Chapter 7

Robin has been back at home for only three minutes before the doorbell is rung. He cut it close. He takes a breath. He sent Regina in the direction of the kitchen. He bought her enough ice cream to keep her busy for a moment. It's not like he's hiding her.

Ok. Maybe he his.

He just doesn't want her good mood to end. The last time he brought her here things hadn't been the bee's knees. He likes Regina when she isn't shouting at him. Robin feels as if they might have gotten on in the past few hours. He's doesn't need her going back to thinking he's a wanker.

Robin shakes her from his head. Focus. He answers the door to greet the two preteens. He is immediately met with energy only kids can have.

"Hi Robin!" Henry and Violet smile brightly at him.

"What's good Henry, Violet?" Robin easily smiles back at him. "Who's um, who's this?" he gestures to the blonde teen standing behind them.

"This is my cousin Emma. Aunt Mary makes her drive us places." Henry supplies.

It makes sense. Obviously, the kids can't drive. And it's responsible of her not to leave children at a stranger's house alone. Even if said stranger is a worldwide popstar.

"I hope you don't mind me crashing. I know you celebrities like your privacy." Emma adds apologetically.

"Oh, no. It's fine. Really. Lovely to meet you. I'm Robin, but you probably already know that." Robin shakes her hand. "Please, all of you come in." He guides them all into to the living room.

Emma takes a seat in one of the side chairs, while the twins sit on the lager sofa. They sure to leave a space between them for Robin to sit.

Ok. So. How do you start a guitar lesson? Come on Rob. How did you learn? Mr. Francis his school music teacher taught him. He taught Robin a lot of things. They always had so many instruments in that music room. OH! Robin you goof. The most important thing in a guitar lesson is the guitar.

"Let me grab my guitar then we can get started." Robin informs them before rushing out of the room. In his studio, he has 7 guitars: 3 acoustic and 4 electric. He grabs of the acoustic ones. Robin stops by the kitchen on his way back.

Regina is in the middle of scooping three different ice creams into one bowl. It hasn't taken long for her to make herself at home. He stares at her a minute longer than appropriate. He internally groans. Robin wants nothing more than to just drop everything and spend the day eating ice cream and watching movies with Regina. It's then he realizes he's jealous of her. And not because she has ice cream. Ok, maybe it's a little about the ice cream.

"I'm not sharing." Regina smirks as he makes it further into the kitchen.

"Then it's a good thing I wasn't planning on asking." Robin thinks it's lucky he thought to strap one of the guitars to his back. He has a free hand. Without a second thought he quickly swipes the bowl and spoon from underneath Regina. He's in the living room by the time she realizes what he's done.

"Robin! Come back here you thief!"

He has a satisfied grin plastered on his face. When he enters the living room, he's met three amused grins. "Who's ready to learn some guitar?" Robin says instead of answering their obvious questions. He's just glad his antics didn't encourage Regina to follow him out into the living room.

"Aren't you quite the trouble maker." Emma smirks.

"I promise I have no idea what you're talking about." He smiles coyly. He has a guitar to each twin before sitting in between them. He spends the next the next thirty minutes teaching them the most basic fundamentals of the guitar. He occasionally took a bite of ice cream as they went. Henry was a quick learner and was already talking about songs he wanted to play. Violet on the other hand doesn't catch on as quickly.

"You're doing good Violet. It just takes practice." Robin encourages her. "How about we make this a usual thing? I can talk to your mom and find out when is a good time for you come." And he means it. It quite enjoyed teaching them.

He takes a moment to check his phone. Robin gets a notification that reads, my.regal.majesty added their first story for the first time ever. It's a picture of him from across the room eating ice cream.

CAPTION: A thief has stolen my ice cream.

Robin scoffs and glances at where Regina must be sitting. He hadn't notice her come in. Or that Emma moved to talk with her. Huh. Looks like the start of a beautiful friendship.

