Mary Margaret's words echoed in her mind hours after the seance. Don't let anything hold you back. Roland's laughter as Robin picks him up. You still owe me that drink. She'll finish tidying up and then she'll go find him. They need to talk. She still hasn't told him about the tattoo, and it's significance. But he's always with someone, and if not, she's the one being summoned by the Charmings. Or the Savior. Or the pirate. Or Henry.
Regina freezes, her hands clutching a cleaning cloth. Henry doesn't have any memory of her, so no, he hasn't been calling her lately, but he will again someday. She hopes. Even though she shouldn't, she tells herself, because every time she dares to hope for something good to happen to her, it ends up either taken away or actually hurting her. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she shuts her eyes, takes a deep breath and continues wiping surfaces that are already pristine and shiny. She needn't bother but now she feels restless and like she needs to be doing something.
She gets the sudden urge to go for a walk, a long one, in the woods perhaps. It's been a long day, and though her limbs are a little sore from having battled with the ghost of her late mother, Regina is buzzing with energy.
Her blazer and scarf are in her home office where she left them earlier, and she makes her way to the room now. Sliding her arms into each sleeve, she pulls the scarf over her head and lets it fall loosely around her neck, not bothering to tie it as she pulls her hair out from beneath the fabric.
Just as she's straightening the collar of her blazer, Regina hears a loud bang-bang-bang coming from her front door. Frowning, she makes her way over. Maybe Mary Margaret forgot something, she thinks. Whoever is there is obviously anxious because they bang on the door once again. "Coming!" Regina calls out, irritation evident in her voice.
When she opens the door, she barely gets his name out before he rushes with an apology.
"Milady, I'm sorry. I let you down. Your heart was lost to Zelena on my watch but I promise you, I will get it back."
I know you, and you feel things deeply.
You feel things with your whole soul.
Don't let anything hold you back.
Grabbing the lapels of his coat, she pulls him to her and plants a firm kiss on his lips, then steps back to assess whether or not she's crossed a line. Insecurities flash in her mind. He may be repulsed, may not want her advances, may not want anything to do with her at all. The moment is heavy with the promise of something new and unknown yet entirely familiar for some reason.
There he is, the guy with the lion tattoo.
That's him?
There's a chill in the late October air and their breaths are visible as they exhale, eyes searching until Robin leans in and captures her lips again hungrily, his hand threads through her silken hair. Grazing her earlobe with his thumb, they fall into the kiss, oblivious to the world around them, and for one night, Regina decides she is going to enjoy this happiness, no matter how long it lasts. Never breaking the kiss, she pulls him into her home and shuts the door, locking them safely inside for the rest of the night.