The First Chill

Regina balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder as she checked on her pumpkin pie—a surprise for Robin. "I can ask him, Mother. Next time I see him, I promise. And I'll text you the answer," she sighed into the phone.

Satisfied the pie was done, she took it out and set on the cooling rack. Tossing her oven mitts aside, she took off her apron as her mother rattled off everything needed for Thanksgiving. Regina sighed again. "Do you need me to bring anything?"

"Probably. But I'm still waiting to hear from Granny. I'll let you know once I do."

"Okay, Mother." Knocking drew Regina toward her door and she checked her hair before reaching for the knob. "Robin is here now. I have to…"

"Robin?" Cora's voice brightened. "Put him on. I can ask him myself."

Knowing it was pointless to fight, Regina held out the phone as Robin placed his overnight bag down. At his confused look, Regina explained: "Mother wants to talk to you."

Surprised, Robin took the phone and moved to the couch. "Hello, Cora. How are you?"

As Robin chatted with her mother, Regina took his overnight bag into her room. She dropped it on his side of the bed, excited to spend another night wrapped in his arms. They were spending more nights together, splitting their time between their two apartments and it was time for her to take another step in their relationship.

Regina glanced at her chest, staring at one drawer in particular as her heart sped up. She had never taken this step before in a relationship, never given a past boyfriend what she was going to give Robin. He understood that he was different for her and he appreciated every gesture she made toward him. It made her care for him more and more each day. She was getting close to even using the "l" word, even though it had only been five months.

Five months. Sometimes it felt like she had known Robin forever rather than barely half a year. Part of her believed she should be more nervous about how quickly her relationship was progressing but it felt right. Robin was special. He was, after all, sitting on her couch while talking with her mother on the phone. And it wasn't the first time he and Cora ended up just chatting. No one else ever had that privilege.

"Regina?" Robin leaned against her doorframe, studying her. "Are you okay?"

She smiled at him. "I'm fine. Just got lost in my thoughts."

"Good ones?"

"Of course," she replied. "They were about you."

It was his turn to smile this time and he held out his hands to her. She took them, letting him pull her to her feet for a long, searing kiss. His hands were buried in her hair and hers gripped his shirt, pulling him closer.

They fell back on her bed, laughing into their kiss. He broke it, rolling onto his back. She did the same, their hands still locked together. "Hello," he said.

"Hi," she replied with a laugh. "So, did my mother invite you to Thanksgiving dinner?"

"She did. I accepted, if that's okay with you."

Regina propped herself up on her elbow. "Of course it is. If it wasn't, I would've told her not to invite you."

"Good point," Robin conceded. He rolled onto his side and reached out for her again. "I'm looking forward to having a proper American Thanksgiving."

"You've never had one? And how long have you been in the States?"

He shrugged, staring at the ceiling. "Marian always volunteered to work Thanksgiving and I felt weird crashing someone else's celebration. She always picked up Chinese food on her way home and we'd eat it while watching a Christmas movie."

"What about after Marian?"

"John always invited me out to his folks' but it still felt weird. So I would go into the office and get some work done," Robin replied. "Then I'd find the one takeaway place open, pick some up and go home to eat in front of the football game."

"That sounds…lonely." Regina frowned, hating to think of her outgoing and social boyfriend all alone on a holiday dedicated to being with others.

"Well, I won't be lonely this Thanksgivings," he said, eyes sparkling. "Not when I have you."

She rolled closer to him, pressing her forehead to his. Brown eyes met blue as she smiled, her heart swelling. "I love you."

"I love you too." He said it fast as if he was afraid she would realize what she had said and try to erase the moment.

Regina didn't want to erase anything. It wasn't how she planned on saying those three words to Robin but the moment felt right. She did love him and for the first time in a long time, she embraced it rather than fought it.

She kissed him again and he rolled her on her back, hands slipping under her beige cashmere sweater. His palms were hot against her skin as they caressed her back. When his fingers inched toward her bra clasp, she placed her hand on his chest and broke the kiss. "Not now," she said. "I have a lasagna in the oven."

"Right. We wouldn't to be interrupted by the smoke detector." Robin stood up, holding out his hand to her.

Once she was on her feet, Regina smiled. "Don't worry, Robin. We have all night."

"We do," he agreed, smiling as well. He then grew serious. "I didn't say it back just because you said it. I meant every word. I love you."

Regina kissed him again. "I know," she whispered. "Now come on. Time for dinner."

The lasagna ended up being a little crisp around the edges but was still delicious. Robin poured them both wine as Regina played some music in the background. It was a special playlist she used only when Robin was around and he smiled when he heard it. "The silly love songs again?" he asked.

She shrugged. "They've grown on me. And they're your songs."

"Not all of them. I don't recognize a few of those titles."

"I may have a few guilty pleasures."

Robin tilted his head before standing. He held out his hand to her. "Dance with me."

"We have to clean up," she insisted, waving her hand over their dirty but empty plates.

"They can wait a few minutes. Please?" He gave her his irresistible puppy eyes and she caved.

She slid her hand into his and let him pull her up. He held her right hand tight in his left while his right arm was wrapped around her waist. Regina rested her free hand against his chest, feeling his heartbeat under it as they swayed in time to the music.

Letting out a sigh, she laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. His familiar wood and pine smell tickled her nose and she smiled. "You smell good," she murmured.

He chuckled. "Thank you. So do you."

