Regina smiles as a light glimmers in the mirror of her dressing table, her heart beating just a little bit faster as she rises to move to the window. She stands there for a few minutes, watching anxiously as the flickering light draws nearer, momentarily disappearing as the gravel road that leads up to the house twists and turns, only to reemerge just a bit brighter when it rounds the bend.

He's early, she thinks to herself as her smile deepens, her heart again fluttering.

It's silly to say, but she doesn't sleep well when he's not beside her. By this point, she should be used to it; after all, every now and then, he has to travel for various business purposes. She's always invited, and sometimes, she takes him up on the offer. But she's not interested in dealing with their parents' estates, and often traveling with him it's more work than it's worth.

Still, watching him go is always hard and that first night apart is nearly impossible; then after that point, she settles in a bit, occupying herself so that her anxiety doesn't get the best of her. The boys have their routines of school work and chores, she has a household to manage—sort of, she's not sure she'd call what she does at the house managing it—and she has social obligations attached to her title that are always in need of a little extra attention. The days get easier as they pass; but the nights never get better.

Though, she still tries… to no avail.

Tonight, for example, after the boys were tucked into their beds and the house was quiet, she'd called for Belle and asked for a bath to be drawn. She felt a little guilty about such a laborious request so late in the evening; but Belle hadn't said anything about it and she truly was in need of one—sometimes, washing up just didn't do. Besides that, baths relaxed her. They always had—and though they were a luxury in which she didn't usually indulge—her nerves practically required it.

Belle filled the tub with warm water and lavender, and she'd soaked in it—enjoying it—for longer than she should have. When she pulled herself out of the tub, her skin was wrinkly and her hair was soaked. Belle offered to dry it, but it was well after midnight, so she'd declined and sent the maid off to bed. She'd pulled on a thick winter robe and sat down at her dressing table, working her comb through her tangled wet hair. She wound it up into a loose bun before rubbing herself down in a new lavender moisturizer she'd purchased earlier in the week.

She did whatever she could to distract herself from the fact that, once more, she'd be sleeping alone…

The carriage pulls to the front of the house and out of sight. She heards John's voice call out something and then the carriage appears, pulling toward the stables—and then, she hears the heavy door creak open and push closed. She turns away from the window and waits, biting down on her lip as she tries to contain her excitement—and then finally, the bedchamber's door opens.

"You're still up—"

"I was just turning in when I saw the light from the carriage," she tells him. "And I figured, what's a few more minutes?"

He grins. "I wanted to surprise you."

"Well, considering I didn't expect you until at least tomorrow, I think it's safe to say that you've succeeded."

He laughs softly and pulls off his coat, tossing it over the armchair as he loosens his ascot. "I had another idea, but," he moves toward her reaching out and grabbing the knot of her robe and tugging her to him, "this is nice, too."

Her hands link around his neck and she nods. "I missed you."

"And I, you," he murmurs as he leans in, his arms looping around her waist.

She pushes herself closer, her hand shifting to the back of his neck and rubbing at his hairline as she relishes in being so near him again—his scent, his touch, his everything—and she realizes that two weeks is far too long to be apart.

He's breathless when he breaks the kiss, resting his forehead against hers. "God, I missed this."

"Mm, me too."

"My bed felt so empty without you."

"I know, I felt the same."

"I nearly had John bunk with me

Her brow arches and she bites down on her lip to suppress a giggle as she thinks of Robin asking John to cuddle. "Nearly?"

"Ultimately, it just wouldn't have worked."

"Oh no?"

He shakes his head, looking somewhat serious and somewhat playful. "No, he doesn't fit perfectly against me as you do and he doesn't smell of—" He leans in and draws in a breath. "What is that?"

"Lavender."

"It's nice."

"It's new," she tells him. "I took the boys into town the other day and picked it up at the apothecary shop."

"I like it," he says, grinning a bit coyly as he leans in, peppering a few kisses over her neck and jaw. "A lot."

She giggles at the feathery feel of his lips on her skin. "It's supposed to help me sleep."

"Does it work?"

"I don't know," she admits. "This is the first time I've used it."

"Something tells me it's not going to work," he says, taking a few steps back and taking her hands in his. "Not tonight anyway."

