The Nanny

Breaking Walls

The sun was starting to rise and the house was quiet, except for in the gym hidden away in the back of the mansion. Gloves pummeled a leather punching bag, the whacks echoing around the room as the first rays of dawn crept in through the many windows in the room. They mixed with the heavy breaths taken by the only occupant awake at this hour as he let out all his frustration on the bag he was imagining once again was his dear friend Jefferson's head.

He was grateful for the man's recommendation. Regina Mills was everything Robin had wanted in a nanny for his son. She was hard-working, dedicated, compassionate, and had the touch of a mother. Hearing little Grace praise her after wrestling the phone away from her father had convinced Robin to hire her but seeing her sitting on the steps talking with Roland within minutes of arriving had told him it was going to work out.

When Regina looked up at him, though, Robin cursed Jefferson to hell and back. There had been one very important thing he had forgotten to mention about Regina Mills—how absolutely beautiful she was.

It had been her warm brown eyes and soft smile that had his heart skipping a beat. Robin had managed to remain calm while talking with her, despite his heart still beating rapidly and his growing annoyance with Jefferson. When she had left to settle in her new room, he had fired off an angry email to the man. The response back seemed dripping with Jefferson's satisfaction.

So you've noticed, huh? Wait until you accidentally run into her wearing nothing but a towel. Good luck with that!

A few seconds later, Robin got another e-mail:

All joking aside, yes, she's beautiful but I didn't recommend her to set you up romantically. Regina Mills is the best nanny out there and I know she is the perfect fit for Roland. And in the five years she's worked for me, I've become honored to call her a friend. If you do anything to hurt her, I will fly out to Storybrooke and kick your ass all the way back to England.

Got it?

The last thing Robin planned to do was hurt any of his employees and he certainly wasn't going to pursue Regina. Marian hadn't been gone a year. He still hugged her pillow at night, inhaling her scent as he drifted off to sleep. Robin was far from ready to think of another woman romantically. He could appreciate Regina's beauty but in the end, all he wanted was to be friends with her.

She just made it so difficult, he thought as he took another jab at the bag. The moment on the top of the stairs was the only time he saw her eyes unguarded when she looked at him. Afterwards, he could see the walls behind them and he wondered what had happened to cause her to erect them. Especially toward him as she saw her be open to Roland as well as Will. He couldn't have insulted her already...could he?