Chapter 14: Partnership

Regina's intercom buzzed and she hit the button with one hand while writing with the other. "Yes, Ruby?"

"Storybrooke's future First Gentleman is here," her assistant said. "Shall I send him in?"

"Please," Regina replied, rolling her eyes as she hit the intercom button again to shut it off.

Her door opened as Robin stepped into her office. Smiling, he approached her. "So, First Gentleman?"

Regina shrugged. "I'm Storybrooke's first female mayor. There is no term for the husband of a mayor. So I guess First Gentleman will do."

"Offering me the mayoral spouse parking spot, deciding my title…are you sure you're not proposing, Madam Mayor?" he teased her.

"Very funny," she replied, giving him a look as she stood up. Coming around her desk, she asked: "What brings you to my office?"

He pulled her in for a hug. "I was with Tink and thought I would stop by to see if you wanted to go to lunch."

She leaned back, smiling at him. "I would love to have lunch with you. Do you want to go to Granny's?"

"Can we order in? I'd rather eat and talk with you in private," he told her, rubbing her back.

Regina nodded, releasing him and reaching for her intercom. "Ruby? Can you order us two hamburgers, some fries and two drinks from Granny's?"

"Sure," Ruby replied. "What do you want to drink?"

"Coke and iced tea please. Thank you." Regina waited for her assistant to confirm the order before hanging up. She turned to Robin and motioned to the couch in her office. "Do you want to sit?"

He nodded, following her to the couch. As they sat down, he wrapped his arm around her and held her close. "I love that you have a couch in your office," he said.

She laughed, nodding before leaning her head on his shoulder. "It was a fight to get this. The council didn't know why I needed a couch. But I knew that there would be late nights and wanted Sophie to have a homier place to come to so we could be together while I worked. She's caught a lot of naps and done a lot of homework on this couch."

"I can imagine," he said, running his hand over an empty space next to him. He then looked at her with a cheeky grin. "What do you say we christen this couch one night?"

She gave him a look. "I say you're incorrigible."

"Guilty as charged."

"You're also avoiding talking about how it went with Tink," she continued, not having forgotten that tidbit. Had it gone that badly? What had Tink said?

He chuckled, wrapping his arm around her. "It seems that way, but I swear I'm not. I just have a one-track mind when I'm with you."

She rolled her eyes as she scooted closer to him. "Well, get your mind out of my pants and back on the topic. What did Tink say?"

"Pretty much everything we figured," he said, wrapping his arm around her. "Marian would first have to petition the courts to get her maternal rights restored but that would be an uphill battle at this point, so it'll be difficult for her to pursue custody. Tink agrees that unofficially giving her supervised visitation is a good start and to do that for a few months before deciding our next steps."

"Okay," she said, resting her hand on his lap. "So why did you look so serious when you came in?"

He sighed. "Tink and I talked about a few conditions I could ask Marian to meet before we discuss unsupervised visitation and custody arrangements."

"Like what?"

A sharp knock interrupted their conversation and Regina glanced over at the door as Ruby entered, carrying a box from Granny's diner. She stopped just inside the office. "Where do you want me to put this?"

"I'll take that," Regina said, standing and coming around the couch. "Thank you, Ruby. Why don't you take your lunch too?"

Ruby grinned. "Thanks. I'll be in the break room if you need me."

She slipped out of the room as Regina carried the box over to the coffee table. As she sat down, Robin started to pull their food out and set it up for her. "This smells delicious," he said.

"Granny's is the best," she told him, settling against him as she picked up her burger. "Now, you were saying?"

"Right, the conditions." He sighed as he munched a French fry. "She thinks that I should have Marian go to counseling as one of my conditions."

Regina chewed her burger as she thought it over. "Well, it makes sense. It certainly sounds like she has issues she needs to work through. I mean, you were afraid for Sophie when she was around. What about Roland?"

He sighed, rubbing his face. "I do have concerns about leaving him around her, even with someone supervising them."

"Then you need to talk to her," she told him.

"I know," he replied. "I'm just remembering how badly she took it when we tried to convince her to get help for her post-partum depression. And I know how angry I'd be if you told me I needed to see a therapist before you let me go near Sophie…"

She set her burger down and reached out to take his hand. "You can't compare this situation with ours. It's not fair to you, to Marian or to Roland."

