A/N: Sorry for the repost realized the final paragraph was missing. Final chapter of Robin's POV. Enjoy!

6 MONTHS AGO/ THREE YEARS WITHOUT REGINA

"No," said Robin.

Hook raised his hands up indignantly. "I haven't even asked you anything!"

"No but you're about to, so I thought a preemptive strike was in order," retorted Robin.

He flipped another page in his calendar while giving Hook a superior look. He'd wandered into his office about a minute ago full of swagger, dolling out compliments. A moron could've seen what he was up to.

"What do you want?" asked Robin, narrowing his eyes. "I hope it's not more time off."

As evidenced by his quite noticeable tan, Hook had recently spent over two months off on a sailing trip from the coast of California to the shores of Maui and back. He'd spent twenty-one straight days on his boat before getting to Hawaii. He'd said it'd been gorgeous there. The fruit had been delicious and the locals had been welcoming but he hadn't stayed long. Only about two weeks or so before he began heading to Santa Barbara. He'd only returned a few days ago.

"I don't need time off," said Hook, settling into the chair in front of Robin's desk. "What I need… is a wingman."

Robin dropped his pen down on the desk and sent Hook an incredulous look. "Excuse me?"

"There's this girl," explained Hook. "Smart, pretty but not exactly trusting. I asked her out and she's willing to go out this Friday but only if I can find a date for her friend as well."

A scoff flew from Robin's throat. "Are you dating a middle schooler?"

Hook rolled his eyes at him. "It's not as strange as you're making it out to be."

"Yes it is," insisted Robin, as he stood from his desk to head over to the file cabinet. "And there's no way I will be participating in your… double date."

He said the final two words with a grimace. Honestly he could think no worse way to spend an evening than going on a blind date with a girl of Hook's choosing while also having Hook present. It sounded like a nightmare.

Hook followed him over to the cabinet with imploring eyes. "Come on I need this favor. I'd already convinced Dave to go with me but he had to back out at the last minute. Said he had to study for some vet thing."

David was the Drunken Monk's newest bartender. Robin had hired him a few weeks before Hook had taken off on his sailing trip. At first Robin had feared that a rivalry would develop between the two of them but they'd actually to each other quite well. Good enough to go on dates together at least.

"You're the only other single mate I've got," Hook pointed out desperately.

Robin looked up from the files he'd been searching through to roll his eyes at Hook. "I'm not single. I'm widowed. There's a difference."

As he slammed the file drawer shut his eyes flickered down to his own noticeable tan line. A strip of skin, lighter than the rest around it still remained in the place where he'd once worn his wedding ring. It hadn't been intentional, the decision to take it off, but a while ago he'd removed it to clean out the garbage disposal in his house and he'd just forgotten to put it back on. Ever since he'd noticed its absence he'd been testing his will to see how long he could last before rushing to put it back on. He was up to fifteen days.

"I realize that," mumbled Hook, "but Robin… this girl could be the one."

"Ha!" barked Robin. "You've said that about the last three girls you've dated."

"Yes… but they all carried the possibility of that being true," admitted Hook, shrugging his shoulders. "Come on mate. I promise I'll owe you. What have you got to lose?"

Robin had to stop himself from subconsciously rubbing his thumb over the spot where his wedding ring used to be. He had to remind himself that it had been four years seen he'd last had a kiss and that perhaps it was time he took opportunity for the chance at another. It took a vicious internal battle but Robin replied, "Okay but only if I can find someone to watch Roland."

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Friday night came sooner than Robin would've liked.

If he was perfectly honest, he would admit that there was a small part of him that hoped that his search for a babysitter would be unsuccessful. If he couldn't find someone to watch Roland it would give him a perfect out for this blind double date. Ugh, the words still made him internally cringe. He'd had a brief moment of hope when Granny and Ruby declined his request, stating they were taking a trip up to their cabin for the weekend and wanted to be on the road by Friday. However, an unwelcome savior had stepped into his path in the form of Mulan. She'd heard about the date from Hook and immediately offered her services which Robin had been forced to accept.

