#OQFixItWeek

[starscythe]

Day 6 of @oqfixitweek - Roni day

Roni has a huge crush on her bookish regular (Robin) but is too scared to do anything about it.

[somewhereapart]

Parks and Wreck (OQ AU)

She's known him – known of him anyway, since the beginning.

He's head of the Parks department, and she's the Mayor, she could never have not known him; he works for her.

And yes, of course, she had noticed early on the dimples, and the scruffy bearded jawline, and that ridiculously attractive lumberjack look of a man who spends all his days dealing with the ins and outs of the Storybrooke wilderness.

But there'd always been one problem, and that's that he's insufferable.

A smirky, snarky, entirely-unintimidated-by-her, arrogant… ass.

And then there was the matter of that tattoo.

She'd seen it the first summer here, the first warm day, had zoomed in on it with an almost comical, movie-esque precision as he'd held his son's hand on Main Street, a drippy chocolate ice cream cone in the other.

Her heart had thudded so hard she'd thought Ruby would hear it from four feet away, but the waitress had only sidled up to where Regina was standing gobsmacked in the entrance to Granny's outdoor seating, and followed her stunned gaze.

"I know, right?" the younger girl had sighed. "I wanna climb that man like a tree."

The possessive anger that had had Regina imagining the satisfying crunch of Ruby's neck as it wrenched too far around with a well-placed flick of the wrist had been… surprising. She'd had just one thought – Mine. Okay, maybe one more: Back off, bitch.

And then she'd had to remind herself – she didn't choose him, she chose this. Her curse. She'd walked away in favor of vengeance and her own happy ending (so then shouldn't she have this now – him – her soulmate? Is that why he's here?), and it's not as though channeling Ruby's more… animal instincts into lust rather than murder hadn't been built into said curse, so she couldn't hold that against her, she'd supposed.

Still, she'd glared, murmured, "Private thoughts, public place," to the girl a mere thirty seconds before the head of her Parks department had passed with his boy. He'd smiled at her, nodded his head, had Madam Mayored as usual, except this time it had made butterflies erupt in her stomach. Her smile in return had been practiced and stiff, her limbs melting.

It was stupid – she'd known him for months.

He was an ass. An arrogant, smirky, irritating… ass. (He had a great ass…)

She doesn't like him. This isn't… this isn't what a soulmate should feel like. (He gets under her skin, always; she looks forward to seeing him as much as she dreads it, but well, Graham isn't the only eye candy in town and sometimes she likes a guilt-free fantasy to occupy her lonelier nights – she can kiss that goodbye now that she knows who he really is, she supposes.)

So no, no, she doesn't think this is… Well, it's just not the right time. She has her town, she has her job, she has the beginnings of calm, the dregs of night terrors, the vault of potions, the hollow echo of magic in her bones, in the streets. She has anger, still, and pain, and not much else. She'd be no good for him like this, she needs more time.

And besides, she doesn't like him anyway.

Continue on Ao3 or FFnet.

[believingispowerfulmagic]

OQ Fix It Fic Week Day 6: Second Chances

@oqfixitweek Day 6: Roni Day

Uses the following prompt: Roni gives a homeless person (Robin) a job in her bar

           She discovered him sleeping in his car in the alley when she went to throw out her garbage one chilly Seattle morning. It was a beat-up piece of crap she believed was once green but now covered in dirt and mud. A person’s whole life appeared crammed into it—pillows, blankets, clothes, knick-knacks—and sleeping in the middle of it all, a man about her age. He had matted blond hair and a matching beard. She couldn’t see much more as he had wrapped his blanket around him like a cocoon to stay warm.

           He wasn’t the first homeless person she had encountered living in Hyperion Heights and she tried to help out those she could with a dollar here or there, but he was the first one she felt really drawn to help. It almost felt like they were meant to meet and she was supposed to give him a second chance.

           Not that Roni would ever admit it out loud. She didn’t believe in things like fate or that spiritual junk.

           But she tapped on the window, startling the man awake. He blinked open beautiful blue eyes and she almost felt like she had once drowned in them before. She shook the feeling off as she motioned for him to roll down the window so they could talk.

           He sighed, leaning over to lower the window and immediately launched into a spiel he must’ve been used to giving. “Sorry. I’ll move the car so I won’t be your way anymore. Just give me a couple minutes.”

           Roni was surprised to hear him speak with a British accent and wondered what brought him to Seattle. But she figured she’ll find that out in good time. For now, she had something else to ask him: “Do you need a job?”

           “What?” he asked, blinking in confusion. He then stared up at her, making her fidget.

           She barreled on, hoping she wasn’t making a fool of herself. “My custodian quit on me the other night and I could use with someone who can help me keep the place clean. The pay won’t be so great and I can’t offer you benefits, but I can give you a lot of hours to come up with something resembling a decent paycheck. If you want it.”

           He stared at her. “Really? You would just hire me like that?”

           “Consider me desperate,” she said, trying to play it cool. “So, you want it or not?”

           “Yes, yes. Thank you,” he replied, gratitude and relief in his eyes. “I also have my own tools in here so I won’t need those. And I promise I’m legal. I can work in the States.”

           He then held out his hand to her. “I’m Rex, by the way.”

           “Rex?” she asked with a snort, unable to help herself. “Isn’t that a dog’s name?”

           “I had strange parents, what can I say?” He shrugged before giving her a little smirk. “I trust that won’t keep you from hiring me now.”

           She shrugged as well. “I guess there are worst names to have.”

           “And may I ask who I am working for?” he asked, eyes sparkling as he looked up at her.

           “Roni,” she said, finally shaking his hand. “Named the bar after me, so you’ll be able to find it. I’ll see you at three?”

           He nodded. “I’ll be there. And Roni? Thank you.”

           “No, thank you. Really saving my life here.” She gave him a wink with both eyes while stepping away from his car to head back inside as she ignored the way her heart wanted to beat right out of her chest.

           Rex was a model employee. He showed up on time, looking neat but appropriately attired for work as a custodian, and performed his tasks skillfully. He also went over and beyond what she asked of him, doing repairs to parts of the building and making some improvements for her. Rex kept the bar clean and everything running smoothly, which Roni was grateful for.

           After a month of working for her, Rex came in one day and told her that he would like to give her an official address for his payroll file. She recognized it as an apartment building not far from her bar and was glad he was able to find a good place to live now. He said he didn’t have much by way of furniture yet, but he didn’t mind sleeping on the floor. She felt awkward buying him furniture but did purchase him an air mattress, insisting it was a housewarming present. “Besides, I can’t have you throwing out your back, right?” she asked, trying to brush off the conversation.

           She turned away, knowing that if she saw his beaming smile and those irresistible dimples, her stomach would do flips and she would flush. And that would ruin her tough girl exterior.

           A few days after he got a new place, Rex came in with shorter hair. It still appeared thick but it was cut close, especially on the sides, and revealed some silver there. She stared at him for a few minutes, knowing her mouth was open, and he started to squirm. “I, um, finally got my hair cut. Does it look bad?” he asked.

           “No,” she said, almost stuttering. “It looks…good…on you.”

           He grinned, running his hand through his hair before rubbing his chin. “I also got a shave. That beard was a bit too much, yeah?”

