The air hung heavily at the diner as he entered inside, the atmosphere abnormally quiet for a late afternoon. Under normal circumstances, returning to the diner would've been a positive experience- there had been countless celebrations held there, a place where everyone in town felt welcome. Granny managed to create a conversation with anyone who walked through the front doors; her reputation as the matron of Storybrooke was one that was earned after so many years of service. When Robin sat down across from his younger brother, however, Granny was no where in sight, somehow knowing what conversation was going to take place.

Both men struggled to find their footing, not knowing where to begin. Robin knew that whatever was about to be said would be something that would only worsen the situation, but it was truth he was after, and truth he would get.

"You mentioned that you have something important to share?" He began, deciding to take the problem head on. The anxiety of it all was devouring him inside- continuing to walk on eggshells around her caused every second to ache.

Will shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He wasn't used to being involved in such serious matters, especially ones that he thought were matters of the past. In the past decade, Will had considered telling his brother about what happened in his absence, the thought resurfacing with a gnawing edge. He figured that with so much positivity around them, the past no longer mattered. But there he was, delivering news that was ten years late to his already devastated sibling.

"You really got tan out there," Will blurted out, trying to lighten the mood between them. "Why is it that you tan so well while I burn? Do genetics mean nothing?"

Robin gave him a look, the events from his day already feeling like too much to bear. "I'm so exhausted, Will- let's just get this over with."

Courage had always been something Will admired in his older brother, even when they were kids. Even amidst the most unthinkable tribulations, he remained true to his values and his honor. He never turned away from a challenge, no matter how threatening.

"I'm not sure if Regina would want me to talk about it," Will began, gathering his own sense of bravery.

"You're the one that told me to meet you here," Robin countered, "things are pretty bad. Whatever it is, I can handle it."

Will knew there was no other way around it. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself for the worst.

"Those months when you were away, doing those things for Rumple... Regina was depressed, like how she is now."

Robin hadn't realized how anxious he had become during their conversation- he was hanging onto each word his brother spoke, anticipating and calculating what he could possibly say next.

"It was a hard time for all of us," Robin defended, his hands restless underneath the table. "Regina and I have talked about it."

"Did she tell you that she stopped eating? Damn near passed out a few days after I moved in."

Robin held his gaze for a moment, unsure of how to process the information he had heard. Despite all the repeated scenarios he went over during his drive to the diner on how their talk would go, he still felt blindsided.

"But she was pregnant," he eventually spoke, his voice sounding hollow. "Did she know she was pregnant?"

His silence was quickly interpreted as a yes.

"At least Caroline turned out perfectly fine," Will interjected, negating the awkwardness of the situation. "It's not like she was drinking or anything- she just couldn't handle the thought of doing it all without you there."

His thoughts were spinning in a chaotic mess, none of them offering any positive outcomes. How could she have not told him the truth?

Anger flooded through him despite how exhausted he was- he stopped resisting and allowed all of his emotions to run wild, giving up on the walls he had put up to get through the day. Letting out a heavy sigh, he held his head between his hands.

"Everything is happening all at once," he sighed, "we went through our own experience in the Enchanted Forest- I can't talk to Regina about any of it because I'm so worried about her- I'm so worried about everything."

Will hated seeing his brother so devastated, and he hated that there wasn't an immediate solution for the problem.

"Well you can talk about it with me, I was there," he began, taking a guess about what he was really talking about. "Did being back there make you think of Mom and Dad?"

Robin sent him a look, surprised that he was able to read his mind so well. Putting the news about his wife in the back of his mind was difficult to do, but he forced himself to be present with his brother. "It's weird, I remember how Dad was, but the memories I have of Mom are so..."

"Nonexistent? Think about how I feel, I was only eight when she died."

"Random memories came back in bits and pieces- it feels like I'm seeing someone else's life though. Hard to believe that's where we started out."

It felt good to get those words out, something he had been keeping inside without fully realizing it. In that moment Robin felt a sincere closeness to his brother, the initial frustration over him keeping such a secret melting away. Will sent him a smile, one that let him know that his words were understood.

"And look at where we are now," Will said, gesturing around the empty diner, "somewhere far away from that- no monsters out to get us. Unless you count Ruby."

True, the threats were gone- the aftermath, however, remained a smoldering mess that seemed impossible to navigate through. Robin knew that an unpleasant conversation was next on his list, and he wished so desperately that he didn't have to do it. But he needed his wife back, at whatever cost it took.

The living room soon became silent as Caroline switched off the tv, overcome with boredom as her mother slept beside her. It hadn't taken more than a half hour of down time for Regina to fall asleep on the couch, gaining the much needed rest she refused at night. Caroline found a blanket and draped it over her, noticing how her expression had relaxed for the first time in days.

