Sappy, angsty, unedited (because its 1:30 am and I have to be up for work in 4 hours), pile of fluff based on the previews for next week's finale.

Because Fraise Dandelion said please…


They'd fought.

The moment that they had returned to the proper Storybrooke and Robin had both children secured in his arms, they had fought. It was stress, and worry, and too many pent up emotions that they never seemed to be given the time to process. She'd pushed and he'd pushed back, insults thrown like daggers tipped with my child, and my sister, and you left me, and you won't let me, and I thought this was real, and trust, and love, and…. Their walls were building higher and higher until they were both breathless and crying and why the hell were they fighting again?

It was Robin who moved first. Regina was still prickly around the edges, her deadly temper had flared and would smolder long after his had burned itself out. She was still breathing deeply when his hand skimmed up her arm; nostrils still flaring when he got to her shoulder. When his fingers grazed the side of her neck, she melted into his touch. Damn him, she thought. Damn herself as well because she knew that she was powerless against him.

"Regina, you are my future." His thumb traced small circles just under her cheekbone, fingers lost in her curls. "We're going to fight. You're going to make me crazy," he flashed his dimples, tilted her head up so he was certain she understood, "but I'm ready for it, love. Can't wait for it. You are the only one I want to drive me absolutely infuriatingly insane." He held her in place, added his free hand to her bicep and squeezed when her hand automatically closed over his tattoo.

She tried to brush him off, gave him her best eye roll, but she couldn't stop the fresh tears from welling in her eyes. Regina sniffed, the sound echoing around them. "Damn you," she wiped roughly at her eyes, huffing out frustration as she tried to keep the tears at bay. "You always do this to me."

"Do what, mi'lady?" he asked innocently, pulling her towards him, cradling her head against his chest.

"This," she waved her hand in front of her tear streaked face. "You always turn me into this pathetic, disgusting mess."

He caught her hand and brought it to rest over his heart. "There is not a single thing about you that is pathetic, nor disgusting. In fact I find you quite beautiful when you go all puddly in my arms.

"Puddly?" she laughed, voice still thick with tears, but the tension behind it was gone. "I'm sorry. I had no right to…"

He cut her off with a gentle kiss to her lips. "I didn't bring you hear to fight, Regina." It took a moment for his words to sink in, another for her to look around the trees that surround them and realize just where "here" was. A few feet to the left and she would be standing in the same spot where she had decided to throw caution to the wind and find her own happy ending; where she had pulled this insufferably good man to her and kissed him senseless. Robin watched her face, waited for the moment when her forehead scrunched just a bit and he knew she was trying to work it all out.

Then he sank to his knee. Tossed a red velvet box nervously around in his hand.

"I've meant to do this for some time now, carried this little bauble all the way to hell and back, but the moment just never seemed right. And I realized," he took the ring from the box, a simple band with one stone at the center. It was hardly fit for a queen, but it was perfect for Regina. "I realized that we may never have that 'perfect' moment, or that we may never get to stop running or fighting, but there is no one else in any realm that I want by my side for all of those moments. I love you, Regina. Only you. Always you." He had slipped the ring on her finger, was twirling it gently from side to side just over her knuckle. Her hands were shaking in his and she'd gone to pieces again, but made no move to wipe a single tear away. "Will you marry me?"

Regina was trembling from head to toe; her heart was pounding so hard against her chest she half expected it to force its way out. Would it still be black as the night? She had to wonder. It couldn't be as small as it was the last time she had seen it, not when this man had brought so much love into her life. Maybe that is why she felt like it would explode any second. Was this too much? Was unyielding love what would finally do the Evil Queen in? She couldn't think of a better way to go. "Yes," she said then realized that there had been no voice behind the word. No matter, he'd seen it in the sparkle of her eyes.

Robin was on his feet, Regina in the air with his arms tight around her. She cupped his face, ran her fingers across the stubble there before leaning down to kiss him. Her tears wet his face, her hair stuck to them both in random spots, but neither cared. Their lips were still pressing together when he lowered her to the ground. "It's beautiful," she looked at the ring, for the first time truly taking it in.

"Henry helped pick it out." That had done it, he knew. She was going to be a beautiful puddly mess for the rest of the evening and he couldn't have been happier.

"I love you." Regina wrapped her arms around his shoulders, kissed him again, and again, until the sun began to set and they knew they needed to get back. She could have had them home with a wave of her hand, but instead she laced their fingers and leaned into his side as they began the walk back to town. He was right about all the difficult moments ahead and for now she intended to enjoy every second of this one.


I have to just take a second to thank every single person who is reading this, especially those of you who are promoting it. I surged over 10,000 hits today and that is just insane to me. I haven't had that sort of following on a story since my SG-1 days and that was many moons ago. So thank you thank you thank you. Love you all to bits.