TW: blood, murder and mentions of rape

Life and death. Two opposites. Paradoxical and complementary. Day and night.

Or are they?

...

This week, Robin fell. He fell on his head and he fell for someone. He never imagined his life story would be one of arranged weddings, accidental unions, purgatory and nightmares turning into bless.

One day he met Marian Fitzwalter, the one he was supposed to marry according to his parents' plan to save the Locksley's honor. She was charming and he got along with her quite well. It was enough to make him believe that maybe this future wouldn't be so bad after all. But the very same day, as he tried to recite the traditional vows, he got carried away and accidentally proposed to a corpse bride he mistook for a dead bush in Sherwood forest.

That's when he fell on his head. Literally. He was trying to shake off the cadaver clawing its way to him. He thought many times about running away from marriage, but he never imagined it would be like this. He tripped on a root, his temple meeting a perfectly placed rock. Darkness swallowed him, stealing his consciousness like a thief in the dead of the night.

Next thing he knew, he was in a cheerful tavern, surrounded by corpses in various states of decomposition who were dancing, singing and laughing. Except for one sitting at the bar with a drink in hand, the only one he's seen before.

The woman from the forest.

His wife.

Then explanations came. Amongst other things, he had the confirmation that he wasn't dead or crazy, that he was in the Underworld and that he was now married to a woman who was robbed, raped and killed mercilessly on her wedding day by her fiancé. He was also informed that he was the missing piece of her mischievous revenge. She told him her soul needed to be tied to one of a living entity in order for her to go around freely "up there", like she called it. What was a happy accident for her was Robin's worst nightmare.

He never agreed to all of this. At least not willingly. He didn't want an arranged marriage, but he certainly didn't want to have a corpse as a wife. So she suggested a deal: if he brought her up there and helped her find Leopold, she would let him go. Robin didn't have a choice.

And then she told him her name. "Regina. And no I'm not taking your last name. I've had my fair share of patriarchy and I'm done with it."

What a nice way to make acquaintance.

She was bossy, didn't care about him nor that he was somewhere he never even imagined was real, surrounded by people who were supposed to be gone forever. She had one thing in mind: Leopold's death. She was full of hatred hiding pain. Damaged and angry. But that was because she couldn't let her sadness take over in fear that would mean she was weak.

That's what he discovered upon teaching her how to shoot an arrow for a few days. When she learned he was a skilled archer, she demanded that he showed her how to shoot. She was a quick learner, good with pointy sticks, but she also got frustrated rather easily. He'd lie if he'd say they got along most of the time. In fact, he was becoming quite irritated by the time that he was passing with her. Not that she wasn't a very interesting and complex woman, but he needed to go back to the land of the living. He had duties he needed to fulfill, even if he was unwillingly going to do so.

Surprisingly, she didn't show him her temper. She simply told him to "take it easy" and that she was actually ready now. Well, for once she made it easy.

She was quite something this woman. She was full of walls he didn't try to tear down. It was the only respectful thing to do after all. But she did give him a privileged access to the part of herself that wasn't fuelled by fire. She did so accidentally when they stumbled upon a ten year old boy, Henry, as they walked to meet Rumplestiltskin. As soon as the blue tinted skin boy ran towards them with a wide smile, Regina's features softened and she hugged him tightly. She deeply cared for him, it was obvious. Love and peacefulness radiated off of her as she spoke to Henry.

After their encounter, Regina explained to Robin that Henry had an accident on a boat a few months ago and didn't know how to swim. He drowned and he was now waiting for his family in the Underworld with every hope he could reach them at some point. He found solace in Regina and became really close to her. Everyone took good care of him down here, but she became a mother figure to him. The bond they shared was special. She told Robin that Henry was the first good thing to happen to her in a very long time and, as irrational as it sounded since they were both dead, she was scared to lose him. Everything she touched, she either lost or destroyed, or that's what she claimed.

