Better When I'm Dancing

After the Show (Part Two)

"I'll show you to the bathroom," Regina said, leading her into the next room. She tried not to look at the rumpled sheets on the bed, caused by another night of passion, and hoped Claire didn't notice either.

She stopped outside the room in question. "Right here. We'll wait for you in the sitting room."

Claire looked around the suite with wide eyes and her mouth hanging open. "You know, I've stayed in a lot of fancy places since Robin became a famous musician...but I still can never get over how opulent some of these rooms are. This is more like an apartment than a hotel room!"

Regina chuckled. "It is a bit much, isn't it? Especially since we've mostly been just sleeping here."

"Well, I won't keep everyone waiting," Claire said, slipping into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

Once the door clicked closed, Regina hurried over to the bed and tried to smooth out the blankets. It was more for her own peace of mind as she was sure Claire had to have some idea of what they were doing in the hotel room even before she arrived. She knew there was a difference, though, between having an idea and seeing proof.

She then returned to the living room, where Roland was bouncing around his father. "I wanna see the Statue of Liberty! I wanna see the Statue of Liberty!"

Robin chuckled as he tried to calm his son down. "We'll go see the Statue of Liberty, Roland. You need to stop jumping. There are people on the floor below us."

"There are?" Roland stopped, looking down as if he could see through the floor. "Really?"

Henry chuckled. "That's how hotels work. There are a lot of rooms and people stay in them so they have a place to sleep while they are away from home."

"Oh," Roland replied, looking amazed. "But our room looks like a home."

"That's because the show is paying for us to stay in the best room in the hotel so we all will be comfortable together," Regina told him, cupping her cheek.

He smiled, his dimples on full display. "That's really nice of them. Is it because you and Papa won?"

"Pretty much," Robin replied, ruffling his son's curls.

Claire emerged from the bathroom, pulling her purse onto her shoulder. "Okay, I'm ready to explore the city. Who is with me?"

Everyone cheered except Henry. He glanced at the door. "Should we tell Emma?" he asked Regina.

She bit her lip, trying to figure out what to do. It was pretty clear that Emma had something going on with Killian and Regina was sure they probably wanted some time to herself. Emma probably also wanted to see New York with him rather than their group. She knew she'd probably chose Robin if she was in the same position.

"I'll send her a text," she told her son by way of compromise. "If Emma wants to join us, she can always do so."

Robin clapped his hands. "Now that that's all settled, let's go paint the town red!"

Stopping short, Roland frowned. "But I don't have any paint."

They all tried to hide their laughter, Henry pressing his hand over his mouth to do so. Regina crouched down, looking Roland in the eyes as she explained: "It's just an expression. It means we're going to do a lot of things as we explore the city."

"Oh," he said, brightening up. He took Regina's hand again. "Okay. I can do that!"

Laughing, the small family left the hotel room and headed to the elevator, all eager to begin their adventure in New York.