Chapter 10

Fortunately, the friends' Sunday morning breakfast had ended much better than it began. Although the topic of Regina and Robin's new relationship hadn't been broached again, Regina had regained some sense of normalcy by the end of the breakfast, and was reasonably convinced that everything would be alright within their friend group. Furthermore, on the topic of normalcy, Regina hadn't seen Robin since he'd walked her home from breakfast, as, after all the festivity of the weekend, she had finally been forced to return to the land of academics. Regina had both a grueling AP Latin test and an Advanced Pre-calculus test on Monday, both of which she felt woefully unprepared for. Not to mention the fact that, as principal, Cora Mills was always very much informed about Regina's academic schedule, and did not hesitate to ensure that Regina was studying. Due to this, not only had Regina not seen Robin, but she also hadn't even spoken to him, since Cora had confiscated her cellphone for the evening so that she could study.

Well, now that she was on her way to Granny's before school, and now that she was quite prepared for both of her tests, Regina was very eager to see Robin. She'd been experiencing a very interesting emotion in the past 24 hours… It wasn't even exactly like she missed him, it was more like she couldn't shake the sense of having something to look forward to. Whatever the feeling was, Regina couldn't recall ever being so excited for a Monday morning.

Regina made her way into Granny's a solid 10 minutes ahead of her friends' normal meeting time, as usual. And, since she was 10 minutes early, she definitely wasn't expecting to see Robin waiting for her by Granny's ordering counter. Her heart skipped a beat, out of both surprise and excitement. Excitement quickly won out, and she felt herself smile widely, an expression which Robin returned. Part of her felt the extremely overdramatic urge to barrel into his arms and hug him, but she managed to control herself and walk calmly over to join him.

"Hey," he greeted calmly, half smiling at her as she leaned up against the counter next to him. It was odd… Part of her had desperately wanted him to kiss her easily in greeting, and another part of her loved that he didn't. Something about the fact that he didn't maintained the brand, shiny newness of their relationship. And Regina liked the newness.

"How was your night?" she responded, smiling at him. Robin looked almost a little taken aback at how much she was smiling. God, was David right? Was she really 'a little scary'?

"Not bad. Did a little homework, tidied up the house, looked after Roland, etc.," Robin answered. This raised a question in Regina's mind.

"Where was your father?" she asked him, genuinely curious for the answer.

"My dad works pretty… intense hours at the station. He doesn't get home until after midnight, most nights. So most of the cleaning and the Roland-ing falls to me a lot of the time," Robin explained simply, shrugging, as though this didn't bother him. But Regina could detect a hint of stress and exhaustion behind his deep blue eyes.

"And how is Roland?"

"Well, now that you mention it, very interested in when he'll next be seeing you," Robin replied pointedly, arching an eyebrow playfully, seemingly grateful for the subject change. Regina grinned.

"Anytime he'd like. Just make sure he doesn't invite that obnoxious older brother of his next time we hang out," Regina responded, smirking and giving him a playful wink. Robin laughed. Regina took a step closer to him, now much closer to his body than ordinary conversation required.

"I'll be sure to relay that message to him."

"You know, if you ever need any… help with the cleaning, or the cooking, or the Roland-ing, all you have to do is ask," Regina said gently, looking up into his eyes seriously. Robin half smiled at her, his eyes softening further.

"I'll keep that in mind… Is it just me, or does it suddenly feel very… crowded in here?" Robin said softly, leaning in slightly closer to Regina, so that she could vaguely feel his warm breath on her face. Her heart rate sped.

"Very."

Robin was just about to lean in to press a chaste kiss to her lips, when the whole gang burst through the door to Granny's.

"I knew this was going to be the worst," Killian moaned dramatically when he saw them. Regina and Robin shot away from each other immediately, both of them suddenly becoming very interested in the tile of Granny's floor. Killian, Emma, Gold, Snow, and David made their way over to the counter.

"Oh, grow up, Killian. Personally, all I ask is that you keep the PDA to a minimum," Emma said, shoving Killian playfully, and rolling her eyes.

"Speaking of PDA, Regina, have you even told Cora yet?" Gold asked, seeming somewhat amused at the thought of Regina having to break the news to Cora. Regina's heart plummeted at that comment. As a matter of fact, she hadn't even remotely discovered the proper way to tell Cora about Robin. Cora had been painfully clear about her feelings toward Robin, and his past legal transgressions.

"No, I haven't, Gold. And, quite frankly, Robin and I's relationship is the last thing I would like to discuss this morning. Maybe if you all would quit bringing it up, it wouldn't seem like such a huge deal. So can we all just grow up, and move on?" Regina snapped, already fed up with her friends' behavior. She couldn't understand why they were being so petulant in the first place, it wasn't as though they weren't accustomed to seeing her in a relationship. She'd been with Daniel since the seventh grade!

"Point taken, your Majesty. Now, I am in desperate need of some donuts, Granny!" Killian agreed with Regina, and calling out his order to Granny, who nodded her understanding.

