AN: Sorry for the Delay. Work has been hectic but things are winding down to normal now. Also had a little writer's block with this chapter because I am so looking forward to writing the next! How about a 10,000 word chapter to make up for it? Thanks to those who have stuck with me, favorite/followed, and reviewed.
Chapter 14: Dancing Queen
I know I could lie but I'm telling the truth
Wherever I go there's a shadow of you
I know I could try looking for something new
But wherever I go, I'll be looking for you
Some people lie but they're looking for magic
Others are quietly going insane
I feel alive when I'm close to the madness
No easy love could ever make me feel the same
OneRepublic—Where ever I go
It was a hot Wednesday August morning and Regina found herself even dreading the thought of going outside of the air conditioned to even make it to work. But she had two children to take care so she knew she had no other choice but to get out of bed. Padding her way through the hallway and then down the stairs, she stopped in the doorway of the kitchen and saw her two boys sharing breakfast together as Henry was pouring Roland a bowl of cereal. Without them, she didn't know where she would be. "Good morning you two." She greeted as she made her way over to them and kissed them both on the top of their heads.
"Morning." Both boys chirped as they shoveled a spoonful of sugary cereal into their mouths.
"Don't talk with your mouth's full." She corrected them as she went over to start a pot of coffee. "What do you have planned today, Henry?"
Henry looked up from one of the volumes of the storybook he was paging through before he answered her with an impish grin. "Well…it seems today I am hanging out with Roland."
Surprised, Regina quickly turned around wondering why Rob wouldn't be coming today? He had been watching Roland the past week and a half as she went to back to work and things had been working out well. She hoped he didn't change his mind. "What do you mean? Is Rob alright? He isn't changing his mind is he? Roland seems to really like him, don't you sweetie?" The questions firerocketed off her tongue and she didn't take a breath in between.
"Yeah! I like Mr. Rob. He plays fun games with me." Roland exclaimed after he swallowed down his bite of cereal.
"Whoa whoa whoa,!" Henry jumped in holding his hands up. "It's nothing like that. Rob told me to relay the message to you that he had something planned today. Something about the ball next week and getting ready for it?"
As she poured her coffee, she quirked an eyebrow at him. "Did he say what? And when did he tell you this?"
"No." Henry simply stated without explaining any further."And it was after he took me on his bike last weekend." As promised, Rob had taken Henry on his motorcycle at the discretion of his mother that he wear a helmet and stay on side roads or in parking lots. Needless to say, Henry and Rob himself had a grand time.
As she stopped pouring her coffee, Regina dropped her shoulders in defeat. Here we go again, she thought. "Did he say where?"
"Town Hall." Henry answered, not looking up this time from flipping through his book.
"What time? And does he know he won't get paid for today then?" she pointed out to Henry.
"Sometime this afternoon—he said he would text you. I think he knows that." He acknowledged her questions but didn't look up from his book as he halted the flipping of the pages when a frown crossed his face.
As always, Regina noticed when one of her boys were upset and leaned across the kitchen island to peer at the book. "what's wrong? Everything alright?"
"Look…" Henry pointed out to his mother the jagged edge of what looked like someone had ripped out pages from the book. His finger skimmed down the edge.
"Someone was naughty and ripped out the pages." Roland said before he sipped his juice and put his glass back down. "Daddy told me never to do that with books."
Looking up at Roland when he said Daddy, Regina smiled before reaching out squeezing his hand a moment before letting go. "Looks like someone was indeed naughty." Agreeing with Roland, she too ran her finger down the jagged edge.
"I wonder whose story it is and who ripped it out?" Henry questioned in genuine curiosity. "Was it the person's whose story it was or someone else? And why didn't they want us to find it?"
"I don't know." Regina replied back, not sure what to say to him. "Any stories before it or after that could give us a clue at least whose it about? Maybe they tore it out In the middle of a story?"
Henry quickly rifled back and forth between the pages. "No. Doesn't seem that way. The page before it says the end and the pages after begins a new story."
"Where was this book before and has it always been with you?" Regina inquired trying to help her son.
With a shake of his head, Henry answered her but was starting to clearly get irritated when he finally looked up at her. "I found it in the sorcerer's mansion when all the people from the land of untold stories came here. I took a few with me but not all of them. This is one of the others I went back for so it was there for awhile and we don't exactly lock the mansion anymore. Anyone could have gotten a hold of this and torn out the pages. But I think the biggest concern is—"
"Who doesn't want us to know their backstory?" she cut Henry off and looked over at Roland who was happily munching at his banana slices that she had cut up for him, somewhat oblivious to their conversation.
"This could have been anyone who found the mansion or knew about the library." Henry furrowed his brow before he continued. "Maybe I'll go take a look around eventually. See if anyone left anything behind."
"Ok." Regina reached out and squeezed his hand. "Just be careful and, if you want, Emma or I can go with you."
Squeezing her hand, he got up, and then said before he left, "I got this. I'll be careful. I'm going to go upstairs and flip through the other books I brought to see if any other pages are missing."
With that, Henry shuffled out of the kitchen and up the stairs to his room. After she watched him go, she moved around the island, stood next to Roland, stroked her hair through rolands curls as she glanced down at the book. When she looked down, she glanced back and forth between the pages and that when she noticed which page was missing and her heart dropped into her stomach. Page 23 was missing.
But could it be the same page that was revealed to her-to robin? It was a clean cut page and wouldn't match up to the jaggedness that was still bound into the page. What or whose story was torn out of the book?
A few hours later at town hall…
Regina arrived and she quickly marched into the meeting room, wondering what Rob was up to this time. After she opened the door, her ears were assaulted with a classical waltz music and she saw Rob stumbling around the room, trying what looked like to be a waltz. "Careful, wouldn't want to trip over those two left feet." Regina teased him as she crossed her arms in front of her and leaned against the doorway, causing him to jump and stop what he was doing.
