A/N: Hello everyone! Here we go again. After what felt like forever I finally managed to finish the new chapter. I hope you'll like it! Thanks so much to my amazing beta waterbaby. She's the best.

Also, my wonderful friend RegalPixieDust published her new fic called "Wild Hearts" yesterday. And before I forget, the amazing mysterious-song updated her fic called "Eye of the Beholder". You should totally check it out, these are two super talented writers and will kill you with feels!

Apropos feels... Here is a big bowl of imaginary cookies and blankets. In case you need to vent, please do so on my twitter. My username is glindaloveshoes


(14)

When David arrived at the villa in the middle of the night, it was dark inside the house. Apparently everyone had gone to sleep. They were supposed to have had a talk where the other men questioned him about his date with Regina, but due to the unforeseen spontaneous change of plan, it got rescheduled for the morning. He didn't mind though. Especially not after everything he found out tonight; he wondered why exactly Regina had given him the rose to keep. If he were honest with himself, he'd have kicked himself out after making clear his intentions toward her didn't cover a romantic basis. David had offered her friendship and perhaps that's what she needed. A friend.

He shrugged off his jacket, hung it over one of the chairs in the kitchen and was about to head to his shared room, when the opened French doors leading to the pool caught his attention. Someone was sitting at the edge of the pool, feet dangling in the water. Robin. Without a second thought, David walked over to the fridge and then marched outside, two bottles of beer in hand. He sat down right next to Robin, flipped the crown cork off with the edge of the pool and handed the first bottle over to him wordlessly. A soft clink sounded through the night as their bottles brushed against each other, each of their owners taking a long, big gulp.

"You're back," said Robin matter of fact, his eyes staring at the water in front of him.

"Yeah. Just came through the door. Everyone else is asleep?"

"They went to bed a while ago after they told us you weren't coming back tonight." There was a meaningful pause as if the man was debating whether he should actually say what he was going to say next. "Some thought Regina would have invited you to stay at the Fantasy Suite…" Robin almost chocked out the last four words, his body tense with friction and strain. Ah, so this was what this was about.

"But you didn't think so," David figured, taking a long sip from his beer while watching how the other man held onto his bottle as if it was the last thing holding him here.

"No. I didn't. I mean… I don't know, you could have." As much as he liked David, the thought of him and Regina spending the night together, even if it was just talking was unsettling to him. He was pretty sure Regina would never go for it, not this early in the run, but there might be a possibility she would. He hadn't seen her in ten years - people changed. Whether Regina had changed had yet to be determined. She could sleep with them if she wanted to, this was her life, a life he had no part in. She might not sleep with David perhaps, but she might with someone else. Frankly, why should he care about it? Robin still wasn't sure what he was doing here, why she kept on giving him roses. It was difficult to find a moment to talk one on one with all the cameras and the continuous surveillance, but they had to talk sooner rather than later.

What Regina did with these men was none of his business. She was a free woman, could date, kiss, have sex with whomever she wanted. Just because they shared a short time of their past didn't mean anything, not anymore. Then why are you still here, Robin? he wondered. Deep down, he knew the answer, however he was in no way ready to let it out, not when there was too much at stake.

"We didn't," David said. "Regina is not the type for that. But you know that, don't you? You know her." The last one wasn't a question, rather a statement. Robin finally turned his head to look over at David, raising an eyebrow in question.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"God, you two are just the same," the blond sighed before he took a sip of his beer, half annoyed, half chuckling.

"Excuse me?!" Robin answered more than a little surprised at the other man's statement. David knew something, he could feel it. How much though, he couldn't say.

"Calm your nerves, Robin. She didn't tell me anything. It was clear though that there is more between the two of you than you're letting on. I see the way she looks at you and I see how you're acting whenever you're with her. The two of you at the kitchen studio yesterday was a pretty big tip-off for me." When Robin didn't answer, and instead continued to stare blankly at the slightly moving water, David continued.

