Regina is a master of planning, he discovered. She just naturally pulls it out of nowhere. In a span of three hours, they covered pretty much everything and they are good to go.

"The key is to go simple. As long as there is good food and unlimited supply of drinks, your guests will be fine. It's up to you whether you like to incorporate games to make the party lively but if not, you can just play a good music and let the guests have their own fun", she said.

He sighed and leaned back on the chair. Definitely the good music, he has no idea what kind of games he can throw at a party that will get everyone on board.

"Thanks for doing this, Regina",

"Oh, don't thank me yet. Do that once the party was a success",

He downed his drink before focusing on her. "So, tell me about yourself, Ms. Mills. What do you do for a living?"

She arched a brow at him but the smirk followed.

"Lawyer. Well…corporate law now, but I used to practice criminal law. I found that it's easier to argue with documents than to argue all day at court. Besides, I get paid more",

"Any family living in town?"

"God no. It's why I chose Storybrooke in the first place. It's far enough from the people I want to avoid in my life but not far enough to get to work. As you can see, I also like peace and quiet",

A successful woman who likes to live alone. He finds himself getting more and more intrigued by his new neighbor.

"Forgive me for asking and I hope it's okay. Is there a present someone in your life? I know you said you don't do relationships but I just want to make sure no one is going to come barging through the front door and throw a fit seeing another man drinking here with you", he pried.

She chuckled. "No, there's none. You're safe, Robin",

"That's a relief. I just moved here. I like to keep my face the way it is for as long as possible", she laughed some more and he discovered he craves the sound of her laughter. "So, I guess I am seeing you at the party then",

"Oh no…you wouldn't want me there. If you want it to be a success, it's best for me not to come",

He frowned.

"Why not? You helped planning it. Actually, you planned all of it. I want you to be there",

"Robin", she sighed. "I told you how this town feels about me. Do you really want everyone to be uncomfortable all night?"

He leaned against the table, eyes fixated on hers.

"I don't care. Like you said, it's my housewarming party. If they don't like who I want to be there, they are free to leave",

Her eyes widened for a moment before she went serious. He is pretty sure she will insist on declining but then she relaxed and once again smiled.

"Alright, Robin. You win. I'll be there",


He followed Regina's instructions to the letter. After a few phone calls, the housewarming party is on its way. David is very impressed with how quickly he got everything organized.

"If I know you can throw a party this fast, I would have called you when we had our housewarming party", his friend commented.

"Oh…it's not really me. It's Regina. She planned all of this. She's a miracle worker",

David went silent and stared at him in disbelief.

"Regina Mills? You talked to her?"

"Yes, is there a problem?" he asked.

"No…well, not really. She's not exactly Storybrooke's favorite and for good reason—"

"She told me that, David, and to be honest, I didn't expect you to be one of those who got a problem with how she lives her life. It's not a crime to be independent, you know",

"Is that all she told you? I am guessing she never told you about the sex parties she's hosting every now and then at her house then",

He halted.

"Sex parties?"

"Oh, yes. Everyone knows the kind of people she hangs around with. One time, Ashley, her next door neighbor made a noise complaint because their party was going too loud and she just had a baby and when Emma, our sheriff, knocked on the door, a naked man answered it. She had to force everyone out and had a long talk with Regina about her questionable activities. It's quite a scandal", David answered.

Well…Regina did not certainly mention that. It's hard for him to picture the woman he just spent a whole day with hosting that kind of party.

"Are you sure it's not exaggerated?"

"Emma is not the type to exaggerate on things, Robin. Friendly advice, stay as far away as possible from Regina Mills. She's bad news, my friend", David responded.


The party is going on full blast. Everyone is having a good time and Mary Margaret pretty much introduced him to everyone living in town.

Granny or at least that's what she wants everyone to call her told him all about Storybrooke, its history, her favorite customers. She apparently owns the diner at Main Street.

He also met Sheriff Emma Swan and as it turns out, she happens to be Killian's girlfriend. Belle French owns the bookstore that he saw and Zelena runs the bar.

Then, the buzz and the chatter suddenly stopped when Regina walked into the room. She is now wearing a long red dress while carrying a tray of lasagna. All eyes are on her and for not a good reason. If she is bothered, she didn't let it show as she made her way towards him.

"Hi…I didn't know what else to bring so I made this. I hope it's okay", she said.

