Chapter 4

Robin danced under the stars with Milady in his arms. He gazed into her beautiful brown eyes, sparkling with happiness and perhaps love. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Letting his eyes close, his lips brushed hers in the perfect moment.

And then a heavy weight landed on his chest.

His dream popped and when Robin opened his eyes, he was now staring into gold ones rather than brown. Robin sighed, reaching up to scratch his beloved cat behind a gray ear as he chuckled. "Come to fetch me for breakfast, Tuck?"

Meowing, Tuck jumped down from the bed and approached the door. He then looked back at Robin, waiting for his owner to follow him so he could finally get fed. Robin sat up and stretched out, nodding. "I'm coming, I'm coming. It was a late night for me, not that you care."

Tuck just blinked in response.

Robin opened his bedroom door and Tuck walked into the hallway with him close behind. Together, they headed through the little living room Robin had created when his uncle gave him one wing to have all to himself. Uncle Richard had even installed a door so Robin could pretend it was his own apartment. The only thing he didn't have was a kitchen, reminding him that he was still living in his uncle's home rather than his own apartment. Not that Robin really cared. He loved spending time with his uncle and having meals still as a family.

He just didn't like running into Keith in the morning as his cousin was definitely not a morning person – whether he went out partying or not.

Tuck stopped by his bowl, meowing loudly to protest the fact it was empty. Robin chuckled again. "Okay, okay. I'm getting your food. Hold your whiskers," he said.

He pulled out the bag of dry food he kept in a cabinet and poured some into Tuck's bowl. Tuck began eating happily, pleased to have been fed at last. Robin just shook his head as he poured himself some cereal and sat down at the island to eat his own breakfast. As he ate, he thought of the night before and the beautiful woman who had captivated him. But with those thoughts came the memory of how he had clearly broken her heart by just leaving. Robin wished he knew how to find her so he could explain why he had left so abruptly. He had a feeling she would then understand.

Robin glanced over as Tuck jumped onto the counter, clearly done with his own breakfast. Chuckling, he picked up his cat and held him close. "While Uncle Richard doesn't mind you being on the counter, Keith would pitch a fit. And with our luck, this would be an early morning for him. Come on."

Picking up his bowl of cereal, Robin carried it along with Tuck back to his apartment. He set Tuck down and closed the door, starting his Keurig for a cup of coffee to go with his breakfast. Once he sat down on the couch, Tuck jumped up and curled next to him.

"Do you want to hear about my night?" Robin asked. "I went to the party and met the most amazing woman. And then I left before I could find out who she was. I really want to find her. She was…perfect, Tuck. We spent hours talking and I never wanted it to end. She was beautiful, kind, passionate and just amazing. But how am I going to find her?"

Tuck batted at something on the couch and hope surged through Robin when he realized it was the stocking he chose at the party last night. He grinned as he set his bowl aside. "Tuck, you're a genius. Maybe whatever she put in here can help me find her again."

He picked up the stocking and reached in to pull out a candle. Robin held it up and smelled apples. "She likes apples and must be homey. Good to know."

Reaching back in, he pulled out a small black toy horse. He ran his thumb over it before chuckling. "She likes horses but many women do. Doesn't really help narrow it down, huh?

"And now we have a vial," he said, pulling it out and studying the white grains inside it. "I think it's a vial of sand. But from where?"

Tuck just meowed in response, unable to help Robin. Setting the vial aside along with the candle and horse, he pulled the next item from the stocking. He is surprised to find a pack of gum. "Minty Haven," he read. "Interesting."

He placed the gum down before pulling out a t-shirt. Unrolling it, he laughed when he saw what it said. "I ate the world's spiciest pepper and all I won was this t-shirt from the Bayou Barge," he read.

"She's clearly sentimental but has a funny side," Robin said, looking over all the treasures inside her stocking. He then sighed. "And I'm no closer to finding her. What am I going to do, Tuck?"

Tuck was asleep.

"Thanks," he said, resting his head on the back of his couch. He would figure out a way to find her.

He just had to.

"Any luck?" Mary Margaret asked, bringing in Regina's lunch. She set it down on the desk before sitting in the chair across from her.

Regina sighed, shaking her head. "None. I've called everyone but no one seems to be Shakespeare."

