AN: So I've had this idea of a new Outlaw Queen multicapter at work today. I hope you like it. Please let me know.
So what if all these years ago Regina had walked into the tavern?

Once upon a time

There was a magical forest filled with fairy tale characters.

One day a powerful curse trapped them in a city which had no magic.

And each of them forgot who the really were.

This is how it happened...

I Doubt I'd Ever Forget Meeting You

Somewhere in a bar in Maine in a town named Storybrooke

"Locksley, I'm afraid but you and your band of merry men have to leave", she said looking at his sad face on the other side of the bar.

The man in front of her wasn't drunk but he wasn't sober either. He was a bit intoxicated as every other night when he and his friends would visit her bar for some after work drinks.

"Please Ms Mills", the man said pouting, "just one more round."

She was walking around to his side now trying to avoid getting lost in the man's beautiful blue eyes and walking past him to the door to unlock it so everyone could go home.
Like most nights she had closed down the bar about an hour before to clean up whilst the few men hung around because for some reason they never really wanted to leave.

"Come on mate," Will said then, "let's give the lady a chance to go home to her family as well."

The mention of Regina's kids finally knocked some kind of sense into Robin as he slowly walked to the others who were all gathering by the front door. He knew that the bar owner's kids were her everything and he couldn't bear to be the reason for her to not be with them even though he didn't like to go home to his wife himself.

It took Regina a good fifteen minute walk to get home to her little house close to the forest. Well technically it wasn't hers. It belonged to Mr. Gold and was the only affordable place she could find to rent that was almost big enough to have enough room to house her two boys and her slightly demented father.
His condition wasn't that bad as of now but Regina felt like it was getting worse every few weeks. It wasn't like he forgot who he was or anything. It was more like he kept rambling on that they all used to live in some kind of fairy tale land with witches, castles, portals and magic beans and all these things.

She turned the key and opened the door letting herself in as quietly as possible before walking into the kitchen where she found her father as every night sitting in the dark with a glass of water in front of him.

"Why are you still up?", she asked him, "I told you a thousand times before you can go to bed as soon as Roland and Henry are asleep."

"I was just getting myself a glass of water", he lied. After all he was her father and even though she was a grown up and had two kids of the ages of ten and fifteen years old she would always be his little girl and he just wanted to know that she got home safely.

There was a moment of silence before he asked, "did the mayor's husband keep you longer at work again as usual?"

"Only a couple of minutes", Regina said glancing at the clock which read 23 minutes past two.

"We should head to bed", Regina's dad said and she nodded in agreement.

He walked of to his room and Regina went towards hers when she heard a rather silent whimper from the boys' room.

She walked into their room and crouched down next to her youngest's bed, "Henry? Henry, everything's fine. You're safe."

"Moooom", he mumbled into her shirt sobbing.

"What's wrong?", she asked.

"I", he said as Regina lifted his head wiping away his tears, "I dreamt that they took Roland."

"You dreamt that who took Roland?"

"They", Henry said, „the flying monkeys."

"Oh but you see, he's right over there and perfectly alright and snoring a little like he always does", Regina said pointing to Roland's bed in the other corner of the room.

Henry nodded as he was calming down.

"I need to tell grandpa again to stop telling you all these stories."

"But grandpa said that the mayor is actually a witch who had been haunting your land with the help of her army of flying monkeys."

"Henry, none of that is true as I've told you before. There are no flying monkeys. And we should go to sleep you have school tomorrow. Do you want to come to my room to sleep? Maybe that will be less scary?"

"Ok mommy", the young boy said and Regina scooped him up carrying him over to her room which was right next door.

"But Roland also says that grandpa's stories are true", Henry said then settling into his mother's bed, "why is it so cold in your room, mom?"

"Because I haven't been here the whole day", Regina said changing her clothes before climbing into her bed next to her son. It wasn't a lie. Not completely. It was already fall again. September came and went and now it was the end of October once again and she wasn't able to spent any money heating up a room that wasn't really used.
She was glad that her dad was able to take care of her kids whilst she was working and she hoped his condition wouldn't get worse otherwise she wouldn't know what to do with her children and how to pay any medical treatment her father may need.

Henry was asleep a few minutes later and she was slowly falling asleep as well telling herself that in the morning she would have to tell Roland not to encourage Henry's wild imagination with her father's stories any further.

