Author's Note: I said two days and it's been longer than that. Because my mind is still blown by Sunday's episode and I'm terrified for OutlawQueen for next week. In any event, here's part two. Not entirely happy with Robin's backstory, but here it is. I couldn't remember much about what we already knew of him, so I created my own. As always, please read and review, even if you just mention one little scene or sentence that made you laugh or smile. It's always great to get feedback from readers. Thanks.

Robin halted the bike at the edge of the forest, and after helping her to get down with a hand to steady her, he got off and settled the bike on the side of the road. He unlatched the basket and rummaged through for a second before uttering a small, frustrated sound. "Well, I'm sorry milady, but it seems I was a bit unprepared. I can't seem to find the flashlight Ruby gave me."

Regina arched her eyebrow at him. "I think I can handle this," she said as she produced a ball of light with which to travel through the forest. Robin quirked his lips.

"Ever prepared."

"Always."

He grasped the basket with one hand and Regina's with the other and they walked through the forest. She could hear the crickets and other wild things. Living in the Enchanted Forest, visiting the woods by carriage was one thing, but walking through them was another. After Daniel, she never quite felt comfortable traipsing through the foliage again, as though she could see him around every corner.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she tripped slightly over a root and Robin's hand tightened on hers, bracing her and helping Regina to keep her balance. "Thanks," she said unsteadily. Looked at him. No one had her back like that. Ever. She'd always been alone.

A slight nod of his head as if to say, "of course milady," and they continued on. "So where are you taking me?" she asked.

"You'll see," he said noncommittally. Regina pursed her lips.

Soon, they came to a clearing and there was a fire pit ready for lighting and a blanket already laid out. The pitch darkness brought out an intimate feel to the setting and Regina's blood began to rush faster. It was beautiful and romantic and nothing she would have ever picked for herself. Which is why it was perfect.

After lighting the fire, Robin began to lie out plates, wine glasses, and if Regina's nose was correct, food from Granny's. Regina sat down on the large blanket, soft and well worn from use. It smelled like he did, of forest, soil and leaves and growing things. The earthy smell was fast becoming her favorite scent.

The fare was simple and homey, shepherd's pie, easily made and eaten. Conversation was easy and teasing and Regina began to relax. She helped him clean up and she'd forgotten what that was like, having help, domestic tasks made simpler by a second person.

They were seated by the fire, Regina sitting against a log he'd pulled over to support her back and he lying down beside her, one hand propped up against the side of his head. Her coat was laying over the log, having been removed earlier once the fire began to warm her. He'd gotten a recommendation on the wine from Charming, as Regina called David, a merlot from a realm called France, and poured her another glass of wine. "If you could go anywhere, where would you visit?" Robin asked, still thinking about a place called France.

Regina looked down at his face lit by firelight. "I don't know. I've heard that Ireland is very much like the Enchanted Forest, lush and wild and beautiful. Maybe there. Although I think I would fit in more in a place like New York."

"How so?" he asked, confusion in his eyes.

"New York is a fast-paced, bustling metropolis where everyone is in everyone's way and the mentality, so I've heard and read, seems to be yourself first."

He shook his head. "No, milady. Not from what I've seen. You put everyone else but yourself first. Do you ever pursue something for you only? Just you?" he asked. He knew what the Evil Queen had done in the past, but she was not the Evil Queen. The woman in front of him appeared to have no connection whatsoever with that woman. He could see she had changed. In her words. In her actions.

She laughed self-deprecatingly. "I've been doing that for the last several decades," referring to attempting to kill Snow and enacting a curse for selfish reasons.

"Yes, we've established you used to be the Evil Queen, but I'm asking if you ever really truly pursued something that you wanted with your heart, not with vengeance and hatred?" he pressed.

Regina was silent for a long moment, lost in the past. Daniel. "The last time I pursued something I wanted, it got a good man killed."

Robin's breath caught at the ache in her tone. Dammit, this wasn't the kind of talk in which he'd wanted to engage. He didn't want her morose. She deserved to smile. He liked when she smiled. It did something to his insides. Besides, her statement brought back some very painful memories.

What am I doing here? she thought in a panic, but none of that showed on her face. I should have said no to him. I should never have asked him out. Daniel had paid the price for her affections and Robin would too if she didn't stop this.

Sooner or later your heart will find happiness…Don't let anything hold you back.

"You asked yesterday how I met Marian," he began, interrupting her thoughts of leaving. "You're not the only one with demons in their past, Regina."

