A/N: I've got an interesting one for you all. Surprises and surprises and more surprises. Enjoy it.

Kisses.

Three: The Golden Touch

Regina heard her phone buzzing. She woke up out of a dead sleep and yawned, noticing that the clock read 5:15AM. She slowly sat up and reached for her phone, moving carefully so she wouldn't wake Robin, before letting the bright screen blind her. There was an anonymous message on her screen saying, "I'm out."

She rubbed her eyes to see the screen more clearly; it was a blocked number.

She immediately texted back, fear taking over her.

Who is this?

She waited for a few moments and felt the buzz.

You know who… ;)

I'm afraid I don't, who is this?

There was no answer for a few minutes, but the bubbles suddenly popped up, so apparently the mysterious contact was replying. Then the message came through.

Meet me at 164 Millane Road if you want to know so badly.

She considered her options for a moment: to go or not to go. It was the middle of the night and there would be no one to watch out for her. Yet, she still had something in her body that wanted to go out there and find out who was waiting for her on the other side of this text conversation. Without thinking twice, she stood from the bed and changed into sweatpants and a sweatshirt, along with her running sneakers. Robin stirred in the bed and opened his eyes, noticing that Regina was up and moving, and said, "Babe, why are you up so early? Where are you going?"

Regina froze and turned to him, kissing him on the cheek and saying, "New client called. In need of immediate financial support. Going out to meet them."

"At 5:15 in the morning?" He said.

"Some things just can't wait," she said, standing up again, "I love you."

"Love you, too," he sighed and closed his eyes again, "Stay out of trouble."

She smiled and slipped out of the bedroom, quietly sneaking past the guest room, so she wouldn't wake Roland. She made it down the stairs quickly and threw on her jacket, grabbed her car keys, and started for 164 Millane Road.

It was only a twenty minute drive according to the GPS. The roads were extremely dark and the bitterness of the air was seeking through the closed car windows. The heat was blasting inside, though, it was fogging up the windows and blurring Regina's vision. There was a faint hoot of an owl and a few birds calling back as she came to a red light. She looked up to the moon, which was shaped like a thin crescent and was hidden behind some clouds. She continued to drive her way, cautious of what she was bringing herself into, and ready to run if anything bad did go wrong. She had been through hell and back, and nothing could be worse than that.

She pulled up to her destination, which was a small, abandoned corner store. It used to be a good place where her and her friends met back in middle school. Now it was just a graffitied building without any hope. She cautiously stepped out of the car, being sure to lock the doors and grab her phone from her pocket just in case. In seconds, she saw a shadow behind her and her heartbeat ran rapid. She spun around and noticed an all too familiar face.

"Hello, dearie." Gold smiled at her with that same toothy smile, only now half of his teeth were replaced with gold ones.

Her mouth dropped and she shook her head, backing up into the wall of the abandoned corner store, "This can't be real. I must be dreaming or something."

"You're not dreaming, but I can pinch ya' if you want me to." He smirked and stepped towards her slightly, his hand tapping her arm in a playful manner.

She crossed her arms over her chest, "How are you out this early?"

"I have some connections. I'm a free man, now." He smiled again and stepped toward her more.

"Don't get any closer, Gold." She held up her hand as she did so, allowing his gaze to fall onto the diamond that rested on her finger. His eyes grew wide at the sight of the jewel, before he grabbed her hand and pulled it closer to his face, examining it intensely.

She tried to pull it away, but he managed to keep it close to his face, "So you and Locksley are still together?"

"And happy as ever." She muttered.

"And where is Cora? Part of your family now?" Gold snickered.

Regina paused and then reluctantly replied, "She's gone. She's been gone for the past five and a half years."

Gold let out a long and obnoxious laugh, "She was smart to run."

Regina finally took back her hand and ran past him, but he grabbed her wrist and stopped her from moving, "I know about it all."

"About what? I have no idea what you're talking about." She spit out.

"Sure you do, Gina." He said, smirking, "I know about the wedding, Cora, Zelena, and Daniel, Culebra, and what's the boy's names again? Oh, Roland, is it?"

