So, hey, took a mini-hiatus from KH to write a few mini ficlets that you can find on my tumblr, I also started yet another fic with an assassin AU idea that would not leave me alone under any circumstances, so I've been pretty busy. But I have a lot of free time on my hands now so hopefully I can write with a bit more regularity.

I want to thank everyone who took the time to leave me a nice note of praise or encouragement after the last chapter, it helped boost me no end :)

As it was Knocking Hips' 1 year anniversary on the 20th May, I posted a little oneshot for this verse before Chapter 1 was set, called 'Royally Drunk', if you haven't read that yet you're welcome to do so (though it's not necessary to understand any plot) :)

So, without further ado; tadaa…

It lasted two days.

The peace and quiet that Robin had hoped for? Merely 48 hours later and it was in tatters.

He had gone to find Regina, to confess that yes, he stole the last slice of the chocolate cake and no, he was not sorry. He had thought she'd be slightly irritated – call him a 'thief' as she pretended to be much angrier than she was until she broke and laughed at him – and then when he would offer to make it up to her through very salacious means, it would all be forgotten and they'd lose themselves in each other for an hour or two.

No such luck.

He'd checked her room first – it was only a small detour from the route to the library, dining hall, council chamber and anywhere else she might be – but there was no sign of her.

He was about half way to the library when he heard the news from passers-by; Zelena had returned.

His heart leapt into his throat, his mind flickering to images of Regina broken and lifeless from the last time that witch had decided to make her presence known. If Zelena had harmed a hair on Regina's head Robin internally swore he would personally hunt her down and repeat the injuries tenfold back to her.

The once leisurely journey to find Regina turned incredibly hasty.

Not wanting to waste time stopping at places that she may not even be, Robin asked those he passed if they knew where the Queen was. He gained a few strange looks and a couple of dismissive scoffs, until one of the royal knights mentioned the last time he saw her was in the general council chamber.

When he arrived it was to the Queen, Prince and Princess deep in conversation, all of them clearly on edge. Nevertheless, despite the obvious turmoil, Robin couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of Regina arguing with the Charmings and looking perfectly intact, disregarding the frown scrunching her beautiful features.

"Regina…" he breathed, and her glare switched from the Charmings to him.

"What do you want?" she asked, her voice distant and devoid of the warmth he had recently gotten used to.

"I…" he started, tampering down the slight annoyance threatening to seep into his voice at the cold welcome, "I just wanted to make sure you were ok. I heard Zelena returned."

"She did. I'm fine," the Queen declared, then turned back to Snow and Charming, pointing at some aged papers on the table and talking about ancient magic.

Robin stood there, feeling a little affronted at the lack of anything Regina was showing him, when only yesterday she had joined him and Roland to have a slice of their cake, had puffed out her cheeks to mock him when he had tried to eat a mouthful that was too large to chew comfortably.

Mind, it wasn't as if the Prince and Princess were any better; their attention was on Regina in a way he had never seen before, their eyes wide and serious as they tried to understand every little detail the Queen was saying. Completely oblivious to their surroundings.

It wasn't a few moments later before Robin started to feel a little uncomfortable, and the feeling only worsened when Regina looked back at him and asked; "Are you just going to stand there?"

"No," Robin cleared his throat and stepped forwards. "What can I do to help?"

"Nothing," she stated. "We don't need your interfering, just go back to Roland."

"Regina…" Robin frowned, trying to sound neutral as he spoke her name, though he realised a little warning seeped through in his tone regardless.

The Queen didn't take too kindly to hearing it.

"I don't need you, nor do I want you," she snapped, turning back to her papers after she ordered; "go back to your son, thief."

Robin ground his jaw, clenched his fists, half tempted to fight fire with fire and retort back, half tempted to try and ease whatever was plaguing the Queen.

He ended up doing neither.

Compromising between the two and saying nothing, Robin chose to take a deep breath, and return to Regina some other time, perhaps when his anger had deflated and he wasn't at risk of making the situation worse.

Perhaps later she'd be a little more receptive to him and his attempts to help.

For the next couple of days Regina stayed in the West Wing Library, alternating between learning protection spells suitable for a mother and an unborn child, and studying the magic received from Merlin in the hopes that perhaps it could help their situation somehow. It was easier than focussing on the fact that her wicked sister wanted Snow's baby and was holding a very-much-alive Rumpelstiltskin captive.

She thought she had gained a lead at one point; there were mere mentions of a spell that appeared to its user, though there was no mention of under what circumstances, or the type of spell, or where it came from – apart from Camelot… So it was put aside rather quickly.

