Hi, everyone! I must say, I wasn't going to continue this - I had planned it as a OneShot, but since there are a few who want to read more, I've decided to go on and add some chapters! A special thank you to Alexia for the encouragement (luv ya, girl) - Sorry for the delay, but there was the CTP week and the spring premiere (how amazing was it? I have yet to stop crying, Lana killed it!) ... but enjoy the new bit! And thank you for all your reviews!

By Chivalries as tiny

By Chivalries as tiny,
A Blossom, or a Book,
The seeds of smiles are planted —
Which blossom in the dark.

"Regina Mills, is that a hickey on your neck?"

Regina blushed slightly, but managed to keep a straight face. "I have no idea of what you're talking about" she lifted her chin, a smile starting to emerge.

Mal lifted her eyebrows and smirked knowingly, "If you're not willing to talk, I'll force you, you know that" and she started to pull her suitcase towards the exit.

She followed her, the smile she was trying to hide now wide on her face. "You know, Gold has just phoned me… he has scheduled a meeting for today at six"

"You tell Gold to go and jump off a bridge" scoffed Mal. Regina knew there was some bad blood between the two of them – Duff Gold was not a man ready to tolerate well Mal's overpowering temper, but he had to keep her quiet. She probably was one of the best lawyers in Boston, their entire office had given her a well-justified nickname – the Dragon – even if, one day, Regina had heard two secretaries talk about her as "that scary dragon bitch". She hadn't told Mal, though. No doubt the girls' head would have been immediately flambéed.

"Oh come on, I know you have a soft spot for him, deep down," she mocked her, eager to keep the discussion miles away from her dating life.

"Yes, deep down, three feet underground, my darling" she answered, and they stopped a cab, heading for Venice.

§§§

"Okay, lover girl," Mal attacked, lighting her cigarette, "Now talk".

They were sitting outside of a restaurant, two cheesy pizzas in front of them, and the blue lagoon was shining under the mid day's sun. Regina felt a sudden heat behind her neck and, this time, she visibly blushed, but didn't speak.

"Oh, my god" Mal leaned towards her, scrutinizing her face. "You're smitten!"

"I'm not!"

"You're blushing" she said, as a matter of fact. She inhaled the smoke, relaxing on her chair. "Come on, Regina, what happened?"

"Well…" she started, biting her lip. "I've met someone"

"In New York?" asked Mal – now that Regina was speaking, she started to eat, and took a morsel of pizza.

"In Venice" she confessed, and her friend nearly choked on her bite.

"What?" she coughed, taking a sip of water. "You arrived yesterday"

"It happened yesterday" she confirmed, trying to keep a certain composure.

"You shady lady," Mal smiled widely. "I wouldn't have bet a cent on it"

"Well thank you, Mal," she answered, offended.

"Oh come on, you know what I meant," she said in a softer tone. "I'm happy for you, it was… about time"

"Yes, it was," she diverted her gaze and fixed it on the sea. Mal smoked quietly for a minute, letting her think of Daniel, as she always did when she had The Look – as Emma called it.

"So" her friend shook her from her thoughts. "How was the sex?"

"The… the what?" she snapped her head towards Mal.

"You know, last night, Venice, you, a hot man, how was the sex?"

"We didn't have sex" she shrugged.

"I don't believe you" Mal stated. "I've seen the signs, remember?"

"He says we're taking it slowly" Regina smiled, and she thought of that last kiss on the bridge, his hands between her hair, his lips…

"You got a romantic!" Mal clapped her hands and looked at her, "How sweet!"

"Shut up" she bit back. "He's nice"

"Only nice?"

"Okay, he's hot," she admitted.

"Even better," said Mal, sipping her wine. "But you haven't told me how you've met him"

"Well… it's a strange tale" she replied. "We exchanged suitcases at the airport… and when I opened it, I was a bit shocked, because it was a mess… then he called me, to invite me for dinner… and he brought me ice cream" she smiled.

