Prompt #248 - Robin and Regina have a one night stand. Years later they run into each other and properly introduce themselves
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Just One Night:
"Alright, do you want the blueberry muffin or the cinnamon?"
"Cim'nim!"
Regina smiles down at her son, Roland, running a hand through his floppy brown hair. Looking back to the barista, she grins. "And one cinnamon muffin, too, please."
The barista smiles and nods, accepting her payment before scurrying off to fix their order.
It's busy in here today, busier than it usually is, but Regina shrugs, taking Roland's hand and stepping to the side.
After a few minutes, her order is ready and she takes it, thanking the barista one more time. She hikes her purse up onto her shoulder, taking her son's hand again while trying to balance the bag of food and her coffee. "Let's go."
They maneuver their way out, Regina having to squeeze through the door that was being over crowded by a group of teenagers who didn't realize, or didn't care, that they were blocking the entrance.
Roland stumbles out in front of her on his wobbly toddler legs, causing her to have to waddle around him like a mama penguin.
In the chaos of trying to keep hold of her child, not spill her coffee or drop their food, and get through the crowd, she doesn't see the man approaching.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," she says after bumping into a man's large chest.
"Not a problem," he says, the stranger's hands on her biceps, making sure she doesn't topple over.
That voice. Holy shit.
She hasn't heard that voice in years. Five years. But she'd recognize it no matter how much time has gone by. His British lilt is what had drawn her in that night, soothing her anger at her situation like aloe to a burn.
"I, um," she stammers, inhaling sharply when she looks into his crystal blue eyes, "don't suppose you remember be, but—"
"—I doubt I'd ever forget meeting you."
She can feel the heat creeping up her neck and coloring her cheeks, so she reaches up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear (the best she can with food and coffee) so he doesn't see it.
They stand there a moment, lost in each other's gazes. She can feel Roland tugging on her hand, swinging it between them as he waits for his mother to do something.
His broad chest, so gorgeously naked before her. He was hovering above her body, hands roaming every inch he could find.
She was burning for him… this stranger she'd just met hours ago. She didn't care how reckless it was. Look at him. She needed this release, this one night of fun to just be free.
He'd been charming at the bar, offering to buy her a drink.
And now here they were, his mouth on hers, kissing down her neck to the valley between her breasts.
"Oh, god," she breathed, back arching to meet his lips.
His tongue peeked out, swirling around one nipple, then the other, causing goosebumps to flare up on her arms.
The night as a whole is somewhat hazy to her now after how many drinks she'd had, but she does remember a few things. Very important things.
He slid inside of her, groaning at the sensation.
She reached up, fingers running through his sandy blonde hair and pulling closer. "More," she whispered, giving him permission to go deeper.
This beautiful stranger had grunted his acknowledgement, deepening his thrusts and hitting that right spot.
"Right there," she told him, gripping his ass, "Don't stop."
She felt as if her heart would burst, either from pleasure or something more like a connection she somehow felt with this man after just a few hours. But that was crazy, she knew that, so she pushed that thought away, pulling him even closer, her legs wrapping around his waist.
"Never," he panted, thrusting in and out of her, somehow feeling like he went deeper each and every time.
Oh god, this was amazing. The best sex she'd ever had.
His hands were on her, all over her, as if they were worshiping every inch of her skin. His touch alone was bringing her more pleasure than she'd ever received from anyone else. Oh, fuck, this was mindblowing.
They'd flipped, her hands pressed into his chest and she rode him, gyrating her hips in an orgasmic rhythm.
"Are you close?" he asked, gripping her neck to pull her down, crushing his lips to hers.
She nods, only a high pitched whimpering moan escaping her as pleasure takes over. "So… so close!"
When the bell above the door jingles, they're pulled from the moment, and realize they've been standing in the way of the door.
She clears her throat, smiling shyly up at him. He's just as handsome as she remembers and her face grows warm again.
They hadn't exchanged numbers, or names for that matter. It hadn't mattered back then. She was twenty-five and set to marry a business associate of her mother's, and Regina just wanted to have a little bit of fun for once in her life before she was forced into a marriage she knew was doomed from the start.
Her whole life, Regina had to play by the rules, always attending elite social gatherings that she never quite cared for. Her mother was a socialite, married into her life of wealth that somehow made her think she was better than anyone, despite simply being a waitress in a cafe when she met Regina's father.
