#some dancing

"There’s no reason not to announce now," Snow insists, her hand over her belly, and her brow furrowed. She’s still shaking a bit from the encounter with Zelena, but there’s a stubborn petulance in her tone, and it’s one that Regina knows well from the years that she’d spent raising Snow so long ago. That voice, that posture and that look all means Snow is determined.

She’s going to do what she’s going to do come hell or high-water.

And her husband has every intention of supporting her. So he looks at Belle and Regina and then back at his wife and nods her head, “We announce.”

Regina sighs loudly, dramatically and it’s better than screaming at the realization that Zelena is stronger than her and that defeating her sister just might be impossible. It’s better than letting them all know just how afraid she is that she won’t be able to protect her son’s family from her past.

"Fine," she drawls. "I suppose you’ll want to throw a ball to announce it."

It’s meant as a bit of a passive aggressive shot, but then Snow grins.

"Regina," she says. "I think that’s a wonderful idea."

"You would," she mutters.

"She’s right," David agrees.

"Do you know any other words than those ones?"

"I know how to say -"

"David," Snow says, but she’s grinning in that infuriating way she does when she’s happy about the interactions she sees. She likes how her husband and her…whatever Regina is to her…have seemed to repair their relationship to the point where they can now take harmless digs at each other and there’s no damage done or bad feelings left over afterwards.

"I agree with them," Belle says, speaking up for the first time. "She’s trying to frighten us and intimidate us. She killed Neal -" her face contorts for a moment before she adds in a quieter voice, "And she has Rumple. We have to let her know that that doesn’t mean that she’s beat us. We have to let her know that we plan to fight her and get back what was taken away."

There’s a desperation there, a need to be strong even when she plainly doesn’t feel it. Her chin is up and she’s staring at Regina, almost daring her to take this small bit of hope that she’s clinging to away from her.

It’s not so much hope as a pretty lie that she’s telling herself.

But Regina finds that she lacks the desire to crush the lie.

So much has changed.

Almost everything.

"Fine," she says. "Let’s have your ball, Snow. Let’s piss of Zelena."

*** ***

The ball is obnoxious and extravagant, and almost everyone within the nearby kingdoms has been invited to attend and celebrate the pregnancy.

Because apparently these people really do buy into this sunny hope crap.

And by these people, she means the Thief as well.

Since he lives in the castle with them, that means he’s here as well.

Smiling at her as he approaches, his eyebrow up.

"Lovely night for a party," he greets, his eyes on the strings of lights.

"Pretty sure Snow’s never found a night that wasn’t lovely for a party."

He chuckles at that. Then, growing serious, “I heard what happened earlier. With Philip and Aurora. And your sister. You seem worried.”

"She froze me. I couldn’t fight her," she answers, her eyes on David and Snow as they dance together in the middle of the massive room. She doesn’t know why she’s telling Robin this, thinks that she should know better because talking to him only invites him in and she’s trying so very hard to keep this particular man - this particularly dangerous man - out.

But the words are spilling from his lips and he’s just nodding his head.

"We’ll figure out a way," he says.

"You sound like them. Full of foolish empty hope."

"I don’t consider hope to be empty for one," he corrects. "But nor do I believe my confidence to be so. You’re an impressive woman, Regina, and perhaps the Witch appears to be stronger than you now, but there will come a time when that isn’t the case and you - we - will defeat her."

"What makes you so sure? So sure of me?" she asks, turning towards him.

"You don’t lose," he answers.

She laughs bitterly. “I’ve lost plenty. And always ended up alone.”

"Not this time. You won’t be alone in this fight and we will win. She underestimates you; it doesn’t took a fool to see that for the mistake it is."

"Perhaps you overestimate me."

He smiles and there’s something almost tender in the look - something that frightens her because it would be so easy to step towards him, towards those eyes that seem to continue to draw her in - “That’s not possible.”

She swallows hard and looks back towards Snow and David, watching as they spin each other and laugh, somehow able to still find enjoyment.

Somehow still able to laugh and remember how to live.

