Regina emptied the freshly popped kernels of popcorn into a large bowl and set it in front of Henry, smiling gently and trying to pretend the thought of 'company' didn't have her stomach churning and her heart racing. In the all the years she lived in Stroybrooke, there'd been very few instances she'd had people over—and if she excluded her on-again, off-again, relationship with Graham, she wouldn't even need the digits from the second hand. There was obviously the problem of the curse—never want to be too close to anyone, knowing their memories would just be reset within in a year and any sort of relationship she'd managed to build would simply be wiped away and then, there was always the worry that if she let anyone get too close, they might discover her best kept secret and her entire would begin to unravel. And then, there was the problem that once they arrived, she wasn't entirely sure what to do with them. So, it was simply easier, for everyone involve, for her to keep people at an arm's length.

"I thought all you had to do to make popcorn was…pop it," Henry says, fidgeting on 'his' stool at the counter as Regina reaches for two baking sheets, then slides them toward him. "And I thought it came in a bag."

"It does sometimes," Regina says, looking up at him. "But I like to pop it on the stove."

"Why? Is it better this way?"

"I don't know…it's just the way I've always done it." She shrugs her shoulders. "I've never actually bought the bagged kind and I like making my own seasonings." She grins as he reaches for one of the pieces and pops it into his mouth. "I think I'd get bored if I could only have butter on my popcorn."

"I didn't even know there were seasonings for popcorn," he tells her, looking up at her with wide eyes, as if they were discussing something of the utmost gravity. "I just thought it came with butter already on it."

She can't help but smile at him—she loves seeing him this way, so innocently interested in something so simple, like popcorn. All too often, the weight of the world rests on his shoulders and he's always worried that he'll do or say something wrong and will unwittingly ruin the good things he has—because all too often, that's exactly how the world has worked for him. So the moments that he's able to let his guard down and just be a little kid warm her heart and make her believe in second chances.

"So, when this is done, we'll see what kind you like more—this kind or the bagged kind." He smiles when she winks at him. "But you won't be able to do that if you don't spread out the popcorn."

Regina can't help but laugh as Henry's hand plunges into the bowl before rising high above the baking sheet as he drops the popcorn down, giggling as the fluffy pieces bounce and scatter. She grabs a few items out of the refrigerator and then goes to the pantry, shaking her head as her smile deepens when Henry adds, what she imagines is, the sound of an airplane to his already dramatic popcorn-scattering tactic.

"So, we're going to make two kinds–cheese and peanut butter."

"Peanut butter popcorn? That sounds so good."

"It is good," she tells him, dropping a kiss atop his head as she reaches for two bowls. "Finish spreading that popcorn out and I'll let you mix the peanut butter sauce on the stove."

Henry nods, dipping both hands into the bowl of popcorn as Regina scoops out a cup of honey. She watches as his small hands pat the popcorn as he peers into the bowl to ensure that it's empty, then smiles up at her, proud of his handiwork. She spoons in some sugar and nods to the jar of peanut butter. "Grab a spoon," she instructs. "We need two cups." She grins as Henry reaches for the spoon and jar, scooping out two heaping spoonfuls of peanut butter. Upon her instruction, he drops it into the sauce pan with the sugar and honey, licking the spoon as Regina moves to the stove.

She waves him over and helps him up onto the countertop as she ignites the burner. He watches carefully, as she stirs a few times, then pushes the wooden spoon toward him. "Can you keep stirring?" Henry nods and takes the spoon, continuing to move it in the same direction that she'd been stirring. "Stir until its smooth, okay?"

"Like soup?"

"Yeah," she replies, laughing a little as she opens a bag of cheese. "Then we'll add the secret ingredients." Henry grins up at her before peering down into the sauce pan. From the corner of her eye, she watches him dip his finger into the peanut butter mix, shaking her head his eyes widen and he does it again, this time scooping up as much as his index finger will hold. Regina turns her attention back to the popcorn recipe, mixing the cheddar with the parmesan, before scattering it over the other sheet of popcorn, sliding it into the oven as she checks on Henry and the peanut butter sauce.

