A/N: I know its been like forever! I promise I've been writing this entire time. life has be kinda [insert explanation here]. I wanted to have this to you weeks ago when finals ended, buuuttt as you can see tgat did nkt happened. Anyway, it's here! A new chapter! YAY!

Chapter 18

John doesn't like being on the outside. He never has. To be honestly he's never been out of the loop until now. He and Robin told each other everything. They were a duo. It was the two of them against the world. If something was going on with Robin, John was the first to know. The few occasions big decisions were made without a definite vote from the entire band John was there. He was always in the loop. He always knew what was going on. That was his thing. Every now and again individual members would get lost in their own big ideas, they'd loose the understanding of the rest of the team. John was the mediator. He is the bridge between members, managers, and even some times the fans. There is never a question cannot answer. He always what is going on and why a member has made the choices that they've made. Even lend some advise if its warranted. He doesn't know it all changed.

He can easily say he hates not having a clue what's going on with Robin. John is absolutely fed up with Robin's drama. He blinks and there's something new going on. Its never ending. He and the rest of the band have to play catch up on the ins and outs of what the rest of the world apparently already know and they're right next to him! They were taking a back seat to their own lives, their careers. Nothing feels as if its happening in real time. Robin is their friend, a brother more like. Why is it John has had to learn about everything going with him from the telly? Why is the band the last to know? Like it or not Robin's actions effect their lives. Somethimg surfaces to the top of the web before he can get a grasp on the previous one. He can't give a straight answer on any of it when people question him like he normally can, because he doesn't know a thing about his best mate's life anymore. He can't understand Robin's decisions, let alone explain them to anyone's else if John's left in the dark. It's the most frustrating thing. He is the closest person to Robin, yet he is the last person to know a thing about him. What the hell is going on?

Apparently, Marion of all people knows so much about the situation she was able to give a damn interview on the matter. Something is definitely wrong with Robin. She is the last person Robin would tell anything to. He's been telling Rob to break up with her for ages. She drives the all bonkers. Marion is a gold digging, fame seeking witch. He knew from the start she was trouble. She always rubbed in the wrong way. Robin saw something in her that he never could. It was good for them in the beginning. At least seemingly so. The relationship at the time almost made sense. Rob was a different person then. Young, reckless, wild. They like to have a good time. But anyone that truly knew Robin knew the relationship wouldn't last. Yet, is has. John had hoped that his feelings toward Marion would have changed by now, but it hasn't. If anything his feelings toward her have only worsened. The more time he has spent in her presence, the more she add to his growing pile of 'Reasons to hate Marion Taylor'. She is literally the worst. It only took one conversation alone with the girl for the rest of the band to also feel as he did. She's a narcissist at best and completely psychotic at worst. The woman is deranged and hides it well. John knows for certain Robin has seen this side of her. They wrote a goddammed breakup song about her. Robin wants out of the relationship. They all do! But his mate has never had the guts to simply end it. They've been together for about two years now. There is a familiarity to her John could never acquire. It wouldn't be a pretty end. Nothing with Marion could ever be so simple.

He thinks Rob might be terrified of her. Hell, he'd be too if his irritation for her wasn't so overwhelming. That's way none of it makes since. Something is definitely going on. When does Marion know more about anything Robin's life than his best mates? Never.

It's time for answers. John and his mates couldn't stay on the sidelines anymore. They had a right to know what was going on. John didn't bother knocking. He let himself into the house. The rest of the band weren't far behind. More often than not the door is unlocked. There was never a true need for it. Most people don't even bother trying to break in. The neighborhood is well surveillance. Its has to get away with much around here. Upon seeing how closterphobic the paparazzi have been in the past days John had to use his key. Rob isn't in any of the more common areas of the house. They decided to split to cover more ground. He was here somewhere. All of his cars were accounted for in the garage. John wouldn't be surprised if Robin was hiding from them. None of them much liked being the interrogated. Robin has to have known they would have shown up sooner rather than later for answers.

