The next day, Regina didn't quite know what to do with herself. Roland remembered who his mother was, Robin…
Actually, she wasn't quite sure how Robin felt about her at the moment. They had had a wonderful time together after Roland had gone to bed, then after several deep kisses that made her head spin had been exchanged, she had breathlessly told him to go back to his room. She didn't want Roland to worry if he wasn't by his papa's side in the morning, of course, but it was more than that. She had used men too often in the past and while those experiences had been some level of enjoyable (for strategy's sake, at least), she wanted whatever she had with Robin to be different. She didn't want to go all the way with him until his feelings had caught up with hers and he loved her completely. She refused to take advantage of her soulmate that way.
With both Robin and Roland in their right states of mind, the only thing left for Regina to do (other than enjoy as much time as she could with her favorite pair of dimpled men) was figure out a way to defeat Zelena and find Will's Ana. Zelena had said something that made Regina pause while she sand Robin were her prisoners, something that led Regina into a realm of possibilities that was nothing short of laughable. Zelena wanted Regina to not remember who she was, and the only way Regina could think of to accomplish that goal was yet another memory potion. The witch who had turned green with envy into a physical description was too clever for that, so Regina doubted that she would use that tired method again. If that was her plan, she would have acted on it when Robin and Regina were trapped in her dungeon. That only left one possible course of action, and it was so ludicrous that Regina barely even considered it a viable option. If this witch had truly been taught by Rumple as she claimed, surely she would know that.
Regardless, she thought it was wise to look into the possibility despite the likelihood of it coming to pass being close to zero. While she was at it, she thought she'd look into how Robin could have possibly gotten his newfound magical abilities. From everything he had said, it was incredibly unlikely that he had just inherited them from a relative, like she and Zelena had, but she didn't know what else could allow someone to have magical powers unless they were either inherited or taught- and for Robin, neither option was the case.
Once again she found herself with books in teetering piles around her. Would this ever end? She was tired of having to find the solution to everything, she just wanted to have both of the boys she considered her sons and the thief she adored safe and sound with her. Was that too much to ask?
Suddenly, she saw a green light come flying toward her. She would know that glow anywhere.
Sure enough, with a flash of light, a human-sized Tink sat in the chair opposite her. "What are you working on? I expected you to be spending as much time with Robin and Roland as you could."
She was smirking, and it took every ounce of self-restraint Regina had not to throw a fireball at her right then and there. "There's no need to look so smug," she spat.
"Isn't there?" Tink asked, the aforementioned smirk still firmly planted on her face. "It's seemed like you three have been inseparable lately, even though both Roland and Robin now have their memories. If you and Robin really didn't care for each other, you wouldn't be spending time together now. He would just leave Roland with you and patrol the castle grounds, wouldn't he?"
The fairy had a point, and Regina didn't like it. Time to deflect so she didn't get too inquisitive. She was nowhere near ready to reveal the blossoming... whatever-she-had... with Robin to Tink. Robin would have to be certain of how he felt for her to even begin to think about it. Besides, even if they had what Tink seemed to think they did, she was too used to having her happiness torn away from her to flaunt it to anyone. Every time she did, disaster struck. "Or he still doesn't fully trust me. Did you ever think of that?"
Tink shook her head, undeterred from her vision despite Regina's best efforts. "No, that soulmate connection between you is solidifying, digging its roots deeper- or blossoming outward so you both act on it, whichever way you want to look at it. I can feel it, Regina, you can't possibly deny it."
Her grin was so wide, Regina was a little surprised she wasn't clapping her hands and jumping up and down with excitement. So much for wiping that smirk off of her face. This was worse. Much worse. Curse that fairy intuition to the Land Without Magic and back. There would be no convincing her otherwise, would there? That didn't mean she had to admit it, though. "Fly away, moth," she ordered dismissively, a touch of the Evil Queen she was trying not to be in her tone. "There's work that needs to be done. I don't have time for gossiping about boys like some idealistic teenager." It wasn't as true as it once had been (she wasn't overwhelmed anymore, after all), but it was still true, and if it got the green fairy to leave her alone, who cared, right?
Tink sighed. "Very well, then. But don't think I won't revisit this conversation, Regina."
"I never doubted it," Regina murmured as Tink shrank.
Regina turned to the books before her, determined to get back to work, but before she could, she heard Tink's voice call out, "Oh, and Regina?"
"What?" she snapped, spinning around to glare at her. Didn't that fairy know when she wasn't welcome anymore?
