A/N: Hey there everyone! I'm so overwhelmed because of all the response to the latest chapter here and on twitter! Thank you all so much for taking the time to review, fav and follow this story. I guess this was what really got me going to write the next chapter so fast. I apologize for the unusual length - my chapters are usually a bit shorter, so I hope this won't be a problem with you.
A huge thank you to waterbaby for betaing!
Now please enjoy. I'd love to hear what you think! I love reviews like cake (and for those of you who follow me on twitter know I LOVE cake!)
(8)
The date with Graham the next day featured a mixture of heavy flirting and sexual tension. They were taken on a daytrip to Vegas by one of Gold's private jets. They spent the journey being pampered by the stewardess who immediately took a shine to Graham, deliberately ignoring Regina whenever the cameras were turned off. Multiple crab cocktails and two glasses of champagne later, Regina felt pleasantly buzzed, ready to get this date started. Conversation flowed easily. When he entertained her with a few of his cop stories, she found it slightly easier to just enjoy their first date, to open up a little about herself in regards to likes and dislikes. Once they arrived in Sin City they were ushered into a black Hummer stretch limousine with the Bachelorette logo printed upon the sides. It soon turned out Graham was a gambling man, never backing down from a good game. They were supposed to gamble a bit at the Bellagio for the show's sake. Regina didn't think much of gambling, especially not in combination with drinking all the champagne, but she wasn't left much choice. She knew how casinos worked, knew the machines were programmed to let the gamers win now and then, how there was fresh oxygen pumped into the room so the guests wouldn't grow tired and how the waiters kept the alcohol coming. It wasn't her favorite place for a date, but Regina chose to make the best of it.
Graham turned out to be an excellent poker player, insisting the good hand was her doing, that she was his lucky charm. They tried their luck with roulette, Graham asking her to kiss the cubes for good luck. It worked. The ecstasy of winning combined with the atmosphere and the alcohol made her feel like she was in a euphoric trance so she was slightly disappointed when they were asked to abandon their posts at the tables, give all their chips back to the assistant director who was accompanying them, and move on to get dressed for dinner in the rotunda on top of the Bellagio. Graham was already waiting for her, now clad in an expensive looking dark blue suit with neatly styled hair.
Regina bit her lip in order to suppress a wide smile. God, he really was attractive! But was attraction and flowing conversation enough? Her body didn't tingle when he touched her, and even though he'd been open about his work, he hadn't opened up to her himself yet. On the other hand, could she blame him for not telling her too much about herself when she pointed any question he asked about her back to himself? She wasn't exactly forthcoming either when it came to openness and honesty. I wasn't that she lied, not yet anyways, however she wondered just how many men would stay once she revealed her son to them. There was no way to hide him forever, she had to bring him sooner or later, not only because the candidates deserved to know but also because she valued his opinion too much to keep him apart from the men among which she hoped she find become her new partner.
"I just want you to be happy Mom. If this show is what you need in order to find someone who makes you happy, then you should do it." Regina smiled at the memory, her heart aching for her son whom she hadn't seen in over a week. Conversations over the phone were never as good as the real thing. He wasn't alone, she'd left him in good care but she hated herself for it, felt like she was abandoning him for this stupid show and its policies. Did Graham like kids? she wondered as he greeted her with a kiss on both cheeks, complimenting her on her stunning outfit. Perhaps she should push their dinner conversation into the general direction later on.
The view above the fountain down at their feet and the shimmering, blinking colorful lights of Vegas was breathtaking. Regina felt like she could see the darkness of the desert at the horizon beyond the city's borders but she couldn't be sure. The rotunda was not open for visitors at any time however they'd been made an exception. The Bachelorette-team had decorated the place beautifully with red rose bushes at every column, soft light from only recently installed lamps and a small table with a dinner for two right in the middle. They enjoyed the view, each one of them getting lost a little themselves, before they were asked to sit down at the table before the food got cold. Graham was a gentleman by the book, helping her sit down and opening the bottle of wine for them. Even though Regina didn't feel like drinking anymore, she nodded her head when Graham asked her sweetly whether she would have some wine or not. She wouldn't have to drink it all, only sip at it.
