This is going to be a two-part story for OQ Happy Ending Week! Part one falls on Day 4 - I'm using my last Wildcard for this one! Part two will come on Saturday (AU Day).
This story is pretty closely based on the movie Life as We Know It with some OQ magic thrown in. Hope you enjoy! TW: major character death (not Robin or Regina). But I own nothing except my exhaustion!
Two Months Ago…
Regina loves to plan a party. Usually she's hired to plan larger affairs: weddings, graduations, milestone birthdays or anniversaries, but when her best friend asked if she would plan her Godson's first birthday party, she jumped at it.
Though she fears she might have gone a bit over the top.
Emma's eyes bugged open wide when she saw the number of balloons tied to edges of chairs, the dragon napkins, paper plates, cups… dragon everything.
"Whoa…" Emma's mouth drops open as she does a quick spin around. "You've turned my loft into a child's dream. And a parent's nightmare."
Regina laughs heartily. "I will take that as a compliment."
"Please do," Emma smiles, looping an arm over Regina's shoulder and hugging her from the side. "You've outdone yourself once again."
Regina waves off the praise, telling her to shush and make her way into the small kitchen area and open up the fridge. On top of planning the decorations, Regina took it upon herself to bake enough for a small army; if she had to decorate another cupcake, she might have gone nuts.
"And cake?!" Emma asks. "Regina, you've done far too much."
"It's for Henry," she states. She would give her soul for that boy, so a few cakes and balloons are hardly excessive. "How's he feeling today?"
Emma had mentioned the other day that she was worried about a stomach bug. "Doc gave him the all clear," she says, jumping up to perch on the kitchen counter as Regina continues to set up plates of snacks. "Apparently kids his age can just be… pukey."
Regina stifles a bit of a laugh, muttering a breathy "fun" for Emma to just barely hear.
"It could be worse," Emma shrugs. "But speaking of the doctor," she says mischievously, enough for Regina to roll her eyes and stop what she's doing. "He's hot. Like, man of your dreams kind of hot, and I started speaking to the nurse to see if-"
"No," Regina stops her, laughing at her relentless efforts.
"What?" Emma defends. "It was just a harmless conversation."
"Emma, no," she asserts, still smiling nonetheless. "You promised you'd stop trying to play matchmaker." She's actually impressed that Emma's still trying given how most of these dates have ended.
"How do you even know you won't like him?" Emma whines.
"Because you have the worst setup track record of anyone," Regina reminds her. "Ever."
"Like who?"
Regina shakes her head in disbelief. There's no way Emma can be so nonchalant about the numerous failed dating attempts to remember none of them, so she names the first off the top of her head, "Jefferson. You know, the guy who decided to hotbox my car? Victor. Leroy."
"Okay, okay," Emma concedes. "You've made your point."
"Oh, and don't even get me started on the Robin Locksley disaster from five years ago," Regina laughs, going back to rearranging the cupcakes on small plates.
"You are never going to let me live that down," Emma groans, taking the baked treats from Regina while she pops her lips in a loud nope.
Emma put the cakes down on the table in the centre of the loft, but is still in defense mode. "You know, that was Neal. I didn't even really know Robin then."
"You're guilty by association," Regina says with her face inside the fridge, reaching to the lowest shelf to bring out the birthday cake she absolutely spent way to much time on. "But you're my best friend, so I forgive you." Emma is intrigued by the huge cake box and is peering over the breakfast counter for the big reveal. "You just keep having gorgeous babies so I can spoil them with cakes every year."
Regina opens the box, and Emma is rendered almost speechless. She'd worked so hard on it, making sure the colours for the icing were just right, making sure that dinosaur shape was perfect.
"Best. Godmother. Ever," Emma praises, yet again.
The front door swings open with a very determined Robin marching inside and heading straight for the bathroom under the stairs, followed by a very amused looking Neal with Henry in his arms, smiling away like the gorgeous boy he is.
"Robin had a bit of an accident," Neal explains, stifling laughter as he wanders in passed the decorations.
