It'd been a stressful day for Regina. She'd locked herself away in her crypt since dawn trying to see if there were any ways to save Marian that she'd overlooked… or at least that's what she kept telling herself. A small voice inside of her knew that she'd been trying to distract herself, to take her mind away from the guilt she felt towards her intimacy with Robin the other night.

He was married.

He was married and his wife's only chance at being saved depended on him falling in love with her again.

And yet, as much guilt as she felt, she couldn't stop the overwhelming happiness that filled her too. He broke his code for her. He chose her. Somebody in this world honestly, truly wanted her… and was willing to do anything to have her.

She smiled absentmindedly into the red wine she'd ordered, and allowed herself to find rest in her spot at the bar in Granny's. It was still quite surreal to her that the people she once terrorised were now happy to have her as a fellow citizen.

Just as her mind was beginning to settle she felt someone abruptly slam into her side.

"Hey!" she snarled. Remembering her promise to overcome her past, she clenched her fist, resisted her old tendencies and plastered on a smile.

"I'm sorry, I meant excuse me."

"You've got nothing to be sorry for, love. 'S me that fell into you."

She watched the man before her sway slightly, focussed intently on his shoe instead of granting her the courtesy of eye contact after interrupting her evening. She could smell the overwhelming scent of alcohol coming off him as if the bottle was pressed against her nose. It took all her strength to hide her irritation with the drunken stranger.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met. You are?"

"That depends, who's asking?"

He finally looked up in his half-dazed state and caught her eye. She watched as his expression slowly changed to a sly smile that made her somewhat uncomfortable.

"Oh, sorry about before miss" he gushed. "Didn't realise it was a woman like you I'd disturbed."

"A woman like me?" She could only imagine what he'd meant by that comment. Was this a villager she was unfamiliar with that still held a grudge?

"Y'know, a looker. A woman who looks so good in a dress, you're not sure if she could look better out of it." She wasn't sure, but she was almost certain she saw him wink.

As unsettling as this was, at least this was easier to handle than someone with a vengeance.

"Well, that's very-"

She felt a hand come to rest gently on her back.

"Hello there, Regina."

She'd recognise that voice anywhere. She turned slowly into it, seeing her new lovers' ever-messy hair slowly pass by her eyes as he stepped forward. He held her close to his side, so close that she could smell him. It was a mixed scent. A combination of earth, grass and a scent that was distinctly him. He'd clearly been in the forest all day.

"Oh, bloody hell."

She'd almost forgotten her unwanted company. Turning back towards the unknown man, she noticed a distinct change in his expression. He'd gone from his previous, sultry smirk to a combination of annoyed and afraid.

"And hello to you too, Will Scarlet."

"Alright Robin, I'll just be going then I gue-"

Robin's other hand shot out in front of her to push the man back into the bar. He stepped forward again, letting her go and slightly obscuring her view.

"I believe you've met Regina then."

"Oh, yup. Yeah. Lovely lady her, you two are awfully nice together. Happy for you, really am." She had to admit, watching this Scarlet man stumble over his words to try and calm Robin was rather amusing.

"Let me ask you something Will. Do you remember my code?"

"How could I forget, you only recite it... I dunno, every day?"

"Good. However, there's one bit I think you must have misunderstood." Robins' tone was slowly, but surely, getting more threatening.

"Allow me to elaborate. 'Be honest, truthful and righteous.' Remember?"

Scarlet looked at him in complete disdain. "Of course I do, I could recite the bloody thing."

"Well then, you seem to have a poor interpretation of the word 'honest'," his hand gripped Scarlet's shirt forcefully, pulling him into Robin's glare. "Since an honest man would never attempt the hand of another man's lady."

Regina felt a warmth filling her. He was defending her. Not only did she finally have someone to love and be loved in return, but he loved her so much he couldn't let another man so much as flirt with her.

"Honestly Robin, I didn't realise."

"That's irrelevant. Whatever happened to your woman anyway? I thought you had a love worth ruining your life for?"

Scarlet's face crumbled and Robin immediately loosened his grip on him. It appeared he'd hit a nerve.

"I'm sorry Will. I didn't mean…"

"No, s'okay. My fault after all."

As lovely as it was to have seen Robin defending her, Regina's patience was growing thin. She was enjoying some relaxation time, and now Robin was here too. If this 'Scarlet' didn't leave soon she had a sickening feeling that Robin and he would end up drinking until the small hours. She could practically taste the heart-to-heart they were leading towards.

"Excuse me." She stepped forward, placing a hand between the two and separating them. "Thank you for whatever that compliment you attempted to give was, but you're interrupting our evening. You're clearly an intoxicated mess, and quite frankly I don't take nicely to being treated as a drunken distraction for whatever heartbreak you're undergoing."

Scarlet looked gobsmacked. Good.

"Now, go to bed, continue to drown yourself in more stale beer or whatever else it is you intend to do, just please do it elsewhere." She stepped away from her, ensuring to make herself as tall as possible over him so he knew this wasn't a request.

"Ye-yes, of course" he was stumbling again. She wasn't sure if it was from his intoxicated state, or panic.

She watched as he stumbled off towards the exit, and she finally turned back towards Robin.

"Well, Regina. That was quite the show."

She could see the smile he was trying to hide behind his lips.

She held herself up, shoulders back. "I can defend myself, after all."

Robin jokingly plastered a defeated look across his face. As sweet as it was, she decided she'd toyed with him long enough. Leaning forward, she draped arms around his neck.

"However, it was incredibly nice to have someone want to defend me for a change."

"What kind of man would I be if I didn't defend my lady?"

Her heart welled at him defining her as 'his' like that. She knew they shouldn't be so public given the imperfect situation they had found themselves in, but she couldn't resist.

With a soft smile, she let herself move forward just a little more. And, in a whisper, she told him that he was just the right kind of man for her, before touching her lips gently against his and smiling as she felt him pressing back in return.