The Charmings sat with their daughter and grandson all through the night. As soon as Neal was gone, Henry had called Regina to tell her about Neal's confession. Once Regina heard what Neal had done, she knew exactly what spell was at work. She headed straight to Granny's to reassure herself and her son that his birth mother was simply drained and would wake up when she had rested enough.

Still, the knowledge that she had lost her strongest magical ally had troubled Regina. After the showdown in the town square, Regina had put most of her hope in the combined power of her and Emma's magic, after all, they had saved the town together before, they could surely do it again. Only now she was all alone again. She was sitting at the counter at Granny's waiting for Emma to wake up, when Robin walked in.

"Awfully late for a drink, Madam Mayor," he commented sitting on the stool next to her.

"If you're here to steal something, you might want to come back later," she snarled, not in the mood to talk to anyone.

"Come now, have you caught me stealing since we came to this land?"

"It's not my job to catch thieves," she sighed.

"It's not your job, but I know how much you enjoy the hunt, so…"

"I don't have time for your games tonight, Robin."

Robin could tell that she was upset, and he couldn't help but want to ease her burden.

"Did you know that I had a brother?" he asked.

Regina raised a perfectly sculpted brow, the look on her face clearly asking why she should care.

"His name was Reginald. He was the heir to a great title, property, and fortune, but he was a despicable person. He spent all of his time in gaming halls, pubs, and brothels. By the time he came of age to inherit, my father had chosen to pass him over in order to give the living to me. When Reginald found out, he murdered our father before he could change the articles of his will. Three years later everything was gone. One way or another he had lost everything but the title, and even that was cloaked in shame. I was forced to live off of my wits, but with the reputation our family had, there was no respectable living available to me."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I tell you this, to illustrate a point, my lady. You would think that I would be filled with resentment over my brother's actions, would you not?"

"Of course," Regina scoffed.

"But how wrong you are, because had I inherited my father's fortune, I would never have met my wife. I would never have been blessed with my Roland. Apart from the death of my father, I have no ill will toward my brother. In fact, I feel sorry for him. For while my life has been filled with love and friendship and adventure, his has been nothing but empty thrills and loneliness."

"So what, I am supposed to count my blessings? What am I supposed to get from this fairy tale, oh great and wise Robin of Loxley?"

"You are not alone, Regina," he answered seriously, but his eyes were too intense.

She couldn't keep from letting her true feelings slip out. "But I am," she sniffed, fighting back tears.

In an instant, he had wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. Before she could pull away, she broke completely. The strength of his grasp breaking the last of her resolves, until her shoulders shook with silent sobs. He just held her, rubbing her back and whispering sweet nothings in her ear, until she was ready to pull away.

"I'm sorry about your coat," she mumbled, gesturing to the large wet spot on his shoulder. "I don't know what came over me."

"No matter, my coat was happy to be of service," he shrugged, giving her a half smile. "Do you want to tell me what has got the toughest woman I know in tears?"

"My sister wants my life, and the only person who could help me save everyone, is now out of magic," she sighed.

"I'm sure you will figure something out, Majesty. Like I said you are the toughest woman I know. And if I know anything about women, it's that you don't threaten a powerful woman's family, and walk away unscathed," Robin smiled confidently at her. Like a switch, he could see something click in her mind. Almost as if he saw the moment she decided that the battle was worth fighting again.

"You're right, of course, Thief. No one threatens my family and gets away with it," she grinned, a plan already developing in her mind. "I think it's just about time for another family reunion."