A/N: Hey guys thanks so much for the reviews you've left. I wanted to make it clear that this is still an OQ story but I really wanted to make it Marian positive as well. I'm glad you've reacted so well to her character. Here's chapter 10. Enjoy!

6 Months Later

Classical music flowed radio in the Locksely apartment as Marian took another bite of the banana bread in her hand. She sighed in content as she listened to the violins play complicated notes of Mozart. She'd always loved classical music. It helped her feel calm. Her peace was only marred by the storm brewing within her husband. Robin grumbled as he ripped a shirt from its hanger as he stood next to the closet. The hanger rocked back and forth as he haphazardly folded the button-down shirt in his hands. He kicked a small box of diapers out of his way as he crouched next to the bed to grab his duffle bag from its usual place. He sighed as he threw it on top of the dresser. "I still don't want to go."

Marian sighed from her seat on the bed where she sat cross legged folding up the tiny clothes she'd received at her baby shower. She rubbed her hands over her eight-month-pregnant belly as she looked over at her husband with sympathetic eyes. "Robin we've already decided that you have to go. We agreed on this."

Robin groaned at her as he stuffed the shirt and a pair of pants into his duffle bag. He'd been pitching a fit all morning about his imminent business trip. "I don't like the idea of leaving you alone for so long."

"I won't be alone the entire time," Marian reminded him. "Mrs. Connelly agreed to check on me every hour."

Robin scoffed at the mention of their eighty-year-old neighbor and Marian glared at him. "Don't scoff at Mrs. Connelly. She's been really helpful these past few months."

He shook his head and narrowed his eyes at her skeptically. "You just like her because she keeps baking you banana bread."

Marian chuckled at him. Banana bread had been her number one pregnancy craving ever since Mrs. Connelly had surprised her with it a few months ago. Once she expressed her love of the treat their kindly doting neighbor had been sure to bake her a loaf every week. It had made her one of Marian's favorite people.

"Okay bread aside she was a nurse for nearly forty years," she argued.

"She's been retired for fifteen!" Robin pointed out dramatically. "Everything she knows has probably been outdated for years."

"Pregnancy hasn't changed," said Marian gently. "If I let her know that I'm uncomfortable she'll be able to tell if it's serious or not."

"What if you go into labor?" Robin questioned. "How are you going to get to the hospital? You know they took away her driver's license last year, right?"

"I'm not going to go into labor," said Marian calmly. "You heard what Dr. Montgomery said. I'm not due for another four weeks and we don't really have to be on the lookout for labor until I'm in the two week range."

Robin sighed at her serene logic. "I just don't like the idea of leaving you and the baby behind."

"Robin," she sighed taking his hand and pulling him onto the bed next to her. "We'll be fine. Remember what the doctor said. We're past the 28 week mark. And that means…"

"No matter what he's coming," Robin finished for her. He placed a gentle hand on her stomach. The phrase had been their mantra for the past month, ever since the doctor had told them that she was far enough along in her pregnancy that the chances of a spontaneous miscarriage were practically non-existent. The knowledge that their baby boy was surely going to be born was a relief to them both. It'd allowed Marian to reach a place of peace and security with her pregnancy but the same couldn't be said for Robin. He was still extremely cautious when it came to the health and welfare of his wife and unborn child.

"Are you sure we can't put this off any longer?" he asked desperately.

She shook her head at him. "Mickey's retiring next month. If we don't find a new booze dealer before then we're going to be a bar with no liquor. Meeting with the new guy now makes sure that we'll have the business secured so the transition will be smooth."

She placed her hand on top of his. "It's just a four hour drive there. A quick motel nap. Meeting. And then you're on your way back to me. I'll probably be sleep the entire time."

Robin sighed as he gazed at his wife. Despite her complaints he thought that pregnancy suited her quite well. Her curly hair was pulled into two braids and her cheeks were a healthy red. She was truly glowing. "Alright but as soon as the meeting is over I'm ditching Hook and taking the train back down."

She rolled her eyes at him. "If the one hour difference will make you feel better then I support your decision."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I promise to be back as soon as I can."

Eighties rock music blared through the Drunken Monk as Regina loaded up her tray with another round of beers. The sun had begun to set and the bar was slowly but surely beginning to fill up with the night crowd. A couple of college kids had started a dart throwing competition and were starting to get more rambunctious with every throw. She could see a couple of post-work regulars having their daily drink at the bar counter. Probably chatting to Killian about their terrible bosses. Just the usual customers.

