A/N: Thanks to everyone who has been so kind and left me a review, it really does make what I do more enjoyable. Also in response to the guest reviewer on Chapter 4, thank you for your review and to answer your question, I aim to start updating the rest of my work over the next couple of weeks. I am finishing up my 1st year of university and only really have the time to work on one story at a time. Also, I am now accepting prompts over on my Tumblr (same username as on here) so if you have any don't hesitate to ask.
It was the mouth-watering smell of her Aunt's famous pancakes that had woken Robin the next morning. Her back was killing her, having slept in a sitting position leaning against the couch, but as Robin looked down at the sleeping girl, who was now rested in her lap, she knew that the pain was worth it and that she'd happily endure said pain every day for the rest of her life if it meant waking up to Alice in her arms every morning.
"Look's like someone has finally risen from the dead." Robin did her best not jump at the sound of her Mother's hushed whisper from behind. With a beet red face, Robin begrudging removed herself from Alice's hold without waking the blonde girl. As Robin stood, she couldn't help but smile as Alice rolled over and grabbed a nearby pillow to replace the brunette.
"Morning sleeping beauty…" Regina smirked at Robin as she made her way into the kitchen. "Pancakes?"
"Yes please, I'm starving…" Robin ducked her head slightly as she caught the knowing glances her Mother and Aunt were sending each other. "We fell asleep before I had a chance to make something to eat, it's quite a long journey from Alice's hut." Robin felt the need to explain herself as she cut her pancakes into biteable pieces.
"Ah yes, our guest…I was surprised to find you two here last night…" Zelena smirked, making Robin nearly choke on her pancake.
"Yeah, I didn't realize that you two had gotten so close…" Regina chimed in as she smirked behind her mug of coffee.
"It was freezing at her hut, I couldn't have just left her there…I was hoping that you could let her stay until the snow clears up?" Robin practically begged her Mom.
"Of course, she can stay sweetheart…I had a funny feeling that the arrow she had was yours when I ran into that day in the forest…but then I thought to myself, no it can't be. If my daughter had met a cute blonde that would run blindly through the forest for her, she would have told me…so I think you have some explaining to do missy, or would you rather wait until your little friend has woken up?" Zelena smiled wickedly, as she reached over and stole a piece of Robin's breakfast. Sighing Robin began to fill her Mother and Aunt in on everything that had happened: their first meeting as children, the troll, escaping the mob, the paint incident, and their unplanned sleepover.
"That's quite the tale…I can't believe you left her locked up in a cell! You might have gotten your Father's aim, but you certainly didn't get his charm." Regina joked with the unamused brunette.
"Yeah…not my finest moment, that's for sure. But it worked out in the end…sort of." Robin let her head fall onto the countertop in frustration, she had always been very open with both her Mother and Aunt, so filling them in on her recent love-life dilemma hadn't been awkward or painful.
"Wait so you're saying that you two aren't together? Robin dear, what are you waiting for? From the sounds of it, you two are clearly quite smitten for each other. And from what I saw last night, you make a cute pair." Zelena placed her hand on top of Robin's, as the brunette glanced over to the sleeping girl.
"Alice has never had a friend before, what if that's all this is to her? How would she know that friends don't normally spend the night holding each other like that?" Robin vented her worst fears, as Regina moved around the table to hug her niece.
"That could be the case, which is all the more reason why you should talk to her Robin! I know it's scary and I know that you are worried that you might lose her altogether…but take it from someone who lost the person that they loved…the risk, if it pays off, is worth all the fear and all the pain." Regina gently rubbed the girls back, as Robin breathed deeply, planning her next move in her mind.
"Go and bring this to Alice, tell her that she's staying until the snow clears and then spend the day together…then, then you can decide what you want to do." Zelena practically shoved a plate stacked with pancakes into Robin's hands as Regina pushed her gently in the direction of the sleeping girl. As Robin walked over hesitantly, the two women made their way up the stairs, hoping that their absence would calm the brunette's nerves slightly. Setting the plate aside, Robin sat down on the ground once again and began to shake the blonde girl gently.
"Alice…Alice, it's time to wake up." Robin cooed as she moved blonde locks out of the woman's face, making the blonde begin to stir slightly.
"I don't wanna eat the cookie…" Alice mumbled as she rolled over to cuddle with Robin once again.
"How about some pancakes instead then?" Robin giggled as she ran her fingers through blonde locks.
"Mmmm, yummy," Alice mumbled against Robin's stomach sending vibrations throughout the Archer's whole body.
"Alice, if you wake up you can have all the pancakes you like." Robin led down to whisper directly into the blonde's ear.
"Promise?" Alice asked, sounding much clearer this time, signaling to the brunette that she was now awake.
"Yep, but if you're asleep I'll just have to eat them all myself...pity, they are really yummy too." Robin teased as she stared down at the blonde, who slowing opened her eyes and looked up at Robin's green ones.
"If there aren't really any pancakes, I'm going to be very upset." Alice smiled sheepishly as she sat up from her resting place and began to stretch.