John took the upper levels while Will and Tuck searched the basement. Mulan decided to remain on the main leave incase they missed him the first time. If his best mate was anywhere upstairs it'd be his room. The majority of the upper level is used for office space and guest bed rooms. John knew Rob found them to be cold and impersonal, even though many of the band often take residence in some of them.

John was a little disappointed when he didn't find Robin in his bedroom. The room looked as it hadn't been touched since the cleaning lady would come Monday. He could have sworn he'd be in there. Maybe the others had better luck.

"Where the ell is he?" John continues the search. He takes to looking through some of the other rooms. He wasn't in the office, as he expected. He wasn't in the office, as he expected. Surprisingly enough John finds whom he assumes to be Robin buried underneath thick blankets on the bed in one of the guest rooms. Its the one with floor to ceiling window that look over the backyard. They rarely come in this one. Actually, they never spend any time in here. It was for guest anyhow. Other than the figure on the bed, the room looked just as it had when he left Roni in here the first night they met. Clean. Sterile. Why in heavens name is he in here? Who cares? He cam here for a reason.

"Oi! He's in here!" John calls out to the rest of their friends. The state of his friend made him pause his originally plan to storm in and shake the questions from him. He could see his best mate was going through some stuff, but they needed answers. He needs to explain his actions, because at this point John doesn't know what to think of him. They can't help him if they don't know what going on. Mulan was the first to arrive. Next was Tuck followed by Will. She and John sit on the bed while the other two stood nearby. "Get up Rob. You gotta tell us what the bloody ell going on." He encourages his friend to sit up with a slight shove.

Robin groans unto his pillow before abruptly sitting up, having never let go of the pillow. "I did what I had to for us. For our careers."

It was a weak ass answer and they all knew. Seems like he's going to have pull the answers from him. "OK, Rob. But what was it you had to do? You've kinda left us in the dark here."

"Where do I even bloody begin?" Robin sighs into the pillow. After a moment he speaks again. It's slightly muffled from the angle he's rested his head on the pillow. "It still smells like her. Crazy isn't?"

The band share curious glances hoping the other would have an explanation. None of them seem to have an answer. "Smells like who?" Mulan prompts with a sigh.

"Roni."

They all straitened at that. "What does any of this have to do with Roni?"

John waits for Robin to answer her question. He suspected Roni was connected to this mess in some way, but how? How does she fit into all of this?

Robin looks for the proper words to explain to his friends the tangled web he finds himself in. "I like her, guys. I really, really like her." Will and tuck roll theirs eyes at that. That was already pretty obvious to all of them. No surprise there. He continues. "But in order for the movie to happen, we, I had to let her go."

John is ripped from his train of thought. The room erupts in protest. "What the bloody ell for?!" "Why?" "Hold up, Rob." "The ell you mean let her go?"

"After The Genie caught us on the beach Gold gave me an ultimatum." He speaks over them. "Either I made the stories about Roni go away or the movie did. I had to do it! All of our careers depended on it!" Robin tosses the pillow and stands. He paces around the room. "He was going to take the deal from Nottingham too. I didn't have a choice. I'm just not, I'm not sure it was the right one."

Like hell cutting off Roni was the right choice. There is always another way. Will raises his hand, similar to what they did in primary school. He has that stupid look he gets on his face when he doesn't understand something. John couldn't blame him. Robin's story was missing some key components. "Call me a dim, but some things just aren't adding up. I know our fans our wild but I still lost on the entire look-alike fiasco all over the media? We all watched you turn away Regina at your front door and all over national television. Now you're telling us you had to drop Verónica?"

John's never been as active on his social media accounts as the rest of his mates. One can imagine his surprise when he saw just how much had blown up in just a couple days. He had DMs and text messages coming from all over. It would take him days to read, filter, and reply to them all. Everyone assumed he was just as apart of this entire fiasco or equally effected by the crazy fan like Robin because of their closeness. He honestly didn't know what to tell any of them. He is just as in the dark as the rest of them.

