Chapter 5: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

"Wow, Regina, you have a really big house!" Roland stood in her foyer, his brown eyes wide as he looked around him. He craned his neck as he tried to look up the main staircase, but since it curled upwards, he was unable to do so and nearly fell backwards. Roland caught himself but still looked awestruck.

Regina chuckled as she hung up his coat as well as his father's. "Yes, I do. Do you like it?"

He nodded, now looking into her dining room with his mouth slightly open. Robin grinned at his son's expression as he handed a giftbag to Regina. "I was taught to never show up without bringing something."

"That's sweet but you didn't have to," she said, opening the bag to find cupcakes inside. "But I'm glad you brought dessert. Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said, giving her a quick kiss. He then pulled away, looking upstairs. "Is Henry here?"

She nodded, holding the bag out to him again. "You can put this in the kitchen while I go get him. It's just through the dining room. You can't miss it."

"Sure," Robin said, reaching out for his son's hand. "Come on, Roland."

Roland, though, shook his head. "Can I go with Regina to get Henry? Please?"

"I think that would be a great idea," Regina said, hoping Henry would be more willing to come down if he knew Robin and Roland were there.

"Alright," Robin replied as his son cheered. Roland took Regina's hand and they headed upstairs to Henry's room. He looked around as they made their way to the second floor and seemed to admire some of the stain glass windows in the stairwell.

She hung back as they approached Henry's bedroom and motioned to the door. "Go ahead, Roland. Why don't you knock?"

"Okay," he said, bouncing as he knocked on the door. "Hi, Henry! It's me, Roland!"

Regina held her breath until her son's door opened a few seconds later. Henry peeked out and Roland's smile widened. "Papa and I are having dinner with you and your mama! Come join us!"

Henry stepped out of the room and took Roland's hand before looking at his mother. "What are we having?" he asked.

"Chicken cutlets, rice and mixed vegetables," she said, relieved to see him in a relatively good mood. "And Robin brought cupcakes for dessert."

"Sounds good," Henry said, letting Roland pull him toward the stairs. Regina followed, hoping this meant they were in for a good night.

She could use one of those right now.

They made it back to the first floor and Regina motioned to the living room. "Why don't you go play with Roland in there while Robin and I make dinner?" she suggested.

"Okay, Mom," Henry said, now tugging on Roland's hand. "Come on. Let's go find a game to play."

As they entered the living room, she walked into the kitchen. Robin looked up from the counter with an anxious look in his eyes. "Well?"

"So far so good," she said. "He's in the living room entertaining Roland and seems to be in a good mood."

Relief filled Robin's eyes. "Good. So, where do you want to begin?"

"You don't have to help me make dinner," she told him, pulling out a few ingredients from the cabinets.

He moved behind her, gently gripping her hips as she felt his lips near her ear. "I know. I want to help you, Regina."

The feel of his lips and his hot breath hitting the back of her neck made her shiver. She leaned against him, smiling. "Alright. Why don't you start the rice for me, please?"

"Will do," he told her, kissing the side of her head before moving away again. He then glanced at her. "You look beautiful but if you want to change into something more comfortable, I'm fine here."

She looked down at her dress and considered his offer. Part of her wanted to keep the dress on to impress him but the other half was dying to get out of her stockings. Her mother's warnings about always looking her best – especially for men – flashed in her mind, conflicting her even more.

Robin frowned, looking at her. "Is something wrong? You don't have to change if you don't want to. I just don't want you to be uncomfortable on my account."

"I…I…" She found herself unable to finish her thought, her mind going in too many directions at once. Regina looked him over – he wore a simple blue Henley paired with dark blue jeans. It was casual and felt perfect for that moment.

And she knew that Robin would think she was perfect dressed just as casually as he was. He wasn't with her because of her fancy clothes, jewelry and makeup. Robin wanted her for just herself.

It was refreshing and freeing.

"I think I will," she said, kissing his cheek. "Can you also start cutting up the vegetables for me please?"

"Of course," he told her. "I've got everything under control. Go."

She left the kitchen and peeked into the living room. Roland and Henry sat on the floor, playing a card game together. It made her smile and she headed upstairs, feeling happier than she had felt in a long time.

Maybe the curse made her happy ending ongoing and there was even more coming for her – including a reconciliation with Henry. She just needed to be patient and protect the curse from being broken by Emma Swan.

