He's meeting part of his new family for the first time. It's not ideal, they don't know who he actually is, but he's at least introduced as Robin, Roni's boyfriend. He can start to build relationships with them to show them who he is. The mood is joyful when they arrive, and it seems the news of Victoria's passing has not yet reached them, or Jacinda has just decided not to pass that on and enjoy this time with her daughter. He selfishly hopes it's the latter so this visit won't get cut short by the unfortunate news.

He'd really like to get a moment alone with Lucy, Regina told him she's awake, and he thinks he saw a spark of recognition in her eyes when she saw him, but maybe he's just dreaming. There's no chance of getting her alone though, her parents are far too happy to have her back to leave for even a second. He wonders who Jacinda thinks Lucy's father is, if there is someone walking around cursed to think they have a daughter they don't, or if the man is some fictional construct of the curse. He suspects the latter, given that no one else is here aside from Lucy, Jacinda, Sabine, Henry and them, but he makes a mental note to ask Regina about it later, see if she can shed some light on it.

God, he misses knowing what was going on, he never considered that his return would involve a curse and that he'd be stuck wasting at least a year in some awful other life. He's still glad to be back, but it's fraught with far more challenges than anticipated. Hook had it easy, Hook had to sacrifice nothing, and it's not fair that he got off so damn easy, when it's his fault they were all in the Underworld in the first place. If they had just let him stay dead, things would have turned out so differently…

But then there would be no Alice, no Henry, no Lucy. He wonders sometimes if Hook had to make the same choice and just chose selfishly, but he doesn't think that's the case, chooses to see the good in his friend until proven otherwise. He needs to stop dwelling on the past, these people here, they make it all worth it, and one day soon all of their family will be together again. It's all going to work out, it has to.

Once Lucy gets discharged, they will have one more person on their team, not someone they can talk to freely as they need to shield her from what they can, but another person they can show their true selves to.

He manages to work in a not-so-innocent question about Lucy's father when Jacinda's telling Lucy about all the people who visited her while she was out. It wasn't the best execution, but he's so new to the group he's able to play it off as a curiosity in a way he hopes isn't offensive. He doesn't want to get off on the wrong foot with them, and while Jacinda's tight smile shows it's a sore spot, she doesn't seem too annoyed at him for asking, just confirms that he didn't come to visit.

He can tell there's more to that story, but it's not one she'll be sharing, at least not in front of her daughter.

They leave shortly after, when the doctor comes in to check on Lucy and says if everything checks out she could go home tomorrow morning. Regina gets hugs goodbye, while he gets handshakes, which is fine, he's the new guy. Lucy though, Lucy gives him a big hug, and he's still smiling ear to ear from it as they walk out of the hospital.

"How was that?" Regina asks, holding onto his hand firmly.

"Good, I think. Didn't make a fool of myself. Jacinda doesn't hate me even though I asked an inappropriate question, so things are good."

He looks over to see her shaking her head, a smile blooming as she catches his eye. "I honestly have no idea what possessed you to ask that."

"I was curious. I wanted to know if he was real."

She scrunches her nose in confusion, looking so damn cute as she does. "What do you mean real?"

"Like if he's some other cursed person or he's a figment, someone that doesn't actually exist, like Henry's other wife and child."

"Oh, he is real. I've met him, he comes by the bar sometimes."

She's flagging down a cab as he comments, "Poor bloke, thinking he has a child he doesn't."

She gets one, grabs for the door, but turns back to him to say, "You do not need to feel sorry for him."

"And why is that?" he asks once they are seated and she's given the cabbie her address.

"He's a womanizer and doesn't want anything to do with Lucy. I used to think it was so sad, but now I'm kind of happy about it, that he's not in her life, because it would only make things harder."

He has to think about how to phrase this, doesn't want their driver thinking he's insane by asking about the Enchanted Forest or talking about fairytale characters. "Not someone you know then?"

"No, never met him. Maybe he's lovely in… another context, he is respectful and charming, it's how he succeeds in all his conquests but it always rubbed me the wrong way that he didn't want anything to do with his kid."

"Some things survive anything."

