Zelena's words played again and again in his mind, her words echoing over and over as his panic set in and million worst-case scenarios began to spin. He'd only been back for a couple of days and today was supposed to be a celebration of that—but he wasn't celebrating. And with each second that passed, he couldn't help but wonder if this was the price he'd have to pay for the magic of his resurrection…
"She's gone! She's gone!" Zelena called out with wide and terrified eyes as she burst into Granny's and pushed her way to the center of the room. "I don't know where she is! You have to help me, Regina!"
Robin had watched Regina slowly turn to her sister, and for a split second, he wondered if this were some sort of game. But as soon as his eyes met Zelena's and as soon as he felt Regina's fingers curl tightly around his hand, he knew that it wasn't—and as that realization set in, a knot formed in his stomach, quickly tightening until it was nearly impossible for him to breathe.
For a moment, no one said anything—and then all at once, everyone was speaking. He caught little bits here and there—something about someone wanting to get vengeance on the Wicked Witch and something else about the purity of a baby's heart and something else about how dark magic worked—and it wasn't until Regina's voice lifted over the rest that he actually understood how it had happened.
"How could you have left her alone?" Regina demanded. "How could you have been so careless, Zelena?"
"It was only for…"
"Are you actually defending yourself!?" Regina cut in, not letting her finish and likely not caring to hear the irrelevant explanation. "I knew I should have never let you…"
"Let me!? She's my daughter!"
"Unfortunately for her," Regina retuned as her eyes fell away from her sister.
Zelena shook her head, and her hurt was evident; but no one seemed to process that. The next thing he knew, he and Regina were going in opposite directions. Henry was staying with Roland and Belle would stay with Neal. Killian and Emma would check one side of town and Snow and David would check the other, while Regina went down to the docks and Robin went into the woods—and as he trudged forward, all he could think about was his tiny daughter and how she didn't deserve any of this.
But as he stands on the stairs that lead into Regina's vault, he can hear the soft hum of Regina's voice and he can see the glow of candles, and overwhelming sense of relief washes over him. He treads quietly down the stairs and recognizes the lullaby. A smile curls onto his lips as he remembers how she'd sang it to soothe a sick Roland when they were together in the Enchanted Forest and how she'd told him that it had been Henry's favorite when he was a little boy—and when he reaches the bottom of the stairs he can tell that his daughter feels the same way.
There's a little bundle of pink nestled in the crook of the Evil Queen's arm, cooing and smiling as she stares up at her. Her little fingers are wrapped around a shimmering strand of diamonds that the Queen is holding over her, and a spit bubble forms on her lips—and he watches as the Queen laughs softly as she pops it, making the little girl's eyes go wide with wonder.
They're sweet together, he thinks to himself—even this version of Regina and his daughter—and he can't help but be reminded of that moment in the Enchanted Forest when they'd first met, and she's swooped in to save his son. Everyone had been taken aback, himself included, to see the Evil Queen in all her regalia selflessly running toward a child she didn't know to keep him from harm's way. Her smile had been so genuine as she handed his son the stuffed monkey, and all he could do was thank her, and wonder how someone like the Evil Queen could have such a soft spot for children.
Clearing his throat, he pushes off the bottom stair, stepping into the vault and making himself known. The Queen's head turns quickly and he hears a little gasp escape her—and for an all too brief moment, there's a glint of happiness that flashes behind her eyes—and he realizes, this is the first time she's seeing him.
"Robin…" she murmurs breathlessly as the glint fades away. "I didn't hurt her."
"I didn't believe that you did," he says, taking a tentative step toward her and smiling gently down at the girl in her arms. "I'm just glad that she's okay."
"She wasn't even watching her. She never does."
"So you took her…"
The Queen's eyes cast downward as she rocks the baby in her arms. "She deserves better than a careless mother."
"I would have to agree," Robin says as he sits down beside her—and for a moment, he struggles to wrap his head around the notion that he's sitting beside the Evil Queen rather than Regina. When he came back just a few days before, she told him about the split and regretfully told him that it hadn't fixed her—and in that moment, his heart broke at the realization that she thought she needed to be fixed at all. Pushing away the memory, he smiles gently, he looks from his daughter to the woman beside him, and for the life of him, he can't separate the two because when he looks at her, all he sees is Regina.
"I suppose you're here to take her," she murmurs, her voice suddenly distant.
"No," Robin says, waiting for her to look back at him. "Not yet, anyway." Tentatively, he reaches out and rubs two fingers against the baby's soft cheek, chuckling as she coos and holding his breath as he lets his arm slide loosely around the Queen's waist. "She looks perfectly safe and content where she is." And then, he looks back to the Queen—to Regina—and his heart aches when tears well up in her eyes.