Hey guys, thanks for the reviews. Here's the next chapter. Hope you like it!

"I'll ask again, Zelena, what are you doing here?" Regina's words were said slowly; dangerously. It was obvious thats she was trying to keep her temper under control, but it wasn't working out so well.

"Sisterly Concerns, Sisterly advice." Zelena replied in a mocking tone. Regina just rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Well, sis, you better make it quick because I have somewhere to be."

"Oh, yes, I heard all about your little party. Too bad I wasn't invited, I gather it would be rather entertaining." Zelena's overly sweet yet threatening disposition only heightened Regina's anger and made her blood boil.

"You didn't come here to give me sisterly advice. Why are you really here?" The Queen snarled.

"So perceptive." The witches tone was patronising. "I'm here to give you a gift, my dear sister."

"I don't want your gift." Regina had absolutely no idea what was going on, but she knew whatever Zelena was planning would not be pleasant.

"Ah, but you shall have it. My gift to you is this ball of yours. You can dance with your soul mate-" At Regina's surprised look Zelena added "Oh yes, I know all about that- You can meet his parents and laugh as they squirm at the thought of their son and the Evil Queen."

"But..." Regina urged, slightly nervous for what was to come.

"But, sis, when the clock strikes midnight, you shall put your oh so high walls back up. You shall never act upon your affections; Always wondering whether he felt the same. You shall never speak to his son again and you shall watch as they forget you ever existed. After all, not having someone is the worst curse imaginable. Isn't that right?"

The thought killed Regina and she knew it showed. Having her own words thrown back at her, this time used against her, made it even worse.

"Then, once you have nothing, no son, no true love and absolutely no one to care whether you live or die, then- and only then- will I carry out my plans to take everything from you." Zelena was almost laughing at the concept, which made Regina sick to the stomach.

She was still able to make her voice sound cool and collected, though, as she asked "And why would I do that?"

"Because I'll kill every one you care about if you don't." The witches voice had taken on a bitter edge and The Queen gasped at her words.

"You wouldn't!" Regina stepped forward, getting ready for a fight.

"Oh, but I would," Zelena reminded Regina of when she was the Evil Queen; when she was so caught up in vengeance that she would do anything to get revenge on Snow. She was beyond reason and that scared her. "I would rip his heart out and crush it under my fingers turning it to nothing but dust. I would laugh as you watched the life drain out of his eyes and as little Roland cried for his father. I'd kill him too. Just a wave of my hand and his neck would snap." Zelena relished the words that poured out of her mouth as moisture gathered in her sister's eyes.

"Or I could throw him out of the highest window and watch him fly like one of his father's arrows!"

Regina wiped the single tear that had fallen away. She would not let her sister see her cry, she would not be weak.

"I would end you before you even got the chance." This wasn't exactly true, it was evident that Zelena was slightly more powerful than Regina, but, given the right amount of motivation, maybe that wouldn't matter.

"We both know that's not going to happen. I thought you had somewhere to be, anyway. You better give me an answer soon: A life of everlasting lonliness or your thief's life? Your decision."

There was no mulling over the question, Regina knew her answer right away. "Fine. You win this battle, but next time I'll be ready!"

"Thanks, sis, nice chat." And with that Zelena hopped onto her broomstick and was gone, leaving Regina to pull herself together before she left for the ball she was already an hour late for.

Where was she? Was she really going to ditch him? What about everything she had said before? Was it all just lies?

Those were the questions going through Robin's head at 9:30 on Friday evening. He had been waiting for a whole hour and had been trying to entertain his insufferable parents for around half an hour, all the while stealing glances at the large clock which hung just above the door.

"See, I told you not to trust her!" Robin's mother, Elizabeth of Locksley, exclaimed. "She's nothing but trouble."

"Mother, you don't even know her. She's probably just running late." The thief replied, exasperated.

Being the stuck up cow she was, Elizabeth just ignored her son and carried on. "I bet she was just using you for some sort of evil plan. She's waiting until you trust her completely and then she'll rip out your heart and use it for some sort of spell- though I don't know what, its not like your heart is very special."

Robin almost laughed at the ridiculousness of it, but he didn't. Instead he just glanced at the clock again and then the door. Where could she be? He thought with a frown.

"Your mother is right, Robin, don't trust anyone who is late for their own ball."

Robin came very close to punching his father in the face. Luckily, though, Regina came bursting through the doors.

The dress she was wearing was absolutely stunning. It was a bold red colour, with a large slit up the side- the way she was running revealed a sinful amount of skin- and showed a generous amount of cleavage.