Regina quickly dropped off the beers at her table with a smile and headed toward the kitchen window. She let out a breath as she as she leaned against the wall and waited for her order to be filled. It was five hours into her shift and she was beginning to feel the familiar wear in her joints. Over two years of waitressing and it had only gotten marginally easier. Mulan noticed her discomfort as she walked over to place her orders and scoffed, "I don't want to hear any complaints from you. I told you you didn't have to come in today."

Regina raised an eyebrow at her. "Didn't I?"

She had already worked a night shift the previous day and had really been looking forward to a day off with her and Henry. However when she'd stopped by the bar for her check that morning it turned out that one of their waitresses, Chloe, had gotten a touch of food poisoning and called in sick at the last minute. It was more than inconvenient considering she was one of the few waitresses who could handle their midday crowd. Though she desperately wanted to spend the day with her son she didn't like seeing her coworkers flounder. So she'd volunteered to stick around for the lunch rush. She'd only expected to stay three hours at most but her shift had dragged on. Thankfully Robin had agreed to entertain Henry upstairs while she worked.

Mulan rolled her eyes. "I could've handled things without you."

"Keep telling yourself that," Regina responded cheekily, joining her at the bar counter. "Besides I could use the extra tips if I'm going to pay my share for the stroller."

"Right," said Mulan, nodding her head. "Remind me to give you my fifty before you go."

"Will do."

When Robin and Marian had announced their pregnancy to everyone at the bar baby fever had quickly swept through them all. Within a day a betting pool had been started to guess the gender of the baby (with Regina, Mulan and Robin winning for their choice of boy). Robin and Killian had put a two gallon baby name jar at the end of the table so the customers could give their suggestions a name. Every night the waitresses and bartenders would read the options and keep a tally of the more popular names on a chalkboard next to the stage. The top five currently consisted of Christopher, Marcus, James, Tyler and Andrew. All good choices but none Robin and Marian were particularly thrilled about. Everyone was excited for their arrival of their baby, especially Regina. She knew no one deserved this joy more than them. A few weeks ago she'd gotten together with all the bar employees and set up a fund for a new stroller for the baby. Everyone was chipping in fifty bucks.

"Have you ordered the stroller yet?" asked Mulan.

"I've put it on reserve at the store," sighed Regina, "but I can't buy it until I have the cash on hand."

"How many people are you waiting on?"

"Just you and Killian."

"Are you kidding me?" said Mulan incredulously widening her eyes. She whistled down the bar to get Hook's attention and waved him over toward them. "What's this I hear about you crapping out on the stroller fund?"

He glared at her. "I'm not crapping out on the stroller fund. I've got the money in my wallet was going to give it to her before I left on the trip with Robin tonight."

"Thank you Killian," said Regina with a smile. "Now just make sure you don't say a word about this on the drive up there."

"Lass, you'll find I am more than capable of keeping a secret," he replied with a wink.

"And cue the collective sigh of relief from the girls who have woken up in your bed," quipped Mulan.

"Oh you're just mad 'cause they're not in yours," he shot back with a grin.

"Whoa!" cried Regina. "Not the time or the place guys."

After two years of working with them she'd grown more than accustomed to Mulan and Hook's banter. They'd been working together for more than three years so they'd long since given up on politeness. Their crass barbs and insults was just the way they communicated with each other. Sometimes Regina wished she could join in on their little language but more than twenty years under her mother's watchful eye had left her more proper than she liked.

"Can I just say that I think this whole stroller thing is ridiculous?" complained Hook. "I mean I'm not exactly a parent but 400 dollars for a stroller seems pretty steep."

"It's more than just a stroller," insisted Regina. "It's a Graco travel convertible that comes with a compatible car seat. It's very maneuverable so Robin can take it jogging and it's spacious enough that they won't have to get a new one when the baby grows up."

"I checked it out on online, it's actually pretty awesome," said Mulan with a grin. "And it's ten times better than that death trap they were forced to buy from the secondhand store."

Regina grimaced at the thought of the rickety stroller Marian shown her a few weeks ago. It was at least five years old and nearly coming apart. Robin and Tink were doing their best to fix it up but neither were optimistic. It pained her to think of her best friend placing her child in such an unreliable stroller.

"We just want to give their baby one luxury item," she said. "You know they deserve it."

Hook let out a sigh at that. It was no secret that Robin and Marian had spared no expense in making sure that her pregnancy went as smoothly as possible. The specialist they'd been seeing was costing them a fortune and she wasn't even covered by insurance. It was starting to eat into their savings.

"Well you're the mother of the group so I'll assume you know best," said Hook. He folded his arms across his chest smugly. "Besides I have no problem giving up fifty bucks for my godson."

