Thank you so much to everyone who is sticking with this story. It is still coming, I'm just in the middle of the most difficult and complex term of uni exams there has ever been so finding the time to eat let alone write has been difficult. But I swear I am writing and I will get there eventually.

A slightly happier chapter, perhaps answering a few questions I know that I have been posing when re-reading the last few chapters but of course after the calm comes the final storm.

So grateful to everyone for their amazing reviews, and hope this chapter is alright. I have an exam coming up soon so after that I will try and get another chapter started. I know I keep making excuses but hopefully people can see I am trying and I am determined!

Anyway rant over, enjoy.

After speaking with Gold, Regina went to her office and asked not to be disturbed. She sat at her desk, moaning at the sight of the stacks of paperwork which covered every inch of it. But as she tried to sort them out into useful piles, her mind couldn't concentrate on the task at hand. So many questions were running through her head, trying to make connections that she couldn't quite grasp. Gold said that she had cursed herself, but how was it that only he knew? And how could she not remember?

Her heart began to race as she wondered how much of what he had told her was the truth. There were definitely parts that didn't fit together, and as she puzzled over it more her headache only worsened. She wondered if Gold himself had cursed her and tried to cover it up when it had gone awry, but somehow that didn't feel right. He had assured her that Henry didn't know, yet part of her wondered whether his over-protectiveness after her fall had been rooted in something else.

Part of her just wanted to take Gold's advice and forget the whole thing. Unless she looked into it further then she wasn't going to find out anymore, and she had no particular desire to do so; it was already becoming exhausting trying to piece together what she had been told against what she remembered. Regina knew that she would need to keep an eye on him, but as much as she was suspicious that she wasn't being told the whole truth she was also aware that dwelling on it wasn't going to help her much either. She had a job to do.

Deciding that she needed to clear her mind before beginning to wade through the mountain of work which would surely take up the rest of the day, Regina grabbed her bag and headed to Granny's for a coffee.

Xxx

Robin sat on a bar stool with his head cast down, staring into his cup of tea and yet not quite seeing it. He had spent the last day thinking everything over, but that had brought no great epiphany as he had hoped. Roland, as ever, had been a light amongst the darkness and had definitely lifted his spirits the night before. But he was with Marian and the Merry Men today, and Robin was left to contemplate what exactly he was going to do. He had no sense of permanence, no home and no job in particular. Part of him thought about leaving Storybrooke for good, though he knew that he couldn't leave Roland. Sighing, he picked up his spoon and started absentmindedly stirring the cooling liquid. When he heard the bell ring and someone else enter the diner, somehow he knew it was her.

Xxx

She spotted him as she walked up to the counter and ordered a coffee to go, and felt a flutter in her stomach that she wasn't quite accustomed to. He had seen her at her most vulnerable, a man she hardly recognised caught up in a situation she didn't fully understand; she was embarrassed, cautious, that had to be it. She took the seat beside him and smiled.

'Hi,' she said brightly, feeling a slight blush rise in her cheek when he looked up at her. There was definitely something in his eyes, a cautiousness that seemed to hold him back before he answered.

'Hello Regina,' he answered eventually, his words slow as though they were carefully thought out.

'I'm sorry to interrupt,' she apologised quickly, 'I just wanted to thank you for what you did the other day.'

'It's nothing,' he assured her, 'I was just in the right place at the right time.'

'Still, I'm glad that you were for Henry's sake as well as my own. I'm not sure if I know exactly what happened, but I seem to be fine now.'

'Well that's good to hear,' he smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

'I…I'm sorry, but I don't quite remember your name,' she admitted, searching through her memory and coming up with only a brief flash of his face and the smell of pine trees.

The smile fell slowly but surely from his face, and though he tried to hide it Regina could see that he was disappointed and she felt guilty for it.

'Robin,' he said gently, 'Robin of Locksley.'

'Robin, of course,' Regina said at once, her memories starting to slide back into place as though they had been suddenly unlocked to her. 'You helped us back in the Enchanted Forest, with my sister Zelena I remember now.'

'I was only glad to be of service.'

She let the scenes play over in her head like a movie, reliving each with an unusual clarity. Robin was there with her as they trekked through the forest, though always in the background. He walked beside his so-called 'Merry Men' with a little boy on his shoulders.

'You have a son,' she recalled aloud, and Robin allowed himself to relax a little.

'Roland,' he reminded her, to which she nodded in acknowledgement. 'He's very fond of you, ever since you saved him from that flying monkey.'

