Make sure that you have read my ad-ons that are Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2015 that take place toward the end of Chapter 8.

Chapter 9

Early January 2016

One of the many things Emma loved about the old Victorian she lived in was the round room, situated at the very top. Sarah had turned it into the perfect quiet space. A place to come if you wanted to read a good book or if you needed a place to think and didn't want to be found. It was a space freely used by all the tenants, and by an unspoken rule the only place in the house that was considered 'unplugged'. No phones or computers and conversation was kept at a minimum. Truly a place of peace.

Feeling the need to connect her thoughts and see if she could come up with a solution to help Blue, she set her phone on the table, grabbed an extra sweater and ran up the stairs. Since the room wasn't regularly heated, she cranked up the radiator and flipped the switch for the small gas fireplace. Pulling on her sweater, she settled in her favorite overstuffed chair and stared out the window at the grey clouds replaying her phone call with Blue.

"...you remember, Neal, right?"

She wanted to say, "Well of course I remember that douchebag," but she didn't, settling instead for a simple, "Of course."

"I don't know how to say it any other way, but he's dead, Emma. He was caught in the crossfire of a shooting between rival groups. But there's more."

Emma wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel, as he had been a real jerk to her when she hadn't reciprocated his feelings, but death? That seemed harsh, even for him. "More, Blue? What do you mean, by more?"

"He had a son, Emma. He's ten and his name is Henry."

Why is she telling me this, Emma wondered? He's not my kid and after what Neal put me through, I'm not sure how I would feel about any kid of his.

"Who's the mom, Blue? And more importantly, where's the kid now?"

"Well, that's the problem. You see, he's been here since just after Christmas. We've placed him in several foster homes but he's run away from all three. Marion says he's created discord between the other boys in the house and then today, well..."

She let it hang in the air and even though she really didn't want to fall into the trap that Blue had set up for her (darn that woman), she did it anyway. "Ok, I'll bite. What happened today?"

Blue sighed. "He gave me a letter today, Emma and," she hesitated, Emma knew for emphasis, "it has your name on it."

"My name?" Emma almost yelled, feeling very taken aback by the turn of events. "Why my name? I haven't seen him since that whole fiasco years ago."

"I don't know what to tell you, Emma. But he refuses to give it to anyone but you. I hate to ask this of you, but I could use your help."

Emma didn't know what to do or say. She already spent a couple evenings at the house with the kids but she also had her last semester of school, the classes she taught, and bowling league and felt she was being pulled in too many directions. Could she handle one more thing? And Killian? What would he think?

"The semester just started, Blue, and things are a bit hectic. Can you give me a few days?"

"Ok, but Emma? What should I tell Henry?"

"I don't know. I'll be in touch."

Now here it was, several days since the call had been made and she was no closer to a solution than when she'd hung up the phone. Unable to sit any longer, she pushed out of the chair, moving to the window where she stared out into the fading light. Hearing the door open behind her, she looked in the window and watched the reflection of the newcomer approach.

"Hello, love." He snaked his arms around her waist and buried his cold nose against her neck.

"Killian Jones," she squeaked and jumped away, "you're freezing."

The smile he gave her could only be described as wolfish, as he twirled her in his arms and nuzzled her neck with his cold face again. "You're so warm," he breathed.

The contact sent a chill through her body, but as his hot breath blew across her neck, the chill turned into a shiver of another kind. Rubbing her hands up and down on his arms trying to warm him up, it finally registered that he didn't have a jacket on, just a cream cable knit sweater. "Where's your coat? You are freezing." She led him to her favorite chair and once he was seated grabbed a throw to cover his legs and then settled down next to him.

"This," he pulled her close, kissing her sweetly, "is perfect. And to answer your question, my coat is in your apartment. I used the new key you gifted me for Christmas and put it there, which is how I guessed where you were."

"Not that I'm complaining but why are you out in this weather? I thought you were staying at your apartment the next couple of nights."

"Well," he began as he readjusted them in the chair, this time setting her more securely in his lap rather than then side by side, "this will sound as if I'm daft, but I had a sense that you needed me. Did you, Emma? Did you need me? Is that why you are up in the thinking room?"

