It was worth it. Totally and completely worth it.

She has to keep telling herself that, it's the only way the cracks in her heart won't tear any further. He's been distant, cold and even harsh with the words he directed at her and she won't fight back, not when she knows where his pain is coming from.

They had come back to the States that same week. All the paperwork had been expedited and Rose had been admitted to Mount Sinai Hospital within hours of arrival. She'd been on her way to getting her first round of chemotherapy, with all of her children waiting for her just a few halls down as her session began.

Regina stood at a distance, careful not to get in the way of any of them as they all looked at her with daggers in their eyes whenever they met gazes. Robin wouldn't so much as look at her, though. When Mary and David arrived not long after them, David stood by Robin's side and Mary stayed with Regina.

Mary had tried to convince her that Robin would forgive her - he had to. But Regina couldn't believe that after she saw the hurt in Robin's eyes when she confessed to him what she'd kept from him.

It had been a few days since they had come back and she had made sure to be at the hospital every single day in case Robin needed anything. But one Sunday afternoon while Regina and Cora had lunch in her office, Cora brought up the subject of her presence around the Locksley family. Her mother reasoned that it would be best for her to return to school.

"The only reason they tolerate me is that I'm helping Rose get better. But I see how they all look at you, sweetheart. How they won't give you so much as the time of day. It would do you some good to get away from this for some time."

"I can't leave Robin, Mother."

"You should," the voice comes from the door. It's Robin, and her gut drops, her hands clam and feels the chill of her guilt run up her spine.

She stands quickly, ironing out her plaid skirt, and tucking the hairs on the sides of her face. "Robin," she steps forward a bit, trying to get a closer look at him. She misses him so much and wants to just hug him and remember what his warm arms felt like around her torso. She wants to give him soft kisses on his neck, comfort him and assure him that everything is going to be okay, "I don't have to go. I can stay, I can help."

"I think it's best you go, Regina. Your mum's taken care of everything and you've got a full schedule. You should worry about that."

"No, no, I'm fine. I can talk to the professors, explain to them, they'll give me extensions," she steps closer, standing face to face with him, trying to give him a smile through her weary eyes. She hopes he doesn't reject her. That he agrees for her to stay because she can't bear to leave him, not when he's suffering.

"You don't need to do that. I-uh, I don't want you to do that. I think it's just best for both of us that we take some time apart. Everything is still fresh and I just need to focus on my family at the moment."

He wouldn't look her in the eyes, it was driving her mad why he wouldn't look at her for even a moment. She tried, tried to catch a glimpse of his eyes but he drifted away every time she was close to locking in.

She held onto his hand, hoping that he would return the embrace in some way. She wanted him to know that she was here for him, unconditionally and it just seemed like he had shut down as if he did not recognize who she was, what they shared.

He promised her that once his mother was a bit more stable he would go back to school too, that they would talk then when he was ready. But not now.

That scared her.

Terrorized her.

She couldn't be away from him, they already had a rocky start and now she didn't know if there would even be a future. But she left, just because it was something he asked of her. She packed her things and took the first flight to Cambridge where Mary and Mal greeted her at the airport. She hoped Rose would get better soon, at least to a stable state, she trusts her mother, she's a capable and magnificent surgeon and she knows she will give her the best care.

It was now only a matter of time until Robin came back, she only hoped that once he did, he was still open to any possibility of them together.

.*.

"Regina, you can't think that way. He will come back, he just needs time to get all his thoughts in order," Mary reasons. But as much as Mary tries to convince her, her heart and her brain are both finally in agreement that Robin Locksley hates her, wants nothing to do with her ever again.

"You should have seen his face… the way he looked at me," she mutters out, sniffles slowly growing as she continues, "It's like he saw me as a monster… like it was all my fault."

"He does not see you that way," Mal says, her arms crossed with what Regina can only guess is a frown of disappointment on her face. She steps into the room and sits at the edge of the bed with Mary, "He's hurt… really hurt and on top of that, his entire family relocated to a different country because his mother was battling for her life. He doesn't hate you, he's just… you messed up."

"He wanted me gone. He can't stand me being there, what else explains that, than him wanting nothing to do with me? He hates me," she croaks. She's felt the brunt of someone she loves betraying her, she's experienced it with her own parents. It's hard, difficult for her to go back to the same place of love and happiness she once had with them. But they're her parents, she's known them all her life, has shared every experience with them, how can she not still love them or want to be around them?