Once again their conversation flowed easily, went from the delicious food, to the view, to the date and how happy he was that he'd managed to win the first single-date with her. Graham didn't ask about the other men, for which she was thankful. He was good at talking about nothing and making it seem like everything. The female fans of the show would drool over him for sure. When dessert came, she wanted to ask him about children, but apparently he had other ideas. He dropped his napkin on the table and rose, his hand stretched out toward her.
"Dance with me, Regina. If I don't get this rose tonight, I at least want to know how it is to dance with you." Who was she to decline him, even if she already knew for sure she'd be giving him the rose at the end of their date which would automatically bring him to the next round by avoiding the next night of the roses tomorrow night.
It should have put her off the first time he pulled her close against his extremely well defined chest. Graham was a passable dancer all right, however something just didn't… fit. She didn't fit. Although he made her feel cherished and wanted - there was definitely attraction involved between the two of them - it just felt wrong. It didn't feel like Daniel and especially not like Robin. A pang of guilt spread through her chest the moment a picture of her former sandy haired lover came up in her mind. It wasn't fair to be thinking about him while she was on a date with another man. Graham deserved her attention now, not Robin.
"You seem distracted," Graham whispered into her ear, making her shiver. It'd gotten quite cold on top of the roof suddenly. They broke apart, Regina avoiding his gaze.
"I was just wondering…" A deep breath and the wave of a hand later someone of the crew had given her the rose. "Graham, will you accept this rose from me?" It was wrong. It was wrong to give it to him when she didn't know what she wanted. The date had been amazing, but something had been missing. Something had been missing for ten years and deep down… deep down she knew what it was. Regina was just too afraid to admit to it.
"I'd love nothing more," Graham whispered, his eyes blinking happily. He leaned down to press a kiss onto her cheek, lingered there for a moment longer than seemed appropriate. "Thank you, Regina. I've really enjoyed spending time with you today. The other guys will be so jealous." His smile was captivating, a mixture of glory and satisfaction.
"How about dessert? I want to celebrate."
Xxxxx
Regina entered the Bachelorette mansion after a long day in Vegas. It was past 1 am when the driver dropped her off in front of her temporary home. She was still clad in her elegant dress from the dinner date, however she'd been able to kick the high heels off and slip into the flat slippers Ruby had provided her with. God, it felt like this woman was the only one to truly understand her needs - if she didn't regret one thing, it was meeting Ruby.
With a deep huff, Regina kicked her slippers into the nearest corner and closed the door behind her. All she wanted to do was go to bed and sleep in until lunch was served. However with her tight schedule, make-up, interviews about today's date, voiceovers and of course the rehearsal for tonight's Night of the Roses, she would probably be woken by 9 am sharp. This show was no easy-going vacation like Tink had made it seem, it was damn hard professional business.
A yawn escaped her when she padded through the living room toward her bedroom, pondering whether she should take a shower now or abandon forty minutes of precious sleep in the morning. If she showered now, Ruby would scold her once again for air drying her hair, if she did it tomorrow, she would have to endure the ugly noise of the blow dryer while nursing a tiny headache she already felt coming from all the champagne and wine.
"There you are," a voice yawned and the light was switched on. Regina let out a scream; grabbing for the first thing in her reach - her purse - and hurled it toward the intruder who ducked behind the couch she was sitting on, escaping the flying purse at the last second. "What the hell Regina, it's me!"
"What the hell are you doing here?" She yelled at Tink, who was holding her hands up in order to show she was unarmed.
"Why the hell are you throwing your purse at me? What's in there, stones? You could have hit me!"
"I wish I had. Damn, you scared the hell out of me."
Tink took her hands down and let herself drop back onto the couch with an exhausted sigh. "I'm just glad you didn't reach for the vase over there, because this would have ended ugly."
"Well excuse me for trying to defend me when someone breaks into my house!" Regina huffed.
"It's not your house. And I didn't break into it; I got a key and the security code - which you by the way completely forgot to punch in when you entered. Good thing I disabled it beforehand, otherwise the security force and the police would be storming this mansion by now."
