a/n: This chapter has been split, hence the reason it's a tad shorter than usual. Many thanks to Allison, Jess and Jen for the feedback and help, as usual!
She fidgets with her hands.
Twists the skin and cracks her knuckles, pulls at each of her fingers absentmindedly whenever she's nervous. A habit, a tick, something she's done since she was a child, whenever her mother was belittling her father. Or nitpicking at Regina - her clothes, her hair, darling, that dress looks unsightly on you, and don't you think you've put on a little weight, dear?
And him. Her stepfather. Even to this day, Lee Blanchard has a way of making her claw and tug and knead her own hands, over and over until her skin is left red and raw, bitten with nail marks. She used to go further when it came to him, though, when she was sixteen and would lie awake at night in a cold sweat in case he ever made good on his promise to visit her in the dark. Would pick at the skin around her nails until blood was pooling in her cuticles, whenever he made a not-so-innocent comment, or accidentally brushed up against her despite there being plenty of room for him to manoeuvre around her.
She's doing it now. Squeezing her fingers and twisting her knuckles in a way they shouldn't bend, standing outside Scotland Yard at the end of November wearing nothing but a t-shirt and jeans. She can't feel the cold though, is too wrapped up in her own head with what she's about to do, and where is Mel? It's nearly 8AM, she should be here by now.
Regina had been met with more questions on the phone: what are these documents? How did she know Robin had been taken into custody? Why has he been re-arrested?
"He hasn't been arrested," Regina had snapped, her temper stretching to the point it might just give way. "They just brought him in for questioning because he won't... he isn't telling them his alibi."
"Why not?" Mel had asked, and she could practically see the puzzled frown deepening on her colleague's face. Regina had sidestepped that question, had made it clear to Mel she wouldn't be getting any more answers unless she hauled ass and got herself down to the station.
Nearly one hour has passed now, the large clock in the foyer of Scotland Yard mocking her through the glass doors of the entrance as it counts the seconds that go by. Time, however, seems to be standing still and moving forward in unison, the world passing her by in a blur, moving faster than light while Regina is forced to stand still and wait, fidgeting with her hands until Mel finally decides to show-
"Regina!" She hears her name, snaps around to the left to see her blonde colleague hurrying up the steps to meet her. Mel (who looks far more professional than Regina does right now; dressed in a beautiful silver-grey pant suit with her long hair pulled into a neat bun at the nape of her neck) looks her up and down with a frown as she slows, takes in Regina's messy appearance before coming to a stop and opening her mouth, as though she has a snarky comment on the very tip of her tongue.
Mel must think better about voicing it though, simply hands Regina the white envelope - still sealed, and thank god, because she really didn't want Mel to figure things out without having the chance to explain herself - and asks, "Are you gonna tell me what the hell is going on now?"
She doesn't answer right away, is too busy tearing open the envelope to make sure, to double, triple check that all the correct documents are inside because the last thing she needs is to hand this over to Graham only to have him tell her it's futile. Her hands are stiff from the cold, winter air. Something Regina is only just becoming aware of as she thumbs through the papers, scans her eyes over the words even though she already knows everything is in order, has been in order for weeks. But there's a paranoia settling in her stomach, a feeling that's been growing and growing from the second her eyes shot open this morning, and logically she might well know from the smooth seal of the envelope that everything is perfectly alright, but it doesn't mean she won't validate the papers one final time.
"Regina?" Mel says as they walk back into the building, an edge of concern to her voice that isn't often present. Regina stabs the elevator button, jabs it continuously with her thumb as though the constant pushing will make it travel faster. She's shivering, the sudden change in temperature of coming in from the cold making gooseflesh of her skin as she jostles her knees and shifts her weight. Mel reaches out, grips her arm in an attempt to halt the jitters she seems to have developed over the past hour, but as the doors slide open, as she ignores Mel's arm and attempts to step forward, Mel's grip gets tighter. "I'm not taking another step until you tell me what's going on."
Regina meets Mel's eyes, feels her shoulders deflate as a soft sigh escapes her mouth and a dull ache begins to strangle her throat.
"I'm his alibi," she says bluntly, but Mel doesn't seem to grasp what she's saying. The blonde frowns, snorts a little before rolling her eyes and shaking her head, eyeing Regina like she's an endearing child who's just said something ridiculous.
