Hello, dear readers.

Thanks so much for the reviews. I really appreciate that! *-*

Thank you, Monica and Gabi. You rock!

I think this is the longest chapter I have written until now.

I'd like to warn you about the angst of this chapter. I promise the next chapters, despite the circumstances our couple have to face, will still have sweet, funny and romantic moments between them.

I think Robin will only fight for Regina if he loses her. That was the original idea of this fanfic and the title was thought based on it.

Don't kill me for now! Hahahaha

I promise Robin will fight for her and our couple will stay together, stronger than never.

Thank you for reading!

CHAPTER 5

Regina was feeling that something bad was about to happen, she had sensed it and her mother had tried to tell her in that dream. Everything had started to get better; she had a perfect night with Robin, they had talked, they had made love, she had talked about her fears to him. They were fine now, but of course nothing good could last in her life. When something was fine, sooner or later it wouldn't be anymore.

Why couldn't she have a moment of peace?

"We are here." Robin said as he pulled over the car on the hospital's parking lot.

Regina didn't say anything or even looked at him; she was lost in her own thoughts, staring directly at nowhere.

"Regina!" Robin said touching her arm gently and putting her out of her trance.

"Hum?" Regina turned her head and faced him.

"We are here." He repeated softly.

She didn't move, only screwed her eyes shut and sighed deeply. Yes, here they were, ready to face the reality or at least she had to be ready for that, there wasn't any other way.

"Would you rather I went by myself? You can wait for me in the car." He exhaled loud, running a hand through his hair.

He could sense she wasn't fine; after the phone call she hadn't spoken any other word. It was a shock for her, a shock of reality, but Robin had to know what was happening to Zelena. The last thing he wanted was to face that woman, but he had to do that for the baby's sake. He could see Regina was hesitating, so he wouldn't ask her to accompany him. Maybe it was the best if she stayed in the car. She was so happy last night, she was light, had talked to him and had opened herself a little for him. She was even playing and flirting with him, something she hadn't done for a while. Last night, after a long time, they were just them.

Robin took a deep breath and closed the door.

"I'm coming back as soon as I …" But before he could finish, Regina opened the door and headed with large steps to the hospital's entrance.

"Regina, look at me!" Robin reached her and grabbed her arm.

"You know that I love you and we're going to solve whatever is going on together." He said touching her cheeks gently and resting his forehead against hers.

"I know. It's just…for a moment I had forgotten about all this." She looked at him with eyes full of concern.

"Me too." He admitted.

"Well, let's face it." She said after they stayed quiet for a moment, trying to calm down their fears.

Finally, they interlaced their fingers and made their way into the hospital.

"Come on in." They heard Dr. Whale inviting them to enter his room, as Regina knocked on the door.

"What is happening?" Regina was impatient; she had to know what her wicked sister had done this time.

"Sit down, please." Dr. Whale motioned towards the chairs for them.

"I just called you because things got complicated. Zelena is refusing to take her medicines, the ones that are good for the baby. She is not eating anymore, we had tried a lot of approaches but she is refusing every one of them. And the worst thing is the last ultrasound showed a small anomaly."

"Anomaly with the baby?" Robin asked worried.

"Yes. It's nothing serious for now, it's a growth disorder. We're almost sure it's because she is not eating properly or getting the medicines." Dr. Whale added.

"What are you suggesting?" This time it was Regina asking him.

"Well, she said she wanted to talk to the father of her baby." He said and looked at Robin.

"Maybe you can convince her about the importance of her welfare because the baby's health depends on her. She is almost 15 weeks now and it's a dangerous period for every pregnancy, especially when the woman doesn't take care of herself properly." Dr. Whale completed.

Robin took a deep breath. This was not happening. He had to face Zelena, talk to her and try to convince her to take care of herself. God! He even knew that woman. How should he approach her? He could even look at her in the eyes.

"I'm going with you." Regina pressed his hand gently, looking at him with a timid smile. Maybe she could see the panic in his eyes or the change of his breathing and was trying to reassure him.

"Thank you." He released the breath he even didn't know he was holding. With Regina there, it would be less awkward…or not.

"Well, well! Look who is here! My dear husband and father of my baby!" Zelena turned around and started to approach Robin.

He stepped away from her instinctively and leaned on the closest wall.

"Did you miss me?" Zelena said with a sarcastic look.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Zelena became angry as she saw Regina entering the room behind Robin.

"Let's say that I missed you!" Regina replied, trying to sound as sarcastic as her sister. She wouldn't let Zelena intimidate her, no matter how much she was hurt or concerned with the complications towards this situation.

"I told them specifically that I wanted to talk to Robin, not to you!" Zelena said angry, pointing a finger to her sister.

"I know but he and I are on this together. Whatever you have to say to him, you'll say to me too, or else you won't have any of us here to listen to you." Regina replied with a warning tone.

Zelena seemed to be not happy with that. She stayed quiet, pacing back and forth.

"Ok, we don't have the whole day. If you don't want to talk, fine. We're going away." Regina turned her back to Zelena and walked towards the door.

"Come on, Robin!" Regina extended her hand to Robin and he grabbed it unhesitatingly, following her.

"Wait! Not so fast! No until I make my requests!" Zelena chuckled gruffly.

"Do you really think you are in a position of making any requests?" Regina scoffed, whirling around, anger seeping through her.

"Oh, I'm sure I am." Zelena put her hands protectively on her stomach and smiled.

"Right, baby?" She kept teasing them and rubbing a hand over her still flat stomach.

"What do you want?" Regina sighed and felt her throat begin to constrict but she wouldn't show any sign of pain, she couldn't… that was what her sister was trying to do, inflict her pain.

"Well, let's make this simple for you. I am not staying in this place anymore." Zelena demanded.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Regina laughed, perplexed at her sister's request.

"No, I'm not, little sis. I'm not spending the rest of my life trapped in this cell." Zelena raised her voice.

"Of course you are. There's no way you're leaving here!" Regina was indignant about Zelena's suggestion.

"So, dear husband…" Zelena said and walked towards Robin.

