A/N:Hey! Sorry for the long wait! My betas and I are trying to work on another schedule so you won't have to wait that long between chapters. But well, you know, work, school, life... You don't always choose. I see chapter 10 didn't get a lot of reviews, but I still got a lot of fav and follows anyway so I guess you're not ready to burn me on a pyre yet XD Thanks to everyone who's reading this fic, especially when they take the time to tell me what they think of it. Which makes me think... Thank you to Cris and Kseni who always send me a nice message on twitter to tell me if they appreciated my work! I forgot until now but I'm finally making it up to you! Also, I'm trying to be more precise with the timeline indications by locating the chapter in regard of the previous one at the beginning, so you won't be too confused as this part won't move forward in time in matter of years but in matter of days or weeks. My Lea, you probably won't read that chapter before 2017 but the last scene has been inspired by something you told me.

I hope, my dear readers, that you will like it! It's for you! (But read the rest of the chapter before please XD)

Present

Her smile is wide and her look softens when she thinks of that day, that moment, that second when hope entered her life again.

With her promise to come back, Tinkerbell gave her life again. She found that flame Robin had been carefully maintaining and turned it into a blaze. She lit up that sparkle of hope that had been set aside and drowned under all the despair.

"I was sure Tinkerbell would be back, even though nothing was ensuring that she could bring help with her. Nonetheless, her words healed a part of my broken heart, and I don't know if it was just the promise her presence held or if she actually did something to me, and it doesn't matter. She brought me back from my dazed state, opened my eyes to what I had to do. I didn't have to suffer my mother's wrath. And just the thought of it gave my mind a lightness I hadn't felt in days..."

Thirteen months and a week earlier

The day after Tinkerbell's visit

Robin sits on the edge of the bed and takes a moment to look at her. She's on her back, head turned away from him, hands on each side, her long silky dark hair spread all over the pillow. She seems so peaceful, not at all the way she's been over the last weeks. She's beautiful. Gorgeous. Regina still takes his breath away every time he lays eyes on her, and his heart is full of love for that woman he's so lucky to call his wife. He brushes a strand of hair away from her forehead, watches as her breath hitches and then simply waits as her head turns to face him, leaning into his touch even though she's still sound asleep.

He doesn't want to wake her up, doesn't want to rip her away from this first moment of abandon, the first real sleep she's had in days, the first time she can forget. But he has to, it's the middle of the day. So he keeps stroking her forehead, leans forward, whispers her name softly and smiles when she scrunches up her nose and slightly whines as she's pulled away from her dreams.

When she opens her eyes, it's to meet two blue orbs staring at her with adoration, and she can't help but smile. Regina leans into Robin's hand even more, bringing her own to cup his cheek.

"Hello, beautiful!"

"Hey!" she murmurs, her voice hoarse from sleep, forcing her to clear her throat.

"How do you feel?"

She lets out a content sigh as she's still in the blissful moment of the after sleep, before the recent events come back to her.

"Better," she admits, stirring and letting her arms fall back on the mattress in a low thud. "No nightmare this time. How long have I slept?"

He smirks, cocking his head mischievously, and she frowns. "How about half the day?" he answers with a smile and a wink and her eyes open wide. "I wanted to let you sleep, but we just finished lunch and-"

Regina interrupts him as she starts to get up, but he pushes her down against the mattress gently, the back of his fingers stroking her cheek.

"Lunch?" she asks, astonished. She didn't realize when she fell asleep last night, but it makes sense now that the tiredness has partially faded. Her heart had been full of hope over Tinkerbell's visit, over the possibility of getting help from someone powerful, someone with magic, good magic. Her mind must have managed to relax enough to let her get some rest, finally.

"Yes. But take your time, there's no rush. I just thought it'd be better to wake you up now instead of letting you sleep until bedtime," he teases, and she smiles at him with a hint of amusement in her eyes, feeling better, flirtatious, not at all the way she's been lately.

"Because I'd have kept you awake all night," she answers playfully, and he chuckles as her hand finds her way to his thigh, squeezing lightly.

He leans forward as she meets him halfway, kissing him, bringing him with her when she leans back onto the bed. She moves to the side to give him some space, and he lies down, never once breaking the kiss. Their bodies are pressed against each other, their legs tangled as she pushes the sheets away, hands wandering, breaths already deep and short. She lets out a low moan as his tongue traces her lower lip, and her hand heads down his body, trailing a soft path on his chest and abdomen, stopping at his belt and starting to remove the buckle.

He pulls back to ask, as her intention is pretty clear, and because they haven't since she lost the baby.

"Are you sure?"

Regina bites her lower lip and nods, but he notices there's still a trace of anxiety there so he grabs her hand before it reaches its goal.

"Regina, are you sure you're ready?" he insists, and the cocky smile is gone, her hand squeezing his as she lets out a soft but determined breath. "If you're only doing this for me-"

"No, Robin! It's not just for you. I want you. I need you. Please!"

It's the pleading that gets to him, the honestly in her words and tone, his doubts gone in an instant.

Robin nods, smiles and brings a hand to her cheek, sliding to cup her neck and pulling her closer, their mouths colliding but this time there's more desire, more lust, more hurry. They're naked in no time, clothes discarded on the floor, bodies pressed tightly against each other, and Regina's head snaps back on a gasp when he enters her, her arms winding around his neck as she moves along with him.

Regina has to fight to be silent, because it's the middle of the day, and a tent doesn't provide a sound proof protection, and the camp is wide awake on the other side. But God, she missed him, she missed him so much even though she spent every minute of every day with him.

