Hi, so here is another chapter, i am so glad to publish this chapter. I really hope you enjoy this chapter and i will do my best to give you the next one sooner rather than later.
For those of you wondering where Robin is he will turn up in the next couple of chapters. The chapters concerning Neverland and before the Season 3 Mid Finale are all Roland and Regina bonding but don't worry, we will get to Robin sooner rather than later.
Disclaimer-Nothing is mine just this chapter.
Please Read and Review.
Old Scars, Future Hearts.
Chapter 4-The Ghosts That Haunt Me.
Regina, Roland and Rumple re-join the rest of the gang on Neverland. A plan is formed to get Henry and get the hell of the island. Regina contemplates what to do about Roland when they do get back to Storybrooke.
They carried on through the undergrowth for some time. Roland had stopped shivering, despite the sun never showing on this island the heat from the walking and from the humid air had made him sweat now instead of shivering. His knees were covered in mud and he had the feeling that he might be beginning to smell.
Roland had never been a child for baths. Papa would dump him in hot water which was very nice but then he would take a rag and scrub him all over until he was red and wouldn't let Roland out until he felt so clean it was unnatural. Even behind his ears had to be clean! But now he was walking between Regina and the Dark One he had to admit that he wanted a bath now. And he might actually scrub himself twice just to get rid of the grime.
Regina had slowed their pace somewhat but this time Roland had no issue with keeping up. She seemed to have a plan and Roland would put his trust into anyone right now who had a plan. The Dark One said nothing, looked at nothing and seemed to be gnashing his teeth together but Roland got the impression that he was not angry with him.
They came to a stop, well the Dark One did. Regina bumped into him and by turn Roland bumped into Regina. She smiled at him and then pressed him further behind so that he was mostly hidden by her dark coat.
"Roland stay behind me sweetheart"
Roland was more than happy to do that. He had done enough on this island already. He was tired and wanted a bath and some food and then his bed. He wanted his Papa. Being brave he had come to learn, all the time was exhausting. No wonder most heroes were old.
However he was curious and he wouldn't be Roland Hood if he didn't get curious. He peeped his head around Regina's leg as she and the Dark One waited for the crashing sound in the bushes that was coming closer and closer to stop. Roland thought they were being very noisy. Wasn't the point of sneaking up on someone to be quiet.
He asked that question before he could stop himself. Regina smiled at him as if he had said something funny and even the Dark One shot him an amused look.
"That's because whoever is coming through those trees don't care about being seen or caught" he said speaking to Roland for the first time since he had joined the two of them. "They don't care if Pan or the Lost Boys know that they are here." He shot a look at Regina who did not look pleased.
"It's going to make life difficult if they want to rescue Henry"
"Yes" she said in a tone that Roland had never heard her use before and she rolled her eyes heavenwards as if the actions of whomever was coming towards them was stupid and not frightening. She didn't look worried and that soothed his nerves a bit. Roland was now of the opinion that anything that didn't worry Regina shouldn't worry him. He was five (nearly six) and he didn't have enough room in his head to worry about everything and anything that had happened since that shadow had taken him from his Papa. And he didn't want to think about Papa, because if he thought about his Papa then he would start sobbing there and then and even Roland at his young age knew that there was a time and place to cry.
The crashing continued and with an effort Roland pulled his head out of his thoughts and he scrubbed his hands over his eyes to wake himself up (the lack of sun was not helping his body knowing when he should and should not go to sleep) and then he got a good look at the people who were coming through the bushes.
The first was a woman with long blonde hair, so blonde it was bright against the backdrop of dark green and black that was this island. She was followed almost instantly by a man dressed all in black leather. Roland watched as another man followed his hair also blonde but not as blonde as the other woman. He was holding hands with a woman with short cropped back hair who was holding a bow and arrow. Following her was another woman with blonde hair dressed in green who had a rather ragged appearance and a look on her face that told even Roland that she didn't know why she was here and then a man followed in a blue shirt and Roland couldn't stop the whimper that escaped because he knew who that man was, that was Neal, that was the man Papa had asked Roland to help. This was the man that had seen the shadow grab him and had done nothing and this was the man who had gotten him into this mess!
Roland watched hardly listening. Regina pushed him to stand beside the man dressed all in leather. Roland liked him, he had a hook for a hand but the leather was easy to hide behind and it looked very, very warm which when it got cold at night could be useful. And Papa always said the Merry Men had to always find ways to be useful or find things that would be useful.
He had no idea what was going on but he knew that as they followed the Dark One the man that had brought him nothing but trouble was walking with them ahead of them and Neal if that was really his name had not looked at Roland once. And Roland was furious.
He did it before he could stop himself.
He pushed forwards past Regina, past the blonde woman jumped onto a rock and then pushed himself into Neal with all the strength he could muster. Actually it worked a lot better than he expected it too. Neal fell forwards landing face first in the mud and then Roland was punching him in the back with all the strength he could muster and yelling though he had to admit he wasn't entirely sure what he was yelling only that it was him because he didn't think anyone else could be that loud.
Just as he was beginning to get into the swing of it someone lifted him up bodily and placed it back on the ground. Roland turned to see the man with one hand watching him with a smile on his face and then before he could turn around and start again Regina was stood in front of him.
"Roland what on earth?"
