No Regrets Chapter 2
Operation Arrowspath, part 1
1 month later
"Regina"
"Robin!" She threw herself into his arms. They kissed with joy and passion.
"I need to ask you to do something."
"Anything."
"Go to the Enchanted Forest and bring Roland back here. I want him to be raised by you, grow up with his sister and Henry. He misses all of you."
"You can see him?"
"Yes, but he can't see me, except like this."
"So you really are here? This isn't just a dream?"
"I am. When you brought my heart here, I wasn't trapped in it anymore. You made me safe. I've been trying to do this for a while. Afraid I'm not practiced at magic so I'm not that good. Roland probably thinks he's just dreaming of me." Robin said sadly.
"I had some dreams this past month." Regina lightly blushes but her eyes danced with amusement.
Robin smirked. "I'd hoped that would open the link, but I suppose, as always with us, it's about timing."
She leaned into his embrace, but looked up at him sadly. "I tried to open the portal but I couldn't. Not even my sister could reopen it."
"Things have changed since then."
"You mean Zelena being dead? Was she blocking the portal?"
"I don't know. But I can travel between since you brought me here, and I can feel it's open for you now. Especially with what's different now."
"Your daughter, she's here with me."
"That's part of it."
"She already has magic? Like my sister did, even as a baby. I sensed it, but thought my mind was playing tricks on me."
"She's linked to both you and Roland by blood."
"So if I can get the portal open I can link to her and we can locate Roland."
"There's more, my love." The earlier smirk had transformed to a full on smile.
"What? You're being as cryptic as Gold. Stop it."
He laughed and relented. "You're pregnant. I can feel her presence the same as I can Roland and my other daughter. I can see her soul too; it's not quite tethered yet. She can see me too."
"I'm pregnant? How? I did a curse, years ago. I told you. "
"I don't know, Regina. But she is there."
"She? You know it's a girl?"
"Oh yes. She has magic now, think that's why her spirit is aware. I don't know if she will when she's born or if it will come later."
"Like with me."
"Yes."
"How much have you seen thats happened here?"
"About you?"
"Yes"
"Most, I think. It's hard to keep track of time like this."
"Robin. Gold told me there's been a curse on my family, for a long time. All those terrible things that happened to us, to me, after I decided to break free of the darkness- it wasn't all from my sister, my mother, and Gold. There's something that doesn't want me to break free from the darkness, something that impelled my headlong plunge into the deepest darkness. It's going to threaten both our girls if I don't stop it. But I can't find the answer here. I think have to come back to the Enchanted Forest anyway. Come back to where the curse was cast. I think the answer is there."
"I'll do anything I can to help you. Bring me along."
"Bring your heart?"
"Yes. I want to stay close by your side. I think I can help more if I am."
"You might need to be. If we're all in the Enchanted Forest and you're left here it might trap you here. But I can't bear to lose you, even if this is all we'll ever have."
He kissed her gently and gazed deep into her eyes. "You won't lose me. My soul is safe now. But no matter what happens, we will always be soulmates, I will always be with you, and I will love you with every fiber of my being."
Regina packed the next morning, using one of Henry's old backpacks. The plain faded blue canvas backpack had been replaced with the new one she bought him each year. With all the uproar of the past several months she hadn't made her usual thrift store donation, and the garbage bag full of Henry's old things still sat in her closet; many discarded now not because he was tired of them, but that he had outgrown them, her little prince was growing up so fast...
Quickly shutting off that thought before melancholy could take hold, she went into action: putting Robin's heart box, one of Roland's favorite left behind toys, a spell box filled with baby supplies, and with a quirk of a smile, the Robin Hood collection tales. She had given it to Robin, soon after their relationship had begun. He had left in her bedroom when he returned from that New York disaster. She'd found the forgotten letter to her that he'd written and stuck in the book, the day after the wake. The letter now lay in her nightstand drawer, reread every night. But now she had this with Robin, the letter could become just a memento, like page 23.
She decided to tell everyone at once, just before she left. She couldn't tell them everything, magic town or not, they'd think she was certifiable. Poor Regina driven around the bend by grief…
"You can't be serious Regina? Going to the Enchanted Forest alone with a baby?" Emma looked at Regina like she'd lost her mind.
"It'll be a quick trip there and back. I told you, the baby is going along because she's tied to Robin. I know a spell that can locate Roland through that."
"Fine. But let us come along."
"No. This needs to be just the baby and me. It's that kind of..." she smiled over at Henry, who had been surprisingly supportive, "operation." Mother and son shared a grin.
"Operation Arrowspath" Henry nodded. "Mom, I want you to take this along with you."
"Your I-Phone, why?"
"I won't beg you to go along, but you'll have a part of me with you."
"Oh Henry." Regina awkwardly hugged her son from the side, the baby's sling carrier preventing a full embrace. While their heads were close together Henry whispered "I'm the author now, I'll be making sure you're okay for everyone. "
Regina nodded "Okay." She stepped back and quickly wiped her tears away, Henry solemnly handed her his I-Phone.
"Regina, at least take another magic user with you, like your friend Tinkerbelle." Snow begged.
Regina shook her head no. But Snow's suggestion had been unusually perceptive. The fairy was the one person she had considered asking to come along. She indeed had her magic back, and she knew more about Robin and Regina's history than most. Plus Regina trusted her. But no. She wouldn't ask anyone along on this journey, not even Tinkerbelle. She knew this was one that had to be done alone. Finding Roland was just the start. The more perilous part, breaking this curse, would be something only she could do. She hadn't told anyone about that, it was between her and Robin alone.
Emma, Henry and Snow stood behind her in her back yard. Regina stood beside her apple tree with the wand in her hand.
With a flourish she opened the portal. It worked! She grinned at the cheer from Henry. Regina glanced back once, waved, then stepped through the portal.
