Author's Notes:
Special Thanks to my illustrator and contributing author ale_nena for the beautiful cover art.
Setting: Misthaven non-magical modern AU. The society and political system will be based on a combination of modern countries, with a probable bias toward the American system as I am an American. However, all characters are fictional and resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidence.
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Regina pulled off her hair net as she collected her coat from the hook.
Shrugging it on, she hurried to join her parents in the front hallway. Around them several visitors were eating the holiday meal that the shelter provided. As the Mills walked by many smiled politely and wished them well, an action that made her feel quite disingenuous and icky.
She was used to these kind of staged press events, but lately they were starting be more difficult to deal with.
As Robin pushed the doors open for them, the wind whipped inside, causing Regina to instinctively hold her coat more tightly around herself. Snow had been falling steadily since that morning, and only seemed to be getting worse.
Luckily for them Drake had the car pulled around and waiting. Moving quickly the four hurried over and got inside.
"Wow, it's really coming down!" Henry breathed once the car doors were shut behind them and the towncar was carefully travelling through town back toward the family cabin, "Drake, what's the weather report say?"
"They expect snowfall all night going into tomorrow," the older security guard answered.
Henry frowned.
"Well check when we get back to the cabin," Cora assured him.
"Yes," he nodded absently, "I hope Zelena is feeling better."
Zelena had skipped going to temple that morning due to a bought of morning sickness and Blake stayed home to take care of her.
"We'll see if she's up for dinner," Cora agreed.
Letting her parents voices fade into the background, Regina stared out the window at the white flakes falling heavily around the car.
After a long, cautious ride, Drake finally up to the front of the cabin.
Moving quickly, Regina climbed up the steps and into the front entrance. She let out a sigh of relief at the warmth inside.
Once coats were hung up, the three found Blake and Zelena sitting together in the living room.
"Hi Sweetheart," Henry went over to her, "How are you feeling?"
"Mmm, not great. I'm so tired," the redhead said from her spot on her husband's lap.
"How about some tea?" Henry offered.
"Thank you, Daddy," she smiled.
Sitting down next to them, Cora picked up the remote to turn on the tv.
"I'm going to rest for a while," Regina said, but everyone was already distracted.
In her room, she shut the door behind her and laid back on the bed. Staring up at the ceiling for a few minutes, she got out her phone and texted Robin.
"Hey, how are you doing?"
After a few minutes a response came, "I'm fine. Managed to get the driveway shoveled enough to put the car in the garage."
"Stay warm," she typed out along with a heart graphic...it felt like a very inadequate sentiment. In the next room Blake and Zelena got to cuddle under a blanket and just be together while she and Robin had to be content with secret text messages.
With a sigh, she kicked off her shoes, slipped under the covers and sunk down into her pillow.
Lifting her phone she smiled when she saw that Robin had sent back two more heart graphics. Trying to ignore the guilty feeling in her chest, she set the phone aside and let her eyes drift closed.
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THUMP, THUMP, THUMP
The pounding at her door jolted Regina awake. Blinking into the darkness she quickly fumbled for the bedside light. Waiting for her eyes to clear, she, momentarily, thought it was morning...but then realized she'd fallen asleep in the late afternoon.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP
"I'm coming!" she called, tossing back the covers and padding over to the door, shivering as the air hit her skin. The room felt like it had gotten colder since she went to sleep.
She pulled open the door, finding her mother standing on the other side.
"I know, I know. I'm late for dinner," she defended, "Just give me a second to get cleaned up-"
"It's too late for that now," Cora cut her off, "Dinner's canceled anyway."
"What?" Regina asked.
"We're leaving," her mother instructed, "Get packed."
"Wait, Mom!" she followed her into the hallway, "What do you mean we're leaving? Why?"
"Blizzard warning," Blake answered, hurrying past with one of his and Zelena's many suitcases.
"What?" she repeated dumbly, "Didn't we already know that?"
