Meant to Be Yours

by grayautumnsky13

On a weekend trip to New York City, Regina Mills finds a little boy named Henry living on the street after running away from an abusive foster home.

24. Chapter 24

She tried to pretend that she was alright; and she tried to pretend that nothing was wrong.

She made an excuse for her late arrival at the elementary, forcing a smile onto her lips as Robin pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. For awhile, they'd leaned against the fence at the playground, watching as the boys swung higher and higher, jumping off into the sand before comparing their distances, and all the while she felt Robin's eyes on her–and all the while she insisted that she was fine.

But she wasn't.

The whole way back to the elementary school, her hands had been stuffed into her pockets, her fingers folded tightly around the note as her mind reeled. As she walked she couldn't help but feel like everyone was watching her–watching her and remembering all the horrendous things she'd done, watching her and plotting their revenge. There'd been a time when none of that would have bothered her, when she knew that no matter what wrath they threw at her, she could throw back worse. There'd been a time she had no shortage of defenses–most of them magical– and even if those defenses had failed, even if she'd found herself in defeated, she's not sure it would have mattered. The consequences were hers and hers alone, the prices hers to pay.

Sucking in a breath, she reaches for a red pepper, trying not to think about how different things are now, or how she feels like she has a purpose and a reason to live or how that raises the stakes. Slicing into the pepper, she tries not to think about how her internal struggle to do the right thing has become increasingly easier since Henry came into her life and she tries not to think about how much–

Damn it.

Looking down, she winces, watching as blood beads at the side of her finger–and for a split second, all she can do is stare at it.

"Oh, my god, Regina," Robin voice calls out, bringing her back into the present moment. "You cut yourself."

"What?"

"You're bleeding," he replies, his voice piquing with concern.

She feels herself nod as she looks down at the little gash on her finger. "I just… nicked it," she replies, forcing a smile. "It's nothing."

"It's not nothing," he counters, reaching for her hand–and an involuntary little laugh escapes her as he takes her hand, carefully holding her cut finger above her head. "Come on…"

"Robin, I'm sure I can just rinse…"

"No," he cuts in. "You can't just rinse it off."

She sighs and he leads her into the bathroom, pointing to the toilet as he releases her hand. Her eyes roll as she sits, watching as he fishes a first-aid kit from the cabinet and then crouches down in front of her. A little grin pulls onto her lips as she watches him wipe away the still-pooling blood and blot it with a little piece of gauze.

"A bandaid would…"

"…not be sufficient," he says absently as he reaches for a tube of antibiotic cream and a q-tip, and her bottom lip catches between her teeth as she gently touches the q-tip to her cut. "It's deeper than you think."

"I think that's the problem," she murmurs as he wipes away the excess. "I wasn't thinking at all."

"Oh, I don't know about that."

"No?"

"No," he tells her as he reaches for a thick band-aid and pulls back the paper wrapping. "You seemed quite lost in thought." Taking a breath, she concedes with a nod and he wraps the a fresh piece of gauze around her finger, securing it with medical tape. "You've been distracted since you got to the elementary school."

"I… guess that's true."

Grinning, his eyes momentarily meet hers. "You don't have to tell me, but… it might help."

He looks away, giving her hand a quick little squeeze before standing and returning the first-aid kit to the cabinet.

"Someone… knows," she quietly admits in voice that's barely audible.

"Knows what?"

"Someone knows who I am… who I really am," she murmurs, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the note. "They don't suspect or having inexplicable flashes of memories… they know." Swallowing hard, she holds the note out to him as he turns back to her with a creased brow. "It could be anyone." Regina watches as Robin unfolds the note, and she feels the knot in her stomach tightening as she watches as his eyes read over the single line of text. "It was there when I got home, and…" Momentarily her voice trails off and her eyes press closed. "What if Henry had been home? What if he'd seen the note? What if…"

"Regina, don't do that to yourself."

"It's a reasonable worry."

"It is reasonable, but it didn't happen."

"It could happen again or worse, what if whoever wrote that note approached us? What if…"

Crouching down in front of her, he rubs his hands over her knees and up her thighs. "It's okay."

"It's not though," she tells him, her voice cracking slightly as she feels her jaw starting to tremble. "Robin, none of this is okay." Shaking her head, she sucks in a breath. "I still haven't figured out how to tell him, I just know that I need to be the one to do it."

"Then we'll just have to figure it out," he says simply.

A soft grin tugs up from the corner of her mouth. "How are you so calm about this?"

"One of us has to be," he says, squeezing her knee. "Besides, things happen when they're supposed to, so maybe it's just time."

"Maybe. I just wish I knew who sent the damn note, that way I could…" A grin twists onto Robin's lips as he squeezes her knees again. "What?"

"You've got that… murdery little glint in your eye."

Her eyebrow arches. "Excuse me?"