"I wouldn't mind a donut either," Emma added.

"I second that!" called Gold. Granny, whose back was now to them, raised a finger to them, demonstrating that she heard them all.

Granny fetched them a dozen donuts, and pushed them over to Killian, Emma, and Gold. They dove in immediately. Regina momentarily hated Emma for her ability to eat whatever she wanted and still remain stick thin.

"Just coffee for you, Regina, I assume?" Granny confirmed. Regina nodded.

"Thanks, Granny."

"And what about the rest of you?" Granny questioned Snow, David, and Robin.

"Two coffees for Mary Margaret and I, and we'll split a blue berry muffin, please," David ordered for himself and Snow. Granny nodded, and turned her attention to Robin.

"Coffee, and a bagel for me," Robin requested, flashing a friendly smile. Granny nodded again, and moved to fulfill the rest of the orders.

"Alright, friends, what are we up to this weekend?" Killian asked the group, his voice slightly muffled by the enormous bite of donut in his mouth.

"Perhaps some general table manner classes for you, Killian?" Regina couldn't resist snarking in response, earning laughter from everyone. Killian glared at her, but made a point of chewing the rest of his bite and swallowing theatrically, before speaking again.

"Any other suggestions?" he asked pointedly.

"Killian, Robin, and I all have a football game on Friday night. It's away," David said, seemingly disappointed by the fact that Mary Margaret wouldn't likely be there to watch him, since the game wasn't at home. Regina also found herself disappointed by this news. She'd temporarily forgotten that Robin was on the football team, and had been hoping to spend Friday night with him.

"So that just leaves the four of us, huh?" Mary Margaret said, gesturing to herself, Emma, Regina, and Gold. Gold sighed. It wasn't uncommon for the fact that he wasn't on the football team to leave him hanging out with three girls.

Just as Mary Margaret said this, Granny returned with the rest of the groups' orders. Regina eagerly snatched her coffee and took a large swig, desperately needing her daily caffeine boost. Robin, who apparently was watching her, chuckled from next to her.

"Let's start walking," Emma suggested.

Having bid their thanks and farewells to Granny, the seven of them began their walk to school. The early October air was bitterly cold, and Regina was momentarily very grateful that she had forced herself to wear a scarf.

"Alright, so movie night on Friday?" Mary Margaret asked, referring to what the four members of the group who weren't on the football team might do to entertain themselves for the evening.

"Only if I get to pick the movie," Gold responded immediately. Regina couldn't deny that this was a fair request, since the last time the four of them had had a movie night, Gold had been roped into watching Twilight. Snow, Emma, and Regina all cracked up, remembering.

"Deal," Emma conceded, grinning, and rumpling Gold's shaggy, brown hair. He flinched and smacked her hand away almost immediately, earning another set of laughs from the group. If there was anything Gold hated, it was unwelcome touching and or affection.

The rest of the walk was beautifully uneventful. The seven of them discussed upcoming tests and general academic misfortunes. Killian had already managed to get himself on academic probation, while the rest of the group was just incredibly bogged down by junior year's rigorous demands. Regina and Snow both had a Pre-Calculus test today, in addition to the AP Latin test which Regina also had with Gold and Killian, while Emma and David both had an AP English test. Robin, had somehow escaped this Monday without an exam, but was certainly going to make up for it with the AP US History test on Wednesday, the AP Chemistry II test on Thursday (tests which Regina would also have to endure), and his AP Calculus test on Friday. Anyhow, the atmosphere, the banter, the subject matter, all of it just felt… normal. And Regina loved every second of it.

Having arrived at school just in time for the first bell, the group split off towards their designated, first period classrooms. Mary Margaret and Gold to Spanish, David and Emma to English, Killian to his Maritime and Ocean Studies elective, and Robin and Regina off to Chemistry.

She and Robin walked side by side together down the hall, a comfortable silence between them.

"So… hypothetically, if your mother did know about us, would I be allowed to hold your hand in a situation such as this?" Robin asked quietly, leaning in just slightly so that Regina could hear him clearly. She felt herself blush, and was almost knocked to the ground by the force of just how much she wanted to be holding Robin's hand.

"Hypothetically, I probably wouldn't object," Regina said, using her very best tone of indifference and slight sarcasm, as she shot Robin a brief, side smirk. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him grin.

"I'm not sure if it's ironic, or hilarious, or maybe just plain sad that I've never looked so forward to a chemistry class," Robin said, bemused, just as he and Regina arrived in front of the classroom door. Regina paused to stand in front of him.

"What is it that you're so looking to, thief?"

"I haven't really been alone with you since Saturday night," Robin said, as though it were obvious. Regina arched an eyebrow.

"And you're considering our chemistry class, filled with 20 other students and an irritatingly strict teacher, quality alone time?" Regina scoffed, genuinely interested in what his response would be. Robin smirked and shrugged, as though he knew something that she didn't.

