A/N: Hey, yall!! I'm so sorry it took me so long to update, but here is chapter 12, finally!!
Regina opened her eyes and found three pairs of eyes staring back at her. She wiped the lingering sleep from her eyes and sat up, stretching. Roland climbed up and sat in her lap, Henry sitting next to her, Robin wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
"Good morning, my love," Robin said, placing a kiss on the side of her head. "How are you feeling?"
"Better," she sighed, giving a weak, unconvincing smile.
Robin looked as if he were about to say something, but she gave him a look that said not to mess with it-she was trying to be strong for the boys. Robin nodded.
"Really, Momma?" Roland asked.
"Yes, baby, really. I feel a lot better!" She said, tickling his sides. It was enough to satisfy both her boys.
"Henry, why don't you and Roland go get ready for school and then you can drive him to school before you go?" Robin suggested, grabbing his keys off the nightstand and tossing them to Henry.
"Really? Is it okay with you, Mom?" He asked.
Regina nodded.
"Awesome!" Henry exclaimed, hugging both his parents and running out of the room.
Robin looked at Regina.
"How are you really feeling?"
"Eh, so-so," she said, leaning into him. "My head hurts, I've got a sore throat, pretty sure I'm still feverish... But on the bright side, I think I could keep food down now. I really do feel a little better than I did last night."
"Good. Do you want to try and eat something now?" Robin asked.
"Sure."
"Alright, what would you like?"
"Toast," she said.
Robin nodded and placed a kiss on her forehead. He stood and walked to the door, then stopped and turned around.
"Anything else I can get you, dear?"
Regina thought for a moment.
"Unless you have a way to get my mom from the Enchanted Forest to here, no..."
Robin gave her a sympathetic look before turning and walking down stairs. The front door closed behind his two boys just as he walked into the kitchen and put the bread in the toaster. Then, he took out his phone and texted Emma. Within a few minutes, she was knocking on the front door and Robin was letting her in.
"What did you need, Robin? Your message sounded urgent," Emma said. She was still wearing her flannel pajama pants and t-shirt.
"Regina is sick. I'm making her toast, but I think what she really wants is for Cora to be here, too. She misses her mother, even if she won't admit it. Cora and Regina have magic mirrors that they can use to call each other between realms. I was hoping you could call Cora and figure out a way to get her here while I take care of Regina," Robin said.
"Sure, no problem. When did you want Cora to get here?"
"Today, possibly?"
"I'll see what I can do," Emma said, taking the mirror and using her magic to call Cora.
Robin heard the toast pop up. He went to the kitchen and put it on a plate, then poured a glass of ice water and grabbed a bottle of ibuprofen and took it upstairs. He set it on Regina's nightstand before sitting down beside her on the bed. She sat up and leaned back against the headboard, picking up the plate of toast and taking a bite of it. Robin placed his arm around Regina's shoulders and kissed the side of her head while she ate.
When she finished her toast, she took two ibuprofen pills and took a drink of her water. Setting the glass back on her nightstand, Regina turned to look at Robin.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make myself sick... I didn't realize... And I could've hurt the baby...," she said, tears filing her eyes.
"Hey, it's okay. You were depressed. I know you didn't mean for this to happen. And you didn't hurt the baby. It's okay. Alright?" Robin replied, lifting her chin and looking into her eyes.
She nodded. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her lips.
"Now, you need to rest," he said, helping her lay back down.
She got situated and he brushed her hair back from her face. She smiled up at him, a hand resting lightly on her stomach. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, then lay down beside her. She curled into him and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. After a few minutes, Regina drifted into a deep sleep.
So deep that, when the doorbell rang about an hour later and Robin got up to answer it, she didn't wake up. So deep that, when the woman with chocolate eyes and hair sat beside her and lightly placed a hand on her cheek, she still did not wake up...
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She opened her eyes. The curtains were open and sunlight streamed in. She squinted her eyes and brought her hands up to rub her face. She stretched and sighed, finally opening her eyes completely. She looked around her-their bedroom was empty. She felt quite a bit better and she was sweating. Her fever had broken and she had slept off the last of it. She sat up and realized she was hungry. She stood up and left the room, taking the stairs slowly as she was still a bit weak from lack of food.
