Author's note: Sorry again fore lateness. Finals are next week. :( However, first and foremost I would like to assure readers that I have experienced the pain of a story that never updates, and I will do my best to update as often as possible. (: In other news, thank you all SO MUCH for your reviews. I read every single one. I take every one into consideration, and might even use ideas or address certain things you all have pointed out. Reviews make stories better. That's what they're for! So thank you! Please enjoy this new chapter...

They left quietly the next morning. As far as Regina knew, the thief had left a note for his men informing them of their journey, but didn't want anyone to make a fuss over him going out alone with the Evil Queen. He then gathered some supplies, and they were off.

Step by step.

The crutch helped, but Regina had to hobble very slowly along as the thief walked patiently beside her. He offered a hand to her frequently, but she brushed him off every time.

"You Majesty, if you would just let me help—"

"I don't need your help, Thief," Regina snapped as she carefully placed her crutch before her and took a step forward. She thought she was finally getting the hang of it when her crutch slipped on the leaves and she tried to catch herself with her injured leg.

"Your Majesty!" the thief exclaimed at her yelp of pain. He grasped her shoulder to help balance her once more, but she shook it off, swallowing back tears. He sighed and stepped away from her once more.

Regina focused solely on not crying from pain in front of the thief as they slowly made their way across the forest, which was just warming up as the sun peeked its way through the morning mist.

"You know," Regina grunted as they made their way, "This wouldn't be happening if you hadn't shot me."

The thief sighed. "Shall we take a break?" he asked, gesturing to a nearby tree. They had taken three breaks already in the past hour, but Regina's pain was starting to overpower her pride, and she hobbled over to the tree and carefully sat down against it, breathing deeply and taking a drink from the canteen the thief had provided her.

After a moment of silence as they (Regina) caught their breaths, the thief spoke up. "I really am sorry, you know. For everything."

Regina immediately rolled her eyes and spared him a look of disdain. "Are you, Thief? I don't think you realize what you've done here."

"I know, I know! I shot the queen!" the thief said exasperatedly as he shook his head. "But I said I'm sorry! And I'm helping you. Isn't that enough?"

"I'm not just talking about that," Regina replied, shifting her tone. "I may be the 'Evil Queen,' but you didn't know that. For all you knew I was an innocent civilian trying to defend myself against a band of thieves. You could have killed me. Killing an innocent traveler doesn't sound very noble to me."

"I was defending my men!" the thief argued, clearly surprised by Regina's accusation.

Regina shrugged, taking another swig from her canteen. "Call it what you want, but the fact remains. Your precious code isn't as infallible as you think."

The thief stood up. "And who are you to talk? You're the Evil Queen! You've killed hundreds of innocent people!"

Regina didn't move to stand, but she raised her gaze to meet the thief's, staring hard into his eyes as she delivered her response with conviction in each word. "At least I own up to my actions. You're a 'noble thief,' but I'm the Evil Queen. No one questions whether what I do is honorable and good."

The thief stood silently, hands balled at his sides as he stared back a Regina. Finally, he looked away and relaxed his fists, though his shoulders were still tense. "Let's keep going," he said, his voice hard.

He turned back to offer his hand to Regina. She examined it a moment before taking it, and he lifted her to her feet.

"We're lost, aren't we?"

It had been several hours since their journey began. The sun was beginning to set, and Robin nervously eyed a mass of dark storm clouds rolling in. Sure, the queen was traveling at a rather slow pace, but if she had been correct in saying their destination was only a few miles, they should have been there by now. At this rate they'd never get back to camp before nightfall. They'd have to find shelter before a storm hit.

The queen huffed indignantly. "It was supposed to be around here!" she bit back, but after a moment she let out a defeated sigh and glanced around. "I thought I knew where we were. We should be close."

Robins threw his hand into the air. "This is pointless! We need to find shelter now!"

The queen whipped her head around to give him a hard glare. He almost shrank back a little but was able to hold his ground and stare right back. Apart from her usual difficulties, she had managed to really anger him with her earlier comment on his nobility. After all, how could she, the Evil Queen, say that he was going about helping the poor the wrong way? Having had a few hours to fume about it internally, now was probably not the time to be letting it all out, but it was too late to change that.

"Pardon me, Thief, would you prefer it if I just broke your neck right now?" the queen said without a single shift in her sharp eyes staring daggers right through him.

Robin wasn't taking that anymore. He took a few steps closer to the queen. "You won't," he challenged.

The queen's eyes widened in surprise, but they didn't lose an ounce of malice. "And what on earth makes you think that, Thief?" she said, slowly turning to face him fully.