"Honey, I know you like this guy, but you can't lie for him. They'll know. And you said Killian's was broken into at like, one in the morning. Graham will know you weren't with Robin then," Mel says softly, and it's almost laughable, that she genuinely cannot fathom Regina would be sleeping with their client. That it doesn't even enter Mel's mind that she could stoop so low and risk her entire career. Regina holds her gaze, feels her eyes moisten and gnaws at the inside of her cheek. She watches as Mel's expression changes, as her eyes grow somewhat wider before she huffs out a breath that Regina thinks is supposed to be a laugh, and says, "If you were really with Robin last night, then you'd have had to have been..."
Her sentence trails off as reality hits, and the lump in Regina's throat is so thick she might never swallow again. Mel stares at her, gobsmacked as she grasps at what Regina is telling her.
"Oh, Regina," Mel breathes out after a moment of stunned silence. "Tell me you didn't."
Regina nods as a single tear betrays her, slips from the rim of her eye and down her cheek. Her hand shoots up, wipes away the evidence that she's falling apart at the seams before Mel's eyes, and says, "He won't tell them we were together because he doesn't want me to lose my job, but now Graham wants to call social services and I can't let them take Roland away." She's all too aware of how thick her voice has grown, that her face is on the verge of crumpling to the point that even behind the shock, Regina can detect a stab of sympathy in Mel's expression.
"You've been sleeping with him," Mel mutters, her head giving way to a small nod. It's not a question, more a statement, one spoken out loud so she can process the information, as though tasting those words on her tongue will some how make them more tangible. She says it again, a little louder this time, you've been sleeping with him?! And it's all Regina can do not to give in to the tears threatening as her stomach squeezes with nervous knots.
She holds up the documents in her hands before clutching them close to her chest and telling Mel, "I'm Roland's legal guardian."
The blonde's mouth drops open as an aghast scoff is pushed from her throat. "How long have you been sleeping with him?"
Regina contemplates her question for a small moment before swallowing hard, desperately tries and fails to ignore the ache in her throat as she replies with, "Almost two months."
"What?!" Mel shouts, finally gives in to her astonishment and ungracefully draws attention their way. She and Regina glance around, wait for onlookers of their conversation to resume whatever it was they were busy with before, and then Mel takes a deep breath and groans. "I need a smoke."
They're back outside not one minute later, Regina watching as Mel takes multiple heavy drags on her cigarette - she feels her skin turn numb with the bitter air but she doesn't have the energy to care. She throws a glance through the heavy doors to the building, eyes the clock that tells her it's gone eight now, and suddenly time is moving too fast. She needs more, needs an extra few minutes she hasn't got to know what Mel is thinking, to know if she's lost her friend, but Graham promised one hour before a phone call to social services would be made.
Her time is officially up.
Mel stays silent as she smokes, lost in deep thought and watching cars drive by, driving Regina crazy with every drag she takes, and she wishes she had a way of reading her mind, of knowing just how much her colleague - her friend - is judging her right now.
"Okay, you have to say something," Regina blurts out after five minutes of nothing but London's traffic grating on her eardrums. "Something. Anything. I fucked up, I know I fucked up here, but Mel-"
"Yes, you've fucked up," the blonde tells her sternly, finally meeting Regina's eyes and stubbing out her cigarette. Mel opens her mouth, closes it just as fast only to shake her head and sigh heavily. "Jesus, Regina, three months. We've been working our asses off on this case for three months and you've been having sex with Robin this whole time?! I knew you liked him, I knew there was something there… but I never for one second thought you'd actually act on it!"
"We tried not to, we-"
"Yeah? Not hard enough. You realise if the prosecution gets hold of this we can kiss this whole thing goodbye? You do get that, right? Knotts is out for blood, Regina, if he finds out about this, that's it. We're done for."
"He's not gonna find about about anything, you're the only one who knows-"
"Really? I'm the only person who knows about the two of you? How flattering! I'm so glad you thought of me when everything went to shit!" Mel snaps sarcastically, venom in her words that she's no intention of hiding.
"I can't help the way I feel, Mel, and I'm sorry. I really, really am," Regina breathes out, feeling increasingly more nauseous with every second that ticks by. "We tried to fight it, I tried not to, but it just… happened."
