Disclaimer: Thankfully the writer of the story I've been accused of copying has been very gracious and isn't mad at me.
I truly am not trying to copy BD, it's too amazing to even try to. I wouldn't screw it up like that...okay? So please, no more accusing me of that, because all it does it put me down in the dumps and make me not want to write.
Thank you!
G.
..
...
Regina knows Robin's glad that his football game went well – again. She's very proud of Robin and all that he's done to turn that team around, and she knows he's pretty proud, himself.
When she wakes on Saturday morning not long after eight, she orders the last breakfast that she will ever have in this apartment. The last meal she'll ever have in here, actually, because today is officially moving day. She can't help but have a bit of a lament emotion tugging at her mind and heart, but she only expected to this past week. After all, this is new, big, and completely different from what she's done in the past.
She's never lived with any other man except Daniel before, and even their time together wasn't very long (only about eight months). She knows Robin will take care of her just as he has been so amazing to help her this past week, and she's pretty sure Henry will enjoy it there too. It may not have a loft for him, but he will have his own room there, too.
Robin's apartment is only slightly bigger than Regina's. His has three bedrooms instead of two, a small living room, two bathrooms, and a small kitchen area with a little table set. He doesn't have much of a dining space, but why would he need to? It's only two people eating there, whether those two are Robin and Regina or Robin and Roland.
That's one of the first things Regina plans on hinting towards: a new table, among an actual living room chair (not the beanbags) and a new faucet for the kitchen sink.
Which is another reason why she's ordering breakfast – pancakes with chocolate chips – because she wants to butter him up a little bit before she breaks that news. And as she opens the door to greet the one-and-only breakfast delivery service she's ever found, her gray, silky robe following behind her everywhere, he's rubbing his eyes through the living room.
"Good morning." She coos, "Glad to see someone has finally woken up."
He's wearing his white tank (the one that he wore under his red polo last night at the football game) and boxers, complete with socks that came up to his calves. Well, one came up to his calf, the other was still lingering down around his ankle. He looks at her and murmurs, "Good morning." before leaning against the counter top where she's setting the boxes of pancakes down.
She takes the styrofoam box with four pancakes and places it on his plate, handing it to him along with the Aunt Jemima brand cup of syrup. "Did you sleep well last night?" She asks, placing the remaining, two smaller pancakes on the other plate for herself.
"Okay." He answers, "The floor didn't treat me well, but you always are a joy to sleep beside." He mumbles, heading to the living room floor to sit down and eat.
The lack of furniture was starting to get to them both, especially Regina, but she has to keep in mind that it'll all be over soon. Joining him, she sets her plate down in front of her and replies, "As well as you, dear." She breathes, handing him the set of plastic wear to eat with.
As he opens it, he finally registers what he's eating and looks up at her, "You ordered breakfast." He says with a smile, popping the fork prong through the plastic wrapping.
She nods and chuckles, glad he finally noticed and replying, "I did, seeing as how there's not exactly anything here to eat." while bringing a bite up to her lips, checking the temperature before sticking it in.
He nods, and she looks up slightly at him, watching him as he chews his food more proper than the first time she'd met him. She remembers that day very well, when she shared her spaghetti with him and got to know him for the first time. She smiles at the memory, trying to hide it from Robin with another bite of pancake.
"So," Robin starts out, finishing chewing, "Are you ready to be out today?"
"I'm ready for it to be over today." She replies.
Nodding, he answers, "I'm ready for you to move in with me today." with a dashing smile before looking down somewhat shyly, which was not Robin's typical personality.
She hadn't thought of it from his perspective yet, but she knows he must be happy about it. After all, he wouldn't have asked her to live with him if he wasn't ready for it. Right?
She has to admit, she's had her thoughts throughout this past week. What if he just felt he needed to? What if they don't work out? What if it hinders him getting custody of Roland by having a woman living with him? All of it ran through her head, but like always, she tried pushing it to the back. Clearing her throat, she messes with her piece of pancake a little by pushing it around with her fork. "So..." She starts out, pressing her lips together for a moment, "You're...okay with this. Right? Like...I didn't pressure you to let me move in with-"
"Regina!" He exclaims with a mouthful of pancake. Regina startles and raises her brows before he continues, "No...my gosh, no. I want you to live with me. Okay? This way I get to say goodnight to you in person every night before I go to sleep, I get to see your face every morning when I wake up. I get to help you with Henry and teach him how to play football...I get to do all of that. Not have to."
She nods, brushing her tongue over the outside of her molars, listening to his kind words. "Okay." She simply replies, not knowing what else to say. Somehow he always made her feel like that, like she doesn't know what to say half of the time when she's the one that usually helps people with what to say. He turns her upside down in so many ways, sometimes.
Huffing, he asks, "Okay?" mocking hers. She nods and he huffs a laugh again, "Okay. You've been reading too much of that...Fault in Our Stars..."
She bites her lip and shakes her head, not answering that one because she knows it's true. She finished the book last week and hasn't had the time to start a new one. She has a stinky feeling, though, that she's not going to have much free-time to read anymore.
..
…
After breakfast is over, they're packing up the very last box to put in the rented trailer, hooked up to her SUV.
She sighs as he picks the box up, "I'll go put this away real quick and be right back in. Okay?" He says, and she nods to let him go.
Folding her arms over her stomach and taking a step toward the loft, her eyes want to fill with tears. She fights it hard, but once she sees the kitchen again she can't help but let a tear fall out. She closes her eyes and lets her mind wander to baking cookies, to Henry dumping his cereal bowl, to Emma dumping her cereal bowl. It's all been so dysfunctional over the years but she couldn't have asked for more.
