A/N: Thank you all for such kind reviews. They really keep me going. I'm so glad that I've been able to get so many of you to appreciate Marian as a character and I'm sorry I forced you to mourn her. However, now that's that's over we can focus on Regina and Robin and how they'll move forward together. Enjoy!

"Listen Tony I don't care if you sent the case of vodka, I care that it was smashed on the way over."

Regina held the phone between her ear and shoulder as she dug through the file cabinet for the bar's monthly budget. Taking over management of the Drunken Monk was more stressful than she'd expected. Luckily years under her mother's tutelage had left her prepared.

It had been a few weeks since Marian's death and everyone was trying to get back on their feet. Smiles had started to return and every once in a while there was a little laughter. It was hard but everyone was trying to regain some sense of normalcy. Well almost everyone…

She looked up from the file in her hand when she saw Killian poke his head into the office. He held up a small clipboard and she quickly waved him in.

"Look I'm not asking for a whole refund, just a reduced price for the liquor that was lost," she argued. "I'm not paying for booze I never even got the chance to sell because your delivery boy was clumsy."

Killian watched her with an amused look as she worked. After the funeral it didn't take him long to realize that Regina was more fit to manage the bar than he was. She was better with the numbers and budgets and she was clearly more than capable of dealing with all the bar's vendors. He was better off downstairs. Dealing with the employees and customers was more his speed.

"Yes I do know that you're running a business," sighed Regina rolling her eyes. "I also know that your business is relying heavily on word of mouth right now. And I don't think that future clients would be too pleased to hear how you've screwed me… Just take the case off the bill and give me five percent off my next order and I'll consider us good. Okay? ... Thanks for seeing it my way. The check will be in the mail."

She groaned as she hung up the phone. "The lack of common sense and sympathy is astounding today."

"Rough morning?" asked Killian handing her the clipboard.

"More like few days," she replied taking it from him. "What's this?"

"The napkin order came in. Needs your signature," he answered.

"Of course," she said writing her name on the bottom line. "How Marian dealt with all this and kept a smile on her face I will never know."

She handed him back the clipboard with a sigh. It had gotten a little easier to talk about Marian these days. It was still painful but Regina could now think of her and smile instead of crying.

"Did you check in with Mulan?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Killian softly. "She looked in on Robin this morning."

Regina hesitated before asking, "How was he?"

"He was better," said Killian.

"Was he sober?" she questioned bluntly.

"Yes," answered Killian, a little defensively.

"Huh," breathed Regina, passing back the clipboard. "Well that's gotta be the first time in at least a week."

Killian groaned. "Regina…"

She rolled her eyes at him. It was no secret that Robin hadn't taken the loss of Marian well. He'd sunken into a deep depression only worsened by his growing dependency on alcohol. Regina hadn't seen him completely sober since the funeral. As if that wasn't worrying enough he seemed to be pulling away from Roland as well. He'd barely held him in weeks. Regina and everyone else at the bar had been taking turns caring for them both. It was all very troubling.

"He's just going through a rough time right now," argued Killian.

"No Killian," said Regina. "For him to go through something he'd have to be moving forward. What he's doing is staying completely still."

"The man just lost his wife. Let's cut him some slack," said Killian. "Besides Mulan said he was better this morning. He's even watching Roland by himself today."

Regina narrowed her eyes at him. "She left them alone?"

"She had to go pick up her mom for her final checkup. Robin was completely sober when she left. They'll be fine."

"He hasn't spent a lot of time alone with Roland since Marian died," pointed out Regina sadly.

"Then maybe this is what he needs. A reminder he has something to live for," said Killian gently. "If you're still worried you can check up on him after work but I think you should give them some time together."

Regina sighed as she thought over Killian's words. She knew the pain that Robin must be feeling. She felt it when she'd lost Daniel. It was only the thought of protecting Henry that got her through those first few months after his death. Maybe Roland could do the same for Robin if given the chance?

"Fine," she agreed reluctantly. "I'll give them some space and check up on them later this afternoon."

That day was the longest day Regina had ever worked. She could hardly focus on anything in front of her. All she could think of was Robin and Roland and how much she wanted to rush over to them. She tried her best to rein in her apprehension but she couldn't stop the gut feeling that something was going wrong. Only by sheer force of will was she able to stay at the bar but as soon as the clock struck four she was out of the office and rushing over to Robin's apartment.

It wasn't a good sign when she got there to see Mrs. Connelly knocking on the apartment door, rather relentlessly. As she got closer she could hear Roland's cries pouring through the walls. "Mrs. Connelly?"

The older woman turned her head, her gray hair going over her shoulder. "Oh Regina! Thank god, I was just about to call the super!"

"What's going on?" she said rushing to her side.

