HELLO. I have been attempting to write this for a long time now, but unfortunately, my muse died somewhere along the way, to the point where I almost gave up on multi-chap fic writing completely. Now, I am desperately attempting to claw it back, revive it, bring it back to life, with the help of OQ Update month. I will also eventually port the entire thing over to AO3 which is my preferred platform. Apologies for any inconsistencies with the medical side of things - I tried my best with what little I know (what do you mean watching medical dramas doesn't make you a doctor?) and Google hand-in-hand. Thank youuuu Lindsay, always beta-ing and catching my errors.

If you still read this fic, kudos to you (and my love), and enjoy.

I once had a dream I owned OQ, then I woke up. As such, these characters don't belong to me.

Henry stares up at his Dad and, where he was very excited beforehand, he's suddenly turned shy, stepping back to peer out from behind his mother. Regina ruffles Henry's hair and steps aside, welcoming Robin into their home.

"This is for you, Henry." Robin hands him the bottle of apple cider before turning to Regina. "And for you." Regina takes the wine with a thank you, nudging Henry to do the same before leading him into the lounge.

"Would you like a drink, Robin?" Regina asks, hoping the tremble in her voice isn't too evident. "One that isn't alcoholic."

"Would be good, Regina," he nods, following she and Henry into the lounge, taking a seat on their plush sofa. "This place is certainly nice," he notes, eyes darting around the intricate design and clean lines.

"Thanks," Regina replies, handing him a glass of apple cider just as she hands Henry his.

"We are having lots of apples!" Henry tells Robin, sitting beside him. "Mom makes the best apple pies!"

Robin grins at the boy - his boy, he reminds himself - and agrees. "She does. They're delicious."

Henry's eyes narrow at that. "How do you know that?"

"Because your mom used to bake apple pies for me, your auntie Emma and your Uncle August." And Daniel, he adds mentally. "She has this little secret ingredient…"

"Yup!" Henry affirms. "But she never tells anyone what it is ever." He's looking incredibly serious and Robin chuckles.

"Yes, my dear, and that is because," Regina says, coming back into the room with her glass, ruffling his hair as she passes, "your Grandad made me promise to never tell." Robin recalls the time he watched intently as she made one of her pies back at university. He'd only looked away for a second, yet she had added the extra ingredient. "She's also incredibly sneaky."

Regina laughs, brows shooting up into her hairline. "Untrue." For a split-second, it feels normal, natural, for them to be in her front room laughing like they used to, but it's not long before she remembers the whole reason they're here and she feels uneasy again.

"Do you want to see my pictures?" Henry asks Robin, eyes full of hope, and of course, he does, wants to see more of the apparent talent that he has handed down to his son. Robin nods and Henry dives up, racing to his room, despite Regina calling behind him to slow down.

It leaves the two adults alone together, coupled with an awkward silence. Regina tries her very best not to look at Robin, as does he, but he occasionally sneaks a glance at his ex-friend; the softness of her expression, curve of her neck, the nervous tap of her fingers against her knee.

Wow, they have a child together. It's new and frightening, but also exciting. He's about to voice this, when Henry comes back in, arms full of sketch pads and colouring apparatus.

"How about," Regina says as a pad drops from Henry's grasp and lands on her foot (one she deftly picks up). "we take this to the table, hmm?" Henry nods furiously and takes his remaining papers to the table, Regina collecting together what he's dropped by the sofa. "Another drink, Robin?"

"Please," he replies, holding up his empty glass as she takes it from him.

"C'mon Robin, come look!" Henry pleads, laying out his favourite sketches. Robin is more than willing to peruse over his kid's sketches, identifying the progress he's made in his skill over his lifetime. It seems he's kept almost every single piece he's ever worked on, each page etched with a date, the earliest ones written by Regina, the later ones donning Henry's own child-like hand.

It hits him then just how much of his son's life he's missed out on. Robin himself is a keen artist, and seeing the evolution of his son's talent makes his heart flip and his stomach turn. There's an innate pride at what lays before him, but he also feels a rush of anger again, at Regina, for keeping his son from him.

"Robin, are you okay?" Henry asks delicately, his hand on his. Without knowing, he'd gripped the table unnaturally hard, so much so, his knuckles were turning white. With a breath, he releases his hold and gives the boy a smile.

"Just fine, Henry. Enjoying your work!" It's instantly forgotten for Henry as both he and Robin pore over his illustrations, but Regina knows exactly what was going through Robin's mind. They're here now, she tells herself, that's what matters, that's what's true. Regina heads to the kitchen to pull together their lunch and she can hear them animatedly discussing Henry's doodles, chuckling when their son gives Robin the exact same explanation of the evolution of an original character that he gave her a few months back.

