So in this chapter you're finally going to get to see Robin. Hope you like it :) Disclaimer- I don't own Once Upon A Time or any of its characters.
Chapter 4
"Regina?" Robin Hood's voice echoed throughout the silent library the next day.
Regina mentally debated for a moment whether or not she wanted to call back to him. After all, the conversation would inevitably cause her to take a break from reading King Arthur and The Knights of the Round Table and that was a break she did not want to take.
Still, she figured if she didn't answer he would still search the library and find her anyway. "I'm over here!"
It took a moment but Robin eventually found Regina's reading spot in the corner of the library. "Regina, is this where you've been the past few days?"
She turned to look at Robin and nodded. He sighed and sat down in the seat next to her. "I've been worried."
"You didn't need to be. I was just reading."
He tilted his head so he could see the cover of her book but just ended up furrowing his eyebrows when he read the title. "How strange. Why round tables?"
"I know! I thought the same thing!" Regina remarked as a smile grew on her face. She handed the book over to Robin so he could closer examine it.
After a few seconds of observing the cover, Robin looked up and met Regina's eyes. "I don't understand."
"I didn't at first either." Regina prepared to tell Robin everything. She was so happy she finally had someone to confide in who would listen and believe her that she started to ramble on. "But I put a spell on the Apprentice's body when I went to see him and from there I was able to look into his memories—"
"Wait," Robin cut Regina off. "It was you that ruined the Apprentice's body? Regina—"
Then it was Regina's turn to cut him off. "No, Robin, that wasn't me. That was the Dark One. They ruined the body after I was done with it to destroy the evidence."
"Evidence of what?" Robin was genuinely confused. "Why haven't you told any of this to the others?"
"They wouldn't understand. They don't understand how magic works." Regina urged her words but ultimately knew they made no difference. Robin had a disapproving look in his eyes and Regina knew she couldn't say anything now to change that. "I thought if one person could understand it would be you…obviously I was wrong."
Robin sighed but didn't offer a rebuttal. He simply chose to ignore everything Regina had said to him and change the topic. He sighed and said, "I wanted to talk to you about something."
Regina nodded once slowly and realized he had only found her to talk to her about this something and not because she had been missing for days on end. "It's about Zelena."
"What about her?"
"After the child is born—"
"You mean your child." Regina corrected.
"Yes," Robin hissed in a low voice. "Well I wanted to ask what will become of Zelena after our child is born."
"I thought we already talked about this when we put her away." Regina tried to make it seem like she was impartial when she was really kind of freaking out inside. He was having second thoughts and that wasn't good.
"I just…" Robin had trouble getting out the words. "I don't think it's fair that she isn't going to see her own child because she's going to be locked in that room for the rest of eternity."
"So you're proposing what? We should let her out to do whatever damage she wants because she's having your child?" Regina could not help that her voice rose a bit out of anger.
"That's not what I'm saying, Regina."
"Really?" Regina's eyebrows furrowed. "Because it seems like that's exactly what you're trying to say."
"Regina, you can't be mad at me for this!" Robin raised his voice for the first time since they started talking.
"You know what, Robin? I am kind of mad. Zelena has done awful things including killing the real Marian, may I remind you." Regina's gaze hardened as she started to stare down Robin. "But you seem to forget that just because you slept with her."
"May I remind you, she's not the only person I've slept with who has killed before?"
Regina was shocked. She could not believe he would bring that up. But now that he had, she could finally get him to talk about it for the first time since they started dating.
"So you're finally ready to talk about that, are you?"
"What do you mean?"
Regina shook her head and let out a humorless laugh. "I mean, from the moment you decided you wanted to be with me you've completely denied the existence of my past. You refuse to believe I was the evil queen and chose to ignore it."
Her voice was laced with anger and spite but so was his when he retorted. "And how am I supposed to deal with that? Why don't you tell me how I should treat to your past other than trying to ignore it?"
Could he really not see what she wanted? Regina thought it was somewhat simple but still he somehow didn't understand. "I want you to accept it. I want to accept me and all parts of me, including my past." Her voice was calm and Regina believed that's what threw Robin over the edge.
He stood up abruptly and started to walk away. He didn't get too far before he turned and started to walk back. After a long moment of silence he spoke in a whisper. "I don't know if I can do that, Regina."
His eyes were wide and vulnerable. Regina's, on the other hand, were hard and glaring. "Then you should leave."
Robin didn't move for a moment. The two of them just remained there staring at each other until Robin walked over, kissed Regina's forehead, said, "Goodbye," and walked away.
Then he was gone and Regina had a slim second to feel loneliness until she felt a new presence in the room. She didn't have to look because she already knew who it was.
"I know you're there."
Regina turned her head to look to her left. Where once second there was no one, the next second the Dark One appeared.
"You're smart—smarter than I originally thought," the being noted as she took a seat in the chair Robin was sitting in only moments ago. "I seem to have underestimated you, Regina. You're very resourceful."
"I don't think I really need your compliments right now." Regina tried not to let her gaze soften. She wanted to be on her toes and prepared for whatever might happen. "Why are you here?"
"I know you know about Camelot."
"That doesn't answer my question."
At that point the Dark One still chose not to directly answer Regina's question. "I've been keeping an eye on you. After all, you seem to be the only person in this town with any clue as to how to defeat me."
Regina didn't say anything. She couldn't believe she was actually being remotely complimented by the Dark One.
"As for why I'm here..." The Dark One trailed off as if debating whether or not they wanted to say what was on their mind. "I want you to join me."
"What?"
"I believe in this world they call the concept an alliance."
"You want me to be your ally?" So many other questions were going through Regina's mind at the moment but the first one she asked was, "Why?"
"Because I think you and I would work very well together, Regina. And despite all your efforts to prove you are no longer the evil queen, you and I both know that you will never be seen as anyone else in these people's eyes. I want you to embrace who you are, not try to run away from it. After all, isn't that why you just broke up with your boyfriend? He couldn't accept you for who you are—who you've been?"
"You don't have to give me an answer now, just think about it. I'll meet you again in a few days and if you don't decline—well then we can work on terms and conditions."
And on that note the Dark One disappeared into thin air and Regina was left with a difficult decision to make.
A/N- I'm actually kind of happy with how this chapter turned out. I'll expand on it more in the next chapter, I promise. You'll get to see more Regina x Dark One and maybe Emma will even come out for a visit. -Saraphine