"It just happened. It just happened? What? He just fell cock first into your vagina?!" Mel spits, glares at her, breathes fire, makes Regina appreciate that she truly does live up to her reputation as the Dragon. The blonde shakes her head (she's been doing that since the second she arrived, like she can't quite fathom this is all happening) and sighs heavily. "Gold is gonna blow his top when he finds out. He's gonna fire you, Regina. You'll have lost your job, and for what? A few good fucks?"
"It's not like that," Regina insists, "It's not… He's not just… I'm…" She wants to say it, wants to admit it out loud, last night's epiphany, that she loves him. That she's in love with him, but the words are stuck in her throat. She doesn't want to tell Mel before she tells Robin, so she decides to reiterate, to repeat her earlier revelation because she's not quite sure Mel registered it the first time. "I'm the legal guardian of his child!"
She knows Mel hears it this time, watches as the penny finally drops on just how deep Regina has gotten herself and, "Oh god," she breathes out. "You're in love with him. Aren't you?"
Yes. Yes, a thousand times, yes. But there's no way she's telling Mel that. At least… not right now, anyway. A breeze blows between them, sharp, cold, something bitter enough for Mel to glance back to the building and mutter something which sounds like, come on, before she begins to head back inside. Regina hangs back, just for a moment, watches while Mel makes for the elevator, but she feels differently now. There's a flicker of relief amongst all the stress. Mel knows, and the sky hasn't quite fallen.
She moves after a pause, follows Mel inside, the frosty air having finally got the better of her (she's pretty sure her skin is nearly blue). They remain silent as the elevator drags up the length of the building, Mel lost in her own furious thoughts, Regina clutching the documents to her body as though her life depends on them, and it's only when they reach the floor that houses Graham's desk that Mel speaks again.
"You have to let me handle this from now on," she says firmly, halting Regina in the corridor and finally meeting her eyes. "You give Graham those papers, and then you don't say anything, you don't do anything. Not until I'm in the custody suite with you. You got that?"
Regina nods, mutters yes, then takes a deep breath before rounding the corner to find the detectives on Robin's case.
"There you are," Lance says, perched on the edge of Graham's desk as they walk over. Graham is swinging back and forth on his chair, fingers laced together over his stomach looking tired and bored. "We were just about to give up on you."
"You didn't call social services, did you?" she asks, not hiding the panic in her voice, gripping the documents she's holding tighter, and Graham suddenly halts his chair.
"Not yet, no. Who's this?" he asks, nodding at Mel, who steps forward and offers him her hand.
"Melissa Fentt, Detective Hunt. I'm another of Mr. Locksley's attorneys."
Graham flicks his eyes back to Regina, a ghost of a smirk on his face as she recalls their first meeting, of her promising that if he ever met Mel, the blonde would eat him for breakfast. He looks back at Mel, smiles politely and tells her it's very nice to meet her, then gazes back over to Regina. "Right then. Are you going to tell me what you've been up to for the past hour?" he asks, sighing as he leans back on the edge of his desk next to Lance.
Regina nods, draws in a deep breath and hands him the documents. "I'm Roland's legal guardian. You don't have to call social services. Those papers were processed weeks ago. The reason Robin isn't telling you his alibi is because it was me. He doesn't want me to lose my job… but he doesn't get to make that choice. I was with him last night. There's no way that tip off actually saw him running from Killian's place."
Lance stares at her, aghast, glances down to read the documents over his colleague's shoulder as Graham meets her eyes. His brow has raised considerably, but he doesn't exactly look… shocked. Isn't wearing the same expression as his partner is, or Mel did upon finding out, and after a pause, he just nods and hands Regina back the paperwork.
"Lance is going to escort you to a custody suite. We'll come in just as soon as we've seen Robin to take your statement," he informs her.
"You're not gonna-" she starts, follows Graham and the others as he makes for the same floor Robin was left on. "I mean, you're gonna let him go, aren't you?"
"Well that depends on whether you're telling the truth, now, doesn't it?" Lance says.
Sheer panic floods her veins and she stops in her tracks to insist, "I am." Her voice is unwavering, stronger now than it has been all morning. She will tell them every sordid detail if it means keeping Roland safe, if it means getting Robin out... She just hopes to God they believe her.
-§-
Another hour goes by. Agonisingly long and slow while she sits alone in a custody suite and waits. Her stomach is in knots as she continues to fidget with her hands. What are they saying to him? Has Robin told them the whole truth now? She hopes to God that Mel can rein this whole thing in, fix it before it really gets the chance to do any damage to his trial.