Her two boys and her father meant everything to her. Even though or maybe more so because the boys father('s) never played a part in their life.
Strangely enough Regina couldn't even remember the life she had before Roland. Not that she wanted to remember it but the farthest she could recall her life was when Roland had been about a toddler's age.
Later on at one point she had just opened the door one day and found a basket in front of it with a baby inside wrapped in a blanket. No note, nothing. She had of course taken the young boy in and had tried for weeks on to find clues on his parents but to no avail and eventually she only had two options. Adopt him or let child services take him away.

Someplace in the Enchanted Forest (about thirty four years prior)

There she was in front of the door of a tavern. Only moments ago Tinkerbell had been here with her. But more quickly than she could react her new fairy friend had left her on her own.
She took a deep breath.
'So this was gonna be it. The man with the lion tattoo,' she thought and then opened the door and walked into the building before she could make up her mind.
Of course she was nervous but ever since she met Tinkerbell earlier she had the feeling that she could trust her and after all she was a fairy, wasn't she?
She never really had a friend. At least not since, since Daniel. But she quickly pushed the thought of him out of her mind. As much as it still hurt her, Daniel was her past. And aside that he wouldn't want her to be miserable. He would want her to be happy again, that much she knew.
So there she was now in that tavern. She was making her way over to the bar. She knew she had to give the man with the lion tattoo a chance but first she needed a drink.
A drink and at least a part of a plan on how to make an entrance in his life.

"John? John, did you hear a word I said?", Robin asked his friend that was sitting in front of him on the other side of the table he shared with a few of his friends.

John didn't say anything but kept staring somewhere behind Robin.

Robin waved his hand in front of John's eyes which eventually got his attention, "pardon, what?"

Robin smiled a little, "what could possibly distract you from talking about our current problems with Nottingham?"

It took a moment until John said something, "she", he said. Almost whispered it.

And that was when curiosity took over and Robin slowly turned his head around. He didn't want to be caught staring but he wanted to know what distracted his dear friend so much.
And there she was walking towards the bar. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
She didn't really seem to belong in this tavern. She looked young. She wasn't overdressed but something about her made him doubt she really came from around here.
And then it dawned on him. He took a closer look at her face. He had seen that face before. It was her. Not long ago this very woman got married to King Leopold.
What was the Queen doing in this tavern? It was far away from their castle. Aside that she looked beautiful right now but not even close to being a Queen.

He turned his head back to look at John then he took a sip of his drink.

"John, can you please keep the others company I need to do something", Robin said and waited for John to nod before he excused himself to the rest of his friends and got up from his chair to walk over to the bar.

He doubted anyone had recognised her yet and he wanted to keep it that way. If she came all the way up here for a drink she most definitely didn't want to be recognised.
But he was curious to why she was here and couldn't help himself. He had to find out. Aside that ever since he had seen a drawing of her face, a little while ago when she got married to the King, he couldn't help himself but smile.
He had to admit though that image of her face didn't give her justice. She was far prettier in real life.
To him she was the fairest of them all.

She had downed half of her drink when she heard footsteps coming closer and stopping right next to her. Before she could even turn her head around to see who it was, she heard him whisper in her ear, "I'm just curious but what is her Majesty doing all the way down here?"

That voice sent shivers down her spine. Also the fact that someone had already recognised her made her panic a little.
She turned around and was immediately being face to face with the man with the lion tattoo.

"Don't panic", he quickly said as he saw that his words must have scared her at least a little bit, "I doubt anyone has noticed that."

Her face softened a little and a small smile formed on her lips.
She couldn't recall to have ever met that man before but maybe she had? Maybe he was somehow a person that had been to her castle? There were so many people around her every day she might have seen him before.

"Have, have we met before?", she asked him therefore.

"I doubt I'd ever forget meeting you", he said smiling and she couldn't help herself but getting lost into the cerulean ocean in his eyes that somehow made her heart jump.

He continued, "I've seen some images of you", he said.

Of course she knew there's been drawings and paintings of her because of recent events.

He kept on talking then, "but to be honest, none of them do you justice."

"Thank you", she said blushing a little bit.

Robin turned to the bartender, "Can we have two of 'what she's having'?", he asked.