"Here…" Robin couldn't help but smile as Alice's face lit up at the sight of the stack of pancakes. "Eat up!"
"Thanks, Nobin." Alice leaned over and kissed the brunette's cheek just as she had the night before, only this time Alice got to see the furious blush that appeared on Robin's face afterward.
"Well, actually it was my Aunt Regina who made them…like always I'm only the delivery girl." Robin nervously played with the end of her messy braid as Alice dug into her plate of food. "Pancakes aren't very common around here, have you had them before?" Robin asked.
"My Papa used to make them for me in the tower…only his weren't as nice as these ones and he always smothered mine in marmalade." Alice smiled sadly.
"I'm sorry…I know what will cheer you up! My Mom said that you can stay here until the snow has cleared, which won't be for another couple of days at least!" Robin jumped slightly she told the blonde the news.
"I don't want to be any trouble…" Alice started but was quickly cut by a familiar voice coming from the small staircase next to the kitchen.
"Don't be silly dear! Any friend of Robin's is welcome to stay as long as they want." Zelena smiled sweetly at the blonde. "It's good to see you again dear." The redhead smirked before taking a seat on a small armchair next to the fire.
"Thanks, it's good to see you again too Mrs. Mills." Alice spoke nervously, since this was her first-time meeting Robin's mother as Robin's mother, instead of just some woman in the forest.
"We'll have none of that, it's Zelena."
"You have a lovely home…Zelena." Alice blushed as she went back to nibbling on her breakfast.
"I like her…" Zelena smirked at Robin who shot daggers at her Mom. "So, what do you girls have planned for today?"
"I was thinking that maybe we could go for a walk? Or I could give you the tour of all the animals?" Robin suggested earning an excited nod from Alice.
"Well, don't be going too far. There is another snow storm on its way." Zelena left the girls alone once again as she headed into the kitchen to clean up while she waited for Regina to finish getting ready. "Oh, and Robin. Regina and I need to head into town to pick up a few things for dinner, is there anything you two would like?"
"I think we're all good Mom…oh wait. I'll be right back." Robin quickly jogged over to her Mother and pretended to look in her snack cupboard.
"I think you have enough snacks dear, you still want to fit into those pants of yours, don't you?" Zelena teased.
"I didn't want to ask in front of Alice…do you think you could get me a jar of marmalade? Alice mentioned it earlier…" Robin blushed as she whispered to her Mother, who couldn't help but shake her head at her lovestruck daughter.
"Talk. To. Her!"
"I will…eventually. Can you get it, please?" Robin begged.
"I'll add it to my list." Zelena shook her head as her daughter skipped back to Alice.
Wrapped up in warm clothes the two girls made their way around the farm, Alice linked her arm with Robin's as the brunette introduced her to all the animals. At first, the blonde had been afraid to get too close to the creatures, but after Robin had shown her that they were all quite friendly, Alice had enjoyed petting them.
"So, what's next?" Alice asked as they exited the last of the animal pens and linked her arm through Robin's.
"I don't know, that's up to you…what is something you've always wanted to do?" Robin asked as she led the blonde to the snow-covered porch swing, brushing it off Robin pulled them both down to sit on the cold surface. As the cold overtook the blonde's body, Alice found herself moving closer to Robin's heat.
"My Papa told me about this thing that he did when he was a child. Papa and his brother built a man made from snow! Have you ever done that?" Alice asked excitedly as Robin smiled brightly at the girl's innocence.
"Once or twice…but I've never made one with you! Let's get started!"
As the girls got started on their snowman, down the road the Mill's sisters were engaged in an important conversation regarding the archer.
"Are you sure we did the right thing? Leaving them alone?" Regina asked nervously as used her magic to clear them a path.
"I trust Robin, she knows the house rules…and I don't think that Robin will even have the courage to tell Alice how she feels, let alone anything else." Zelena replied as she almost slipped on a small area of ice that Regina had missed.
"They are young and clearly have some sort of feelings for each other, a blind person could see that. You remember what it's like at that age, courage or not, I don't believe that they are going to spend the day playing with the animals."
"Like it or not Sis, she's not a little girl anymore. If something happens while we are gone…then something happens. But, like a said…Robin knows better, she's had girlfriends in the past, but I've never seen her look at someone the way she looks at Alice…I think she's fallen hard for this one."
"I agree…oh god, she really isn't a baby anymore." Regina stopped in her tracks as she turned to hug her sister. "Our little girl is all grown up and she's falling in love with a pirate's daughter."
"You forgot that Alice is also the daughter of a crazy witch…." Zelena added as she broke the hug and pushed her sister slightly.
"True…but so is Robin." Regina skipped away, leaving a dumbstruck Zelena behind.
"I feel like he's missing something…" Alice mumbled as she drummed her fingers on her chin in thought. They had just spent the better part of an hour crafting a giant snowman, he had thick branch arms, coal eyes and smile, a carrot nose and even an old scarf that Robin's Mom had bought last Christmas, but the brunette never wore.
"He's got everything I can think of," Robin added as she took a step back to admire their creation, Robin hadn't made a snowman in years and this one was by far the biggest and also her favorite.
