Their first date had gone really well, he'd taken her for a clifftop picnic overlooking the sea, he'd made sure to pack all of her favourite foods, including marshmallows, remembering how much she liked them from their drunken trip to target. He'd even found a little plush giraffe keychain and hadn't been able to resist getting it for her, knowing that she loved them so much. It had been strange, because ever since the massive argument with Marian he had been practically living at Regina's.

They had gone over to his place to grab all of his things, luckily managing to time it for when Marian was out at work, his stuff was now piled up in Regina's spare room. Not wanting to rush things, he had been staying at John's overnight+, he felt that if he stayed at Regina's, even in the spare room he would be too tempted to wander down the hall and fall into bed with her. She didn't want to rush things and he wasn't going to be the one to mess that up.

Robin had been staying at John's for almost three months though and Regina had taken the leap, asking him if he wanted to take her up on the offer of her spare room, hinting that she would feel safer with him in the house. Though to be honest she had other motivation for having him stay over. Three months was probably the longest she had gone in a relationship without taking it to the next level, not that she hadn't been so close to just jumping his bones almost every time she saw him.

It had been going to so well and she'd been scared of ruining it, but she had to get him closer to her even if it might have been considered too soon to move in. She was just telling herself that was what the spare room was for, it wasn't as though he was going to be sharing her bed, well, not to begin with anyway. Though to be honest she was getting a little sexually frustrated, it had been a while since she had gone so long without. It was just nice being back in control of her own body.

Since the majority of his stuff was already at hers, he was going to be bringing the rest of it that night along with some kind of take out. They were going to have a little moving in party, just the two of them, dressed in loungewear whilst eating junk food.

There was a knock on the front door and Regina skidded out of the kitchen dressed in her giraffe pyjamas with her feet bare, her short curls bouncing as she went. Eagerly, she threw the door open to find Robin stood there with a bottle of wine and bag full of food. "Well hello there," she grinned, "looking forward to our slumber party?" she asked, leaning against the door.

"Is that what it is? If I had known I'd have brought my crocodile onesie."

"You don't have a crocodile onesie," Regina sniggered, stepping back and allowing him to come inside.

"No, you're right, it's actually a penguin."

"No, it isn't."

"It is."

"You're trying to tell me that you have a penguin onesie? That we've been seeing each other for three months and I have never seen you in a penguin onesie?"

"Exactly. In fact, it's been in your house all this time."

"Well, what are you waiting for then, I want to see it."

"The food…"

"Go, find it. I'll plate up. I want to see you in it, I bet you look adorable," she almost giggled as she took the paper bag from him and wandered into the dining room, dropping it on the coffee table which was already full of the different types of snacks she had prepared for later.

They were making their way through the Marvel movies; she had never seen them and Robin had insisted that they watch them together. Thor was her favourite, for obvious reasons. He was hilarious and the fact that he was chiselled by the gods didn't hurt either.

Luckily the food Robin had brought was moderately healthy, much more so than the snacks she had prepared. She knew that he'd grabbed takeout from their favourite restaurant in the city. Yes, they already had a favourite restaurant to go to, but it was good and they might be boring for liking to go to the same place every time they went out for food, but she didn't care. "Oh my god! I can't believe you went all the way to…" she stopped mid-sentence as her eyes fell to the doorway. "Wow."

"Seriously?"

"I didn't think you could look any cuter than you already did but, penguin Robin is so adorable!"

"You think I look cute?" he groaned, "I don't want to look cute."

"It's a good kind of cute," she smirked, moving closer to him and wrapping her arms around his waist as she looked up at him.

"Not ruggedly handsome?"

"I suppose the stubble makes you look a little rugged, but not too much."

"I thought you liked the stubble."

"I do, I love the stubble," she insisted, moving one hand so that her fingers could brush over his cheek and his jaw, feeling it prickle against her skin. She shuddered a little to remember what that stubble felt like elsewhere, it had been a long time since she'd had that and she missed it. The wanting him was getting harder to ignore and she knew it was going to be almost impossible with him living under the same roof. There wasn't even any reason why they couldn't just do it anymore, at first, she had wanted to take things slow, but surely three months was slow enough, wasn't it?