"You're saying that because I probably smell like lasagna."

"You smell like vanilla," he replied. "You always do."

"You smell like the forest."

"A strange combination."

She shrugged. "I think they go well together."

Robin kissed the top of her head, understanding the double meaning in her words. They went well together.

Pulling away, Regina rose on her tiptoes to kiss him. His arms tightened around her waist as he deepened the kiss, swallowing her moan. One hand snuck under her sweater again, caressing the smooth skin of her back. Its mate joined it soon, closer to the clasp of her bra. A finger toyed with it but he made no move to remove the article.

Her shirt was pushed so far up she broke the kiss to raise her arms, letting him remove it completely. She pulled his sweater over his head before popping open each button on the shirt he wore underneath as Robin began trailing hot kisses up and down her neck. He found one sensitive spot, sucking it as she threw his shirt to the side.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the feelings his lips caused, and let her hands roam over his bare chest. His coarse hairs tickled her palms as she slid a hand down toward his jeans. In one smooth movement, she had popped his button and pulled his zipper down.

Robin pulled away, eyes dark with want. "Do you want to stay here or move to the bedroom?"

"Bedroom," she replied, breathless. "Now."

"What about the dishes?" he teased, kissing her neck again. "You okay with leaving them out overnight?"

She glanced at her table before looking back at him. Biting her lip, she nodded. "They can wait a few more hours. I can't."

It was Robin's turn to bite his lip. He let her lead him back into her bedroom and push him down on her bed. "You're gorgeous," he told her.

"You're an Adonis," she replied, straddling him. "And you're all mine."

"Yes, I am," he growled in response.

Her lips found his again as she began rocking against his leg. It created friction in the perfect spot. Her underwear grew wetter with each motion, soaking them right through.

"I need…pants…off," he said between her kisses. "Please."

"No need to be polite." She nipped at him before helping him out of his pants. His cock was already half hard and she wrapped her hand around it, pumping a few times. "You are not going to be a gentleman tonight."

He gulped as he nodded. "Whatever you…Fuck!"

"That's it," she laughed, thumb toying with his tip. "Do you like that?"

"Yes." His voice was raspy.

She smiled. "Then you'll love this."

Before he could ask her what she meant, she sank to her knees and pushed his legs further apart. She pressed a kiss to his tip before taking the rest of him into her mouth. With a swirl of her tongue, she found her rhythm as Robin let out an encouraging but strangled moan above her.

Regina felt a surge in her confidence. It had been at least a year since she last had sex. None of her boyfriends before Robin had lasted long enough for her to feel comfortable to be intimate with them. And she was not a one night stand kind of woman, not going to find a man to bring home when she was fine with one of her toys on nights when she needed a release.

But with how Robin was moaning and writhing, she hadn't fallen out of practice. His fingers tangled in her hair, stilling her. "I'm…too close," he panted. "Want to come inside you."

She released him and climbed back onto the bed, kissing him. "I want that too," she whispered.

"Then let's get you out of these jeans," Robin said, undoing her button and zipper. He pulled the pants off her and threw them over his shoulder. "Much better."

He pulled off her black lace panties, kissing his way down her right leg as he did so. Once the garment was off and thrown to the floor, he trailed kisses back up her left leg. He urged her to bend her knees, spreading her legs apart as his lips found her clit. She jerked up at the sensations his tongue sent coursing through her before settling back against her pillows. Her hands bunched up the sheets, getting purchase as her back began to arch and heat coiled lower in her core.

"Robin…" she moaned as he added his fingers, curling in search of her g-spot. "To the right."

He responded by sucking at her clit as he moved his fingers in the directions she gasped out. When he found her spot, she let out a yelp of pleasure as the coil tightened, ready to spring loose. Robin pumped at a good pace and Regina babbled as she exploded, white lights flashing behind her eyes.

Once she had come down from her high, Robin kissed his way back up his body until he was flush against her. He held her, brushing some hair from her face. "How was that, lovely?"

"Wonderful," she said, breathless. "If this is the night you finally do me in and cut me to pieces, I will die a happy woman."

He chuckled but it turned into a groan as she wrapped her hand around his cock again. "But you're not done. That won't do," she said.

"I guess not," he replied, kissing her shoulder before rising from the bed. He leaned over, fishing for his pants to search through pocket for his wallet. Opening it, he pulled out something with a black wrapper before tossing the wallet back down onto his jeans.

Robin tore open the wrapper, sliding the condom over his cock before he positioned himself. He pressed his forehead to hers. "Are you ready?"

She nodded. "You've seen to that well enough."

He slid into her slowly, giving her time to adjust to him. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer. "You don't have to be gentle. I won't break," she told him.

Kissing her, he picked up his speed and she met his thrusts eagerly. Robin's thumb played with one of her nipples as she slid her hand between their sweat-slicked bodies to provide extra stimulation to her clit. The coil tightened again, the fire burning low inside her. It was fanning and she knew she would explode again. "Robin," she moaned.

"I know," he groaned, pressing his face against her neck. His hot breath ghosted over her tingling skin. The coil exploded, fire consuming her as she went over the edge again with a shout of his name. He followed seconds later, her name groaned into her shoulder.

He sagged against her, his weight heavy against her for a few moments before he rolled over to take off the used condom. She curled up against his side, resting her head on his chest. Robin pulled her wet hair off her sweaty neck, letting the cool air hit the skin. "Oh, that feels good," she said.

