Prompt: I would love for their first date

"Okay, you remember the plan?" Regina asked as she sat in her car. She eyed the Ragin' Cajun restaurant, watching the door for one specific person to approach it.

"Yes," Mary Margaret said over her cell phone. "If you text me 'banana,' I call and come up with an emergency that gets you out of the date. But if you text 'apple,' all is good and I just have to text you again around midnight to make sure you got home."

Regina nodded. "Good. Hopefully I'll be sending you 'apple' and not 'banana.'"

"Really? Because you don't sound it," Mary Margaret replied. "I thought I you liked this guy."

"I did. I mean I do. I mean…You can never be too careful, right? He might've been all charming that first night but who knows what he'll be like now that I've agreed to go on a first date?" Regina chewed on her thumb, a nervous habit she had never been able to stop.

"Regina, breathe," Mary Margaret told her. "Relax. Everything will be fine. You'll see. Who knows? Maybe you've met Mr. Right."

Regina chuckled. "You know I don't believe Mr. Right exists."

"He does. I found mine and you'll find yours. You just have to believe."

Catching sight of a familiar form coming down the street, Regina turned off her car. "I have to go. He's here. Remember to keep your phone close by."

"Will do," Mary Margaret assured her. "And Regina? Have fun. You deserve it."

Regina hung up the phone and tucked it away as she checked her makeup. Assured everything was perfect, she took a deep breath and opened her car door. It was time to meet up with Robin.

Her heels clicked against the blacktop as she crossed the street to where Robin was waiting outside the restaurant. He wore a crisp gray suit with a bright blue button-down shirt and a gray tie that almost seemed metallic. Robin had just brushed his hair and hadn't used any product in his hair, letting it's natural blond hair shine on its own. It looked so soft, she already itched to run her fingers through it. She told herself to calm down, that this was only their first date and she didn't even know how that was going to go. No fantasies…yet.

"Regina," he said, his accent making her stomach do flips. He smiled, revealing those dimples she had admired at the Rabbit Hole, and held out a rose. "You look beautiful."

Her cheeks flooded with heat as she took the rose from him. She didn't often dress up and was glad to have a reason to wear the lacy black dress she had gotten a couple months ago. She knew it clung to her curves and made her ass look good, which was one of the reasons she wore it tonight. "Thank you. You look very handsome."

"I can admit I stood in front of the closet for a full hour debating which suit to wear," he said sheepishly. He then opened the door for her. "After you."

She thanked him, entering the restaurant. The smell of pasta and garlic hit her and she heard her stomach grumble. She pressed a hand to it, hoping Robin didn't hear that as he stood next to her. He placed his hand on her back as he gave his name to the maitre d'. The man nodded, escorting them to a candelit table toward the back. He set down the menus and pointed out the wine menu before leaving them to get settled.

"I've heard great things about this place," Robin said, opening his menu. "I hope it lives up to its reputation."

"It smells like it will," Regina replied, hoping she wasn't drooling. She reached for the wine menu, looking it over. "Are you a red wine or a white wine person?"

She glanced up, expecting him to say he was a beer person. He shrugged. "I'm more of a whiskey guy."

"Whiskey, huh?" she asked, eyeing him with a newfound appreciation. "I'm quite fond of it myself."

He looked up, smiling. "Do they have any whiskey on the menu?"

"They do," she replied, grinning. "Shall we order ourselves some?"

"Maybe we should wait for dessert," he suggested.

She raised her eyebrow, deciding to have some fun with him. "You're pretty bold to assume there will be dessert."

He shrugged, fighting his urge to smile though she saw his lips twitch upwards. "I like to think I'm a pretty bold guy."

"I think I'll be the judge of that," she said, flagging down the waiter. "So…whiskey now or are you going to take your chances?"

He shrugged, fighting his urge to smile though she saw his lips twitch upwards. "I like to think I'm a pretty bold guy."

"I think I'll be the judge of that," she said, flagging down the waiter. "So…whiskey now or are you going to take your chances?"

"I'm an optimist," he revealed. "I'm going to take my chances."

She usually didn't respond well to bravado, often took it as a challenge to deflate someone's ego. Yet she didn't feel his was overconfidence–he truly was an optimist who was hoping this date went well. And after this brief exchange, she found she hoped the rest went well too.

They left the restaurant with his arm around her shoulders and her pressed against him. Dinner had gone very well as far as she was concerned–Robin had proven to be just as charming and kind as he had been at the Rabbit Hole. He had matched her sass which had thrilled her and made her show more of herself to him, something she hadn't done since Graham had broken her heart. There was just something about Robin that she trusted, that she felt drawn to.

"So, what do you want to now?" he asked, pausing across the street from her car. She glanced at it, knowing he was giving her a chance to bow out gracefully and go home. Except it was the last thing she wanted to do.

Her eyes fell onto the park next to her car and she smiled. "Why don't we go for a walk in the moonlight?"

"That sounds like a great idea," he said, grinning at her as he took her hand. They checked for traffic before crossing the street, heading into the park.

Regina let out a soft sigh as she leaned against Robin, enjoying their leisurely stroll through the dimly park. It was empty and quiet, making it feel like they were the only ones on the planet. She closed her eyes, trusting him not to lead her into any holes or to let her walk into anything. "It's so nice here."

"It is," he agreed. "So quiet. It's unusual for the city. I miss it sometimes."

"I usually don't like quiet," she admitted. "I'm usually in places where quiet means something bad is about to happen."

She was momentarily transported back to the front lines, scanning a desolate landscape while trying to hear something–anything–that could warn her of an impending attack. The silence was always the worst, even worse than the boom that could follow as a grenade or a land mine exploded and everything dissolved into chaos.

"Regina?" Robin's voice sounded distance, almost as if he were speaking while she was underwater. "Regina, are you okay?"

It felt as if she were slammed back into her body. With a blink of her eyes, she was back in the dark and quiet park rather than the too bright desert. She looked up at Robin, who had stopped walking and was watching her with concerned eyes. Well, that was a great way to end a date—have a war flashback.

Way to go, Mills.

"Sorry," she said, pulling away from him. She tucked some hair behind her ear. "I sometimes have these flashes."

Robin rubbed her arms, smiling softly. "It's okay. You don't have to apologize for that and don't think you owe me any explanations. Just tell me what you need or want me to do during these flashes and I'll do it, no questions asked."

She looked into his blue eyes and saw no judgement, no annoyance. All she saw was concern and fondness for her. Was this what it was like to have someone support her no matter what? Was that what Mary Margaret and David shared? Had she finally found the person she was meant to spend the rest of her life with?

Those were all questions she knew she wasn't going to answer tonight. Yet she wanted to find the answers to them and the only way to do that was to spend more time with Robin.

Regina took his hand again, smiling at him. "Right now, I could really go for some drinks."

"I know a good place nearby," he told her. "Best whiskey in Arlington, if you ask me."

Leaning closer to him, she dropped her voice a bit. "Great. There's just one thing I have to do and then we can go."

He nodded, giving her some space as she pulled out her phone. She wrote "apple" and sent it to Mary Margaret. Seconds later, she got a message back from her friend.

Have fun with Robin. You deserve it. I'll call you in a few hours to make sure you got home safely.

Regina tucked her phone back into purse before hurrying over to Robin, sliding her hand into his. As she laced her fingers with his, she smiled at him. "Which way to that bar?"