LISTEN I DIDN'T HAVE A BETA SO I AM SO SORRY BUT I TRIED SO HARD. I love you. And I'm so happy to be your valentine. Even though, deep down, I know you knew, I still hope you're a little surprised. Love you, babe!

Also - the song Forever Falling by Mia Wray was the inspiration for this, if you want to listen at any point.

Falling Forever

Robin barely slept a wink last night. The loud knocking of his heart, racing thoughts and the unusual absence of a body on his left kept him tossing and turning until the wee hours of the morning.

Not that he should be surprised by all of this, it's not every day his only child gets married.

He was up and out of bed just minutes before the sun cracked a little bit of light along the horizon. He shuffled around aimlessly and showered quickly as the nerves bubbled like a shaken fizzy drink in his stomach.

He wasn't expecting the call the sped up his morning, especially not this early, but Regina explained to him that he needs to come by earlier than they told him, as soon as he can. So, he hurried like a mad man to get ready, throwing his suit on hastily and rushed out to his car and arrived at their home as quickly as humanly possible.

Robin goes inside and stands at the foot of the staircase in his childhood home, the same staircase he used to scurry down on Christmas mornings, the staircase that his mother would call up when dinner was ready, the home that became Regina's new home many, many years ago.

"Hi," Regina breathes, smiling brightly as she reaches the bottom of the staircase in easily the most stunning purple dress she has ever wrapped her body in. She all but launches herself at him, hugging him tightly for a little bit longer this morning, the emotions of the day consuming them. "How's Nathan?" She asks of the husband-to-be while pulling away from his embrace.

"He's great. His parents are probably poking and prodding at his clothes as we speak," he says, "How's everything on our end?"

"She's freaking out," Regina mumbles. "She's consumed with doubt and she thinks she's making a mistake."

Robin blows a confused breath from his lips, "She was bouncing off the walls yesterday…"

"I don't know," Regina shrugs, pulling at his hastily tied tie and loosening it as she speaks, "We got her dressed, did her makeup and hair. She was excited but quiet and then she just started crying. She's scared." After perfecting his poor attempt, she accepts his quick peck on the lips as a thank you before telling him that, "It's perfectly normal for her to be feeling a little doubtful, but I really think you should talk to her."

"Me?"

"You have always known the right thing to say to her, Robin" she reminds him.

He groans nervously, the weight of the world suddenly on his shoulders - the last thing he wants to do is make anything worse. "You sure she needs me? What about Lacey? Or Emma?" he asks and Regina gives him a pointed look. "Okay, okay, I'll give it a go," he mutters as he starts to climb the stairs after a loving squeeze to his shoulder.

"I'll be in the kitchen," Regina calls out at he reaches the top.

He knocks gently at his daughter's door, waiting patiently for permission to enter. It comes in a soft, nervous voice, a breathy little come in that he hasn't heard in years.

They didn't touch her room after she left for college, and it shows. Her artwork is pinned all over the walls, bright watercolours and oil paintings everywhere. Regina even loathed the idea of cleaning up the spatters of orange and blue paint left on the wooden floor where it dripped from a canvas one time.

She's facing the tall mirror in the corner of the room when he walks inside, completely bathed in natural, bright light from outside, and his breath immediately becomes trapped in his lungs, the pinching behind his eyes becoming sharper and sharper.

She turns to him, smiling as brightly as she shows off the long white dress Regina has spent months and months slaving over; she'd gone through countless numbers of multi coloured band-aids after all the small needle prick on her fingers.

She's an absolute vision and very close to being her mother's double but at the same time being the complete opposite in almost every way.

"Do you like it?" Evelyn asks shyly, gripping onto the skirt with her fingertips, pulling the fabric out to the sides and twirling a little. "Mom did such a good job."

"She did," he agrees, still having not taken a breath. He steps closer to inspect the smaller details of the dress. It's a relaxed fit, long and flowing, but the bodice is utterly stunning, the floral-like lace detailing complimenting the entire garment fabulously. "She showed quite a bit of restraint," he admits with a laugh.

Evelyn laughs with him, bowing her head down against his chest before leaning into him completely in an embrace. Against his shirt, she mumbles, "I caved and let her put small jewels in my hair. I think asking her for a plain dress hurt her soul."

He studies her loose updo when she pulls back, noting the small dots of sparkle weaved amongst the full braid of dark hair cascading down her back. "You look absolutely stunning, darling." He's an expert in her nervous habits, so when she thanks him and immediately starts chewing on the inside of her cheek and avoiding eye contact, he knows. "Something's troubling you."

She shakes it off, promising him, "No, I'm fine," but he can see right through it. Evelyn would be horrified to truly know how much she is just like her mother.

"Evelyn..." he says softly, barely a whisper with only the tiniest hint of sternness in his voice, and she concedes almost right away.

"Alright, alright," she breathes, stepping away from him and circling around to plop down onto his mattress, waiting for him to sit next to her before admitting very softly that, "I'm scared. What if we get married and things start to fall apart? Especially now when things are so perfect."

"Marriage doesn't mean things stop being perfect," Robin promises, but even then Evelyn is still holding back tears, her lips twitching into a frown with genuine worry. "I worried about the same thing when I married your mum."

Evelyn scoffs a doubtful laugh, "You two are the literal definition of destined to be together."

"That doesn't mean we never had our doubts," he elaborates before reaching just to the fingers that are fidgeting in her lap; he links his hand with one of hers. "We've been through hell and high water to get where we are and I wouldn't change a single minute of it."

It dawns on him them that, where Evelyn is concerned, he and Regina haven't talked to her as much as they could have about their love, about how they make things work, about their troubles. "I once asked your mum if she thought we would last," he tells her. "It was moments before I asked her to marry me, and do you know what she said?"

With a smile, she shakes her head, asking, "What?"

"She told me that as long as we keep falling in love with each other, we will always be together. And it's true, I have fallen in love with your mother hundreds of times since the moment we first spoke," Robin speaks truthfully. "That doesn't mean we haven't had our ups and down. Our relationship has changed so much over the years, but being married isn't about pausing your relationship where it is, where it feels like it can't get any better, and expecting it to be the same. It's about loving each other enough to hold hands as your life moves on and as you grow, to work together during the changes, to struggle side by side."

Evelyn rolls her eyes, not horribly, just as any daughter would at her father when she thinks he's being ridiculous. "You're only saying that because you think it's what I need to hear. You were both made for each other. Nate and me, we're complete opposites. We come from entirely different worlds."

