"Are we gonna move here with dad?"

Lifting her gaze to find Roland standing by the entrance of the room she was occupying for the time being, Regina puffed out a breath, her eyes rolling playfully as she motioned her son to come over.

He did immediately, sliding in bed with her while his lips broke into that charming dimple smile that came so natural on him.

"No, we're not," she replied as soon as the boy sat next to her. "Your dad was just kind enough to let us stay here until we get a place for ourselves."

Hopefully, that was going to be soon. She was already browsing all over the internet to find something that would work for her and Roland, and even though nothing good had come up yet, she was sure that it would…

"Dad says we can stay here forever if we want to."

Humming because she didn't doubt Robin said such a thing, Regina put her phone down, giving up on her search for the night. "I'm sure he did, but we can't impose ourselves here, now can we?"

With the smile still spot on, Roland shrugged. "All our stuff is already here, so why not?"

Regina bit her lips, her eyes scanning her son's face. She obviously couldn't discuss certain things with him… like the fact that even though they spent half the day getting her bed, dresser and other furniture from Cora's house to place them there, this room was probably going to be for the new baby and thus she couldn't stay for long. She couldn't say either that his father could get back with Marian at any given moment and that the first thing the woman would do if that happened, was to kick her out. Or that even if his dad and the witch ended up not getting back together, there was certainly going to be another woman in Robin's future and how would he explain to her that he was housing his ex?

There was no way to justify that, so no… as honest as she was sure his offer was now, she didn't want to make things uncomfortable for all of them in the long run.

She couldn't tell Roland that… so this was a bit hard to explain.

Oh, and there was also another reason why she couldn't accept the offer, and while this one was hers only, it was probably the most dangerous of them all.

Now, it was hard to explain because she wasn't sure what it all meant, but in the vulnerable state she was in, she was falling victim to the infamous what would happen ifs, and that was a very tricky place to be.

True, in her situation, she was apt to get confused real quick and she knew it, but with the father of her son being so nice and understanding with her, she couldn't help but to feel like she was getting completely sucked into Robin's world all over again.

What could she say? She had always been weak for him, but the way he dropped everything to help her when she needed it the most had softened her heart even more. He was just… he had been great and so perfect that she didn't even know how she was not falling at his feet yet. Like… he even put everything aside to help her get the rest of her things from her mother's, and then spent quite a few hours settling her in his own home and she just… she didn't have enough words to describe all she was feeling at the moment…

Love? She didn't want to think it was, but was it just gratitude? No… as it was so much more than that…

This was Robin after all, and the way he had been doing all he could to make her feel at ease was beyond perfect. Then there was the effortless way in which he made her laugh, or the way he made a mess trying to work her espresso machine, or even the small detail of him treating her and Roland to lunch in the chaos that his house became.

This was her Robin, even if he wasn't hers anymore…

But this was not the time to be musing about what she felt, so she took a deep breath and came back to the present.

"You know how we talked about mom and dad needing their own space, right?" she mentioned, reminding Roland of those discussions they would have every time he asked why his parents didn't live together.

"I know. But now dad doesn't live with Marian so you don't need any space. You can be his girlfriend and live here, that way we can always be together."

Unable to help it, Regina snorted. "Honey, that's not how things work. You shouldn't expect your father to get a new girlfriend just because he ended his relationship with Marian." Let alone if that future girlfriend was supposed to be her…

Sure, she knew it was normal for the boy to want his parents together, especially after he got a taste of how it was to wake up in a house with both of them. Hell, it was her and she was basically feeling on cloud nine by how perfect Robin had been through the day with both of them, so she could imagine their son being completely sold on the idea of the three of them having that on a daily basis.

But the thing was that she didn't want Roland nursing the idea that this little exception could turn into a forever thing.

"But…" Breathing in, Roland tilted his head to the side, the curious intensity of his eyes focused on her. "You wouldn't be a new girlfriend, you are already his girlfriend from long ago. That's how you had me, right?"

Alright… she bit her lips, trying to find a more direct way to tell him what she needed to say. "That's not how it works either, honey. But you know what? It doesn't matter because your dad and I don't need to be dating to always be with you, or to love you and support you every day. You know that, right?"

Roland nodded reluctantly, his smile fading a little.

It was a little heartbreaking to be honest, but she didn't want him to get his hopes up in vain.

"I love you, so so much" she said, running her fingers through his curls before pulling him in for a quick kiss. When he said he loved her back, she hugged him hard until he giggled. "Now go and brush your teeth, it's time for bed."

"Okay!" With his spirits already back on high, Roland jumped out of her bed and ran out the door.

"Hey," Rolling her eyes because she never told him to run, Regina followed him, ready to tell him to slow down.

She didn't get to do it, because just as she made it to the door, she saw the way Robin acted before she could. He intercepted Roland down the corridor, picking him up and turning him upside down.

"And where do you think you're going in such a hurry, huh?"

Letting out a little yelp, Roland began to laugh. "Bathroom… I'm going to the bathroom!"

"And who's racing you there?" Running his hand along the boy's stomach, Robin tickled him, making him laugh harder.

Regina just observed them. Apparently, Robin hadn't seen her there, so she took that moment to cross her arms to her chest, her eyes set on him.

Now Robin…

Despite his good spirits, she knew the day had been brutal on him, because not only did he have to take care of his own stuff, but he was suddenly burdened with her things too and that complicated what already seemed like a hard day for him.

But looking at him, you wouldn't guess he probably felt tired to the bone. No, he was laughing along with Roland, freshly showered and smiling that dimple smile that was so alluring.

