Does anyone know the fix where the guys adopt a teenager and he has some anger issues, his dads in prison and the kid kicks off when he hears dad is getting released. K&b also have a younger kid too
I think it might be this one. - HKVoyage
Little Warriors by Klainelover1997
Kurt and Blaine, after all their previous attempts at having children have failed, are forced to seek their last option, adoption. They don't expect to fall head over heals for Jayden and his sister, Isabella who have a troubled past that hits home with Blaine. Watch as the family battles to push forward into the future and let the past stay behind them.
Prompt: Roland decides to spend his special day with a family camping trip and Regina is less than thrilled.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10
When Regina had offered up a special day just for Roland, she had assumed that the little boy would have chosen the movies or ice cream. She never could have predicted that Roland would request that the family go...camping. “Are you sure, sweetheart?” Regina asked. “You really want to go camping?”
“Yup!” Roland replied instantly, evident enthusiasm in his voice. “And I know it was just supposed to be the three of us but I want the whole family to come. I want us to be together.”
“Well, I think it’s a fine idea, my boy,” Robin told him as he ruffled the curly locks on the boy’s head.
“I don’t know if taking Addy is such a great idea,” Regina said, trying desperately to get out of going. She wasn’t an outdoorsy type of girl. She didn’t sleep on the ground or eat fish out of a dirty river. It simply wasn’t her thing. “No one takes a baby camping,” she added.
“Roland lived at a campsite for the first three years of his life,” Robin retorted with a laugh.
“Well, you know that she’s getting over that little cold that she had.” Regina tried once more. “I’m just not sure that sleeping out in the cold is such a great idea. You three go and have a great time. I’ll stay with Addy.”
“No Mama, you have to come with us,” Roland pouted. “It won’t be the same without you.”
“I’m sure that Grandma would gladly watch her for the night,” Henry offered. “She’s always talking about getting her hands on a smaller baby. If you ask me, I think she’s got a bit of baby fever.”
“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Robin told the boy. “I’ll give her a call,” he added before heading into the kitchen to call Snow. Mentally, Regina was panicking. She did not want to go camping. She loved her boys. She really did...but camping! No, no way. Within a few minutes, Robin returned from the kitchen with a smile on his face.
“Snow said that she would gladly take her for a night,” he announced. “So I guess it’s settled. The Locksley-Mills family is going camping.” Henry and Roland cheered and Regina tried her best to look excited, but deep down she was less than thrilled.
The next two days, they spent getting prepared for their camping trip. Robin had been adamant about just sleeping under the stars, but Regina had put her foot down.
“What if it rains?” She had retorted. “We’ll need tents.”
“The beauty of camping is sleeping under the stairs, letting the wind brush against your face.” Robin told her. “There’s nothing like it.”
“I’m just saying that I’d feel more comfortable if we had tents.” Regina tried once more as she nervously rubbed her hands together. Robin could see that Regina was anxious about this trip. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew that Regina did not share his love of the outdoors, but she was trying and that was what mattered.
“Okay, my love,” Robin finally conceded. “If you want tents, we’ll have tents.” Regina let out a sigh of relief. She was not looking forward to this trip but at least they’d have tents now. The next morning, the family woke up bright and early. They gathered up their camping supplies and packed it up into the car. Regina also made sure to gather everything that Snow would need to take care of Addy for the next two days. When everything was stowed away, they drove over Snow and Charming’s apartment. Once there, Regina got out of the car and moved to grab Addy from the backseat. The little girl had managed to fall asleep on the short drive over so Regina tried her best to extract her from the car seat without waking her up.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Regina replied as she carried the still sleeping baby and diaper bag into the Charming’s apartment building. After climbing up two flights of stairs, she stopped in front of the door and knocked. She waited a moment before Snow opened the door with a ridiculously huge smile on her face.
“Look at that little angel!” Snow cooed softly, looking at Addy’s sleeping form in Regina’s arms.
“Hopefully, she stays a little angel for you,” Regina replied as she handed the baby over to the other woman. Snow instantly cuddled the little girl and rocked her back and forth. “Thank you for watching her.”
“No problem!” Snow replied. “I was a bit surprised when Robin called and said you were going...camping. You’ve never been crazy about the outdoors.”
“I like the outdoors fine enough…” Regina lied.
“Please, I was the one who lived in the forest while you were trying to kill me.” Snow retorted. “You spent three days total in the forest...while you were still trying to kill me and you barely lasted that long.”
“I was practically dying from a very dangerous wound infection. You wouldn’t want to be in the forest either.” Regina countered.
“It was a scratch.” Snow told her. “You were not dying.”
“Whatever,” Regina replied as she rolled her eyes. “Anyway, there are extra outfits in the diaper bag, diapers, formula, toys. If she gets really upset, singing always works.”
“You sing?”
“Don’t start with me,” Regina warned. Suddenly, she heard the car horn and it was clear that the boys were getting impatient. “Okay, I have to get going. Bye sweetie,” Regina added as she leaned over and pressed a kiss to Addy’s forehead. She gave her daughter one last look and felt a pang of guilt in her heart.
“She’ll be fine,” Snow reassured her.
“I haven’t left her overnight before.” Regina replied hesitantly, tears prickling in the corners of her eyes.
“She’ll eat, play with Neal and then she’ll go to sleep and you’ll be picking her up before you know it.” Regina sighed, knowing she was right. She gave Snow a small smile and then headed back downstairs to the car.
“Camping, here we come.” Robin replied as Regina got in the passenger seat. Henry and Roland cheered from the back seat while Regina mentally prepared herself for what was to come. The campsite wasn’t that far out of town so they got there in a little under an hour. “Alright boys, let’s set up camp.” Robin announced, getting out of the car. Together, he, Henry and Roland started to unload the car. The three boys then started to put together the tents. Regina stood off to the side just watching. At first, it was nice watching the three boys do this activity together. Henry and Roland hung on Robin’s every word as he showed them how to force the white poles into the orange netting of the tent. They worked together flawlessly and Regina couldn’t help but smile at the family that they had become. However, it was hard to focus on being happy when she was spending every other minute swatting mosquitoes from her face.
“Mama look! The tents are all set up!” Roland exclaimed as he ran over to her.
“I can see that,” Regina told him. “You all did a great job,”
“Well, Roland, my boy, this is your day, so what would you like to do first?” Robin asked, walking over to the smaller boy.
“I wanna go fishing!”
“Then fishing it is,” Robin told him. “I know the best fishing spot around,” he added as he picked up their fishing poles and tackle box. “It’s this way,” They trekked through the forest until they came to a beautiful, freshwater creek. Henry didn’t waste a minute. He had been itching to get back to fishing since his first lesson with Robin. Effortlessly, Henry set up his rod and weaved the worm onto the hook, just as Robin had shown him. Then, Robin moved to help Roland, who was jumping up and down because he was so excited.
“Shhh,” Robin warned. “If you’re not quiet, you’ll scare away all the fish,” Roland instantly quieted and watched Robin intensely as he showed him every part of the fishing rod and how to use it. While she was waiting, Regina picked up the fishing pole. She had never been fishing before and she honestly didn’t see the appeal. Fish were gross. They were slimy and cold. And, the actual sport (if you could even call it that) was just boring. You just stood there and prayed that a fish would be stupid enough to eat a floating worm and get the hook stuck in their mouth. She tried to sneak glances at Robin as he set up Roland’s rod and do the same to her own. “Would you like some help, my love?” Robin asked.
“No, I’ve got it.” She replied and Robin gave her a look.
“You’ve been fishing before?” he asked.
“Well...no but It can’t be that hard.” Regina retorted.
“Suit yourself,” Robin mumbled quietly as he moved closer to Roland to make sure that he was doing alright. Regina fumbled with her line but eventually managed to get it to a point where she could put the hook on. Then...she realized that she needed to bait it. Looking at the white tub of worms and dirt, she grimaced. She really didn’t want to touch that. Her hand hesitated over the bucket. Robin looked over at Regina and couldn’t help but laugh. He could see how much Regina did not want to touch those worms. However, he had learned over time that if Regina wanted to do something by herself, he should let her, no matter what the consequences. Eventually, he watched as she tentatively reached her hand into the bucket and grabbed onto a worm.
“Gross…” Regina groaned. She put the worm on the hook and then let out a sigh of relief. She actually felt a bit proud of herself. This had been a new experience for her and she had done it by herself. Now, all she had to do was cast the line. She threw the line over her shoulder just as she had seen Henry do earlier. When she went to pull the line back, she realized it was stuck. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that the line that she had just spent about twenty minutes getting right was stuck in a bush. “Come on,” She groaned, pulling hard on the line. She had worked too hard on this to just give up. Regina gave one last pull and suddenly, she felt the line snap and Regina was sent tumbling into the stream.
Robin and the boys were pulled from their own fishing experience at the sound of Regina’s high pitched scream. They looked over and saw Regina lying in the rushing water. “Regina!” Robin exclaimed, running over to her. He waded into the water and grabbed onto her. She leaned against him and coughed out the water that was currently occupying her lungs. “Are you alright?” Robin asked.
“I’m fine.” Regina replied, her cheeks flushed pink from embarrassment.
“What happened?”
“I-I just slipped.” Regina told him, her arms wrapped self-consciously around her soaking wet body.
“Are you hurt?” Robin asked, his voice full of concern.
“No,” Regina replied. She wasn’t hurt physically, but her pride had definitely just taken a blow. “I’m just cold and wet.” she added as she shivered. Robin instantly took his coat off and placed it around Regina’s shoulders. Then, he pulled the woman into his embrace and rubbed her shoulders in an attempt to get her to feel warmer.
“I think I’m just gonna head back to the campsite and change.” Regina told him.
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“No, stay with the boys. Their fun shouldn’t have to end because I was clumsy.” she replied.
“You promise me that you’re not hurt?” Robin whispered once more. He knew Regina. Even if she was hurt, it would take a lot to get her to show it.
“I promise...I’m okay.” Regina told him. “I just want to be dry.” she broke from his grasp and began walking back to the campsite. She hadn’t wanted to come camping in the first place and now here she was...wet, cold and embarrassed. Luckily for her, she still had her magic. With a flick of her wrist, Regina was wearing a new, dry outfit. She knew she should go back and be with the boys - get back on the horse or the fishing rod so to speak. . However, Regina was still feeling very embarrassed and she honestly just wanted to go home. She decided to sit out by the tent and just take in nature instead. She sat down and looked around her. She was surrounded by green trees. Honestly, everything around her was just green and the whole environment just felt suffocating. Nature was supposed to feel freeing and peaceful, but for Regina, it felt like nothing more than a green prison. Trying to distract herself, she decided to grab her phone and call Snow. She heard the dial tone ring a few times before Snow’s perky voice came over the line.
“Regina? How’s everything going?”
“Oh just great.” Regina lied. “I’m having a great time.”
“I can tell when your lying, Regina.” Snow replied with a laugh. “I’ve known you for too long.”
“Fine. I hate camping. You were right. The outdoors and I are not compatible. I tried to fish and ended up falling into the stupid stream. I-I just wanna come home.” She replied honestly.
“I’m sorry,” Snow replied. “Wanna see something to make you feel better?”
“Sure,” Regina replied.
“Click the facetime button.” Snow told her. Regina did what she was told and in a moment, Addy’s sweet face popped up on the scream. Her little face lit up when she saw Regina and a huge smile formed on her face. “Say hi, Mama!” Snow cooed as she hoisted the baby higher on her lap.
“Hi sweetpea,” Regina cooed. “Are you having fun with Auntie Snow?” she asked. Addy started cooing and babbling back to her. It was funny because she sounded like she was really trying to have a conversation with her mother.
“Addy, tell Mama. Tell her what we did today.” Snow said in a singsong voice. “We played. We took a nap. We ate some peaches and you spit them out all over Auntie Snow.” Regina couldn’t contain her laughter at that point. “Like mother, like daughter.” Snow shot back at her step-mother.
“Hey, I have never spit peaches at you.” Regina replied sarcastically.
“No, you just tried to murder me.” Snow retorted with a smirk.
“Fair enough,” Regina agreed with a smile. Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps and figured that it must be Robin and the boys coming back from fishing. “Hey Snow, I have to go. The boys are coming back to the campsite.”
