My my my, that took a long time! HELLO LOVES!
First, thank you thank you thank you to all of you that have faved, followed and commented! YOU ROCK! Some of you even tagged this story as your favorite OQ fanfic on Twitter yesterday & I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful that makes me feel! Thank you for your support, love, encouragement, and occasional threats to continue this story(;
I wont make this note long as the chapter will speak for itself, however I do have one thing to mention & a person to thank.
- One thing - the rating DOES GO UP in this chapter. (yes I know some of you just got over excited(; ) If you've read the spoilers on Twitter then you know whats coming.. or should I say, who's? (; But I know a few of you don't read M rated works so I tried my best to make it noticeable where "things" begin to happen(; feel free to skip over but don't miss the end! MWAH!
- As always, the BIGGEST of thank you's to the wonderful InquisitiveDreamer. I cannot begin to describe to you all that she does for these stories & for me - you really are the best friend, writing companion & beta a writer could ask for(: cannot wait for our surprise project to be unveiled...
Ruffles
(Ps LucyTheMarauder, Thornspike, pondsapples, katherine.e. , and Kincaid from Twitter - you all got the Tolkein reference correct! HORRAY! Once you're done with this chap make sure to read the note at the end, I have a surprise for you! To My lovely RoseRed - you crack me up! Ha! I shall add you onto this for your valiant attempt at trying (; please read the note as well! MWAH!)
Robin rolled over, the sheets lightly rubbing his bare chest.
He dug his face further into the overly fluffy pillows and sniffed as something tickled his nose. Blinking his eyes opened he smiled when he saw what it was.
Hair.
Her hair to be more exact. It was perfect, the deep chestnut strands sprawled out in loose curls upon the pillows.
Lazily he ran a finger through the soft locks, letting them slide through his hands like butter.
A small smile broke out on his face when he saw her shift in his arms. The early morning sun catching her just right, highlighting her face making her look almost angelic in the soft rays.
He watched in awe as she slept peacefully, her stomach rising up and down with her rhythmic breathing.
His hand moved from her hair down to her sides, tracing her soft curves with his finger.
He couldn't believe he was there. There in her bed. Lying next to her, getting to see her and examine every inch of her in a way very few men ever had the chance to. Or at all.
For a moment Robin found himself wondering just how many men had been granted the privilege of seeing her Majesty in such a way. But he couldn't question it for long as she shifted again, pulling the covers with her as she rolled over, now fully resting on her stomach.
He snorted. She really was a restless sleeper.
That night she had tossed and turned, every few minutes she was in a new position. Kicking the covers, pulling them up and then casting them off again.
He had tried to keep his distance and give her her space, but he couldn't continue to be her punching bag, no matter if she was kicking him unconsciously or not.
Somewhere in the middle of the night he had rolled over, gripping her by the waist and pulling her close. For a moment he had thought she would wake up and throw him out, but she didn't. Instead she stilled, pulling him closer still, tucking her warm body further into his.
He had to hold his breath, as to not let the feeling of her pressed against him completely take over his senses.
He promised her when he had walked her to her room the night before that he would be there to offer her comfort and comfort alone. He knew she did not trust easily, and the fact that she had let him join her was beyond comprehension. He had originally planned on merely walking her to her door. He knew she didn't need him too, but there was something about the sadness that had welled up in her eyes moments before that made him want to do it. It made him never want to let go of her or, for that matter, let her out of his sight ever again.
When they had arrived at her chambers he had reluctantly turned to leave to go back to his room and to his son, however she had reached out, re-grasping the hand that he hand been holding her's with moments before, turning him back to face her. He had been truly surprised. For a moment she just stood there, her eye's scanning his. Deep brown, now hazel in the moonlight, flickering back and forth as if she believed the answers to the questions swirling in her eyes could be found in his. He watched her, not saying anything, just taking her in.
When her eyes stopped moving however, focusing dead center on his, he could tell she had found her answer. Only he wasn't sure what it was.
Suddenly he felt her tug slightly on there entwined hands, she was beginning to back up, and then he understood. She wanted him to join her. With a flick of her wrist, the door behind her opened and Robin felt his heart beat wildly, thank heavens it was chained in by his rib cage! She entered her chambers backwards, pulling him along with her.
Once the doors were shut, she let go of him, releasing his hand from hers.