From the bathroom, Robin calls out from over running water, "He threw up on me!"
Regina snorts, covering her mouth to mask it, but it's too late. Robin heard her and now she's never going to hear the end of it. He emerges from the bathroom, his grey shirt soaking on a patch at the front where she imagines the assault took place. "You think that's funny?"
Regina rolls her eyes and reaches to take Henry from Neal, cuddling him close. "I just think Henry has impeccable aim," she grins, turning her attention to the infant with a higher pitched voice, "Don't you?"
"Lovely to see you, as always, Regina," Robin mutters on his way passed. "I especially love this colour of bitter on you today."
Over the last five years she's become an expert at deflecting his teasing and even become more of an expert of dishing it right back, but with the bundle of joy in her arms, she opts for a stick out of her tongue and an eye roll.
"Enough, you two," Emma chuckles. "Robin, go upstairs and change into something of Neal's before everyone gets here."
"Why, what time is it?"
"It's eleven," Regina answers. "Though it's only ten in Locksley time…" She turns her head to face Robin, pretending to be shocked, "You know, I'm surprised your eyes are even open right now."
"Oh, good one..." he nods, amused, "...but at least I know what it's like to have some sort of a night life."
As much as they dislike each other, at least their teasing is mostly in jest. It's a game for them at this point, one where there are very few limits, but that one had her pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes as she considered her next move.
"Alright," Neal chimes in, and just in time before Regina unleashed lord knows what sort of response. "It's the baby's birthday, let's stay in our neutral corners, yeah?"
"Yes," Robin nods firmly, smiling tightly at Regina, a smile she mirrors.
"Good." Emma claps her hands together once and cuddles up close to Neal. "Because we had something we wanted to say." Regina sits at the breakfast bar with Henry still perched on her hip and Robin just behind her as they wait for their friends to speak. "We really wanted to thank both of you for everything you've done this year."
"We owe our sanity to you both," Neal concurs. "And I couldn't imagine celebrating the little guy's first birthday without his two favourite people here."
"There's nowhere else we would rather be," Robin says, and annoyingly enough, Regina has to agree with him. Regina smiles at Henry and peppers a kiss on his chubby cheek, leaving behind the faintest trace of her lipstick, and it takes Robin no time at all to comment, "I don't think that's his colour."
Regina sighs and turns back to look at him scornfully. Emma takes Henry from her and mutters brightly about how it's like having three children in the house sometimes, and Robin leans in towards Regina, her face right against the messy part of his shirt.
"Ugh, you smell like spit up," her face twists in disgust.
"Oh, really?" Robin laughs, wrapping her arms tightly as she wriggles to get away.
She'll admit that he's quite the playful guy, even to the point where it's entertaining, and luckily for him, this is one of those moments.
That was the last time the four of them were ever all together. They spent time at the party, shared video calls and texts, but not since then was it ever just the four of them and Henry.
Regina blames it partly on her work. She'd booked a huge wedding earlier in the year that ended up eating up most of her time as it drew closer. It was finally last week, but she'd taken the week to relax and hopefully regain some normalcy back to her schedule, but that isn't going to happen any time soon.
"Ma'am," Officer Hart brings her attention back. "Have you heard what I've been saying?"
There are unshed tears in her eyes, a bitter lump in her throat that she can't decide is worth swallowing quite yet. "There was an accident," she says monotonously.
"The Highway Patrol found your name and number on an insurance contact card in her wallet," he says softly, almost a whisper, as if the quieter he spoke the less it would slice at her soul. "We need the names and numbers of the nearest next of kin, is that something you could provide?"
"Yes," she nods. "Uh, Emma has… uh, had. She had no family, other than us... uh… me, Robin and Neal. But Neal's father…" She's trying to wrap her head around everything, but she's just running around in circles. "You said there was a drunk driver?"
"Miss Mills, are you sure you wouldn't like to sit down?" he asks, showing her over to the cold, grey, plastic chairs on the precinct wall.