"You're completely smitten" smirked Mal, triumphantly.

"I'm not that kind of person" she bit back.

"Yeah, sure" nodded the blonde. She let out a string of smoke, and Regina raised her eyebrow. A seagull flew right above them and she left Mal's amused eyes to watch it – gliding towards the ground and then lifting again in a graceful movement.

"And when are you seeing him again?"

Regina lifted a hand to her neck and rubbed it absent-mindedly. "Aehm… in half an hour, to be honest"

"I can't wait to meet him, my darling" the grin on Mal's face was growing wider every minute. Regina could imagine why. Emma, Mal and Mary Margaret had formed a sort of support team after Daniel's death, making sure Regina didn't shut herself out from the world, making her feel loved and not alone. They had tried to force her to go to a blind date – but she had always told them she wasn't ready. She had seen their concerned faces, she had to bear a thousand of hope speeches from Mary Margaret, gift-boxes with red lingerie on the inside from Emma and hangovers with Mal, but she just couldn't bring herself to face the possibility of having another chance.

"I'd love for you to meet him, Mal," she sighed. "But please, not today, I don't want you to scare him yet," she made sure to add a smile, and her friend laughed.

"Oh, I'll have to wait to play the bad cop, then" she said. "But I'm wondering why you are here and not in your room, getting ready"

Regina rolled her eyes, but she took her purse and lifted from her chair. "I'm going, boss" she scoffed. "I'll see you at six"

"Can't wait to see Gold again" Mal said with a devilish smile.

She smirked and patted her shoulder by passing her, "Be good," she told her, and Mal protested, "I always am!"

§§§

He was waiting for her outside her hotel, one arm behind his back, a wide smile when she exited the glass door. She approached to him and he extended the hidden hand, showing a blue rose. "Good morning, beautiful," he greeted.

She accepted it with a curtsy, "Thank you," she smiled, lifting it to her nose and aspiring the fragrance. "I have to say that I'm rather impressed" she said.

He tilted his head, "Because I brought you a rose?"

"Because it has a… original color" she explained, and he smiled again.

"We had an original first meeting, after all…" he answered. "And I like to think that red roses are for common women"

She leaned closer, a sharp thorn pressing slightly on her finger. "I'm not a common woman?"

"I'd say you're unique" he answered, and got closer to peck her lips. She smiled, returning the kiss – she liked that kind of domesticity, and he brought up a hand to stroke her cheek.

"So… what do you want to do?" she asked, their forehead still touching.

"I want to show you a place" he answered. He took her hand and they parted from their closeness, starting to walk down the sidewalk.

"You know, you should be flattered," she said after a bit. "Generally, I don't like surprises"

"Why's that?" he asked.

"I find them threatening" she smiled. "And yet, it's the second time in a few hours that I let you surprise me"

"Oh, now I feel the pressure" he joked. "I guess that's because you trust me?"

"Well," she turned to glance at him, "I don't know why, but yes"

He laced their fingers as he had done the night before, and she felt a sudden beauty in all of this – being hand in hand with a man she liked, a blue rose on the other hand, and feeling carefree for some time.

"This is, frankly, quite flattering" he agreed. "Anyway, it occurred to me that I know quite a lot about your private world… your godson, Emma, your husband…"

"Fiancé" she interrupted him. "We've never had the chance to marry"

He stayed silent, and she looked at the sky, bright blue, almost painful to watch.

"And?" she urged him to go on.

"And I don't know almost anything about you" he resumed. "Your job, the things you do during your free time, your other friends…"

"You want us to play at twenty questions?" she smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder. She wasn't wearing her heels – the height difference was quite sweet, so she had opted for her only pair of flat boots.

"Maybe later," he smirked. "Because we are arrived"

He stopped, and she lifted her eyes, taking in the scene. In front of them, there was a church, glowing under the winter sun – white walls that went up, and up, culminating in a huge, round dome. Tall columns surrounded the door, statues peeking from the central segment of the height. Sumptuous spirals and marble leaves framed the statues and the windows.

