#klainelover1997

“Please, I was the one who lived in the forest while you were trying to kill me.” Snow retorted. “You spent three days total in the forest...while you were still trying to kill me and you barely lasted that long.”

“I was practically dying from a very dangerous wound infection. You wouldn’t want to be in the forest either.” Regina countered.

“It was a scratch.” Snow told her. “You were not dying.”

“Whatever,” Regina replied as she rolled her eyes. “Anyway, there are extra outfits in the diaper bag, diapers, formula, toys. If she gets really upset, singing always works.”

“You sing?”

“Don’t start with me,” Regina warned. Suddenly, she heard the car horn and it was clear that the boys were getting impatient. “Okay, I have to get going. Bye sweetie,” Regina added as she leaned over and pressed a kiss to Addy’s forehead. She gave her daughter one last look and felt a pang of guilt in her heart.

“She’ll be fine,” Snow reassured her.

“I haven’t left her overnight before.” Regina replied hesitantly, tears prickling in the corners of her eyes.

“She’ll eat, play with Neal and then she’ll go to sleep and you’ll be picking her up before you know it.” Regina sighed, knowing she was right. She gave Snow a small smile and then headed back downstairs to the car.

“Camping, here we come.” Robin replied as Regina got in the passenger seat. Henry and Roland cheered from the back seat while Regina mentally prepared herself for what was to come. The campsite wasn’t that far out of town so they got there in a little under an hour. “Alright boys, let’s set up camp.” Robin announced, getting out of the car. Together, he, Henry and Roland started to unload the car. The three boys then started to put together the tents. Regina stood off to the side just watching. At first, it was nice watching the three boys do this activity together. Henry and Roland hung on Robin’s every word as he showed them how to force the white poles into the orange netting of the tent. They worked together flawlessly and Regina couldn’t help but smile at the family that they had become. However, it was hard to focus on being happy when she was spending every other minute swatting mosquitoes from her face.

“Mama look! The tents are all set up!” Roland exclaimed as he ran over to her.

“I can see that,” Regina told him. “You all did a great job,”

“Well, Roland, my boy, this is your day, so what would you like to do first?” Robin asked, walking over to the smaller boy.

“I wanna go fishing!”

“Then fishing it is,” Robin told him. “I know the best fishing spot around,” he added as he picked up their fishing poles and tackle box. “It’s this way,” They trekked through the forest until they came to a beautiful, freshwater creek. Henry didn’t waste a minute. He had been itching to get back to fishing since his first lesson with Robin. Effortlessly, Henry set up his rod and weaved the worm onto the hook, just as Robin had shown him.  Then, Robin moved to help Roland, who was jumping up and down because he was so excited.

“Shhh,” Robin warned. “If you’re not quiet, you’ll scare away all the fish,” Roland instantly quieted and watched Robin intensely as he showed him every part of the fishing rod and how to use it. While she was waiting, Regina picked up the fishing pole. She had never been fishing before and she honestly didn’t see the appeal. Fish were gross. They were slimy and cold. And, the actual sport (if you could even call it that) was just boring. You just stood there and prayed that a fish would be stupid enough to eat a floating worm and get the hook stuck in their mouth. She tried to sneak glances at Robin as he set up Roland’s rod and do the same to her own. “Would you like some help, my love?” Robin asked.

“No, I’ve got it.” She replied and Robin gave her a look.

“You’ve been fishing before?” he asked.

“Well...no but It can’t be that hard.” Regina retorted.

“Suit yourself,” Robin mumbled quietly as he moved closer to Roland to make sure that he was doing alright. Regina fumbled with her line but eventually managed to get it to a point where she could put the hook on. Then...she realized that she needed to bait it. Looking at the white tub of worms and dirt, she grimaced. She really didn’t want to touch that. Her hand hesitated over the bucket. Robin looked over at Regina and couldn’t help but laugh. He could see how much Regina did not want to touch those worms. However, he had learned over time that if Regina wanted to do something by herself, he should let her, no matter what the consequences. Eventually, he watched as she tentatively reached her hand into the bucket and grabbed onto a worm.

“Gross…” Regina groaned. She put the worm on the hook and then let out a sigh of relief. She actually felt a bit proud of herself. This had been a new experience for her and she had done it by herself. Now, all she had to do was cast the line. She threw the line over her shoulder just as she had seen Henry do earlier. When she went to pull the line back, she realized it was stuck. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that the line that she had just spent about twenty minutes getting right was stuck in a bush. “Come on,” She groaned, pulling hard on the line. She had worked too hard on this to just give up. Regina gave one last pull and suddenly, she felt the line snap and Regina was sent tumbling into the stream.

Robin and the boys were pulled from their own fishing experience at the sound of Regina’s high pitched scream. They looked over and saw Regina lying in the rushing water. “Regina!” Robin exclaimed, running over to her. He waded into the water and grabbed onto her. She leaned against him and coughed out the water that was currently occupying her lungs. “Are you alright?” Robin asked.

“I’m fine.” Regina replied, her cheeks flushed pink from embarrassment.

“What happened?”

“I-I just slipped.” Regina told him, her arms wrapped self-consciously around her soaking wet body.

“Are you hurt?” Robin asked, his voice full of concern.

“No,” Regina replied. She wasn’t hurt physically, but her pride had definitely just taken a blow. “I’m just cold and wet.” she added as she shivered.  Robin instantly took his coat off and placed it around Regina’s shoulders. Then, he pulled the woman into his embrace and rubbed her shoulders in an attempt to get her to feel warmer.

“I think I’m just gonna head back to the campsite and change.” Regina told him.

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, stay with the boys. Their fun shouldn’t have to end because I was clumsy.” she replied.

“You promise me that you’re not hurt?” Robin whispered once more. He knew Regina. Even if she was hurt, it would take a lot to get her to show it.

“I promise...I’m okay.” Regina told him. “I just want to be dry.” she broke from his grasp and began walking back to the campsite. She hadn’t wanted to come camping in the first place and now here she was...wet, cold and embarrassed.  Luckily for her, she still had her magic. With a flick of her wrist, Regina was wearing a new, dry outfit. She knew she should go back and be with the boys - get back on the horse or the fishing rod so to speak. . However, Regina was still feeling very embarrassed and she honestly just wanted to go home. She decided to sit out by the tent and just take in nature instead. She sat down and looked around her. She was surrounded by green trees. Honestly, everything around her was just green and the whole environment just felt suffocating. Nature was supposed to feel freeing and peaceful, but for Regina, it felt like nothing more than a green prison. Trying to distract herself, she decided to grab her phone and call Snow. She heard the dial tone ring a few times before Snow’s perky voice came over the line.

“Regina? How’s everything going?”

“Oh just great.” Regina lied. “I’m having a great time.”

“I can tell when your lying, Regina.” Snow replied with a laugh. “I’ve known you for too long.”

“Fine. I hate camping. You were right. The outdoors and I are not compatible. I tried to fish and ended up falling into the stupid stream. I-I just wanna come home.” She replied honestly.

“I’m sorry,” Snow replied. “Wanna see something to make you feel better?”

“Sure,” Regina replied.

“Click the facetime button.” Snow told her. Regina did what she was told and in a moment, Addy’s sweet face popped up on the scream. Her little face lit up when she saw Regina and a huge smile formed on her face. “Say hi, Mama!” Snow cooed as she hoisted the baby higher on her lap.

“Hi sweetpea,” Regina cooed. “Are you having fun with Auntie Snow?” she asked. Addy started cooing and babbling back to her. It was funny because she sounded like she was really trying to have a conversation with her mother.

“Addy, tell Mama. Tell her what we did today.” Snow said in a singsong voice. “We played. We took a nap. We ate some peaches and you spit them out all over Auntie Snow.” Regina couldn’t contain her laughter at that point. “Like mother, like daughter.” Snow shot back at her step-mother.