"That look you get when you want to tear someone to shreds…"

"I didn't realize there was a look."

"Oh, there's a look all right, but I don't think this note is… all bad." Robin's grin widens as her eyes narrow. "I mean, look, it says your mother would be disappointed, right?"

Regina bristles. "Robin, I don't see what…"

"You're obviously doing something right," he cuts in. "Because–please correct me if I'm wrong–your mother was about as heartless as they come."

"No pun intended…"

"Regina, is this person is saying that your mother would be disappointed, that means you are doing something very right… something good, something that would only disappoint your mother or…"

"Someone who thought like her."

"Exactly," he nods, offering her an adorable victorious smile. "That narrows it down a bit, yeah?"

Regina nods and sighs, her heartbeat quickening as the knot in her stomach once more tightens as she considers the only viable option in Storybrooke. "It does… unfortunately."

Robin winks as he pushes himself up, dropping a quick peck on her lips. "So, how about this," he begins a he stands. "We forget about making dinner and we order a couple of pizzas. We can get the little, personal-sized ones with all sorts of different toppings and a big antipasto salad, and those breadsticks that are smothered in parmesan cheese and melted butter that you pretend to hate…"

A grin tugs up at the corner of her mouth. "Those things are a heart attack waiting to happen."

"Should I not get them, then?"

Regina's eyes roll and she shakes her head. "Don't you dare even consider that. I need comfort food."

"I'd never," he murmurs, turning back to her and tugging her up and wrapping his arms around her hips as her arms instinctively form around his neck. "It's going to work out…"

"You seem so sure."

"I am."

She nods, not quite believing him. "I was really hoping that the epic fairytale love of Snow White and Prince Charming could save the day."

"Who knows. Maybe it will… or maybe you need to make a little magic of your own."

She looks curiously at him as her head tips to the side. "What exactly are you suggesting?"

"I don't know, really," he admits. "But we'll figure this out."

"We?"

"Yeah," he nods. "You and me, we're in this together."

Nodding, she wants to believe him and she wants to believe that things will just sort themselves out. Yet every day she knows they're losing time, every day brings them closer to the curse resetting, and every day threatens to destroy the future she so desperately wants–a future her son deserves.

It's late when she steps out of the shower. She towel-dries her hair and runs a comb through it, feeling far too lazy to actually blow it dry and deciding to just deal with the mess of curls the next morning. She slips into a pair of Robin's boxer shorts and pulls on a tank top, and when she steps out of his bed room, he's grinning at her from the couch.

"You're still up…"

"I am," he nods, reaching to the end table beside him and then holding out a beer to her. "I couldn't sleep."

"I'm rubbing off on you."

He chuckles softly and shrugs. "The boys are dead asleep. I went in to check on them and, Henry is unphased by Roland's snoring." He shakes his head. "It's amazing how much noise can come out of something so small."

"I believe that's the definition of a food coma," she says, sitting down on the couch beside him and curling her legs beneath herself as she takes the beer.

Robin takes a breath, then turns his head to look at her. "Did the shower help?"

"A little…"

"So, no…"

She nods. "I just keep thinking about that note and someone telling Henry before I find a way and…" She sighs and takes a long sip of the beer. "And I still can't figure out a way to tell him who I really am without sounding… completely crazy."

"Ease him into it…"

"And how do you suppose I do that? Start by telling him I murdered someone once then, slowly increase the body count?" Her eyebrow arches. "Go from tentative guilt to psychotic euphoria, then serve up some cookies before bed?"

"Okay," he murmurs, taking in a breath. "You need a distraction."

"Or a time machine."

"Well, I can't give you that, but I can distract you."

"You think?"

He nods as a grin twists onto my lips. "I could tell you about that date I had with Mary Margaret Blanchard."

Regina's eyes wide and she feels a grin tugging up from the corner of her mouth. "So, you're going to kiss and tell?"

"Oh, no, no, there was no kissing."

"Not even a little peck?" She asks, trying to stifle a giggle bubbling up in her chest. "Not even a little kiss goodnight?"

"No, nothing like that, but I did walk away with some peanut butter blossoms."

Regina's smile fades as her brow arches. "She baked for you? Was it… good?"

"I don't know," Robin laughs. "I was too afraid to eat them. I thought she might have… spiked them. She was acting… very odd."

Regina snorts and takes a sip of the beer. "Tell me more."

"Okay," he says, a smile twisting onto his lips. "Well, I was telling John about things woman I'd seen through the window–dark hair and sassy, wearing a gray coat with a blue scarf… and a few days later, a woman with dark hair in gray coat a blue scarf came into the store, and John… thought he was doing me a favor."

"Gray coat and a blue scarf, hm?"

"It was you."

"I gathered…"

"Well, when I got to her apartment, I realized the mistake and figure… how bad could it be?" She grins and he laughs and shakes his head. "When I arrived, she let me in and apologized for the mess. She'd been doing some spring cleaning and… there were little stuffed animals all over the place."

