Almost there! This one is for all of you that still have a bone to pick with Sydney. Happy reading!
19.
"Well, look who joined the party." Robin smiled up from his newspaper as Regina slowly made her way into the kitchen.
"What a night, eh?" Regina chuckled before grabbing her temples. "No laughing," she mumbled.
"Has Miss Swan filled you in on last night's activities yet?"
"She is still sound asleep" she filled a cup with lukewarm coffee and drug her feet all the way to the table where she slumped down into her usual chair. "Why is she wearing your clothes, may I ask?"
"How much of last night do you remember, Darling?"
"Um," she stared into the brown foam in her cup. Realization hit her and she looked up at her husband. "Did I black out?!" she yipped before grabbing back at her throbbing head. "God."
"I'll just let Emma tell you the story when she wakes up." Robin laughed, folding back up his paper.
"Great," she mumbled before putting her forehead down on the cool, smooth wood of the table in front of her. "Where are the idiots?" Her voice was slightly muffled by the tabletop.
"Which idiots?"
"Any of them."
"Well, the boys are at school and the trio went over to see if they could save anything from their houses."
"That's lovely." Regina took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Today is going to be a great day," she sighed, "I can just tell."
"The sarcasm just now…" Robin shook his head, smile on his face.
"It was so thick that if it were a dick, Ole Robin would try to suck it." Killian called from the hall, Ruby's high pitched laughter following him.
"For the last time, I am not gay!" Robin hissed, smacking his hands and paper down on the table.
Regina winced before looking up at the man who had just vibrated her already pulsing head. "If you raise your voice one more time, it will be the last time you ever speak."
"Sorry Darling. Would you please tell these lovely people that I am not gay?"
"Mister Jones, Miss Lucas, we clearly have children…"
"Yea, and?" Killian laughed, dropping a bag down by the doorway. It landed with a loud enough thud that it caused Regina to suck air through her teeth. "Oh, sorry Regina," he smiled innocently while making his way over to the table.
Ruby padded down the hall, bouncing on her toes. "We know you aren't gay, Robin but you're just too much fun to tease. We are all a little gay after all."
"Yea, our darling little Ruby here slept with Emma a few times." Killian blurted, knowing what he was doing.
Ruby stopped walking, fire danced in her eyes as she glared at the dark haired man. In the same sting of seconds, Regina slowly lifted her head to look at Killian who had leaned himself back in a chair, his feel dangling in the air above the ground. Robin put his head down and stared at his wife from under his brow, waiting for her to make her move.
"A-a-a-and on that note, breakfast?" Ruby asked awkwardly, holding up two bags from a restaurant in town.
The room was silent as all eyes were now on the young brunette. Her heart racing, Ruby was just about to drop the bags and run for dear life when they were taken out of her hands by someone coming up behind her.
"Oh yea, breakfast!" Emma hooted, walking past the half in shock girl, bags in hand. "Please tell me you got biscuits and gravy." As she tore into the bag, she realized that no one was speaking. Looking up, she saw that everyone was staring at her. "What?"
"Mister Jones was just telling us that you are Ruby used to sleep together." Regina said, suavely.
Emma's eyes shot to Killian. "Weird thing to be talking about but yea, that was like three years ago," she said nonchalantly, turning her attention back to the bags.
"And you were going to tell me when?" Regina asked, brow arched.
"Why does it matter?" Emma asked, looking the brunette in the eyes. "We were kids then, I mean shit Regina, I don't fuck Ruby in my free time."
"I would hope not," Regina said smoothly, getting to her feet. When she stood, Ruby just about fell backwards.
"Look Mills, I don't want any trouble or anything, me and Emma, we are best friends, I love her like a sister, not a lover." Ruby said quickly, stepping away from the woman.
"Do calm down, Miss Lucas. If I were going to be pissy about it, you wouldn't be standing in my kitchen. It's not a big deal. Go eat your breakfast." Regina said firmly, walking past the visibly shaking woman and straight to the coffee pot.
Ruby let out the breath that she didn't even realize she was holding. "Killian, I could kill you," she mumbled as she sat down beside Robin.
"Just having some fun, lass," he smiled before smoothing warm bounced off his cheek. "What the hell?"
"Shut your dickhole," Emma snapped. "Eat a sandwich."
"Did you really just hit me with a sausage biscuit?" He chuckled, pulling open the paper surrounding the projectile.
"You like it," Emma laughed. She turned around to see Regina smiling at their antics. "Are you going to sit down or just watch from the back?"
"I like this angle the best." Regina responded flatly.
