As usual absolutely massive thank you to everyone who has left a review. I felt such support after the bit of backlash from the last few chapters. A few little replies to guests first:

Firstly, to the guest who asked if they could translate my fic the answer is YES I would be honoured as long as credit is given where due I am perfectly fine with that.

Secondly to Christie, your questions will be answered at some point in the future :)

Massive belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY to thechosenswan. Hope you had a good day.

And a big thank you to Darley1101.

All those done, now onto the chapter. I had a bit of writer's block so trying to keep going. I hope to update again by Thursday, as I am really busy this week and I will try not to keep you waiting because you are all so wonderful.

With Regina sleeping deeply, Whale called everyone back into the waiting room for a meeting.

'So is she okay now?' Henry asked his grandfather, who sighed in response.

'I don't know Henry,' Gold answered honestly. 'I believe that the methods I used must have helped in some way, but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting.'

'Is it a bad thing?' Robin inquired tentatively.

'I couldn't say,' breathed Gold, 'but it seems to have worked. Her magic was broken, torn almost and I wouldn't trust it. I can use small doses of my own to try and keep it going, and hopefully it will repair itself enough to sustain the healing process.'

'Hopefully?' Mary Margaret said quietly, picking up on the ambiguous word.

'That's the best I can offer dearie.'

'I think everyone should go home and get some rest,' Whale suggested. 'Regina will most likely be out of it for the rest of the day.'

'No,' Henry protested at once, 'I want to stay with her.'

'Henry, you have to listen to reason,' Emma urged him, taking his hand. 'You heard what Whale said. Regina is just going to sleep; you don't have to be here for that.'

'I do,' he insisted.

'She's going to need you when she wakes up Henry,' Mary Margaret reminded him. Henry looked up at Emma, biting his lip in a way so similar to how Regina did when she was scared or nervous.

'I don't want her to be alone,' he mumbled, so that only she could hear. Emma nodded in understanding.

'I'll stay here,' she offered.

'Emma-,' Mary Margaret tried, but her daughter held a hand up to stop her.

'You and David need to get home to Neal, and you can make sure Henry gets some sleep.'

'I want to stay,' Robin spoke up, but Emma shook her head.

'You look like hell Robin,' she observed, noticing the dark circles beneath his eyes. 'When did you last get some sleep?'

'I couldn't sleep now if I wanted to,' he sighed. 'I want to stay.'

'At least go and get some decent coffee from Granny's,' Emma bargained. 'The fresh air might clear your head and you can bring me a muffin as well.'

'Fine,' he mumbled.

'You'll call if anything happens?' Henry asked as he hugged Emma goodbye, a little tighter than usual.

'Of course, I'll make sure everyone knows,' she promised, kissing his forehead. Emma looked up at her parents. 'Make sure he eats something and gets at least a few hours.'

'We will,' Mary Margaret smiled uneasily, hugging her daughter before leading Henry out followed by her husband and Mr. Gold.

'I haven't got my phone,' Robin remembered as he stood to follow the Charmings.

'Yeah, I know,' Emma muttered.

'You know?'

Emma sighed.

'I spoke to Marian when I was looking for you,' she admitted, not quite able to meet his gaze. 'She has it.'

'Why would she…' His voice trailed off as realisation slowly dawned.

'I think you need to speak to her about it.'

'Don't worry,' he grumbled, 'I will be.'

Xxx

Robin was glad that the walk to the woods from the hospital was a reasonable way. The morning sunshine and cool air were refreshing after a night spent waiting in a single room. It was an opportunity to stretch his legs, and to calm the anger that was bubbling beneath his calm exterior.

He wanted to know why Marian had his phone, and although there were a number of reasonable explanations only one seemed possible in his mind. Had he confronted her the minute he left the waiting room he knew that he would have shouted, said things he didn't mean and ended up doing more damage than was necessary. Yes, he had definitely needed the walk.

As his boots crunched against the woodland floor, Robin's only thoughts were for Regina. He knew the woman behind the mask, so much more vulnerable than the person the rest of the world saw. He had seen her as the Evil Queen, and as Regina, and he knew which one was real.

Xxx

'Your Majesty,' Robin said as he gently approached the queen in her garden, 'are you alright?'

'I'm fine,' she answered shortly, refusing to look at him.

'Well it's two o'clock in the morning and while the rest of the castle sleeps, I find you sitting beneath an apple tree. I don't know about you, but that isn't my definition of fine.'

