She was relentless in trying to convince him to pay her a visit. It had been 11 weeks, 1 day and 4 hours since she had birthed their daughter, and every day was proving to be more agonizing than the last. She didn't sleep at night. She was racked with pain that went deeper than the effects of having given birth. Her eyes, she was certain, would be permanently red rimmed and swollen.
And yet, somehow, he had finally relented. He finally showed up after several desperate, failed attempts.
The door to Zelena's cell flies open, startling her up and on to her feet. She smooths her hair, and tucks her sweater tightly across her body.
"You- You're here" she babbles. "How is she, is she okay? She's okay, right?" She finds herself bordering on incoherent.
"She's fine, Zelena. She's perfect. She's safe from you." Robin offers flatly. "Now tell me, why did you insist I come? What's the meaning of this?"
"Right, well, I've been thinking, A lot. There's really not much else to do day after day and-"
Get to the point. Why am I here?"
Zelena nervously tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. "I have something I need to ask you."
Robin taps his foot expectantly and raised an eyebrow. "You have one minute, Zelena and then I need to get back to my children."
"I've heard them talking, around here. About Christmas." She says slowly.
"What of it, Zelena?" He sighs deeply, impatient to return home, to Regina and the kids. There had been talk of making Christmas cookies as he prepared to leave the house, and Robin hated being away from them for even a second. To him, there was no more beautiful sight that the one he'd bid a quick goodbye to, with Regina and the baby snuggled on the couch, their sweet girl deeply asleep on her chest, and Henry teaching Roland how to play space paranoids in the next room.
"I was hoping, maybe, you'd consider letting me see her, Robin."
His attention is suddenly back to the present as she winces in preparation for what she surely knows will be crushing disappointment when he says absolutely not.
Instead, his hesitation surprises her. He doesn't say anything for a moment.
"Please, Robin. She's my child too. I won't hurt her, I'd never hurt her." She begs, her eyes now visibly welling up with tears.
"And why should I even consider this?" He finally says.
"You're right. You have no reason to. I know, I don't deserve her."
"Not really much of an argument there."
"But she's still my child. And this is her first Christmas. I just want to hold her."
Robin huffs in frustration. This is, quite honestly the last thing he wants to do. He knows what Regina would say. He turns away, and glances over at the tousled blanket and pillow that reside on Zelena's cot.
And then he notices the photo next to the pillow. Worn and tattered, despite being only 11 weeks old. "What's this?" He says snatching it up, despite her feeble attempt to grab it from him.
"Maternity ward parting gift." Zelena sniffs.
She remembers that moment. Over and over, when the cheeky, unknowing nurse handed her the grainy Polaroid. Regina and Robin had long bundled the impossibly tiny being up as soon as they could, and taken her far away, far from where she could inflict anything upon her.
"It's all I have of her" she says, her throat is thick, and it's hard not to cry. "I don't even know her name."
He realizes in that moment, this is the only thing she has that bears her child's face. A face that he has fallen in love with, that has already grown and changed tremendously since her first lay eyes on her. He thought it would be difficult, looking at her, and seeing the resemblance to her mother. He was completely unprepared for how much he would be able to see past the agony that this pregnancy had caused in his life.
Robin hands the photo back to her and she breathes a deep sigh of relief as she clutches it.
"What am I to do, Zelena, bring my child here, to the insane asylum? This is preposterous. She's an infant for crying out loud.
"I know. I had to try.".
But still. Robin can't help but notice the pain in her eyes.
"I'll think it over." He finally says. He can hardly believe the words coming out of his own mouth. "But don't count on it."
Zelena's heart begins to pound. "Do you actually mean that, you'll consider it?"
"I said don't count on it, Zelena."
She nods, swallowing hard, and he turns to leave her in her cell.
"Oh, and her name? Robin murmurs, turning back one final time with his hand on the door. happens to be Nora."
Zelena nods quietly, understanding that this may be the only gift she ever recieves, for this year, or any other for that matter.
Nora.
She whispers it to herself through the rest of that night, hoping with whatever she has left, that maybe, just maybe, he'll consider it.