A/N: Hey there! I just wanted to remind you that this was the second of two chapters I've posted today.
Regina grimaced as she walked up the stairs toward the bar office. She hadn't been there since the day Marian died. If she had her way she'd never have to walk in that room again. However, the caterer somehow managed to break the can opener downstairs and she distinctly remembered leaving a manual one behind when she'd moved from the studio. It would probably still be in the kitchen drawers.
As she opened the office door her eyes flew to the corner next to the window. For a brief moment she remembered seeing Robin there on ground, stunned by the death of his wife. She quickly shook the memory from her head and walked over to the kitchen. Robin had told once told Marian that it seemed unprofessional to have a whole kitchen in a personal office. She'd only smirked at him and replied that she would hang a curtain if it bothered him so much. A small smile grew on Regina's face as she rubbed the auburn velvet curtain between her fingers. When her best friend said she was going to do something she did it. Regina was going to miss that about Marian.
She sighed as she headed over to the kitchen counter and began searching through the old wooden drawers. Her breath caught in her throat as she opened the last drawer and her eyes fell to a small box of birthday candles.
"Marian I only have a fifteen minute break so what you're showing me better be important," said Regina as she made her way up the stairs.
Marian turned back to her with a mischievous look on her face. "I promise you'll want to see this. Or better yet you'll need to."
Regina rolled her eyes as she followed her up the stairs. To be honest she didn't care what Marian was showing her. She was only glad that it was something with the ability to help her forget her worries. At least for a while. Marian was around four months pregnant now and Regina was sure they'd have to announce her pregnancy soon. Her stomach was just beginning to round itself out and form a tiny bump. She was glowing but her fears over the pregnancy were still swarming around in her head. For the past few weeks she'd been more than a little withdrawn. So when Regina saw her practically bouncing in excitement over whatever surprise she was hiding in the bar office she couldn't help but feel a little relieved.
As they walked into the office Marian locked the door behind her and pulled Regina over to the kitchen counter. Regina watched with a quizzical look on her face as Marian rooted through the refrigerator and pulled out a small pink box. She raised an eyebrow at it questioningly. "Okay a box containing… what? The world's most delicious cream puff?"
Marian scoffed at her as she rolled her eyes. "Not exactly."
She opened it to reveal a tiny chocolate cupcake. Regina pressed her lips together as she watched her friend reach into a drawer and pull out a small pack of birthday candles. "Marian…"
"February 21st," said Marian softly. "I know you know what this day means and thanks to the internet so do I."
Regina gave her head a small shake. "My birthday is in April now. The 17th."
"I know," said Marian. "I know Regina Gardiner was born in April. But Regina Mills was born on February 21st. And I think her birth is definitely something worth celebrating."
"You wouldn't think that if you knew what life she lived," replied Regina sadly.
"I absolutely would," said Marian in a firm voice. "Because even though I don't know all of her tragedies I do know all of her strength. Regina Mills is the one who took the opportunity to jump out a bathroom window and run to something better. She saved the life of my best friend and her son. I know you'd prefer to forget her but I think you should thank her."
"By blowing out a candle?"
"By never letting yourself forget the strength that she carried with her," said Marian. She lit the candle and handed the cupcake over to Regina. "Make a wish for her. It seems to me like she was too afraid to make one for herself."
Regina took the cupcake in her and stared down at the tiny flame tearfully. I wish that one day you'll no longer have to hide yourself away, she thought to herself silently. That one day you can live the life you want without fear of it being taken away from you. She shut her eyes as she softly blew out the candle.
Marian smiled at her as she watched the tiny wisps of smoke disappear into the air. "Happy 25th birthday Regina Mills."
"Thank you," said Regina tearfully. A tiny giggle escaped her as she swiped off a tiny bit of frosting and brought it to her mouth. She looked over at Marian with a smile. "Split it with me?"
