It had taken more than an hour of laying in the darkness for Regina to fall asleep, but finally, she had. Robin stayed up a little longer than that, staring up at the ceiling, almost as though waiting for her to wake up.
This is how he'd spent the last several nights, and it was becoming something of regular routine for them–and though he wasn't going to complain about falling asleep night after night with Regina at his side, his stomach was constantly in knots and he was exhausted. He realized, though, that this was how she lived. She lived with a constant gnawing at her core, just waiting for her secrets to be revealed, just waiting to be discovered, just waiting for the karma to kick in. She lived in fear of losing the life she'd built for herself–of losing her second chance, of losing her son–and there wasn't anything that he could say or do to quell that feeling. So, instead, he'd lay beside her, reminding her of the good things she had in her life–the good she'd done, the people who loved her unconditionally. Sometimes, it seemed like it worked and other times, it seemed like she'd simply got too tired to argue–but regardless of which it was, each night, he'd lay with her, coaxing her to sleep with the same reassurances that he could hope weren't empty.
He knew that she'd hurt people. He knew that people were going to be angry, that they'd want their revenge on the queen that had cursed them. But he also hoped that when they were able to take a step back, they'd also see the good she'd done for them. Of course, she'd done it all for the wrong reasons–she'd wanted to hurt them, she wanted them to be as miserable as she was–but the curse hadn't panned out the way they'd once feared that it would. The people who'd been punished most by the curse were the people who'd hurt her–and even then, their lives were far less terrible than they'd anticipated as threat of the Dark Curse was wielded. Snow and Charming had lost one another, the Mad Hatter lost his daughter–but, the vast majority of families stayed together. Granny Lucas and Ruby didn't have a life much different than the one they'd left behind, and those who'd never crossed paths with the queen found themselves doing the same things they'd done in the Enchanted Forest, just modern versions of them. Most weren't given painful backstories or difficult memories to live with; and while, losing their memories–which could easily be argued meant they'd lost their sense of self–they were happy in the lives the curse had given them. They had good jobs and a roof over their heads, they had friends and family, and day-to-day, they didn't face anything challenges outside the usual ones. Life in Storybrooke could be dull–and he supposed that could be true for most small towns–but, they were safe in Storybrooke. There was a sense of community that hadn't been present in the Enchanted Forest, and modern amenities had vastly improved life–and all of those things existed in their world because of Regina.
She wasn't as vindictive as they'd all assumed. He could easily remember the constant fear–and looking back, that'd been the worst of it. Every prediction they made was filled with fire and brimstone, pain and agony–they'd all assumed she'd curse them to a literal hell, where they'd spent an eternity paying for what a mad woman perceived to be the sins committed against her.
And he hoped they'd remember that when the curse broke, that they'd be able to take a step back and realize how much worse it could have been–and though, he didn't like to think of it, he hoped that whatever punishment they decided was necessary–if one had to be necessary at all–they were lenient. They'd never know what was in her heart–they'd never know about the tortured sleepless nights or the guilt that ate away at her, and they'd never know the regret she felt. But he hoped they'd empathize, that they'd see her as a flawed person who made mistakes–but a person, nonetheless.
That evening, she'd been walking on eggshells, just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Henry had taken so much in stride, and she was convinced that he hadn't completely processed, that there was some disconnect between the woman he knew as his mother–the woman who'd saved him when she adopted him and the Evil Queen who'd hurt so many innocent people. Robin, of course, told her it wouldn't happen, that she was worrying unnecessarily–but that was what he had to say and it was what she needed to hear. Though he doubted Henry's reaction would be far less severe than she anticipated it'd be, he knew there would be a reaction–even if it were a delayed one.
Understandably, it was a lot of an eight-year old to take in–his mother was a fairytale villain who'd cursed thousands of people and murdered thousands more in a quest for revenge–and, he likely wasn't sure what to do with that information. It seemed too far-fetched to be true–and the only thing that linked her past and her present–in his eyes–was a magical storybook. Then, of course, there were the other things he was dealing with simultaneously–things that were more urgent feeling than his mother's unsavory past. His foster parents being in Storybrooke had quite obviously been a jarring realization, and the fear that resonated in his eyes was heartbreaking. He was terrified of them and finding them in the storybook hadn't helped–and, it was understandable that he looked to the Evil Queen–to his mother–and saw a protector. She had magical powers and would stop at nothing; she was someone to be feared, someone who broke the rules and didn't care who got caught in the crossfire. The Evil Queen could keep him safe, and that's what he seemed to be focusing on–and though Regina was skeptical about Henry's seemingly selective understanding of who she was and what she'd done, he couldn't see it as a bad thing.
And he supposed, only time would tell how Henry would feel.
"Robin… Robin, are you awake?" He groans a little as he felt little fingers poking at his arm. "Robin?"
"Henry?" He asks as his heavy eyes flutter opened. "What's the matter?"
"I… I need to talk to you."
