So it's finally here, Dark!OutlawQueen week and I am so excited to be taking part both in writing and reading what everyone else has come up with! :)

xoxox Enjoy xoxox

Getting to know you

The Evil Queen simply sat opposite him and observed, he had been talking about his life and what this realm was like and she was just looking at him. He was identical to Robin, well on the outside he was, but she knew he was a different person, knew that Regina wouldn't have just given him up otherwise.

She had always thought that she and Regina were meant to be together, that they were two halves of the same person, which in truth they were, they had come from the same person, but they had become too much for each other. In reality that had been sparked by Robin's death, other Robin, Robin Hood the honourable man whom Regina loved with everything she had. She had loved him too, he was the first person who really saw who she was, he had understood them like no one else, no one except from maybe Henry.

But no, this man wasn't him, he wasn't the same and as Regina had found out the hard way, he never would be her soulmate. That, however, didn't mean that he wasn't someone's, he had to be and surely, they were meant to be together in every realm, as far as she was aware the version of the Evil Queen in this realm was banished and not going to be causing her problems any time soon so why shouldn't she have this version of Robin? She already knew there was something there, some unspoken feelings, a spark so to speak. Maybe Robin Hood wasn't actually her soulmate, maybe he was Regina's after all, Regina had been led to him when she was in control before she grew weak and unable to fend off the darkness inside of her, to keep the Evil Queen at bay, keep her at bay.

"You have been awfully quiet."

Her thoughts were dashed as she looked up to meet his eyes, "sorry?"

"I just said that you have been pretty quiet since you arrived here."

"I suppose I have," she shrugged, looking to the cup on the table in front of her, "I apologise it is just I have had a lot on my mind at the moment."

"Care to share?"

"Not especially," she shook her head, "just thinking about, things."

"What kind of things?"

"I can assure you that is nothing that you should be worrying your pretty little head about."

"You think I have a pretty head?"

She scoffed and rolled her eyes before picking up her drink and taking a swig of the alcoholic beverage, as a queen she usually drunk in a more refined way, little sips here and there, but then again, she was sat in a tavern, with a forest dweller drinking beer out of an unwashed mug, so forgive her if she forgot how to drink her drink in a way that was polite. "I suppose there is a rugged type… charm to you."

"One would have thought I was a little too working class for your tastes."

"Working class? Don't flatter yourself, you hardly work for what you get, you steal, so I don't think you can be even categorised as working class, you are even lower than that."

"Too true," he smirked, "yet you're still here drinking with me and making small talk, why?"

"Because even if I think you are lower than myself, I think you might be a fresh start for me also."

"I'm glad you came to that conclusion," he smirked, "because in the rather short time I came to know you, I already learnt that I liked you more than your alter ego."

"Not many people do," she sighed, playing with her hair and fidgeting in her corset, she missed wearing clothes from Storybrooke that she could actually move in, even if she didn't want to admit that she liked that attire, there was no way she could deny that it was much more comfortable.

"I don't know why, Regina seemed rather, what's the word I'm looking for?" He pretended to think before casting her a dimpled grin, "vanilla, she's vanilla."

The Queen rose her eyebrows and hummed, "I see, I don't think she would be pleased with that description of her, I hardly think she's as vanilla as Marian." His face fell as he swilled his drink, staring into the mug, "now she was boring, at least Regina had some fire inside her, something flammable, Marian on the other hand, well she was just plain boring. Regina was like a caramel apple flambé, ready to be lit, Marian however, she was more like a Victoria sponge, a little bit of icing to finish and there you have it." She laughed at her own joke before looking up at him and seeing how he was staring at her.

"You didn't know her," Robin whispered, "so please don't just judge her like that."

Her mouth dropped open and closed again, rather like a fish, not saying anything just opening and closing its mouth as it floats awkwardly in the water. "I'm sorry," she shook her head, "I forgot she meant something to you, she was your wife after all wasn't she."

"Why do you both automatically assume she was my wife? Other you did that also."

"Well, in our realm she was."

"In this realm she wasn't," he shook his head, "she died before that could happen," he ran a hand through his hair and she tilted her head, feeling something well up inside her, something she hadn't really experienced before, a foreign feeling that she wasn't used to and she didn't like all that much. Compassion.

"Oh Robin, I'm sorry, I…"

"You didn't know," he looked up at her, "how could you have?"