John has seen the pictures of the girl in question. The girl looks like Roni. If Robin himself had not explicitly said that she wasn't, he would have thought it was. The pictures the paparazzi initially took were not the sharpest, but not unrecognizable. John has had the past couple of hours to see everything people were throwing at him. He was not convinced this girl, this Regina Mills was not Verónica Sanchez. Unless the girl were twins split at birth, there is on way Roni's doppelganger magically appeared in their lives. Things aren't adding up, but John suspects some truth was left out of the equation.

Their fans could be even invasive and very territorial over the band. Robin especially. This nothing new. They can't pretend to be surprised by it. What does shock him is just how information they are able to attain. They were able to pull up old files police files of the girl's father from when he lived in Puerto Rico when he was 19. He was apparently was arrested for possession of drugs. In the same file it later states that it had been planted on him and he had nothing to do with any of it. The poor man was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yet, no one seems to care for that bit of the story. All they cared about was the arrest. They are feeding in to the narrative that Robin is the victim. They will do anything to justify his actions. Even if that meant creating monsters of her and her family look bad. And they are doing a bang up job of it. Because there's no possible way Robin could ever do wrong. John wouldn't wish the wrath of their stans on anybody. He doesn't think Rob is as innocent as he wants people to think. And John hates to think what this means his friend is capable of.

"Wait." Tuck speaks up before Robin can answer Will. "Are you saying it was Roni in those beach photos? Why did you tell everyone she was just a fan? Would it not have been easier to simply explain she is a close friend."

"Haven't you seen the beach photos? We were reaching into more-than-friends territory. The two of us had already decided not to see each other anymore." Robin sighs. "It was for the best."

"Was it for our best or yours?" Tuck yells. "Because from the way I see it, you completely abandoned our friend to wolves to save face."

"I did what had to be done!" Rob is toe to toe with Tuck.

"For you or the band?"

"Everyone!"

The room quiets. The tension between band mates slowly rises. John for one can finally understand how frustrating it is to have everything involving your career ultimately decided by your best mate, who doesn't seem to have a clue what he's doing. John trusts Robin with his life. They've been through so much together. His mate always made the right decisions in the end. However, his most recent actions has even John's trust wavering.

"She could sue us. You know that Robin?" Will starts. "She could go to the authorities and we could all go to jail. You made her our enemy. There is no friendship to save us now. Regina could press charges for everything that happen that night we met. You screwed us all."

Damn. John had forgotten about that. How they met. How they thought they killed her. They drug her across town. They sent her to the hospital! They could be charged for kidnapping and attempted murder. John hates to think how the case won't hold against them. They knew that night if she were to tell anyone, they'd be ok. It was three against one. That's doesn't make him feel any better. He doesn't know he would be able to go against her in court. She was their friend. This was such a mess. Who knows she might not even press charges.

"This could have ended our careers!" Robin expresses to the room. "I chose the option that hurt the less amount of people. She was our friend. I keep thinking about how none of this would have happened had I not hit her with a door that night. If we never became friends."

"While that maybe true, I can't say I regret having met her. Can you?" Mulan asks.

"No. I can't say that I do." He smiles sadly. The rest of them nod in agreement. If the price of their dreams coming true was never speaking to Roni again, John guesses it's a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things. He loves Roni and hates to end things this way, but the five of them have been dreaming of this moment for a long time.

"Roni is our friend. Career or not she deserves better than this Robin. Can't we at least get the fans to back off?" This time it's Will who speaks up. Rob doesn't respond.

"You had ended things with Marion like we told you ages ago, we would not be in this mess." John mumbles. It's loud enough they all hear. He was less than happy with his friend's decision. There was so many ways for this to be avoided.

"I just saved all our arses! That doesn't make this any easier. And I doesn't help that you lot come and gang up on me when all I've ever done is to help you and our careers. We're you not the ones who insisted on this movie deal? We're all a band, yet somehow I'm the one who has to make all the tough decisions."

"You're right Robin. I'm sorry." John placates. "I know everything you do is in the bands best interests. This couldn't have been an easy decision."

