Finally an update after a little break! I'm sure the wait wasn't too terrible with all the Outlaw Queen and general Regina goodness we've been getting on the show - I'mquite overwhelmed by it all, so it was a bit hard to get back into my own story here. Anyway, Regina & co are now waiting for Zelena's Dark Curse to strike, but the question is how do they spend the last hours? I hope you enjoy this (parts of it I'm almost certain you will... ;))!

A pool of moonlight fell across Roland's face as he was lying sprawled in bed, his little fists thrown up either side of the pillow the way babies liked to sleep. A thin trickle of saliva issued from the corner of his slightly open mouth. Regina smiled: he looked so peaceful, almost blissful, possibly even having some sweet dream at this very moment. He had no idea something sinister was in the air, no worries to keep him awake at night. And this was just the way it should be.

Today was quite possibly the last time they were seeing each other. How could she not have slipped into his bedroom to say a quiet goodbye - even though Roland knew nothing about it? Her throat tightened and Regina tried to swallow the small knot she felt rising there. They'd grown close, closer than she'd thought possible or even had intended to in the first place. Soon it would all be gone.

What did this remind her of?

No, this was nothing like losing Henry. Roland was nothing like Henry, despite all those times when he'd remind Regina of her son - but Henry was constantly on her mind and in her heart, so that didn't really mean anything anyway. She wouldn't even remember Roland at all. The unrelenting knot in her throat only grew.

A draught of breeze wafted through the window. Roland's leg sticking out from beneath the blanket wiggled a little, so Regina tucked the little sleeper in with utmost care, her touch as light as possible so as not to wake him. She hesitated, then leaned over him a pressed a careful kiss on his forehead.

Then she turned away and tiptoed out of the small chamber without looking back.

Regina was prepared to spend the last night in the Enchanted Forest alone, restlessly thumbing through books she expected no remedy for the situation from, when there was a knock on her door. Her heart skipped a beat, and she chided herself for this immediately - he had no reason to be here, and she had no business wanting him here either.

Snow had no reason to be here, either, yet here she was standing in the door.

Regina sat her down in the armchair she'd previously been occupying - it had a suitable backrest Snow would find a relief to her aching back.

"Roland's asleep, huh?"

"Robin put him to bed, yes." Sometimes - often - it would be Regina, but not tonight. Tonight, it could only be his father. Roland was Robin's son, not Regina's, so of course she hadn't assumed to be around him at this time. But she had just returned from his room after all - she hadn't been able to resist.

"Sometimes it feels like I'm betraying Henry." Where on earth had that come from? Strangely, she wasn't even uncomfortable. It didn't matter if Snow knew - she'd only remember Regina confiding in her for a few more hours. Perhaps that was where this intimacy had come from. Or perhaps there was more to it. Now they'd never find out.

Snow's lip quivered and she nodded slowly. "I know."

Regina inhaled sharply and pulled away from her. Did Snow actually believe that was really the case? That wasn't fair, Henry was constantly on Regina's mind, no matter how much time she spent with Roland. How could anyone believe otherwise?

But a closer look at Snow dispersed Regina's annoyance - Snow didn't look accusing, merely gloomy. Regina waited, unsure what to make of this.

Snow fiddled with the sleeve of her dress. "Imagine me and Emma. Me and our new baby."

Oh. So Snow had been feeling guilty about her coveted second chance all this time. Regina had never even entertained the notion, and now she wondered why - in a horrible way, it made sense. At the same time, it was all wrong. Snow needed to see that, too.

Regina leaned towards her, eliciting a sheepish look from Snow. It would have been so easy to use this vulnerable moment to hurt her, and hurt her deeply, but that impulse, that time, seemed so far away now.

"Emma would want you to be happy." It was strange to have caused the small smile slowly spreading across Snow's face. It was ... nice. Yet it carried a bitterness with it that Regina wrongly attributed to old times - until the next few words, unauthorised, betrayed its true source. "And this is your child, too."

Snow inclined her head and looked at Regina's hand, but she was too far to reach without Snow having to shift in the armchair, which was hard these days with her growing belly, so Regina tentatively moved closer.

"Well, Roland's just a child as well." Regina shuffled awkwardly - Snow had caught on better than she'd have expected. "He likes you. You're fine to like him. Where's the harm in that?" There was a brief pause before Snow spoke again. "Nothing could ever replace Henry. "

"No. Nothing ever will."

"That doesn't mean you should shut the world out."

Snow laid a hand over Regina's, and Regina didn't budge.