"Being from different worlds doesn't automatically discredit a relationship," Robin scoffs a little, shaking his head with a smile. God, they really didn't talk to her enough about how he met her mother. "Did we ever tell you our story?"

"You and Mom?" She asks for clarity, and fishes through the moments in her mind that her parents' love story has been a topic of conversation. "I know bits and pieces. I know she was an exchange student in London, she met you while she was there. You fell in love, got married, had me, and now we're here."

"You make it sound so boring," Robin chuckles. "Did you know I was working double shifts at a supermarket when I met her?"

"You worked at a supermarket?" Evelyn asks with a cocked eyebrow. All Evelyn has ever really known is Regina's dress business and Robin's historical fiction, but when they first met, they were the farthest things from that.

…..

"Gym Girl was here last night," John teases, stealing Robin's full attention.

He knows Robin is entirely smitten with this new girl who has made it a habit to wander into the store after a workout. That's what he assumes anyway as she is always in some sort of athletic getup and a big bag draped over her shoulder. She's beautiful, absolutely bloody stunning, he knew that thy very second he saw her; the way she rocks a messy bun and little to no makeup makes his heart beat erratically.

"She was talking about you," John adds. "Last night."

"She was? What did she say?" Robin asks, his eyes all but completely leaving his skull, and John snorted.

"She was with a friend," John explains, "And as I was ringing her up, she was talking about 'Supermarket Boy'," he emphasised the name with air quotes, adding an unnecessary, "that's you, by the way. Her friend asked if you were cute…" Robin waits impatiently, throwing his arms out to the side with a dramatic And?! John laughs again, shrugging his shoulders, "They were on their way before I could hear. But luckily for you, your dream girl is back again this evening."

John jerks his chin up to indicate behind Robin, and when he turns he sees her picking up a small basket from the door - her bun a bit extra messy and thick, black-rimmed glasses balancing on her nose this time.

Robin's stomach drops as his schoolboy crush starts to bubble. He can't get over how ridiculous he's being. Instead of just mustering up an ounce of courage, he disappears into the aisles and makes himself busy with mindless tasks.

When she gets to the till, he wanders back towards the front of the shop, listening as she banters kindly back and forth with John as he runs through her shopping. He doesn't make himself know, even though he'd love nothing more than to know her name and introduce himself, but she is out of his league, she has to be.

John's politely says goodbye and she makes her way out of the store, giving Robin the opportunity to emerge from his cowardly hiding space.

"Damn," John hisses, grabbing a small package of pasta bag that slipped into the corner of the loading section, out of sight. "She forgot this," he says, preparing to run out and catch her before she's too far away. But he stops suddenly, turning to Robin with a menacing gaze.

"Well," John smirks as he tosses the small bag of pasta across into Robin's chest. "Here's your chance, Supermarket Boy. I'll bet you a Saturday night shift that you're too scared to say anything."

Robin rolls his eyes drastically, he possibly even overdoes it in a desperate attempt to shield John from knowing just how much his heart is rattling against his ribcage or how the nerves deep in his belly are tickling him like mad.

It's freezing outside; his breath becomes visible instantly as he stands on the quiet street and looks to his left and right in search of her. She's coming back on his right, her little sprint becoming a gentle walk when she sees him.

Smiling softly, melting his entire soul, and a little out of breath, she says, "Thank you! I couldn't imagine explaining to my roommates that we were having pasta with no pasta. I'm Italian, they never would have let me live it down."

"We wouldn't want that," he chuckles spritely in response, giving her the small bag before tucking his chilly hands into the warmth of his trouser pockets. Her accent seems so much stronger now that he's right there in front of her. She's in her gym clothes again, outside on an icy cold January evening with bare shoulders. "Aren't you freezing?" He asks, shivering extra for her.

"Oh," she shrugs, "A bit, but I've lived through New York winters so I'm used to it. Plus, I'm always rather warm after a workout," she explains, tucking away the rogue pasta into the confines of her small backpack.

They hit a wall of awkward silence, though it's not as awkward as it could be. She smiles kindly again, popping her lips as if she is about to bid him a farewell, but instead she stretches her arm out with an open hand. "I'm Regina. Mills."

Extracting a hand free from his pocket, his cosy fingers firmly latch onto her ice-cold skin, and his racing mind considers all of his options. He should tell her his name, that would be the normal thing to do, but instead, his smitten brain goes to the next best thing and introduces himself as, "Supermarket Boy," with a smirk.

Her face drops, but only for a second, before she laughs from deep in her belly and drops their eye contact. "That is definitely as embarrassing as I'd imagined it would be. I'm sorry," she offers the apology sincerely, taking her hand back.

"Don't apologise," he counters, waving off the sheet of anxiousness that has glazed over her eyes, "But you are welcome to call me Robin if you'd rather something else. Robin Locksley."

"Robin," she repeats, clicking her tongue softly as she nods in agreement, "I can see why you'd prefer that." And then she shivers, the blanket of warmth she'd acquired at the gym slipping from her. "I should get going before I really start to freeze out here. It was lovely to meet you."

"Of course," he nods politely, waving a little bit as she wanders off.

There's a moment in the following ten seconds or so, something the makes him stop shy of the supermarket door. He turns back, just for a final glimpse of her, but to his surprise, she's stopped too. In fact, she's on her way back to him, determination thudding against the ground with every step she takes.

"Hi," she says, standing barely an arm away from him. "Thank you," she says again, and Robin chuckles softly, noting that she said that already. "Right. I did," she retorts nervously. "Look, I don't really have any friends here," she admits, "I'm new to the city. I've only really spoken to my housemates and my own father has had to tell me on at least three occasions that I need to make an effort and get to know some new people, which is so unbelievably embarrassing, and I really feel like I'm throwing away this whole studying abroad opportunity by getting caught up in my own thoughts, and-"

She's nervous and rambling, as equally adorable as it is painful to watch. "Regina," he laughs quickly, stunting her ramble. "Breathe."

"Right," he huffs out nervously, tucking back loose strands of her hair behind her ears. "I'm not really good at making new friends. Clearly."

"Is anyone?" He asks. "So, you're a student?"

"Yes," she smiles fondly. "Just a semester. I'm at the London College of Fashion, near Oxford Circus. Are you a student too?"

"No," he waves off the assumption politely, "I just… work here, I suppose," he says with a shrug, throwing a look back to the supermarket. "It keeps me busy for now," he expands, silently praying that it won't deter her and almost defending himself by saying, "There's so much I want to do."