She spun around and came close to him, "How do you know about any of that?"

"One of my connections is Daniel Courter. And he traded me freedom and information for, well," he rolled his eyes, "A different favor."

"Daniel?" Regina caught goosebumps at his name as she stepped back as far as way as she possibly could, "What do you want from me?"

"Let's make a deal. I won't tell Daniel your whereabouts and you can grant me one request." Gold said slyly.

Regina shook her head as she felt her phone buzzing crazily in her back pocket. It was probably Robin. She tried to pull away from him, but it was no use, "I'm not making any deals with criminals."

"Everything comes with a price, dearie, and you haven't paid yours yet," he let go of her arm as she ran back to her car and he yelled, "But you will soon enough. Watch your back, and for the sake of the game we're now playing, I'd watch Robin's and the boy's as well!"

She hurriedly got into the car, fumbling to start the engine and drive down the road. Her attention was still on Gold, who was still standing in the parking lot with his arms wide open and his golden teeth shining towards her.

She was in for it.

When she stepped inside the house, her sense were overtaken by the sweet smell of pancakes. Robin was watching Roland flip the pancakes and put them on a plate before the two set the table for breakfast. Regina smiled and came to kiss Robin on the cheek, "You okay?"

"I'm fine, just a little tired." She replied. The homey smell of frying butter reached her nostrils and assaulted her brain with mouthwatering images of fluffy, warm goodness. She walked towards Robin and Roland, who was frying pancakes and humming a familiar tune, unaware of her presence. She snuck up behind him and snagged a soft piece of heaven off the platter stacked deep with the round, tan things. She grabbed a plate and retreated with her prize towards the syrup. After slathering the still steaming treat with liquid sugar, she gingerly cut off a bite and lifted it towards her mouth.

"Gina! I'm almost done." Roland pouted.

The three sat down at the table and began to eat.

Pure bliss. The first flavor to unfold on Regina's tongue was the sweetness of the syrup, quickly followed by the delicate, buttery flavor of the pancake itself. The coolness of the syrup and heat of the pancake complemented one another perfectly and only served to bring out the subtle flavor of the pancake itself. She scooped up another bite to replace the one which was quickly dissolving in her mouth, and then another. Before she knew it, all that remained on her plate was dribbles of syrup.

"This is delicious, Roland. You made them all by yourself?" Regina smiled.

He nodded, "I taught Daddy."

Regina raised an eyebrow at Robin, "So now, you can make me breakfast as well?"

"Of course, m'lady." Robin replied, "Roland, don't you need to go back home today, since you have school tomorrow?"

Roland silently shrugged and continued to eat, without making eye contact, "I wanted to know if I could stay again tonight and one of you could bring me to school tomorrow."

"Oh, Roland, I'm not sure your mother would appreciate-"

"I'll bring you, love." Regina said, "What time do you have to be in school?"

Robin paused and looked at Regina, who just shrugged towards him and sent him a stop-it-right-now look.

Roland looked up at Regina and smiled, "8 in the morning."

"Alright, I'll wake you up at 7, honey."

Roland stood from the table and cleaned up his area, rinsing his dishes and placing them carefully in the dishwasher. He came back and took Regina's as well and she was amazed, "Who taught you all of these manners, Roland?"

"Mama did." He replied, "Gina, wanna come outside and play soccer with me?"

She nodded and stood from the table, looking at Robin and then back at the boy, "Of course. I've never played, so you'll have to teach me."

Roland's mouth dropped and Robin let out a little laugh, "You've never played soccer?"

Regina shook her head.

Robin cleaned his area and grabbed Regina's hand, "Then, this must be a family affair. I'll teach you."

"Defend your goal, Regina." Robin said as he backed up preparing to shoot against her. She got into her ready stance and gave him and okay signal. He ran toward her with the ball and than kicked the ball to the side of her, not following after it. Instead, he tackled her and pinned her to the ground.

"You don't tackle in soccer, Daddy!" Roland said across the backyard.

