a small post-coronation fic, because i already miss ouat.


Almost Dawn

Her day, although happy and full of joy, is inexplicably long. The sunset sees her tired, with her feet aching and an urgent need to go and lie down. The guests linger for a long time after the ball in her honor, the last of them reluctant to go and get on the road to reach their respective realms. She stays, though. With Snow and Charming and both Henrys and Zelena, she smiles until her cheeks start hurting and her head spins for all the toasts she's made today.

To the Good Queen, long may she reign.

It still sounds weird, but one day she'll get used to it.

Snow and Charming bid her goodnight down the stairs, ready for bed and some long-awaited cuddles with little Neal. Emma's gone – Regina remembers the first months with baby Henry, so she won't fault the blonde and her husband their early departure.

But Henry – well, young Henry, because her oldest is gone with Ella and Lucy – Henry stays and kisses her cheek, with a glint of something in his eye. "Have a good night, Mom," he says, almost winking, and Regina says, You too, darling, a touch of confusion in her gaze as she watches him go towards his room.

She goes up the stairs to her old chambers, her dress rustling on the hard floor as she opens the doors. She sighs. With a few steps, she reaches her vanity, looks at herself in the mirror for a moment before her hands go lift her crown. It's unexpectedly light – silver and diamonds, but crafted by the finest artisans so it doesn't weigh on her head.

Her eyes keep looking at it, as she undresses herself, as she combs her hair, spreads lotions on her skin. A crown. She has never worn a crown, when she was the Evil Queen. Today, it feels right – to have chosen this, to have hope in the future.

Her finger trails on the diamond in the middle. Robin would have fed a village for months with a diamond like this, she smiles. She just knows what he'd say… But I trust you not to leave them starving anymore, your Majesty.

"I wonder if you'd be proud of me," she sighs to the sky, for a moment – the stars are shining, and she closes her eyes, shoulders dropping as a wave of nostalgia hits her. She's not expecting an answer.

So her heart almost stops, when she gets one.

"I most certainly am," a voice says.

Regina's breath catches, but she keeps her eyes closed, not to break the magic. She hears a sound, from behind her, but doesn't look. She feels a warmth from behind her, and yet she doesn't look.

"Regina," his voice says, the voice she's dreamed of so often. "Regina, love, open your eyes."

She just shakes her head, doesn't dare to open them. "You're a trick of my mind." She's gone crazy, she thinks. Years and years of therapy and good intentions and nightmares and this is her reward. The most cruel of tricks, just at the end of one of her happiest days.

"I promise you, I'm here," he tells her. A trembling sigh exits her mouth as she presses a hand on her stomach. A solid, warm hand settles on her shoulder. So she dares.

Blinks, the low suffused light of the candles is enough for her to see him in the mirror. Right beside her, his hand on her shoulder, his other hand on her forearm.

"I didn't mean to scare you, milady," he apologizes. "Or to ruin your coronation day. But you see, I couldn't wait to see you again."

"H-how?" she half-sobs, because this is a dream, has to be, she has hoped and then got shattered so many times now and it seems too good to be true – his hands are real, so he has to be –

He takes her hand, the hand she has brought up to his, and she gets up, never stops touching him, she has to feel if he's with her, and if maybe this time she can actually believe this is true. "How are you here?" her hands cup his cheek, the first tears streaming down her cheeks, and Robin smiles.

"A young author we know did me a favor," he tells her. "And a beautiful, newly-crowned queen united the realms, and I was never dead, my darling, I was stuck in a book with other Untold Stories. You brought me back. Well, to be fair, it took the work of Henry, Maleficent and the other Regina, but they did it."

She's full on crying now, sobbing and throwing herself to him like he's her lifeline, and he lets her cry into his neck, shushing her gently, almost rocking her. He's crying too, she can feel tears between her hair, but he's there, steady and solid and real, definitely there, his hand cupping her head.

"It's okay, my love," he whispers. "I know, I know…"

"I missed you," Regina sighs, not daring to look up, because her face most certainly is all puffy and red. "I missed you for twenty years, and I stopped trying to search for you, I'm – I'm sorry…"

"It's alright," Robin answers, chuckling in her hair. "I'm here now, and this is true – I promise, I'll never let you go again."

It's her who initiates the kiss – they should talk more, she should apologize more and more because it was her fault, all of it, but she needs him, to feel him against her and to feel his lips on hers once again. It tastes like salt and happiness, her tears mixing with kisses as he circles her waist and she pulls him towards her, hoping, still disbelieving, because it has to be a dream… but he feels like himself, like it's always been, it's him…

They part, and she decides she can't wait anymore.