She smiled at him, "I always need you, but something from my past has come up."

Nothing was said as he continued to gaze into her eyes as if trying to read all of her secrets. "Tell me."

She settled her head on his shoulder and pulled the throw over them, and with his arms holding her tight was ready to face that frightening time in her life. "I don't know if you've heard Ruby, Ashley or me mention the name Neal, but if you have it probably was not in a good way. I was around fifteen and Neal was a boy who grew up in the same area of town where our Home was located. The problem was that he ran with a group of boys who were pretty rough. I'll never know why, but for some reason I caught his eye and he decided that I was going to be his girl. From the moment his decision was made, he started following me home from school, which escalated into suggestive comments, and when that failed, he tried to use intimidation techniques. After putting up with his behavior for close to a year, I took action. Deciding I wasn't going to be intimidated, I stood up to him and told him in no uncertain terms to leave me alone. The problem was it made him look bad in front of the other gang members, which meant when he retaliated, it wasn't pretty.

I didn't hear from him or see him for three months or so, and then he set me up to take the fall for some stolen merchandise and I was arrested. Thankfully, Sister Blue stood up for me and I was released and the arrest was cleared from my record and the full story came out. Neal ended up being sent away. I never knew where, but frankly, I didn't care to ask."

Killian frowned at her, "It sounds as if you were a strong lass, even at the young age of sixteen."

"Maybe." She thought about how Neal's behavior toward her had changed her. "I do think that whole experience made me stronger on one hand, but on the other I decided if I dated it wouldn't be anyone from my high school."

"So," he gave her a teasing smile. "There's no one I need to beat up?"

She pushed herself off his shoulder so she could look in his face. "You would do that for me?"

"Aye, love." He cupped her face, "I'd do anything for you, surely you know that." He kissed her tenderly before tucking her back against his shoulder. "There's more to the Neal story, isn't there?"

"Hmm, there is." She took a breath and let it out slowly before continuing, "Seems Neal had a son and the son has a letter to give to me." Unable to sit still any longer, she pushed herself off the chair and paced back and forth in front of the fire.

Knowing she needed to work through a plan in her mind before her body would relax, Killian let her pace while he folded the throw and put it away. "Why is a letter so scary, Emma?"

She stopped pacing, but didn't stop wringing her hands together. "Because it's from a dead man. That part of my life is in the past. If I read a letter written by him, those wounds just open up again and I have to deal with the pain."

Killian moved to her, pulling her close. "So this Neal is now dead and he's sent you a letter from the grave?" She nodded her head and he continued. "And you are concerned that his words will bring back memories better left in the past?" Again, she nodded her head agreeing with his summation. Taking a step back, he tipped her chin. "Swan, words only hurt us if we allow them to. You're stronger now and you're not alone."

"I'm not?"

"No, Swan, you're not." He kissed her until they were interrupted by the growling of his stomach. "Guess, I'm hungry. Feed me, woman!" They laughed when it growled again.

They adjusted the radiator and turned off the fire before leaving the room. Stopping on the top step, she looked over her shoulder. "You never said what you wanted to eat."

"I'm easy, Swan, you know that."

"How about pancakes? I know we have a mix." She smiled at him as he opened the apartment door, closing it behind them.

Middle January 2016

"Hurry," Robin chided Killian, who was on the phone, probably texting Emma as usual. "One - you just left her, so what more could you have to say, and two - we're going to be late for class."

Shoving his phone in his jacket pocket, Killian looked up at him with a slight frown on his face. "I wasn't texting, but reading an email. Seems Professor French is having health problems and had to withdraw from teaching this semester."

Robin looked at him in concern. "Blimey, did it say who was taking his place?"

"Aye, it did," Killian answered, pulling his phone back out to read the details. "Seems it's a female, a Regina Mills from New York City."

"Regina," Robin repeated, "why does that name sound familiar?" He shook his head as a memory of seeing her name somewhere before strolled through his mind. "I wonder if she's pretty."

Killian snorted, "Anything's an improvement over Old Man French," he finished just as they arrived at the assigned room and found seats in the middle.