"If one of the things you're trying to find is why Robin suddenly has magic, all you needed to do was ask," Tink said, shrugging.
Regina sighed. She was tired of playing games. Why was it that every magic user around her loved to speak in riddles? "Fine. How does he suddenly have magical abilities?"
"You gave them to him, Regina," Tink said, no longer trying to hide her smile.
Regina scoffed. Preposterous. "How exactly did I do that?"
"By kissing him. The kiss of soulmates, especially the first one, has so many powers that even we fairies haven't uncovered them all."
With those words, she turned and flew away for good this time. With her distraction gone, Regina was able to focus on the books in front of her once more… or so she thought. She thought she remembered a passage about the very subject she was researching, but as she was looking, Tink's words echoed in her mind.
She was the one responsible for Robin having magical abilities. The woman he had once hated was responsible for giving him abilities he didn't trust. She knew she had to tell him, but she didn't know how. How would he look at her once he knew that she was the reason he now had to learn magic, if only to ensure that his son was safe?
He would hate her, that's what would happen. People had hated her before (many times over), but she couldn't bear the thought of Robin looking at her with such loathing in his heart. True, she didn't know if he returned the feelings she had for him (he certainly wouldn't after the revelation Tink had shared), but she had been foolish to dare to hope that he might be falling for her. This would ruin all of that. The loss of her soulmate would be almost as bad as having to leave Henry in the Land Without Magic had been- maybe even more so. Not because Robin and Roland meant more to her than Henry, never that, but having to deal with the loss of all three of them would be devastating beyond measure.
Then she remembered John and the rest of the Merry Men. Talking about matters of the heart was likely the last thing any of them wanted (even though they would all likely tell her otherwise)... except perhaps Tuck. John too- after all, she had become closest to him of all the Merry Men- but these particular conversations were best left to Tuck, particularly when they involved John's best friend.
Yes, that's what she'd do. She'd confide in the wise old friar, and he would likely tell her it would all be all right- and mean it. Whether she would believe him or not, only time would tell.
That was how she found herself in the Merry Men's quarters. To her relief, Tuck was exactly where she'd hoped he'd be. He smiled when she knocked. "Regina! What can I do for you?"
"Can we talk?" she asked hesitantly, glancing around to make sure she wasn't interrupting anything. Just to make sure, she added, "Unless you're busy, of course."
"You're good, come in, come in," Tuck said, beckoning her in. Once she was seated on his cot, he sat beside her and asked, "What's going on?"
She took a deep breath. Where to begin? "How much do you know about what's going on between Robin and me?"
He smiled. "Your true love's kiss woke him. Isn't that all I need to know?"
She sighed. "There's a little more to it than that."
She told him about the night Tink had led her to the tavern, finishing with, "And now our connection as soulmates is the reason he has magic, and I don't know what to do."
To her astonishment, Tuck seemed confused. "I don't see the problem."
She tried not to show how exasperated his comment made her, she really did, but how could he not see it? With a frustrated huff, she reminded him, "Robin hates magic, and now I'm the reason he has it and has to learn it to make sure he doesn't hurt his son. He's going to hate me when he finds out."
Tuck smiled knowingly. She almost hated that smugness, but then she remembered that that wisdom (and tolerance for talking about romance) was why she had sought him out over John in the first place. Yes, she suspected that she and Robin were the possible exception to John's dislike of the topic, but she didn't want to test that theory. Better to be safe than sorry, that had been her motto ever since the day a ten-year-old Snow had told a secret and it had had fatal consequences. "Somehow I don't think so. Yes, he may dislike magic, and it may take him a little time to come to terms with this revelation, but I don't think you give what you and Robin have enough credit. He may not have told you yet, but I'm positive he loves you. Knowing that, I'm sure he'll have no problem with your connection giving him the ability to use magic, despite his past."
"His past?" she asked. No one had ever told her that there was any particular reason Robin hated magic. Although if she was being honest with herself, hadn't the terrors she'd inflicted on the citizens of the Enchanted Forest been enough to make any of her victims despise magic for life?
Tuck shook his head. "It's not my place to say, but you should ask Robin. It may be difficult for him to talk about, but I think you need, and deserve, to know." His hands came to rest over where hers were laying on her lap. "All you need is a little faith, Regina."
She laughed and shook her head. "I haven't really had any reason to have much faith lately. Life- your God, whatever you choose to believe- didn't exactly deal me the best hand."
