He shouldn't have brought Regina into his parents' house. That has been running into his mind as soon as he and his father had a talk by the kitchen. It all started so great. Setting aside the way Ruby eyed Regina, his mother's greeting was all warm and happy. He thought it would go smoothly from there but he was wrong.
As soon as his father opened his mouth, he realized the reason why his mother took Regina for a tour was to get her alone and it made him irritated.
"So…dating a city girl, eh? Aren't you jumping so far ahead, my boy? How did you know her?"
"Her name is Regina and she's not just a city girl. She's a woman who is more than just where she came from. I don't understand the problem with that",
His father raised a brow at him.
"You can't blame us for worrying, my boy. Ruby is not exactly pleased either and you know your sister likes pretty much everyone. I just want you to be really sure that you know everything about this woman. I know you, son. You don't bring girls into this house so lightly. That's why I know that you're serious with Regina. I just don't want you to get burn again",
He knows that too. He knows how protective his family can be and that they love him but sometimes, the way they show their love is too much. This time, for example.
"She's not Marian, Dad",
The whole deal with Marian was bad. He took it badly and being young and naïve, he didn't cope well. He thought what they had was forever. He was ready to propose to her right after graduation but it all blew up on his face and he took a trip down the hill afterwards.
His parents had been a witness through all that and that's why he can somehow understood why they're being like this now. It's just unfair, however, to take their worries on Regina since they don't even know her yet.
"That may be true but I just want you to be cautious. That's all. If she makes you happy, then I am all for it. You know that. I will support you no matter what. All I ask is for you to be careful. I hate for my son to get hurt again",
"I know, Dad, and thanks but Regina is different. I am sure of that",
He found later on his sister mingling with the others. He intends to talk to her, to make her somehow realize that Regina is not an enemy and that she should at least give her a chance. He is also supposed to do it in a calm manner but when he got closer, he heard something that made his blood boil in an instant.
"I know! I honestly don't know what my brother sees in her. She's as frigid as fuck. I mean, have you seen her? She talks like from that lawyer show like we're all beneath her somehow. I don't think she even know how to smile properly without being forced to—"
"Really, Ruby?"
Her sister quickly turned around and he saw the way her face turned pale at being caught. Her friends scattered around, fleeing the scene.
"Robin…"
"This is what I came here for? For all of you to talk trash about my girlfriend?"
He does not know how Regina would feel if she found out he calls her his girlfriend but she did tell Ruby earlier that they're together so it's close to that as it is.
"It's not like I said something that's not true. I mean, come on…you're not blind. She's not like us. She's one of those snobbish people from the city. I doubt that she wants to be here either", his sister justified. She's not even sorry for the things she said or how it makes him feel.
"No, she does not. She is here because of me. She made the effort for me, because she knows how this day, how my family is important for me so despite her having things going on with her life, she made the time for me to be here. You only took one look at her and you already painted some version of her in your mind without actually getting to know her",
He angrily ran his hands through his hair because he feels like breaking things right now.
"How stupid do you think I am? Snobbish? That's far from her because she's the kindest woman I know. Oh, and yes she talks like that because she is actually a lawyer, and not once I saw her look down on people. So, before you make any assumption about someone, take the time to get to know them first because you don't Regina…and instead of protecting me, you're the one who actually hurt me", he snapped and walked away.
Yes, they shouldn't have come down to the party at all. He does not know what he was thinking. He was so excited for his family to meet Regina and he knows that she has been nervous about meeting them. He saw it the moment she stepped out of her house. He engaged her in conversation so she would relax but she was anxious and yet, she said nothing. She went out on a limb to do this day for him and this is how his family had received her. It's unbelievable.
As he turned around, he saw her coming out of the house with that blank look on her face and he knew his mother had said something to her.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah…I'm fine", she's never been a good liar so he knows it's not true at all the second it came out of her mouth. "Really…I am fine, Robin. It's nothing I can't handle",
That solidified it because she said that to him a few days ago and he learned to interpret that as the opposite.
"Yes, I heard you said that before and I know by now than to believe it for what it is. What did Mom say to you?"
"Nothing much. She's very protective of you and she loves you very much. She just wants to make sure that I am not here to hurt you",
So, he was right. His mother talked to her like his father did to him and who knows, it could have been worse than the talk he had with his father.
"Do you want to leave?" he asked because he is not going to subject her to this kind of treatment.