"Sure, you wouldn't prefer Chris Hemsworth?"

"As much as Chris Hemsworth is ridiculously attractive, I wouldn't trade you for anyone," she quipped, offering him a little smile as she closed the gap between their lips, kissing him softly. "My gorgeous little penguin."

"Stop it, I need to go take this off."

"Why do you have it in the first place if you hate it so much?" Regina smirked as she wandered back into the sitting room to carry on taking the food out of the bag.

"It was actually a Halloween costume one year."

"You went as a penguin for Halloween?"

"It was an animal-themed Halloween party at the activity centre."

"Ah I see, very scary costume," she giggled, watching as he wandered back to change out of the outfit. The smell of the food hit her and she couldn't help the little moan she let out as she opened the containers and emptied the food onto their plates, he'd got a steak for himself and knowing that she wasn't too keen on steaks, she had the ravioli with a side salad. She'd had the same thing from there a couple of times and it had been delicious every time she had it, it was a little pathetic how excited she was to eat it. "This just smells amazing."

"Tell me about it, it was on the seat next to me the whole way here and I was getting so hungry," Robin grinned as he remerged, now wearing a simple pair of jogging bottoms and a white shirt which was a little tight in all the right places.

"Who needs Thor when they have their own Robin Hood?" Regina quipped, her eyes roaming over his body. She wanted him, probably more than she wanted the delicious food that was on the table in front of her. If they were doing that, she would have grabbed him and dragged him to the bedroom, food be damned, but they weren't, not yet, hopefully, it would be sometime soon.

"Stop you, I want to eat before it goes cold," he chuckled, dropping down onto the couch and reaching out to grab his plate. She followed suit, sitting beside him and placing her food on her lap. Daniel would never let them eat in the sitting room, god forbid she wanted to chill out and watch tv whilst she ate.

"So do I, actually," she hummed around a mouthful of ravioli, grinning up at him as he nudged her and nearly made her drop her plate. "Hey, you meanie."

"Aww," he pouted playfully moving in to press his lips to her cheek in a playful kiss before turning back to the food on his plate.

Half an hour later they were both lounging on the sofa with Iron Man 2 playing on the tv, Robin's feet were propped up on the footstool whilst Regina stretched out on the couch, her head resting in his lap, allowing for his fingers to run through her hair. She wished that she could say she was concentrating on the movie, but she wasn't, he was making her feel so sleepy with his soft caressing and she almost felt as though she might drift off at any moment.

"Do you want a refill?" he asked, pulling her back from the cusp of sleep as she turned her head to look up at him, not quite sure what he was asking. "Your glass, do you want some more?"

"You can't get up."

"Why?"

"Because, I'm comfy," she shrugged, snuggling back into place, hearing him chuckle as his fingertips traced the shell of her ear.

"But I'm thirsty."

"Not my problem."

"Right, that's it," he smirked.

Regina looked at him, trying to work out what was going through his head, he looked as though he were up to no good. "What are you doing? Robin… don't you dare, I know what you're thinking… don't."

"Are you going to move?"

"No."

"Right then, you asked for it," his fingers left her ear and immediately went for her sides, wriggling along her skin and making her squeal. He knew how ticklish she was and was using it to his advantage, she squirmed in his arms.

"Stop it!" she giggled, trying to turn and grab him as he carried on with his advances, "Robin!" She managed to twist herself around, sitting up to straddle his lap, pressing her body up against him as her hands grabbed his, shoving them down from her waist so that they landed on her upper thighs.

His eyes widened as he stared back at her, they were both out of breath and she was certainly awake now. The sexual frustration she had been feeling earlier was back too, her hands moved to his chest, sliding up to rest on his shoulders, her thumbs stroking over his neck. They hadn't talked about it, not since the day he had turned up at her house after finding out about Marian and Daniel's affair, but she was ready for more, wanted to take it to the next level.

Regina ran her tongue over her lips, "Robin."

"Hmm?"

"I don't want you to stay in the spare room," she quipped, her voice low as she spoke, "how would you feel about maybe staying in my room."

