Right from the start you were a thief you stole my heart,
and I your willing victim.
Robin jolted up from his dream, Regina had plagued them since his wife's return.
What hurt the most is that, it was never the same dream. Always different, but nearly always good, and it hurt. To wake up and not be by her side, it hurt to feel her touch in a moment and wake up void of it, and it hurt knowing he was lying to his wife.
She had given him her heart, quite literally and figuratively, but she had stolen his. He loved Marian, he always would, she gave him Roland. But he was not in love with her, and no matter how much he tried he couldn't ever love her like that again. Regina was like a light, and he her moth and nothing would be able to stop that.
I let you see the parts of me that weren't all that pretty, and with every touch
you fixed them.
She poured herself a cup of coffee and put her head in her hands. She couldn't do this anymore, this constant ache. She hadn't cried about it in a long time, but tonight she couldn't keep herself strong.
Sob after sob heaved her body. She wanted it to stop, she needed it to stop.
The Queen couldn't be strong anymore. Regina put her hand over the source of the pain, and ripped it out. Her heart beat, the black swirls an ever constant reminder of how ruined she was.
"Mom?" Henry's voice made her head snap up. "Mom, what are you doing?"
"Henry..." She wiped the tears from her blotched face. "Go back to bed baby."
"No! Mom what are you doing?"
"Nothing, I mean, Henry I don't think you'll understand right now."
"I'm not a kid anymore Mom I know things now." He was insistent upon not leaving her.
Despite her sour mood she smiled and chuckled at her son's statement.
"Mom you can't just rip out your feelings. You have to fight."
"I have been fighting Henry, everyday. For you and everyone around me, I just don't know if I can do it anymore."
"I know that, but you're a good guy now, good guys always get a happy ending."
"I don't think that's how it works, but thank you for trying to make me feel better."
"That's my job, but it won't get any better without your heart."
She looked down and with another broken sob she pushed it back into her chest.
Henry walked towards her and hugged her, whispering soothing words into her hair.
"I know you're broken right now but you'll be fixed again. Don't worry."
"I know, even if just for you."
Now you've been talking in your sleep, things you never say to me.
Tell me that you've had enough of our love.
Marian stirred next to her husband, groggily becoming aware of his voice.
He was mumbling again, and it broke her heart. He whispered sweet declarations of love in his sleep, sometimes whispering a name.
When he had first started she had assumed that he was dreaming of her, whispering things to her.
Then he mumbled a broken 'Regina.' and she felt her world crashing down.
Just give me a reason, just a little bit's enough.
He couldn't take it anymore, so he went to her. It didn't go as he had wanted it to.
'You can't be here Robin, we agreed-'
'I couldn't not be here Regina, I love-'
'Don't! Please, just don't. I can't bear it, because no matter what you say you're going back to your wife tonight.'
'Regina, my heart belongs to you, it always will.'
'That's not enough of a reason to keep putting myself through this agony. Give me a real reason to believe that you won't hurt me again, because I want you Robin, but I need a reason.'
Just a second, we're not broken just bent, and we can learn
to love again.
After his talk with Regina he found himself in the local bar. Sitting beside none other than Will Scarlett.
"I've messed this up Will, and I don't know what to do."
"Well obviously ya have a choice to make. Remember this though, no matter what, yer goin' to hurt one of 'em."
"That's where my conflict lies."
"Regina, she's been hurtin' a long time mate, and goin' to her may have made it worse."
"I was trying to make it better."
"Aye, but until she knows for sure that ya truly do want to be with her she ain't going to trust you."
"And what of Marian?"
"I think that by not bein' with Regina is hurting her too."
"And how is that?"
"Think 'bout it mate, yer in love with Regina, Marian probably sees that."
"So I've unwillingly hurt both of them." Robin put his head in his hands and downed his shot of whiskey.
"Aye, so ya need to make a choice. 'Cause right now both of 'em is hurting so once you make yer choice one of 'em will be able to finally get over ya. Maybe they'll even learn to love again."
But Robin knew he was a selfish man, and it wouldn't be that easy for him.
It's in the stars, it's been written in the scars on our hearts.
"Regina, the man with the lion tattoo was destined to be your soul mate. Nothing can change that, pixie dust never lies."
"Pixie dust got it wrong then, or fate is just really cruel."
