Roland please calm down my boy" Robin tries to rub soothing circles on his sons little back, knowing it's not going to calm him down. He cries and cries into his fathers shoulders, not understanding why his papa took him away from his Gina. He was her knight, and a knight can't leave his Queen. He pushes harder against his fathers chest, trying desperately to break free.
"Let me go! Papa! Let me go!" he punches at Robins chest, frantically beating against him. It kills Robin that he has done this to him, caused him so much pain. I am the worst father in the world right now, he chides himself. But what was he supposed to do when his actions weren't even his own. Rage bubbles inside him as he thinks of that fucking witch, ruining everything all because she was jealous. She won't get away with it, he vows silently to himself.
They hit the edge of the Merry Men's camp and Roland finally manages to burst free of Robins grasp. His little legs tear off "Little JOHN! Little JOHN!" he is sobbing so hard his breaths coming out choked. The burly man rushes over to his little soldier who is so panicked it scares him. Scooping him up and burrowing him in close "Roland, what's wrong boy!?"
"Papa" he sniffles "Papa is a bad man!" his tears flooding over.
John stands there shocked, Robin is Rolands utmost Hero, loves him with all his being… Well maybe besides the Queen, he may actually love her more… he thinks. Rubbing up and down the little boys back he tries to ask what happened…but the sobs from Roland drown out any coherent words.
That's when Little John see's Robin, standing at the edge of camp, the most sullen look John has seen on his friends face.
Gods he looks even worse than when Marion passed. The Hell Happened?
He brings Roland over to Will Scarlet, who is wide eye'd and gaping at the commotion in front of him. Roland transfers from Merry Man to Merry Man, with Will taking up the protector role, trying to sssshhh the boy and calm his little sob wracked body.
"You wanna tell me what's going on?" John stalks up to Robin, who is still rooted to the ground, eyes blank staring forward.
"Robin, bloody hell mate, talk to us!"
His thunderous yell brings Robin back to his senses, and he falls to the ground in a heap, cradling his head and cursing loudly. The smell of dirt coarses through his nose as he inhales deeply, desperatly trying to contain the sobs that threaten to spill. His head buzzes, his body burns and he swears he can feel his heart cracking in two.
Strong arms enclose him, and he can hear his friend trying to coax him back. "Hey, Robin, mate what happened? Something go on with Reggie?". That does it, the sound of her nickname, so preciously given to her by his men sends him over the edge and he sobs so hard he can't catch his breath. He is dizzy, and feels himself being blindly hoisted from the ground on to his feet and pulled towards camp. Tuck and Alan come rushing out, hearing the commotion and head straight to John, who walks with an arm around their leader, more carrying his weight than anything. John sits Robin down on the log in front of the fire and sends Will a look to take Roland into a tent somewhere far. The message is heard and Will stands up and goes to grab Roland but the little man is to fast, running straight to his father, the tears uncontrollable still.
"Pap! Why did you do that!? I want Gina!" he is smacking Robins arms and kicking the dirt infront of him.
"Easy Ro, Easy lad" Tuck tries to reach for him but Rolands screams only continue, and the words that fall tear the entire camp apart "I HATE YOU PAPA‼ I HATE YOU!". Finally Will is able to scoop up the boy and nearly runs off with him, hoping to get him away from the whole situation that is about to unfold.
"Christ Robin, what did you do?" It's Tuck's preaching voice that rings out. The rest of the men stay silent not knowing what to do or say. Robin just stares blankly into the fire, unresponsive to anything, his eyes red from the tears. Moments pass, before John finally gets frustrated with him "ROBIN! You can't possibly expect us to just sit here in silence when your boy comes screeching into camp crying about you being a bad man, something about Regina and him hating you, bloody hell mate, tell us something" he huffs out.
Up for round two Outlaw? Lets burn these idiots shall we? It takes far to much effort for me to even listen to them, I don't know how you can stand to actually sit there
Robins hands fly to his head as he rocks back and forth, interally raging for Zelena to leave him alone.
