The Christmas Engagement

by MackenzieW

To secure her company's future, Regina Mills needs to convince Leopold Blanchard to sell his company to her. In a moment of desperation, she makes up a fiancé. When Leopold wants to meet her family, Regina needs to find one STAT. Enter Robin Locksley, a single father who agrees to play Regina's fiancé for the holiday season. But will real feelings develop? OQ Advent 2018 gift.

5. Building Snowmen

Chapter 5: Building Snowmen

"We're going to build the best snowmen ever!" Roland declared from his booster seat. He bounced in it, kicking his little legs.

Robin chuckled, doing his best to keep his eyes on the road and give Roland the attention he deserved. "I'm glad you're excited."

Storybrooke's Parks and Rec department sponsored the event every year and it was considered the official kickoff to the holidays. Groups signed up upon arrival at the park to compete in building snowmen. They were allowed to bring whatever they wanted from home—clothing, props, furniture—to help create something that would wow the judges. Prizes were awarded, usually gift certificates to local stores, and bragging rights were secured for the winter. Robin felt Roland was old enough to attend this year and had originally planned to sign up for it with Belle and Gideon. However, Leopold was expecting to see them there so he was now part of the Mills' team. Roland, Henry and Margot had planned out their snowmen together—they were going with a Harry Potter theme, to no one's surprise.

At least it was easy to get supplies for, Robin figured as he pulled into the parking lot. He easily found Regina's Mercedes and was pleased to see an empty space next to it. Robin pulled into it and turned off the car. He looked back at Roland with a smile. "You ready?"

"Yeah!" he cheered.

Robin got the boy out of his booster seat before motioning to the sidewalk. "Go wait right there where I can see you. I need to get the supplies out of the car."

"Don't worry," Regina called out, jogging over to them. She smiled as she took Roland's hand. "I'll take him over to where we are. I want to hear all about your day at preschool."

Roland gasped, excitedly filling her in on everything he had done that week in school. She winked at Robin before walking off with Roland, eagerly listening to the boy. Robin watched them for a moment, allowing himself that time to admire her and let his heart beat wildly. He was starting to fall for Regina Mills even though he knew that nothing was going to happen. Rich successfully CEOs like her didn't marry stock boys like him except in movies. For now, he was just going to have to enjoy their charade.

He pulled the box of supplies from the trunk and closed the door. Taking a deep breath, he calmed his heart and forced a smile onto his face. Even if he no longer had to pretend to be attracted to her, he had to hide his real feelings from her. She didn't need that, not when she was getting closer and closer to landing the deal.

Robin approached the competition area, noticing the Belfreys were close to them. He decided to ignore them as he joined the rest of the Mills' family, who were already starting to prepare some snowballs.

"Hey, Robin!" Henry hurried over, hugging him. He then peered into the box Robin held and grinned. "This is all perfect! We're going to have the best snowmen this year. I can feel it."

"Our snowmen are going to be awesome!" Roland explained, jumping up and down with an excited Margot.

"I can't wait to see what you come up with," a girl said. Every turned around to find Victoria standing there with her daughter Anastasia. Both wore identical crème coat lined with fur and matching fur hats. Anastasia's light brown hair was loose and fell around her shoulders. She smiled widely while Victoria's looked pained.

Robin wrapped his arm around Regina, holding her close as he smiled at the two. "We're very excited for our project this year. How about you?"

"We have an excellent theme, if I do say so myself," Victoria said. "Right, Anastasia?"

The young girl nodded. "Ella came up with a really clever theme."

Victoria's smile dimmed a bit. "Don't be modest, dear. You helped."

"Yeah, but it was mostly Ella and Ivy's idea," Anastasia said, frowning in confusion at her mother.

"Well, we'll be heading back to our spot," Victoria said, pulling her daughter away. "May the best family win!"

Anastasia waved as she tried to keep up with her mother. "Good luck!"

"You know, for someone who says that her family is the most important part of her life, I get the distinct feeling they are a nuisance to her," Regina said once they were out of earshot. She scowled.

He shrugged, rubbing her arm. "I actually got the feeling that she favors Anastasia. Doesn't it seem like Ivy is closer to her father?"

"Yeah," Regina replied. "And I don't think she really cares for Ella."

"I don't think she cared that Marcus married Cecilia and Ella reminds her of that," he said, glancing over to where the girl in question giggled at something her stepfather said as Victoria scowled at the back of their heads.