"I'm four months pregnant Regina. There was no way I'm not taking at least half," Marian chuckled. They laughed together as they shared her cupcake and celebrated a life that even though it no longer existed still deserved recognition.
Regina was never more grateful for the kitchen curtain than when the tears began to silently stream down her face. She leaned against the counter for support as inaudible sobs began to shake her shoulders. Marian was the only one who knew her secret and like she'd always promised she took it to her grave. There was no one left for her to talk to.
She straightened up as she heard the office door open. Thankfully the curtain hid her from whoever had come in.
"Yes I know he's never spent time with us more before but what should that matter? He's only a few months old."
Regina knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. Who was that? She gently pulled back the curtain an inch so she could stealthily look into the office. Her eyes widened as she saw Marian's mother pacing the office floor with a cell phone glued to her ear.
"Yes the father is still in the picture but I don't see how that could be a problem," she barked into the phone. "He's just a bartender or something like that. George is a lawyer and I'm a doctor. He'd be much better off with us…Exactly…. Well how soon can you get the custody papers drawn up? I want my grandson as soon as possible."
Listening to Monica's words lit a spark inside Regina. It was her only daughter's funeral and she was upstairs scheming of ways to steal her grandchild. It was despicable. For the first time in days Regina finally felt something other than despair and emptiness. At this moment all she could feel was an uncontrollable rage.
Before she stop herself she'd ripped back the curtain, stomped over to Monica and snatched the phone out of her hands. She brought to her ear while Marian's mother watched her in shock. "Hello whoever the hell this is. I'm Roland's godmother and you should know that Mrs. Calhoun will not be requiring your services ever!"
She angrily hung up the phone as Monica glared at her with fury in her eyes. "How dare you!"
"No how dare you!" yelled Regina pointing an accusing finger at her. "You daughter died barely a week ago and you're already plotting to steal your grandson away from his father?! At her funeral?! What kind of a person does that?! You know what? It doesn't matter because it's not going to happen. Roland is staying with his father."
"My grandson belongs with me!" Monica said venomously. "I am not letting that man destroy him like he destroyed my daughter. Marian had a bright future until he slithered his way into her life! And look what happened to her! She died working in this miserable little bar, never having done anything important with her talents. And it is all his fault!"
Regina shook her head at her angrily. "Marian CHOSE to be with Robin! If she gave up a certain future it's because YOU forced her to! He did not slither his way anywhere! He loved her more than anything and he loves Roland more than his own life! He was a damn good husband and he will continue to be an amazing father! I am not going to let you steal that away from him."
Monica folded her arms across her chest and chuckled at Regina joylessly. "Wow! Well doesn't he move on quick?"
Regina narrowed her eyes at her in anger. "Excuse me?"
"How long did you wait before hopping into bed with him? Was it before my daughter died or after?" she sneered.
Regina brought her hands to her forehead as her jaw dropped in shock. "Oh my god. You're completely delusional."
"Am I?" replied Monica raising an eyebrow. "You don't think I've seen you all day? Strutting around with my daughter's son attached to your hip. Being oh so comforting to her husband. Never leaving his side, always checking in. You probably couldn't wait to take her place, could you?!"
Regina put her hands on her hips and stared down Monica. "Your daughter was my best friend. She saved my life and my son's life and I will owe her more than I can ever repay. So don't you dare walk in here and accuse me of disgracing her memory in such a way! If I have attached myself to Robin and Roland in any way it's because I made a promise to her that I would always look out for them if she couldn't! A task that you seem utterly unconcerned with! She loved them both more than anything in the world! There was nothing she wanted more than for them to be a family together! And yet here you are on a day where we should be honoring her wishes and desires, plotting to rip them apart! Well you can just forget it because there is no way I am going to let you destroy her family to assuage your own guilt."
"Well we'll just see what the courts have to say about that," Monica replied in a low voice.