"So?" he asked, Regina was still speechless.

"It's beautiful" she whispered. "I haven't seen much of Venice, apart from the square and some bridges"

"Well, this is a deconsecrated church. A place the tourists don't know" he smiled.

"And how come that you know it?" she asked, without diverting her gaze from the church.

"I lived here for two years, when I was studying" he explained.

"We absolutely have to play at twenty questions as soon as possible" she said, "I don't even know what you do for living"

"I'm an architect" he answered. "What about you?"

"A lawyer" she said. "Actually," she added, as they started walking towards the church, "I have a meeting with the others at six… I'm sorry, I should have told you"

"No problem" he affirmed. "What kind of boss schedules a meeting at six on a Saturday night?"

"Don't make me think about that" she rolled her eyes, "he arrives in Venice today at five, one would think he needs some time to recover from the jet lag, but no, he practically doesn't sleep"

Robin looked at her, scrutinizing her face. "Does he force you all to stay up late?"

"Most of the times" she shrugged. "But nothing that a cup of coffee can't fix"

He had a hard look on his eyes. "I hope so" he said. She couldn't really read his expression… was it… concern? He was worried… about her? She felt a long forgotten, warm feeling spread on her chest – she wasn't used to have someone who cared…

"Okay, time to show you this masterpiece," he said, and he pushed the wooden door of the church. She turned, and she was hit by a wave of unfamiliar smell… incense.

He followed her inside, placing a hand on her back, and they walked towards the first line of benches. They sat, and she looked around. The ceiling was high – she could see the inside of the dome, painted with frescos which depictured angels and clouds. There was a suffused golden light, the rays of sunlight passed through the windows and were attenuated, softened by the painted glasses. Tall columns linked the dome to the ground, and everywhere she saw statues, paintings, flowers. Candles were placed on some tables on the sides – tiny flames burning at the middle of little red cups.

"I like this place" she whispered very softly.

"I like it too," he answered. "It's peaceful"

"Did you come here when you were young?" she asked, tracing imaginary paths on his hand with her thumb.

"Sometimes," he said quietly. They stood there in silence, simply enjoying the quiet, for what could have been a minute or an hour, Regina couldn't tell. She held his hand – he was strong yet gentle, and she felt safe…

"Would you like to see my favorite part of the church?" he said after a bit, careful not to disturb the woman who was drawing in silence, some meters away.

"Lead the way" she encouraged, and they got up slowly. She placed her blue rose on the bench, carefully, and then he guided her across the lateral aisle, towards the other side of the church. He approached to the raised ground floor where the altar stood, but didn't climb the three steps to get up there. Instead, he led her through a door on the right side, and they descended about twenty steps. She felt suddenly intrigued – did they even have the permission to be there? – when he turned the corner, and she followed, meeting a completely different atmosphere.

A huge, marble coffer was placed in the middle of the room. It probably hosted the remains of some saint or an important Venetian personality. There were columns even down there – four, wide-sized, surrounding the coffer. Candles were placed at every corner – so much more than upstairs, gracing the room with a glowing aura.

They were not alone – there was an old couple as well, standing still in front of a statue of the Virgin. She felt Robin's hand tighten as he began the tour of the room – they took their time to study the statues, dark shadows on their marble faces, and she was particularly struck by the fact that there was a lonely tear rolling down Mary's cheek.

"Do you know why she is crying?" she whispered.

"It's a recurrent motive in Mary's statues," he answered, and she could tell from his tone that he was passionate about art. "They add a tear to depict her after Jesus' death"

"Oh" she said in understanding. She stood quiet for a moment, ancient thoughts swirling in her mind. I can't think about this now. She looked at Mary's gentle face. "The model must have been very beautiful"

"Indeed," he agreed. "Well, I don't know about this period, but during the nineteenth century, in Paris, it was a common habit to ask the prostitutes to sit for paintings"

She looked up at him. "Are you kidding me?"

