For Day 4 of Prompt Party
#35: OQ double date with Mary Margaret and David somehow, #80: Family dinner with the Charmings at Granny's results in chaos, #157: Mary Margaret and Robin friendship, #171: A kiss for comfort, #186: Robin's first-time meeting Regina's family, #197: Mary Margaret questions if Robin is good enough for Regina & #223: Game Night with the Charmings
Takes place 3 months after the epilogue.
Regina throws her apron on a hook and checks the mirror hanging on the wall. She fluffs her hair and grabs her purse, rifling through it for some makeup. She's going to be a patron in her own diner, something a little new to her. Sure, she's eaten her fair share of the food here but she's never actually sat down for dinner (while it was open, anyway). She hates that she doesn't have time to run home and change, but her jeans and soft black t-shirt are going to have to do. Besides, Henry and Roland are there with Ashley and Regina doesn't want to get her son worked up when she leaves. He does so well with his usual sitter and the Nolans, but he's a bit skittish with new people.
She heads out into the diner, the raised voices from various tables hitting her. Regina walks towards the back where their booth is set up. Mal is sitting in the chair set up at the end, with Mary Margaret and David huddled together on one side. Regina kisses David's cheek. When she goes to do the same with Mary Margaret, she sees a strange look on her face. Her normally peppy friend is frowning and has her arms crossed over her chest. She quickly drops it when she sees Regina and leans over David to hug her, a fake smile plastering on her face.
"Everything okay?" Regina asks as she gives Mal a quick hug and slides on the opposite side.
"She's been like this she walked in," Mal mutters, examining her chipped nail polish.
Regina raises an eyebrow and Mary Margaret waves her off. "It's fine. I just had a long day and then the baby didn't want to go to Ruth when she came. We left and he was crying."
"He always cries when you leave," David points out. "That's nothing new."
"Yeah, well that doesn't make it any less hard."
David glances down at his phone. "Mom says he stopped crying."
"See," Regina says, trying to remain positive. "That's good."
"Yeah," Mary Margaret's fake smile only grows. "So, when's he getting here?"
"Should be any minute. He had a patient think she was in labor but it was a false alarm. Robin wanted to make sure she was okay before leaving."
"A doll," Mary Margaret mutters.
Regina frowns, taking her in. Robin had wanted to meet her friends officially for a while. Mal had been excited about it, ready to finally meet the man Regina had talked about for years. Mary Margaret had been a little harder to pin down. She claimed to be busy with work and the kids, but every excuse was quickly debunked. Regina hadn't wanted to, but she went around to David who instantly accepted the invitation. It was all just too weird. This was Mary Margaret, the same one who introduced them to David about a week after meeting him. She goes on and on about wanting to double with Mal and Killian somewhere safe. Why is Robin any different?
"Sorry I'm late."
Regina looks up and any anxiety she has melts away upon seeing Robin. A part of her can practically smell the autumn air that he just walked in from. He's shrugged off his jacket to reveal a brown cable knit sweater. She stands up and quickly pecks his lips. "Don't worry about it." She slides her hand through his, gesturing around the table. "This is Mal."
Mal practically purrs, a smile falling across her lips. "Wow, you're a lot sexier up close and personal."
Robin turns pink and Regina rolls her eyes, smacking her friend on the shoulder. "That's Mary Margaret and her husband, David."
David stands to shake Robin's hand. Mary Margaret gives him a small smile and wave. Regina shoots her a Look and slides into the booth with Robin. Aurora brings by the menus and Regina quickly introduces her before she walks away. They're all supposed to be looking at what they want but Regina catches Mary Margaret staring at Robin. As soon as she sees her, Mary Margaret ducks her head back down. Regina raises an eyebrow but Mal starts up the conversation, asking Robin about himself and his son. Aurora comes by to take their orders and still, Mary Margaret's remained quiet.
"Who's with the boys tonight?" Mal asks.
"Ashley Boyd," Robin replies. "She was Roland's nanny when she was in college. Now she has her own daycare but occasionally babysits for me when I get called in at the last minute and Marian's already working."
