The Locksley Arms
Chapter Text
As Robin stood at the bar of his own pub, a pint in his hand, he caught up with the latest comings and goings with Will and Alan-a-Dale. That's when he spotted his stepson walk back through the door. But his face seemed an awful lot paler than when he left to make a call outside, ten minutes ago!
"You okay, Henry? You look like you've seen a ghost! Beer?"
"Erm…" it took him a moment to recover his senses. "Yeah, thanks."
"You seem troubled. Want to talk about it?"
Henry looked into the warm blue eyes of the former outlaw. Having not even known his own dad until he was eleven years old, and losing him so shortly after that, henry had never really had any fatherly love in his life. At least not until Killian had come onto the scene with Emma; by which time he was a fairly stroppy teenager. He had two mothers, who never failed to love and protect him, and he loved them in return. Even as an adult, especially over the last seven years, when Roland had spoken about what he'd been up to that week with his own father; during their regular Zoom and Skype calls, he'd often envied the closeness the father and son had. Maybe if he'd got to know Robin before he'd left for Harvard, things would have been different.
But during the breaks and vacations more recently, he'd got to know the man who had become a famous legend long before he was even born. And he began to understand what his mother, and Marian, saw in Robin. Although naturally kind and self-effacing, he was a born leader, a calm authority who led by example. Plus, he'd calmed Regina in a way that even Marian couldn't. He'd helped create a large family, giving Henry two more sisters. Although he'd never attempted to replace Neal's role and becoming a substitute father, his nature made him a good source of advice, and comfort, when asked. He liked and trusted Robin.
"Not really. But…I think I'd like to. Could we go talk somewhere?"
"Oh dear! Alan, could you draw me another pint for Henry here, and a couple of large whiskies please? We'll be over there in the corner…"
It didn't take long for Robin to wheedle it out of him. How he's just found out the woman he was falling for was pregnant, and in shock herself. He then got him to open up a little more, asking about her background. He told him how he'd met the alternative version of Cinderella by almost running over here on his motorbike. How they'd fought together in her own realm, all unbeknown to his mothers, who had no idea he'd even used a portal to jump realms, and would have had blue fits if they realized the scrapes he'd been in! How he and Ella (or Jacinda over here) became closer. When they became lovers, she decided to come back to his realm. He told Robin how the Sorcerer had helped her, using the same sort of magic he'd used on Robin, to teach her and help her acclimatize and understand the modern world. She'd moved into his Oxford flat, and had even begun her own further education.
"She sounds remarkable, Henry. Does she have any family?"
"No, they died a long time ago. She had a horrible stepmother who's dead, and stepsisters. But they're not in touch. I guess that's one bit about the Cinderella story they got right! But she's got a couple of cousins she's close to. She's nothing like Ashley, our own version of Cinderella."
"I'm surprised you haven't mentioned her to your mothers. I'm sure they'd be delighted to meet the woman who's seems to have captured their son's heart."
"Are you kidding me? Have you forgotten Christina? Chrissy, the one I brought back here a few years ago? The one who came to Ruby and Dot's wedding? It was like an inquisition from the pair of them! No, I wanted to wait till I was sure, before I said anything."
"And now? Leaving aside the fact she's pregnant, do you think Ella's the one for you?"
"Yeah…" he gave him a knowing smile before downing a large slug of the beer. "I think so. She's beautiful. So different to the others, you know? Still, considering what's happened, I'm going to organize a flight back to the UK tomorrow. She needs me there."
"That seems a terrible shame, seeing as you only just got here! As I understand it, Ella's on her own right now? So why don't you get her to come over here, instead? If your mothers know you're serious about her, I'm sure she'll receive a warm welcome."
"Mmm, not sure. I'll be lectured enough by mum, when she finds out I realm-jumped; never mind the fact I never told them we've been living together for the best part of a year! Then, once they find out she's…no, no, it's probably best I go back."
"Henry, I think you do both your mothers a terrible disservice! Emma and Regina love you dearly, and they just want you to be happy. You do realize, Emma found herself pregnant with you, when she was nearly a decade younger than you are now? And Regina was a teenager when she tried to elope with Daniel. No, after the initial surprise, they'd just be delighted you've found someone."
"And the fact she's pregnant?"
"Best not mention that bit until Ella's ready to do so. Besides, you said she hadn't yet decided whether she wants to keep it? She should take the lead. But I'm quite certain, if she decides to keep it, when your mothers do finally find out, they'll be ecstatic. Provided you don't call either of them granny, of course!"