At the quizzical arch of her brow, he elaborates, "Your mothering instinct, sounds like it was as strong as ever."

"Mmm, I'm not sure that's true. He also used to flirt with me, which I am twice his age, well, probably even more so, but that never deterred him."

"Oh, well, guess I must hate him then."

She smirks, "Yes, you must. You are here to defend my honour, aren't you?"

He snickers, "I know very well that you are more than capable of doing that yourself. But, if you'd ever like me to tap in, just say the word."

She reaches for his hand, squeezing tightly as she beams at him. He's struck once again by how beautiful she is, how lucky he is to see that smile, that amidst everything they manage to have these moments.

He can't resist telling her that he loves her, a sentiment she returns in kind, and they sit like that hand in hand for the rest of the drive. He has another question, but it's not one he wants to ask with an audience. They'd been too caught up earlier to discuss how Lucy woke up, and he can't help but wonder if it's connected to Victoria's death, if she gave her life to save Lucy.

She didn't seem the type, but people can change, and she'd done everything possible to save her daughter, perhaps some of that affection was passed on to her granddaughter.

Regina suggests they grab some food from the bar, a great idea considering the scantness of their fridge, but he makes sure to ask her his question before they enter.

She mulls it over, admitting that it's possible, but that they have no way of knowing what happened.

Later, when they are sprawled on the couch eating (there's no dining room table), she muses, "A life for a life would make sense. I could never find anything where the price was anything less in my searches."

"And that's how Rumplestiltskin came back."

She spears more of her salad before answering with a nod—he still can't believe she ordered salad from the bar but to each their own, and she'd also turned her nose up at his order, a plate full of deliciously deep fried things.

"You know what I don't get, and I'm hoping my brilliant girlfriend can sort out for me…"

She rolls her eyes, but there's an impishness behind it. "And what is that?"

"Rumplestiltskin died by stabbing himself with the dagger, Hook died by stabbing himself with the dagger. The Dark One has been on this long quest and to me, there's a very simple solution, so what am I missing?"

This may be an extraordinarily stupid question but he trusts Regina won't make it him feel like it is, no matter how true that statement may be. Sure enough, she smiles at him, nodding her head like it's a valid question.

"You can be brought back, at the vault of the Dark One. A life for a life and you can resurrect the Dark One. Someone could also steal the power, though this was more Belle's concern, sort of like what Rumple did when Hook sacrificed himself. If someone got their hands on the dagger, they could do the same thing. No one has, that we know of, but he was looking for something truly permanent, a way to die and end the Dark One with no possibility of resurrection or resurgence."

He was missing something, he's glad he made it clear he knew that he could be. Her explanation makes it all fall into place for him. He'd never understood why Rumplestiltskin didn't just stab himself, and now he has his answer.

There was something else he'd meant to ask her, he can feel it niggling in the back of his mind, that sense that he wanted to know something, but what, he has no idea.

They have time now at least, the family they can check on is safe for the interim, and Robyn is on her way back. Things are looking up for them. He's not going to wait for the other shoe to drop, he is going to enjoy this.


She is late for work. She's never late, is a consummate professional, but she'd left Robin in their bed, thought he was asleep and went into the shower only to discover when she got out that he was wide awake, and wanting. She'd let out some menial protests, but he was shirtless, and hot, and hard in his sweats, so all it had really taken was the press of his lips to that spot behind her ear and his hand skimming under the towel, touching bare, sensitive flesh for her to turn to putty in his arms.

It had been quick and rough in the best of ways, her standing pinned to the dresser, him pounding into her fiercely from behind with his fingers strumming over her clit. It couldn't have been more than five minutes before she came, clamping down on him and crying out as the ecstasy coursed through her. He'd stayed strong, managed to push her into one more, leaving her legs feeling like jello as she rushed to dress and get downstairs.

She's make-up free today, had no time, could do nothing more than throw on some clothes and thunder down the stairs. She's only five minutes late opening, which all in all isn't bad, though unprofessional as hell, but the only one waiting outside is Henry. She knows he can't be aware of what had her scrambling, but she still feels her cheeks heat as she unlocks and lets him in.