And all the protection spells were either too weak – Zelena was part of the Mills family; they prided themselves on being strong in everything – or there were risks involving children, especially unborn ones.

The repeated failures had her frustration piling up to the point of clenching her fists so hard the vase on the table smashed from the destructive magic that seeped through. The effort to not find other things to take her anger out on had left her feeling somewhat drained.

She had fallen asleep at the table as she had researched further, her head in the crook of her elbow resting on one book, her right hand on another, with three further books, four scrolls and pieces of the broken vase surrounding her on the wooden surface – in addition to the items that she hadn't moved when she sat down; quill, ink, boxes and clean paper.

When she had awoken, it had been to a stiff neck, a numb hand and a surprisingly clean work space; the only things left were the book she had fallen asleep on, and a heavy, leather-bound journal with several torn pieces of paper as bookmarks that she had most definitely not been using the day before.

It had taken a moment or two of her staring bleary eyed at the work area in front of her before she noted a square piece of paper with one corner tucked under the new book. Leaning forwards and tilting her head, Regina was able to see the neat, flowing, cursive note left behind.

I was checking some books out for light reading when I came across this. I thought it may help with your research.

Belle,

Regina frowned. Her eyes flickered between the note and the book, immediately suspicious. Why would Belle help her? On second thoughts; why would anyone? Especially with this.

Unless they had something to gain.

With Zelena's threat from a couple of days ago still in the forefront of her mind, Regina couldn't help but wonder if this was one of her sister's tricks. It was unlikely that she'd leave her a book, but Regina knew all too well that curiosity was a powerful weapon; plant the seed and your victim would practically do all the work for you. She had employed that trick many a time. She would not fall victim to it.

To quell her feelings of unease, Regina hovered a hand over her book, the old elvish spell lietha guldur dispelling any magic that the book could have possibly been enchanted with, and then casting a safety spell over it, just to be sure.

When she was satisfied that opening the book wouldn't result in her imminent demise, Regina cautiously turned the first page. Finding the language to be ancient Gaelic, the first question in her mind was; how the hell was she supposed to translate this? The second being; how the hell did Belle manage it?

Regina made it four pages in, looking for any similarities between the language on the paper and the languages she already knew in her head, finding nothing.

Giving up and turning to one of the bookmarks, Regina was surprised to find a folded up piece of paper with a summary of the text in English tucked between the pages.

Regina had to hand it to the bookworm; she was smarter than she was given credit for. With reluctance, the Queen realised she may have to thank her.

The sound of the doors opening and closing to the right of her caused Regina to tense and let out a huff of annoyance. She wasn't really in the mood for company and was really not needing anything else to be stressed about, lest the entire library suffer the same fate as the glass vase that was no more.

But the smell of food invaded Regina's stomach and all of a sudden she felt so very hungry. A plate of Blancmanger appeared in front of her, along with cutlery, a goblet and the hand that retreated out of her vision before the sound of a chair being moved reached her ears.

With a sigh – and resigning herself to spend a couple of minutes with whomever had brought her food as a way to ensure it stayed in front of her long enough to eat it – Regina turned to thank the person who was now seated next to her.

The Queen expected it to be Snow, or Charming, or Robin – although Regina was aware that she hadn't been the kindest to the outlaw a couple of days ago, she supposed she should make a peace offering of some sort soon if she had upset him enough to not visit her. The last person she expected to see sat beside her was her friend-turned-enemy-turned-friend-again that went by the name of Tinkerbell.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well don't act so excited to see me, Regina," the fairy quipped.

Regina smiled, genuinely happy to see a friendly face from somebody who didn't have a need to check up on her every second of the day. "It's good to see you Tink," she admitted, "though I would like to know why you're here; last I heard you were with the other fairies trying to restart the pixie dust mines."

"I got tired of Blue's constant bitching so I came back for a break. I arrived early this morning, looked for you in the dining hall but you weren't there. I wanted to say hello and Snow said you would be here so…" Tinkerbell rambled, before adding a flamboyant; "tadaa! Hello."

"Hello, dear," Regina replied, not being able to hold back from putting a mouthful of the chicken and rice into her mouth and letting out a small, satisfied moan.

"When was the last time you ate, Regina?" Tink asked, and Regina sent a glare her way that had the fairy raising her hands in surrender and adding; "not that I'm checking up on you or anything."

"Sometime yesterday," Regina admitted once she had swallowed, waving a hand in dismissal before chewing another mouthful.