"Anywhere without the very watchful eyes of our friends, or your mother, I am going to consider quality alone time for the time being," Robin said simply, as he moved to walk into the classroom. This left Regina very interested in what awaited her in this class period.

She followed him into the room, and subsequently, to their lab table in the back of the room. How very, very fortunate it was that Robin had arrived late to class that first day, forcing him and Regina to take the only table that remained: the one furthest from all the supplies, but also furthest from everyone else.

Regina and Robin stood side by side while Mr. Archibald delivered instructions for the class period. But, clearly, Robin was determined to make sure that Regina didn't catch a single word of it. As soon as Mr. Archibald began speaking, Regina felt Robin slowly start to move behind her. She turned around to look at him, to ensure that he hadn't completely lost his mind. Fortunately for Robin, there was a shelf just behind their lab table, leaving very little space for Regina and Robin, in general, and it was humanly impossible for the both of them to fit between the table and the shelf without touching one another, unless they were standing side by side. Robin was very aware of this, it seemed, as his chest was suddenly pressed completely against Regina's back.

"What the hell are you doing?" Regina hissed quietly, hating herself for the fact that she definitely didn't mind Robin's proximity to her, despite how incredibly inappropriate it was at the moment. Not that it mattered, seeing as Mr. Archibald hadn't even looked their direction yet.

"Me? I'm just getting my pencil," Robin whispered innocently, suddenly reaching around her to grab a pencil, which happened to be sitting on the opposite side of the table. She felt the movement of Robin sliding the pencil into his pocket, and she also felt Robin's hands suddenly touching each side of her waist, as he moved back around her to stand by her on his rightful side of the table again. If they weren't together, the movement would probably have passed for platonic. But they were together, and it was not platonic, and Regina was not alright with the sudden spike in her heart rate.

"You cannot do things like that all class," Regina muttered, half out of genuine irritation with his antics, and the other half out of the fear of knowing that she couldn't possibly focus with him touching her like that.

"What, grab my pencil?" Robin smirked, knowing that he'd been successful in riling her up.

"Yes, things like grabbing your pencil," Regina retorted under her breath, scowling.

"My apologies, your Majesty."

"So this is what you meant by quality alone time?" Regina murmured, raising an eyebrow, and glancing at him sideways. Robin's already very present smirk deepened. She watched as he looked to make sure that Mr. Archibald wasn't paying attention, and suddenly he was ever so lightly pressing his lips against her ear, touching his forehead against her hair.

"Exactly what I meant," he breathed. Regina felt a literal shiver run down her spine, as he lightly kissed her ear, before he pulled away completely. She looked over at him in utter shock, and was very annoyed to see that no one seemed the wiser, and that if anyone looked over at them right this second, Robin looked completely innocent. This was going to be a long class.

—-

The day passed by relatively quickly, and without any particularly horrible antidotes to report. Both of Regina's tests had gone excellently, and she felt confident that she had aced them both. This certainly couldn't do anything but help her, as Regina was working on ways to butter Cora up before she told her about Robin. And making good grades was certainly an excellent place to start.

Currently, Regina was making her way out to the lone, wooden table out by the entryway steps to the high school. She knew her friends and Robin would be waiting there. It was odd, it now felt wrong to classify Robin along with the rest of her friends. Yet, it also still felt bizarre to refer to him as her boyfriend. So, for now, it was just 'her friends and Robin'.

"Ah, there's our Evil Queen!" she heard Killian call out to her as she quickly descended the entryway steps towards their table.

"How did your tests go?" Emma asked pleasantly as Regina joined the little circle everyone was standing in. Mary Margaret and Gold were occupying both of the slots to Robin's sides, so Regina stood across from him. She made brief eye contact with him as a silent greeting. He shot her his signature half smile that made her go weak in the knees. Right, Emma asked a question…

"Really well, actually. Latin was a breeze, and I think I handled Pre-Cal alright. Thank you for asking, Emma. How was Pre-Cal for you, Snow?" Regina asked conversationally. She felt Robin smile at her when she said she'd done well.

"Also well! How was English, Emma, David?" Mary Margaret asked, passing the question around the circle.

In the background, Regina could hear her friends discussing how their tests had gone, and how their days in general had gone. And it wasn't that she didn't care, or didn't want to listen, she so did, she just suddenly found herself … distracted. How could she possibly be expected to pay attention to anything other than Robin giving her his look?