The table erupted in laughter as Emma swelled her chest out. "I believe your favorite angle is actually looking up at me while I'm plowing you."
"Oh shit, Swan." Killian laughed, as a wide array of sounds came from both Ruby and Robin.
"Touché." Regina smiled, tipping her cup toward the blonde, "touché."
#
"Do you care if I do some wash here, Mate?" Killian asked, looking over at Robin.
"No, not at all," Robin smiled and moved from the table. "You can use my washer downstairs, it's better than the one up here."
"You have more than one washing machine in here?" Ruby asked, looking to Regina. "How do you afford the water bill?"
Before Regina could chew up the last bit of food in her cheek, Emma spoke. "They are loaded, duh Rubes."
"Ah. Sugar Mama." Ruby smiled, throwing her balled up food wrapping back into the bag on the table.
"Hardly." Regina mumbled, dabbing her lips with a napkin.
"Oh come now darling, don't be modest," Robin laughed, patting his wife's arm.
"Washer, Mate." Killian sighed, grabbing his bag from the floor.
"Oh, yes. Come on." Robin said, leading the man down the hall and out of sight.
"Mercy," Ruby laughed. "Is this place always this fun?"
"Only when he has people to show his ass to," Regina tucked a stand of hair behind her ear. "Usually he just mopes around and complains about how boring his life is."
"I don't believe that for one second." Emma laughed, pulling the garbage filled bags from the table.
"That's because I'm joking, dear." Regina huffed, raking her fingers through her hair.
As Emma dropped the bag into the garbage can by the island, there was a loud banging at the door. For a moment, everyone was perfectly sill. Regina looked around before slowly standing. After a few seconds, the banging continued and Dodger ran into the kitchen, his teeth bared.
"No one ever comes to this door," Regina sighed. "lock him in the bathroom," she pointed to the dog.
"Maybe its Jeff," Ruby offered, grabbing up the pup.
"He is behind you." The older brunette pointed at the man standing in the hallway entrance. While making her way to the door she mentally cursed herself for not having a peep hole in that particular door. As her hand grasped the knob, the banging grew more aggressive. Regina could feel the heat in her cheeks as she pulled the door open roughly, ready for a fight.
She jerked the door open and immediately, her rage hit its peak. In front of her stood an all too cheery, dark skinned man; his pompous smile lit a fire behind Regina's eyes.
"Oh, there you are." Sydney smiled wider, bad intentions in his eyes.
"Sydney." Regina rolled her eyes. "I don't have time for you today," she mumbled.
"You better make time," he said sharply.
Regina's eyebrows hit her hairline. "Oh? Is that so, Mister Glass? Pretty sure you do not have the right to any of my time," she said, pushing the door closed.
Sydney quickly braced the door with the palm of his hand, preventing it from closing. His smile returned as he took the time to study the visible rage building across Regina's face.
"Mister Glass, if you would so kindly remove your hand from my door…" Her voice was calm but firm.
Emma rounded the island and started toward the door, her face twisted in anger. Ruby caught her by the arm as she came back into the kitchen and pulled her back across the room. "No, Em," she whispered, wrapping her arms around the blonde's middle.
Heat building in her face, Emma jerked from Ruby's grip and lunged forward, only to be caught by Jefferson's strong arms. "Hey, chill out."
"He better go on somewhere," Emma called out, loud enough for Sydney to hear her clearly. "before he can't fuckin walk away!"
"Man, you are ghetto when you're pissed." Jeff said, tightening his grip on the fighting blonde.
Outside the door, Sydney appeared quite pleased. "She sure is violent for a student visiting a professor," he looked Emma up and down, "in her pajamas."
"What do you want Sydney?" Regina sighed, pinching the arch of her nose. Slyly, she put her foot behind the door so he couldn't barge in.
"I want you gone, fired." He said flatly.
Lowering her hand from her face, a menacing grin rocketed across her features. "Oh?"
"You have broken University policy, Miss Mills."
"That's Doctor Mills to you, Prat," she spat, meeting his eyes. "Do tell me, what have I allegedly done?"
Smiling like an idiot, he reached behind him, pulling a thick folded pamphlet from his back pocket. "Article 5 section 13 in the handbook states that no faculty or staff under contract with this university shall engage in private, social occasions with a student whom they are not related, outside of approved university sponsored settings. It also states that no faculty or staff member shall be present with both alcohol and a registered student with the university, whom they are not related." As he finished, he looked up, rather pleased, into Regina's unimpressed face.
She parted her lips to speak but was shut down when his hand flew up between them. Stern faced and anger building, Regina glared at the man's hand, contemplating ways to break it.
