A/N: Written for Day 4 of Inspired by OQ 2020 based on Ankareeda's drawing of Robin and Regina dressed as an angel and a demon
*****
"I'm not sure about this," Robin replied. His voice was muffled as Regina stood in the bathroom, finishing up her makeup.
She frowned, wondering what he meant by that. Robin had been so excited for the party all week long. He had even gone to help set up for the party and had happily helped her shop for outfits for Roland and Margot. So she worried that he had changed his mind and what had caused him to do that.
"You're not sure about the party?" she asked him, raising her voice slightly to make sure he heard her.
"No," he replied. "I'm very sure about that. I'm just not sure about our costumes."
That surprised her. She packed away her makeup and opened the door, coming face-to-face with him. "What's so wrong with our costumes?"
"I don't like the implications that I'm all good while you're all evil," he continued, not missing a beat. "We're a little bit of both, yeah?"
She was touched by his concern but also very amused. Regina shook her head, reaching out to press her hand to his cheek. "It's just a costume, Robin. Not some big statement about who we are as people."
He didn't look convinced. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," she replied with a laugh. "No one is going to assume you're an actual angel or that I'm an actual devil. They're pretty common couple costumes."
That seemed to sway him but he did say: "If anyone gives you a hard time, though, point them to me. I'd be happy to have a very unangelic conversation with them."
She patted his cheek. "Well, let's hope that doesn't come to pass. I would rather you didn't get kicked out of the party."
"Fair enough," he replied. "Though defending your honor would always be worth it."
"Good to know," she said, pulling him close. "But if you behave yourself, when we get home tonight, we will definitely do things unbecoming of that halo."
He his eyebrows went up. "Is that a promise?"
"Oh, yes," she said, reaching up to tap the gold tinsel halo attached to the headband he wore with two metal rods. She then kissed him, giving him a taste of what would await him that night.
She broke the kiss, taking a step back. "Let me get a good look at you."
"Sure," he said, slowly turning. He wore a white button-down shirt with white pants and matching shoes. Robin's costume was completed by white, feathery wings that rested on his back thanks to two white straps.
When he completed a full revolution, he held out his arms. "What do you think?"
"You look amazing," she said. She then placed her hands on her hips as she struck a pose. "What do you think of mine?"
"Stunning," he replied. "In every way."
She rolled her eyes. "You always say that."
"Because it's always true," he replied.
"Okay, but in this specific instance," she said, shooting him an annoyed look. "How do I look?"
He smiled cheekily. "You look devilishly beautiful."
"You couldn't resist," she said, shaking her head.
"I've been told that as a dad, I'm required to tell dad jokes," he replied. She grinned, knowing that was something Henry no doubt told him.
He then leaned forward, kissing her cheek. "But you look beautiful. You're going to be the envy of everyone at the party."
She felt herself relax and hadn't realized how nervous she had been about her costume. Regina patted his cheek. "Can you go check on the children? I'll be down in a few minutes."
"Alright," he replied. "We'll be waiting for you."
Regina watched him leave before she crossed to her vanity. She checked her reflection once again, making sure her glittery red horns were still in place. While she had used almost an entire box of bobby pins to ensure the headband, hidden by her curls, didn't come loose, she still worried. But they looked fine, though she knew she was going to be washing glitter out of her hair until Christmas. It was a small price to pay, she figured, for some Halloween fun.
She smoothed down the skirt of the tight red dress she wore before adjusting the black lace capped sleeves resting on her shoulders. Once she was certain her appearance was perfect, she grabbed her black clutch and the red plastic pitchfork with a long black handle that completed her look.
It was time for some Halloween fun.
*****
Almost all of Storybrooke was packed into town hall. The chairs had been removed, folded up and stored away for the night. A DJ was set up on the stage, playing music and shining lights into the darkened room. He had also brought a fog machine and had it blowing onto the dancefloor to create an eerie atmosphere.