She was out back with Roland now, playing cops and robbers on the surprisingly healthy grass in their backyard. Robin sighed as he watched them from his upstairs bathroom window, Roland giggling as Mulan chased him around his swing set. They'd been living in their house for over a year now and Robin still felt his pride bubble up whenever he saw Roland enjoying his new home. Playing in his backyard, building forts in the living room and skipping down the stairs. It made him feel good to know that his son finally had what he never did.

Robin tore his eyes away from the window and refocused them back onto his mirror. He'd just gotten out of the shower and was debating whether or not to shave. He ran his hand over his chin, the stiff hairs on his jawline tickling his fingertips. It was more than visible but certainly not unruly. He decided against shaving. He'd already agreed to go on this childish group date, he might as well do it looking like a grown man instead of a twelve-year-old.

He quickly dried himself off with a towel and wrapped it around his waist before heading through his room over to his closet. It was a walk-in and as he flipped on the light Robin felt a familiar twinge of annoyance when he saw that all his clothes didn't fill even a quarter of the space it provided. Roland had taken to using it base of operations when he played star command with his toys. There were three action figures and a stuffed bear in the corner right now. Roland's "lieutenants." Robin walked over to his shirts with a sigh. They were hung up next to the door and flipped through them indecisively. Button up or t-shirt, he mused silently. He pondered his decision for a moment before swiping a plain white t-shirt from its hanger. He paired it with a soft gray zip-up hoodie and a dark wash pair of jeans. Not his best outfit but decent enough for a night at the carnival.

After taking one last look in the mirror he headed downstairs to find Mulan and Roland in the living room surrounded by the beginnings of what appeared to be an elaborate fort made out of couch cushions. Mulan looked over at him with a judgmental expression when he walked into the room. "Really? That's what you're wearing?"

Robin's eyes quickly dropped down to look over what he was wearing. "Yes. What's wrong with it?"

Mulan scoffed at him as she stood her feet. "It's like you're not even trying."

"I'm not though," replied Robin, shrugging his shoulders. It was a blunt admission but one that Robin thought was fairly obvious. He wasn't exactly jumping for joy at the idea of this date and he saw no reason to pretend otherwise.

"Doesn't mean you have to let her know that," responded Mulan, alluding to his date. She rolled her eyes as him as she strolled over to the closet next to the front door. "I know you're out of practice Robin but, geez, you could at least try to consider that your date is looking forward to a night out and decide not to ruin that for her."

Robin folded his arms across his chest as he leaned against the wall while Mulan dug through hallway closet. "I'm not out of practice," he replied weakly.

She scoffed as she turned to face him with one hand on her hip. "Oh really? When's the last time you've been on a first date?" she challenged.

"Well it was with Marian so… seventeen years." The realization dawned on him as the words slipped from his mouth. It had been almost two decades since he'd been on a first date. Nearly six years since he'd been on any type of date at all. "Oh… wow," he breathed.

Mulan arched an eyebrow at him. "You nervous?"

"Well I wasn't until you had me point it out," he said, a touch of irritation coloring his tone.

"Well you can relax," she replied. "The truth is not much has changed since you've been on the playing field. You'll go out. You'll eat together. You'll have awkward first date conversation and hope the evening ends with a kiss."

She pulled out a green leather jacket from the closet and handed it to him. "Here, put this on. It at least gives her the impression that you care about her opinion."

He rolled his eyes at her as he slipped out of his grey hoodie. She'd said that not much had changed since he'd been single but that wasn't true. He'd changed. Drastically so. He was no longer a wily young teenager with no responsibilities and an aversion to following rules. He was a grown man now and a father. He'd learned to take things seriously and he didn't know what that meant for him in terms of dating.

After pulling on the leather jacket he held his hands up at her expectantly. "Better?"

"Much," said Mulan, with a smirk. "You gonna give me a rundown of the rules before you go?"

"No it's pretty much just the basics. No sugar, no violence, no staying up late." He looked over his shoulder to where Roland remained fixated on constructing his fort. "Roland can I get a goodbye hug?"

Roland quickly trotted over to his father's side with a grin. Robin kneeled down to give him a tight hug and a kiss on the forehead. "I'll be back after you've gone to sleep. Now listen to your Aunt Mulan and do as she says cause if you don't she can arrest you."

"No she can't," laughed Roland.