She missed them.

She regrets the way she pulled away from him, regrets her actions towards him, or rather lack of them. In this hell they're living, this is heaven, it's relief, it's pleasure, it's intimacy, and she loves him so much, so very much.

Her thoughts are interrupted by a very strong pulse of pleasure, forcing Regina to tear her mouth away from his when she can't suppress a hiss of his name, way too loud considering the time and place but she's already struggling to swallow down her moans. Robin quiets her with a kiss, before she presses her lips together, and against his skin, buries her face in his neck, muffles herself there, her eyes shut tight as she's overwhelmed by a pleasure so intense her body shakes and quakes in his hold. She hikes her legs higher on his sides when he hooks his elbows under her knees, allowing him to get deeper, allowing him to reach that spot inside her that makes her head dizzy and her thoughts incoherent.

Regina grips at his ribs, his back, his shoulders, fingernails digging into his skin, but he doesn't seem to mind, instead quickens his pace, and grunts above her, brings his hand between them to cup her breast and oh, this is perfect, this is-

Her back arches the moment she lets out a rather loud cry slip past her lips, but she can't bring herself to care as he's spreading her orgasm with each and every one of his thrusts. She sees lights, and stars, and fireworks behind her shut eyelids. She's blissfully unaware of his body stiffening and filling her when he comes a moment later, of his weight upon her as he recovers from his own peak, before he lets himself fall on the bed next to her, his arm still wrapped around her waist, his nose against her jaw, forehead against her cheek, heavy breath in her neck.

Wow! That was definitely a good idea. They should have done it sooner, she thinks. It would have helped her relax immensely, helped them reconnect. Although that's exactly what they just did, but if she'd allowed him in before, things would have been... But overthinking won't help, so she shakes the thought away.

Instead, her hand reaches for his on her belly, and she links their fingers, turns her head just enough to brush her lips against his forehead. She then moves to face him, closes the small distance between them, letting his hand slide along her side and to her back while hers follows the path of his arm, up until she finds his hair. She clutches there and scratches slightly, earning little shivers from him in reward. They end up facing each other, breathing each other, her leg on top of his as she hooks her ankle behind his knee, bringing him closer, even though they only parted moments ago, where he's now soft and her leaking him.

They stay as they are, face to face, wrapped in each other's arms instead of him holding her, her mouth seeking his instead of turning away. She trails her fingers through his hair, on his neck, his face, her eyes closed, feeling him, picturing him, anchoring his face in her mind so she will never forget again how much she loves him, how much of a good man he is, how much he deserves to live. Now she knows she might have a way to protect him and she will do anything to keep him safe from Cora.

When she finally opens her eyes, long after their breaths have turned back to a regular rhythm, she finds him looking at her intensely, and there is so much love in his eyes her heart misses a beat. The fingers in his hair reach for his chin, and she rubs it tenderly.

She takes a deep breath, because she knows what she has to say will break the blissfulness of the moment, will bring them back into their harsh reality. She doesn't want to go back to that state of mind full of heartbreak and grief, wants to lock herself in this bubble of pure love with her husband forever. But she knows she has to, they need to discuss it, so she admits slowly, "Robin, I have something to tell you."

He pulls back just enough to look at her comfortably, her hand falling on the mattress between them, and she lifts it to his arm, holding onto him as he questions "What is it?"

She observes him for a moment. She loves him so much, so much it hurts sometimes, and she misses him even when she's with him, because he's everything to her.

And this is why she came to that conclusion.

This is why she took that decision.

Because Daniel might have been her first love. A man who had her heart for years and who always will. But Robin has not only her heart, but her mind, her body, soul, trust, her entire being and he helped her become the person she is now, helped her change and grow up and love again.

Because they are one heart and one soul.

Because if she loses him she loses herself.

Because if he dies, then she dies with him.

Some people say they wouldn't survive the loss of their lover, and now she understands. Because this connection between them is stronger than any feeling she's ever experienced, she can feel it in her whole self. In the way goosebumps flare just by a simple touch. In the pang of love striking her heart every time she lays her eyes on him. In the butterflies filling her to the brim when they're about to make love. In the way his smile makes her smile. How his kisses are the most soothing medication.

Regina sees it now. With a less acute pain, she can see the extent of his effect on her. She knew he was the reason she was still here, the reason why she hadn't given up. But how he actually did manage to heal a part of her wounds, how he didn't just kept her at the surface but pulled her out of the water, that much she'd never realized before. It wasn't just Tinkerbell's visit. It was his sheepish confession. Her realization of his pain, of his grief. And then the kiss. The moment their souls became one again.

The moment she let him in again.

"I..." She starts, unsure of herself, so she takes her strength from him, her courage. She revels in the comfort his simple presence and touch bring her, always mesmerized by the power he has on her. She thought Daniel was her true love, but unless you can have several, he wasn't. Robin is, of that she is sure. And true love, as they say, is the most powerful magic of all.

"After Tinkerbell came to us, I thought about something, something I didn't think was possible. Something I'd started to give up on."

She holds his gaze, a new resolution in her eyes, and she notices a trace of fear in his as he dreads her words, as he's probably afraid whatever decision she made on her own would result in their separation. If only he knew... If only he even had a small idea of the depth of her love for him...

"I want to fight back."

Her voice is strong and steady, surprising him with the conviction of her tone.

