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Robin sat in the teacher's lounge with Maggie picking at the sandwich in front of him. His appetite came and went. He'd worried about Regina and most of all, Henry.

He'd yet to talk since his mother left, and Robin's out of his comfort zone on how to make it better. To lift his spirits seems so far out of the realm of possibility.

Maggie asked, "Are you okay?" She's so oblivious to what is going on. He's avoided talking about Regina and it hurts. It physically hurts him to think about her.

"Yea, I'm not feeling so hot. Did you and David get the transfer paperwork?"

"We did, and Mr. Gold said that he'd file them next week. I guess I'm not surprised that she's not coming back. Did she tell you anything?"

She's talking about Marian and he's distracted. Marian called soon after the day Regina left and told him she wasn't coming back to Camden. That she'd found her calling and felt her home was in Africa.

He didn't even protest or say anything. Normally, he'd guilt trip her about leaving Roland behind, but she'd done that long before now. It seemed petty to throw it in her face.

To put it simply, he didn't protest, and he wished her well. That was the last he'd heard from her. That was months ago. Three months ago, to the day that Regina went into the elevator and left him in the dark.

"No, she just said she wouldn't be coming back." He remembered the conversation because Roland was under his feet at the time begging for his attention. She didn't even mention him. That hurt too.

"Have you heard from Regina? How's her mom?" Maggie had been fed lies and he'd kept them up to help protect Henry and Regina. But, it was getting harder.

"I talked to her yesterday," he lied. "Her mom's still in treatment but the doctors are confident the treatments are working." Another lie. He hated having to lie to this woman. She was his friend.

"That's great. How's Henry? He's been really quiet," she said. He'd noticed. Since they were rescued from the basement, the police asked them both a ton of questions.

Robin hated every minute of it, but Henry had been strong and told them what they wanted to hear. A man shot at the house, Robin ushered them down into the basement. The police kept it quiet and allowed him to take the boys home.

Though, he senses they are still watching him. He felt uneasy when he notices a patrol car outside the house driving by. It made him feel guilty for something he wasn't a part of.

"He's okay, just misses his mom," he said. It's the truth, but what he doesn't say is that Henry scares him. Before she left, Robin thought he didn't like him. That remained to be seen.

He was too quiet and when he sat at the dinner table, Henry looked down at his food. He never spoke a word, but he did his homework and chores. He did what was expected of him and no more. He'd go to Roland's room and crawl under the covers and stare at the wall for hours. It unnerved him.

Debating whether to force himself to eat, he finally gave up. He gathered his food and shoved it back into the fridge. "I'll see you," he said.

Maggie asked, "Do you and the boys want to come over for dinner? It'd be nice to see the boys and I think you could use some guy time."

He turned with a small smile, "Thanks, sounds great." The guilt was eating at him when he walks down the hall. To his dismay, he ran into Stan Gold.

"Oh, Mr. Locksley, just the man I was looking for. I need to speak with you about Ms. Mills." He seems in a good mood, maybe a little too good.

"Sure."

"I got her letter. She's taken a sabbatical, but I just received her lesson plans. Do you think you can help the sub manage?"

Robin is speechless, he'd been waiting for more letters. He'd gotten one with a power of attorney to care for Henry. No note. Just the affidavit. It still sits in the drawer in the hallway.

"I can do that," he said.

"Great. She'll be here in the next few days. For now, I'm afraid you'll still have a double load."

"I understand," he said. He'd taken on her class and taught both classes simultaneously. It was hard, and he was exhausted, but it had to be done.

"Good day," he said and walked with his cane down the hallway.

Robin walked to Regina's classroom and saw her thick binder on her desk. It looked a little different than the one she had before she left. It must be new.

Picking it up, he turned the pages hoping to find a note, a letter, something that would let him see she was thinking of them. He found nothing, but lesson plans and notes to the sub. He read them carefully.

By the time the bell rang, his chest was tight. Her words on the pages made his bellyache. He misses her and it hurt that she's somewhere. He doesn't know where. She told him she wouldn't contact him. She wasn't lying.

Anger and frustration took hold of him. It wasn't her fault that her husband was tracking her, but it hurt that they'd had only one night. One night to feel connected and he finally had her in his arms.

It played in a loop in his dreams sometimes. Seeing her sitting on the bed with her white nightgown, her eyes are bright. She's smiling. It isn't real, he knows. There were no smiles that night.

But, he can't help but imagine her smiling and enjoying herself. In truth, when he'd made love to her, it seemed romantic at the time. But, he recognized it later as desperation. He wanted to have her with him and feel like they shared something.

They did, but it wasn't right. Maybe it was, he often felt conflicted. His heart was unsure. Until she left him down in the basement of that big white house, he let himself believe it was right. But, the moment she'd gone, he'd realized it could've been a mistake.