"It wasn't." Robin mumbles. He slouches back onto the bed and picks at a stray thread on the same pillow he was hugging earlier. "You didn't see her face. I know. I know it was best for our careers, but it didn't feel good. In the end the decision didn't fall on you shoulders. It fell on mine. I did what I thought was best for the band, for everyone. There's no changing it now."

"You're right." John says again. He believes it a little less every time he does. "There's no changing it now. But I need to hear you say it. I need you to say the words." If he had no choice but to back up what Rob had done. John needed to hear exactly what they were supporting. He needs his friend to truly own what he's done and tell them the true aloud. If they were to lie to the entire world for the rest of their lives, they needed to at least be honest with each other. They at least deserved that.

Robin stood to face them. He looked to be in pain. Good. John is too. And it is safe to bet the others are as well. They waited. Hardened faces unchanging as Robin choked to get the words out. "I.. Regina…" His friend was actively crying now. He take a breath. "Verónica Sanchez is Regina Mills. We created a new account so that her family wouldn't find out she was spending time with us. We got too close and I tried to end things before we were found out. That's what the fight at the beach was about. That's why she was crying in all those photos."

John, Will, Tuck, and Mulan all knew it was best not to interrupt. They are finally getting answers. He knows this isn't easy for him, but I must be done. They give him a moment to pull himself together and continue.

"But we were found out. I never thought I'd see her again. She was so mad. Gold said there was no room for her and the movie. One had to go. I thought I'd never see her again, I chose the movie. But then she.. she showed up on my door with all the damn paparazzi and I couldn't explain to her what was going on. I disowned Regina to her face when she came to me for help after the magazine published." Robin kept himself together long enough to finish. "And did so again on national television. I told the world that she, Regina Mills is crazy yet kept the name Verónica Sanchez in good grace to save my own face."

And there it is.

The truth.

The entire truth. Robin brought a young girl in to their lives and when things got messy, left her to clean it up herself. He ruined her life. And will very easily get away with it. John, Will, Mulan, and Tuck are going to go along with it. They'd hope to have a long fruitful career without skeletons in their closet, but that was never realistic. This isn't their first skeleton and it won't be their last. The difference is before now, none of them has ever been this close to the skeleton. They did the dirty work themselves. John isn't a kid any more. He can't hide behind rose colored glasses and act as if he didn't know what transpired between their agents and the lengths they went to get them where they are today.

John can't be blind to this. He won't be blind to this.

It was nearing dinner time. The group of them sat at their instruments in the studio. They'd been sitting their for hours now. Yet, they never made a move to ever play any of them. John, Tuck, Will, and Mulan all left Robin to sulk in his guest room. He clearly needed space. They'd grant him that. It feels as if Rob just committed murder and they all just helped hide the body. John felt sick. He felt dirty. How could they just agree to it? Yeah, they'd loose their career and everything they worked and sacrificed. But morally speaking, how could they be ok with the turn of events? How could they move past this. Every note, every lyric they create from now on will be sullied in the blood Roni. They will be multi-billionaires after the movie and new album as a changed band. They will be nominated and win Grammys. The music they've been dying to write, perform, and play theirs to do. The band will be indispensable. A household name. Every thing they've always dreamed. But they will always know, always be haunted by what it cost to make happen. Are the truly ok with living like that, with Roni's blood on their hands? Apparently.

A notification on his phone stops his train of thought.

Zelena: URGENT! This is Veronica's sister, Zelena. Roni is in trouble. There's been a horrible accident. I need your assistance to help her.

Zelena: do not contact Robin. And Veronica's account as been hacked.

Zelena: my sister is currently at Orange Valley General Hospital. You need to act quickly.

Little John starred at the messages for a long moment. Roni was in the hospital? His heart seizes and his quickens. She was in an accident that sent her to the hospital. Does that mean it's serious? Is she ok?

Of course not. She's in the hospital!

Oh God. Oh God. If her sister is contacting him and not Roni herself, it must be serious. Please don't let her be dead.

No.