"Yes," Henry said, appearing in his coat and hat, "But it's worse than anticipated. The weather service issued a warning that power could go out and the roads up to the mountain could be impassable, so we thought it best if we get out of here now."
"Ah...okay, yeah," she nodded.
"Security is pulling the cars around," Cora instructed, "Go pack, Regina!"
"Okay," she turned, hurrying back to her room and tossing open the dresser drawers to begin getting her things out.
She was just struggling to get the zipper closed on her suitcase when she heard a shout down the hall, "Regina! Hurry up!"
"I'm coming!" no sooner had she said it than the lights flickered before going off entirely, leaving her standing in darkness.
"Wonderful!" she grumbled.
"Regina!" her father called.
"I...I'm fine," she yelled back groping around toward what she thought was the direction of the nightstand for her phone. Her hand hit it at an awkward angle, sending it tumbling noisily to the ground.
"Shit!" she grumbled, kneeling down and feeling around along the rug for it.
"Regina!" the voice startled her, causing her to sit up suddenly and knock the back of her head on the nightstand.
"Ow!"
Light flooded the room as, Robin appeared in the doorway with a flashlight.
"Are you okay? What are you doing?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said irritably, "I'm just trying to pack and I dropped my stupid phone!"
"Well your parents want to get going."
"Can you get my suitcase closed?" she asked, reaching for the flashlight, "I'll find the phone."
Dropping back to her knees, she searched around with the light under her bed until she finally spotted her phone behind the leg of the headboard. Grabbing it, she stood back up just as Robin got her suitcase closed and lifted it off the bed.
"Come on," he took her hand, pulling her out toward the front door. The wind hit them the moment he opened the front door. It had picked up quite a bit since they got home from temple, and at least a foot of snow had collected on the porch.
Bracing herself against the wind, Regina walked across the porch to the steps. She held onto the rail tightly as she cautiously walked down the steps, her high-heeled boots unsteady on the slush covered steps.
When she finally got to the bottom, there was only a small path through the deep snow that her other family members forged when they walked through it.
Turning, she watched tensely as Robin followed her down the steps with her suitcase. As soon as he got close enough she reached out and grabbed it so that he could climb the rest of the way down without having carry anything.
"Locksley!" Drake yelled over the wind, slogging through the snow to meet them as they went toward the nearest car, "I split the luggage between the two cars. The first one is full so you'll have to take the second."
"Yes, Sir," Robin yelled back.
"Ms. Mills, we'll be right in front of you," the older man assured her.
"I'll be fine, Drake," she nodded.
"Alright, let's go!" he turned and jogged, as quickly as he could in the heavy snow, back to the first car.
As Robin opened the back of the SUV to load her suitcase inside, she climbed over to the front seat, pulled off one glove so that she could get a grip on the door handle and climb inside. She had just enough time to get her glove back on and bluck her seatbelt before the driver's side door opened, letting in another gust of wind as Robin climbed in.
He paused a moment to catch his breath before muttering, "Alright, let's go."
Starting up the car, he followed the other SUV away from the cabin and onto the main road. The mountain road was always dark at night, visibility was even more reduced by the snow.
For as short distance, the first car's tail lights were visible as red dots ahead of them but as they drove along the snow picked up until they couldn't see any further than the front bumper.
Leaning forward, Regina squinted into the distance, "I can't see the other car."
"I know," Robin siged.
"Do you think they drove ahead?" she asked.
"I don't know!" he answered shortly, "I can't even see the road!"
"Okay," she muttered, not sure how to answer.
They continued to drive along with Regina sitting in the passenger's seat while Robin drove, gaze focused intensely ahead of them, the only sound permating the silence was the whine of the wipers and they whipped back and forth across the windshield.
Suddenly Robin slammed on the breaks. Regina had only a moment to see the large tree laying fallen across the road as the SUV began to spin. Her hand flew to the overhead bar as the car pitched to the side and began skidding into a snowbank.