"You feel good," he murmured, half asleep. She rolled her eyes before closing them, sleep pulling at her. Robin pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I love you."

She smiled, believing she would never tire of hearing him say that as she gave into sleep's siren call.

Regina's internal clock did not fail her. When her eyes fluttered open, her clock read 8:15 AM. She stretched as she rolled over to check on Robin, who slept on. He had an arm tucked under the pillow again, pressing it closer to his face as he let out soft snores.

She kissed his forehead before sliding out of bed, the early morning chill bringing goose bumps to her naked body. Their clothes still covered the floor and she stepped around them to get to her chest. Opening the top drawer, she pulled out clean underwear before locating the oversized Knights jersey she had nicked from Robin. She slid it on and threw her hair into a messy ponytail before padding toward the kitchen.

Their dirty dishes and half-drunk wine still sat on the table. She picked them up, carrying everything to her soapy water filled sink. They would just soak for now while she made breakfast for herself and Robin.

Regina started her coffeemaker before gathering the ingredients she needed for French toast. It was Robin's favorite and she wanted to treat him their entire anniversary weekend long. She cracked open an egg, added milk, sugar and cinnamon (with a dash of nutmeg) and began whisking it together. The aroma of coffee filled her kitchen, making it feel nice and homey.

"You spoil me," Robin said, wrapping his arms around her waist. He rested his chin on her shoulder, watching as she fried his French toast.

She leaned back against him. "You're worth it."

"I love you," he whispered back. "Even if you weren't making all my favorite foods."

"It's our anniversary weekend."

"Five months. I thought you didn't celebrate little milestones like that?"

She shrugged. "You're worth celebrating."

"So are you," he replied, kissing her neck.

Regina handed him a plate, pushing him toward the table. "Coffee should be ready and I might have some pumpkin spice shit flavoring left in the fridge."

"You're the best," he said. "Even if you stole my jersey."

She flushed, walking over to the table with her own plate. "It's comfortable and, well, it smells like you."

He chuckled, setting a mug in front of her. "I guess I'll just have to get a new one," he sighed.

"Well, you'll probably have to wear this after every wash." At his raised eyebrow, she explained: "So it smells like you rather than vanilla."

"Ahh," he said, nodding. He then stared at his plate for a bit. "Regina, would you mind terribly if we did something not related to our anniversary on our anniversary?"

"I…I'm not sure what you mean."

"Right, sorry. Let me try again." Robin took a deep breath. "I have a meeting with a client. He owns a large corporation out in Mist Haven and being able to do their landscaping would be a major coup. He wants to have dinner on Monday…him and his wife…"

"You and me," Regina finished, smiling. "Where and what time?"

His shoulders sagged in relief. "Thank you. This is really important."

"I understand." She smiled, excited to support Robin at such an important meeting and honored that he would want her there.

After washing all the dishes, Regina grabbed Robin's hand. "Come with me. I have a surprise for you."

He followed her back to her room, watching as she pulled open a drawer. It was empty, the items once stored in it relocated to other drawers. She beamed as she explained: "This is your drawer. So you can keep things here instead of lugging your bag around. Or for nights where leaving seems…difficult."

"Leaving you is always difficult." He pulled her in for a hug. "Thank you. This means a lot to me."

Letting her go, Robin retrieved something from his bag. It was a brown cardboard box tied with a green ribbon. He held it out to her. "Good thing I decided to ignore the 'no presents' rule as well. Happy anniversary, Regina."

She took the box, pulling on the ribbon to open it. Once she removed the lid, she saw a beautiful silver necklace sitting on a bed of cotton. A red crystal heart hung from the chain, a silver arrow piercing it. "It's gorgeous," she said.

"I saw it at a street fair and knew it had to be yours." Robin took the necklace and clasped it around her neck. "You have pierced my heart."

Regina turned, kissing him as she fisted his t-shirt. The force propelled them toward the bed, falling onto her unmade blankets together. She began sucking at his neck as he let her hair out of its ponytail. Within minutes, only her new necklace lay between the two, its heart pressed between theirs.

The great philosopher Garfield the Cat once said: "I hate Mondays."

Regina could relate.

Her Monday had started out great. She woke up on time, was able to eat breakfast and grab a peppermint latte from her favorite place on her way to work. Robin's necklace hung around her neck, the heart resting against her blue dress. It was a bit fancier than what she usually wore on her way to the office but it seemed easier than having to change for Robin's business dinner.

She had spent Sunday night debating what to wear, wanting to impress but not outshine Robin. After a game of eeny-meeny-miney-mo, she had chosen the blue fitted sleeveless dress with a zipper up the side. It had been an impulse buy, urged by Kathryn who said it made her ass look amazing. She hadn't found the right time to wear it and knew it would wow tonight.

November was still unseasonably warm, so she wasn't too cold in the dress. She still paired it with a black blazer for work, carrying a blue sweater for later. Her black heels clicked against the cement sidewalks and she felt like everyone was her runway. Regina strutted toward her building, confident and happy.

Until she entered her office and found Mary Margaret staring at a blank computer screen. It had happened before when she had been sick and overloaded on medicine. So, concerned, Regina shook her assistant. "Mary Margaret? Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" Mary Margaret turned her head, eyes snapping into focus. "Oh, yes, I'm fine. The computers aren't."

