Chapter Nine: Insubordination

The week seemed to crawl at an excruciatingly slow pace. She followed her daily routine wishing each time she woke that the calendar would read 'Friday.'

Henry's routine with Roland was starting to solidify and things were going more smoothly for him. The first few days were tough, but he was adjusting. And when he was handed that hefty paycheck at the end of the week, it would all be worth it.

Regina found that she was awake and ready much earlier than ever before. Leopold would be pleased, assuming she'd reorganized her schedule to accommodate the firm. In reality, she walked with her son to the Locksley's every morning anticipating the elevator she would share with the man she adored so much.

Tuesday morning she was especially excited. She felt more rested that night than she had in months, although her muscles ached from their evening of romance and lovemaking. She woke early enough to stretch them with some yoga in the living room before taking her shower and readying herself for her day.

Down the hall, Robin awoke to the pitter patter of his son's tiny feet skipping into the master bedroom. He smiled when the boy jumped into his bed, giggling when his father tickled and hugged him. He hoisted Roland up into his arms and carried him to the kitchen to prepare their breakfast before making his way into the bathroom.

"You almost ready?" Regina called to her son from the front door. She stood with her hand on the knob, purse and coffee in hand. She looked down every so often to check the time on her phone. Henry hurried down the hall to meet her, a piece of toast between his teeth and his backpack in his hands as he struggled to pull the zipper closed. She chuckled at the sight, taking his bag from him and zipping it so he could quickly finish his breakfast.

"How are you ready before me?" He asked, swallowing a large mouthful on bread as he spoke. Normally he'd be scolded for that, but Regina was in a particularly good mood so she let it slide. She shrugged in response to his question as she handed him his bag and opened the door to make their way down the hall.

Robin and Roland sat on the couch in their living room reading together while they waited for Henry to arrive. Their lunches were already packed, backpack and briefcase set side by side near the door. The sound of knocking had Roland jumping off his father's lap with excitement and rushing to answer the door for his 'best friend.'

"Henry!" He shouted as he stumbled to hold the door open and the older boy laughed at the sight.

"Look at you! All packed and ready like a big kid. Way to go, pal," he held his hand out and the child jumped to smack it in a high five. Regina beamed over Henry's shoulder, proud of him for being such a good influence for Robin's son.

"Good morning, Ms. Mills," Roland said politely, his head held high showing off his good manners.

"Why good morning, Mr. Locksley. A pleasure to see you again," she returned the greeting with a chuckle and reached down to smooth the hair atop his head. He smiled up at her proudly, his dimples appearing on his cheeks that reminded her so much of his father's.

"I apologize again for coming home so late last night, Henry," Robin said, approaching the door with his coffee mug in hand. "One of my students unexpectedly needed my assistance with an important assignment."

He peered over the teenager and locked eyes with his mother whose cheeks were a subtle shade of pink. He smiled at her and she returned the gesture before he returned his attention to Henry.

"I understand. The end of the semester is coming up and I know how crazy that can be. Roland and I had loads of fun, right buddy?" He smiled when the boy nodded enthusiastically.

"Well I appreciate your help. Thank you again," he patted Henry's shoulder and maneuvered his way through the door. "Good morning, Regina. You look quite lovely today."

"Thank you," she replied, trying not to gain too much suspicion from her rather clever boy.

"Have a good day, lads," Robin called back to their sons before closing the door behind him. Without hesitation, he took her face in his hands (as best as he could while holding his belongings) and placed a firm kiss to her lips. Her free hand gripped his jacket as her other arm rested gently around his waist. They parted when they were satisfied with the tender greeting, smirking at one another.

"Stunning in every way," he whispered, admiring the happiness reflecting in her dark brown eyes. He took her free hand in his and led her to the elevator.

Regina reveled in the comfortable silence lingering between them as they waited. This was so easy for them; morning greetings, hand holding, walking to work together. It was like they'd been here before.