“Alright, we’ll both see you tomorrow.” Snow replied. “Say goodnight, Mama” she cooed to Addy, who smiled at her mother on the screen and reached her hands out towards her.
“Goodnight sweet girl,” Regina cooed back before hitting the red “end call” button. As she turned off the found she heard a little voice calling her name.
“Mama! Mama! Look at all the fish we caught!” Roland exclaimed as he ran over to her with a fish in his hands.
“Wow, I see,” Regina replied, grimacing a little as the little boy stuck the slimy fish in her face.
“Papa caught three and Henry caught two, so we have six all together!” Roland replied enthusiastically. “Now Papa’s gonna fry them up.”
“Oh good,” Regina lied through her teeth. This camping trip could not come to an end sooner. She’d rather starve than eat those fish. Nevertheless, Regina watched as Robin fried up the fish and accepted a plate of it when Robin handed it to her because she didn’t want to cause any problems.
“Eat up everyone.” Robin said a smile on his face. “I hope that my fish frying skills are to your liking.” Roland and Henry started to eat.
“It tastes really good, Robin.” Henry said as he took another big bite of the fish.
“Yeah, Papa! It tastes yummy,” the younger boy agreed as he scarfed down the fish. Regina looked down at the fish and grimaced. She stuck her fork into the piece of fish on her plate and tentatively brought it up to her mouth. Feeling like she was being watched, Regina placed the fish inside of her mouth and began to chew. She hated it instantly. The fishy taste made her want to spit it back out, but she managed to swallow it.
“How is it, love?” Robin asked.
“Oh, it’s very good. You should cook more at home,” Regina replied as she took another forced bite. Swallowing thickly, she set her plate on the log next to her and stood up. “I’ll be right back okay. I’m just gonna go call Snow and check on Addy.” She headed off towards the trail, but instead of pulling out her phone, she used her magic and conjured up a cheeseburger instead. She was not going to leave herself starving tonight. It was great that the boys liked the fish, but she just didn’t. She stood in the brush and scarfed down the cheeseburger
“God, this is good,” She mumbled quietly to herself. When she was finished, she wiped off her fingers and headed back to camp to join the boys.
“How was Addy?” Robin asked, catching Regina off guard.
“Oh good,” Regina replied after a moment. “I guess she spit peaches all over Snow, which is weird because she likes peaches so I’m thinking she did it on purpose, which is actually funnier.”
“Mama, Papa said we can have smores now!” Roland said, cutting her off. Clearly, the idea of having the marshmallow and chocolate treat was very exciting to the young boy.
“Really?” Regina replied. “Those do sound good.” she agreed.
“So we can have them now?” Roland asked.
“You’re still hungry after eating that fish?” she asked. Roland nodded his head rapidly. “And Henry, you’re still hungry too?”
“I’m a teenage boy. I’m always hungry.” Henry replied as he finished off his second piece of fish.
“Well, then, I guess we better start making some smores.” Regina agreed. They grabbed sticks from the campsite and grabbed the packages of marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers. Regina put a marshmallow on each of their four sticks and they all stood around the fire watching as the white color of the marshmallows turned brown. Regina actually felt herself begin to smile. This was the first moment during the entire trip that she had actually enjoyed. Suddenly, she began to feel a sense of intense itching. She looked down and gasped when she saw a red, scaly rash erupting on her lower legs.
“Regina, what is it?” Robin asked.
“My legs…” She mumbled. He looked down and his eyes grew wide.
“It looks like poison ivy. I’ve had it enough times to know.” he replied. “Where would you have gotten that?”
“I’m not sure,” Regina lied. She was pretty sure she knew exactly where she had come in contact with the poisonous plant. Magic always came with a price, she knew that. However, poison ivy hardly seemed warranted for simply conjuring a cheeseburger. Feeling the overwhelming itch, she leaned down and began to scratch at her legs.
“Love, that’s only going to make it worse.” Robin replied. “We should go and get you some medicine.”
“No, I’ll be fine.” Regina told him. “I’m not going to ruin the trip.”
“Mom, it’s fine,” Henry tried to tell her. “We understand. That can’t be fun,” he added, grimacing as he looked at his mother’s red legs.
“I think I’ll just take my smore to my tent.” She said. She took the treat into her and Robin’s and took a seat on the ground. Instantly, she started scratching at her legs. She had drunk poisons that were less uncomfortable than this poison ivy.
“I thought I’d find you like this.” Robin said as he opened the flap to their tent. “Stop scratching. You’re making it worse.”
“But it itches,” She whined, still scratching at her skin.
“Will you please just let me take you home and get you some medicine?” Robin said, pleading with her.
“No, I am fine.”
“Regina, you can just admit it.” Robin replied.
“Admit what?” She countered.
“You hate this! All of it! The outdoors, fishing, the bugs, and strange plants. You hate it all.” Robin exclaimed.
“I don’t-”
“Regina.” She said sternly.
“Fine! I hate it! I hate everything about this, but I love our son so I’m trying.” Regina retorted. “I tried to eat your fish. I really did, but it was disgusting. Fish is the grossest food I have ever eaten. So I conjured myself a freakin cheeseburger and apparently I was standing in a patch of poison ivy because now my legs are on fire and I think I actually want to rip my skin off!” She looked up at Robin, who had a huge smirk on his face that he was trying to cover with his hands. “You think this is funny? Are you serious?” she yelled.
“I’m sorry, love.” Robin replied, still laughing. “I’ve just never seen you throw a tantrum like this.”
“Tantrum?!?” Regina boomed.
“Relax, I think it’s cute.” the thief replied. “I think you’re cute, even when you’re dangerously angry and covered in a contagious rash.”
“You’re annoying…” Regina groaned as she turned onto her side and scratched at her leg. Robin laid down next to the angry woman and placed his arms around her. “Don’t touch me. You’ll get this stupid rash.”
“I’m practically immune. I’ve dealt with this plant so many times,” Robin told her. He began to rub his hands softly over her body.
“Robin...the boys.” She said. “And I don’t exactly feel very...sexy right now.”
“You’re always sexy to me.” Robin told her. He pulled Regina close to him and cuddled her close. They lay there for a moment before Regina spoke up.
“Robin…”
“Yes, love?” he asked.
“There’s a rock under my ass.” Robin laughed, pressed a kiss to Regina’s temple and then scooched over so Regina could be more comfortable. Then, cuddled in one another’s embrace, they both tried to fall asleep.
Over in Henry and Roland’s tent, the boys were still wide awake. “I think that’s enough chocolate for you.” Henry laughed as he looked at his younger brother with chocolate all over his mouth.
“But smores are so good, Henry!” Roland exclaimed.
“I get it, but if you keep eating them you’re gonna get a stomachache,” Henry told him. “How about we do something else?”
“Just you and me?” Roland asked. Henry nodded his head.
“Would you like to hear a scary story? People always tell scary stories when they go camping.” Henry told him.
“Okay…” Roland said nervously. He wanted to be grown up like Henry, but he didn’t really like scary things.
“Okay, here we go.” Henry said. “It’s said that a scary creature that’s part wolf, bear and part lion lived in these woods long ago. It was called a Wobion. Once, there was a man camping in these very woods...all by himself. Everything was going just fine until the sun went down. When it got dark, the wind started to howl and so did the wolves in the forest.”
“There are wolves in this forest?” Roland asked, now hiding under his blanket.
“Oh, tons of them,” Henry told his younger brother. “Anyway, the man started to get worried about the wolves coming to his campsite, so he decided to just hunker down in his tent for the night and hope for the best. He felt safe for a while, but then he started hearing noises outside his tent that sounded like the paws of a large animal. The man tried not to make a sound so that maybe the “wolves” would leave. However, it wasn’t a wolf. Without warning, the flap to the man’s tent flew open and the head of a strange animal erupted into the tent. The man screamed and the beast roared back at him. It took its giant teeth and tore the man limb from limb, killing him instantly. They say that on full moons, the wobion comes out and looks for his new prey and when he’s finished eating them, he takes all of his victims' bones back to his den and keeps them as his trophies.” Henry looked up at Roland who now looked scared out of his mind.
“B-But Henry - isn’t tonight a full moon?” Roland stuttered. Henry looked out of the flap of the tent and saw the bright full moon staring back at him.
“Yeah, I guess it is.” Henry replied. “But we better go to sleep. It’s getting pretty late.”
“But Henry, what about the Wobian? It’s gonna get us!”
“It’s just a story, Roland. I made it up. It’s just a ghost story.” Henry told him.
“But what about the man? What about his bones? What if we’re the Wobian’s next prey?” Roland exclaimed.
“God...this was a bad idea. The Wobian is not real. I made it up. Just go to sleep.” Henry told him before rolling over and huddling in his sleeping bag. Roland got into his own sleeping back and cuddled his monkey. He couldn’t get himself to go to sleep. He wanted to believe Henry that the Wobian wasn’t real...but what if it was. Around midnight, the wind outside picked up and started to whistle through the tent. Roland woke up and listened. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a wolf howling in the distance and Roland’s heart started to beat fast. It was just like the story.
“Henry! Henry!” Roland said, shaking his older brother.
“Roland, what?” he murmured sleepily.
“I heard a wolf! It could be the Wobion!”
“How many times do I have to tell you? It’s not real. I was stupid to tell you that story.” Henry groaned. Then they both heard another howl.
“It’s getting closer!”
“I’m sure it’s just Ruby. It’s wolf’s time for her.” Henry told him. “She won’t hurt us.”
“No...I don’t believe you. I wanna go home.” Roland said. “I wanna go home now.” He grabbed his monkey and suddenly bolted out of the tent.
“Roland wait!” Henry yelled after him. The little boy bolted to his parent’s tent and dove inside.
“Mama! Papa! We have to go home now!” Roland demanded as he dived between his parents.
“Roland?” Robin muttered sleepily.
“What is it?” Regina mumbled.
“We have to go! The Wobian is gonna get us!” Roland told them.
“The what?” they both asked.
“The Wobian! It’s part wolf, part bear, and part lion! It’s gonna tear us limb from limb and take our bones as trophies.” Roland exclaimed. Robin and Regina looked at one another, completely confused.
“I think I can explain…” Henry said softly as he peeked his head into the tent. “I may have told him a scary story…”
“A scary story?” Regina said sternly. “Henry, he’s six. What were you thinking?”
“I was just trying to give him a good camping experience. Everyone tells ghost stories. I tried to tell him it wasn’t real.” Henry replied, trying to defend himself.
“Roland, did you hear Henry? He made it up okay. You can just go to sleep. It’ll be alright.” Robin told him.
“No Papa, I wanna go home. I don’t wanna stay here anymore. I don’t like camping anymore.” Roland whimpered. Robin sighed and looked to Regina.
“He’s awfully scared, Robin,” Regina said. “Maybe we should just head home.”
“Fine, let’s go,” Robin replied. It was too late to argue with anyone. Without saying anything, they packed up their things and the family piled into the car. Almost instantly, Henry and Roland fell asleep in the backseat. “Don’t pretend you’re not happy,” Robin said with a smirk.
“He was scared Robin.”
“And we could have gotten him back to sleep if we tried. We could have gone home in the morning” Robin replied. “Just admit it. You wanted to go home and sleep in a bed.”
“Fine, Robin. You’re right.” Regina admitted. “I wanted to sleep in a bed because if that stupid rock found it’s way under my ass one more time, I was gonna lose it. Next time someone suggests camping, I will be staying at home. I am not an outdoorsy kind of girl and I am fine with that. I don’t need mosquitos, slimy fish or poison ivy in my life. This will be my first and last camping trip.” And with that, the argument was done. Robin knew that he couldn’t change Regina’s mind, no matter how hard he tried. The first - and last Locksley-Mills family camping trip had definitely been a bust, but at least they’d have the memories to laugh about one day.
For Those in My Heart - Chapter 10 - “The Runaway”
Prompt: Roland feels left out and forgotten and decides to make a drastic decision
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9
Roland loved his sister. He really did…but sometimes, she was loud. Well, actually, she was always loud. Also, she took up a lot of his Mama and Papa’s time. They were always feeding Addy or comforting her as she cried or trying to get her to sleep. Before she was born, Roland used to read a book with his Mama every night before he went to sleep, but now that special moment had become a rather infrequent occasion. On more than one instance, Roland has wandered over to his sister’s nursery, book in hand, to see if his Mama was ready to read with him.
