A/N: I still can't believe OUAT is over. I had seen all the spoilers and call sheets, but I still wasn't prepared. I plan to keep writing SQ stories as long as the motivation is still there for me (which it will be for the foreseeable future), and I plan to keep reading fic as well, so lets keep this community alive. As such, here's an update a day earlier than I initially said, because my schedule tomorrow is insane and I'm worried I won't be able to post it otherwise.

Thursday, August 16, 1pm

"Hi, Robin," Emma smiled as she opened the door to the apartment. "Come on in."

"Thank you, Emma," he said as he toed off his sandals. "Regina in the kitchen?"

"Yep. Lunch is just about ready."

"Perfect," he said, walking down the hallway toward the back of the home. "It smells great in here," he commented as he walked into the kitchen.

"Thanks," Regina smiled as she put the freshly sliced grilled chicken onto the bread and quickly threw them on the panini press before walking to the fridge. "Beer?"

"Sure, thank you."

He hovered by the island as he watched Regina plate their sandwiches while Emma quickly jumped in to help and carried the large bowl of Caesar salad over to the table. He followed her lead and sat down in an empty seat. Regina quickly joined them, placing three sandwich plates on the table.

Regina watched as Emma and Robin both helped themselves to the bowl of salad, but she was too nervous to even think about eating yet. She felt her leg bouncing under the table and forced herself to take a deep breath. "So, Robin…" she started, wanting to start the conversation. Robin had called the night before asking to meet with the women the next afternoon. She and Emma had talked after they hung up and prepared themselves for him to say 'no,' as they figured he would have just said 'yes' over the phone if that had been his answer. He was a gentleman, so if he was going to turn them down, he would be one to do it in person.

"Right," he said, taking a swig of his lager before getting into the reason for his visit. "You know Gwen and I have been talking about what you asked," he started, watching as both women nodded. The two couples had sat down the previous weekend over tea to discuss the hypothetical logistics, and once again Regina and Emma reiterated that Robin's only involvement would be in the actual sperm donation. After his trip to the fertility doctor, he would not have a role in anything having to do with the child moving forward. "She doesn't love the idea, admittedly…she finds it a bit strange, but she said it's my call. She does seem okay with it, though, and I know how much you both want to start a family together, so I would be honored to help you do that."

"Oh my God," Emma teared up and was the first to speak, surprising everyone. "Really?"

He looked over at the blonde and smiled. "Yes, really."

Both women stood up and rushed to hug him. "I can't thank you enough, Robin," Regina whispered in his ear as she felt both his arm and Emma's around her.

"Like I said, I'm happy to help. I know it's a bit unconventional—"

"A lot unconventional," Regina clarified with a laugh.

"Yes. But, you will both be amazing parents. Your kid is going to be insanely lucky to have you as their mothers."

*.*.*

They finished eating lunch and both women felt like a huge weight had been lifted from their shoulders, knowing that they were one step closer to starting a family together. "Okay, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to go teach," Emma said as she stood up and put her plate in the sink. She quickly kissed her girlfriend goodbye and patted Robin on the shoulder as she walked behind him, thanking him again for agreeing to donate.

Robin let out a sigh as he heard the front door close. "That was really good, Regina," he commented, absentmindedly rubbing his stomach. "I'm quite full now."

"Well, you're helping Emma and me have a child, so I'm happy to cook lunch for you every day for the next year as a thank you if you want," she chuckled.

"That won't be necessary, but I appreciate the thought," he said. "Actually, there was one other thing I wanted to talk to you about, and why I wanted to meet in person today."

"Oh?" Regina asked, moving her plate to the side and leaning forward on her elbows.

"I have a proposition of my own."

"Oh God, should I be worried?" Regina asked, only half joking.

"No, nothing like that," he laughed. "I know you've been taking a bit of a break since you decided to leave Frozen Mirror."

"You could say that," she mumbled. She had gone on a few auditions for short arcs on existing television shows, but nothing had come of it. She was trying to stay positive about it and remember that she was planning on being pregnant soon anyway, but the rejection was still frustrating and a blow to her ego.

"Are you interested in a new project?"

She raised a brow and leaned back, draping one elbow on the back of the chair. She wasn't sure where Robin was going with this, given that he had no ties to the entertainment industry other than through her. "Well, it depends on what it is."

"I've been approached by a small lifestyle production studio that's putting together a new cooking competition show, and they're hoping to sell it to one of the major Canadian networks or to an online streaming service to air next spring or summer. They're describing it as something like Masterchef meets Iron Chef, where they would have amateur home cooks partner up with established chefs from Canada's best restaurants, and they would all compete against one another in weekly challenges. Each weekly winner would then come back for the semifinals, and that would continue until an ultimate champion team is crowned. They want me to be one of the judges for it and a producer."

