A/N: My sixth entry for OQ Prompt Party using prompt (45) - Robin and Regina are roommates and nothing else. One day Robin receive[s] a call that informs him he has a son that now has no one else since his mother died. Robin has no other choice than bring the child home with him and asks Regina to help him raise the child.
This is just part one! There will be more to come, hopefully before Prompt Party month is over!
-Mac
A Bundle of Joy
MackenzieW
Chapter 1: Margot
Regina entered the house, finding it oddly quiet. She frowned, knowing she had parked next to Robin's car in the driveway so that meant he was home. Usually she could hear the TV or music playing as he did a few chores around the house after work. But there was nothing today. She wondered if he had maybe gone for a walk now that the hottest part of the day had turned into a lovely summer evening but pushed that thought aside. If he wanted to go for a walk, he would usually wait for her so they could go together.
She headed upstairs, wondering if he was maybe sick. At the top of the stairs, she turned to the right and headed to the part of the house that was Robin's. His bedroom door was partially open and she peeked in to check on him. Robin sat on his bed, leaning forward and looking down at something with a look of pure awe on his face.
Curious, she opened the door more and stopped short when she saw the little crib she kept for her godson, Neal, in the room. She saw a baby who decidedly was not Neal lying in it under a soft pink blank. Wisps of blonde hair covered the baby's head as she - at least Regina believed the baby was a girl - slept on peacefully.
Whose baby was she and why was she in Robin's room?
"Robin?" she asked softly. "What's going on?"
He looked up, his eyes growing wide when he saw her. Jumping up, he moved away from the crib. "Regina! I didn't hear you come in," he said, keeping his voice low.
"I know," she replied, glancing at the crib. "Whose baby is that?"
"Mine," he said.
That surprised her before suspicions started to creep up on her. It had been a while since Robin decided to have a little fun with her and she figured this was his idea of a joke. He was probably babysitting for someone he knew who had no other options and so was going to play a joke on her.
"Very funny," she told him. "Can you please answer the question?"
"I am not joking, Regina. She is my baby," he replied. Hurt, sadness, fear and joy swirled in his blue eyes, giving her pause. While Robin had a great poker face, he was a terrible actor. There was no way he was faking any of those emotions.
The baby was his.
"What is going on?" she asked, now even more confused.
He sighed, running his fingers through his blond hair. "It's been a very interesting day, I'll tell you that. Remember Zelena?"
"The redhead from last summer?" Regina asked, phantom annoyance surging through her as she recalled the smirking woman sitting at her kitchen table in Robin's robe while sipping coffee from Regina's favorite mug. "Can't forget her even though I've tried."
"Well, apparently she was pregnant when we broke up and she left Storybrooke," he said, sounding angry.
And he had every right to be. Even if Zelena had learned about her pregnancy after moving to Hyperion Heights, she should've told Robin that he was a father. He had a right to have been there for her and the baby from the beginning, not now that the baby was born and was clearly at least three months old by Regina's reckoning.
"Why did she tell you now?" she asked, feeling even more angry at the prospect that Zelena just got tired of being a mother and abandoned her child.
Sadness filled his eyes and he cleared his throat. "I, um, got a call from a social worker. Zelena was in a car accident and she, uh, she didn't make it."
"Oh," Regina said, feeling her anger and bitterness abate a bit. She had not liked Zelena but she wouldn't have wished death on her. "How awful."
He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Zelena may not have told me about the baby but she did list me as the father on the birth certificate. Apparently she had not named anyone to be a guardian and so the social worker who took custody reached out to me to ask if I would take her in. I couldn't say no, Regina. She's my daughter."
"I know," she said softly. "You did the right thing."
"I'm sorry that I didn't try to run this by you first but there really was no time," he continued. "And I understand that this changes a lot. I can start looking for another place if you're not comfortable having her with us."
His words surprised her and she wondered why he would think she would kick him out just because he now had a baby. Yes, it wasn't in their original agreement when she decided to let him rent a room from her but nothing had ever really been off limits except for wild parties and drugs. Both had brought romantic partners back to the house and the other had to deal with them - such as her dealing with Zelena's exhibitionism or Robin having to tolerate Sidney Glass' pomposity. If neither had wanted to change their living situation after those incidents, a baby was the least of Robin's worries.
"I'm fine with having her here," Regina assured him. "She's probably the least problematic person either of us have ever brought home."
Robin let out a bark of laughter before covering his mouth, his eyes going toward the crib. He then nodded as he lowered his hand. "Fair enough. I'll pay for the second room I'm going to use for her."
