The steady patter of rain against the window woke Regina early on Friday morning, and she groaned as she looked out the window at gray clouds. Summer rain meant summer humidity, and summer humidity meant spending the entire day fighting to keep her hair presentable. Sometimes she truly hated living in Virginia. She kicked off the covers and padded over to the window – droplets were coursing down the glass at a steady pace, and the clouds showed no signs of dissipating. Better today than tomorrow, she thought with a sigh. She scooped her phone of the nightstand and headed down the hall to the bathroom, telling herself that she needed to check her email to see if Sidney had coughed up that lease. She couldn't hide her disappointment to see that no new text messages were waiting.
Wait a second – 6:30 AM? No wonder. Normal people should still be sleeping at this hour, she thought. I should still be sleeping at this hour. It was too late to go back to bed, though; she was wide awake, and her mind was already starting to churn with the day's to-do list. She made her way down to the kitchen and fired up the coffee machine, her phone tucked into her yoga pants on the off chance that it buzzed with a message.
Regina was well into her second cup of coffee and was slicing strawberries when her mother finally appeared. "You're up early," Cora said softly as she reached into the cabinet for a mug.
"Couldn't sleep," Regina replied. "I thought I'd make myself useful down here instead." She slid the last of the strawberries into a bowl and reached for a bag of grapes and the colander on the counter next to the cutting board.
"By making breakfast? Regina, you didn't have to do that. I can certainly take care of it."
"I wanted to," Regina replied stubbornly. "Besides, you have enough going on today. I figured it was the least I could do." She continued meticulously picking through the grapes as her mother poured herself a cup of coffee. She heard her mother's footsteps behind her and shifted a little to the right, moving out of the way so that Cora could grab a spoon from the silverware drawer. Rather than reaching for the knob, her mother rested a hand on the small of Regina's back.
"Thank you, sweetheart," she said, and pressed a kiss to Regina's temple. She tucked Regina's hair behind her ear with one hand and patted her back with the other, and Regina smiled at the rare display of affection. Cora's foul mood from the night before had mercifully passed, and Regina whispered a prayer under her breath that it would stay gone until after the wedding. "Now," Cora continued brightly as she pulled away, "your father's already in a snit because he can't play golf today, so how about we bribe him with some eggs and bacon?" She reached into the colander and popped a grape into her mouth.
"I haven't rinsed those yet, Mother," Regina said with a smile.
"I like to live dangerously," her mother replied and tapped her on the nose. "You should too."
Despite protests to the contrary, Regina was forced to cede her territory at the counter to her mother once Cora began pulling items from the refrigerator. She perched on a stool with her coffee and watched her mother deftly break eggs into a mixing bowl, something she had done every Sunday morning since Regina was a little girl. She sipped her coffee slowly as Cora made small talk about the rain and the caterers. She had just brought the mug back to her lips when Cora said, "So, tell me about this Robin."
Regina choked on her coffee, sending hot liquid dripping down her chin. Cora reached over to grab a paper towel and handed it to Regina. Once she'd mopped up her mess, Cora said, "This is the man you went to dinner with the other night, correct?"
Regina nodded, suddenly wary. She remembered Zelena's comment from the day before that her mother wouldn't approve of Regina dating someone who worked for a non-profit. "He is," she said, unsure of how to continue.
"Well, he's certainly a good-looking young man. And your father seems to like him."
Regina shrugged. "Daddy likes everybody."
"Almost everybody," Cora corrected. "He doesn't like people who beat him on the back nine. And he doesn't like men who date his daughter."
She laughed at that. "I'm 34, Mother. Not fifteen."
"It doesn't matter how old you are," Cora said as she cranked up the burner under the griddle pan. "You'll always be your father's little girl. But he did tell me that Robin seemed like a charming man, and very smart and passionate about his work."
"He is," Regina agreed. "I took Henry to the food bank yesterday to see it."
"It's good that he does work for the community," Cora said, and Regina raised her eyebrows. "What?" Cora asked, surprised. "Did you think I've been re-elected so many times because I look good in a suit? I do care about the people in this town, you know."
Regina couldn't argue that point, considering how many times she'd been the one to make dinner for Emma and Mary Margaret because her mother was working late. "You do look good in a suit, though, Mother."
"I do, don't I?" Cora laid six strips of bacon carefully on the griddle. "Besides, working for a non-profit is a perfectly respectable thing to do. It's not like he's, I don't know, a deck-hand."
