A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait. This is gonna be my last update this year so I hope you'll enjoy it! It's been 7 chapters, so I think you all deserve some OutlawQueen time. Thanks so much to the amazing waterbaby for betaing.

I'd love to hear what you think! If you don't want to leave a review, you can simply tweet me on twitter. My name is "glindaloveshoes".
Also, in case you haven't seen, I updated my other multi chapter "Poor Unfortunate Souls". Perhaps you want to check that one out.
Now I wish you all a Happy New Year 2016! Celebrate wherever you are with your family and/or friends and be safe! Big hugs, I'll see you in 2016!


(7)

"Get down Regina!" someone yelled behind her, the voice echoing through the damp forest like thunder. Regina scrunched down behind a tree, her chest heaving with short breaths from the run. It was followed by the dulled sound of two paintballs hitting the backside of the tree. Damn it! The huntsmen had managed to split them up and now that Jefferson was down, she was left alone with Daniel - Robin and Hans somewhere in the forest, trying to fend off the other hunters. They should have stayed together like they'd first agreed on, but none of them had imagined the area being this big and the woods so thick. Even though it was early afternoon, the dim light falling through the trees made their surroundings look uncanny and dangerous. Regina knew the forest, loved the forest, and had spent much time there when she'd been young and life had been… easier.

This forest wasn't like she'd remembered forests to be, however. She wanted to get back to the clearing with the houses and the crew.

Three of the men had been hit by the others already, though other than Jefferson she didn't know who. A siren howled for about two times whenever someone was down. Hopefully they were members of the other team, since her team had a slight disadvantage with only three armed men left.

She clutched the marker closer to her chest, remembering she had half of her shots left. Shooting wasn't her strongest suit - never had been, not when it came to anything gun-like anyways. For the love of God, she hoped she wouldn't have to mark anyone with her paintballs and that the men would take care of it.

The rustling of dried leaves beside her made her flinch. Daniel knelt down next to her, a hand reaching out to touch her shoulder lovingly. Thank God, he was there and not shot. He'd promised to stay with her from the beginning and she was glad about it. He made her feel safe.

"Are you okay?" he asked concerned. She nodded shortly, smiling up at him.

"I'm okay. Are they close?"

"I managed to bring Eric and August down but Graham is still behind us. Dammit, it's like he knows this forest forward and backward. He just vanished behind a tree when I had my back turned. We need to look for a shelter, Regina. I don't know where the others are and if we stay here in the open for much longer he's likely going to get to us." Daniel stood up while holding a hand out for her to take.

"But what about the others? Can we just leave them to themselves?" Regina asked quietly. She took his hand, letting him pull her up into his chest. The sudden closeness left her breathless against him, her eyes wide in astonishment at the feeling of his sweet scent numbing her senses. It felt like she was paralyzed by him.

Daniel cracked a smirk, pushing a strand of hair back beneath her helmet. "I don't know. It's not like we asked to be separated but right now we're on our own Regina - which is not necessarily a bad thing. I've sworn to protect you and I will. Come on." His thumb brushed her cheek in the softest manner, and then he let go. Once again he took her hand, leading her securely through the forest.

Xxxxx

Less than a half a mile behind them, Robin was this close to punching Hans in the face. They'd been separated from the others by Graham, August and Eric with David and Killian right on their heels. Jefferson was down and this left Daniel alone with Regina, something Robin wasn't really worried about if it weren't for the reason that Daniel alone was in no way able to protect her from Graham of all people.

The policeman was a clever fox and good shot. Robin himself had only managed to escape a few of his paintballs by sheer luck, which left him wishing they'd hit Hans instead. The bloated dunce had made another few remarks about Regina on their way that had Robin's blood boiling with anger. Could he just shut up? Or even better, could someone of the other team come and take him out?

"Seriously, Daniel is so lucky to be alone with her right now. I bet they find a secure place and have some fun. God what would I give to give her a few shots with my marker." Hans gave his crotch a salacious squeeze, followed by a specific gesture and laughed.

"If you make one more comment like this, I promise you, you'll regret it," Robin hissed angrily. He hated how easily Hans managed to rile him up with his disgusting comments about Regina and how he wanted nothing more than to hit him over the head with his marker.