She wants nothing more than to see Robin, to snuggle in his arms and breathe him in, to have him tell her she's done the right thing and everything will be just fine. A pipe dream, she knows, but it doesn't stop her from wishing. As though she's nineteen years old again, standing in a black dress on a dull day, watching as pallbearers carried a coffin into a church, swallowing the anger she felt towards Mary Margaret, the irrational rage that pulsed from her gut, and wishing Daniel were there to hold her close and tell her everything would be fine.
But Daniel was dead. Was inside the coffin she couldn't quite bring herself to look at. Nothing was fine. And right now... Right now, Robin is sitting just three rooms away, wrought iron shackles around his wrists and a noose around his neck - just one week to go until they find out his fate. Even if he could wrap his arms around her, she doubts there's much he could say to make everything better, to tell her everything will be fine.
Nothing was fine back then. And nothing is fine right now.
She fidgets with her hands a while longer, the skin at her knuckles dry from the cold, and this morning had happened in such a blur that Regina had barely thought about using soap in the shower, let alone moisturising afterwards. She inhales deeply through her nose, drops her forehead against the hands she's folded on the table and presses down, anything to stop herself from twisting her skin any further, let's out a heavy sigh when Mel barges into the room like a bull in a china shop. Regina looks up just in time to hear the back end of an argument her fiery friend seems hell bent on winning.
"I'm acting as her attorney, don't try and tell me I can't have time alone with her, Knight," she barks at the detective, who is standing just outside with Graham looking entirely exhausted and only slightly bemused. "Not unless you wanna spend your entire Sunday here. Because I swear, you push me on this, I'll stay in here all day just because I can." The door slams in his face, and as Mel turns to face Regina, she closes her eyes and breathes inwards. "My god, that guy's an asshole."
She shakes her head, drapes her jacket over the chair next to Regina, and yanks the chair out to take a seat. Regina gives her a wince, has a bad feeling about what's just happened with Robin before saying, "So... What hap-how did it go?"
Mel stares at her dead on and rolls her eyes. "That man is head over heels in love with you, do you know that?"
"What are you talking about?" Regina asks, trying and failing to ignore the spark in her heart, the first bit of warmth she's felt since Robin abandoned her body in their bed this morning.
"He spent a good five minutes attempting to convince Graham that you were with him last night working on his case, and that you're only Roland's guardian because you're," she brings her hands up, quotes with her fingers and finishes, "'Really good friends'."
"He just feels bad, that's all. He didn't want me to lose my job," Regina says to Mel, appreciating that Robin at least attempted to back out of it all, for her sake, even if it was utterly futile.
"Well then he maybe should have thought about that before he seduced you," Mel scoffs, relaxing back in her chair.
Regina arches one eyebrow, mirrors her friends stance, quips back, "What makes you so sure I didn't seduce him?"
"Because I just asked him."
"You what?! Mel! Why?! That has no relevance to his case whatsoever!" Regina gawps.
"No, but it changes how I feel about this whole thing. I had to make sure you hadn't completely lost your head and outright pursued our client. Robin has just made it perfectly clear it was all him. Which would make me feel even angrier if I didn't know you weren't the type to be manipulated or taken advantage of."
Regina stares at her, nibbles away at the inside of her cheek as her shoulders deflate. It most certainly wasn't all on Robin. "It's not... It wasn't like that. This is on us both, not just him. It shouldn't matter who made the first move, I could just as easily have said no."
"So why didn't you? I mean, don't get me wrong, Regina, I get it. The dreamy eyes and the accent, and the kid that makes your womb hurt... I do get why you wanted to go there. But... Why didn't you back off when you knew it would jeopardize his case? And your career?"
She sighs heavily, shakes her head a little before shrugging and admitting, "Because, by the time he... When we finally went there, I was already in too deep." She can't meet her friends eyes as she says it, mumbles the last few words because she's afraid of being judged even more. It sounds ridiculous. Ludicrous, that she had started to fall for a man absolutely off-limits before so much as their first kiss. But she can't fathom any other way to justify it right now, can't think to say anything to Mel that will make her understand other than, it just happened. And that phrase hadn't exactly gone down well when she'd blurted it out earlier.
