I'm bidin' my time,

'Cause that's the kinda guy I'm.

While other folks grow dizzy

I keep busy

Bidin' my time

("Bidin' My Time," George and Ira Gershwin)

Chapter 16: Stalling

"Mama!" Emma reached out for me as I entered the nursery. Her blonde curls were sticking up everywhere and there was a red splotch on her cheek from being pressed against the mattress.

I smiled as I picked her up, holding her close and kissing the tip of her nose. "Good morning, Princess. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes," she said, cuddling close to me. I rubbed her back as I brought her over to the changing table.

She wiggled on the table as I pulled off her pajamas and changed her wet diaper. Emma sat up, holding out her arms to me. Play, Mama.

"Not now," I told her. "I need to get a clean diaper on you, put some clothes on you and then I need to do the same with Rachel. And then we're going to eat breakfast."

No. Emma play.

I sighed, shaking my head. "Not until after breakfast, Princess."

A cloud of white smoke curled up and when it died down, there was no Emma. I groaned, not in the mood to play this game. "Emma Ruth, you are in big trouble," I called out.

Mama! Rachel stood up in her crib, reaching out for me. Mama take Rachel!

I paused, swallowing my groan. The last thing I needed was my infant daughter having a tantrum while my toddler was running around naked as the day she was born. So I turned toward Rachel's crib and picked her up, setting her on my hip. "Okay, sweetheart," I said. "Let's go find your sister."

My search ended quickly though. As soon as I stepped out of the nursery, I heard Emma screaming "no" over and over. Robin appeared on the steps, holding a screaming and kicking Emma in his arms. "Look who I found running around the living room with a confused Bandit in tow," he said.

Emma tried to kick away from Robin. "Down! Papa! Down!"

"Clothes, Emma," I said. "Then breakfast."

She pouted but Robin held firm, raising her so she could look him in the eyes. "Emma, enough. You need to do what Mama and I say. Understand?"

"No!" she yelled, pushing against him. It seemed she was gunning for a timeout first thing this morning.

Rachel curled against me, resting her head in the crook of my neck. Hungry, Mama. Rachel want food.

I rubbed her back and decided it was time to shut Emma's tantrum down once and for all. "Emma Ruth, that is enough," I said, using my sternest voice.

Emma paused, sniffling. She looked over at me, tears filling her eyes as she reached for me. "Mama."

Shifting Rachel, I placed Emma on my other hip and she clung to me. Mama mad at Emma?

"I'm not happy with how you are acting," I told her. "Will you let me put on a new diaper and then dress you?"

Yes, Mama.

"And then have breakfast…without putting up a fight?"

Yes, Mama. Emma be good. She sniffled as a few tears ran down her cheeks.

I kissed her forehead as Robin took Rachel from arm. "Okay. But no more fights in the morning. Once you do everything I say we need to do, then you can play. You need patience."

Patience? She frowned at me.

"You just need to wait and not be in a rush," I told her, trying to explain patience as best as I could. She held still as I spoke, letting me put a clean diaper and a cute orange dress on her as well.

I picked her back up, kissing her forehead. "Thank you, sweetheart. Now let's go get breakfast."

With Emma on my hip, I turned to find Robin cuddling Rachel. She was dressed in a cute red dress and her curls were brushed, held back by a matching headband. I smiled. "Are we ready to eat?"

"I think we just need one more person," Robin said. "Should I go wake him?"

"Wake who?" Roland appeared in the doorway, still in his pajamas, and yawned so wide I thought I could see his tonsils.

I wrapped my arm around him and pulled him close to me. "You. But since you're awake, we can all head downstairs for some breakfast. How does that sound?"

"Can we have pancakes?" Roland asked, looking up at me with big hopeful eyes.

"Yes," I told him, squeezing him gently. "We can have pancakes. I might even throw in some chocolate chips."

He gasped, tugging on my hand. "Come on, Mama! I'm very hungry for those chocolate chips!"

Robin and I laughed, following our excited son downstairs for what promised to be a delicious breakfast.

Once breakfast was finished and the kitchen cleaned up, Robin kissed me and headed into the backyard to do some chores as he cleaned up from the winter and prepared for the spring. Roland played with his sisters, rolling a ball between the two and encouraging them to roll it back to him. Bandit laid by them, watching them for anything that might go wrong.

And I was studying dragons.