Her eyes were drawn to his and what she saw there kept her rooted in her seat.

"Marian and I…met while she was engaged. I was the town blacksmith's son. Until everything changed. At the time we lived on the outskirts of town and I'd have to help father get water from the lake to cool down the swords and daggers we made. One day, while gathering the water, we heard screams and cries for help. It turned out to be the king of our kingdom. He'd been set upon by bandits and they were arguing over who would kill him. His guard had already been slaughtered. Father and I stepped in with our own swords and attacked. I was barely 11, but we beat them back. In thanksgiving for saving his life, the king gave my father his own lands and manor and a title. Duke."

Regina was surprised. She'd always thought of him as an outlaw.

"You mentioned none of that yesterday."

"Yes, well, there is much more to the story," he said with a twist of his lips. "We were invited to a ball. I was little more than a boy, barely 18 when I met Marian. She was a vision." He smiled as he remembered their first meeting. He'd stepped on her toes and had to help her hobble to a chair. "I didn't know it then, but she was engaged. To the king's brother. Prince John wasn't the greatest regent when his brother traveled throughout the countryside for weeks at a time. He was cruel and cunning, coveting not only Marian but also the crown and his brother couldn't see it. To make a very long and drawn out story short, we fell in love and John made his move against his brother. King Richard was killed and I was framed for his murder. We went on the run, got married, and for a time we were happy. I was with my lady for five years in the woods. During that time, she got sick, nothing specific and the doctors could never find a reason, a diagnosis….

"Marian became pregnant and it was hard on her. I almost lost her during the birth, but she survived, barely. She was in a weakened state. After Roland was born, Marian became sicker. If not for our constant moving, she might have gotten better. We could have visited a doctor or something. Maybe found a cure for whatever ailed her. I'll never know," his voice trailed off, Robin now lost in his own thoughts of the past.

"You can't think like that. You can't change the past anymore than I could," Regina protested. "It wasn't your fault anymore than it was mine that Daniel died. Ultimately it was my mother who killed him and your wife made her choice. She chose to be with you, come what would. Love," she continued, reaching out a hand to turn his gaze toward hers, "makes us do many things, Robin, but always we have a choice. Stay or go. She decided to be with you, regardless of the risks and consequences." Regina's heart ached for him, for his loss, but a very real and selfish part of her was happy events had happened the way they had, because otherwise he would be with Marian and she would never have known this could be possible.

Robin was silent for a long moment, looking into Regina's eyes intently. "And you, what's your choice?" he asked softly, changing the subject. He didn't want to talk about his wife anymore. Marian, as much as he had loved the woman with everything inside of him, was in the past, and his future, he hoped, was looking at him with uncertainty, a little bit of fear, and something he dared not wish for.

Regina's eyes darted away for a minute. He was so intense, she needed a moment. To gather her thoughts, to put them into words. To find the courage to form the sounds. "My choice is this, you, right here, right now. I've lived a long life of revenge and hatred and let fear consume me…..but I want to try to put that behind me. I want to give happiness a chance. " Swallowing hard, she said thickly, "I want to give us a chance," and leaned over him and pressed her lips to his.

The kiss was soft and tentative. Unsure. Completely different from last night's assertive attack, Robin thought. The tone was contrasted and he could tell from the press of her lips that Regina was feeling unsure and vulnerable and with her track record, she could bolt at any time, like a skittish mare.

It was a good thing he had an affinity for taming wild animals.

Because he didn't want her to turn away, he kept the kiss light, letting her lead, allowing her to nudge him fully to the ground, when all he wanted was to turn the tables, push her into the ground, and strip her. A bone deep tremor ran through him, but he didn't think it registered with Regina. He'd never wanted to move this fast, not even with Marian and he knew that to do so could jeopardize all he could feel laying underneath the surface. This, he thought hazily, lips moving over hers gently, darting inside and retreating teasingly, would take careful thought and deliberation. He would have to let her come to him.

Regina had to remind herself that this was a first date, for all intents and purposes, and never mind the fact they'd kissed yesterday, that his taste had kept her up all night and that all she'd been able to think about today was kissing him again. Because if she did think about that, their clothes would be torn off and they'd be having sex and she didn't want that. She'd not always appreciated what she had in the past and she was trying to take things slow, enjoy the moments. And with that thought, she pulled away, surprised to find she was hovering over him, one hand in his hair and the other pressed against his bare chest under a shirt she didn't recall unbuttoning.

