Hi, so here is another chapter and there are only three more chapters left of this story and we are officially done!

I did take some liberation with the events of this chapter so it's not completely cannon but as this story is completely AU i figured it didn't matter that much.

Disclaimer-Nothing here is mine.

The next chapter will be all of Storybrooke but then for the final two it will be a bit of Storybrooke and a bit of the Enchanted Forest.

Please Read and Review.

Old Scars, Future Hearts.

Chapter 12-Your Gonna Need Someone On Your Side.

Regina and Robin have another meeting at a Farm House in the woods. Regina learns her mentor is alive. The town suffers a loss and a tattoo is revealed as the Wicked Witch announces who she is.

When Regina had woken up she had taken time with her appearance. She did not know if Roland and that Robin person were still downstairs but she was not going to go down without preparing herself. She was meticulous with her make up making sure that her eyeliner was sharp and her lips lined and then filled in with red. There was not a hair out of place by the time she got dressed in her best fitting pencil skirt and a dark red silk blouse. There was no hint of the tears or the bags under her eyes underneath her concealer. There was no lack of welcoming smile. Nothing gave away emotion and Regina was rather proud of that effect.

She was the Evil Queen. Reformed or not she had cultivated a certain reputation and while she was prepared to see some of that image cut adrift there was a line she firmly believed you did not cross.

The lack of emotions in an emotional setting was one of them.

She went about her daily morning business with a briskness that she had once reserved for school runs and mayor's meetings. She put the coffee pot on and watched as it heated and reached for a glass of water. The door to her living room remained shut and she poured herself a cup of coffee adding sugar and milk methodically. She sat down at her kitchen and took a sip feeling the burn hit her throat and knowing that the warmth from the cup was not going to warm her at all.

The door to her main room opened and she looked up to see the man…Robin come out. She had not really bothered to be quiet so she supposed that the noise of the coffee grinder that ground up her expensive Italian beans had woken them up and she forced herself to smile as he came out. In the sunlight she could see that he had slept well though there were dark bags under his eyes that showed many sleepless nights. He had rolled up his sleeves to show toned and tanned forearms and his hair was a mess though his eyes were very, very blue.

"Roland is still asleep" he said finally. Regina said nothing but took another sip of coffee and wished she'd had the hindsight to dump a shot of vodka in it. She was not ready for this conversation. She was not ready for when this man would take Roland away. When she had been looking for Henry on Neverland Roland had given her hope. When she had lost Henry to the curse and been transported back to the Enchanted Forest she'd been reliant on the little boy to help her keep one foot in front of the other as her heart had broken over her missing baby. It might be harsh but it was true. And…well…that was as far as she could remember.

"Coffee?" she asked before she realised that he didn't know what that was. After all if coffee had been a factor of life in the Enchanted Forest she might have actually been able to finalise and complete her plan of killing her stepdaughter. Caffeine was a wonderful problem solver.

"Err…water?" she asked finally. Robin—Hood? Nodded and she filled a glass from the tap aware of his eyes tracking each and every movement she made. She slid the glass down in front of him and he took two gulps in quick succession. Regina allowed him ten seconds for niceties and then she decided to plough on with the fresh pain that she knew was awaiting her. It was better to rip the band aid off she thought rather than to delay it.

"So I take it you will be taking Roland to…wherever your staying?" she asked in a tone that she thought was polite. Robin nodded.

"I have a small encampment in the forest with my men. Roland knows all of them and they love him like they love me."

Regina said nothing for a second. "I take it" she said finally. "You don't want that nightshirt back. I tried to wash it but the dirt and the grass stains ensured it was beyond saving"

Robin let out a laugh and then as she turned he reached out and grabbed her hand. Regina turned fully intending to demand that he let go (after all many did not grab the Evil Queen's hand and live to tell the tale) but there was something about him that made her pause.

"He told me" he said finally and his voice was so low and so coated with emotion that she had to struggle to hear it.

"He told me what you had done for him. Told me what you had done on that island, what you had done since you came to this strange…place…said he'd never felt scared with you and that you had promised to find me. Most…most people wouldn't have…thank you. It's not enough but—"

"No need" Regina said sharply, perhaps a little too sharper than she intended it to be. She really did not want to hear this it was only making the chasm in her heart grow even stronger. She wanted to get out of this conversation with her dignity intact.

"Really" she tried to elaborate. "Anyone would have done what I had done."

"Somehow" Robin Hood said quietly. "I don't think so. And I will be indebted to you for saving the most precious thing in my life for the rest of my own. Should you require anything…then please know that I am your servant for the rest of your life"

Regina managed a small smile biting down the responses that she could reply with, with great difficulty. Now was not the time for sarcasm.

"Thank you" she said wishing beyond anything that she could get this conversation and this parting out of the way now.

"I have business to attend to with finding this…well this witch who has cursed us all to this town. Can you…can you make sure you have everything you need? No point in prolonging difficult goodbyes. House will lock when you leave and don't even think about stealing anything I have it all charmed and you will suffer."

