Chapter Text
R&R per favore e grazie.
~~~
Regina Mills has always had her life controlled by someone. By her mother, her husband, her step-daughter, and even her own son. Imagine her surprise when someone finally liked her for her.
Robin Hood was kind, cute, smart, and loyal. Everything one could want in a man. And it didn't hurt that he had an adorable four year old as well. It wasn't hard for the former queen to fall for him. Of course, once the missing year was solved and she regained her memories, she remembered all the times he wasn't kind, smart, or loyal. However, he promised her that he'd change. That's something she loved. Someone changing for her and not the other way around. So she believed him, but over time she ended up being the one changed.
~~~
"Come on, Gina, just one bite." Ruby pleaded across the diner counter to Regina who was sitting down on the other side.
"No thank you, Red. I'm going to stick with my salad. And I'd appreciate it if you could control your urge to call me by that nickname." The brunette smiled back tightly.
"Why, though, you were grinding down on this same type of cupcake just two weeks ago. And I have to call you by that name, its friendship law."
Ever since the end of the first curse that brought Storybrooke to life, Regina and Ruby had gotten much closer. The wolf pup claims the curse allowed her to actually live her life, while different than what she'd have chosen, free from regret and pain. However unexpectedly, her thanks did not go unappreciated and Regina began to trust the younger woman more and more with each passing moment. On nights that she was without Henry, she'd often get takeout from Granny's, those takeout orders swiftly changed to dine-in (sitting at the counter chatting with Ruby whilst the younger woman worked and barely touching her own increasingly cold meal.) Soon, drop-ins to Regina's house became frequent and the two women started to plan girl's nights at The Rabbit Hole. Regina had even learned a few spells to make Red's transition from human to wolf and back, a bit easier. A truly beautiful friendship had bloomed.
"I'm not sure if that is a real thing or not, but I do doubt it." Regina ducked her head, a corner of her mouth tilted upward at her friend's odd joke, before dropping into an almost neutral face, "To answer your question, though, I'm trying to watch my weight, I have been a bit lenient on my diet lately."
"What?! Have you looked at a mirror? I mean I look great, but I'd kill for your body…I could do it too, I'm a wolf." Ruby smiled and nodded jokingly.
Regina laughed fully this time before sobering up,"Yes, dear, I know you are a wolf. I know I look fine, but maintenance is key."
"Is this about Robin? Did he say some stupid crap again?" A frown pulled on the waitress' face as her eyes flashed a dull yellow, her wolf making their presence known, but not yet heard.
Another thing that developed after the first curse broke, Regina's love life. After Whale/Dr. Frankenstein revived Daniel and the queen was forced to lay him to rest once more, Regina began the hard work that is letting go. Which was just as hard as the darling witch imagined, if not more. While she definitely had a few blunders in her path, with the help of her family and Dr. Hopper, she was truly making way in life once more. And after the setback that was The Missing Year, Regina had found new hope at a romantic love in none other than Robin of Locksley.
"Of course not!" Regina responded quickly, a bit too quick for it to be the truth. It did not help that her eyes were no longer meeting Ruby's and instead focusing on her nearly forgotten salad, "And even if he did, it would not be 'crap,' as you so crudely put it. He knows my personal goals for my physique and he would only want to help keep that in check."
"He's an asshole." The wolf huffed, leaned back and crossed her arms.
"No he is n-" Cut off by the bell ringing at the door and the blur of blonde curls.
Emma sat down on the swivel seat next to her co-parenting counterpart, "Who's an asshole?"
"Robin."
"No one."
Both answers were said at once making the area a tad bit tense.
"Naw, I'm with Ruby on this. You're usually so confident, and I don't know...just...more Regina Fucking Mills. And since he came around, you've been more Regina ..Eh.. Mills." The blonde shrugged, swiping a bit of icing off the brunette's cupcake.
"That's simply not true, Ms. Swan." The current mayor replied, looking back and forth between the nodding women, "It is not!"
"Personally, I think you should break up with him." Emma says, drawing the attention of both women, "What, he's not some crazy great catch, I know all about how he treated you last year. Robin treats your friends like shit. And even though he doesn't smell like shit, it is close enough to shit. I mean, seriously, I get that he lived in the woods, but this is Storybrooke. He's just choosing not to bathe properly at this point. And I know for a fact that you smell it too."
The white knight was correct; Regina did smell something. However, growing up in a rural area and spending most of her time tending to her horses, Regina genuinely did not mind the woodsy, sweat-ish smell that always lingered when Robin was around. It smelled familiar, like home. Emma was just sensitive because she was born in a world where cities were common and nature was treated harshly.
Although Ruby apparently had a similar opinion, and after hearing Emma's monologue, the young wolf bursts into a fit of laughter, "It's funny...cause she's right!"
