Let me start off by saying how sorry I am for missing Monday's chapter. I've been so busy lately it's not even funny. To make up for it, I made this chapter extra long. I basically just packed a ton of scenes together into one gigantic chapter, and I added in Emma and a little captain swan fluff. It's surprisingly hard to fit all the characters and relationships in from We Can Love Again! I promise I'll try, though ;)
She woke up the next morning to hectic sounds coming from downstairs. It was soon evident why- her clock read seven forty five, which meant she only had a few minutes before she had to leave for school.
Tossing on a fleece top and a pair of jeans, Caroline could only run a brush through her hair before rushing downstairs. Further down the hallway, she could hear her mother busy in the kitchen.
"How come you didn't wake me up?" The girl asked, fetching a plate and dishing up some hashbrowns.
Regina smiled and gave her head a shake. "I did! And then you muttered something and I left. You must've fallen back asleep. Rough night?"
That didn't even begin to explain it. Caroline couldn't let herself sleep without seeing the look of pure hatred in her brother's eyes.
"Yeah, a little bit," she admitted, beginning to pick at her food. "Where's Roland?"
Beside her at the table, her father blew out a sigh. "I've tried to wake him up three times... He won't budge."
"He has to go to school!" Regina told him, "I won't let him miss another day."
Robin gave her a look, trying to come up with a way to talk to her without their daughter hearing.
"He's got, uh..." The outlaw quickly gestured towards his eye, telling his wife that Roland had a dark, ugly bruise around one of his eyes.
'Unfortunately, his gesture wasn't subtle enough for Caroline not to catch.
"Henry hit him that hard?" She exclaimed, shock evident in her voice, "what's he gonna do?"
Regina sighed. "I'll go talk to him- maybe there's something I can do about it."
Before she began down the hallway, she noticed what day it was on the calendar. February fourteenth.
"Oh yeah," she said, a smile forming on her face, "happy Valentine's Day guys."
Caroline hadn't even realized that that day a holiday- every year it signified a week and a half before her birthday came.
Upstairs, Regina gave Roland's door a few hard knocks before announcing her entry into his room. The fifteen year old knew very well that he couldn't fight against his mother, but, the thing was, he was just as stubborn as she. He was still in bed when she walked in; Regina sat down on his bed and glanced at his clock.
"You have about seven minutes before school starts, you know." She said, "and showing up in your pajamas probably isn't the best idea."
He groaned, sitting up to give her a vengeful stare. Robin sure wasn't kidding about the bruising- it was grotesque to say the least, dark shades of brown and purple.
"I seriously don't want to go," he replied, too tired to make his statement more convincing. "I don't want anyone to see me like this."
His mother sighed. "You mean you don't want anyone to know that your brother beat you?"
Roland's face toughened slightly. "And, of course it has to be Valentines Day."
Regina couldn't help but suppress a smile. "Hey, I could try my magic on you and see if I can get rid of that," she encouraged, "nobody needs to know it even happened."
That did sound promising to him. Still, no about of magic could make him feel any less terrible about himself. Henry didn't have a scratch on him- it was almost too easy.
She leaned forward and gently touched the bruise with her index finger, hoping the spell she had in mind would be able to fix it. Thankfully, after a moment of heavy concentration, the blemishes vanished completely from his skin. Smiling at her work,
Regina made a mirror appear in her hands to show him.
"See? All gone. You can go to school and talk to your friends, more importantly, your girl friends-"
"Mom," Roland muttered, "fine I guess I'll go. But don't think taking it away will change what happened."
Regina's smile fell slightly. "I know. But what happened considering Henry is his business- I'll deal with him later. Don't think he hates you though... He was just upset. It's Valentine's Day, you shouldn't have to be sad. If you want to talk to someone, or, or give her something, nothing should hold you back."
Roland sighed. "Whatever. And I'm not going to do anything with Alex, quit holding your breath."
With everything that had occurred with Henry, Regina knew she had to lay down the rules on girls once again. But with Roland, things were different. While Henry was steady dating, Roland was still getting absolutely nowhere with Alex. Not that Regina wanted to force them together, but she wanted her boy to be able to be comfortable around girls and have fun. Not as much fun as Henry was having, of course.
"Hey, I'm sorry he did that to you- you didn't deserve that. But I still love you. I just want you to be safe. Just because your brother is all grown up doesn't mean you have to too. You'll always be my little boy."