“Hey, I have never spit peaches at you.” Regina replied sarcastically.

“No, you just tried to murder me.” Snow retorted with a smirk.

“Fair enough,” Regina agreed with a smile. Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps and figured that it must be Robin and the boys coming back from fishing. “Hey Snow, I have to go. The boys are coming back to the campsite.”

“Alright, we’ll both see you tomorrow.” Snow replied. “Say goodnight, Mama” she cooed to Addy, who smiled at her mother on the screen and reached her hands out towards her.

“Goodnight sweet girl,” Regina cooed back before hitting the red “end call” button. As she turned off the found she heard a little voice calling her name.

“Mama! Mama! Look at all the fish we caught!” Roland exclaimed as he ran over to her with a fish in his hands.

“Wow, I see,” Regina replied, grimacing a little as the little boy stuck the slimy fish in her face.

“Papa caught three and Henry caught two, so we have six all together!” Roland replied enthusiastically. “Now Papa’s gonna fry them up.”

“Oh good,” Regina lied through her teeth. This camping trip could not come to an end sooner. She’d rather starve than eat those fish.  Nevertheless, Regina watched as Robin fried up the fish and accepted a plate of it when Robin handed it to her because she didn’t want to cause any problems.

“Eat up everyone.” Robin said a smile on his face. “I hope that my fish frying skills are to your liking.” Roland and Henry started to eat.

“It tastes really good, Robin.” Henry said as he took another big bite of the fish.

“Yeah, Papa! It tastes yummy,” the younger boy agreed as he scarfed down the fish. Regina looked down at the fish and grimaced. She stuck her fork into the piece of fish on her plate and tentatively brought it up to her mouth. Feeling like she was being watched, Regina placed the fish inside of her mouth and began to chew. She hated it instantly. The fishy taste made her want to spit it back out, but she managed to swallow it.

“How is it, love?” Robin asked.

“Oh, it’s very good. You should cook more at home,” Regina replied as she took another forced bite. Swallowing thickly, she set her plate on the log next to her and stood up. “I’ll be right back okay. I’m just gonna go call Snow and check on Addy.” She headed off towards the trail, but instead of pulling out her phone, she used her magic and conjured up a cheeseburger instead. She was not going to leave herself starving tonight. It was great that the boys liked the fish, but she just didn’t. She stood in the brush and scarfed down the cheeseburger

“God, this is good,” She mumbled quietly to herself. When she was finished, she wiped off her fingers and headed back to camp to join the boys.  

“How was Addy?” Robin asked, catching Regina off guard.

“Oh good,” Regina replied after a moment. “I guess she spit peaches all over Snow, which is weird because she likes peaches so I’m thinking she did it on purpose, which is actually funnier.”

“Mama, Papa said we can have smores now!” Roland said, cutting her off. Clearly, the idea of having the marshmallow and chocolate treat was very exciting to the young boy.

“Really?” Regina replied. “Those do sound good.” she agreed.

“So we can have them now?” Roland asked.

“You’re still hungry after eating that fish?” she asked. Roland nodded his head rapidly. “And Henry, you’re still hungry too?”

“I’m a teenage boy. I’m always hungry.” Henry replied as he finished off his second piece of fish.

“Well, then, I guess we better start making some smores.” Regina agreed. They grabbed sticks from the campsite and grabbed the packages of marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers. Regina put a marshmallow on each of their four sticks and they all stood around the fire watching as the white color of the marshmallows turned brown. Regina actually felt herself begin to smile. This was the first moment during the entire trip that she had actually enjoyed. Suddenly, she began to feel a sense of intense itching. She looked down and gasped when she saw a red, scaly rash erupting on her lower legs.

“Regina, what is it?” Robin asked.

“My legs…” She mumbled. He looked down and his eyes grew wide.

“It looks like poison ivy. I’ve had it enough times to know.” he replied. “Where would you have gotten that?”

“I’m not sure,” Regina lied. She was pretty sure she knew exactly where she had come in contact with the poisonous plant. Magic always came with a price, she knew that. However, poison ivy hardly seemed warranted for simply conjuring a cheeseburger. Feeling the overwhelming itch, she leaned down and began to scratch at her legs.

“Love, that’s only going to make it worse.” Robin replied. “We should go and get you some medicine.”

“No, I’ll be fine.” Regina told him. “I’m not going to ruin the trip.” “Mom, it’s fine,” Henry tried to tell her. “We understand. That can’t be fun,” he added, grimacing as he looked at his mother’s red legs.

“I think I’ll just take my smore to my tent.” She said. She took the treat into her and Robin’s and took a seat on the ground. Instantly, she started scratching at her legs. She had drunk poisons that were less uncomfortable than this poison ivy.

“I thought I’d find you like this.” Robin said as he opened the flap to their tent. “Stop scratching. You’re making it worse.”

“But it itches,” She whined, still scratching at her skin.

“Will you please just let me take you home and get you some medicine?” Robin said, pleading with her.

“No, I am fine.”

“Regina, you can just admit it.” Robin replied.

“Admit what?” She countered.

“You hate this! All of it! The outdoors, fishing, the bugs, and strange plants. You hate it all.” Robin exclaimed.

“I don’t-”

“Regina.” She said sternly.

“Fine! I hate it! I hate everything about this, but I love our son so I’m trying.” Regina retorted. “I tried to eat your fish. I really did, but it was disgusting. Fish is the grossest food I have ever eaten. So I conjured myself a freakin cheeseburger and apparently I was standing in a patch of poison ivy because now my legs are on fire and I think I actually want to rip my skin off!” She looked up at Robin, who had a huge smirk on his face that he was trying to cover with his hands. “You think this is funny? Are you serious?” she yelled.

“I’m sorry, love.” Robin replied, still laughing. “I’ve just never seen you throw a tantrum like this.”

“Tantrum?!?” Regina boomed.

“Relax, I think it’s cute.” the thief replied. “I think you’re cute, even when you’re dangerously angry and covered in a contagious rash.”

“You’re annoying…” Regina groaned as she turned onto her side and scratched at her leg. Robin laid down next to the angry woman and placed his arms around her. “Don’t touch me. You’ll get this stupid rash.”

“I’m practically immune. I’ve dealt with this plant so many times,” Robin told her. He began to rub his hands softly over her body.

“Robin...the boys.” She said. “And I don’t exactly feel very...sexy right now.”

“You’re always sexy to me.” Robin told her. He pulled Regina close to him and cuddled her close. They lay there for a moment before Regina spoke up.

“Robin…” “Yes, love?” he asked.

“There’s a rock under my ass.” Robin laughed, pressed a kiss to Regina’s temple and then scooched over so Regina could be more comfortable. Then, cuddled in one another’s embrace, they both tried to fall asleep.

Over in Henry and Roland’s tent, the boys were still wide awake. “I think that’s enough chocolate for you.” Henry laughed as he looked at his younger brother with chocolate all over his mouth.

“But smores are so good, Henry!” Roland exclaimed.

“I get it, but if you keep eating them you’re gonna get a stomachache,” Henry told him. “How about we do something else?”

“Just you and me?” Roland asked. Henry nodded his head.

“Would you like to hear a scary story? People always tell scary stories when they go camping.” Henry told him.

“Okay…” Roland said nervously. He wanted to be grown up like Henry, but he didn’t really like scary things.

“Okay, here we go.” Henry said. “It’s said that a scary creature that’s part wolf, bear and part lion lived in these woods long ago. It was called a Wobion. Once, there was a man camping in these very woods...all by himself. Everything was going just fine until the sun went down. When it got dark, the wind started to howl and so did the wolves in the forest.”

“There are wolves in this forest?” Roland asked, now hiding under his blanket.