Heading upstairs, the girl could hear a hushed conversation between her brother and his friend. She wouldn't normally care about what they talked about, but this time was different- they were discussing something important, something that instantly piqued her attention. Standing at the base of the stairs, Caroline did her best to listen in without them noticing, only catching small parts that didn't make sense. Before much time passed by, August was headed down the staircase, surprised to see the ten year old standing there. He gave her a quick smile, unsure if she knew anything or not, and slipped out the front door. Caroline couldn't handle not knowing what was going on, especially with her own family. There were too many secrets as it was.

So, she walked up the stairs, catching Roland before he could close himself off in his room.

"What were you and August doing up here?" She asked, quickly earning a terrified look from her brother. "Didn't sound like video games to me."

Roland frantically searched for an excuse that sounded believable enough. When no words came out of his mouth, he knew he was done for. Caroline narrowed her eyes at him.

"I am so tired of everyone keeping secrets from me, I never know what's going on! You better tell me what you've been up to or I swear-"

"Alright, I'll tell you," he said abruptly, feeling a familiar anxiety setting in. "But you can't tell Dad or Henry. Promise?"

Taken aback by his words, Caroline nodded hesitantly, her mind racing at the thought of what Roland had gotten himself into.

"August and I... we're dating- kind of. Definitely more than friends."

Out of all the things she thought he would say, that was not one of them. Usually she had a comeback for everything- this time, however, the girl stood in a silent stupor.

"Really?" She finally said, "did that happen while we were gone?"

Nodding, Roland at how easy it was for him to get those words out. With practice, it had gotten slightly easier every time.

"I thought you were gonna say something way crazier, like you're running away or something."

Roland let out a laugh. "Really, us being together isn't crazy to you?"

"It's not what I expected, but I'm relieved. We were all worried you were gonna be alone forever- sometimes none of us know what's going on in your head because you hardly ever tell us."

Not knowing what to say, Roland walked into his room, his sister following behind. "Well now you know- I honestly thought that would be a lot harder to say."

Caroline took a seat down at his desk, taking a look around the room she was seldom in. "A lot of things that changed- Dad fought a freaking werewolf."

"Yeah, and you have powerful magic apparently," he added, realizing just how much that had gone unsaid since her return. "What kinds of cool stuff did you do?"

Pausing for a moment, Caroline thought about what to say. The memory of combatting against Elsa's magic with every fiber of her being quickly surfaced, causing a shiver to run down her spine. Seeing the excited and hopeful gleam in her brother's eyes made it impossible for her to share that part- instead, she improvised.

"I fixed this villager's bow and gave everyone new outfits to blend in."

"What was the Enchanted Forest like?"

"Really big. Lots of different people. I think all the coolest people came to Storybrooke."

"What was... she like?"

Caroline wished she had a simple answer to that question. She knew her mother was nowhere near ready to hear the truth, but maybe Roland was.

"Zelena got mad easily, but she knows just about everything there is about magic. She hated Mom for basically her whole life because she wanted what she had."

"Where do you think she is? What if she still wants to steal Mom's life or something?"

Shaking her head, Caroline gave him a punitive look. "She gave up her chance to do it. I have no idea where she is- I don't know what else she wants out of the world."

"Zelena talked to me once, before everything went down. She wanted to make me mad... it didn't work but it really creeped me out. She seems so intense about everything."

"Really?" The girl asked, surprised at his words, "before my birthday party? What did she say to you?"

The moment felt like a million years ago to him. "She wanted me to ask Dad about my birth mom... saying that he was keeping things from me. I told her to leave us all alone."

Caroline was silent, unsure of what to say next. She chose her words carefully, knowing it was a sensitive topic. "Why don't you ask Dad?"

Throughout his life, the question of his biological mother came and went. He would always feel guilty when he thought about what she might've been like, or how different his life would've been if she hadn't died. Regina was the only mother he knew- he didn't remember life before she came into it.

"I don't know, things were always so good with us... I didn't want to be the one to bring up old wounds."

"That's a huge part of who you are!" She told him, sending him a comforting smile. "You deserve to know more about who she was."

Roland hated how easy his sister made everything sound. He knew she was right, but the timing couldn't have been more horrible.

"Zelena was right about one thing," she continued, locking her eyes with his, "the truth always comes out, whether we want it to or not. Nothing stays the same forever."

I referenced some topics from my previous fanfic, We Can Love Again, (chapter 52) in this chapter for anyone interested. I promise it'll get less depressing soon, hang in there!