It's different with Robin, they're just barely getting to know each other, just still building their trust and their bond, and there she goes and ruins it all by keeping secrets from him. How could Robin want anything to do with her, some mere stranger who he's known for only a few months? But in the small crevice of her heart she hopes and prays that everything that they've experienced together was strong enough and meaningful enough to bring him back, to allow him to see and maybe have some semblance of the bond and strength back.

Mal rolls her eyes, dismissing her worries with a scoff, "I've known him longer than you," She responds, "and if you were on the outside of the little bubble you two were living in for the past few months, you'd see that the kid is completely in love with you."

"He's not- "

"Ah-ah," Mal raises her finger, cutting her off before she can utter any form of negativity towards herself because Mal will not stand for it, "That's the self-loathing talking. Don't be a masochist, it's not pretty."

"You fucked up, Regina. Big time. There's no use wallowing and pouting about it. Own up to it and pay your dues."

Mary tries to give Mal a reprimanding glare, "That does not help the situation, Mal."

Mal tips her head down at Mary, one brow raised furiously at her with lips pursed, "And you're always going to be defending her aren't you?"

Mary squints her eyes, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That you won't actually tell Regina what she needs to hear." she bites, "You just go about coddling her instead of making her see the reality of it all. This is real life, little princess, people get hurt, killed even, over lies and secrets."

Mal wastes no time, standing up, huffing an exasperated breath and marching out of Regina's room. Regina is confused, completely, utterly dazed at Mal's behavior. This entire shitty situation, she did it to Robin, not to her, so what the hell is her problem?

Regina marches out after her, getting out into the hallway when she calls her name. Mal stops, clad in a forest green pea coat, she turns about, head tilted to the side and an annoyed look on her face as Regina walks up to her, "You don't have to talk to me that way, I can hear you just fine without that bit of snark in your tone."

"Relax, Regina."

"I am relaxed, but it seems that you're the one who needs to wind it down just a bit."

Mal doesn't reply, she only re-adjusts her cross body bag and marks her gaze right through her, eyes full of disinterest. Okay, Robin she gets all the disdained and disinterested look. Even his harsh words, but Mal, seriously?

"You have no idea what you did," she finally says. Her nose flared just a bit, and she's furious, Regina can tell at the way her blue eyes just darken.

"Mal, I know what I did was horrible-"

"No, Regina, you don't get it." She rakes her hand over her blonde thick waves, turns around, as if trying to find a way out of this whole interaction, "He called me that night, after you told him everything…. Fucking shit."

"He called you?"

Robin called Mal. Right after Robin needed someone he called her. Of all people he called Mal. Not Will, not David or even Killian, but MAL. She remembers it well, after he had left the hospital room, completely broken, she remembers him going straight to their hotel. Regina wanting to try to go after him, but Tink had stopped her in her tracks, spilling countless fowl words her way as Robin caught a taxi to take him back to the hotel.

When she had gotten back to their room later that night, she found his suitcase gone, and nothing but his keycard left on the nightstand. She saw his face, saw the confusion of her confession turned fury and disgust, he would need someone that night, someone to confide in and let his fury with. And he called Mal, of everyone he called her.

Mal doesn't respond, only crosses her arms, straightens herself up and gives her a squinted gaze, a pure look of disbelief as if that's even a question to ask her.

Both girls take in the silent hallways, the muffled noise of music down the hall, the only thing replying back in their silent standoff.

"I'm his friend." Mal finally replies with a steady voice.

"So is Will, and David and Killian. Why did he have to call you?"

And her eyes go wild, Mal towers over her, her leather boots adding to her height as she looks down at Regina who stands firmly in place, teeth clenched as Mal snarls back, "You're seriously having a jealous spat, now? As your ass is on the chopping block for being a shit girlfriend, a damn liar!"

"I did what I had to do-"

"Yes, yes, we all know that little Miss Mills had to lie to be the martyr. You keep saying that, that's only excuses Regina. Own up to your shit decisions!"

She's going there, really? Again? She's told every living soul the reasons why she did what she did. Never at any point did she mention that she did not have full trust in Robin, but she was cornered, and she chose to go with her instincts. She trusts Robin, but there was no other way around this that was safe. She betrayed Robin, NOT Mal.

