Chapter 3: Revelations

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Robin silenced his alarm clock, rolling over with a sigh. Another Monday, another week taking care of Regina Mills while locked in a battle of wills with her.

Wonderful.

He rubbed his eyes as he slipped out of his bed and padded into his bathroom. Robin turned on the water and shed his pajamas, stepping into the hot spray of his shower as he washed up for the day.

Feeling a little bit more alive, he wrapped a towel around himself and headed back to his room. He pulled out his familiar blue scrubs and clean boxers. Robin quickly dressed himself before pulling on clean socks and heading to his son's room to get Roland ready for the day.

He shook the lump in the middle of the bed that was his son. "Rise and shine, Roland. Time to get ready for school."

"No," Roland replied. "Wanna sleep."

Robin certainly understood his son's desire. There was nothing more he wanted to do but to crawl back into bed and sleep a few more hours. But he needed to go to work and Roland needed to go to school, so he had to tell his son to get up and get out of bed. A reluctant Roland did just that and Robin soon had him dressed for school.

After eating some breakfast, both Roland and Robin felt a bit better. Robin also poured coffee into his travel mug, knowing it would help get him ready to face Regina Mills. He helped Roland into his shoes and coat before doing the same. They got into the car and Robin began the short drive to Roland's preschool.

"Have a good day at school," Robin said, kissing Roland's cheek as he helped him down from his booster seat. "I'll see you at pick up."

"Okay, Papa," Roland replied, hugging him. "I love you."

Robin walked him up to the door and handed him to the staff member greeting all the children. With one last wave, he headed back to his car and took a long sip of coffee. He then put the car in drive and started the trek to Mifflin Street.

As always, Mary Margaret let him in with a welcoming smile. "Hi, Robin. How was your weekend?"

"It was good," he replied, entering the mayor's house. He started to take off his coat as he asked: "How is she today?"

"The usual," Mary Margaret said, taking his coat and hanging it up. "I don't think you'll have much trouble today."

He nodded, feeling some relief. "That's good. And how are you doing?"

She shrugged as she turned back to him. "I'm okay. I'll be happier when she's better – I think we all will be."

"I know she will be," he said, picking up his bag. He squared his shoulders. "Time to face the music."

Robin entered the kitchen and Henry looked up at him, smiling. "Hello, Mr. Locksley! how's Roland?"

"He's good," Robin said, smiling back at him. "Thank you for playing with him the other day. You certainly made an impression on him and he talked about you for the rest of the day."

Henry beamed. "He did?"

"Alright, Henry, it's time to go," Mary Margaret said. "Say goodbye to your mother and then get your shoes and coat on."

"Okay, Aunt Mary Margaret," he replied, gathering his dirty plate. He leaned over and kissed Regina's cheek. "Love you, Mom. Bye."

She smiled. "I love you too, sweetheart. Have a good day at school."

He left the kitchen, saying goodbye to Robin as he passed them. Robin smiled before turning back to Regina, who was now pointedly ignoring him. He sighed, approaching her. "How are you?" he asked.

"Fine," she replied. "You don't have to hover."

"Alright, but I will need to do my morning examination once you're done with breakfast," he reminded her.

She huffed. "Must we?"

"Yes," he replied. "It's how I track your progress and provide updates for you to provide to your doctor."

"Fine," she said with a sigh.

Mary Margaret cleared her throat as she entered the kitchen. "We're heading out. Behave," she told Regina.

Regina shot her a look. "Have a good day, Mary Margaret."

"You too," Mary Margaret replied, turning away from Regina. She then mouthed good luck to Robin before leaving the kitchen.

He sighed before motioning to a chair. "May I sit? Or will it hurt you to have to share your table with me?"

Regina rolled her eyes before waving at the chair. "I'll live. Don't worry."

"Thank you," he replied, sitting down and sipping his coffee. He decided to get some rest before spending the next eight hours arguing with her.

She sipped her own coffee, watching him. "So, you have a son?"

"I do," he replied, setting his travel mug down. "His name is Roland."

"Where is he while you're with me?" she asked him.

He bristled, not liking the accusatory tone in her voice as if he just left his son to fend for himself for almost nine hours. "He's in preschool. I drop him off before coming here and then I pick him up once I leave."

