A/N: This is a little story set a few months post-finale that gives a glimpse into the Mills-Hood family and how they're dealing with everything put before them where the finale left off. Not sure if this will remain a one-shot or if I will add more stories, generally dealing with OQ and their family during this time. Let me know if you would be interested in more, and if so feel free to leave prompts.

Even walking up the stairs feels like a chore this evening. Robin's legs are so heavy, his eyes bleary, and it is only the sound of Regina and their boys' voices and laughs that keeps Robin from collapsing into the closest chair he can find as soon as he closes the door behind him. It's a Saturday and Robin planned to spend the day here, with the woman he loves and their sons, but David had called and asked for help at the station. Being David's deputy is a job that Robin would never have seen for himself (he still is not overly fond of law enforcement), but Robin is a part of this town now, so he fills the vacancy left by another thief turned sheriff.

Robin follows the sound of Regina's deep, rich laugh and Roland's excited chatter to the end of the hallway. He finds them and Henry in the guest bedroom that Regina had mentioned turning into a nursery, but which just yesterday had still been filled with a full size bed and sophisticated decorations. But what he sees in front of him now is a room that he suspects has been magically cleared of its old furniture, but is now in the midst of being decorated by hand.

Henry is on a stepstool paining the top border of the room purple. Roland is on Regina's shoulders, dabbing his brush filled with pale yellow paint haphazardly at the wall, while Regina and Henry try not to laugh at his attempts. They're all covered in paint, and Robin takes a moment to stare at Regina's hair, tied back in a ponytail and streaked with yellow.

Robin watches the three of them unnoticed for a moment. They look like a family, a happy family. Robin is grinning as he walks into the room, his hand settling on the side of a beautiful light wood crib. "What is all this?"

"Our little sister needs somewhere to sleep," Roland tells him, as Regina lifts him off her shoulders so that he can run to Robin. Robin lifts his boy into his arms, and Roland is all smiles as Robin swings him around before setting him back on the ground. Robin thanks his lucky stars that Roland came through the ordeal with Zelena unscathed. Robin still feels a bit of unease about erasing his son's memory, knows he will need to explain it to Roland when he is older and when he starts asking more questions about his little sister. For now Robin just holds his son and revels in his beautiful smile.

Robin looks over at Regina and Henry, the boy climbing down from the ladder and standing next to his mother. She's barefoot, giving Henry a slight height advantage now, but Robin thinks he has never seen Henry look more like a boy than he has in these past few months. He's clung more to her these last few months, his anchor in the horrible storm following Emma becoming the Dark One. Regina has spent many a night in her teenage son's room after he wakes from a nightmare of Regina covered in blood, dying from a sword wound that Robin still dreams about himself.

Regina's hand is on Henry's back, rubbing gentle circles, and smiling at him. Henry leans against Regina's side and seems to relish the way she wraps her arm more snugly around him. Regina smiles at Robin, that genuine, wide, loving smile. She's wearing leggings and a t-shirt that is streaked with paint matching the yellow spots under her ear and in the hair. Robin grins widely, adores that he gets to see her like this, free, uninhibited, and so happy. He counts his lucky starts that he is the man she has chosen to share herself with.

Robin has wondered many sleepless nights if it is unfair to drag Regina into raising this child with him, but she looks so happy right now, looking at him and surrounded by their sons, preparing a nursery for their baby. Their baby.

"We didn't mean to start without you," Regina tells Robin, her eyes so bright and full of love, "but Henry and I were looking through his baby things to see what our little peanut could use."

Robin's heart melts at our little peanut. It had taken many a midnight conversation before Regina believed that Robin would truly see the baby as theirs. She had been so afraid, but finally after so many nights (nights that ached when Robin saw the tears in Regina's eyes, but nights always ended with them falling asleep in each other's arms, nights that Robin thinks have made their relationship closer) Robin had convinced Regina that he wanted nothing more than to raise this child as together, that if she wanted that the baby would be theirs. After that Regina's enthusiasm had grown by the day and she had started to prepare their home (their home – Robin still finds himself tearful at the thought that this is real, that they're finally together, choosing to build a family together) for a new little life.

