Hey guys! So here's the next update, oh and if you watch friends you may catch a reference or two towards the end of the chapter! I couldn't resist.
Ironically enough, after writing the last chapter I, too, fell ill with a nasty head cold and have suffered with it for almost a week now! I suppose it's karma, sorry Grace!
Anyway, Thank you all again for you lovely messages, reviews and follows etc. it means so much to me! Please do let me know what you think of this one too. Enjoy!
Regina had stuck with her promise to herself and had taken Grace to the doctors at 9am on the dot on the Tuesday morning. They had booked an emergency appointment to see Dr Whale who had told them that it is just a nasty cold and nothing to be worried about, something that can be nursed by a couple of quiet days at home and some over the counter medication. So, he had sent them home with another bottle of Calpol, and Regina was relieved to say the least that it wasn't something worse which would have required her to take home a purse full of anti-biotics. She honestly, cannot bear seeing her baby girl red faced and poorly and is reassured by the fact that it won't be something that lasts more than a couple of days.
Robin had been concerned too, had woken in the morning to a little hot body pressed against his that did not belong to his wife. He had offered to take the day off of work and stay with Grace, but Regina was adamant that she wanted to stay at home with her daughter and that it wasn't a good idea for her husband to do so considering that Robin is the only one working at the station on Tuesday mornings.
So Regina had put her foot down and stayed at home, both herself and Grace nursing bowls of ice cream (Regina didn't want to be the odd one out after all, decided that she would indulge in the sugary treat too, would forgo dessert that evening to make up for it) at two O'clock in the afternoon whilst snuggled up on the sofa in their fleecy pyjamas watching The Princess and the Frog- one of Grace's favourite films. Regina suspects that it's because of that movie that Grace's frog obsession has arisen. But she enjoyed it with her nonetheless, had cooked Grace's favourite 'Scrummy Pasta' for dinner (pasta with homemade pesto, chicken and ham- a simple dish but scrumptious nonetheless) before allowing her husband to put their daughter to bed for an early night's sleep.
Robin had insisted he would take the day off on the Wednesday (after all, he only works a few hours in the afternoon so it really wouldn't have hurt) and after seeing that Grace was looking a little better and beginning to get back to being her usual happy, chirpy self, Regina had agreed and told him he could, that she did really need to get back to the office and catch up with two days of paperwork anyway. That morning, Mary Margaret had popped a get well soon card through the door on her way to work after hearing about Grace being under the weather, something Grace had loved and jumped for joy at, for it was a pale pink background with a giant green frog on the front, a bandage wrapped around its head and a thermometer hanging from its lips. Regina had rolled her eyes at it when she had gotten home that evening and saw it pinned to the fridge, though she thought the gesture was kind and made a mental note to thank Mary Margaret for it later.
Luckily, on Thursday Grace is deemed fit enough to go back to nursery so therefore the house is left empty as Robin and Regina head to work. Regina is rushed off of her feet all morning, despite only taking the one extra day off. However, yesterday she hadn't wanted to stay late at the office to catch up, she had wanted to get home fairly early for cuddles and kisses with her daughter considering she hadn't gone swimming with her brother despite her insisting that she felt fine, because she wasn't, was still sniffing and still sported a red nose and a slight temperature.
That's why today Regina doesn't take her lunch break and declines Robin's offer to meet her at Granny's for onion rings and coffee even though her stomach rumbles at the thought of the crisp battered treat.
She still has budget plans for summer to sort out as well as preparations for the town meeting in a few weeks time, which she is dreading, she really doesn't want to sit through another hour of complaints and ridiculous requests (most of which are contributed by Leroy, making Regina wish she could make the meeting invite only) but then again, Robin had told her he would attend and that he would have her back which makes her dread it that little bit less.
Regina is sorting through the necessary documents on her laptop when suddenly a cough wracks her chest making her knock a few files that lay beside her to the ground accidentally, the sound resounding in her head more than she had expected it to as she brings a hand up to her temple in an attempt to numb the pain that little bit. "Ow." She whispers in her surprise before bending to pick the papers from the floor, a confused frown on her lips. Where did that come from?