“Oh, tons of them,” Henry told his younger brother. “Anyway, the man started to get worried about the wolves coming to his campsite, so he decided to just hunker down in his tent for the night and hope for the best. He felt safe for a while, but then he started hearing noises outside his tent that sounded like the paws of a large animal. The man tried not to make a sound so that maybe the “wolves” would leave. However, it wasn’t a wolf. Without warning, the flap to the man’s tent flew open and the head of a strange animal erupted into the tent. The man screamed and the beast roared back at him. It took its giant teeth and tore the man limb from limb, killing him instantly. They say that on full moons, the wobion comes out and looks for his new prey and when he’s finished eating them, he takes all of his victims' bones back to his den and keeps them as his trophies.” Henry looked up at Roland who now looked scared out of his mind.

“B-But Henry - isn’t tonight a full moon?” Roland stuttered. Henry looked out of the flap of the tent and saw the bright full moon staring back at him.

“Yeah, I guess it is.” Henry replied. “But we better go to sleep. It’s getting pretty late.”

“But Henry, what about the Wobian? It’s gonna get us!”

“It’s just a story, Roland. I made it up. It’s just a ghost story.”  Henry told him.

“But what about the man? What about his bones? What if we’re the Wobian’s next prey?” Roland exclaimed.

“God...this was a bad idea. The Wobian is not real. I made it up. Just go to sleep.” Henry told him before rolling over and huddling in his sleeping bag. Roland got into his own sleeping back and cuddled his monkey. He couldn’t get himself to go to sleep. He wanted to believe Henry that the Wobian wasn’t real...but what if it was. Around midnight, the wind outside picked up and started to whistle through the tent. Roland woke up and listened. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a wolf howling in the distance and Roland’s heart started to beat fast. It was just like the story.

“Henry! Henry!” Roland said, shaking his older brother.

“Roland, what?” he murmured sleepily.

“I heard a wolf! It could be the Wobion!”

“How many times do I have to tell you? It’s not real. I was stupid to tell you that story.” Henry groaned. Then they both heard another howl.

“It’s getting closer!”

“I’m sure it’s just Ruby. It’s wolf’s time for her.” Henry told him. “She won’t hurt us.”

“No...I don’t believe you.  I wanna go home.” Roland said. “I wanna go home now.” He grabbed his monkey and suddenly bolted out of the tent.

“Roland wait!” Henry yelled after him. The little boy bolted to his parent’s tent and dove inside.

“Mama! Papa! We have to go home now!” Roland demanded as he dived between his parents.

“Roland?” Robin muttered sleepily.

“What is it?” Regina mumbled.

“We have to go! The Wobian is gonna get us!” Roland told them.

“The what?” they both asked.

“The Wobian! It’s part wolf, part bear, and part lion! It’s gonna tear us limb from limb and take our bones as trophies.” Roland exclaimed. Robin and Regina looked at one another, completely confused.

“I think I can explain…” Henry said softly as he peeked his head into the tent. “I may have told him a scary story…”

“A scary story?” Regina said sternly. “Henry, he’s six. What were you thinking?”

“I was just trying to give him a good camping experience. Everyone tells ghost stories. I tried to tell him it wasn’t real.” Henry replied, trying to defend himself.

“Roland, did you hear Henry? He made it up okay. You can just go to sleep. It’ll be alright.” Robin told him.

“No Papa, I wanna go home. I don’t wanna stay here anymore. I don’t like camping anymore.” Roland whimpered. Robin sighed and looked to Regina.

“He’s awfully scared, Robin,” Regina said. “Maybe we should just head home.”

“Fine, let’s go,” Robin replied. It was too late to argue with anyone. Without saying anything, they packed up their things and the family piled into the car. Almost instantly, Henry and Roland fell asleep in the backseat. “Don’t pretend you’re not happy,” Robin said with a smirk.

“He was scared Robin.”

“And we could have gotten him back to sleep if we tried. We could have gone home in the morning”  Robin replied. “Just admit it. You wanted to go home and sleep in a bed.”

“Alright everyone, let’s all get to our places so we can start the show.” The teacher announced. All the kids rushed to their places, climbing onto the bleachers. Roland took his spot on the front bleacher, directly in the middle. The lights in the auditorium turned dark and the spotlight pointed at the stage. The teacher began to conduct and Roland had no choice but to start singing, even though he still didn’t see his parents. After two songs, it came time for Roland’s solo. He walked up to the microphone that was much too tall for him. The teacher had to help him bring it down to his level. He looked out into the audience and swallowed thickly. He didn’t have anyone there to support him. The music began and Roland waited for his cue, however when it came, he tried to sing but nothing came out. His hands were shaking and he was terrified. The teacher tried to help him by giving him the words, but Roland couldn’t move. His eyes began to fill with tears and before he knew it, his little legs were carrying him backstage as fast as he could go. Still crying, Roland ran out of the building and headed home. 

“They didn’t come…” he cried to himself. “They don’t care about me.” It was at that moment that Roland realized that he wasn’t just sad and embarrassed. He was angry. Why was everyone else so much more important than him? Then, a thought popped into his mind. Maybe he shouldn’t be in this family anymore. He could run away. Roland didn’t believe that anyone would truly care anyway. He grabbed his little red and blue rolling suitcase and stuffed some clothes and toys into it. Then he grabbed his favorite stuffed monkey and clutched it in his arms. “Come on monkey, we’ll go find our own home…” Roland said sadly as he walked out the front door and started making his way to the forest. He had lived in the forest once before and he could do it again. 

At the mayor’s office, Regina was sitting at her desk, buried under a mound of paperwork that she didn’t think she’d ever get to the bottom of. Suddenly, she heard her cell phone ring and smiled when she saw Robin’s picture flash across the screen. 

“Hello?” 

“Hello, my love,” Robin said. “I was just calling to see what you wanted to do for dinner.” 

“Maybe Granny’s tonight. I’m so tired. Just the thought of cooking is making me even more exhausted.” she replied, honestly. 

“I think that can be arranged,” Robin replied with a laugh. “We’ll have to pick up Addy anyway. Granny was watching her so that I could do some work with the Merry Men.”  Suddenly, Regina heard a chime from her computer that she recognized. It happened every time a reminder popped up. She looked at the screen and gasped. It said “Roland School Concert.” Oh God, She had forgotten. Why hadn’t this reminder gone off earlier? 

“Robin! Please tell me you went to Roland’s school concert?” 

“What do you mean? Isn’t that next week?” Robin asked. 

“No! I just got a notification that it was today.” Regina replied, his voice full of panic. 

“Oh, God...How did we forget?” 

“I don’t know. But he’s probably still waiting for us at the school. All the kids were supposed to stay after to practice before the concert.” Regina told him. 

“I’ll go and get him. Goodness, he’s going to be so upset.” Robin replied. “How are we going to make this up to him?” 

“I don’t know,” Regina sighed sadly. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this horrible of a mother. He’s gonna hate us.” 

“The best that we can do is apologize and try to make it up to him,” Robin replied. “I’ll call you when we’re on our way home, okay love?” 

“Okay,” Regina replied. After hanging up the phone, Regina dropped her head into her hands. She felt truly terrible for missing Roland’s concert. With Addy needing so much of her attention and Henry going through the tedious process of applying for college, so much of her time was taken up. Roland had kind of fallen through the cracks. There were only so many hours in a day, but that didn’t excuse her from practically ignoring her middle son. Feeling sick to her stomach, Regina decided to just head home. She wasn’t going to be able to focus enough to get any more work done anyway.  She packed up her stuff and headed home. The house was quiet when she got there. Henry was still out with Violet, which was actually good because she didn’t want him to be here when they talked to Roland. She had a feeling this was not going to be an easy conversation. She sat down at the kitchen counter as she racked her mind for what to possibly say to her young son. Suddenly, her phone began to ring again. Regina immediately picked it up. “Robin, did you get him? Are you on your way home?” 

“He wasn’t there.” 

“What do you mean he wasn’t there?” Regina exclaimed. 