Henry chuckled. "Well technically, wouldn't mum be a step-great-granny?"
"I really don't want to be there when you point that little fact out! Now - another beer?"
The Diner – The following morning
Emma and Killian, their first weekend off-duty together for almost a month, walked into the café expecting to find Henry, who'd slept over at the Gold's house the previous night. Instead, she found her best friend and family at their usual Saturday table. As soon as Hope and Elizabeth realized their friends were playing outside, all thoughts of food were forgotten, as they pleaded to join them, and left, delighted to avoid the boring adults. Robin was sat at the end of a table, with Regina and Marian either side, their heads down, appearing to question him about something.
"Hi guys! Hope we're not disturbing?"
"Emma, Killian - perfect timing!" said Marian, sitting back. "Come sit, maybe you can help…"
"Problem?"
"Only that our beloved husband here," Regina gave Robin a glare. "Refuses to say what he spoke to our son about last night, regarding this mystery girl! He's being particularly furtive."
Robin rolled his eyes, tiring of the subject. "I am not being furtive, Regina, and besides, you have the wrong word there. Furtive implies avoidance of guilt or hiding something. I'm doing nothing of the sort; merely refusing to tell you what your son has said to me in confidence."
"Quite right, mate. You tell 'em!" said Killian, earning a similar glare from all three women. "If the lad wants to spill, he'll do so in the fullness of time. When he's good and ready."
"We merely asked him what Henry said to him last night, when they were having a drink together at the Sherwood," Marian explained. "After all, he's arranging for this Ella girl to fly all the way over from England, and bring her here. Regina thought it all seemed rather…sudden."
"And I'll tell you, what I told you before…" Robin started rubbing his brow in frustration. "Namely, what Henry said I could tell you. That he's been living with her, in Oxford, for nearly a year. That he's very keen on her, and he wants her over here with him. I gather her immediate family has long passed away."
"And that's a good thing, right?" Emma slid into the bench seat opposite Marian, as Killian sat beside her. "He'll be living here, instead of England?"
"Of course it is. But we know nothing about this girl! Why's he kept this from us, for so long?"
"Regina…" Robin tried to be delicate. "He did say that when he brought his last girlfriend back for the Lucas wedding – you remember Chrissy? Well apparently, you two kept pestering her with question after question, completely intimidating the girl. He told me things were never the same between them, after that."
"What? That's quite an exaggeration, Locksley!" Emma joined in, trying to defend her friend. "We were just asking her about her background, that's all! We were protecting him."
"That's not how he saw it, Emma! And he's now an independent, twenty-eight-year-old man, who knows his own mind. He'll tell you all when he's good and ready, but all I will say, is that this young woman is very important to him. If and when she gets here, if you two treat her the way you treated the other young lady, you might find he spends a lot more time away!"
"Did he actually say that?" The sheer certainty in Robin's words made Emma's skin prickle at the back of her neck. "Because if he did, I reckon-" but she stopped when the bell above the door tinkled, her brother Neal walking in, immediately followed by their father. When Neal spotted his big sister, he gave her a wide grin, starting to walk over. However, she also noticed Dorothy, who was in her sheriff uniform drinking a coffee before heading out, exchange an odd, even nervous glance, with David. He gave her a polite nod back, coming closer, to say something to the woman that Emma couldn't make out.
"Hiya," said Neal to the table, his usual bundle of energy, smirking at Regina. "Can I join you? Or are you talking boring adult stuff?"
"Of course you can, dear - and there's no need to be rude. Even though if you are technically correct, most adult conversations can be tedious! Now, come sit by me?" Regina grinned back. Neal was her favourite Nolan, and he'd taken to her lessons in magic surprisingly well; much faster than she'd expected, for someone so young. "We were just discussing your Uncle Henry. Apparently, he's thinking of bringing his girlfriend over here from England next week."
"Yeah? That's brilliant. Roland said Ella was really pretty!"
"He's seen her already? That's more than anyone else has around here! Where is Roland, anyway?" As Emma spoke, David mouthed something to her from the counter, before following Dorothy through the diner, to join her in their private rooms at the back. What's that all about? The bust up with her mother? She knew Ruby was somehow involved.
"Self defence lessons, with Mulan, at their place. I'll talk to him later. Speak of the devil, look who's just walked in?"
As all eyes went across to the door, Henry appeared. Glancing across, he spotted his extended family at the nearby table, all now looking straight at him. Clearly, Robin's already told them. He sighed bracing himself for the onslaught of endless questions.
"Hi guys," he looked across at the archer. "I guess Robin's already told you everything?"
