Work Text:
One of Us
Regina smiled as she passed the familiar blue sign, its white letters proclaiming Welcome to Storybrooke. She looked at her passenger, saying: “We’re home.”
“Be it ever so humble,” Robin quipped, grinning at her. He reached out and took her hand. “While that bed and breakfast was lovely and relaxing and while I enjoyed our honeymoon immensely, I’m really glad to be back with our boys and our friends.”
She nodded, feeling her cheeks heat up as she remembered how they had spent most of the week. Thankfully the bed and breakfast staff hadn’t expected any couple in their honeymoon suite to emerge often, only asking that they let housekeeping in at least once a day. Robin and Regina had taken then to having breakfast in the dining hall but eating all their other meals in the room, where no one cared if they were just in bathrobes.
Her heart skipped a beat as a familiar giddiness filled her at the fact that she was Mrs. Robin Hood. Well, Mrs. Robin Locksley-Mills. He had decided to drop “of” in his name and use his birthplace as his last name in this Land Without Magic. She had debated whether she wanted to take his name or not, proud of the last name she had created for herself when she cast the Dark Curse but also proud to bear the name of her soulmate. In the end, Henry had been the one to suggest hyphenating so that she could carry both names.
Regina glanced at her husband, meeting his eyes and smiling at him. She then returned her attention to the road, recognizing the area. “The Merry Men’s camp is around here. Do you want me to drop you off so you can say hi to them?” she asked.
“Thanks, but I want to go home and see Roland and Henry first,” he said. “Then I’ll see my men.”
She nodded, eager to get home to their sons too. Regina was also eager to get rid of their babysitters—one in particular. “God only knows how Snow has redecorated in our absence. I need to make sure she hasn’t put up any other ghastly bird paintings.”
“You know she wouldn’t dare,” he replied. “You threatened her with several new jinxes if she tried, remember?”
Their eyes met again, fondness and amusement dancing in his blue ones. She smiled as she nodded. “True. But I still worry.”
“Henry wouldn’t let her do it either,” he added.
“He is a good boy who is fond of his grandmother,” she agreed, turning onto Mifflin Street. Excitement filled her. They were almost home.
She slammed on the brakes as she got to her house, pitching Robin forward. His seatbelt locked up, pushing him back into his seat as he let out a little cry. Rubbing his chest, he looked at her. “Regina? What’s wrong?”
Regina didn’t answer. Instead, she unbuckled her seatbelt and jumped out of her car. She slammed the door before marching toward her fence, anger and confusion flooding her. Throwing open the gate, she yelled: “WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO MY YARD?”
Tents were pitched in what had been her perfectly manicured lawn. Clotheslines stretched between the trees on her property, all types and sizes of men’s clothing hanging from them. Arrows, knives and a couple swords lay near one tent alongside jars of polish and soiled rags. A large fire burned dangerously close to her house, the flames boiling something in a large cast iron cauldron. Regina didn’t know if it was for food or for laundry and she didn’t want to find out. She just wanted it off her yard, away from her house.
At the sound of her voice, several Merry Men emerged from their tents. They smiled and whopped as one shouted: “Robin’s home!”
“Hello, lads,” her husband greeted, now standing next to her. She glanced over at him, noticing his brows were knitted and he frowned, meaning he was just as confused as she was. It also meant that she didn’t have to throttle him along with his men.
She crossed her arms. “I’m still waiting for an answer.”
“We’ve made camp,” Much explained. “The Merry Men go wherever Robin goes. Since he lives here now, so do we.”
Fan-fucking-tastic.
“I knew marrying you was a package deal but I thought it was just Roland. I didn’t realize the Merry Men were part of it!” Regina paced the length of her dining room, the sliding doors shut and the curtains drawn. She needed space and quiet to sort this all out.
Robin stood by her liquor cabinet, pouring them both glasses of whiskey. He stopped, crystal decanter in one hand and its stopper in the other, and frowned. “You didn’t?” he asked, sounding almost hurt.
Annoyance flared up inside her and she briefly wondered if maybe he had known his men were going to set up camp on her lawn. She pushed it down though as a little voice told her that the Merry Men were part of the package and she had known that. They were his friends, his brothers, his family. All of them had helped to raise Roland after Marian’s passing. Over the course of many years and adventures, they shared a special bond with Robin that couldn’t be broken. She did understand and appreciate that.
She had slowly started to build relationships with his Merry Men because of how important they were to Robin. After all, he had formed bonds with the people important to her—Snow, Charming, Emma, and she guessed she could include Hook in that group. It only seemed fair that she tried to get to know the people who were important to the man she loved. And in their own ways, the Merry Men were starting to become important to her as well.