I had found a book at the center that was all about them and had taken it home with me. If I was going to fight a dragon—and my gut told me more and more I would have to—then I wanted to know everything I could about them. Hopefully the book also told me how to defeat one.

So far, though, I found nothing helpful. Just that dragons tended to be hoarders and would protect their treasures to the death…with the poor sap who decided to steal from them being the one who ended up dead. I sighed, rubbing my forehead.

"Are you okay, Mama?" Roland asked me, looking up from his game. He frowned, appearing concerned about me.

I gave him a reassuring smile. "I am. Just doing some studying."

He tilted his head. "Studying? Why? You don't go to school anymore."

Laughing, I put the book aside and went to kneel next to him. "You never stop learning, even as an adult. I am still learning how to use magic, right?"

"Yeah," he said, a strange look on his face. "Does that mean I have to do homework forever?"

I shook my head as I hugged him. "No, no. Homework isn't something that will always be in your future."

"Good. I like learning but I hate homework." He made a face and Emma laughed, clapping her hands in amusement.

She then crawled over into my lap and leaned against me. Mama hug Emma too.

"Okay, sweetheart," I told her. "You get a hug too."

I wrapped my arm around her, holding both Emma and Roland close. A wisp of white smoke curled up in my vision, dying down to reveal the dark curls of my youngest as the weight on my lap grew heavier. Rachel wants hug.

"Group hug, I guess," I said, smiling as I smushed my children together. They all laughed as I rocked them.

A flash appeared in the corner of my eye and I turned my head to find a grinning Robin standing there, holding my camera. He grinned at me. "It was too cute to pass up."

"I imagine," I replied, smiling at him. "Do you want to join this group hug?"

Robin set down the camera before kneeling next to us. "I would love too."

He wrapped a strong arm around me and the children shifted now that there were two laps to sit on. Roland rested against his father while Rachel stretched out across both our laps, leaving Emma to cuddle against my side. She reached out a little hand, holding onto Rachel's with a smile.

"You know what? I think we should all spend some family time in the park," Robin suggested, tickling Roland. "It's been far too long since we did that."

"I think that sounds like a great idea. What do you all say?" I asked the children, bouncing Emma a bit.

Emma swing!

Rachel play! my other daughter chimed in. She smiled up at me, revealing another tooth was coming in.

"Well, that's two votes for the park," I said, turning to Roland. "Will you make it unanimous?"

He tilted his head, frowning. "What does that mean?"

Robin and I laughed as he tickled our son. "It means you're all in agreement."

"Oh," he replied between giggles. "Then I agree. Let's go to the park!"

I pushed the double stroller with Emma and Rachel strapped inside. Though it was a warm spring day, there was still a chill in the air so I had placed both girls in matching white sweaters. Both kicked their little legs as we walked on, Emma babbling on and Rachel answering in her own babbles every so often.

Roland walked ahead of us, holding hands with his father. The two talked about what they were going to do and I raised my eyebrow when Robin agreed to cross the monkey bars with the boy.

That was going to be interesting to watch.

We arrived at the little playset in the park and Roland raced toward the monkey bars. He glanced over his shoulder. "Are you coming, Papa?"

"In a minute, Roland," Robin replied, crouching down in front of the stroller. "I'm just going to help Mama with your sisters first, okay?"

"Okay, Papa. I'm going to get a head start then." He gave us a cheeky grin before resuming his quest to get to the monkey bars.

I chuckled as Robin got Rachel out of the stroller, kneeling down to unstrap Emma. "He's adorable, isn't he?"

"They're all adorable," he replied, leaning forward to kiss Emma's forehead. "Right, Princess?"

Emma clapped as Rachel tugged on Robin's shirt, no doubt trying to get him to kiss her too. He obliged before tickling her stomach, eliciting a peal of laughter from her. She squirmed in his arms before resting her head against his shoulder.

"Come on, let's get these girls into the swings," I said, drawing more clapping from Emma.

We got both girls settled into the baby swings, their legs dangling from the openings as they sat in the sturdy black seats. They clutched onto the chains, babbling happily in anticipating for some fun time.

Robin gave me a kiss. "You think you can handle these two while I go deal with our little monkey?"

"Yeah, I think we'll be fine. You go watch Roland." I glanced over to where our son was dangling between two bars, determined to make it to the other side. My heart leaped into my throat as I remembered his last experience on the bars, my mind's eye conjuring up the image of him falling to the ground. This time, though, he didn't land on his feet but landed curled up in a ball of pain. I swallowed that down, knowing Robin would keep him safe.

