Hi there, here's my contribution for OQ August Angst Fest day one, I included prompts #3 #6 #7 #16 #22 and #39

This is my first published OQ story, so please bear with me :)

TW: Major character death... I guess?

I Love You, You Know?

3:23am, and Robin was still out. This was the third night of the week he'd been staying late at the station and this time, Regina had enough. She trusts Robin, she truly does, but tonight she just had to make sure he was okay. She just knew something was wrong, which is why she decided to take the car to drive to the station in the dark, ignoring the very low temperature and the snowy road.

She made it to the station but when she arrived, Robin wasn't there. The Sheriff car wasn't there either, so Regina assumed he was patrolling, and decided to drive around town to find him. She needed to be close to him, something wasn't right and she needed him, needed his strong arms to hug her and tell her everything was alright.

Regina drove around for at least 15 minutes when she finally spotted the car on the side of the road, a few feet away from her. Smiling in relief, she started the car again at the green light, completely unaware of the car coming to her right, slipping on the ice in a poor attempt to stop at the red light. All Regina could see and hear was a blinding light, and a female voice calling her name. She couldn't move or open her eyes anymore, all she managed to do was whisper "Robin…" and then suddenly everything was dark.

…

Robin grumbled in her neck at the poundings against the door that wouldn't stop. He removed himself from her, saying, "You should probably get that…"

She sighed and got up, making her way to the door to open it. When she opened it, she was shocked to be welcomed by a huge slap on the cheek and tearful Sheriff.

"WHERE IS HE?" Emma yelled, stepping into the room looking for Robin.

"Wha- who?" She asked, feigning innocence.

"Do NOT try to play that game with me Marian!"

"Emma? What are you doing here, what happened?" Robin asked fearfully, he could hear the tears in Emma's voice from the bedroom.

All he got as an answer was Emma's angry fist on his face. Serves him right.

"What the hell?!"

"Yes, what the HELL indeed Robin! You wanna know what happened? Your wife has been looking for you! You know, your actual wife? Not the ex-one you've been screwing while your soulmate was bleeding out on the road!" Emma shouted in his face and saw Robin face turn as white as a sheet.

"Wait wha-what? Where's Regina?!" Robin was breathing heavily, and his hands started to shake, Emma noticed.

"She's… she's at the hospital, she had a car accident b-but Robin… s-she isn't doing too well…" Emma said in between sobs. Robin put his hands on his mouth and tears started to fall on his cheeks. He'd messed up big time, he didn't think much of it at the time, he never intended to hurt Regina in the process… he just needed to change his mind, to make the guilt go away just for a little while. And this might just have cost his soulmate, his wife's life.

Robin sighed and sniffed, rubbing his eyes to remove the tears that were falling and said, "Take me to her Emma, please."

…

The ride to the hospital was silent, except for a few sniffs from time to time, and Emma briefly explaining what happened to Robin.

When they finally got there after ten long and painful minutes, they both ran out of the car to get to Regina's room. Before they arrived in front of the room, Emma stopped Robin.

"Do not tell her now," was all that Emma told him, before she started to walk again to Regina's room.

Snow and David were in front of the room when they arrived, and quickly updated them. Regina was now stable and awake, although still very weak. Robin breathed out in relief and made his way inside of the room anxiously, seeing his wife for the first time after the accident.

Her eyes were closed, her face was all bruised and there was probably a huge cut on her forehead, hidden by a dressing. She had a mask on her face to help her breathe, and her left arm seemed to be broken.

Robin couldn't help the sob that made its way out of his mouth, he quickly put a hand on his mouth, tears blurring his vision and slowly walked to the bed. Regina turned her head and opened her eyes slowly.

"Robin…?"

Robin swallowed the lump in his throat painfully and sat on the chair next to the bed, taking Regina's hand gently in his own.

"Hey my love," Robin said and laid a soft kiss on the hand he was holding, "how are you feeling?"

"Where the hell were you?" Regina replied, ignoring his question. Robin smiled sadly, there was his Regina.

"I was…"

"You were with her, weren't you?" She asked looking him in the eyes, and looking for the truth.

"I…" Robin hesitated, he didn't want to break her heart, but he also couldn't lie to her, not anymore, not ever again. "How do you know?" he sighed.

"You should have been there, I thought I had found you, but when I called your name it wasn't your voice that answered me. When I first opened my eyes it wasn't your face I saw, and when I opened them for the second time, you were still away and Emma had gone to get you," she replied, frowning at him and breathing more heavily.

"Regina I-"

"I thought you loved me Robin, I thought I could trust you…" Regina started to get angrier with every second that passed and her heart monitor beeped faster and faster.

"I do love you Regina, please don't ever doubt that my love I just…" Robin tried to explain but was at loss of words. How do you explain to your wife and soulmate that even though you love her more than anything, you made a mistake that you know could break her forever? "I never meant to hurt you, and I am so, so sorry for what I did."