"What do you think about that?" She stood in front of him and touched his chest, making him freeze.

"Do you want to leave the mother of your child here? Have you spoken with the doctor?" She kept teasing him and he stepped back as soon as he could move again.

"I have!" He whispered and kept his head down, staring at the floor because he couldn't even look at that woman.

"What the hell are you trying to do, Zelena? Blackmail us by using the baby?" Regina interfered and put her body between Robin and her sister.

"Oh, so you finally got my point! Better late than never!" Zelena exclaimed and waved her hands through the air, smiling wickedly.

"Let me clear things to you: either I leave it here and start a normal life for the health of the baby or…" Zelena was clearly out daring them.

"Or what?" Robin asked through clenched teeth and looked at her for the first time.

"Or…the baby won't be born!" She screamed these words with a defiant look.

"You're bluffing, Zelena!" Regina replied, shaking her head no.

"Am I?" She said raising one brow, mocking them.

"I wouldn't bet on that!" Zelena completed.

"Especially if I were the father of this child." She pointed at Robin and her stomach, threatening him and laughing mischievously.

"I can't believe you are capable of hurting an innocent life!" Robin said sadly. He couldn't believe in her words. Or could he?

"But you can, because I already am!" Zelena answered him.

"We don't have a deal, Zelena. As you said, you're using the baby to blackmail us, if you lose it, you won't have any leverage left!" Regina pointed that out and reached fo Robin's hand.

"Come on, Robin! She won't do anything she is saying! She's crazy, not stupid!" Regina completed.

"You'll regret this! Are you listening me? The baby won't be born and it will be your fault, Robin! YOUR FAULT!" Zelena screamed as they left the room. They could hear her screams echoing through the corridors until they left the psychiatric wing.

When they reached for the hospital's doors, Robin froze on the spot.

"Robin, come on!" Regina said and grabbed his forearm, trying to make him move.

He put a hand on his forehead and stared at the floor. Regina could sense he was scared about Zelena's actions.

"It would be my fault, Regina!" He finally spoke.

"Robin, as I said, she is bluffing! That baby is the only thing she has to blackmail us with. Without the baby, she doesn't have anything, not even her magic!" Regina tried to comfort him.

"I hope you're right. Because if something happens, I …"

"Nothing will happen." Regina assured him and squeezed his hand.

As they drove back home, neither of them spoke much. Despite Regina's words, Robin wasn't sure Zelena wouldn't do anything to hurt the baby. Even Regina was worried, she knew Zelena was using the baby against them but at the same time, she also knew her sister was capable of everything. The best they could do was to wait; and they did. As the days passed, they had pretended to forget about Zelena's situation, but of course that ghost kept hunting their minds every single day.

"What's going on now, Victor? I was in the middle of a meeting!" Regina exclaimed and dropped her bag on the chair in front of his desk.

It had been one week since she came to the hospital and had learnt about her sister condition.

"Please, have a sit."

"No! As I said, I'm busy! I don't know if you've noticed but there are a lot of people in town from another land and I have to deal with it!" She shook her head no and complained frustrated.

Regina was completely irritated. Emma and she had been sorting out issues that had arisen among the new townspeople. They still didn't know why those people were on town or how Merlin had brought them there, nor for what. They didn't even know who Merlin was. She did a lot of research and interviews, but always ended up with nothing useful. In addition to that, she was still having some trouble using her magic and her relationship with Robin had been stressful. They were avoiding the subject of Zelena, but that didn't mean they weren't worried or fearing about her condition and especially the baby's. And, apparently now, there was something bad coming again.

Great. Just great!

"Regina, sit down, please!" Dr. Whale emphasized.

She snorted but sat on the chair.

"There's a problem…" He started to speak.

"Really? Oh, that's new!" She said sarcastically.

"Regina, Zelena almost lost the baby last night!" He got directly to the point.

"What?!" She exclaimed, widening her eyes.

But before Dr. Whale could explain about specific details, they were interrupted by Robin, who was breathless and entering the room.

"Sorry, I came as fast as I could!" He took a seat right next to Regina and squeezed her hand.

"Are you alright?" He asked, looking into her eyes as he noticed her hands were cold and shaking. She immediately darted her eyes away.

"Good you are here, Mr. Locksley. Now I only have to tell the news once!" Dr. Whale said, grabbing some papers.

"Here it is the last of Zelena's exams." He continued and put the papers on his desk, in front of them.

"Wait! What is going on?" Robin said really worried about the doctor's attitude.

"I was explaining to Regina that Zelena almost lost the baby last night…"

"What?" Robin inclined forward on his chair, eyes shining with fear.

"Let me finish, please! As I warned you last week, she is refusing to eat properly, she is not taking the medicines and, I don't know what really happened, but I'm almost sure she tried to cause an abortion last night."

"What? She did what? How?" Robin was shocked, not believing she could do such a thing.

"We don't know how, but when the nurses heard her screams, they came to her room and found her on the floor, bleeding. At first, we thought it was a normal spotting because pregnant women usually have some blood losses on their first trimester. But after we ran some tests, we noticed the bleeding was caused by something else, maybe magic, we're not sure." Dr. Whale concluded.

"But she's using the bracelet, she can't perform magic." Robin rubbed a hand on his forehead and tried to control his nerves.

"The nurses said they have seen her trying to take off the bracelet a several times." The doctor affirmed.

"Maybe she couldn't do that and got frustrated, or she had to use a lot of strength…" Whale put forward the possibilities.

"So you're suggesting she caused that?" Robin asked with teary eyes.

"Probably, but we don't know how." Dr. Whale added.

"I called you here because we don't know what to do to her. We had to transfer her to a regular room with the equipment required to stabilize her condition. But we had to tie her down!" Dr. Whale concluded.

"Is she tied? What about the baby?" Robin said in a panic tone, standing up.

"This is not happening!" Robin exclaimed and put his hand on his head.

"The baby is fine for now, not completely healthy as recommended but we have to know what to do next. I know it's a delicate situation but if she stays here, we can't guarantee anything. We can't take the responsibility; it's not ours, it's yours." Dr. Whale finally concluded.