"Then where would you stay?"

"Very funny. I want you to stay with me, sleep in my bed. If you want to, of course, you don't have to I just figured… I'm ready if you are. Like I said you don't have to it's just…"

"I want to," he nodded, a smile edging onto his lips as he stared at her before leaning in and pressing his lips to hers, his hand cupping the back of her head. She found herself rolling her hips, feeling the pressure between her legs beginning to build.

"I'm glad," she whispered, her lips moving against his as she spoke, "God, I missed this."

"Me too. You're so beautiful."

She felt her cheeks heat up as she basked in his compliment, watching his eyes wash over her, shining in adoration. Love blossomed within her chest, the feeling had been getting more intense the longer they were together, but she hadn't said the words out loud yet. She hadn't told him of her feelings, she wasn't quite sure why` maybe it was the fear of rejection or that it would be too soon. She wanted to be completely positive that he would respond in the same way, that he would say the words back to her and not feel forced to do so.

Though she knew she was being stupid, after all, he'd already told her he loved her once, that night at the bar he'd said those words, but he hadn't since then, she was a little worried that she might have spooked him by not replying in the way he might have wanted

Regina was tempted to just tell him here and now, rip the band-aid off and just let him know exactly how she felt, let him know just how much she loved him. It was strange, having this feeling inside, she had quickly come to realise that it wasn't something she had felt before. She had thought that she loved Daniel but now she knew that wasn't the case, it was affection not love and those are two separate things.

Leaning in she brushed the tip of her nose against his before pulling back and swinging her leg over so that she was no longer straddling him, if she had stayed in that position, she would have let things escalate too quickly and she didn't want that. She wanted their first time together as a proper couple to be special and memorable, not just a quick romp on the couch with Iron Man 2 playing in the background.

"Better go get you that refill then, before you get dehydrated," she giggled, picking up both of their wine glasses before heading into the kitchen.

She'd had a lot done to the house in the past three months, the bar she'd always hated had been ripped out and replaced with a little snug area surrounded by bookcases and comfy chairs. The playroom downstairs was now her studio and darkroom for her photography. Anything that had been Daniel's idea was gone, she had reclaimed her space and was much more comfortable now in her own home.

Her photographs were hanging on the walls around the house and she had even put up new wallpaper the bedroom, not to mention the brand new bed to replace the one she had slept in with Daniel, she was looking forward to christening the mattress with Robin when the time came. Anything Daniel hadn't wanted to take with him she had donated, there was quite a lot of it too but she didn't want anything of his. It was her space, her house, just as it had been before she had ever met Daniel.

She hummed to herself as she poured the wine, life was good and she hoped that it carried on that way.

A week had passed since Robin moved in and they hadn't progressed much further than sleeping in the same bed, Regina wasn't sure how to make the first move. She'd thought about it enough, to the point where she wasn't getting much work done in the office for thinking about it. Having him sleep beside her and not doing anything sexual was getting her worked up, she was frustrated and needed some relief. She was ready for sex. Four months was a long time to go without for someone who was used to having it regularly. Hell, it was a long enough time for anyone in general.

She had found her mind drifting so decided that she was going to plan a romantic date at the end of the week, one which would hopefully end up back in the bedroom and not just to sleep. She was sure that Robin wanted her just as much as she wanted him.

It was a Wednesday and she was in the office for the morning and then had court in the afternoon, Robin had made her some breakfast and had her coffee ready in her travel cup. She kissed him goodbye before setting off for work, she knew that he had a busy day of his own planned at the activity centre so the day held the possibility of it being a late one for the both of them.

As soon as she was through the doors of the building, she could see someone inside her office, she rolled her eyes before heading straight there, "okay, what do you want?"

"Who said I wanted anything?"

"You're sat on my desk at nine in the morning instead of being cooped up in your own office trying to persuade Gold you're not asleep at your desk," Regina laughed as she dropped her briefcase and purse under her desk. Her jacket was slipped off her shoulders and placed on the back of her leather swivel chair. "Come on, spit it out."

"Are you in a good mood this morning?"

