I'll stop the world and melt with you
You've seen the difference and it's getting better all the time
There's nothing you and I won't do
I'll stop the world and melt with you

("I'll Melt With You," Modern English)

Chapter 19: Hiding Away

When I awoke the next morning, I felt rested and alert. I stretched out under my soft blankets and reached out for my bedmate, only to find Robin's side of the bed empty. Frowning, I opened my eye and checked the clock. A jolt shot through me as I sat up, surprised.

It was almost one o'clock in the afternoon.

I had slept half the day away.

Pushing back the blankets, I turned to place my feet on the floor. As if summoned, Robin appeared in the doorway with a frown. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm getting out of bed," I replied matter-of-factly. "I've slept far too long and I need to get a start on my day. Why didn't you wake me?"

"You needed rest up after everything you went through yesterday. You fought a dragon, Regina," he reminded me. He crossed his arms as he stared me down.

I gave him a pointed look, not in the mood to be coddled by him. "I know. And I got plenty of rest now, Robin. I'm not injured so I think I can do some things around the house. Like take care of my babies."

"Roland is at school and Karen is taking care of Emma and Rachel for us," he said, sitting down next to me on the bed.

"What? Why?" I asked, frowning. Why would he send our babies away?

He took my hands, turning to face me. "So we can spend some time together. I thought I could possibly lose you and I'd like to spend right now assuring myself you're fine with a thorough examination."

"Ooh," I said, my frown turning into a cheeky grin as I understood his intentions. "Well, then, let me go to the bathroom and then you can examine me all you want."

Robin grinned right back at me. "Then don't take too long, lovely."

"I won't," I promised him, heading into the bathroom. Once I finished my business, washed my hands and brushed my teeth, I took a deep breath and headed back out to join my husband for what promised to be quite the enjoyable afternoon.

When I next awoke, I was curled up in Robin's arms. He ran his fingers through my hair as he read the newspaper. I moved closer, smiling at him. "Anything good?"

"Not really," he said, closing the paper. He kissed my forehead. "Are you hungry?"

My stomach answered for me by growling loudly. He chuckled as he withdrew his arm from around me. "I'll go make you some lunch. Do you want anything in particular?"

I shook my head. "Whatever you feel like making will be fine with me."

"Then I'll go see what we have in the kitchen," he said, giving me a kiss. "Why don't you relax here a bit longer?"

"I don't know," I said, feeling my eyelids grow heavy again. "I might fall asleep again and I really need to eat."

He chuckled, holding out his hand to me. "Then do you want a boost out of bed so you can join me downstairs?"

"Yes, please." I took my hand and he pulled me into his arms, holding me close. I let out a yelp before glaring at him. "I didn't know this is what you meant."

"It wasn't until I was picking you up," he admitted. "Then I decided I wasn't going to put you down until we reach the kitchen."

"I'm naked!"

He grinned. "I'm not complaining."

"Of course you're not," I replied, glaring at him. "However, I have a strict policy when it comes to my kitchen—no shirt, no service."

"True," he acknowledged, setting me down. "Let's see who can change fastest. Ready, set, go!"

He raced toward his dresser and I laughed, following a slower pace. This was one race he could win, I figured as I opened one of my drawers. I pulled out a nice blue sweater and a pair of jeans to wear before fishing out one of my bras as well as a clean pair of underwear.

I turned around and threw them onto the bed, noticing that Robin was already in his jeans. He was pulling on a green flannel shirt, flashing me a smile. "Looks like I'm winning."

"Yes, you are," I agreed, pulling on my bra. I latched it behind me before I slipped on the matching pair of underwear. "But I'm catching up."

He narrowed his eyes. "You weren't even trying to beat me, were you?"

"I'm a bit sore, love," I reminded him, wincing as I slid my sweater over my head. Once it popped through the neck, I continued: "I can't really move as fast as you."

Robin grimaced and I felt guilty for making him feel bad. "Right, sorry, lovely. I was being a jerk, huh?"

I gave him a soft smile, trying to reassure him. "You were being absolutely adorable."

"You make me sound like one of the children," he told me, buttoning up his shirt.

I shrugged. "Sometimes, there really isn't much of a difference between you and them."

