A/N: Thank you all for being so patient. Sorry to have left you on a cliff hanger for so long. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it!
"What do you mean she's not here?" Robin questions Tink in disbelief. He and Killian had gotten to set, ready to interrogate Glass only to discover that Gold had given everyone a break and Regina had left the sound stage.
"She told me she was headed back to her trailer. From the look on her face when she left I thought she was off canoodling with you." she tells him, her teasing tone instantly fading and her features turning into a frown when Robin takes off at a sprint in the direction of Regina's trailer. She gives Killian a puzzled glance before he too is hastening to follow Robin, the petite blonde not far behind them.
Robin is frantically moving about the trailer by the time they catch up to him. "She's not here!" he pants, panicked. He's clutching Regina's cell phone in his hand, waving it about from where he'd found it carelessly tossed to the floor. "Where the hell is she?" Moving to squeeze past the two of them in the doorway he is stopped by Killian's hands on his shoulders.
"Breathe, mate. Just calm down for one minute."
"I can't bloody well calm down, he's got Regina!" Robin nearly shouts, breathing labored. He's panicking, can feel the blood rushing through his veins, pounding in his ears to the point he can't focus, can't think clearly. Can't do anything but give into the crippling fear that grips him by the throat. This is all his fault. If only he hadn't been so blind, had figured it out sooner, Regina wouldn't be god-knows-where.
"And you running off half-cocked isn't going to help anyone, least of all Regina." he counters.
Tink's voice breaks through the roaring in Robin's brain. "Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on? Who has Regina?" She's watching them as if they've both lost their minds and Robin wants to scream. They don't have time for this. They need to find Sidney now. Struggling to quell the icy panic coursing through every inch of his body he takes a few deep breaths. In and out. In and out. Deep down he knows Killian is right. They have to stop and think, he can't just run off without a plan. Hell, they don't even have a clue where the bastard might have taken her. Tink's voice slices through the air, impatience evident as she repeats, "Who has Regina?"
Robin meets her confused gaze and sighs, "Sidney Glass," he tells her. A puzzled expression crossing her features but before she can manage another question he continues with, "Regina has had someone stalking her for the past few months, sending her vile letters and following her movements. That's why she hired me in the first place. To protect her and Henry. We finally just put enough of the pieces together and determined it has to be Glass.
"The camera guy?" she asks, "The creepy one who's always watching, Regina?"
His eyes narrow in her direction, "What do you mean? Why wouldn't you have said something about him before?" Robin accuses her angrily. Damnit. How could he have missed it? Because he'd been too wrapped up in her, in them, to notice what was going on around them he tells himself, his fury now directed inward. If anything happens to her because he'd been careless Robin will never forgive himself.
Tink crosses her arms in a defensive stance. "No one told me anything about someone threatening her! I didn't know there was a problem or I would have said something! I thought he was just another guy enamoured with her. She's a drop dead gorgeous movie star for Christ sake. Men and women are constantly fawning over her. I didn't think anything of it."
"Yes, and now she's missing." Robin grumbles.
"How do you know she's missing?" she asks him.
Robin gestures around the empty trailer, wiggles the phone still in his grasp. "She's not here is she? And Regina wouldn't leave her phone tossed on the floor. Not to mention this guy's been threatening, hinting to her that they will finally come face to face in the last few letters she's received." Tink glares at him, and Robin gives her a similar look in return before Killian pipes up.
"Hate to break this up, but arguing isn't helping. We need to find Glass, talk to anyone who's seen him today and if they know where he is or could be going."
Right. Okay. Robin nods, regroups. He needs to focus, can't let his emotions get the better of him right now no matter how terrified he is. The only way they are going to be able to find Regina is if he can set his feelings aside and do his job properly, what she'd hired him to do in the first place. Taking another minute to calm his racing pulse, breathing in and out slowly through his nose, Robin works out their best course of action.