"This isn't football, honey." Regina said, struggling to get up. Robin laughed, loosening his grip, and she managed to escape. She ran towards the ball and kicked it, making a goal and proving to Robin that she was better than him. He got up and brushed off his pants.

"You deserve punishment for that, Regina."

"You'll have to catch me first." She gave a slight smirk and then began to run. She ran past the small patch of trees. She occasionally looked back to make sure he wasn't right behind her. He was far behind though. He wasn't as good as Regina, he wasn't as fast as her, he wasn't-

"I'm coming for you!" He yelled as he increased in speed. He was getting closer fast, and soon Regina was going to be captured by him. He ran and put his full speed in. He finally caught up to her and grabbed her by the waist. He picked her up and then placed her in front of him, holding her tight and giving her a smirk. Thunder roared, loosening Robin's grip, and allowing Regina to run free. She ran towards a big tree and hid behind it. Regina stuck her head out and looked to see how close Robin was.

"No sign of him." She said under her breath. She turned her head back and immediately froze.

There he was, standing in front of her. "I think I've caught you, love." She giggled and stepped towards him, making him take a step away from her. Roland ran around the tree and into Regina's legs, holding onto them tightly in what seemed like a hug. She bent down and hugged him back, Robin soon following and hugging the both of them. Robin then left a soft kiss on Regina's temple.

Roland was taking a nap, so Regina took the time to relax. Robin sat under her head, playing with her fingers and combing her hair with his hand. She could hear his heartbeat and feel his breathing.

"So, who was that new client that required you to meet at 5 in the morning?" Robin said.

"It wasn't a client," Regina muttered, "When I got there, I was greeted by an all too familiar face."

Robin suddenly felt worried, so he stopped what he was doing and looked down at her, "Who was it?"

Regina sighed and looked right into his eyes, "Gold."

"As in the Mr. Gold that had relationships with your mother, the one we put away?"

She nodded silently and let her gaze fall to the floor.

"What happened? Did he hurt you?" Robin said.

Regina grabbed both of Robin's hands and held them tight, shaking her head, "No, but he knows about everything. He offered to make me a deal."

"What was the deal, Regina?"

She sighed again, finally looking back up at him, "He's been in good contact with Daniel. The deal was that he wouldn't tell Daniel my whereabouts if I did a favor for him."

Robin raised an eyebrow, "What was the favor?"

"I didn't take the deal; I don't know what the favor was. But I'm sure it wasn't good, or perhaps, legal. I ran away and drove home," she said, "I'm scared. What if Daniel finds me after all these years?"

"I'll be right by your side and protect you, I swear it." Robin said before pulling her into his embrace and kissing her forehead.

Regina stirred on the couch, carefully untangling herself from Robin's arms. She stood and yawned, catching a look at the clock, which read 7:15. She slowly made her way up the stairs, combing her hair with her fingers. She quietly opened the door to the guest room and said, "Roland, honey. Time to get up for school."

He sat up and rubbed his eyes, yawning in the process, and then nodded, "I'll get dressed and then be down."

Regina shut his door and trudged back down the stairs, before setting up a small breakfast for him, which consisted of waffles and bacon. She was met by him, dressed in blue jeans, a red shirt, and a brown jacket, and he sat down at the dining room table, quietly eating and sipping his milk. She smiled and watched him, before she heard Robin stirring in the other room. He came from behind her, his hands on her waist and his lips on her temple, "Good morning."

He offered her a cup of coffee, before she asked him to watch Roland so she could get ready herself. Regina made her way up to the bedroom, pulled out an outfit that consisted of a black pencil skirt and a grey silky blouse. She jumped in the shower quickly and came out to blow dry and curl her hair, before applying a nice shade of makeup. Then, she got dressed and added some black heels to her look, in addition to her glasses. When she was finished, she came downstairs and met Roland in the lobby area, who was packing his lunch into his backpack. He smiled up at her and then turned when he heard Robin behind him, "See you later, Daddy?"

Robin nodded and ran his hand through Roland's curls, "Of course, lad."

Regina kissed Robin's cheek, whispering, "I'll be a little while," then she took Roland's hand and brought him to the car.