For this whole time Regina stayed in silence, she didn't say a word nor moved any muscle of her body. She was hearing everything but couldn't process the words properly. She sensed that something bad was coming; she just knew it since the beginning, since she learned about her sister's pregnancy.

They could try to ignore it but one day the reality would charge its preic, and that day was today. What was Regina supposed to do now? What was she supposed to say? She didn't know, but of one thing she was sure: if Zelena was free, the troubles would be worse. Who could guarantee that even free she wouldn't try to hurt the baby? She couldn't believe Zelena had kept her promise on hurting the baby. Even in her Evil Queen's days, Regina would never hurt her own baby…Or would she? Would she hurt her own baby for revenge?

Would you, Regina? Would you? You drank that potion, didn't you?

"Regina! Regina!" Robin was the one who took her away from her abstraction.

"Hum?" She had no idea what Robin was talking about.

"What are we going to do?" He asked her with a sad and desperate face.

Yes, that's a good question. What were they supposed to do now?

"Let's see her first!" She cleared her throat before speak, stood up, lifted her head up, blinked away the unshed tears and finally said something reasonable. She had to be strong right now, no matter how broke and desperate she was inside.

The scenery wasn't pretty: Zelena was lying on a hospital's bed with a lot of pipes into her mouth and nose and with her wrists and legs tied to the rails.

Zelena had caused that to herself, and worst, she had caused that to the baby. However, Regina couldn't help but feel sorry for the baby. How could the child be raised by Zelena?

"Don't let your sister hurt the baby, Regina."

Cora's words came to her mind and she couldn't understand them until right now. But how could Regina raise that baby by herself? She was not its mother and she was sure her sister would never allow that.

"Regina, we can't leave her like that!" Robin gulped and turned his attention for her.

"What do you suggest? Do you have a better idea?" She said but didn't turn her face to him. She couldn't stop staring at the woman laid on the bed; for that moment she even forgot how to blink, she was just staring and wondering about one thousand of things at the same time.

"We have to take her out of here!" Robin answered her as if that was the obvious and easy answer for the problem.

"She'll find a way to get out of there sooner or later."

Her mother's words kept echoing in her mind again and again. Was her mother right? Of course she was, Regina was naïve by thinking that her sister would accept being stuck in a mental institution and not do anything to get out of there.

"There's no way she is leaving this hospital, Robin. That woman is dangerous." Regina pointed that out and shook her head no.

"She is using the bracelet, Regina. She can't perform magic anymore." He replied.

"With or without the bracelet, it doesn't matter. She can do bad things without using magic. Don't you see? She's doing all that to get out of here. I'm sure she has a plan!" She barked back, with a furious look on her face. Her mother was right, she had been underestimating Zelena.

"Regina, I think you are overreacting…" But Regina lifted her hand towards him, cutting his words and spinning around as if she had been burnt.

"Overreacting? You can't be serious!" She gave a sarcastically laugh, raising up an eye brow and shooting the most disapproving look towards him.

"We are talking about Zelena! Do I have to remember you what she has done?" She pointed her finger at him as she shouted.

"Oh right, I think I do! That woman went back in time, killed Marian, took her identity, pretended to be her, had sex with you and got pregnant!" She reiterated angrily.

"And now she almost lost the baby because of herself! Don't you see? She has done everything for revenge against me! Do you really think she's done with her plan? I really doubt that!" Regina scoffed and shook her head, still discredited of his words.

"I think she's done! She is pregnant and that's why we can't leave her tied like that until the baby is born! We have to take her out of here for the sake of my child, Regina!" He was trying to make Regina understand his point of view and the gravity of Zelena's condition.

"You have to protect the girl, Regina."

Regina wanted to scream and get her mother's words away from her mind. Easy to say that when was not you in her position. How could she protect the girl against her own mother? This couldn't be worse or could it? The girl was Regina's niece. No! She was her soulmate's daughter!

Regina sharply turned to him and could see the look of disapproval towards her. She groaned in frustration, shaking her head defeated. Did she deserve that? Maybe she did, as payment for her cruelties in the past but it didn't mean she would be fine with that.

"And then what? Put her inside my house? Oh, let's put her in my bedroom, I think that is the best option, right?"

Was that her happy ending?

Regina was furious with him! She understood the situation, she wasn't stupid, but she couldn't help but feel frustrated. Her mind was a mess of contradictory thoughts and voices telling her either to set Zelena free or not. At least in the hospital, she was being taken care of, and the baby as well; but it seemed neither of them were fine now. However, having her sister outside it would be worse, she was sure about that; Zelena could hurt the baby, or Henry, or Roland. That was definitively not a good idea; Zelena had to stay there at least while the baby wasn't born.

Why, on heavens, did he get her sister pregnant anyway?

Couldn't he keep his cock inside his pants for more than a week?

He was there by her side, looking at Zelena tied by her wrists to the hospital bed, trying to convince her to give freedom to her wicked sister. Of course Regina knew that was a delicate situation to deal with, she wasn't a cold person anymore but they couldn't just let Zelena go out and do whatever she had planned in her insane mind.

Robin kept babbling about the risks of Zelena's conditions, about the risks towards the baby, about her being tied down, about her abortion attempt, about Regina being too rational, about how they'd handle that…

Regina was snorting, she couldn't understand herself anymore. She knew it wasn't entirely Robin's fault but she couldn't help it! He was asking her to fix his own mess.

I didn't impregnate the wicked witch, you did! Now, handle that yourself!

She couldn't listen anymore! Her head was spinning and she started to feel dizzy, disgusted by that damn situation. A burning sensation was beginning to sting at the corner of her eyes and she was trying to blink away the unshed tears.

"Please, Regina…Try to understand, it's my baby too." Robin tried to reach her hands but she immediately stepped back.

"Open your eyes, he has never chosen you."