Several tables lined one side of the hall, all laden with different types of food. Each restaurant in Storybrooke had donate food and their signs were taped to the front of their assigned table. The goal was to encourage people to try new places and start to frequent the other restaurants. Regina hoped it worked, though she noticed most people stood around Granny's table. They were all clearly creatures of comfort.
Opposite the buffet was a "haunted house." It was just a section separated by black curtains that people – mostly children – could go through and experience some "frights." From her vantage point, Regina saw Henry and Violet manhandling some spaghetti through a hole that no doubt told them they were feeling brains. She also knew there was a gelatin heart she had made and she smirked as she recalled Leroy's disappointed look when she gave it to him rather than giving him one of the real hearts she had her in vault.
For those who didn't want to be grossed out that night, there was also a place to bob for apples – which she noticed Snow avoided – and another place to decorate pumpkins. Roland sat there with some of his friends, his tongue sticking out from between his lips as he worked on his pumpkin. While he favored his mother, it was in these moments that Regina saw more of his father in the boy.
"For you," Robin said, holding out a drink that appeared to be smoking. She glanced up at him and he grinned. "They put something in it to create that effect and promised me it was safe to drink. Since no one's doubled over or dropped dead yet, I assume they are correct."
She glanced around the room and noticed others were drinking the smoking cocktails so he had a point. Regina took the one held out to hers – a blood red color – and tapped her glass against his, which contained a bright blue drink. "Cheers."
"Cheers," he agreed, taking a sip of his drink. He hummed. "A little sweeter than I thought but not bad."
Regina took a sip of her drink, finding it hitting all the right notes – not too sweet and with just the right kick. "Mine's good too," she said.
He wrapped his arm around her, careful not to hit her with his wings. "Well, Madam Mayor, I think everyone is enjoying Halloween."
"Good," she replied, leaning against him. "Everyone in this town deserves some fun."
"I'm also impressed with everyone's costumes. The town certainly went all out this year," he said, taking another sip of his drink.
She nodded, looking over the costumes. There were the Halloween staples – ghosts, mummies, vampires, witches and black cats – and horror movie staples, with one Jason Vorhees and one Freddy Kruger looking ready to fight even though Regina was certain they had come together. She also spotted some residents dressed up as the resident heroes – she saw a few Robin Hoods carrying around toy bow and arrows, including one who was there with someone dressed up as her as the Evil Queen. A few Snow Whites mingled amongst the Prince Charmings and Captain Hooks. And a flash of red leather showed that someone had even come dressed up as Emma. Regina got a good laugh when she realized that "Emma" was with someone dressed up as the sheriff's familiar yellow bug.
That was a good couple's costume, she had to admit.
"You know, I haven't seen the dwarves yet," Robin commented. "I wonder where they are?"
"Under that dragon winding through the crowd," she replied, pointing to the costume as it appeared to dance along to the music. She had to give them credit – that was clever group costume.
He nodded. "Whoever is judging the costume contest later is going to have their work cut out for them."
"Archie certainly will," she said, motioning to the resident therapist. He was dressed up as his faithful companion, Pongo, complete with ears and a tail.
Then again, she had a tail as well and probably had no place teasing anyone else for theirs.
Robin shook his head. "Good luck to him."
"It's going to be tough," she agreed. She then nudged him. "But I think we're going to win."
"I don't know. Emma and her bug are giving us some stiff competition," he said. "And I'm not sure what the Charmings' costume is but everyone seems to love it."
He motioned to a nearby corner and Regina spotted the two. They were standing close together, holding up a large piece of cardboard designed to look like a picture frame. Charming was dressed in overalls and a plaid shirt, holding a pitchfork, while Snow wore black and posed next to him without smiling.
"Damn," she said. "American Gothic – that's very clever."
"American what?" Robin asked, confused.
She grinned. "American Gothic. It's a famous painting of a farmer and his wife. Which the Charmings are. You're right, they may give us a run for our money."
"Well, we have time to worry about that later," he said, taking her empty glass from her. "For now, I propose we dance and have fun."
"I think that's a great idea," she replied, watching as he placed the glasses on a tray to be returned to the makeshift kitchens in the back. He then reached out and took her hand, leading her to the dance floor. When they found a spot to claim, Robin spun her around before pulling her close. They danced together, laughing and having fun.