"We can work all that out later," she told him, patting his chest. "But first, I think you should focus on getting what you need to raise a baby."
Before he could respond, a little cry rose from the crib. He almost flew to its side, lifting the baby inside to his shoulder as he rubbed her back. "It's okay, it's okay," he soothed her. "Daddy's got you. Daddy's here."
Regina's heart melted as she watched him with his daughter. He closed his eyes as he rocked her, trying to soothe her as her cries started to abate. She saw his whole demeanor change as he softened holding the baby girl. And while Regina had always considered Robin to be handsome, he seemed even more so in that moment.
No wonder women were always attracted to single fathers.
Once the baby settled down, Robin opened his eyes and adjusted her until he was cradling her. He came closer to Regina and when he looked up, love and pride shone in his eyes. "Regina, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Margot West-Locksley," he said.
"Hello, Margot," Regina replied, reaching out and letting the baby girl curl her fingers around one of Regina's. Margot had bright blue eyes and blonde curls. As she studied the baby, Regina saw more of Robin than Zelena.
She looked up at Robin. "She's beautiful."
"Thank you," he said, his eyes still on his daughter. "Do you hear that? Aunt Regina thinks you're beautiful."
"Aunt Regina?" she asked, touched by the honorific.
He glanced up at her, looking hesitant. "I hope you don't mind."
"Of course not," she replied. "I'd be more offended if you didn't give me a title of some sort."
"I was also hoping that you might help me raise her as well," he said, sounding hesitant again. "I know it's asking a lot and I don't want you to feel pressured into saying yes. But I know being a single parent isn't easy and I know we can't replace her mother but I want her to have a strong woman to look up to and…"
"And you're rambling," she told him, amused by how nervous he was.
He pressed his lips together before letting out a soft chuckle. "Sorry. I guess I'm nervous. I mean, how do you ask someone to be a co-parent to a child you just found out existed?"
"Co-parent?" she asked, surprised. "You really want me to be your co-parent?"
"Yes. If you're okay with that," he said. "I just want her to have a maternal figure in her life and I can't think of anyone better than you."
A lump formed in her throat at his words and she swallowed past it. "I would be honored to help you raise her."
"Thank you," he whispered. "I feel better knowing I'll have you with me on this journey."
She nodded, looking down at Margot. The baby sucked on her fingers as she looked between Regina and Robin, no doubt adjusting to the new people in her life. Rubbing Margot's back, Regina smiled. "Welcome home, sweetheart, and welcome to your new family."
And with that, she knew everything had just changed.
It felt odd to be a father yet at the same time, it felt like this was what his life had always been leading toward. From the moment he had laid eyes on her in the social worker's office, his heart had belonged to his daughter and he vowed to shower her with all the love he could give. She was part of him and he couldn't imagine life without her anymore.
The social worker let him into Zelena's apartment a few days after he brought Margot home. Regina went with him while his friend and coworker Belle watched Margot for them. His colleagues had been just as surprised as his housemate about his new daughter but they were all supportive of him, taking over some of his work so he could have something of a paternity leave to bond with her.
And spend a day cleaning out his ex-girlfriend's apartment. Zelena had not made many friends while she had been alive and so it fell to him to do it. Regina helped him and they went through the rooms together. They decided to not keep the furniture from the nursery - Zelena had a penchant for green and black, which was how she decorated the room. It felt too dark to both of them so they just packed up all the clothes she had for Margot as well as the toys and books in the room. He also packed up some things to put into storage for Margot to look through when she was older so that she had some things from her mother. This included jewelry, clothes and other knick-knacks he recalled being meaningful to Zelena. He also took a few pictures and photo albums from the apartment so they could tell Margot about the mother she wouldn't remember.
Robin and Regina then spent another day decorating and setting up Margot's nursery. They painted it a bright yellow that reminded him of sunshine and got white curtains for the room as well as white furniture. Regina put away all the clothes they had taken from Zelena's as well as the clothes their friends had given them upon learning about Margot. By Robin's estimate, Margot had enough clothes to wear at least three different outfits a day - which seemed to track with how often he did end up having to change her. She also had a lot of toys waiting for her to play with them when she was old enough to do so.
After that, it was just a matter of settling into a new routine. Thankfully Margot had already started sleeping through the night by the time she had come to live with him so he didn't have the same sleepless nights as some parents he knew. He usually put his daughter down at around nine pm and she would sleep until six am. Robin and Regina traded off on who woke up with Margot and it seemed like they had developed a good rhythm.