They hadn't been sitting very long when the door opened and the class turned quiet immediately. Robin, who had been searching for a pen in his satchel, looked up to see what all the commotion, or lack thereof, was about. One look at the woman who walked through the door and the pencil in his hand fell to the floor and he knew that he had the deer in headlights look. Hearing Killian's "Bloody hell, mate, shut your mouth," was the only thing that kept him from making a complete arse of himself as she opened her mouth to introduce herself.

She greeted the class and explained that she had been a design specialist with a large firm in New York City. A paper she had written recently on Using Design to Protect the Environment had been published in an engineering magazine and it had caught their professor's eye. Luckily for her when the professor had fallen ill, he had remembered her article and was pleased how it fit into his curriculum. When he had called and asked, she had been ready for a career change and bringing her ideas to a group of final semester graduate students would ultimately serve to make them better at whatever path they chose in the future.

Her style was different from Professor French's, more interactive as she was not one who stood behind the table and explained power points that were already understood. She moved around the room as she lectured, stopping to ask questions, answer questions and discuss specific points she wanted to make. When she passed by where he was sitting and he got a whiff of her perfume, something classic yet exotic, his heart rate sped up so much he felt like school boy who had his first crush. Already picking up that she used eye contact quite often as one of her teaching strategies, he watched her and every time he felt she was getting ready to make eye contact with someone, he held his breath. He wanted that person she connected with to be him but when she moved over him in favor of someone else, he couldn't entirely quash his disappointment.

Thankful that Killian was an organized note taker, Robin sat back and watched Ms. Mills work the room. She was graceful in the way she moved, but there was so much more. Her presence commanded the attention of everyone around her, almost as if she were a queen who was ruling over her court. She held the class mesmerized, and with the way he was hanging onto her words, he felt like he had been truly gobsmacked. Question was, what was he going to do about it?

As Regina completed her lecture and assigned reading to be done for the next class period, Robin packed his satchel and watched students stop and talk to her. She was gracious but reserved, never entertaining them longer than what was necessary to answer their questions. Curious about the fact that she had made eye contact with so many, yet had overlooked him, he needed to talk to her. Would she shoot him down if it were just him?

Standing, he joined Killian as he moved toward the door. "Go ahead. I'm going to..." he nodded his head to where she was packing her laptop.

"Good luck, mate," Killian murmured. "Something tells me you're going to need it."

His heart in his throat, Robin walked over to where she was just stowing her computer and notes in a briefcase. "Ms. Mills," his voice cracked, causing heat to climb up his cheeks. Clearing his throat, he tried again, "Allow me to introduce myself, Robin Locksley at your service." When she put her soft hand into his much rougher one, the shock of awareness he felt sent a tingling up his arm. Her eyes grew round before she delicately extricated her hand from his and stepped back, putting the desk between them.

"Mr. Locksley," she acknowledged, not unkindly but not the overenthusiastic greeting he wished for.

Giving her what he considered an endearing smile, he tried to think of something neutral to say to continue the conversation because he wasn't ready to leave yet. "I enjoyed your lecture." Lame Locksley, he thought mentally rolling his eyes.

This time she gave him a half smile, "Thank you," but once again didn't give him any openers to further the conversation.

Deciding his best option at this time would be a retreat and regroup, he inclined his head, "Milady," he began, earning a pencil slim eyebrow raise from her. "We'll speak again soon." He left the room quickly, shutting the door behind him with a click.

As soon as she heard the click of the door, Regina dropped down into the chair behind her and buried her face in her hands. "I am so screwed," she muttered to herself. Her plan had been a new town, a new job and finally a chance to show what she could do when out from under the domineering ways of her mother. Meeting a man whose smile captivated her was not what she had in mind. "Not at all," she said it just loud enough to reaffirm to herself that she meant every word of it. "Not at all."

Once she felt she had gained control of herself, she gathered her belongings and walked sedately back to her office. Used to offices with plush carpeting, the clack-clack of her heels on the tile hallways seemed unnaturally loud making her wish she had worn shoes with softer soles. That the hallways were not crowded served to be both a blessing and a curse in that noisy hallways covered up her loud shoes, but they also created an environment bringing her out of her comfort zone. No one would ever guess from her appearance, but while Regina wanted to have a lot of friends, in reality she had few. Boston was an opportunity for her to change all that.