Little John was always willing to be a guinea pig when she tried a new recipe and gave her his honest opinion. He had a relatively refined palette and she enjoyed talking about food with him.
She and Alan ended up having similar taste in music. Regina gave him one of her old iPods so he could listen to music when he was at camp and they often went to a local bar where an 80s cover band liked to play. Alan ended up joining them and she loved to support him along with Robin.
Tuck proved to be a good confidant and counselor. He had an easy way about him and Regina never felt judged when talking to him. Besides dispensing sage advice, he often could figure out some of the underlying issues she didn’t talk about and provide counsel about them as well. And he was always ready to reassure her when she needed someone who wasn’t Robin or Henry or Snow to do so.
While she didn’t have as strong a relationship with the other Merry Men (and in truth, couldn’t remember a third of their names), she was trying. And they were too. Or at least, they no longer glared at her whenever she entered their camp or gave her a wide berth. She figured that was progress and though she doubted she would ever be accepted, she could settle with tolerated.
“Wrong choice of words,” she said, walking closer to him. “They're already permanent fixtures in our lives and I knew marriage would only strength that. But that doesn’t mean they can live in our yard.”
He handed her one of the glasses before taking a sip of his whiskey. “I agree.”
“Thank you,” she replied, relieved. She thought he would but part of her worried he would try to advocate for letting them stay. “I know you are used to living with them and this is your house too, so I understand if you would want them to live with us...”
“Gods, no,” he said, snorting. “It was fine when I was single and when I needed help with Roland. Now that I’m married, I want to focus on you and our family. I love them but they can be a very needy lot sometimes. I will spend time with them during the day like usual, take my usual night to patrol once a week but then I need to leave them and come home to you and the boys.”
She set her glass down and hugged him, holding him tightly. “I love the sound of that.”
He hummed and she heard his glass clink as he set it down. Robin wrapped his arms around her, kissing the side of her head. “I love you.”
Robin released her with a sigh. He picked up his glass again, taking a sip. “I guess I should go tell my men to break down here and set up camp at our old spot again. They can deal with a little separation.”
He headed for the doors as several thoughts raced through her mind. All of them were about the Merry Men and how much change they had gone through already. She knew that unlike Robin, they had been slower to embrace life in Storybrooke. It was why they all still lived in a camp in the woods despite several attempts to get them into proper housing—though Regina suspected she would have better luck next winter now that they had experienced how harsh Maine’s winters could be, even seeking shelter during the worst of the season.
They had given up thievery, though. Instead, they helped the people of Storybrooke through manual labor. For men who barely understood cars, they were excellent at doing roadwork and making other repairs to the town’s infrastructure. Regina was very to have them on payroll as the town’s roving construction crew, the group always eager to help fix something to make people’s lives better. And they also patrolled the woods for her, making sure nothing or no one dangerous haunted it, ready to strike at the people of Storybrooke.
Robin was still their leader in Storybrooke, overseeing their work and their patrols. However, there were still times he got pulled into whatever adventure Regina got dragged into by the others. Things had mostly been quiet since the Final Battle with the Black Fairy but the odd nemesis still popped up here or there. Apparently Regina wasn’t the only one who amassed a collection of enemies.
Whenever they ran off on those adventures, the Merry Men were often left behind to take care of the town along with Granny, Dr. Hopper and the dwarves. She could imagine that they felt their leader drifting away from them. Especially as Robin had told her about how he had left the Merry Men briefly after marrying Marian, wanting to try to build an honest life for his new wife. No doubt they feared he would do the same now that he married Regina.
Regina raced from the room, heart racing as she watched Robin grasp the hand of their front door. “Wait!” she called out.
“Regina?” His hand fell back to his side and he turned to face her, frowning. “What’s wrong?”
“I think we need to talk with your men,” she said, approaching him. “Marriage is about compromise, right?”
His brows knitted again and he frowned. “Yes, but you married me, not my men.”
“Package deal, remember?” She smiled, resting her hand on his heart. “I haven’t always been good at sharing but I know I have to share you with him. So let’s work out something that benefits all of us.”
Robin cupped the back of her head, his fingers entwining in her hair as he smiled fondly at her. “I’ll go get Little John and Tuck. And Regina? Thank you for working with my men.”
“They’re your family as much as we are,” she replied. “It’s only right.”
He kissed her before heading outside, fetching his two most trusted men. Regina returned to the dining room, getting some drinks out for everyone while they talked. She was confident they could come up with an arrangement that worked for everyone.
The Merry Men agreed to move off Robin and Regina’s lawn and return their camp to their old site in the woods. Robin agreed to spend one night a month in the camp with them, a chance for them all to catch up and have some fun together. He usually brought Roland with him as the boy was always excited to spend time with his uncles. Sometimes he also brought Henry, who enjoyed camping out under the stars.