"I love you," she murmurs, her forehead falling to his, her hands on his cheeks. "And I'm sorry, I'm so sorry about everything, and I love you so much, I…"

"Stop apologizing, Regina," he tells her. "I love you too, and please know that I would do it all again in an heartbeat."

"Don't you dare," she whispers, squeezing his forearm. "Once is enough. Don't you dare."

He smiles – infuriating moron, as if this is a funny subject, him dying – presses a kiss on her lips and then, all of a sudden, bends slightly and picks her up from the floor. She squeals in surprise, her arms around his neck, as he peppers kisses on her cheeks, anywhere he can reach and he stumbles backwards.

"I think we have a lot of lost time to make up for, your Majesty," he smiles, as she pushes him down in the bed. For once, the title doesn't sound mocking, as it used to be years ago. She falls above him, and she presses him down as he looks at her with such pride in his eyes – she sniffs again, her heart swelling.

"None of that now," Robin says, getting up to sit, his thumb brushing away her tear. "This isn't a sad day, my love."

She nods, pecks his lips once. "I'm just… overwhelmed," she says in a breath, quietly. "It looks like a dream, all of it, and I'm…"

scared I'll lose you again.

He seems to know the words she didn't say out loud. "I know," he tells her, simply, and he knows, he always knows, it's one of the reasons she loves him so. "But I promise, you're not dreaming… Now come to bed, lovely. I need to feel you."

"Gods, yes," she agrees, kissing him again, fiercely, and finally her thoughts stop swirling and she loses herself in him, lets her emotions fly as they make love, slowly, silently in the candlelight. There'll be time for screaming orgasms and the bed rocking, but not now. Now, they reconnect, one soul searching the other in that convergence that's always been as easy as breathing.

.

It's almost dawn, and she hasn't slept a wink, but she feels fine. Tired, and her limbs are buzzing with the pleasant warmth of a long day, and her brain feels mellow, and she is immensely happy. She could stay all day like this, she thinks. Just here in a soft bed with Robin's arm around her and the lulling comfort of his heartbeat.

"So, the Good Queen, isn't it?" he says, as if he's savoring the words. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you," she smiles against his chest, a blush warming her cheeks. She's had the best wishes of everyone she knows, but somehow his pride means something more, something better. "I'm… a little proud of me too."

"As you should be," he agrees. "You looked so beautiful, up there, with Snow and Charming. So happy, so… at peace with yourself."

"You were at the coronation?" she asks, her head turning towards him. "But… where? How?"

"Hidden," he chuckles. "Under a hood, in the shadows. I couldn't miss it. But Young Henry and I agreed that it would have been too much, all together. You'd have fainted, probably."

"Always so full of yourself," she raises an eyebrow at him, her chin digging into his chest. "But yes, maybe I would have. Or maybe I'd have thought of it as a cruel joke." She can't stop the last words, but Robin's brow furrows, and she immediately regrets them.

"Maybe it's time to admit, your Majesty, that you can be happy without cruel repercussions from destiny," he brushes a lock of hair from her face, with that gentle smile she missed so much. "I am happy I was your post-coronation surprise, then."

"The best one," she says, leaning in to peck his lips. "I feel selfish for keeping you here all night. There are, after all, other people who want to meet you."

"If you're talking of my daughter and my son, I met them," he informs her. Her breath catches, surprised, a pang of sadness when she thinks she wasn't there for that particular moment. "And everyone knows I'm back, my love. They've become good at keeping secrets from you, it appears."

"Yes, it appears so," she says. "Or maybe I'm just… distracted. You know." He brushes away a lock of hair from her forehead. "You're very distracting yourself, thief."

"I've missed you saying that," he moans, this time capturing her lips in a proper kiss, long and heated as his hand is pressed on her back and all she can feel is him, not the fresh morning air or the first birds chirping, just him and his skin and those kisses she's missed so much. When they part, she glances at him, thinking that maybe now she can surprise him. She untangles herself from his arms, climbs up and hugs him from behind. Maybe it's best if he doesn't see her face – so she doesn't give away the surprise.

"And did your daughter tell you about her… plans for the future?"

The confusion on his face, titled back to look at her, is enough for Regina to know that no, she hasn't.

He asks, but she shakes her head, smiles, kisses his shoulder and tells him he'll have to wait – and yes, it will be an unforgettable day, to see him and Hook as they escort their daughters down the aisle, but she doesn't tell him. After all, he's not the only one who can keep a secret.