A/N: Alright, so in the middle of this chapter it's going to switch to Robin's perspective, and then back to Regina's, and I'm sure fanfiction won't let me separate it as usual, so just try and pay attention for that, I apologize. Also, this is a long ass chapter, so I also apologize for that.

Chapter 8

Regina was nervous. Not just slightly uncomfortable and anxious, she was nervous. She knew that going to this dance with Robin was going to lead to nothing but problems, as she found herself increasingly unable to deny the way she had somehow started to feel about him.

She found herself thinking about him all the time. She thought about what had happened between them at Killian's party, or maybe about how her heart stopped every time he looked at her, which had become a pretty frequent occurrence between them. Honestly, she knew it was extremely irrational to continue insisting there was nothing between them when there so clearly was, based on how much time they spent glancing at one another and unnecessarily touching. When she was with her friends and he wasn't there, she secretly missed him and fixated on what he might be doing instead, or what might be more important to him than her and her friends. Of course, this was ridiculously irrational, as the only things that took Robin away from her were football and Roland. And on that subject, she thought about how frustratingly perfect Robin was with Roland, and how when she'd been with the two of them that night she'd babysat, she'd felt truly content for the first time in a very, very long time. And, though she had never much enjoyed it when other girls flirted with Robin or looked at him in more than a friendly way, she had recently started to become legitimately jealous when it happened. She felt as though she had some unspoken claim to him, when she knew that she actually had none, which was only because she refused to take any. Essentially, she knew that somehow, against all of her better judgement and contrary to anything she had expected for herself, she had started falling in love with Robin Locksley.

And now she was going to a dance with him. She was going to dress herself up for him, and she could already imagine the look he would give her when he saw her. His look. The one of pure admiration and intrigue that made Regina's heart stop. She was going to dance with him, his hands were going to spend a vast majority of the evening on her body. And she simply did not know how she was going to be able to resist him. How she was possibly going to force herself to keep him at arm's length, and not allow him to convince her to just let her irrational fears go and let him in. She knew she wanted that, and she suspected she'd wanted that since the moment she'd met him. That's why he was so incredibly irritating to her when he'd first entered her life, because she saw the danger he presented to her. She felt her attraction to him, she felt how much she enjoyed talking to him and enjoyed his presence, and she subconsciously saw all the ways he could ruin her. She knew she could fall in love with him, and all she knew of love was Daniel. And all Daniel had taught her was that love inevitably led to pure, unadulterated heartbreak. And she was just terrified of what she knew Robin could do to her.

Regina was just trying to remain calm and not think about Robin while she, Emma, and Mary Margaret got ready for the dance together. They were all occupying Regina's, granted, rather large bathroom. An amalgamation of all their combined makeup products and hair tools were strewn over the countertop. The three of them had spent every night of the week attempting to find dresses for the dance, and Regina could quite confidently say that they had all been extremely successful.

Emma, in her usual bold and spunky fashion, had selected a strapless, skin tight, bright red dress that barely made it to the middle of her thighs. Emma was particularly athletic and was potentially the only person Regina knew with the body to pull off such a number. Regina shuddered to think about what kind of comments Cora would make if she even dreamt of it. Contrary to her normal, relaxed waves, Emma had straightened her long, blonde hair so that it hung almost to the small of her back. Her makeup was smoky and dark, and she basically looked like the most basic image of every guy's dream. Regina was amused just thinking about how Killian would react to her. On the other hand, Mary Margaret, in her usual sweet and lovely fashion, had chosen a soft, light purple bubble shaped dress, with thin spaghetti straps and a flared skirt that, naturally, hit just the appropriate but still attractive place on her legs. She had blow dried her long, chestnut brown hair so that just the ends were curled, and then styled it in a graceful and gentle half up-half down style. She was lovely, as always.

"David just texted me, they're pulling up outside," Mary Margaret informed Regina and Emma, as the three girls stood in front of Regina's full length mirror putting on their finishing touches.

"I can't believe that Gold is going stag," Emma said, shaking her head in amusement. Regina rolled her eyes.

"I can't believe he's coming at all," she replied wryly. Mary Margaret laughed.

"He went freshman year!" she protested, chuckling. Gold hadn't quite made it to their sophomore year dance, as he said he would 'rather hang himself' than spend his night at such a mainstream and pointless event. God only knows what he actually spent that night doing.

"Oh my gosh, when he went with Mila Pirateson!" Emma giggled. The three of them cracked up at the memory of Gold taking their grade's most fiery and ferocious drinker to the homecoming dance. Mila had shown up to pictures at Regina's already completely drunk, and Gold had been forced to spend the entire night taking care of her and making sure she didn't die. And then at the end of the night, she'd thrown up all over him anyways. What a night.

"In his defense, I can't say that I would be particularly eager to go to another school dance either," Regina said, grinning. The three of them laughed again.