"Oh no? And why's that?" she asks, letting him pull her along.

She laughs as he sits down and pulls her down to his lap. His arms form around her waist and his hand clasps over her hip, kneading gently as he looks to her. "Tell me everything," he says. "What did I miss?"

"Admittedly, not much," she confesses. "We just sort of… kept going in your absence." A grin edges onto her lips. "Though there was a day I was certain all the maids were going to quit. That… would've been something."

His eyes widen. "What happened?"

"Toulouse got into the flour… and so the flour was all over the carpets."

"That's… not awful," Robin murmurs, still kneading at her hip. "That doesn't seem like—"

"Well, then Roland thought everyone would be mad at the cat, so he decided to try and clean it up himself—"

"Uh oh."

She nods, grimacing at the memory of the maids shrieking when they found him. "He grabbed what he thought was the carpet balm."But it was actually the sealer for your boots."

Robin's eyes widen. "Oh, what a mess!"

"Roland cried and Mrs. Potter gave in to him. The maids weren't allowed to complain in front of her," she sighs. "It's all cleaned up now, but for awhile, it was…"

"A mess."

"Yes."

Robin laughs and shakes his head. "Did he help clean it up?"

"That was the original idea, but Mrs. Potter thought he'd just be in the way, and really, he was in no state. Every time he saw one of the maids scowling, he started to tear up." Her eyes roll. "That's how we ended up in town. Roland wanted to do something to make it up to them, so each of the maids got a jar of rose scented cream." She grins. "According to the lady at the shop, it'll make their cheeks kissably soft, irresistible, even."

"Well, that sounds nice—"

"Mm, they seemed happy with it."

"So, all is good now? I don't have to offer up extra days off or a bump in pay or—?"

"All is good," Regina confirms, shaking her head as a soft grin pulls onto her lips. "It's the same cream I'm wearing now, just in a different scent."

"Ahh, then let me test it." She giggles as he presses a kiss to each of her cheeks. "It works! Your cheeks are, in fact, incredibly kissable!" He leans in again, letting his lips flutter against her skin. "An excellent purchase," he murmurs as her head tips back and lips slide along her jaw. "Just brilliant."

She laughs as his lips touch to a particularly ticklish spot just beneath her earlobe. "As nice as this is—"

"You don't expect me to stop," he says, not pulling himself away from her. "Not with this cream that's made you even more irresistible—"

"I want to know how your trip was."

"Terrible."

"Oh?"

"My father was there."

"Well, I assumed that. You were at his house, after all."

Robin sighs, his breath warm against her. "I stayed in our old bedroom. All I could think of is that you weren't there with me."

"Is that when you nearly invited John to bed?"

He laughs as his lips pull away and he looks at her pointedly. "Are you tired?"

"I was."

A grin tugs onto his lips. "Not anymore?"

"No, I've found a second wind… for some reason."

A soft laugh bubbles out of her as she leans in, kissing him again. She shifts herself on his lap so that her knees are on either side of his legs. His arms fold around her and she can feel him smile against her mouth as she leans into it a bit more. Her fingers slide through his hair as her kiss grows hungrier, needier—and he matches her intensity at every move.

She's practically up on her knees and hovering over him, her fingers clasped at the back of his head while she holds him to her as she feels his hand slide up between them, tugging at the knot at the front of her robe. She smiles against his mouth as she feels it loosen, and momentarily, she breaks the kiss, looking down at him. A sly little grin works over his lips as he looks to her, his breath growing shaky as she shrugs the robe off of her shoulders, letting it collect at her elbows as it leaves her nearly bare.

"You know," she begins, "just before you left we… had a talk."

"I remember it," he says, his eyes shifting slowly up to meet hers as his hands settle inside of the robe on her hips. "So, you… want to try?"

"Well, I've stopped drinking the tea, and… it should be out of my system by now, and really, there's only one way to know for sure." He nods enthusiastically, grinning like an idiot—an absolutely adorable one. "Is it strange that I'm nervous?"

"Are you?"

She nods, feeling a bit sheepish. "I've… never done this with the intent of getting pregnant."

"Well, we've only done this the one time with nothing between us—"

"What if it… doesn't work?"