He knew from the instant that she walked over to her bed, peeling back the covers and crawling in, that she was not asking him to sleep with her. Merely to hold her. To comfort her. To make her 'alright'.
He would respect her wishes if it killed him. He really would.
But she was beyond beautiful. Every part of her held a story. The broken smile, the cut on the back of her leg, the freckle on her chin and the scar above her lip. They were all her, everything, adding together, making the beauty that was this woman. And every part of him was screaming out for her. To hold her, to kiss her, to tell her that she was loved. But not tonight.
She wasn't ready for his feelings, and quite frankly he wasn't sure he was ready to give them a voice.
He knew how he felt. He knew that there was no one out there that made him feel the way she did. Every smile from her, every warm laugh directed at him that started in her belly and bubbled it's way through her throat made him warm on the inside. She made him feel like he was melting and he didn't have the slightest care in the world.
She was truly a vision. Ever since the day that she saved Roland and he had caught himself admiring her for more than just her stunning looks, but for her kind soul, he had known that he felt something for her. Something deep and stronger than anything he had felt for anyone in a very long time.
Or ever, if he was being totally honest with himself.
He wasn't comparing her to Marian. He would never compare her to his first love. Marian was kind and beautiful in her own way, with a heart that could be the size of a thousand men's. But Regina was different.
She hadn't grown up the way Marian had. There had been no one around her that had whispered any goodness into her soul. She had been surrounded by liars and cheats and a mother, who only wanted an obedient daughter to do her biding and was unopposed to using magic to get her way. She had been abused, at least mentally, if not physically, and had watched as her first love died in her arms. She had seen death, she had seen pain and she had been hurt and had hurt others. But she had changed in the years she was in another land, this Storybrooke.
She was different now. Striving to put her past behind her. It had all started with her son Henry, who Robin was dying more and more everyday to meet. From her stories of him he seemed to be a fine young lad. A bit head strong and adventurous, but those were the kind of traits that Robin looked for in any of his men. And Henry seemed to be the perfect balance between his mothers sharp mind and his own free will.
He was just the type of person that he would want Roland hanging around. Almost like a big brother, Robin thought.
And then he had found himself pondering what life could look like if they ever were able to defeat the Wicked Witch and make their way back to the land where they all had been living for the past 28 years.
He saw visions of Roland and Regina playing by a fireplace, all wrapped up in warm clothing as she went to read to him before he fell asleep. He saw mornings waking up with Regina by his side. He saw days spent, just them; Roland, Regina, himself and Henry.
He imagined a small dark haired boy that had the same beautiful wide eyes as his mother. Though he knew that Henry was not hers biologically, as he had garnered through bits and pieces of conversation that he has pieced together through their strings of conversation from the night before. But that didn't seem to affect her love for him. Every time she said his name he watched as a bright smile lit up her face, causing her to look happier than he had seen her in months. The pain and anger in her was gone, erased by the memories of the love that she held for her missing son.
He smiled, shifting in the bed.
In her haste to roll over, she had pulled the blankets causing them to bunched around her waist, exposing a large expanse of soft skin underneath.
He felt her shiver as his hands lazily traced the outline of her silk chemise, following the curve of her hip and running down until it hit the 'v' of her back.
And then he heard it.
It was quiet, whispered. Her face was now turned away from him, so for a moment he thought that he might have imagined it. But then she shifted again, pulling the blankets down further, giving him better access and he knew he hadn't imagined it at all.
"Lower." She had said.
Her voice was dark like chocolate, and her low, sinuous tone did something to his body that he found to be quite pleasurable.
Robin did as he was told. Running his hand down her back, past where her short chemise stopped at her legs, right under her curve of her arse.
He began to massage the area that he knew must be sore from the day before. Kneading and rolling his hands over her skin. He ran them in upwards motions and then downwards ones, making sure to rub every expanse of appropriate skin that he could find, until he heard her again.
"Robin," came her husky voice. It was the closest he had ever heard her voice sound to a beg. Before he could move he felt her hands come up behind her back and pull his downwards until he reached the expanse of flesh that he had been dying to touch, but in an effort to preserve her modesty, had avoided. But it didn't seem like she cared for his chivalry much at the moment for she took his hands and placed then right on her arse.
"There. Harder." We're the only words he got from her.
She didn't need to tell him twice.