Both Regina and Mulan rolled their eyes at him. Ever since Robin and Marian announced their pregnancy Hook hadn't been shy about the fact that he was gunning for the title of godfather.

"Are you really still obsessing over that?" asked Mulan, with a smirk. "There's no way they're going to pick you."

"Why wouldn't they?" he asked in an offended tone. "I'm worldly, handsome, loving…"

"You live on a boat," Regina pointed out flatly.

"I live on a ship!" he corrected, angrily pointing a finger at her. "The Jolly Roger is a ship."

"You calling it that won't make it true," giggled Mulan.

Hook only glared at her in response. When Tuck, the previous owner of the bar had died, he'd left Hook his old cruising sailboat, The Jolly Roger. Despite its small size he was particularly defensive about it. The boat was his home, his passion and his main method of travel. He probably loved it more than his own life.

"Why are you all loitering about?"'

They turned to see Robin staring at them from the bar counter. He made a sweeping gesture toward the bar floor. "It's starting to look like a packed house. Let's get to work guys."

Robin had been in more than a bit of a mood due to his trip later that night. Knowing he'd be leaving Marian behind had made him downright irritable and the staff had taken notice. As Hook and Mulan quickly dispersed Regina approached him. "How's Henry?"

"He's fine. He's working on a coloring book while pick up some fries from the kitchen," he answered.

"Thanks for watching him," said Regina gratefully. "I really hadn't planned on staying so long."

"It's no problem Regina. I'm going to need the practice anyway," he replied with a grin.

She smiled up at him. "How much longer until the baby arrives? Five weeks?"

"Four," he corrected.

"Are you getting nervous yet?"

"Only as much as expected," said Robin quickly. "Marian's been a rock though. She's actually been calming me down these last few weeks."

"That's good," said Regina earnestly. "I know how tough it was for her in the beginning."

"Yeah," said Robin, nodding his head. "Thanks for helping her get through that."

During the early days of her pregnancy Marian had more than leaned on Regina. Confessing her fears and worries about the baby. Anything that she felt she couldn't tell Robin she'd told her. And when she'd had a bout of round ligament pain during work one day Regina had been the one to ride with her to the doctor and calm her down until Robin got there. She'd even stayed with Marian for the night to make her feel better. A part of Robin had been jealous of how much his wife depended on her friend but it was blocked out by the part that was just grateful she was there. To be honest he was glad that his wife had Regina's experience to help guide her through the pregnancy. It'd been really helpful for Marian to have someone help her determine what was normal.

"It meant a lot to her to have you around," he added, sincerely. "To both of us actually."

She shook her head at him. "It was nothing. You both have gotten me through so much worse."

In Regina's heart there was so much she still owed Marian and Robin for all they'd done for her. In her eyes they were the only reason she'd been able to keep her son. She'd never be able to pay them back for that. As she looked over at her serving section she saw another group of coeds take over a corner booth. She sighed before tightening her apron around her waist. "I should get back out there."

Before she could reach her section an idea formed in Robin's head and he lightly reached for her arm. "You know after the baby's born you and Marian might not be able to spend as much time together."

Regina chuckled as she turned to face him. "Robin I'm well aware of how much time and energy a newborn requires. Don't worry. I'll be sure to release your wife from my clutches once your son arrives."

He let out a small laugh at that. "Trust me I'm not concerned about that but your shift is almost over right?"

"Yes," she drawled, suspiciously. "Amanda is coming in early so I can leave with Henry."

"Okay," he said. He scratched the back of his head and shrugged his shoulders nervously. "You know, why don't you and Henry head over to our place for the night?"

Regina raised an eyebrow at him, skeptically. "Your place?"

"Yeah," he insisted. "Henry's so disappointed you weren't able to make it to the park today I figure he's due a movie marathon on our television."

Regina couldn't afford a television at her apartment yet, so Henry's favorite activity was to watch movies at Robin and Marian's. It was the reason they were his favorite babysitters.

"Besides I know Marian would love to see you both," he added. "You could have yourselves a good old-fashioned hen party once Henry goes to sleep. Make some memories before the baby's born."

She put a hand on her hip and scoffed at him. She wasn't nearly as close to Robin as she was to Marian but she had gotten pretty good at reading him over the years. And it was obvious was he wanted something from her. "Okay Robin I know what you're asking and if you want me to do it you're going to have to be a big boy and actually say the words."

Robin let out a sigh as he realized she'd seen through him. He tucked his hands in his pockets and gave her a nervous look. "Would you please babysit my pregnant wife while I go on this overnight trip?"