"According to Article 6 Section 9…" He smiled, watching Regina's brows raise. He was well aware of the fact that she knew exactly what 6-9 stated. "No faulty or staff, while under contract with this university shall engage in sexual acts with any student whom they were not married or in a public, committed relationship with prior to signing on with the establishment." When he finished, he was shocked to see that Regina was smiling at him.
He cleared his throat nervously. "Furthermore, Miss Mills, I have solid evidence against you. Therefore, you will be submitted to judgment of the board."
"Are you quite finished, Sydney?" Regina sighed, sounding bored.
At a loss of words, he simply nodded.
"Lovely," she smirked. "Now, do tell me, what is this evidence?"
"I have already acquired witness statements from both a neighbor here in the area who saw you with these students last night and also the statement of another student claiming that he knows you to have had sexual relations with a student."
"Oh really?" she laughed in his face. "And who are your witnesses?"
"Basil and a Neal Cassidy," he said, pushing his chest out.
Emma was losing it in the kitchen. Every time she moved, Jefferson pulled harder on her, damn near wrestling her onto the table.
"Mister Cassidy? Really?" Regina turned and looked inside at Emma being manhandled by her friend. "You know, I don't ever recall him being around while Emma and I are having sex." Her voice carried into the house, stiffening the blonde's movements. "Have you ever noticed your ex in the room while you are with me, Emma? I really am too distracted to pay that much attention," she half told Sydney, half called back into the kitchen.
Sydney looked as if he may pass out right there in the yard.
"No." Emma mumbled from behind the brunette.
"There you have it, Mister Glass, I feel like your witness may be a little unreliable."
Clearly he was not expecting Regina to openly admit her affair. Sydney's mouth stood wide open and his face was twisted in such a way that it made him look as though he were just about to burst into a mental collapse fueled laughing fit. "I…" she started.
"No see, here is the thing, Sydney," she said, putting a finger in the air between them. "That little handbook you have there, that is for non-tenured and temporary faculty and staff… such as yourself. My handbook says no such thing. Now, I have witnesses to you trying to blackmail me." She finished with a smile, tilting her head to the side.
"What would your husband say if he knew of this sinful affair?!" He practically cried at her.
Smiling even wider, Regina swung the door all the way open, revealing Robin and Killian both standing in the kitchen, her husband leaning against the island.
"Chances are, I would say, "Oh, Regina, I am so happy that you have found someone to fill the void in your heart. Good for you, Darling," Robin said in an overly feminine voice. Crossing his arms over his chest, he started over toward the door. "If anyone is about to resign or be fired, Sydney, it will be you."
His chest held high, Sydney looked as if he were about to start a fist fight right there in the doorway.
"I suggest you move along, Mate." Killian called from the kitchen.
"I will do no such thing!" the darker man spat. "I will leave when what I came to do has been done."
Jefferson turned Emma loss and started over to the door. Before anyone could stop her, Emma was in the yard, inches from Sydney's nose and her fist full of his shirt collar.
"Listen you stupid fuck, I don't know what your problem is but we all know that Regina got you that job, you know, the one you are currently abusing? How about instead of sticking your nose where it doesn't belong and trying to ruin lives, you worry about actually doing something with yours." She released the man's shirt but refused to back down. "You see those people, dude?" she threw her thumb in the air, pointing behind her. "Those people are our supporters, those people love and care about us, do you have anyone like that?"
Silently, Sydney continued to stare at Emma.
"If I were you, I would just leave." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Because I have a small army behind me, and you…" she looked around behind him, "you have no one."
Taking a step back, Sydney began shaking his head. "This isn't over!" he screamed.
"Just go, you idiot." Regina called from the door.
"You do not deserve this life, Regina! You do not deserve happiness!" As he stood there, his body was visibly shaking. "You deserve to suffer!"
"Ya know what?" Emma laughed, turning her head to meet Regina's eyes behind her first and the Killian's. He smiled knowingly before stepping out into the yard. Before he reached her, Emma linked eyes with Sydney. "That is no way to talk to a lady."
The man jumped forward, his finger pointing square at Regina's chest. "You are an evil bitch, Regina Mills!"
In a split second, Emma pulled back and planted her fist directly between Sydney's eyes. As the flock of people made their way to the blonde's side, the man stood wide eyed and completely still in front of her. After a moment, he took a step forward before rapidly taking steps to the side. He teetered on his feet before going down, hard. As his body hit the ground, Emma stood above him, shaking the pain from her hand. "You should have just left." She sighed. "Damn."
"Damn indeed Swan," Killian laughed, nudging the unconscious man with his foot. "He is going to be out for a while."
