The pain was unlike anything Regina had ever experienced, and she was sure she was keeping half of Sherwood awake with her cries - though in the midst of the pain she didn't really care and she certainly wouldn't be the first woman in the final stages of labor to have done so.

There were several people around her - Robin had never once left her side, the midwife was constantly checking her progress, John was standing off to the side after Regina had yelled at him for some reason she could no longer remember, and there was Meredith who had just recently had her own first child and whom Regina had asked to be there to help calm her nerves with the whole process.

As the pain grew worse and she began to forget who exactly was with her and instead focused more on the fact she was firmly being supported by their arms, she began to think of Snow. She would have loved for Snow to have been here with her, to meet the child that was technically - depending on how you looked at the situation - her step-sibling.

But Snow hadn't taken to Sherwood well. With the Queen's oppression, Sherwood had soon become the busy and bustling place Regina had remembered it as. People from all over the kingdom flocked to the refuge as their families and livelihoods were threatened.

The situation was not a happy one. People were terrified of the new Queen and her effect on their lives. But Regina couldn't help taking some joy in the communal life she had previously found herself so well suited for. She had people to care for regularly and people to in turn care for her. Life became a daily routine of people reaching out to help one another, and Regina reveled in it. It was the life she had missed and had thought she would never see again.

But when the death of the King came, and the Queen placed a bounty on Snow's head, the common people started looking to Snow to reclaim the throne. The pressure was difficult, but Regina knew even more difficult for Snow was reconciling her responsibility in Eric's death.

Snow thanked her and Robin for everything they had done for her but said she needed to be on her own. Robin thought her foolish, that she was sure to get herself captured or killed on her own. But Regina understood her need for solitude. And so, with some difficultly and much worry for her safety, Regina and Robin gave her some supplies and took her the safest route from Sherwood before offering their goodbyes. They could do nothing else for her, and they hadn't seen her since.

Often, Regina's thoughts had gone to Snow and she had wondered what struggles the girl had faced. Whatever they may have been, Regina thought as she took support in the arms around her and bore down against the pain, she couldn't have faced anything as bad as this.

Despite the terror the reign of the new Queen held, Sherwood had offered a more stable life for Regina and Robin than Nottingham. With so many people willing to help one another, neither she nor Robin had needed to hold so much responsibility on their own. They'd been able to spend more time with each other and worry less about what the coming days would hold. Regina had settled in nicely, and her desire to have family grew stronger.

When she'd approached her husband about having a child, he had cautioned her to wait, that though their lives had stabilized, the political situation had not. There was no telling what the future held, and it might not be a wise decision to bring a child into it until they had a better idea. She had agreed with his wisdom for a time. But after watching one happy family after another gain a child of their own, Regina reached a point where she couldn't wait any longer.

She cried out again, wondering how her body didn't split in two from the trauma of it all. She pushed down hard, wanting so badly to end it all. She couldn't even remember in that moment why having a child had seemed like a good idea.

She took a moment to breathe. The midwife and Meredith both told her how wonderful she doing and how she was nearly done. Robin was kissing the side of her head. She had half a mind to tell them all to go away with how tired and fed up she was with this ordeal, but on the other hand she didn't know how she'd get through this without them.

The pain started once more and she bore down again, crying out at the end. But then she felt the relief wash over her as the pain diminished and she heard the baby's cries.

"It's a boy," said the midwife. She quickly wrapped the child in blankets and handed him to his mother.

Regina took the babe and let herself lean back into Robin's arms. She was overcome with wonder and love by this tiny thing she held. He was so small, but he had some strands of dark hair on his head like his mother and she could see he had also inherited her brown eyes. He had his father's nose.

She heard Robin sniff behind her as he reached out a hand toward his son. Meredith squeezed Regina's arm. "He's beautiful," she said. And then she left to give the couple some privacy, pulling John with her, while the midwife finished up her work.

Whatever thoughts the pain had made her think, Regina felt now as she held her child in her arms that it was all worth it. She had never seen something so beautiful nor felt so joyous. However extensive the troubles outside Sherwood, Regina held no fears of them. How could she worry when in that moment everything felt so perfect?

"Happy birthday, Roland," she whispered as she kissed the tiny boy on the head.


Roland grew into every bit the bright and bouncing young boy Regina had imagined. He was the joy of her life. Although sometimes when she looked at him, in little moments when the angle and lighting was just right, he reminded her strongly of Eric and she felt some fear in her heart.

The Queen's wrath had been terrible, and Regina often wondered how things might of been if Eric hadn't died. Would Ursula have kept the king alive? Would she have lashed out so harshly against the people? How far would her thirst for power have taken her if she hadn't had her anger at Eric's death behind it?

Although she knew Ursula tirelessly hunted Snow, she often wondered what Ursula's feelings toward herself were. Did Ursula hate her just as vehemently? She hadn't released the blow that killed Eric, but she had been in the room. How many times had she played that scene over and over in her head wondering if there was something she could have done to stop it?

Did Ursula think the same? Did she somehow hold her responsible for simply having been there? Ursula had released the bandits into Nottingham, but it was uncertain if that act was to get at Robin or simply a political maneuver. What would Ursula do if she ever saw her again? Would she want vengeance? Would she try to take from her everything she held dear?

And then Regina chided herself for such thoughts. Ursula's wrath was not a personal worry - it effected everyone. All the people worried for their safety and their families. All of them wondered if they would ever be able to return to their normal lives. None of them wanted to meet the Queen face to face. Regina would recognize that she was being selfish, and she would push her thoughts from her mind.

As Roland grew, news spread of Snow White returning to the kingdom with plans to take back the throne. The people rose up, Robin and Regina included, to join her. And Ursula was overthrown. Joy and peace returned to the land, but it wasn't to last long. Many people didn't know what to make of Ursula's threat at Snow's wedding. The former Queen had been made powerless, but her words had been terrifying.

When Regina saw the cloud of purple smoke drifting through the forest toward their home, she knew it was Ursula's revenge come to take everything from them. She ran into the cabin where Robin and little Roland were gathered. Robin ran to the windows, trying to size the enemy, but there was nothing that could be done.

The family huddled together in the middle of the room, holding on to one another and vowing to not let go no matter what may happen. Regina closed her eyes, tightened her hand on Robin's, and buried her face in Roland's hair as the cloud overtook them. At first, she felt nothing. And then a deep emptiness overtook her, and whatever she'd been trying so hard to hold on to, she forgot.


The next installment of this trilogy, chronologically, is called "Vacation in Storybrooke," which is actually a companion to the trilogy as it doesn't include Robin or Regina at all. But, it explains how the curse is broken and focuses around Neal, Emma, and Henry as a family.

Or, if you just want more Regina and Robin, you can go straight to the final installment, called, "A New Life" that takes place after the curse has broken. You can find both fics on my profile.