We're neighbors who don't really talk but your cat might have gotten my cat pregnant? We must raise this little kitty family together" AU

A Purrfect Beginning

Marian had never understood why he fed the stray cats in the neighborhood, especially once their son arrived. "You know what they carry, Robin. You're a vet, for God's sake," she told him once, rocking a fussy Roland.

Robin straightened up after leaving a bowl of food outside their kitchen door. He smiled, taking his wife in his arms. "I know we're fine. I'm only feeding them, not letting them crawl over the house."

"Yet." She sighed. "Look, I love you and your crazy love for animals. But please, can you a humor a neurotic first time mother?"

He kissed her forehead and then their son's. "Okay. I'll stop feeding them here."

Robin was true to his word. For the first few days, the stray cats congregated in their yard until they realized there was no more food. All drifted off, except for one orange tabby. He kept coming around day after day, the sight of his emaciated form tugging on Robin's heartstrings as he watched the creature from the kitchen table.

Marian placed her hand on his shoulder. "Go ahead," she said. "Take him in. Just keep him away from Roland until you've thoroughly examined him."

"Thank you." He jumped up, kissing her cheek. "And don't worry. He'll be fine soon enough."

The cat grew stronger under Robin's care. It took a bit longer to convince Marian that the cat was free of diseases but soon she let him bring the cat into the house. "So, have you named him yet?" she asked, watching Robin pet him.

He frowned. "I've just been calling him Tom."

"You are the most uninventive man I've ever met. Good thing I handled naming our son." Marian smiled, reaching out to run a hand through the cat's soft fur. "How about Thomas O'Malley?"

Robin raised an eyebrow. "You want to name the cat after the pub where we met?"

"It's better than just calling him Tom."

And so Thomas O'Malley stayed with the Locksley family, soon just being called O'Malley. He was both an indoor and outdoor cat, sometimes disappearing for a few days before returning to curl up inside the house for several more. Robin and Marian just got used to it.

Then Robin's life was turned upside down, thanks to a drunk driver. Marian was taken from him and Roland, leaving their house feeling emptier. As he sat on the couch, still in the suit he wore to his wife's funeral, he stared down a glass of whiskey as O'Malley climbed into his lap. The cat purred and Robin felt the animal was trying to offer him comfort. Holding Thomas close, Robin finally allowed himself to break down crying.

A year later, Robin felt like his life was starting to stabilize again. He and Roland had fallen into a new routine without Marian. In the morning, he dropped the boy off at preschool before heading to his animal clinic. Then he would return home to relieve Belle of her babysitting duties and have dinner with his son before putting the boy to bed. Robin would then sit on the couch and watch some TV. If it was a day O'Malley decided to stay in, the tabby would curl up next to him and then fall asleep with Robin, lying on Marian's empty side.

That was when the house next to them was finally bought after years of sitting vacant. One day, a crew came in to fix up the house and make repairs needed. Robin watched them as he played with Roland and O'Malley lounged in the sun. He wondered who had bought the old house and Roland bounced with excitement. "Maybe they'll have a kid I can play with!" he said.

Robin chuckled, knowing how much Roland wished to have a neighbor to play with. Most of the children on their block were older than him, either already in middle school or high school. "Perhaps, my boy," he said. "Perhaps."

A few days after the cleaning crew and repairmen stormed the neighborhood, the moving van showed up. Robin watched them from his window, sipping his coffee as they brought the furniture into the house. From what he could see, it was of a fine quality. He was impressed.

He was at work when the new neighbors moved in. Roland told him all about it over dinner. "There's a boy but he's older than me," he said, disappointment in his voice.

"Sorry, Roland. Maybe next time." Robin ruffled his boy's dark curls. "Now, go wash up for dinner."

It was Belle who filled him in more on his new neighbors. "Her name is Regina and she's taken up a position in the district attorney's office."

"A lawyer?" Robin raised an eyebrow.

Belle nodded. "She's interested in a career in politics, according to her son, Henry."

"Roland says he's older."