She must detect his train of thought is rooted in some sort of shame because she's very quick to understand where he's coming from, telling him that, "Sometimes you have to do things you don't like as much before you can fully feel at home in the world."

"Exactly," he agrees with an exhale, nervously digging his hands into his pockets again. "Would you…" he starts, second-guessing himself for only a moment. "Would you like to hang out sometime? Somewhere far away from the supermarket. I could take you somewhere around the city, some cool spots you maybe didn't know were here?

Her lips twitch upward into a bit of a smirk, a pointed smile that he knows could easily steal his heart forever, though it wouldn't be much of a theft if he willingly gives it to her.

"Are you asking me out?" She queries.

His cheeks turn a slight pink as he shrugs again, nervously admitting, "I suppose I am. We could have dinner? If you want, that is."

She steps a bit closer to him, the close proximity making his lungs shut down, failing to operate when she mutters, "I love dinner."

He's quiet, shocked, but he can't help but snicker a bit she steals the pen that was clipped to his breast pocket. She takes his hand, turning his palm up and starts to scribble on his skin, the tip of the pen tickling him. "That's the landline in my apartment. Call me when you're free and we can see what happens."

With that breathtaking smirk showing itself again, she carefully slides his pen back into his pocket and steps back, "I'll hear from you later?"

"You absolutely will."

…..

"I always thought you were both students," Evelyn admits, getting more comfortable on her bed, scooting back towards the headboard. "You have a history degree."

"I enrolled in University almost a year after your mum graduated," he explains. "You were barely one when I graduated. Regina, she… she's the reason I even applied to University. She saw that I was capable of something I could never see myself doing. Mum and I may be made for each other, babe, but that doesn't mean that we are the same person."

"I guess I never thought about it that way," Evelyn retreats, bowing her head a bit.

"In fact," Robin announces brightly, smiling at the thought, "Our differences were overwhelming at first: She was an amazing cook, I lived off beans on toast. She had this clear, precise plan outlining everything she wanted in life and I was living day to day. Even our coffee orders were on opposite ends of the spectrum, I learned that the hard way…"

…..

It was a spontaneous trip for coffee, something they agreed to on a whim a couple of nights ago. Her afternoon lecture was cancelled this week and Robin was free for once so he practically jumped at the chance. They ordered their coffee, toying back and forth about whether they should sit at one of the low chairs in the busy coffee shop or take advantage of the weather slowly morphing into a kind spring.

The bright sunshine won.

They walked onto the busy walkway of her campus, coffees gripped on their hands, and she laughs heartily, asking him once again, "Three sugars? Three?!"

It's the only thing that left her mouth since she saw him rip open the sugar packets and dump it inside.

"You're blowing this out of proportion," he smirks in response. "This is how my mum drinks her coffee, it's technically her fault."

"You can't blame your poor mom for this," she teases.

He snickers, offering her the cup, "You haven't even tried it." She turns up her nose at it but Robin insists.

As a counter, she offers him her cup as well and he's more than willing to play this game. They switch, watching each other intently as they take small sips of each other's coffee.

He doesn't even have a moment to really appreciate how cute the scrunch of her nose is because his body immediately rejects whatever he just put into his body. It all but sprays out of his mouth, it's ungodly; he might as well have attempted to eat a mouthful of soil.

"What the bloody hell is that?" He moans, drenched in this sorry excuse for a cup of coffee.

She's laughing loudly through her, "Oh, my god," and is rummaging into her small bag for napkins to give him.

He takes them, wipes over his face and immediately starts to dab over where the dark liquid has collected all the way down the front of his light grey shirt.

"No, no, no," she gasps, yanking the napkin away from his shirt, still chuckling, "Don't rub it in, it's linen, you'll never get that stain out. Do you have a second to stop at my apartment? I can get that out for you..."

"Sure," he agrees, following her happily as they backtrack and wander off campus.

…..

"Mom's coffee is an experience," Evelyn agrees, softly huffing out a single laugh.

"Yours is just as bad," Robin counters cheekily, "A spoonful of sugar in tar doesn't make it any better." Her jaw drops, feigning insult with a dramatic hand over her chest. "But sometimes, darling, what people don't realise is that while superficial things may be different, like coffee orders or the class you were born into, sometimes what festers underneath, in your heart, sometimes that's where your similarities lie and they are the ones that matter.

…..

When they enter her flat, they walk straight up the hallway, bypassing the kitchen and directly into her bedroom.

"Sorry about the mess," she says, quickly moving a shirt from the back of her desk chair.

If slightly ruffled bed sheets and one out of place shirt is what she considers a mess, he is going to have to hire someone to sort out his room before she ever comes by. Her place is pristine, and entirely what he imagined it would be. Her decor is eloquent and calm, but not lacking in personality. Her sheets are baby blue, satin it looks like, and she has scatterings of books all over the place, fabric swatches neatly piled up on a desk - a very organised chaos.

"Take your shirt off," she says as she rummages through the top drawer of her dresser.

"Pardon?" He asks, his cheeks starting to burn on the surface.

Regina snorts loudly, slapping her drawer closed with the small box she'd been looking for in her grasp. "How do you expect me to get a stain out of your shirt if you're still wearing it?" She raises an eyebrow at him cheekily, running her free hand through her long, wavy hair. "Wait here and I'll get you something to change into."

She leaves him alone in the bedroom and he looks down at the menacing stain. If it were any other shirt, he'd just tell her not to worry about it, but this one, well, it's his dress shirt, the one his mother got him for special occasions. She'd have a mountain of things to say if he walked through the door with it ruined.

He unbuttons the shirt and slips it from his shoulder, embarrassed as hell when Regina comes back into her room with a folded black t-shirt tucked under her arm, but her eyes are glued to him.

She coughs, smiling tightly at him and hands him the t-shirt, "We have a collection of boyfriend shirts, courtesy of my roommate, Lacey." He unfolds the shirt in his outstretched hand and he chokes on a bit of a laugh, and Regina explains with a teasing tone, "He loves AC/DC, what can I do? Put it on or remain half naked in my bedroom, it's entirely up to you."

She takes the stained linen from where he'd dropped it on the bed, "Want to see some magic?" she asks, draping his shirt over her desk and pulling open the small box she had fished from her dresser. He pulls the band tee over his head and watches curiously as she sprinkles a white powder over the stain, then douses it in a pungent liquid. "Vinegar and baking soda," she explains. "It works wonders."