           When he moved his hand, she saw that the long beard was gone though there was still hair covering his cheeks and jawline. It gave him a scruffy but handsome look and she swallowed, nodding stupidly. “Yeah…”

           “Well, I’m glad I look a bit neater. And I feel lighter,” he said, grinning as he walked past the bar. “I’ll go get started on the floors for today and leave you to your tasks. See you in a bit, Roni.”

           “Yeah,” she said again, feeling like the biggest fool on the planet.

           Once he was gone, she groaned as she covered her face with his hands. She hadn’t expected to fall in lust with her janitor when she hired him, she just wanted to help him out. But here she was. So what did she do? Suffer in silence and wait for the feelings to ultimately fade or make a move and hope Rex was receptive to it?

           That seemed like too much of a risk, though, and she didn’t want to drive off the best janitor she ever had. So it seemed she was going to have to suffer in silence. Her crush would fade over time, she knew.

           At least, she hoped.

           Rex started to open to Roni as he continued to work for her. He talked about how he came to America to attend university, studying political science and finding work with a non-profit that helped the less fortunate back East in Boston. While working there, he met and fell in love with a woman named Madison. The two married but she became sick within a year of her marriage. “It was cancer and it was aggressive. The doctors tried to fight it with just as much aggression but it was no use, she died shortly after our second wedding anniversary,” he told her.

           “I’m sorry,” Roni said, squeezing his hand. She then poured him a glass of whiskey, holding it out to him. “On the house. Don’t tell the boss.”

           He chuckled, taking a sip of the whiskey. Setting down the glass, he continued: “Living in Boston was unbearable, so I quit and moved faraway. Seattle seemed pretty far.”

           “That it is,” she agreed, pouring herself a whiskey as well.

           “I tried to find a job similar to the one I had in Boston but I found my heart wasn’t in it anymore,” he confessed. “So I went to go find myself. Unfortunately, my savings ran out before I could find who I was and I found myself living in my car, which thankfully I had paid off before I moved out here.”

           Roni’s heart broke listening to his story and she rested her hand over his. “Have you found yourself yet?”

           He shook his head before smiling, lacing his fingers with hers. “But I think I’m getting closer, thanks to you.”

           She smiled, ignoring the way her heart beat faster and her skin grew warmer as he continued to hold her hand. “Well, glad to help.”

           Roni took another sip of her whiskey before sharing her own story of woe. “I opened this place with my high school sweetheart, Darren. He’s the one who named it after me. I wasn’t that narcissistic or unimaginative,” she told him.

           “I think it’s a good name,” he replied, now rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.

           She shrugged. “I guess so. Anyway, we got everything up and running and things were good. We even felt secure enough to discuss marriage but then these two really drunk guys got into a stupid argument. Darren went to break it up and in the blink of an eye, was stabbed with a broken bottle.”

           “Oh god,” he breathed, giving her hand a squeeze as she took another sip of her whiskey.

           Once she swallowed, she continued: “I called the police and the ambulance. The EMTs got him stable and rushed him to the hospital but there was little the doctors could do since he lost too much blood. I barely got to say goodbye and tell him I loved him before he was gone.

           “People thought it was weird that I continued to run this bar but it was our dream, you know? I couldn’t just walk away from it, from him. And I’m glad I haven’t. It’s everything to me.” She smiled as she glanced around at the bar.

           Rex let go of her hand and picked up his glass. “I propose a toast. To those we’ve loved and lost.”

           “To them,” she said, clinking her glass against his. She then took a sip. “Thanks for listening. It’s been a long time since I talked about Darren.”

           “Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, you know where to find me.” He gave her a little half smile.

           She smiled back, squeezing his hand. “Same to you. Listening is kinda my specialty, being a bartender and all.”

           He laughed and they finished their whiskey in a comfortable silence as Roni realized that maybe, it wasn’t a crush after all.

           Maybe—just maybe—it was love.

           Roni locked up after the last of the Halloween crowd finally staggered out the door. She pulled off her Marilyn Monroe wig with a weary sigh, leaning against the door. “Thank god. I thought they would never leave,” she said. “Cash out and then clock out. I’ll see you all tomorrow. Or later today. Whatever.”

           Her staff eagerly finished up and left, leaving only her and Rex behind. Rex took off the leather jacket for his James Dean costume, hanging it behind the bar as he stared at the mess left behind by the revelers. “This isn’t too bad,” he said.

           “You can go home,” she told him. “I can handle this.”

           He shook his head, grabbing the broom. “I’m your janitor. This is my job. Let me do it, please. You go home.”

           “I am home,” she reminded him, pointing to the ceiling. On the other side was her living room, which led to her very enticing bed. But she wasn’t going to leave him alone with this mess. “Let’s do this together, then. It’ll go faster.”

           Rex nodded, handing her the broom before retrieving his mop. They worked together in silence, slowly but surely cleaning up the mess. Once the last garbage bag was tossed into the dumpster, Roni placed her money into the safe and closed it for the night before locking her office. “Time to hit the hay,” she said.

           She turned, finding Rex at the jukebox. Frowning, she approached him. “What are you doing?”

           “I was thinking about what you said to Henry earlier,” he told her. “You know, about moving on and taking chances? I thought I would take a chance of my own.”

           Her heart beat wildly in her chest and her palms grew sweaty. “Oh? How so?”

           Rex selected a song, playing Yazoo’s “Only You,” before turning to her. He held out his hand. “Will you dance with me? And, maybe, go out for dinner tomorrow? Er, tonight?”

           “I would love to,” she said, taking his hand. “And the same goes for dinner.”

           The smile gave her as he pulled her close was bright enough to rival the sun but she didn’t mind looking into it. She smiled back as they danced around the bar. It had been a long time since Roni had felt loved and safe like she did in his arms and she hoped the feeling never ended.

           Lying her head on his shoulder, she was glad she took a chance on the homeless guy sleeping in his car behind her bar.

[ninzied]

Home [OQ]

For @oqfixitweek, Day 2: fix the Zelena baby situation.

Everything reminds him of her, here in this city that never shuts off – and neither do his thoughts, it seems, always searching for her, finding her wherever he can: in Roland’s pleas for more mint chocolate chip, in those spiced cider candles that Marian can’t seem to stand, even in the little black raven that’s made an unlikely home of their windowsill.

Regina is everywhere to him and yet nowhere at once, at least not where it matters – not in his arms, smiling that smile that he’s helpless to kiss, not in his bed where a wife he can’t recognize lies beside him instead, and even if he hadn’t begun to guess at her secrets (a terrible strangeness, a simmering unease), he’s no way of making it back to Regina, of letting her know that he’d left his heart at the town line with her.

Until one afternoon when his eyes alight on the raven – cocking its head at him as if to say Well what’s taken so long? – and perhaps it’s a ridiculous notion, but Robin’s too desperate for her to care anymore, and two days after he’s scribbled a note and sent it away, there’s an answering knock at the door, and a young boy of fourteen just behind it, hands on his hips with a scowl that he could only have learned from his mother, “So are you and Roland ready to go or what?”

[brookeap3]

Whiskey Neat

Robin is cursed to work for Victoria Belfrey. But he comes into Roni’s bar regularly to drown his woes in whiskey. She can’t stand him. Or so she tells herself. Except for when he flirts with her and she can’t help the pesky butterflies in her stomach.