John, if she were dead her sister would have just said that. Right. Oh dear. What if she is dead and her sister doesn't want to share that kind of information through Instagram.

John snap out of it. That's a lot of what ifs. She's fine everything is ok. Hold on a second. How does he know any of this is even true? This might even be from her actual sister. From the looks of it she was a fan. He had unopened messages from her that date back years. This all could be a cruel joke. Why somebody would do this, he doesn't know.

"Hey guys." Little John breaks the silence on the room. "The weirdest thing just happened. I got an urgent message fr-"

"From Roni's sister? Yeah me too." Mulan finishes for him.

"You got it too?" Tuck waves his phone in the air a bit.

"You think it's real? It sounds serious." John questions. He hates how he is unable to keep the slightest tremble from his voice.

Tuck shakes his head. "How do we know any of this is the truth? How do we know this is Roni's sister?"

"It's her." Will mumbles. John can't read the odd look on his face, but his tone made it clear he was serious. It makes his stomach turn. "I met the girl the other day. She's legit."

"Wait. You met Roni's sister? When?" Mulan makes her way closer to Will. John and Tuck do the same.

"I just said the other day." Will quipped. "She's annoying as ell, but it's her."

So, Roni really is in trouble then. In the hospital! Bloody ell! What were they going to do? Which hospital did she Roni was in? Orange Valley General Hospital. He needed to get there.

"I'm going to the hospital." John announced to the group.

"Wait. John. Let's think about this."

"No Mulan! What is there to think about? Our friend is in the hospital!" He had little control over the raise in his voice. He ha no idea how serious her accident had been. Flashes of Roni unconscious in the back of Robin's car appear in his mind. Doesn't she has a heart thing? Do the guys know about her heart thing? Oh mercy! It's her heart isn't?

John takes a breath in an attempt to steady his racing mind and heart. There is no need to panic just yet. He doesn't know what's wrong with her. It could be nothing. It could be everything and she just died while they were standing around getting nowhere. John doesn't remember the last conversation he had with Roni. He doesn't want her last thought of him to be what Robin said on the telly that morning. He's going to see her. With or without the rest of his mates.

"I'm going." John states. "I'm not going to stand around all day and debate with you lot while our friend is ill. Her sister said it was urgent."

"John-"

Tuck starts, but is interrupted by Will. "No. He's right. After everything that's just happened, I think we owe it to her to go." The two of them share a look of understanding. The haunted look Will had in his eye told John he was also thinking injured Roni in the back seat of the car.

"OK." Tuck and Mulan nodded. "We'll go to the hospital. I suggest we wait until first thing in the morning. The hospital likely won't accept any visitors this time of night. And we need to get our bearings before we just show up there."

"First thing in the morning." John agreed.

"What if she doesn't want to see us?" Will pulled on his arm as the four step off the elevator to the hospital's forth floor. It busy enough that they were able to walk past the front desk without being noticed. They wore their clothes in a way that made them less recognizable to the public. The last thing they needed was a flurry of paparazzi harassing them and Roni in the hospital of all places. "We kind of publicly disown her by association."

"Now not the time to second guess." John scolded and freed himself from Will grasp. "She did ask us here did she not?"

"Are you sure this is the correct floor? I don't see 423 anywhere." Tuck continues the repeated motion of him looking at room numbers then frowning at his phone. His anxiety rolled off of him in waves. They were all nervous. Nervous of what they might find on the other end of those numbers. Their friend? A corpse? The razzi? The authorities? A set up? They felt like criminals in hiding. Outlaws. They kind of were weren't they? There was so much Roni should be angry at them for. John had hoped they'd mended it all with their friendship. But what good is that friendship if it is easily sold for a career? What good is it if their entire experience together is completely erased as if she never existed. They owe her the world. That is, if Roni truly is the one waiting for them.

"There!" Mulan points across the hall. "There it is! 423 right?"

John's pulse increases as they near the room. Through the room door he spots the girl from the profile. His body seizes when notices them. She almost shocked to see them. Was she not the one who told them to come in the first place? Her shock doesn't seem to go away when places her book down a meets them in the hall.