She nodded. "Okay. Is he three or four?"

"Four," he replied. "And very proud of the fact."

"I can imagine," she said, her smile and tone softening. It was an expression he only saw when she was talking with her son.

She looked over at him. "May I see a picture?"

"I guess it's only fair," he said, pulling out his phone. "I've seen your son."

He handed her the phone and her smile grew. "He's adorable, though I imagine those curls are a nightmare to brush."

"They can be," he replied. "And sometimes neither of us have the patience to give them the attention they deserve."

She gave him a look before chuckling. Regina tilted her head before saying: "Other than the dimples and the smile, he doesn't look much like you. Does he take after his mother?"

Robin swallowed, nodding. "He does."

"And where is she?" Regina asked, handing Robin his phone back.

It seemed like an innocent question but Robin's guard immediately went up. He briefly wondered if David had told her about their conversation in the park, about how he didn't want to discuss Roland's mother and so she was trying to push his buttons. Maybe get him so offended, he would quit in a rage.

Well, he wasn't going to play her game. He was going to assume she was making an innocent question and so answered: "I'd rather not talk about her."

"Why not?" she asked. "Did she leave you or something?"

He gritted his teeth, now certain she was trying to push his buttons. Taking a calming breath, he decided to fight fire with fire. "Well, where's Henry's father? Did he leave you or something?"

Fire burned in her eyes and she scowled. He knew it was a low blow but it was one she had already delivered to him. She needed a taste of her own medicine and, well, he was well trained at giving people their medicine.

"That's none of your business," she hissed.

He nodded, leveling her with a glare of his own. "Then you have your answer to the question you asked me."

Regina's right cheek got sucked in and he knew she was biting on it. Finally, she nodded. "Alright, I'll back off."

"Thank you," he replied, sipping his coffee as they lapsed into a tense silence.

She pushed some of her egg around on her plate before asking: "So why did you go into the home health care profession?"

"I found it easier and more intimate than working in a hospital," he replied, closing the lid to his travel mug. "I was able to make more of a connection and see that I was really helping someone."

"I can't imagine many people enjoy having a stranger intrude on their sanctuary and mess up their daily lives," she said, her eyes fixed on him as she sipped her coffee.

He knew she was talking more about herself than most of his patients and he shrugged. "I find once people realized how much easier I made their lives, they usually opened up and were very happy to see me each morning."

She hummed. "I can't say I relate to that."

"No, you don't," he agreed, studying her. "I'm not the enemy, Regina. We're on the same team."

"Are we though?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

He frowned, recalling David's warning about a toxic person in her life leaving her with skewed perspectives on the world. Robin could understand that she would not trust easily and likely see everyone as working against her best interests. So that meant he would need to continue proving that he did have his best interests at heart.

The problem, though, was that it was clear that she did not have her best interest at heart. Not if she thought she could just shut herself away, not accept any help and then just emerged completely fine in a few weeks. If they let her do that, it was likely she would prolong her incapacitation for several more weeks and ensure that she would not heal properly, leading to more issues down the road.

Robin just wished he knew how to get her to realize that.

"Your silence speaks volumes," she said, pushing her empty plate away. She leveled him with a cold stare and a smirk.

"Confirmation bias," he replied.

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Your mind is already made up about me so you're looking for anything to prove that you're right," he said. "You found it in my silence and you would've found it anything I said. It was lose-lose for me."

"That's not true," she said, but in a tone that told him that he had read the situation perfectly. And she hated that.

He shrugged. "I just call it like I see it."

She glared at him. "Well, you see it wrong."

"Maybe," he replied, standing and taking her plate. "But I don't think so."

"Now who is guilty of confirmation bias?" she snapped at him, scowling the entire time. He just walked away to the sink and didn't give her an answer.

By the time he washed off her plate and put it in her dishwasher, she had transferred into her wheelchair and was waiting for him. "Okay, you can take me to my office and then leave me alone until lunch," she ordered.

"Not just yet," he replied. "First, I need to do my morning examination."

She scowled. "Fine. But make it quick. I have a lot of important work to do."

"Of course," he said, disdain dripping from his words. He heard how she stressed that she had important work to do as if his was trivial. And the only important work she really had to do was get better but she seemed determined to prioritize everything else but her own health.