He paused before chuckling, nodding. "I guess there's not. I can say the same thing about you as well."

"They keep us young," I said, zipping up my pants. "Okay, now we can go get lunch."

"Good." He swept me up into his arms again, holding me close. "Just relax and you'll be eating in no time."

I leaned against him. "I wonder if Zelena has realized I've flown the coop yet."

"Ugh. Please don't mention her," Robin said, sounding absolutely disgusted.

Laughing, I nuzzled against him. "I know we're trying to have a pleasant day but I feel really proud of myself for eluding her. And I'll continue to feel that way if I know she has no clue where I am."

He chuckled now. "Well, I guess that's worth mentioning her. But you are not contacting her to find out."

"Oh, I definitely agree on that," I said. "Let her find me. Hopefully, she never does."

"I hope so as well," he replied, "but we would then have to stay away from Storybrooke."

I sighed. "Well, I'm not doing that."

"Yeah, neither am I. Not with all our friends there. That and we probably shouldn't leave Charming and Maleficent alone together for too long," he said, setting me down in my chair once we reached the kitchen.

As he went to gather everything for our lunch, I tried to imagine life in Charming's apartment now. I could see him and Maleficent giving each other wide berths as they both tried to figure out how things worked in the Land Without Magic. Yet I also saw him helping with Lily and rocking her as well as changing her diaper, caring for her as Maleficent napped. It was a sweet scene.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked me, setting down a plate with a turkey and cheese sandwich on it in front of me.

"Maleficent and Charming," I replied, taking a bite of the sandwich. After swallowing, I continued: "I imagine he's a big help with Lily."

Robin smiled, sitting down next to me with his own plate. "Yeah, I imagine he is. Probably enjoying everything he didn't get to do with Emma."

"She said his name," I said, smiling at the memory before it dimmed a bit. "Well, she said 'Charm' but that's close."

"It is. And I think he'll take anything she'll call him," he replied, taking another bite of his sandwich.

I nodded, growing somber as I pushed my empty plate away. "He would prefer 'Daddy' over 'Charm.'"

"I know," Robin said softly, taking my hand. He laced our fingers together. "One day, she'll call him that. Even though it will break my heart."

"It will break my heart too. But I also knew we will have to give her back to Charming and Snow. They are her parents," I said, even though it hurt to do so. I was Emma's mother as well. Would that just…stop?

He ran his hand through his hair. "I hate talking about this and keep telling myself that it's a long time away before we have to deal with this…but we do have to deal with this, don't we?"

"Yeah," I replied with a sigh. "But how do we do that? Especially since Snow doesn't remember she's a mother?"

"That's the million dollar question, isn't it?" he asked, leaning back.

I let out a little chuckle. "You sound more and more like you're from here."

He grinned. "I feel more and more like I'm from here. The Land Without Magic is pretty great."

"Well, it does have magic now," I reminded him. Holding open my hand, I produced a small fireball and let it dance over my palm.

"True," he replied, smiling. "Though, it always had its own magic even before Zelena did whatever she did to bring magic to this world."

I gave him a knowing look. "Are you now going to say something about me and the children being the magic in this world? Because that sounds right up your alley."

He chuckled, smiling. "It certainly does. And it would certainly be true. But I was thinking more along the lines of pizza."

"Of course," I replied with an eyeroll. "Pizza."

"It still doesn't hold a candle to your lasagna," he said, voice going up at the end as he tried to worm his way back into my good graces.

I chuckled, patting his cheek. "Nice save, Romeo."

"I tried," he replied, scrunching up his nose. He then kissed mine before grabbing my plate. "What do you want to do now?"

"I want to get my children," I said. "Can we do that?"

He chuckled, nodding. "We can go get the children. I'm sure they miss you too."

I jumped up, pushing my chair in. "Then I'm going to go brush my hair, put on my shoes and I'll meet you at the car."

"Slow down, Regina," he told me, grabbing my hand. "I need to get ready as well and you probably shouldn't overexert yourself. Aren't you still sore?"

"I'll be fine," I said, leaning into his embrace even as my bones felt like they were full of lead. I felt stiff but didn't want to tell him that. Not until after we got the children back.