"Stuffed animals…"

"Birds and little woodland creatures mostly," he said with a nod as she bites down on her lip. "Those little ones with the foam beads in them…"

"Beanie babies," she supplies as her eyes widen.

"Yes, those, and I made a comment about my son having the same little stuffed woodchuck, and…" He shakes his head and takes a sip of his beer. "And she told me she couldn't wait to be a parent."

"On a first date…"

"On a first meeting."

"That's worse," Regina says, as a smile pulls onto her lips. "That's so much worse."

"It was awkward to say the least," Robin agrees with a nod. "And then she gave me the cookies."

"Oh, how…"

"Odd? Yes…"

Laughing, Regina tips her head to the side. "So, you… had to carry them with you the whole time?"

"Well, I certainly wasn't going back to that apartment."

"No, certainly not…"

Robin sighs. "So, we got to the restaurant…"

"Did you walk or drive?"

He laughs as his head tips to the side. "We walked. It was close to where she lived and…" He laughs out and his eyes widen. "I'd forgotten this, but she was humming."

"Of course, she was."

"It was… almost endearing," he says as he takes another swig of the beer. "Almost, but not quite."

"This is so good…"

"I'm glad you're enjoying my discomfort," he says, as a chuckle rises into his voice. "So, we got to the restaurant and we were seated at a nice little table that was thankfully in a well-lit section, right smack dab in the center of the restaurant, and I told her I heard they had an excellent house salad dressing… and she told me that she thought that particular restaurant would be a lovely location for a wedding reception."

"She didn't…"

"Oh, yes. Yes, she did."

"How did you respond?"

Robin grimaces a little and shrugs his shoulders. "By telling her that perhaps, if she knew anyone getting married, she could recommend it."

"Ouch…"

"Well…"

"Tell me more."

"You're enjoying this…"

"More than I can even say."

"Alright, let's see…" For a moment, his voice trails off, and she watches as he tries to remember–and for a brief moment, she realizes that she's actually stopped thinking about her secrets and the curse and the note, and then suddenly, it's all she can think about. "So, I managed to survive dinner, in which she spent almost the whole time talk about how magical love–" He stops, his voice suddenly halting as his eyes met hers. "This isn't working."

"It was…"

"But it's not working now."

She shakes her head, "I just thought about how I wasn't thinking about any of it and now…"

"It's all you can think about again."

"Yeah," she says with a slight nod as she rubs her fingers against the label on the bottle. "I wouldn't mind if you kept going though…"

"Alright," he murmurs, taking a breath. "So, I walked her home and she asked for my number, and I…" Again his voice stops, but this time, his eyes widen as he looks to her. "I… think I have an idea."

"Oh?"

"After that date, just to avoid her, I took Roland camping."

Regina's brow creases. "I… don't think I'm following."

"There was once a time I couldn't think of any place I'd rather raise my son than in the Sherwood Forest. And when Roland was little, we'd spend hours and hours in the woods, climbing trees and catching frogs and…" Regina's lip catches between her teeth and her eyes narrow. "We should all go camping. We could show Henry what life would have been like in the Enchanted Forest."

"I… don't camp, and I don't see how…"

"You don't camp? Have you ever tried it?"

"No," she says flatly. "I am a queen and I am a little more refined."

At that, Robin laughs out and shakes his head–and she feels her own smile pulling onto her lips. "You could use it as a way to tell him about the place you grew up."

"Oh," she murmurs, suddenly beginning to connect the dots. "I could do that."

"It could ease him into the rest, help him to imagine a world where…"

"Ogres ate children for breakfast."

Robin laughs. "I was thinking about… other aspects of life in the Enchanted Forest."

"I know, I just… remember my mother telling me that to keep me out of the woods."

"So, what do you think?" He asks, taking a quick sip of the beer. "Want to taking the boys camping this weekend?"

"I… won't wear cargo pants."

"As long as you don't wear one of those tight little skirts you wear…"

A grin twists onto her lips as she looks to him. "My mother would be so disappointed if she knew I was spending the rest of my weekend sitting around a fire on dirty logs….cavorting with…"

"A bunch of dirty, unshowered men…"

"Oh," she breathes out, her smile fading. "That's right. There's no… bathroom facilities in the forest."

"Nope," he says, a bit too gingerly as he leans in and presses a kiss to her cheek. "You are going to hate it."

Henry giggles as Regina frowns at herself in the mirror, focusing down on the clunky hiking boots Robin picked out for her.

"They look good, Mom," Henry says as he looks up at her through the mirror.

"No they don't."

"They look warm?" He says, his voice piquing questionably as he tries again. "The box says their water proof."

"Does it say how much they weigh?" She asks, turning to face him as a grin pulls onto her lips. "Because they feel like they're made of lead."

