If ever a place were aptly named, it was the Rabbit Hole. Truly a hole-in-the-wall bar, it was the kind of joint that the patrons fell into when they wanted to disappear from reality for a night. Regina wrinkled her nose as they walked in, immediately assaulted by the smell of stale beer and musty air. It figured that Ruby would pick this place. Then again, it's not like she had much of a choice; the watering holes in Storybrooke were pretty much limited to Granny's and this dump.

Ruby strolled in like she owned the place, dumping her bag on the nearest table. "Ashley and Belle will be here soon, but let's get this party started!" She turned to the bar, but Robin stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"The first round is on me. I insist," he said, and Ruby didn't bother to argue. "Shots!" she yelled.

"Shots?" Mary Margaret asked, her eyes widening.

"Shots," Emma agreed with a firm nod.

"Shit," Regina muttered under her breath. Robin laughed beside her and rubbed her back gently. "Shots it is," he said and strolled over to the bar.

"He is hot," Emma whispered to Regina, eyeing Robin. Regina followed Emma's gaze, studying Robin's backside as he leaned over the bar to talk to the sullen bartender. Nice ass, for sure. Her cheeks flushed and she tried to push the thought from her mind.

"He's a client," she said firmly.

"Not anymore, he's not. The deal is done, right? So maybe you should, you know, do the deal."

"Oh for God's sake, Emma," Regina snapped, and the blonde hooted with laughter. Emma slapped her lightly on the rear and told her that she'd given her those jeans for a reason, so she might as well make the most of them.

Robin turned and caught Regina's eye, and she prayed to whatever deity happened to be listening that he hadn't just seen her checking out his ass. He gestured to the drinks lined up at the bar, and she led their little group up to the bar. He handed her a shot glass filled with clear liquid. "I ordered this shot especially for you, Ms. Mills. If you don't like it, I'll be happy to fetch you another."

"To Snow White finding her Prince Charming!" Ruby said and lifted her glass. The rest of the group followed suit and toasted with a satisfying clink. Regina caught a whiff of vodka as the glasses met and her stomach dropped. This was going to be a long night. She took a deep breath and bolted the shot in one gulp.

Water. Bless Robin Locksley for a saint. She could have kissed him right there on the spot. She smiled up at him, and his eyes crinkled as he returned her smile. He leaned into her and whispered into her ear, "I hope you know that this means you owe me a drink." She laughed and nodded, agreeing that it was a fair trade.

"The next round's mine," Kathryn said. Ruby opened her mouth, but Regina cut in before she could say anything. "No shots," she insisted. "Someone has to make sure the party doesn't end at nine o'clock with us all passed out on the bar." Ruby muttered something that sounded suspiciously like killjoy, but Mary Margaret smiled gratefully at her. It was an old, ingrained habit, watching out for Mary Margaret and Emma.

The bartender lined up the next round – a Long Island Iced Tea for Ruby (of course), margaritas for Mary Margaret and Kathryn, and microbrews for Emma and Regina. The women took their drinks and returned to their table, but Regina hung back with Robin.

"A beer drinker," he said appreciatively. "I did not expect that."

"I work with men all day, every day. I play golf, know the ins and outs of football, and drink good beer and whiskey. If I didn't, I wouldn't survive."

He raised his glass. "Well then, here's to surviving." She met her glass with his. "Cheers," she said. She sipped her beer, her gaze never leaving his.

A shout from the table behind them broke the mood. Regina looked over her shoulder and saw Ruby doubled over laughing, Kathryn shaking her head, and Emma looking horrified. She turned back to her companion. "You don't have to stay, you know. This is only going to get worse from here on out."

He looked down at his full pint glass. "May I at least finish my drink first?"

Regina flushed. "I'm not trying to chase you away. It's just – this can't be that much fun with you, being the lone man in the middle of a bachelorette party. And the longer you stay, the greater the odds are that Ruby is going to try to make out with you. So don't say I didn't warn you."

Robin cocked an eyebrow and looked back at the table. He turned back to her and gave her a slow once-over that left her struggling to keep her breathing even. "I'm in no danger of making out with Ruby, I can assure you," he said softly.

There it was again, that flirtatious tone. Heat spread through her belly, a heat that had nothing to do with the beer in her hand. She shifted her weight between her feet, not sure how to respond.

Robin's phone rang, effectively killing the moment. He pulled it out of his pocket and frowned at the display. "Hold that thought," he said. "I'll be right back." She sipped her beer as he walked away and turned back to the table.

Shit. Their party had grown while she wasn't paying attention. It wasn't just Belle and Ashley, oh no; it was David and his entire crew of cronies. And Daniel was staring at her. She turned her back to him. You just can't catch a break, Regina, she said to herself. She closed her eyes as she heard his footsteps approaching.

"I didn't know you were allowed to bring a date to a bachelorette party," he said as he rested his arms on the bar.

"Well, someone has to protect us from Ruby," she joked.

Daniel laughed as he nodded in agreement. "She already told us we're behind and we owe her shots. It's going to be a long night." He waved to catch the bartender's attention, getting a nod and a gesture to wait in return. He fiddled with a coaster and Regina watched the cardboard shift back and forth on the bar, wondering how impolite it would be if she just walked away.

"I was hoping we could talk," he said finally, and Regina's stomach dropped. Talking was the last thing she wanted to do. "I'd like to clear the air between us."

Ironic that he wanted to clear the air in a place that stank of sweat and cheap booze. Regina took a gulp of her beer, suddenly regretting not having that shot earlier. "What's there to say? What's past is past," she said, attempting to sound casual.