"We were supposed to have lasagna, but neither one of us felt in the mood after the lasagna orgy yesterday. So we hijacked the car, drove to a burger place and ate burgers at the beach. While Leroy was busy eating, the two of us got the chance to talk for a bit."

"You did?" Robin wondered skeptically. His body language seemed defensive. David however was ready to take matters into his own hands.

"Yes, we did actually. That is after I managed to break down her walls a bit and bring her back to reality after she was lost in memory. I don't know what she was thinking of, but I've never seen her smile like this. She seemed so… happy and melancholic at the same time, Robin… As if she was remembering something long gone."

Robin swallowed hard, the bottle of beer had almost slipped into the pool at the mentioning of burgers at the beach at night, but he'd tried to keep himself calm. If he wasn't completely mistaken, he knew exactly what Regina must have thought of at that moment. He felt a pull at his heart, his heartbeat increased, his breathing went heavy for a moment. Of course she remembered. He did every time he went to the beach, every time he went to the exact same spot when the memories became too overwhelming. After he met Marian, he'd stopped going there, had found it unfair to bring her to a place he shared with his former lover, but after she died… he'd found himself going there more often in the past few years.

It was crazy really, wasn't it? People come and go as years pass by. Some stay in your life, some you hold onto, but others slip away even if you're trying to hold onto them. Robin tried to remember his childhood friends, how close he'd been, how long he'd known them. Now he barely thought of them, barely remembered them. He'd spent, what, three months, a summer with Regina? Still he couldn't forget about her. He never would. Everyone had a ghost from their past hanging over them, someone who popped into mind in the weirdest moments, someone who was always there. Regina was this person to him. She was the one person he couldn't forget about, no matter how hard he tried. Regina had asked him to - oh and he had tried, but he'd completely and utterly failed.

Xxxxx

Happiness. If someone asked Robin to describe what he felt in this exact moment, it was pure happiness. He was sitting on their log in the dark woods; their place with the wild strawberries where they'd met for the second time many weeks ago. The place where he'd fed her strawberries, where he'd made her smile. It had become theirs, had become their happy place and now, it would be the place where they would be starting a new life together. Anyone else would probably bash their plan, call it crazy, but people do crazy things when they're in love.

Robin still wasn't in the whole about everything that was going on with Regina. She'd told him much, but not everything, and when he'd offered her a way out, a way to run away with her, she'd gladly said yes. His car was packed and ready to go. They would drive down to Boston and take the next flight to England where his family was already informed that he was coming back and would bring along someone very special. That's all they needed to know for the moment. Hopefully, the cash he got would hold up for the last minute flights, but Regina had told him she would be trying to get some more from her mother's safe along with her passport.

A quick glance at the lightened screen of his phone told him that it was almost time. He was early, he knew, but he couldn't have waited any longer, hadn't been able to sleep for a minute. They were supposed to meet at 3 am the day before yesterday, giving both of them enough time to get their things and for Regina to plan her escape. First he'd wanted to help, but she was confident that she would make it on her own.

"I've slipped out of this house many times without anyone noticing in the past three months, Robin. This time won't be any different only that I won't be coming back for good." She'd smiled as she'd said it, had reassured him she was capable of doing it and didn't need his help. His Regina was an independent woman. Yes, she liked him to pay the dinner bill from time to time, liked when he went all polite and gentlemanly on her, but she also liked to be in charge - or on top for that matter. Robin smirked. Three more minutes to go.

The temptation to text her to hurry was overwhelming. He hadn't heard from her in almost 48 hours. It was something they'd agreed on in order not to raise suspicion, but it had been hard, oh so hard to go for so long without a word. Two more minutes.

The forest was dark and maybe a bit scary for those who weren't accustomed to it. Regina would find the way, would she? Of course she would. She was smart, witty, a bit bold and audacious perhaps, but capable of making her way to their spot in the darkness. This wasn't the first time they had met here after dark or where they parted. Now that he thought of it, he'd never been to her house, couldn't get there even if he wanted to. Had she done this on purpose? No, probably not. It was just something they never talked of. Frankly, he didn't even care, since he was sure once he saw the house and the people who made her life hell, he wouldn't be able to hold himself back. One more minute.

