AN: Despite the setting for this story I'm not trying to get into the politics of war as this is not the right forum and I'm painfully unqualified so I've set this fic in modern times but using Misthaven, DunBroch, Arendelle, Camelot and other Once locations as the fictional backdrop for this story. This is however my small tribute to the underpaid and undervalued work of journalists – as inadequate as it is.

As always nothing is mine.

Regina kept her head down and her collar up as she slipped into the diner. There was a time when being a reporter meant you were safe in battle raged cities but those days were long gone and well before her time. Now days killing a reporter was an almost guaranteed front page story, a statement for whatever cause you were fighting for. Not something she had ever been able to understand really but something she had to be aware of as it certainly made her work more dangerous than that of reporters past.

"Granny," she murmured in greeting.

"What can I get for you?" The old woman spoke gruffly but Regina didn't take it personally – she was like that with everyone.

"Whatever I can get for…" Regina paused putting her hand in her pocket and pulling out two gold coins. "Well – this." She shrugged, dropping the coins on the table. Ruby, Granny's granddaughter laughed.

"Ain't gonna be much Regina." She said, the smile on her face not really matching the note of concern in her voice. "When you heading home?" Ruby was younger than Regina by maybe 10 years and Regina had never been one for 'girlfriends' but there was something about Ruby you just had to like. Even in the crazy circumstances she had been born into Ruby always had a smile and was as loyal a person as Regina had ever seen. Somehow in the year Regina had been working here they had become friends.

"Not for another two weeks," she replied running her hand through her hair.

"That's a long stint, even for you," Ruby said as she dried a few glasses. Regina stayed longer than most, she knew, but she also had less to return home to…

This time she had already been five weeks at the "Front" – what they had taken to calling a strip of land between the neighbouring territories of Camelot and DunBroch currently at war. The Front was, for the moment, technically under the tyrannical rule of Arthur from Camelot but the Front changed hands frequently as the war 'progressed' – Regina gave a snort at the word that had flown into her mind – there was no 'progression'. This battle had been raging for almost a year and there was only loss on both sides.

She had a photographic journalist for 12 years but focused solely on crisis or war or disasters only for the last four. Ever since she lost her fiancé Daniel. She quit her job as a salaried political photojournalist and took to freelancing – taking on more and more dangerous assignments for increasingly less money given that any nitwit with a cell phone and a satellite connection could become a 'freelance photographer' these days, though their photographs lacked any artistic input what they lacked in skill they made up for in sheer numbers and even Regina could admit there was something to be said for simply being in the right place at the right time.

She sighed and shook her head – some days she had no idea why she continued to do this. Her mother was convinced Regina did it only to piss her off. She had been so proud of her daughter – head political phtotjournalist for the Misthaven Tribune, invited to all the most glamourous events, a respected job at the most respected paper in the country, on her way to a career in television. Though admitedly it was the invitations her mother was proud of. She had never really seen Regina's photography as a career.

Regina's father was mostly concerned that Regina was continuing on this path so that she could join Daniel – and some days Regina wasn't entirely certain he was wrong…

Though there were certainly less painful ways to go she thought as Ruby dropped a plate of stale bread and black rice in front of her "best I could do," she shrugged apologetically and Regina just smiled her thanks and took her plate to a dirty table.

Granny's was in the 'Green Quarter' a somewhat unofficial 'neutral zone' where reporters and medics from both sides of the war (or from territories that weren't involved in the conflict like Misthaven) could more or less safely reside. She picked at the food in front of her, well at least it would be filling and she'll get a new cheque soon for the pictures she had just posted online so her next meal would hopefully be more substantial. She took a sip of ale and swallowed a few bites. At the Front it was either ale, whisky or somewhat dirty water. The water made Regina's stomach cramp and whisky muddled her mind too much and interfered with her work, so ale it had to be.

A plate banged down across from her and she didn't have to raise her head to know who it belonged to – Locksley, the bane of her existence. He was also a photojournalist though he had a lot more years' experience working on the front line than Regina had and insisted on treating Regina like a tourist which irked her. He knew of her previous career and teased her relentlessly for it, call her 'Your Majesty' – insisting she was slumming it to earn herself a Pulitzer… if only he knew… but she had always refused to tell him her story, no matter how much he asked. Regina was known for keeping to herself, playing her cards close to her chest and she and Robin had developed quite the competitive rivalry over the years – trading barbs and always trying to one-up each other with a scoop or a shot.

"Your Majesty," he teased.

"Thief," she retorted.

"You wound me milady," Robin continued mockingly placing his hands over his heart, in that accent that even she couldn't deny did something to her. She had been attracted to Robin since she first met him. Those blue eyes and his easy dimpled smile. But after Daniel she had sworn off relationships, they were just not worth the heartbreak so she had continued to keep Robin at arm's length… Not that he had shown any interest in her – other than to steal her shots…

"You stole my shoot, and my contact!" she retorted hotly, crossing her arms across her chest and glaring at him.