It felt really good to not have to fight any monsters for at least one night.
*****
"How is she doing?" Regina asked Ashley as she entered the room set aside for the youngest children.
"She's doing great," Ashley assured her, reaching into the pack-and-play. She lifted Margot out of it, careful of the girl's pixie wings, and carried her over to Regina. "Look who came to visit."
Margot's face lit up and she reached out for Regina, her little legs kicking in the air. Regina took her from Ashley and held her close. "Are you having fun, sweetheart?" she asked the baby.
"Yes, she is," Ashley replied as Margot cuddled against Regina. "Especially with her wings. She's fascinated by them."
Regina chuckled, watching as Margot reached up and tugged on one of her wings. "Yes, she is. She's fascinated by everything. She's just taking in this world around her."
Ashley nodded. "She's a beautiful Tinkerbell."
"Isn't she?" Regina asked, proud of that costume idea. She had taken one look at Margot's beautiful curls – blonde like her father rather than red like her mother – and knew she had to dress the baby up as the pixie who had first tried to bring Regina and Robin together.
It had gone perfectly.
Margot yawned and rested her head on Regina's chest. Her eyes started to close and Regina knew she would soon be in the land of dreams. Gently, she removed the wings and handed them to Ashley. "Can you put these some place safe for us?"
"Of course," Ashley said. "Do you want me to take her when I get back?"
Regina shook her head. "I'll walk with her until she falls asleep. It probably won't be long now."
She walked away, putting more bounce into her step as she entered the hallway to pace with Margot. Regina also started to hum, though she wasn't the one who supplied lullabies. That was Robin's job at bedtime as he had a wonderful voice and knew many more lullabies than her. After all, her mother had never been one for such nonsense as lullabies or bedtime stories. But Regina loved to read them to Henry and now both Roland and Margot, so that was what she did.
Margot yawned again, snuggling closer to Regina as she rested her head on Regina's chest now. Her eyes closed and she started to grow limp in Regina's arms, meaning she was almost asleep.
She continued to pace, wanting to make sure Margot stayed asleep. If they put her down too soon, she tended to wake back up and be fussy until she was back in someone's arms again. Regina didn't want to leave Ashley with a fussy baby and she was enjoying the quiet with Margot in her arms.
The door from the main hall opened and she held her hand over Margot's ear so the music didn't wake the baby. A familiar angel slipped into the hallway, quickly closing the door behind him. He smiled when he saw them. "Ahh, so this is where you went. I was worried you had gotten waylaid between here and the bathroom," Robin said.
"Very funny," she replied, approaching him. She glanced down at Margot. "I missed her and figured it was almost her bedtime."
He leaned down and kissed Margot's head. "Sweet dreams, baby girl," he whispered to her.
"I'm going to bring her back to Ashley now," Regina said. If Margot didn't wake up at the sound of her father's voice, then she was sound asleep now and it was safe to bring her back.
"Okay," he replied. "They are going to start the costume contest soon."
She nodded. "I'll be right there."
Robin returned to the hall and she headed back to the nursery. Ashley greeted her at the door and she took Margot from her gingerly. "I've got her. Go enjoy the rest of the party," she told Regina.
"Alright," Regina said, taking one more look at Margot before walking back. She had been on quite the journey to become Margot's mother. Regina hadn't had much time to process the fact that Marian had been Zelena the entire time and that Zelena was pregnant before they were chasing after Emma and going to Camelot. Then they were back in Storybrooke with holes in their memories and soon Zelena was giving birth. She and Robin barely adjusted to having a baby around when they followed Emma to the Underworld. And so when Hades and Zelena were defeated, Robin and Regina finally had time to figure out what they were going to do with his daughter.
They sat down together and discussed everything. Robin knew that the circumstances around Margot's conception and birth hurt Regina immensely but that he wanted her to be his daughter's mother, if she was willing to do so. His comments had touched her though she confessed she had some concerned. She had suggested that they take it one day at a time and see where they were in a couple months. Robin had agreed. They combined their households, truly becoming a family.
