It's the thrill. The danger. The risk. It's the way his senses go on fire, the way he feels so alive, so alive when the adrenilne rushes in his veins like blood. But he can't say that. That's just what he thinks. It stays in his mind while he is answering, for the millionth time, the question the interviewer just asked him, the question he, Robin Locksley, a successful, globally known action movies star, has always being asked: why you don't want a stantman for the most "risky" scenes in your movies?

"So you're telling me you want to do everything by yourself cause you want to improve your skills, that's a very dedicated actor right here, ladies and gentlemen!" the young interviewer interrupts him, the audience go delirious and he can't help himself from putting on his lips a playful smile.

"Let's hope my mom isn't watching this interview! Hi mom! I'm just acting, this isn't true!"

He waves at the camera, hearing a burst of laughs all around, from the crew and, especially, from the audience. He loves his fans, he truly does, and not just like any other star of his level:he lovespeople, he loves their stories, his heart skips a beat every time a young aspiring actor tells him that he inspires them with his work.That's the best reward he could ever, ever ask for: to be, someday, someone's inspiration. Not that he doesn't enjoy the life being a star allows him to have. He has an amazing wife, a beautiful baby boy, a mom that still supports him no matter what. He travels whenever his busy schedule allows him to, every now and then he buys himself a new motorcycle or a horse, or add some other fancy room to his enormous mansion in the most luxury zone of LA. This time, for example, he is planning to add a little hi-tech playground for his kid... He actually loves everything about his life as it is, especially his work. If they would ask him, he couldn't wish for anything else.

"So what are you gonna do today, Robin? Tell us something about your daily routine, now that Christmas break is knocking at the door!"

"Oh, I'm just gonna spend some time with my kid, y'know..." He smiles, a big, carefree smile. "As for today, after this interview I'm going to pick up my mom, she's at a wedding, she's a wedding planner... And then, as I said before, celebrate my own wedding anniversary."

"There seems to be a great day ahead for you!"

"Yeah, it really is. I'm looking forward for it."

"We hope you enjoy your day, Robin! And that's it, thanks for taking the time to be our special guest today!"

"Thank you guys for inviting me. And for this awesome award, I love it!"

About two hours later, as he leaves his car, a cold breeze hits Robin's face, making him shiver and instantly hide his face in the dark red scarf rolled around his neck. He usually doesn't wear scarfs, but it's the 23rd of December of a particularly cold winter, and he tells himself he can lose some points in style in order to not spend those few holidays he actually has stuck on a bed with flu and cold.

As he reaches the entrance of the castle, the place of the wedding, he notices his mom's personal touches here and there on floreal decorations on the gate, while talking to his wife on the phone.

"Yeah, I won the award. Don't worry, it's okay you didn't watch... No, it wasn't a big deal.

Yeah, I'm just about to pick mom, right now I'm in front of this enormous castle she organized the wedding in, so we'll make it just in time for our flight... Theresa, I won't spend our wedding anniversary in LA while you're on the East coast... Oh. Did you forget it's today? Oh, you're just making fun of me... Right? I'll find out later! Hey, have to go, I'll get in touch after the check-in, okay? Yeah, me too."

He hangs up and let his phone slide into the pocket of his jeans, rising his blue gaze to meet the medieval building surrounded by a beautiful garden. He loves staying in the open air, taking his time to breathe and just relax. So that's exactly what he is going to do while waiting for his mother, he tells himself as he crosses the gate to enter.

It takes minutes to him to find a peaceful angle in the middle of the trees, a little, quiet peace of paradisewhere he gets lost in his thoughts, so deep that he barely realizes someone else has reached that same spot. He gives her a distracted look, noticing a white, sober wedding dress, which catches his attention and actually makes him turn to look more carefully at the woman he supposes is the bride. She doesn't even seem to care about his presence, at first, busy as she is reading something on a piece of paper. But when he keeps staring at her, she finally looks up, giving him an irritated look that makes him turn away his gaze and apologize frankly.

"Excuse me? You can't stay here. If you're invited, you should be inside with the others." she informs him, annoyed by his presence in a place where she thought she could finally spend sometime alone, by herself.

Robin smirks, and turns actually back, now looking openly at this woman. She's beautiful, and he feels guilty by thinking that, but he can't help it. Besides, he's pretty sure his wife would agree with him.

"Are you the guardian of this garden?" he asks, amused, rising an eyebrow.

"What do you think?" Regina glares, shakes her head and looks away, trying to focus on her breathe, just as her yoga master has taught her. She can't let that wedding stress win her.

"I think you have stolen the bride's clothes... Should I inform inside?"

The brunette puffs, rising a hand to lightly massage the side of her head. She hated being interrupted during her meditation section. And maybe it was a bad idea trying to do it at her own wedding, but she really thought no one, no one could find her in that spot, in the middle of the wood.

"Could you please leave me alone?" she asks him, patiently, with her eyes closed.

"Of course... Not." The man's smile grows wider, as he steps towards her direction, a light, pleasant scent of apple, which he associates to the three he just left behind him. "It's your wedding and you're sitting outside here... Why?"

"Do you have a problem with that?" she snaps, opening her eyes to meet his gaze, now that he's just a step away from the bench.

"Not directly... But, actually, indirectly, I do... My mother has a problem" Robin replays quietly, reaching said bench and sitting down, which causes Regina to move just a little away in order to not get any contact with him. He ignores the action, and keep on answering to her question. "The faster you go inside, the faster my mom can leave from here."

