Here's a little bit of Regina and baby brother bonding. Also a little bit of Robin and mischievous behavior :-) Next chapter I will be skipping on again and aging Regina some more.
A couple of months had passed and the family had seemed to fall into a routine with their new baby being around. Mary-Margaret and David had introduced Joshua to the town in his very own naming ceremony at Grannies which really was just a big party to celebrate his birth. Regina had been much better and didn't seem to be as anxious or jealous of her little brother now. She helped out a lot and got stuck into helping look after Joshua as much as she could, although she still wasn't so sure about the changing diapers part. Joshua was now two months old, beginning to sleep slightly better but still getting up many times in the night and well he didn't really do much else at the moment.
While David was at work, Joshua taking a nap in his Moses basket downstairs and Regina watching TV in the living room beside Joshua, Mary-Margaret decided she would take this time to go and take a bath and relax. It had felt so long since she had last been able to do such a thing. So she set it all up, a few candles here and there, a nice bubble bath that was supposed to have relaxing elements in it that Emma bought her. She left the door ajar just so she could hear if Regina or Joshua needed her and then she got in. She let out a sigh as she relaxed into the water. This was just what she needed.
Meanwhile downstairs Regina was lying sprawled out on the sofa and watching whatever cartoon she had found. She turned slightly on the sofa so that she was lying upside down. she was beginning to get a little bored and hungry but she knew her mommy had just gotten into the bath and wouldn't want to be disturbed just yet. She tapped her feet against the top of the sofa as she stared up at the ceiling. Perhaps once her mommy got out of the bath they could go to Grannies. That sounded good to her.
She then jumped slightly as Joshua began to cry. She quickly moved round so she was sat back up the right way and jumped up from the sofa and over to the Moses basket where Joshua was lying. She looked down at him. "Shh Joshua. Your alright." Regina said. She then leaned down a little and she carefully lifted Joshua up. She was getting good at lifting him up and holding him all by herself. She held him up to look at him and Joshua stopped crying.
"Regina…are you okay down there?" Mary-Margaret shouted down as she had heard Joshua crying.
"Yes mom, we're okay." Regina shouted back. She then went over to Joshua's little baby gym mat and placed him down. "Here Joshua would you like to play for a little bit…" Regina watched as Joshua stared up at the toys that were hanging down from the baby gym. She giggled a little and lay down beside him slightly and stared up at the toys. "Do you like those Joshua?" She asked as she looked over to him. Joshua then began to move his arm up, his little hand closed in a fist and tried to hit the toys above him. Regina giggled a little. "Get that toy Joshua." Regina said sitting up. She looked down at him a big smile on her face.
"Hey you tickly yet Joshua?" Regina asked the baby. She moved her hand and tickled his little tummy and Joshua wriggled his arms and legs in delight at all the attention Regina was giving him. She giggled again and then she stuck her tongue out at him and made silly faces. She then gasped as Joshua, for the first time ever gave her a big toothless baby smile. "Hey Josh you smiled at me." Regina said happily. "Wait until we tell mommy. Now we can get much better pictures of you." Regina continued to pull faces at Joshua making him smile until Mary-Margaret came down from upstairs, relaxed and freshly changed into different clothing from this morning.
"Everything been okay Regina? What was wrong with Joshua?" Mary-Margaret asked as she walked over to them.
"I think he was bored." Regina replied and looked up at Mary-Margaret. "Mommy I made Joshua smile."
"What? He smiled?" Mary-Margaret asked sitting down beside Regina on the floor.
"Yea I made some funny faces at him and he smiled at me." Regina said happily.
"Oh, well come on then let's see him smile." Mary-Margaret said and she couldn't help but smile as she watched Regina talking to Joshua and making funny faces at him to try and make him smile.
"There look mommy he is smiling." Regina said pointing down at the baby.
"I saw sweetheart." Mary-Margaret said. She then pulled Regina over and placed her on her lap. She hugged her and placed a kiss into her hair. "You are the best big sister ever."
Regina turned slightly and gave Mary-Margaret a huge smile. "I know." Mary-Margaret laughed at that. "And I think the best big sisters should get to go to Grannies for lunch."
"Oh you do?" Mary-Margaret asked raising an eyebrow and Regina nodded her head. "Well I suppose we could do that."
"Yey!" Regina said happily and she threw her arms around Mary-Margaret.
"You run and get your coat and shoes and I will get Joshua sorted." Mary-Margaret said as she let Regina stand up and run off.
Mary-Margaret, Regina and Joshua were now in Grannies. Joshua was fast asleep in the pram while Mary-Margaret and Regina were eating some lunch. Regina had spent the whole time they had been at Grannies showing off her baby brother and telling everyone who would listen that she was the one to make him smile first.
Mary-Margaret watched as Regina took a mouthful of her food and then leaned up, glancing into the pram. "Don't worry sweetheart, he is fine."
"Are you sure mommy? He hasn't made any noise in a while." Regina said with a small frown.
"Yes I'm sure. This is his proper nap time remember. He should be asleep for a little while yet." Mary-Margaret said. Regina nodded and settled back in the chair and returned to her food. "So how are things with you and Rose Regina?" Mary-Margaret asked. She had felt that since Joshua arrived she had not had much time to just sit and talk with Regina and see how things with her were going.
"Okay although we don't really call her Rose anymore Mom. She has a new nickname." Regina said.
"Oh right and what is that?" Mary-Margaret asked.
"Tink." Regina replied.