It's such a stupid assumption, but at this moment, with Mal raging and Regina taking every single blow that comes out of her mouth, the only thing she can reason for Mal to be this enraged and defensive is that she likes Robin… more than a friend. "Why the hell do you care so much, what, do you like Robin? Is that it?" Regina lashes back, because she's her friend. You don't go off getting crushes on your friend's boyfriends.

Mal gives her a glare, mugging her off, "You really don't know him yet, do you? You think you do but you don't."

"I do know him." She protests. It's been a short time, only a few months but through it all they created a connection, something so special and beautiful, she will not stand for Mal to diminish what they have in that manner.

"Did he tell you about his father then? Did he tell you about what happened the last time he saw his father?"

Regina stays silent. What does that have to do with anything? Yes, his father was a deadbeat, he was in and out of his life, but what does that have to do with now?

Mal's shoulders sag, she shakes her head and her gaze on Regina remains, "We were both abandoned. My parents left me at a fire station and thankfully I got adopted. He had to live with a parent that never wanted him, that left one day and never came back."

Mal's eyes just about begin to water, their pooled, but Mal being Mal, she will not cry. She inhales a deep breath, looks Regina straight in her eyes, as she continues, "Robin and I are similar in so many ways. In ways that you will never understand. You are lucky enough that you don't have to live with the rejection of a parent not loving you enough. That does things to you, it fucks up your self-worth, your willingness to give real love a chance."

"When Robin met you I could tell, he fell for you… hard. And nothing would stop him from it, not even Marian, he was willing to risk his mother, her well-being to be with you."

Mal sighs, her anger now subsided as she leans against the wall of the hall, and slides to sit, with Regina following suit. Some students walk by, but they pay them no mind as she continues, "I am so… so disappointed in you Regina. He let you in, he let you into a part of himself that… that I don't think I'll ever manage to let anyone into."

Her tears fall, one leads, the rest falling down as she confides in Regina, "He wasn't going to pursue you, you know? After he saw you with Daniel that first night you met, he told me he was going to just ignore you. But I saw that look in his eyes, there was… hope. So I convinced him, told him I would back him up, that he would regret not at least giving you a decent try. And ever since that he's never stopped pining over you."

"He was my first real friend here. The summer after our freshman year we spent it in Europe with his mom and I saw Robin in a new light. He's taken the brunt of every hardship that family has faced, he's fought tooth and nail to keep their family safe and with a roof over their head. He works at the bar just so that John can keep going to his private school because he knows it will help him in the long run."

"I didn't know any of this." Regina replies. It makes her feel worse, makes her see how horrible it is. It's devaluing every single sacrifice and risk Robin took to keep his family afloat. It's not just an omission of something that could help his family, but a reflection on how much Regina truly values Robin's role as the caretaker for his entire family.

"When he called me, he just kept sobbing. For a second I thought Rose had died. But when he told me what happened, what you hid from him… he said it was the same pain he felt the day his father left them for the last time. And that, that is why I was angry."

Her heart breaks, "Mal, I am sorry. I regret it so much. If I had known. If I had known all of this..."

"Sweetie, apologizing to me won't do anything. It's Robin who you need to prove that you won't do it again."

She nods, agrees wholeheartedly and fills herself with all the courage and bravery she can amass, she will face him, prove to him that she can be trusted and most of all, that he matters to her more than anything.

.*.

Mal had told her that it was best to give him space. She promised that she would tell Robin about their agreement. She didn't want Robin thinking she didn't care, she needed him to know she was there for him even in her absence.

She did her best, really did her best. The only thing she could do was prepare for him, help him in whatever other way she could.

So she did what Regina Mills did best, used her intelligence. She spoke with all his professors, explained the situation and made sure to keep track of all his assignments. For the next three weeks she did both her coursework and his. She collected homework assignments, started on projects, and reviewed the material for his classes so that when he came back she could be well-prepared, knowledgeable on every nook and cranny of his classes. She would help him get caught up, study for tests and make sure that any projects were well within finished so that he could submit them once he came back.

Still, she felt like she wasn't doing anything. She felt useless.

It drove her mad to no end that even Cora would not give her any status. She knew that it was against client confidentiality rules. Cora had already made very severe and illegal decisions disclosing Rose's case with Regina. It was all kept completely under wraps at how harsh and sever the consequences would be for Cora and the other doctor who had helped her bring these things to light.