"Probably the steel toe," Henry tells her, holding up the box and pointing to a label. "See?"

"What on earth would I need steel-toed boots for?" Henry shrugs his shoulders, she asks, reaching into a bag from Robin's store and pulling out a puffy vest in a bright primary blue and a blue and black flannel shirt. "Well, this isn't… completely terrible, at least."

"It took his an hour to pick it out."

"It did?" She asks, looking up as Henry grins. "That's… kind of sweet."

"He said he wanted to get it all picked out before you woke up because you'd spend double time critiquing everything."

Her eyes roll as she pushes her arms into the shirt and buttons it up over her bl. "Well, that's less sweet."

Henry giggles. "He also said he picked out that one becauses blue is his favorite color on you."

Again, her eyes meet Henry's and a little grin pulls onto her lips as she puts on the cobalt puffy vest. "Okay, so honestly. How ridiculous do I look?"

"Not even a little bit!"

Sitting down on the edge of the bed beside him, she folds her hands in her lap, mirroring the way he's sitting as she looks over at him. "So, you really want to do this? Because if you don't…"

"You're projecting," he says flatly, causing her eyes to widen. "I really want to go. It was really fun shopping in Robin's store before it opened, picking everything out. Plus, I think my new boots are really cool." He grins as he looks down to his feet, kicking them back and forth as he focuses on the brown boots with orange laces. "I've never been camping before and it always looks so fun in movies and stuff."

"Yeah?"

"Yup," he nods, looking back to her. "Everyone sits around the fire and makes s'mores, and then there are scary stories and everyone sleeps in cool tents and sleeping bags." A grin pulls onto his lips. "My sleeping bag is red."

"Robin got you your own sleeping bag?"

"Uh-huh," he nods, once more grinning down at his new boots. "He let me pick out all sorts of stuff."

"Did you say thank you–for the boots and–?" Henry nods and she leans over and presses a kiss to his hair. "Then I guess it's officially. We are going camping." Henry giggles as she pulls back and frowns. "I am… going camping."Henry nods and pats her shoulder, giggling at the sound his hand makes against the vest. "Alright," she says, standing up and taking in a breath. "Let's go get some breakfast before we… go camping."

Henry giggles as he trots out of the bedroom on her heels, quickly joining Roland at the kitchen table and reaching for a slice of toast.

"So, I hear you think I'm a pain in the ass to shop with," she says, letting a grin twist onto her lips as she arches an eyebrow at Robin as he turns to face her, his eyes widening a little as he looks to Henry.

"Those were not my words," Henry insists as he looks back, absently plunging a spoon into a jar of jam. "I'm not even allowed to say one of those words."

Shaking his head, Robin chuckles and leans in, pressing a kiss to her cheek before handing her a glass of orange juice. "First of all, I am out of apple juice, and second of all, that's not at all what I meant. I know that the clothes in my store… aren't exactly your style."

"No, they're not."

"So, on a scale from one to you want to burn it, how did I do?"

From the kitchen, she hears a soft gasp escape Roland, and he looks between them. "I think Regina looks pretty," he interjects as his brow creases. "I think she always looks pretty."

"Thank you, sweetheart," she murmurs in reply, offering him a warm smile and a quick wink that succeed in flushing his cheeks before he turns almost shyly back to his toast.

"I'm really batting a thousand, here…"

"Well," she says, taking a quick sip of the juice as her eyes turn back to Robin. "I do like this shade of blue with black…and, it's warm." She laughs softly as Robin's eyes light up triumphantly–and in that moment, she can't help but see that same shy little grin that Roland wore just a moment before. "I am a little curious about the shoes, though."

"Oh, well, they're hiking boots…"

"With a steel toe."

"Yes."

"They're a bit… heavy."

Robin nods. "They are, and when you stub your toe on a rock or a tree stump, you'll be less bothered by it." Spinning around, he grabs a heaping plate of scrambled eggs with sausage mixed into them, and offers her a quick wink. "I've bandaged up enough of you this weekend."

Regina laughs as she looks down at her bandaged finger, remembering how overly dramatic he'd been, holding up her hand and dragging her into the bathroom to patch her up. Taking another sip of the juice, she smiles over the rim, watching as Robin serves the boys a generous helping of the scrambled eggs and tops off their glasses of juice, before sliding into a chair across from them. He divides the rest of the eggs between the plates–one for himself and one for her–and he grabs a few pieces of toast, arranging them at the side of the eggs. He prepares her toast first, grinning almost proudly as he shows her the apple butter label before slathering it onto her toast.

"Come on, let's eat," he tells her as he pushes out the fourth chair with his foot. "The sooner we finish breakfast the sooner we can get into the woods."

"We're already in the woods," she tells him as she comes to sit down beside him.

"Oh, no, no, no. We're just barely in the woods here," he says as a grin pulls onto his lips. "Just wait."