Lunch goes well - as well as can be expected. With Regina in the room, Henry's confident to talk to Robin; all about school, his friend Violet and Miss Midas, his aspirations and then-

"Well, when I'm in the hospital," he sighs, "I can't do all the cool things I can when I'm okay."

Robin's silent for a second then, his brain processing the basic information Henry has given him. "Hospital? What for?"

Henry shrugs like it's the most natural thing in the world. "I have a funny heart," he explains. "So I need to be in the hospital sometimes. But I haven't for a long time now and when I am, I can play in the playroom, and I can draw lots and lots."

The resilience of a child is something that never fails to warm him, but this is something Regina pointedly didn't say when they discussed Henry some time back, and by the look on her face, she knows it is something that she should have mentioned. Instead of going into it in front of their kid, he decides to park it for later.

Henry really, really wants to spend more time with his Dad, but, post-apple pie, Regina can just see his eyes drooping as they sit together on the sofa. Henry's next to him, but cuddled into the arm of the sofa, rather than Robin, and both parents know that that level of affection will come in time. When he's completely out, however, Robin tells Regina he'd like to speak to her out of earshot, and she knows what's coming.

"What heart condition?" He asks the moment they're in the kitchen, away from young ears.

Regina's fingers flex against the countertop as she prepares herself for this conversation. "Wolff-Parkinson-White," she replies and Robin's eyes widen.

"Oh, Christ." He knows what it is all too well - an abnormally fast heart rate that can give some pretty uncomfortable symptoms - but he knows that in most cases, it's treatable. "What's he on for it?"

Regina lists off his medications as Robin nods. "It's not as severe as some cases I've heard about, but you know, he's my son, it's terrifying enough."

Robin's eyes narrow at her words and she apologises, correcting herself to our son. "Normally passed through a parent with the defective gene," he says, almost as if he's reading from one of the many medical tomes they pore through. "It was through me," Robin tells her, and Regina's the one to be shocked this time.

"You- what? You never said."

Robin shakes his head. "That's because I wasn't diagnosed until a year or two ago. Remember I used to get those dizzy spells but we just put it down to low iron? I had an episode, shall we say, at work, and that's when they found out."

"An episode? What did they say about it?" She asks, perching on a stool.

"That I needed to sort it out, essentially. I had gone for a long time without knowing about it, so it couldn't have been too bad, but I wanted to be sure, so I just went straight to catheter ablation. You know, where they destroy the areas of the heart causing the issues by warming them."

Oh, she knows, she tells him. "Yes, I'm aware."

He tells her he doesn't mean to sound condescending and she says nothing more about it. "Have you not considered that for Henry?"

"Robin, please. I have considered all treatments for Henry. I decided medication would be for the best. A, because I don't want to put him through unnecessary stress when he's already dealing with this condition, and B, we've had a few issues with atrial fibrillation. You know, when it all goes to shit," she sasses back. "I'm not prepared to lose my son."

"The catheter is a curative solution," he explains and Regina shakes her head. "Come on, you know it is. The two together can be life-threatening!"

Oh, they are not getting into this here (even when that little voice in her head is telling her he could actually be right.). "Look, Robin, I was advised to keep Henry on the medication for now, okay."

"Who's this quack?" He says angrily, and it gets Regina's back up even more. "I bet it's Whale, that useless bastard."

"No," Regina replies, calmly. "Not Whale. It's someone private."

"Whoever it is - that procedure is going to give him a normal life!"

"He has a normal life," Regina seethes, anger licking through her like flames to her skin, causing her to rise from her seat.

"How is going in and out of hospital a normal life, exactly?" He's trying to keep himself in check here; after all, he's only just really met his son, the product of a one-off fling he had with his mother, his ex-friend, and he's in their house, and their guest, and she could easily chuck him out and let him have nothing to do with Henry (not entirely true; he technically has rights, but still).

"Robin, we have done just fine without you for years, so please, can you let me manage my son's condition the best way I know how?" She can feel the warmth in her face, just how frustrated she's becoming with this man, how he thinks he has the right.

He goes to mention that his absence was hardly his fault, but there's no point going over that old debate again. Robin deflates and, not without difficulty, he nods. "The ablation worked for me," he reasons, "I just think we could put an end to all this, once and for all."