She had been born in New York City, only daughter of Henry and Cora Mills, and as such much pressure had been put on her, particularly by her mother. The Mills family were old money in New York with a family lineage meant to be revered, and Cora wanted her daughter to marry early and marry well. Wanting her parents' love, she had been a dutiful child and allowed her mother to lead her in directions that she might not have chosen on her own, namely in becoming engaged to marry Daniel, who was the youngest son of a wealthy developer. Not wanting to create dissent, Regina had listened to what others had said and not worried about what she found to be lacking in the relationship. That is, until her father lay dying and whispered that his greatest wish was for her to be happy and to follow her dreams.

After he was gone, she felt his death had unleashed something inside of her setting her free. Her first act of defiance had been choosing Brown University over Vasser, her mother's alma mater. Cora had been very disappointed in her until after graduation, when she had moved back to New York and taken a position with a design firm that met Cora's approval. Her second act of defiance that brought on her mother's ire involved quitting the firm and moving to Cambridge to teach for a semester. She could only imagine her mother's comments if she fell for one of her students.

Which was why she had to be standoffish and not encourage him in any way; why she couldn't think about the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled or the way he seemed to sit up straighter when he thought she was going to look at him. Or, she thought, the way his accent washed over her causing little tingles of awareness about things she had no business being aware of. Creating friendships, gaining experience to add to her resume and finding her sense of self-worth were what she planned to focus on over the next five months and not the deep dimples that adorned the cheeks of Robin Locksley.

Thankfully, the friendship goal had been achieved by reconnecting with Sarah Fischer, whom she had met while at school at Brown. They had lived on the same floor as freshman and while they had never been best friends, had always run in the same circles. Finding that Sarah owned a building that rented to graduate students had been a coup, and that all the other residents were women had been positive, too. Today she was having lunch with Sarah and Elsa in the Caspersen Student Center, which felt like a big step toward finding the Regina of whom she could be proud.

Late January/Early February 2016

When Killian had promised to help her handle the Neal situation, she had been happy, really happy. So much so that, as situations came up preventing them from making it to the group home, she hadn't been too upset, assuming they'd go eventually. But now that the day had arrived, and it had been four weeks since Blue's original call, she felt equal parts regret that she had waited so long mixed with needing another excuse to postpone the visit.

Killian, on the other hand, was having way too much fun preparing for their trip. He had disappeared to his apartment early that morning, returning with several boxes and a mischievous grin. As she watched him, he picked up one of the boxes he had brought in earlier and set it on the table. Rubbing his hand over the lid slowly, she watched several emotions cross his face, making her wonder if he were afraid of what was inside - as if the memories the opened lid might unleash were too scary or possibly too painful, until he seemed to come to a decision, pulling off the lid quickly and dropping it on a chair.

Unsure when he'd last been into the box, Killian slowly removed the lid and peered inside at the jumble of cars, car parts and assorted tools. Pulling out three different sized Dale Earnhardt cars, a white BMW, a convertible corvette, an Incredible Hulk car and a 1994 Nissan Skyline, he laid them reverently on the table, memories flowing over him. Picking up the Dale Earnhardt cars, one at a time, he turned them over making sure their parts were intact, thinking about sitting with Robin on the floor of their freshman dorm room working on them. Searching the box, he located two of their controllers and plugged them in to charge.

As he walked by Emma toward an outlet, she smiled up at him, however her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "You alright, Swan?"

She gave him a look that he wasn't sure how to interpret. "You're having fun preparing for this visit, aren't you?"

He grinned at her question, "Aye, Swan, I am. Care to help?" Holding his hand out, she hesitantly put hers in it allowing him to guide them to the table. The next car he examined was the red car. "This car is something special."

Looking at it, Emma couldn't see anything that stood out to make it special. The color was faded so that it was barely red anymore and it looked run down. "Looks like it's seen better days."

Killian gave her an offended look as he stroked it like he was stroking a pet. "Don't hurt my feeling Swan. She won many a race for Robin and me when we were first years."