"I didn't ask," she breathed, closing her eyes before standing up.

"Where are you going?" he asked, shooting out of his seat, looking at her in alarm.

"I was just going to come and sit beside you," she stated, moving to sit back down again.

"No, please, I would like that, in fact, I think we should go somewhere quieter. Also, you really need to get out of that getup, you hardly blend in with the ordinary folk in that rhinestone covered dress."

"They are diamonds…" she scoffed before looking at him and adding, "however I see your reasoning and I respect it," goodness it was hard not being fully dark, Regina giving her some of her love had made her life that much more complicated. Being reasonable wasn't something she had to do, ever. She was the least reasonable person there was and when it came to getting what she wanted and being right, she always won.

"You're a strange one aren't you, maybe you are more like Regina than you make out," he quipped standing and dropping a couple of coins on the table as she stood and followed him out of the tavern.

"Well, I am… was part of her, we've been through a lot together and seemingly she has rubbed off on me a little." She picked up the pace, seemingly he was faster than her, but it was probably her silly shoes that weren't practical to walk upon this terrain in.

"Okay, so forgive me for not understanding this, but how exactly does it work? Did you just split in half, how can there possibly be two of you from one realm?"

"When a person has two completely different personalities within them, those personalities battle for dominance, with Regina and myself, it was always a battle for who got to be at the forefront, who could take over at any given moment. In her hours of weakness, I would step forward and do what was necessary for our survival, do what I had to do to make sure that we came out on top."

"So, how does that answer my question?"

"Yes, we are two different people, we think differently, act differently, we are different and it isn't a matter of her being good and me being bad, not anymore, we are both as equally bad as we are good."

"So what do I call you your majesty?" he smirked as they reached the edge of town where the woods began.

"Whoa one minute, where are you taking me exactly?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him as she stared at the forest in front of her, "please, if you are going to murder me don't do it somewhere where there is dirt, I would at least like my body to be laid on a clean surface."

"I thought I told you that I slept on hay…"

"That was on top of dirt!" she argued back.

"But there is…"

"Separation, I get it," she chuckled, "still not sleeping on dirt. I also think that you are missing the point, you failed to deny that you were planning on murdering me, should I be worried?" The Queen questioned, following behind him as they began to weave through the trees her having to hike up her skirts so that they didn't drag on the ground.

"You're coming into the deep dark wood with a wanted felon, so probably."

"Hmm, you have a point outlaw,"

"Anyway, you didn't answer my question."

"Which?" she whispered, concentrating on where she was walking, making sure that she didn't trip up over something that was sticking out of the ground because it would be quite easy to accomplish, she had no clue how he managed to run through these woods without doing some serious damage.

"What would you prefer me to call you, as I hardly imagine I can call you your majesty for the rest of our time together."

"Our time together?" she smiled, biting down on her bottom lip before pulling herself together and looking to the ground again, "well, what would you like to call me?"

"Gina?"

She thought about this, what he'd call her and she really had no clue, but she did know that she didn't like Gina, well, she had liked Gina, but it had been a nickname given to her by Roland, one that both he and Robin Hood had used, so she hardly thought it appropriate, maybe it would be at some point but in that moment it wasn't. "No," she whispered, "I'd prefer that you didn't."

"Okay then, how about Gigi?"

"Gigi?" she scoffed, "I hardly think so."

"What's wrong with Gigi?" he grinned, offering her his hand as he helped her over a fallen tree branch, passing a line of clean washing that was hanging outside a house and grabbing something off it.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting you something to wear," he shrugged.

"Ha! I don't think so thief, if you think I am wearing that cheap scratchy blend you have another thought coming."

"Coming from the Queen who is on the run for killing the King and Queen of this realm."

"I did what?" she breathed, looking at him wide eyed.

"Well, you didn't exactly, but Regina did."

"Regina? She killed someone? Who?"

"Queen Snow and King David."

"Regina killed Snow White?" she asked, the colour draining from her face as she stared at the man in front of her, she was too shocked, how could Regina lecture her about such things and then go ahead and do exactly what she had been wanting to do for years?

"Well I thought you would have known about that one."

"I didn't, how did she… kill them?"

"Crushed their hearts."

"I see, and now I am the one under suspicion for this crime?" she scoffed, trust Regina to do something which would throw her in it and not let her know about it before she moved to the strange land.

