MISSING YEAR!
Everyone is worried and overreacting a little bit too much.
Since the day they returned to the Enchanted Forest, Snow doesn't leave Regina alone. Every morning and evening she comes to check-up on her and during the day she usually is never alone, there is Charming or Show or someone else from the castle with her because they're afraid that she'll turn into Evil Queen again and then hurt them of herself. They think that she's fallen into depression, that she's a sick woman.
And perhaps they're right but she won't admit it.
It's the day like any other when Regina is walking through the woods in silence with Snow. Usually they walk like that because Regina is deep in thoughts or she just teases Snow about everything until she gets annoyed and stops talking.
And today is no exception. But after a few hours of walking in silence Snow White decides that it's time to quit it.
"You can't be like this," Snow starts and Regina rolls her eyes – she's really not in the mood for hope speeches, but before the Queen can protest, Snow continues, "You have to move on. You have to find someone to love again, Regina,"
She doesn't answer because she knows that her answer would be harsh and probably hurt Snow and she doesn't want that, at least not now. But she also can't get out of her mind Snow's words. Snow would probably leave Regina alone if she would fall in love and then she could be free again. But Regina could never do it, not now, not ever.
But then an idea hits her. She could fake a relationship, of course she could. She wouldn't need to fall in love, open up or get attached to someone, it would be just a simply agreement.
A huge grin spreads across Regina's face as she praises herself for such good ideas. A fake relationship, why hasn't she thought about it before? It could help her solve the majority of her problems.
Regina turns to Snow and finds her looking at her with confusion written all over her face. Mood swings are usual for Regina but still Snow looks curiously at her, as if she feels something is different this time.
It's such a reckless decision, Regina knows that, she should think more about this fake relationship thing, but she can't stop herself from shocking Snow, so with a deep breath in, she says, "Perhaps I've found someone already,"
Snow gasps in surprise making Regina grin again because good, that's exactly what she wanted: to shock Snow, to make her believe that she's moved on, that there's no need to check up on her every single hour.
Snow quickly recovers and looks at Regina curiously making Regina roll her eyes again because Snow wants to know every single detail like all those years ago. But this time, Regina can't and won't say anything because at first she needs to make things up in her mind.
"Who's the lucky one?" Snow asks and Regina shakes her head disapprovingly. It seems like decades of pain haven't changed Snow at all. She's still that annoying curious kid.
"I won't tell you,"
"Robin Hood?" Snow asks raising an eyebrow. She and others from the castle have seen so called sexual tension between the two of them. Some inhabitants of the castle even made a bet that it won't take two months until the Queen and the Outlaw will start something like a relationship.
Regina smiles a little because yes, Robin would suit this role very well but he would never agree to help her. But she will ask him, of course she will.
"Perhaps," She finally answers shrugging her shoulders.
She then turns back to Snow, whose eyes are wide opened and she's obviously waiting for information but Regina just smiles a small smile and then it disappears from her face, her eyes lose their light and darken with hurt again.
Regina doesn't even need to say anything, Snow gets the hint: she doesn't want to talk anymore. And Snow respects her space, so the rest of the way ladies walk in silence.
Regina is deep in her thoughts again but this time Henry isn't the only thing on her mind. There's this new agreement which seems so crazy and stupid but so unique at the same time. Henry would love it. He would find it funny, very funny, and would give it a silly name and he would be more than willing to help Regina.
But he's not here. He's away, in another land, with no memory of her.
Her heart clenches as a small tear runs down Regina's cheek but she quickly wipes it away before faking another smile.
Once they're back in the castle and Snow goes to talk with Charming, Regina rushes to see Robin. She's sure that Snow or Charming, or both of them will definitely ask Robin about his relationship with the Queen and Robin would ruin everything because he has no idea about it at all.
She knocks on his chambers' door one time – usually she never knocks because it's her castle and she's the Queen, she can walk wherever she wants but this time she has to be nice if she wants him to agree to her crazy agreement, so she tries – but gets no answer. She should probably knock one more time but instead she opens the door and walks in.