Her kitchen staff are in the back already, having used the employee entrance and she should probably be upset they didn't open up for her, but well, she doesn't expect much of them. She has a lacklustre team at best, and Roni had low expectations. As long as they made the orders and didn't poison anyone Roni considered it a rousing success. No wonder this bar was doing so poorly before.

Henry's looking at her curiously as he steps in and takes his usual seat at the bar, which she doesn't pay any mind to, she is never late after all. It's only once she pours him a beer (a Hoppy Ending, the same craft beer she rarely sells except to him) and asks him how it's going that she realizes why, and nearly dies of embarrassment.

His smirking comment about her hair has her cheeks heating and her wanting to melt into the floor. A quick look at herself with her phone shows her hair is a hot mess, and oh good god, her son is teasing her about the sex she so obviously had, and it is mortifying.

He seems to find her embarrassment amusing, it leads him to more teasing as she attempts to tame the sex hair, cursing Robin for fisting his hands through it again and again, thoroughly mussing it up then not telling her and letting her come down here like this, where her son was waiting for her. What the hell did she ever do to deserve this humiliation? (So, so many things is the answer, but she's too preoccupied with dying from embarrassment to really think about it.)

"So Robin…" he starts leadingly, and no, hell no, she is not doing this with her son, no sir.

"Is none of your business," she says curtly, but he is undeterred, fuck.

"Come on, Roni, I've answered your questions about Jacinda, it's only fair."

That's different, so different, but how is she supposed to explain that? He does not actually want to know what he's asking, and she will not be discussing the dirty details with him, ever.

But she has to say something, he's looking at her expectantly and so she settles on, "He's important to me."

"Obviously," Henry says with a pointed arch of the brow she is ignoring the implications of, lest she be overcome by the squirmy, uncomfortable feeling that's just started to simmer down. She's going to answer his question, sort of, and tell him about Robin, their cover story, anyway.

"He's my ex, or was, we're back together now."

"You did mention that the other day. Is it serious?" He pauses, then continues, "Just, considering you brought him to see Lucy, I assumed it was."

Oh, that it is, and this she can confess that without any unease. "I love him, and he does, too."

"That's great, Roni," Henry tells her, beaming, and it reminds her of when he first found out she was dating Robin and had that same sort of excited interest (minus the teasing, she'd been embarrassed then too but nothing that compares to now). The memory of happier times makes her heart clench and she longs to hear him call her mom again. She loves this Henry, this cursed version, genuinely enjoyed his company before she knew who he was, but it's not the same. She misses her son, the truest believer, the person who always saw the best in everyone and helped them become that person.

"Thanks, Henry. Now, what about you and Jacinda?"

He laughs, "Well, we've been getting closer. I wasn't going to make a move when Lucy wasn't okay, but she's on her way home today, Jacinda confirmed it this morning. However, there's some other news, so once things get back to normal, then I'm gonna ask her out."

She knows he's referring to Victoria's passing, which Roni sure as hell wouldn't know about yet, since it hasn't hit the media, so she breezes right by it with a, "Good for you."

He nods but there's something in his eyes that gives her pause, so she asks, "You are happy about it, right?"

He slowly lifts his glass, taking a sip of his beer and setting it down before sighing, "I am, I like her, I do, you know that. I just…"

He's not going to tell her, is clamming up, closing off, and she can't have that. "You can tell me anything. Everything said in this bar remains confidential."

He laughs softly at that, but doesn't answer, leading her to think she's lost him until he sighs again and starts, "It's… mixed. You know that I lost my family and it hasn't been all that long since it happened. I still love them; I will always love them. Maybe it's too soon because… it feels, well, it feels… like, a bit like a betrayal, to actively try to move on, to think about the potential of another life."

That's a feeling she is well acquainted with. "They would want you to be happy. It's hard, but you owe it to them to try." He doesn't look convinced so she adds, "If the roles were reversed. If…" it's at that moment she realizes she doesn't know his fake wife's name. "If you were gone and they were here, you'd want her to move on, to find happiness, wouldn't you?"

