
"Hmmmm, 'kay" he said before kissing Regina's shoulder and whispering something to her before he slowly made his way back to bed.
As soon as Roland left the bathroom, Robin poured a still puking Regina a glass of water and dampened a wash cloth. He brushed the cool damp cloth across the back of her neck before he gathered her silky, raven locks in his hands and away from her beautiful face.
"The perks of being a mother, huh?" Regina groaned as she sat up straight, swilling her mouth out before flushing the toilet.
"Are you okay?" Robin asked, concern thick in his voice.
"I'm fine, dear" Regina sighed, resting against Robin's chest, drawing her knees tightly to her own chest. "I feel much better now. I'm sorry I woke you"
"You didn't wake me, you don't have anything to be sorry for! Are you sure you're okay?"
"Its the flu... I'll be fine"
"Hmmmmm, okay" Robin said, his facial expression and his words mirroring his sons from a few moments prior. "This just gives me an excuse to pamper you and look after you!" He grinned broadly.
"It does no-" Regina stopped abruptly as she felt Robin's arm snake under her knees, standing up with the aide of the wall. "-put me down!" She demanded.
"Nope" Robin grinned cheekily once again as he walked out of the bathroom.
Regina just sighed, not having the energy to fight him on his. Her head still rested against his chest and the beating of the heart she loved so much was lulling her back to sleep.
She didn't even realise that he had placed her back in the bed and climbed in beside her until she woke up again an hour later to the sounds of Henry's muffled retching coming from the bathroom.
Another long chapter with a lot kind of happening, sorry? What can I say, I come back to college after a week off and I get inspired to write! I hope this chapter was okay. I am glad you all liked the previous one, especially the over protective wives bit! (I was actually going to delete that bit, but I'm glad I never now!) Also Tink and Hook, yay or nay? Poor little Roland and Henry Once I'm over this bit, we can get back to business so please bear with me. Once again, thank you for all the reviews, please keep them coming! I love you all, Gina xxxxx