"I think we're almost ready," Regina said, checking the chicken. "Do you want to get the boys?"

Robin nodded, moving past her. "Sure. I'll make sure they wash their hands and then come in here."

She thanked him, watching as he left the kitchen. A few moments later, she heard him talking to the boys and she moved toward the table to make sure it was ready for them. Everything looked fine and she waited for the others to join her.

Henry entered the kitchen first and she smiled. "What do you want to drink, sweetheart?" he asked.

"I'll just have water, please," he said, taking his chair at the table as Roland bounded into the room with his father following.

She crouched to look him in the eyes. "And what do you want drink?"

"Do you have apple juice?" he asked sweetly.

"I do," she told him, sending him to sit at the table as she stood up straight to look at Robin. "And you?"

He smiled. "I'll have whatever you're having."

She nodded, pouring everyone's drinks and placing them on the table. With Robin's help, dinner was soon on the table as well and they took their seats. Regina motioned to the dishes. "Enjoy," she said.

Once everyone had taken their food, Robin turned to Henry. "So, how was school?" he asked.

Henry shrugged. "It was okay."

"Anything interesting happen today?" he asked, finding himself against the same wall as Regina.

"Not really," Henry replied. "Every day is kinda the same, you know?"

While Regina froze, recognizing his dig at her curse, Robin just shrugged. "I guess it could feel that way."

"I had the best day at school," Roland said. "We had a surprise guest – a sheep!"

"A lamb?" Regina asked, surprised. "Where did he come from?"

Bouncing in his chair now, Roland happily answered: "A farm! And the farmer said he may come back with more animals to show us when the weather gets nicer!"

"Did he say which kind?" she asked, drawn in by his excitement.

He nodded. "Lambs and chicks and piggies!"

"Oh my!" Regina and Robin said in unison. Their eyes met and they smiled at each other, finding the moment amusing.

Robin then turned to his son. "It sounds like you have an exciting day in your future, my boy."

"Do you get to see animals in your school?" Roland asked Henry.

"Just birds," he replied. "My teacher really loves them."

Regina hid her snigger behind her napkin. It seemed that while the curse had wiped Snow White's memories, there were certain things it couldn't erase – and that included the younger woman's love of birds.

"Chicks are birds," Roland pointed out. "Does she bring in chicks for you to study?"

"Um, no," Henry replied. "She prefers bluebirds."

Robin chuckled. "Who knew birds were so popular in Storybrooke?"

"Do you like birds, Regina?" Roland asked her.

"I prefer horses," she said, sipping her water.

That seemed to be the wrong answer as Henry narrowed his eyes. But Robin seemed intrigued. "Do you ride?" he asked.

"I used to," she admitted wistfully, remembering all the hours she spent flying across the fields by her father's manor house on Rocinante. "I haven't in a long, long time."

Roland frowned. "Why?"

She debated on how to answer that, keeping in mind how young he was and not wanting to upset him. While he no doubt had some concept of death since his mother was gone, she still wanted to be sensitive. Finally, she said: "It reminds me of some people I love and miss very much so it makes me sad now rather than happy."

"Oh," he said, nodding. "I don't want you to be sad."

"Thank you, sweetheart," she replied, running her hand over his curls. She then pointed to his half-eaten dinner. "Why don't you continue eating, okay?"

He nodded, turning back to his meal. She sat back and looked at Robin, who was watching her with a soft smile on his face. Taking a sip of her water, she then asked: "So what's your favorite animal, Robin?"

"Lions," he replied. "They remind me of my favorite football team."

"Mine are monkeys!" Roland declared before taking another bite of his chicken.

Robin and Regina chuckled before he turned to Henry. "What about you, Henry? What's your favorite animal?"

Henry's eyes widened before he shrugged. "I guess dogs. I love getting to pet and play with Dr. Hopper's dog, Pongo."

"Pongo is a very good dog," Robin agreed. "I bet you've tried to convince your mum to adopt a dog, haven't you?"

"He used to when he was little," Regina said, recalling all the times little Henry had tried to talk her into getting a dog. She wasn't sure when he stopped asking her but she now wished he still did.

Henry shrugged. "Mom was right – we don't have much time to dedicate to a dog right now. We're not home and it wouldn't be fair to the dog."

"That's very mature of you to realize," Robin praised him. "I'm sure one day, when you're ready, you'll have a dog of your own."