Not only was her marriage being forced upon her—an arrangement her mother, Cora, conveniently only set up once her father had passed away—but she was pulled into a career she never wanted. One that held a better reputation in "their" circle than owning a bakery.
Regina was being forced into a life she did not choose, and that night, she just wanted to make her own choices for once.
Even if it was just one night.
She'd thought about him and their night together so often, tempted more than once to go back to that bar just to see if he was there. If he was still standing by the pool table with his friends, drinking and laughing and enjoying life more than she ever remembers being able to do in her own.
But she couldn't. She had a wedding to finish planning. She had a life, one that she didn't want to live, and she had to put her one night stand out of her mind.
Until two months later when the pregnancy test came back positive and her whole world turned upside down.
"So, I guess now is a better chance than any to properly introduce ourselves," he says, an awkward chuckle leaving his lips.
She glances down at Roland, still silently standing by her side. His big brown eyes are focused elsewhere, not even seeming to notice that his mother had stopped to talk to someone. His head is tilted back, looking up at the sky, and smiling. His little hand is lifted, waving at the birds that fly by.
"Right," she huffs, smiling. Her stomach flutters, nervous for some reason. It's like a mystery she's been trying to solve for years is finally completed. "I'm Regina Mills."
He smiles, those dimples she's dreamed about—and seen on her baby boy's face—almost every night for the last five years making their appearance. "It's lovely to… officially... meet you." His smile turns into a coy grin that she can't help but to match. "And I'm Robin Locksley."
"It's nice to meet you," she laughs, finally taking a sip of her coffee. "Or, well, nice to see you again, as it were."
Just then, as if coming out of a fog, Roland looks down from the sky and back to her. He slides his eyes down to the bag of food that is currently wrapped around the wrist of the hand he's holding, then up to her, squinting a little when the sun shines on his face. He looks over to Robin, and his little brows furrow just for a second before looking back over to Regina, asking sweetly, "Mama, who's dat?"
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Stunned would be an understatement.
She's just as beautiful as he remembers from all those years ago. Stunning… in every way.
"Would you care for a drink?" he'd asked, sliding into the empty stool beside her.
He'd noticed her the moment she walked in. Her dark hair flowing down to her shoulders, the way that blue dress fit her like a glove… and even better when she walked past him, giving him a view of that black zipper running down the length of the dress.
He was enamored right from the start.
Robin had stayed back, playing pool with his friends, John and Will. But he was decidedly much more distracted once she walked in.
Three hours later, he'd taken her back to his place, getting to slowly undo that zipper he'd thought about all night, and received the best night of pleasure he'd ever had in his twenty-five years of life.
She was gorgeous, every curve of her ivory skin seeming to fit against him like a puzzle piece.
Her lips tasted like whisky and something else that was all her as she leaned up, pressing her lips to his and tugging on his belt loops, begging him to take them off.
This beautiful stranger had not only occupied his bed, but his heart and mind, and he couldn't decide if it was the whisky or something more pulling him to her.
She ran her fingers up his back and into his hair as he pushed his cock inside, both moaning at the contact.
He'd thrusted into her, obeying when she begged for more.
Her fingers scratched up his back, sinking into his skin and leaving crescent moon shaped marks there as he came inside of her.
Her walls were tight and warm. The way they contracted against him was the closest he'd ever been to experiencing euphoria.
They'd fucked all night, this mysterious woman riding his cock, him pressing her against the wall of the shower, wild and passionate, and everything he'd ever wanted.
He shakes his head, telling himself to focus.
She's here, don't take this moment for granted.
She seems nervous, and hell, he is, too. He never thought he'd see this goddess of a woman ever again except in his dreams.
He chuckles nervously, saying, "So, I guess now is a better chance than any to properly introduce ourselves." And something inside of him twists and turns when she replies.
Regina.
The name is like an answered prayer to his ears.
He had searched for so long to find her, though he didn't have much to go on.
He knew what color her hair was and how some strands looked lighter as the sun shone on her that next morning. He knew the way she sounded as she climaxed and what her skin felt like beneath his own, what she tasted like… He even knew how her voice sounded when she panicked like she did that morning when she realized the time and rushed out before even exchanging names or a way to contact her.
Robin had gone back to that bar almost every night after that in hopes of running into her again. He'd dragged John and Will there so often that the owner, Tuck, had become a great friend and the guys had become regulars at the bar.
The months following their night together, Robin had spent more time on that side of town hoping to catch a glimpse of her, despite knowing how large their city was and that it was next to impossible.