Her stomach flops a little as it occurs to her, that perhaps, she should have gone with a flavoring that was a bit on the blander side—she never asked if Roland was allergic to anything and she has no idea what their food preferences are. But of course, when Robin offered to bring dinner, he didn't ask any questions either. She glances up at the clock and takes a breath—its well after five-thirty and Robin and Roland will be arriving soon and she wonders if it's too late to cancel.

"Should we put in the secret ingredients now?" Henry asks, looking up at her and brining her back into the present moment. "The peanut butter's soupy now."

She looks back at him and nods, pushing away the thoughts of their pending dinner guests and reaching into the cabinet above the stove. She leans up onto the tips of her toes, grabbing a new bottle of vanilla and some sea salt. She hands the vanilla to Henry, laughing as he pulls off the seal and inhales deeply.

"How much?"

"Just a few splashes," she tells him, shrugging her shoulders as she pours some of the salt into her palm. "But you can't really have too much vanilla." She grins, "On the count of three, okay?" Henry nods and grins as they both slowly count to three—and then on cue, Regina drops in the salt and he pours in the vanilla. "Another stir, okay?" She tells him, turning off the heat and bending to check on the cheddar popcorn in the oven. Henry nods and swishes the spoon a few more times, as Regina turns off the oven. Withdrawing the spoon, he licks of back of his and again, his hazel eyes widen. "How is it?" she laughs.

"Even better than before we added the secret ingredients," he tells her, swinging his feet back and forth as his ankles tap against the lower cabinets. "I'm really excited."

"For the popcorn?"

He nods, "And dinner. And the movie…and the company."

"For the company, huh?" Henry just nods and continues to kick his feet back and forth as he licks to peanut butter-covered spoon. "Why?"

"Well, I never really had friends," Henry begins, still focused on the spoon. "And Roland's funny. Even though he's a lot younger, he knows about all sorts of cool things like shooting arrows and climbing ropes." Henry shrugs, "And he likes the same comics that I like." He smiles up at her as he drops the spoon into the sink. "I wish he were in my class."

"I'm sure you'll make friends," she says, his words tugging at her heartstrings.

"Eventually, maybe," Henry says, smiling faintly. "But not tomorrow." Before she can say anymore, Henry changes the subject, his hazel eyes brightening as he looks back at her. "Are you excited about our company?"

"Honestly?" She asks, leaning against the counter as she lifts the saucepan from the stove. "I'm kind of nervous about it. I don't really have many friends," she tells him—not wanting to get into the details of that. "So, I usually don't have people over."

"Oh," he murmurs, his brow creasing. "I don't know why anyone wouldn't want to be your friend. You're pretty and you're nice. You're a really good cook and you have a fun laugh."

Her eyebrow arches, "A fun laugh?"

Giggling, Henry nods. "It's the kind of laugh that makes other people smile." He shrugs and hops off the counter, watching as Regina drizzles the peanut butter sauce over the popcorn. When she turns to rinse out the saucepan, she catches a glimpse of him stealing a piece and shakes her head. "Who was that guy?" Regina turns back, watching as Henry licks his fingers and stares up at her curiously. "The one from the diner…"

"Um…that was Graham. He's the sheriff."

"Is he your friend?"

"No," Regina replies, shaking her head as she smiles awkwardly, unsure of how to categorize their relationship with Graham and especially unsure of how to describe it to an eight-year. "He's not my friend."

"Were you ever friends?"

"No. We weren't. I thought we could be, but…no."

"Oh…well…he seemed like a jerk, anyway."

Before she can say anymore, the doorbell rings and Henry darts toward the door and Regina feels her stomach drop. Nonetheless, she takes a breath and pushes herself forward, into the foyer where Roland and Robin are standing with Henry. Henry's talking a mile a minute, telling them all about the popcorn that's cooling in the kitchen. Regina feels her cheeks flush as Robin looks up at her, his eyes quickly looking her up and down before giving her a lopsided smile and holding up a brown grocery bag—and once more, her stomach flops as she rings her hands nervously together. Her lips purse as she tries to find her voice, but before she can say anything, Henry's taking Roland by the hand and leading him up the stairs, chattering on about an Avengers Lego set that's in his room.

Regina offers Robin a tight smile as she steps forward and takes the bag, shutting the door and inviting him in.