"Alright. There's no way he could have gotten her out of here without anyone noticing." He pauses, a mental image of Regina struggling against the man who's been tormenting her and being forced into submission flashing through Robin's mind as he suppresses a shudder. He let's up a silent prayer that she's safe and will remain that way until he can get to her before continuing, "Surely someone must have seen them leave. We need to go look at the security footage." Robin's eyes meet Jones, "I want to know everything about Sidney Glass. Can you handle that?"
At Killian's nod of agreement Robin starts to head back out the door when Tink's voice stops him. "Hold it. What am I supposed to do?" Before Robin can even get a word in she's barreling over his protest, "And don't even think about telling me nothing. If you think I'm going to sit around while my best friend has possibly been kidnapped by some insane stalker you're mental."
He doesn't have time for this. Every second he's here turns into another minute Regina is with that lunatic. But he knows Tink well enough at this point to be sure she won't back down. So he requests, "Will you go check on Henry? Take him back to the house so we know he's safe? Distract him until I can get there to talk to him?" She agrees easily, and then the three of them are heading in separate directions.
. . .
There's a throbbing in her head, echoing through every inch of her body, that finally rouses Regina from her slumber. She takes a minute to breathe deeply, inhaling and exhaling oxygen through her lungs, before she opens her eyelids to narrow slits, unsure what to expect. The room is dim (the single window in the space completely covered) but there's enough light to make out a few large pieces of furniture. The lumpy bed she's sprawled on, the large wooden work table and single chair in the room. There's a floor lamp shoved back into the corner, the only source of light in the room, casting an eerie glow about the tiny space.
Gradually, Regina rouses herself, opening her eyes fully and pushing herself up into more of a sitting position. Her stomach rolls with the movement, a wave a nausea overcoming her and she struggles against the urge to toss up her lunch. She has no idea where she is, the last thing she remembers is walking into her trailer looking for Robin. Taking a deep breath, Regina closes her eyes another moment and pinches the bridge of her nose as she fights off the dizziness before glancing around the room in more detail.
Plain furnishings, equipment of some type piled in the corner and bins spread out in a neat row along the work table, a few cameras and lenses scattered about. But that's not what has fear gripping her by the throat.
Hundreds of photos are strung up around the room. A collage of images documenting various moments in her life on the wall, more recent photographs clipped to the string that runs from one corner of the room to the other and back again. The sight chills her blood, has goosebumps breaking out over her flesh as Regina wraps her arms around her torso. Who is this guy? And just how long has he been stalking her? She sees images of her with Henry when he was little, her laughing with Tink on a set she'd filmed on years ago, several of her around LA, a few of her and Robin being intimate that trigger a sick feeling of violation within her. It's the pictures of her and Daniel in one corner that make her heart stop, though.
"You're awake, my queen."
. . .
Robin stares miserably at the footage in front of him. Watches as Regina brushes Tink's arm to get her attention and then heads off set. His eyes switch to the monitor to the left where he sees her exit the sound stage and make her way down to where her trailer is set up. She's checking her phone and even though her head is down he can see her chuckle at something on the screen and then she's disappearing into her trailer. Robin leans forward to stare intently at the screen, searching for any hint of movement or something out of the ordinary.
It's no more than a few minutes before the door opens again and he watches him emerge. Glass. The bastard. He's rolling a large crate out on a dolly, his beady eyes shifting left and right, taking in his surroundings. He sets off toward the back of the studio to a lot where Robin knows a great majority of crew members come and go from their cars.
He watches him weave in and out of camera range, jumping from monitor to monitor as he casually strolls through the lot. Waving and greeting people as if he hasn't just abducted a woman. Likely shoved her into that crate and is carting her off to god knows where. Robin's stomach twists as he watches him leave, thinking of Regina trapped in that tiny space. How had he let this happen? It's his bloody job to keep things like this from happening and the bastard has stolen her right out from under his nose. He thought his security had been tight enough, even with his suspicions that it was someone Regina worked with he'd been cautious and alert as to who was around her. Who came on and off set. But in a studio as large as this one it's impossible to track every single person's movements. And fucking Glass had slipped under his radar. If anything happens to Regina because he'd missed the signs Robin would never forgive himself.