He nodded. "You're right. The situations are completely different."

"But you do have a valid concern given how poorly she's reacted in the past," she continued. "Maybe you should talk with Dr. Hopper and see if he has any tips."

"Tink recommended that as well," he replied. "She also suggested Roland and I should go see him."

Regina nodded. "I think that sounds like a good idea. You both have had a very momentous summer. Sophie and I have been seeing him for the same reason."

He paused, considering her words. "And he's good with children?"

"Very good," she assured him. "Sophie loves him—and his dog, Pongo."

"Maybe Sophie could talk to Roland before he goes to see Dr. Hopper? You know, so he's not so nervous?" Robin suggested.

She smiled, taking his hand. "I'm sure she'll be very happy to do so. You know she loves to help her brother in any way she can."

"She does," he agreed with a smile. "I don't think I could've asked for a better big sister for Roland. Sophie is just an amazing girl. Gets that from her mother."

Her cheeks heated up before she nudged him with her arm. "She also gets it from her father too."

Robin wrapped his arm around her and gave her a hug. "We really lucked out in the kid department, didn't we?"

"Yes, we did," she agreed, resting her head on his shoulder.

He sighed, kissing her forehead. "This summer has been a turbulent one but I wouldn't change that for the world. Not when it gave me Sophie and you."

She smiled, rubbing his leg. Regina didn't know what the future would bring with Marian but she knew that she would always have Robin, Sophie and Roland. They were well on their way to becoming a family and nothing would stop them until they were.

Nothing.

Robin sat in Granny's diner, nervously twisting his napkin as he watched the front door. Marian still had about ten minutes before their agreed meeting time but he was still worried she wouldn't show. That something else had happened and she had runaway again, leaving him and Roland behind yet again. He hated believing it but reminded himself that she needed to prove that she was serious about this to him. It was okay for him to be cautious, especially given their history.

"Can I get you anything? Water? Coffee? Xanax?" Granny asked, standing next to his table. She raised her eyebrow as she waited for his answer.

"Do I look that nervous?" he asked.

She nodded. "Who you waiting for?"

"My ex," he replied. "Roland's mother. We're going to discuss letting her back into his life."

"When did she leave it?" Granny asked.

"When he was six months old," Robin answered.

She let out a low whistle. "That woman should be crawling on her knees to get back into his life. How could she just leave a baby like that?"

"There was a lot going on," he replied with a sigh. "There's a lot still going on and I'm concerned."

"Understandable," Granny said. She turned pensive before asking: "Does Regina know about this?"

He nodded. "She's supporting my decisions with Marian and has been really great with helping me make them."

The door opened and Robin sat up straighter as Marian entered. "There she is," he told Granny.

She looked over the woman before nodding. "Well, if you need me to call you away for an emergency, just order the angel egg special. Got it?"

"Thank you, he said, standing as she walked away and Marian approached her. "And thank you for coming, Marian."

"I'm willing to do anything for my son," she said, sliding into the booth.

He sat back down and clasped his hands. "I'm glad to hear that. I was hoping we could discuss the conditions for you to see Roland."

She bristled at that. "I'm his mother. I shouldn't have any conditions, Robin."

"I'm sure you understand that my trust level with you is very low," he replied, trying to keep his annoyance in check. "And that I have to protect Roland."

"I'm not going to hurt him," she snapped.

He scowled at her. "And I want to make sure of that."

She crossed her arms. "What do you want me to do? Because I will do anything. He's my son and I love him and I want to have a relationship with him."

"Good," Robin said, hoping that meant his requests would be received better. "I want to start by saying that Roland and I have started seeing a therapist…"

"A therapist?" Anger flashed in her eyes as she frowned. "Why? Do you think something's wrong with him? Like you thought with me?"

He let out a deep breath, hating how this had spiraled out of control. Robin knew he had to rein it in and play it safe. "I don't think anything is wrong with him. We've just had a lot of change and I want to help him adjust," he said. "And I want him to be ready to meet you."

She seemed to relax, nodding. "That makes sense. Is the doctor good with children?"

"The best," Robin assured him. "Roland likes him a lot."

"Good," she said. "And do you think it's helping him?"

He nodded. "I do. I think it's good for him to have some place safe and someone he can talk to and who can help him understand his feelings."