Regina didn't mean for all of that to come out so rapidly, but she just couldn't help it. The realization of Henry being an adult hit her like a stone wall- she was getting old, which wasn't nessecarily a bad thing, and the time she had with her children was running slimmer by the day. Every moment counted.
She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close before he could reply, wanting him to know that she was there for him. The thought of her boys attacking one another like animals made her feel sick inside.
"Now you better get going," she told him, glancing around his closet and getting up to choose a shirt from his selection. "And wear this shirt- I think it looks really good on you."
Roland rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks Mom."
~*~
The car ride was strenuous- they had about three minutes to get there, and they were all crammed in the SUV. Caroline was practically on Regina's lap in the front seat; she was quickly gathering her hair into a ponytail as Robin drove.
"We forgot the invitations!" The girl exclaimed, glancing at the clock every few seconds.
"You're just gonna have to do that tomorrow," Regina told her, finishing off her hair and grabbing her backpack.
"Sorry kids, but you're going to have to run if you want to make it on time."
"Great, thanks Dad," Roland muttered, opening the door and taking off in the direction of the school.
"Have a good day sweetheart," Regina said, tightening her ponytail and watching her run after Roland.
Both parents said nothing until their kids were inside the school- it only took about a minute after that for the bell to ring.
Letting out the air she was holding in, Regina turned her head towards her husband. "We sure haven't been the best parents these past few days."
Robin tried to comfort her. "They made it in time though, that's the important thing," he said, knowing very well that she was talking about Henry. "But let's not worry about that now- it's Valentine's Day, let's do something together. I'll take my beautiful queen out to dinner, some place fancy."
There really was only one fancy place to eat in Storybrooke- not counting Granny's Diner, obviously.
"Well I think you're forgetting that this queen has to go to work," Regina smirked, "we can't all give ourselves holidays."
Robin had taken over the animal shelter shortly after they were married- he had worked there ever since.
"That's completely irrational!" He replied, "today is the day of love!"
She rolled her eyes. "This town still needs a mayor on the day of love. Maybe we can do something after I get back."
Though he wasn't stoked about her job getting in the way of things, Robin had no choice but to drop her off at the office and let her work for the next few hours. Since he didn't need to go in himself, he figured he could spend the day trying to come up with something romantic for the both of them.
School wasn't the first thing on Roland's mind- it never was, but especially not that particular day. Over the past two days, his life had spiraled into a tangled mess. He didn't know what his punishment would be for getting in that fight with Henry, or more importantly, what the future for the two of them would be. His body was still sore, though no evident bruises were showing.
Valentine's Day was something he wasn't expecting at all; there was suddenly a great amount of stress put on him as he sat there in English class, attempting to do the homework on his desk. It was near impossible, though. Alex was sitting three seats in front of him, a clear view from where he was sitting.
Roland was conflicted- he had been for years now. Of course a part of him wanted to believe that Alex could be something more than just a friend. But there were so many risks that came with it. What if they didn't work out, for whatever reason, and Roland had to spend the rest of his life being awkward around her? What if she didn't even like him?
He didn't know the first thing that came with the word girlfriend- the only thing he had to go off of was his family.
Roland didn't know if growing up was a blessing or a curse. He and Alex had grown up together; they had been inseparable since they were four. There was nothing in their way- they were simply best friends. Then, just like that, something clicked in his head, something that made him realize that Alex was drop dead gorgeous. After that, everything seemed to change for him. He started getting nervous around her. Their handouts became more and more stressful as he fought the thoughts in his head. In order to finally get over it, Roland knew he had to tell her how he felt. Then maybe, just maybe, she would tell him she felt the same exact way.
When the bell finally rang, he was the first one to get up and start for the door. That was it, he had decided, no holding back now- it was Valentine's Day, after all. After seeing everyone in his school carry around boxes of chocolates and gawking at love notes, Roland was sick of the whole romance thing.
"Hey Alex," he said once they got out of the classroom, swallowing down his fear and standing tall. It was pathetic, but he had come up with a note on the back page of his spiral that said what he truly thought about her- it was currently crumpled in his palm, hidden away from her view. "I have something to tell you."
She was wearing a long sleeved shirt with the school's logo printed across the front, along with jeans and her favorite pair of white converse. Roland had no idea how it was possible, but even when she didn't try on her appearance like most girls, she still looked absolutely beautiful.
"Sure, what is it? I actually have something to tell you too," She asked, her smile practically melting him on the spot.