"Oh come on, Robin. Let's be honest here, shall we? It's not like any one of us is here because they actually believe in the concept of this show format. People are here to get a good fuck and a fun time out of this. Regina is just lucky enough to be able to choose which cock she takes in first. Wonder if she's up for a threesome to get some more of her holes filled. She's a hoe, nothing more."

That did it once and for all. Something snapped inside of Robin and before he could realize what was happening, he'd smashed his marker against the other man's helmet and shoved him right into the next tree. Hans let out a surprised yelp, glad for the protection of the overall and helmet.

"What the fuck is wrong with you man?!"

Robin was about to use his marker once again, when he suddenly felt four strong hands holding him back. "Calm down man, he's not worth it!" David's voice was calm and firm.

"He…" Robin started, but the grip of the other men tightened.

"We know, we heard. Let us deal with him. It won't look good if you turned on your own team mate," Killian mumbled.

When Hans had managed to get back up, he wiped the small stream of blood that was running from his split lip away. He must have bitten it so hard when he fell that it burst open.

"I'll report you to the production and sue you for assault! They have everything on video! I'm gonna…"

"All you're gonna do, "Killian replied calmly, "is shut up." He raised his marker, hitting the trigger five times. All five paint balls hit Hans right in the chest, throwing him back against the tree. "David?" He turned around to his companion who was still holding Robin back.

"With pleasure." David let go of him and smirked, before he added three paint balls in the direction of Hans's crotch for good measure.

"Well done, David." Killian grinned, giving his partner thumbs up. "This was your last warning, Hans. Next time we will make sure there's no protection between you and your willy. Come on, Robin."

They walked away from the blond who stayed behind, resting against the tree and nursing his wounds. The siren went off two times, giving the signal that another one of the players was down. When they were out of earshot, Robin let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. What the hell had he been thinking, assaulting a man like that? Would they show it on TV? Would they portray him as a reckless asshole that never shied away from a fight? What would Regina think if she heard of this? God, he should have reported him to the production and left him behind, but when he'd talked about Regina this way…

"Man, this was close. Thankfully we've kept an eye on the two of you. We actually wanted to ambush you but when we saw you hitting this idiot…"

"Thank you for stopping me," he choked out to David and Killian who both regarded him with a knowing look.

"It's all right, mate. We heard. If you hadn't shoved your marker into his face, we would have. He's an asshole and I'm sure Regina knows. She has enough little birds in the production that tweet in her ear who to kick and who to keep. Hans won't make it past the next rose ceremony."

"I know, it's just… I'm not that violent… usually." No, he never was and everyone who really knew him could support him on that. Yes, there were moments when he'd drive out into the woods to shoot a few arrows into a tree when he was agitated, but he'd never beat someone up for no reason.

"When he was talking about her like this, something just… snapped," he defended himself although David and Killian didn't seem like they blamed him. "I mean, how dare he talk about her like this when he doesn't know her, when he doesn't know what she's been through, when… He…" He stopped himself before he'd reveal too much. He possibly already had.

"It's okay, Robin. We care for her as well." David patted his shoulder in reassurance. "It's crazy, but we do. That's why we agreed not to kill you now. It wouldn't be fair to mark you when all you did was defend her honor. You'll get a head start of two full minutes before we will go after you. That okay?"

"More than I need. Thanks." With this, Robin holstered the marker over his shoulder and ran off.

It was a good thing he was good at tracking. There was not much difference between tracking game, like he'd done with his grandfather so many times when he grew up in Nottingham, and tracking down people. In fact, it was even easier since most people didn't care to leave their traces behind. A rustling behind him made him stop dead in his tracks. Someone was there, right behind him. There was no place to hide on the ground, except for the trees, so he darted over to the nearest oak which had a branch on a level he could reach with a jump and outstretched hands.

Thankfully, he managed on the first try and was just able to climb up high enough to be well hidden by the branches and leaves but still able to see what was going on underneath him. He checked the ground but didn't see or hear anything until two people came into view behind the bunch of firs. Daniel and Regina.

"Do you think we lost Graham?" Regina asked a little breathlessly.