"We wish!" said Regina, glaring at her husband. "He's only told us you're bringing a lady friend over here, next week! Someone who's been living with you for some time, and we knew nothing about?"
Robin sighed, loudly. "I only told them what you said I could, Henry, nothing more. So, as you can imagine, I've been subject to the usual Spanish Inquisition!"
Henry smiled back, relieved he hadn't disclosed too much, as he sat down at the farthest end of the table. "Thanks. Okay, I'm here now. What do you want to know?"
Meanwhile, in the sitting room at the back of the diner, Dorothy stood by the fireplace, as Charming walked through the door, clearly looking as awkward as she felt, before closing it behind him.
"Not disturbing you, am I? Because if you're busy, I can always come back another time…"
"No, of course not. I'll be leaving for the Sheriff's office in half an hour. I was just having something to eat before I go. Ruby's been down in the kitchen all morning, helping out till Mike gets in."
They looked anxiously at each other, both unsure how to start, until finally, David kicked off. "I guess I wanted to talk to you about last night. When I got back from…well, you know?"
"I don't actually! She got back late from your place, and I'd already gone to bed. She was a bit quiet over breakfast though, and said we needed to talk tonight. What's going on?"
Now David seemed more hesitant. "Perhaps she's right. You should talk to her first."
"Have you sorted things out with Snow? Have you cleared the air?"
"Well...we've talked, I'll say no more than that. But I really came over here to apologise to you."
"There's no need, David." The Hero of Oz moved closer, tilting her head, and giving him a sad smile. "After you'd had a go at us, I tried to put myself in your shoes. I imagined what it would have been like for me, if I'd just been told that Ruby had had sex with the two of you in the shower, three weeks ago, without my knowledge. I would have been livid too! And then, to follow it up a week later, with a little impromptu make out session back here? Yeah, I'd be more than pissed. I know Ruby's already said it, David, several times, but we are truly sorry! We all just got carried away. We didn't think."
He sighed, nodding. "Yeah, she said. So did Snow."
"The thing is, Ruby and I think of both of you as a hell of a lot more than just friends! I know we all started getting together just to get one of us pregnant, which worked. But…over the last few years, we've all grown so much closer, haven't we? And it's not about the sex, it's also the fact that it feels like you're a part of us now. You know what I mean?"
Yeah, I do. I think of Natty these days, of as much of a son to me as Neal is. But, with everything that happened, I flared up within a minutes of you telling me you're pregnant! So there's you telling me how happy you are, and there's me going all ballistic…"
"You had every right to be angry! We had an agreement, and we broke it…" She stepped closer, wresting her hands on arms. "All four of us, or nothing. That's what we agreed. I understand it must have hurt, being left out like that. But just so you know, it could have just as easily been you, instead of Snow."
"It wasn't about being left out. It was just…the trust thing. Snow and I had always been rock solid, and I've never doubted her, even though she's done some pretty stupid things in the past! It was just a breach of that trust, you know? And I guess that, as it involved Ruby, the very person she'd been with before me, it just made it much more hurtful. That was bad enough. But then, when I found out from Gold's place about what happened between them after we married, I guess it was too much to take."
"I'm sure. You felt betrayed, and you...wait a minute! After you married? What do you mean by that?"
"I'm sorry, I said too much. You should talk to Ruby first."
"No, come on. What happened? I need to know, David. You're talking about our wives!"
"Well...I kind of learned something before I left town. About Snow. And Ruby."
Twenty minutes later, in the main part of the diner, Emma looked down at the spare black coffee that she'd ordered for her father when he'd arrived, now gone cold.
"Is he still in there with Dorothy?" she muttered to herself, looking around. "Or did he just leave without even saying hello?"
"David?" Robin was the only one to hear her. "I didn't see him come out. Guess he's still in there."
Normally, she wouldn't be bothered. But remembering what had happened between her parents only two days ago, and knowing Ruby was somehow involved, made her wonder what the hell had caused it all. And why did he need to see Dorothy in private?
"His coffee's gone cold. Maybe I should go get him…"
He never knew what made him do it, but as Emma stood, Robin looked back at the door to the private lounge, before using his Zeus-given powers just to check whether David was actually in there. As the focused his magic, the wooden door, and a fair chunk of the surrounding wall, became opaque, revealing to him what was behind. Then his eyes widened when he saw what was going on!
David Nolan was hugging Dorothy Lucas. But looking closer, it appeared they weren't just hugging, but were engaged in a very heated kiss, the woman's hands on his cheeks and his around her waist! And they weren't stopping anytime soon!