"The boys get along well then?"
"Roland adores Henry."
Regina has to smile at that. She had been nervous about them meeting but instantly Roland was showing Henry his toys. They play well, despite the age difference. "It's a mutual thing. Henry always asks when we can see Roland again."
Mary Margaret's voice takes the group a bit by surprise. It's void of its usual bubble and is the most serious Regina's ever heard her friend. "How long have you two been together? I mean, I guess I should say back together?"
Regina squirms a bit. Mary Margaret sounds like she's asking her student a pop quiz question. An invisible trap looms over the table as she makes out, "Three months."
Mary Margaret raises an eyebrow. "And the boys have already met?"
"Well…yes," Regina replies, a little irritation rising in her voice. It was already a point of contention between her and Robin. She had wanted to wait, but they ultimately decided to play it casual. The boys didn't even know they were dating yet, they just thought their parents were friends.
"It was only 2 weeks ago," Robin adds. "Plus, we've met the boys unofficially before."
"Right, back when you were still married, right?"
Heat rushes to Regina's cheeks as her blood slowly begins to boil. David nudges Mary Margaret but she remains unmoved. Robin tugs at his sweater. Regina leans over and puts a hand on his arm.
"You don't have to answer that," she whispers.
"It's fine," he mumbles into her ear before raising his voice as he turns to the group. "Yes, I was married the first time Regina met Roland. And I saw Henry a couple of times when he was a baby."
"Right, I think I remember you visiting before you two broke up."
Regina throws her hands in the air. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Mary Margaret shrugs, taking a sip of her water. "I was just clarifying the timeline."
"Well it's not like there's going to be a test. You can ease up a bit."
Mary Margaret's jaw locks but she doesn't say anything else. David asks Robin how he likes living in Maine after New York and conversation is lighter as drinks then dinner comes. Mal, Robin and David lead the entire thing. Regina picks at her lasagna. It smells absolutely delicious, oozing with cheese and meat sauce. She's not hungry, however. Mary Margaret is barely touching her blackened sole, her eyes directly on her plate. Halfway through dinner, she excuses herself with an excuse to check on the kids and doesn't return. Ten minutes later, David looks at his phone and with all the subtly of a dead fish on the dock in heat, announces that they have to go. He leaves some money for the meal despite Regina insisting he doesn't have to and disappears out to the car. Regina watches him drive away.
"How did Mary Margaret leave?" Robin asks.
"Probably the back," Mal mumbles.
Regina bites down hard on her lip. "Does anyone want pie?"
Robin rubs her arm. "Love…"
She shoots him a Look. "Pie? Do you want any?"
Robin stares deep into her eyes for a moment. She can tell he wants to fight and press on what's really bothering her. A quick scan around the diner must remind her where they are because he simply presses a kiss to her cheek.
"Pie sounds great. What's the special?"
"Turtle pie."
Mary Margaret's favorite.
Mal pounds on the white door in quick succession. When that doesn't work, she pounds the doorbell. David's truck is missing from the winding driveway but Mary Margaret's minivan is still present. It's Saturday, around naptime. There's no way she's out.
The door swings open and Mary Margaret stands on the other side, Emma in her arms. She glares at Mal.
"I'm trying to get the kids down for a nap. Did you not see the sign?" She gestures to the cute wooden sign that reads Wake the kids and you take them hanging under the bell.
"I saw it but I don't care." She presses a kiss to Emma's cheek. "Hi sweetie."
Emma gives a tired wave and Mal accepts that as someone wants her there, so she walks into the house. Mary Margaret lets out an irritated sigh and holds up a hand to signal that she needs a minute. Mal nods, she has nothing but time. Mary Margaret walks upstairs and Mal makes herself comfortable in the kitchen, helping herself to some tea in the cabinets. The three of them have been friends for so long, they no longer feel weird about rooting around. Mary Margaret broke into her apartment to make her a celebratory dinner after she left Hades.