Robin shares story, but sandwiches it in-between the selfies and other photos he took with his new students. He looks at the followings. Currently she's is only following three people. Her Tink friend, Emma, and himself. They were also the only people following her. Robin suspects it won't be that way for long. His stans tend to go a little crazy when does… anything. This would definitely catch someone's attention. He rarely follows anyone who isn't verified, private and someone he has met. He knows Regina. And technically he did make the account. It's only right he follows it.

They'll be all over her page. Simply because she gave the content no one else has. He knows how they work. It's often how they get free advertising. They'll want to know everything about her. Maybe he made the wrong decision? No. Regina isn't even using her real name. She'll be fine. Besides, it's one picture. On a story no less.

Regina enjoyed her afternoon. Robin is surprisingly good company. You know, when he isn't being a self-absorbed star and stealing people's ice cream. She had not planned to end up back at his house. How does this keep happening? He is a thief in more ways than one.

Talking to Emma was fun. She grew up in the spotlight. Or at least spotlight adjacent. He family is made up of big name drops. Robert Gold on her father's side and Leopold Blanchard on her mother's side. Regina has seen some movies Robert directed. They were some of her favorites. However, Leopold was never high on her watch list. He comes off like a snobby, old, white man with too much money. Emma seemed to like him enough. It is her grandfather. Maybe he's different in person. Like robin.

Emma and her cousins left a while ago. And yet she is still here. At Robin's house. Not that she minded too much. His TV is better than Granny's.

There is however, something bothering her. Her Instagram notifications have been going off the roof. She isn't sure why so many people decided to randomly follow her. The only post she has are her profile picture and a photo she took of her ice cream. The second one obviously. She thought it was a nice picture. That's why she posted it. But Regina doesn't think it was a thousand new followers good.

"What's with the face?" Robin asks looking over her shoulder to get a look at her phone.

"I put my phone on mute after I got 20 consecutive messages from Tina. How does this happen? I didn't even do anything to get all of this." Regina glances down at her phone then back to Robin.

"I may have tagged you in my story." Robin looks sheepish.

Did he know this was going to happen? Of he did. He knows how his fans work. Hell, she knows how his fans work. Her sister is one of them.

Zelena!

Oh God. She is so busted. Zelena will know it's her. As well as all of her lame groupies. She will never hear the end of this. How is she going to explain how she knows Robin? She can't tell them he hospitalized her then kidnapped her to her to his mansion in Hollywood. Her parents will never let out of the house again. Bye freedom.

"My sister is going to know. I'm going to be in so much trouble." Regina tosses her phone and buried her face in her hands.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Robin says hopefully. He picks up her phone from where she's tossed it and scoots closer. "Tinker bell is the only person that knows this is your account, yes? What about Emma?"

"Tina. Yes, that I know of." She corrects on instinct. "If she's hasn't told anyone yet. And.. I may have introduced myself as Roni when I met Emma. I wanted to try it out."

"Well that's great! We can still salvage this."

She peeks at Robin through her hands. "How?" She watches as he types away on her phone.

"For starters, no selfies. Well, none that will give too many features away. Take whatever pictures and videos you want, but filter through them. You know, like your profile picture."

Regina sits up a bit at that. She nods. She understands what he's getting at.

"Obviously don't post anything that links Verónica to Regina. Like your grandmother's house something. Do things that you wouldn't normally do. That's the point of this right?"

Robin hands her phone back.

"And Tina says she won't say anything." He quickly adds. "You show her, show the world that you're living life and having fun. Yeah?"

"Yeah." Regina agrees easily. She could do this. All she wants to do is live life. Enjoy it for what it truly is. And who better than her to outplay a bunch of fans. She's watched Zelena for years. She knows all of the secrets. They will never suspect her anyway. She's a fly on the wall. Who better to mess with the fandom? To mess with her sister. Oh, this might be fun after all.

"Ok. What should I do?" Regina looks to Robin. "You're the star. How do I make the world think Roni is living her best life?"

Robin leans further into the couch. He doesn't say anything for a long moment. He doesn't seem to be thinking about it. Maybe he hadn't heard her? Then he makes that face.

"Actually live your life." He finally answers.

