A/N: I really hope you enjoy this chapter and remember to review to let me know what you think about the story so far. It is really important to me that you review, whether you like the story or not, because your comments will help me decide if this story is worth continuing or not. Please let me know.
I'll leave a question for you to answer in the author's note at end of the chapter, so please read it and answer!
Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time belongs to Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, I only own the plot of this story.
Chapter 12
A month later
I wake up to find Robin looking at me and smiling like a kid on Christmas morning and I can't help but return the smile. God, those dimples are going to make me crazy..
"Good morning, beautiful" he whispers while tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. I close my eyes and lean into his touch as he rests his hands softly on my cheek. I close the distance between us to kiss him. I start giggling due to his stubble brushing against my skin and I stroke his cheek gently as I whisper "Honey, you have to shave"
He squints his eyes as he tries to hold back a laugh and before I know it he rolls on top of me "Come on, don't tell me that you don't like this.."
Before I have the chance to ask what he's talking about, Robin hides his face in the crook of my neck and starts rubbing his stubble against my skin. I'm laughing so hard I fear I can't breathe anymore.
"Stop it!" I manage to say, but I hardly doubt he heard me. Luckily enough he stops and drops gently on top of me, pinning me down on the bed with his weight. He's resting his chin on my abdomen, looking up at me as I run my fingers lazily through his soft hair.
"I wish it could always be like this. I couldn't dream of a better way to wake up in the morning"
"Who told you it can't be like this every day? Besides, I can think of something that you're gonna like even better.." Robin says grinning smugly before he starts leaving a trail of hot kisses on my stomach, earning an eager moan in response. He slowly makes his way up between my breasts, up to my neck and ends with a passionate kiss on my lips, which I give into immediately.
We're caught up in the kiss when Roland bursts into the room without knocking. Robin instinctively rolls back in his place next to me and we cover ourselves the best we can with the sheets just as the little boy comes jumping on the bed.
Robin managed to move his small bed to the living room. Just a temporary adjustment while he builds two more rooms to expand the cottage. According to him, he was already planning on doing that before I even moved in, because he wanted Roland to have his own room, but I know the main reason he's doing it is to have a little more privacy to avoid moments like these. Then he decided that adding a guest room might be a good idea, if ever someone like Tinkerbell or one of his friends decided to spend the night.
"Roland, how many times did I tell you to knock on the door before walking into a room?" Robin scolds him, but he can't resist Roland's puppy eyes as he whispers his apologies.
"It's okay buddy, just remember to knock the next time" he says ruffling his hair. I lift Roland a little to place him on my lap and he instantly cuddles up against my chest. I can't help but miss Henry in moments like these, as I rock the little boy gently in my arms and place a soft kiss on the top of his head. Robin must have noticed it by the look on my face, because he takes my hand and starts stroking it with his thumb, trying to comfort me. He's been very supportive and understanding with me. He knows I still miss my son and that I'm struggling with my feelings because I feel like I'm replacing Henry with Roland, but he's been giving me the space I need, making sure that I knew he was there for me at the same time.
I don't know how he does that but he just gets me. I finally feel happy again and, to be honest, even the feelings I had for Daniel can't compare with what I feel for Robin. He's had his own share of struggles during his life but he was strong enough not to give into darkness like I did when his loved one was taken from him.
We never really talked about Marian because I was too shy to ask. It seems like he loved her very much and I know losing her must not have been easy on him and I would hate to dig out the feelings he had for her, mostly because I don't want him to suffer as much as I do every time I think of Daniel.
"Hey, do you want to come with us to the village today?" Robin asks smiling at me.
He knows how I feel regarding the subject "Robin, we talked about this.." I do not voice my fears because I don't want Roland to hear about any of it, but Robin knows the reason I'm not eager to spend a whole morning at the village. I don't know how the townspeople will react when they see me walking down the street. Many probably still hate me. How could they not? I cast a curse on the whole kingdom tearing families apart and when they finally got used to living in Storybrooke I brought them back here, even if it was to save them. I don't want them to project their hate for me on Robin and Roland.
"Come on, Regina, it will be just fine."
I decide to wear a simple beige dress under a heavy brown coat. I let my hair down, the locks falling loosely on my shoulders, hoping that by doing so people won't recognize me. I know it's foolish but, since Robin convinced me to go to the village with him and Roland, the only thing I can do is try to disguise myself as much as I can. I don't want to let them down.
I grow more anxious with each passing second as we get closer to the village. I look at Roland, who is running happily in front of us, blissfully unaware of who I was and still am to those people. I just hope he doesn't find out, I don't know what I would do if I lost him too.
I'm so lost in my thoughts that I only notice Robin has come closer to me when he wraps an arm around my waist. I turn to give him a small smile, the only one I can manage right now. He pulls me against him a little as we keep walking and presses a kiss against my temple "Don't worry.." he whispers into my ear "..I'm right here"
When we reach the market I try to keep my eyes fixed on the ground, afraid to make eye contact with anyone. It's tough, though, for Roland has taken my hand and is now dragging me from place to place to show me his favorite shops.
"Hey, I have to.. go say hi to a friend. Will you two be alright for a couple of minutes?" Robin asks kindly, knowing that I'm not quite looking forward to wandering about the village alone. I want him to be proud of me, though, so I gather up some courage and nod my head silently. He leaves Roland and I and soon he's lost among the crowd.
I take a deep breath to try and calm my nerves. It'll be just a couple of minutes, nothing bad is going to happen, I keep repeating to myself. But, of course, something was bound to happen.
I feel Roland letting go of my hand and see him running towards a little boy who looks about his age. I walk up to the two of them and Roland turns to give me a big smile "'Gina, this is Edward, my friend!"