"Oh yes I can," growled Mulan, playfully scooping him up into her arms. Roland giggled as she set him on her hip and began to ruffle his hair. "I'm a cop remember!"

Robin watched them with a smile. "Alright, have fun you two."

"Try your best to do the same," Mulan knowingly called out as he walked away from them.

"Not bloody likely," he muttered under his breath.

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The moon was in full view by the time Robin pulled up to the state fairgrounds. It's luminous glow in harsh competition with twinkling lights of the various rides and games of the carnival he currently ambled toward. He could hear the delighted laughs and screams of its visitors as he paid the entrance fee at the ticket booth and walked deeper into the increasingly dense crowd. The smell of carnival food came at him from every side as he quickly spotted the Ferris wheel, Hook's predetermined meet up spot, and made his way toward it. He took in all the smiling faces of the kids running around him and made a mental note to bring Roland along next weekend. Perhaps he'd be able to use tonight as a scouting trip for some age appropriate rides.

It wasn't long before Robin made it to the base of the Ferris wheel where he found Hook waiting for him while chomping down a cheesy carnival pretzel in his signature black leather jacket. He raised an eyebrow at Robin as he approached. "So nice to see you put in some effort."

Robin sent him an annoyed look before nodding toward the pretzel in his hand. "Eating already?"

"It's a carnival," reasoned Hook shrugging his shoulders. "Besides It's not like the girls are going to eat in front of us."

When did women stop eating on dates, Robin silently asked himself. He pushed the thought out of his head as he watched Hook toss the pretzel into a nearby trash can. Suddenly the realization hit him that he knew absolutely nothing about his date in question. "What are the girls even like? Please tell me they're at least in our immediate age range."

"More or less," answered Hook, tilting his hand in an awkward gesture. He groaned in annoyance when Robin used his unwavering gaze to press him for a better answer. "My date is 27, yours is 28."

Robin sighed apathetically. It could've been worse he supposed. "Names?"

"Ariel and Rachel," Hook replied. "Ariel is a bit of a regular down at the marina, works at a seashell shop nearby. I've asked her five times in three years, this is the first time she's said yes."

"And they say persistence doesn't pay off," said Robin sarcastically. "What about Rachel? What does she do?"

"Oh you'll love this!" laughed Hook. "She's a private investigator and perceptive as hell if I've heard right."

"A P.I?" moaned Robin. "That's just what I need a night under her trained scrutiny."

"Well you never know what's going happen, it might do you a world of good," suggested Hook, absentmindedly focusing his attention beyond Robin's back. "Anyway, whatever doubts you have I'd shove 'em down. The girls are here."

Robin turned to look behind him and quickly spotted two girls heading toward them. The taller of the two, no doubt because of the three-inch purple heels she'd chosen to wear, was a red head. That shade can't be natural, Robin thought to himself, but it was gorgeous all the same. She was all smiles and the excitement that shone in her hazel eyes told Robin that she was most definitely was Hook's date. Someone who had been dragged along wouldn't be so enthusiastic. No his date was beside her. At least two inches shorter than her friend she had hazelnut colored skin and hair that fell past her waist in a thick braid. As her friend immediately went to Hook's side to greet him with a kiss on the cheek, she was left to turn to Robin with apprehension in her eyes and a forced smile on her face. She held out her hand to him, and nervously said, "Hi I'm Rachel Punzelle, your co-hostage for this evening."

A flash of uncertainty played out on her face after her greeting, as if even she couldn't believe what she just said. He just gave her a forced chuckle as he shook her hand. "Well then… pleased to be suffering with you. Shall we get started?"

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Robin had always considered himself lucky to have a group of long-term friends. He'd known Hook for more than a decade, ever since he'd washed up on the marina and stumbled into the bar looking for a short term job to pay for a ticket to New Zealand. Mulan, he'd met nine years ago when Tuck offered her a job at bar after she'd returned from her final tour in Afghanistan. Waiting tables had been nowhere as interesting for her but it'd been a hell of a lot safer. Tink had been fixing things for Tuck long before any of them even got there. Hell she'd been the first friend he and Marian had made through the Drunken Monk. And of course there was Regina, the one he trusted more than anyone despite being the most recent addition to the group, which he supposed wasn't a massive hindrance considering he'd still known her seven years. These people had been in Robin's life for so long and helped him in so many ways that he'd never be able to repay but as he walked alongside Rachel at the carnival he realized they'd stunted his growth in one particular area.