"He's having a freaking melt-down, is he not?" the alarm comes from Alan, sitting beside Tuck looking for some sort of answer to the incredibly troubling scenario.
"Stop! Please just stop – you've ruined everything!" Robin screams as he continues to rock back and forth, his palms clamped against his head.
John becomes frightened and tries to break his friend out of this psychotic break he seems to be going through…."Jesus Robin, who the hell are you talking to?" his large hands clamp down on Robins shoulders trying to shake him out of it.
My God, they think you are going crazy‼ This is hilarious‼ her voice rings out in his head.
God, Just make it stop, please I can't do this anymore! - he is begging with everything he has.
Why would I kill you? You've provided me with the best gift possible, you are mine now Outlaw. the sneering voice cackles out and Robin feels as though he is going to pass out.
"Get him up into his tent John, maybe he just needs some rest?" Tuck motions towards the pair across from him.
"I don't need your help! I don't need any of you!" Robin is lashing out, lashing out at his only friends he has ever known, the only family he has had and he can't stop. "Get your bloody hands off me!" he whirls around throwing a first straight into Little Johns nose, the cracking sound pops through the air and a wave of bright red blood spurts from the bigger man.
"Robin, what the hell?!" Will comes running back and grabbing Robins' arms pinning him into the dirt as his leader writhes underneath him cursing with every breath.
"Back off! I don't need you! I don't need any of you!" dirt coats his throat causing him to cough and sputter against the ground. Will finally releases him and stands up, paired in mud covered clothing as he brushes himself off.
"Look whatever the hell happened tonight, you gotta calm down Robin. This isn't like you mate, I ain't ever seen you this blistering mad before, we are friends, family even just talk to us" Wills pleading with the man in front of him, desperate to get ahold of some sense.
"I didn't ask for this fucked up family, and I didn't ask for your friendship" Robin spits out.
Please, let this be enough‼ They are my family, I can't do this‼
Mmmmm such sweet words…..but I really couldn't care less. Finish up and leave.
Tuck moves towards Robin again, hands raised in submission and finds Robins blue eyes fighting through emotion. He places a hand on his chest Cold as Ice…..How Odd? "Robin, son listen to me, this isn't you, I can see the battle in your eyes, please let us help you"
A flicker of clarity finally settles into Robins eyes as he hears his preachers words. "Tuck? I can't stop it…." "Can't stop what lad?" but the moment is gone, and the blank eyes stare back at the older man, the clarity once there a second ago is no longer.
Robin straightens up, shrugs the old man off and turns away "You can't help me, and I don't need you anymore". He tears off at a run, leaving the 4 men standing in silence and shock.
**Regina's Mansion at the same moments Robin is at the Merry Mens Camp**
Blank. Empty. Hollow.
Regina stares at the door where Robin just walked out of, winter air coarsing through the open door, she thinks she can hear Henry screaming out to Robin but her mind is fuzzy. So she just stares, unmoving from her sitting position on the floor, knees tucked under her. She isn't sure when she buckled and hit the ground but she is there regardless. And she is blank.
"Mom?...Mom are you okay?...Mom talk to me….what just happened?", his voice is shaking as he drops down to her eye level searching for something to hold onto. But her eyes don't focus on him, their warm whiskey color seemingly gone, leaving empty dead brown eyes behind. He shakes her shoulders lightly "Mom, please say something….". But she can't. Her throat closes in on her and the tears begin to fall again. She leans back against the stairway wall, her knees moving to curl into her chest, arms wrapping around them desperately trying to hug herself till she crushes inward. She can hear Henry cries, trying to pull her back into the light, but she can't move. She simply cries, lets the tears fall on their own accord onto her blouse, making pools of dampness soak in.