Robin wasn't in the living room or the bathroom, so she checked the kitchen. He wasn't there either. She walked to her study and heard voices coming from inside. One was the sexy accent of her husband; the other was cold but inviting, sultry but harsh. It was a voice she knew instantly. She pushed the door open and stepped into the doorway, a look of awe taking over her face.
"Mother?" She asked.
"Regina," Cora breathed, looking up at her daughter standing in the doorway.
Regina grinned widely. Cora stood and Regina rushed into her mother's arms. Cora pulled back after a minute and took in the sight of her daughter-fully grown, married, and pregnant.
"How far along are you?" She asked, her eyes drifting to Regina's bump.
"About two months," Regina smiled.
Cora looked back up, meeting Regina's eyes and sighing.
"My baby girl, all grown up...," she said, her eyes brimming with tears.
Regina let out a small laugh and pulled her mother into another hug.
"I missed you, Mother," Regina whispered.
"And I you, my love."
Regina took a step back and looked over Cora's shoulder to where Robin stood, leaning against her desk, watching her reunite with her mother. She slowly walked over to him, stopping when she was right up against him, hands splayed on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and looked down at her.
"I know you had something to do with this. You'll have to tell me how you got my mother here later," she said. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, sweetheart," he said. "How are you feeling?"
"Much better. I think my fever is gone."
Robin pressed his lips against her forehead. He looked back down at her and nodded.
"How are your throat and head?"
"Fine," she said.
Robin leaned his head down and kissed her lips.
"I'm glad," he said, pulling back. "Do you want something to eat?"
She nodded.
"What shall I get for you?"
"Can we go to Granny's?" Regina asked.
Robin nodded, looking up at Cora.
"Do you want to come eat at Granny's with us?"
"I'd love to," Cora replied, smiling.
Regina stepped out of Robin's arms and went upstairs to get dressed. She walked into her closet, looking for a pair of jeans. She finally found a comfortable pair of boot cut jeans and slipped them on, pulling a light gray V-neck over her head. She ran a brush through her hair and went back downstairs. Robin and Cora were waiting for her by the door. She slipped on her Sperry's while Robin helped her into her jacket and grabbed his keys.
"No makeup today?" He asked, smirking.
"Guess not," she sighed.
Robin laughed and held the front door open for his woman and her mother, turning back to lock it before getting in the driver's side of the car. Cora slid into the back and Regina in the front seat, buckling up. Regina laid her hand on the console and as soon as Robin had pulled out of the driveway, he covered her hand with his, intertwining their fingers.
Within a few minutes, Robin was parking the car on the road in front of Granny's and Regina and Cora were opening their doors and sliding out of the car. When they got to the other side of the car, Robin wrapped his arm around Regina's waist and they walked up to the door. Robin opened it and held the door for both women before entering himself and following them to a booth. Robin sat beside Regina, his arm wrapped around her, and her head was lying on his shoulder.
Ruby walked over and took their orders before heading back behind the counter. Regina pulled out her phone and checked the time. Henry was getting out of school right now, and would be heading to pick up Roland. Regina texted him, telling him to come to Granny's once he picked up his brother.
About ten minutes later, Henry and Roland walked in, spotting their parents in a booth and walking over. They looked at the woman sitting across from their parents. Henry recognized her from his storybook and shot her a glare.
"Who are you?" Roland asked.
"Roland," Regina scolded. "Be polite, please."
"Sorry, Momma," he said. He looked back at Cora. "My name is Roland. What's yours?"
"My name is Cora," Cora said. She looked to Henry. "You must be Henry."
"Yeah," he said. "I am. And you are the infamous Cora. My adoptive grandmother."
Cora nodded.
"Are you my grandma, too?" Roland asked.
"Yes," Cora said.
Henry looked at Regina.
"Mom, what is she doing here? She's evil," he said.
"Henry Daniel Mills! Manners," Regina said sternly. "Apologize to my mother."
"I'm sorry, Cora. I was out of line, and I sincerely apologize," Henry said.
