Faith, Hope and Love (Part Four)
Ho, ho, ho! The Christmas season continues on, @goingtomakethishappen! I hope you continued to enjoy your present!
Read part one here
Read part two here
Read Regina’s first memory here
Read part three here
Read the memory unlocked below here
Regina had never felt more nervous in her whole life.
Well, maybe that wasn’t true. She certainly was nervous when she first kissed Daniel. And when she plotted to run away with him. Her nerves were so bad the day she married the king, she couldn’t stop shaking. And then she threw up right before her wedding night, so her handmaiden made her suck on a mint leaf to get the foul taste out of her mouth before the king came. As the Evil Queen, she banished her nerves…until she adopted Henry. She was even nervous when she first kissed Robin.
So it struck her as odd that she was nervous now. It was just a date with Robin. With the man she loved, the man who was her soulmate, the man she shared her first kiss with…Regina sighed as she sat down on her bed, the star tree-topper in her hand.
After finding the old tree-topper in a box in the attic, she and Henry had put it on the tree so Regina could carry the new one around. It was down to two stars but she had still not figured out how to unlock the second memory.
Perhaps they would do so on their date. Which brought her back to the reason why she was nervous. She and Robin were going to try again and she was determined not to mess it up. But after a night of tossing and turning, she worried she would do so anyway just because it was her lot in life.
Henry knocked on her door. “Mom? Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she called out. “Why?”
“You’ve been in there a long time and Robin’s going to be here in like fifteen minutes. Do you need any help?”
Regina sighed. “Actually, yes. Could you come zip me up please?”
“Sure, Mom.” Henry slipped into her room and smiled at her. “You look beautiful.”
She smiled back. “Thank you. But wait until the dress is zipped, okay?”
“It doesn’t matter, Mom. You know that.” Henry zipped her up and nodded. “There you go.”
“Thank you.” Regina smoothed down the skirt of her sleeveless red dress before adjusting the collar.
Henry hugged her from behind. “It’s going to be fine. Robin loves you and wants this to work as much as you.”
“You’re not supposed to be the one reassuring me about my love life. I’m supposed to be reassuring you,” she replied, patting his hand.
“That’s okay, Mom. You and Robin fix your relationship, get married, be ridiculously happy together and then you both can meddle in my love life.”
She chuckled, holding her son close. “No matter what, you are the best thing in my life.”
“Mom,” he whined, “you’re getting mushy again.”
The doorbell rang and Henry let her go. “That’s Robin. I’m going to go make him sweat a little. Wait about ten minutes before coming down.”
“Ten minutes?” She frowned, crossing her arms. “Henry Daniel Mills, what are you planning?”
He gave her a cheeky grin. “Nothing too bad, I promise. Just…ten minutes. Okay?”
“Okay,” she relented, watching as he left her room.
She smiled, sitting on her bed and waiting for whatever her little prince was going to do with her thief.
Ten minutes later, Regina went downstairs and waited outside the living room. She listened in on Henry’s and Robin’s conversation. “So you promise not to hurt my mom?”
Robin didn’t respond right away and she found herself holding her breath until he spoke. “I don’t know if I can make that promise, Henry. I’ve already hurt her without intending to. It may happen again.”
“But you don’t intend to hurt her?”
“Of course not. That’s the last thing I want to do to her…and you.”
There was a silence before Henry said: “We’re talking about my mom, not me.”
“I know you’re talking about your mom, but I want to talk about you,” Robin replied. “You’re important to me too.”
“I am?”
Robin chuckled. “Of course you are. You’ve been a great help to me the past few weeks and I truly appreciate it, Henry.”
“Anything for Roland. He’s a great kid.”
“Thank you.” Another pause on Robin’s behalf. “So…did I pass?”
“What?”
“Did I pass your interrogation? May I take your mother out now?”
“Oh…Yeah, I guess so. Just have her home by eleven,” Henry said.
Regina entered the living room at that point, arms crossed. “Eleven? I’m the mother. You don’t set a curfew for me.”
Henry looked sheepish. “You need sleep, Mom.”
“Don’t worry, Henry.” Robin stood, clapping him on the shoulder. “I’ll have her home in time for her to get plenty of rest. We don’t want a tired mayor on our hands.”
Regina now gave him a look. “Careful. We haven’t left the house yet.”
He didn’t blink, instead taking her hand and kissing it. “Milady. You look lovely, as always.”