—

"Alright, change of plans, as it happens, I will not be attending Friday's movie night," Gold announced, setting his lunch tray down in his usual spot between Regina and Emma, and sliding into his seat. This got everyone's attention, as Gold was the last to join the table. Mary Margaret and David were speaking to one another quietly, as were Killian and Emma, and so, obviously, Regina and Robin were capitalizing on one of the few times they were able to speak intimately to one another without being thoroughly roasted by their friends. In the past two days, Regina and Robin had somewhat started to maneuver their way through being the newest couple in the friend group. So far, they had learned that, if they wished to avoid being harassed by their friends, they were to refrain pretty much from all touching in front of them. Fortunately, this hadn't proven too difficult so far, as Regina and Robin could scarcely get near one another in school anyways because of Cora. In addition, they had discovered that when they tried to speak only to one another, they would likely either be relentlessly teased, or just roped back into group conversation anyways. The only times this didn't seem to be the case, were during lunch before all members of the group had gotten to the table and separate conversations were allowed, or in the morning at Granny's, when Regina and Robin were the first to arrive and were already engaged in conversation when the friends got there.

Alas, the arrival of Gold marked the end of their lunch time, private conversation.

"And why won't you be attending movie night, Gold?" Emma asked. Gold shrugged.

"I made plans."

"Yes, we figured that when you said you wouldn't be attending movie night, that you would be attending something else. We would like to know what that is," Regina snarked, rolling her eyes. Gold gave another, indignant shrug.

"I don't have to tell you all my plans, Mom," Gold retorted, foolishly thinking that that would end the conversation.

"Would you prefer me to guess what I think your new plans are, Gold?" Regina asked slyly, very distinctly alluding to Belle. This got Gold's attention immediately, as he realized that, since Regina and Robin were no longer keeping their relationship a secret, they now had no reason not to expose Gold's hook up with Belle at Killian's party.

"I would rather you didn't-"

"Please tell me I'm not completely clueless about another relationship," Emma interrupted miserably, glancing back and forth between Gold and Regina.

"Oh my God, Gold, is this about Belle French again?" David suddenly interjected, seemingly very amused. Gold shot Regina a 'fix this, NOW' look, but Regina had no intention of rescuing him. Robin took David's comment as the opportunity to jump in.

"Oh, it's always about Belle French, isn't it, Gold?" he mused, grinning at him playfully.

"Why does this always happen to me?" Gold muttered miserably, leaning back in his chair as everyone else burst into laughter. It was so rare to find an emotional weak spot in Gold, and there was no way in hell that they were going to let the opportunity to thoroughly humiliate him go to waste.

"This never happens to you!" Mary Margaret exclaimed, prolonging everyone's laughter.

"Alright, Gold, fess up. What is going on with you and Belle?" Emma commanded, playfully shoving Gold's slumping shoulders. He sighed, and Regina watched in amusement as he weighed his options: deny, and endure endless nagging until he finally gave in, or just confess now and avoid later embarrassment.

"We… we hooked up at Killian's party," Gold confessed, heaving a very overdramatic sigh. Four pairs of eyebrows shot up into the air at this.

"Which, I would like the record to reflect, is how he knew about Robin and I," Regina pointed out.

"You walked in on them?" Killian practically shrieked at Gold, as though he had struck gold, gesturing to Robin and Regina. Gold was about to reply, before Robin interrupted.

"Oh, I wish. No, we walked in on them in the middle of… well, Gold, would you like to tell them what you were doing?" Robin interjected, smirking at Gold, who looked to be on the verge of passing out from embarrassment.

"We were, well, I was, I mean, she was-"

"I'm going to leave it at I got an eyeful of Belle's undergarments," Robin said, as he and Regina cracked up again at the memory.

"Aye, that's my man!" Killian shouted in encouragement, offering his hand out to Gold for a high five. Gold reluctantly returned the gesture, before Emma smacked Killian on the shoulder in disapproval.

"I'm happy for you, Gold!" Mary Margaret commented simply. Gold gave her a look of sheer bewilderment.

"You're happy for me? How awkward."

"Not like that! I just meant I'm happy for you because you, you know, you like her!" Mary Margaret explained herself, rolling her eyes at his misunderstanding, but still smiling happily. Gold looked enraged by this comment.

"Alright, hold on, I absolutely do not-"

"Oh, you so do. We saw you looking at her at the dance," Regina said pointedly. Gold's cheeks undeniably turned a shade darker.

"I was not looking at her, she was wearing yellow, it's a very bright color!" he protested feebly. Everyone rolled their eyes and groaned.

"Just admit it, you heartless crocodile. It's not such a bad thing," Killian said sympathetically, patting Gold on the shoulder. Gold gave a snort of derision.

"You're one to talk about 'just admitting it'!" he retorted aggressively, seemingly growing very tired of this discussion.

"He's got a point with that," Emma muttered, glancing at Killian sideways.

The subject was changed after that. Gold had suffered enough for one day.

"Well played, your Majesty," Robin said quietly to Regina, once everyone was caught up in some new subject matter.

"I've been waiting for that," Regina confessed, half smiling. Regina's heart practically leapt into her throat as she felt Robin's hand lightly move onto her thigh under the table.

"Are you still coming over after school? To see Roland?" Robin asked softly, without looking at her. He kept his eyes fixed on everyone else, as to avoid drawing attention.

"Wouldn't miss it."

