July 25 - Teach me; up to your interpretations.

Teach Me

When Regina casted the first curse, she erased everyone's memories of their lives in the Enchanted Forest and gave them new ones of rather ordinary lives in the Land Without Magic. These memories came with the knowledge needed to survive and navigate in the new world they were inhabiting. In retrospect, Regina realized she had been quite benevolent when it came to the people she had once terrorized.

The second curse did not intend to give everyone new lives. It was meant to get them back to the Land Without Magic to find Emma but Zelena had wiped their memories to give herself a chance to win. So those who came over for the first time with that curse didn't have the knowledge the others did.

However, Regina often forgot that Robin was in that group. He was able to pick things up rather quickly, though she imagined being forced to survive in New York City for almost three months had forced him to adapt even quicker.

But there were still moments where he said something that reminded her that this world was still new to him. Like when she took him up to the attic to search for Henry's baby things, to see if they were still usable for his child with Zelena. Robin frowned as he picked up the baby monitor and looked over the car seat. "I've seen what David and Mary Margaret have for Neal, but this seems to be so much more," he said.

"Babies require a lot," Regina replied.

"Roland didn't seem to need much. Just a place to sleep and some milk."

"Things are different here."

When Baby Hope came to live with Regina and Robin full time, with Zelena having very limited supervised visits. As time went on, Robin declared that caring for an infant in this world was a lot easier than in the Enchanted Forest. "Even if I'm pretty sure that they don't need all of this stuff," he said, nose scrunched as he looked around the nursery.

So once again, Regina forgot more often than not that Robin didn't have a lot of the skills she and the others had. Until she got a frantic call from him when Hope was about three months old. "She's running a fever. I used that device you showed me and it said one hundred point two."

"That is high." Regina frowned. "You need to take her to the doctor. Can you do that?"

"How? I'm not going to walk with her."

Regina felt like hitting herself. How could she forget that Robin didn't know how to drive? She drove them everywhere. But she couldn't just leave right now, not when she had already excused herself from an important planning meeting to take the call. "Call David and see if he can take you. I'll meet you at the doctor's as soon as I can get out of this meeting."

She rushed into the hospital almost an hour later. Robin sat in the waiting room, rocking a fussy Hope. He looked up, relief in his eyes as she approached. "Whale said it was an ear infection," he explained. "I'm just waiting for the medicine he prescribed to be filled."

"I'll go check on it and if it's ready, we can go." Regina took off toward the pharmacy, relieved Hope's condition wasn't severe.

Their ride home was quiet and Regina sensed some tension. She got Robin and Hope into the house and administered Hope's medication with a dropper. Once the baby was asleep, Regina found Robin sitting on the couch as he stared into the fire.

"Is something wrong?" Regina asked.

He shifted as he sighed. "I was just thinking about today. About Hope and how I couldn't get her to the doctor right away."

"I know." Regina swallowed. "I'm sorry. I tried to get out of the meeting as soon as I could. In the future, I will leave…"

"Teach me to drive."

Regina blinked a few times. "What?"

He smiled, moving closer to her on the couch. "Sorry. Let me back up. One, don't blame yourself. This is not your fault. Two, can you teach me to drive? I think it would be easier for both of us if I could operate a car as well."

"Oh." Regina couldn't see a downside to his idea. In fact, she was a bit surprised that she hadn't thought about it first. "Of course. We can start this weekend."

Regina was able to convince the impound lot to give her an old car to use rather than her own. It wasn't that she didn't have faith in Robin, it was just…her car. If anything was going to happen to it, she was going to cause it first.

She took him to an empty lot and spent the first half hour getting him acquainted with everything. "So I don't use my left leg at all?" he asked.

"Nope. It's just your right."

Robin frowned. "That doesn't seem to make sense. If there are two pedals, why not use both feet?"

"It's easier to use one." Regina took a calming breath. "You'll find it'll become second nature soon enough. Now put your right foot on the brake and shift the car into drive."