She was dizzy, panting, a sense of fear and weakness took over her. She wanted to disappear but she couldn't do that. Her magic had been affected by some strange power. Maybe it was Merlin, but she didn't know. Dammit! She missed her purple smoke and her fireballs. Instinctively, Regina raised her hands, took a deep breath and concentrated. She wanted to disappear; she had to. She couldn't deal with this anymore, it was too much!

Unfortunately she couldn't do such a thing. Her magic was weak and it seemed that it was draining all her energies every time she tried to perform it. Her whole body was shaking and she tried to support herself as she felt her knees getting weak.

"Regina, what are you doing?" Robin was frowning and totally confused but he was able to catch her trembling body before she collapsed.

"I … I …"

These were her last words before everything went dark.

"Thank God! I'm glad you're awake, milady!" Were the first words Regina could hear, as she was trying to open her eyes.

She was still dizzy and her head was spinning.

Where was she? What had happened?

She was confused. She tried to look around in attempt to recognize something but failed.

"Easy, easy, Regina!" She could feel Robin hands gently pushing her back to bed.

"What….what happened?" She was still disoriented. She was in a hospital bed.

Wait? What?

The last thing she remembered was Zelena in a hospital bed. And now she was? What the hell happened?

"You collapsed!" He said and stroked her cheeks tenderly.

"Why? For how long?" She was trying to understand what was going on with her.

"For almost two hours. Dr. Whale is running some tests but he thinks it was a stress crisis or a panic attack." Robin was caressing her cheeks with lovely eyes and telling her the doctor's words.

"I'm sorry, Regina. This is my fault. You didn't have to go through this if I had made the right choices." Robin said as he was trying to restrain the tears in his eyes.

"Robin…" But before she could say anything else, Dr. Whale entered the room.

"Regina, may I speak with you?"

" Yes, of course." She answered him.

"In private." He emphasized, looking directly at Robin.

"You can tell her anything with me in this room, Dr. Whale! Regina and I don't keep secrets from each other!" Robin affirmed, really confused and worried.

As soon as Regina saw Victor's look, she knew something really bad was happening to her. Victor knew Regina for a long time and she was certain that if he wanted to talk to her in private, then she had to do just that.

"Robin, can you wait outside, please?" She squeezed his hands gently.

"No! Of course not! I'll stay here until I know what is going on!" Robin was furious, but determined.

"Robin, please! Do this for me!" Regina asked him with that look, that look she knew he couldn't resist.

He held her hands firmly and looked at her with a comprehensive face.

"Do you promise you will tell me what's wrong with you? I need to know, please!" He begged at her.

"Yes, I do." She said and kissed his right cheek.

"Alright then, I trust you!" Robin said and left the room, but closed the door with a bang that could be heard throughout the whole hospital.

Regina closed her eyes and finally spoke:

"So, what's wrong with me?"

Regina was resting her head on the pillow staring at the celling and trying to assimilate everything Victor had said to her. She knew something was wrong, but she couldn't imagine…

"Regina! Oh God, are you alright? What did the doctor say to you?" Robin broke into the room breathless and took her hands in his.

"I'm alright." She sighed and gave him a sad smile.

"What do you mean? You collapsed and the doctor wanted to speak with you in private!" Robin replied.

Regina cleared her throat and opened her mouth but she didn't know what she was supposed to tell him. She shook her head and screwed her eyes shut to keep the tears she felt forming in the corners at bay.

"Regina, are you sick?" Robin was desperate to know the truth.

She stiffened and scrubbed a hand over her face. She went quietly momentarily, contemplating how she should answer. In the past, she felt she could tell him anything but now everything had changed.

"No, I am not. I just need to rest for a while. And then, I'll be 100%!" She tried to convince him.

He sighed, clenched his jaw a little whilst looking her in the eyes. He breathed but didn't seem convinced.

"Are you sure? " He held her face and looked inside her eyes but she quickly darted hers them away.

"Yes. Don't worry, I'm fine, Robin!"

"Really? So, why aren't you looking at me in the eyes?" He replied with a little irritation because right now there was definitely something she was not telling him.

He stared at her trying to figure out what she was not telling him but he also noticed that she was tired, really tired. He had done that to her, he had thrown all these problems in her life. He loved her but he couldn't stop to upsetting her.

"I'm sorry to drag you into this." He said and she sighed, closing her eyes and leaning her head back on the pillow.

"Robin, I just need to rest. That's all. Can you please leave me alone for a while?" She said, still with eyes closed and turned her body to the opposite side.

Robin observed her carefully. He wanted to tell her a lot of things. She still hadn't told him the whole truth and he knew that. But for now, he just squeezed her shoulder carefully, kissed the side of her head and left the room.

When Regina heard the doors closing, she gulped but couldn't control her tears anymore. So she let them fall willingly.

The week that followed was the longest of Regina's life. She was currently in her office in the middle of a meeting. King Arthur was still trying to find his sword but none of them knew how they came to Storybrooke yet. While people were talking endlessly about thousands of ways to solve their current situation, Regina's thoughts remained elsewhere, no matter how she had tried not to let her mind wander back to that.

After the incident in the hospital last week, Regina was doing alright but every time someone had tried to talk to her about what had happened, she immediately changed the subject. She wasn't ready to speak about that with no one, especially with Robin. He hadn't brought up the Zelena's problem again and she knew it was because he was worried about her reaction. She didn't even know how Zelena was doing, but truth to be told, she didn't care about that now. She had a lot of problems to deal with; she had to take care of herself first. But in order to do that, she had to stop to worrying so much about her sister and her baby. She knew she had to face it soon or later, but she preferred later.

"Regina and I can take care of that. Right, Regina?" Emma asked her but Regina didn't listen anything.

"Regina! Hey! Wake up!" Emma called her again.

"Hum…I'm sorry! What did you say?" Regina answered after shaking her head, trying to concentrate on the meeting.

"I said you and I could take care of the magic part. We need to know who Merlin is. Do you think you can make a locator spell?"

"Well, I'd need something that belonged to Merlin. Has anybody got anything?" Regina asked King Arthur.

"Unfortunately, as I told you, nobody ever saw his real face. So, I doubt anyone has something of his." He signed.