Then she turns more to see her bedroom, the place she and Robin made love. Well, one of the places. She lets a little laugh escape and shakes her head, but Robin's voice pulls her away from her thoughts. "Regina? You all ready?"
"Oh." She squeaks, looking back at him and blinking the tears away quickly. "Yeah, I'm just making sure we got everything." She states, looking around one last time. She can feel his eyes watch her from behind her, and she knows he's grinning. Just like he can put off a bad aura when he's upset, he can put off a good aura when he's happy or admiring something. In this case, someone. Because of that, she turns around and smiles, "I'm gonna miss it."
Robin walks to her and hugs her lovingly, "New chapter, lovely. That's what you have to remember, it's a brand new chapter in this beautiful book you've been writing."
She laughs and nods, closing her eyes. Her voice is muffled in his neck, "I've always wanted to write a book."
"You have?" He asks, a little bit of a shocked tone of voice as he pulls away, "Why have I never known this?"
Shrugging, she answers, "No one really does. But it's something I've always dreamed of doing."
"What kind of book?"
"The one with pictures, just for you baby." She says, using the moment to place her sarcasm in.
He rolls his eyes and gives her an unamused expression, "You're hilarious." He says, just as sarcastically, if not more. "I meant more along the lines of documentary, biography of your interesting life," He says, then gets a look from her, "A fiction...?"
"A fiction, thank you. Biography comes after my books." She says, almost like she'd just signed a deal with a publisher. "But it was just a dream. It's not like it could ever happen now, too late for me."
"I don't know, maybe not."
"Anyway, we have other things to do right now and it doesn't involve talking about my long-gone dreams." She says, getting them back on track and pulling away from him gently. "Everything's packed up, now we just gotta unpack at your place."
"Not right when we get there, love. I have other things I want to do before we get all hot and sweaty...like...get hot and sweaty." He smirks, "On my bed."
She huffs and acts like she's not impressed, but really, she is. "Hmmm, we'll see about that."
"Oh the only seeing that will be done is my eyes seeing you and yours vice-versa." He counters arrogantly, and she knows he's being like that because they're talking about sexual things. Even though they both know Mother Nature won't allow them to have sex today, they like teasing each other like this.
He takes her in his arms again and holds her tightly, making her feel a sense of being safe and being wanted – something she wasn't used to feeling even after a month of dating him. She sighs and kisses his jawline once, pulling away from him and patting his back instinctively. "Well, I guess I need to get out of here." She says, wanting it to preferably be before she breaks down and cries. He kisses her cheek and lays his arm on the small of her back, rubbing her belly with his fingertips, saying okay and walking toward the door with her. She gets to the doorway and looks back one last time through foggy eyes, smiling a sad and small smile before turning around, closing the door, and locking it. For the very last time.
..
…
His warm hand is holding hers across the console in the car; the trip is mostly silent to his Sherwood Forest Apartments, the complex where he lives.
That is, until he breaks that welcomed silence, "You happy?" He asks out of the blue, still holding tightly onto her hand.
She looks at him for a moment, registering what he actually just asked and looking down again. She wasn't expecting any words, let alone those. "I...yeah. I am." She replies. She hadn't thought of the subject, actually, until now. She hadn't thought of her life from a bigger view, she'd just been going day-by-day. But as she sits and thinks a little more, she's convincing herself even more how happy she is. "I love this life." She admits, glancing at him again.
She sees his happy little grin being worn on his face, then she catches her own smile in the reflection of his window. She smiles even bigger, giving his hand a light, little squeeze before he replies, "Good." simply, and keeps driving on.
She can't help but wonder why the question suddenly popped into his mind, but she ignores her annoying thoughts in her head as they pull into the gates of the complex.
She looks around at the outside of her new home, the parking lot where his car is, the space where he's taken two spots just so his "baby" won't get scratched. She sees the kids playing on the playground and smiles to herself, knowing this'll be a great place for Henry.
Out of all the times she's been here, she's never really taken in how nice of a place this is, especially compared to Royal Apartment's place. She hadn't thought of the fact, either, of how expensive this place must be. Her mind wanders as they circle around to get a closer parking spot, wondering how he can afford the nice car, the nice apartments, and only be a school teacher.
So she asks the daring question right as they've parked, "How do you afford all of this?"
He looks at her the same way she did to him earlier, with wide but soft eyes, a raised brow, and slightly parted lips. "I, ah..." He stutters, and Regina can tell he's wanting to avoid this answer. But she doesn't let up, asking again and getting his full attention this time. "It's a long story, really."
"I have plenty of time." She counters, opening the back door to the trailer to start unloading her boxes. "And it sounds like you're wanting to avoid the subject. What are you, some kind of drug dealer?" She asks, being playful and sarcastic.
He huffs a laugh and shakes his head, picking up a heavy box with ease. "If I were a drug dealer, I'd have my Mustang detailed and live in a much nicer place." He states.
She picks up a lighter box than he got, even though it made her feel somewhat domestic. Like she couldn't handle as much as he could, but she tried the other, more heavy box, and that just didn't work. "Okay, so you're not a drug dealer/teacher. How are you so...not poor?"
Another huffing laugh emits from him as he closes the trailer door so no one will take anything, "Well, I told you I wasn't the best person in my younger days. But, I also told you that Marian died. We were never married, but in her will, she left me a whole slew of money." He explains, making Regina's brow furrow again.