"I know," he said, squeezing her hands. "But you're the strongest woman the Merry Men have ever known despite it all. We believe in you, Regina, even when you don't believe in yourself."
"I know," she whispered.
She stood and kissed the friar on the cheek. "Thank you."
"Anytime," he assured her, and with that, she left to go find Robin.
She was walking the halls, heading toward the main entrance so she could find where Robin was on his patrols when she suddenly heard a crash and the sound of screams in the night. Against the backdrop of the sunset, Regina saw a whole host of flying monkeys coming straight for the castle.
"The monkeys! They're here!" Grumpy shouted, running toward her as she heard the clanging of the alarm bell in the castle's watchtower.
"I can see that, go do something useful and get an axe or something!" she ordered. Honestly. Without her, the castle's defenses would fall into disarray.
She turned her attention to the monkeys, fireballs forming in both palms. Time to face this latest challenge head-on, just as she had done before.
(********)
When Robin heard the screeching of the witch's winged monkeys, he groaned and raced toward the castle. He hoped that Will, his partner this shift, had seen them coming and raised the alarm.
Sure enough, the clanging of the bells echoed Robin's steps. He saw a crowd of people ready to fight the winged beasts, Regina among them. He saw her go head-to-head with a flying monkey, then he saw something that made him shout her name in alarm.
Three monkeys had flown straight for her, leaving the rest of the castle all but completely safe in comparison. He saw her hit one directly with a fireball, but that didn't stop it from ripping her heart right out of her chest.
He stared, mouth agape. Wasn't it impossible for anyone who didn't possess magic to do that?
He rushed toward her when he saw the monkey holding her heart squeeze it. She gasped and staggered backwards, but thankfully, he had reached her just in the nick of time.
"Don't worry, milady, I've got you," he whispered in her ear. He had to think fast. The monkey still had her heart, after all, and wasn't that far more important than skin and bone?
Suddenly, he saw the monkey squeeze Regina's heart, and laying her gently on the ground, he lunged toward the villainous beast. The mere thought of losing Regina was one that he didn't dare to contemplate. It seemed to be his new reality though, and his own face turned the color of ash as he saw hers become more pale by the second. He had to do something, and fast. He couldn't lose her, and that realization brought to the surface a name to what he had felt for weeks now, a four-letter word that he hadn't dared to voice before. Now, he had to say it before it was too late- but now wasn't exactly the best time, was it?
"Take that!"
He looked up just in time to see Princess Snow shoot a flurry of arrows at the monkey holding Regina's heart, aiming at critical locations.
The simian let out a wail and careened away, dropping the heart in the process. Robin leaped to catch it, cradling it in his arms. He had no idea how to return it to its proper owner, but he had to try. After all, he had magic now, and ripping out hearts was certainly dark magic, but returning a heart to its owner had to be light magic, didn't it?
While he had Regina's heart resting in his palm, he glanced down at it. It was beautiful, but as he knew all too well, fragile. Darkness swirled among spots of red; the consequence, he knew, of the crimes she had committed against the people as the Evil Queen.
However, as he was learning more with each passing day, she had changed. The woman who had once terrorized an entire kingdom was now a loving mother and friend to many, whether she believed it or not. He would've never seen it coming, but she was important to him now too, more than he had ever expected he would feel again for anyone.
As the thought passed through his mind, the red pieces of her heart glowed brighter, as if in answer. It was as if her heart knew that it was being held by its perfect match- and for the first time, Robin not only accepted that, but embraced it.
He brought her heart up to his lips and kissed it, then, hoping desperately that these new powers within him would lead him by instinct alone, he brought her heart up to her chest.
Her heart glowed once more, and Robin marveled at the sensation as her chest seemed to move beneath his fingers, welcoming this most vital of organs home.
She gasped and looked up at him, an emotion neither of them had voiced shining in her eyes, which had been empty without her heart. Somehow Robin knew that from that moment on, no matter what happened, they could get through anything if they did it together.
They were brought out of their little cocoon by shouts heard from the castle gates. They glanced up and Robin's eyes widened as they saw a blonde woman entering the courtyard. Could that be who he thought it was?
Confirming his suspicions, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Will run toward the stranger and embrace her. "Ana!"
Robin saw Regina's eyes widen as they watched tears fall down his friend's face. Was their search for Will's lost love over so easily, or was there more to her story than any of them imagined?
There was only one way to find out.