Regina was hesitant around Margot at first but she soon warmed to the baby girl. It felt natural being a mother to her and soon all her fears were banished. When she looked at Margot, she didn't see her sister or feel the pain Zelena had no doubt hoped she would. Instead, she saw Robin, she saw a little of herself but most of all, she saw the daughter she loved. Before their agreed check in date, Regina told Robin she wanted to be Margot's mother and she helped him file the appropriate paperwork to make it so.
And they had never looked back.
She took a deep breath before entering the hall, the bass shaking her and the music feeling like a blast in her face. Regina's eyes adjusted to the dark room and she soon spotted Robin standing with Henry and a fading Roland. The costume was coming at just the right moment – all the families were going to have to head home soon before the children all fell asleep on the floor.
The DJ lowered the music and grabbed his mic. "Alright, I'm gonna ask the house lights to come up so we can properly judge this costume contest."
A few moments later, the lights came up and everyone winced at the onslaught. Regina blinked a few times before she adjusted to it. The DJ then invited all the children under ten to go up to the stage. Roland perked up, heading up himself. He stood with the other children, proudly dressed as his legendary father. He held up his toy bow and arrow as he stood between a dragon and a little Snow White.
"Okay, Dr. Hopper," the DJ said. "It's time to look over the contestants and pick your top three."
Archie strolled down along the stage, looking each child over. He pretended to be scared when a child dressed as a monster acted scary. Once he got to the end of the line, he nodded to the DJ. The man walked over to him and handed him a mic. "First, I want to say that you should all be proud. You look amazing," he said.
Everyone else applauded them before he continued: "In third place, it's our little Robin Hood."
He motioned to Roland, who beamed as he stepped forward to accept his prize bag from Granny. Regina clapped while Robin let out a piercing whistle, underscored by whoops from his Merry Men. The dragon came in second while first went to a young girl dressed as the clocktower in the center of town. Everyone clapped again as the children returned to their parents. Robin hugged Roland. "Congrats," he said.
"Thanks, Papa," Roland grinned.
Henry went up with the next group, those who were ten to thirteen. Once he found his spot, he posed with his Captain American shield. Almost all the Avengers were represented in that category and Regina worried that would put him at a disadvantage. She held her breath as Archie looked everyone over. He awarded all the Avengers an honorable mention and she saw Henry try not to look crestfallen as he accepted the prize from Granny. Ultimately, a Marty McFly won third place, a Captain Hook took second and first went to a Cinderella.
Regina hugged Henry when he returned to them. "I would've given you first," she whispered.
"Thanks, Mom," he replied.
There weren't many teens in Storybrooke yet and none showed up to the Halloween party. So they went straight to solo adult costumes. Regina grew antsy, knowing the couples contest would be next. She straightened her skirts again and turned to Robin. "How are my horns?"
"Perfect," he assured her.
Archie awarded prizes to an Evil Queen (who Regina didn't think looked much like her at all), a vampire and someone who had dressed up as Granny. She gave that person a side-eye and Regina understood it well.
"And lastly, it's the couple's contest. All you matching duos or groups, come on up."
Robin handed Regina her pitchfork before taking her hand. They found a spot between Charming and Snow as well as Emma and Hook, who were dressed up as Princess Leia and Han Solo. "Good luck," Snow told the other two couples.
"You two," Robin replied as Emma nodded.
Archie walked along the line, chuckling and nodding as he passed each group. When he got to the Charmings, he paused and looked impressed. Regina's heart sank a bit, knowing they had just won. But when Archie glanced at them, his eyes lit up and he chuckled. That gave her some hope that they might place.
When he got to the end, he nodded. "I want to say that you all have wonderful costumes. There are some really creative people in Storybrooke," he said.
He then awarded third place to "Emma" and her yellow bug. Emma chuckled as she applauded. "I have to admit that was a good one," she said.
"You think one of them would've gone as me," Hook grumbled but they all pretty much ignored him.