Robin played with his napkin as he made his next request, having practiced it over and over. "I would like him to meet you in Dr. Hopper's office."

"Why?" she asked, eyes narrowing again. "Do you think I'm going to hurt him? Want some shrink to psychoanalyze me?"

He had expected the request to feed her paranoia so he had prepared an explanation he hoped would get her to cooperate. "Not at all. I believe it's neutral ground and Dr. Hopper will be a third party who can make sure the situation goes smoothly for everyone involved—including you."

She relaxed again. "That does sound good. I wouldn't want you or Regina controlling the situation."

"Regina's not controlling anything," he replied. "And she's not going to be there. She knows this is between us."

Marian leaned back, contemplating his answer. "Fine. And what about little Regina?"

He frowned. "My daughter has nothing to do with this. Right now, this about you, me and Roland."

"Fair enough," she replied. "So when can we meet this Dr. Hopper? I'd like to see my son sooner rather than later."

Taking that as a good sign, Robin relaxed a bit. "How about next week? When are you off then?"

"Friday. All day, so I'm free whenever," she said, perking up even more.

"Then I'll set it up for Friday," he told her. "I can text you the information. Would you prefer morning or afternoon?"

She thought about it for a moment. "Afternoon."

He nodded, thought he had hoped she would want a morning appointment. It would give him less time to worry about it. "I'll make the arrangements and text them to you."

"Thank you," she said as a waitress finally approached them to take their order. Marian glanced at the menu, frowning. "What do you recommend?"

"I always get the hamburger. It's delicious here," he said, placing his order with the waitress and handing her his menu. "Regina recommended it to me when I first ate here."

Marian tensed up, frowning. "I'll have the chicken Caesar salad please," she ordered, handing her menu over. He bit the inside of his cheek, knowing she placed the order just because she didn't want anything associated with Regina.

That did not bode well.

Once the waitress left, Robin decided to broach the subject with her. "Regina is an important part of my life now, Marian. Even if we weren't dating, we do share a daughter together."

"I know," Marian snapped.

"Good," he continued. "I'm not expecting you to suddenly be her best friend but I am hoping you can at least be civil to her. And not for my sake, but for Roland's. She's his sister's mother and he really loves his sister."

He also really loved his sister's mother but Robin knew not to bring that up to her. The last thing he needed was for Marian to believe she was being replaced by Regina in her son's mind.

Marian did seem to give what he said some thought before sighing. "I guess I can be civil to her and Little Regina for Roland's sake."

"Maybe you can meet Regina?" he suggested carefully. "Just to see her and get to know her a little bit better?"

"I don't know, Robin. I don't think I'm ready for that," she said, looking concerned and a bit scared.

He leaned forward. "I'm not saying you have to do that now. I'm just hoping you will be willing to do it in the future. Maybe it will help to see her as a person, just like you and me."

"I'll think about it," she promised. He nodded and thanked her, knowing that was probably the best he could hope for.

The waitress returned with their meals, setting them down. "Can I get you anything else?" she asked.

Marian shook her head as Robin looked up at the waitress. "We're fine for now. Thank you."

She reminded them that they could flag her down if they needed anything and left them alone. Robin picked up his burger as Marian poked at her salad. "The food here is really good," he promised her.

"And they wouldn't try to take out their beloved mayor's romantic rival?" she asked, giving everyone the side eye.

He shook his head. "Not at all. And she wouldn't ask anyone to do that. Regina is a good person."

She didn't look convinced and continued to push her food around on her plate like Roland did when he didn't want to eat his vegetables. Robin decided to try distracting her, hoping she would then eat. "So, do you want to hear about Roland's grand adventure with Will the other day?" he asked her.

Marian perked up, her eyes brightening. "I would love to hear about it! Tell me everything, no matter how mundane. I want to hear it."

"Okay," he said, launching into the tale about how Will took Roland to the park and they climbed what felt like a mountain to their son. As she listened, Marian started to eat her salad without any issues. Relief swept through him and he was glad his plan worked. He worried though about what would happen the next time.

Because he knew there would be a next time and the same tactic might not work twice.

The doorbell rang and Regina hurried to the door, opening it. She smiled when she saw Robin standing there, dressed in a button-down shirt and a nice pair of pants. He held a small bouquet of yellow roses in his hand. "Did you get her flowers?" she asked him.