"Is that her?" Elizabeth gasped, not even bothering to hide her distaste.

"Yes, mother, that is her." Robin replied, then said firmly, "Now, you've got to promise to be polite. She is your Queen after all."

Once Regina had reached them she slowed down and walked with a more regal disposition.

"Sorry, I'm late." Regina apologised as she kissed Robin's cheek, an act which surprised the thief. Since when had she become so affectionate.

It was once she pulled back Robin saw it, the pain in her eyes. Not the usual pain that haunted her day after day, not the pain from losing her son. This was different.

"Hello, I'm guessing you're Robin's parents. I'm Regina." The introduction was punctuated with a hand shake.

"Charles of Locksley." Robin's father replied "And this is my wife, Elizabeth."

"Well, I'm pleased to meet you. I'm sorry for my rather ungraceful entrance. I ran into a few..." As Regina seemed to search for a word, she met Robin's eyes for a few seconds before turning back to his parents "complications that I had to take care of."

"That's quite alright, dear." Elizabeth answered "Did you catch your dress on something?"

"Excuse me?" The question was rather odd, even for Elizabeth of Locksley.

"Or were you planning on exposing so much of yourself to us tonight?" As Robin's mother's eyes travelled to Regina's leg, realisation seemed to hit the former Evil Queen. At first she looked angry and then there was a mischievous glint in her eyes as she smirked and lowered her voice.

"Oh, that? That was for your son." Robin bit his lip to hold back a laugh, but couldn't help the snicker that escaped him. Both his parents' eyebrows rose to their hairlines, but they seemed to compose themselves fairly quickly.

"Quite the charmer you've scored yourself." Charles Locksley gritted out, sending a look to Robin, which clearly said "What the hell have you gotten yourself into?"

"I think so." Robin's reply was of a completely different tone and it held a lot of sentiment, which made Regina tense.

"So, Your Majesty, how did you and our criminal of a son meet?" Elizabeth asked, clearly trying to act like she didn't think the whole thing was a farce.

Regina's anger only seemed to grow and she didn't hold back her glare. "Well, Snow White and I were attacked by a flying monkey and your "Criminal of a son" saved us. He shot them with his bow, and if you paid enough attention to your son, you'd know he is an amazing marksman. He's also a great father and an even better friend." The Queen's eyes seemed to tear up as she spoke, leaving Robin to wonder exactly what had happened in the time between the council meeting and now.

"You seem very serious about our Robin." Charles commented in a tone of surprise.

"I am." The reply was almost a whisper and was more aimed at Robin than his parents.

"When are you to be wed?" The bluntness of the statement shocked both the Queen and the thief.

"Mother, what are you talking about?"

"Well you aren't getting any younger, dear and I think its high time you got over that- what was her name again?- anyway, its time you married up again. You could have picked someone of a much higher standard, but she'll do."

Robin was sure his mother had gone mad. What was she on about?

"Regina and I are not getting married!"

Elizabeth just ignored her son, as usual, and carried on. "What about children? Your majesty, are you going to give my boy a child?"

The statement hit Regina like a bucket of ice cold water.

Since her sister left, everything had felt like a dream. Like she was in an alternate universe.

She had ran to the ball room, her head an absolute mess and she hadn't even cared who saw her in such an un-regal state, though she was pretty sure everyone was staring as she sped through crowds of people until she spotted the one person on her mind.

Once Robin was in her sights and she had caught who she suspected were his parents staring at her with disgust, she slowed down and held her head higher.

His parents were, as suspected, stuck up snobs, who had very little respect for their Queen and she couldn't hold back the comment about the slit in her dress being for Robin. It wasn't even a lie.

When they had openly expressed the distaste for their sons life choices it only riled her up further.

Then they had asked about marriage, which had shocked her immensely. She had only known him a few months and would probably never have considered marriage, anyway. Plus, the fact that she was never to act upon her affections for him ruled out being able to sign a piece of paper committing herself to him for eternity.

When his mother had asked her whether she would be giving her son a child, though, that had thrown her right back into reality and her heart ached.

"I...I can't have children..." Regina had muttered, refusing to let the tears fall from her eyes. Robin seemed to sense her distress as he put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Honestly, Robin, this woman massacred entire villages, cursed an entire realm and prances around in things that don't leave anything to the imagination and now she says she can't have children. How could you possibly think she was an appropriate choice?"

The tears that had been held back relentlessly suddenly began to fall and Regina turned her head, trying not to look weak in front of these people.

"Oh, would you just shut up, mother?!" Robin had burst out. "Now is not the time!" Then he turned to Regina, asking if she was ok. She wasn't, but admitting that would only make her seem more weak.