And she wouldn't be the only one who paid for that. He just hoped that by the time she realized that, it wasn't too late.

Robin checked her heart, her lungs and her pulse. He noted them and checked the injuries he could see, nodding as he wrote his findings down. She let out a heavy sigh, snapping: "Are you done?"

"I am," he replied, placing his notebook back in his bag.

"Good," she replied. "Take me to my office."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, trying to keep the bite out of his tone but certain he didn't do a great job. He wheeled her down to her office and watched as she settled behind her desk.

She glanced over at him before waving her hand in a dismissive manner. "You can go now."

Annoyance flared up inside him again but he swallowed it back down. However, he did mockingly bow to her. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

He turned and left the room, deciding to work through his annoyance by cleaning her kitchen. Though he wasn't too sure how successful that would be as he would then be annoyed that she benefitted from annoying him.

Only a few more weeks, he told himself. You can hold on for a few more weeks and then you'll be done. For good.

Pain.

It started with a dull ache in her hip that she tried to ignore as she continued to review the latest proposals before the city council. When it started to get sharper, she would adjust how she was sitting and it returned to a dull ache. Regina did that several times in one hour as the pain began to intensify faster with each shift. By the second hour, the pain was constant and nothing Regina did could alleviate it. She just decided to power through it and worry about it later.

As the minutes passed, though, it grew more and more difficult to ignore the pain or try to power through it. It started to radiate out from her hip and travel down her right leg. Everything began to tingle and she gritted her teeth, hoping it would pass but knowing it would not.

She swallowed down bile as it rose up her throat. Her stomach rolled and she closed her eyes, taking even breaths to try to keep her breakfast down. Even though she was determined not to be sick, she moved her garbage can closer just to be on the safe said. It seemed her entire body was revolting against her today.

"You can do this, Regina," she told herself, taking a deep breath. But that sent more pain coursing through her and she gasped from how sharp it was.

Maybe she couldn't do it after all.

Tears filled her eyes, blurring her vision. A haze filled her mind and all she could focus on was the pain. She tried to get to her wheelchair but every movement hurt her even more. All she could do was sit there, feeling helpless and hopeless as she cursed the other driver yet again for what he had done to her.

Stop this pity party, a voice that sounded like her mother echoed around her head. I did not raise you to be this weak. Suck it up and do your job or someone will exploit this weakness and take it from you. Do you want that?

"No," she gasped out. "I don't."

Then suck it up and get back to work.

"Yes," Regina said, rolling her chair back to her desk. She gripped onto the edge to support herself as sweat started to roll down her face. "I've got it."

She took a deep breath and blinked a few times, hoping to clear her vision. Pain flared throughout her head and traveled through her body. Her fingers curled and she struggled to breath now. But she tried to ignore it, knowing she had to keep working.

"I can do this," she whispered to herself. "I can do this…"

Regina tried to scroll through the proposal but all the words started to blur together. She blinked several times but nothing helped as pain continued to rack her body. But she forced herself through it with the same mantra.

"I'm not weak."

Trying to adjust herself in her chair again, her body seized up. Everything felt stiff and nothing responded to her. She felt herself slip from the chair, unable to stop herself. Any pain from hitting the floor was absorbed to the pain already overtaking her body. Regina wanted to get back into her chair but all she could do was curl up in a ball as her mother's voice once again echoed around her head.

Pathetic.

"I'm sorry, Mother," she gasped. "I'm sorry."

She heard footsteps growing louder and her heart sank into her stomach as the second to last person she wanted to see her like this approached her. "Alright, Madam Mayor, time for…"

His voice died down. A few moments later, she felt a gentle hand on her back and his voice was softer when he next spoke. "Regina? What's wrong?"

"Pain," she gasped out. "Everywhere."

"Okay. Let me help you into your chair and we can get you to bed…"

"NO!" She tried to uncurl herself. "I need to finish the proposals."

There was silence before Locksley continued: "Regina, you're in no shape to do anything but rest. Your body is telling you to slow down."

"I don't care," she said. "Just help me back in my chair."

"No," he replied. "I am taking you to your bedroom."

He tried to roll her over but she swatted his hands away. "Leave me alone! I'll get into the chair myself then."

