Hey, guys! Sorry for the delay. College got in the way. Thank you for your reviews! We will try to update more frequently, but please hang with us. The finals are approaching so it will be a little complicated. Enjoy this new chapter. Next update will be soon, hopefully! Xo
CHAPTER 7
The morning started off pretty well for Robin. Still dreaming of the day before and the moments he shared with Regina, he quickly got up to walk around town for a moment. He had to get a job as soon as he could. It was taking longer than he expected, really. He had many skills, of course, but he was an outlaw for so long he couldn't even remember the last time he had a job. He didn't even know where to begin. Suddenly, he hears an enthusiastic voice behind him:
"Hello Robin, good morning!" Snow says to him. They have known each other for a long time, since Robin helped Snow when she was running from the Queen. He was the one who taught Snow archery and everything she knew about living in a forest, becoming a bandit.
"Good Morning. How are you?" Robin answers. This couldn't have come in a better time.
"I'm good. What are you doing around town so early in the morning?" Snow asked.
"Well, I am looking for a job. Do you know about anything available?" Robin asked Snow. He could use her help now.
"Oh, why didn't you tell me sooner? I can check that out for you in the school I teach. I'm sure they must have something for you. I'm on my way there and I'll let you know if I find anything interesting for you." Snow answered.
"Thank you. I appreciate it." He said, and both went their separate ways.
The day went by quickly for Regina. It was already afternoon and she hadn't had much time to think about anything other than work. She didn't want to think about what had happened yesterday. It was a moment of weakness. "Why would I talk to a stranger about my life?" she thought. She didn't regret almost kissing him, but she did regret opening up. This wasn't her. He was trying to make her weak, and he almost succeeded. She almost felt for his charms. Almost. Now, she needed to put that mask back on and move on with her life. She was now lying in her bathtub, with a glass of wine in her hands. The thought of those moments in her kitchen with Robin were driving her insane. She didn't want to open up but she knew that she hasn't felt like this way in ages. It never crossed her mind that she could want a man so much! But this was happening and she didn't know how to proceed. But there was no way he could stay with her. One day the people in this town will talk about her, the horrible things she did and they will make it their mission to poison him against her and then, in the end, he would finally see her as The Evil Queen, and, as usual, he would leave her. They wouldn't work together anyway, right? Another person who wanted to change her? No, she's had enough. It would end up badly anyway. It always does.
Robin was sitting at Grannys when Snow walked in, with great news.
"Guess what? I got you a job!" She said, smiling.
"Really? Where?" He asked, happy.
"In my school. They needed a Physical Education teacher and I told them about you and put out a good word for you. There are so many things you can do, so many things you can teach. The kids will love it. The principal said you can start next week, if you want." She said.
"Oh, that's great. Thank you so much, Snow! How can repay you?" Robin said. He loved Snow like she was his little sister.
"Repay me? I owe you so much. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have made that far." She said. He had saved her life innumerous times when she was a bandit. He taught her how to fight, how to live in the forest, how to get food. Getting him a job was nothing compared to what he had done for her.
"Don't think about it, Snow. You don't owe me anything."
"Tomorrow you can come to work with me so I can introduce you to the people there, show you around, make you more familiar with everything. I will wait for you here at 7:30 am, since I always come by to get breakfast anyway. Is that ok?" She said, smiling.
"Sure! I'll be waiting." He answered.
"Well, I should be going now. It was nice to see you, Robin."
"You too."
Now finally Robin had a job. He was bursting with happiness. Now he was a working man, a teacher. This was even better that he expected. He had to see Regina, he had to tell her the news. He was now an employed man! He got up to go to the City Hall, where he knew he would find her. He was so happy that he just wanted to burst through her office's door and give her a breathtaking kiss. Maybe they could celebrate by going somewhere. At least he could use that as an excuse to go out with her again. When he got there, he politely knocked on her door.
"Who is it?" Regina answered. She hated being bothered.
"It's me, Robin." He said, behind the door.
"What do you want? I'm a little busy at the moment." She shouted through the door, with an annoyed face. She felt angry with herself when she realized she was happy to hear his voice. This was not supposed to be happening.
