Morgan has some stardust-filled plans for the future.
"Mommy, can I be an astronaut when I grow up?"
Regina looks up from her stack of paperwork at the head of sandy blonde curls playing with a doll on her office couch. "An astronaut?" she repeats, taking her glasses off her nose. "That sounds like fun."
Morgan nods emphatically. "I think so too. Daddy said I'm gonna touch the stars one day and I think I need to be an astronaut to do that."
Regina smiles at her daughter's literal interpretation of Robin's metaphor. "Well, to be an astronaut you have to be very brave. It can be scary in outer space."
"I know, Mommy, but I think I can be brave. Daddy's always brave and so are you. You're not scared of the monsters in my closet," Morgan reminds her. She giggles. "I think they're scared of you, though."
"I would hope so. After all, any closet monsters that try to scare my little girl are going to find out what fireballs taste like," Regina promises with a smile, curling her fingers until a few sparks crackle in the air.
Morgan 'ooh's and slides off the couch, doll in tow. Regina spins in her chair so her daughter can crawl onto her lap, her little feet resting on either side of Regina's hips. "Do you think I can take Sophia Rose into space with me?" Morgan asks, running her fingers through her doll's knotted hair.
"I don't see why not," Regina replies with a shrug. "You'll probably need someone to keep you company up there."
"Would you be able to see me, Mommy? Like with Daddy's telescope?"
"Probably. I'm sure your father would be able to find you, no problem," Regina assures her, fingers traveling through Morgan's silky curls. She doesn't doubt Robin would be able to find whatever spacecraft their daughter piloted. Ever since he discovered this land had the technology to study the stars and view them up close, he had been enraptured. Roland, too. They've spent hours in the backyard at night, charting the stars and planets on their homemade maps. Morgan quickly became engrossed in the wonders of the night sky from the moment she could speak, but she mostly just marvels at whatever Robin and Roland discover. She's too young to understand their elaborate charts.
"You wouldn't be there to tuck me in every night, though," Morgan points out grimly.
Regina shakes her head. "No, I wouldn't be, but I could tuck you in a bunch of extra times before you go so that way you have a bunch to take with you."
Morgan smiles, dimples glowing. "That's a good idea, Mommy! And Daddy could read me a whole lot of stories before I go, too, so that way I can remember a different one each night."
"Perfect," Regina agrees, kissing her daughter's forehead. "Now you just need a spaceship and then you're ready to go."
Morgan giggles and shakes her head. "Mommy, I can't go to space yet. I have to be a grown up first," she informs her mother as if Regina was being completely ridiculous.
"Oh, of course, my mistake," Regina replies with a smile. "Well, then I'm sorry to tell you this, but I don't think you'll ever be an astronaut."
Morgan's face falls. "Why not?"
"Because you're never growing up," Regina insists, pulling her daughter tightly to her chest. "I won't let you."
Morgan giggles and squirms against her mother's grip. "Mommy, I have to grow up."
Regina sighs. "Are you sure? Because if you wanted to stay five for the rest of your life, I'd be okay with that." She keeps Morgan wrapped in her arms, wishing that was a real possibility. Wasn't it just yesterday she was struggling to say 'mommy' and 'daddy'? And now she's starting kindergarten in a week. Time has flown so quickly. Regina blinked and suddenly Henry's a senior in high school, Roland's in the oldest class at the elementary school, and her little girl is heading to outer space.
"Mommy, I need to grow up so I can touch stars, remember?" Morgan explains, pulling herself back so she can look at her mother properly.
"Of course. I wouldn't want to stop you from going to the stars," Regina sighs wistfully. She studies her daughter's cherubic face, blue eyes twinkling back at her and her heart swells at the thought that these days spent with her in the mayor's office are coming to an end. Once preschool starts, Morgan will be getting on the school bus with her brothers instead of tailing along to work with Regina. Just another reminder that her baby girl is growing up.
Regina glances at the clock and smiles. "I think it's Daddy's lunch break. What do you say we go surprise him?" she asks.
Morgan lights up at the suggestion. "Yay! Daddy!" she exclaims, sliding off Regina's lap and scampering over to the door. She turns back and frowns when she sees her mother still sitting at her desk. "Mommy, come on! We need to see Daddy!"
Regina chuckles and stands, slipping her shoes back on and pulling her purse from her desk drawer. "Alright, I'm coming, slow down... just slow down," she replies, voice tapering off as she repeats herself, unable to help the pang of sadness that rips through her heart. She can practically see Morgan as a one-year-old tottering around her office and now she's sprinting with the confidence of an Olympian. She just wishes her little girl would slow down.
"Morgan, do you want a s'more?" Regina calls across the yard.
"No, thank you!" the little girl shouts back, keeping her eyes glued to the end of Robin's telescope. She's sitting in the spinning chair that Robin often brings out for her so she can look in the telescope without having to be picked up. One of her eyes is closed as she looks through the lens with the other, her tongue peeking out from the side of her mouth in concentration.
"Are you sure? Roland's going to eat all the chocolate if you don't," Regina warns, giving her second son a wink when he scowls.
"I'm sure!" Morgan insists, tip of her tongue going right back to its place in the corner of her mouth.
