A/N: Okayyyy, I'm not all that proud of this chapter, but I'm also proud of some parts of it, does that make any sense? Probably not, if it does, then good. I'm dedicating this chapter to a very dear friend of mine, G. Hi, hope you like it, bitch :*

Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time nor its characters. However, I do own the idea behind this story and certain character that are unknown to the Once Fandom, also I own my terrible mistakes!


Within minutes, news reporters were gathered around outside of the place of the incident, pushing past one another to ask questions, demanding information that the police refused to disclose.

As far as they knew, as far as anyone knew, the fundraiser was disturbed by a group of armed men, masked, most likely to rob the place. But as the investigation progressed and more people were interrogated, it turned out that not a cent of the money donated tonight nor any of the auctioned goods brought in, was taken. But not the same could be said about Leopold's daughter, Mary Margaret, as she was nowhere to be found.

"When was the last time you saw Mrs. Nolan?"

That question could be heard asked all around, different officers inquiring different people. Most of them saw her before the attack, others didn't even know her or how she looked.

"Shouldn't you be out there looking for my little girl instead of asking around here? It's clearly that no one had seen her or whoever took her!" Leopold bellowed. Any louder, and the old man could've given himself a heart attack.

"They're doing their job, Leo, they're doing what they can do at the moment." Cora assured, holding her husband back, soothingly rubbing up and down his arm in attempt to calm him. "They'll find her." She promised, and he nodded, having no other choice but to believe that. It was either that, or that he'd never see his daughter again.


"Signore, we have the girl." The bodyguard informed, standing behind where his boss sat.

"The younger one?" Marco asked, unbothered by turning around to face the young man, smoking yet another one of his cuban cigars. It was a bad habit, he knew that, it'll end up killing him one day, but he lived a dangerous life, the chances of him being assassinated was higher than dying from lung cancer.

"Yes, signore, the younger one." The bodyguard confirmed. "We have her locked up in the basement, just like you asked, tied and gagged too, but she's passed out at the moment, I doubt she'd be making any sound."

Marco hummed, puffing out a cloud of smoke. "Wake her up then, where's the fun in silence? I need to have a word with her anyways."

"But signor—"

"Do as I say." Marco enunciated, and the young man had no other choice but to nod and do as he was told, after all, who was he other than a mere bodyguard, working for one of the most powerful men he'd ever heard of?

The guard left and the old man tapped the ashes off of his cigar before following. One down, three more to go, the signora will be pleased by this progress. Yes, she wanted to do this on her own, but it was taking too much time. It's been years and with her leading, they were going nowhere, they needed to move on from the Blanchard's and onto other businesses.

"She's beautiful." Marco remarked, brushing the back of his index over Mary Margaret's cheek, chuckling as she flinched away from his touch. "It would be a shame to kill her, wouldn't it, Rivers?"

"Yes, signore." The guard agreed.

"Believe me, my dear, if it was up to me, I wouldn't have kidnapped you." Marco began, "But you see, someone very dear to me, so precious to my heart, wants you and your whole family dead, and I simply can't say no to her." He sighed, as if filled with remorse but not a flick of guilt could be seen in his eyes. Nothing but darkness, pure evil. "But I promise you one thing, if you keep quiet, no harm shall come to you, yet."

And with that, he left, leaving behind the sobbing, small brunette, wondering if she'd ever be found or what day would be her last.


Back at the place of the incident, people were given permission to leave and return to their homes, after all, it was almost dawn and the entire guests' list had been interrogated by the cops — not that it helped in any way, they still had absolutely no idea who might've kidnapped Mary Margaret and the motive behind it.

The reporters were also given the news of Leopold Blanchard's kidnapped daughter, in hope that somehow, someone out there might've seen anything or had any information that could lead the police to her.

Robin offered to drive Regina home and then return back here to help them look for any sort of clue, but Leopold refused, he insisted that he heads back to his place and rests. It was late and there was nothing else they can do now other than sit back and let the police do their job. Robin respected the old man's wishes, and without arguing further, he drove his date back home.

The ride was quiet, neither of the couple spoke and this time, it wasn't because they didn't understand each others' languages, but because they were both busy trying to process what had just happened.

It was a night they both looked forward to, a night Robin planned well in his mind. At first, he'd take her to the fundraiser as his date, and on the way back to her place, they'd stop for some ice cream — because who says one can't have a frozen treat in the cold December weather, right? However, because she'd barely touched her food, a quick stop by any open diner didn't seem like a bad idea. But now they despised everything about this evening, and Robin couldn't stop thinking about how this could've happened to Regina rather than Mary Margaret.