—

Robin had asked Regina to come home from school with him Wednesday afternoon to visit Roland, who had been growing increasingly more eager to see her again. And, quite honestly, Robin was growing pretty desperate himself to spend some actual alone time with Regina. It wasn't that he truly minded not being able to be all over her in front of their friends, or that he didn't completely understand why they couldn't be open about their relationship at school because of her mother. And it wasn't like Robin was only in it so that he could hook up with her, but he just… wanted her. Robin couldn't recall ever feeling this way about Marian. He couldn't recall ever being so utterly infatuated with her that he would've done literally anything just to be alone with her for a minute. It wasn't even that he just wanted to kiss her, or put his hands on her, he just wanted the option to.

But, for the time being, Robin was certainly enjoying the feeling of Regina's black, leather gloved hand in his as they walked from school back to his house. She looked particularly gorgeous today, he noticed. Especially right now, as the cold had lightly reddened her nose and flushed her cheeks, and left her, dark, wavy hair slightly windblown.

When they arrived at his house, Robin pushed open his front door for her, and she stepped in before him. The house's warmth was an immediate relief for both of them, as the temperature outside was right above freezing, and they'd just endured a ten minute walk in it. Robin knew that he probably had about ten minutes to be alone with Regina before his father returned home with Roland, whom he was picking up from day care. Ten minutes. And Robin had every intention of capitalizing on them.

He watched as Regina casually set her black messenger bag onto his sofa, and began unbuttoning her dark grey peacoat. This revealed the very attractive black, v-necked cashmere sweater Regina was donning today. Robin had long since noticed that it wasn't often for Regina to wear things that particularly showed off her figure, and that when she did, it was something to be noticed and appreciated. Not to mention the fact that she was also wearing the pair of dark wash skinny jeans that Robin liked so much. Essentially, it was as though she knew just how much he was struggling with not being able to put his hands on her, and had decided to increase his suffering tenfold with her wardrobe choices.

"Can I just set this on the couch?" Regina asked, snapping Robin out of his trance. She was referring to her coat, which she'd just taken off. Robin nodded, and walked over to stand closer to her, but not too close as to suggest anything just yet.

"I don't think we've been this alone before," Regina said suddenly, taking Robin by surprise. Could she read his mind? God, he hoped not. She'd probably think him horribly horny and perverted. He wasn't really, of course, he just couldn't help looking at her at the moment.

"Trust me, we haven't," Robin replied, smiling at her. Regina raised her eyebrows at him, which just made him want her even more.

"And you're not even flirting with me yet," Regina said coyly, running her hand through her hair, and lightly cocking her head to the side challengingly. Robin fought the rapidly growing urge to press her against the nearest wall and kiss her until neither of them could breathe. Instead, he took another step closer so that he could easily reach out and touch her if he moved his hands. His close proximity also made her have to look up at him, which he found utterly endearing.

"What would you like me to do?" he asked softly, genuinely interested in her response.

"Well, you've been remarkably well behaved the last three days… Does being discreet just come naturally to you?" she questioned, half flirting, half serious. Oh, if only she knew of the thoughts going through his mind every time she was even in the same room as him…

"Maybe I'm just good at keeping my thoughts to myself," Robin replied, half smiling knowingly. She grinned.

"What kind of thoughts?" she asked him, arching one flawless, dark eyebrow. Oh, well, now he just had to touch her, he really didn't feel that he could be blamed at this point.

"I really like these jeans," he told her, staring into her eyes as he lightly placed his hands on her hips. Just this small amount of contact felt way better than it probably should have. And Regina's coy, flirtatious expression really wasn't helping matters.

"Do you?"

"And this sweater too, I like it very much also."

"Is that so?"

"Mhmm," Robin murmured in agreement, moving one of his hands from Regina's hip up to thread gently through her thick, ebony hair, and rest on her face. God, he'd already almost forgotten how incredibly soft her hair was…

And, naturally, just as he was preparing to finally kiss her, he heard the very distinct sound of his father's truck pulling into their driveway. Leave it to Tuck Locksley, who was always late, to be early on the one day when Robin would've given everything he had for him to be as tardy as normal. Robin groaned, and pressed his forehead miserably against Regina's.

"They're early," he explained quietly, chuckling lightly at their ironic misfortune. Regina laughed with him a little, as he forced himself to pull away from her entirely and open the front door for his father and little brother.

"I would like to kiss you again at some point in the future, you know," Regina called out to him playfully, quietly enough so that Roland and his father wouldn't be able to hear. This comment certainly did not help Robin's state of mind.

He didn't have time to respond, before his father and Roland were bounding through the front door.

"Hi, Robin!" Roland greeted him enthusiastically, giving him a huge hug. This greeting erased all of Robin's prior annoyance. He could never be unhappy to see Roland.