"Or maybe my real mom will get me one," Henry said, sipping his juice as Regina felt he had slapped her. They had been having a lovely conversation and he had to bring that up – it was as if he was determined to hurt Regina as much as possible and she wished she knew why.

She frowned. "I'm your real mom, Henry."

"Emma's my mom," he snapped. "Not you."

Acutely aware that Robin and Roland were also sitting there watching this, Regina did not want to rehash this argument in front of them. "We'll talk about this later. Right now, we have guests," she said through gritted teeth.

He slammed his fork down onto his plate and pushed his chair back. Standing up, he glared at her. "You care about what everyone else thinks but never about what I think! I hate you!"

"Henry!" Regina exclaimed, her heart breaking at his words while also surprised at his outburst. He had never acted like that before.

She stood as well just as he ran out of the kitchen. Regina gave chase, hearing his feet pound on the stairs as he raced to his room. Grabbing onto the banister, she called after him: "Henry Daniel, you come back here now!"

A slammed door gave her his response.

Regina crumpled against the banister, closing her eyes as she fought back tears. She had ripped many hearts from people's chest but only now truly understood the pain it caused. Or maybe her pain was even greater – she knew once the heart was out of the chest, all the senses were dulled. But she had to feel this pain so acutely, she almost believed it would kill her.

Strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her toward a warm, solid body. The smell of pine enveloped her and she knew that it was Robin holding her. Part of Regina was mortified that she had abandoned her guests and that one had to comfort her but it was overruled by the part that needed the comfort he was giving her. He held her close, rubbing her back as he assured it was okay to cry.

His reassurance seemed to give her body permission and she started to sob into his chest. She clutched onto his shirt, using it to steady herself as her body shook and tears poured down her face. It had been years since Regina had let herself breakdown like that in front of anyone – and even then it had been her own father. But there was something about Robin that made her feel safe and secure, something that allowed her to be vulnerable around him and trust him not to use it against her.

Was it because he was her soulmate or was it because of the strong bond they had been building so far?

Maybe it was both.

She felt Robin ease them down onto the stairs so that they were both sitting. He continued to hold her, rocking her now as he pressed kisses into her hair. Over and over, he kept whispering the same thing.

"It's gonna be alright."

And though it felt as if her chest was on fire and her heart was being torn to little bits, a part of her believed him.

Eventually, her tears dried and her sobs subsided. She sat there with Robin, letting him comfort her as she tried to get her breathing under control again. Her entire body felt heavy and a fog filled her mind. All she wanted to do was go lie down and sleep for several days.

"Papa? Is Regina alright?" she heard Roland ask, reminding her that she did have guests and that she was being a very poor hostess.

She started to lift her head to assure Roland she was fine but Robin spoke first. "Henry said something that hurt Regina's feelings. I think she needs a hug to help her feel better," he said.

"Will a hug help, Regina?" Roland asked her, looking up at her with concern in his big brown eyes.

Melting under his earnest gaze, she held out her arms. "A hug will definitely help. Thank you."

He climbed into her lap and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a big hug. She held onto him, closing her eyes as she felt the warmth of his little body and the tickle of his curls against her cheek. It felt wonderful and for a few moments, she almost felt worthy of love again.

But how long would it last?

Roland pulled back, smiling at her. "Do you feel better, Regina?"

"I do," she said, kissing his cheek. "Thank you so much."

"Why don't you go back to the table and finish your dinner?" Robin suggested, setting his son back down on his feet. Roland nodded, running back toward the kitchen.

Robin then turned to Regina, taking her hand in his. "Are you okay?"

"No," she admitted, leaning against him. "And I'm sorry. You were expecting a nice dinner and instead…this happened."

He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "You have nothing to apologize for. Not to me."

She rested her head on his shoulder. "I just don't know what to do."

"I know," he replied. "Have you tried therapy?"

"Henry sees Archie weekly," Regina told him. "He's been in therapy for several months now, ever since he discovered he was adopted."

Robin nodded. "That's good. But what about for yourself?"

She frowned, lifting her head to look at him again. "Me? Why?"

"Because it's clearly affecting you," he said, brushing some stray tears from her cheek. "And we all need to talk to someone every now and then."

"I'm talking to you," she pointed out. And that was more than she had ever done in the past.

He smiled, nodding. "And that's a start. You also need to talk to someone with a degree."