"I figured we could make dinner before the movie," he tells her as she peers into the bag. "I considered making it beforehand, but…plastic-y cheese and cold fries hardly seemed like the way to make a good impression." She finds herself laughing as she leads him into the kitchen, setting the bag on the counter top. Her breath catches and she finds herself inhaling involuntarily, taking in the subtle scent of evergreen, as he empties the grocery bag. "I figured we could make the boys burgers and fries and…" He stops, laughing a little, "And since you don't seem like a burgers-and-fries kind of girl, I figured we could have something a little more…refined."

Her eyebrow arches as he pulls out a package wrapped in white paper and she peers down at it, pleasantly surprised that find the label revealing its contents to be nice cuts of steak. She grins and a moment later, he pulls the last of the items from the bag—a zucchini and a squash, and something that looks like butter rolled in wax paper.

"Do you have grill? It's not necessary, but…"

"I do," she says, moving around the counter and bending to retrieve the grill attachment for the stove. She grins as she hauls the cast iron grill to the counter. "Not an outdoor one…"

"Because you're not an outdoorsy kind of girl," he says with a grin, reminding her of that afternoon a few days before, when they'd talked on the bench as their sons played. "I figured."

She grins back, "Do you…need anything else?"

"Just a bit of rosemary, if you have it. I thought I tossed some into the bag, but…"

"I do," she says, cutting in and finding her voice less cautious. "I grow my own—or would you prefer the dried kind."

"Oh, the fresh rosemary would be perfect," he tells her. She takes a breath, feeling his eyes on her as she goes to the refrigerator and bends to grab a few sprigs of rosemary. When she turns, she can see Robin's moved the grill to the stove and is turning on the gas. She watches as his hands hover over it. The meat is already unpackaged—two burger patties and the steaks sit beside him. "Your kitchen is quite impressive."

"Well, I spent a lot of time in here," she tells him as he turns to face her.

"You like to cook…"

"I do," she says with a nod. "Before Henry, it was something to do pass the time and now, it's something he enjoys doing with me." She watches a grin forms over Robin's lips. "I assume you do, too?"

"Yes," he confirms. "Though my son's tastes and my own are…quite different. So, I find I am eating a lot of fish sticks and macaroni these days."

Regina laughs and hands him the rosemary, thinking of Henry and their road trip back to Storybrooke and the list of fast food places he'd insisted she try. "In the past month, my food choices have changed…considerably."

"Having a child around will do that," he says, turning back to the grill and drizzling olive oil half of it.

"Can I…help with something?" She asks, shifting awkwardly as she stands beside him. "Cutting up the vegetables or something?"

"Sure," he nods. "I already cut the potatoes for the fries, but the squash and zucchini could be sliced up." Regina nods and smiles, glad to have a distraction for her nervous hands. "Don't tell Roland, but my fries aren't really…fries." She grins back at him from over her shoulder. "He's also still unaware that potatoes are vegetables."

"I'll never tell," Regina laughs as she cuts into the zucchini. "Henry will eat anything."

"Ah, so there's hope that Roland will grow out of the 'I won't eat this unless it's fried or covered in cheese' phase."

"Perhaps," she says with a slight chuckle. "Though, Henry might just be humoring me. Our relationship is still…so new."

"I sincerely doubt that."

"Well, he's only been a part of my life for…about a month," she tells him, unable to believe it's only been a few weeks since bringing Henry home from New York and in that time, and unable for her to believe how much her life has changed since then. For so long the days and weeks blended together without distinction, but since Henry came into her life, her days have been so full and so rewarding—and for her the first time in her life, when she falls asleep at night, she finds herself looking forward to waking. "Sometimes it's hard to believe that its already been a month, and then, other times, it's hard to believe that's all its been."

"How is he adjusting?" Robin asks, as he lays steaks onto the grill, looking back at her they sizzle and pop. "If that's not too personal…"

"No," she says easily, as she drops the zucchini into a bowl, then reaches for the squash—she'd much rather talk about Henry than anything else. It's easy and it's safe, and it distracts her from the obvious problem of getting involved with any of Storybrooke's residents. "He's…adjusting," she says. "Some things come naturally and have been easy for him to ease into, but other things…are going to take some time." Robin places the burgers down beside the steak as he knife quickly cuts through the squash. "He's…worried about starting school."

