Summary: Robin and Regina talk about adopting a fourth baby.


It wasn't often that she got the chance to visit Robin at work. Their hours often overlapped and being a beat cop it wasn't as if he was at the station much anyway. But it had been a while since they'd had a date or a moment to themselves so they made plans to meet up. It was half-day at the school so she blew off the book reports that she was supposed to grade and met her husband at the police station.

They were supposed to have a quick lunch on the station patio. Not the most romantic place in the world but she had been looking forward to it.

She walked out onto the patio, lunch bags in hand, surprised to see that her husband was not alone.

He sat at one of the picnics tables, with a small bundle in his arms and a half-empty bottle in his hand.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise as she approached him, setting their lunch onto the table.

"Okay, last I checked our youngest was 10 years old, so I know that's not one of ours," she quipped, sitting next to him.

He looked up at her, apologetically.

"I'm sorry, love." He gave her a quick kiss. "It looks like we'll have a lunch guest today. Meet Charlie."

In his arms was a small newborn, a boy no more than a few days old. He was quite small, with wisps of blond hair on his head and the same pale blue eyes all babies seemed to have at the beginning. Regina smiled at him as he wiggled in her husband's arms, smacking his little lips together.

"Hi Charlie," she whispered, reaching over to gently poke his little tummy. "Coworker's baby?"

Robin frowned. "Safe Haven. He was dropped off just an hour ago."

"Oh," she breathed, her eyes going somber.

Safe Haven babies were rare at the station but they'd had two or three over the past ten years. She knew Robin had heard of them during his time working there but he'd never been present at one until now. Whenever he'd spoken to her about them it was always in the most melancholy way. As if he was disappointed whenever it happened.

"Did you see the mother?"

Robin shook his head. "She didn't come inside, just left him by the door. Not even a note with a name."

He held the bottle near the baby's mouth, only for Charlie to swat it away with an almost annoyed cry.

Groaning, Robin threw his head back. "I swear, not even Lizzy fought me this much over a meal. I've been trying to get him to eat for the last half-hour."

Regina giggled, watching him struggle. She still remembered Lizzy's first months in the house and how much difficulty he'd had with gaining their daughter's affection.

"You were always useless when it came to feeding time." She held her arms out. "Pass him over."

Without a hint of hesitation Robin passed the baby over to her eager hands.

Careful to lift his head, Regina grinned down at him as he settled into her arms. Cooing at the baby, she gently started to rock from side to side, calming him as she did so. Her heart thumped with joy at the feeling of it all. She'd never gotten to do this with her boys. Both Henry and Roland had come to her relatively young but sometimes it saddened her to know that she missed their newborn phase, the days when they were so small they would've fit in the crook of her arm. She hadn't been their mother yet.

Gripping the bottle tight she started to feed him, smirking at her husband victoriously as the baby took the bottle's nipple almost instantly.

Robin just smiled, satisfied. "Touch of a mother," he whispered.

For a moment, the two of them remained silent, content to watch Charlie finish out his lunch before they'd even started theirs. But then Regina looked over and saw something in her husband's eyes. His white knight look.

"Robin…" she playfully drawled. "Please tell me I don't have to worry about you and this baby."

He chuckled, unconvincingly shaking his head. "Why would you say that?"

"Because you named him," she smugly pointed. "You said the mother didn't leave a name, and yet he seems to have one."

Robin raised an eyebrow at her, impressed. "Look at you noticing inconsistencies. You should be a detective."

"And you shouldn't change the subject," she softly replied.

Robin sighed, reaching out to stroke Charlie's cheek. "Everybody needs a name," he said. "I figured Charlie was as good as any other."

Regina nodded, thoughtfully. "I like it. Reminds me of the Chocolate Factory."

"Really?" Robin softly laughed. "I was thinking more Charlie Chaplin."

Regina scoffed. "Of course you were."

He'd tried to introduce her to those old comedies when they'd first started dating. Unfortunately none of the humor stuck to her.

