As soon as she poured out everything on Robin, the lighter her chest became. She's been meaning to tell him everything but she could not bring herself to do so in the past. Marian's intervention allowed her to finally do it and his reaction is completely not what she's expecting.
She expected more on the lane on how he reacted the night of the festival or at least looked at her differently afterwards but he did none of those.
He cradled her in his arms. He made her feel so safe as he mumbled his apology and love over and over again. She told him that there's no need to apologize. They both made mistake and they're both willing to make up for it.
She made a mistake by not being honest enough to Robin, by not trusting him enough with her past. It's not something she plans on doing again. As hard as it may be, she will try to be as open and honest to him from now on.
Robin is a man of honor. She knows that when she met him. He values honesty above all else so she really needs to work on that.
When she opened her eyes, it's already dark outside. After her confession, Robin has taken her to her bedroom to sober her up. He made her drink glasses of water. He made her take a shower, and he made sure she's comfortable enough to get some rest.
He must have been tired too because he quickly drifted off. It's safe to say that none of them got a good night's sleep last night.
Her breathing is labored as she once again woke up from the same nightmare. It's good thing it's not as intense as the one before because she would surely have woken Robin.
No. She already told him a lot about her past. He made his peace with it because he thinks she's a survivor. What would he think if he sees her still terrorized every time she closes her eyes at night? Would he still think the same about her?
Deciding to shoulder it on her own, she silently got out of bed hoping to get to the kitchen but as soon as she got on her feet, everything spun that she had to grab the nightstand to prevent herself from falling.
Something rose from her stomach and the next thing she knew, she's running straight to the bathroom.
It's been a while since she last poured her guts out into the toilet bowl and she did not miss it at all. She heaved and heaved until there's nothing left for her to throw up. Her eyes are stinging as her body won't stop trembling. She should not have downed that whisky but it seemed like a good idea at the time.
She rose to her feet when she's certain that she's done before flushing the toilet and washing her mouth into the sink. She thoroughly brushed her teeth, erasing any trace of that acid taste.
When she returned to her bedroom, Robin is already sitting at the edge of the bed. Any trace of sleep is gone from his eyes as he stared at her.
"I thought you were sleeping. Did I wake you?"
He extended his arm towards her and silently took it. He guided her to his side and pulled her close.
"Want to talk about it?"
"Talk about what?"
She got confused for a little bit because he just woke up.
"The dream that woke you up…" she stiffened because she did not think he was already awake by then. "I was going to hug you but you seemed lost still and I did not want to startle you, so I just waited",
She wanted to say that she is fine but she remembered that she's doing her best not to lie to him so she sucked it up and took a deep breath.
"It's nothing much really…just the same old. Those times I was back there with Graham. It just felt like it was real…they had been real, but I was stuck and I couldn't get out even though I know it's all over. That's the struggle, knowing it's not real but feeling it all the same. Then, I would wake up and I can still feel it on my skin",
She never voiced out her feelings about her nightmares before. She felt that if she did, it will make it real, that she will jinx the peace she found in this new life of hers but this is Robin.
Now, that he knows everything about her, there is no reason for her to hide things from him anymore. She does not want to. As much she dislikes the feeling of having to depend on someone, she needs him to keep her grounded.
"It's over, Regina…and I know I have no ground talking about this since I've never been there but I am here now. You can trust me to let you know if ever you get confused on what's real or not. If you ever wake up in the middle of the night feeling lost, I will be here to hold you. We'll fight your demons together and this time, I will not fail you again",
She smiled as she pressed her lips on his because she loves nothing more than to have him with her. She hates waking up alone and scared out of her mind. Having him with her makes a huge difference because she always feels safe with him.
Robin has this great idea to do an early run. He may not say it but finding her drunk in her house rattled him a little bit and now, he is taking charge of her health.
Mal may have been at fault with that one too because that woman ratted her out, telling Robin about her eating habits at work.
She wanted to remain in bed with him, just cuddle up until the sun rises but Robin insisted on getting their blood flowing by running so she yielded.
The streets of Storybrooke are quiet and they have them all to themselves which is quite nice. They even made a contest from what's supposed to be a simple exercise. That left both of them catching their breaths.
When the town started to wake, they went on and stopped by at Granny's for a cup of coffee.
