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.
The Anderson-Hummels, by Jess @littlej097‘s advent fic.
The people who know me might know two things about me: a) the moment I get obsessed with something, I want to draw it and b) when I randomly asks for character’s looks, that means I am going to draw them.
Therefore, from left to right: Kurt, Andrew, Penny, Caleb, Charlie, Lucy, and Blaine. They were in the middle of the photo when Charlie started playing a game on her phone, which led to Penny and Caleb not being amused.
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.
Hey guys! I am back to do the Klaine Advent 2018 Challenge! This year instead of doing drabbles I am planning to write a AU multi-chapter fic! I already have the main concept of the story in my head so I will do my best to fit in the words of the day! They will probably be more like little tidbits unless I’m super inspired by them. But, I am so excited to write this fic and I hope you all enjoy!
Summary: Kurt is a single father just trying to make it through the Christmas season. However, when he meets, celebrity, Blaine Anderson, his world is turned upside down. If one thing is for sure, this Christmas season will change both of their lives forever.
Christmas music filled the apartment of Kurt Hummel and his five-year-old daughter, Clara. It was December 1st and that meant one thing. It was time to get ready for Christmas! They had even invited Kurt’s best friend and Clara’s godmother, Rachel over to join in on the Christmas fun.
“Daddy, do we have any more ornaments?” five year old, Clara asked as she bounced happily around the living room.
“Just a few more honey,” Kurt replied. “I think we’ve just about covered this tree,” he added with a laugh. Their Christmas tree was filled with ornaments of all kinds and this year, Clara had insisted on multi-colored lights and red and gold tinsel. It was quite gaudy if Kurt was being honest but he’d do anything to make his little girl happy.
“Here Clara, we’ve still got the star. You can place it on top of the tree.” Rachel said as she held the golden star out to the little girl. Clara’s face lit up as she ran over to her aunt.
“Daddy! Daddy! Lift me up!” She squealed. Kurt grinned at his daughter and lifted the little girl up onto his shoulders. He walked closer to the tree and Clara reached as far as she could until the bottom of the tree topper connected with the top of the tree.
“There! Perfect!” Rachel said. Kurt lifted Clara from his shoulders and placed her back on the living room floor.
“It’s so pretty!” Clara said. “Daddy, can we watch “Frosty the Snowman” now!” she asked.
“Sure honey, but we can’t stay up too late. You have school tomorrow and I have to be at the hospital pretty early.” Kurt told her.
“Okay. Can we have popcorn and hot chocolate though?” Clara begged. “Please, please, pretty please!” Kurt rolled his eyes. His little girl had him wrapped around her little finger and he simply couldn’t say no.
“Sure.”
“Yay!” Clara exclaimed.
“You find the DVD and Aunt Rachel and I will go get the snacks,” Kurt replied before walking into the kitchen with Rachel following close behind. He grabbed a bag of popcorn and popped it into the microwave. Then he grabbed his tea kettle to begin warming up water for the hot chocolate.
“So, Kurt… have you been talking to anyone lately.” Rachel probed.
“You mean a guy?” Kurt asked with a suspicious look on his face. Rachel was always trying to set him up with someone. Rachel nodded. “And when would I have time to do that? I’m a single father with a five-year-old and I’m a nurse working crazy hours. What guy is going to want to come into that?”
“Oh Kurt! You’re just making excuses. I’m sure that there are plenty of guys that would love to go on a date with you. You just won’t give them a chance.”
“That is not true!”
“Prove it!” Rachel retorted before snatching Kurt’s phone off the countertop.
“Rachel, what are you doing?”
“I’m signing you up for Tinder.”
“No! No! Absolutely no!” Kurt said before trying to grab his phone back from Rachel’s hands. To get out of his reach, Rachel ran to the other side of the kitchen. “Rachel, no one meets anyone decent on Tinder. That app is purely a site to find hookups.”
“Would that be so bad?”
“Yes!” Kurt exclaimed. “I am not a hookup and never talk to a guy kind of person. Rachel, please, stop.”
“Too late. Already posted. You’re officially a tinder man.” Rachel replied, finally handing the phone over to Kurt.
“I am deleting this.”
“Just give it a chance. At least look at a few guys.” Rachel pleaded. Kurt sighed and made a face at his friend.
“Fine.”
