"NO!"

But Robin's cries fell on deaf ears as Alice reached up and locked a tight hold on her wrists. She tried pulling back but Alice had surprising strength when she needed it and when she put her foot up against the side and kicked away, there was nothing Robin could do to keep herself from being dragged head first into the ice cold river water with her. She was submerged immediately and quickly twisted back around, breaking through the surface, gasping and throwing her long blonde hair back out of the way from where it stuck to her face. She reached up just long enough to wipe the droplets from her eyes before she spun around in the water to find Alice already running away.

"Not so fast!" Robin gasped and began to chase after her. Robin didn't even attempting to try running and instead dropped back into the water, swimming hard against the soft current. It didn't take her long to catch up with the other girl, reaching over to grab her shoulders and pull her back sharply mid run.

Alice squealed, turning and falling on top of Robin who slipped on the soft mud under the water. The two girls dropped with a loud splash, the area still deep enough for them to be completely covered and they scrambled to get back onto their feet, spitting water and gasping for breath in between fits of laughter. The water was ice cold but it was summer and the air around them was hot, the sun shining directly overhead and warming them through whenever they weren't hidden completely by the stream they swam in. No doubt they would have to worry about sunburn once they finally got out but for now, neither thought of anything passed how much they were enjoying one another's company.

"You're a little wet, love." Alice grinned, raising an eyebrow at her girlfriend, who just a few moments earlier declared that she wasn't planning on doing any swimming today. She was perfectly content with simply soaking her toes from the side until Alice had pulled her in.

"You'll pay for this." Robin warned, but she couldn't stop smiling even as she said it. Now that she was in the water, she was resigned to sticking around, gently waving her arms just under the surface, drifting around in a circle with a lazy half swim.

"Oh I'm sure you can think of some way to repay me." Alice noted. "But the look on your face when I grabbed you will always be worth it!"

"We'll see." Robin noted, moving over and knocking Alice's feet out from under her, causing Alice to dip and splash in the water slightly before she purposefully relaxed and allowed her body to begin floating casually, still with her cocky grin in place like it had never left.

Before she could drift too far downstream, Robin waddled back to her side and gently place a hand on her leg, keeping her in place. She resisted the urge to tickle her exposed feet, knowing exactly where Alice was most ticklish, and instead took her legs in both hands and slowly moving backwards, pulling Alice along with her back to where their bags and clothes were still waiting for them before they got too far away and gave someone the chance to snatch anything. Neither of them had planned on going in the water at first, so when Alice had suddenly decided to after feeling the hot weather, she had no clothes to change into and so simply stripped down to her underwear before she jumped straight in. Robin had chosen to strip off her heavier layers and trousers (since they were too tight for her to roll up her legs) and chose to let her feet soak while sitting warmly on the side. She'd been perfectly content watching Alice swim about, serene in the moment even... Until Alice's little surprise attack.

They had started out their day at Robin's farm, Alice heading there at sunrise so she could join Robin and her mother for an early morning breakfast (something which was quickly becoming a routinely thing for them now). It wasn't necessarily the most tasty breakfast that Alice had ever had, but with Zelena's warm and friendly attitude, Alice could have been eating muck and still be pleased with it all. Each time she visited, Alice didn't want to leave. She enjoyed the simple family life that Robin had, sometimes she even envied it a little (okay, more than a little), but both Zelena and Robin made her feel just so welcome into their home. More so than anyone else had ever done in her life since leaving the tower. She and Robin may have only be together for a short while, but she was already being made to feel as though she were already part of her family.

"You coming to mine for breakfast again tomorrow?" Robin asked, moving to stand behind Alice, wrapping her arms around her chest and resting her chin on her shoulder from where she was still lying back. She twisted around slightly so Alice's head could lean back on her own shoulder in turn, helping to keep her face out of the water and to keep her body from constantly trying to float away downstream.

"I'd like that." Alice said dreamily, sighing and turning to gently rub her nose against Robin's jaw. "I love it at your house."

Robin hesitated, then kissed Alice's cheek before adding; "You know, maybe we could have breakfast at mine and then lunch with you... And your dad."

Alice made no obvious physical movement, but with her arms looped around her and their faces pressing close, it was impossible for Robin not to notice how she physically tensed at the comment. Alice forced herself to relax just as quickly as she tensed, rolling her head to the side, looking at Robin with eyes like that of a lost child, unsure of which direction to go and in need of guidance from the closest person to her.

"I want to..." Alice said quietly, staring up at her.

"So why don't you?" Robin asked, not unkindly.

"I don't know how. Honestly, it was embarrassing but it was still easier with your mum. She just walked in and there was no need to find a way to bring it up or anything. She just knew. No talk, no nothing." Alice shrugged.

"Yeah, I get that." Robin admitted. "If mum hadn't walked in on us, I don't know how I'd bring it up to her on my own."

"Maybe we should just go somewhere we know he'll be and make out. That'd save us all a lot of time." Alice grumbled.

"Trust me, as easier as it might be, you don't want to deal with the aftermath." Robin sighed. "You have no idea what mum was like after you'd gone and it was just me and her. At least you'll be able to prepare yourself even if only a little."

"Why?" Alice blinked. "What happened?"

"She was just being so annoying. You know how she kept asking questions during dinner? Well that was nothing compared to how I got the full interrogation after you were gone. She wanted to know everything. And I mean everything. She wanted to know exactly where and how we met again, when we met, as in month, week day and hour, what we said when we met, how I helped you out of the tower. Everything. And after that she wanted to know if I needed anything for our dates, asking things like whether or not we were being safe." Robin pushed Alice away enough to look her properly in the eyes so she could truly see her personal horror. "She actually asked me if we were being safe!"