He turned back to Regina and shook his head. "Let's not focus on them. We're here to have fun and hopefully win a contest. Let's focus on that."

She gave him a small smile and nodded, hugging him. "Thank you so much. You're a great fake fiancé."

"Glad to hear it," he said, ignoring how his stomach knotted up at the word fake. He pushed it down as they joined the others, ready to build their snowmen.

Graham Humbert, the director of Storybrooke's Park and Rec department, stepped forward with a megaphone. "Thank you everyone for coming to our annual snowmen building competition. When my horn sounds, you'll have one hour to build your snowman scene. You can use any costumes or props necessary. Remember, the scenes should be family friendly. Judges will then evaluate each scene and give out awards based on creativity. Good luck, teams."

He hit a button and the horn sounded throughout the park. Each team began constructing their snowmen, hoping to win the award.

"Okay, so I think we should probably divide and conquer," Robin suggested, rubbing his hands together.

Regina nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. We should divvy up into smaller teams. Zelena, Chad and Margot, you can be a team. Mother and Daddy, you can be a team while Robin, Henry, Roland and I can be another team."

"We're on a team, Henry!" Roland exclaimed, holding up his hand for a high five. Henry happily gave him one.

Regina went over to them, ushering them over to a spot. She smiled at them. "Which part do you want to work on?"

"Can we work on Harry?" Roland asked, eyes wide. "He's my favorite character."

"I think we can do that," she replied. "Let me just go tell the others so they can figure out who they are building, okay?"

He nodded as Henry took Roland's hand. "Come on, let's start building Harry Potter's body, okay?"

Robin knelt next to them. "Can I help?"

"Of course, Papa," Roland said. "We need your big hands to help pack the snow."

"Thanks, son," he replied drily as Henry tried not to laugh.

Regina returned, rubbing her hands together. "Okay, everyone is set on their assignments. What do you need me to do?"

"Can you start making the head, Mom?" Henry asked. "It'll go faster that way."

She saluted him. "Whatever you say."

Roland pulled away to follow her. "Can I help you, Regina?"

"Of course," she said, kneeling as well. "Why don't we gather up some snow to start forming into a ball?"

As they worked, Robin turned his attention back to Henry. The boy was focused on building up their body mound and Robin started picking up some snow, helping him to pack it onto the mound. "So, looking forward to Christmas break?" he asked Henry.

"Yeah," the boy replied, eyes focused on his work. "I mean, I don't hate school but it'll be nice to have a break."

"What's your favorite subject?" Robin asked.

Henry grinned. "English. I like our projects, especially when we get to write and draw stuff."

"I know you like comic books. Do you want to make your own one day?"

"That would be really cool," Henry said. He paused before saying: "I don't know if I'd be any good."

Robin stopped as well, placing his hand on the boy's hand. "No one knows if they'll be any good. You just have to take the risk and trust in your own talents and hard work. Keep practicing, keep your imagination sharp and I'm sure one day, you'll be one of the best comic writers out there."

Henry's cheeks turned pink as he gave Robin a sheepish smile. "You think so?"

"I do," Robin replied, grinning. "And to think that one day, I'll get to tell people I knew you when. No one will probably believe me but I'll know it's true."

"I'll dedicate a comic to you so you can prove it to them. Maybe even model a character after you," Henry said. He hugged Robin. "Thanks."

Robin hugged him back. "You're welcome. Now, why don't you put your amazing art skills to work to make this the best Harry Potter snowman ever?"

Henry pulled away, nodding. "Only if you help me."

"Deal, though I'm not as artistic as you," Robin said, picking up some more snow to continue to make the body.

They worked together in silence as Regina and Roland giggled from their little work station nearby. As their body grew bigger and sturdy, Henry then asked: "I heard my mom tell my aunt that you're an outdoorsman."

"I like to spend time outdoors, yes," Robin replied, wondering where he was going with it.

"Do you like to go camping?" the boy asked.

Robin stopped what he was doing to focus on Henry. "I do. I used to go camping a lot before Roland came along. Now, I usually just set up a tent in the backyard and wait until Roland falls asleep out there. But I hope to take him camping soon. Why?"

