A/N: Thank you all for your patience with me! I really wanted to write so bad throughout the week, but I had no time whatsoever. So I immediately began writing today when I was done with the ACT. So… without further ado, here's Chapter 10.

As the timer sounded, Regina lifted her head from Robin's chest with tears till dripping down from her eyes. "I should go check on the dessert," she said weakly.

"Would you like me to go get it?" he asked sweetly.

She looked in his loving eyes, "You're sweet, but I think you and I both know you wouldn't know how to tell if it's done or not," she smirked slightly.

"You're probably right, my love. At least let me assist you in the kitchen," he smiled. Regina nodded and they stood up from the floor.

As they walked to the kitchen, Robin quickly laced his fingers with her. Regina smiled, but Robin didn't notice. Something about that simple gesture on Robin's part made Regina feel so comforted and so at peace.

Regina approached the oven, let go of Robin's hand, and opened the door to peek at the apple turnovers. Robin took in a deep breath. As he did, the wonderful aroma of cinnamon and apples filled his nostrils. "That smells delicious!" he said excitedly.

Regina hardly noticed his comment. She was too busy analyzing the dessert. "Could you hand be a fork, please?" she requested.

"Sure thing," he replied. He pulled open a drawer and picked up a silver fork, then passed it over to Regina. "Here you are."

She smiled up at him, then hovered the fork over the dessert and proceeded to puncture the surface of the now cooked dough. "They could probably cook for about 2 more minutes," she commented.

The door to the oven was shut closed, and Regina stood up. As she rose, Robin walked behind her and spun her around before she could turn around on her own. Without even the slightest warning, Robin pressed his lips against hers. Regina responded by wrapping her arms around his neck, and kissing back instantaneously. They kept at it for the entire 2 minutes, but were interrupted by the timer once again. Regina pulled away quickly and bent down to take the dessert out of the oven. She pulled the tray out and set it on the counter. She turned around to grab two plates out of the cabinet, and when she turned back around, she saw Robin's hand inching toward the apple turnovers.

"Don-" she was cut off.

"SHIT!" he exclaimed, shaking his hand ferociously in the air.

"Don't touch it... its hot..." she slowly finished before bursting out in laughter.

Robin glared at her. "Is my pain funny to you?" he asked jokingly.

She kept laughing and then replied, "Of course not," she lied. "Maybe if you were more patient, you wouldn't be in this pain," she joked, and Robin laughed mockingly. She took a spatula out of the utensil drawer and lifted up a turnover and set it on one of the plates. "Here you are dear. But be careful, it's still really hot," she warned.

"Thanks dear," he mocked back. "No need to treat me like a child," he joked.

"I know I don't need to, but it's oh so fun to do," Regina played. She then placed the second turnover on her plate. "Now, would you like some milk?"

"Milk sounds lovely," Robin replied.

Regina poured two glasses of milk and handed one to Robin. They made their way back to the living room and sat on the floor once again.

"I meant to ask... what was that kiss for earlier?" Regina questioned.

Robin smiled lovingly at her. "Throughout the whole time you were talking earlier, all I wanted to do was kiss you, and to express in something other than words, that I was truly there for you, and that I wasn't going anywhere. But I didn't want to interrupt you. So I waited until I found a better time. And catching you off guard like that is always adorable," he grinned.

"I don't know about adorable, but it sure is a nice surprise," she added before taking a bite of her dessert. Robin does the same.

"Wow!" Robin said happily. "Do you even realize how wonderful of a cook and baker you are?"

She blushed. "Well I've been cooking for just myself for so long, I just don't really think about it," she replied.

"Well, I believe you won't be cooking for yourself very much anymore. I will gladly accompany you," he kissed her cheek softly, and continued to eat.

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Regina spoke up. "So you've pretty much heard everything there is to know about my life. Would you like to tell me about your life?" she asked curiously.

Robin hesitated for a bit, but eventually answered. "Regina, I don't really think you'd want me to," he said softly.

She sighed. "Why wouldn't I? I want to know everything there is to know about you. I want to know you like the back of my hand. But that won't happen until you tell me," she commented.

Robin then sighed. "It's just... you see, my life was the total opposite of yours. I'm afraid it'll just sadden you to hear how relatively good my life was/is."