Maybe in a past life, she thought to herself as the elevator chimed signaling its arrival. Robin released her hand as she entered, placing it on her lower back as he followed. She leaned forward and pressed the button for the lobby as the doors came to a close.

"One of these days," his words were quiet and low in his chest as he spoke. He moved closer to her, like an animal stalking its prey, forcing her into the corner of the small space. Her heart was pounding with excitement as he continued, "I'm going to stop this contraption and have my way with you against these rails."

He bit down on her ear lobe and her knees buckled as she breathed out a moan. He was incorrigible. Just last night they'd been together, quite literally inseparable. Yet, she wanted more of him. And clearly he did too.

"I look forward to it," she placed a kiss to his jawline, sending shivers down his spine. He breathed out and backed away from her, closing his eyes and composing himself. She looked down and noticed he was using his briefcase to shield the obvious erection pitching a tent in his pants. She covered her mouth to hide her soft laughter, but he noticed.

"Laugh all you want," his deep breaths audible as he slowly straightened his posture. "It's your fault."

"Oh it's my fault, is it? Because I'm the one cornering you against the walls of a public elevator whispering my sexual fantasies into your ear," she rolled her eyes at him and he shook his head. The elevator stopped and they started toward the revolving doors in the lobby.

"I wouldn't have to do those things if you weren't so bloody attractive," he muttered, taking her hand as they stepped onto the busy sidewalk of 81st Street.

"I'm able to keep it together around you," she stated with a raised eyebrow.

"Just barely," he teased and she bumped him with her hip playfully as they walked.

"Are you cutting through the park?" She asked as they passed the entrance for the shortcut to Columbia. He shook his head and turned it toward her.

"I thought I'd walk you to work. If that's alright with you, of course," he said.

"I don't mind, but don't you have a morning class?"

"Only on Mondays and Wednesdays. I don't teach until this afternoon, but I have office hours starting at ten today and Thursday," he replied.

"Well then, by all means. Do you want to carry my schoolbooks to my locker for me as well?" She joked, earning an exceptionally wonderful laugh from him in response.

The law firm wasn't very far from their apartment building, or the university for that matter. It was located uptown, just above Central Park. If Regina always left at the time she did Tuesday morning, she would have been able to walk to work each day. But more often than not, she ventured underground to the subway.

It was a pleasant stroll on a beautiful spring morning and she was happy to share it with her present company. They finished their coffee, Robin disposing of the paper cup he often stole from local cafes and Regina putting her empty travel mug in her purse. As they walked, she found herself blocking out the sounds of chaotic city life and drinking in Robin's aura. It brought a grin to her lips that she couldn't shake for the rest of the day.

They stopped in front of a tall, glass building. He noticed that the offices on the lower levels were fully exposed to those passing on the street. He wondered how they got any work done with their offices in such an unprotected and vulnerable state.

"You're not in one of these offices, are you?" He asked, still staring at the unusual architecture.

"No, thank goodness. I despise vulnerability, at least for myself, and that," she pointed to a man in his office picking his nose and rubbing it on the underside of his desk. "Goes against everything I believe in."

Robin laughed and shook his head in disbelief at the man's disgusting actions. Regina revealed a satisfied smirked. He really found her to be very funny. She couldn't remember a time when she ever made a person laugh the way Robin did around her. Not even Daniel was all that amused by her comments during their time together.

"I don't know, Regina," he began, closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around her waist. "You were rather vulnerable last night."

He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. She watched him, trying to figure out what he was thinking. Or rather, what he saw in her.

"I quite enjoyed it," he added, filling the silence that surrounded them. "I wish you'd let more people see you the way I do."

"Until then, consider yourself the lucky one," she smiled, placing her right hand over his left forearm where she knew that lion was hiding. She wrapped her other arm around his neck and stood taller in her heels to touch her lips to his. She felt him smirk before returning the kiss. They parted and he sighed, knowing she would have to enter the building and leave him for the day.

"You better get inside before you ruin your chance to be early," he said with a smirk. She nodded with a roll of her eyes. With her luck, even being on time would be considered late to Leo.