He resumed his kneading, grabbing and releasing mounds of her skin. She was so incredibly soft it was almost unbelievable. He found himself wanting to taste her, to see if she could possibly taste as good as she felt. Before he could stop himself, he had rolled over, placing a warm kiss at the 'v' of her back.
He felt her stiffen for a moment before she released a deep breath and relaxed. Then she let out a small moan as his hands traveled up further to massage her and he lost it.
He rolled onto his back, grabbing her and pulling her over until she was half on the bed, half on top of him.
He nearly lost his bearing when he felt her leg slither down his middle, resting between his. Her hands fanned out on his chest, long hair covering her face and his, ticking his skin. He smiled as he felt her breath hit his face and her chest run up against his as she breathed in and out slowly.
She was perfect.
Her scent entranced him. The smell of flowers, much like the ones they had come across in the fields, and apples, the red ones, like the ones in her orchards. She was delectable.
Robin ran his hand up her side, tucking her long strands of hair behind her ears before dropping a kiss on her collar bone.
He could feel her heart beat above him before he heard it. Her skin was warm, glistening slightly in the morning light. She tasted like cinnamon.
He left more and more kisses, making his way down her long neck before he felt her rub up against him. The rotation of her hips against his made him pause. She felt so good, he found himself wishing she were more awake to realize the effect her movements were having on him. When he felt her hands coming up and tugging his hair however, pulling his mouth back down to her, he knew she was fully awake.
He returned to kissing her. Leaving trails of bites and nibbles down her skin causing her to moan lightly. He kissed her like her body was a map and he was getting lost on purpose.
Again he couldn't believe it. He was there, kissing the Queen. The most beautiful woman in all the realms. Making her squirm and moan under his touch alone and she seemed to be encouraging it!
He felt like he was on cloud nine with her warm body in his hands, molding to him as if she were a second skin.
His hands rubbed down her back, pulling her closer still, causing her hips to rotate again. And then she didn't stop. She moved her hips backwards and forwards, lightly grinding on him, making his breath catch in his throat.
She was so graceful in her provocative movements, he found himself needing more.
He ran his hand down and inside of her chemise, tickling right above her thigh.
She took in a sharp breath as he moved them further and further up the inside of her leg.
"Regina," he whispered as his mind finally caught up to him.
The night before he had sworn to himself that he would stay there only to comfort her. To hold her, provide solace for her and help her forget about the sadness that had overtaken her. He had been more than obliged to do anything for the woman that had been the reason for the wide smiles on his son's face - and his own. But now things were different. She wasn't just in his arms anymore, no, now she was on top of him. Now she was tugging at his hands and moaning lightly into his ear and he was trying desperately not to let her effect him like he knew she would until he knew for sure how she felt.
He needed to know. To know what this was to her, to know if she knew what it was that was going on between them. Why it was that he felt so inexplicably drawn to her in such a short amount of time. Why it was that he couldn't seem to get himself to stop touching her, or running his fingers through her hair, even if he wanted himself to. He wasn't sure if she knew how he felt, but he knew he did. He knew that he felt strongly for her and that he wanted nothing more than to show her. But he wouldn't go any further, not without her say so.
He was about to voice his thoughts but before he could she cut him off, giving him the answer to the question he had yet to ask, that he needed.
"Robin, don't stop."
Her hands came down to his, guiding them further under her slip until they reached the inside of her thigh, right at the apex of her legs.
"Just touch me."
Robin felt his eyes fly open. Hers were on his, the dark brown in the orbs glowing with desire.
She wanted him, that much he could see.
Robin felt his breath catch in his throat and when she rotated her hips again, causing his hand to slip slightly upward and ghost over her sex, he realized something about her Majesty.
She wore no undergarments! Well, at least not to bed!
Robin felt waves of heat break out all over his body and his mind went blank, his questions from before faded from view as he hardened substantially under her, running a finger through her wet folds.
Regina moaned and he did it again, applying more pressure to the sensitive bundle of nerves when she asked.
She was beautiful, her face completely scrunched up in what he could only describe as intense pleasure. She was rocking against him causing his fingers to slip in again, burying them deeper into her folds, but not into her.
When he applied a second finger, rubbing circles around her clit, she let out a higher sound, gasping as she fell towards him, their bodies now touching completely.
He could feel her breasts rubbing up against his chest deliciously through the silken fabric. However, the fact that he couldn't feel them fully or bring one into his mouth was annoying him, and with each rock, they would slide over him, her hardened nipples driving him crazy through the thin chemise.
