A/N: I had this huge thing written out thanking outlawqueenluvr and especially thekrissymaddie (both on tumblr) for their help but FF decided to be a total meanie and post oddly. So if you're getting the story notification twice, you're not going crazy, FF is. Lol

Anyway, long story short, check my tumblr out at onceuponmakeup and drop me some (more detailed, please) reviews after the chapter on here. I really appreciate them!

And Merry Christmas!

..

...

Meet me the vending machine near ur office precisely 4. Running late and frank is mad.

That's the text Regina is staring down at in her office right now. She hates that he's running late, because she knows Frank already thinks he isn't doing a good job as a father and knows that Frank is not going to let this go by any means. They still have to travel three hours to meet him at the state line, even though his original plans were to drive all the way to Ybor City to get Roland. She knows he's upset, she knows he's just wanting to see his son, and she knows he needs to get out of this school.

But Regina had to make him do it, otherwise they'd both get fired. She had to make him finish his paperwork, and she tried to help but he insisted that he wasn't going to use her like that. She tried to tell him it wasn't using her, that she's just trying to help him out so Frank won't get mad, but he cut her short and said he needed to get started.

The board was on her, her, for something that Tamara was doing (or in this case, not doing). She had not given out the papers for each teacher to fill out, and that includes Regina, and now the board is getting onto the new principal. The new one. You know, the one that had nothing to do with it prior to this past Monday.

Nonetheless, she handed out the papers for everyone to fill out, including herself and unfortunately including Robin, all to be finished by the time she leaves the school. His is now the only one she's waiting for, so she decides to lock up her office after she gets her things, and will slide the papers under her door once he gives them to her. And then the waiting from 3:30 to 4:00 begins.

She's leaned against the vending machine, lightly tapping the back of her suede high heel into the side while scrolling down through her Twitter feed. She sees all the tweets from a family-friend's son, Peter, about how he's broken up with his girlfriend Wendy. Regina counts it in her head, and she's pretty sure that this is the third time they've "broken up". They never stay away from each other long, it's like it was destined for them to be together. Then she gets to the "mom" part of her feed, where she sees that the sorcerer's hat at Walt Disney World Hollywood Studios is being taken out. She retweets it to show Henry later, although she's sure he'll go on a rant about it for who knows how long.

A few tweets from clothing stores, a few new recipes she wants to try, and nothing from Robin. He's never on Twitter, she thinks to herself. She wonders why, but is pulled from her thoughts when she hears heavy and quick footsteps rushing along the hall. "Regina! I'm sorry I'm so late...Frank is so mad." He says, handing her the paperwork before she slips it under the door, giving it a strong push so it makes it all the way in.

She tries comforting him as they walk toward the front, out the doors. Telling him that Frank will get over himself, and that it's only a little time lost. About three hours, since Roland was supposed to be picked up by Robin at 4:00. But Robin argues, knowing that by the time they get home tonight, Roland will be asleep and they'll be getting to sleep too. She hates it for him, kicking herself for having to give that to him, but lets herself off the hook when she remembers it would've cost both of their jobs.

"He's already mad enough, I don't want to be even later." Robin states, pressing the car to go a hair faster than he was supposed to be going after Regina nips at him to slow down.

Her hand is reaching for the handle above her head, her other holding on her seatbelt tightly. "If you get us in a wreck – no, if you ever drive like this with Henry in the – no! You're never driving Henry in this car again!"

He rolls his eyes, assuring, "I never drive like this with children in the car."

"If I shit my pants does that mean I'm a child? Because I'm about to if – ROBIN!" She yells, holding even tighter and clenching up. Her eyes grow wide and she looks at him once he stops, "Did you not see that car stopping?!"

"Of course I saw it, I was just-"

"Oh, just going to fast? Yeah. Slow down."

..

…

Two stops, one meal, and many miles later, they're putting Roland's things in the car. Robin has already (very briefly) introduced Frank to Regina, and Regina to Frank. Briefly. Very, very briefly. Awkwardly is the word Regina uses on the way home.

But for now, she twists herself around to peek back at the backseat, "How has your first year of Pre-K been?" She asks, making small talk with the little kid.