She frowned. Archie didn't really have a degree – he got his job and knowledge from the curse. But she knew he was better than nothing – especially as nothing was clearly not working for her.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt," she said slowly.

"That's…a start," he replied, giving her another squeeze. "I know how hard it can be to open up to someone else about what you're feeling but trust me when I say it will help."

He spoke like someone who had experience and she tilted her head. "Do you see Dr. Hopper?"

"Sometimes," he said. "I saw him after I lost Marian. I wasn't coping as well as I thought I was and, well, long story short, it was either therapy or unemployment. I chose therapy."

"Good choice," she replied, wondering what exactly happened after he lost his wife. Or rather, what her curse made him think happened.

He nodded, lacing his fingers with hers. "And now I'm asking you to make the same good choice. For both you and Henry."

She glanced upstairs and sighed, knowing she would do anything for her son. Even be vulnerable to a man who had previously been a cricket. So Regina nodded. "Alright. I'll call Archie in the morning."

"Sounds good," he said, kissing her forehead again. "I promise, everything will work out. You'll see."

He then stood, giving her hand a tug. "Come on. I think you deserve dessert."

She laughed, letting him help her to her feet. Regina glanced at the kitchen. "I think Roland definitely deserves dessert for being so patient."

"I'm impressed with how patient he's being honestly," Robin admitted. "He must really like you. You seem to have an effect on us Locksley men."

Regina's cheeks heated up. "Well, I guess it's only fair since they seem to have an effect on me."

He smiled, cupping her cheek before kissing her. Regina relished the kiss before he pulled back, looking upstairs. "What about Henry?" he asked.

"I don't want to reward bad behavior," she replied, knowing she couldn't cave just because she wanted him to like him. She then also acknowledged another truth. "And he probably wouldn't come down anyway."

"Both excellent points," Robin said, pressing his hand against her back. "Come on. Let's enjoy our dessert."

They returned to the dining room and Regina went to get dessert. She kept glancing at the stairs, hoping Henry would come down. But he never appeared and she stuck to her decision not to call him down. Instead, she carried the dessert over to the table and enjoyed it with Robin and Roland. The younger boy started to talk happily again, lifting her spirits once more. For a little while, she forgot all about her worries.

"I am glad you called me, Regina," Archie said, closing the door to his office. He motioned to his couch. "Please, have a seat."

She tucked her skirt under her as she sat down on the edge, ready to bolt if she needed to. Regina watched as Archie sat in an armchair across from her, a pad and pen in his hand. He motioned to it. "I'm going to take some notes that will only ever be for my eyes, okay?"

"Okay," she said, a little uncertain about that but deciding to trust him for now. "So, where do we begin?"

"Wherever you want," he replied, rather unhelpfully.

She frowned. "I don't know then."

He nodded. "Fair enough. You mentioned on the phone that this has to do with your relationship with Henry. Care to elaborate?"

"I guess that would help," she said, feeling like that was a safe place to start. "He's just shutting me out. I know finding out he was adopted was hard on him and he's been acting out since."

"I can't reveal too much about his sessions," Archie reminded her. "But yes, it's like his whole world was shattered."

Her heart broke as she heard that and a lump formed in her throat. "Did I fuck it all up? Should I have told him about his adoption earlier?"

"That's something a lot of parents who adopt wrestle with," he replied. "Do you tell them right away? Wait until they are older? Never tell them? Each family has to choose what is right for them."

"Did I make the right choice?" she asked, worried that one of the very first decisions she had made as Henry's mother had ultimately hurt him.

Archie wrote something down before asking: "Were you ever going to tell him?"

"I honestly don't know," she admitted, thinking it over. "I guess part of me always figured I would have to tell him one day but I never set a firm deadline, like when he was thirteen or when he was eighteen. But I guess I would've told him before he turned eighteen."

Panic swept over her when Archie didn't respond right away and she bit her lip before asking: "Was that the wrong answer?"

"There are no wrong answers here," Archie told her.

"I'm sure there are some wrong answers," she replied, annoyed by that. "And I have a feeling you're just trying not to tell me I made a wrong choice."

He shook his head. "I am not, Regina. I promise you."

Regina frowned. "Then why won't you answer my question?"

"Because it's not my job to answer questions," he replied. "That's for you to do. So do you think you made the wrong decision?"

