A/N: Sorry this has taken longer to update. Laptop issues were preventing me from getting any writing done. Also, school has started again so updates might be a little slower, but I'll be as prompt as I can. Thanks to everyone is following this story. I love to hear what you think!
She leaves the boys with Emma. They're both sound asleep and probably wouldn't have even noticed she was gone, but the blonde had just gotten off her shift at the sheriff's station and Regina had offered her the guest bed in exchange for watching Henry and Roland. Emma accepted without so much as a grumble, promising she'd hold down the fort when they woke in the morning and that she'd tell Regina about meeting with Astrid later.
Regina loses count of the number of stop signs she ignores on her way to the hospital and is so focused on seeing Robin that she almost completely misses Mr. Gold standing in the waiting room, cane grasped in front of him. She glances at him as she scurries by only to register his face a second after she's past him. She turns around on her heel, eyes narrowed and glares at him. "What the hell are you doing here?" she demands.
Gold looks back at her, unfazed, before gesturing down the hallway with a nod. "Sorry about your thief, dearie. Terrible tragedy."
Regina rolls her eyes, arms crossed. "I'm sure you mean that from the bottom of your heart," she snaps sarcastically. "It's nearly two in the morning. For some reason, I don't think you'd make the effort at this time of night to give a half-hearted sympathy card."
Gold looks down at his feet before taking a step toward her. "From what I hear, you probably shouldn't be out at this time of night, either. What, with your sudden bout of fainting spells."
Regina looks him up and down for a moment. "What do you know about that?"
"Miss Swan stopped by my shop earlier today. Told me that she felt a magical presence in your thief's hospital room and that she simply couldn't explain it," Gold replies. "She also mentioned your rather… averse reaction to the magic."
Emma Swan will be the death of me, Regina seethes to herself as she closes her eyes for a moment to calm down. The Savior saw it fit to include Gold of all people in this investigation and didn't even bother to check with Regina first to make sure it was okay? Wait, scratch that previous thought- I will be the death of Emma Swan, Regina corrects, vowing to personally strangle the blonde when she sees her next.
"Emma had no right to tell you any of that," Regina manages with only a hint of anger seeping through her tone. "This is affecting my family. I can handle it without your meddling."
Gold scoffs. "Actually, dearie, I think my meddling is exactly what you need."
"Don't flatter yourself," Regina grumbles with a roll of her eyes. She's itching to get out of this godforsaken waiting room. Robin is awake, damn it, and she refuses to not be there for him. No matter how much he might still hate her.
"Have you ever reacted to magic like that before?" Gold asks, head cocked in either curiosity or mocking. Probably both.
"No," Regina admits a tad bit reluctantly. "But I don't see why that matters."
"Were you able to identify the magic?" he presses, ignoring her comment.
Regina sighs and shifts her weight from one foot to the other. "No," she replies shortly.
"So from what I gather, you've never encountered magic like this before," Gold observes. "Seems to me that you don't have as good a handle on this as you think, dearie."
"Just because I've never 'encountered' this magic before doesn't mean I won't be able to figure it out," Regina defends. She resists the urge to just turn around and continue on to Robin because honestly, what is the point of this? Does Gold just want to make her doubt herself? Why the hell does he care about this, anyway?
Gold ignores her remark and turns, taking a few steps toward the reception desk before stopping and facing her once more. "I find it interesting that you and Miss Swan reacted rather differently to whatever magic has plagued your thief," he states leadingly. By the tone of his voice, Regina just knows he already knows something she doesn't. Damn it.
"Emma had a similar reaction," Regina argues. "She felt dizzy, nauseous-"
"But she did not fall unconscious," Gold interrupts.
"Well, no, but-"
"Unlike you and unlike your thief," he continues, pausing for a moment. "Interesting how you fell into the same state as him when you absorbed the magic."
Regina narrows her eyes. "Stop beating around the bush, Gold. If you have a point, make it already."
The man studies her face for a long moment, the silence between them lengthening until finally he looks away, taking a step away from her as he begins to speak. "I can't help but think that the reason you reacted so… aggressively to whatever magic is present in your thief's room is because it is somehow… connecting the two of you."