“Yay!” Rachel squealed before running to Kurt’s side. “Okay, so if you don’t like a guy, you swipe left. And if you do, swipe right.” The first picture came up.
“Too old,” Kurt said, swiping left.
“Too young.”
“Too hairy.” Kurt grimaced looking at the picture of the man on his phone and swiping left once again. Then the fourth picture appeared. The man had beautiful golden honey brown eyes and curly dark brown hair. He had a beautiful smile and was really quite attractive. He looked somewhat familiar but Kurt couldn’t put his finger on where he had seen the man.
“OH...MY… GOD!” Rachel exclaimed looking at the picture.
“What?”
“That’s my co-star!” Rachel said. Rachel had recently landed the role of Elphaba in a revival show of Wicked. “That’s Blaine Anderson. He’s playing Fiyero.”
“Wait, like Emmy award-winning, Blaine Anderson?” Kurt asked in disbelief. Rachel nodded. Now, Kurt had figured out where he knew the man from. Blaine had been an up and coming star. He had guest starred on a bunch of shows before landing a lead role in a limited series and winning an Emmy for his work. Kurt had seen an interview where Blaine admitted he had always wanted to be on Broadway so getting the role of Fiyero was like a dream come true.
“I don’t know why I didn’t think of him before.” Rachel said. “He’s so nice and he’s single.”
“He’s also famous,” Kurt said. “There’s no way that a celebrity is going to want to date me.”
“You won’t know that for sure unless you try.” Rachel prompted. She took Kurt’s phone from his hands and looked at the profile.
“Kurt, he already super liked you.” Rachel said in disbelief. “We made this profile like five minutes ago. This is a sign. I’m swiping right.”
“Rachel-!”
“Too late!” She said with a smirk. Kurt looked at his phone and on the screen were both his and Blaine’s pictures. The top read “It’s a Match!”
“This is going to be a good thing,” Rachel reassured him. “Now come on. We’ve planted the seed and now we wait. Come on, We have a very inpatient five-year-old waiting for us and I personally am ready to see a snowman come to life.” Rachel said. She grabbed the popcorn and headed into the living room, leaving Kurt in the kitchen. He couldn’t stop staring at the screen. Blaine was attractive, but there was no way that he’d actually want to date a single father. Kurt already knew that this Tinder match was as far as this relationship would go...he was sure of it...well pretty sure anyway.
Summary: Kurt is a single father just trying to make it through the Christmas season. However, when he meets, celebrity, Blaine Anderson, his world is turned upside down. If one thing is for sure, this Christmas season will change both of their lives forever.
Notes: Catching up slowly but surely!
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7
The drive back to Blaine’s house was silent. Kurt sat silently staring out the window with tears clouding his vision. He couldn’t believe that this was happening...that this was real. Clara didn’t really seem to understand what was going on.
“Can’t the firemen put our house out and then we can go back?” She asked.
“It doesn’t work exactly like that honey.” Blaine told her when he saw that Kurt couldn’t even speak.
“Where are we going now?”
“We’re going to go to my house for now, okay?” Clara nodded in the backseat. She clutched the tiny baby doll that she had brought with them. Blaine realized that it very well may be her only toy left. When they got to Blaine’s apartment the three of them went inside and were greeted by Maggie.
“Go lay down.” Blaine told them dog strictly. The lab whimpered and did what she was told. “Hey Clara, how about we find something for you to wear as pajamas.”
“Okay,” the five year old replied with a yawn. Blaine took her hand, while Kurt simply took a seat onto Blaine’s couch. It was clear Kurt was in a little bit of shock. Blaine led Clara into his bedroom and pulled out a large black t-shirt.
“How about this? It can be a nightgown.” Clara nodded, her eyes getting sleepier and eyelids drooping. Blaine helped the little girl get ready and it was clear that she was so exhausted. “Are you ready for bed?” he asked. Clara nodded and lifted her arms up to Blaine. Figuring that meant she wanted to be picked up, Blaine did just that. He brought the little girl to his guest room and tucked her under the sheets. “Where’s my daddy?”
“He’ll be in soon okay. Just close your eyes. Everything is going to be okay.” he told her, even though that was a complete lie. Things were going to change for Kurt and Clara and not for the better. Clara shut her eyes and hugged her doll and began to go to sleep. Blaine tiptoed out of the room and went back into the living room to comfort Kurt. When he got there, Kurt was sitting straight up on the couch just staring at his living room wall.