When Margot had been placed in his arms, there had been no doubts in his mind that he wanted Regina to be involved in his daughter's life. He had watched her with Neal and knew she was a natural with babies. They also worked well together - they had been housemates for years after David had introduced them. Regina had just inherited her family's big house from her father after his death but was still starting out in her career so she didn't know if she could afford to keep it. It was clear it would break her heart to sell it and since Robin was looking for a place to live, David had thought it would be a good match.
And it had been, once they had gotten over the bumps of going from living on their own to sharing a space with someone. They fought their battles, made compromises and soon fell into a rhythm that worked best for them. Overtime, they started to influence the other. Robin knew he was far more organized now thanks to Regina than he was before he met her and he knew she had become more relaxed and spontaneous thanks to him. They balanced each other out in a way he had yet to experience in any other relationship and he knew that they would be able to parent well together, something that was already proving to be true.
In fact, Robin was pretty sure she was his best friend and that if pressed, she would say he was hers as well.
Crying woke Robin up in the middle of the night. He frowned, worried that something was wrong. Picking up the baby monitor, he hurried across the hall to Margot's nursery. She laid in her crib, flailing her arms and kicking her legs as her face turned red from her wails. He gently picked her up and placed her against his shoulder. "It's okay, sweetheart, it's okay," he soothed her.
Margot kept crying though she clung to him. He frowned, feeling how warm she was through her pajamas and fearing the worst. As he turned to the door, Regina appeared there. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"She feels warm to me," he replied. "Can you get the thermometer?"
Regina nodded. "I'll be right back."
She left the room and he rocked his fussy daughter. Margot reached up and pulled on her ear, making him worried she had an ear infection. He rubbed her back, whispering soothing sounds in her ear as Regina returned with the thermometer.
"It's a low grade one," she said, reading the strip.
"She's pulling on her ear," he replied. "Do you think it's an ear infection?"
Regina leaned closer, gently pulling Robin's shirt from Margot's mouth. "I think she's teething," she said.
"Teething?" He glanced down at his daughter as she then shoved her fingers into her mouth and gummed them. It all connected in his mind and he sighed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness."
"I think I have some biscuits still from when Neal was teething," she said. "I'll go find it."
She left the room and Robin followed, rubbing Margot's back. He kissed her forehead. "It's okay, sweetheart. Aunt Regina's got it under control."
Regina returned with something that looked like a tea biscuit. She handed it to Margot, who immediately started to gum it. "There you go," she cooed. "That should help with the teething."
"Thank you," Robin said. "I was preparing myself for a run to the emergency room."
"Oh, I get it. I almost did the same thing the first time I experienced Neal teething," she admitted. "I called Mary Margaret in a panic and she told me what was going on and what to do. After that, she left some teething biscuits with me."
"And we are glad she did," he replied, gently rubbing Margot's stomach. "Right, sweetheart?"
Margot leaned against him, happily gnawing on the biscuit as drool drenched the area around her mouth. Regina moved closer and used a spit-up rag to wipe it away. "We need to watch her drool. Too much can cause a rash," she warned.
"Got it," he replied, not wanting to make this situation even more uncomfortable for his daughter.
Regina then yawned, covering her mouth as her face scrunched up. Guilt surged through Robin - Margot was fine now and there was no need for both to be up. "You go back to bed. I've got her," he said.
"It's okay," she said, playing with Margot's foot. "I can stay up a bit longer."
She wiped Margot's mouth again before resting her head on Robin's shoulder. They sat like that as he enjoyed having the tiny weight of his daughter against his chest and the reassuring weight of his best friend pressed against his side. Her familiar vanilla scent mixed with the one of baby powder wafting from Margot to create an aroma that just felt like home.
And in that moment, Robin truly felt like they were a family.
They probably went a little too crazy for Margot's first Christmas, especially as she wouldn't likely understand or remember the holiday until she was at least three years old. But it was a lot of fun and in the end, Regina regretted nothing.
And she believed Robin felt the same.
It was honestly the best Christmas she had had for a long time. As Margot watched either from her carrier, her walker or her swing, Robin and Regina went about doing some time-honored Christmas traditions. They set up the Christmas tree while singing along to a Christmas playlist on a streaming service. Robin lit a fire in their fireplace and they cuddled up with Margot to watch some of the classics as she sucked on a bottle and they sipped mugs of hot chocolate with cinnamon. Margot also watched as Regina and Robin made Christmas cookies for the party they threw every year for friends who had nowhere else to go for the holiday. She was observing the world around her more and Regina wondered what it looked like through her eyes.