She would like to have their breakfast there but Robin said he wants to cook at her house so she settled for a cup of coffee.
She also wants to see Granny again and to thank her for getting her home the night of the festival and for taking care of her.
The diner is relatively quiet given the time which is alright. It's her first time to get out of her house after the scene she caused at the Winter Festival and she's not ready yet to face the curious crowd.
"You two are up early", Granny said as soon as she saw them.
"This one here wanted to run before the sun rises so here we are. Now, I am dying for a cup of coffee", she feigned an annoyance which she knows did not work with the two.
She enjoyed the run just as much as Robin did.
"Sure you do. Do you mind being a dear and help me get these trays at the back while I make your coffee?"
Regina eyed that trays at the counter, and no, she does not mind.
"I can do it", Robin volunteered because he is Robin.
"Regina can do it, right, sweetheart?" Granny gave her a pointed look to which she almost grimaced.
She knows what the woman is up to and that is to send her out of the way so she can talk with Robin.
"I'll be right back", she said to him before taking the tray at the back kitchen.
While Regina disappeared, Granny turned to Robin with a serious look on her face. Robin knows whatever it is she's going to say, he had it coming. He acted like an asshole just like what Emma said. He deserves everything they're saying about him.
"I should be cross with you, young man", Granny started.
He lowered his head in acceptance. "I understand. I can't still forgive myself on how reacted and for saying those things to her",
"Well, I am not", he looked at her and frowned. "You made her stay. After I got her home, she is this close to packing everything up and run for the hills. She's going to leave Storybrooke and move god knows where. When she asked me to leave her house, promising not to run away, I was not convinced. I knew she's harboring that thought and it's not out of the possibility for her to do",
Robin then wondered what would happen if he did not come to her house yesterday. If he decided to wait a little longer to talk to her…would he find an empty house? Would she have done it?
"You made her stay. I think we all know that before you got here, she's living like a robot with a town full of people who didn't understand her. It will be easy for her to leave all of these behind but one thing she could not leave is you. You're the reason why she's still here", the woman added.
To be honest, he does not think he's worthy of her actions but he is honored, nonetheless.
"This man…Graham, tell me Granny. Is he going to be a problem for Regina? She told me everything. The things she said…things he did…I don't ever want him to get anywhere near her", he asked because he needs to.
It's at the back of his mind since she told him the truth. The fear he saw in her eyes, he knows that she truly believes that monster is going to come after her. He needs to make sure that's not going to happen.
"There is a restraining order against him so one wrong move and he will go straight to prison. I also talked to Emma and she'll be keeping an eye out for any strange people lurking around town. Honestly, yes, I think he's going to be a problem and since that little ex of yours had opened a Pandora's box she has no business opening, Graham will definitely find her. Like I said to Regina, she's not going to be alone this time…right?"
Granny looked at him expectantly and he understood what she's asking of him.
"You're absolutely right",
As they walked back to her house, Regina has been itching to ask him what Granny talked to him about. She's pretty certain that it's about her but she still wants to know what exactly she said to him.
"You want to ask me about Granny, don't you?" He then said.
"How did you know?" She asked because she has not said anything yet.
He smirked. "…because you're a curious one and you have that look on your face when you're in deep thoughts. It's hard to explain but I just knew it",
Is she that easy to read? She thought she mastered the art of keeping a straight face but apparently, she's wrong.
"Well, yeah. I am curious because Granny has never bossed me in her diner before so it has to be something",
"It's not bad really. I thought she's going to go off on me but she did not. She did however tell me that you were planning on leaving Storybrooke", he said.
She cringed at that because yes, she was. It's her default when it comes to Graham. She opts to run and never look back.
"I was", she admitted.
"How about now?" He asked.
She turned to him and saw him watching her carefully as they walked hand-in-hand together.
"…not anymore",
Yes, running away is not an option anymore because she wants to fight for what she has now in her life. She wants to fight for that future Robin saw for the two of them. She wants it with all fibers of her being so yes, she's not going to run away from it. She's not going to let Graham ruin her life the second time around.
"I am so happy to hear that because I look forward to cooking you breakfast every morning", he said as they entered her house.
They were so engrossed with one another that they did not see the man standing on the other side of the street watching them intently.