"You can't deny it was the quickest way to find a beautiful woman" he smiled.

She tilted her head, considering his words. "I suppose you're right" she said. She heard a noise – the old couple was heading for the stairs again, and soon they were left alone in the room.

He shifted from aside her to behind her, circling her waist with his arms, and she leaned her head on his chest, continuing to look up at the statue. She felt him place his lips on her hair and drop a kiss there, and she smiled secretly, for she was sure he had his eyes closed. She turned slightly her head and he opened them, meeting her gaze. Blue eyes were piercing her soul – and soon she couldn't bear it anymore and closed hers, nearing her mouth, and he didn't disappoint, because he met her lips midway.

She gave him space, deepening the kiss, and their height difference was just right for him to kiss her in that way. He lifted an arm from her waist, bringing it to her neck, and she moaned when she felt his hand on a very perceptive point on her nape. They never broke the kiss as they moved – two steps, and he was pressing her back… on one of the four columns, she could feel the cold marble in contact with her coat. Her hands were leaning on his shoulders as he pulled her closer, and she could feel the desire growing stronger…

She broke the kiss, choosing to be the responsible one. "Stop" she breathed, and he panted on her neck, trying to regain some oxygen.

"As much as I'd love to" she whispered, "someone could enter, and if we go past this point, I won't be able to stop myself"

"You're right" she heard him say, but he didn't loosen the embrace.

"And," she added, trying to keep a straight face, "our first time together won't be in a vault, full of dead bodies, and surrounded by candles!"

"You make it sound so romantic," he chuckled.

"No way. Not now, not ever," she laughed softly.

"Never? Not even in an alternate universe?" he mocked her, but she scoffed. "Come on, let's go," she said, taking his hand. They walked across the room, and arrived to the stairs just as an old nun was descending to enter the crypt. Regina widened her eyes in shock, and the woman looked at them oddly as she walked past them. When she was gone, she doubled over laughing, her shoulders shaking silently, and when she saw Robin's pale face, she laughed even more.

"It's not funny," he muttered, but a smile crackled on his face.

"It's hilarious," she answered, wiping away a tear. "Oh, thank god I've stopped our little tête-à-tête, or we would probably have caused a war… involving the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy and the Vatican"

"…to say the least" he agreed. "So, have you enjoyed your first Italian church?"

"Unforgettable" she smiled. They climbed the stairs and went again across the aisle, she retrieved her rose, and soon they were exiting in the sun.

"So... it's almost five" she said, glancing at her watch.

"And?" he asked.

"I still have one hour" she answered. "Care to have a drink?"

"Sounds great," he nodded.

§§§

He felt her hand steady in his, her cold fingers grasping lightly the back, as they walked down the street and through a bridge. He glanced at her, and she was looking at the sky, a smile gracing her features. She was holding the blue rose in her other hand, brought up to her chest. It really went well with her black coat and the silken, royal blue scarf she was wearing, and – that moment, that exact moment, when the rays of the sun brightened her hair, the rose so near to her red lips – he had that moment already sculptured in his head forever.

"Robin," she murmured, blinking twice and turning at him, "I think it's time for you to begin with your questions"

He brought up a corner of his lips. "You're bold," he teased, "for letting me go first"

"Maybe it's just a way to torture you later," she replied with a devilish smile.

"So, there was some… evil… hidden agenda" he joked, and she nodded seriously.

"Come on," she urged. "Spit it out"

"Okay then," he hesitated. "I'll go soft… your favorite color"

She shook her head, still smiling. "This won't keep me from going hard, when it's my turn," she warned. "Anyway… periwinkle blue, I think"

"A shade, then," he smirked.

"What's the fun in a plain color?" she answered, swinging their hands a little.

"No, it's better being mysterious, right?"

She laughed, then, "I wouldn't have it in any other way," and she looked up at him, her shoulder pressed on his forearm. They had arrived in front of a pub – nothing fancy, it was quite the hidden place, but she nodded, "This one will do," and pushed the door, and they stopped by the counter to grab two glasses of wine.