"You're the fashion designer," he says lovingly, "I trust you with anything clothes related."

As she softly hums and rubs the small concoction she's made into the fabric, Robin looks about at her desk, noting the photographs she has perched there. "Is that your father?" He asks, nodding to the larger of the pictures.

She darts her eyes up to his discovery and smiles proudly and nods, "He's the best."

"And your mum?" He asks out of genuine curiosity, but by the way her face grimaces, he realises he's hit a sore spot. He calls himself internally, scolding his horrifically insensitive question when she should know better. "Regina, I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"It's fine," she promises and it seems genuine. "My mother and I don't speak anymore. She feels that there's a certain standard I should live my life by and I was never good enough to reach that bar. Daddy and I got out of there before she broke my spirit completely." She stands up straight from fixing up his shirt, looking over her shoulder to him. "My mother would have hated you and what I'm studying, and she sure as hell would have something to say about the fact I'm sharing an apartment with two other people."

"She sounds like a piece of work," Robin offers, watching Regina frown and start putting her magic spell away. "My dad left us," he says unexpectedly, halting her movements. "I was seven and he walked out. I know it's nothing like having a toxic mother, but I know what it's like to have a shitty parent."

…..

"Mom still doesn't really talk about Grandma Cora very much."

"I don't think she wants to expose you to that type of personality." Robin sighs. "She and her father were a unit, though, the same way my mum and I were. Where your Mum and I truly bonded was how much we understood having a parent who treated us poorly. Does that make sense?"

Robin utilises this moment to let Evelyn really consider her thoughts, to try and collect herself and assess where she is, letting her heart and mind battle for a compromise.

She sighs heavily, "It's just...you two have set the bar so high, it feels unreachable sometimes. You're always looking at each other with love in your eyes, you're always so smiley, it's like you have never fought a day in your life. Nathan and I had a massive argument about what colour we should paint our bathroom last week."

"You think we don't fight?" Robin scoffs. "Oh, my darling, your Mum has one of the fiercest souls I have ever known and when she and I fight, it's something else. But, not all fighting is a bad thing. It's not the fight that defines your relationship but the way you overcome whatever obstacle there is. In fact, sometimes a fight can lead to the most beautiful realisations in a relationship…The first big fight we had, I remember I didn't speak to her for two days, and it was during the time that my mum fell really sick. She had said some things that hit a sore spot and I was furious at her."

"And what beautiful moment came from that?" Evelyn asks, almost mocking the opinion that she's yet to share.

"The next time I saw her, I told her I loved her for the first time."

…..

There aren't the words to describe how utterly shite the last three days have been.

The fight with Regina has been echoing loudly in the back of his mind, but right now it's all about his mum; a routine yearly check-up has shattered their world once again, and this time the doctors didn't sound anywhere near as optimistic as they have in the past.

She had been fine. She was lively and finally getting back to her old self, but the disease this time it… it's everywhere.

They've given her weeks at most.

The last 48 hours have been painful discussions about what they need to prepare for, about what is going to happen next. And they fought. They fought like they never have before. She'd admitted to him that she'd been feeling off for a few months and she never said anything, not once.

They yelled, they screamed, and then they cried.

They cried at the inevitability of it all, at the harsh reality that soon enough, she would no longer be there to nag at him about how he works too much or poke fun at him when John or Will come to the house.

It's raining outside. A dark grey cloud hanging over the sky and sobbing relentlessly, something Robin could absolutely relate to. This morning, he and his mother have been quiet, giving each other space; he's heard a sniffle here and there, but for the most part, he's kept to wallowing quietly in his kitchen, staring out at the weather that reflects all too much how his soul is feeling.

The knock on the front door isn't necessarily unwelcome, but it makes his stomach drop, the thought of entertaining another one of his mother's frowning friends given the terrible news.

"I'll get it," he calls through solemnly, shuffling through the hallways and to the front door, shock washing over his face as soon as he sees their unexpected guest. "Regina…" he whispers, his mouth hanging open with a million questions struggling to come out.

"John gave me your address," she admits, talking loudly over the harsh sound of the rain battering the ground around her. "I hope that's okay," she adds, pulling the coffee cups she has balancing in a cardboard container close to her chest.

She's soaked. Her raincoat isn't doing its job in the slightest and her eyes are scrunched up as the rain collides with her sun-kissed skin. "God, Regina, come inside," he tells her, stepping back to let inside.

"No, let me talk," she waves him off, still yelling over the wind and rain. She places the cups inside, tucked inside on the right away from his socked feet and stands up straight again. "I'm sorry," she expresses, still speaking up so much that he imagines his neighbours are going to be at their windows listening in for any inkling of gossip. "I have spent my entire life trying to be the opposite of my mother, and the other day, the way I spoke to you was exactly the same as the way she would belittle people; I assumed you'd settled for something less when I know next to nothing about your life. I'm really sorry." She shrugs, "I guess the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree."

He's heard enough, reaching forward to grip gently at her chilly forearm and tugs her inside, straight into his chest and holds her in close.

She tries to wriggle away, telling him, "Robin, I'm soaked, your clothes..."

Chuckling, and telling her that he's well aware, he holds her in tighter against his dampening white t-shirt. He doesn't care that she's ice cold to the touch or that his chin is resting on the rain covered hood of her raincoat. He pulls back, looking down at her as she lowers her hood and cupping her cold cheeks with his warm hands, dropping the softest peck to her lips and smiling into her sweet kiss.

"I wanted to call you, I promise," he whispers into their shared space. "So many things have happened over the last two days, my mum, she…"

"She's sick," she spares him the trouble of having to explain every painful detail. "John filled me in on everything. I'm so sorry," she offers supportively, not an ounce of frustration at his days of silence or irritation at how closed off he has been. "I really hope it's okay that I came by."

"If I'm being honest," he says, helping her unzip her raincoat, and hangs it up for her while admitting, "I didn't realise how much I needed you here until I saw your face."

The tightening that had been constricting his chest lessens when he sees her fully, completely rid on her coat. Her tights are soaked at the knee, they're darker there, but at least her tall boots and the length of her coat have kept the rest of her relatively dry.

When he picks up the coffee from the ground, she tells him, "I picked one up for your mom too."

"She'll be so happy," he laughs lightly, adding, "She's been complaining all morning about our instant coffee." He looks down to her tall boots, insisting that, "You should probably take those off, unless you want to feel the wrath of my mother after traipsing rain and mud into her living room."