"Of course, it is. This is very thoughtful, Regina. Thank you",

She smiled briefly before glancing around, noticing how everyone is watching the two of them.

"Care for a drink?"

"Oh, yes",

It is his way of taking her away from prying eyes but he knows that everyone is now talking about them. Her shoulders are tensed but her face remains calm.

"So…how's everything going?"

She carefully sips from her glass while keeping her eyes trained on him.

"Well, I think…and that's thanks to you",

"I am glad. Not regretting inviting me yet?"

"Not at all",

That made her smile. Despite the voice inside his head telling him that this is the same woman who hosts sex parties in her house, he finds it easier to talk to her than to his other guests. She just seems normal as anyone else can be but she got that mysterious streak in her that keeps him drawn to her.

He gave her a tour of the house and asked her opinion from time to time on what to do with the interior. She happily recommends a friend of hers to decorate his place and since he saw what her house looks like, he has no problem calling the person she recommended.

"Regina", Mary Margaret found them by the kitchen.

"Hello, Mary Margaret", Regina greeted politely.

"So, I heard that you planned this party",

Regina glanced at Robin and he gave her a reassuring smile.

"I didn't do much. I only helped",

He wanted to contradict her because she mostly did everything. He only dialed in the phone numbers and followed her instructions.

"Surprising…I didn't think you know how to plan a decent party to say the least", Mary Margaret said, referring to what her husband had said to him a few hours ago.

Regina's jaw clenched but she recovered quickly.

"There's more to me that you know nothing about, Mary Margaret",

"I doubt that. If my memory serves me well, Emma pretty much saw all of you…and your friends",

"That's enough, Mary Margaret", the woman turned to him. "She is a guest in my house and you have no right to treat her with disrespect. If you don't like her, the house has plenty of space", he cut in.

Mary Margaret looked at him in disbelief before turning back to Regina. "I see you are working your charms pretty fast. Be careful, Robin. You wouldn't want to find yourself in one of her parties", she said before leaving.

He was able to breathe once Mary Margaret left when he turned to Regina, she downed her glass of whisky in one go before putting it on the sink.

"I told you. You shouldn't have invited me here",

"Regina…don't mind her. It's no big deal",

"So, you knew then?"

He shrugged. "David told me though a little bit of warning would have been nice. You didn't exactly tell me truth",

She pursed her lips before shaking her head.

"…and I suppose, you think that is the truth. Thanks for the invite, Robin, but I have to go",

He blinked at first and then he saw her walking away. He followed her to the door, ignoring the others calling for him. For a woman wearing heels, she walks very fast. He caught up with her at her front lawn.

"Regina, wait. I didn't mean anything bad by that. Yes, I was shocked when David told me but like I told you, I don't mind how you live your life or what you do. I am not so easily scared. Look…you're the first friend I got in this town aside from the people I already knew before Storybrooke and I don't want to lose you because of what happened in the past",

His eyes could be fooling him but he swore her eyes watered for a moment before she blinked it away.

"I don't host sex parties, Robin. I just host parties. That's it. I don't control what my friends do in my house or how they want to have a good time. Those people Emma threw out that night, those were good people, kind people but they were humiliated just because she saw something she didn't understand. I hate explaining myself and I am not the kind of person who willingly puts herself to torture just to belong. If you want to know something, just ask, but I don't appreciate you or anyone else making assumptions about who I am. I don't have the time for that",

"…and I told you, I don't care. Regina, please believe me. I only believe what you show me. Trust me when I say that I don't share their judgments. I am not that kind of person", he said.

He knows that his guests are openly watching the two of them but he does not care. They are not going to dictate who he can talk to or associate himself with.

"It would be nice for a change. Enjoy your night, Robin. I have to turn in. I got an early day tomorrow",

"So, we're good?"

When she smiled at him, he felt so relieved.

"Yes, we're good. Goodnight, Robin",

"Goodnight, Regina", and he watched her entered her house before he went back to his.

Everyone is waiting for him to say something but he chose to ignore him and headed towards the kitchen to start cleaning up.

"You really sure you want to be friends with her, lad?" Killian asked.

The glare he sent to his friend stunned the man.

"If you're here to tell me not to, just go. You, of all people, should know that no one should judge a person without getting all the facts straight. I honestly expected more from my friends but apparently, disappointment is all I've gotten", he snapped.