"I did. It's a date and dates require flowers," he replied, grinning as he stepped into the house. He kissed her cheek as he passed her. "I always get you flowers."

"You do," she agreed, closing the door. "She'll be right down."

He nodded, leaning closer to her. "So what are you going to do with an empty house?"

"Mal and Emma are coming over for a ladies' night," she said, gripping his arm as they stood close together. "It's been a while since we had one so we're definitely overdue."

"Sounds like fun. You deserve a night of relaxing with your friends," he said, kissing her. She grabbed onto his jacket, relishing it.

She was a very lucky woman.

"Daddy!" Sophie's excited cry broke them apart. They looked up as she bounded down the stairs. She wore a blue summer dress with a matching white sweater paired with blue sandals. Regina had put her hair in a French braid and every strand of hair was still in place.

Robin hugged her once she reached the bottom step. "Hello, sweetheart. Are you ready for our date?"

She nodded, looking at the flowers in his hand. "Are those for Mom?"

"No," he replied, holding them out to her. "These are for you."

"You got me flowers?" she asked, eyes lighting up as she smiled widely. She took them from him. "Thank you, Daddy!"

He kissed the top of her head. "You're welcome."

Regina stepped forward. "Here, give those to me and I can put them in water for you."

"Thank you, Mom," she replied, handing over the flowers to her.

Holding them tightly in one hand, Regina gave her a one-armed hug. "Have a good night with your father."

"I will," she said, hugging her mother tightly. "I love you."

"Love you too," she replied, pulling back. She then opened the door. "Okay, you two. You better head out before you miss your reservations."

Sophie took Robin's hand as they headed out the door. He paused to give Regina a kiss. "We'll probably give you a call tonight," he said.

"I look forward to it," she replied, giving him a gently push. "Now go. Have fun!"

She watched as they climbed into Robin's truck. They waved to her before he pulled out, heading down the street. Regina then closed the door and went to put her daughter's flowers in water for her.

"Don't tell me he got you flowers," Mal said, sitting at Regina's kitchen table with her arms crossed.

Regina paused, frowning. "How did you get in?"

"I have a key," Mal reminded her, holding it up. "I saw your Baby Daddy come in through the front door so I decided to come in through the side."

"You can't avoid him forever," Regina told her, pulling out a vase and filling it with water.

Mal shrugged. "I don't have to avoid him forever. Just until he inevitably gets bored and leaves again."

"He's not going to do that," Regina told her friend, annoyed she kept having to repeat herself. She unwrapped the flowers before placing them in the vase. "He's committed to Sophie and to me."

"And you believe that because he brought you flowers?" Mal asked, disdain dripped from every word.

Regina paused, leaning her hands on the countertop. "These are for Sophie. And he's shown me in many ways that he's committed to me."

"Actions do speak louder than words," Mal agreed. She leaned forward. "Like him having lunch with another beautiful brunette at Granny's."

"Were you spying on him?" Regina asked, growing even more annoyed with her friend.

Mal shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. "I just so happened to notice him eating with a beautiful brunette at Granny's and thought you should know."

"Two days later?" Regina challenged, folding her arms.

That did give Mal pause and her eyebrows went up. "You know when it was?"

"I do," she replied. "Because Robin told me he was meeting with Marian to discuss some matters ahead of her meeting Roland."

"And you believe him?" Mal asked in a tone that implied she thought Regina was a naïve fool.

Regina nodded. "He tells me everything and doesn't go behind my back. I trust him."

Mal rolled her eyes but threw up her hands. "Fine. Trust the man who abandoned you when you were pregnant with his child."

"Can we stop with that?" she asked her friend, crossing her arms as she glared down at Mal.

"It's the truth," Mal argued.

"It's an oversimplification of the truth, counselor," she replied, almost spitting the title out at her friend.

Mal held her head a little higher. "I just don't want to see you brokenhearted again, Regina. You were in so much pain back then and you don't deserve to feel that ever again."

Regina's anger abated somewhat, knowing her friend had a point. She had been in a lot of pain when she met Mal and Emma, heartbroken over Robin's apparent rejection of her and their child. It had taken a long time for her to heal herself and Mal had witnessed almost every moment of that. So it made sense that her friend would want to protect her from experiencing that ever again.