What if they'd snatched her and demanded a huge ransom in return? He barely had enough to pay his monthly rent, let alone a payoff that could add up to a million dollars or more. Whereas Mr. Blanchard could afford any possible amount for his daughter.

As awful as it may sound, he was glad that it wasn't Regina, but at the same time, he couldn't imagine what Mary Margaret and her family could be going through. She must be terrified, the poor thing.

It didn't take them long to arrive to Regina's apartment building, but by the time he'd found a parking spot and pulled up in it, she was fast asleep, curled up, so peacefully, to one side. He felt awful for having to wake her up, so he didn't. Instead, he turned off the engine and being as careful as he could, he picked her up and carried in. She stirred, only to nestle into him.

Now, picking her up was the easiest part of it all, she weighed practically nothing, she was as light as a feather, but he faced a little bit of difficulty opening the door to the building, pushing the buttons to the elevator and then knocking the apartment's door. Which, he might or might've not kicked at it instead, startling the blonde inside.

"Who is it?" Mallory called out from the other side of the door, panic visible in her voice.

"It's me, Robin." He answered in a somewhat hushed tone, not wanting to disturb the sleeping woman in his arms.

Quite frankly, he didn't expect Mallory to unlock the door so swiftly, he presumed she would ask him one thing after another to ensure that he truly is who he claimed to be, but not a minute after questioning his identity, she swung the door open, gasping in horror, her blue eyes widening as they landed over her friend.

"She's not dead." Robin was quick to reassure. She must've seen the news about the incident, and by the way he was holding Regina, he wouldn't blame her for expecting the worse. "And she's okay," he swore, "she's just sleeping. I promise you, she doesn't have a scratch on her."

Mallory nodded, "I heard about what happened, I was worried sick. I tried calling her all night, but her phone must be switched off, or the battery might've died." She explained, closing the door behind him as he stepped in. "Her room is the second one down the hall." She gestured and he thanked her, making his way to where she directed him.

Luckily for him, the door to Regina's bedroom was open, he didn't need to struggle his way through this one on his own as well, or call for help.

Robin balanced her against his chest with one arm as he outstretched the other to pull the covers back and lay her down on the bed, being gentle, as if she had the word fragile written all over her, he was scared of breaking her. He tucked her in securely then stepped back and took a moment to admire the way she looked, she was beautiful, as she'd been since the day he'd first laid his eyes on her, but that dress she wore looked awfully uncomfortable, he wouldn't dare stripping her out of it though. He'd leave that to her friend instead.

He pressed a featherlight kiss on her forehead and whispered Goodnight before leaving.


The days dragged by slowly, one week turned into two, and two turned into three, and before they knew it, a month had passed, and the cops still hadn't had a single clue on who might've taken Mary Margaret. They haven't been contacted nor asked to pay a ransom either, they were starting to lose hope on finding the young woman alive, but the miraculous returns of many kidnapped people throughout the years, kept them going. Hope, as little as it may be at this point, was the only thing they could hold on to.

However, things had been going a lot smoother for Robin. Him and Regina had been spending much more time together, and their relationship was finally official. She'd been learning English with the help of Ruby, and he'd been taking Spanish lessons. It was hard, frustrating at times, but as long as he was capable of forming small, decent sentences, he was proud of himself and sufficed. And so far, they both seem to be doing wonderfully. In such little time, they both learned so much, especially Regina, and he was proud of her and the effort she was putting into this.

"Alright," Robin clicked his tongue, his eyes scanning through the restaurant's menu, "what would you like to have?" He asked, glancing over at his date, who stared at him with a puzzled look on her face. Idiot, just because she started learning English, that doesn't mean she understood it completely. "What do you want to eat?" He enunciated each word carefully.

"Oh." Regina chuckled and then hummed. She was hesitant between many options, everything sounded so good here, but eventually, she settled on one. Although, it was slightly difficult for her to pronounce the name of it, she opened her mouth and then clamped it shut again, multiple times before giving up and pointing over at it to Robin, "This."

"One Leinster House burger for the lady, and…" He paused momentarily, making a quick decision as he mentally debated between two dishes. "And one Irish Mist Chicken please."

The waitress nodded, scribbling down their orders before turning around and walking away.

They started a few, small conversations as they waited for their lunch to arrive, still using the infamous Google Translate every now and then. It was awful, frustrating, but it also made them chuckle countless times at the odd results they would end up with. Robin wolfed down his sautéed chicken once it arrived and Regina demolished her burger. They were in a hurry, they had a movie to catch.