"Yes, ten." Belle hesitated. "Regina's asked me to babysit him until she can find a fulltime one for Henry. Do you mind if I watch him and Roland?"

"No, of course not. Whatever you have to do."

Belle smiled. "And is it okay if I have to take Roland to their house or bring Henry here?"

"As long as it's okay with Regina, it's fine with me." Robin smiled, hugging her. "You're the best, you know that?"

"You keep telling me that." Belle picked up her purse. "Good night, Robin."

It took another month before Robin met his neighbors. He had heard all about Henry from Roland, who seemed to idolize the older boy. Henry could read big boy books, he had a telescope in his bedroom, he knew everything there was to know…Robin chuckled, glad that his son had found a friend though a little jealous of this ten-years-old genius.

Roland also revealed that Henry and his mother owned a cat named Duchess. "She's all white and likes to cuddle," he said. "Maybe she and O'Malley can be friends."

"I don't think Duchess and O'Malley run in the same circles," Robin said. He frowned as he realized he hadn't seen the cat in a while. But he shook it off; O'Malley would return when he was ready.

He did expect to meet his neighbor over her cat. No doubt Duchess would need a vet, so any day now he expected Regina Mills to enter his clinic.

What he didn't expect was her to show up, irate, on his doorstep early one Saturday morning. It took him a few moments to realize she was in a foul mood as he first noticed she was a very beautiful woman. Her dark hair was pulled back into a simple bun and she wore only a loose shirt with dark blue jeans. But it was her brown eyes that drew him in. Robin had always been a sucker for brown eyes.

It was then he noticed she was angry. She held out O'Malley. "I believe this alley cat is yours?"

"He is not an alley cat." Robin took the cat from her arms. "Is there a problem?"

"Yes. I found that mangy cat defiling mine. Thankfully my son was still asleep or I'd have to go home to have a really awkward conversation with him." Regina crossed her arms.

Robin glanced down at O'Malley, swearing the cat looked smug. He looked back up at Regina and sighed. "I'm sorry. Look, I'm a vet so I'll examine your cat for you and if anything comes from this little tryst…"

"You're a vet and your cat isn't neutered?"

"I take it your cat isn't spayed?" Robin raised an eyebrow.

She glared at him before huffing. "Okay, you win this time. I'll bring Duchess to your clinic this week for a checkup."

Before Robin could say anything, she turning on her heels and stalked back down his walkway. He followed her until she was back in her house. Closing his own door, Robin glanced down at his cat. "What did you do now?"

Regina was true to her word and showed up at his clinic so he could examine Duchess, a snow white purebred cat with a regal bearing befitting her name. When he was finished, he frowned. "I have to run a few tests, but I think Duchess might be pregnant."

"Now what?" She crossed her arms.

"I guess I keep monitoring Duchess until she has the kittens and we go from there." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Does that sound agreeable to you?"

She dropped her arms and sighed as well. "I guess so."

Henry and Roland were the only ones excited about Duchess' kittens. Well, once Robin assured Roland that O'Malley didn't have to move in with Regina and Henry. "He can stay here and visit them," he told his son.

Robin began checking up on Duchess weekly at Regina's house. He would go over with Roland, who would run up to Henry's room and play with the older boy while their parents stayed in the living room. Tension filled the room each time. It was as if he had impregnated her cat.

She was always friendly to Roland though. Not that Robin expected her to take it out on a young boy either—he had a far better opinion of Regina Mills than she did of him—but it still made him happy. She would offer him food and drink whenever they came over, listening to whatever stories he wanted to tell her that day as she prepared his food with a bright smile.

For his part, Robin tried to get to know Henry. The boy was on the shy side and tended to keep himself, better able to connect with Roland. He kept trying, probing for something—anything—that would allow him to establish a repartee with Henry.

He found it a few weeks into tending to Duchess. One warm afternoon, he played catch with Roland in their yard. Regina had yet to erect a fence between their properties (he had no doubt she was going to do so) and he could see Henry sitting on the back steps, reading. He kept an eye on the boy while tossing a ball to his own. Roland missed a toss, the ball sailing into the next yard. Henry's head perked up as he stared at the ball.