"I have great news. Can I come in?" He answered. His heart was beating so fast.
"Just make it quick, please! I don't have the whole day" She shouted again.
"Guess who got a new job?" He said, making his usual charming face, entering the office and closing the door behind him. Regina looks up to meet his eyes, without saying a word, and then goes back to her paperwork. She couldn't care less. He keeps waiting to see her reaction but she is still treating him like he doesn't exist. He takes a closer look at her: she is sitting at her desk wearing a black tight dress with a cleavage that shows a little of her lacy bra and her legs are crossed under the table. This bitch had to be so beautiful?
"So, anything else?" Regina finally asks. Robin pretends he didn't hear it and seats at the table right in front of her.
"Snow got me a job at the school she works, as a P.E. teacher." He says, with an amusing voice.
"Well, dear, do you want a friendly advice?" She asks, bringing her body closer to him, smiling sarcastically: "If I were you, I'd stay away from that idiot. She is a snake."
"Come on, darling, you don't have to be jealous, I only have eyes for you." He winks at her. Regina keeps staring at him. Wow, this man knows his game. But she's had enough; she is not going to stand this anymore.
"Do you mind leaving? Because I have things to do." She says in her usual sassy tone and gets straight back to her paperwork, as if nothing happened.
"Do you have a problem with me? Because I do not see a reason for you to treat me that way, Madam Mayor. Or should I say… Your Majesty?" He answers, and his tone now is much more serious, even though he is still smiling. He was beyond pissed, but he would not give her the pleasure of seeing his dissatisfaction with the way she was treating him.
"Are you done? No, my dear Robin, I don't have a problem, at all. I just don't like being bothered. I have a meeting right now. And, by the way, that meeting has just arrived". Regina says, realizing that Hook has just entered her office… without knocking.
"Well, I can see that knocking is overrated, right dear? But then again, I couldn't expect much from a pirate" Regina says to Hook.
"I'm sorry, am I interrupting something? I can come back later." Hook answers, arching his eyebrow and turning around to leave.
"No, there's no need for that, Captain. This gentleman here is already on his way out, right?" Regina says, looking at Robin. Then she turns to Hook again: "So, tell me about this Night Club you want to open…"
"Yeah, it's still in the beginning, but I was thinking about opening one at the end of the street, near the library. It would only work at night, on weekends, and it can have themed parties, with cocktails…" Hook starts telling Regina all about his ideas for the night club.
"Hum, I see. Captain Hook… wanting to work? I can see that Ms. Swan is really messing with your head. Who would have thought! And to be honest, I didn't really think she was into men at all." Regina says, sarcastically. She just could not miss this opportunity.
"What do you mean?" Hook asks, oblivious.
"Nevermind!" Regina answers.
Meanwhile, Robin is there, being completely ignored by both of them. He starts to get angry. Who is this Hook anyway? He suddenly bursts:
"Right, I am leaving. Have a good day." He leaves, knocking down the chair on his way out.
"Wow! Your boyfriend is cranky…" Hook jokes.
"He is not my boyfriend." Regina answers sharply.
"Anyway, about my night club…"
Robin closed the door behind him, disappointed. He didn't understand why she was treating him this way. He just stood there for a minute. What the hell just happened? Why was she being such a bitch? He wanted to go after her to demand an explanation since he had done nothing wrong, but he knew this was the last thing he should do. He decided to take a walk before going home. He needed to clear his head, figure it out. Tomorrow he would have a big day, he needed to be ready. He was going to get familiar with his new job.
Regina went home alone. Henry had gone back to the Charming's house. It was too good to be true. She took a shower and thought about what had happened earlier in her office. This whole Robin situation was getting awkward. The last thing she needed was getting involved with a man. A bandit, a thief. She remembered her mother: "love is weakness", she thought. Those words saying "I only have eyes for you" could not leave her head. Could this be true? Better stop now before this gets worse. She was now again at her bathtub, with a glass of her favorite wine, thinking about his words, his face, his accent. Everything about that man made her crazy. After a long bath, she went to bed to read a book. She needed to rest. It is exhausting walking around with all these people wanting to kill you. She had been getting death threats, but she didn't care. She had her magic, it was all right, she could take care of herself. Sleep came very easily and in her dreams, much to her dislike, he was there. Dammit, now Robin was bothering her in her dreams too.
