July 26 - Late Night Confessions; heart-to-heart conversations due boldness/drunkenness.

The Tattoo

Snow and Charming announced their pregnancy at dinner, allowing for ample amounts of ale to be brought in for a celebration. Everyone cramped into the Winter Palace (her palace) grabbed a tankard and raised a toast to the happy couple.

Regina sat in an alcove, watching as everyone ate, drank and was merry. It seemed foolish with the Wicked Witch still lurking about, threatening them (threatening her). But she had to stay long enough to support Snow and Charming. Then she could flee to the solitude of her room.

"Will you not drink to the new prince or princess?"

She closed her eyes at the sound of the familiar accent and bit back a groan when Robin Hood sat down next to her. Opening her eyes, she saw he was holding a tankard out to her. Regina tilted her wine goblet toward him. "I've raised my glass and drank to the baby. You can be on your way, Thief."

"You will not enjoy the ale?"

She shook her head. "I'm more refined than that."

"Refined?" He smiled, leaning closer. "So the Queen cannot hold her alcohol."

"That is now what I said." Anger boiled inside her and she knew her eyes had to flash a warning.

He ignored it. "You didn't have to. Don't worry, milady, your secret is safe with me."

"I can hold my alcohol!"

Robin raised an eyebrow. "Prove it," he challenged.

Glaring at him, she poofed them to an empty table and motioned for someone to bring them some ale. He kept his eyes fixed on her, smirking as he picked up his tankard. "Shall we make a toast?"

"To what?"

"Not to what, to whom." He raised his cup. "To you, milady."

They clinked their cups before downing their ale and calling for refills. Regina raised her tankard. "A toast to your ego, Thief. May it come out only bruised."

"I do not know what that is but thank you." He gulped his ale as she downed hers.

They stayed there for several hours. Other revelers drifted to their rooms and Snow had returned to her chambers after Charming assured her Regina could take care of herself. Little John decided the same of Robin once the other Merry Men turned in for the night.

By this point, they had finally run out of things to toast but were far too inebriated to care. Robin hoisted his tankard, arm swaying a bit. "A toast to our toasts. May we remember them in the morning."

Regina giggled before tossing back her ale. She swayed on the bench but remained upright. "Is there more?" she asked, words slurred.

He nodded, pouring more ale into her mug. Granny, concerned, had started to water down the pitchers sent to their table but it was too little, too late. Both queen and outlaw were far too gone.

"Your turn," he told her.

She nodded, leaning forward. "To your infuriating sexy dimples."

Robin smiled, flashing her those dimples as she gulped down her beverage before he held out his mug. "To your luscious, kissable lips."

She leaned closer, as did he, their drinks forgotten. Regina's eyes fluttered closed as she waited for the moment his lips met hers.

They met the table instead. Regina opened her eyes to see the wood grains as she began to register the edge of the table as it dug into her gut.

"Okay, I think you've had enough." Robin's strong hands lifted her back into an upright position. "Allow me to escort you to your rooms."

"No, I'm fine. We haven't finished our competition." But as she spoke, the room began to spin and she swayed on her feet.

He chuckled. "We are finished, milady."

"Who won?"

"I guess you. You kept up with me and proved you are no lightweight."

"Good." They stumbled out of the Great Hall as Regina giggled. She stopped enjoying the feel of the night air against her face.

She glanced over at Robin, who was smiling at her. "What?" she asked.

"The moonlight makes you look like a goddess."

"I think you've had too much ale," she scoffed.

Robin shook his head. "You are beautiful. I've thought so since I first saw you."

"Even once you realized I was the Evil Queen?"

"I always knew. Even before I shot that arrow at the flying monkey."

"To save Snow White."

"To save you both." He placed his hands on her hips. "A decision I have never regretted, no matter how infuriating you can be."

She didn't know who kissed who first. All she knew was his lips on hers, her back against the courtyard wall and her fingers tugging at his hair. His scruff tickled her with every kiss but she didn't care. While his kisses couldn't fill the void left by Henry's loss, they lessened the pain somewhat.

They broke apart, foreheads resting together. She watched his face—eyes closed and a content smile on it—before asking, "What do you see in me?"

"A strong woman who goes on despite the pain she lives with every day," he whispered back. "A pain I understand all too well. I know I can't take it away but I want to share it, to help you bear it. I want to be your second chance…because I think you're mine.

"And you can hold your own with me when it comes to drinking," he added, eyes twinkling. "Very impressive for someone who probably has never been in a pub before."

"Shows what you know. I've been to a tavern."

He raised an eyebrow. "You? Where?"

"I don't know." She laughed at the confused look on his face. "Tinkerbell flew me there. She had stolen some pixie dust and used it to help me find my soul mate."

"And did you?"

