Hey guys! After what happened in the last chapter, Robin and Caroline definitely needed a bonding moment! I'm also bringing Will and Ruby into the chaos. Things are only going to get crazier from here ;)

"Now, you're sure you want to do this?"

Will audibly groaned, irritated by the fact that practically everyone was on the fence about them going.

"I've already told ya a thousand times old man, we got this!" He said, reviving a sour look from Rumple in return.

"And I take it you have a way back?"

Ruby held up a small, dark object in the palm of her hand. "We do. I've had it all this time, my mother gave it to me when I was little- now I can finally get a use out of it."

She and Will had spent every night planning on how they would navigate the Enchanted Forest. Then, after Emma told them about her conversation with Robin, they knew that they had to act fast. Every passing day seemed to bring a new wave of stress.

"Are you really going to wear that... to the Enchanted Forest?" Belle asked, gesturing to Will's bright green Toronto University and Ruby's black skinny jeans.

They had all agreed to meet at Gold's pawn shop at eight that morning, and everyone was running late except for Will and Ruby.

"We'll find clothes to fit in when we get there," Ruby assured, "some lucky lady will get a great outfit."

The entire Charming clan then burst through the doors, soon crowding the small shop. "Sorry we're late, Tink and I were up almost all night- I think we're getting somewhere with the Regina situation."

Rumple couldn't help but feel a tinge of happiness. "Glad to hear it. Now, if goodbyes are in order, make them quick. It sounds like Robin and Caroline need all the help they can get."

In typical Charming fashion, hugs were first. Will gave an extra squeeze to his two nephews, promising to do the same with Caroline once they found her.

"Please promise me you won't make any stupid decisions," Snow said to Will, "there's a lot at stake here."

He rolled his eyes, knowing she mean well. "You sound just like Regina. We'll be fine, I spent my entire childhood wandering around that forest. Ruby too. If anything, we're the best people for the job."

She had to give him credit where it was deserved. Will was probably the most resilient one there.

"Just promise me you'll all work as hard as you can to get Regina back." Ruby said, directing her eyes to Emma. "And contact us with the looking glass if anything important happens."

Will took his girlfriend's hand, nodding towards Mr. Gold, who then gingerly picked up the magic bean he had kept stashed away. A tiny voice in the back of his mind still questioned why on earth he was helping these people; it was the selfish anger that left a permanent mark on his soul.

He lead them outside and to the empty street, taking no time in enacting the power of the bean. A swirling green portal soon appeared.

"There's no certainty that you two will end up exactly where you want to," Rumple warned, "it may help to think of where you want to go."

Ruby and Will exchanged one final look before facing the portal and jumping through.

It was the longest night either of them had experienced. Even when Robin spent hours trudging through entire wastelands in his past, at least he knew his family was somewhere safe. Now, in the desolate darkness, his daughter suffering beside him and his wife transported to an unknown world, everything seemed bleak.

Robin wasn't sure how long they had been walking for- his thoughts were only focused on getting as far away from Zelena as possible. Still, the knowledge of a powerful Ice Queen out there looking for his daughter was daunting at best. Adrenaline was the thing keeping him going forward; the cold mixed with the darkness to create a never ending world of terror. He and Caroline had kept their conversations to a minimum, mostly because of how tired they were.

"Are you sure you don't want me to carry you?" He asked softly, cutting through the silence.

Only the sound of their muffled footsteps against the dead grass. "No, I'm okay," he heard her faint response. She was tough, this her father knew.

Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks, trying to force down all the emotions raging through her. "This is all my fault... we wouldn't be here if it weren't for me"

"Hey, it's okay," he said, lowering himself to her height, "it isn't your job to protect me, it's the other way around."

Though he could only see a darkened outline of her, he noticed the tears that gleamed in her eyes. "But I'm the one that has magic... I didn't even know I had it until a week ago."

"And that's my fault, I really am sorry," he said, his voice faltering, "we kept it a secret to keep you from feeling the pain you're feeling now- it's a lot of responsibility."

"I don't want it, not anymore," she whimpered, "I thought at first that it made me special. Then I met Zelena, and she made me feel special too. I thought I understood her, but obviously I didn't know her at all. And mom..."