Robin looked up at the moon that was shining through the limbs of the trees. Somewhere in the distance he could hear the howl of an owl sounding through the woods, but this was not the sound he was looking for. His ears were listening for the shuffling of dried leaves, for the breaking of old, dried branches on the ground, for Regina really. They would be reunited soon after almost two days of separation, and Robin swore after that he would never let her go. The small weight in his trousers' pockets was proof of that. He didn't mean to give her a ring so early - it was crazy, really, to think about proposing after such short time - but while he was packing up for England, he stumbled upon it in the far back of his nightstand's drawer. How could he forget about it? It was his grandmother's engagement ring, one that was said to have been given to the family of Locksley by King George II as a wedding gift to Robin's ancestor, Richard of Locksley. It was a silver band with three stones. Two clear smaller diamonds surrounding a rare purple diamond. One representing their past, their present and one for their future.

3 am. Where was Regina?

She will be here, soon, he told himself, trying to keep calm. She'd been late before. What were five more minutes when they had an eternity together?

His hand cupped the bulge in his trouser's pocket. He wouldn't pop the question, not right away. He'd decided on giving her the ring as a promise, as the promise of a future together. A happy one, only the two of them, the start of a new life in England. And when she was ready, then he would ask her to marry him. Of course marrying would be easier in many ways, especially when it came to the problem of getting a permanent UK residence for her - but they had 90 days to figure everything out. Robin wouldn't leave her, no matter what. They would do it her way, the way she wanted it, without any pressure. Regina had suffered enough pressure throughout her life.

Would she like the ring?, he wondered. More importantly, would it fit? The thought that he should have brought it to a jeweler to have it polished up a bit occurred to him too late. But there would still be time once they were settled in England, right? They had all the time in the world once they had their tickets and once they were on their way to his home country. Oh, he couldn't wait to introduce her to his cousins. 3:15 am. She was late.

Robin checked his phone for the third time; no new messages, no missed calls. Where was she? God this was just like her, to keep him waiting to make their reunion just a bit sweeter. He couldn't wait to wrap his arms around her, to inhale her significant scent, to tell her everything was going to be okay. She'd been so worried at first, but then so eager. He didn't want to call her, shouldn't really, in case she was on her way and the call would raise attention to her escape, so he settled on a quick text.

3:22 am - Waiting for you. Can't wait to see you! xx

That didn't sound too desperate, did it? While he tried to busy himself with checking his phone and tapping through the pictures on it, his eyes flickered to the clock. She would come, he knew she would. She'd wanted this as much as he did, all eager and excited when they'd decided to leave the day before yesterday. Also, she was only half an hour late. Perhaps she had to wait until she could slip out.

3:38 am - You're late, your majesty. Your carriage awaits, ready to bring you to another kingdom for your happily ever after.

God that last one was cheesy.

3:42 am - Is everything okay, Regina? Call if you need me. Love you!

There was a plausible explanation for her being late. He just hoped it didn't have to do with her mother or that son of a bitch named Leopold. Did she need his help? Why did she never tell him the way to the place where she was staying? If he knew, he could go and see for himself. Hopefully she wasn't injured. What if something happened on the way here? What if she fell, if she hit her head and was now lying on the cold ground, unconscious, waiting for him to find her?

Don't be ridiculous, Robin. She is fine - there's a totally plausible explanation for this. She will be here in the next ten minutes. So he waited. He waited and listened for a sound - any sound, really, but the ten minutes came and went and at 4 am, Robin finally decided to call her.

"Pick up," he mumbled to himself, desperate, almost pleading, but after he was forwarded to the mailbox, he hung up.

4:04 am - Please pick up Regina. Where are you? x

4:05 am - I'm worried. Please call as soon as you see this. I love you!