"In that case, a locator spell is impossible! We have to think of something else." Regina replied.

"What about Gold? He can feel a magic presence, can't he? " Emma asked.

"Yes, he could but right now he is not the Dark One anymore. I don't know if he still has this ability." Regina answered.

"Well, I'm going to check it out. Killian, let's go! I'll let you know, Regina!" Emma said and left the office with Hook.

"Is everything alright?" Arthur asked Regina with a worried face.

Regina had found that it was easy to have a conversation with him. He was a nice and kind man, a gentleman. Regina was feeling a little guilty because she couldn't help him properly due to her personal issues. He was on a strange land with his people and they didn't know anything about the modern world or how they could go back to their land, but he was a patient and reasonable man. He had never showed any kind of irritation or despair; even if they still didn't have any solution for the situation. He was an exemplary king.

"Yes, it is." Regina lied and sighed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to upset you!"

"You didn't. I was supposed to be the one asking for your forgiveness. I'm the mayor, I should have been more committed to this problem, but…" He cut her, reaching for her hand and squeezing them gently.

"You're doing everything you can." He said looking at her in the eyes.

"No, I'm not." Her eyes were watering.

Why was she so sentimental? Oh right! She knew the answer but she hated to be like that anyway. She had always been a strong woman. A defiant one. She had never been weak in her life nor the kind of woman who demonstrated her emotions in front of people.

But Arthur was different, he had made her feel valued and had become her friend. He didn't demand explanations nor put her into frustrating situations. He understood her. He just waited for when she was ready to talk, and if she wasn't, he wouldn't complain. They had talked a lot since he and his people had mysteriously appeared in the town. They had talked about his land, Camelot, and about his battles. He was a king on his land, so Regina had a lot in common with him. He was strong, righteous and understanding with his people. Regina could see that from the way he managed his folks and she admired him. Actually, she was learning a lot from him.

She had been a queen but an evil one, because of revenge, she couldn't command her land the right way. She had told him about her dark days as Evil Queen and why she became that person, about how she commanded her people, only by inflicting fear. Now she could see that: her mistakes. But she was still the mayor of the town, so it wasn't late for managing the issues correctly this time.

Regina had been enjoying Arthur's company, she felt lighter with him. And, to be fair, he had been the only one that could make Regina laugh for these past two weeks. She needed this light to distract her mind from her personal issues. His touch was steady and reassuring and she was really appreciating their friendship.

He had told her about a woman, with whom he had been in love for a long time, but also that he was willing to move on. He had said that that woman didn't love him but someone else, and he was now tired of waiting for her, for a love he couldn't have. He was a damaged man with a broken heart and that Regina could understand it perfectly.

However, she could sense he was falling for her little by little. He had said she was the most beautiful queen of the all lands he had met in his life. She had warned him about her situation with Robin, not about the whole situation she was going through, only pieces of it. He said he understood and he had been respecting her but that didn't prevent him from flirting with her on a few occasions. Regina didn't want to hurt him, that was never her intention. He didn't deserve to have his heart broken again, and this time, by her. She thought about keeping some distance from him but at the same time, she wanted him close. She was conflicted because their friendship was important tor her, especially right now.

"Regina, I don't know exactly what you're facing right now because you're not telling me everything but I can see it's complicated." He said to her and squeezed her hands tight.

"I feel for you because I have been in your place for a long time." He placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.

Regina gave him a confused look, not completely understanding his suggestion.

"I have told about Guinevere and I know how it is to love someone and have the feeling not be mutual." He looked into her eyes and there was sadness and compassion in his voice.

"I have never told you that Robin didn't love me." She bit out with a little anger because despite of his attempt to comfort her. Deep down, she knew that maybe he was just pointing the obvious and that irritated her, but at least he had the courage to speak of it out loud.

"You didn't have to." He pointed out.

She could have given him several explanations right now, she could yell at him or send him out but she only stood quietly listening. Truth to be told, she didn't even know about Robin's feelings for her anymore. She knew he loved her, didn't he? But she wasn't sure about his choices and that was why she had this internal drama in the first place. If he had given her the certainty that he'd stay with her no matter what, if she had been sure about that …but she wasn't.

"I know it's none of my concern but when you love someone, you don't give up so easily like he did with you."

"Arthur…" She knew that, but listening someone else telling her this truth out loud made the pain even more real.

"I know…you don't want to talk about that but I care for you and your relationship with him is hurting you a lot. This is not right."

"As you said, that is none of your concern." She retorted quickly and tried to avoid his eyes.

"It's not…But I can see the fear and pain you're carrying in your eyes and as your friend, I just want to help you."

"I know…." Regina glanced up, her eyes locking onto his who was watching her carefully.

"I just don't want to talk about that because it hurts." She nodded her head no, her eyes drifted close.

"I'm so sorry…" He closed the distance between them and cupped her face, caressing her cheeks softly.

"I didn't want to hurt you. I'm an idiot." The look on his face was carrying regret for what the weight of his words had caused on her and he immediately wanted take them back, afraid that she would hate him for it.

"I wasn't supposed to say those things to you and I'm just guessing here since you told me what he had done. But I don't even know him, not to mention his feelings for you. I'm sorry, I was wrong."

"Maybe you were not wrong and maybe you are not the idiot here." She forced a sarcastic smile on her face.

"Of course I was wrong! What man on this or any other land could not love you?" He said, making her blush and leaning her face away from his touch.

"Sometimes our feelings can blind us, I understand. But idiot? You are definitely not!" He tried to light the mood because he couldn't stand to see her sad like that.

"Thank you?" She raised her left brow and gave an amused smirk.

"Did you have lunch today?" He glared at her.

"I wasn't hungry." Regina stiffened, fearing the health subject was coming up again.

"Well, as you said, the doctor warned you about your meals and now are you not eating properly again?" He insisted.

"Since when you're babysitting on me?" She chuckled shyly, trying to avoid more concerns right now.

"I care about you and I want to be sure you're taking care of yourself. Tomorrow we're having lunch together while we continue our research!" He pointed a finger at her.