"You know that isn't true."
"Tink, I tried. You were right, he was my second chance at love. And it was beautiful, but it just didn't work out."
"He was your second chance Regina, when your broken heart couldn't take it anymore he was supposed to mend it."
"He did Tink," Regina looked down despairingly, "but then he broke it again. I know he didn't mean to but he did."
"It's not supposed to work like that."
"Maybe it is Tink, think of it. Villains don't get happy endings."
I'm sorry I don't understand, where all of this is coming from,
I thought that we were fine.
Marian wiped the few stray tears off her cheeks.
"You love her don't you?"
"Marian..."
"Spare me! I'm not blind Robin, I can see that you look at her like you used to look at me."
"Marian you know that I will always love you. You gave me Roland, we made a family together."
"Robin, you don't need to pretend to love me anymore."
"I'm not pretending, I'm just... conflicted."
"You need to make a choice, and I'll be okay no matter what you choose. Just, even if you love her, please remember me too. I won't beg, I'll just ask. Please, stay with me."
Your head is running wild again, my dear we still have everything,
and it's all in your mind.
Snow White was beyond surprised when she opened the door to find Regina standing before her. Especially since she looked so vulnerable.
Her usual unreadable face was blotched and her makeup making faint lines down her face, it was clear that she had been crying.
"Regina? Come in." She stepped aside to let her former stepmother through the door.
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do, but I couldn't think of anyone else to go to."
Snow nodded and hurried to her kitchen, asking if Regina wanted anything. When Regina denied the cup of coffee she brought her one anyway.
"I'm just glad you came by. We've been worried about you, Henry's good reports haven't been enough as of late."
"I've been doing... better. I'm sorry I'm really not used to having a 'heart to heart.' Even though now it's physically possible." The two cracked a smile, and the mood notably lightened.
"Robin came to see me earlier."
Snow's head snapped up, she hadn't expected that. At least she hadn't expected Regina to outrightly tell her.
"And what happened?"
"He asked for more time, and tried to say that he loved me."
"What did you say?"
"I told him I needed a reason, and that a simple 'maybe' was hurting me."
"Oh Regina..."
"Please, I don't know exactly why I'm here but I know to have a pity party was not one of the reasons."
"I'm glad you're here though, I've been wanting to talk to you for such a long time. You're family, and you've changed, you're good now."
"That sounds remarkably like something Henry said to me a few nights ago. Have you been corrupting my son?"
"I think he's been corrupting me."
"Between you two and the rest of this family, I don't know how I'm still sane."
"I'm scared Snow, I've lost another love and I'm afraid I'll go back to being 'The Evil Queen.' It hurts just as much or more."
"Regina, you've changed, and you aren't going to change back. You've fought tooth and nail to become the person you are now. That stuff in the past, it's in the past. I've forgiven you, and so have many others. It exists only in the mind."
"But I can feel that emptiness and the loneliness beginning to creep back again, I don't know what to do."
Regina found that although completely out of character and strange to her, it sort of felt good to let go and talk to someone. Truly talk.
"Back then, you had no one to support you while going through that really hard time. I was no help then, and I haven't been any help now. This time I promise to be there, and Henry has been helping right?"
Regina grinned and nodded. She would never admit it, but she loved Snow, she loved Snow and maybe even her Prince Charming.
"I should get going, you're probably busy with the new baby."
"No, Regina you can stay. I was just about to put on a movie, I don't suppose you'd want to watch it with me?"
"Are you offering because you want to know more about Robin and I, or because you're afraid of what I just told you?"
"I'm offering because I want to spend some time with my stepmother."
Regina looked utterly surprised.
"That's a term you haven't used often."
"I have a secret stash of sweets I hid from Charming from when I was pregnant, we can demolish it together and watch some chic-flick that will make us tear up..." Snow tempted, a smile crossing her features.
Despite the utter irony of it Regina smiled and thought that that sounded almost nice.
"Sure," she put her purse back down, "a movie sounds nice. Now what do you have in that sweet stash...?"
Now you've been having real bad dreams,
used to lay so close to me
Regina woke up with tears running down her cheeks, again. Her dreams weren't bad, but they were good, so very good.
She promised her son that she would leave her heart inside her chest, that she would lean on others if she ever needed to, but tonight she decided to sit in her bed and cry.