"Can I help it if I have more funds at my disposal? And might I say more charm? The poor man was terrified of you. Said you threatened to sell him out to Arthur's troops if he didn't help you. Really Regina – where's your heart?" His last comment was more statement than question and it irritated her to no end.

Regina huffed - they had, after all, been through this before – many times. "Must you always believe everything you hear Locksley?"

"When only one person is doing the talking Milady do I have a choice?" he was grinning at her – he knew the contact was lying he was just trying to get her to open up a little to him – well it wouldn't work. "Why do these people insist on calling you the 'Evil Queen'?" his tone had turned more serious.

"I don't have to explain myself to you," she said quietly, as she rose to her feet.

One picture – it had been one damn picture and it had been an important picture damn it! But the Misthaven Tribune had buried it, but not the story that accompanied it, written by Regina's accompanying journalist Mary Margaret Blanchard. Mary was in no way ready for the Front. She was barely out of graduate school and only came to 'earn her stripes' before heading back to Misthaven to take over her father's media company. The story Mary had written was childish and hopeful, rainbow kisses and unicorn stickers. Convincing the people of Misthaven that peace was around the corner. Regina's pictures of a children's hospital that had been bombed by Arthur was meant to open the eyes of the people of Misthaven… but all the people at the Front had seen was a cold hearted photojournalist taking pictures of their dead children. It was not what she had wanted, but the Evil Queen moniker had stuck with the locals. She largely blamed Mary… if the girl had written the right story maybe her photo's wouldn't have been in vain? Or appeared so vampiric? The fact that her picture's never saw the light of day meant that most of the expats in the Green Quarter didn't really know where the name come from… but they all just loved to use it.

"It's because you never let anyone in, you're so cold to everyone all the time," her colleague Emma said to her one night over whisky shots at Granny's.

"I don't want to let anyone in," she had retorted coldly.

"Well you let us in," Ruby chuckled, clinking her glass with Emma's and taking a shot from her position behind the bar.

"I didn't let you in," Regina snarled, "you two broke in – with a chain saw."

"Perhaps you don't have to explain yourself to me," Robin said, bringing her back to the present and conceding more quickly than she had anticipated. "But you do have to eat Regina. Here – " he pushed his plate across. It was piled with some kind of meat (and it was warm!) and what looked like fresh bread and some beans. Regina snorted, rolling her eyes at his rather poor attempt at chivalry given his stealing her photo shoot had cost her almost 50 gold coins.

"Please – you probably poisoned it." Robin huffed and picked up his fork taking a bit of what smelled like half decent stew. It made Regina's stomach growl but she ignored it. After chewing and swallowing Robin raised an eyebrow almost in challenge. "I don't need your charity Thief." She said, lifting her chin a little, and she didn't. So what if she skipped meal here and there? She could look after herself.

"Regina –" he began only to be cut off by the bell as the door of the poor excuse for a diner opened and the cackling laughter of Zelena West was heard. She was a war correspondent, reporting on the Front like Robin and Regina, but unlike Regina and Robin, Zelena was salaried to some big syndicated media group from her home country of Oz. She always came with an entourage – her poor assistant Walsh, a cameraman sometimes (though not at the Front) and a minimum of two or three junior assitants that Regina always thought of as Zelena's trained monkeys. They did whatever Zelena told them – and nothing else, never made a decision or God forbid thought for themselves.

Regina took in the sight in front of her – Zelena West was certainly a piece of work. Where Regina and Robin dressed to fit in with their surroundings, Zelena dressed to stand out in a pale grey suit and hat. Zelena was the kind of person who would sell her own mother to get a story, she had absolutely no scruples and always got what she wanted. And she had made no secret that she had her sights set on Robin Locksley. Zelena finished barking orders at Granny (who looked mildly amused at Zelena's antics) then turned her gaze on the old Tavern. Really what was Zelena even doing here? Regina thought until the other woman's eyes narrowed as she took in the sight of Regina and Robin seated together at the table. Regina did not need to be in Zelena West's crosshairs and she quickly stood up.

"Give it to Zelena." Regina said mock sweetly pushing the plate of dinner back towards Robin and leaving quickly through the back door to avoid crossing paths with Zelena. She furrowed her brow a little in confusion as she caught sight of the pained look that flit across Robin's face when she left – she would never understand that man. Like nails down a blackboard Zelena's high pitched English accent shrieked through the night making Regina scowl as she slammed the back door of the diner "Robin, dearest!" Zelena exclaimed. Regina involuntarily flinched at the accompanying image of exchanged air kisses and hand holding across the table flew into her mind with those words – she had seen Zelena and Robin together enough times to know how it went with those two though why Robin was interested in a woman like Zelena West, Regina could never understand.