“They said he forgot the words during a solo and ran off. They tried to find him but he was too fast.” Robin told her. “Is he home?” 

“I don’t know,” Regina replied. “Roland! Roland! Are you home sweetie?” She yelled as she ran up the staircase. She ran to Roland’s room and opened the door. “Roland?” She looked around. He wasn’t there...and neither was his suitcase or his monkey. He didn’t go anywhere without that monkey. It had taken two weeks of convincing to get him to stop bringing it to school. 

“Robin, he’s not here! His suitcase is gone and so is his monkey,” Regina said, her eyes welling with tears. “I-I think he ran away.” 

“Oh God… I’ll be home soon. Just wait for me and we’ll go out together.” Robin replied. 

“I’m going to call Emma and Hook and the Charmings, the more people the better,” Regina replied. 

“Okay, that’s a good idea,” Robin told her. “Regina, we will find him.” 

“Okay…” She replied through a sob. “I love you.” 

“I love you too,” Robin answered before hanging up the phone. After hanging up, Regina called everyone and told them that Roland was missing. Instantly, the gang told her that they’d be over in a couple of minutes to look for him. Regina was left in the little boy’s room alone once again. She looked around and smiled when she found his favorite green cloak from the Enchanted Forest lying on the ground. He didn’t use it much anymore because cloaks weren’t something many people wore in this land. However, the little boy liked to use it as a cape when he’d play superheroes, so he had kept it. Regina held it up her face and instantly, Roland’s sweet smell hit her. She had to find him if it was the last thing she did. If something happened to him, Regina didn’t know what she’d do with herself. 

She was drawn from her thoughts when she heard the front door open. “Regina?” A voice called. It was Robin. She raced down the stairs and flew into his arms. 

“We have to find him.” 

“We will,” Robin told her. “Everyone is outside. Get your coat and let’s go.” Regina nodded, pulled on her coat and followed Robin outside. They decided to break up into groups. Emma and Hook would head to the beach. Snow and Charming would look in town and Regina and Robin would head to the forest because Robin knew the forest better than anyone. 

“We only have a little time. It’s getting dark.” Robin told everyone. 

“And the weather isn’t looking too great…” Emma remarked as she looked at the dark clouds in the sky. 

“Let’s just go. Make sure to call if anyone finds him.” David said before everyone headed their separate ways.  

“The forest is so big, I don’t know how we’ll ever find him,” Regina said. 

“We have to,” Robin told her. “Isn’t there something you can do? Something magical?” Regina thought for a moment. 

“A locator potion!” She exclaimed. “It’ll lead us right to him.” It was then that she realized she was still holding Roland’s green cloak in her hands. She quickly conjured up a bit of the locater potion from her vault and poured it over the cloak, which lit up and began to float away, presumably in Roland’s direction. “Now we’ll be able to find him.” 

“And not a moment too soon,” Robin replied as he felt raindrops begin to fall and a loud crack of thunder echoed through the sky. 

Deeper in the forest, Roland was running as fast as he could. He was terrified. It had gotten darker much faster than he had expected it to and he hadn’t accounted for the rain. He realized that he didn’t have a tent like he normally did when he stayed with his Papa and his Uncles. He also didn’t have any water or food. Roland realized he had made a huge mistake. He had also never been a big fan of thunderstorms. They scared him. They were loud and the lightning was too bright. And, now he was completely soaking wet and cold. Roland started to run to try and find shelter, but he ended up tripping over a tree root. He fell to the ground, his knee taking the majority of the impact. Roland hissed at the pain as he brought his knee up to examine it. There was an angry red brush burn staring back at him. “Ow,” Roland cried, clutching his knee. He just wanted to go home. He wanted his Mama to clean off his knee and kiss it to make it feel better. He just wanted to be in own bed with fresh, dry pajamas. This had been a mistake...a big, big, mistake. Limping on his bad knee,  Roland had found his way into hollowed out old tree that had fallen. It was dirty and smelly, but at least it was dry. He shivered in his wet clothes and clutched his monkey tight to his chest. “It’s gonna be okay, monkey,” he whispered. “We’re okay.” Suddenly, another pang of thunder rang out and Roland jumped. “I want to go home,” he whimpered. “I want to go home.”

Luckily for Roland, Regina and Robin had almost found their way to him. They were racing after the cloak, completely drenched. “We have to be almost there,” Robin replied, breathlessly. Regina didn’t reply. She was too focused on following the cloak and finding Roland. 

“Roland!” They both yelled. “Roland, where are you?” Then, out of the corner of her eye, Regina caught a glimpse of a tiny red and blue suitcase that she recognized to be Roland’s. 

“Roland!” She screamed as she darted over to the fallen tree. 

“Mama?” Roland replied, peeking his head out of the tree. “Mama!” he exclaimed, realizing she was in fact truly there. He crawled out from inside the tree and ran straight into Regina’s arms. 

“Oh God, you’re okay. You’re okay.” She exclaimed, holding him close to her chest. 

“I’m so sorry,  I ran away, Mama.” Roland sobbed. 

“It’s okay,” She told him. “You’re safe. That’s all that matters.” Robin was by there sides in an instant and took his son into his arms. 

“Oh my boy, you’re safe. Thank God.” Robin cried. “Please never scare us like that again.” 

“I’m sorry,” The little boy cried out once more.

“We’ll talk more when we get home,” Regina said. “Let’s just get out of this rain.” The three of them wandered out of the forest and back to the mayoral mansion. Robin made sure to call everyone else so they could stop looking and go home and get dry as well. Once inside the house, Regina took Roland upstairs and got him changed. She also bandaged his knee and kissed it, like a mother should, to make it stop hurting. When Roland was situated, Regina got herself changed and Robin did as well. Then, the three of them settled in on the couch for a long overdue talk. 

“Roland, honey, we are so sorry that we missed your concert,” Regina told him. “I don’t know what happened. We were just so busy...and we made a mistake.” 

“I was supposed to have a solo…” the little boy replied sadly. “But I got too nervous and I forgot all the words and you and Papa weren’t there, so I got scared and I ran.” 

“Oh baby, I am so sorry,” Regina said pulling him into her arms. 

“Roland, Mama and I are very sorry that that happened,” Robin told him. “We don’t know how we’ll make it up to you, but I have to know. Why did you run away?” Roland shrugged his shoulders. 

“You can tell us, honey. We won’t get mad, no matter what.” Regina told him.

“I didn’t think you guys cared about me anymore,” he said in practically a whisper. Regina felt like someone had just shot her in the heart. It killed her that Roland felt that way. She loved that little boy with all her heart. 

“Why would you think that?” Robin asked softly. 

“Because,” Roland answered. “You never have any time for me anymore. You’re always taking care of Addy or helping Henry with college. Papa, you promised to teach me to shoot a bow just like you and you didn’t. And, Mama, you used to read with me every night and now you never do.” Regina and Robin looked at one another sheepishly. Roland was right. They had been ignoring him, not on purpose, of course, but they had been ignoring him.

“Oh sweetheart, we’re so sorry that we made you feel like that,” Regina told him. “It’s just...Addy is a baby so she needs a lot of attention. And, applying for college is very stressful so we wanted to help Henry as much as we could. But that doesn’t excuse us in any way for making you feel that way. Roland, we both love you so much.” 

“You do?” the little boy asked. 

“Of course we do,” Robin told him. 

“How about we have a Roland day?” Regina suggested. “You get to choose whatever you want to do with just me and Papa.” 

“No Addy or Henry?” Roland asked. 

“No, it’ll just be the three of us. A special day just for you.” She replied. 

“I think that would be fun.” the little boy agreed. “Mama?” he asked. 

“Yes, baby,” 

“Am I still your little knight?” he asked. 

        “Kids! We’re leaving!” Kurt called. Gradually, he heard four pairs of feet leave their bedrooms and file into the kitchen.  “Okay, I left money on the table so you guys can order pizza. Andrew, Lucy, Caleb and Charlie are in charge.”