"I accept your apology," Cora said, shock filling her voice. Her daughter was doing such a wonderful job raising these boys.
"She's here because I wanted her to be here," Regina explained looking at her boys. "Henry, why don't you and Roland pull up a couple of chairs and have a seat?"
They did as they were told.
"Regina, you didn't tell me you'd had another son?" Cora said.
"I didn't. I'm his stepmother," Regina explained.
"My other mommy's name is Zelena," Roland commented.
Regina's eyes widened and her head snapped around to face Robin.
"But you said... Marian... Robin did you-did you lie to me?" She asked.
Robin sighed, bringing a hand up to rub his face.
"Marian was my best friend. I lost her when you lost Daniel. Years later, probably around when Emma broke the curse, I met another woman-Zelena. We were at a bar. We just started talking, and before we knew it we were drunk and heading back to my camp and we-well. We stayed together for a few months after that. Then, we decided to go our separate ways, until Zelena found out she was pregnant. We decided to stay together, for the sake of our child. After she gave birth to Roland, she died," Robin explained.
"If Roland's mother was Zelena, why the hell did you tell me she was Marian?" Regina asked, her voice low, almost a growl.
"I was ashamed that I hadn't been married to Zelena when Roland was born. I was ashamed that I had a one night stand that ended up getting a woman who I didn't even love pregnant."
"Her name was Zelena?" Cora asked.
Robin nodded.
"Did she have curly red hair and blue-green eyes and an accent?"
Robin nodded again.
"Oh my God...," Cora trailed.
"What?" Regina asked.
"She was my daughter... Your half sister, Regina..."
Regina looked from her mother to Robin.
"You mean to tell me that you not only lied about your son's mother, but that she was my half sister, too?!" Regina said.
"Apparently so...," Robin said.
Regina stared at Robin, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
"I can't believe you...," she said.
Robin still had yet to meet her eye.
"I'm sorry, Regina. That was wrong of me. I should have told you the truth."
"Damn right, you should've! What else have you lied about?!"
"Nothing! I swear, that was it. I regret lying to you with my entire being. I'm so sorry," Robin defended.
Regina sighed and leaned back, dropping her face into her hands, elbows resting on the table. The tears overflowed her eyes and streamed down her face. Her shoulders began to shake slightly with silent sobs. Robin placed his hand on her back. She may have been mad at him, but he was her only source of comfort and she just needed to be held right now. She let him pull her into his arms and leaned against him while she cried.
At some point, Ruby came over with their food. Roland started to get bored, so Henry took him home. Regina's crying subsided and the three adults turned their attention to their food, none of them uttering another word.
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Cora had rented a room to stay in at Granny's, so she went there while the couple had headed home.
Now, Regina sat in bed in the master bedroom, silent. Robin came out of the en suite and sat down across from her on the bed. She looked everywhere but at him. She averted her attention to her hands, which were nervously fiddling with her wedding ring while she waited for Robin to speak.
"I'm sorry I lied to you, Regina. I shouldn't have done that. I should have known that you would accept me no matter my past. And in my defense, I didn't know Zelena was your half sister at the time, and neither did she. I'm so sorry," he said.
"I know...," Regina trailed.
"Then why is it so hard for you to forgive me?"
"It's not that I can't forgive you. It's that I'm hurt by the fact that you lied to me. I don't care that you two weren't married or in love, I don't care that it was meant to be a one night stand, hell, I don't even care that she was my half sister. I care that you kept that from me. That's what hurts," Regina explained.
"Regina, I... All I can say is I am sorry and I regret that I kept it from you... I truly do...," Robin said, defeated.
"Forget it, babe. I'll get over it. It doesn't matter. What matters is that I know now, and I still love you, and love is patient and kind. It forgives and forgets. And that's what I'll do. I forgave you the moment I found out you lied to me. I'll get over being hurt by it because I love you," Regina said.
"Thank you," Robin whispered and leaned forward placing a soft kiss to her lips. They pulled apart but lingered close together, lips mere centimeters from each other, foreheads touching, eyes closed.