"It's not nice to tease, your majesty." Rob jested back, a little embarrassed.
"It's all in good fun Outlaw." Regina replied back as she put her purse down by the door and made her way over to him. "What exactly are you doing?"
Before he answered, he turned off the music but seemed to be enthralled by a video on the laptop in front of him before glancing back up at her. "If you must know, I am practicing my waltz. Since I am escorting you to this stupid ball of Snow's I very well can't be a bouncing baboon on the dance floor."
Snickering a little, she sat down on the table, leaning once leg against it. She wouldn't let her friend drown a lone or suffer and it was sweet he was trying to learn for her. "That's very admirable, but you've seen me dance before and I'm not the best. Definitely not up to queenly standards, as my mother would say."
"How is that?" he asked with curiosity. "Especially if your mother was so keen on you being Queen? It seems like it would be part of the job."
Shrugging her shoulders, she focused on the ring she twirled on her right finger before looking up at him, flicking her hair away from her face. "I don't know really. It never seemed a priority for her. When I was younger, I always dreamed of the day I would have someone to dance with, whether it would be a sister, friend, or in romance. I would even dance around the room with my doll Isabella. But my mother never made it a priority to teach me and then she…" Stopping a moment, she collected herself before she continued and took a deep breath. "Married me off to the king and he always preferred to dance with his precious daughter than me. Not that I had much interest in dancing with him to begin with. Before I was married off, there was Daniel but with the sneaking around it's not like we went to a ball together. So I never really had the chance until—"
"Robin came along." Rob finished the sentence for her, knowing exactly how she was going to finish her little tale.
"Yeah." She said with a forlorn look on her face as she tucked her hair behind her ears. "And then he was just gone."
"Well…" he started as he got up from his chair and offered her his hand. "I could never take his place, but I would sure learn a lot better with someone else. I figured we could practice together. I'd rather not look like an ape. Please."
With a roll of her eyes, she smiled and took his offered hand. "Just don't make my toes your dance floor."
"I'll do my best, your majesty. As long as you do the same." He chided back before he started the music again and then lead her out to the middle of the dance floor, taking her hand in his and wrapping his arm around her waist as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "Lets see what you can do and we'll learn…together?"
She nodded her head in agreement and then carefully, he stepped off and led them in the beginning of a basic waltz. For awhile they fumbled through the steps and laughed as they did so. When they got frustrated, they used instructional videos on YouTube to see what they doing wrong. Eventually they got into a rhythm and gracefully glided around the dance floor together. As their lithe continued without incident this time, Regina's face lit up in triumph with that elusive smile he loved so much and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. His concentration on the dance wavered and he stumbled over his own two feet before landing on his backside.
Unable to control herself, Regina doubled over in laughter at his folly, somehow making her smile even brighter that it would have beamed light throughout a dark room. As he stayed situated on the ground, elbows leaning against his bent knees, he chuckled along with her as he watched her glee and wiping away tears from laughing too hard. If anyone deserved to laugh so hard their stomach hurts and they had to wipe away joyous tears, it was her.
After a few hours of dance rehearsal, they felt prepared enough for this ridiculous ball and decided to call it quits; However, Rob had something else up his sleeve. As promised, he was going to take her shopping for a dress for this occasion. Without argument, Regina agreed and told Rob she didn't need any practice with this part. So they ended up at a new dress shop owned by someone who also came from the land of untold stories. Of course, Rob seemed to know the owner well.
Her name was Thumbelina, who was a pixie of a woman, standing probably even less than 5 feet tall but what she lacked in height, she made up in personality. Kind, energetic, and honest were just some of her attributes. When they arrived at the store, Thumbelina immediately took Regina around the store and they picked out several different dresses of different styles for her to try on. Thumbelina gushed over her and said with her killer body any of these dresses are going to look fabulous.
With dresses stacked on her arm, Thumbelina took her back to the dressing room with Rob in tow who sat down in one of the chairs outside the dressing room, waiting to see the different options. One by one, Regina trotted out in different selections but with each one there just wasn't something right with it, whether it was too puffy, too sparkly, or she didn't like another certain detail.
Eventually, Regina could tell Rob was getting bored out of his mind and decided to have some fun with it. The next dress, she stepped out in an 80's theme dress with big sleeves and all, that got both Thumbelina and Rob cracking up. For the next couple of dresses, regina waltzed out in some of the most disastrous dresses Thumbelina could find. They were so bad, whether it was the cut, style, or color, that even Thumbelina was questioning why she had them in the store.
When the laughter died down, Thumbelina and Regina looked around the store one more time but were disappointed that they weren't finding anything. Sheepishly, Thumbelina said she was working on a new dress that hadn't made it onto the floor yet and even though it was simple in style, it was elegant and would be perfect for her. So she went and got the dress to give to Regina to try on.
"This is perfect!" Regina exclaimed from the dressing room.
"Well, don't hold us in suspense." Thumbelina retorted back before whispering to Rob. "She's going to knock everyone's socks off. This dress was made for her."
"Ok. I'm coming out." Regina told them as the door clicked open.
What rob saw took his breath away, simple but no less elegant indeed. Regina was adorned in a simple black one shoulder, tied in a knot at the shoulder, floor length dress that clung in all the right ways. "Wow. You look great!" Rob admired as he watched her make her way over to the three way mirror.
"Ya think?" Regina questioned as she turned back and forth in the mirror as she examined herself in the dress. "Not too simple for this ball of snows?" She rolled her eyes when she said ball.
"Not at all." Thumbelina chimed in on her question. "Snow chose something more atuned with this world too and with the right accessories, it will dress it up a but more."