“Kurt…” Blaine said tentatively. “Do-do you wanna talk?” Kurt didn’t reply. Blaine walked closer and took a seat next to him on the couch. He placed a hand onto Kurt’s back and almost instantly, Kurt fell to pieces. The tears that had been on the verge of overflowing cascaded down his cheeks and his breathing started to get quicker. Blaine took Kurt into his arms and held him tightly. “It’s going to be okay.” he whispered. “Shh Shh, it’s going to be alright.” Kurt cried like that for a long time and Blaine just continued to hold him. Then, eventually, Kurt stopped crying and was silent, but he hadn’t moved from Blaine’s grasp.
“It’s not going to be okay.” Kurt whispered. “Everything -everything is going to be gone.”
“You don’t know that.” Blaine replied. “Some things could have survived. You have to try to have hope.”
“How can I have hope, Blaine? My daughter and I are homeless.” Kurt said.
“You can stay here as long as you like. You and Clara will never be on the streets. I will make sure of it.” Blaine told him. “We’ll figure something out. They’re just things. Let’s just be thankful that you and Clara weren’t in the building when the fire started.”
“I-I just can’t believe this is happening…”
“I know. Tomorrow, we’ll go over to the building and see if we’re allowed inside.” Blaine told him. “Tonight, there’s nothing more we can do other than go to sleep and prepare for tomorrow.”
“Clara?” Kurt said suddenly. It was like he had finally woken up from his daze and just realized that he once again had a child.
“She’s sleeping.” Blaine replied. “She’s okay. I promise. You can sleep with her if you want.”
“No. Don’t leave me. Never leave me.” Kurt replied. Blaine enveloped Kurt into another hug and kissed him on the forehead.
“Never.” he told him. Blaine stood up and led Kurt into his bedroom instead. After giving him a pair of pajamas, they crawled into bed together. Kurt placed his head onto Blaine’s stomach and Blaine wrapped his arms tightly around him. To took a while , but eventually both men fell asleep.
The next morning, things were strange. Kurt decided that Clara should go to school. Keeping her routine the same as much as they could was important. She didn’t have any other clothing so Kurt was forced to put Clara back in her outfit from yesterday. “Why can’t I go with you and Blaine?” Clara asked.
“The building is going to be dangerous honey.” Kurt told her. “Plus, you’ll have a better time at school. Aren’t you going to the Christmas play today?” he asked. Clara nodded. “See, you’ll have so much fun. And I’ll pick you up after school okay?” Once again she just nodded. “I love you.” Kurt told her before sending her in the front door of the school. Taking a deep breath, Kurt turned around and joined Blaine back on the sidewalk.
“Are you ready for this?” Blaine asked.
“No. But I don’t really have a choice.” Kurt said. They walked the short distance from Clara’s school to the apartment building. The area still reeked of smoke and there was caution tape. They saw a police officer and walked over to him. “Excuse me, I-I live - well I used to live in this building. Is anyone allowed in? I just want to check and see if any of our things made it.” The officer seemed hesitant but he eventually agreed.
“Did they determine what caused the fire?” Blaine asked.
“They think it was some faulty wiring.” The officer told him. “The building’s frame is still okay for now, but it won’t be livable anytime soon.”
“This is my apartment.” Kurt told the man. “We’ll let you know when we’re done.” The officer nodded and went back to his post. Kurt pushed the door open and gasped at what he saw. Much of the apartment was coated in ash. The kitchen was very damaged and didn’t look like much of anything was left. The living room looked the same. Everything smelled like smoke. They moved down the hallway towards Kurt and Clara’s rooms. Clara’s room was also badly damaged. Her bed was covered in ash. Blaine walked over to her closet and slowly opened the doors.
“Some of her clothes look okay. But they smell like smoke.” Blaine said. “We can try washing them, so she’ll have some things to wear.” Kurt nodded. He walked over to Clara’s metal toy chest and opened it. Some of the things inside were actually okay. There were a few barbies, some baby dolls and there at the bottom of the chest was a multicolored knit blanket.
“I-I can’t believe it survived.” Kurt said. He picked the blanket up and held it to his chest.
“What is it?” Blaine asked.
“Clara’s baby blanket. It was mine though when I was little. My mom made it for me...before she died.” Kurt told him. “She- um - had cancer. She passed when I was 8.”