The moment dragged on in silence, and Regina couldn't have said how she felt. Everything she'd been trying hard to avoid for months was coming crashing down on her: the never-ceasing agony of Henry's loss, the self-inflicted torture surrounding Robin, the hopeful beginnings of repaired relationships crushed by this dreadful, elusive foe who always seemed to come up having the upper hand.

A lone treacherous tear rolled off her cheek, and Regina took a deep breath. She slipped her hand from Snow's reach and stared at the wall in an attempt to regain control.

Snow broke the long silence at last.

"So Glinda the Good Witch entrusted Robin Hood with stealing the Wicked Witch of the West's slippers from the Mad Hatter to give to the Evil Queen so that when the time came, she could become the Saviour."

Regina glared at Snow, but the princess was actually smiling. The absurd but accurate recap of the situation wasn't a jibe. Snow was merely enjoying the irony, and come to think about it, so did Regina. Who knew they'd sit like this some day, on the brink of having their memories wiped, and joke about it? Snow had friends to spend these last hours with, and her true love, and here she was spending some of that precious time with the woman she used to be sworn enemies with. Things were changing, and perhaps the two of them could be...well, closer in time. But now this Curse was coming to take it all away: the new, healing Regina as well as Snow, Tink, Roland and Robin.

"You should be with David." It wasn't a dismissal, just an honest sentiment. Snow had no way of knowing if the Curse would separate them like Regina's had, and surely they wanted to be together while they could.

"I will be." Snow shifted with a small sigh, massaging her lower back. Her look travelled from Regina to the books scattered on all surfaces of the room, perused a dozen times already, each time without a favourable result. Regina's feeble attempt at filling the remaining time with some activity couldn't be clearer, and she felt unbearably exposed all of the sudden. "How about you?"

Regina didn't answer for a long time - largely because she had no answer, or so she told herself. But that was a lie, and what was the point of it so close to the end of this whole long episode?

"We're all going to be someplace else tomorrow. Without memory of this time here."

"Yes," was all Snow said, thoughtful, waiting for Regina to go on.

"What if I told him now?" Her stomach gave a jolt at the very thought.

"Told who, what?"

"You know." They'd never spoken about it, at least not directly, and Robin was too much of a gentleman to have talked left and right about what had happened between them. But Tinkerbell had only needed a few short minutes to notice something, and Snow had been giving them curious looks for months.

Indeed, Snow didn't press her for a clearer answer. "So you're thinking of telling him because tomorrow he won't remember and you can go back to your shell?"

"I guess that pretty much says it. You think I'm pathetic. I guess I am."

"Go for it."

"Excuse me?"

"I said, go for it. You have one day, or what still remains of it. It's more than nothing. It's a few hours of happiness. Take it."

"How can you be so sure?" The one time he'd been expressed some feelings for her she'd refused him. She'd been mean to him, then for months she'd made a point of avoiding him. Regina couldn't possibly expect him to welcome her with open arms now, it wouldn't be fair to and it wouldn't be reasonable to expect he would. "Maybe he'll want none of it."

"Then it'll only hurt tomorrow."

How could Snow have read her so well? Torn between fear of love and loss and fear of rejection, Regina's only consolation was this Curse - either way, all memories would be wiped out before too long.

"Regina, that's not gonna happen anyway."

"How can you possibly know that?"

"I do. So should you."

She should just tell him, but she couldn't. The idea of being turned down after all the effort made her shrink back in fright, but now was not the time to run away and hide. One swift motion would do away with a plaster. It would only hurt for a moment. Still, she couldn't just up and say it. So she lingered on the edge of the clearing and watched him working on an arrow shaft until a shift of shadow attracted Robin's attention, and he spotted her there.

"Regina," he rose in surprise. "Roland?"

"He's fine." Of course he'd think this was about Roland - she'd never sought out his company for months now unless it was for Roland. "He's fast asleep."

"The letter, then?"

Regina shook her head.

"Well, how can I help you?" he blurted as she stepped onto the clearing and towards him, and seemed abashed just as he did. "Will you sit down?" he indicated a log conveniently placed by the fire.

"I'd rather stand. What's wrong with your hand?"

A trickle of blood was painting his thumb red. He must have cut himself when she appeared so suddenly and hadn't even noticed. Could that be a good sign?

"It's nothing, just me being clumsy with the knife."

"You should clean that up. Do you want me to do it for you?" What the hell was she doing? Waiting for a miracle, that's what, something to speak for her while she was unable to voice her feelings.

"It's fine." Of course he'd say that, he hated magic, especially if there were non-magical means at hand. This wasn't going well.

