Let down your dark hair

15.

Storybrooke:

"Shh, it will be okay, Gina. You know how much he loves you even if you aren't his daughter by blood. Blood doesn't make a family. Love does." Mary tried to sooth her little sister and it seemed to work for her sobbing subsided.

"Then why is Mother part of the family? She doesn't love us. She never did!" she asked seriously, looking her sister straight in the eyes.

The teacher sighed and took the younger girl's hand. "You love her and that's why. I know she isn't the best mother to you but I'm sure she loves you just as much as you love her. She just can't show it." she whispered and Regina nodded slowly. However her older sister could tell she wasn't convinced.

"I can't believe she hit Henry. That was so unfair. He just wanted to defend me." the bald girl said in a worried tone as her little brother entered the room.

He held an ice pack against his bruised cheek and sat on the big bed too. With swollen, red eyes and dried tears on his cheeks he went to hug his sisters tightly.

"How are you feeling?" Regina asked and ran a hand through his brown curls.

"It hurts! Does it feel like this when she does this with you?" he asked and stroked over her own bruised cheek.

She sighed and  rubbed over his back lovingly. "It does but I got used to it. The first time it happens is always the worst but it gets better." Regina said honestly while tears gathered in her eyes.

"I didn't want her to be mean to you. She really is evil. How are you feeling? You didn't eat that much." the little boy asked concerned.

Mary didn't like where the conversation was going. A ten year old boy shouldn't concern himself with such things. But she knew he knew far too many things already that he shouldn't but with Cora as mother she wasn't surprised.

Suddenly Regina stood up and ran to the bathroom that was attached to her room. Mary ran after her and saw her sister emptying her stomach over the toilet. Her first thought was to hold back her sister's hair however she then remembered that there wasn't any hair to hold back anymore.

The fair skinned woman crunched down to the young girl and rubbed over her back.

"Shh, it's okay. Should I get Dad or even Mother? Do you need anything?" Regina only shook her head before the next wave of nauseuse hit her.

After she was finished Mary wiped her mouth with a wet wash cloth and helped her to her feet. Henry was worried. He had never expierenced a pregnant woman before but he knew about morning sickness.

"Why is it called morning sickness if you get it at any time?" he asked confused and frowned.

His sisters chulked at that as they rentered the room. "No idea. I never thought about it that way." Regina laughed, rubbing over her upset stomach.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, Henry. I've had worse." he nodded thinking about his book. There wasn't much about her past before she met Robin but he saw her scarred back once when he was in her room and she was changing into her pj's.

"You should go to bed now. After all you have school in the morning." Mary reminded him before kissing him goodnight.

She changed into one of Regina's pj's that were a little too tight but she didn't mind. Regina did also but with a little difficulty since even her new pj's seemed too tight for her.

"You are starting to show." MM remarked and stood behind Regina in front of the mirror.

Regina looked down at herself and smiled. It was barely noticable since she was really thin and only in her 8th week but there it was. A small baby bumb.

---------

Robin was worried about what happened with Regina. She hadn't called or sent a text all day. Now he found himself in front of her house, climbing over the fence and up the apple tree. All lights were out but her window was open so he climbed in and saw her lying in bed with her arms wrapped around her older sister.

"Regina?" he whispered and she slowly opened her eyes. Her nightstand lamb got turned on and he could now fully see her.

The first think he noticed was her bruised cheek and he was horrified. His eyes then landed on her head and he casped. "Oh, no! Did she do this?" the young man asked refering to Cora.

Mary woke up from the light and then saw Robin.

"Yes. She did. Robin, you can't be here! She'll notice and I don't want you to get hurt. You probably are disgusted to see me like this now anyway." she said with tears gleaming in her soft brown eyes and lowered her head in shame.

"Why would I be disgusted? I love you, Regina. I don't care how you look. Yes I liked your hair but it's not what made me fall in love with you. You are beautiful with and without hair." he admitted and kissed her softly before taking her in his arms. She buried her head in his shoulder and took in the sweet scent of forest. It reminded her of something but she couldn't quite remember what. She was just glad to feel his arms around her. It made her feel save.

She knew she couldn't date him though. He was still married and her mother wouldn't let her anyhow. Cora feared for the town to judge her if they ever found out about her pregnant daughter or Regina's affaire with Robin.

The teenager looked up into his bright blue eyes and stood on her toes to be able to kiss him. The kiss lasted for a long moment, neither of them wanting to let go. When they did let go of eachother Regina began to weep into his shoulder. She truly loved him but as long as her mother was not accepting the relationship they couldn't be together. And she still had to find out who impregnanted her.

"I love you too but you should really go now before my mother catches you here. It's probably best if we don't sneak around for a while but I'll text you everyday." she said and kissed him goodbye.

"Okay. But if she hurts you again I'll get you out of here. Even out of Storybrooke if I have to in order to keep you save." Robin said in a fatherly concerned tone and started to climb back down. Regina stared out the window and watched him go. She stood there for a long moment until her sister told her to get some sleep and turned off the light.

"You really love him, don't you?" Mary asked softly as her sister climbed back into bed.

"With all my heart." she mumbled, drifting of to sleep already. She snuggled into Mary's side and wrapped her arms tightly around her. The teacher smiled and kissed her head with mixed feelings. She didn't if she should be sad or angry. Sad because her step sister was hurting and angry because of what her stepmother did. The raven haired woman could still smell a bit of Regina's apple conditioner on her scalp and she felt bad for her.

Mary didn't if it was because her sister always loved her hair or because of what Henry was saying. Regina is like Rapunzel! Only her name is really Regina and her hair is brown. They got it all wrong in the movie!

She was beginning to go crazy. Her love for David was just as wrong as Regina's love for Robin but if Henry

was right they shared true love. And True Love was the greatest magic of all.