“Kurt, I’m so sorry.”
“She’s the reason for Clara’s name.” Kurt said, still staring at the blanket.
“Her name was Clara?”
“No. Not exactly.” Kurt replied. “My mother’s name was Elizabeth, which is Clara’s middle name. But Clara comes from the Nutcracker. Christmas was my Mom’s absolute favorite season. She loved everything about it. The lights and the music and just being with family. Her favorite ballet was the Nutcracker and we’d go every Christmas season to see it. I always loved the show too and I thought Clara was the prettiest name.”
“It is a beautiful name.” Blaine replied. “I’ll start boxing up some of the usable things if you want to go and see your room.” Kurt nodded and handed the blanket over to Blaine. He then walked next door to his room. It looked a lot like Clara’s, but Kurt also had some clothing left. He walked to the back of his own closet and found a little box. It was somehow untouched. Kurt smiled for the first time since he found out about the fire. He opened it and inside were tons of pictures He took a seat on the floor and began looking through them. Blaine joined soon after and took a seat.
“She was pretty cute.” Blaine said, looking at a baby picture of Clara.
“Yeah, she was...well still is.” Kurt said with laugh. He continued to thumb through the pictures. He came to one of him and another man and stopped.
“Who is that?” Blaine asked.
“That-that’s Luca.” Kurt replied. “I was with him for four years. We decided to have Clara together and then at the last minute, he said that he just couldn’t. He wasn’t made to be a dad. He left when Rachel was nine months pregnant. Clara was born three weeks later. That was one of the hardest times in my life. I was so depressed but as soon as Clara was born, it was like I could breathe again. That little girl is everything to me...and that’s why I’m so careful with her. I haven’t wanted to bring anyone into her life because I never wanted her to feel that pain that I did when Luca left. So, I haven’t been with anyone...until you.”
“Kurt, I just want you to know that I-” Blaine paused. This was a little soon for this but he couldn’t help how he felt. “Kurt, I love you. And, I love Clara. She is such a special little girl. And I will never leave you like he did. I may have not been a part of the decision for Clara to come into the world, but in the short time that I’ve known her, she has wrapped me around her little finger and I want to give her and you the world.” Kurt smiled and dove into Blaine’s arms for a hug. He wasn’t ready to say “I love you” back, but he knew with time that he could get there.
Summary: Kurt is a single father just trying to make it through the Christmas season. However, when he meets, celebrity, Blaine Anderson, his world is turned upside down. If one thing is for sure, this Christmas season will change both of their lives forever.
Notes: Catching up slowly but surely!
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8
Over the next few days, Kurt, Blaine and Clara adapted to living with one another and things were going very smoothly. They had transformed the guest room into Clara’s new room and Kurt opted to bunk with Blaine. Clara also fallen head over heels for Blaine’s dog, Maggie. The two were virtually inseparable. Sometimes they’d even find Clara lying in Maggie’s dog bed with her. It was honestly the cutest thing. There was only one downfall about their living situation. Even though Kurt had adapted to being a dad a long time ago, he was in a new relationship. And with that new relationship, there were certain things that he and Blaine wanted to do, but couldn’t because Clara was there. After a long week of work Kurt really needed a break, so he decided to reach out to Rachel and see if she could help.
“Please Rach, we just need one night!” Kurt said over the phone.
“So let me get this straight, you want me to take your daughter for the night, so that you can sex?” Rachel asked. Kurt paused.
“Ummm yes.”
“Is this really Kurt Hummel?” Rachel asked. “Because I think I have the wrong person.”
“Rach please…” he whined.
“Kurt calm down.” Rachel laughed. “Of course, I’ll take Clara. You know I love our girls nights. And I’m happy for you that you found someone who you want to do - that - with.”
“God thank you.” Kurt replied. “You know I love Clara with all of my being. And Blaine loves Clara but god having children is such a cockblock” he whispered.
“Understood. I’ll come by and pick Clara up later.”
“Did I mention I love you?” Kurt said.
“Yeah, yeah.” Rachel said. “I’ll see you later.” she added before hanging up the phone. After hanging up the phone, Kurt got himself ready for work and got Clara ready for school. He gave Blaine a quick peck on the lips with a promise of an unforgettable night before heading off to work. Kurt never would have thought that that shift would be the shift from hell. He had an angry family yell at him. Two patients with dementia that had no clue what was going on and a patient had thrown up on him. By the time he got home, all Kurt wanted to do was take a shower and drink. Clara was already gone though when he got home and Blaine was ready to go.