"It depends what you're after," she smirked, sitting down in her seat and leaning back to look at the woman who hadn't moved from her perch on the table.

"Just waiting for the gossip."

"Gossip?"

"Hmm, first week sharing a house with your new boyfriend…"

"Ah he hasn't asked me to be his girlfriend yet," Regina quipped as she began preparing all the files she would need for the afternoon. She could listen to the intruder and work at the same time and she was pretty sure the blonde wasn't going to just leave her alone, she was here to pester her, even if she was meant to be doing work of her own.

"God, do people actually have to make that into a question these days? I remember when we were younger, we'd just hang around with a guy and it would happen naturally, now it's such a farse, I'm glad I married Fred when I did. I don't think I'd have the effort for all of that messing around."

"Are you finished?"

"Regina! Come on, you must have something to tell me, I'm your best friend, you're meant to tell me things."

"There's nothing to tell because nothing's happened."

"I can't tell if you're being serious or not."

"Kat. I'm being deadly serious. My sex life if about as dried up as my bar…"

"You had that removed, didn't you?"

"Precisely."

"Shit. So you're still going through a drought. I thought he might have made a move by now."

"Me too to be perfectly honest."

"I don't know how you're coping, sharing a bed and not even getting to third base."

"Who said we were sharing a bed?"

"You did on the group chat when you told me and Mal that you'd asked him to stay in your room and said you hoped he'd give you a good seeing to before you…"

"Ladies." The two women stopped talking and turned to the door, seeing their boss stood there leaning against his cane as he watched them. "Talking about work I presume."

"Of course, what else?" Kat chuckled, not in the least bit put out by Gold's interruption. She was never afraid to just speak her mind and always managed to get out of sticky situations. "What was it you wanted almighty leader?"

Regina rolled her eyes at her friend before leaning back in her chair, she was sarcastic but she wouldn't talk to Gold in that way, she wasn't quite brave enough for that. Gold rose an eyebrow at Kat before dropping a folder Regina hadn't even noticed he was holding onto the desk. "Another case for you there Regina."

"I'm already running so many I…"

"Oh well I'm sure you can manage one more, this one was a personal request."

"Personal request?" she furrowed her eyebrows as she looked down at the folder, opening it and seeing the name of the person she would be representing. "Ah, I don't think so."

"Mr Blanchard requested you represent him."

"No," she shook her head, she refused to represent that creep, it wasn't happening. Hell, she had plenty of charges of her own to add to them.

"What is it he's accused of?" Kat asked, not moving from her seat on the table. Regina was also interested to find out what his offence was, she knew it would be in the folder but looked to Gold none the less. She knew what he was like, so she knew what she thought it might be.

"His assistant has accused him of assault."

"Sexual?"

"Indeed," Gold nodded, "she also brought some incriminating evidence forward to suggest tax evasion and fraud within Blanchard's company."

"I won't represent him. Let me prosecute him, but I will not defend that man," she stated, her voice in a no-nonsense tone. She had never refused a case from Gold before, but she would not do this, she would rather hand in her resignation that represent such a vile human being when she knew he was most likely guilty.

"Very well then, if you are so opposed, Mrs Nolan would you consider taking the case?"

"If you think I'm going to defend the bastard that broke into my best friend's house to steal her nightwear you have another thought coming."

"Kat!" Regina gasped, Gold didn't know anything about what had happened with Leopold, he had found out that her house had been broken into but didn't know who had done it. In fact, she had only told Kat and Mal apart from Robin and the two unmentionables.

"That was Mr Blanchard?" the man asked, weirdly not seeming all that surprised by the news, making Regina wonder if he knew of him also, though if that were the case wouldn't he be the one defending him?

"Yes."

"Well then, no one shall be taking the case and I shall inform Mr Blanchard that he can take his business elsewhere. Thank you for your time ladies and please, do try to get some actual work done this morning instead of the idle chatter I walked into earlier." He glanced at Kathryn in warning before righting himself on his cane again and turning to leave.

"Mr Gold, you wouldn't happen to have the contact for the accuser, would you?" Regina questioned before she could talk herself out of it.

