Marriage proposals are strange things. A single moment of vulnerability where someone puts their whole future in the hands of another person. Their proposal was no different to any other, Regina had been vulnerable, and her whole future rested on Robin's answer. She had been so unsure of herself at the time but had acted out of necessity. She hadn't asked him to marry her because she was in love with him, in fact, she had been in complete denial about any feeling she might have harboured. However, she still wished for the same answer as anyone might when proposing to someone. Regina wanted him to say yes.

She played with the simple gold band on her finger, twiddling it as she waited outside the company director's office. She had made a request a few weeks prior and had been informed that he had come to a decision on the matter. The nerves bubbled up in her stomach, much like they had when she had delivered her proposal a year ago. Her future depended on the answer of the man behind those doors.

If he said yes, it meant a lot of change, but hopefully, it would be for the better. She liked to think that her decision had been unselfish, though, in a way, she also had selfish motives for the request. She hadn't mentioned anything to Robin and hoped that he wouldn't be angry at her for keeping it from him, but she had her reasons.

The door opened, and she was met by the sight of the older man leaning on his cane, "come on in dearie."

"Thank you, Mr Gold," she smiled, pressing a hand to her stomach in an attempt to calm her anxieties. The man gestured to the seat in front of his desk before sitting in his own leather office chair.

"So Regina dear. I have looked over your proposal and found it quite interesting."

Regina nodded, straightening her lab coat. She was an awful fidget when she was nervous, she couldn't help herself. "I realise that it probably isn't ideal, but it would be a wonderful opportunity and…"

"I couldn't think of anyone better suited for the position."

Her eyes widened as she digested his words, and she let out an audible gasp, "you're serious?"

"Deadly so. You are dedicated and professional and the perfect person to take the job. It's just a shame to be losing you from here, but I know you will do a wonderful job."

"Thank you so much," she smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear before shaking his hand.

"I'll have my assistant draft up the paperwork for you to sign, and I wish you good luck."

She wanted to tell Robin the news immediately. When she returned to the lab he knew something was amiss because of the smile on her face, but she had assured him it was nothing. News like this needed to be shared in private, she hoped that he would be as happy as she was.

He had popped to the shop to get groceries, and that was when she had prepared her surprise. Takeout from their favourite Chinese place had been delivered, and she had set everything up on the rug in front of the fire. Alongside the tray of food, she had two glasses, a bottle of wine and a carton of juice.

There were candles scattered around the surfaces, all placed at different levels adding a sense of ambience to the room. Music played softly in the background, filling what would otherwise be silence in her penthouse apartment.

Her dark eyes didn't leave the clock as she waited for him to arrive home, she was sure that he would be there at any moment. If she thought she was nervous to talk to Gold, then she found herself ten times as such waiting for Robin. Her fingers trailed through the strands of faux fur that made up the rug, drawing patterns on the surface.

It felt like an eternity before she heard his keys in the lock and the door swinging open. "Regina, I'm home. They were out of the yoghurt you like, so I ended up having to go to another store and… what's going on?" He stopped in the doorway, looking around before his eyes landed on hers.

"I thought we could have a nice dinner together."

"Hold that thought while I just put the shopping away."

Regina rolled her eyes and sprang up from where she had been sitting on the ground. She was so eager to tell him she thought that she might combust. "I'll help you." The food was put away so fast that she was left feeling slightly dizzy, she was certain that she had put half of the things in the wrong places in her desperation.

"Somethings up with you," Robin chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist as they walked together into the sitting room.

"Nothings' up with me."

"No, something is definitely not right," he insisted, pressing a soft kiss against her cheek. "Come on, what's wrong, oh wife of mine."

"Well, husband of mine. I'm hungry."

"Ah, that must explain it."

Robin sniggered as they both sat by the food, and Regina grabbed hers straight away. She had been so eager to tell him her news, but now she had no idea of how to bring it up. It would be life-changing for them in more ways than one.

Instead of tucking into the food, Robin went for the wine, pouring himself a glass and then going to fill hers, only for her to put her hand over the rim and shake her head. Swallowing down her mouthful of noodles, she mumbled, "I'm not drinking tonight."

"You're not drinking?"

"No."

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm completely fine."

Robin furrowed his eyebrows at her as he picked up his own plate. They ate in silence for a moment before Regina couldn't keep it in anymore, she was about to self-combust if she didn't tell him.

"Actually, there is something I need to talk to you about, well, tell you really." She took a deep breath and placed her food down. "I had thought about telling you sooner, but I didn't want to get your hopes up only for it not to happen."

"What are you talking about?"

She needed to rip the bandaid off and tell him straight away.

"I applied for a job, and I found out today that I got it."