“Will you read with me, Mama?” He had asked.
“I promise, in just a minute, honey,” She replied. “I just have to get your sister to stop crying,” she added, not bothering to look at him. She was more focused on shushing the screaming infant in her arms. Roland frowned and sadly walked into his room. He crawled into his bed and opened up the book. He was only six, so he wasn’t the best at reading but decided to just look at the pictures. He waited and waited but soon realized that his Mama wasn’t coming. Roland could still hear his sister screaming. Frustrated, he rolled onto his side and sighed. He was awfully tired. He decided he’d just rest his eyes for a moment and his Mama would be there soon. Eventually, however, his tiredness overtook him and Roland fell asleep, the storybook still in his hands.
Later on, in the week, Roland woke up on Saturday morning practically bouncing out of bed. Today was the day that his Papa was going to take him out to the forest with the rest of his uncles and teach him to shoot. Roland knew that his Papa was amazing with a Bowen arrow and Roland wanted to be exactly like him. Last Christmas, his Papa had bought him a smaller replica of his own bow. Roland had been so excited when he unwrapped it. He was going to be just like his Papa. After getting dressed, Roland ran down the stairs and into the kitchen.
“Papa! I have my bow! I’m ready to go.” he exclaimed.
“Roland! Shh, I just got your sister to sleep.” Robin replied in a hushed tone.
“Sorry Papa, but I have my bow. When can we go meet Little John and Uncle Will?” Roland asked. “You promised to teach me to shoot.” Robin’s face fell. He did make that promise.
“I’m sorry, my boy.” Robin began. “But I have to stay and watch your sister. Mama got called into an important meeting and Henry is with Emma, so I have watch Addy.”
“But-but you promised,” Roland said, his lip quivering.
“We will go,” Robin told him. “It’ll just have to be later after Mama gets home. Is that alright?” Roland nodded sadly, even though it really wasn’t alright. “We can do something together at home though.” Robin offered.
“I think I’m just going to play in my room,” Roland replied sadly before lumbering up the stairs and into his bedroom. Stupid baby. Addy always ruined everything.
Things went on like that for a while. His Mama and Papa seemed to always be busy. If Addy wasn’t upset, Mama had to go to work. Roland also knew that Henry was getting ready to go off to college, so he was always studying for a big test that he was going to have to take, so he didn’t have time to play with him either. His Mama and Henry had also been gone a lot on weekends to see different colleges, leaving Roland once again on his own. However, today was going to be different. Today was his school concert and both Mama and Papa had promised to be there. They had both been so excited when he told them and that made Roland excited as well. He even had a solo in the show that he hadn’t told his parents about. He wanted that to be a surprise. Before the show began, Roland peeked from behind the curtain and looked into the audience. He didn’t see his Mama or Papa or Henry or even Addy. Roland felt himself get more nervous. What if they didn’t make it? What if they didn’t get to see his solo?
“Alright everyone, let’s all get to our places so we can start the show.” The teacher announced. All the kids rushed to their places, climbing onto the bleachers. Roland took his spot on the front bleacher, directly in the middle. The lights in the auditorium turned dark and the spotlight pointed at the stage. The teacher began to conduct and Roland had no choice but to start singing, even though he still didn’t see his parents. After two songs, it came time for Roland’s solo. He walked up to the microphone that was much too tall for him. The teacher had to help him bring it down to his level. He looked out into the audience and swallowed thickly. He didn’t have anyone there to support him. The music began and Roland waited for his cue, however when it came, he tried to sing but nothing came out. His hands were shaking and he was terrified. The teacher tried to help him by giving him the words, but Roland couldn’t move. His eyes began to fill with tears and before he knew it, his little legs were carrying him backstage as fast as he could go. Still crying, Roland ran out of the building and headed home.
“They didn’t come…” he cried to himself. “They don’t care about me.” It was at that moment that Roland realized that he wasn’t just sad and embarrassed. He was angry. Why was everyone else so much more important than him? Then, a thought popped into his mind. Maybe he shouldn’t be in this family anymore. He could run away. Roland didn’t believe that anyone would truly care anyway. He grabbed his little red and blue rolling suitcase and stuffed some clothes and toys into it. Then he grabbed his favorite stuffed monkey and clutched it in his arms. “Come on monkey, we’ll go find our own home…” Roland said sadly as he walked out the front door and started making his way to the forest. He had lived in the forest once before and he could do it again.
At the mayor’s office, Regina was sitting at her desk, buried under a mound of paperwork that she didn’t think she’d ever get to the bottom of. Suddenly, she heard her cell phone ring and smiled when she saw Robin’s picture flash across the screen.
“Hello?”
“Hello, my love,” Robin said. “I was just calling to see what you wanted to do for dinner.”
“Maybe Granny’s tonight. I’m so tired. Just the thought of cooking is making me even more exhausted.” she replied, honestly.
“I think that can be arranged,” Robin replied with a laugh. “We’ll have to pick up Addy anyway. Granny was watching her so that I could do some work with the Merry Men.” Suddenly, Regina heard a chime from her computer that she recognized. It happened every time a reminder popped up. She looked at the screen and gasped. It said “Roland School Concert.” Oh God, She had forgotten. Why hadn’t this reminder gone off earlier?
“Robin! Please tell me you went to Roland’s school concert?”
“What do you mean? Isn’t that next week?” Robin asked.
“No! I just got a notification that it was today.” Regina replied, his voice full of panic.
“Oh, God...How did we forget?”
“I don’t know. But he’s probably still waiting for us at the school. All the kids were supposed to stay after to practice before the concert.” Regina told him.
“I’ll go and get him. Goodness, he’s going to be so upset.” Robin replied. “How are we going to make this up to him?”
“I don’t know,” Regina sighed sadly. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this horrible of a mother. He’s gonna hate us.”
“The best that we can do is apologize and try to make it up to him,” Robin replied. “I’ll call you when we’re on our way home, okay love?”
“Okay,” Regina replied. After hanging up the phone, Regina dropped her head into her hands. She felt truly terrible for missing Roland’s concert. With Addy needing so much of her attention and Henry going through the tedious process of applying for college, so much of her time was taken up. Roland had kind of fallen through the cracks. There were only so many hours in a day, but that didn’t excuse her from practically ignoring her middle son. Feeling sick to her stomach, Regina decided to just head home. She wasn’t going to be able to focus enough to get any more work done anyway. She packed up her stuff and headed home. The house was quiet when she got there. Henry was still out with Violet, which was actually good because she didn’t want him to be here when they talked to Roland. She had a feeling this was not going to be an easy conversation. She sat down at the kitchen counter as she racked her mind for what to possibly say to her young son. Suddenly, her phone began to ring again. Regina immediately picked it up. “Robin, did you get him? Are you on your way home?”
“He wasn’t there.”
“What do you mean he wasn’t there?” Regina exclaimed.
“They said he forgot the words during a solo and ran off. They tried to find him but he was too fast.” Robin told her. “Is he home?”
“I don’t know,” Regina replied. “Roland! Roland! Are you home sweetie?” She yelled as she ran up the staircase. She ran to Roland’s room and opened the door. “Roland?” She looked around. He wasn’t there...and neither was his suitcase or his monkey. He didn’t go anywhere without that monkey. It had taken two weeks of convincing to get him to stop bringing it to school.
“Robin, he’s not here! His suitcase is gone and so is his monkey,” Regina said, her eyes welling with tears. “I-I think he ran away.”
“Oh God… I’ll be home soon. Just wait for me and we’ll go out together.” Robin replied.
“I’m going to call Emma and Hook and the Charmings, the more people the better,” Regina replied.
“Okay, that’s a good idea,” Robin told her. “Regina, we will find him.”
“Okay…” She replied through a sob. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Robin answered before hanging up the phone. After hanging up, Regina called everyone and told them that Roland was missing. Instantly, the gang told her that they’d be over in a couple of minutes to look for him. Regina was left in the little boy’s room alone once again. She looked around and smiled when she found his favorite green cloak from the Enchanted Forest lying on the ground. He didn’t use it much anymore because cloaks weren’t something many people wore in this land. However, the little boy liked to use it as a cape when he’d play superheroes, so he had kept it. Regina held it up her face and instantly, Roland’s sweet smell hit her. She had to find him if it was the last thing she did. If something happened to him, Regina didn’t know what she’d do with herself.
She was drawn from her thoughts when she heard the front door open. “Regina?” A voice called. It was Robin. She raced down the stairs and flew into his arms.
“We have to find him.”
“We will,” Robin told her. “Everyone is outside. Get your coat and let’s go.” Regina nodded, pulled on her coat and followed Robin outside. They decided to break up into groups. Emma and Hook would head to the beach. Snow and Charming would look in town and Regina and Robin would head to the forest because Robin knew the forest better than anyone.
“We only have a little time. It’s getting dark.” Robin told everyone.
“And the weather isn’t looking too great…” Emma remarked as she looked at the dark clouds in the sky.
“Let’s just go. Make sure to call if anyone finds him.” David said before everyone headed their separate ways.
“The forest is so big, I don’t know how we’ll ever find him,” Regina said.
“We have to,” Robin told her. “Isn’t there something you can do? Something magical?” Regina thought for a moment.
“A locator potion!” She exclaimed. “It’ll lead us right to him.” It was then that she realized she was still holding Roland’s green cloak in her hands. She quickly conjured up a bit of the locater potion from her vault and poured it over the cloak, which lit up and began to float away, presumably in Roland’s direction. “Now we’ll be able to find him.”
“And not a moment too soon,” Robin replied as he felt raindrops begin to fall and a loud crack of thunder echoed through the sky.
Deeper in the forest, Roland was running as fast as he could. He was terrified. It had gotten darker much faster than he had expected it to and he hadn’t accounted for the rain. He realized that he didn’t have a tent like he normally did when he stayed with his Papa and his Uncles. He also didn’t have any water or food. Roland realized he had made a huge mistake. He had also never been a big fan of thunderstorms. They scared him. They were loud and the lightning was too bright. And, now he was completely soaking wet and cold. Roland started to run to try and find shelter, but he ended up tripping over a tree root. He fell to the ground, his knee taking the majority of the impact. Roland hissed at the pain as he brought his knee up to examine it. There was an angry red brush burn staring back at him. “Ow,” Roland cried, clutching his knee. He just wanted to go home. He wanted his Mama to clean off his knee and kiss it to make it feel better. He just wanted to be in own bed with fresh, dry pajamas. This had been a mistake...a big, big, mistake. Limping on his bad knee, Roland had found his way into hollowed out old tree that had fallen. It was dirty and smelly, but at least it was dry. He shivered in his wet clothes and clutched his monkey tight to his chest. “It’s gonna be okay, monkey,” he whispered. “We’re okay.” Suddenly, another pang of thunder rang out and Roland jumped. “I want to go home,” he whimpered. “I want to go home.”
Luckily for Roland, Regina and Robin had almost found their way to him. They were racing after the cloak, completely drenched. “We have to be almost there,” Robin replied, breathlessly. Regina didn’t reply. She was too focused on following the cloak and finding Roland.
“Roland!” They both yelled. “Roland, where are you?” Then, out of the corner of her eye, Regina caught a glimpse of a tiny red and blue suitcase that she recognized to be Roland’s.
“Roland!” She screamed as she darted over to the fallen tree.
“Mama?” Roland replied, peeking his head out of the tree. “Mama!” he exclaimed, realizing she was in fact truly there. He crawled out from inside the tree and ran straight into Regina’s arms.
“Oh God, you’re okay. You’re okay.” She exclaimed, holding him close to her chest.
“I’m so sorry, I ran away, Mama.” Roland sobbed.
“It’s okay,” She told him. “You’re safe. That’s all that matters.” Robin was by there sides in an instant and took his son into his arms.
“Oh my boy, you’re safe. Thank God.” Robin cried. “Please never scare us like that again.”
“I’m sorry,” The little boy cried out once more.