Tink's satisfied smirk made Regina roll her eyes. The brunette walked over toward the couch area where Tink was already sitting and dropped down next to her friend. Oh, it felt so good to be lying down on the soft leather cushions without the annoying noise of the airplane in her ears. The blonde regarded her with a look that made her sit up a little straighter. "What?!"
"Nothing."
"Tink. I know there's a reason that you're sitting at my house at - what time is it? - 1:15 am scaring the shit out of me. You can be glad I'm not Mal, because she would have shot you without blinking an eye."
"One, it's not actually your house, and two, well yeah, I'd never pull a stunt like this on Mal she's always been a badass when it comes to things like this. So… how was your date with Graham?"
"Seriously," Regina rolled her eyes. "Could you not have waited with this until tomorrow morning? I would have met you at the rehearsal for the night anyway."
"Oh come on, Regina! It was your first date with one of the guys! You spent a day in Vegas and had a romantic dinner on top of the Bellagio for God's sake. You of all people should have to tell me something. Did you give Graham the rose? Did you kiss? What did you talk about?"
"Tink, you're worse than that interviewer lady. Calm down, it turned out it wasn't everything it was cracked up to be. I had too much champagne and we weren't allowed to keep the winnings from the casino, which made Graham pretty mad. Dinner was nice - you would have loved the view, but it became quite cold in the end and I wasn't allowed to wear a jacket. Graham was so nice to offer me his before we made us back on our way to the airport. So he is a nice guy and yes, I let him have the rose. We talked a lot about our jobs and stuff, but it didn't get really personal. I think we're both not ready for that or more so no, there was no kissing involved. You know I'm not one to kiss on the first date anyway."
"Oh my. You just had the most amazing date set up for you and made it sound like a visit to the dentist."
"It was fun. I enjoyed myself, but… I don't know."
"Regina!" Tink scolded annoyed. "I bet he was still happy he got the rose. Talking of roses… Tomorrow's the second Night of the Roses."
"How could I forget, it's all everyone's been talking about." Regina got up and walked toward the tray to pick up a bottle of Evian. The dry air on the plane had made her rather thirsty and depending on how long Tink intended to stay, she needed something fresh and cool to keep her awake. While she'd been up, her friend had somehow managed to pull out a tablet PC that she kept tapping at. Her expression was rather guilt filled which made Regina wonder what the hell had happened. "What's wrong?"
Tink bit her lip before she patted at the free space next to her. "Please don't show me any critiques from the internet, I know all they've been doing is talk shit about me."
"That's not what I - nobody is talking crap about you. They don't even know who you are… yet. As long as no one's recorded you in Vegas you should be safe. No, I wanted to show you something. You know, I became quite good friends with John Darling from the editor's room… and I might have asked him to let me see the footage from the paintball game."
"Nothing happened," Regina defended herself quickly.
"Uh-uh. I just saw how you hugged Robin and almost kissed him. These go-pro camera's on the helmets were a really good idea."
"We didn't almost kiss. I hugged him, so what? It was an intense situation; we were both kind of hyped up. It's not worth mentioning. Nothing happened. Nothing." If she kept telling herself that she might actually start to believe it at one point, she thought.
"Fine, if you say so. That's not why I came. Well, in a way it is. I mean Robin is involved. I have something else to show you. Perhaps… I don't know, perhaps you should just watch it before you make your decision on who to kick out tomorrow."
She handed her the tablet and pressed play. The video started immediately. It was cut together from the perspective of different helmet cameras and the footage of a cameraman called "Sneezy".
"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." Regina could watch as Hans gave his crotch a salacious squeeze, followed by a specific gesture and laughed. Her eyes widened in shock. Tink bit her lip, her hands clutching into fists at the rude and distasteful words of the man who'd obviously been playing an act in front of Regina.
"If you make one more comment like this, I promise you, you'll regret it," she heard Robin hiss angrily. There was a quick close up of his face, one Regina recognized since she'd seen it more than once. When had this happened? It probably would have been while she'd been on the run from Graham with Daniel. The policeman had separated them from the group. Hans's smug smile grinning into the camera was enough to make her feel sick. Why would Robin even answer a prick like this? He could have just left and made his way back to her and Daniel. The way the expression on his face changed made Regina think she knew what was coming. Did he want to get into trouble?