"Why don't you toss it here, Henry?" Robin held up his glove, smiling at the boy.

Henry stared at the ball before looking back at Robin. "I can't throw."

"Just give it a try," he encouraged the boy. "See what you can do."

Still looking unsure, Henry set his book aside and approached the ball as if it would bite him. He picked it up and gave it a toss. The ball landed not even a foot away, though it rolled a bit. Henry looked dejected. "See?"

"I can work with that. Wait right there." Robin ran inside and found a spare glove he had lying around. A friend had given it to him for Roland but it was still too large for the preschooler's hand. Now, he believed it would fit Henry just fine.

Robin returned outside and handed the glove to Henry. "Here, you can use that for now. We're going to have a good old-fashioned game of catch."

Henry stared at the glove as if he had never seen one before. Maybe he hadn't, Robin realized. The boy glanced up at him. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Go ahead."

Taking the glove, Henry put it on his hand. It was still a bit big but it would do for now. Robin smiled and picked up the ball. "Okay, let's go into my yard so we don't accidentally break a window and cause your mother to hate me more than she already does."

Henry tilted his head. "I don't think Mom hates you. She's always polite to you."

"Yeah, well, you'll learn as an adult you can be polite but not like someone." Robin positioned himself a good distance from Henry. "Okay, I'm going to toss the ball to you. Try and catch it."

The ball sailed in a nice arc but only tapped the edge of Henry's glove before landing at his feet. He sighed as Robin hurried to reassure the boy. "That was good first attempt. Let's work on your stance."

Robin spent a good part of the afternoon helping Henry, playing with him and Roland. After a few hours, Henry had improved a great deal. Robin clapped him on the back. "Keep practicing and you might be able to make the local little league team."

"Really?" Henry's eyes lit up. "You think so?"

When Robin nodded again, he smiled. Henry pulled off the glove and tried to give it back to the man. Robin pushed it toward Henry. "No, you keep it. It's just collecting dust in my house."

"Thank you." Henry clutched it toward his chest.

"Who wants lemonade?"

Robin turned to find Regina standing in her yard, holding a tray with four cups filled with the summertime drink. The boys ran forward and each took a cup, thanking her. She handed one to Robin and gave him a genuine smile. He nearly fell over. "Thank you," he said, returning the smile.

He drank his lemonade and sat on Regina's back porch as they watched their sons chase each other around the yard. Robin didn't know what had changed, but he wasn't going to question it.

Regina set a cup of coffee down in front of Robin as he sat at her kitchen table following one of Duchess' checkups. "Everything's progressing nicely. I don't anticipate any problems when she gives birth," he said.

"Thank you," Regina said, sitting down across from him. "And I don't just mean for stepping up when others would dismiss it because it's just a cat. Thank you for playing catch with Henry."

"It was my pleasure. He's a good kid."

Regina smiled. "He is. But he hasn't had much experience with sports. My mother…Well, she had clear definitions on what girls did and what boys did. Girls didn't go outside and toss a ball around in the yard. So I'm no good when it comes to playing catch with him. And there's never really been a constant male presence in Henry's life to do all that sporty stuff with him."

"I see." Robin stared at his coffee, debating whether or not to ask the question dancing around his head. It could ruin this truce he and Regina seemed to have but curiosity won out. "You can tell me to shove it, but may I ask what happened to Henry's father?"

She shrugged and then held up her hands. "Before you think the worst of me…Henry's adopted."

"Oh." He hadn't thought anything of her. She didn't have to tell him that. "Does he know?"

Regina shook her head. "I plan to tell him in a few years, when he's older. Anyway, it was a closed adoption so I know next to nothing about his birth parents, except for the fact that his mother was young and in prison."

"I see." He placed his mug down. "You didn't have to tell me that, you know."

"I know, but I wanted to. I thought, well, that you should know a bit more about Henry if you're going to spend more time around him."

Robin smiled. "You'll let me?"

"Yes." Regina sighed. "I admit we got off on the wrong foot. And most of that was my fault."