He sighed as he rubbed my back. "I know you're lying but I know you're determined to come with me. So why don't you wait for me to finish up down here and then I can help you get ready? Can you do that?"

It was a good compromise and I knew it. So I nodded before burying my face against his neck. "Just be quick."

"Deal." He kissed my nose before hurrying off to the kitchen to finish cleaning the dishes. I sat down to wait for him, eager to get my children back and to just relax with the three of them.

"Mama!" Roland raced off the bus and nearly knocked me over as he threw his arms around me. He hugged me tightly. "Are you feeling better?"

I held him close before leaning down to drop a kiss into his curls. "I am feeling much better but your Papa still wants me to rest. I was hoping for some cuddles on the couch with my Little Knight."

He looked up at me, grinning widely. "I would love to cuddle with you on the couch! What about Emma and Rachel?"

"They're napping," I told him. "And I got my cuddles in with them. Now it's our turn."

Roland began bouncing up and down. "I like the sound of that!"

We headed inside as he told me all about his day in school. I took off his backpack and his coat, hanging them up as I nodded in all the right places. As he told me about how he finally was able to get the basketball in the basket, we laid on the couch together and I wrapped us in the blanket we kept there.

"Sounds like you had a pretty good day," I told him.

He nodded, laying his head against my shoulder. "And it just got even better."

My heart melted a bit as I kissed the top of his head again. "Mine did as well."

"What are we talking about?" Robin asked, wandering into the room with Bandit at his heels. The dog rushed forward, jumping onto the couch and curling up at my feet.

Roland smiled up at his father. "Both my day and Mama's got better now that we're cuddling with each other."

"Ahh," Robin replied with a smile. "That sounds like a very good conversation. And I spent some of the day cuddling with Mama so I know how great that is."

"Did Papa's cuddles help you feel better after fighting the dragon?" Roland asked me.

I glanced up at Robin, annoyed at the way he was smirking but not wanting to show it to our son. So I forced the smile to remain on my face as I said: "Oh, yes, they certainly did."

"Glad to hear it," Robin replied, growing even more smug. I glared at him over Roland's head as he snuggled closer to me but Robin just continued to smirk. He leaned down, kissing my forehead. "I'll leave you two to your snuggles. Let me know if you need anything."

My glare softened and smiled. "I will. Thank you."

He left the room and I snuggled closer to Roland. "Do you want to watch something? Or do anything else?"

"I just want to cuddle with you," he said, his eyes starting to close. "I like it."

I kissed his forehead. "I like it too."

"Mama? Is the Queen going to try to hurt you again? You know, because you didn't slay the dragon and instead rescued her?" Roland asked, sounding concerned.

"I don't know," I replied, not wanting to lie to him but not wanting to scare him. I rubbed his back. "But your father and I will be ready for her. I promise you that."

Roland nodded. "Papa will keep you safe. It's what he does."

I smiled softly, impressed with how confident he was in his father's abilities. "Yes, it is what he does. And he does it well."

"So you'll be fine?" he asked me.

"Yes," I replied, hugging him. "I'm not going anywhere."

He breathed out in relief and nuzzled against her. "Good. I want you to stay with me forever."

"Forever is an awfully long time."

"It still won't be long enough," he replied, yawning as his eyes closed. "I never want to be apart from you."

I chuckled, knowing that one day he would want nothing more than to be away from me and his father. For now, though, I would relish every moment I had with him. Kissing his head again, I closed my eyes and let myself drift off. A nap with my son seemed the perfect way to end our afternoon.

The phone rang the next day and I raced over, picking it up. "Hello?" I asked, breathless.

"Regina, are you okay?" Charming asked, sounding concerned.

"Yes. I just ran to answer the phone. Are you okay?" I asked, now concerned myself.

He cleared his throat. "I am. So is Maleficent but…I was just wondering…how soon can you get her out of my apartment?"

I raised my eyebrow. "You two can't play nice?"

"I can," he insisted, "but I'm not so sure about her."

"Why? Has she done something?" I asked, sitting down at the dining room table with a frown.