"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."
It happened all in the blink of an eye, filmed by Sneezy and his camera, which gave a good view at the scene unfolding in front of him. Robin had hit Hans on the helmet with his marker and shoved him against the nearest tree.
"What the hell," Regina whispered, watching how he was about to strike out once again with his marker when David and Killian appeared on the spot to hold him back from beating up the other man. The video continued with the three of them exposing Hans in front of the camera and hitting him with the marker afterward. When it stopped, Regina handed the tablet back to Tink. She got up, wiping her suddenly clammy hands on her dress. "Why… why would you show that to me?"
Tink looked up, surprise spreading on her face. Her friend looked more than stricken with the video but of all possible questions, she hadn't expected this one.
"Well isn't it obvious? Hans is a total asshole! You know I'm actually not allowed to show you this but I couldn't let him fool you any longer. Thankfully Robin and the others have taken care of him already otherwise I'd have kicked his ass. Now you can kick him out of the show tonight and be done with this disgusting pig."
"And don't you think this is a decision I should have made by myself?" Regina turned around, her hands pressing into her hips. She didn't like it one bit. She should have made the decision to kick him out on her own. A stunned silence spread through the living room of the mansion. Tink blinked multiple times before she answered bewilderedly.
"Excuse me? Regina, I was just trying to help, just like Robin and the others."
"Thank you, but I don't need your help! I don't need you to fight my battles for me! I don't need anyone to fight for me, especially not Robin! This was my decision to make. I would have found out about him sooner or later and I should have done it by myself. If I can't see who really cares for me and who's just putting up a farce then why the hell am I even here?"
"Regina, he just wanted to protect you…" Tink started, trying to calm her friend down but the brunette wouldn't stop. Tears pricked up in her eyes, her hands, even though they were still pressed to her sides, shaking, as was her voice.
"Guess what Tink, I know most of them are only here because of publicity and not because of me. There will be more, there will be others. I don't need you or Robin to save me from them. I don't need protection from anyone here. I am a strong woman, I went through hell and back more than one time in my life. I am a survivor - I know you all think I'm incapable of living my own life, of making my own decisions but I can take care of myself!" She pressed her hands to her face to hide the tears from falling. Silent sobs were the only thing escaping her and they grew more intense when the small blonde got up to take her friend into her arms. Regina held on to Tink like she was a lifeline, her body shaking violently.
Tink guided them over to the couch where they'd been sitting before, carefully making sure to never let go of her friend. The sobbing made her heart ache but it didn't seem like there was any way to comfort the crying woman in her arms. She loosened the clasps holding up her perfectly styled hair, patting it softly.
"It's okay, Regina. I'm here… You're not alone."
"He… he promised," Regina choked out in a muffled sob so silently Tink had almost missed it. Confusion spread over the blonde's face. She was sure Regina had told her everything worth mentioning of what had happened between her and Robin but apparently there was more. There was always more, she thought, tightening the hold on her friend.
"Tell me, Regina. Talking helps - you don't have to be afraid."
Regina shook her head, the wetness from her tears seeping deeper into Tink's shirt. "I can't."
"Of course you can!"
"No!"
"Regina…"
"No Tink! He promised me! He promised me!"
It was in the middle of the night when she was pacing up and down in front of the front door of his hallway. Why was she even here? Why had she gone to him of all people when she could have gone anywhere? It'd been a panic reaction - she'd just wanted to get away from her temporary home, from her life. Robin was the first name to appear in her head when she'd stormed out of the house down the driveway. The walk down the road had been chilly, despite the harbingers of spring that could be spotted during the day. If she'd been clever, she would have taken a jacket but the moment she'd left all she could think about was getting away. No money for a cab, no phone - not that she had any use for it anyway, there weren't many people she could call nowadays. Scratch that, all the people she could be calling, she didn't want to. She wanted to feel safe and the last time she'd felt that was three days ago in the forest with Robin.
