HAPPY NEW YEAR!
May your 2017 be less terrible than 2016 was on all of us.
HERE WE GO GUYS, LAST CHAPTER!
Thank you so much for your kind words and comments on this story, I appreciate each and every review and hope that you'll enjoy the ending as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Regina never imagined she would spend Christmas Eve at a courthouse, with watered down coffee in her hand and disgruntled employees staring daggers at her, as if it's her fault they have to be here.
More importantly, she never imagined she'd be happy about this.
She's nervous, too, and Robin's arm around her back is warm and reassuring, putting her mildly at ease.
Roland has stayed home with Ruby, and Henry is with Tink over on the other side of the waiting room, throwing jittery smiles her way from time to time.
They're not allowed to talk until after the hearing, and Regina longs to hold him, to tell him everything's gonna be okay. Being kept from her son is excruciating, and she hopes that after today, it won't ever happen again.
The courtroom is small, so much so that Regina marvels and ponders its size even after they've been ushered into their assigned seats. Robin stays behind the bar, sitting first row on the gallery, just behind Regina's place in the plaintiff's table. He's quiet, but every time she looks back at him, he gives her an encouraging smile, one that says things will be just fine.
She wants so badly to believe him, but as small as the courtroom is, the setting is still ominous, still too formal and uptight for her liking.
She doesn't have to wait long for the judge to appear. One minute she's throwing a nervous glance at Robin and the next, a Deputy is escorting Tink and Henry into the room and announcing the judge.
They rise when prompted, and Regina watches as the woman who holds her future in her hands walks out and climbs into her bench, adjusting her little ovaled spectacles and looking over at the small crowd before her, her stare severe, her mouth set in a thin line.
And then her eyes find Henry on the witness stand beside her, and she smiles. For the first time since this day began, Regina feels like she can breathe.
"Hi, there, Henry," the woman greets him pleasantly, "I was so very excited to hear you were coming back today."
Henry smiles, and offers her a polite, but very shy, "Good morning, judge Lucas."
"When was the last time you were here? Four months ago?"
"Yes, judge Lucas, for my friend Grace's adoption," Henry replies, pointing to Robin in the gallery.
"Ah, of course, Grace Hatter. Good girl, that one. She doing okay?"
"She visited us for Halloween, she's good," Henry answers, his enthusiasm shining through.
"That's great. And you are?" the judge says then, turning to Regina.
"Oh! Um... Regina, your honor. Regina Mills, I'm—"
"Henry," judge Lucas cuts her off, shifting her attention back to the boy, "have you met this woman before?"
"Yes, judge Lucas," he says dutifully, nodding his head.
"And have you spent time with her?"
"Yes."
"Has she forced you to do anything you're not comfortable with, or mistreated you in any way?" her voice is firm, decided, intimidating, but it seems to have the opposite effect on Henry, who appears offended by the question.
He draws himself to his full height, brow set, and tells her, "No, she hasn't, she's a good person," in the most resolute voice Regina's ever heard him use. He's defending her, she realizes, and the knowledge makes her smile.
"Good," judge Lucas says, her demeanor now back to sweet and pleasant. "Would you like to join her during this hearing?"
Henry nods eagerly, and after the judge grants permission, the deputy escorts him to where Regina is sitting. An extra chair is brought for him while he's greeting Robin with some sort of fistpump and handshake thing that she's seen them do on occasion, and when he finally sits beside her, he grins, leaning his body into hers. Regina can't help resting her head on top of his for a moment, savoring the contact.
"Right, so," the judge begins, "Ms. Mills. I'm told you initially requested the adoption of a baby, but modified it after you met Henry, is that correct?"
"Yes, your honor. I wasn't planning on it, but, well... Henry is a very special boy, and I am convinced that he is my son."
She pulls away from Henry so that she's able to look into his face as she adds, "I only wish I could've met you sooner, so that I hadn't missed all these years with you."
"It's okay, we'll make up for it," he tells her simply, cuddling into her side again as she looks back at the judge, trying so very hard not to cry.
"Henry, do you wish to read the letter you wrote to me about Regina?" she asks gently, and then she's giving a folded piece of paper to the deputy to pass to them, and out of the corner of her eye, Regina sees Izzie smile proudly at them both.
Henry nods, and stands, unfolding the paper and swallowing heavily before he reads, his voice shaky, nervous, but loud enough to carry through the room.
"Dear judge,
My name is Henry. I am nine years old and a few days ago, I found a mom.
Her name is Regina, and she lives in New York. She's an interior designer, I don't really know what that is but it has to do with decorating places, and she's really good at it. She made me a room at her apartment, and it's awesome, it has all my favorite things.
