Author's Note: I am so sorry for the huge time between this update and last. In the time between, I've been working on a few other projects, as well as working at my job and spending quality time with my child. Sleep is fit in there somewhere. I have read every review, and loved all the favorites and follows I've gotten though. I have indeed seen every single one, and I thank you all. They mean so much to me. Do keep on the lookout for new stories that will be more than one-shots. They're coming soon. For now, I give you this, my next installment of Seeds of the Pomegranate. It's a smaller chapter to move the story along, but we will be getting more in depth with the next chapters. Thanks, and enjoy.
Life after that night was deceptively calm. Days melted into weeks, and soon enough, nearly a month from Rhiannon's birth had passed. Zelena had seemed to disappear into the very air surrounding Storybrooke; we couldn't see her, but we could all feel her, waiting for the moment when we would slip up, leave Robin or the baby unprotected.
We were all determined not to let that happen. Robin was never alone now- he had moved from Granny's and into, of all places, Emma's little house, with the Charmings and Belle switching off in shifts. I had set up wards to keep the place protected, and had even sat a few times during the evening hours with Robin and his children, watching him interact with his daughter, Roland curled up against my lap, and my hand buried in his curls, lightly stroking them as he fell asleep. Robin would sometimes meet my eyes, looking at me with a burning gaze of his own, the yearning making something in my gut clench. I could never hold his gaze, and would avert my eyes to anywhere else; Roland, my own lap, sometimes a phone, in the hopes that someone had tried to contact me. Mother would say I was being cowardly, and perhaps I was, but this wasn't the time nor the place for talks or looks. I was an outsider bearing witness to these tender, hushed moments; an interloper with no real business being here, protection or not. I wasn't deluded enough to believe that this was for his sole benefit, and while I was uncomfortable at times with the knowledge that I was denying the both of us what we so desperately needed, as selfish as it was, I knew I had to count the blessing that those looks were even still there in the first place.
He never asked me to leave, and things between us were not so uncomfortable that I was prompted to turn tail and run on my own. We were still soulmates, after all, and my heart felt... warmer, more alive, simply by being in his presence, regardless of what was going on between us. Robin never pushed me with conversation, and I never made it a point to ask just what he wanted me to do, or how much was too much. I simply treasured what I saw, the calmness and quiet joy I felt, and held the memories close to me, in case I never got to experience this little family again.
Gold had somehow used a ritual that had siphoned the darkness from Emma, until she once again resumed her role of savior, none the worse for wear. Gold had taken up position in his shop once more, brazenly flaunting his regained power. Belle was troubled. The few times I had seen the young woman, it was more than obvious. Betrayal lay cloaked over her, heavy and burdensome, and the hurt in her eyes would have been noticed by a blind man. But, she didn't complain. She knew what she was in, I suppose, and what was the use in complaining when nothing would come of it?
She had gone to him, along with Snow and David and Emma, had asked for his help in protecting Robin. I hadn't gone. It was pointless to ask him for any help, and I didn't want one of his deals anyway, even if he was open to assisting anyone that wasn't himself. I wasn't surprised when they came back without the assistance of the Dark One.
Summer was fast approaching an end. It seemed like the seasons flashed by terrifyingly quickly. Leaves were beginning to yellow, and there was a bite to the air. The Maine breeze ruffled my hair and I shivered lightly, trying to pull the collar of my jacket closer to my neck to keep the chill out. This season had always been my favorite. In the Enchanted Forest, the Harvest was always the most impressive. Trees blazed golden and red, beautiful in their last months of life before the snows took them for a season. Their rebirth was also beautiful, but there was something about knowing what was coming for them, about knowing what would happen, that made this time even more breathtaking.
There was beauty in tragedy; death was compelling.
Jeeze, Regina. You're just brimming with happy thoughts lately.
I needed to get home. The sun was beginning to go down, and I'd promised I'd watch Neal for Snow and David while they sat with Robin tonight.
Something made me look up, some undefinable force that left me no choice, though I wouldn't recognize that for some time. I'd chalked it up to chance. There, across the street, was a man, his eyes boring into me, as if he was... angry, or in pain. At the very least, the look was intense, and set me instantly on edge. I glared unhappily- I had never before noticed this man, though, as I'd once told Emma, Storybrooke was bigger than anyone realized. That seemed to include the Mayor. Even still. The man had bright eyes, high cheekbones, an almost... regal air around him. He would have made an impressive royal.
That still didn't explain the very rude staring he was doing. After another moment, I turned away, shrugging off his attention, and continued on my way. There was no way he didn't know who I was. Everyone knew the Evil Queen. Even as I walked briskly away, I felt his stare in my back- still felt it, even as I knew I was out of his line of vision. Once, I even checked behind me to make sure I wasn't being followed, but... nothing. I was obviously being a fool. Like anyone was a threat to me anyway.
Even though I knew there was no danger, I felt that stare long into the night, and long after Neal had been put down to sleep. Eventually, I fell into a restless sleep that had me tossing and turning on the threadbare sofa in the Charming loft. I woke up unable to sleep in the small hours of the morning, feeling a sense of dread like I had never before felt, and knew something was wrong.
The vomiting started just as the long fingers of dawn began creeping up the sky.