Rose had been making great progress, but by the third week she had caught a fever and a compromised immune system, she remained in ICU. Mal had gone to visit on the fourth week, Regina had begged her that if she wouldn't go at least to see Robin with her own eyes and make sure he was okay, that she would do it herself.

Mal came back that Monday, with a weary face. Robin was not doing well at all. Rose had recovered from her fever and seemed to be in the clear but Robin had a fear stricken look on his face that no doctor reassurances would take away.

Mal goes that same week and Regina comes to find out that she came back with Robin, who's done nothing but stay in his dorm of that same week, not wanting to talk to anyone.

David's father had already looked into meeting with Cora to go over any potential lawsuit they could file against Mr. Madden, but there was no way to trace any of it back to him. The route went cold, and Robin… he turned into a ball of rage. He spoke with no one, Mal was the only one who could get a decent word in. All of this Regina got from her daily meetings with Will where she helped him study for their upcoming midterms. Regina was still doing her best to keep tabs on Robin's schoolwork, but with her midterms coming up as well, it was proving to be far more difficult than she thought.

She should have just given all the paperwork Mal. It would have been easier that way. But Regina is a Mills and a Vega, and neither of the two cower in the face of fear. So she holds tightly onto the binder she's made for Robin, all completely organized and color coded.

She walks up the creaking wood stairs of his dorm, and the dark hallways seem all too close with her nerves going a mile a minute. She hears no commotion on the other side of the door, hoping that it means that no one is in the small apartment. Will had told her that Robin was going to stay in the library and start some studying, so this would be the best time to go in and leave the binder.

She doesn't worry about the door being locked - these idiots never lock it to begin with. The room is vacant thankfully, and he makes her way into Robin's room. It smells like him, that woodsy scent, that certain accents of sandalwood, patchouli and oud, which she's taken to relate only to him. His suitcase is left opened, his clothes spilling out. He probably hasn't had time to even do laundry. She sets the binder down on his bed, making sure to leave a note letting him know if he had any questions to call her.

Hanging at the footboard of his bed she notices his Harvard hoodie, the one she recalls him wearing every single day during finals last semester. She snickers, remembering how much she would nag him to wear something different and that she would not be caught dead in public with anyone who would wear the same sweater more than two times in the same week. The very next day he had switched it up to his green flannel jacket.

She had assured him that she was only teasing, and that he could wear anything he cared for. But his reply took her by surprise, saying that whenever he was with her, he wanted her to be proud to be by his side, and wearing the same sweater for more than two days would just not do.

She grabs it, smooths her thumbs over feeling the soft cotton, bringing it closer to her nose. It smells like him, like the scents she would smell every morning she would wake up next to him, like the last time in Europe.

It takes her back, to his laugh and every good time they had together since they met. Brunches at Egg-cellent, the escapes in Mal's apartment, their Christmas picnic watching the stars, it all comes tumbling back to her in an avalanche. She holds it close to her chest, hoping that somehow, perhaps in another life even, he could forgive her for playing a part in causing him any pain at all.

For now, doing this small deed for him, to make his life just a bit easier will do. She sets the hood back at the footboard, takes one last look around, trying to remember any last bit of memories she can take. She doesn't know when she will be back in this room, when Robin will allow her back into his life but she hopes it's soon. She misses him, misses him more than she has missed anyone else in her nineteen years of life.

.*.

She had gotten a text from Robin that same night thanking her for the binder. Her heart leaped out of her chest and ran an entire marathon when she saw his name appear on her phone screen. She had resigned herself to not hearing from him, but this was hope, and she would cling onto it for dear life.

"Hey, did you ever get any concrete information on that Alice Swan woman?" Regina as Emma as they lounged in their dorm room. Regina sat on one of the couches, textbooks, notebooks and flashcards scattered about the coffee table. Mary had gone out with David and Emma and Regina had decided to have a study session before they went out for dinner. With her extremely short attention span, Emma had started on her midterm paper for English class, but her stopped midway her first paragraph. She argued that she worked better under pressure so naturally she would be working her tail off the night the paper was due trying to figure out a way to cite all her sources just a few minutes before the due time.

"No," Emma groans, throwing a hot cheeto up in the air and opening her mouth up for it to fall in.

