Author's Notes:
Special Thanks to my illustrator and contributing author ale_nena for the beautiful cover art.
Setting: Misthaven non-magical modern AU. The society and political system will be based on a combination of modern countries, with a probable bias toward the American system as I am an American. However, all characters are fictional and resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidence.
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Robin hung Henry's car keys back on their hook. It had been a long week, he was finally off for the weekend, and he couldn't have been more relieved.
He loosened his tie as he walked around to the breakroom. When he got there Ruby and Kronk were sitting together on the couch engrossed in a very aggressive video game.
With a noisy explosion Kronk's character died, prompting Ruby to leap to her feet "Yes! Boom!"
Kronk sat back on the couch with a groan, "Well, you got me."
She laughed, sitting down next to him and patting his knee sympathetically.
"Hey, Robin," she said, glancing back at him.
"Hey," he sat down in a chair
"You look tired," Kronk said, "What's going on?"
He shrugged, "Nothing."
Ruby chuckled, "You still moping over whatever girl broke up with you?"
"Ohhh!" Kronk smacked his own forehead, "That's what last weekend was about?"
Robin sighed, pointedly not answering, but Ruby simply laughed, "Go easy on him, Kronk."
"Oh sure, sure," the large man agreed, an idea suddenly occurred to him, "Hey, Miguel and I were talking about going to this new club in the city tonight. Want to come?"
"I don't know…" he hesitated.
"Yeah I don't know if that's a good idea," Ruby agreed.
"Oh come on! It'll be fun," Kronk urged.
Robin was about to say 'no' but he recalled how the house had been buzzing all week about Regina's new relationship and how the Mills were planning to have some big meet up with the guy's family at the country club this weekend.
All this in less than three weeks after they broke up.
"Sure," he found himself saying, "Why not?"
"Great," Kronk clapped his hands together, "This'll be fun. Ruby, you're coming right?"
"Ahh…" she glanced over at Robin, "...sure."
Kronk grinned happily, babbling about the club.
He half-listened for awhile, before finally interrupting to say that he was going to go get ready.
As he walked back to his room, he heard a quick set of footsteps behind him.
"Robin!"
When, he turned, Ruby ran up behind him.
"Listen...I think we should talk about what happened last weekend."
"Okay," he said cautiously. It had seemed that he hadn't revealed anything that night, but now he started wondering, "What about it?"
"Well...what you said about me…"
His brow furrowed as he thought about what she might mean. It suddenly came to him as he remembered a conversation where he said some very dumb things while Ruby looked rather horrified.
"Oh," he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Right."
"Yeah," she said, shifting on her feet, "I just wanted to say that I'm not...I'm not!"
He licked his lips, stepping toward her, "Ruby, it's okay. I told you I wouldn't say anything."
She looked at him skeptically, "Right, even if you get wasted?"
He chuckled bitterly, "Trust me, Ruby, I can keep a secret."
Seeing the confused look on her face, he reassured her, "Look, we're your friends, okay? No one's going to judge you-"
She opened her mouth to protest.
"But even outside of that, I meant it when I said that I wouldn't say anything," he squeezed her shoulder.
She didn't look completely happy, but seemed to believe him, "Okay, fine."
After she left him, Robin shrugged off the interaction and went into his room to change into some normal clothes and then met Kronk and Ruby back in the break room.
Miguel hopped in as he arrived, "Hey, hey! Ready to go?"
"Yep," Ruby nodded, shrugging on her coat.
The four walked out to the garage and piled into Ruby's car. Miguel and Kronk talked loudly as she dove them into the city.
After some circling they managed to find a paid lot.
It was loud and bright inside the club with flashing lights and vapor drifting throughout the crowded room.
"I'm going to get us some drinks!" Ruby yelled, making her way over to the bar.
She returned with four beers, which she passed out.
"Cheers!" Miguel yelled, clinking his bottle against everyone else's and knocking back a sip.
Robin took a deep swig of the beer, letting it buzz through him.
"Alright, Ruby," Miguel grabbed her hand, "Let's dance."
He and Kronk laughed, watching the two pushing their way into the crowd.
As an awkward silence settled over their table, Robin focused on drinking his beer.
It didn't take Ruby and Miguel long to return to the table to try to drag them out. Robin brushed off the effort, so they settled on simply Kronk.
The large man was an incredibly awkward dancer, but he didn't seem to notice. He looked to be having a lot of fun even while doing jerky, robot moves in the middle of the dance floor.
He sipped his beer, leaning against the table.
"Not joining your friends?" a voice asked from behind him.
Turning around, he saw a waitress standing next to his table.
He shrugged, "I'm not much of a dancer."
She visibly glanced him up and down, "I don't believe that."
He didn't know how to respond to that.
"Can I get you another beer?" she asked.
"Sure," he nodded, offering a friendly smile.
She returned it, sauntering away from the table.
Looking out at the dance floor, Robin sighed, wondering what he was doing there.
The waitress returned in less than 10 minutes with his beer.
"Here you go," she handed it to him with a smile.
"Thanks," he accepted it.
As he was taking a first sip, his three co-workers stumbled back to the table, laughing drunkenly.
"Heey," Miguel threw an arm around his shoulders, "Rob! We haven't seen much of you lately."
He tensed uncomfortably. He knew that what Miguel was saying was true, and that the reason for it was that, for the past few months, most of his free time was spent with Regina.
Between her schedule and his, and having to sneak around, finding time together was so hard that they took any opportunity they had.
She didn't have that problem, now, though. She could waltz right out the front door, announcing to Henry and Cora and the world that she was going to see her boyfriend.
Grumbling to himself, he set his beer down.
"Oh!" Ruby cried as the music changed, "I love this song!"
With that she pulled Miguel and Kronk back out to the dance floor. Robin chuckled, letting himself glance around the room.
He sipped his beer steadily, trying not to think too much about Regina. About the last time they spoke. About her new relationship with James Spencer!
Bringing the bottle to his lips, he realized that it was empty.
Sliding off his stool, he made his way over to the bar.
"Something else I can get you?" the bartender asked.
Looking at her through sluggish eyes, he realized it was the same waitress from earlier, "Yeah, thanks, another beer."
Reaching beneath the bar, she took the lid off another beer.
"Thanks."
As he accepted it, she held onto the top, pulling it toward her to catch his attention, "Are you sure I can't get you anything else?"
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
Robin woke the next morning to a wet sensation. Starling awake, he pushed away from it, finding that he was laying on a couch with a large dog standing next to him, licking his face.