"Robin, how could I be sad that you had a great life? Just because my past isn't the prettiest, doesn't mean I wish everyone had to suffer like that. In fact, going through what I did makes me wish no one else in the world has to deal with similar situations. It overjoys me to know that you're past was pleasant. So please, don't be afraid to tell me," she finished.

He stared into her eyes, contemplating whether he should do what she's asking. He let out a breath and answered, "Well, I was born in Chicago to Andrew and Kristin Locksley. My parents were, are pretty wealthy. My father owned his own law firm, and my mother owned a bakery. They had me about 3 years after they got married, and my sister, Marian, was born 2 and a half years after me.

We had a pretty stable life growing up. My sister and I both attended private school until high school. After high school, I went to the University of Chicago and got my business degree, and then I transferred to John Marshall Law School. I had decided I wanted to be a lawyer when I was around 15. My father, of course, was a lawyer, and he had a huge influence in my life. I had thought about being a lawyer for a long time before I was 15, but I only felt that way because my father was pressuring me. My mother kept telling me to ignore what my father wanted, and to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Needless to say, I ended up still choosing to go into law.

After law school, my father immediately had a job for me at his firm, Locksley. Once he was certain I'd go into law, he began making preparations for me to take over his business when I got out of school. My mother had retired while I was at the University of Chicago, and my father was eager to retire also, but couldn't until I was ready to take over. After school, my father spent about 2 years training me, and then he retired, handing over the company to me. And you kinda know the rest of the story," he ended.

To Robin's surprise, Regina was smiling. He honestly didn't expect her to enjoy hearing how marvelous his life had been, or how everything was pretty much handed to him. So it made him feel so much better knowing she was taking it so well.

"How long did you own your firm before you transferred to David's?"

"Only a few years. I was eager to move away from Chicago and experience new things, in the business world and the social word,"

"And your parents, are they still around?" she asked.

"Yes, they live in Chicago still. My mother doesn't own her bakery anymore, she passed it down to my sister, but she still prefers to remain nearby," he replied.

"Tell me about your sister. What's she like?" Regina questioned.

"Marian is such a sweet woman, and she is so gifted. She reminds me so much of my mom. She favors my dad in looks, and I favor my mom, but as far as skill goes, she is definitely like my mom. She can bake like no one's business. But anyways... she got married about 4 years ago to Neal Cassidy, and they had a son, named Roland, about a year and a half ago. However, Neal passed away in a car accident when Roland was only 8 months old. So Marian and Roland live with my parents," Robin said in a soft tone.

"Oh my god! I am so sorry! How is she doing?"

"Um... she's doing alright. For the first several months she was quite bitter. She fell into depression, and would hardly even look at her son. My parents and I pitched in a lot, and still do in caring for Roland. It took her about 8 months to get somewhat back to normal. However, just when she got better, she was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer" he added.

"Is she gonna be okay? Regina asked worriedly.

"We don't really know. The doctors are saying that the tumor is spreading rather quickly. They aren't too optimistic about a recovery," he said sadly.

"Robin! I can't imagine. Is there anything I can do?"

"No, not really. I guess the only thing I can think of is to help me with Roland this week. Marian has chemotherapy every day this week, and my parents want to be with her at the doctor's office at those times. Therefore, Roland doesn't have a place to go, so I've agreed to watch him. I'm taking the whole week off from work. So if you want, you could come over during the evenings, after work. I've watched him before, but I'm not too sure I have the hang of taking care of babies entirely. So a female assistant would be much appreciated," he requested.

"Of course! I love children, as you know, especially babies! Maybe I could take some time off too."

"No, you don't need to do that. You've already taken enough time off for the trial and when you got sick. As long as you just come over after work, and make me dinner and help me get Roland fed and put to sleep, I'll be grateful," he said with a smile.

"I'd love to. How is Roland getting here?" Regina asked.

"My dad is flying in tomorrow morning to drop him off, and then is flying right back to Chicago," Robin answered.

"I'll come with you to the airport, and then I'll stay tomorrow to help you with him."

"Only if you want to. I know you might have some catching up to do for work since you were gone some last week," he commented.