Letting out a breath, a tight smile forms on her lips and she feels herself nod as her shoulders tense. Henry and Roland both giggle, and despite how much she isn't looking forward to any aspect of this camping excursion, she is looking forward to getting away from everything for a little while and focusing on enjoying the people that she loves.

"You can't be serious, Regina," Robin sighs and he puts the truck in park. "You're seriously going to make us do this? We were just…"

"It'll take five minutes," she cuts in, her voice piquing in defense. "Besides, if you're going

"She's right," Henry says with a nod as he leans forward and presses his hands to the back of Robin's seat. "She's a lot happier when she has her coffee. And when she's happier, she's nicer." Henry giggles and her eyes narrow. "Last week, she made the mail man cry."

"That's an overstatement."

"His jaw was trembling."

"Because he knew he was wrong."

Henry's eyes roll, and Roland's brow furrows. "I always think Regina's nice," he says to no one in particular.

"Look, I am just going to run in, order the largest coffee Granny can make and…"

"I have to go to the bathroom," Roland announces.

This time, Henry's brow creases and his arms fold impatiently. "You just went before we left."

Roland shrugs. "I had a lot of juice."

"Okay," Robin breathes out as he turns the key to shut off the engine. "We'll all go in. You can get your coffee," he says, looking pointedly at her. "And I'll take Roland to the bathroom."

"I should probably go to the bathroom, too" Henry decides. "I… kind of also had a lot of juice."

"See," Regina says as grin pulls onto her lips, and she climbs down from Robin's truck. "We had to stop anyway."

Robin just shakes his head as they corral the boys toward the diner, and she barely notices Gold holding the door open for them all. Roland drags Robin in first and then Henry follows, and then just as she's stepping over the threshold, he laughs and a little chill runs down her spine.

"A day off, I see. You're a bit more casual than usual."

"It is Saturday."

Gold nods. "Indeed it is." He grins and turns himself, blocking the door and she feels her heartbeat quicken. "I've been meaning to say congratulations," he tells her, looking behind himself where Robin and the boys. "Such a charming little boy you've brought to us."

Regina's shoulders square and her jaw tightens. "Yes… he is."

"Perhaps he's the… breath of fresh air that this town needs," Gold tells her, offering a little wink as he steps aside and lets her into the diner.

Regina feels her stomach drop as she watches him go, using his cane to help himself down Main Street toward the pawn shop. She takes a breath and tries to compose herself, not wanting to look shaken when she turns back to Henry. Her eyes sink closed and she finds herself thinking of the note she'd found the day before–someone who knew her past well enough to know her mother–and she thinks of the way he'd called Henry 'charming.' And she wonders if this means he knows–and what that will mean for all of them.

Throughout the years of the curse, she's avoided Rumplestiltskin–here known as a Mr. Gold–and she's been happier for it. No matter what–even in those cursed years–his presence unsettled her and she never quite trusted him to keep her secrets. Though he'd been a fog with the rest of them, he still had a strange power over her–always making her second guess herself. It had taken her years not to show her fear of him–years to keep her hands from trembling and her heart from racing, years to just nod and go along with his schemes when all she wanted to do was run. There were a handful of times she'd needed his assistance, and after each interaction she found herself unable to shake the uneasy feeling that settled inside of her.

Their last interaction had been nine years before. Nine years ago, she'd walked into his shop and asked that he help her adopt a child. It had taken all of her courage to do it–admitting she needed help was far from easy, and admitting she needed help from the man who'd manipulated and twisted her into an unrecognizable monster was nearly impossible. But she'd been desperate–desperate for someone to love, for a reason to wake up in the morning, for a purpose–and she knew how the curse worked.

Gold–Rumplestiltskin–had fashioned a position of importance in the curse. He owned most of the properties in Storybrooke, and though she was Mayor, in the earliest years of the curse, he frequently reminded her of who really called the shots. He also served as a connection to the outside world, an eccentric businessman who could come and go as he pleased–yet oddly, never did–but, accrued powerful connections and a tremendous amount of wealth. She was well aware of all of this–and though she readily denied that she'd been used as a pawn, that this was all a part of some master plan of his and her curse was cast to fulfill some ulterior motive in which she'd never been made privy, she knew it was true. And that terrified her. Yet, on the rarest of occasions, it was also something that she could use to her advantage–and she'd used it to bring Henry into her life.

After that, she'd avoided Gold for a completely different reason. He'd served as a reminder of the child who'd nearly been hers–a reminder of everything she'd almost had and everything she'd forced herself to give up, a reminder of a life she could never have–and she couldn't let the bitterness overtake her. Not again…

"Who was that, Mom?"

"Hmm?" She asks, looking to Henry who watches her curiously with wide eyes. "What?"

"Who was that creepy man?"

"Mr. Gold," she says, forcing a smile onto her lips. "He owns the pawn shop down the street."