Regina pressed her cheek against Robin's, her lips grazing his ear lobe as she whispered, "Check your back pocket."

His body grew tense, an immediate response to her sensual nature. His briefcase shifted forward to cover his member standing firmly at attention. Damn this woman.

She chuckled and placed a kiss at the base of his jaw just before his ear, so soft it might have been the spring breeze rather than her lips. She stepped away from him and hurried to the entrance of the office building. She turned at the door, sharing a final wave with him before disappearing inside.

When Robin finally calmed the tension in his pants, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. He thought for a moment about when she possibly could have put it there without him noticing. He looked down and read the tiny print: Regina Mills, esq.. Intellectual Property Attorney at Law: Blanchard and Mills. It listed the address and telephone number for the firm just below that. He turned it over and smiled at the sight: Here's my cell #. Xoxo- R. Lo and behold, her number was there scribbled in her beautiful penmanship.

What made him smile most was the lipstick smudge near the corner on the backside of the card, meant to tease him one last time before his walk to the university.


The rest of Tuesday and all of Wednesday were far from exciting for anyone on the third floor of Enchanted Plaza. Daily routines were abided by, welcoming the addition of Robin accompanying her to at least the subway on the days when he had his morning class. Otherwise things were relatively normal for both families.

Robin texted Regina first thing Thursday morning. She jumped at the sound, having fallen back to sleep after pressing the snooze button on her alarm.

Did you talk to Henry yet? He mentioned taking Grace to a movie Friday night so I'm going to assume the answer is no.

Regina groaned. She'd been putting it off because no matter how much she wanted to see Robin on Friday, she was scared to tell her son that she was dating. Not just dating. Dating his boss. The last time she dared to bring a man home to meet Henry, he threw a tantrum and shouted 'Dad will never forgive you' before slamming his door. Her heart broke when she heard those words; thinking them to herself wasn't anything new, but hearing them from her son was altogether different. He'd apologized, of course, and he was much younger then, but her heart still ached with the pain that he might be right.

You shouldn't assume: it makes an ass out of u & me. She replied. After a second, she typed another message: But your ass is right. I've been delaying that particular conversation, I'm sorry. Forgive me?

Perhaps... Why the delay? Afraid your son won't approve of the man you're seeing? His text came back quicker than she expected. She read it with a chuckle and pushed her glasses up before typing her response.

Regina Mills fears no one. Followed by yet another separate message: What can I do to make it up to you? And another: I'll do anything...

She was an adult. Emojis were not her style. But ellipses... Those were always fair game for texting, especially whilst flirting. Their next messages came through at rapid fire speed.

First Robin: Anything, hmm? I can think of two things...

Then Regina: Oh yeah? Enlighten me.

Robin: Well, one you'll have to wait until Friday to find out.

Regina: And the other?

And finally, Robin: Talk. To. Your. Son.

Regina huffed in frustration. He was right. She knew that. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the sound of her sleepy boy dragging his feet toward the kitchen. She sighed and looked down at her phone.

Fine. But if you have a grumpy employee today, it's your fault.

She put her phone on her nightstand after the message was sent and hesitantly made her way to the kitchen. His eyes were slits, taking tired bites of his cereal when his arms weakly lifted the spoon to his mouth.

"Good morning, my Prince," she greeted him with a smile and a gentle peck of her lips against his temple. He grumbled his reply, a combination of noises that seemed to resemble 'Morning.'

How do you start a conversation with your pubescent son about your romantic life? When he was younger, he didn't understand. Thought anyone she dated was 'Mommy's friend.' Then when he was ten, there were the tantrums. Henry is 14 now and understands enough about relationships to know that 'Mommy's friend' is not just interested in playing board games and hide-and-seek. Well, the latter would be interesting foreplay, but that's neither here nor there.

"Henry, I know mornings are not the best time to have a serious conversation with you, but I really need you to try right now. Can you do that for me?" She rushed through her words, wanting this nightmare to end.