A/N: A little drabble in this verse I‘m considering for Day 6 of @oqfixitweek Roni day!

It’s after one o’clock in the morning when she hears the ding of the door opening and closing unexpectedly. She’d kicked everyone out at midnight after all, and even though she’s technically open for another hour, Roni hadn’t been anticipating any customers.

When she catches a glimpse of who it is, she can’t help but roll her eyes.

“I should have known she'd send you.” Roni comments idly as Grant takes a seat on what's quickly become his regular barstool. She doesn't even look up from the glass she's polishing as she tells him, “You might as well turn your Armani self around. I'm not changing my mind. Victoria Belfrey is not getting my bar.”

He surprises her when he replies, “I'm not here about that, Roni. Just a man looking for a decent glass of whiskey. Thought you might be able to oblige a fellow.”

Dark brown eyes lift hastily at that, meeting cool blue, the color of the ocean on a warm day, and for a moment the pair of them stare at each other. Roni’s expression puzzled, Grant’s amused while he waits her out. Seems Mr. Hawthorne isn't entirely Victoria’s lap dog. Huh. Interesting.

Curiosity peaked, Roni smirks. Barely. A hint of a smile playing over the corners of her mouth as she tosses the rag down and trades the pint glass for a lowball, reaching for his preferred Laphroaig and pouring two fingers of it into the glass she places in front of him.

“Rough day at the office?” She asks, serving the friendly neighborhood sounding board that comes with the job, some of their usual banter returning to her tone. Grant chuckles, fingers the glass for a moment before knocking back a portion of it, Adam's apple bobbing with the action. It's more distracting than she'd like it to be, the subtle ripple catching her attention, igniting a few of her glands that have been sorely neglected for far too long. Still, he's the enemy. Helping the witch take over this community bit by bit, driving out the uniqueness that makes Hyperion Heights special.

Tilting his head at her, amusement in his gaze, Grant replies, “You could say that. Boss isn't a joy when she's been bested.”

“Well I don't doubt that for a minute. Wish I could say I'm sorry but…” her voice trails off for a second, curls bouncing as she tilts her head and shrugs a shoulder, “I'm no liar.” She finishes, shifting to take another glass down from the shelf and pours herself her own helping of the amber liquid. Tonight's a celebration after all and with Grant her only customer at the moment she doesn't see one reason not to join him.

It’s not the first night the two of them have been in these exact positions and shared a glass.

He laughs out right at that and as much as she hates to admit it, even to herself, it's a gorgeous sound. Rich and rambunctious, and dammit, it makes her smile in return. This pesky fluttering of her heart when he’s around can lead to nothing but trouble.

“To fighting the power,” she offers, lifting her glass and waiting until Grant mirrors her pose, clinking his with hers in salute, before she tips her glass back and lets the whiskey burn deliciously down her throat, warming her limbs.

The war may have only just begun (and she’s certain Victoria will have some sort of retaliation up her sleeve), but she’s won this battle at least and she’ll sure as hell take the victory over the loss of everything she’s worked for.

A celebratory lap of whiskey and company she would be wise to be cautious of, despite the way her heart whispers that Grant Hawthorne is more than meets the eye, doesn’t hurt her moody any either.

[oqfixitweek]

Outlaw Queen Fix It Week - Roundup

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in this week! 65 participants created an amazing 305 entries. I am in awe of #OutlawQueen shippers right now!

If you haven’t seen all of the entries I’m sure the writers and artists who took part would love it if you could reblog, retweet, review or leave a message on them (if you get the chance). You can find masterlists for each day below:

Monday 23rd - Robin never died Day

Tuesday 24th - Fix the Zelena baby situation Day

Wednesday 25th - Quest to get Robin back Day

Thursday 26th - The events after 4A never happened Day

Friday 27th - Off-screen Day

Saturday 28th - Roni Day

Sunday 29th - Dark!OQ Day

And these people participated in all 7 days so have won a Roni button:

ouater YoungOutlaw23 DreamshadeIvy Inlovewithlanap Starscythe angry_fish CarolinaMR9 ourheroregina Sparkles21_ GlindaLoveShoes ankareeda willow1411 SweetonDreams BakerStreet_Me OQIsForever AEBrim FlaviaOttaviane jenningzzz teresaSortiz quiller_queen imnikkiheat QueenOfTheMM Lunatwilight07 @just-an-outlaw​ Wicked__Regal gotatheory ariestess69 sjcarter23 persnickets thequeensxthief RegalPixieDust verkaiking audreysl0ve SomewhereApart @thiefwithacode @4cullensandablack

Please send a DM with your address so I can get this button sent out to you!

[queenieappleby]

Day 5 - @oqfixitweek - Regina spends time with Baby Isabella a.k.a. Peanut (which happens to be hers). I think it’s fixed! :

XOXO, 

Ana 

[thisisamadhouse]

No one gets left behind

For @oqfixitweek Day 2: Henry saves the day before Zelena gets pregnant. A little something that sprung into my head during 3 very long hours at the hairdresser. Unbetaed, all mistakes are mine.

You may be a teenage boy but you have lived with a single mom all your life, you know more about how women think and feel than most men ever care to find out. Your mom may be the strongest person you have ever met but heartbreak affects everyone one way or the other, and your mom has suffered through it more times than she will ever be willing to tell you.

When she comes back from the town line, after saying goodbye to Robin and Roland, you can see that something is different, a light has dimmed in her eyes, the smile she gives you is forced and strained, and she can’t keep up the charade for long. You don’t bother asking her how she is, you just stay close, and you pretend that you crave ice cream and hot chocolate and a movie, because that’s what your mom used to do when you were sick. When tears start falling along her cheeks halfway through the film, you lean your head on her shoulder and ignore the droplets, you just hug her and hope that for once she will let you be the strong one.

Robin calls her when they arrive at the apartment in New-York, but the conversation is short and awkward, and your mom takes deep breaths afterward that sound like sobs. They text a bit, but one day you see your mom look at her phone after it dinged and just put it down without replying, her eyes even sadder.

A couple days later, Will Scarlet sits next to you at Granny’s and asks you how your mom is, Robin is worried, he says, she hasn’t been replying in a while. You understand how much your mom is hurting so you take it upon yourself to reassure Robin. You text him, and even call sometimes when you get a new comic book you want to share with Roland. The little boy loves his storytime with you, but you can hear how difficult it is for them all. Even through the phone you hear Robin and Marian argue, the way Roland’s breath hitch, and you can imagine him cuddling around his monkey and gripping the phone tighter. You feel for him, this little guy who has been dragged between worlds, whose dead mother suddenly reappeared, who has been separated from his honorary uncles, it’s a lot.

You ask him how life at home is, and when he tells you about the fights and the slammed doors, and ‘I don’t think Mama likes me very much’, it raises red flags. You plunge yourself back into the story book, and you read whatever you can find about Robin and Maid Marian, and it just doesn’t match with the angry, insecure woman who asked Robin to delete Regina’s number from his phone.