        “What if they can’t agree on something?” Andrew asked. “Who do we listen to?” Kurt thought about that answer for a little bit. He wanted to tell his son to just listen to Caleb. Though Caleb and Charlie were twins, they couldn’t be more different. Caleb was a little more logical and calm. Charlie tended to go on her instincts and stick to her guns. She was a little more like Blaine and Caleb was like Kurt.  Instead of inciting a fight, Kurt simply replied, “Use you’re best judgment.”

        “Also,” Kurt began. “Luce, no fighting Charlie or Caleb on bedtime. You know when you go to bed so no pulling anything funny.”

        “Papa, I’m hurt.” Lucy said with a gasp as she put a hand over her chest. “What makes you think I would do something like that?”

        “I know you, little girl. You’re sneaky.” Kurt replied. “You get that from your daddy.”

        “Hey!” Blaine retorted.  “I am not doing anything sneaky. I’m being the dutiful husband who is going to the party he doesn’t want to go to.”

        “That is true.” Kurt amended. “Now-“

        “Papa, we’ve watched Andrew and Lucy before.” Charlie said. “Plus we live here. We know the drill.”

        “And you can-”

        “ We can call Penny if there’s a problem.” Caleb said, jumping into the conversation.

        “Honey, I think they’re fine” Blaine replied. “Plus, we better get going so we’re not late.”

        “Okay.” Kurt replied as Blaine practically pushed him out the front door. The two men walked down the driveway, careful not to slip on the ice that had formed and got into the car. This wasn’t the first Vogue.com party that they had attended and it wouldn’t be the last.  Each time, it was always the same.  They’d get to the party, fashionably late of course. Kurt was an executive editor assistant and the interns and other workers always got there before the rest of the higher up editing staff. Because they’d be late, most of the people would already be tipsy and well on their way to being completely wasted. They’d mingle, until is got late enough and it was socially acceptable to leave. Kurt and Blaine had these kinds of parties down to a science. Nothing exciting was bound to happen.

        After driving for about twenty minutes, they pulled into the parking lot at the party’s venue. There were some people wandering in, but the lot was already pretty full. “Are you ready?” Kurt asked.

        “As ready as I’ll ever be.” Blaine replied with a sigh. Together, they walked up the tall marble steps and headed inside. If there was one thing that the Vogue.com parties had going for them, it was that the décor looked spectacular. They were fashion people after all. Decorating came as second nature to those who put the parties together.

        “It looks beautiful in here.” Blaine said as he looked all around the room.

        “Yeah, they did a great job.” Kurt agreed. “Do you want to go an get a drink?” he asked. “Everyone’s already way ahead of us.”

        “Sure, I’ll grab a drink.” Blaine replied as he followed his husband over to the bar. As they were ordering their drinks, Kurt felt a hand tap his shoulder. He turned around and Isabelle Wright was standing behind him.

        “Isabelle!! I thought you were out of town!” Kurt exclaimed as he pulled his friend into a hug.

        “I got back early.” Isabelle replied with a smile. “I was actually wondering if I can speak to you in private for a second.”

        “Oh yeah…is something wrong?” Kurt asked.

        “No, nothing is wrong. I promise.” Isabelle assured him.

        “Blaine honey, is it okay if I go?”

        “Go, I’ll be fine.” Blaine replied. “I’ll just talk to Marco here.” He added pointing to the bartender. Kurt nodded and followed Isabelle to an isolated room. They both took a seat on a purple velvet couch.

        “So what’s going on?” Kurt asked. “I’ve known you long enough to know when something is going on.” Isabelle took a deep breath and took Kurt’s hand in her own.

        “I’m retiring.”

        “What?” Kurt exclaimed in total shock. That was not something that he had been expecting. Isabelle really wasn’t that much older than him. He tried to play if off like he was happy for her though. “I mean that’s great.”

        “It’s time.” Isabelle admitted. “I want to spend my time lying on a beach or watching my grandchildren. I don’t want to worry about every little fabric emergency that happens here.”

        “I totally get it.” Kurt replied. “Do you know who you’re replacement is going to be? Not that anyone could really replace you.”

        “Kurt… I knew from the first day that I met you that there was something special about you.” Isabelle said. “You have such an eye for fashion and you’re a great leader.  I’d be a fool to appoint anyone but you as my replacement. So what do you say? Would you like to be the editor of Vogue.com?” Kurt was so shocked he could barely say anything.

        “I-I…Isabelle, I don’t know. I’m not ready.”

        “You are ready.” She told him. “You have been working for me…no, with me for years. I know what you are capable of. You can do this.”

        “I-I can’t thank you enough.” Kurt replied, his eyes beginning to fill with tears. “You’ve been like a fairy godmother to me. You gave me a job when I had nothing else going for in my life. You never fired or turned me away when I tried to pursue acting. Working here has just been a dream come true and I don’t know what my life would be like if I hadn’t met you. So…yes, I’d love to take this job.” He pulled Isabelle into a tight hug. He couldn’t believe that had just happened.  Editor. It was his dream job.

        “I’m going to tell everyone tonight.” Isabelle told him. “You deserve all the recognition in the world and I want everyone to know how proud I am of my replacement.”

        “Oh my god…okay. Do I need to say something?” Kurt panicked.

        “Only if you want to.”

        “I feel like I should.” Kurt admitted.

        “It’s up to you, Mr. Editor.” Kurt took a deep breath and nodded as he tried to formulate what he was going to say. Hand in hand, he and Isabelle walked into the party. Isabelle headed for the stage while Kurt went to find Blaine.

        “Hey!” Blaine said with a smile as pressed a kiss to his husband’s lips.  “What did Isabelle have to talk to you about?” he asked.

        “Umm I-“  he started, but before he got a chance, he was cut off by Isabelle on the microphone.

        “Hello, can I have everyone’s attention.” Isabelle began. “I just wanted to thank you all for coming tonight and I hope that you’re having a wonderful time. I do have a pretty big announcement and I won’t beat around the bush. I’m retiring.” There was a collective gasp, one of which was Blaine. He looked to Kurt with a confused look upon his face. “Working here and being editor at Vogue.com has been the best years of my life. I have loved working with each and every one of you. And I know the question that you’re all dying to have answered: who is my replacement?” Silence fell amongst the crowd as they waited in anticipation. “This person has been my right hand man for so many years. He’s got such an eye for fashion and has a great vision for the future of Vogue.com. Above all, he has been my friend and I have no doubts about appointing him to follow in my footsteps. Ladies and gentlemen, your new editor…Mr. Kurt Anderson-Hummel.”

“Oh my god! Kurt!” Blaine exclaimed as he pulled his husband into a hug. He couldn’t believe this was happening. Kurt hugged Blaine back and then pulled away so he could go up on the stage. He weaved his way through the crowd and eventually reached Isabelle who he gave a hug.  Then he took the microphone. “Everyone, I just want to say how flattered I am to be getting this promotion. Vogue.com and all of you mean so much to me. I can’t wait to embark on a new future for Vogue.com. I also want to say thank you to this amazing woman. No one can replace Isabelle Wright.” He turned to Isabelle. “You have been such an inspiration to me and so many others at his company and for that I thank you. I love you. We all love you Isabelle. Happy retirement!” The Vogue.com employees erupted into applause and cheered for both Kurt and Isabelle. When they were finished everyone went back to celebrating. Kurt found his way over to Blaine who was still beaming from ear to ear.

        “Kurt, I can’t believe this! You’re the editor of Vogue.com!!” Blaine exclaimed, once again hugging his husband.

        “I can’t really believe it either.” Kurt admitted.

        “What do you want to do now?” Blaine asked.

        “Honestly, I want to go home and see our kids.” Kurt replied. “I’m the boss now.  I don’t have to stay at this party for longer than I want to.”