"Oh, of course," she smirks, unzipping the leather that had shielded her from the outside and happily follows him further into the house.

Robin stops them just shy of the kitchen door, a few feet away from the closed living room door and looks back to Regina. She's looking at the excessive artwork on the walls, reaching out to feel the textured wallpaper, but she pulls her hand back when she notices his stare.

"Sorry," she apologises for the millionth time in a hushed voice, but she shouldn't be sorry, not for this.

"I bet this isn't anything you're used to," he notes given her curiosity at something as simple as wallpaper.

"Not at all," she affirms, "but I like it. I've only seen your hallway and it already feels more like a home than anywhere I've ever lived."

Reaching to take her hand, he squeezes and nods towards the closed door. His hands are full, so he pushes the door open against the resistance of the carpet with his hip and lets Regina walk inside first.

"Mum," he says, gaining her attention from the perched position she's taken on the couch. She closes the book she's been reading and stands slowly with a groan before smiling shyly towards Regina. "Mum, this is Regina. Babe, this is my mum, Evelyn."

Regina immediately holds her hand out politely, "It's so lovely to meet you, Mrs Locksley."

Evelyn shakes her head at Regina's formality and opening her arms wide as an invitation to hug, "We don't shake hands in this house."

Regina's smile is bright and surprised as she looks back to Robin for permission, which only causes him to chuckle and nod, watching as his girlfriend and his mother embrace delicately for the first time.

Evelyn wastes no time to compliment, "Oh my, look how absolutely darling you are," while cupping Regina's cheeks in her cupped hands. "Robin said you were gorgeous but I fear that he's not quite doing it justice." Evelyn peers over Regina's shoulder and scolds him: "How could you not tell me she is this stunning?"

"Forgive me," Robin entertains, then agreeing that, "She certainly is. In every way," and Regina blushes madly, her cheeks pinkening instantly before trying to shield it with the clearing of her throat.

Robin changes the direction of the conversation to the coffee in his hands that is become colder with every second that passes.

"The two in the front are for you both," Regina tells him, reaching for the coffee cup with the star scribbled on the side. "This one is mine."

"Ah, we wouldn't want to mistake our sugary confection for your groundwater," he teases and she sticks out her tongue playfully while taking Evelyn's coffee from him.

"Three sugars," Regina notes as she gives Evelyn the cardboard cup. "Robin mentioned on our first date that you inspired is sugar consumption."

"He likes to blame me for many of his bad habits," Evelyn smirks, taking a small sip of the gifted coffee and sighing gratefully. "This one, however, I deserve the blame for that."

Something changes then, a shift in the air that turns Evelyn's happy demeanour into something much more solemn; her shoulders slump and her lips curl downward into a deep frown. Robin steps forward, concern guiding his movements as he supportively squeezes against Evelyn's shoulder.

She smiles as best as she can, apologising to Regina as she sits down, "I'm not the best company today."

Regina wastes no time sitting next to Evelyn on the couch, assuring her that it's not a problem, and after a few silent moments, Regina inhales sharply. "My father fell very sick when I was fifteen," she confides. "He's better now, but at the time he always told me that the only thing that made him feel any bit of happiness was his love for me." Regina looks at Robin quickly before reaching kindly to take Evelyn's hand in a comforting grip, "I can't imagine how you're feeling right now, but I know that every parent's dream is to show off all the embarrassing baby pictures in their possession…"

Evelyn's head lifts with the softest hint of a smile, blinking away teary eyes, "Oh, Robin would sit and sulk if I did such a thing."

"I think Robin would be more than willing to make an exception for his two favourite women," Regina teases, winking back to him and melting his soul. "Wouldn't you, babe?"

His stare with Regina lasts a couple of seconds while he considers the request, biting his bottom lip to stop from smirking at her. He can't deny her, especially not when he sees a glimmer of something in his mother's eyes, something he was so sure he'd never see again. He can't pinpoint it at all, but her eyes suddenly look hopeful and laced with joy.

"Ugh," he groans, rolling his eyes playfully, and that's enough for Evelyn to know he's giving in. She straightens from the couch and scurries out and up the stairs with a mischievous, motherly grin on her face. "But just this once!" he yells so she can hear him from her room.

His attention falls back to Regina and she looks wary, like she doesn't dare speak a word until he lets her know where his mind is. If only she knew. If only she knew how she makes him feel like he's flying, how the way she just made his mum smile like that made him weak at the knees.

She deserves to know.

"Regina…" he starts, stumbling over his own thoughts, leaving him tongue-tied. Regina stands from the couch, pulling nervously on the hem of her black skirt, awkwardly sorting out her blue shirt, waiting for him to come out with it already. Closing his eyes, he collects himself and gifts himself one more glimpse of her before finally confessing, "I love you."

As the nerves bubble in his stomach like its a crazy cauldron brewing up something menacing, he watches as her lungs fill with light air and the smile spreads across her face.

"I know," she says in a whisper, fidgeting with her hands, as if she's afraid he's going to take it back and propel them into a pit of awkwardness.

He steps forward, reaching forward to cup her face gently, thumbs brushing across the rosy bumps of her cheeks. "You do?"

Her eyes are welling up, threatening to allow droplets to escape towards the floor when she replies with an emotional and sincere, "I love you, too," before reaching up to press her lips softly to his, capturing his breath the way she has his heart. "Let it be known," she whispers against his lips, running the tip of her nose up to nudge against his, "If we weren't standing in your mother's living room, waiting on her to come downstairs on a mission to embarrass you, I'd be having my evil way with you right about now."

He coughs out a surprised laugh, kissing her forehead with a quick peck and wrapping her in close to his chest again. Together they just breathe, in and out, and in and out, slowly and in tandem while they wait for Evelyn to return with her huge box of memories.

Something she had said in the rain is plaguing him, something he should have corrected there and then. She walked into his home today and proved her statement wrong, and he takes it upon himself to make sure she knows it without a doubt.

"You are nothing like your mother," he informs her honestly, knowing that his words are appreciated with the tightening of her arms around his torso.

…..

"Our relationship just grew from there," Robin tells her, smiling fondly as he recalls all the sweet moments the three of them spent together. "Your mum pretty much moved into my house after that. She got to know your Grandmother so well, they made each other laugh and smile, and I really feel like Regina changed in that short time. She got the one thing she always wanted."

"What?" Evelyn asks.