Henry considers it for a moment. "Is that the place with all the cool antiques in the window?" She nods and swallows hard. "That place looks like something from a Halloween movie."

"Yeah," Roland agrees with a nod–and she smiles, realizing he has no idea what he's agreeing to.

"Alright," Robin says, patting Roland's messy curls as he steps around the boys. "I'll take them to the bathroom, and you get your coffee." She nods as he takes her hand, giving it a tight squeeze. "He can't hurt you here," he whispers as he leans in, brushing her cheek with a fluttery kiss.

"I wish I had your confidence."

Pulling back, he offers her a quick wink and still, he holds onto her hand. "And if he tries, I'd sooner put an arrow through his heart than let him succeed." Smiling faintly, she shakes her head as his hand presses into the small of her back and he drops another quick kiss to her cheek. "Now go get your coffee… and I'm sure no one would complain if you got a couple of Granny's streusel to eat as we're setting up camp."

"Will you tease me if I get an apple one?"

"Yes." A grin twists onto her lips and she hears both boys giggle as she leans up onto her toes and presses a kiss to his stubbly cheek, grimacing when her toes scrunch against the steel toed boots. "But only because I love you."

Regina stand awkwardly as Robin and the boys set up the tents, and she tries not to linger on the fact that an eight and a six year old were able to offer more assistance than her. She's useless, here, she realizes–and though it vexes her to feel that way, she does nothing to change. Robin and the boys laugh as she swats way little flying bugs and she does her best to bite her tongue when her foot slides in a patch of mud, engulfing her shoe and quite nearly taking her down–and she's glad that Robin doesn't take the opportunity to chide her for her complains about the clunky hiking boots.

Nonetheless, her heart warms as she listens to Henry chattering on excitedly about how much he's looking forward to spending the night in the woods and how he's always wanted to camp, and Roland offers him the sage advice of an kindergartener, telling him all about how to keep bugs out of the tent and which sticks not to use to make the s'mores. Robin laughs, looking up at her on occasion and offering her a little wink before turning his attention back to the boys and the task at hand.

Robin builds a fire and finally, she has something to do when it's time to prepare lunch–and she has to admit she finds coolers Robin packed for them to be impressive. Wrapped in foil, she finds metal skewers and in little containers, are cubes of meat and cut up vegetables–the forgotten pieces of what was supposed to be the previous night's dinner, repurposed.

Henry helps her layer the meat and vegetables onto the skewers as Robin and Roland map out a hiking route–and though she contemplates all the ways she could get out of tagging along on the hike–she can't help but smile at the way Henry's eyes glitter with anticipation.

They cook over an open flame and she settles back, and breathes in the smoky scent, remembering a time when this smell was commonplace… and for a moment, she gets lost in the memories of sneaking down into the kitchen the night before a big holiday feast, remembering how the cook would always give her samples to try.

"You act like you're not enjoying this," Henry says as he sits down beside her. "But you are."

Grinning, she drapes her arm around his shoulders and pulling him to her. "Don't tell Robin," she murmurs quietly as she kisses the top of his head.

"I heard that," Robin calls out, offering a smug smile as her eyes roll. "But if you want, I can pretend I didn't and you can continue pretending to be disgruntled."

"I'd like that very much," she calls back, grinning as Robin's eyes roll and Henry giggles.

They spend the remainder of the afternoon near the campsite, eating the kebabs and doing a little exploring–something Robin promises the boys they'll continue in the morning, and something that makes her audibly groan. They walk down to the stream and despite her complaints about not being able to properly move her feet due to the weights attached to them, she grins as she settles on a boulder and watches as Robin teaches the boys how to skip rocks on the water–and her heart clenches the first time Henry's rock doesn't immediately sink, instead skipping four times across the top of the water before dropping down beneath the surface. Robin sweeps him up, tossing him in the air as he laughs out and as soon as his feet touch back to the group, he looks to her with wide eyes and a bright smile, asking if she saw.

"I did, sweetheart," she says, nodding as her breath catches in her throat. "Good job."

Henry nods proudly and selects another rock, and once they have the hang of it, Robin joins her. He sits down on boulder and pulls her legs over his lap. "He's really enjoying this," Robin says, nodding toward Henry as he shows Roland his rock-skipping technique and how he flicks his wrist.

"He is…"

"Are you?"

Her lip catches between her teeth as she looks over at him. "I'm enjoying watching Henry enjoy himself," she says as her grin tugs wider. "And… I am pretty relaxed."

"It's nice to be away."

"It is."

"So, do you think…"

"I can use this to… tell him?" She asks, taking a breath as she looks to Henry. "Maybe." Robin rubs his hand over her knee. "This… isn't quite what my childhood was like, but no one had a childhood like mine… and I'd like to think that if we were there, Henry's childhood would have been filled with… exploring the woods and skipping rocks and… all sorts of other, little adventures."