"Why, fancy prosecuting Blanchard?"

"I simply thought if we were losing his funds, maybe we could get in touch with his victim and see if she needs a good lawyer. That and it would be thoroughly satisfying to see Blanchard served a bit of justice."

"I'll have my assistant look into it, since you're losing me business by denying his case it can't hurt to go after the accuser."

As soon as Gold was gone Regina took a deep breath and sat back in her chair, "I'm so angry that this has happened."

"But not surprised right?"

"Unfortunately, not. I can't help but feel like I could have stopped it from happening though, if I had gone to the police after he did what he did to me, if I had spoken up, maybe that woman wouldn't have had to go through what she did." She was pissed off to say the least, she had known that Leopold was sleazy from the moment she met him, there was just something not right there, something off entirely and she hated it, just being in his presence had made her skin crawl.

"No, it's not your fault this happened, it's his. You know better than to victim blame."

"Yes, but I'm not really a victim, not like she is."

"Seriously? You were scared to be in your own home, that's what he did to you, so as much as you might hate that word, you were hurt by his actions."

Regina sighed and looked at the folder that was sitting on her desk, she hoped that this woman took up her offer of legal aid, she wanted to kick Leopold Blanchard's ass into next week and representing one of his victims in court was too good to resist.

Before the morning was over Gold managed to find the woman's contact and Regina had her on the phone, she'd talked her into letting her defend her, offering her a lower rate, she was willing to do it pro bono but knew that Gold wouldn't go for it, so she charged a fee without her own wage on top. After securing the new client, she'd had to rush to court for the final day of the trial she was currently defending.

Court had dragged on and by the time the jury got back with the not guilty verdict, it was five-thirty. She had a brief moment of celebration with her client before telling them that the company would be in touch, then she was out of there, her jacket slung over her shoulder and her briefcase in her other hand.

What she wouldn't give for a warm bubble bath and a glass of wine, seeing her favourite person wouldn't hurt either. She wondered if he would be finished work by now but she wasn't counting on it, after all, he had told her that morning that he was going to be late. Fishing her phone from her purse she pulled up Kat's number and dialled it, her friend had requested that she give her a call once she was out of court to let her know the verdict.

"So did you win?"

"Hmm."

"Of course you did, you're only one of the best lawyers in the country," she chuckled, "good job. Celebration drinks?"

"I think a bubble bath is calling actually," Regina laughed leaning her head against her phone as she unlocked her car and slid in dropping her stuff on the passenger seat.

"Ooh sounds like heaven. Seems like your man Leopold is really spewing about this court case, I just got a phone call on my business phone with him asking if I'd represent him and I told him in the politest way possible to fuck off," she giggled.

Regina shook her head as her phone connected to the car and switched to hands-free so she could start the drive home. "I would love to have heard that."

"He had some strong words for me that's for sure."

"Oh I bet," she sniggered, pulling out of the car park and heading towards home, her friend still chatting on the phone. "So, what are you and Fredrick getting up to tonight?"

"Literally nothing, think we'll just Netflix and chill."

"How creative, though to be honest, I do love doing that."

"Think you might drop the L bomb with Robin sometime soon?"

Regina sighed softly as she thought about it for a moment, "things are going so well with Robin and I'm ready for more but I don't want to ruin things by going too quick, I don't want to rush into anything."

"Is that a no then?"

"It's not a no, I was planning on telling him Friday night, I wanted to organise a little date, then hopefully when we got home we could step our relationship up a notch in the bedroom."

"How long is it since you last had sex again?"

"Oh stop it."

"I'm just teasing you."

"I know."

"But I do actually want to know."

"A few months, that's all I'm giving you, you don't need to know any specific dates."

"Still too long, I bet you've ran your poor vibrator to death."

"Actually I've been holding off on using it."

"God you really are starved then."

"Stop it. Anyway, hopefully an end will be coming to this drought sometime soon."

"I hope so for your sake," Kat chuckled, "well I bet let you go, Fred just got back from work."

"Okay, enjoy your night and I'll see you at work tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you then, enjoy that bath you wanted."