She wouldn't say she was jealous of Marian, Robin's dead ex-girlfriend, but in a way she kind of is. She's jealous of the Robin that Marian knew, not for the reason that he was a "bad boy", but because she knew his past and Regina didn't. Doesn't. And Robin doesn't like talking about it, but Regina feels left out. Like the last kid to be chosen on the playground.
So she makes her way after him, heading to his ground-floor apartment. "How did she have money?"
"Parents." He answers shortly, digging for the key in his pocket while trying to balance the large box on his chest, bending backwards a little and contorting his face in pain.
She sighs and shifts her weight all to one leg, "And they just gave it to her?"
"Yes, her twenty-first birthday." He states, finally finding his key and pushing it into the doorknob, turning it until it clicked and the door opens. "If only her parents had known what all she was doing at twenty-one, they wouldn't have given it to her. Marian was raised as a perfect child, much like I was, and decided to rebel...but secretly. Me? I left my family and cut all ties with them. But she had no reason to do that, it would be stupid if she did." He explains, finally going into more detail about his past.
She knows it's hard to get out of him, so that's why she doesn't try to outwardly push him, she lets him talk until he slips it out. "Oh, I see. So...her parents are rich?"
He nods, "How do you think they won in court?" He asks, "The town knows them all, the judge sucks up to them so badly..."
"That isn't right, Robin." Regina fumes, immediately ticked over the subject of his son. "You should be able to have a trial here."
He nods, answering, "I should be, but the court has said no. I have to wait a while before I try again, or they can say they want another one. But I doubt that will happen." and putting the box down on the living room floor. "Besides, maybe it's for the best. As much as I love my son, and as much as I adore spending time with him, I don't know how to be a good father."
Regina huffs, feeling like he's really just not trying hard enough to get Roland back. Then again, if she was told over and over that she's a bad parent and if she had a past like his...she could understand. "No one knows how to be a good parent until you really get the chance to be one, Robin. No one." She says, setting her box down on his couch, "You need to stand up for yourself, be assertive, and if they don't like it, they can talk to me."
"You?" He asks, raising a brow as he turns to look at her, asking, "And what can you do about it?"
Sighing, she looks down her arm and clenches her teeth. "I have rich parents too." She admits, "I just don't take any of the money they – well, he – offers me. My dad is a lawyer and my mom? She's Senator Mills, the US senator of New York." She explains, almost sounding guilty about her parents.
His expression changes, and she notices how hurt he seems. "So you're telling me you've lived in that sketchy apartment complex all this time when you could've just taken their help?"
"It's not that easy, Robin. I cut off all of my ties too by being with someone I loved. Just like you. I have to go and visit now and then, but I do it so Henry still sees his family." She argues, becoming defensive over herself like she wants him to be for himself. But for now, she wants to get this conversation back on track. "Now, why did she leave you the money?"
"Not important." He answers, walking out of his door.
She stands there and watches him, fuming and bubbling angrily. Why wouldn't he just tell her? She hates secrets and she hates when people keep things from her, especially people she cares about. She just stays in place with her fists clenched, looking out the door and waiting for him to come back in. She gets so frustrated and she knows that he knows it too. It's like he enjoys watching her writhe over being clueless of his past. She'll get it out of him one day, but for now he'll remain a halfway-peeled onion.
One layer at a time.
"Fine. If you don't want to tell me, that's your business, but I really hope you know how much it hurts me to know you keep stuff from me." She answers, walking out of the door to the trailer.
She can hear him huff, making it known that he is irritated. "Like you kept the fact that your mom was a US Senator? Yeah." He states angrily, picking up another heavy box like it was nothing.
..
…
The rest of the day was relatively uncomfortable for the both of them. Neither said many words to each other, and when Emma arrived with Henry, Regina began making dinner.
"Robin, where's the garlic?" She asks, looking up in his cabinets and lack of supplies, needing garlic powder for her hamburgers she was cooking on the stove top. He doesn't answer, so she repeats her question with a little more irritation in her voice. "Robin?"
She hears his feet shuffling into the kitchen behind her, replying, "I don't have any." before leaning against the countertop with his elbows supporting him.
She almost slams the cupboard shut as Henry walks in, "Mommy?" He asks in a gentle voice, "Can you help me with some homework, please? I wanted to do it today so I could play tomorrow..." He says. She smiles at his thought-through planning (something he took after her, most definitely). But she has a dilemma, and now an even bigger one since Robin doesn't have garlic.
"Not right at this moment, sweetie. I need to find something to cook with these burgers for dinner." She says in a gentle, yet, still, somewhat irritated tone.
Robin stands up straight as she's turning around toward the refrigerator, declaring, "I'll help him." and turning to Henry. He asks, "What is it you need?" as he's walking to the living room ahead of the boy.
Henry rushes in and sits down on the bean-bag chair, digging through his open backpack and finding what seems to be a sketch book. Regina turns away, now, and tends to her entree that now has no garlic, but substituted for bar-b-que sauce and sauteed in that. She listens to their conversation, though, always being the protective mother with Henry.
"I really like my new art class, my new teacher is awesome. And she's taught me a lot, and I have this drawing." Pause. He must be getting his book out or something. Then he speaks again after Robin murmurs that it's great. "It's for mom. But I don't want her to see it, because it's for Christmas."
"Henry, that's...that's amazing." Robin says, and Regina can tell it's genuine. It's not the kind of congratulations that you give for normal art done by ten-year-olds. It makes Regina curious, makes her want to casually walk into the living room and see what he's done. Whether it's a drawing, a painting...a drawing. He'd said that already. "I didn't know you could draw." Robin continues.