He flipped them over, opening her thighs and coming to rest between her legs.
She gasped and Robin watched as her Majesty's eyes fluttered open.
They were dark, no traces of the warm hazel color that he was used to left in them. She looked like she was over the moon with the lust in her eyes and Robin couldn't help but lose himself to her.
He lowered his head, dropping kissing down her neck until he reached the lace covered top of her chemise. He stopped there, taking his time to drop his head low and pepper her skin with dozens of small kisses along the clothing line, just atop of her breasts.
She squirmed under him, her hands running through his hair and gripping to keep him there.
When he had kissed all the way across her top he smiled, pulling his head back in order to look at her.
Her eyes connected to his in an instant. They were wide, dark. He could see the flush forming on her cheeks.
"Robin?" She questioned.
He knew how he felt and he knew what she needed. She had laid herself out to him the night before telling him about herself as he held her. He knew she needed to unwind. She needed to feel safe and protected and comforted. There were things she had held back from him, he could tell, but he knew in this moment she just needed to be held. She needed to be loved. And that was what he was going to do. For a moment he just stared back at her, trying to convey those feelings to her through his eyes and then he spoke.
"Regina, I want to pleasure you until I have you seeing starts, screaming my name, begging for more."
The blush that crawled up the woman's skin and landed on her face, reddening brightly on her cheeks, tipped him off that she thought very highly of that particular idea.
"Well then," she began and Robin watched as the Queen's eyes danced, sparkling with a mischief that intrigued him, "What are you waiting for?"
xxx
She had never felt more desired.
With every strained whisper he gave her a new name. Goddess. Lovely. Beautiful. Divine. Perfection.
With every kiss he told her that he adored her. Further and further she melted into him. If he didn't stop she was surely going to become no more than a puddle of emotions.
But she didn't want him to. She never wanted him to ever.
She needed more.
She would always need more.
More of him.
More of him in her, loving her tenderly.
And then it hit her.
That was it, that was why this was different.
He was loving her.
He wasn't just having sex with her. He was holding her, caressing her, kissing her softly and slowly, taking his time, making sure to take care of her, loving her.
Because he loved her?
Regina's breath caught in her throat.
She felt his fingers dust over her sides as he found the silk of her chemise, making her body shiver in anticipation. His touch was so light, so tender. He was loving her like she was the most delicate treasure in all the worlds and he would protect her at any cost. His fingers brushed along her hips, grasping the thin silken material where it lay pooled at her thighs. He slid the chemise up slowly, revealing her bare skin inch by glorious inch, as if she was a work of art to beautiful to be unveiled too quickly. She felt the silk rise up, fluttering across her stomach, tickling at her torso, and then sliding over her breasts. She heard him release a breath as her breasts were exposed to him. Her eyes fluttered open just enough to catch a glimpse of him staring at her, mouth open, eyes wide, panting slightly. His eyes were soft, but intense, something sparkling in the deep blue as they flickered over her.
He was admiring her.
Regina felt her face flush and her mouth go dry as her mind spun. No one had ever looked like that at her before. She wondered the thoughts that were going through his head to make him look so, but before she could answer herself he moved and she felt the warmth of his lips on her skin, leaving hungry, wet kisses in their wake, and her mind went blank.
Regina trembled, writhing underneath the man that was making her feel so extraordinary as he made his way down between the valley of her breasts and beyond. He stopped only when he reached her navel. Taking a moment, letting his lips linger there, his tongue tracing patterns over her warm flesh. His stubble brushed her bare skin lightly as he moved lower, kissing the lowest possible point of her stomach, before coming back up and claiming one of her breasts for his own.
Regina shivered letting out a small gasp as his tongue swirled around the exposed nipple, feeling warmth pooling down below.
She could barely breathe.
She had never felt like this before. Nothing had ever made her feel the way he was. Like she was beautiful. Wondrous. Loved.
He was here, there and everywhere, all at once. Arms encircling her, holding her close, his warm mouth sending tingles over her heated skin, waking up every single one of her nerve endings, like magic. She felt herself melting more and more into him.