Regina took a step closer to her. "If you so much as file for custody I promise I will take your dirty laundry and I will show it to the world. If this goes to court I will get on that stand and reveal to everyone how you kicked your only daughter out of the house for daring to fall in love with someone you didn't approve of. How she spent winter nights in a beat up mustang by the beach because you wouldn't let her back in. I will tell everyone how when I called you to inform you and your husband –who by the way isn't even present at her funeral- that your daughter had given you a grandson you said you wanted no part in the life of any child who belonged to 'that man.' I will take every parental mistake you ever made and I will make them public record. And I promise by the time I am finished you won't be able to adopt a puppy from the pound, let alone get custody of Roland."
Monica glared at her. "You wouldn't dare."
"Try me," replied Regina in a warning voice. "I am sorry you lost your daughter Mrs. Calhoun, I truly am, but I am not going to let you steal her son."
The two women stared each other down, the fury they felt visible behind their eyes. Finally Monica scoffed before turning on her heel and headed out of the office. As soon as she door shut behind her Regina felt her rage evaporate. She let out a deep breath and brought her hand to her chest.
"Well that was rather dramatic."
Her head whipped toward the window to see Tink looking in from the fire escape. She was dressed in a black pencil skirt and white shirt with black suspenders. Regina quickly walked over to help her in the office. "Tink what are you doing out there?"
"I went out there after the funeral," she said. "Sometimes after I finished fixing stuff around the bar Marian and I would sit out on the fire escape and have a Coke together. Talk about our days and stuff. After today I just…"
"You wanted to be near her," finished Regina understandingly. "How long were you out there?"
"Long enough to hear your explosive battle with Mrs. Calhoun," Tink answered softly.
"God I really hope no one else heard that," sighed Regina.
"I can't believe she accused you of sleeping with Robin."
"Well she's not the first person to think I'm his mistress, remember?"
A smile grew on Tink's face as she thought back to the day she'd first met Regina. "You were in your pajamas sleeping in his studio. What else was I supposed to think?"
Regina chuckled at her as she looked around the office space. A lot of it had changed in the past three years but she would still think of it as her first home. The home that Marian gave her.
"It's been so long since she first brought me here," she whispered sadly. "I've always thought that I was really unlucky but I guess that can't be true seeing as how I got the chance to meet her."
"We were all lucky to know Marian," said Tink. She wrapped her arms around herself and shrugged her shoulders. "You know I've always known that I was… strange."
Regina sent her a small smile. "I think the term quirky is more befitting of your character Tink."
She nodded concedingly. "Yeah well I've come across more than a few people who weren't so accepting of my quirks. Marian was never one of them. No matter how weird I was she never once told me to change. I'll always love her for that."
Regina sighed. "You know I used to think that because of the way that she saved me, how she changed my life that she must've seen me as special or something."
She shrugged her shoulders. "But after today I don't think that's true anymore. Everyone downstairs has some story of how she affected their lives and helped steer them toward a better path. She didn't save me because of who I was. She did it because of who she was. She was just so kind."
"Well that's true," said Tink. "Marian was the kindest person I've ever met and a lot of people were fortunate enough to call her a good friend but you're the only person she was able to call her best friend."
Regina scoffed at her but Tink only continued.
"I'm serious," she insisted. "The way you helped her with her pregnancy and Roland's delivery. You saved her as much as she saved you. And I think she would've been so grateful for the way you defended her family today."
Tears welled up in Regina's eyes. "I miss her… so much."
"I know," said Tink, wrapping her arms around her. "We all do."
Regina returned Tink's hug and let a few of her tears fall onto her shoulder. She rubbed her back just before releasing her. "We should head back downstairs."
Regina took a moment to wipe the tears from her face before looping her arm through Tink's. Together they headed for the stairs shutting the office door behind them. The can opener remained forgotten.
Robin tugged at the edges of his suit as he sat a bar table listening to yet another person express their condolences. Just the same words over and over again. We're sorry she's gone. She was such a good person. If there's anything we can do…. It was becoming tiresome. He'd just seen Marian's mother rush her way out of the bar and he couldn't say he wasn't relieved that she was gone. Her presence hadn't made this day any easier. Not that she'd spoken to him.