"If that can make you stop bothering me, fine!" She mocked.

"I'm flattered, milady." He put a hand on his heart and pretended to be offended and they both smiled.

Before she could say anything else, her assistant knocked on the door.

"Madam Mayor, before you go home, I need some signatures."

They looked at her and Arthur said before he left her office:

"You know where to find me. Please, don't hesitate to go after me if you need, alright?" He squeezed her hands again.

"Thank you, Arthur. You're a good friend." Regina said.

He stood up, leaned towards her and whispered close to her ear:

"Well, I think I made my intentions pretty clear for you…"

"Arthur…" She said and kept her head down in embarrassment.

"I know, I know! You're not available, you're taken and I respect that. I'm late, sorry your majesty?" He was raising one brow eye, with his hands up in defeat.

"You are the only one that could make me laugh right now." Regina said with a shyly smile.

"I'm glad to hear that. See you tomorrow." He said and kissed her knuckles. Then, he left the office.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you but there are some papers you have to sign before you leave." Her assistant said once again.

"Of course, Ashley!"

Regina signed and signed a lot of papers and then something caught her attention.

"Ashley, what is this?" Regina questioned her assistant.

"Oh, this is a rent contract. I don't know if you remember but you have a lot of built properties in the town and…"

"I know I have them, Ashley. I am asking about the person who wants to rent this specific house. There must have been a mistake here!" Regina said and pointed out the signature on that contract, widening her eyes.

"No, there's no mistake. The contract is perfectly right." Ashley replied.

"No, it's not!" Regina argued, a tension was growing fast inside her.

"I'm sure this is a mistake. Please, correct it!" Regina gave the orders because she couldn't believe what she was seeing; she was beginning to get desperate.

"I'm sorry. When I saw that, I contacted the real state and they assured me the contract is perfectly legal and correct!" Ashley retorted.

Regina signed and put a hand on her mouth, staring at the contract. The urge to cry and let desperation take over her was tremendous but she was a strong woman and she tried to hold on and stay calm.

"You don't have to sign it. It's your house and if you don't want to rent it to him…" But before Ashley could complete, Regina cut her.

"I'll talk to you in the morning! You're dismissed!" Regina put her mayor's mask and waved for Ashley leave the office.

He didn't do this! He didn't! Please!

Regina was repeating that to herself like a mantra. She couldn't believe what she was seeing and that it wasn't a mistake. A burning sensation was beginning to sting at the corner of her eyes and she tried to blink away the unshed tears. Her throat began to constrict. She was shaking, her lips and hands were trembling. The panic seeped back into her and she had to calm down.

She scrubbed a hand over her face and screwed her eyes shut in an attempt to wake up from this nightmare. But unfortunately, when she opened her eyes again, it was still there, on her desk, mocking her. A contract with his signature in it. He did it. It wasn't a nightmare. And he did that behind her back. He had betrayed her.

Robin was driving home and trying to figure out a way to tell Regina about what he had done. He had been trying to tell her for three days but he didn't even know where he should start it from. She was still recovering and he could see she wasn't completely fine, despite her efforts to convince him of the opposite. They hadn't talked about what happened in the hospital anymore but he could see she was taking some medicines and that she was getting better. At least physically better. So the last thing Robin wanted right now was to hurt or upset her. He had been waiting for her total recovery first.

If he were to bring up this delicate subject, he knew she would freak out again. He loved her and he was worried about her condition but he sensed he couldn't hide that from her anymore. She had to find out about that from him.

He knew Regina wouldn't approve of his actions, he was certain about that. But he had to do what he had done, there hadn't been another way. It was a risk, of course. He was aware of that but what else was he supposed to do? He had to act, he had to do something…So he did. Maybe it wasn't the best option but it had been the only one available.

He pulled over the car in the garage and took a deep breath. Maybe today he could tell her the truth. He couldn't look into her eyes anymore knowing what he was hiding from her, she didn't deserve to be deceived by him.

The lights of her house were off, the only light was coming from the kitchen.

Where were the boys?

The house was completely silent, so the boys were definitely not at home.

He imagined that Regina could be preparing their dinner and the boys were at Mary Margaret's. Maybe that would be a good opportunity to talk to her without any disturbance.

He made his way to the kitchen and saw her sitting on a chair, with her head between her hands and staring at a paper on the table. She either didn't even noticed he was there or she pretended that she hadn't seen him. Instinctively, he stopped by the threshold, shrugged and put his hands on his pockets, felling that something bad was definitively going on.

"Milady?" He tried to break the silence but she stood still.

What the hell was going on?

"Regina." He tried again and this time she raised her head slowly and looked at him with puffy and red eyes.

Robin gulped and felt his throat begin to tighten. None of them was able to say anything for a moment. An awkward silence hovered in the air, as they remained staring at each other for what appeared to be an entire life. Finally, he decided to break the silence.

"What is it? Is there something wrong?" He asked her in the most understanding way he could.

She didn't say anything; just slid the paper across the table for him to see it.

"It's signed." She said, her heart was in her throat but she was trying to stand strong.

"The deal is closed. You're the new tenant of the house!" She said that as firmly as she could but Robin noticed she was building her walls around her.

He looked at her with a half opened mouth and saw that she was wearing her regal mask. The mask she only used when she was afraid of getting hurt or when she had already been hurt. Robin blinked several times trying to assimilate her words.

What deal was she talking about?

He took the papers and looked at them. For a moment, he froze and she could see the shock and despair in his eyes when he realized it was a contract, a rental contract. He frowned and shook his head but before he could say anything she narrowed her eyes and said with the surliest tone she could find inside herself.

"Are you surprised, dear? I invented this town and I have a lot of property here, not only this house." She said, waving her hands around the kitchen.

"Regina…" He tried to say something but she wasn't listening.

"Can you image my surprise when I had to sign this contract of one of my properties and I saw your name on it?" She clapped her hands in her lap and scoffed.

"Regina, I can …" But she didn't hear him again.

"At first, I thought it was a mistake! It had to be! Considering you've been practically living here with me for two months! Besides, you have your tent at the forest!" She continued gruffly.