Mary Margaret had raised her cup to sip her tea but paused, looking up at Regina with a small smile. "You call him Shakespeare?"

"Yes," Regina replied. "We couldn't use our real names so we came up with code names. He was Shakespeare and I was Milady."

"That sounds really sweet," Mary Margaret said. She then sighed. "And really romantic. Did you call him Shakespeare because he was British? Maybe that can help you find him?"

Regina shook her head, wishing it would be that simple. "He sounded American, maybe from the South. I called him Shakespeare because he quoted Shakespeare a few times while we were together."

"And he called you Milady?" Mary Margaret asked, doe-eyed. "You sounded like you had a great night."

"Until he ran out on me," Regina said, placing her hands over her eyes. "Right after giving me the best kiss of my life…"

"HE KISSED YOU!" Regina lowered her hands to find Mary Margaret's eyes wide and her smile even brighter. She set her cup of tea down as she leaned closer, a determined look in her eyes. "Oh no. We need to find this guy."

Regina chuckled before sighing. "But he wasn't anyone at the party."

"Are you sure?" Mary Margaret asked. "What are you telling people when you call them?"

"That I'm you and that we have a stocking unaccounted for. I asked them to describe the stocking they brought to the party," Regina said, picking up the blue stocking she had slept with the night before. "None of them have described this one."

Mary Margaret nodded before frowning. "Wait, why are you pretending to be me?"

"Because it would make more sense for my assistant to be calling about a missing stocking than me," Regina replied, having put a lot of thought into her plan. "And I thought people would be more open with you than me."

"Okay, fair points," Mary Margaret said. She glanced at the guest list Regina had been working from. "Maybe Shakespeare wasn't on the official guest list. Maybe he was someone's plus one or something like that."

Regina tapped her pen against the list, knowing Mary Margaret was right. "Do we have a final, final list then?"

"I don't but maybe the party planners do," her friend suggested. She pointed downwards. "They're finishing clean up right now if you want to talk to them."

Her heart pounding, Regina jumped up. "Thank you. I'll go do that right now."

She rushed past Mary Margaret and headed downstairs, eager to talk with them. As she reached the first floor landing, she spotted Granny. "Are the party planners still here?" she asked.

"They are," she said. "One is in the kitchen and the other appears to be snooping under the guise of cleaning."

Regina nodded, certain Granny was overexaggerating with that last part. "Thank you."

She hurried into the kitchen and stopped short when she saw a tall man with blond hair and matching scruff on his cheeks standing there, packing things into a box. Her heart continued to pound as she approached him, wondering if he was her Shakespeare. "Hello?"

He looked up and she met warm and familiar blue eyes. Regina's hope increased until he spoke to her. "Oh, Miss Mills, I'm sorry. We'll be out of your way shortly," he said, revealing a British accent.

"No, no need to rush," she said, disappointment filling her. "I was looking for the party planners. Do you work for them?"

"I'm one of the owners," he replied. "I'm Robin, I work with my cousin Keith…"

Keith! Regina had forgotten that she had given him an invitation and likely had not added him to the official list. Was he Shakespeare? Had her theory about him being more comfortable due to anonymity been correct all along?

"Right," Regina said, excited. "Is he here?"

Robin nodded. "He's just checking the rooms though I told him that was unnecessary. I think he's in the living room."

"Thank you," Regina replied, rushing from the kitchen and toward her living room. She stepped inside and saw Keith standing at the window, his back toward her. Her stomach tightened as she wondered if he was thinking about the night before. Was he recalling the amazing time he had spent with her?

Or was she barking up the wrong tree?

She approached him and studied him, trying to see if she recognized Shakespeare in him. Keith seemed a little leaner than she recalled Shakespeare being and his hair seemed a shade or two darker. Or maybe it was the backlighting from the sun pouring in through the window. She also spotted some scruff on his cheeks, just like Shakespeare.

"Keith?" she asked.

"Regina!" He turned toward her and her heart skipped a beat when she saw his blue eyes. They didn't seem to be exactly how she remembered but she was certain some of her memories were colored by the night and alcohol.

Keith gave her an apologetic grin. "I owe you an apology."