“Thank you,” she said before turning to her son. “There’s lasagna in the fridge for you to heat up. Only an hour of TV and then an hour of reading before bed. Got it?”
Henry groaned but nodded. “Have fun, you two.”
“Good night, Henry,” Robin said with a smile. He then held out his arm to Regina. “Shall we?”
She smiled back, taking his arm. “Lead the way, good sir.”
Robin took her to Granny’s, apologizing before they entered. “I’m afraid this is all I can afford right now.”
“This is fine,” Regina replied. “You don’t need to impress me, Robin.”
“I know. It’s just…you’re a queen. I want to treat you like one.”
Regina cupped his cheek. “When I’m with you, I’m not a queen and you’re not a thief. We’re just Robin and Regina. Got it?”
“I do,” he said, holding the door open for her. “After you, milady.”
“Thank you,” she said, stepping into the empty diner. She glanced around with a frown. “Where’s the dinner rush?”
Granny shrugged. “Everyone has Christmas parties, it seems. So you have the place to yourselves. Well, except for me in the back. But I’ll be sure to keep out of your hair.”
Robin smiled. “Thank you, Granny.”
“You’re quite welcome,” the older woman replied. “Now, there’s a table for two with a candle for you.”
With a hand on her back, Robin guided her toward the table set up in the middle of the diner. Plates and stemware was set up with one single candle in between the settings, its flame flickering in the dim lighting. He pulled out a chair and smiled. “Milady?”
“Thief,” she deadpanned, sitting down.
He pushed her in and took his seat. “Would you like some wine?”
“I’d love some,” she replied. “But who is going to bring us…”
She trailed off as Granny appeared, pouring them both two glasses. “Dinner should be out shortly,” she said before disappearing into the back again.
Regina leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. “Okay, what’s going on here? I highly doubt everyone in Storybrooke is having a holiday party tonight and that Granny has nothing better to do than serve us.”
“She insisted,” Robin replied. “I told her she didn’t have to do anything special but once that woman has her mind set on something…well, I know how to pick my battles.”
“Granny did all of this for you?”
“For us.” He took her hand.
She raised an eyebrow. “I highly doubt she did any of this for me. No one really does anything for me.”
“That’s a lie,” he replied. “Henry’s done a lot for you, so have the Nolans, and then there’s me. I’d do anything for you.”
“Thank you. But really, how did you get Granny to do all of this for you?”
“I told you. She insisted after I told her I was taking you out on a date. Told me to consider it an employment perk.”
“Right. Henry mentioned you worked here.” She sighed. “What do you do for her?”
He shrugged. “Whatever she needs. I’ve waited tables, I’ve cleaned, I’ve done some repair work. She asks, I do it if I can. And she lets me and Roland stay here.”
“You really don’t feel comfortable going back with the Merry Men?” Regina asked. “They’re your family.”
“I tried,” he admitted, voice gravelly. “After everyone left to go find Emma in Camelot, I went to round them up to help keep order in the town.”
He trailed off. She didn’t press him, sensing he needed to get his emotions in check before he continued. Instead, Regina reached out and took his hand as silent comfort.
Robin swallowed and finally continued. “I stood on the edge of the camp, watching as they laughed and joked with each other, and I felt like an outsider. I realized then and there that I didn’t belong with them. So I turned around and headed back into town.”
“Did they try to talk to you? See you?”
“They did, shortly after you left. Little John and Will came to my room.”
Regina frowned. “What happened?”
“It was pretty awkward for all of us,” Robin said. “Mostly us sitting around, silent as we tried to figure out how to have a conversation again. They ended up just telling me that if Roland and I needed anything to reach out and left. It confirmed I didn’t belong with them anymore.”
“Henry says you go see Zelena with either Belle or Hook. I know you and Belle are friends of sorts since she rescued you, but how did you become friends with Hook?” she asked.
Robin shrugged. “When you lot returned from Camelot, he’d come by and somehow we became drinking buddies. I opened up about everything and he offered to go with me. So I accepted.”
“Dinner is served!” Granny returned, setting down two burgers in front of them. “It’s not fancy…”
“Who needs fancy?” Regina replied, smiling at Robin.
Granny chuckled. “Glad to see the mood’s picked up. It was starting to feel more like a funeral than a date out here.”
“Granny, you promised not to eavesdrop,” Robin replied, giving her a look. “Remember?”