It was easy for him to say. His life is actually interesting. Tina won't find her watching movies interesting. Maybe she can get Zelena to drive her some place fun? Or more likely, she can ask Zel to let her tag along in whatever crazy thing she has planned for tomorrow.

"You could just stay here." Robin suggests hesitantly. If Regina didn't know better, she would think Robin actually enjoyed her company. "The guys are coming over later for a big of a shindig. It'll be a blast."

"So you really do party every night."

"Best way to live life."

She wants to say yes. She really does, but, "My Granny will be home soon. And I don't know that staying here is a good idea. We really don't know each other all that well. What if I end up dead."

"Trust me when I say, my mates and I don't want to see you dead." There a haunted look in his eye when he says this. Regina wants to ask about it, but it probably best not to. Nonetheless she believes him.

"Ok. Trust you." And she truly does. Against her better judgment, Regina trust Robin.

"I'll drop you off at your house. And when your granny gets home tell her that"-

-"I'm going to bed early so I can catch the sunrise in a park tomorrow. I'll be out for most of the morning." Regina relays the cover story Robin created. The only thing she might have to deal with later is her sister. They're sharing a room. Zelena will know she's gone. But Regina is not worried about her ratting her out. Her sister wants to get away with stuff too.

"That sounds lovely Gina." Granny smiles as they clean up dinner. "You go get your rest. I'll see you when you get back tomorrow. Just remember to be safe."

"Of course."

There's a rush that floods through Regina's veins. This is really happening. She was breaking the rules. Meeting new people. Discovering another part of herself. Living life! Part of her is nervous of course, but it's tampered down by all of her excitement.

"Actually Granny, I too will be going out tomorrow. I have a lunch meeting with a friend." Zelena add in.

"Oh, do you now?" Granny smirks. She raises her eyebrows at Ruby. "And what about you? You v o t somewhere to be tomorrow too?"

"I ah, yeah. I guess." Ruby stutters.

Regina smiles internally. This couldn't have gone better.

It's all so exhilarating. The cover story. The sneaking out. The party. This is all so crazy. Regina loves it. Never before has she experienced anything even close to this. How many people can say they met a celebrity on their first night in town and now gets invited to their house parties? This is absolutely insane. She's not sure this is even happening. May this all some dream? Not because she met a celebrity, but because before this trip this is something she would never find herself doing.

What if she fell into a coma when Robin hit her with the door and this all just a dream? It would explain a lot. But it would suck. She kind of likes Robin. He's good company and that's not something she's had a tone of recently.

"Trust me. This is no coma dream." Robin laughs at her theory as they enter the house from the garage. She notices deduces his friends are already here based off the music and laughter coming from the living room.

She can feel the energy shift when they enter the living room.

"Oi! What's she doing here?" One of the guys make his distaste known. Will, she remembers him from the other night. Charming.

"I invited her." Robin waves him off.

"She barfed all over my Gucci loafers." He points out as if she had any control over that situation. Regina wasn't exactly too happy about that moment either. And she tells him just that. It doesn't do much to satisfy him. "I've got my eye on you."

There aren't a lot of them. Robin was right. It is a small shindig, at least compared to the party he had last night. There were maybe only two other people besides the people she recognizes from his band. That made 8 of them total.

"Hi." A young female offers her hand in greeting. "I'm Mulan. I play keys in the Merry Men. I don't think we've met before."

Regina takes her hand. "No. I can't say we have. I'm re-" Regina pauses. This is about living life with no limitations. She can't afford to be boring Regina here. "I'm Verónica. Roni for short. It's nice to meet you."

"Well Verónica, it's nice to meet you too." She and Mulan move to an empty section of the couch. "Do you know many people here. Other than Robin?"

"I met Will and John the other night. If Will's reaction is anything to go by, you can see it wasn't a pleasant experience for either of us." They both laugh then.

The doorbell rings, causing everyone in the room to pause only for a moment. Regina watches as Robin goes to answer it. She sits up straighter when he comes back with Emma and some other guy. The two additions immediately make their way towards her.

"Emma! Hi." Regina gets up to hug her. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Yeah. Robin mentioned he was having a gathering later and said I should stop by. So here we are." Emma gestures lazily.