Once Robin was jogging over to join Roland, I gave Emma a push first. Then I pushed Rachel and I spent my afternoon alternating between pushing one and the other. The girls laughed as their little hands clung to the chains and they kicked their feet in the air, almost close enough to mimic the pumping motion they would need when they switched to the big kid's swings in a few years.

"Do you two want to go higher?" I asked them, even though my arms were starting to grow tired. I wondered if I could use magic to keep pushing and take a rest. Or maybe they would want to move on to something else.

Yes! their little voices chorused in my mind. I sighed but complied, putting a little more force into my pushes.

I glanced over to see how Robin and Roland were doing. Roland stood in the sand, watching as his father easily swung from bar to bar. He frowned, arms crossed. "How do you do that so well?" he asked Robin.

Robin landed on his feet like cat and smiled at Roland. "Practice, son. Keep it up and I'm sure you'll be able to do it as well."

"Cool!" Roland ran toward the ladder, eagerly climbing up to attempt the monkey bars again as Robin watched him.

Could I risk losing all of this for Zelena? For the mother who had made my childhood miserable? Was she worth fighting a dragon for? What would my family do if the dragon got the best of me? Robin was a good father but could he manage raising three children on his own? Marians' loss had nearly destroyed him and he had once confessed that he didn't think he could survive if anything happened to me.

But could I condemn my mother to death? Let Zelena pull her heart as I went about my life, knowing I did nothing to stop her?

Mama stop. Why? Emma asked, twisting in the swing to frown at me.

I felt like I woke from a dream and realized that I had stopped pushing the girls. So I gave them a soft smile. "Sorry. I'll start again."

Rachel want seesaw, my other daughter said, banging her hands against the black plastic holding her.

"Okay," I said, pulling her out. "We'll go do the seesaw. Let me just get your sister."

I set Rachel down and turned to Emma, smiling at her. "Okay, Emma. Time to go do something else."

No. Emma swing. She clutched the chains tighter, forcing me to pry her hands off them as she kicked.

"You've spent enough time on the swing," I said, pulling her from the seat. "Your sister wants to do the seesaw so you can do that for a bit. It's like sharing your toys."

She pouted but nodded. Okay, Mama. Emma seesaw with Rachel. Then back to swings?

"We'll see," I told her as I picked up Rachel, relieved Emma wasn't going to fight me on this. Perhaps she had learned her lesson that morning. "You might want to do something else later."

I settled them on either end of the seesaw, helping them go up and down when their little legs couldn't manage to push with enough force needed. Rachel laughed and even Emma smiled so I hoped she was learning the importance of making others happy.

Robin's arm wrapped around my waist as he kissed my cheek. "I see we've moved on to the seesaw. Are the girls having fun?"

"Yes, they are," I said. "Even Emma, though she still wants to go back to the swings once they are done here."

"I can always take her back there if Rachel wants to do something else," he offered.

I nodded. "And what's Roland doing?"

"He's on the swings," Robin said, pointing behind him. I looked around and saw Roland pumping his legs as he swung back and forth. As long as he didn't jump off, all was well with my blood pressure.

Rachel held up her arms to me. Mama, sandbox?

"You want to play in the sandbox? Okay. Do you want to play there too, Emma?" I asked the other girl.

"No!" She shook her head so hard, her curls bounced against her forehead. I knew she wanted to go back to the swings.

Robin picked her up, giving me a knowing look. "We'll be on the swings if you need us. You and Rachel have fun in the sandbox."

"We will," I said, putting Rachel on my hip. "Can you keep an eye on Roland as well?"

He nodded, trying to keep a hold on an eager and squirming Emma as she tried to reach out for the swings. "Don't worry. We'll all stay safe."

I kissed him before kissing Emma's cheek. "Emma, you be a good girl for your father."

"Papa," she said, patting his cheek. I guessed that meant she would be on her best behavior.

We parted ways and I took Rachel over to the sandbox. I set her down and conjured up a shovel and bucket for her to play with. "Have fun, sweetheart," I told her.

She let out a peal of laughter, using the shovel to throw sand around the box. I sat back, watching her with a smile.

