Since their bonding seemed to put Regina in such a bad mood, Sarah and Robin made a mutual decision to keep their distance around her except for when absolutely necessary (like when they were on set), and meet places other than Regina's to hang out.

"I hope you're all right with us going to a bar," Robin told her apologetically as they drove there. "My friend Will is meeting us there and bars are like second homes for him."

"I don't mind," Sarah assured him. "That's all right with me. I'm in college-or at least I was-so bars are nothing new."

"Good," Robin nodded. "Good."

They found the bar and parked in the parking lot with Robin taking Sarah's hand so they could ease into the very narrow doorway.

When they got inside, it didn't take long to find Will, who was seated at a table by the door. His dark eyes were bright and his smile was sincere as he approached his friend and the girl he'd never seen before. "Hello, Robin," he said. "Who's your pretty friend?"

"I'm Sarah," she replied with a smile, and then let out a small laugh as he kissed her hand. "And I'm not that pretty."

Will smiled. "You think so? Well, I beg to differ. Can I get you a drink?"

"Sure," Sarah nodded.

"Don't have too many though," Robin told her. "Actually, you probably shouldn't have more than one. Your aunt would smell the alcohol on your breath and she'd probably blame me."

"I thought we weren't going to be speaking of Aunt Regina on this outing," Sarah reminded him. "Just get me whatever the two of you are getting. There's an available space at the pool table and I'm gonna go rob from the rich and give to myself while we wait."

Will chuckled as she walked away. "That sounds like what you used to say on the soap. Do you think she knows that?"

"Of course," Robin nodded and then called the waiter over to give him their drink order. "Regina loves watching herself so I bet Sarah knows all the plots and lines by heart."

"She doesn't really seem a lot like Regina," Will continued.

"Why would she?" Robin wanted to know. "Regina's her aunt, not her mother. There's no reason for them to be a lot alike."

"True, but they still spend a lot of time together, don't they?" Will pointed out. "I would have thought they would rub off on each other."

"I wish," Robin sighed. "Regina could use some of Sarah's good sense."

When Robin called Sarah to come drink her drink, he couldn't help but be amused that she was tucking a good sized wad of bills into a fanny pack tied around her waist. "You had perfect timing," she smiled and sat down. "I really cleaned up."

"How did you get so good at that?" Robin asked. "I'm sure your aunt wouldn't make you need to do something like steal from people to get through life."

"Oh, that's true," Sarah nodded. "She always takes care of me, you know. I don't hustle pool because of that. I just need something that I know she wouldn't approve of me spending her money on, so that's what I use my pool money for."

"And when you say 'thing she wouldn't approve of' what are you talking about?" Robin asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Sarah asked suspiciously after pausing counting her money. "You're not gonna tell her, are you?"

"No," Robin shook his head. "I won't, I promise. It'll be just between us."

"Well, when I came down here, I knew I wouldn't be able to live with Aunt Regina forever, right? So I found this nice little house that I want, but it's in what she would call a 'risky neighborhood'," Sarah explained. "And if she thinks I'm gonna be murdered or robbed (which she probably would if she saw the place, even though it's not true) she wouldn't pay for it."

Although Robin felt sympathy for Sarah's predicament, he also felt something like fatherly affection for the girl and didn't want her to be in a situation where she would be hurt or robbed if she didn't have to be either. This was why he said, "I know you just want to be allowed to do this without protest, but I think you would be less likely to be scolded by your aunt if someone she trusted could see place you're planning to buy and could tell her for sure that you'd be safe."

"I suppose," Sarah nodded. "Are you volunteering?"

"Yes," Robin nodded as Sarah drank her drink. "Yes, I am."

"And I want to come too," Will added.

"You do?" Robin asked in surprise. "Why?"

"Cause I hardly ever see you anymore," Will told him. "Is it wrong to want to spend time with my best friend? You don't even have to tell Regina I was with you."

"Of course we won't," Sarah said resolutely. "We won't tell her a thing about anything until it's all sorted out and legit and she can't do a thing about it."

"Indeed," Robin nodded, even though part of him felt bad about deceiving Regina that way. But surely once she saw what was going on and they explained why Sarah needed her own place, Regina would understand. She had to.

"What's the matter with you?" Tink asked as Regina finished her scene and went to meet her on the sidelines. "I've never seen you so twitchy and nervous and you never flubbed that many lines. You're not still upset about Robin being here, are you? Cause I thought you would be used to him by now."

"Oh, I'm upset about him being here, all right," Regina replied and pulled a cigarette from her purse along with a match to light it. "But now it's for a different reason?"

"Stop that!" Tink cried and snatched the cigarette away. "Why are you smoking? You never smoke!"