Robin continued stepping towards her until they were nearly nose to nose. He narrowed his eyes and was almost smiling as he replied. "Because you've already tried. You had my heart in the palm of your hand and you wouldn't – couldn't? crush it." He clenched his jaw as they continued to stare unblinking at each other. He tried his best to keep his gaze unmoving, but he couldn't help but flick his eyes about the soft contours of her face sat into an eternal glare. "You won't tell me why, but for whatever reason, you can't kill me. So enough with the empty threats."

The queen's piercing gaze persisted and she opened her mouth to reply, but they were interrupted by a sudden clap of thunder. They both turned from each other to stare up at the huge dark clouds that had long covered the setting sun and flickered with lightning.

"We need to find shelter, now," Robin said firmly. The queen started to object, but he grasped her arm and stared hard into her eyes. "Now."

This time she didn't protest, but she yanked her arm away from his grasp as they both began walking hastily off the path and into the thicker trees. Moments later, the deluge began, and Robin could already feel his clothes cold and clinging to his skin. They were traveling slower than before despite the queen's labored attempts until finally she leaned against a tree, panting and massaging her injured leg. "What are we going to do?" she asked helplessly, sliding down to the ground, not caring about the mud at this point.

Robin glanced around frantically. He couldn't see anything through the rain, and it was already dark. At last, he sat down beside the queen.

"So that's it?" she asked, bewildered. "We're just going to sit here?"

Robin shrugged. "There's nothing else we can do, Your Majesty," Robin replied, hostility momentarily forgotten. "Unless your great power involves changing the weather. Or is that spell forgotten in your castle as well?"

The queen glared at him, but only for a moment before glancing away. "You put far too much faith in magic for something you fear."

Robin blinked. "Forgive me, Your Majesty. Fear?"

The queen looked at him from the side. "Well of course. It wasn't hard to tell. I mean, you shot me because of it."

Robin looked at the queen, but she was gazing elsewhere. He supposed he was rather fearful of magic, but he had good reason to be.

After several minutes of being silently drenched by the rain, sheltered only by the thin branches of the trees above, Robin made a decision. He turned to reach into his bag. "What are you doing?" the queen enquired. He answered her by pulling out a small, familiar pouch. The queen's eyes widened, and she glanced up at him.

He held it out toward her. "Here." She stared at him, eyebrows raised in utter shock. "Really!" Robin said. "I told you, I'm sorry for robbing you. And you were right before. Our methods are not exactly perfect, or entirely noble for that matter." She continued to look at him. "I was going to sell them, but… well, anyway. Here you are. They should all be there."

At last, the queen reached forward and took the pouch into her hand, staring in awe at Robin all the while. As she turned away to glance inside, Robin looked up the hill, and through the thick of the downpour, he thought he could make out a large, square shape.

"Your Majesty, forgive me, but I think I see shelter." Glancing up, the queen quickly closed the pouch and moved to get up with the help of Robin. She attempted to move quickly as before, but instead immediately slipped in the mud and fell to her knees. A flash of light pierced the darkness followed by a cap of thunder and a cracking sound as a nearby tree fell smoking to the ground. Robin knelt down. "Your Majesty," he said, he said urgently as she struggled to sit up. "Please. May I?"

The queen pursed her lips a moment and finally nodded once. She reached her arms around Robin's neck, and he nestled his arms beneath her back and knees in much the same way as he had after her initial injury, only this time she wasn't unconscious, and despite being completely cold and drenched, Robin could feel the warmth of her body hanging onto his all the more as he heaved her upward and made his way up the hill.

Regina did her best to ignore the Robin's – the thief's – beating heart against her side, but it seemed the more she tried to ignore it, the more she could feel it.

The thief had indeed surprised her with the presentation of the jewels he had stolen from her all those months ago. She had long assumed he'd sold them. The fact that he didn't… she wasn't sure how to interpret that.

When at last they made it to the top of the hill, the shelter Robin had spotted before turned out to be a small abandoned cottage. The roof had a hole in it, and the windows were long shattered, but it would do, she supposed. Regina could still feel Robin's strong muscles holding her tight as he pushed his way through the half opened door and beneath the leaking roof that was just enough to shelter them from the rain.

"Excellent," Robin commented, glancing at the Regina, who glanced at him. Suddenly his pale blue eyes were centimeters away from hers, and both looked away immediately. "Ah, yes." A small rug still lay next to something of a fireplace, and Robin stepped towards it and carefully set Regina down. She immediately felt the loss of warmth replaced by the cold and humid air and her drenched skin and clothes. She looked away from him and played with the pouch in her lap for a while as Robin inspected the fireplace.

