Another one! Enjoy and tell me what you think !

Two weeks had passed from the day Robin had left the Castle. He had travelled back to his small, hidden cabin in the forest with his son, trying to get used to living with just him and Roland. The other Merry Men had wanted to go with them but Robin had declined; the cabin wasn't big enough for all of them but it was the safest place outside the castle he knew.

The previous times they had stayed at the cabin, the rooms had been full of laughter, drawings had been on the wall and songs had been played at bedtime. But now, Robin's heart was just not in it. His heart was back at the castle, along with his soul. And no matter how hard he tried, Robin could not keep Regina from invading his every waking thought – and the majority of sleeping ones.

It had been two weeks and he was already going crazy. What was it with Regina? Because he had never felt like this. He had never felt this emptiness before. When Marian had died, anger took over, anger which faded into pain, which had never really left him. But this? Regina was alive. Regina was in a castle that – on a clear day and no wind – could be seen if he climbed to the nearest hill and looked North-East. She was there. So close and yet so far away.

"Papa…" Roland called, "Papa."

"Roland?" Robin asked as he walked over to where his son was sat drawing, "what have you got there?"

"Look papa." Roland picked up his drawing and thrust it towards his papa. Robin's breath got caught in his throat, there were three figures, two large and one small, underneath each figure there was the young boy's messy letters; 'papa', 'Regina' and 'me', and at the top it just said 'family'.

Robin felt his heart clench, he should really explain to his son that he wasn't going to see Regina again. That it was just the two of them again. Robin was sure Roland wouldn't take it well; from the first day his son met Regina he had adored her. From the first day that Robin met Regina he was attracted to her, and it didn't take long for him to fall completely in love with her. Robin couldn't remember the last time he and Roland had laughed so much. Now, Robin could barely muster a grin.

"I want to give it to Regina, Papa. When are we going to see her again? I miss her." The little boy looked up at his father with hope in his eyes.

"I miss her too, my boy." Robin responded, avoiding the question that Roland had asked almost every day since they left the castle.

…

In the two weeks that had passed since Robin had left the castle, Regina had barely left her room. There weren't many reasons for her to leave the solitude of her room, and despite Snow and Charming's best efforts, Regina refused to make conversation unless it was absolutely necessary.

She hadn't been eating much; the few times she had entered the dining hall there were two empty chairs and she was assaulted with memories of jokes and smiles and wiping jam off a little boy's cheeks. It was too much, too painful. So over the last few weeks she had become thinner, paler, weaker.

Robin and Roland had occupied her every thought. They were safe now, she knew that. But it did not make it any easier, and it did not mean that she wasn't missing them with her heart and soul. Because she was. He was her soulmate. A part of her will always be with him now. And if this was how she felt when he had left to be alive and safe, then thank goodness she made him leave before he died. Regina wasn't sure she'd survive if he got hurt because of her. The mere thought almost killed her.

…

In the Forest, Robin couldn't sleep. It wasn't anything new of course; every night he barely slept, his eyes closing only when they were too heavy to remain open.

Deciding to go outside, hoping the fresh air might help, Robin went and sat on a wooden bench out front, listening to the sounds of the outdoors. Staring up at the sky Robin was puzzled when a small green light flew towards him. Robin reflexively reached for his bow but he had left it inside.

Robin's brows furrowed when the small light morphed into a woman with curly, blonde hair in a short, green dress, floating towards him.

"Who are you?" Robin asked as he stood, his fatherly instincts making his voice more threatening than intended. But he'd already lost his love, he would not let his son get hurt either.

"Calm down." The girl answered as her feet gently touched the floor. "I need your help, Robin Hood."

When she took a step forwards Robin took a step back. "Help with what? And how do you know my name?"

"My name is Tinkerbell. I'm a fairy. And it's not me who needs your help; it's Regina."

"What happened? Is she ok?" Robin asked, the fairy and her name fading to the back of his mind as his head was filled with images Regina.

"Robin she's fine. It's nothing like that." The fairy consoled before she lowered her voice, "she misses you."

Robin scoffed, "I don't think so. She wanted us to leave, she made that perfectly clear."

"She was lying." Tink stated, her hands on her hips.

"No, she told me she didn't love me…" Robin mumbled, before becoming suspicious when a sudden thought occurred to him, "how did you know about us? Did she tell you?"

"Tell me? She didn't need to tell me; I was there."