"We can have Sweeney do your hair and Johanna can do your make up. You'll def be the queen of this ball." Rob added in.
Regina smiled turning back to the mirror, looking at Rob in the reflection of the mirror. "Well then I guess this is the dress. Now we just have to get you a tux."
"A tux?" Rob inquired with a confused raise of his brow, not having any idea what they were talking about. "What in the bloody hell is a tux."
"You'll see." Thumbelina patted him on the shoulder. "Lets get your measurements and I'll hook you up too handsome.
A little while later, Regina and Rob left the shop with a smile and wave of thanks for help with picking out the dress and tux. Realizing they missed lunch and they were starving, the two called Henry and he had agreed to bring Roland over to Granny's for an earlier dinner. As they walked down the street together, Regina looked over and couldn't help to think how glad she was to have Rob around but she would never tell him that.
The night of the ball…
Saturday had come quicker that anyone anticipated and the whole town was a light in excitement for the ball. Well, most of the town. Regina was getting frustrated as she chased Roland around trying to get him into his suit without ruining her hair and make up she just had done in the process. "Roland of Locksley you stop right this instant and get dressed." She bellowed across the hallway at him.
Roland instantly stopped and turned around trying to give her his best pout. "I'm sorry R'gina. I thought we were having fun."
Making her way to him, she smiled and crouched down to his level. "I told you several times we have to get you dressed for the party tonight. That does not mean play time. Besides we are going to have a lot of fun tonight and don't you want to look handsome in your little suit?"
"Balls are usually boring for little kids." Roland lamented back to her.
"Well have you ever been to a ball with me?" Regina asked back to him.
"Yeah…the one in the 'chanted forest with you and papa. But papa won't be here this time."
And there it was, the real reason why he didn't want to go tonight. It broke her heart for her little boy and there was no way fix that but there was a few promises she could make. "Well I really want you to go. I need my dance partner after all." That seemed to get him to perk up a little bit. "And there will be lots of sweets there and I know Snow made sure to have lots of sweet rolls—your favorite!" That really seemed to perk him up as it was both his and father's favorite.
"OK!" Roland said with enthusiasm. "Can you help me get dressed now?"
"Of course." She snickered at his excitement now. Kids really were resilient.
About an hour later, both Henry and Roland were dressed and they answered the door when Rob had arrived, who cleaned up well in his classic black tux. "So tell me boys, who wants to take bets how long It takes for your mother to get down here?"
"I heard that!" retorted Regina who had made her way down the stair case and stood on the landing, waiting for Rob to notice her stern look. After rob turned and saw her, he looked gob smacked as he wordlessly stared at her. She wore her dress accented with perfect gold, diamond earrings and matching bracelet. Her hair was sleek with volume and gently curled in at the ends with makeup that included a smokey eye and red lips. Black peep toe pumps peaked out from the length of her dress.
"You look fantastic!" Rob immediately jumped from his stupor and complemented her as she descended the staircase and stood in front of him
Before she answered back, she brushed off some lint and smoothed down the lapels of his jacket. "You clean up pretty nicely for an outlaw."
Rob just snickered to her sass as Regina peered around him and complimented her boys on how handsome they both looked. Both of them presented her with a rose which she took with a smile as she sniffed them.
"Well." Rob clapped his hands together to get their attention. "Lets get this show on the road. Shall we, your majesty." He offered his arm to her which she took his and then henrys as Roland scampered along in front of them.
When they arrived at town hall, the party was in full swing with happy chatter, music blaring, people eating and dancing, and amused laughter.
"Mom…is it ok if I go find Violet?" Henry asked a little hesitantly as he didn't want to upset her.
"Of course!" Regina answered before she hugged him quickly. "You don't have to stay around with old mom. Go have fun with your friends."
"Thanks!" he kissed her on the cheek before scurried off to his group of friends on the other side of the hall.
"Gina?" Roland tugged on her dress in order to get her attention, to which she looked down at him. "Can I have sweet rolls now?"
"How about we have some dinner and then you can have some sweet rolls?"
Begrudged, Roland agreed but then offered his arm like Rob had earlier and they waltzed into the ball, all three of them. Together, they found a table and for the next hour the three of them enjoyed a scrumptious dinner and then drowned themselves in sweet rolls. Eventually Regina excused herself to the bathroom and Rob agreed to stay with Roland who was sucking sugary goodness off his fingers with Glee.
"Oh god he's going to be jumping off the walls all night." She pointed out as he popped a finger out of his mouth and gave her a toothy grin. How could she say no to this child? With her own smile in return, she kissed his head and then made her way to the ladies room.
On her way out of the bathroom, as she was walking and looking down to adjust her dress, she bumped into someone.
"Oh I'm sorry." They said before Regina looked up and realized it was Snow. "Regina! I'm so glad you came."
"Yeah well, I had two boys and one annoying outlaw who dragged me here and watch where you're going next time." She hissed at Snow.
"I said I was sorry but I'm glad you came. So you didn't come alone?" Snow asked a little sheepishly.
"Yes I guess you can say Rob and I came together—just as friends. He thought it would be fun. Whatever." Regina answered with a roll of her eyes as she looked toward him.
"Well I'm glad you came and agreed to come with Rob, even as friends and it's even better because you'll have a partner for the royal dance."
"Royal dance?" she asked with a questioning raise of her brow, suddenly nervous.
"Yeah. It's a dance just for Emma, you, charming and I." she explained to Regina. "And of course Hook is here with Emma."
"Great, Just great." Regina huffed at this information.