Robin approached her reluctantly, somewhat intimidated by the black leather and feather trim coat she wore even when in private. It was known throughout the castle that the queen was not to be disturbed. She was rarely seen, only for important meetings of the council, and this was the first time he had seen her since their quest to rid the castle of her wicked sister.

'What are you doing out here so late, thief?' she snapped, though Robin noticed it lacked some of her usual zeal.

'I'm doing my job, patrolling the grounds.'

'Well you've covered this bit,' she mumbled, still looking away from him, 'it's quite a big castle. You should get going.'

'Maybe I don't want to.'

Regina sighed audibly, reaching a hand to her forehead.

'Please,' she breathed, her voice little more than a whisper.

'Is this about your son?' asked Robin, and he noticed her visibly tense.

'You don't know anything about that.'

'No,' he admitted, 'but I can see that it's hurting you. I'm a good listener.'

'Why would I talk to you?'

'Because I'm here,' he reminded her gently, sitting beside her at the base of the tree.

Reaching out he touched her arm lightly, and was surprised when she didn't pull away. Regina turned to face him, and Robin saw the face not of an evil sorceress but a broken woman. Her make-up was smudged where she had been crying, and her eyes held no anger, only pain.

'It's his birthday,' she whispered, her lower lip trembling.

Robin reached his hand up and wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb. Their faces were inches apart and he wanted nothing more than to close the gap between them, but he knew that was not what she needed. He put his arms around her and held her as she cried, wondering how he seemed to be the only one who could see her for who she was.

Xxx

'Marian?' he called as he entered the camp. Most of the Merry Men were off working, and the place was quiet.

'Dada!'

Robin couldn't help but smile when he saw his son bounding towards him. He picked him up, swinging him round before holding him on his hip.

'Where you been Dada?'

'I've been with Regina,' he said honestly.

'Is Gina at the hospital?' Roland asked, his face a picture of concern. 'Mama said you had to go to the hospital. Was it for Gina?'

Robin sighed, nodding slowly.

'Yes, it was for her.'

'Is she okay?' Roland mumbled, his eyes filling with tears.

'She's going to be fine,' Robin assured him, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

'Can we go visit her?'

'She needs to rest for a while, but when she's better I'm sure she would love to see you.'

'Robin?'

He looked up to see Marian eyeing him nervously, playing with a loose thread on her cloak.

'Roland, can you give me and your mother a moment to talk?'

'Yep!' he answered brightly, giving his father a winning smile.

'Just stay by that tree over there,' Robin told him, pointing to an oak just beyond where Marian was standing.

'I can do that,' grinned Roland, giving his father a quick kiss on the cheek before allowing himself to be put to the floor.

Marian ruffled his hair as he passed her. She watched him go to sit beneath the tree, humming to himself as he picked at the plants around the base. Taking a deep breath, she walked towards Robin so that Roland wouldn't hear the argument she knew was coming.

'Emma…Emma told you what happened?'

Marian nodded, her eyes filling with tears. 'I'm so sorry Robin.'

He made no acknowledgement of her apology, refusing to meet her eyes.

'Is…is she okay?'

'No,' he answered quietly. 'She almost died, Marian.'

Robin looked up at her, and asked a question out of curiosity rather than anger.

'Would that have made you happy? If she had died?'

Marian almost choked on the gasp that came from his accusation.

'N-no,' she stuttered, 'no I…no, Robin, I never wanted…I was just afraid. I didn't want her to take you away from me. But I would never wish her harm. And no-one…no-one deserves to lose a child.'

He nodded slowly, her words slowly sinking in.

'Please,' she begged, taking his hand and feeling her heart break as he pulled away from her. 'Please look at me.'

Their eyes finally met, swimming brown and steely blue, and she saw…nothing. When he had looked at her before there had always been emotion there. In the past few weeks it had been more affection than love, but still she could see how he felt about her in his eyes. Now Marian could see only emptiness, and she knew that it was no-one's fault but her own.

'Why,' he whispered, shaking his head. 'Why did you take it?'

'I don't know,' she answered honestly. 'I knew you had been to see her again, and you wouldn't talk to me…I saw that she had sent you a message and I panicked, I'm sorry.'

'When?'

'S-Sunday,' she stammered, tears spilling down her cheeks, 'before you l-left.'