And with that she disappeared in a puff of smoke. It was Regina knew, the cowards way out but she found that just this once she did not care if she was a coward or not. All she wanted to do was to run away from the pain that parting with Roland would cause and as she landed neatly outside the office ready for her morning meeting (unscheduled but she knew Emma Swan well enough to know the woman would be coming to see her at some point before lunch) she thought that while it might be a easier for Roland if there was a clean break it was not easy for her.

Then again, when had anything in this life been easy for her.

And with that Regina locked the doors and allowed herself one half hour of a self loathing pity party where she cried for a little while despite the fact that she her mother had told her a long time ago that royalty does not cry.

Then again, today Regina did not feel like royalty.

Today she felt like something else.

David Nolan the Prince…Charming (and surely that was not his actual surname?) had asked that Robin use the Merry Men to check in on some of the abandoned buildings that surrounded the confines of the woods for stragglers or worse…the witch. Robin had been loath to leave Roland with Friar Tuck but he was one man down with Little John's…er…feather predicament and besides Baelfire had still not returned and a part of Robin deeply wanted to find the man before anyone else did.

Even with Roland safe in his tent, safe in his arms, safe period, he still wanted to thrash the bastard who had taken him from him within an inch of his life.

In hindsight maybe it was a safer option to keep away from the town.

He found a farm house on the edge of the town and peered through it. It seemed uninhabited but as he gently opened the door and walked in he noticed that there had been a recently lit fire that had died down and that the cold thing that he was told was called a fridge had butter and milk in it. He noticed that there were several other jars on shelves filled with stoppers and dark liquid including one that looked suspiciously like blood. Robin had seen such tools and ingredients like this before when they had robbed Maleficent so Will could get his magical mirror (and Robin had still not forgiven him for that eternal headache).

He looked at the jars, Robin could admit when he was out of his depth and boy was he out of his depth here. But certainly someone with magic was residing here. He thought about using that phone thingy (given to him and to Hook by David though neither one of them knew what to do with it) to call but something else stopped him.

Why shouldn't he call the Queen? She would be the best when it came to understanding the ingredients in front of him and besides he found he wanted to see her again.

It was odd, Robin was not a man to give into sentimental attachments but he knew she had fled from her own home rather than see Roland leave with him and that made him feel deeply uneasy. He knew that they had become close over the months (and he assumed it was months) and he knew that Roland fully expected to see her again (and he knew because his son had rather helpfully told him) and…and he still thought that perhaps he might not have told her how much he was in her debt.

She had saved his son. She had kept him alive and safe and unharmed. Robin didn't care if she'd roasted whole villages and ate them for dinner in her previous life. She had kept Roland safe and she had ensured that the trauma of his ordeal was minimal. As far as he was concerned that excused a great deal of her past behaviour.

And…and there was just something about her that made him want to find her. Something about her that made him want to pause and stop and ask all the questions that he wanted to answer. He had been alone for a long time and he knew that he could not be alone for the rest of his life. And she…

Well, stunning wasn't a word to describe what Regina Mills was.

He heard footsteps and he pulled himself out of his reverie and out the door. He had taken to using a crossbow (not his conventional means but one had to use what was available and somehow his bow had not turned up yet) and he fired into the distance. It took him a second to realise the figure in blue who had rather impressively grabbed his arrow in her hand out of mid air.

It was Regina.

Robin could have kicked himself.

Fantastic he thought to himself. Brilliant Robin, the one woman you wish to make an impression on and you shoot at her.

"Apologies Mi'Lady" he said stalking forwards his bow in his hand. "Thought you were the wicked witch"

"Yes" she drawled "And I thought you were one of her flying monkeys"

Wonderful impressions he made really. World class.

"Where is Roland?" she asked looking around as if to expect him too, to start shooting arrows.

"With my men, safe in the forest. They've known him since birth and he trusts them. And I would trust them with him and with my life."

The Queen…Regina her name was raised an eyebrow but said nothing to that.

"And you really think that you can defeat the wicked witch with sticks?" she asked dropping the arrow into his hand.

"Well I'm certainly going to try."

They carried on this delicious banter for some time (Robin would not, could not, dare call it flirting) until he offered himself as a partner. He had already been in the house but he thought it wouldn't harm to have someone of her magical calibre to look over the place and he certainly wouldn't let her do it alone.

The code in which he aspired to live his life by would not permit such things and even if it did he would not go. He found he was enjoying himself too much when he was in her presence.

And that was saying something considering that he had only been in her presence for a few seconds.

She shot him a look that clearly meant his actions meant nothing to her and then stalked around him towards the house. Robin took that as an invitation to follow her into the house.

A good witch covers her tracks. That was what she had said to him and he believed her. They did contain magical properties but they were well hidden in the jars. Regina had spent a good amount of time looking at them and muttering to herself and had concluded she could not for the life of her figure out what kind of spell or potion that needed these ingredients.

"But don't worry we'll find her" she said turning back to the jars. Robin took her in from the behind, she had a fine figure and code or no code he wouldn't deny he stared a bit more than he should at her backside.

"You know" he said tearing himself away from any thoughts that he might have had that were—well not up to the code he enforced with his men—"Evil doesn't seem the right moniker, bold, audacious perhaps. But not evil"

Carefully he left the part out about being beyond sexy. That was a thought reserved only for him.