Two days had passed since the last time Robin saw Regina, after she treated him like crap in her office. He missed her and a huge part of him wanted to come find her and tell her how cool it was there at his new job. He wanted to tell her how much he enjoyed meeting the school and the kids he was going to teach. He would only start next week, but Snow had taken him to a tour there, showing him everything, making him feel familiar with everyone. He was containing, as much as he could, this urge to look for her. When suddenly, she bumps into him on the street, causing her to drop all her papers on the floor.
"Oh, hi Regina! Here, let me help you." He said, smiling surprised, as he helped her pick up the papers and files from the floor. It looked like she was going somewhere. "How are you?" He asked her when he noticed she didn't make eye contact. She was walking fast, holding a bunch of files. She was probably coming back from work, he thought.
"Hey, I'm good. How is Roland?" Regina answered in a serious tone, finally looking at his face.
"He is great, really. He has been playing a lot with the toys you gave him. He loves all of them." He said, noticing that she was defensive, again. She was closing herself, but he would not just give up. He wanted to break that wall she built around herself; he wanted to show her that he was serious.
"I'm glad to hear that. I have to go." She answered and began to walk away really fast, but before she could get her distance from him, she felt gently hands stop her and hold her firmly in place.
"Regina, wait. Let me talk to you. Let's talk." He said, looking in her beautiful brown eyes.
"Don't do this, Robin. I can't do this." Regina said. Her voice was so low that it almost sounded like a whisper.
"What are you talking about?" He asked, genuinely confused. He was looking directly in her eyes, and as much as she tried to hide it, he could see it. He could see that she was struggling with something in her mind. She was saying "no" but her body language was saying the opposite.
"This. All of this. You trying to charm me, trying to get your way into my life like this. It will never work." She answered back. She wanted really hard to say what she was really feeling but she couldn't. And the fact that he was still here, trying, made everything ten times harder.
"Regina, let's go somewhere else. Somewhere private, to talk. Is there something happening?" He asked, looking at her with a concerned look. Regina noticed his concern and for a moment she realized that he was reading into her emotions. She had to get herself out of there as soon as possible, so she straightened herself up, backing away from his touch and, putting her fakest smile, said:
"No, nothing is happening. In fact, I have never been better. I just don't want you to think that something could ever happen between the two of us. I am a Queen and you… well, you are a –
"… Thief." He said before she could finish. "Okay, Regina, I got it. I will let you go your way now." He said, turning around to leave. Regina's impulse was just to stop him right there and say that she didn't mean it. The words she used were harsh and she knew it. She purposely chose these words carefully because she knew they would hurt him, making him finally leave. And she was right, she succeeded. He left.
He could feel raging building inside him. Regina was a mean woman when she wanted to be. Whatever she was afraid of, he didn't know. He had just bought some clothes for his new job. He could have used her help, but as she was treating him like this, it was probably not wise to ask her. Also, he was a proud man and he would not give in again.
Regina was walking as fast as she could. She didn't expect to meet him on the streets like this. She wanted to get out of his sight as soon as possible. It was getting dark and she had to get home. She was not driving today; her car was at the repair shop. After a few minutes, she was finally alone. She was out of Robin's sight. When she was near her house she heard footsteps following her. She couldn't believe he had followed her all this way. It was night already, she saw an alley and she walked into it, trying to evade him. When she was in that alley, she saw someone else there waiting for her, blocking her way. This wasn't Robin. She quickly turned around and there was another man there in the other end of the alley. She was trapped, no way out. She immediately went into defensive mode and prepared herself to cast the greatest fireball she could conjure up, when she suddenly felt a cold blue cloud around her… some sort of spell. She tried to use her magic, but nothing happened. She couldn't move. She felt hands around her shoulders and in the next second she was thrown roughly on the ground, being held by two strong men, who wanted nothing but revenge.
END OF CHAPTER 7