The fairy huffed at her friend's eating habits but said nothing more, not wanting to incur the wrath of the Queen when she had come to the castle for a break.

It was quiet for short while, Regina eating the food in front of her as Tink looked over the couple of books in front of her before she got bored and stated; "Snow told me about what's been going on."

Regina rolled her eyes, of course she had; nothing really changes. Snow had probably divulged every detail of everything she knew of what had happened at the castle in the past few months.

"Snow's a gossip and cannot keep her mouth shut." Regina retorted, before adding; "and Robin and I are not her business."

There was a pause before Tink stated; "She only told me about Zelena and the baby."

Regina closed her eyes and mentally kicked herself. Way to go, Regina; Tink delved into her private life almost as much as her step daughter did.

Sure enough, the fairy leant forwards, elbow on the table as she wholly faced Regina with a smirk on her lips and asked; "so… what's with you and Robin?"

"Nothing," Regina quickly denied, looking back down to her plate and putting more food in her mouth.

"Regina, you are a terrible liar," the fairy laughed. "Tell me."

The Queen took her time chewing her mouthful, avoiding the inevitable. The moment she swallowed Tink nudged her elbow and the fairy's smirk turned into a grin.

"We're just sleeping together," Regina stated, trying to ignore her mind protesting otherwise as the words tasted wrong leaving her mouth.

"Do you think I'm a fool, Regina?" Tink sassed, before shaking her head and saying; "try again."

With a short, frustrated sigh, Regina watched as she moved her fork around the half empty plate before her.

Her mouth opened several times to try and say something, but the best she came up with was the usual; "it's complicated."

Of course the fairy couldn't leave it there, tilting her head and asking; "Complicated how?"

"Just… complicated," Regina stated. "I don't know."

"Do you love him?" Tink asked, and Regina nearly choked on the food she had just tried to swallow.

"It's not like that," she answered once her breathing was even.

"Then what is it like?"

"It's just…" Regina paused, choosing to keep all the uncertainty about how deep her feelings went for the outlaw hidden, and merely stating; "it's nice."

Tink scrunched her face up; "nice?"

"Yes; nice," Regina stated. "He's a good man, treats me as more than the Evil Queen, and I enjoy spending time with him."

"Is the sex good?" Tink asked with a sly smirk.

Regina turned to her, wide eyes, slightly scandalised, awaiting her friend's 'just joking' but it never came. So, playing along, she smirked back, winked and whispered; "extremely."

Tinkerbell's laughter was contagious, having Regina's smirk morphing into a grin and then turning in a chuckle.

This was what she needed, Regina mused; a little laughter with a friend.

They caught up for a short while, ending up with their chairs facing each other. One of Tink's dainty feet rested on the edge of Regina's seat and Regina's legs were crossed with the toes of one foot occasionally tapping the wooden bar across the bottom of Tink's chair.

The Queen ended up conjuring wine and a second goblet, sharing a drink with her friend and finding herself more relaxed than she had in the past couple of days altogether. Though Tink had this way of weakening her verbal filter – which was already slightly fuzzy from the drink – and so she had ended up confessing more than she originally wanted to; the worries about Snow and her baby, the expectation that her magic was at the Kingdom's beck and call, the soldiering through without Henry (though that topic had been swiftly moved past), and the general ease of ruling a kingdom where not everybody despises the monarch…

Eventually they moved onto Tink as she began rambling about how she hated the 'shady bitch' in charge of things, how the regime was overly strict and the only reason why she had gotten away with leaving was because she was a rebel and it was to be expected of her. She had hoped the Dark Palace would be less hectic, but as Regina had updated the fairy on all the goings on, it became evident that it wasn't.

And as Tink started to feel a faint magical shift in their surroundings, she huffed and started to wish she had stayed at the mines.

"Regina, do you feel that?" Tink asked, narrowing her eyes and glancing around the room.

The Queen placed her goblet down and sat up straighter. "Feel what?"

"I don't know," Tink confessed – earning an eyeroll from Regina – before adding; "something magic."

Regina stood, about to cast parm temple tengwa to make visible whatever magic was being used, but Tink beat her to it; taking out her wand from the little green bag she had over her shoulder and illuminating the source of her momentary discomfort.

It was a piece of parchment on the table, one Regina had studied far too closely. Her name had long since faded but she knew that there was more to it.

Tink reached for it, withdrawing when Regina tapped the back of her hand and picked it up herself, asking; "What's that?"