The dog wagged its tail, strolling away from the couch.
Trying to gather himself, he slowly sat up. He didn't recognize where he was. It was obviously a living room, covered in feminine decor. It definitely wasn't a room at the Mills estate.
He turned his head at the sound of approaching footsteps.
A woman in a bathrobe and towel walked into the room.
Glancing over, she gave him an unreadable look, "Morning."
At that point he recognized her as the waitress from the night before.
"Hi."
The dog pranced up to her, wagging its tail for attention.
"Ah...did we…?" he let the question trail off.
She barked a laugh, "What?"
He didn't answer.
"Well unless what you're about to say is 'Did I pass out after thirty seconds of making out?' then the answer is 'no'," she told him, "We didn't do anything."
He let out a breath. Feeling more relieved than he probably should have.
"I see."
"Yeah," she answered, turning away and walking to the kitchen.
Robin pushed himself up from the couch. As much as he wanted to get out of there, he felt he should say something to her. The problem was he didn't even know her name!
She saved him the trouble, "Look, I don't mean to be rude, but I have another job I need to get to."
"Right...yeah," he nodded.
She steered him to the front door, shutting it behind him before he could say anything further.
Watching his breath fog in the cold air. He was on the second floor a mid-level apartment community.
Taking out his phone he started down the stairs to try to figure out where he was.
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
Regina sighed as she shrugged on her coat over her dress, juggling her phone from one ear to the other. Tying the belt, she grabbed her handbag, and walked out of her suite to press the elevator call button.
The entire time her mother yammered instructions for how to behave at today's lunch with the Spencers.
"Oh, don't forget to wear your hair up!" Cora told her, "It looks more sophisticated."
"I have it in a twist, Mother," she said.
"Good, but make sure you spray it enough," Cora said, "You know how wild your hair gets if it's humid."
Regina rolled her eyes toward the ceiling at how ridiculous this conversation was getting, "Yes, okay, Mother, I'm getting on the elevator now. I'll see you in about half an hour."
"Alright, just one more-"
Regina hung up the phone, opting to pretend she didn't hear her mother still speaking. Tossing her phone into her handbag, she got on the elevator and rode it down to the ground level.
Her mother had been preparing for this lunch as if it were the election itself, and she was about to drive Regina out of her mind!
She walked through the foyer and out the front door. Just as she walked out an old green sedan that she'd never seen before was pulling into the drive.
She wrinkled her brow in confusion, and was further surprised to see Robin climb out of the back.
He glanced up at her with an unreadable expression before waving the driver off.
Straightening up, he started up the steps.
"Hey, what's going on?" she asked, a little concerned about why he'd arrived in a strange car. As he stopped in front of her, though she caught a strong whiff of alcohol and something sweet...like potpourri or perfume. Lips dropping open, she asked, "Are you just getting home?"
He cleared his throat, "I went out with some of the staff last night."
"I see," she deadpanned.
He caught the darkness in her voice. Looking her over, he asked, "You going out now?"
"As a matter of fact, I am."
"Meeting James Spencer?" he asked, even though he knew he shouldn't.
She glanced over at him in surprise, so he told her, "The picture in The Mirror has been all anyone can talk about this past week."
Gritting her teeth she answered, "Yes, I'm meeting my parents and the Spencers for lunch."
He nodded as she glanced away. He knew that he should just keep his mouth shut. He had no right to say a thing, but he couldn't help but think about that picture of them, the two of them looking perfectly matched and stylish, and the fact that she was now introducing him to her parents after only two weeks! It made him burn with jealousy, and before he knew it he was muttering under his breath, "You never did waste any time."
Her head snapped around to him, "Excuse me?!"
"Nothing," he answered.
"You have a lot of nerve!" she said angrily, "As if you're one to talk!"
Before he could respond, they were distracted by the squeak of breaks. Throwing her mini into park, Lot steeped out, glancing at the two of them questioningly.
Turning back to her, Robin said, "If you'll excuse me, Ms. Mills, I'll just go around to the staff entrance where I belong."
Her mouth dropped, but she didn't say anything as he walked down the steps and started hiking around to the side of the house.
She felt herself shaking in anger. That son of a bitch! How dare he say something that? And after he'd been out doing who knows what all night!
"Ms. Mills?" Lot asked, but she could barely hear him over the blood pounding in her ears. Even on top of her anger, she felt foolish because this was basically conformation of what she'd suspected in the first place. He was making comments implying she moved too fast, when he was the one staying out all night and coming back smelling like a brewery...and whore house! He wanted his freedom and was obviously enjoying it!
"Ms. Miss?" Lot said again.
She snapped her attention to him.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked.
Squaring her jaw, she answered, "Absolutely."
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
She vaguely heard her parents laughing with James and Albert over some anecdote about his time in Arendelle, but her mind was too preoccupied to actually listen.
"Well this is lovely, isn't it Regina?" Cora asked, "...Regina!"
She blinked, "Yes?"
Cora laughed gently, "I was just saying that we're all having such a good time, perhaps we should do this again?"
"Yes, absolutely," James said politely, glancing over at Regina.
She managed a weak smile, but couldn't quite put her full enthusiasm into it.
"That would be nice," Albert said, "Although, I'm afraid I'm leaving for the Federal District in a few days. We're opening a new resort near there and I need to oversee the all the last minute preparations."
"Oh, that is too bad," Cora said.
"Yes," he nodded.
"Good luck with your new resort, though," Henry chimed in.
"Thank you very much, I'm hoping it will be a good addition to our portfolio," the other man answered, "We expect to attract a very exclusive clientele."
"Sounds very intriguing," Cora said, leaning in.
"I do hope so."
"Dad," James said, "Perhaps we should extend an invitation to the Mills for opening weekend?"
Albert glanced at his son, but didn't miss a beat, "You're absolutely right, James."
Cora and Henry looked between them questioningly.
"We're having a garden party for opening weekend, and, of course, we'd love for your family to attend."
"Oh," Henry said, "Well that's very kind of you…"
"I mean your entire family of course," Albert looked over at Regina, "And I believe your other daughter lives in the Federal District?"
"Her and my son-in-law," Cora reminded, "Both are in politics."
"Well we'd love to have them as well," he said politely.
"Oh, how gracious of you!" she smiled, "We would love to attend. Wouldn't we, Regina?"
There was, of course, only one right answer to that.
Forcing her lips into a wider smile, Regina answered that they would indeed love it.
"Well," Cora relaxed into her chair, "I think this calls for a toast. Henry, perhaps we should order mimosas?"
