Roni woke up the next morning to bells ringing in the holiday and a familiar arm around her waist. Not wanting to wake Phoenix, she grinned and held back her laughter, remembering all of the years they had done this, especially the first time, when she had woken up in Phoenix's arms and he had had no memory of the night before…
(********)
Christmas Eve really was one of the hardest nights of the year. Normally, her bar was open until well past midnight, but on holidays, she always let Sabine go early so she could enjoy what was left of the day with her family. Having no family of her own, Roni would take a bottle of wine upstairs, sit in her bare apartment (why decorate when only one person would see it?), and drink her loneliness away, determined to forget that she hadn't had anyone to share the holiday with since she was younger.
A knock on the door stopped her in her tracks. Knowing it was the best weapon she had on hand, she hoisted the bottle higher, ready should the person on the other side have malevolent intentions.
She peeked through the glass and saw Phoenix standing on the other side. What was that man doing here? He had a son, shouldn't he be celebrating the holiday with him? Besides, Phoenix was the last person she expected would want anything to do with her. Every single one of their interactions was nothing but a sparring match, a contest to see who would come out on top. Why would he want to engage in their banter on Christmas Eve of all nights?
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her displeasure clear in her tone.
It was only then that she noticed the state he was in. Not only were his eyes glazed over, unable to focus on the stunning vision before him (if Roni did say so herself), but he was leaning against the door frame, unable to stand upright on his own. "Need more whiskey," he murmured.
"I hate to break it to you, but the bar's closed for the night," Roni commented. "Besides, it looks like that's the last thing you need," Why must she always deal with the tough cases? It was one thing when they consumed all of their alcohol at her bar. In that case, all of someone's drinking was right under her nose, so she could cut someone off if necessary. It seemed that Phoenix had needed that friendly push awhile ago, and apparently no one had been there to give it to him. She wouldn't volunteer herself, but it was clear he didn't have one of those men he was always hanging around with tonight to do the job. Besides, she couldn't bear the thought of sending him back to his son like this, risking that adorable boy seeing him in this state… so as much as she hated the very thought, there was really only one thing to do.
"Why don't you come inside?" she offered.
"Thank you," Phoenix slurred. Once he was in the bar, he asked, "Where's the whiskey?"
She shook her head. "You don't need any more of that. I'm going to grab you a glass of water, then we're going to head upstairs."
He pouted, looking more like a child his son's age than a grown man. "Why? It's the anniversary of my Meryam's death. Surely that'd get a little sympathy, even from someone like you."
She sighed. She felt for him, she really did, but she couldn't encourage this. "I'm trying to help you here. You need to sober up, not get even more drunk."
She led him upstairs, and once he had some water in him, he seemed to get better, much to her relief. "Thank you," he said gratefully. "Could I stay the night? I don't want my son seeing me like this."
She glanced over at the couch, which was littered with several boxes from her supplier that she hadn't had a chance to unpack yet. Clearly, the couch couldn't be a bed for him tonight. The next question was, could she stand spending a night so close to this man who infuriated her on a regular basis? "I'm not unpacking those at this late hour, so you can only stay if you can stand to share a bed with me." The very suggestion almost made her gag, but she didn't want his son to witness this any more than Phoenix did.
He shrugged. "I'm sure there are worse places I could spend the night."
Once she had finally gotten them into her bed for some well-deserved (on her part) sleep, she heard Phoenix ask, "How can I repay you for your kindness?"
"Give me haircuts for free and we're even," she murmured, sleep already beginning to claim her.
(********)
The next morning, she woke up to an arm around her waist. She bolted upright, the man beside her also woken and startled by her actions.
Now that she was a little more awake, she realized who was beside her. What could have possibly possessed her the night before to let him stay? She couldn't stand him, and as annoying as he was, she was definitely keeping him to his word that he would give her free haircuts for this- for the rest of her life, if she had her way.
"What am I doing here?" he asked groggily.
She explained the situation to him, adding, "And make no mistake, I'm making you pay the price of staying here. You promised last night that you'd give me free haircuts, and I intend to hold you to that, so don't try to get out of it."
"I wouldn't dream of it," he swore, giving her an appraising look. "How much of a haircut do you want? It's beautiful long, don't get me wrong, but your hair would look gorgeous in a curly bob."
"I'll consider it," she mused. "Now get out of my apartment."
(********)
In the end, he had convinced her to cut her hair to this much shorter length. She would never admit it to him, but she actually preferred it this way. It was so much easier to take care of and didn't get in her way, which was important when she was in the kitchen helping Sabine prepare meals for her customers. Although he probably had guessed that long ago. This was the fourth year they'd found themselves in this situation, and in that time, she'd always gone to him for a free haircut and had it cut to this length. That wasn't to say it hadn't taken some convincing on his part in the beginning though.