"This is a bad idea," she whispered, turning around on one heel, going two steps toward the stairs then turned around once again and stopped in front of the wooden front door. Before she could rethink her decision once again she knocked. It was almost 11 pm; he probably wasn't even home or already asleep. She should go, she should…
"Coming!" a muffled voice came from the inside. Her heart stopped at once and she heard something rumbling inside, followed by a loud yelp and a female laugh. Shit. What had she been thinking? He had a woman there with him and they were doing who knew what. Oh God, she didn't even want to imagine. Damn, she felt sick to the bone. This had been a bad idea, a really bad one. She should go, now, before things got to awkward. Quickly, Regina turned around and headed toward the stairs. They'd met five days ago - what had she been thinking? That he wasn't seeing other people next to her? He was an attractive man; of course the women would queue up to go out with him. Her head started spinning. How could she have allowed herself to become even the least bit dependent on him? She didn't know him for God's sake! He could…
"Regina?" someone said behind her the moment she'd reached the staircase. Reluctantly Regina turned her head toward the door, her heart beating heavily in her chest. Robin was standing in the doorway, bare feet dressed in jogging pants. His hair was tousled and his shirt willowed onto the left side with the seams and tags sticking out. Yeah, he'd definitely been interrupted by her knocking. It didn't do much to imagine what exactly this might have been.
"I… uh… I should go. I'm sorry!" Without looking back she rushed down the stairs as fast as she could, almost tripping when she reached the next level.
"Regina, wait!" The brunette had almost made it to the first floor when a warm familiar hand grabbed her wrist, holding her back to rush down further.
"Wait," Robin huffed breathlessly. "What happened? What is wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Regina, it must have a reason why you came to my apartment this late at night," he insisted, his sea blue eyes boring into hers.
"No… Yes… But… It can wait. I didn't want to interrupt. I should go. Good night, Robin." She tried to get out of his grip but he wouldn't let go. Instead he turned her toward him, one hand resting on her shoulder.
"Whatever it is that you're thinking Regina, you weren't interrupting anything and if it's important - which I think it probably is because you would come here all the way if it weren't - it cannot wait. Come upstairs, have a beer, coffee…"
"Whiskey?"
"Whiskey," he smiled finally letting go of her. "And let's talk. You can stay as long as you want if you promise this time you say goodbye before you leave. Not like last time. Please. You can trust me."
There it was, her moment. Trust. Could she trust him? Or rather should she trust him?
"Okay." Robin's smile was bright as the sun. "God, you're freezing. Did you walk all the way here?"
When she didn't answer his face sobered a bit. "Perhaps we should push the whiskey back and go to liquor 43 with milk so you can warm up."
He held out his hand, which she took a little reluctantly, then followed him up the stairs. The door to his apartment was still open, he must have forgotten to close it the moment he'd followed her down the stairs. They'd almost reached the top, when a loud giggle escaped from the inside and made Regina stiffen. While he seemed oblivious to her feeling slightly uncomfortable, he dragged her into the familiar looking living room that was occupied by the backs of a dark haired man and a blonde woman on the couch. The man turned his head curiously, surprised to see that Robin had brought back a woman. Now, the blonde turned her head as well. Regina could feel them both looking her up and down but there was no judgment in their eyes, for which she was thankful.
"Guys, this is Regina. Regina, this is my roommate Will and his on-off girlfriend, Ana."
"Watch your tongue, Locksley or the next time I won't give you the leftovers of our mac'n'cheese," the blonde threatened playfully.
Robin held up his hands in defeat. "Wouldn't want to risk that. Come on, Regina, we'll leave the two lovebirds to themselves. Remember Will, the couch is off limits! Plus I don't want to have to knock every time I leave my room."
"Oh come on mate," Will groaned embarrassed while Ana shot him a look.
"Do you want to tell me something?!"
"And that's our cue to leave…" Robin grinned at her before he dragged her along toward the other end of the room, where a wooden door lead to his bedroom. It was small and crowded with lots of stuff. His bed was unmade and various types of clothes were spread on the floor and on the chair in the corner. On the walls were two posters of bands she didn't know but of which he seemed to be a fan of.
"Uhm… I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting company," he apologized a little embarrassed while picking up the clothes from the floor only to thrust them onto the already overfilled chair.
"I don't mind. It makes it all the more homey." Not sterile and stiff as in the place where she was living at the moment. She didn't dare to drop anything onto her floor in her room because she feared she'd be scolded right away.