He sighed. "Not exactly but I catch her just staring at me and…it's unnerving. I'm pretty sure she might be planning to skin me while I sleep."

Robin walked in the room and he furrowed his brow when he saw me on the phone. He motioned to it and mouthed Who is it? to me.

I covered the receiver and whispered: "It's Charming. He's being melodramatic about living with Mal."

"I can hear you," Charming told me. "And I am not being melodramatic!"

Robin rolled his eyes as I uncovered the receiver. "Sorry but don't you think that just maybe you are?"

"You're not the one living with a sorceress who can turn into a dragon," he hissed into the phone.

"She's not going to skin you in your sleep, Charming," I replied in deadpan. "If you give each other a chance, you might actually like each other."

He sputtered on the other end. "Come on, Regina. Please tell you're working on that potion so you can get her out of here. Please."

"I spent yesterday resting," I told him, "but I'll start working on it tonight. You just need to be patient. Okay?"

"Fine," he replied with a sigh. "Just…hurry, please?"

I promised him I would work as fast as I could before ending the call. Robin placed a glass of water next to me. "I don't want you wearing yourself out too soon, Regina," he told me.

"I won't," I said, taking a sip. "Charming and Mal can put up with each other for a little bit longer."

He chuckled, nodding as he took my hand. "Yes, indeed."

"We are going to have to go back to Storybrooke soon," I told him, giving him a pointed look.

"I know," he replied, not really meeting my gaze.

I gave his hand a squeeze before lacing our fingers together. "Zelena isn't going to do anything to me. She needs me."

"But is she rational to know that?" he asked. "How do we know she won't just take out her rage on you?"

"We just have to chance it," I replied.

He sighed, nodding. "I know, I know. We can't leave our friends behind. Especially if Charming is that nervous to be alone with Maleficent."

"I think he's being overdramatic. She's not going to hurt him," I said.

"I agree. But just because you trust Maleficent, it doesn't mean the bad blood between them still doesn't exist," he reminded me.

I nodded. "I get it. I guess it would be like if you asked me and Zelena to room together."

He frowned, shaking his head. "Hardly. Maleficent may not be some hero, but she's certainly not at the same level Zelena is."

"Okay, maybe that was a bad example," I allowed.

"Yes," he agreed.

I pushed on. "But I still get your point. I should really start that potion, huh?"

He nodded. "It would probably be for the best. Is there anything I can get you to help you make it?"

"Not really," I replied. "I have most of the ingredients I need. I might need to pick up a few more but I can only get them in Storybrooke."

"I was afraid you were going to say that," he replied with a sigh.

I stood, dropping a kiss into his hair. "Don't worry. I wouldn't go anywhere near there without you."

"Good," he said, standing as well. "Do you want some help with dinner?"

"I would love it," I told him, accepting that the conversation was over as I took his hand. We went to the kitchen together, satisfied all was right in our world.

For now, at least.

It took almost another week but we soon found ourselves traveling back to Storybrooke. All the children were piled in the backseat as Robin drove there and I reviewed my list. "It should just be a quick trip to the apothecary but we should probably have lunch with Charming," I said.

"Charm!" Emma chirped happily from the back. She kicked her legs as she smiled widely. "Charm!"

Robin chuckled as he glanced back at her, smiling. "Yes, sweetheart. We're going to see Charm."

"Well, I guess that settles it," I said. "We're going to have to have lunch with Charming."

"No arguments here," he replied, passing over the town line. "Here we are."

I took a deep breath. "Yes, we are. Hopefully, this trip will be uneventful."

"From your lips," he said, frowning. "Which way to the apothecary again?"

"Head down Main Street and then make a left onto Elm," I told him, pointing straight ahead.

I then glanced back at Emma, who now was playing with Princess Bear as she babbled happily to the Teddy bear. Every so often, I heard her say "Charm" and so I knew she was talking about her father—even if she didn't know that's who he was. But once again, I found myself wondering if she just knew in her heart that he had a special connection to her. She was powerful, so there was no telling what her magic was capable of. I hoped that it helped when we finally broke the curse and her parents were able to take care of her again so that the transition wasn't too traumatic for her.