Regina's stomach dropped. "What happened?"

"I don't know. My computer wouldn't turn on when I got in so I checked yours. The same thing happened. So I called tech and they said it was office wide."

Their phones buzzed and Regina glanced down to find a message from Gold. He was holding a mandatory meeting in fifteen minutes. She sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I guess we're about to find out what happened."

The two walked down to the community area in the building, the only room large enough to fit everyone at Gold and Associates. Belle waved them over, letting them squeeze between her and the Seven Dwarfs. "I was almost finish with a great print ad," Leroy grumbled. "If it's all lost because some idiot went to the wrong website…"

Regina nodded in understanding. Leroy's sentiments were reflected on the faces of everyone gathered in the room—especially Gold himself. He leaned on his cane, his leg still affected by an old war injury. Graying dark hair was tied back and he wore a dark three piece suit. Brown eyes took in the room as he began speaking in his familiar hoarse voice, tinted with an accent no one had been able to pin down (British? Irish? Scottish?). "Thank you for coming. I'm sure by now you've realized we have no computers."

Disgruntled murmurs broke out until he held up his hand. "Yes, yes, I understand. I'm turning the floor over to Audrey to explain what's going on."

Regina liked the IT director, a no-nonsense Latina who explained everything in simple terms. So she knew Audrey would tell it to them straight.

"Okay, here's the bottom line: We were attacked. Someone hacked us and fried our servers. My team is working to get everything up and running but it will take time. We won't know how much we lost until then."

"What about e-mails?" Sidney Glass asked.

Audrey shrugged. "They should be fine, but we do urge caution. We don't know how these fiends got access to our servers. If you get an e-mail from someone you don't recognize or if it contains a strange link, forward it to us or delete it."

"So how are we supposed to get any work done?" Zelena asked, incredulous. "We still have clients to work for."

"Yes. We advise going home if you can and getting your personal devices. The internet is working but you won't be able to access anything saved. So hopefully you have backups," Audrey said.

Everyone broke out into murmurs and Regina leaned back to talk to August. "Go home and get your laptop. Let's see where we stand for tomorrow's presentation."

"I'll be as quick as possible," he said, standing up. "But I'm not sure how much we managed to save elsewhere."

Regina bit back her groan. They had a presentation the next morning and when she had left on Friday, it was all done. All they had to do today was a run through, to time their presentation and to make sure everything flowed. She hoped they didn't have to put everything together again. "Well, we'll see what we have to do. If we have to roll up our sleeves, then so be it," she said.

The situation ended up being dire. While August had some parts of their presentation on his laptop and Belle had all her research backed up on a flash drive, there was still a lot they had to put back together. Regina ended up pulling one of their new junior associates, Anastasia, to help them revive their pitch. The blonde Brit fit right in and was able to jump into the project very quickly.

Regina was able to solve the mystery of how the hacker got into their server when her phone died as she checked her e-mails. It seemed a legitimate client had been hacked and it let the hacker get at them. Audrey and her department took the device, promising to get it fixed as soon as possible. "Thanks, Regina," the woman said. "At least we know where to look now."

"Great," Regina groaned. "That still doesn't help us now."

"You need to stay optimistic," Mary Margaret told her, setting out everyone's lunch order. "The Hope Commission thinks you'll pull it off."

Regina gave her a look. "Well, if we do, I'll owe the Hope Commission a quarter."

"How about a day off?"

"We'll see," Regina replied. She handed Mary Margaret some papers. "I trust the copier is still operational. Can you make copies of those for me? Thanks."

Mary Margaret paused at the door, looking back at Regina. "Deep breaths, Regina. It'll help you think better."

Regina smiled, doing just that. Sometimes Mary Margaret had great ideas. And she was always taking care of Regina.

Note to self: Make sure Mary Margaret gets a really great gift this Christmas.

By the time Regina returned to her office, it was almost nine at night. They had been at it for twelve hours but her team had managed to recreate their presentation for the pitch meeting in the morning. She had thanked her team from the bottom of her heart before sending them home to get some much needed rest. Regina had gone down to the IT department to check on the status of her phone but Audrey was unable to restore it. "You'll have to try your carrier. They probably will have to give you a new one," she said, apologetic.

Regina rubbed her neck, feeling a knot forming at the base. Maybe after this week was over, she'd treat herself to a day at the spa. A massage and maybe a foot rub…her feet longed to be out of the heels she wore. Why had she gotten so dressed up again anyway?

Her eyes popped open. Robin's dinner. She had forgotten about it completely. They were supposed to have met two hours ago. Was he worried? How many voicemails were going to be waiting once she got her cellphone operational again?

She picked up her office phone, dialing Robin's cell number as she was grateful she had committed it to memory. It rang as she switched from her jacket to her sweater. An echo seemed to come from just outside her office and she glanced up confused until Robin appeared, his cellphone ringing in his hand.

"Robin," she said, hanging up. "I know I missed the dinner. Please let me explain. Things got hectic here at work…"

"And you couldn't answer your cellphone?"

"It got…"

"Or pick up the phone two hours ago to call me?" Robin continued, cutting her off. "Why do it now?"

"Because I told you, things got hectic. Our computers went…"

"Do you know how concerned I was?" Robin's interruptions were starting to wear on her nerves, but she said nothing. He clearly had to get this out. "I couldn't concentrate on my dinner. I was too busy looking at my phone or excusing myself to call you."