His smile grows more and more the longer she pays attention to him, and she notices that quickly. From her experience, all kids love attention, but most kids get their fill of it soon. Roland absorbed it, babbling on about how he is happy he gets apple juice every morning when he arrives, how he loves craft time, and how he doesn't like the kids there. That's when her speculations of how much time his grandparents spend with him starts floating around in her tight mind.

Puckering her lips and furrowing her perfectly trimmed brows, she asks, "Well, why don't you like them?"

"They aren't very nice to me." Is his reply with his head down, looking at the little plastic toy in his hands.

Four year olds aren't very vocal about their problems such as bullying, but Regina can tell it's a sore subject to him so she tries avoiding it with just one more question, "Did you tell Grandpa?"

His nod is sad before he answers, "Yes, I did. He said I needed to stop complaining." And that's the end of that.

Regina's heart sinks and Robin's eyes snap up to the rear view mirror to look at his son. Sighing, the couple looks at each other, knowing in both of their minds that they can't do anything about it. No one would believe them.

It's already 8:30, completely dark, and they are still an hour and a half away from their apartment. Regina looks at him in the back seat and smirks, stating, "He's zonked."

"I know, he has been for about fifteen minutes." He replies quietly, a small smile gracing his lips as his eyes drift to the mirror again. "I hope Frank doesn't hurt him."

She sighs, thinking the same thing. "I know it's none of my business, but...Robin you have to do something. I've had a lot of experience with kids before working for the school. I know what they do to avoid straight-out telling you." She explains, looking him softly in the eyes and silently letting him know that she's right. (Like usual...let's face it.)

His Adam's apple bobs hard like it does when he gets nervous or worried, his hands get fidgety on the steering wheel and one swooshes up to rub through his hair. Clearing his throat, he answers, "I don't know how to get custody."

"I do." Regina inserts quickly, "I told you I can get good lawyers, I know friends of my parents who would help me whenever. Please, Robin...just let me help you for once." She almost begs, taking his hand across the console and entwining her fingers in his, her thumb rubbing over his knuckle.

She knows, because that happened to Henry once. He was young, about five. He'd just start kindergarten, it was around Christmas time. They were baking cookies and he got on the topic of school, and somehow Regina had figured out (through twisted around words and hidden little hints) that an older boy had been stealing his lunches, and Henry had to go the whole day without food after breakfast and before dinner. It wasn't the extent that Roland is wanting to describe, but it's the same concept.

"Child abuse is nothing to mess around with."

Robin shakes his head, keeping his eyes on the road. "But what if he's not abused? What if Frank is just hard on him?"

"I don't think that's what's going on here, Robin. I really, really don't." She whispers, looking ahead at the dark road in front of them.

The truth, it was motherly instinct. He may not biologically be hers, but she knows enough about kids and she's seen so many of them and been around so many. She knows.

There's a moment of silence, just the tires humming against the asphalt and Roland's soft little snores from the backseat. "Okay. We'll call a lawyer Monday."

"I thought he got the whole week?"

"No, Frank changed his mind." Robin replies in a saddened tone of voice, loosening the grip on her hand slightly.

..

…

Mommy! is the first thing she hears the next morning, her son's voice ringing through her ears to wake her up. Then a screaming Daddy! is coming down the halls and into the bedroom.

It's an awakening, but neither of them can honestly call it a rude one. Both of their boys are jumping into their bed, laughing and giggling as they snuggle in between each of their parents. They'd both call that a better alarm than that nasty old plastic one (that they would both like to hit on some mornings...straight onto the ground).

Roland's hair is most certainly tickling Robin's chin, and Regina laughs when it gets stuck in his scruff. Her arms are wrapped around Henry and a smile is slabbed across her face, loving that both of their boys are here at the same time finally. Roland is already babbling on about something (at 7:45 in the morning...) and Regina is thinking she's going to need extra coffee from the late night last night and from the early morning. She's not really comprehending what exactly he's saying, but she's hoping Robin is since her mind is elsewhere. The same place it'd been before she went to sleep last night.

She's deciding whether she should get in touch with Mr. Gold, her lawyer, before or after Roland leaves. Mr. Gold is a longtime friend of hers. The reason they had to meet wasn't so fortunate, and she's not sure if he ruined her life or made it better.

Her mind is becoming slightly less foggy as she starts hearing Robin and Roland's conversation about breakfast and it's making her hungry. "I think I'll go make some of that, then." She states as she shimmies out of the bed, talking about the eggs and bacon that they were drooling over. Roland got his father's stomach, if nothing else.