"You do," she agreed, hoping he was about to reveal he was Shakespeare and tell her about why he ran out on her.

"I know I left you in the lurch last night," he continued, raising her hopes even more.

She nodded. "You did."

"I promise you I have a good reason," he said, stepping closer. "Please let me explain."

"Of course," she replied, relieved. He would explain everything and then maybe they could finally continue where they left off the night before.

He cleared his throat. "So, this is a bit embarrassing, but I had an allergic reaction last night."

"Oh no!" She certainly understood then why he was hesitant to remove his mask and why he raced off. He probably didn't want her to see him all swollen, puffy or splotchy. Regina certainly would've felt the same way. "Was it something at the party?"

"What? No," he said, sounding confused. "It was due to a facial I had while preparing for the party."

Disappointment flooded her again. "So you weren't at the party?"

He shook his head. "That's why I'm apologizing. I wanted to be there and to dance with you but I'm sure you can understand why I couldn't."

"I do," she said, her hopes shattered. "I'm sorry you weren't able to enjoy all your hard work."

"Me too. But did you enjoy it?" he asked her, smirking.

Regina nodded, smiling softly. "I enjoyed it very much."

"Then that's all that mattered," he said, making her heart flutter. Until he added: "Well, that and if we get more clients from the party."

Her spirits deflated a bit even though she told himself it made sense that he would want more business. Still, it seemed disappointing that he was already thinking of his next client and forgetting her.

Maybe Granny had been right to warn her about him.

"I hope so," she said. "You deserve it."

"Thank you," he replied. He then smirked as he asked: "Maybe we can have a little party of our own to make up for the fact I couldn't come to yours."

"Maybe." Her stomach turned and Regina started to back away. "Well, you and your partner probably have a lot to do so I'll get out of your hair. Thanks again for the party, Keith. It was magical."

His smirk remained. "I'm sure it was."

She nodded before just walking away, not sure how to end it. His partner left the kitchen, frowning. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no," she insisted, not wanting to have any more conversations with them. "Thank you for your work and good luck in the future."

Regina fled the room, hurrying up the stairs to put some distance between her and her party planners. Granny frowned, turning off the vacuum when she saw Regina. "Are you okay? Did that man do something to you?"

"No, no," Regina repeated. She took a deep breath. "I guess it wasn't just nerves or anything. He really is like that. I guess he has an assistant who writes his emails for him and signs his name."

"Or maybe you were talking to the other partner," Granny said. "Have you even had a conversation with him?"

Regina took a deep breath to respond that she did before realizing she couldn't really remember many encounters with him. Closing her mouth again, she paused before admitting: "Well, no. But why would he sign Keith's name instead of his own. It makes no sense."

Granny shrugged. "He has a unisex name that is more often associate with women, though. Maybe he uses his cousin's to avoid the ingrained sexism that pervades business?"

"Oh," Regina said, shrugging. "Maybe. Either way, I don't really have to work with Keith Nott again…except I still need to figure out if they know who Shakespeare is. Fuck."

"Shakespeare?" Granny asked, sounding amused.

Realizing how weird that sounded, Regina winced. "I'll explain later. I need to catch the other party planner."

She raced back downstairs, relieved when she saw Keith's partner there and not Keith. "Wait!" she called out.

"Miss Mills!" he exclaimed, his blue eyes widening as he saw her. "Did we forget something?"

"No, I did," she replied, panting as she stopped in front of him. Recalling her lie to the others, she started speaking. "We have a stocking unaccounted for and I need the final guest list, including anyone who may have gotten in at the last minute. Can you get that for me?"

She thought he blanched for a moment but he nodded. "Of course. I can do that."

"Thank you," she said. "And if you hear of an extra stocking, please let me know. Okay?"

He nodded. "Of course."

"Good," she replied, feeling better. "I'll let you go now."

She turned around and headed back into the house, closing the door behind her. Regina leaned against it, closing her eyes as she sighed. Maybe she still had a chance of finding Shakespeare and seeing if they could make as much magic without masks as they did with them.

"Alright, girlie," Granny said, interrupting Regina's musing. She opened her eyes to find her faithful housekeeper in the kitchen. "Why don't you come in here for some tea and cookies while we discuss this Shakespeare person?"