Regina's anger started to dissipate, and Robin's heart shattered on the spot. Regina wasn't angry anymore… oh no, she was sad, she was broken. A few tears made their way down her cheeks, but she couldn't hold the pain in anymore. She was just so tired and so emotionally drained… she removed her hand from Robin's and started to sob uncontrollably. She was shaking and could feel her whole soul being ripped away, her heart breaking in her body.

"I-I trusted you Robin… I s-sold my soul to get y-you back!" Regina sobbed, hiding her face with the hand she had just taken back from Robin. Everything was aching but yet she felt numb. The room was warm but yet she felt cold.

Yes, she sold her soul to get him back, and this is exactly what has been eating him alive for the past two years. The guilt made him sick every day, and he just wanted to forget for a little while, to stop feeling. So he went to Marian, and indeed stopped feelings, and forgot.

Robin didn't know what to do, he was aching to hold her and tell her everything would be okay, that they would work it out, that he loved her more than life itself, that if he could trade places with her right now he would do it in a heartbeat… he broke her, he broke the one thing that he loved more than anything, the woman who make his heart beat every day, the woman he vowed to love and cherish, in sickness and in health, until death do them part.

Against all the voices in his head that told him not to, Robin leaned in and gently, oh so gently held Regina in his arms. Their bodies shook together, she was resisting him but after a few seconds she just let go and fell in his arms, putting her head against his heart, while he put his head against her own, crying for the mistake he could never undo.

Her tears were soaking his shirt and his tears were soaking her hair. He started to rock them slowly not to hurt her, and kissed her head, closing his eyes and whispering apologies he knew could never make up for what he did.

As much as she hated herself for it, Regina felt at peace in his arms, she had been waiting to be just there the whole night, and now she finally was. Her body was not aching so bad anymore, her heart felt lighter and the room got warmer. Regina closed her eyes, sighing against Robin's heart. He was calling her name, she felt herself being moved, and suddenly she wasn't in his arms anymore. She felt cold again and the world was spinning around her.

She could see Robin again, his worried face full of fresh tears and his shaking hands holding her own. Doctors were rushing around her bed, trying to remove Robin but he wasn't letting go of her hand.

Robin continued to hold her hand, the doctors were shouting at him, but he just couldn't let her go, he couldn't.

"I love you Regina, don't you dare die on me now my love, we still have a whole life ahead of us… please I beg of you!" Robin told her as she was closing her eyes for the last time, the line on her heart monitor going flat. He felt like in a dream, everything was happening in slow motion, the doctors pushing him to the side and trying to bring back Regina, in vain. The sounds around him sounded like an echo.

"Time of death, 6:04am," one of the doctors said.

No, it was just a dream, it had to be. Robin sank to the ground, not even flinching when his body collided with the ground, and closed his eyes. He couldn't keep going without Regina, she was his heart, his life, his everything.

He broke her, he didn't even have time to make it right, he killed her.

His eyes were still closed, he thought he could hear her voice coming from somewhere… was he dying himself? He hoped he was, he couldn't keep going knowing what he did, although he supposed he probably deserved far worse than death.

He heard her voice again, this time louder. She sounded alarmed… oh god, even in death he couldn't just leave her in peace. She called him again, louder and louder, he felt himself move, he was probably going to hell after all.

"Robin?!" still no reaction. "ROBIN!" Regina yelled his name, shaking him strongly.

Robin finally woke up and sat straight, gasping for air and looking around him like a lost child.

"Robin it's okay, shhhhhh Robin please look at me…" Regina said, taking his face in her hands and turning it towards her. "Breathe Robin, slowly… in… out… in… out… yes just like that, keep going."

Robin slowly started to breathe normally again, and looked at Regina as if she would disappear at any moment. Regina smiled softly, and stroke his cheeks gently, telling him, "It was just a dream Robin it's okay… do you wanna talk about it?" she asked him, and she looked so soft, her eyes looked so loving and worried and Robin just lost it and broke into sobs in front of her.

"I'm so sorry…." Robin said tearfully and couldn't even look Regina in the eyes.

"Oh Robin…" Regina didn't question him and took him in her arms, tucking his head under her chin, stroking her hair, and rocking him gently. She let him cry like this for a couple minutes until he calmed down. She felt him move then and he took her face in his hands and kissed her lovingly. He poured all his emotions, and all his love into that kiss and left Regina at a loss of words.

"I love you so much Regina… so so much…" Robin closed his eyes and took her in his arms again.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Regina asked, pulling away a little to look at him.

Robin shook his head and brought her back to his chest, "I really don't… I just wanna forget about it, and keep holding you for a little while… please?"

"Okay," she answered and put her arms around his middle, holding him close to provide him with as much comfort as she could at the moment. "I love you too you know?"

Robin chuckled at that, shaking his head and holding her tighter against him, "Of course I do love."

There you go, I have to admit I changed the ending because I'm weak and just couldn't let my love die for real, let's be honest lol. Hope you enjoyed!