"I think," he said, his voice echoing up the chimney. He pulled himself away and faced Regina, "with some dry firewood we could get this going." Regina looked pointedly towards the corner of the room and Robin followed her gaze to a pile of prepared firewood. "Ah. How convenient." After a few minutes of arranging the firewood in the pit, Robin stepped back with a sigh. "Now if we just had a way to light it—"

Regina raised her hand, conjuring a fireball and throwing it into the pit. It immediately set aflame and a yellow glow erupted followed by a refreshing wave of heat. Robin looked at her. "Right. I suppose magic is useful for something," he said with a smirk. Regina rolled her eyes and didn't reply.

As the thief settled himself on the opposite side of the fireplace, Regina opened the pouch once more. It was filled with her usual jewels, but she thought she saw something in it before and had to look again. She dug around the chains and gems she didn't much care for until a glint of gold caught her eye. Heart pounding, Regina reached carefully into the pouch and pulled out a small brass ring. It was by no means an expensive piece of jewelry, and yet it was the most valuable. She had almost forgotten about it. She hadn't even realized the thief had taken it.

This realization sent Regina's heart awash with guilt. The only man she could ever love. The only man who could ever love her.

"It is possible to find love again."

Regina glanced up at Robin, who was staring back at her contemplatively. Realizing he had been watching her, Regina closed her hand around the ring and sat up straight. "What?" she demanded.

Robin eyed her as he stroked his chin for a moment. "I was wondering, when I looked through that, what that brass ring was for. It's clearly of no value."

Blood filled Regina's cheeks, though she wasn't sure if it was from anger or embarrassment. "Maybe not to a common thief," she retorted.

"I told you," the thief scolded. "I have a name." Regina blinked, not amused. "Speaking of which, you never quite did tell me your name."

Regina glanced up at him momentarily. She was tempted to say something about how he probably did know her name, there was no point in asking. But in the end she decided it was easier, better, to just answer. "Regina. My name is Regina."

Robin nodded and then tilted his head to the side and raised his eyebrows. "So it's sentimental?" he continued, gesturing to the ring. "Are you telling me the Evil Queen – I mean, Regina – is sentimental?" he was continuing to tease her, but she wasn't in the mood.

"Enough," she snapped. "I've told you before. You don't know anything about me."

Robin sighed exaggeratedly. "You've got me there," he admitted. "It seems that every time I think I have you figured out, you go ahead and surprise me."

Regina didn't reply. After a short pause, she opened her hand again and stared at the ring, thinking of kind of person she was the first time she wore it. Kind, gentle, eager to love. And also naïve.

"It was an engagement ring," Regina said after a long moment. Robin glanced up in surprise at her answer.

"From whom?" he enquired. "King Leopold?"

Regina let out a hollow laugh. "No, not that old fool. Though he did have a part in ensuring this ring never became a wedding ring." Robin remained silent, waiting. "This was given to me by Daniel."

Robin leaned forward. "Daniel?"

"Yes, Daniel. My…" She sighed. "My first love." Regina continued to stare at the ring, but she could feel the thief's curious gaze boring into her. "We were supposed to run away together so I wouldn't have to marry Leopold and become queen." A flicker of a smile crossed Regina's face at the memory.

"But?" Robin urged.

"But he died."

Robin let that sink in for a moment before scooting forward an inch. "May I ask… how?"

Regina raised her eyes to look at the thief. He was closer than she expected. He had somehow made his way just beside her, his face no more than a foot from hers. So many different emotions colored his features. Surprise, curiosity… was that – compassion?

"My mother killed him," Regina replied. She continued to look at Robin. His face was intense as he stared into Regina's eyes, trying to make her out. Before she knew it, he was raising his hand tentatively. Regina looked at it, but didn't move as he reached for her face. His sleeve had fallen down a little when he lifted his arm, and his tattoo was poking out from beneath it. Robin's fingers burned a trail as they merely grazed her face for a moment. When he retracted his fingers, they were wet, and with a jolt, Regina realized it wasn't because of the rain. Regina raised her own hand to her face and found it was warm with tears rolling down her cheeks. Her stomach was churning and her hands were shaking and her heart was pounding and the rigid front she had put up all along for this thief was falling apart. She turned quickly away, looking down, waiting until he finally sighed and stood up to look around the cottage some more.

With every exhale, a little a few of the butterflies left her stomach, but they never really all went away. As long as Robin was near her, as long as he was alive, as long as she knew that that tattoo was stamped to his forearm, Regina doubted that the butterflies would ever really go away.

There was no bickering that night. No arguing, no complaining. Nothing but the sound of rain and distant thunder and the crackling fire to accompany the stiff silence that went on that night. After a while Regina finally lay her head on the wooden floor and let the rhythm of the rain lull her to sleep as she tried to ignore the shadow of Robin's warm hand against her cheek.

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