John and Will had told him to give up, to find someone else and move on. But he couldn't, eventually barely dating, only half heartedly going on dates his friends set him on.
No one could compare to that one night with Regina.
But his friends were wrong (and he can't wait to rub it in their faces later), because here she is. In the flesh and in front of him.
Miles away from where he'd been searching all along. Of bloody-fucking-course.
He's caught in her trance, but his mind finally processes what he just heard.
Mama.
He'd noticed the boy, obviously, but hadn't thought much about it. They were together years ago, of course she'd found someone else and started a family by now.
The little boy's hair was dark, like Regina's, and he had the biggest brown eyes. Robin looks at Regina to make sure he remembered her eyes correctly, and yep, those were her genes as well.
"Well, hello," Robin croons, squatting down to be eye level with the toddler. "I'm Robin, and what's your name?"
The little boy bounces on his feet, obviously glad to be included in the boring adult conversation. "I'm Roland!"
Robin smiles, his heart beginning to beat faster when Roland smiles up at him and a pair of dimples that match his own flash up at him.
Sure, more people than just him have dimples, but… his mind spirals, searching the little boy's face for any other signs.
He feels like this moment goes on forever, the silence stretching for hours, but really it's just a few seconds for his brain to compute what he knows in his heart.
Roland has the dark hair and eyes like his mother, like Regina. But that little nose… Robin has plenty of nieces and nephews to recognize the Locksley nose. And Roland's lips and jawline resemble his own.
His blue eyes go wide, and his head whips up to Regina.
He stands up, eyes still on her.
She looks down, then around, then finally at him. Her bottom lip is caught between her teeth as she grimaces slightly, giving him a confirming nod. "Maybe we should go somewhere and talk?"
Robin nods, not able to find words just yet.
She points to the outside eating area in front of the coffee shop, and he follows behind her and Roland.
They settle at a table, and he watches in stunned silence as Regina gets her son, his son—holy fuck—settled. She hands the toddler her phone, pulling up what sounds like an alphabet game, before she turns the volume down so as not to disturb other people. There's no one else sitting out here really, just an older man reading his newspaper a few tables down.
Regina reaches into the paper bag, pulling out a stack of napkins. She opens one up as big as it will get and sets it in front of Roland before placing his muffin on top of it. "Don't forget to eat, baby," she whispers into his hair, placing a kiss there, too.
Roland absentmindedly nods, pinching a piece of the muffin off the top and stuffing it into his mouth, sucking on his fingers in that unrefined yet adorable way four-year-olds do.
"And don't forget to wipe your hands."
The toddler glances up from his game to his mother and takes the offered napkin from her hand, smiling sheepishly at her.
With that, Regina finally faces him. They're across from one another and right now he feels as if there's a canyon between them.
"Regina, I…" he sighs. "I looked for you. For so long."
He watches as her eyes seem to mist over, and fuck, he didn't mean to make her cry. He sits up straighter, going to reach for her hand but then thinking better of it.
He folds his hands atop the table instead, shoulder sagging. "I went back to that bar so many times I became a regular," he grins, trying to lighten the mood.
She gives him a small smile, then clears her throat. "I'm sorry." She says it so quietly that if there'd been a breeze blowing by he wouldn't have heard her. "I tried to look for you, too. Well," she hesitates, worrying her lips together, "I wanted to, but, my… circumstances were complicated."
She tells him how she was engaged, and his eyes grow wide again. "He was old enough to be my father," she sneers, "older, actually." She speaks of him with no love in her voice, telling Robin that the marriage was set up by her awful mother and she didn't exactly have a choice. "When he found out I was pregnant, it was a blessing in disguise."
He asks how so, and she smiles, looking over to her, their, son, then back to him. "Leopold ended our engagement the moment I told him I was pregnant with someone else's child." She scoffs, almost amused at the situation. "And my mother completely wrote me off."
"Christ," he declares, running a hand through his hair. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't be," she affirms, smiling again, this time a little laugh bubbling up with her words. "I had tried to get out from underneath my mother's thumb my entire life. It just took me twenty-five years and an," she glances at Roland again, and Robin follows her gaze. The little boy is happily distracted by her iPhone he's playing on, completely oblivious to anything except the screen and his muffin at the moment. Robin grins, unable to stop seeing his own features in the boy now. "Unplanned pregnancy to do the trick," she finishes.
