Robin buckles a sleepy Roland into his carseat, and closes the sliding car door. He lets out a breath as Regina comes from putting Zelena in the bug, She looks at him and sarcastically bites, "Are you sure you don't want to ride with her, she might be scared." He gives her an angry unforgiving look, "Regina."
She gets into the driver's side as he settles himself into the the passenger seat. Regina puts the keys in the ignition but doesn't turn the car on just yet. She pauses and sighs, then quietly speaks, "Robin- I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." She doesn't look him in the eye, looks straight out the window, to the yellow bug in front of them pulling away from the curb, when it's out of sight, Robin lays everything out on the table.
"No, I need to get this off my chest." She finally looks at him, after avoiding him since the news dropped that he had moved on."I should have fought for you, I should have never given up and found a way back to you somehow." Her hands gripping the steering wheel hard.
"You stayed for Roland, I can't blame you for that." Her hand reaches to turn the key and start the ignition, She glances in her rearview to make sure that Roland was sound asleep before they continued this conversation. Looking over her shoulder to look for oncoming traffic she pulls the car out of park and they start off on what it sure to be a long and stressful drive back to Maine.
Robin continues, He too now focused on the road; on the cars travelling around them. "And where did it lead him? he's without his mother again, I let Zelena take everything."
Regina sighs. She doesn't want to have this conversation again. it seems like they spent all evening in the bar talking about this- she is done talking about this, "You didn't know it was her- none of us did."
Robin doesn't stop talking- doesn't stop griping about what happened. "But I should have, Regina." Robin looks down into his lap, at his hands, he's ashamed, she thinks- he should be"I should have known that she wasn't my Marian, and because of that I not only failed you but I failed her as well." It's this revelation that has Regina shifting her mood, maybe she had been too hard on him when she learned that he'd moved on with her - or rather who he believed to be her.
She looked at him then took her eyes off the road for a quick moment, taking him in. His sorrow and guilt evident in his face and how he was now slumped over himself. She too felt guilt, "You can't keep blaming yourself." Guilt for letting another man she loved get hurt for loving her, "Had you not been with me in the first place, Zelena would have reason to try to take you from me. This is my fault." There was so much left unsaid when he left. So much hanging on the idea of them. Regina had spent weeks after he left telling herself that this is what she deserved. Robin choosing her was fate's cruel trick, then shortly after it was ripped away; she was a villain and 'villains don't get happy endings' she told herself time and time again. A stray tear rolls down Regina's cheek and dips into her lap.
"No, Regina don't think like that."Robin looks up, wants to comfort her, but can't due to them being on the road, on the way back to Storybrooke- Where all this mess started. He has to say something to make her feel reassured, "I don't regret loving you. I would choose you again and again despite what anyone would do to tear us apart." Regina sniffs, takes one hand off the wheel to wipe away tears that have started to run lines down her cheeks, pooling at her jaw and then falling to wet the fabric of her expensive dress.
"I bet that's what Zelena was counting on when she - when she did what she did."
For a while they just sit in silence, the streetlights along the freeway casting shadows in the van until the road turns into a single lane highway and signs start saying they are close to home. They are both tired, The stop at a gas station along the way to pick up coffee to get them through the rest of the journey overnight, it's where they catch catch up with Emma and her yellow car. The blonde asks Regina if she's okay and she just mutters "yeah." They don't stop for long, soon they are back on the road closing this distance between the last traces of this world and back to the sanctuary of Storybrooke.
It's late or early depending on how you want to look at it and Regina is running on very little sleep. There is still a tension that hangs between them- things still left unresolved from that day he sun is starting to peak over the horizon when they stop to cross the town line. Regina checks to see if Zelena's magic is still restrained. When she gets back into the car, Robin is waiting for her.
They drive through the magical barrier and can feel the change in the air when they cross back into Storybrooke, when they are through Robin looks at her and confesses, "I love you, Regina." It's what he was going to say the day he left. When they were standing right here along the town line two months ago. So much has changed since then, the whole world has changed since then. "I never stopped loving you. maybe that's why I was so desperate to make it work with her, I didn't want to live my whole life missing you." his voice is sure, there is no doubt in what he says, the guilt gone; replaced by something that sounds like
"I wanted to forget you because I couldn't stand living the rest of my life knowing that I could never see you again."