"Naturally, I think prince Henry has a high prince on your head, so I hate to break it to you baby, but you are as much an outlaw as I am."

She narrowed her eyes and him and tore the skirt from his grasp, immediately scrunching her face up in disgust at the material in her hands, "I cannot put this on my skin."

"You're gonna have…"

"I have sensitive skin, I cannot wear this… this… burlap, it's a rag and I will not wear it."

"Oh you are a stubborn witch."

"Do you know the rash that will bring out on my skin if it comes into contact with my body? Do you really want to see me with hives because I am pretty sure that beauty you said you saw wouldn't be beautiful with her body covered in red blotches?"

He chuckled and threw his hands up in the air, "fine your majesty, whatever you want, don't wear the dress, but you stick out like a thumb that has been hit by a very heavy hammer."

She rolled he eyes and casually flung the dress back over the line, "what would you have me wear thief?"

"Something more suitable that doesn't look as though you are going to a coronation."

"I'll have you know that coronation colours are cream and pastels, this is most certainly not coronation attire," she huffed, already loving their playful arguments and she could see from the glint in his eyes that he was too, he could deny it all he wanted, but arguing with each other like this always worked to get her hot and bothered in more than one way.

"I suppose you have a point there, maybe funeral attire then."

"Hardly, one wouldn't wear a diamond encrusted dress to a funeral, that is totally disrespectful, you must wear plain att..."

"Queenie! Just lose the diamonds okay?"

"Fine," she smirked peeling off a layer of clothes with her magic, leaving her dressed in a black corset and her leather trousers alone. She simply chuckled to herself as she walked behind him, it was slightly cold, but totally worth the reaction he knew she was going to draw from him. "How much further?"

"Not too far now, just around the… holy crap," he turned to look at her, stopping in his tracks his eyes going wide as he took her in, "wow."

"Just around the holy crap? I don't see any holy crap, I mean should it have a halo or something above it?" she chuckled moving further forward to brush past him. "Come on, I would rather like to find this place of residence before dark."

"As much as I love seeing you like this, I think for me to be able to concentrate on anything, you need to put some more clothes on, and obviously for your own health because it gets cold quickly out here." He added clearly wanting to make himself look better.

"I think you need to make your mind up with what you want, one minute you want me to take off my clothes and the next you want me to put them back on again."

"Just put on something that will help you blend in a little better, it's all I am asking, this makes you stand out more than the bloody diamonds," he gestured towards the swell of her breasts and the silky skin that was showing between the top of her pants and the bottom of her corset.

"Fine," she huffed, using her magic to dress herself in a similar attire to the one she had been wearing during the author's mishap where he accidentally turned her into a bandit, her hair also dropped from the tight updo to hang around her, "better?"

"Much better," he nodded, "I could almost say you pass as normal, but most women don't wear pants in this realm."

"Well, I am not most women," she pointed out as they walked deeper into the depths of the forest.

"I can see that milady. So again, what name do you want?"

"I don't know."

"What about Reggie?"

"Reggie?"

"I'll take that as a no, so why don't we just stick with Queenie for now then shall we?"

She hummed before nodding, "Queenie is fine for now I suppose."

"I think it is, come on then milady, I am sure I will come up with something totally adorable to call you but for now you are right, we need to get to the shelter before nightfall."

"What is your shelter?" she asked, taking his hand as he helped her climb over a fallen tree, she felt little tingles on her palm and that started off the butterflies in her stomach.

"It isn't much," he sighed picking up the pace.

"You know if you think of it I can magic us there."

"I think I would rather hold off on the whole using magic thing for a little while, I hardly think I want you using your purple glitter dust on me."

"Purple glitter dust," she scoffed, "I am no fairy, that is trained magic, no dust or glitter needed thank you very much and why would you think I would harm you?"

"Coming from the woman who bit me whilst disguised as a snake…"

She cast him a glare as she had to skip a little to catch up with him again, he really was insufferable, "I already apologised for that, I told you, you had residing magic residue on you, do you really think I wanted to bite your dirty hands?"

"You made me dig a hole whilst ogling my arse, don't think I didn't notice that because I did."

"What? You have a good ass, who can blame me for wanting to look at it?" she bit down on her bottom lip, getting a good look at his butt for a second time, it looked much better in the tight jeans he was wearing in Storybrooke but it still looked fine.

