The Road to Forever ~ The Sequel to Modern Fairytale

Ghosts of the Past

Regina lay naked on her back staring up at the ceiling. Robin came into the bedroom after gathering her lotion from her vanity and straddled himself above her. He squeezed the liquid into the palm of his hands and peered down at her, "How do you feel?"

"Better than before," she replied with a sigh, her mind still reeling from their previous conversation. It felt good to be free of her tight dress, but the pain still lingered in her lower abdomen.

He gently placed his hands on her hip bones and massaged soothing circles over his pelvis. He moved down over her thighs and back up to rub her stomach. He watched her face for a reaction of pain or discomfort, but she released a breath of relief upon his touch. He smiled, "How's this?"

"Perfect. Thank you," she muttered, closing her eyes to bask in the moment.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"Not at all," she replied.

He continued this pattern, switching between his palms and fingertips, but was careful not to press down too hard or cause her any discomfort. He ran his fingers along her protruding belly and wondered if perhaps a miracle might have occurred between them.

"Regina?" He asked, keeping his hands over her lower abs. She hummed to let him know she was listening before he continued, "Do you think there's a possibility that--"

He paused, unsure how to word the thought that was racing through his mind. She opened her eyes and saw him gazing down at her stomach. She caught the glimmer of hope that was twinkling in his icy blue irises and wished for a brief moment that what he was thinking could be possible.

"No," she whispered, the disappointment evident in her tone. She saw his shoulders shrink, sharing in that disappointment with her, and she added, "I wish."

He looked up, catching her chocolate brown orbs when he said, "Really?"

She nodded with a soft smile, placing her hands over his for comfort, "A child with you would be incredible compared to what really lies ahead for me."

"You're thinking the worst, Regina. It could be something that can be easily fixed."

"Or something life threatening," she said, her tone calm yet riddled with truth, "I need to be realistic, Robin."

"Why not allow yourself to be unrealistic for one night?" He asked, leaning down and placing sweet kisses to her bloated belly.

She couldn't help, but smile at his actions. She had to admit, it was a wonderful thought; it gave her hope. She knew deep down this wasn't some miracle baby. But the misguided notion that it could be was enough to bring the joy back to her face for even just a second. He crawled up so their faces were parallel, holding himself above her to avoid unnecessary tension to her midsection. She ran her fingers through his hair, "Girl or boy?"

"Girl. We've had our fair share of testosterone for one lifetime," he teased, thrilled that his joke was bringing the happiness back to Regina's eyes. He kissed the tip of her nose before adding, "She'd look exactly like you, but with my blue eyes."

"You'll be sitting at the door with your bow to scare her boyfriends," she chuckled, thoroughly enjoying their moment of make believe.