They slid for what felt like forever before jolting to a stop.
Regina barely had time to let out the breath she'd been holding before Robin's hands were on her.
"Regina! Are you alright?!" he asked.
"Yes, I'm-"
"Don't move!" he ordered, hands holding her neck in place, "Don't move!"
"Robin?" she asked, glancing over at him.
"Damnit, don't move! If you have a spinal injury you need to stay still!"
"Robin!" she protested, falling quiet as she met his eyes. They were wide with fear as he held tightly onto her.
"Just stay still for minute, okay? I need to check you."
"I'm fine," she said.
"I need to check you," he repeated, as if he hadn't even heard her at all. Moving slowly, he gently rested her head back against the headrest, "Don't move."
She took a breath, watching in concern at how is eyes were still wide and distant as if he were staring through her rather than at her.
Biting down on the end of his winter gloves, he pulled them off and shoved them down into the cupholder. His hands were icy as he felt along her neck to her shoulders, breath fogging between them.
"Robin," she said, reaching up to gently take his hands and forcing him to meet her eyes, "I'm fine."
He let out a breath, finally dropping his gaze.
"Hey," she held onto him, "It's okay. I'm really fine."
They sat together for a few moments as he caught his breath.
Finally, he sat back into the driver's seat and looked around, "Oh...shit."
"Are you alright?" Regina asked.
"Yeah," he breathed, pushing open the driver's side door. Regina followed suit on the passenger's side, "Wait, stay in the car!"
She ignored him, pushing open the door that was already half-blocked with snow and sliding out. She instantly sank into the snow up to her knees.
On the other side of the car she heard Robin groan in frustration, but ignored him as she started climbing to the back.
The ditch they'd slid into was shallow, but it was obvious they'd have no chance of driving the car out.
"Is your phone working?" she yelled to him.
"No signal," he answered, shoving the phone back into his pocket, "Hang on, I'm going to go up to the road and see if I can get a signal up there."
"Okay," she nodded, leaning back against the car and wrapping her coat more tightly around herself.
She watched Robin as he scrambled up the snowbank, trying to keep him in sight but it was difficult with the heavy snow still falling.
She stood against the car with nothing but the whistling wind for company until crunching snow altered her to Robin's return.
"Nothing," he said ruefully as he got back to her, "Even the emergency lines are tied up."
"Shit!" she yelled, "What do we do now?"
He glanced back at the road, "This storm is supposed to continue through the night and into tomorrow morning. That tree won't be the only one down so it'll be awhile before the roads are passable. I think we should hike back to the cabin."
"What?!" she demanded, "Walk back?"
"We didn't get very far," he said, moving past her to open the back of the SUV, "Get whatever you need out of your suitcase and put it my duffle. It'll be easier to carry only one bag."
"Robin, you're crazy!" she argued, "We can't walk back in this!"
"We don't have a choice! If we stay in the car, we'll freeze to death!"
"Arugh! Fine give me a minute!" she answered in frustration and leaned into the back to the SUV to start digging through her suitcase. She transferred her phone charger and a few of her warmest outfits to Robin's duffle bag.
Once she was done he scooped it up over his shoulder and reached behind him to grab her hand and start leading her out of the ditch. Regina ended up having to basically crawl up the snowbank. Once the ground finally leveled out, Robin reached down to help her to her feet.
"Hang onto me!" he yelled over the snow as he began leading them in the opposite direction from the tree blocking the road.
The wind and snow made things slow going for them as they shuffled along what Regina hoped was still the road. She held onto the back to Robin's coat, trusting that he knew where he was going.
Finally he stopped and turned down a slope. Looking up, Regina blinked through the darkness and was relieved to see the cabin in the distance.
Bracing her feet, she crab walked her way down the driveway behind Robin. The snow around the porch was even deeper by now, making the climb up the icy steps difficult.
"Do you still have the key?!" she yelled to Robin at the top.