I didn't have these memories with my own mother. She didn't believe in taking me to the park and playing with me. Daddy had done that whenever he could, keeping a watchful eye on me as I attempted to cross the monkey bars and played on the jungle gym. Even when we went to the beach, Mother never played in the sand with us. She sat on her beach chair like a queen, preening as everyone passed us by and wishing I would just sit there as well, like a little doll. We were only at the beach to be seen, as far as she was concerned, not have any fun.

Mother hadn't given me a very happy childhood and I had spent most of my adult life ignoring her. So why was I willing to risk myself for her?

The answer was obvious, though. It was because my father raised me to do the right thing, something that only grew stronger after falling in love with Robin Hood. Mother was in danger and I couldn't just stand by and not help her.

I just prayed my family didn't suffer for it.

Once the children were in bed that night, I curled up on the couch again with my book on dragons. Robin sat down next to me, frowning when he saw my reading material. "Regina…"

"I'm just doing research," I told him. "So I can make an informed decision."

"Yet your eyes tell me you've already made it," he replied, taking the book from me. He set it on the table and took my hands. "Let's talk. "

I sighed, sitting up to meet his eyes. He was certain I had made up my mind but I knew I hadn't. There were too many variables still to consider. "How soon can we rescue my mother?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I would really have to plan it well and that's going to take time."

"Zelena's not giving us time. She wants an answer now. I may have to fight a dragon just to give you time to get Mother out."

He frowned. "There has to be another way to distract Zelena long enough to allow me to get your mother out. Maybe you could just pretend to fight the dragon?"

"How do you do that?" I asked, imagining me standing there making dramatic noises like Roland did when he was pretending to fight some imaginary foe. It was pretty laughable to think they would fool Zelena.

Robin grimaced. "Okay, maybe I didn't think that out. Maybe you could agree to fight the dragon but then stall her with research and preparations?"

I nodded. "I might be able to."

"Just something to keep you alive," he continued. "Dragons…well, there's only one person I know who has survived fighting a dragon."

"Who?" I asked, curious as I moved closer to him.

"Charming."

My mouth dropped open and I pulled back again, my hands sliding from his. "Charming fought a dragon? You mean he could help me with this?"

Robin hesitated as a panicked look crossed his eyes. "I guess…"

"You don't want him to help me," I said, crossing my arms. "You think I'm really going to fight a dragon."

"It sounds like it, Regina," he replied hotly. "You keep saying that you're going to pretend but as I said, I see it in your eyes."

I sighed, taking his hand. "I don't know what I'm going to do. But I know I don't want to leave you or the children. So I'll do everything I can to avoid fighting the dragon."

"Please do, Regina. The children need you. I need you. I don't know what I would do if I lost you." He squeezed my hands, rubbing the backs of them.

"Just like I couldn't imagine what we do without you," I replied, my heart clenching at the thought. I had almost lost him once and felt like I had been adrift at sea. It was not a feeling I wanted to experience again. "So you need to be careful when rescuing my mother."

He nodded, pulling me into his arms and holding me close. "I will be. I promise."

I sighed, resting my head on his chest. "Can we talk about something less…morose?"

"Gladly," he replied with a chuckle. He kissed the top of my head. "What do you want to talk about instead?"

"I don't know," I admitted, my mind a blank. "Maybe we can watch some TV instead? Carson should be on soon."

His arms fell away and Robin stood from the couch, smiling down at me. "I have a better idea, lovely. Wait right there."

I watched as he headed over to my record player and pulled out one of my Beatles' albums. He put it on and carefully found the right place to drop the needle, playing one of our favorite songs—"Let It Be."

"Dance with me?" he asked, holding out his hand to me. I smiled as I took it, letting him pull me to my feet.

Robin held me close, one hand on my lower back while the other held my hand tightly. We swayed in time to the music and he hummed along as I rested my head on his shoulder. "This is nice," I said.

"I never thought I would say this, but I miss attending balls," he replied, resting his cheek against my hair.

"Why?"

He kissed the top of my head. "I miss seeing you in those beautiful ballgowns and then dancing with you."

"You did look very handsome in your fancy outfits back in the Enchanted Forest," I told him. There was just something about a satin forest green jacket on him that always had me feeling weak at my knees. Not that ever affect my dancing, which had been a relief. "And I never felt like I was disaster when dancing with you."

"You were hardly a disaster. You were a model student in our lessons," he told me.