"I've got it! A name, we haven't named him yet!" Alice jumped slightly, clapping her hands together like a seal Robin had seen at the zoo once.
"Alrighty then. What should we name him…or her?" Robin asked as she stared at the blonde in front of her.
"I get to name him?" Alice mumbled wide-eyed and excited.
"Of course, this is your first snow…person…and I've named a few before." Robin reached out and rubbed her gloved hand up and down the blonde's cloak covered back, sending shivers throughout Alice's body.
"I have the perfect name! We should name him Nobin!" Alice teased, making the smile fade from Robin's face.
"Seriously?" She asked in fake anger.
"Don't you like it? I was going to name him Robin, but since you're Robin then he can be the new Robin." Alice began to explain as she turned to fully face the brunette, gently Alice wrapped her arm around Robin's waist, pulling the taller girl in for a hug. "And I think things might get confusing if I had two people to call Robin…and I know how much you dislike when I call you Nobin, so that title now belongs to him!" Alice lay her head in the crook of the now frozen brunette, who didn't know whether to embrace the blonde tightly or push her away and finally have the talk with her.
"Nobin the Snowman…I like it, Tower Girl." Robin whispered against the side of Alice's face as they slowly began to rock in each other's arms.
"I like this…" Alice mumbled as her grip tightened.
"Me too…although I can't feel my feet anymore. Why don't we head inside and get warmed up?" Robin gently pushed them apart, instantly she felt bad as she noticed the small pout creeping onto Alice's face.
"Robin…" Alice started as the two made their way back to the house.
"Hmm?" Robin responded, her mind thinking about the talk she was preparing herself to have with Alice, thinking about how she would miss the feel of the woman in her arms if it went badly.
"How come you don't have a true love?" It was the type of question you would have expected a child to come off with, one you could simply brush off and ignore. But coming from Alice's mouth, it made Robin nervous.
"I-um…I guess I just haven't met the right person yet." Robin frowned, chickening out from telling her that she thought her true love was standing right next to her, in the form of her best and well only friend.
"I'm sure you've must have met somebody that's caught your eye?" Alice pried more as they entered the house. Shyly Robin shook her head no, as she hung their cloaks up to dry by the fire. "Not even back home? No dashing prince's tickle your fancy?" Alice smiled, swallowing the lump of jealousy stuck in her throat.
"I've dated a few g-people…but nothing serious, no." Robin was embarrassed, how was she supposed to come off as this undefeatable archer, if she couldn't even admit to her friend that it wasn't boys or prince's she was interested in. "Do you wanna go and relax in my room? I'm sure the two witches will be home soon." Robin nervously kicked the air as Alice smiled brightly at her, making a mental note that she thought she almost heard Robin say girls instead of people.
"Lead the way…"
Once settled in the room, Robin closed the door behind before sitting on the desk chair, while Alice sat on the edge of Robin's bed taking in her surroundings. The room itself was quite plain, almost like a guest room, the walls were a plain green colour, the desk was empty apart from a broken arrow that Robin had been meaning to fix, there were two spare bows sat against a wooden wardrobe and the magical box that Robin had shown Alice in the cell lay at the top of her bed.
"What about you?" Robin broke the silence, tearing Alice's attention away from the room and back to the green-eyed girl.
"Huh?"
"Has anyone caught your eye?" Robin subconsciously started to pick at her nails, something she only did when she was super nervous.
"There is someone…I met him on one of my adventures." Alice's heart broke as she saw the look on Robin's face when she said him. But little did the archer know, that she was only doing this to make sure that her suspicions were right before she made her next move.
"Oh, what's he like?" Robin put on a fake smile as she slouched down in her chair.
"At first, he was a bit of an arse…but after a while, he showed me who he really was…he's the sweetest and most caring person I've met. His smile is infectious and when he laughs…" Alice paused as she stood to walk over to Robin, stopping to lean against the desk. "It can make even the darkest days bright again."
"Sounds almost too good to be true," Robin mumbled, hoping that she was right, that Alice hadn't really met someone.
"She is…" Alice whispered, as she stared lovingly at Robin, who in her moping had failed to hear what the girl had said.
"Well, I hope that he makes you happy Alice…you deserve every bit of happiness you can get." Robin stood and pulled the smaller girl into her arms, inhaling her as she did so.
"Robin…"
"Girls! Come and help us with the shopping!" Zelena's voice interrupted the blonde before she had a chance to set things straight.
"Coming Mom…" Robin shouted back, as she broke free from the hug. "Come on Tower Girl, let's go see what goodies Mother dearest has brought us!" Robin plastered her face in another one of her fake smiles, before practically dragging Alice down the stairs. All the while, Alice was internally fighting with herself for not coming clean to Robin sooner and letting the brunette believe that she fancied some boy, instead of her. She needed to fix this before she lost Robin for good, but how could she do it without making herself out to be some sort of liar and meanie? The next chance she got, she had to come clean…before she had dug herself into a hole, she was too short to climb out of.