You don’t tell your mother about your doubts, you don’t want to give her hope in case you’re wrong, or to make her feel guilty that she let them go over the town line with an impostor. The timing is what worries you, that Emma and Hook found Marian so soon after Zelena’s apparent demise. Her magic was strong enough to reopen the portal and you wonder, you wonder.

When you hear a particularly vicious fight during another phone call to Roland, you decide to ask the Merry Men what Marian was like when they knew her, and nothing they say reassure you. So you share your doubts with your grandparents and the Blue Fairy, and though they are skeptical -their almost pitying expressions telling you that they think you’re grasping at straws-, what you found is a matter of concern. The Fairy concoct some sort of revealing potion to uncover magical disguises, enchants a map so that you can find your way into Storybrooke, and you also decide to bring the magic blocking cuff with you.

You tell both your mothers that you’re going camping in the woods with David, and for once you’re glad to have the support of an adult for one of your schemes because they both bring the full force of their inquisitive stares unto you, and you’re two seconds away from squirming before they nod and wish you a good weekend.

The two of you take off, and David’s expression when you reach New-York is priceless. You guide him around, and it feels so strange to be back here. You’ve always felt that this city was extraordinary, bigger than life, but after spending time in little Storybrooke with all its magic and fairytale characters, Big Apple seems rather normal.

You both observe the building where Robin and his family live, and wait until you’re sure that the former Prince of Thief is alone with Roland to go inside. They are shocked to see you, though Roland is overjoyed, jumping into your arms and talking a mile a minute, Robin pales and you can see that he is assuming the worst. You’re not sure if your explanations will soothe his fears.

He is glad to know that your mom is alright, well mostly anyway, but when you tell him what really brought you here, he is dumbfounded and upset. He doesn’t want to believe it, who would really? He has been duped, and he has to come to term with it. You tell him that you can give him proof, and you all wait for ‘Marian’ ’s return in tense silence.

The moment she walks through the door you throw the potion on her, and the dark-skinned startled brunettesoon morphs into a familiar angry redhead. David seizes her, and you put the cuff on her wrist, ignoring her protests, before turning back towards Robin and Roland. The boy is clinging to his horrified father and you feel sorry for them, they have lost Marian a second time and there is nothing you can say to make it better.

“I think it’s time to go home,” you tell them, and they look dazed as they nod.

They gather their meagre possessions and follow you to the larger car you borrowed from the dwarves.

Your mothers are waiting for you at the town line, and you’re not surprised, you knew it was only a matter of time, but it was worth it. Your mom freezes when she sees who gets out of the car, and her face turns ashen as Zelena appears. Roland runs towards her, and she embraces him tightly, Robin isn’t far behind. In any other circumstances their matching confused expressions could be comical, but not now, not when your mom and Robin are shedding tears, both, you suspect, in happiness at being reunited, and in grief at the tragedy surrounding it.

You join them, and your mom looks at you in wonder. “You brought them back to me, Henry. You figured it all out! How?” She asks you, and you smile at her.

“It didn’t sound right, none of it did, I had to be sure that your happy ending hadn’t been ruined for nothing,” you answer, and she engulfs you in her arms, and Robin squeezes your shoulder affectionately, and Roland is pressed in the middle of you all.

Your mom did say that one day you would have more family than you would know what to do with.

[quillerqueen]

Tears On His Pillow

Day 5 of @oqfixitweek. Off-screen day. Missing Year. Ever wonder what happened before that gloriously painful exchange with bathing in rivers and using pine cones for money? Here's one take on it. (Sorry about the lack of formatting - I'm on mobile.)

###

This is all his fault.

And to think the whole calamity was brought on by no more than a cleverly executed glamour charm, so simple, so transparent.

How could the damn thief have fallen for such a cheap trick? Despite the many choice invectives she’d regaled him with on many an occasion, surely even he can’t be this much of an idiot.

Except he can, and he was, and now here he is, sprawled unconscious on the fresh sheets, every inch of his body bitten or clawed or bruised.

It’s just the two of them now that the crowd gathered by the bedside had finally vacated her chambers. Just the Queen and the thief, and thank heavens for that at least, for if Regina were to watch Doc shake his head drearily any longer or listen to one more hope speech from Snow, she might just incinerate them all.

Regina applies poultice after poultice, dabs at angry scratches and gaping gashes with trembling fingers that she no longer needs to hide from prowling eyes. Tries to banish images of him clambering up sharp, slippery rocks to reach a shackled fake-Regina, of ridding her of the chains while no doubt muttering soothing words, fool that he is, only to be attacked and branded by the overgrown winged beast fake-Regina transformed into the very moment her chafed wrists were free. She tries to banish those thoughts and succeeds for moments at a time; not that the image presenting itself to her now—bruises all shades and hues of blue and purple, torn flesh, face sweat-slicked and pale—is any more comforting.

If only the stupid outlaw stopped poking his nose where it’s none of his business to snoop. If only he could keep those searching baby blues, that aggravating smirk, those wretched dimples away from her. If only he’d stick to barbed insults and an air of animosity.

But he can’t, and he didn’t, and now here they are, in her chambers again but this time there’s only searing pain, his and hers, instead of shocks of pleasure.

So she soothes and strokes, gentle hands running across the planes of his chest, fingers skirting his many injuries, and her eyes won’t fucking stop burning with unshed tears no matter how hard she tries. This is something she’s never never given him, something she’s never allowed him to give either, for their arrangement had entailed only sex, never love-making, and there’s been no room for this kind of intimacy, it’s simply too dangerous a notion. Too scary, too much. As long as love was left out of the equation, as long as she didn’t care, he was safe, and so was her heart.

She’d tried to play it safe.

And yet here they are. He, unconscious. She, heartbroken.

This is all her fault.

The dam breaks then, and the damn tears spill, roll off her cheeks in streams and land with a deafening splash on Robin’s marred skin. The world becomes a salty, stinging blur to her, until—

“R’gina,” he slurs, and he still looks like death but for those eyes, blue and warm and soft like a caress.

“You b-bastard,” she chokes out on a gut-wrenching sob. He’s alive, he’s alive and she’s so—so—relieved and aching and terrified and a dozen other emotions she can’t even wrap her head around at the moment, and he has the audacity to bloody smile at her like that. “Don’t you ever do that again.”

“C’mere,” he croaks, winces a little when she does but pulls her snug against him all the same, and the demons screeching in her head are silenced by the steady beating of his heart as they both drift to sleep.

[ourheroregina]

OQ FIX IT WEEK - DAY 7

Day 7 - Dark!OQ day

@oqfixitweek

She doesn‘t tell him.

The Queen doesn’t tell Robin that she missed her period for more than five months, she doesn’t tell him that she’s been a hormonal mess for a long while now (not that she really needs to tell him that, he’s very much aware of it himself, had to deal with all of her uncharacteristic breakdowns and wishes).

She doesn’t tell him that there’s another heart beating inside her body.

She’s been pregnant before, and she’s been cursed to never give birth to a living child by Rumple. And then there was that potion which she drank on her own will that made sure she didn’t even get pregnant. What’s the reason to get pregnant if you know that the child won’t even be born?

It’s been decades since the potions and now she’s pregnant again.

She didn’t believe it at first. When she missed her period, she thought that it was just gone, that she was already getting old. But then morning sickness followed and she started having those strange cravings. So she did a few magical pregnancy tests, and when they all were positive, she went to see a midwife, (whose memories were erased, of course), who confirmed that Regina is pregnant.