"I hope so. We should be safe to catch our breaths for a moment. Would you like to sit down?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks." Regina leaned against the trunk of the tree Robin was hiding in. The hair peeking out underneath her helmet looked slightly tousled and he could watch her breath heaving heavily from the running.

He was just about to reveal himself when he noticed something on the ground next to Regina. Apparently he wasn't the only one. Daniel bent down to pick something off the ground, holding it out to Regina on his open palm.

"Oh look, woodland strawberries."

Robin Locksley loved the forest. He loved the quiet, the calmness and the smell. The forest made him feel protected, made him feel a bit at home because it reminded him so much of England with the bright green leaves and blossoming pasture. The moss on the barks of the trees was turning the forest even greener. There was only the singing of the birds and the distant bellow of a deer to be heard; otherwise it was quiet except for the leaves of the last fall rustling under his feet, scrunching deliciously under his step.

Today he'd chosen a different path, had parked his car at the edge of the southern forest, which he knew partly belonged to a private estate further down the road. He'd been here a few times before, never wandering too far from the car and along the edge of the forest. This time, it'd dragged him deeper into the forest though. He didn't know why, but he was glad he'd given into his intuition otherwise he'd have never seen the beauty of nature which unfolded here, away from the prying eyes of civilization. How long had it been since anyone had walked along these trees? When was the last time someone had collected the white mushrooms which at the root of the tree over there?

When he was a child, he'd spent hours in the forest, sometimes alone, sometimes with his grandfather who taught him to track down the game and the foxes, taught him to be quiet and become a part of the forest.

"Breathe with the trees and move with the wind," his grandfather had told him, something he'd taken to heart. An excited gasp escaped his throat when he noticed a bush of ripe woodland strawberries down to his right. He'd never seen them before in this part of the woods, so he was even more excited. Robin bent down to pick a few up, popping two of the tiny fruits into his mouth, savoring the delicious sweetness.

It would be nice to pick up a few more as provisions for the road, he thought, so he followed the trail of small bushes, picking up one or two of the biggest and ripest fruits each. It was only then when he noticed the clearing it led to, which had been hidden by trees and blossoming blackberry bushes. Usually he would have abandoned it, would have continued his way if it hadn't been for the head with thick black curls poking out behind a fallen trunk.

The moment he held his breath and listened, he was able to hear the silent sniffles from the person. Did he dare to intrude? Perhaps the person wanted to be alone - why else would someone hide here deep inside the forest behind a fallen trunk?

While Robin kept considering what to do, nature took the decision from him a moment later. A brittle branch creaked not far away from him before it came falling down with a great 'whoosh', shooing up the birds in the nearby trees. The person tensed and sat up straight, her head shooting around.

"You," she whispered shocked. Robin was surprised to see Regina of all people back here himself. He'd met her at the 'Rabbit Hole' two nights ago, had taken the clearly upset woman home to talk rather than letting her get drunk all by herself in the filthiest of all places. A bottle of whiskey and three beers later, he'd woken up all by himself on the couch, no trace of Regina whatsoever.

"It seems like we have a thing for meeting at strange places," Robin joked before he made his way over to the fallen trunk, noticing how Regina tried to subtly wipe away her tears. He wondered what had happened to her. It all came to him the moment she turned her face fully toward him. Even though the nasty bruise from her cheek from two days ago had slightly faded, there was a bright red mark from a slap crossing her cheek. It had also reopened the nasty wound on her upper lip, which looked like it had only just stopped bleeding.

"Oh my God," he whispered, shaken, his hand reaching out for her but she flinched away, not daring to look at him.

Slowly, Robin sank down in front of her. The ground was cold and wet from the last rain.

"Regina…"

"Don't," she hissed, turning away. "Please go. I want to be alone."

"No. No, I won't leave you alone." The words came out before he had a chance to consider them rightfully. Who was he to deprive her of his help when she was clearly in need of it? Yes, he didn't know her, not really. One night together in a bar with their fair share of alcohol didn't give him the right to interfere with her life.

"I don't need your help," Regina mumbled angrily, but Robin shook his head. She may not need his help but she looked like she needed someone to care for her though and care he did. They weren't friends, not by any means, not yet, but she didn't get to tell him whether to care or not.