"Good," Emma grumbled.
"Good?" Regina walked to Emma's side. "And what do you think we are going to do now?"
"Whataya mean?"
"I mean, we can't just leave him I the yard, Emma."
The blonde was rapidly becoming annoyed. "Call the cops," she said, throwing her hands in the air.
"Can't do that, Love." Killian chimed in.
The blonde huffed, loudly. "And why not?"
Robin looked from the man on the ground, up to Emma. "Well, you just assaulted a man."
"He was harassing Regina!"
"On Regina's property." Jefferson added.
"Had Regina or I been the one to do it, there would be no problem because he is on our property, Darling."
"Great, you couldn't have told me that before I broke his face?"
Laughing, Robin patted her arm. "Would it have stopped you?"
"Probably not."
"Well, then it doesn't really much matter does it?"
"God." Emma huffed. "Alright, let's get this idiot out of the yard."
"Yes," Regina added, her hand woven in the top of her own hair. "Let's."
Killian hoisted up Sydney's shoulders while Jefferson took up his legs. Between the two, the sleeping man hung like a worn out, old hammock; his backside barely off the ground.
#
With Sydney laid out on the couch, everyone but Robin took up at seat at the table. "You know," Robin said, pulling ice from the freezer. "We have to wake him up and make sure there is no brain damage."
"How would you even be able to tell?" Regina rolled her eyes dramatically.
"We are going to talk to him, Darling."
"And then what?" Killian asked. "What do we do once we wake him up?"
Emma winced as Robin dropped a bag of ice onto the swollen meat of her knuckles. "We knock him out again."
"We do no such thing." Regina sighed, rubbing her temples. "Why did he have to pick today of all days to do this? I am never going to get rid of this headache."
"I say we tie him up and throw him in the closet." Emma offered playfully.
"Can we just be serious for a moment?" Regina sighed audibly.
Emma lulled her head to the side and looked up at Regina from under her brow, as if to say I was serious.
"Oh stop," laughed the older brunette.
Robin filled another baggy with ice before making his way over to where the intruder was laying. As he rounded the couch, his jaw dropped. "Oh wow," he chuckled. "You should see this."
Within seconds, everyone stumbled around the couch, leaving the table vacant. Just above the arch of Sydney's nose, a large, knuckle print blood-blister was rapidly forming.
Emma looked around at the stun faces of her friends. "That's beautiful," she laughed.
As the group peered down on the man, his eyes began to spasm and then slowly, they flipped open. After a few seconds of a staring match with the half a dozen sets of eyes above him, reality registered and Sydney jumped, startled, right into the floor.
"What the?! AH!" he screamed, clutching his throbbing face. Sitting up in the floor, he continued to poke the knot on his forehead. "What did you do to me?" he cried as Robin and Killian pulled him back up on the couch.
"What is your name?" Robin asked calmly.
"Sydney Glass! Why am I in here?!" he asked, frantically, sitting up.
With a firm hand, Regina pulled his body back down against the cushion. Robin held four fingers in front of the man's face. "How many?"
"Four." He whined, looking around. His eyes met with fiery green ones and then all at once, he knew. "You!" he hissed at Emma.
Taking the bag of ice from Robin's hand, Emma leaned over the laying man. "He is fine." She said, dropping the bag of ice down onto his wound.
After a short, pained cry, Sydney's voice faded and he fell silent, out cold.
"And apparently, a pansy." Emma said, walking away.
"Where are you going?" Regina asked as she watched the blonde move toward the door.
"I'm going to go talk to Neal."
"Emma, just leave it."
"Nope, I know that Neal isn't that stupid, so I want to know how that dude actually got that information."
Regina stepped over to the blonde and caught the woman's face in her fingertips, forcing their eyes to meet. "Just leave it. It doesn't matter because nothing can be done about it. We are together, I don't care who knows it and I know you don't either so just let it be." Regina kissed pale lips softly before meeting green eyes once more. "Please."
After an over dramatic sigh, Emma nodded. "Fine. Can we get that idiot out of here?" she asked, looking over at the couch.
"Well you are that one who knocked him out again."
"Lot of that going on these days," Killian laughed from across the room.
#
After Sydney finally woke up, a nice long chat took place between him and Robin. Sydney agreed to stop his pursuit of trying to get Regina fired so long as Robin didn't take him to court for harassment and trespassing. Killian, Jefferson and Ruby went out for grub on Robin's dime.
Regina met Rumble and Belle at the door as the boys ran past them and into the house. She told them about Neal being the one to spill the beans on Emma and her relationship. After a few minutes of contemplation, Mr. Gold figured it out.