Robin and I, of course, were going to be complete messes when we needed to give her back to her parents. I just hoped we could hold it together long enough to make everything as easy as possible for her.

"Here we are," Robin said, pulling the car into a parking spot and putting it into park. He turned to me. "Do you want us to all go in?"

I shook my head, picking up my bag. "I don't want the girls getting into something they shouldn't. I'll be quick, I promise."

He nodded, giving me a quick kiss. "We'll be waiting here for you. And I'll be watching you. If you need help, just give me a sign and I'll come in."

"It's just the apothecary," I told him as I opened the door. "I'll be fine. So relax and keep the kids occupied."

I hurried inside, pulling out the list of ingredients I needed as I grabbed a basket. Going over the herbs in the store, I measured them out carefully. Most were inexpensive but I had no other use for them, so I didn't want to get more than I needed.

"Oh, hey, haven't seen you around," Red said as I rounded a corner. She glanced out the window. "Did you bring that hot husband of yours with you?"

Trying not to scowl, I nodded. "But he's out in the car with the children. So I need to be quick, excuse me…"

I tried to push past her but Red stopped me. She looked contrite as she grimaced. "Hey, look, I'm sorry. I guess it would be a pain to have someone hitting on my husband if I were in your shoes."

"Yes, it is," I said, not sure where she was going with this. "So are you going to stop?"

She paused for a moment before shrugging. "I can't make any promises. I'm a flirt. It's just how I interact with people. But I'll try to make a more concerted effort to not do it in front of you."

"Thank you?" I wasn't too sure if she was offering an olive branch or not but I figured I would give her the benefit of the doubt.

I started to try to move around her but it seemed she kept blocking my path, making me frown. "Is there something else?"

Her eyes flitted toward a back room before she put on a big smile. "Just that I wanted to invite you and your family to Granny's for a nice meal. My treat."

"Uh, thank you. I just need to pay for this and then we need to pick up a friend…"

She crinkled her nose as she scowled. "It's not that wet blanket Mary Margaret is it? She's so boring."

"She's neither of those things," I replied, defending my friend. "Which you would know if you got to know her rather than judge her by what she wore."

Red frowned. "I do know her. I know everybody in this town. I don't dislike just because she wears such schoolmarm outfits. I dislike her because she's so buttoned up and just not cool."

"Well, I like her," I said, switching approaches. "So if I want to have lunch with her, then I will."

"Fine. I guess I'll treat her too," she replied, rolling her eyes.

Feeling smug even as I realized we would now have to invite Snow just to prove my point to Red, I said: "Thank you."

She nodded and I once again tried to walk past her. Once again, she blocked me and I grew frustrated. "What's going on? If you don't let me pay, you're going to have to treat us to dinner rather than lunch."

"Well, the dinner menu at Granny's is better than the lunch menu anyway," she said, now looking nervous. I noticed her eyes kept darting toward the back.

Suspicious, I followed her eyeline until I spotted a door in a back corner that was covered by a curtain. It moved slightly as if someone had just let it go. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. "Is someone back there?"

"Just the apothecarist," Red lied. I wondered why she would tell such a boldfaced lie as she had to know I could see the shop owner from where I stood.

I grew frustrated. "What is going on, Re…Ruby? I'm starting to think you're purposefully keeping me here."

"No, of course not!" she protested.

"Then let me pass!" I stared her down, starting to move forward to hopefully get to the counter and pay. Then I could leave and hopefully put this all behind me.

She moved to block me again. "Do you really have to go so soon?"

"Robin and the kids are in the car," I reminded her. "So, yes."

"Oh, enough of this charade!" Zelena's voice sent a chill down my spine and I saw Red's eyes widen a bit.

I slowly turned as Zelena appeared around some shelves. She held a red beating heart in her hand and she smirked as she raised it to her mouth. "Go away."

Red's back straight as her shoulders went back. Holding her head up high and looking entranced, she walked away from us and out of the store.

"You took her heart?" I hissed, whipping my head back to face Zelena. I glared at her, feeling my body heat up with my anger.

"Don't act all surprised," she replied, rolling her eyes. "You know I take hearts. I took yours once, remember?"