Remembering the feeling of warmth and safety when she had gone to Snow's apartment she decided that maybe, maybe dealing with things alone wasn't always the best option. Because she sure as Hell did not feel any better alone.
There's nothing more than empty sheets
between our love
He woke to the feeling of longing again, he still tasted her, he still felt her. But that wasn't enough, because he was with Marian, and no matter how much he wished it so, Regina would never be beside him.
Marian was his wife, the mother of his son, and new to this world he couldn't abandon her. So why did he feel so empty?
Oh, tear ducts and rust,
I'll fix it for us, we're collecting dust but our love's enough
It hurt, but he had to, it was the honourable thing to do. She was his wife. 'Til death do us part.'
He had told Regina that he could never stop loving her the way he did, and that she just needed to have faith that it would all work out. She had cried, soft sobs wracking her body, and it broke his heart all over again.
She had told him that she was broken, and damaged and that she would wait but it wouldn't be worth it.
He kissed her and told her that she was worth every second, that love would find a way.
The decision had been made, but he wasn't sure if he had made the right one. He felt a part of himself dying walking away as she wracked with sobs.
You're holding it in
Regina didn't go to Snow's that time, it was too private, too heartbreaking to share at the moment.
Instead she stayed alone, in her vault. She had finished her crying in her office, she had done that a lot lately. All of this 'hero' business must be making her soft.
Who would of thought of that? The Evil Queen soft, it was almost amusingly ironic.
She stayed in her vault for a while, she didn't know how long but when someone needed her they would call her.
She checked in on various Storybrook citizens, using her mirror. She spent her time reading spell books or going through her mother's things.
She only ate when she became truly starved, and as that became less and less she felt more and more tired.
After an entire week of spending zero time outside her vault and home she finally decided to go out and show everyone that she was not broken, that she was normal. That of course, was a lie. She was as broken as they come.
You're pouring a drink
He found himself a regular at the local bars nowadays. He would have enough whisky to dull the pain enough to go home and put on a show again, but not enough that he appeared completely drunk.
He knew, if he got drunk enough, he would go to Regina again. Just as Will had said, doing that only made it worse. She needed time, he needed time.
Sometimes he found himself watching her from a far, just to check to make sure she was alright. He was surprised to see her becoming closer and closer with Snow White, and ashamed when he saw her emerge from her house looking half dead, a week after their talk.
His guilt ate him up, doubt and terrible thoughts alike always pushing through his mind.
No, nothing is bad as it seems,
we'll come clean
Regina found her new relationship with Snow comforting, and no longer held on to that disdain she had felt for the overly optimistic girl, though she had still wished she could tone the positivity down slightly.
Especially when she told her about trying to rip her heart out, she'd gotten an ear full after that. The two now had a tradition that every Saturday afternoon Regina would come over and they would watch a movie or go to Grannie's.
Though today she would be meeting someone different at Grannie's and she wasn't all that excited about it.
Robin finally told Marian that although they were trying, it wasn't going to work between them. He had agreed with her that it would be best for both of them to go their separate ways.
He knew he should of felt at least a little bit guilty or sad about his ended marriage, but he didn't. He felt a great weight lift off his shoulders, almost immediately he used the talking box to arrange to meet Regina for lunch.
He only hoped she had waited, that she had had the faith in their love that he had.
Regina entered the diner warily, and sat down beside Robin at his booth.
"Robin, why have you called me here?" She addressed him without looking at his face, instead staring at the overhead menu, as he did.
"I couldn't live without you." His bold statement shocked Regina, and she was left speechless momentarily.
"You have a wife."
"We've decided to terminate that arrangement. Regina, you're the one I want, the one I love."
Her head snapped to face him, a new flame of hope suddenly bursting through her heart.
"Really?"
"Really. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, I want to wake up every day with you by my side. I want to have lover's quarrels and make you breakfast for you, I want you."
Her eyes glistened with tears of joy as she processed his declaration.
"Robin, I love you. I love you so much."
At this point they were both smiling, and embracing each other. Finally free to hold each other freely, to begin mending their bent and broken hearts. Hard as it would be, they were willing to try.
A.N: So this is my first Once Upon a Time fic, tell me how you liked it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or Just Give Me A Reason, they both belong to their respective owners.