He looked good, and for several seconds all she could do was to drink on the image of the man he had become in the last eight years…

"Do you want to be my mom's boyfriend? She says you shouldn't have a new girlfriend because that's not how it works, but I think you can if it's her."

Doing a double take as soon as she heard Roland ask that question to his father, Regina gasped. That little…

"Whoa!" Apparently surprised as well, Robin turned the boy right and snorted, walking to the bathroom with him. "Wait… where did that come from, buddy?"

"I just think that if you ask her to be your girlfriend and she says yes, then we can all live here forever."

"Well…" Robin began to say, but whatever he said after that got blurred out by the sound of the faucet running.

This made Regina curse under her breath, because for whatever reason she wanted to hear his response.

Unfortunately, luck wasn't on her side that night, because as soon as she took one step towards the bathroom to be within hearing ratio, her phone started to ring and she froze… part of her knowing who was calling.

Her mother…

Holding her breath and experiencing that familiar sensation of her stomach dropping, Regina turned on her bare foot and made it back to her bed, and just as she had been expecting, the name flashing on the screen of her phone was Cora's.

She wasn't surprised. Her mother probably just got back home from whatever the hell she had been gambling her hard earned money on to find the house empty, and in typical Cora Mills' fashion, she was definitely calling to demand an explanation.

She was probably mad as hell too, and ready to use all her tricks to lure her back home.

It was exactly what she did the first time she left the house with Roland as a baby, and then later on when she got her first place, and given the fact that she allowed her mother to guilt trip her into going back, she wasn't sure if she was ready for that.

At the same time, if she didn't answer, the woman was going to keep calling on and on…

"I'm going to tuck Roland in, wanna come and say goodnight?"

Startling a little when the sound of Robin's voice disrupted her thoughts, Regina turned to the door, trying her best to look as composed as she could.

She failed, or at least that was what Robin's face told her.

It wasn't her fault though, because it was so Cora to destabilize all her senses with just a call.

She was already anticipating the manipulation and the crocodile tears… and despite her reluctance to live through all that all over again, this was her mother… her only family besides her son so she couldn't just… not care and keep living as if she didn't exist…

"Everything alright?" he asked, long gone the easy going tone he had been using with Roland a few minutes ago.

"Yeah… I'm fine. I'll be there in a minute." Running a hand through her hair, Regina bit the inside of her cheek and without looking at him, she walked to Roland's room.

She was quick with this, just kissing her boy's forehead before hurrying out.

Hopefully, Roland wouldn't find it odd because God… she needed a moment to collect herself.

Robin found her out on his porch, trying to use the nightly breeze as an ally to help her calm down.

"Hey,"

Sucking in a deep breath, Regina shook her head, a silent plea so that he wouldn't ask anything yet.

Thankfully, Robin read her perfectly fine, and instead of asking what happened, he just rubbed her arm, his thumb venturing up her shoulder.

It was a chaste touch… comforting even, but it prompted Regina to go back to the Cora subject and recall all of what she lost because of her.

Robin was her first loss and the one that hurt the most, but there was so much more. Like for fuck's sake! Even her relationship with Daniel ended up crumbling because of Cora, and combining that to the fact that her mother had always suffocated her and cut her wings every time she wanted to fly away, it was just too much.

She wasn't going to let her do that anymore… just… no.

"I'm not going to talk to her," she said firmly, but she wasn't sure if she was talking to Robin or if she was trying to convince herself.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

Turning around, Regina faced Robin, meaning to tell him that she wasn't going to do it, not now, not ever. But when the magnitude of that thought hit her, she wasn't able to voice it out. Instead, she choked on a sob and began to cry.

At first, she fought it, but the more she tried to hold it, the harder her tears would come.

The whole thing was so bad that Robin ended up pulling her to him, one hand to the back of her head and the other one running up and down her spine soothingly.

Regina let him do this, melting against him and taking comfort in his warmth, his scent and even in the way he was mumbling sweet nothings in her ear.

It felt organic because this was the way it was always meant to be. It was always supposed to be Robin and her against everyone and everything, so she shouldn't have let Cora come between them. She should have fought for him…

But she didn't. And every single thing that was happening right now, was because she let them happen.

From Cora, to Marian and this baby he was going to have now.

Thinking of this, Regina pulled away from his embrace and lifted her face, letting her eyes dig deep into his blue orbs.

"I'm sorry…" she mumbled, and she meant so many things with those simple words.

"It's alright," Robin replied, using the back of his fingers to wipe the tears off her face. When he was done, he brushed her hair behind her ear. "You don't need to apologize for anything."

Regina knew that he was probably talking about her little meltdown, but instead of clarifying things by telling him that she was apologizing for everything that went wrong between them, she just leaned into him and kissed him.

It was a soft peck, wet with her tears and so damn messy, but it made her heart do a somersault inside her chest that left her breathless.

When she finally pulled back, Robin sighed… his eyes wide and a little confused. "Regina…"

Not wanting to hear anything, Regina kissed him back, her lips pressing harder against his.

She lingered a little longer this time, loving how the whole thing felt familiar and yet so new.

It also felt right, especially when Robin slid his fingers into her hair and added a little pressure of his own.

But then, as if remembering himself, he broke away from her lips. For a second, Regina was sure he was going to tell her how wrong this was, and that they shouldn't do this, but what Robin did was press his forehead to hers and close his eyes.

"Okay. I'm… at a loss of words right now."

Feeling his breath caressing her face, Regina looked up, letting her hands trace his cheeks, the outline of his jaw and then his lips.

"You don't have to say anything. You just have to kiss me."

Robin opened his eyes, and the shock of his eyes meeting hers made her shiver.

She didn't have time to say or do anything though, because sealing both their fates, he lowered his face and kissed her like it was meant to be…

TBC