"The sky's not dark enough yet, princess. Give it a couple more minutes," Robin tells her as he settles into the porch swing next to Regina, s'more in hand. He props his feet up on the edge of the fire pit just as his arm wraps around Regina's shoulders.
"I'm looking at the moon, Daddy," Morgan replies matter-of-factly.
"It's not like it's different from last time," Roland mutters under his breath as he pulls the crispy part of his marshmallow off the gooey center. When Robin shoots him a look, he shrugs, stuffing his marshmallow's shell into his mouth. "It's true," he defends through a mouthful of sugar.
"When's Henry due home?" Robin asks before taking a crunchy bite of his s'more.
"He said eleven, but it'll probably be eleven-thirty," Regina sighs, brushing graham cracker crumbs off her lap. "He always pushes it when he's with Violet."
"They were kissing yesterday," Roland groans in disgust. "Like, it was worse than what you guys do sometimes."
"Who, us?" Robin replies innocently. "I've no idea what you're talking about, son."
Roland rolls his eyes and teeths the gooey part of his marshmallow off the stick.
Regina laughs and brings her hand to rest on Robin's knee. She does have to admit Roland has caught the two of them in compromising positions more than the rest of their children. The laundry room, the garage, that one time in the sheriff's station, the living room couch when they thought they had more time before the kids came home… There's never been a completely scandalous incident, but Robin's hands have been in less than ideal locations on several instances.
Morgan squeals from across the yard and they all look over to see her spinning around in her chair, blonde curls flying. Her shoulder bumps the end of the telescope, knocking it out of the position Robin had set it up in.
"Careful," Robin scolds with a raised eyebrow.
"Sorry, Daddy," Morgan apologizes, giving her father a sheepish smile before turning back to the disrupted telescope. She closes one eye again and looks through the lens. A moment later, she calls out, "Daddy, I see a star!"
"Guess that's my cue," Robin grunts as he stands, popping the last of his s'more in his mouth. He brushes his hands together and gestures for his son to follow him. Roland sets his stick down and reaches behind his chair for a large, rolled up piece of paper. "It's probably an airplane," he grumbles, trekking over to the telescope regardless.
Regina rests her feet on the fire pit where Robin's boots had just been and starts rocking in the swing as she watches Robin duck down to take a look at whatever Morgan had spotted. He adjusts some of the knobs on the side of the telescope, biting his bottom lip in concentration. She's expecting him to say something like that's a such-and-such star, or that belongs to this-or-that constellation, but instead, he simply goes, "Huh."
"What's the matter?" Roland asks, unfurling the map in his hand.
"Well… I'm not sure," Robin admits, pulling back from the lens. "Why don't you take a look, son?"
Roland steps up to the plate and sticks his tongue out in a mirror image of Morgan. His brow furrows and he pulls back to glance at the homemade map in his hands. He takes another look through the lens before echoing his father. "Huh."
"What? What's the matter?" Morgan asks, bouncing up and down on her chair.
Roland checks his map again. "That can't be right."
"I think it is, son."
"Maybe I'm holding the map wrong."
"No, you know you're not."
"But how did she…?"
Robin shrugs and shakes his head. "I have no idea, Roland."
"What?" Morgan asks again, nearly bursting at the seams with anticipation. "What's going on, Daddy?"
Robin smiles and ruffles the hair on the top of her head, earning himself a giggle. "I think you should be very proud of yourself, princess."
"Why?"
"Well, from what Roland and I can tell, we've never seen that star before," Robin explains, taking the map from Roland and holding it out for Morgan to see. He points to a spot among the countless markings on the page. "See? There's nothing there."
Morgan leans forward on her chair, bottom nearly sliding off the seat as she studies where her father has indicated. "So what does that mean, Daddy?"
"It means," Robin starts, pulling a pencil from his jacket pocket. "That you just found a new star."
Morgan gasps, her eyes doubling in size. "I did?" she breathes, wonder spreading across her face.
"You did, princess," Robin confirms, smiling at his daughter with pride.
Morgan jumps off her chair and runs toward Regina, blonde curls flying behind her. "Mommy! Mommy! Did you hear that? I found a star!" she shouts in glee, launching herself into her mother's arms.
Regina laughs as she holds the little girl against her. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart! Your first star- what a special occasion," she praises, kissing the top of Morgan's head. "Look at you, you're on your way to being an astronaut already."
"That's going to be the very first star I visit because it's mine!" Morgan declares. She hops off Regina's lap and scampers back over to her father and brother. "What should we call it, Daddy?" she asks, taking the pencil Robin offers her.
"Whatever you want, princess. It's your star," Robin replies, squatting down so he can smooth out part of the map on his thigh. He points to a spot and Morgan draws a dot, tongue sticking out in concentration again. "But I do think we should name it after you. You did discover it, after all."
"We should call it 'Locksley.' So that way, it's named after all of us," Morgan decides.
He smiles and pulls her to him to kiss her cheek. "That's a wonderful idea, princess. 'Locksley,' it is. Do you want to look at it, again?"
Morgan nods and scrambles back onto her chair, leaning in close so she see her star, shining brightly in the night. It's just waiting for the day its discoverer will visit.