"Go on," she said, once they were sitting at a low table, lifting the glass to her lips. "You still have nineteen questions"

"I think I'll stop to ten and save the others" he replied. "Well… I wanna know…" he made the wine swirl slowly. "Your best friends' names and how did you meet them"

She smiled, "You already know of Emma," she began, "I've practically grown up with her… we were at school together, and, well, we just stayed friends until now… then there's Mary Margaret" she said. "We fight about many things, but she's caring, after all… I've met her at college". She paused, reflecting. "Then Mal, she's older than me, and she was my tutor during my internship as lawyer… she helped me a lot" she said. "By the way, she's part of my team, and she's in Venice too"

His eyes lifted to encounter hers, "I hope I'll get to meet her, someday"

"She wanted to meet you, today," Regina confessed.

He smiled then, "Have you already told her of me?"

She squeezed her eyes, looking at him, "You weren't exactly subtle, yesterday," she lifted a hand to her neck, uncovering the reddish mark he had left her, the previous evening.

He smirked, biting his lip, "I hope this won't cost my head, your majesty," he mocked her, and she rolled her eyes. "Another question, come on," she said, but half-smiling.

"It's the third, right?" he said, and brought up a hand to rest there his chin, thinking. He would have left the thorny questions for another occasion, he decided. "Where do you live in Boston?"

"Cambridge," she answered, lowering the wine and placing it on the table.

"My son and my ex-wife live in Somerville," he said, almost to himself. She stayed silent, looking at the table, and he couldn't quite decipher her thoughts. He reached for her hand, and she looked down to their hands, then up to his face. He could have drowned in those brown eyes… Then the magic was over, he blinked, and she smiled, squeezing his hand.

"Do you have any sibling?" he asked, and she didn't leave his gaze, but her eyes saddened, all of a sudden.

"My… family," she began, "it's a delicate topic… I have a step-sister, but I didn't know of her existence since some years ago"

"What happened?" he asked, genuinely interested. He could see she forced a smile, but nonetheless, her eyes were bright when she said "Careful, it counts as a question," earning a hearty laugh.

She traced the contour of her glass with her thumb, slowly. "Zelena was in need of a donor, for a surgery… and they called me, it has been a coincidence" she told him. "They were surprised by the chances of finding such a perfect match… and they ran some tests. Turns out we share a mother," she said. "The problem is that my mother died a few years ago, and we couldn't ask her anything about this, I suppose"

He realized he was staring at her, and he shook his head. "That's awful, I'm sorry," he murmured.

She shrugged, "At least I've gained a sister," she said.

"It has its perks," he nodded. "Best present you have ever received?" he asked, changing the subject.

"My horse" she answered immediately, without thinking. "A birthday present from Daddy, when I was ten"

He smiled, because she was smiling at the thought, and the mood was a bit more comfortable. "Your favorite smell?"

She extended her free hand to touch the stalk of the rose, and took a few seconds to think. "The forest after the rain" she answered. "The sea in winter, and… no, this one is embarrassing"

"Tell me anyway," he said, stroking a thumb over her hand. She blushed, just barely, but he could see it even in the low light.

"Okay… the smell of Henry's hair when he was a baby" she confessed. He felt his heart melt, just like that, because she seemed so fond of her godson, yet so fragile, almost expecting him to laugh. He shook his head slightly. "I was a sucker for Roland's smell, when he was nothing but a little thing" he told her, and she smiled, seeming grateful.

"I've lost count," he chuckled, and she scoffed, muttering a well-audible Obviously. "You have three questions" she informed him, "if you wanna save the other ten"

"Yes, I want to," he answered. "Tell me… a place you absolutely want to go to"

Regina laced their fingers, and he felt the cold pressure of her silver ring. "I think… Africa," she said. "Something like… three months away, you know? Helping people"

"As a volunteer?"