"The love of a mother," Robin tells her, ignoring the pinch behind his eyes as his mind wanders to a thought that has plagued him for months, that his mother would have loved watching her granddaughter get married. He coughs away the forming lump his throat, "Losing my mum broke me into a million pieces, but there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about how lucky she was to meet Regina."

…..

The sky has been darker for three days, a gloomy overcast drooping over the week they had to say goodbye to Evelyn. Robin has barely said a word since the hospital, only a few grunts and coughs here and there, and Regina hasn't complained once.

She practically moved in. Her semester had finished a few days before Evelyn passed and there wasn't even a conversation. She's been here.

He's tucked in bed, staring towards the dull light from outside clawing its way in through the crack in his curtain and she's by his side, her hand stroking up and down his clothed back while she sits against the headboard reading. His heart flutters a little bit, he even cracks the smallest hint of a smile when he thinks how amusing it would be to poke fun at her magazine of choice; he can't see it, but he imagines she's engrossed looking at a particular aspect of a garment. His playful comment is extinguished by his pain, by the black hole suddenly present in his heart.

"Are you hungry?" She asks, the third time already this morning. He hears the closing of her magazine and the wisp of air as she tosses it to the foot of the bed before she slides down and cosies up behind him, spooning up close to him. "You need to eat, babe."

He welcomes her embrace, turning into it and leaning his face against her chest, allowing her arms to wrap around him tightly and her chin to rest on the top of his head. "I'm good here," he mutters, the first full sentence he's spoken in a while. "You're warm."

She chuckles, her chest vibrating against him. "You still need to eat something. I could throw together some fancy Italian dish that you can't pronounce properly." He laughs then. Finally, and she kisses the top of his head, huffing out a breath through her nose against his hair, "I've missed that sound."

"Sorry," he breathes.

"I didn't mean it like that…" she's quick to add.

"I know," he whispers. "I know," he says again and he gets caught in a net of his unforgiving thoughts. "I can't believe she's gone."

"It's not fair," Regina mumbles against his hair, pulling him closer even though he didn't think it was possible. "She was the mother I had always dreamed of having as a little girl. I feel very lucky to have known her, even if our story was short."

He smiles genuinely, "Mum never said it, but I know she would have loved to have a daughter. She fell in love with you almost as fast as I did; short stories aren't any less epic." There's a soft beat in their conversation and then he unravels from her arms so they can sit up high together. "I hate that I'm going to have to say goodbye you amidst all of this."

Regina shakes her head, reaching up to brush her thumb lovingly over his cheek, "You're not. I'm not going anywhere."

"Your flight is on Friday," he reminds her, consumed by confusion, especially when she shakes her head again.

"I talked to my father, he's fine with it, and I still have a couple of weeks left on my visa. You're not going to be alone around the holidays," she explains. "I cancelled my flight and I'll book another one when I need to, but right now I need to be here. With you."

…..

"The six months she was gone were longest of my life, but somehow we made it work, even with a huge ocean and a pesky five hours of time difference," Robin says.

"How'd you do it?"

"A lot of late night calls, quite a few arguments," he confesses, "but in the larger scheme of things, every second she was away meant she could accomplish her dream, and in the end, it all worked out for the best.

…..

He hasn't the darndest idea why John and Will would drag him all the way to Oxford Circus on a Thursday evening but with every passing second, Robin is getting more and more frustrated. They've promised him it would be worth it, that he would regret it more if he didn't come with them, though all that he can think about his the phone in his hand seconds away from ringing.

It does just that.

The vibrations are low but he stops dead in his tracks, answering the call from his girlfriend with no care in the world to how his friends might react.

"Hello, love," he greets brightly, tucking in close to the large monument as to be out of the way of tourists and the frequent passersby. When he doesn't hear a reply, he looks to make sure it's connected alright - it is - and tries again, "Lovely?"

"Come on, mate!" Will shouts from the corner, an equally eager John calling out to him also, but Robin waves them off with a face screwed up in annoyance.

Fiddling with his phone, he ends the call and retries. It rings four times before she answers, already giggling over quite loud background noise and teasing, "You are so stubborn, do you know that?"

It's not the greeting he's expecting, but it piques curiosity in him. "Is that so?"

"Go with your friends," she demands, the inflection in her voice enough to know that she's eye-rolling at him with a smirk.

"How do you know I'm with my friends?"

"You ask too many questions," she fires back, laughing again, but not for too long. She quietens down and after a beat, she tells him to, "turn around."

His heart stops beating, his stomach drops as low as it can go, and for whatever reason they only thing he can't seem to do is obey her request. "You're kidding…" he mumbles, scared that it might be a joke. "Regina, tell me you're kidding."

She hangs up the phone, leaving him with racing thoughts and curiosity, but then there is someone behind him walking their fingertips up his spine slowly.

Then she hears him say, "Turn around, Supermarket Boy."

He does. Immediately and entirely in shock. Her smile kickstarts the muscle that betrayed him moments ago, blood rushing around his body like wildfire and he reaches for her desperately. His arms loop around her middle, hands clasping at the base of her spine and he pulls her in completely.

With arms tightly around his neck, nose buried into his neck and feet off the ground, she giggles into him, muttering a gentle, "Surprise," against his cheek when she drags her lips up from his jaw.

"The best ever," he replies, squeezing her tightly once more before lowering her back to the solid ground.

He steps back and takes a good look at her, memorising her with eyes flushed with unadulterated love and affection. Her hair is longer and deliciously wavy, and her burgundy dress is adorable - soft and flowing, showing off her shoulders and calves - nothing he saw her wearing in the cold winter months back when they said goodbye.

They kiss wildly, right there in front of everyone. Hands pulse loving squeezes on his arms, tongues battling in a silent war for dominance, until the whining cries of their friends pull them apart.

"Seriously?" Will scoffs, "Right in the bloody street?"

Regina snorts into an embarrassed laugh, covering her eyes as Robin rolls his, but he can't find it in him to be bothered. She's here. And that's everything.

"Will you be alright for the rest of the night?" John asks Regina, and she tells him yes and thanks him for everything. "Have fun, kids," he calls out, walking away with Will in tow.

They're alone now, somewhat anyway, if they forget about the hundreds of people walking around and minding their own business.

She perches up on her tiptoes for another kiss, a sweet peck, when she excitedly tells him, "I have a surprise for you."

"You aren't the surprise?" He asks, keeping her close, not daring to let her go.

"Yes," she chuckles happily, "I am definitely a surprise, but I have another one."