When the winter came, Regina was able to convince the Merry Men to relocated to Jefferson’s abandoned house in the woods. They were eager to get out of the cold and were happy they could all stay together. Robin and Roland still continued their monthly visits, which the men appreciated.
Regina and Robin also made it clear that the Merry Men were always welcome at their house—within reason. They understood that they couldn’t just barge in whenever they liked to help themselves to her food or to visit with Robin. After he had explained himself, they understood and respected that Robin wanted privacy with his wife and their family. But if they asked, they were usually allowed to visit and Regina tried to invite them for a big dinner every couple of months.
She also bought them all Christmas gifts, even if she grumbled about how much her budget had gone up. It was worth it, though, when she saw their faces light up as they opened their presents.
A couple years into their marriage, Robin and Regina adopted a baby daughter who they named Sylvie. Henry and Roland were thrilled to have a baby sister and doted on her. She had all the Merry Men wrapped around her little fingers, the men tripping over themselves to offer to help in anyway Robin or Regina needed. Though she had had some misgivings at first, she realized that they all had raised Roland so she figured she could trust her daughter with them for a few hours. It was a big help when she needed to get errands done or needed to clean the house or just napped. Sylvie was always returned fed, changed and cuddled.
When the weather was warm enough and Sylvie not so little anymore, the Merry Men threw a proper welcome party for her at their camp. Regina happily accompanied her husband and sons there so that she could watch her daughter become the littlest Merry Man. “After all, they come in all shapes and sizes,” Tuck said, rocking the girl. “Bring out the scroll!”
“There’s a scroll?” Regina asked.
Robin nodded. “It’s a piece of parchment we’ve all signed to pledge ourselves to each other and the code I established.”
“Sylvie is a bit young to sign anything,” she pointed out.
He laughed. “We’ll do the same as I did for Roland—I wrote his name in the book. When he’s old enough, he can choose to sign for himself. The same for Sylvie.”
She smiled. “That sounds nice.”
Little John approached with a leather roll. He tipped it and a yellowed piece of parchment fell into his hand. Kneeling down, he unrolled it and laid it on a tree stump they had smoothed out to form a table of sorts. Much then set down an inkpot and quill, making everything official.
Tuck turned to Robin. “You ready?”
“I am,” he said, releasing Regina. He took Honor from Tuck’s arms and cradled her in the crook of one arm. Picking up the quill, he dipped it in the ink and wrote her name on the parchment. “Sylvie Honor Locksley-Mills, I promise to raise you according to our code. To teach you to be honorable, brave and true, to never hurt those less fortunate then you but to help them instead. Welcome to the Merry Men, my darling.”
He kissed her forehead as she slept in his arm, unaware of the momentous happenings going on around her. Regina felt a lump form in her throat as she watched and her heart nearly burst over how loved their little girl was.
“I think it’s time we right a wrong too,” Tuck said. “There is a Merry Man we should’ve welcomed long ago and we didn’t.”
Confusion filled Regina and she looked around, wondering who hadn’t been welcomed. She then realized everyone was looking at her and it slowly dawned on her just as Robin held out the quill to her. He smiled at her. “Well?”
“You...You consider me to be a Merry Man?” she asked, looking at all of them. One by one, they all nodded.
Little John stepped closer, grinning. “We didn’t get off on the right foot but you worked to build a relationship with us, slowly allowing us to see what Robin sees in you. And over time, you became one of us—and not just because you married our leader.”
“What do you say, Regina?” Tuck asked. “Do you want to make it official?”
Her heart full of love and not trusting herself to speak for fear she would just start sobbing, she nodded. She took the quill from Robin and stepped up to the parchment. Robin stayed by her side, smiling as he asked: “Do you promise to live your life according to our code? To help people to the best of your abilities? To be loyal to your fellow Merry Men and everything we stand for?”
“I do,” she said, her voice squeaking a bit. She dipped the quill into the inkpot and signed her name under daughter’s as the Merry Men cheered around her.
She set the quill down and straightened up, kissing her husband as the sun shone down on them. Alan started playing a lively tune and the party continued with some dancing. Little John rolled up the scroll, promising Henry to take it out in a couple years so he could sign it once he was eighteen. Though Henry was a little disappointed to have to wait so long, he soon was distracted when Much challenged him to a friendly archery contest. Robin called out that he would play the winner as he slid Sylvie into Regina’s arms.
Rocking her daughter, Regina couldn’t help but remember when she had been lonely and isolated, only dreaming of the friendship the Merry Men shared. She also couldn’t help but remember what she had told Henry when he hadn’t known who she was and realized it now applied to her.
She had more family than she ever expected.