She then talked about her boyfriend before she was forced to be engaged to Leopold – Daniel. Her true love, she called him with fondness, tears brimming at her eyes. He was mysteriously killed after her mother found out about their relationship. According to Cora, her daughter couldn't settle for a life with a poor stable boy. The night they planned to run away to live the way they wanted to, he never showed up. A horse ran over him and broke his torso, leading to a painful death. She had looked for him in the Underworld, but she was told he had earned his spot in a better place. In that she found comfort and selfish disappointment.

Robin was surprised at this confession. He found himself caring about her situation and wanting to ease her pain so she could rest in peace. That's when he took her hand for the first time. "Stop giving me that look and pretend that you care," Regina whispered, but didn't take her hand away. He squeezed it lightly before telling her that he did care and that he wished he could make it better for her. For the first time, she held his gaze with tenderness before putting her brave face back on.

She didn't want to linger any more, she claimed. She had already lost so much time and her bloodthirst was growing by the minute. He could feel her anticipation growing with every step they took towards Rumplestiltskin's mansion.

Robin was a man who believed in justice. Murder had never really been something he would have on conscience, but he could tell Regina deserved a better story.

They got to their destination quickly. Robin didn't know if he should be intrigued or terrified by what was left of the man they met. The looks he gave him, the way he was moving his cracking bones, the hoarse voice echoing amongst the million books around them; nothing inspired trust. But he trusted her and Regina claimed he was their only option, so he'd make a deal with the shady skeleton.

Fortunately, he didn't have to give him his soul. He simply had to breathe into a jar. A trip to the land of the living in exchange of a jar full of air coming from healthy lungs. That was suspicious, but it was rather easy so he did it. It wasn't like it was a limited resource to him.

After Rumple told them the code word to come back and warned them to follow the rules of the land of the living, they disappeared in a flap of a bat's wing. In a blink of an eye, they were on the edge of Sherwood forest. He was ready to go and find Leopold, but he stopped when he noticed Regina wasn't following him out of the woods. She was looking at the night sky, staring at the moon longingly. "I've spent so long in the darkness I'd almost forgotten how beautiful the moonlight is."

That was the ease he wished he could offer her. Innocent wonder.

"It takes my breath away. Well it would if I had any." She joked to lighten the mood.

Crows flew away and bumped into them, making Regina lose her leg, but Robin caught her before she could fall on her face. They froze for a second. He asked if she was alright, to which she answered with a frustrated groan. She leaned, grabbed her femur and popped it back into place before leading the way, trying to regain some of her pride.

In the dead of the night, they walked in the shadows of Nottingham. Two ghosts roaming, one of them coming to haunt a monster and the other hoping to come back to a peaceful life. He had to admit the thrill of a man hunt was exhilarating, much better than sitting all day to talk about profits.

They went to his house, collecting each a bow and a few arrows in the family barn. Minutes later, they were careful on their way out, making sure they wouldn't be seen by anyone. They were focused on their goal, until Robin heard his father's distant voice coming from inside the house. They got closer to the windows, hiding still since Regina wasn't the type of girl his parents would have wanted him to bring home. After his father yelled "How could they replace Robin with Lord Blanchard?!", Robin saw Regina's face fall instantly.

"That's him," she whispered between gritted teeth. "Leopold."

It all clicked in Robin's mind: he was going to do to Marian the same thing he did to Regina and run away with the family's wealth. How long had he been in the Underworld? His determination to stop the criminal increased. As long as he was alive, he would not let another injustice happen again, not from this man.

"Surely there's something we can do to stop this." His mother tried.

"The wedding's in an hour, don't be silly. Even if Robin showed up now, it's too late. Our family's doomed."

At least now they knew where their target was. They raced to the church with boiling blood in their veins – well, his veins – stopping once they saw guests coming through the doors. They used the back door to infiltrate the wedding like two criminals ready for mayhem. Luck was on their side since they instantly found Leopold's hiding place.