Sidney disappears around a corner of a building past the security checkpoint, the one just before the lot Robin knows he's headed to and his eyes flicker frantically over the various screens. "Where'd he go?" He looks accusingly at the guard reclining back in his chair lazily who merely shrugs. It takes considerable will power for Robin to refrain from throttling the man, inhaling and exhaling for a moment. "Where is the footage from the camera positioned at the employee lot?" he demands.
The man points a stubby finger toward the blank monitor at the bottom of the row. "Been broken for a few weeks now. No one's bothered to fix it."
Bollocks.
What is he going to do now? He's convinced Glass is the one who's been harassing her, may not have actual proof, at least not any he could take to the police at the moment but Robin is certain. So he'll just have to find them on his own. Killian chooses that moment to enter the security room, motioning his head for Robin to follow him back outside.
"Did you find anything?" Robin questions him immediately.
Killian holds up a slip of paper between his index and middle finger. "I have his home address and talked with a few of the other camera men. Turns out he's a bit of a loner. No surprise there. Doesn't really interact much with the crew beyond what's absolutely necessary. None of them have spent any time with him outside of working hours."
It's nothing Robin hadn't expected to learn. Still, it doesn't exactly help them either and there's a prickling at the back of his skull, one that serves as a steady reminder they don't have the luxury of wasting time. Not with Regina's life at stake. He has no idea what Sidney Glass is capable of but based on his letters of "affection" Robin doesn't want to take a chance finding out. He feels his frustration and agitation rising. "So no one has any idea where he could have gone?" As Killian shakes his head, Robin grumbles, "Another dead end."
Over an hour and a half has passed already, and Robin feels every minute ticking by, each one driving Regina farther and farther away from his grasp. To top matters off he's had to field questions and demands from Gold's assistant about where the lead actress for his bloody film has disappeared to. Something Robin does not have the time nor energy to be dealing with. Not to mention, he's still attempting to keep the whole thing quiet. Regina has been adamant about keeping this out of the press and the second all of these people find out she's missing there is no way they will be able to contain it.
So he's going to continue being forced to make excuses for her awhile longer. At least while he's still confident they can find where Glass has taken her themselves. He'll respect her wishes for the time being until he doesn't feel he can find her on his own.
"We need to talk to his neighbors." Robin states, mind running a million miles a minute. He feels like a hamster in a cage, spinning round and round and accomplishing nothing. They need some sort of forward motion. Anything to actually accomplish something rather than running into wall after wall. "Perhaps there will be some clue in his apartment that will help lead us in the right direction."
When all his friend does is side eye him and raise one of those eyebrows in that infuriating manner of his Robin snaps, "What?!"
"I'm all for interrogating the neighbors. I was just wondering how you were planning to snoop around Glass' apartment is all."
Robin takes a moment to reign in his temper. His emotions have him edgy but he doesn't need to be snapping at the person actually helping him. Taking a deep breath he musters up something resembling a smirk and replies, "I'm a reformed thief, if you'll recall. I think I can manage a little breaking and entering."
Killian chuckles, bows his head, and follows Robin as he strides across the lot.
. . .
Regina's head whips around to look in the direction the voice had come from. She frowns, the man standing in the doorway looks familiar but it takes her a minute to connect where she recognizes him from. "Sidney?" She questions, her voice a touch scratchy due to her confusion and recent unconsciousness. He's a member of the crew she knows, a cameraman if Regina isn't mistaken but isn't entirely certain. They've barely spoken more than a few words at a time (as far as she can recall) to each other during the last few weeks of filming. "What's going on?"
He walks a few more steps into the room, setting a glass of water on the small table beside the bed. "I had to do something to get your attention. None of my letters seemed to be working." He tells her, voice eerily casual. As if he hasn't just kidnapped her. Abducted her from her work and is presently holding her captive.
