"Regina Mills, you will be paired with, Marian French."

Upon hearing those words Regina though her heart had temporarily stopped beating. Marian! Of all the people in the whole of bloody England she could have got as her exchange partner, she got Marian! Her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend Marian, the girl who had slept around behind his back and lost the most amazing boy imaginable, the girl who had broken his heart.

She couldn't believe it, it was all a bad dream, she would wake up to find that she was still asleep on the plane, her head resting on Robin's shoulder. She would wake up and everything would be fine, she wasn't really paired with Marian, she couldn't be paired with Marian. All hope of that was lost as she felt Robin squeeze her hand and whisper her name. "Regina?"

He was staring at her intently when she turned to meet his eye. "No!" She shouted shaking her head. "Sir what did you just say?"

Dr Hoper looked at her, before furrowing his eyebrows and looking back at the clipboard "um Regina Mills, Marian French."

"No! No this is... no! Sir you'll have to swap me with someone else, anyone else!"

"Sorry Regina, exchange partners have been finalised."

"No." She shook her head, looking at Robin, this wasn't happening she couldn't be stuck with Robin's ex for a whole week, have to sleep in her room, stay at her home! She couldn't, not after what she had done to Robin, that and it was just plain weird. "You don't understand; I can't be paired with her."

"And why not?"

"Because she's my boyfriend's ex-girlfriend! Sir!"

"I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do."

She shook her head and laughed at the hilarity of it all "you have got to be fucking kidding me. Is this a joke? Because it is not funny."

"It's not a joke Regina, now go and find your exchange partner." Archie scolded.

She wanted to cry, she should have known that this trip was too good to be true, should have known that something like this would happen to ruin her little fantasy. But Marian? That was just too ridiculous for her to fathom. "Robin?" She turned back to him. "What am I gonna do?" She asked, briefly aware that Dr Hoper was still reeling the names off.

Shock, Robin was astounded, he couldn't quite believe it, the most beautiful, kind and caring person he knew, the girl he loved with all his heart was paired up with his vindictive, manipulative ex. She was someone that he despised totally and poor Regina was going to be stuck with her. He knew it wasn't going to be fun, Marian was Marian and she would make sure that Regina had a horrible time, he knew she would. She was jealous and she would stake claim that she had been his girlfriend first, he thanked god that they had never been intimate, because anything she could, she would use against Regina and he knew she would. He couldn't let Regina know that, he needed to make sure that she stayed calm, even if they were both totally freaking out.

"Robin? What do I do?" She repeated.

"I dunno. Mrs Malory." He beckoned his art teacher over to them. "Is there any way that Regina can swap her exchange partner, she isn't comfortable staying with Marian."

"Robin, I'm sorry, like Dr Hoper said, the pairings have already been finalised."

"Shit." He sighed whipping off his penguin hat and throwing it on the ground. He hated the fact that Marian had the power to ruin this trip for Regina, a trip she had been so excited about going on.

"Robin, it's fine, maybe she won't recognise me, or I could change my name, who should I be?" She grinned, she was trying to make light of the situation any way she could, mainly to make herself feel better about the disaster she knew was a foot. "Oh, I know, Hello, my names Wendy Darling, darling." She laughed as she put on the most British accent she could muster.

Robin shook his head "What the girl out of peter pan?" He asked.

"Why not?" She shrugged.

"It's not going to work."

"I know." She sighed "How does my hat look?" She asked, adjusting it somewhat as she turned to look at him, placing one hand on her hip as she struck a model pose.

"Sexy." He laughed. "Regina, I feel weird you having to…"

"I'm a big girl Robin, I can take care of myself against some jealous ex of yours. Maybe she won't cause any problems, maybe we'll become bffs." She was completely trying to reassure herself, not that she was succeeding all that well. "Not that I would want to be friends with someone who was so horrid to you." She added.

Dr Hoper's voice broke through their conversation "Robin Locksley, you will be paired with William Scarlett."

"Now we're talking." Will laughed as he overheard and came to slap Robin on the back. "Bad luck with Marian and all that." He shook his head "If she pisses ya off too much, you can always come and stay with Robin at ours."

"I'll remember that." She laughed.

"You two why are you loitering?" Rebecca the librarian who was a friend of Regina's asked coming over to them a smile on her face. "Regina?"

"Rebecca, can I just fly home now?" Regina joked.