Robin always seemed so down to earth, almost noble (when he wasn't stealing her exclusives). Zelena on the other hand was as shallow as they came. Conniving, manipulating with an uncanny knack for getting under Regina's skin. Regina shook her head in an attempt to clear it. She was in no mood tonight to be thinking about Zelena and Robin. She had lost her scoop on the raid at a local orphanage to Robin which meant what had been a cover worth 50 gold pieces became a back page worth maybe 15? She was cold, she was tired and now that Robin had interrupted the meal she spent her last gold coins on she was hungry! She just wanted to get home and sleep. She would have to try and make a new contact tomorrow – perhaps someone closer to Arthur's inner circle? Or she could focus on Fergus and DunBroch?

Lost in thought about where she would start her search (and where she would get the money to buy information) Regina didn't hear the footsteps behind her until someone had a firm grip on her arm and had pulled her across the street and down an narrow alley way. While Regina's heart raced she remained calm. This was often how people made contact with her. She had been on the scene long enough to be somewhat recognizable and besides, she well and truly knew how to take care of herself. When her companion finally turned her around to face him her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Robin?" She blinked up at him. "What are you doing?"

"You, Milady, forgot your dinner," he said pressing a takeout container into her hands and from the smell of it; it was certainly not her dinner.

"And the cloak and dagger routine?" She asked gesturing to the alley he had practically dragged her down.

"Ah – " Robin looked sheepish and just then a distinctive cackle was heard coming from Granny's. Regina peeked her head around the corner and saw Zelena looking up and down the street, obviously searching for someone.

"You're running away from Zelena?" She asked incredulous. Robin merely shrugged sheepishly, biting his lower lip as he smirked at Regina and put his hands in his pockets. "Lover's tiff?" she queried, to tease him of course, she didn't care if they were together or not, why would she? But Robin's head snapped up at her remark, his grin dropping a little and his eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Lover's – what? You think Zelena and I are together?" He gave a hearty laugh. "I'm not interested in Zelena. Surely you of all people know that Regina," he said giving her a look that combined with is words did something to her belly.

"What would I know?" she said, trying for defensive but her response came out more breathless than anything. "You two seem to have dinner together more often than not, I'm sure I'm not the only one to have assumed..." She let her voice trail off.

"Well we're not. I've tried to make it clear that I'm not interested but Zelena West doesn't seem to take 'no' for an answer... I guess I assumed you knew me better than that," his voice was disappointed but not angry as he looked away from her for a moment. "We've known each other long enough for you to know I could never be interested in Zelena." Robin looked back into her eyes as he took a step closer to her, his hands coming up to squeeze her biceps as he held her gaze fro a moment before he smiled again and took a step back. Regina merely nodded as he continued to walk backwards towards the main street, keeping his gaze locked on Regina's.

"This doesn't make up for stealing my exclusive Thief!" she called after him, her grin belying her tone.

"Where I come from Milady a simple thank you would suffice," he called back to her as he began to jog away.

"Don't I know it," Regina said to herself as she watched him go then continued off to what had become her home.

She had been staying in a room off the main street not far from Granny's – and it really was just a room. With the little money she received for her photographs she had to skimp where she could and she had no need for a fancy hotel (not that one could find one on the Front) or three course meal (though the stew Robin gave her smelled incredible). Her room had a mattress on the floor and she had brought her own sleeping bag with her. She had a gun, her tablet and some pepper spray that she carried with her wherever she went and that was it. She liked to ensure that she'd be ok if her room was broken into (which it frequently was when she first arrived though after five weeks the locals knew she had nothing of value in here).

She opened the door with her key, dropping her bag and Robin's take out near her mattress, she kicked off her shoes and jeans and pulled on some sweatpants before sitting on her bed and opening the takeout box full to the brim with Granny's stew. God it smelled incredible and she groaned as she put the succulent meat and warm, spicy gravy into her mouth. After two days of bread and rice this was almost worth the 50 gold coins it had essentially cost her – though she would never admit that to Robin.

She turned on her tablet with one hand as she continued to eat with the other savouring each bite (who knew when she would next get a meal like this?). She opened her emails and saw there was nothing urgent – nothing that couldn't wait until tomorrow – updated her twitter feed with today's events which included a dig at robinlocksley for his lack of honour, something she knew would get his attention and smirked a little as she imagined his reply.

Finishing her dinner she tossed the takeout container in the bin and quickly brushed her teeth. She would need to get an early start tomorrow she thought as she pulled her hair into a ponytail and slipped into bed, completely exhausted as she always seems to be when on assignment. As she drifted off to sleep she couldn't help but think about a certain blue-eyed Thief who did one thing tonight she never thought he could – he surprised her.