"Oh I plan to," Regina grinned, saying goodbye again before the call ended. She concentrated on the road, mulling over what she wanted for dinner once she got home, what Robin might want to eat. She considered calling him and asking him, but knew that he probably wouldn't answer, he was most likely still at work teaching some kind of activity. With a soft sigh she pulled into the drive, there weren't any signs of life in the house which meant that her prediction was correct.

She collected her things and headed towards the door, she still felt somewhat uneasy being home alone, which was silly really because she had been staying there alone for almost three months without Robin sleeping over, however having him there with her the majority of the time the past week she realised just how comfortable she was with him living with her.

After unlocking the door, she placed her things down on the ground and slipped her heels off, locking the door behind her before turning to move further into the house. She stopped in her tracks however when she noticed the rose petals on the ground and the fairy lights leading down the hall. Robin's car hadn't been in the driveway so she had just assumed that he was at work. "Hello?"

"You're back."

A smile formed on her face as Robin emerged from the sitting room, "hi you. I thought you were working late."

"Ah, I may have told a tiny white lie."

"I see," she hummed, moving closer to him and wrapping her arms around him, "hello," she pressed a kiss to his lips before pulling back to look into his eyes. "What's this then?" Regina asked, gesturing to the flowers on the ground.

"A little surprise," Robin grinned, moving behind her, his hands slipping over her eyes as he urged her forward and carefully up the stairs before removing his hands and letting her look. She opened her eyes to see that he'd run her a bubble bath with lots of candles dotted around the room. "I thought maybe you might want to unwind a little bit after court. I might have other plans for once you're out of the bath."

"Are you trying to seduce me Mr Locksley because I think this might just work."

"That wasn't completely my plan," he chuckled, his lips skimming over the skin at the dip of her neck, his arms wrapping around her waist, "though, the idea of sharing that bubble bath is rather tempting."

"Luckily for you, I am the sharing kind," she whispered, turning in his arms to wrap her own around his neck, leaning into him before kissing him once again, her lips lingering there, just so she could bask in the feeling of having his mouth against hers. "Are you actually going to get in there with me?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Hmm."

"Will we get to do what I have planned or will this end up just distracting us completely."

"Maybe, but that's not necessarily a bad thing."

"You don't know what I have planned."

"That's true," Regina sighed, pulling away a little so that she could shuck off her jacket before she began to unbutton her shirt, allowing it to fall off her shoulders leaving her in only her bra and pencil skirt. "But are you really going to turn down the offer to join me in the tub?"

"You really are a siren aren't you."

"What, luring you, a poor defenceless sailor into the depths."

"Exactly," he nodded, beginning to remove his own clothes. She knew she had won the argument, persuaded him to join her, it would be the closest they had been for months and she couldn't help the butterflies that formed in the pit of her stomach at the thought of his naked body against hers. "And trust me, you have me completely captivated."

"Oh I know," she grinned, her tongue darting out to run over her lips as she worked on the button fastening her skirt, it dropped to the ground and was quickly followed by the scarlet panties she had been wearing underneath, the bra joining the pile soon after. Robin had removed his clothes just as quickly and she allowed her eyes to run over his body, he slept in boxers so it wasn't as though it had been months since she had seen him, but she still couldn't help the pressure building at the apex of her thighs.

He climbed into the water first and she was quick to follow, slotting herself in between his legs, this was the first time they had shared a bath and she had to admit it was already becoming one of her favourite things to do with him, even if she had only been in the water a matter of moments. She leaned back against him, her eyes fluttering shut as his arms circled her waist, his thumbs stroking over her stomach under the water. Regina hummed as she rolled her head backwards to look up at him, "hi."

"Hi," he smiled, dropping to press a kiss to her forehead.

"This is nice."

"It is."

The duration of their bath was spent talking softly whilst caressing one another's skin, but the touches didn't turn sexual. It was probably one of the most intimate moments of her entire life, she was blessed to feel so comfortable in his arms. She could have spent forever in that position, but once the water turned cold Robin suggested that they get out so they could get ready for the rest of his plans. He was keeping them close to his chest but she couldn't wait to find out what he had in store.

To be continued...