"Well I was in my apartment and I heard Roland start crying. At first I wasn't worried but then it went on and on. It just didn't stop. I thought I'd come over and help out but I've been knocking on the door for the past ten minutes and there's been no answer! I thought I was going to have to break the door down," she babbled.

If she wasn't so worried Regina would've laughed at the idea of the tiny woman in front of her breaking down the apartment door. However with Roland's cries filling the hallway she doubted she could find the humor in anything. She quickly guided Mrs. Connelly back towards her apartment. "It's alright Mrs. Connelly I'll use my key and check in on everything."

"Ok dear you call me if you need anything," she said before disappearing into her apartment. Regina let out a deep breath as she heard all her locks click in place. She tried to calm herself as she dug into her purse for her spare key. She hadn't been to visit in almost two days. If Roland had been crying for as long as Mrs. Connelly said then who knows what she would find in that apartment.

As soon as she cracked open the door she was hit with the stench of alcohol and body odor. It was like entering an alcoholic's locker room. She stumbled as she shut the door behind her, tripping over Robin's old jogging shoes. They hadn't been used since before Roland's birth. She clenched her jaw as she found Robin passed out on the couch in living room. He was still in nothing but a pair of sweatpants and a ratty old wife beater. The same outfit she'd seen him in on her last visit. The hair on his chin was yet again closing in on beard territory and with one breath she could already tell that he hadn't showered in days. If it wasn't for the steady rising and falling of his chest she would swear that he was dead.

She wrinkled her nose in disgust as she made her way to the bedroom. The apartment seemed to be a wreck. She could see dirty dishes piled in the sink and empty beer bottles crowded around the bottom of the couch. A group of flies was hovering over an uneaten pizza sitting on the kitchen table and she swore she saw a cockroach scramble under the fridge. A few months ago this was a home filled with warmth and love but now it was just rotting. Regina couldn't help but feel that Marian would be horrified to see her family living in such a state.

She found Roland in the bedroom, laying in his crib with his face red from crying out for attention. She quickly gathered him in her arms and shushed him soothingly as she rocked him from side to side. Poor baby. His cries began to subside as she rubbed his back in comforting circles. After a quick check she could see nothing wrong with him. No dirty diaper or injuries. It seemed that Roland had only wanted a little affection. Something he should be getting from his father, she thought to herself. Her eyes fell to the picture of Marian and Roland on the nightstand. It was one taken not long after Roland's birth. Most likely within their first week home. The smile on Marian's face as she looked down at her newborn son was brighter than any star on a clear night. As Regina ran her fingers over the frame she was reminded of how the tiny baby in her arms was thing her best friend cared about the most. And just like that his neglect became unacceptable.

She placed Roland back into his crib before angrily stomping back into the living room. "Robin!"

She yelled out his name before he was even in sight. As she rounded the corner she could see him still passed out on the couch, utterly undisturbed by her outburst. "Robin!"

Despite her voice shrill screech he remained deep in slumber. His lack of response lit a fire under her. Before she could stop herself she reached out and slapped him on his cheek. "Get up!" she yelled.

Robin's eyes flew open as the sting of her hand burned through his face. He looked up at her startled and confused. As soon as her got his bearings he narrowed his eyes at her in anger. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Getting you up the only way I know how apparently." She angrily threw her purse on the coffee table as she glared down at him. "Robin enough is enough. You have to stop this!"

"Stop what?" he growled up at her as he rose to a sitting position. "Getting assaulted in my own home?"

"No Robin you have to stop this!" She waved her hand around at the apartment. "This drinking, neglectful phase of yours has to end! You can't live like this anymore!"

"And just how am I supposed to live?" he snapped at her. "Please tell me because I'm having a hard time trying to figure out!"

"Well maybe it would help if you actually started putting in a little effort instead of getting black out drunk before five," she retorted angrily.

He only glared at her in response. She took a deep breath and tried to reel in her anger. "Robin I understand that things are difficult for you right now. Losing Marian-"

"No don't do that!" he interrupted venomously, as he stood up to face her. "Don't pretend like you know how it feels to lose her! Let's make one thing clear! You popped up three years ago. She was in my life for more than a decade. I have loved her since I was a teenager. She has always been at my side and now she's gone! So you might have been close to her but you have no idea what it's like to lose her! Not like I do!"

"And what, do you think Marian was the first loss I ever experienced in my life?" she snarled at him. "Do you think you're the first person to lose someone who was so much a part of you, you feel like you died with them? You're not! I lost someone who was my entire world and it almost broke me! The only reason it didn't was because I had something worth living for. My son!"

She saw Robin's anger waver as she mentioned her son.

"Henry was the only reason I had to go on," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Loving him, protecting him, being what he needed was what helped pull me out of my grief over his father. Now you tell me Robin, why can't you let Roland do the same for you?"