"Making friends or…"

"That mostly," Regina confesses. "He struggles with math and I think he's embarrassed he'll be teased about that. It's…happened before."

"You know about the after-school tutoring program?"

"I've already signed him up," she says with a nod as she scoops up the cut squash and adds it to the zucchini.

"I volunteer for that program," Robin says easily, as he turns and reaches for the back for cut-up potato wedges. "Perhaps, it'd be easier if he had a familiar face helping."

A smile stretches over Regina's lips and she feels her heart flutter, appreciating the kindness and consideration Robin shows toward Henry. "I think he would."

"Then I'll keep an eye out and make sure he's in my group."

"That's…incredibly thoughtful. Thank you."

Robin grins as he spreads the potatoes on the grill. "He's a sweet kid and he's had it rough—and, I am incredibly grateful to him." Regina turns and her brow furrows a bit as a grin stretches onto her lips. "He's been very kind to Roland. Roland couldn't stop talking about him when we got home from the park that day—and today, Henry waved to him in the hallway." He grins. "He's thrilled that a third grader would pay him any attention." He laughs a little, "And you should have seen the rush he was in to get here. He barely ate his lunch."

"Henry really enjoys Roland's company," she tells him, thinking back to the conversation they'd had earlier that evening, her smile fading slightly. "He's glad to have a friend."

Regina reaching for the bowl of cut vegetables and Robin does, too—his fingers graze lightly over hers and she feels her breath catch at the contract. Their eyes meet and for a split second, she feels a flicker of something she can't quite place; but she withdraws before she can figure it out. Robin sighs a little and takes the bowl, smiling softly at her before turning his attention back to the grill and spreads out the zucchini and squash.

"Robin," she begins, taking a long breath, her stomach tightening as it churns. "You…know that this…isn't a date, right?"

"Honestly, I wasn't sure at first, but…I know now."

"I'm sorry. I should have…"

"Regina, don't apologize." He shrugs his shoulders and grins back at her from over his shoulder. "Besides, I was hoping that if you wanted to ask me out, you wouldn't have had your eight-year old do it." He laughs a little and she feels herself relaxing, surprised by his easy-going nature and how easy she finds it to be in his company—because as nervous as she is, she's not nearly as nervous as she'd anticipated. "I'm not going to lie," he says, giving the vegetables a little poke with the spatula before turning to face her. "I like you and I think there was definitely a connection the other day in the park." He shakes his head and takes a short breath, and she's not completely sure, but it looks like there's a hint of a blush beneath the stubble covering his cheeks. "In fact, when I said I didn't recognize you, that…wasn't exactly true. I knew you were the mayor and I'd been looking for a reason to talk to you for quite some time."

"Oh…" she murmurs, feeling her own cheeks flushing as her heart beat quickens—the thought of anyone wanting to know her feels bafflingly incomprehensible.

"So, yes, I'd like to get to know you."

"Robin…"

"We don't have to date each other to get to know each other," he interjects quickly. "And I don't want to push you into something that you're not ready for or that you don't want." He shrugs his shoulders. "So, if you just want to be friends, then…we can just be friends."

"Friends," she repeats slowly, her shoulders once more relaxing. "I'd like that."

"Okay then—this isn't a date, we're just two friends having dinner with our children."

She nods, "Speaking of our children, that looks like it's just about ready, so I'm going to go get them."

Robin nods and turns back to the grill and she takes a short breath, unable to stop a smile from stretching across her lips as she turns toward the stairs, not entirely sure of the reason for her smile.

The boys are laying on the floor, sprawled out on a blanket with the bowl of peanut butter popcorn between them. Regina smiles, watching as their hands occasionally dip into the bowl as they stare at the TV wide-eyed and amazed. She's not terribly interested in the movie, but she enjoys watching them—sincerely glad that Henry's found at least one friend. Slowly, she glances over at Robin—he reaches for a few pieces of the cheddar popcorn and she watches as he tosses a piece into his mouth.

"This is really good," he whispers as he turns to her, catching her lingering gaze. Her cheeks flush and she's glad that they chose to turn off the lights for the movie so he can't see just how red she is. "Its cheddar and parmesan…and…something else that I can't quite place," he says, tossing another piece into his mouth. "What is that?"

