~Regina~

He looked as perfect as the first day I had met him—the moment I had fallen for him. Not much had changed about his look apart from his attire. He had traded his green rags for a gray v-neck t-shirt, his signature green scarf, and jeans. It made me smile. Even with different clothes, he still stuck to the color that brought out the emerald flecks in his eyes—green. My heart yearned to be with him once again, forever and always—my Robin. I turned away from him as Marian took the seat across the booth from him. It hurt too much; he hurt too much.

It had been a year since Marian had resurfaced from Zelena's portal due to the "goodness" in Emma's heart. No matter how convinced everyone in town was of the Charmings, their sense of righteousness always seemed to come at the cost of someone else's happiness. This time, like most others, was mine. Now, staring at Robin and Marian enjoying a simple meal at Granny's, I finally understood my fate—evil will never get a happily ever after. As Marian reached across the table to grab Robin's hand, a tear found its way down my cheek and before I knew it, one teardrop turned into a river.

I looked away and wiped my eyes. There was no point in mourning over something I could never have. I had found love twice, and had lost it twice. Slowly, the waterworks came to a stop. I had to get out of here. Being this close to him, yet being unable to be with him was suffocating. I could barely breathe. The air was surrounding me, enclosing me in its embrace. I undid my scarf and grabbed my purse through glazed eyes. As I got up however, my hand caught the edge of the table and the contents of my bag spilled out on the ground in front of me.

I got down and quickly threw my belongings back into the purse. A hand caught hold of mine as I reached out to grab my compact. Sparks ignited where we touched, making goose bumps appear along the length of my arms and legs. My heart started to race. There was only one person in the entire world that could cause such a reaction in me.

"Robin," I whispered, somewhat breathlessly.

"Regina," he responded. "Are you alright?"

Looking him in his eyes, I said, "Yes, I'm fine. Just on my way out."

"Are you sure everything is fine? You don't seem ok. What is going on?" he asked with concern in his eyes.

"I just told you. I am fine and am late to meet Henry, so if you could be so kind as to leave my hand, I would greatly appreciate it. Besides, you lost the right to ask me that a year ago," I retorted with a steely gaze. "Thanks for your help, but next time, just stay out of my way". I snatched my compact up and broke out of his grip, making my way to the door with hasty yet confident strides.

"Regi-," Robin's voice was cut off as the door to Granny's slammed shut behind me.

I stood by the entrance, drawn to his voice. Every fiber in my being was pleading for me to walk back through that door, straight into the arms of the love of my life, but I willed myself not to turn around. The fresh air was a refreshing welcome that helped calm my nerves and allowed me to collect myself. What was I thinking? How could I have gone back to that man? After everything he had done to me, after everything he had promised me and broken the moment she had come back into town. Not only had Robin broken my heart, he had shattered me completely beyond repair.

That's it. No one would ever come close to hurting me again from this point on, I vowed. Coming to this decision, I found a renewed strength in me. With a new resolve, I walked away from the diner, never looking back. From today, Robin would have no effect on me. In fact, nobody will.

"I will destroy anyone who comes in my way. I will reign terror over Storybrooke," I declared with a smirk. "The Evil Queen is back".

With that, I walked back towards my home ready to take on anything and anyone that dared crossed my path. Fortunately for the people of Storybrooke, night was setting in and not many were seen roaming the town at such an hour. Only when I was in the safety of my home did I feel the full weight of what had just happened. He had spoken to me. My Robin had gone out of his way to talk to me at the diner—in front of his wife. It had been almost a year since the last time we had had any means of communication. A range of emotions ran through me, yet, I had no idea what any of this meant. Could it mean hope for us? No. His wife was back. How could I even believe for a moment that Robin would leave her for me? They had a child together and as much as Roland had become my son in the time before Marian appeared, the truth was, Marian was his real mother, and in his eyes, she was and always would be his only mother.

I stifled a yawn. Thinking about all my drama had worn me out. I had done enough for today. I kicked off my shoes and got into bed. I was overcome with sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I didn't fight it. I succumbed to the darkness and waited for it to wash away all my sorrows over the past year. Too bad even in sleep, my problems were far from over. As my eyes closed shut, the nightmares began.