"I'm fine." It was obvious she was lying and Robin had always been good at seeing through her so he grabbed her hand and said "Come on, lets go."

There was no question about it and Regina really wasn't in the mood for protest, so she silently nodded gripping his hand back. After all, she didn't know how long she had left to be so open with him.

"Mother," Robin nodded his head in farewell. "Father. After tonight, Do. Not. Ever contact me- or my son- again." And with that they left. (Regina leaving the ballroom with much more grace than she had whilst entering.)

"Come here." Robin said, softly, once they were alone right outside Regina's bed chambers. He wrapped his strong arms around her and she melted into him, finding comfort in his intoxicating forest smell and the warmth of his body. "Why did you never tell me about... you know?"

"Because you never asked." She answered simply, tears staining his white shirt.

"If I had known I would've..." His voice trailed off, because what could he have done? He couldn't have stopped her from drinking that potion, he wasn't there and even if he had been she wouldn't have listened.

"You would have what, Robin?" The frustration she felt was evident in her tone. "Its not like you could reverse the potions effects, even if you tried. Time travel is also impossible, so you couldn't go back in time to fix things. So, tell me, Robin, what would you have done?"

Instead of responding with actual words, Robin pulled back slightly to see her face. Then, when she looked him in the eyes, he leaned down and touched his lips to hers.

It took a while for Regina's brain to actually process what was going on, but he had pulled away before she had time to respond.

The look on Robin's face told her that he was even surprised by his own actions. Then he looked apologetic as he whispered "I'm sorry," which only confused the Queen.

"Sorry for what?"

"For kissing you" The sentence was said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Don't be." Regina replied as she cupped his cheek in her hand and leaned in, kissing him again, but this time with more passion.

The kiss was intense and that only increased when Regina's tongue traced a line along Robin's bottom lip, begging for entry and then they were both free to explore every inch of each other's mouths. He tasted exquisite.

The hand Robin held on her waste trailed up her side, making Regina shiver.

They broke away far too soon, but Regina knew her time was running out and there was just one more thing she wanted to do before she isolated herself from the thief and his son.

"Robin, would it be ok if I saw Roland for a little while?"

"Of course, he might be asleep, but I very much doubt it." Robin smiled and shook his head at the thought of his rather excitable son bouncing around his chambers with the wooden sword he had named "Needle."

"Thank you. Not just for tonight, but for everything. For being there for me when I needed it the most."

"Don't mention it. You're an amazing woman, Regina. You're clever and witty; not to mention absolutely gorgeous and you're the strongest person I have ever met." Tears were welling up in Regina's eyes and she couldn't believe she was about to cry infront of this man for the second time that night.

She kissed him again with gratitude. It was only short, but it was sweet all the same.

The walk to Robin's chambers was silent, though it wasn't an awkward silence. Robin held Regina's hand all the way there and it comforted her immensley. However, the thought of having to give that up was awful.

Robin's room was instantly recognisable as Regina had been there many times before. She could hear the laughter coming from Roland and couldn't help but smile. It was a sad smile. She would miss Roland, she would miss him a lot.

"Are you ready to enter the chamber of madness?" Robin asked, dramatically and so Regina played along replying with an equally dramatic. "I think so."

Then, Robin opened the door with a deep breath. As soon as Roland spotted his father he jumped off of the bed he had been standing on and ran into his arms.

"Hello, Little man, have you had a good time?"

"Yes! I beat John at sword fighting four times! Well, Needle did most of the work, but she wouldn't have been able to do it if it wasn't for me!" Roland prattled on enthusiastically about his sword until he noticed Regina, standing right behind his father.

"Majesty! You're here!" Roland almost dived out of his father's arms into Regina's.

"What are you doing here?" Little John asked the Queen from the far corner of the room.

"Give it a rest Little John." Robin replied, exasperated. John obeyed his leader and decided it would be best for him to leave. He bid farewell to Roland and gave the boy a hug before he left, glaring at Regina as he went.

"Right, m'boy, its time you got to bed." Robin told his son, settling him on the ground and kneeling so he could be at eye level.

"Can Majesty tuck me in, please?" Roland begged, clasping his hands together and pouting.

"If that's alright with her Majesty, then yes." Robin replied, turning his head and silently asking if it was ok.

"I would love to." Regina replied, smiling down at the boy. Roland jumped up and down and smiled brightly.

Once Roland was all tucked in he had fallen asleep almost instantly. Regina had kissed him on the head and whispered. "Goodbye, my little knight."