"I don't get it..." Alice frowned.

"Like, STDs." Robin said, rolling her eyes.

Alice felt her cheeks heat up and suddenly splashed as she stood, laughing loudly. "Are you serious?! What did you tell her?"

"To shut up." Robin said, shaking her head. "But that was as obvious an answer as any."

"So not only does your mum know we're together..." Alice began slowly.

"She now knows we're having sex as well. Yeah." Robin groaned. "It's so embarrassing. She's cooled off a lot now but I still catch her giving me these dopey smiles whenever I so much as mention you. And whenever I say I'm going to go for a hunt or practice, she puts on this voice and says 'Oooooh, practice,' and winks." Robin slapped the water. "My own damn mother winks at me!"

Alice was still laughing, hovering in the water. She tried to say something but a fresh burst of giggles cut her off again before she could. Every time she seemed to calm down, she caught the look on Robin's face and a fresh bout of laughter broke free all over again.

"You just wait. Mums being all knowing and winky with me, but everyone knows dads are ten times more protective over their daughters. Imagine what you're going to have to put up with." Robin teased.

The laughter died just as fast and suddenly Alice looked pale. "... So, why do we need to tell him?" Alice asked innocently.

Robin swam over to her, kissing her cheek. "Because." She kissed the corner of her mouth. "We're getting serious." She kissed her full on the lips. "So fess up!"

"Can't we be serious in secret?" Alice said suggestively, running a hand down Robin's bare stomach.

However Robin quickly caught her hand and pushed it away, smirking. "If I have to suffer with my mum, then you have to suffer with your dad."

"Oh fine!" Alice huffed, lying back in the water again.

"Come on," Robin laughed, pushing Alice to the side. "Let's get out and start drying. If you want I'll help you plan out what you're going to say to him."

Alice sighed, twisting and pulling herself up out of the water with Robin following closely behind. "This isn't going to be the fun day I had hoped it would."

O*U*A*T

After they had climbed from the river, they found a nice open area nearby where the sun hung directly overhead, laying back on the ground and letting it warm them through lazily while they discussed when Alice should suck it up and tell her father the truth about their relationship. It wasn't a conversation Alice enjoyed, and more than once she attempted to flirt her and Robin back into the water for some more oblivious fun but each time Robin reluctantly turned her down. It wasn't that she wouldn't love to forget their problems and just be together for the day, but deep down Robin knew Alice wanted to tell her father. She loved her father more than anyone else in the world, and it meant a lot that he knew about her relationship, which was, ironically, why she was also so reluctant to tell him. Even if Robin pretended she didn't, she knew Alice was terrified of her fathers reaction. And Robin would continue to pretend she didn't know anything until Alice felt safe enough to tell her the truth herself.

"I think you should get it out the way." Robin said as Alice helped tie her hair back into a single plait behind her back. "It's a short walk to his camp, and once it's done, you won't have to worry about it any more."

"I don't know..." Alice groaned. "I don't think now is a good time."

"Let's make a deal." Robin said, turning and helping to untangle some of the worst knots in Alice's loose hair in turn. "If you can give me three reasons why you shouldn't tell your dad today, we'll go back to mine and get in some warm water this time. Deal?"

"Fine." Alice agreed, sitting on her heels. "But you have to give me three reasons why we should tell him today as well."

"No problem." Robin said confidently. "You go first."

"Well..." Alice hesitated, then shrugged. "I wouldn't know what to say. I need more time to plan it out."

"Fair point." Robin noted, then raised an eyebrow. "But the days still young so we have plenty of time to think of what you want to say now before you see him." She smiled cheerfully. "Second point?"

"He could be busy." Alice said quickly.

"He's always going to be a little busy." Robin noted. "If you go by that mentality, there will never be a good time to tell him."

Alice sighed, her body seeming to deflate. "What if he isn't happy..."

Robin had been prepared for this and reacted instantly. She moved around to sit beside her, putting her arms around Alice and hugging her close. "Are you happy? With me, I mean." She asked.

"Of course I am." Alice said instantly, looking shocked that Robin would even ask her that.

"Then you have nothing to worry about. I may not personally know your dad, but from everything you've told me, he only wants you to be happy." Robin said, squeezing her shoulder. "So there's nothing to worry about."

Alice leaned against her. "Sometimes I worry that I don't know him like I used to. We've been separated for such a long time. I'm not the same person he raised in that tower, so why should he be the same person who raised me?"

"He still loves you." Robin said. "And he still wants the best for you. And he still wants you to be happy."

Alice nodded, but didn't look up. If anything she moved closer up against Robin for comfort. For so long it had just been her and father, with quite literally no one else in her life at all. It was only natural that Alice worried about how he would react, even if she couldn't fully put into words exactly why she was so worried. Only that she feared the worst would happen.

"Alice." Robin lifted her head gently. "I know it's hard. But the longer you put it off, the worse it's going to feel until you finally get it off your chest."

Alice nodded glumly.

"I'll be with you the whole time." Robin said.

"Promise?" Alice almost begged.

"Of course. I promise. In fact I swear on the ghost of my father." Robin said quickly, hugging Alice close. "I'll always be with you."

Alice pulled away, teary eyed and nodded. "Okay. Let's tell him."