When they arrived at his school, she stood and flipped her hair, her curls flying with the wind and the sun hitting her olive skin. She locked the car as she made it around it, grabbing Roland's hand and starting for the front door. He brought her to the front office, where she signed him in. A red-headed woman stopped her from letting him go to class, "One moment, ma'am."

The redhead made her way to the back if the office, coming back with a tall and strong man, with brown hair and brown eyes, "Hello, Miss?"

"Locksley." She held out her hand and offered the man a smile, "Regina Locksley. And you are?"

"The principal here at East Elementary, Mr. Jefferson." He shook her hand and smiled back.

"A pleasure," she said, "Is there a reason Roland can't go to class?"

Mr. Jefferson shook his head and looked at the boy, then back up at Regina, "My secretary just didn't recognize you; who are you in relation to Roland?"

"His biological father's wife." She said, pursing her lips.

He raised an eyebrow, "Not Marian. Alright, Roland, you can go along. Mrs. Locksley, I can give you a tour if you'd like?"

"I'd enjoy that," she said before bending down to Roland's height and kissing his forehead, "I'll pick you up later, sweetie."

Roland ran out of the office and joined a small group of friends before he was out of her sight completely. Regina attention returned to the principal, who held out his arm for her to walk in front of him. He brought her down the hallways and explained where each room was, "And this is where our English classrooms are."

A woman came out of one of the doors. She had long blonde hair and greenish-blue eyes, "Regina Mills?"

Regina spun around and met the gaze of an old friend, "Mal?"

The two hugged, leaving Mr. Jefferson completely out of the loop. Regina smiled as she pulled away from the hug, "It's actually Locksley now. How are you?"

"I'm alright, going day by day. But congratulations! Finally time you settled down." She laughed and rubbed Regina shoulder.

"I'll just let you two catch up." Mr. Jefferson said before slipping away out of their vision.

"What are you doing here?" Mal said.

Regina shrugged, "Getting a tour of my son's school."

Mal's mouth dropped, "Son? Who's your son?"

Regina hesitated to respond, and then reluctantly did, "Roland. Roland Locksley. He's in third grade."

"I have heard of him, definitely a top student." Mal responded.

The two women went into Mal's classroom and sat down, refreshing their memories and talking about their current life. They talked for a good three and a half hours, until they heard the end-of-the-day bell ring.

Mal stood and hugged Regina again, "It was so nice to see you. If you need anything, I'm here. Let's get together sometime."

"Definitely." Regina kissed her cheek and waved as she stepped out of her classroom, meeting a crowd of students flooding the hallways. She made her way through the little people, ending at the front door and waiting for Roland. Then, someone's hand landed on her forearm.

"Regina Mills, how nice it is to see you here." Will Scarlet came from outside and rubbed her shoulder. She hadn't seen him in six and a half years; he looked happier than ever. He was still a good looking man, probably still working at his own business, but this time he had a ring.

She smiled and hugged him, "Will! How have you been? I feel like I've been seeing everyone lately."

"I've been amazing, actually, and you?" He said.

She shrugged and then laughed, "Not too bad. You got married?"

He nodded and sighed contently, "Yes, the love of my life, she is. Her name's Belle."

"Belle French?" Regina raised an eyebrow.

Belle French as is the Belle French who vowed she'd love Gold throughout his time in jail and who was pregnant with Gold's child? That Belle French?

"Well, it's Belle Scarlett now." He blushed.

"Of course, and why are you here? At the school, I mean." Regina said slyly.

He pointed toward the small group of kids coming towards them, "Our daughter, Alice, goes here. She's in third grade. There she is now."

Was this kid Gold's or Will's? Did Belle ever tell Will about Gold at all? Shit was going down.

"With my son, Roland. They must be friends." Regina said.

"Son? Roland is your son?" He said.

She turned to him, "Well, kind of. I married Robin, who had a kid that he didn't know about with his ex-fiancée, but technically since I am married to him, Roland is somehow classified as my son. So to answer your question, yes."

Will laughed at her, "My daughter doesn't stop talking about him. She loves him."

"They should get together for a play date sometime."