'What gave you the right?' Robin asked, anger creeping into his previously calm tone. 'Do you decide who I get to speak to now?'

'No,' Marian wept, 'I'm sorry I wasn't thinking. I know it was stupid-'

'Stupid?' he hissed through gritted teeth. 'Regina was dying, Marian. She had lost our child and she was dying and I wasn't there; I didn't even know. Emma had to find me and tell me she was asking for me, but I didn't get there in time to see her before she went into surgery. She thought I had abandoned her, that I didn't care, all because of you.'

A thought crossed his mind and he closed his eyes, his heart sinking in his chest.

'Did she call me?'

'Wh-what?'

'Before this…before she went to hospital, did she call?'

Marian bit her lip, her heart thundering against her ribs as she nodded slowly.

'When?' he snarled, trying his hardest not to shout in front of their son.

'M-Monday morning,' she mumbled.

Robin turned away, running his fingers through his hair.

'I'm sorry,' Marian breathed, wrapping her arms around herself as guilt threatened to tear her apart. 'I wish there were more I could say. I know what I did was childish, pathetic, and it had consequences I could never have foreseen. I wish it hadn't happened but it did. I don't expect you to forgive me-'

'Good,' Robin cut her off, 'because I don't know if I can. Do you have it?'

Marian reached into her pocket and pulled out his phone, which he took from her trembling hand.

'Roland can stay with you; I have to go back to the hospital.'

'Thank you,' she sniffed, wiping at her eyes.

'I'm not doing it for you,' Robin said honestly. 'Roland can't see Regina as she is, and I have to stay with her.'

Marian nodded slowly in understanding. She caught Robin's eyes again, and saw that his anger had receded to a gentle sadness which hurt her all the more.

'You're not the person I thought you were,' he whispered coldly, wondering where the innocent young maid had gone who had made him laugh and stolen his heart.

Robin walked past her, leaving her sobbing quietly and went to where Roland was sitting, crouching to his level.

'Hey Roland,' he said softly, 'I have to go and see Regina now, but I'll be back soon okay?'

'I picked these for her,' Roland told him, holding up a fistful of wildflowers. 'They'll make her better, right?'

'I'm sure they will,' Robin smiled, a little warmth touching his breaking heart. 'I love you, son.'

'Love you too.'

He hugged Roland tightly, not wanting to let go but knowing that he had to.

As he walked towards the centre of town, he didn't look back at his wife.

Xxx

Granny's was silent as Robin went up to the counter, not a soul in sight despite the fact that by now it was almost lunchtime.

'How is she?' Granny asked, genuine concern apparent in her expression as she took his order.

'Not good,' he answered honestly, 'but so far she's pulled through.'

'Was it that serious?'

Robin nodded slowly, taking the cup of fresh coffee and relishing the burn of it sliding down his throat.

'Poor Henry,' Ruby sighed, joining her grandmother, 'he must be pretty shaken up. Regina always seemed like such a battle-axe, you know? Like nothing could ever hurt her because she was just…Regina.'

'She's as human as the rest of us,' Granny acknowledged sadly. 'You need anything, anything at all, you let us know.'

'Thanks,' Robin smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes and he took his coffee to a booth in the corner.

He retrieved his phone from his pocket and took a deep, shuddering breath. Part of him knew that whatever he saw or heard, it wouldn't change anything and it certainly wouldn't help Regina. But there was a part of him that knew he had to look. He wouldn't be able to rest easily until he knew the truth.

Looking through his messages, he saw the offending words that had caused Marian to snatch the phone away from him.

Robin,

I need to see you. There's something that I have to tell you, something important, and I feel it wouldn't be right if I didn't say it in person. I'm sorry for what I said at the diner. I'm sorry for everything.

Call me and we can arrange a time.

Regina had been waiting for him to call her, and the thought that he had kept her waiting was almost as painful as knowing she had been meaning to tell him. She had planned to reveal to him that he was going to be a father to her child, and his heart ached with the knowledge that she had never managed to say those words.

She had said she was sorry, and Robin wondered what on Earth she could ever be sorry for. But it was clear to him that when she had told him to go that she hadn't meant it, not truthfully. In another universe, he would have called her back. They would have met, somewhere, and she would have told him the truth and he would have returned the favour as he confessed his feelings. In that universe, they had a chance to be happy. In this one, though, all that had been torn away.