I chuckled. "You're being kind."

"I'm speaking the truth." He gave me a little twirl and I laughed as he spun me back against his chest, arms wrapped around me. "See? You're wonderful."

"I still think you're extremely biased about that," I teased him before turning to wrap my arms around his neck. I kissed him as the song ended.

The record moved into the next song as Robin pulled me closer, deepening our kiss. He then trailed kisses along my jawline and down my neck, sending a pleasurable shiver down my spine. "Shall we move to bed?" he asked me, voice husky.

I sighed, tempted. But there was a problem. "It's too close. I'm fertile now and you know you never miss."

He paused before giving a hearty chuckle. "That is true. I guess we'll have to postpone this feeling until next week."

"I don't think it works like that," I teased him. "You can't just postpone a feeling."

"So what do you propose we do?" he asked me, kissing my neck again.

I hummed, threading my fingers through his hair. "Well, I think we can find other ways to enjoy each other. We usually do."

He chuckled, his chest vibrating against me. "I guess we can get creative when we need to be."

"Let's see what we can come up with tonight." I pulled away, tugging on his hand. "Come with me."

"Gladly, milady." He gave me a cheeky smile, following me upstairs to our bedroom for some fun.

The phone rang early the next morning, waking me before my alarm. I blinked a few times, allowing my eyes to focus on the clock by our bed. The red numbers read five-thirty in the morning. Whoever was calling me better have had a good reason for doing so.

"Hello?" I asked once I picked up the phone, my voice raspy.

"Regina?" Zelena asked as I bit back my groan. "Is that you?"

Sighing, I replied: "Unfortunately. What do you want, Zelena?"

"Well, someone is in a bad mood," she continued as my annoyance grew. "Aren't you going to ask how I am?"

"It's five thirty in the fucking morning, Zelena. Niceties don't start until the sun comes up. Just get to your point so I can go back to bed," I snapped, closing my eyes again.

She clucked at me. "Fine. I can tell you're in a mood. Have you made your decision yet?"

"Can't this wait until the sun comes up?" I asked, not ready to give her my answer and looking to stall. "And can't we discuss this in person?"

Zelena huffed and I was certain she was scowling. "I need an answer, Regina. Do you not care about your mother?"

Anger swelled inside me and I sat up, my blood boiling as I said: "I won't be guilted into giving you an answer before I'm ready. I will contact you at a more reasonable hour, Zelena. Good night."

I slammed the phone down and flopped back onto the bed with a huff, worrying that I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep now. Thanks, Zelena.

"Do I even want to know what time it is?" Robin mumbled, rolling closer to me as he wrapped his arm around me. He pulled me closer to his warm body.

"Too fucking early to be dealing with her," I said, snuggling against him as I rested my head in the crook of his neck. Sighing, I felt myself relax as he rubbed my back. "She can wait."

He hummed, kissing my forehead. "So, when are you going to contact her?"

"Like I said…at a more reasonable hour. Maybe tomorrow at eleven. I don't know."

"How about never?"

I sighed. "Robin, we've been over this…"

"I know, I know," he sighed. "A man can dream, though, right?"

"Well, I can't order you to stop," I teased. "Now, can we try to get some more sleep? Please?"

He nodded, his cheek rubbing against my head. "Sleep sounds wonderful. Don't worry, lovely. I've got you."

I sighed, this time in contentment, as I held him tighter. His warmth surrounded me and his familiar pine scent lulled me back to sleep.

I parked my car by Storybrooke's animal shelter and headed inside, smiling when I spotted Charming behind the counter. He straightened up, looking pleased but concerned to see me. "What brings you here?"

"I was hoping to talk to you," I said, leaning against the counter. I glanced around, assuring myself we were alone. Still, I lowered my voice as I continued: "I hear you have experience fighting dragons."

He raised his eyebrow, leaning closer to me. "Why do you need to fight a dragon?"

"I'm hoping not to," I told him. "But I need to make Zelena believe I will as part of our plan to bust my mother out of her mansion and get her to safety."

"She has your mother? Why?" he asked, looking confused yet intrigued.

I glanced around and bit my lip. "I know it's dead in here, but can we go somewhere with more privacy? Please?"

He nodded, motioning for me to follow him. "I have an office in the back. We'll have to leave the door partially open so I can see if someone comes in, but otherwise, we should have complete privacy."