"I always liked to. But kids at school made fun of me for it last year, the older kids did. They said it wasn't something boys did." He says, and she can hear his tone of happiness dip down like a cloud of grey had just floated over him. Truthfully, Regina didn't know he could draw, either. He must hide them, and she wonders where, now. "I've always hid them under my bed so my mom wouldn't see them."
That answers her question. Next one? Why is he hiding them?
She hears another pause, but she can't determine why there's silence (mostly because of the searing of beef in the pan in front of her). Finally, Robin replies, "Big kids don't know it all, Henry. Why would you want to hide them? They're beautiful." and she hears the swooshes of paper.
Again, she feels an actual twinge of jealousy in the pit of her stomach. Apparently, today must be a day for her to get jealous, because so far everything Robin has said has made her feel that way. Henry is sharing his drawings with him. Marian gave her money to him. She knows it's ridiculous, childish to feel this way under these circumstances, but she can't help it again. She misses reading to her little boy, being the one to take him places, the one to play with him on the playground. She feels replaced, unneeded, and used. A stage of being a mother, she hopes.
"I just didn't want anyone to see them." Henry answers in a small voice, and she can almost imagine him fumbling around with his fingers like he does sometimes.
"So why did you show them to me, then?" Robin asks in a curious tone, Regina stops making the beef move around by laying her spatula down beside the stove.
Another silence. Damn this silence. "I don't know...I just thought...I kind of...you're the closest boy to me." Henry's soft voice squeaks, and it makes Regina have to close her eyes for a moment.
"You need to show these to your mother." Robin says, his voice is heavily distracted, though, she can tell.
She flips the burger over and it makes another loud whooshing noise as the grease hits the pan, the BBQ smell radiating through the kitchen. Because of the noise, though, she misses part of Henry's answer. "...and she I don't think she likes spending time with me anymore." is all she hears.
Immediately, her fingers loosen from around the spatula, her heart sinks to her toes, and her mouth parts open as she tries to fight back tears. He thinks she doesn't want to be around him. He thinks she's lost interest in him. And she can't help but blame herself since she's spent so much time with Robin lately.
"You're her favorite, Henry." Robin replies as Regina leans against the counter, still in awe that he said that. "She loves seeing your face every day."
"She doesn't seem like it sometimes."
Robin stays quiet this time. Regina wonders why...maybe because he knows he's the one taking the time from Henry? Or maybe he agrees with the boy...maybe she really has been mistreating Henry lately. Nonetheless, the silence makes her uncomfortable because Robin hasn't answered her boy yet.
Thankfully, Henry breaks the silence. "Do you like my mom?" He asks, again, making Regina's heart sink. She puts her head forward into her hands, not even remembering the burgers at this point.
Another long silence, but Robin doesn't answer. It makes her feel really uncomfortable, really upset, actually. She just moved in with this man and now he's contemplating if he likes her or not? After confessing their love for each other not that long ago? Her sunken heart is now breaking slowly.
"Are you and her fighting right now?" Henry asks again, since Robin hasn't answered the other question.
She hears a bean-bag chair move, and it must be Robin. She can almost see him shifting uncomfortably, "We're just a little upset with each other, that's all. It doesn't mean I don't still love her." He replies, and Regina can finally breathe again after those last few words.
"Oh. You love my mom?"
"Very much so, my boy." Robin replies, and Regina wonders why he couldn't have said it the first time instead of making her want to cry. And then rip his heart out. And then cry some more.
By now, the burgers on smoking from how overly done they are. Regina rushes to the stove and quickly turns the heat off, taking the handle of the skillet and bringing it away from the burner. But to her dismay, they're burnt. Literally, charred.
She sets the smoking pan down on the other burner, the cool one, and does the walk of shame into the living room while removing the apron over her head. "Let's go out for pizza."
..
…
The mishap with the burgers, the lack of love words from Robin, the hurtful words from Henry, and the harsher words with Robin all had her shaken up the whole night. She couldn't sleep restfully, and of course she didn't want to wake Robin up. Looking up at the ceiling at 4:30 AM, she can't help but remember the day Daniel died for some reason.
"Oh goodness, my little Henry." She cooed over her newborn son, holding him right up against her chest the whole time. "You're going to be so happy to meet your grandma and grandpa, your daddy's mommy and daddy." She said, absolutely gushing over Henry.
The door opened abruptly, normally the nurses knocked. The nurse was shaking as she said, "Ms. Mills...we...we have some news that isn't good." and paused, heaving a heavy sigh and a loud exhale. "With my greatest, greatest, condolences, it is with sadness that I say Daniel Stableman has passed away in a horrible car accident."
Regina just stared at her, wondering if it was some cruel, sick joke someone was playing on her. But when the nurse started tearing up, Regina realized it was true. Her love, her newborn's father...he's dead. "No...no!" She shouted, making Henry get fussy and upset.
Another nurse quickly came to take Henry so nothing would happen to him, and the other nurse continued trying to talk to Regina for hours before she'd just asked to see her son.
With another toss and turn, she feels Robin's steady hand on her hip and opens her eyes. "Come here." He murmurs, scooting her closer with just his hand.
She obliges, letting him move her and snuggles up into his chest. "Sorry I woke you." She whispers, not looking into his eyes; closing them so he won't see how red they are.
"Rough night?"
"Daniel."