Will nodded as both of their kids greeted them.

Robin heard a doorbell. He was still in his pajama pants and his shirt was still off, but he answered the door anyway. When he opened it, Marian came rushing past him and started to pace around the living room, "Where's my kid, Robin?"

"At school. It's Monday, Marian." He sighed and shut the door. Robin turned to her and crossed his arms over his chest, making his muscles even more prominent than they already were.

She held her hand up, covering her sight of his bare chest, "Cover yourself unless you want me throwing myself at you."

He rolled his eyes and reached for a sweatshirt from the coat closet, "What do you want Marian?"

"I want my son back."

"He clearly doesn't want to be with you." Robin sassed.

Wrong move.

Marian scoffed at him, "I gave birth to him. He needs to come home to me. He isn't yours to keep."

"You're right, but he isn't your possession, either." Robin said.

Marian rolled her eyes and came towards him, hitting his chest and building up her anger, "Are you kidding me, Robin? We are not having this discussion. I want him home with me."

"I can't help it if he wants to stay with Regina and I." Robin shrugged and stepped back from her touch.

Marian rolled her eyes again, "Regina has no place in his life; I've thought about it, I have. But I disagree with the fact that she's even in his life at all. He doesn't need another mother, I'm right here."

"Clearly, he likes her more than you. I mean, did you see how happy he was when he got home from the park? Or when we were playing soccer? Or when she agreed to bring him to school? He was jumping for joy. He loves her." Robin said.

Marian came towards him again and pushed him against the wall behind them both, "Regina is not his mother. And she never will be."

"She could be."

"I'm getting total custody of Roland. You no longer have a say in this matter." She said, her eyes darting around the room and then coming to a stop at his angry stare.

He started to breathe heavily, "You cannot take him out of my life just when he was introduced to me, Marian. You have no right."

"No, you, Robin, have no right to take him away from me. He is my son and will always be my son. If this is how I have to keep him away from you, then so be it!" She yelled in his face.

"Do not take him away from me." Robin muttered, trying to control his anger, but also letting his vulnerability show.

"Watch me." She said, stepping back and then running up the staircase to the guest room. She kicked the door up, Robin coming after her, and then tore up the freshly-made bed. She hit him in the chest before opening the closet and tearing the few hung up clothes from the hangers and hanging them on her arm. She turned around and searched through the drawers of the chest, pulling out random pieces of clothing and a folded up piece of paper.

"Marian, stop it. This is his private stuff." Robin said.

She came to a pause and then stared at the paper, scared for a minute to open it, then she sat down and flattened it out so she could see it clearly. It was a crayon drawing of three people, stick figures to be exact - one labeled Robin, another labeled Roland, and the other, which pained her to even look at, labeled Regina. The three stick figures were holding hands with big smiles on their faces. There was a big red heart on the other side of the picture with the word, family, scribbled in the middle of it. Marian let out a shallow breath and looked up at her Robin, her eyes filling with water, "This is what I'm talking about. I'm not losing my son."

She stood and turned to Robin, her eyes still on the drawing, "This is not happening, Robin. I won't allow it."

She held the paper up and tore a rip down the center of it, before tearing it again, and again, and again, until all that remained were small torn pieces of a memory.

"Marian, if you take him away from me, he will be miserable."

"He will be, or you will be, Robin?" Marian said. She whipped past him as they heard a door open. Tear flooded her face as she came down the stairs, Robin chasing after her and calling her to stop.

Marian came to a stop when she saw Regina bent down in front of Roland, kissing his cheek and smiling so big like she was holding the world in her hands. Her mouth dropped when she saw Marian, and Robin shook his head before Marian yelled and rushed out of the house. Robin chased her outside and grabbed her arm, "Marian, please."

"I don't need to hear your begging, Robin. I'm taking full custody. End of discussion."

She ripped her arms from his grasp and ran to her car, driving away and leaving Robin with his eternal sadness.

He turned towards Regina and shook his head before also getting into his car and driving away to the bar - because all he needed right now was a drink.

A/N: Spicy chapter, isn't it? Review it please. :)