"Mother," a warning tone crept into Regina's voice.
"It was a joke, Regina," her mother said with an eyeroll. "Lighten up."
She wasn't entirely sure that it was a joke, but Regina let it slide. A sudden clap of thunder shook the house, and Regina lifted her eyes to the ceiling. "Well, Emma will be up soon," she said.
"Still can't sleep through a thunderstorm?"
"No," Regina replied. "But at least she doesn't crawl into bed with me anymore. Not very often, anyway."
Her mother laughed at that and continued to prod at the sizzling bacon. "Back to the subject at hand," she said as she wiped grease spatters off the counter, "Robin. Tell me about him."
She gave Cora the bare-bones overview, telling her that he finished school at Georgetown, that he lived in Alexandria, and that he had a young son. Regina studied her mother's face for any signs of disapproval that Robin's first marriage had failed, but Cora barely batted an eyelash. She hmmmed and nodded at appropriate moments and asked Regina if he'd been easy to talk to.
"Very easy," Regina said, remembering the way Robin had listened with interest to her stories and laughed at her ridiculous real estate jokes.
"And did he kiss you goodnight?" Cora asked as Emma came shuffling into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes.
"Mother!"
"Oh, he kissed her goodnight all right. And then good morning at the diner yesterday too," Emma replied as she pulled up a stool next to Regina.
"Was it a good kiss?" Cora asked over her shoulder, reaching into the cabinet for a couple of plates.
"We're not talking about this," Regina hissed.
"I have a picture, if you want to see," Emma said. Cora laughed as she slid two strips of bacon onto each plate, then dished a scoop of softly scrambled eggs for Regina and (in Regina's opinion) overcooked eggs for Emma.
"No runny yolk mess," she said with a smile as she handed the plate to Emma, and Emma returned the smile gratefully. It was a small olive branch, remembering how Emma loathed runny eggs, but Regina was glad to see it nonetheless.
Her father came into the kitchen, no doubt following the scent of bacon, and immediately began grumbling about his cancelled golf game. To Regina's relief, the subject of her love life was dropped.
Her phone vibrated against her skin, and she fished it out of the waistband of her yoga pants. A message from Robin. Coffee this morning?
Family breakfast at home, she typed back. I'll see you at 7pm. His reply was almost immediate – Looking forward to it. Her lips twitched as she fought to keep back a grin, and she put the phone face-down on the counter. When she looked up, all three members of her family were staring at her. "What?" she asked. Cora and Emma started laughing, and Henry scooped up his plate of bacon and eggs. "It's way too early in the morning for that," he griped and headed back to his den, muttering under his breath the entire way.
The rest of the day slid by in a flurry of activity. Cora had prepared to-do lists for each of the girls, and it wasn't until mid-afternoon when Regina sat in a chair at the nail salon that an unfortunate realization hit her: she had nothing to wear tonight. Emma had strong-armed her into wearing the red dress she was originally planning to wear to the barbecue, and she couldn't very well reclaim the purple dress from Emma that'd she'd worn the other night since Robin was now her date for the evening. An emergency call to Kathryn (thank God for touchscreens, because her manicurist was shooting daggers at her) took care of the problem. Kathryn promised to deliver something appropriate, and Regina breathed a sigh of relief. Mary Margaret leaned over Regina's shoulder. "Bring something with cleavage," she said into the phone. Regina took her free hand and shoved Mary Margaret back into her chair, smudging her nails in the process and earning a salty glare from the manicurist.
At five o'clock, the Blanchard-Mills family was in the church, waiting for the rehearsal to begin. Regina handed Mary Margaret the bouquet made of ribbons from the bridal shower and pushed her bangs out of her eyes. "Are you ready for this?" she asked.
"I've never been more ready," she replied with a smile. Regina cupped a hand against Mary Margaret's cheek.
"I'm so happy for you, Snow White," she whispered. "You're going to be a beautiful bride." Mary Margaret's hand rested over her own, and Regina felt her heart stutter at the thought of the little girl with the big green eyes who'd followed her everywhere now being grown up enough to get married. Where did the time go? she thought.
"This is my happy ending, Regina," Mary Margaret said softly. "Now I want you to find yours."
Emma rested her chin on Regina's shoulder. "In that dress, I can guarantee you that someone is going to get a happy ending," she said with a laugh.
