Ever After ~ {Editing}

Chapter 23

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They sat in bed, curled I to each other. Not reading, not talking, silent. Just feeling the presence of each other.

He ran his fingers through her hair and she traced patterns on the inside of his thigh.

“How are you feeling?” He asked her softly.

“Sick,” she said, and sniffled.

“Still?”

She nodded.

“You need to get some sleep, then. I'll take you to the doctor in the morning.”

“I can't. I'm achy all over, I have a sore throat and I'm congested, and I'm nauseous. My body is where sleep goes to die.”

He huffed out a laugh and pulled her close to him, rubbing his calloused hand gently over her growing stomach, the baby inside now the size of a butternut squash as she reached her seventh month of pregnancy.

“Well at least lie down, then. You need to relax.”

Before she could protest, however, there was a light tapping at the door and a soft creak as it was pushed open.

The blonde head of Evelyn Locksley peeked in, puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks visible in the low lighting of their bedroom.

“Sweetheart, what's wrong?” Regina inquired, opening her arms for the girl to come into.

She shuffled over to the bed and climbed in between her parents, and Robin wrapped his arm around her shoulders as Regina took her hand.

“I had a nightmare,” she said, and looked down ashamedly, pulling her eyes away from her parents’ gaze.

“Oh, sweetie, that's nothing to be embarrassed of,” Robin said, kissing her head.

Regina nodded and rubbed the back of her hand.

“I get them too,” she whispered.

“You do?” Evie wondered, looking up at her.

“Yes. Pretty frequently, too. And you know what always helps me afterward?”

“What?”

“Talking about it. Getting it out of my head and in the open, and letting Robin reassure me. So why don't you tell me about it?”

“I dreamt… That me and Em were back at our childhood home… But you and dad and Henry and Roland were there, too. And our- uhm- other parents were there, and they tied me up to a chair and made me watch as they… As they b-beat all of you, and I didn't have my magic so I couldn't save you…”

She sniffled and wiped her eyes. Regina held her close.

“We’re all okay, sweetheart. Me and your dad? We’re just fine. If it'll make you feel better, we can go check on your brother and sister, and we can call Henry- I'm sure he's still up. Do you wanna do that?”

Evelyn took a moment to think over the offer, then nodded.

“Come on, then,” Regina said, climbing out of bed and leading her down the hall silently.

They stopped at the first door on the left pushed it open slightly. Roland's mop of curls could be seen peeking out from between his blankets and stuffed animals thanks to the dim night light, his soft breathing resonating through the silent room.

They crossed the hall to the open door on the right and stepped in quietly, and Evelyn saw her sister's arm dangling off the bed, her dark locks covering her face as she slept. She followed her mother out of the room and down to the kitchen, where Regina heated up a glass of milk for her daughter and picked up her phone to call her son.