"I don't want you to be in danger, especially because of me." He starts to speak but she shakes her head to shush him. "But I also don't want to be kept away from you. I love you too much, Robin, and I need you. I really need you, more than you can imagine. So..." She draws the word, her gaze a bit sheepish because she actually thought of doing the exact opposite of what she's about to say. "I won't run away. I won't hide. Not anymore. I don't mean I will confront her tomorrow out in the open, but I won't stay hidden at the camp for the next years as I did in the beginning. And I won't let you down. I will fight, Robin. I will fight her, for you, for us, what we have and what we lost,"

She pauses, looks down, whispering the next words, because it's what led her here, the reason why she ran away from a wealthy loveless wedding.

"For me." And then raising her head to look up at him "I won't let her take you like she took Daniel and our baby. As soon as Tinkerbell is back, I want to work on a plan to definitely be free of my mother's wrath. She's done hurting us, she went too far."

She finishes her speech in a calm voice, almost surprising herself by the softness and acceptance of her tone, her lack of anger, not at all the way she was when she lost Daniel, because thanks to Robin she learned to love instead of hate, and she's not a child anymore. She's a woman, a wife, a friend, and if she has to give her life to save Robin from her mother, if it is what it takes to save the man she loves, then she will do it in a heartbeat.

Robin doesn't speak, doesn't answer, just looks at her, looks at her, really, deeply, and he brings a hand to her face, smiles as she leans into its warmth, bringing her own hand to cover his.

"I'm glad you said that. Because there's no way in hell I'm going to let that woman come between us." Regina smiles softly at him, as he continues. "I don't know what I would do without you. I didn't know it was possible to love someone that much before you, Regina. You're my whole world, and I will do everything within my power to build us a safe future."

Regina leans forward when he's done, and presses their lips together. It's soft, but full of promises, soothing. When she pulls back, hesitation has taken place on her face, because she knows he won't leave her, but the next part of her plan is more complicated.

Because it's not just them. They're married, partners for life, but their family is more extended than just the two of them and their lost child, and Regina is more than aware that every person who will take her side is also taking the risk of never returning from the fight.

"Robin," she calls softly, her face only inches from his, her hand still on his. "There is something else." He frowns deeply, a question in his eyes, and she sits in the bed, lets him do the same. "I don't want to bring our friends into a battle they didn't ask to be a part of. I won't force them to fight for me if they don't want to."

"So let's ask them!"

He starts getting up from the bed, bends over to gather his scattered clothes, and she looks at him with a lifted brow and an opened mouth. "Now?"

He stops and turns to face her, saying in the most natural voice, "Better not waste any time, don't you think?"

In front of her slight pout, because she was clearly enjoying the naked closeness between them, the intimacy, the reconnection, he smirks, leans forward to brush his fingers along her hairline, tucking a lock behind her ear, and bringing her face close to his.

"Don't worry! Now that I finally have you back, I have no intentions to stop enjoying that wonderful body of yours, my love!"

She smacks his arm playfully, falsely offended, because a smile has pierced through her serious façade, but all he does is press his lips to hers, receding with a finger tucked under her chin to force her to keep his gaze.

"We will start back right where we left off tonight, once everyone is heavily sleeping. That way you won't have to hold back." His smirk breaks into a wide grin when he finally sees that sparkle back in her eyes, and she grins back, squeezes the hand that holds his weight on the mattress and kisses him one last time.

"Deal!"

xxx

"Are you seriously asking us that?"

The force and anger in John's voice pains her, because if she wasn't sure he would endanger his family by risking his life to help her, she hoped that at least, he would consider the idea. She shakes her head, raises a hand to halt him, steps forward, an apology on her tongue.

"How could you even think we wouldn't want to fight by your side?" Alan states solemnly.

Regina stops in her tracks, freezes, mouth open as she was about to talk, her features shifting from concern to confusion, then realization, and her eyes wander among the faces staring at her, because she was wrong.

They are not shocked because she dared to ask them if they would fight for her in this new war. They are hurt that the thought of them staying away from it ever crossed her mind. That she considered they would turn their back on her. That they would let her and Robin down.

"But-" she starts, and Eric closes the distance between them, reaches out for her hand and brings it to his chest, drawing her gaze to his face as he talks to her.

"Not buts! We're a team, all of us," he says warmly, gesturing behind him. "And we almost lost you twice already. Do not ask us to back off now when we finally have the opportunity to protect you."

She stares at him, disbelief and gratefulness fighting in her mind and eyes, bewildered by these people's kindness and yes, they proved themselves to her more than once, but she'll never stop being amazed by how lucky she is for having them in her life.

Regina squeezes his hand back, not looking away, and when he starts pulling her in a hug she meets him willingly, wraps her free arm around him as her other is still stuck between them. She holds onto him, closes her eyes, feels the reassuring rubbing of his hand on her back, and her voice is low and shaky when she murmurs, although loud enough that he won't be the only one to hear.

"Thank you."

She feels him tighten his grip on her before loosening, pulling back just enough to press a kiss to her temple.

"Always."

The warmth of Robin's palm settles in her lower back when Eric steps back so she can face all of her friends. John, Alan, Eric, Arthur, Dean, Gilbert, Colin, Gauthier, Rowan, Ian, Anton, and all the others.

She's a woman among men, something that could be considered improper in this place and time, but right now, with her friends around her and her husband by her side, she could not be prouder to be a part of them.

Right now, she's exactly where she belongs.

Present

"Consciously or not, we increased the intensity of our training. By stepping out of my stupor state, I decided to keep my mind as busy as I could to prevent myself from sinking again, so I went back to the training field. It took me a lot of efforts. My baby was still very present in my thoughts and the weariness hadn't disappeared fully, despite the fact I finally was able to close my eyes long enough to actually sleep for several hours, but I managed to find a balance between my grief and my duty, as tenuous as it was.