Regina struggled to reach for the chair. All she did was swat it away as she heard a sickening crack in her hand. Hissing, she pulled it against her chest. "Fuck!"

"Will you hold still now?" Locksley asked, sounding angry now. "You're hurting yourself even more!"

He reached for her once again but she wiggled out of his grasp as best she could with her body in so much pain and half of it in a cast. "I wouldn't hurt myself if you just did what I asked!"

"My job is to care for you, not help you make yourself bloody worse!" he yelled at her.

"Well, I don't want you to do that!" she yelled back at him. Her anger drowned out her pain as she started to pull herself up into her chair.

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You've made that perfectly clear but it doesn't matter what you want. It's what you need and you need time to heal!"

She tried to push him away and fell back onto the floor, landing on her back. Pain flared throughout her body and she struggled to breath. His hands, still so gentle, gripped her arms. "Please let me help you, Regina," he begged. "Please."

"No," she snapped. "I don't want or need your help. Just leave me alone."

Locksley propped her up against her filing cabinet and sighed. Through her blurred vision, she saw him stand and leave the room. It seemed she had won – he was going away and leaving her alone at last.

Then why didn't she feel happy about it?

"Alright." Locksley's voice echoed down the hallway before he returned to the room holding something. "I didn't want to do this but you've left me with no choice."

He uncapped a syringe and fear filled Regina as she wondered if maybe she had finally pushed him too far. Or had been the kind, caring aide persona all been just an act so she could be the victim to his sick desire to kill?

Leave it to Mary Margaret to invite in a serial killer and ask him to take care of Regina.

"You won't get away with this," she hissed at him as he knelt in front of her. "David is the sheriff and will hunt you down until my death is avenged."

Locksley paused, raising an eyebrow. "Regina, it's just a sedative."

"Oh," she said, blinking a few times. She then frowned, realizing what that meant. "No, you are not going to…ow!"

She glanced down at her arm, watching as he pushed the plunger and sent the sedative into her veins. He pulled the needle back out and sat back as she glared at him. It didn't faze him as he asked: "Where's your bedroom?"

"I'm not telling you," she said, feeling her body start to relax. Whatever he had given her certainly worked fast.

He sighed. "Well, I'm not leaving you on the floor and I don't think the couch will help with your pain. So either you can tell me now or I can just go through every room until I find it. I'm sure you don't want that."

Realizing he meant it – and that her eyelids were growing heavy – she sighed. "I'm currently sleeping in the next room until I can start going up the stairs again."

"Thank you," he said, scooping her into the bridal carry. "Let's get you settled in bed."

Her mind grew fuzzy and she slowly closed her eyes. She let herself sink into his hold, finding his arms were strong and his body warm. The smell of pine drifted off him, reminding her of forests at Christmas and making her smile. As he walked, he gently rocked her and she found herself unable to fight off the effects of the sedative anymore. With a soft sigh, she fell into the comfort of sleep.

Robin laid Regina down on her temporary bed. He pulled the blankets over her, tucking her in as if she were Roland. Straightening up, he sighed as he watched her sleep. Lying there with a soft smile on her face, she almost looked angelic.

Almost.

He tiptoed from the room and left the door open so he could easily check on her. Robin headed back to her office, pushing the chair back under her desk and locking her computer for her. After running his hand through his hair, he next went to the kitchen to pack away the salad he had made for her before sitting down to enjoy his own lunch.

Munching on his salad, Robin tried to shake the image of an injured and weak Regina curled up on the floor. All the color had drained from her face and a fine sheen of sweat had formed over it. She kept reaching for the chair with her good hand, unable to push herself up into it. A crazed look filled her brown eyes even before she started to fight him. Something pushed her to keep working, to not appear weak, and that was nearly driving her mad.

Setting down his fork, he sighed as he leaned back in the chair. He pressed his hands to his eyes. Regina Mills was still so much of a mystery. All he knew was that she was a person who threw herself into anything she did, whether it was motherhood or being the mayor. The only thing she didn't have the same commitment to herself or her healing. And he knew it was because some toxic relationship left her fearing ever appearing or being weak.

He just didn't know why. And he had a feeling that it was the key to understanding her and getting her to cooperate in her own healing process. Robin just wish he knew how to get that information as he knew there was no way Regina would tell him. David had pretty much confirmed that he would not spill her secrets either and Robin was sure that Henry was likely shielded from the painful parts of his mother's past.

