All she could do was watch. Watch as he stood by a short distance, struck with relief and— she hurt to admit it—happiness. A happiness that sparked within him, without her.

"I'm sorry, Regina." Emma said again. She sounded sincere. Regina kept her eyes at Robin and his family, but she could see Emma standing by her peripheral. The hatred she never thought would come back stirred deep inside, tainting her heart with that poisonous but intoxicating darkness. At a flick of a finger, she knew full well Emma would be incinerated instantly.

But she couldn't do it. Not when everyone was there.

Henry. Her lips pursed. Robin.

Regina hurried outside Granny's diner without another word, letting her tears fall when no one noticed her leave.


Robin couldn't remove the smile from his face. She was there, eyes sparked with life and laughter. His Marian. Her long dark hair, pink lips and rosy cheeks were just as beautiful as he remembered. "I've missed you," he confessed, caressing her in his arms. "I never thought I'd see you again."

"Me neither," Marian said. She let out nervous laughter. "When I was imprisoned, all I could think about was you and Roland." The memories brought tears to her eyes. "This…" her voice was shaky, "This is truly a blessing."

Robin could not agree more. Marian patted their son on the head as he nuzzled against his mother. "The Evil Queen was going to execute me in the morning. The next thing I know, I was forced into traversing time with Emma and Killian—something about breaking the fabric of space time."

Robin's once elated feeling fizzled out as fast as it came. His heart clamored and his stomach churned as he realized—Regina. He turned his head to the direction of his queen, but she had gone.

"Robin?" Marian said, looking around with him, "Is there something wrong?"

Panic filled his heart. He turned to Marian, frazzled. "It's nothing," he lied.

She glared at her husband. "You can't lie to me," she said. Marian took him by the hand and squeezed him firmly. "You may have gotten years' worth of my absence, but for me it was but a short time. I can still tell when you're being truthful, and when you aren't." she walked closer to him. "Dear. You know you can tell me anything."

Robin looked at her and forced out a smile. "This is something I need to handle on my own," he said. This was the truth. Marian's expression eased. "I shall tell you in due time," Robin added, "but for now— please bear with me."

She stared at him for a good long moment until she finally sighed. "You haven't changed one bit." Marian bent over to scoop Roland in her arms. "I shall leave you be. In the meantime, I will spend time with our little boy."

Robin raised his arms. "Of course." His voice sounded more nervous than he intended. "But… Roland—needs to wash his hands first. It's sticky from the ice cream." He took Roland from his mother before she could say another word.

He led his son in the bathroom at Granny's and opened the faucet before he finally spoke. "Roland, your mother has been through a lot," he explained, "Regina and I—that's our little secret, do you understand?"

He felt guilty asking his son to keep a secret from his own mother, but he told himself it was for the best. Roland looked up at his father as he washed his hands. "But mama will like her," he reasoned, "She is a nice lady."

His innocence made Robin chuckle. "I'll tell mommy about Regina, okay sweetheart?" he grabbed the brown napkins and wiped Roland's hands. "In the meantime, you can show mommy around town. Don't mention anything about Regina, promise me."

Roland nodded. "Okay, papa. I promise."

Robin planted a firm kiss on his son's forehead. "That's my boy."

He took his hand and led him outside, back to Marian, who was already mingling with the other Storybrooke residents.

"Leaving?" Marian asked.

A simple yes was all he could say. Marian leaned in and kissed him the way she always did when he left for a raid with his Merry Men. She giggled. "Well don't look too startled, silly." She teased when she saw his expression. "Go."

Robin stared at her, shell-shocked at the peck on the lips he received. Then he turned his heel and left Granny's without looking back.