"Okay…"

"Well, I don't know anything about the TV world, other than what I witnessed secondhand through you. I wouldn't even know where to begin with being a producer. Judging I could handle, but producing…"

Regina chuckled. "Robin, in this case, producing more or less means they want you to help finance their little project."

"Well, that much I figure out," he scoffed.

"Ok, so what's your question, then?"

"Well first, I could use your help reading the contract they offered me, just to make sure it seems fair."

"You should talk to my lawyer about that. She would know more than I would."

"Well obviously I'd have an entertainment lawyer look at it before I sign it, but I could use your help in terms of making sure it seems decent up front, before I even get to the point of hiring someone."

"Of course I'll take a look at it," she replied, still not sure where this was going. "Is that what you wanted to propose? That I look over an offer letter for you?"

"Well partially, but no…I wanted to know if you would be interested in being involved in the show. I don't know these people from Adam, and I would feel more comfortable about being involved financially if you were part of it. It would help it feel more legitimate, knowing that there's someone credible tied to the project. I obviously don't have a ton of details yet, but if I accept their offer, especially to have a producing credit, I'm sure I can negotiate and say that I'll only sign on if you're part of it…if you want to be, that is."

Regina hummed as she thought about it. She hadn't considered reality television, but she had been thinking about more behind the scenes work. The dance film project she had done with Emma, Killian, and Lily had whet her appetite for directing, and she had gotten Celine's team to agree to let her be an assistant director for the upcoming music video (in addition to a small cameo part in a group shot), so that she could learn more about that process. She knew she wasn't ready to take the lead on a full film project of her own yet, nor did she have the experience to talk her way into larger opportunities, so something small and local could be a low-risk way to build up her experience and confidence. She had been talking to the friends who had loaned her the camera equipment for their video contest entry about possibly getting involved in some of their documentary work, but it wasn't her first choice. "So what are you thinking? How do you see me fitting into this?"

Robin shrugged. "It depends. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to convince them to let you host, if you were interested in that. God knows that would help them sell it to the network and get viewers. You've been interviewed so many times so I'm sure you'd be able to interview others well, and you learned enough about the food industry from being my fake wife for five years that you would know what you're talking about if you're sampling a contestant's dish or asking them about the marinade they're preparing. You could give Alton Brown a run for his money."

Regina bit back a chuckle as she rolled her eyes, but the idea did appeal to her.

"Or," Robin continued, "if you're interested in having more of a producing role or directing, that might be possible, too. I just wanted to throw it out there as an idea."

"Hmm. I can't say I'm not intrigued," she commented. "Send me whatever information you have on it, including the offer they made you so I can look at that regardless. Depending on the studio and the viability of it, I might be interested."

He smiled. "Good. I thought you might be, and it could be fun. There's no guarantee that it'll even go anywhere. They're talking about making a demo pilot-type episode to pitch it and see what the response is, so I think that's their first immediate step."

"Sure," Regina nodded, standing up and taking their empty dishes into the kitchen. Robin immediately grabbed the remaining glasses and salad bowl and followed her to the sink. "Thank you for thinking of me," she added.

"Of course. I figured it might be of interest, since I knew you loved working on the film you did with Emma, and if it is picked up it'll be local and the filming won't take more than a few hours each week. So, it shouldn't be too stressful if it overlaps with your pregnancy."

"That would be a bonus. Send me the info, and I'll look it over and talk to Emma about it."

"Absolutely," he said, noting the time on the microwave behind Regina. "Oh, I need to head into work. Thank you for lunch, Regina."

"You're welcome. And thank you, Robin," she said as she walked him out. Closing the door behind him, she couldn't help but smile. She was hopeful about the project he mentioned, because it did sound like it would be just enough to keep her from being completely bored during the next few months, but without causing her too much stress. And, it would potentially give her a new experience to help her decide what projects to tackle next. But mostly, she couldn't wait to start her family with Emma. If someone had told her a year or two ago that this would be her life, she would have never believed them, but she couldn't be more excited.

A/N: So, this is one of many potential projects I have in mind for Regina. I know the past two chapters were light on SQ and a little heavier on Robin, but the next chapter (and most from this point on) will be all SQ. I have no immediate plans for either Robin or Killian to physically show up in any of the future chapters. In the next chapter, we'll find out for sure if Regina and Emma will use Robin's donation, as there will be a small time jump forward. I'm envisioning maybe 5 or 6 more total chapters in this fic, for now anyway.