Regina doesn't call herself to be a sentimental person. (Even though Robin said it many times while helping her pack up her apartment, and taking out all of the pictures and things Henry had made when he was little. Regina would snap back every time saying that it was all just important to her, but Robin would stop the argument even though he knew he was right. She's sentimental). She may hold on to a few things her and there, but sentimental? Not that bad...even if Robin says otherwise. But as she's thinking about Gold and her childhood, about Henry and his childhood...she realizes how lucky Henry has had it compared to her. Gold was a friend of her and her father's, but she didn't want to let Robin know she'd been abused. She didn't want to go into the story about how Richard Gold helped her out of her get through high school without killing herself. Those were dark days for her – days that unfortunately are always and always will be engraved in the back of her mind.

Instead of getting right on breakfast, she's digging around in her phone book for Mr. Gold's number. She finds it, writes it on another piece of paper so she won't need to get her phone book again, and starts on the breakfast.

Eggs sear in the pan after the bacon, giving them a greasy and...bacony...taste. (Bacony? Why not. She's a literature teacher, she can make up her own words.) That smell fills the air and soon enough, Henry is trotting into the kitchen and gluing to her side, making her lose her balance and chuckle a little. "Silly." She coos as she's taking the egg shells to throw away.

He lifts the garbage can lid for her, helpful as usual. His smile is everlasting it seems as she cooks the meal, and she starts to wonder why. Wonder what he's up to, exactly. Once she asks, his answer is simple, "You finally gave me the sibling I always wanted, mom." before his little arms wrap around her midsection, pulling himself in for a hug.

She grunts a little at the sudden squeeze, smiling once she gets over the initial shock. "Roland, you mean?"

He nods, explains that he loves his little brother, and it makes Regina's heart completely melt. Roland isn't technically his brother, but she's glad that Henry is at least getting along with him great.

At the end of their short-lived conversation, Roland is coming into the kitchen and Henry runs off with him out the door and into the small little play-park about fifty feet away, both of them giggling up a storm and already yelling tag! You're it! - although she can't tell which one is saying it.

Then the next pair of feet come padding through the carpeted room and into the one with tile, walking until their toes touch her heels, and until arms are around her ribs. She cranes her neck back slightly to rub her cheek against his, "Good morning, my dear." She coos, scrambling this egg for Henry.

His smile is big, everlasting like Henry's as he answers, "Good morning to you, lovely. How did you sleep?"

"Wonderful, actually." Is her answer as she puts the last egg on the last plate, placing it neatly.

A kiss is pressed against the back of her still messy hair as his arms slide off of her, "I'm glad to hear that. You know today is officially one week since you've lived here, correct?"

"Correct." She answers, smiling as she turns around with the plates stacked in her arms. Robin helps her with two of them and sets them on the small table. She groans a little as the plates just don't have enough room in this small little area, "Now is a good time to bring up the request for a new and more family oriented table."

He nods in agreement (or at least she's hoping it's in agreement. Maybe it's only in agreement to bring up the request?), "This one doesn't exactly fit us all, does it?"

She tells him no, it doesn't, and that especially when Roland comes over it makes it harder to have nicer meals. He tells her that they can go shopping whenever they both have time, and she hopelessly thinks that they may never get time. They're always busy.

"I'm going to call Gold today, hopefully we'll get some answers on getting Roland back." She tells him, making the room get a heavy silence for a moment before he calls Roland and Henry back in for breakfast, looks back at her with a soft expression, and nods.

"Okay."

..

…

Richard Gold is one person Regina would never choose to talk to unless there was a reason. And this was one of those reasons, and she hates having to do it as she's dialing his number.

It rings four times, she begins to think he won't pick up. Her neck cranes to look at the small clock that's on the wall – it's already 11:30, she knows he's awake, she knows he's eaten breakfast (or at least if he hasn't, he surely isn't eating right now). The smug bastard isn't answering, and it's making her blood boil more and more as she sits there and listens to the ring back tone.

Finally, as the voicemail is about to pick up, he answers. "Regina, what a lovely surprise."

She looks back down at her phone, which isn't her phone at all, it's Robin's house phone, "How did you know it was me?" She asks, her voice slightly shaky since she's been caught off guard like this.