"Still, I would have tidied up if I had known."
"Robin. Don't worry, please! I said it's okay. I really don't mind a little chaos especially when I dropped in on you without giving you any warning." Her reassuring smile seemed to relieve him a bit.
"Uh… Okay then. How about you sit down and I'll get that cup of 43 with milk and the whiskey we were talking about earlier?" Regina nodded and waited for him to close the door. Her gaze wandered through the room, picking up a few things she hadn't noticed before.
There was a guitar case right next to his bed, a few loose sheets on top. So he was a guitar player - interesting. Furthermore, she saw English literature textbooks, a collection of the complete works of William Blake and Dickens's 'A Tale of Two Cities'. There were more, however her attention was drawn to a framed picture on his nightstand. It showed an old man dressed up in hunting gear next to a young boy in short dungarees and stockings. She would have recognized this smile anywhere. The picture was clearly showing a young version of Robin - seven, maybe eight - with his grandfather. They had the same bright blue eyes, the same ears.
"I see you've met my grandfather Robin Richard of Locksley."
She turned toward him with the hint of a smile on her face, the picture still in her hands. "Of Locksley? Are you royalty or what?"
"If you might go back far enough in my family tree you might find a connection to a Richard of Locksley who was lucky enough to be married to one of the sisters-in-law of King George II and given a piece of land as a reward for his commitment in the war against Scotland. Here." He handed her the cup of steaming milk. Regina thanked him and put the picture down before she took a sip. The sweetness of the liquor 43 was mixed with the aroma of lemon and fine rum, in combination with the steaming milk it tasted like heaven.
"This is good," she moaned, satisfied. They both sat down on the edge of the bed, sipping their drinks in comfortable silence. Robin was the first one to bring up the courage to speak after having finished almost half of his cup.
"So… will you tell me why you're here?"
Regina licked her lips, her gaze resting on her hands, which cupped the cup tightly. The honest answer was, she didn't know. She didn't know why she'd come to him of all people. She could have gone anywhere but she came here to feel… secure. Robin was waiting for an answer and she was certain he deserved one.
"Look I -"
"You don't have -"
They started at the same time, both ending in a nervous laugh. "Ladies first," Robin smiled.
"Gee thanks." There was silence between them once again - not an uncomfortable one, the opposite. It felt okay to be silent with him. That meant something, right? "I just needed to get away from the house for a while. I didn't… We don't really know each other. It was stupid of me to come, I'm sorry. "
"No… no, Regina it was not." Robin took the cup from her hands and placed them on the nightstand right next to her. "Look at me." She did, her breath getting caught in her throat. No one had ever looked at her with so much affection like Robin did just now. The way he cupped her hands she'd folded in her lap, the way his other hand traced her hairline, brushing one loose wild strand back behind her ear. "I'm glad you came, Regina."
"I didn't know where else to go," she whispered back. "They…"
His face hardened at the mention of 'they'. Whoever 'they' were, she figured he knew they were responsible for her bruises and cut upper lip, which still hadn't healed completely.
"Did they try to beat you again? Regina… I know I'm not in the position to tell you what to do…"
"Then don't!" she snapped, pulling her hands away from his. "You don't know me or anything I'm going through." It was unfair to accuse him of this since it wasn't his fault. God, Robin was the last person she wanted to hurt, but the walls she'd built up around her were too high.
"You're right, I don't. But I told you two days ago in the forest Regina, and I will tell you the same now. You can trust me." He was right, he had told her that. She remembered, and deep down she knew he meant it. There weren't many people who stood fully behind what they said but Robin seemed to be one such person. This man was honest, gentle and most importantly, he cared. For her. When was the last time anyone apart from her father had really cared for her?
"I don't really know how to trust people anymore, I'm afraid. It seems like every time I try, I get hurt." This was the most open she'd been with anyone in a long time. Trust was something she'd learned to be careful with in the hardest possible way.
"You getting hurt is the last thing I want Regina. If you… if you tell me what is wrong maybe I can help you to fix it." Oh how she wished he were right, how she wished it would be that easy, but it was not. Nobody could fix it, nobody could help her. She was alone in this with nobody to save her.