"Tea and cookies sound good," Regina said, pushing away from the door. "Thank you, Granny."

She followed the older woman into the dining room, unsurprised to see Mary Margaret already there and sipping tea. Regina sat down, eyeing her friend and assistant. "You here for the gossip too?"

Mary Margaret shrugged. "You've barely told me about him, just that he ran off on you and you need to find him."

"I don't need to find him," Regina said, feeling a bit like a liar. "I would like to find him and at least learn who he was and maybe why he ran off."

Granny set a cup of tea down in front of her, frowning. "I'm not sure he's someone you want to chase after then."

"I'm not necessarily chasing after him," Regina argued, sipping her tea. "But I just know he has a reason. You don't give someone the best kiss of their life and then run off for no reason. Right?"

"Ahh, yes, the kiss," Mary Margaret said. "I haven't forgotten about that. Spill."

Granny shook her head. "Start from the beginning and then get to the kiss. I want to hear everything."

"Me too," Mary Margaret replied. "I really only got the Reader's Digest version this morning."

"Alright, alright," Regina said. "So, it started when I wanted some spring rolls…"

She told them story, though she glossed over some of the things she and Shakespeare had talked about. It felt too personal for her to share even with her best friend and grandmother-figure. But she felt she had expressed how they had connected and how she had felt understood in a way she hadn't felt in long time.

Regina then told them about the dance and how they had shared desserts. "Then Mary Margaret announced it was almost time to take off our masks and he freaked out. He apologized before kissing me. When I opened my eyes, he was gone."

"Do you think he was apologizing for leaving you?" Mary Margaret asked.

"That's my best guess," Regina replied.

Granny frowned. "Do you have any clue why he decided to bail on you before the big reveal?"

"And forfeit the grand prize?" Mary Margaret asked.

Regina shrugged. "It sounded like he didn't want anyone to know who he was, like he didn't want someone to know he was there."

"Like he didn't want a girlfriend or wife to know?" Granny asked suspiciously.

"I don't…" Regina paused in her defense of Shakespeare. She wanted to say that she didn't think so but she also knew she couldn't trust her judgment on if a person was a cheater or not. After all, she hadn't thought Graham was cheating on her until her friend Mal had sent her an engagement notice for Graham and one Emma Swan.

Swallowing, she said: "I don't know."

Mary Margaret looked thoughtful. "Well, we can't find Shakespeare on the guest list. Maybe he wasn't supposed to be the one using the invitation and didn't want anyone to find out that he was potentially crashing the party."

"That does make a lot of sense," Regina agreed, thinking it over. It certainly explained why she couldn't find Shakespeare after calling everyone on the list. There had been a few people who had expressed regret at not being able to attend and made no mention of anyone attending in their place. So if they hadn't realized their invitation had been used without their knowledge, they wouldn't have told her about the other guest.

Who was Shakespeare and why would he decide to crash her party?

She found she wanted to find him even more to at least learn his story if nothing else.

"So a possible cheater or a thief and a party crasher." Granny shook her head. "Not promising."

Regina's heart sank into her stomach, knowing Granny was right. However, she recalled the time she spent with Shakespeare and their conversations. She shook her head. "He's a lot more than either of those options. He's a caring but hardworking person who made me feel comfortable, who never judged me."

"You only spent a few hours with him," Granny reminded her, ever the voice of reason.

"I know," Regina replied. "I'm not proposing rushing into a relationship with him. But I'm taking a chance. I didn't go looking for him. We just found each other. And I'd like to explore the spark we felt. I believe he was genuine with me and that we could fall in love."

Mary Margaret took her hand, giving her a soft smile. "I hope so. I've never seen you so happy."

"Neither have I," Granny replied. "But I don't want you to have your heart crushed again."

Regina nodded, understanding her concern. "You told me to look past the obvious choices and pay attention to the unobvious ones. I believe he's one of those. He did not throw himself at me, we just had a random connection at the buffet. And with the masks, he didn't know who I was."

"Are you sure about that?" Granny asked, once again narrowing her eyes.

