"Yo- You what?" Esme said, almost certain that she had heard him correctly but she needed to be sure. Her eyes were beginning to sting with tears at the sight of the realisation in his face; this was real - he was her father and whatever memory or memories he had, she was in them.

"I..remember yo- ahhhh!" Robin began before grasping his head again, much like he had done several times these past few weeks. The outcome of this was always that he went back into unconsciousness but Esme was desperate not to let that happen again. He remembered her! He actually remembered her and in all her life, she never thought she would want something as much as she wanted to just talk to him right now.

"No! No Robin please! Fight it or some-" she pleaded, desperately trying to grab his hands, hoping that reassurance or comfort would prevent the pain getting too sever and he could remain concious. She was forced to stop however when she felt the kind of dizziness she welcomes as an old friend; the world began to spin and, although probably a ridiculous thing to think, the last thing she remembered doing was grasping Robins hand tighter as she fell into unconsciousness.

The world was black for a moment, until the image or Robin and Regina faded into view. Robin and Regina lay entangled on the red, checked picnic blanket in the meadow. Regina head was nestled into Robin's neck and they lay in silence, enjoying the rustling of the tress, the smell of freshly cut grass and the sound of the rivers meeting the lake nearby. The scene was picturesque and Robin was elated to finally spend some time with his love. This was he favourite spot, she loved the poppies that were speckled throughout the meadow, it was secluded so the two were safe, and the forrest was nearby, which she loved as it was a piece of Robin. He could feel her hair brushing along the side of his ear as the wind blew, he could smell the apple shampoo she had used and he loved every second of holding her in his arms. Here, she was safe.

"Right, lazybones. I'll race you!" Robin said, promptly jumping up.

He looked back and saw Regina's confused face with a huge smile spread across it; he lived for that smile. He would do anything to see that smile, all day, everyday. He had seen her at her worst - with tears gushing down her cheeks and sadness etched into her face - and he made a vow; he would never be the source of such sadness and would always provide a remedy. If that remedy was a joke, he would do it. If that remedy was a meal, he would do that too. But the best remedy was this meadow, and that was something he was happy to provide. As she chased him, he saw the happiness radiate from her eyes and he wished he could keep her here, protect her here for the rest of their lives, but he couldn't. Both he and Regina knew that her mother would hunt them, and Regina was terrified she would do to Robin what she did to Daniel just under two years ago. Although Robin begged her to run away with him, Regina was adamant this would never work; this was her plan with Daniel and somehow it had all gone horribly wrong, and she couldn't lose him.

"Hey! You had a head start!" Regina playful squealed, trying desperately to catch up to him.

"You'll just have to run faster then m'lady!" he said. He saw the lake approaching and ran even faster before launching himself off the bank and straight into the crystal clear water. It was a particularly hot day, so the water felt like ice for a moment before it became enjoyable. He surfaced and watched as Regina stood on the river bank, arms folded.

"I'm not going in there! Mother will see that my dress is wet!"

"My love, you are a witch! And a rather brilliant one at that! I'm sure you can muster a spell to dry your dress!" he said, treading water and giving Regina a flirtatious grin. Regina simply smiled in response, took off her heavy dress and jumped into the lake in her underclothes. She disappeared for a few seconds longer than Robin had anticipated and he began to panic.

"Regina?" He said but received no response.

"Regina!" he cried.

"Bah!" Regina screamed, jumping onto Robin's shoulders so that his head became submerged. She laughed as he surfaced again, spluttering and splashing water into her face in retaliation.

"You weren't scared were you?" Regina said, laughing as he recovered from his fright.

"Of you? Never." He said as he swan towards her. He put his arms around her wait, but his grin gave him away and Regina immediately protested.

"No, no, no, no!" Regina cried, giggling between each word. Her protests were in vain for Robin immediately lifted her and threw her into the lake again and began to spin towards the shallower end of the lake before she came up for air. Regina immediately swam after him, grateful to be able to stand, as her clothes were heavy.

"You're so mean!" Regina giggled, walking up to him as he floating on his back.

"To you my dear? Never!" Robin said, charming as ever.