Regina beams at him, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm happier than I've ever been."
"I'm so glad." He smiles, genuinely glad that this accident of theirs ended up being a good thing for her. "So, what's changed since you got away from your mum?" He won't ask about her mother, won't ask why it took getting pregnant to finally get away from her. That seems far too personal, so for now, he'll learn about how her life is going instead and hopefully, if she lets him, he can one day learn all the other, darker, parts of her past.
"Well," she starts, leaning forward, "I was able to start my own business. I own a bakery down on Mifflin Street."
"No way!" he exclaims, "Enchanted Sweets?"
"Yes!"
Life is hilarious sometimes, really.
"I order from there all the time for my employees," he tells her, shaking his head in disbelief. "I guess we just missed each other each time I would go in, though usually one of my employees picks it up on their way into work."
"Wow," she laughs, "small world." He wants to laugh at that statement, knowing he'd tried for so long to bend the universe to his will and let him find her, meanwhile she was in the back of his favorite bakery making his favorite desserts. "And what is it that you do?"
They both laugh softly together at the absurdity of all of this, knowing these are the things they should have been asking almost five years ago.
"I actually run the recreation center right around the corner from your shop. It's on Storybrooke Avenue." He smiles, always happy to talk about his job. "My friends and I started it almost eight years ago. We offer different sports and activities for kids."
"That's great. Do you offer soccer? Roland has been wanting to join a team," she says, running her fingers through her son's hair. "I guess playing with me and Granny Wolfe at the park isn't good enough anymore."
Robin chuckles, telling her that they do, in fact, offer soccer in the spring. "There's a few teams we put together for his age group. We also do archery lessons, horseback riding, t-ball, and even some art classes… if any of that would interest him."
She smiles, and fuck, she's so pretty when she does (and even when she's not smiling). "He would love all of that, wouldn't you, bud?"
"Huh?" the toddler asks, a large bite of muffin stuffed in his mouth.
Robin and Regina both laugh and share an amused smile as she reaches over to brush crumbs off of Roland's little mouth. "I was telling Mr. Robin that you want to be on a soccer team."
"Yeah!" he shouts, and Robin's heart just about stops when his son looks at him. "I love soccer."
Robin smiles, telling him that he played soccer when he was younger, as well. "Do you like to ride horses?"
"Mm," he thinks, lips twisting up in concentration. "Don't know!" Roland shrugs, taking his last bite of muffin.
Regina giggles, informing Roland that she'll look into the soccer league for him, but also tells him they have painting classes he can do.
"Oh, I loves to paint!"
Both adults smile at the tiny human they created, and Regina tells him to wipe his hands off again now that he's done eating.
"So, why do you get food here if you own a bakery?" he asks.
Her eyes light up in amusement, sassing back, "Why are you here if you're a regular at Enchanted Sweets?"
"Touché," he laughs, leaning back in his seat.
"Sometimes it's nice to eat something you didn't create," she says, taking a bite of her apple donut.
He's hungry, came here to grab a coffee and croissant on his way to work. He was going to have Will go pick up a box of pastries from Regina's shop for the rest of his team later in the day, but now he thinks he'll have to make the trip himself. Any excuse to see her again.
He glances over to his son, still flabbergasted that he has a son. Robin thinks of all that he's missed out on, and his heart feels weighed down from the guilt.
"I'm sorry you had to do it all on your own," he says when there's a peaceful lull in the conversation. "If I had known…"
"I know," she assures softly, reaching across the table to touch his hand in reassurance. His skin prickles with goosebumps at the touch but he tells himself to focus. "I wish I could have found you sooner, I wasn't trying to keep him from you on purpose."
"Oh, I know, I know. That wasn't a fear in my mind."
She smiles softly, seeming to sink into her chair at the validation that she didn't do him any wrong. "I started building my business while I was pregnant," she explains. "I brought on my friends Mary Margaret and Ruby to help. They both majored in business with me when we were in college, and they were excited to partner with me."
Regina tells him how they were a big help during all of it. "My mother had written me off, cut me off from my inheritance, so I barely had enough to get by. I, luckily, had saved enough over the years to afford the building and everything, but Ruby's grandma was the biggest help."
"Would that be Granny… Wolfe?"
She grins, "Yes. She's owned a chain of diners all over the northeast since the sixties, so she was a big asset in getting everything started, financially and just as a support. She took me and Mary Margaret under her wing like we were her granddaughters, too. And she's been around since Roland was born, helping out when I need a sitter, coming to stay with me when he was sick. She's wonderful."