A mistake or not, he didn't know how to feel about it.

He didn't have a right to have her that way. It made him ache with guilt. Those dreams of her smiling often turn to nightmares. He imagined that sweet smile turning to a gaping mouth.

Those warm brown eyes turned blank and he saw them turn lively to lifeless. The white gown is covered in red and instead of being lively and sweet, she's empty and dead. He saw the life drain out of her.

Nightmares never go away, and he can only imagine what Henry sees when he closes his eyes at night. He hears footsteps behind him and giggling. The children start filing in and he runs his fingertips over the words she's written one more time. Then he turns his attention to the children.

When Robin picks up Roland, Henry is quiet again. They disappear into the bedroom. He's left to himself, which isn't good. He's feeling pained inside.

Hanging on the coat rack is Regina's blazer she wore the day before she left. It used to smell like her, but he's rubbed his scent all over it. It only smells like his cologne. It doesn't stop him from touching it with his fingers.

It feels like he can have a part of her even if she isn't here. Roland comes out and climbs up on the island bench. He puts his chin to his hands and pouts. "What are we having for dinner?"

Robin said, "We're going to Maggie and David's. Is that alright?" Roland lifts his head and his eyes got big and round.

"Really? We're going?"

Robin smiled, "Yea, so go get your homework done and take a bath. Where's Henry?" To that, the boy lowers his lashes and bites his lip.

"Laying down," he says in a small voice.

"What's wrong?" He crouched to look at his son at eye-level.

"He was mean to me," he said. "He never wants to play anymore, and I tried to ask him if he misses Regina like I miss mama sometimes. But he pushed me, and I fell," big fat tears start to fill his eyes. "I was trying to make him feel better."

Robin took his son into his arms. It hurts to know that he still misses Marian. It's his mother, but she's not coming back, and he has no idea how to reveal that to him. It'll break something inside him. It won't ever be the same. So, he says, "It hurts to miss people, but a day will come when we get to see them again."

"Is Regina coming back soon? Maybe Henry could call her." It was the same questions and suggestions given each time the subjects are broached. But, there's no way of knowing where she is. What she's doing. It's all unknown.

It's been months and he hadn't the slightest clue where to start looking. He was a teacher, not a spy or an investigator. He didn't find people, he taught them. "Soon," he says. Because it's the only thing he can say that isn't a complete lie.

"Go get ready so we can go," he urges.

Roland nods and kisses his dad's cheek. When he hears the water running and the door close, he walks down the hall to the bedroom. Henry is laying with his back to him. He's not moving, not listening to anything, not doing nothing. Just staring.

Robin lifts his hand to the door and knocks with his knuckles. It's time to have a talk that they need to have. "Yea?" Henry doesn't even bother to turn around. It's the same behavior he's exhibited for months.

"Can I talk to you?" He wants to ask him and not push it on him. They've become some sort of friends, but it's forced. They both feel it. They'd have taken longer to warm up to each other had Regina not had to run.

"Okay," he says tentatively.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Robin says, "Turn around, please." He'd be damned if he talked to his back.

He complies, he turns to look at his hands with his knees bent under him. Robin watches as he fiddles with the edge of his sock.

"Henry, I know you miss your mom. It's hard and I know it wasn't your choice to be left behind, but she'll come back. I believe she will."

"I know she will," he says. "I hate my dad. I wish he was dead," he said angrily.

It's hard to hear a kid say he wants another person dead, but what is there to disagree with? Robin agrees.

"I bet that's hard to admit," he says. "I'm sure he loved you." Robin didn't know if that was true, but he felt he had to try and preserve the vision of his father. Even if he doesn't deserve it.

"No, he didn't. He only pretended to. Mom said he was sick."

"To do the things that he's done, he'd have to be," Robin said. "Hey."

Henry looked up into his eyes, "Hiding out in here isn't going to help. Can you try and be more social? Go see Carl and Penny?"

"I guess," he says. Robin takes that as a win.

"Can we agree on being nicer to Roland? He's just trying help."

"I didn't mean to push him, but he wouldn't stop bugging me. I don't want to play. I don't want to do anything until my mom comes back."

Robin reached out to take his shoulder and gives it a firm grip, "I know how hard it is to want to sit back and give up things because you feel guilty. I've felt it since she left." He feels vulnerable in front of a ten-year-old. He's not sure if he knows how he feels about his mom.

"Can I ask you something?"

Robin sits back and released him when he looks up and meets his eyes, "Anything."

"If my mom comes back…" he pauses and swallows like he's trying not to crack. "Do you think we'll get to stay here?" It's a question that's been gnawing on him, it looks like.

"I don't know, kid. Your mom is gonna have to make that call. I'd be sad to see you go, but it's not up to me."