Lifting his head from the pillow, he tries to focus. "Henry, it's…" He sighs and doesn't even bother to look at the alarm clock at his side. "Okay," he breathes out as he peels back the comforter. "You want to climb in?"
"No," Henry says quickly, shifting on his feet. "Not in here. I, um… I don't want to…"
"Oh," Robin murmurs as he looks to Regina at his side. "Alright, let's just…"
"Downstairs," Henry cuts in, taking him by the hand as he gets out of bed, feeling a little unsettled and a little wobbly as he lets Henry lead him out of Regina's bedroom and to the stairs–and he sighs a little when he sees that the kitchen light is already on. "I was thinking we could have some milk, and… talk."
Robin nods and lets him lead him down the stairs. "Did you have a nightmare?"
"No, not exactly."
"Not exactly?"
"I couldn't sleep… I just kept thinking about stuff."
"Stuff… as in… stuff about your mom?"
"Kinda…"
"Ahh, I see," Robin murmurs back, feeling a knot tightening, still not quite sure where his boundaries are with Henry. "What were you thinking about?" Henry doesn't respond. Instead, he lets go of his hand as he step into the kitchen. Robin leans against the counter, watching as Henry moves the refrigerator and pulls out a quart of milk, then, drags a stool up to the stove as he reaches for the honey from the cabinet above–and he feels a smile draw onto his lips as he thinks of Regina and her nervous cooking habit. "Do you need help with that?"
"No, I got it."
"You sure?"
Henry nods. "Uh-huh, I watch my mom do this all the time."
"Okay," Robin says, sighing a little as he keeps a watchful eye on the saucepan and the flame beneath it as Henry pours in the milk. "So, um… what did you want to talk about?"
Henry's shoulders rise and fall as he takes a breath. "The book."
"Ah…" Robin murmurs as he feels his stomach drop. "Anything specific in it?"
"All of it," Henry says quietly as he spoons in the honey and starts to stir. "My mom said that you, um… that you knew about it… about the curse and who she really is and… um, all the other stuff."
Robin holds his breath. "You mean, the things she's done."
"Yeah…" Henry replies, his voice barely audible as he focuses down on the milk. "It's just… you love her so much and you… you know."
Robin's eyes slowly close as he takes a breath, suddenly understanding. "Henry," he breathes out, as he pushes himself away from the counter. "You know your mother loves you, right?" Henry easily nods as he leans up into the tips of his toes and reaches for two mugs. "And you love her…"
"Of course, I do. I just…" His voice trails off and he sighs, his head falling forward as he focuses down into the saucepan. "It's just…"
"Hard," Robin murmurs as he comes up behind him, reaching out and stroking his hand over Henry's hair. "She's a… complicated person."
"She's very complicated."
"But you know what?" Robin asks, taking a breath as he leans against the small counter next to the stove, watching as Henry ladles the milk into the mugs. "Loving her is so worth it." Henry looks up and his hazel eyes are teary, his bottom lip trembling–and Robin feels his breath catch his chest, aching as he looks down at Henry, watching as he struggles.
"What if… I… what if I can't…" Henry sucks in a breath as he looks away. "What if she doesn't love me anymore?"
"Alright," he murmurs, reaching around him to turn off the stove. "Come here." His hands slide up underneath Henry's arm and he lifts him off of the stool, setting him down on the island countertop at the center of the kitchen. "What's going on, Henry?"
He watches as Henry's jaw trembles and the ache in chest begins to throb. "I… I lied to her," Henry says, sucking in a breath as he pushes out his voice. "I lied to my mom."
"You did? About what?"
"About… about my nightmare and… and…" He stops, unable to find his words as tears spill down his cheeks.
"Oh, Henry," Robin breathes out, dipping his head forward and pressing a kiss to the boy's forehead. "So, you think your mom is going to be mad at you–mad enough not to love you–because you told her a lie?" Again, Henry sucks in a sharp breath and Robin feels him nod. "Henry," he begins, taking a half step back and bending so that they're eye-to-eye. "You could purposely light this house on fire, and your mother would still adore you. She's not going to stop loving you because you didn't tell her the truth."
"But… but… what if…"
"Are you afraid of her?" Robin asks abruptly, holding his breath as he stares into Henry's eyes. "Because…"
"No," Henry cuts in. "I'm not afraid of her." Robin lets out a breath of relief as Henry's eyes press closed. "I just… I don't want to give her a reason to… to…" His face scrunches, forcing tears from the corners of his eyes. "To give me back."
"Oh, Henry, that's never going to happen."
"But… before… when I was a baby…"
"No," Robin cuts in, stepping back in and folding his arms around him. "Your mother's made a lot of mistakes–a lot of terrible mistakes–but giving you up is one that she'll never make again. I can guarantee that." Pressing a kiss to Henry's hair, his arms tighten around him. "Giving you up is the thing she regrets the most and…"
"Really?" Robin pulls back, his head tipping to the side as Henry's eyes widen. "Of all her mistakes?"