“Oh great! You’re home.” Blaine said. “Rachel picked Clara up so we’re all set.” Kurt tried to talk but Blaine cut him off in his excitement. “I made a reservation at his really cool restaurant and I know of a few bars that are really nice-” Blaine suddenly stopped and looked over at Kurt who was leaning tiredly on the kitchen table. “You don’t want to do this do you?”
“No-no! Of course I do. I’ve been looking forward to this.” Kurt said.
“Kurt, I know you well enough to know when you are excited about something and you are anything but excited.” Blaine replied.
“It’s not you. I promise.” Kurt told him. “I’ve just had the day from hell and I really just want to lie around with you and drink.”
“Well, I think that can be arranged.” Blaine walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of tequila. “I got this as a gift. We can make this fun too.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.” Blaine said. “I just want to spend the night with you too.” He leaned in to kiss Kurt but he pulled away.
“Hang on. I need to shower first. I got thrown up on today.” Kurt said.
“Good call. Thanks for the heads up.” Blaine agreed. Kurt went off and showered and then came back. He took a seat on the couch and cuddled next to Blaine.
“Will you pour me a shot?” he asked.
“Of course.” Blaine replied. He opened the bottle of tequila and poured each of them a shot. “Bottoms up” he added, handing Kurt the one shot glass and taking the other for himself. They both knocked the shots back.
“Us drinking tequila alone in your apartment is pretty sad.” Kurt said with a laugh. “We at least have to make this a game.”
“What did you have in mind?” Blaine asked.
“How about truth or dare?” Kurt replied. “If you do the dare or tell a truth, the other person drinks. But if you refuse, you have to drink.”
“Sounds fun to me. But I get to go first.” Blaine said. “Truth or dare?”
“Umm truth.” Kurt replied.
“What made you swipe right on me?” Blaine asked.
“You want the truth.” Kurt asked with a smirk.
“That is part of the game.”
“I didn’t. Rachel swiped right after stealing my phone from me.”
“Our relationship is a shame!” Blaine said, acting fake insulted.
“Well regardless, drink up buddy.” Kurt laughed. Blaine poured himself a shot and knocked it back. “Alright my turn. Truth or dare.”
“I will also do a truth.”
“Okay, What is your favorite thing about me?” Kurt said with a smirk.
“Your ass. Hands down.”
“Blaine Anderson! I was thinking personality wise.” Kurt exclaimed.
“Well you didn’t say that. Now drink up.” Kurt took the shot and grimaced. The game went on for a while until both Kurt and Blaine were about five shots deep.
“Your turn.” Kurt slurred.
“Dare!” Blaine said.
“I dare you…” Kurt began. “To kiss me.” Blaine didn’t hesitate he dove right in and began to kiss Kurt. Things escalated quickly and before they knew it, they had moved in the bedroom. It hadn’t been the night that they had planned, but it was just as good. The morning however didn’t go as well as they planned.
Kurt woke up and groaned. His head was pounding and the room was spinning. He looked next to him and saw that Blaine wasn’t in bed. Then he heard vomiting coming from the bathroom. Kurt groaned and pushed himself out of bed. He walked to the bathroom and found Blaine kneeling over the toilet breathing heavily.
“Last night was a bad idea.” Kurt said.
“All of it?” Blaine asked.
“Well, not all of it. Mostly just the tequila part.” Kurt replied.
“You can say that again.” Blaine replied. Suddenly, he went green and lurched back over the toilet to empty his stomach. Kurt walked in and wet a washcloth before putting it on Blaine’s next. Blaine wiped his mouth and looked up. “You don’t have to help me. I am so gross right now.”
“You remember I’m a nurse right?” Kurt replied. “You’re not the first intoxicated person I’ve dealt with. I got thrown up on yesterday.”
“God don’t mention vomit.” Blaine replied. “I’ve never been this hungover. Why aren’t you this bad?”
“Well you did have about three more shots than I did.” Kurt replied.
“What why?”
“You wouldn’t tell me your favorite care bears name.” Kurt told him.
“What? Why would you even ask that?” Blaine exclaimed.
“You mentioned it first! You told me you couldn’t choose between them, which was an interesting fact to find out. Then you wanted to make Latkes. Are you jewish?”