"I suppose so," she said. "Two to go, and then I'll be free" she smiled.

"When's your birthday?" he asked then.

"February the 1st," she smiled. He leaned on his chair, lifting his eyebrows. "That was the other day," he said. "I'm glad you got to party with your family, before leaving".

"Yes, it has been fun," she admitted. "I don't like my birthday so much, but... Henry insisted" and again, that fond smile.

"I see, it's hard to tell them no," agreed Robin. Then he lifted from his chair and she followed, surprised. "Where are we going?"

"Well, it's almost six" he told her, and she threw a glance to her watch, muttering a Shit. They paid the wine and exited – the wind had lifted, in one hour, and she was keeping the rose close to her chest, for not to ruin it.

"The last question is coming, I'm afraid," he smiled, and she tilted her head.

"Should I worry?"

"Absolutely not, it's harmless," he chuckled. They had stopped in a narrow street, and he was painfully aware that their separation was approaching. She got closer, their bodies in contact, and looked up at him expectantly.

"Well, ask me then," she murmured, and he let out a breath, hesitating.

"You know that Tuesday is the last day of the Carnival?" he began, and she nodded. "I have a feeling this wasn't the actual question," she said.

"No, it wasn't," he looked down to take her hand, and continued. "My company's CEO has a huge house in Venice… more like a palace," he said, and her eyes were shining, she was listening in silence. "And she hosts a ball, on Tuesday night," he explained.

She was still silent, but a smile had begun to emerge on her lips.

"So… would you like to come with me?" he finally asked, almost shyly, and her smile cracked openly. She hesitated a moment, which felt far longer than just a moment. Then she nodded, and leaned in to kiss his lips. "I'd love to," she answered, "if you don't mind me stepping on your feet"

"You can't be that bad," he chuckled. He brought his free hand to his pocket, and extracted a white envelope, giving it to her. "This is the formal invitation," he said, and she turned the sealed paper, reading the name of the company. "Fisher Sisters," she read. "Sounds lovely"

"Can't wait for you to meet her," he smiled knowingly. "It will be a spectacular moment"

"Stop teasing me," she protested. She looked at the watch again, two minutes to six. "I have to go," she told him, and he nodded, and kissed her again. "I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked once they parted.

"That depends from my boss," she frowned, and then smiled. "I'll text you when the meeting is over"

"Perfect," he agreed. "Good evening then, beautiful," he said her, and she winked, then turned towards the tall building, and entered, disappearing from his view.

§§§

Regina stepped outside of the elevator, and quickly walked towards the reunion room in Gold's hotel – obviously, the best hotel in town, but it had its perks, for it was shamefully close to the central square. She hid the rose inside her purse - thankfully, it fitted. She wasn't ready for the questions about that. She glanced at her watch – three minutes after six – and pushed the door to enter. They were already there – Mal, with a bored expression, holding a lifeless cigarette; Elsa and Belle, already busy at reading some reports, and Arthur, his usually shady expression gone, replaced from a reproachful one. Gold was at the window, his back turned, hands jointed.

"Sorry, I'm late," she excused herself, and he turned at the sound of her voice, and clapped his hands once. "About time the queen showed up," he mocked her. She didn't answer, but approached to the table and threw her purse and coat on an empty chair, and sat next to Mal.

"Now that her majesty has graced us with her presence," he started, and Belle rolled her eyes – Regina knew she didn't like to argue with her husband at work – "maybe we could begin. First of all," he said, "I've received awful news from my contacts in Venice – the trial doesn't start before next week, more precisely, on Thursday," he announced, and Mal let out a loud huff of annoyance. He stared at her, and she rolled her eyes. "What?" she asked angrily. "We could have arrived one week later"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Miss Drake, but start thinking about all the things you could do in these days, without bothering me, because I'm hardly to blame" he answered, calmly.