"A secret ingredient," she whispers back.

"A secret ingredient…"

"Mm-hmm…"

"I shared my steak-butter recipe with you and you won't tell me what's in your popcorn. That's hardly fair."

She shrugs her shoulders and looks back to the screen. "I suppose it's not." From the corner, she sees his lips purse and his jaw drop a little. "I never asked for your recipe, though. You shared it willingly."

"You implied that you wanted it."

She shrugs her shoulders, "You still chose to give it to me." She chuckles softly and looks back at him. "Speaking of the steaks, I'm going to go clean up the kitchen. I'll be back in a few minutes."

She exhales a breath she wasn't even aware she'd been holding as she enters the kitchen. She reaches for the plates and scrapes leftover scraps of food into the garbage. She turns to the sink and rinses them quickly before setting them into the rack of the dishwasher. Collecting the silverware and cooking utensils, she does the same—then grabs the heavy grill and returns to the sink. She reaches for a wire brush on the ledge of the sink, quickly scrubbing it overtop the grill as the hot water runs over it. Her thoughts quickly turn to Henry and what the following day will bring him and she feels a familiar knot forming in her stomach—one that's perpetually there when she thinks of Henry out in the world, alone without her.

"Do you need some help?"

"Oh, no," she murmurs as she turns away from the sink. "I just…wanted to clean some of this up."

"Let me help," he insists. "I made most of this mess."

Conceding, she nods and holds out the brush. "Can you do the grill while I wipe down the counters?" Robin nods easily and takes the brush as she reaches for a rag and wets it under the running faucet. For a brief moment their arms touch and she pulls back quickly—almost too quickly—and a hint of a smile forms on his lips. But he says nothing, focusing on the grill as she turns away from him.

"Dinner was…wonderful," she says, somewhat awkwardly as she looks up at him.

"Thank you—I'm glad you enjoyed."

"I don't have dinner guests often, and it was…nice."

"Then we'll have to do it again," he says, still focused on the grill.

"Yeah…"

"The boys seem to be having a good time together. Perhaps next week, Roland and I can have you and Henry over for dinner and a movie."

She takes a breath. "We'd…like that." She laughs a little. "In fact, Henry would love that."

"I know Tuesday's an odd night for it, but perhaps this could be…a regular thing?" Finally, he turns and grins and she feels her heartbeat quicken and her stomach flop. Her eyebrow arches, but she feels herself nodding and a moment later, she hears herself agreeing—and though it surprises her, she has to admit that its nice having another adult around to talk to and having another child around for Henry to play with.

"Can I…ask you something?"

"Of course you can."

"Does this…ever get easier?"

"Parenting?" He asks, shaking his head. "No."

"I am constantly worried about him."

Robin grins, "That just means you're doing it right."

"Am I?" She laughs, "Because I'm just making it up as I go. I feel like I'm running on luck and just managing to do…okay."

"A big part of parenting is learning to trust your instincts—trusting that you know what's best for your child, and from what I can see, you're doing a stellar job." Robin smiles, "Just looking at Henry, I can tell that he's happy and that he feels safe with you…and if that's the case, then, you're doing better than okay."

She feels her cheeks flush and her heart flutters. "Right now, my instinct is telling me that I want to go to school with him tomorrow…just to make sure that he's alright." She shakes her head. "I'm so worried that he's going to…be lonely and scared, that the other kids won't be nice to him, that…everything he fears is going to happen."

"So, do it," Robin tells her in a sincere voice. "Go to school with him." He pauses and considers for a moment, "Don't stay the whole day, but…maybe check in on him, talk to his teacher, do what you need to do feel comfortable with this, and more importantly, that Henry feels comfortable with it." He shrugs his shoulders. "After everything Henry's been through, I don't think it's unreasonable."

"It's not too…much? I don't want to hover or suffocate him." She shakes her head, "And I don't want to embarrass him."

Robin nods and his eyes narrow—and then, a smile tugs at the corners of his lips. "Henry had a birthday recently, right?"

"August fifteenth," Regina says with a nod.