Guilt gnawed at her. "Oh, Robin."

"In the end, Mr. Norris suggested we reschedule so I could go check on you. We both know he's not going to reschedule and I've blown it."

"I'm sure you haven't blown it," she said, coming around to get closer to him. "You'll reschedule and wow him. You'll see."

She reached out to lay her hand on his arm but he jerked away, eyes blazing. "I shouldn't have had to reschedule! But I thought you were in trouble or hurt or sick or…I left the restaurant and went straight to your apartment. Nothing."

"And so you came here?"

"I called Mary Margaret first, to make sure I didn't have to go to the hospital instead," Robin said. "And she said you were still at work. So then I came here."

"I'm fine," Regina told him.

He nodded. "Yes, you are. So that's why I'm baffled why I didn't deserve the courtesy of a call to let me know you'd be late or that you couldn't come at all."

"I know, but as I was trying to explain, it was hectic around here. We were ha…"

"Really? That's what you're just going to keep saying?" Fire burned in his eyes. "You were too busy? That work was hectic? That it was more important than me?"

Regina frowned, getting annoyed again. "That's not what I'm saying. Could you let me finish a fucking thought?"

"So what? I can just hear more excuses? More reasons why I wasn't worth it?"

"You're getting worked up over nothing!"

"This isn't nothing!"

"Then what is it? Because it has to be more than a stupid dinner!" The moment the words left her lips she wanted to take them back. She covered her mouth, shaking her head. "Oh, Robin, no. I didn't…"

Robin straightened up, his face unreadable. "No, no. Your true feelings have been revealed. Good night, Regina."

He walked out of her office. Regina's mind took a few moments to catch up before she raced after him, yelling his name. "Please, wait. Let's talk. Robin!"

But he didn't stop. Instead, he boarded the elevator and ignored her pleas. Regina tried to stop the door, but it closed just as she reached it. She banged her fists on the doors, screaming out her rage.

"Aww, lover's quarrel?" Zelena's voice sent her rage spiking even more.

She turned to face her redheaded coworker. "It's none of your business."

"Really? Because you were yelling so loud, I think half of Avalon heard you," Zelena said, complete with exaggerated hand motions. "It became everyone's business."

Regina glared at her. "Just leave me alone. Can you do that?"

"No, because this is too good to pass up." Zelena started to follow her back to her office. "I knew you were really happy lately. I guess I'm just a bit disappointed it was due to a man."

"You don't sound disappointed."

Zelena's mirth grew. "Well, not now that you've imploded your relationship. Brava, by the way."

"I don't know why I'm still talking to you." Regina picked up her purse. "Good night, Zelena."

"Oh, don't go. There's so much we could discuss." Zelena blocked the door, smirking.

Regina kept her face passive. "I doubt I have anything to discuss with you. Now please, let me go."

"I don't know. It might be irresponsible of me to let you go when you've just suffered a terrible breakup," the redhead replied. "Who knows what you might do?"

"We haven't broken up. Robin and I just need to take a breather. We'll talk about it tomorrow and everything will be fine."

Zelena's blue eyes lit up. "His name is Robin?"

Regina screwed her eyes shut as she cursed herself. "Look, Zelena, I mean it. Good. Night."

"Look, Regina, as much as I hate to admit it, you and I are very similar," Zelena continued. "We are driven and ambitious women. But unlike you, I've already realized that that comes with a price. I won't have a great romance and I'm okay with that. I don't need a man."

"I don't need a man either," Regina said, starting to head to the elevator. "But I would like romance and a family one day. I'm sorry you've already limited yourself but I will not."

She got on the elevator, pressed the button for the lobby and then held the door closed button to prevent Zelena from getting on. When she was all alone, she slumped against the wall and closed her eyes. All she wanted to do was go home, get out of her outfit and sleep this day away.

Things had to be better in the morning.

Regina and her team nailed their pitch the following morning, the organization onboard with the campaign they created. But the elation she should've felt was tempered by the fact she was unable to get in touch with Robin. She had used her work phone to call his cell that morning but it went straight to voicemail, forcing her to leave a message.

"Robin, I'm really sorry about last night. I want to talk. My phone is dead though and I need to get it fixed. So call me at work. Please. I love you."

After congratulating her team, Regina retreated back to her office. "Did I get any calls?" she asked Mary Margaret.

"You got lots," she replied, pulling out her message pad. She then frowned. "But not the one you were waiting for."

Regina sighed, nodding. "Are there any urgent messages that I need to return like now?"

"Not really. Everything can wait an hour or more. Are you going to go see Robin?"

She shook her head as she grabbed her purse. "I think he still needs some space, so I'm going to wait for him to contact me. But to do that, I need a functioning cell phone."

"Ahh, well, good luck at the store," Mary Margaret said, making a face.

Regina nodded. "Thanks. And can you order lunch for my team? They deserve it."

"Will do." Mary Margaret smiled as Regina started to leave. She grew thoughtful. "Regina? Maybe he'll call while you're out. You never know."

Pausing at the door, Regina returned her friend's smile. "There's that damn Hope Commission. Always on time. Thanks."

"Any time," Mary Margaret responded, picking up the phone. She then yelled out: "By the way, the Hope Commission still would like a day off!"