The curses and potions happened a lifetime ago and she’s heard that these kind of things can be broken by true love. But she didn’t believe it would happen to her.

She’s afraid. She’s anxious, counting days because she’s nearing the time when the baby should die. It always happened on the fifth month, and if she really found the actual date when the baby was created, she’s already overstepped that line.

But she’s still afraid. Nothing turns out to be good for her. There’s obviously a loss waiting for her.

So the Queen doesn’t tell Robin, thinks that it is better not to think about it too much, not to let him dream about the child that he so obviously desires.

If she doesn’t tell him, he won’t be hurt when it’s gone.

However, it’s getting harder and harder to keep her pregnancy from him for she’s started showing (she’s started showing around three months, but thought that Robin would just think that she gained weight). He’ll find out soon.

It turns out that he already knows because one night, when she’s laying on her back with him on top of her, kissing her desperately, his hands running all over her, he surprisingly pulls away from Regina, all breathless and asks, “Are you going to tell me?”

“What?” She asks, her mind still dizzy from lack of oxygen, her eyes closed. She runs her fingers through his hair, tries to pull him in for another kiss but he’s adamant and it has her opening her eyes in confusion.

She finds him looking at her, his eyes serious, and he’s caught his breath now. Regina squirms, uncomfortable under such stare.

“Are you going to tell me that you are pregnant?” He asks again and her fingers freeze on his shoulder, her whole body’s tensing and she’s pulling away from him instantly.

Shit.

“What do you mean?” she asks stupidly as she rights her nightgown. She tries to scold her features, but her heart is beating rapidly in her chest, and her eyes are wide and afraid.

Robin rolls his eyes at her and motions to her stomach and when Regina glances down she sees it herself. She may have been good at hiding it during the day time, she would dress in such dresses and no one could even guess that she was pregnant but her nightdresses… they’re a simple silk and it may be loose and her bump is showing anyway.

Showing a lot.

“For how long did you know?” She asks, her voice shaking. She doesn’t know what to expect, will he be mad that she didn’t tell him? Or will he tell her she should have got rid of it on day one if she knew it’s not going to live?

“For three months,” he replies and Regina’s eyes widen even more. She became really bad at lying, it seems. “You’ve been an emotional mess, you had these strange cravings and gods, Regina, you wanted to have sex everywhere anytime. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together.”

“Oh,” she lets out and anxiously puts a strand of hair behind her ear, looking away from him, somewhat ashamed.

"So why didn’t you tell me?” He asks again and she tenses when he puts his hand on her stomach, the other hand taking hers, squeezing it in encouragement.

“Robin,” she starts, her voice breaking. She has never thought she’ll have this conversation with him. “We will not have this baby. I’ve been cursed and then I cursed myself, and there’s no chance both of the curses are broken.” She explains, looking away again. Meeting his eyes is too much now.

“I’ve known that before.” He reminds her. Of course, she’s told him that when their relationship became more because the other Robin adored children and Regina felt that this Robin might share the feeling. And indeed, he did. “But you don’t know that the baby is going to die.”

“I do, Robin. I’m not meant to be a mother. Regina may be, but I am most definitely not.” She says, and the tears are following down her cheeks now. Damn hormones.

Her own hand is rested on her bump unconsciously, and Robin’s hand covers her. It only makes her cry harder for she loves the baby already and the longer it stays with her, the more painful it will be to lose him, and now Robin will suffer as well.

Robin wraps his arms around her as she cries, and Regina cannot help but babble about how she’ll lose the baby and how she doesn’t even want to think about it, and how Robin will leave her, and how she just wants it to be over.

It takes her a long while to calm down, and when she finally does, she lies down on the bed, completely numb with Robin beside her, his one arm wrapped around her, holding her close, the other rested on her belly.

They fall asleep in each other’s arms, and in the morning they don’t speak about the baby.

They don’t speak about it for two weeks until one day Robin brings a small bed to the castle. Regina becomes hysteric, she locks herself up in her chambers and doesn’t talk with him for hours.

She doesn’t talk about the baby and Robin doesn’t too, but when she falls asleep, he talks to the baby, he strokes her bump and tells her things he cannot tell her when she’s awake.

Regina refuses to talk about the baby till the end of her pregnant, she doesn’t believe that it will live, she doesn’t believe that even when the labor starts.

She just starts believing when the screaming, bloody baby is rested on her chest and Robin is whispering into her ear that they have a beautiful daughter.

Only then she believes that miracles can happen.

(-----------)

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you liked it! :)

[4cullensandablack]

Sapling

A/N: As apart of Day 4 of @oqfixitweek 

The events after 4A never happened day (Thursday 26th October)

Prompt Used: Regina and Robin discover that they met and fell in love in the EF before.. til Cora found them, separated them, and put a memory curse on them

  “Mom” says Henry as Regina stops at the door. She is on her way to meet Robin, Roland and Marian at the town line.

  She can’t speak because of the sadness that is in her heart at what she is about to lose. Henry understands this so he hands his mother this beautiful flower that has been growing around town.

  “A sapling?” questions Regina as she looks into her son’s eyes, smiling. “Thank you, sweetie” she places her hand on his chin and kisses him on the forehead.

  “Mom, everything is going to be okay” he says as he walks her to the door, “I can feel it.”

  She takes Henry’s words to heart as she makes her way towards the town line; finally exiting her car she walks towards the love of her life, ready to set her feelings aside.

  The Merry Men are there saying their goodbyes as well as she walks up to the group. Robin turns looking at her longingly, opening his mouth to speak.

  She couldn’t stand to hear the words that she knew that Robin wanted to tell her so she kept interrupting him, hoping to get this over with as soon as possible.

  “I have something for Roland” says Regina as she looks towards the little boy and he runs up to her, hugging her waist.

  “I don’t want to leave you, ‘Gina” he says while looking up at her.

  “Roland,” warns Robin as he motions for Little John to come and get him. Regina is saddened by the thought of not being there to see him grow up.

  Handing Robin the sapling that Henry gave her, “thank you” whispers Robin as he goes to grab the sapling causing their hands to touch.

  Visions begin to swirl in both of their minds of all the times that they spent together including moments that couldn’t possibly be real.

  “Robin” she asks as he grabs her into a hug.

  “I know” he answers “she took you away from me” he continues as tears slowly fall down Regina’s cheeks.

  “Page 23 actually happened. I did go into the tavern and we were happy” she knew what her mother had done. The sapling revealed the truth of their love and that they had found each other before Regina had become the Evil Queen.

Cora messed with their memories, separating them because she wanted her daughter to stay a queen.

  “Uh” moans Marian as she almost falls over in her pain from the Snow Queen’s spell.

  Even though this truth had been revealed it still doesn’t change the fact that they have to separate once again and this time they will never see each other again.

  Regina opens her mouth to state the obvious, “She needs to cross the line, now” Robin knows that she’s right and so he motions for Roland to come as he speaks to Marian, “ Okay, you guys, go. I’ll be right behind you, I promise. I just…I just need a moment, okay?”

  “Of course,” Marian agrees, looking towards Regina, “Thank you” she says.