His subtle, eerie laugh sends a chill through her and down her spine, "Caller ID, I know you're with Mr. Locksley."

And now she's wondering how he knows, but he has eyes everywhere. She tries to shake it off, takes a deep breath, and clutches the phone a little tighter. "I'm calling to ask-"

"A favor. Yes, I didn't suppose it was to wish me a happy belated Labor Day."

Her brows furrow, her lips part, and she's slightly irritated again by his sarcastic remarks. Nonetheless, he's the one person that can help Robin get Roland back, so she won't make enemies out of him this time.

She tells him why she's called, tells him that her Mr. Locksley is in need of a child custody case against his father-in-law, and Gold tells her that it may be easier since Frank isn't immediate family. She hopes that he's right, more than anything she wants Robin to have his son back.

"I'm going to be in the Atlanta area this week, in your luck, and I can set up an appointment at Glenn's Kitchen, downtown in the Glenn Hotel. Bring multiple proof of financial stability, pictures of his family members, and of course, Robin." He explains, and she can tell from the sound of his voice that he's almost been expecting her to come to him for help.

He's always given her an eerie feeling, even though, for many years, he was much like a father figure to her. He would pick her up after school some days in the Big Apple and take her to his office. He never scared her, not in the way that he would harm her, but she felt like he was always watching her. Felt like he had eyes and ears everywhere, and knowing his reputation? He just might.

Nonetheless, he is probably to thank for keeping her out of trouble in her high school days, giving her little office-jobs to do while she waited for her father to get off of work at the office just down the street. He's a lawyer as well, but just a DA. He represents the interests of the general public, including crime victims, proceedings against people accused of committing crimes. Things like that.

She feels like she owes him sometimes, he's never complained about having her around, he taught her a few logistical things in law and just in life. Yet, he's got such an arrogant attitude that it's hard to give him much.

"Alright, we'll meet you on Tuesday after we both get off, so about 4:00." She explains, clearing her throat and writing this all down in her planner. September 23rd already? "We take Roland home on Monday, and Robin shouldn't have any plans."

He replies telling her that it's fine with him, that he'll see her and all of their information needed, and he's looking forward to working with her again. There's that chill.

Though Senator Mills has her father's last name, she isn't married to him. Cora divorced Henry Sr. when Regina was fifteen (maybe another reason she'd gotten closer to Gold in those years), accusing Henry of being too attached to her. Something Regina never got was that – how can you be too attached to your children's father? Especially after Henry was born and Daniel died, she never understood how her mother could divorce her father unless she never truly loved him in the first place.

Needless to say, that's how Gold and Regina originally met. He was Henry Sr.'s child custody lawyer, then, winning him Zee, but not Regina. In the back of her mind, she's always wondered if Gold had felt guilty for letting Regina go back to Cora – making her, actually. Maybe that's why he spent more time with her. She'll never know, because she's never gathered up the courage to ask.

After they say their goodbyes, Regina tells Robin the news in a code to avoid telling Roland and Henry what exactly is going on as the older man is being dog-piled by the two children. She knows she'll have to explain it to him again, later, but also doesn't want to tear him away from spending time with his son.

Instead, she laughs and sets her planner on the table, "Dog-piles...looks more like a load of poop to me."

Henry's laugh emerges from the middle of this human hill, "Mom!" He exclaims, half-choking from the light weight of Roland on top of him and continuing, "That's your son you're talking to!"

Robin is groaning, he's faking being strained for the enjoyment and entertainment of the children, saying, "Help me, Regina..." and sticking a shaky hand out for her.

Rolling her eyes at such childishness, she walks over and starts to reach out for his hand, but he pulls her down into the rest of them. She's caught off-guard for the second time today, but this time gravity is defying her and she falls down stomach first onto Robin's head. "I suppose I should've expected that." She says from the top, Roland's legs squirming underneath her to get out.

..

…

Their Saturday had gone by in a whirl, and Sunday morning was just as Saturday's had been. The hustle and bustle of having two young boys in the apartment, making breakfast, fitting them at the table that's too small. But it all was just a piece to the puzzle, one more memory to add into their lives. Even if Regina doesn't realize that right now, right as her egg has fallen on the ground in front of the oven.