"Yeah," he says easily. "She loves you that much." Taking a breath, Robin forces a smile onto his lips, ignoring the aching in his chest. "Come on," he murmurs, reaching out and wiping away Henry's tear tracks with his thumbs. "I'll make a fire in the living room and we'll cuddle up with a blanket and drink our milk and talk this out, okay?"
"I'll grab the milks," Henry says, taking a breath as he slides down from the counter. "And… thanks."
Tousling his hair, Robin watches as Henry reaches for the mugs of milk, and then together, they go into the living room. Henry sets the mugs down as Robin starts the fire, and from the corner of his eye, he watches as Henry pulls a knit blanket down from the back of the couch, draping it over his lap as he settles back against the cushions–and he can help but grin as Henry's feet dangle over the edge.
He grabs both mugs as he sits down beside him, stretching out his feet and resting them easily on the coffee table as he looks down at Henry. "So, let's start with this," he says, handing him one of the mugs. "What exactly did you lie to her about?"
Henry takes the mug and looks up at him. "The other day, when I had a nightmare and I wanted to see Archie…"
"Ah…" Robin murmurs, remembering Regina's suspicions. "That."
"I didn't completely lie," he's quick to say. "I did have a dream that my old foster parents came and took me away and…" He lets out a breath as his eyes focus on the mug. "But then I tried to go back to sleep and… and I… I did, and then…" Robin watches as Henry presses his eyes closed. "She killed them."
"Your mom?"
"The Evil Queen."
"You… do know your mom is the Evil Queen, right?"
Henry nods. "Yeah, I just… that's so weird to me." He takes a sip of the milk. "They're so different."
"Are they?"
"Yeah…"
"I don't know," Robin murmurs. "I think the Regina you know is just… a tamer version of the one in those stories." He grins a little as Henry's eyes turn up to look at him. "In a lot of ways, I think the curse tamed her."
"What do you mean?"
Robin takes a sip of the milk, considering. "Well, before the curse she was just… so full of anger."
"She had a lot of reasons to be angry."
"She did," Robin agrees. "Life was… very unfair to her."
"But… she also… made a lot other people angry."
Robin nods. "That, she did."
"She… killed people and… I just… I don't understand how she…I mean, her own dad…"
"Yeah," Robin breathes out as he thinks of the image in the storybook of Regina's hand plunging into her father's chest, the look of shock registering in eyes and the complete horror in hers. In that image, her pain had been so visceral and even in the still-framed moment, he could feel her heart racing, her tears threatening to spill over her eyes and the immediate guilt that settled at her core a she whispered that she was sorry, knowing that her words would never be heard. "That's hard to swallow, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Henry says meekly. "I just can't… I can't picture my mom doing… any of those things."
"It's hard," Robin agrees. "It's hard to just… accept that."
"But you do," Henry says, looking up at him with wide eyes. "You accept it."
"Well…"
"And you're Robin Hood. You're a hero and… you… you can… accept that."
"I can," he sighs. "It's not easy and it's not something that just happens, but I decided that I love her more than I hate the things she's done." He takes a sip of the milk, taking a moment to collect this thoughts–remembering how it'd been a snap decision, how he'd been faced with the choice of walking away or staying and he'd chosen to stay–but just because he'd stayed, didn't mean he condoned the things she done. "You know, you don't have to sort it out, now," he says. "Your mom would understand that."
"I… don't want her to think I don't love her."
"She wouldn't think that."
"But…"
"Henry, she knows how hard this is to process. She knows she's done terrible things… things that some would consider unforgivable." A grin pulls onto his lips. "And her past isn't all bad…"
Henry nods. "I know."
"She's a fighter. She's a survivor, and she loves so, so deeply." He laughs a little as he nudges Henry's arm. "We're lucky, you know that?" He smiles as Henry looks up at him. "It's worth it to take the time to figure her out, to be patient with her and honest with her, and… to love her anyway."
"You sound like Archie," Henry says, as a smile tugs up at the corner of his mouth. "He's always saying stuff like that."
"About your mom?"
"Just in general," he replies, shrugging his shoulders.
Robin nods, bending his head to press a kiss to Henry's hair. "Listen, I know this is a lot on you and I realize that you're worried about disappointing your mom, but you need to know that you could never disappoint her, Henry." He sighs as he slides his arm around him. "And, it's okay if you just want to focus on the good things about her past for awhile. That doesn't mean you're ignoring the bad things, you're just… choosing to see the good in her."
"Choosing to see the good in her," Henry repeats with an almost contented sigh. "I like that."
"You can… deal the rest of it later, just know that she loves you and she'd never hurt you and… no matter what anyone says, she's a good person." Henry's head falls to his chest and he smiles as he pulls away his mug. "And she's more than paid for her…" His voice trails off as he realize that Henry's fallen asleep against him, and a soft smile stretches onto his lips as he he glances toward the stairs, wishing more than anything he could this easier on both of them.