"Regina?" Diane's voice comes from the doorway making Regina sit back onto her heels from being on all fours and look up at her receptionist who is regarding her with a frown. "Is everything alright?" She questions causing to Regina to nod and tell her that she's fine and she had simply dropped a few of her files on the floor whilst opening her laptop.
"What can I help you with?" Regina then asks, directing the topic of conversation away from her clumsiness. However, as Diane opens her mouth Regina's does the same, another chesty cough shaking her chest as she brings a hand up her mouth to muffle the loudness of it.
"That's a nasty cough you have there, Madame mayor. Are you sure you should be at work?" Diane tries with a sympathetic frown but the glare she receives in response answers that question immediately, causes her to clear her throat and go back to what she had initially gone in to the office for. "You have a Miss Williams on line one, she wishes to discuss Storybrooke potentially holding a charity event this summer." The woman explains as Regina gets to her feet and moves to take a seat in her chair, picking up the phone.
"Put her through." She commands, watching as Diane hesitates before nodding and leaving the office. Regina gives a sigh as she swipes a hand over her heated face before lifting the phone to her ear, "Mrs Locksley."
"Someone got laid last night." Emma announces as she enters Robin's office with two coffees in hand making him frown in confusion. If she was referring to him, she could not be more wrong, himself and Regina investing most of their time in looking after Grace as she gets better and not doing the dirty whenever they could.
"Uh- hello to you, too, Emma..." Robin greets with a shake of his head, "And I can assure you I didn't. Even if I add, I wouldn't be discussing it with you." Robin retorts as he reaches out to receive the coffee from his co worker with a muttered thanks.
Emma gave an amused chuckle, "Ouch." She hisses at his defensiveness, "But no, I wasn't talking about you." She says with a roll of her eyes as she takes a seat in the visitors chair on the other side of Robin's desk.
"Oh." Robin replies, trying to hide his slight flush as he takes a sip of his coffee, "Who then?" He questions with a furrowed brow, tilting his head to the side.
"Hello mate! Apparently coming here to tell you I got laid 'isn't appropriate'." Will Scarlet mocks with air quotes, rolling his eyes at the woman sat between them who simply raises a brow at her colleague.
Robin chuckles lightly, "Well, I have to agree with Emma on that one, Will. Why couldn't you tell me this later?" He questions with curiosity as he leans back in his chair, Emma having spun around in hers to involve herself in the gossip as she faces the thief.
Will grins shutting the door behind him, although really he couldn't give a shit about who overheard them. "I couldn't wait. She was a fucking gymnast." He gloats before wiggling his brow, "Very bendy."
Emma grimaces as she brings her hands up to her ears, deciding that maybe she doesn't want to be in on this conversation after all. "Don't you think it's about time to settle down?!" The blonde tries and Robin nods in his agreement.
"Yes, don't you get bored with sleeping with all of these women, mate?" He questions, taking another sip of coffee.
"Nah, tried that once and got my heart broken, so now I am more the shag 'em and leave 'em kind of guy and I love it." Will replies, causing Robin to smirk despite his disagreement with his friends morals.
Emma shakes her head as Robin does, frowning at his objectifying of women, "You're disgusting." She says, throwing a packet of sugar his way. However, she does feel a little sympathy for the man, she knows how much it sucks to have her heartbroken and how that can lead to a shit tone of walls being built in order to protect oneself.
"He will settle down one day." Robin reassures Emma before looking up at his old friend, "Is that all or can I get back to work?" He questions with a raised brow.
"Yeah, yeah, I will let you get back to your coffee." Will replies with a roll of his eyes, waving the policeman off. "Rabbit hole, Sunday." He adds, pointing a thumb behind him in the vague direction of the pub before saying a goodbye and disappearing from the office, not allowing Robin any time to decline the offer.