Without a word, Robin leaned forward and pressed a sweet kiss against her lips, holding her close for a few extra minutes and pulling away before they got too caught up and ended up staying where they were instead of finding her father. It was such a tempting idea that Robin had to physically force herself to stop, keeping back a secretly unhappy whine in the back of her throat, and climbing to her feet. They finished dressing and collected their belongings in almost silence. When they were both ready, Robin reached down and took her hand, entwining their fingers and gently pulling Alice along just slightly to keep her moving as they walked through the woods in direction of her fathers camp. On the way, Robin began to throw out some idea of what Alice could say when she eventually came face to face with Killian again.

But even though Alice was willing to tell him, that didn't mean she suddenly was inspired and at ease with the whole idea. She was still nervous, and seemed to be over thinking every suggestion Robin gave her. The latest of which was that she felt anything she said would seem random and out of the blue and therefore, make it all very awkward between them.

"Alice, darling, sweetheart, love." Robin said, turning and cupping Alice's face between her hands, trying not to laugh at Alice's excuses because while funny, they also came from some serious insecurities that were clearly upsetting her. "Babe, it's going to seem random when you bring it up no matter how you say it, at least unless you're willing to wait a lifetime for him to casually ask you if you're seeing anyone romantically."

Babe? That was a new one. Alice would have to bring that up another time. "That's an idea." Alice said instead wistfully.

"No." Robin said, shaking her head and smiling. "You can't wait for him to ask you."

"There's got to be a way to bring it up naturally." Alice grumbled, hooking her arm through Robin's as they started walking again. They were gradually getting closer to town and she was quickly running out of time to think things through.

"I don't think you're ever going to be able to bring it up naturally." Robin said with a sad smile. "No matter how you phrase it, it is going to seem out of the blue and feel weird. The least you can do is just get it out and then move on from there. It'll stop feeling random once you get a conversation going. How about starting it by telling him you have good news?"

"Okay, papa. I have good news." Alice said strictly.

"It's good news, darling, not business news." Robin teased, poking her side. "Try and smile a little."

Alice pulled away from her, stepping ahead and turning to face her. She broke into a large grin that matched the manic smile Zelena wore right after finding out herself. "Papa!" Alice shrieked. "I have such wonderful goody goody perfect news!"

"Great. Just do it exactly that." Robin beamed.

"Oh shut up." Alice said, lightly shoving her.

"Seriously. Do it properly this time." Robin insisted.

"Okay, okay." Alice took a breath, putting on a proper smile that still seemed somewhat strained. "Papa, I have some good news... That really sounds dumb! Can't I start it another way?"

Robin shrugged. "You could try something like 'Daddy, guess who I'm banging'!"

"We're not too far away for me to throw you back into the water." Alice warned.

"Sorry." Robin laughed, wrapping an arm around her shoulder again. "How about you just tell him, 'dad, there's someone I'd like you to meet'."

"Maybe..." Alice mumbled, nodding her head. "That actually seems casual and... I think that could work."

Robin pulled her close, squeezing her gently in a half hug. "You shouldn't think too much about it. Just relax and say whatever comes to mind when you're in front of him."

"This is the first time I'm introducing anyone to my dad." Alice said. "I can't relax."

"You wanna talk about it some more?" Robin asked gently.

"I know it's silly to worry, because like you said; he'll be happy so long as I'm happy but... What if he isn't happy with it? What if he doesn't like you? What if you don't like him? What if neither of you likes each other?!" Alice yelped.

"Do you want to hold off on my meeting him?" Robin asked slowly, hoping the hurt didn't show on her face.

"No, I really don't." Alice sighed, clinging to Robin's arm. "I'm just scared. Like really scared. Papa and I... For the longest time it was just me and him. Now things are so different and we're different and... I feel like I don't know him the way I used to and that scares me. I don't like not knowing how people will react to things."

"Things may be different but you still are and will always be his little girl. No matter how different he may be, he will always be your dad and you don't need to worry so much. You're going to make yourself sick." Robin said, looking a little worried. Maybe it wasn't such a great idea to do it so soon after all.

"Yeah, his little girl..." Alice mumbled. "That's part of what worries me."

They had been talking for so long, they hadn't even realised that they were reaching the edge of town until they heard Henry Mills' voice as he called after his fiancée, Jacinda, to wait for him on their way passed a cluster of trees. Both girls paused and waited out of sight until the two lovers voices had faded in the distance before Alice automatically began to lead Robin around the town towards camp where her fathers tent was set up. It was at the very back, a little away from the others for some much desired privacy and Alice had visited him more than once in the past, either to drop something off, pick something up or simply check in to make sure he was still doing alright. Even if they couldn't truly be together, that didn't mean she couldn't check in on him occasionally to make sure he was doing alright, and vice verse when he had a spare moment to find her. It was always nice, even if their visits were always far too short for father or daughters liking.

They came to a stop on a slight hill, looking down at the camp while still standing side by side, holding hands and almost silent for a stretched out moment. Robin glanced to Alice, squeezing her hand before looking back down to the camp. It was mid day but the area was almost completely deserted, most people probably in their tents for some peace and quiet or taking a stroll down to the town for lunch.

"Do you want me to come in with you?" Robin asked finally.

"No, I should go in alone first. But... Could you stay close?" Alice asked, turning and placing both her hand over Robin's. "Please?"

"Of course." Robin nodded, clinging to her for a moment. "You'll see, everything will be fine." She leaned forward, pecking Alice's lips softly.

"I'll be back." Alice said, breathing shakily and wishing she had as much confidence as Robin did.