Daniel studied her face. "I owe you an apology. And maybe an explanation. Both long overdue."

She couldn't believe they were having this conversation now, in this dump. "The statute of limitations on both the apology and explanation have expired," she said, "so maybe we should just let it go and enjoy the party." She picked up her glass and turned to go back to the table.

"Maybe so," he said, "but since you wouldn't listen to me before, I thought you might give me a chance now."

Before? There had been no before. They'd had the stilted conversation in the hospital and that was it. "What are you talking about?" she asked, completely dumbfounded.

"When I came to talk to you in Arlington," he said. "Emma told me you wouldn't see me."

She looked back at the table. Emma was teasing David with her drink, completely oblivious to the conversation that was happening at the bar. "No," Regina said. "No, you never came to see me in Arlington."

"I did, Regina," he said gently. "I came before Zelena and I got married."

Regina shook her head, trying desperately to clear the roaring in her ears. "I didn't know," she said hoarsely. "Emma never told me you came." She closed her eyes. How could Emma not have told her? How could she have done that?

Daniel leaned into her, his hand coming to rest on her hip. "I'm sorry, Regina. I should have pushed her more. I should have tried harder."

She fought the urge to lean into him. It would feel so good, to have his arms around her again. To hear him tell her how sorry he was for leaving her like that, for making her doubt herself and every relationship that came after. To finally get an explanation as to how he could have picked Zelena – Zelena, of all people, that hideous bitch – over her. To finally know that some part of him regretted how they'd left things.

She knew she couldn't do that. Regardless of what he said, it didn't change the fact that he was married to Zelena with two children, and she wasn't going to get in the middle of that. No matter how badly a part of her, the part that had never stopped loving him and never stopped wondering what went wrong, desperately wanted him to find the words to make it all be ok. She pushed his hand away and stepped back. "It doesn't matter now," she said.

"Hey," came Emma's voice from behind her. "You guys might have missed it, but we're having a party over here."

Regina whipped around, coming face to face with Emma. "I can't believe you did that," she hissed.

Emma's eyes widened. "Did what?" she asked, confused. Regina jerked her head toward Daniel. "Came to see me in Arlington? And you never thought to mention it to me?"

"Regina, I'm sorry," Emma started. She reached for Regina's hand, trying to pull her away from Daniel. "I just thought-"

"You thought? No, Emma, you didn't think. You never do." She yanked her hand from Emma's grasp and stalked out of the bar. Emma shouted after her, but she held up a hand as she slammed out the door. Whatever Emma had to say, Regina was in no mood to hear it.

She stood on the sidewalk, gulping big breaths of sultry summer air and trying desperately to put a lid on her anger. Tonight was Mary Margaret's night, and she didn't want resurrected drama from over a decade ago to overshadow her happiness. She tried with all her might to steel her nerves and slip back into her mask of perfection, to find a way to go back into the bar and pretend that nothing had happened. Tried, and failed. Her hands balled into fists at her side. The door opened behind her, and she turned on her heel, hoping that it was Emma so that she could unleash her anger in one fell swoop.

It wasn't Emma. It was Robin. "What the hell happened in there?" he asked, concern written on his face.

She shook out her hands, trying to regain some measure of composure. "Nothing," she said through clenched teeth.

He hesitated, trying desperately to figure out some way of diffusing the tension radiating off of her in waves. "It's not nothing," he said.

She wrapped her arms around her waist. "No, it's not nothing," she agreed. "But I don't want to talk about it. Not right now."

"Then don't. But let me take you home, at least."

Home. Regina desperately wanted to go home, to curl up in her own bed in her own house and pretend that this night had never happened. She couldn't go home – the wedding was still four days away, and no matter how loudly every instinct she had in her body was screaming to run away, she had to put on a brave face and wear that damn pink dress. She shivered in the summer air. "I don't want to put you out," she said to Robin.

"It's a small town, Regina," he said with a smile. "I can drop you off at your parents' house and be on my way in all of five minutes." She laughed. He had a point.

"My car is in front of the diner. Come on," he said, and tucked her hand into his.

They sat in his car in silence, Regina studying the house where she'd grown up. White columns and black shutters, the perfect Colonial in the perfect town, built to house the perfect family. She was 34 years old and she still felt stifled by everything about Mifflin Street.

"You don't have to go in, you know," he said softly from the driver's seat. "You didn't even finish your beer. You can certainly hop in your car and head back to your home, wherever it is."

"Arlington," she said softly, "but I have to go in. I can't ruin this for Mary Margaret."

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "If she's family, she'll forgive you. That's what families do, yeah?"

Did they? Regina wasn't feeling particularly forgiving at the moment. She was thinking it would be incredibly satisfying to go back to her house in Arlington and light every single thing of Emma's on fire. That's not an adult reaction, her mother's voice echoed in her head.

"Regina?" Robin said softly.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Sorry to drag you into all of this. I should go." She reached for the door handle, but he stopped her with a hand to her thigh.

"You have no need to apologize. And if you do decide you want to talk about it, I'll be here through the weekend."

She didn't want to talk about it. Didn't want this man, who only knew her as the capable Regina Mills who got them a fantastic set-up for their new space, to know what a mess she was on the inside. She yanked on the door handle, disentangling herself from his hand and pushing herself out of the car. "Thank you for the ride home. And…for everything."

"Of course," he said, and then as she closed the door, he added, "You still owe me that drink."