"It's the spell that Snow got from Merlin a week ago, though it's been dormant since my name faded away."

"It's not dormant now," Tink pointed out, tilting her head and watching as a series of symbols appeared.

"No, it's not," Regina agreed, leaning over the table she had been working on, taking a spare piece of paper and the quill and copying everything that had suddenly appeared. At Tink's questioning gaze, Regina offered a short explanation; "I don't want them to fade before I get the chance to study them."

The fairy nodded, then tilted her head to the other side and frowned, asking; "Is it me, or does that look similar to ancient Gaelic?"

Regina shrugged, noting definite similarities to the book Belle had left for her, but also noting several differences, so there was nothing definitive just yet.

"I could help look it up for you, if you like?" Tink offered.

Initially, Regina was going to tell her that it was fine; she could manage by herself, that way she'd know that it was done properly. But Tink was as advanced in magic as she was, she'd know what to look for and Regina knew she wasn't going to demand anything in return…

With a nod and a sincere 'thanks', Regina sat back down, sliding the book Belle had given her over to Tink, and going back through the book she had fallen asleep on, preparing for a long day ahead of them.

Come evening, Regina found herself standing outside Robin's room, hand poised to knock, and wondering – not for the first time – what the hell she was doing.

This wasn't her. She didn't try to make amends; she fucked up and then ignored it, or found blame in others. And purposely going out of her way to try and make things better? In the words of her mother; "grovelling means you have no pride, dear. Let them come to you."

But this was Robin. And to be fair; he had only been trying to help, it wasn't exactly a punishable offence.

Yes, she was busy and stressed and having to deal with a worried Snow (who was apparently even more insufferable than a hopeful Snow), and the outlaw had this tone of voice that sounded as if he was about to reprimand a child – which in no way, shape or form was acceptable – but admittedly, she shouldn't have taken her emotions out on him.

So, taking a breath and pushing aside all the voices telling her she was insane, she raised her hand again to knock.

"Regina?" She heard from her right, a familiar voice she knew, but one she wasn't really wanting to hear at the moment.

"George, hi," she greeted, turning to him.

"Hi," he returned with a smile, before taking note of whose door she was in front of. "Are you wanting Robin?"

She heard the slight suggestion in his tone, and brushed it off, stating; "Yes. Is he in?"

"Not sure," he shrugged, before asking; "have you knocked?"

"Not yet," she admitted, her heart picking up speed a little when George reached out and rapped his knuckles against the door in a quick rhythm. There was no running away now.

George leaned forward towards her ear, as if to whisper a secret, but instead offering a mocking; "knocking somewhat helps, your majesty."

Regina nudged him with her elbow and rolled her eyes, about to retort with something witty when suddenly the door swung open, leaving her face to face with one rugged outlaw in his usual garb of green trousers and a white, long sleeved shirt – leaving Regina to wonder; does he even own any other clothes?

He greeted her with a slight bow and a cordial 'your majesty', something Regina had insisted upon for the first three months of him residing in her castle. Now it just seemed… wrong.

"Can we talk?" Regina asked, biting the inside of her lower lip.

She relaxed a little at his nod, even more so at his quiet 'of course', but the moments where she stepped back to let him out into the corridor were filled with an awkward silence that Regina hated with every fibre of her being.

Robin's gaze fell on his door, a frown appearing on his features and Regina felt her heart sink a little; was he really so mad at her to want to escape already?

But then George spoke up from somewhere behind her, offering; "I'll watch the little tyke whilst you two 'talk'."

Oh, right; Roland, Regina remembered, recollecting how easy it was for Henry to get into trouble the split second her back was turned when he was that age. Though she refused to let her thoughts go down that painful route; instead she chose to roll her eyes at the younger man's apparent need to turn everything into something lewd.

Robin didn't seem to be fazed though, nodding and expressing thanks as he put his hands in his pockets.

George stepped into Robin's room, letting out a loud "right, you little monkey…" before the door closed shut, leaving them both standing out in the empty, painfully quiet corridor.

The outlaw was staring at the floor in front of her feet, apparently unwilling to meet her gaze. A tiny part of Regina called him petty at the action.

Nevertheless, she had come here for a reason.

"I snapped at you," she stated.

She watched as Robin met her eyes for a second before he looked away again. "Yeah, you did."

Regina internally sighed; must the thief always be so difficult?

Turning her head – and her glare – away and pursing her lips to the side of her mouth before pressing them together, she casually shrugged and mumbled a quick, nonchalant, almost inaudible; "M'sorry"

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Robin raise his gaze to look at her with a surprised smirk, tilting his head and asking a mocking; "What was that, your majesty?"