"I don't know," Regina said, trying not to cry from frustration and guilt. "I just know my son hates me and I'm pretty sure it's my fault though I can't figure out why and I just want to know so I can figure out if I've lost him forever!"

Her voice cracked and she pressed her hand to her mouth, surprised she had let all of that out. Regina had promised herself that she would stay rational and calm while meeting with Dr. Hopper. That hadn't even lasted five minutes.

What was wrong with her?

"Here, Regina," Archie said, handing over a box of tissues. "I'll give you a minute."

She took the tissues and dabbed her eyes, trying to get her emotions back under control. Looking up at a sympathetic Archie, she decided she had made a fool of herself already so she was going to go whole all out.

"Can you just answer my question?" she asked, knowing and hating how desperate she sounded. "Please?"

"Okay," he said, nodding. "Do I think you made the wrong decision? No, I don't. But I don't think you did yourself any favors with not having a clear plan on when and how to reveal to Henry he was adopted."

Though it felt like a punch to her gut to hear she did something wrong as Henry's mother, she found she appreciated Archie's honesty – grasshopper or not. "I probably should've been more proactive with that," she agreed.

He nodded again before hesitating. "I can't tell you what exactly Henry has said in his sessions but I can tell you that his anger is more about how he found out."

"I never wanted him to find out that way," she agreed, still wondering how his adoption paperwork ended up in his hands when she swore it was locked up in a filing cabinet at her office.

She had no idea what it was doing in her closet of all places and started to suspect there were stronger forces at work. And that scared her even more – did it mean she no longer had control over Storybrooke? Had the curse taken on a life of its own and she was now subject to it as well?

Regina wished she could talk about it with someone but the only possible person was Rumple – and Hell would have to freeze over before she talked with him. If she tried to talk about it with Archie, he would no doubt commit her and Emma Swan could swoop in to steal Henry from her.

And she would never let that happen.

"Of course not," Archie said, kindness and compassion in his tone. He was good at being a soothing councilor, she had to admit.

Maybe that annoying blue gnat was onto something when she made him an official conscious or whatever bullshit title she had bestowed on him.

"How do you think you handled the revelation?" he asked her.

"Not well," she said, knowing there was no point in hiding the truth. "You're right. I never prepared for the adoption conversation and when I was caught off-guard, I didn't know how to respond and I…"

She paused, swallowing as she knew she was about to make a painful admission. "I always try to be ready in my role as mayor and my role as mother. I always pride myself on remaining cool, calm and collected no matter what is thrown my way. But in that moment, I panicked. I lost control."

"It sounds like control is important to you," he said, writing something down. "That's very common in people who maybe didn't have a lot of stability growing up."

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, wondering what he was trying to imply about her childhood.

He paused for a moment before asking: "Why don't we talk about your childhood?"

"Is that necessary?" Regina asked, bristling. "We're here to help fix my relationship with my son."

"There's no one-size-fits-all answer to that question. We're also not going to sit here and solve everything in one session," Archie told her. "If you want answers and solutions, we need to find the real root of the problem."

She pressed her lips together. Regina had figured it would take some time to fix her relationship with Henry but she wasn't sure if she wanted to open up about her own personal defects to this cricket to do so.

Love is weakness, her mother's voice echoed around her head. This cricket is on Emma's side and wants you to reveal your vulnerabilities so she can defeat you. Don't let her win.

"I don't think this is going to work," Regina said, standing up. "I apologize for wasting your time."

Dr. Hopper stood as well and she expected him to block her, to force her to sit back down so he could convince her to continue. Instead, he just stood there with an understanding look in his eyes. "You didn't waste anything. This is a hard journey, Regina, and not everyone even takes the first step. You did and you should be proud. Take the time you need and remember that my door is always open when you're ready to continue."

Regina held her head high as she grabbed her things. "That won't be necessary. Good day."

She hurried from his office, heading down the stairs before he could stop her – even though it didn't seem he was going to keep her against her will. Regina left the building, hoping no one saw her. Looking around and finding no one else there, she still walked briskly to her car. The sooner she put distance between herself and Dr. Hopper's office, the better.

Approaching her car, she unlocked it and quickly jumped into the driver's seat. She set her purse on the passenger seat before gripping her steering wheel. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly as she waited for the panic to recede.

BZZT! BZZT! BZZT!