"Oh shut up, mutt." Regina rolls her eyes with a sneer.
"Ah, there's the Gina we all know and love." The town's sheriff nudges the brunette with her shoulder.
Seeing that comment as a chance to flip the conversation onto someone else, "Oh, so you love me?" The current mayor asks with a suggestive eyebrow lift.
"I- uh...I mean...shut up. You know what I meant!" Emma stumbles over her words, making Ruby and Regina laugh harder.
It was no secret to the sheriff that they had unresolved feelings towards one another, but the timing never seemed to be right so it was never pursued. For the most part they ignored the tension, leading flirty conversations here and there, a few innocent kisses…jokes. Nothing ever over the edge. By that same token, since the blonde dumped her pirate lackey a few weeks back, she's been getting closer and closer with Regina. To Emma, it seemed that Regina saw their relationship as purely platonic. Still, that didn't stop her from teasing the younger woman from time to time. But that was just Regina.
Gathering herself to keep the joke going, Regina trails a finger all the way up Emma's arm, through to her chest, before she lifted the younger woman's chin to make eye contact. Emma easily forgot the joke, too distracted by the brunettes lingering finger trail. The current mayor leaned in closely, "Em-ma, you're..." Emma looks up at the former queen's eyes, "...such a dope."
"A DOPE!" The young wolf yelled out with laughter as Regina let go of her friend, moving back slightly.
"And you're a tease." Emma huffs and folds her arms in front of her chest, looking similar to a pouting toddler.
It was at that moment that, of course, Robin Hood chose to enter the diner.
Taking pity on the blonde, Regina turned Emma's head and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips, "Feel better, baby?" Regina mocks with a fake pout and a chuckle.
Surveying the scene in front of him, Ruby staring slack-jawed at her friend's antics and his girlfriend in a "lip lock" with the town's sheriff.
"What the bloody hell is this!" Robin's voice booms through the room, making some of the other diner patrons jump a bit.
The weird thing about Robin's voice was that he was naturally loud. Even when he was whispering, it sounded like the noise level of a regular conversation to most. So for the thief to be actually in some form of distress, did not bode well on anyone's spirit. Magic or not, the scariest thing to most women can be an audacious, loud-mouthed man. And to the three women, he was at least one of those two things.
"Oh shit! Uh- …Robin calm down, it was just a stupid joke..." Ruby started putting out her hands, and rounding the counter towards her friend's boyfriend.
"Joke my arse. Regina, we're leaving." Without further conversation, Robin grabbed Regina by the arm and pulled her off of her stool, leading her in the direction of the front door.
Stumbling off her seat, Regina's purse dropped. "Wait- ," with the man still holding her right arm, the mayor bent down to retrieve her items.
"I said, 'Let's go!"
"Robin!" The thief had yanked his girlfriend's arm just hard enough to hurt and the diner stilled at the sound of Regina's yelp.
The silence was so loud, a pen could drop and one still would not hear it, deafening. Until it was not.
Emma almost immediately came to her best friend's defense,"What the fuck if your deal? She's trying to pick up the stuff that your funky ass made her drop in the first place. Let go of her." Dropping to her knees to check on Regina, "Here, lemme see your arm."
Eyes flashing a much brighter yellow than before, Ruby chimed in, "Let go now. Otherwise, I'll show you how quickly you can really leave."
A frown in place, Robin let go of his mate's arm, dropping it with little care right into the blonde woman's hands. However, before Emma could provide any more support, the queen ripped her arm from the younger woman's hold.
She silently gathered the last of her things and dumped them haphazardly into her purse. The queen stood up and exited the building, purse on her shoulder, left hand in Robin's right and right arm cradled to her chest. Regina did not miss the hurt or confused looks that passed her friend's faces as she left.
~~~
Regina was beyond furious, not necessarily about what happened inside, but more so that it had occurred in such a public space. She spends enough time defending the fact that Robin lives in the woods, now she'll have to deal with rumors of absurd fits of jealous rage too. The vanilla world of Storybrooke would not even understand a real jealousy fit, a tug of the arm and a shout is nothing to her.
As soon as they stepped out of the diner, Regina pulled her injured arm from its position by her chest and teleported them both back to the mansion living room.
"Robin what the hell!" Regina yelled out once they landed. Though she was not infuriated at the situation, she was still pretty upset, she was a queen not a rag doll, "It was a fucking joke."
Their hands, that were still locked together, tightened impossibly. The queen winced internally before snatching away.
"As is this relationship to you. Imagine how I feel walking into the diner to see my girlfriend and her buddy going at it like newly mated rabbits!"
"Oh please, spare me the dramatics. That kiss was no different than one I'd have given to Henry or Roland. It was placating and humorous, Robin."
"Cleary this," he gestured between the two of them, "really means nothing to you. Especially if you expect me to not be upset at the idea of your lips on someone else, much less that woman."