All Regina can do is stare at him standing in front of her. This is the man who has been tormenting her for months, has caused every restless, fearful moment she's experienced since that first note arrived. A sudden surge of anger whips through Regina and she has to resist the urge to strike at him, wants him to suffer, to burn, for everything he's done to her and her family. But the more rational part of her brain reminds her that's not a wise move to make. She has no idea where she is or what he wants to do to her. Not to mention the fact he is clearly unstable. If he's willing to drug and kidnap her Regina's not sure what else he might be capable of.
"Why not just talk to me then? Take a more direct approach? The letters were anonymous," she points out. Watches wearily as he takes a seat in the rickety chair across from where she sits and studies her, gaze hungrily taking in her form. It's then that Regina becomes aware of the rumpled state of her clothing. The thin strap of the sundress she'd been filming in has slipped down her shoulder, revealing a hint of the lace bra beneath and her skirt has risen dangerously high on her thigh.
As subtly as she can manage, Regina fixes the strap and sits up a little straighter, tries not to cringe as Sidney watches her with that greedy gaze. "It wasn't the right time." He says simply.
"And now it is?" she asks, irritated. "What changed?"
Anger flashes through Sidney's eyes, quickly tamped down, but enough for Regina to glimpse the danger beneath. This is bad. So, so bad. How is she going to get herself out of this? "That man," he spits, disgust dripping from his words, "Was getting too close. I had to do something. I couldn't sit back and watch you give yourself to him again and again."
Robin. Regina's brain latches onto the reminder. Surely he's realized she's missing by now. But how in the hell is he going to find her? The last they'd talked he and Killian weren't any closer to figuring out who Sidney was than yesterday. He will though. Somehow. She doesn't know how but Regina trusts Robin to protect her, to get her out of this mess. Knows without an ounce of doubt that he won't rest until she's back in his arms. He'll find a way. In the meantime she just has to keep Sidney calm and talking.
"Is that why you've taken all these pictures of me?" she asks. "To be close to me?"
"In a way, perhaps," he murmurs, glancing toward the wall of photographs, whispering more to himself than to Regina before his gaze finds hers again. "But beauty such as yours must be preserved, My Queen. I've known it from the first moment I saw you."
Her gaze flickers to rest on the photos of her and the man she'd lost, afraid she already knows the answer to her next question. "And when was that?"
Sidney smirks, almost proud as he answers, "Over ten years ago."
The blood pumping through Regina's veins runs cold. Despite the fact that she had been expecting that answer, it shocks her. A decade. He's been following her for a decade. The truth of that smacks Regina in the face as she realizes there's no other way for him to have some of those photographs though. The ones of her and Daniel. Regina's eyes narrow in on the image of the two of them snuggled beneath their apple tree (the same one that had appeared on every magazine cover all those years ago, making a fool out of Leopold) and struggles against the pain, the memories, it brings back. Had Sidney been involved in the tragic circus of her life then? Was he part of the reason Daniel had died?
"I'm a photographer." He tells her casually, admiring his work around the room. "But, of course, no one appreciates real art in this town so I was forced to work for one of those vastly abundant trashy tabloid magazines. An abomination, but every artist must make some sacrifices for their work." He rises from his seated position in the chair to wander over to the wall, running his fingers over a photograph of Regina on the set of her first film. "The universe is a funny thing that way. For my work as a reporter led me to you…"
He turns to smile at her and Regina tries not to let out a disgusted shudder as her skin crawls. "So you were hired to photograph me for your job?" She asks, more to keep him talking than anything. But there is also a part of her that has to know, needs every detail of why he has been stalking her.
Shaking his head, Sidney replies, "I was hired by Leopold King to document your blossoming romance and pass it along to my bosses. But the moment I saw you, I immediately fell in love. I couldn't let Leo have you. Let either of them have you. So I found a way to get rid of them both."
It takes everything inside Regina not to let her rage at Sidney's offhand statement show. He is the asshole who had turned her life to hell, the catalyst that had ultimately caused Leo to go crazy and murder her fiancé. Every moment of pain and heartbreak Regina has experienced in the last ten years comes rushing back to her, piling on top of the hatred she feels for this man, and for a minute her vision goes red, that dizziness returning. This man has been tormenting her unknowingly for far longer than the last few months. Has been invading her privacy for longer than her son has even been alive. And it makes her livid.