“We’ll talk more when we get home,” Regina said. “Let’s just get out of this rain.” The three of them wandered out of the forest and back to the mayoral mansion. Robin made sure to call everyone else so they could stop looking and go home and get dry as well. Once inside the house, Regina took Roland upstairs and got him changed. She also bandaged his knee and kissed it, like a mother should, to make it stop hurting. When Roland was situated, Regina got herself changed and Robin did as well. Then, the three of them settled in on the couch for a long overdue talk.
“Roland, honey, we are so sorry that we missed your concert,” Regina told him. “I don’t know what happened. We were just so busy...and we made a mistake.”
“I was supposed to have a solo…” the little boy replied sadly. “But I got too nervous and I forgot all the words and you and Papa weren’t there, so I got scared and I ran.”
“Oh baby, I am so sorry,” Regina said pulling him into her arms.
“Roland, Mama and I are very sorry that that happened,” Robin told him. “We don’t know how we’ll make it up to you, but I have to know. Why did you run away?” Roland shrugged his shoulders.
“You can tell us, honey. We won’t get mad, no matter what.” Regina told him.
“I didn’t think you guys cared about me anymore,” he said in practically a whisper. Regina felt like someone had just shot her in the heart. It killed her that Roland felt that way. She loved that little boy with all her heart.
“Why would you think that?” Robin asked softly.
“Because,” Roland answered. “You never have any time for me anymore. You’re always taking care of Addy or helping Henry with college. Papa, you promised to teach me to shoot a bow just like you and you didn’t. And, Mama, you used to read with me every night and now you never do.” Regina and Robin looked at one another sheepishly. Roland was right. They had been ignoring him, not on purpose, of course, but they had been ignoring him.
“Oh sweetheart, we’re so sorry that we made you feel like that,” Regina told him. “It’s just...Addy is a baby so she needs a lot of attention. And, applying for college is very stressful so we wanted to help Henry as much as we could. But that doesn’t excuse us in any way for making you feel that way. Roland, we both love you so much.”
“You do?” the little boy asked.
“Of course we do,” Robin told him.
“How about we have a Roland day?” Regina suggested. “You get to choose whatever you want to do with just me and Papa.”
“No Addy or Henry?” Roland asked.
“No, it’ll just be the three of us. A special day just for you.” She replied.
“I think that would be fun.” the little boy agreed. “Mama?” he asked.
“Yes, baby,”
“Am I still your little knight?” he asked.
“Always and forever, my love,” Regina replied as she took the little boy into her arms and held onto him as tightly as she could, not wanting to ever let go. Tonight had been scary for sure but it was a wake-up call that they all needed. Regina and Robin would make sure no matter what that Roland felt loved and included in whatever they did...they loved that little boy too much to ever let him feel like that ever again.
Prompt: Regina realizes what gifts her children truly are
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12
Regina felt that she had been pretty blessed when it came to her children. She hadn’t given birth to any of them, but that didn’t make them any less hers. She had found a quote while scrolling through Facebook one day that always stuck with her. It read, “I didn’t give you the gift of life, but life gave me the gift of you.” Regina truly felt that in her heart. Each one of her children were gifts to her. Henry was the gift that she had wished and hoped for for years. Initially, she hadn’t known that a child was something that she desired, rather needed, in her life. However, as soon as the man at the adoption agency placed Henry in her arms, something changed inside of her. Following the enactment of her curse, Henry was the first and only person to love her for a long time. Everytime that Henry looked up at her with those big brown eyes of his, she simply melted. His toothy grin made her heart flutter and when he first uttered the word, “Mama,” Regina could barely breathe because the happiness that she felt was overwhelming. Henry was the one to make her believe in herself, to make her realize that she could have happiness. He had turned the Evil Queen back to who she really was… Regina. He was her ultimate gift, her little prince.
Roland was the gift that fell into her lap, a complete surprise that she never knew she wanted. After sending Henry to New York with Emma, Regina had felt lost. The only person that loved her was gone and Regina didn’t know what to do with herself. It had taken a little boy with brown curly hair, chocolate brown eyes and a heart of gold to help her realize that she still had a reason to live. He was sweet like Henry and so innocent, but Roland was also very different. When Henry was little, he had practically been afraid of his own shadow, but Roland wasn’t like that. Sure, the little boy had fears but he was also the bravest six year old that she had ever met. Roland came into her life when she was broken, when she felt as though at any moment she’d break into a million pieces and simply float away. Roland had kept her grounded during that time. He made her smile and laugh. Roland brought her so much joy during a time when she felt that joy was never a feeling she’d experience again. Above all, that little boy was never afraid to stand up for her. To Roland, she was never the Evil Queen. He didn’t care what she had done in the past. She was his ‘“Gina” and after a while she was his Mama, no matter what others said. He would always protect her. He would always be her little knight.
Addy was the gift that she hadn’t wanted. She hadn’t asked for her and for a while, she didn’t want the little girl in her life. At first, Regina wanted nothing more than to make the little girl disappear, to return her. When Regina looked at Addy, she was reminded of something that she would never be able to give Robin...a child of their own. Regina had never considered her infertility when she met Robin. She didn’t need too. They had their two perfect boys and that was what mattered. It had taken a little girl with Robin’s sandy blonde hair and her sister’s crystal blue eyes to make her realize how much she had given up all those years ago when she drank that potion. Pain was all that Regina saw when she looked at Addy for the longest time...that was until she let herself truly get to know the little stranger living in her house. From the first time Regina held the sweet girl in her arms, she had fallen in love with the baby girl and in that moment, she was just as much hers as Roland and Henry were. As Addy grew before her very eyes, Regina realized how different she was from either of the boys. Addy was independent. She didn’t want people to help her do things. She wanted to figure out how to do it on her. She conquered crawling and walking all on her own and on her own time. Addy also had quite the fiery temper. Regina believed it was in her genetics and that she had inherited it from Zelena. However, whenever, she said that all Robin could do was laugh and say, “Sure, honey, anything you say.” They both knew that Addy’s temper could be from Zelena but it could also be from Regina, a fact that the Queen herself would never admit to. Out of all her children, Addy reminded Regina the most of herself. Yes, she had her temper but she also had her heart. From the time she was a little girl, Regina had felt things with her whole heart and she felt them deeply. As she watched her daughter grow, Regina realized that her Addy was much like her. She had this perceptive ability to know when someone was hurting, especially when it was her mother. Holding Addy in her arms always seemed to be exactly what she needed to forget whatever was troubling her and make smile once more. She provided the same sense of comfort for the boys in her family whenever they needed it. When Addy was little, they had taken to calling her their little ladybug, mostly because of a toy that the little girl simply adored. However, after doing a little research, Regina had found that ladybugs symbolized good luck and fortune. That was what Addy had brought into their life. Regina had come to realize that she was the little blessing, the little bit of luck, that she had always desired in her life. No matter how big Addy grew, she would always be Regina’s little ladybug.
With each child that came into her life, Regina realized that she gained a little piece of herself back from the Evil Queen. Addy had given her back her heart. She had given her back the ability to open herself up to others, to love and be loved in return. Roland had given her back her courage. He had shown her that she didn’t need power to stand up for herself or others. He had shown her that true courage came from within. Henry had given her back her optimism, her belief in hope. In the darkest of times, Henry had been that light at the end of the tunnel for her. He had made her believe in herself and in the person that she could become. Together, they had created the mother that they knew. She was the mother who held them close when they were sad and dried their tears. She was the mother who cheered them on in all that they did. She was the mother who would love them, no matter what. They had been the ones to create her. They had chosen her to be there mother and Regina knew that she would never let her three little gifts down. She’d loved them until the end of time.
Summary: It’s Lucy’s 10th’s Birthday and Kurt and Blaine want to make the day perfect for her.
“So Lucy, your birthday is coming up in a few days.” Kurt began one night while seated at the dinner table. All three of the older kids were out, so it was just Kurt, Blaine and Lucy. “Do you have any idea what you want to do?” Lucy shrugged her shoulders.
“Papa’s right kiddo.” Blaine said. “This is a big birthday. Double digits. You must have something that you want to do or something you want.”
“I want a pony.” Lucy said, a smile on her face.
“Something that we can realistically buy.” Kurt told her.
“You can realistically buy me a pony if you try hard enough.” Lucy shot back.
“Nice try.” Blaine told her. “Pick again.”
“Okay fine…” She sighed. “I don’t really need to do anything big. I just want to have a few friends over for a sleepover.”
“Now that sounds perfectly reasonable.” Kurt told her. “Who would you like to invite?” he asked.
“Ummm….Maisie, Riley, Sophia.” Lucy told them.
“Perfect!” Kurt said. He loved all three of those girls. They were all so sweet and polite.
“And Dakota! I want to invite her too.” Kurt looked over at his husband who had visibly tensed up.
“Dakota? I thought you guys weren’t friends anymore?” Blaine asked.
“We made up.” Lucy told them very matter of factly. “And I really want her to come to my birthday party.”
“Okay, honey. Of course she can come.” Kurt told his daughter, which earned him a glare from Blaine. Kurt knew exactly why his husband was upset. Dakota Carlyle was the daughter of Gwendolyn Carlyle who was head of the PTA and resident bitch at the kids school. Since Kurt had gotten his promotion, Blaine had been the one to deal with the many demands of their children's school, which meant he had spent his fair share of time dealing with Gwendolyn Carlyle.
“I can’t stand that woman!” Blaine told his husband later that night while they were getting into bed. “She thinks she’s better than everyone else and thinks she runs the whole school.”
“Well, she kind of does.” Kurt muttered.
“And I’ve met Dakota!” Blaine said. “She’s a little brat! I don’t even know why Lucy wants to be friends with her.”
“I don’t know, but we can’t tell her who she can and can’t be friends with.” Kurt reminded him. “It’s one night that we’ll have to deal with her. So for now, shhh,” he said as he held a finger to his lips. “Just got to sleep.” Blaine let out an angry huff before scooting closer to his husband.
“But I just want to say..”
“Shhh”
“But-”
“Shhhh!” Kurt told him again. “Sleep.”
Over the course of the week, Kurt, Blaine and Lucy got together stuff for her birthday party. She wanted pink streamers and balloons. They also got a large foil one and zero balloon. Lucy had decided on a chocolate cake with vanilla icing that was also pink, which wasn’t a shocker. Things were really starting to come together...until Lucy came home from school one day.
“Daddy,” she began.
“Yes, sweetheart.” Blaine replied.
“Dakota said that she’s a vegan and she’s also doesn’t eat anything with gluten in it. Is there gluten in my cake?” she asked.
“Umm… yeah. I think there is.” Blaine replied with a sigh, already knowing where this was heading.
“If she can’t have cake, what is she going to eat?” Lucy said, some panic evident in her voice.
“Okay honey, it’s okay. I’ll whip up some gluten free vegan cupcakes or brownies...or something.” Blaine told her.
“Do you have recipes for those?” she asked.
“No, but for you I will scour the internet for one.” Blaine pressed a kiss to his little girl’s head. “Go on and start your homework. Everything will be fine.”
“I love you Daddy. You’re the best.” Lucy replied before skipping off to her room to start her homework. Blaine rolled his eyes. Baking some weird vegan gluten free cupcakes hadn’t been in his plan for the day.
When Kurt got home later that even, he found Blaine in the kitchen. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“Can’t you tell? I’m making bullshit vegan gluten free cupcakes because over at the Carlyle house they’re vegan and gluten free. And because I love our daughter, I had to go through this shit to make sure that her friend had something to eat because she’s too good for store bought birthday cake.”
“We had the stuff to make vegan gluten free cupcakes?” Kurt asked. Blaine gave him a glare.
“Are you kidding me? No! We didn’t have the stuff.” Blaine exclaimed. “I had to go to some weird health shop twenty minutes away so I could get stuff like coconut oil, gluten free oat powder, and coconut syrup...which I didn’t even know was a thing! If you ask me, the vegans in this world are going to take out all the coconuts. Coconuts are going to be an endangered fruit!” Kurt couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s not funny Kurt!”
“No honey, I’m sorry. You’re right. It’s not funny.” Kurt said, though he could barely contain his laughter.
“It’s that Gwendolyn Carlyle! Who makes a kid eat like this? Our kids aren’t vegans and they eat a hell of a lot of gluten and they’re just fine!”