"Nope, sorry, come on, let's go find your exchange partner."

"Regina, meet me outside, I want to talk to you before you leave and I don't think I should be with you when you meet Marian, it might make it worse." Robin sighed, looking down at his shoes, he felt awful, as though it was his fault.

Then all of a sudden, she flung her arms around his neck and he immediately hugged her. "You better meet me outside, because I don't think I'll be able to do this without a goodbye kiss, what do you call kisses here in England?" She asked, her hand playing with his hair.

"Kisses." He laughed.

"Nah Robin, snogs." Will laughed "She wants a goodbye snog."

"Ah." He chuckled, before kissing her, his fingers dancing over the base of her back.

"Mmm. I don't think that will last me until tomorrow." She sighed.

"Well then, meet me outside."

"I will do." She dropped her arms and picked up her bag "Wish me luck."

"Good luck." He smiled, kissing her cheek "I love you."

"Love you too." She took a deep breath before turning and beginning to walk to the area where the exchanges were all meeting their matches. She felt quite sick, somewhere in her mind, she had ranked this woman along with Emma Swan, if not maybe slightly above her on her annoyance radar, which was somewhat unfair considering that she had never actually met her. What she couldn't understand was why anyone would have a guy like Robin and then cheat on him, even if he wasn't putting out, why put such a kind and caring person through such heartbreak, why not have the decency break up with him? Why did she hurt him so much as to sleep with other people behind his back? To embarrass him for being a genuine, decent, loving guy who isn't just in a relationship for sexual benefits?

Upon seeing the girl her first instincts were to run, run to Robin, hug him and never let go. Then her second instincts were to smack the bitch for what she had done. Finally, after deliberating the options she chose to be calm and rational, sporting a slight nervous smile as she approached her, maybe showing her nerves was weakness, but she was anything but weak, one wrong word from Marian about Robin and Regina knew she would be being sent home for disorderly conduct. Straightening her posture, holding her shoulders up high she decided on what she was going to do, be overly nice, annoyingly nice, so nice that with any luck she would drive Marian completely stir crazy and she was going to purposely call her by the wrong name, people hated that right?

"Marina?" She smiled as she dropped her suitcase and pulled the unsuspecting brunette in for a tight hug, wrapping her arms around her. Then in the most American accent she could fake she stated "It's so great to meet you Marina."

"I, um, it's Marian." She corrected as Regina pulled back.

"Oh, right sorry." She laughed "I'm Regina." She smiled, still holding on to Marian, trying to make her feel as uncomfortable as possible.

"Regina? Do I know you?" Marian asked, looking at Regina closer.

"Me, no I don't think so, I would have remembered meeting someone as, pretty as you." She smirked, before jumping up and clapping. "Ooh I can't wait for this week." She was annoying herself, so it must be annoying Marian, it just had to be. She was acting as a pretentious American teenager, something that was the opposite of what she was. "It's going to be sooo fun isn't it?" She cast her the toothiest smile imaginable as she swished her ponytail and adjusted her cap.

"Yeah, it's going to be good." Marian stated, staring at her wide eyed.

Regina bit her bottom lip and picked her suitcase back up "Shall we go then?"

"Yeah, sure." Marian smiled at her. "Come on let's go."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Regina asked casually as she followed her, her smile dropping slightly as Marian had her back to her.

"Not at the minute, how about you?" She knew that Marian was about to turn around, so she cast her a smug look.

Regina twirled her hair "Yes, I do." She bit her bottom lip "Oh he is just the best. He's British actually."

"Is he?"

"Mmm, ooh you can meet him, he's meeting me outside to kiss me goodbye." Regina hurried slightly in front to her, the tassels on her buckskin waistcoat swishing as she went. She saw Robin and tapped him on the shoulder, he turned around and before Marian could see his face, Regina crashed her lips against his, his arms wrapped around her as she explored his mouth with her tongue. "Mmm, mmmm, mmm." She made sure to moan loudly into the kiss as her hands slipped under his leather jacket. She ended the kiss with a loud smack as she pulled back to smile at him "Just go with it." She whispered. "I am going to miss you so much lover."

"Gins." He chuckled, he knew what she was doing she was trying to annoy Marian, she was trying to push her.

Marian's face fell as she watched Robin and Regina rubbing their noses together. "You." She scoffed. "I knew I'd seen you before."