Robin shut his eyes and let out a sad breath as he felt the fight in him disappear. "Regina…"

"No tell me now!" she asked desperately. "Because since Marian died you've barely been able to look at him and I want to know why!"

"Because it hurts me!" he cried. "It hurts me to look at him and see her face! Every time I see him or hear him it reminds me that he's going to grow up without her. That he's going to walk and she won't see it. He's going to talk and she'll never hear his voice. Being reminded of that hurts me."

He turned away from her with shame on his face. Regina shook her head at him pitifully, a tear running down her cheek. The despair in his eyes and the slump of his shoulders told her that he was more than broken, he was shattered.

"He's already lost his mother," she choked out. "Don't let him lose his father too."

"He hasn't lost me," mumbled Robin.

"Well he's going to," said Regina. "Because Marian's mother wants to sue you for custody."

He whipped his head back to face her in shock. "What?"

"I overheard her at the funeral," she explained tiredly. "She thinks Roland will be better off with her and Marian's father. She's going to take him away from you."

"No," said Robin, shaking his head frantically. "No she can't do that!"

"Yes Robin she can," said Regina bluntly. "She can do that because this shattered, shell of a man in front of me can barely seem to take care of himself, let alone his four-month old. If you want to keep your son Robin then things have to change. You have to start being his father again."

"I am his father!" said Robin, raising his voice. "That hasn't changed!"

"Then prove it!" ordered Regina. She pointed down the hallway towards the bedroom. "If you are still his father, then you will go to your son, pick him up and let him know that things are going to be okay."

As he stared down the hallway Robin's feet suddenly felt full of lead. He turned to see Regina leveling a harsh gaze upon him.

"Robin…" she urged. "Go."

He shuffled down the hallway under the weight of her unwavering stare. As he shut the door to the bedroom behind him he reminded himself to breath. The pressure in chest grew heavier as he looked over at Roland's crib. His son laid on his back cooing to himself as he sucked on one of his hands. He wiggled with excitement as he saw his father approach his crib. Robin swallowed hard as he lifted his son into his arms and pressed a kiss to his forehead. He ran his thumb along Roland's cheek and stared into the brown eyes that were an exact match to his wife's.

"Hey there son," he whispered. "I'm here now. And I promise I will never leave again."

Robin stayed in the bedroom with Roland for quite a while. He didn't know exactly how long. He just knew that he was only able to set his son down when he felt him fall asleep against his chest. When he finally left the bedroom he found Regina standing in the kitchen, cooking a small piece of chicken in a frying pan. She looked over as he emerged from the hallway but didn't say anything to him.

One look around the apartment told him that she'd cleaned up while he was with Roland. He cleared his throat awkwardly as he settled onto a bar stool by the kitchen counter. "You know you didn't have to clean up."

"Well someone had to," she mumbled. She finished cooking and put the chicken on a small plate which she set in front of him.

"Eat," she ordered.

"What if I'm not hungry?" replied Robin raising an eyebrow at her.

She folded her arms across her chest. "I have a three-year-old Robin. Trust me, you are not going to win that game."

He sighed before taking a small bite. He hadn't really eaten properly in days. In his drunken haze it hadn't really been a priority. An awkward silence filled the kitchen as Robin ate and Regina loaded the frying pan into the dishwasher. After she switched it onto a light rinse she turned to him with her lips pressed together nervously. "How's your cheek?"

He swallowed before answering her. "It stings less."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice tainted with embarrassment over her outburst.

"Don't be," responded Robin softly. "I have been a crap boss and a crap father lately, so that slap was actually a long time coming."

He hesitated before speaking again. "I'm sorry that I said that you couldn't know how I felt. That was… mean-spirited and arrogant of me."

She shrugged her shoulders at him. "Well it's not like I wave my pain around like a flag. How could you have known how I felt?"

"The ring was a pretty big tip off."

Regina's hand flew to the ruby engagement ring that still hung around her neck.

"Starving homeless single mom doing all she can to survive… yet she won't sell the piece of jewelry that hangs around her neck," mused Robin. "It has to mean something."

She sighed before answering him. "This was my engagement ring. When Daniel died in the fire this was all I had left of him. No pictures, no letters. Just this ring."

"I can see how that would mean a lot to you," he said softly.

She nodded at him as she leaned against the counter. "Robin I know how it feels to come so close to having everything you ever wanted and then having it ripped away from you with no warning. I felt that pain when Daniel died."

"Maybe," said Robin. "But as far as I can tell you didn't have to become a drunk to deal with it."