“I wasn’t eavesdropping. It permeated the entire diner.”
Robin grimaced. “Sorry.”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” Regina said. “Right, Granny?”
Granny nodded. “You’ve had one hell of a year, Robin. I’d say you need a vacation but I doubt you want to leave Storybrooke again. Now, I’ll leave you two alone. If you need me, give a holler.”
Once she was gone, Robin took Regina’s hand again. “Have you been able to unlock that second memory?”
“Not yet.” She pulled the tree-topper from her clutch. “I’m sure we have to be together but not sure what we have to do to unlock it.”
“Well, we’ll figure it out,” he said, smiling. “Maybe after we’ve gotten some food into ourselves?”
After they had finished their burgers and shared some light conversation, Robin asked about Camelot. Regina shrugged as she took a sip of her wine. “What do you want to know? I’m sure everyone else has told you everything.”
“For the most part. But I want to hear it from you.” He leaned forward. “Did you really tell Arthur you were the Savior?”
Regina nodded, letting out a little laugh. “Ridiculous, right? As if I could ever be a Savior.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” he replied. “You’re not the Evil Queen anymore. And you’ve saved this town quite a few times. You’re just as much a Savior as Emma.”
She smiled, ducking her head to hide her blush. Robin continued: “I also heard there was a ball held in your honor.”
Regina grimaced. “I don’t want to talk about that.”
“Because of what happened?”
“What do you know about it?” Her eyes narrowed as her stomach turned. Who had told him what?
“No one really says anything about it. Henry once said his mom got hurt and his other mom had to heal her but then wouldn’t clarify which mom he was talking about.” Robin studied her. “Did Emma get hurt and you had to heal her?”
She wasn’t sure she wanted to reopen that wound. Regina pressed her hand to her side, though there was no scar from where Percival’s sword pierced it. The phantom pain returned and she heard Henry’s panicked voice screaming her name and Mary Margaret pleading with her to hold on.
Robin saw her motion, though, and frowned. “It was you. You were injured and Emma had to heal you. What happened?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. It wasn’t anything.”
“Liar.” He stood and crouched down next to her. “Tell me the truth, Regina. Please.”
She sighed. “One of Arthur’s knights came from a village I destroyed. He and I shared a dance where he told me his tale. I was concerned he was going to tell Arthur I really wasn’t the Savior and put Emma at risk but instead he pulled out a sword, piercing me with it before I could react.
“I learned David had started to run across the room the moment he pulled the sword but wasn’t quick enough. He did slay Sir Percival before the knight could truly finish me off. Henry and Mary Margaret flew to my side as I tried to heal myself but nothing was working. I was taken to a spare room where it was determined Percival had managed to bewitch the blade so that I couldn’t heal myself and would surely die.”
Robin pulled her into his arms, rocking her as she continued her tale: “I began to black out from the blood loss. I tried to cling onto the sound of voices, but everything was starting to blur together. Death called to me and, for a moment, I considered answering. That it would just be easier to go into oblivion and be reunited with Daniel and Daddy and even Mother.”
“But you didn’t.”
She shook her head. “Henry pleaded with Emma to save me, even though using her magic meant using dark magic. Despite the risk, she healed me and pulled me back from Death. When I opened my eyes and saw Henry’s relieved face, I remembered that I had so much to live for.”
“I wish I had been there,” Robin whispered. “Maybe I could’ve gotten to him before he was able to hurt you.”
“Or you could’ve gotten hurt instead. Then what would’ve Roland done without you?” Regina shook her head. “No use playing ‘what if’ now. What’s done is done and I’m fine.”
“Are you? Or are you ignoring it?” Robin tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes. They bore into her until she looked away, staring at the tiled floor.
He kissed the side of her head. “Why don’t you come with me to my next appointment with Archie? You can talk about that and then really move on.”
“Okay,” she whispered. “And I promise not to storm out again.”
“Well, I thought we would take turns…” She glanced up to see his lips twitch and she smiled in return. He kissed her nose. “There’s that smile again.”
He helped her stand before holding up his finger. Walking over to the jukebox, he picked a song—“At Last” by Etta James. Robin turned to her and held out his hand. “May I have this dance?”
“A dance?” She hesitated. “I’m not much of a dancer, Robin.”
“Nonsense. It’s really easy here, I’ve learned. You just hold each other and sway to the music.”