Then his wording finally filters through the haze and Regina's brow furrows as she tries to piece together the meaning behind his phrasing. "What do you mean you got rid of them both?" No matter how great his involvement, Leo had still been the one to kill Daniel, it had been his hand on the trigger.
The smirk that crosses Sidney's face has the nausea she'd felt earlier returning before he admits. "Well, where do you think Leo got the idea to eliminate the competition to begin with? Who do you think gave him the gun that he used to kill your precious fiancé?"
Everything inside Regina goes numb.
Daniel.
Her heart breaks all over again thinking of his beautiful blue eyes and the way they had shined with love for her, the way she'd felt happy and free in his embrace. The love of her life, her first love, had been murdered because of the man sitting across from her. Regina feels her limbs begin to tremble, overwhelmed by the knowledge.
She wants to cry out, lash at Sidney with her fists and claw at him. Wants to make him hurt. As much as she had hurt when her entire world had shattered. Because of him. Everything that had happened to her all those years ago was because of this bastard.
Rage pumps through her entire body. Rage and anger and pain. It's all too much. Regina can't handle it and she feels light headed all of a sudden.
Her vision goes a bit blurry as Sidney appears to waver in the chair before her eyes. She closes them, takes a few deep breaths slowly in and out of her nose, tries to calm herself down. She wants to kill him. Wants him to suffer as Daniel had, but she is in no position for that. Has nothing to fight him with beyond herself and she's still feeling weak. Dizzy and sick to her stomach.
Regina slowly opens her eyes, meets Sidney's gaze again and grips her hands together, nails digging into her palms as she asks through clenched teeth, "Why now? Why wait so long to tell me how you felt? The notes only started a few months ago. Why not tell me ten years ago?"
Sidney's face grimaces. "You were grieving that stupid man." He spats, disgust dripping from his words. "Leopold King may have been a drunk wash up but he did you a favor by killing the fool. You deserved better than some lowly handler that was going nowhere. But you would not have welcomed my advances. I had to bide my time. And then you were pregnant and so caught up in that pesky child—"
"You leave Henry out of this," she interrupts him, anger and fear whipping through her at the mention of her son. The thought of this monster anywhere near her baby boy frightens her beyond anything else.
He rises slowly from the chair, walking closer to where she is on the bed and Regina resists the instinct to cower against the wall at her back. He leans down to her eye level, his nasty breath washing over her face and she grimaces slightly. Though he doesn't appear to notice, continues telling her his insane reasonings.
"So I waited. And I watched. For ten years I learned your habits and your preferences so when we were finally together you would have someone worthy of you, My Queen. Someone completely devoted to you. Who worships you. Understands you." Sidney's index finger trails lightly over her shoulder, down her bicep and Regina represses a shudder. Her skin is crawling and she craves a shower. Feels an urgent desire to wash away his words along with his touch.
Everything he's saying is completely delusional. Clearly he's insane if he thinks he'll be able to keep her here indefinitely. That just because he's abducted her she will give him what he wants now. That they can "finally be together". But he's stepping back, looking down at her with that devotion in his eyes again and telling her he'll go fix her something to eat. That she'll need her strength and leaves, shutting the door with a resounding click that makes Regina experience both a feeling a relief and one of being trapped.
If she can only hold on a little while longer. Keep both Sidney and herself from doing anything drastic she knows Robin will come. That he will find her and help make everything better. Because despite Sidney's planning all those years ago and his actions the last few months she's no longer alone anymore. She'd moved on, by some miracle found love again and taken that leap of faith. Now she has someone fighting for her with the knowledge and willpower to finally end all of this.
She just has to be strong for a little while longer.
. . .