We settled into his office and he motioned to a coffee maker nearby. "Do you want a cup? Or some water?"

I shook my head. "I'm fine, thank you. Now, about the dragon?"

"I think you would be best to not fight a dragon," he said. "So tell me why Zelena has your mother."

"Have I ever told you that my mother looks exactly like Zelena's mother?" I asked, not sure if we ever had that conversation.

His eyes widened and I knew we hadn't. "What?"

"Exact copy," I continued. "They could be identical twins."

"Is that why she has your mother? Because she thinks she's also her mother?" Charming asked.

I shook my head. "I think…I think she's going to use my mother to bring hers back."

He frowned. "How?"

"I'm not sure. But she sent me some sort of memory or vision or something that seemed to imply that she would take my mother's heart,' I explained, feeling the panic and fear filling me again. "I guess she's going to put the heart into Cora's body and hope it works. Like a heart transplant."

"So she's essentially threatening to kill your mother," Charming said, leaning forward as his frown deepened.

I nodded. "And I don't think Mother realizes that. I think she thinks she's just being held as a means to get me to do Zelena's bidding."

"So she's not trying to break out?"

"Well, she wants to break out but she wants me to do all the work," I told him. "Which if you know my mother, is pretty much her MO."

"MO?" he asked, confused.

Remembering that he didn't have the knowledge about this world provided to the others by the curse, I nodded. "Modus operandi. It's usually used to describe how a criminal acts, but we use it to describe how anybody acts normally."

He nodded. "So what are you going to do?"

"Distract Zelena long enough so Robin can get my mother out," I replied. "Which may mean pretending I'm going to fight a dragon."

"And how do I play into this?" Charming asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I was hoping to pick your brain about slaying a dragon so I could attempt to convince Zelena I might actually fight one for her."

He sighed, rubbing his face. "And how does Robin feel about this?"

"How do you think?" I asked him, some annoyance creeping into my voice even though I knew he was just trying to keep my best interests at heart. "He still sees himself as my Protector."

"Of course he does. He gave you his word that he would keep you safe and his word is his bond. He's going to protect you until the day he dies," Charming told me.

I sighed but smiled right after. "Yeah, I know. Nothing will hurt me while he's around."

"But you're planning on fighting a dragon alone."

"I'm not planning on fighting a dragon," I repeated. "I'm planning on making Zelena think I'm planning on fighting a dragon."

He still looked uncertain. "I really don't think that's wise, Regina. You may end up fighting a dragon if you go down that road."

I took his hand in mine. "I know you're concerned. And I know Robin's scared. So am I. I really don't want to fight a dragon. But if I have to, I want to be prepared. Will you please help me?"

"Okay," he said with a sigh. "I'll help you, Regina. But I hope you never have to use this information."

"Me too," I agreed. "Me too."

It was approaching dinner time when I left the animal shelter. Charming had given me a lot to think about when it came to fighting a dragon. Especially as it seemed he had succeeded by sheer dumb luck. There was no guarantee the same luck would be on my side if I really had to fight one myself.

Unlocking my car, I was eager to get home and make dinner for my family. Maybe we could have a group cuddle on the couch before the children had to go to bed. And then Robin and I could have some cuddling of our own after…

"There you are!" Zelena's voice made me close my eyes and bite back a moan. Of course she had found me.

I turned to find her striding across the parking lot toward me, scowling. She stopped a few feet away from me. "Did you think I wouldn't know you were here?"

"I wasn't trying to hide from you," I told her, crossing my arms. "I was visiting a friend for a friendly chat."

Zelena narrowed her eyes. "Oh? And what would you and Prince Charming have to talk about?"

"Dragons," I replied, trying to sound nonchalant. "He's fought them before, you know. Kind of an expert."

Her eyes lit up and she smirked. "So, you're going to fight the dragon for me after all?"

"Maybe," I said, hoping to come across as noncommittal. "Just gathering some intel to help me make my decision."

She scowled at me again. "I need an answer from you, Regina, and I'm getting tired of waiting."

"And I'm tired of being bugged by you constantly. You'll have your answer when I'm ready to give it." I crossed my arms, glaring at her.

"Don't wait forever," she warned. "My patience will run out and I still have your mother. Remember that."

We glared at each other as I opened my door. "If you excuse me, Madam Mayor, but I have a family to get home to."