Rolling onto her side, she lets out a little sigh and she reaches for him–and when her hand falls into her emptiness, her eyes snap open. She sits up in the bed and looks around, her eyes falling to the alarm clock that hasn't yet gone off–and she realizes that Robin either turned it off or reset it for a later time. A smile edges onto her lips as she turns to see Robin's pants slung over the back of the chaise lounge by the window–and she does her best to keep herself in the little bubble they'd created together for themselves and the boys, to keep out thoughts of the curse and Henry's foster parents and how it would all play out, and just focus on them, for at least the morning.
And then, she'd ease herself into the rest of it.
When she reaches the bottom of the stairs, she takes the first step toward the kitchen, her thoughts filled with making coffee and preparing a breakfast for the boys before school–and then, she smelled the fire.
Turning her head in the direction of the living room, her eyes fell immediately to Henry and Robin, cuddled up together underneath a thick blanket as a fire dwindled at the hearth. Her breath catches in her chest as she stares at them and a warm smile draws onto her lips. As she nears them, she can see Robin's arm folded around Henry and Henry's cheek is smushed up against Robin's t-shirt and his arm stretched over Robin's stomach–and she grins at two sets of socked feet poking from underneath the blanket.
"Henry," she whispers softly as she sits down on the edge of the couch, rubbing her hand over his leg. "Sweetheart…" Henry begins to stir and she grins as he cuddles closer to Robin. "Henry," she says again, just a little louder than before as fingers move to his cheek and then push into his hair. "Hey, you…" She murmurs as his eyes flutter open. "What are you two doing down here?"
"Hm? What time is it?" He asks, lifting his head from Robin's chest as he blinks at her. "Is it time to get up?"
"It's about ten to six," she says in a loud whisper. "So, you've still got a little time to sleep before you need to be up for school."
"Oh…" He breathes out, as his eyes flutter. "That's… more than two hours."
"Look who's doing math," she says as a soft chuckle rises into her voice as she continues to stroke her fingers through his hair. "Why don't you go upstairs and sleep for a bit."
"Yeah," he agrees with a nod, making no effort to move.
"Do you want me to help you go up? Tuck you in?" Again, Henry nods and she takes his hand, gently pulling him up and she smiles as he cuddles into her side as they slowly make their way to the stairs. She helps him into bed and he's out as soon as his head hits the pillow. She tucks the blanket up around his shoulder and reaches over to turn off the nightlight on his bedside table, and then, she lingers for a few minutes, just watching him sleep–and as it frequently happens, she finds herself completely taken aback by how much she loves him.
Leaning in, she presses a kiss to his cheek, then pulls away, closing the door on her way out. She stops briefly at Roland's, poking in her head and smiling as her eyes fall to him, sprawled on the bed with his arms and legs stretched out, completely and innocently unaware of the pending chaos that surrounded his life.
Heading back down stairs, she finds Robin where she left him–and momentarily, it occurs to her to just let him sleep, to go on into the kitchen and make herself some coffee and figure to what she's supposed to with her day. But she can't yet face it and she doesn't want to do it alone, so she pads into the living room and sits down on the edge of the couch, pushing herself back as she lifts his arm around her and cuddles close. Her eyes close and she takes in a breath and she finds herself thinking that she can't imagine going through any of this without him at her side–how much easier it's been to have someone to talk to, to reassure her, to calm her, and she finds herself wondering what her life would have been like had she had that all along…
Her heavy eyes flutter open and she finds the room much brighter than it was when she sat down. Robin's arm tightens around her and he presses a kiss to the top of her head and she feels a slight smile tug onto her lips. "Good morning," he murmurs as she turns her head up to look at him. "You know, I seem to remember falling asleep with another Mills…"
"Henry's upstairs," she replies softly as her eyes fall to the coffee table and to the mugs of half drank mugs of now-cold milk. "Did he… have a nightmare?"
"No…"
"Then…"
"He wanted to have a little chat, man to man."
"Oh," she murmurs, feeling a flicker of something at her core. "What about?" She sighs as Robin hesitates, and she has her answer. "Me…"
"Yeah," he breathes out. "We talked a bit about you." She tenses and her stomach drops, and once more he presses a kiss to her hair. "He loves you, Regina. He loves you so much, he's just…"
"Struggling."
"It's a lot," Robin tells her. "He's only eight and…"
"And he has to come to terms with the woman who adopted him–"
"His mother," Robin cuts in.
"Well, then he has to come to terms with his mother being a tyrannical murderer."
Robin sighs. "I'm not sure that's how he sees it… not completely."
Turning her head up to look at him, she takes a breath and then pulls out of his embrace, taking him by the hand and tugging him up. "I… think I need coffee for this conversation." A soft chuckle escapes Robin as he follows behind her, loosely holding onto her hand. "So, what happened, exactly?"
"With Henry?" He asks as they enter the kitchen. "Oh, he just… he had a lot on his mind and couldn't sleep, so he was… trying to figure things out."