Though Regina knew that she did not like Santa. While she hadn't cried like some of the other children, she had given the man a look that indicated that she did not trust him and wanted nothing to do with him as some poor soul dressed up as an elf tried to get Margot to smile. It had been a losing battle and her side-eye was preserved for all time now. Regina figured Margot would warm up to Santa in a few years and they would all look back on the pictures with amusement.
On Christmas morning, Robin and Regina woke up and took care of Margot together. He changed her diaper before Regina put her into a special set of reindeer pajamas. Margot laughed as Regina nuzzled her nose before cuddling against Regina. They all headed to the living room and started opening presents. Margot enjoyed ripping the wrapping paper and playing with it more than the toys she got but that was okay. Her laughter was all the Christmas present Regina needed and judging by the goofy smile on Robin's face, the same for him.
As Margot entertained herself with an empty box, Robin held out a gift to Regina. "This is for you, from Margot," he said. "Merry Christmas, Regina."
She took it, knowing that he picked it out just like she had picked out Margot's gift to him. Regina pulled off the paper and gasped when she saw a jewelry box sitting there. "What's this?" she asked.
"I don't know, it's from Margot," he replied, blue eyes sparkling. "You need to open it to find out."
Regina shook her head, amused by how into this he was, and pulled off the lid. A silver necklace sat on a cushion. It showed a little girl where her dress was made of either a diamond or a cubic zirconia gem hanging from a silver chain. She gaped at it, her heart pounding in her chest as she started to realize what it was. "Is this one of those necklaces with your children's birthstones?" she asked.
"It is," he replied. "And that is Margot's birthstone."
"But I'm not her mother," Regina said, even though part of her told her that wasn't exactly true.
He frowned, moving closer to her. "You maybe didn't give birth to her but since I've brought her home and asked you to help me raise her, you've loved and cared for her like a mother would. She is your child, even if it isn't biological or legal. But in love."
Robin's speech touched her and tears filled her eyes. "Thank you."
"May I put it on you now?" he asked, gently reaching for the box. She nodded and turned, letting him clasp the chain around her neck. The diamond-clad silver girl rested against her chest and she smiled as Robin said: "Perfect."
She then leaned over and pulled out his presents, eager for him to open them. "These are for you, from Margot," she explained.
He picked up one of the presents and unwrapped it to reveal a plain cardboard box. Robin opened it and pulled out a mug with Margot's picture on it that said I Love My Daddy. She watched his eyes light up and he smiled as he said: "I love it."
"Now open this one," she said, tapping the other box.
"Yes, ma'am," he said, saluting her before picking it up. He unwrapped it and then opened the box inside and pulled out a brown leather wallet, laughing. "My wallet was bothering you that much?"
She thought of the ratty wallet she had lifted from his pants the night before so she could transfer his money, credit cards and other important items to the new one she had bought him. "It was being held together with duct tape, Robin. Duct. Tape," she said.
He gave her a sheepish grin. "Yeah. It was pretty pathetic, wasn't it?"
"It was way beyond pathetic," Regina told him, picking up Margot and putting her on her lap. "Margot and I agreed you deserved a brand new wallet."
"Well, I thank you both," he said, kissing Regina's cheek before shaking Margot's hand.
Regina tapped the wallet. "Open it."
He did as she said, finding his cards and money in there already. Robin chuckled before spotting what else Regina had put in his wallet. "Are these pictures of Margot?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "No self-respecting dad would be caught dead without pictures of his daughter in his wallet."
"That is true," Robin said, laughing as he closed his wallet. "And my old one certainly couldn't hold any pictures of her, could it?"
Regina shook her head. "It could not."
"Well, thank you for rectifying that," he said, leaning forward. For a moment, Regina held her breath, thinking he was about to kiss her. Time stood still and the air felt charged with something. Hair on the back of her neck stood on edge and a good chill went through her as she waited to see what would happen next.
He continued leaning down until he kissed the top of Margot's head before picking her up. "Thank you, sweetheart."
"Well," Regina said, trying to ignore the feeling of disappointment washing over her. "I think we have a few more presents to exchange. Do you want to do that now or wait for the others?"
"I think we can open them now," he replied, pulling out a few more boxes. "Then we'll all go have breakfast. How does that sound, sweetheart?"