"I never saw how you two could be friends." Emma announces after a moment, turning back to face her colleague and at Robin's confused look she elaborates, "He's a dick and you know it, yet you, you're so full of morals, you're one of the good guys. I don't get it."
Robin grins, "Says the saviour who is living with a pirate." Robin jokes earning a glare and a pen thrown at his chest. Robin chuckles, picking the item from his lap and placing it on the desk, "You like throwing things, don't you?"
"Ha ha." Emma replies sarcastically before suddenly frowning, "Hey, you know, I haven't actually seen or worked with you since Monday. You've yet to provide me with an explanation behind your weird ass behaviour." She adds seriously taking a sip of her coffee waiting for an explanation.
Robin's smile falls at the sudden change in conversation, suddenly worried that Mary Margaret had told her about how she had found himself and Regina tangled up in one another that very same Monday night when they left Emma and Killian at the restaurant. He hesitates a moment, his lips parting to speak before he realises he doesn't quite know how to answer that. "Weird ass behaviour?" He questions, deciding to play ignorant to buy him more time in which he can make up some kind of undoubtedly lame excuse.
Emma rolls her eyes and deposits her coffee cup on the desk with a huff, "Don't play dumb, Robin." She says, "You were acting weird and fidgety and weren't paying any attention to the conversation at hand. Then you 'accidentally' poured your wine on your pants."
Robin sighs, deliberating whether to tell the truth or not, after all Emma is Regina's friend... but then again he is sure his wife would not like their sex life to be discussed with the blonde as much as he wouldn't. "I was... I don't like Italian food."
Emma shook her head almost automatically, not even considering the blatant lie, "Nope. Try again."
Robin sighs, averting his eyesight back to his computer, "I really need to get this done if I want to leave on time to pick Roland and Grace up after work." He says, changing the subject instead of coming up with yet another pathetic lie.
Emma regards him coolly, standing slowly after a moments silence, "I will find out." She threatens before grinning as she mocks his wife when she adds, "If it is the last thing I do."
Regina leans against the door as she slips from her heels with a sigh, relieved to be met with the flatness of the ground once more.
"Regina?" Robin's voice interrupts Regina's moment of relaxation as she pushes herself from the door, "You're home early?" He questions looking at her with concern as he comes from the living room where the kids are watching TV.
"Yes, well, Diane said I should go home. She thinks I'm sick." Regina scoffs in disbelieve as she gives a sniff and removes her coat hanging it up on the rack, "Which, by the way, I'm not." She reassures croakily, making a move to remove her scarf before a shiver travels down her spine, so she decides that perhaps she'll keep it on for a while.
Robin gives a small smirk at his wife's stubbornness; he does not believe her one bit, "You seem very sure about that." He notes in amusement, regarding Regina's red nose and droopy eyes as she turns to face him with an ill glare.
"I am, Robin." She hisses in annoyance (which only really amuses her husband further) as she places her hands on her hips, "I haven't been sick in over 35 years. Today is not going to change that." She reassures, heading to the kitchen and past Robin to fix herself a glass of water.
Robin treads carefully as he follows Regina into the other room, and he is about to question her further when Roland moves into the room. "Grace stole the remote." He states in annoyance, heading to the fridge to grab some orange juice, "What's for dinner, mum?" He asks, about to take a swig from the bottle before Regina snatches it from his grasp.
"Glass." She asserts with a frown, watching as Roland grabs a glass from the side before she hands the bottle of orange back to her son. "I haven't decided yet. What do you-" Regina begins to ask before a chesty cough breaks her sentence down making both boys in the room turn to look at her in concern. "-want?" She finishes, acting as if nothing had happened as she heads to the cupboards to search potential ingredients.
"Not what you've got." Roland mutters causing Robin to stifle a chuckle at his son's wit.
Regina turns to the both of them with a scowl, "I don't 'got' anything." She mocks in annoyance, folding and then unfolding her arms as she lets them rest angrily on her hips.