"About my past," she replies as she releases his hand and moves to the cabinet and reaches for the coffee. "So, he did react to it," she adds, looking back at Robin from over her shoulder, watching as he leans against the counter. "He just… didn't want to do it in front of me."
"Maybe," Robin murmurs. "I think… he just…wanted another opinion."
Regina blinks. "Another opinion."
"He was afraid that if he… questioned you…"
"Oh," she breathes out, turning sharply toward him. "Is he afraid that I'd…."
"No, no, no," he cuts in. "He knows you wouldn't hurt him. In fact, I think he was more concerned about hurting you." He grins a little, and she's sure it's only to calm her. "He's struggling to process some of the darker parts of your past, things like…"
"Killing my own father…"
"Yeah," he murmurs in reply. "That… came up."
Taking a breath, she flicks on the coffee pot. "What did he say?"
"Just that… he doesn't quite understand it, that he was struggling understand how you could…" Her eyes sink closed. "Regina, I think the big take away here is that he loves you and he wants to understand. He's eight, though, and I'm not sure that he can understand just yet."
"Yeah," she sighs. "That's probably true."
"Once the curse breaks, maybe…"
"What happens once the curse breaks?" Henry's voice cuts in, and both she and Robin turn to face him. "Or, actually, wh-what happens if it doesn't?"
Her chest tightens as she takes a few steps toward him, glancing momentarily at Robin and attempting to draw strength from his encouraging grin. "Well, if it doesn't then… everyone's memories sort reset."
"Like… they'll forget."
"Yeah," she nods. "Everything just sort of fades away."
"Even Robin's?"
Swallowing hard, she nods. "Even Robin's."
"So, he'd… forget me?" Henry asks, his eyes widening as he looks to Robin. "He'd forget you?" Regina nods as her jaw tightens, her stomach churning as she watches Henry try to process what that would mean for him. "Would I forget?" He asks, his eyes shifting back to Regina. "Would you?"
"No," she's quick to say. "You and I wouldn't."
"Oh…"
"But the thing is," Robin says, "The curse will break and I will remember." She watches as the corner of Henry's mouth pulls up and she sighs, feeling her stomach drop again as Robin lifts Henry onto the counter. "But it's a little too early to think about that," he tells him. "Especially when we could be thinking about your mom's French toast."
Henry's eyes widen a little. "The kind with the cinnamon?"
"Is there any other?
"I should go wake up Roland," Henry says as he looks between them. "He loves mom's French toast."
Regina smiles and her stomach flutters again as Henry hops off the counter and runs up the stairs, seemingly unbothered by the heavy conversation they'd been having only a moment before.
"I… hope you don't mind," Robin says as he turns to her.
"About the French toast?" She asks, shaking her head. "No, that's easy enough, but…" She sighs. "We don't know that the curse will break."
"I have faith that it will," he says, not missing a beat.
"You forget that I have no idea how to do that. My first idea failed–Snow kissed her comatose Prince Charming and…nothing happened."
"That's not completely true. He woke up. That's something," Robin says easily. "You'll figure it out and… people are remembering, albeit slowly, and…"
"Too slowly to really matter," she sighs. "It's already May, Robin. And in August… everything just… goes back." Her breath hitches in her throat. "And did you see the way he looked when I told him you'd forget. It was…"
"Regina," he murmurs, cutting in as he reaches for her hand and tugs her to him. "You and I are going to figure this out."
"You and I…"
"You're not in this alone, Regina, and besides, even if we don't figure this out, I won't forget you or Henry."
"Robin, you can't…"
"I fully expect you to slip me some of that remembering potion or whatever it was you fed to me to give me back my memories because I will not forget you." Taking her by the arms, he draws her in and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "Now, we should get started on that French toast, otherwise, we're going to have two very hungry little boys down here, scowling at us while they eat Cheerios."
Regina nods and her hand catches his as he attempts to step around her. "I love you," she breathes out. "You know that right?"
"I do," he nods, offering her a quick wink as he squeezes her hand. "And I hope it goes without saying that I love you, too." She nods and releases him, watching as he reaches for a loaf of bread and she desperately tries hold onto their happy little bubble and ignore the rest of the world for just a tiny bit longer.
Robin's fingers curl down around Regina's as the school bell rings, indicating the start of the day. It occurs to her that she should turn left toward City Hall and, at the very least, check in to assess the damage done by an impromptu week away–but it's no more than a thought as Robin tugs her the opposite way toward Main Street.
"You know," he murmurs soft as they walk slowly toward Granny's. "I caught a glimpse of that super secret story Henry had to write as part of his homework…"
"Oh?" She murmurs,remembering how he'd disappeared upstairs for more than an hour before dinner, closing his door and not even letting Roland in. "And?"
"Well, I couldn't read it, but there was definitely an illustration of the Evil Queen–dressed as she's dressed in Snow White–flying with her cape flapping in the win and…" She sighs a little as s chuckle rises into her voice. "She looked like she was off to save the day."