Turning away from her girlfriend, Alice began to walk down towards the tent with legs that felt like the were going to fold out underneath her. When she reached the tent, she still found herself hesitating, reaching a hand out for the flap only to see that she was shaking incredibly. Wincing, Alice grabbed her hand and squeezed her fingers tightly to cover the shakes, her skin feeling ice cold against her sweaty palms. She glanced back over her shoulder to see Robin still standing on the edge of town, partially hidden by the trees and smiling softly down at her, giving a small thumbs up of encouragement. Alice returned the thumbs up with a soft shaky smile that she probably couldn't see very well, but one that she still hoped didn't look as sickly like it felt. Then she turned around and forced herself to take the last few steps, pushing into the tent before she had another chance to second guess herself.

Inside the tent, her fathers space was small and mostly empty. He didn't have very many personal objects and they all packed a little light anyway, if only so that when things turned sour they could take a quick escape. The small space did have a soft fur rug spread out over the rough ground, and hard camper bench with thin sheets and pillows laid out over the top, along with a bedside cabinet that held a single burned down candle on the top and a chest of his more personal items – clothing as well as spare weapons – pushed to the side out of the way. The chest was locked with an old fashion clamp that had been touched up with Regina's magic so that no one could open it but Killian or a direct family relative. That should mean that Alice could open it in theory but she stayed away, knowing it had nothing of interest to her, and if she wanted anything she would just ask Killian for it rather than steal from him.

Speaking of which, the man in question didn't appear to be home at the moment. Her already knotted stomach tightened even worse to the point where it physically hurt. The idea that she was going to have to wait around for an unknown amount of time until she saw him was making her feel sick. The longer it took for him to come back, the longer her over active imagination had to freak her out and make her second guess everything. Part of her wondered if she should just head back up to Robin, tell her he wasn't here and that they should just come back another day when he was. It would give her time to rethink what she wanted to say to him at least.

No. She couldn't walk away from this. Despite her nerves and despite the tiny voice in her head that was screaming at her to run away and hide like a child, a bigger part of her wanted to get it out. Alice wanted to share the greatest thing to happen in her life with her the only other important person in her life. She wanted to be able to show Robin off and brag about her. After all this time, Alice was so tired of letting her own anxiety trick her into waiting and holding back...

"Alice."

If Alice's throat hadn't been knotted so tightly, she might have screamed in surprise. Instead she managed a soft squeak and jumped in the air, spinning around to find Killian standing in the tent flap, watching her with a shocked but incredibly pleased expression on his face. So pleased that she had to fight the urge to instinctively run and hug him and she could see that she wasn't alone. He had a spark in his eye that said everything his lips couldn't. He wanted to run and hold her just as much as she did him. But instead he stood back, and simply smiled softly. Somehow that felt like a slap on the face and Alice fought back the urge to cry over it.

"Papa..." Alice smiled back, momentarily forgetting why she had come.

"What are you doing here?" Killian laughed, then his expression froze and his smile dropped. This was the first time she had shown up unannounced, waiting for him in his tent. Normally she sent word ahead when she was visiting, as a safety precaution. "Is something wrong? Did something happen? Do you need help?"

"No, papa, no, everything's fine." Alice said quickly, holding her hands out. "Actually... Um... It's good news."

"Good news?" Killian blinked.

"I... I've met someone." Alice blurted, the thudding in her chest finally eased off and the tightness in her throat faded so that breathing was no longer the great struggle it was a few seconds ago.

Killian's face only paused for a moment of confusion as he figured out what she meant. But then it immediately broke out into a great, all teeth showing smile, and he unconsciously took a large step forward before stopping himself short sharply, wincing and attempting to turn the step into a casual shuffle to sit on top of his chest, ducking her head slightly in shame at his thoughtless action.

"Alice..." Killian said slowly, looking up at her with a soft smile. "That's wonderful. I'm so happy for you!"

"Really?" Alice whispered, feeling breathless.

"Yes! I'm so pleased!" Killian nodded, reaching a hand out, waving at the air in front of them. "Love is the most greatest gift you could ever receive." He hesitated. "I mean, if it's love. Is it? Or..."

"Yes." Alice nodded, a few tears of happiness building in her eyes. "It's love."

"That's amazing." Killian grinned at her for a moment then shook his head. "So, when can I meet him?!"

Him? Alice throat tightened back so much that she nearly passed our. Her stomach dropped and her chest heaved. Her papa thought she was dating a guy.

Correct him! A voice in Alice's head screamed and she instinctively opened her mouth to say something but Killian kept talking over her before she could.

"I'll have to give him the once over." Killian noted with a teasing smile. "Make sure he's good enough for you, of course."

Correct him! The voice screamed again and once again Alice opened her mouth, more nervous and slower this time.

But still Killian, in his newfound excitement, stood up, moving as close to her as he dared and kept going. "I am so happy for you, Alice. I'll admit, I worried about you so much, being out there on your own. It's good to know that you have a special someone watching out for you, keeping you safe and even just being a companion. I know you can take care of yourself but... It's just easier knowing that now there's another guy who's going to be there for you. And I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I both dreamt and feared about the day a boyfriend would come and sweep you off your feet away from me."

"You dreamt about it?" Alice asked quietly, a sharp burning taste building in the back of her throat.

"Of course!" Killian laughed. "Every father dreams about the day he can meet the boy who stole his daughters heart."

"Oh..." Alice mumbled, swallowing back the bile.

"So what's his name?" Killian asked, mistaking Alice's discomfort for shyness.

"Robin..." Alice said quietly.

"When can I meet him?" Killian asked again, still smiling.