It sets her into this odd, emotional rampage, and she blames it on her whole womanly thing. She hates when she gets like this, especially if she gets snippy with Henry, or in this case even Roland, for no reason. No reason that they'll know, at least.

Robin had noticed this, though, and was immediately in the kitchen helping her clean the egg off of the floor. He's trying to make funny little jokes such as, You know, when we first met, I probably would've still eaten this though it fell on the floor. Would've called it the five-second rule and Awww, look! It's sunny side up! All attempts to make her laugh, and almost all of them working, too.

She sometimes doesn't like when he makes her laugh. Sometimes she just wants to be mad, but he always makes it so damn hard. And because he makes it hard to stay mad, her day is all smiles and laughs with her boys that she cares so much for, more games and food.

The night ends well with a reading session to Henry and Roland from Kingdom Keepers III: Disney in Shadow, and tucking Roland in with Robin, and tucking Henry in with Robin listening from the door way.

Monday morning, though, she's waking up in a heavy sweat from last night's dream.

It was them, all of them, Robin, Regina, Henry and Roland, and they were in a hospital. Regina couldn't figure out why until she was in pain, and then soon after she realized that she was pregnant. Being only a dream, it went on to show that they'd had a healthy baby girl.

Why the sweat? She wonders the same thing as she's taking her morning shower to get ready for the day at work, shampooing and rubbing her scalp carefully to try and rub that dream right out of her head.

Her possible explanations for the uneasy feeling over the dream were slim; one being that it felt too natural, that it felt like it really could be real. Two maybe being that her body was going through all of that pain in the dream, and maybe it had thought it was a real thing and she'd gotten sweated up because of that. She really doesn't know, but she knows it felt too real.

Most of the work day, the feeling hangs over her and bothers her until about lunch time when she gets to talk to Robin in a casual setting, no family things, just them. It makes her feel better, makes that haze pass, and lets her focus on her work better throughout the remainder of the day.

..

…

She's still tired from the drive last night, both of them are as they're dragging themselves out of bed and starting their daily morning routines to prepare themselves for a Tuesday of work.

After she exits the bathroom, she pads over to the closet where her clothes are still halfway packed away, the ones out are the ones she wears to work the most. Just a few outfits hanging up, a royal blue dress with a bit more cleavage than she likes, but knows Robin likes, a black pantsuit, a dark purple skirt...it's all starting to get used to their new home in his closet. Their closet.

But while she's half-asleep, still tripping over a box and stubbing her pinky toe on the corner, she's spewing cuss words like they're nothing (and also in the back of her mind, she's telling herself that she's glad Henry can't hear her from in here).

After her little episode in the closet, her day goes about normally. She makes sure to scoop the information up that Gold had asked for on the phone, luckily remembering that she's to meet him tonight. Keys, purse, phone, banana for breakfast, and they're off with Henry in the backseat of her SUV.

Robin has complained two more times about having to drive her SUV instead of his Mustang, but she reminds him that it's more convenient (even though his car gets better gas mileage. Still, she has to draw the line somewhere). But she's pretty sure that after the time of Henry saying When I drive, I want to go as fast as you to him that he's realized maybe the Mustang isn't such a good idea.

Once Henry is off to school, Regina is watching him in the side mirror as they drive out of the parking lot. For some reason, her mind wanders off to his first day of Kindergarten when she was almost in tears because he was so eager to go. It made her feel like maybe she wasn't being the mother she should've been to him since she's had to work so much just to keep their lives in order.

After all, before she got the job with the school, it was just little odd-jobs and seasonal things. She had a kiosk in the mall that she would open with Emma and sell holiday things around the Christmas season, she would have extra hours at the restaurant as a waitress during Thanksgiving, and she was a daycare worker in the summer time. Anything and everything just to get by – all for her son.

All she's ever wanted in the last ten years is for her son to be happy, for him to have a good life – one that didn't involve the pain of splitting parents (which he has in a way, anyway), one that doesn't involve struggling to get by (something she's never known, either, as a child), and one that doesn't involve a cold shoulder from his mother. Not likes her did, not like Cora.

His voice pulls her away from the mirror as he says her name, making her turn her body forward and look to him in the driver's seat. She waits for him to say something else, but he doesn't. She wonders why he pulled her away from those memories, wondering if there was some reason or just because he wanted to look at her. And she kind of likes to think the latter.

