Hello, and thank you all so much for the support, I may say this a lot, but I'm greatful for you guys. If you have any reviews/prompts, I'll gladly take them. As always, I hope you enjoy.
P.S. this story may seem like it jumps quite a bit in between scenes, but I'm trying to show that their relationship is developing rapidly. Also, this chapter is going to focus a little more on Mal and Regina, but who can have those two without a bit of Lily in there.
Regina hopped out of bed excitedly, got into her clothes, and dashed out the door as soon as she finished her Raisin Bran cereal.
Lily and Mal were packing things into their car when she got to their driveway. Regina handed Mal the picnic basket she was told to set up.
"Regina!" Greeted Lily enthusiastically. She smiled down at her.
"Good morning, Lily," she said, "your hair looks very pretty today,"
"Thanks! My mommy did it for me," she said, twirling her little Dutch braids around her finger. Regina laughed. After packing umbrellas, spare jackets, and blankets, they all got into the car.
They saw Lions, Tigers, Hippos, and animals of all kinds. Lily had stars in her eyes as she looked at each one. When they got to the amphibians and reptiles exhibit, her mind exploded.
"Dragons!" She yelled, running across the room through hoards of people, where she leaned over the glass and waved to the crocodiles inside.
"Lily, wait," Mal called, but Regina just snickered.
"That's not a dragon honey, that's a crocodile," Mal said to her, lifting her up into her arms.
"But why does it look like a dragon?" She whispered. Mal laughed.
"A lot of animals look similar. Look over there, that's the crocodiles cousin, an alligator. See? They look alike." Lily gasped.
"But they're the same!" She reasoned.
"No, it says here that alligators and crocodiles have different shaped snouts. Alligators have U-sales snouts, while crocodiles have pointed and V-shaped snouts."
"Oh," said Lily. She got distracted and pulled her towards the frog section.
They stopped for lunch on a bench outside the rainforest exhibit. Regina pulled her basket out of the wagon and handed out sandwiches.
"Peanut butter and Jelly," acknowledged Mal.
"Your favourite," Regina said warmly. Mal smiled and ate. After they finished, they continued their tour, until Lily could barely keep her eyes open.
"I think it's time to get miss Lily to bed," said Mal. They headed out to their car as she quickly dozed off. Regina handed her the dragon toy, which Lily grasped onto tightly.
"Thank you," whispered Regina across the seat as they were getting home, "I had a lovely time."
"Of course. I'm sure Lily was very happy to have you come with us."
"I'll see you later," she said, getting out of the car as they parked.
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As the weeks went on, Regina found she spent almost everyday with the pair. After work, one of them would invite the other over for dinner, and on weekends or days off, Mal would invite her to show her around the town, sometimes even going into the big cities near by to find things to do.
One night, Mal felt bored. Lily was in bed and it was only nine. She texted Regina.
Would you like to come over? Lily's asleep and I'm bored without her keeping me company.
She waited for a response. Her phone dinged from it's place on the coffee table.
Sure.
She heard the quiet knock at the door and answered it.
"Hi," she whispered.
"Hi," Regina said. Mal invited her in and found a bottle of wine and opened it, pouring for them both. They sat on the couch, talking about their day, and Lily's first day of kindergarten, coming up in four months.
"I can't believe she's growing up so fast," she said. Regina nodded.
"Kids tend to do that. Lily seems much older than four though, I think she'll fit right in."
"You think so?" Regina nodded. A silence followed with only the T.V., until Regina got the courage to speak.
"Would you like to go to dinner with me? Without Lily? I know someone who would love to babysit Lily."
"I'd love to," Mal said without a thought, thankful for the dark to hide her blush. Regina smiled widely.
"It's a date then. Tomorrow, at seven?"
"That works."
"I have a bit of paperwork to finish, but I'll see you tomorrow," Regina said.
"Bye," Mal said as Regina showed herself out. Outside, Regina exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding. Inside, Mal held a hand to her chest and felt her heart beat fast and her cheeks tinge an even darker shade of pink.
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Regina finished applying a small amount of makeup and fixed her curled short hair. She adjusted her blazer and smoothed her matching grey skirt. She exhaled slowly, vowing to herself to not make her dare awkward.
She knocked slowly on Mal's door. She answered, while adjusting a sleepy Lily in her arms.
"Hey, I'm almost ready, just wait one second," Mal said, leading her in. From the kitchen, Ruby smiled and waved from her place at the stove, making something.
She came back out and set Lily down on the ground.
"You be good for Ruby, okay sweetheart? I won't be back before bed, but she'll read you a story." Lily nodded. Mal gave a list of instructions to Ruby, then they walked out to Regina's SUV.
"Where to?" Mal asked as she climbed into the seat.
"You'll see..." Regina said mysteriously. Mal laughed. They drove for a bit, then pulled up to a fancy Italian restaurant. As they sat down, Regina noticed her outfit. She wore a black jumpsuit that highlighted her already prominent curves, and a grey blazer, with a dragon broach.
"I love your broach," Regina said casually.
"Thank you, Lily got it for me for Mother's Day." Regina began to feel underdressed. As they waited for their drinks, they made small talk, asking questions about each other.
"I'm sorry, I haven't been on a date since Lily was born," Mal stated.
"I haven't been on one for a while either," she said. Mal smiled empathetically. They ordered their drinks and food.
They ate in a comfortable silence, continuing with small talk.
"Where did you live before Storybrooke?" Regina asked.
"New York."
"It's very beautiful there, I've visited once or twice myself."
"Where did you grow up?" Mal asked.
"I grew up here, but moved to Boston for college, then back here."
As they continued talking, they finished and payed.
"Thank you," Mal said shyly.
"My pleasure," Regina said, holding open the door. They drove back in a comfortable silence.
"Again, thank you, I had a wonderful time," Mal said. Regina smiled.
"Thank you," She said,"I'll text you later."
"Goodnight," Mal said, and gotout of the car, walking back to her place. From inside her car, Regina smiled to herself.