He nods, avoiding her gaze by looking down at his glass. "Yeah, I would. I wouldn't want her to have all this guilt, but I've told myself that, and I still do. I just, I can't win."

"That's okay. Whatever you feel is legitimate, there's no script, no proper way to deal with this." She snickers darkly to herself, knowing he won't get why as she amends, "As long as you aren't out there hurting anyone, you do whatever you need to. Grief is… tricky."

He looks up at her then, recognition dawning on his face, and what he says is not a question. "You lost someone too."

"I did, and it nearly destroyed me. Later on I thought I lost someone else and that too wrecked me, but I kept going, I didn't have any other choice. It hasn't been easy but now, for the first time in a long time, I'm happy."

Well, close to it, but he wouldn't understand that, not until he wakes up.

"Well, cheers to that," he says lightly, raising his glass and downing the rest of it. She offers another, which is rare for him to accept, but today he does, and she can appreciate using it to shake off the sombre conversation they engaged in.

She'll keep it light from now on, doesn't want to have him dwelling on any unnecessary pain.

She doesn't have to think up anything to say though, because once she's given him his beer and he's taken a sip, he tells her, "I should really get to work, do you mind if I take up that corner to work on H-Town?"

"Of course not." She gestures around the empty space, "Not like anyone else is here."

"Oh, that reminds me. A man was here, before you got in. He was antsy and in a hurry, had to leave, but he wanted me to give you his card."

He passes her a card for Baron Samedi, real estate developer, who she has never heard of.

"Did he say what he wanted?"

"No, but he seemed to think that you'd know him."

That's strange, how would she… oh god, could it be him? Is Facilier really here? She's been suspecting he played a role in Victoria's death given that the necklace he gave her (twice) was shattered, even though she really has no basis for it. She also has no basis for thinking this man could be Facilier, but her mind still jumps there and she's learned over the years to trust her instinct.

"What did he look like?" she demands, realizing too late how her tone came off.

"Tall, black, nicely dressed, bald with a goatee."

It's fairly generic description but Facilier fits it, and she knows he was in the other Enchanted Forest when they got cursed, so it would make sense for him to be here. She doesn't know if he's awake or not, but if he is it spells trouble for her. The last time she saw him she was able to avoid the consequences of what she did to him in their past because he wanted a second chance and she was lonely enough to consider it. But now she has Robin, and as soon as Facilier finds out about that, all goodwill toward her will vanish and she'll be forced to pay the price for what she did to him so many years ago, before curses, the land without magic and Henry, for a sin the Evil Queen barely batted an eye over.

But she doesn't know that he's awake, why would he be? And if he isn't, well, then maybe she can exploit that attraction—if it still lingers. It's a terrible thought, but he's a terrible person, is all about himself and his aims, uncaring what he does to other people. When they were together that suited her fine, because what did the Evil Queen care about others? As long as he didn't interfere with her plans, she was fine. It was only once he started to that she'd lured him in with false promises and cut him off at the knees, stealing his power, and thus his ability to interfere.

She lies through her teeth as she tells Henry, "Hmm, doesn't sound familiar. You want me to send another over to help with the writing?"

He laughs, "Maybe later, two beers help get the creative juices flowing, but three on an empty stomach and…"

"Some food then?" she asks, passing him a menu even though he probably has it memorized by now.

"Probably a good idea. Thanks, Mom."

She knows it's meant to be good natured joking around, but it hurts, has her throat tightening because she needs to hear that for real and hearing it like this is worse than not hearing it all. It shows her how far away they are from where she needs them to be.

She laughs it off, reminding him to eat and earning herself another teasing jab that she has to swallow down and pretend isn't affecting her the way it does. She has to get him back soon, can't bear to keep expereincing this torture of having him so close yet so far. She has to figure this out, needs to put all the pieces together and do whatever necessary to get magic for herself so she can fix Henry's heart, then wake him and have her family back, all of it, finally.


Robin started his "shift" getting scolded by the boss for making her late, but more importantly, messing up her hair, making it obvious to Henry the activities they'd been engaging in. Hearing her retell it is hilarious to him, but he tamps down his amusement when she makes it clear just how unamused she is. He's always been one to find humour in dark times, and this is just too funny to him. He recognizes the hypocrisy of it, that he wouldn't feel the same if it were him who was caught, but he still can't stop laughing every time he thinks of it and how taken aback Regina must have been, how her cheeks would have heated as she tried to stammer her way out of the awkward conversation.