Once the shock wore off her feature morph into something colder, harder. "I didn't think you'd actually show up."

"You said it was urgent." Will steps ahead of him as if to block her Zelena from them. The tension slowly builds. They didn't come her for confrontation. Of course she wasn't inviting them in with open arms seeing how they embarrassed her sister in front of the entire nation. However, she was the one to invite them. That is no reason to a scene in the hallway. John placed his hand on Will's shoulder and pulled back a tad.

"Where is Roni? You said she was in an accident?" John asks.

"Regina." The sister corrects.

He nods. "Right. Of course. Of course. My apologies." He wants to ask again, but doesn't want to take more than she's willing to give. She did not invite them here as concerned friends. They don't seem to have luxury. This visit would not be as easygoing as they naively thought.

Zelena stares at them for a moment before nodding to herself. She let out a tired sigh. "OK. Come on then. We don't have a lot of time. Thanks for showing up. It's the least you can do. Actually, no it isn't, but we'll get there." She leads them towards the room. "You came at a good time. Mother needed another break from Regina's moody ass. My parents won't be back for another 20 minutes or so."

John felt all his blood leave his body the moment he laid eyes on Regina. She was so tiny in the large hospital bed, looking very similar to the image of her in the back of the car. This though, this is worse. She looked horrible. Her eyes were closed, but did not appear to be sleeping. There were traces of tears that look too fresh not consider they just interrupted a private moment. She had bags under her eyes and her cheeks were sunken. Her natural coloring gave way to something of a grayish hue. She looked like she was a call away from deaths door. When had this happened? How could this happen such a short amount of time? John doesn't think it was that long ago he last saw her. He shivers. He isn't sire if it's because of the chilled hospital air or the possibility that they had something to do with Regina's current state. They shouldn't be here. They shouldn't have come. John takes a step back and bumps into Tuck. He's forced to continue into the room.

Regina finally looks at them. Her eyes have dulled as if some snuffed the light out of them. He supposes someone did. She isn't pleased to see them. He suspects if she wasn't so weak, she'd throw them out herself. Instead she settles for, "The hell are you doing here?" Her voice is raspy. Sounds as if she's been screaming for the past hours. And she very well could have been.

"Your sister told us you were ill." John starts. Regina cuts her eyes to her sister. It a deathly glare. If looks could kill they'd all be a pile of ash already. Zelena, however, doesn't seem too bothered by it. She instead rolls her eyes. Though the subtle swallow gives her away. John continues. "We wanted to be see that you were ok."

Regina's hotty glare was back on him. "Well you see me. I'm just peachy. Now leave! You're not welcome here."

His heart breaks. Her rejection cuts deeper than he would have ever imagined. John hears the uncertain shuffling behind him. Will, Mulan, and Tuck have too been chosen as the new residence for burdened guilt. They were her friends. He confided in her. She confided in him. He trust her. He loves her with all of his being and he knows the others do too. She became family. To know that Regina no longer trust them. To be able to see the amount of pain and grief Robin's decisions has brought upon her sickens him. Who was he kidding? It became their decision when they agreed to go along with the story pieced together for Robin and not counter his statements. And for what their careers? Screw their careers!

"How did you end up in here?" Mulan bravely questions.

Regina in response merely turns her head away from the to indicate she is finished speaking with them. Zelena steps in for her sister. "She was hit by a car and broke two ribs. Presumably right after her run in with Robin. She has CHD, a weak heart more or less." She summarizes. "All that stress you all put her through sent her into a mental breakdown causing a chain reaction that nearly led my sister's to her death."

"You nearly died?" Mulan gasps. "We did that?"

Regina scoffs. "Don't give yourself too much credit. Robin and I did that all on our own. Should've never trusted that asshole."

"We want to make this right." John pulls himself together. He wipes a few stray teats from his face.

"Make what right?"

"This. All of it." He gestures wildly. "What can we do to help? I'm so sorry Regina. It should have never gone down like this."