"Yes," Regina said, confident in her answer as she recounted the conversation where he had insisted she wasn't Regina Mills. "He expected me to be more of a social butterfly, especially at my own party, which is understandable if he reads reports of the parties I've thrown. No matter what they say about my love life, everyone who covers my parties insist I'm the perfect hostess. It was nice not to have to be that last night."

Granny hummed. "Well, that does sound a bit promising."

Regina reached out and took her hand. "You know me, Granny. You know I'm not the type to rush into anything. So if I do find Shakespeare…"

"When," Mary Margaret said. "Let's put it out there. When you find him."

"Okay, when I find Shakespeare, I'm not going to rush anything," Regina continued. "But I felt a connection, a spark deep in my soul that I want to explore because I really think that once we find each other again, it will ignite into something amazing that will last us our whole lives."

Granny smiled as she squeezed Regina's hand. "Then you have my support."

"I do?" Regina asked, surprised after how suspicious Granny had just been about Shakespeare.

"I know I was tough on him earlier but listening to you now and looking into your eyes, I know what you had with this man was special," Granny said. "I hope he ends up being worthy of you and as special without the mask as he was with it."

A lump formed in Regina's throat. "Thanks, Granny."

Mary Margaret grinned. "Who knows? Maybe we'll be celebrating Regina's wedding to Shakespeare by this time next year?"

"Let's not be so hasty," Regina said, motioning with her hands as if telling someone to slow down. She then smiled. "But I do think I could marry Shakespeare."

Granny held out her teacup. "Then here's hoping Shakespeare enters stage left or stage right very soon."

Regina and Mary Margaret laughed as they clinked their teacups with Granny's. Taking a sip of her tea, Regina felt hope and excitement. She believed she would find Shakespeare and once she got her answers, there was the potential for an amazing future with him.

She couldn't wait to find out.

Cora Mills wasn't one to eavesdrop.

But she was glad she did this time.

She had been frustrated when Regina had taken the day off. While it was clear from the society pages that her daughter's masquerade party had been a success and was already deemed the highlight of the holiday season, Cora was still disappointed that Regina hadn't come to work – or even had opted to work from home. It had likely meant that her daughter had overconsumed at the party and likely done something stupid that would be blasted in the tabloids again. Any goodwill from the party's success would be lost and Cora wanted to make sure Regina understood that.

After realizing that Regina's assistant was also not working – likely slacking off because her boss was as well, another reason Cora needed to remind Regina about appearances and propriety – Cora decided to just go to the house to confront her daughter in person. Though she had moved out to a penthouse that was more central to society life than the mansion in the middle of nowhere her late husband had preferred, Cora still had a key and the garage code. She was able to just walk into the house without anyone knowing.

It always worked out in her favor – especially today.

She had heard Regina's voice and followed it, eager to give her daughter a piece of her mind. But as she approached the kitchen, she could finally hear what Regina was saying and it gave her pause. It appeared Regina had connected with a guest at her party and even expressed an interest in marrying the man, once she found out who he was as it sounded like he had left the party before everyone had removed their masks.

Which was smart, in her opinion. He certainly had caught her daughter's attention and left her wanting more. Cora already admired the man.

Her mind started to work as she decided to walk away rather than confront Regina. It seemed her daughter's usual antics were finally working in her favor. Cora would get the man to reveal himself and finally get her daughter to settle down.

And all by Christmas.

Knowing Regina would be distracted for a bit longer, Cora snuck upstairs and into her daughter's office for any clues to her mystery man's identity. She found a blue stocking on the desk and picked it up, recalling a mention of a game involving stockings. Her gut told her this was important and so she kept it as her eyes caught sight of something else. Smiling, she picked up a piece of paper revealing the name of the company that planned Regina's masquerade. The only ones who could top such an amazing party were the ones who threw it, she figured.

Taking the paper with her, she left Regina's office and headed out the back, pulling out her cellphone once she was outside. She dialed a familiar number and waited for the other person to pick up. Cora hoped he would help her – after all, he still carried a torch for Regina after an ill-advised relationship she had been happy her daughter had ultimately ended. There were some enemies you just did not sleep with and members of the media were one of them. But they were still useful for times like now.