"Really, mum? Cuz' it sounds to me like you have Grace's flu." Roland announces with a shrug, telling it how it is, before sipping at his orange juice.
Regina rolls her eyes and turns back to busying herself in the cupboards, "I'm not going to argue with you, Roland." She says groggily yet sternly before grabbing a pack of rice from the back of the shelf. "Go and sit down with your sister whilst I cook dinner." She adds, turning to face him as she gestured to the sitting room.
Roland grumbles something incoherent before heading back into the other room, grabbing a comic book from by the doorway before lazing on the couch. Robin cannot help but be amused by the whole ordeal, finding it very hard to hide his smirk as he offers, "Can I help with anything?"
"No." Regina is quick to reply, reaching for a jar of curry sauce (deciding not to make it from scratch) and bringing it under her arm as she attempts to screw it off. "I'm... Fine..." She hisses through gritted teeth as she tries and fails to remove the lid, placing it down on the counter with more force than necessary in her obvious frustration. She turns to Robin then, ignoring the way he is grinning at her as she pouts slightly. "I can't get the jar open." She admits quietly making Robin's heart ache in sympathy as he moves over to help her, taking the jar and popping it open with ease.
Regina sighs and snatches it from his grasp in irritation with his apparent smugness, "I loosened it." She snaps, moving to the oven and heating the hobs.
"Of course, my love." Robin humours softly, despite his fascination towards Regina's denial. Coming to think of it, she was right about what she had said earlier; not once has he seen her ill in the seven years they've been together, it's always been the kids or himself, but never Regina. She must have a fantastic immune system. He shakes his head as Regina busies herself around him, "I'll set the table."
Once the Locksleys had finished the rather tasteful chicken curry Regina had managed to whip up (despite the rapidly increasing coughing and piercing headache which Regina would most certainly not admit to) Robin was left to wash up whilst Regina insisted on getting Grace ready for bed, Roland deciding to go upstairs too, to play on his computer games for a while before he had to get ready for bed.
Robin's concern for his wife only grew throughout dinner with her stifled coughs and disguised sniffs which she blamed on the (not so) spicy meal. He cannot help but wonder why she doesn't wish to admit that she has fallen ill, after all, he can only assume that it's the same bug as Grace had and therefore it really is no serious matter.
Perhaps it's due to Regina's commitment at work, and the fact that she hates giving time up for herself, she wouldn't bat an eyelash if it was for Henry, Roland or Grace, but never for herself.
Robin picks at the slightly burnt pieces of chicken that are stuck to the base of the pan with a furrowed brow as he tries to figure out the puzzle that is Regina Locksley. All he wants to do is take care of her, but he can see that it will be battle if she is going deny the fact that she is even the slightest bit under the weather, even with her sore throat and snotty nose. Perhaps he should ask her what it is about being ill that she just cannot accept... then again, if she wants to tell him, she will.
He is sure he is over thinking this, anyway, is sure that Regina just simply won't admit that she is ill because it is a weakness and she does not like to be seen as weak. Also, that she is a creature of habit and being sick breaks down a lot of her routine as it doesn't allow her to do as much, and after 35 years of not having to worry about this it's frustrated her and forced her into a state of denial in the hopes that it will simply just go away. With this new frame of mind Robin reconsiders their conversation and decides that this seems like the most logical explanation, that Regina is simply a strong and outright stubborn woman, who of course, he loves dearly, but will not come to the same conclusion as he has with any ease.
"Robin, dear, if you keep scrubbing at that pan you're going to remove the non-stick surface." Regina announces as she heads into the kitchen with a slight smirk not noticing how her sudden statement had made Robin jump slightly, "Grace is asleep, I read her the story about the frog and the duck." She announces with a fond smile as she comes up to her husband, wrapping her arms around him before sniffing. Her head is pounding and she could really do with some paracetomal or a stiff drink to numb the pain but she really does not wish for Robin to see her do such a thing, as he will take it as something to gloat about even though she is not sick. She thinks.