"What?" Regina turned as Robin wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning his chin on her shoulder. "Oh Marina, this is Robin Locksley, my gorgeous, hot, sexy, amazing in bed boyfriend. Robin, this is Marina."

He was really trying hard not to burst into laughter as Regina purposely called Marian by the wrong name. "Marian."

"Robin."

"Seems you have the pleasure of having my beautiful girlfriend as your exchange partner."

"Oh yes, isn't it wonderful." Regina smiled. "We are going to have so much fun."

"Ha, hmm yeah, well, I'm just going to go wait in the car." Marian stated as she turned around and headed to the car where her mother was waiting to drive them.

Regina chuckled and turned to Robin "Was that annoying?" She asked, her lip between her teeth.

"Annoying? Regina that made my head hurt."

"Ooh good. Although to be honest I am already annoying myself. But my strategy here is, to be so nice, so incredibly nice to her that she will either be driven crazy and flip out at me, or she will become my new best friend."

"You Miss Mills are a schemer."

"Don't I know it. I think I can have fun with this."

"Oh I think you probably will." He leant back down and kissed her lightly. "That kiss before." He shook his head "You sure know how to put on a show."

"I'm an actress that's what I do." She chuckled. "Seriously though, do you think that it will work?" She asked, her face dropping to a look of seriousness as Robin gently ran his fingers up her arms. "I may just have to drop the act now though I don't know how long I can keep it up."

"Well, however long you do, I think it is very convincing."

"Why thank you. I have to go now." She sighed, looking down at her feet.

"I'll call you later."

"Please do." She nodded.

"Don't worry, I love you, oh and as much as we dislike Marina, please try not to suffocate her in her sleep."

"What do you take me for?" She scoffed. Slowly she moved in and ran her fingers over his cheek "I don't know if I can do this Robin, be apart from you, stuck with her."

"Yes, you can, now you will see me in the morning I swear." He placed a kiss on her lips and laid his forehead against hers. "I love you."

"I love you too." She closed her eyes and hugged him once more before picking up her bag and joining Marian in the car.

"Where are we going?" Emma asked as she turned to look at Killian; they had bunked off school as Killian had told her that he had a plan. She didn't know what it was but she needed something, anything to take her mind off Regina, she wasn't even in the same country and she was still the only person that Emma could think about. Maybe there was something wrong with her, she was obsessed, completely and utterly obsessed with the beautiful, hot, sexy brunette that plagued her dreams. Maybe she should try and find a girlfriend, she and Killian had agreed to keep their relationship on a purely friendship basis, that was seemingly fine with him as he had found a new girlfriend. Emma wasn't going to tell him that she was a lesbian, the time would come, but now wasn't the time, she needed to give it a bit longer.

Killian and Emma had known that their relationship hadn't been going anywhere for a while, months even and although Killian was Emma's best friend, she hated to admit that maybe she had been using him a little, both to mask the fact that she liked girls and for sexual gratification. She didn't know when she would be able to tell her friends, it was scary, she was scared, so she lashed out, the fear that people wouldn't accept her for her made her lash out and push people away, people that she knew cared about her and wouldn't care about her sexual orientation.

So now, with Mary Margaret and David away in England, with Regina, she and Killian couldn't be bothered with school and he was taking her somewhere, all he had said was to pack a bag for somewhere warm, whatever that meant.

"Okay, don't yell at me; we're going to California."

"What?" She asked staring at him wide eyed, out of all the things she had expected him to say, that was nowhere on the list. "California? Why?"

"Well, that was where you were adopted from and I thought we could go to the agency and see if they had any information they could give us." He smiled smugly as he passed the you're leaving Storybrooke Sign.

"Do you know how long it takes to drive to California?" She scoffed "Killian, it takes like two whole days and nights!"

"That is why, we are flying there." He shook his head "Geez, did you really think that I was going to drive? My poor car would probably die."

"Oh heaven forbid." She sneered.

"Anyway, we are going, so let's hope they can tell us something, anything about your adoption."

"Fine, whatever." He was a crazy person and all this was because she had lied to him about the reason she was being moody with Regina, because she couldn't tell him the truth. Now they were traipsing literally to the other end of the country to track down a mother she had no intention of finding, she didn't want to meet the woman who had given her up, she simply didn't want it. Her mother hadn't wanted her the first time; why would it be any different now? Bust she was going through with this to keep her secret, to keep the fact that she loved Regina from ever being found out by anyone and that was more important, to Emma that was the most important thing in the world, Regina could never know.