Regina sighed, letting him pull her close. He wrapped her hand in his and held her gently by the waist. She rested her free hand on his shoulder and let him sway them around Granny’s empty floor. “How do you know this song?” she asked.
“I found solace in the radio,” he explained. “I would play it all the time in New York and here when I can’t sleep. Songs that I liked…or reminded me of you…I would do everything I could to find out what they were called. There’s a very helpful app on the phone for that, did you know?”
Laughing, Regina laid her head on his shoulder. She sighed. “This is nice.”
“Almost like when we first danced in the courtyard? Now that we can remember that?”
“Yes,” she agreed. “You made me feel like the best dancer in the world that night. I didn’t feel like the hopeless case my instructor and Mother told me I was.”
“Funny what happens when you support someone rather than tear them down. You realized you could actually dance.”
She curled closer to him. “There’s a lot I’ve realized I could do with someone believing in me. Especially you.”
“I’ll always believe in you, Regina. And I’ll support you always.”
“I know.” She took a deep breath. “And it’s time I did the same for you.”
“What do you mean?”
Regina pulled away to look him in the eyes. “I mean it’s not fair that you have to deal with my sister alone, even if Hook or Belle go with you. I’m sorry I haven’t been very supportive but I will be now. I promise.”
“No, Regina. I won’t ask you to have to face her. Not after everything that she did to you.”
“I know you won’t ask me,” she replied, lacing their fingers together as the song ended. “That’s why I’m insisting. You need my support as much as I need yours. That’s part of being in love, right?”
Nodding, he leaned down to kiss her. Bright lights exploded behind her eyes as another memory, another stolen Yule, was returned to her.
Decorating with Snow, running from Leopold, running with Robin, a month of pure happiness, a kiss by the fire, Rumpelstiltskin…
“I am going to kill Gold,” she muttered once the light died down.
Robin cupped her cheek. “I’ll help you. Gladly.”
She smiled before sighing. “Wait, it wouldn’t be fair. I did chose to wipe my memories.”
“Because he threatened you,” Robin said. “Had you come to me, we would’ve been able to outrun the king’s men. I did it for years. We would’ve been safe and together.”
“Could you have guaranteed it?”
He held her closer. “There were no guarantees for anything back then, Regina. But we could’ve worked through it together.”
“Once again, it would be a game of ‘what if.’ We can’t change anything now. Only learn from the memory,” Regina replied.
“And what did you learn?”
She narrowed her eyes. “You sound like you could’ve been a teacher instead of a thief.”
“I don’t think I would’ve had the patience,” he replied before crossing his arms. “Now answer the question.”
“I don’t know what I learned. I guess maybe that we should’ve faced it together rather than me going it alone?” She shrugged.
He shrugged. “Sounds good to me.”
Regina strolled over to the jukebox, searching for a song. She smiled as she selected Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” and turned back to Robin. “One more dance?”
“Gladly, my lady.” He pulled her close and they held each other throughout the song.
If you’re lost, you can look and you will find me, time after time…
Robin returned Regina to her house at eleven promptly. “Can’t have Henry angry with me,” he said, swinging their arms as they walked up her sidewalk. “He might not let me take you out again.”
“I’m the parent,” she said, indignant. “If I want to go out with you again, I’ll go out with you again. He has no say.”
“You say that, but we both know that if Henry had any objections to me or any man you dated, that relationship would end. He’s the most important person in your life and that’s how it should be. I understand that.”
Regina smiled, taking his other hand as they stood outside her door. “And that’s one of the many things I love about you. Don’t worry. Henry likes you so we’ll be having another date…if you want one.”
“How’s this for an answer?” Robin cupped her face in his hands and kissed her tenderly.
As they broke the kiss, she nodded. “Loud and clear.”
“Why don’t we go for lunch after our next appointment with Archie, day after tomorrow. Sound good?”
“Lunch sounds great.” She kissed him again. “Until then.”
Regina pulled out her keys, opening her door. He stood watching her until she closed the door, sighing as she leaned against it.
“Was that a good sigh?” Henry left the kitchen, crossing his arms. “Or was that a bad one?”
She smiled. “It was a good one. Now, let’s go to bed.”
“I don’t get to hear about your date?”
“In the morning.” She wrapped her arm around his shoulder. “I promise.”
He nodded and she squeezed him. “I love you, Henry.”
“Love you too, Mom.”