"Lead the way, love."

She takes his hand and pulls him through the street, just up a couple of blocks to a brightly lit store, the vast windows filled with clothed mannequins. They stop at the window and they look inside. She is admiring the clothes in the window, lost in the beauty of the garments she is passionate about, but he's confused, not sure why they are here.

"Babe?" He asks, and without sparing him a look, she's smirking and reaching inside her small bag for a key that she lets jingle on her forefinger. "I'm confused," he laughs.

"Come on," she takes his hand again, but this time to the entrance of the closed business, unlocking the door and sneaking them inside to the far back.

They go into the back room, pitch black until she flips on the light switch, bright LED's shining throughout the entire room, unveiling three dressed mannequins. But it's the perched sign next to them all that steals his attention - a big piece of deep green card with "Evelyn's Collection" inscribed in gold lettering.

She's watching him intently as he takes it in. All he can ask is, "What is this?"

"It's my senior project," she explains, walking toward the mannequins, the invisible magnet of curiosity pulling him along with her. They reach a beautifully tailored coat, a deep forest green with brown buttons, but there's some fun to it, something about the bottom of it that makes it look like it would expand in a twirl. "I tried so hard to find inspiration during my last semester and it wasn't until a night that I found myself really missing her, pouring three sugar packets into my coffee, that your mother was going to be it. She was my inspiration. Her words, her personality, her love…"

She runs the hand over the coat, "This one is her maternal instinct. It's stern and practical, the way a mother should be," and then she ruffles over the looser fabric at the bottom, "but she was always laughing and making light of heavy situations."

Robin is finding everything so overwhelming - Regina's words, the clothes - he doesn't know if he's going to be able to keep it together.

A dress is next, the same deep forest green colour, "She talked to me once about her wedding dress, how she loved how the heart-shaped neckline sat," she traces over the neckline with her fingers.

"But she hated how big the skirt was," Robin adds tearfully and Regina nods, equally as tearful as they think of his mum.

"Exactly, which is why I tailored the skirt. I wanted to make it in her image and give her the skirt she would have always wanted," she explains before turning to the final dress. "This one is my favourite, though"

It's the same colour, the one thing tying her project together, but this one is different; it's loud and bursting with character. "What's this one?" Robin asks.

She pauses before telling him, running her hands over the lace of the long sleeves, "It's me. The new me. The me I became because I knew her." Still touching the sleeves, she elaborates, "It's safety," then she reaches for a tied burgundy ribbon around the waist, "It's daring. It's pretty and worthy of anything." She sniffles away a cry, turning to face him with a soft smile and watery eyes, "It's my favourite."

"They're beautiful," he says honestly, a hand over his heart. "She would be so thrilled to know she inspired something so lovely."

She stares back to the garments for a few more moments and then shocks him once more with a, "I have one more surprise…"

"If it's better than this, I may pass out," he chuckles before holding his breath, waiting patiently for the final surprise that would change his life.

…..

"What was it?" Evelyn demands to know, sitting up straight now and completely drawn into his story. "What was her final surprise?"

"You really want to know?" He raises an eyebrow, testing her playfully. "The shop she had taken me into, she got a paid internship there after graduation. She had kept moving to London a complete surprise for me."

Evelyn smiles widely, "That's so amazing, she moved all that way for you," she praises, leaning back against the headboard. "How could I possibly not know any of this? Why aren't you telling these stories at parties or in your books?"

He shrugs genuinely, "We are private people, I suppose. And when it comes to you, I guess we were so focused on making sure you were loved in the present and prepared for the future, our past just never came up."

"I wish you would have told me," Evelyn sighs contentedly. "What was your wedding like?"

"Oh," he breathes, "It was exhausting." She laughs with him as he adds, "But it was one of the best days of my life."

…...

He was woken up excruciatingly early by Will and John, the remnants of last night's alcohol consumption evident by the dryness in his mouth, and ushered around quickly to get ready for his big day.

All morning he was a mixture of nerves, excitement all morning, but every trickle of that dissipated the moment Regina made his way to him. He felt fresh and new as they smiled at each other with linked fingers, muttering sweet vows and promising to love the other for the rest of time.

The ceremony was beautiful, though not as beautiful as his wife. She's been swung around the crowd madly with congratulations and glasses of champagne behind her in tow. Her dress is a dream, tight in all the right place, her curves accentuated beautifully. It's nothing like he expected, not that he knew exactly what she would concoct in that imaginative brain of hers. She rarely wears white with him, but the contrast on her skin is stunning.

She smiles at him from across the room and discreetly points over to the far side of the room. There's an air of mischief about her and she nods her head in the same direction she pointed and leaves her spot to weave through the endless number of tipsy guests towards the far wall. Robin assumes she wants him to follow, so he does the same, carefully stepping around giddy guests until they finally meet, hushed away and out of sight. Finally.

Regina presses up close to him, reaching her arm up and around his neck while stretching up tall to kiss him quickly. The music is echoing around them so they don't speak, but Regina takes his hand and pulls him closer towards a tucked away corner and through a door, he hadn't even noticed it was there.

The music finally drains from the air and they both press their backs against the door from the inside. The room is filled with shelves that are lined with cleaning supplies bar the small cloth covered set up in the middle of the small space.

Regina starts to chuckle breathlessly from beside him, "Who knew getting married would be so exhausting?"

He agrees with a nod, telling her, "I've missed you," before shifting to stand and tower directly in front of her. She's a little taller than usual, her high heeled shoes giving her an extra couple of inches. "If I knew the ceremony was the last time I was going to properly see you, I'd have given you a much more impressive snog."

Regina laughs, lowering her forehead to his chest before taking a moment to just breathe. Robin happily takes the moment too, dropping a kiss to the top of Regina's hair, a gorgeous, loose updo.

"I can't wait until tomorrow," Regina breathes against him before slipping from between him and the door.

"Because it'll be just us?" He asks, but he already knows the answer, because he's desperate for it as well. She nods while manoeuvring carefully in her tight, white dress to be on her knees in the centre of the small room. She carefully removes the draped sheet away from the floor unveiling a bottle of champagne, two glasses and a couple of slices of the cake they were convinced they'd never get to try.

"I needed a minute... and I'm starving," she tells him, setting the glasses upright and giving him the corked bottle to open. She's into the cake in second, no grace or tact about it, just a handful of vanilla sponge and buttercream straight into her mouth, and with her mouth full, she stretches out her cake filled hand asking, "Want some?"