Regina gasped and her eyes sprang open, a hand flying to her stomach. Her face was contorted in pain, tears filling her eyes. It felt like a machete was being slowly torn through her abdomen. She reached her other hand out and grabbed Robin's squeezing it, fear darkening her eyes as tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Robin-Ah!" She tried to speak, but stopped as another wave of pain overcame her and she cried out. She squeezed his hand tighter and gasped, closing her eyes tightly against the agony she was feeling.
"Regina, love, what's wrong?" Robin asked frantically, eyes searching her face.
"It... Hurts...," she cried between groans. She turned her head down to her lap and opened her eyes. The oxygen left her body, her mouth falling open. Her eyes opened wide and her grip on Robin's hand loosened.
"Robin... Look," she said.
He, too, looked down and gasped. Blood was pooling between Regina's legs, and it wasn't slowing. Robin sprang up and slipped into a pair of shoes, then ran back to the bed and lifted his wife into his arms.
"Henry, something is wrong! I'm taking your mother to the hospital! Watch Roland, please!" Robin shouted as he ran out the door.
He didn't bother to get into his truck, just began sprinting to the hospital, which was only two blocks from the house. It took him just a few minutes to get there, and when he did, he ran inside, shouting for a doctor to come and help his wife. Two nurses ran in with a gurney and Robin set Regina down on it. She curled into herself, the pain overwhelming, as Robin ran alongside the nurses.
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A few hours later, Robin sat in a chair beside Regina's hospital bed, where she lay sleeping peacefully. The doctors had run test after test on her to see what was wrong. When they finally finished, she had been so worn out that she fell asleep. Now they were waiting for the test results.
Regina slowly opened her eyes and blinked a few times, trying to remember what happened. Upon looking around, she saw that she was in a hospital room, hooked up to tubes and chords aplenty, a monitor beeping with her heart beat next to the bed. She looked to her left and saw Robin sitting in a chair, his face in his hands, elbows on his knees. She tried to sit up, but felt a sharp pain in her stomach and gasped, lying back down slowly. Robin looked up and scooted his chair forward, taking her hand and squeezing it, worry etched into his face.
"What happened?" She whispered, clearing her throat.
"We were sitting in bed, talking, and then something-something happened, I don't know what, but you said something hurt, and then you started bleeding quite a bit. So I picked you up and ran here, and the doctors took you and ran tons of tests on you. When they finished, you fell asleep, and now we're waiting for test results," Robin explained.
Regina nodded once, lowering her head, a sense of fear knotting itself in her gut. Something felt different, but she couldn't tell what. All she knew was that she was no longer in pain, but something was wrong. It was like a piece of her was missing, like she wouldn't ever be complete again. Then she had a thought. A horrifying, terrible thought.
"Robin...," she whispered. "Something is wrong."
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"I feel... Different, than before. Like... Something's missing...," she explained.
Before Robin could reply, the door opened and Dr. Whale walked in.
"We got the test results back," he said quietly.
Robin stood, taking Regina's hand and squeezing it for support.
"Mr. and Mrs. Locksley... Regina... You miscarried. Your baby... is gone. I'm so sorry," he whispered.
Regina's heart sank. She knew it. She knew something was different, something was missing. Her baby. How could this-wait. She knew exactly how it had happened. It was her fault because she hadn't been eating. It was her fault her baby died. She had killed her own child and she hated herself for it.
"We want to keep Regina overnight to make sure she's okay. As long as nothing is wrong inside of her, we will discharge her tomorrow morning," Whale said before quickly leaving the room.
But something was wrong inside of her. Something that couldn't be seen, but rather, felt. Something that only she could feel. A mixture of hatred and sadness and anger, all toward herself, was brewing inside of her. The despair that had lodged itself in her heart was breaking it into tiny, tiny pieces. Her heart was slowly but surely shattering. You couldn't see it with the naked eye, or even with an X-ray, but it hurt her like hell.
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Robin led Regina into the house. She hadn't said anything since they found out. She hadn't cried either. She crossed the threshold, face expressionless, and slowly walked to the couch. She sat down and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, then grabbed her phone. Robin went to the kitchen for a glass of water. Regina sent a group text to Snow and Emma.
I need you to come over as soon as you can.