"Second place goes to our angel and devil duo," Archie then announced, motioning to Robin and Regina. She let out a cheer, hugging Robin before they walked over to Granny.
Handing them their bag, Granny smiled. "I think this is really cute. Hero and villain, though Regina isn't so much a villain anymore, but we still get it."
"Thank you," Regina replied, feeling warm inside when Granny confirmed that people no longer saw her as a villain as she accepted their prize bag.
The Charmings won, just as she suspected. But she knew it was well-deserved as they had a creative idea and executed it well. Regina applauded their win, waiting with Robin for them to come get their prizes. "Congrats, you two. You had the best costume," she conceded to them.
"Thank you," Snow replied, "but we love yours, too. You and Robin make the perfect angel and devil duo."
Robin wrapped his arm around Regina. "Thank you."
"Well, this was a good way to end our evening," Charming said, taking the prize bag from Granny's. He turned to his wife. "We should get Neal and head home."
She nodded before turning to Regina and Robin. "Do you two want us to take your children home with us?"
"Oh," Regina replied, surprised by the offer. She looked at Robin, unsure of what the answer was. Part of her was ready to head home with their children but it was overpowered by the part that did want to stay and dance some more with him.
He grinned. "I'm okay with that if you are. Margot is asleep and won't wake for a few more hours."
She nodded, turning back to Snow. "Thank you. We'll owe you one."
"Yes, you will," Charming agreed with a wink. "But we'll collect later. You two have fun."
"You deserve it!" Snow added.
They headed over to Henry and Roland, telling them that they were going home with the Charmings. Henry asked to stay with Robin and Regina, arguing that he was old enough to stay up later. But Regina and Emma both agreed he was still a little too young for that so he had to go home. Though he was dejected, he nodded and hugged his mothers as well as Robin before shaking Hook's hand.
Regina went with Snow to get Margot all bundled up. She kissed her daughter's head before buckling her into her carrier and handing her along with the diaper bag to Snow. "Give us a call if she wakes up and is too fussy," she told her friend.
"I will but it will be fine," Snow assured her. "You and Robin just have some fun and relax. You never get much time to do that."
"No," Regina had to admit. Life was hectic enough raising three children before she added the fact that they lived in Storybrooke. There was a new adventure every week it seemed. "We don't."
Snow walked out with Margot while Charming carried Neal while Emma helped with the accessories for their costumes. Regina waved to them before returning to the hall. She found Robin talking with his men and approached him as the DJ put on a slow song.
"Can I have this dance?" she asked.
He turned away from his men and smiled. "You may."
The Merry Men congratulated them and they thanked them before heading to the dance floor. Robin pulled her close and she wrapped her arms around his neck, swaying with him. "You make a very sexy angel," she told him.
"Well, I do have a very sexy influence," he teased her, smirking at her.
She laughed as they continued to dance. After a few moments, he said: "You know, I think next year we should dress up as each other – you go as me and I'll go as you."
"Enchanted Forest or Storybrooke?" she asked, needing some clarification.
He bit his lip before saying: "Your choice."
She smirked, imagining him dressed up in one of her tight skirt suits and walking around in a pair of heels. And then she would get to wear one of his hoodies all night long without having to pretend she didn't swipe it from his drawer this time.
But she also really wanted to see him dressed in one of her Evil Queen gowns. She was going to need to think about it so she just said: "I'll think about it and we can discuss it later."
He nodded, pulling her even closer. She hugged him as they continued to slowly turn on the floor. Regina buried her head in the crook of his neck, taking in his familiar and soothing forest scent. She considered herself blessed to have him in her life, to love and be loved by him and to raise a family together. Even though it had been a long time since the Underworld, she still recalled how dangerous their lives could be and how quickly she could lose him. And so she treasured each day with him and every plan they were able to make as well as keep.
She hoped she never took it for granted.
The music changed and they parted. Robin smiled, reaching for her again as they started to adjust to the faster pace. She laughed, ready to get lost in a couple more hours of fun with the man she loved, their neighbors and their friends.
It was the best Halloween yet.