He did as she said before releasing the brake. As the car rolled forward, he slammed his foot back on the pedal and Regina was thrown against the seatbelt. "Regina! Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes," she groaned. "That's what the seatbelt is for."

"I'm so sorry."

She waved him off. "What happened?"

"I panicked," he admitted, sheepish. "It's different when the car starts rolling and you're the one who is in control."

"It is. Do you want to try again?"

Robin shifted the car back into park as he shook his head. "Maybe this was a bad idea."

"No, it's not." She took his hand and laced their fingers together. "You can do this."

He looked at the road, uncertainty in his eyes. "You really think so?"

She sighed, leaning back in her seat. There had to be a way to boost Robin's confidence in order to get him to do this. Because it was a good idea and it would be helpful if he could drive like the rest of them. But what would entice him?

It dawned on her and she smiled at him, lowering her eyes and her voice. "If you try again, I may be able to conjure up a certain bandit's outfit again. We could try a little role playing."

Robin straightened up, looking at her with wide eyes. "You mean it?"

When she nodded, he put the car back into drive and followed her instructions. By the end of the hour, he had managed to get a hang of steering and using the pedals. Regina was right, that it was easier for him to use only one leg to work them. They switched places and she drove them back to the mansion to relieve Henry and Paige of babysitting duties.

(Though it was still odd to think of her baby boy as dating. Where had the time gone?)

That night, Regina and Robin laid in bed as their flushed bodies cooled in the night air. He tangled in hands in her hair, nuzzling her. "Do you ever want your hair this long again?"

"I don't think so," she said, eyes closed. "The length I have it at normally is good enough. Why?"

"Just wondering."

"Do you like it?"

"I like your hair no matter the length." He tickled her nose with the ends of her own hair. "But this length is a bit more fun."

She batted his hand away. "Enjoy it now. It's going to be gone in the morning."

He chuckled before falling silent. Regina felt sleep pulling at her when he spoke again: "What are we going to do next week?"

"You're going to master turning and how to use the turn signal."

"Sounds good, but what about my reward?"

Regina pushed herself up to look at him through the darkness. "Reward?"

He hummed in response, cupping her cheek and rubbing it with his thumb. "I once saw you riding through the woods in this beautiful red riding jacket and tight black leather pants…"

"I see." She let out a dramatic sigh. "Well, if it'll get you to master the left turn, I guess I can pull it out of storage…"

"Storage? You have those outfits in storage?" His voice came out a bit strangled and she swear his eyes bulged a bit.

Well, this was an interesting development. Regina smiled as she placed kisses up his chest. "Oh, yes. In a secret room in my vault. All my favorite outfits from the Enchanted Forest."

He gulped and she kissed his bobbing Adam's apple. "Could I…Could I see it one day?"

"I didn't know you had such an interest in my wardrobe."

"Well, I would say my interest is more in getting you out of your wardrobe." He flipped them, their fingers entwining over her head. "But I do have appreciation of how you look in the outfits I peel off you."

Regina kissed him as she thought that maybe Robin could help her change the connotations she associated with her old wardrobe.

As the weeks went by, Robin grew better at driving. Regina let him start practicing on the roads, to get him used to other cars as well as pedestrians. He picked up the rules of the road quickly and gained confidence behind the wheel.

Of course, his incentives helped. Each Saturday night, after putting their children to bed, Regina would soundproof their bedroom and change into whatever outfit Robin requested for that night. It felt odd wearing her old Evil Queen wardrobe, but with every kiss and caress, they ceased to be armor to keep out anything that might make her weak. They now made her feel powerful in a whole new way, a way she believed only Robin could've showed her. Henry had taught her that love wasn't weakness while Robin had taught her that sex didn't have to be a weapon.

(She enjoyed the night he asked her to dress up in his Enchanted Forest outfit the best, though. It seemed no matter the realm, men liked to see women in their clothing).

Lying on his chest, Regina traced patterns on his skin. "I think you're ready to take your road test."

"You think so?"

She nodded, looking up at him. "You can schedule it for next week."

"I guess." He kissed her forehead. "I'll miss these nights though."