I climbed into the car and started it up. As I pulled out of my spot to head home, I could feel her eyes on me. I just continued to stare ahead, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of my acknowledgement.

"So you didn't give her an answer?" Robin asked me as I rocked a fussy Rachel. She bit down on the ice-cold plastic ring he held out for her, looking for some relief from the tooth that was coming in.

I shook my head, rubbing Rachel's back. "I'm trying to put this off, Robin, but I need your help."

He sighed. "I know, I know. I have tomorrow off so I'm going to drive to Storybrooke and scope out Zelena's mansion a bit more, get a better feel for the outside. Then I'll put a plan together. I promise."

"Thank you," I said, leaning forward to kiss him. "I really appreciate this."

"Anything for you. To keep you safe. And keeping you from fighting a dragon definitely does that," he replied.

I sighed now though I felt my lips quirk upwards as I fought the urge to smile. "I guess I can't argue that."

He kissed me. "I figured as much. Now, do you want me to take her for a bit? Give your arms a rest?"

Rachel want Mama. She gripped my neck tighter and I sighed, shaking my head. He understood what I meant and started to rub Rachel's back instead.

"Why don't we move to the bed? I think we'll all be more comfortable," he suggested, starting to guide us over there.

I laid down on our soft blankets without letting go of Rachel. She continued to gnaw on her teething ring as she curled up on my chest, not bothered by the fact I was now horizontal rather than vertical.

Robin laid down next to us, curling his body around mine as he placed his hand on Rachel's back again. "Is my sweet girl feeling better?" he asked her.

No, came the response in my head as she let out a little whimper. I didn't have to tell Robin then what her answer was.

He kissed her head. "It's okay, sweetheart. Soon that tooth will come in and you'll feel better."

"She hopes you're right," I told him. "She's not liking all this pain."

"No one does," he replied, giving her an encouraging smile. "But it will all go away before you know it."

I kissed the top of her head, enjoying the feel of her feathery curls. "She really hopes so. Me too."

He sighed, sliding his hand under my body to roll me closer to him. Rachel settled into a spot between the two of us, her blue eyes starting to close as she reached out to grab Robin's shirt. I closed my own eyes, pressing my forehead to his.

"I love you," he whispered. "And I'm sorry if I'm frustrating you with the dragon situation."

I nodded. "I understand. You're scared. So am I. It's a fucking dragon."

"Perfectly said."

Something cold landed on my shirt and I opened my eyes to find Rachel's teething ring laying there. Her mouth was open and her eyes were closed, her little chest rising and falling evenly. I smiled. "She's asleep."

"Good," he said, moving back to pick her up. "I'll put her in her crib and be right back. Don't go anywhere."

I chuckled, pulling the blankets around my body. "Don't worry. I have no plans to move from this spot until the morning."

He smiled, carrying Rachel from the room. I rolled closer to his side of the bed, my eyes starting to close. Robin would easily slip under the blankets and then hold me, I knew. With that assured, I slipped off into what I hoped was a pleasant dream.

It was a beautiful spring day and I had ordered all the windows opened as well as the doors. A warm breeze blew through the manor and toyed with my hair as I leaned against one of the doorframes, Rachel on my hip. We watched as Roland chased his father around the lawn, pretending to be a knight trying to slay a ferocious ogre. Their laughter echoed in the spring air.

Roland waved at her. "Come and play with us, Mama!"

"I can't, sweetheart," I told him. "I have your sister."

"It's okay. She can play too!" he replied, waving me closer. "Please, Mama? Please?"

Robin nodded. "Please, Regina? Regina?"

"REGINA!" Something cold and wet hit my face and I sat up, spitting out ice cold water as it dripped down my hair.

Zelena stood over me holding an empty bucket. She smirked. "Oh good, you're awake. We can begin."

"Begin?" I looked around, finding I was in the dusty library boarded up in Storybrooke. Jumping up, my heart beat faster. "What am I doing here?"

She put down the bucket and wiped her hands together. "I was getting tired waiting for you to give me an answer. So I brought you here myself. You are going to fight the dragon now. So change your clothes and get ready. It's showtime."

A/N: Uh oh. Zelena's taken measures into her own hands and it looks like no matter how much Regina tried to stall, she's going to have to fight that dragon. Will she succeed? What does the dragon hold? Will it help her or Zelena? Will Robin kill Zelena with his own bare hands once he figures out what she's done?

Find out next time!

-Mac