The chambers are empty. It's a surprise that Robin's not there but Roland's not there as well, so they're probably together in the woods having fun or whatever they like to do together.
It's almost dinner time, he should come back soon anyway, she thinks, so she decides to wait for him in his chambers.
Turning on her hell, she looks around his chambers. He doesn't have many things, she notes, but then her eyes catch dirty clothes on the floor - he's really a savage man - and she rolls her eyes.
She then walks to the bed and smiles when she sees a monkey toy which she gave to Roland a few weeks ago laying in the middle of the bed. She likes the boy a lot, and he seems to like her too, and she has to admit that sometimes, when she feels really really bad, the boy helps her to forget about the cutting pain in her chest.
She turns to the nightstand and finds a small green medallion laying there. It's not expensive or very beautiful but it's obviously important if he has it on his nightstand.
She picks it up to take a closer look but-.
"What are you doing here?" The voice startles her and the medallion drops from her hands.
She quickly picks it up and places it in its previous place before turning around and apologizing.
"I'm sorr-" She says as she faces Robin but then gasps in shock when she finds him standing with just a towel wrapped around his waist. For a moment it reminds her of Storybrooke, of another land where people used to do things like that but then she shakes her head, covers her eyes with her hands and says, "Do you have a habit of walking around naked?"
"Well, it's my chambers, I can do whatever I want,"
She nods her head because yes, he's right, she's the intruder here, so she turns around and says, "Dress up, we need to talk,"
She hears Robin laugh behind her but she concentrates on the wall, she doesn't want to see his half-naked body again. Once again, she curses herself for coming here, he won't agree anyway, she's just wasting her time but she's already there, she has to ask him.
"Okay, we can talk now," Robin says after a moment making her turn around and face him again. "So, what does the Queen need?"
"I need your help," She announces and Robin raises an eyebrow at her – she has never asked his help, damn, she has never asked anyone to help her. Regina wants to roll her eyes but she's the one asking for help, she needs to be polite or at least tries to be so she inhales and continues, "I need you to pretend that you're my boyfriend,"
Robin looks at her but then he starts laughing because it's ridiculous. Evil Queen wants him to be her boyfriend? He laughs again, louder this time, but then his eyes meet hers and the look she's giving to him makes him stop completely. She's serious, deadly serious. If the looks could kill, he would be dead by now.
"What?" He asks looking at her in disbelief.
"I won't tell you twice," She groans and puts her hands in her hair, desperately. She really didn't need to come here, it was a stupid thing to do.
But now Robin's looking seriously at her. He probably is considering the positive and negative sides of the deal, and she should've done it too but it's already too late, isn't it? S
"And what do I get out of this?" He asks, the smirk is back on his face.
It's such a simple question but she doesn't find the answer. She thinks and thinks and thinks but nothing seems right. She could offer him security or money but he wouldn't take it, so she just shrugs and says, "You'd help me a lot,"
It seems to suit him because he nods his head but then that annoying smirk is on his face again.
"Will I be able to kiss you?" He asks and she rises her hand up but he catches it before she can slap him. She looks at him again, her eyes piercing through him.
"No," She hisses because never in her life she would let a thief kiss her. Nope, not gonna happen.
"Then I don't agree." He says making her frown.
She looks at him for a moment but then waves her hand in a dismissive way and turns around to leave, it was such a stupid idea, damn, why was she so stupid and thought that he'd agree, but he grabs her by the wrist again and stops her.
"I'm kidding," He pulls her hand making her turn around and face him again. She's surprised when she meets his face again, the smirk is changed by a small smile which looks sincere. "Of course, I agree," he says to her and she smiles a little.
They agree to do it for six months, she thinks that such period will be enough to convince Snow and others that she has moved on and there's no need to worry about her anymore, check up on her every single hour.
And so the farce begins.