"Don't worry. You'll be fine. It's a simple waltz. Just like in Camelot." Snow encouraged and put both of her hands on her biceps and squeezed in comfort before she left for the bathroom, saying she better go before she has an accident. Regina couldn't help but think maybe if she did have an accident she wouldn't have to do this dance.
Well at least it was something both her and Rob practiced a lot, she thought as she watched him laughing with Roland and made her way back to the table. "Guess what?" she asked him gruffly as she sat down.
"What?" Rob looked up at her in question and noted her look of annoyance.
"It seems there's a royal dance that I have to be a part of it and by I, I mean we. So shine up those shoes and be glad we practiced."
"Well…You've got yourself a partner." He answered her with a cheeky grin, knowing exactly what he was doing.
Her eyes went wide at his words with her heart dropping in her stomach. "ok…" she barely stammered out with a whisper, taken back by the oh so familiar words. When he said things like it sent chills down her spine. He said them as if he knew she heard these words before and then he would stare into the depths of her soul with those piercing blue eyes that felt oh so familiar from the beginning. She knew those eyes that seemed to look at her with…
"Regina." Rob was shaking her shoulder a little bit now, trying to get attention.
"What!?" she snapped at him as she came out of her own thoughts.
"You were in your own little world there for a minute. Kept calling your name. It looks like we're up. They just called for the little royal dance you mentioned. You ready?"
"Guess I don't have a choice. Lets get this over with." They both got up from their chairs and rob led Regina onto to the dance floor by her hand where the other two couples were waiting. Both greeted them with a smile before rob turned and took Regina by the waist, waiting for the music to start.
"You ready?" Rob asked, concerned she was going to let her nerves get the best of her. He knew she secretly didn't want to mess up in front of everyone and make a fool of herself but who cares what these idiots thought.
"I—I don't know." She muttered back nervously to him.
"This is what we practiced for. Just do as we did there and you'll be brilliant. Just remember you've got me and I'm more likely than you to fall on my arse. Don't worry, I'll make you look good." He winked at her then.
She chuckled a little at that before she looked up at him a little more seriously. "You won't let me fall?"
"Never." He stated simply but sincerely before the music started and he lead them gracefully in the beginning of the waltz. Regina was a little tense at first, but as they went on without fault, she loosened up and let Rob guide them gracefully around the floor as if they were floating on air. When he could tell she got more comfortable, he got more fancy with twirls, spins, and dips. Now she was smiling and that's all he could ask for. Eventually the two became the center of attention and the others had conceded and watched as the two trailed around the dance floor.
"She's more graceful than she knows." Snow commented to Charming as they watched them continue around the dance floor.
"hmmm…yeah." Charming said without much effort.
"What?"Snow asked him a little perturbed.
"It's just that she spends an awfully lot of time with him lately and seems to be pushing us away." Charming answered his wife back, obviously a little perturbed.
"Yeah." Emma chimed in as she overheard the conversation between her parents. "I mean we are her family, we invite her to dinner and other events to support her, and she just pushes us away. Ignores us."
Oh my god, snow thought. Rob was right in the fact that her and her family were totally obtuse to the world and their actions sometimes.
"Like father like daughter." Snow said a little sternly with her hands on her hips.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Emma asked, a little offended.
" Let me ask you this, exactly what would you invite her to?" snow asked her daughter, trying to get her to connect the dots.
"Well hook and I would invite her to dinner or if we went to dinner, the four of us…" emma began
"Yeah or I would invite her to dinner with us or if we all went out." Charming piped in as well.
Snow looked back and forth between the two in amazement that they weren't getting it but then again, she didn't either at first. Guess they would need someone to hit her two idiots on the head. " I want you to think about what you just said very carefully."
Father and daughter looked back and forth at each other in obvious thought and then to snow who was giving them that motherly look, getting impatient that it wasn't hitting them. But then a light bulb seemed to hit them and they both paled. "Oh my god. We were inviting her to play third or fifth wheel." Emma said with shame and disappointment in her voice. "I was so excited to that hook was back I didn't think."
"Shit." Charming said.
"We were doing what we thought we needed to help her and make us feel better that we forgot what she needed. I talked with Rob and what he said made a lot of sense. When she's with him, she forgets about her pain, even if it's for five minutes but when she looked at us and saw us together, happy, we just reminded her of what she lost—again." Snow explained to them.
"damn. We suck." Emma said flatly. "How do we fix it?"
"It's the simplest thing and I don't know why we didn't think of it before because it's the most obvious answer—a girls night. What every girl needs after loss or heart break. It won't fix everything but it's a start." Snow then turned to hook and charming. "Sorry boys, you're out for this one."
They both just held their hands up, saying they will come up with something else to help support Regina. The four of them turned as they watched Rob bring up Regina from a deep dip and then bring her up to twirl her out and then back in so her back was to his front, a smile from laughter on her face.
The two continued to effortlessly glide around the dance floor, neither fumbling in their steps, and seemingly in perfect time with the chorus of violins. As the two continued to spin with their eyes locked, a warmth in Regina's stomach flared, the lights from the chandeliers and candles whipped behind them and only went faster as the music did too, causing them to spin more rapidly. It was this moment, when things are moving so quickly around them that Rob seems to be moving in slow motion to Regina, that a light perfectly illuminates behind Rob's head, shrouding him in an ethereal glow. Then for one second in time there was a flash of brown hair turning into sandy blonde, pale skin into one that was kissed by the sun, and an insufferable smirk into a dimpled grin. But those blue eyes that stared into the depths of the darkest part of her soul that had been lost for so long and brought light back into life and looked at her with nothing but love in them, just as they did now, were left unchanged.