“Well, how are they coming out?” Kurt asked.
“They’re going to be great! Because I am a great baker...much better than Gwendolyn Carlyle. I just need to pour them in the pans.” Blaine added. He walked over to the cabinet above the fridge and reached up high. He could see the cupcake pans, but they were just out of his reach. He went up on his tippy toes and reached even further but he still couldn’t reach them.
“Do you need me to get it for you?” Kurt asked.
“No! How dare you insult the vertically challenged!” Blaine retorted. He continued to reach for the pans. Kurt watched as his husband struggled, his tongue poking out of his mouth. He only did that when he was really focusing on something. After a few seconds, his husband relaxed and his shoulders slumped forward. “Okay...help me.” he muttered. Kurt gave his husband a smirk and walked over. He grabbed the cupcake pans with ease and set them on the counter.
“Anything else hun?”
“No. Leave me and my lack of height alone so I can finish these bullshit cupcakes.” Blaine muttered.
“Will do. I’ll be in the office if you need me.” Kurt told him before disappearing down the hallway. If Kurt knew one thing for sure, Lucy’s birthday in a few days was going to be interesting to say the least.
Saturday came and it was time for Lucy’s party. She was so excited that she was practically bouncing off the walls. “What time are my friends coming Papa?” she asked.
“They should be here by four.” Kurt told her. “And it’s almost time so they should be here soon.”
“We’re going to have so much fun!” The almost ten year old exclaimed. Suddenly, the doorbell rang and Lucy ran to the front door with Kurt on her heels. It was her friend, Maisie. She was tall for her age with the most beautiful red hair that Kurt had ever seen. She was also the daughter of one of his coworkers at Vogue, Angela.
“Happy Birthday Lucy!” Maisie exclaimed as she extended a large purple bag to her friend.
“Thank you! Come in! You can put your sleeping bag in the living room.” Lucy told her as she took her friends hand.
“Hello Kurt,” Angela replied. “Thanks for inviting her. Maisie is so excited.”
“Well, we’re glad to have her.” Kurt replied.
“Where’s Blaine?” she asked.
“Oh, he’s out grabbing the pizza.” he replied.
“Hope you remembered to order a gluten free one without cheese.” Angela laughed. “I heard Dakota Carlyle is coming to the party.”
“Oh we know all about Dakota’s diet requirements.” Kurt confessed.
“Maisie had her over a few weeks ago. I have never met a brattier child.” Angela whispered so the girls wouldn’t hear. “And her mother...well don’t even get me started.”
“Sounds like you should be talking to Blaine. He’s not her biggest fan either.”
“Well you tell Blaine if he ever needs to rant to call me. We’ll get drinks.” Angela told him.
“I will I promise.” Kurt laughed. “Anyway, you can pick Maisie up around ten o’clock tomorrow. I’m sure they’ll have a great time.”
“Sounds good! Bye honey!” Angela said as she waved to her daughter and then left to get back in her car. Riley and Sophia, Lucy’s other friends showed up later. All four girls were playing happily when Blaine got back with the pizza.
“Pizza!” the four girls exclaimed.
“Whoa, whoa, hang on!” Kurt said stepping in front of his husband. “We should wait until Dakota gets here to eat pizza. That’s the polite thing to do.”
“But we’re hungry!” Lucy whined.
“I’ll put some chips in a bowl for you.” Kurt told his daughter as he opened a new bag of chips and poured them in a bowl for her.
“How long are we going to make them wait?” Blaine asked quietly. “The party started at four and it’s almost five. Dakota is an hour late.”
“We’ll give her like fifteen more minutes and then we’ll let them eat. Why don’t you stick the pizza in the oven until she gets here.” Kurt told him. They waited for another twenty minutes before the doorbell finally rang. Lucy got there first and opened it to reveal Dakota and her mother. Blaine and Kurt walked in soon after.
“Sorry we’re late.” Gwendolyn replied as Dakota rushed in the house with Lucy. “We just plain lost track of time.”
“Yeah, we were wondering if you got lost.” Kurt said with a laugh.
“I told Dakota to text Lucy. It must have not gone through.” she said.
“Well, Lucy doesn’t have a phone...she’s only ten.” Kurt told her.
“Looking forward to seeing you at the next PTA meeting. Maybe you can bring some of those delightful cookies you make.” She replied with a fake smile. Blaine knew she was lying. Stupid vegan would never eat his cookies.
“Yeah, maybe I’ll try.” he replied.
“Anyway, I’ll get going. I have a pilates class.” she said.
“Well have fun.” Kurt replied as he slowly began to close the door. After Gwendolyn left, it was just them and the five girls. They opened up the pizzas. Lucy, Maisie, Riley and Sophia all had pepperoni while Dakota had her special pizza. Then they decided to watch a movie in the living room.
“This is a really pretty purse.” Lucy said to Dakota while they were watching the movie.
“It’s Chanel.” she replied
“You named your purse?” Sophia asked sweetly.
“No! It’s a brand.” Dakota replied. “Not that you would know.” she muttered.
“Hey, what does that mean?” Lucy asked.
“I just means that she probably doesn’t have fancy brands like this. Her mom is maid at a hotel and her dad works a restaurant.”
“He owns a restaurant.” Sophia told her.
“Yeah and it doesn’t really matter what her parents do. What you’re saying is really mean.” Lucy told her.
“I’m not being mean. I’m just telling the truth.” Dakota said. “My mother tells me everything. She’s on a scholarship to our school because her parents can’t afford it, so why would they have fancy brands like Chanel. They’re obviously poor.” Lucy could tell that Sophia was getting upset.
“Dakota, just stop! You’re not telling the truth. You’re just being a bully.” Lucy shot back. “And Sophia is my friend! I don’t want you treating her like this.”
“I thought I was your friend!” Dakota demanded.
“You were, but I like being friends with bullies.” Lucy replied. Kurt and Blaine who heard the commotion came into the living room.
“What’s going on?” Kurt asked.
“I’m going home! I’m going to text my mother!” Dakota said before she stomped down the hall and went into the bathroom.
“What just happened?” Blaine asked again. He looked over at Sophia who had tears in her eyes.
“Dakota was being mean to Sophia.” Lucy told them. “She was being a bully and I don’t like it when people are mean to my friends so I told her about it.”
“Sophia, honey, are you okay?” Kurt asked. The little girl nodded, though she still looked a bit shaken up to him. After about twenty minutes, the doorbell rang and Blaine opened it. It was Gwendolyn Carlyle and she did not look happy.
“So, why did my daughter text me that she is being bullied at this party?” she demanded.
“Well...your daughter is not telling the whole truth.” Blaine shot back. “Dakota was the one bullying another girl at the party.”
“My daughter is not a bully.” Gwendolyn retorted.
“Okay,” Blaine sarcastically replied with a huff.
“What?”
“I just find it hard to believe that with a mother like you that your daughter couldn’t not be a bully.” Blaine told her. “Listen, I have dealt with bullies my entire life. Kurt and I have taught our children that the only thing that matters about a person is that they are genuine, kind and treat others with respect. And your child does not do that. Lucy has made her decision and I’ve made mine. You can take your daughter home. We don’t accept bullies in this house.”
“You are making a huge mistake.” Gwendolyn growled as she stepped further into the house.
“No, you are making a mistake if you think you are getting any further into my house.” Blaine growled back. “Take your daughter. Oh and you can take this bullshit gluten free vegan pizza because it tastes awful and get out of my house. Oh and by the way, I won’t be at PTA meeting so you’ll have to go without my cookies.”
“They weren’t good anyway.” Gwendolyn hissed.
“Oh, I’m so hurt.” Blaine replied sarcastically. “Just get out of here.”
“Dakota, let’s go.” Gwendolyn replied as she left with her daughter. Blaine slammed the door and went into the kitchen where Kurt and the other girls were waiting.
“Well, let’s not let that get us down. This is a party and I think it’s time for cake.” Blaine said. He went and got the pink birthday cake. They put ten candles on it and sang. Lucy was smiling from ear to ear and all four girls ate every bite of their cake. Clearly they didn’t care that the cake was store bought and not gluten free. The rest of their night went smoothly. The girls all got along and they went to bed.
In the middle of the night, Blaine woke up and saw that his husband was not in bed. He padded down the hallway and found Kurt in the kitchen. He was eating one of the cupcakes that he had made for Dakota. “What are you doing?” he whispered so he didn’t wake up the girl.
“I needed a midnight snack.” Kurt told him. “These are so fucking good Blaine.”
“Well, I’m a fantastic baker.” Blaine replied.
“I might need to go vegan.” Kurt confessed.
“You take that back!” Blaine shot back.
“Have you even tried them?” Blaine shook his head and then took a bite of the cupcake that his husband was extending towards him. The cupcake was chocolatey and moist...and really good.
“Damn, they are good.” Blaine confessed. Kurt finished up his cupcake and threw it in the garbage before peeking into the living room. All four girls were sleeping peacefully.
“I’m really proud of her.” Kurt said. “...and you.”
“I’m proud of her too.” Blaine confessed. “And I’m happy that I got to tell off that bitch Gwendolyn Carlyle. Right now, i’m tired. Are you going to join me back in bed?”
“Of course I am.” Kurt said as he took Blaine’s outstretched hand. The two men walked back to the bedroom and settled into bed. They knew that the girls would most likely be waking them up either, but neither one of them cared. Both Kurt and Blaine were proud of their daughter. She stood up for her friends and did the right thing. She really was growing up...much too fast for Kurt and Blaine’s taste.
A Year with the Anderson-Hummels - Fic a Week 2018 Week 3
Week 3
Read on ao3 or fanfiction.net
“Kurt, do you know where my black tie is?” Blaine called from inside their shared closet.
“Which one?”
“The one with the stripes.” Blaine called back.
“I don’t like that one.” Kurt replied. “Can you wear the one with little white polka dots?”
“I guess…” Blaine said. “Where is that one?”
“Hanging under my blue Armani coat.” Kurt heard Blaine rustle around in the closet for a few moments before coming out.
“Does this work for you?” Blaine asked as he did a little spin for his husband.
“You look handsome as ever.” Kurt replied with a smile as he continued to put the finishing touches on his hair. “Honestly, thank you for coming with me to thing. I know you hate Vogue.com parties.”
“It’s not that I hate them…”
“Be honest.” Kurt told him.
“Fine, I hate them.” Blaine amended. “But I love you, so I’ll of course go with you.”
“And I appreciate that. I’ll remember that the next time that you want me to go with you to one of your composer buddies’ parties.” Kurt added.
“Wait, you don’t like hanging out with them?” Blaine asked.
“Well, would you look at the time? We have to get going.” Kurt said, changing the subject as he moved from in front of the bathroom mirror and escaped to the kitchen. Blaine simply rolled his eyes and followed his husband into the kitchen.
“Kids! We’re leaving!” Kurt called. Gradually, he heard four pairs of feet leave their bedrooms and file into the kitchen. “Okay, I left money on the table so you guys can order pizza. Andrew, Lucy, Caleb and Charlie are in charge.”
“What if they can’t agree on something?” Andrew asked. “Who do we listen to?” Kurt thought about that answer for a little bit. He wanted to tell his son to just listen to Caleb. Though Caleb and Charlie were twins, they couldn’t be more different. Caleb was a little more logical and calm. Charlie tended to go on her instincts and stick to her guns. She was a little more like Blaine and Caleb was like Kurt. Instead of inciting a fight, Kurt simply replied, “Use you’re best judgment.”
“Also,” Kurt began. “Luce, no fighting Charlie or Caleb on bedtime. You know when you go to bed so no pulling anything funny.”
“Papa, I’m hurt.” Lucy said with a gasp as she put a hand over her chest. “What makes you think I would do something like that?”
“I know you, little girl. You’re sneaky.” Kurt replied. “You get that from your daddy.”
“Hey!” Blaine retorted. “I am not doing anything sneaky. I’m being the dutiful husband who is going to the party he doesn’t want to go to.”
“That is true.” Kurt amended. “Now-“
“Papa, we’ve watched Andrew and Lucy before.” Charlie said. “Plus we live here. We know the drill.”