Right now she has other things on her mind, is glaring over at the corner where Henry and Drizella sit. He takes advantage of being unknown by her, is able to make some passes over there and hears bits and pieces of their conversation without her stopping on his account. He's not sure what angle she's working or if she's just genuinely upset about her mother's demise, but she's seeking comfort that Henry is more than willing to provide.

He knows it's a problem even before Regina tells him, showing him the Instagram posts that caused Henry and Jacinda problems before. Sister issues, the villain exploiting the unknowing partner they aren't actually interested in to accomplish their goal. He may be projecting, but it hits far too close to home, and he vows he will not let Henry fall into the trap he did. It's not the same, he knows that, but he also knows uncursed Henry does not want Ivy, and he will be damned if he lets that happen.

His situation was perhaps more complicated because there was magical impersonation involved but Ivy is doing something similar, is playing a role to try and seduce Henry into bed and it makes him sick. He doesn't know what her deal is with Jacinda, if it is just her trying to prevent the curse from breaking or something more, but he will not let her do this, even if it's the last thing he does.

He is having unwelcome flashes of Zelena, of that moment when she revealed herself as what he thought was Marian. His stomach is churning as he tries to block out the memories: the horror, the shame, the guilt, everything that came with that revelation. He thought he was over it, had spent many years watching her with his daughter and telling himself he was okay with it, but now he's not so sure that's the case, not if the slightest hint of something like that has him feeling like this.

He shakes it all off, or tries to, because there are other things they need to be doing, and his demons are not a thing he wants to waste energy on. He's still feeling shaky and off, has thoughts intruding despite his best efforts, but he's able to distract himself with work, and it's a welcome distraction. He probably learns more in that hour Ivy is there than he has all other times because he is so focused on what he's doing, so determined to keep those flashes at bay.

Once she leaves, after hugging Henry in a way that has anger rising inside of Robin, he makes his way over to him. They don't know each other well, at all, but he has to know what Henry is thinking, to ensure he's not going to go after Ivy.

He plops himself down on the couch beside Henry, with a beer of his own in hand, a Femme Fatale by Evil Twin brewing company. Given their doppelgȁngers he couldn't resist trying it, earning himself a good shake of the head from Regina. He's drawn to the unique craft beers she has, doesn't understand why someone would want a Corona when there's a Ruud Awakening, a Fog Breaker and a Hoppy Ending to choose instead. (And oh look at that his efforts paid off and he's learned their beer selection finally).

"Sorry, you don't mind the company do you?" he asks, belatedly realizing his uninvited presence might be unwelcome.

"Not at all, in fact, I've been meaning to talk with you."

"Oh, you have?" he has no idea why, but he wants to know.

"Listen, I don't know you, but I know Roni, and she trusts you, which makes you good in my books, but if you ever hurt her—"

"I would never," he assures, and it's true, Henry just doesn't know the depth of how true it is. "I love her, I have for a lot of my adult life. Now that I have her back, I'm never letting go."

"You love her?"

"More than I can express."

That seems to satisfy Henry and he feels a lick of pride over the approval, despite the ridiculousness of that.

"So that girl… someone special, I presume?" He's choosing his words carefully because he's supposed to be unaware, yet knows more than he can let on.

Henry frowns. "Not exactly, not if you mean what I think you do. She's just a friend."

He has to be careful here, the last thing he wants to do is push Henry into her arms but, "That looked more than friendly."

"Her mother just died."

"Oh," he says pretending to be surprised, hoping he's decent at this deception, though he's never been good at lying to those he cares about. "I'm sorry to hear that. She looked… you just, well, I don't know you that well, but grief is a strange creature, you'll want to be careful with her, ensure she doesn't do anything she regrets. That kind of loss can make you seek out things that you don't actually want just to form a connection with someone."