"Today is the first day of getting your son back, Robin." She coos, smiling warmly at him and making the whole car seem to warm up just from that. He nods, doesn't say anything more, and she purses her lips to the side, "You're happy about this, right?"

His answer is immediate, like he had been thinking about it for a while. "Of course I am. I'm ecstatic to have the little rascal in my life 24/7. He's like a mini-me."

Smiling, she nods and answers, "He is. But I don't know where he gets the curls from, because I just don't see you having curls, and from the pictures I've seen of Marian...she just doesn't have a curly hair on her head."

He chuckles, nodding, "I don't know. I guess the same reason some kids end up with blue eyes and their parents both have brown." and turning into the school's parking lot, "Just a rebellious gene in his DNA, I suppose."

Regina's brow flicks upward, unbuckling her seatbelt as he pulls into her spot, "Well, you know what they say about the 'rebellious genes'," She says with half-done air quotes, "Mommy's been in someone else's bed..."

He rolls his eyes, turns the car off, and gets out, "I don't think so. We did a test, making absolute sure that Roland was mine. And he most definitely came from me." He says proudly, sticking the keys in his pocket.

Regina gives him a reprimanding look and takes them from his back pocket, saying, "After you telling me you've had to buy two extra sets of keys for your car, I don't want you losing mine." and placing them in her purse. Robin groans, but secretly he knows she's right, so he doesn't argue.

..

…

It's warm out still, even in the evening time of 4:00. They're slightly early, but they wanted to make sure they wouldn't get lost. Neither of them have ever been to Glenn's Hotel, nor would they ever have the need to. Robin is the only one in the relationship to possibly have enough money to stay here, even if he ever wanted to for any reason.

The room is mostly empty, a few older couples scattered among some of the tables in the little cafe style restaurant. It smells of fried food, but not in a greasy, carnival way. The lighting is dim, the setting is nice, and Regina is glad she didn't change out of her principal clothing, otherwise she would feel slightly out of place in the higher end eatery.

She presses the button on her phone, making the screen illuminate and show that it's 3:55, "He's never late, and he'll most likely be right on time." She announces to Robin, who is sitting next to her and rubbing his sweaty palms together, subconsciously rocking back and forth a little and making the booth squeak.

It's one of those set-ups that's against the wall, a booth running along the outer stone structure and a table separating the chairs on the other side. They've decided to take the booth, leaving the chair side for Gold. No certain reason, but that's where Regina went first and Robin followed.

Robin replies, "Right." and stops rocking, taking a deep breath when her hand touches his. "Sorry, I'm a little nervous."

"Why?" is her next question, and he explains that it's only because it's the first real step to him actually being a father to his boy.

She understands, wishing they had enough time for her to tell him when she found out she was pregnant with Henry, knowing inwardly that it would help calm him down a little. At this point, she's afraid he may try to speak to Gold and spew his lunch instead of talk. So she simply makes small-talk, orders two waters when the waitress comes around, and holds his hand. It's all she can do.

Gold walks in only minutes later, 3:59. Her smirk is only in her head until she sees how he's let himself go, and it makes her shudder a little bit. He's walking with a cane now, a limp is slightly visible, and when he gives a small, cold smile to a waitress she sees a gold cap on his tooth making a shiny appearance.

Shifting in her seat a little, Robin sees what she's looking at, "Is that him?" He whispers to her, not taking his eyes off of the man.

A nod and a sniffle later, she replies, "Yes, he looks a lot worse than he did ten years ago." She whispers back to him, not taking her eyes off either.

Gold sees the couple staring at him, turns his body their way, and limps over to take a seat in the vacant chair. "Good afternoon." He greets, setting a binder down on the table and a briefcase onto the floor that she didn't seem to notice before (she must've been too focused on how bad he looks). He props his cane against the table, opens his binder, and immediately starts to get to business.

She watches as he works his way through some pages, wondering what he's doing. His hands have an old look to them, they don't shake, but she thinks it won't be long before they start. He must be in his sixties now, and she finally decides she must've just forgotten how old he really is. The way she feels slightly offended that he didn't even greet her like a friend (like she sees him) makes her feel uncomfortable, makes her feel like she shouldn't have given him so much credit.

"How long have you two known each other?" He speaks up, still not looking up from his pages.