"I'm a boy scout," Henry said and Robin started to suspect where this was going. "We go camping when the weather is warmer and fathers or other male relatives are invited to go. My grandfather used to go with me but he's getting too old to sleep on the ground. And Uncle Chad is great…but he's not an outdoors person."

Studying the other man, Robin pegged him as someone who liked to run or surf but not camp. "No, I imagine he's not."

"I know you and Mom are only working on a special project for the holidays but I was wondering if…maybe…you wouldn't mind coming camping with me and my troop?" Henry asked him nervously.

Robin pressed his lips together, trying to figure out the best way to answer. He felt he was developing a real relationship with Regina and Henry just like she was with Roland. It was growing more apparent that they wouldn't just walk out of each other's lives in the New Year and he hoped that was the case. He also would love to take Henry camping, whether with his boy scout troop or not.

He reached out and got Henry to look at him. "I think we'll have to talk about it with your mum and if she's okay with it, I'd be happy to go with you."

"Thank you." Henry hugged him again, something Robin was really coming to love. They had only spent a short amount of time together but he already considered the boy to be like a second son.

"Is everything okay?" Regina asked, coming over. She frowned, her brown eyes concerned as she took in her son.

Henry pulled away from Robin and gave her a big smile. "Robin said that if it's okay with you, he'd take me camping when my troop goes in the spring."

"Oh," she said, eyebrows going up. He worried that he had crossed a line somewhere but hoped she'd approval.

Regina smiled, pulling Henry into a hug. "We'll have to talk about it some more as it gets closer. Okay?"

"That's not a yes," the boy pointed out.

"It's not a 'no,' either," she replied, sending hope coursing through Robin. Maybe they could continue to be friends once all of this was done.

And friendship could lead to more, the treacherous voice inside him said.

"Are you lot talking or building?" Henry Sr. asked from his spot. He and Cora already had their snowman built and were preparing to decorate it. "We're at the halfway mark, you know."

Regina let Henry go. "Right. We'll be fine, don't worry about us."

"I got the head!" Roland said, bending backwards as he held the round head in his hands.

She laughed, kneeling next to him. "Why don't you put it down for now? Your father and Henry need some help with the body so we can finish on time."

Roland nodded, setting down the head next to the body. The four of them finished the body part before Henry declared he was going to work on the arms. While he did that, Robin and Regina helped Roland put the head on and make sure it was straight.

"I guess it's time to decorate the snowman's face at least," Robin said. He turned to Roland. "Why don't you check the box for things we can use?"

His son raced off to the box, digging through it for supplies. As he did that, Henry attached the snowman's arms to the body and packed it with snow to keep them from falling off until the judges could take a look at it. Robin looked it over, impressed. "I say we're in pretty good shape," he said.

"I got things we can use!" Roland announced, carrying a bunch of items in his hands. "There's some strings we can use for his hair and a stick for his wand and a scarf and some thing for his robes and…"

Regina laughed, a sound that was like music to Robin's ears. "Slow down, Roland. We have plenty of time left."

"Let's find those robes and get them on the snowman first," Robin suggested, pulling out the big black piece of cloth. He draped it around the snow figure, fashioning it to look like a robe. Stepping back, he asked: "Well?"

"It looks perfect! Let me put the scarf on," Henry said, wrapping a red and gold scarf around the snowman's neck.

Regina stepped forward with the mass of black string Roland had mentioned. "I've got his hair."

She placed it on as Roland held up the stick. "And this is his wand!"

They stepped back to admire their handiwork, but all ended up frowning. "Something is missing," Regina said.

"His glasses!" Roland exclaimed, eyes wide.

Henry nodded. "And his scar!"

"You're both right," Robin said, motioning to the box behind them. "Let's see if we can find something for those."

"I think I have some sunglasses where the lens fell out," Chad said, jogging over to the box to grab things for their snowman—Hermione. He reached in and moved his hand around before pulling out the pair. "You can use this for your Harry."

Henry grinned, taking them from his uncle. "Thanks, Uncle Chad!"

"What about the scar?" Roland asked, rising onto his tiptoes to look into the box.

Robin crouched down, holding his son close. "Let's take a look. Henry, do you want to join us?"

"Yeah! Here, Mom, you can put these on," he said, holding out the glasses for Regina to take. She did so with a chuckle, turning back to their snowman as Henry joined Robin and Roland at the box.