Regina's brow furrowed slightly as she struggled to remember, but eventually the image came of the young boy standing frightened in the path of the creature.

'It was nothing,' Regina dismissed, 'nothing at all. But I would like to thank you properly some time, for everything. Can I buy you a drink some time?'

She noticed his posture stiffen slightly at the invitation. He took a deep breath and turned to look at her properly for the first time since their conversation began, and the depth of his gaze struck her more than she had expected. Her breathe caught in her throat, her heart beginning to pound. His eyes were a well of emotions she couldn't place, so warm and kind and yet undeniably touched by sadness. Neither of them spoke, both lost in the moment and not willing to tear themselves away. But all too soon, the spell was broken. Regina saw his bright blue eyes darken, and he couldn't hide the slight falter in his expression.

'Sure, maybe,' he answered vaguely. She knew that it was the best she was going to get, and accepted it with a nod as Granny passed her the coffee cup and she paid for it.

'I'll see you around,' she offered with a smile before turning on her heel and walking out, silently cursing herself for the way she had handled the situation. She hadn't felt so nervous over a conversation since her mother was alive; no-one made her feel like that. Shaking her head, she stepped out into the warm morning air and sipped her coffee. It was going to be a long day.

Xxx

Robin shook his head, pushing his tepid tea to one side.

'Are you alright?' asked Granny, looking at him with a sympathetic gaze.

'Yes,' he sighed. 'I just want her to be okay and she seems to be better now, she seems happy. That's all that matters really.'

'She's only happy because she doesn't know what she's missing,' Granny pointed out.

'Even oblivious happiness is better than the alternative,' Robin argued. 'It's not easy for me, I won't deny that, but as long as she's safe it doesn't matter how I feel.'

Granny took his cup and put her hand over his. 'You're a good man. I'll get you a fresh one.'

'Thanks.'

There was only a moment of silence before another shrill voice stirred Robin from his reverie.

'What was that?'

He looked to see Tinker Bell taking the place Regina had held beside him, looking utterly confused.

'What was what?'

'That!' she repeated. 'How do you expect to get anywhere by being all sad and sullen?'

'Expect…what do you mean?'

Tink sighed dramatically and shook her head. 'I know what's happened, and I can see why you're upset but you're not going to win her back by speaking to her like a moody teenager.'

'Win her back? No, Tink, this isn't about that. I can't.'

'Why not?'

It was a simple question, yet when Robin searched for what he thought was the simple answer it was far more muddied than he had originally anticipated. He let out a deep breath that he didn't realise he had been holding.

'If you were watching, then you know that she has no idea of who I am anymore,' he said.

'No,' Tink admitted, 'but that's just a setback.'

'Do you think I can just turn on the charm and she'll fall back into my arms?' he asked sarcastically. The young fairy raised an eyebrow at him, as though to say why not?

'It's not that easy.'

'It can be.'

'No,' Robin said a little louder, becoming frustrated with Tinker Bell's brazen attitude. 'For a start, she's just been through hell.'

'But she doesn't remember all of that,' she reminded him. 'To her it's just another day of the week, and yesterday was just a fall. She doesn't see herself as ill or vulnerable.'

'And that's part of it,' explained Robin. 'She has no idea of everything that's happened but I do. I know what she's been through. I know things about her, deeply personal things, that she can't remember. I feel like I'm taking advantage by pretending that nothing has happened. She doesn't know that we were ever together, and I can't tell her, so I would have to lie to her every day. That's no way to start a relationship.'

Tinker Bell sighed, understanding the complexity of the problem but not willing to be defeated by it. She decided to proceed a little more tactfully, lowering her voice to a hushed tone.

'Look, from what I've heard Regina wanted to forget the awful things that she's been through. I can't blame her for that; I wouldn't wish her last few weeks on my worst enemy. So you shouldn't feel guilty for keeping them from her. She wanted those memories gone.'

She allowed Robin a moment to consider this before gently continuing.

'But she didn't choose to forget you. She didn't want you to be in this position, and she didn't want to be without you. From what I saw between you she clearly still has feelings for you, even if she can't rationalise them herself yet. All I'm saying is don't count yourself out just yet. If she wants to be with you it's still her choice.'

'What if Gold finds a way to bring her memories back safely?' asked Robin.