"Let me." Heavens, how desperate could she get? "I won't use magic, I promise."

She retrieved a flask from his bag and washed his finger, never looking anywhere but his hand - but the tattoo was there, peeking out from under his sleeve, and it was more than enough to unnerve her further.

When she finished - it was indeed just a small cut - and finally looked up at him only to find gazing at her, her heart began to beat in overdrive. The intensity of his look felt like fire in her blood. She drank in his eyes, hoping to tell him with hers what words were failing to say. Robin's gaze slipped to her lips, and a chill ran down her spine. Heavens, he wasn't even touching her yet, what was wrong with her? Then he shuffled closer, and so did she, and she grabbed the fabric of his tunic, pulling him to her. She felt his hot breath on her lips and her eyes fluttered closed. They were close, so close...almost there...

Robin broke away, and her eyes flew open.

Suddenly there was a whole step between them, and he was looking at her with befuddlement and exasperation. She felt sorry for him, sorry for herself. She'd been wrong to come, wrong to think they had a shot, wrong to think he could want this the way she finally understood she wanted it.

"I shouldn't have come," she blurted, fighting back tears.

"Regina...I'm sorry." Robin ran a hand through his hair. "You've established long ago that there can be nothing between us. I can't pretend to feel the same way but I never intended to overstep. I'm sorry. I think I'll just...I'd better go."

"No, wait! What did you just say?" Could it be? Was this the reason he'd backed away? Because he believed she wanted none of this? It wasn't fair. She'd told him, very clearly, that she had no interest in him, and now she was fishing for a moment to let him slip only to make her own job easier. "Robin, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

Either he looked hopeful or she was just imagining things. Damn, Regina, get a grip! Just get those words out already!

"When I said I had no feelings for you - I lied. I did - I do still have feelings for you."

There. She did it. Now what?

As she stood there, watching him, waiting for a reaction that seemed to be taking an eternity, and the silence dragged on, a darkness seemed to settle over her. Regina closed her eyes, fighting the sting and burn, and began to wish she were back in her chamber, or that the Curse would come and wipe them away right then.

"Why? Why did you lie?" His quiet voice startled her somewhat because it was coming from so much closer than he'd been standing just a moment ago.

It was easier to admit to with her eyes closed, but still an ordeal. "Because I was afraid."

Regina froze as his fingers, with the skin hardened from countless arrows shot but a touch so gentle and so warm, brushed her cheek. He stroked her lightly, and she needed to see him now, to read answers on his face.

He was inches from her, and he continued caressing her face. "But I've no intention of hurting you."

"That's...it's not so simple." Tears burnt in her eyes because he said it and he meant it and she believed it. The problem was, loss came in so many different shapes and forms, and there was no way of preparing for it.

"Why are you telling me now? What does this mean?"

Regina smiled sadly. It was pathetic, the way she still wasn't able to take a risk without a sizable crutch to fall back on. "There's no tomorrow...if that makes sense. At least none that either of us will remember."

"I'd feel the same way tomorrow, Regina."

"Wh- what way is that?"

This time she didn't close her eyes, but watched with bated breath as he brought his face to hers and rubbed their noses together. Regina clasped his tunic again, praying the tight grip would be enough to keep her from trembling, but it proved too little when in the very next moment his hand circled her waist and pulled her to him. The light brush of his lips on hers sent more shivers down her spine, and her hand ran up his back to the nape of his neck as the kiss deepened.

The night surrounding them seemed to disappeared as the only sounds remained the rushing of blood in her ears and the pounding of her heart, the taste and smell of him drowning out everything else. Every fibre in her body seemed to be coming to life after ages of lying dormant. This was good. This was right. She was where she was supposed to be, where she wanted to be, and where she'd finally chosen to be.

And he seemed to want this every inch as much as she did.

"You're not too shabby a kisser," she smirked when they broke apart for some air at long last with their foreheads touching.

"I aim to please." Dimples appeared in his cheeks as he chucked, those wretched dimples that had vexed her for so long, those precious dimples she'd constantly felt an urge to caress. Nothing was stopping her now. Robin smiled as she ran her thumbs over his dimpled cheeks while he played with a strand of her hair that had somehow come loose. "You're quite good at it yourself."

"I thought you'd be...resentful," she pulled away slightly, though unwillingly. "Mad, even. Because I only chose to tell you now...because I know it won't last."

Robin shook his head. He really looked neither of those things, and it seemed too good to be true. All of this did.

"There's no time for grudges anymore. I'm just glad you're here now."

"So you still want me? Even after-?"