The three of them scavenged for the perfect thing to finish their Harry Potter snowman. Robin tossed aside scraps of fabric and some wires—nothing seemed right. He sighed just as Henry let out a little cry. "I found it!"

He pulled out a red pipe cleaner with a smile. "We can bend this to look like the lightning bolt scar and stick it on the forehead."

"That's perfect, Henry!" Roland exclaimed, jumping up and down with excitement.

"It is," Robin said. He motioned to the snowman. "Why don't you do the honors?"

Henry bent the pipe cleaner into a zig-zag pattern before sticking it on the snowman's forehead. They all stepped back, admiring their Harry Potter creation. "It's great. Thank you," Henry told Robin and Roland.

"Thank you for letting us help!" Roland said, hugging Henry. "I had lots of fun!"

"Your snowman looks amazing! What do you think of ours?" Margot asked, tugging on her cousin's hand. She pointed to their Hermione snowman, who was also dressed in a black robe and a red and gold scarf. They had put on a pile of brown strings, arranging it to give her hair the appropriate frizz. A stick in one hand served as her wand and they set up a plastic binder to serve as one of the many books Hermione read.

Roland gasped. "It looks amazing, Margot! You and your parents are really good."

She blushed. "Thank you."

"What about us?" Henry Sr. asked, approaching with Cora. He motioned to their snowman—Ron Weasley. He had a black robe and Gryffindor scarf as well, though he had orange strings on his head. Someone had placed little red dots on his face to be his freckles and they bent his wand, just like his broken one from an earlier book.

Roland gasped as well. "That's great as well! You all are really good!"

"So are you," Regina told him, gently bopping his nose. "You were a big help in making our snowman."

"Yeah. You did a great job," Henry said, high-fiving him again. Roland beamed proudly and Robin was glad that this was his first snowman competition experience.

The horn sounded again and everyone looked up to where Graham was once again standing. He smiled at everyone. "Okay, that's it. The judges will now go around and look over the snowmen. They then will decide the winners."

"Alright, here we go," Regina said, taking Roland's hand. She gave it a squeeze. "No matter what happens, we did our best and we should be very proud of ourselves."

"Right," Robin said, taking his son's other hand. "It's about having fun and spending time together, not about winning. Did you have fun?"

Roland nodded, eyes shining bright. "I had lots of fun! Did you, Henry?"

"Yep," the older boy said, smiling. "This was one of the funnest years yet."

"Here come the judges," Zelena said. They all stood up straighter, moving out of the way so the judges could see their snowmen. Graham was one of the judges as was Granny Lucas, the older woman who ran the diner named after herself. There was a third judge, a man closer in age to Graham with neatly cut hair and a clean-shaven face. He smiled as his blue eyes looked over their work and he jotted something down on a clipboard, just like the other judges did. Robin wasn't sure who he was but something in his gut told him that the man was important.

He just didn't know why.

"Thank you," Graham said and the judges moved on to inspect the next the snowmen.

Excitement filled the air as everyone waited for the judges to finish conferring once they were done. Robin picked up Roland, who looked nervous. "What's taking them so long?" he asked in a whisper.

"They need to agree on the best ones," he explained, "so if they have to talk it all out."

"Oh, I think they came to an agreement!" Henry pointed to where Graham started to walk forward with his bullhorn in hand.

A hush fell over the crowd as Graham addressed them: "We have come up with our top three displays. Before we announce them, we'd like to thank everyone for participating for being so creative. This was our best year yet!"

"He says that every year," Zelena muttered and Robin chuckled at how annoyed she sounded. He shared a look with Regina, who also grinned at him. She gave him a slow blink and it took him a minute to realize she had been trying to wink.

It was adorable. Not that he would ever tell her that. But it was.

Graham announced that third place went to the group that had done a snowman version of Granny's Diner. They happily came forward to accept their prize and Granny hugged them. Robin figured she had probably pushed for them to get a higher place and wondered who had beaten them.

"In second place, we have the snowman version of Rapunzel!" Graham announced as everyone clapped.

The Belfrey family went up to accept their gift card from Graham. Victoria shot a smug look in their direction as they did so, making Robin's blood boil. He glanced over at their spot, finding a snow tower and a snowman with long blonde hair there. It did look very well done, he had to admit.

"And in first place," Graham announced once the Belfreys went back to their spot. He paused, letting the anticipation grow before saying: "The Harry Potter trio!"