She pauses for a second, lost in thoughts of how anyone will understand this need, this connection she and Robin apparently share - why either one of them felt so strongly so quickly, but the answer doesn't come. She doesn't think she will ever be able to explain it to others if she can barely make sense of it herself.
The two women are quiet, and Regina gets the feeling while she's been busy brooding over the dramatic twist her life is about to take that Mel is most likely sitting next to her trying to fight the urge to press her for more details without making Regina give too much away in the middle of a custody suite.
That, and make Lance lose a little more of his Sunday by taking her sweet time 'prepping her client'.
She's proved right after a beat, when Mel finally turns to her and with the heaviest of sighs (as though she's betraying her own stubbornness), says, "Is he good in bed? He better be good in bed, Regina. Because I swear to god, if you've ruined your career for a man with a tiny penis, Gold won't be the only one out for your head. I will be too."
Regina can't help the snort that escapes her mouth, despite it perhaps not being the most appropriate of responses (not the most appropriate of questions either, but since when has Mel ever been appropriate when it comes to sex?) "Trust me," she starts, catches Mel's eyes. "You have nothing to worry about in regards to that."
"Really?" Mel asks, a dirty grin creeping its way across her features. She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively, opens her mouth to carry on prying when a heavy knock halts their conversation.
Mel rolls her eyes, looks back at the door to yell, One more minute! Then turns to face Regina once again. "I hate that man."
Regina finds herself chuckling. "Don't you think you'd better let them in here?"
"No. Yes. I'll let him in when he's learned to be a little more patient and a little less of a jackass," Mel tells her, folding her arms in a manner that tells Regina she's not budging until she absolutely has to. She gauges her friend for a moment, can't help but smile a little at the stroppy, unprofessional side of Mel that sometimes rears its ugly head, and suddenly it feels like the old days. When Regina had just started working for Gold and she and Mel would work on cases together, often going off on tangents in the middle of pulling late nights and discussing wild nights out and sexual exploits (Mel's, not Regina's. Regina had a newborn to take care of and a career to carve out, but she'd enjoyed listening to her colleague's antics all the same).
A little relief has wormed its way into her chest, letting up some of the heaviness that's been pressing down so hard she's found it nigh on impossible to breathe for the past two weeks. Mel might well be pissed she's been holding out on her, she might well be pissed they've jeopardized Robin's case, but Regina feels with some certainty that anger will pass, and the two of them will go back to how things used to be before long.
Regina will still roll her eyes over Mel's crazy, dramatic life. Only this time, she will be caring for a dimple-cheeked four-year-old, and quite possibly be nursing a broken heart.
"So," she starts after another pause, "Robin admitted I was there with him then?"
"He did, in the end. Lance threatened to call social services again and he just gave up. Graham just wants to check your story corroborates his, and then you'll both be free to go."
"I'm done lying. I'll tell Hunt whatever he wants to know. I just want to go home and get Roland," Regina admits. "And then spend the day thinking what the hell I'm gonna tell Gold tomorrow." The second the words have left her throat, Mel winces. "What?" Regina asks, not masking the edge to her voice.
"I'm sorry," is the first thing Mel says back. "I didn't think anything like this would happen, I just thought Robin was in trouble again, and well..."
"Oh god, Mel. You didn't?"
"I called Gold on the way down here. He knows Robin's been brought here for questioning, he's expecting a phone call with details the second I'm done."
Mel feels bad, Regina can tell as much from her expression, but that doesn't stop the irritation coursing through her body.
"The only reason I called you was because I didn't want Gold knowing yet!"
"He's got to find out sometime!"
"I know that, but not today, not now! On his last free weekend before the trial, when he'll be doing God knows what to ensure Robin gets the verdict we want. Oh god, Mel! I cannot believe you called him!" Regina whines, slaps her hand to her forehead and screws up her eyes.
Just when her day couldn't get much worse. Now she will have to face Gold.
"Look, I'm sorry I called him without telling you, but don't you think it'll be for the best? Just rip the bandaid off, quick and painless," Mel reasons.
Regina stares at her, expression deadpan.
"Okay, maybe not painless," Mel says. "But the faster you get it out with him, the faster you can start putting all this behind you."
She's right. Regina knows she's right, but it doesn't stop the dread creeping through her veins, doesn't placate the nausea or stop bile rising up her throat. Mel was right in what she promised earlier - Gold will blow his top. And what's more, she knows he will have every right to.
