We Were Good While It Lasted
It had been two weeks. Two weeks of living in miserable hell. Regina's second chance at love had been snatched from her in such a cruel manner. Every time she thought of Emma bringing Marian back her stomach clenched. Nausea threatened to overwhelm her forcing her to vomit whatever content was left.
Every morning she forced herself out of bed. And every morning it was a struggle to breath. She missed Robin so much. She missed Roland and seeing him laugh. They had one shining moment of being a family. A family she saw herself letting into her heart and home.
Now, the only reason for living was Henry. He was the one thing she got right and he would be the only person she ever needed. There was no time for romantic love. It just left her with a wounded and bleeding heart.
Regina decided to go to the park and clear her head. No one would bother her there.
She walked the path absently. She relished the light breeze passing through and took a sharp breath. She could do this. She could put him in the back of her mind where he would remain.
Her minute of solitude was interrupted by a child's voice. Her heart stopped knowing who exactly the voice belonged to. She wished it was Henry. She would do anything for that particular voice to belong to Henry. She felt little arms wrap around her legs.
She forced herself to look down to see the biggest adorable eyes and dimples she'd ever seen. "Gina!" Roland said clearly excited.
A smile and a laugh escaped her. This child could bring her out of her sadness any day of the week. "Hi Roland," she replied allowing her hand to comb through his hair.
She glanced around to look for his parents. She crouched down and held him by the arms. "Where is your mommy and daddy?"
No sooner had she asked worried voices permeated the brief silence. She stood up again putting her hand on Roland's shoulder.
Robin was the first one to reach Roland quickly squatting in front of his son. "Roland, you can't run off like that. You scared us."
He looked sad for a second before glancing up at Regina. Robin looked at her. She visibly tensed. Their eyes locked on each other until Regina averted her eyes.
"Roland!" she heard Marian yell. She quickly grabbed Roland's hand bringing his back to her legs. She put an arm over her son the way Regina did with Henry. Mistrust was still evident in her eyes. Regina inwardly sighed. She couldn't blame a mother for wanting to protect her son even if it was from her.
"Thank you Regina for keeping Roland safe," Robin said trying to ease the building tension between them.
"It was nothing," she said. She glanced at Marian and Roland. "I should go. Enjoy the rest of your day."
She started to move when Roland broke free from his mother and grabbed Regina's hand. "Gina, do you want to eat ice cream with us?"
Regina froze momentarily. A tight smile formed knowing she would have to disappoint him. She bent down again and tapped his nose playfully. "You know what, I think your mama and daddy want you all to themselves. Maybe we can get ice cream another time."
"Why can't you come with us?" he asked ignoring her explanation.
"Roland," his father belted out.
"Roland, baby, the Queen I'm sure is a busy lady," Marian said.
"Regina," she said. "Please call me Regina," her voice was genuine. Hopefully Marian could see she wished no ill will toward her.
She stood up wrapping her jacket around her tighter. "I really need to go. I'll see you around town." She quickly moved from them. She didn't dare look back afraid of what she might see.
Robin's heart ached for Regina. It wasn't lost on him that his wife purposefully kept their son from Regina. He knew Regina would never hurt Roland. She had grown to care for the boy. He could see the pain in her eyes when he looked into them. He wanted to just reach out and hold her. Tell her everything was going to be okay.
He felt a tug on his sleeve. "Robin, are you okay?" Marian questioned snapping Robin out of his fog.
"I am," he said trying to sound convincing. She simply nodded her head. The three of them walked back to their home.
The next morning Robin woke up early. Too early in fact. The sun hadn't even begun to indicate it would rise soon. He looked over to see Marian holding Roland to her chest sleeping peacefully. A lump rose in his throat. The scene before him was all he ever wanted. To spend days with his wife raising their son and any future children they would have. She was his reason for living and her death created a hole he didn't think would ever be filled.
Now, their family seemed false in a sense. Regina's words rang in his ears constantly. They were destined to be together but here was Marian. He felt he owed Marian something. He made a commitment to her and he didn't want to break her heart any more than Regina's.
Perhaps they got it wrong. Perhaps Tinkerbell was greatly mistaken. However, his heart told him a different story. He quietly slipped away from the camp and headed to Regina's.