"And how many times did you rev the engine up just a little more?" she couldn't quite help but ask.

"A few, but we won, which was very important among the engineering students." He took the Corvette and plugged it in, hoping it would charge enough before they left. The white BMW was missing a wheel and after searching through the box again, they had no luck finding it, but they were able to connect the Incredible Hulk car to another outlet.

"And what about this one?" Emma picked up the Nissan and held it toward him.

"That," he remembered fondly, "was my first remote control car. Father and I worked on that car all the time trying to make it fly faster."

"Did you succeed?" She asked looking into the box to see what else they might have missed.

Shaking his head, he put the Nissan back in the box. "I blew out the power source by trying to jack it up too much," he told her shrugging a shoulder. "But that was long ago."

"Sounds like good memories."

He pulled her into his arms, resting his chin against her forehead. "Aye, the best. And now, I hope to make new memories with the boys in the Home. Think they'll like that?"

Tilting her head back, she looked at the man whose arms were around her, wondering yet again how he could be real. "That's a wonderful idea, Killian. You are so sweet."

"You think so, Swan?" He lifted a brow waiting for her to answer.

She nodded her head, "I do."

"Well," he started backing her toward the sofa, "we have at least an hour before we can go anywhere. Have any idea how we can spend that time?"

She popped the button on his jeans and flicked the zipper tab with her nail. "Oh, I have an idea," she whispered as she slowly slid it down.

He grasped the sides of her head. "Oh, I do like how you think," he managed to utter before verbal communication ceased to be possible.

cs~cs~cs

Sister Blue walked down the hall to the room where Henry had been staying since his arrival at the Home. Never knowing what she was going to encounter, she opened the door slowly and peeked into the corner where he was lying on his bunk playing on his hand held gaming system. "Henry," she called his name softly.

Henry turned toward the door and quickly sat up. "Is she coming today?"

The look on his face was so hopeful that Blue felt her heart melt a little for this little boy who was all alone in the world. She sat down next to him before answering, "Yes, she's on her way. Are you ready?"

He nodded his head once and he pushed off the bed to dig the letter out of his drawer. "I'm ready."

cs~cs~cs

Since Killian's hands were busy holding the box of cars, Emma wrapped an arm around his back tucking her hand into a pocket. "Ready?" she asked as her other hand hovered over the door preparing to knock.

"Question is, love, are you?"

His gaze was patient, allowing her to move at her pace. "I think so," she muttered as she knocked.

They didn't have to wait long before the door was thrown open and they were met by the curly moppet with deep dimples and big dark eyes, Roland. "Killian," he exclaimed stepping forward to wrap his arms around the legs of the surprised man standing next to her.

With a grin at the exuberant greeting, Killian moved the box to his side. "Hello there, little mate."

Roland sent him a dimpled grin and peered around them, seeing if they were alone. "Robin here?"

Killian sent her an oops look before motioning her into the house and pushing the door shut behind him. "I'm sorry to say he's not, but I'll be sure to let him know you asked."

Roland tilted his head to the side. "Ok. Whatcha got?" He pointed to the box.

"I brought some cars for us to look at. Can you carry the box over there?" He indicated a space across the room.

Watching their exchange, Emma felt a calmness come over her. She could handle anything with him by her side.

"You have this, right?"

She kissed him quickly. "I have this. Now go protect your cars." She laughed at his look of fear as he watched Roland and another boy take the cars out of the box, before giving her a wink and hurrying off.

"Emma," she heard the voice of Blue, the woman who had been a part of her life since the minute she had been abandoned. "I'd like you to meet Henry."

Blue was standing next to a little boy, who was wearing jeans and a plaid flannel shirt, his shaggy brown hair falling over his forehead and down over one eye. He had a serious look on his face as he studied her, one much too serious for a ten-year-old, but considering what he had been through, she assumed it was to be expected. She gave him a tentative smile, expecting one in return and when he broke away from Blue and ran toward her, wrapping his arms around her legs in a hug, she wasn't sure what to do.