"Well, who said they had to end?"

Robin smiled, kissing her as she waved her hand to plunge the room into darkness.

Storybrooke had a Department of Motor Vehicles office. Regina hadn't understood why until she decided to visit one day early in her career as "Mayor Mills." It was a fine example of bureaucratic headaches, with disinterested employees doing their best to make the residents of Storybrooke miserable for several hours a day. She relished it then.

Now was a different story, when she had had to wait three hours with Robin just for him to take the written test required to get his learner's permit. The only thing she had to be grateful for was the fact that the workers knew how to fudge some of the documentation requirements, given things were very different in Storybrooke. Especially for anyone who came with the second curse and didn't have magically prepared documents like birth certificates and social security numbers.

Despite the fact that people weren't lining up to get licenses, Robin still had to wait two weeks to take his road test. It didn't bother him as much as it annoyed Regina. "Just another week to practice with you," he said, driving around town.

"Eyes on the road," she reminded him. "You almost blew a stop sign."

"Sorry." Robin's eyes snapped back forward as he gripped the wheel a bit tighter.

Regina smiled. "Just be more careful. I don't need you terrorizing the poor people of Storybrooke in addition to the monster du jour."

"Very funny."

"I try." She motioned to a nearby curb. "Try to do a parallel park there."

He nodded, following every step she had taught him as he guided the car into the spot. When he put into park, he turned to her. "Well?"

"Very good. You're going to pass with flying colors."

"Only because I had a great teacher." He smiled at her, cupping her cheek. "Really, Regina, thank you."

She leaned forward, kissing him. They exchanged several kisses, each growing more heated with every passing moment.

Tapping on the window broke them apart and Regina turned to glare at whoever disturbed them. Emma's smirking face appeared before her and she sighed as she rolled down the window. "Yes, Miss Swan?"

"Well, Madame Mayor, I just thought I'd warn you before I had to arrest the two of you for public indecency." Emma couldn't keep the laughter out of her voice.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Thank you. Now leave us alone."

As Emma walked away laughing, Regina rolled up the window and leaned back in her seat. "Well, that was embarrassing."

"I guess," Robin said, tapping his fingers on the wheel. "Shall I drive us home, milady?"

Regina smiled, lowering her eyelids and her voice. "Or I could teach you how to drive to a secluded spot overlooking town that offers some privacy."

The day of Robin's road test, she drove him to the testing site and waited outside the car with him. "You remember everything I taught you?"

"I think so." He wiped his hands on his pants. "But what if I blank on the test?"

"All they want to see is that you can handle the car and remain calm under pressure. I know you can already do that. After all, you did evade my guards for years."

Robin hummed. "Maybe we can call Mary Margaret for a proper hope speech."

"Why you…" She grabbed his shirt and pulled him in for a good and proper kiss. When she let him go, he looked a little dazed. "What were you saying?"

"Nothing. I'm good."

The official from the DMV strolled out of the building, clipboard in hand. He did seem to shrink back when he saw Regina standing next to Robin. "Well, uh, Mr. Hood, if you'll just get in the car, we can begin."

Robin gave her one last look and she smiled, mouthing "Good luck" to him before he got in the car. The instructor watched as he adjusted his mirrors and started the car. With a nod, Robin turned on his signal and pulled away from the curb.

She sat down on the bench, trying to pretend she wasn't nervous for him. He knows what he's doing. He'll be fine. Don't worry.

"Coffee?" A Styrofoam cup appeared in her line of vision and she looked up to see Emma standing there. "And some company?"

Regina took the cup and nodded toward the bench. Emma sat down and sighed. "Just think, we're going to be doing this in a couple years for Henry."

"Please. He's growing up so much. I can't believe he already has a girlfriend."

Emma shuddered. "I know. It seems like just yesterday he was a fresh-faced pipsqueak telling me I was his mother and I had to defeat his other mother, the Evil Queen."