  Regina shakes her head acknowledging that she understands what Marian means.

  “Papa” whispers Roland as he walks over to his father; Marian walks through the line before Roland can get to her.

  “Ha” she breathes as new life fills her lungs, turning towards the line Marian sees no one.

  “Robin” she says but her voice sounds different.

  On the other side of the line Robin, Regina, Roland and the merry men are amazed at what they are seeing. Standing in front of them was no longer, Maid Marian but Regina’s sister, the Wicked Witch, Zelena.

  “Are you kidding me” screams Regina. She is pissed, so much had been revealed to them today. She learned that not only did she have memories that were taken away by her mother but that her sister was indeed alive.

  “It’s okay” says Robin looking at Regina with love in his eyes, “how is this okay” she motions towards Zelena, who obviously cannot see or hear them.

  “Because we know the truth and she cannot hurt us anymore” Regina listens as she wraps her arms around Roland.

  “Hey, at least we didn’t cross the line and been separated for months and then I got her pregnant and then discovered that she is your sister” he continues as Regina thinks about what he is saying.

  “Well, at least we will never have to see her again and she can’t hurt anyone without her magic” says Regina as Roland hums in agreement.

  “Take me home, ‘Gina and Papa” says Roland. It has been a long day for him and as Robin and Regina look at each other they know that it will be hard to explain everything that has happened to him but at least they will be able to do it, together.

    Also on: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12702388/1/Sapling

[starscythe]

Day 7 of @oqfixitweek - Dark!OQ day

Dark!OQ bring Robin back and take him to Regina

[somewhereapart]

Adventure Awaits (Dark!OQ)

Author’s Note: We've seen Robin of Locksley pop the question, but what was Regina's answer? For OQ FixIt Week, Day 7.

She's still staring at the ring, the note, her face cracked into a wide smile, warmth flushing and flushing around her rapidly beating heart when she hears his steps behind her – she's meant to hear him, she knows. He can be silent as a cat when he wants to be.

There are words on the tip of her tongue, words from another life, and she doesn't want to start them off with the shadows of Then, and Him, but she just can't help herself. 

“That arrow almost took off my head, thief,” she teases, glancing up into the mirror to meet his eyes.

He's smiling at her, all fondness tinged under with nerves, and the hand not gripping his bow rises to comb fingers lightly through the brush-smoothed locks of her ponytail as he assures her, “Never.”

Her smile widens impossibly – he's rougher around the edges, this Robin of Locksley. More uncouth, more crass, feistier and more combative (dirtier in all the best ways, too). But he has a gentle streak, a tenderness in the way he touches her in the quiet moments.

It reminds her of weaving fingers across tabletops in Camelot, of gentle hands on her as she lay bleeding out in that backward reality before Henry had saved them all. She's made peace with the fact that he's not Robin Hood, wrapping it up in the realization that she's meant to love this man in all his realms and roles.  

She's made discovering who he is here, now, an exercise in curiosity rather than comparison, and she's found that he fits nearly along all the jagged edges left by her violent separation from her Other Half. He's quick-witted and nimble-fingered, passionate, and surprisingly patient when he wants to be. And he lacks judgement, just as he always has – as Robin Hood had, she corrects herself.  (Comparison is a knee jerk now and then, after all, but she's trying and it gets easier by the day.)

When he asks her, “What do you say, Your Majesty?” and bites into his lower lip to hide the anxious anticipation of awaiting her answer, she wants to say Yes, it’s right there on the tip of her tongue.

But it stalls there behind her teeth, her smile fading away ever so slightly as her answer seems to stick in her throat. 

It’s not her first proposal, after all. At least this time, she’s the one who gets to answer.

“I’ve been married before,” she reminds him, as if he could have forgotten when they’re here in the high-ceiling chambers she conquered from the man who’d tried to conquer her.

“I don’t mind,” he shrugs, as if that was the issue, and as if he isn’t pulsing with nervous energy that she can feel at her back.

“I did,” she tells him, growing serious for just a moment, that smile finally slipping away entirely. “My marriage was hell. It was a prison; it stole me from a life I wanted and caged me in a… a nightmare. 

She tries not to think of it most of the time – of those early years, her marriage bed, the King, the loneliness, and anger, and despair.

Robin’s smile falls in the wake of hers, his fingertips brushing her neck lightly as they move to settle on her shoulder.

“You don’t wish to marry again,” he states, and try as he might to hide it, she can see the disappointment, the rejection in the way his gaze drops away for just a moment.

She brings her hand back to squeeze the one on her shoulder, and waits for their eyes to lock again in the looking glass before she corrects, “I don’t wish to be owned. I know how marriage often works in this realm, and I want to make it very clear that I won’t be a wife who gets treated like a subject. I’ll be a partner, an equal, and nothing less.”

“Have I ever treated you as anything less, Your Majesty?” he asks her, and no, no he hasn’t.

“Never,” she tells him with a small smile. “But if I’m going to promise myself to you, I want a promise in return.”

Robin gives her a nod, and then a promise: “We’ll be equals, always. We’ll take only what is given to each other, and steal nothing more.”

You can’t steal what’s been given to you echoes through her mind, but she pushes it back, forces away the shadows of what came before for what is standing behind her now.

“I’ve never belonged anywhere, Regina, until you. And now I want us to belong to each other, for the rest of our days.” 

The smile grows again, blossoming over her cheeks – he’s not as prone to poetry as Robin Hood had been, but he has his moments. And he’s sincere, and she trusts him, trusts his heart, so she puts him out of his misery and says, “Now that sounds like an adventure I want to be a part of.”

His grin resurrects itself, his dimples winking deep and dashing before her chair is spun with the magic of well-muscled arms, the scrape of wood on stone loud in the room, and then he's kissing her. Hard and hot and eager, the way she likes it, the way they both do.

She laughs softly into the kiss – okay, alright, she giggles, her heart feeling lighter than it has since… well, since she had a lot more lightness in her, that’s for certain. She feels good, feels happy, feels like things are finally falling into place. There’s a future set out before her, one of her own making.

The circumstances that got her here, got both of them here, may not have been of their own choosing, but everything that lies before them is.

She’d thought her existence one of unending bleakness, and had thought that every trace of Robin had been wiped out of existence, and yet here they are. Tangled up with one another, his hands pushing soft velvet up her thighs, his mouth tracing warm kisses down her neck, and Regina feels something that she’d thought she’d never have again after she was ripped in two.

Hope.

Review on Ao3 of FFnet.

[believingispowerfulmagic]

OQ Fix It Fic Week Day 7: Wedding Bells

@oqfixitweek Day 7: Dark! OQ Day

Uses the following suggested prompts: Dark!OQ bring Robin back and take him to Regina/Dark!OQ wedding

           Storybrooke had been quiet for several months after the Final Battle. It gave Regina time to breathe and just be together with her not-so-little-anymore prince. Henry was getting older and she knew soon he would be off to college, so she wanted to enjoy the time she had with him. She was ready to let go just yet.

           With everything being so calm, the appearance of a portal on Main Street one day drew a lot of attention right away. Everyone poured out of Granny’s as Regina pushed her way to the front of the crowd. Emma’s familiar yellow bug pulled up before she and Hook jumped out. Regina stood next to them as they stared at the portal.