She folds her arms over the desk and drops her head down dramatically, a groan leaving her lips as an ache in the base of her skull begins to make itself known. There's a tiny part (okay, she's lying, there's a large part) of herself that wants Robin there, wants to take him and have them face Gold together because they're a team, because they're in this together. But mostly, because she's scared to do so by herself.
Perhaps scared isn't the right word. Apprehensive. Yes. She's apprehensive because Gold has a way of making her feel two inches tall, reminds her of her mother in some ways. He has a way of calling to the side of herself that reeks of self-loathing, that questions every decision, every thought she has.
Ha, some ways indeed. Gold has a way of reminding her of Mother in almost every way.
Taking Robin would be like having an anchor. Having someone there to catch her if she fell to pieces, or worse, if she flew off the handle. She can feel it now, the illogical anger at Gold already worming its way into her system for a reaction he hasn't even given her yet. Fifteen years of issues with that man - your work will never make the cut, Regina; you might have won that case but you still didn't do as I would have; what do you mean you can't put more hours in? Because of an infant that doesn't even belong to you? I'm disappointed, I'll admit. Perhaps Zelena would like this case instead - beginning to niggle away at her being. Pick, pick, picking as she tries to breathe deep and halt the rage.
She hasn't even thought about Sidney Glass's case yet.
"I know you're right," she tells Mel, snaps herself from her thoughts before she gets too worked up. "I'll go and see him this afternoon."
Maybe it won't be so bad, she reasons - all the while knowing it will be every bit as bad as she suspects, and then some. She can't take Robin with her no matter how much she might want to. It's not professional, it certainly won't do her any favours, and if it brings out all the shit he's put her through over the years, then she most definitely doesn't want Robin there to hear it.
Mel nods, then gets up with a sigh, tells Regina she'd better let the five-O in before Lance breaks down the door and arrests them both for halting his Sunday in the pub, then opens the door for the DIs to make their way inside.
"So," Graham starts after the formalities are put to bed. "Tell me, Miss Mills. What did you do yesterday?"
-§-
They grill her. Sap her of every bit of information they have a right to know. How long have they been in a relationship? Is she aware of how unethical it is? Why is she Roland's guardian? What did they do yesterday? What time did they go to bed? How does she know Robin didn't leave her sleeping to go and break into Killian's?
"Because we were both awake at the time you're saying the break in happened," she begrudges, sits up a little straighter and purses her lips because she just knows what's coming next.
"You were still awake at one thirty in the morning? After spending the day running around after a four-year-old?" Lance asks skeptically. Regina raises one eyebrow.
"Yes. What's your point?"
"Well it just seems a little unbelievable. My nephew is that age, and my brother is out like a light by ten. Looking after children that small is exhausting. Seems to me, Robin could have easily slipped out while you were asleep, unless of course you were absolutely sure of the time," Lance says. Graham shoots a glance his partner's way, frowns a little in a way that tells Regina even he thinks that's a bit of a stretch.
She sighs heavily, all of a sudden very aware that even Mel's attention has been caught, and folds her arms defensively. "I was asleep. I woke up at just after 1AM, just in time to catch the end of a movie Robin was watching. We were awake for at least forty-five minutes after that."
"How can you be sure?" And, "What movie was it?" Are the questions Regina is met with from each of the detectives. The men share a glance, and Lance nods for Graham to go ahead. He repeats his question.
"What was the movie he was watching?" he asks, makes Regina think he's asking because Robin has already answered this.
"Armageddon. It was on BBC One," she says firmly, then turns her attention to Lance.
"How can you be sure you didn't drop back off sooner than one thirty?"
She glares at him for a beat, feels herself getting angrier by the second that she's having to give away details that she considers too personal for anyone other than herself and Robin to know, then snaps, "Because we were having pretty intense sex for a good while after the movie finished. Do you want me to go into detail with that, too?"
Graham coughs, clears his throat, but Regina pays him no mind, keeps her eyes fixed on Lance, who has clearly got the answer he wanted. "What did time you..."
"You want to know what time I finished?" she bites, leans forward on the table to mirror the DI's stance.
"Can you be sure what time you went to sleep?" He corrects.