Chuckling, he pulls the cork free with a loud pop and joins her on the floor, pouring the fizzy beverage into a glass for each of them. "For you, Mrs Locksley," he smirks, the name falling from his lips with ease.

She takes the glass from him in her cake free hand, sipping a hearty gulp before giving him a chance to pour his own. He chuckles from deep in his chest, even more so when she goes in for another bite of cake. "You weren't kidding; you are starving," he smirks, taking a small sip from his flute.

"I bet you're so relieved you married this hot mess," Regina jokes, pointing at the smear of icing on her cheek.

"Best thing I've ever done," he says sincerely.

…..

"Since that day, everything just started to fall into place," Robin reminisces. "Mum started her dress business, my manuscript was picked up… we had you. Evelyn, you threw us for a loop. You were the biggest change we ever faced."

She darts her eyes away, softly chuckling, "Sorry…"

"No. Don't be. Not ever," he says sternly. "You were a change that blessed us completely."

…..

His mind is racing. Absolutely racing around like mad watching Regina use every ounce of strength she has to bring their little girl into the world. He learned quickly on that Regina was more receptive to silent encouragements - a squeeze of a hand, rubbing her shoulders, giving her ice chips she didn't ask for.

Regina is a star of this show and she's blowing him away.

It's so close now. They're seconds from holding their child in their arms, doting over the tiniest things about her.

"Alright, this will be the final push," the doctor announces giddily. Regina exhales deeply, reaching over for Robin's hand and clutching it right into her chest, keeping him close. Her eyes are intense as she prepares for this final stretch. "I hope you've got lots of hugs and kisses saved up," the doctor says just before her final contraction hits, and Regina sobs happily through a laugh looking up at Robin's watering eyes. "Here we go, push, Regina."

With gritted teeth, a determined, firm grip against his hand, Regina focuses on everything she has into their daughter. She groans loudly, holding it intensely, and Robin knows as soon as Regina finally lets go and exhales with an entire slump, that their daughter is here.

He's flushed with nerves. Overwhelmed and curious, he peers towards the doctor, holding his breath as the nurses surround their newborn and work their delicate magic until the pierce of her cry rings through the room and any composure he had is stripped away.

"Oh, my god," he looks at Regina with admiring eyes, "Baby, look what you did."

The baby is placed on Regina's chest, squirming and crying with freshly filled lungs. "You did so well, my darling," Robin praises again, bending down to dot a kiss to Regina's lips.

Their foreheads meet and for the briefest of seconds, they pause - a tiny moment just for them - before turning all of their attention to the new life that was about to change everything about their world.

…..

"Having you is, by far, the most fulfilling thing in the world for both of us. The moment you were born, I didn't think I could love you or your mum any more than I did at that moment. But you both continue to surprise me every single day," he says. Evelyn blushes a bit, blinking back teary eyes. "Your mum was right, you know."

"About what?"

Robin stands from the bed, helping Evelyn up with a gentle pull on their clasped hands and when she's upright, he reaches around to bring her lock, raven-haired braid forward to hand down her shoulder. "If it's right, if it's true, you'll never stop falling in love. You will fall over and over and it will surprise you every time. And it's not always big moments, sometimes it's the smallest things. It could be the way they laugh at something or a moment they are entirely open and vulnerable. It could be something as simple as picking up a cup of coffee or doing the dishes without having to be asked, and it's different for everyone. I can promise you that some of the times my heart fell the furthest, your mum would probably laugh at because she'd think they were such silly things to notice." Robin squeezes Evelyn's hands, "Feeling doubtful right now is entirely normal, you're about to go through a huge change, but don't let the fear of change talk you out of taking a leap with your best friend."

She steps into a close embrace, pressing her chest lightly against his shirt and tie when he takes it that her heart is calming, that she's beginning to see things a little clearer.

"Do you feel a bit better?" He asks.

Evelyn exhales the tight breath of doubt she's been holding onto and her entire body relaxes, nodding and relaxing now, smiling a genuine smile, "Very much so."

"I think we've stalled for quite long enough," Robin points out, "Wouldn't you agree?" Evelyn nods, agreeing with him. "Would you like a minute?"

"Please," she says. Robin kisses her cheek softly, walking to the door of her bedroom, but is pulled right back when her gentle voice calls back to him, "Daddy? When was the last time?" He tilts his head inquisitively, wondering what she means. "When did you last fall in love with Mom?"

Robin smirks fondly, "About thirty minutes ago when she walked downstairs. Last night was the first time in a long time that we weren't by each other's side. Barely even twelve full hours later and my heart skipped a beat when I saw her again." Robin opens the door and steps out, preparing to close the door behind him to let her take a breath, telling her, "I'll be right downstairs, let me know when you're ready to start your new adventure, gorgeous."

…..

As expected, the wedding went off without a hitch. The ceremony was beautiful, rendering both Robin and Regina into a flood of tears. Something about watching Evelyn embark on a new chapter, on a new aspect of her life, left a bittersweet taste in his mouth. He's so proud of her, so proud of both of them; Nathan looks at Evelyn like she is a sun and the moon and treats her so kindly, so even though Robin still believes there will never be a single soul in the universe entirely worthy of his baby girl, Nathan is as close as they come.

Their love is strong and pure and something about it reminds him of his relationship with Regina. There's fun and laughter, love and honestly, tears and understanding. It's everything that has made his life so wonderful.

As it reaches near the heart of the evening, the room erupts in a party. The music is loud, the laughter is louder, and much like Regina was on her wedding day, Evelyn is being swung around the crowd and is absolutely adored by everyone she comes across.

Right now, she's with Regina, both of his girls smiling and sharing a special whispers something in Evelyn's ear and his daughter's eyes meet his for a second before she laughs and drops her forehead on Regina's shoulder. He loves watching them interact, loves the way they love each other.

Regina makes her way back to him, her lips in the widest of smiles and she giddily allows herself to be wrapped up in his arms.

"What was that about?" He asks, the curiosity winning over completely.

"You'll see," she teases, pointing into the crown where Evelyn is grabbing Nathan's hand and pulling him away politely from the masses. They disappear into the back of the room, slipping out slyly from the ballroom with huge grins, and it clicks.

"Champagne and cake?"

And when she nods, he's a goner once more; his heart was settled, so convinced there wasn't a single thing left in this life she could possibly to do surprise him and make him tumble further.

She's defied all odds once again, and there's only one thing he knows for certain... that heart of his truly will be falling forever.