"They're here, they're here, let's go downstairs!" Mary Margaret exclaimed excitedly. Normally, Regina would have made fun of Snow for being so pathetically sentimental and excitable, but Regina was in no place to mock, as her heart rate seemed to nearly double at Snow's words. Robin was downstairs. He was here, she was going to see him. Oh, God. This was going to be an absolute disaster.

Regina took one last look at herself in the mirror, fixed her hair a few times, flashed herself a quick smile for encouragement, and then she followed Mary Margaret and Emma down the stairs of her house.

Robin was nervous. He was very nervous. The kind of nervous that prevented thoughts of anything other than his source of anxiety from being considered. And he knew that Regina was nervous, which made him even more so. She had been… different with him, since he'd asked her to the dance. Not necessarily different in a bad way, but different, nonetheless. More shy, perhaps? More uncertain? He couldn't quite classify what the change meant, but he was relatively positive that it wasn't a bad thing. Just a new thing. And any change in his relationship with Regina made him nervous, because it was practically all he could ever think about.

Roland had been ecstatic to find out that Robin was taking Regina to the dance with him ("When is Gina coming back over to play with me?" had been asked about a thousand times), but was considerably less pleased to find out that this did not entail that he would get to see her the night of the dance. Robin's father, Tuck Locksley, who seemed to have plainly perceived the growing change in Robin's demeanor as he fell more and more for Regina, had also been rather excited for him. He had even forced Robin to go out and buy a new suit for the occasion. Robin and Regina had agreed that, as Regina's dress was black, Robin would just wear a classic black suit, white button down, and black tie. And he'd gotten her a red rose flower corsage, for a little bit of color.

Getting ready, Robin couldn't stop himself from envisioning how absurdly beautiful Regina was going to look, and the fact that, for once, it was actually going to be acceptable for him to tell her so, and to clearly show affection towards her. He'd ended up being ready almost half an hour ahead of schedule, leaving him with nothing to do but pace anxiously around his house, much to the amusement of his father.

And the fact that, naturally, as Killian had been left in charge of the transportation arrangements, their seating arrangement was less than preferable did not do much to ease Robin's nerves. Killian's brother, Liam, had graciously allowed them to use his car for the evening, however, the car only seated five people. So it was a good thing their group had seven. Killian had nonchalantly waved this inconvenience aside with 'double buckle, it's a good excuse to have a girl on your lap!'. Not that Robin didn't relish the thought of Regina on his lap, but he doubted she would be quite as keen on the idea as he was.

"Alright let's pick up the pace guys, I told Mary Margaret we'd be here like five minutes ago!" David called out to Robin, Killian and Gold as he practically sprinted through the lawn of Regina's house and up the steps.

"Could you be anymore anal, David?" Killian responded, earning genuine laughs from Gold and Robin. Robin was grateful for the humor, it distracted him from his rapidly increasing nerves. He could've sworn that he could practically hear his own heart beat.

"Maybe if you were more anal, your girlfriend wouldn't hate you," David retorted pointedly, raising his eyebrows. Killian scowled, and Gold and Robin cracked up again.

"Swan is not my girlfriend," Killian protested feebly, just as David rang the doorbell to the Mills home.

Within about 10 seconds, Mary Margaret opened the door for them and let them into the house. As David affectionately embraced Mary Margaret in the atrium of Regina's home, Robin, Killian, and Gold awkwardly hovered around them in the spacious opening hallway. After another awkward second, David and Mary Margaret broke apart, and Mary Margaret smiled at them all.

"Regina and Emma are coming, sorry. REGINA, EMMA!" Mary Margaret practically bellowed up the stairs.

"Why are you always so hopelessly anal?" Robin heard Regina snark in response from up the stairs. This made him, Killian, and Gold erupt into laughter again at the irony. Mary Margaret and David truly were a match made in heaven. However, he didn't have much time to think about this, because Emma and Regina had just appeared at the foot of the stairway.

Emma was donning a short, tight, bright red dress, and long, straight blonde hair; so Robin could only imagine what was going through Killian's head right about now.

"I take it back. She is so my girlfriend," Killian muttered under his breath to Robin. And perhaps, if Regina hadn't chosen that moment to descend the stairs, Robin might have laughed at this comment. But Regina had just entered his vision, and he seemed to have lost the ability to think about anything else.