That left Mary Margaret.

Robin figured it could go either way. She was likely as protective of Regina as her husband – maybe even more so since it seemed she treated Regina more like a sister than a friend – and so would not be so willing to divulge Regina's history. But he would have to tell her about the episode he had witnessed, especially as the sedative he gave Regina would just be wearing off by the time she got home and they would still have to deal with the pain she had been experiencing. Maybe seeing how bad Regina was would convince Mary Margaret to reveal something – anything – that could help.

He picked up his fork and resumed eating his salad. Once he was done, he was going to need to go over Regina's pain management plan again to see what he could give her to help with the pain. And he made a note to tell Mary Margaret that Regina needed to go to the doctor as soon as possible to get checked out. Maybe he would be able to go as well to get a better idea of what was happening. That way he could adjust how he was caring for her to help her get better faster.

Because if she didn't stop fighting him, he feared she would do permanent damage that she would never recover from and he needed her to understand that.

"Wake up, Regina."

Regina's heart stopped at the cold but familiar voice echoing around her. She slowly opened her eyes to find her mother standing next to her. Cora Mills frowned, a hard look in her eyes. "What are you doing in bed?"

"What are you doing in my bedroom?" Regina countered, trying to sit up but feeling as if her entire body was now in a cast. What was going on?

"Can't a mother check on her daughter?" Cora asked, using the tone that made Regina feel like shit for questioning her mother's motives even though she kept proving over and over that her motives were never altruistic. She always had some ulterior motives when it came to Regina.

Besides, if Cora had been really concerned for her, she would've visited her in the hospital and she didn't. So why had she finally flown back to Maine now? What did she want?

And why did Locksley just let her in?

Cora scowled at her. "Why are you staring at me like I have three heads?"

"How did you know?" Regina asked, wondering who had called Cora to tell her about the accident. Mary Margaret and David certainly wouldn't; and she couldn't imagine anyone on her staff deciding to call her mother. While she knew her accident made the news, she doubted it left the Maine area.

Though she wouldn't be surprised to learn her mother had somehow set up a news alert with her name.

"I'm always keeping tabs on you," Cora confirmed. "There's nowhere you can't go where I won't have eyes on you."

Regina shuddered before scowling. "Are you here to gloat?"

"Of course not," she replied. "I'm here to remind you to stop being weak and lazy."

"I am not weak or lazy," Regina snapped. "I am injured."

Cora shook her head. "Excuses, excuses. You never change, Regina. Always a disappointment."

A lump formed in Regina's throat as she tried to look away. "Of course. You're just here to berate me. You don't care about my wellbeing at all."

"I care," Cora insisted. "That's why I'm here. To make sure you don't go soft and give into your inclinations to be lazy. You're only ever going to achieve greatness if I push you there the entire time."

Regina turned back to her, sitting up fully now. "I don't need you to push me. I can achieve greatness all on my own."

"Right, which is why you're lying in bed during a weekday afternoon rather than sitting in your office," her mother said, disdain dripping from every word.

"I want to be in the office," Regina replied. "They won't let me."

Cora shook her head. "More excuses. The only reason they can stop you is because you're letting them."

"I'm trying to fight them," Regina insisted. "But I just…can't seem to win. Especially when Locksley has sedatives. That's not fair."

"Life isn't fair," Cora hissed. "Haven't I taught you that?"

Anger surged through Regina as she nodded. "You have definitely taught me that," she replied.

"At least I taught you that," Cora replied, "because it seems you haven't learnt any of my other lessons. Otherwise, you wouldn't let that goody-goody Mary Margaret or that man-nurse keep you from doing what you need to do."

"I agree about Locksley but Mary Margaret cares about me," Regina argued. "She just wants what's best for me."

Cora frowned. "By making you look weak? She wants to control you."

"Mary Margaret has never wanted that," Regina replied. "That's what you wanted."

"Me?" Her mother pressed her hand to her chest, shocked. "I didn't want to control you, Regina. That boy put those lies into your head."

Regina tensed up. "Please stop calling him 'that boy.' His name was Daniel."

"Whatever," Cora replied, waving her hand. "He's gone and doesn't matter anymore."