Robin stood up quickly, to try and stop the blonde walking in on them. "Emma…wait?" he blurted out, grabbing her by the arm more firmly than intended, making her turn.
"What?"
"He's…he's not in there! I was mistaken…" he lied, instantly regretting it the moment he said it, as he saw the look of disbelief on her face, remembering she could usually detect outright lies. He moved closer to her, to whisper. "Sorry, just…don't go in there right now!"
Emma eyed him suspiciously as he released her bicep, seeing the earnest look as his eyes flicked between her and the door. It all happened in a matter of moments, before he followed it up with, "Trust me. X-ray vision, remember?"
"Oh…er, okay," was all she could manage. What the hell had he just seen? "We'll talk later?"
Fortunately, everyone else at the table seemed to have been oblivious to their little exchange. Too distracted by Neal, who was showing off some of his recently learned magic. His audience clapped when the twelve-year-old made the black and white stone salt and pepper pots disappear into thin air, apparating again moments later, having swapped their positions. Emma smiled down on her little brother, wondering how soon her own magic would have come in had she not been brought up in the non-magical world.
"That's really clever, Neal! Is that one of the things Regina taught you?" asked Marian.
But her wife spoke for him, "It was, but I never taught him how to swap two objects, once they've disapparated and before they re-apparate!" she looked proudly at her young pupil. "You enhanced what I taught you, and that was seriously impressive, dear! Though as your mother's frequently told you, I wouldn't do it in public places, if I were you."
He beamed up at her praise. He adored Regina for the interest and love she always showed in him. "Thanks, Gina. Yeah, mum really doesn't like me practicing here, or anywhere. She just doesn't like magic at all! Can we do that face-changing one next week? The one where you can fake being someone else?"
"Woah, kid!" Emma butted in. "At your age, I wouldn't advise it! And I know you - you're a devious little so-and-so. I can imagine you playing all sorts of tricks on people around here!"
As Neal huffed in indignation (yes, he was planning on playing a spoof on one of his friends), he looked up as the door at the back opened, his father walking out to join them.
"Sorry about that," said David, walking over to join them. He still looked serious. "I needed to talk to Dorothy about something. Neal, have you ordered food?"
Emma exchanged a look with Robin. She needed to speak to him alone. "No, he didn't. I got you a coffee, but it's gone cold…" As she spoke, Dorothy Lucas suddenly appeared from the same door, wearing her Deputy Sheriff shirt and badge. She rushed towards the door, not bothering to speak to anyone, and looking very upset!
Half an hour later, they all left the café, gathering outside. The plan was for both families to head to the stables, to introduce Hope and Elizabeth to riding for the first time.
Charming was about to leave for the farm, when Robin spotted him. "Miladies, I just need to speak to have a quick word with David..." He saw Emma staring out at him out of the corner of his eye. "Could you give me a few minutes?"
Marian started bundling them into the people carrier. "Okay. Don't be too long, okay? Gina and I have some work to do too."
"I'll tell you what, you go. I'll apparate into the tack room. I shouldn't be long."
]]
The two men watched the cars go around the corner, finally out of sight.
"Robin, I forgot to say thanks for collecting Neal, and dropping him home last week. You wanted to speak to me?"
"I did. When I got to your place, Snow seemed very distraught. I trust everything's okay?"
"It's fine," Charming felt uncomfortable, knowing that word of their bust-up was bound to have leaked. "We had a row. But we're good now."
"It happens to the best of us! But…" The former outlaw was considering how best to phrase it. "Now I know it's none of my business, but-"
"You're right - it isn't!" Charming stopped him, more sharply than intended.
"Please David - let me finish?" Charming stiffened, as the other man wasn't backing down. "There's something you need to know. In the diner just now, Emma wondered why you were taking so long out the back with Dorothy? Your coffee was getting cold. She was about to walk in on you, when I stopped her."
"Emma? Sorry, what's that got to do with anything?"
"I saw you both! You and Dorothy? X-ray vision, remember?" But David merely frowned at him, still looking confused. "David, I can see through doors. And walls. I saw you both, in an embrace, and Emma was about to walk in on you, when you were doing what you were doing! Fortunately, I stopped her just in time."
David's expression changed from confusion to one of horror, as the implication of what he'd said, started to sink in.
"You're right, it's none of my business, and it's your life. But…you have a daughter who can detect lies and is also, I think, highly suspicious as to what's going on. She knows I saw something and, when I see her again in a few minutes, she will no doubt will ask me some very awkward questions. Perhaps it's time you both had a talk?"