Regina had chosen a rather sultry, strapless black dress, which was fitted at the top and slightly flared at the bottom. Robin was reasonably convinced that it had to be breaking some kind of law, the way that dress clung so perfectly to her every curve. He didn't know how he could possibly be expected not to be so attracted to her, he was only human, after all. Not to mention the fact that she had curled her long, ebony hair into thick, defined waves that fell just to the middle of her breasts (and these certainly weren't lacking either, Robin couldn't help noticing). Robin had always been particularly entranced by Regina's hair… He constantly found himself considering how soft it was, and how he just wanted to tangle his hands into it… Besides the point. He also noticed that her eye makeup was significantly smokier and darker than normal, and it made her already wonderfully intriguing chocolate brown eyes appear even more gorgeous. And she'd stained her lips an even darker shade of red than was normal for her. Her flawless, fair skin seemed to almost reflect in contrast to the darkness of her dress, and of her hair, and of her eyes, and of her lips… And it was just stunning.

Robin hardly even knew how to react to her, as she fully descended the staircase to stand by his side.

"Hi," she said casually, shooting him her typical, dry yet still genuine smile that had him going weak in the knees. It took him way too long to come up with a response, as he was unable to focus on anything other than how absurdly gorgeous she looked. How had he possibly managed to get her to be his date? Scratch that, how had he convinced her that he deserved the right to even be in her presence at all?

There was something so… dark in her. Mysterious. Alluring. Darkness wasn't really something Robin had ever expected himself to be attracted to, but he was very quickly learning that it was, in fact, so attractive to him that he could barely see straight. Her dark hair, her dark eyes, her dark lips, the way she typically dressed in dark clothing… It was entrancing. Even her personality had something… dark about it. Her dryness, her sarcasm, her intelligence… she was just so… enticing. And Robin was completely bewitched.

"Regina, you look… stunning. In every way," Robin heard himself tell her softly. He really meant it. He was mesmerized. And the adorably shy grin and blush that his compliment earned certainly didn't make him any less charmed. It made him realize just how much he liked her recent timidness… It literally tugged on his heart. The thought that he could make her weak, just for a second, made him want to spend the rest of his life earning that shy little smile and blush. Her chocolate brown eyes met his and he could feel himself losing yet another train of thought.

"Thank you," she said quietly, a soft smile of appreciation tugging at the corners of her mouth. Her wonderfully stained red lips then reminded him of the rose corsage he had for her.

"Right, I almost forgot," Robin said, as he slipped his hand into his pocket to disclose the box containing the corsage.

"Robin, it's gorgeous," Regina said breathlessly, fully grinning at him. It was rare to see her smile that way, and he would have done almost anything to keep that smile on her face forever.

"It'll fit right in then. Wrist, please," Robin flirted with her easily, returning her infectious smile. Regina's flush deepened slightly as he slid the corsage onto her small wrist. He loved how naturally their banter came.

"Smooth, thief," Regina responded sarcastically, with a playful smile. Oh, the things Robin wanted to be doing with that mouth…-

He was right in the middle of considering this, when Cora Mills made her first appearance of the evening. Dressed in a a professional, all black pantsuit, she looked exactly like she did at school every other time Robin had seen her. Like she would tear him limb from limb if he even looked at Regina the wrong way. Unfortunately for Robin, he didn't think he was even capable of not looking at Regina the wrong way right now. He was a man, she was a goddess, after all.

Robin hated the way he felt Regina tense next to him at her arrival. Robin really hoped that everyone had been exaggerating about how Cora enjoyed insulting Regina, because, quite frankly, he didn't know if he could stand to witness it.

"Mrs. Mills, lovely to see you!" Killian announced clamorously, flashing his most charming smile. Cora seemed unaffected by any of Killian's charm, however. The fact that he already had his arm rather immodestly snaked around Emma's waist probably didn't help matters. Cora just blatantly ignored Emma. Emma irritably rolled her eyes at this as soon as Cora turned around, which made Robin have to fight the urge to laugh.

"Good evening, Mr. Jones. Mr. Gold," Cora responded coolly to Killian, as she offered a curt head nod to Gold, who was awkwardly looming in the corner pretending to throw up at all the affection transpiring between his friends. Though he was certainly a pain in the ass with his pessimism, Robin couldn't deny that Gold secretly cracked him up.

"Mrs. Mills, thank you for letting us use your house for pictures, as we have practically every other year," David stepped in to diffuse the tension, offering his hand to Cora's. For the first time, Cora smiled in response, and firmly shook his hand.

"Wonderful to see you, David, Mary Margaret," she greeted them kindly, briefly touching Mary Margaret's shoulder. It was almost amusing how little shame Cora seemed to possess about her obvious favoritism amongst Regina's friends. And it was equally how amusing how used to it they all were.

"Um, Mother, this is-" Regina tentatively began from next to Robin, obviously intending to introduce him to her mother. Robin attempted to put his most charming face on, but he knew that his chances of earning Cora's approval were slim, as she knew about his criminal record. And the fact that she was just disagreeable in general.

"Mr. Locksley," Cora interrupted, her previous cold tone returning from when she'd been addressing Gold and Killian.