Softly and slowly, she felt him rock his hips. He wasn't inside her yet, so all she could feel was his length sliding over her, making her heartbeat sky-rocket. She could feel his breath on her neck as his stubble lightly caressed her bare skin. He trailed one hand down her side, his fingers almost tickling her as they ghosted over the sensitive flesh of her rib cage. His other hand, finding hers, holding on and interweaving his fingers with hers as he slid through her folds once again, making her back arch in anticipation.
He was going so slowly, focusing solely on bringing her pleasure, and Regina writhed underneath him. His lips once again found hers, kissing her deeply, stealing her breath away.
He kissed her like she was the sweetest thing he had ever had the privilege to taste and Regina felt her heart flutter wildly in her chest. His tongue ran over her lips, exploring her mouth, mixing intoxicatingly with hers before breaking away.
She could feel his heartbeat soaring, matching hers. 'He loves you,' a voice whispered in her head and that made her mind go blank again.
She felt his hand tighten around hers, pulling her back into consciousness and she ran her free one threw his hair and down his back in order to grip him. Pulling him closer she felt his heartbeat speeding up as his hot breath hit her neck.
He was waiting.
Waiting for her permission.
For her permission to enter, to take her.
In that moment Regina couldn't think of anything she could have ever wanted more.
She pulled on his hair, digging her nails into his scalp, lifting her lips up to his ear and whispering.
"Robin." She said, her words coming out in breathy pants, "Take me."
It all happened in an instant.
His breath caught, the rocking of his hips stilling until all movement between them came to a complete stop. Regina felt her heart clench, her eyes flickering open. There was a moment and his eyes were on hers, deep blue melting into chocolate brown. He was staring at her, taking her in and then, in a heartbeat, he slid into her before she could draw another breath.
It was slow, so utterly slow it could have been classed as torture. She swore she could feel her eyes rolling back in her head as he slid out slightly, giving her time to adjust to him before coming in again, this time filling her completely.
She moaned, oh God did she moan, as she felt herself expanding and then tightening, automatically pulling him in, deeper.
Her mind went blank, her ability to breathe completely gone. All she could do was lie there, basking in the sensations of him inside of her.
Waves of pleasure rippled through her body and Regina felt the hand that was in his hair clench so tightly that she was almost positive she was drawing blood. Well, she would be that is, if she could think straight, but at the moment she could not think at all. There was nothing. Nothing going on in her mind other that the feel of him. In her. Connected to her. Filling her.
He seemed to be lost too, reveling in the sensations of pure pleasure that were taking over his body, like hers.
She wasn't sure where he ended and she began. All she knew was that it was good.
Better than good.
Amazing, incredible, electric, intense, unique, exquisite, warm, tender. No words seemed to be able to describe it! It was like there was a part of her that had been missing up until now, that was now found, because of him.
It was the best feeling she had ever felt.
He made her feel whole, warm, cherished, cared for, desired, wanted, loved.
A moment passed before she felt her breathing begin to return to her. Shivers were still running through her whole being and she opened her eyes. He seemed to have experienced a similar phenomenon for his arms around her had tightened, eyes squeezed shut, jaw slacked and mouth open, panting. He seemed to be lost in a state of heightened euphoria.
Her heart was pounding against her chest so hard, just from the look on his face that she would have sworn it was about to light up and explode. That was it, she thought, No more waiting.
She needed him.
Regina tightened the hand that she had in his, squeezing their interlocked fingers and she began to move.
Slowly but surely she thrust her hips up, meeting him and inviting him in. Taking pleasure in the feeling of being totally and completely surrounded by him.
She wanted him everywhere.
His scent invaded her nose and, with every upward thrust, she became more and more enraptured by him.
Her hips began to rock faster, the slickness between her legs allowing her to move quicker and glide over him. Her hands roamed down to his backside, fingers threading through his hair by their own accord and she tugged passionately on his neck. Her nails clawed the toned muscles of his back and that seemed to do it.
Robin's eyes opened. He blinked once and then finally, finally, he met her thrust.
Regina's mouth dropped open.
The feeling of them connected together was beyond her wildest dream. He thrust into her again and this time she felt her body go limp.
She dropped, letting her backside rest against the mattress under her, more than happy to let him take over. And that he did.
He thrust into her, faster and faster, his throbbing length hitting spots inside of her that she didn't even know existed until that moment.
There was nothing in her world other than him
He moved and she felt her legs come up as if it was the most natural thing in the world, wrapping around him easily, pulling him in, deeper. Her mouth was open, strangled cries of pleasure bursting from her vocal chords and spilling out over her lips and into his ear.