“And you can-”
“ We can call Penny if there’s a problem.” Caleb said, jumping into the conversation.
“Honey, I think they’re fine” Blaine replied. “Plus, we better get going so we’re not late.”
“Okay.” Kurt replied as Blaine practically pushed him out the front door. The two men walked down the driveway, careful not to slip on the ice that had formed and got into the car. This wasn’t the first Vogue.com party that they had attended and it wouldn’t be the last. Each time, it was always the same. They’d get to the party, fashionably late of course. Kurt was an executive editor assistant and the interns and other workers always got there before the rest of the higher up editing staff. Because they’d be late, most of the people would already be tipsy and well on their way to being completely wasted. They’d mingle, until is got late enough and it was socially acceptable to leave. Kurt and Blaine had these kinds of parties down to a science. Nothing exciting was bound to happen.
After driving for about twenty minutes, they pulled into the parking lot at the party’s venue. There were some people wandering in, but the lot was already pretty full. “Are you ready?” Kurt asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Blaine replied with a sigh. Together, they walked up the tall marble steps and headed inside. If there was one thing that the Vogue.com parties had going for them, it was that the décor looked spectacular. They were fashion people after all. Decorating came as second nature to those who put the parties together.
“It looks beautiful in here.” Blaine said as he looked all around the room.
“Yeah, they did a great job.” Kurt agreed. “Do you want to go an get a drink?” he asked. “Everyone’s already way ahead of us.”
“Sure, I’ll grab a drink.” Blaine replied as he followed his husband over to the bar. As they were ordering their drinks, Kurt felt a hand tap his shoulder. He turned around and Isabelle Wright was standing behind him.
“Isabelle!! I thought you were out of town!” Kurt exclaimed as he pulled his friend into a hug.
“I got back early.” Isabelle replied with a smile. “I was actually wondering if I can speak to you in private for a second.”
“Oh yeah…is something wrong?” Kurt asked.
“No, nothing is wrong. I promise.” Isabelle assured him.
“Blaine honey, is it okay if I go?”
“Go, I’ll be fine.” Blaine replied. “I’ll just talk to Marco here.” He added pointing to the bartender. Kurt nodded and followed Isabelle to an isolated room. They both took a seat on a purple velvet couch.
“So what’s going on?” Kurt asked. “I’ve known you long enough to know when something is going on.” Isabelle took a deep breath and took Kurt’s hand in her own.
“I’m retiring.”
“What?” Kurt exclaimed in total shock. That was not something that he had been expecting. Isabelle really wasn’t that much older than him. He tried to play if off like he was happy for her though. “I mean that’s great.”
“It’s time.” Isabelle admitted. “I want to spend my time lying on a beach or watching my grandchildren. I don’t want to worry about every little fabric emergency that happens here.”
“I totally get it.” Kurt replied. “Do you know who you’re replacement is going to be? Not that anyone could really replace you.”
“Kurt… I knew from the first day that I met you that there was something special about you.” Isabelle said. “You have such an eye for fashion and you’re a great leader. I’d be a fool to appoint anyone but you as my replacement. So what do you say? Would you like to be the editor of Vogue.com?” Kurt was so shocked he could barely say anything.
“I-I…Isabelle, I don’t know. I’m not ready.”
“You are ready.” She told him. “You have been working for me…no, with me for years. I know what you are capable of. You can do this.”
“I-I can’t thank you enough.” Kurt replied, his eyes beginning to fill with tears. “You’ve been like a fairy godmother to me. You gave me a job when I had nothing else going for in my life. You never fired or turned me away when I tried to pursue acting. Working here has just been a dream come true and I don’t know what my life would be like if I hadn’t met you. So…yes, I’d love to take this job.” He pulled Isabelle into a tight hug. He couldn’t believe that had just happened. Editor. It was his dream job.
“I’m going to tell everyone tonight.” Isabelle told him. “You deserve all the recognition in the world and I want everyone to know how proud I am of my replacement.”
“Oh my god…okay. Do I need to say something?” Kurt panicked.
“Only if you want to.”
“I feel like I should.” Kurt admitted.
“It’s up to you, Mr. Editor.” Kurt took a deep breath and nodded as he tried to formulate what he was going to say. Hand in hand, he and Isabelle walked into the party. Isabelle headed for the stage while Kurt went to find Blaine.
“Hey!” Blaine said with a smile as pressed a kiss to his husband’s lips. “What did Isabelle have to talk to you about?” he asked.
“Umm I-“ he started, but before he got a chance, he was cut off by Isabelle on the microphone.
“Hello, can I have everyone’s attention.” Isabelle began. “I just wanted to thank you all for coming tonight and I hope that you’re having a wonderful time. I do have a pretty big announcement and I won’t beat around the bush. I’m retiring.” There was a collective gasp, one of which was Blaine. He looked to Kurt with a confused look upon his face. “Working here and being editor at Vogue.com has been the best years of my life. I have loved working with each and every one of you. And I know the question that you’re all dying to have answered: who is my replacement?” Silence fell amongst the crowd as they waited in anticipation. “This person has been my right hand man for so many years. He’s got such an eye for fashion and has a great vision for the future of Vogue.com. Above all, he has been my friend and I have no doubts about appointing him to follow in my footsteps. Ladies and gentlemen, your new editor…Mr. Kurt Anderson-Hummel.”
“Oh my god! Kurt!” Blaine exclaimed as he pulled his husband into a hug. He couldn’t believe this was happening. Kurt hugged Blaine back and then pulled away so he could go up on the stage. He weaved his way through the crowd and eventually reached Isabelle who he gave a hug. Then he took the microphone. “Everyone, I just want to say how flattered I am to be getting this promotion. Vogue.com and all of you mean so much to me. I can’t wait to embark on a new future for Vogue.com. I also want to say thank you to this amazing woman. No one can replace Isabelle Wright.” He turned to Isabelle. “You have been such an inspiration to me and so many others at his company and for that I thank you. I love you. We all love you Isabelle. Happy retirement!” The Vogue.com employees erupted into applause and cheered for both Kurt and Isabelle. When they were finished everyone went back to celebrating. Kurt found his way over to Blaine who was still beaming from ear to ear.
“Kurt, I can’t believe this! You’re the editor of Vogue.com!!” Blaine exclaimed, once again hugging his husband.
“I can’t really believe it either.” Kurt admitted.
“What do you want to do now?” Blaine asked.
“Honestly, I want to go home and see our kids.” Kurt replied. “I’m the boss now. I don’t have to stay at this party for longer than I want to.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Blaine replied. “Right this way, Mr. Editor. Your chariot awaits!” Kurt and Blaine walked out to their cars hand in hand. When they got to the car, Blaine opened up Kurt’s door for him and then closed it before getting into the driver’s side. Neither one of them could believe it. It was just supposed to be one of Vogue.com’s boring parties, but instead, the night became one that would change their life forever. Blaine couldn’t have been more glad that he decided to go and Kurt was equally as happy.
For Those In My Heart - Chapter 12 “A Quiet Night In”
Prompt: Regina had been working too hard and Robin has made it his mission to get her to relax
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11
Robin sighed, looking towards the clock. It was nearly 9 o’clock and Regina still wasn’t home. He knew that nothing was wrong because this wasn’t the first time this had happened this week. Regina had been working tirelessly to try and fix the town budget. It was apparently a mess because Robin hadn’t seen his girlfriend all week. He had gone to her office to check on her two nights ago and the woman was barely able to acknowledge his presence. Her nose had been buried in paperwork and a pair of black framed glasses sat perched on the edge on her nose. Robin had seen those glasses a few times before, but they didn’t come out often. Regina always insisted that her vision was perfect and she didn’t need glasses. However, Robin saw right through her act when he watched her squint at the newspaper in the morning or the books that she kept by the nightstand to read before she went to bed. The mere fact that Regina had accepted her poor vision and had put the glasses on let Robin know just how tired she was.
Rubbing at his own eyes, Robin decided he better go to bed. There was no telling how late Regina would be getting home. Roland had begged him to stay up until Regina came home so he could get his bedtime kiss. Normally, Regina also read books with him before bed, but that hadn’t happened in a few days either. Robin tried to fill in but his attempts were only met with “You don’t read them like Mama.” Eventually, Robin was forced to carry a sleeping little boy from the living room couch to his own bed.
Addy had been having a rough time as well. The little girl who was normally glued to her mother’s hip had been fussy and no one seemed to satisfy her...not Henry or Roland or even Robin. When Regina put the little girl to bed all she had to do was hold her on her lap against her chest and let the little girl lull herself to sleep while listening to the sound of her mother’s heartbeat. Robin, however, had to spend nearly an hour walking around with the little girl in his arms until her eyelids gradually grew heavier and she eventually fell asleep. His attempts normally didn’t go well because as soon as Robin set the little girl in her crib, she’d wake herself up and wail. Not knowing what else to do, Robin had taken to letting his daughter cry herself to sleep which was never easy to listen to. The only person in the family that seemed to be able to sleep soundly in Regina’s absence was Henry. Being a typical teenager, he couldn’t care less if his mother was home or not. He was content staying up late most nights and just reading comic books.
After heading upstairs, Robin pulled on a white t-shirt and a pair of red and black boxers and climbed into bed. He nestled himself under the covers and rolled onto his side. Even though he was very tired, Robin couldn’t fall asleep. He needed Regina in his arms to be able to shut his mind off and slip into unconsciousness. He lay there for a while until he heard the sound of the front door opening. Glancing at the clock, Robin realized it nearly 11 o’clock. He listened to the sound of Regina’s high heels as she walked up the wooden staircase towards their bedroom. When she got there, Robin reached over and turned on the light on his bedside table.
“God, you scared me.” She gasped, clutching at her chest. “I didn’t think you’d still be awake.”
“You shouldn’t still be up, my love.” Robin replied. “You’re working too hard.”
“The budget is just a mess.” Regina said, flopping down onto her back on their bed. “I’m trying to figure everything out but it’s just taking forever.”
“Maybe you just need a break.” Robin suggested. “A day to clear your head and start back fresh.”
“I don’t think I can spare a day,” She replied with a sigh. “We’re going to discuss the budget at the next town meeting and I am not going into the lion’s den without being prepared. The people in this town can be brutal.” Regina ran her hands over her face and squeezed the bridge of her nose, a clear sign of her exhaustion.
“Love, get your pajamas on and come to bed. I can’t fall asleep without you.” Robin coaxed as he ran his fingers gently over Regina’s arm.
“I don’t think I can move,” She replied with a laugh, her eyelids heavy from exhaustion. Robin smirked at his girlfriend. He got out of bed and walked over to their shared closet.
“What pajamas do you want, love?” There was no reply. “Regina?” he called once more. Robin walked out of the closet and found Regina fast asleep on top of the covers, still dressed in her dress and heels. With a smile on his face, Robin walked over and slipped off his girlfriend’s shoes and threw them to the side of the room. Regina was like dead weight when she was asleep so Robin knew he wasn’t going to be able to get her dress off of her. He pulled back the covers before lifting her up gently and positioning in bed. After lying her tired body down, Robin covered her up, pressed a kiss to her forehead and went around to the other side of the bed and got in. With his girlfriend finally home, Robin allowed himself to finally relax and fall into a deep sleep.
The next morning, sunlight from the window in their bedroom woke Robin from his deep slumber. He reached out to pull Regina into his embrace but instead he only found a cold, empty bed. After yawning and stretching, he pushed himself out of bed and glanced at the clock. It was only six o’clock and Regina was clearly gone. After seeing how truly exhausted Regina had been last night, Robin made it his mission to get his girlfriend to relax.
After getting all three kids up and ready, he began making plans. Henry was already spending the night at Emma’s so he’d be out of the house. Snow had graciously agreed to take Addy because she loved having the little girl at her house. Robin had also arranged for the Merry Men to take Roland for the night. He knew that his men missed having the little tyke at camp with them and Roland missed his uncles as well, so it was a win-win situation. With all the kids out of the house, Robin set out to bring his girlfriend home and make her relax. He strolled into her office around five and found her hunched over her desk, her hair in a ponytail and the same black framed glasses perched on the edge of her nose. Upon hearing his footsteps, Regina looked up and shot Robin a confused look.
“Robin? What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I’m here to bring you home.” He told her.