“The budget is just a mess.” Regina said, flopping down onto her back on their bed. “I’m trying to figure everything out but it’s just taking forever.” 

“Maybe you just need a break.” Robin suggested. “A day to clear your head and start back fresh.” 

“I don’t think I can spare a day,” She replied with a sigh. “We’re going to discuss the budget at the next town meeting and I am not going into the lion’s den without being prepared. The people in this town can be brutal.” Regina ran her hands over her face and squeezed the bridge of her nose, a clear sign of her exhaustion. 

“Love, get your pajamas on and come to bed. I can’t fall asleep without you.” Robin coaxed as he ran his fingers gently over Regina’s arm. 

“I don’t think I can move,” She replied with a laugh, her eyelids heavy from exhaustion. Robin smirked at his girlfriend. He got out of bed and walked over to their shared closet. 

“What pajamas do you want, love?” There was no reply. “Regina?” he called once more. Robin walked out of the closet and found Regina fast asleep on top of the covers, still dressed in her dress and heels. With a smile on his face, Robin walked over and slipped off his girlfriend’s shoes and threw them to the side of the room. Regina was like dead weight when she was asleep so Robin knew he wasn’t going to be able to get her dress off of her. He pulled back the covers before lifting her up gently and positioning in bed. After lying her tired body down, Robin covered her up, pressed a kiss to her forehead and went around to the other side of the bed and got in. With his girlfriend finally home, Robin allowed himself to finally relax and fall into a deep sleep. 

The next morning, sunlight from the window in their bedroom woke Robin from his deep slumber. He reached out to pull Regina into his embrace but instead he only found a cold, empty bed. After yawning and stretching, he pushed himself out of bed and glanced at the clock. It was only six o’clock and Regina was clearly gone. After seeing how truly exhausted Regina had been last night, Robin made it his mission to get his girlfriend to relax. 

After getting all three kids up and ready, he began making plans. Henry was already spending the night at Emma’s so he’d be out of the house. Snow had graciously agreed to take Addy because she loved having the little girl at her house. Robin had also arranged for the Merry Men to take Roland for the night. He knew that his men missed having the little tyke at camp with them and Roland missed his uncles as well, so it was a win-win situation. With all the kids out of the house, Robin set out to bring his girlfriend home and make her relax. He strolled into her office around five and found her hunched over her desk, her hair in a ponytail and the same black framed glasses perched on the edge of her nose. Upon hearing his footsteps, Regina looked up and shot Robin a confused look. 

“Robin? What are you doing here?” she asked. 

“I’m here to bring you home.” He told her. 

“Robin-I-I’m not nearly done,” She stuttered. “I’ve only just started making sense of all this and I don’t think I can stop now.” Robin walked over to her and sat down on the edge of her desk. He took the pen from her hands and gently lifted the glasses off her nose. 

“My love, I’m going to be honest with you,” he said. “You look like crap.” 

“Well thanks…” She retorted. 

“You have dark circles under your eyes and I can tell that you’re stressed because you’re all hunched over and there’s so much tension in your shoulders.” Robin told her. “You look beautiful, love. You always look beautiful, but right now, you look like crap. So I’ve come to take you home. You’re going to relax for just one night. You’re going to clear your mind and come back and figure all of this out. But, right now, my love, you are fried and you need a break. So, you can make this easy and walk home with me or I can throw you over my shoulder and carry you home.” Regina, who looked shocked at Robin’s sudden assertiveness, stood up from her office chair. 

“I think I’ll walk home.” she replied. 

“Good choice,” Robin told her. He reached his hand out to her and intertwined his fingers with hers. Together, they walked the short distance home. Once in the house, Regina turned to her lover. 

“What now?” She asked. 

“Now, milady, I am going to run you a bath....with bubbles and lavender candles and even some red wine if you’d like.” Robin told her. “And, while you’re doing that, I will be down here making us some dinner.” 

“But you can’t cook…”Regina replied matter of factly. 

“Such little faith,” Robin retorted. 

“You almost set the house on fire last time you used the stove.” 

“I do believe that is a little bit of embellishment.” Robin insisted. 

“Tell that to my charred set of oven mitts.” the brunette countered. 

“Will you just trust me.” Robin pleaded as he pushed her towards the stairs. Regina gave him a smirk and proceeded up the stairs towards their shared bedroom. She took a seat on the edge of their bed while Robin went into the bathroom. He had already set up the bathroom so candles were sitting by the edge of the tub. He started the water and let it run until it got warm and then poured in some bubbles. Next, he grabbed the matches off the counter and lit all the candles. Last but not least, he opened the bottle of red wine that he had brought up before he left and poured it into a glass. He walked out to Regina with the glass of wine in his hand. “I’ve drawn your bath milady and now all you have to do is relax.” Robin told her as he handed her the wine glass. 

“Thank you,” She said with a smile on her face. Robin leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips. 

“Enjoy and when you’re ready, come down and we’ll have a nice meal together.” 

“Wait!” She called after him.  That sounds lovely but where are the kids?” she asked. 

“I’ve taken care of them.” Robin replied. “All you need to know is that they’re out of the house and we have the night to ourselves.” With that, Robin headed downstairs to start dinner. Regina couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t know what she did to deserve a man like Robin. 

With the idea of a warm bath calling her name, she wandered into the bathroom and set the glass of wine down on the counter. She kicked off her high heels and stripped herself of her dress and underwear before climbing into the steaming bath water. She slipped further down into the tub until just her head peeked above the level of the water. It felt amazing. Regina could feel her muscles relaxing and the tension leaving her body as the warm water worked its magic. Taking a deep breath in, she smelled the lavender from the candles and smiled. She had always loved the smell of lavender. It helped to calm her down in some of her hardest times.  When she was a single mother trying to raise a colicky infant, Regina had practically bathed in her lavender lotion. That was, until Henry decided that he hated the smell, thus making him hate her. She had stopped wearing it and got rid of anything that smelled of lavender. At that point, she had been willing to try anything to get Henry to stop crying. She hadn’t kept it in the house since so it was surprising that Robin had chosen that scent to set up for her. She took a sip of the red wine that Robin had given her, its dry flavor dancing across her taste buds. It had taken her a long time to like wine. They always had some kind of a sweet white wine in her castle when she was a little girl and her mother had made her drink it. She had always grimaced at it’s flavor but her mother insisted that she’d get used to it. It had taken Regina a long time, but her mother had been right. She did get used to the taste of wine, but not that sickly sweet white wine that her mother had forced on her years ago. No, Regina much preferred a dry red wine instead. 

After lounging in the bath for a while, Regina felt like it was time to get out. She stood up and stepped out onto the bath mat, grabbing her white plush towel and wrapping it around herself. She dried herself off and walked from the bathroom to her and Robin’s shared closet. She picked up her pair of blue silk pajamas and was about to throw them on when she spotted Robin’s favorite t-shirt. Regina remembered when she bought it for him. After much debate, the Locksley-Mills family had decided to watch Disney’s version of Robin Hood for family movie night.  Regina had found herself laughing hysterically as Robin exclaimed, “I’m a bloody fox! What kind of movie is this?!?” It took a little bit but by the end of the movie, Robin had grown fond of the cartoon depiction of himself. Then, one night during a particularly annoying bout of insomnia, Regina found herself deep in the depths of Amazon. Online shopping had become a bit of an addiction for her, especially when she couldn’t sleep. That night she found a forest green shirt with a black silhouette of the fox under which it read in script “Her Robin Hood.” Robin had been hesitant to wear it at first but eventually he realized how comfortable it was and the shirt often made appearances during lazy days spent at home. Wanting to feel that same sense of  comfort, Regina put her silk pajamas back in the drawer and pulled on a pair of pajama shorts and the green t-shirt. It was practically a dress on her, the cotton fabric completely covering up the shorts she had just pulled on and making her appear as though she didn’t have any pants on. 