"No," he said flatly. "I know exactly what happened."
"Oh?" Regina looked behind her, seeing that Sydney was still in conversation with her husband. "and what happened?"
"The other day, the three of us had lunch at the diner; Mister Glass was sitting a few booths down from us, writing or something. I didn't think much about it at the time but we were discussing how glad we are to know that you have finally found someone who is so perfect for you."
Belle shook her head, slightly angered. "That snake must have overheard us talking."
"Well, Emma will be glad to know that she won't have to kill your son, then."
"That is so horrible, I can't believe he would come to your home and try to get you in some sort of trouble." Belle looked grief stricken by the whole ordeal.
"Don't worry about it, Belle. Robin is taking care of him," the brunette smiled softly and leaned her head in the direction of the men in the sitting room.
"They appear to be done with their talk, Dearie, I will escort him out of the neighborhood." Rumple brushed past the women as he made his way inside.
Belle and Regina stood on the front stoop and listened to Sydney's protests as Mr. Gold practically drug him out of the house. As the men came out the door, Regina linked eyes with the darkest man and smiled. "Have a great day, Mister Glass," she said, sarcastically.
He nodded as the older man shoved him out into the yard. "Keep going, all the way to your vehicle."
" Thank you Rumple." Regina smiled, crossing her arms. "Hopefully between getting knocked out by a girl, Robin's talk and the fear of your wrath, he will have learned something today."
"I'm certain he has learned to not mess with this family if nothing else."
At that, a broad, loving smile stretched across the brunette's features. "I think you're probably right."
"I am always right," he added, patting Regina on the arm. "Take care, we will see you tomorrow."
With that, Belle and Rumple left and followed Sydney to his home across town. A steady glare between the two men as Sydney walked to his house from his car made it clear that he was not going to try anymore stunts, any time soon.
#
"Hey kid, how was your day?" Emma asked, looking down at the all too excited face of young Oliver.
"Amazing. I tried out for the basketball team today." He smiled coyly.
"Oh yea?"
"yea."
"Well, how did it go?" Regina asked, coming up behind her son.
"Oh you know, I shot some free throws, did a few lay ups," he said, looking at the floor under his feet.
"And?" Emma wanted to shake the boy by his head. The anticipation was killing her.
Roland came around the island with a grin on his face. He socked his brother in the arm before hugging Regina. "And he did awesome, he was the first one to be called back for the team."
Emma could feel her heart beating a lump into her throat. "Yea?!"
"Oh yea. We didn't even make it out of the building before Coach Fred hunted him down and asked him to be the number one point guard."
"Oliver, that is awesome." Emma was practically in tears as she fell to her knees and took the boy into her arms.
Regina followed suit, wrapping her arms around her son and the blonde. "We are so proud of you," she laughed. "Wait until your…" she raised her voice a bit, "Robin, Oliver made the team!" She called into the living room.
"mhm." Robin mumbled back to her, over his book.
"I told him earlier." Oliver panted. "Can you, um, I can't breathe."
"You guys are gross." Roland laughed, launching himself over the back of the sofa.
"Roland, you do not jump over the couch, you walk around and sit in it." Regina scolded the boy as she released his brother from her loving clutches.
"Hey, if Emma can do it…" He laughed, watching his mom glare at him.
"Emma Swan, look what you have done to my son," she shot a look at the blonde while putting her hands on her hips.
Robin leaned back in his chair, propping his feet on the table in front of him. "Our son."
"Clearly he is mine." Emma laughed, making a dive over the back of the couch, landing at his side.
Roland smiled over at the blonde before shaking his head. "No, I think Oliver is yours, I'll be Mum's."
Robin coughed, "well excuse me," he choked out. "Clearly I had nothing to do with any of this. This woman comes into your life and poor ole Papa no longer matters," he whined, jokingly.
Regina stepped around and took the seat on the other side of Roland. "Now Robin, let's not neglect your man parts," she chuckled.
Oliver sprawled down in the floor and rolled around with Dodger, trying his best to ignore the weird conversation taking place above him.
"What's all this then?" Killian huffed, dropping bags full of food on the table.
"Looks like a family meeting to me." Ruby giggled, piling in behind the dark haired man, her hand woven into Jefferson's.
Regina sighed and looked around the room, we are quite the family, she thought before turning to look into the kitchen. Her eyes landed on the grease cover bags on her polished table. "All this takeout food is going to make me fat, I just know it."
Thank you all for reading! I don't want to get your hopes up or anything but there are a million and a half readers who really don't want it to end at 20... I'm not sure yet but we will see if this bad boy gets rounded out in the next chapter... -DR