July 22 - Lost Together; Regina and Robin get lost. Where, how, why, it's up to you.

Lost Souls

"She's pregnant."

Robin's words echoed around Regina's head. The already small apartment seemed to get smaller and she found it difficult to breath. Clutching her stomach, she rushed into the hall and leaned against the hallway wall.

"Regina?" Emma's voice sounded distant even though Regina knew the woman was standing next to her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "I need to get some air."

"Okay. We'll go downstairs for a bit and then come back up to figure out what to do next."

Emma stepped forward but Regina jumped back. She shook her head. "I need to be alone. Just…let me have that."

"But Regina…"

She hurried away from the apartment, away from Emma, away from Robin and away from her pregnant sister. Regina raced down the stairs and out of the door, letting the cold night air hit her. It felt refreshing and she took several gulps of it.

Her body wanted to keep moving and her feet took her away from the building. When she came to a red light, she turned the corner. If the light was green, she crossed the street. But Regina didn't register much else. Not with everything on her mind.

She had been too late. Zelena had managed to hurt Robin, though not in the way she had feared. Regina had had nightmares of her sister holding his heart or Roland's heart, threatening to crush it. What she had really done to him seemed so much worse. Making him believe his wife was alive, forcing him to agonize over honoring his marriage vows or following his heart, tricking him into leaving town and then doing god-knows-what to get him into bed…

No, she knew how Zelena got Robin into bed. She looked like Marian. He had believed she was Marian. And he moved on, making love to his wife. To the woman he thought was his true love.

Regina stopped, feeling sick to her stomach again. A tall black garbage can stood nearby and she leaned near it, taking deep breaths to keep everything down. She didn't need this now but her body betrayed her. She retched into the can as someone held her hair back until she was finished.

When she stopped, her hair fell back against her neck as a wet nap appeared in her line of sight. "I also have a mint if you want," a soft feminine voice said.

Regina turned around to find a rather beautiful blonde woman standing behind her, wrapped in a black coat. She smiled as Regina took the wet nap and then dug through for the mint. "I've learned to always have one on me. Especially once I learned morning sickness is a misnomer."

"You're…you're pregnant?" Was there something in the water in this city? Or was she now doomed to run into only pregnant women to torment her?

The woman nodded then laughed. "I find it easier to tell a complete stranger than the father of my child. What does that say about me?"

"I don't know. What's he like?" Regina tossed the wet nap before taking the mint.

The other woman shrugged. "He's usually really great if sometimes really intense. But he makes me smile and makes me feel like I'm the only one in the room. You know?"

"Yes, I do," Regina admitted softly. It was the same way Robin made her feel.

Had made her feel.

"But the thing is, he has the same effect on other women."

Regina grimaced. "Cheated on you?"

"No, though I'm not sure if that's better or worse." She sighed. "He just has a tendency to screw over women in bed and out of it."

"Yet you still care for him."

The woman nodded. "Crazy, huh?"

"No, I understand," Regina whispered. Because despite everything, she still loved Robin. "I guess that's just how love works."

"You probably have a point." She gave Regina a glance over. "Hurt by love as well?"

Regina paused before answering. "I think someone else got hurt by loving me more than I did by loving him."

"You want to talk about it?"

"It's…complicated." Regina grimaced.

The other woman nodded. "I get it. Well, I find a walk helps me think. Just be careful. You don't want to get lost in the park at night."

"Thank you," Regina said. "I hope you figure things out. And good luck with the baby. You'll be a great mother. I can tell."

She smiled. "Thank you. That means a lot. I hope you figure things out too."

The two parted, walking in opposite directions. Regina wandered around, avoiding the paths that led deeper into the park. Even though the trees didn't have leaves yet, they weren't as well lit and she took the woman's words to heart.

All the walking she had done caught up with her and Regina sat down on a nearby bench. The lights of New York City twinkled in front of her and she could hear the sounds of the city in the distance. Henry had told her about living here for a year and he seemed to enjoy it. Had Robin liked it? Or had he missed the forest?

Had he missed her?