Roland felt the paper in his palm; all he had to do was give it to her. But his mind simply wouldn't allow it. In a panic, he hastily changed his plan to buy him more time.
"What... What did you want to say?"
Unzipping her backpack, Alex pulled out nothing other than a rose.
"So you know that guy, Brandt Morris?"
Roland's blood froze in his veins.
"Yeah... I know him."
"Well," she continued, a folly smile on her face, "he gave me this and said he wanted to take me out on a date!"
He had stopped listening to what she was saying; a surprising surge of anger had taken control of his senses.
"Brant Morris is two years older than you," Roland said, "why would a senior ask you on a date?"
Apparently he must've said that wrong, because Alex's smile quickly vaporized.
"I- I don't know, I mean I've never talked to him before today. What did you want to tell me?"
It was all a joke. Roland didn't know what he did to deserve such a horrible life.
"Nothing important," he told her, realizing that he simply didn't care anymore, "happy Valentine's Day."
All the hope he had gathered throughout the day was suddenly smashed into a million pieces. Roland trudged down the hallway and through the door that lead outside, not even giving a second thought to the fact that he was supposed to meet up with August. He was about to start on the walk home when a car honked in front of him. Glancing up, he saw a yellow bug parked a few feet away from him, his sister already in the passenger seat.
"Hey kid, how was school?" Emma Swan asked, cranking up her car again once he was in.
"Fine I guess," he muttered.
Emma could tell he didn't want to talk.
"All we did today was eat candy and make cards for each other," Caroline said, sticking a stick of fun dip back into her mouth. "It was great! Lucy and I had fun."
"That's great!" Emma replied, "she bought about four bags of candy last night- Killian and I had a fun time eating it."
Caroline put on her seatbelt and offered her a snickers bar, noticing something different about the blonde. Around her neck, she spotted a necklace with an anchor on it- in the middle of it lay a sparking opal stone.
"Emma!" The girl exclaimed, "Killian gave that to you?"
She nodded, not having to look down to know what she was talking about.
"Did he propose too? Are you getting married?"
That time, Emma didn't hesitate to take her eyes off the road to give the girl a surprised look.
"What? No! It was just a Valentine's Day thing."
Caroline scowled. "Well why not? If you both love each other, shouldn't you get married?"
"Weddings are way too much work!" Emma defended, "and we're fine the way we are now- Killian doesn't want to get married, I don't want to get married, but we love each other. It all works out."
Her words were doing little to convince Caroline. "Nobody ever gets married in this town," she muttered, "can you guys at least have a baby then? I want a little cousin."
Chuckling, the blonde shook her head. "Why would we need our own baby when we have you two? I was there the day you were born," -quite literally, she failed to note- "and I've seen you grow up. You're practically my daughter. Same with you Roland."
The fifteen year old was hardly tuning into the conversation. "I highly doubt you were there the day I was born," he remarked flatly.
Emma rolled her eyes, unsure on how to reply to that comment. "True, but that doesn't mean we don't love you. Need I remind you that I spent twenty eight years away from my family."
Roland had to restrain himself him saying anything more. Emma Swan had a perfect life and a perfect boyfriend- he was just a fifteen year old kid who had no idea what he was doing.
There was an awkward silence in the bug, one that Caroline didn't want to be a part of.
"So what did Henry do for Paige?" She asked, sticking her candy wrapper in her backpack.
"They obviously did stuff together, so why does it matter?" Roland intervened, wanting nothing more than to just get home.
"Hey, you be nice," Emma shot back to him, "a benefit to technically being your mom is being able to technically yell at you. So watch it."
Roland responded with a groan as he slumped back in his seat.
"Um, I'm not really sure. He's been staying over at your uncle Will's house since yesterday." Emma said, replying to Caroline's question.
Whatever they did, she knew it probably would still be awkward for them. Roland couldn't have picked a better time to tell that secret.
"Oh," she sighed, slightly disappointed Emma didn't know about his current situation. Ever since he left her house in an angry fury, she hadn't been able to think straight. She had to know the Henry she knew and loved was still there.
"But I'm sure he did something nice for her," Emma reassured, "I'll try calling him later tonight."
They arrived at their massive white house; the bug slowed to a stop just as more snow began to fall from the pasty white sky.
"Now you be sure to tell your parents happy Valentine's Day."
Caroline put on her jacket again and handed Emma another piece of candy. "You can give that to Killian."
Emma smiled. "Will do, kid. This cab driver has to get home. I have a present I still need to buy for a certain birthday girl."