The car pulled up outside Marian's house and Regina ran her eyes over it; the building was located in Chelsea and was a town house with four stories, which meant it was narrow but tall. Judging from the borough it was located in, it was rather posh. The stone work was red brick, with contrasting white strips which separated the different stories and surrounded the windows, it wasn't like anything they had in Maine and Regina was rather shocked.

The journey to Marian's house had been very quiet, only her mom made a few passing comments, asking Regina what America was like, what sorts of food she might like to eat and weirdly how she liked her eggs, scrambled was her answer. It was rather tense in the backseat with Marian, she kept fiddling with her skirt or her hair and if Regina didn't know any better, she would say that she was making Marian feel very uncomfortable, which was surprising as she had assumed it would have been the other way around. Maybe Marian wasn't as vindictive as Robin had made out, maybe she was easily intimidated.

Regina pushed the car door open and looked up at the tall building, time to go back into acting mode. "Oh wow, it's lovely, your home is very beautiful Mrs French." The older woman simply nodded and made her way back up the stairs. It was then that Regina remembered Caroline's hatred for Marian's mother, she wondered exactly why she hated her so, she made a mental note to ring her later and ask. "Your mothers a woman of few words." just like her daughter Regina thought, as she picked up her bag and followed Marian upstairs.

Marian pushed open her bedroom door and Regina's senses were invaded with bright pink, her own room hadn't been that shade of pink since she was five years old and thinking she was Barbie, that had soon passed when she received her horse and all thoughts of dolls went out of the window. "It sure is, bright. I love it." She smiled as she walked in and settled her case by the door.

Marian shut the door and leant against it "Okay, cut the crap."

"What?" Regina asked, tilting her head, a smile still on her face.

"You know who I am, so stop it with the false pleasantries, it's making me nauseous."

"Oh dear, we wouldn't want that now would we?" Regina asked, her voice altered to a high annoying altitude, as she perched on the end of her bed. She didn't like the sound of her own voice, she was sounding a little too bitchy for her own liking and she wasn't a bitch, she didn't want anyone to think that she was.

"You know who I am, yes?"

"Of course I do." Regina rolled her eyes, her voice returning to its normal pitch.

"Ooh I get it, you're a pretentious snob." Marian waved her hand at her. "You think that by being nice to me I will leave Robin alone."

Regina scoffed and shook her head "Don't flatter yourself, Robin doesn't want you."

"What makes you so sure about that?" Marian asked raising her eyebrows. Regina was again reminded of Emma.

"Well, for one, he's in love with me and for two, I guess we can just use number one again. Robin loves me Marian, you had your chance and you let him go, you cheated, not me."

"Have you even had sex yet?" She questioned, sitting at her dressing table and meeting Regina's eye through the mirror.

"That is none of your business." Regina spat.

"I'll take that as a no, shame really, he's very good and he can go all night. He really is quite the predator once you get him going."

"What?" Regina asked, her smug smile dropping. "You liar, Robin hasn't had sex."

"Oh I beg to differ."

She was lying, Robin hadn't, he hadn't, if he had he wouldn't have lied to her about it, he just wouldn't. He was as nervous as she was, he had told her the reason that he had broken up with Marian was because she wanted to have sex with him and now it was blatantly obvious that she did. "You and Robin, you never had sex. Robin hasn't okay, so stop it with the bullshit rumours that are clearly a pack of lies. He told me what you did to him, told me that you cheated on him, all because he didn't want to sleep with you."

"Here we have it." She was slowly clapping in a way that made Regina want to smack the smile right of her face. "Hello so you're the real Regina, you were quite the actress, I'll give you that, but deep down, you really are that uptight little virgin aren't you."

"Better a virgin than someone who just runs around and sleeps with the first man she can latch onto."

Marian stood up and swished her hair "Poor Regina, doesn't know what if feels like to be fucked hard and proper."

"I'm getting there." She smirked. "But the thing is, I will be, as you like to call it, fucked hard and proper, by the guy who rejected you, the guy who refused you. Do you know why he did that? Because he wasn't in love with you, my Robin has standards, he is good, true and honest and I love him, so much it hurts. So, why don't you just back off, leave him alone and we shouldn't have any problems."

"We'll see, you can unpack, I'll be downstairs." She left the room and Regina let out a sigh of relief.