"You know your stomach lining turns red because of those things right? "Regina tells her, arching her brow as she drinks her cold pressed green juice, "They're unnatural."

"You say that now," Emma replies, munching on a handful, "But don't let me catch you with a bag in the middle of the night while you watch Law & Order reruns."

"That was one time," Regina defends.

Emma raises her hand up, shaking the bag in front of her. "Don't say you don't think of them," swinging the bag back and forth, "Your mouth is watering isn't it."

Regina rolls her eyes, she is not about to admit she likes those delicious chips of death, "So about Alice Swan, what are we going to do about it? We need to figure out who she is don't we?"

Emma sighs, "I had asked your mom just a few days after she came back from Europe, but with everything that happened with Robin's mom she told me once things settled that she would talk to me."

"But have you gotten any emails from that sponsor still?"

Emma shakes her head, "A few days after I talked to your mom about the information we found… they stopped."

"We will figure this whole thing out. Who Alice Swan is, what all this has to do with you."

Regina's phone begins to buzz, she notices Will's name on the screen. She picks up and she hears a commotion on the other line, "Will? What's going on?"

She hears yelling, Kilian's voice begging someone to calm down, "Regina, you better come down here. Our boy's gone mad he - Marian stop fucking throwing shit about!"

"Will?! What-"

"Regina get here, NOW!"

The call ends, and she takes a good five seconds to sit and feel the erratic pounding of her heart.

Marian knows.

In half a second she is up, grabbing a random sweater on the coat rack and running out of the dorm into the cold street. Emma's hollers grow faint as she makes it out of Apley Court. Her hands trembling, her slippers growing wet from running across the wet lawn of Robin's dorm building. She makes it up the stairs, her breathe catching and as she makes a left turn into the hallway she sees Marian at the entrance of the door to their dorm in fury, yelling to no end. There are nearby students peeking outside of their dorm rooms. God this is a mess.

She can hear Robin's voice, yelling and banging at the doorway to get Marian to leave. She's furious, yelling blasphemous words at Robin. Regina stops, watches as Robin walks forward. He towers over Marian, his chest raised arms pushed down with fisted hands.

"Robin," she whispers to him.

"Locksley!" she hears a voice yell out at the same time as her. Robin turns, not so much as looking at her but eyes going dark at the man who called out to him. The man marches over as well, his steps heavy pounding on the wood floor. He just passes Regina when Robin lunges towards man, punching him in the face and he falls to the floor.

"You devil, Madden!" Robin growls out, kicking the man who begins to get back up to his feet. Marian's screams can be heard down the hall, Killian and Will start calling out to Robin and hold him back from both hands but Robin fights against their grips.

Madden. He's Marian's father. Oh god.

The older man, begins to get up, wiping the dripping blood that begins to run down his nose, "You lowly, trash shit bastard. Why the hell did I ever let my daughter waste her time with you?"

He's standing right next to Regina, who's pressed against the wall , anger surging from the man's voice, and as he continues yelling at Robin, "I hope your mother dies!"

And Robin sees fire and rage, in one quick push shove, Robin frees himself from his friends hold, and as he swings at the man, Madden swings as well. Both tackling each other onto the opposite wall. More students come out, other boys and the RA come running down to separate them as campus police is called.

The RA yells at everyone to go into their dorms and takes Mr. Madden to the dorm office to await campus police. Marian stands, face stricken as she angrily shoves fist to Robin, "He was helping your family you ungrateful asshole."

"He wasn't giving her shite!" he yells back at her, his voice wavering and tears beginning to fall, mixing with the blood smeared over his chin and neck, "He left her there to die in that hospital!"

Marian's eyes widen, bewilderment in her gaze and she begins to shake her head in denial of Robin's declaration, "No, he wouldn't." She tries to argue her confused eyes turning into lakes.

"He did. It's time you start seeing your father for who he is, Marian," Robin tells her, looking at her contrite face, realizing that she believes what he's just told her.

"Fucking hell, Regina," Will says as he kneels down to help her get up. She feels fuzzy, her vision is blurry and there is a hot pounding on her lower lip and some sort of wet dripping from her nose.

She sees Robin, and he meets her gaze for the first time, he's bloody, eyes bright red and so, so broken. His gaze falls, and more tears fall, "Oh darling, you're hurt. Oh gods," he cups her right cheek, but she flinches at the touch.