Regina wandered downstairs and was hit with the wonderful aroma of whatever Robin had decided to cook. “I’m impressed,” She said quietly as she padded into the kitchen. “Nothing has caught on fire yet.” 

“I told you that I had dinner covered,” he replied, a smirk on his face. “Did you enjoy your bath?” She nodded and walked over to him to press a kiss to his lips. Robin pulled her in tighter and ran his fingers through her still wet hair. “I can see you’ve found my favorite t-shirt, though is does seem a tad bit large for you milady.” 

“What can I say?” she replied. “I wanted to be comfortable. Now, tell me, what are you making?” 

“Ah, on the menu for tonight, we’ve got an appetizer of tomato bisque and for the main course, two lightly toasted slices of bread held together by a melted slice of American Cheese.” Robin replied, trying his best to sound like a distinguished chef. 

“Grilled cheese and tomato soup is one of my favorite combos,” she replied, smiling up at Robin. 

“Well then, milady, have a seat and I’ll serve you.” 

“Robin, you don’t have to,” Regina began to argue. “I can help.” 

“Now, now, tonight is your night,” he told her. “For once, do as I say and just enjoy the night.” Regina did as she was told and took a seat. She wasn’t used to Robin being so assertive and she thought it best not to test him. She watched as Robin placed the two sandwiches on plates and ladelled some of the soup into bowls for the two of them. “Bon appetit, milady.” he said, setting the food down in front of her. Regina happily obliged and dug into the sandwich. It had been a few days since she had any sort of actual meal. She had gone through her entire stash of snacks at the office, not wanting to leave and disrupt her work. Surprisingly, the sandwich and soup were just want she needed to satisfy her hungry stomach. 

“I must say that was a pretty good meal for terrible chef.” Regina said, looking across the table at Robin, who was still working on his own sandwich. 

“I’m a tad bit offended by being called “a terrible chef” and feel that after tonight I’ve at least proved myself to be a mediocre chef.” he retorted. 

“Fine,” Regina agreed. “I’ll promote you. Mediocre chef it is.” Seeing that Robin had finished his meal, Regina spoke once more, “So thief, what else do you have planned for the rest of the evening?” 

“That, my dear, is up to you.” Robin told her. “What is it that you need?” Suddenly, the sound of thunder echoed in the distance and the room was illuminated by a bright bolt of lightning in the sky. Regina had always loved thunderstorms. To many, they were frightening, unpredictable and scary, but Regina had always felt them calming. She had spent many nights sitting on the edge of her windowsill watching as the golden streaks of lightning danced across the sky and the cacophony of thunder echoed in the distance. 

“I want you to hold me,” Regina said as she stood up from the table and walked over to Robin. She extended her hand to him and led him from the kitchen to the living room. Robin took a seat on the couch and Regina sat down between his legs and leaned her body back into his embrace. He pressed a kiss to her temple and ran his fingers gently through her hair. They lay in silence under the cover of a fuzzy purple blanket and watched the night’s sky light up, cuddled in one another’s arms. Gradually, Regina began to feel tired and felt her eyelids begin to droop. Her head fell forward and she jerked it back up, forcing herself to wake and snuggle in closer to Robin’s chest. 

“You’re tired.” Robin said softly. 

“I’m fine.”

“You’re falling asleep.”  he countered. 

“I told you she said Mama.” 

Robin was pulled from his thoughts when Regina returned from the nursery. Addy was dressed in a white onesie with a large red one with black polka dots. She was also wearing a red tutu and a headband with black and red flowers on it. “Well look at this little ladybug,” Robin cooed, taking his daughter into his arms. 

“Don’t know how long that outfit will stay clean with all her drooling but it’ll look cute for a while.” Regina replied. Ever since Addy had cut her first tooth, she had been drooling non stop. God, that had been a nightmare…

“God, can’t you make her stop screaming,” Henry groaned as he rested his head on the kitchen counter. 

“Yeah, she’s so loud,” Roland agreed. 

“She’s teething guys and it hurts. Try having a little sympathy.” Robin  told the two boys. He looked over to Regina who was walking around bouncing the screaming baby. There were dark circles under her eyes and Robin knew she was exhausted. Addy had kept them both up all night for the past few nights. He knew that the little girl was in pain and he felt bad for her. However, he also knew that if Regina didn’t get some sleep soon that she was going to pass out. 

“Sweetheart, would you like me to try?” he asked, walking over to Regina. The woman just shook her head. 

“We both know it has to be me.” Regina replied. She had tears in her eyes. “I don’t know what to do anymore. I’ve bounced her. I’ve rocked her. I gave her the teethers. I let her bite on my finger. She will not stop crying. I’m-I’m so tired, Robin.” Robin had feared this moment was going to happen. Without a second thought, he took the screaming infant from her arms. 

“Love, go and lie down.” Robin told her. 

“But-” 

“She will be fine. She’s just teething. Crankiness is expected.” the man replied. “It doesn’t matter who’s arms she’s crying in. And, you’re exhausted and look like you’re ready to drop.” 

“I-I have to go to work.” Regina tried. 

“I’ll call your assistant and tell her to clear your schedule.” Robin told her. “You’re in no shape to try and work today. Just go and rest.” Feeling completely exhausted, Regina finally gave him. She gave Robin a  look and said, “Thank you,” before heading to their bedroom to get some rest.  Robin spent the rest of the day trying to stop his daughter’s pain. Eventually, Addy settled down to sleep and Robin let out a sigh of relief and flopped down on the couch.  It was then that Regina wandered into the living room, still dressed in her pajamas. 

“Feeling better?” 

“Much,” Regina replied. “You got her to sleep?” She asked motioning to the baby. 

“I think she just wore herself out from crying.” Robin told her honestly. “I don’t think I had much to do with it.” 

“Well regardless, at least, she’s stopped crying.” Regina crawled onto the couch and cuddled herself into Robin’s embrace. “Thank you…” 

“For what?” 

“For knowing what was best for me and stopping my crazy.” Regina replied. 

“You weren’t crazy, my love. You were exhausted.” Robin told her. “You are the best mother but sometimes you have to take care of yourself. And it is abundantly clear that our daughter likes you better than she likes me but I can help too.” He added with a laugh. 

“That’s not true.” She pauses for a second “Okay, it’s a little true,” she admitted. “Next time, I will let you help more.” 

“That’s what I like to hear.” Robin replied as he leaned in and pressed a kiss to Regina’s lips. Then, as if she knew it was a bad time, Addy began to cry. 

“I’ll get her,” Regina sighed. She walked over to the pack n play and pulled the baby out. The little girl seemed to be in better spirits. She smiled at her mother and reached happily for her face. When she smiled, she flashed a now toothy grin. “It popped through!” Regina said excitedly. “You have a tooth” she cooed. 

“Now, we only have 19 more to go,” Robin retorted. He was glad that his baby girl finally had some relief. However, the realization that they would have to go through this 19 more times was not something that Robin wanted to think about. 

Since that day, Addy had grown six more teeth to add to her toothy grin. She looked incredibly cute whenever she flashy that cheeky little grin at anyone. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. “Guests are here.” Regina said as she made her way over to the door. When she opened it, Snow, Charming and Neal were outside with Emma and Hook. “Come in,” Regina said, opening the door wider. “Thank you for coming guys,” 

“As if we’d miss Addy’s first birthday,” Snow chorused. “Where is the birthday girl?” “She’s right here.” Robin said as he walked in from the kitchen. 

“Oh my goodness, look at the little ladybug outfit!” Snow cooed. “She looks so cute! I can’t believe how big she’s gotten.”  