"How's it going, son?" Robin's father said, lightly touching him on the shoulder as he walked past the threshold. Meanwhile, Roland pulled away from Robin, and turned around to see Regina. Robin had purposely kept Regina's visit a secret from him, and watching the excitement register across Roland's face at seeing her assured him that this had been the right choice.

"Hey, Roland!" Regina said pleasantly, grinning at him widely. It was odd, Robin was not accustomed to seeing Regina grin this way at anyone, not even him. Yet, he knew that her expression towards Roland was not forced, or fake. He had only briefly heard Regina speak of Henry, and the joy that he'd brought her. And he knew that Roland probably brought her the same kind of joy. Seeing Regina grin that way gave Robin rather conflicting emotions. It delighted him to see her so happy, and he couldn't think of anything that could please him more than Regina and Roland getting along so well, but it also simultaneously broke his heart to be reminded just how much Regina had suffered when she'd lost Henry.

"GINA, GINA!" Roland practically shrieked when he saw Regina. He raced across the room and practically barreled into Regina's arms. The combination of the sound of Regina's laughter, and the ecstatic expression on Roland's face literally almost knocked Robin to the ground.

"Robin, Gina's here!" Roland exclaimed, looking back at Robin excitedly from Regina's embrace.

"Yeah, I can see that, little mate. She's here to hang out with you for a little while," Robin told him. Roland gave a little shout of excitement.

"Wow, you weren't kidding. He really does adore her," Robin's father said, bemused, joining the conversation for the first time. Regina blushed, suddenly seeming rather bashful. This was also not an emotion that Robin was used to seeing in Regina, and it took him a moment to understand why she was feeling anything less than her usual confident and suave self. And then he realized that this was the first time she had interacted with his father as his girlfriend.

"Right, Dad, you've already met Regina, of course," Robin tried to begin without sounding too terribly awkward. Regina smiled, looking so utterly lovable that Robin's heart literally hurt.

"It's good to see you again, Mr. Locksley," she said from across the room, where Roland's embrace was holding her captive.

"Roland, why don't you go and take your backpack upstairs and change, yeah?" Robin suggested to Roland, who was still in his elementary, private school uniform. Roland appeared slightly unnerved by the idea at first, but seemed to decide that the idea of getting out of his khaki pants and tie was too tempting to pass up.

"Okay. Stay here, Gina!" Roland said to Regina, before dashing up the stairs. Regina laughed, and walked across the room to join Robin and his father.

"Good to see you again, also, Regina. Roland certainly is as captivated with you as Robin says," Robin's father said to her, extending his hand to shake hers. She smiled easily and took it.

"I'm really not sure what I did to inspire such affection, but I'm definitely not complaining," Regina responded with a calm smile, seeming much more at ease than she had initially. Of course, though, Tuck was not about to pass up the opportunity to humiliate Robin.

"Whatever it is, it's clearly contagious," he said pointedly, glancing at Robin and smirking. Regina flushed and bit her lip.

"Dad, oh my God," Robin snapped miserably, glaring at him. Tuck just grinned.

"Nope, not God, son, I just work for him. Well, unfortunately, I've got to head back to the station, so I'll leave you guys to it," Tuck announced, just as Roland came bounding back down the stairs.

"Daddy, are you leaving?" Roland questioned his father sadly. Robin hated this part of the day. He hated how unhappy it always made Roland to see his father go. Of course, Robin didn't blame his father for providing for them, he just hated that it hurt Roland so much. It had always been so much easier when his mother was alive. But Robin had long since learned that it did nobody any good to dwell on all the things that had been easier when his mother was still alive.

Tuck scooped Roland up into his arms easily.

"Daddy's got to go to work. But I'll see you later tonight, buddy. Be good for your brother and Regina," Tuck said to Roland, giving him a swift kiss on the forehead and setting him back down in front of Robin. Though initially upset, Roland was used to this routine and recovered quickly.

"It was good to see you, Regina. I'll see you later tonight, Robin," Tuck said in farewell, as he disappeared back out the front door.

"Alright, little mate, what do you want to do this afternoon? Homework, I suppose?" Robin teased Roland, grinning at him. Roland made a loud noise of disgust in response to that, and vigorously shook his head, earning laughs from both Robin and Regina.

"Mario Kart?" Roland suggested hopefully, giving Robin his best puppy dog eyes. Ah, predictable as always. Regina shook her head and chuckled.

"It seems that I'm going to have to develop some skills at this game, doesn't it?" Regina asked, smiling. Roland cackled with glee.

"I beat Gina last time, Robin!" Roland informed Robin proudly, as though he hadn't spent the last month bragging about his victory over Regina.

"You most certainly did, sir. Maybe this time you can teach me, instead?" Regina played along, smiling infectiously at Roland. Watching this, Robin was 100% sure that if Regina ever flashed that smile at him, he would have absolutely no hope of refusing her. Roland giggled and nodded excitedly, before taking Regina's hand and pulling her over to the couch in front of the TV, where the video game consul was located. Robin followed them, and flipped the television and game consul on for them.