"Ah...yes, excellent idea" he agreed, motioning to a waiter.
After glasses were set out and mimosas poured, James lifted his and said, "To our families."
"Well said, James," Albert smiled, "To our families,"
Cora eagerly agreed, the five at the table clinking their glasses together.
As Regina sipped hers, she felt James slip his hand into hers under the table. Glancing over, he gave her an eyeroll and a wink.
She attempted a polite smile, but only managed a small quirk of her lips.
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
"Kronk told me he dragged himself back to the staff quarters at nearly noon yesterday!" Ruby finished telling Mrs. Fa, "Last I saw him he was flirting with the bartender."
"Hmf!" Mrs. Fa sniffed.
"I know!" she said, "And that's after that thing Kronk told you about last weekend."
The elderly chef shook her head, "Sounds like that boy's been burning the candle at both ends these past few weeks!"
"Right? It seems so unlike him!" she said in exasperation, letting out a sigh, "I guess this break up is really getting to him."
"What break up?" a loud voice asked.
She jumped turning around in her seat as Miguel sauntered into the room.
"Nothing," she replied cagily.
He looked at her skeptically, so she said, "Alright, fine! Robin, but you can't tell him I said anything!"
Miguel laughed, "What, that waitress from last night?"
"No," she said, "Apparently he'd been seeing someone and it ended recently."
The blond man laughed, "Well, from how things looked last night, I think he'll be just fine!"
Ruby shook her head, "It's just so weird, I didn't even know he was seeing anyone!"
Mrs. Fa snorted again, "Well clearly you weren't paying much attention!"
"What do you mean?" the younger woman asked.
"Looking cheerful at random times, grinning at his phone when he thinks no one's watching, poorly hidden love bites-"
"What?!" Ruby gasped as Miguel threw his head back and laughed.
"Wow, Mrs. Fa, I don't know about Locksley, but it looks like the rumors about you are true!" he chortled, while Ruby still looked scandalized.
"I don't know what you're talking about, young man," Mrs. Fa said, "And if you know what's good for you, you don't either!"
"Alright, alright," he held up his hands, "We'll just stick to Locksley then…"
"What about Locksley?" a voice asked, walking into the kitchen.
The three turned, alarmed to find that it was none other than Cora standing in the kitchen doorway.
"Ah…" Ruby stammered, "...nothing, Ma'am."
She raised one eyebrow, "Really? It sounded rather loud for nothing. Please, do tell?"
Miguel and Ruby exchanged uncomfortable glanced but, with an eye roll, Mrs. Fa finally broke the silence, "We were gossiping."
She crossed her arms, "About?"
Another awkward silence settled over the room.
"Well don't hold back on my account," she urged, "If it was important enough to discuss…"
"Apparently he'd been seeing some girl!" Mrs. Fa said, irritably enough to be believable, but not really giving anything away.
Cora started for a moment before finally answering, "That's it?"
Neither of the three knew how to respond to that.
With a snort, Cora dropped her arms, walking over to the fridge to retrieve the bottle of mineral water she'd come into the kitchen for, "That's hardly even worthy of gossip. He's a handsome young man, why wouldn't he have a woman?"
The three staff members chose not to comment about that.
"I don't want to hear anymore about this unless it's somehow relevant to the operation of this house…" she muttered as she uncapped the bottle, "...and it'd better not be you, Ruby! I realize you have your own own personal lives, but there's still no fraternization between employees of the estate."
"Um….no! No, Ma'am, not at all!" Ruby said, eyes wide.
Cora narrowed her eyes at her but finally seemed to believe it, "Good. Now if you wouldn't mind working rather than gossiping?"
"Yes, Ma'am," the young housekeeper answered, standing from the table and hurrying out of the kitchen. Miguel took the opportunity to flee as well.
Mrs. Fa stayed seated, but Cora didn't seem to care as she turned on her heel and strode out.
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
"Yes, thank you very much," Regina said, hanging up her desk phone. She had been finalizing plans with Mrs. Hermann to host one of their fundraising events next month. Apparently the woman decided to up her status by throwing a big society event.
Oh well, she was perfectly willing for the Mills Foundation to benefit from it!
Standing up, she stretched out her back and began gathering up her briefcase. Closing the buckle, she picked up her blazer from the back of her chair and swung it over her shoulders.
Leaning against her desk, she paused for a moment. It was Thursday but, for her, it was the end of the work week. Her entire family had taken time off to travel to the Federal District for the Spencers garden party.
Her mother had been walking on air ever since the day Albert extended the invitation, and was actually happier and more pleasant that ever. Her father, on the other hand, had been distant and strange.
She couldn't really blame him, though. She understood the feeling.
She'd met James for lunch and coffee a couple times since that day at the country club, and they'd discussed what was happening.
James seemed perfectly alright with everything. He told her that he was going to have to attend the opening weekend party anyway, and, since this event would make both their parents happy, there wasn't much reason to not do it.
Really, he was remarkably charming and persuasive, but, more that just that, he understood.
He understood being a part of a powerful family that was constantly in the public eye. He understood the constant, overbearing presence of societal expectation. He understood that under all the opulence and privilege was immense pressure, and he never made her feel bad about it. Never dismissed it.
It was nice having someone to talk to that way.
However, though he hadn't pressured her to take their relationship to a physical level, it still seemed like things were moving really fast.
It was an absurd thought, of course.
They'd been spending time together for nearly a month and hadn't done anything other than go on a few casual dates!
She did suspect that was going to change this weekend, though. Them attending a big event like this together was going to formalize things, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that.
Shaking herself, she picked up her briefcase and walked to the door.
"Hey Lily, I'm heading out."
Lily looked up from her computer, taking her headphones out of her ears, "What?"
"I said I'm heading out," Regina repeated, "Remember, I won't be in tomorrow."
"Oh," Lily nodded, blinking as she remembered, "Oh yeah! It's that big garden party this weekend!"
"Yeah," she frowned.
Lily did as well, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she shook her head.
"Bullshit," the other woman called her bluff, "Come on! What's going on?"
Regina stared at her, acutely aware that they were in an open area of the office and Kronk was sitting less than two feet away, although he was bopping his head to whatever he was listening to on his phone.
Following her eye-line, Lily studied him, picked up a pen, and tossed it at his forehead.
He blinked, looking up and taking his headphones out.
"Nice security!" she said snarkily.
He blushed, hopping to his feet, "Sorry, Ms. Mills!"
"Yeah, whatever," Lily answered, "Ms. Mills, needs a latte. Can you go get her one from downstairs?"