She also visits me all the time, and she takes me to the city and buys me stuff, and she takes me out to eat and always lets me have dessert."
They all chuckle at that, even the judge, and then the letter continues, and Regina feels the tears spilling as she listens.
"She's also a really good cheerleader. She always roots for me when I play against Robin and Roland. She helps me say words right when I don't know them very well, and she congratulates me when I do. When I'm nervous about things, she always hugs me and tells me I can talk to her, and she always tries to make me smile when I'm sad. She teaches me things, and shows me new places, and she makes me eat all my vegetables—"
He cuts off then, looking nervously at judge Lucas for a moment before he confesses.
"I don't really like that because I hate vegetables, but I always see moms do that in movies so I like when she does it," he clarifies, to which Regina laughs through her tears. The judge nods with a chuckle, tells him to continue reading.
"Regina is really good to me. She laughs at my jokes, and does weird voices for the people in Harry Potter when we read together, and when we eat ice cream, if I get some on my face she cleans it off and gives me a kiss... it's pretty awesome.
At first we were just friends, but... she's not a friend, she's my mom. She does all the things moms should do, and she's really good at it. I was very happy when she said she wanted to adopt me, and I really hope I can go live with her.
Thank you.
Henry."
Regina cannot remember any of what happens after that.
She goes through the motions her lawyer had explained to her before the hearing, nods her head when it's appropriate and responds clearly, concisely and coherently to every question she is asked, just as she was taught. But if anyone asked her what those questions were, or what her responses had been based on, she wouldn't be able to answer.
All she knows is that less than a half hour after that letter is read, judge Lucas is pounding her gable with a cheery flourish, telling Henry he can go home with Regina, and throwing a tender smile at them when the boy jumps into her arms and hugs her tight.
She doesn't even register that he is finally hers until everyone is adjourned and Robin's arms find her, hugging her close while Henry is being presented with his certificate of adoption by Izzie, who then wraps him into an excited hug.
"Congratulations, Regina," Robin murmurs into her ear, and more joyful tears fall from her eyes as she pulls back and grabs his face in her hands.
"I did it?" she asks, needing confirmation.
"You did," Robin answers, dotting a quick kiss on the tip of her nose.
"I can take him home?" she asks again.
"He's your son now," he confirms, his arms tightening a bit around her waist.
"Mom!" she hears Henry yell, and yes, that's her.
Letting go of Robin, she turns to her little prince, and almost loses her balance when he jumps into her arms. Regina holds on tight, though, wraps her arms around him and squeezes back as hard as he does her, kissing the top of his head and joining in his celebratory laughter.
"We're a family now," Henry informs her, and everything in her world is as bright and beautiful as the infectious giddiness in his voice.
It's her first night with Henry officially as her son, but they're not spending it at her apartment. Instead, they're spending Christmas Eve at Robin's, celebrating with pizza and decorations that are strewn about as they put the tree together. She and Robin had discussed it the day before, had decided it would be a great way to welcome the holiday with both their boys having fun together and bringing Christmas cheer into the apartment.
She'd brought her gifts for Henry (and a couple for Roland and Robin that they don't yet know about) and hidden them in the closet space Robin had cleared up for her for that purpose, and she cannot wait to see her son's face tomorrow, when he finds his presents under the tree he and Roland are now smothering in tinsel.
It's a tradition, Robin had explained, for him and Roland to set up the tree the night before. It's a tad impractical, Regina thinks, because he'll only have to put it away in a few days, but Roland is so excited, and Henry is enjoying it so much, she can no longer find fault in it.
Part of why she'd agreed to Christmas at Robin's apartment is that Regina doesn't have a lot of holiday decor at her own place. She doesn't even have a tree, had never really seen the need for one, but now... now she wants it all. Because now she has someone to share it with, someone to partake in the fun aspect of setting up decorations and twinkling lights. Her heart flutters with happiness as she realizes that next year, she and Henry will be getting a tree together, and starting their own little Christmas traditions together. As a family.
Robin lets the boys do most of the decorating, but he and Regina swoop in every few minutes to fix a few misplaced ornaments here and there, leaving the big golden star at the top for last.
"Roland, I know you put the star up every year, but I think our guests should do it this time, don't you?" Robin asks, and the little boy nods eagerly, telling Henry to go on and place the star atop the tree.
"But I can't reach," Henry says, and then Robin is grabbing him by the legs and lifting him up, so that he and Regina are both at the same level, and can put the star on the topmost branch together.
"There we go," Robin says as he puts Henry down and kisses Regina's cheek. "Perfect."