"The name served me well" she responded. "Fear…is quite an effective tool"

"Roland was asking about you" he said finally. The smirk was wiped of her face and he could have kicked himself because he wanted it to remain.

"I was wondering if perhaps you would still see him sometimes. He has grown accustomed to you and I would not want anything to get in the way of that"

Accustomed was not the way he would use to describe his son's infatuation with Regina. Adored seemed to be the state Roland was in but again he kept that to himself as he poured her a drink.

(Magic he might not know much about but he did know about drinking)

He offered her a drink and for a split second he saw her smile and then her eyes flickered downwards. Robin followed but he could see nothing other than his tattoo. His sleeve had ridden up showing the lion in the black shield. It had been done on a whim one day after he had become an outlaw. Certainly there was nothing to it that would make Regina's smile drop and then make a hurried excuse for the door. Robin turned but she was gone in a puff of smoke and he was left feeling utterly confused and if he was being honest with himself slightly hurt.

At least he told himself as he left the house, she had not disappeared directly in front of him.

She had been asleep when the phone call came in.

It was one of those nights, rare nights when she had gone to bed late but had slept deeply. Granted two or three glasses of white wine might have been involved especially now there was nobody to check in on but Regina had locked her door and switched her phone off for most of the afternoon and had wrapped a spell around her house so the only one who could get through would be Henry.

Considering that was a pipe dream, she wasn't holding out much hope.

Instead she had ran a hot bath and then gone to bed. She did not want to think about Henry, or Roland, or the Wicked Witch. Or most specifically the Lion Tattoo and the man who had it on his wrist. She did not want to think about soulmates or anything else that Tinkerbelle had told her would happen. Instead she decided to give in to the spell she barely used and made a small potion which would help her sleep. She flicked her phone back on before she curled underneath her covers. She had not expected a phone call.

For a moment she had forgotten about the Charming's.

The buzzing on her phone woke her and she listened to Snow half awake. She said something (and from the lack of venom in the response she knew it was something contrite) about sympathy and then she said she would be at Granny's to discuss in the morning and then she put the phone down and took a swig of the now cool potion.

Due to the change in temperature it took a bit longer to kick in and Regina relayed the simple facts to herself to make sure she had them correct.

Neal was dead.

The Wicked Witch had a name. Zelena.

Robin Hood was her soulmate.

And Rumple was still alive.

When it rained, Regina thought as sleep chased everything else out of her system, in Storybrooke it poured.

She had gone to the funeral more out of a chance to see Henry rather than a desire to mourn Neal whom she had barely known. Other than Neverland she'd never had much contact with him and she watched Henry sprinkle dirt on his father's grave as she did the same and wondered if it would cause a massive scene if she wacked Emma around the head with the shovel.

Ok perhaps it would but she burned with jealously seeing them together. It was worse she mused over her drink, than when they had been together after the curse. Once again on the outside and looking in but this time a cruel twist she had gained.

And then there were the simpering in laws and Hook who seemed to be around more often than he was not.

Carefully she downed her drink ignoring a set of eyes that seemed to be fixed on her. Right now she was not in the mood to deal with the hell that would come when she realised that she would have to deal with the whole 'Outlaw is my soulmate thing'.

There was not enough sleeping potions in the world for that.

The door opened and in came—

Zelena—

Well she thought her eyebrow raising despite herself as Emma leapt forwards (Henry gone thankfully before this kicked off) and her pregnant mother reached for her arm—personally Regina thought a good fireball was what was needed here—people tended to duck when they saw one of them appearing, even before it had been thrown, she had to give the woman some credit.

She certainly did seem to know how to make an entrance.

Pity about that huge green thing around her neck. Regina was pretty sure you could drown something with the weight of it. She noted out the corner of her eye that Robin was standing prepared to fight but she looked away.

One crisis at a time.

"Oh don't worry" Zelena said cutting across Regina's thoughts and making her realise she'd missed the first part of the conversation. She waved the Dark One's dagger around and Regina suddenly knew where Rumple was. A wave of fury followed by a flicker of amusement hit her. Rumple prided himself on keeping that dagger in his possession and for being the worst and yet the most powerful practitioner of magic. And thought she might have the power now Regina knew that no red-headed, green pendent wearing witch from Oz was going to keep that dagger for long or take that title off the Dark One without a fight.

"I didn't come here for a fight" and then her bright gaze slid across from Emma to Regina and her smile increased. Regina suddenly felt like there was a curse about to go off and go bang.

"I came here to see my little sister"

Everyone turned to look at her but Regina didn't care. Her eyes were fixated on Zelena, brown meeting green for the first time.

Little sister.

What?

And there you go. I hope you enjoyed this. The conversation between Robin and Regina in the woods is taken from the episode but certain bits have been changed.

Next chapter will be published soon.

Next Chapter-Regina learns the truth not only about her sister but about the rivalry between herself and Snow and her mother and Snow's mother creating a sense of closure. Robin is gifted a precious treasure and caution is thrown to the winds in response.