"But now you have a baby, with - with her" She feels like she can deal with this easier now that they are almost home; no longer in the cold and strange world outside of her town, it doesn't take the ire from her voice though. "I know." Robin are stuck in this horrible, unthinkable situation now and will be from here on out, 'it's a lifetime commitment' Regina had said earlier in the the bar.
They start driving again, Robin continues, "when I thought Marian was pregnant I thought that maybe it was a second chance. Someone that I could pour my love into and help me heal. I could have loved that child, with all my heart, it would have made me feel like losing you was somehow bearable. Now- it will be a terrible reminder of the horrible mistake I made. " All the things he could find words for before now spilling from him like water from a burst dam.
Regina could feel all the feelings welling up again, anger, hurt, betrayal, desperation. "What about me? was I to live forever alone?"
"No. I would have wanted you to love again. to find someone who deserves you."They turn into main street, past Gold's shop. Regina can see the clock tower on top of the library just down the street. 8:15 am - It's been a long forty eight hours. but all of that is behind them now.
"But fate?-"
Robin interrupts, "Is only a tool for us to find happiness. If we lost one another, we would have to move on." They pull up the curb in front of Granny's Diner, but neither of them move to get out just yet. They watch as Emma gets out of the car and runs to hug her pirate. "Your right."
"What are we going to do about the baby?"
"We?" Robin questions. There is hope in his voice - Of course there is, "does this mean there is still a chance for - Us?" She loves him still despite what happened- with all her heart. She can't keep punishing herself. Thoughts run through her head as to why they can no longer be together but the loudest - the young part says why not? there is nothing stopping them, no formerly dead wife, no honor code. They are free to be together, they always were - the thought makes Regina's blood boil. Damn you Zelena.
Robin seems to be in the same mindframe as her, "We could raise this baby together, you and me, and Henry and Roland. There is nothing stopping us from being a family, not even Zelena." It's what convinces her. If she doesn't give him another chance, forgive of what happened then Zelena wins, she would have succeeded in her sick and twisted plan. Denying herself what she always wanted - what she still wants, would only be hurting herself.
"I want that. to be a family." Regina coincides.
"It will be showing her that she can't take anything more away from us. no matter how hard she tries we are in this together." Robin continues. He reaches over and gives her hand a squeeze and she doesn't let go of him, looks down at their joined hands. if I went back to Marian it would be living a lie - She remembers him telling her the day he was forced to leave. That's what he'd been doing, living a lie. but they were back here now. We are here now and this is true - He once told her. He'd turned his whole life upside down for her, forgave her knowing exactly who she was and the horrors she'd done in her would she be if she couldn't forgive him?, couldn't love him despite his flaws?, she'd be no better than she was in the past.
She lets out a breath and answers,"yes."
They hear Roland waking in the the backseat. Regina spots Henry in the crowd, gets out to go a greet him before she gets out of the car she gives Robin confirmation of her feelings,
Robin steps out on the curb behind her, Henry offers him a cheerful 'welcome back' before hugging him -She's not the only one who missed him apparently. Regina feels a tugging at her heart, she'd wanted this for Henry for so long, a father figure for him. A family- not just her. She thinks about what Robin had said- could this actually work? she would have to forgive him completely. Robin walks back to the van and reaches inm unclipping Roland from his car seat and lifting him up, the boy clings to his father. Regina takes a few steps towards them, Robin notices her and puts a hand on her elbow. His touch is comforting.
"I'm going to get some breakfast into him, before he gets cranky." Emma begins to pull Zelena from the car. Charming approaches her, says something about taking her to the police station but Regina has a better idea. She needs to intervene quick.
"Okay. I'll make sure Zelena is put somewhere she can't do anymore damage to us until we can figure out a permanent situation." She says goodbye to Robin but feels like there is still something that she'd better say now, before she doesn't get the chance again, before she loses him again somehow.
"Robin" He stops and turns to face her, Roland in his arms hands around his neck. He looks at her and waits,
"I love you too." The words she's been holding in for months now, roll off her tongue. He smiles at her tells her he will see her again soon, and she feels light again like this whole mess never happened. She has the love of her life back. This isn't going to be easy, and it's certainly not ideal. But they are together and no matter what they are going to try and make this work, because they are a family.