Prompt: Imagine Robin and Regina's reaction when their daughter goes on her first date

The Fairest of Them All

Regina had to work late at the office and Robin had promised her he'd be home to sort out dinner for the kids, well Roland and Avery the only two left at home. Regina had agreed begrudgingly knowing that Robin's version of dinner would involve a tray of burnt fries and fish finger sandwiches, not exactly the healthy well balanced meal she preferred the kids to have, but there definitely wouldn't be any complaints from the teenagers that was for sure. Robin walked through the door, later than he'd hoped to be home by to find that his lounge had been taken over by a teenage Roland and his friends. There were remnants of the finished cookies and chip bags swimming in spilt soda on the coffee table.

"Roland get this all cleaned up before your mother is home and has our heads" Roland simply groaned in that all too familiar teenage response whilst Robin collected the rubbish in one, swift practised movement before dragging his son by the arm to the kitchen.

"Get off Dad"

"I don't remember you running this past either of us?"

"it's just the boys. Plus mum's out"

"she's working late, that doesn't mean she's not going to be back. Believe me she'll know."

Robin began to give up on even trying to dismantle the cavalry in his lounge and instead moved on to this little princess's whereabouts.

"Where's your sister?"

"Avery's in her room. But she didn't want disturbing. She's getting ready for this boy"

"a boy?" Robin responded protectively with his fatherly instincts.

"she's been crushing on him for weeks!" Roland teased.

"Alright, that's enough. I'm going to go check on her. You stay down here and try not to make anymore mess and maybe try and get them to be gone before your mother's home. If they are still here I won't be blaming your mother for her actions." Roland sighed and accepted where his dad was coming from, he definitely didn't need to be grounded for 3 months like last time.

Robin descended the stairs, all the while running through his head every image and memory of his little princess. When did his little Avery get so big, when exactly did she grow up right before his eyes. He had an uncomfortable knotting in his stomach. He wasn't ready to be letting her go. She was 16. That was still years before she had to be tainted by boys. That wasn't a lot to ask…right?

Robin had always been the most protective of Avery, she was the youngest and the only girl. His baby girl. They'd always been close. Always as equally mischievous, but both managed to have themselves wrapped around Regina's little finger with their matching dimples and angelic faces. It was the fact he'd consider his relationship with Avery as close that had him concerned about this boy. Why hadn't she told him? He wouldn't have been mad? He'd have understood… right? Robin was trying to kid himself that he'd have been up for the boyfriend chat with his only daughter but the truth was, she'd aways be his little girl and in an ideal world nobody was going to be taking her away from him. Robin's protectiveness over Avery descended from his need to never let her mother down again. He'd left her all those years ago, walked away leaving her broken hearted as she watched him disappear with his ex-wife and son after promising his heart to her. He never wanted to hurt her again, he wanted to keep her safe, keep her and their daughter safe. Robin reached her bedroom door and taking a deep breathe gently knocked before letting himself in.

His little princess was definitely not so little anymore. She was sat down at her vanity carefully applying a thin layer of make up when she caught her father in the mirror wiping a swift tear away.

"Oh dad, we all knew this would happen some day." And there it was, the response all to similar to her mother's that brought him back in to the moment.

"It's just a lot to take in. My little girl is all grown up." Robin sat down on the side of her bed as Avery stopped and placed down the lipstick she'd been about to apply.

"I really like him dad. I'm not naive enough to think he's my soulmate or the love of my life. But I do like him"

"But you don't have to rush into this. I mean you're only 16"

"dad, Lois has a baby! I'm hardly young." Avery's flippant comment caused his eyes to pop out of his head and the continual voice of this is a bad idea, she's never leaving the house to take over his responses.

"and that is exactly why I'm convincing your mother to lock you away in a castle until you're 30 the minute she gets home."

Avery was close enough to her father to understand his response was simply nerves. She always knew he'd find this hard. That's why she'd spoken to her mum. That's why she'd given her father no warning until he really had to face it.

"yeah I don't think she's likely to agree to that" Avery giggled just as her mum made her presence known having arrived home during the discussions.

"Agree to what?"

"to locking our only little princess up in a castle away from smelly, stupid boys who break hearts and are immature" Robin jokingly responded, his words still laced with an element of seriousness that Regina could read a mile off.

"She's growing up. As much as I hate that. She is. I'm not going to push her away from what will make her happy, not after everything I went through with Henry." Regina responded calmly to Robin.

"Wait, you knew about this?" Robin responded with shock. He was expecting world war 3 to hit the minute Regina arrived home.

"Avery came to me one evening"

"Wait. Hold on a second. I was waiting for the fireballs. The protection spells."

"I mean it Robin. All I want is for Henry, Roland and Avery to be happy and if this boy makes her happy then i'm happy too." Robin placed his arm around his wife, he really did admire how far she'd come over the years they'd been together.

"But don't get me wrong he puts a foot wrong, a hand where he shouldn't or breaks my little girls heart he'll be all too familiar with one or two of my fireballs"

"mum" Avery giggled.

Regina smiled at her little girl who had caught her mother's attention in the mirror. Avery admired the loving relationship her parents had. She looked on as her father lovingly encased her mother as her head rested upon his shoulder. She just wanted what they had. What they had the chance at having. She doesn't necessarily want that now, but she does want to start dating, find her feet in the world of romance.

Regina took a moment to appreciate her daughter's beauty and everything that she had brought to her: the completion of her happy ending, the little girl in a household outnumbered by boys and someone who shared her blood finally. A girl who defeated the blood line of her aunt and grandmother and became her own person with her own ideas and morals. Regina hadn't had anything to be worried about.

Robin and Regina left their little girl to finish getting ready, well I say left, Regina had to encouragingly drag Robin away, "she's going to be ok" Regina whispered lovingly into his ear, he simply responded by kissing her temple. Avery was finally ready and walking down the stairs in her pretty lavender dress, the skirt being made of delicate tulle. Her raven hair newly curled bounced delicately by her shoulders and her father had to wipe several tears away at the sight of his little princess. Regina had snuck away quickly in search of the finishing touch.

"Regina come on she's ready to go" Robin called for her up the stairs.

"One minute, there is just one thing before you go."

Regina gently placed a necklace around her daughter's neck, gently brushing out the trapped curls back over her little girl's shoulders.

"It was the first thing your dad gave me, the reminder that I was always in his heart whatever we were facing and whenever we were apart." Avery gasped as she placed her hand around the familiar arrow necklace that her mum would always wear on special occasions, especially date night with her dad.

"You were always our little arrow, our piece of future that meant we had a reason to go on." Robin added in, the trio were now misty eyed. Avery flung her arms around each of her parents necks before pulling herself together, after all she didn't want to be seen to impersonate an evil panda on her first date. Her parents watched her hitch her ride with her date from the front door. Robin had his arm around Regina's waist as she whispered,

"she's truly the fairest of them all."