           “Friend or foe?” Hook asked.

           Emma shrugged as Regina prepared a fireball, saying: “I guess we’re just going to have to find out.”

           Two figures emerged from the portal—Queenie and Robin of Locksley. Regina let her fireball die out as she stared at her other half and her soulmate’s doppelganger. “You’re here? Why?”

           “We have good news,” Queenie said, holding out her left hand. A sparkling diamond ring sat on her ring finger and she grinned. “We’re getting married.”

           Regina stared at the happy couple, watching as Robin wrapped his arm around Queenie’s waist. He beamed at her and she smiled back, love shining in her eyes. Regina tried not to feel jealous of her other half. After all, she had wanted her to find happiness. It was hard to see them living the live she and her Robin should’ve had.

           Queenie’s smile dimmed. “Regina? Are you okay?”

           Swallowing, Regina forced a smile. “Yes. Congrats, you two!”

           Robin and Queenie didn’t seemed convinced. They looked at each other and he asked: “Should we give her the surprise?”

           “I think so,” she replied, grinning.

           Regina frowned in confusion, wondering what they could have for her. She watched as they stepped aside, allowing a small blur to dart between them and barrel into Regina.

           Once she steadied herself, she looked down into big brown eyes and a bright smile revealing adorable dimples, all topped by a mop of unruly black curls. “Roland?” she asked.

           “Hi, Regina,” he said. “There are two of you and Papa. Did you know that?”

           She grinned as she fought back tears of happiness, holding the young boy who had stolen her heart close to her. Regina hadn’t thought she would ever see him again, even though Zelena often spoke about bringing baby Robin to spend time with her big brother. It still all seemed like talk to her.

           Realizing Roland was waiting for her answer, she said: “I did, sweetheart.”

           “They found us and brought us back to you,” he continued, almost bouncing on the balls of his feet.

           She sniffled as she ran her fingers through his curls. “Who? You and your Uncle John?”

           Roland shook his head and then said something that took her breath away: “No. Me and Papa.”

           “What?” she gasped, looking back up with wide eyes. Queenie and Robin were standing off to the side and the portal was closed. Standing where it had once been was another Robin, dressed almost identical to the one standing next to her other half. He wore a long linen shirt under a green jerking and paired with black pants tucked into brown boots. A quiver rested against his back, the strap crossing his chest, and he held his bow loosely at his side. His hair wasn’t as dark or as short as the other Robin’s, a brighter golden shade and thick at the front, the sides spattered with silver.

           The biggest difference, though, were in his eyes. While they were still the same shade of blue, these were warmer and they shone with recognition and most of all, love. He stepped forward, smiling big enough to reveal those damn sexy dimples. When he spoke, his voice held a familiar and comforting accent. “Regina.”

           “Robin,” she breathed, walking closer to him with her arm still around Roland. They met in the middle and she raised a shaky hand to his cheek, cupping it. “Is it really you?”

           He nodded before leaning down to kiss her. She nearly gasped into it, feeling the heat and joy her kiss with the Wish Realm Robin had been lacking. This was her Robin, somehow back from the dead and returned to her.

           She broke the kiss, tears now streaming down her face as she let out a little laugh. “I can’t believe it. How is this possible?”

           “It doesn’t matter,” he said, an echo of her dream. “All that matters is that I’m here now, with you.”

           “Robin!” Henry broke free from the crowd, running toward them at full speed. Regina stepped back right before he crashed into Robin, who stumbled back a bit. He then wrapped his arms around her son, cupping his head with a gloved hand, while Henry held on tight with his eyes squeezed shut. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

           “Me too,” Robin whispered. He then smiled at Regina. “Me too.”

           Queenie and her Robin stepped forward, holding hands as they grinned at them. “We knew once we found him we had to bring him to you,” she told Regina. “You deserved a complete happy ending.”

           “Thank you,” Regina said, feeling Robin wrap his arm around her waist and pull her close. She leaned against him, enjoying having him so close once more.

           Wish Realm Robin glanced down at Queenie before looking up at her. “We’ve decided to get married here in Storybrooke and we were wondering if you two wanted to make it a double wedding.”

           Surprise filled her and she looked up at her Robin, who smiled down at her. He looked happy but there was caution in his eyes. “I know it’s sudden,” he said, “and your last marriage wasn’t the greatest…”

           “Understatement of the century there,” Queenie muttered.

           Robin continued as if he hadn’t heard her. “But I know that I love you and I know that you love me. We’ve had our shares of up and downs but always make our way back to each other. Hell, there are somehow two of us who have also found their way to each other. So let’s make this official, though we’ll always be a family even without vows and a piece of paper.”

           Her heart sped up as she considered the proposal. Robin was right that her first marriage had been a nightmare that had put her off from ever marrying again…until she met him. When he had told her that she was his future, she had briefly imagined the two of them married and raising their three children together.

           She took his hand and gave him a big smile. “I would love to marry you, Robin. Before anything else happens, preferably.”

           Everyone chuckled as Robin leaned in to give her a kiss. She cupped his cheek again, pressing her forehead to his. “I really, really hope this doesn’t turn out to be a dream I’m about to wake up from.”

           “I think we’re awake,” he whispered, a wicked glint in his eye. “Do you want me to pinch you to be sure?”

           “Maybe later.” She smirked as she pulled away, glancing over to where Henry and Roland stood together. Her smirk softened into a smile. “How about we go get ice cream to celebrate?”

           The boys cheered and she turned to the other happy couple. “Do you want to come with us?”

           “I think we’re going to go find some place to get settled in,” Queenie said as her Robin nuzzled her hair. She smiled at Regina. “You all have fun.”

           She raised her hand in the air, engulfing the two of them in a cloud of purple smoke. Regina wasn’t too sure where they went but she figured they would be back in time for their doubled wedding.

           Taking Robin’s hand, she laced her fingers with his. “Come on. Ice cream is waiting.”

           “So, how are there two of us?” he asked her as they followed their boys into Granny’s for their celebration.

           She laughed. “It’s a long story.”

           “Well, we have plenty of time for one,” he told her, holding open the door for her.

           Regina smiled as she paused at the threshold, tilting her head and giving him a soft smile. “Yes, we do.”

           Granny was also apparently an expert wedding planner as she had everything ready for the double wedding ceremony within a week. They married in a gazebo in the park with Archie officiating. Henry escorted both versions of Regina down the aisle, one on each side. It didn’t escape Regina’s notice that she had gone with a lacy crème strapless trumpet gown while Queenie wore a black satin gown with long lace sleeves. When Regina had commented on it earlier, all her other half had said was that it felt right to get married in black.

           Wish Realm Robin wore a satin green jacket over a silk white shirt and black pants. Passion and love burned in his eyes as he watched Queenie approach and Regina was glad her other half had found love, just like she had.

           Her Robin was dressed in a black tuxedo and a green cummerbund. His blond hair was gelled back and he had trimmed his scruff. As they approached the gazebo, he smiled at her and she smiled back. Everything felt so different from her first wedding. There was no anger or grief, no wishes that someone would come in and rescue her. She just felt happiness with every step, certain that she was making the right decision to spend the rest of her life with Robin.