"Soon..." Alice mumbled, shuffling on the spot and wishing she had never come out today. This was just one great big mistake. What would he say when she told him that his dreams weren't going to come true? That she had no interest in being with a guy, ever. He wouldn't be disappointed, would he? Well he couldn't be as happy as he was thinking it was a guy, not if this was something he had been thinking about for all this time. Not just thinking about, but dreaming about it. That was the word he used.

"Alice?" Killian asked, his face melting into concern as he finally realised Alice wasn't embarrassed. She was upset. "What's wrong?"

"I'm... I feel sick. I'm sorry, papa!" The last word came out as a sob and Alice turned, running from the tent.

"Alice! Wait!" Killian shouted, reaching for her and stopping short at a very slight pain to his chest. Instead he was forced to watch her leave, watch her run, and unable to do anything to stop or help her. All because of their damn curse.

O*U*A*T

"Alice?" Robin blinked, watching the girl run all the way from her fathers tent and up the hill before she threw herself into her loves arms, bursting into harsh sobs that instantly made Robin want to run down the hill and start firing arrows at whoever hurt her. Instead, she forced herself to remain where she was and returned Alice's embrace, holding her close and quelling the angry panic building inside her. "Alice, what's wrong? What happened?!"

Alice was crying too hard to respond at first, which only made Robin both more worried and more angry. It couldn't have been her father. Robin may not have met him personally, but Alice talked about him all the time. He would never say or do anything to hurt his daughter like this. All Alice's worry earlier had simply been a paranoid fear, but it can't have come true. It had to be someone else. But who? Robin had to find out, because when she did, she was going to do things her mother wouldn't approve of.

"Alice, talk to me." Robin begged, turning and pressed her lips close to her ear. "Please, tell me what happened, please."

"I-I-I don't..." Alice started finally, choking through her sobs. "This is so... Stupid!" She gasped, keeping her face hidden in Robin's shoulder so she couldn't look her in her tear filled eyes. "I don't want... I don't want to upset him and... And... But... He... He thinks..."

"Alice, calm down." Robin said, kissing her cheek and hugging her close. "Just calm down, shh. Just breath, okay." She reaching to stroked her fingers through Alice's hair gently like her mother did for her when she was upset, looking back down to the camp with a glare, trying to spot whoever had upset her. Only Alice had come directly from Killian's tent and it was Killian who stepped out after her, looking positively devastated and desperate. Instinctively, until Robin could figure out what had happened, she pulled Alice to hide behind one of the trees so that her father couldn't see them right now. Someone else had to be in the tent, the someone who had upset Alice, but until she knew who, she wanted a few minutes alone with her uninterrupted. "Alice, please, darling, tell me what's wrong? What happened?"

"I think... He... He thinks... Oh shit!" Alice shouted, pulling back to lean against the tree, pressing her hands against her face like she was just barely holding herself together. "I messed it all up."

"Why? Alice what did you do to mess up? Talk to me." Robin begged, gently putting her hands on Alice's elbow, giving her space but holding into her at the same time.

Alice finally lifted her head, her shaking sobs finally easing off enough for her to talk. Tears continued to fill her eyes and she sniffed loudly every few seconds, shrugging her shoulders and looking away for a moment. "He thinks you're a guy." Alice finally said, glancing back at Robin meekly.

"Wait, what?" Robin laughed, moving back slightly.

"It's not funny!" Alice snapped. "He said he always dreamt of me finding a guy one day! A guy!"

Robin's smile vanished. She quickly grabbed Alice's arms again. "Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh."

Alice shrugged miserably. "What am I going to do? He went on and on about how he hoped for me to find a guy one day."

The last of Robin's humour at this mix up disappeared completely. She understood why this would upset Alice so much. If he chattered about how happy he was for her to find a guy, even the most calm and confident of lesbians could be a little put out by it. And it certainly didn't help that Alice had already been panicking about telling him in the first place.

"Sometimes people put their foot in their mouths without even realising it." Robin said slowly. "Your dad probably wasn't even thinking."

Alice shut her eyes and shook her head. "You didn't hear him. He was so excited."

"Because you'd found someone, I'm sure." Robin insisted.

Once again she shook her head, blinking hard and pressing her lips together tightly. "What if he's disappointed?"

"You really think he will be? You said he was so excited, do you really think he'll be disappointed just because you're with a girl instead of a guy?" Robin asked, reaching to brush some tears from her chin.

Alice hesitated, then shrugged weakly. She was quiet for a moment, thinking it over, before she suddenly shook her head violently and put her face back in her hands. "God, I over reacted big time, didn't I?"

"No." Robin said softly. "You didn't. I think I'd be gutted if mum told me how she had been waiting for the day I would find a man. But sometimes people say the wrong thing. And sometimes they say it at the worst possible time. The best thing to do is clear it up right away."

"But I ran away." Alice mumbled, sniffing and wiping her eyes on the back of her hands.

"Not very far." Robin noted softly. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a fresh pieces of material she normally saved for cleaning her arrows after a hunt. She'd just washed it yesterday so it hadn't been used and now she gently wiped it over her face to help Alice clean up. "You can go back..." Robin hesitated then added. "Or I could?"

"What?" Alice hadn't been expecting that.

"Let me go and talk to him. I'll clear it all up. And I'd like officially meet him, too." Robin smiled.

"I should..." Alice mumbled, though, if she was being honest with herself, she didn't think she had the strength to at the moment.

"You should stay here, calm yourself down and relax for a bit." Robin insisted. "At least until you're ready." She hesitated, then added; "Please. I want to do this. Let me do this."

Alice hesitated again, then stepped forward and hugged her. "Tell him I'm sorry I ran off..."