"So, what did you need another house for? For what, Robin?" She stood up, walking towards him and faced him with a furious and disappointed expression.

"I can explain, Regina. I was going to…" He tried but she interrupted him again.

"Really? When? Let me guess, after you had put the mother of your baby inside that house? Or once you two were living together?" She huffed loudly.

He went quiet momentarily, carefully contemplating how he should answer her.

"I had never thought about living with that woman! Regina, please listen …" Robin said and scrubbed a hand over his face.

"And there's more! I went to the hospital and Dr. Whale said that you signed as Zelena's new responsible!" She was pacing back and forth, bewildered.

"Surprise again!" Regina said totally outraged.

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to control her nerves. She was sighing loudly and running a hand through her hair.

"How could you do that to me, Robin? Why did you betray me? Why?" Her voice broke but she couldn't break right in front of him.

"There wasn't another way." He tried to approach her but she stepped back and put a protective hand in front of her.

"You wouldn't listen to me! Besides, you were not in condition, Regina!" She could sense the regret in his voice but right now she couldn't care less.

"I'm sorry." He sighed hard. He didn't know how he could explain it to her without making her angrier than she already was.

"You're sorry?" She gave a mock laugh.

"What are you sorry for? Giving up on me so easily? Moving on so fast with your new life in New York?" She gave a little scoff and continued:

"Getting that woman pregnant? Or for betraying me and renting a house for her behind my back?" She snapped, staring at him as he tried to open his mouth but no words came out. He could feel his throat constricting. He could feel a flame burning him from inside out, warning him of what could come next.

"What are you sorry for, Robin?" She emphasized and huffed demandingly.

"I thought I would never see you again!" He said with apologetic eyes, looking directly at her.

"And I thought she was Marian!" He completed, gesticulating his hand nervously.

"Does it change what you did?" She replied him coldly.

"Please, try to understand my …" He tried but failed again.

"Understand?" She was indignant by his words.

"More understanding than I've already had been? It's impossible!" She yelled and blinked away the unshed tears.

"Try to put yourself in my place. I thought I'd never see you again. That's why I decided to move on!" He said, increasing his tone.

"Maybe I knew you would have done that, but I never imagined you could move on so easily! Not as fast as you did!" She barked back and leaned her head to the side, looking at his eyes with angry and frustration.

"How could I be such an idiot?" She let out a quickly laugh, shaking her head.

"While I was here trying to get you back, trying to rewrite my story… our story, you were there moving on and bedding another woman!" Regina ran a hand through her hair and chuckled sadly.

Meanwhile, Robin stood quietly listening. What he could say to comfort her? He had given up on her without even trying to fight against the circumstances. She was right. He had been a coward.

"You were there, Robin…screaming her name as you came!" She blurted sadly and couldn't prevent her tears running anymore.

"And only one week after you had chosen ME!" She pointed a finger to herself, tears streaming down her cheeks.

He looked down because he couldn't watch the woman he loved so much hurt like that, knowing that he was the responsible for causing her all that suffering.

"You never called me, not even to say you were fine, that you were alive!" She continued, taking a deep breath.

Now, she'd said everything to him. Every thought that had been hunting her since the day she had gone to New York to save him and had faced his new reality.

Save him? He was fine there, Regina! Maybe you should have left him there!

She shook her head and added:

"You didn't even try!" She screamed out, with the all air of her lungs.

"So, Robin…. You try to put yourself in my place! Do you think this is fair?" She smiled bitterly and turned her face away from him.

Robin didn't know what to say. He had done this to her. He had moved on. He had even erased her phone number. He never tried to make any contact with her. He had chosen the easy way.

Why hadn't he thought about finding a way back to her? How wrong had he been?

He could see that now. He felt his breath rate increasing and his heart pounding faster inside his chest. He had hurt her badly and maybe there was no way to fix that. Only the thought of that, made tears sprout in his eyes.

"I'm sorry." He whispered because he couldn't find the strength to say the same excuse again louder than that.

"I made the wrong choice again, I know that! But it wasn't easy for me neither, Regina!" He exclaimed desperate.

"Really? I can imagine you despair while you were fucking my sister!" She said ironically and wiped away the tears from her cheeks.

"I was trying to make the right thing for Roland!" He said with sad eyes.

"Please! Don't put on your son's shoulder the burden of your own mistakes." She loved Roland and she understood the boy deserved to have a mother but she couldn't accept that Robin was using the boy to justify his own actions.

"You said that your life in New York was your new reality that I had to accept that!" She replicated his own words, the words that were now still echoing in her mind.

"I only went there because I thought you were in danger but you were obviously not!" She chuckled sadly and turned her back to him. She couldn't face him anymore. She couldn't let him see her weak like that again. He didn't deserve to see her suffering for him.

Robin closed his eyes and he could sense her pain. He had hurt her in a way that he thought he never would. He had hurt his soulmate deeply and he didn't know if that could be repaired. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and beg for her forgiveness but he was afraid to complicate the situation even further.

"I'm so sorry!" He whispered again with tears running down his cheeks. He could sense he was losing her forever and there was nothing he could do.

"I had never meant to hurt you. I love you!" He spoke and dared to grab her waist to hold her tightly. He couldn't lose her; he'd never admitted that, he couldn't live without her.

"Don't you dare to touch me!" She screamed and pushed him away immediately.

"Regina, don't…please!" He begged her and a sob of pain escaped from his lips.

"The only thing I wanted was you fighting for me, but you never did, Robin!" She completed.

"Maybe I'm giving a Snow White speech about hope right now but you gave me hope! You gave me our page, Robin." She said and took the page out of her coat's pocket, showing to him.

"I believed it! I believed the Evil Queen could be happy! How fool was I?" Regina couldn't control her tears once more, so she let them fall freely down her face.

"Regina, we can still be happy! We can!" Robin replied and tried to approach her again.

This time she let him do it because she was weak from fighting. He was cupping her cheeks and blue eyes met brown.

"No, we can't!" She whispered, yes down and red.

