Robin has been slowly drifting away into a deep slumber when the sound startled him...
It was a loud clinging noise; one that oddly resembled two tin cans banging together in the most discording kind of way, a cacophony of noise that made his sore body jump involuntarily.
Actually, more than just startling him, the sudden noise scared the hell out of him. So much that as his blue-cloudy eyes opened abruptly, one of his hands automatically darted forward, reaching for a gun in a night table that wasn't even there…
"Wake up sunshine, you have a visitor."
Recognizing the voice and suddenly remembering where he was, the former CO immediately knew he wasn't in any kind of danger so he sighed in relief, closing his eyes as his muscles relaxed and his body fell limply back into his couch.
"For Christ's sake, Neal…" Robin mumbled, his voice raw and groggy.
He meant to ask what the hell was wrong with him as well, to inquire why did he have to wake him up like that; but leaving the complaint there, he just ran a hand lazily down his face as his heartbeat slowly settled back to normal.
It took him some time, to will his pulse into slowing down, because as it happened, being woken up like that after spending all day long watching Rick Grimes battle against Negan and his Saviors, all his supposedly good friend managed to do was prompt his mind to be all over the place.
He woke up thinking of zombies and barbed wire baseball bats, so of course it took him a while to wind down.
"You back here with me? Cuz I lost you there for a second."
Humming, Robin shook his head and opened his eyes once again, unable to realize that by the time he was sure his heart wasn't going to break out of his chest, several seconds passed by.
"What do you want?" He asked at last, absentmindedly scanning his surroundings, the two pools of blue that were his eyes trying to focus in the poor lighted room he was in.
"Really? I just told you, man. There's someone here to see you."
Listening to those words, Robin blinked, one time and then two, still trying to adjust his vision. Not that it worked much, because as he stared at the flat screen of his TV, all he could see was blurry and fuzzy.
It was all a mumble of distorted images dancing in front of him, and as he stared through heavy eyelids, the only notion clear enough running through his mind was that his head was throbbing like crazy.
Yes, he had one hell of a headache, or more like the feeling that there was someone playing a slow but steady drum melody inside his head. At the moment it felt bad, but having been in that situation a few times before, he knew that it was nothing that some aspirin and a huge mug of coffee couldn't handle.
Now, if he only had some aspirin or coffee, everything would be fine.
But he didn't have any of that, no… his kitchen's cabinets were running low on supplies and of course coffee was among the first thing to go. Aspirin too, and since he never went to pick up his prescription for something stronger than Advil, he would have to deal with what he had at the moment…
Which was nothing.
Groaning and laying his head back down, the Englishman closed his eyes again and dragged the thick blanket he has been using for cover over his head, drowning out of his sight everything that wasn't pure darkness.
It felt better that way, underneath the old fabric he found some kind of comfort and because of that, he decided that he didn't want to get out of his couch.
Not if he could help it. If it was up to him, he would just lay there all day long...
He meant to do it, to go ahead and try to get some sleep. Screw everything and yeah, screw Neal. He didn't invite him over anyway so maybe he would take that as the hint to finally let him be.
"Hey man, it's the Fed… again. She's at the door so should I let her in?"
Before Robin could even respond to that, there was a knock on his door. The sound was barely perceptible over the noise of his TV blasting all around him, but he heard it just fine. It was insistent, and the unmistakable voice of Emma Swan was there to make it even more obnoxious.
"Come on Locksley, I know you're in there so open up."
Un-fucking-believable… Robin thought because really, how many times did the woman had to come by and ask him the same bloody thing?
For six weeks she has been all over him, asking her endless questions and trying to poke holes in his declarations.
Quite honestly, he was tired of it, and he was sure that what she was doing was borderline harassment.
He already said all he had to say and he also gave her what she wanted. So what did she want now?
"Doesn't she have better things to do now?"
As if to answer his question, Emma knocked again, a bit louder this time so sucking in a deep breath, Robin forced his body to finally react and sit down.
"Apparently not. Beer?"
Tilting his head up, Robin settled his eyes on Neal and on the way he was offering a bottle of beer; cold, already open and very much inviting.
It occurred to him right then that the drink was the best next thing after coffee so why not? It could help with his throbbing headache so extending a hand in his friend's direction, he grabbed for it.
It made him feel a tad bad because of his earlier thoughts of wanting the man gone. Just a little bit anyway, as he still wanted to be left alone.
"Thanks, mate."
"No problem. Anyway, look at the Fed being here this way, this will be the last time she will ever bother you, because come tomorrow, she'll be off your ass."
Robin shrugged, apathy about the whole thing overcoming him.