"Yes, Ms. Mills!" he said quickly, "I'll be right back!"
As he ran off, Lily grabbed Regina's arm and pulled her back into the office. Shutting the door behind them, the she said, "Alright, start talking!"
"About what?"
"About whatever's bothering you. Come on!" she urged, "What is it?"
"It's nothing," she shook her head.
"Regina!" Lily protested, sighing heavily, "Is it about that other guy? The security guard you spent your birthday with? What was his name?"
Regina looked at her, setting her briefcase back down with a sigh, "Robin, and...I just...I don't know if this weekend is a good idea."
"Why?" Lily asked, "Because you're going with James Spencer?"
She didn't answer.
"Girl, don't! It's been a long time since I've seen you date anyone," Lily said, "Don't feel bad. You deserve to play the field a little!"
Regina frowned. That wasn't exactly the situation, but she did feel too embarrassed to say what had really happened.
"And, I must say, even if I haven't gone for a guy in a while, you're caught between two very good choices," Lily went on, "You've got a handsome billionaire and a hot bodyguard. Anyone would love to be in your position!"
Recognizing her own intentional joke, Lily laughed and wagged her eyebrows.
"Lily!" Regina scolded, but there wasn't really any fire behind it.
"Don't!" Lily repeated, "Stop overthinking things! Just go! Have a good time this weekend. Everything will be fine here."
Before she could answer, they spotted Kronk's large form walking toward the office with a coffee cup.
Quickly, Lily opened the door and said, "Have a good weekend, Ms. Mills."
She sighed, but nodded in thanks.
"Here you are, Ms. Mills," Kronk handed her the cup.
"Thanks, Kronk," she accepted it, "I'm ready to go home now."
He nodding stepping back so she could walk ahead of him to the elevator.
They drove him in relative silence, other than Kronk blaring the radio. She didn't really mind, though. It was a good distraction.
Finally, he punched in the code at the gate and drove her up to the front of the house.
Walking up the steps, she noticed that, although the sun was setting, it was still very pleasant out. No more than a slight chill in the air. It was looking to be an early, warm spring.
Perfect weather for the upcoming weekend.
As the door shut behind her, she walked toward he elevator but was stopped by her mother calling her name.
"Regina!" she stepped out of the dining room, "Aren't you going to be joining us for dinner?"
"Yes, Mother," Regina answered, "I just need to put my things away."
"Excellent, well you can take this with you," Cora walked to the entryway and picked up a garment bag on one of the side tables.
"What is it?"
"I stopped my Andalasia today do to some shopping, and I found the perfect gown for this weekend for you," she unzipped the bag to show her.
It was a long white dress with a black and magenta floral pattern.
"What do you think?"
"Well it's nice," Regina answered, "But isn't it a bit formal?"
"Nonsense!" Cora protested, "Albert said the event will be black tie."
"Black tie?" Regina asked in surprise.
Cora wasn't listening, though, she simply pushed the bag into Regina's hands as she rambled to herself, "Which reminds me. I need to make sure Belle has made arrangements for a stylist to meet us there."
As her mother texted her assistant, Regina gave up, pressing the call button on and getting on the elevator.
In her suite, she dropped her briefcase and made her way into the bedroom. She hung up the gown in her closet with a sigh. She stared at it for a moment as she hung up her blazer.
First it was a garden party, now it was a black tie event? This whole thing seemed to just keep getting bigger and she wasn't even sure how.
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
Robin packed the last of his things for the weekend into his duffle bag with a sigh.
This morning at the security briefing, he could hardly believe his ears when he heard his name read off as Regina's security for this trip.
Not just because Kronk had been her assigned security this week, but because of the irony of it.
Apparently Kronk requested the weekend off a while ago, though, so he'd been picked to replace him.
Since that day a few weeks ago, he'd been trying to avoid any gossip but it was impossible in this house.
From what he'd overheard, Regina and James had been spending some time together but no one really knew details. The one thing everyone was convinced of, though, was that they were definitely a couple.
He was snapped out of his musings by a knock on his door.
"Locksley! Time to go!" Drake called.
Zipping up his bag, he lifted it and opened the door.
Drake frowned, "I shouldn't have to track you down."
He sighed, "Yes, Sir."
The two walked to the garage where Razoul was already waiting behind the wheel of the limo. Razoul and Drake were Mr. and Mrs. Mills security for the weekend. The two stored their bags in the trunk and then got in.
The sun was just peeking over the horizon as they drove around to the front of the house where the family was waiting.
Getting out, he helped load their bags into the trunk. As he took Regina's suitcase, they briefly made eye contact but she pointedly looked away.
Once the Mills were in the car, Drake took the front seat next to Razoul so he was forced to sit in the back and listen to Mrs. Mills talking excitedly about the upcoming weekend, pausing occasionally to admonish Regina about something.
Sitting through that over a five hour drive was tortuous and he wasn't the only one who thought so.
Henry was pensive the whole way there and Regina was about ready to throw herself out the window by the time they drove up to the gates of the resort.
She sighed, glad to finally get some air as she stepped out of the car.
"Well this looks lovely," Cora commented, taking in the grounds. She was right, it was a beautiful property. Sprawling grounds lined with blooming cherry trees that had scattered pink petals everywhere.
Henry stepped up next to them, putting on his hat. With a smile, Cora slipped her arm into his, "Come on, let's see the inside."
The three climbed the steps to the clubhouse. The lobby contained a cafe and bar area, doors to a large deck outback looking over the woods, and a fireplace in the middle.
A flash of Zelena's red hair alerted them to her presence before she was up out of her chair, "Daddy!"
Henry smiled as she rushed over to hug him, "Good to see you, Sweetheart."
Zelena hugged him tightly as Blake stood from the table and walked over at a more sedate pace.
"Blake, good to see you," he greeted once Zelena finally moved on to hug Cora and Regina.
"Henry," Blake shook his hand then moved to Cora. They hugged lightly, kissing both her cheeks.
"Blake," Regina nodded as he stepped up to her, offering handshake before he could move in for anything else
He shook her hand briefly, "Well, this is wonderful. Cora, how did you managed to get an invitation for opening weekend?"
"Actually, it was Regina," Cora beamed.
"It was?" Zelena asked, smile faltering.
"Yes, because she's been seeing James Spencer," Cora went on, "Oh! There he is now!"
The group turned as James walked inside from the patio. He was dressed in khakis and a white sweater vest.
"You made it!" he beamed, walking over to the group. He kissed Cora and Regina's cheeks and shook Henry's hand before slipping his arm around her waist, "How was the drive?"