She laid as still as she could, determined to make this moment last as long as possible. Once he woke, it was likely that he wouldn't remember anything that had happened the night before, and they would be back to their usual banter. It was hard to admit every year, even to herself, but she didn't want this to end. Once he left, she would be alone again, a shadow just going through the motions. She wouldn't remind him of their exchange from the previous night unless he brought it up- doing so would be desperate, and Roni was many things, but desperate was definitely not one of them.
She had to admit though, at least to herself, that his confession the night before had brought to the surface feelings that she had been suppressing for years. Yes, she couldn't stand the man on a regular basis, but in the midst of her banter, in the moments when they were nose to nose, she couldn't help enjoying his fresh pine scent. Not to mention the fact that she could never look away from those blue eyes, even when she purposefully tried to avoid them. Had she really had feelings for him this entire time, feelings she hadn't been willing to admit until the night before?
Impossible. And yet...
To her dismay, she felt him stirring behind her all too soon. To her surprise, she felt his lips on her hair. Was it entirely accidental, or had he been dreaming of Meryam? It was next to impossible that he had meant to kiss her, even in that small, intimate way… right? His hand started to rub her side, from just below her breasts to her hip, and she savored the sensation. After all, she suspected it wouldn't last long. He was likely only doing this because he was still half asleep.
"Good morning," he murmured, his voice still groggy, and she turned, not sure what to expect. After the night before and her revelation made in this predawn light, she was done with pretenses- but whether or not he would feel the same remained to be seen.
"Good morning," she said.
"Just how bad was it last night?" he asked.
Roni's heart sank. So he had no memories of the night before, then. There was only one way to be sure. "Do you remember anything from last night?"
"Vaguely…" he trailed off, his face reddening. "Some of which I'm not exactly proud of. Did- did I try to kiss you last night?"
She smiled at the memory. "You did."
"I'm so sorry, you must think I'm an absolute idiot," Phoenix moaned, slowly moving a hand down his face. "I will tolerate any and all mockery if you would only accept my sincerest apologies for my behavior."
"Well, you didn't end up kissing me," she told him, hoping that would make him feel better. Then she took a deep breath, gathered her courage and voiced the hope in her heart, which, once spoken, would change the dynamic between them forever. "I wasn't going to take advantage of you like that."
He used his elbow to prop himself up on her pillow, and the sight was so alluring that she couldn't help that her eyes wandered from his elbow to where his chest disappeared beneath the sheets. He smirked, but his eyes were earnest for once, and it gave her that most dangerous of emotions: hope. "Take advantage of me? Roni, are you saying you want to kiss me?"
"I- you clearly don't, so it's useless-"
Before she knew what was happening, he shook his head and reached out, running his fingers through her hair, the other arm tightening around her waist. "I never said that," he responded, and she was suddenly very aware of how close he was- was it possible that he had moved closer, that he wanted to kiss her?
Chocolate eyes met cobalt blue ones. Was this really happening? Everything seemed to be happening in such slow motion that she had to question if this was really her reality
In the next moment, his lips captured hers in a passionate kiss. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, and his arms came around to encircle her. She could feel his skin, warm from a night spent under a blanket, wrapped around her, and she couldn't resist melting a little at the incredible sensation. Roni had always preferred slow, sensual kisses, but despite the feverish frenzy of this kiss, it didn't lack any of the passionate connection she had been dreaming of for far too long.
It was only then that she became aware of something else occurring. From the moment their lips met, something that she couldn't quite name shifted in her brain. Suddenly, scenes were flying by in her mind's eye, memories of a completely different life. The life led by Regina Mills.
Finally, they broke apart, and tears filled her eyes when she realized that she really was staring at Robin Hood, her soulmate, whom she had once thought was gone forever. "Robin?" she whispered, still hardly daring to believe it. Did he remember who they really were too?
He smiled, those dimples she had always loved winking at her. "I'm here." He cupped her cheek. "And this time, I'm never leaving you again. I should have told you from the moment I met you, and I'm not going to waste another second: I love you, Regina Mills."
She smiled, her heart bursting with happiness, and kissed him again. "I love you too," she whispered. "But how are you alive?"
"Hades lied. I was there in spirit the whole time. Those dreams you've had about me over the years were really me trying to reach out to you. Our children were working together on a potion to bring me back, but the final ingredient was that rarest of all things: the call of a soulmate's heart to its perfect match. When your heart cried out to me as the curse was cast, it had enough power to bring me back." He smiled. "You saved me, Regina."
She smiled and burrowed further into his embrace. She could stay like this forever.
(********)
There were many happy reunions amidst the usual holiday cheer that day, most notably Robin's reunion with his men and son. Of course, Roland came home with them, and after tucking him in that night and a round of eggnog, they went to bed again, but it was nothing like before. Now kisses were freely exchanged under the mistletoe Robin had hung over their bed, and Regina couldn't bear to look away from him or not feel his touch for a single second. They fell asleep in each others' arms, but not before her best-ever Christmas gift whispered in her ear, "I love you, Regina. Merry Christmas."
Thay, thank you again for this fantastic prompt! Hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I loved writing it, let me know what you think!