He sighed as he pulled at the tie around his neck. No matter how much he loosened it he still felt like he couldn't breathe. He quickly excused himself and went to take a seat at one of the open booths. He just needed a moment alone away from everything. It still didn't feel real. None of it did.
He ran his thumb over the thin gold band on his opposite ring finger. This wedding band was supposed to be a symbol of his eternal commitment to his wife. What did it represent now that she was gone? His loss? Unfulfilled dreams? Despite the lack of satisfying options he knew he wouldn't be able to take it off even if he tried. He still remembered the day when he'd bought their rings. A simple gold band for him and thin white gold band for Marian. They'd spent no more than three hundred bucks on them combined. He'd always promised her that when he could finally afford it he'd get her a diamond. Yet another dream that would go unaccomplished.
He looked over when he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. It was Mrs. Connelly staring down at him with caring eyes. She held Roland on her hip as she swayed back and forth keeping him calm. Robin felt his heart clench as his eyes fell to his son. Despite the dimples on both of his cheeks all he could see was Marian's face staring back at him.
"Hello dear," said Mrs. Connelly gently. "I fed Roland a few minutes ago. He seems pretty settled if you'd like to spend some time with him?"
Robin swallowed hard as he stared at his son. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't stop the pain that pierced his heart whenever he looked at him.
"I actually have some matters to attend to with the funeral director," he lied, as he stood to his feet. "If you don't mind could you take him to Regina? She plans to take him home for the night anyway."
"Of course," said Mrs. Connelly in a hushed voice. As Roland cooed in her arms she watched Robin walk away from her with a frown on her face.
Regina and Tink separated soon after they returned downstairs. Tink headed over to the bar counter with Mulan and Killian to toast to Marian's memory. Regina instead headed for over to the table where everyone was storing their coats and purses. She needed to call the daycare and let them know she would be late picking up Henry.
As she made her way across the bar she was intercepted by Mrs. Connelly and Roland.
"Hi dear I hope I'm not bothering you," said the tiny woman. "It's just that my cab is here and I have to get going."
"Oh it's no problem at all Mrs. Connelly," said Regina lifting Roland from her arms. "Thank you for watching him."
"I didn't mind at all sweetheart," she said reaching out to stroke Roland's cheek. "He reminds me so much of his mother.
"Well thanks again for all your help," said Regina moving to walk away from her. Mrs. Connelly quickly reached out to grab her arm.
"Actually dear, I wanted to talk to you… about Robin," she said in a hushed voice.
Regina gave her a quizzical look. "What is it?"
"It's just… he doesn't seem like himself."
"He's gone through a lot Mrs. Connelly. That's to be expected," she replied.
"No it was more than that," insisted Mrs. Connelly. "When I took Roland over to him it was like he couldn't even look at him."
Regina sighed as adjusted Roland on her hip. "He's probably just tired from everything that's happened today. If we give him some time he'll find his way again. I'm sure of it."
"Well as long as you're sure dear," conceded Mrs. Connelly. "I'd keep a close eye on him though."
"Of course," said Regina nodding her head. "Have a safe trip home."
She tried to shake the older woman's comments from her head as she headed over to the pile of jackets and searched for her purse. It wasn't surprising that Robin had taken Marian's death hard. She of all people knew the pain that comes with losing someone you love. Robin needed time to mourn and she fully intended to give it to him. She quickly found her purse and began to dig through it for her cell phone. As she lifted it to her ear her eyes fell to the bar counter where she saw Robin reach behind the barrier and pull up a bottle of whiskey. She watched as he made his way up the stairs with the bottle in hand tugging at the tie around his neck. She held Roland tighter as a heavy layer of dread settled over her heart.
NEXT CHAPTER: Regina helps Robin get through his grief.
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