For Fix-It Week - Day 1: Robin never died.
Regina, you are my future.
The words are a distant echo in her head, spinning and repeating, slower and more distorted every time as she watches the love of her life jump in front of her and take the hit from Hades's crystal. It takes both forever and no time at all for him to fall to his knees, his soul hovering, standing over his body as it drops to the floor.
He floats there for a few seconds, his essence, and it smiles at her, extends a hand to her, almost to cradle her cheek, and then it's gone, wiped away from existence in a single second, and Regina is left to stare at the corpse of the man that taught her about happiness and second chances.
Zelena seems to be battling Hades, wrestling the crystal away from him with magic, but Regina doesn't register much of it, all she feels is... anger.
She's sitting on her knees, hands fisted over her lap and fire burning through her as she stares at Robin, his sea blue eyes closed to her forever. Zelena is no match for Hades, and Regina wouldn't be, either, not if she'd kept up that ridiculous idea that she should separate herself from her darkness.
But Robin, Robin had loved her partly because of that darkness, not in spite of it. So right now, Regina Mills does not want to get rid of the Evil Queen.
Right now, she wants the Evil Queen unleashed.
Flames erupt from her clenched fists, stronger than she's ever seen before, and she can feel them, feel how they crave to leave her hands and bury themselves in Hades's chest, to burn his heart to a crisp and end him right where he stands. She embraces that feeling, holds onto it like a lifeline and lets the heat of her ire roam free.
Her hands push against the air in his direction, releasing the fireballs that barrel through the bright green of the spells Zelena is currently using to hold him off. When the fire hits him, there's a blinding flash of light, an explosion of blue flames, and then there's nothing but ash where Hades used to be.
Seems his only weakness wasn't the crystal, after all. And as Regina has learned over the years, a broken heart's desire for revenge is more powerful than anything except...
Anything except true love.
An idea occurs to her then, and could it... no. No, it hadn't worked with Daniel, she remembers that so vividly, knows that there are some things that not even true love's kiss can fix. But Robin was her soulmate, they were destined, what if... could it be?
Zelena is crouched by the ashes, lamenting that it had to get to this, crying over her dead boyfriend, but Regina... Regina is running to Robin's body, careful not to let that traitorous little seed of hope bloom to life in her chest as she kneels beside him, leaning over him and pressing her lips to his in a gentle kiss.
And just like with Daniel all those years ago, nothing happens.
She tries again, and again, and again, calling his name in between frantic Nos and Please not agains, but his body remains limp and lifeless on the floor.
"Robin, please," she begs as a sob escapes her, her voice breaking on the words.
Robin does not draw breath.
"I'm so sorry," Zelena begins to say, but Regina thrusts out a hand to stop her.
"Don't!" she shouts angrily, tears brimming her eyes. "Get out."
"But—"
"I said get out!" Regina screams, those tears finally beginning to fall, staining her cheeks. Zelena sighs, nods, and disappears, leaving her alone with Robin in the floor of her office.
One more kiss, one more attempt, she tells herself, but to no avail.
Her soulmate is dead, and it's all her fault.
Regina exhales heavily as she hoists his upper body, moving him to her lap, until his head is resting over her thighs and she can pull down the zipper of his jacket, pull off his scarf, and pull his shirt down enough to see the point where the crystal's magic made contact with his body.
She tries a healing spell, and then another, and another, but they yield no results. A last kiss for good measure. Nothing.
She keeps one hand in his hair, the other cradling his cheek, thumb rubbing over the stubble on his chin as memories of other kisses —kisses he'd gladly return every time— flood her mind, and all she can do is sit there and stare at her second chance, gone forever with no possibility of rescue, all because he dared to love her.
"I'm so sorry," she chokes out, her voice no more than a scratchy whisper as she bends her head to him, her forehead resting over his heart, right where the crystal hit, tears falling freely.
She misses the moment where those tears make contact with the magical wound in his chest, misses the first little spark that erupts from the action, but as more and more sparks come to life, the light blue glow of them catches her attention. She thinks it's a threat, another monster come to take yet another piece of her, but it isn't. It's... well, it's a miracle, it seems.
The pallor of Robin's skin starts to disappear, warmth returning to his body gradually, until his face is flush with life, and his eyes start to flutter as he seeks out her hand with his cheek, leaning into her touch with a raspy "Regina."
"Robin?" she gasps, and then feels his hand move heavily to touch hers on his face, thumb caressing her wrist as he opens his tired eyes more fully and smiles up at her.
She laughs, a wet chuckle that shatters the reverent atmosphere of the room. He's here, she's brought him back... but how?
Those blue sparks are still flying about, floating over Robin's chest and settling in it as they swirl. There are tears still clinging to her eyes, and she lets them fall, watches as they weave and embed themselves in Robin, bringing him back to her with the magic of her sorrow.
"I don't understand," Regina muses, sniffling a little as she stares curiously at the blue twinkling lights around them. She remembers crying over Daniel, too, but this didn't happen then, this is... new. "How is this possible?"
"Does it matter?" Robin asks, that heavy hand shakily rising to rest on the side of her face. He lets his thumb rub over the apple of her cheek while the rest of his fingers settle in her hair, and Regina sighs, almost purrs at just how good it feels to have him again after thinking him lost forever. His grip is feeble, but she's grown accustomed to his touch, to knowing what he wants from a simple little scratch of his fingers against her head.
She bends back down then, complying with his unspoken request, and her eyes close as her forehead falls onto his, noses brushing as they breathe in a moment of quiet.
"The only thing that matters is you're here with me now," Regina whispers, thinking of a dream she had what feels like forever ago. And then she kisses him, delighting in the way his lips press softly back against hers when just minutes ago they'd been cold and unresponsive. It's bliss, feeling him return her attentions, feeling his hand scratching lightly at her scalp, his breath washing warm over her cheek...
"But don't ever," she starts, punctuating the word with a fervent kiss before she orders, "do that to me again."
He gives her a little laugh, and his joking "Wouldn't dream of it" is weak, faded, but it's enough for now. Because for some reason, the universe has finally decided to give them a break.
He's alive.