'It's unlikely,' Tink said regrettably. 'From what I know of the magic involved it's terribly complex and after everything went so wrong trying to correct it is impossible, or only with a high degree of risk. And even if she did remember, she would know that none of this was your fault. You're not to blame here, Robin. Not at all.'

Robin ran his fingers through his hair, trying to think but finding it impossible to order his thoughts. He saw Regina lying in her vault, cradled in his arms. He saw her in the hospital bed and he saw her walking alongside him and Roland in the moonlight. He had let Regina down that night, when Marian had returned to him. The road for them had not been easy, and that had been in part his fault. He didn't want to do anything to jeopardise her happiness further, even if that meant losing her forever. Yet a small part of him wondered if Tinker Bell was right. It was enough to make him stop for a moment and consider things.

'She can't remember on her own,' Robin thought aloud, 'Gold said that would be dangerous.'

'Very,' Tink agreed at once, her expression becoming more serious. 'It would put her life at risk.'

'Then surely I should stay as far away from her as possible,' he reasoned. 'She can't remember what happened between us, and nothing about…about the baby or what happened with Marian. I'm involved in all of that. It seems like a recipe for disaster.'

'The potion she took is strong,' Tink said, 'it is designed to be tested and to compensate for what the taker should know when put in these types of situation. In Regina's case perhaps it is better to tread a little carefully, just for the next few days, but that doesn't mean you can't talk to her and eventually get close to her again. As long as you keep the past where it belongs and don't purposefully provoke the last few months of her memory, then there shouldn't be a problem.'

Robin shook his head. 'I don't know, this all seems like a very big risk.'

'Isn't it worth it?' whispered Tink, her eyes sparkling with an optimism Robin envied.

'If I could be sure of the outcome, of course,' he said at once. 'But I don't want to risk Regina's happiness, and certainly not her life. She's happy now, isn't she? The weight of everything she's been through has been lifted from her shoulders and she deserves to be able to live a safe, happy life. She's…she's better off without me.'

Tink could see that she was fighting a losing battle. This was something Robin needed to puzzle over by himself.

'Then you have to decide if it's more painful to let her go and live life never knowing what could have been, or to take a leap of faith and trust that it will be okay.'

She got up from the seat and put a gentle hand on his arm.

'The universe has been fighting to keep you apart for so long. Don't let it win.'

Xxx

It was Monday morning and after a normal weekend with Henry, Regina was less than eager to drag herself back into the office. She had worked late every night last week, sometimes dropping off amongst the stacks of papers and waking suddenly with an uncomfortable ache in her neck. Although she had managed to sort all of the open accounts, budget reports and planning documents that had been littering her desk a new week brought a number of new challenges and it was beginning to feel like handing the mayor's job over to literally anybody else.

She wouldn't, of course. She loved her job, even when it was just paperwork and approvals. It meant that the town was safe from any great threat, which wasn't usually the case, and if this was the price she had to pay for peace then she was more than willing.

Deciding that a burst of caffeine was needed before she went into her office, she stopped off at Granny's. Gold had been right and the headaches which had plagued her in the early days of the previous weeks had abated, for which she was grateful. Sometimes she still woke in the early hours, not quite frightened but perhaps perturbed by whatever she had seen while deep in slumber though she could never remember what it was. Regina had woken that morning with that same unusual feeling, that she had lived a life within her dreams that she couldn't even start to remember. As usual she ignored it; after all, it was doing her no harm.

She saw Robin sat at the counter, where he had been when she had spoken to him last week. They hadn't seen each other since then, and Regina wondered whether that was because she had been busy or if he had been avoiding her. Either way, she didn't dwell on it but went up to order her coffee.

'Good morning,' she smiled.

'Morning,' he replied, finishing his breakfast of eggs and bacon and laying the cutlery down on the plate. 'How are you?'

'I'm fine, yourself?'

'Not bad. I'm just about to pick up my son for the morning.'

'Roland?'

He nodded.

'Well I hope you two have a good time,' she said as she picked up her coffee. 'They're so precious when they're young.'

'Regina?'

She had been walking towards the door but stopped when she heard him call her name, turning back to him.

'Yes?'

'That…that drink,' Robin said nervously. Her smile was almost reward enough for his bravery. 'Tonight?'

'I'd love to,' she answered genuinely.

'Is here at 8 alright?'

'Of course,' she agreed. 'I'll see you then.'

As she left Granny's diner she was practically glowing. Her fall, her dreams, they were all forgotten. Somehow, it felt as if the world was being put right. She couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the day.

Xxx

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