"Yeah… well, I'll let her in."
Reaching for the remote to lower the volume of his TV, the blue-eyed man took two long gulps of the dark beer before the silhouette of Emma Swan came to interrupt his peace.
"Holy fuck, Locksley… you look like shit."
"I don't know where Mills is." Robin cut in a bit bitterly because yeah, that was what all her questions always came around to.
Where was she? Has she tried to contact him? Did he know where the money was?
It was always the same, and his answer never varied. He didn't know jack-shit.
Doing a double take as if she wanted to make him believe his answer surprised her, the blonde Federal Agent pressed a hand to her chest and gasped in fake indignation.
"What? You think that's why I came here for?"
Blinking as he tried to go back to the last episode he remembered watching of his TV show, Robin arched an eyebrow. "I'm sure it wasn't to say hello, right?"
Emma took the liberty of walking into his living room and sitting on his couch. Robin watched her out of the corner of his eye… wondering what the hell she was doing.
"Actually… I came to see if I had to say goodbye. Heard you gave Mary Margaret your resignation letter and… well, I also heard you were going back to England. Is that right?"
"That's right." He said, hitting the play button once he got to the part where he apparently started do doze off.
"And you never told me?"
"Was I supposed to?"
Clicking her tongue to the roof of her mouth, Emma turned to him. "It would have been nice, you know… since you are part of an ongoing investigation."
Scoffing, Robin bit lightly into his lips. "I'm not, actually. I gave my testimony and it was decided I had nothing to do with any of this mess."
Other than being shot, that was…
"And yet you had the pen drive."
"And yet that part was not in your declaration." He said as a matter of fact because as it happened, Emma never told on him being the one who gave her the little piece of evidence that finally served to put Gold on trial.
He wasn't sure why she withheld on that part, but he had this insane theory that it was because she didn't exactly go by the book when it came to the prison mess and well, saying the truth of how she actually was able to get the infamous pen drive could cost her the case.
He was sure that was something she didn't want, because she was now known as the agent who so diligently was able to crack into Gold's shady business and any kind of bad press could hurt her credibility.
"So is she there, in England? Waiting for you with a few millions in cash?"
Throwing his head back and closing his eyes because there she started again, Robin blew out a breath, feeling more than a little fed up.
"Bloody hell woman, how many times do I have to tell you that I don't know where she is?"
His tone came out a hell of a lot exasperated, so trying to ease off his sour mood, he squeezed hard on the remote control as he tried to gain some composure.
It was hard to, because for weeks he has been doing everything in his power not to think about Regina and everything that took place the day she escaped and Emma asking her questions and pushing into that wound was just not letting him do that.
"You can tell me a thousand times, and I will still not believe you. There's just no way you don't know…"
Looking at her, the former correctional officer scrunched his nose. "Yeah, and why is that so hard to believe? You think she was all over the place letting her plans of escaping be known among the guards?"
Chuckling and sending a look towards his kitchen, place where Neal was sitting while sipping on his beer and pretending he wasn't listening, Emma lowered her voice.
"Come on, you fooled me at the prison by keeping your dirty little secret well… secret, but I think it's more than obvious now that there is something going on between you two."
For a few seconds, Robin just stared at her, his eyes narrowing as his fingers flexed around the remote. In the background, he could listen to the gruesome sounds of The Walking Dead playing all around and he took the vibes of the show to project his mood.
"Did you know… that when I was found that day at the prison, that I was in hemorrhagic shock? I almost didn't make it… I almost bled to death right there on the spot and I only sit here today because I got I don't even know how many blood transfusions. I also had to undergo surgery, I got myself a stay in the ICU and then almost a week in a hospital room and yes, I went through all of that because she had me shot before disappearing. She and company put a hole in me, in a building that was on fire so really, what part of all of that makes you believe there is something going on between us?"
Narrowing her eyes in the same manner he was doing, Emma lifted a hand and let it run down her face. "What about the part I saw her fight her so called company when she wanted to go back to you and they wouldn't let her? Or the part she told me about the pen drive just so I would call help on you? I don't know, but to me that speaks volumes."
Clenching his jaw because this was new information for him, Robin leaned back into his couch.
"That says nothing…"
"It does, because if you are sitting here today, as you pointed out earlier on, it is because she made it happen. She exchanged the pen drive to save you, and the Regina Mills I l know wouldn't just to that for anybody. So how do you explain that?"
Feeling something he hasn't quite felt in him for the past month and a half settle on his chest, Robin blinked in confusion. But then, pushing the unwanted feeling away as soon as it wanted to expand all over him, he shrugged.