"Well, I'm starting!" Regina replied. "How else am I supposed to deal with the fact that Robin is nosing around Sarah? I think he likes her! They went out for drinks the other day and whenever I see them talking together now, they pause for a moment, look at me suspiciously, and then move to talk somewhere else!"

"So?" Tink asked as they walked away from set. "What's the problem? Sarah's a big girl. She can handle him. I thought you didn't like Robin anymore."

"I don't!" Regina said quickly. "I hate him!"

"That's not what it seems like," Tink said. "If I didn't know better, I would say that you're jealous of what's going on with him and Sarah."

"Nothing is going on between him and Sarah!" Regina said harshly. "Not if I can help it!"

"Tell me again why I have to see your therapist?" Sarah asked Regina in a tired voice as Regina drove her to see Archie. "I'm fine!"

"I'm not sure about that," Regina replied. "Something is going on with you and Robin and clearly you don't feel like you can tell me about it, so I thought it would be easier for you to talk to Dr. Hopper."

"But you know you can't ask him what I said afterward, right?" Sarah told her. "That would violate doctor-patient privilege. And besides, it's nothing troubling. I should be allowed to have my secrets as long as they don't endanger me or anyone else."

"That's what I thought when I was younger," Regina replied. "But now I wish passionately that I would have had someone to talk me out of making the bad choices I made. I'm doing you a favor."

"I'm not getting out of this, am I?" Sarah asked, leaning her forehead against the window.

"No," Regina shook her head. "Just humor me, would you?"

So Sarah followed Regina into Archie's office and sat down to wait while Regina told the receptionist that she was here for an appointment. Then, when her name was called, both Sarah and Regina followed Archie to the room where he and Regina usually talked, but Sarah paused at the door.

"I hope you don't mind, Aunt Regina," she said. "But I want to go in there by myself, okay?"

"Can she do that?" Regina asked Archie. She was so used to not having therapy alone that it hadn't occurred to her that she wouldn't be let in while Sarah had her session.

"Yes, she can," he replied. "If she wants to talk to me alone, you'll have to stay in the waiting room."

"But if I tell him anything troubling like stuff about drugs or drinking or whatever, then I give him permission to tell you about it," Sarah said, hoping that would mollify Regina enough to make her go away.

Regina hesitated for a moment, then turned on her heel and headed back to the waiting room, thoughts of what Sarah could possibly be telling the doctor going through her mind.

Meanwhile, Archie began his talk with Sarah. "So…why are you here?"

"Cause Aunt Regina wanted me to come," Sarah got out. "See, I'm saving up to buy a house and Robin Hood, you know, Aunt Regina's co-worker, is helping me move in and stuff cause it's in an area that I know Aunt Regina wouldn't approve of, and…what?" Archie's face had changed when she'd said Robin's name and what they were doing and she was curious to know why.

"Nothing," he said quickly. "Robin Hood's the one helping you with the apartment, you say?"

"Yes," Sarah nodded. "Is that bad? Are you against it like Aunt Regina would be?"

"No," Archie shook his head. "I think it's very interesting, though." He paused. "And while I wouldn't ordinarily advocate lying, I think in this case, it might be best, at least for now, until you're settled in. And I don't think you could have picked a better person to help you."

"I know, right?" Sarah smiled. "I think he's really nice. I don't know what Aunt Regina's problem with him is."

"I do," Archie told her. "And I really wish I could tell you because you deserve to know. But it'll have to be something your aunt tells you on her own time."

"I understand," Sarah nodded. "Doctor-patient privilege. So will you tell Aunt Regina she's got nothing to worry about when it comes to me?"

"Yes," Archie nodded. "It will probably just make her more curious, but I will."

"So…did you and Dr. Hopper have a nice talk?" Regina asked on ride home.

"Yes, we did," Sarah nodded. "And since he didn't tell you anything, you can rest assured that I'm not doing anything dangerous."

"Oh, I didn't think you were, but I'm still a bit concerned," Regina told her. "For your own sake, I want to know what you and Robin are up to."

"Fine, I'll make you a deal," Sarah told her. "I'll tell you what I'm doing with Robin if you tell me the big secret you have that only Doctor Hopper knows. He said it involves me and I have the right to know. So tell me."

Regina lapsed into silence and gripped the steering wheel tighter and tighter until her knuckles turned white, and then an uneasy smile curved her lips. "You know, as long as what's going on between the two of you isn't dangerous, I'll trust you. I need to work on that. That's what Doctor Hopper is always saying I need to work on." She was silent after that and then went to her room again when they reached the apartment, leaving Sarah to watch TV in the living room.