"It wouldn't be a bad life for a boy."

"No…" she murmurs, her voice trailing off momentarily as she watches Henry high-five Roland as his rock skips a few times. "I just have to… do it," she says decisively, as she looks up at him. "Before someone else does."

"You're… talking about more than just a few little stories about life in the Enchanted Forest."

Regina nods. "Gold called him charming."

"Do you think Gold sent that note?"

"Maybe…" Regina admits with a sigh. "Or maybe someone else knows, too."

"And the more people who know…"

"The more likely it is that Henry finds out." Robin presses a kiss to her temple as his arm wraps around his waist. "At least this way, you can control the way it's told…"

"Yeah…" she nods. "And I just… have to hope he doesn't think I'm completely crazy."

After dinner, the sky begins to darken and Robin pulls out four, heavy woolen blankets. He wraps them around each of the boys, cuddling them a little as he does, then he quickly drapes one around his own shoulders before sitting down beside Regina and wrapping her in the last blanket. She grins as his arm stretches around her and she rubs her hands out in front of the fire, murmuring something under her breath about missing the ability to conjure up fireballs to keep herself warm.

Robin laughs and the boys look up. "So," he begins, looking between them. "What do you want to do next?"

"Dessert!" Roland declares, a proud smile tugging onto his lips for answering first. "I want dessert."

"Okay," Robin nods. "We could do that…" Letting go of Regina, he moves to one of the coolers and opens the top. "We have options," he begins. "We could make our own ice cream or we could…"

"Make our own ice cream?" Roland asks, his voice giddy as he practically bounces. "We can make ice cream?"

Henry's chin tips up as he watches Robin carefully, trying to see the contents of the cooler. "In the woods? Without…um… whatever you make ice cream in?"

"Sure," Robin answers easily. "I used to do this all of the time as a kid." Regina feels her shoulders tense as a knot forms in her stomach at the mentioning of Robin's childhood. "It's easy."

Regina's brow arches curiously. "You used to… do this as a child?"

"All of the time," he confirms.

"Well, I think we have a winner… and none of us ever at ate the streusel we got at Granny's this morning, so maybe we could have that with the ice cream."

Roland's eyes glitter with excitement. "I got a strawberry one! That's gonna be so good!"

Robin laughs as he motions for Henry and Roland to come toward him and he hands them each a bag. "Okay," he begins. "Ready?" Regina watches as both boys nod, and then Robin pulls a carton of milk from the cooler and pours a little into each bag, then adds some heavy cream–and she grins, realizing this is part of some sort of plan. "Next," he says, "Is a little sugar, vanilla and a tiny pinch of salt."

"Salt?" Roland asks, his voice skeptical as his eyes widen. "In ice cream?"

"Yes," Robin nods. "In ice cream."

Henry's shoulders shrug and he seals the bag when Robin tells him to, and then giggles as Robin hands them both a pair of oven mitts. "What are these for?" he asks, sliding them onto his hands, careful not to drop the bag.

"You'll see," Robin tells him, winking at Regina as he pulls out two larger bags and fills them with ice. "Now, drop your bags into these ones," he instructions, waiting for both boys to do so before sealing the larger bags and handing them back. "Now, shake for as long as you can!"

A grin pulls onto Regina's lips as Robin closes the cooler. He grabs four paper plates and plastic spoons as she reaches into her tote bag, pulling out the paper bag from Granny's. She laughs as the boys continue to shake the bags until they're breathless and red in the face.

"Now, open them up," Robin says, sitting down beside Regina. "Look what you have!"

Roland is first to open his bag, quickly pulling out the smaller bag as his brown eyes widen. "It's ice cream! We made our own ice cream!"

"Wow," Henry breathes out as he opens his own bag. "It's like magic!"

Regina's stomach flops as Robin nods. "That's definitely one way to describe it."

"Or science," Henry reasons.

"And that's the other way," Robin says as a chuckle rises into his voice. "Now come on over here so we can put it over the stusells." The boys run to them as Regina places one of the pasties onto each plate and Robin helps them scoop out the ice cream and drops it over top. "Enjoy…"

"We will!" Roland says, quickly making his way back to his log on the other side of the fire.

Henry settles beside him and Regina watches as he tastes the ice cream, and then a broad smile pulling onto his lips. "It's so good!"

"It is good," Regina agrees looking over at Robin. "I… didn't know ice cream could be made this way."

Robin's brow arches. "You never made ice cream as a girl?"

"I can't say that I ever did, but there are a lot of things I didn't get to do."

"Why not?" Henry asks, looking up at her with curious eyes.

"Oh, well… when I was your age, I lived in a big house and we had a staff that… did all of the cooking and the cleaning and… the ice-cream making."

"Really?"

She nods. "Really."

"That's… kind of cool," Henry decides. "Was your house bigger than the one we live in now?"

"Much bigger, and it was on a lot of land, so we were away from everyone else."