Robin could see the surprise in her eyes and feel the heat of her hand against his heart. "Well now, nice to know that yesterday wasn't a product of adrenaline and impulsivity."

Regina arched a brow at the thief below her. "No matter how impulsive my actions may seem, they're completely deliberate, I assure you. Always." His eyes grinned at her and she couldn't help a smile of her own. She'd not smiled like this in a long time. To prove her point, she tweaked his chest hair a bit and he yelped.

"You little…" his voice trailed off and in one smooth, flawless move, Regina found herself on her back, breathless at the swift action. Robin was hovering over her, her hands grasped in a one-handed grip and his other braced against the ground beside her head. The move had taken not only her breath but also his. For different reasons. In this position, Robin had an amazing view of her cleavage and the sweater she was wearing gaped quite a bit, allowing him to see milky white curves.

Regina's gaze traveled down and she realized what he was glued to. Her eyebrows arched at him as if to say, "Men!" At first, it was a bit funny, but as the seconds wore on and his eyes did not waver, Regina began to feel lightheaded and hot and her blood began to flow south. His eyes had changed color slightly. Last night she dismissed the idea, but she realized they darkened with desire. He wanted her and she'd not been wanted for herself in such an incredibly long time. Graham hadn't really wanted her, not her. Just a product of the curse, what she displayed was what he got. But Robin...he knew of her past, what she'd done before and after the curse and he accepted her. He accepted everything about her because he….

"What do you see in me?" Regina asked, a hint of vulnerability in her voice.

Robin's head snapped up and his eyes met hers. A question was in that gaze before his brain cleared and he registered what she was saying. "The same thing I hope you see in me. A second chance," he said softly and kissed her.

Regina's lips couldn't help but curl into a smile before they parted to let him inside. They kissed for a long time. Long and slow and deep. Robin coaxed and teased. He loved the complex flavors. Vanilla and something smoky and utterly delicious and he couldn't get enough. Regina's tugging at his hold made him release her and he was instantly grateful as her hands reached for his chest, still bared by the open shirt. She sighed into his mouth and began to explore, gently stroking and then lightly scoring him with her nails. Robin shivered at the thought of other places she could do the same.

The hand not braced against the ground skated down her side and over her waist, meeting the strip of skin revealed by the gap between her cashmere sweater and jeans. His calloused fingers rasped against the sensitive sides and across her abdomen, slowly tracing his way up. Regina moaned in encouragement and arched her back for more.

Robin could feel her muscles contracting, tensing up and he loved her honest reactions. Here was no queen, but the woman beneath, open and bare to possibility. She wasn't hiding from him and she was offering herself. He broke away from the kiss to watch her eyes as his fingers skated their way up and over her bra, caressing the curves. He watched as her eyes clouded more and her mouth opened on a pant.

Regina tried to dart her eyes away, but she couldn't. He wouldn't let her. And somehow, looking into his eyes as he caressed her breast, plucked her nipple was so much more intimate than the physical. He could see her and he didn't just see it, he accepted it, accepted her and that made what they were doing all the more intense and sexual and overwhelming and incredible. She leaned up and recaptured his lips, pushing him and following him to a sitting position. She moved to remove her sweater, changing her mind, but one hand stopped her gently.

Robin's haze was overthrown by her actions and he stopped Regina from removing her sweater. "It's too cold out here for that, my lady. Besides, I want to take things slower if you have no objection."

Regina closed her eyes. She had to remind herself it wasn't a rejection, but an indication that he saw more in her than just a quick tumble on the ground. That she was worth something. A small part of her was still hurt though, as contrary as that might seem given her thoughts earlier.

Robin watched the play of emotions on her face and cupped her cheek anxiously, bringing her gaze to him when he saw a brief flash of hurt pass in her eyes. "I want so much more with you than one night, Regina. I'm beginning to think I might want…." His voice trailed off and his throat closed off. Everything, all of you, forever. But he couldn't say that. It was too soon and with this woman's track record, she'd bolt. And he knew how to handle wild animals. "I think I might want more that you'd be willing to give at this point, so we should take this slow, get to know each other better before we make love."

Regina had to close her eyes again because he'd just made his intentions known. He saw more to her than an evil queen and he wanted more than just sex. She'd not been with someone since Daniel that hadn't wanted something from her and not her. Fine, he didn't want them to make love this soon (and neither did she, not really), but that wasn't going to stop her from making it very, very difficult on him.