"I know where you're coming from," she acquiesces, "but he's still young, and he's doing remarkably well, especially of late." Regina looks over into the lounge, where she can see the tendrils of her son's hair just peeking up over the arm of the sofa. "I'm hoping it won't come to that."

"Just think about it," he asks, and she nods, though she's not entirely sure if she's agreeing or not.

"So," Regina breathes, shoulders loosening as she sits, finally, "what about Roland? Does he have it too?"

Robin shakes his head. "Nope. That boy got most of Marian's genes… and my dimples," he grins. "No, he's got a clean bill of health." Regina smiles at that; Roland is indeed a sweet (and lucky) boy. "Actually, speaking of Roland, he'd like to meet Henry. Again."

"You told him?" She asks.

"I found it pointless to keep it a secret. He'd been bugging Marian and I for a sibling for years though, even after we split. I can tell you, he is excited. When I told him it was Henry, who he played with at the barbeque, he was even more excited. He said, and I quote, the cool boy with the robots! That's my brother! Seemed quite proud, actually."

Never mind the way she felt about Robin's interference in her - sorry, their - son's medical condition, hearing Roland's glee about Henry pleases her to no end. She just has to hope that Henry feels the same elation at having a half-sibling that Roland has, especially as he'd never asked whether he was going to have a sibling. "Would be nice for them to spend some time together."

"Ah, I wanted to ask you about that," Robin starts and Regina nods for him to continue. "Roland's really into football, or soccer as you call it," he adds with a disdainful shake of his head.

"So's Henry," she grins, wondering where he's going with this.

"Fantastic, because I promised Roland I would take him to see Storybrooke FC against Misthaven United and I would like to take Henry too if that's okay?"

Regina considers this a moment; it's one thing Henry spending time with Robin with her present, but she knows that they are never going to form a bond independent of her if she doesn't allow such outings. It scares her somewhat, to be co-parenting to an extent, something she's never dealt with before, but she trusts Robin, knows that Roland will be there too, just as excited and so… truly, what's the harm?

"You'll have to ask him yourself," she says, watching as Henry comes back in, rubbing his eyes and blinking furiously at the both of them. "How was your nap, my darling?"

He nods and goes to her like he always does post-nap and attempts to climb up onto her lap. She sighs as his weight shuffles across her legs; this isn't going to be something he'll do forever, so she has to enjoy these moments whilst she still can. "Listen, Robin has something to ask you."

Henry turns his head wearily then, still in a sleep-haze, to look at Robin. "Yeah?"

"How would you like to come to a soccer match with me next weekend?"

That's all Henry needs to be wide awake, his head darting from Regina's chest so quickly that he almost takes her out in the process. "Soccer!? Who's playing!?"

He tells him the teams. "The derby! Momma, it's the derby!" And Regina has no idea what he means but given by Robin's laugh and nod, it's something big.

"Basically when two teams from the same region or area play against each other," Robin explains.

"Ahhh, I see." More traffic then, she thinks to herself. Brilliant.

"Momma doesn't like soccer," Henry tells Robin when he questions her eye roll. "But she tries to," he giggles. "But not really. She doesn't see why kicking a ball around is so much fun when you can just go running or do yoga," he shrugs.

"Still into that, huh?" Robin asks with a smirk.

"Got to stay fit and healthy to keep up with this one," she says, ruffling Henry's hair. "So what do you say, love? Soccer match with Robin?"

It's a unanimous yes from Henry, who would be literally bouncing off the walls if he could. "Is momma coming?"

Regina shakes her head. "I have to work, I'm afraid, but there is someone else Robin is bringing along?"

Henry's eyes widen as Robin explains that Roland will be coming along. Not just that, but Roland is his brother too, and he's super excited to meet him again. Henry, on the other hand, is confused. "How can he be my brother if he doesn't live with me?"

"Ah," Robin says, crouching down to Henry's level, now he's off Regina's lap. "So, Roland spends his time with his mum, and then spends time with me. He's my boy, just as you are," he smiles gently.

Henry nods, still computing this new information. "I don't know if I want a brother," he says, looking up at Regina.

This was exactly what she was afraid of. Maybe telling him now was a bad idea… he's already had enough news to last him a lifetime and now this too? She goes to speak, opens and closes her mouth a few times whilst she decides how to explain, but Robin's already there with words that she knows will help.

"He's a few years younger than you, but he loves to play, loves your robots, soccer, many of the same things you do. He'll be with me when you come to visit, so he won't be living with you, but it's cool having a brother. My friend Will is like a brother to me, as I had no brothers. I was always really jealous of people who had them, they always looked like they had fun!"