"Maybe she grew a conscience? What would I know, I think that's something you'll have to ask her. If you ever find her, that is."
"Oh I will… you can be sure of that. I got Gold, true, but getting three fugitives back into the system will look good on my portfolio as well. I want to get the hunk of a guy too… the one who shot you?"
Yeah, Robin knew who Emma was talking about, and he didn't know why, but he was almost sure the agent could find those two together because really, what kind of man broke into a prison if it wasn't to get his woman out?
Yes, the more he thought about it, the more sense it made and yes, the worse his mood would become.
It was silly and completely uncalled for, but just thinking about Regina chilling somewhere in the Caribbean with the man who almost killed him made his humor turn acrid.
He just didn't like it… and he didn't like that he actually cared.
It was a stupid thing, feeling like that, but it was there, gnawing at his bone, feeding from his sour mood and growing from it…
It made him feel annoyed and more that a little cranky. Not with her, but with him. After all, he couldn't blame Regina for it, for having someone.
It has been him the one who foolishly never imagined that a woman like her would have someone outside ready to risk it all to get her out.
He should have know it… just as he should had it clear in his mind that whatever it was that they had was just a fleeting thing… something that never should have started in first place.
"I could get promoted."
"Then good luck with that." He hissed, trying to sound anything but mad. "Now let me finish my damn show in peace." With that said, Robin swallowed what was left of his beer and focused on the TV.
Emma took the hint because after a while she got to her feet, apparently ready to leave. "Spoiler alert, he blows the bridge with him on it and everyone gets nuts. Also, if I find the two of you together, I'll make sure you get charged as well."
Her comment riled him up, but he said nothing… he ignored her until she had the decency of leaving… and only when she was gone did he allow himself to blurt out an obscenity on her name.
"I don't know how you do it man, but you sure as hell like to surround yourself with the intense kind. I mean I know Mills was a spitfire but damn, this Swan is… holy fuck, she's really something. And I'm not saying that in a flattering way, you know?"
"Just stop it." Robin said before Neal could add anything to his building misery.
"No, I'm just saying… same thing I'll tell you this. Swan and the FBI have no jurisdiction in England… or anywhere outside big ol' USA. You know, in case you are planning on reuniting with certain brunette…"
"I'm not."
And no… he wasn't; even if he wanted to. Regina Mills and every single problem the woman brought into his life was something he would rather forget so no, he wasn't even going to bother. He was going back home and from there, he would get a fresh start.
A new beginning without prisoners or mafias and where being shot over a woman wasn't a possibility.
He already had the one-way ticket for it and half his things were already packed so no, there was nothing and nobody who could stop him from going there.
Not even Emma's words bouncing inside his head about how Regina has wanted to go back to him on that fateful night… no, not even that.
There was someone watching her…
Yes, she could feel it, a sense of foreboding eating her inside out as the intense stare burned a hole through her skin, making the little hairs at the nape of her neck stand on alert and her heart skip a beat.
Actually, her whole body stood on guard the moment she felt this unseen presence; her legs ready to go on the run as her blood started to pump hard and fast into her heart, so fast that the huge surge going in even got her a little dizzy.
It was actually an alarming thing, the adrenaline taking hold of her demanding her to move right in that moment. To run without looking back, without a care of the things she was leaving behind.
Call it self-preservation if you will, but the need to just do that was strong in her.
Still, as pressing as doing that felt, the brunette fugitive known as Regina Mills did her best to stand her ground… to take a few calming breaths and ignore the cold sweat that started to run down her spine or even the ridiculous way in which her hands started to tremble.
It was the best she could do, to maintain calm… because if there was someone actually watching her and that person was there to capture her or worse, to kill her, she was already screwed.
She could run… yeah, but she doubted she could get too far.
"Shit." She mumbled under her breath because really, how could she let this happen? For almost two months she has been there, always on alert and on the lookout and the one day she relaxed into a false sense of safety, this happened…
And what was worse, it happened when she was with Mal's daughter.
If it would have been just her, she would probably be halfway into town, trying to blend with the crowd and doing her best to disappear; but no… that wasn't the case and well, running with a seven-year-old was not the ideal thing in her situation.
Closing her eyes for a second and then forcing her mind to think on what action to take, Regina swallowed on dry, her hands curling into fists.
"Lily, sweetheart-" She started to say once her eyes were back open. She did it by forcing her voice to come out low and reassuring, as the last thing she wanted was to scare the girl. "I need you to do something for me, okay? I need you to stand up and go back into the house… and tell your mom and Ruby is time to leave. Can you do that?"
