Progress seemed woefully minimal. Memories were still missing from all of the townspeople, Henry still had no idea who she was, and she was beginning to feel her pregnancy. She'd gained a bit of weight, and there was a definite pooch to her midline that hadn't existed before. So far it was visible only to her, a relief since she still hadn't told anyone (aside from Robin and Whale), but terrifying nonetheless as it served to bring home the reality of her situation.
It was also exciting, and she hoped to solve the current problems in Storybrooke not just to finally end the mystery surrounding everything, but so that she could have a little peace in which to enjoy being pregnant. It was something she'd always wanted, and thought she'd never have, and regardless of how she'd come to be pregnant, she was determined to enjoy the fact that she was somehow - beyond all possible odds - carrying a child within her. A child who would be half of her and whom she would love as much as she did Henry.
If they had their memories back, Henry could enjoy being a big brother. He'd always asked for a sibling when he was younger, not understanding the complexities of being a single parent, let alone the complications of the curse. And she knew he'd make an excellent older brother.
She'd been taking her prenatal vitamins and taking better care of herself, but she hadn't been back to see Whale since that first meeting. If the research she'd started to do on her own was anything to go by, she was somewhere between eleven and fourteen weeks. She knew it was time to make an appointment, but she wasn't looking forward to seeing Whale. Still, it was time, and she filed it away on her mental to-do list for the day. She'd fit it between witch-hunting and research. Oh what a life to be leading.
Emma and the Charmings were gung-ho about finding the person behind this new memory curse, so she'd managed to stay away from the more dangerous aspects of the job, but there were some cases where her knowledge and expertise in magic were required.
She looked up into the mirror in her hall as she finished fixing her hair into place, just as there was a knock on the door. Smiling, she moved down the stairs to open it. Robin had developed the habit of meeting her every morning with Roland to accompany her to the diner for breakfast. It seemed dinner was the only meal they weren't sharing nowadays.
Roland had grown less frightened of her with each passing day, and a few days prior, he'd sat next to her at the booth and politely asked if she could cut his pancakes for him.
"Papa always does it messy," he informed her, and she hid her grin as she nodded, sliding his plate over and beginning to slice them.
This morning he was chatting away from the moment she opened the door. Telling her all about everything they'd done since he'd seen her at lunch the day before and she smiled warmly, bending to his level to greet him with a small wave, as she did most mornings. Only this time, he ignored her wave and leaned in, wrapping his little arms around her and hugging her as he told her about something silly Little John had done.
She was thrown off guard by the sudden sweet gesture, looking up to Robin only to find him shrugging and grinning as Roland continued, unfazed by the interaction. When she'd stood again to lock the door behind her, Roland simply reached up and tucked his hand into hers as if it were the most natural thing in the world - the three of them walking to breakfast together.
And perhaps it had become just that, she realized as she listened to Roland's story.
People smiled at them as they entered Granny's, and she found herself smiling as well, looking down as Roland paused his story to look up at her and grin, his dimples shining through. She about melted on the spot, wanting nothing more than to scoop him up into her arms and snuggle him close.
"What would you like to eat today, sweetheart?" she asked him, hugging him to her leg instead as he giggled sweetly at her return smile.
"Scrabbled eggs!"
She chuckled. "It's scrambled, sweetheart, and that sounds easy enough. Toast, too?"
He nodded vigorously as he stepped back, allowing her to go to the counter to put in their order. She and Robin always ordered the same meals these days, and it had become a bit of a routine for her to place their order while he found them a table.
"He's got you wrapped right around his little finger, that one," Granny said, catching Regina by surprise when she suddenly appeared in front of her. She nodded in the direction of Roland who was in the middle of telling his father he couldn't sit next to him because that was Gina's spot.
Regina smiled fondly before shaking it away and looking up at Granny. "He hated me only a few weeks ago."
"Yes, well you turned that around pretty quickly, I'd say. That little boy is quite attached to you and vice versa it seems." She cleared her throat. "Any news on where they came from? One minute we're all supposed to be headed back to the Enchanted Forest, and the next, we have a fair number of strangers in our mix."
"Don't you get your news straight from the Charmings?" she asked as Ruby sidled up next to her grandmother, and Regina couldn't help noticing with a frown that her order pad was still tucked away in her apron.
"You're in here more," Ruby pointed out.
"Well there isn't anything to tell," Regina told them both. "So you can save your questions. We're just as in the dark as we were when we first woke up."
"Maybe not all of us," Ruby grinned. "Some of us seem to have befriended the newbies."
"Are you going to take my order?" Regina asked, growing snippy as she willed away the blush she could feel heating her cheeks. "Last I checked, you were running a diner, not a gossip mill, though it's always been difficult to tell."
"You're very funny," Granny deadpanned. "Put in your order, girl," she said, turning away. "I'll get you your food."
-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-
They weren't getting into the castle anytime soon. Weeks of scouting and intelligence gathering had proven at least that much.
Outdoor living was starting to wear on the spoiled citizens of Storybrooke as they longed for the shelter of four solid walls and lamented the loss of indoor heating, lighting and most of all - plumbing.
The Merry Men had done their best to accommodate the large group, but were growing tired of the often ungrateful attitudes.