She answers a month, tells him that he moved here from around Tampa, Florida. He asks what he did there, and Regina realizes she doesn't know what he did. So she lets Robin talk, who should've been talking and answering the imp's questions all this time.

He perks up, rubbing his hands together again as he leans closer toward the table, "I was a lifeguard at a community recreational center in the summer, and I worked in a bar the rest of the time."

That's why he was so tan when he first came here, because he had worked at a pool all summer. She suddenly feels a twinge of guilt in her stomach for never asking what he did when he was in Tampa (other than bartending, which she'd already known, and she doesn't even know why she hasn't asked.

Gold's nod is subtle as he finally looks up, immediately meeting her eyes. It makes her want to jump, makes her skin want to crawl. Why? He's never done anything directly to her. Robin must sense her nerves, though, because one hand slips from his lap and onto her in a gentle manner. "I see. Where are your financial reports?" He asks, switching back and forth between her eyes and his.

Regina unfreezes from her little shock, looking down into her purse and digging through to find the paper reports from the last two months of his paychecks. "It's all there. He's eligible for a raise beginning in 2015 due to his outstanding football season, and if the board approves it he'll make approximately one-hundred dollars extra a month." She explains, handing the papers over to her old friend. Her old friend, the one who no longer seems to remember the days she spent helping him.

Nodding, he takes them and reads over them, his eyes scanning over the words and stopping at important parts. "And yours, Regina?"

Again, she digs through her purse. She knows that it's not required in court for her to have hers, because technically she wouldn't be a legal guardian, but she also knew Gold would want to see them anyway. If nothing else, just to be nosey. So she brings them out in the light, scoots them across the table nervously to him, and says, "My pay will raise next month, too. I recently got promoted to principal."

With that, his brow raises but he never looks up. She wonders what she's just said to get him so curious. "How did you manage that, dearie?"

Immediately, she thinks back to when she was fifteen. To when her parents' divorce was final. To when she was looking through their files secretly (because she wasn't supposed to be digging through files like that), and to when she saw that Henry Sr. had admitted to Cora sleeping with the governor of New York to get him to help with her campaign. She lost that year, but the next term she ran and she won.

Again, she's shifting in her booth and it squeaks slightly. They're interrupted before she can say anything by the waitress, bringing three glasses of water instead of two. She disperses them, asks if they'd like anything to eat, and Gold orders the Charcuterie for all of them, tells them it's his treat. Maybe he does remember the years she helped him out. She looks at the menu, sees it consists of Artisan cheeses and cured meats, among other things.

She acts like she's forgotten to answer his question of how she got to be principal, knowing it was a poke toward her being the daughter of Cora Mills. She uncomfortably ignores it, and brings out the pictures she's brought of his family.

She shows the picture of Frank and Melinda, his wife, to Gold. He studies over them, and his voice plays in her mind. I always like to learn my subjects by studying their faces. Their smiles show everything about them, whether they've lied through their teeth or whether they can chew through wires. Maybe that's why he has the gold cap – too much lying.

He clears his throat and straightens up, seeming stiff and uncomfortable in the chair before stating, "Italian." and setting the pictures down.

Robin has a confused expression, looking at Regina before back at Gold to ask, "Italian? Yes, they're Italian. What does that mean?"

His smile is crooked when he looks up at Regina, then over to Robin, "Italians are good liars; loud, annoying, and cheaters." He replies.

Robin, having grown up in England, knows that Italians are not always well-liked among some people – and Gold must be one of those people. Robin knows Frank little, but he does know he's loud and annoying. He doesn't know about the cheating, at least not that he's told Regina. But Regina also knows that's yet another poke to her mother, and she wonders if she's somehow messed into Gold's life again.

Robin doesn't answer, he never says much throughout the whole event unless asked to speak. "I suppose you're healthy, correct, Mr. Locksley?"

With that, he nods. "My last exam was in July before I moved to Atlanta." He replies, then letting him know that everything was fine.

Gold looks between them again, "I know it's a little early to ask, but the court will be asking me otherwise. I don't want to be clueless on the situation, so...what are your future plans?"

Then they look at each other. Both of their expressions are soft, both of them are somewhat confused and mostly baffled. They've never really talked about it. Sure, they've both dropped little, subtle hints here and there about their future, about marriage and kids. But never have they actually sat down, had a good talk about it, and known where they stand on that subject.