"Well, my cat did play a part in that."

"So did mine. It takes two to tango, right?" She raised an eyebrow.

He nodded. "It does."

They cleaned up their dishes and Regina peeked in on Duchess. She frowned. "Robin, come here. You have to see this."

"Is something wrong?" Robin walked into the living room and stopped. O'Malley had somehow gotten into the house and was lying next to Duchess. It was like something out of a cartoon. "Well, look at that."

"Cats aren't monogamous."

"No, they aren't. I guess we got two special cats." Robin rubbed the back of his neck. "I hope you don't mind."

She toyed with her bottom lip using her teeth. "I guess if I'm giving his owner a second chance, I should give O'Malley one as well."

School let out as Duchess entered her second and final month of pregnancy. O'Malley spent more and more time at Regina's, much to the adults' surprise. Their boys, on the other hand, thought it was romantic and just how things were done. Neither parent was going to shatter their illusion.

The line between Robin's yard and Regina's disappeared as well. Both boys took to running across both expanses of grass and Robin practiced baseball with Henry there. The boy improved greatly and Robin convinced Regina to sign him up for a sports summer camp. He signed Roland up too, much to the boy's pleasure.

On the Fourth of July, they hosted a joined barbeque. Regina and Henry only knew a few people still in Storybrooke and Robin used the opportunity to expand her social circle. His receptionist, Mary Margaret, took to Regina immediately. She offered to show Regina around town and to help her with anything she needed.

By the end of the evening, everyone settled into seats or on blankets as fireworks lit up the sky. Roland had chosen to settle on Regina's lap and Henry sat at Robin's feet. He met Regina's eyes and she smiled, sending a strange feeling running through him. A feeling he hadn't had since meeting Marian at O'Malley's all those years ago…

The fireworks ended and people began to leave. A few people stayed to help Robin and Regina clean up, Mary Margaret and her fiancé David included. She helped Robin dump out the unfinished drinks, giving him a thoughtful look. "Things seem to be going well between you and Regina."

"We've called a truce."

"Robin, it looks like more than a truce. You looked like a little family." She crossed her arms. "So what's going on?"

He shrugged. "We're friends. I think."

"Would you like to be more?"

"Mary Margaret," Robin said, warning in his voice. He sighed. "Let's not rush anything. Regina and I are in a good place. That's all that matters."

She nodded and said her goodbyes, leaving with David. Robin returned inside Regina's house to pick up Roland. He found everyone gathered around Duchess' bed and frowned. "Is something wrong?"

Regina looked up. "I think she's having her kittens."

"Okay, step back and let me look." Robin knelt down next to the cat as Regina pulled their boys back a bit. He sighed. "Yes, she is. We're in for a night."

Duchess' two kittens arrived several hours later and the four of them plopped on the couch, exhausted. When Robin came to as the first few pale rays of sunshine drifted across his face, he found Duchess and O'Malley curled around their kittens. He chuckled, once again marveling at how odd their cats were.

Looking down, he found Roland sprawled out on his lap. One of his legs dangled over the side of the couch. Henry rested his head on Regina's lap, curled up next to her. She was using Robin's shoulder as a pillow. A soft smile played on her lips and he thought she never looked more beautiful. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. She scrunched up her nose in response but slept on.

Mary Margaret was right. He did want to be more than friends with her. Looking around at their little tableau, it just felt…right. All he could do now was ask Regina out for dinner and pray she felt the same.

They ended up giving the kittens away once they were weaned. Roland and Henry protested, insisting that they could each care for one. But Robin and Regina felt adding more cats to their families just wasn't right at that time. The boys agreed only when Belle and Mary Margaret said they would take the kittens. At least they knew the kittens were going to good homes.

A little over two years later, Robin found himself tending to another one of Duchess' litter. Once again, it was late at night and everyone was still awake to watch the three new kittens enter the world. Both boys, now seven and twelve, knelt next to him—awed.

Roland frowned. "Dad, one of the kittens is orange like O'Malley and the other is white like Duchess. But what about the black one?"