"She's a little lost and I understand that, I've been there. I think she is reaching for connections, but for the good. She's going over to see her step-sister now, and I think that will be good for them."

That's unexpected, but he doesn't show it, instead asks, "Are they close?"

Henry shakes his head, "Not at all, but a lot of that is because of her mother, who's now gone, so…"

"I hope that works out for them. It would be a shame for anything to get in the way of that reunion."

Okay, maybe he's being too blunt here, but Henry doesn't seem to attach the same meaning to it that he meant.

"Yeah, me too. They've had a rocky relationship but they need each other now. And I think it would be good for Lucy to see her mom and Aunt come together like this."

Here's his opportunity. "Oh, so that was Lucy's Aunt?"

Henry nods, so Robin adds, "Then I'd be extra careful. I can't imagine your girlfriend would appreciate you saddling up with her sister, even if the aim was to mend that relationship. To me it looked like more, I'd hate for her to come to the same conclusion."

Henry frowns, which makes him think he's getting his point across. "Jacinda's not my…" he shakes his head, "You know what? It doesn't matter. There's nothing between me and Ivy, never will be, but thank you for the reminder that appearances can be deceiving."

"Sorry to have jumped to conclusions, I do hope I didn't offend you."

"No, not at all, just gave me something to think about is all."

"Okay, if you are certain. I tend to stick my foot in my mouth, so please do tell if I do and I'll work to rectify it."

Henry chuckles and admits, "Maybe a little, but I think I needed that, so thanks."

He raises an eyebrow as he internally celebrates. "Well then, seems I did some unintentional good. My break is up soon, but thank you for the company. It's been nice to get to know you, Henry."

Henry smiles, "You as well, feel free to pop by anytime you want to talk."

Oh, he'll be taking advantage of that, but for now, he's going to return to the bar, to answer the questions he can see sparking in Regina's eyes. She did a good job of not staring at them, though he did notice her gaze a couple of times over their conversation.

"What was that about?" she asks him when he gets back to the bar, and he's utterly unsurprised by the question. He gives her a quick recap of the conversation and earns himself a soft peck on the cheek as she thanks him for interfering. It makes heat flush up his cheeks, not because it's scandalous, it's not at all, but because Regina isn't usually so free with her affection in public. It has him smiling dopily over at her because he loves her so much, is so blessed to get to experience her affections again.

They get busy serving customers, and he thinks he might actually impress her with the knowledge he gained today, which makes pride flush through him. He doesn't want to only be the sidekick, wants to actually be useful in any way he can, and he seems to be succeeding.

They make a good team at the bar, they find a rhythm and are able to move around each other well. He no longer feels like he's bogging her down, but that he's contributing, and it's a welcome feeling.

Everything goes well until he's precariously balancing a tray of draft beers and turns quickly without looking and smacks straight into her, beer going everywhere, glasses flying and breaking when they hit the floor, but thankfully not hurting anyone.

He expects her to be mad, is breathlessly apologizing and offering to clean up as he waits for a scolding that never comes. Instead, she looks at his face and their beer covered bodies and laughs.

When the peals of laughter stop, she tells him, "I'm going to pop upstairs and change. I'd recommend you do the same once I'm back, but for now, you'd better repour those beer."

She struts off and he watches her, half in shock and half because her ass is swaying deliciously. He takes a step to get a better view, crunching glass under his foot, which brings him back to the reality here. In addition to what she asked him to do, pour the drinks, he's going to get this mess cleaned up before she gets back.

And sure enough by the time she comes back down the stairs—looking far too irresistible in what she's donned, the jeans and white tied t-shirt that shows a tantalizing hint of her belly—he's taken care of the mess and gotten all of the customers served. He's struck for a second, but recovers, tells her just how good she looks before he heads upstairs to change himself. It's then he spies the wet card on the counter that reads Baron Samedi, and he makes a note to ask her about it, before changing and making his way back to the bar.


It's not until later, when the night is winding down and they've left the bar for her apartment, that he gets a chance to ask her about that card. He's sitting down on the couch, while she wipes down the coffee table, and her eyes go wide when he asks about Baron Samedi. She nearly drops the cloth in her hand, and it throws her, he can tell, he's just not sure why.