She was close. So very close.
His body rubbed against hers deliciously. The feeling of his sweat slicked skin brushing up against her nipples as she arched her back made her moan.
The moment that she felt his free hand coming around her side, sliding down the damp length of her body, she lost it.
He hadn't even touched her yet, but the fact that she knew it was coming, combined with the heavy rocking of his body, made her cry out in anticipation.
His hand made it's way down her hips, ghosting across the skin of her lower abdomen and between the point of their conjoined bodies. And then... then.
He touched her and she was gone.
The sensation started in her core. It radiated through her body, sparking across her chest and surging through her abdomen. It made it's way through her like lightning, running down her sides once and back up again before strangling in her vocal chords and Regina threw her head back as it burst out, of her throat.
Intense pleasure hit her so hard that, for a moment, she all but lost her mind.
There was nothing, nothing but him. Nothing but him, in her, coming with her and diving head first with her into a sea of utter oblivion.
She wasn't aware she was doing it until she heard herself calling out his name as she came undone around him, feeling him release himself inside her.
If she could think straight she might have realized the depths of the feelings the he had just brought out in her. But she couldn't.
She couldn't breath, she couldn't think. The only thing that was currently tethering her to the world was the hand of hers that he still held in his. His intertwined fingers squeezed tight as waves of pleasure took over her body.
She didn't even feel him picking her up and rolling her over so that she could rest on top of him once again while kissing her forehead lightly and whispering into her ear.
No, her mind was blank, her hearing gone. All she could see was stars.
xxx
The sun hung high in the sky when when Regina finally woke again, it's rays softly kissing her bare skin.
Her body felt loose, relaxed; finally free of the stress that had been bogging her down and creating pressure knots in her shoulders ever since she had arrived back in the Enchanted Forest.
For the first time in a long, long time, she felt like she could breathe again.
She held no fear or worry about tomorrow. Her concerns about the Wicked Witch, the welfare of the kingdom, and her constant thoughts about Henry had subsided. It was not that she would ever stop thinking about her son, no, it was just that they usual sting of sadness that was associated with his name had receded.
She had no room for it.
Her mind had been completely consumed up by something else - someone else. A small little boy that made her heart smile, and his father that made her feel like she was magic.
The image of adorably dimpled cheeks and curly hair made it's way into her consciousness. The only thoughts running through her mind were the words the little boy with the dimples had whispered in her ear the day before.
Roland had ran up to her the moment he had seen her and had begun to tell her of his dreams. He told her that he had dreamt of her and her magical lights, and of them playing in the fields with the horses. He explained that in his dream he, she, and Robin had been riding down a path, much like the one they had been on that day, when suddenly, it all changed. No longer were the trees on the path lush and green like those of the forest, they had grown tall and become thicker and denser. The three of them were no longer in the fields that surrounded her castle either, according to him they had been transported to another forest, in another space and time. Regina smiled as she watched him use his small hands to symbolize the travel through time.
He told her of the odd clothes that he was dressed in and the funny coat that his Daddy was wearing. His voice cracked as he giggled. Apparently she too was clad in a long white dress that that shimmered and glowed like it had been made out of stars. He chattered on, describing the incredible foliage that had surrounded them, down to the exact shades and colors of the beautiful flowers that lined the path they were standing on and Regina smiled. Listening to the small boys imagination warmed her heart. He reminded her immensely of her son at that age and she found herself becoming lost in her own sea of thoughts.
Memories of Henry flitted through her mind. Images of tucking him in at night and reading him stories before going to bed. Her smile widened when she remembered waking him up in the mornings and listening to him as he told her all about his dreams as she got him dressed and ready for school.
Those had always been her favorite moments, spending time together, just the two of them. Henry had always had a wild imagination, much like the boy she now held in her arms. She had always wondered what his life would have been like had their been a male presence in it. Not one by the likes of Graham, but a father figure of sorts. It had been a personal sadness of hers. She had wanted that so badly, and not just for Henry, but herself as well.
Her life in Storybrooke had been unfulfilling, to say the least. She had started over, creating a new identity herself and procuring a clean slate, but she had had nothing and no one. Not until Henry.
He had been her pride and joy and she had done her best to give him the very best life that she could, but she had always felt like she had failed him, at least in the area of a family.