Robin was struggling to comprehend the many meanings of the text when he realised that he had a voicemail message. Regina had tried to call him, early on Monday morning. He played the message and his heart stopped when he heard her voice in his ear as if she were sat beside him.

'Robin please…I know that I said I couldn't see you, but I didn't mean it. I didn't mean any of it. I was just scared when you told me you cared about me and I…I suppose I panicked. I need you, Robin. I really need you. I don't want to have to pretend that I'm strong anymore, because I'm not. And I'm so scared.'

Robin threw the phone on the table and his head fell into his hands, tears falling from his eyes. He could hear the raw vulnerability in her voice; she had known that something was wrong by then, and she had reached out to him when she was scared. But he hadn't been there. He hadn't been there when she needed him. And no matter what he did, he knew that he could never make up for that.

'Robin?'

He looked up to see Tinker Bell slipping into the booth to sit opposite him.

'What do you want?'

'I just came in for a coffee and Granny told me that something happened to Regina,' she breathed, praying that it wasn't true. The look on Robin's face was enough to confirm her worst fears.

'No…no she can't have…' Tink stuttered, her eyes widening. 'Tell me I'm jumping to conclusions Robin please.'

'I wish I could,' Robin choked, his face crumpling. 'She…she lost the baby.'

Tinker Bell felt her heart breaking within her chest and marvelled at how much it hurt. After everything Regina had been through, this was not how it was supposed to end. This wasn't meant to happen. It felt as if the fate of these two people once so beautifully aligned had become distorted, twisted beyond recognition and leaving havoc in its wake. They should have been happy.

'I'm so sorry,' the fairy whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. 'How is she?'

'Not good,' he answered bluntly. 'Something went wrong. I don't really understand the details of it but she needed surgery and went into some sort of shock, I don't know. She almost didn't make it, and wouldn't have if it weren't for Rumpelstiltskin. I thought…I thought I was going to have to watch her die.'

The last few words hardly made it from his lips before he broke, the weight of what had happened finally bringing him crashing down. Tink moved next to him and put her arm around his shoulders, saying nothing as nothing needed to be said.

'Regina told me that we were soul mates, the day Marian came back' Robin mumbled, when he had finally calmed. 'I should have listened to her.'

'It was your wife, the mother of your child. It's no wonder you were a little overwhelmed.'

'I knew in my heart that it was true, but I let everything else cloud my judgement. I don't love Marian, not in the way that I used to. I've finally admitted it to myself and to her, though I suspect she has known for some time…but it's too late.'

'It's never too late,' Tink assured him. 'You and Regina are meant to be together, but more than that you deserve to be. It's not about fate anymore it's about how you feel; you do love her, don't you?'

'More than anything,' Robin answered at once.

'Then that's all you need. You and I both know that Regina is not as strong as she likes everyone to think. Just be there for her. Don't waste time here dwelling on what you should have done.'

'You're right,' he sighed, lifting his head and wiping his bloodshot eyes. He drank the rest of his coffee in a single gulp and stood.

'Do you mind if I come with you?' asked Tink. 'I just…I need to see that she's okay, or okay as she can be.'

'Of course, but while I remember…'

Robin went up to the counter and ordered a coffee and muffin to go.

Xxx

'Robin,' Regina cried, hoping that her voice would carry through the house, 'Robin come quickly!'

Almost at once she heard the sound of his footsteps thundering down the stairs and he burst through the door into the living room.

'What, what is it? Are you okay?'

'I'm fine,' Regina chuckled beckoning him to come over, 'but look, look what she can do.'

Robin breathed a sigh of relief. She could see that he was ready to scold her for scaring him, but as he walked over to the bassinet any residual grudge he held melted away and a fond smile captured his features.

Rose giggled happily, holding one chubby fist in the air. Her hair was as dark as her mother's, though her eyes were a piercing blue and they glistened when she laughed. The small teddy which always slept beside her was floating in mid-air, dancing above the cradle at the little girl's command. The bear glowed with a soft white aura – light magic. Regina smiled, her chest feeling tight as it threatened to burst with pride.

'That's amazing,' Robin breathed, watching in awe. He stood behind Regina, wrapping his arms around her middle to hold her close and resting his chin on her shoulder.

'She's perfect,' whispered Regina, tears pooling in her eyes. She reached out and stroked her daughter's cheek gently, smiling as the baby leaned into her touch.