Damn it, why was she not showing up? That she would be ten minutes late, okay, he could live with half an hour, but over an hour? Something must have come up. But why was she not answering her cell? Had he missed something? There were no new messages and when he tried to call her again, he was forwarded to voicemail once again. Her phone wasn't switched off… Perhaps she'd left it at home so her mother wouldn't be able to call her. That made sense. This way she couldn't track her down either. But why was she not coming? Had she gone to the car straight away?

Robin pressed his hand against his forehead, trying to think. Should he go looking for her at the car? But what if he walked away and she showed up here? She would think he was gone. No, no he couldn't have that… Unless… With a sigh he positioned his burning flashlight on the ground next to the log. Then he removed his jacket, to leave it on the trunk so she would see he'd been here. If he ran, he would make it to the car and back within twenty minutes.

4:12 am - I'll go and check the car to see if you're there. I'll be right back in case you show up here. Please call me.

So he ran. Robin ran the way down to his car, stumbled upon a branch or two, almost lost balance and fell, but he was able to keep himself upright. He knew the way toward the road by heart, had walked it down so many times in the past he could find it with his eyes closed. All hope he had shattered, when he found his truck waiting peacefully on the side of the road just where he left it. No Regina anywhere near it.

"Regina?" he called out, just to make sure, because he hoped she was here, that she was waiting for him, that she would pipe up from behind the car with that scowl he loved so much on her face, telling him she'd been waiting for him the whole time. He would give anything to see her scowl right now, anything. "Regina are you here?" Silence.

Even though his heart sank below his belt, Robin made his way back toward their meeting place. This time slower, more carefully, so he wouldn't stumble again. The hope he felt when he stepped out of the bushes was shattered when he found the clearing still empty, except for the burning flashlight and the jacket he'd left there. With a big lump in his throat, he called her for the third time, but nothing changed. She was still not picking up the phone.

Robin couldn't shake off the feeling something was very, very wrong. Worry settled in his stomach, in his heart and his mind started to play games on him.

She's okay. I'm sure she's okay," he told himself, a mantra he didn't realize he'd started saying.

4:53 am - Please let me know you're okay, I'm really worried. Love x

He slumped down on the log, fidgeting with the zipper of his jacket. This wasn't right. She should have been here two hours ago. They'd agreed to meet at 3 am so they could drive to Boston Airport and take the next best flight to England. They'd agreed to take only as much luggage as they needed. They'd agreed… His head dropped into his hands. The longer he waited, the harder it got to find a perfectly reasonable explanation for this. She wouldn't bail on him, would she? No, no, he couldn't believe that. They loved each other, they…

"Regina!" Robin called, before he got up, his flashlight in hand. "Regina!"

She usually came from over there. If she wasn't coming to him, then he would go to her. His flashlight in his hands, Robin walked through the dark forest, occasionally calling out for Regina. With every step he took, with every minute that passed by, his hope to seeing Regina again tonight faded, replaced by sadness, anger. Where the hell was she? Why would she be late? Why was she not answering her phone? His mind was making up the craziest situations, from her lying somewhere unconsciously on the ground, to her mother finding out and locking her up in her room. There was also the possibility of cold feet. Yes, he loved her, but they'd only "just" met, so running away to another country was a big step for both of them. He needed answers and more importantly, he needed her.

Running around the forest hadn't been the best idea. Robin felt a bit lost, disoriented. Instead of checking his phone every thirty seconds and sending Regina the twentieth text, he should have watched where he was going. The part of the woods he found himself in now didn't look or feel familiar. The trees were thicker, it was darker. The path he followed had stopped a while ago. He needed to get back, needed to find the way back to his car. He'd been searching for her for over an hour - it was 6:18 am now and the sun was rising. Anger had been replaced by defeat. She wasn't coming. As much as he didn't want to believe it, Regina wasn't coming and wouldn't come, for reasons unbeknownst to him.

