The Nanny

Moving On

Christmas wasn't what he expected.

It started shortly after the Winter Masquerade, when he received a phone call at work from Will. "They're here," he said tersely.

Robin frowned. "Who's there? Cora and Zelena? If so, you can throw them out immediately. Make sure they go nowhere near Regina."

"It's not them, relax," Will replied. "I meant your parents. They arrived early as a surprise."

He jumped up, eyes wide. "What? Shit. I'll see if I can leave right now and I'll be there as soon as I can. Marco should be around."

Robin hurried to his door and stuck his head out of the door. "Johanna? How does my afternoon look?"

"It's wide open," she replied, frowning. "Why? Do you need me to schedule something?"

"No. I need you to call Marco for me. I need to go home."

Johanna's frown deepened. "Is something wrong? Did something happen to Roland?"

"Everyone's fine," Robin assured her. "My parents decided to come early for Christmas."

"I'll call Marco then," she replied, picking up the phone.

Robin thanked her before heading back inside to grab his things. He blew out of the office, bidding Johanna a good night before climbing onto the elevator. As long as traffic wasn't too bad, he should make it home in no time.

*****

Will met him at the kitchen door. "I've put them in their room but they're asking for you."

"Have they seen Roland?" Robin asked, setting down his briefcase.

"Not yet," Will replied. "Mary Margaret and Regina have him in the gym for a combined health and science lesson. I'm not sure what."

He nodded. "Let's not interrupt them, then. I'll go talk to my parents now. Thanks, Will."

"You're welcome. I'll start preparing their favorites for dinner. I hope Regina likes British cuisine." Will headed toward the refrigerator, searching for the needed ingredients.

Robin nodded, heading upstairs. His parents weren't very demanding people except for one thing: When they came to visit him, they wanted as much of his time as possible. No work, no social outings without them, just twenty-four seven devoted to them.

For the most part, Robin tried not to begrudge them that. If Roland moved far away and only came home for a few visits, he'd want to spend all of his time with his son as well. But at the same time, Robin liked to believe he would understand that Roland would have his own life that he couldn't just drop because his father came for a visit. Why couldn't his parents understand that as well?

His mother Jane saw him first and her smile widened. She rushed him with her arms open. "Robin! There you are! What took you so long?"

"I thought you were coming in next Tuesday," he replied, returning her hug. "So I cleared my schedule from then on."

"We were going to come then but we found cheaper airline tickets for now. And we wanted to spend more time with you," his father, Andrew, replied.

"This isn't going to be an inconvenience, right?" Jane asked.

He sighed. "No. But I have at least one meeting this week I can't reschedule. You'll have to be okay with me going in for that."

They nodded, though he saw some hesitance in their eyes. Jane put on a bright smile. "As long as we can spend time with our darling grandson. Where is Roland?"