"I did a lot of healing because of you," she told Mal, moving around the island to join her at the table. She took Mal's hand. "And I am so glad you and Emma were in my life at that point. I am glad you two are still in my life. I don't know if I could've done such a good job with Sophie without your support."

Mal gave her hand a squeeze. "I feel the same about you and your involvement in Lily's life. That's why I want you to be careful with Robin and fear you've let him too far into both yours and Sophie's lives."

"He is Sophie's father," Regina pointed out. "Not matter what, he was going to be part of her life."

"Well, we both know that there are ways we could've limited that," Mal said, knowing she didn't have to spell it out. Regina could've made it difficult for Robin to get custody and limited his visitation with Sophie if she had wanted to.

She pressed her lips together before saying: "Well, thankfully we don't have to. Now, let's put a ban on any more talk about Robin, okay? Tonight is just about us."

"Are we going to put the same ban on that pirate wannabe?" Mal asked.

"What ban are we putting on Killian?" Emma asked, walking into the kitchen. She plopped down at the table. "And will you stop calling him a pirate?"

Mal shrugged. "The shoe fits."

"Okay, okay," Regina said, holding out her hand. "No more talk of Robin or Killian for the rest of the night. Deal?"

"Deal," Emma replied, placing her hand on top of Regina's.

They both looked at Mal, who sighed dramatically before placing her hand on top of theirs. "Deal but this is childish."

"Okay, so we're all agreed," Regina continued, ignoring Mal's last comment. "So from this moment on, no more mentions of the men in our lives."

They dropped their hands and Emma pulled out her phone. "Okay, so where do we want to order from? I'm in the mood for Chinese myself but I'll go wherever."

"Chinese sounds good to me. Maybe we can try that new place – the Golden Dragon? I heard it's good," Mal replied.

Emma nodded. "I'll place the order. Everyone want their usual?"

As she and Mal agreed to that, Regina relaxed a bit. She knew she would need to have a serious talk with her friend about her animosity toward Robin so things weren't always so tense around them. For now, though, she was going to enjoy her night with her friends.

"Would you care for some desserts?" the waiter asked, clearing the plates from the table.

Robin glanced at Sophie and she nodded eagerly, causing her father to chuckle. He turned to the waiter. "Yes, please."

The waiter promised to bring them the menu right away and walked away. Sophie bounced a bit in her seat. "Thank you, Daddy."

"You're welcome, sweetheart," he replied, sipping at his water. "I hope you enjoyed dinner."

"I did," she said. "It was delicious. I hope dessert is just as good!"

He laughed. "Me too. Dessert is always the best part of dinner."

The waiter returned with the menu and Robin handed it to Sophie. "You pick and we can split."

"Really? I can pick?" she asked, excited. She looked over the menu and bit her lip, knowing everything looked good. But her eyes kept going back to one in particular and she tapped it with her finger. "That one."

Her father looked it over, smiling. "That's one big brownie."

"Well, we're going to split it, right?" She flashed him a big smile.

Chuckling, he nodded. "Right. I guess it won't be so big that way. And the ice cream will help."

"Ice cream makes everything better," Sophie said as the waiter approached.

He smiled. "I agree. So will you be having ice cream?"

"We've decided to have the Supreme Brownie. Two spoons please," Robin ordered, handing the menu to the waiter with a smile.

The waiter nodded. "Excellent choice. I'll go put that order in and we'll get that out to you as soon as possible. Can I interest you in some dessert drinks? Coffee? Milk?"

"I'll have a decaf coffee," Robin replied. He patted Sophie's hand. "Do you want anything, sweetheart?"

"Milk, please," she ordered. The waiter wrote it down before heading off to put their dessert order into the kitchen.

Robin leaned closer. "What are your plans for the rest of the summer?"

She shrugged. "I guess to keep doing what I'm doing. Helping Ms. Belle at the library, hanging out with my friends, spending time with you and Roland as well as Mom. Just being a kid, I guess."

"Sounds like a very good summer," he said, nodding. "And I will be happy to spend as much time as possible with you. Roland too."

"Great! Maybe you can also take me camping?" she asked. "Mom's not much of an outdoors person. Uncle Graham took us all once but that was a few years ago. I'd love to go again."