“Robin-I-I’m not nearly done,” She stuttered. “I’ve only just started making sense of all this and I don’t think I can stop now.” Robin walked over to her and sat down on the edge of her desk. He took the pen from her hands and gently lifted the glasses off her nose.
“My love, I’m going to be honest with you,” he said. “You look like crap.”
“Well thanks…” She retorted.
“You have dark circles under your eyes and I can tell that you’re stressed because you’re all hunched over and there’s so much tension in your shoulders.” Robin told her. “You look beautiful, love. You always look beautiful, but right now, you look like crap. So I’ve come to take you home. You’re going to relax for just one night. You’re going to clear your mind and come back and figure all of this out. But, right now, my love, you are fried and you need a break. So, you can make this easy and walk home with me or I can throw you over my shoulder and carry you home.” Regina, who looked shocked at Robin’s sudden assertiveness, stood up from her office chair.
“I think I’ll walk home.” she replied.
“Good choice,” Robin told her. He reached his hand out to her and intertwined his fingers with hers. Together, they walked the short distance home. Once in the house, Regina turned to her lover.
“What now?” She asked.
“Now, milady, I am going to run you a bath....with bubbles and lavender candles and even some red wine if you’d like.” Robin told her. “And, while you’re doing that, I will be down here making us some dinner.”
“But you can’t cook…”Regina replied matter of factly.
“Such little faith,” Robin retorted.
“You almost set the house on fire last time you used the stove.”
“I do believe that is a little bit of embellishment.” Robin insisted.
“Tell that to my charred set of oven mitts.” the brunette countered.
“Will you just trust me.” Robin pleaded as he pushed her towards the stairs. Regina gave him a smirk and proceeded up the stairs towards their shared bedroom. She took a seat on the edge of their bed while Robin went into the bathroom. He had already set up the bathroom so candles were sitting by the edge of the tub. He started the water and let it run until it got warm and then poured in some bubbles. Next, he grabbed the matches off the counter and lit all the candles. Last but not least, he opened the bottle of red wine that he had brought up before he left and poured it into a glass. He walked out to Regina with the glass of wine in his hand. “I’ve drawn your bath milady and now all you have to do is relax.” Robin told her as he handed her the wine glass.
“Thank you,” She said with a smile on her face. Robin leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips.
“Enjoy and when you’re ready, come down and we’ll have a nice meal together.”
“Wait!” She called after him. That sounds lovely but where are the kids?” she asked.
“I’ve taken care of them.” Robin replied. “All you need to know is that they’re out of the house and we have the night to ourselves.” With that, Robin headed downstairs to start dinner. Regina couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t know what she did to deserve a man like Robin.
With the idea of a warm bath calling her name, she wandered into the bathroom and set the glass of wine down on the counter. She kicked off her high heels and stripped herself of her dress and underwear before climbing into the steaming bath water. She slipped further down into the tub until just her head peeked above the level of the water. It felt amazing. Regina could feel her muscles relaxing and the tension leaving her body as the warm water worked its magic. Taking a deep breath in, she smelled the lavender from the candles and smiled. She had always loved the smell of lavender. It helped to calm her down in some of her hardest times. When she was a single mother trying to raise a colicky infant, Regina had practically bathed in her lavender lotion. That was, until Henry decided that he hated the smell, thus making him hate her. She had stopped wearing it and got rid of anything that smelled of lavender. At that point, she had been willing to try anything to get Henry to stop crying. She hadn’t kept it in the house since so it was surprising that Robin had chosen that scent to set up for her. She took a sip of the red wine that Robin had given her, its dry flavor dancing across her taste buds. It had taken her a long time to like wine. They always had some kind of a sweet white wine in her castle when she was a little girl and her mother had made her drink it. She had always grimaced at it’s flavor but her mother insisted that she’d get used to it. It had taken Regina a long time, but her mother had been right. She did get used to the taste of wine, but not that sickly sweet white wine that her mother had forced on her years ago. No, Regina much preferred a dry red wine instead.
After lounging in the bath for a while, Regina felt like it was time to get out. She stood up and stepped out onto the bath mat, grabbing her white plush towel and wrapping it around herself. She dried herself off and walked from the bathroom to her and Robin’s shared closet. She picked up her pair of blue silk pajamas and was about to throw them on when she spotted Robin’s favorite t-shirt. Regina remembered when she bought it for him. After much debate, the Locksley-Mills family had decided to watch Disney’s version of Robin Hood for family movie night. Regina had found herself laughing hysterically as Robin exclaimed, “I’m a bloody fox! What kind of movie is this?!?” It took a little bit but by the end of the movie, Robin had grown fond of the cartoon depiction of himself. Then, one night during a particularly annoying bout of insomnia, Regina found herself deep in the depths of Amazon. Online shopping had become a bit of an addiction for her, especially when she couldn’t sleep. That night she found a forest green shirt with a black silhouette of the fox under which it read in script “Her Robin Hood.” Robin had been hesitant to wear it at first but eventually he realized how comfortable it was and the shirt often made appearances during lazy days spent at home. Wanting to feel that same sense of comfort, Regina put her silk pajamas back in the drawer and pulled on a pair of pajama shorts and the green t-shirt. It was practically a dress on her, the cotton fabric completely covering up the shorts she had just pulled on and making her appear as though she didn’t have any pants on.
Regina wandered downstairs and was hit with the wonderful aroma of whatever Robin had decided to cook. “I’m impressed,” She said quietly as she padded into the kitchen. “Nothing has caught on fire yet.”
“I told you that I had dinner covered,” he replied, a smirk on his face. “Did you enjoy your bath?” She nodded and walked over to him to press a kiss to his lips. Robin pulled her in tighter and ran his fingers through her still wet hair. “I can see you’ve found my favorite t-shirt, though is does seem a tad bit large for you milady.”
“What can I say?” she replied. “I wanted to be comfortable. Now, tell me, what are you making?”
“Ah, on the menu for tonight, we’ve got an appetizer of tomato bisque and for the main course, two lightly toasted slices of bread held together by a melted slice of American Cheese.” Robin replied, trying his best to sound like a distinguished chef.
“Grilled cheese and tomato soup is one of my favorite combos,” she replied, smiling up at Robin.
“Well then, milady, have a seat and I’ll serve you.”
“Robin, you don’t have to,” Regina began to argue. “I can help.”
“Now, now, tonight is your night,” he told her. “For once, do as I say and just enjoy the night.” Regina did as she was told and took a seat. She wasn’t used to Robin being so assertive and she thought it best not to test him. She watched as Robin placed the two sandwiches on plates and ladelled some of the soup into bowls for the two of them. “Bon appetit, milady.” he said, setting the food down in front of her. Regina happily obliged and dug into the sandwich. It had been a few days since she had any sort of actual meal. She had gone through her entire stash of snacks at the office, not wanting to leave and disrupt her work. Surprisingly, the sandwich and soup were just want she needed to satisfy her hungry stomach.
“I must say that was a pretty good meal for terrible chef.” Regina said, looking across the table at Robin, who was still working on his own sandwich.
“I’m a tad bit offended by being called “a terrible chef” and feel that after tonight I’ve at least proved myself to be a mediocre chef.” he retorted.
“Fine,” Regina agreed. “I’ll promote you. Mediocre chef it is.” Seeing that Robin had finished his meal, Regina spoke once more, “So thief, what else do you have planned for the rest of the evening?”
“That, my dear, is up to you.” Robin told her. “What is it that you need?” Suddenly, the sound of thunder echoed in the distance and the room was illuminated by a bright bolt of lightning in the sky. Regina had always loved thunderstorms. To many, they were frightening, unpredictable and scary, but Regina had always felt them calming. She had spent many nights sitting on the edge of her windowsill watching as the golden streaks of lightning danced across the sky and the cacophony of thunder echoed in the distance.
“I want you to hold me,” Regina said as she stood up from the table and walked over to Robin. She extended her hand to him and led him from the kitchen to the living room. Robin took a seat on the couch and Regina sat down between his legs and leaned her body back into his embrace. He pressed a kiss to her temple and ran his fingers gently through her hair. They lay in silence under the cover of a fuzzy purple blanket and watched the night’s sky light up, cuddled in one another’s arms. Gradually, Regina began to feel tired and felt her eyelids begin to droop. Her head fell forward and she jerked it back up, forcing herself to wake and snuggle in closer to Robin’s chest.
“You’re tired.” Robin said softly.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re falling asleep.” he countered.
“I’m resting my eyes.” she replied, once again closing her eyes and resting her head back onto Robin’s chest. Knowing not to argue with her, Robin simply pressed a kiss to the top of her head and allowed Regina to snuggle against him. He knew in a matter of minutes that she’d be asleep. Robin felt rather proud of himself. His mission to get Regina to relax had gone quite well. He could feel the tension that had been so evident in her shoulders was now gone. The dark bags were still under her eyes but that wasn’t anything a good night’s rest couldn’t fix. Robin looked down when he heard the sound of Regina snoring softly and smiled. He loved this woman so much and would always be there to help her in anyway that she needed, even if it was something as simple as a quiet night in.
For Those in My Heart - Chapter 9 “A Year of Firsts”
Prompt: Addy's First Birthday!
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8
The first year of Addy’s life had flown by exponentially fast. Neither Robin nor Regina could believe that their baby girl was already one year old. Regina had practically been making herself nuts as she prepared for Addy’s first birthday party. They had gone with a ladybug theme because of the little girl’s love for her stuffed ladybug. Robin had even taken to calling her his little ladybug. All the decorations were black and red. Roland and Henry had been blowing up red balloons and sticking black polka dots on them practically all morning. Regina had spent all last night creating a ladybug birthday cake. It had taken two tries but now that it was complete, it did look really good. She had also made ladybug cupcakes because she claimed that people needed options. “Everything is going to be fine, love,” Robin told her as he walked into the kitchen with Addy in his arms.
“I just want everything to be perfect. You only get one first birthday.” Regina replied.
“And it will be a wonderful first birthday,” Robin told her. “But you’re going to make yourself crazy and not enjoy it, if you’re so focused on it being perfect.”
“Guests will be arriving soon and I have to get the birthday girl ready.” Regina replied. “Come here sweetie,” she added, stretching her arms to Addy. The little leaned from her father’s arms into her mother’s grasp. Robin was not surprised that Addy had so readily gone to her mother. Once Regina had come to terms with the little girl’s existence, the two had become inseparable. It was no surprise when Addy chose what her first word was…
“She spoke Robin! She said her first word!” Regina had exclaimed as she ran into the living room with the little girl in her hands.
“What did she say?”
“She said Mama! I swear!” Regina said. “Come on baby, say it again. Say Mama!” she cooed at the baby. The little girl smiled her toothless grin at her mother and babbled out some kind of word. Robin wasn’t so sure it was Mama though.
“I’m not so sure that was Mama…” Robin replied quietly.
“Are you kidding me? It was clearly Mama.” Regina told him. “Weren’t you listening to her?”
“It just sounded like babbling to me. I think you may have heard what you wanted to.” Robin laughed. Regina groaned at her fiance and practically stomped away with the baby in her arms. She had said Mama. Regina heard it and no one could tell her otherwise. Later on in the day, the family of five was sitting on the couch attempting to watch a movie. It was proving difficult however because Addy was rather fussy and kept crying. Robin was walking around with her, bouncing her gently, in an attempt to calm her. “What is it my love? What’s the matter? What do you want?” he cooed. Addy continued to cry and then all of a sudden she babbled out a very clear “Mama.” and reached out towards Regina. Robin gasped when he heard it...her first word. Regina smirked at her fiance and stood up to take the baby.
“I told you she said Mama.”
Robin was pulled from his thoughts when Regina returned from the nursery. Addy was dressed in a white onesie with a large red one with black polka dots. She was also wearing a red tutu and a headband with black and red flowers on it. “Well look at this little ladybug,” Robin cooed, taking his daughter into his arms.
“Don’t know how long that outfit will stay clean with all her drooling but it’ll look cute for a while.” Regina replied. Ever since Addy had cut her first tooth, she had been drooling non stop. God, that had been a nightmare…
“God, can’t you make her stop screaming,” Henry groaned as he rested his head on the kitchen counter.