"Now was that so hard to ask?" she said with a smile. "Of course I'll stay with her for the night."

He flashed his dimples at her as a relieved smile grew on his face. "Thank you."

Marian shuffled around the kitchen as she waited for the microwave to finish heating up her hot chocolate. She rubbed her hand against the small of her back and sighed at the minimal relief it gave to the persistent ache she'd had for the past few months. Being pregnant was no picnic but still she wouldn't give up the experience for anything in the world. A small smile was on her face as she laid a hand on her still-growing stomach. She could feel her tiny son move against her palm. The best feeling in the entire world.

She looked over her shoulder as she heard a rapid knock against her door.

"Coming!" she quickly yelled out as she waddled her way across the living room floor. Ugh, cannot move as fast as I used to, she thought to herself. She opened the door to find Henry and Regina standing on the other side. A grin broke out on Henry's face as he caught sight of her.

"Aunt Mari!" he cried.

A giggle flew from her throat as he happily wrapped his arms around the bottom of her legs. "Henry!" she greeted him with an exaggerated smile as she bent down as much her swollen middle would allow to place a hand on his back and pull him closer. He'd grown up so much since being the little baby she'd brought home the night they'd first met. He was three years old now. Nearly tall enough to reach the kitchen counters and she was understanding his words better every day. Every time he called her Aunt Mari she felt her heart swell with pride. "It's so good to see you my sweet boy."

She looked up at Regina, and tilted her head in confusion when she saw Regina wearing her Drunken Monk t-shirt. "Did you just come from work? I thought it was your day off."

"It was," said Regina exhaustedly stepping into the apartment. She stretched out her neck as she shut the door behind her. "Chloe got too sick to make it in for her shift so I had to step in."

"What about your day at the park?"

"Canceled," said Regina, shrugging her shoulders. She then sent Marian a mischievous smile. "However because I am such a selfless employee 'Uncle Robin' promised us repayment in the form of cartoons."

"I wanna watch Nemo!" said Henry, excitedly bouncing on his heels.

Marian let out a disbelieving chuckle as she folded her arms across her chest. "Oh I see. He asked you to come over here to watch me for the night."

"You know he did," replied Regina, not even bothering to cover up Robin's intentions. "I think it's kind of sweet."

"Maybe just a little," said Marian with a small smile. Though it was a bit overwhelming at times, she had to admit it comforted her to have Robin so concerned with her and the baby's welfare. It made her feel that much safer with her pregnancy.

"Besides it's not like I didn't see it coming a mile away," she added with a smirk. "Nemo's already in the DVD player and popcorn is in the pantry."

"Yayy!" cheered Henry running to jump on the couch. "Sleepover!"

Regina and Marian took up residence on the couch while Henry quickly laid out a blanket for himself on the living room floor. In less than ten minutes he was in his favorite blue Spongebob pajamas, with his feet in the air and his chin in his hands, fully immersed in Finding Nemo. Every so often he'd dip his hand into the large bowl of popcorn by his side, his eyes never leaving the screen as the clownfish and his blue friend searched for his lost son. As Henry enjoyed his movie Regina and Marian were lost in a task of their own. They sat on opposite sides of the couch with the bar's baby name jar between them, both checking each slip of paper for inspiration.

"How do you feel about Ethan?" asked Regina looking up from the slip in her hand.

"Ugh," responded Marian, sticking out her tongue. "It sounds like a name that carries arrogance and judgement with it." She crumpled the slip and threw it toward the trash can.

Regina burst out in laughter at her friend's reaction. "Well that's a lot of meaning to gather from five letters."

"Well excuse me for being picky," said Marian playfully. "It's my son's name. He's going to carry it for the rest of his life. I want it to be good."

"Well what did you have in mind?" asked Regina curiously.

"I don't know," said Marian shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I want something classic. A name he can grow old with."

She grabbed another slip from the jar. "Tristan? I don't know maybe that could be good."

Regina quickly shook her head. "Oh no, not Tristan. I knew a Tristan in high school. He couldn't take two steps without groping the nearest girl. A total sleaze."

Marian hissed guilty as she folded up the paper. "It actually said Patrick on here. Tristan was one of my top ten and I just wanted to know what you honestly thought."

Regina chuckled at her. "Well I certainly didn't hold back did I?"

"It's okay," said Marian shaking her head. "Robin wasn't a fan of it either. He said kids named Tristan get punched in the face."

"He's not wrong," said Regina grimacing down at another suggestion. "It's nice to know Robin didn't waste all his good taste on you."

