10 years before…

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Robin grasped at the ring box that had been burning a hole in his jeans for days. He restrained himself from taking another look inside for the hundredth time. There wasn't enough time before Regina came downstairs.

The ring he had wasn't fancy but it was special. His dad had given it to his mom when they'd gotten engaged. A simple silver band with a small diamond, inner inscription that read to my heart. His father had given it to him when he'd finally found the guts to say that he wanted to marry Regina. He'd expected his father to fight him more, but he'd just gone to his old lockbox to get the ring.

"Girl like her deserves something pretty," he'd said. "And I doubt you'd be able to get it yourself given what I pay you."

A part of Robin was sure that his father was just grateful he'd still be around to see him get engaged, possibly even married. Ever since he'd learned about the cancer, he'd started to notice just how badly his father was doing. His breathing was strained after just the tiniest bit of exertion, his chest rattled when he coughed and some days it looked painful for him just to wake up. He had no idea how he was gonna get through this. Thank god, he had Regina.

He hadn't been sure about her pushing back school but she'd been a godsend these past few days. Doing research on hospice care and ways to make sure his dad was comfortable. There wasn't much she could do but just being there was enough. Especially today.

He'd talked his dad into letting them meet up with his doctor so they could get a better idea of what was to come. Regina already had a list of questions she wanted to ask.

He heard the sound of her feet coming down the stairs, before the door opened and she stepped out. She smiled at him, nervously. "Hey… you ready?"

He shrugged his shoulders, unsure that he could answer her honestly. "I guess so. Kind of just want it to be over with."

"I know," she said, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly. "But it's good to have all the facts. It can be helpful."

He nodded, knowing she was right. She was always right.

"You ready?"

"Yeah…" she drawled, suddenly patting her pockets. "Shoot, I forgot my phone upstairs. Can you take my purse to the car, I'll be right back."

He nodded, taking her bag as she ran back up the stairs. Climbing back into his truck, he tossed it onto the passenger seat - a decision that, unbeknownst to him, would shape his entire future.

The purse fell over the edge of the seat, spilling all its contents onto the floor below. As he leaned over the dash to pick everything up a letter caught his eye. The bright red Harvard logo on the corner piqued his interest and his gaze fell down to the words below.

"To Miss Regina Mills

We regret to inform you that your request for deferment has been denied. Should you decide not to enroll for the coming year a spot will not be held nor guaranteed for the subsequent year…"

His heart pounded in his ears.

He looked at the date. She'd gotten this letter at least two days ago, hadn't said a word.

He couldn't believe this.

She was giving up Harvard… for him. Her future, her dream.

Reminding himself to breathe, he shoved the letter back into her purse just before she came through the door for the second time. As she climbed in the truck and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, he tried to swallowed the bile rising in the back of his throat. The letter echoed in his head the whole way to the doctors and a little bit after. The ring in his pocket suddenly felt like a brick, an anchor even.

He couldn't let her give up Harvard.

He just… couldn't.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It's surreal.

He's standing there on the edge of a baseball diamond with his son on his hip, looking into the eyes of a boy who might be his son. The boy reaches out to shake his hand and it's like the world comes to a standstill. He's staring. Even with the two of them being face to face, he knows he's staring but it's hard not to. It'd been so easy do deny the possibility when it'd was just a talk between him and David but now - with the actual boy in front of him - he can't stop looking at his face, searching for pieces of himself.

Stumbling over the rock lodged firmly in his throat, he finally managed to speak. "You're Regina's son?"

"Yeah, that's my mom," Henry said, beaming proudly. Looking over Robin's shoulder, he added, "Here she comes."

Swiveling his head to look behind him, Robin saw his high school girlfriend rapidly approaching. For the second time in less than thirty hours he was smacked in the face with nostalgia. She rushed toward them, the roots of her black hair tucked beneath a baseball cap the same red color of her Storybrooke High tee shirt, paired with jean shorts and old tennis shoes. The sight of her in such an outfit took him back to the years when they would come out to this very baseball diamond, screaming for Mal as she played on the softball field, sneaking underneath the bleachers for kisses. He shook the memory from his head, forcing himself to offer up an awkward wave.

"Regina… hi."

"Hi," she mumbled, sending him a forced smiled as she shoved her hands in her pocket. Two run-ins less than 48 hours. Ten years without so much as a glance and suddenly she was everywhere. "I see you've met my son."

"I have," he drawled, turning back to look at Henry. Tilting his head, he briefly wondered if his shade of hazel eyes were a match for his mother's or if he was remembering that wrong. They certainly didn't come from Regina's side that was clear. They were nowhere near the deep brown that she - along with her mother and father - carried.

Henry walked over to his mother's side and she wrapped her arm around his shoulders. Nodding toward Roland, she remarked, "I met your son too… he's cute."

That sparked an easy smile for him as he turned to six year-old who was brightly flashing his dimples. "Yeah… I think so."

An awkward silence fell over them as the crowd cheered in the distance. Regina looked up at him and he thought he saw something in her eyes - something like longing and hesitation. Blinking, she dropped her gaze to the ground, patting her shoulder. "Well we should get going, Grandpa's waiting and I'm sure he could use our help with dinner."

Henry twisted up his face, reluctant. "Can we stay longer? Roland said there's a lake where we could skip rocks nearby."

He saw Regina tense up before glancing back at him. She knew what lake his son meant. He knew too. It was the same lake where they'd spent nights in the back of his truck - laughing, dreaming, making memories (possibly babies). That lake was… sacred ground. At least it used to be.

"Can we go see it with Roland and Robin?" begged Henry. "It sounds cool."

Regina let out a nervous laugh, beginning to shake her head. "Um…"

"I don't mind." He cut off her refusal in its tracks.

Just twenty minutes ago, he'd been sure that if he never saw Regina again it would be for the best but now it felt like he'd do anything to keep her from leaving. Her and her son.

He shrugged. "Roland and I were about to head out anyway and we love going over to the lake. We do it all the time."

Hesitation was clear on Regina's face as she looked up at him. "I don't want to put you out…"

"You won't be," he insisted. "It'll be nice. Give us a chance to catch up."

She bit her lip before pulling a tight smile onto her face - a clear sign she was out of excuses. Helplessly raising her hands, she shrugged. "Okay… let's go to the lake."

Robin's heart pounded in his chest as the four of them headed off the field, toward a trail that would lead them to the familiar lake. Walking beside his old love, with his son in his arms and her son ahead of them he remembered what she'd said to him so many years ago.

She'd been right when she said it was good to have all the facts. And right now, Robin felt like he'd been missing out on quite a few of them.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter please leave a review if you did!