"Oh, very pleasant," she answered.
Regina had to bite her tongue to avoid laughing.
Cora went on, "This is my other daughter, Zelena, and her husband, Blake."
"Oh, it's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you," James stepped forward to shake both their hands.
Blake returned the handshake, but Zelena didn't look as enthusiastic.
"Have you checked in?" James asked.
"No, not yet," Henry said.
"We had to wait for you," Zelena complained under her breath.
"Well let's get you set up then," he lead them over to the front desk and told the clerk that his father had made special arrangements.
She checked her computer and answered, "Oh, yes. We have three suites for the Mills as well as a regular room on the same floor."
"Wonderful! Thank you, Charlotte," James thanked her, taking all the keycards and leading them over to the staircase, "You'll love the rooms we arranged for you. Executive suites. They have a view of the garden, king sized bed, jacuzzi tub. And once you get settled in my father and I reserved a table for all of us in the VIP dining room."
"Oh, well how thoughtful!," Cora gushed as they climbed up to the second floor. Once they arrived, James passed out keycards.
Zelena snatched hers and nearly dragged Blake to their room.
"Thank you again, James. We look forward to dining with you this evening," Cora thanked him again as she took a keycard and turned toward her and Henry's room. Henry hesitated by Regina's side, but his wife pinned him with a hard look, "Henry...we should unpack."
He glanced over at his daughter, but finally nodded and followed Cora into their room.
Suddenly alone with just James and the security team, Regina felt slightly uncomfortable. Clearing her throat, she looked up at James.
"Here's yours," he handed her a keycard without a beat, "I hope you like the room. There's wifi. TV. If you need anything feel free to ask."
"Thank you," she smiled weakly.
"No worries, I'm actually kind of trying to apologize," he explained.
"Apologize?"
"Yeah, my dad's in a meeting and I actually have to get there myself, so I'll have to leave you on your own until dinner."
"Ah," she nodded, "Well, don't worry about. I understand."
He smiled, pressing her card into her hand and leaning over to kiss her cheek.
"I'll see you tonight," he whispered into her ear.
She managed to smile at him, but when he walked away it was just her Razoul, Drake, and Robin. Razoul was boredly looking at his phone, Drake had his eyes respectfully averted, but Robin didn't.
Straightening up, she turned on her heel and walked to the door of her room. She could feel Robin's eyes boring into her back as she inserted the keycard into the slot. It beeped red aggravatingly, forcing her to slid it back in again.
Finally, when it turned green, she shoved down the door handle, stepped inside, and then shut it firmly behind her.
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
"Faye said she couldn't make it, but, from what I've heard, there will be a few congress members," Cora said, smiling to herself.
"Mother, Senator LaBeouf will likely be here," Zelena told him, "When I told Charlotte we were attending, she was so jealous! I'm sure she'll ask her father to get them an invitation."
"Yes, that's nice dear," Cora nodded, "Now, Regina, don't forget to mingle but be sure you spend enough time with James. He is the reason we're all here after all."
She sighed, "Yes, Mother."
Cora finished her last sip of coffee and dabbed her lips with a napkin, "Well, your father and I will see you later tonight. Henry, were you done?"
"Yes," he nodded, pushing his chair away from the table to follow her back up to their room, "We'll see you girls later."
Once her parents were gone, Regina let out a relieved breath.
"Ma'am, can I get your anything else?" the server asked as he cleared away Cora and Henry's breakfast dishes.
"Yes, a mimosa, please," she answered.
Zelena snorted as he walked away, "A bit early for alcohol isn't it, Sis?"
Regina looked at her, "What's your problem?"
"Well it's just that Mother is acting like you're engaged or something," she answered, "And how long have you been dating this guy? A few weeks?"
"Yeah, well, I didn't ask for that, but you know how Mother is!" she said in exasperation, thanking the waiter when he returned with her drink.
As she took a sip Zelena muttered, "It's not as if he's even all that impressive! My husband's from an older family."
Swallowing a large sip of her drink, Regina answered, "Zelena, it's not a contest! And, as you said, you and your husband have a very different relationship than James and me. We're hardly even officially dating."
Her sister chuckled, "Look around, Regina, I think you may be the only one who missed the memo that the two of you are a couple."
Drinking the last of her coffee, Zelena stood, "Well, since we're here, I'm going to make the most of it. I think I'll stop by the stables and arrange a ride."
"Sounds good, see you later," Regina said, waving absently as she left. She sipped her mimosa for a while, startling when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.
Turning, she saw James smiling at her warmly, "Hello."
"Hi," she set down her glass, "I thought you were busy this morning?"
"Oh I was," he kissed her cheek, "But I just wanted to say 'hi' real quickly."
"Oh," she nodded.
"So how are you?" he sat down next to her, "How are you liking the resort?"
"It's very nice," she answered, "From what I've seen so far."
"Well, try to check out the amenities," James told her, "You're here, might as well enjoy yourself, right?"
"Yeah, sounds good," she smiled.
"Great," he checked his watch, "Well I'd better be getting back. I'll see you tonight."
He kissed her cheek again as he rose from the table, leaving her to finish her mimosa.
Standing from the table, she walked out of the dining room and over to the patio. The view of the property was beautiful, but she found she had no urge to explore further so she turned to the stairs and climbed up to the second floor instead.
Back in her room, she decided to take a long hot shower. After getting out she dried off her hair and plugged in her flat iron. She knew her mother had arranged a stylist for that night,but they'd, no doubt, want her hair straightened.
When she was about halfway done, a knock on the door drew her attention. Carefully setting the iron down on the sink, she went to answer it.
"Zelena?" she asked, "What are you doing? I thought you were going for a ride?"
"I am," her sister stepped into the room, "But they said the trail is muddy, and the only coat I brought cost 500 gold coins. I need something that won't be ruined if it gets splattered, do you have anything?"
"Check my suitcase," she said, stepping back to the bathroom.
She was just picking back up her flat iron when she heard Zelena say, "Here we are!"
Glancing over, her eyes widened when she saw what Zelena was holding. Slamming down the iron, she ran over and grabbed it, "Not that!"
"What?" Zelena asked, pulling back on the sweater, "You said I could!"
"Yeah, well not that!" she answered, "Now let go, you're going to rip it!"
"What are you talking about?" her sister demanded, pulling back again.
"Zelena, give it back now!"
Before Zelena could protest, three sharp raps at the door drew their attention.
"Who is it?!" Regina demand.