She doesn't feel Henry get up. Doesn't hear him phoning the Charmings, doesnt hear him begging for them to come over now and help her. She doesn't even see them walk through the front door with panicked looks on their faces as they come across her. Doesn't hear David ask Henry what happened, or feel Snow's hand on her arm, he light voice calling out her to.
It's all just blank, with her tears falling, her entire world is just blank, and then it goes black.
Her head is throbbing, her throat so dry she can't even try to speak, eyes burning as she attempts to open them…. confused as to where she is, what happened to her, she ghost her hands around and bumps into a warm body.
Robin? Her heart quickens, maybe it was just a nightmare, it didn't happen and he is still here. She begs her body to wake as move inches towards the heat source, but her mind betrays her in an instant….Robin was so cold she could feel through his skin….whoever is beside her is burning up the bed….it's not Robin. Her eyes fill with tears again, and she draws in a ragged breath.
"Regina?" It's Snow, her voice sounds scared and unsure. "Regina I need you to wake up". She can feel her step daughters palm on her upper arm, trying to pass calming emotion through. Regina's eyes crack open and the tears fall. She doesn't move, only stares up at the ceiling, trying to control her breath. Minutes pass in silence, Snow still rubbing her arms.
"Do you want some water?" Snow's voice so sad. She has never seen Regina like this before. The woman she knows is full of fire, even in their darkest moments against each other, the admiration for the older womans passion was something Snow knew she never held, but desperately wished for. But this shell of her step-mother laying in front of her was not her Regina. Seeing her let tears fall and the trembles that escaped her body, broke the princess heart. She had been the cause of so much pain in this womans life, and it was almost worse in this moment, seeing Regina so broken and gone but not being able to help her.
"Do you want some water?" she asks again. Regina is silent, but nods her head. Smiling sadly, Snow gets up from the bed and walks down into the kitchen. Her room is so quiet she can hear her heart beating….is it really beating….how is it even still beating? The tears fall again, as the pain in her heart becomes near unbearable. She cries silently, turning into her pillow, tears pooling at her cheeks.
She feels a small arm wrap around her mid section, and the warmth breath against her neck, the person pulling Regina into their chest, hugging her close…she doesn't want to be held, it makes her stomach churn and she nearly turns to see who it is and tell them to get off, but she is stopped when she hears that light voice again "I'm sorry Regina, for what ever has happened, I am so sorry". She can feel Snow's tears against her skin, trailing down her back as the young woman pulls her in even tighter, nuzzling in between her the back of her neck and shoulder blades, her breath so heavy and hot against Regina's cold skin.
She doesn't want to be touched though, but she can't bring herself to move so she lets Snow bury into her back, and hug her tight. It's strange she thinks, after all they have been through, here they are, one woman comforting the other. If she didn't feel like crying so much she may have even smiled at this situation. Breathing in deep she curls into Snow's embrace, letting the heart beat of the girl behind her soother her back into sleep.
Maybe this still is a dream and I will wake up and none of this will have happened.
David knocks softly against the door, but receives no response so he cracks it open, eyes widening at the sight infront of him. His wife nestled into the back of the Queen, both sleeping. He only got part of the story out from Henry about the events that unfolded last night. The young lad was so distraught that all he really managed to figure out was that
A. Robin proposed to Regina last week
B. He didn't come home after an ultrasound with Zelena
And
C. Henry found his mom at the bottom of the stairs sobbing, Roland in Robins arms screaming out for her and Robin himself muttering he didn't love Regina and walking out
It's a mess. He saw Robin and Regina not two days ago and they seemed incredibly in love…something serious had to obviously have happened. I mean Robin has been her biggest supporter in going from Evil Queen to just Regina, surely there was more to it than a fight. He shakes his head and walks back down the stairs, not wanting to disturb the small moment of peice in this moment, knowing when Regina finally woke up, there would be hell to pay.