He had no idea how to talk to strangers anymore.

After spending more than ten years in a close-knit friendship with the same four people Robin was no longer adept at the "getting to know you" stage of meeting a new person. Nearly an hour had passed on this feeble excuse of a date and Robin could only name three things he'd discovered about Rachel. One, she liked cotton candy better than cinnamon pretzels. Two, she lived about thirty minutes away. And three, she'd worked as a private investigator for almost seven years. He hadn't even learned those things on his own. They'd come from her rather chatty friend, Ariel. Clearly more excited about their situation than anyone else, she seemed to be doing all the talking for Rachel, who, on her own, seemed more the silent type. A point that was made even more obvious as they were waiting in line for the roller coaster.

Robin had been standing next to her for the last ten minutes trying to rack his brain for a useful conversation starter. Nothing interesting came to mind. In a moment of utter desperation, he turned to her and said, "So, been enjoying the weather lately?"

She raised an eyebrow at him and let out a disbelieving chuckle before replying, "It's California weather. What's not to love?"

"Right," he responded with a nervous laugh. Did I actually just talk about the weather, he silently lamented. Sneaking a look over at Hook and his date, he saw the redhead infectiously laugh at some comment his friend had made. He didn't want to be petty but he felt a spark of annoyance seeing his friend's date go so swimmingly when he didn't even want to be here in the first place. As he mentally went through a list of excuses he could use to make an early escape, he was surprised to feel the light touch of Rachel's hand upon his arm. As he turned to her he saw her stare up at him with unusually imploring eyes. "Do you mind if we get out of line? I really hate roller coasters."

Shocked at her sudden vulnerability he nodded his dumbly before croaking out, "Sure."

After a few short words to alert Ariel that she was leaving, Rachel made her way out of the line for the roller coaster with Robin following close on her heels. For a few moments they walked through the alley of carnival games in silence before Robin finally gathered the courage to make another attempt at conversation. "So you're not a fan of roller coasters?"

She shrugged her shoulders at him. "Well to be perfectly honest, I don't really hate them. I'm indifferent at the most."

He sent her a strange look. "Well then what was the point of getting out of line?"

"To separate from your friend and mine," she answered smoothly, her eyes floating over the various booths. "I heard that flirtatious laugh she let out. It means she's ready to be alone with him. My presence was no longer required."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "And is that the only reason you came out tonight? To be an emergency buffer if needed?"

Her lips pulled back to reveal a toothy smile, her first of the night, as she let out a tiny chuckle. "You make it sound like such a burden."

"Well," drawled Robin, "you must be quite the friend."

"Yes I am," she replied pointedly.

Huh, Robin thought to himself. Fact number four, willing to endure a blind date for a good friend. It was something that they had in common and realizing it made Robin a bit more willing to play along for the night. If she'd been dragged along as he had he could at least do his best to show her a good time. He quickly spotted an archery booth not far from where they stood. Upon seeing it he turned to her with a smug grin as he guided her in its direction. "Well I'd hate for you to end the night with only my miserable company as a reward. How about I win you a stuffed bear for your troubles?"

She scoffed at him as she eyed the massive bears above their heads. "As if you could. Those things are unwinnable."

"Is that a challenge?" he said raising his eyebrow at her.

She folded her arms across her chest with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "More of an observation."

"Well let's see if that observation is true," said Robin handing a five-dollar bill over to the booth operator who quickly replaced it with a shoddy bow.

"Land all five arrows in the center ring you get a bear for your lady!" the carnie asserted festively, as he handed Robin the accompanying arrows.

Robin had to squash down the urge to correct booth operator and let him know that the woman next to him was in no way, shape or form his lady, nor would she ever be. Instead he focused on the targets in front of him. Three stacks of hay, one in front of him, all nearly seven feet tall marked with giant colorful circles. Yellow in the center, then red, blue, black and of course a thick layer of white representing the outermost ring. Staring at them now brought back memories of his father and the hot summer days they used to spend together practicing a skill that his father had sworn was tradition for their family. He could almost feel the sun of his face now, as he looped three fingers around the bowstring, locking his arrow into position and preparing to shoot. Moving his feet into the once familiar stance that he'd perfected after days on end in his youth, he pulled back on the taught string until he felt tips of his fingers land against his chin. A single breath passed through his lips before he released the arrow and it flew with a flwish and landed dead in the yellow center.