"Care to join them?" Robin asks, his hand out towards her.

"We’ve danced already," she reminds him, thinking back to a spin that they’d taken around the dance-floor after Rapunzel’s return to her family.

"Are we only allowed one? Will something terrible happen if you dance with me twice in a lifetime?" He shakes his head. "Because I’m guessing not."

"I might finally lose my patience with you completely," she answers.

"Certainly possible, but if it will halt that, I promise to behave myself."

"That would require you to be silent," she tells him, eyebrow up.

He tilts his head and smirks at her and then flexes his fingers. She sighs and takes his hand, letting him be the one to lead and guide this time.

She knows better but she’s tired and so in those moments, while the music is swelling and she feels almost safe, she lets herself relax against his body.

If he’d been expecting their usual fight for control, he immediately realizes otherwise and he adjusts quickly, accepting her frame against his, his arms circling her as he pulls her head to his shoulder and slowly glides with her.

He thinks she must so terribly exhausted to be allowing this closeness.

Robin opens his mouth to reassure her again, to promise her that they will make it through this, but then Regina’s hand is gripping his forearm and somehow he just knows that what she needs from him isn’t words. What she needs right now is to just be reminded that she’s not all alone here.

So he holds her and he dances with her and for a moment, it’s just them.

There are sounds around them and music playing and he hears laughter somewhere far off to the sound, but all he is aware of is her breathing.

And the sound of her heart pounding.

He closes his eyes and just lets them sway together, just lets them be.

The music ends, then, and he can sense her retreating before he feels it and as much as it hurts, he’s not surprised to see her pulling away from him and dashing from the room with as much dignity as she can muster.

He thinks she hears her mutter out a cursory note of gratitude, something meant to try to make a moment of accepted peace less than it was.

But he’d heard her sigh against him and felt her relaxing in his arms.

He wishes he could give her more than that.

He can’t, though; she won’t allow it, won’t allow him to get further in.

In fact, she’ll probably push him back away again after tonight.

One step forward, five steps back.

It’s the story of them, Robin thinks.

Maybe one day after the witch is defeated and Regina has given herself permission to live once again - and it’s such a foolish hope to have, even he knows this to be the case - they can have a different story together.

Such a foolish hope, yes.

He has it, anyway.

*** ***

"Don’t," Regina says immediately, not even needing to turn to know that Snow has followed her out of the ball and is now watching her with worry.

"Come back inside," Snow pleads. "The night’s not over."

"It is for me."

"Regina -"

"Snow, this is your baby. Your…celebration. Enjoy it."

"It’s not…I want you there. This hope, it’s for more than just us."

"Which exactly why I shouldn’t be there. Because I don’t have any."

"You looked like maybe you did for just a moment there."

"While I was dancing with -"

"Robin."

Regina scowls at that. “It was just a dance. It meant…it meant nothing.”

"Come back inside. Please."

"Why? Why does it matter if I celebrate with you? You have everyone."

"It matters. You…you matter to me."

Regina shakes her head, hiding the thick emotion in the movement, Or at least trying to because her eyes are misting over. “Fine,” she says softly.

"Thank you," Snow says. And then steps out of the way so that Regina can enter the ballroom in front of her, her head held high and dignity intact.

Perhaps it’s because she’s behind Regina that she notices the look that passed between Regina and Robin when he sees her come in. Something that looks like fear from Regina and concern from Robin. But then Regina is looking away from him and turning away, too and Snow thinks that this man has somehow climbed his way beneath Regina’s armor even if she doesn’t realize it. And if Regina does realize it - if she has become aware of how close Robin has gotten, Snow hopes that he has the strength to be strong enough to convince a brokenhearted queen that she’s worth loving.

He’s going to need that strength.

They all are.

But that, Snow thinks with a smile reappearing on her lips as she sees David say something to Regina that makes her laugh in response, is for another night. On this night, all she cares to focus on is what they have.

Because it's what they have.

And it's what they will defeat Zelena with.

Of that, Snow White has no doubt.

Only hope and faith.

For her, even if not yet Regina, that's all she needs.