At that, Regina saw red and she tried to lunge at her mother. She snarled: "Get out! Get out now!"

She started calling for Locksley, certain he would throw her mother out if she asked him to but he never responded. Cora just started chuckling. "He's not here. He's left you, disgusted by what he saw earlier," she said.

"He wouldn't abandon me like that," Regina replied, not sure why she felt as if her heart was tearing in two. Locksley was just her annoying nurse. Her annoying nurse who was dedicated to his job. "He is a professional."

"It doesn't matter how professional someone is. Once you see a person crawling on their stomach like a baby, you tend to lose all respect for them and no amount of money is worth being around them," her mother replied.

Regina winced, imagining how she must've looked after she had fallen out of her chair. "It wouldn't have happened if he had just helped me into the chair," she protested.

"There's that pesky word," Cora replied. "Help. You should've gotten into that chair on your own. You shouldn't be so weak."

"I'm not weak," Regina protested.

Cora laughed, its cold and harsh sound echoing around her room and taunting Regina. "You are weak. And you will always be weak. You are pathetic and everyone will see it. And they will destroy you."

"No," Regina replied. "I am not weak! I am not weak!"

She tried to moved away from her mother but found her body would not comply. It was as if she were in a full body cast, locked into place as her mother stood over her. Regina closed her eyes, wishing her to disappear as Cora's laughter continued to echo around her, mocking her.

And there was no escape.

"Locksley!"

Robin winced before checking his watch. It had been a few hours since he had administered the sedative so he wasn't too surprised that it had worn off. Setting his newspaper aside, he stood and prepared to face a very angry mayor as he headed toward her bedroom.

When he entered her room, he found she was still asleep but thrashing in her bed. He frowned, worried she would still injure herself like that. Rushing forward, Robin tried to restrain her to protect her from herself.

"I'm not weak," she mumbled, her good arm hitting him in the chest and winding him. He let go of her as he hunched over, trying to catch his breath. Robin watched as she moved around, repeating the same mantra. "I'm not weak."

Robin straightened up as he rubbed his chest, frowning. What was going on inside her head? He had hoped the sedative would give her a chance to rest in a safe place but it seemed he may have locked her into the most dangerous place for her.

Her own mind.

For a moment, he considered waking her up. But he knew she needed the rest and if she was awake, she would try to get out of the bed and push herself. So the best thing he could do now was trying to restrain her so she didn't exacerbate her injuries. Robin gently gripped her good arm and tried to hold her in place. "You need to stop, Regina," he said firmly.

She immediately stopped moving, almost freezing in place. Regina tensed up as she held perfectly still, though he felt her body tremble. He continued to hold her arm, not entirely certain she wouldn't last out again once he let ago. Robin debated it until she let out a soft whimper.

"I'm sorry," she replied, her voice sounding so small. "I'll be good, Mother. I promise."

Oh.

So it was her mother who was the toxic person in her life, though he couldn't completely rule out whoever Henry's father was. Robin wondered why Regina's mother was so hung up on weakness but he believed he had a better understanding about what she had done to Regina in order to make her so afraid of looking weak.

And in that moment, Robin felt something he never thought he would for Regina Mills – sympathy.

"You are being good," he assured her, even if it wasn't entirely true. "But you need your rest. And you can't do that if you don't calm down. Okay?"

She sniffled but seemed to still. Robin waited, watching her breathing once again even out and the tension leave her body. He slowly released her wrist and stepped back, waiting to see what would happen. When she didn't move after a few moments, he let out a sigh of relief.

Robin then checked her good hand, frowning when he saw how it was starting to swell from the good whack she had given it earlier. He decided to get a heat pad for it and hope it wasn't anything worse.

He left the room and closed the door behind him. Returning to the front of the house, he saw the front door open. Henry bounded in with a smile. "Hi, Mr. Locksley! How's my mom?" he asked.

"She's asleep," Robin said, choosing his words carefully. He didn't want to worry her son. "She needed her rest."

"Can I check on her?" he asked, looking concerned.

Robin nodded. "Just be quiet, okay?"

"I will," Henry promised, heading back to his mother's room. Robin watched him disappear into the room before he turned to Mary Margaret, who had taken off her coat and was watching him with a frown.

