Just a quick note before you guys read this chapter...

I started writing this story before the end of 3B, so none of that nonsense with Marian ever happened. The fact that it was even written into canon has me incensed...but hey, that's what we have fan fiction for, right? ;)

Anyhow, as always, thank you for your continued support, and enjoy! This chapter is from Regina's POV.


The sun had just begun to rise when Regina finally crossed the threshold of 108 Mifflin Street. As she pushed open the door, she could almost hear the silence hanging in the air. Over the intentionally slow drive home Regina tried to figure out what she was going to say to Robin. She knew that she'd neglected him these past few days, and she knew he would want and need an explanation. For a brief moment, as she began to ascend the stairs to her bedroom, she thought if she were lucky enough that Robin may still be in bed.

Instead she was met by a deep, cold voice behind her, one that sent a shiver down her spine.

"I was wondering if you were ever going to return home. Roland has been asking for you and being that I was told nothing, I didn't know what to tell him."

Regina took a deep breath to compose herself and then turned to face Robin, clutching the wooden railing that lined the stairs. Robin knew she had grown to care for Roland and was obviously using him to guilt her for her actions or lack thereof. Robin wasn't one to anger quickly or frequently, but the few times he had, it had triggered memories of the king that Regina had tried her best to suppress. She met Robin's eyes with the strongest gaze she could muster and pushed back in the only way she knew how.

"I'm sorry if the sudden near-death of my son's birth mother doesn't suit your schedule, but I've done nothing wrong here. If you don't mind, I've been up all night and I'd like to get some rest."

Regina turned to continue her way upstairs, hoping that the tone of her response would cause Robin to relent. Fortune, however, was not in her favor at this moment as she heard the echo of his boot on the wooden floor as he took a step towards her.

"What is she to you that you couldn't have bothered to even call me?"

Despite the discomfort of the entire situation, she supposed that this line of questioning was a long time coming. Robin had always inserted a snide remark here and there about Emma, but she had dismissed it as a clash of personalities, being that the two of them were so similar. It was becoming more apparent as of late that perhaps there was more to the rivalry between them than she had originally thought. After everything she'd been through with Emma these past few days, she wasn't sure if she was ready to provide him an answer. Regardless, Robin had put her on the spot, so she answered him in the best way she knew how.

"Emma is a savior, a friend and the mother of my son. The better question is, what isn't she?"

Regina knew as soon as the words escaped her lips that her answer would do nothing but provoke him further. Even though she knew what was coming, she stood her ground, several inches higher than Robin, as she was still standing a couple of steps up the stairs, while he was fixed at the base.

"She isn't the one who shares your bed." He snapped back at her.

Before she knew what she was even doing, Regina felt and heard the crack of her hand against the side of Robin's face. It was the first time she had ever struck him, and his utter shock at the action was visible in his eyes as he clutched at the rapidly reddening hand print on his face.

How could she have ever thought this man could be right for her? Pixie dust...soul mates…who's to say someone didn't tamper with it to get back at her for everything she'd done in the past? Why had she put so much stock into a relationship with a man based on something so…trivial?

If her mother had been here she would have torn her apart for believing in such folly and for acting so naïve. As a young girl, distraught over the loss of Daniel, Regina had allowed Rumplestiltskin manipulate her into enacting the dark curse, but after everything she had been through, how could she have so easily walked into another trap?

Mother would be utterly ashamed if she were here right now.

Regina knew now as clear as day, what she had to do. Regardless of whatever was happening in her life, this was not what her story would be. She wouldn't let herself be tied to another man who wished her to be nothing but a replacement wife and mother to their child. Yes, Robin had been willing to overlook Regina's past as the Evil Queen, but he only did so because he was led to believe that she was predestined to be his soul mate. If he had really known what she did - what she did to his wife Marian - he would never have forgiven her. He was in love with the idea of Regina, as he really knew nothing of who she really was.