"Look, I won't ask what happened to you…"

"Who are you to think I would tell you anyway?" she shot back. That was good. At least she hadn't lost her wit quite yet.

Robin continued unimpressed. "But I will take you to a hospital now. Someone needs to take a look at your lip if you don't want it to scar."

"No."

"Regina…"

"No! I won't go to a hospital," she hissed clearly afraid. "Look, Robin, it's nice that you came but I don't need coddling, I just want to be alone."

"Why won't you let me help you?"

"Because I don't know if I can trust you," Regina whispered. She took the used, blood sprinkled hanky from her hand and pressed it to her upper lip. The pain made her body flinch and at the same time, Robin's heart ache.

"You can trust me, Regina. I promise you. Here."

Despite her anger, her eyebrow shot up when he held out a hand with the woodland strawberries he'd collected. "And you think offering me strawberries is going to prove to me that I can trust you?"

Robin cracked a smile at her, shrugging it off. His grandma had once told him the best way to a man's heart was through his stomach. Who said it wouldn't work the other way around?

"You know, my daddy always told me to be aware of strangers in the woods who offer me sweets."

"Your father seems to be a wise man."

"He was." She gave him a sad smile and took one of the tiny strawberries, which she popped into her mouth. Her eyes closed for the time she savored the sweet taste, her tongue darting out to wet her lower lip carefully. "These are good."

"There are more where these come from. How about we make a deal. I'll trust you with the secret location of the strawberries and you consider starting to trust me. I won't ask what happened, I won't ask you to tell me. All I ask for is you letting me care for you."

"But why would you want to do that?" Regina wondered silently. For the first time since they met here in the forest she looked at him directly, her chocolate brown eyes boring into his. "Why would you want to care about me?"

Then suddenly it hit Robin like a truck. "Regina. When was the last time someone cared about you?"

It was a simple question, a question a beautiful young woman like her shouldn't hesitate to answer, but she didn't, or rather couldn't. Was there really no one in her god damned world who cared about her? Who showed her love and affection? He couldn't be the only one to show an interest in her, could he?

Robin's eyes wandered over her beat up, bruised face. It… could be true. Judging from her bruises he really could be the only one to care - otherwise she wouldn't be hiding this far in the forest, all by herself and unarmed.

"Is that the question you want to ask me for our deal?"

"If you're willing to answer it, then yes."

Sighing, Regina heaved herself up. She brushed away the crunched leaves from dark washed skinny jeans, then absently rubbed her upper arm, her face wrapping in pain. "My father. He was the last one to care about me even though he never… He died two years ago."

Robin nodded. "I'm really sorry for you."

There were more questions on the tip of his tongue, but they'd agreed on one. Step by step, he would win her trust step by step. Perhaps once she was stuffed with more woodland strawberries she'd be willing to answer one more question. Up until then, he would keep the conversation on the light side.

"What about those strawberries now? If you steal away my alone time, you can at least show me where to get these little goodies."

That comment made him laugh out loud. She had her sass back, so she would be okay. At least he hoped so. "Well then follow me, your Majesty, I will lead you to the best place to pick them right away."

His heart ached at the memory. Even though it had happened such a long time ago, it felt like yesterday. The irony of the situation got him hard. Usually Robin wasn't one to wish people ill, but he'd give anything to be the one down there with Regina, to be in Daniel's place and feed her with the strawberries. It was just not fair. They'd been apart long enough and fate had brought them back together. Now this lovesick idiot was making doe eyes at her, showering her with attention, while he was hiding out in a tree.

Regina took the strawberry from Daniel with a sweet smile. She was just about to pick up another, when David and Killian came dashing though the woods with a loud yell, their markers pointed at poor Daniel who threw himself in front of Regina.

Robin didn't think twice. His position in the tree was perfect and despite the fact deep down he wished Daniel to be gone, he couldn't leave his teammate hanging. Two seconds later, David and Killian who'd just gotten ready to fire, stared at each other in surprise, their uniforms splashed with variously colored paintball splashes.

"Oh bloody hell!" Killian groaned, throwing his marker aside. "These hurt more than I thought they would."