"I will." Robin promised. She pulled away, kissing Alice softly before turning and starting down the hill. Alice hesitated, peeking around the tree to watch her go. From the angle she stood, it was hard to see much and after Robin had faded from her sight, and Alice slowly sat down on the ground, feeling exhausted and ready to call quits on this entire day.

Meanwhile, Robin jogged lightly down the hill as quickly as she could, trying not to scowl so much on the way. Despite a part of her knowing that it was probably just a big misunderstanding, and despite knowing everything Alice had told her and how much Alice loved her father, Robin couldn't help but feel a little more than irritated by him. Maybe he didn't mean to, but the fact was, he still made the woman Robin love cry! He still upset her! And a part of Robin wanted to swing her bow around like a club and hit him upside the head for it!

As she reached the bottom she glanced around, but Killian had now disappeared. Either in search of Alice or back to his tent. Good, it would give Robin a little more time to calm down before she did something stupid when she saw him. Despite everything, she knew Alice wouldn't appreciate her actually hurting her father, even if she was doing it to for her.

First she checked his tent, but that was deserted as she had expected it to be. Robin couldn't see Alice's father as the type to go back and sit around while his daughter was so obviously upset. More likely he had gone into town and was searching for her, or someone who had seen her. After taking one last glance up to where Alice was waiting – she couldn't see her but she knew she was still up there – Robin turned to head into town in search of Alice's beloved father and clear up this mess.

It was a small town, Robin had passed it a few times but had never actually entered it before. On the rare occasion that her mother couldn't just wave her hand and conjure whatever it was she needed, Robin went to town that was closer to her home and actually quite bigger with more stalls and friendlier staff that she had gotten to know quite well over the years. If she was there, it would have been easy to spot the out of place pirate, but here she had no choice but to wander to the people passing her by and ask them if they had seen him.

"Excuse me," Robin said, catching a woman with dark curly hair. "Have you seen a guy with a hook come by here?"

"You mean Killian?" The woman asked.

"Yes." Robin nodded quickly. "Have you seen him?"

"He just ran passed. Is everything okay?" She asked. "He looked pretty upset."

"I'm just going to find out." Robin said. This woman obviously knew Alice's dad, but since Robin didn't know her, she wasn't comfortable spilling their dramatic story to her right now. And she still needed to hurry if she was going to catch up with Killain. "Thanks!" She called as she started to jog down the path.

It was starting to get busier the further she went in, making it harder to spot a single man among the crowds. The most she could see was the tops of their heads, and far too many men had short black hair here. The one thing that might make him stand out was his hook hand but, unfortunately, that was the one thing that was subtly hidden by his side. Robin began to push through the crowd, asking people at random but it seemed fewer and fewer people had seen him. She just began to wonder if he had gone in a different direction when someone grabbed her arm and spun her around.

"Robin?" The woman grabbing her said in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"Aunt Regina," Robin smiled. "Hey. Um, I'm looking for someone. He's got a hook for a hand. Names Killain-"

"-Jones." Regina finished with her, frowning slightly at her. "Why are you looking for him? I didn't know you two knew each other."

"We don't, actually." Robin admitted. She wanted to be careful with what she said. Regina didn't know about her relationship as far as Robin knew, or at least she hadn't mentioned if Zelena had told her yet, and now wasn't the time to fill her in. She needed to find Killian first for Alice's sake. "I know a friend of his and I need to pass on a message."

"Alright, well, I can take you to him if you'd like." Regina offered.

"Really? Oh thanks, aunt Regina." Robin beamed gratefully.

"No problem." Regina grinned. "Come on, he came down this way."

Robin followed Regina down through the market towards the other end of town. It turned out that he often came down to this open area when he needed to think and be alone. Robin wondered if they might be intruding but, as usual, aunt Regina took over and marched ahead like she owned the planet, striding straight up to Killian and pulling Robin along behind her.

"Killian." Regina called.

When he turned around, Robin almost felt sorry for him. He looked generally upset. Miserable even. The only thing keeping Robin from truly feeling sorry for him was that she was still secretly angry with how he had managed to upset Alice, even if he hadn't meant to. But his pouting face did keep Robin from glaring at him at least.

"Killian," Regina continued, either unaware of how miserable Killian looked or simply not caring. "I'd like you to meet someone." She turned and proudly waved a hand dramatically. "This is my niece, Robin."

Killian looked up at her, a half smile and greeting on his lips. He even reached to shake her hand, and then seemed to pause, frowning at her. Robin smiled stiffly and waited. She could practically see the clogs rolling in his head as he put two and two together, everything clicking into place before the realisation slowly dawned on him. And Robin truly meant slowly. It was like someone had cast a spell on him that kept him from moving at full speed. His eyebrows raising and his mouth slowly dropping open into an O shape, his eyes eventually lighting up as the last of the realisation finally settled in.

"Robin." He half whispered, half croaked, completely forgetting Regina was even there and taking a step towards the younger girl. "You're Robin?"

Robin smiled tightly at him. "Alice says... She's sorry she ran off."

"Am I missing something?" Regina asked, looking back and forth between them.

But neither Robin nor Killian answered her. Instead Killian's face seemed to go through the five stages of grief except in reverse. His shocked expression melted into one of happy acceptance, only to turn back into his earlier anguish and confusion, then transformed into something Robin hadn't expected: Anger.

"God damn it!" He shouted, turning and swinging his arm like he wanted to hit something, except there was nothing around within reach except for the two women and himself. In the end he let out an angry roar and ran his hand through his hair, practically storming in a circle and cursing to himself. "I'm an idiot!" He snapped. "I'm a damn fool!"