Dinner has been consumed, and the boys are passed out in Roland's room after a night of board games and movies. As an early Christmas present, Regina had gotten them matching pajamas, red with little reindeers on them. Roland's are footie PJs, Henry's a standard T-shirt-and-pants set, and they look adorable as they sleep in the giant bed Robin has made for them to "camp in".
They'd set everything up like a tent, sheets hanging from the lamp in the center of the ceiling and the door frame. Comforters, cushions and more pillows than she can count are piled on the carpeted floor, a perfect little cocoon of fun for their sons. They'd watched The Nightmare Before Christmas, a favorite of hers, and Regina was pleasantly surprised to see Roland teaching Henry the songs, but then, right after Jack had asked Lock, Shock and Barrel to kidnap Santa, she'd turned to find both boys sound asleep. A lovely sight to behold.
She hasn't moved from the door since.
"Does it ever get old?" she asks in a whisper, when she feels Robin's arms wrap around her middle as he settles just behind her.
"No. No, it doesn't," he says knowingly, the tip of his nose nuzzling her neck before he plants a little kiss there, then rests his chin on her shoulder as they watch the boys together.
"I just can't believe he's really mine," she throws into the silence stretching between them, and Robin only squeezes her tighter, kisses her shoulder and answers.
"I've always believed he was yours," he tells her, his voice low as he continues. "From the moment I saw you two together, I knew you'd found each other and wouldn't let go."
"Really?" Regina asks, turning in his arms, her own looping around his neck as she looks into his eyes.
"That boy adores you just as much as you adore him, Regina, you're going to be so very happy together."
She tears up at that, closes her eyes and kisses him chastely. A sweet Thank you escapes her, and Robin only smiles, running his hands up and down her sides.
"Do you— and feel free to shut me down if you'd rather not discuss this, but... now that you're a mother, do you ever think about contacting your father?"
The question throws her off for a second, but she supposes he's not altogether off-base. They'd discussed her father last night, and Regina had teared up as she'd told him her sob story, how the man has no idea that she exists, how she's never really had a good, solid, parental relationship with anyone.
"I... I don't know. He has a life, I don't want to disru—"
"Regina, he's your father, and if he's as good a man as you believe him to be, he'll be happy to meet his daughter."
She stays quiet for long seconds after that, looking down at their joint hands on her right.
And then Robin lets go, and brings that hand up to her chin, gently prodding her to look up at him.
"At the very least, he deserves to know," he tells her, and fine, she can't argue with that.
She looks back at Henry, sleeping soundly next to Roland, and she wonders, now that she has him, what it would be like, to go through the motions of life without him. It's a pain she's not sure she could live with.
And yes, maybe her father doesn't know about her, but... maybe if he did, he'd want to know her. Maybe if he knew, she'd get the chance to get to know her family. And Henry would get a grandfather to look up to and learn from, someone who would spoil him and sneak him candy when Regina isn't looking, who would teach him about life from that unique perspective of someone who has truly lived it...
Suddenly it doesn't sound like a bad idea.
"You're right," she admits to Robin, but... "I just... need some time to get used to the idea before I do anything."
"Doesn't have to be now, I just want you to consider it for a bit, hm? I understand why you're hesitant to do it, but you deserve to be happy, Regina. If that's a piece that is missing from your life, you should pursue it. And for what it's worth, you wouldn't have to do it alone. I'm not going anywhere."
"Thank you," she whispers, unable to stop a tear that sneaks and spills down her left cheek. Robin kisses it away, then peppers tiny kisses all over her face, until the tingling touch of his lips makes her giggle a bit, and he pulls back with a smile, pleased that he's made her laugh.
"Ready for Santa?" he asks her then, and Regina nods, giddy at the prospect of arranging presents under the tree.
Except when they get to his bedroom, she is completely and utterly distracted by his lips as they shower her with kisses, by his hands as they tease and touch all the right places, by the heavy breaths he lets out into her shoulder when he holds her close.
"Wanna change— Mmm— before we— ah!— before we get the presents?" she asks, her voice a breathy whimper between kisses.
"Sure," he answers into her neck, sucking at that spot below her pulse point that always riles her up.
"Robin." She means to chide him, but his name comes out as a moan instead, his hands roaming her figure, one hand already under her shirt, splayed over her lower back as he pushes her closer.
"Mm?" he's busy moving that hand to her front and up to her breast, but hears her all the same.
"Presents," is all she can say, because somewhere in the back of her mind she knows that's what they should be doing, not this.