Regina finally looks at them.

"The other day you asked Robin for help and were rejected." Will speaks for the first time since entering the room. "He's not the only who can help you. Let us help you. Let us make things right."

Regina weighed her opinions. She was quiet for so long. The wait was burning at him. John wanted to plead more for their case but he was too afraid that anything he might add would send in the opposite direction. So he waited.

"Fine. Whatever. I don't care anymore." She turns her head away once again. She accepts defeat so easily. It breaks his heart. He hopes they can bring a spark back into her eyes.

"Great! I have a plan." Zelena claps her hands together. "With your help." She motions to the group of them. "We will discredit Robin. Literally all we need is a video you all with Regina saying that she is Verónica Sanchez and they are one in the same."

"Does it have to be a video? I think a picture would suffice." Will questions. "No offense, but your sister isn't exactly media ready. Do your really think it a good idea to do this while she's stuck in the hospital?"

"Yes!" She snaps. "We have to be completely honest if we want any of this to work. We don't want to leave any room for questions. And we don't have a lot of time."

"I dunno about this."

"As painful as it is for me to go against Robin, I think my sister is more than worth it."

"I'm in." John steps forward. "What do I need to do?"

"No. Stop." Regina interrupts their planning. "I can't ask you to do this. Robin already fed something to the media. Those people aren't kind. I can't ask you to ruin everything you built for me. It's not worth it." She says they last sentence to her sister.

"Of course you are worth it!" Mulan shouts before anyone else can say anything. She marches up to Regina's bed and places a hand on her covered leg as she leans in close.

"Mulan please."

"Regina we want to do this. Look at you. Look at where is decisions put you. You can't look at me in the eye and tell that's okay."

"It's not." Regina mumbles.

"No, it's not. You have every right to be angry at Robin. To be angry at us. What we agreed to was a shitting thing. And we would have never done anything about it if we hadn't see you today." Mulan frowns. John hates how right she is. The thought makes his stomach turn. "It made me realize I don't want to be the person who sells her soul to make her dreams come true. I can't make my career on the bones of your suffering. I couldn't live with myself because it's wrong. And you are an amazing human being."

She made Regina cry.

Oh God, this was going to be emotional wasn't it?

Regina caves and gives her 'ok'. When Zelena received confirmation from the rest of them, she guided them into simi-natural looking positioning around Regina. It was decided that John would do most of the talking and everyone will in when it was appropriate. John didn't like that in order to free Regina of this burden, he had to villainize his best mate. Somehow doing to him what he did to Regina didn't seem like the answer. Zelena was right. They need to be transparent. They need to lay it all out there.

Zelena starts the recording.

John takes a breath. He was about to betray his best mate. He was about to end all of their careers. He meets Regina eyes. The young woman he knew as Roni. She was so worn, a shadow of the person he knew. They let her down too many times already. There couldn't be another.

He begins.

"Hello. I am John Le Nailer, but many of you may know as Little John. You must know that nothing about what I am here to do is easy.

The amazing young woman next to me is Regina Mills and for the better half of the last month, I've known her as Verónica Sanchez. Roni. I am here to tell you that Robin lied. Regina Mills is Verónica Sanchez."

"Robin did what he did for us." John is a little surprised when Mulan speaks. She has always been an eloquent speaker, yet she rarely does. "No, it doesn't make it right. But we need you to understand that by making this video we are potentially ending our careers.

Robin was presented a deal that could change to course of all of our careers. We put so much pressure on him to get it and not screw things up. In the end, when Roni, Regina" She quickly corrects. "were seen together at the beach he had to make a decision. Regina or the deal. They higher ups were treating more than just our careers. Robin did what he thought we wanted him to do."

John could see Regina shaking her head out of the corner of his eye. She was beginning to regret letting them speak up. He found it was time to take control of the flow of things again.