"What else did you do? Oh yes, you kidnapped me and tied me to a chair."

"In my defence, I was simply practising my sailor knots."

"You tied me with enchanted rope."

"I suppose you have a point," she rolled her eyes, "but I did apologise for that as well, I just wanted to see what you would look like tied up."

"No you made the mistake of thinking that I would have left you unless you bound me."

"Wouldn't you have? Can you honestly say that had I not tied you to that chair you would have stayed with me, that you wouldn't have left, because I don't believe it. Everyone always leaves me, it's what they do."

He stopped walking and turned to look at her, "look, are you coming with me now?"

"Yes."

"Do you really think I would be taking you back to my camp if I was just going to leave you? If I was going to do that I would have left you at the tavern."

She was so conflicted, she wanted to believe him, wanted to hug him tight and make him promise her that he wasn't ever going to leave her side again, but she couldn't do that to herself or to him. She couldn't tie him down and force him, it had to be his own decision and if he decided that he wanted her, she would go with him. "I suppose not."

"Right then, stop doing that thing where you put yourself down and come with me," he extended his hand, beckoning for her to hold it. She rolled her eyes before taking him up on his offer and walking with him side by side towards his camp.

"This is it?" she asked, looking at the hollowed-out tree trunk, turning her noise up.

"Well you can always sleep outside."

"Are there bugs in there?" she asked scrunching her nose up as he let go of her hand and went to the entrance.

"Scared of a few creepy crawlies?"

"I don't do insects," the Queen shuddered placing her hand on the bark and looking in as Robin disappeared into the darkness of the hollow. The sun had gone down and it was literally black due to the trees blocking out any light that might have been given from the moon. She was the Evil Queen, ex-Evil Queen, she couldn't be afraid of a couple of bugs, but they were disgusting things and she couldn't be doing with them crawling all over her. "Robin?"

"Are you coming in or not? I am certainly not going to force you, you can stay out there for all I care."

"Oh how considerate of you," she spat, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she ducked down and began to walk into the hollowed out home. "Robin? Rob…" she rose her eyebrows and nodded, "impressive," it wasn't what she was used to, but she had to say for a disused tree in the woods, he had made it quite… not nice, but liveable.

"Really?"

"I was expecting the place to be…"

"Dirtier? Dustier? Danker?"

"Yes, all three of those and more in fact," she yawned.

"You look exhausted," he whispered, moving closer to her and pushing her hair behind her ear.

"I am," she breathed looking up at him, all of a sudden feeling rather shy and she deemed that in the whole time she had been separate from Regina she had never been shy until now.

"Hungry?"

"That too," she licked her lips, not tearing her eyes from his, simply staring at him.

"Well then, sit and I will try to rustle up something, it won't be much but…"

"Whatever you have," she muttered pulling a stool out from under a table he had situated in the little space. There was a makeshift table at one end of the room and in a small area to the right there was a small bunk and to think he said he liked to sleep outside looking at the stars and in dirt for that matter, it looked clean enough.

"So I found some bread and some berries."

"Thank you," she smiled at him popping a couple of the berries in her mouth as she watched him take the seat opposite her.

"You look better like this."

"What?"

"Without the whole menacing makeup and the fancy dress costumes, you look normal, beautiful."

She looked up at him not saying anything in return, she was wearing this for practical means, but she could see how he preferred it to the outfits she would wear being the Queen, now she hoped to put that behind her, in the most part anyway and be her own person.

"So then, I suppose you can take my bed."

"Your bed I thought you had straw on top of dirt?"

"Ha ha very funny," he grinned, "so I may have upgraded my sleeping quarters a little since out last encounter."

"Our last encounter yesterday you mean?"

"Yesterday?" he furrowed his eyebrows, "I've been back here for two months."

"Two months? But for me it's only been a day." It was going to take her a while to adjust to this new world, time obviously worked differently in this realm and apparently, she had already missed two months of being with him.

"Well, I thought I'd never see you again."

"You thought wrong," she whispered, "but I suppose everything I have ever done in my life has let people down so I am surprised you weren't right."

"I'm glad I was wrong, truth be known, if I wasn't happy before I met you, I certainly wasn't happy when I lost you, when you sent me back here without even so much as a goodbye, why would you do that? Did you even plan on coming back?"