Regina stirs hours later to the smell of coffee, she cracks her eyes open to look at the clock beside her 6:15pm, who the hell is drinking coffee right now? . She rolls and finds her bed cold again, Snow must have left a while back. She sits up slow, her head beginning to pound again. She feels dizzy. Removing the heavy comforter off her body, her feet hit the cool wooden floor and she shivers. Standing slow, trying to balance herself out, she makes way to her shower, hoping the hot water will help with something.
"Henry, are you okay?" Snow walks around the kitchen island to where the boy is still sniffling over hot cocoa, eyes rimmed with exhaustion. He glances up and smiles the saddest smile.
"You're mom is going to be okay, we are going to figure this out, I promise", she rubs his back gently as she tries to bring him the only thing she knows how…hope.
"How can you promise that? She just lost her soulmate….how do you recover from that", Henry shakes his head and stares back down at his cooling hot chocolate.
"Henry listen, your mom is the strongest woman we know, it will take some time but she will get over this". This time it is David who speaks out from the table beside them, his hands hugging the coffee mug in front of him.
" That's where your wrong….it's not fair to ask her to just ..get over it… this was supposed to be her happy ending….and it's not fair. I don't care how strong she is, she is still a person with a heart, and it's been broken for the what third time?"
"Third? She only had Daniel before Robin, who is the other?" David questions back.
"Me"
"Henry!?"
"I broke her heart when I brought Emma here, I told her I didn't love her, that I didn't want to be with her. Even after she saved me in Neverland I didn't go back to her. She saved this entire town by destroying her own curse, and I didn't even remember her…"his voice cracks and trails off, glassy eyes staring into the mug in front of him.
Snow looks across at David, pleading for some help. God this was the worst situation for him. One mom gone, stolen by darkness and the other broken, rendered to pain and heartbreak. It's to much for a 13 year old boy to have to deal with. Silence settles between the three, there isn't much to say right now when there is so much unknown.
"His eyes were so different…"
"What do you mean"
"I've never seen them so blank before, like he hadn't an emotion in his body, and then there would be these flickers of what looked like pain or something, I can't really describe it but it just wasn't him".
David goes to move towards his grandson, but steps on a crumbled ball of paper under the table. Odd, Regina is impecably tidy…. He unravels the crinkled mess and see's black scribbles in the middle, with what looks like Regina's name at the top and something in the middle. "Hey Henry, what is this?"
He walks it over to Snow and Henry who smoothes it out across the counter-top. He recognizes Robins writing, but can't seem to figure out what the words are beneath the scratches of ink. Snow smiles and turns the paper over, and traces the embossed letters. "Something Happened …. Well thats odd, what do you think it means" she questions out. Both David and Henry shake their heads and stare back down at the peice of paper.
Something Happened….why would Robin scribble it out after though...seems strange, the thoughts coast through Snows mind, her eyebrows knitted together. Their silence is interrupted as Regina walks through the arch way, looking tired, the black circles under her eyes glaring prominent against her to pale skin. Her hair is wet and drapes down to her shoulders, lightly curling at the ends, she is dressed in black tights and a dark green loose sweater. Her eyes connect with the three people in front of her and she tries to smile, but a single traitor tear falls instead. Wiping it quickly not wanting to look any more vulnerable than she already has, she moves in
"Coffee at night…planning an all night slumber party?". Her voice is weak, and her attempt to make a joke, dies with the sadness in her. Her eyes find Henry's, she can see the torment inside him, something he shouldn't have to deal with and her heart breaks a little further, thinking of the pain he must be going through right now. She didn't just lose Robin, Henry lost Robin, the only father figure he has ever had, and a brother, both stripped away for a reason she still doesn't know. It's unfair to her son. She walks over and drapes her arms around his shoulders, burying her nose into his hair and just holds him. His hands come up to clasp hers. Snow moves to rub Regina's back as David grabs Henry's other free hand.
"We've got you Regina". Snows last words come out soft and the group goes quiet as the minutes tick by.
It crosses her mind one last time… Somethings Happened….
Somethings Happened….