"It's too late for that."
"No, it's never too late to change your fate."
What did he know? she wondered sighing. "Robin, you don't understand…"
"Then help me understand. Let me try Regina, let me help you."
"We're strangers," she put in, but it wasn't really an argument. She felt a connection between her and Robin, a connection she'd never felt before in her whole life. Deep down inside the deepest corner of her heart she knew Robin would understand, knew perhaps he was her chance to get out of this.
"Regina - the moment I first saw you it stirred something inside of me. I don't know what it is or why being with you makes me feel like that but I cannot stop it. I… I don't want to see you getting hurt like this. It makes me so angry to know someone is doing this to you and there is nothing I can do. It's crazy, I know, but... you're a wonderful woman. A bit bold and audacious perhaps but I think that's just the wall you've build up around yourself to stop yourself from getting hurt. I want to protect you Regina."
With every word he said she felt a part of her inner walls crumbling. Perhaps it was possible, perhaps he was the one she'd waited for, the one she finally could trust with what was troubling her. However the truth was a big risk. She… she needed proof so she could be sure to open up to him and not get hurt in the end. Robin looked at her, his eyes shimmering in the dim light of his lamp. His hand reached out to touch her, his fingertips stroking carefully up her arm toward her shoulder and collarbone until they cupped her cheek. They were so warm and soft and gentle on her skin, shooting an intense shiver down her spine. Regina leaned into his hand, suddenly wondering how long it'd been since someone had touched her like this.
She could see how the tension shifted between them, how his eyes switched between hers and her lips which suddenly felt incredibly dry. Regina slowly wet them with the tip of her tongue and she heard the breath catch in his throat as if he'd just witnessed the most stunning thing of all. They were so close all of a sudden, none of them really remembering who'd been the one to close the distance first. The faint smell of forest mixed with the sweetness of the liquor and milk surrounded her, made her head spin and her eyes flutter.
What was making him hesitate for so long? There was maybe an inch of space left between them, a distance that seemed to be too much. In the end, it was Regina who closed it, her heart hammering so heavily against her chest she could hear the beat underneath the rushing in her ears. His lips were soft like velvet against hers, the slight stubble of his beard tickling her chin. She nibbled at his upper lip while he took in her lower to prevent her from feeling any pain through the cut on her upper lip. It almost made her smile, the way he was caring about her, always trying to keep her from feeling pain.
For a moment it felt as if the world had stopped turning for Regina, therefore the moment when he increased the light pressure on her lips, a surprised yet satisfied noise escaped her throat. The way he cupped her face so gently with both hands, careful to avoid any pressure on her almost faded bruises, awoke the rising of tears in her eyes. She wouldn't cry, not now, not again in front of him even if she knew that she didn't have to be ashamed of it. Robin was so tender, so incredibly affectionate with her; it made her heart ache for more.
It was Robin who gently ended the kiss too, his face immediately breaking out into a satisfying smile. He held her face, still cupped in his hands, so cautiously she felt as if she was made out of china instead of flesh and blood.
"I… I came because I feel safe with you," she whispered, her voice almost breaking at the confession.
"I'm always gonna save you, Regina. Whether you want it or not. I promise."
Xxxxxx
Regina stared at her reflection in the window. She didn't look like herself - the fancy up do of her hair, the heavy make-up which made her look like thirty instead of twenty-one and of course the dress. The dress, which made it almost impossible to breathe and difficult to move around. Yeah, she knew why her mother had picked that dress.
The key in the lock turned and the door opened with a squeak that made an unwelcome shiver run down her spine. Regina clutched at her body like a lifeline, hoping that it was not going to happen, that he would have found out somehow and was on his way. He'd promised. He'd promised he was always going to save her. Of course it was ridiculous to expect him to know what was going on - how could he?
"Are you ready, darling?" No. No, she wasn't ready. Regina closed her eyes, hoping the darkness would make the time stop around her but it didn't.
"Don't stand there like rooted to the ground, Regina. We have a deal. It's time."
She swallowed, hard. The lump in her throat wouldn't go away and made answering her mother impossible. A single tear escaped her left eye as the realization hit that Robin wouldn't come to save her this time. He'd promised.