She glanced in Blue's direction, but from the look on her face, she was just as surprised by the display of affection as Emma, herself. Gingerly, Emma patted him on his bony shoulder. "Hi, kid. Sorry we didn't get here earlier."

Releasing her legs, Henry took a step back so he could look up at her. "That's ok. I know grown-ups are busy sometimes. Besides," he shrugged, "Sister Blue told me you would come when you could."

Acknowledging his response, with a tilt of her head, Emma motioned to the sofa, "Shall we sit?" She led him across the room to the furniture where they sat side by side, each taking the other's measure. Blue, seeing that things were going smoothly, excused herself and left the room, and while she could hear the rumble of conversation from Killian and the boys, they were quiet enough that she was unable to make out their words. Ready or not, she thought. "I understand you have something for me?"

Henry contemplated her for several minutes before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a folded envelope, handing it to her. "My dad wanted you to have this."

Looking down at the letter, Emma could see her name written on it, but still had no idea how or why Henry had been appointed to pass it on to her. Seemed like a large feat for such a small child. "Do you want me to read it now?"

When she asked the question, he turned away from watching the boys across the room try out the cars, under Killian's tutelage, but not before she saw a yearning look in his eyes. "Sure, if you want."

Opening the envelope, she removed several sheets of paper. "This looks pretty long. Do you want to go play with them?" Nodding his head vigorously, he scampered off.

Settling back against the cushions, she opened the letter and read words from the man who had briefly been in and out of her life, a person whose impact had changed some of her views on both people in general as well as herself and apparently, without her knowledge, she had impacted him.

Dear Emma,

I'm not sure where to start, but here goes. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the things I said to you and for all the ways that I wronged you. I know it's not an excuse but treating others with kindness or showing empathy was not something I was familiar with. I never knew my father and my mother was a lousy mom when she was around and I basically raised myself. I know, I did a lousy job.

But I digress. I also wanted to thank you for standing up to me in the first place because while I ended up in prison, in a way, you saved me. Never thought you'd hear that you were my savior, did you?

While away I guess you could say, I grew up and found myself. I completed my GED and eventually became a licensed counselor at a Home for Wayward Boys in a small town in Maine.

Henry's mother is gone and has been for a long time, in fact, he doesn't even remember her. It's just been him and me, and while he knew a little about my past, he didn't know the complete story.

I can't get into the reasons why Henry and I were in Boston, but suffice it to say, it wasn't for the reasons you might hear. I was trying to do something right and got in over my head and if you're reading this I paid the ultimate price.

My final wish was for you to know what my thoughts were regarding that time long ago, as well as to hope that in some way you will find it in your heart to be a savior for my boy too.

Neal

Emma folded the letter and put it back into the envelope just as Blue sat down next to her. "You knew, didn't you? Somehow you kept an eye on his life."

Blue inclined her head in agreement. "Yes, I knew," she admitted. "Initially, I wanted to make sure that he would no longer be a problem for you girls, but then something happened," she hesitated just long enough for Emma to realize it might be the same thing Neal had mentioned. "And let's just say that I reached out and one thing led to another which got us here, but Neal did love his son. So now, Emma," she looked across the room at where the boys were still playing with the remote cars, "what will you do?"

Emma chewed on her bottom lip as she watched Killian interacting with the younger boys. He's a natural, she thought, as he leaned his head back, laughing at something Henry said to him. He probably loved having an excuse to bring out his toys. "Who's responsible for Henry now, Blue?"

"Well," she looked away as her cheeks took on a pinkish hue, "technically, the state, but I have control over where he goes. We came to an understanding, Henry and I, after all the trouble he caused initially," she smiled fondly over at the group of boys, "and things have improved immensely."

"That's good to hear." She sighed, feeling the weight of making a decision that would have an effect on the life of a ten-year-old child. "I'm no savior, Blue. I'm just a person."

"Oh, Emma," Blue sighed, "you're a person alright, but a very special person." She patted Emma's knee in a comforting gesture as she stood up to leave. "Talk to Killian, as this will affect him too, and let me know what you decide."