I rubbed my chest as the unpleasant memory of kissing her boot sprang to my mind. "Oh, I do. And I remember how you took my husband's as well."

She rolled her eyes. "Are you still harping on that? He lived."

"Barely."

Zelena waved her hand. "Ancient history. Let's talk about modern history. Like how you didn't kill the dragon for me and bring me her egg."

"There was an actual baby in that egg," I told her, crossing my arms. "Did you know that?"

"Of course I did. Why do you think I needed it? The blood of a baby dragon is very magical," she replied.

I frowned. "Not a baby dragon. A human baby."

"Dragon babies are always born human. They learn to become dragons later," Zelena explained as if I were a complete idiot. "And so their blood is still very magical."

"She's still a baby. You couldn't have expected me to hand over a baby to you," I protested.

She shrugged. "I was expecting you to turn over the egg without knowing what was inside it. How was I to know it would hatch?"

I stared aghast at her. "You're a monster."

"I'm wicked," she corrected.

"Well, either way, you're not getting that baby," I told her. "I won't let you and her mother definitely won't let you."

Zelena scowled. "Maleficent is no threat to me."

I raised my eyebrow. "Right. That's why you locked her in a dungeon under the library. Which is locked and boarded up."

"Whatever," she said, growing frustrated. "I guess you forgot about one very important thing. Or should I say, person?"

My stomach sank as I knew exactly who she was talking about. "Mother."

"Regina, is everything okay?" Robin asked, entering the store. "You've been in here a long…"

He stopped as he rounded the corner, his eyes flashing when he saw Zelena. "You!" he snarled.

She smirked as she waved at him. "Hello there, Robin. I was wondering when the former Prince of Thieves was going to join this party."

"I won't let you harm her," he said, pulling me close to him.

"I'm not going to hurt her," Zelena replied. "Not today anyway. I'm just reminding her the price of crossing me."

Thinking of my mother, I curled closer to Robin. He tightened his hold on me. "Leave her alone, Zelena."

"I will," she said, smirking as she leveled me with her cold gaze. "For now."

She walked away, her heels clicking against the tiled floor as she approached the front door. Robin kissed my forehead before racing after her. I watched as he jumped in front of her, leaning against our car as he glared at her. She just smirked at him before she walked away, heading toward the street as she disappeared from my view.

"Is she gone?" the apothecarist asked, poking his head over the counter to survey the store.

I tried not to scowl at him, knowing it was probably smart for him to hide while Zelena had been in there. But I also felt he knew she had been waiting to ambush me. "Yes," I snapped.

"I'm sorry," he said, sounding genuine. "But she scares me. She has magic, you know."

"Oh, I know," I replied, putting my purchases down on the counter. "Can I just pay for this? I need to go."

He nodded, ringing me up quickly. I paid and watched as he bagged everything for me, handing it to me. "Have a good day. And be careful."

I thanked him and stormed out of the store, finding Robin was still leaning on the car. "She gone?" I asked.

"I believe so," he said. "But who knows with her? She'll probably show up when we least expect her. Again."

"She does do that," I replied with a sigh. I then looked in the car, trying to see my babies. "How are the children?"

He opened the door. "They are fine. Emma and Rachel slept through it and Roland was busy keeping an eye on them. But I'm sure they're all hungry."

I nodded, getting in on my side. I looked back at Roland, putting on my biggest smile. "Are you ready to get some food, sweetheart?"

He hesitated, his eyes looking around. "Is the queen going to be there?"

"Not that I know," I replied, not wanting to lie to him as I exchanged a look with Robin. "But if we see her, we'll leave. I promise."

Roland nodded. "Okay, Mama. I just don't want her to hurt you anymore."

"I know, sweetheart," I told him as Robin pulled out of the parking lot. "I don't want her to hurt us either."

As I faced forward again, I prayed we would find a way to rid ourselves of Zelena for good and that my mother didn't become a casualty in our war.

A/N: This chapter took an awfully long time, huh? Sorry for the wait. Hopefully it won't be too long before the next one—but there are a lot of themed weeks coming up.

And I'm addicted to Outlaw Queen buttons.

Also, I had to cut the smut in the beginning. For the full scene, please go to AO3 or Wattpad.

-Mac