"What happened?" she asked with a frown.

He sighed. "I'm not entirely sure. I found her on the floor, clearly in pain but insisting she needed to finish her work. She kept repeating that she was not weak. Afraid she was going to injure herself more, I made the decision to sedate her."

"It was probably for the best," she agreed.

"I hope so," he replied. He glanced over his shoulder before motioning to the living room. Mary Margaret entered it and he stepped inside, lowering his voice. "She, um, she apparently had a nightmare and was thrashing around. I went to gently restrain her so she didn't hurt herself and she, um, she went limp and mentioned something about her mother."

Mary Margaret sighed and nodded. "Her mother was a piece of work and she raised Regina with some toxic beliefs."

That confirmed that Regina's mother was a toxic influence in her life. He pressed his lips together before asking: "And did she physically abuse Regina?"

"I don't know for sure," Mary Margaret admitted, "but there have been things Regina's said or done that hints that she did."

Anger surged through Robin. Just because Regina Mills was a thorn in his side, it didn't meant she deserved whatever her mother did to her. He hoped that Mary Margaret's use of the past tense meant that the woman was dead. But even if she was, she still seemed to haunt her daughter.

"We've tried to convince her to go to therapy but she's not really receptive to it," Mary Margaret continued. "Her mother convinced her that she can't show any vulnerability ever."

"Not surprising," Robin said. "In addition to her toxic beliefs, it probably prevented Regina from ever reaching out for help against her abusive parent."

Mary Margaret paused before frowning. "I never thought about it that way before."

Henry appeared in the doorway, looking concerned. "How much longer is my mom going to sleep?"

"I'm not sure," Robin replied. "Her body needs a lot of rest so the longer she rests, the better."

"Why don't you go upstairs and change? Mr. Locksley and I need to finish talking about a few things and then we can figure out our next steps," Mary Margaret said. Henry nodded, leaving the room.

Once his footsteps faded, she turned to Robin with a solemn expression. "Don't mention anything that Regina said while asleep to her. She is very private and the best way to get her to shut down is to mention her mother, especially if you don't know her."

"I won't say anything," Robin promised, knowing that doing so would make matters worse rather than better. "And I know you probably won't tell me more either."

"It's not mine to tell," she replied.

He nodded, understanding that. "But can I ask one thing?"

"You can," she said. "But I can't promise to answer."

"Henry's father – was he also toxic as well?" Robin asked before he lost his nerve to finally ask the question that had been rattling around his head.

Mary Margaret tilted her head, studying him before giving him her answer. "No. Henry's father plays no role in how Regina is."

"Okay," Robin replied, relieved. It was good to know he was only dealing with one toxic influence and not two. That would make it easier to counteract it, even if he never knew the breadth of Regina's mother's abuse and manipulation of her daughter.

He nodded to Mary Margaret. "Thank you."

"And thank you," she replied. "I know taking care of Regina isn't easy and I appreciate everything you're doing for her."

"I'm just doing my job," he told her.

She shook her head, smiling softly. "It's more than that. I know she's probably annoyed you a lot but it's clear you care for her. And she hasn't had many people who do that in her life. So thank you."

Robin's heart melted a bit even if he didn't feel worthy of her gratitude. But if he put her and Henry more at ease, he would accept it. "You're welcome."

"Well, I'm sure you're eager to get home to your son," she then said. "Have a good night, Robin."

"Goodnight, Mary Margaret," he replied. He then added: "Before I leave, she hurt her hand earlier. Put some heat on it for about twenty minutes and then take it off. Alternate that for a couple hours. It should help with the swelling. If you need anything else, please don't hesitate to call."

She smiled softly. "Thank you, Robin. I'll do just that. And while I hope we won't have to call you, I'm glad to know you'll be there if we do need you."

He nodded before leaving the living room. Grabbing his coat and his bag, Robin glanced back to see Mary Margaret disappear into Regina's room. Knowing she was in good hands, he left the house and headed to his car.

It was time to go home to Roland, spend some time with his boy and then process everything he had learned about Regina Mills that day.

A/N: So Robin has learned a little more about Regina. What will happen next? How will Regina react after this episode? How will Robin change his approach? Find out next time!

I hope you have a great weekend!

-Mac