“Neither can I,” Regina replied. “But anyway, come in. There’s food and drinks in the kitchen.” The group of people filed into the kitchen and over the next hour more people showed up. Granny and Ruby were next come, followed by Leroy and the rest of the dwarves. Archie also showed up a little later and of course, all the Merry Men were present. They were all talking happily when Regina announced it was time to bring out the birthday cake. She situated Addy in her high chair with just her headband and diaper on. She anticipated that things were about to get messy. After Addy was situated, she walked in with the birthday cake with one lit candle. Everyone began to sing. 

“Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Addy, Happy Birthday to you!” When the singing ended, Robin and Regina each blew on the single candle, until the flame turned to black smoke and everyone clapped. 

“Alright, let’s cut this cake.” Robin announced. He took the cake to the counter and cut one slice, which he handed to Regina. She took the piece of cake and set it down in front of Addy. The little girl looked at it curiously. She tentatively reached her hand out and touched the cake. She made a face at first and recoiled at the touch. 

“It’s cake, baby,” Regina said. She stuck her finger into the icing and got just enough to place inside Addy’s mouth. The little girl sucked the icing of her finger and smiled. Her eyes grew wide and everyone could see that she liked the cake. She reached down with her chubby little hands and grabbed the cake. With both hands, she shoved it into her mouth, getting icing all over her face in the process. 

“Well, I think the lass likes her cake.” Hook said with a laugh. 

“It’s a miracle she eats anything,” Regina replied. That sure was the truth. When they first started feeding Addy solids, she didn’t think they’d ever find a food that she’d actually eat. 

“Alright my little love bug, let’s try some peas.” Regina prompted as she pushed the baby spoon into her daughter’s mouth. As soon as the green mush touched her tongue, Addy instantly spit it back out. “Okay… I guess we don’t like peas.” She grabbed another jar of baby food. “What about carrots?” she asked, once again trying to feed her daughter. This time, Addy didn’t just let the food roll off her tongue. She full on spit it out, some particles landing on her mother’s skirt. “I guess that would be a no.” 

“She eat anything?” Henry asked, walking into the kitchen

“No. She doesn’t like peas and she definitely doesn’t like carrots.” Regina replied, motioning to her skirt. 

“We should make her eat a lemon.” Henry replied with a laugh. 

“Henry!” 

“What? It’d be funny. She’s not eating anyway. Might as well get a laugh out of it.” Henry told her. He went to the fridge and grabbed a lemon. He cut a slice and walked over to his sister and mother. 

“Henry…” Regina warned. 

“It’s not gonna kill her mom. Lighten up.” Henry told her. “Plus isn’t it a big brother’s job to tease his little sister just a little bit.” Without a second thought, Henry brought the lemon up to his sister’s lips. “Open up Ads,” he said. Surprisingly, the little girl opened up her mouth and sucked onto the lemon. She pursed her lips and scrunched up her nose at the sour taste. Both Henry and Regina laughed.  Despite the taste, Addy reached for the lemon once more and Henry let her have it. She once again made a sour face, but just kept eating it. “I can’t tell if she actually likes it or not.” 

“I’m not sure if she even knows.” Regina told him. 

“Well at least she eats something now,”Henry replied to his mother. Regina scoffed. Her baby was not going to eat lemons for the rest of her life. But Regina was determined and she wasn’t giving up. She practically bought every flavor of baby food that the store sold and she was going to have Addy try every single flavor until she found something that the little girl would eat. After a few dozen jars of baby food and a lot of patience, Regina found that Addy was partial to fruits. It wasn’t a perfect solution but it was definitely a start. 

As Addy continued to eat her birthday cake, she didn’t just shove the cake into her mouth. She transitioned to putting it on her head and in her hair. “Oh no!” Regina exclaimed as she tried to grab her daughter’s icing covered hands. “I wasn’t expecting that,” she added with a laugh. 

“Looks like little miss is gonna need a bath,” Robin replied with a laugh. “She has so much cake in her hair.” 

“Just imagine how bad it would be if you hadn’t let me cut her hair.” Regina retorted. Addy’s recent haircut had actually caused quite the argument between her and Robin. 

“No, absolutely not.” Robin said. 

“Robin, she needs a haircut.” Regina shot back. 

“Her hair is fine.” 

“It’s all in her eyes.” Regina told him. “She can barely see.” Robin looked at his daughter. She smiled at him behind the dirty blonde ringlets that fell in front of her eyes. “Listen, I’m not talking about giving her a buzz cut. I just want her to be able to see.” 

“I haven’t even cut Roland’s hair.” 

“That’s an argument for another day.” Regina replied. 

“You want to cut his hair as well?” 

“I want them to get a trim, Robin! I’m not scalping them.” Regina retorted. “Listen, I made an appointment at the hairdresser for noon and we’re going.” She said motioning to her and Addy. 

“I guess I don’t really get a say,” Robin answered in an indignant tone. 

“You could come with us.” Regina suggested. Robin knew in that moment he had lost. Regina was stubborn and there was no changing her mind, so Robin decided to go along. Just before noon, they wandered into the children’s hairdresser. The inside of the shop was painted in bright primary colors and the seats weren’t normal ones. Instead they were shaped like planes, trains and cars. 

“Hi guys,” The girl at the counter said. “How can I help you?” 

“We have an appointment for noon,” Regina replied.  

“Of course,” The girl replied sweetly. “Who’s getting a trim?” 

“That would be this little one,” Regina said, pointing to Addy. 

“Alright, little princess, let’s get you started. Who wants to hold baby?” 

“I will,” Regina replied. She climbed into the chair and positioned Addy on her lap. Almost instantly the little girl began to squirm and cry. “Shh, Shh, it’s okay,” Regina cooed, trying to get the little girl to stop crying. 

“Dada!” the baby girl cried, reaching out to Robin. 

“She wants you.” Regina said. “You’ll have to hold her.” Robin frowned. This wasn’t part of the agreement but he of course took the little girl into his arms and climbed into the plane shaped seat. “This is too cute. I need a picture.” Regina exclaimed as she pulled out her phone. “Smile!” 

“Alright, should we get started?” the girl asked. She took a tiny pair of scissors and began to line up where she wanted to cut. 

“Not too short,” Robin told the girl. 

“I promise not to take too much off.” Gently, she trimmed the hair in front of Addy’s eyes. When she was finished, she pulled Addy’s hair up into a cute tiny ponytail and placed a bow in her hair. 

“Oh my goodness, she looks so cute.” Regina exclaimed, once again snapping pictures. Robin couldn’t take the cuteness either. He hadn’t wanted Addy to lose her hair but he could see now that the haircut was needed. She smiled her toothy grin at him and Robin’s heart just melted. He loved this little girl so much. When the girl was finished, she handed Robin a cute little bag with a single lock of Addy’s dirty blonde hair. 

“For the baby book.” The girl told them. Regina took the hair and placed it in her purse as they paid. Then the three of them went out to get into the car. 

“See, I told you she’d look cute.” Regina told him. 

“Yes, love, you were right.” Robin conceded. 

“Now...what will it take to get you to let me cut Roland’s hair?” 

“That is an argument for another day,” Robin replied with a smirk on his face. Two could play at that game. 

After Addy, had finished her cake, Regina took her upstairs and gave her a quick bath, not wanting to keep her guests waiting much longer. When she went back downstairs, everyone was practically chomping at the bit for her to open up her presents. Snow and Charming had bought her two cute outfits and a stuffed horse that Addy absolutely loved. Emma had found a precious baby red leather jacket and Hook had gotten her a set of plush pirate toys. The gifts were practically endless. 

“So, is she walking yet?” Snow asked. 

“Not yet.” Robin replied. 

“She pulls herself up on stuff but she hasn’t actually taken any real steps yet.” Regina replied. She watched as Addy crawled around on the floor. From across the room, Addy spotted her favorite ladybug toy that was currently in Neal’s hands. Addy was determined if anything. She pushed herself up onto her two feet and eyed down the ladybug toy. Determined to get to it, she took a hesitant step towards the toy. And then she took another step...and then another.