"Or ruin it."
"Not in Henry's version of the story."
A grin tugs onto her lips and she looks over to him. "As sweet as it is that he wants to see her–"
"You," Robin corrects.
"Fine," she says, bristling a little. "As sweet as it is that he wants to see me as some sort of superhero…"
"Regina," he cuts in. "Henry's eight. He's obsessed with all things superheros and magic, and he's just found out the mother he adores is an incredibly powerful sorceress who… tosses fireballs and makes potions and can apparate to wherever she wants." He gives her hand a squeeze as they continue on down Main Street. "I don't think it's a bad thing that he's found something relatable or redeemable in the Evil Queen, and…"
His voice trails off and she chuckles softly. "Henry would be proud of your Harry Potter reference."
A little grin edges onto his lips. "Don't tell Roland, but I read ahead." Her eyes widen a little and she laughs out as they near the patio in front of Granny's. "What? He falls asleep after, like, a page. Am I just supposed to stop? At this rate, he'll be forty by the time we finish."
"Well, ten points to Gryffindor for your determination to get through," she laughs, remembering the day they'd all sorted themselves, remembering how excited the boys had been. "So… quick breakfast and then…"
"And then we get lost on our way to the bathroom," he murmurs as he tugs the door open. "Ready?"
"I am," she breathes out, her voice more confident than she'd expected. "I'm ready to… figure this out and get them the hell out of Storybrooke."
Robin only nods as Granny ushers them into what's become 'their' booth by the window. Her brow arches when Regina orders toast and coffee and she scoffs at Robin's oatmeal order, and with a shake of her head, she sighs and disappears toward the kitchen. Only a few minutes later, she brings the order,
"I think she… knows."
"She can't," Robin scoffs as his eyes shift from Regina to Granny. "Well, not exactly."
"She knows we're up to something."
"Maybe, but…" He chuckles softly as he dips his spoon into the oatmeal. "Something tells me if she did know, she'd be on our side."
"Your side…"
"My side is your side," he sighs. "Besides, if anything, she thinks the world of Henry. Everyone in this town does, and I think if faced with the choice between the Evil Queen and the foster parents who treated him so terribly, they'd side with the Queen, hands down."
Her eyes roll, but a smile tugs onto her lips as she bites into her toast–and she can't help but wonder if that would still ring true if Granny–and anyone else in Storybrooke–knew who she really was and remembered the terrible things she'd done. Her thoughts shift to Mary Margaret, and her little confession about envying the life she and Robin were building together–and once again, she found herself wondering. It wasn't often that she let herself think beyond the curse–about the fallout and how people would feel, how their opinions would change–and she surprised to find herself caring more than she ever anticipated she would.
But before she can get too lost in her thoughts, Robin's foot nudges her beneath the table, and a moment later, he slides from the booth and down the long hallway that leads to the bathrooms and the adjoining inn. She waits a few minutes, keeping a watchful eye on Granny and Ruby as she nibbles on the crust of her toast–and then, she tosses down money to cover the cost of their breakfast and meets Robin in the back.
"I feel like she was watching," she murmurs in a low whisper, as Robin works on the lock.
"She didn't follow us…"
"She probably thinks we're having a quickie in the bathroom or…"
A grin tugs onto Robin's lips as he looks back at her from over his shoulder. "Maybe another time we'll have to prove her right?" Regina's eyes roll, but before she can reply, the door opens and Robin tugs her in. "Alright, we're in…"
"And… what are we… looking for, exactly?"
"Anything useful," he murmurs, already opening a dresser drawer. "You'll know when you find something."
"Will I?"
"Relics from another realm, things with magical properties… this is definitely your thing."
"Yeah," she murmurs, taking a breath as she moves to the closet, her eyes falling to an old leather suitcase. "Here goes…"
Robin grins over at her as he opens another drawer. "Make sure to check the linings of that thing."
She nods, slowly sifting through the suitcase, finding nothing more than men's clothing and a pair of shoes–then, taking a breath, she runs her hand along the tight fabric that lines the edge, her eyes widening when she feels a hard lump beneath the surface. She looks up to Robin and takes a breath, running her finger along the seam and then a little gasp escapes her when her finger touches to a small tear just behind the seam of the zipper.
"Having fun over there?"
"I… think I found something," she tells him in a hushed voice as her finger dips between the layers of fabric. "I just can't quite…" Then, her finger touches to the small, circular object. She smiles victoriously up at Robin as she drag us up and he smiles back. "It's… a… bean," she murmurs as she drops it into her hand. "It's…" Her voice stops. "This could open up a portal."
"I thought the last of them had been been used."
She nods. "They just became incredibly rare. People hoarded them–fairies and time travelers, mostly–and I remember Rumpelstiltskin was forever trying to get his hands on one to…" Her breath catches in her lungs and her stomach drops. "Why would Henry's foster parents want to… oh, god."