"It's so nice to see you, Mrs. Mills. Thank you for letting us use your home, and for allowing me to take Regina to the dance," Robin heard himself offer her suavely. Cora arched an eyebrow dryly, seemingly amused at something that Robin was unaware of.

"Oh, thank you, for taking her," Cora responded aloofly, chuckling without even the slightest bit of humor. There wasn't exactly anything wrong with her words, per se, but he knew that she meant it to be some kind of passive aggressive dig at Regina for not being desirable. Which, considering Robin's current complete infatuation and amazement with her, was practically a joke. Robin noticed one of Regina's hands curl into a tight fist by her side as she struggled not to react. Robin couldn't fathom how Regina had grown up in this environment and somehow turned out as strong as she had… Robin also realized that this probably played a large part in why Regina was so infinitely guarded with her emotions.

Thankfully, Mary Margaret also seemed to perceive Regina's growing discomfort.

"So, pictures?" she suggested hastily, disguising her attempt at diffusing the situation with her bright and infectious smile. Robin noticed that Mary Margaret, in addition to Regina and Emma, did also look rather pretty. He momentarily pitied Gold for not being able to be with the person he wanted to be with tonight.

"Great idea!" David chimed in, pressing a chaste kiss to Mary Margaret's cheek.

The procession made their way into Regina's living room, which was, indeed, quite beautiful. It was very modern, and clean. Robin could understand why the group so preferred to take their pictures here, however, he could not understand how this room made dealing with Cora worth it…

Cora wasn't even really necessary for a majority of the picture taking. Most of the pictures were taken on their cellphones by one another, she was only useful for the group pictures. After taking pictures of the other couples, and due to the fact that Gold blatantly refused to take any pictures of anyone, Robin and Regina were the last to get their photo session. Emma had graciously volunteered to be the photographer.

Robin and Regina stood in front of the fireplace, awkwardly trying to determine how they should stand.

"Jesus, could the two of you be any more awkward?" Emma insulted them, cracking up. She walked over to them and literally grabbed Robin's arm, wrapping it around Regina's waist. As if on instinct, his hand easily settled on her curve, and he absolutely despised himself for just how much even this slight amount of contact… excited him.

"Alright, Regina, put your hand on Robin's chest," Emma ordered, retreating back to her previous position as the photographer. Regina arched an eyebrow, before reluctantly doing as Emma ordered. Oh, God, Robin was potentially the most pathetic and helpless human being in the entire universe right now…

"Would it kill you both to smile? Do I have to do everything?" Emma mocked, as she began eagerly snapping the camera away.

"Regina, dear, angle yourself differently. That is not a flattering angle," Cora suddenly called out from her vantage point across the room, where she'd been judgmentally hovering ever since her job as group photographer had become unnecessary. There it was. They hadn't been kidding. Regina's cheeks flushed, Robin didn't know whether with anger or with discomfort, but either way, Robin had to fight the urge to scream at Cora.

"You look gorgeous, you're fine," Emma disagreed immediately, rolling her eyes at Cora. Robin had never appreciated the blonde more.

After a few more uncomfortable minutes of picture taking, during which Regina had fallen almost completely silent, the group finally made their way out of the Mills house, and down the street to where Killian's car was parked.

"If any of you even suggest that we take pictures there next year, I will personally make it my life's mission to destroy your happiness," Regina snarked furiously, moments after escaping from the house. Everyone cracked up, but Robin suspected that Regina really wasn't joking.

"Goodness, has your mother always been that awful to you? I feel like I don't remember her always being so evil," Mary Margaret replied, shaking her head. Regina glared at her.

"Oh, believe me, this is nothing new. Glad you've finally noticed, amidst all the compliments she gives you," Regina responded sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"I, personally, think your mother is lovely, Regina," Gold interjected, smirking, knowing how annoyed this would make Regina. She arched an eyebrow.

"That's funny, because she absolutely despises you," Regina replied bitingly with a playful grin. Gold grinned.

"Wait, does she prefer me or Gold?" Killian asked, smirking mischievously. Robin could see that Killian was only asking to amuse Regina and make her feel better, and Robin momentarily appreciated him for it.

"Honestly, she hates you both, but probably Gold," Regina responded, half smiling.

"Damn it. Alright well, here we are folks," Killian announced, as they arrived at his brother's parked car. Emma gaped at him.

"What the hell do you mean 'here we are'? This car is definitely not fitting all of us," she said doubtfully.

"Sorry, love, best I could do," Killian said, shrugging, opening the door to the driver's seat.

"How are we supposed to sit, exactly?" Mary Margaret asked worriedly.

"Mary Margaret, you sit on David's lap, Regina can sit on Robin's, and-"

"And I get shotgun," Emma interrupted Killian defiantly, crossing her arms. Gold's eyebrows shot up in protest almost immediately.