"That's us!" Roland exclaimed, causing Robin to wince as it was right in his ear.

Henry Sr. moved forward, smiling. "Come on. Let's go get our award."

Everyone walked over to Graham together and Robin fought the urge to glance over at the Belfreys in order to gloat. He set Roland down so all three children could accept the gift card together and he placed his hand on Regina's back as they all watched the children proudly. Graham congratulated them and sent them back to their spot.

"We won! We won!" Roland danced around with Margot, the two chanting it over and over.

The adults laughed as Robin clapped Henry on the shoulder. "I think you two should thank this one right here. It was his idea."

Roland and Margot hugged Henry, thanking him over and over. Henry blushed. "Everyone helped though."

"Congratulations!" Leopold said, approaching them. A young woman with short brown hair and carrying a baby wrapped in a blanket and a large coat was with him. The third judge, the one Robin felt was important for some reason, jogged over to them and kissed her cheek.

Leopold motioned to the two. "This is my daughter Mary Margaret, her husband David and their son, Neal. Mary Margaret, David, this is Regina Mills. Her company is looking to buy ours."

"It's nice to meet you. I would shake your hand but…" She motioned to the baby in her arms.

"I can," David said, shaking everyone's hand—including the children. He smiled at all of them. "Congratulations. We all agreed this was the best. We just didn't agree on if Granny's or Rapunzel should be second or third."

Robin smiled proudly and he gave Henry's shoulder another squeeze as Regina introduced the rest of them to Leopold's family. She finished with him, though she didn't call him her fiancé in front of the children. They didn't want to confuse Roland, Henry and Margot or drag them even further into their plan.

"You have a lovely family," Mary Margaret said, smiling. "And a big one. I've always wondered what it would be like to have a big family."

"It has its ups and downs," Regina said, moving toward her sister. She wrapped her arm around Zelena. "There were times we wanted to kill each other but she is honestly my best friend now. I can't imagine my life without her."

Robin smiled at the two sisters as they hugged each other. He wrapped his arms around Henry and Roland, pulling them close. For a brief moment, he wondered what it would be like if the two were really going to become stepbrothers. In this brief interaction, both boys had gotten along very well. Roland already seemed to adore Henry and the older boy had easily taken the younger one under his wing. Maybe one day, they would've been as close as Regina and Zelena.

Leopold had been talking to Henry Sr. and Cora but pulled away, smiling. "Well, it was nice to meet you all. And I'm glad Mary Margaret got to meet you as well. We should go see the Belfreys before getting this little guy inside."

"It's still a little too cold for him," Mary Margaret explained as her father rubbed the baby's stomach. For the first time, Robin really saw the business titan as a family man—he was devoted to his daughter and grandson.

David gave them a little wave. "Congratulations again. Can't wait to see what you all do next year."

A pang of sadness washed over Robin at the thought that next year, he would be making a snowman without the Mills' family. He didn't know what it would be like to look over to see Regina and Henry building their snowman without them. Would they miss him and Roland? Or would they still possibly be friends? Maybe they would still make snowmen together next year.

"Mary Margaret is right—it is cold out here. Why don't we go to the refreshment tent and get some hot chocolate?" Regina suggested, smiling at the three boys as she took Margot's hand.

Everyone cheered and they headed off toward the tent, set up nearby. Henry and Roland ran ahead with Margot, allowing Robin and Regina to fall into step with each other. "Thank you," he told her. "I'm glad that Roland had a great experience his first time here. And I'm glad you reinforced the fact that it was about having fun and not just winning."

"I did the same for Henry when he was younger," she said. "Of course, those times, we didn't win so it got reinforced."

Robin chuckled. "Don't worry. We'll just keep reinforcing it and I'm sure he'll get it later. I mean, we can't win every year, right?"

"I don't know. We make a pretty good team," she said, giving him a nudge with her shoulder.

He grinned at her, reaching for her hand. "Yeah, we do."

Robin hoped she hadn't realized that he had been speaking in the future tense and in the plural, as if expecting her to be there for Roland after the holidays. He also hoped she thought he took her hand to play his part as the loving fiancé, just as he figured she laced their fingers together for the same reason.

She didn't need to know that he wished he and Roland could spend all their Christmases with her and Henry or that he really liked holding her hand. This was just about her business for her and he wouldn't burden her with his feelings. He'd just deal with them alone.

He was very good at that.