Characters are still not mine

Chapter 21

Their shower was full of kissing and caressing, Robin's lips never straying too far from her wet, slippery skin, Regina's hands exploring him, washing his hair, insisting she wanted to take care of him for a change, paying close attention to the little sighs that escaped him when she touched him, massaging his shoulders, planting kisses on his back and chest as she washed the suds away. It was a beautiful moment between them, one that she was sure she'd never forget, because it was nothing but love, and it had been so long since she'd felt something so pure, so new, that it thrilled her to have it again, made her giggly and affectionate.

Tumbling onto the bed after they dried each other off, Robin drew the covers over their naked bodies, lying on his side against her, his arm over her belly, nose in her neck, where he placed kiss after warm kiss and sighed contentedly as he drifted off to sleep, with Regina following only minutes after.

He woke up first the next morning, looking out the window at the dull echoes of daylight that filtered through, announcing that dawn was on its way. Robin sighed, taking a moment to watch Regina as she slept soundly and peacefully against him. They had shifted during the night, and now it was him on his back, her head pillowed on his chest as she cuddled into him, her hand resting on his bare stomach. Slowly, so as not to wake her just yet, Robin skimmed his fingers over her shoulder, played with the ends of her hair, appreciated the rise and fall of her chest where it pressed against his sternum, and he placed a soft kiss on her brow, then another on the top of her head, the scent of her hair enveloping him, making him hum in satisfaction. He couldn't believe the events of the previous two days, how wonderful everything had turned out despite the dangers they had faced, and he knew they still had a lot to deal with, a great many things to work on, but he didn't care, because she was his now, as he was hers, and nothing would get in the way of that ever again.

Coaxing her out of her slumber, he moved them so that they were both on their sides, his nose bumping against hers, lips ghosting over her face, and he felt her smile against him as she woke, bringing a hand up to caress his cheek as her warm brown eyes opened and sparkled happily when they focused on him.

"Good morning," he murmured, mirroring her smile.

"Morning," she returned, her voice lazy and raspy, sending shivers down his spine.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, the backs of his fingers trailing down her cheek.

"A little weak, but definitely well enough to make those pancakes with Roland," she winked, reminding him of the promise she'd made to his son the night before. Leaning forward, he kissed her lips sweetly before drawing back and looking at her intently.

"What is it?" she asked, squirming under his gaze.

"I'm so sorry," he said again, his voice low, defeated, his face gloomy in the pre-dawn light.

"Robin," she started, and he knew she was about to tell him to stop apologizing, so he continued before she could speak.

"We lost so much time because of my stubbornness," he told her, finally voicing what had been eating at him since the ice hit her.

"You were only trying to do right by your wife, there's no blame in that," she replied.

"I hurt her, and I hurt you, that's not right by anyone," he contested.

"I'm fine."

"Stop saying that," he said, his tone kind but firm all the same, his hand cupping her cheek. Regina's fingers circled his wrist as she turned her head and placed a kiss on his lion tattoo.

"I mean it. I'm okay, we're all safe and we're together, I can't ask for more than that," she said, looking into his eyes, showing him the truth of her words in those beautiful brown orbs of hers.

"I just wish I hadn't lost so much time with you," he said, regretting every second they'd been apart, feeling the crushing weight of her absence even though she was right there, warm and naked and nestled in his arms.

"Then I guess we'll just have to make up for it," she smirked seductively, wiggling her eyebrows at him to try and turn the mood into something more playful, she couldn't stand watching him berate himself like this.

"I'm serious," he said, not falling for her tactic, though she could see the hint of a grin forming on his lips before he frowned again, "all this time, we could've been happy, and instead…"

Regina kissed him quickly on the lips, stopping his morose statement. It didn't escape her notice how the night before, he'd been the one to stop her negative thoughts, and now it was her stopping his. She loved that about them, that they could reassure each other when the circumstances got to be too much for either of them, that they could support one another in moments like this.

"We have time ahead of us now, let's enjoy that," she told him, smiling all the while, and he exhaled heavily as he bent down to nuzzle her neck, then placed a kiss by her heart, the ends of his hair ghosting deliciously against her throat.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you?" he whispered when he lifted his head back up to look at her. Regina beamed at him, giddy over the easy, natural way he uttered the words.

"I love you, too… even though you smell like forest," she teased.

"You know you like it," he accused, eyes lighting up at their banter. He had missed this, missed these silly moments where their conversation was funny and light and ridiculous.

"Yes, yes I do," she admitted, burrowing closer to him and breathing in his woodsy scent, humming blissfully. Robin moved swiftly then, landing himself on top of her, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he grinned down at her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, though her smile didn't falter.