A proud grin appeared on Robin's face as he admired his handiwork. One down, four to go.

And down they went. Five arrows all in the yellow, to the surprise of both Rachel and the booth operator. With a look that could only be described as sour he begrudgingly handed Robin an over-sized bear with a pink bow tied around his neck that he immediately presented to his wide-eyed date. An amused chuckle erupted from his throat as he she stared at him in shock. "It appears your observation skills are faulty."

"Well it wasn't exactly obvious that I was on a date with Robin Hood," she quipped, the surprise still evident in her tone.

"Locksely but still pretty close," he corrected facetiously. He watched with a smug grin as she wrapped her arm around the bear's middle, pulling it close to her body. It was nearly half her size and she actually giggled as she attempted to hold it up.

"Just so you know I'll probably be using this as a decoy passenger so I can use the carpool lane," she joked.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Robin responded smoothly.

With the oversized bear between them and an interesting conversation starter, finally, the night started to lose its awkwardness. Robin was able to talk to Rachel about how he'd learned archery when he was younger and she was able to respond with sincere interest in his story and open up about a few of her own. Turns out that being a private eye wasn't as interesting as most people would suspect but she still had a few tales to tell. Stopping at the carnival food court to pick up snacks they'd set themselves at a rickety picnic table to talk. After another hour Robin was now up to ten things that he knew about her and he could admit to himself that she was funny and attractive and most likely worth going on another date with… if he had been willing to ask. Still though, the evening hadn't been as big a disaster as Robin had thought it would be.

He was telling Rachel a story about a brawl that had broken out at the Drunken Monk when her cell phone began to vibrate in her jeans pocket. She rolled her eyes and let out a disappointed sigh when she gave the screen a cursory glance. "Well looks like this double date just ended on a sour note."

"What do you mean?" asked Robin, tilting his head at her curiously.

She flipped her screen toward him revealing a ten-line text that she'd just gotten from Ariel. "A message this long means your friend has screwed up, drastically so, and she's probably offended."

Robin rolled his eyes and scoffed. "What did he do?"

Rachel ran her eyes over the message and smirked to herself. "A small sexist comment." She clicked her tongue. "Big mistake mister Jones."

"I take it your friend is quite the feminist?"

"As we all should be," answered Rachel. She sighed as she patted the oversized bear that was still attached to her side. "She'll be making her way to food court now so we can walk back to the car together."

"Well it might be petty of me but I am pleased to know that our evening went better than theirs," said Robin, sheepishly.

"Me too," chuckled Rachel. "It's been nice getting to know you Robin. Almost makes me regret the fact that I'm never gonna see you again."

The bluntness and confidence of her last comment made Robin lean back in his seat in confusion. "How can you be so sure of that?"

She smiled at him knowingly. "Well the space was a pretty big tip off."

"What space?"

"This space." She gestured to the air between them. "All night you've been just a little bit further than close. One foot away at all times, sitting across from me at the table instead of next to me. You've been polite and courteous but you haven't tried to hold my hand or go in for a kiss at all."

Robin shrugged his shoulders at her. "Perhaps I'm just old-fashioned?"

"Maybe," she mused, nodding her head. "But you see, I have actually been on a date before this. I've also staked out a lot of dates as well and I just have to believe that… if you were really interested you would've made a move by now." She sighed as she turned her attention back to her chili fries. "Besides, we've been on this date for nearly two hours now and you haven't even told me how pretty I look."

Robin sat there in a stunned silence as she listed the subconscious signals that he'd been sending all night. Hook had been right; she was perceptive as hell.

His breath caught in his throat as he searched for the proper words to appease her. "I'm sorry Rachel. It's just that I…"

She quickly shook her head at him. "You don't have to explain anything to me. I understand. The tan line on your ring finger says it all."

Robin's eyes dropped down to his right hand where the outline of his wedding band still remained on his ring finger.