"Yes!" he answered as he struggled with the door, "Just wait a minute, the door it frozen shut!"
After a few shoves he finally got it open and allowed them to stumble inside. The inside of the cabin was as dark as when they'd left and the air inside was cold.
"Great!" Regina grumbled as she pulled her hat off, "The power is still out! Now what do we do?"
Robin sighed, dropping his duffle bag near the door, "There's some dry firewood in the garage. I'll go get it."
As he door opened and shut behind him, Regina let out a frustrated breath. The snow had gone well above her boots during the hike back, leaving them filled with icy melted water. On numb legs, she shuffled over to the dining room table and pulled her soaked boots off.
Just as she'd gotten them tossed aside, the door opened and closed as Robin walked in with an armful of firewood. Not bothering to stop, he stamped his way into the livingroom and dropped it next to the fireplace.
As he started piling it inside the hearth, Regina rose from the chair and padded up behind him. Snow was caked onto his boots and jeans, and melting off of his shoulders. Crumpling up a loose piece of paper from the kindling basket, he picked up a match and struck it. The flame shook in his hands as he lit the fire.
After building it up to a decent level, he finally sat back onto the floor. Regina could see his hands still shaking near the flames.
Standing up, she moved behind him and tugged on the back of his coat, signaling him to unzip it and let her pull it off.
"I'll make us some tea," she said as she stood up.
She carried his coat over to the coat rack and hung it up, shrugged off her own. Using the flashlight on her phone, she managed to fumble through the drawers to find teabags and a box of matches to light the stove. Luckily, the cabin had a gas tank so the range still worked.
After filling up the kettled and putting it on to boil, she went back over to the front door and dug through Robin's duffle bag until she found a dry pair of socks. Hers were still soaked through with melted snow, so peeling them off was a great relief.
She made it back to the kitchen just as the kettle started to whistle. She brewed two cups and then carried them back over to the fireplace.
"Here," she noted with a frown that Robin's hands still shook a little as he accepted a cup.
"Thank you," he said softly.
She nodded, kneeling down next to him, "Robin are you alright?"
"Yes," he answered, suddenly looking up at her, "What are you? Do you feel dizzy at all? Nauseous?"
"No, I'm fine!" she insisted.
"Okay," he nodded, "Sorry...sorry I yelled at you."
Setting aside her tea, she retrieved a blanket from the sofa and wrapped it around his shoulders. Scooting over next to him she untied the laces on his boots and motioned for him to help her pull them off.
After putting them next to the fire place, she sat back and asked, "What happened back there, Robin?"
He sighed, "I was just worried you might be hurt."
"It was more than that!" she insisted, "You looked like you were a million miles away!"
He stared quietly into his cup before finally answering, "I just...had a flashback."
"A flashback?" she asked, "You mean like post-traumatic stress?"
"Yes," he admitted, "I have a handle on it most of the time but…"
"Well what was it about?" she questioned, "Your parents?"
He looked at her in surprise, so she shrugged, "You mentioned they died in a car accident and with what happened…"
"Yes," he answered, "That is what happened. If something ever happened to you-"
"Well it didn't!" she said forcefully, "I'm alright and what happened wasn't your fault! It was insane out there. You had no way of knowing there would be a tree down!"
He sighed, "I know but…"
She let him trail off before sitting down next to him. He put his tea cup aside and wrapped her tightly in his arms, burying his nose in her hair and taking deep labored breaths.
They sat together in silence, save for the crackling of the fire, until she finally chuckled against his chest.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing," she shook her head, "It's just that earlier today I was thinking how much I wished we could have some time alone!"
He leaned back meeting her eyes. They stared at each other for a few moments before both broke down, laughing off all the stress and anxiety that they'd been carrying since the SUV slid off the road.
When they finally eased back down they glanced back at each other again, coming to a silent agreement and cuddling closer together underneath the blanket, content to just relax in the moment.