"Well, I'm glad you're both here."

"Oh! This is my boyfriend Killian. But everyone just calls me Jones. Babe, this is Roni." Emma introduces them. It's weird being introduced as Roni, but it makes her tingle in a pleasant way.

"Lovely to meet you lass." He kissed her hand. Was that an accent she heard? Scottish? No. She'll figure it out.

A lot of them have their phones out during the party and they'll likely be posting on their socials. Which is was she wore her hair down. It's grown a lot in the past couple years. She hadn't had time to get a proper cut. But now it comes in handy. When she sees a phone flash in her direction, she casually sweeps her hair in front of her face. Or she turns her head all together. It's fun, like her own little game.

At some point later in the evening Robin hands her a drink in a red solo cup. She wonders if it's alcohol. She hopes its not. She's not of legal age. In fact she's pretty sure none of them here are of legal age. She takes a sniff. Smells like soda. But what if it's spiked? Would she be able to tell? Roni or not she couldn't drink. She can't mix alcohol and her medication. Besides, it is illegal.

"It's safe princesa. I promise."

"Thief, I'm a queen." Was her immediate reply. She hadn't planned to say that, but it was out of her mouth before she could help it. She does regret it in the least. She means everything word. In fact the only reason she thinks about it is because Robin's bandmates burst into laughter.

"Rob! You didn't tell me we had a queen in our bunch. I would have but on my best clothes." She learned his name is Tucker. Tuck for short. He plays bass.

"Careful mate. That one there is a feisty one. She'll send you to the guillotine if you're not careful." John adds.

Regina doesn't mind their teasing. They mean well and they're fun to hang around. Everyone here is. Emma and Aurora, Mulan's girlfriend, got her to dance. John is awesome to talk to and a great listener. Will introduced her to photo roulette. Tuck is obsessed with Hamilton. Mulan taught her how to play more than chopsticks and twinkle, twinkle little star on the piano. And Robin.. well Robin is just great. Regina never used to understand those movies were people would know each other for only a few hours or a day before calling each other best friends. But now, she sees how that can totally happen. True it does take going through a traumatic or unbelievable event that forces them together for an extended period or time, but it's because of they everyone is able to see a different side to one another.

Regina knows it's crazy to make friends with celebrities. It won't last. She has to go back home in two weeks. Even if she did live here, it's nit something that would stick. They have their own very different lives.

But on a night like tonight, it's easy to forget those things and embrace they company she's surrounded by.

By the end on the party everyone ended up falling a sleep on various couches in the living room, even though there are plenty of guests rooms. None of them seemed to bothered by it.

Robin had to admit Regina fit in perfectly with the gang. The guys seemed to love her. Even Will and John warmed up to after awhile, though Will will never let her live down ruining his favorite shoes. But it's ok. She calls him on his fabricated stories he likes to tell. Balance.

He glad inviting Emma wasn't a bust. She's cool and so is Jones. They all had a great time.

Honestly, he was nervous about tonight. He didn't want Regina to meet his friends, not because he was afraid they would not like her, but because he knew they would love her. And he knows he's selfish for wanting her all to himself, but he couldn't help it. She's great. Robin likes the person he is when she's around. Which is why he set up a little surprise for her.

Robin knows he'll only have to wait a couple more before going out in public again, but Regina's worth it. He wants to do something special for her. Yes, part of his still feels guilty about how they met and he just wants the best for her. But he also wants her to that he is more than everyone thinks he is.

"R'gina." Robin shakes her sleeping figure gently. He's careful not to wake the other people sleeping in his living room. "Regina. Come on wake up."

"Robin? What…" Regina mumbles groggily.

"Come on. Hurry. We're going to miss it." Robin helps her off the couch.

"Ok. Ok. I'm up. I'm coming."

He hands her one of his old jackets. It's a tad nippy out. He guides her past his backyard and is careful not to let her fall. The terrain is hilly and he's not too sure she's fully awake yet. He uses his phone's flashlight to brighten their path ahead. Not that he needs it. Robin's taken this path so many times he knows it by heart.