Regina rolled her eyes, but Mary Margaret gasped. "Emma! We're in church!" Emma stuck her tongue out at her twin. "Oh, relax," Regina said. "If lightning didn't strike her when she walked in, I'm sure she's fine." She shrugged Emma off her shoulder. "Now, should we get this show on the road?"
The rehearsal went off without a hitch. Regina and Emma couldn't help but laugh at how seriously Henry took his ring-bearer duties, taking each measured step with the same look of concentration he tackled Angry Birds. Daniel and Zelena's girls were slightly less impressed with their roles as flower girls, and Henry shot them disapproving looks as they giggled throughout the rehearsal. He shot Regina a glance at one point and rolled his eyes as if to say kids these days. She would have nodded in agreement, but she was too busy slapping away the finger that Emma kept poking in her ribcage. Kids these days, indeed.
She focused her attention on the minister and the wedding coordinator, keeping her back to the pews, but she could still feel Daniel's eyes on her. The bright green halter dress had seemed perfect when Kathryn brought it over, but Regina was having her doubts about the broad expanse of skin the backless dress was showing to the crowd behind her. The last thing she needed was more conflict with Daniel, and if he was watching her, Zelena would be watching him. A recipe for disaster if ever she'd seen one.
She stayed behind to talk to the wedding coordinator when the rehearsal ended, giving everyone enough time to clear out. She was in the middle of a nonsensical question about the proper height to hold a bouquet when she heard her mother's heels clicking up the aisle. "Regina, dear," Cora said. "It's safe to come out now." Regina excused herself and followed her mother meekly down the aisle. When they got to the heavy wooden doors of the church, Cora turned back to her daughter.
"Never hide, Regina. You're a Blanchard, and a Mills. We don't back down from anything." She rested a hand on Regina's elbow and guided her out the doors to where the family waited.
The rain had mercifully stopped, leaving the air damp and heavy and redolent with dirt, wet leaves and pavement. Regina gave up trying to tame her hair and twisted it up into a bun. The apprehension she had felt earlier at having Daniel stare at her had shifted into butterflies in her stomach, fluttering faster and higher as 7:00 drew near. She eased herself quietly onto the porch, hoping to avoid another awkward encounter with her family when Robin rang the doorbell. And, to be honest with herself, she was impatient to see him again.
She saw his car turn onto Mifflin Street and her hands immediately to smooth the dress along her hips. She brushed an errant lock of hair out of her eyes and fixed what she hoped was a confident smile on her face. Her smile widened as he climbed out of the car. Dressed in khaki pants and a blue sport coat, he looked refined and smooth and good enough to kiss senselessly on her parents' front porch. He smiled as he caught sight of her.
"Waiting for me, I see," he said. "I hope I'm not late." He climbed the steps of the porch and reached for her.
"Not at all," she replied. "You're right on time." Without thinking, she lifted her chin and kissed him in greeting. If the initial display of affection surprised him, he recovered quickly; his arms tightened around her, his hands stroking the bare skin exposed by the backless dress, and he deepened the kiss eagerly. She clutched at the lapels of his jacket, shivering involuntarily as the scruff of his beard brushed against her chin. He pulled back at that, but his hands remained splayed against her back. Thank you, Kathryn, she thought as his thumbs lightly brushed against her skin.
"I'm quite glad to see you as well," he said with a smile, treating her to the full effect of his dimples. She grinned back at him, well aware that she was blushing. "You look fantastic," he added, giving her a slow-once over.
"You're not so bad yourself," she laughed as she tugged the lapels of his jacket. "But I do like the t-shirt and work gloves on you."
He furrowed his brow. "That hardly seemed appropriate. But, if you like it, you're welcome to stop by the warehouse at any time and I will be happy to flex my manly muscles for you." He gave her a slow wink, and she felt the butterflies once again start fluttering in her belly. How long had it been since she felt like this?
Not since Daniel, said the voice inside her head. She pulled herself out of his arms, annoyed that the thought of Daniel had popped up to ruin the moment. "Come on," she said, taking his hand. "The family's not quite ready yet, so I'll give you a tour of the house."
He squeezed her hand in reply. "Lead on," he said as he followed her through the front door. "I am at your service tonight."