"Where's 'there'?"

"She didn't tell you anything did she?" Tink asked, anger flooding her features.

"Tell me what?" Robin asked, getting slightly frustrated.

Tink let out a heavy sigh, "You're her soulmate. And she's yours. You two are destined to be together."

"But… wait… what?" Robin stuttered.

Tink gently smiled at him. "When I first met Regina - years ago – she was unhappily married to the King; she was lost and alone and they didn't love each other. But she couldn't leave. The day I met her she fell off of her balcony, but honestly? Despite all her protesting… I don't think it was an accident. She was just… so unhappy. So I tried to change that, I tried to find her a new reason to be happy; Love. I stole pixie dust and it led us to this tavern, inside was Regina's soulmate, the person she was destined to be with; the man with the lion tattoo." Stepping forwards and taking a breath, Tink took Robin's left arm and pushed up his sleeve. "You are that man, Robin Hood."

"Me?" Robin asked, staring at the ink on his forearm. "But then why… She and I… I mean…"

"She told me that she was going to go inside and meet you, that she just needed a minute alone." Tink continued. "I left her but she changed her mind, apparently she had decided that she couldn't let go of the anger weighing her down, she said that she would be weak without it."

"She could never be weak." Robin said, before taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "I don't know what to say. I mean, she told me she didn't love me. She kicked me and my son out of the castle. She can't stand the sight of us."

"Oh Robin, she lied to you. She loves you too much. Since you left she's been… empty. She hasn't really left her room, she hasn't really been eating. She's suffering without you two."

Robin heart clenched and he ran his hands through his head in frustration, "I don't understand. I told her that I'd leave if she could look me in the eye and tell me that she doesn't love me. And she did it. Why would she..?"

"Why would she send you away?" Tink asked, continuing on Robin's nod. "Isn't it obvious? To protect you."

"Protect us?"

"Yes. Robin if there's one thing I know about Regina it's that she will protect those she loves regardless of how much it hurts her." Robin's face fell as he thought of her suffering to keep him and his boy safe, Tink continues regardless. "Snow and I think Zelena threatened her. She threatened to take away her happy ending, you are Regina's weakness and Zelena took advantage of it."

"Do you mean to tell me that she kicked me and my son out so that we wouldn't get hurt because of her sister?" he asked. It made sense, and it sounded like something Regina would do, but Robin could how the words 'I don't love you' had shattered his heart.

"Robin, she loves you, both of you. And if she told you that Zelena had made threats what would you have done? Would you have listened to her and left? Or would you have stayed by her side?"

"Of course I would stay by her side! I wouldn't leave her alone if she was in danger."

"Now do you see? She lied to you so you would leave and be safe." Tink looked at Robin, the myriad of emotions written all over his face. "So… what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to kill this witch." Robin said. Anger clouding his judgement. Anger at Zelena; it was her fault he had been forced to leave his love. And anger at Regina; she had lied and he had suffered. She was meant to be his soulmate, she was supposed to walk into that tavern and meet him. Had she been that little bit more fearless their lives would have turned out so differently, they would have had so much more time together. They would have been happy.

Robin turned on his heel and stalked away.

"Robin! Wait!" Tinkerbell shouted after him. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going back. Back to the Castle." Robin declared with determination. "If Regina loves me then that's all I need. We can deal with anything else together."

Tinkerbell punched the air with a joyous cry of 'yes!' "Go and find her Robin. And good luck."

"Thank you." Robin said, sincerity leaking through his voice, "…for telling me the truth. She means the world to me."

"You're welcome." Tink said, although Robin didn't hear; he was too busy rushing inside to wake up his son.

"Roland," Robin whispered as he knelt down at the side of his son's bed, stroking his hair. "Come on, my boy. Wake up."

Roland stirred, his fists rubbing at his eyes, "papa? Why are you awake?"

"Because we are going back to the castle. Now."

Roland sat up, a small yawn and messy bed-hair the only sign of him having been woken from deep sleep. "Are we going to see 'Gina papa?"

"Yes, son. Yes we are. And we're not going to leave her again. Ok? Ever." Robin smiled.

Roland's eyes widened and a big smile lit up his face.

"So let's go, my boy." Robin said, laughing at his son's little dance and chants of 'Yes! Yes! Yes!' all the way to their horse.

Both of them smiled as they made their way back to castle.

Back to Regina.

Back to love.