We had a few new recruits, young and older kids, most of the time orphans, sometimes runners, loners, that we didn't want to involve in the fight. But we kept forming them anyway. Teaching was a good way to practice and focus, to remember the basics.

It was also a good way to keep myself busy. I had one particular student, with who I'd bonded from the start. We met not very long after my wedding, but my melancholia made me pull away from him. It was hard, taking care of a kid, even if older, and this one wasn't like Connor, he didn't have parents to look after him. But I figured recovering from what I went through didn't only include easy paths, and this boy had done nothing wrong. I wasn't ready to be more than a teacher though, so we only resumed the lessons that had been left aside because of my mother's actions. It wasn't everything he needed, but it was all I could give him at that time.

And as I taught him archery, I could stay occupied long enough to forget for at least a few hours that Tinkerbell still wasn't back. She told us she needed a few days, but the wait seemed to last forever. Her next visit only happened maybe less than a week later, but it felt like months..."

A few days later

She moves right behind him, angles his arm just a bit up, spreads his feet with her own, her hands on his hips to keep him straight, the tip of her finger lifting his chin ever so slightly, before she steps back.

"Remember, Matthew," Regina says softly, "do not release your arrow until you're ready. If you're not sure, then you'll miss."

She crosses her arms on her chest, moves a few steps to the side so she can watch his face focusing and his eyes blinking repeatedly.

The boy is young, only twelve. Not an orphan, but a runner. A kind boy she and Amelia met three months ago, as he tried to rob them of their purchases when they were in a town called Rotherhamer, a place they are used to go to a few times a month. Regina caught him red-handed. Literally. She grabbed his wrist as it plunged into Amelia's bag, and only released it when she was sure he wouldn't run away from them. She took a good look at him, from head to toe, to the slim figure, ripped clothes, trembling fingers and fearful eyes. She sat him on a bench at a corner of the market, pulled a large piece of bread from her own bag, glancing at Amelia, who wore the same face she did, and held it to the boy.

He took it hesitantly, muttered a weak thank you, and bit eagerly into it, his face sagging in relief. The two women encouraged him to talk, to tell them his story, and it took him a moment to decide but he relented. He confessed his father was a drunk man beating him during the day and his mother during the night, until one day she managed to steal and give him the keys to the front door to allow him to escape while she distracted her husband. It had happened almost a year before, and he'd been wandering in the kingdom and trying to survive on his own ever since.

It took the two friends less than a minute to take a decision, and after an unspoken agreement, they offered him a place at their camp.

Matthew never left. He recovered quickly from the months he spent alone, starving, before beginning to help around his new home and adjusting to it. Not only by going to the math, spelling, writing and reading classes that were organized at the camp, but also by listening to Regina as she explained patiently how to construct a bow -it's the first weapon the Merry Men teach the youngest children, because it doesn't require the closeness to an opponent that's needed with all the other weapons, and its lightness is more adequate with their strength-, how to use it, and why. He'd succeeded in making his own before the whole story with Cora happened, but never got the chance to use it until the previous day.

And now, it's his second lesson, the second time he holds a bow in his hands. The boy is smart, but not very confident, is actually pretty shy, and his first time shooting, half his arrows met the floor shortly after leaving his bow, the other half barely scratching the bottom edge of the target before sliding past it on the ground.

Regina knows he looks up to her, looks up to a motherly figure, someone to guide him, take care of him, and even if she's in no state to be that for him right now, she tries really hard not to close all the doors between them, because her own internal struggles shouldn't have consequences on innocents, not more than they already have.

He glances at her, at her approval, her nod, and she frowns, shakes her head, tilts it towards the target in front of him.

"Don't get distracted," she reminds kindly but firmly. "I can't make the decision for you. Only you know if your arrow will hit."

He straightens his spine again, pulls on the string he slightly released, takes a deep breath, and... sighs, drops his head, resignation on his face when he releases the pressure on the string and arrow.

"I can't do it."

"Matthew..." she sighs.

"I missed every time the other day!" he recalls with a shrug. "I'm not good at this."

Regina takes two determined steps and grabs his arm with one hand, tilts his chin up with the other, guiding his eyes to lock with hers.

"And you think I succeeded the first time?" she says in a strong voice. "This is your second lesson here, the second time you hold a bow in your hands to actually shoot. You will miss the target again. You will be frustrated with your failures." She squeezes his arm slightly, a small smile on her face. "But you will also make progress, learn with every shot what you did wrong to correct it, and one day you will become as good as I am. But you need to work really hard for that. You need to learn not to give up at the first obstacle or fear to fail."

She wins a shy smile in answer, but instead of getting in position, he hands her his bow and arrow, his voice sheepish when he asks, "Can you show me again?"

She's about to argue that he had the opportunity to watch her practice for weeks, that he knows very well what to do, she showed him several times already, that he needs to do it himself, but he cuts her.

"Please! Just once more."

Regina runs a hand through her hair, but relentlessly grabs the bow, testing it in her hands, because it's not hers. It's lighter, smaller, the balance is different, but she can manage.

She takes the boy's place as he steps back, readies an arrow, pulls on the string, her eyes fixed on the target, her body in position, her breathing calm and deep. The tip of her fingers is tingling, the need to release always present at the well-known feeling of this weapon between her hands, and she closes her eyes for a second, but just one, opens them, ready to shoot, and she slowly starts to relieve the pressure from...

"Do you know what the sight of you with a bow does to me, my love?"