"Hello, Sidney," she said once he picked up. "It's Cora Mills. And I have a proposition for you…"

"Here you go, Tuck," Robin said, setting the bowl of cat food down. His beloved gray cat jumped off the chair, eating it happily after meowing for his dinner for the past five minutes. Robin chuckled before sitting down on the couch again.

He sighed as he picked up the stocking next to him. When Regina Mills talked about having a stocking unaccounted for, he knew it was the one he had taken home with him. But he couldn't tell her about it, not while Keith was around. So he was going to call her the next day and say that a guest had turned it into him since they knew he had planned the party and then return it. Hopefully she didn't have any more questions.

Of course, that left him with one of his own – how was going to find the stocking's owner?

"What do you think, Tuck?" he asked, holding the stocking close. "Do you think I'll ever find her again?"

Tuck looked up from his bowl before resuming his meal. Robin chuckled. "All you have to worry about is when I'm going to feed you and change your litter. Oh, if only my life was that simple."

He glanced down at the items from the stocking and grabbed the shirt. An idea crossed Robin's mind and he hurried to grab his laptop. Booting it up, he figured if any restaurant gave out shirts like this, they likely had a website. Maybe if he looked it up, they would have a list of people who completed the challenge. And then maybe he could find Milady.

"I think I might be able to find her, Tuck," he said as his cat jumped on the couch. Tuck curled on his lap as Robin scratched him behind the ear. "Wish me luck."

Tuck just purred in response so Robin took it as him obliging. Opening the search engine, he typed in Bayou Barge and hit search. "Here we go," he said.

Results popped up and the first one showed a restaurant in New Orleans. He clicked it and his heart soared when he saw that there was a tab on the website that read World's Spiciest Pepper Victors. Clicking on that, the page began to load several rows of pictures, each depicting a person holding up the t-shirt he had found in the stocking. Beneath each picture was the person's name and where they were from. He just had to scroll through and find the women, hoping one was from this area.

Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.

Looking away from the screen, Robin picked up his phone and answered it. "Hello?"

"Are you on your computer?" Keith asked.

"Yes," Robin replied. "Why?"

He heard typing on the other side. "I'm going to send you a link. You need to go and watch this video."

"Are you at home?" Robin asked, confused. "Why don't I come to watch it with you?"

"No time," Keith said as the link appeared in the messaging function that came with their company email. "Just watch it."

Robin sighed and clicked the link, which lead him to a video. It was titled Wedding Announcement and he grew even more confused as he clicked play. An older woman with brown hair perfectly style with soft curls resting on her shoulders sat behind a desk as she looked into camera. There was something familiar about her and Robin hoped the video would clear things up soon.

"Hello," she said, sounding as formal as she looked. "I'm Cora Mills, CEO of Mills, Incorporated."

"This is Regina Mills' mother?" Robin asked. "Is she getting married?"

Keith shushed him. "Just keep watching!"

"Many of you may know my daughter, Regina. She is our company's Chief Operating Officer, but I have no doubt you know her from her appearances on the front pages of many, many tabloids. My daughter has had trouble finding the right person to spend the rest of her life with, something that has been well documented," Cora continued.

Her words made Robin frown. Though he didn't have much of an opinion of Regina Mills, he knew no one deserved to have anyone discussing their love life on the internet in such a dismissive tone – especially when the person doing so was their mother. Why was Cora Mills doing this? Glancing at the title, he wondered if she was trying to rub her own impending marriage in her daughter's face.

If so, she was a piece of work.

"Last night, Regina held a masquerade party to celebrate the holidays, though you probably know about that as it was already the event of the season," Cora continued, some pride shining in her eyes. "There she met a man who captured her interest. However, he left before she could learn his identity."

Robin's heart sped up as Cora picked up the stocking he had brought to the party. "The owner of this stocking is the one who captured her heart. If you come forward and reveal your identity, you and Regina will be married by Christmas Eve."

"Wait, she's offering her daughter's hand in marriage like some fairy tale?" Robin asked, hoping he had misheard her.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Keith said before sighing. "Do you have any idea who this man might be?"

Robin swallowed before lying. "No."

"Too bad," Keith said. "He's one lucky bastard."

"He's certainly something," Robin replied, stomach tightening. "Besides, who says Regina Mills is going to go along with this?"

Keith scoffed. "You think her mother would do this without her blessing?"