Robin's footsteps slow as he slams the car door shut and heads toward the entrance of Regina's home. Henry is inside waiting for him, waiting for his mother to walk in and she's not going to be there. Glass' apartment had been a bust. They'd found nothing with any sort of significance from snooping through it. Not a single one of his neighbors had given them any helpful information either. It turns out he keeps pretty much to himself, coming and going at weird hours of the day and night, camera always slung around his shoulder.
He'd talked to Tink a few hours ago, been reassured that Henry was safe and taken care of. Had agreed not to let him out of her sight while he'd gone to question Sidney's neighbors. But now Robin has to face him. To explain why is mother isn't there to tuck him into bed and his stomach feels like there's a lead weight in it. Gathering his courage Robin takes the final few steps up the porch and twists the knob.
Henry's running toward him as soon as the door clicks behind him, Tink not far behind. "Where's my mom?" He demands with as much authority as a ten-year-old can muster. But there's fear laced into the tone, something Robin feels just as keenly.
Placing his hand on the boy's shoulder and letting out a sigh he admits, "I don't know, Henry."
"What do you mean you don't know?!" He bursts, shrugging off Robin's hand and glaring at him. "You're her bodyguard! You're suppose to protect her! To keep her safe!" His little body is vibrating with anger and Robin hates himself for not doing a better job of protecting this family. Of keeping the woman he loves from harm.
There's really nothing he can say to make any of this better. He's trying, and nothing in the world would be able to make him give up, but neither is much of a comfort at the moment. So Robin does as much as he can, quietly admits, "You're right, Henry. I messed up," he leans down so he is eye level with the boy and promises him, "But I am going to find your mom. You have my word on that. And I'm not going to rest until I do."
Sighing, Robin runs his fingers through his hair and stands upright again. Jesus, it's been a long day. He's exhausted. Every muscle in his body aches, the stress and tension of the last eight hours finally catching up with him. But he can't sleep. Knows it would be pointless to even attempt catching a few hours of shut eye when all he can think about is Regina trapped with that man. Suffering God knows what while he's here.
Henry's still glaring at him, arms crossed over his chest and a tiny wrinkle between his brows (the same one Regina gets when she's upset) and it causes Robin's heart to squeeze painfully in his chest. Then the boy's shoulders are sagging in defeat, that tough exterior evaporating, as he looks up at Robin and asks, "You promise you're going to find her?"
"I promise." Robin assures immediately. He's done a piss poor job of it so far but he will comb every inch of what they know about Glass to find a lead. Will stay up however long it takes until he finds where he's taken Regina.
Henry only looks marginally satisfied as he looks up at Robin with those fearful eyes, voice a bit wobbly when he admits, "I'm scared." And Robin is rushing to wrap him up in a hug, pulling him close to his chest and leaning down to rest his cheek atop Henry's head.
"I know you are." Henry's crying softly into his shirt, wet tears forming a damp patch on the cotton, but he doesn't care. Right now his sole focus is doing his best to comfort Regina's son. "So am I." Robin confesses, softly, drops to squat in front of Henry and rubs his palms down the boy's arms in a soothing gesture. "It's okay to be scared. But your mom is tough. She can take care of herself. We have to trust her to do that until we know where she is, okay?"
It's not until Robin's said it that he realizes he's comforting himself as much as Henry. He knows Regina is more than capable of taking care of herself. Has seen how strong she is. For now, that is going to have to be enough until he can get to her.
Henry nods and Robin pulls him into another hug. His eyes meet Tink's over Henry's head and she has tears dripping down her cheeks. The worry and fear they're all feeling reflected in her eyes but she quickly wipes them away and clears her throat.
"How about we go and fix some dinner, Henry? Let Robin focus on finding your mom?"
Henry turns and looks at the blonde, clearly still upset but no longer crying, and nods slowly. Agrees to that plan.
Robin gives him a weak smile and ruffles his hair a bit. To his dismay, he doesn't know what else to say to comfort him. Feels just as lost as Henry at the moment and is grateful to Tink for serving as a distraction. One less thing he has to worry his mind over while all of his thoughts are centered on Regina.
He watches the pair walk down the hallway and makes a vow to himself.
No matter what it takes he will find her.