Robin had anything but a restful night. His nerves were stretched tight, like the string of his favorite bow. Thoughts and emotions he hadn't experienced in years came flooding back, strong and poignant as ever.

It had been fourteen and a half years since he last saw Regina. Fourteen and a half years since Hades shot him with the Olympian crystal and banished him to the far side of this fair country. He remembered the early days just after it became apparent he would never return. It had been agonizing wondering what had become of Storybrooke, of his family, of all those he loved.

Had his sacrifice given Regina the time she needed to stop Hades once and for all or had Hades triumphed? What became of Roland? What about his newborn daughter who he'd not even had the chance to name?

The uncertainty had tortured him for years until finally the sharp edge of grief and fear had worn off. As much as he tried, there was nothing he could do to help those he loved, nothing he could do to even learn their fate. All he could do was endure, try to make a life for himself in this new land, live a life his soulmate, his son, his daughter could be proud of.

But with the events of this past day all those latent emotions came rushing back to the surface. Somehow, someway Regina was here. Here! Had she fallen victim to Hades' weapon as well? Had she similarly sacrificed herself to save those she loved? He sincerely hoped she hadn't undergone that fate.

And he had reason to believe his hope was well founded. After all, when he was banished he retained his memories. He knew precisely what had befallen him, but Regina…Regina was not even aware of her true name. Could it have been some sort of a curse that sent her here? If a curse, were there others in this town of Misthaven? Could…could Roland be here? His daughter?

Roland. He'd missed his son with a sharp ache that had only dulled, never completely left. What had become of him after Robin's banishment? How had he adjusted to life as an orphan? The lad would be an adult now, an adult in his young 20s. And Robin's daughter! She'd be a teenager now. Tears came to his eyes as he thought of all the years he'd missed with his children.

And so Robin had tossed and turned throughout the night. Finally, at dawn, he'd arisen to shower and prepare for his breakfast meeting with Regina…or Rayna, rather. He didn't know what brought Regina here, what had happened in Storybrooke, or where everyone else had ended up, but he knew the key to learning those answers lay in bringing back his soulmate's memories.

The big question, of course, was how.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Robin set his fork back on his empty plate and hummed in pleasure. "Delectable as always, Regina" he said, looking over at the woman sitting across from him. "It's no wonder Grandma enthusiastically endorsed your idea and agreed to sell your line of desserts."

"Delectable as always?" she asked, her brows raising, "this is the first time you've tasted my baking…and my name's Rayna."

Robin felt his face flush. It had been such a lovely morning. They'd fallen into easy conversation from the first moment he stepped into her home. It felt so very much like old times, like the delightful months they'd spent together before everything crashed around them. It was so familiar, that for just a moment Robin forgot that she'd lost her memories.

"I…I merely assumed your food is always delicious," he stammered rather lamely. "My turnover was perfectly flaky and delicious. That perfection is not born overnight."

She continued looking at him skeptically.

"And…" he continued, "well…you remind me very much of a Regina I…knew…many years ago."

And she did. Clearly whatever curse or memory charm had befallen her had not changed her personality. But for her lack of memories of any life besides the one she lived here in Misthaven, she was exactly as he remembered her. The same strength, the same fire, the same passionate love for those she cared about.

The years had been kind to her. Though more than a decade had passed since Robin last beheld her, she looked largely the same, only the tiny crow's feet around her eyes betraying the passage of time. She was so breathtakingly gorgeous Robin felt his heart stutter and then race just looking at her.

Gods but he'd missed her.

"I'm pleased you enjoyed it," Regina (no Rayna; he mustn't slip up again!) said, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. "I've been making these turnovers for years, and they usually tend to go over well."

Indeed they did. Robin felt the familiar ache in his chest rise up as he remembered how very much Roland had loved Regina's turnovers. He'd rarely gotten sweets in the Enchanted Forest, but he had as much of a sweet tooth as any child, and Robin believed Regina had won his little boy's heart that very day.

Afterwards, it became something of a tradition for them. Whenever they had family dinner nights, Roland helped Regina roll out the dough and place the sweet apple filling inside, before running off to play video games with Henry.

"Robin?" she asked after a moment, and Robin realized he'd drifted off into his own thoughts.

"Apologies," he said with a wry smile, "I'm afraid I was woolgathering for a moment."

She gave him a piercing look and Robin held it, trying desperately not to squirm. "It's the oddest thing," she breathed. "You seem so very familiar. I just had the weirdest sense of déjà vu that we've done this before, shared a meal, but that's ridiculous, right?"

Robin's heart picked up. Was it possible she was beginning to remember. "Are you sure it's ridiculous? Are you sure we've never met? Perhaps in another place, another time. I spent a fair amount of time in a town called Storybrooke in Maine."