"Will someone tell me what is going on?" Regina demanded.

But still they ignored her. Robin wanted to explain but she was still a little taken back by Killian's reaction. It was both a little amusing and a little worrying. She had an urge to tell him it was okay, but every time she opened her mouth to do so, a flash of Alice crying into her shoulder popped into her head and she stubbornly shut it again.

"You're Robin!" Killian shouted, turning to look at her and waving a hand at her. "You're Alice's Robin?!"

Robin smiled tightly, a little embarrassed, shrugging her shoulders. She didn't even need to say anything before Killian broke into another angry wordless shout.

"Wait, what?" Regina blinked. It seemed Zelena hadn't told her anything after all. She looked at Robin in surprise. "What does he mean 'Alice's Robin'? What am I missing?!" She shouted, clearly confused.

"I think, maybe, we should talk." Robin said to Killian. "Alice was pretty upset. And I guess you know why."

Killian sighed, hand still flexing angrily. "Because I'm an stupid idiot, who prattled on rather than listening to her?"

Robin nodded. "Basically. Yeah."

Killian looked at her sharply with a little frowned, like he had been expecting her to deny it, before he smiled at her and nodded his head. "Basically." He agreed.

He and Robin shared a small ironic smile. Just as Regina forcible stood in between them, blocking their view of each other. "What the hell is going on?!" She shouted.

O*U*A*T

"Zelena." Regina growled angrily. "I can't believe her! She told me you were seeing someone but she didn't say it was Alice!"

They were walking back to Killian's tent, and despite Robin meaning to talk with Killian about Alice, she had to pause it in order to fill her aunt in on her love life. It was probably a good thing. Considering Killian still seemed to be processing how he had made a fool out of himself and upset Alice all in one go. Every now and then he paused to growl at himself or swear under his breath, and he was clearly just barely holding himself back from breaking into a run in order to find Alice as soon as possible and only because he didn't actually know where she was hiding. Robin shouldn't have been so hard on him earlier. It seemed he was beating himself up for her.

"I didn't even know you knew Alice." Robin admitted.

"Well I don't know her that well. I've only met her a handful of times and most of that was just brief glances from a distance." Regina explained.

They were getting closer to Killian's tent now. Robin glanced to her loves father, who was still visibly wincing at the memory of his screw up by jumping to conclusions right in front of her.

"I'm gonna go grab Alice. You guys should talk." Robin explained.

"Yes!" Killian practically shouted then begged. "Yes, please, get her. I need to talk to her right away."

"Of course." Robin nodded.

She turned to head up the hill. "Wait!" Killian called. "Can you give her something from me when you see her?"

"Um, she's not far and I'll bring her right down, so you can give it to her yourself." Robin said with a half shrug.

"I can't." Killian said painfully. "So could you, please?"

"Sure, I guess." Robin nodded awkwardly, not understanding what he meant until he gave her what he wanted her to give Alice. Then she understood completely.

At the top of the hill, Alice felt cold, and not because of the weather. She leaned against the tree, picking at her thumb nail and biting the corner of her lip. There were drying tear streaks down her cheeks, and she kept sniffing long after she had stopped crying, but the cold pit in her stomach was as heavy as ever. It felt like Robin had just left when she returned, but then Alice had filled up the time rethinking what her father had said to her. She knew she had overreacted and should have stayed and explained things like a rational person, but Alice had been anything but rational at the time. Her father, and Robin as of late, had a unique ability to bring out the craziest parts of Alice, especially when she was nervous and anxious to the point of freaking out over little stupid things, like, oh, say, her father getting the gender of her true love mixed up.

"Hey," Robin said softly, coming to stand in front of her. "You okay?"

"Apart from feeling dumb? Yeah." Alice said, smiling sadly up at her.

"You shouldn't feel dumb." Robin said, reaching down to pull her up onto her feet. "I talked to your dad. Now he feels dumb. He's been cursing himself for being stupid for at least ten minutes straight."

"Really?" Alice laughed weakly. "I can't imagine him cursing at all."

"Well, as of today, that's all I can imagine him doing." Robin grinned. Then smiled softly. "He also wants me to give you something before we both go and see him, together."

"What is it?" Alice blinked.

"This." Robin said, and moved forward, hugging Alice close. She squeezed gently, and clung to her for an extra few seconds longer before finally letting go.

When she did, she saw tears in Alice's eyes but thankfully these were joined with a genuine happy smile. "Thanks, Robin." She whispered.

"You're welcome." Robin said, kissing her softly. When she pulled away her smile dropped. "That kiss was from me, by the way. Not your dad."

Alice laughed, grabbing Robin and kissing her back. "I... Really... Love you." Alice said quietly.

"I really love you, too." Robin whispered, holding her hands and gently rubbing a thumb over Alice's knuckles. "Now let's go see your dad."

Alice took a shaky breath, nodding her head. She clung onto Robin's hand. "Why do I feel like I'm about to walk down the isle or something really serious? I feel so nervous."

"Don't be." Robin said confidentially. "Your dad loves you. And he's happy for you. The only thing you should be worried about is that aunt Regina is down there as well, and she's just found out and I think we're about to see a similar reaction to what my mum gave."

Alice was still smiling and laughing as Robin turned and began to guide her from around the tree. Her smile froze when she saw her father waiting for her and, like every other time, Alice had to fight the urge to run into his arms. The hug that he passed on through Robin was wonderful but when it came down to it, it was still a Robin hug. And Alice wanted a papa hug.