"Stealing a kiss from my queen," he said before he ducked down to taste her lips, but she moved her head to the side, and he caught her jaw instead.

"Looks like you're losing your touch, thief," she joked when he tried a second time, then a third, and she moved away again and again, taunting him.

"You're not being fair," he admonished.

"Or maybe you're just terrible at stealing."

"Oh, I can't be that bad. I stole your heart, after all," he winked, and Regina shook her head.

"You can't steal something that's been given to you," she said, citing her words from weeks ago, when she'd asked him to guard her heart while she sought to defeat Zelena. The atmosphere changed then, the air now heavy with their feelings and the memories of their time together before all this happened.

"I love you," he muttered against her neck when he sank further down on the bed and gathered her in his arms, tucking his head under her chin. Regina's fingers played with his hair, scratched at his scalp as she kissed his brow, muttering a low "I love you, too," against the skin there before tilting her head down and kissing him slowly, basking in the beauty of the moment.

His hands began to roam her skin under the covers, a blazing trail of kisses following their path, and Regina felt herself being dragged into the wet heat of his mouth as he lavished her body, fingers skimming over her breasts, ghosting over her nipples, his teasing and light touches making the peaks harden when paired with the cold air that hit them.

Robin made his way back up, mouth stopping every few seconds to place hot, open mouthed kisses on her belly button, her ribs, until he was grazing the underside of her breast with his teeth, making her gasp loudly, hips bucking against his when he took her nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it and smiling at the whimper that came out of her when he did.

"I will never tire of feeling you like this," he said as he buried his face between her breasts and kissed and nibbled his way up to her neck, sucking where it met her shoulder, groaning when her hands dove into his hair and scratched at his scalp, her needy whispers of his name sending ripples of desire through his body.

He was hard, nestled between her legs as she kissed him fervently, her lips and tongue ravishing him, biting and sucking as she rolled her hips again and again, until finally, his hand traveled down between their bodies, and he moaned appreciatively when he found her wet and slick between her thighs. Thrusting two fingers inside her, Robin began to whisper hot, naughty things that would have made her blush if it wasn't for the uninhibited pleasure overtaking her. He was gasping, breathing heavily as he told her how much he had longed to be inside her again, how crazy he was about her body, how the sight of her at that very moment was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen, how the taste of her drove him crazy, and as if to prove his point, he drew his fingers out of her and into his mouth, moaning with eyes closed as he licked her wetness off his hand, and the wanton groan that escaped her had him rocking his hips harder against her thigh.

He kissed her then, tongue plunging into her mouth before she could even register the action, but she welcomed it all the same.

"Can you taste yourself on me? Do you feel how intoxicatingly delicious you are?" he murmured into her mouth, gasping when she bit his lip and made the kiss deeper, faster, the brushes of her lips against his full of purpose, of passion, and then he felt her hand sliding down to grasp him, placing him at her entrance, and he was lost. She was slick and hot and tight and it took everything in him not to come right away just from looking at the blissed out expression on her face as she breathed more and harder and Robin! while he moved inside her.

His mouth flew to her neck then, sucking hard enough that it bordered on painful, his hand rubbing her clit again in slow, firm circles, a complete opposite to the strong, fast-paced raps of his hips as he pumped into her, the contrasting sensations making her clench around him until the mind-blowing release of orgasm seized her and she arched up from the bed, biting into his shoulder to keep from screaming as she came, and the action had him coming, too, hard and fast inside her, his voice trembling as he cried out her name into her shoulder.

He collapsed on the bed, his breath hot against her cheek, lips seeking out her skin and settling just behind her ear, earning him a satisfied hum from Regina.

Dawn was in full swing now, light streaming in through the window as they basked in the afterglow, his fingers skimming up and down her arms, lips on her shoulder blades, ghosting back and forth while their breathing returned to normal, and Robin sighed over how complete he felt, with the woman he loved lying face-down on the bed next to him, naked and exposed to his every whim, trusting him completely, giving him free reign over her body and soul, loving him despite everything.

"I'm going to speak with Marian today," he told her determinedly after a few quiet moments, and he felt Regina stiffen immediately, but his hand moved up her shoulder and to her neck, rubbing the back of it soothingly as he continued speaking.

"I'm going to tell her that it's over. She can keep the cabin, I'll take a room at Granny's or rejoin my men in the forest, I don't care. I'm ending this marriage… for good. It's time I show my soulmate how much I love her," he whispered as he kissed her again, and it took her a few seconds before she could respond, but when she did, it was with passion and happiness and all the love that she possessed, her lips playing with his, conveying all the things that she was too overwhelmed to say, I love you, I need you, please don't ever leave me again.

