Chapter Three: Keep It Down

As February came to a close, the early days of March were met with a particularly happy family on the top floor of the Enchanted Plaza apartments. They were officially moved in and completely unpacked; Robin worked together with his brother to sell the furniture that lingered in Apartment 8. John was able to salvage the couch and convince the bartender at The Luck O' The Irish Pub to buy it for extra seating in the bar. He took a few pieces of furniture for his own apartment and offered to pay for them, but Robin declined, knowing it was favor enough that he was taking them off his hands.

The rest of the pieces were sold to various neighbors: Emma took Regina's old night stand, the Nolans were happy to purchase Robin's small kitchen table since the one they previously owned was standing on its last leg (quite literally). Robin was reluctant to sell his desk, but it couldn't fit in the guest room so he'd had no other choice. He was able to sell it to Belle for a reasonable price since he knew she was looking for one for her apartment downtown and at least he knew it was in good hands.

By the second week of March, they were settled into the apartment and finally living comfortably. Henry still walked with Roland to school each morning while Robin escorted Regina to the subway on the days he had his early lectures. Spring Break came early for the university and Robin took it upon himself to plan a romantic Friday evening for the two of them; it had been much too long since their last date and he was not pleased with that in the slightest. Henry agreed to babysit Roland that night, which Robin was incredibly grateful for. He ran to the florist around the corner for some nice flowers and a card and had them delivered to her at the office as a formal invitation to dinner.

Truth be told, Robin was a hopeless romantic. He believed that, deep down, Regina was as well. He couldn't wait for her to tell him how surprised she was or that she couldn't stop looking at them all afternoon. He had to pick the right flowers; ones that stood out and made a statement. She needed to know how important she was to him, not that she didn't already, but he wanted to show his appreciation for her in a way he often didn't. Flowers were the perfect gesture and when he entered the florist that Friday morning, he knew he'd found the right ones the moment he spotted them.

"Delivery for Ms. Regina Mills?" She overheard the young man tell the desk clerk at the front of Blanchard and Mills law firm.

"I'm Regina Mills," she stepped forward and signed for the package before the secretary could utter a word. She was lucky she happened to be passing on her way back to her office from the bathroom so she could pick up the delivery herself.

The boy handed her the flowers and she tipped him just before he made his way to the elevator. She placed them on the desk and pulled the card from its place within the beautiful bouquet of purple freesias. She always found them to be beautiful flowers, but couldn't remember ever mentioning that to Robin. She liked them for what they stood for: trust. Knowing him, especially after their first date, he looked that up before making his purchase that morning. She opened the card and smiled happily at what she found inside:

I made reservations for us at Bella Notte tonight at 7. Until then, my sweet. I love you. - R

"Regina, these are beautiful," the woman seated behind the desk said as she fawned over the gift her boss had just received.

Regina lifted them into her arms and began walking back to her office with a grin, "Beautiful doesn't even begin to describe them."

"Regina, are you almost ready? We're going to miss our reservation," Robin called from his seat on the living room couch. Normally he would be in there with her as she got ready, but she insisted he wait so she could surprise him.

"Why don't you turn around," she said in a seductive tone as she stood under the archway of the hall.

Robin stood and faced her, nearly falling to his knees at what he saw. His beautiful lover stood leaning against the wall in a tight fitting black cocktail dress and a royal blue faux fur wrap. Her hair fell in perfect waves against her shoulders and her makeup was touched up after her long day at work. His eyes ventured down to see her legs covered in a pair of sheer black tights and a pair of velvet heeled boots that reached the bottom of her knees. She was stunning in every way.

He walked toward her in his black slacks and jacket and forest green button down, pulling her close to him as he said, "You are breathtaking."

She smiled and placed a gentle kiss on his lips before reaching down for his hand and leading him toward the door. She turned her head and called back to the boys who were reading together in Henry's room, "We're leaving. Don't stay up too late."

"Have a good time," Henry shouted back.

Roland's little voice called immediately after, "Don't forget to bring home leftovers."

The couple laughed as they shut the door behind them and Robin said, "It seems Henry is rubbing off on him."

They walked together, hand-in-hand, to the elevator and stopped to wait for its arrival. He wrapped his arms around her waist, allowing them to rest gently atop her backside as she circled her own arms around his broad shoulders. They shared a brief yet tender kiss before resting their foreheads against one another. Robin smirked and said, "Let's skip dinner. I'll stop the elevator, you cover the camera. We can finish what we started last month."

Regina hummed and pecked his cheek softly, "As wonderful as that sounds, Bella Notte awaits. And I must admit, I'm looking forward to getting that chicken you had last time."

"I can't believe the chicken has won you over yet I cannot," he sighed dramatically, earning him a laugh from his beloved.

She continued to kiss along his jaw line as she said, "The chicken won this time, but I'd say you're at the top of the leader board."

The elevator chimed and they entered as the doors opened automatically. He immediately pinned her against the rail and began kissing her passionately, to which she happily obliged. Her fingers weaved through his wavy locks as his hands explored her body over the material of her cocktail dress. They moaned lightly, not out of passion or lust; they moaned out of satisfaction for a night of freedom and togetherness. They were simply happy to be awarded some alone time to appreciate one another.

They felt the mechanism coming to a halt and slowly parted from the other's embrace. Regina chuckled and leaned forward to wipe the lipstick that smeared across his lips while he smoothed her dress for her. They took their leave from the Enchanted Plaza apartments and ventured on their short journey to Bella Notte, just outside Central Park.