"Is it okay if we stop by David's house for a minute?" Robin asked, leaning against the car's door as he held it open for Regina to hop in. It's been a couple of weeks since he checked on his friend, he'd been doing that often since the disappearance of his wife.

"Okay." Regina acquiesced, nodding her head.

"I promise, we'll be there in time for the movie." He assured, pressing a quick, tender kiss to her lips before rounding the car to climb into the driver's seat. It won't take long, just as he promised, they'll be there long before the movie even begins.

Robin drove to David's house, parking alongside, what he assumed was Leopold's wife, Cora's, car. He frowned ever so slightly, what was she doing here? She hardly ever visited them, even when Mary Margaret was around. Regardless, he knocked on the door with Regina by his side and waited.

They were greeted by a redhead, Zelena, he recalled her name, Cora's daughter. She questioned their identity before welcoming them in after David's confirmation. They were being cautious and rightfully so.

"Mrs. Blanchard." Robin greeted, politely pecking the older woman's cheek.

"Please, darling, just Cora." She reminded. "And Regina, what a pleasure seeing you again too, dear."

"Hi." Regina replied, offering her a smile before taking a seat next to her boyfriend, scooting closer to his side. She knew them, but only just. She'd met David a couple of times, Cora only once, and she'd seen her daughter from afar. She wasn't as familiar with them as Robin was, and she was a shy person in general, it'll take her time to grow comfortable around them.

"Still nothing?" Robin asked, frowning, and David shook his head. "What have the police said?"

"That they're doing whatever they can, they're doing their best, but it doesn't seem like they are!" David snapped, fuming. His wife had been kidnapped and it seems as though no effort was being made to find her. It irritated him to no end.

"David," Cora whispered, resting a hand over his, hoping to calm him, "they are doing their best, there are search parties all over, Leopold have hired people too. They will find her, we will find her." She promised, and he nodded his head, choosing to believe his mother-in-law, to hope. Because his only other option was to believe that the love of his life was gone, and he simply refused that.

"How about I fix you guys something to drink?" Zelena offered, "Perhaps some tea would help calm your nerves."

"That sounds wonderful, dear." Cora agreed, flashing her daughter a smile as she turned and walked into the kitchen.

"Robin," Regina murmured, "bathroom?" She asked, quietly, her voice barely above a whisper, loud enough just for him to hear.

"Let me take you to it, sweetheart." He offered but she shook her head, insisting on being able to find it on her own. He hesitated for a moment, loathing the thought of letting her roam around on her own, but there were boundaries, he needed to respect them, so he nodded his head, directing her over to it. Down the hallway, second door to the right. She kissed his cheek and disappeared down the corridor.

Regina took her time to find it, she needed to go, but she wasn't in a rush, holding it for an additional minute wouldn't do much harm. She stopped infront of a framed photo hanging on the wall, it appeared to be a picture of David and Mary Margaret on their wedding day. The pixie haired brunette was dressed elegantly, her gown as white as snow, she looked beautiful and they looked happy, it was nice seeing a smile on David's face, even if it was just a memory of one. Beside it was another picture, a family portrait. The couple stood next to each other, and on Mary Margaret's side was her father, Cora and Zelena, and on David's side was an old, gray haired lady she'd never seen before. It could be his mother, he resembles her a bit.

She sighed and pursed her lips. It would've been nice to have that. A family. A mother to help her with the final touches, a father to walk her down the aisle and give her away, a sister as her maid of honor.

Her train of thoughts was disrupted by a loud bang, followed by screaming and shouting, startling her. She froze at the sight a masked man, staring directly at her.


"Regina!" Robin screamed, his heart sinking in fear at the thought that she could be next. He jumped, fought his way to get to her but they were more than them, they were stronger too. He launched forward, and they pushed him back. He struggled, but it was useless.

She couldn't be next, they couldn't take her.

"I'll give you whatever you want, just leave her alone. You can take me!" Robin implored, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. He watched them. One gripped Cora, two were behind David and two held him back. Two walked down the hallway and disappeared.

They can't have her, he can't lose her.

He heard a sound of a smack, followed by a gasp and a whimper, it sounded like Regina. His Regina.

Dear God, please don't let it be her.


A/N: First of all, please forgive my mistakes, there must be hundreds of them (kindly point them out if they're bothering you all that much) also, I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, I'm a reviews whore, I live off of them.