"Momma has a sister," Henry tells him, "but we don't see her."

Ah, maybe that's it, maybe that's why he's being cautious. "I see." He remembers Regina uttering some things about Zelena, but she never really mentioned her at length. "Well, Roland is nothing like that, he's very excited to see you."

It seems to calm Henry's worries, for now at least, as he utters okay, and that he's so, so excited to see his favourite team, reeling off the Storybrooke FC chant at the top of his voice.

"How was it?" Emma asks through what Regina can only guess is a full mouth of chips.

"Awkward," and she takes note of Emma's oh no! "Well, awkward between Robin and I," she clarifies. "Robin and Henry got on immediately. Thick as thieves. It was Robin and I that had the issues."

She can hear Emma swallow over the line. "In what way? Other than I kept your kid from you for years."

Regina's used to this sort of ribbing from Emma, but it's really not helping today. "Can you stop with that?"

"Sorry, Queenie. Proceed."

"I could just tell he kept thinking this isn't fair," and she knows it isn't, not at all. "Seeing them together was lovely, Em, it really was. Robin's so impressed by his art, and they both love soccer."

"I'm glad that went well, at least, but I know there's something more. Don't try hiding it."

"I told him about Henry's condition."

There's a silence on the line before: "Well, I would have thought that's something you'd have told him already."

Regina shakes her head, even though she knows Emma can't see her. "I would have told him, just not today, but Henry told him instead. Mentioned his hospital stays… so, of course, Robin laid into me about methods of treatment."

"I know you have the best interests at heart for Henry, and I'm sure he knows that too."

Regina hums. "Mmm, we did settle our differences, but he's adamant that catheter ablation is the best thing for it. Worked for him."

"Oh, so that's where Henry got it from," she nods. "Maybe he's got a point."

"Not you too. I've been advised, Em. I'm not a cardio expert, and I wanted him to have the best, and I believe I've got the best."

"Mr. Killian Jones," Emma replies with contempt.

"Look, I know you don't like him, but your issues with him are personal, okay, nothing to do with his ability as a doctor. Besides, Mal recommended him, and Mal wouldn't recommend someone unless he was an expert in his field."

"I guess," she replies, sighing. "Beaufort is many things, but she's incredibly good at reading people. And recommending people."

There's a silence before Regina blurts out: "I'm scared."

"Scared?" Emma questions. "What about?"

"Robin's new, fun, the one who doesn't have to discipline him," she explains. "I'm the usual, the taskmaster. What if he sees Robin as someone instead of me, rather than alongside me? I'm scared, Em. I'm all he's ever known as a parent, and he's all I've ever known as my baby." She fights the tears pooling in her eyes, the lump at the back of her throat, the wobble in her tone.

"What you have to remember," she tells her sincerely, "is that Robin is, yeah, new, fun, but you're his mom. You've been there since the very beginning, soothed every ill, changed every diaper, kissed every scraped knee, chased away every bad dream. You're his mother and, no matter what happens between now and whenever, Henry knows you have always been there right alongside him. And you'll never stop."

Regina's in tears by the time Emma finishes, and she agrees with every point. "I love him so much, it makes my heart burst," she explains. "And I'm so scared of losing him. To Robin, to that illness. Some nights I just can't sleep for the worry." She sniffs and rubs her wrist against her eyes. "Sorry, sorry, I don't mean to offload on you like this."

"What are friends for, Queenie? You know better than to ever apologise for being open with me. God knows you've listened to me rant and rave enough times. As for Henry, he's blessed. He has the best mother a kid could ask for, and a father that could have run for the hills the moment he was told, but faced up to his duties like a real man." She smiles, and Regina can hear it in her voice. "See what happens. It's the start of a long road."

"I know, I know." Regina clears her throat. "Robin's taking Henry to a soccer match here with Roland next weekend and he's so excited. It's all he's been talking about all evening," she says with a sigh.

"Storybrooke versus Misthaven," Emma reels off, and Regina still cannot see the hype around the beautiful game. "Roland - does Henry know? That he's got a brother?"

"Yeah, and vice versa too. I was worried Henry might kick off, but Robin explained how it works to him. Like he always did, he always knew the right words to say. Henry seems open to the idea."

Emma chuckles. "Oh yeah, everyone always said Robin would get an A for his bedside manner. I just think that British accent makes everything sound a little less dire. I'm sorry, you have three hours to live. Oh cool doc, so when can I be discharged?" she jokes, Regina laughing along.