“No.”
‘Then why did you want to make latkes?”
“I don’t know. I was drunk.” Blaine exclaimed. “Oww, we have to stop yelling.” he added holding his head.
“Well, do you think you’re done puking?”
“God I hope so.” Blaine replied. “We definitely shouldn’t tell anyone about last night.”
“It’s our secret. No one else will know about the tequila incident.” Kurt replied. “Now...I know this is strange, but can you actually make latkes because I kinda want some.”
“Well, we could try.” Blaine replied. He got up from the ground and walked over to Kurt. “In all seriousness, last night was amazing.”
“Definitely.” Kurt replied. “Well what I remember of it anyway.” he added. Blaine laughed and leaned in to try and kiss him. “Hold your horses vomit breath, brush your teeth and maybe then, you can have an all access pass to my lips. In the meantime, I’m going to figure out how to make latkes before Clara comes back.” Blaine smiled. He watched Kurt walk away, his eyes glancing down to his favorite part of Kurt, well physically anyway. The truth was there was so much that Blaine loved about Kurt that he didn’t even know how to put it all into words....the ass was merely a bonus.
Summary: Kurt is a single father just trying to make it through the Christmas season. However, when he meets, celebrity, Blaine Anderson, his world is turned upside down. If one thing is for sure, this Christmas season will change both of their lives forever.
Notes - Sorry this is so late! This week has been crazy with finals and then I got sick so I got behind. But my finals are over and I’m feeling better so I’m going to catch up!
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Kurt and Blaine had been going out for a while now when Blaine finally got up the courage to ask about Clara. “So, when am I going to get to meet Clara?” Blaine asked. Kurt coughed on the bagel he was eating and looked up.
“What?” he asked.
“Your daughter, Clara. When do I get to meet here?”
“I-uhh- It’s just kind of soon.” Kurt replied. “Plus, you’ve technically already met her.”
“That was just for a second and didn’t really count,” Blaine replied. “I barely said a word to her.” He paused for a second. “Do...Do you not trust me with her?”
“No Blaine- It’s not that.” Kurt started. “Of course I trust you. I just don’t like her to get too attached.”
“Oh I-I get it.” Blaine said, a little disappointed. Kurt looked at Blaine’s sad face and couldn’t help but feel bad. Over their past few dates, Blaine had proven that he was a really good guy. He was kind and smart and a true gentleman. But, Kurt had always been cautious when it came to Clara. He never wanted her to get too attached to anyone who Kurt was unsure whether they would stick around or not. However, this whole relationship had been a gamble and Blaine had proved that he wanted to interact with Clara so that was a good sign. Maybe he owed it to Blaine to let him give this a shot.
“You know what...I think that Clara would love to meet you...officially anyway.”
“Really?” Blaine asked. “I-I already have so many ideas of what we can do!” Kurt laughed. He could see how excited Blaine was...and that made him pretty excited. Two days later, Kurt was at home with Clara as they were getting ready for their day with Blaine. He had only gotten one text from the man about what they would be doing. It simply said. “Dress warmly :)”
Suddenly, they heard a knock on the door. “It’s Blaine!” Clara exclaimed and ran to the front door. She opened it and Blaine was dressed in snow pants and red puffy jacket with a red hat on his head.
“Hi Clara, Are you ready for today?”
“I’m so excited!” Clara replied. “Where are we going?”
“Well, you’ll just have to see.” Blaine replied. “Where’s your daddy?”
“In the kitchen.” Blaine took the little girl’s hand and walked her into the kitchen. Kurt turned around and saw his boyfriend.
“Whoa...when you said dress warmly...you meant it.” Kurt said in disbelief. He had a feeling his black peacoat and his jeans wouldn’t be enough to keep him warm.
“Clearly, you didn’t take me seriously enough.” Blaine repled. “You’re going to freeze your butt off.”
“Yeah daddy, you’re gonna freeze!” Clara teased.
“Note taken.” Kurt amended. “I will go and change.” After that Kurt disappeared and went to put on warmer clothes. He smiled when he heard Blaine and Clara giggling in the living room. After changing, he headed out and joined his boyfriend and his daughter and just like that their day began. Blaine’s first stop of the day was Central Park for some sledding. They had luckily had a fresh blanket of snow from the previous night. “Blaine! I want you to come with me.”