"It was around two..." She starts, throws a look to Mel whose expression is telling her not to lie. "But I can't be one hundred percent sure," she sighs, then builds her resolve, adds, "But I can tell you that when you showed up this morning, we hadn't moved an inch from how we fell asleep."
Because she needs to add something, anything to let them know that she is absolutely positive Robin didn't do it. Even if she is unsure on the exact times they stopped having sex.
Graham sighs heavily, shoots his eyes over to his partner, who nods with a slight frown, then says, "Alright, we're done here."
"You believe us?" Regina asks, an edge of surprise to her voice. "We can go home?"
"Your stories both check out," Lance assures. "You can go. But Robin will have to stay overnight-"
"What? Why?" Mel interrupts, glaring at Lance. "He's answered your questions, he's provided you with an airtight alibi. Why are you keeping him?"
"Perhaps if you give me a chance to finish, you'll find out," he quips back, makes Mel's nostrils flare, but she does keep quiet, stares at him icily while he carries on with, "It's a little more complicated than it usually would be because of the terms of Mr. Locksley's bail. All we need to do is wait for the appropriate people to double check our statements and oversee his release."
"So call the people that need calling, then. Let's get a move on, shall we?" Mel urges.
"It's not quite that simple, Miss Fentt, I wish it were," Graham chimes in calmly. "The people we need work 9-5, Monday to Friday. We won't be able to call through until tomorrow morning at the earliest."
Regina feels her shoulders deflate, exhales through her nose as the dull ache throbbing at the base of her skull gets stronger because she knows they're right, has had a feeling since she arrived at Scotland Yard that getting Robin out wouldn't be as clean cut as she'd like because of his bail conditions, and while he hasn't exactly been arrested, the fact that he's been questioned as a suspect will raise some flags against his current status with the law. Mel seems to realise there's no way around it, sighs heavily beside Regina and gives Lance the smallest of nods.
The four stand, make to leave the room when Regina halts her steps. "Can I..." She starts, then bites the inside of her cheek as the others turn to face her. She looks Graham dead in the eyes; if she's going to get the answer she wants, she knows it's him she needs to ask.
Lance will say no in a heartbeat.
Luckily for Regina, Lance is not heading the investigation.
She clears her throat, "Can I please see him before I go?" Lance snorts at the suggestion, mutters, not bloody likely. Just the reaction she suspected then. She carries on before Graham can so much as open his mouth to reply with, "Look, I'd get you saying no if you'd have arrested him, but you haven't. You're only keeping him here because of a formality you can't get around, and I'd really like to make sure he knows Roland isn't going anywhere without me."
He gauges her for a second, hands on his hips, flicks his eyes between his partner and Mel before glancing back her way and giving her a small nod. "You can see him-"
"Graham," Lance says, voice warning. "The Sarg won't like it."
He ignores his partner, reiterates, "You can see him, but only with myself or a lawyer present."
Regina contemplates his words. Graham or Mel. Graham or Mel... Graham would be less awkward, he's near enough a stranger, she doesn't care what he thinks. But Mel being in the room would just make everything a little less... tense. It's not her favourite scenario, but her gut tells her Robin would be more at ease with a face in the room he knows is on his side. Twice now, Graham has hauled him into a custody suite and grilled him over crimes he isn't guilty of - Regina doubts very much he'd appreciate getting to see her if the officer who charged him with murder was breathing down their necks.
"Mel can come, can't she?" she asks, and he nods in return.
Minutes seem like seconds, and before she knows it, she's back in front of the door to the room Robin is being held in. Nerves bubble up in her belly; she hopes to God he isn't angry with her, that he understands she's done this for him, for Roland. Hopes he won't begrudge her for making a huge decision about their lives and their relationship without so much as a warning word to him before hand. But what could she have done? Listen to him pathetically attempt to reason his lack of alibi? Sit there and wince as Graham and Lance re-arrested him? Let Roland be taken away by social services and lost in a system that would never give him the life he deserves?
Over her dead body.
"You've got two minutes." Graham's voice snaps her back to reality, back to the door she's facing, and Regina is forced to swallow down the anxiety she's feeling (the anxiety she loathes, because she never for one second thought she could ever feel nervous, ever feel bad about seeing Robin, and yet, there is something about this godforsaken door that sits between them that has her insides feeling like they're being churned in a washer).
