Another future shot when the girls are older.
Regina had been nervous when Evie said she wanted to move out to California for college. It was all the way across the country and it wasn't like she could drive there quickly if anything went wrong. Evie also had a huge heart. A good kid, she cared about others, but she went out of her way to help people and that sometimes could land her in a boatload of trouble.
Robin had talked her into it. He reminded her that because of her big heart, it meant she was a smart kid, a good kid. She could take care of herself, he trusted her. He trusted that she could handle all of what life threw at her.
"It's time we let her spread her wings," he had told Regina after they had visited San Diego State University.
So, Regina had relented. On the condition that Evie called at least once a week and e-mailed frequently so they knew she was alive, she could go out west.
The day they dropped her off at her dorm and headed back to the airport was the hardest of Regina's life. This was the fourth child she was putting through college (they had already dropped Bryony off in Boston) and this was the furthest any of them had gone. She had been worried when Henry chose New York, but that was nothing compared to what was going on now.
Overtime, Evie seemed to prove that she was doing just fine. Her first semester she made the Dean's list and showed off lots of friends on Facebook. She even worked a part time job during all of it. She seemed like superwoman in Regina's eyes and Robin just reminded her that she took after her mom, so hardworking and sociable.
Little did they know, despite how great she was doing…Evie was holding back a huge secret.
Regina would never forget the day she got the call. She had just gotten through putting together a seating chart for a wedding she was planning when an unfamiliar number came through her personal phone. She almost pressed ignore, thinking it might be a sales call, but then she noticed it was a California number. Sliding the green bar over, she held the phone to her ear.
"Hello?"
"Is this Regina Locksley Mills?"
"Yes, this is she."
"My name is Detective Weaver, I'm calling you from San Diego."
Regina's heart shot to the bottom of her stomach. "Is my daughter okay?"
"I'm sorry to report that she's just been rushed to the hospital. She suffered a gunshot wound."
"A gunshot wound?!" Regina jumped out of her seat. "Wait, wait, I'm confused. Was she mugged?" She began pacing the area around her desk. This was what she was afraid of. San Diego wasn't like Storybrooke, there was far more crime. "Who did this to her?" The tears burned in her eyes and it was taking all she had not to cry.
"Mrs. Locksley Mills, your daughter wasn't mugged. She was at a known drug dealer's house when a rival cased the place?"
"Is she…is she okay?"
"She's in critical condition. The hospital will have more information for you."
Weaver gave her the name and Regina quickly scrawled it down, throwing open her laptop to look up the first flight to California. Henry could look after his younger sibling, she'd go get Robin at work. As she was typing in the travel website, she swallowed a bit.
"Detective…what was the drug dealer's name?"
"Zelena Greene."
Robin had once thought the longest ride of his life was when he got the call that there was a baby for him at the hospital. He hadn't even known that Zelena was pregnant and suddenly, there was her baby waiting on him. A little girl that was his, that would be his daughter.
Little did he know at the time that someone had interfered and he wouldn't end up with the baby Zelena had delivered, but he had still be afraid.
That was nothing compared to the ride to the airport, followed by the nearly 6 hour flight to California. It was about as silent as the first ride, Regina hadn't said anything since breaking into Aesop's, tears streaming down her face. He had shouted some orders at Will, confirmed that their youngest child was being taken care of and off they went.
He thought of Zelena, the biological mother of his second daughter. He hadn't heard a word from her since she signed away her rights, as far as he knew she had denied any contact with Evie. How had the two of them been in touch? Since when was Zelena a drug dealer? The last time he had known her, she had been a dancer, she was just trying to find her way in life.
How had he allowed any of this to happen? Regina had been convinced that California would be a bad idea, but he insisted. Evie was a good kid, she had her head screwed on straight. If it had been Bryony or Roland, he would've been worried. They were also good kids, but not the most responsible. Though, he wouldn't have even expected them to get caught up with a drug dealer of all people.
He knew he couldn't have predicted it, but guilt burned his gut. He was supposed to look out for his kids, he was supposed to tell when something bad was about to happen. Robin had known that Bryony wasn't really meeting up with friends the night she snuck out to a wild party. He had known that Henry was dating someone in secret long before he introduced Jacinda to their family. The kids liked to joke that he not only had eyes in the back of his head, they followed them everywhere.
How could he have not seen this coming? How could he not have been able to protect his little girl?
What if he lost her?
Oh God, he could lose her.
Because of Cora, he had missed 3 years of her life and he had never been able to shake that. Over the years he had found ways to make up for it. They spent as much time together as they could, they bonded over soccer and cooking. He was the one she went to when her first boyfriend broke up with her. He knew how to make her smile, how to get her to open up. They had come a long way from the little girl that sobbed and claimed she didn't want a father. They had 16 amazing years as father and daughter.
And Robin could lose it all due to some drug dealers with guns.
As soon as they landed, they got in a cab and headed to the hospital. They didn't have a hotel room, their duffel bags were packed with things that Regina thought they'd need but they still weren't sure of her condition. They got the run around at first, but when it became clear that they were the parents of the 19 year old that had been gunned down, they were directed to a doctor's office where he explained it the best he could.