It was a chilly evening in the early days of March, but not quite as nippy as they'd anticipated given the extreme cold that swept through the month of February. Robin put his arm around Regina to help keep her warm as they slowly approached the restaurant. He held the door open for her, as he always did, and gave his name to the hostess. They were seated immediately, having arrived for the reservation just in time. Due to his gentlemanly nature, he pulled out Regina's chair and helped remove her wrap before taking his own seat across from her.

Their server provided them each with a glass of the house wine before offering to tell them the specials for the evening. Robin shook his head with a polite smile, "No need to waste your breath, dear. We already know what we'll be ordering."

The waitress took out her pad and pen while he continued to speak, "We'll both be having the gluten-free chicken and asparagus entree."

"Dressing for the salads?" She asked as she took down their order.

"Raspberry vinaigrette for the lovely lady and house Italian for myself," he recited and held both menus out for her to take.

The young girl smiled as she took them, "You're the easiest table of my night. Thank you."

"No, thank you," he smiled back before returning his attention to Regina as the server walked away.

She was seated with her arms across her chest and eyebrow raised. She was smirking so he knew she wasn't angry with him, but the rest of her body language was closed off; she clearly wasn't happy either. His face contorted to an expression of confusion as he asked, "Have I done something wrong?"

"You're a flirt," she stated simply.

"You're jealous, Regina?" He asked, amused as he leaned forward to get a better look at the fire in her eyes, "I never would have pegged you for the jealous type, my love."

"It was simply an observation," she quipped, "You're a flirt. You want people, especially women, to find you irresistibly charming."

"The waitress is young enough to be my daughter. I wasn't flirting with her," he sighed and leaned back.

Regina laughed and leaned into the table, reaching across to take his hand, "It's not a bad thing, Robin. I just find it interesting; the way you interact with women. You fascinate me."

"You're fascinated by my subconscious flirting with women who aren't you?" He questioned, believing she was leading him straight into a trap.

"Yes, because it's subconscious. But I know who you go home to every night and I trust you. So it doesn't bother me," she stated with a smug grin. He chuckled and kissed her knuckles before she added, "It's part of who you are and I accept that about you. I only ask that you don't let it turn into something you do intentionally with someone else."

"You're the only one for me, Regina," his tone was sincere and she took his statement with great poise, sitting up and sipping from her wine.

The rest of their evening was filled with pleasant conversation and delicious food. They'd even indulged in ordering dessert for them to share because Mallory had told them the cheesecake was to die for. She wasn't kidding. The cake melted in their mouth as it mixed with the sweet taste of the chocolate that was drizzled on top. It was one of the greatest slices of cheesecake the couple had ever tasted in their entire lives.

Robin paid the bill and stood to assist Regina with her wrap. They walked back out into the cold night air and he, once again, held her close to him for warmth. He looked toward her and she gazed up at him with a smile. He returned the gesture and asked, "Did you like the flowers?"

"They were perfect, Robin. Thank you," she replied. "I have them in my office window for everyone to see."

"I'm glad," he said, clearly satisfied that the freesias were a good choice.

"How did you know I like freesias? I don't remember ever mentioning it," she said and caught his smirk. Perhaps Henry spilt the beans. She was surprised she hadn't figured that out sooner.

"It was a lucky guess," he said finally and she shrugged, believing his statement to be true. This man really did know more about her than she realized.

They were relieved to feel the warm air of the heating system in Enchanted Plaza as they spun through the revolving doors together. The elevator ride to the top floor consisted of delighted giggles and passionate kisses; Robin brought out the giddy teenager inside her with his silly quips and constant attraction to her. They rushed down the hall to their apartment and unlocked the door, stepping under the archway as quietly as they could as not to wake their children.

When they were finally in the bedroom, with the door securely locked to avoid any unexpected interruptions from their youngest, they wasted no time in undressing each other and falling into their bed. Clothes were scattered and sweat was building as their lips locked and hands explored the other's naked flesh. The apartment was quiet, the only sounds audible in the still of that late March evening were Robin and Regina making passionate love.

"Yes, right there."

Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.

"Fuck, babe." Grunt. Grunt.

"Robin. Oh God, fuck. Don't stop."

Thud. Squeak. Thud. Squeak. Moan. Moan. Pant. Yelp.

Henry couldn't take it anymore. He reached for his cellphone and ferociously typed a text to his mother.

Please either stop having sex right now or for the love of God, keep it down!

Ding!

"Shit, who could that be this late?"

"Let it go, Regina. I'm sure it can wait."

"But I know what can't wait."

Squeak. Squeak. Moan.

"Oh my God, Regina. You're incredible."

"That's it," Henry rolled out of bed and angrily approached their bedroom door.

"Don't stop, I'm so close," he heard Regina panting. He closed his eyes, pained by the sounds he heard coming from the other side of the door; sounds coming from his mother that he never wanted to hear in his entire life.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Shit," Robin said, his voice breathless.

"It's Henry," was all he could think to say.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Regina asked, also breathless, but trying her best to cover it.

Henry pressed his face closer to the door so Roland wouldn't wake up from what he said next, "Could you guys please keep it down? Or, ya know, just stop so I'm not scarred for life?"

There was silence for a moment and he imagined his mother was extremely embarrassed while Robin was incredibly amused. He finally heard him speak through his laughter and assumed his prediction was correct, "Sorry, lad. We'll keep it down."

Gross, he thought to himself, but instead replied, "Thank you."

"Goodnight, Henry," Regina called to him, but he was already in his room before he could say anything back.

"We need to move the bed tomorrow," Regina said.

"Tomorrow? I'm moving it now. I'm not through with you yet," Robin replied.

Henry groaned as his parents giggled and pulled the pillow around his head to cover his ears.