"What? Don't be preposterous. We'll stay. Let's just try to enjoy this. I'll be fine",
He wanted to insist that she does not have to put up with his family but she just took his hand and they took a walk around the house. He is aware that she's doing that to calm him down but he cannot seem to do so.
"You know you're quite lucky to have your family", he turned to her with a frown. "I never had that. When I was growing up, my mother would just passed me over to the nanny instead of dealing with me. Father was too busy with work to spend time with his only daughter so I never really had what you have. I admit. Your family can be a bit intense but all I see is that they do that out of love. What I wouldn't give to have something resembling to that in my own family",
This is the first time she talked about her family. She once said that she chose Storybrooke to live in to be far away from her family and that was it. He couldn't believe how she can be so understanding after being welcomed like that by his family. She had seen the good out of it when he couldn't bring himself to do the same.
"I know that, but they could have at least tried to get to know you first. If they truly love me, they would have known that you make me happy", he said.
She shrugged and snuggled closer to him.
"People are complicated. All there is to understand is that they love you very much and they only want what's best for you. As for me, you don't have to worry. I mean it when I said that I can handle it. This day is for your parents and for you. We'll get through it and later, we'll be back home and we can have the time for ourselves",
He faced her and cupped her face with his hands. "You, Regina Mills, are an amazing woman",
"I don't know about that. I am not perfect, Robin", she scoffed.
He responded by pressing his lips on hers and she responded perfectly. They deepened the kiss and got lost in the moment. No one else really matters, just the two of them. For the first time, he feels as if he's done finally something right. He couldn't ask for more and he knows right then and there that he will give her everything she ask.
"Few hours then we'll head out",
"Sounds perfect",
The program has started and his cousin, Will, hosted the party. It was going well but he refused to mingle with his family for the rest of the night. Instead, he spends his time with Regina telling her stories about his cousins and their shenanigans when they were children.
She laughed at his mishaps and even made jokes about the rest. She is actually enjoying the event and he noticed how she's particularly taking interest on his nephew Henry.
The boy is also fond of her apparently as he keeps on coming back to her bringing toys onto their table. Regina entertains him and even plays with him.
It's another side of her he just discovered. She apparently has soft spot for children. He enjoys watching the two better than the actual program as Regina talked like a child with Henry as they played with cars on the table.
"Are you going to live here with us, Regina?" Henry asked.
Regina chuckled and messed up the boy's hair.
"No, honey. I live quite far from here but I'll come visit whenever I can and we can always play when I do. Also, if you come visit your Uncle Robin, you can come to my house too. I do have a pool and you can go in for a swim whenever you like",
The boy's eyes lit up upon hearing the word pool.
"I will come visit you. I promise!"
Regina laughed some more before glancing towards him with a big smile on her face. Yes, he will take the boy to Storybrooke at some point if he gets to see her this happy again.
Then, when Regina yawned, he knew it's time to go.
"Are you sure?" she asked when he told her.
"Yes, love. I'll just say goodbye and we can go",
He walked towards his father with Regina following behind him. "We're going home. Happy anniversary again",
It came out as rather cold and he saw the way his mother reacted to that. He felt bad because just like what Regina said, they're only protective of him but they still hurt him when they said things about Regina.
"We have plenty of rooms here. You can stay and rest and drive up tomorrow morning", his father said.
"No, that's fine. We have an early day tomorrow anyway", he saw from the corner of his eyes how Regina wrinkled her nose at that because really, they have no plans for tomorrow. "Enjoy the rest of the night and see you soon",
His mother walked up to Regina and he tensed badly.
"Regina, I would like to apologize about earlier. It was out of line and I didn't mean to put you off like that",
It was not what he expected his mother is going to say but it's an improvement. Regina, however, remained stoic before putting on her professional face. Yes, she is acting civil but he knows that somehow, his mother's words earlier had gotten to her but she's shoving it deep down for him.
"Don't worry about it. I understand. Thank you for having me here. It was a lovely party…and happy anniversary to the both of you", Regina replied.
His parents sensed the same but they said nothing else to that. She is putting up a wall between them and he cannot honestly blame her. She tried earlier to be nice and she didn't receive the same so she's keeping them at arm's length.
Regina said goodbye to Henry before they got into the car. It's not how he envisioned the day would go but Regina managed to turn it around somehow that he ended up leaving with a smile on his face.
"You ready to go home, love?"
"As ready as I will ever be", she responded with a smile and then, they drove back home.