"Where are you talking me?" Regina huffy behind him. "If you plan on killing me out here Robin, I swear.."

He smiles. He's glad for the treat. She was a bit too quiet. He was starting to get worried. "We're almost there."

Just as he promised, they made it to their destination. Robin lays out the old blanket he'd been carrying at sits. Regina sits next to him and sighs into his side. He tries not to stiffen at the unexpected action. He isn't used to affectionate with anyone. Marion mostly keeps to herself, unless it's of course for a photo op. He doesn't count those. This is nice.

"So. What am I doing here?" Regina speaks.

"This is my favorite place in the world. No one else knows about. Sometimes." Robin swallows. "Sometimes I come here when it all becomes too much. It's the one place I can go to just be."

She doesn't say anything, so Robin keeps talking. "I so confused. I've been Robin Hood for so long. I don't know how to be Robin Locksley. Who is Robin Locksley?" That question has been weighing on him ever since Gold asked. He didn't have an answer. He still doesn't. And that's what scares him. Who is he?

"You are Robin Locksley."

"What does that even mean?"

"The person you are when you come here. To this place. That is Robin Locksley. The person who wrote that song you sang the other night. That's Robin Locksley." She was looking at him now. "Robin you aren't suck being one thing."

Yes, well that all may be true, but how does he be this in front of the world?

"You have your music." Regina starts. "That's what music does. Use it to show the world what you want to be." Then she starts to laugh.

He doesn't understand her sometimes. He's almost afraid to ask why. There's space between them now. Maybe that's a good thing.

"Robin you and I are so different. You actually want to be yourself. I…" Her laugher quiets drastically. "I could never."

"Why on earth not?"

He needs her to explain it to him. She's hot do much going for her. She can walk on the street freely and eat ice cream while watching movies in her living room. She's smart and beautiful. What's not to love about being Regina.

"Do you know where Verónica Sanchez came from?"

Robin shake his head.

"I made her up two years ago. When I was in the hospital. I had.. I have a CHD. A congenital heart defect called Atrial Septal defect. Meaning I have a hole in my heart."

In a twist of irony, Robin's heart skips a beat.

"What? What does that mean?"

"Something like is normally caught when you're a baby and it's taken care of pretty easily. But they didn't catch mine until I was fourteen." Regina stairs off into the distance. It's still dark and there isn't anything thing to see yet. He knows it must be hard for her to share. It isn't exactly easy to hear.

"I had the surgery. But with my family's history there's only so much they can do for me. I have a weak heart. I spent a lot of time in the hospital. All I wanted was to be normal. So I created Verónica. She lives the life I never could."

"Regina," Robin starts to say.

"No, Robin. Please don't. I'm fine really." Regina interrupts him. "I'm a lot stronger than it seems. I feel a lot better than I did before I had the surgery. I just wish my parents could see that."

"Regina, you know you're amazing with or without your CHD right?" He waits until she's looking at him. "Thank you for sharing that with me."

"Thank you for sharing this place with me. And for what it's worth, I like Robin Locksley over Robin Hood any day. If people don't like the real you, then they aren't worth it." She laughs and shoves his shoulder. He pushed her back.

"So. Are you going to tell me why we're here?"

"To watch the sun rise of course. I wasn't going turn you into a liar." He points to the faint glow of the horizon off in the distance.

The spend the next ten minutes in silence, watching the affect the new sun has on the earth. Two new post are made that morning.

@my.regal.majesty

A time-lapse video of the sun rising over the California hills. CAPTION: I know that the night must end and that the sun will rise. @thelionking

@Robin.of.locksley recently @Robinhood

A collection of 8 photos and a video all featuring a girl with his hoodie on, watching the sunrise. It isn't clear go see who the girl is, but her smile and the tear that runs down her cheek is. CAPTION: People are much deeper than they appear on the surface. Who are you when no one is watching? #sunrise

New chapter! YAY!

While I try to remain as accurate as I can when it comes to illnesses, I have taken a few liberties with Regina's condition as this is a work of fiction.

I hope you've enjoyed! I'll try not to take so long the next time around.

S'D