"Robin? It's me again, which I know you know. I know you sent me to voicemail. Please, I just want to talk to you. We can work this out, I know that. You can come to my place or I can go to yours. We'll make as many boxes of mac and cheese as it takes. Just…give me a call back. You'll have to call my house or office, though. My cell wasn't salvageable so they're overnighting me a new one. It still probably won't be operational until tomorrow afternoon so just…"

The beep was loud in her ear and Regina let out a growl. She was tempted to call again to finish her message but she didn't want to be that girlfriend. Instead, she hit "end" and let her cordless phone drop to her bed as she laid back against her pillows.

In the time she and Robin had been together, they had never let a day go by without communicating somehow. Most times, they saw each other in person but when they couldn't, they spent hours on the phone. They also texted daily. Now that she had no cell and couldn't get Robin on the phone, she realized how much she came to cherish every word and emoticon he ever sent her.

Regina turned off her lamp and pulled the covers over her. Maybe Robin would get in touch with her in the morning.

The mild temperatures of November ended, a chill descending upon the metro area. Regina had pulled out her warmest sweaters and her winter coat, digging for her hat and scarves. Gloves were located and coffee now used as a hand warmer rather than a shot of caffeine. The cold hanging in the air seemed appropriate.

Her new cell phone was waiting when she got into the office. She was able to activate it and set it aside as her backup restored everything to it. Regina tried to distract herself with her work on her laptop, with overseeing the implementation of the campaign they had pitched the day before, but she kept looking at her phone. It seemed to take forever to load and start up again.

At last, her screen blinked to life and she saw her familiar lock screen—her and Robin sitting on a bale of hay from when they went pumpkin picking. He had grabbed her around the waist and plopped her down on his lap, holding out his phone for a selfie. They looked so happy—they had been happy.

Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Regina unlocked her phone. Texts and voicemails started to appear, making the phone vibrate constantly in her hand. One by one, she read each text and listened to every voicemail, hearing how Robin went from happy to annoyed to concerned to frightened to angry. It made her guilt grow even more, gnawing away at her.

The worst part was that there were no new messages or texts after Monday. He hadn't tried to get in touch with her. She turned her chair around so no one could see her and she tried not to cry over the fact she had destroyed the best thing that had ever happened to her.

Regina picked up her phone and laptop, taking a steadying breath. "Mary Margaret? Can you have the others meet me in one of the conference rooms? We have some work to do."

"Of course," Mary Margaret said, looking at Regina in the way that unnerved her. The way that told her her assistant knew exactly what was really going on. But she said nothing this time, starting to call August and Belle.

She headed toward the conference room, knowing she had to keep working. It was the only way to keep her mind off the mess her love life was now. The ball was in Robin's court and she had to wait for his serve, praying it did come.

It was easier said than done. Belle, August and Ana tossed ideas and timelines for the implementation of their campaign but it was all background noise to Regina. Instead, she was focused on her silent and dark phone. She willed Robin to text her back, to call her, to do something. Anything.

"Regina? Regina, have you heard anything we've said?" Belle asked, staring at her.

Lifting her head, Regina felt like she had just woken from a dream and realized that no, she hadn't heard anything. She sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. Can you repeat what you said?"

Belle sighed, sitting down next to her colleague as she took Regina's hand in hers. "What's wrong? You've been distracted all day. Yesterday too if we're honest."

"Robin and I had a big fight on Monday," Regina confessed, voice soft. "He's been giving me the silent treatment ever since. And I can't focus on anything else."

"Oh, Regina." Belle squeezed her hand and August slid down to take her other hand. Only Ana stayed put, no doubt unsure what was happening.

Regina sighed as she looked at the blonde. "I apologize, Ana. I promise this is not normally how I am."

"Robin was different," Belle replied before catching herself. "Robin is different. We saw it at the Halloween party."

August nodded. "I'm sure he'll realize what a prat he's been and come around."

"This is my fault," Regina said. "He has every right to be angry."

"But not to keep silent for so long," he said.

Belle nodded. "He's right. Robin should say something to you, even if…well…"

She didn't finish her thought but Regina knew it—even if it was to break up with her. Five months, "I love you's" and some incredible sex deserved a proper break up, one done in person. Maybe then she would be able to move on rather than being caught in the limbo of uncertainty.

Regina took a deep breath. "I think I need to take some time off and get a handle on this. Otherwise, I'm useless. You three have everything under control here, right?"

They assured her that they did and Regina excused herself, heading up to Gold's office. His secretary was able to usher her in right away and he greeted her with a smile. "Regina, I've been meaning to congratulate you on the Spencer account but I've been busy with our technology problem."

"Thank you," she replied, fiddling with her skirt. "I know things are hectic right now and it's so close to the holidays, but I was wondering if I could take the rest of the week for some personal time?"

Gold studied her, frowning. "Is something wrong? Your parents…?"

"Are fine," Regina finished. "It's something personal but not family."

"Broken heart then?"

She frowned. "How did you know?"

"You're more of an open book than you think, Regina." He paused before sighing. "And Zelena's been crowing to everyone that she caught you in a lover's quarrel on Monday."

Regina blew out and was ready to apologize to Gold for bringing her personal life into the office when he continued: "Go, take your time and do what you have to do to have a clearer head on Monday. Maybe by then Audrey will have the computers working and we can all be productive again."

Regina took a deep breath and stood. "I'll see you on Monday."

He nodded. "Regina? He's a fool if he lets you go."