"I want you."

Warmth spread inside her as he placed a soft kiss on her lips: if she had any doubts about the sincerity of his words, his actions erased them all.

"We have one night," she sighed as he gently rubbed her back and her hands in turn began to wander across his broad, muscled chest even the layers of fabric couldn't quite disguise. "A night we'll forget."

"One night." Robin ran a hand down her side and let it rest on her hip. "We'd better make it a night to remember."

I'm so glad you came. The words crowded his mouth, wanting out, but he'd already told her more than once. So instead, Robin just raised their intertwined hands to his lips and kissed her fingertips, one by one. A contented smile played on Regina's lips. She sighed and snuggled closer to him, her hair tickling his arms and chest, caressing his skin with a silky touch. Robin shivered slightly at the pleasant sensation and ran his fingers through the rich raven locks unrestrained by pins. Mesmerising.

"You seem to like it better this way," Regina chuckled at him twirling a strand of her hair around his finger.

"I like it every way." Robin swallowed. "I like you."

It was true and not quite - he did more than just like her.

Her sharp tongue and biting remarks, her coldness, and finally the deliberate avoidance should have been enough to turn him off - but they hadn't. He'd waited patiently for the tide to turn, hoping time was his friend. He'd waited with growing apprehension, wondering if perhaps the wait was hopeless, if perhaps she'd never reciprocated and never would. He'd waited for his own feelings to fade away.

Instead, the less he saw of her, the more she was on his mind. And there'd be a renewed longing whenever he laid eyes on her, a renewed twinge of pain whenever she looked through him, renewed doubts whenever their eyes locked in a lingering look she'd then break with desperate haste.

Through the months, he'd seen countless sides of this complex, fascinating woman. He'd seen her regal and pompous, and he'd seen her hiding behind a large laundry basket or crammed in a wardrobe while Roland turned the room upside down in search of her. He'd seen her fiery and he'd seen her cool, and sometimes a strange mixture of both at the same time. He'd seen her in a simmering rage and he'd seen her - on several precious occasions - relaxed and warm, almost happy. And the more he saw, the more intrigued he was, and the more he wished to see.

So yes, he liked her, or more, and if there had been any doubt in her heart before, he needed it go away now, therefore there was no regret of the confession.

But his words were met with silence. Regina's fingernails ceased to trace patterns across his shoulder. Her hand closed over his wrist and she seemed to hold her breath for a moment before she released her grip and twisted a little in his embrace to look at him. Bearing her intense gaze was bliss after being denied the pleasure for such a long time. Her cheek was damp when he reached to caress her. Some ghost - perhaps of a question, doubt or fear - in her eyes melted into softness at his touch.

"I like you, too."

Robin couldn't help it, and he wouldn't have wanted to: an absurdly wide grin settled on his face and refused to leave. Regina responded with a small, throaty laugh followed by a mischievous look that made the air around them sizzle. For a moment they fought a silly little game of who would outstare whom, but soon passion took over, and the small contest came to an end with a prize for them both: an endless, dauntingly slow, searing kiss.

Heavens, what a woman! She teased him by tracing a finger along his lips even as they tried to catch their breaths. The scent of apple and cinnamon encompassed him when he buried his face in her hair; the same smell that lingered on his skin as it touched her smooth and supple one. Everything about her was deliciously intoxicating.

It had taken so long for them to get this far - and then it had all happened so unexpectedly. And now the blasted Curse was going to take it all away. Then again, if it weren't for the Curse, Regina might not have acted on her feelings at all, or not any time soon. Yet losing her altogether was too high a price to pay, even for a moment like this, when she rested her chin on his heaving chest, her eyes never leaving his - as if she wanted to make up for all the lost time, all the looks missed or avoided.

Some of his thoughts must have reflected on his face. Regina reached to stroke his cheek, a sadness settling in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"For what?"

"Treating you like I did." Robin placed a kiss to her palm, ready with a joke, but Regina remained wistful. "And for ruining thi- ruining everything."

"It's not your fault."

"It is, eventually. I cast the original Curse. None of this would be happening if I hadn't. Worse - I failed to stop this one."

"Regina…" He didn't want to argue the point. He found he simply couldn't bear listening to her talking like that, not now of all times. But not talking about it would not make her remorse any less. "You don't know that. If I'd told you sooner about the slippers - it might not have come to this. I should have listened to my gut. It's been telling me for so long to do it, to trust you...the note had warned about looking with my eyes...not feeling with my heart."

Regina shot him a quick glance, then stared into the dark thickset Robin would bet she wasn't really seeing.