"Sure mate, coming right up", the bartender said and in mere seconds their drinks were ready.

Robin paid him before turning back to Regina, "would you mind taking this conversation outside?", he asked her, "I mean it's a beautiful evening and I could use some fresh air."

She nodded, "I'd love to."

They both grabbed their drinks, before leaving the tavern together just to sit right outside of it on one of the few benches that where always occupied at day time but usually not at all at that time of night.

"So you know who I am, but who are you?", Regina asked the man who was now sitting beside her.

He turned to face her, taking her hand in his in the process, "apologies, Milady", he said as he kissed her hand which made her smile, "I'm Robin. Robin of Locksley."

"And how come Robin of Locksley ended up in that tavern here tonight?", she asked him.

He could see and hear that she didn't want to know how he got here this particular evening but how he ended up being here in general.
He had never told anyone about his life so far. Not even his friends, the so called 'merry men' knew all about his past. But for some reason he felt at ease with her.

"My farther died when I was very young so I grew up with my mother and her new husband and his daughter. It was only years later that I noticed what a cruel man he was and I begged my mother to leave him. But she couldn't. She was depending on him. She had to feed the two children and wouldn't be able to do that without him.
Ever since I was a little boy though I dreamed of becoming a knight", he smiled at that image and Regina could stare at that face of his for the rest of her life.

"So that's what I did. I became a knight. My plan was to save enough money so my mother would eventually be able to leave that bastard of a husband", he sighed.

"What happened?", Regina asked as she noticed that his plan must have never worked out that way.

"Well", Robin continued still holding her hand in his, "one day I couldn't take it anymore. I", he lowered his eyes, "I killed him."

Regina was speechless for a moment but then placed her other hand under his chin causing him to look into her eyes, "it's in the past and from what I heard about that man he might just have deserved it."

Robin smiled at her, "so you're not mad at me?"

"I don't have any right to be mad at you and besides I would have probably done the exact same thing", she said, "so what happened then?"

"Well according to his will my dear stepsister got everything leaving my mother with nothing. I could convince her though to make sure my mother would be able to survive for the rest of her life. In return she never wanted to see my face again.
She didn't know that I was the one who killed him but she had her suspicions.
So well, I left. Haven't had a chance to see my mother again since then because she's still living with my stepsister which I do think is good for both of them."

"But.. you miss her", Regina stated the obvious.

"Of course I do", Robin said, "but it's best for her. And well now I'm living in the woods with a few friends."

"How do you survive here?", Regina asked him.

"In the beginning I still had a bit of my money left from being a knight", Robin said, "but then we started to steal from the rich and give to the poor", he almost swallowed the last part of the sentence.

To his surprise Regina laughed, "a thief?"

He nodded.

"I've lost my wife a few months ago and today's the first night in a long time that I'm spending without my son because my friends all thought I'd have to go out again for once before we'll be chased again by the Sheriff."

"I'm sorry to hear about your wife", she said, then asked, "what does the Sheriff want from you?"

Robin laughed, "my head on a spike and lots of money."

"So tell me your story", he said, "I doubt it is worse than mine. What brings the Queen to a tavern far away from her castle?"

"Well first of", Regina began, "it's not my castle. It's the King's castle. I never wanted any of this. I never wanted to marry him. My mother made me marry him. I had a boyfriend. But one day I saved the King's daughter. And for doing that he asked me to marry him. It was my mother who agreed on it. However the King's daughter, Snow. She, she saw me with my boyfriend and she knew I loved my boyfriend. I begged her not to tell anyone but somehow she ended up telling my mother about it."

Robin could see how tears started to form in Regina's eyes, "you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Regina tightened the grip on his hand a little bit, "I have to. I have to tell someone.
Well my mother didn't take it well and killed him in front of my eyes."

"She what?", Robin asked.

"Of course I was angry at Snow. But I eventually realised that she wanted to help me and that maybe even without her telling my mother, my mother would've ended up killing him anyway.
As for my mother she had always been a complicated person. Long ago she met this strange man who taught her magic. I do know it sounds weird but she is powerful and she gets what she wants. I never ever want to become like her."

"You don't have to", Robin said hugging her. He didn't ask for permission because Queen or not to him it was the right thing to do in that moment. She needed someone to be there for her.