"I will, thanks." As Blue left the room, Emma's stomach rumbled and knowing there were always cookies in the kitchen, she went to see what she could find.

cs~cs~cs

Finding herself at loose ends, Regina wandered around her little apartment adjusting items that didn't really need adjusting. Sarah had done a good job of setting up the apartment with all the necessities and since her time here was only temporary, she hadn't brought much from home; her clothes, a few pictures, her own pillow and blankets and a few candles.

Moving to the window, she saw it was no longer snowing and thought maybe this would be a good day to explore a little of her new city. So far, she had only spent time walking around Harvard Square and the Copley Mall, but ever since Robin - no - Mr. Locksley, as she needed to think of him, had mentioned the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum after she had referenced its architect, Willard Seers in class, she had been anxious to visit. Question was, did she want to go alone or invite someone along?

Thinking exploring a new city would be more fun with someone who was familiar, she picked up her phone and sent a quick text.

cs~cs~cs

When she had gotten a text from Regina inviting her to a museum, Elsa had to admit that she was surprised. They had met up on campus for lunch a few times, but most of the time Regina seemed reserved and she kept to herself around their house. From the beginning of their acquaintance she had sensed there was more to the visiting professor than met the eye, and each time they were together was proving that to be true. A trip to the Gardner Museum, which happened to be one of her favorite places, wasn't a hardship, especially on a cold wintery day.

Just as she was finished dressing her phone pinged with an incoming text and, worried that the plans might have changed, she picked it up:

Robin: Plans for the day? I'm bored.

Elsa: Going to a museum with a friend.

Robin: Oh?

She could hear the nosiness in that one word.

Elsa: Yes, the new tenant. Remember, I told you about her? Regina Mills.

She knew that she had told him about her. She also knew, from Emma and Killian, that Regina had taken over one of his classes. Wondering what kind of game, he was playing, she waited for his answer.

Robin: Oh, yes. You did mention her. Where are you going, the Gardner Museum by any chance?

Okay, that's just weird, she thought. How does he know we're going to the museum?

Elsa: Yes, that's where we're going. How did you know?

Robin: Lucky guess.

She hoped it wouldn't be too weird for all, but thinking it would be rude not to invite, she went ahead and asked without checking with Regina first.

Elsa: Want to come?

Robin: While I would love to say yes, the lovely Ms, Mills might not approve.

Thinking there's certainly more to this story than I'm getting, Elsa asked a follow up question.

Elsa: Not approve? Why?

Now is he going to spill or am I going to get more cryptic answers, she wondered? His response surprised her.

Robin: Ok, you win. I asked her out to the museum this weekend and she turned me down.

Now, that wasn't what she had anticipated him saying but it was time to go downstairs to meet Regina, and so she tossed out a challenge. Whether he followed up, would be the question.

cs~cs~cs

Robin looked down at his phone and read the text for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Elsa: When it's important, it isn't easy. Why don't you meet us there?

Should he? Hadn't Regina made it clear she wasn't interested? Or was she interested but there were other obstacles that were in their way? Had he listened to what she had said or had he only heard 'no' and then stopped hearing the rest of the words? Maybe his timing was bad and he shouldn't have asked after class one day, but no. He couldn't wait and jumped at the opportunity when it was presented. Was that the mistake?

As soon as class was over Robin sat and waited for everyone to leave. She had assigned a project and more students than normal stayed after class to ask questions until, finally, he was the only one left.

As he walked toward her, his pulse sped up and his palms felt sweaty. She was standing behind the table, with her briefcase sitting on the table in front of her, almost as a shield to keep her from getting too close to whomever was talking.

He asked her an innocuous question about the project and once that was over, he decided to just take the chance on the possibility that he had seen a sliver of interest in her dark eyes. "You mentioned the architect who designed the Gardner Museum, Willard Seers, in class today."

"I did." She gave him a small smile.

"Would you," he took a deep breath and smiled at her, "care to accompany me to the celebration for him at the museum in a couple weeks?" When he finally got the words out, he felt breathless and it took several seconds before he felt calm enough to listen for her answer.

She gazed at him, almost with shock on her face, like she was in a situation that she hadn't been in before. He looked closely, and feeling a little dry, licked his lips, which elicited a slight flair of her eyes that he attributed to an awareness. He could see her pulse beating rapidly at the notch in her throat, giving him hope.