"It h-hurts," she whimpers out. She hadn't felt it before, but now that she's a bit calmer, as the adrenaline starts to fade she can feel the searing hot pain on her face.

"I hit you. I'm so sorry, my love."

She shakes her head, "No, not you. It was him," she clarifies referring to Mr. Madden, "He hit me with his elbow, I think."

"Let's get you inside, love,"

She stills feels fuzzy, but she had Robin holding tightly onto her hip to keep her up as he leads her. He opens the door to his dorm room, she notices he's got the binder she made for him laid out - he'd been studying from it, it seems.

Emma had arrived to the dorm room minutes later, completely shocked at the scene in front of her. Both Robin and Regina bloodied she had thought that they both had gotten into it. She had started punching Robin in a fury, but Killian pulled her off and explained to her the entire situation that had transpired. The RA had come in a few moments after Emma and brought in a first aid kit with the campus police to get testimonies of what had happened. Mr. Madden had been taken to the local police station. Will had called David and told him the entire ordeal and quickly got in contact with one of his father's lawyer friends that dealt with criminal defense to help Robin in the event that Mr. Madden did try to press charges against him.

David had spoken to Robin over the phone, telling him that they could press charges against Madden not only for attacking him but also Regina. Robin had decided against that, he feared that any interactions with the law involving him in any sort of criminal proceedings would effects his current student VISA, which at this point was the only thing allowing him to stay here and be near his family. Even when David assured him that he could get legal immigration counsel and help for that if it ever did come to it, Robin was still too fearful of that and continued to deny the help. All he wanted was to make sure that Mr. Madden not file any sort of charge against him.

It seemed that their entire friend group had heard of the incident, boys dorm room had their entire crew, Mal, Ella, Mary, David, Emma, Killian, and Will all sitting about the small living room and the boys rooms keeping guard of Robin and Regina.

Emma had done quick work of cleaning up Regina's face a bit, Mal come in with a change of clothes for her per Emma's request and she was made to take a hot shower to relax. Mary had made her a chamomile tea after she got out of the shower. She'd changed into the warm silky pajama set and took the cup and sat on one of the couches, feeling her body rest for the first time in a few hours. She looked around the room every single one of her friends she'd made in this past school year here, providing her their support and protection. She felt a sense of peace come over her.

Mal came and took a seat next to her, snuggling a bit closer to her as Regina placed the uninjured side of her face on her shoulder, "How are you feeling?" Mal asked.

"Better." she replies, releasing a long breathe, "That was so crazy."

"I'm just glad you two are okay." Mal whispers, holding tightly onto Regina's free hand. They lace them together, a very intimate thing for them to do. Their closeness has brought on this physical intimacy, it's not sexual at all, and they have just gravitated to this sort of touch and connection with one another. Regina hums, agreeing with her as the tea begins to soothe over her senses.

It's silent, only the clicks of David and Ella's laptops to be heard and Will cracking some sort of lewd joke with Emma while Mary scolds them both.

"I'm sorry for the other day, Regina." Mal tells her, her head now resting against Regina's.

"Mal, it's fine."

"It's not though," Mal interjects, "Things are far more complicated. I was selfish, and rash."

"I should have told Robin, you were right."

"No, you shouldn't have." Mal replies, "You did the right thing. The tough decision to risk hurting Robin to keep everyone else safe. I was just hurting for Robin, I wanted to be that protective sister that stands up for him and I took it out on you instead of that piece of shit Madden."

"We can stand up for him together," Regina tells her, taking a sip of her tea as she sets it down on the coffee table. She looks over her shoulder into Robin's room, which still has the door closed. He had taken a shower after her and had gone in to give a call to Belle to explain to her everything that had gone on.

"He'll be out soon," Mal replies, eyeing her knowingly.

Regina smiles, feeling her phone buzz as she sees a message from Cora who insists she go see a doctor tomorrow to make sure that everything is okay with whatever injury she received. When she had called Cora to let her know, she had gone ballistic, in a fury explaining that she would send Madden to jail for hurting her daughter. But Regina explained robin's worry, and after a lengthy attempt to ease her she finally convinced her to not make things worse. She replies back trying to ease her that she'll find time tomorrow to go and get checked out.

She hears the creaking of Robin's door opening and he calls to her, "Darling?" as he walks next to the couch Regina and Mal are sitting on. Regina looks up, his eyes fixed on her, "Want to take my bed? Bet you're knackered."