“Alrighty!” Blaine said. He grabbed the sled and then lugged it up the hill while following Clara. He set the sled down and and sat down on the back. “Here, you sit in the front. Now hold on tight.” Blaine pushed off with his feet and sent the sled plummeting down the hill. Kurt stood at the bottom and captured the joy on their faces as they went down the snow.
“That was awesome!” Clara exclaimed. “Daddy! It’s your turn.”
“Oh no,” Kurt replied. “Daddy is just fine watching you two.”
“No!!” The five year old whined as she walked behind her father and began pushing him up the hill. “You! Have! To! Go!” Kurt sighed knowing that he would never win this battle with his daughter.
“Well, am I going by myself?” Kurt asked.
“No.” Clara replied. “Blaine is going with you.”
“You’re not going with me?” The five year old shook her head no. Kurt looked over at Blaine.
“I’m up for it if you are.” Blaine said with a smirk. “Do you want to sit in the front or the back?” Kurt rolled his eyes and walked towards the sled.
“Back” Kurt replied as he indicated for Blaine to sit in front of him. Blaine obliged and sat down. When they were both ready, Kurt picked up his feet and gravity sent the two of them rushing down the hill. However, this ride didn’t go as well as Blaine and Clara’s did. Either Kurt or Blaine accidently put their foot down without realizing it and sent them both flying off the sled, Kurt landed on top of Blaine.
“Oh my God! I’m sorry!” Kurt said. Blaine didn’t reply because he was still trying to catch his breath. He coughed a bit as Kurt rolled off of him. “Are you okay?”
“I’m good.” Blaine choked out. “I might be good with the sledding though.”
“I think that would be good.” Kurt replied as he helped Blaine up.
“I do have our next stop of the day already planned though.” Blaine said. “I know you and Clara are gonna love it.” he added with a smile. After a short ride across town, they pulled up to a cute little area with lots of cottages, snow and even reindeer.
“Where are we?” Kurt asked, looking out the window.
“We are at Santa’s village!” Blaine said.
“There’s reindeer!” Clara explained. She practically hopped out of her carseat as soon as the car stopped. “Daddy! Daddy! Can we go see them?”
“Yes, just hang on a second.” Kurt said with a laugh. He took his daughter's hand and before they could move, she stopped and reached for Blaine’s hand.
“Come on Blaine! Hurry up!” the little girl said, her voice full of excitement. Together, the three of them walked towards the reindeer. Blaine paid and handed Clara a cup full of reindeer food. “Why are these reindeer here? Shouldn’t they be at the North Pole with Santa?” Clara asked while she fed one of the reindeer.
“Well honey, there are lots of reindeer, but only some of them work for Santa.” Kurt told her.
“So these are like the back up reindeer?”
“Sure.” Kurt replied. Clara seemed satisfied with the answer and turned her attention back towards feeding the reindeer.
“Come feed this one with me Blaine!” Clara exclaimed as she grabbed Blaine by the hand and ran him over to another reindeer. Kurt watched with a smile as Blaine interacted with Clara. Seeing the two of them together made Kurt feel embarrassed for even worrying about how they would take to one another. Clara seemed to love Blaine and Kurt could see that Blaine was just as in love with her. That wasn’t as surprising though. Clara did seem to have that effect on people.
After feeding the reindeer, Kurt, Blaine and Clara moved on to their next stop. They grabbed some food and hot chocolate at the cafe at Santa’s village. When the came out, it was dark outside, so they decide to take a sleigh ride around the property and see the Christmas light displays that were set up. Clara’s little eyes were wide with excitement as she saw the changing colors of the lights. “They’re so pretty! Like little stars!” she said. They talked and laughed all the way through the snow ride. When they were finished, it was pretty late so they decided to head home. On the way there, they heard the sounds of firetrucks behind them, so Blaine pulled over. They counted four fire trucks go by them.
“Wow, there must be quite an accident.” Kurt said.
“Yeah. It doesn’t look good.” Blaine replied. As they drove closer to Kurt and Clara’s apartment building, they realized that the fire trucks happened to be going the same way. Kurt developed a bad feeling in his stomach. They tried to get near the building but the street was blocked off. Blaine pulled over and Kurt rushed out of the car. He ran as far as he could towards the building. He gasped and tears filled his eyes as he saw the building. There were flames billowing out of the top of the building and black smoke filled the air. This couldn’t be happening...