Regina's eyebrows fly up. "But Emma-"
"Did not fall unconscious. She reacted, yes, but anyone sensitive to the ways of magic would react to its presence. And seeing as she is still rather a novice in most magical areas, it makes sense for her to feel the way she did when she first encountered it." Gold regards her for a moment. "You, however, should have had a much more mild reaction, seeing as how experienced you are."
This isn't making sense. Nothing coming out of his mouth is making a lick of sense and it is nearly two in the morning and Robin is awake and probably waiting for her and does this really need to be happening now? Does her life need to get more complicated right this second? God, she should've taken a shot before she came here.
"Get to your point, Gold," she snaps, going for annoyed and landing on weary.
"Whatever magic you're dealing with, seems to want to connect you and your thief together. Why else would you have fallen into the same state as him?"
Regina shakes her head. "I passed out for a few hours, but I woke up. I'm fine. Robin's been out for much longer than that."
Gold nods. "Yes, well, it appears he was attacked by whatever magical force this is directly. You must have caught the residual effects of it."
"And Emma didn't somehow?"
"This magic must not be concerned with her," he answers with a shrug. "Tell me. When you woke up, how did you feel?"
"Like I got hit by a-" She stops her automatic reply, realizing she had indeed felt like she had been hit by a car. Like Robin. Or sort of like Robin. He got hit by something and then crushed up against a car, but that's neither here nor there, she supposes.
Gold smiles smugly at her realization.
Regina chews on her bottom lip, wishing what he was saying would go back to not making sense. It was easier that way. If what David had speculated was correct- that Robin was attacked by some magical force and not a car- then it would make sense for magic to still be radiating off him afterward. That explains what Emma- and later Regina herself- felt in his room. But why would the magic connect her to him? They're already connected. Pixie dust has proven that. Does this magic have anything to do with that particular link? God, she hopes not. Souls are funny things. If this magic- whatever it is- has affected the connection between their souls, that's going to be awfully hard to heal.
Regina takes a deep breath. She can't think about this now. Not with Robin waiting. "Well, as enlightening as that may be, it really doesn't help me much in figuring out what I'm dealing with. So unless you can tell me who cast the magic or where it originated from, I'm going to have to excuse myself. Someone's waiting for me."
She pauses for a second, raises her eyebrows in mock expectation, and when the man remains silent, turns on her heel and starts walking toward her original destination. She should have known he'd call after her. He always needs to have the last word.
"I wouldn't get my hopes up for a speedy recovery, dearie," he states, making her stop in her tracks. She doesn't turn around, won't give him the satisfaction of seeing the surge of fear that's crossed her face. She hears him take a step in her direction. "Magical wounds can be much harder to heal than physical ones."
Regina opens his door without preamble, heart pounding, hands shaking, and feels the breath leave her lungs when her eyes meet the deep blue of his looking back at her.
He's alive and breathing and awake and alive and present and there and alive and she'll be damned if he is ever anything other than that again.
"Robin," she breathes, feeling the weight that had been pressing down on her chest for the past thirty-six hours finally lift.
"Regina," he answers with a smile, wincing as he attempts to sit up. She realizes Will is in the room when he reaches out to help his friend by propping up his pillows. Robin grunts out a thank you and then Will is leaving the room, giving Regina a smile as he passes.
She can't stop looking at him- his eyes (open), his smile (wide), his chest (rising and falling with life). She's probably crying, she can't tell, but she knows she's smiling and shaking and still standing by the door and why hasn't she gone to him yet? She drops her bag right where she is and then practically stumbles to the bed, dropping to the mattress right next to him. His arms encircle her immediately, pulling her tightly to him and she has a fleeting thought that it might be painful for him, but she finds she's not too worried about that because he's warm and breathing against her.
Her nose finds its home in the crook of his neck and shoulder just as his hand finds its rightful place in her hair, his other arm wrapped tightly around her waist. She runs her hands up and down his back, feeling the faint outline of bandages through the fabric of his hospital gown but revelling in the feel of his muscles beneath her fingertips.
He's alive.
"Hi," she whispers into his shoulder, committing the sound of his resulting chuckle to memory, filing it right beside the sound of Henry's excited exclamations of "Mom!" and Roland's endearing giggles.
"Hi, love," he murmurs back, turning his head to place a kiss on her hair. "Hope I didn't scare you."