"Thank you", Regina said eventually letting go of him a little so her head was leaning against his shoulder, "well in the past few weeks I've met that powerful man who taught my mother magic, a few times. I, I was angry at Snow so that's why I wanted to meet him the first time.
And I was angry at my mother. He gave me a mirror. Well a portal it was, a portal to another land, and at that night of my wedding I had an argument with my mother and I pushed her through it.
I, I was angry at her, I still am, sometimes, but she is my mother and I regret doing that.
That man however taught me a few things so far but today we had an argument and I told him that I didn't want that anymore. I don't want to become like her and on the other hand I'm married to the King, sitting in a castle with nothing to do.
Well after he left today, a fairy came and believe it or not, took me here with her. She said that I had a second chance", Regina stopped, "and showed me a man in the tavern. I couldn't see his face I only saw his tattoo", her eyes wandering along Robin's arm that was still holding her hand.

"It was me?", he said more than questioned her.

He smiled as he was tracing the outlines of her face with his thumb silently asking for her permission which she gladly granted him with a smile before he leaned in to leave a light kiss upon her lips.

"We should probably get you back to your castle though", he said getting up and helping her in the process.

"Wait a moment", he said and left before she could even protest.

A minute later he reappeared followed by a horse and holding a cloak in his arm.

"You should put it on", he said and gave the cloak to her, "it's getting colder and maybe someone will recognise you on the way."

"Thank you", Regina said gladly taking his cloak and putting the hood up over her head. The fabric smelled a lot like him. Such a wonderful smell of forest.

He helped her on his horse before climbing on it as well.

"Let me", Regina said and took control over where their journey was going to go to. Much to Robin's surprise. He smiled holding onto her. He knew this situation they were currently in would probably give them some more challenges to overcome but somehow he was confident.
And after all pixie dust never lies.

For the next few hours they were riding through the forest towards the castle. They didn't talk much on the way just enjoying each others company.
It was almost dawn when they reached the edge of the forest and stopped. Robin got off the horse first and wanted to help her down then only to discover that she didn't need his help.
She was standing right in front of him taking off his cloak.

"You can keep it", said Robin.

Regina smiled, "I wish I could but I can't. The King will notice or someone else will notice it for him that that cloak isn't mine and a bit to long to belong to a woman. And I don't want to risk anything."

"You're right, I didn't think", Robin said.

"And you might need it on your way back", she said, "I'm so sorry that you have to go all the way back. It will take you ages."

Robin cupped her cheek in his palm, "Don't be. It was very well worth it."

She gave him a quick kiss on his lips, "I should be going."

"Will I-", he started his sentence but was cut off by her laughter.

"Of course. How about tomorrow, well today?", she said.

"Afternoon?", he asked.

"Sundown would be perfect."

He grabbed her hand and kissed it, "sundown, here it is then."

She turned around and walked away quickly but not without turning back around again and smiling at him.
He got back on his horse but kept standing there until she had completely vanished from his sight.
He had to admit to himself that of course she was beautiful. He had known that before as he told her as well. But that wasn't what really made him want to have her by his side for the rest of his life. He had seen many beautiful women before.
She had captured his heart with her soul. And her eyes. He couldn't deny that he had to fight not to get lost in their warmth.
But more importantly it was everything about her. The way she listened to every word he said and the way she had told him her story. She had been through so much and still she believed that she could have a second chance. With him.
He had to smile at that. Yes this woman had just stolen something from a thief. She had perfectly well managed to steal his heart.
Eventually he put his cloak on that smelled of her now which made him grin like an idiot, before riding off.

A few minutes later Regina had made it to her room. Luckily she didn't run into anyone at the palace. She closed the door to her room and leaned against it.
That was when she realised that someone was sitting on her bed.

"Tink?", she said, walking towards her fairy friend, "what are you doing here?"

The fairy smiled, "waiting for you. How was it?"

Regina couldn't help but smile back.

"I see", Tink said, "but I still want to know all about it."

"It was, it was the best night I ever had", Regina said.

Tinkerbell looked a bit shocked, "you s-?"

"No, no", Regina said laughing, "not what you think. We just, we talked a lot. And he took me home from the tavern on his horse. It felt so good to be around him. Comfortable. Like coming home. I was happy around him and I think he enjoyed it as much as I did."

"That sounds perfect", said the fairy.