Robin needs to go to Regina, must wrap his arms around this amazing woman, the mother of his child. He can finally hold her in his arms now that he is back with her after terrible long weeks in New York, weeks that make Robin feel physically ill to think about. But he tries to push the thoughts of Zelena and her deception from his mind, pushes the feel of her embrace (Marian's arms, he thinks before correcting himself, trying to remember the woman he loved as she was) from his mind. Focuses instead on Regina, a woman who loves him enough to take this journey with him, a woman who has embraced this child so easily no matter the circumstances of its conception.

Regina is looking at him with concern, and Robin wonders just how much of his thoughts his face betrayed. He goes to her then, pressing a soft kiss to her lips with a reassuring smile that he's ok. Regina engulfs Robin in a tight hug, and his eyes slip closed as he revels in the warm protection of her arms. She makes him feel safe and so loved. He buries his face in her hair, breathes in the scent of her shampoo and paint, and presses kisses to the silky strands. Robin stays in Regina's arms for a moment, soaks up the joy of simply being with her.

He keeps an arm around Regina's waist when he pulls away, would gladly stay wrapped in her embrace if they didn't have two kids just staring at them. But Regina presses in closer, her arm holding him tightly as she looks up at him to check that he's ok.

Robin nods and smiles in thanks, before he turns to Henry, clasps him on the shoulder, tells him, "Thank you for doing all this."

Henry smiles back at Robin. "Sure. It was fun, and Roland is right, our baby sister is going to need somewhere to sleep.

Robin feels so grateful that Henry has accepted Robin gracefully back into his and Regina's lives like this, that he's accepting the baby as well. Robin already adores this young man, so much Regina's son: clever, witty, kind, brave, and deeply protective of the people he loves.

"What can I do to help?" Robin asks.

"You've had a long day," Regina says. "Why don't we take a dinner break?"

"At least let me cook. You three did all this." Robin motions around the room, takes in the stuffed animals, the colorful blankets, the rocking chair that Regina spent many nights rocking Henry in.

"Mom already agreed to pizza." Henry says happily as he pulls his phone out of his pocket.

Robin leans into Regina, wraps his arms around her waist and presses a kiss to her lips and tells her, "I love you so much."

"I love you too." She gives him a soft kiss and Robin feels like the luckiest man alive, does every time she kisses him, every time she touches him with such love, every time she says those words. She had been the first one to say it. Of course he had been saying it in not so many words for a year, but he hadn't wanted to pressure her, had held off on saying I love you after they were back together until she was ready. She told him one night as they talked about this child, about his concern that perhaps he was pressuring Regina into a commitment to him by telling her he wanted her to be the baby's mother. She had told him then with absolute certainty that he and their family was the only future she wanted, that she loved him. Robin had returned the sentiment that he had felt in his heart for so long (he thinks he cannot remember a time when he knew Regina and didn't love her), his eyes filled with tears, as he laughed a giddy laugh, and kissed her.

"I hope you like the room," Regina says. "We can change anything. Roland got so excited once Henry and I started pulling boxes out of the attic that he didn't want to wait to start decorating. Then Henry joined in. They've already figured out that I can't say no when there are two of them."

"Just wait until there's three of them." Robin says, trying to be enthusiastic, trying not to associate this innocent baby with Zelena's actions. "This is all amazing Regina. I don't know how to thank you for loving our baby so much. I'm still…" Robin sighs and looks away, ashamed. "There are some days when I don't know if I will love her enough."

"You will," Regina says with such certainty, looking up to meet his eyes. "We will both love our sweet little girl just like we love our other kids." Robin tries to believe her, wants to be strong for his family. Regina squeezes him tighter to her and gives him a little smile. "I'm afraid too sometimes, but I remember how easy it was to fall in love with Henry, to just hold him and know he was my son. You have every right to be afraid and conflicted, but I know you Robin." She presses her hand to his chest, tells him, "I know your heart." He loves the way she looks at him, loves that she seems able to see into his soul. "And I know that once we hold our girl nothing else will matter."