"That's amazing," he beams, truly happy to know she had plenty of support not just for her business but through her journey of becoming a mother, too.
"Tell me more about your work."
Laughing, he sits back. "How much time do you have?" he jokes, looking at his phone.
He tells her how he, John, and Will grew up together. "Much like you with Mary Margaret and Ruby, I suppose. I had this grand idea of starting a sports league, or really a recreational center for kids, and they wanted in on it." He explains that he, too, went to school for business but also minored in sports medicine. "Very odd mix, I know," he laughs, "but I knew I wanted to run some type of sporting business in the future, I just didn't know what."
"Makes sense."
"We bought the building right after college and put all of our hearts and souls into it. It's taken a few years, but it's picked up in the last several and we love our team." He tells her that he considers his employees like family and that he always tells them that if something isn't working or they aren't happy, to let him know.
"Sounds like a good boss," she grins.
They spend the next few minutes getting to know one another more, Regina asking more about the paint classes and horseback riding, inquiring if adults can come too. He tells her that he thinks he can make an exception for her, and the sound of her laughter fills him with joy. Robin is thrilled to see that she's just as wonderful as he remembers. More so, actually.
Her phone pings, and Roland announces, "Ya gotta message, Mama," handing her the phone.
Robin grins at his little boy, completely enamored with him already.
"Shit, I—"
"Dat's a bad word," Roland informs his mother, and Robin tries to hide his laugh, raising a brow to Regina.
She sighs but snickers, "You're right, baby."
Roland nods, clearly happy to have corrected his mother's behavior, and starts picking at his muffin crumbs since he no longer has a phone. He's mumbling to himself, and Robin watches in fascination, always loving how kids, especially his age, can entertain themselves.
"That was Ruby. She just got to work and realized I wasn't there yet, and we have a huge order to fill today, and—"
"It's alright," he assures, addicted to how cute she looks when she's flustered.
"We do have to go, though," she says, grimacing. "I have to drop Roland off at preschool before the shop opens." She tells him that she opens later than her competitors, but she won't compromise her time with Roland. She opens at eight instead of seven like most, but it doesn't seem to have affected her business. "I should've been there thirty minutes ago to start on orders."
She stands, putting her purse on her shoulder, and Robin panics, not wanting to miss this opportunity. "Let me get your number," he pleads. "I would love to get together again, and," he nods toward Roland who is still playing with his crumbs and now the wrapper, too, "I would love to be involved, in whatever way you want me to, if at all."
Her shoulders sag as she smiles sympathetically at him. "I'd really like that," she says, her voice going all soft as she takes his offered phone.
She types in her number and tells him to text her.
"I definitely will," he assures, "and I might even be by in a few hours to get treats for work."
Regina grins, "If you call ahead, we can start before you get there so you don't have to wait as long."
"I don't mind waiting."
Her breath seems to catch in her throat, but she quickly inhales and licks her red lips, taking Roland's hand. "Come on, baby, we've gotta get you to preschool."
Roland's little brown eyes light up, exclaiming, "Yay, school!" and Robin beams, watching his son.
Regina collects their trash, tossing it in the bin behind her. She turns back to Robin, saying, "I'm really glad I bumped into you."
"As am I," he murmurs, breath being hard to come by now that she's standing just a few steps closer. If he were to bend down, he could kiss her, and he licks his lip at the thought.
She seems… affected… too? Maybe he's not the only one feeling the spark. The spark that he felt on their one and only night together.
Toying with her bottom lip between her teeth, she looks at him for a moment, her chocolate eyes warming his soul.
"Well," she whispers, blinking, "goodbye, Robin."
"Bye," he answers, tipping his head down a bit like a bow. He smiles down at Roland then, saying, "And goodbye to you too, Mr. Roland."
"Bye, Mama's friend!"
Regina laughs, informing Roland again, "Mr. Robin."
"Oh," he giggles, a chubby hand coming up to cover his mouth. He drops it, trying again. "Bye, Misser Robin."
Robin laughs, giving Roland a high five. "It was a valiant effort. We'll work on it."
His son laughs and nods, swaying his mother's hand. Robin smiles and thinks about how one night can completely change your life. And as he looks into those beautiful brown eyes and those dimples that are proudly on display, he knows he's found his future.
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End. Thoughts?