"That's the man who got me here, Papa said that I had to help him and that I wouldn't get hurt but that wasn't true. I left Papa all alone Regina because of him" he kicked some dirt but that didn't help matters as the blonde woman helped the man to his feet.
"Ah yes" Regina said with that slow smile that Roland knew meant nothing good. She turned on her heel in a flash and gave Neal a look. Roland couldn't see it but it had him take a step backwards and the blonde woman take a step forwards as if she wanted to protect him.
"What?" the blonde woman asked her eyes going from Regina to Roland again as if she would seek out all their secrets with one look.
"What's going on Regina? Whose this child? Not a Lost Boy surely? You know they'll stay loyal to Pan until the end"
"No Swan he is not a Lost Boy. I'm sure your baby daddy can tell you who he is and what he's doing here"
Neal looked extremely uncomfortable. Good Roland thought viciously, serves him right. He knees still ached from where he had fallen onto the mud.
"His name is Roland Hood. He's the son of Robin Hood—" The blonde woman made a noise as if she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing but Neal ploughed on.
"He…when I was back in the Enchanted Forest I knew I needed to get to you and to Henry and I knew the only way was with Pan's shadow. So I had Roland summon him, I didn't mean for the shadow to grab him it just did…" he finished.
Regina gave a very loud sniff at that.
There was a silence and then the blonde woman spoke.
"Ok" she said with the air of a woman who wanted to get back to a level that she could understand.
"Ok we can deal with that later. Right now we need to get Henry and get the hell of this island. Once were back in Storybrooke we can see if we can get Roland back to his father"
"What a wonderful idea Miss Swan" Regina said her voice sarcastic. "I never had an idea as good as that"
Roland couldn't help it. He giggled and was rewarded with one of Regina's blinding smiles. She had a smile that seemed to make him feel better. He smiled back and then brushed mud down his nightgown. It was stained beyond repair so he didn't think it would matter.
Regina bent down again so that she was face to face with him.
"Roland do you think you can help me get my son back?" she asked and Roland nodded.
"If you can get me back to Papa" he said. If she could promise him that then he would do anything she asked off him even if it meant putting himself in danger. He wanted his Papa. Regina smiled and nodded and she patted him on the shoulder her hand curling around his neck and touching his hair. Roland would have usually pulled away from a touch like that but Roland didn't. It felt nice, it felt comforting, it felt safe. He felt safe when he was with Regina there was something about her that reminded him of Papa.
Regina had been listening one eye on the girl—Wendy whoever she was, was still talking about helping Pan. Regina had her hands in her pockets clenched into fists. They were no closer to finding Henry and she was getting pissed with the slowness. Every second that they spent debating over Gold's alliance with them (and yes while she might have had her doubts there was a part of her that had known that the very presence of is son would ultimately force the man into doing the right thing) and then Emma Swan had insisted on bursting into the camp regardless of the child and without using magic and now they were hear dealing with the fallout.
Roland was stood next to her. She had introduced him to everyone before they had entered the camp. It was part knowledge. He had to know who had joined them and if she was being as honest with herself as Wendy was being as she tried to explain why she was helping Pan—it was part calculation. She needed time to collect herself and think about what was to be done. He clearly recognised the names of Snow and Charming and Hook. Even if he didn't recognise Emma or Tinkerbelle and he wouldn't go within a mile of Neal she knew that he would stay close to her when they stormed the camp. She didn't need to listen to Wendy defend her actions she knew why she had done what she did. After all why did anyone do anything? Nine times out of ten it was family and that was why it was so easy for villains like her, like Rumple, like Hook, like Pan, to always use family to get what they wanted.
Regina on the other hand when her mind was not thinking about Henry was thinking about the boy next to her. She could see no feasible way to get him back to his own father apart from changing worlds and while they had a plan with Pan's shadow she didn't think that it would be so accommodating a second time. Of course she could try and make a potion but she didn't think that she could…portal travelling, world travelling was a lot harder than people like the Charming's thought it was. And Jefferson had already told her that she was fresh out of favours even if he could get his hat working again. She looked down at the trusting face of the little boy who would do what she said and stay out of trouble and danger in the contradictory way of little boys providing that she reunited him with his father.
She listened to Snow and Emma discussing the Lost Boys, discussing what to do with them, talking about everything and anything and she felt Roland take her hand in her own. She smiled down at him and though her heart grieved for the boy that she had lost, for the boy that she was in the process of getting back she had to admit that a small part of herself had enjoyed playing Mom to this boy (if she could call it that). She had enjoyed taking care of him, carrying him on her hip and being the one who could soothe his tears, the one he ran too.
Regina would not admit even to herself that when she saw him run to her she mourned the boy she had lost. And she knew this little dream she had concocted would end. Having felt the sting of losing a child she would not deny Roland and his father their happy ever after.
The problem was she thought as she stood there and watched as Emma Swan became the saviour, became the hero, became the person that could command rooms and inspire confidence in the way that Regina had once inspired fear, she had no idea how she was going to reunite this boy with what she knew was his panic stricken, fear riddled father.
And there it is, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I will bring you the next one as soon as i have written it but i am back at work now so please keep in mind there will be some delays. And again i apologise for any spelling or grammar mistakes as it is not my strongest factor.
Next Chapter-Hook and Roland share a moment as they go back to the Jolly Rodger, Regina contemplates motherhood and the deepest desires within her and the gang escape Neverland.