"Am I just watching?" Robin asked, sitting down on the unoccupied side of Regina, after he'd set everything up for the game.

"No, no, Gina and I are going to be a team! She asked me to teach her," Roland explained to Robin, as though Robin was ridiculous for not understanding that he and Regina were obviously going to team against him. Robin couldn't help but smile at this.

"I see. Well, alright, I don't know if I stand a chance against the two of you, but I'll certainly do my best," Robin played along with Roland, looking over to subtly wink at Regina, who grinned.

They played a few rounds. Robin split the victories equally, allowing Roland to win twice, and rightfully claiming the other two for himself. Much to Robin's amusement, Regina actually was gaining considerable skill in the game, and her competitive side was slowly coming out to play.

"Roland, how would you feel about letting Regina face off against me by herself?" Robin asked Roland casually, hoping that he'd give in without argument.

"She's gonna beat you, Robin, she has a really good teacher!" Roland replied smugly, sticking his tongue out at Robin playfully. Robin and Regina both laughed at that, as Roland handed Regina the controller.

"Don't let me win, thief," Regina whispered to Robin when Roland wasn't looking. Robin grinned. He looked over at Regina for a brief moment, and took the shortest of seconds to consider how purely content he was here with her. He probably couldn't think of a more enjoyable way to spend an afternoon if he tried.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

—-

Overall, it had been an exceptionally good week. Regina had made A+'s on every single one of her four tests, which, quite honestly, even she didn't think she truly deserved due to the dismal amount of hard studying she'd done. But, regardless, she certainly wasn't complaining. Additionally, she hadn't had a single explosive fight with Zelena all week, which was a very rare occurrence, and she'd even managed to earn a grudging compliment from Cora about her stellar grades. Furthermore, she had solid, easygoing, plans for the weekend. She was going to have her movie night with Emma and Snow tonight (Gold was quite lucky he'd managed to make other plans, because the worst kind of chick flick definitely would have been in his future if he hadn't), and she and Robin were planning on spending Saturday together. They were going to spend the day with Roland, and the evening on their own, since Tuck had Saturday night off this week.

This alone time with Robin was desperately needed, as Regina and Robin still hadn't been able to score more than two minutes alone together since Sunday morning, and Regina was starting to go a little bit insane. She had not kissed him once since that morning. Every time they even got close, one of their friends was always walking up to join them, or a teacher was walking by, or they were in the view of some gossiping underclassmen, or Tuck and Roland were home early, or just something was preventing them. Aside from the occasional hand holding, and the even rarer touching of her hips or her waist for a brief second, or maybe a light touch to her face, she and Robin hadn't touched at all. And, quite frankly, Regina didn't know how much longer she could stand it. She legitimately did not believe that she could make it another 24 hours without literally jumping into Robin's arms and kissing him senseless.

Fortunately, she was reasonably convinced that she was about to be sated. Robin was walking her home from school, and she knew that Cora and Zelena were supposed to be at school for at least another hour. Cora for a staff meeting, and Zelena, for a theater/drama club assembly. Although Robin wouldn't be able to stay long, since he had to be back at school to get ready to leave for his football game by 4:30, Regina felt confident that she would at least be able to be tided over until tomorrow evening.

Conversation was flowing naturally between the two of them, until they reached Regina's lawn.

"Do you, uh, want to come in for a second?" Regina asked him, as they reached her front porch. She knew full well that Robin would understand what she was implying. Much to her disappointment, though not fully to her surprise, Robin sighed and shook his head.

"Believe me, I want to, but I really don't think I have time," Robin said hesitantly, seeming very conflicted. It was a little amusing just how torn he looked.

"No, you're right, I don't want you to be late," she replied easily. But, oh, she was not giving up so easily. Regina had considerable experience with making out on her front porch. She had learned from her many front porch moments with Daniel, that if she and Robin stood behind one of the two, large white pillars of the porch, that they would be sufficiently concealed from onlooking pedestrians, so long as none of them were looking too hard. So, it was really fine that Robin wasn't able to come inside.

Regina casually moved over so that she was leaning her back up against one of the pillars, doing what she could with her eyes to wordlessly tell Robin what she wanted.

And Robin wasn't slow to understand. He raised an eyebrow, seemingly very aware of what Regina was getting at. He took a step closer to her, so that he was now gently pressing her back against the pillar. Regina's heart sped in anticipation.

"Not very romantic, I know," Regina said softly, as Robin got steadily closer. He chuckled lightly. It was so cold outside that she could see his breath, and he was so close to her that she could feel it on her face. Robin slowly brought his hands up to rest on the sides of her waist, as he usually did. Meanwhile, Regina's heart rate continued increasing.

"Regina, right now I would settle for a gas station bathroom, just as long as our friends weren't watching," Robin murmured, before finally, finally pressing his lips against hers.