"If it wasn't for Zelena bringing us here to see the state we left Regina in, we would have never done challenged Robin's statement." John says. "It made us realize we don't want to be the kind of people who sells their souls to make their dreams come true. We don't want to make my career on the bones of your suffering. I couldn't live with myself because it's wrong. And Regina is such an amazing human being." He repeats Mulan's earlier words. She expressed how they all felt perfectly. It was only right the world got to hear it as well.

Regina speaks up. She isn't loud, her voice is still raspy, but her words are clear. "John isn't telling you this so that you can turn on Robin and harass him over the internet and send him death threats like you did to me. We just want all the hating to stop."

Her last sentence doesn't quite make it to anyone. She is over spoken by everyone else in the room as they voice their shock and outrage. "Death threats!" "Regina, oh my God! Why didn't you tell me?" "You've been getting death threat?!" "Who's been sending you death threats?" Even Zelena's outrage caused the camera to shake a bit.

"Guys calm down." Regina tries, but voice can barely be heard over the rest of them.

"Listen up you boneheads!" Will shot to the camera, quieting everyone in the process. "At no point is it ever ok to harass a person, another human being with death! Do you understand how serious that is? I find who you are, get my lawyers and we will charge you for-"

"Will please!"

Will stops his rambling when she grabs hold of his arm. It's a desperate grip. She is trying so hard to keep herself together. Will's face mirrors her look of agony. They were all ripping at the seams. Tuck was the first to break. His sob broke any resolve the rest of them had left. He clung on to her arm still holding on to him. John wrapped himself around both of them. He could feel Mulan clinging to his side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and brought her into the hug. He knew Tuck was somewhere nearby. "I'm so sorry."

They all rambled apologizes. After awhile it was nothing more than mumbles, but the feeling was all there. He hadn't really how ugly things had gotten for her. She wasn't trained and prepared for this kind of thing. Hell, even if came with the and building thick skin, no person should have to. John takes three deep breaths. They were for himself, but he could feel the others following suit. Will was first to break the congested hug. The hospital air broke through the warmth they created. It was chilling, sobering.

He looked to Zelena who was silently crying behind her phone. She was still recording. Of course she was. They still needed to end the video.

John cleared his throat before speaking. "We uh, we simply wanted you to know the truth. Regina is our friend and career or no career, we cannot erase her from our lives. Because we love her." He looks down at her. She's crying anew. It's clear she's trying not to, but doing a poor job of hiding it.

And with that Zelena ends the video.

"6 minutes and 41 seconds, with the crying included." Zelena announces. "You did a great job. I know it wasn't an easy choice to make."

"Well, we've always made Rob make all the big decisions. It's only right that we make this one. Though there really was no choice." Tuck gives Regina's hand a squeeze.

"It has to be posted on all of your accounts for this to work."

John feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. They now had the video. Suddenly his pocket feels very heavy. That weight spread to his chest. Something about this still left a sour taste in his mouth. This room is missing someone important. He remembers the way his best mate clung to the guest pillow yesterday. He was Destroyed by the decision he had to come to. And he did it for them, believing this is what they wanted. Robin should have the choice to set things straight as well.

"Wait." John halts them all. "Can you give me 48 hours before we send it out? I want to give Rob the opportunity to come clean first. Besides, it gives the media a chance to calm down a bit."

Unlike Regina, Robin has a platform. He words hold weight to them. After they post they video they will have less reliability, but people will at least listen to him. Regina was never given that option. Option or not, John will not blindside his mate of 12 years. He would give him an ultimatum. But at least that way he has a choice. It gives him the opportunity to do the right thing without someone doing it for him and it potentially ruining his career.

Zelena frowns, but agrees in the end.

Let me know what your thoughts about the chapter!Honestly, this chachapter was a struggle to write and I couldn't tell you why. I don't know if its any good. I really wanted to to have something for you all. I hope you enjoyed! Happy Father's day to people who have Father's that deserve it and even those who my have lost their father. (my father isn't dead, he just sucks. I really don't care for this holiday.. this holiday is for my grandpa... Mother's day is lit tho) Lol. TMI.. sorry... I'm done.

Until next time!