"Sorry." Robin apologises, dropping the pan to allow it to soak in the bubbly water before wiping his hands on his jeans and embracing his wife as she snuggles into him. "How are you feeling?" He questions with the ludicrous hope that Regina will admit that she is feeling rough and will let her husband take care of her and help her get better. It really is ludicrous.
"I'm fine, Robin." Regina says with a sigh, pushing away from her husband, "What do I need to do to convince you that I am fine?!" She exasperates, throwing her hands up in the air.
"You could blow your nose." Robin jokes with a slight chuckles as he grabs a piece of kitchen roll and hands it to her.
Regina grasps the tissue from his hands quickly, growling in annoyance before she does as he suggests, clearing her blocked nose. "Happy?" She asks, moving to throw the kitchen roll in the bin and Robin nods in answer. "Seems the curry was spicier than I intended." She excuses with a shrug. However, she knows Robin won't drop this subject if she doesn't do something, so she will have to distract him, find a way to sway the conversation to her liking before he tries to convince her to take the day off of work tomorrow, which she knows he will.
"I think we both know-" Robin begins but he is cut off when he feels Regina taking his hand and tugging him to her.
"Stop talking." She whispers, raising her free hand to her husband's lips, "The kids are in their rooms..." She begins, moving her hand around to cup Robin's cheek. "Grace is asleep and Roland has his headphones in. What do you say, I prove to you just how hot and bothered that curry has made me." She finishes, lifting her eyes to his as she sucks in her bottom lip and presses herself up against him.
Robin hesitates a moment, God, is she hard to resist but he knows, knows, that she is sick and he really does not wish to catch what she has, not to mention she really shouldn't be having sex when in such a fragile condition so he shakes his head, going against what his pants is telling him to do. "Regina. You are not very well. What you need is lots of fluids, medicine and an early night's sleep."
Regina groans, rolling her eyes and letting out yet another noise of annoyance before turning her head as she gives a less than discreet sneeze. "Robin, I am fine-d." She sniffs, her voice tainted with cold and mucus.
"No, you are not fine. When you put a D on the end of fine, you are not fine." Robin retorts, gathering her back into his arms and rubbing his palms up and down her arms soothingly. "Why won't you admit that?" He questions softly.
"Because I am not ill!" She snaps but she makes no move to escapee her husband's comforting grasp, "Just let me prove it to you." She adds curling her arms around Robin's neck before pulling him down to press hot kisses to his jaw, making his denying her all that much harder. That is, until she pulls away in yet another coughing fit, burying her face in her upper arm in a failed attempt to muffle the sound and as she moves up to continue kissing Robin's skin, he pulls away to gently hold her face in his hands.
"Regina, you are sick." He states quietly and calmly, looking his love directly in her eyes before smiling softly as she doesn't argue, adding, "And I really don't want to catch it too."
Regina sighs, letting out a soft whimper as she drops her head to Robin's chest, a long moment of silence passing them as she breathes the scent of him in. "I'm sick." She whines after a while, wrapping her arms tightly around his middle, "My head hurts... and my throat, and my nose, and my everything." She admits meekly, "I'm weak and I'm pissed off." She adds, lifting her head as she gives a sniff.
Robin smiles softly, not because she is sick, and not because he finds her whining something to be amused by, but because she is finally admitting that for the first time in 30-whatever years, she is sick. "And that's okay." He hushes, running his hand through her hair, "Because I am going to take care of you, if you will let me."
Regina nods softly, pulling away with a heartbreaking expression, "Can you grab me some meds?" She asks causing Robin to nod gently and kindly before pressing a kiss to her warm forehead.
"Anything else?" He questions and she shakes her head tiredly in response, "Then go to bed. I will be right up. You can work from home tomorrow."
Regina wants to protest but she has finally given in to the fact that she feels and probably looks like shit, so staying at home to get some work done tomorrow probably isn't the worst suggestion Robin has ever made.