I think I should include a warning for the end of this chapter, but I'm not sure how to word it sensitively without giving away the ending. WARNING. Read with caution. Don't attempt ever. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Songs featured in this chapter: "Only You"- Maths Time Joy, JMR

Chapter 16

2:24 pm PST

By the next afternoon, no one responded on how to get her account back. She sent direct messages to her friends explaining everything. No one even read them. Not only that but she was getting real hate from Robin and Keith stans. Regina honestly didn't understand it. What had she done wrong? She couldn't ask her sister for help. Zelena isn't talking to her. A cherry on top of her already horrible day.

Regina had woken up with a massive headache. It was fitting with how awful she felt on the inside. She'd really thought she and Robin had become good friends. It was foolish on her part to think someone like him would genuinely want to be friends with her. Even still the hurt doesn't seem to be going away any time soon.

"Maybe you should delete the post." Ruby suggest as they walk the isles of an old corner store.

"No. I can't do that." Regina dismisses. "How will they know how to find me? I have no other way of contacting them." She grabs cold drinks for the both of them.

Her cousin grabs a bag of chips. "I saw those comments, Regina. It's not good."

"I know."

Regina is honestly considering posting a couple of pictures she posted as Roni with the ones showing her face to prove it was her. Ruby insist she let the heat sizzle down first. The people out there are not kind and likely won't listen to reason. She'll let it a couple days pass. Once everything calms down she'll give them the proof she has. They'll probably claim she's photoshopped it somehow. The age of technology is great, until it isn't.

The cousins are remotely quiet as they make their way to the register. The store clerk is in the middle of restocking their magazines and candies on their front shelves. "Hey Ruby!" The guy restocking smiles. "We got a gossip magazine about that guy you like. Just came in."

"Who? Martin Pablo?" Her cousin asks as they dump their things on the counter.

"Nah. The other guy, popstar. Looks like some juicy stuff." He hands Ruby a copy.

Regina looks to see the magazine over her cousin's shoulder when she gasps. She too lets out a gasp when she sees it. On the front cover, is her face. Her snotty, crying face leaving the phone booth from yesterday. How? How had this happened? When had this happened? Why? How did they possibly get this in the tabloids so quickly? There were two images. The larger, more prominent one being of her and Robin holding hands at the beach. And the other, slightly smaller photo of her leaving the phone booth.

Just when she thought her day could not get any worse. It was a popular gossip magazine that she knew was nationwide. There's no way more of these could have been made, shipped and delivered to stores in a day. The Mirror was written at the top. Below it read: ROBIN LOCKSLEY AND SECRET LOVER? PERFECT AFTERNOON TURNS INTO HEARTBREAK. Regina snatches the magazine from her cousin to get a closer look. She's opens is to see what was actually said about the two of them, but the shop keeper stops her.

"Ah ah. You gotta pay to read." The clerk shrugs only a little apologetic. "Thems the rules."

Regina rolls her eye and drops down a 20-dollar bill on the counter. She continues to search through the pages until she finds what she's looking for.

Teen superstar Robin Locksley was spotted early this week sharing an intimate moment with a young brunette girl, who in fact is not his girlfriend. They were seen walking down an empty part of the beach in Malibu holding hands. Source say that they even shared a kiss.

Does the hot teen actress Marion Taylor know about this other girl? Has she and Robin called it quits? Who is this girl? Could this be the face of Instagram's new obsession Verónica Sanchez?

Verónica Sanchez also known as Roni, is a teen Instagramer that seemingly appeared from nowhere who blew up on social media in the last weeks. Many believe she is some kind of photographer based off of the photos posted to her feed. She has also made appearances throughout a number of celebrities post, mentions and stories during the past weeks. Mysterious enough, her face is never seen. Roni's face is always conveniently covered or obscured in any video or Photograph. No one knows the reason behind this, yet. Some may also recognize her has the girl who started a war between Robin Hood fans and Nottingham's.

Regina skips that part of the article. She was there. She didn't need to read the screen shots of their argument.

The matter was apparently resolved in private as requested by Roni herself. She is spotted once again in their post days later. Though her face remains a mystery. Many have tried to decode her identity, but none have been successful. Could this be this be the moment Veronica's face is revealed to the world? Has there been a budding romance between Verónica and Robin all along?

More information to be revealed soon.