His smile softens. "Is that something you're worried about?"

"No, not particularly. It's just… something I've been thinking about lately." Her eyes roll. "I found this pamphlet at the apothecary and—" Her voice halts. She's getting ahead of herself and overthinking something that's completely natural, something she has no reason to think she can no longer do. "It's strange, really, to suddenly want something so desperately that I spent years thinking I didn't want. And now, I worry that it's… it's not possible or—"

"Is that what's been keeping you up?"

She grins as the back of her hand strokes his cheek. "No, your absence is what kept me up. That's just what I thought about while I already wasn't sleeping. You know, those evasive thoughts that arrive around midnight and refuse to leave until the sun's coming up. "

"I know those sorts of thoughts well," he says with an empathetic little grin. "The likelihood of it working as it should on the first try is… slim. It's all about timing, though… I admit, I don't know exactly what that means." He chuckles softly as his hand rubs gently over her hip. "Let's not overthink it, hm? Just enjoy this for what it is and see what happens down the road."

Drawing in a breath, she nods and leans back in, not wanting to kill the mood with unnecessary worry—and really, he's right. There's no reason to worry about anything right now. Licking her lips she leans back in, pecking his lips as her hands fall to his chest, her fingers sliding down the soft fabric of his shirt. She bites down on her lip and looks back to him as she gives the shirt a little tug, then in one quick and fluid motion, Robin pulls it off and drops it to the floor.

She grins at him, her fingers skimming down his now bare chest as her head tilts as she leans in to kiss him again. His hands fall to her ass, cupping and squeezing as she grinds against him.

Her breath catches as his hand slides between her legs, his fingers swiping through the wet spot between her legs until one slips inside of her, soon followed by a second. She feels him smile against her mouth, enjoying the obvious effect he's having on her.

Moaning softly, she pulls back and grins, pushing his shoulders back against the chair. She watches him—she loves watching him in moments like this one—as she starts to rock her hips a bit more intentionally, fucking herself with his fingers.

He groans as she eases herself back a little on his lap, pulling herself off of his hand. Her legs tighten around his as she reaches for the front of his pants—for a long time now, she's been able to feel how hard he is, how he's strained against the fabric of his pants, just waiting for a release. She grins as his eyes cast down, watching as her fingers work over the buttons, her hand pushing inside, her palm rubbing over his hard cock as her fingers form around it, pulling it out.

He shifts himself a bit awkwardly, lifting his hips and tugging his pants down over him.

It takes a bit of awkward maneuvering, but finally, he works them down his thighs and Regina does the rest, lifting herself off of him and pulling them down his thighs. Then, as she lowers herself back to his lap, he kicks them away. His hands slide underneath her ass, lifting her as he pulls her closer, her stomach flutters as she looks down at his hard cock between them.

It didn't take much to get him excited—but then, after a time apart, it never really does.

Licking her lips, she leans in, brushing them over his and pulling back teasingly, laughing when his hand moves up, his fingers pushing into her hair as he pulls her to him, kissing her hard as she straddles him.

Normally, at this point, he'd be reaching for a cap—that thin little barrier to keep between them to prevent anything unwanted from happening—but this time, it's not necessary because for the first time, the consequences of what they're doing are actually the desired outcome.

She's not sure why it is—after all, she's spent plenty of time thinking about this—thinking of that outcome sends a little thrill down her spine and makes her stomach flutter, and unlike before, her excitement is unmarred by worry.

Breaking the kiss, she grins as her eyes meet his, wanting to watch him as she sinks down onto him. In reply, he grins back at her, reaching out and rubbing at her clit with his thumb and pushing his fingers through the wet spot between her legs. She's more than ready for him, but she loves the eroticism of watching him touch her and she loves the anticipation that builds inside of her as she waits for what's to come, as she aches for it.

He looks at her, his smile sly and his eyes hungry, as he reaches for his cock, positioning it for her as she rises up onto her knees. Slowly, she lowers herself, taking him little by little until he's fully inside of her. She draws in a slow breath, enjoying the way he fills her. His eyes flutter and he lets out a low little moan that tells her that it feels just as good for him as it does for her.