"I want to," she smiled and took his hand in hers. "I want to be there for you." She leaned up and pecked his lips gently.

"Then, I'll gladly have you," he replied softly before kissing her again; this time more passionately. He moved the plates out of the way, and crawled closer to her. Then his lips met hers again. He leaned her back gently until she was lying on the ground. He laid his body down beside hers as they kissed. It was passionate, and yet still calm. Nothing about it was aggressive or hurried; it was sweet and gentle, and for them, at that moment, that's all they desired.

Afterwards, Regina rested her head on his chest with her arm wrapped around his midsection. Robin stroked her hair gently, and occasionally kissed her temple. By this time, it was close to 9pm, and Robin could tell Regina was tired.

"Would you like to stay here tonight?" he asked sweetly.

He could feel Regina stir at the question, and he knew what she thought he meant by that so he added, "I have a spare bedroom you can sleep in. My dad's flight comes in at 8am tomorrow, so if you're coming with me, and since it's already so late tonight, it may be easier if you stay."

Regina sighed. "I don't know. Is that a smart idea?" she asked innocently.

Robin understood what she was worried about. "Regina, you know my position on this issue, and you know how serious I am about living out my beliefs on it. You should also know that I respect the fact that you are staying away from it as well. So there is nothing to worry about. Trust me," he comforted.

She contemplated for a few minutes. "I do trust you. I just get worried sometimes. I'll stay."

"Good. Now, would you like to go to bed, or do you prefer to stay here and watch TV with me?" he questioned.

"We can watch TV for a little bit," she answered.

Without having to ask, Robin turned the TV on and went to HGTV.

"Robin we don't have to watch this you know."

"I know. But, you are my guest, and guests get to do and watch what they want," he replied.

They moved up onto the couch and Regina snuggled into Robin's side as they watched.

When 11pm rolled around, Regina realized how exhausted she was. She lifted her head from Robin's shoulder and said,

"I think I should go to bed, and you should too. We have a long day ahead of us," she commented.

"You're right," he added.

They rose up from the couch and Robin walked Regina to the spare room. It was huge; bigger than Regina's master bedroom. "Will this work for you?" Robin asked.

"Are you kidding?! This is amazing," she replied.

Robin laughed. "Good. Would you like a t-shirt of mine to change into before you go to bed? I don't think what you have on will make for very comfortable pajamas," he played.

"Sure. That'd be great."

Robin left her alone in the room while he went to retrieve a shirt. While he was gone, Regina slowly walked around the room, observing all the details there were to observe. She walked into the bathroom, and gaped at how large and beautifully decorated it was. Robin returned while she was in the bathroom.

"Regina?" he asked when he didn't see her in the room.

She walked out of the bathroom with a smile. "Wow, this place seriously keeps amazing me."

"I felt like that too when I first saw the place," he grinned. "Anyways, here's the shirt." He stretched out his hand to her, and she took the shirt from him.

"Thank you," she smiled back.

"You're very welcome, my love," he leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight, Regina. I love you so very much."

She blushed yet again at his words. "Goodnight, Robin."

Robin walked out of the room and made his way to his own bedroom. Regina took off her clothes and threw on the t-shirt before climbing into bed. Both individuals lied in bed thinking about the other. Thinking about the things they had talked about, and how no matter what their background, no matter how different their families were, they both still have trials and difficulties. No one is exempt from that. But what made it easier now for them was knowing they had someone to go through them with; someone to be there to comfort them and support them in everything.

A/N: So what did you think? I really hope this chapter was worth the wait. Can't wait to introduce baby Roland to y'all in the next chapter! I'm not sure when the next time will be that I can write. The next three weeks will be super busy. But I'll do my best to get one out maybe Monday or Tuesday, and probably next Sunday as well. I'm participating in a production that my church is putting on, and I'll be busy with practice tomorrow and then performances for the next three weekends (Thursday-Sunday). So just hang in there with me. I know it's no fun waiting for updates, trust me, I hate waiting for my fav ff to update, but I also understand why I have to wait. So I just ask that y'all remember how busy I am and that I'm fitting my writing into a very very busy schedule. LOVE YOU ALL!

Please comment thoughts and/or suggestions :)