"They have a baby boy," her voice shudders. "Henry. Was he in the car?" The glistening drops in her eyes finally drop as her need for Henry to be safe eats away at her insides.
The officer's short and sincere no allows for her lungs to breath again. "He was in the care of a neighbour at the time of the accident. Officers placed him with Child Protective Services, he's perfectly fine. They handle cases like this all the time."
"Cases like this?" she asks.
He doesn't want to say it. His eyes drop to the floor so he doesn't have to fully see her reaction. "Orphaned children."
Her exhale is shuddered and full of pain as she tries to expel that bitter taste from her mouth. She reaches to cover over her mouth, any attempt to stifle the wave of loud sobs and determined tears on their battle with gravity.
She's surprised by strong arms around her, pulling her in tightly and holding her head against his chest.
Robin.
She knows it's him. He's still wearing that cologne that smells like someone put an entire pine tree in a bottle; she'd called him out for it on their horrifically bad blind date years ago, but to this day, he still wears it.
"They're gone," she sobs against him, gripping against his jacket with white-knuckled fists.
He shushes her gently, squeezing her in even more and pressing his lips into her hair, not quite a kiss but either way it's comforting. He steps up big time, more than she ever knew he was capable of. Suddenly their nitpicking and pestering is obsolete and their friendship has barrelled to the surface.
She's practically comatose when Robin sits her down by the front desk, and she listens as he robotically gives the officer Neal's family's information. He links his arm through her's and walks them to his car; she brought her own, but a night in the parking lot isn't the worst thing that could happen right now.
"Do you have your spare key?"
Regina is staring off out the passenger window at the bright street lights and dark sky. She musters a whispered yes, and Robin makes a sudden turn to the right, and they pull up in front of Emma and Neal's loft shortly after.
They both stare at the wooden door for longer than they usually do before Robin creaks it open slowly. Walking inside is surreal. It still smells homely, the lingering smell of whatever they had made for dinner earlier that night. The laundry that was still to be folded is on the table, pushed aside for Emma to nag Neal about tomorrow.
A tomorrow they'll never have.
Robin isn't even sure he's taken a proper breath since leaving the police station. And now standing in the loft, he's certain it won't be long until he's blue in the face. Instinctively, he turns the lights on around the first floor and heads to the fridge for one of the cold beers he knows Neal stashes in the back.
Regina's never been much of a beer drinker, but he doesn't see the harm in popping the top off one for her, too. She seems to be on a mission when he turns back around, leaning against the kitchen counter and scrolling madly through her phone.
"We need to see Henry," she tells him when he places the beer next to her, though before she can even acknowledge it, she has already clicked on a number and is calling whoever she'd been hunting for.
She wanders off near the front door, talking to the poor sod she's managed to reach at this hour and is trying to figure everything out.
She always has to have a plan, that one. Her incessant need to be on top of everything is a constant target for his teasing. Tonight, though, he's thankful she's here to do it.
The washing basket filled to the brim with baby clothes has stolen his attention entirely, it's calling to him. At first he thinks that Neal would appreciate it if they were folded and put away before they get home… but… they're not coming home.
Nausea overcomes him and his knees all but buckle entirely until he's sat in the recliner in the corner of the room, staring at the sodding washing heaped up. The beer isn't appealing anymore, so he sets it aside and abandons his face in his hands, rubbing over his coarse skin stressfully.
Regina's voice is starting to raise as she speaks over the phone. "What do you mean we can't see him?" she asks frantically. "I don't care about your protocol. This is…" She looks over to Robin, heartbreak all over her face, and she shrugs her shoulders in utter defeat. "Yes. You can reach me at this number."
She scoffs madly, tossing her phone with a clatter against the table. "They won't do anything until the morning." Her lips twitch into a frown, and she sadly says, "He's probably so confused."
Robin stands, feeling confident when he says that he's sure Henry is fine. It's late, he's probably been asleep for hours and come the morning they can sort it all out. "Why don't we sleep here tonight?" Regina nods. "You take the guest bed and I'll…" he looks at the ladder leading up to where Neal and Emma should be sleeping, but he shakes his head against the very idea of doing that, "... I'll take the couch. Okay?"