           “Here you go, Mom,” Henry said when they reached the gazebo. He then turned to Queenie. “And you, Mom.”

           They kissed his cheeks before taking their respective Robin’s hand, standing back to back as Archie started the ceremony.

           Everything was perfect.

[ninzied]

Woman verse: Checking for ticks

For @oqfixitweek, day 6 (cashing in my wild card with this one). Happy birthday to my beautiful sister and friend @lala-kate, a constant source of light and inspiration in my life.

He could really use a drink about now, John thinks with a sobering sigh, and from the looks of the others around him (soggy, a bit downtrodden), he’s not alone in that regard.

It had already been a tougher-than-usual job they’d just taken, a fabled caravan of lost gypsy treasures that had long succumbed to a jungle of wild greenery and many-legged things, but the pouring deluge that had caught them unawares on their return journey hardly seemed worth a few chests of valuables – which he’s every intention of squandering away at the tavern, if Robin and Regina would bloody get on with whatever they’ve been up to for the last half-hour and counting.

“We’ll just be a minute,” he’d said, “We’ll just change into something dry so this one doesn’t catch cold,” he’d said (nudging his nose into her hair while she only pretended to scowl up at him), and well, who would John be to argue with that, when he himself has spent the last two happy weeks celebrating the fact that Regina – that they all, in a way – are expecting?

Another small pebble plunks out from the overturned end of John’s boot, and he’s placing it back on with a squelch and a grumblingly resigned, “What the hell’s them taking so long?” when the telltale sounds from their tent provide a rather clear and unwelcome answer for him, a breathy gasp and a hum that’s cut suddenly short, as though muffled, or half-bitten back.

“Checking each other for ticks, I would imagine,” Tuck surmises beside him, his expression perfectly bland as he wrings out another sluice of water from his robes, and yes, John thinks with a grimace, that drink is now long overdue.

[brookeap3]

Honest Kisses

The Evil Queen and Robin of Locksley have a discussion about his and Regina's kiss in the vault.

A/N: For day 7 of @oqfixitweek

{ ffn } { ao3 }

It’s weird sometimes. Having this heart that’s been touched by love beating inside her chest. So contradictory to what she’s experienced for years on end. And from time to time she worries over it, that she’s unworthy of the gesture her other half has bestowed upon her.

The queen’s tried to make good use of her second chance. Has found Robin of Locksley and taken a chance on love and happiness this time around rather than anger and vengeance. It’s been working. In an odd sort of way they balance each other out, compliment one another. Both darker, edgier versions of their lighter selves. There’s a sense of understanding and acceptance between them she doesn’t think either of them could have found merely with their counterparts.

But along with this new version of herself comes doubts. Fears that she had been able to squelch as The Evil Queen, but that she now has a little more trouble silencing in her mind.

One of which is the very apprehension that perhaps Robin would prefer her other half. The one who’d rescued him from the downward spiral his life had been taking in the wish realm. Who’d been the first to offer him a fresh start. Granted, he’s never once given her any indication of that, but she’d been the one to send him back here without so much as a goodbye to Regina and that’s far from outright rejecting her now isn’t it?

That anxiety, that she isn’t enough for him, is what prospers the courage for her to give voice to the concern one still evening in bed.

“Do you ever wish I was her?”

The question is quiet, almost demur. So unlike his fiery, passionate queen, that it throws Robin for a moment, causes his brow to furrow as he strokes his fingers up and down her naked back. They’ve just had mind blowing sex, as usual, and he’s still recovering his senses a bit, but he hasn’t a clue what she’s talking about.

“Wish you were who?”

The Evil Queen lifts her head, resting her chin on Locksley’s chest as she gazes up at him, uncertainty and trepidation marring her features. “Her. Regina. The other me.”

However, her explanation does nothing to clear up his confusion. That’s what she’s concerned about? Now? When their bodies have barely cooled from the heat of passion.

“Where the bloody hell is that coming from?” Robin blurts thoughtlessly. He regrets it, instantly, when hurt flickers through those chocolate colored eyes and she shifts, pulling the sheet tighter against her body and maneuvering out of his arms, sitting up on the mattress.

Her voice is cold, embarrassed, when she responds, “Nevermind,” and starts to scoot closer to the edge of her enormous bed, as if to leave.

Robin’s hand reaches out immediately, gripping her fingers in his own, “Wait, wait. I’m sorry. Come back here.” The queen hesitates for a moment, keeps her face turned from his so Robin is forced to watch nothing but the rise and fall of her shoulders before she turns back to him, lets him draw her into his embrace once more.

When the two of them are settled, he tries again. “Why would you ask something like that? Have I given you some indication I’m not happy or not been showing you enough attention? I know I’ve been busy with Tuck and John, but I can cut back on the jobs if it’s a problem.” Honestly, he hasn’t a clue where this is coming from, but he’ll do whatever it takes to set it right. This woman has come to mean everything to him, shocking as it had been initially.

She doesn’t answer right away, and Robin waits her out, picks up the random patterns he’d been drawing over her skin again and gives her the time she needs to voice whatever it is that’s weighing on her mind. He’s learned that much about the queen over the months they’ve been together. She won’t be rushed.

“It’s not that,” she finally answers him, fingers playing with the smattering of hair on his chest while she collects her thoughts. And with her body still sore between her thighs, her breasts tender, the last thing she can call him is inattentive.

His fingers swirl over her skin, igniting goosebumps over her flesh as she shivers and cuddles in a bit closer to him. “Then what is it?” he questions softly, silently imploring her to talk him.

The queen sighs, her restless hands fluttering before falling still as she admits, “I just wonder what went on between the two of you sometimes. If you’d have preferred staying with her given the choice and if you’re with me now because she’s not here.” Giving voice the the confession feels like a weight off her chest and no matter what he says, good or bad, at least she’s living life the way Regina had hoped she would. Honestly. Authentically.

Robin sighs, reaches for Regina’s now idle hand and lays his over hers on his chest, directly above his heart. “We kissed. Once.” He feels her intake of breath and hurries on to reassure her, “It was like kissing a photograph, completely devoid of feeling or emotion. Pale and lifeless when compared to the vibrancy of something that’s real.”

The arm banded around her shoulders squeezes her gently, pressing her tighter against his side before he nudges a finger beneath her chin and forces her eyes to meet his. “Something that I have with you. You and Regina may be two halves of the same person, love, but you are not entirely the same. And what I feel with you I could never have with her.”

She can hear the sincerity of his words, the conviction behind them and that tightly wound ball of anxiety that’s been anchored in her chest pops, releasing some of the tension she’s been carrying around. Still, if life has taught her anything, it’s to be cautious, that she’s more likely to be burned than to have happiness so easily gifted to her. So she can’t help asking, “Truly?”

Robin grins, that infuriating smirk that both annoys her and sets off sparks in her body. “You have my word, Your Majesty,” he mutters before his mouth is swooping down to take hers.

His kiss is powerful, familiar, tempting. Robin’s lips are firmly pressed against her own, his tongue sneaking out to seek entrance to her mouth. A wordless request she happily grants as the flavor of him explodes on her tongue and he shifts to hover above her. The beginnings of his desire stirring again already as she moans and arches into his touch, wrapping a leg around his hip.

It isn’t long before the queen forgets all about her other half entirely.