"We weren't-" Regina started until she cut herself off, taking a deep breath, "I never meant to hurt you, Robin, you mean everything to me. I was not thinking that deeply about it. I promise you, it was simply an inappropriate jest. Now that I know humor of that sort is sensitive to you, I will not act that way again."
Without utilizing words, Robin sighed and walked away, leaving Regina standing in the foyer. However, she was determined to settle whatever was going on between them, so the mayor followed after him with only a moment of hesitation.
She found him sitting in the living room on the wingbacked chair, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, head in hands.
"Robin?"
"It is not that I am rather sensitive, Regina. Or hell, maybe I am, but for a second could you imagine how you would feel seeing me kissing another woman? In fact, imagine I had gone off and snogged Marian," Looking up from his hands and at his soulmate, "That is how I feel."
A surprised breath escaped Regina's lips, she had not thought of things in such a serious manner. One could understand Robin's trepidation, he had not witnessed most of her relationship with the Swan woman, he did not know things would never develop romantically between the two. All he saw was his soulmate and the mother of her child engaged in flirtatious behavior in front of damn near half the town.
Marian, the mother of Roland and the ghost that haunted every move in their newly bloomed relationship. Emma had brought back the woman from the past. Weirdly enough, not much changed. Robin chose Regina, chose to "move forward," much to everyone's surprise. However upset Marian was did not weigh much, because the woman never showed it. Instead she focused on her own new future, that meant leaving the Merry Men and beginning anew with her son.
Things were shaky for a bitter moment though, Zelena would sometimes masquerade as Marian to try and deter Robin from Regina. She was always looking for new ways to ruin her little sister's life. Apparently, that grew old quickly though and Zelena slowly (but surely) began to look for more ways to entertain herself, namely becoming a real sister to Regina. And while Regina is not sure how she feels about it just yet, she is trying as well.
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah?" Robin looked away.
As a young girl, Regina was taught not to bow to anyone, noone other than her mother. Much less kneel. It was an act of severe importance, signifying the shift in power dynamics. But well…Regina never cared much for power anyway.
"Robin," the queen slowly walked in front of him before kneeling down on both knees in between his open legs. She took his hands in her own and held them to her lips. Placing a featherlight kiss on his knuckles she spoke, "I'm sorry and I love you. I won't make you feel like this again."
Looking down at the woman before him,"You love me, huh?"
Tears began to crowd her eyes, "I do, I love you."
One of the things the woman feared so much was being alone again, sure she had Henry and the Charmings, but they were not her's. And they never chose her side when things became tense.
"Say it again," Robin takes one of his hands away from Regina's, but instead uses it to hold the fallen queen's face.
Being the Evil Queen, there was never anyone around to just be. No movie nights and cuddles, no being soothed after nightmares, and no one who cared enough to talk things out rather than argue from endless hours. She did not want to lose that, not when she just found it.
"I love you."
But Robin had promised her that he would stay, she trusted him, put her heart in his hands in both the metaphorical and literal sense.
"I don't want you around Emma as much anymore. At least not for a while. I know she's your son's mother, but a little distance seems right. And it might be what you and I need to get past this."
"I…" but what could she say? Regina knew that she had caused all the discomfort Robin was feeling towards her friend.
Noticing her hesitance, the archer spoke once more, "It is not forever, my love…just until I can trust you around her again. And you'll still see each other because of Henry. Simply, not as frequently."
"She's my friend, my family, Robin." What was left of Regina's resolve, was withering away quickly.
"No, I'm your family. I am your soulmate. It is supposed to be you and I against all odds. Emma is an odd." The larger man pulled the woman impossibly closer, "You know I'm only trying to protect us and our love."
Her knees began to ache.
"I know." The brunette relented and let the man pull her into an awkward embrace from her position on the floor.
"So you won't see them again, yes?"
Her chest tightened and her body felt hot.
Tears sliding down the darling witch's face, "No, I won't."
Robin moved back slightly, only to use his hands to caress his girlfriend's face, "Tell me again."
"I love you."
"Once more."
All her life Regina Mills has been controlled, had power dynamics shift constantly, and all her life she ended up alone or lost. Most of what happened to her was unwilling, some things by accident, and other times she had just given up on herself.
"I love you, Robin, I love you."
"Good." Robin pulled the fallen queen in, one hand on her neck and the other still moved to the back of her head, for a kiss.
It would be months before Regina questioned that night, questioned the way he never said he loved her back once in the whole conversation.
~~~
Wild stuff, I know. Tell me your thoughts when you have them! I'm trying my best to keep this slow burn EXCRUCIATINGLY slow. Because the crap that has to go down with Robin for Regina to leave him is insane, and then she needs to get over it a bit before SwanQueen can ensue. So be patient, its coming….eventually.