Oh, but this is so delicious, she thinks when he nips at her chin and kisses her again, his tongue tangling with hers in this sensual dance she's grown so fond of. She moans into the kiss, presses herself flush against him, trapping his hand between them.
He grunts a bit, frustrated by how restrained his movements are under her shirt, but he needn't be, because that little tug he's giving her right nipple over her bra is sending wonderful little zings of pleasure that echo down below when she feels his erection through his trousers.
Next thing she knows, she's on her back on the bed, Robin's form looming over her as he undresses her from the waist down.
Her skirt ends up somewhere beyond the night table, and he slowly removes her boots by unzipping and kissing as he goes, until those, too, are thrown haphazardly around the room. Her tights go next, and since she'd left her jacket on the coat rack, the red top she'd been wearing underneath is all that's left on her as he finally bends to his task.
One finger runs over her sex, testing, teasing, and then plunging into her in measured strokes as his mouth finds her clit and sucks.
"God, yes!" Regina exclaims, catching herself mid-shout and bringing her voice down to a choked gasp as she rocks her hips into Robin's hand. She's wet already, eager to feel that very talented tongue of his as it does what it does best.
Robin pulls back for a moment to look up at her, licking her wetness from his lower lip and smiling smugly at the view. Regina circles her hips a bit more insistently, making him realize that his finger has stopped.
"Please," she whispers, and then jerks when he gives a particularly hard thrust of his hand and hits that spot inside her that makes colorful spots explode behind her closed eyelids.
Her toes curl from the pleasure, and he's humming as he licks and sucks at her, making her entire body vibrate at his rhythm. His finger keeps pumping into her, and when she asks for more, he adds a second, pushes harder, sucking hungrily at her for long minutes, until she's writhing and coming and coming on his hand.
Robin wastes no time, and is suddenly on her, his hands clumsy as they remove all his clothes and what's left of hers (he pauses to stare at her bra, licks his lips and groans at the sight before he almost rips it off of her), giving his cock a few strokes as he watches her.
Regina tries to give him a little show, scoots back on the mattress as he kneels on it between her legs. She shifts a bit, leans up on her elbows and bites her lip, letting him stare at her naked body. His free hand moves over her form, travels down the valley between her breasts and over her stomach, lingering by her scar with reverence before it moves lower, checking to see if she's still wet enough to take him inside her.
"I'm good," she says. "I want you."
When he enters her, they moan in unison, and Robin grunts as he tries to stay still on top of her, his hands on either side of her as they keep his weight up.
"Robin," she whispers, because she's already gotten hers, and she wants this to be for him now, wants to feel and watch him as he comes. "Fuck me."
His jaw tenses at her words, breath leaving him as his body sinks against hers, his hips moving back before they push forward again, slowly at first, his pace building to something faster with every thrust.
She won't come again, but it feels amazing, and she enjoys every bit of it. The intimacy of his touch, the sloppiness of his kisses as he gets closer and closer, the soft whispers of just how good she feels to him, how wet, how warm, it all has her moaning softly, holding on to him as he thrusts almost frantically into her.
And then his body jerks a bit, out of sync with the steady pounding of his cock inside her, and she watches him as he comes, feels the hot touch of his lips on her shoulder when he bows his head to kiss her skin, his hips bucking of their own accord as he rides out his orgasm.
"You know," Regina says, panting even after he's pulled out of her and landed on his back beside her, "I think we should make this 'quickie before presents' thing a tradition."
Robin chuckles, turns his head and exhales his laugh into her neck, drawing her close and taking a deep breath when they both find a comfortable position in each other's hold. Her back is pressed against his chest, his lips trailing kisses on the side of her neck, one hand kneading a breast lightly.
"I'm sorry it was so quick," he murmurs, and she can't see him from this angle, but she can hear the hint of embarrassment in his voice, and turns in his arms to look him in the eye.
"Have you heard me complain?" she says with a raise of her eyebrow, her voice more even now that she's caught her breath. "In case you didn't notice, all that mewling and gasping was me coming on your mouth earlier."
Robin laughs at her candor, then adds, "Yes, but I wanted to wait for you to—"
She stops him with a kiss, lingers with her lips pressed against his, opening her eyes with a low moan and a smile when she finally pulls away.
"It was great. And you, Doctor Locksley, have a very..." she kisses him again, a simple peck between the words, "talented—" another, with a little teasing lick to his top lip this time, "tongue."
He smirks at that, and kisses her again. Regina indulges in their little makeout session for a few minutes, enjoys the pull of his lips, the warm, wet passes of his tongue while his hand roams free on her naked body.