How he managed to find the way back to his car, Robin couldn't say. It felt like forever. How he drove back down to his apartment with his eyes glued to the road but his mind paying no attention at all, he didn't know. All he knew was that when he walked up the stairs and let himself into the apartment with the spare key under the floor mat - he'd thrown his old key into the mailbox for Will to pick it up later on - he was completely and utterly exhausted. It was almost 8:30 am. The first stop he made was to his room. It was all cleaned up, only the furniture left, so Will could look for another roommate now that he was supposed to be gone. He dropped the bag he'd brought back up from the truck right on the bed, which was stripped of everything except for the sheets. The lack of sleep and utter exhaustion hit him, combined with the worry and anger he felt, so he sat down on the edge of the bed with his face buried in his hands for a few minutes.

His thoughts were running wild. Something must have come up, he was sure of it. There was a reason why she didn't answer his calls or his texts. She would never just abandon him for no reason, not when they had planned everything, when she'd been so insistent on going through with this. Carefully, Robin pulled the small box out of his pocket that contained his grandmother's engagement ring. This ring belonged on her hand, no one else. The velvet stone sparkled in the morning light, just like her eyes had sparkled when they'd parted two days ago with the promise to meet last night. He choked out a dry sob, before he popped the box closed, abandoning it next to his bag.

Slowly, Robin walked into the kitchen, where the light was burning. He didn't even realize a sleepy Will was rummaging through the fridge, until the other man yelped in shock at his presence.

"Aye! Robin what are ya doin' 'ere, mate? Ya scared me to death." He was munching on a cold piece of pizza from last night as he took a closer look at Robin. His friend looked devastated, tired, exhausted. "Ya look like shit, man."

"She didn't come," Robin whispered, letting himself fall down onto one of the two chairs right next to the kitchen table.

"I'm sorry, mate…"

"No, you don't understand, Will!"

"Robin, I…"

"We wanted to run away together, we had everything planned out. I love her, Will! We were supposed to meet at our place in the woods at 3 am. I looked for her, I waited, Will. Regina didn't come." Robin buried his head in his hands, rubbing his bloodshot eyes. Tired, he was so tired and exhausted. "I don't understand, Will. I love her. I thought she loved me, too."

Will sighed, a sudden expression of guilt hovering on his chest. He walked over next to the sink, a deep sigh preceding his speech. "Robin… I found this on our doorstep this morning…"

"What's this?" Robin asked suspiciously, reaching for the white envelope with his name on, which Will was holding out for him. The handwriting was familiar. Elegant, neat, the R of Robin embellished with the two significant bows… Oh God. "Regina."

Without waiting for another moment, Robin ripped open the envelope. There was a single folded piece of ivory paper inside, which he unfolded with shaking hands. His eyes flew over the lines; his expression grew darker, heavier. There was so much confusion, so much disbelief in his gaze; Will pushed the chair opposite of him backward in order to sit down.

"What does it say?" He didn't answer.

Robin's eyes were glued to the sheet of paper in his hands, were glued to the elegant words written in blue ink, some of them smeared from droplets of water - probably tears she must have cried while writing it. Damn, the paper even smelled like her! He swallowed hard, his heart breaking with every letter, every word.

My dear Robin,

If you are reading this letter, by now you have realized that I didn't show up at our secret place last night. I am sorry, so utterly and incredibly sorry, but I can't come with you. Believe me, this whole summer – loving you, being with you, being loved by you- was one of the best things that ever happened to me. You gave me something I had never experienced before, and you loved me so completely. I thank you for that, and I will forever cherish it, and I promise to never forget the time we had. Please don't doubt that I love you Robin, with every fiber of my being, but sometimes, love is just not enough. Our time together was like the sweetest dream of my life, but now, it is time for me to wake up. There are people here who need me, Robin, people I can't disappoint. I can't leave Mary Margaret behind. She needs guidance, needs a mother figure, and that's what I can do for her. Also, I have my own mother to think about. Running away with you now will bring a lot of trouble down on her. I hope you understand that. I can't be the selfish one in this situation, that's why I decided to give in and stay. Please don't be mad at me. I'm doing this in order to protect the people I love - my Mother, Mary Margaret, and you. I couldn't bear it if something happened to you on account of my foolishness.