"Mom, is everything okay?" He asked with obvious concern. His eyes were open completely then, his full attention given directly to her.

"It's nothing to worry about, everything is fine," she reassured him and watched his body relax with relief. "Everything is wonderful, actually. I'm very happy, Henry."

"Well, that's great," he said, unsure where this was going.

"Which is why I'm hoping you'll keep that in mind when you hear what I'm about to tell you," she tightened her hold on the countertop as she looked into his blue eyes; so much like his father's. He nodded, but remained quiet so she could continue, "Henry, I'm seeing someone."

"Like, dating?"

"Yes, sweetheart. Like, dating," she repeated and allowed the information to sink in. She was surprised when he smiled.

"Awesome! Who is he?" He asked and she averted her eyes; she knew this was too good to be true. The minute she said his name, he was going to explode. It would be the Tantrum of 2011 all over again. "Come on, Mom. I'm a big kid now. I can handle it."

"He's a- neighbor. A tenant in the building," she managed, scraping at the dried almond milk on the counter from Henry's breakfast.

"You're seeing Graham again? I gotta admit, I did not see that coming. Did Emma freak? I know she's with Neal and everything, but she went all 'psycho cop' on you for dating her partner. I don't see what the big deal is-"

"I'm not with Graham," she cut him off before he could continue his ramblings. The tension in their silence was so sharp it could cut straight into her chest and break her heart. But the look on Henry's face did that instead.

"No-" he said, realization filling his features; the same look on Daniel's face when she told him she was pregnant.

"Henry, please don't be upset," she pleaded.

"Upset?!" He raised his voice, standing from the stool so fast it nearly toppled over. "My mother is dating my boss and you think I'm just upset?!"

"I know, sweetie. Just calm down. We only met for a drink one time," and fucked, almost in your bed by the way, "And it was a spur of the moment thing," so was the sex, "I wanted to tell you before our date tomorrow" that will probably end with us, very naked, somewhere in this apartment that isn't your room.

"Well good luck finding a babysitter for Roland because I'm not doing it. I have plans with Grace," he snapped.

"Henry, knock it off," she fired back; he was quick, but she was always quicker.

"Knock it off?! This guy moves into our building, not even a week ago mind you, and uses me just to get to my mother!"

"That's not what happ-"

"No! I don't care. I love Roland, he's a sweet kid, but I'm quitting. Today," Henry stormed toward his bedroom, but Regina followed.

"You're making excellent money, don't be foolish," she said, exhausted from this tiff already.

"It's my job, my money, MY BOSS! So if I want to quit, I'm going to quit, because I'm fucking pissed!"

"HENRY DANIEL MILLS!" Her voice was loud, but not a shriek; more powerful and certainly more terrifying. Her eyes were like daggers, staring into his with anger he'd never seen from her before. The boy froze, realizing what he said and immediately regretting it. One thing she could say he inherited from her was definitely that temper.

"Sit," she spat, enunciating each letter between her perfect teeth, and he dropped onto his bed without hesitation. Her feet were planted firmly into the floor, her posture perfect, and her face unchanged from her expression of anger. Henry always joked when he called her The Evil Queen, never understanding why her coworkers called her that; until now.

"I wanted us to be able to have a civilized, mature discussion about this," she spoke slowly, her words meticulously thought out before leaving her lips. Her hands were on her hips now, anger subsiding and disappointment surfacing. Henry didn't know which was worse. "Clearly you felt otherwise. So if you are going to choose to act like a petulant child, you will be chastised as such. One week insubordination, all television and phone privileges revoked until further notice."

She held out her right hand and he knew she was waiting for his cell phone. He sighed in defeat, removing the device from his pocket and placing it in her palm. She crossed her arms over her chest and remained statuesque before him.

"What about my date with Grace tomorrow?" His voice was small and weak compared to the one she'd been using to reprimand him.

"You should have thought about that before. Perhaps you'll choose your words a little more carefully the next time you dare to talk back to me."