His hands slide over her ass, rubbing roughly, as her hips start to move, rocking back and forth as she starts to fuck him. Her hands glide over his chest, her nails scratching as another moan escapes him, as she moves herself a bit faster.

She takes it slow, wanting it to last, wanting to savor and really enjoy it.

"You feel so damn good," he breathes out. "So good."

She grins—and she responds by leaning in, her hands moving up to his face as she pulls him into a kiss.

It's wet and messy—and it makes her want him even more.

Her hips move faster. She's practically bouncing on him as she rides him, her breath growing ragged as she feels herself beginning to lose control— and that's when he starts to take over.

Robin grabs at her ass as his hips begin thrusting forward as she feels her thighs tightening around him, her orgasm building as she grows increasingly sensitive. She's babbling, barely aware of what she's saying only that she wants more—she wants it faster and harder and deeper.

She cries out, her orgasm hitting hard as she slumps forward, her forehead resting against his.

He doesn't miss the opportunity to kiss her—and this time, it's softer and sweeter than the one before it. He groans against her mouth, her hands wrapping around his head as she pulls herself up against him, her nipples rubbing against his chest.

His thrusting slows as she rides out her orgasm—and then, as she's still coming down from her high, she pulls back. Her hands slide down his legs, holding him just above the knees. She slides back and he nearly slips out of of her before she pushes herself forward, fucking him slowly.

They stay this way for awhile as she catches her breath and she can tell that he appreciates watching her this way—watching her body as it moves, watching the way she stares up at him with a seductive little grin spread across her lips, watching as his cock slides in and out of her.

"Fuck are you gorgeous," he says huskily, as he reaches for her, pulling her to him, his fingers diving between her legs, rubbing roughly at her clit.

"Oh, god," she moans. "That's… so good."

He looks pleased with himself, leaning in and kissing her briefly as his arm hooks underneath her thigh. She follows suit, wrapping her legs around him as he lifts her, picking her up and carrying her over to the bed. He lays her down and her legs part as he lays down beside her—and as soon as he's down, she's rolling onto her side and pulling him to her. Her leg wraps over his hip as he slips back inside of her, fucking her hard until he's coming.

Her own orgasm doesn't take long to come—building quickly as his urgency sets in and his thrusts become harder and her fingers find her clit, rubbing until she falls over the edge with him. She groans into the crook of his neck as she feels her muscles starting to relax—and it's then that she feels the difference between this time and all the others.

He grins at her as he lets go of her and she rolls onto her back.

His hand slips over her bare stomach, rubbing gently at her skin—and she laughs softly, at his satisfied little smirk.

"You look awfully pleased with yourself."

"Truthfully, I am," he tells her, chuckling softly as he leans in again to kiss her. "I'm so glad to be home."

"Mm, me too," she murmurs as they trade chaste little kisses. "I really do hate it when you go."

"You should come with me next time."

She sighs. "That's… so much work and—"

"And we could have so much fun, just the two of us."

For a moment, she just looks at him and then, she feels herself nodding. "We could—"

"And who knows how much longer that'll be a possibility, with a baby, and all."

Her stomach flutters and she nods, reminding herself not to get ahead of herself and to enjoy this for what it is. "It sounds like you have to go again soon."

"In a few weeks," he admits. "It's all boring stuff I wouldn't want to attend to if I didn't have to, but…" His voice trails off and a bright, mischievous little grin tugs onto his lips as his hand slides down her stomach and two fingers slip between her legs. "But I think I can make it worthwhile."

"Yeah?" She asks, grinning as she looks to his hand, watching as his fingers circle around her swollen and sensitive clit. "You seem… like you might want to give me another preview."

He nods. "That second wind you spoke of earlier might've just hit me."

"Is that so?"

He smirks and nods again. "Wanna see if you can rile me up again? I make no promises of how long I can last or how good this is going to be, but I think we can still have some fun."

She grins and sits up, pushing her hands up the sides of his stubbly cheeks to kiss him as he leans back against the pillows. She crawls into his lap and his hands wrap around her back, holding her loosely as they kiss, the nervousness of before completely vanished and replaced by the thrill of what's to come… and how much fun they'll have getting there.