God, he's an idiot. An adorable, wonderful, breathing, smitten idiot. She tightens her arms around him and presses a kiss to the side of his neck. "You terrified me," she replies, pulling back so she can look at him properly. While the tubes are no longer down his throat, two smaller oxygen tubes are still in his nose, running between his top lip and nose to behind his ears. The bandage wrapped around his head has been changed for smaller bandages only on the deepest wounds on his forehead. She has the urge to kiss every little scratch and bruise until they clear from his face.
"I'm sorry for frightening you, love," he apologizes, thumb running across the apple of her cheek.
She gapes at him. Why is he apologizing when she is the reason this happened to him in the first place? She's the one who drove him out of the house with her hateful words. "I'm the one who should be apologizing," she counters, hands framing either side of his neck. "For what I said, for being why this happened to you-"
"Regina, don't be ridiculous," he interrupts. "You didn't do any of this."
"But if I hadn't said what I did-"
"I'm the one who started the fight. I picked on you first."
"That doesn't excuse what I said," Regina insists. "That was despicable and horrible and cruel." He doesn't answer for once and she uses the silence to search his eyes, looking for any trace of the animosity that filled them the last time they spoke. She can't find anything even remotely close to hatred. "I'm sorry," she whispers, keeping his gaze no matter how much she wants to look away. "I didn't mean any of it and you have every right to hate me."
Robin shakes his head and pulls her against him again, her head resting on his shoulder. "I'll never hate you," he promises, hand running soothingly through her hair. "I could never hate you."
"But-"
"Regina," he interrupts firmly. "Do you hate me for what I said?"
She shakes her head. "No."
"Why not? It was every bit as cruel as what you said."
"Because you didn't mean it," she whispers, knowing where he's going before he gets there.
He hums his agreement. "Words spoken in the heat of anger are never from the heart," he points out wisely. "If either of us had our wits about us, I'm sure we wouldn't have gone where we did."
She sighs, knowing she's not going to win this fight. How is it that he can always keep such a cool head about things like this? "I still feel awful about it," she whimpers.
"Your words were meant to hurt and believe me, they did their job," he admits and some how, she feels even worse. "But I'm sure mine did the same. And now it's time for us to do our jobs and forgive each other. Otherwise, we'll never be able to put this behind us."
Regina pulls back so she can look at him properly. "You can forgive me for that?"
"Yes, I can. You know why?" He leans up to kiss her brow when she shakes her head. "Because I love you more than your words hurt me. And so I can forgive you for that and I hope that you can do the same for me." He gives her a hopeful smile and she feels her heart clench.
She wraps her arms around him again and pulls him against her. "I love you," she murmurs against his shoulder.
He hums contently and rubs soothing circles on her back. "And I love you, milady," he whispers before bussing his lips against her temple. He tugs gently on her hair to get her to release him from her embrace which she does, but she keeps her hands on either side of his waist.
"Now," he begins, mischief entering his voice as he tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. "I do believe it has been almost thirty-six hours since I last got to kiss you- an absolute crime in my book."
Regina smirks, leaning forward automatically. "I suppose we should correct such a heinous offense," she muses, their breaths mingling in the scant space between their mouths.
"Well, if you insist," Robin whispers before fusing their lips together, a surprisingly strong kiss for someone in his state. His lips have never felt so wonderful and alive than they do right now and Regina could nearly cry at the feeling of his mouth moving deliciously against hers because the last time they kissed was just a quick peck as she was rushing out the door in the morning. She had started to think that was going to be their last kiss and hated herself because she could barely remember it. Now she didn't have to.
The clearing of a throat causes them to break apart. Regina turns to see a man in a white coat standing in the doorway. Round glasses adorn his face and a stethoscope is draped across his shoulders. He's an older man, wrinkles crease his face and his gray hair thins on the top. He carries a clipboard under his arm. Regina's never seen him before. "Can I help you?" she asks.
"Oh, no, Madame Mayor, I apologize for interrupting. I just need to do some follow ups to surgery," the man explains, stepping into the room.
"And you would be?"
"Dr. Baker," the man replies, holding out his hand toward her.
Regina eyes him suspiciously. "I've never seen you here before."
"Most people haven't. I do the early morning shift usually. And, uh, I don't have a reputation like a certain colleague of mine," Dr. Baker explains with a sheepish smile.
Regina smirks. "Well, if it keeps Whale out of here, I guess you're okay."