Regina slaps the pater on the counter. This is ridiculous! If she had access to her account, she could clear this all up. Damn it! What if her parents saw this?! Regina would never hear the end of it. Their story in the magazine took up a total of 4 pages! Is that normal? And they had pictures and screenshots of everything.

"Gina, babe! It's already blowing up online." Ruby shows her phone. The online article on Twitter has over 200 thousand re-shares already. At least 200 thousands people have read this article. It only just came out.

How had this happened? How had this story gotten so big? She was with Robin yesterday! How does one go about fixing something like this? They needed to clear things up before it gets out of hand.

3:02 pm PST

Robin didn't wake up until well into the afternoon. It had taken a lot to get rid of Marion last night. All he wanted to do was lay in bed. But hunger got the best of him. He was in the middle of fixing a bowl of cereal when his father burst into the room with a look of serious disappointment. He drags Robin down the hall and into the press room.

Displayed on the big screen is Mr. Gold. Oh damn. Robin did his best to make himself presentable. He knew from the look on Gold's face he was in deep shit. What had he done this time? He already fixed things between Nottingham. Robin hadn't gotten the chance to check his phone today. He is completely in the dark here.

"Robin sit." His mother none too kindly directs him.

Gold sighs heavily. He holds up a photo and Robin's heart squeezes. It's a printed photo of Regina in front of what he recognizes as her Granny's house. It was clearly taken by paparazzi. What concerns Robin is how clear and close the picture was taken. Who ever took it must have been right across the street. Why does Gold have it in his possession? "Verónica Sanchez? Students from her school have identified her as Regina Mills of Storybrooke, Maine."

Robin clears his throat before speaking. "Sir, I'm confused. What is this about? Where did you get that?"

Gold then holds up a Teen Buzz magazine. He and Regina are on the cover. His parents slap their own copy of the book on his lap. Robin skims through it as quickly as he can. Dear God! This was not good. This wasn't good at all. Everything. Everything was falling apart.

"Where do you think I got it Robin?" Gold snaps. "Cruella De Vil has had an entire fleet of photographers on you for the past 2 days. One of them being The Mirror."

"I know. But I was so careful."

"This is exactly the kind of thing I was afraid of dealing with you, boy. I mean, you obviously aren't serious about this movie. Maybe you're too young."

"No sir." Robin cuts in before he can finish the thought. "Look, there was an error of judgment on my part." Why he thought he could escape the clutches of The Mirror? He'll never know. He should have stayed home. He wish life could like the one Regina imagined for him. The life where he could leave the house when he pleased and never had to hide from paparazzi.

"Come, Robert." He mother starts. "Give us a chance to fix this."

"Aye ahhh…" Gold groans into his hands. "Alright. Make the story go away."

"How do we do that?" His father questions.

"You call Cruella. You offer her an exclusive. You say you don't know the girl. You say she's just some fan who's been following you around all day."

Robin's chest sinks. "You want me to lie?"

"Bloody ell, Robin!" His mother snaps. "It's the bloody tabliod press. This isn't the supreme court."

"Regina controls the Roni account. The world knows I'm friends with her. She could easily negotiate me."

"It appears, this Regina does not have access to the account." Gold reveals with a grin. "Say whatever you have to say. I promise you, either the girl goes or the movie does. Both of them. For you and for Nottingham. Deal?"

Robin reluctantly nods.

"Good day." Gold ends the call.

What are The Choice did he have? This wasn't only about him. So many people were counting on him. That all of nothing deal he and Nottingham agreed to is coming to bite him on the arse. He wishes there was a way for him to warm Regina what was to come. There is no way of contacting her. He's only communicated through the Roni account. Robin prays the shock isn't too much for her.

He heard his mother leave the room. She was already on the phone with the people who could get him on the show with Cruella. His father stayed behind. He sat in the chair next to him. Neither of them said a word for a long moment. The only sound between them being the clack of his mother's heels and the muffled conversation being had.

Sounds like the exclusive will be happening.

He doesn't like having away out. Not at the expense of Regina. It wasn't fair to her. If only they knew the extent of their story. He was the one at fault. He is the one who drug her into all of this. It wasn't right that they expect her to pay for it.

"Robin." His mother pops into the room. "You're meeting with Cruella in the morning. I have to go make some more calls." She gone just as quickly as she came.