"Um, excuse me, you cannot seriously be expecting me to sit in the middle of these four, Ms. Swan?!" Gold said incredulously, desperately looking at Killian for backup. Robin honestly couldn't care less about the seating arrangement, so long as Regina was on his lap… Good lord, he was disgusting.

Everyone cracked up at Gold's misfortune.

"Sorry, mate. What the lady says goes," Killian said, shrugging and chuckling nonchalantly. Gold groaned.

"Starting Monday, I make new friends," he muttered irritably, shaking his head and climbing into the car sadly.

On instinct, Robin held the door open for Regina.

"Unless you were intending to sit on my lap, I'm reasonably sure that you need to get in first," Regina commented sarcastically, arching one perfect eyebrow. Robin fought the urge to smack himself in the forehead for being such an idiot.

"Perhaps I was planning on sitting on your lap?"

"I would have to politely decline, I'm afraid, thief."

"I see. You on my lap it is then."

Robin climbed into the car, and then attempted to help Regina situate herself without seeming overly… eager. As soon as they were both comfortably situated, Robin forced himself to drop his hands from her body. As much as it pained him to not be touching her, he did not want her to think he expected anything from her.

Once everyone was situated, Killian vigorously put the car in drive, and sped off down the road. Robin feared for his safety almost immediately. Killian also began blasting popular rap music from the stereo to 'get everyone feeling lit', destroying any potential for good group chatter. The only person Robin would even be able to hear with the loudness of the music was Regina. Not that he had much interest in listening to other people anyways.

"Jesus Christ, Killian, could you play literally anything else? At any other volume?" David complained loudly, shaking his head. Everyone laughed except Killian.

"Absolutely not, I'm driving and I get to pick the music," Killian snapped, as he turned the music up even louder.

"And thank God, you're the one driving," Regina snarked quietly, so that only Robin could hear. He laughed.

Robin looked over to see a very uncomfortable looking Gold, who had made the decision to lean forward from his middle seat and try and converse with Killian and Emma, rather than looking to his right or left at Regina and Robin or Mary Margaret and David. Meanwhile, Mary Margaret and David were clearly not minding the seating arrangement at all, and had just essentially started making out in their corner of the car. Robin himself didn't mind the seating arrangement either, except for the fact that he was having to fight every muscle in his body that was dying to be able to touch Regina on his lap.

"Charming," Regina said quietly, referring to Snow and David, rolling her eyes. Robin again laughed, but it must have been clear that his discomfort was showing. Regina changed the angle of her body, so that she was somewhat facing him.

"Could you look a little bit more uncomfortable?" Regina mused, raising an eyebrow. Robin rolled his eyes, as though what she'd said was ridiculous.

"I am perfectly comfortable," Robin protested.

"Is my tremendous weight crushing you?" Regina asked sarcastically, with a dry smile at her reference to how horrible Cora was. Robin rolled his eyes again, disliking that she was even joking about that.

"You are completely ridiculous."

"Is that why you're so obviously refusing to put your hands anywhere near my body?"

Robin was surprised that she was calling him out so directly. It wasn't as though he was refraining from touching her because he wanted to… He assumed it was what she would want.

"You are not seriously suggesting that you think I'm not touching you right now because of your 'tremendous weight'?" Robin replied, unable to resist laughing. He loved it when Regina joked with him. Regina grinned.

"I can't think of any other option," she responded, arching an eyebrow challengingly. Robin couldn't deny that he was surprised by how… suggestive she was being right now. But he certainly wasn't complaining, and took her comment as an invitation. Robin easily placed his hands on Regina's hips and pulled her closer to his chest. He swore he heard her breath catch in her throat.

"I didn't realize you wanted me to," Robin whispered in her ear. Regina shivered, and her hands fumbled around until they found the collar of Robin's shirt.

"I'm here, aren't I?" she breathed, briefly pressing her forehead against his. Robin felt as though he might pass out. But she pulled away just as quickly as she'd come, before anyone in the car could notice what had just happened.

Things were going… wonderfully and horribly at the same time. Wonderfully, because Regina was having potentially the best time she'd had in two years, spending the evening with Robin. He was… perfect. Regina could've sworn that she was going to pass out when she saw him waiting for her at the bottom of her staircase. He was so handsome, it shouldn't even be legal. His dark blonde hair was tidier than normal, and he'd shaved his wonderfully sexy facial scruff to just the perfect amount, and his suit fit him in a practically criminal way. He was just ridiculously attractive, so much so, that all of Regina's ideas of behaving herself and firmly keeping her hands off of him seemed to evaporate into thin air the second she saw him. Which leads right into why things were also going horribly. She hadn't even made it an hour without practically begging him to touch her. She had literally no self control left, and suddenly felt strangled by the complexity of her own feelings.