Marian hummed happily at her comment as she dug through the jar. She blew out a disappointed breath as she grabbed a slip only to find another "Marcus" written in crude handwriting. "Is it too late for me to steal Henry's name?"

"I'm afraid so," replied Regina flatly. She looked over at her son with a small smile. He was still splayed out on his stomach watching his movie. Practically oblivious to the two woman who sat behind him. A spark of wistfulness crept into his mother's heart as she remembered the day he was born.

"Henry Daniel. I named him after my father and his," she said softly. Her eyes dropped to her hands. "It's a shame he'll never know either."

Marian reached out to squeeze her friend's hand in comfort. The moments were few and far between but since she'd learned of Regina's secret the other woman had started to open up about her former life in small doses. She'd told Marian of her mother, the woman who'd tried so fiercely and unapologetically to mold her life into something she'd never wanted, of Daniel, the young gardener with open heart and blue eyes, the man she'd loved more than she'd ever loved anything before, taken from her by a unknown drunk driver but the person she'd spoke of the most was her father Henry, the frail, aging man who had loved her as best as he could and helped saved her when no one else would. Sometimes she spoke of him with a smile on her face, basking in the few good memories he'd given her before she'd left, and other times she'd speak of him with tears in her eyes, going over all the memories they'd never have together. Christmases and birthdays and graduations he'd never get the chance to spend with his namesake. Regina didn't open up much about her past life but when she did one thing remained crystal clear: her father was the only part of it she missed.

"Are you sure there's no way you can see him again?" asked Marian, with sympathy tears welling up in her eyes.

Regina shook her head sadly. "No. I can't risk Henry's safety like that. If my mother were to find us again…"

She trailed off, letting all the possibilities hang in the air unspoken. Even after years away the thought of her mother finding her and her son still gave her nightmares. She'd do anything if it meant preventing them from becoming realities.

"What if I saw him instead of you? She doesn't know me," suggested Marian in a hushed voice. "I could let him know that you're okay."

"You can't do that Marian and I couldn't possibly let you take such a risk. If my mother knew you were harboring me she would destroy you," insisted Regina. She placed her hand on top of Marian's and nodded sadly. "My father and I both knew the price of me escaping that place. We can't risk seeing one another again. Not if Henry is going to stay safe."

She glanced over at her son who remained distracted by the bright colors on the tv screen. "It's a harsh price but one I'd pay again without hesitation."

She turned back to Marian and nodded at her baby bump. "You'll understand once you hold your son in your arms."

A smile tugged on Marian's lips as she ran her hands over stomach. "I think I understand now. In the beginning, when I was so afraid of losing him, I would've given up anything to make sure he was born safely. I still would. I've been keeping calm for these past few weeks but there's still a small part of me that worries something will go wrong."

"Nothing's going to go wrong," Regina promised. "You remember what the doctor told you. You're past the twenty-eight week. And that means that no matter what…"

"He's coming," Marian finished with a cautious smile. "I know."

The two women shared hopeful smiles before returning to the jar of baby names between them. They tried to stay playful as they read off name after name but both were distracted with by thoughts of the other. Regina, desperately praying that her friend made it through the rest of her pregnancy with no complications. And Marian, refusing to give up hope that one day Regina will find a way to be both safe and reunited with her father.

The trio's sleepover didn't carry over into the night like Henry had hoped. Given that one of the participants was a three year-old and another was eight months pregnant things petered out very quickly. Henry was the first to go down, making it to the end of Finding Nemo but only halfway through The Lion King. He crawled into one of Robin's old sleeping bags and was sleeping soundly on the floor in a heartbeat. After Henry dropped, Marian was next choosing to head to sleep after a call with Robin to confirm that he had made it to the motel. After a short while Regina was the only one awake in the apartment. She settled on the couch, took out her sketch pad and tried to work on some new dress designs but could hardly focus. It wasn't long before she found herself nodding off and falling asleep, pencil still held upright in her hand.

Visions of Henry and Daniel and her father played behind her lids as she fell deeper and deeper into sleep. She dreamed they were together and they were safe, Daniel's ring firmly on her finger instead of around her neck. Marian pushing Henry on a swing set while Robin chatted with Daniel and her father. It was blissful. And it wasn't meant to last. She was torn from her fantasy when she woke to find Marian frantically clutching her shoulder to shake her awake.

She stood in her pajamas looking down at her with a worried look in her wide eyes. "Regina I think I'm in labor."

NEXT CHAPTER: Marian gives birth to her son while Robin tries desperately to get back to her.

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