This caused her to immediately freeze her movements and as soon as she blinked, Rob was standing in front of her shaking her shoulders and calling her name in concern. "Regina…Regina…are you ok?" His words that startled muffled, as if she were under water and he were above, started to become clearer as she glanced down at the floor, shook her head out of it, and looked back up at him, trying to avoid those same eyes that always felt familiar. Why did they feel familiar? It's just not possible. Robin is dead. "uhhh….yeah." she cleared her voice, thrown by what she may or may not have just seen. Was she going crazy? "I just a…need…to go get a drink of…a…water." She mumbled out, still avoiding his gaze, before she quickly maneuvered around him, made her way over to the drink table, ordered a glass of water, and downed the glass in a few gulps.
After slamming the glass back down on the table with a shaky hand, she knew she needed something stronger and ordered a double whiskey. As she waited, she couldn't help but try to process what she just got a glance of that just couldn't be. Was she still so lost in grief that her mind started playing games with her? Giving her flashes of what she desired most? Or was it so bad now she was having hallucinations?
Her mind kept reeling with questions until the bartender handed her the whiskey and she threw it back, finishing it in two gulps.
"I sure hope my dancing wasn't that atrocious." Rob teased coming up behind her, causing her to jump and then turn around to see him approaching. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to make sure you were ok. You turned so pale, like you saw a ghost."
Maybe because I did, she thought to herself before she answered him. "uh…no…I was just uh feeling a little dizzy from all the spinning." She lied, right through her teeth, and she didn't even believe herself. Neitherv did he, according to his scowl. "Really. I'm ok." Regina reiterated, trying to convince him she was in fact ok. "A little water and a little whiskey and I am right as rain. Really."
Rob didn't look quite convinced but he would let this one pass as she was starting to regain her normal coloring. "Ok. Let me know if you don't feel well again."
"I'm not a baby Rob. I can take care of myself."
" I know that but I'm your friend and I care."
Before Regina could even reply, she felt a tugging on her skirt and looked down to see Roland looking up at her with wide eyes before he took her hand. "Can I have this dance, Milady?" He asked with the cutest, dimpled grin.
That right there warmed her heart. Bending down to his height, she smiled, and kissed his little hand. "Of course you can. Lead the way my good knight." Ever the little gentlemen, he took her hand and led her to the dance floor.
Without another word, Rob watched as Roland led her to the dance floor and Regina tried to show Roland how to dance properly. As he watched them in this moment, he wanted more than ever to fix this and be with his family. But he was a coward and couldn't tell her nor was he sure she would even believe him, probably think it was a cruel joke. So he had gone to the dark one and as dark ones did, he used his secrets against him and gave him a challenge that, he knew now as he watched Roland and Regina dance, that he can't do.
He needed air. So he went outside to the back yard and sauntered over to Regina's apple tree, leaning on it in support. As he stood there, he could still see the two of them happily dancing together with the biggest smiles on their faces. How he longed to finally be the family they always dreamed of. Why was it, no matter what they did, something always seems to separate them?
"Quite the picture the two of them together." Rumple's voice interrupted his thoughts as the imp suddenly appeared next to him. "Wouldn't you just love to be there with them? Be the family you always wanted to be? Not just a manny to the boy and oh so best friend to her."
Damn this monster for knowing his inner most desires. "How do you presume to know what I want it?" he challenged.
"Reading you, thief, is easy. You long to be a father to your boy again, to see your daughter grow everyday, to be a real father figure to her boy." He said gesturing his head towards Regina who was laughing as Roland danced on the tops of her feet. " You desire to be with Regina in every way. Now what you have to ask yourself is if you are desperate enough to do. As. I. Ask." Rumple taunted, his voice getting lower and darker as he enunciated the last few words with punctuation.
"What if I can't? What if I tell you to take your deal and shove it where the sun doesn't shine? That maybe I'll take that dagger of yours and stab it right through that black heart of yours because I won't do what you ask of me. She's come too far. I'd do anything to protect her. Even give my life for hers."
Rumple looked at him with an evil gleam in his smile. "There is darkness within you thief, isn't there? Then what you must ask yourself is how will she and everyone react to finding out you are not the same man everyone thinks you are. How will she…" he paused, pointing towards Regina. "React to finding out that you have been lying to her this. Whole. Time. Not only now but before too. Will she love you in spite of it all?"
Rob studied him as he backed away, not bothering to reply. How would Regina react to his past discretions and that he wasn't always the honorable man she had come to know?
"You better think quick thief." Rumple baited him as he backed away. "I'm getting impatient. One week. You have one more week, if not, it all comes out to every single person you ever cared about. All of your lies will come out, including this." He held up the pages that had been torn from the book and told the story of his past that he had buried away for so long. Before he continued, Rumple couldn't help but to let out a sinister laugh. "TICK ." With that, he poofed away in a bloom of maroon smoke.
Taking a deep breath, he looked up at her apple tree before turning his attention back to the ball room. His brows raised as he saw Regina bouncing his crying daughter as she tried to calm Zelena too. Without hesitation, he made his way through the back yard and back into the ball room towards Regina and Zelena. "Is everything ok?" he inquired with concern.
"She won't stop crying!." Zelena answered him, worry lacing her words. "She was fine when we got here but now…I've done everything. Fed her, changed her, and burped her. We went outside and walked around with her. I don't know what to do."
"It's probably a bit of colic." Regina answered Zelena.
"I agree." Rob said with certainty
"What makes you the baby whisperer suddenly?" Zelena snapped at him.
"If you must know, I hav—had a son." He caught himself before continuing and looking back to Regina. "Can I try something." He asked Regina as he held his hands out to take the baby.