For a moment she let her mind wander, letting herself imagine what it would be like if he were there. Living with her, in the Enchanted Forest. They could start over. She could make up for the mistakes that she had made in his childhood and maybe she could give him a family. Well, that would be if she could find a family.
At the sound of whispers in her ear she realized that Roland had continued on without her, describing in detail all of the pretty colors of the flowers that were adorning the ground, and apparently her hair as well, but she wasn't listening. She was to lost in her own thoughts, thinking of her son and the family he had never had. She felt herself begin to wallow in her own regrets for a minute before she realized that she did have family. It had found her when she wasn't even looking, in the form of this little boy and his father. Unbeknownst to her it had just come wrapped up in a dimpled package. For a moment Regina felt her heart begin race so fast she was afraid it might burst.
It wasn't until Roland mentioned the appearance of his brother in his dream that she found herself stopping her train of thought about Henry and focusing back on him. Regina felt her eyebrows raise.
She had never heard mention of any brother before. From what little she knew about the small boy from their time spent together, he had lived in the Enchanted Forest all of his life, growing up under the veil of the woods. She knew his mother had died when he was very young, leaving only his father and no doubt the rest of his band of Merry Men, to raise him. But neither he nor his papa had ever mentioned the presence of another boy. A brother no less. Regina wondered for a moment if something had happened to this said brother but, as if Roland could read her mind, he went on to say that he had never met the other boy before, he had only ever seen him in his dreams.
The Queen felt her eyebrows furrow.
She wasn't sure then whether this so called brother was a real person or imaginary but as the small boy continued on she felt her mind begin to wander, imagining what the brother of the little boy in her arms would look like.
According to Roland he had light brown hair and wide smile. He too was wearing an peculiar outfit, holding a small bouquet of orange and yellow flowers in his hands. Everything about him seemed simple enough that he could have been a figment made up in a child's imagination, but it was the way that he described his eyes that made her doubt.
Unlike the deep brown of his own, this boys eyes were different. They weren't exactly green nor blue, but rather caught somewhere in-between. It was the picture of the pale blue that circled their rims, mimicking a cloudless morning sky, and centers made of the darkest forest green that made her pause. But it was the flecks of brown that he said were sprinkled throughout the irises, deep and dark like soil, that caught Regina's attention.
The Queen instantly shot her head back, feeling her mouth drop open as she snapped around finding wide brown eyes staring back at her. She examined the small boy in her arms looking at her intensely.
Those eyes, she would know their description anywhere. She had always said that the hidden flecks in Henry's eyes made them looked like the earth after a rainstorm. With the illustration from Roland she knew, this wasn't made up.
Henry had been the other boy in Roland's dream.
Regina had nearly gasped as the realization hit.
Roland knew of Henry? But how?!
She had never mentioned Henry to him before but it didn't change the fact that he had just described him in perfect detail as if he had known him his whole life. Regina felt her eyes widen as she realized that inner midst of his confession he had also referred to Henry as his brother.
His brother! The Queen felt her brain spin.
Thoughts rushed through her mind so rapidly that she found herself temporarily petrified to the spot.
Roland dreamed of Henry as his brother? But that would mean... No...that would mean she and Robin... that would mean they would have had to... they would have gotten...
Regina's heart stopped.
No, it couldn't be. Could it? Regina closed her eyes for a moment. She began to put the pieces together, her mind weaving in all of the things that the small boy had said. The funny outfits, the white dress, Henry, the flowers. Had Roland dreamed of her and Robin getting married?
Regina opened her eyes and they immediately found his. Roland was still smiling, looking at her deeply with his big brown eyes, as if they could see straight into her soul. Once again, as if he could hear through the hailstorm that were her thoughts, he put his hands on her arms and then nodded.
The Queen felt her breath catch.
She could still remember the feeling of her heart beating thunderously inside her chest. Roland's words had quite literally stolen her breath away. She knew that Robin had seen her shock as she was sure it had been written quite clearly on her face, but if he had been curious about what Roland had said he hadn't questioned, and for that she was thankful. She knew it was only the dreams of a child but it had rocked her to her core. The look in the dimpled boys eyes and the conviction with which he had told it to her made her feel like it was something more. And then there was the matter of how he knew about Henry.
Was it a premonition or had Roland in fact seen the future? A future in which she and Robin would be married?