Evie had been found in Zelena's apartment, she had been shot twice in the stomach and once in the shoulder. They had done surgery as soon as she arrived, but things were still pretty touch and go. Evie had lost a lot of blood and they had done a transfusion, yet the next few hours were going to be pretty crucial. Already, the bullet was going to hinder the use of her shoulder for the next year.
Zelena had gotten out of all of it unscathed, which angered both of them. They didn't want her dead-or maybe Robin did, he wasn't sure what was the anger in him and what was the rational-but the fact that she hadn't been hurt and their little girl had was too much. She was arrested given the amount of drugs around, which meant less answers than anything. They were lead to Evie's room and prepared that she'd be hooked up to some machines but they were all for her own good.
Seeing her laying there in that hospital bed, she seemed so tiny, so much younger than 19. True to the doctor's word, she was hooked up and her left arm was in a sling. Regina inched her way forward, pushing a strand of the young girl's blonde hair out of her face. She kissed the center of her forehead and let out a deep breath.
"Oh Evie, what the hell happened?"
Robin walked to the other side of his daughter, taking his hand into hers. He noticed her self-made manicure, remembering back to the days when she'd paint his own nails. Shutting his eyes, he tried to picture her happy, healthy…only to have his heart break when they opened again.
"Are we good parents?" He whispered.
Regina looked up at him, surprised to hear his first words in over 6 hours. "Robin…"
"I mean, you're a good mom," Robin rambled on. "The best mom in the world. This is my fault, though. I told you we should let her go, I promised you she'd be fine and…"
"Hey." Regina met his gaze and shook her head. "This isn't your fault."
"But…"
"This is the fault of the bastard that shot at her and we will make sure he pays for what he's done. We didn't do anything, you didn't do anything."
"We could lose her."
"We're not going to."
He could see the doubt in her eyes, though and it scared him. Reaching over, he grabbed her free hand and they squeezed each other tightly.
"Just don't blame yourself," Regina continued, her voice in a whisper. "You're going to make yourself sick."
Evie didn't wake up that night, but her vitals were good and according to the doctor, that was all they could ask for. While Regina called to Storybrooke to check on their children there, Robin put in a call to Boston. Henry had promised to let his siblings know and Bryony had been blowing up his phone, clearly worried about her sister.
"Daddy," Bryony whispered as soon as he answered the phone.
"Hey Peanut," he said, softly. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm scared. How is she?"
"Her vitals are good, that's what matters."
"Did they catch the guy who did it?"
"Yes. He and Zelena are both locked up right now."
He could hear her swallow on the other end of the line. "Daddy, this is all my fault."
Robin sighed. "Oh Bry…" Sometimes they were too much alike.
"No, just hear me out. I…I knew about Zelena."
He paused. "What?"
"Evie told me. Zelena came into the café she worked for and she recognized her. She was a regular and they got to talking…soon Evie was hanging out at her place a lot, though she didn't tell Zelena who she really was."
Robin shut his eyes. "Did she know about the drugs?"
"…Yes."
"And you did, too?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell your mother and I? Why did you lie to me?"
"Evie made me swear not to. She was afraid you'd make her come home."
Well, she wasn't wrong.
This wasn't the first time that Bryony and Evie had teamed up to hide things from their parents. This was just the first time that they had gotten away with it. Though, Robin was starting to wonder if that was true.
"I am so sorry, Dad," Bryony continued. "I didn't think this would happen."
Robin sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "This isn't your fault, Peanut. It's not Evie's either. You two should've told us…but this was bigger than both of you. You couldn't have stopped it from happening."
"I'm sorry," she repeated.
"I know you are. We're going to talk more about it later, but I just need you to promise me that you're going to take care of yourself."
"I will." A pause. "Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"Please don't be too hard on Evie when she wakes up. She…she just never wanted to hurt Mom."
"Well, this isn't exactly helping your mother either."
Evie didn't wake up for two more days. They had gone 36 hours without seeing those beautiful blue eyes and they had feared that they never would again, but she persevered. They didn't talk about the situation much at first, they let the doctors run their tests and explain the injuries to her. She wouldn't be able to return to school for a few weeks at least and her best bet would be to withdraw from the semester, retaking it at another point.
It wasn't until hours later that they had the chance to sit down and talk about it. Evie looked between her parents and knew what was going to happen.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I never thought this would happen."
"You knew Zelena was on drugs," Regina said, not judgmental, just matter of fact. "Why would you go to her apartment?"
"I just…I wanted to know her. Maybe if she saw who I was…"
"Then she'd want you?"
Evie ducked her head. "It was stupid, I know that now."
"You could've died, Evangeline," Robin bit his lip, shaking his head. "We could've lost you."
"I didn't think this was going to happen. I…I never thought…"
Tears built up in her eyes. All she had wanted was to get to know her birth mom and it had gotten her shot. The memories of the men with the guns…
Robin and Regina saw the look in their daughters' eyes and they each moved a hand to her arm. The lectures could wait. Their daughter needed time to heal, both emotionally and physically. They weren't going anywhere, they were going to help her through this.