"You heard," she scowled, glaring at him once more.

He huffed, his smile slightly fading as he ran his hand through his hair, his muscles flexing under his shirt in such a way that had Regina suddenly remembering it had been five very long days since she'd last had the outlaw's body on top of hers.

Too long.

Slowly walking up to him, Regina placed her arms over his shoulders, dipping her head to meet his petulantly averted gaze and drawling; "can I make it up to you?"

The smirk he was fighting won out and he turned his head to face her, catching sight of her mischievous smile and the light behind her eyes.

Who was he kidding? He couldn't stay mad at her for two seconds.

With a roll of his eyes he leaned down and captured her lips with his, turning them and backing her up against the wall to the left of him, one hand gently tugging at the decorative restraint in her hair until it fell down in loose waves, the other gripping her hip and pulling her lower half towards him, both of them moaning at the contact.

Oh, how they had missed this.

As they tumbled onto Regina's bed when her magic had whisked them away to somewhere more private – their kisses having turned a little too intimate for somewhere open to the general occupants of the castle – it was evident that they had missed this more.

Regina was pretty sure that the red coat she had delicately fastened that morning – now lying in a crumpled heap at the foot of her bed – was beyond repair. Although it wasn't as if the shirt hanging off of the outlaw's shoulders was faring much better if the loud tears made from her nails were anything to go by.

Her red corset was after. Regina couldn't be sure if that was salvageable or not either, but she had given up caring when he had lowered his mouth to her neck, biting then soothing then biting a little harder before moving slightly lower each time. When he eased off into merely kissing down her sternum, Regina's breath hitched, one of her hands tangling in his hair, the other moving to unfasten the leather trousers she had donned without the knowledge that she would be in such a haste to remove them.

Robin batted her hand away, pressing kisses and swipes of his tongue towards her navel as he shifted back and tugged the damned garment with him, tossing it aside the moment it had been pulled off of her feet.

His hands grasped her hips, drawing her further down the bed to him as he towered over her, nestled between her thighs, returning to suckling kisses at her neck that would no doubt leave marks behind once he had finished.

Regina moaned, grasping his arms and rolling her hips up to grind against him before she realised he was wearing far too much clothing, which was completely unfair. With a wave of her hand, his trousers, torn shirt and both of their underwear were gone in the need to feel him hard and hot against her. The sudden contact left him moaning into her skin, his teeth grazing her collar bone when she rolled her hips and he slid against her. Before she could reach down and guide him into her, the grip Robin had on her hips suddenly tightened as he turned her onto her front, wasting no time in continuing his kisses along the back of her neck and across her shoulders – albeit with more heat and passion behind them than before.

Regina hummed, feeling herself sinking into her mattress as she rested her head on her folded arms, closing her eyes with a small smile. She shifted a little under him, purposely brushing her ass against him and grinning at his heavy sigh into her skin. Though he retaliated with a sharp bite just below her shoulder blade, causing her to grit her teeth as she inhaled sharply.

The outlaw chuckled at his small victory before soothing his movements once again, starting to place a trail of kisses down her spine as his fingertips traced a path between every single mark on her perfect, olive skin. He reached the small of her back, pressing kisses to the dimples either side before he moved even lower, scraping his blunt nails up her thighs before grasping her hips to stop her squirming at the indentations his teeth were putting in the flesh of her ass.

The quick sting then soothing heat had Regina's arms outstretching, fingers grasping hold of her pillow as she gasped, digging her knees into her bedding and raising her hips to try and get just that little bit more sensation to ease the ache that was building so very quickly between her thighs.

But the outlaw was torturing her, taking his damn time to get anywhere near where she wanted him to be; he'd give a quick kiss or lick that just brushed past where she needed him and then he'd be gone again. It was penance for snapping at him, she was sure of that. Setting her body alight and then refusing to tend to the flame burning inside her. But then one of his 'quick' kisses lingered, his tongue sneaking out to taste her with a small moan – her body tensing and letting out a quiet whimper in response – and she decided that perhaps it would be worth it in the end.

His hands grasped the bottom of her arse, bending her at the waist to a better angle so he could finally put his mouth to work between her thighs and oh - that was more like it.

The pillow case beneath her hands crumpled and her breath left her on a harsh exhale as she ground her forehead into her mattress. The little moans and sighs she told herself would stay firmly within her throat put up no fight in mingling with the heavy air in her room.