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, before answering, "I'm not sure that would be a good idea, but..."

And then before she could say any more, another professor, Sarah Fisher, had walked in and Regina had switched her attention away from him. He had excused himself and like a bloody arsehole practically run out the door.

Had he misinterpreted what she was going to say? There had been a but on the end of her sentence. Could she have been about to quantify her answer? Bugger that, he thought, it took Killian a year to find Emma and he never gave up. Maybe I owe it to myself to give it another chance.

"Challenge met," he murmured as he sent a quick text to Elsa and went to get ready to leave

cs~cs~cs

Regina and Elsa walked quickly to the train station, catching the Green Line to the museum. For a Sunday in early February, the T was fairly busy but seeing sportswear, it seemed that both the Patriots and the Celtics had games that were pulling fans to their stadium and arena respectively. Finding a seat between a noisy Patriots fan and a Dolphins fan having a heated discussion, Regina cut her eyes to Elsa and just shook her head at their exuberance. When several people got off at the next stop and the fans took their talk to the back of the train, it was much easier to have a conversation without feeling like you were yelling.

"Have you been to the museum before?" Elsa asked Regina as the T started up again.

"No," Regina shook her head, "I've always wanted to but for some reason it was never the right time." She smiled, "How about you?"

"I've been several times, now. Emma, you've met her right?" Elsa looked over at Regina for confirmation.

"Yes, we've met in passing. She's Sarah's TA, correct?"

"Yes," confirmed Elsa, "she used to work at the Gardner and still visits quite frequently."

"It sounds wonderful." She looked to see what exit they were approaching and decided this would be a good opportunity to learn more about Elsa. "You live with your sister, isn't that right?" The few times they had met for lunch on campus they had talked about their parents and Elsa had briefly mentioned a younger sibling but that was about she had said. Having seen and heard the bubbly redhead around, Regina found herself curious to know more.

"I do live with my sister," Elsa confirmed. "She's studying to take the MCAT and then will be applying to medical schools."

"Really?" Regina complimented, "It takes a lot of dedication for someone to want to be a physician. Does she want to go anywhere specific?"

Elsa rolled her eyes. "She has her heart set on Harvard or NYU, I think."

They went on to talk about the fact that Elsa was planning to take the LSAT in July and then hoped to move to NYC to work.

"Do you have a firm in mind?" Regina asked as the train came to their stop.

"Not really," Elsa answered as she followed Regina down some steps. "I'm thinking corporate law or tax law, but we'll see," she trailed off as she heard her phone ping an incoming text. Betting that a certain dimpled gentleman couldn't resist her challenge meant she needed to find out what Regina's objection to him was before he showed up and the nice day turned awkward.

"Something wrong?" Regina interrupted her thoughts.

"No," Elsa frowned slightly, "why do you ask?"

They resumed walking. "You stopped talking and had a frown on your face so I wondered..." She trailed off not knowing what else to say.

Now or never, thought Elsa, as she moved them out of the flow of traffic and closer to a building. "I hope you're not mad but..."

Elsa went on to explain her friendship with Emma, Killian and Robin and how when he had contacted her earlier she had invited him along. "He told me he asked you to the museum this weekend and you turned him down."

Regina ducked her head and leaned back against the building. "That's not quite the whole story. I said I didn't think it was a good idea but before I could say why, Sarah walked in and he left."

Elsa frowned, "So there's more to the story?"

"I'm his instructor," Regina moaned, "and as such, I can't get involved. Not only would it make it difficult to do my job, it would make it rough on him."

"Oops," Elsa worried, "if he shows up today, will that make you uncomfortable?"

Regina thought about spending the day walking around a museum with Robin by her side and how if truth be told, she wanted nothing more, but could she continue to maintain a distance from him? Seeing the concerned look on her new friend's face, she decided that if he showed up, she would handle it for her. "I'm an adult," she smiled facetiously, "most of the time. I can handle it." They continued walking. "Just don't leave me alone with him, because those dimples…"

Her sigh told Elsa all she needed to know about Regina's burgeoning feelings for Robin.

I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you think.