There's a silence, and she wonders if he's fallen asleep. His hand moves against her hip lovingly, though, and he answers, "Nightmares?"
"Not really."
Though their dialogue is all short, but they're getting the point across for each other. By the end of the story, Regina is completely glued against him with her head tucked into his chest, her arm between the, and her other arm under her.
"Daniel will always be apart of this family, Regina. We – I can't ever take that away from either of you." He states, now running his fingers through her tussled and sweaty hair. "I can't ever replace him, like I've said many times. But I want to be there in that spot, helping, loving, and caring for you both. I love him like my own, and I always will now."
Her eyes are focused on his the whole time, but it wasn't until the last sentence that she starts tearing up. "Daniel would be so glad to know you're here." She breathes, shutting her eyes and letting a tear fall down her soft cheek.
Her statement is true, Daniel would be overjoyed that Regina is happy, that Henry has someone to throw the ball for him, that Regina can sleep with someone beside her that she trusts and knows will be there for her, and that Henry will always have a man to show him how to be...well, a man...no matter what.
But that's the part that makes her tear up, "Why do we always have to keep secrets from each other?" She whispers after the short silence, hoping he won't get mad or annoyed since he's half-asleep still.
More silence. She hates silence already but all of it lately has really pissed her off. He's biting at the inside of his cheek before asking, "What secrets?" (Clearly this is his lame attempt at buying time). She tells him what she wants to know, about Marian and why she gave him the money. His reply isn't what she's wanting, "Because she loved me."
And it makes her shake her head, "And you loved her?" She whispers, already hurting inside.
After a long sigh and a heavy breath in, he replies, "Not really. I led her on to think that." and starts stroking her hair again.
She shakes her head, "So how can I trust that you're not just leading me on? That I'm just...I'm just your..." She tries to think of a more appropriate word to use, but fails at the job. "Your fuckbuddy? Is that all I am? And now it's even more convenient because I sleep in your house?" She asks, and it makes her chest feel like it's caving in.
"No." He simply replies, stopping his strokes through her hair. "I actually do love you, and I never invited Marian to live with me like I did you. Regina, if you think I'm using you, why don't we stop for a while? The sex...just to show you that I really love you and really wanted you here." He suggests, cupping her cheek now.
She thinks about it for a moment, thinks about just being a couple who hasn't slept together and won't be for a while, then nods. "Just for a week." She says, not wanting to go too long, she enjoyed the sex as much as he did.
She's glad they agree on it, and not long after that they say their goodnights, and an extra I love you from each of them before a goodnight kiss is placed on each other's lips.
..
…
Sunday goes by much better. They have a lazy day together after Regina takes Henry to another friend's house. She realizes he's growing up, and she knows she needs to let him have these opportunities while they last. And that's the only reason she keeps letting him leave so often.
"We need groceries." She says, the movie Miss Congeniality finishing on the television. But she's so comfortable in his arms, it makes her pout a little at her own words.
He nods, mutters something about how comfy he is, and she agrees with his statement. "But I do suppose if I want to eat I need to supply the groceries."
"We." She corrects, "I'm not just going to live here for free. We can split all the rent, the groceries, and the cable and whatever else." She states, not letting him get by with that. "I'm not incapable of taking care of myself."
"I know that, but I'm more capable." He teases, kissing her on the head before getting up. He takes the keys to his car, but she takes them from his hand and lays them on the table again.
"No."
"Yes. It fits groceries just fine." He argues, not wanting to take her car again.
"Fine." She says, not wanting to argue about silly things such as which car to take. Before she walks out to the car, she grabs her wallet and purse, stuffing the one inside the other and walking out after him. She gets inside of his car that he already has turned on, loud and booming of course, and immediately turns the radio down. "Sorry, headache."
He nods as if saying, it's okay and drives off to the store.
Once they get there, he takes a cart out of the line for her and rolls it in front of her. She smiles as a thank you and puts her purse inside of the baby carrier part. He smirks and looks down, commenting, "Cute baby." before rubbing her back and laughing a little.
"She is, isn't she?" She coos in a playful manner, matching his tone and pushing the cart into the grocery section first, hitting the bakery part of it for some pre-made dough (she knows how much her boys love their pizza, and she has a new recipe she has been wanting to try).
"She?" He asks, gazing over the chocolate cakes and cheesecakes and cookies and...mmmm. "I could've sworn it was a boy."
She cranes her neck a little to see him over her shoulder, giving him a look that he has gotten to know very well. "I want a girl."
He raises his brow, "You want more kids?" and she shrugs.
Her reply is quick as she starts walking to the deli for some lunch meat, "One day, yes." and orders a half-pound of ham for Robin's lunches this week. "Don't you?" She asks, leaning her triceps on the cart handle while she waits for her number to flash up on the automated screen behind the counter.
He thinks about it for a moment, then bites gently at the inside of his cheek, "I never really got a good try at being a father, so yes. I never thought much about it, but I would like a second chance."
The smile she wears brightens the whole store, "Good." She simply replies, turning away and biting her lip so he doesn't see her do so. She grips the cart with the one hand that's resting there, waiting for her baggy of ham.
A half-pound of ham, half-pound of roast beef, a pound of American cheese and a pound of provolone later, they're heading to the produce section. Of course, him being himself, he's picking up to oranges and bringing them to his pectoral muscles. He waves his chest around and sticks it out, making it look like he has breasts. Very round, very orange, and very...textured...breasts.
Snickering, she shakes her head, feeling her face redden because of him. "I'm not into women, dear." She taunts, attempting to hide her clear embarrassment over this...this man with oranges for boobs. She's not doing a great job of it, especially now.