"Who the hell shot us?" David asked Regina and Daniel, who stared at the two other men in surprise, their markers pointed at them.

"It wasn't me," Regina confessed, her gaze wandering over to Daniel who just shook his head in response.

"It was me." Without the others noticing, Robin had made his way down on the back of the tree, a smug smile on his face.

"Robin," Regina whispered surprised. Her hand reached out to him but she pulled it back quickly. He'd saved her. Saved her and Daniel from getting shot by David and Killian. The game would probably have been over then. Where did he come from? Had he been following them all the time? She swallowed, about to ask him, but Daniel took the question away from her.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Daniel wanted to know, his tone holding a note of accusation. "We had the situation under control."

"Yeah, I see that."

"We let you get away only for you to shoot us ten minutes later? That's not a nice move, Robin!" David scolded but grinned at the same time. "Damn, I should have thought about hiding in the trees and waiting for the prey to come my way. Nice shots from up there. We totally didn't see that one coming."

The moment he said it, Robin realized it was too late.

"Regina!" Daniel yelled, throwing himself in front of her to shield her from the multiple paintballs darting her way. He fell back right against her, dragging her down to the ground with him. Robin saw the flash of moving green fabric behind the nearby firs, his marker in position.

"Graham," he hissed, bothered that there was no protection anywhere from the policeman and his killing shots.

"Daniel, are you okay?" he heard Regina ask from behind him. He didn't dare to turn around, tensed at her worried voice. He'd been hit by a few paintballs for god's sake! It wasn't like he was dying.

"I'm going to survive," Daniel breathed, earning a surprised laugh from Regina.

Robin rolled his eyes, his gaze darting over at David and Killian, who shot him a knowing look. "Guess it's just you and Graham left, Robin. You go, get that date!" He nodded, ready to head for the firs when Regina's voice stopped him.

"Wait."She was standing now, right next to Daniel who was sitting on the ground rubbing his chest where the paintballs had hit them. "We're a team, right?"

Their eyes met, her sparkling brown depths boring into his. There was a hint of mischief, the kind he knew all too well, which made him swallow hard. "Of course."

Regina bit her lower lip, trying to hide a smile, which she failed at terribly. "Then let's go get him."

They darted off toward the direction of the firs, Robin a few feet ahead and Regina right behind him. A crack on their left side, not far from where they'd last seen a flash of Graham's green jacket, made them flinch. Within a second, Robin pulled Regina behind the trunk of a larger fir, just in time to escape a salve of paintballs that hit the backside of the tree.

He'd pressed her with her back against the bark, their bodies so close with no space between them. Regina could almost feel the stubble of his beard tickling her forehead, the way she was pushed so close against his chest.

It still felt the same. There were the tensed strong muscles of his upper arms, a little stronger than perhaps ten years ago but she liked it. There was the tingling he awoke inside of her, his breath caressing the hair on her forehead. There was even still that perfect spot where she'd used to bury her face. God. He still felt the same, hell, he even smelt the same! Without thinking, she let go of her marker. It fell to the ground with a thud as she clutched her arms around his torso, her face buried in her spot. It wasn't like the brief hug they shared at the first Night of the Roses where they'd barely had time to touch each other, to feel each other.

Regina didn't want to let go. She clutched to him like a lifeline, absorbing his delicious smell of man and… forest. God, he still smelt like forest. Calm and fresh and secure. One of Robin's arms tightened around her, making her want to tell him everything.

He released her way too soon, but not without a ghostly kiss on her hair which made her shiver. She could have imagined it but she knew it was there. Their eyes locking in an unspoken 'We need to talk.' Reluctantly, Regina loosened her arms while Robin stepped back to pick up her marker. Perhaps it had been a wrong idea to get touchy while they were on the hunt for Graham, or rather hunted by him.

"Robin, careful!" He didn't have the time to turn around before the paintballs hit him in the back, the weight of the shots shoving him forward right back into Regina's arms. She held him to her while he let out a defeated sigh.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her hair, but Regina shook her head.

"Not your fault." They reluctantly backed away from each other. Graham was standing only a few feet away, the marker in his hands and a winning smile on his face.

"I guess we're going on a date tomorrow."