Damn!

She misses her goal from one or two inches to the right as she jumps and turns around, letting the arrow fly without full control over its trajectory. It's still a very good shot, given the circumstances and distraction, but it's not enough to find her satisfied, and she bites her tongue in frustration.

Regina gives her husband a glare, but all this idiot does is grin at her, and of course, Little John and Alan would be right behind him, eyeing her with a smirk of their own and playful eyes, knowing very well what her reaction would be.

She pokes Robin in the ribs, hard enough to make him wince but not enough to bruise or truly hurt, pushing at his chest as he tries to wind his arms around her and call her name in a teasing pleading. She takes a few steps until she reaches her own bow resting against a tree nearby, and longer arrows made for the adults, doesn't give anyone time to react as she gets in position again. This time, she knows this weapon, knows the exact trajectory it creates, and it only takes her a couple of seconds before perfectly hitting the center point of the target, plastering a smug and proud grin on her face, one eyebrow raised in victory when she turns to look at Robin and their friends.

"Is this good enough for you?" she asks mockingly, moving towards her husband, her head ducked to the side, the sparkle in her eyes answering his own amusement, and he crosses his arms on his chest, leans against a tree.

"It does look quite good, I have to give you that," Robin answers with a grin, chuckles at his wife's narrowed eyes, then turns his head to speak directly to the young boy eyeing them with admiration. "How is the lesson going, Matthew?"

"Good, sirrr... Robin," the boy corrects quickly at the look Robin gives him. "Regina is an excellent teacher. I'm just not a very good student I'm afraid," he answers with a guilty shrug.

"Okay, enough self-deprecation and boot licking!" Regina steps in, drawing her arm around Matthew's shoulders and guiding him to the spot she was standing on seconds ago, shoving his bow and an arrow in his hands. "You need to stop questioning your abilities, and practice, and you," she says pointedly looking at her husband and bending slightly to the side to glance at John and Alan, "need to get out of our way."

She's already focused on helping the boy in the right position when she hears her husband's voice.

"As you wish, Milady."

She can't suppress a smile, even though she knows he can't see her, especially because he can't see her.

God, that man does things to her even with a few words and a cocky grin!

The first arrow, as expected, lands on the floor, head first, the strength not even enough to dig it into the earth. She forces another arrow into Matthew's hand, firmly turns his body face to the target, shushing his protests with an authoritative tone, holding back a sigh at each of his failed attempts, because he keeps telling her he's not talented enough, that she's wasting her time with him, until she's losing her patience.

Regina cups his chin with enough force that he has no choice but to meet her determined eyes, and she closes the distance between them, her face only inches from his.

"If I hear one more word of that crap, I swear I'll make you eat that bow!" His brow shoots up with surprise, but she doesn't give him time to answer. "I won't give up on you, Matthew. So you sit on your self critical side, because right now I need you to focus on what you're doing, and forget your fear of failure. Now get in position!" she orders, stepping back, and he's too stunned to argue, does as she says shyly, unsettled by the force of her tone.

The minute he's ready, she moves behind him, her chest against his back, each of her feet behind his, one hand covering his on the bow, the other holding his fingers on the string. She ducks her head down so her mouth is close to his ear, her voice firm but soft and encouraging, her body adjusting to the height's difference and moving with the boy's when the balance is not perfect, her arm guiding his when the angle is not right, her breath tickling his hair.

"Do you see the target?" He doesn't move anything else but his head when he nods. "Good," she answers. "Now close your eyes."

She waits until he takes a deep breath, then does as requested. "Just feel. Focus," she murmurs, and she pulls on the string a little more, anchoring his body to hers, letting him feel the strength, movement and angle, before releasing.

He doesn't open his eyes right away, doesn't move right away, and she separates their bodies just a bit, her hands leaving his to grip gently at his shoulders, squeezing, urging him.

"Look."

She watches as his face lights up in wonder, his mouth opening with amazement, his eyes wide with surprise at the almost perfect shot. He turns to face her, and she smiles warmly.

"Now I don't want you to release your arrow unless you feel exactly the same thing you did there. Understood?"

"Okay," he answers, his voice still low with stupor.

"And Matthew?" she calls, as he gets in position again. "Do not expect the same result. I was here to help you, now you're on your own. I just want you to focus on hitting the target. No more pressure than that."

The look of determination on his face is the most genuine she's seen in the last hour, so she lets him, doesn't say anything when he slouches a little bit too forward, lets him catch himself and close his eyes to find the same sensation again. It takes a moment, a whole minute probably, but he finally pulls on the string, his position not perfect but slightly better than earlier, and she stays silent until the arrow flies in front of him and digs at the edge of the target, the shot far from the center but the progress noticeable.

This time, when he looks at her, it's with a sheepish but proud smile, because it's the first time he actually hits the target. For once, her words to not pressure himself with a perfect shot seem to have sank in his mind because he doesn't complain, takes the victory as it is. She joins him, her hand on his arm, squeezing, her eyes full of pride, and she smiles at him.

"See? You just need to have a reasonable goal, not to aim too high. I want you to keep doing that for a while."

"Thank you," he breathes honestly, and her hand lifts to his cheek, her thumb rubbing it slightly, a tender gesture, a caring movement showing him the depth of her affection for him, better than the words she can't voice, hiding the heartbreak and pain she still feels.

"Well, that was impressive!"

They both jump at the unfamiliar voice, and Regina throws a hand over Matthew's body, pulling him behind her in a reflex to protect him, turning around to meet a face she doesn't know. It's a woman in strange clothing, a shining blue dress, of a size so small she would've missed her had she not been glittering in front of her eyes, and her jaw falls as she catches the sight of another small person just next to her.