"I noticed it at the archery booth," she revealed softly. "So are you divorced or…?"

"Widowed," he responded quickly. He hesitated before adding. "She passed away a few years ago."

"I'm sorry," said Rachel nodding her head understandingly. "What was she like?"

A wistful smile grew on Robin's face as he shook his head at her. "I'm not exactly sure that talking about my deceased wife would be proper first date conversation."

"Well you would be right," replied Rachel. "But I think we've both established that this isn't a date and never has been so why not break a few rules?"

Robin mulled over her reasoning before sighing in defeat. He'd almost managed to get through this entire "date" without thinking of Marian but he supposed that had been too much to hope for. "Well she was beautiful and kind and smart. She had this way of bringing out the best in every person she met."

Rachel smiled at him. "Did she make your heart race?"

"Like a race horse on steroids," he answered immediately.

"I'm sorry you lost her," mumbled Rachel. She absentmindedly pulled on the bow around her stuff bear's neck as she pressed her lips together nervously. "I, um, actually lost my brother a few months ago in a swimming accident."

Robin felt his heart clench at her admission. It was only then that he noticed the shade of sorrow that colored her eyes. The same shade he'd seen every day for months after Marian had died. He felt shame wash over him for not noticing it earlier. "I'm sorry," he croaked out.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I've sort of been wallowing in his memory, I guess. Haven't gone out, only taking easy cases at work. Ariel thought bringing me out tonight might help."

Robin suddenly found himself wishing that he'd tried harder to show her a good time when they'd first arrived. His decision to put in as little effort as possible into their "date" suddenly seemed very selfish. "I'm sorry if this evening has been disappointing to you Rachel."

"That's the thing; it hasn't been," she said shaking her head at him with a small smile. "To be perfectly honest, I wasn't looking forward to night out with someone who… I don't know, was looking for something with me. I'd sort of been building up my guard all day but when I realized that you actually held no expectations for me at all… that's when I was able to let myself have some fun. It felt good to laugh and make a good memory. It was nice to know that I could still do those things. So thank you for not wanting more than just a night out. I think it was exactly what I needed."

"Me too," said Robin with a smile. It was good to know that he hadn't made the evening a total waste for her. Perhaps he wasn't as out of practice as he thought.

Rachel focused her eyes beyond his back as she saw Ariel stalking towards the food court in a huff, her red hair flying behind her like a flame. "Well it looks like my ride's here."

They both stood to their feet, Rachel grasping at her bear and Robin shoving his hands into his pockets to prepare for their goodbye. She smiled up at him as she pulled the bear to her side. He let out a surprised breath as she stretched to her tip toes to land a soft kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for a night with no expectations, Robin."

"Happy to oblige," he responded with a shrug.

She moved to walk away from him but turned back at the last second. "I hope one day you can find someone who makes your heart race again."

With those final words she turned on her heel and made her way towards her friend, giant bear flopping at her side. As he watched her walk away Robin felt a tiny drop of regret that he would never see her again. It might've been nice to widen up his circle of friends.

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It was barely later than nine-thirty when Robin finally got home. The last words Rachel had spoken to him were still swirling around in his head just as they had the entire drive from the carnival. I hope one day you can find someone who makes your heart race again. He went over them again as he stepped into his house and locked the door behind him. The silence in the house told him that Roland was asleep in his bed, as he should be. The only light on in the house came from the kitchen where he found Mulan sitting on a stool beside the kitchen counter, engrossed in whatever she was reading on her kindle.

"New book?" he asked.

She looked up as he made his way into the kitchen light. "Stellaluna," she replied, holding up the kindle. "Nice to know it still holds up after twenty years."

"One of Roland's personal favorites," said Robin, with a smile as he slipped off his jacket and draped it over the kitchen counter. "How many times did you have to go through it with him?"

"One and a half but he fell right to sleep after."

"Thanks for sticking around to watch Roland. I appreciate it."

"Anytime," responded Mulan with a nod. "You know he's one of the few kids I can tolerate."

He walked over to the fridge and reached inside for a chilled water bottle. When he turned he'd expected to see her at least making some attempt to head for the door but was surprised to see her still sitting on her stool, arms folded across her chest staring at him with expectant eyes. Robin narrowed his eyes at her as he leaned against the kitchen counter. "You're not leaving."