"Thank you, sir." She paused at the door and gave him a small smile. "But I'm afraid I was the fool this time."

Regina knew she needed to take the time off because she couldn't focus on work. But staying home was no better. As she sat in her apartment, it struck her how much Robin had already invaded her life. There were pictures of the two of them she had placed on tables in her apartment. And there were Robin's important numbers taped to her fridge. When she opened her computer, the sappy love song playlist he created for her popped up.

On her way down to her room, she nearly tripped over the box of Halloween decorations he had bought her. She had meant to put it in the crawl space and take down her Christmas ones but hadn't found the time yet. Now, she wanted to toss them out on the curb but instead, she pushed them into a closet to hide them away. The pain was too much.

Her sanctuaries—her bedroom and bathroom—were no better. She had bought Robin's preferred soap to keep for him and she held the bar up to breathe in its pine scent before putting it under her sink. His green toothbrush joined them as did the shaving kit he left behind that weekend. And her bedroom had the few clothing he had left in his drawer as well as the jersey she wore constantly.

Regina gathered his clothing up and tossed them in a basket with some of her clothes. Chores could keep her mind off everything but only for so long. Soon she was back on the couch, staring at her blank TV and wondering what to do next.

Especially as Robin still hadn't texted or called.

She held her phone in her hand, seeing messages from work and from Kathryn. But not from the one person she wanted to hear from.

Pressing dial, she held the phone up to her ear. "Dr. Mills' office," her mother's assistant chirped.

"This is Dr. Mills' daughter. Is she free to talk or is she in with a patient?"

"She doesn't have a patient but I'll see if she can talk. Hold on please." Jazz music played in her ear and Regina waited to see if she could talk to her mother.

The jazz cut out. "Regina, darling, what's wrong?"

"Robin and I had a fight," Regina blurted out. She told her mother everything, fighting back the urge to cry. "And now he's not speaking to me."

"Oh, Regina. You must be devastated. But is it over?"

"That's the worst part. I don't know." She finally gave up her fight and let out a sob. "I don't want it to be. I love him."

Regina heard the shuffling of papers before Cora responded. "I can cancel my appointments and can come visit you."

"No, Mother, I don't want you to upend your schedule."

"Regina, you're my daughter. I would do anything for you." Cora sighed. "But if you insist, why don't you come up tomorrow and spend the weekend with us? We can do whatever you want."

She smiled through her tears. "Thanks, Mother. I'd like that."

"Good. Oh, and Regina? I know you've done a lot to make up with Robin. I think it's time to issue an ultimatum. See what happens."

"Thank you, Mother. I love you. See you tomorrow."

Regina ended that call before calling Robin one last time. It rang once before going to voicemail, just like usual lately. She took a deep breath.

"Robin, I still love you and want this relationship to work. Please, let's just talk this out. I took off from work so call me. I'll be around until I go visit my parents tomorrow afternoon. If I don't hear from you by then, I'll assume you're done with me and with us. And if so, you'll find your things in a box by my apartment door. You can pick them up and leave your key while I'm gone. I really, really don't want this to end like that. I don't want us to end at all. But it's your call."

She set her phone on the table as her dryer buzzed. Regina brought the nice warm clothes to the couch and began folding the clean clothes, leaving Robin's things for last. It was as if folding them and putting them in the box waiting on her table would make things official. He wasn't coming back and she had really destroyed the best relationship she was probably ever going to have. Fresh tears pricked her eyes but she fought them.

Regina carried his clothes over to the box but left them on the chair instead, deciding to put it off until after she had lunch. She didn't have much of an appetite, managing only to choke down a small salad the night before. But a broken heart and painful guilt was no reason for her to not take care of herself. So she pulled out a box of macaroni and cheese but the blue square offered no consolation this time. In fact, even the picture of the gooey pasta made her stomach turn.

She stared at the boxes she had stocked up on, all neatly arranged in her cabinet, and began pulling them out. Each was tossed into the box, followed by a few more canned items. A local center always had a Thanksgiving food drive she always donated to and now was a good time to make her donation for the year.

Putting her coat on to ward off the plunging temperatures, Regina picked up the box and headed down to the center. A nice walk might do her good, give her a chance to clear her head.

The center was about three blocks from her apartment, almost the halfway point to Robin's. She tried to ignore that fact as she approached it, wondering how she was going to get the door open while holding the big box. Why didn't they have someone waiting to do this?

As she balanced the box on her hip, she reached out with her hand for the door handle. But the box began to slip and she struggled to regain her hold on it. Someone else steadied it, strong arms wrapping around her as a familiar pine scent washed over her.

Robin.

She turned her head to find Robin standing right next to her. This close, she saw the dark circles under his eyes and the uncertainty lurking in his baby blues as they met her eyes. "Regina," he whispered.

As if waking from a reverie, Regina regained hold on the box and stepped away from him. She stared at him, shaking. "I…I'm donating some food. I do it every year," she said, feeling like an idiot just making conversation.

"That's great," he said, smiling until he peered into her box. "That's a lot of mac and cheese."

"It's all my boxes. I have no stomach for it." Regina lowered her eyes, staring at the boxes. "Mac and cheese isn't going to fix it this time. It may never fix anything again."

Robin shrank back, shoving his hands in his pockets. Sadness rolled off him and he looked at her with guilt-filled eyes. "True, mac and cheese won't fix this. We need to talk, like you've been saying. I've just been too much of an arse to do anything."