"I was pregnant at the time. It wasn't an option," she replied bluntly. She gave him a serious look as she stared at him from across the counter. "If it was just you Robin, I would say that the universe owed you a little self-destruction. After what you've been through how could it not. But it's not just you anymore. You have a son. You're a single parent now and that means he depends on you for everything. So when you choose to waste your time destroying yourself it means you're destroying him too."

He sighed as he leaned back in this seat and shook his head sadly. "We waited so long for him. We wanted so badly to be a family together that I just- I never once thought about doing it on my own. She was always supposed to be here with us and now that she's not… I just don't know how I'm going to raise him alone."

Regina tilted her head at him. "Do you really think you're that alone? Robin we all want to help you. Mulan, Killian, Tink, me. We all want to be there for you both. Do you really think that if you needed something from us you'd have to do anything more than just ask for it?"

"I know," he sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. "I know you all want to see me get back on my feet but the truth is I don't even know where to start."

"You can start by showing up to work tomorrow," she said.

At the mention of work a look of apprehension flashed across Robin's face. At the sight of it Regina reached over and grabbed his hand. "You know when Marian was pregnant she was afraid of a lot of things. Whether Roland would survive, whether she would be a good mother, if she was cut out for it? But one of the things she never doubted was whether you'd be a good dad. She knew in her heart that no matter what you would be a fantastic father. That's how much faith she had in you."

"I miss her," breathed Robin.

"I know," said Regina squeezing his hand comfortingly. "But it's time for you to start learning how to live without her. We have the semi-annual meeting with the bar accountant tomorrow at nine. If you're half the man she thought you were you will get up, get dressed and show up for it. You don't have to be happy about it, you don't feel okay with it. You just have to do it. That's where you start."

She looked over at the clock as she released his hand. "I have to pick Henry up from daycare."

She walked over to the living room, picked up her purse and headed for the door. As her hand wrapped around the door knob, she turned to back to him with a pleading look on her face. "Marian always believed in you. Please don't disappoint her."

Her words washed over him like a bucket of ice water. He only nodded slightly before she walked out the door.

The next morning, Regina drummed her fingers against the bar counter as she watched the clock above the door. It was already 8:50. With every passing minute she grew more and more nervous that Robin wouldn't show up for the meeting. She'd really thought that she'd gotten through to him the day before.

"It doesn't look like he's going to show, love."

She sighed as she felt Killian walk up behind her. She turned to him with a sad look in her eyes. "I just really thought he was ready to move forward, you know?"

"I know," said Killian nodding his head at her. "But Lani's taking care of set up, so we should prepare for the meeting."

"Right," she agreed, reluctantly. They both began to head for the stairs but stopped in their tracks when they heard the bell above the door ring. Robin stepped into the bar with Roland's car seat in his hands and a nervous look on his face. "Sorry I'm late. Had a little trouble with the seat belt."

Mulan strode out of the storage room but slowed to a stop when she saw Robin standing near the door. Shock colored her face as she observed him. He looked better than he had in weeks. His beard was gone. He'd clearly showered and for the first time in weeks he was fully dressed. "Robin? What are you doing here?"

"I came for the meeting with the accountant," he said setting Roland's car seat on the counter. The baby boy was still sound asleep in his carrier.

"Are you sure you want to stay for it?" asked Killian gently. "We don't mind taking the bullet if you don't feel like it."

"No," said Robin shaking his head. "I think its best that I go but I'll need some help going over the books for the past few months."

"I'll help you," said Regina with a small smile. "I've been taking care of them for the past few weeks. I should be able to get you up to speed."

"Thanks," he said nodding at her. He hesitated before addressing them all. "Look, I know that I have been… down for the past few weeks. Your patience with that has meant so much to me but I think it's time for me to start getting back on my feet here. So I'm going to ask for a little bit more understanding from you while I get readjusted to everything."

"Of course," said Killian, nodding his head. "We'll help you keep things together. Just glad to have you back."

"We're also glad to see Roland here with you," said Mulan, smiling at the baby. "I guess he'll be coming to work with you from now on?"

"Yes," sighed Robin. "At least until I can find some reliable childcare. Anybody mind?"

"Not at all," said Killian shaking head. "Do you want us to watch the lad while Regina gets you all caught up?"

Robin nodded at him. "Yeah that's probably best."

He watched as Mulan and Hook fawned over Roland while Regina approached him with a nervous smile. "I'm glad you showed up. How are you feeling?"

"Not that great," he answered honestly. "I think coming here today just might be one of the hardest things I've ever done."

"Yeah that sounds about right," said Regina nodding her head, as she looked down at her shoes.

They were headed for the staircase when Robin hesitantly asked. "Is it always going to be this hard?"

She shrugged as she turned back to face him. "It gets easier as time goes by."

NEXT CHAPTER: An interesting opportunity arises for Regina.

Please review! It always makes me so happy!