Regina Mills has always had her life controlled by someone. By her mother, her husband, her step-daughter, and even her own son. Imagine her surprise when someone finally liked her for her.

Robin Hood was kind, cute, smart, and loyal. Everything one could want in a man. And it didn't hurt that he had an adorable four year old as well. It wasn't hard for the former queen to fall for him. Of course once the missing year was solved and she regained her memories, she remembered all the times he wasn't kind, smart, or loyal. However, he promised her that he'd change. That's something she loved. Someone changing for her and not the other way around. So she believed him, but over time she ended up being the one slowly folding into herself.

So that brings us here.

"Come on, Gina, just one bite." Ruby pleaded.

"No thank you, Red. I'm going to stick with my salad." The brunette smiled back politely.

"Why, though, you were grinding down on this same type of cupcake just last week." With a frown she then said, "Talk to me babes."

"I...Robin thinks I should lose some weight..."Regina ducked her head at the almost silent confession, "I mean it's fine. He's right, I've gotten pretty lax on my diet."

"No, he's not. Gina you're beautiful. Don't change yourself just because some dick says to." Ruby scoffed.

"He's not a dick. He's just concerned." The former queen rationalized.

"He's an asshole." The wolf huffed and crossed her arms.

Over the past few months Regina and Ruby had gotten much closer. It all started one day when Ruby showed up at her doorstop thanking her for the dark curse. It had allowed her to life her life, while different than what she'd have chosen, free from regret and pain. However, unexpected her thanks did not go unappreciated. The two hung out more often at Granny's, The Rabbit Hole, and a lot in the woods (curtsy of Robin Hood refusing to buy a house or get a real job.) Regina had also learned a few spells to make Red's transition from human to wolf and back, a bit easier. With all of that, the two women had bonded pretty close.

"Who's an asshole?" Emma asked as she sat down at the stool next to the mother of her son.

"Robin."

"No one."

Both answers were said at once making the area a tad bit tense.

"Naw, I'm with Ruby on this. You're usually so confident and I don't know...just...more Regina Fucking Mills. And since he came around you've been more Regina Maybe Mills." The blonde shrugged, swiping a bit of icing off the brunette's cupcake.

"Really?" The current mayor asked, looking back and forth between the nodding women, "Huh."

"Personally, I think you should break up with him." Emma says drawing the attention of both women, "What, he treats you like shit. Treats your friends like shit. And he literally smells like shit. I mean seriously, I get that he lived in the woods in the EF, but this is Storybrooke. And I know for a fact that you smell it too."

After hearing this the young wolf bursts into a fit of laughter, "It's funny...cause sh-she's...right!"

"Oh shut up, mutt." Regina rolls her eyes with a sneer.

"Ah, there's the Gina we all know and love." The town's sheriff nudges the brunette with her shoulder.

"Oh, so you love me?" The current mayor asks with a suggestive eyebrow lift.

"I- uh...I mean...shut up. You know what I meant!" Emma stumbles over her words making Ruby and Regina laugh harder.

It was no secret to the sheriff that they had unresolved feelings towards one another, but the timing never seemed to be right so it was never persuaded. For the most part they ignore the tension, leading flirty conversations here and there, few innocent kisses. Nothing ever over the edge. And since the blonde dumped her pirate lackey, she's been getting closer and closer with Regina. However, Regina seemed to think their relationship was purely platonic or she simply ignored her feelings, both options were possible. Still, that didn't stop her from teasing the other woman from time to time.

Gathering herself to keep the joke going, Regina trails a finger all the way up her arm, through her chest, then lifts her chin to make eye contact. Emma easily forgot the joke, too distracted by the brunettes lingering finger trail. The current mayor learns in close, "Em-ma, you're..." Emma looks up at the former queen's eyes, "...such a dope."

"A DOPE!" The young wolf then falls off her stool laughing.

"And you're a tease." Emma huffs and folds her arms in front of her chest, looking similar to a pouting toddler. Taking pity on the blonde, Regina turns Emma's head and gives her a chaste kiss on the lips.

It is in that moment that Robin chooses to enter the diner. Surveying the scene in front of him, Ruby still on the floor (no longer laughing) and his girlfriend in a lip lock with the town's sheriff.

"What the bloody hell is this!" Robin's voice booms through the room, making the other patrons of the diner look at the scene (those who weren't looking already.)

"Robin calm down it was just a joke..." Ruby started as she lifted herself off the floor, already annoyed by his presence.

"Joke my arse. Regina we're leaving." Without further conversation, Robin grabbed Regina by the arm and pulled her out of the diner.

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

As soon as they stepped out the diner, Regina pulled her arm from his hold and teleported them both back to the mansion.

"Robin what the hell!" Regina was livid. How dare he treat her as such. She was a queen not a rag doll, "It was a fucking joke."

"As is this relationship to you. Imagine how I feel walking into the diner to see my girlfriend and her buddy going at it like rabbits!" Aggravated at the situation Robin slammed his fist into a nearby wall, cracking it's interior, "May this- us, really means nothing to you. Maybe we should just stop while we're ahead."

"We weren't-" Regina started until she cut herself off, "Robin you mean everything to me, please, I didn't mean anything by that kiss. I was just joking, I swear."

One of the things the woman feared so much was being alone again, sure she had Henry and the Charmings, but romantically she was alone. There was no one to hold her at night when she had a nightmare. No one to cuddle with while watching movies. No one to satisfy her sexual urges. After being alone so long she was afraid that if she dated someone that they would leave her. But Robin had promised her, she trusted him, put her heart in his hands LITERALLY. So when he started to talk about breaking up she was ready to do just about anything to make him stay.

"I don't want you around those two anymore. They're trying to break us apart, can't you see that? That slut, Swan, wants you all to herself and then she'll drop you like everyone else." The archer walks up to her and roughly squeezes her arms, "They don't care about you Regina, why can't you see that."

"N-no, Robin they do care. The-they're my friends, my family." Regina's resolve withered quickly.

"No, Roland and I are your family. They just want to bed you and leave you. I'd never do that." The larger man pulls the woman to sit in the living room and kneels before her, "You know I'm only trying to protect you. They're bad news."

"I-I know." The brunette lets the man pull her into a restricting hug.

"So you won't see them again, yes?"

All her life Regina Mills has been controlled by someone. By her mother, her husband, her step-daughter, and even her own son. She's always been a sheep in wolf's skin. Tough on the outside, but show her tiniest bit of affection and she'll do whatever you say. She's always felt weak, even in her strongest and most brave moments. No matter how old she got, things seemed to repeat for her. But she could never see it until it was too late.

Tears sliding down her face, "No...I-I won't."