"I'm here aren't I, I'm not the villain in this situation," she stated defensively, how was it that everything always got turned around on her, he had been the one who wanted to be released, he had been the one who had wanted to go home, so how could he then blame her for that? It wasn't fair, not in the slightest and she wasn't having it, any of it. "You wanted to leave! You begged for me to untie you, so I did, I gave you what you wanted and you still aren't happy with that."

"No one is the villain in this situation, not any more okay," he brushed his hand over hers, "I'm sorry. I know I asked for you to untie me, I should have made sure you knew what I really wanted, but you're different now, I see it, there's just something."

"Regina gave me some of her love," she sighed, "love from Henry, Robin… Hood, Emma, everyone, she gave me that love in the hope that I would become a better person that I would reform myself and do you know what she took in return?"

"What?" he asked, scanning her eyes.

"Some of my hate," she laughed humourlessly, "she exchanged something so true and pure for something which was quite the opposite and she didn't even need to take a second thought, I was begging her, pledging with her to crush my heart, but she didn't and I am so, so grateful to her for that."

"Well look who is more reformed than myself," he chuckled propping his feet up on a stool, "and here I was thinking that living inside a tree and not sleeping on the ground was a massive step."

"Shut up," she laughed standing and stretching a little.

"I think you should get some sleep."

"Yes, I think you're right, you promise you aren't going to murder me whilst I'm asleep, right? And if you do choose to, remember what I said about the whole dirt thing."

"Kill you somewhere sanitary, got it," he grinned, "nah, I think I would be too afraid to kill you, you probably sleep with your eyes open."

"How did you know?" she smirked.

"Educated guess, so you can take the bed, I'll just go outside if you need to get ready or anything, uh…" he ran a hand through his hair and she found it adorable when he got flustered. Letting out a little laugh, she used her magic to change into something more suitable for sleeping, the clothes she had been wearing previously hanging themselves up as she straightened the silk nightdress.

"So, where are you going to sleep?" she whispered.

"Ah I'll just grab a blanket and sleep on the floor over here."

"But Robin I can't take your bed…"

"Here you are with the decency again, it weirds me out you being like this, I expect you to just take things when they are given to you and not argue."

"Fine, sleep on the floor, I was trying to be nice but obviously, you don't appreciate that, so goodnight," she rolled her eyes, why did he have to be such a jerk? She pushed the sheets back and turned her nose up, discreetly waving her hand she slipped into the bed, letting out a contended sigh when her head hit the pillow and she pulled the covers up, chucking him a blanket from the bottom of the bed, "sleep on that," she laughed, "wouldn't want you to get dirt on your newly refined self now would we?"

"You are just full of them tonight," he grinned, placing the blanket down and sitting on it before laying on his side and turning to look at her. "Do you know how good you look in my bed?"

"Do you know how good it feels to be in your bed? Oh, wait I forgot, you are laid on the floor whilst I get to sleep in here," she cast him an overly bright smile before closing her eyes and suppressing another yawn.

"I mean it though Queenie, it really is good to have you here and I think that we might be good for each other."

"I agree," she whispered opening her eyes again, "thank you, for giving me your bed, I appreciate it."

"You're welcome," he breathed closing his eyes.

"Good night Robin."

"Goodnight your majesty."

The Queen couldn't sleep, it wasn't that the bed was uncomfortable she had sorted that, it was because she felt cold, and she knew that he must be, he was on the floor and had nothing covering him. She was lonely she needed something, with a sigh she sat up and gathered the bedding with her before slipping out of bed and shuffling over to him. Once she was there she dropped her pillow by his head and sat down beside him, pulling the covers over her before laying so that she was facing him.

"You're on the floor?" He asked, not opening his eyes.

"Sometimes sacrifices have to be made," she breathed shuffling closer to him as he threaded their fingers together and pulled the duvet so that it was covering the both of them.

"Hey what happened to my sheets?"

"I told you, I have sensitive skin, did you really expect me to sleep on burlap?"

"No," he grinned, moving his head to the pillow so their faces were next to each other, their noses just about brushing.

"I swear if a bug crawls on me..."

"I'll squish it for you."

"You promise?" she whispered.

"Always."

She was just about to drift off when she chuckled lightly.

"What?"

She grinned, burying her face against his chest and taking a deep breath in as his arms secured around her. "You smell like forest."