That was the strangest conversation she had ever had, maybe the woman was unhinged? She was probably embarrassed by the fact that Robin had rejected her, it had probably caused a massive dent in her ego and her reputation as being a girl who got any guy she wanted with a simple flutter of her eye lashes. This was going to be a long week, she knew it.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and left the room, finding the bathroom she locked the door and sat on the side of the bath. She quickly scrolled through the contacts until she found the number she was looking for. "Hi, Mrs Locksley."

"Regina, hello dear, are you alright? Did you have a good flight? How's Robin he hasn't rung me yet? How do you like your exchange partner?"

"Caroline." She sniffled. Just hearing her voice made Regina well up a little, she realised how much she was already missing not only her own family, but his as well.

"Regina? What is it? Honey, talk to me."

"Marian."

"What?"

"Marian, she's my exchange partner." She cried.

"Oh no, Regina..."

"They wouldn't let me swap, Robins with Will."

"Sweetie, it's okay, sweetheart."

"Sorry for ringing you like this, I, I just, I needed to talk to you." Regina felt embarrassed, she was crying on the phone to his mother. "I'm sorry."

"Regina dear, it's fine, oh sweetheart, don't worry."

"She's already taunting me, saying that she slept with Robin, calling me an uptight virgin." She sniffled, why had she just confessed that to his mother? If she wasn't embarrassed then, she certainly was now. Although it was alright, Caroline already knew, it wasn't as if she had never spoken to her about it before.

"Regina, you might be a virgin, but that is nothing to be ashamed of, you are the kindest most beautiful girl I know and you most certainly aren't uptight. Don't let that nasty little girl push you around and definitely don't let her make you feel bad about still being a virgin."

"I'll be glad when no one can say that to me."

"Regina, honey stop."

"Why do I feel like people are making me feel ashamed?"

"My goodness, sweetheart, they are jealous, jealous that they didn't wait for the one they loved."

Regina stopped, she didn't feel ashamed, not really, it was just she was sick and tired of people asking her why she had never had sex, why she was so good. She didn't mind, not really, she loved that she had waited for Robin, waited to do it with the one she loved. Maybe Marian was full of self-loathing, maybe that was the reason she was taunting her, it would all make sense, Caroline was right, Marian was jealous.

"Regina? Speak to me."

"You're right, you are, but how am I going to get through this week?"

"You young lady can manage anything you put your mind to, don't let her intimidate you and if she fights, fight back."

"Fight?"

"Not a physical fight of course, but show her that she can't push you around."

"Thanks Mrs Locksley."

"Regina, remember, we love you."

"I love you too." She sniffled. She and Caroline were extremely close now, she was like a second mother. Regina felt like she could tell her anything and she wouldn't judge her for it. "Caroline, what happened between you and Mrs French?" She wanted to know, wanted to know what this family had done to the people she now loved so much.

There was a slight pause before she answered "Clarissa and I have know each other a long time and in that time she has been nothing but wicked towards me."

"Oh, how? If you don't mind telling me."

"Well, it started when we were teenagers, we competed to be the best at everything. One day we're entering a baking competition, she was jealous that I was better than she was and she replaced my sugar with salt."

"That's terrible."

"I know. That was probably the least nasty thing she did. She went after James you know, tried to split us up, she forced herself on him and when that didn't work, she told him that I had cheated on him."

Regina's eyes went wide as she listened to Caroline's tale of how Marian's mother attempted to tear her life apart. "Like mother like daughter then." Regina scoffed.

"Exactly, Regina, she will try and get her claws into Robin okay, but he loves you."

"I know."

"Don't let her affect you."

"I'll try."

"Oh and Regina, make sure you enjoy yourself, there's no point stressing about Marian and letting her ruin your trip."

"Thank you."

"Love you sweetheart."

"You too, speak to you later."

"Bye bye now."

"Bye." Regina cut her phone off and sighed. She was just going to have to deal with this, one day at a time. She wasn't going to let Marian win, letting Marian win wasn't an option. Nothing would drive her and Robin apart, not even his manipulative ex-girlfriend, she would do anything she had to make sure that nobody separated them. Ever.

Just a quick note, I imagine Marian's mother as the Blue Fairy, if you were wondering. (don't like that character one bit, but thats my own opinion haha)

Let me know what you thought and what you might like to see in the upcoming chapters. Love to all. xxx