She just wanted… not to want him. That's all she wished for, she was just so afraid of him. Of what he could do to her. She had already decided that he wasn't what she needed, that he wasn't going to be good for her, yet even she didn't know if she believed that anymore. She knew it was dangerous to question it, but she just couldn't help it. But how could she not waver while she was sitting on Robin's lap, with his hands on her hips, him whispering in her ear… Damn it.

Having just arrived at school, fashionably late of course, Regina and her friends made their way down the newly decorated hallways towards the gymnasium. Regina momentarily reminisced to how horrible Daniel had made her night last year, when he had made his debut into the wild drinking and partying scene. Daniel had gotten so simultaneously drunk and high that Regina had been forced to spend the night with him in his car, repeatedly helping him while he barfed his brains out and holding him while he shivered, because she knew she couldn't let him go home in such a state, nor could she just leave him like that. She used this horrible memory as a comfort mechanism, to reason with herself that at least this night, though emotionally confusing, was not last year's dance.

"Wow, the decorating committee really went all out, I see," Gold commented sarcastically, as they entered the gym. Essentially, all the lights were just turned out, and were replaced with flashing colored lights in their stead. Some basic decorations were strewn about the walls, but overall, it was very underwhelming, apart from the pretty lit DJ that was blasting music throughout the very echoing gymnasium. Regina honestly couldn't care less about the decorations, it was the music that mattered, and Storybrook High had managed to nail at least that much.

"Sorry to disappoint, Gold. Perhaps you should take over the committee for next year?" Regina teased, smirking. Gold glared at her, and everyone else laughed.

"Let's go dance!" Mary Margaret exclaimed excitedly, grabbing David's hand and pulling him out to the already very crowded dance floor. In turn, Emma glanced over at Killian as though waiting for him to ask her to dance as well.

"Later, love. I've taken it upon myself to handle spiking the punch this year," Killian said deviously, briefly flashing a flask hidden in his suit jacket. Emma groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Why do I keep agreeing to go to social events with you? Alright, let's get this over with," the blonde conceded reluctantly, shaking her head and dragging Killian in the direction of the punch bowl. This left Gold, Robin, and Regina alone at the opening of the gym.

"What are your plans for the evening, Gold? Besides complaining about the lack of ambiance?" Regina asked Gold, arching an eyebrow.

"Aren't you witty tonight, your Majesty?" Gold snapped in response, shooting her another glare. Just at that moment, however, Belle French came into Regina's vision. She was wearing an adorably sweet but still attractive yellow dress, and Regina noticed that she seemed to be lacking a date. And then it all made sense.

"Oh. My. God," Robin said suddenly, as he clearly saw Belle and put the pieces together himself. Regina glanced over at him and they both cracked up. Regina expected Gold to yell at them, but he was too pathetically entranced by Belle to even notice that they were mocking him.

"Go on then, Grandpa, go get her!" Robin encouraged Gold, shoving his shoulder lightly, snapping him out of his trance. Regina continued laughing.

"And why would I do that?" Gold snarked bitingly. Regina and Robin exchanged a glance.

"I'm suddenly recalling a particular instance when Robin and I caught you and a certain maiden having a… moment-" Regina began before Gold hastily cut her off.

"Die."

"Come on, mate, you don't have to be ashamed with us," Robin interjected, playfully rumpling Gold's hair. Gold recoiled from Robin's hand immediately to glare at them both.

"You're right, I most certainly do not, because I also recall noticing a certain thief and evil queen about to engage in a very similar kind of moment," Gold retorted pointedly, raising an eyebrow. This shut Regina and Robin up.

"Have a good evening, then," Robin said awkwardly.

"Tell Belle we say hello," Regina added uncomfortably. Gold smirked, before walking away to go and speak to Belle, leaving Regina and Robin alone.

"So, shall we?" Robin asked, after a slightly awkward moment of perplexity, gesturing to the dance floor. Regina knew this was going to be the death of her. The DJ had just started playing a particularly sensual song, and she knew there was no way this was going to lead to anything but trouble… She should probably suggest an alternative activity to sexual dancing with Robin. But she didn't.

"Sounds like a plan."

Clearly, Robin was also expecting their dancing to be something that shouldn't be witnessed by their friends, and purposely picked a spot far away from David and Mary Margaret. Now sufficiently surrounded by teenage strangers grinding on each other, Robin offered Regina one of his hands. She took a brief second to say farewell to all of her self control and emotional stability before she took it.