One of Robin's hands trailed upwards, firmly squeezing and kneading her rear as his tongue worked wonders and his chin brushed her clit. Regina threw her head back, eyes travelling over her plush headboard as she tried to catch her breath, but then he dragged his hand back down to her thigh, his fingernails leaving four dark pink marks along their path, and her head dropped back down with a groan.

"Robin," she breathed, blindly reaching a hand back to try and draw his attention when he made no efforts to stop.

Her second attempt at saying his name was a little louder, and succeeded in him parting long enough for her to fumble through the words; "I- I need you inside."

With a husky chuckle – and a quick nip to her ass for good measure – Robin shifted to lean over her, wrapping his right arm underneath her waist when she moved to lie back down.

"I want you on your knees," he growled into her ear, having Regina swallowing and nodding her head as she raised herself back to where she was, supporting her weight on her forearms.

Robin retreated a little, taking himself in hand and brushing back and forth over her entrance before he sank into her with a deep moan through gritted teeth – Regina releasing one to compliment his.

He started off slow. Easing in then drawing out, easing in then drawing out, a steady rhythm that had Regina rocking back into him to try and speed things along, groaning when he started to comply.

It occurred to Regina that she didn't let just anyone take her like this; there were few people she trusted enough to let her guard down enough, and she was a Queen, it was completely improper and not exactly the most dignified of positions, her mother would have a coronary if she knew…

But oh, it felt so good.

And when he thrusted just like that and hit a spot right there… Regina couldn't find a single fibre of her being that wanted Robin differently.

So she pushed back into him with a breathy 'harder', the sound of skin meeting skin echoing louder around the room as his hands gripped her hips and he redoubled his efforts to pound into her.

Robin raised a hand to run through his sweat-damp hair, his mouth running dry as he took in the sight before him. The soft curves, the olive skin, the raven locks splayed out over the sheets… It was enough to drive a lesser man insane. How anyone could ever see a sight like this and not believe Goddesses existed was beyond him. They would be a fool.

Robin was no fool. Except for when she clenched around him; then his vocabulary was limited to a few curse words and an unintelligible mumble of the Queen's name.

She did it again and his hand flew to her backside, landing with a slight smack that had Regina letting out a faint gasp.

Robin had an apology on the tip of his tongue, but then she moaned and pushed back into him a little more fervently, and his brain vaguely recollected promises of 'I might do that next time' and 'I might let you' andhis hand reconnected with her ass before he even processed what he was doing.

"Regina…"

Whatever words Robin was about to say – not that he was sure himself – were cut off by Regina's demand of; "harder."

Knowing he'd never deny her anything, Robin brought his hand down with a little more force, acquiescing to Regina's desires and thoroughly enjoying the throaty moan that made its way past her lips. He repeated the action, once, twice, three more times, before his hand travelled back to her hip and returned to pulling her into him, because there was no possible way he could hold out for her if he continued.

He needn't have worried; his gaze followed Regina as she shifted slightly to one side so she could reach down and press her fingertips between her thighs, her legs quivering as her breathing hitched and she started to tense around him.

A breathy plea of Robin's name left her lips, her hips moving more erratically against his as she coiled tighter and tighter, trying to pull him off of the edge with her.

The moment her muscles started contracting around him he was gone, careening forward and throwing out his left hand just quick enough to not knock them both into the mattress. Her hips still moved against his, riding out her high. Her breathy moans and light sighs filled his ears as she took all the pleasure she could.

They collapsed back to the bed with satisfied groans, Regina straightening her knees with a grimace as Robin moved to lie on his back beside her, pulling up the bedspread to cover them as the both started to calm their heart rates and blood pressures.

Regina's eyes closed upon a deep exhale, tugging the cover higher as she shifted up to rest on her pillows.

Robin followed, resting his head on the soft fabric that smelt like Regina's hair and toeing at the clothing they had left at the bottom of the bed when it started to tangle around his feet.

When a faint thud indicated he had won the battle against the Queen's corset, he heard a small sound of displeasure to the left of him.

"I'll pick it up when I leave," he offered, knowing Regina's dislike for leaving her garments on the floor overnight.

She hummed, ensuring; "make sure you do."

"You have my word."

The promise seemed to placate the Queen, her breathing evening out as her features relaxed and sleep pulled her under.

Robin couldn't resist staying awake for a little longer, admiring the Queen in her natural state as he gently ran his fingertips over the dark hair that spread onto his pillow in addition to her own.