"It's me," Henry called through the door, "Is everything alright?"
She glanced back at her sister, but their father's presence at the other side of the door forced her to let go of the sweatshirt to answer it.
"What's going on in here?" Henry asked as he stepped into the room, "I could hear you girls in the hall."
Zelena huffed, "Daddy, I need something warm to go horseback riding, but Regina's freaking out over a ratty sweatshirt! Ugh...where did you even get this ugly thing?!"
She faltered, pointedly not answering that question as she snapped the sweatshirt out of her sister's hand and said, "Zelena, you have your own clothes!"
Zelena huffed, "You are being so selfish! What is with you? You've been acting weird all weekend!"
"Nothing," she said, holding the sweatshirt to her chest, "I just don't want you rummaging through my things! You'd have a fit if I did that with yours!"
"You said I could!" Zelena shrieked.
"Alright!" Henry intervened, taking Zelena's hand, "Honey, if you need a sweater, I'll buy you one at the gift shop. Go on, I'll be right behind you…"
"Thank you, Daddy," Zelena beamed, giving Regina a smug look as he steered her to the door.
He closed the door gently and turned back to Regina, "Are you alright?"
"Yes," she nodded, letting out a sigh.
"Are you sure?" he asked, "Is there anything you need to talk about?"
"No," she shook her head, "I just want some time alone before this party."
He looked doubtful, but finally nodded, "Alright...if you're certain."
As her father reluctantly left the room, Regina sighed and sunk down onto the bed. She stared at the sweatshirt in her hands with the slogan that Zelena hadn't taken notice of...Sherwood EMS.
She wasn't sure what drove her to include it when she was packing for the trip. This was over. He'd made himself clear and now it was done…
With a sigh, she shook those thoughts away and went back to straightening her hair...but not before folding up the shirt and putting it back in her bag.
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
Robin did up his tie and looked in the mirror. He looked sharp but nondescript enough to blend into the sort of fancy crowd they'd be amongst at this party.
He'd gone to so many of these things with various members of the Mills family. At this point they were really starting to blur together.
How had this become his life? Before the previous year he'd never been to any sort of of society event, but now they were routine.
He let out a sigh. Maybe Killian was right. Maybe he'd spent too much time in this world.
He didn't have time to muse on that long, though, as Drake knocked on the door and called his name.
Robin opened it.
"This Mills will be ready in 10 minutes," Drake informed him, "We're meeting them down in the lobby."
"Yes, Sir," he nodded, following Drake and Razoul down to the ground floor. The lobby was filled with people milling about it evening wear. No doubt guests of this shindig.
Blending into the crowd, he studied the room, looking for any potential danger. It was hard to assess in such a large crowd of people who hadn't previously been cleared, but Drake seemed to trust the resorts in house security with that task, and he trusted very few people.
Through the crowd he caught sight of James Spencer...Regina's date for the evening.
He straightened up, pretending the sight of the redhead didn't make his blood boil, or that he couldn't deny that the man looked completely smooth and stylish in his designer suit.
Spencer stood easily, one hand in his pocket as he spoke to an older man, until both glanced toward the stairs.
Following their gazes, he saw the Mills descending the steps. Henry and Cora and Zelena and DisPater walked arm in arm, Regina a few steps behind them.
Her hair was piled on top of her head, and she was wearing a beautiful white floral gown. As she walked carefully down the stairs, lifting the hem of her dress to avoid tripping, James jogged up to meet her.
"Hi," he said.
"Hi," she answered, returning the smile.
"Ready to go?" he offered his arm.
"Sure," she took it.
As she walked the rest of the way down, she saw her mother jab her father in the ribs and whisper excitedly, "Such a gentleman."
Seeing the look on her face, James whispered, "Just keep smiling."
She chuckled, walking along with him into the crowd as Albert spencer called for everyone's attention and directed the crowd outside.
In the audience, Robin had been observing the entire interaction. Squaring his jaw, he stood back on the crowd, keeping them in sight as he waited for the guests to file out.
Out on the lawn there were tents set up with tables and drinks, and string quartet playing gentle music to welcome everyone.
The crowd wandered about, accepting glasses of champagne from servers and oohing and ahhing over the fairy light strung in the trees.
"So what do think?" James asked.
"Oh, it's beautiful," Regina assured him.
"Yeah, a bit over the top, I know, but...you how these events are," he shrugged, "Want some champagne?"
She laughed, "Definitely."
They spent the next few hours drinking champagne and munch on canapes. Albert Spencer made a speech welcoming everyone to the resort and laying out his rather long winded vision for what he hoped it would become. Finally, he reached the end of his speech and invited a guests to join him on a walking tour of the grounds.
James offered his arm again, which Regina accepted it after setting her champagne glass aside. She'd had a couple and was feeling a little tipsy, but knew that sitting the tour out wasn't an option.
As the family walked along with the Spencers, Robin, Drake, and Razoul followed a few steps behind.
By this point, Robin was having to clench his fists by his side to hold down his anger.
All evening he'd spent watching James Spencer parade around with Regina on his arm, whispering in her ear, having her smiles directed at him. And now he was leading her along a dark path around the resort grounds, not even considering that it would be an uncomfortable trek for her in the stiletto heels she was wearing beneath her dress.
Gods, that preening bastard look so smug but he clearly didn't take the time to really notice her at all!
Staring daggers at James Spencer's back, he forced himself to continue following them in silence.
"So do you like the grounds?" James asked.
"Yes, James," she answered, "It's a lovely area."
He smiled, "Good, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. I'm glad you're here."
She smiled back at him, but didn't say anything as they continued along.
By the time the crowd made it all the way around the grounds it was getting late, and the temperature had dropped considerably. Regina shivered slightly the last of the way there.
Extricating his arm from her grasp, James slipped it around her waist and pulled her closer to him, "Here...you're cold?"
She nodded.
"Well let's get you inside then," James said, making eye contact with his father and nodding toward the lodge.
Albert nodded back, motioning for James to go.
The Mills family, along with their security climbed the lodge steps and walked into the lobby. When they got there, Cora let out a happy sigh, "Well this was a lovely evening!"
"Yes," Blake jumped in, "It was. Great resort. I think you'll make a lot of money with this place!"
"Well I hope so!" James laughed, "So...should we all get one last drink at the bar?"
"Oh no!" Blake answered, "I've had enough."
Zelena giggled tipsily, as if to demonstrate his point.
"Yes, it is getting rather late," Cora agreed, "I think we'll just be turning in. Though, please, don't let us stop you kids…"
Regina tried not to wince at the offer.