"You're a man of honor and your honor doesn't lie with me!" She said and let him touch her cheeks and wipe out her tears.

"But I love you, Regina! You know this is true!" He said with his whole heart and soul, stroking her cheeks tenderly with his thumbs.

He knew he had hurt her but he couldn't see her crying like that.

"Sometimes love is not enough!" She replied and stepped away from him again, avoiding his contact.

"Look, Robin…I understand! I really do! Zelena caught you in her wicked plan for revenge against me. She used you and this is my fault!" She held the table's edges and looked at him with sincerity in her eyes.

"But…it still hurts! And I am not going to lie to you! I'm tired to pretend that everything is fine because it's not! Every time I see that baby, I'll remember this!" She admitted.

"We can do this together, like you said when we came back!" He replied. His eyes were begging to her not to leave him alone on this.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this anymore!" She looked at their page and started to knead it.

"And now Zelena will be free. She'll be here reminding me and throwing everything at my face every day!" She looked down and shook her head.

"What do you mean? Can't you forgive me?" He widened his eyes but he couldn't control his desperation anymore.

"I forgive you!" She said and he let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding.

However, she completed.

"But we can't stay together anymore!" She said and screwed her eyes shut.

Suddenly, she straightened herself, wiped away her tears and created a fireball.

Robin's eyes widened not because he was afraid of her but because he knew exactly what she was intending to do.

"Regina, no! Please! Don't do this!" He approached her but it was too late: she had already set fire to their page.

"Listen, tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it!" He said with watering eyes, looking at the ashes of the symbol of their connection.

"I will do everything to fix this! But, please…. don't leave me!" He reached for her hands and squeezed them. He couldn't stop touching her. He had to feel her. He had to feel her body's warmth, even if that was his last chance of doing it.

"As I said, your honor doesn't lie with me. You'll always choose your honor first! You're man of honor and I admire that!" She said with understanding eyes and put her hands over his.

"But right now, I can't deal with this anymore! I have to think about my …" She looked down and closed her yes. Despite all her emotions, she had to concentrate about her next words. She had to be rational. Regina took a deep breath and continued.

"I have to think about my health! And this situation is getting me ill! I can't do this anymore!" She admitted to him and let her head down but still kept the warmth of his hands for the last time.

"I can give you some time for you to think about it and then we can talk again!" He didn't want to lose her. Not again. He could do everything to keep her by his side. She was the love of his life!

"No! That is my final decision and I won't change my mind!" She said the words Robin was waiting for but wouldn't admit to himself. It was like a pang in his heart.

"You can't be serious!" His breathing was faster than it never had ever been in his life.

He couldn't admit that this was their end. It was a nightmare...It had to be! He could feel his heart beating fast. He started to feel dizzy, his head was spinning.

No!

He didn't know what to do! But he couldn't accept that. He just…couldn't. He couldn't lose this woman. But what else could he do? What? He stroke her cheeks and leaning his forehead against hers, trying to make her understand that this could never happen. They were soulmates; one part couldn't live without the other one. But why had he tried to live without her in New York? How stupid was he? Why had he inflicted so much pain on her?

Why, Robin? Why?

He didn't know. Maybe because it was the easiest path or maybe because he was so convinced that he would never meet her again that he opted for it. But, deeply, he knew the easiest path was not the right one. Now he could see it in the worst way possible. He was losing the woman of his life and he knew he had caused that.

"I am serious!" She said and he knew it. He knew this would be her answer.

What else could she have done? He gave up on her so easily. She was right and he knew she was. He didn't deserve her. He kept saying he loved her but he didn't fight for her. Now he had to live with that, with his wrong choices and weakness.

"I'm going to pack your stuff and you can take them by the morning!" She finally spoke, whirling herself out of his touch.

"Regina…" He breathed her name out.

"Robin, if you love me the way you're saying you do, please respect my decision!" She said, emphatically.

"Now, the only thing I'm concerned about is Roland. I want to make sure that this situation won't affect him negatively."

"He is used to be here and if you agree, he can still be here whenever he want to." Her voice was cold and she was trying to hold on and stay calm, despite the immense pain she was feeling inside her chest.

That was it, it was over. He sighed, clenched his jaw a little whilst looking her in the eyes. He could see she wasn't hesitating, she had made her decision and he understood her reasons. But why was it so difficult to let her go? She wouldn't be by his side anymore, he wouldn't smell her sweet perfume invading his nostrils nor her warm body cuddling perfectly with his at night, he wouldn't push his fingers into her hair nor kiss her perfect and hot mouth anymore.

No!

He closed his eyes and swallowed, his heart pounding faster in his chest. He was losing the woman of his life but he wouldn't let her suffer anymore, he had to free her from him. She didn't deserve the damage he had caused her.

"Alright…" He managed to say that despite his despair.

With time, he'd show her he could be a better man, a man who deserved her love and didn't put her feelings below anything.

"Roland loves to be here with you and Henry." He said, clearing his throat and trying to stay strong.

"Good. He doesn't need to know yet that we're not together anymore."

"Are you sure this is your final decision?" He had to ask her again to really believe that this was not a bad dream or that he had understood everything wrong.

We're not together anymore!

He was listening but still not processing her words. That could not be their new truth.

"Yes, it is!" She whispered and he froze for a moment.

He'd respect her decision but this time, he wouldn't give up on her, no matter how hard it would be to get her back.

He approached her, tears streaming down their cheeks. Instinctively, he closed the distance and wrapped his arms tightly around her, pulling her into his chest. She was startled at first, but then relaxed against his body, hiding her face on the crock of his neck and taking in his smell into her nostrils.

After a moment, he leaned back and they touched their foreheads together, as he stroked her cheeks tenderly with his thumbs.

"I'm not giving up on you again." Robin cupped her face tenderly.

"I'll fight for you." He sealed his promise kissing her forehead and prolonging their moment as long he could.

Regina only opened her eyes when she heard the closing door. She brought her hands to her face, trying to calm down her sobs. However, she knew that no matter how hard she tried, the pain wouldn't leave her heart…the man she loved was not with her anymore.