It wasn't long before the monotonous motion of his fingers became far too taxing for his tired limbs, his hand relaxing as his body joined Regina in slumber.

She knows this place.

The place where she lost her love, her light, her freedom, her happiness…

She lost everything she ever wanted here.

It still smells the same; the crisp, outdoor scent mixed with leather and horses that Daniel seemed to carry around with him wherever he went.

Though a breeze carries through a woodland scent, and replaces the overwhelming nostalgia with something instantly calming.

The doors swing open, and Regina takes in the sight of the woman who strolls in with a pounding heart.

The dark red dress, the black overcoat, the hair piled on top of her head, the class and royalty exuding from every inch as brown eyes shine with a vindictive cold-bloodedness that strikes fear in Regina's soul.

"Mother…"

"Honestly Regina, don't you ever learn?" She starts, taking slow steps forward, "First you fall for a stable boy, now you're cavorting with an outlaw? What am I going to do with you?"

Regina subconsciously takes a step back, a shaky "mother…" whispered into the midnight air.

"Or the more important question-" Cora starts, pausing and clearly enjoying the effect the pregnant pause has on Regina before a wicked glint shines in her eyes and she continues; "what am I going to do with him?"

Regina's eyes widen when Robin materialises in a cloud of red smoke beside her mother, and her breath leaves her in a trembling exhale.

"What are you doing?" She asks, watching as Robin grasps his bearings before stating a stronger; "Don't hurt him."

"How sweet…" Cora mocks, before her features harden as she adds; "You're forgetting the one lesson I always tried to teach you, dear."

Regina's heart thunders in her chest, her breaths come out short and uneven as she tries to move but finds her body unwilling to cooperate. Robin catches her gaze, his eyes questioning but still with the kindness he's always shown her, ever since the first day they met

She hears her mother's declaration of "Love is weakness," and instantaneously agrees; she remembers the way in which she crumbled when she lost Daniel, and swore that she'd never put herself at risk of feeling that helpless again. But here she is; frozen to the spot in fear of what will happen to Robin, where instead, she should be throwing fireballs or pushing Cora away or transporting her thief to somewhere he won't be in danger.

But she's just stood still, watching as her mother sinks her hand into Robin's chest and pulls out his heart, holding the pulsing, red organ tinged with the slightest of darkness in the palm of her hand. Once again, her mother is threatening to destroy one of the few reasons Regina has to smile, continuing her quest to break her daughter into small enough pieces that she fits the mould of a powerful, heartless Queen. Regina's not entirely sure she could go through that again.

When Cora starts to crush Robin's heart, he falls to his knees, clutching his chest and looking up at Regina. Though instead of the kindness she usually finds in his gaze, his eyes are accusatory and harsh, betrayal all over his face.

"This is your fault." He wheezes out. Regina manages to takes a step back, her eyes not leaving Robin's.

"No," Regina whimpers, "please."

As she sees a stream of dust falling from her mother's hand, she hears his faint whisper.

"I'll die because of you."

Regina shot up into an almost sitting position, her eyes wide open, her heart pounding, her chest heaving, looking around until she realised that it wasn't real; it was all just a dream… Just a dream. It was ok… She was ok.

She heard a voice from somewhere to the right of her, and when she turned to see a figure stood to the side of the bed, leaning towards her, the sound of her name being uttered again by the only person in the castle who could calm her with one word, she could not help the small sigh of relief that left her lips.

In the darkness she was hardly able to work out his features, but somehow she could feel the concern radiating off of him. Regina couldn't help but touch her fingers to his chest to feel his heartbeat, whispering; "It's ok." Though if it was to comfort him or herself? She couldn't be sure.

"Are you alright?" He asked, his hand coming up to brush away the hair sticking to her temple, his thumb caressing her cheekbone.

"I'm fine," she dismissed.

Robin frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

Regina let out a long breath and lay back down, a hand rubbing her forehead as she tried to relax somewhat.

Robin stood, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he watched her before cautiously asking; "do you want to talk about it?"

She let out a wry chuckle. "Not particularly."

"Ok."

Nodding, Robin removed the shirt he had just donned, laying it at the bottom of the bed alongside the neatly folded garments they discarded earlier before he pulled back the heavy covers, climbing back into bed, the sheets still warm around him.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked, turning her head to look at him.

"I've still got a short while before sunrise. And I'm not leaving you like this," he replied, pulling the cover up to his chest and resting his right arm over it, the other outstretched towards her. "Come here."