It was everything she'd remembered and more. His lips were so soft, but so firm against hers, and his hands were gentle but sure. He smelled as intoxicating as she'd remembered, fresh and forest-like as ever. She was still working on defining what he tasted like, but she had pinned down that he just tasted… fresh. Not minty, necessarily, but just clean and delicious. And it was so incredibly addictive. Regina felt her hands softly grip onto the sides of Robin's lightly scruff covered face, holding him to her. Honestly, it was something of a miracle that she hadn't passed out yet, because the way that Robin was kissing her so urgently, yet so gently, was making her legs feel frighteningly like they might just give out from under her at any moment. Robin slowly slid his hands up from her hips, to her waist, and then all the way up so that they could take her face into both of his hands, tangling into her hair. His lips became a bit more insistent against hers, and she instinctively opened her mouth to his. Daniel had never had much skill with using his tongue, but Robin… well, Robin apparently had more skill than Regina thought possible. For a moment, he just gently moved his tongue around with hers, before he caused Regina to let out an involuntary moan of pleasure by lightly sucking on her lower lip. This really motivated her. She found herself grabbing the collar of Robin's leather jacket with both her hands and standing higher onto her toes so that she could reach him better. Robin moved his hands back onto her hips to steady her, before easily moving them down to rest on her ass. And then Regina was the one pressing her tongue against Robin's, causing him to emit a similar sound of pleasure. It relieved her to know that he was enjoying her even a fraction as much as she was enjoying him.

Robin leaned forward slightly, pushing Regina back flat onto her feet against the pillar again. He moved his hands back up to her face, and pressed another, soft kiss against her lips. Regina opened her eyes again, very curious as to why he'd decided to stop the glorious thing that was transpiring on her front porch.

"It probably wouldn't hurt if I went inside for a second, right?" Robin murmured softly, half smiling at her. Regina laughed quietly.

She was just about to respond that, no, it wouldn't hurt a bit, when she heard potentially the worst sound she had ever heard in her entire life. It was a very distinctive clearing of the throat, one that Regina had heard several times in her life, and one that, in this particular moment, made the temperature of her blood drop a few degrees. It was Zelena, who was very smugly leaning up against the other pillar on the porch, comfortably observing Robin and Regina. Regina had no clue how long she'd been standing there, nor how she had possibly not noticed her arrival, but neither mattered. All that mattered was that Zelena had blatantly seen them, and that there was probably next to nothing that Regina could do to get her from telling Cora.

"It might hurt a little bit, actually," Zelena quipped, smiling venomously, her emerald green eyes dancing with excitement at the scene she'd stumbled upon. Regina shot out of Robin's arms immediately, and began quickly readjusting her clothing, because she really couldn't think of anything else to do. Robin sort of did the same, in a more masculine way.

"I… I, uh, I thought you had a meeting," Regina heard herself mutter uncertainly, unable to bare making eye contact with Zelena at the moment. Oh, brilliant, good one, Regina.

"And I thought you had a brain. Guess we were both wrong, huh?" Zelena snarked maliciously.

"Regina, should I, um, should I…?" Robin said uncomfortably, gesturing to the front lawn, asking whether or not he should leave. Regina honestly wasn't sure if that would make things better or worse at this point.

"Oh, but I don't believe we've met! I'm Zelena," Zelena said sarcastically, as though she didn't know exactly who Robin was. Storybrook was an extraordinarily small town, and Robin was a transfer student from England. It was humanly impossible that she did not know who he was, not to mention the fact that he was Regina's lab partner and was in her friend group.

Though Regina knew that Robin was aware of this, he nodded and very awkwardly held out his hand for Zelena to shake anyways. Zelena smirked.

"Forgive me if I don't shake, it's just, you know, I saw where your hands just were," she said complacently. Robin reacted much better to this than Regina would have, and shot her an easy smile in response.

"I completely understand. Lovely to meet you," he replied, doing very little to mask the utter loathing and sarcasm in his tone. Though his knowledge of Zelena was limited, from what he did know, he knew that he did not like her one bit.

Regina suddenly felt very obliged to get Robin out of his horrendous situation. He did not deserve to deal with the hell that was Zelena, and she felt determined to rescue him.

"Well, now that you've been properly introduced, Robin, you should probably get going," Regina said to him, doing her very best to keep her voice steady and collected. He smiled at her genuinely for a moment, understanding that she was attempting to rescue him.

"Right. Well, I'll, uh, I'll see you later, Regina," Robin said, accepting her help. He knew better than to touch her again in front of Zelena, so he just shot her his most adorable half smile that he seemed to have reserved just for her, and descended Regina's front porch steps. Regina watched for a moment as he disappeared from sight, before returning her attention to Zelena.

"Well, he seems just wonderful! I'm sure our mother will agree. You know how she adores boys with criminal records," Zelena said coolly, raising her eyebrows tauntingly and disappearing into the house. This left Regina out on the cold, front porch to mull over her own misfortune, and how she was possibly going to avoid Cora's wrath.