"Well what was that then!" She said, enjoying the view of his typically baggy shirt now clinging to his chest.

"That, my love, is called shameless flirting," he said, standing up and immediately pulling her closer. He held each side of her face with his hands and stared into her eyes. It amazed him that the same eyes which had seen such terrible sadness, looked at him with such love. He wanted to be the man she thought he was, he wanted to be the man she needed, he wanted to be hers. He gently stroked each of her cheeks, carefully brushing away the loose hair that had escaped her up-do, and then he kissed her. He kissed her gently but their kiss soon became passionate as he pulled her closer to him, their bodies pressed to one another. After moments of feverish kissing, their moment of passion was soon interrupted by the noise of an engine.

"What is that?" Regina said, all too aware that they couldn't be seen; if her mother found out that she was dating Robin and not trying to find some Prince to marry, she would kill them both. Robin held her waist protectively and she looked at the concern in his face; she loved how much he worried.

"I don't know. Perhaps we should leave my love, return to the forrest."

"Sure. There's all the privacy we need there," Regina said seductively, kissing him gently and slowly. Robin returned her kiss with just as much passion but quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the bank. The two ran hand in hand along the meadow, collecting the picnic Robin had made en route before retreating into the forrest. By the time they got to the forrest they were gasping for air, but laughed at the circumstances. Robin flopped down onto his back and Regina quickly lay down next to him, returning to the position they enjoyed in the meadow. Robin kissed her affectionately on the head, rubbed her arm with the side of his thumb and held her hand, which was draped across his chest.

"I wish we could stay like this," he whispered, continuing to stoke her arm.

"Mmmm" Regina sighed, nestling her head further into Robins neck. "Me too."

"Why don't we-"

"Shhhh," Regina said placing her finger over Robins lips. She kissed him softly, before placing her head back where it belonged. She knew where this was going and she was tired of discussing it. There was nothing in the world Regina would love more than to run away with Robin; she loved how he made her feel ,she loved who she was when she was with him, she loved him. She loved him deeply, with every bone in her body, and it was because of this love that she couldn't run away with him. They would never be safe. They would never be able to settle long enough to have a home or have a wedding surrounded by family and friends and that was a what she wanted for him. She couldn't put Robin in the danger she put Daniel in, she couldn't lose him. Losing him would be the end of her, and she told him so. She was always immediately reassured that Robin wanted her, and if that meant giving up all of that other stuff then so be it, but the thought of letting him go, for his benefit, occasional returned when they discussed such matters.

"Stop," Robin said, sitting up. Robin could always tell when Regina was over thinking,or worrying; she would remain silent and tap her little finger with her thumb.

"Stop what?" Regina said, sitting facing him.

"Thinking about 'letting me go'" he said, with air quotation marks around the 'letting me go' part.

"How did y-"

"I know you, my love," he said smiling, before taking her hands in his. "For the millionth time Regina, yes i would love to be able to take you on an actual date, where other people can see us. I would love to be able to walk hand in hand with you down the street or to kiss you wherever and whenever i want. But I can't. Do i like it? No. But 'letting you go' was never an option. I love you more than i love any of that other stuff," he explained.

"Y-You love me?" She said, with a grin spreading across her face. She knew he did already, but to hear him say it made her feel giddy and ridiculous but she didn't care. He made her happy, happier than she had been since Daniel, and she needed that happiness. Robin laughed at how happy she was and was glad to be the source of that elusive yet perfect smile. He leant his face towards her, placing their foreheads and noses together.

"Did you really think otherwise?" he said, his own giddy smile spreading across his face. He kissed her forehead, and as he did s, he noticed that it was now getting dark. It was at least a half hour walk back to where he and Regina usually parted ways and he didn't want her walking home in the dark so he began to get up, but Regina grabbed his hand, imploring him to stay with her.

"I.."

"Mmm?" he said, confused. She laughed at the confused look on his face and she realised that he didn't know; he didn't know that she needed him, he didn't know that he made her happier than she could ever really remember being, he didn't know that when she imagined her future, she was always with him. She took his face in her hands before kissing him on the head, then on his nose and then on his lips; with this, the image began to fade and the world went black again.