He gets his answer once he inquires further, as she tells him she thinks it's Dr. Facilier. He knows that she kissed him, and he's not mad if that's what she's concerned about. He was dead, he wanted her to find happiness, was disheartened when she gave up on romantic love and even stopped seeking sex, though after her horrendous drunken mistake with Dr. Whale he did understand that impulse. He'd been happy when she and Mal reconnected, but that too ended when Mal met Mulan. Regina stayed celibate after that, not for lack of opportunities though, he would love her even if she wasn't the knockout she is, but that fact garnered her lots of attention she resolutely refused.

She hadn't kissed a soul in over ten years when Facilier came around, and so their make out shocked the hell out of him. They had a past together, that much was obvious and it was odd, but watching that had jealousy flaring for the first time, he thinks in part because there was so clearly that history he didn't know about.

He doesn't quite know how to ask this, but says, "So you two… there's a history there, right?"

She blushes and it's adorable, so much so that he reaches for her and wraps his arms around her waist, planting a soft kiss to her back to assure her he's still here, still loves her, and doesn't care about the answer.

She sighs, abandoning her task and dropping the cloth onto the table as she sinks into his lap. "There is…" she starts, then shifts over more to his side so he can actually see her face, "We don't… please don't think I'd want anything to do with him."

He knows better than that, and she should know that he would never think that. "I know, I know you love me. I'm not jealous."

That's mostly true, he was jealous of the time they got together, but that's different. He loves and trusts her completely, he's not worried about Facilier, not one bit, which is why he's comfortable with his what-could-be-construed-as-a-lie

"Then what are you?" She looks adorably confused, her lips pursing and brow wrinkling as she looks down at him. God, she's pretty.

Her actual question is easier to answer than he expected. "Curious," is what he tells her, because he is, has been since he saw them kiss, even with all it brought up it had him hoping they'd go discuss their past, but with no avail.

"It's weird, we never, I mean, I guess there wasn't time, but so much happened and we didn't ever really discuss our love lives before us, outside of that one time in front of the fire…"

He smirks at her as he thinks of that incredible encounter, how stunningly open and honest she'd been. He'd felt so much closer to her after learning all about Daniel and the relevance of his tattoo (the orgasms helped as well). He'd thought they'd have more of those, and they did have more private, intimate moments, but those were usually focused on whatever disaster they were fighting at the time, or whatever demon had popped up that pulled them from slumber. The nightmares are the only reason he knows about the King, with everything that was going on in their brief time together he knows she wouldn't have brought it up (outside of vague mentions in their talks about what Zelena did to him) if she hadn't woken him up with her thrashing and whimpers in the Underworld.

Their relationship certainly didn't follow the normal steps, and he wonders sometimes if he would have loved her with the same depth so quickly if they hadn't had so many obstacles in their path, if they'd been given the luxury of a leisurely courting, not filled with risk of death and separation. That is not to say he doesn't love the relationship they were able to build, he does, and loves her immensely, he wouldn't change it for the world, he's just had a lot of time to indulge his curiosities. Now, he's indulging another, is urging her to tell him all about her relationship with Facilier.

She feels a little awkward about it, he can tell from the bit of tension in her that wasn't there before, but she pushes through it, settles into him with a sigh, and starts her story.

"We met in the Enchanted Forest, shortly after Graham failed to kill Snow for me. I was intrigued by his magic, and he was intrigued by me. After a while we, uh, fell into bed together. It was never more than that for me, but it was for him, and I didn't realize until too late."

She shifts, snuggling further into him, and he adjusts his arms so the one stays around her waist, but the other rests on her thigh, rubbing up and down absently as she continues. "By that time I was caught up in my revenge, I'd been thwarted by Rumple and I was furious. He tried to help me, offered me some of his magic, channelled it into an enchanted necklace, that one Victoria took from us. I had hoped it would circumvent Rumple's I couldn't hurt Snow and Charming spell, but it didn't. Then that's when I got really into the curse. He didn't want that, kept offering to kill Snow for me, but I didn't want that, I'd decided the curse was a fate worse than death for her. I knew he was going to do something so I…"

She tenses a bit, looking at him seeming assured by his lack of a reaction. He's not sure what she expected, disgust probably, but he's not unaware of her past and he'd never let that change how he feels about her now.