A few minutes later, Snow's reply came.
On my way. Be there in five.
Emma responded about three minutes later.
Just turned on Mifflin, be there in a minute.
She heard two cars stop outside the house. Then there was a knock at the door. Regina used her magic to swing the door open. She heard the footsteps of her friends entering the house and making their way worriedly to the living room.
"Hey, Regina. What's up?" Snow asked quietly.
Regina stared straight ahead, her face blank of all emotions.
"I just got back from the hospital," she whispered.
"Why the hell were you at the hospital? What happened?" Emma said, concern lacing through her voice.
Regina looked down at her hands, her brow furrowing in sadness and pain. A frown pulled her lips down and for the first time since hearing the news, tears filled her eyes.
"I miscarried," she whispered, so quietly the other two women almost couldn't hear her.
Finally, the tears overflowed her eyes, making their way elegantly down her cheeks. Snow gasped and pulled Regina into a hug, Emma doing the same.
After a few minutes, Emma stood and went to see how Robin was doing, while Snow stayed with Regina.
"I'm so sorry," the princess whispered in the queen's ear.
Regina just shook her head as her tears finally slowed to a stop.
"It's my fault... It's all my fault...," Regina said.
"Stop that right now. It is not your fault," Snow said.
"Yes, it is... I was sick... I was sick because I hadn't been eating enough because I was depressed. That's why my baby died. It's all my fault," Regina said.
"No, Regina, it's not. You weren't trying to make yourself sick. None of this is your fault. You did not do anything to cause this, okay?" Snow comforted.
Regina closed her eyes and nodded once. Emma and Robin came back into the living room. Emma stood behind the couch with her hand on Regina's back, while Robin sat beside her and took her hand in his, squeezing it gently.
"Regina, we're gonna go now. We're gonna leave you guys alone so you can talk, okay?" Emma said.
Regina nodded. After one last hug from Snow and a pat on the back from Emma, the other women got up and quietly made their way out of the mansion.
Robin scooted closer to his wife so that their thighs and shoulders were touching. He tightened his grip on her hand ever so slightly, succeeding in getting her to look at him.
Her eyes were rimmed with red and slightly puffy. Her nose was pink from being rubbed at, and her cheeks were stained with dried tear tracks. Pain darkened her usually chocolate eyes to where they looked almost black. She looked utterly miserable.
"I love you, Regina," Robin whispered, "And we will get through this. We'll deal with it, together."
"I love you, too," Regina whispered back, her voice cracking more with every word. Tears filled her eyes once again and her shoulders began to shake with her silent sobs.
Robin pulled her into him and kissed the top of her head, squeezing her in a comforting hug.
"This is all my fault," she sobbed. "I didn't take care of myself; I didn't take care of my baby."
"Hey, do not say that this is your fault, because it isn't. You did not cause your miscarriage," Robin said sternly.
"But, Robin, it is! If I'd only taken better care of myself-"
"Regina, stop it now! Stop this! It is not your fault our baby died! You cannot blame this all on yourself!" Robin said, his voice rising with each word.
Regina shrank back from him, shock etched into her face, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
Robin sighed and bent forward, resting his elbows on his knees and rubbing his face with his hands.
"You did not do this. What happened is not your fault," Robin said, quieter this time. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. I just hate seeing you like this, Regina. I love you too much to see you hurting like this, and knowing I can't do anything about it. I just want you to see that this is not your fault. We will deal with it. Together."
"Okay," Regina whispered, her voice catching in her throat.
"Come here," Robin said, sitting back up and hugging her again. She began sobbing in his arms once more and he held her tightly, letting his own tears stream down his cheeks as well.
A/N: I just want to thank yall again for being so patient with me. I also want to apologize for this chapter, and any deaths by feels it may have caused, due to the angst I threw in. Every story has its bumps, though, right? Anyway, thank yall so much for being so patient and willing to wait, and for all the encouraging comments you leave me!! Yall are what keep me going!! It'll probably be a while before I'm able to even begin working on chapter 13, but I'll try my best not to take too long. I've got a lot of school work to do, so I hope yall can continue to be patient with me.
Love you all!!
-Emily