As Regina left her office – or she supposed her mother's office in this world – the lingering uncomfortable feeling that came from seeing Cora still clung to her. Of course she had wanted to see her mother, to potentially receive the love and approval she had so desperately wanted for more years than she could remember. But the idea also made her stomach flip and filled her with a flare of anger, as she would never forgive her mother for the years of abuse she had lashed out at her child. However, her meeting with Cora wasn't at all what she might have predicted. No tear-filled hugs, no fire and pain. They barely had enough time for Cora to warn her about the dangers of this world before she was shooed from the office and left standing alone in the hall, confused and alarmed.
She walked towards Main Street, still trying to shake off the butterflies in her stomach, while searching for her family. It was surprisingly cold in the underworld, or perhaps her nerves here giving her chills, and Regina hugged herself, urging her goose bumps to go away. Eventually she spotted them, Emma with her arm around Henry standing in front of the Uncharmings, all of them focused on something going on behind the fallen clock tower. As she got closer, Regina noticed the tension on all of their faces, and heard the distant sounds of a more than private conversation. Walking up to the group, the argument became more audible and Regina picked up a few key words. "You honestly didn't know?! For god sakes Robin we were married for years and you couldn't tell that a crazy bitch from Oz was living with you?!"
"What in the hell…" Regina wondered aloud, looking over at her friend. Emma offered her a distressed look, and twitched her eyes towards the couple to tell her you need to go over there, while pulling Henry closer. For the second time, Regina felt her stomach flip at the thought of meeting Robin's real wife, and not a wicked imposter. She could only imagine how terribly this encounter would go after how well Zelena played the part. She took a deep breath, righted herself, and slowly approached Robin and Marian. An echo in her head followed every step she took. You're a monster. You're a monster. You're a monster.
"Marian please, if you'll just let me explain, there was so much that happened," Robin pleaded, while Marian stood stiffly in front of him, staring daggers into him. The closer Regina got, and the more that she could see, she knew that Marian wasn't holding anything against Robin, at least not anymore. She had a look on her face that suggested she was just letting him flounder now that she had said her piece.
"Robin?" Regina finally tested when she was close enough. Robin whipped around, looking fifty shades of distraught. When she was finally beside him, she looked over to Marian to see that the woman was looking back at her intently. Regina couldn't quite read her face, she didn't see loathing for the woman who condemned her to death, but she also didn't see anything too welcoming.
"Re- Regina," Robin stuttered out, looking back and forth between the two women quickly. "Marian this is-"
"Regina, I know" Marian cut in softly. "You're the woman who won my husband's heart. Even with a clone of me in the way." Regina tensed, not prepared for her blunt words. She watched the woman's face, waiting for a sign that she was going to start screaming that she hated her and hated that she was around her husband and her son. However, as Regina waited anxiously and Robin bounced on his heels from the amount of stress he was feeling, Marian simply shook her head and relaxed her posture. "I know what you're thinking. That I hate you. And I probably should. I mean you did sentence me to die, and then start dating my husband."
You're not wrong, Regina thought. She expected hate, she deserved hate. She felt sweat bead at the back of her neck and longed to reach over and grab Robin's hand. "But," Marian continued, pausing as she looked over at Robin with a soft smile, "I've spent a lot of time here, and I've had a lot of time to think. I've seen everything that's happened, and I saw how you reacted to the witch when she was pretending to be me. When I first came here, I probably would have reacted the same way she did. But now," she paused again, taking both Robin and Regina in, "I can see how Robin has felt, how you have made him feel. And who you really are."
Stunned to silence, Regina stood frozen, unsure what to say. The butterflies in her stomach were only increasing, and she fiddled with the ring on her finger subconsciously. "I just want him to be happy, to find love again," Marian admitted, and stepped closer to the two of them. "Even though I may not forget what each of you did," she said sternly, "I can forgive you. Plus, Roland loves you."
Warmth spread through Regina's entire body, and she could tell the same was happening to Robin, and she felt tears fill her eyes. She chocked them back, took Marian's hand gently and simply said "thank you."
As Regina moved to let go, Marian returned her hold tighter, surprising Regina yet again. "Take care of them for me," she whispered, "and tell Roland that his mommy loves him."