Guard My Heart

Chapter Three

It's been a relatively quiet week since Regina had hired Robin. There's been no notes, no flowers, nothing at all from her admirer and she knows Robin has had a large part in that. Regina is aware that he's been screening her mail, though he hasn't said anything to her about it, and she is infinitely grateful for it. It's a relief to have someone else to share the burden with, to not have the stress of the situation solely on her shoulders anymore. And though she hasn't seen anything she knows they haven't stopped. Not only is it wishful thinking and improbable but Robin also has this way of looking at her that is pitifully easy to see through and when he does she knows there's been another one. But it's his job to worry about it now, not hers.

So she's done her best to put it out of her mind. To enjoy the last week with her son before she starts shooting and her schedule goes from relaxed to sixteen hour days on set and hardly any time with him. Regina wonders downstairs looking for him and finds him huddled with Robin at the kitchen table, there's a board game laid out in front of them and it's quite clear that Henry has roped him into playing with him. Her heart stutters a beat at the sight of them. Robin's been great with Henry, sweet and caring, and it's nice to see her son have that type of male interaction he's had very little of in his life.

But it does things to her and Regina's hormones take a hit at the sight. Having Robin underfoot constantly would be fine, a touch annoying, but fine if it weren't for the fact that she is wildly attracted to him and has no idea how to handle that. She's been jumpy and jittery around him for a week now and it's not getting any better, driving her mad in fact. How is she suppose to resist her attraction to him when he goes and eases her mind and plays silly games with her son?

"Ha! I win!" Henry exclaims all of a sudden, jumping up from his chair to do a little happy dance, Robin grinning at him. His smile makes her weak in the knees and Regina takes a deep breath to calm the butterflies dancing around in her stomach.

"What do we have here?" she asks from the doorway, chuckling as both of them shift their focus to her with identical expressions of merriment.

Henry runs over to her, grabbing her hand and dragging her across the kitchen to the table to show her. "I kicked Robin's butt in Sorry!" he declares happily, gesturing toward the board where all four of his blue tokens are gathered together in the home bubble while Robin's green ones have only managed to get one there, several of them still at the start.

Her eyes meet his over Henry's head and she smiles at him and tisks, "Trounced by a ten-year-old at a children's board game. How does it feel, Locksley?" Regina unashamedly enjoys the way his eyes light up in challenge at her use of his last name. Over the last week she's discovered his reaction to it, the way his jaw tenses and he's forced to breath slowly through his nose once before he can respond, has thoroughly delighted in tormenting him with it at every opportunity. It's not helping their current predicament in the slightest but Regina can't quite resist the temptation, relishes knowing he's at least halfway affected by her as she is by him. They simply just have to keep ignoring the feelings bubbling up within them, that doesn't mean she can't have a little fun agonizing him as well.

"The boy put up quite a fight. He deserves his win." Robin grins at her. She looks lovely this morning, dressed to go to set in those form fitted slacks that hug her figure in tantalizing ways and a casual sweater. Stunning in every way, Robin thinks, and it's entirely unfair. This woman is off limits and yet the more he gets to know her, the more of her he learns, the more Robin wants her. It's driving him absolutely mad. "You look lovely this morning."

Regina blushes slightly at the compliment, hopes neither he nor Henry notice. "Thank you. We need to be leaving. Gold will murder me if I'm late for my call time and I'd rather avoid his wrath on the first day. It'll make the whole shoot a horrid experience." she laughs, moving to pour coffee into a to-go cup from the cupboard. "And you, young man, have school. Mary Margaret will be here any minute to take you. Go up and grab your things so you're ready when she gets here."