"Tinkerbell..."

The name was just a murmur, but both the women heard it, smiling softly, and the blonde fairy flies forward.

"I told you I'd come back, didn't I?" Regina's nod is full of hope, and the young fairy resumes. "This is the Blue Fairy. She's the most powerful existent fairy, and she agreed to help you."

Regina's head snaps to the side, to the person who holds all her hopes and fears and answers at the same time. Her eyes water, her mouth suddenly dry as she realizes that her presence here means actual help to her cause.

"I must say after witnessing the way you just succeeded in getting this young man rid of his apprehensions, I have a better understanding of what it is that Green saw in you."

A frown settles on Regina's forehead, and she glances between the two fairies. "Green?"

Tinkerbell shrugs sheepishly at the scowl the Blue Fairy sends her. "Her name is actually Green. She just has a tendency not to stick to the rules."

"Just as my beautiful wife."

It's only then that Regina notices Robin's presence beside them. She smiles coyly at him, too hopeful to be bothered by the meaning behind his words. She holds her hand for him to join her, and he does, wraps an arm around her waist, pressing a kiss to her temple as she snuggles in his arms.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your lesson, but do you have a private place where we could talk?" the Blue Fairy asks, and Regina suddenly remembers Matthew standing a foot away from her, still stupefied at the sight in front of him.

"Oh! Yes, of course!" she exclaims, turning to the boy, ducking her head to the side. "Matthew, would you mind if we continue this tomorrow? This is very important."

Her request is not needed, because he may be young but he knows what's going on, heard the men talking about it, so he shakes his head eagerly, his hands raised in reassurance. "No, no, it's okay! Go ahead! I'll practice for a bit longer before helping Much to settle new traps outside the camp."

She reaches for his arm and squeezes it, looking at him softly, breathing a Thank you, before guiding the two fairies to their headquarters.

xxx

It's only the four of them. No one else came, because the Merry Men might be willing to help, but the content of this conversation is private, has details no one else needs to know.

The Blue fairy and Tinkerbell keep their fairy-size, so Regina figures it must not be freely allowed for them to grow the way Tinkerbell did her first visit, because the curly brown-haired woman is obviously her superior, and a strict one on top of that, judging by the way the youngest is holding her tongue and letting her speak.

Regina laces her fingers with Robin's, whose arms are around her waist and hands resting on her abdomen, holding her from behind, his chin against her temple, his front pressed to her back, his presence a reassurance and support as the fairy asks question after question.

"I just don't see any solution." Regina sighs. "I don't have the power to fight her. I don't have magic, and what she tried to do last time... what she did... if no one interrupts her, she will finish it the next time we are face to face."

"I'll be honest with you, Regina. I can't take your mother's powers away, not in this land. But I can give you a way to send her somewhere she won't be able to hurt you anymore."

"Like a jail?"

"Not exactly. A place without magic."

Regina turns slightly to Robin, her surprised eyes meeting his confused ones.

"But magic is everywhere." he argues.

"In this world, yes." Tinkerbell flies forward. "But there is another realm, one where magic doesn't belong. If she's sent there Cora will lose her powers, and she'll never be able to come back."

"Will it kill her?" Regina asks warily.

"Does it matter?" Robin bites, and she turns around in his arms, pushes at his chest and sends him a dumbfounded glare.

"Yes, it matters, Robin!" she spits loudly. "She's my mother!"

"She's a murderer," he states.

"And I don't want to become one!"

"You've killed in the past, Regina." he reasons, because she did, they all did, that day when they almost got caught by Notthingham. Every time their lives were in danger, when a robbery went bad, and it's not a lot, not more than five persons on her list maybe, a bit more on his, but it was killing anyway, it was saving her own life, an 'it's him or me' situation and it's exactly what they're living here.

"And it still haunts me, Robin! I always did it out of necessity, when I didn't have a choice, when my life was at stake." She raises her hand to shush him as she knows perfectly what his reply will be."And yes, I know, my life, and yours, and our friends' are threatened right now, but if I kill her, if I kill my own mother I will never come back from that. You'll lose me as surely as you would have if she was the one killing me, because I won't be able to forgive myself and live with that burden. And you better not be the one to take her life!" she dares firmly, before he can even offer to do it for her, because the thought has obviously crossed his mind.

A thick silent settles between them, as they stare at each other, glare, to be precise, no one accepting to step back, because she knows he wants her mother dead and he's well aware that she won't forgive him for crossing this line.

"Luckily, we won't have to come to that," a soft voice speaks, bringing them from their thoughts, urging them to look back at the fairies, who witnessed the whole scene in a concerned silence. "It won't kill your mother, Regina. That, I promise you," the Blue Fairy resumes, and Regina's shoulders sag in relief. "She will just have to cross a portal and step into a world from where she will never be able to come back."

"But how do we make her go through? She will never leave willingly," the young woman pleads.

"That is a question I don't have an answer to, unfortunately."

Regina acknowledges the fact with a nod. "What about my sister?"

"I can only recommend that she goes through the portal too, but I can't make that decision for you."

Regina crosses her arms on her chest, hugging herself, jerking away when Robin tries to reach for her as he senses her distress, her gaze firmly on the floor, thoughts filled with the hope of changing her sister's mind.

"I'm not sure, but I think perhaps I could talk her through. I could convince her to help, if she's willing to listen to me."