"You applied for a job?" he questioned with his eyes wide, he looked shocked by her revelation, but she just hoped that he would let her explain before he reacted fully.

"Yes. At the new site."

"The new site?"

"In Manchester," Regina nodded, watching his face for any sign of what he might be feeling.

"Shit."

"I know."

"What's the job?"

"Operations manager."

Robin nodded, not speaking, and she watched in worry before realising what must be going through his head, he was probably worried about his own job and rightly so. "I told Gold that I would only do it if we could both be relocated. He agreed, and he wants you to run your own team at the Manchester site if you agree of course. He's going to speak to you tomorrow, but I couldn't stop myself from telling you."

The look on his face completely changed at that, it went from one of bewilderment to ecstatic joy. "Oh my god! I can't believe it."

"I can scarcely believe it either."

"And you're okay leaving London?" he asked, his hand running over her leg, "relocating will be interesting."

Regina shrugged, "London isn't home for me really. What do I have here besides you and my job? I will still have both of those things in Manchester. I'm excited for us to find a place together that is ours."

"Maybe an actual house instead of an apartment," Robin laughed, leaning closer to her.

"With guest rooms," she chuckled.

"And a wood-burning fire."

"A garden, with a water feature."

"And a hot tub."

"Sounds like paradise," Regina giggled. They had moved closer as they spoke, and she was almost sitting on his lap. "We'll be so close to your family also. Half an hour's drive away." That had been a major factor in her making the decision to apply for the job, she knew that it would mean the world to Robin for him to be closer to his family. He missed them a lot, and so did she, it would be wonderful to see them more often.

"God I love you," Robin breathed, leaning in and stealing her lips with his, kissing her until she was breathless.

That just left one last thing to tell him, and it was a big thing, something she hadn't quite come to terms with herself. Pulling back, she left her hand on his cheek, caressing his skin with her thumb. "Maybe your mother would like to help me with a certain room in this potential new house of ours."

"And which room might that be?"

She scanned his eyes nervously, she was scared and excited all at once. "There's another reason we will want to be close to your family."

Robin tilted his head at her, looking her up and down before glancing at the empty wine glass in front of her and seemingly connecting the dots. "Wait…"

Her hands moved to rest on her stomach, and she offered him a watery smile. "I know it's very early, but it seems we might need room for a nursery in this new house of ours."

Robin didn't react, he simply sat there staring at her. He was clearly shocked, probably as shocked as she had been when she stared at the pregnancy test whilst sitting in a bathroom stall at work. She'd had her suspicions when she had started to feel queasy, and then when she'd been throwing up her breakfast, she decided that she needed to know for sure.

"Say something," she whispered.

"We're going to be parents?"

Regina took a shaky breath and nodded, "we're going to be parents." She watched as a solitary tear rolled down his cheek, and he swiped it away before virtually launching himself at her, claiming her lips with passion. Once he was finished kissing her lips, he moved to her cheeks and all the way down her body until he reached her stomach which held no visual confirmation of their child's presence.

She chuckled as she watched him push up her fleecy pyjama top in order to press his lips to her bare skin. "I can't believe it. Our child is… wow."

"I know, it's crazy," she whispered, biting down on her bottom lip as her fingers carded through his short hair, nails scratching gently against his scalp. "I still can't believe it myself."

"You were throwing up last week, I just thought you'd come down with a sickness bug or something, I never even thought anything like this," Robin grinned, clearly unable to stop himself from touching her belly.

"Are you happy?"

"Exstasicly so," he nodded, still looking at where their baby was growing inside her. A moment later he looked up at her, his smile wavering slightly. "How are you feeling about it?"

They had talked about having a family, Regina had told him that she wanted children, and he'd agreed. However, neither of them had expected it so soon in their marriage. Though when she thought about it, she wasn't getting any younger, so why not now? "I'm happy. Scared, but happy."

"What do you need? Do you want me to go get you something? God, I'm going to have to order some of those pregnancy books and parenting ones. We are not prepared for this…"

"Robin," she giggled, shaking her head as she cupped his cheeks, "we still have eight months to prepare for this baby. I'm sure we'll be alright."

"You need vitamins. Those prenatal ones. I'll get you some tomorrow. We need to find out which ones are the best ones."

"Here's me thinking I was the stress head," she grinned, rolling her eyes playfully. "I've already picked up some vitamins when I grabbed lunch the day before yesterday."

Robin went quiet, simply staring at her for a moment, his hands still brushing tenderly against her stomach. She watched him, seeing his eyes go glossy with tears.

"I don't think I've ever been happier than I am right now," he breathed, kissing her gently.

"Me either. Thank you for agreeing to marry me," Regina whispered.

"Thank you for asking." He leant his forehead against hers and she closed her eyes, basking in the moment, knowing that her life had taken her down the right path.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed the story!