Looking over to Zelena, Regina wanted to get the ok and with a roll of her eyes, Zelena nodded her head. With the permission granted, Regina transferred baby Robyn over to Rob, who cradled the crying baby in his arms. At first, he tried to resist looking at the baby with such reverence but he just couldn't help it. A wistful smile came over his, one that didn't go unnoticed by Regina, before he adjusted the baby to straddle his side and started swaying back a forth. It seems that whatever Rob was going to try wasn't needed because as soon as the baby opened her eyes, her wails scaled down to a whimper and then to nothing at all before a wide smile came across her face and a teary one came across Rob's.
Then her little palms with stretched out fingers came up and little Robyn giggled as she smacked Rob's cheeks over and over again then switched to patting his nose over and over again. As Rob and little Robyn were lost in their own world for a moment, Zelena and Regina looked at Rob in shock how he got the fussy baby to quiet so quickly.
But while they saw Rob giggling and making funny faces, baby Robyn saw something completely different. She saw her Papa. She could see sandy blonde hair and scruff, tanned skin, dimples, and gentle blue eyes so much like her own. No one knew yet, but she too had magic—one that could see through it.
After the baby felt bored of tapping Rob's face, she giggled, sucked on her fists, and then turned to reach out to Regina. "I guess she's tired of me." Rob joked as he handed her back to Regina.
"How did you do that?" Regina asked a little puzzled. "When Henry had colic it took me hours to calm him down too.
"Well I am the baby whisperer." He jested at both of them with a wink.
"Give me my daughter." Zelena spat, with a roll of her eyes again, as she took her back from Regina. "I've got to be getting her home anyways. It's well past her bedtime." Without even a goodbye or a wave, Zelena stomped away and made her way towards the exit.
"Always a delight she is." Rob commented with sarcasm as they watched her walk away. Really, both of them were glad that she left. "Now." Rob started again as he turned back towards Regina and held out his hand. "Why don't we show all of these peasants how to boogie?" One of those infamous smirks crossed his face.
"Did you really just say boogie?" One brow arched in question, not believing he just used that term.
"Yes. I did. Now are you going to dance or is her majesty scared?"
"I'm not scared of anything, Outlaw." Her chin lifted regally into the air in challenged. "Just don't step on my toes."
As she took his hand, he smirked a reply at her. "I wouldn't dream of it."
With wide eyes, she froze in place and chills ran down her spine and the hair stood on its ends at those words—those words that again were oh so familiar. This wasn't the first time Rob said those words to her either.
"Regina." He asked trying to get her attention and he had to repeat it a few times before she seemed to come out of her thoughts. "Are you ok? Was it something I said?" He knew what he did but he had to play dumb.
"I'm fine, Outlaw." She played it off as if she was ok but something was jarring her soul tonight with him and she still didn't know what to make of that flash of Robin's face earlier. Right now, she was chalking it up to grief but why did that feel wrong? "I thought we were dancing." She answered in the middle of her thoughts before Rob led her on the dance floor.
For the next hour, Rob and Regina danced just as they had in that bar all those weeks ago—free and without reservation. They danced as if no one was watching and eventually Roland and Henry came to join is as well. Together they were silly and its as if Robs goal was to make them all laugh with his terrible dancing. Or like he was having a seizure, as Henry said. Then as the music changed to a slower song, Regina of course had to dance with her little prince. As she took Henry's hand, she couldn't help to feel a bit crestfallen that she no longer had to bed down in order to dance with him anymore. Now, even in her heels, she stood just about an inch taller than him.
After they twirled and waltzed, Henry ran back over to violet and his other friends while she looked over to see Rob and Roland dancing together. It caused her heart to skip a beat because she remembered a moment from the missing year when Robin had done the same with his son. As she watched, the ache of missing Robin stabbed through her soul again and tears threatened to fall—she needed some air.
Doing her best to go unnoticed, she maneuvered around the people through the ball room and made her way out back to her apple tree. Needing a moment alone, she leaned against the tree she had found solace in for so long and took a deep breath before she looked up at the scattering of stars in the sky, wondering if one of those was Robin watching over them. God she missed the stupid thief—her thief.
With a heavy heart, she continued to stare at the sky and almost dared to wish him back to her but she knew It was pointless because he was gone—obliterated. "I miss you." She whispered to herself, eyes not leaving the stars above and to her surprise, a gentle breeze fluttered through her hair and face, one that almost felt like a lover's caress, and it caused a tingle to zing down her spine and goose bumps scattered on her skin. Then for whatever reason, she felt like someone was there and turned around, finding Rob casually leaning against the door way back into the ball room.
When he felt her stare, he looked up and then made his way towards her. "You ok?" he asked in concern once he stood in front of her. "You disappeared on us."
She felt a little hesitant to answer his question. "I just needed some air. It was hot in there with all the people."
"You're a terrible lair." He interjected.
"Am not—" She protested back.
"Are too." He cut her off with a chuckle before he continued. "It's alright to say it out loud Regina."
"Say what?" she asked, as if she had no idea what he was referring to but of course she did because somehow this man before her was able to read her like a book. Damn him.
"It's ok to say you miss him." With those words, he placed his hands on her shoulders in friendly comfort.
Her eyes turned glassy as she said the words. "I miss him…so much." She whimpered, trying not let anymore tears fall.
"And that's ok." Rob tried to convince her in comfort. "You know, you never really told me about him. It helps to talk. Might make you feel better and, maybe even, lessen the pain a little."
"You're probably right." She acquiesced, not wanting to argue against him because he was annoyingly right—bastard. "But now is not the right time. Maybe later after the ball?"
"Whatever you want." He replied as he squeezed her hand. "I'm here for you…always."
At those familiar words, her head whipped up and she met his blue eyes that she didn't realize until now always felt familiar too—like she was coming home. As blue eyes continued to gaze into brown, she was so lost in own mind and shocked, she didn't see Rob slowly drop his head to meet hers. It was like a moth to a flame. It was like there was a string that tethered their souls together and caused them to pull towards each other like two magnets that would cling together and not let go without a fight. This was how it felt with Robin but Rob was not Robin and it wasn't possible. Robin was dead.