The fairy nods at the same time an outraged Regina! comes out of Robin's mouth, but she dismisses his intervention.

"Then it's settled."

She hears Robin huff in her back, clearly displeased by the turn of the events, but focuses on the two fairies in front of her. She'll deal with him later.

"Hold up you hand," the Blue Fairy orders kindly, and Regina does, watches as a white light lands in her palm. She stares in awe at the small object, the shape of a bean, but transparent. Robin joins her, stays next to her but doesn't make contact, eyeing it curiously too.

"This is a magic bean," the fairy explains. "They are very rare, and very precious. It took me decades to find another one."

"How does it work?" Robin asks.

"It will open a portal to another land, a land without magic. Cora, and Zelena, if you decide to send her too, must go through that portal."

Regina is about to speak but the fairy raises her hand to stop her. "I must warn you! The last person who was granted with such an item, didn't succeed in his quest. He fell through the portal alone. This bean is a one-way trip. It's a final exile that cannot be reversed. You must make sure none of you fall into the portal, or you will be forever stuck out there with no chance of coming back. You can't rush into this. You have to wait for the perfect moment."

A silence falls over them again, as Regina and Robin stare at the bean in wonder but also in fear. They exchange a look, one full of the remnants of their previous argument, but the determination in Regina's eyes is clear.

She will go through this plan, if it's what it takes to finally be free of her mother, and no one, not even her husband, will stop her. No matter how much she loves him, no matter how involved into this fight he is too, how in danger his life is, she can't bear the thought of coldly murdering the woman who gave her life. Despite everything, she can't erase her from her memories.

She can't stop calling her mother.

She can't stop loving her.

Yes, there is anger and bitterness and probably even hate underneath, but she's not a woman who thinks of revenge first. She wants to protect what she built, and she wants to do it with pride. She refuses to feel ashamed of her actions, refuses to look back and regret, because people don't come back from the dead. All Cora's magic won't bring her back from the afterlife, and even if a tiny, tiny voice whispers in Regina's ear to give into her resentment and avenge her baby's murder, she shushes it firmly, because she's simply not that person.

"We will be careful," she assures, looking back at the fairy. "We can't thank you enough for what you're doing. We are forever indebted to you."

The fairy gives them a slight nod, smiling softly but her voice is firm. "Just be careful, don't waste it, it's your only chance."

"We won't! Thank you." The fairy is about to take her leave, when Regina stops her abruptly, a last question on her tongue. "How will I know how to reach you? If I need your help again?"

"I will know," she simply answers, and a second later she's gone, leaving nothing but Tinkerbell and two heavy hearts behind.

It takes Tinkerbell less than a few seconds after her superior's disappearance to take a human size, and she grabs one of Regina's hand and one of Robin's, holds onto them tightly.

"Do not let Cora step between you, even unconsciously. I saw the way you look at one another, I can feel the love you share, it radiates from you," she states softly, her voice kind, almost a pleading, a prayer that they will listen. "You can't lose that, what you have, to defeat her. It's not worth it. And you'll need each other," she reminds, not giving them time to answer before stepping back, breaking contact, and vanishing in the air a moment later.

Regina and Robin stay speechless and stunned for a moment, overwhelmed, bewildered, full of hope but also full of fear. When he speaks flatly, they haven't moved, are still looking blankly ahead, barely blinking.

"She won't change, Regina. Not now. Not after what she's done. And even if she miraculously did, I will never forgive her."

He expects her to argue forcefully, to talk so loudly that half the camp will hear her, to throw at his face all the bitterness she feels towards her mother as if Cora was the one standing in front of her.

But instead, she turns slowly, raises tearful eyes to look at him, and he's struck by how beautiful she is, even in her grief.

"I know that," she states. "I'm not naive, Robin! I won't forgive her either. God, I still can feel it sometimes, the... pain. The... What she..."

She stumbles with the words, can't bring herself to voice it, can't talk about it because she finally managed to protect herself from this constant excruciating sensation tearing her insides, but her eyes are watering anyway, then shutting tight, and she sniffles, lets a tear slip, turning her gaze away from him and wiping her face eagerly, adding in a bitterness and loath he rarely hears from her.

"She's a monster. But she's still my mother, and I won't have her blood on my hands, nor on the hands of the people I love." She takes a step towards him, almost reaches for him but catches herself at the last second. "If we do that, Robin, she wins," she explains with a softer but still cold voice. "Death is the easy path, it's the one she chose. You and I know better than that."

She falls silent for a few seconds, then adds, "As for my... sister. I want to believe what I saw in her when she stopped our mother from killing you wasn't just treachery and imagination. I want to believe that my mother didn't destroy yet another person. I want to believe there is still hope for her, for Zelena, that she's not as messed up as I was when you found me. I want to do for her what you did for me," she pleads, her mind going elsewhere for a second before she comes back to him. "I'm well aware she didn't do anything to protect our baby, but she caught herself at the last second. I might have lost you too if she hadn't stopped her. So please, if she lets us in, give her a chance. I don't know her, but she's my sister. And I don't want to lose anyone else."

When he nods slightly, jaw clenched, face strained, she gives into her primer thought and lifts her hands to rest against his side, where his shirt meets his trouser, the one holding the bean closed in a tight fist. She drops her head as she hooks her fingers there, using it to take another step and close the distance between them, her forehead meeting his chest as she's still looking down.

"Robin, I'm scared." She finally admits, and he winds his arms around her waist, brings her closer, his chin on top of her head, then his lips in her hair. He can feel her closed fist over the magic bean in his back, can sense how she's holding onto it as if it was a cure to the plague, can relate to her fear because he's never been more frightened in his whole life too.