"I hear steps," Robin announces to Regina on their way to the hall where they're having a meeting with others about Zelena and her deadly threats the next morning. Robin pulls Regina's hand until they're standing nose to nose making her eyes widen and she's shaking her heads because he can't do it but his hand in already in her hair and he's pulling her closer.
And then he kisses her. It's not a simple peck as she's hoped, he really kisses her. Regina's first instinct is to push him away, to curse him and turn him into a frog or other awful thing but then there's a gasp which stops her. She even kisses him back, letting one of her hands wrap around his neck.
Robin pulls away from Regina and his hand travels down from her hair to her side. Her eyes open slowly and she finds him smirking again, she almost raises her hand to slap him but stops herself and manages a small tight smile before turning to Snow, who's standing beside them.
"So you two are really together," Snow asks but it sounds more like a statement which Robin answers with a grin, pulling Regina even closer. Snow grins then looking at the two of them because she's happy, Regina needs someone like Robin, someone, who could tease her and not be afraid of her threats, but then her grin disappears and she looks at them, shaking her head, "But you know, there are kids in the castle," Snow says and Robin nods his head because Snow is right, Roland can find them and it would be really difficult to explain him what they were doing.
"We'll be more careful next time," Robin says and turns to Regina sending her a smile. She wants to push him away again, tell him there won't be a next time, there won't be anything, it's over between them but Snow is looking at them with adoration in her eyes, so Regina just smiles back and turns to Snow.
If it means that she will get her freedom back, she can suffer for a bit.
One night, when Regina is laying in bed, thinking about Henry as always, the door creak snaps her out of the thoughts.
She hears steps but doesn't even bother to look up who come to see her at such late time without knocking. It's obviously Snow.
Regina pulls the blanket over her head (she knows she's acting like a child) and hopes that Snow will leave her alone without a long and annoying speech about faith.
But then suddenly the bed shifts and Regina gasps in surprise, almost jumps from the bed, and lifts her wrist in the air for magic use, the spell already on her lips but then in the dark she manages make out that it's ….Robin Hood. Her jaw drops open as she stares at him but he doesn't seem to mind her reaction because he's pulling a blanket over himself and laying on her bed.
"What are you doing here?" She shout-whispers at him as her wrist which was just a few moments ago was sparkling with magic falls down on her chest as she inhales, exhales and inhales again and then does it for a few more times before she calms down completely.
"Well, since I'm your boyfriend, so I thought it would be nice to sleep with my girlfriend," he says as if it's not a bit deal.
"What? No" She exclaims before she slaps him on the shoulder. A sharp sound echoes in the room as her palm meets his bare shoulder making Regina almost instantly move away. If his shoulder is bare, it means he's shirtless. Oh God, suddenly she feels so happy that it's dark in the room.
She shakes her head at him, she's not sure he can see it through the dark but she does it anyway, and then tries to pull the blanket away from him, to push him out of the bed but he tugs her hand and she collapses on his chest.
She tries to move away from him but he wraps his arm around her waist, keeping her close to him. She squirms but he quickly pulls the blanket over them and whispers in her ear, "Shh, someone is coming,"
And then the door creaks again and Regina freezes, stops fighting completely, she even lays her head on his shoulder, her breath stuck in her throat.
The room lights up by the candlelight and then there's a familiar gasp.
Snow found them.
Good. Very good.
The candle almost drops from Snow's hands as Regina turns over her shoulder looking at Snow, trying to act confused.
"What are you doing here?" She asks, her voice hoarse.
"I… I'm sorry I didn't know you have company," Snow rushes the words out and then she turns around and walks out of the room and shutting the door behind herself without even saying a 'good night'.
Regina looks at the door confused for a moment because it's strange, usually Snow is brave and a man is Regina's bed shouldn't bother her at all but then it hits her like a wrecking ball. She's laying on Robin's chest, her breathing is harsh and laboured, her voice hoarse from shouting.
Snow thinks they are having sex.
And suddenly Regina starts laughing.