Regina took several deep breaths to reign her adrenaline back in. Cocking her head to the side and squaring her jaw, she summoned the Evil Queen for the first and last encounter Robin would ever have with her.

"And neither will you. I want you out of my house by the time I wake up. Roland will always be welcome here, but you are not."

Regina didn't wait for a response and immediately made her way up the stairs to her bedroom without another glance back at Robin. Closing the door behind her, she collapsed against it sliding down to the cold hard floor. Her heart began to race and she thought she may actually be having a panic attack, by the rapid shallow breaths she was taking and how she was unable to catch her breath.

By the time she calmed, tears were dried and caked to her cheeks. The sun was shining brightly through her bedroom window, straight into her eyes, which was the only indicator to her of how long she had been sitting there curled up on the floor. She winced from the invasive brightness and shielded her eyes with the back of her hand. Her backside had grown numb from sitting on the hard wooden floor, so she supposed she should get up and make her way to bed.

After washing the makeup and dried tears off of her face with cold water, she changed into her silk pajamas and slid under the bed covers. As she found a comfortable position on her side, she couldn't help but wonder if anyone would ever share her bed again. She had likely just tossed away her last chance at a normal relationship by breaking up with Robin.

Don't be foolish. You don't need a man to be happy. You have Henry. The last thing you want to be is trapped in another loveless marriage caring for a child that isn't even your own.

Regina knew she would eventually find satisfaction solely out of being a parent, but that didn't change the emptiness she felt in her bed beside her. As much as she wanted to deny the need for physical closeness to another person, she craved it from time to time. It's not as though anyone in Storybrooke would be clamoring for an opportunity to cuddle up in bed with the Evil Queen, so she was just going to have to become accustomed to being alone.

Feeling a chill from the absence of another warm body in bed with her, she reached for another blanket and pulled it up over her shoulders. For a moment she couldn't help but yearn for someone's arms to be wrapped around her while she slept. Briefly she thought of how Emma's arms would feel in contrast to Robin's. She imagined they'd still be strong, but gentler and softer against her. In her mind they felt less heavy and possessive, offering rather a feeling of comfort and protection that no man has ever been able to provide her.

Regina wondered what it would feel like to be treated as though she were a person rather than an object or a prize to possess. Men had always paraded her around as such, as if she were something to be marveled at, rather than someone who was deserving of genuine love. To them she was seen as fulfilling a role and a purpose. Regina wanted to be more than that again, someone worthy of love and devotion, just as Daniel had seen her to be so long ago.

Whenever Emma looked into her eyes, Regina felt as though the blonde was always looking for a way to see more of her. Emma saw past her harsh exterior, straight into the darkest recesses of her heart. Despite seeing the worst parts of her, Emma was never deterred from standing by her time and time again, regardless of the odds or the stakes. Emma was the first person in a long time to see her as Regina instead of the Evil Queen, despite everything she had done to the blonde and her family.

Emma Swan had this infuriating purity about her, likely due to her Charming parentage. Despite Regina's past transgressions, Emma saw the good in her in a way that no one else in this realm or the next ever could.

Why hadn't I seen any of this before? Why hadn't I taken a second to think about what I truly wanted before jumping at the first man that showed any interest in me?

Regina was frustrated with herself, as she was left with only more questions than answers. The only thing she did know for sure was that both she and Henry needed Emma in their lives. These thoughts and feelings she was having…perhaps they were simply triggered by the trauma of Emma's suicide attempt and the sudden break-up between her and Robin.

Now isn't the time to decide the rest of your life, you just broke up with the man you thought you were destined to spend forever with.

Regina just needed to sleep and get some rest. She hoped more than anything that her altercation with Robin wouldn't trigger any more of her nightmares of Leopold. Not wanting to chance it, she grabbed the pill bottle out of the top drawer of her nightstand, swallowing two pills before sinking into bed. Hopefully everything would make more sense in a few hours.

Feeling the haze of the medication washing over her, she fell into a deep dreamless sleep.