“Yeah, she’s so loud,” Roland agreed.
“She’s teething guys and it hurts. Try having a little sympathy.” Robin told the two boys. He looked over to Regina who was walking around bouncing the screaming baby. There were dark circles under her eyes and Robin knew she was exhausted. Addy had kept them both up all night for the past few nights. He knew that the little girl was in pain and he felt bad for her. However, he also knew that if Regina didn’t get some sleep soon that she was going to pass out.
“Sweetheart, would you like me to try?” he asked, walking over to Regina. The woman just shook her head.
“We both know it has to be me.” Regina replied. She had tears in her eyes. “I don’t know what to do anymore. I’ve bounced her. I’ve rocked her. I gave her the teethers. I let her bite on my finger. She will not stop crying. I’m-I’m so tired, Robin.” Robin had feared this moment was going to happen. Without a second thought, he took the screaming infant from her arms.
“Love, go and lie down.” Robin told her.
“But-”
“She will be fine. She’s just teething. Crankiness is expected.” the man replied. “It doesn’t matter who’s arms she’s crying in. And, you’re exhausted and look like you’re ready to drop.”
“I-I have to go to work.” Regina tried.
“I’ll call your assistant and tell her to clear your schedule.” Robin told her. “You’re in no shape to try and work today. Just go and rest.” Feeling completely exhausted, Regina finally gave him. She gave Robin a look and said, “Thank you,” before heading to their bedroom to get some rest. Robin spent the rest of the day trying to stop his daughter’s pain. Eventually, Addy settled down to sleep and Robin let out a sigh of relief and flopped down on the couch. It was then that Regina wandered into the living room, still dressed in her pajamas.
“Feeling better?”
“Much,” Regina replied. “You got her to sleep?” She asked motioning to the baby.
“I think she just wore herself out from crying.” Robin told her honestly. “I don’t think I had much to do with it.”
“Well regardless, at least, she’s stopped crying.” Regina crawled onto the couch and cuddled herself into Robin’s embrace. “Thank you…”
“For what?”
“For knowing what was best for me and stopping my crazy.” Regina replied.
“You weren’t crazy, my love. You were exhausted.” Robin told her. “You are the best mother but sometimes you have to take care of yourself. And it is abundantly clear that our daughter likes you better than she likes me but I can help too.” He added with a laugh.
“That’s not true.” She pauses for a second “Okay, it’s a little true,” she admitted. “Next time, I will let you help more.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” Robin replied as he leaned in and pressed a kiss to Regina’s lips. Then, as if she knew it was a bad time, Addy began to cry.
“I’ll get her,” Regina sighed. She walked over to the pack n play and pulled the baby out. The little girl seemed to be in better spirits. She smiled at her mother and reached happily for her face. When she smiled, she flashed a now toothy grin. “It popped through!” Regina said excitedly. “You have a tooth” she cooed.
“Now, we only have 19 more to go,” Robin retorted. He was glad that his baby girl finally had some relief. However, the realization that they would have to go through this 19 more times was not something that Robin wanted to think about.
Since that day, Addy had grown six more teeth to add to her toothy grin. She looked incredibly cute whenever she flashy that cheeky little grin at anyone. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. “Guests are here.” Regina said as she made her way over to the door. When she opened it, Snow, Charming and Neal were outside with Emma and Hook. “Come in,” Regina said, opening the door wider. “Thank you for coming guys,”
“As if we’d miss Addy’s first birthday,” Snow chorused. “Where is the birthday girl?”
“She’s right here.” Robin said as he walked in from the kitchen.
“Oh my goodness, look at the little ladybug outfit!” Snow cooed. “She looks so cute! I can’t believe how big she’s gotten.”
“Neither can I,” Regina replied. “But anyway, come in. There’s food and drinks in the kitchen.” The group of people filed into the kitchen and over the next hour more people showed up. Granny and Ruby were next come, followed by Leroy and the rest of the dwarves. Archie also showed up a little later and of course, all the Merry Men were present. They were all talking happily when Regina announced it was time to bring out the birthday cake. She situated Addy in her high chair with just her headband and diaper on. She anticipated that things were about to get messy. After Addy was situated, she walked in with the birthday cake with one lit candle. Everyone began to sing.
“Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Addy, Happy Birthday to you!” When the singing ended, Robin and Regina each blew on the single candle, until the flame turned to black smoke and everyone clapped.
“Alright, let’s cut this cake.” Robin announced. He took the cake to the counter and cut one slice, which he handed to Regina. She took the piece of cake and set it down in front of Addy. The little girl looked at it curiously. She tentatively reached her hand out and touched the cake. She made a face at first and recoiled at the touch.
“It’s cake, baby,” Regina said. She stuck her finger into the icing and got just enough to place inside Addy’s mouth. The little girl sucked the icing of her finger and smiled. Her eyes grew wide and everyone could see that she liked the cake. She reached down with her chubby little hands and grabbed the cake. With both hands, she shoved it into her mouth, getting icing all over her face in the process.
“Well, I think the lass likes her cake.” Hook said with a laugh.
“It’s a miracle she eats anything,” Regina replied. That sure was the truth. When they first started feeding Addy solids, she didn’t think they’d ever find a food that she’d actually eat.
“Alright my little love bug, let’s try some peas.” Regina prompted as she pushed the baby spoon into her daughter’s mouth. As soon as the green mush touched her tongue, Addy instantly spit it back out. “Okay… I guess we don’t like peas.” She grabbed another jar of baby food. “What about carrots?” she asked, once again trying to feed her daughter. This time, Addy didn’t just let the food roll off her tongue. She full on spit it out, some particles landing on her mother’s skirt. “I guess that would be a no.”
“She eat anything?” Henry asked, walking into the kitchen
“No. She doesn’t like peas and she definitely doesn’t like carrots.” Regina replied, motioning to her skirt.
“We should make her eat a lemon.” Henry replied with a laugh.
“Henry!”
“What? It’d be funny. She’s not eating anyway. Might as well get a laugh out of it.” Henry told her. He went to the fridge and grabbed a lemon. He cut a slice and walked over to his sister and mother.
“Henry…” Regina warned.
“It’s not gonna kill her mom. Lighten up.” Henry told her. “Plus isn’t it a big brother’s job to tease his little sister just a little bit.” Without a second thought, Henry brought the lemon up to his sister’s lips. “Open up Ads,” he said. Surprisingly, the little girl opened up her mouth and sucked onto the lemon. She pursed her lips and scrunched up her nose at the sour taste. Both Henry and Regina laughed. Despite the taste, Addy reached for the lemon once more and Henry let her have it. She once again made a sour face, but just kept eating it. “I can’t tell if she actually likes it or not.”
“I’m not sure if she even knows.” Regina told him.
“Well at least she eats something now,”Henry replied to his mother. Regina scoffed. Her baby was not going to eat lemons for the rest of her life. But Regina was determined and she wasn’t giving up. She practically bought every flavor of baby food that the store sold and she was going to have Addy try every single flavor until she found something that the little girl would eat. After a few dozen jars of baby food and a lot of patience, Regina found that Addy was partial to fruits. It wasn’t a perfect solution but it was definitely a start.
As Addy continued to eat her birthday cake, she didn’t just shove the cake into her mouth. She transitioned to putting it on her head and in her hair. “Oh no!” Regina exclaimed as she tried to grab her daughter’s icing covered hands. “I wasn’t expecting that,” she added with a laugh.
“Looks like little miss is gonna need a bath,” Robin replied with a laugh. “She has so much cake in her hair.”
“Just imagine how bad it would be if you hadn’t let me cut her hair.” Regina retorted. Addy’s recent haircut had actually caused quite the argument between her and Robin.
“No, absolutely not.” Robin said.
“Robin, she needs a haircut.” Regina shot back.
“Her hair is fine.”
“It’s all in her eyes.” Regina told him. “She can barely see.” Robin looked at his daughter. She smiled at him behind the dirty blonde ringlets that fell in front of her eyes. “Listen, I’m not talking about giving her a buzz cut. I just want her to be able to see.”
“I haven’t even cut Roland’s hair.”
“That’s an argument for another day.” Regina replied.
“You want to cut his hair as well?”
“I want them to get a trim, Robin! I’m not scalping them.” Regina retorted. “Listen, I made an appointment at the hairdresser for noon and we’re going.” She said motioning to her and Addy.
“I guess I don’t really get a say,” Robin answered in an indignant tone.
“You could come with us.” Regina suggested. Robin knew in that moment he had lost. Regina was stubborn and there was no changing her mind, so Robin decided to go along. Just before noon, they wandered into the children’s hairdresser. The inside of the shop was painted in bright primary colors and the seats weren’t normal ones. Instead they were shaped like planes, trains and cars.
“Hi guys,” The girl at the counter said. “How can I help you?”
“We have an appointment for noon,” Regina replied.
“Of course,” The girl replied sweetly. “Who’s getting a trim?”
“That would be this little one,” Regina said, pointing to Addy.
“Alright, little princess, let’s get you started. Who wants to hold baby?”
“I will,” Regina replied. She climbed into the chair and positioned Addy on her lap. Almost instantly the little girl began to squirm and cry. “Shh, Shh, it’s okay,” Regina cooed, trying to get the little girl to stop crying.
“Dada!” the baby girl cried, reaching out to Robin.
“She wants you.” Regina said. “You’ll have to hold her.” Robin frowned. This wasn’t part of the agreement but he of course took the little girl into his arms and climbed into the plane shaped seat. “This is too cute. I need a picture.” Regina exclaimed as she pulled out her phone. “Smile!”
“Alright, should we get started?” the girl asked. She took a tiny pair of scissors and began to line up where she wanted to cut.
“Not too short,” Robin told the girl.
“I promise not to take too much off.” Gently, she trimmed the hair in front of Addy’s eyes. When she was finished, she pulled Addy’s hair up into a cute tiny ponytail and placed a bow in her hair.
“Oh my goodness, she looks so cute.” Regina exclaimed, once again snapping pictures. Robin couldn’t take the cuteness either. He hadn’t wanted Addy to lose her hair but he could see now that the haircut was needed. She smiled her toothy grin at him and Robin’s heart just melted. He loved this little girl so much. When the girl was finished, she handed Robin a cute little bag with a single lock of Addy’s dirty blonde hair.
“For the baby book.” The girl told them. Regina took the hair and placed it in her purse as they paid. Then the three of them went out to get into the car.
“See, I told you she’d look cute.” Regina told him.
“Yes, love, you were right.” Robin conceded.
“Now...what will it take to get you to let me cut Roland’s hair?”
“That is an argument for another day,” Robin replied with a smirk on his face. Two could play at that game.
After Addy, had finished her cake, Regina took her upstairs and gave her a quick bath, not wanting to keep her guests waiting much longer. When she went back downstairs, everyone was practically chomping at the bit for her to open up her presents. Snow and Charming had bought her two cute outfits and a stuffed horse that Addy absolutely loved. Emma had found a precious baby red leather jacket and Hook had gotten her a set of plush pirate toys. The gifts were practically endless.
“So, is she walking yet?” Snow asked.
“Not yet.” Robin replied.
“She pulls herself up on stuff but she hasn’t actually taken any real steps yet.” Regina replied. She watched as Addy crawled around on the floor. From across the room, Addy spotted her favorite ladybug toy that was currently in Neal’s hands. Addy was determined if anything. She pushed herself up onto her two feet and eyed down the ladybug toy. Determined to get to it, she took a hesitant step towards the toy. And then she took another step...and then another.
“Robin! She’s walking! She’s walking! Get the camera!” Regina exclaimed. “That’s right baby, keep coming.” She cooed. Everyone watched as Addy tottled her way over to where Neal was standing and reached for the ladybug toy. She grabbed onto it and refused to let go. She pulled the toy from Neal’s hands and fell down onto her butt, as happy as could be as she chewed on the stuffed ladybug. Every cheered and Regina picked up her little girl and kissed her cheek. “I am so proud of you!” She couldn’t believe it. Her little baby was one year old. She was walking and talking and giggling and smiling. Time was going by so quickly and Regina wanted to soak up every minute of it. After all, you only got to have a first birthday party once and luckily for them, this one turned out to be pretty perfect.