"You coming with us?" Dropping the bucket of sand she has been trying to fill up, the girl asked, flashing her way a big innocent grin and yes, despite the dreadful situation and the apprehension in her stomach, Regina smiled in return.
"Not now; but if you hurry, I'll do my best to catch up soon. You think that's okay?"
Lily just nodded, her dark locks swirling with the breeze.
"Alright, so go, but don't run… just walk and don't you look back."
"Gina…" The girl started to say in confusion, her chin tilting to look at her.
"Just go." She hissed because she didn't want the girl to draw attention. Quite on the contrary, she wanted her out of sight and out of danger and the she would only achieve that was if the person watching over her didn't realize who the girl was.
If her plan worked right, as soon as Lily walked pass the small wooden gate that lead into the beach house she has been sharing with both Ruby and Mal, she could lead whoever stood watch over her far from there and that way, her three companions could disappear as they planned on doing if they ever sensed any kind of danger looming around.
Maybe it was too late for her, maybe she was not going to make it, but if anything, she would at least give the others a good head start.
With that in mind, she watched out of the corner of her eye the way Lily followed her instructions, half her attention on the girl's progress and the other half on the panorama displaying in front of her.
What could she say? As dire as the situation could feel in that moment, it was a beautiful day and she wanted to soak on it, to have permeated into her brain the way the ocean extended immensely into the horizon, how the sun beamed high in the blue sky and on the way a warm breeze that carried the soothing scents of the sea swirled all around her.
It could very much be the last time she ever got to see such a sight and she wanted her memory to do it justice… to remember it being the kind of day that usually prompted her to choose a spot along the coast to sit and think about all the things she left behind… all the people she lost.
From her parents, hundreds of miles away, to Zelena, always on the lookout for her but equally far and yes, to Robin, somewhere up north already forgetting her or worse, hating her guts.
It was silly, to have the man being a constant in her thoughts since their story was so short, but the sad reality of it all was that he was the one her mind would always go back to when she was hit by nostalgia, and even though more than a few weeks have passed by since she last got news about him, she couldn't help but to feel that emptiness in her chest take over when thinking about him…
Shaking her head to prevent her thoughts from once again go that route, Regina held her breath… focusing on the problem at hand instead. At least until she saw Lily walk into the gate
It was only then that she was able to breath, that she was able to release the tension on her shoulders.
"I know you are back there so why don't we get this over with, you asshole?" She said out loud, wondering who could it be and how they found her.
Was it one of Gold's hired men? Or did the local authorities finally tied her up as one of the fugitives the FBI was looking for?
Maybe it was the Feds on flesh and blood… Emma Swan crossing the boundaries of her agency just because she was such an annoying bitch that didn't know how to let go.
Whoever it was, he or she didn't come to play.
"Asshole? Well, good to see how some things never change, Mills."
Freezing on the spot for five full seconds, Regina felt her heart clench inside her chest, becoming so very little it could barely function and then growing back ten times its normal size.
It was literally a painful thing, one that made her cough as a way to liberate the pain taking over. But then, the five seconds turned to six and already high and alert, she turned around, her eyes huge as plates searching until she spotted him… standing a good six feet away from her.
For a little while she just watched him as he watched her, his hands in the pocket of his pants and his eyes as blue as the ocean itself settled on her.
He looked uncertain, tense… and unable to hold it a second longer, she did something that would definitely feel odd to her if it wasn't for the circumstances.
She ran… towards him, and when she was close enough she just carelessly threw herself at him, her arms going around his neck as her bare feet rose on her tiptoes.
"Oh my God… Robin." She breathed out, her face burying into the crook of his neck so that she could breathe into him and confirm that he was real, that he was not a product of her imagination playing tricks on her.
It wasn't, he was really there… even though he just stood there without even touching her.
She was barely aware of his lack of response though; actually, she was so wrapped up in her own emotion that it didn't even cross her mind that he could be there to take her back.
All she cared in that moment was that he was there, tangible, warm and yeah, that he was very much well and alive.
She was aware through Zelena of how bad he had it after being shot so having him there felt like a miracle…
Burying one of her hands into his hair and the other one settling on his back, Regina pulled a bit away so that she could look at him in the eye.
Her intention has been to ask him what was he doing there, to make him tell her how did he find her; but as soon as her eyes met his, all word was forgotten and she kissed him instead, her mouth pressing hard into his until he finally reacted by putting his hands to use by wrapping them around her.
It felt good, he felt good so as he pulled her even closer to him and even lifted her off the ground, she decided that no, that she was not going to ever let go of him again…
TBC