Robin tries to believe Regina; he holds her tighter and tries to believe that his heart will be as strong enough to love his daughter how she deserves. He steals a glance at Roland and Henry, who are looking through boxes of old toys and books.

Robin sees Regina watching their boys too, a worried expression on her face. "How is Henry today?"

"I think it's setting in that it's going to take time to get Emma back." Regina looks so terribly sad as he tells Robin, "I wish I could make everything ok for him. I'm his mother, and I can't do anything to help him."

Robin presses his forehead to Regina's. "You know that isn't true."

"He doesn't deserve this. Neither does Emma"

Robin hates the implication: Regina does. She deserves the pain she's suffered in her life. She deserved to be the one the darkness took. Robin fears those thoughts will always linger for Regina, but he will be damned if he doesn't do everything in his power to prove to her how loved she is and how good and beautiful and deserving of love and happiness she is. She's getting there, Robin thinks; in these last months he's seen a kind of peace and contentment settle over her. And though she hurts terribly for what happened to Emma, for what Henry is going through, Robin sees so much joy in Regina in the quiet moments when she's with him and their boys. He sees her wide, bright smile every day. It's a blessing that Robin can hardly believe is his to cherish.

Robin captures Regina's lips in a soft kiss, runs his hands up and down her back. "I love you so much."

"I love you too Robin. Our family is going to be ok. We will all get through this together."

Robin's heart swells at the words our family. He still doesn't feel like he deserves the forgiveness and love that Regina has given him, but he won't turn away from her gifts, won't turn away from their family. "You're right my love. As long as we have each other and our children we can do anything."

They watch Henry and Roland together, Robin frowning a bit as he looks at the older boy and thinks of all that Henry is going through. "Henry didn't need to do all this."

"He wanted to. He's excited about his sister." It still amazes and humbles Robin some days how fully Regina has embraced this child, how she has been able to trust that Robin truly wants her to be the baby's mother.

Robin takes a deep breath, tries to calm his nerves and take in all the good that surrounds him. "Our lives are about to change forever."

Regina smiles and tells him, "It's going to be amazing."

Robin hates that his stomach still twists at the thought of how this child was conceived. For a moment he feels overwhelmed by nausea and anger. But then he looks at Regina, her eyes soft and full of love at the thought of this child, and Robin finds himself believing that he will love this baby just as much as he loves Roland.

Regina senses his unease, her hands wind into his hair, caressing his scalp, and making Robin purr. Regina chuckles at him before leaning closer and whispering, "It'll be ok Robin. We are both going to love our little girl so much."

"I do love her," Robin says, his throat instantly choked with tears. "It's just hard not to think of Zelena sometimes."

"I know." Regina reassures him, her fingers running through Robin's hair. He focuses on Regina's hands, imagines her touch washing away the memory of Zelena. It doesn't work, he can't erase that woman, no matter how hard he tries. He grasps Regina's hand in his stilling her movements and bringing her palm to his lips.

"I'm sorry." Robin shakes his head. "Thank you for doing all this. The nursery is incredible, and you have Roland and Henry so excited."

"You don't need to be sorry, and you don't need to be ok right now."

"I need to be ok for our daughter. She needs a father who loves her unconditionally."

"That is exactly what she will have. It's what she already has. You love this baby so much already."

"I do." Robin doesn't realize there are tears on his cheeks until Regina is wiping them away.

"I know. Having doubts doesn't make you love her any less. And neither does thinking about what Zelena did to you."

Regina's fingers wind into Robin's hair, thumbs caressing his face. He reaches up and intertwines their hands, holding on to her tightly. She's been his strength on this journey they're taking together to become parents again. Regina squeezes his hands and presses a little kiss to his nose before letting her forehead fall against his. "I'm not going anywhere," Regina whispers, and Robin holds onto the promise like a lifeline. He breathes Regina in and holds tight to the knowledge that they have each other and together he trusts that they can face the future.