Regina closed her eyes. It boiled down to that question. Yes, he had said he had missed her back at the apartment. The emotion was in his voice. But actions spoke louder than words. He hadn't called, not even to assure her that they had arrived in New York safely. Not even to warn her that Gold was in the city and he was dangerous.

Then there was the whole Marian situation. She knew she had told him to move on with his wife, wanting him to be happy. Marian had made him happy once before and Regina hoped she could do it again. Was she angry about the situation now that she knew Marian had been Zelena the whole time? Had that changed her mind?

Yes, partially, she admitted. But there was also the fact that she had seen proof that Robin had moved on. That he had also moved on so quickly after choosing her in the park. How easy had it been for him to start sleeping with his wife again? To seemingly forget about her?

Regina sighed. Those were things she'd have to deal with later. Now, she needed to deal with her sister and get Maleficent's daughter back to her. She stood and her stomach sank as she realized she had no idea how to get back to the apartment.

She pulled out her phone and called Emma. "Regina?" The blonde sounded relieved. "Where are you?"

"I don't know. I'm in a park. Maybe Central Park? Are there any other parks in New York?"

"There are a lot more parks in Manhattan," Emma said. "Look, I still have the app that lets me track your phone. Just hang tight."

Regina rolled her eyes. "I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

She hung up and sat back down on the bench. The night was growing colder and Regina pulled her coat closer. She hoped she hadn't walked too far away, not liking the idea of Robin and Zelena being alone again. Who knew what her sister would do now that the truth was out in the open? Now that she didn't need Robin anymore?

"Regina?" She glanced up to find Robin standing nearby, holding his cell phone. Emma must've called him.

Taking a steady breath, Regina stood to face him. "That was quick."

"I was already out looking for you," Robin admitted. "I was in the park when Emma called to tell me where you were."

"You going to tell me your heart led you here?" She knew she sounded crueler than she intended but part of her didn't care.

Robin grimaced. "No. I knew you like to go to the woods to think and this is the closest thing to the woods so…"

"So you came out looking for me?"

"I thought I was right behind you but you managed to go a good distance in the time it took me to get my jacket."

"I didn't expect to be followed. Least of all by you."

"We need to talk."

"Do we?" Regina crossed her arms. "About what? About how you moved on so quickly? How long was it, Robin? One day? Two?"

Anger flashed in his eyes and he frowned. "That's not at all what happened."

"Really? Because it's only been a couple months and she's already pregnant!"

"I know!" he shouted. His shoulders slumped as he repeated softer: "I know."

Regina was still angry but seeing him so defeated also made her concerned. "Were you happy about the baby? When you still thought she was Marian?"

"Yes and no." Robin sat down, eyes haunted. "I wasn't happy about having a baby when our marriage was still rocky but Marian convinced it me it would make everything better. She convinced me of a lot."

Things started to make more sense to Regina or she started to see things more clearly and she sat down, still not touching Robin though. "She manipulated you."

"Did she?" Robin's voice was thick with emotion. "Or did I want it? I don't know what it is."

"It was you dealing with a difficult situation that just turned into a nightmare." Regina swallowed, looking away. "I'm sorry, Robin. This is all my fault."

"I think I'm the one with all the blame here."

"She's my sister and she targeted you to destroy my happiness. You're only feeling this hurt and guilt because of me. Because I dared to love you."

He took her hand. "This isn't your fault."

"And it's not yours either," Regina said, certain of that fact. "This is all Zelena's fault."

Robin glanced down at their clasped hands. "I understand if you can't get past this but I hope we can at least be friends against one day."

"Oh, Robin." Regina sighed. "I'm not going to pretend it's going to be easy. But we'll find our way through this."

He nodded and they stood together, hands still clasped. Regina let out a deep sigh. "We need to go back and you need to pack. We'll head back to Storybrooke tonight. And we can talk on our way there."

Robin led her out of the park, guiding her back to the apartment. There would be a lot more discussions, some shouting matches and a few tears as they sorted out Zelena's lies from the truth. But they would find their way.

Together.