"I knew this was going to happen." Her voice was thick with emotion, bitter and pained.

Placing a finger under her chin, Robin coaxed her into looking at him. "Knew what was going to happen?"

"Every time I- I get attached, I... It doesn't end well."

"It's not as if we're losing each other."

"That's exactly what's happening."

"Not quite. We're losing the memories. But we'll both be transported to this strange land. I believe this - us - isn't...that it's..." Robin searched for the words, but there seemed to be none for the sentiment he was trying to express. "...that it's not just some random thing - a mere coincidence." He wasn't sure he even believed in fate, but if fate or destiny did exist, this is what they must feel like.

Regina pulled back slightly, swallowing and searching his face. Then her eyes slipped to his forearm, and she hesitated before she laid her hand over his wrist, covering his tattoo.

"Maybe the Curse will take our memories, but this thing we feel..." Would it be entirely lost, or would some of it linger, finding its way into this new realm? Robin ran a finger along her jawline, and she leaned into his touch with her eyes closed.

A tear trickled down her cheek. Regina brushed it away angrily and pushed his hand aside.

"See, this is what happens when you allow yourself to care! You just...you just end up hurting."

"It won't hurt tomorrow." Regina gave a lopsided smile: her one consolation had turned against her now. "We'll cross paths," Robin said - was it really him speaking? He'd never planned to say such a thing, yet he felt it was true. "And we'll feel the pull like we did now."

"How can you possibly know that?"

"I can't imagine it any other way."

An emerald green cloud emerged behind the treetops, rolling towards them amid thunder and lightning.

The hall, previously filled with a quiet hum of words exchanged between friends and loved ones, fell silent as heads turned to gaze out of the windows at the approaching Curse. Amid the Merry Men, Alan-a-Dale struck the strings of his lute and began singing in a booming voice, trying to outcry the roaring magical menace. Next to Belle and Ruby, Granny adjusted the bolt in her crossbow. Regina smiled - if she could take the curse on with a well-aimed shot, Granny Lucas surely would. Aurora sat between Mulan and Philip, her hand on her belly and a frightened look in her eyes, and Regina remembered, not without sympathy, that for them, this would be the first time experiencing the effects of the Dark Curse.

Not so for the Charmings, who sat in an embrace, hands joined on Snow's belly. Snow even managed a small smile in Regina's direction, which Regina returned, and an approving nod in Robin's, at which Regina felt her cheeks burn. Regina turned away in time to see Tinkerbell down a tankard of ale in time with a raucous peal of thunder. She winked at Regina from above the rim with a significant look at Robin. Even at such a moment, the fairy couldn't let it go, but Regina couldn't be sour with her for the lack of discretion - especially not now. Her friend was just happy for her.

The racket intensified, lighting criss-crossing on the backdrop of dark cloud, thunder booming with increased frequency and volume. Roland scrambled onto Regina's lap, stretching his legs across his father's and grabbing his hand. Robin immediately moved closer, his hand slipping from Regina's and his arm coming up around both Roland and her.

Wrapped in his arms, she remembered the way Robin had held her at night, how natural it had felt and how uplifting, and the sounds of the Dark Curse simply tuned out momentarily. She remembered the way he kept toying with her hair with an almost obsessive fascination. She remembered how gentle his touch had been - and, oh yes, how passionate. Regina still felt it clinging to her skin: an embrace so tight it was hard to tell where she ended and he began.

Last night, she'd taken a chance and it was well worth it, and now she wished she'd taken it a long time ago.

Robin didn't know about the tattoo or the pixie dust or the soul mates thing, yet he'd told her their feelings were somehow meant to be. Was this really possible? Perhaps Robin was right, perhaps they'd feel it again, and perhaps this time she wouldn't need an apocalyptic threat hanging over her to act on her feelings.

As the Curse reached the palace walls and smashed the windowpanes, Regina was only aware of holding on to Roland and Robin, breathing in the boyish smell of the little one snuggled into her and the now familiar woodsy smell of the man holding them both close. She felt rather than heard Robin's whispered words against her ear:

"Until we meet again."

Was this way too saccharine at times? Either way, I thought we could do with a little sweetness after such a long build-up - I hope you liked!

In case you were wondering, the scene where Regina decides to go after Robin spurred by the imminent arrival of the Curse (and the good kisser bit as well) was outlined before a similar thing happened on the show in SB. It's always fun to have things play out like this. ;)

The next part is taking us back to Storybrooke - oh my, is this story getting long! Thanks for sticking around with me, and thanks for all the love in feedback/reviews!