The Road to Forever ~ The Sequel to Modern Fairytale

Talk of the Town

Robin tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable. If he did sleep, it was interrupted by unpleasant dreams. Regina, on the other hand, chose not to sleep at all. She worried about her lover as he struggled beside her, wanting so desperately to be inside his head so she may put his mind at ease. She held him as he cried through nightmares and played with his hair to soothe him back to sleep. She held him close, whispering softly to comfort him or to talk whenever he gave up on closing his eyes.

"How am I supposed to tell Roland?" He asked her as the sun began to rise above the island of Manhattan.

She sighed, pulling him closer and continuing to work her fingers through his wavy locks, "Tell him the truth."

"It's easier said than done," he muttered, frustrated by the entire situation.

"You're right," she nodded before adding, "But you can't keep it from him. There's no easy way to tell someone this kind of news and there's no way to know how he will react. All I can tell you is that I'm here for you. I'll do everything I can to make this bearable for both of you."

"Perhaps you could tell him. That would make my life a helluva lot easier," he teased.

She chuckled and kissed his temple, "I'll be there when you do it. And he isn't alone. He has Henry. He'll know what to do when we don't, especially in a situation like this. Henry lost Daniel. I'm sure he can help Roland through this the way I'm helping you."

"That's a lot of pressure to put on the lad."

"Perhaps," she said, "But you heard the way he talked about Roland to the jury; he's protective. He'll jump on the opportunity to take care of him without us having to ask. I think this will be a lot easier than you're expecting."

Robin nodded with a yawn, "You're probably right."

"Of course I am," she smirked, snuggling closer to him as he rested his head on her chest, "Now get some rest."

"I'll probably just wake up again," he murmured, already beginning to close his eyes.

"Then I'll be here to soothe you back to sleep," she replied.

He leaned his chin on her chest as he peered up at her. She looked down, smiling as she gazed into his watery blue eyes; they looked more like the ocean than ever before as they glistened with sleepiness and the remnants of his tears. He kissed her tenderly on her lips, wanting to show her all the gratitude he could muster in that one simple gesture. She reciprocated her affections for him as she deepened the kiss, but only slightly. Although she was always aroused by his gentle touches, it wasn't the right time. After what happened the year before when Marian returned, she knew his mind needed to rest before his body could be exposed to her again. But Regina respected that and knew she would wait as long as it takes.

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That morning, Regina heard the sounds of Roland's little feet moving around in the apartment. She smirked as she listened; first to the bathroom, then to the living room where the sound of Saturday morning cartoons could be heard. After a few minutes, she heard him sneaking into the kitchen, obviously hungry, but not wanting to wake up his parents after the busy week they had. She looked over at Robin sound asleep beside her and decided she would give him the time to rest. She removed herself from the blankets, leaning over to kiss his head gently before getting out of bed and wrapping her robe around her satin nighty. She ruffled her hair a bit as she yawned, not needing to brush it since it was so short. She could get used to the short hair. It was different and nothing she'd ever thought about doing, but it was simple and she could really work it if she wanted to.

She sauntered down the hall and found her son leaning into the refrigerator for the almond milk. It was rather full, causing it to be much heavier than he'd expected, but he was determined to get it on his own. She smiled and leaned her body against the wall, watching him intently and prepared to clean up any mess he caused. He held the carton close to his body and kicked the door closed before carefully lifting it onto the island. He finally spotted Regina watching him out of the corner of his eye and smiled, his dimples beaming with pride, "I was hungry. I hope I didn't wake you up."