Regina lifted her head in confusion, but Robin slid his arm under her and nudged her closer to him. When she didn't move any closer and still looked at him with a perplexed expression, Robin buried his hand in her hair and gently guided her head to his shoulder, muttering; "Stubborn woman."

Regina tensed against him, her eyes darting the door working out the easiest way to escape the outlaw's simple but overwhelming gesture of affection, and then her gaze lowered when guilt flared through her at the thought of rejecting the thief's attempts to try and comfort her.

Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, holding it for a second or two and then exhaling, tentatively letting herself relax against him. She placed her left hand over his heart, hesitantly moving her body to rest more against his side, comforted by the thrum of energy under her fingertips that proved he was alive and safe and had his heart beating strongly in his chest.

She wasn't going to lose him.

Robin ran his fingers through Regina's hair, gently combing through knots and tangles whilst he moved his other hand to her waist to keep her close to him.

"Get some more sleep," Robin whispered, pressing his lips to the crown of her head before closing his eyes, letting himself relax and sincerely hoping Regina could do the same.

Robin awoke – just as the sky was beginning to lighten – to Regina practically lying on top of him. One of her legs was slung over his, her head lay on his chest, a hand over his heart, her bare skin heating his entire left side…

Suddenly, Robin understood why the whole 'no staying the night' rule was a good idea; it was hard enough to leave a warm bed, but to leave Regina's embrace… It was something else entirely.

For a few moments – well, it wasn't as if Regina would know – he just trailed faint, leisurely patterns over her side where his right hand rested just above her waist, and the other hand that was on her hip gripped just that little bit tighter.

When he had finally worked up the strength to leave her, at the first shift of Robin trying to extract himself, Regina paused him in his efforts. As she slid the hand resting over his heart to press down on his shoulder, and the leg resting on top of his tangled between them as she let out a grumble of displeasure, Robin couldn't help but chuckle as the words "I'm not a cuddler" came back to him.

"Regina…" Robin tried. "Regina, I need to go. It's very nearly dawn."

"Could you stay?" Regina asked, her voice quiet and slurred with sleep. "Jus' this once?"

Robin smiled fondly. "Of course."

She shifted on top of him again, letting out a sigh, and Robin wrapped his arms around her tighter, one around her shoulders and one clutching around her waist. He couldn't help but smile as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

He could get used to this.

Regina's eyes fluttered open. The first thing she noticed was that it was daylight, and she was not alone in her bed.

Her initial irritation at the thief not having left before sunrise – as per their agreement – faded away as she recollected her nightmare, Robin's comfort, asking him to stay…

It seemed like a good idea at the time; him leaving would have necessitated in giving up her comfy position and no doubt the rest of her sleep. But lying in his embrace, feeling safer and more cared for than she could remember, the idea seemed a lot less than 'good' now.

As Regina stayed still, trying to decide on a way to leave the warmth and comfort Robin provided, the man himself stirred, pulling the woman next to him even closer.

Clearing her throat, Regina sighed the thief's name in what was intended to be a warning, in the hopes of the outlaw finding it easier to part than she did, because this was a whole new brand of torture. Regina didn't know what she was thinking asking him to stay until the morning. She was the Evil Queen; she wanted a partner to satisfy those sexual urges, not a partner to wake up to in the mornings after. And whilst Robin had become somewhat more than just a good lay, that did not excuse this show of intimacy and cuddles.

From the way she tensed against him, Robin knew the directions the Queen's thoughts were taking her, and he refused to let her interrupt this one peaceful moment with her musings on how she didn't need anyone…

"One minute," he started, eyes still closed. "Just give us one minute, Regina. Forget about everything else; the rules, the reasons why this isn't a good idea... Just for one minute."

An internal war raged within Regina. She knew she needed to put an end to this, before it became something else to add to the things-I-probably-shouldn't-have-done-but-fuck-it-anyway list that Regina had been building so quickly since the moment this damn thief entered her life. But it was nice. It was so nice to just be with someone, with Robin.

She supposed she could give him one minute. Just one minute.

"Sixty seconds," Regina resigned. "That's it."

Robin's embrace tightened and she could feel a wave of something wash through her as Robin pressed his lips to her forehead.

She counted, of course she did, and with each passing number the urge to hold onto him tighter and ask for another minute grew. But if she didn't stop this now then she would never be able to.

So, as expected, it was Regina who pulled away first, leaving the feeling of comfort and contentment behind as she prepared for the day ahead.

But if she had stayed in her thief's embrace for just a few moments after she had passed 'sixty'…

Well, nobody would ever know.