"Well that it was", said Regina, "but it will be complicated, I guess."

Tinkerbell smiled, "well for today it was perfect. And as for the future you will see what's to come. Take one step at a time."

Regina smiled, "I can't thank you enough", she said. And that was true. She couldn't thank Tinkerbell enough because for now she had faith. And hope.

"It would be enough for me to see the two of you being happy together", Tinkerbell said.

Regina almost started crying, "wow that. No one has ever...", she couldn't even put it into words.

"Well that's what friends are for", the fairy said smiling.

"Friends?", Regina asked hugging the fairy.

"Friends", she stated then slowly moved out of Regina's embrace, "you should catch a bit of sleep and I should go as well."

"Yeah of course", Regina said.

"See you around", the fairy said before transforming back into the small winged creature she was and flew off leaving Regina's room in a slight green glow for a little while.

It took Robin hours until he arrived in his camp. But he didn't regret one second of the time he invested in meeting her.
Quietly he put his horse back in its place and made his way over to his tent. It wasn't the first time that he came back early in the morning and he was a thief. So being quiet was something he was used to.
When he made it to his tent he was surprised though to see 'little' John sitting on his usual sleeping place. That man was everything but 'little' after all.

"Why are you awake?", Robin asked but already knew the answer.

"Have you lost your mind?", John asked him.

Robin grinned, "just my heart, John. Just my heart."

"Seriously Robin", John said, "have you lost your marbles? I don't know who that woman is but something tells me that we might be in some trouble because of her."

"I'm serious John", Robin said, "I've never felt the way I felt in her company."

"Ah so that's it then, she's good in bed", John said.

Robin glared at John, "we didn't. And even if that's none of anyone's business."

John sighed, "so what is it then? What does she have that no one else has?"

"It's everything about her, John", Robin said and John could see in Robin's face how true his words really were, "her personality, her smile, her eyes, her face, everything."

"But?", John asked. He knew there was something. There was always something. Otherwise that woman would be standing next to Robin right here, this instant.

"We're going to be in a lot of trouble", Robin said.

"Let me guess, she's married", John said more than asked.

"Well you could say that", Robin had to laugh.

"Don't tell me you've fallen for the wife of a Sheriff or something."

"Well."

"It's Nottingham, isn't it?", John asked, "please don't let it be Nottingham."

"King Leopold", Robin said and as soon as his words had reached John's ears he wished it was Nottingham's wife.

"Oh dear. Nottingham would have been easier", John said. Then continued, "so you're... You're sure that you want it? She's worth it?" John already knew the answers.

He knew Robin and he could read his face like an open book. Aside that Robin didn't talk often about what he wanted but when he did then he really wanted that.
Robin nodded.

And that was all that John needed, "ok. We're gonna do this", he said smiling, "we'll help you, Robin. We'll do everything we can for you. But you already know that."

There were a few tears on Robin's face by now and John quickly got on his feet to hug his friend, "thank you", was what Robin whispered in his ear, "thank you so much. You don't know how much it means to me."

"Us", he said, "we're all in this together now."

Regina was lying wide a wake in her bed for most of the night after Tinkerbell had left.
All kinds of thoughts were running through her mind.
She was smiling. She was smiling when she thought about him.
Smiling the way that she did just a couple of hours ago when she was still with him. Smiling like she hadn't been doing so in such a long time before he came along. Before he and Tinkerbell came along who showed her that maybe, maybe perhaps a second chance was possible.
The situation was a mess. She wasn't just any married woman. No, she was the Queen. His situation was a little bit easier to handle but to be honest not the best one either. So they would have to come up with something really good to make this work.
But she knew one thing. She would try. She would try everything and as hard as she could to make this work.

Robin was worth it.

She has had only met him hours ago but he had stolen her heart in this short amount of time entirely.
He would be the one thing in her life that was worth fighting for. And so she swore to herself that she would.
She would fight for him. For them. To make this work. She would give up everything just to be with him. To be happy.
She didn't need all the fancy food from all over the world that she had at the castle or expensive dresses. She didn't need hundreds of people around her that pretended to care about her but didn't.
She just needed happiness.
She needed a home in this world.
And as of now she knew a part of this world. A big part, was him. Him and also Tinkerbell. And the rest, she hoped, would somehow settle around that.