"Oh no," James said, "If you're heading up to your room, I'll escort you there."
Still guiding Regina by the small of her back, James lead the family up to the second floor.
"Well goodnight…." Zelena drawled, "...thank you for a lovely party!"
Blake chuckled, steering her around to their room.
"Goodnight, Mrs. DisPater!" James called after them.
"Oh, don't be so formal!" Cora scolded, "We're nearly family now!"
James chuckled politely, but didn't answer.
"Well, please thank your father again for the invitation," Henry said.
"I will," James assured him, shaking Henry's hand.
"Come along, Henry," Cora said, almost dragging her reluctant husband into their room.
Left along with just James and Regina, Drake and Razoul held back, averting their eyes respectfully. Robin tried to do the same, but couldn't look away.
Standing in front of her door, James started, "So…"
Regina cut him off, "Did you want to come inside for a moment?"
"Sure," James answered, "I'd love to."
She took deep breaths as she inserted the keycard and opened the door. Standing aside to let James in, she closed the door behind them.
Glancing up at him, she smiled lightly as she set down her clutch. Taking her hand, James brushed the back of his hand against her cheek, leaned over, and pressed a kiss to her lips.
Drawing a breath, she allowed the kiss, opening her lips to him. As his hands slid down her arms and to her waist, though, she pulled back, "Erm…"
Sensing her tension, James backed away.
She sighed, "I'm sorry...I just...I'm just not ready."
He nodded, not quite hiding the disappointed look on his face. He cupped her cheek and kissed her again, but this time only a gentle peck.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
She nodded, "Thank you."
He opened the door, "Goodnight, Regina."
"Goodnight, James."
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
As the door closed behind James Spencer and Regina, Drake straightened up, "Alright, the family's in for the night. I'm on night duty, so the two of you can take a break if you want, but don't leave the property!"
With that he turned and walked into their room.
Robin, however, was frozen staring at the closed door to Regina's room.
Razoul huffed tiredly beside him, "Well I'm going to go check out the bar!"
Robin heard him only distantly, still staring holes into Regina's door. Finally, he snapped his head around to the other man, "That sounds like a great idea."
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
"This weekend was a triumph!" Cora declared as she hung her gown up in the closet, "Finally, Regina is involved with someone with real prospects!"
Henry nodded, frowning into the mirror as he pulled off his tie.
She sighed, walking over to open the window, "And this resort is really quite lovely."
"Yes, it is," he agreed quietly.
"I bet it's nice in the fall too," she mused, "It may not be traditional, but an autumn wedding could be very lovely. Plus, if it isn't peak wedding season we won't be competing with other families in the society magazine and it'd be good exposure right before an election year..."
Turning to her, Henry said, "Cora, please, let's not get ahead of ourselves."
"Nonsense," she brushed his attempted warning off, "I have a good feeling about this, Henry. This is going to be excellent for our family! I can feel it!"
He sighed. He was glad to see his wife so happy, but, unfortunately, he didn't share those good feelings. He'd tried to stay out of whatever was going on, but after spending all evening watching Regina look less than happy in James Spencer's arms and Robin staring daggers at both of them, he wasn't sure he could hold back much longer.
"I'm going to take a bath," Cora drew his attention.
"Alright," he nodded, "I think I might go for a walk and get a nightcap downstairs."
"Very well," she said as she made her way to the bathroom, "Bring me back a cognac."
"Sure," he said absently as he picked up the keycard and walked out the door.
He stared at Regina's door for a moment, but then shook away the temptation to knock on it to try to talk to her. That could go very badly.
The door to the room where their security was staying was closed too, but, since he wasn't planning to leave the lodge, from the the instructions Drake gave them, he didn't have an excuse to knock on that one either.
Letting out a sigh, he walked slowly down to the lobby and tried to put these thoughts out of his head. Fate didn't seem to want him to, though as he ran right into Razoul on his way into the bar.
"Mr. Mills!" the man said in surprise, "Are you alright?"
"Yes, yes," he answered, "Just getting a drink."
"Ah," Razoul noded, subtly looking back toward the bar. Henry saw why immediately, Robin was sitting on one of the stools nursing a glass of whiskey and looking morose.
"I'll tell him it's time to go-"
"No, no. Don't worry about it, Razoul," Henry assured him, "You go ahead. Have goodnight."
"Are you sure, Sir?"
"Yes...goodnight," he repeated.
When the other man finally left, Henry walked up and slid onto a stool next to the one where Robin was sitting.
The younger man glanced over, looking alarmed at the sight of him, "Henry-"
"Sit, sit!" Henry waved off his attempts to stand, "I'm just here for a nightcap."
"Okay," Robin agreed.
"So what's go you in such a mood?" the older man asked.
"Nothing, Sir," Robin said, pushing his glass away.
"Really?" Henry asked, "Are you sure it isn't a woman?"
Robin paused, looking at him in surprise, "...why would you say that?"
"Well…" Henry said, "...mostly because of a conversation I heard from my office window a few weeks ago from the garden.
Robin stared in shock as Henry motioned to the bartender and ordered a whiskey and a cognac.
When the bartender walked away, the older man turned to him, "So?"
"Um…" he stuttered, "...so?"
"What is it you're doing here?" Henry asked, "I've tried to stay out of it, but now I just have to ask...what is going on with you and my daughter?"
"Sir I-"
"Enough with that 'sir' stuff!" Henry cut him off, "I think we're a bit past that, don't you? Now, as I asked, what's going on with you and my daughter?"
"I…" he sighed, "...I don't really know."
"From what I've seen tonight, you seem pretty aware of your feelings. Do you love her?"
"That's not the issue…" Robin said.
"Oh?" Henry asked.
"It's complicated."
"I have to tell you, that sounds like rubbish. Either you love her or you don't."
He didn't know what to say to that.
The bartender stopped by to give Henry his drinks. Thanking him, the older man took out his wallet and laid down a few notes as tip.
"My daughter is an adult," he acknowledged, "But I still care about her. So all I'll say is make a decision. If you don't feel the same way about her that she does about you, let her move on...but if you do, stop getting your own way. I won't see my daughter get hurt because of your pride!"
With that he picked up the two glasses, wished Robin a goodnight and made his way back to the second floor.
Robin stared after him, somewhat shell shocked by what had just happened. Henry Mills just told him, not only that he knew about him and Regina, but that he, sort of, approved?
Sitting back onto the barstool, he started at his drink. Henry's message was pretty clear, but he couldn't help thinking it wasn't that simple.