I know that once we are settled, everything will change. Leopold is already so much kinder to me now that we have really talked about everything. There was a lot of misunderstanding, but I feel now we understand each other more than we ever have before. This may come as a surprise to you, and it certainly was to me, but I feel like we have finally managed to connect. However, for this to work, you and I can't be together Robin. As much as it must break your heart to hear this, and breaks mine to tell you so, I know that it is true. It's time to let go of my foolish dreams, time to move on and become the woman I always wanted to be. I cannot be weak.

I know what you must be thinking; that someone has forced me into this decision, but this was my choice, Robin. Mine alone. I know I have no right to ask any more of you, but for both our sakes, I ask this one last thing. Please don't come looking for me. Accept my choice. You need to forget about me, move on, and I will do the same. If we leave the past in the past, then someday perhaps it won't hurt anymore.

I can never thank you enough for what you did for me. Be angry with me, be sad, do anything you need to in order to get through this, then find a way to move on. I have found my happy ending. You deserve the same.

Yours, Regina

Didn't show up… Love is not enough… Can't be selfish… Protect you… Time to let go… You need to forget about me. The words were repeating themselves with Regina's voice in his head, each feeling like a stab right into his heart. He'd asked for a reason… now he wished he had never received it.

"Robin! What's wrong, mate?!" Will's voice was picked with a hint of panic at the empty gaze and the shaking hands of his best friend. He'd never seen Robin like this, so shocked, so close to breaking. Damn, was his friend having a panic attack? "Robin?"

Wordlessly, Robin handed him the sheet of paper, his mouth open in shock, eyes wide and bloodshot from the lack of sleep. He couldn't think straight right now, the words repeating and repeating in his head, making no sense at all even though at the same time they made everything perfectly clear. How? Why…? Why would she…? God, he felt sick. Everything was falling apart. Their future, their plans, their… everything. Still, he couldn't figure out why. Why would she do this? Why would she write this letter and not tell him in person? She'd been so eager about leaving - why would she change her mind all of a sudden without talking to him?

"I'm sorry, mate," Will whispered after he read the letter, a sorry expression on his face.

"Yeah, me, too." He was sorry. Sorry, that for once in his life he thought things would work out well for him. Robin cleared his throat, snatching the letter away from the table before crumbling it in his hands until it was a tight ball of paper, which he pressed and pressed and pressed until the white of his knuckles was showing. He got up so quickly, the chair fell down with a shattering behind him. "I don't believe this, Will! Why would she do this? This makes no sense! We wanted to run away together!"

"I don't know. But you have to be honest with yourself, Robin. I'm sorry to say this, but all of this seemed too good to be true. You've known each other how long? Three months?" He didn't mean to sound accusing; it was rather the voice of reason speaking from his mouth - something Robin really couldn't deal with right now.

"You don't know her story, Will. You don't know how hard it is to live in that house with this man and his annoying daughter, to live with her mother who doesn't give a fuck about what she wants. I do, I always did, from the first moment I saw her! I love her, dammit!" he yelled at his best friend, as if this would change anything. Well, the yelling didn't make Regina come back to him, but at least he was able to express his emotions.

Will bit his lip, reaching for the crumbled letter that was now lying on the table. "I know ya love her, mate. From what I could gather, she loves ya, too. But sometimes, Robin… Well, it's like she says. Sometimes love is not enough. You have to admit things between you went pretty fast."

"We wanted to go to England, Will. I packed everything up, I… she…"

"Perhaps she got cold feet? She told you she couldn't leave. It's in the letter."