"Would you like me to walk you back to your chambers, milady?" Asked Robin, who was currently leaning against the door, watching the exchange between the two.

"Yes, I would, thank you." Regina replied, standing from where she had been knelt next to Roland's bed.

The walk back was different, this time they talked. He made her laugh, something she hadn't been able to do in quite some time and it just made her feel alive.

Robin recognised Regina's door instantly, despite only having seen it once before. The intricate detail of the lion, which was carved onto the door, was hard to forget.

"Do you remember the last time we were here?" Regina asked. Her voice was quiet and her eyes drifted to the ground, reminiscing on that fateful night almost three months ago.

"You were feeling rather suicidal that night." Robin replied, bitterly. Even when he hadn't known her he had felt oddly protective over her, and now the thought of her cold and lifeless was unbearable.

"I wasn't going to kill myself. I would've just been asleep... for a very long time." To Robin, that wasn't a very big distinction.

He just sighed and took in his surroundings- something he hadn't been able to do the first time he was here. It was a rather large room for just one person and he wondered whether it had been the room she had shared with the King, but no, he knew how much suffering she must have endured throughout the ten years she had been married to him. She would probably have gone to desperate measures to ensure that part of her life was in the past, where it belonged and that didn't entail sleeping in the very room she had shared with her late husband.

There was a large full length mirror adjacent to the dressing table on the wall opposite him. On the dressing table were various boxes and pieces of jewelry scattered over the surface. What caught Robin's attention most, though, was a music box.

The box was covered in dust, which suggested it hadn't been opened in a while and the carvings were absolutely beautiful. That wasn't the reason Robin was so drawn to it, though. The box reminded him of the music, which was being played at the ball and the ball reminded him of Regina.

"We never even got to dance!" Robin turned his gaze to the woman in question who seemed to have drifted into her own little world.

"What?"

"At the ball." Robin clarified and a look of realisation flashed across the Queen's face. "We didn't get to dance."

"Well, that's something that'll have to be remedied." There was a playful look in Regina's eyes as she smirked in his direction.

Robin played along, bowing and holding out his hand. "Would you care to dance, milady?" Regina giggled, something he scarcely heard from her and took his hand.

"Its your Majesty, and yes, I would love to dance with you, Robin." She replied as he wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close.

Regina wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. "We don't have any music." She stated, sounding more relaxed than she had in days.

"I think that can be fixed." Robin answered as he extricated himself from her hold, rather reluctantly, and walked over to the music box.

The tune that started playing when he opened it was more of a lullaby than anything, but it would do.

Robin wrapped his arms around Regina again and they started swaying to the music. After a while, Regina said, "My father gave me that music box when I was a little girl. I used to have nightmares- mostly about my mother- and he told me that the music in the box would ward away all the bad dreams I was having and I believed him. It worked- for a while- and then, once I reached a certain age, I stopped listening."

"You were close to your father?" It was a question, Robin was not going to pretend he knew her more than he did.

"Very." The reply was simple, but it held a lot of meaning. Robin could not help the curiosity taking over.

"What happened to him?"

Regina noticeably tensed, making Robin regret his decision to question her further. She still answered, being the ridiculously strong woman she was.

"He... umm... he died." Robin only held her closer and kissed the top of her head. No wonder she had become so evil, she had been through more than what some people endured in a lifetime.

"Regina, no matter what anybody says, you are the most amazing person I have ever met. Don't listen to my parents either, they speak out of their arses most of the time."

The Queen just chuckled at that and leaned back so that she could see his face. Then she kissed him for the third time that day. He tried to pour as much emotion as he could into that kiss and it felt like she was doing the same.

Then the clock striked twelve and, though it was far away, they both heard it.

It was like a wake up call for Regina and she slowly extricated herself from his hold. When he looked at her, he saw the scowl, which he felt he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Get out." She ordered flatly and when he didn't move she said again with more force. "Get out!"

"Regina, what's wrong?" Robin still hadn't moved an inch.

"Its your Majesty, and I thought I'd ordered you to leave." Regina's frustration was growing, but so was Robin's.

"I refuse to leave until you tell me what's wrong!"

"What's wrong is that you are a thief and I am a Queen. We can never be together. It just took me a while to realise that." The Queen's voice had grown bitter and uncaring as she summoned a glass of red wine with her magic and sipped it, with a blasé attitude.

Her comment had hurt more than he'd like to admit, but it did what she had probably intended it to do. Robin turned on his heel and headed to the door before turning back and muttering, "Goodbye, Regina."

Then, he left, not noticing the single tear rolling down Regina's face.

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