"I would hope not but it's very suspicious that she's not in the video," Robin said, closing the link as an email popped into their work inbox.

An email from Cora Mills.

He clicked it open and his heart skipped a beat as he read the message. "We just got an email from Cora Mills. She wants us to plan Regina's wedding."

"We have to do this," Keith said, excited. "It's going to be heavily publicized and probably the wedding of the year. We need to have our names attached to it."

"I don't know," Robin replied, unable to shake his unease about the situation. "I don't really think the bride is on board with this and I won't plan a wedding for someone who doesn't want it."

Keith huffed. "Come on. I doubt it's like that. You've just watched way too many movies."

Robin rolled his eyes. "Besides, didn't you want to marry Regina Mills? Are you okay planning what should be your wedding?"

"This is disappointing," Keith said with a sigh. "But perhaps I'll meet my future wife at her wedding. I'm sure she'll invite a lot of hot, rich and eligible women to it."

He then paused before saying: "Though that reminds me that you cost me the chance at being with Regina Mills. So really, you owe me. And you can pay me back by accepting Cora Mills' offer."

Keith had them there, though he didn't know the true extent of how Robin had cost him his chance with Regina Mills. Guilt coursed through Robin, knowing he had taken Keith's invitation as well as his suit and stocking. Maybe Keith really had been the one meant to connect with Regina Mills the night before, not him.

It was then that he realized he was being hired to plan what should be his own wedding.

Well, shit.

"Robin? Earth to Robin?" Keith asked. "Do I need to come over to your so-called apartment?"

"No, that won't be necessary," Robin said, knowing his cousin wouldn't really want to get up to come to his side of the house. "I'll email Cora Mills back and let her know we will plan Regina's wedding."

Keith chuckled. "I knew you would see things my way. Thanks, cuz."

He ended the call and Robin sighed, minimizing the email and returning to the Bayou Barge website. Robin scrolled down until he spotted a familiar face. Though she appeared to be younger – perhaps still in college or freshly out of it – Regina Mills had her picture on the website, holding up the t-shirt she clearly put in the stocking Robin had picked.

"It's her," Robin told Tuck, picking up his cat. He petted Tuck as he sighed. "I apparently shared a wonderful night with Regina Mills herself. And now I'm planning my wedding to her, even if no one but me knows that."

Looking down, Tuck curled up in his arms as he basked in Robin's attention. "What do I do? Do I tell her it was me? Or do I stay quiet so his wedding will never happen? Keith will be upset but once again, he'll never know it was me," he said.

Tuck meowed and Robin chuckled. "I guess you're right. That does seem to be the best option. Until I get to know Regina better. Or after Christmas Eve. Maybe then we'll be out of the woods and we can figure out what to do next."

Looking back at Regina Mills' picture, he tried to reconcile the hurried and somewhat aloof woman he had dealt with leading up to the party with the warm and vulnerable woman he had kissed the night before. "Maybe the mask really did free her. Maybe Milady is really who she is," he said, mostly to himself.

And if that was the case, he wanted to spend more time with Milady.

DING!

Robin looked down at his phone and rolled his eyes when he saw it was a message from his cousin.

Did you say yes yet?

Sighing, Robin scratched under Tuck's chin. "I guess I'll have to send that email now, huh?"

Tuck just purred in response.

After setting his cat on his lap, Robin typed up a short but warm response happily accepting Cora Mills' offer. He sent it and then texted Keith to let him know it was done. Within minutes, Cora sent a reply asking them to stop by the next day to start the planning process.

"Here we go, Tuck," Robin said, writing back that at least one of them would come to her office at 4 PM.

Within twenty-four hours, he could figure out if he was going to be married by Christmas or if Cora Mills' grand plan was come crashing down around her because the groom was never going to show up.

A/N: Sorry this is about a week late! I wasn't happy with the conversation between Regina and Granny and decided to rewrite it. And then Easter weekend was a bit crazy so I didn't get as much writing done as I wanted.

So here's the new chapter! So Robin has figured out who "Milady" is but Regina doesn't know who "Shakespeare" is. Will she figure it out once she's working with Robin on her wedding? How will she react to her mother's video?

Find out next time!

Have a good weekend!

-Mac