'She's not the only one,' Robin said, the heat of his breath tingling against the nape of her neck. His lips were soft against her skin, and she closed her eyes allowing the blissful sensation to wash over her. She had never felt so happy, so complete.

And in an instant it was gone.

The pain ripped through her abdomen, causing her to cry out and double over. She reached out to grasp the bassinet, preventing herself from crumbling to the floor, and Robin's hand fell away from their hold around her torso.

'Robin,' she gasped, 'please…help me…'

No response.

She forced her eyes open and looked around, but Robin was nowhere to be seen. Panicking she turned back to the cradle. Empty. Regina put her hands where her daughter had been and felt no warmth, no trace of her child, and her heart pummelled against her chest. The only remnant was a small teddy bear staring at her with blank, unfeeling eyes.

'ROBIN' she screamed, another flash of agony bringing her down to her knees on the hard wooden floor. She sobbed openly, tears running down her cheeks as she called for him desperately. They were gone. Regina could feel the emptiness they had left behind with every beat of her heart, and it was dragging her down…down…

Xxx

Emma was sat on a chair by Regina's bedside, flicking through a magazine she had found in the waiting room but not seeing any of the pictures. She threw it aside with a sigh, and looked over at the mayor. She shook her head. She had promised Henry that she wouldn't allow to Regina to be alone, but she hadn't realised that it would be this difficult.

At first she had tried to talk to her, but the words hadn't found their way to her lips. What was there to say anyway; sorry didn't even begin to cover it. Emma had tried to occupy her mind with other things but mostly she just found herself watching the brunette, keeping guard as she had said she would until their son returned and making sure her chest continued to rise and fall as it should.

Her head snapped up when she heard Regina begin to whimper in her sleep, softly at first though it quickly grew louder and more panicked. Emma leapt to her feet but found herself frozen, paralysed as she watched the older woman begin to move and thrash against an invisible enemy.

'Regina,' she shouted, trying to wake her up though it came to no avail. The monitors started beeping wildly and Emma's body finally caught up with her mind, leading her to run from the room and down the corridor to Doctor Whale's office.

She opened the door without knocking and didn't need to say anything before Whale was on his feet and marching back towards Regina. Emma followed, but he stopped her from re-entering the room forcing her to wait outside.

Xxx

'Regina'

She heard someone calling her voice through the fog, and tried to reach out to it. There was pain, so much pain that it was a struggle to prevent her mind from slipping back into the darkened abyss. But knowing that would mean giving into the nightmares gave her the strength to push that little bit further and finally open her eyes.

The world came rushing back to her, and she found at once that the lights were far too bright. Regina brought a hand up to shield her eyes as she blinked, trying to readjust, but even the effort of lifting her arm was one she could not sustain for more than a few moments.

'Regina,' Whale repeated. He was relieved when she finally acknowledged his presence by turning her head to meet his eyes. 'I'm going to move the bed so that you can sit up, okay?'

She ran her tongue of her cracked lips but said nothing in response. The doctor pressed a button on the side of the bed to slowly lift the half on which Regina's upper body was lying so that she could see better without needing to crane her neck.

'There, is that better?'

Regina scowled at him, and tried to say something but she found that her throat was too dry. Doctor Whale turned to one of the nurses and asked for some ice chips and water. He waited until she had returned before sending her away and drawing a curtain around Regina's bed to give her some privacy.

'There was a tube in your throat to help you breathe,' he explained, 'so it might be difficult to talk for a while; the ice chips should help.'

Regina nodded almost imperceptibly and her trembling hand accepted a small cup. She took one of the chips and placed it in her mouth, feeling the soothing harshness of the cold water running down her throat.

'Do you know where you are?' Whale asked, once she had calmed down and her vital signs had returned to a plateau.

'It's rather obvious,' Regina mumbled.

'And do you remember-'

'Yes,' she interrupted him quickly, lowering her eyes to where her hands were clasped around the cup in her lap. It was taking every ounce of energy she had to suppress the fire that was threatening to tear her apart.

Doctor Whale felt his heart sinking a little as he watched her. He had seen broken people before, it was a given in his line of work, but to see someone so completely destroyed and yet still trying to hold on to some shred of self-respect was tragic. In the past he had held grudges against the brunette, ones that he wasn't sure he would ever truly let go, but this wasn't the woman who had cursed entire realms. Whale knew that she did not deserve this fate; no-one did.