The water's already boiled by the time Mary Margaret comes back down. She looks exhausted and on any other day, Mal would feel for her. She's been the exhausted mom, albeit to just one kid. Mary Margaret's got two under the age of 3.
Today, Mal has no sympathy or offers to watch the kids so she can nap. "What the hell is your problem?"
"I'm not the one interrupting your kids' nap," Mary Margaret mutters, accepting the mug.
"You know exactly what I mean. What was all of that bullshit last night?"
"Mal…"
"I'm serious, Mary Margaret. Do you know how long Regina was unhappy in her last marriage? All of what she went through to even get here? These past few years have been anything but easy for her."
Mary Margaret sighs. "I know that."
"Do you? Because last night you acted like a world class brat. You brought me back to the Mary Margaret I met seven years ago. A spoiled princess with a stick up her ass."
She slams her mug down on the counter and Mal smirks a bit. There's the Mary Margaret she knew. "You know what, Mal, I'm exhausted. Neal's teething, Emma's going through the terrible twos…"
"That's an excuse and you know it. You've been a mom for awhile now and you've always managed to be a decent fucking human."
Mary Margaret glares at her. "I love Regina."
"You certainly didn't show it last night. You treated Robin like crap and you had never even met him before."
"I don't have to know him to not like him."
Mal's brows furrow. Robin and Mary Margaret are a lot alike in her opinion. They're both optimistic, caring and at times according to Regina, a little short sighted. The two would do anything for those they love. On paper, Robin and Mary Margaret should be best friends.
"I don't understand. Why don't you like him? He's a good guy. Maybe a little fancy but hey, good for Regina. She deserves to have someone take care of her for once."
Mary Margaret shakes her head. "For now."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"He was her doctor when they met."
"Yeah, for like one day."
"He knew what a terrible place she was in. She was pregnant, vulnerable and he jumped on that!"
Mal frowns. "He didn't take advantage of her, Mary Margaret."
"He might as well have. She was going through so much and he…"
"He was what she needed. All she ever talks about is the great reprieve he was to Jefferson, the pregnancy, everything wrong in her life."
Mary Margaret shakes her head. "I know men like him. They prey on women and destroy their own families in the process."
Mal wants to say Robin left his wife. They've been divorced for a couple of years now. According to Regina, they get along. And yet, her younger friend is visibly upset. Tears are burning in her eyes, a few spilling down.
"Did you know my dad was a doctor?" Mary Margaret asks. Mal nods. "It was always so ironic. This accomplished oncologist with so many success stories, had a wife dying of breast cancer. No treatments were working. We were so worried about her…or I thought he was."
Mal tilts her head. "What do you mean?"
"He was cheating on her." Mal's mouth drops open. Mary Margaret's only spoken positive things about her father. Even with him leaving everything to his second wife and leaving her a penniless college dropout, she gets a doe eyed look as she talks about him. "And she was a patient of his, one of his success stories." She rolls her eyes, scoffing. "I guess he needed a healthy body."
"Mary Margaret…"
"No one was supposed to know, of course, but one day I came home early. I had spent most of my time at the hospital but my mom insisted I go get some homework done. When I walked through the door, I found her fumbling down the stairs with her heels and tights. My father wasn't far behind, also half-dressed."
A bit of sympathy bursts through Mal. "I am so sorry."
"I asked him what he was doing. I mean his wife, the love of his life…fighting for me, for him. She held on so damn long so she wouldn't leave us alone and he was fucking some other woman." She shakes her head. "He told me a man has needs and I'd understand when I was older."
"That's bull, you know that?"
"Oh, I do."
"You've never talked about this before."
I think I blocked it out for so long. I was mad at him for a while but then my mom died and he was so sad…I felt like I couldn't be mad at him anymore. Plus, I tried to justify it was just the one woman…at a vulnerable moment. I mean, I did a lot of stupid shit when my mom got sick. Teenage angst mixed with grief…"
She trails off and gets a far away look in her eyes. Mal's frown increases. For so long, she saw Mary Margaret as this cute resilient young girl. She knew that smile had to hide something but she didn't know just how much. She's not sure she ever will.