They started off slow. He pulled her closer, but not so close that her chest was pressed to his. He continued to hold onto one of her hands as they awkwardly danced together, before Robin finally seemed to have just had enough of the awkwardness, and just forcefully pulled her all the way into his chest by her one hand. Regina felt her breath catch in her throat as she found herself painstakingly close to Robin's face. He gently placed his hands on the curves of her waist, and she fumbled around until hers found the collar of his shirt (he'd ditched his suit jacket in Killian's car, and now looked painfully sexy in just his shirt and tie). Regina began swaying her body in time with the music, and Robin's hands slightly tightened around her. Although somewhat tense at first, they both began… loosening up pathetically quickly. Robin's hands easily made their way down to her hips, occasionally to her ass, as she just let loose with her dancing. And she could… feel that Robin was certainly enjoying it.

At some point, Regina just completely lost herself in the song and in Robin. Nothing other than thoughts of the feeling of Robin's hands on her body, or the way his chiseled chest felt against her hands, of how much closer she wanted to be to him, and how incredible it felt to be so close to him at all crossed her mind. Of his intoxicating scent, the warmth of his breath…

As the song came to an end, one of Regina's hands tangled around Robin's tie, and she lightly tugged on it, as she made eye contact with him for the first time since the song started. He was looking at her with his look, like he had never seen anything more beautiful than her in his entire life. Robin lightly pressed his forehead against hers, and she couldn't think, or breathe, or…

"Regina…" Robin murmured, slightly tightening his grip around her waist so that he could pull her impossibly closer to his chest. Her hands instinctively tightened around the collar of his shirt. She couldn't think of anything other than how badly she just wanted to kiss him. And the fact that they hadn't broken eye contact yet certainly wasn't helping her become any more coherent.

Regina was about to try and muster up some response, when a new, slower, sweeter song began in the distant background of her thoughts. Robin broke their rather intense moment, by wrapping one of his arms tightly around her waist, and then gently entwining the fingers of his other hand with hers to adjust appropriately to the new song. In doing so, however, he somehow managed not to put any space between his chest and hers. Regina sighed as she buried her face into his shoulder for a brief moment, allowing herself to fully take in how amazing he smelled. She felt Robin's chin gently resting on her forehead, and she could've sworn that, just for a second, he lightly pressed his lips into her hair.

After a few more seconds of this, she found herself lost in the song and in her mind again. She was thinking very different thoughts this time, though. She took a very simple moment to just plainly and honestly analyze her feelings for Robin. She thought about him constantly. She missed him when he was gone. When she was with him, she felt like everything horrible that had happened to her in the past two years was somehow going to be okay, as long as he was there. He made her heart race, he made her stomach flip over, he made her want him, in a way she'd never wanted anything or anyone before. He understood her, her thoughts and her feelings and her eccentricities and her walls and the things that made her difficult, in a way that nobody ever had. And when he looked at her, she knew that he saw something beautiful, damaged and complicated, but beautiful anyways. She considered how miserable she had been over the summer, isolated and separated from all her friends, yet unable to face any of them. How many thousand times she'd cried for her father, and for Henry, and for Daniel. She'd felt like she was just broken, and unfixable, and that nobody could ever love something so damaged. She'd felt like she could never be happy again, not until she got the hell out of high school, and out of Storybrook. But Robin Locksley, against all odds, had come along and, not even intentionally, begun mending all the brokenness in her life. Regina found that she'd fallen back into comfort with her friends, and that she felt like… herself again. Perhaps a different version of herself, but a version that could easily be recognized. Like she felt at home in the world again. And she knew how big a part of that world Robin had become. The only reason she was so determined not to be with him was simply out of fear. Fear that he would leave her, or be taken from her, and that she'd end up even more broken than she was before. But… she was just so exhausted, and tired of acting like she didn't feel about him the way that she did. She let herself envision what it would be like to give in and be with him. To be able to talk to him as often and as much as she pleased, to not have to settle for their accidental touches in class to satisfy her, but instead be allowed to kiss him, or hold his hand, or have his arm wrapped around her… And Regina finally considered that maybe Robin Locksley was exactly what she wanted, and exactly what she needed. He was a risk that she was going to have to take, it seemed.

"Robin…" Regina said softly into his ear, seemingly snatching him out of his own deep train of thought. Robin looked down at her again, and they continued casually swaying to the next slow song that had just begun.

"I think… it's possible that I might have been wrong about something," Regina heard herself tentatively begin. Robin raised both his eyebrows, and half smiled.

"And what might that be?"

"Is it possible that… you and I… might not be the worst idea in the world?" Regina asked softly. Robin grinned.

"I think that is a possibility, yes," he agreed playfully, as he continued to stare at her with that pure, unadulterated look of admiration.

"I also think that this might not be the most ideal place to discuss this, agreed?" Robin replied gently, pressing his lips against Regina's ear briefly. She shivered…

"Agreed."

Regina allowed herself to be pulled through the dimly lit hallways of their school by Robin, her heart completely racing in anticipation. She wasn't particularly paying attention to where he was taking her, until he made a sharp turn into a classroom, and closed the door behind him. Even in the very dim lighting of the room, which came from the moonlight streaming in from the open window, Regina clearly recognized that this was she and Robin's chemistry classroom.