He took a deep breath. 'I'm really sorry Regina.'

She looked up at him, her lip curling into a snarl as unshed tears glistened in her eyes.

'Don't,' she warned him, her tone as sharp as the Evil Queen's had once been.

'We have to talk about what happened,' he told her honestly.

'No,' she insisted stubbornly. 'I don't need to talk; I need to get out of here.'

'Regina, you've been through major surgery. We had to-'

'I don't care, I just want to leave,' she snapped. Her entire body was throbbing, and when a shot of pain crossed her abdomen she couldn't hide the grimace that ghosted across her face; her body betrayed her.

'May I?' Whale asked, motioning towards her. Regina let out a heavy sigh, but did not object as he moved closer and gently lifted her hospital gown to reveal the long dressing which covered the width of her body. It was spotted with flecks of deep red, and as Regina looked down at herself she felt the pain that no medication could fix squeezing her heart and threatening to crush it to dust. Seeing the physical evidence made it all too real. It made her feel sick.

'I think you may have pulled at the stitches when you were dreaming, but it all seems to be okay. I'll get a nurse to come and change the dressing,' he explained, covering her stomach again. Whale looked up at Regina, who was staring vacantly at nothing in particular. If it were possible, he would have said she had lost whatever colour she had managed to cling onto and her skin was now a sickly grey.

'Regina?'

She didn't even blink in acknowledgement.

'I can give you some morphine for the pain, and then a sedative to help you sleep-'

'No,' she muttered, stopping him in his tracks.

'What?'

'I don't want morphine,' she repeated quietly, still looking off into the distance.

'Why?'

'Do I need to give you a reason?'

'N-no,' Whale stuttered, 'b-but-'

'Then just do it,' she retorted bluntly.

'Fine,' he gave in, exhaling slowly, 'but I'm setting up a PCA machine. It'll give you something for the pain only if you press a button; I can't just leave you with nothing. Is that agreed?'

Regina closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating on her breathing and trying to will away the tirade of emotions battling to take control. When she finally looked at Whale, he could see the hurt in her eyes as surely as he could see their colour.

'Thank you for bringing me back,' Regina said, though her voice remained flat and almost mechanical as if her words were not her own.

'I could only do so much; it was Gold who kept you with us. You would have died if it wasn't for him.'

Regina's brow wrinkled for a moment, but she seemed to accept what he was saying.

'Henry,' she croaked, cursing her ragged throat, 'is he okay?'

'He was here all night,' the doctor told her honestly, 'but he's gone home to get some rest. He's worried about you though, everyone is.'

'Everyone?'

'The Charmings, Emma and Robin were all here too,' Whale went on, and he noticed her tense at the sound of the outlaw's name.

'I doubt they would worry if I was dead,' she whispered sombrely, surprised by the darkness of her thoughts.

'Regina,' he gasped, wondering what on Earth would elicit such a belief, 'they were all worried sick about you. Emma's still here, waiting for news until the others get back. They care, Regina, they really do.'

'I'm tired,' she said, cutting him off to avoid continuing the line of conversation.

'Yes, it might be best if you get some rest. Henry will want to see you when he comes back.'

'No,' Regina shook her head.

'Regina, he's been desperate. He just wants to know if you're okay.'

'No-one comes in here unless I say so,' she ordered vehemently. 'And keep the curtain closed.'

Before Whale could respond, Regina had turned onto her side away from him. The way she was acting unsettled him, one minute distant and the next so angry. He was unsure as to why after everything she would push Henry away, but when he had looked into her eyes he had seen a broken woman poorly veiled behind a mask of strength she no longer had. Now wasn't the time to question her, not when everything was so raw. So he nodded slowly and left her to her thoughts.

Once Regina heard the doctor leave her in peace, she let out a deep shuddering breath and the tears she had refused to shed finally broke free to caress her cheeks. One hand hovered over her abdomen, tracing the borders of the bandage through the flimsy gown and the other was tangled in her hair. She was exhausted, but she would not sleep. The physical pain was nothing compared to the ache in her heart, so strong that it stole the breath from her lungs and choked her. Not even the thought of Henry could bring her out of the darkness which seemed to have swallowed her, and that only made her feel worse; he should have been enough.

In that moment, she wished that Gold hadn't bothered to save her. She wondered if there was anything left to save.

Hope you enjoyed it and as always reviews are appreciated :)