Regina jumped, her heart racing. She glanced over at her purse, hearing her phone continue to vibrate inside. Taking a deep breath, she reached in and pulled it out, answering it. "Hello?"

"Hello, dearie," Rumple said, his voice low and dangerous. "Your office said you were at a meeting but I had a feeling you would pick up for me."

She cursed herself for not checking the caller ID. "I didn't know it was you," she told him. "Or you'd be talking to my voicemail right now."

"Is that anyway to talk to an old friend?" he asked her, almost taunting her.

"You have a very funny way of defining friend," she countered. "Anyway, I'm busy. What do you want?"

He lowered his voice as he said: "We have a problem."

She frowned. "We? And what kind of 'problem,' exactly?"

"Well, I guess it's more your problem but it affects me too," he said. "And the problem's name is Emma Swan."

"And what exactly do you have against Ms. Swan?" Regina asked, growing more suspicious by the minute.

He paused for a moment before saying: "Well, I guess the same thing you do – her sole purpose here is to break the curse. And we can't allow that."

"We?" she asked. "I didn't know you had such a vested interest in my curse."

"I'm the one who told you about it in the first place. Did you think I did that out of the kindness in my heart?" he asked her.

She sighed, knowing the answer to that question. And so she asked one of her own. "So why do you want the curse to continue?"

"For reasons I would rather keep to myself," he said. "But just know we have the same goal. Get rid of Ms. Swan."

"And how do you propose to do that?" she asked, intrigued but not sure she wanted to get caught up in one of his schemes again.

It never ended well for her.

"I'd rather discuss this in person," he said. "Can you meet me by the new playground?"

She glanced at the time, knowing she had at least a half hour before she had to be back in the office. And though her gut told her this was a dangerous decision, she agreed. "I'll be there in ten minutes," she told him.

Regina hung up the phone and placed it back in her bag. She started the car and pulled away, her stomach twisting in knots as she wondered what Rumple was going to drag into her now.

She parked her car by the new playground site and approached Gold, who stood there as he leaned against his walking stick. Regina stopped a few feet away, not sure she wanted to get any closer. "What do you want?" she asked.

"Why are you standing over there?" he asked. "Afraid I'll bite?"

"One never knows with you," she replied, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

He chuckled, more amused than insulted. "Aren't you going to ask how I got my memory back?"

She shook her head. "It's you. You always have your ways. I suppose some sort of failsafe."

"Very good," he replied, smiling. "You were always clever."

"Not clever enough since I'm here," she told him. "Are you going to tell me why I'm here or are you going to stand there saying riddles all day?"

His smile dropped a bit. "Always impatient. You'd think you would've learned some by now."

"I've learned to be patient with those who deserve it. You don't," she told him. "So let's have it."

"Fine," he said. "I have an idea how to get rid of Emma Swan."

She waited a few moments before sighing exasperatedly. "Good lord, Gold, do I have to drag it out of you?"

"I'm sure you've noticed that Ms. Swan is a bit jaded when it comes to life," he said. "She's certainly hasn't had the best upbringing."

"No, she hasn't," Regina agreed, wondering where he was going with this. The last time she tried to use Emma's background against her, it blew up in Regina's face and she was not going to make the same mistake twice.

He nodded. "And she doesn't stay in any particular place for a long time."

"Except Tallahassee," she replied, recalling the report she still had tucked in a desk drawer. She wondered what it was about the city that had attracted Emma.

"I bet there was someone there who Emma connected with," he said. "Someone who should stayed there for."

She nodded, before frowning. "Her main connection to Storybrooke is Henry. And I will not involve him in any of your schemes."

"Well, my plan would also get rid of another one of your problems," he said. "Snow White."

That intrigued her and Regina stepped a little bit closer. "How?"

He smirked. "I knew you wouldn't resist working with me."

"I haven't agreed to anything yet," she replied. "I just want to hear more."

"Well, that's a start. I think you're really going to like my plan though," he said. He motioned to his car. "Why don't we go someplace a bit more private?"

She hesitated, not sure she wanted to be in a confined space with him, but finally nodded. He walked toward the car and she followed, hoping she wasn't about to make the biggest mistake of her life.

A/N: Uh oh. It seems like a little devil is climbing onto Regina's shoulder to counter Robin's angel. Who will win this battle?

And how will it affect Regina's relationships?

Find out soon!

See you next week!

-Mac