"Anyway, I told myself it was just the once and then last year I was visiting his grave. Found some other woman there. Not his second wife or the woman from that day, someone I had never seen before. Took her awhile, but she finally introduced herself as one of his former patients. And someone he had been screwing for about half his marriage to my mom. But she was married so they called it off, only to pick it up a little after he married Gerda."
"Jesus Christ," Mal breathes. "What a bastard."
"I haven't even told David. My family is already so fucked up in comparison to his."
"He's your husband. And David's family is far from perfect. I seem to remember him talking about his own dad…"
"That's different."
"Why?"
Mary Margaret rolls her eyes. "You're really annoying, you know that?"
"I get that a lot." Mal pauses, trying to word her next words carefully. "And you know that Robin isn't your father, right? Marian wasn't sick when the affair started. And he's not going to cheat on Regina."
"My mom was cheated on for most of her marriage. She was tough, resilient, reminds me a lot of Regina. I don't want to see her get hurt."
"She's not hurting right now, she's really happy."
Mary Margaret gnaws on her lower lip. They sit in silence for a moment, sipping their tea and glancing over at the baby monitor. On a dual screen, both children sleep quietly. So sweet and innocent, unaware of the trauma that their mother carries with them on a daily basis.
"I know he's not my father," Mary Margaret whispers. "I know he loves her and I'm so glad she's happy. I'm just…worried for her."
"I get it. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have my doubts too. But I've also been in their shoes."
"I don't…I mean…I've never cheated but I don't judge either of you for it…"
"I know you don't. And I get in a way, mine is a little different. Killian was never my doctor and for a while, our relationship was purely sex. But I also know that Robin loves Regina, so much. I saw the way he looks at her. He's miles ahead of Jefferson."
"Regina doesn't need anyone to take care of her."
"No, but wouldn't it be nice if she had that option?"
Mary Margaret's silence is enough of an answer for her.
Robin leans back on his porch swing, letting out a content sigh. It's the end of a long day and everything is sorted. Roland's back with him and the last thing he wants to think of is cooking. He wavers between Chinese or pizza, wondering which is the healthiest option. Marian always has some kind of greens with dinner. They could get broccoli with their Chinese…but tomatoes are in the pizza sauce. That's a vegetable…or a fruit…Robin can't keep up.
A slight cough nearly sends him careening off the swing. He steadies himself as he finds Mary Margaret in front of him. He steels a bit, prepared for her to start yelling at him. She looks kinder than she did the other night but he's not about to let his guard down. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed in that meal. After all the amazing things he heard about Mary Margaret and she was so cold. Regina isn't thrilled with her either but hasn't spoken of her since that night. Her mood has been dampered nonetheless.
"How'd you find out where I lived?"
"Mal."
"How did Mal…"
"Do you love Regina?"
Robin blinks a few times. "Excuse me?"
"It's none of my business and she'd kill me for asking you this, but do you?"
She blinks a few times, her wide doe eyes making her seem young and innocent. Robin knows those are just a front. According to Regina, a strong woman hides behind those eyes.
"Yeah," Robin says. "I love her. More than anything."
To Robin's surprise, that brings a bit of happiness to her face. "I just…I watched Regina go through a lot with her ex. He treated her terribly."
"I'm not Jefferson."
"I know you're not. Regina hated him, she never had a good thing to say for as long as I knew her. But you…she always talks about you like you're…well she's not the type to say she found her prince charming but definitely a soulmate."
Robin slowly nods though his heart flurries at the thought of Regina loving him back. He's known it to be true but after so many years and all they've been through, sometimes he's still waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Mary Margaret continues. "And yet, you're probably wondering why I was such a bitch to you the other night."
"I wouldn't use bitch…"
"But I was." Robin isn't going to argue with her further there. "I just…Regina's been through a lot. And you were married before."
"So was she."
"To an abusive, terrible man who treated her like the dirt beneath his feet. Your wife, I mean, your ex-wife…is she nice?"
Robin frowns. "She's incredible. Too forgiving."
"And yet…you cheated on her."