She's surprised, it takes her a moment to realize what he asks her, and of course she will not object to that. So she nods, he gives her a tiny pleased smile as he takes her hand to help her stand. They turn towards his room, and as smooth as he is, Robin slides her hand over the small of her back, soothing her as they make it to his room where he closes the door behind them.

She notices he's made a small sleeping area for himself on the floor right next to the bed with some blankets. He's tidied up a bit around the room since she was here last. The bed is made, his pillow fluffed and two nice thick blankets laid atop waiting for her to tuck herself in.

She looks up to him, his hand still placed securely on the small of her back, "You're sleeping on the floor?"

"Yeah, it's alright, I'm used to it," Robin tells her as he leads her to the bed as she slips out of her slippers, "When we used to sleep in a one bedroom, we would all take turns sleeping on the bed, got used to the hard surface."

She sits on the bed, her legs pulled close to her chest, only her feet covered by the blankets. Robin sits on the small bedding he's made, his hand placed at the edge of the bed. She listens intently as he tell her about all the fights he would have to break between Tink and John whenever the bed allocation rules were broken. She laughs with him, about all the crazy pillow fights between his dainty sister and his overgrown little brother.

As he finishes his story, the silence takes over between them, they both remain gazing at one another, a longing filling their eyes.

"I'm sorry, Regina. For pushing you away and blaming you. I am sorry for my anger and, and everything I've done to hurt you," Robin sighed, his hand reaching for hers and bringing it closer to his lips to kiss its palm, and knuckles and wrist.

"No, Robin. I'm sorry, I messed up, I-"

"You've done nothing of the sort, love," he assures, his voice broke, cracking as he continues, "What you did, what you risked, it's the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me."

She cannot believe what she is hearing, Robin - her Robin - has no ill feeling towards her, no not one single bit.

She can't smile very well, her lip is still fairly swollen and so is her cheek, but her eyes glimmer with tears of happiness and relief, "S-so, y-you forgive me?"

"My love, there is nothing to forgive," he cups her uninjured cheek, moving to press a kiss to her forehead, "I'm the one who has to ask for your forgiveness."

Regina shakes her head, not caring to hear of any sort of apologies, because she knows there is no need for them. He wipes her tears careful not to hurt her, as he continues, "I felt hurt by everything and everyone. I felt like I had lost control, that every decision I made to try and help and protect my family only lead them to an ill fate. It's my fault," he confesses to her, tears falling as he sobs, "I accepted Maddens proposal, I dragged my mum to her death."

"No, no, no," Regina pulls him up to the bed this as much force as she can, he follows as he climbs onto the bed, "This is not your fault, baby. Not a single thing is your fault."

He wraps his arms around her, she brings him closer to her chest as they both lay together, and his tears pour over her chest, his sobs echoing in her beating heart. This is all just so wrong, so unfair and he does not deserve one bit of the pain he is experiencing.

She soothes his back, his breath deep as he begins to calm. It's minutes later that they both lay in silence, looking at each other, reconnecting once again.

They both lay tucked together in the bed, she'd shifted over to her side so she can lay on her uninjured side and Robin's back is not against the wall. It's a fairly tiny twin bed, and Robin is a bulky guy, Regina is pretty dainty so he bring her into his chest, covers her with his arms, feeling her close to time. He keeps kissing her forehead and the crown of her head, since her lip is injured, that's the only place that won't cause her further pain.

He keeps apologizing, murmuring quiet regrets as he kisses her hair.

"You don't have to apologize to me, Robin," she assures him. He's pretty bruised as well, her hands remain on his arms, his chest and moving up to his neck. She's missed him so, wants to feel him close to her, feel his warmth and scent envelop her.

"I was angry and pushed you away. I couldn't see reason." he tells her, tucking her in closer to his chest. The warm covers providing just the perfect amount of heat as they entwine their legs, "I also…"

He pauses, and she looks to him inquisitively, "Also what?"

"I've always relied on myself. Since I met you, you've been here, standing with… my constant. I had someone to lean on, not since my father left. I did not want you to bear the burden of my problems, to see what being with me means for your life."

This stupid boy. He really is daft isn't he?

She smiles, it will hurt, knows it's painful but she just misses his lips. She kisses him, a soft, delicate peck, "I'm with you. Always."