This is my first attempt at a fic, just wanted to give a shout out to Jen who inspired many of my ideas and was the first person to read and give amazing feedback! Thank you for all your help, and to all my other friends who supported me with this. Any thoughts and feedback would be much appreciated, so please leave a review. Thank you
Friday night was rapidly disappearing, and instead of being tucked up on her sofa with Henry watching a film, she was stuck in a stuffy meeting room fighting to keep her eyes open. It's a good job she had the sense to text Henry's sitter, Ashley in her lunch break asking her to stay an extra couple of hours tonight; she figured that after the week she's had at work this was bound to happen tonight.
She had been in meetings all day, staring at the same spot on the wall listening to her boss drone on and on about the same subject for hours and still they were getting nowhere. If she had to spend one more second in this room listening to Gold and Mal argue over the same topic without coming to a decision, she may have to scream. Pressing her index fingers against her temples, she attempted to suppress the dull ache that had been throbbing across her forehead for the last hour, she was tired and needed to go home, or leave this office at the very least; so when Gold suggested they pack up for the evening and reconvene bright and early Monday morning it was music to her ears.
She decided that after the day she has had, she'd earned herself at least a glass of wine or maybe several and although she knew it would not help her headache, it would certainly help her forget this awful week. She wouldn't usually stop for drinks after work because she doesn't like drinking around her son, but as Ashley had agreed to stay she was in no rush to go home. Any other time she would hang back to see if Mal was free to come with, but today she needed time to herself, even if it was in a bar full of rowdy punters.
She settled on trying 'The Jolly Roger', a new bar just down the road from her house, that way she could walk home if necessary. Her first choice usually would have been 'The Rabbit Hole', but after the way things ended with Graham she had sworn off ever going within a ten mile radius of that dive. She didn't want to risk running into him and seeing him with a certain blonde, who co-incidentally worked behind the bar; she should've known when he started spending all his time there that she was the reason. Just the thought of them being around each other, him looking at Emma with the same hunger that he used to look at her with, was enough to make her blood boil, it may have been ancient history but the pain was still raw. Graham was the first person she'd even thought about having a future with since Daniel died, and he took advantage of that.
"Snap out of it" she whispered to herself, attempting to fight back the tears that threatened to come. Straightening her shoulders, smoothing her hair and readjusting the blue blazer she's wearing, she walks through the doors with a sheer look of determination. She headed straight toward the bar and she was not going to leave until she had wiped those stupid thoughts Of Graham and Emma clean from her mind. As she sits on a bar stool, she is greeted with a friendly smile.
"What can I get ya sister?" The man behind the bar asks with a grin.
"Glass of Tempranillo." She replies, before pausing and speaking again, "Large preferably. And keep them coming," She says, the bartender nodding before fixing her drink.
When he returns he places the glass in front of her "Rough day?"
Regina lifts her head, shoots him a look, which must have works because it has him gesturing a sorry, and slowly backing away to serve the next person.
She takes her time with the first glass, savouring every sip whilst being completely lost in her thoughts, her mind consumed with the pain of re-living moments with Graham, remembering his touch and how good it felt to be wanted, truly wanted. But those thoughts were soon interrupted by the sickening realisation of how much time she had wasted over something that wasn't real. The worst thing about it was that he tried to make it seem as if it was her that was the problem, not him. That somehow she wouldn't let him love her. For a long time she believed it, a small part of her still does. He knew just what to say to her to make her feel like shit. The words "I don't feel anything when I'm with you" piercing straight through her like a dagger to her heart. It was thoughts like these which led to drink number two, which she all but inhaled, so when it came to her third glass, the bartender left the bottle.
The room was beginning to spin for Regina; she did not plan on getting this drunk tonight. Usually wine doesn't affect her this much, but then she remembered that thanks to Gold and his slave driving ways, she had skipped lunch and worked through.
Looking at her watch with squinted eyes, attempting to focus enough to read the time, shit; it's way past when she was supposed to be home to relieve Ashley. Deciding she needs some air as she can't go home in this state, she puts down more than the amount she owes, stumbles off her stool and heads towards the exit. Just as she's about to pull open the door, she turns towards the bar and yells a rather slurred "Keep the change" and carries on walking, completely oblivious to the man obstructing her exit.
Next thing they are colliding into each other, with the remains of his drink spilling down his toned torso and her rather expensive blazer.
"Hey!"