"No I'm not."

"Why?"

Mulan sighed as she rolled her eyes at him. "Okay I know I don't seem like much of a gossip but you know damn well I'm not leaving without the details of your date. So you can give them to me willingly or I can camp out in your guest room. It's your choice."

"Really? Doesn't feel like it," he mumbled.

"Robin…"

"Fine," he groaned. He should've known better than to think he could escape the third degree from Mulan. "The date went fine, I guess."

"You guess?" questioned Mulan, raising an eyebrow. She'd leaned forward in her seat, curiosity blazing in her almond-shaped eyes.

"I don't guess. I know," he quickly corrected. "She said that she had a good time."

"What was she like?"

"She was lovely and pretty and… really observant," described Robin. "I liked her well enough."

Mulan narrowed her eyes at him. "But…"

"But nothing's going to come of it… cause she's not Marian," he said softly.

Mulan gave him a pitying look. "Robin…"

"I know, alright," he said quickly shaking his head at her. "I know she's never coming back but at the end of our date Rachel said something to me. She said that she hopes that I can find someone who can make my heart race again."

"So…?"

"So I already had that person," Robin reasoned sadly. "I had her for years but she's gone now and honestly I don't think I'm going to meet someone who can make me feel like that again. And I don't know if it's even worth it to look."

It was a question that had entered his mind long before this date was even a possibility. As time passed after Marian's death Robin had often pondered the idea of seeking out romance but never seemed to gather the courage to take any steps toward actually looking. His talk with Rachel had illuminated the source of his reluctance. How could he ever hope to love again after loving Marian? After having someone who could make him feel the way she had how could he settle for anything less? He imagined it would be like eating after losing your taste buds, just not as satisfying as before.

Disappointment colored Mulan's eyes as she pressed her lips together at Robin's admission. "So that's it then? You're just going to… monk out for the rest of your life?"

He shrugged his shoulders at her. "I don't know. All I know is I was lucky to find the love that I had and if I'm not going to have something like that again… then what would be the point?"

Mulan slowly shook her head at him, her eyes wide in contemplation. "Wow… I really can't tell if I should find that deeply romantic or just really depressing."

"It's probably a little bit of both," he admitted with a chuckle. "But don't worry about me, I'm fine. I have Roland, good friends, a job I love most of the time. I have everything I need right now and that's enough for me."

She sighed in defeat as she slid off her chair. "Well as someone who has never really been in love I don't suppose I'm the best person to advise you now am I?"

"I wouldn't discount you so quickly," he replied. "Your opinion is probably one of the more valuable ones that I receive."

"Well in that case I would tell you to keep an open mind," she said, slipping her purse onto her shoulder. "My mother is constantly telling me that love never blossoms where you expect it to."

Robin only nodded in response to her advice. That night as he climbed into bed Mulan's words and Rachel's would both swirl around his head causing confusion to rise into his heart. Would he ever love again? Did he really want to?

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PRESENT DAY

The steady beeping of his alarm clock caused Robin to sigh as he was roused from his sleep. It was the morning after Regina's fashion show and Robin groaned as he stretched out his limbs while still under his blankets. He'd given himself the day off from the bar and had plans to spend the day with Roland. He also intended to give Regina a call, of course. If he knew her – and he did – she would've spent the morning drowning herself in the reviews of her show.

He stretched his hand out toward his night stand, blindly reaching for his cell phone to check the time. A yawn came from his throat as he squinted at the screen and was surprised to see a message from Regina had already arrived.

COMING BACK TO TOWN FOR A SHORT VISIT. WILL BE THERE IN THREE DAYS

Only two short sentences. Yet they knocked the sleep right out of him.

Robin immediately sat up in his bed, his eyes going over the words no less than four times to ensure that he'd read them correctly. Regina was coming back to town. In three days no less.

Now it had been months since his date with Rachel and weeks since he'd allowed himself to ponder the last words that she had spoken to him. But perhaps if he had thought of them more recently he might have noticed just how fast his heart started beating.

NEXT CHAPTER: Robin and Regina are finally reunited!

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