Tears flowed down her cheeks. Robin tried wiping them with his thumbs, but they kept coming. She threw her arms around her father's shoulders and cried; there was nothing else to do but cry.

"Everyone back at home is trying to find a way to get her back," he whispered, realizing a few tears were escaping down his cheeks as well. "We have to believe that things will work out somehow."

"But this is all my fault, I'm the one that let Zelena into our lives..."

"That doesn't matter," Robin reassured, fishing out the emerald necklace. "We have this now- we'll figure out a way to leave this place."

She sniffled, attempting to calm herself. "The last time I saw Mom... I was really mad at her for keeping that secret. I was so mean to her! I- I know she had a bad childhood, so bad she hardly ever talks about it. Wherever she is, it's somewhere horrible, absolutely horrible-"

"You can't think about that," he cut her off in a brisk yet soothing tone, "it'll make you go absolutely mad."

There was then a silence between them. Robin stood back up and took her hand in his, beginning to walk again.

"I first met your mother here," he began, knowing a distraction was the only way to combat against the cold, "when it was almost as chilly as it is now. But you know what?"

"What?"

"Eventually, that changed. It's quite beautiful here in the summer, a dream really. We were all warm and happy and full of love. Even though our house was small, we had everything we needed."

"What was Mom like back then?"

He couldn't help but smile upon the memory. "She was... very driven. She didn't like people telling her that she was wrong. Even though she was good at hiding it at first, your mother had a lot of love to give. I noticed it when Roland's eyes lit up as soon as he saw her. It took us a bit to trust one another completely, but once we did, we were inseparable."

She loved hearing about their past together- it made her feel like a part of something bigger, a product of something wonderful and exciting. Many nights were spent dreaming of such a perfect place when things were the way they used to be. Never had she actually expected to wind up in such a place, and instead have it be her worst nightmare.

"How can you love someone if there are so many things you weren't there for?" Caroline asked, glancing up at him as they continued to walk. "Don't you wonder about who she was before she met you?"

Pausing for a moment, Robin tried to think of the best answer he could give her. "I know what she's shared with me. But she's changed so much throughout her life, and now she's the best version of herself that she could be. I love all of her versions just the same."

There were many thoughts swirling around her head, despite having been walking for hours in the freezing cold. "What do you think she was like when she just turned ten?"

Robin let out a laugh. "Probably just as full of life as you are now. You'll have to ask her yourself when we get back." He paused, giving her hand an encouraging squeeze. "I loved to swim when I was your age. Every single summer day I was at the lake. Will refused to step foot in any deep form of water- he would watch me from the shore, somehow always eating something. I still don't know how he managed to do that since we were so poor."

This version of her father seemed so distant, as if he were talking about a completely different person. Still, it made her soul feel a bit lighter to hear her dad speak on his childhood.

"After my mother died, I thought I'd never find something that made me happy again. She... drowned, in the very lake I loved swimming in. At the time, I believed it meant I was doomed to live a life of pain, that maybe I did something to deserve that."

Sadness permeated his voice. Robin was surprised how easy it was to speak of such things; he had never told anyone that before, except Regina. Caroline remained silent, unsure of what exactly to say in response.

"All I ever wanted for my children was for them to have all the opportunities I never had," he admitted, "I tried so hard to be the best father I could be... and look where it got me- trudging through the Enchanted Forest in the middle of the night with my kid." He laughed at his own words, much to Caroline's surprise.

"I'm so sorry for keeping Zelena's true identity from you... and everything about your mother."

She looked up at him and stopped in her tracks, the darkness seeming less of a threat. "Just don't lie to me again, I wouldn't be able to handle it if you did."

Giving her shoulder a squeeze, he took a breath and gave her a solemn look. "I promise. No more lies."

She smiled back, wrapping her arms around him. As she did so, her smile broadened at the sight of lightness brimming over the horizon, just beginning to rise above the trees.

Maybe there was hope for them after all.

Isn't Robin the sweetest dad? I love writing these cute moments between them. More to come next week!