"What about you?" He was speaking up now, gaining his confidence back, but still weary with her just standing there.

"What about me, Henry?" She shifted her weight from one hip to the other, leaving disciplinarian mode to exhausted-parent-of-a-teenager mode.

"Will you still be seeing Robin tomorrow?"

"Yes and I'm sure he will ask you to stay with Roland. However you respond is up to you. I'm sure he can find someone else if quitting is what you truly want. It's your decision; just make sure it's the right one for you," she said and turned on her heels, closing the door behind her while Henry was left alone to reflect on what he knew was his own stupidity.


"So does this mean Henry is my big brother?" Roland exclaimed, jumping on the bed as Robin folded his laundry, chuckling at the boy's innocence. They were packed and ready for their busy day so he took the time to get some housework done.

"Not quite, my boy," he replied.

"Not until you marry Regina, I know. Will she be my new Mom?" His incessant questions after hearing the news were firing from his lips like a machine gun.

"You have a mother, Roland. You know that. And Regina would be your stepmother. If we ever get married. Who said anything about nuptials anyway? We're just going on a date you silly boy," he reached forward and tickled his tummy, his giggling child falling atop the previously folded clothes bringing him great joy.

"Knock, knock," a familiar voice was heard at the end of the hall. Robin and Roland exchanged glances and simultaneous gasps.

"Henry!" Roland shouted, jumping off the bed to meet his friend in the hall. Robin refolded whatever garments were wrinkled from his son's behavior before entering the living room where the boys were huddled together on the couch about to read.

"Hello lad," he offered softly, sensing something different in the boy's eyes. He knew Regina told him, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what Henry might have been feeling about it.

"I used my key when you didn't answer right away. I hope you don't mind," he stated flatly.

"Not at all. That's why I gave it to you. 'Mi casa es su casa, amigo.'"

The awkward tension became unbearable so Robin went to the kitchen to grab his coffee and briefcase. Henry returned his attention to Roland and helped him sound out a word he wasn't completely familiar with. When his boss returned, he looked at him with a sigh.

"Did you only hire me to get closer to my mom?" His question stopped Robin dead in his tracks. He turned to face the teen.

"Absolutely not. On my honor. I had no idea who she was when I met her. She had to tell me she was your mother, otherwise I never would have known," he let his answer settle in before adding, "I hired you because your ad showed me you were hardworking so I took a chance. You were asked to watch Roland because you're a good friend and role model for my son. No ulterior motives. You're a good kid, plain and simple."

"I don't feel like such a good kid," he muttered, sadness filling his eyes.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Robin offered. He was sure Regina would understand if he was a tad late, especially if it concerned her son.

"I just overreacted this morning. I was thinking like a selfish brat instead of a loving son. You make her happy, or so she says, and I'll admit she's been a lot more open lately. Who am I to take that away from her when she's done nothing wrong?"

"What did you say to her?" Robin asked, hoping he wasn't treading in dangerous waters there.

"I was more upset with you, to be honest. I felt used when she told me, but instead of considering another perspective, I lashed out. I ended up cursing at her..." He trailed off at the end, not wanting to reveal his punishment.

"I haven't known your mother very long, but I don't get the sense that was a very intelligent thing for you to do," he chuckled and Henry couldn't help, but join him.

"I've never been so scared in my entire life, Robin," he said, his chuckle settling to a grin.

"Give her time to cool off, yourself as well. Then apologize. Tell her how you really feel. Show her that you can be an adult about this and that your temper just got the best of you," he advised.

"I don't know. She isn't known for being too forgiving," the boy sighed.

"She may surprise you," he offered before heading to the front door to meet the stunning woman waiting for him at the end of the hall. He stopped when Henry spoke again.

"I'll watch him."

"Pardon?" Robin turned.

"So you can take my mom out. I'll babysit Roland. No charge," he said with a smile and added, "Take her someplace nice. She deserves it."

"That she most certainly does."