It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing

It was a particularly cold day in Storybrooke. Regina was keeping herself busy by working at her office. In the midst of her seemingly endless paperwork, there was a knock at her door. It was Robin Hood. Regina was genuinely surprised to see him. She hadn't seen Robin since the night Emma brought Marian back. Regina played it cool and tried her best to seem unaffected. She tapped her pen on the desk and anxiously crossed and uncrossed her legs as she and Robin made small talk. Her strength was dwindling. Looking at Robin's face brought back all the feelings she'd spent the last month trying to forget.

"So why are you really here"? Regina asked curiously.

"I needed to tell you how sorry I am" Robin confessed sincerely as he removed his scarf.

"That's kind of you, but there's really no need" Regina replied "I'm fine. I survived surprisingly well for someone who got tossed aside like garbage" She elaborated.

"It wasn't like that" Robin explained "Marian is my wife. She's Roland's mother. I couldn't just abandon her."

"No, I suppose not. Instead, you abandoned me. How noble" Regina snapped.

"Are you forgetting that you killed her"? Robin asked Regina.

"No, but in my defense I had no idea who Marian was. I didn't even know who you were at the time" Regina responded.

"Murder is never excusable, Regina" Robin scolded her.

"None of this even matters anyway. Emma Swan once again saved the day and now you, Marian and Roland are a happy family" Regina proclaimed.

"I never meant to hurt you, Regina" Robin replied apologetically.

"Well, you did" Regina reminded Robin "But I've got a resilient heart, remember"? She asked sarcastically.

"I wish nothing but the best for you" Robin said genuinely "You deserve to be happy."

"Thank you for the pep talk, but I really have a lot to do. If you'll excuse me" Regina said dismissively.

Robin gave Regina one more regretful look before he left. Regina broke down as soon as the coast was clear. It took everything she had not to show Robin how heartbroken she truly was. She put her head on her desk and sobbed. Regina was in misery. All of her dreams always seemed to die.

A few minutes later, there was another knock at her office door. This time it was Rumpelstiltskin. Regina was so caught up in her despair that she didn't even hear his knock.

Seeing the pathetic state that Regina was in, Rumpelstiltskin decided to let himself in. Regina lifted up her head and locked eyes with him. Rumpelstiltskin made his way to Regina and lifted her out of her chair and into his arms. Regina melted in his embrace. She stood there, crying on his shoulder for what felt like an eternity.

"I'm ruining your coat" Regina whimpered as she lifted up her head.

"Don't worry about my coat" Rumpelstiltskin replied "What's got you so upset"? He asked concerned.

"Robin came by earlier" Regina replied through her tears "He's reunited with Marian and I'm all alone" She cried.

Rumpelstiltskin looked deeply into Regina's eyes and kissed her. This kiss was much different than any other kiss the two had ever shared. It wasn't about revenge or desperation. This kiss was warm and tender. They stood there, lost in their kisses until Robin Hood unexpectedly returned. He had forgotten his scarf and came back to get it. He was astonished by what he walked in on. Rumpelstiltskin and Regina promptly stopped kissing and stepped away from each other.

"I'm sorry" Robin apologized uncomfortably as he grabbed his scarf and headed for the door.

"I was just leaving as well" Rumpelstiltskin said hastily, unsure if Regina wanted Robin to know about their growing relationship.

"Yes, I really should get all this paperwork finished" Regina said sheepishly.

Both men left and Regina was all alone with her thoughts. Surprisingly, she found herself thinking about Rumpelstiltskin and not Robin Hood. The way he held her and the way he kissed her stirred something inside of Regina. Could she really just now be having feelings for a man that she'd known for so long?

Back in his shop, Rumpelstiltskin was having the exact same thoughts. Could he and Regina actually be something more?