They got out of bed, cleaned up and dressed in reverent silence, with Robin stopping every few minutes to kiss her exposed skin as he helped her don a comfortable pair of black slacks and a loose t-shirt, pouting when she gathered her hair in a low pony tail.

"What's wrong?" she asked with an amused smile as she moved towards the closet again and pulled out a black vest, putting it on over her shirt.

Robin walked back to her, raising his hand and pulling on the band that held her hair together, smiling as it tumbled loose around her face.

"Your hair is beautiful, milady, constricting it is a crime," he said, eyes glinting, and Regina shivered as his fingertips trailed down the side of her neck.

"It is also necessary. I'm about to cook breakfast with a five year-old, I'd like to avoid pancake batter in my hair as much as possible," she retorted, taking the band back from him and drawing her hair back up with her fingers, securing the elastic around it and grinning when she saw he was pouting again. Two breaths later, Regina leaned forward and kissed him, lingering and moving her lips softly against his, her arms instantly wrapping around his waist as his moved up so his hands could cup her face, his thumbs caressing her cheekbones as they exchanged languid brushes of tongue, sighing into the space between them when they parted.

"Will you be alright while I'm gone?" he asked when she saw the apprehensive look on her face.

"Sure," she said a little too quickly, looking down and away from him.

"Regina," he drawled, hooking his index finger under her chin and urging her face back up to look at him.

"I'll be okay," she said then, "just… promise you'll come back?" she felt pathetic for asking, for needing his reassurances so much even after he'd told her several times that he'd never leave her again. Robin smiled sadly, and guilt flashed in his eyes, making her feel worse, because the last thing she wanted was for him to feel bad about his previous choices.

"I'll come home to you… always," he vowed, kissing her again before he left the room, hands stretching as far as possible as they held on to hers, trying to prolong the contact between them until the last possible moment, and suddenly Regina felt giddy, because she realized he was having as hard a time parting from her as she was from him, and that reassured her more than his words ever could.

Once he'd left, Regina proceeded to Henry's room, opening the door and quietly peering inside. Both boys were asleep, cuddled and cozy in their blankets, and even as Roland's curls fell over his head and Henry had half his face hidden in the pillow, she could see the content expressions on their faces, and her heart filled with warmth. Slowly, she climbed on Henry's bed, sitting at his side and softly running her hand through his hair, kissing his forehead and murmuring "good morning, my little prince" into his ear. Henry smiled and opened his eyes just enough to acknowledge her.

"Mom," he whined.

"Too old for that, now?" she asked, fixing an amused smile on her face and fighting back the pang of hopelessness that settled in her chest at the idea that her baby boy was too big for morning cuddles with mom and affectionate greetings.

"No, it's not that," he hurried to tell her, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a hug, "it's too early," he then complained, and Regina let out a laugh.

"It's eight in the morning, I'd say it's about time to get up."

"But it's Saturday," Henry said, burrowing closer to his pillow and drawing the covers over his head.

"None of that, young man. Come on, you can help Roland and I with breakfast."

"Fiiiiiiiine, give me a minute while you wake Roland," he relented, smiling at how much better his mother looked today, how much more like herself she seemed to be.

Regina then moved towards the mattress on the floor, her hand pushing Roland's locks away from his face and rubbing her nose against his, smiling when he squirmed against her.

"Come on, my brave knight, it's time to make pancakes," she whispered, and Roland rolled over, but refused to wake, his eyes shut tight as he scrunched up his nose. Regina gave him another Eskimo kiss and laughed when he made a whiny noise in the back of his throat, opening one of his eyes to take in his surroundings and perking up instantly when he remembered where he was and who he was with.

"Regina!" he screamed as he jumped up and into her arms, and Henry groaned at the noise, giving up on the few more minutes of sleep he'd been hoping to get.

"Are we making pancakes?!" Roland asked excitedly when he registered what Regina had said.

"Yes," she answered.

"Does that mean you're feeling better?"

"It does, I'm much better today," she smiled, and Roland cheered as he looked over at Henry.

"Did you hear that, Henry?! Regina's better and we're making pancakes!" he shouted, and Henry smiled at him despite his early morning grumpiness.