"Regina, you don't know that…"
"Why the hell else would they have something to open up a portal?" She snaps, watching as his eyes soften. "I'm sor–"
"Don't apologize. You're right. There is only one reason someone would have that." He sighs as he plucks a paper bag from one of the drawers and empties it into his hand. "And… I think I know where they want to go." Regina blinks as the knot in her stomach tightens and Robin pulls a gold compass up from his palm. "This is what they bought at Gold's shop," he murmurs. "And, if I'm not mistaken," he murmurs as he flips it around, "This is a map of Neverland."
"Neverland…"
He nods and holds it out to her. "The only question is… what's in Neverland?"
It takes only a few minutes for them to put the room back in order. Robin slips the bean and the compass into his pocket and together, they slip out of the room, walking quickly back to the diner. Regina can feel Granny's eyes on them as they hurry though the diner, and in different circumstances, she'd be amused by it.
Robin heads toward the library and she heads toward her vault, both in search of learning as much about Neverland as an afternoon will allow.
Her mind reels as she tries to connect it all, meeting dead end after dead end as she tries to figure out how Rumplestiltskin and the Termaines are connected to Neverland, and to each other–and for the life of her, she can't figure out how Henry would factor in to any of it.
It didn't surprise her thought that there was some connection. Ever since Emma Swan visited Storybrooke, Rumplestiltskin had been strange toward Henry and it was obvious that her arrival–and perhaps quick departure–had jarred something in him. There was that throw away comment about how charming Henry was and a little laugh had risen up behind the moniker used for Henry's biological family; and every now and then, she couldn't help but notice his gaze, the way he focused his attention on Henry whenever they passed by his pawn shop on the way to Robin's store or the way he'd linger as they passed each other on the way into the diner. But though she noticed it, for the life of her, she didn't understand it.
With a frustrated sigh, she lets an old dusty book about magical properties across the realms fall into her lap and her eyes close. There's an aching in her chest and a gnawing at her core that she can't quite ignore and with each moment that passes, she feels her heartbeat quickening as she thinks of Henry and how terrified he is of his former guardians–the look that resonated in his eyes when he saw them walk by when they'd all been eating ice cream, the way his breath caught in his throat when he noticed the in the book, and the way the light seemed to fade from him when he woke up from the nightmare he'd had about them the other night–and she thinks of how desperately she wants to make it all better for him, to them go away.
Her eyes fly open and her shoulders tense as she hears movement above her, followed by the sound of the passage way opening–and for a brief moment, she forgets that she gave Robin instruction for how to open the vault, should he need to find to find her.
"You really need a better lock," he says, coming into view from the narrow staircase. "That was unbelievably easy. You made it sound like I'd be challenged–"
"Did you find anything?" She asks, cutting in as her brow arches. "At the library."
"Perhaps," he murmurs. "It might be nothing."
"It's more than I've figured–" She stops, tipping her head to look around him. "Is that… a crossbow strapped to your back?"
"It is."
"Why?"
He blinks as if her question is an odd one. "Well, the excuse I gave is that I wanted to go turkey hunting, but…" He sighs. "I thought you might need a sniper and–"
"A sniper," she repeats, her eyebrows arching. "You think I'll want a sniper to off Henry's foster parents?" She blinks and finds herself considering it. "I really just wanted to run them out of town."
Robin laughs a little and shakes his head, pulling crossbow from his back and setting it down as he sits done on the stone bench beside her. "This evil thing really isn't natural for you, is it?" Her eyes roll as he drops a bag of his arm and pulls out a stack of books. "I couldn't find much in the way of folklore or resources or anything like that and then, I stumbled across these." Regina looks down as he sets the books in her lap and an uneasy feeling settles in her as she reads the titles, all of which are similar and all including the words
"Have you heard of them?" Robin asks as she flips the last one to the top of the stack.
"No…"
"I didn't do a thorough reading, but the boys are orphans who form a tribe in Neverland and–"
"Henry," she breathes out.
"Yeah," he says with a nod as his hand comes up against her back, rubbing soft circles between her shoulder blades. "They… run away from their terrible lives and they…"
"He was supposed to be a lost boy?"
"Perhaps…"
"But…" She shakes her head. "Why? Why would they…"
"From the looks of it," he begins as her voice trails off. "Most of the boys are just a little older than Henry when they arrive and–" He stops as she opens one of the books to see a young boy wearing a headdress and a lion cloth cutting another boy's cheek with a spear. "It can get quite brutal, it seems."
She closes the book and draws in a breath. "But what would they get out of it?"
"I don't know," he murmurs. "I couldn't quite figure that out."