8:38pm PST

It took a lot of Regina to buildup the courage to face Robin again. It wasn't even about her sister anymore. The article blew up in the span of 12 hours. Apparently, she is recognizable to kids at her school only if she's in a magazine. Robin's fans were ripping her apart on the internet. She considered deleting the app all together, but she was afraid she'd miss a message from Robin or his band.

People were calling her doppelganger. How could she be a doppelganger if no one has ever seen Roni's face. Others said she was using Robin and Verónica for attention. How could she? She has no control over the media or what they publish in magazines. She never asked for the attention. She doesn't want any of it. And there were the people who found the entire situation hilarious. They made jokes that Regina might snicker at if everything else wasn't so horrible. None of it was funny to her.

These people are vicious. They were pulling her old records from school and even hospital visits. No one could get any information about why she was there, so they made something up. They claim she is mentally ill and that's the reason she caused all this drama. All of her yearbook photos were public domain for the interweb. Unsurprisingly the one that was most popular was the photo she took right before she collapsed during gym. Rest assured she did not look great in the photo. Obviously. She was hours away from nearly dying. No one cares about that though. The trolls used it to mock and shame her. Regina refused to be shamed by haters. The paparazzi, tabloid press might have got the ball rolling, but it's the fans that own the game.

Regina hopes Robin could help set it all straight. She isn't trying to ruin anyone's life. Honestly, she doesn't care if she never gets the Roni account back. She just wants them to leave her alone. Regina had it with the harassment when the death treats started to roll in. Never in her entire life has she ever received this amount of focused hate. It made it extremely hard to keep her heart regulated.

There were so many cars parked at the bottom of Robin's hill. Regina had to get dropped off a block over. Maybe it's another one of his parties. It doesn't take her long to get to the front walk. Surrounding the front porch are a dozen photographers. She freezes mid stride. Dear God. These are the people who ruined everything. No one should be subjected to live under such scrutiny. No one should have so much power over someone else's life. Regina notices, standing up ahead at his door was Robin. He was here. Of course he's here. It's his house. But she didn't expect him to.. be here. In all of this chaotic nonsense, Robin felt a world away. Yet, here he is.

Regina takes a breath. You can do this.

"Robin!"

8:28pm PST

His parents took over managing his image on social media again. That meant no more messaging Regina. There's no way to contact her now. He could always drop by her house. No. That's way too risky. The press would be all over that. It would take too long to send a letter. By the time it arrived, the damage would have already been done. It was getting fairly late in the evening. Robin doesn't think he could send anyone over to her house who wouldn't raise suspicion. His band is definitely out of the question. Maybe Emma? No. She's too closely related to Gold. He'd find out about it somehow. And he doesn't think he has her number anyway.

Robin wanted to apologize to Regina. He never meant to drag her in to his world. He only ever wanted to be a part of hers. Was that selfish of him? He hadn't realized he had bled so much into hers. It wasn't recognizable anymore.

Only you,

Regina, Robin realizes was his first breath of fresh air after being underwater for years. She made time stop. And for the first time Robin could see the world in front of him. He was wasn't just moving through it, he was living in it. He never realized just how terrifying it is to live his kind of life style. That fear only bubbled and festered over the years. His friends were great help in helping him vent through their music. It likely why none of them have yet flipped their lid. But Regina was the only person in the entire world that made that feeling disappear completely. He never realized just how heavy the weight of it all was until it was gone. But now it's Regina who's gone and his fears are materializing. His thoughts and turmoil manifests itself as unceasing lyrics in his head.

Only you, can help me to forget

The terror of being alive a little while

Of being alive a little while

Of course Regina was offended he called her ordinary. Deep down she knows she's much more than that. He thought her being a small town girl from the "normal world" was what made her special. That simply was not the case. Regina is special. She isn't like everyone else. He was just too far gone up his own arse to notice. He wishes he noticed sooner. Tomorrow's interview with Cruella will be the final nail in his coffin.

Robin is slowly released from his thoughts when the noise outside his house grew louder. He groans. It's like 8:30. Do these paparazzi never sleep? He stomps toward his front door. Robin is ready to give the nosy photographers a piece of his mind, but taken a back when her is met with a face full of brown hair.

"Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Trying to get away from the paparazzi obviously." Marion replies. "And I'm also wanted to see how you where. I saw the magazine."

"Oh god, Marion. I'm so sorry about all of th-"

"Don't be." She pulls him into a hug. "Let's talk inside."