"Tink? Why do you call her Tink?"
"Because her mom has always said she looks like Tinkerbell." Regina said.
"I see." Mary-Margaret said nodding her head. "And what about Robin?"
"We are still friends. I have lots of friends mom."
Mary-Margaret smiled. "Well I am glad to hear that Regina."
The door to Grannies then opened and Regina looked around to see who had entered and gasped happily as she saw Robin and his mother. "Robin!" Regina squealed slightly as she jumped down from her seat and ran over to the boy. "Hi Robin. Hi Robin's mom." Regina said sweetly.
"Hi Regina." Robin replied back happily.
"Robin come see my baby brother. I made him smile today. It was his first smile!" Regina said as she grabbed Robin's hand and dragged him over to the table. Mary-Margaret and Robin's mom got to talking while Regina and Robin climbed up on the seat and looked over at a still sleeping Joshua.
"Is that all he does?" Robin asked with a slight frown. "Your little brother always seems to sleep Regina."
"Well…no…he does other stuff too…but not a lot. He can't play any games just now." Regina said.
"Aw, so he just eats and sleeps?" Robin asked.
Regina nodded her head. "Sometimes he lies on his baby gym mat but it doesn't seem like it is a lot of fun."
"Wanna play a game?" Robin asked taking his attention away from the sleeping baby.
"Oh yea!" Regina said excitedly. Since both their mothers were busy chatting they easily slipped away from the table and began to weave between the other tables. "What we gonna play?" Regina asked as they stopped by the counter.
"Let's scare Granny." Robin said with a mischievous smile on his face.
A smile which Regina returned. "Okay." Regina giggled slightly.
So they tip-toed around the counter and over to the door of the kitchen. Robin turned to a giggling Regina and pressed a finger to his lips. "Shh. We have to be quiet." He whispered and Regina nodded her head trying to contain her giggling. Robin then looked around him and then motioned for Regina to come closer. "Okay on three we go scare her."
"Okay."
"One…Two…Three!" Robin said and they pushed the door open, jumped through and both shouted "RAAAHH!"
Granny jumped, dropping her fresh tray of cookies that had just come out of the oven, the tray landing with a clatter on the floor and squealing in a totally out of character way which made both Robin and Regina giggle uncontrollably.
Everyone else in the diner and stood up from their chairs and tried to peer into the kitchen to see what on earth was going on. Mary-Margaret and Robin's mom then looked around then frowning as they did not see Regina nor Robin anywhere. They both then glanced over to the counter to see Granny holding onto a bit of each child's jumper and pulling them along slightly with a scowl on her face, Regina and Robin looking very sheepish and also trying to stop giggling.
Mary-Margaret bit her lip and looked from Granny to Regina and Robin and then back up to Granny. "Sorry…" She said unsure what else she could say. She could hear that others in the diner were snickering a little at the what the children had done.
"We didn't see they had sneaked off." Robin's mom added in.
"No we didn't." Mary-Margaret sighed. She then looked down at Regina and Robin. "What do you two say to Granny?"
Regina and Robin looked down at the floor biting their lips. It had only been a bit of fun. They really did not understand why Granny was so upset about the whole thing. But they both knew they were not getting out of this. "Sorry Granny." They both said as they looked up at the older woman.
"Yes well…" Granny started. "You make sure you don't come back into my kitchen unless you are invited." She said sternly. She then turned on her heel and walked back towards the kitchen.
Robin and Regina then giggled a little more. That was until they looked up at their mothers who were not giggling. Their giggling stopped and they both looked down at the floor. "It was only a game mom." Regina said looking up at Mary-Margaret and hoping she wasn't in too much trouble.
"It may well have only just been a game Regina but I don't think Granny liked the game did she?" Mary-Margaret replied.
"No." Regina sighed. "We said sorry."
"I know you did but that doesn't change the fact you are still in trouble with me." Mary-Margaret said which Regina pouted at. Robin snickered a little which caused his mom to frown at him.
"And don't think you are getting away with it Robin Locksley. I have a feeling the whole thing was probably your idea." His mother said.
"Aw mooom." Robin whined, his sniggering had now stopped.
"Come on we are going home. No ice cream for you today." Robin's mom said. "I'll see you later Mary-Margaret."
"But moom…that's not fair." Robin whined as his mom gently pulled him out of the diner.
Regina looked up at Mary-Margaret and gave her a smile before seeing her mother really was not happy with her and her smile dropped. Mary-Margaret stood up and paid the bill and then she told Regina to get her coat on. As they walked out of Grannies and down the street Regina stayed a couple of paces behind, shuffling her feet with her hands in her pocket. Mary-Margaret glanced back every so often sighing. She decided after a while that Regina had probably been punished enough and she too had a feeling that the whole game had in fact been Robin's idea and not Regina's.
"Regina…" Mary-Margaret said making Regina look up at her. She motioned for Regina to come closer and she stopped crouching down slightly more to Regina's height. Regina walked over to Mary-Margaret and stood in front of her. "You realise that your game with Robin was silly? And that it wasn't nice to go that to Granny?"
"Yes mom." Regina mumbled looking at the ground.
"Even if it was quite funny." Mary-Margaret said gently pulling Regina's face up to look at her and giving her a smile which Regina returned. "Now let's get home. I think Josh could use a bath. I wonder if there will be anyone who could help me with that."
"I could help mom." Regina said now walking beside Mary-Margaret.
"Really? That would be wonderful sweetheart."