"I took his magic. The thing with that is you have to give it freely, and I, well, I tricked him, seduced him and asked for it in a moment I knew he couldn't refuse me. I took advantage of how he felt for me. Then I got rid of it, so he couldn't mess up my plan and I sent him to another realm, knowing that without magic he couldn't get back to me."

And between then Facilier got his magic back, but what he doesn't understand is why Facilier kissed her, and didn't try to exact revenge. And also, "I'm just a little confused. I saw your most recent encounter with him and it didn't seem like you'd ended that badly."

She stiffens up then, "You… you saw us at Tiana's coronation?"

He nods, and she sucks in a breath. He rushes to reassure, "I saw the kiss, I wasn't upset about it, you were lonely and I wanted you to have affection again, I'm just missing something about how you got there."

She grabs his hand on her thigh, squeezes it firmly and he leans up, pressing a kiss to her cheekbone. The physical assurances seem to placate her fears and she starts to explain, "I was lonely, and it had been a long time, and he…" She blushes and it's adorable, has him pressing another kiss to her jawline, running his hand soothingly up and down her back.

"He was the first man to… to um, to give me an orgasm."

He laughs, doesn't mean to, but it just pops out of him inappropriately and they both are a little shocked by it.

"Sorry, love," he apologizes with a shrug, "that… struck me, I can't explain it. I was just not expecting that answer."

She smiles, drops a kiss to his lips, whispering between them as she pulls away, "It's okay." Then she smirks and adds, "It's not as though I've never had an inappropriate reaction before."

He loves that they can joke about her past like this, that she's comfortable enough to do this with him. It makes his heart swell, knowing the depth of trust and comfort it takes for her to be able to be like this with him, open and fully herself. This is not the Regina most people see, but it's the woman he fell in love with, and is blessed to have a second chance with.

"God, I love you," he tells her, a sentiment she returns after beaming at him and rubbing her nose against his playfully. They trade some soft, lazy kisses, intimacy humming between them as they snuggle together—it's nice, so nice that he doesn't want to break the moment, but he's still curious.

"So when you saw him again, how'd you know he wasn't going to hurt you?"

She shrugs, "I didn't, but I saw the way he looked at me, and he gave me the necklace back, so I took a chance."

He shudders at the thought of how badly that could have gone, but pushes past it. "So then it didn't mean anything to you? I don't mean that with any sort of judgment, I'm just trying to wrap my head around it."

"I wouldn't say it meant nothing. I was so alone and I'd sworn off any sort of affection, but I needed it, craved it. I think if he'd tried for more, I might have let him. I was desperate for some companionship and to feel good, and I knew he could do that."

She seems to have gotten over any worry he'll be upset about this which is good, he wants her to know that she can tell him anything, and to know their relationship is secure enough, that he trusts and loves her enough to hear her talking about wanting another man without upsetting him.

"What do you think his aim was?"

She shakes her head, "Honestly, I'm not sure. He gave me that necklace back, it didn't hold his magic anymore, but I took it as a sign he forgave me, or at least was putting the past in the past, but I'm really not sure. We didn't talk again after that, he was off doing whatever it was he was doing, then we got cursed."

Robin knows a bit of that because he'd watched the man for a while after, trying to determine what he wanted with Regina, with no avail. He does know, "Facilier wanted the power of the Dark One. For what aim I don't know, but that was his goal."

"How do you know that?"

Well, this is awkward to admit, he hopes she doesn't take it the wrong way. "I watched him for a while after your kiss, I just wanted to know what he was up to. Part of it was boredom. There was nothing really to do up there but watch, and I liked to add a new person from time to time to keep things interesting."

She chuckles, then goes more pensive, "Let's hope he's not awake then. The last thing we need is him trying to take out Rumple while we try and sort this all out."

He hums his agreement, then sets his sights on her lips, kissing them until all thoughts of her ex-lover and old tutor are gone, and they lose themselves in each other.