She bit her lip, hoping he would say yes as she had enjoyed her last camping trip. And she would love to experience it with her father and brother this time around. Maybe they could even convince her mother to come out to make it a family affair, though she knew that would be an uphill battle.

Robin smiled. "I think camping sounds like a great idea. Maybe we can plan it for Labor Day weekend. Unless you and your mom have any traditions then?"

"Not really," Sophie said, feeling excited. "I'm sure if we ask Mom now she'll be okay with us going camping. There's a camp site in the forest just outside of town."

"Well, I'll do some research tonight and we can talk to your mom in the morning. And would it be okay if we invite your Uncle Will along too?" he asked.

She bit her lip before saying: "I'm kinda hoping we can convince Mom to come."

He smiled, his eyes lighting up. "You said it yourself—she doesn't really like the outdoors. Pretty sure her idea of camping is a cabin in the woods."

"That does sound like mom," she agreed. "But I think she'll agree if it's a family thing."

"You think?" he asked, looking and sounding amused.

She nodded. "She loves family things."

"Good to know," he replied, leaning back in his chair as the waiter approached with their dessert.

He set the bowl with a giant brown covered in vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream and a cherry down between them. "And two spoons, as requested," he said, giving them each a spoon. "Enjoy!"

"Thank you," Robin said. He positioned his spoon over the brownie, giving her a grin. "You ready to dive into this together?"

Sophie grinned as well, mimicking her father's stance. "I am."

"Bon appetit, ma fille," he replied, digging in.

"What did you say?" she asked, curious.

He smiled, swallowing his bite. "I said happy eating, my daughter. Just in French."

"You know French?" she asked, amazed. There were so many things she didn't know about her father and she found he kept surprising her.

"I knew French," he replied. "I studied it in school but I'm pretty rusty so I can only pull out a few phrases here or there."

"Oh," Sophie said. She shrugged. "Still seems cool. I wish I could speak French."

He grinned. "I'm sure you could teach yourself. But that's for another time. For now, enjoy the brownie!"

She giggled before taking a big spoonful of brownie, making sure to get some ice cream and whipped cream. Placing it in her mouth, she closed her eyes as she enjoyed the burst of sweetness in her mouth. It was a perfect combination and she chewed, savoring every moment before she had to swallow.

"I'm guessing you like it," Robin teased her gently.

"I love it," she replied. "Mom would probably freak over how much sugar is in it."

He grinned before whispering: "I won't tell her if you don't."

"Deal," she whispered back, taking another bite and savoring the chocolatey goodness melting in her mouth.

After a few more bites, her father laid down his spoon and rested his elbows on the table. Lacing his fingers together, he looked at her with a pensive look in his eyes. "What do you say to making this a monthly tradition?" he asked.

"Consuming a giant brownie with ice cream and whipped cream and a cherry on top?" Sophie asked, smiling. "Yes, please!"

He laughed, shaking his head. "I meant a daddy-daughter date night. You and me, whatever you want to do, one night every month as long as it's not a school night."

"I'd like that," she said, her heart beating with excitement. "It sounds like a lot of fun."

"Then I'll talk to your mom and we can come up with a schedule that works for all of us," Robin said, picking up his spoon again.

Excitement filled Sophie as she thought of all the things she and her father could do on their monthly daddy-daughter dates. She loved spending time with her brother but it was nice to have their father's undivided attention. It helped them bond even more and create memories with him.

Ones she would treasure for the rest of her life.

Regina felt really relaxed by the time they wrapped their girls' night. She had treated herself to a face mask and let Emma give her a pedicure. They had shared lots of prosecco and laughter, enjoying a fun and carefree evening together.

"Oh, we should do this again soon," Emma declared, resting her head on Regina's shoulder as they lounged on the couch. "It's always great to spend time with you two."

"Maybe we should book it now then," Regina replied, picking up her phone and opening her calendar.

From her other side, Mal snorted. "These are supposed to be spontaneous. That's what makes them fun."

"I know, but things are going to get very busy very quickly once the school year starts. We're going to blink and it'll be Christmas. So I think we should plan a couple for the rest of the year and then we can be spontaneous after the New Year," Regina reasoned.

Mal sighed. "I hate when you make sense."