Her brow furrowed again. "Storybrooke? I can guarantee you I've never been there. I'd certainly remember a town with such an unusual name. And I've never been to the east coast. I've lived here in Misthaven since….since…well that's odd. I can't really remember when I came here….or where I lived before I came here… At any rate, I've been living here, in this house, since long before James moved in."

Robin felt a distinctly unpleasant jolt. James? Did this version of Regina have a boyfriend? A husband? Looking around, Robin noticed tennis shoes lined up at the doorway, far too big for Regina's dainty feet, a distinctly masculine leather jacket hanging on the coat rack. How had he missed it?

It had been a decade and a half since Robin had been banished; he certainly couldn't blame Regina for moving on. Still the thought hurt.

"Oh no," Rayna rushed to reassure, clearly seeing the turmoil in his eyes. "James isn't my significant other; he's my brother."

Robin breathed a small sigh of relief…and then promptly felt guilty for it. "He lives here with you? I'm sorry; It's really none of my business..."

"It's okay," she reassured. "James and I have always had a…complicated relationship. We've never been particularly close, more likely to snipe at each other than get along, but he's my brother. A while back, he lost his wife and his hand, and he was a total mess. I asked him to move in with me, at least until he got back on his feet and learned to navigate life with a disability."

Robin sucked in a quick breath. He lost a hand? Was it possible? Could this "James" Regina thought was her brother actually be Hook?

"I'm so sorry," Robin said after a moment. "It must have been terrible for him. How did it happen."

Rayna opened her mouth and then closed it with a snap. "You know…it's the weirdest thing. I can't really remember. It must have been a car accident or something…"

Or something.

The questions swirled in Robin's head. Was Emma the wife "James" had lost? What happened to her? Had the savior actually fallen to a villain? Was that why Regina and Killian, at the very least, had been cursed?

"It was a terrible time," Rayna continued, "and as usual my next door neighbor, Robert Goldson didn't make things any easier. He's one of those personal injury attorneys. You've probably seen his billboards throughout town. 'Hurt in a car accident? Let me make a deal for you!'. He's a real piece of work. I suspect he'd sue his own grandmother if he felt it would be lucrative enough for him."

Gold. Gold was here too?

"I'm sorry," Robin said. "It must have been a difficult time for you both."

"It was," Rayna said, and then shrugged, "but we survived, and now things are better."

They fell into a pleasant silence for a moment, a silence only broken by the clock chiming the hour. Looking up at it, Robin gave a start. Noon! He'd been here four hours? He'd enjoyed his time so much it felt like it had only been a few short moments.

Robin got rather reluctantly to his feet. "I'm afraid I must be going," he said with very sincere regret. "I've a bit of work to attend to at the nursery, but I've enjoyed this morning immensely."

Rayna got to her feet as well. "I did too. Maybe…maybe we could do it again sometime?"

Robin smiled down at her, wanting nothing more than to lean down and kiss her, knowing Rayna was not yet ready for that. "I would love to."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Six hours later, Robin trudged up the stairs and down the hall to his apartment. Stepping inside he crossed to the refrigerator and grabbed himself a beer before settling into his favorite chair in the living room.

It had been quite the day. There had been enough work to keep him occupied at the nursery that he hadn't had a chance to assess his time with "Rayna". Now, in the comfort of his own home, he finally could.

The morning had been enjoyable, of course, but he wouldn't consider it an unqualified success. He still had no idea how to restore Regina's memories. At least she'd expressed a desire to see him again. Perhaps he'd receive some new inspiration before he saw her again.

There was a sudden knock at the door. Curious. Robin wasn't expecting anyone. He set his beer down on a coaster and went to the door.

"Hi," said the man on the other side. "You probably don't remember me, but I'm Henry Mills, and this is my daughter, Lucy."

Notes:

-Well there you go! The mystery of Regina's brother's identity is revealed (as is the identity of Robin's neighbor that I teased in my last notes section). With the addition of Rayna's neighbor, Robert Goldson, the smarmy lawyer, all three of the returning cast are now accounted for. The question, of course, is are there any other familiar faces in Misthaven, and if not….where are they?

-For those of my readers who are CS fans, take a deep breath and remember "James" is cursed. No, Emma isn't with him right now, but the reason for that may not be exactly what he believes.

-Up next: We turn the clock back a few hours and find out what's been going on with Henry…and how he reacts to the cute little girl who showed up at his door claiming to be his daughter at the very end of season 6. Through his conversation with Lucy, we get quite a few answers about just what led to Regina, Gold and Killian being cursed in the town of Misthaven. When Henry realizes that his next door neighbor is actually Robin Hood, he decides to go to him and request his help as he and Lucy start trying to put things to rights.