"Yes," Regina said.

Robin frowned. "So where is he? Who is he?"

She shrugged. "I never met him. I only made it to the door and got scared. So I ran."

"Did you see him?"

"No, his back was to me. All I saw was his tattoo." She tapped his arm. "It was right there, a lion against a black shield."

His eyes widened and he released her to roll up his right sleeve. Robin held out the arm to her. "Like this?"

Regina glanced down to see the same tattoo on him. It felt like someone had tossed a bucket of ice water on her and she sobered up quickly. The thought that there might be another man with the same tattoo crossed her mind before she dismissed it. She had lived in the Enchanted Forest and dealt with its magic long enough to know there were no coincidences in this realm.

Her soul mate was Robin Hood.

"Regina? Is something wrong?" He tried to cup her cheek but she sidestepped him. Frowning, he turned to her. "Is it the same tattoo?"

For a moment, she considered lying. Saying that the one on her soul mate looked different. But her filter was obliterated still by the alcohol. "Yes," she breathed.

"It was me?" He smiled, wrapping his arms around her again.

Regina kissed him, raising her arm once he closed his eyes. He sagged as her sleeping spell took over and she used her magic to lay him down on the floor. She set about erasing his memory, making sure he didn't recall anything about the tattoo, being her soul mate or their passionate kisses.

He wasn't lying about wanting to share her pain. She saw it in his eyes. But he didn't understand the true extent of her pain. He didn't understand the true extent of her darkness, of her past. She was a villain and villains didn't get happy endings.

It was better for both of them if they didn't recall this evening. She would leave him here, making everyone believe he had only made it to the courtyard before deciding to sleep off their drinking game. Then she would go to her room and wipe her own memories. All she would recall in the morning was that she had stumbled from the Great Hall and managed to return to her room.

She unrolled his sleeve, covering the tattoo again, and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "But this is for the best."

Over a year later, her memory spell was undone by True Love's Kiss. It hadn't been the purpose for the kiss—saving Robin had been—but as the pulse hit her, so did the memory. She sat now on her couch, arms around her knees. Regina didn't know if the spell on Robin had been broken as well and she was ashamed to admit she was too scared to check.

"Regina? Why are you sitting in the dark?" Robin shuffled into the room, still sore from their battle earlier. "Why don't you come to bed?"

She shook her head. "Can't sleep."

He eased himself down onto the couch and held out his hand to her. The lion tattoo was on full display and Regina looked away. She heard him sigh and whisper, "I thought so."

"So you remember?" she asked.

"About what really happened after our little drinking game? Yes."

"Are you upset?"

Robin sighed, placing his hand on her arms. "A little, yes. But I think I also understand."

"You do?" She looked at him, blinking a few times.

"I've long ago realized that you were in no place to open yourself to love. You were hurting and it was still too fresh for you to chance experiencing that pain again." He let out a soft chuckle. "In some ways, the second curse was a blessing. It brought Henry back to you and allowed you to let me in."

She leaned into his embrace, resting against his shoulder. "Seeing your tattoo…it just…"

"I know. You ran when you saw it here too. At least that time you came back."

"I resisted for a long time."

He kissed her head. "It doesn't matter. The past is in the past. We have now and we have tomorrow. Let's focus on that."

"I love you," she said, smiling.

"I love you too." He lifted her chin up so she could look him in the eyes. "You ready for bed now?"

She nodded, helping him back to their bedroom. He laid back with a groan, closing his eyes. "You wouldn't have something for the pain, would you?"

"Magical or not?"

"I love you, magic and all, but I think I'll take whatever this world can offer."

Regina disappeared into the bathroom and returned with some aspirin as well as a glass of water. Once Robin took them, she turned out the lights and climbed in next to him. He wrapped his arms around her and she lifted his right one to kiss his tattoo.

He had been right those months ago—it really was about timing.

A/N: This is based on my own head canon that Regina saw Robin's tattoo sometime during the Missing Year, which was why she was downright hostile to him during the flashbacks in "A Curious Thing." I hope we see more of the Missing Year, hopefully this season.

I want to apologize for the delay in posting both this chapter and the last. They had gone up in time for OQ Week on tumblr so I'm sorry it took me two weeks to post them here. Mostly it was because I was focused on finishing "All That Was Me" but I was also hesitant after receiving a comment or two about "Teach Me" on tumblr. I decided to put them aside as the reaction to it has been more positive than not, the same here now that I've posted it. So thank you to you all.

Anyway, I'm leaving for vacation tomorrow, so I wanted to get this up before then. I have another chapter I'm going to post either later today or early tomorrow, before I head out. So it might be a week before I answer your reviews and questions, but just know it's not because I'm ignoring you all. It's just because I'm having fun with my family.

-Mac