He'd screwed things up and now Regina was with James. He watched her invite him into her room!
Of course, if anyone knew his daughter it was Henry Mills, and if he were encouraging him…
He looked into his glass again, thinking about how many times he'd been in this same position these last few weeks. Trying to drown the pain of feeling like he'd messed everything up.
Setting the glass down, he stood, filled with renewed determination to fix what he'd screwed up.
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
Robin climbed the top step and made his way down the hall to Regina's room. He quickly knocked three times on the door before he had a chance to consider backing out.
Taking a deep breath, he tried to listen carefully for any sounds coming from the other side of the door. Anything that sounded like more than one person inside.
Dear Gods, what if she really were in bed with that prat James Spencer? Would he end up being the one to answer the door? What if he interrupted them while they were...he couldn't even finish the thought! He'd drive himself insane when what he needed to be doing was focusing on what to say to her.
After staring at the door for what felt like forever, it opened a crack allowing Regina to look out at him as she asked, "Yes?"
She was wearing sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt, her hair slightly damp and beginning to curl, the natural pink color of her lips unhidden by her usual bold lipstick.
The remnants of alcohol still dulling his inhibitions and making his head fuzzy, Robin's breath caught at the sight of her. He was torn between just taking in how amazingly beautiful she looked even when uncharacteristically dressed down, and being relieved that her attire probably meant she hadn't been entertaining James Spencer recently.
Noticing the expectant look on her face, he finally cleared his throat and asked, "May I come in? I need to talk to you."
She stood silently for a moment, before letting out a noticeable breath and opening the door wider to allow him inside. Shutting the door behind them, Regina crossed her arms and asked, "What did you want to talk about?"
Rubbing his hands against the sides of his pant legs, he said, "I'm sorry."
"You're sorry?" she asked.
"About what I said that day in the garden," he clarified.
Regina glanced at the floor, stepping a few steps closer to him but still keeping a good amount of distance between them.
"Any particular reason you're apologizing now?" her tone of voice made it clear she suspected the reason and was not pleased with it. That was to be expected, though, and it was too late to back down now.
"Yes," he admitted, "Not being with you…watching you with someone else...it's driving me mad."
She looked at him incredulously, a laugh falling from her lips, "So you're jealous?"
"Yes."
"That's...funny, since you suggested I give James Spencer a chance," Regina answered, "Explore my options, I believe, was what you said?"
"I know," he nodded, "I know I have no right to say this to you now, but...I can't take this. I screwed up. I shouldn't have said what I did..."
She looked at him questioningly.
Robin took a deep breath. Henry had been right. If he was going to do this, he'd have to just go for broke, even if that meant groveling, "I told myself I just wanted what was best for you when, really, I was being a coward."
Her brow wrinkled in surprise at that statement.
"I did mean what I said about the life of an ex-con being difficult. It is very hard, and, no, I don't think you fully understand how hard. That's not saying anything about you, though. Most people don't unless they've been through it themselves," he explained, "And...you know I'm right that there are a lot of men out there who can give you more than I can. Ones who don't have the kinds of complications I do."
"And you don't think I'm capable of making that decision for myself?"
"Of course you are," he answered, "But all I could think was that it'd only be matter of time before you realized you could do better and maybe it wouldn't hurt as much if I were protecting you than if I admitted I was in love with you."
Regina looked up at him, her lips dropping open in surprise. She stared silent for a moment before slowly shaking her head and asking in an almost inaudible voice, "Is this all just game to you?"
His eyes wrinkled in confusion.
"I tell you I love you, and you say we should see other people. I start seeing someone else, and now suddenly you love me?" she asked.
"Not suddenly-"
"Just now that someone else shows an interest?"
"No!" he insisted, "Yes, I hate seeing you with Spencer, but… I won't even ask you to stop seeing him right now if you want to keep doing so, just...please give me another chance."
"And what do you get out of that?" she asked, "A conquest? A chance to prove you can win me over a famous rich guy?"
The accusation was harsh and cut right through him. There was a part of him that felt defensive, and wanted to get angry, but, more than that, it just hurt.
"Do you really think that's the kind of person I am?" he asked, throat tight.
"I didn't," she answered, eyes misting, "but now...I don't know what to think."
"No, I'm not saying this for the challenge of it or anything like that."
She sighed, "I believe you."
For a brief moment he felt a glimmer of hope before she spoke again, "But, Robin...what you're saying about thinking you were protecting me or protecting yourself from getting hurt or whatever...I don't know if I can believe that after what you said about Daniel."
Dropping her arms to her sides, she shifted uncomfortably and swallowed hard before asking, "That day in the stables, did you hear everything?"
He nodded.
She blinked tears falling on her cheeks.
Robin stepped forward and gently wiped one away with his thumb.
Sniffing, she reached up, grasped his hand, and gently lowered it away from her face, "And you felt sorry for me, right?"
He lips dropped open, discomfort churning his stomach at the impossible question, "I felt sorry you were hurt..."
Dropping his hand, she started to turn away from him.
"Regina, I would have felt the same way for anyone!" he argued. She sniffed again, but did not turn back, "Unity Day weekend! Remember you thought I was flirting with Marian? Well if you'd heard me tell her that I was still in love with her and she said she didn't feel the same way, would you have felt sorry for me?"
She turned back, "I understand what you're getting at and that you probably truly believe it, but even what you said about protecting yourself because you thought I'd leave you...you're basically saying you don't think I really knew what I was saying. How I really felt."
"I don't-"
"How can I trust someone who thinks I'm that fickle?" she asked.
"I don't think you're fickle!"
"But you didn't trust me," she answered, "And how can we go anywhere if we don't trust each other? I don't see it being possible."
He let out a defeated sigh, "I do trust you, Regina."
She opened her mouth to argue, but he spoke first, "I do! However, I get that saying that might not be enough. If you really don't think there's any hope for us..."
Regina hesitated for a what felt like an eternity before another tear slipped down her cheek, and she shook her head.
The tightness in his throat came surging back with a vengeance, and he felt his own eyes start to prickle. His voice broke slightly as he answered, "Okay...okay…I understand."
Regina looked at the carpet, roughly wiping her cheeks.
"I should go," he said slowly.
"Yeah," she said, lifting her head, "That's probably best."
He barely felt his legs as they carried him to the door. Looking at him as little as possible, Regina stepped over and opened it for him.
"Regina…" he said, turning back to her once he was past the threshold. When he met her eyes, however, all words died on his tongue. She stared back at him for a moment before nodding in sad understanding, and pushing the door closed.