"Mmm, we should really get to those presents now, or I may never let you out of here," Robin murmurs against her lips, moving down to pepper more kisses in a path down her neck.
Regina moans, presses tighter into him for a couple of seconds and then releases, sighing as she rolls away from him and wraps a sheet around her body.
And then she thinks better of it, and drops the sheet as she walks to the bathroom, looking over her shoulder to find him watching her, licking his lips as his eyes travel over her form.
She has never felt so sexy.
One quick-but-handsy shower later, they are both in the living room in their pajamas (she'd brought her own this time around, a Christmasy set of red and black flannel pants and a red T-shirt with a reindeer on the front), ready to tackle Christmas presents. Her hair is wet, little tendrils of it curling at the ends over her shoulders, and she smells like Robin's soap, that fresh pine scent she always associates with him.
She loves it.
Loves it even more when he wraps his arms around her and simply holds her, looking into her eyes for something she can't quite decipher. He seems to find it, though, because a few seconds later he's kissing her sweetly, and then they both turn to stare at the presents piled on his couch, and set to their task.
She wraps a couple she'd been unable to wrap at home. She'd gone overboard with her presents this year, and ran out of wrapping paper before she was finished, but Robin had told her he had extra, and so she uses that bright green one now, folding it neatly around the giant box of crayons she got for Roland and the telescope she got for Henry, while Robin adds colorful ribbons and bows to the gifts already wrapped, the soft notes of Christmas carols playing on low volume on the stereo by the corner.
The domesticity of it all astounds her, but she likes it so much she doesn't dare push it away. Last Christmas, she'd been alone, with a dinner of wine and cheese as she watched movies and pored over endless brochures from adoption agencies, and now, now she has a son, and Robin, and Christmas lights and hot cocoa and stolen kisses under the mistletoe.
Not for the first time, Regina finds herself thankful for whatever she did to deserve such a wonderful change.
They arrange the presents under Robin's tree, being careful to add the proper name tags to all of them, and then Robin is clearing his throat behind her, offering her the tiny box in his hand when she turns to address him.
"Robin, you—"
"It's not much, but I want you to have it now, before the boys wake and it's pandemonium in here," he says with a grin, interrupting her before she can say he didn't have to get her anything. She got him a gift, too (a framed picture of the boys, smiling faces covered in ice cream), but that's beside the point.
Regina gives him a wry smile, and opens the box slowly.
It's a bracelet, a thin, flat gold band with December 24, 2016 engraved on the inside.
Her gasp is followed by a wide-eyed look at his satisfied smile.
"It's your first official day as Henry's mom, I thought you might like something to remember it by," Robin explains, taking it out of the box and asking, "May I?"
At her answering nod, he slips the band on her wrist, and holds her hand in his to admire it.
Therapy has taught her that there's nothing wrong in being cherished, that showing her affection isn't something people do out of pity or because they want something from her, like her mother had convinced her, but rather because they care, because they want her to feel appreciated. So instead of telling him that this wasn't necessary, or that she doesn't deserve such a present, Regina sighs, smiles, and stares at the gold on her wrist as it glints with the glow from the tree lights.
"Thank you," she says, punctuating her gratitude with a kiss on his lips. "It's beautiful."
"So are you," he answers, bussing her lips again before he takes her hand and turns her so that her back is resting on his chest, his arms wrapping around her middle and chin resting on her shoulder.
Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song begins to play on the speakers, and Regina lets the familiar lyrics wash over her as she stares at the tree, Robin's warmth seeping into her from where he stands behind her, holding her close and dotting kisses on her shoulder.
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yule-tide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos...
Robin sways them where they stand as the melody continues, and Regina revels in the moment, in having this wonderful man in her life, along with his beautiful son and her Henry, the best Christmas gift of all.
And every mother's child is gonna spy
To see if reindeer really know how to fly
And so I'm offering this simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety-two
Although it's been said many times, many ways...
"Merry Christmas," Robin whispers in her ear as the clock strikes midnight.
She returns the sentiment, and turns to wrap her arms around his neck while his stay around her waist. She feels safe in his arms, warm and cared for and happy.
So when Robin whispers, "I think I'm falling madly in love with you, Regina Mills" into the space between them and holds her tighter, still swaying them from one side to the other, it doesn't feel rushed, there's no alarm of Too soon! going off in her head. It just feels... natural, organic.
Her heart flutters pleasantly at his confession, and when she admits to feeling the same, his smile is so big and bright and perfect, she's unable to stop herself from kissing it as the last notes of the song play out on the speakers.
Although it's been said
Many times, many ways...
Merry Christmas to you.
THE END.