She chuckled, her thumb hovering over one day. "I know. So, anyway, what do you say about mid-September? Give us a chance to get settled back into the school year routine?"

"That sounds good to me," Emma replied. "Gives us time to make arrangements for our kids too."

"Hey, maybe we can make Robin use and shove Lily and Henry on him too," Mal suggested. "Give him a taste of what we had to deal with."

While the way she worded it didn't surprise Regina, the fact Mal suggested it did. "You mean that?" she asked.

Mal nodded before frowning, looking between Regina's and Emma's shocked faces. She shrugged. "What? I may think you're making a mistake getting involved with him but he does seem to be a responsible parent. Sophie is still in one piece and his son's made it this far, so I think it's safe to leave our children with him for a few hours."

Regina blinked a few times before saying: "I appreciate you giving him a chance. Thanks, Mal."

"Well, now that it's settled, I guess we'll do this again that third Saturday in September," Mal said, pulling out her phone. "I'll put you ladies into my schedule."

"Me too," Emma said, typing something into her phone.

Regina added the appointment as well before setting her phone down. "There. We're all set."

"Great," Emma replied, standing and stretching. "I should head out and relieve Killian from babysitting duties."

Mal stood as well. "Ruby will no doubt want to hit the bars now, so I should go relieve her too."

"Well, thank you for coming! It was great to unwind with you two." Regina stood, hugging Emma and then Mal.

They thanked her for hosting before heading out. Regina gathered up the last remnants of their girls' night and throw them out as well as started the dishwasher. She turned off the kitchen lights just as her phone rang. Robin's picture filled the screen and she smiled as she answered it. "How was daddy-daughter date night?"

"Pretty good," Robin replied. "We had a great dinner, had a delicious brownie for dessert, and then I let her burn off the sugar high by kicking my arse at putt-putt."

She chuckled. "Sounds like a good night. I assume she's passed out now?"

"She is," he confirmed. "So is Roland. Will carried him in so I have no idea what those two did together."

Regina curled up on her couch, smiling. "Sounds like everyone had a great night."

"And you? Did you have a good night with your friends?" he asked.

"I did," she replied, thinking about Mal's suggestion. "And we've set up one for next month. Do you feel up to watching Henry and Lily too?"

He paused before asking: "Will Mal let me? Or do I need to submit to a complete background check and a lie detector test? I mean I will, but I just want to know before I say yes."

She laughed, imagining Robin hooked up to a lie detector test as Mal grilled him. But she assured him: "That won't be necessary. It was actually her idea."

"Really? Am I starting to win her over?" he asked, sounding hopeful.

"Not quite," she told him honestly. "This is a test."

He didn't respond right away. After sighing, he replied: "I guess it's something, right?"

"It is," she assured him. "You just have to be patient. Mal doesn't trust easily – especially when it comes to men."

"Then I shall be patient. I know she's very important to you," he told her, making her heart skip a beat.

She tucked her hand between her cheek and the pillow, grinning. "Thank you, Robin. I appreciate that."

He hummed before yawning. "Oh, sorry. I guess I'm starting to feel how late it's getting," he apologized.

"It's okay," she assured him. "You had a busy night. Why don't you turn in?"

"Because I want to keep talking with you," he replied.

She grinned, feeling like a teenager experiencing her first love and not wanting to get off the phone with him again. "That's sweet but I think you should really get some rest."

"You should as well," he told her. "Self-care and all that."

"Then I guess I'll say goodnight. How about brunch at Granny's tomorrow?" she suggested, eager to see him and the children.

"Brunch sounds wonderful. We'll see you around eleven?" he asked.

She grinned. "Eleven is perfect."

"Then I wish you goodnight and sweet dreams," Robin replied. "I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you too," she said softly before they ended the call. Regina let her phone fall to her chest and she took a few deep breaths, gathering the energy to stand from the couch.

She finally got to her feet and decided that she had enough energy for a little more self-care. A nice bubble bath would be the perfect way to end her night before she climbed into bed for a good night's rest, full of dreams of Robin and their family.

A/N: I finally, finally got this chapter completed and posted!

There's still plenty of tension with Marian and that's not going to change any time soon. But are things getting better between Mal and Robin? Only time will tell!

Thank you for your patience! Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up a lot sooner.

-Mac