His next actions have her face completely red. He sticks the oranges in his shirt and tightens it around his chest so that they don't fall out, "Don't they call these...what are they? Man boobs?"
"Robin!" She wails, pushing her cart to the next aisle of fruit and veggies to try and not be seen with him. She can still see him, unfortunately, over the boxes of apples.
His smirk grows, a smug grin is now on his face as he raises a brow toward her, keeping his head tilted forward still. "Don't you want to squeeze?" He continues, sticking them way out and making an overly seductive face (but in reality, let's face it...it was about as seductive as a five-year old trying to woo a young girl his age).
She sighs and tries not to laugh again, knowing the more she laughs the more he'll do it. Her laughs are like a fuel to his funny fire. "Get over here...you're worse than my ten-year-old." She complains, turning away to laugh quietly (still making a failing effort of trying not to).
He finally lets them drop from his shirt, catches them in his hands, and puts them in a bag instead of putting them back in the crate. "I like oranges."
"You?" Regina asks, raising her brows in surprise, "You like something..." She pauses to gasp, "Healthy?!" and places her hand over her chest as though her heart is about to beat out of it. "Robin Hubert Locksley likes something healthy?" She continues, still shocked but being playful now.
"Yes, dear." He counters, squinting his eyes as he lays the bag inside the cart and shakes it by its side a little to jar her. "And don't call me by my middle name, it's such an embarrassment."
She raises her brows again and pushes the cart to the vegetable aisle, "I'm being embarrassing? This coming from the man who just stuck oranges in his shirt to give him boobs? I don't think I fit in that category, Robin Hubert." She's cooing as she's stopping at the next place.
"Stop!" He hisses, looking around in case someone heard. "I have a reputation to uphold." He whispers, following her closely as she reaches for some broccoli.
"What reputation?" She asks, putting the bag of "green trees" as Henry calls them into her cart.
As she's reaching for the cucumbers, her mind is buzzing and she smiles maniacally, a little bit deviously, looking up and around to make sure no one was near them. "You know, my tough, football coach, side-barfly, badass Mustang driver one."
Huffing, she asks, "Tough?" whilte bringing the cucumber to just below her stomach, sliding it down a little and gripping her fingers tightly around it. She turns to him and he gasps when he sees it, "Mmm...Regina..." She whispers, mocking him and making sure no one heard.
He looks down with wide eyes when he sees what exactly she's doing, "Regina! Put it...down!" He snarls quietly, grabbing the cucumber that she's using inappropriately, moving her hips forward and backward subtly.
Her fingers don't loosen around it, she's not letting go of the cucumber yet. It's not enough embarrassment for him. She tries moaning, "Mmmm..." as she laughs but it comes out more of a laugh. "You like grabbing hard and thick things, Robin?" She teases him, knowing he'll get annoyed with her.
He snatches it from her hand, "Fine...you got back at me." He says as he puts the cucumber in the bag and quickly throws it in the cart. "But just for you information, I do like to touch things hard and thick. Grab them, actually. It. Mine to fill you." He whispers the last part up in her ear. Plan: backfired.
Shuddering, she narrows her eyes to him and rolls the cart backwards to it rolls over his foot. "Oops." She coos, pushing it on toward the cheeses and such with a proud little skip in her step (but not too obvious. After all, she has a reputation to uphold too, and hers is more legitimate than his). "Now that we're even, why don't you reach up there and give me a bag of Kraft shredded cheddar, please?" She asks, looking down at her list and crossing the things she'd just gotten off, then bending over to get a block of mozzarella for lasagna later in the week.
He doesn't move, he has his hands folded below his stomach. "I don't think that's a good idea." He says.
She looks back at him and sees where his hands are, and the corners of her mouth pull up into a grin, "Well...we agreed on no sex." She whispers, thankfully no one is next to them. "So I'd say you better just take the embarrassment and give me some cheese. At least, if you want soft tacos tomorrow night." She coos, pushing the cart again down the first aisle.
Growling, he looks up at the cheese but still doesn't move. He's debating, counting his odds at how mad she'd get if he didn't get it. But after a moment of standing there and seeing her halfway down the other aisle, he quickly jerks up with one hand and grabs the cheese, bringing his hand back down just as quickly and rushing to her to throw it in the cart.
..
…
"Regina? Regina, lovely...it's time to go to work." He whispers on a bright Monday morning, and normally it's the other way around. She usually has to wake him up in the mornings.
When she finally opens her eyes, she realizes they must be horribly late since he's waking her up. "Oh no!" She cries, shooting up in bed. She rubs her eyes frantically and flings herself off of the mattress and out of the covers, rushing to the closet only to come back out no more than five seconds later to go to the bathroom instead. "I'm going to be late on my first day as principal. Henry will be late to school...no. No, no, no!" She shouts as she's sitting on the toilet.
He's snickering, letting this go on for a little while just for paybacks for what she made him to yesterday. He stays silent, but gets up and goes to Henry's room to wake him up. Once he's up, he comes back into the room to see Regina half-naked in the closet.
"I don't even know what to wear!" She says frenziedly, her makeup done in a more natural way than usual because she thinks she's running late. She looks at Robin and huffs, "Why are you not ready yet, Robin? You know that if you're riding with me to school that we are not going to be late!" She snaps, flying her hands through all of her clothes in the closet.
"Regina, have you checked the time?" He asks, walking to the closet and crossing his arms over each other as he leans against the doorframe.