Of all the restaurants in Storybrooke – all six of them – the Greek Taverna had always been Regina's favorite. Small, dark and intimate, with candles burning in empty ouzo bottles and the yeasty aroma of fresh bread in the air, it was both homey and exotic. Her mother preferred the Japanese restaurant and her father favored Granny's (of course he did; Ruby flirted with him shamelessly and Granny always slipped a couple extra slices of bacon on his plate even though Cora reminded her at every visit about Henry's cholesterol), but the Greek Taverna was Regina's little secret. She had brought Emma and Mary Margaret here every year on their birthdays, introduced them to the wonders of souvlaki and tzatziki, and laughed when Meg brought them each a thick slice of baklava with a candle. Mary Margaret had picked the tavern for the rehearsal dinner for her, she knew, and she was grateful. And eager to dig into the stuffed grape leaves sitting in the center of the table. Robin pulled her chair out for her, ever the gentleman, and she settled her napkin in her lap.
"Dolmades," Robin said with a reverent sigh. "I've died and gone to heaven."
"You're a fan of Greek food?" she asked. "It's a good thing. If you weren't, there wouldn't be a second date."
He laughed at that. "Technically, milady, this is a second date. But even if I weren't a fan, I'd fake it for the sake of the pleasure of your company." He reached over and tucked that same errant lock of hair behind her forehead. "Now then," he said as he reached for his own napkin, "who will I be meeting tonight?"
She gave him the brief rundown of the assembled guests – the extended Blanchard clan from Maine, the Mills cousins scattered through Virginia, David's small family still based in Storybrooke, and Mary Margaret's college friends that had flown in from various parts of the country. She avoided Daniel and Zelena, but she noticed that his eyes settled on them as she pointed out various faces in the room.
"Yes, they're here too," she said under her breath. "But I'm ignoring them."
"Then I shall as well," he said and reached into the bread basket to fetch a warm, fluffy slice of pita bread for her. "But I am eager to know who it is I need to charm tonight to stay in your good graces."
Her laughter at that won her a wink from her dinner date. "You just need to work on my mother. Everyone else should be a piece of cake."
"Done," he said with a resolute nod and turned his attention back to the appetizers.
Regina was pleasantly stuffed by the time the plates were cleared. She'd tried to rein in her usual healthy appetite; after all, she had a bridesmaid's dress to wear tomorrow, but she only got to taste Meg's food once or twice a year and she was powerless to resist it. True to his word, Robin had spent most of the dinner chatting with her mother, even earning a blush or two from Cora. Of course, every time Cora giggled and simpered at Robin, Emma kicked her under the table, to the point that Regina was fairly certain she'd have few bruises the next day. She leaned over the table and hissed at Emma, "Kick me one more time and I'll bring up the fact that your boyfriend bailed." Emma was smart enough to heed her warning, but rotten enough to continue making kissy-faces at Regina every time Robin's attention was directed elsewhere. I'm glad I'm not the only one who turns back into a ten-year-old around here, Regina thought. She kicked Emma harder. Her pointed toes were going to leave a hell of a mark, and it was no less than Emma deserved.
"All right, everyone, we have some special drinks set up for you in the bar, and I believe there are a few people who'd like to make some toasts, so if you'll follow me," Meg said from the entryway to the dining room.
Robin eased her chair away from the table and rested his hand on the small of her back as he followed her to the bar. She wrinkled her nose at the sight of the tiny glasses filled with ouzo lined up on the bar, three coffee beans floating in each. "Not a fan of ouzo?" he asked at the look on her face.
"It's the only thing here I don't like, but Meg makes me drink it every time I come here," she said ruefully.
He leaned in a little closer. "Perhaps I could sneak you a glass of water," he whispered in her ear, and she smiled at the memory of the bachelorette party. She turned her head to his, so close that his stubble brushed her cheek, and said, "I'm a big girl. I can take it." He grinned at that and the hand that had been resting on her back snaked around her waist to settle on her hip. She leaned slightly into him, and at the feel of her weight resting against him, his arm tightened around her. He dropped a quick kiss against her temple. She closed her eyes for a brief second, taking the time to relish the feeling of this man seeking her out, wanting to be with her, making her laugh and treating her with such care and tenderness. For the first time, she found herself thanking Ruth Nelson for taking that header on the sidewalk.
When she opened her eyes, Daniel was staring right at her, jaw clenched and irritation written all over his face. Regina's stomach plummeted. She was going to have to face him, she knew, and put the old demons to rest. Maybe tonight was the best time to get it over with.
Suddenly, the ouzo was starting to sound like a pretty good idea.