"There has to be something, some incentive or–" She stops, suddenly getting up and going to a trunk of things that had once been her mother's. She shifts around in it until she finds a little vellum book bound with fraying ribbons. She opens it up, glancing quickly at Robin as she thumbs through the pages. "There were a few poems in here about… immortality and…" She stops. "They were oddly dark," she tells him. "I remember finding it and not sleeping for a week thinking my mother was going scarficice me to the–" Her voice stops as she reaches the page. "Here…" Robin joins her at the trunk and together, they read over a handwritten poem about a shadowy figure who feasted on young hopeful souls, draining them of life in exchange for his own youthfulness. "They haven't aged," Regina murmurs as she looks to Robin, her hands suddenly trembling. "Henry said they looked exactly the same in the storybook as they did when he knew them and…" her voice trails off as she takes a shaky breath. "And that's impossible."
"But the curse…"
"Only effects Storybrooke. If you or I had been living in Boston or New York or any other place in this realm, we'd be almost thirty years older, and we'd look it, too."
"So you're saying…"
"I don't know what I'm saying," she sighs. "I just… I just know I need to see Henry."
"Well, your timing is perfect. School lets out in an hour."
Taking a breath, she nods and drops the book back into the trunk. "That's perfect. That's just enough time."
"For what?"
Reaching for an empty vial on a shelf beside her, she looks back to Robin. "To make a protection spell." She shakes her head. "I won't let them hurt him. I can't…"
Shifting toward her, Robin nods, watching her as she opens up a spell book that's already laid out–the one she used to create the potions to help him remember and get him and Roland safely over the town line. "Tell me what I can do to help," he murmurs as his hand brushes against the small of her back.
"Okay," she breathes out, smiling uncomfortably as she nods and hands him a jar. "Hold this…"
They arrive at the elementary school, just as the bell is ringing. Together, they stand in their designated spot by the fence and wait for Roland Henry to emerge from the crowd. She's a little anxious as she stands there, shifting on her feet as she watches the kids run in different directions–and she flinches when her cell phone starts to buzz from its place in her pocket. With a sigh, she reaches for it, accepting the call without checking the caller ID. She groans a little at the sound of her secretary's voice and she barely listens to what she has to stay, instead focusing her attention on the school's doors.
The crowd starts to thin and sees Roland step out–and her stomach tightens to find that he's alone, but she's quick to remind herself that they're coming from opposite sides of the school and the times she's picked them up together, she's usually had to wait for one for whatever reasons.
"And you got sort of an odd… letter."
"What?"
"You got a letter in the mail, but there's not a stamp or an address, it just has your name on the front."
Her stomach drops and her eyes fall away from the school. "Open it."
"You… want me to open your mail," her secretary repeats, her voice uneasy.
"Isn't that what I asked."
"Y-yes, of course," she murmurs as Regina holds her breath, listening as Roland calls out to Robin. "It… just says… whoever sent this keeps missing you at home, but you shouldn't worry because they've taken care of everything."
Her stomach drops and her lungs deflate as she turns to watch Robin lift Roland off the ground. "That's all?"
"Yes, it's… kind of rude…"
Regina nods as her jaw tightens and she murmurs a disinterested thank you as she turns her attention back to thinned out crowd of students. "Where's Henry?"
"I don't know," Roland says. "I thought he was out here already." He shrugs and looks between them. "Maybe he forgot his lunch box or something. I did that once and I have to all the way back to my classroom and all the back to the front of the school."
"Maybe…" Regina nods, her eyes fixed on the doors. "Yeah…"
"His class had a weird sub today, too."
"What?" She breathes out, turning to look at Robin. "Ms. Blanchard wasn't there?"
Roland shakes his head and her eyes slide to Robin. "Everyone was talking about how mean the sub was and they were glad not to be in the third grade today," Roland explains. "They even had to eat lunch in the classroom because they got in trouble, so I didn't get to ask Henry about about it." Regina's breath catches in her throat and a wave of nausea hits her. "Ms. Blanchard's class never gets in trouble…"
She's barely aware of what comes next, and the next thing she knows she's standing in the school's main office. Her hands tremble and her eyes sting with tears as she explains to the school's secretary that her son never came out of the building. Robin's arm stretches around her as Henry's paged once and then twice, and the secretary assures her that Henry was accounted for on each hour's attendance report. When Henry doesn't come to the office, she pages him for a third time and suggests they all walk down to Ms. Blanchard's classroom, suggesting that sub might still be there. Regina nods and follows her, though she knows it won't do much good–and when they reach the room, they find it empty.
"Can I have the name of today's sub?" Robin asks as she stares into the classroom.
"Um… Mrs. Tremaine," the secretary says as tears spill down Regina's cheeks and her entire body goes numb.
Robin leads her back to the office and when they get there, John is there to retrieve Roland. Regina watches as he hoists the boy onto his hip and claps Robin on the back, murmuring something reassuring that she doesn't quite hear. Robin crouches down in front of her, rubbing his hands over her knees as he tells her again and again that Henry is going to be alright, that he'll back with them before they know it, and that Graham is on his way. She nods in acknowledgement, wishing more than anything she could believe him, wishing she could take comfort in words and in his faith, and wishing more than anything that it wasn't already too late.