"Oh, that sounds… kind of lonely."

"It was."

"Did you have friends?"

"Not really," Regina admits as Robin's arm slides around her waist. "I spent a lot of time in the stables, though."

"Stables? You had a horse?"

"I did," she tell him, sucking in a short breath. "His name was Rocinante. He was a birthday present from my father." A grin twists onto her lips. "I named you after him."

"Ohh, yeah," Henry murmurs. "You mentioned that once." Taking another bite of the ice cream, he thinks for a moment, then looks back to her, his eyes still curious. "So, you were close with your dad?"

"When I was little…"

"But not now…"

"Well, he… he passed away a long time ago," she says quietly, her stomach clenching. "But, um, as the years went on and I got older, we… kind of grew apart."

"Oh, that's… sad."

"It is sad," Roland agrees. "I can't ever imagine not being close with my dad."

"What happened? How do you… just… grow apart from someone you love?"

She smiles sadly as she looks to Henry–and for the life of her, she can't quite remember how it started. But she remembers all of the time she looked the other way, ignore her mother's abuse–and she remember how much hurt to realize that he would never protect her, that she was expected to just endure it. She remember all of the times he let her down, all of the times he could have helped, and all of the times she was practically screaming for him to stop her, to save her–and all of those times, once again, he'd failed her. "I don't know," she murmurs faintly. "I… can't really fathom anything that could make me turn my back on my child."

Beneath the blanket Robin squeezes her hip as he pulls her to him, offering his a loose hug that serves as reminder that she's no longer that lonely little girl, that she now has people in her life she can rely on, that she now has a family of her choosing.

"But it wasn't all bad," she says, brightening as she looks to Henry. "I got to do a lot of horseback riding, which I loved and… found a friend in the stable boy."

"What was his name?"

"Daniel."

A grin pulls onto Henry's lips. "My middle name."

"You're named after him."

"He must have been a really good friend, then."

Regina nods. "One of the best."

The conversation shifts to other things, and it's not until the fire begins to dwindle that Robin notices that Roland's fallen asleep. He chuckles softly as he rises from his spot, telling Regina and Henry that that seems to be his cue that it's time before as he scoops Roland up into his arms. Henry grins as his eyes shift to Regina, and she can tell that he's not quite ready yet, so she motions to him to come to her.

She and Henry murmur their good nights before Robin disappears into the tent with Roland, and then for a moment, neither of them says anything. Regina opens up her blanket and wraps it around Henry, smiling when she cuddles into her.

"Are you having a good time?"

"A really good time," Henry says. "Better than I expected… and I expected a lot."

"I'm glad…"

"The only thing we haven't gotten to do is make s'mores, but I saw Robin pack the stuff, so we'll probably do that tomorrow," he tells her. "Robin also said he's going to show me and Roland what berries we can pick and eat in the morning." Henry grins up at her. "That's going to be cool."

"Definitely…"

"Are you having a good time?"

"You know what? I actually am." She hugs him a little tighter as she drops a kiss over the top of his head. "And now that the temperature's dropped, I have a newfound appreciation for flannel shirts and puffy vests."

"It's a good outfit," Henry says, turning his eyes up to meet hers. "Robin spent a really long time trying to find something you wouldn't completely hate." He giggles a little. "The shoes were a lost cause though."

"I think I've lost feeling in my toes…"

"Oh no…"

"Don't tell Robin. I don't want him to feel bad."

"I won't," Henry tells her with a sincere nod. Leaning in, Regina presses another kiss to the top of his head. "I like hearing about your childhood, even if it was kinda sad."

"I could… tell you more."

"Really?"

She nods. "Sure."

"Did you always live in Storybrooke?"

"No, I grew up… somewhere far away."

"Far away like New York?"

"Farther."

"California? That's pretty far."

"Farther," she says, as a grin twists onto her lips.

"Germany?"

Regina laughs. "Getting closer, but… still farther."

"Wow…"

Taking a deep breath, her eyes close and she musters up the courage to continue. "You know, I… have a this book," she begins, opening her eyes and pulling back just enough to get a good look at him. "It's about the place I grew up and, all of the people who lived there."

"It's a book?"

"Yeah, it's like a… storybook, sort of."

"That's so cool."

"Yeah," she breathes out, her stomach tightening. "It sort of is." She pulls Henry closer and he cuddles into her, a quiet yawn escaping him. "Come on," she murmurs, slowly standing and pulling him up. "Let's go to bed."

"Remember to throw sand onto the fire so we don't burn down the forest." Shaking her head, she laughs softly and reaches into the bucket of sand, tossing it over the fire to extinguish the flames as Henry tugs at her hand. "I just remembered I get to use my new sleeping bag!"

"That's right, you do," she says, letting him lead her toward the tent–and silently hoping that when tomorrow comes, she still has the courage to follow through, no matter the cost.