Sighing, Robin looked at her wistfully. "You don't have to worry Regina. The social worker's already been called, he should be here within the hour."

"Good," she sighed, relieved.

Robin paused before hesitantly speaking again. "But… do you ever think about it?"

"Think about what?"

"Adopting another kid."

Regina's eyes widened in shock as she turned to him. "What?"

Robin shrugged his shoulders. "I mean… we did so well with the first three. Why not another?"

Still stunned, Regina just stared at him, her lips parted in surprise. They'd never talked about having another baby. Once they'd adopted Lizzy, they'd both agreed that they were done. Their family was complete.

Slowly she shook her head. "Robin we already have three amazing kids."

"Three amazing kids who are grown up," he mumbled, dejectedly. "C'mon Henry's going to be in college next fall, Roland will be joining him the year after that."

"What about Lizzy?"

"Three years away from teen angst," he pointed out. "Once she turns thirteen she's not gonna speak to us until she's twenty. You know that."

Regina couldn't help but laugh at his exaggeration. "Robin…"

"I'm serious. Would it be so bad?"

He slid closer, whispering in her ear like a snake offering forbidden fruit. "Think of the cute little onesies and chubby cheeks and the awkward pitter patter of their feet when they take their first steps."

Regina smiled to herself, silently reminiscing about those first few years with her kids. All the mushed up baby speak and cute little outfits, how she used to hold their tiny hands in her own and listened as they talked with pure excitement over every new things they discovered and experienced. God, those days felt like yesterday and a century ago at the same time… because they passed, just like they were meant to.

She sighed, turning to him with sympathetic eyes. "Babe… I think you're remembering those days through rose-colored glasses. They're blocking out the sleep deprivation and the tantrums and the nights spent on opposite sides of the bed because they wouldn't sleep in their own."

"True," Robin conceded. "But we handled it once before. Who's to say we can't again?"

"It's not about whether we can," she said. "It's whether we should. Robin you're talking about our the kids we have as if they don't need us anymore and they do."

He raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "Do they really?"

"Yes," she insisted, with a laugh. "Honey, we have two almost grown boys who still have no idea how to do their own laundry, or open a checking account, or cook anything other than scrambled eggs. Henry nearly choked on a Hot Pocket last week because he didn't let it cool down before taking a bite."

Robin let out a snort of laughter at that. "To be fair he was in a rush that day."

"And like you said Lizzy's gonna be a teenager before we know it and we can't let her go through that alone," she pointed out. "Being a teenage girl is really hard."

Robin hummed dejectedly, realizing that his wife had a point. "So… no new baby?"

"No," she said, lovingly shaking her head. "We're still not done with the first three yet."

Pulling the bottle from Charlie's mouth, she started to softly pat his back, burping him. "Besides it's hard enough to find time together with the kids we have. You really want to add a newborn to the mix?"

"I guess you're right," mumbled Robin, frowning. "It took us weeks to plan this lunch and it's already been hijacked by a kid that's not even ours."

Regina nodded in agreement. "I know. And honestly, I'm starting to look forward to the day when they're ready to be on their own and we can start a new chapter with just us. We're so close to the end, I don't want to go back to the starting line." She paused. "I love our kids Robin… but some days I really miss my husband."

"I know," said Robin. "Sometimes I miss my wife."

They gave each other small, tired smiles. A new baby might've been a blessing but so would some time alone.

"How about I make you deal?" she offered.

"Lay it on me."

"Well, we've got eight more years until Lizzy's out of the house," she mused. "How about we take two years to ourselves once she goes and when they're over maybe I'll consider us adopting another child."

Robin raised his eyebrows, challengingly. "Maybe?"

Regina shrugged. "Definitely possibly."

Robin chuckled but nodded his head. "Deal."

With playful smiles on their lips the two of them shake hands, neither of them realizing that by the time Lizzy headed to college they would've both long forgotten their deal. Instead of two years spent enjoying the pleasure of each other's company it would be three.

The year after that they'd take in their first foster child.


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