She hasn't, she suddenly realizes. She huffs again and jerks his arm toward her, checking his watch. Growling, "Damn you, Robin." while she slaps him on the chest once, seeing that she's on time. "Why did you do this?"
"I haven't done a thing, it was you who thought you were late." He says calmly, and she's not in the mood for his calm, cool, collected self.
So she takes a hanger and throws it at him, "And you couldn't have told me?"
"No, I enjoyed your little hissy entirely too much to let it stop so soon." He coos, bubbly and smiling as she slaps him lightly again on the chest.
To Robin, there wasn't much more to turn him on immediately than a woman in all lingerie slapping him while angry – at him. In his eyes, angry sex is almost the best sex. But that deal got in the way of that, and she knows he'll uphold his words.
"You're hilarious, really." She says sarcastically, pushing past him and walking out to put her robe around her. She goes into the kitchen and gets her cereal, his cereal, and Henry's cereal, three bowls, and the gallon of milk.
He's shuffling in not long after her, and he pours the milk for her once the cereal has filled the bowls. "Anyway, good morning, my love." He coos before placing a kiss on her rosy cheek, hugging her with one arm and letting her go again.
"Good morning..." She coos, liking the sound of being able to say that to him. "I could so get used to this...living here with you."
He smiles as he brings two bowls to the small table, sitting down and sticking a spoon in. "Good, because I always hoped you would."
..
…
Her smile is overly wide and ecstatic as she walks in her new office, not even decorated yet. She meant to do that yesterday, but got caught up in a fierce game of Monopoly with Robin, Henry, Emma and her boyfriend Neal, that accidentally lasted until after his bed time. So for now, it's bare and dull but new and exciting to her.
She walks in further and sets her bag down on the desk, perfected with a plaque that says Principal Mills. She wishes that it could just say Regina instead of Mills like she tells her class, but unfortunately Superintendent Belle said no to that.
Just as she sits down, she hears a knock at her door. She fixes her blazer and looks up, "Come in." She calls out, waiting for whoever is at the door.
A bubbly expression is worn on Mary-Margaret as she walks through the door, "Hey Regina!" She says happily (a little too happily for Regina as always, but she takes it easier today since she, also, is happy). She strides to her desk in short and choppy steps, holding a stack of papers in her arms. "I'm officially your new assistant, as well as secretary. So I just wanted to come in and ask if you needed anything for the day?"
Regina smiles, not realizing she would now have an assistant. "Oh, no one told me you were helping me. I think I'm good for now, actually, but I would like to have some coffee maybe?" She asks nicely, still keeping a small smile the whole time.
The short-haired woman nods, asks her how she likes her coffee, and walks off into the adjoining lunch room.
Regina organizes a few things on her desk such as pens and notebooks, pulling out a picture of Henry and setting it down on the corner. "Perfect." She whispers to herself before seeing a cup of coffee being set down beside her arm.
"Here you are, Principal Mills. I hope it's okay." A nervous Mary-Margaret squeaks out as she walks to the front of her desk.
She smiles up at the woman and then takes a drink of the piping hot coffee, "That's just right, thank you." She says as she sets it down and looks at her watch. She bites her lip, muttering something about how she's going to be late and reaches down to dig through her purse for her thermos, pouring the coffee into that so she can get to her class.
"You're the only principal that I've worked for that still teaches a class. Why do you do that?" She asks quietly, tilting her head in a curious manner.
Regina looks down and furrows her brows, "I appreciate my class, I always have. Without the Literature classes, past and present, I wouldn't be here. I owe them, so I teach them."
Her response makes the younger woman smile again, "That's great, not many enjoy teaching."
She nods, feeling herself blush a little. "Anyway..." She blurts out, ready for a change of subject to not talk about her. "I have to get going, thank you for the coffee, Miss Blanchard, and you really don't have to call me Principal Mills, just Regina, please." She reminds her as she walks out of the door and down toward her classroom. She gets stopped by a handsome man, taller, muscular, but not as tall and muscular as Robin.
"Hey, Principal Mills." He says, his flannel shirt a little crooked over his gray tank. "I just...I saw you were talking to Mary-Margaret."
She nods, raising her brows as she replies, "Yes, I was." and looks at him with a slight tilt of her head, "You're David, right? David Nolan...the janitor?"
He nods and smiles a little embarrassed, "Yes...good ol' janitor." He replies, leaning against the wall and trying to be casual.
She laughs a little and looks back toward her office, "Why did you want to know about Mary-Margaret?"
"Are...are youtwo pretty good friends?" He asks, making Regina think for a moment.
She can tell by his nervousness, his slight brow sweat (not from working, yet), that he's got a little crush on the other woman. "I wouldn't say we're close, but we've known each other a long time. Why? Are you wanting to know if she's single?"
His nervous expression turns into a nervous, smiling expression. "Maybe? Is it bad if-"
"It's not a bad thing. And yes, as far as I know she is very much so. But I really have to get going, I don't want to be late to my class. Good luck, David. She's a real sweet one." She says, making the conversation short and walks off.
As she's walking, she smiles at the thought of a new love blossoming. Before she met Robin, before she started dating him, the thought of blossoming love would've made her sick. But now when she thinks about it, all her mind wanders to is when Robin told her he loved her for the first time. Because of this, while she's walking into class, she's smirking to herself and is completely oblivious to everything in the room.
"CONGRATULATIONS!" Her whole class shouts, startling her and making her jolt a little.