It was with this thought that it felt like a bucket of cold water was dumped on Regina and right before his lips brushed hers, she pulled back and walked away, hands covering mouth as she mumbled " .no." to herself. Rob kept calling her name but she didn't turn around. She couldn't look at him. For whatever reason, she felt this pull towards him and she shouldn't, she just lost Robin. But why did it feel the same?
Before she turned around, she took a wavering breath and centered herself. "Why?" she asked him, as she turned and faced him again.
"Why what?" Rob voiced, repeating her words back to her.
"Why do I feel this pull towards you when I shouldn't? Not when Robin just died? Why do I feel drawn to you since we met when I shouldn't?" she began before gulping down the tightness that built her throat before continuing, voice wavering with emotion. "You say things that I've heard before that he…" she cut herself off, not wanting to finish the sentence but Rob knew she was referring to himself as Robin. "The way you are with Roland and how he has taken to you. The way little Robyn calmed as you took her and how her eyes lit up. The insufferable smirk you wear that I came to know during the missing year. How my soul just feels cold. How I feel so cold all the time but when I wear Robin's hoodie or cover myself with his cloak, I don't feel so cold anymore or how can it be that I don't feel so cold when you're around." She's almost becoming breathless now with her thoughts vomiting out without comprehension. "How you read me like a book and always seem to know how to make me feel better. How I always feel like I can trust you when I shouldn't or open up to you without fear of judgment and…" she paused, flicking her eyes down and then back up again. "Those blue eyes that stare into my soul and have…"
At her pause, he looked up and cut her off in question. "That have what?"
"Love in them." She finished her sentence in answer, taking one step closer to him and took a deep breath before she continued. "Tell me I'm not going crazy. Tell me I'm not going crazy as we were dancing and I saw a flash of…" she paused, stumbling to actually choke out the words because it just wasn't possible. Was all of this because of grief? Was her grief causing her to now hallucinate? Was she going crazy?
"A flash of what?" he asked in curiosity, realizing that whatever she saw was the reason she turned pale as ghost. Guilt crossed his soul as she let out how she was feeling because of everything. No she was definitely not crazy. He was just a coward and a fool. He doesn't deserve her.
"Of him…in you." She mumbled looking up at him and he was gobsmacked. How was that even possible? He didn't even get a chance to reply before she rambled on again. "It doesn't even matter because it's not possible. This all must be grief and me projecting him on to you." She tried to reason continuing with her long-winded thoughts. "Then I realized you have yet to tell me who you really are- your past? I don't even know your last name! no one does. Who are you? What is going on? Tell me I'm not going crazy or if I am!" she stopped exacerbated, a little out of breath as she ran her hands through her hair before looking directly at Rob again. "What is going on?" she asked, almost pleading for an answer to feel like she wasn't going insane. He hated himself for making her feel this way.
Hesitantly, he continued their gaze as he approached her and took both of hands gently into his. "You're not going crazy." He started as she let out the breath she was holding in anticipation. "There's an explanation to everything but I can't tell you right now." A huff came out from her, not happy with the answer, but he held help his hand in protest to keep her from answering. "But I will. Eventually. When it's safe to do so."
"Safe? You mean when Gold isn't involved." She raised a brow at him as he gawked at her, not realizing she knew. "Yes. I know. Snow told me she saw you arguing with him in Granny's and I saw you outside with him earlier tonight. I have eyes everywhere. What's going on there? He's no threatening , is he?"
Embarrassed, Rob just let go of her hands and tucked them into his pockets, staring at a root of her tree sticking up from the ground in order not to meet her scrutinizing eyes.
"Robert." She taunted, trying to get him to look up. She was staring daggers at him now, wondering why he was avoiding her. "Look up. At. Me. Now."
Braving himself, he looked up and was prepared to see the daggers but he also saw concern there as well. "Something like that yes."
"Why?" she asked but she already knew the answer and his silence with the look of guilt on his face confirmed her suspicions. She knew how Rumple liked to do things. "What deal did you make with him and why?" she asked in order for him to resume speaking.
"I wanted to fix things." He sighed out in annoyance, knowing he can't offer her anything more right now. He didn't know the consequences if he told her—from Rumple or for him.
"Fix what?" she demanded to know, now getting aggravated, as she crossed her arms in front of her.
"I can't tell you—"
She cut him off before he could mutter another word. "That's not an answer." She huffed in irritation.
"I'm sorry." He said sincerely to her. "Like I said I can't tell you right now but I will explain everything in time. Trust me." He said as he placed his hands on her shoulders and for whatever reason, even though there wasn't a good one at this point, she did. "Fine." She conceded, knowing he was just as stubborn as her. "But you better promise me an explanation soon." Regina had no idea even what to expect from him or why he can't explain things right now but her instincts said to trust me.
"I promise." He vowed to her with honesty and he was pleased when she nodded her head, though a little hesitantly. She would find out everything in a week because he was a selfish coward of a man with no honor "Now, enough with this heavy stuff. Let's go back inside so I can make you laugh while I fall on my ass."
With a something resembling a snicker, she followed him back into the hall where he made her cackle in laughter until Roland came up to them with droopy tired eyes, asking Regina if they could home. So they said their goodbyes, leaving Henry as he wanted to stay longer, and made their way back to the mansion. Of course Rob insisted he see them home safely and Regina caved, figuring they could talk anyways. Maybe talking to him about Robin would help and make sense of everything.
After they walked through the door and went up stairs, a drowsy Roland stirred as she laid him down on her bed. "Are we home, Gina?"