Regina found herself at the heart of it all. As the person who'd spent the most time with both groups, she'd become the unofficial go-between, and found herself mediating disputes, addressing complaints, and making the decisions on what to do next.
"Even back in the Enchanted Forest, I've been delegated to role of mayor," she said, rolling her eyes at the latest problem to fall into her lap; food stores were running low and the regular hunting party was growing tired of being the sole providers of meat.
Robin stood off to the side, biting his lip to hide the smile that was spreading as she looked around the small gathering in the camp.
"I know some of you have hunting experience," she said, looking around at those she knew from Storybrooke. "Maybe not in the last few decades, but you've done it before."
At some of the low murmurs and small nods of acknowledgment, she hummed. "The Merry Men have been gracious enough to provide camp for us and supply us with all the basics of living. Surely we can repay them by at least accompanying them on their next hunt? Or have you all grown so lazy you can't fetch your own food?"
"Will your majesty be accompanying us, then?" Robin asked, and she glared at him as she heard a few snickers spread through the crowd.
"Fine." They went silent as eyes went wide and she nodded. "If that's what it takes."
"David and I will go as well." Snow seemed to appear from nowhere, and Regina raised her eyes heavenward as the woman stepped forward, looking around at the people. "We're all here together, and we may as well make the most of it. It would do us good to brush up on skills that have dimmed over time."
Rolling her eyes, Regina drew her cloak tighter around herself, preparing to head back to her tent.
"It's settled, then. We'll meet at first light tomorrow and head out."
She heard Snow continue speaking to the crowd as she made her way away from them. Let Snow and her Prince be the face of the people for awhile. Regina was exhausted and the close proximity to all the recent hope speeches was grating on her nerves.
"Have you even been hunting before?"
She recognized the voice of Robin without even turning to look, and didn't give him the satisfaction of slowing her pace.
"And hunting the faces unfortunate enough to grace your wanted posters back in the day doesn't count," he added.
"I have."
"As more than an observer?"
She turned a sharp-eyed gaze back at him only briefly before facing front again. "I've been known to be useful with a sword."
He hummed. "The prey we'll be after tomorrow will be much more easily slain with a bow and arrow. I could teach you."
She guffawed, continuing her fast pace through the camp. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? I'm sure I'll be fine, thief."
"If you say so, your majesty. Though we wouldn't want you embarrassing yourself in front of your subjects and fellow royals."
She didn't dignify him with a response as she left him behind, never more grateful to have arrived at her tent.
"Do you have to go?" Roland whined, clutching at her skirt as she buckled the strap on the bag she'd be carrying.
"We won't be gone long," Robin promised. "We'll be back tomorrow before the sun goes down."
"But who's going to stay with me?" he whined.
"Tuck. Just like he always used to," Robin told him.
"But Tuck doesn't tell stories like Gina."
"Don't let Tuck hear you say that, you might hurt his feelings," Robin laughed, but Roland only let out a heavy sigh, head lolling against his chest as he seemed to deflate.
"I don't want you to go," he tried, switching tactics as they grew closer to the moment Regina would ride out with Robin and the small hunting party. And it almost worked.
Regina swooped the mopey toddler off his feet and up onto her hip as she tickled him a bit. "I must, my little knight. People must be fed, and they need their queen to rally the troops. We wouldn't want anyone starving, would we?"
Roland shook his head.
"I thought not. I have to show these men what it's all about."
Robin and Little John scoffed, but Regina ignored them.
"I was hoping for a nice smile to last me the journey, but there isn't a single dimple in sight," she told him.
His mouth twisted as he fought a small smile.
"Well, then," she sighed, an overly dramatic show of false disappointment. "It will be a lot harder to hunt without the smile of my littlest knight to carry me through, but I suppose I'll have to make do without it."
He broke into a grin then, swooping in to lean against her chest as he hid it from her shyly. She squeaked a bit in surprise at the sudden shift in weight, but steadied her footing as she laughed lightly. "Do you think you can go faster now?" came the muffled question, and she chuckled.
"I think that might be possible, yes."
"Good." He leaned away again, just far enough that he could kiss her cheek and then hug her tightly. "Hurry back, I'll miss you."
"And what about your Papa?" Robin asked, feigning offense. "Am I forgotten so easily?"
Roland shook his head viciously, turning in Regina's hold to raise his arms out to his father. "I'll miss you, too, Papa," he said earnestly as Robin chuckled and he was passed from the queen's grasp to his father's. "You have to take care of Gina while you're hunting, okay?"
Robin laughed at Regina's expression, but bit his lip to hide it when Roland scowled at him for taking his request less than seriously.
"I promise, Roland."
After a tight hug, Robin set Roland back on the ground and turned to face the group. "Is everyone ready?"
"Snow White and her husband said they'd meet us at the edge of camp," Little John told him, and Regina was at least grateful that Snow hadn't played witness to Roland's goodbye. She bothered her enough about the Locksley pair — Regina didn't need her getting any more ammo.
"Alright, then, let's head out," he said, and Regina couldn't help but notice the wink he sent her as he passed by. She, more than Roland even, hoped it would be a swift trip.