Regina woke up startled at the knocking on her door. She thought it might have been Henry and grabbed her robe. She quickly made it down the stairs and snatched the door open. "Henry," she called out.
Her eyes widened when she saw him standing there looking sad. "Robin, why on earth are you here?"
"I need to talk to you," he said his eyes desperately pleading for her to let him in.
Regina inhaled sharply. It was too early in her opinion to have a deep conversation like this. "Go away. I have nothing to say to you." She proceeded to slam the door in his face but he put his foot in the way.
She narrowed her eyes. "I can destroy you."
"But you won't," he said with a sparkle in his eyes that made her weak in the knees. She reluctantly let him in. She stood in the foyer not planning on leaving her spot.
"You have five minutes," she said.
He couldn't say anything at first. All his rehearsed lines failed him. "I'm sorry," was all he said.
Sorry. She was sorry too. She could have aimed a hurtful remark at him but it wouldn't do her any good. He would know she was just deflecting and not getting to the real issue between them.
"You must hate me," he continued. "I never meant for any of this to happen. I meant what I said that night. I let her go and I let my guilt go. Then she-
She saw the torment in his eyes as he tried to explain things from his perspective. "Shows back up and you think you have a second chance with your true love. You spent so many nights dreaming of your reunion. How it feels to be back in their arms. How it feels to have your heart whole again. No one can love you like he can and you wouldn't give it a second thought if he asked you to start over," she finished.
He looked at her curiously. "Daniel."
She blinked back tears. "Yes. He came back to me last year. Doctor Whale brought him back but he wasn't the same. It wasn't until I told him I loved him that he returned to his old self. He called my name like he used to and I flew into his arms," she said. She didn't bother to hold back tears.
Robin moved closer and wiped her tears. She gave a grateful smile. "But he was in so much pain. He begged me to stop it. I would have done anything for him. He asked me to let him go but I refused. There was no way I was losing him again. Then he returned to the monster and I had to kill him. He told me to love again but I didn't think it would be possible."
His own eyes filled with tears. She sniffled. "Don't cry for me. Enough tears have been shed over all of this." She held his hands in hers. "You have a second chance with the love of your life and the mother of your child. Take it. We don't all get that chance. Roland needs her. You need her."
"We need you too," he argued. "You've brought so much happiness into our lives."
"And you've brought happiness into my life again," she said her voice cracking again. "I will be thankful for it always but romance isn't in the cards for me. Marian suits you. She balances you. She's a good person. Much better than me. Go back to her. I don't want to break up a family. You will forget about me soon enough."
Robin let out a frustrated groan. "I didn't want this. My feelings are different. I'm different. I can't live in a world without you in it."
She caressed his cheek and softly kissed him. "You have to try," she stated backing away. "You it owe to yourself to make your marriage work. Look, I'm trying to be the selfless person here. I just want you and Roland to be happy."
"At the expense of your own," he said incredulously. "You deserve love."
"I have Henry," she said softly. "I'm content with that."
He took a step forward. "You shouldn't settle for contentment."
"It's my lot in life. Villains don't get happy endings."
"You're not a villain. You're a hero," he countered.
"One day of heroism doesn't erase my past nor do I expect it to," Regina explained. "At least I got a chance to know you."
"Regina-
"Robin, you need to go. Tell Roland that I will miss him and one day we'll go out for ice cream," she instructed. "Take care of him."
She turned from him and opened the door. "Goodbye Robin."
He didn't move for a while. This wasn't right. None of it was right and he wondered how he wound up being the person caught in an impossible situation.
"Don't make this harder than it already is," Regina said. "Go before they notice you're gone. I'm sure Marian will make the Merry Men look for you."
It was an attempt at a joke he didn't find funny. He made his way to the front door. He ran his fingers through her hair. "This isn't fair to you."
"Nor is it to you," she said. "We were good for a while, weren't we?"
"Yeah. We were," he replied solemnly. He looked into her brown eyes feeling himself getting sucked in.
"Goodbye Robin," Regina said with a tone of finality the second time around. He heard the door close behind him. He turned around ready to knock when he heard Regina sliding down the door and sobs escaping.
He leaned his head against the door. "I'm so sorry." He walked back to the camp with a heavy heart.