"Alright," she exhales, shedding her town coat and abandoning it next to the basket.
He steps over the odd toys left on the ground, hoping to avoid any unnecessary squeaking on his way to the couch, and when he plants his arse down on the slightly uncomfortable cushioning, Regina has called out for him, with a simple thank you falling from her lips.
Regina didn't sleep a wink all night. Literally all night. Since she decided to haul her ass out of bed, she's stared over at Robin's sleeping form on numerous occasions, almost green with envy. But she figures it's better that at least one of them sleep.
It's not until after she hangs up with Neal's lawyer that he finally stirs, stretching loudly and groaning as he sits up from the couch.
"Any news?" he asks, his voice laced with the sleep she craves.
"Archie called," she tells him, finishing up with putting clean dishes away. "He wants to speak to us."
"Their lawyer?" he asks, and she nods almost in tandem with the knock at the door.
Regina let's Archie in after exchanging a sad smile with him; they've all met before at an event years ago, but she and Archie clicked really well and have remained in touch since. Robin has cleared the table of the laundry and her coat, making sure there was space for them all to sit and discuss everything.
"I'm sure you both have a lot of questions," Archie notes, sitting down from them both as she and Robin sit side by side.
"Well, I think we are both mostly concerned about Henry," Robin notes, and Regina quickly agrees with him.
"Yes, that's who we're both thinking of." Archie nods understandingly before Regina asks, "What will happen to him now?"
He leans forward to perch his elbows on the table and explains, "I've arranged for Henry to be transferred from the foster family he was with last night. We feel it's in his best interest to be in a familiar environment, so he needs to be picked up and brought here."
"Okay," Robin exhales, and catches Regina's eye with a glint of confusion. "And, uh… who does that?"
Regina immediately looks back to Archie for the answer, but there's something about his wide eyed stare that makes her think she and Robin are missing some vital piece of information here.
Archie confirms that when he sinks back in his chair a bit. "I'm sorry, did Emma and Neal talk to you about their guardianship arrangements?" She and Robin look at each other, shaking their heads slowly. "Well, in preparing their will, we talked at length about who would take care of Henry in the unlikely event that both of his parents were to pass... " Regina's chest tightens when she realises exactly what's coming next. "And they named you. Both of you."
"I'm sorry?" she and Robin say simultaneously, and then they each go on their own tangent of rambling, asking for a more detailed explanation. There were so many questions being thrown around that she could hardly hear herself think, let alone anything else.
Archie holds his hands up, "I know this isn't exactly how you planned to start a family."
"There's been a huge misunderstanding," Regina tells him, and Robin agrees with a sound yeah from beside her. "We're not married."
"No," Robin agrees, and rambles off the explanation nervously, "They set us up on a blind date once, and we never even made it to the restaurant."
"We never even made it out of the street," Regina laughs nervously, not even caring that he's bringing that date up again, hell, she even agrees with him. "It was a disaster."
"I don't even think I'd call it a date."
"Right, I mean, he was such a dick."
"I know this is overwhelming," Archie tells them sympathetically. "And, believe me, I tried to advise them against it, but there are options. You can say no." Regina clasps her hands together and leans her chin against them. Her life had already been jostled about and now it's been entirely turned on its head, and Robin is next to her, looking like Archie is spouting some nonsense in a foreign language. "This is a big deal," Archie says. "This is a child. It's a huge commitment. But for the time being, I think everyone here just wants to see Henry and get him home, am I right?" Robin is the first to agree wholeheartedly, and Regina follows in suit. "Now, as for finances, their estate covers the mortgage, but that's about it, so I recommend the two of you move in here right now and-"
"They want us to move in together?" Robin scoffs.
"Just for the moment," Archie explains, but he seems confident when he tells them that, "It's what's best for Henry. At least until we figure out what you want to do in the long term."
Their eyes meet in an unsure gaze, nervous for how fate's new plan for them is going to work out.