"Life isn't that black and white. I could easily say I regret what I did…but I love Regina. Maybe we should've waited until we were both single. Maybe she shouldn't have been pregnant. There's so many what ifs and maybes but I'm tired of living in that world."
He's done enough of that for the past three years. Robin truly hated himself for a long period of time and there's still a part of him that bathes in the self-loathing. For a man who claimed to live by a code, he was selfish and unfair. He hurt someone he cared a great deal about and was too cowardly to fight for the woman he loved.
"At the end of the day, this is who I am. A man who's made many mistakes…but one that also loves your best friend and would do anything for her."
Mary Margaret nods. "If you hurt her, I'll kill you. Or at the very least, I'll help Mal bury the body."
A small chuckle escapes Robin's throat. "I think you'd have no trouble doing that on your own."
That earns him a sly smile. "Apparently Regina thinks we're supposed to hit it off and be good friends."
"But you're going to be watching me, huh?"
"Maybe a little closely in the beginning…but in time I'm sure you'll win me over, Mike Wazowski."
Robin has to full out laugh at that one. "You know Monsters Inc?"
"I have two kids under the age of 3, Disney and Cocomelon are all I know right now."
Regina pulls into Robin's driveway behind Killian's beat up truck. After the week she's had, she needs this game night. She goes to the back and lifts Henry from his car seat, heading towards the door. As she rings the bell, she swears she catches sight of Mary Margaret's minivan further up in the drive, but that must be a mistake. She hasn't seen or spoken to her best friend since the ill-fated dinner. Mal says she had her reasons but Regina honestly doesn't care. At this point, if she wants to act that way…
Then what? They're not friends anymore? After everything? Regina isn't sure if that's what she wants. And she's not the type to put a man above her friends, but if Mary Margaret can't even use her words to tell Regina what's wrong than there's not much she can do.
"I wanna ring the bell," Henry announces.
Regina has a key but she nods ad allows him to do so. A few moments later, Robin opens the door. "Hey guys." He ruffles Henry's hair and presses a quick kiss to Regina's cheek. "Come on in, everyone's here."
"Everyone?" Regina steps over the threshold and settles Henry to the ground. "Thought it was just us, Roland, Mal and Killian…"
"Hen'y!"
Emma's tiny body comes into frame and Henry beams, running after his godsister. Regina raises an eyebrow and Robin gives her a silent smile, leading her into the den. A game of Monopoly is set up on one table, with Candyland on the other. Mary Margaret is adjusting Neal in his sling, pushing back some of his dark hair. Regina looks between Robin and Mary Margaret, more confusion filling her.
"I don't understand." Mary Margaret looks up, a sheepish smile on her face. "What are you doing here?"
"It was her idea," Robin explains.
"I wanted a do-over," Mary Margaret cuts in, taking a step forward. She grabs hold of Regina's hand and squeezes it, catching her off guard. "I wanted to get to know Robin."
"I just…what the heck is going on?"
"It's a really long story," Mary Margaret whispers, a genuine look of sorrow taking over. "And I am really sorry I was so awful the other night but…I don't want to be that way anymore. I was just going through some stuff and it wasn't fair to you or Robin. I am really sorry, Regina."
Regina blinks a few times. The past few minutes have been a bit of whiplash. She's still so confused. Robin is smiling at Mary Margaret, who is also looking at him like he's suddenly the best thing on Earth. What happened to the woman that was glaring daggers and running out of the diner? Regina is supposed to be the one with flippant mood swings, not Mary Margaret.
And yet, there's a bit of relief watching the two smile at one another. There's so many things that need to be answered but they can wait.
For now, she needs to kick Mary Margaret's ass at Monopoly. It may be one of the only ways she can look past this bitchy mood.
"Only if I can be the top hat," Regina says.
Mary Margaret lets out a dramatic sigh. "I suppose I deserve that."
"You do. And you should also probably pay me double if you land on my property."
"Now you're pushing it."
Regina finally allows herself to laugh. She's still upset with Mary Margaret…but doesn't pull away from her grip.