"I'll take that as a compliment, Madame Mayor," the doctor says with a smile.
"Regina's fine," she offers.
"Regina, then. How's our patient?"
Regina turns back to Robin who smiles at her tiredly. He squeezes her hand before looking at the doctor. "I'm doing alright. I feel sore everywhere, but I guess that would make sense considering what happened."
"Yes, that's typical for car accident patients," Dr. Baker concurs just as Regina feels a rush of guilt and panic. They still think Robin was hit with a car. Should she… she should tell them. Or Robin at least. Normal doctors won't know how to treat magical injuries, but so far it doesn't seem like Robin has any. She prays it stays that way.
"And how are you feeling, Regina? Any lingering nausea or dizziness?" Dr. Baker asks her.
"Wait, what? What happened to you?" Robin asks, hand coming up to rest on her back.
Fuck. She had forgotten Robin didn't know about that. And that directly relates to the magical nature of his accident. Well, looks like this can of worms is being opened much sooner than she thought.
"I… I passed out for a bit," she admits, avoiding his gaze that goes from concerned to panicked at her explanation.
"You what?" Robin exclaims, tensing beneath where her hand rests on his stomach.
"It kind of just hit me. I hadn't slept or eaten-"
"Regina," Robin admonishes.
"I was worried, Robin," she defends. "You know how I get when I worry and I didn't want to sleep in case something happened to you-"
"And so you let something happen to you instead."
"I didn't try it," Regina snaps. "And clearly, I'm fine. So forget about it." He won't though, she knows, and despite his present silence, she can practically hear the argument they're going to have. They've had it several times before.
"I can assure you, Robin, she's just fine. Combination of stress and exhaustion can do that to people," Dr. Baker chimes in, pulling his clipboard from underneath his arm.
Weird magic can also do that to people, Regina thinks but keeps her mouth shut. Now is probably not the time to drop that bombshell.
"Regina, if you could give us a few minutes, I just have to do some post-surgery follow-ups," Dr. Baker requests, flipping through some pages on his clipboard.
"Sure. I'll just… I'll be in the hallway," she agrees, standing up. She turns back to Robin and although he still looks upset, she still leans down to kiss him. He kisses her back and that settles some of the anxiety that had been coursing through her. "Stop worrying," she whispers before kissing him once more and stepping out into the hallway.
It takes awhile, whatever it is Dr. Baker needs to do, and she's starting to wish there were chairs in the hall so she could sit down. She's about to go search for one when Dr. Baker emerges from the room, clipboard under his arm once more.
"He's all yours," the doctor assures her with a smile.
"Everything's okay?" she asks, standing straight from where she had been leaning against the wall.
"Yep, all looks good. He is tired, though, as would be expected. So I suggest you let him sleep for a bit. I'll be back in a few hours just to check in."
"Thanks, Dr. Baker," Regina says sincerely. Having a professional doctor is certainly a breath of fresh air compared to Whale.
Robin's eyes are drooping when she goes back in and the half-smile he gives her is laced with exhaustion. "Sleep," she commands gently, sitting on the edge of the bed beside him. She reaches out and runs her fingers through his hair soothingly. "It'll help you get better."
"How long were you out for?" he asks, voice heavy but determined.
She sighs. "Robin, I'm telling you it was nothing-"
"Regina, love, please. You've gotten to worry about me all this time. Let me worry about you just for a bit."
She studies his eyes for a moment and he looks so incredibly tired but there is a fierce protectiveness underneath it all. He just wants to make sure she's alright. She supposes she can live with that. "Eleven hours," she admits.
"Eleven?" Robin repeats in alarm. "That hardly sounds like nothing, Regina."
"It… it wasn't, I guess," she sighs. There's no point in hiding it anymore. Time to cough up the truth. "I didn't pass out from exhaustion. I… was reacting to magic. Whatever magic is present in this room and whatever magic caused your accident."
Robin stares at her, tired eyes suddenly overcome with confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"Emma and I, we both felt magic in your room- this room- and we think it has something to do with what happened to you. We don't think you were hit by a car."
"Regina, love, that's ridiculous-"
"I know it sounds crazy. I didn't believe it at first either, but David said they couldn't find any evidence that there was another car beside Astrid's at the scene. They couldn't find anything at all that would give them a clue as to what hit you."
