Regina felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. Well stomach would be more appropriate she supposed. She hated secrets and this was one she was finding more and more difficult to hide. She had been hiding down in the crypt for about 3 months, seeing no one but Henry and occasionally Emma. Henry was an oblivious 13 year old boy and she knew it would have to hit him square in the face for him to notice that anything was different. Emma, however, was much more keen and Regina knew she couldn't hide the truth for long.

She was running out of time and options. The first thing to do would be to come clean to Emma. Tell her about the baby and then go from there. The thing was that Regina didn't know how or what to say.

As it turned out she wouldn't have to tell anyone. Her favourite "secret keeper" would do that for her.

Snow showed up the following morning, toting along baby Neal in a carrier. She came down the steps and then when right up to the secret door, which looked like a mirror, and knocked. Regina magicked the door open without looking at who it was and so she was surprised when she heard the soft, "Hello Regina."

She slowly turned and faced her once adversary.

"What are you doing here?" The ice in her voice was hard to miss. She may not have been able to take her anger out on Emma because of Henry, but Snow was free game.

"I wanted to see you, see how you're doing."

"I'm fine." She had made several mistakes that morning. The first was choosing a dress that was way too tight. It used to fit her like a glove but now, with a bit of a stomach, and a few extra pounds, she felt poured into it. Her second mistake was to even let anyone in today. She knew that Henry and Emma were spending the day together today so no one should have come to see her. Her third mistake was turning around.

She heard the gasp and the question, the one she was dreading, followed.

"Regina… are you pregnant?"

She could have denied it, but what was the point. It was obvious and Snow wasn't stupid.

"Yes."

Snow opened her mouth and was about to speak but Regina cut off the question forming on her lips.

"No. No one knows. And no one is going to know. I will tell Henry when the time is right and Emma will probably figure it out sooner rather than later."

"You are not to tell anyone." She added just for good measure.

"Regina." To Regina's annoyance Snow placed the baby carrier on the floor and took a seat on the couch. "He should know. Don't you think?"

Robin. That was the only person Snow could be talking about. The one person she had spent the past few months trying to forget. Trying to not think about him, or him being with his family, or Roland…. Oh there came the hurt again. It flooded over her like a wave and she couldn't stop it. The tears fell and turned into silent sobs. She half sat, half collapsed onto the couch beside Snow. Snow didn't say anything, she just scooched over and put her arm around Regina and let her cry.

After a while the sobs subsided and Regina was able to find her voice again.

"I can't tell him. I can't even think about him without..."

"I know, I know, but Regina, this is his child too. He has a right to know, to be apart of it's life. Regardless of the circumstances. He still loves you, you know."

"I don't know what to say. And I don't want to be a home wrecker, that's the last thing I want."

"How about you just start with going home. Move back, go back to work, goodness knows we need you," She said with a small smile. "Start your life again, and go from there."

"What do I say if he comes up, asks me about…"

"The truth. As hard as it is there is nothing better than the truth."

"Ok."

"Ok? Really."

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just you have never agreed with me on anything before." This time the smile was big and even Regina had to smile, well smirk, back.

"I am not going to dignify that with a response."

She got up off the couch and went into the next room to grab her bag of belongings, which were never fully unpacked, and gather her things. She came back to Snow in the same place, except now she was holding Neal.

"Do you want to hold him?"

Regina nodded hesitantly and then sat back down. Snow reached over and placed the infant in her arms. It had been a long time since she had last held a baby but there was something so natural about it. Like having a child in her arms just fit. She smiled down at him as he wrapped his hand around two of her fingers. It was a truly magical moment and she never wanted it to end. It eventually did though. He started to fuss so Snow took him back and placed him in his carrier with a soother. He went to sleep almost instantly and the two women made their way back up the stairs, as quietly as possible, and out.

The fresh air hit Regina and her nerves started up again. She stopped and started to turn back; to retreat back to the safety of her essential hole in the ground. Before she could though Snow grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the truck parked at the entrance to the grounds. They got in and drove to Granny's Diner.

Emma, Henry, and Hook had spent the morning at the park and were now eating lunch at the diner. Henry sat facing the door so he was the first one to notice them come in. He jumped up from his seat yelling, "Mom!" and ran to hug her. She was surprised, after all she had just seen him yesterday, but happy. She gave him a squeeze back and the went to follow Snow and sat at the family table. Emma said a quick "Hello" with a smile and she got a "Your Majesty" and a smirk from Hook.