He tickled Margot's stomach and she laughed, kicking her legs against his. Smiling, Regina said: "I think she agrees."
"Then it sounds like we have a plan," Robin said, handing her a present. "After you."
They opened the rest of their presents, all different items of clothes. Robin then took Margot, who let out a cry of displeasure at being separated from the paper and boxes still littering the floor. So Regina gave her a piece of wrapping paper to play with and she was happy as Robin carried her into the kitchen so they could have breakfast.
Regina hung back for a moment, trying to collect herself. The moment with Robin earlier had left her feeling off-kilter. She had never had romantic feelings for her friend and housemate though she knew many people who didn't believe her. And she didn't blame them - she could objectively admit that Robin was a very handsome man and that he was also a true gentleman. He would be a good catch for any woman, just not for her. They were just friends - nothing more.
Now, she wasn't too sure.
She had known things were going to change once Robin brought Margot home and asked her to help raise the little girl. They became parents in the blink of an eye and that meant changes to the lives they had as people who had no children. Fewer nights out, more time spent in the park, and a lot more money going to formula and diapers were just the tip of the iceberg. She had all expected that. Regina hadn't expected her feelings for Robin to possibly change.
But watching him be a father to Margot made her feel something she hadn't really felt in a long time. He was always a kind and gentle man, but Margot made him even softer and kinder. Robin just absolutely melted around his little girl and she counted herself blessed that he allowed her to be part of that. Regina felt even closer to him now and that she got to see a side of him no one else got to see, which made her feel special.
It also made her feel very confused. She felt as if they were married rather than two people who happened to live together and shared responsibility for raising a child. They cuddled now and were more touchy-feely than they had been in the past. And she wondered if they had crossed a boundary they had never even come close to crossing before. Was that why she had thought Robin was going to kiss her?
Or was it because she had wanted him to kiss her?
She let out a soft groan as she pressed her hands to her eyes. Christmas morning was not the time to sort out her complicated feelings for her best friend and housemate. It was a time for celebrating and having breakfast with said housemate and the daughter they now shared. Regina decided to push her confused feelings aside for now and deal with it another time.
Lowering her hands, she headed into the kitchen. Robin tilted his head as he smiled at her. "You okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine," she lied, forcing herself to smile. "So what are we having for breakfast?"
He didn't respond right away, studying her. She worried he was going to press her and she didn't want to have that conversation right now. All she wanted was a nice holiday - it was Margot's first Christmas after all.
Finally, his eyes softened and he nodded. "After some debate between myself and Margot, we've decided on snowman pancakes."
"Snowman pancakes?" she asked, intrigued.
He nodded. "Yes. They are going to be my Christmas tradition. So why don't you go set the table and I'll whip us up some?"
"Alright," she replied, heading to the cabinet. "What is Margot going to have? She's still a little too young for snowman pancakes."
"I figured Margot could have some mashed apples mixed with cereal. That does seem to be her favorite," he said, mixing the pancake batter. "And maybe we can give her a couple bites of pancake."
She smiled, appreciating how on top of everything he always was when it came to Margot. "Sounds like a plan."
Regina set the table and got Margot's breakfast ready for her. She helped Margot eat as Robin set down his first snowman pancake. It was three pancakes covered with powdered sugar connected to form a snowman. "What do you think?" he asked.
"I think it looks good," she replied. "But let's see how it tastes."
She turned from Margot and cut a piece off the pancake. Regina placed it in her mouth and chewed as Robin watched. He raised an eyebrow. "Well? What's the verdict?"
"They're actually pretty good," she said after swallowing. "A bit sweeter than I usually prefer but seemingly perfect for Christmas."
"Great!" He beamed as he sat down with his own plate. "I'm hoping to make these a Christmas tradition.
She chuckled. "I think they will be."
Margot banged on her highchair tray, letting a peal of laughter. Regina leaned over, letting Margot grab onto her finger and shake it. "I think she agrees as well."
"Then it's unanimous," Robin declared. "Snowman pancakes are now part of the Locksley-Mills family Christmas tradition."
Her heart skipped a beat when he said "Locksley-Mills family" though she knew not to put too much stock into it. For now, they were the Locksley-Mills family but they wouldn't be forever. Robin was a catch and would likely find someone he wanted to marry, someone he wanted to be Margot's mother. And then Regina would just go back to being the aunt and family friend. Maybe she would also find someone she wanted to spend the rest of her life with and build a family with them.
Or maybe she wanted snowman pancakes on Christmas for the rest of her life.