"You make a good point."

Over the week leading up to the Saturday afternoon match, Henry has mentioned to her at least five times a day that he's going with his dad and his brother to a soccer match at the weekend. On her day off, she takes him for a haircut and to buy a club strip, Henry posing with his new red and gold kit for the entire evening, pretending he's no. 5, Merlin, his favourite striker, scoring every single goal in every single way, throwing his double finger salute in the air as he runs about the room. Regina sends a picture of Henry, with the caption he's very excited about this weekend!, to which Robin replies with a picture of Roland that is almost exactly the same, team kit and all, right down to the Merlin pose.

Robin picks Henry up on Saturday morning before Regina goes to work, and she has a plethora of things to remind him of (make sure he doesn't get too worked up, drinks plenty of water, takes his medicine, doesn't eat too much candy or junk food, is kind and polite…) but, like in times of old, he takes her hands and tells her he's got this. He will take good care of both his sons, and they'll come back post-match with bellies full and celebrations abound.

And she believes him.

The drive to the stadium is a lively affair. Roland and Henry's age differences don't seem to matter when they're excitedly discussing who they want to be on the team sheet (Henry knows a lot more about the game than Roland, so he tries his best to explain that it's more than just kicking a ball, but Roland doesn't seem to care, happier to have someone to talk about football with), Merlin being their number one choice. When Robin checks and tells him that Merlin will indeed be playing, both boys squeal and salute their favourite player. Henry then declares this trip as Operation Merlin, and that Storybrooke FC must win!

What Robin realises very quickly in the short time he's known Henry, is that he's incredibly helpful. He helps Roland up into his seat by holding it down whilst Robin picks him up and places him. He picks up Roland's scarf when he drops it and even shows him exactly the best way to hold it during the opening anthems. That, Robin realises, is all Regina, and he feels a certain sense of pride even just observing how Henry interacts with everyone around him.

He's upset he's missed the beginning, but by Gods, he'll be there for the rest.

They all ooh!, aah!, cheer and moan as their team take them through that customary rollercoaster ride games tend to over the ninety minute period, and it's a nil-nil draw until the last minute, when Storybrooke are awarded a penalty. Of course, it's Merlin up to take the shot, backed by the hoards of fans, chanting his name in unison, Henry, Robin and Roland amongst them. They all hold their breath when eventually, finally, Merlin takes his shot and scores perfectly in the top left-hand corner.

Never mind the crowd, Henry and Roland go nuts with joy as cheers come as a deafening roar and Merlin races around the pitch in celebration. We're making memories, Robin thinks to himself as he watches Henry and Roland fidget with glee. May this be the first of many.

They had a hot dog each before the game, but by the time they get to full time, all that jubilation has taken a toll on their stomachs, and they're loudly rumbling once they're back in the car, the gift shop having been fully scoped and subsequently raided.

Dinner is just as fun as expected, and two kids meals and a Granny's famous toasted cheese for Robin later, along with an in-depth kids' take on the best match ever!, everyone is sleepy and sated. Robin arrives back at Regina's just as she steps out of the car, and Henry runs straight into her arms with a huge hug, telling her everything that's happened over the day at high speed. The one thing she makes out of all the words is Operation Merlin was a success! Regina hugs him back and sinks to her knees, cupping his face in her hands.

"Slow down, love! Tell me everything once you've had a chance to cool down," she laughs. "Now, what do you say to Robin?"

He turns back to Robin whilst in Regina's arms and grins up at him. "Thank you, Robin! I had lots of fun!" She lets go of him for a moment so that he can embrace Robin with another thank you. He then gives Roland a gentle hug and says he'll see him soon, before they both look up at each of their parents hopefully.

"I think that can be arranged," Regina smiles, looking at Robin, who is nodding too. It's wonderful to see her little prince so happy and he could ask her anything right now, and she'd readily agree. "How about a playdate next weekend?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Roland exclaims, clapping happily. "Next weekend!"

They agree on a day and a time, and it's set: they will all meet again in a week, with both parents at the park; almost like a family. The only thing tying her to Robin, however, is Henry, and if that falls away, it all falls away. If Robin was to tell her that he only wants to see his son, she wouldn't blame him and then perhaps, at least, she would be able to just get on with her life... but watching him with their son reminds her of why they became friends in the first place.

So far though, so good. She smiles at Robin then and sees - feels - that little flutter that paved the way to that one night all those years ago.

Except this time, it's just that little more complicated.