She had thought she had felt something much akin to magic rush through her as Roland's hands made contact with her skin but Regina shook her head. The idea crazy, absurd, preposterous even. How could Roland have seen the future? A future that involved her, Robin and Henry no less. But if she was honest with herself, the idea had thrilled her just as much as it scared her. But she couldn't let her mind wander there. No. The thief couldn't possibly feel for her like that. Right? They had only just kissed.
But there was the strong connection that she felt to him.
She didn't know when it had started or how, but she knew it was there. Hidden, buried down deep, within her soul. The moment Robin had touched her, brushing her hair behind her ear she had felt it. It was like a spark. A spark that had produced a flame and ended up lighting an entire forest fire.
She found herself unable to get enough of the thief. Everything about him was intoxicating to her. They way he looked at her, touched her, held her, and kissed her deeply.
It was like they had jumped past all of the beginning relationship "getting to know you" stages and fallen into an intimacy with which she was not sure she could ever recover.
She craved him. Next to her. Around her. In her. Kissing her.
Just being with her.
He seemed to bring out a side in her that she didn't know existed and after the night that she had just spent wrapped up in his arms, and the morning he had spent 'loving' her, she thought different. The idea of a future with him didn't scare her anymore. It excited her.
If what Roland had dreamed was truly a vision then it was one that she was okay to see pass.
Regina could feel her heart beating away languidly in her chest as a small smile begin to stretch it's way onto on her face.
She inhaled deeply through her nose letting the air fill up her lungs as she rolled over in her bed, in search of the warmth that she had become accustomed to in such a short amount of time only to be greeted by the coldness of her sheets.
Regina stopped moving, her eyes fluttering open.
Rays of light streamed in through the thin curtains that draped over her balcony and hit her eyes, sprouting up hundreds of little purple and black tinged spots that blurred her vision momentarily. But she didn't need her eye sight to know what had happened. There was a shift in the air, she could feel it.
There was no longer a warm body lying next to hers. No strong arms encircling her waist, holding her close. No fingers running through her hair, drawing patterns down her back. No warm breath on her neck. No matching heart beat, beating away comfortingly under her ear.
There was only silence.
Regina turned her head to the side, willing away the emotions that she could feel beginning to stir up inside of her, making her sick to her stomach as they threatened to come up. She couldn't believe it. Just as she let herself begin to believe in the possibility of hope. Just as she was beginning feel the walls around her heart starting to crumble. Just as her mind was beginning to open to the possibility that she might actually be able to find love again, all was swept away. Shattered onto the floor in a million pieces and in an instant everything was crushed.
He was gone.
so now that you hate me(; a few shoutouts!
joyndoug97 - you were right! MWAH!
willow141 & Emily Williams & fand09m & hevelinchris - hello lovely twitter Ruffletes! thank you for your adorable comments! MWAH!
katherine. e. r. ward - I hope this fulfilled your "super hot, sexy" loving scenes requirement(; and yes I agree, Robin does adore her... it just Regina who needs to figure that out(; MWAH!
Thornspike - I can't remember if I responded to your request in a DM or not so I will respond here to. YES! Oh I love love love that idea! Both actually! I shall do my best to add them! Thank you! MWAH!
OutlawQueen2012 - Well then I love you! Ha! Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed! MWAH!
LucyTheMarauder - Oh you! You already know what I thought of your review but I bares repeating - you are the funniest person alive(; Here are your s'mores! Can I be ringleader in your circus now?! MWAH! p.s. ID says Hi! (;
pt159 & pondsapples - Thank you lovelies! You make my day! MWAH!
lexi. pink. 96 - haha thank you so much! I hope you are still living after this! more to come! MWAH!
Maryoncer - Oh my goodness you crack me up! Haha, thank you for leaving a review on every chapter! DOUBLE MWAH! you are also the only person to mention the tattoo... I actually have a special plan for that(; Good catch! MWAH!
andrea & Guest - Thank you lovelies! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! MWAH!
(To all of my Tolkien reference winners - HELLO! Congratulations on getting the reference! I was impressed so I saved something big for you! There is a chapter coming up in this fic, I cannot disclose which yet, but I need your help with it! I need you to choose something ... Does Roland remember or does he not? I know this question is vague - Sadly it has to be, but your answer is huge! Pick either one and leave me your answer in the comments! MWAH!)