He didn't know what to say. Duchess and O'Malley had proven to be loyal to each other, something that still mystified their owners. So he didn't know how to explain the little black kitten suckling with his brother and sister.

Henry saved him. "Duchess and O'Malley probably both had genes for black fur. That kitten got both of them."

"Oh." Roland nodded, satisfied with Henry's answer. He believed the older boy knew everything and almost hero-worshipped him. For now, Robin was glad for Henry's burgeoning interesting in genetics. He knew it worried Regina, who feared Henry would start asking about his own and she'd have to tell him about being adopted. She wasn't quite ready for that yet.

Frowning, Robin searched for Regina. "Henry, can you check on your mother? She's taking a long time with those drinks."

Henry nodded, taking off toward the kitchen. Roland moved closer to his father and Robin was about to put his son to bed when Henry's panicked cry pierced the air: "Dad!"

Robin took off running toward the kitchen. He skidded to a halt when he saw his wife hunched over, clutching the countertop with one hand and her rounded stomach with the other. Pain distorted her features and she struggled to catch her breath. A puddle of water surrounded her feet.

He turned to Henry, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders. "I need you to call Belle and ask her to come over. You think you can mind Roland until she gets here?"

"Of course. Whatever I can do to help." Henry grabbed the phone and disappeared into the living room.

Robin placed his hand on Regina's back and helped her over to a chair. "Looks like Duchess isn't the only one having a kitten tonight."

"If you refer to our daughter as a kitten again, I will not be responsible for my actions, Robin Locksley." Regina gritted her teeth as another contraction hit her. She squeezed his hand hard.

He talked her through the contraction and when it was done, he stood. "I'm going to change and grab a change of clothes for you. I'll be right back."

Regina nodded, eyes closed. He kissed her forehead before racing toward the stairs. Roland and Henry watched him from the couch. "Is Mom going to be okay?" Roland asked.

Pausing, Robin knelt down in front of his sons. "She's going to be fine. I have to take her to the hospital now, though. So you be good for Henry and both of you be good for Belle. And in the morning, you'll have a new sister."

Catherine Regina Locksley decided not to come until that afternoon. Her parents were overjoyed if tired. Roland and Henry came to visit them with Belle, falling in love with their little sister upon first sight.

Mother and daughter were released two days after Catherine's birth. Once home, it soon became clear that the little girl had the men in her life already wrapped around her tiny fingers. All she had to do was let out one whimper and they came running to tend to her. It brought a smile to Regina even as she rolled her eyes.

About a week after Catherine's birth, the family sat together on the couch. Henry fed his sister as Roland watched from Regina's lap. Robin sat next to Henry, arm resting on the back of the couch. He tilted his head. "You know, while Catherine is a beautiful name, it's awfully big for her. I think we need to come up with a nickname for her."

"You're right," Regina agreed. "But I don't think she's a Cate."

"Or Katie," Henry said.

Robin nodded. "She's not a Cathy either."

"Cat," Roland piped up. "She's Cat."

Glancing at each other over their children, Robin and Regina nodded. "Cat it is, then," Robin agreed.

Henry finished feeding Cat and Robin took her, patting her back to burp her. The boys ran off to play video games before bed and Regina took their absence to cuddle next to her husband, the little white kitten—named Marie—in her hands. "You realize we can't give this litter away, right?"

"Really? And why's that?"

"Because there are three kittens, two boys and a girl. We have three children, two boys and a girl. It's a sign," Regina said, petting Marie.

Robin studied the other two kittens—Pierre and Toussaint—and sighed. "I guess you're right. I guess three more cats aren't going to hurt us."

He handed his baby girl back to her mother, standing to stretch out his legs. O'Malley wound himself around Robin's legs, purring. Ever since Robin had married Regina and they had combined their households, O'Malley had turned into a fulltime house cat.

Robin picked up the cat, rubbing him under his head. O'Malley closed his eyes and continued to purr as Robin leaned against the wall, watching his wife rock Cat to sleep. He glanced down at the cat. "I owe you big time, don't I?"

For the rest of his life, Robin would swear the cat smiled.