"I'll take a shower while you guys get set up and meet you downstairs," he told the boy, and Regina gave her son a knowing look. Henry hated having to get out skillets and bowls and ingredients to cook, he'd always preferred to help out when things were already in motion, and she could see that his sudden need for a shower was meant precisely to get out of helping set up downstairs. He grinned sheepishly back at his mother, some things never changed, and Regina was glad for it.

Once downstairs, Roland excitedly helped her pull out everything she needed for the pancakes, and by the time Henry waltzed into the kitchen, freshly showered and wearing his jeans and T-shirt, they were already stirring ingredients together in a bowl.

"It's missing something," Henry said as he looked at the finished batter a few minutes later.

"Is it, now?" Regina asked, knowing exactly what he was going to say. Henry moved to the cupboard farthest from the left, opening it and reaching in for the chocolate chips. Regina gasped. The last time they'd cooked pancakes together, she'd had to hoist him up so he could reach, but he was so tall now, he'd grown up so much, even more noticeably so in the year they'd spent apart, and it made sadness tug at her heart. She'd missed so much.

Her son seemed oblivious to her reaction as he brought the bag of chocolate chips back to where she and Roland were standing, opening it and offering it to the younger boy.

"Wanna do the honors?" he asked, and Roland clapped enthusiastically and then plunged his hand into the bag, bringing out a fistful of chocolate chips and dumping them in the batter, stirring vigorously while Regina laughed at their interaction. Venturing her hand into the bag as well, she grabbed a few chocolate chips and began eating them while the skillet warmed up on the burner.

About half an hour later, a stack of fluffy, golden, chocolate chip pancakes sat on a plate at the table, and Regina was having the time of her life having breakfast with her boys. Bopping Roland's little nose with her finger when he smiled at her through a mouthful of syrup and pancake, laughing when Henry wolfed down some bacon like his life depended on it, and soon it was easy to forget the situation at hand, to forget where Robin was and what she still had to do with regards to Elsa, and it served as a welcome respite from all the heartbreak and worries that were plaguing her still.

When Emma knocked on her door about an hour later, Regina greeted her pleasantly, and the blonde was a little taken aback by the lack of ill will and anger in the queen's voice, but welcomed it all the same.

"You feeling better?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Glad to hear," Emma replied, smiling tentatively and keeping her sentences short just in case whatever had gotten into Regina decided to disappear and she went back to hating her.

"Thank you," Regina said then, "for helping us that night."

"It's what I do," Emma brushed it off, "though admittedly I haven't been that great at it lately. I'm sorry for everything my mistake put you through, Regina."

Regina could tell that she meant it, that it pained her to have screwed up with her happiness and indirectly put their son in danger, and had things remained the way they were just a few days ago, she might've replied with an angry comment or a sarcastic quip, if at all, but now, after everything, Regina found that she no longer harbored ill feelings toward Emma, even if she was still a bit annoyed by what she'd done.

"Apology accepted," she finally said, not even looking at the woman as she turned around and walked back to the kitchen to the boys, who by now were drinking the last of their juice and dumping their dishes in the sink.

"I, uh, I wanted to talk to you about Elsa," Emma began once she'd greeted Henry and watched him scamper off to his room with Roland.

"Then talk," Regina replied.

"Well, she's pretty shaken by what she did, I don't think she ever meant to hurt anyone, she was just scared, like you said."

"I know all this."

"Yeah, um, the thing is, I know how much you love Roland and Henry and I just… wanted to ask you to please not, you know, incinerate her?"

"That was never my plan, Ms. Swan."

"I know, I mean, I figured it wasn't, or you would've done it already, but I want to make sure we're on the same page here. Elsa really needs to learn to control her powers, would you be willing to help her do that?"

Regina thought for a moment, mulling it over in her head. On the one hand, Elsa had wanted to kill her, had wanted to use Henry against her, had almost killed Roland, but on the other, she'd done all those things because in her fear of being hunted down, she'd fallen victim to the manipulations of a desperate woman, and Regina couldn't fault her for that.

"Yes, I will help her in whatever way I can," she finally said, and Emma exhaled with relief.

"Thank you," she said.

"We can drop Henry and Roland at my mom's and then head to the station, if that's alright with you?" Emma asked then.

"What, now?" Regina was startled by how fast everything began to move, the lull in activity and the blissful moments spent cocooned in this house with Robin and their sons had made her sense of time go awry.

"Well, yeah, no time to lose, right?"

"I suppose," Regina sighed, calling for Henry and Roland to get ready to leave.

Moving to another city on Saturday and things are hectic so I thought I'd post this tonight in case I can't post tomorrow when scheduled... I will definitely try and have another chapter up before the weekend is over, though.

Have a nice weekend!

-B.