"Yeah." He scratches his neck a tad confused by it all. Her appearance. The magazine. The paparazzi. Never have they been so bold to blatantly be on his front porch. They would have a field day with his and Marion's small scene at there door. The two of them definitely stayed out here far too long. No more sharing with the world tonight. Robin pulls his girlfriend in to the house. He's closing the door when he hears his name called by a very familiar voice among the crowd. He scans the sea of flashing lights to see Regina pushing her way through paparazzi. He sees the relief wash over her features. Next thing he knows, she's running towards him and wraps him in a hug when she's close enough. She doesn't hate him after all.

She would soon.

She's holding on to him for dear life. Robin can't hug her back. There are too many eyes on them. He wants to. He really does. It means he can't warn her either. He was hyper aware that many of these camera holding men have industry quality microphones. They could her a leaf fall from a mile away.

Damn it, is she crying? Robin holds back is own sob. He doesn't want to do this. He thought he had time. Why did the razzi choose tonight of all nights to be on his front porch? Regina why did you have to come here tonight? I could have found away. I could have found a way to get to you. Please, please be strong enough to handle what I have to do. Please forgive me.

"Robin. Help me. Please." She hiccups and pulls away so that they can look at each other. He sees that she's desperate. "I'm sorry. You were right. These people are so cruel. You can fix it. Please tell them the truth."

"I'm sorry? Do I… know you?" The words burned in throat. He felt sick. The look on Regina's face broke him. He felt the loss greatly when she tore away from him. Her warm touch, replaced with ice cold air.

Only you, can help me to forget

The terror of being alive a little while

He goes and done it. He ruined the one relationship in his life capable of bringing that connection to humanity. His world is a little darker now. No sun. No moon. No stars. Devoid of any light. It's a cold, barren hill he lives on at the peak of Beverly hills. Was it worth it?

The price of fame.

Regina couldn't help herself when she threw herself around Robin. She's so relieved to see him. So much of her anxiety fled away simply being near him. She felt safe. She knows they've been through a lot, but in her heart of hearts she knew she could count on him to save her from this insanity.

"Robin. Help me. Please." She hiccups and pulls away so that they can look at each other. She hadn't meant to cry. She really hadn't. "I'm sorry. You were right. They are so cruel. You can fix it. Please tell them the truth."

"I'm sorry? Do I know you?"

Regina jerks away from him as if he'd physically burned her. A pit grows in the cavity of her chest. She can't breathe. Do I know you? Does he know her? Do they know each other? God he truly is an amazing actor. He was acting? She hadn't made it all up had she? Maybe she bumped her head harder than she thought. Those people could not have been right. Right?

No.

No.

She isn't crazy. It was really. It was all real. Why? Why was he acting this way? He's looking at her with such distain. No. That's his girlfriend. She smirks over her boyfriend's shoulder. Robin's gaze was far worse. Pity. Regret. Shame. Indifference.

Damn these lights are bright. Flashing in her eyes. It sends pulses of pain to her brain. It's too much. She can feel her heart seizing. She needs to get out her here. She should ever have come. Regina turns and runs.

'No running is bad.' Her heart warns her. There's something wrong with her ears too. Everything is so loud, yet she can't understand a single thing. 'Make it stop. Make it stop.' Acid. There's acid in her veins. She can feel it inching its way up her arms until they no longer function properly. Her feet are next. Covered in a psychological tar, she finds it hard to walk straight. It's fine. She's fine. She survived quick sand. She can do anything.

Her vision glitches. Everything becomes so bright. Regina blinks away her tears, but more keep replacing them. Green. Green means go. So she does. She needed to get as far away from Robin as possible. 'Slow down.'

"Regina! Regina!" The voice sounded so far away. It's complemented with the continuous blaring of a horn underwater. She wasn't able to recognize where she was until it was too late. Her bodies seizes, paralyzing her muscles long enough to see two bright lights racing toward her. 'Too fast.' It's hard to tell who knocked her out first. Her heart or the car. Regina had walked into oncoming traffic. This was not ok. She wasn't ok. She isn't ok.

Everything hurt.

I want to make it extremely clear, Regina did not intentionally try to harm herself. For anyone feeling this way, please reach out to someone. I promise there are people who love you, value you, and want to hear what you have to say.

I love you all!

Happy belated Easter! (for those who celebrate) I hope Everyone has a fabulous week. No, the story isn't over! Let me know your thoughts. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you soon!

S!D