"You would pick the chemistry lab," Regina snarked, shaking her head and chuckling. Robin half smiled, and a bit awkwardly leaned back against the wall, and Regina, in turn, leaned against one of the lab tables directly across from him.

"It seemed appropriate," he replied simply, shrugging. Regina arched an eyebrow.

"And why is that, thief?" she asked him wryly, despite the fact that she knew exactly why. Robin smiled and briefly broke their eye contact.

"Because it's the place we first met. And, unless I'm entirely mistaken, it's about to be the place where I'm first allowed to do this," Robin said, before, much to Regina's genuine surprise, he crossed over to where she was standing and urgently pressed his lips against hers. He gently tangled his hands into her hair, and she felt her own hands instinctively move to the sides of his chest, as she returned his urgency. Regina would feel comfortable saying that this was the best kiss she had ever been a part of. After another moment or two, Robin's hands easily moved to her waist so that they could almost effortlessly lift her up to sit on the desk. He had done this the first time they'd kissed in Killian's guest room as well, it was as though he didn't want her to have to look up at him. It was highly considerate and highly attractive at the same time. How very, very, Robin.

Regina easily entwined her dangling legs around Robin's standing ones, as she moved her hands to hold his face to hers. Meanwhile, Robin's moved downwards so that they could very enjoyably grip around her thighs, and pull her slightly closer to him. Regina inhaled sharply into his lips at this very attractive movement, which made Robin chuckle lightly. This seemed to break them out of their rather ridiculous passion, and remind them that they were supposed to be having a conversation.

Robin slightly pulled away from her, with a light kiss to her forehead and to her nose, which made Regina smile widely, much to her embarrassment. She hated herself for how pathetically happy she probably looked.

"It's a good thing my mother is the principal of this school, and we're making out in a classroom," Regina said quietly. Robin laughed softly, before moving one of his hands to run over her cheek, and lightly tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"And an even better one that she isn't at school right now," he breathed in response, briefly kissing her lips again. Regina's heart sped even more as his hands settled back onto her thighs.

"Robin… what does this mean?" Regina finally summoned the courage to ask him quietly. Robin was silent for a moment.

"What does what mean, exactly?" he asked slowly in response, looking deeply into her eyes again.

"This. The fact that we always end up… well, here," she answered, sighing, and letting out an ironic chuckle. Robin half smiled again.

"I, personally, like it here quite a bit," he joked, smirking. Regina rolled her eyes, but smiled, in spite of herself.

"I suppose there are worse places to end up," she admitted. Robin laughed, but seemed to understand that she wanted a legitimate answer.

"What do you want it to mean?" Robin asked her, in response to her first question. For some reason, she hadn't been expecting this question. She'd just kind of hoped that he'd step in and do all the emotional revealing himself, so that she wouldn't have to. Of course, he would thwart her plans with his unending consideration for her feelings and wishes. Classic.

Regina bit her lip, and looked away awkwardly. Expressing vulnerable emotions had never been a particular talent of hers. Robin seemed to catch onto her discomfort.

"Ah, I see. It's going to be my job to do all the emotional talking, isn't it?" Robin quipped gently, smiling at her in a way that she really didn't deserve. Regina felt a particularly strong surge of affection for him with that, and she felt herself grin at him as she nodded sympathetically. Robin chuckled, and lightly ran one of his hands over her cheek and through her hair again.

"Are you asking me what this means to me, specifically, or what it means for the future?" Robin questioned.

"Both."

"I think you know what it means to me," Robin chided lightly, raising an eyebrow at her affectionately. Regina flushed.

"Tell me anyways."

"As you wish, your Majesty. Against all my better judgement, I seem to have completely fallen in love with you, and, as far as the future goes, quite frankly, if you shoot me down again, I don't know what I'll do," Robin confessed honestly, shaking his head, and laughing. Regina's heart swooned at hearing the word 'love' come out of his mouth. And the insecure part of her was relieved that he did actually reciprocate her feelings.

"I see. And if I told you that I returned your feelings?" Regina responded, raising an eyebrow. Robin grinned.

"I just might be the happiest thief alive."

"Then I return your feelings," Regina told him, before grabbing the collar of his shirt and pressing her lips back to his. Robin smiled into her kiss, before pulling away again to gently kiss her nose. Regina could feel herself staring at him, perhaps too intensely.

"What?" Robin murmured curiously, clearly taking notice of her sudden intensity.

"I just… never thought I'd have this again," Regina heard herself whisper softly, staring into Robin's eyes in a rare moment of vulnerability. Robin's glance softened even more at this.

"Maybe… things work out when they're supposed to?" he suggested gently, smiling at her warmly.

"Maybe."