"You're a weird man... You even sat down with no permission, I can't believe it."

"Should I lie down and chat with you?... One to one discussions always happen sitting down, face to face."

"Discussion?"

Regina now turns her face in order to look at him, confused by his words. And as she does, he shows her the piece of paper he has actually just stolen from her.She recognizes it, and reaches out to grab the paper she wrote her wedding vows on, but he's faster. He puts it in his left side pocket, where she surely won't try to reach. Regina crosses her arms, a tired sigh escaping her lips as she turns again, looking at the apple tree in front of them.

"The vows, aren't they? I'll give it back to you after we finish discussing your problem... Yeah, I know you have a problem. Come on, talk to me. Tell me everything."

"Why should I discuss my problem with you?"

"So you admit you actually have a problem..." Robin leans just a little towards her, his eyes glued to her face, even if she's looking away. He could sense something was wrong from the moment his eyes lied on her face. Actually it is so clear that a blind man could do that too. Something is bothering or saddening her, or both, and he wants to know what can be the reason behind that. "By the way I don't take advice from anyone, but I'm always ready to give advices to others..."

He smiles again, playfully, as she looks at him. "You know, you should listen to someone else than yourself, every once in a while... May them be friends or complete strangers..." He rises his hand, poking his head with two fingers. "Sometimes they can be smarter and know better than our own."

Regina rolls her eyes, irritated by his way of talking, but something, on his hand, catches her attention: a silver wedding ring. "Are you married?"

"Yes I am... It's four years today."

"What did you think before marrying?"

"Who thinks before marrying?" He laughs, loudly, and then shakes his hand, trying to be as serious as she was, waiting for his answer. "Sorry, just kidding..."

As she doesn't reply and, instead, keep staring at him, he shrugs, scratching the back of his head.

"Me and Theresa are friends from college... So at some point we thought we'd give our friendship a new meaning... Besides what can be better than spending your entire life with a friend?"

A little, kind of sad smile curves Regina's lips as she nods, agreeing with him. "Sometimes friendship replaces love, and then there's no place left for love..."

"Yeah... Yeah, I guess that's right. By the way, the guy waiting for you inside... Is he your friend or your love?"

She looks away and tries to catch a breathe, as if that question stole her ability to speak all of a sudden.

"You can't take that long..." he insists and she feels like she needs to answer to that, to answer for herself, not for him. So she sighs, her fingers nervously torturing the bridal veil sheis holding in her hands.

"I have known Daniel from childhood. After my dad died, Daniel and his father have been my family, instead of my mom..."

"That's sweet, but that's not the answer to my question. Do you love him?"

Regina sighs, again, this time a little frustrated by this man and his manners. "I do... But not the way I thought I would..."

"Like how? Like in kids fairy tales and sad songs? That kind of love?"

"No... The way love ought to be... That kind of love..."

"That kind of love... I'm sad to inform you that it doesn't exist..." Robin chuckles, gaining another glare from her. "Listen: everlasting romance times are far gone, just learn to live with tiny, teen movies like love stories!"

His words causes her to smile, but it's the kind of smiles that fades away with the blink of an eye. "Does that mean you don't love your wife?"

The question surely takes Robin by surprise, but it's Regina, this time, who insists. "You can't take that long..."

He chuckles, again, amused by the way his own words are being used against him. "We're happy... We have made our little world together..."

"That's not the answer to my question."

"The question here is more about your life than my answer... You're at a crossroad in your life, where there are two paths. One that leads to happiness, which I want you to choose... And the other that leads to an endless wait... Wait for your kind of love, which you may never find."

"What if I find that love after marriage?" she looks at him, meets his gaze, and Robin suddenly feels like he has to make an effort in order to not get lost in those big, brown orbs that are staring at him.

He shakes that feeling away, and smiles. A little smile which brights his face and put on full display his dimples.

"If you don't look for it, you won't find it..." he says, knockinghis hands on his legs before getting up. "And you're definitely not gonna find it sitting on this bench... So go inside, get married, they're all waiting for you!"

"It was nice talking to you."

"Well, I'd rather be shooting a movie with..."

"Are you an actor?"

"You really don't recognize me? C'mon, you never saw "Mission Impossible:The Greek threat" or "Mortal blue" or "Afterlife: not today"?"

"They're definitely not my kind of movies..."

"Well, anyway, it was my pleasure, milady...?"

"Regina. Regina Mills."

"Robin Locksley. Now come on, go inside, get married and be happy! Goodbye!"

"We may meet again, so just... Have a good day, instead of a goodbye."

"As you wish."

Robin joins his palms and bows playfully, hearing her chuckle as she heads towards the entrance of the castle. He keeps looking, and smiles raising his hand as she turns back one last time to him, before disappearing behind a wooden door. He stays there, feeling light and somehow euphoric, and enjoys the quiet for some minutes, before heading back to the gate to reach his car.

As he is approaching the other side of the road, he fishes the cellphone from his pocket and it's in that moment that the piece of paper he stole her slips out, falling on the ground and reminding him that he forgot to give it back to her.

"Damn it!" He collects it, and turns suddenly back, running towards the gate he's just left behind. "Regi..."

The car hits him as her name is still incomplete on his lips, making his body fly to the edge ofthe road. Barely instants, but he feels them like a whole eternity.

Helandson another parked car with his left side leg, and then slips down, on the ground, as the driver of the car reaches him, horrified. A bright, blue sky is the last thing he sees, and a light apple scent is the last thing he feels, before losing his senses.