He was older than Robin expected. Silver hair, slightly overweight shape and a modest height, but the wrinkles on his face attested of a haughty attitude with hints of greed and pride. He wondered how many times he repeated the same crime towards innocent women and got away with it.

When Lord Blanchard lifted his gaze in the mirror, he saw the two silhouettes in the back of the room. He jumped, turned around and took a dagger out of his belt, pointing it at Regina with wide eyes. "You… I left you –"

"For dead." She spat at him, raising her bow and arrow in his direction. "I know."

Silence followed, palpable tension giving the impression that time stopped. Husband and wife were aiming at their breathing target, hands firm on their weapon. Leopold smirked and took a daring step forward. "I never thought I'd see you again, Regina."

"Don't move or I swear I will kill you."

"Oh will you now?"

"Try me. I'm the one with vengeful wrath. Besides, what's dead is dead. I've got nothing to lose."

"And what about him?" He asked, quickly pointing the blade in Robin's direction. Regina's jaw clenched and she adjusted her grip on the bow. Leopold was pleased. "Death hasn't changed you, my dear. The same fire burns inside you, and yet, you're still so pathetically naive."

With that, he promptly threw the dagger in Robin's direction. Robin let go of his arrow, which landed on the man's shoulder. Was that really be how he would die? Missing the most important shot of his life when he never missed?

But the pain never came. He got out of his dumbfoundedness and realized Regina was now in front of him, still aiming at Lord Blanchard who was grunting in pain. The blade had landed in her guts. She had stepped forward to protect Robin from a certain death.

"You're wrong," She grumbled to her attacker. "You should have never underestimated me, and even less try to kill my husband."

Regina let go of the string, but her eyes widened when the arrow stayed in place. It froze in its position although she was not holding it anymore. Robin could feel her shattered hopes breaking her unbeating heart. He asked Regina what was happening and she explained, a hint of defeat in her voice while he prepared to attack a second time. "Rumple warned me. He said that I must abide by the rules of the land of the living. I was ready to pay the price of breaking the rules, but I never thought it would keep me from killing this son of a bitch."

Lord Blanchard smirked and took another dangerous step forward, taunting his prey. "And once again, poor Regina can't do anything about what's happening to her."

Without a second thought, Robin pushed Regina aside and unleashed the projectile, sealing the fate of the man before him with an arrow straight to his jugular. Blood spilled everywhere, tainting white shirt and hair. Livid skin fell on the ground, bathing in a crimson pool of gore. The man choked until life left his body, glassy eyes and a still chest allowing Robin and Regina to calm down.

Leopold was dead.

She threw herself in his arms, hugged him tightly and sobbed. She couldn't stop thanking him over and over again, overwhelming relief submerging her. He stroke her messy hair gently, whispering soothing words to her.

He was so relieved she was okay. He barely thought about how he'd pledge for self defense. Besides, now that he knew the man's identity, he could easily find informations about him and his previous crimes. All that mattered to him was that she was fine and that she could finally rest in peace.

They comforted each other for a moment until Regina pushed away and wiped her tears. "You part of the deal is fulfilled, so now I have to do the same." She muttered, sliding the ring off of her finger. Robin watched her, unexpectedly feeling dread.

"Regina, I –"

"Don't. I can't do this if you're going to say what I think you're gonna say." Regina told him, her voice quiet and desperately looking for some control. "You deserve better than death. You're a good man, Robin, and that's why you're going to save your family. You deserve a chance at life. So please, live for the two of us."

He didn't expect the heart wrenching pain of their goodbye. Staring in his eyes, she took his hand and returned the ring to him. The bottom of her dress turned into ashes, soon making her legs disappear and working their way up. "I'll see you on the other side," She whispered before her hand was gone.

"Regina, please," He tried when her face started to disappear.

"Goodbye, Robin" were the last he heard of her before she was gone and he was standing all alone, a bloodied corpse a few feet away from him.

He didn't want this life. But with the promise of a reunion, he would honor her wishes. He would live the life that was stolen from her, the one she deserved to have.

And eventually, he'd come back to her.