So he holds her close, murmurs I know and Me too, my love, You're not alone in this, I'm here, and rocks her until she melts in his arms, until her presence has soothed him as much as his has her, and when their eyes meet again there's not an ounce of anger in them anymore.

He tilts her chin up with his finger, presses his lips to hers, a silence promise he will honor her wish to let her mother live, no matter how hard, that he will protect her every second of every day even when she doesn't want to, that he will never leave.

Present

She sighs, looking down, because she knows what will come will not be full of the hope she'd felt every time she'd looked at and thought of the bean. She knows her mother almost succeeded in breaking her. Piece after piece, day after day, despite the distance and the cover of the camp, Cora had made her way into it, had managed to almost destroy all of them without setting a foot inside it.

"We knew it wouldn't be an easy battle, but we couldn't imagine it would last that long, and everything that happened next. We weren't sure when we would encounter my mother again, so we hid the bean in the only other place where I felt safe, unknown from everyone else. Your and my baby's graves."

A few hours later

Regina finishes filling the hole they dug to hide the wooden box into which the magic bean is safely kept, her palm brushing the ground one last time, before she fully leans back, Robin holding her in his arms. She moves so she's snuggled between his legs, his arms surrounding her, her head resting against his cheek.

For a moment, they're silent. Contemplating. There are two stones in front of them.

Two graves.

Two victims.

Two innocents.

"Do you..." Regina starts, stopping herself immediately.

"Do I what?" Robin questions softly, his lips finding her temple.

She closes her eyes, presses herself against him even more. "Do you sometimes wonder how our baby would have been like? If it would have been a boy or a girl?"

"I do."

She cranes her neck to look at him, and then half turns to face him more fully. "Really?"

"Yes," Robin admits with a shrug, one hand reaching for her hairline and brushing an ebony lock tenderly.

She turns a bit more towards him, eyes softly gazing at him. "Tell me."

He presses a kiss to her forehead, pulling back to look at her, thoughtful. "I see a boy with hair as dark as yours, and deep brown eyes shining with malice. With your kindness, your determination. No doubt your stubbornness too," he chuckles, smiling down at her.

Regina nudges him playfully in the shoulder, but her smirk betrays her. "I'm not the only stubborn one here!"

"Regina, I think everyone at the camp agrees you're the most stubborn person they've ever met." He pecks her falsely offended lips before adding, cutting her off before she can even argue. "You beat all the odds when it comes to sticking to your position."

"Okay, guilty there, I'll give you that!" Regina chuckles, leaning her head back onto her husband's shoulder. Her hand reaches for his chin, rubbing it absentmindedly while she stares back at the stone, letting his voice fill the air.

"I think he'd be a believer. A child who seeks goodness in everyone. And who is loved. Deeply loved. Taken care of like he's the most important thing in the whole world."

It's the first time Regina really hears Robin talk about their child since they lost it, the first time he confesses what he has weighing on his mind, so she listens, lets him finish.

"Eager to learn how to use a bow, and how to sword fight. Mastering horseback riding by the age twelve." She lets out an amused laugh. "Whose years as a teenager give us white hairs, with a clear tendency of running away and putting himself in danger. But who will end up growing up to be a smart, amazing young man." He lets out a deep sigh. "That's who I think he would've been. Maybe it's silly, I don't know-"

"No, Robin! It's not silly!" Regina cuts him, cupping his cheek when she looks up at him. "I dream of our child too. I imagine who he'd have been too. I'm grateful you told me what you had in mind. It's important for me to know!"

"Well, it's just my imagination. But it helps me. Giving our baby the life it will never have is helping me deal with..."

He trails off, gaze wandering over the gray stone, lost deep in thoughts. Regina lets him, watches him with a feeling of sadness washing over her, her brow knitting in concern, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"I'm sorry, Robin."

He looks back at her, shaking his head. "It's not your fault."

"I know!" she reassures. "I know. But it doesn't mean I like to see you hurting. Although I'm glad you're finally sharing it with me. I may have a tendency to shut down when I'm wounded, but you've been so focused on protecting and taking care of me you forgot to properly grieve. I want you to talk to me, Robin, even if it's painful. I'm feeling better now, I can handle it." She knows he's about to argue, so she presses her thumb to his lips. "I want to be there for you, whenever you need it. You don't always have to be the strong one, you're allowed to need comfort too."

She's holding to both sides of his face, looking at him square in the eyes as she speaks, making sure he's hearing every word. Her gaze follows the path her fingers trail in his hair, but she always comes back to those two blue orbs storming with an overwhelming and infinite love for her.

"I'm here for you. Always." she tells him with all the sincerity she possesses.

Robin kisses her lips softly, and pulls back just enough to look at her in the eyes. "In that case..." He looks over at their baby's grave, drawing her gaze there too. "Since we agreed it would've been a boy, I'd like to give him a name." Looking at her again "If you don't mind?"

She smiles "I think it's a wonderful idea."

"Some thoughts?"

"A few," she admits.

"Pick one."

She leans back with a frown. "We should choose together, don't you think?"

He caresses her cheek tenderly, smirking. "I chose his gender, his temper. You choose his name. It's only fair."

She chuckles, leans her head to rest in the crook of his neck, sighing softly. She remembers the few names she got the chance to think of before this nightmare began. One is imposing on all the others. She knows he's still alive somewhere, but she misses him so much, and she has close to no hope of ever seeing him again.

"Henry," she whispers. "His name is Henry."

So... What do you think?