She ordered lunch and then explained to them what had happened and how she realized it was time to get back to normal life. She left out the baby part but Emma already had a knowing look in her eyes and kept glancing down, unsubtly, at her stomach. Hook either didn't care or notice and both were fine with her.

With a little prod from Snow she began to announce the pregnancy when the bell rang again and she heard a soft "Regina" from behind her.

Her heart sunk into her already occupied stomach and began to beat erratically. She wanted nothing more than to run and go back into hiding, but she couldn't. For one she was trapped in the booth and two she needed to face this, face him. She probably could have done it too if it wasn't for the shout that followed after.

"Gina!" Roland ran up to her, as she was trying to exit the booth, and grabbed a hold her legs. She turned around and picked him up out of habit.

"Gina." He repeated, just in case she didn't hear the first time and wrapped his arms around her neck.

She returned the embrace. "Roland. Oh I've missed you."

She kissed the top of his head and went to set him back down but he refused to let her go.

The soft call of her name came again. She finally looked up, having been previously oblivious to anyone but Roland. Her eyes met a familiar set and she could feel the tears well up in her eyes again. She willed herself to keep them in and to be strong.

He gave her a quick once over and his eyes landed on her mid section and didn't waver. At first she wondered if she had split something but then she remembered and what he was looking at. Then the panic set in. She pulled Roland's arms off of her and lowered him to the ground, despite his protests. She risked one more glance back at Robin and then took off out the back of the diner. The parallels to that infamous night, not so long ago, were many, the only difference being that this time he followed her.

"Regina. Regina! Stop wait..."

She could hear him catching up behind her and before she knew it there was a hand on her arm pulling her to a stop.

"Regina, wait, please."

He moved to stand in front of her and meet her eyes but she refused.

"Leave me alone." She spat out. A normal person would have pulled away out of fear at her tone but he didn't even flinch.

"Regina, can we please talk, just for a moment."

"I have nothing to say to you."

"Ok then just listen. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. That night I should have run after you, I should have found you to explain but I didn't. I know I'm a coward and you deserved better than that."

He could see the tears in her eyes that she was trying so desperately to hold back. He saw how hard she was trying to be strong, to not show weakness. It broke his heart. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he had planned to say, but after seeing her in the diner and realizing her condition it all went out the window. Now all he had were questions.

"Regina," This time he put his hand under her chin to force her to meet his eyes. "Are you pregnant?"

She didn't say yes or no but her eyes told him all he needed to know.

"Is it mine?"

"No it's one of the other billion men I've been with in the past few months." Her snide sarcasm did not go unnoticed.

"Regina-"

"Of course it's yours!" Her walls were going up. With every comment, every response he could feel her retreating back inside herself. It hurt so bad that she didn't trust him enough to be open. The few days were they had bared their souls to each other seemed like decades ago. There was nothing he wouldn't give to go back there. He loved his wife, but the cost of getting her back was hurting his love and he wasn't convinced that it was a fair trade. He wanted, more than anything, to make things right but he had not idea how to do that. There was no easy solution to this, no way to fix it without causing hurt for someone. And if anyone was going to hurt he wanted it to be him. It was his problem, he would bear it.

He realized that he had been deep in thought and she was stating at him unsure of what to do.

"Have you been to the doctor yet?" It was a tad personal question to ask but he couldn't think of anything else.

"No. This is the first day I've been back."

"Oh. Well did you want me to come with you?"

"Look", she huffed realizing where the conversation was going. "I am fine on my own. I am perfectly capable of raising a child by myself. I have done it before after all."

"I know but that's not my point." He was going about this all wrong, he had to make her understand. "I just want to be apart of the child's life. I want to help, in whatever way you'll let me."

She wanted so badly to take him up on his offer. It would be so easy to give and and let him back in. To accept his help and love. To raise their child together. For a second she was about to and then reality came crashing back.

"Robin. What are you doing out here?"

Marian had caught up to them and was holding Roland in her arms, clutching him tightly. When she noticed who her husband was speaking with an angry, hard look came across her face.

"Why are you talking to her?" The disdain in her voice was evident and she didn't even bother to hide the look of disgust on her face.

"Marian I - " Robin was quickly cut off by Regina.

"No it's ok. I was just leaving."

With that she headed back to the diner.

Robin was dumfounded. Between Marian's rudeness and Regina's uncharacteristic lack of venom, he felt like he was in an alternate dimension.