Opening the door, Caroline gave her a grin. "Can't wait!"
She was quick to start on the narrow pathway towards home. Roland followed her a moment later, though he didn't get very far before Emma called him back.
"What's your deal today Roland?" She asked, "you look like someone ran over your dog. Was Valentine's Day really that awful for you?"
His eyes remained glued to the sidewalk.
"Look, I know you're mad about the whole thing with Henry," she said, softening up a bit, "and you have every right to be. That's just what guys do- they beat each other up and then all their problems are sorted out. He'll come around, I promise. Until then, you don't need to be taking out everything on your sister. You shouldn't take her for granted, because one day she'll be grown up. Family always sticks together, no matter what."
Roland sighed. "I know. I try, but nothing ever seems to work out the way I want it to."
Swinging her keys with her finger, Emma smiled. "Yeah, that's called life. I remember what it was like to be fifteen. It sucked."
If only she could've seen the bruise her son had left on him.
"Just promise me you'll be nicer to your sister, okay? Her birthday is coming up, after all."
For the first time in days, Roland actually felt better about himself. "I'll try. Things are getting pretty hectic around here with that coming up."
"Always is," Emma replied, "you better get going though. Your mom must be getting dinner ready at this point."
He turned towards the front door, seeing it was still open from when Caroline walked in.
"You're probably right. See you at the party."
"See you there, kid."
Roland was more than eager to enter the warmth and comfort of his house. He could smell something cooking in the kitchen, though he was more interested in getting back in his bed. Climbing the stairs, the fifteen year old was surprised to see Caroline sitting at the top of the staircase, facing sideways so her legs hung loosely between the rails.
"What the heck are you doing?" He asked, noticing her perplexed expression.
Instead of responding, she motioned for him to get down to her level.
"They're mad about something," she whispered, sounding slightly frantic.
Roland didn't get what the big deal was. "How do you know? They're probably just talking about something."
Just seconds later, they both heard the loud, echoing sound of their mother shouting fill the empty hallways. It was obvious she wasn't just mad- she was fuming. Regina rarely got that mad at her spouse; Roland got comfortable beside his sister and began to listen in on their conversation.
"I don't see what the problem is," Robin told her, "we can just go out tonight, then you and I can finally have some alone time. The kids are old enough to make due on their own."
"You're not getting it!" Regina responded irritably, "obviously we haven't done a good enough job at spending time with our kids and teaching them right from wrong- I can't just go on with my life knowing that my sons hate each other. And then there's
Caroline, who's having a birthday in fifteen days-"
"That doesn't mean we can't go out and enjoy ourselves for one night! I'm starting to think you don't want to do anything with me."
She paused her pacing to turn around and face him. "That's not what I'm saying at all! Robin, I love you, I really do, but you don't seem to mind the fact that our son has done... Grown up things."
Robin wasn't in the mood to bring up that conversation again. "I don't see why you don't trust him to make decisions on his own."
"He's not old enough! There's so many things he needs to do with his life before he can start thinking about marriage, a family-"
"He's twenty two!" Robin cut her off, his voice raising substantially, "why does he have to wait? We didn't!"
His words attacked her with a force she didn't think was possible. A dagger may have been placed at her throat. It was a rarity, but Robin actually stunned the Evil Queen.
"Well if you want to things with me you may want to try being less of an ass," Regina replied, fighting to keep tears from glazing over her eyes.
"I want to give all three of my kids everything I was never able to have. Since when is that a bad thing?"
Robin wasn't the type of man man that lost his temper regularly. On the contrary, he was always calm, level headed, and constant- a rock for Regina, someone who could control the madwoman she was.
Once he saw the damage he had caused, Robin immediately let up on his force.
"Hey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I know you've had a long day-"
"Yeah," she replied, in such a weak voice it came out in barely a whisper. "Happy Valentine's Day, Robin."
She started for the den before her husband could say a word more, leaving him alone in the kitchen.
The next time Roland glanced at his sister, he saw tears on her face.
"It's going to be okay, they always work these things out," he said, remembering Emma's words in his head.
"Things are not okay! Everything is awful!" She exclaimed, "they're not supposed to fight!"
Roland didn't know what to say. He watched as she got up and took off down the stairs, headed for the door again.
"Where are you going?" He called after her, with no response.
Caroline took off down the pathway again; this time, nobody was there to stop her.
So where do y'all think Caroline will go? Hmmm...
(Pinky swear I will update Monday)