"That's perfect," Robin says, his voice piquing with something that sounds like excitement. "You can bring in cupcakes to celebrate his birthday. Kids love stuff like that—cupcakes at school are like catnip for kids. And if you need more reason that than…you're the mayor, right? So you can pop in and wish the kids good luck at the start of the year."

"That…is perfect," Regina says slowly, as grin works its way over her lips. "Completely perfect."

"And I'll help you," Robin adds. "The boys have at least another hour on that movie…while they're watching we can whip up a batch of cupcakes and some frosting."

Once again, she feels her heart flutter as she turns to the cabinet, thankful for Robin's advice and thoughtfulness in regards to Henry. Her smile deepens as she reaches for the flour and sugar, and directs Robin to the cabinet to retrieve a mixing bowl—and she can barely wait to surprise Henry the next day, hoping he'll be as excited as she thinks he'll be.

Late the next morning, Regina's standing at the front of Henry's classroom as Mary Margaret Blanchard introduces her to Henry's classmates. It doesn't even bother her that she's exchanging pleasantries with her once-nemesis because Henry's eyes are wide and his smile is bright as the other children turn to look at him with smiles painted across their faces.

Mary Margaret explains that Henry had a birthday over the summer and that his mother—also the mayor of Storybrooke—wanted to do something special for his classmates to celebrate not only his birthday, but the start of a new school year. She laughs a little as the other children sit up a little straighter as Mary Margaret takes the tray of yellow-cake cupcakes with vanilla frosting and colorful sprinkles, as she walks around with the chocolate ones topped with a raspberry. Both flavors sit in Avengers-themed cupcake-wrappers.

"Henry," one little girl says excitedly as she holds up a cupcake that Regina's just handed her. "I love raspberries! They're my favorites."

"Mine, too," Henry says with a grin, looking momentarily up at Regina, before looking back at the little girl.

"Wow," another boy, sitting at Henry's table says as he takes a bit of his cupcake. "Your mom's a really good baker."

"I know," she hears Henry reply with a little laugh behind his voice. "Everything she makes is good."

Regina makes her way around the room and Mary Margaret does the same. She smiles at Henry's classmates and they smile back, and she can hear them thanking Henry for the treat. Her heart swells as one of the boys thanks Henry, and confesses he was glad to get a Captain America cupcake, because Captain America is his favorite—and then the boy suggests that Henry sit him and his friends at lunch. Regina finds herself swallowing back the lump that forms at the back of her throat and blinks back her tears as relief washes over her, knowing that Henry won't be eating alone. Henry looks up at her, catching her gaze as his hazel eyes shine with excitement before he turns back to the other boy and nods.

When each child has a cupcake, Mary Margaret thanks her emphatically telling her how much of a treat it was for her students, not just to have a cupcake in class, but for the mayor to visit them. Regina smiles and nods curtly, pushing away the long-dulled feelings she has for her, as she suggests she'll take the remaining cupcakes to the main office for the other teachers. Mary Margaret smiles and nods, and once more thanks her as she steps out into the hall—and no sooner than she's out of the classroom, Henry is crashing into her legs as his arm wraps around her waist.

"Thank you," he murmurs in a raspy, but happy voice. "Thank you so much for doing this."

Balancing the tray of cupcakes in one hand, she rubs her other hand between his shoulder blades. "I was glad to." She presses him closer before releasing him. "Okay, go back in and I'll see you after school."

Henry nods and hugs her once more before returning to the classroom. She watches as he takes his seat, and almost immediately smiles at something that one of the boys at his table said. Her tears return as she lets out a shaky breath and turns away.

"Nicely done…Mom." She turns to see Robin leaning against the lockers, smirking at her as he stuffs his hands into his pockets. "It looks like the cupcakes were a success."

"They were!" She laughs a little. "The kids loved them and…they loved Henry because I brought them in." Her lip catches between her teeth as she blinks back her tears. "Thank you."

Robin nods and takes a step toward her, pulling a cart with math supplies on it along with him. She watches as he takes the tray and sets it atop the cart, then takes two cupcakes from it and hands her one. She takes it and watches curiously as he taps the cupcake he's holding against hers. "Cheers."

"Cheers," she returns, laughing softly as they bite into the cupcakes.