Really laughing.
She pulls away from Robin and curls up into a ball on the bed as the tears of laughter start streaming down her face. The whole room is filled with her laugh and Robin looks at her inquired but then she manages to say, "She thinks we're having sex," and Robin joins her laughing.
They stay like that for a few minutes, laughing together, but then Regina stops, the smile disappears from her face and she looks at him serious.
"Get out of my bed," She says and pushes him on the shoulder but he doesn't even more an inch.
"I think I deserve a night in a Queen's bed, don't I?" He asks raising an eyebrow at her, making her groan in anger.
It's her agreement, her fake relationship, her deal but Robin is the one setting the rules, it seems. And it annoys her a lot but as long as he's helping, she can suffer for a bit. So with a deep calming exhale, she pulls a blanket from him, covers herself with it and inhales.
"You sleep in your side and don't even try to touch me," She hisses the words out before rolling over on the side turning her back to him.
He stays still for a moment but then he pulls the blanket away from her just enough to cover himself and lies back down. He watches her, even though she's facing away from him, it's enough for him, he could watch her sleeping figure all night, he really would but sleep wins and his eyes close unwillingly.
Snow doesn't come to check up on her the next morning.
Regina is sitting in her chambers with her diary opened in front of her – she started writing it again a while ago – but this time she's not writing. She's thinking.
Two months have passed since she started a fake relationship with Robin and this thing has been haunting her for days now, this new feeling, this new side of her which is showing up more and more with each passing day.
Since the day she started her agreement with Robin Hood everything's changed. The more time she spends with him, the better she feels. His sassiness and deadly jokes makes her feel alive again, and for a few moments, for a few nanoseconds, she feels herself again.
Of course, she still cries herself to sleep almost every single night and her nightmares haven't got any better but she smiles more during a day and sometimes she even laughs, and it's sincere, she doesn't need to fake it.
She feels better. She doesn't want to kill every single person in the castle anymore, and her so called depression seems to get better as well. She doesn't think of Henry as much as she used to, of course, he's still always on her mind but at least the thought of him doesn't make her cry anymore.
And she realizes that they don't need to pretend anymore. Snow hasn't come since that night when she's found them together in bed and she finally got her freedom back but somehow Regina likes having him around because with him she doesn't have time to be sad and let those thoughts sink into her head.
So she decides that it wouldn't hurt if they pretend for a little bit longer than needed…
"Six months are over," Robin announces as he enters Regina's chambers one morning.
She turns around and looks at him confused for a moment, she's forgotten about the agreement, about six months, because time with Robin flew unnoticed, but then she recovers and looks at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Were you counting days?" She asks and Robin nods his head but there's a smirk on his face and she laughs at him before becoming serious again. "Yes," She agrees to his previous statement and takes a step closer to him. "But it doesn't mean this," She waves her hand between them, "has to end between us,"
"Oh," He laughs a little. "Snow wasn't checking up on you since that night, right?" He asks. Regina could lie but there are no lies between them anymore because this uncertain thing is becoming serious between them so she nods her head answering his question. Robin smirks again and she shakes her head disapprovingly but he asks anyway, "So, you like me around?"
She slaps him on the shoulder and rolls her eyes because she won't admit it to him, not now anyway. She takes a deep breath and then says something sincere, "I just don't think about sad things when you're around,"
He nods his head with a small smile playing on his lips. They stay in silence for a while, just looking into each other's eyes and holding each other's hand until Regina leans over just a little bit and suggests, "Would you agree to pretend a little bit longer?"
Robin's surprised for a moment but he recovers quickly and grins again. "Perhaps we don't need to pretend anymore?" He asks leaning over so their lips are almost touching. His arms find their way around her waist and he's pulling her close.
She looks into his eyes, smiles a little and then leans over, inhales and says, "perhaps," before she presses her lips to his.
And who would have thought that this crazy fake relationship could help them find love and happiness?
Feedback is always appreciated!