"But you…" He stops himself and looks down at his hands.

"I, what?"

"I thought you and my mom were…" He doesn't complete the thought. It hangs between them.

Robin waits a full minute before he responds. "I care about your mom, Henry. With things how they are…well, it's complicated. I don't know how things will go when she comes back." He made sure to say when.

"She trusts you," he said in a low voice.

"Do you?" Robin's been wondering, but he's never asked him straight out like this. It seems to put him back a bit. He considers before answering.

"I didn't because I thought you only wanted my mom for dad stuff," he says. It's awkward to hear him put it like that, but he understands why a kid would see it that way. "But, I guess I trust you now that I know you better."

"I'm glad you trust me, Henry. I have nothing but your best interest at heart. Got it?" Henry nods.

"We're having dinner at Maggie and David's tonight. After Roland gets done, I'd like you to take a shower." They leave it with an absent nod. Robin doesn't want to push it.

Before he can get up from the bed, Henry suddenly wraps his arms awkwardly around him, "Thanks," he whispers. Robin feels overcome with love for this kid. He wraps him closer and gives him a real hug. They sit there for a few minutes before Henry gets off the bed and goes down the hall.

Sitting outside with David with a beer in hand, Robin confesses, "Henry kinda scares me."

David shoots him a glance and then out to the trees. The sun is setting, the view is great. Peaceful. "How so?"

"He doesn't say much, and he refuses to hang with his friends. I think I got past the wall before we got here, but he misses his mom." Robin does too, but he doesn't add that.

"Do you blame him? Roland feels the same, right?"

"Yea, he does. I can't tell him about Marian. I don't understand how she could say she's not coming back. Doesn't even mention her son when she breaks the news. I've yet to hear from her. I doubt I will." There's menace in his tone.

David sips his beer, "I'll be honest, it's for the best. You both were skirting around for a better part of two years. It wasn't there, that magic. You stopped looking at her and started looking through her."

Robin contemplates that, it's the closest to the truth. Marian had disappeared long before she left. "I tried," he finally said.

"I know, and we saw how it ripped you apart. It's time you started looking elsewhere. I think there's someone else for you," he looks at him. He knows.

"It's complicated," he says after sipping his beer. Robin turns the bottle around in his hands and stares into the trees. There's some shuffling around but it's probably rabbits.

"Any dirt you wanna share?" David smirks. It's a tease and Robin averts his eyes.

He could tell the truth and give him details of their night together. The sex had been good, but that's not what he remembers. It's the look in her eyes, the feel of her arms around him, and the connection they shared.

It was more than lust and messing around. It was real and he's sure he's never felt that with Marian. Even when they'd been in the prime of their marriage, they'd been missing something. It wasn't clear until now.

Instead, he settles on a half-truth. "Not much to tell. She's been gone a few months and even if there was the potential of anything, I'm not sure how that'll change." It's a cop-out and he can tell David wanted the sexy dirt.

David puts a hand on his shoulder, "Well, know you have a friend when you decide whether to push that boundary and glide off a cliff into the abyss. Hopefully, she'll catch you."

He thought she had but it feels so far away and too much time has passed. His confidence isn't as strong. "Sure," he says.

They change the subject and talk about how Maggie and he are trying to get pregnant. They have home improvements they're making, and a slew of random domestic things that relate to nothing.

David goes inside to see if his wife needs help with the kids. Robin hangs back and closes his eyes. The breeze feels light on his face. The smell of fall in the air. When he leans back, he hears a branch snap.

His eyes shoot open, but all he sees are trees and empty spots in between trunks. Gazing out, he waits a few more minutes before going back inside.

In the trees, Simon waits under leaves with the camo net hanging over him. From his view, he can see them through the window. He aims his rifle and gets a glimpse of Henry through the scope. Sammy, he thinks.

The boy is sitting at the table silently staring at his hands. The adults are standing over him, talking. It looks intimidating from where he is. He can only imagine what the boy is feeling.

Simon watches the view unfold. For a few months, he's hidden out. He watched his wife escape into a car. A stupid woman leaving his son behind. Did she think he'd leave his son alone? That he'd blindly follow?

He wasn't stupid, and he knew exactly where she was. It was so easy this time. He put a tracer on the car, she drove to the airport. From there, it was easy to pay the driver off to tell him which plane she departed on.

Flight records are easy to obtain, especially when you can call and pretend to be the pilot. People are so gullible. It makes it easy and fun. A game that Simon loves to play. He knows exactly where she is and she's so irresponsible.

Leaving her son with a man who has lain with his wife. It's a betrayal and he'll punish her later. But, this man is first. He touched his wife and he now holds his son. He hasn't got a prayer, Simon thinks.