"So you want to talk?" She clutched her box closer. "Do you want to salvage this relationship?"

"I do. I wasn't just saying anything it took to get into your bed. I do love you." He stepped closer, reaching a tentative hand out to her.

Regina leaned into it, letting him hold her as best they could with the box in the way. She took a deep breath. "Let me drop this off and we can go talk. Is there any place you want to go?"

"I know a place. Here, let me get the door for you." He opened it and they stepped inside, together.

Robin took her to a small café by his apartment. She had seen it before but never had a reason to go inside. It was cozy, with booths as well as couches for patrons to sit and enjoy their coffee. Regina claimed a booth as Robin ordered them something. She fiddled with her hands, still nervous though he had assured her he loved her. Love wasn't always enough, she knew, and she could still walk out of there with a broken heart.

"Here you go. Peppermint latte and a croissant. Not like The Muffin Man's but still pretty good." He placed their cups and a plate down before sliding across from her.

She gave him a weak smile. "Thank you. I'm sure it's fine."

"I got your message. Actually, I got all of them. Did your cell phone really die?"

"It got fried. Someone hacked our server and used emails to destroy everything, including my phone," she explained. "That's what I was trying to tell you on Monday. We lost a lot."

Robin closed his eyes, running his hand through his hair. "Shit. I was a real asshole on Monday, wasn't I?"

"I was a selfish bitch, so maybe we're even?"

"You were not a selfish bitch," he replied, frowning. "You really forgot, you didn't blow me off."

"But I was a bitch, letting my anger get the best of me. Your dinner was not stupid. It was really important to you and I didn't mean to make it seem like I thought otherwise."

"I know." He sighed. "You were right on Monday. There was more going on than having to cancel the dinner."

Her fingers itched to reach out to him but she fought it. "What's wrong?"

"I'm afraid I was letting some baggage from my relationship with Marian color my reaction. She tried to be supportive of my business but I think she saw it as a fancy I was doing before getting a real job."

Regina frowned. He tried to speak well of Marian and she wondered if sometimes he still had rose-colored nostalgia glasses when it came to her. Because the more she learned about their relationship, the less she liked the woman.

"So she didn't do a lot of things I would do for her—I never missed an event at the hospital or a dinner with some medical bigwig. But she would never come to one of my dinners. Or an office party," he said.

"I had every intention of going on Monday. It's just…I can get so caught up in work, even when there isn't a crisis, that nothing else exists. It's just me and doing the best I can be, at the expense of a lot of personal relationships. I told you when we met that my exes sometimes had valid points when they dumped me. Me being a workaholic was one of them."

Robin nodded. "So we both have issues to work through."

"Agreed." She leaned forward, resting her head on a hand. "So what do we do now?"

"I think we apologize. I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance to explain your legitimate reason for not coming to dinner. And I'm sorry I've been ignoring you the past few days. It shouldn't have taken the threat of losing you to get me to talk to you."

She nodded. "And I'm sorry I didn't contact you to let you know I wasn't going to make it. Or at the very least have Mary Margaret do so. From now on, I'm going to put any important event of yours on my work calendar. That way she can see it too and if something comes up, she can let you know if I can't. Or she can chase me out, whichever applies."

"Sounds good," he said, smiling. "And I'm not naïve to think we'll never get angry with each other again. We'll probably say things that hurt each other as well."

"I'm afraid that's a given with me. I get angry, I lash out."

Robin took her hands. "So how about we agree to this—if we ever need to step away from an argument to cool down, we never go more than twenty-four hours without speaking. How's that?"

"That sounds perfectly reasonable." She smiled at him, lacing her fingers with his. "I am going to do everything I can to make us work."

"Me too." He sighed. "I've been miserable without you the past few days. I actually started several texts to you but I was afraid that you wouldn't want to hear from me."

"I took personal time off from work because I couldn't concentrate. I kept waiting to hear from you. I've never done this before."

He grimaced. "My things are packed, aren't they? I've lost my drawer."

"No, you haven't. I do have to put your clothes back but otherwise, everything is right where you left them," she assured him.

"Well, I took the day off so I can spend it making it up to you. What do you want to do?"

Regina rubbed the back of his hands with her thumbs. "It doesn't matter. Just as long as I'm with you."

"Well, then, why don't we go back to my place and curl up under a blanket? We can watch TV, we can talk, or we can do absolutely nothing. And then I'll make you whatever you want to eat. Mac and cheese excluded now."

"Maybe I was a bit hasty in banning mac and cheese from my life," she said. "It definitely doesn't replace talking things out, but it's good for afterward."

Laughing, Robin pulled her up so she was standing. He kissed the side of her head before wrapping his arm around her. They walked out into the cold, a few snowflakes falling around them. But she felt nice and warm once again with Robin.

A/N: I know, I know, angst right before the holiday? But the honeymoon phase for Robin and Regina had to come to an end eventually. They've come out the other side together and can only get stronger. Thanks to the anonymous user on tumblr who gave me the prompt. I do take them, so don't be afraid to leave one.

This chapter was also supposed to include Thanksgiving with the Mills-Lucas family. But this part alone is over 9000 words. So I've separated out the Thanksgiving part to be its own chapter, Part VI. And it's going to go up on Thanksgiving! Don't worry, it's just going to be fluff (though Robin will have some angst).

So you get two chapters this month! Surprise!

-Mac