Robin shakes his head in disbelief. "So what happened then?"
"We think some kind of magical force attacked you. We don't know what. Astrid didn't see anything beyond what she thought were headlights and I'm not familiar with the magic that… overwhelmed me, I guess. We… we really have no idea."
Robin laughs humorlessly. "This is crazy."
Regina nods. "I know. Emma's been looking into it, but I haven't really had the chance to. We're basically going at it blind."
"And… and you're positive it was magic?"
"Yeah. I don't see how it could be anything else."
Robin closes his eyes for a moment and exhales a shaky breath. "Then why do I feel like I was hit by a bloody car? Every cell in my body hurts, love."
Regina feels a pang in her heart knowing he's in pain, but she doesn't have an answer or a solution. "I don't know. I'm going to start working with Emma in the morning so we can figure this all out, but until we do, I just don't have answers."
Robin rubs his eyes. "And you don't have any idea who is behind this? Or what?"
She shakes her head. "No. Henry asked who would want to target you of all people-"
She's stopped when Robin grips her forearm tightly. She looks at him in surprise only to see alarm and a hint of fear clouding his eyes. "Zelena," he rasps. "She found a way back from Oz-"
Regina shakes her head and brings a hand up to his cheek. "No. It's not her," she insists. "I know what her magic feels like and it wasn't that." He looks back at her unsure. "Robin, I promise. When I sent her back to Oz, it was for good. She is never coming back. And she is never hurting you again."
"You're positive?" he nearly whispers and it breaks her heart that he is still fearful of her sister.
"Yes. It wasn't Zelena," she repeats, leaning forward to rest her forehead against his. "But whoever it was, I will find them and make what they did to you look like child's play."
Robin exhales and nods. "Be careful, love. I don't want you hurting yourself on my account."
"I won't-"
"You already have. If this magic is strong enough to knock you out for hours, who knows what else could happen? I won't have you risking yourself, love. I won't."
"I'll do my best to be careful," she promises, knowing it's the only thing she can promise at the moment. The truth is, she is more than willing to risk life and limb to keep him safe. But Robin can't know that. He'd never accept it.
Regina kisses him softly before pulling back and stroking his cheek with her thumb. He looks so tired. "Get some sleep. Emma said she'd bring the boys over after breakfast. They'll be so excited to see you."
"Then I better sleep. Roland exhausts me even when I'm not fresh out of a coma," Robin jokes through a yawn.
Regina smiles and moves to stand, but Robin grabs her hand, making her pause.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asks.
"To the chair so you can sleep."
Robin shakes his head and pulls on her hand. "Stay with me."
Well, how can she refuse that? Regina kicks off her shoes and swings her legs onto the bed, turning until she's curled against Robin's side. She gingerly lays her head on his shoulder, aware of his bandages. "Does this hurt?" she asks, laying an arm across his chest.
"No. You make it feel better," Robin breathes, voice already low and sleep-laden. "You always make me feel better." His arm comes around her waist just as she wedges a leg between his knees. She sighs and nuzzles her cheek against him, relishing in the feeling of him warm and alive beneath her.
A few silent minutes pass where she just listens to his breathing, steady and natural. She's almost positive he's asleep until his voice breaks the quiet.
"You know, now that I think about it, I remember something that might have to do with this magic," Robin murmurs. It sounds like he's on the very cusp of sleep.
"What's that?" Regina yawns, tracing patterns on his chest with her finger.
"Right before I got attacked, I remember thinking there was a strong smell of roses in the air. But there couldn't have been any roses around because they don't grow in that part of the forest." He yawns. "Could that have something to do with magic, love?"
Regina's blood goes cold. If she were standing, she'd have to sit down because she surely would've collapsed. If the air smelled like roses, then that must mean… no, no it can't be. It can't be. She wouldn't do something like this. Surely, she wouldn't… would she? But oh god, if she did, then who knows what is really behind all this, what ulterior motives are at play.
"Love?" Robin prompts and Regina swallows, forcing air back into her lungs.
"Yeah, it… it might," she breathes. But there's no question about it- that smell definitely had something to do with it because that is the scent of magic. Not just anyone's magic, though. The magic of someone Regina had thought she left behind in the Underworld. Apparently, Mother wasn't as ready to let go.
Damnit , Cora. Reviews make me happy!