I give the little boy a sincere smile "Hello, Edward. Nice to meet you"
In that moment, though, the little boy's mother shows up. She's about to say hi to Roland when she looks up at me and our eyes meet. So many emotions are reflected in her eyes, but above all I see fear, mixed with a great amount of anger.
"You.." she whispers as she scoops her son up in her arms. I try to speak but the words get caught in my throat and my breathing becomes irregular and frantic when she screams "She's here! It's the Evil Queen!"
I look around desperately to find Robin, but soon people start gathering around me making it impossible for me to find him. I pick Roland up, noticing how confused and scared he is.
People are screaming all sorts of things at me but my main concern is Roland, who is now crying in my arms.
"Somebody take that boy away from her before she hurts him" another woman screams and my eyes widen with worry. My arms instinctively wrap tighter around Roland's shaking little body but it's not enough, because while a man grabs me from behind, another one takes Roland from my arms. I scream, trying to free myself, I scream for Robin but he's nowhere to be seen.
"She needs to pay for what she did to us!" I hear some people say. What I wouldn't do to have my magic right now.
Robin emerges from the crowd and I draw a breath of relief. He orders the guy who's holding me from behind to let me go pointing a dagger at him.
"Are you alright?" he asks me concerned looking at me from head to toe, looking for injuries. When he sees I'm alright he looks around for Roland just as the little boy runs towards him, hiding as fast as he can behind his father's legs.
"Are you people out of your mind?" Robin asks the townspeople.
"Robin, she's the Evil Queen, the one who cursed our land! Why are you defending her?" A man says. I feel tears threatening to spill from my eyes upon hearing those words.
"I'm defending her because she's changed. She's not evil, she's a woman who made mistakes, just like anybody else. Don't we all deserve a second chance?" Robin asks, earning doubtful glares from the people standing in front of him.
"I've always helped you, people, and I've never given you a reason not to trust me, am I right?" he pauses for a moment to let people nod their heads, knowing what he's saying is true "So trust me when I tell you that Regina is not evil. I know her curse brought destruction and misery in our land but she also saved many lives by bringing people back here in the Enchanted Forest. She's been trying hard to change, giving up her magic in the process to show how sincere her intentions were. Don't you think she deserves a second chance?"
By the time Robin is done speaking, the townspeople have calmed down and without replying to him they've gone back to doing their shopping and chatting quietly with each other, though the air is still filled with tension.
Seeing how shaken Roland is breaks my heart all over again and, unable to face Robin right now, I run back to the cottage.
When I reach the house I shut the front door behind me and lean against it for a minute, letting myself go completely. I feel dizzy and my legs are weak, so I end up collapsing to the ground. Hot tears are now running down my cheeks and I try hard to stop them but I'm unable to.
I stay here for a while, sobbing uncontrollably, trying my best to handle my emotions. I wish I were still able to put on the cold mask that prevented my true feelings from showing but, apparently, I let myself go more than I thought during these past couple of months. Until now I hadn't fully realized that the walls I put up over the years had come crumbling down so easily.
With tears still rolling silently down my cheeks I take a couple of deep, shaky breaths and slowly stand up, leaning against the door for support. I look for some kind of bag to put my few belongings into. I might still be able to leave the house before Robin and Roland get here.
Too late.
I hear the front door opening and closing once more, then Robin calls my name. I don't stop. If anything, I try to gather up my things faster.
"What are you doing?" I know he's standing in the doorway but I don't turn to look at him, I don't say a word. I probably couldn't speak anyway, due to the lump I feel in my throat. I don't want to leave them but if it's what I have to do to protect them so be it.
Robin grabs my arms, forcing me to face him. When I try to push him away, still not looking at him, he starts yelling at me "What are you doing? Regina, talk to me, please!"
"Let me go, please.." I try to scream at him, but the words escape my lips in a barely audible whisper among the sobs "I-I was right all along, they're always going to see me just as the Evil Queen, I'll never have a chance to be Regina again and now they know I'm with you.. I-I can't let you and Roland suffer the consequences of my actions.. please, let me go away from here, I don't want you to get hurt because of me.." I beg him, but he won't let go of me. Instead, he pulls me into his arms and wraps them comfortingly around me, stroking my back softly with one hand in an attempt to calm me down.
"After all this time you still don't get it, huh?" He says quietly "I don't care about what the others say or think. I won't let any harm come to you and Roland, I will always protect you. But you can't ask me to let you go.. I already lost love once, but that time it was not something I could prevent from happening. This time I can do something about it and I won't lose you, because I love you too much."
I raise my hands to grip fistfuls of his shirt and I rest my forehead against his chest while small but frantic sobs keep escaping my lips. Robin brings his hands up to cup my face gently, making me look into his blue eyes, which are full of sadness but also love. He wipes some tears away from my cheeks before asking "Do you have the faintest idea of how much you mean to me?" he presses a gentle kiss against my forehead. His lion tattoo catches my eye and I'm reminded that he's my true love, my soulmate. I nod silently and hug Robin tight. I do know how much I mean to him, for he means the world to me. Without each other we would be as lost and miserable as before we me, feelings that I hope we will never have to experience again.
A/N: I'll tell you this, trying to describe Robin's feelings and telling his story only using Regina's point of view is definitely not easy, but I'm working on it and will try to explore more of his story in the next chapter. It's going to be quite romantic, trust me ;)
Now, an IMPORTANT question: I was thinking about adding a character to the story (later on), so how would you feel about me adding a character from "Frozen" to the story? Let me know in your reviews if you would like that to happen so I can start working on it right away :)