He stands as they enter, Graham holding the door open for Mel and Regina to step through, frowns at her, his blue eyes confused as the detective repeats again, just two minutes, and then the door is swung shut behind them and that's it. They're alone.
Kind of.
Mel catches her eyes, folds her arms and then suddenly finds something very interesting in a chip in the paintwork of the ceiling, looks up, and turns her back on the couple. Regina feels the corners of her mouth twitch. Well... At least she's attempting to pretend she's not about to hang on every word they say to one another, and not for the first time, Regina sends up a prayer of thanks that Mel is so adept at staying out of drama that isn't her own.
"Are you alright?" She asks Robin, when she turns back around and takes one step closer towards him.
He ignores her question, meets her with another step until their bodies are pressed together and his hand his stroking her cheek, fingers in her hair as he quietly asks, "Are you alright?"
She gives him a small smile, feels relief flood her veins - he doesn't seem angry with her, just concerned, just her usual, lovely-albeit-stressed boyfriend. She leans into his touch and shrugs, says, "I'm fine... It had to come crashing down at some point, right?"
"I'm so sorry I dragged you into all this," he says sadly, eyes guilty and shoulders deflated, but she won't have that. Won't have him feeling the brunt of a situation that is just as much on her as it is on him, reaches up to hold his face and stroke the stubble along his jaw.
"You didn't drag me into anything, Robin."
Her words do nothing to abate the sadness in his eyes though, the blue of his irises just a little duller than usual, like he's rapidly losing hope and has resigned himself to his life never being what it was before the law labeled him a criminal.
"They believe us, don't they?"
"Yes," she assures. "They believe us. They're not gonna call social services either, but..." It pains her to say it, makes her chest ache for him as he mutters, but what? Makes her eyebrows knit together as she admits, "But they can't let you come home tonight."
"What? Why? They can't keep me here without arresting me," the outrage in his voice all too apparent.
"Yes, they can," Regina replies grimly, absentmindedly strokes her thumbs along his cheekbones, a ridiculous attempt to comfort him through a situation that will likely never have a silver lining. "They can hold you for up to twenty-four hours for questioning without arresting you. It's only because of your bail terms, Robin. They've gotta do this officially, do it properly or it'll end up going against you in court. I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do."
He sighs heavily. "It's just for one night?"
"Just until they can get a hold of the right people to make sure nothing affects your bail conditions."
He nods then, accepts what she's telling him, drops his head forwards to rest against her own. "What will you tell Roland?"
"I'll think of something. Wendy's already texted me saying he's fine. Don't worry about Roland, I've got him."
"I didn't sign his homework book to say we did his reading, and there's still that alphabet sheet we didn't finish. It's-"
"It's on the fridge, I know, we can finish it later. And I already signed his homework book, stop stressing, I told you... I've got this," she repeats firmly, and he nods one more time, leans in to kiss her chastely before pulling her body closer still, wrapping one arm around her middle while the other holds the back of her head. She squeezes him back, breathes him in, feels goosebumps pucker along her skin and the hairs on her arms stand on end because this custody suite, this room meant only to house thieves and murderers and the degenerates of society is cold. Lacks any warmth in its sparse furniture and dirty white walls, a bare box with a two-way mirror that she's sure they're being watched through as he holds her close.
Regina clears her throat, pulls back a little so she can see Robin's face once again, gives him a small smile as she assures him, I'll see you tomorrow, then runs her hands up and down the tops of his arms. He's still wearing their hoodie and sweats, never had time to throw on a tee underneath (she makes a mental note to ask Graham to at least give him something to put on under the sweater) and she can just make out the top of his bare chest, the zipper only pulled so far in his haste to get Roland to Wendy's and get Graham out of his house before he realised Regina was there.
A scrambled effort that now seems utterly futile.
She kisses him again, a little harder than before, ignores the sharp knock on the door that tells her their time is up, and presses her body against his.
"Regina," she hears Mel's voice, is surprised because her colleague's tone sounds reluctant. As though even Mel doesn't want to leave Robin here by himself. She exhales slightly, pulls back and turns to see her blonde friend standing with her hand on the door handle, watching the pair with a little sorrow in her eyes.
"Go," Robin tells her. "I'll be fine, and I'll see you tomorrow."
One last kiss, a peck, a habit of see-you-laters, and before the bad feeling in her gut can get the better of her, she turns on her heel, gives his hand a final squeeze.
And then she's gone.