"Fine," spat out Mal, and motioned towards him. "Go ahead, please"

"Thank you," he said, voice dangerously low. "Tonight we'll begin to examine the reports – then, I'll leave you free to go, until the next meeting"

And that was it. He kept them locked in the room for four hours straight – at some point, Belle exited to fetch a pot of coffee, and Regina could see that Mal was getting more and more nervous. After the second hour of paperwork, Gold let them have a ten-minute break.

Regina followed Mal outside on the balcony. The sky was as black as the coffee she was holding in her hand, and she leaned on the balustrade, watching the sea without actually seeing it. The blonde lightened her cigarette and inhaled the smoke with satisfaction.

"So, how was the date?" she asked, visibly more relaxed.

Regina glanced at her, then diverted her gaze again. "Fine, I suppose," she said, without smiling.

Mal turned her head towards her, her face now concerned. "What's up? Did he do something wrong?"

"No," she sighed in answer. "I'm just pissed off at Gold, that's all… the date was great, honestly," she tempted a smile, and her friend nodded. "What did you do this afternoon?" Regina asked, and Mal took one last puff of smoke, then pressed the stub in the ashtray.

"Well, while you were busy going all lovey-dovey with your man," she teased, and Regina smiled back, "I was finding us an apartment, and obviously succeeding"

"Oh, that's great," approved Regina.

"We can move in tomorrow," announced the blonde, but then, Belle was peeking through the glass door and telling them to come back inside, the break was over. "Blasted man" muttered Mal, entering, and Regina chuckled, careful not to be noticed by Gold.

§§§

She exited from the bathroom, wrapping the robe around her body, and saw the phone buzzing on the bed. Emma. She brought it to her ear – a wide smile already appearing on her lips.

"Hello?"

"Hey there, morning," she heard Emma chuckle.

"More like evening," she scoffed, and sat on the bed, wetting the covers.

"Oh yeah, sure, what time is it there?"

"Like a quarter past eleven, Miss Swan. Six hours, remember?" she answered, and she laid down, welcoming the blissful sensation of the soft mattress on her back.

"Well, here it's five, and there's someone who wants to talk to you," said Emma, and before she could answer, her voice was replaced by a lighter one.

"Hi, Aunt Regina!"

"Hi, sweetheart," she said to Henry, and she felt the tears prickling. "How are you? Sorry I didn't call yesterday"

"I'm fine," he answered, "but I miss you," he added with a sad voice.

"Oh, honey, I miss you too," she said sweetly, and a tear rolled down on her cheek. "Be good for your mom, okay? And take care of her"

"Okay," she heard him answer. "I'll pass you mom now! I love you"

"I love you too," she whispered, and he was gone. Emma's voice returned on the phone. "So, how was the first day?"

"Tiring," she said, wiping her cheek. "Gold just let us free"

"That jerk," Emma muttered. "How's Mal?"

"Apocalyptically fine, as always," she laughed. "She found us an apartment"

"Well she has been quick! What did you do yesterday?"

Regina hesitated a second. "Sightseeing"

"Really?" she could hear Emma smirk from there.

"Sort of," she shrugged. She couldn't avoid telling Mal about Robin – but Emma would have told Mary Margaret, and Mary Margaret would have started with the wedding arrangements, and no, she couldn't tell them yet.

"Oh-kay" Emma said, and she just knew, she hadn't fooled her best friend, Emma always knew when she was lying.

"Look, I think I'll go to bed now," she said quickly.

"Sure," answered the blonde, "good night, and behave, will you?"

"Clearly," she laughed. "Say goodbye to Henry for me,"

"Okay boss, sleep well," said Emma, and she ended the call.

Regina rolled over the bed, and looked at the phone – before she could stop herself, she wrote Robin a text, smiling.

- Tomorrow morning I'll move into the new apartment, I'll see you during the afternoon?

She closed her eyes, just for a moment, she told herself, giving up on her tiredness, and she fell asleep. So she missed his answer, which waited for her until morning, when she opened her eyes, shivering for the cold.

- I can't wait.