She looks up to see a banner across the outside wall with the words congrats principal Regina, and she smiles finally. "You are all just too sweet, thank you." She coos, walking in to see balloons tied to her chair. "You did all of this?" She asks, turning to her class again
Heads nod and mutters of yes go through the room. It makes her heart warm up more and more with everything she sees. "You've turned this class around, and you're really the best teacher we've had." A girl named Heather says from the back, and Regina's smile grows even bigger because she knows how shy this young girl is.
"I don't deserve this, but thank you all so much."
"Of course, we had some help from coach Locksley..." Patty says from the front, smiling a little and winking.
Regina gasps playfully, "Shh, you could get me in trouble with the principal." She states, raising both brows in a playfully warning manner.
..
…
"Knock knock..." She hears only a second after a knock echoed on her office door. She gets up and smiles as she opens the door, letting Robin in. He has their lunch in his hands, two sandwiches, "A ham and a roast beef sandwich for each of us. Is it okay if we eat in here?"
She nods, smiling proudly of her new place. "Indeed it is, go pull up a chair to my desk." She says as she turns to the desk again, scooting her chair up as he scoots one up as well. "I'm kind of in love with my new office."
"Oh, a new love?" He taunts, getting her sandwich from the Ziploc bag, setting it down on the paper plate he'd brought in for her. "I feel replaced."
She rolls her eyes, replying, "No...just a side-love." and sliding her plate in front of her and taking a bite of the delicious ham and provolone sandwich, slathered with lite mayonnaise. "Besides, you get to share it with me." She says with a smile.
He nods, taking a bite of his roast beef sandwich, "That's very true, it's like a threesome."
"Robin!" She immediately yelps, giving him a look as she chews her food (mouth closed, tightly, like always). "So not appropriate!"
He shrugs as if it were the most normal thing in the world to say, "It's true. Your two loves..."
"Still not appropriate." She reprimands, not impressed by his behavior. "But it was funny..." She mutters and smiles up at him over her bread and fingers.
He smiles, muttering something about how he's a funny person and he's never thought of himself as a threesome man anyway. "How do you like your new job?" He asks, finishing his sandwich and leaning his arms against the table, waiting curiously for her answer.
This is (and has always been, since the first day they were together when they ate lunch) something that she's always admired about him: his listening skills. The way he wants to learn more about her, and she always did the same for him, too. They're always learning new things about each other, and it keeps it real and genuine, and they know that's how it works.
"I haven't gotten to do much principal stuff yet..." She replies, finishing her sandwich now, too, and adding, "But I'm going to be doing that after this."
He nods slowly, taking it in. "Well then, should I let you get to it or would you like me to sit and talk for a while? My next class isn't until 1:30, and then all I have after that is soccer tryouts. Then, I'll just wait for you..."
She tells him that she'd like him to stay for a little while longer before she has to work, that she just wants to talk to him for a little. She ends up getting on the subject of her parents again, and that's when Robin's smile brightens a little.
"I was going to wait to tell you until later, but now that you've brought it up I just can't wait any longer." He says, biting at his bottom lip, "Frank called me and said I get Roland this weekend, I get to pick him up at his pre-school on Friday." He gushes, almost dancing in his seat as he tells her the exciting news.
Reaching out for his hand, she smiles widely and squeezes it, nodding and saying, "I'm so happy for you, Robin. And I, for one, can't wait to see the little rascal. What time do we leave?"
"Four, if that's okay?"
"I can get my work done before...it's no problem." She says, thinking ahead on her work. "Is he excited?"
"He doesn't even know." Robin replies, still smiling widely and fiddling his fingers excitedly. "It'll be a complete surprise for him, and I'm so happy for that."
Her smile is big, happy, and proud of her boyfriend. "I'll see you later, Robin." She whispers, getting up and leaning over the desk to give him a quick peck on the lips.
He smiles, says his goodbyes, and tells her he'll be waiting for her by her office later.
..
…
The rest of Monday goes by quickly yet again. Tuesday and Wednesday both go by quicker than wanted, for Regina, but quick enough for Robin. He was overly ecstatic about his little boy coming back, but for some reason Regina just wasn't as happy. She couldn't figure out why, but she hates herself for not being as happy as he.
Understanding why or not, she knows she needs to be happier for Robin. By Thursday night, she thinks she's figured it out, she thinks she knows why.
She's sitting on the couch snuggled up to him, Henry has been in bed for about a half an hour. "Let me talk to Frank." She says again, completely out of the blue to him. "He needs to give you another chance. Everyone deserves a second chance, and you know that as well as I do."
He looks over at her, a saddened expression worn on his face again. "I thought we've already been through this?"
She nods, answering, "Yes." and "I'm not happy with the way it turned out last time. You need to stand up for yourself for what you want."
He sighs, arguing with her some more. She knows he wants his son with him, it's something he's desired forever. But she can't understand why he won't just ask, it isn't that hard. "I don't want you talking to him, I already told you that."
"Fine." She snaps, not wanting to argue. "Forget I said it."
The room is silent until he gets up and goes to bed, and she tells him she'll be there soon. She gets up and heads to the kitchen, to the spot on the counter where Robin lays his wallet, his keys, and most importantly – his phone.
Her breath is shaky, knowing she shouldn't be snooping but also knowing this is the only way to get anywhere. She takes his phone out, looking through his contacts for Roland's grandfather. Once she finds it, she puts it in her own phone and locks his phone back into its original state. She sighs, already feeling a little guilty but she has to remind herself that it's better in the long run.
..
...
Uh oh, naughty Regina...
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