"Watch where you're going, you incompetent fool!" she scoffs loudly, rubbing the patch on her blazer that was now stained with booze. A rather stunned Robin opens his mouth to reply but before he can say anything she interrupts, "Do you know how much this blazer cost? Well it's now ruined, thanks to you, Idiot."
"Are you quite finished?" he says, a smug grin etching its way across his face, which Regina returns with a threatening scowl, her eyes locked on his. "I think you'll find that it you bumped into me, love."
"And what's more, out of the two of us I think I was the one who came off worse." he rambled.
"At least you can take your blazer off, where I now have to go home reeking like a brewery." He chuckled. "Unless it was your plan all along to get me naked." He said with a cheeky wink; the grin on his face now growing bigger. This comment earned him a tight smile from Regina, her cheeks turning pink with embarrassment.
Why was he flirting? She had just wasted half a well earned pint. He couldn't help it though; she was stunning. He found himself wanting to make that smile appear more often, even though he had only known her a few minutes.
She looks him up and down, stalling for as long as she can, trying to think of a witty comeback, finding herself very distracted by his bright blue eyes, and his now very transparent white vest. She can't tell if it was the alcohol or if she actually finds him attractive. Realising that nothing had been said for quite a while, she dismisses every thought of him.
"What kind if simpleton stands in front of the exit? Really, you were asking for this to happen." And with that she barges past him so hard that next thing she knew she's on the floor.
Regina's a mess; there was no way Robin was letting her go home alone, not like this so against his better judgement, he leans over her and stretches out his arm offering his hand to her, "Milady".
She looks up with a sideways glace and says "It's Regina, and I'm fine," pushing his hand out the way, finding her way to her feet. Robin was carefully studying her from behind, trying not to stare at her amazing figure. Seeing how much she was staggering, he boldly walks next her linking his arm in the crook of hers.
"At least let me walk you home." He smiles "After all, what kind of a gentleman would I be to spill my drink over you and not even offer to make sure you get home safe?"
He knows that if he agrees with her version of events that she would be more likely to let him.
Regina looks at him with an air of caution in her eyes, he doesn't usually accept invitations like this from strangers, but there was something about him that she trusted. She wasn't sure if it was his kind eyes or the cute little dimples that appeared every time he smiled that made her instantly feel safe with him, so she accepted. She had to admit the thought of having someone around when she was in this state put her mind at ease, plus she was sure the walk home would help her sober up. She didn't want to wake Henry.
As she only lived round the corner, the walk home didn't last long. It occurred to her as they were almost reaching her door, that she didn't even know what his name was. So, embarrassed that it had taken this long, she asked him quietly.
"Robin Locksley, at your service." He grinned.
"Are you always this charming?" She asks bluntly.
"Only when I'm in the presence of a beautiful woman." He replies with as much charm as he could lay on.
Looking at him with one eyebrow raised she chuckles, "Does that line really work?"
Robin raises one arm to scratch the back of his head whilst looking down at his feet, as if to say not really, but her attention is now on the incredible muscle tone of his arm which is now flexed and she's lost in the thought of what it would be like to be held tightly against him in those arms.
Snapping out of it, she attempts to gain control of the situation "This is me" she says and lingers a little longer on her porch, secretly not wanting to leave his company, kicking herself for getting this drunk; her emotions are all over the place. She was seriously considering making a move on this rather attractive stranger. after all if things went wrong she would never have to see him again, and it had been such a long time since she had been kissed.
Before she knows what's happening, he's heading back down the path and she's running after him, grabbing his arm to stop him. When she leans in for a kiss, to her sheer embarrassment, she finds him dodging her mouth.
"As much as I want to, and trust me I really do, it goes against my honour to take advantage of a woman when drunk." A look of sheer horror and embarrassment paint themselves across Regina's face and she has to take a step back.
Noticing her embarrassment, Robin grabs her wrist pulls out a pen from his pocket, scribbling his number on the back of her hand before placing a soft kiss where he'd just written. "I don't want you to regret anything in the morning." He smiles, and with that Regina looks up and smiles at the hand where he had left his details, her teeth gently tugging at her bottom lip trying to hide the excitement she was feeling.
After lingering for just a moment, he makes his way down the path, stopping at the end for one last look. "When you're ready, I'm only a phone call away." He says, flashing her a dimpled grin before heading out into the night, and back towards 'The Jolly Roger'.