Regina shot her a look and Emma held up her hands. "You're not the Evil Queen anymore, but you have to admit when I first came to town…"

"I know, I know." Regina sighed, taking a sip of her coffee. "When Henry starts his lessons, can we agree on one thing? David goes nowhere near him?"

"Agreed." Emma nodded, no doubt recalling the destruction her father and son had done when David wanted to prove to Henry he was cool.

Regina tensed up as the car returned, pulling up to the curb. She and Emma watched as Robin and the official spoke for a bit. The official got out of the car, shot a glance at Regina and hurried away. She frowned as she watched him. "Was that a good sign?"

"It doesn't mean anything," Emma said. "A lot of people are still a bit wary of you. Me too, even though I'm no longer the Dark One."

The car door opened and Regina watched Robin get out. His eyes met hers and he beamed at her. She relaxed, knowing the results even before he announced: "I passed."

"Congrats, Robin." Emma gave him a hug before smiling at Regina. "I'll leave you two to celebrate. Just do it in your house. Please."

"Emma!" Regina glared at the sheriff as she walked away, laughing.

Robin pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her waist. "So, how are we going to celebrate?"

"Do you have an outfit in mind?"

"I wouldn't have been able to do this without you." He kissed her cheek. "So it should be teacher's choice."

Before Robin and Regina could have their own private celebration, the boys had insisted they go out to eat to celebrate as a family. So the Hood-Mills family sat in a booth, Hope asleep in her carrier between her parents while Henry and Roland sat across the way. Henry helped the younger boy with one of the puzzles on the place mat as they awaited their food.

Regina excused herself to the bathroom and when she returned, she stopped short. Zelena had taken her spot, holding Hope awkwardly. Robin's jaw was clenched and Roland had shrunk into Henry.

She stormed over to her sister. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Oh, hello, sis." Zelena's voice had an overly sweet tone to it. "I was a bit disappointed not to be invited to the family dinner."

"That's because you're not family."

Zelena held out Hope. "This says otherwise, sister dear."

"For goodness sake, if you're not going to hold her properly, give her to me." Regina held out her arms.

But Zelena held Hope closer, bouncing the baby. "I'm her mother and I'll hold her if I want."

"You only want to be a mother when it suits your purpose of terrorizing us," Regina snapped back.

Whatever Zelena was going to say in response was replaced with a shriek of horror as Hope spit up on her. She thrusted the baby back into Robin's arms before hopping out of the booth. Zelena glared at Regina. "Have fun, for now."

"Oh, don't worry, sis, we will." Regina followed Zelena's form until she left the diner and someone finally brought them their meal.

She slid back into her seat as Robin rocked Hope. "That's a good girl," he cooed to her. "Getting rid of that awful witch."

"She is Hope's mother, Robin."

He looked her right in her eyes as he shook his head. "She only gave birth to her. You're her mother."

Melting under the intensity of his gaze, Regina leaned forward and kissed him. She heard Henry groan. "Please, you two, can you not? We're trying to eat."

They broke apart, Regina settling Hope back in her carrier as Robin leaned closer to Henry. "I'd like to remind you that you now have a girlfriend," he said. "And I have no problem doing the same thing to you and Paige."

Henry glanced over at his mother, who only raised her eyebrows in response, before sighing. He mumbled something and turned to his meal. Regina and Robin exchanged looks, smiling.

"Hope is asleep at last, Roland is dead to the world and Henry has his headphones on. We are good to…"

The words died in Robin's throat as he took in Regina. She stood in the middle of their bedroom, once again in his old Enchanted Forest gear. This time, though, she held his bow in her hands. "I was thinking," she said, batting her eyes at him, "that maybe it's time for the student to become the teacher."

Robin gulped. "What do you mean?"

They closed the gap between them, as if drawn to each other. She tapped his chest with the bow. "I mean, I would like you to teach me how to use this."

"I'd be honored, milady. On one condition." Robin leaned closer, forehead touching hers. "Marry me."

Her eyes widened as she looked into his, seeing nothing there but sincerity and love. She let the bow fall to the floor as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed them. They fell back onto the bed, Regina straddling him as she smiled.

"Yes."