"Yes, we are." She bopped him on the nose with her finger and he scrunched his face in cuteness. "And we are going to get you into your pajamas then straight to bed."
"ok." Roland chirped before Regina helped him get into his favorite bow and arrows pajamas. Just as Regina was about to tuck him in with a kiss, Roland pushed the comforter back from him, remembering he had something to give her. "Wait, R'gina. I want to give you something." After he wiggled out of bed, he puttered his way over to his play tent and dove inside. A few seconds later, he rushed out of his tent and hopped back on the bed with a bounce. In his hands was a gift, messily wrapped in a way only a child could do and he held it up to her with both hands and his dimpled smile. "This is for you, Gina." He explained. "Henry helped me make it and Mr. Rob picked it up with me and helped me wrap it."
"Oh, Roland, aren't you just the sweetest." The smile that he was giving her warmed her heart as she went to take it, figuring it was what he made in the arts and craft store with Anastasia.
"I want to ask you something but you have to open it first." He explained. "I asked Henry already and he said it was ok with him and he thought it would be ok with you too. But that I should ask you too. That it would mean the world to you."
"What did you ask him, sweetheart?" Regina inquired back to him, running his hands through his messy curls. A cut would definitely be needed within the next few days.
"You HAVE to open it first." Roland repeated back to her in a whiney tone only a child could get away with.
"ok." she gave in and looked down as she tore open the forest green, shiny wrapping paper. When she pulled back the last fold, her heart leapt at what lay inside. It was almost the same thing Henry had made for her at Roland's age. A piece of clay molded into a square with Roland's own hand print pressed in the middle, painted green, and had the words "For Mama" engraved above and below the hand print. Her heart soared and eyes turned glassy as she looked at Roland who held such hope in his eyes. It was a hope that she was afraid he would never have again.
"Can I call you Mama?" he asked a little nervously, afraid she would say no. He fiddled with his fingers not looking at her. "You 'dopted Henry and he calls you Mom. He has two Mama's only Mama Marian is with the stars, like papa and Henry said it was ok if we shared." When he was finished, he looked up from his fingers at her and tilted his head, waiting for an answer.
A single tear slid down Regina's cheek before she choked out an answer. "Of course you can Roland." She gently cupped his cheek. "You're already my son and in a few weeks we will have that little piece of paper that makes this family official."
He then bounded into her arms and hugged her tight, head snuggled into her chest. The boy finally felt at home at home in the world and safe since his Papa went up with the stars. "I love you, Mama." He said sweetly, as he cuddled closer to her.
" I love you too, my little knight." She murmured back to him while she ran her hands through his hair, kissed his forehead, and rocked him back and forth until sleep won and the boy fell into a deep sleep. Regina would mark this moment into one of her happiest memories and held Roland long past when he fell asleep, taking the time to cherish this moment.
Without knowing it, Rob stood on the other side of the wall to right of the door, listening in and cherishing the moment himself. As he leaned his head against the wall, a few tears dripped off his face. His boy was right where he belonged and he hoped to be with them one day again. With a sad smile, he wiped his eyes and quietly made his way downstairs to the living room to wait for Regina.
About fifteen minutes later, she entered the living room having changed into leggings, a tank top, and Robin's—or his—hoodie. While staring and smiling down at what he knew to be the clay hand print, she sat down next to him without a word. Thumbs traced gently on the sides of the clay piece. "Roland asked me if he could call me Mama."
"I know." Rob countered back to her. "I helped him wrap it. He was so nervous."
Looking up a moment, she smiled and then glanced back down at the clay piece. "For a long time, I didn't think I would ever have a child to call me mom and now I have two beautiful boys who do." She wiped away a rogue tear that escaped.
"Those boys are right where they should be. They're lucky to have you just as you are them." He reassured her.
Without answering right away, she leaned back against the cushions, crossed her feet, and then answered. "Robin should be here. He should be here to see his son grow up."
"He sees him, trust me Regina." If only she could read his mind and the real meanings behind his words, not just that he was watching over them from heaven.
With a sad smile, she nodded and gently laid the clay mold on the coffee table before leaning back against the cushions again, only this time angling herself towards him and propping her head on her elbow. "I think you're right. I think it will help talking about him."
"Then talk and I'll listen." He offered her without hesitation. "What are best friends for?"
So for the next few hours, Regina told Rob the story of how an evil queen fell for a thief and vice versa. She told him the story of Pixie dust and lion tattoos. She shared the good times and the bad, even told him about Marian actually being Zelena in disguise. Told him of the heart break she felt at finding out about the pregnancy. Then for whatever reason, she even told him of feelings that she never had the heart to share with Robin because he felt guilty enough and it wasn't his fault. Eventually, her eyes started to droop and she admitted to Rob that she was dog tired, so she laid down at the other end of the cushions and propped her bare feet on his lap.
He didn't move until her breathing evened out and he knew she was fast asleep. Gingerly, he got up without disturbing her and slightly jogged up the stairs to her room. When he returned, he covered her with his old green cloak she had stolen from his camp in the Sherwood and kept it beneath her comforter upstairs and then kissed her on her forehead. As he looked at her sleeping peacefully, he knew he couldn't do what Rumple had asked, even though he was a desperate man. If he were honest with himself, it was an impossible task from the beginning and he would never do anything to purposefully hurt her. Maybe he was even hurting her now but he was conflicted, lost, and didn't know what to do. So for now, maybe it was best he keep his distance until whatever move Rumple would make. "Please don't hate me after this." He choked out in a whisper before he took quiet steps and left the house.
Next Chapter: What does it mean to be soulmates?
(this whole distance thing lasts like two paragraphs of next chapter)
Please let me know what you think! I hope to have the next chapter out soon.