"I know what's in the letter, Will! I've read it. She says she's needed here. But we could've figured something out. She… she could have told me! Why didn't she call? Why would she write the letter and not talk to me?" Robin looked exhausted. He didn't know why, he just couldn't figure it out.

"Robin, sometimes we do things differently when we're in love. You can't get to know each other in three months. I know what I'm talking about. Look at me and Ana."

"That's different," he insisted, waving Will's argument aside. Will didn't know a thing about Regina. He didn't know what she's been through; he didn't know how excited she'd been at the prospect of leaving everything behind.

"It's not different, Robin, and you know it. I don't wanna question your love, but…"

"Then don't!" Robin shot back, leaving the kitchen to walk toward his old bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

He didn't emerge for quite a while; Will thought it was better to let him lick his wounds in piece. The letter had been quite clear. It was only when the doorbell rang from downstairs that he emerged with a hopeful glint in his tired and bloodshot eyes, which was extinguished quickly when it turned out to be Anastasia. She gasped as she saw him, his disheveled hair, his tired look. He looked like he'd been crying which made Will's heart ache for his friend.

"Robin," she whispered nervously after greeting Will with a quick kiss on the lips. She looked styled as always, her blonde hair done up in an elegant bun, the significant red lipstick gracing her lips. "I'm so sorry." She was holding something out to him, a newspaper it seemed. Her plain white teeth were biting her lower lip, her gaze wandered over to Will, before she handed it to Robin.

"What is this?" he asked confused, taking the newspaper from Ana's hands.

"I think you should sit down for this," Ana explained.

"Why?" Robin opened up the newspaper, his eyes flying over the headlines. Nothing special caught his eye. He turned the page over carefully and wondered if that was what a heart attack felt like.

"Mate!" Will yelled, as Robin stumbled backward, thankfully right onto the couch, which caught his fall with its soft cushions. "What the bloody hell!? Mate, are you ok?"

"He's in shock," Ana whispered sadly. She brushed his hair away from his ice-cold forehead with a tender touch. "I'm so sorry, Robin."

Together, Will and Ana tried to remove the newspaper from his fists, but he wouldn't let go, his eyes glued to the black print in the middle of the second page. If Will had thought the letter would shock Robin, this beat everything. Fuck. Even though the announcement wasn't quite as big, the bold letters caught the reader's eye fairly quickly.

- True love begins when nothing is looked for in return -

We happily announce the long awaited marriage of

Leopold James Blanchard

Regina Gloria Mills

On Thursday, August 18th 2001

Storybrooke, Maine

"Oh shit," Will hissed as he read the announcement over Robin's shoulder. "She…"

"She's getting married," Ana answered for him, her eyes fixed on Robin. "I'm so sorry, Robin. You don't deserve this."

Robin blinked. Once. Twice. "No."

His eyes shot up at Ana, looking at her with so much anger, she took a step back. "I refuse to believe this. I refuse to believe she would marry him."

"Robin, it's there! In black and white! Have you taken a look at the date? The wedding is today!"

"I need to go!" Robin got up, the newspaper abandoned on the floor. Will and Ana tried to stop him, tried to keep him from leaving, asking him to think about it, to not do something he would regret later on, to stay, since he was in no condition to drive. He didn't even know where the freaking wedding was taking place nor when. Did he really want to be the guy to rush into the chapel and yell, "I object!"?

"I'll regret it if I didn't do everything in my power to stop her from making the biggest mistake of her life!" With this he was out the door, leaving a dumb folded Ana and Will behind.

"Shit," Ana whispered. "I… I didn't think he'd take it this badly." She met Will's eyes, which were sparkling with anger.

"We should never have agreed on this."

"Will…"

"No! Fuck, no! He's my best friend, Ana. God, I shouldn't have listened to you."

"We did this for us, Will!" Anastasia defended herself, her fists clenching, eyes dwelling with tears.

"Yeah well, I don't think it was worth it!" he hissed, before he grabbed his leather jacket and was out the door. But Robin and his truck were gone already.