The man must sense it, because he takes a deep breath before standing up and grabbing his things, the copies of the pictures Regina had given him, and taking one last sip of his water, "I can see you two aren't exactly on one page on this subject. You need to get that together before our next meeting, because I'm setting a court date before Thanksgiving." He announces, bending over to grab his briefcase and turning to walk out of the restaurant after he leaves money for the bill.

Regina's lips are still parted, her heart pounding inside her chest. He is about to speak, but she stops him with a firm hand on his thigh, "Robin – I don't want to talk about this here. We've only been dating a month."

A sigh comes through his lips, and she wonders if she's disappointed him.

"Let's go home..." She whispers, ready to just relax after making dinner for her boys and picking Henry up from Emma's. Maybe some red wine, maybe a bubble bath, and maybe, maybe a long talk with Robin.

But it's only been a month. One month of even talking. One month of kissing, hugging, learning each other, loving...one month. It feels like her whole world is spinning just from that question, and he doesn't even seem phased by it. Why isn't he phased?

Sometimes it's so frustrating how he is so overly calm about things, but then gets nervous over things such as when shopping carts get left around his car. When it comes to scary, life things...he's hardly even noticed.

He must feel the tension being given from her, because he's reaching for her hand as soon as they walk into their bedroom Tuesday night. "Regina, talk to me, lovely. Something is going on." He pries, running his hands through her silky-soft hair and over her cheek.

Her head tilts slightly, sort of not wanting to talk about this anymore. She's thought about it, sat on it, and now maybe it's not making her so jittery. It shouldn't anyway, she thinks. Before she speaks, she clears her throat and continues on, "It's just...we've been dating a month. A little bit over, right?" She asks rhetorically, and he nods thankfully, "And when people start asking about futures so quickly, it just...it makes me nervous for some reason. A reason I really can't explain, but it's in the pit of my stomach and it shakes me around until I'm all worked up." She explains, holding his free hand.

"I'm not wanting to rush anything." He says, staying calm and cool like usual. And it's making her irritated already.

She turns out of his hold, leaving him baffled to sit on the bed, "I don't get how you're so calm about it. Is our future not all that important to you?" She asks, suddenly getting hit with a bad case of déjà vu back to their first real fight, back to when she wasn't sure if she was wasting her time with him or not. "I don't want to be here if all I am is a ticket to nights in bed with a faithful woman I-"

"You deserve more than that." He replies genuinely, "That's why I wouldn't do such a thing. I told you back then, lovely, that I was in it with you for as long as it plays out. I really love you; I wouldn't have asked you to move in if I didn't. And I just – I just...I feel at home with you. As though my heart literally just lies in yours, and it's really home. The past week you've lived here has given me the best memories I've ever had in this apartment. Playing Monopoly with Henry, reading and helping with homework. All of it, and I don't want to lose it just because someone asked about our future." He states, looking into her eyes as he stands against her knees, now, instead of on the other side of the room.

That night is playing back in her mind when they first fought, still stuck on repeat are the words: I asked you out because I wanted to get to know you. And here you are, knowing more about me than I really wanted to tell. And I'm ashamed of my past...

Again, he's managed to make her feel small, tiny, and she manages to speak out, "And your thoughts on that are?"

"On our future?" He asks, and she nods.

And by the way...I want to be more than just teacher friends.

His rumble is low in his chest as he clears his throat, sitting down beside her. "We've only been together a month. It feels like I've known you so much longer, but in reality...we haven't known each other long at all. As of right now? I want a life with you, Regina." He whispers, low enough to make goosebumps rise on her arms, continues, "And I think as long as we keep what we have going, we will have a life together. It's all about timing, and...fate just works it's way out." then rubs the goosebumps down for a little while they both think about what was just said.

He perks up again, remembering something he must've left out, "Right now, I can't see us anywhere but together in a year. Maybe engaged, maybe something twisty happened, but I still see us together."

And it finally makes her frown lighten up into a smile, just barely, still. He hasn't completely won that prize. "So when the court asks-"

"We're together, and plan on being that way for a long while."

Her nod loosens her stiff body up, stifling an Okay and situating herself onto her side of their bed, pulling the covers up, turning the light off, and going to sleep soon after.