Robin gently tugged her along, bringing her down the hill where Regina and Killian were hanging around outside his tent. They were all thankful that it was practically deserted at this end of the camp, giving them the privacy they needed.

When they were close enough, Killian took a step towards her, as close as he dared get and even then Alice half stepped behind Robin just in case. Things hadn't gone to plan today and she didn't want it to get worse by accidentally sending her father reeling in pain from their curse.

"Alice. I am so-" Killian began.

"Papa." Alice interrupted, swallowing hard before he could apologise. "I'd like you to meet someone. This is my girlfriend; Robin."

Killian paused and smiled at her, silently agreeing to pretend the scene in his tent never happened, before he looked at Robin. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Robin." He looked back at Alice. "I can see you make Alice very happy. And I am so pleased. I always dreamt Alice would find someone special. And I have to admit... I'm glad it's with a nice girl rather than a some scumbag boy."

Robin smiled and Alice felt her whole body sag in relief. She even managed a giggle at his comment and bit her lip out of habit. As her nerves grew less tense, Alice allowed herself to step out from behind of Robin and stand in front of her father properly.

"Just so we're clear, if you go all protective dad and give my niece a hard time, I will take your other hand." Regina said suddenly.

"Did I even say anything?" Killian said defensively.

"You're forgetting, I know you." Regina said sharply.

"No, you know an alternative version of me. Not the same people." Killian argued.

"Well technically you are." Regina noted with a little confused frown.

Both Alice and Robin shared a puzzled look and let their family argue for a few more seconds before they both dissolved into giggles. Still holding onto one another they tried to smother their laughter before they drew attention but failed immediately. Luckily their laughter did finally shut up their father and aunt from their almost argument over whether or not Regina knew this Killian simply because she knew an alternative one.

"Why don't we find somewhere we can sit down and talk. You two can tell us all about how you met." Regina said, smiling fondly at the girls.

"Yes, I'm sure, knowing how things usually go, it's a long and fascinating story." Killian said cheerfully.

"Knowing how things usually go, one of them probably hit the other upside the head with a blunt object." Regina noted dryly.

"Funny you should mention, aunt Regina." Robin chuckled.

"You hit my daughter?" Killian snapped, his cheerful expression vanishing in an instant to be replaced with something much more protective.

"Actually, papa..." Alice winced, shrugging her shoulders shyly.

"Typical." Regina said teasingly, rolling her eyes.

Meanwhile, beside her, Killian beamed. "That's my girl."

"So when its my niece hitting yours, you nearly go for her throat. But when your daughter hits mine, it's a proud moment?" Regina demanded.

"I'm her father!" He said defensively.

"You're an idiot." Regina said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

"Well this is fun," Robin said quietly to Alice, looking thoroughly amused.

"Papa." Alice said, fighting giggles.

"Are you two done?" Robin said, raising an eyebrow.

"Right!" Regina nodded. "Not the time."

"Sorry, love." Killian said, nodding his head and wincing. "Keep putting my foot in it today."

"That's okay, papa." Alice smiled softly. "I'm just really glad I could introduce you to Robin."

"And I am so glad to meet her." Killian said, smiling back at her. "I'm really am so happy for you, Alice. And when we break this curse, we can be together again. But until then, I'm so relieved you have Robin looking out for you."

Once again a mixture of emotions and desires ran through Alice in seconds. She wanted to cry and laugh at the same time, and another part wanted to just babble her and Robin's story, and most of all, she wanted to hug her father. But she couldn't. So instead she turned and put her arms around Robin for comfort, still smiling at Killian as she felt Robin return her hug and kiss her gently on the cheek.

"Come on," Regina said happily. "I still want the story, even if you assaulted my niece, which will not be forgotten, by the way." She pointed an accusatory finger at her.

"Don't be mean to my Alice, aunt Regina." Robin said protectively.

"I know the perfect place we can be alone." Killian offered, then waved a hand for them to start walking. He moved so he could walk beside Alice – even though they had to keep a fair bit of space between them the whole way – smiling down at her constantly like he just couldn't stop. Every time he looked away it was only for a few seconds before he somehow turned to stare back down at her, grinning all over again.

Regina moved to walk on the other side of the girls, putting an arm over Robin's shoulder and being very much the same with her niece (though thankfully her smile wasn't as manic as Zelena's had been). And all the while they walked down the market, even when things got crowded and they had to step behind one another in order to make room, Robin held tightly onto Alice's hand, like she was never going to let go. Alice was thankful. Despite her fathers loving smile, her legs still felt weak and she was sure that if Robin hadn't been holding onto her the whole time then she wouldn't have made it.

Through the woman she loved, Alice had somehow gone from only having her father in her life to having a family that seemed to be growing constantly. First with Zelena and now maybe even Regina (once she had forgiven her for the incident with her and Robin's first meeting, at least) and it was more than Alice could have ever dreamt she would have back in her days of being alone or cursed. Hours ago she had been in tears, feeling like she wanted to run away from the world, and now she couldn't stop grinning. Even when her father had to make quick side steps to avoid accidentally getting too close to her, once again reminding her that they still couldn't quite be together, the fact that he was here was at least one small gift.

Even if Alice couldn't physically hug her father right now, having Robin on one side and Killian on the other made this the greatest moment of her life. The two people she loved most were at her side.

"So," Regina said as they all found a soft spot to sit down in the field that Robin had earlier found Killian moping in. "Your story..."

"Yes!" Killian said, still smiling sappily at his daughter. "Let's hear it."