Hello again, dear readers!
Thank you so much for reading. I'm really glad people like this story. Your reviews have truly been overwhelming and kind.
As always, thank you Monica and Gabi. Your suggestions are very helpful and I'm learning with you.
This chapter is the longest I had ever written. I had thought about split into 2 chapters but I changed my mind.
A lot of things are happening on this chapter: jealous Robin is making his appearance, as a bit of more clues about an important thing that is coming next. I hope you enjoy it.
CHAPTER 6
The days had passed slowly until they turned into two weeks. And all those days, Regina couldn't sleep properly, Robin was her first thought at the sunrises and her last one, as she laid her head on the pillow at night. She had seen him when he came with his son to her house and let the boy spend some time with her, but she was avoiding to look into his eyes. She was afraid that the burden he was carrying in his look, the one she could catch a glimpse from the corner of her eyes, would make her become weak again. That had been her final decision: they were not together anymore and she had to get used to it. No matter how much her chest burned at the sight of him, no matter how her tears struggled to fall, or her throat constricted every time she had to talk to him. All those things didn't matter anymore. She had to move on…and without him.
Today was one of those days; she could sense it when the doorbell rang and she made her way to the door. It had been one week since she had seen him and their last encounter it hadn't been a pleasant one. Since then, Little John had been bringing Roland to her house and she knew the reason, she knew Robin was ashamed to face her again. But this time, she was certain it was him, without a shadow of doubt. His smell and presence could be sensed by her before she even put her eyes on him and knowing it was him, made her nerves tense. It had been the best for them to not to see each other but she had missed him. Despite everything, she was worried about him and she just needed to see if he was fine.
"Hi." She greeted as she opened the door and was caught by surprise by a little boy hugging her legs tight.
"I'm sorry to come here at this time of the night without texting you first, but my battery is dead and Roland couldn't sleep." He shrugged shyly and gestured towards the boy.
"It's fine." She said and patted Roland's hair.
"What's wrong, sweet heart?" She said as she kneed in front of the boy, who had watering eyes.
"I had a bad dream." The boy said between sobs as he squeezed his plush monkey.
"Daddy didn't want to bring me here." The little boy said and hid his face on the crock of Regina's neck, making her hug him protectively while glancing up at his father.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't want to disturb you, I told him that but I didn't know what else to do…He wouldn't stop crying!" Robin said and scrubbed a hand over his face.
Regina noticed he was clearly embarrassed. They had an agreement: they wouldn't let their situation affect the little boy. It wasn't fair to him; he didn't even have an idea of what had passed in New York. To him, there was not Zelena or a baby or any of that. The only memories he had were of his father with Regina since they had arrived in Storybrooke.
It wasn't easy for her either because, almost every time Roland came to her house, she had to face Robin. But she loved the boy and she would do everything in her power to protect him or to make him happy.
"It's fine, Robin." She avoided his eyes, as usual, and picked up Roland to her lap.
"He can stay here for the night." She completed and this time couldn't avoid but looking into his eyes.
He was miserable. The bags under his eyes were noticeable from hundreds of miles as the frown on his forehead, but at least he was better than the last time he had come to her house.
** FLASHBACK ON **
Robin and David were having a busy week at the sheriff station; they had been sorting out issues that had arisen among the new townspeople. They were trying to restore order to Storybrooke and calming down the fear of the people, since a strange blast of magic had happened on the forest. They didn't know the real intention of the person who had created that, they guessed it was Merlin, but it seemed the attempt of whatever it was supposed to be, had failed.
At first, they thought it had been Zelena, who was free now but she was using the bracelet and her magic wasn't that powerful. Then the only person able to perform that kind of magic could be Merlin, however no one knew the face of the sorcerer or what the man had in mind.
Speaking of Zelena, he knew she was apparently fine because his men were always watching her. Her house was on the way to his camp and he had picked it for this exact reason. She was his responsibility now; he had to prevent her for doing anything wrong against the baby or other people, especially Regina. However, she had been quiet; he didn't know if that was a good or a bad sign, she could have been planning something, but for now, the woman was oddly quiet. Nothing had changed between them; he still couldn't have a healthy or friendly relationship with her and maybe he never would. But he wasn't negligent: he was providing the necessary for her to live well because his biggest concern was the baby.
Robin hadn't really seen Regina after their fight. One week had passed since then but it seemed like a decade; the days without her were costing to end. Of course he had caught a glimpse of her in the middle of the crowd but it seemed she was always trying to hide from him, and she was doing an excellent job on that, by the way. He only saw her face to face when he brought Roland to her house but Henry was always there and she immediately dismissed him. Whenever they had a brief chance to talk, she always shot him some sassy or sarcastic comment and left him speechless. And then, he always left without any argument.
Great! Back to square one!
She had always been busy, especially for him, of course. Then he had waited, sooner or later he'd have a chance to talk her, even if she didn't want to, he had a lot of unspoken things to say to her. He hoped he would have that chance soon, very soon, because he couldn't even breathe properly without her. He had broken her heart again and now he was trying to find a way to fix it.
But how?
He knew she needed time to process everything but he was determined to get her back. However, every attempt he had mad in the past week it had been a complete failure. He had sent her flowers, romantic texts, invited her to have dinner with him (which she politely refused) and even had made a piece of jewel for her, because David had told him that women used to like that kind of thing.
All women, but not Regina, apparently. She was used to being a Queen and having all kind of jewelry. He had been stupid following David's advices – if he knew what the man had done on a certain Valentine's Day….
But he had done it anyway, because his situation wasn't allowing to him to be proud or feel ashamed of anything. He had spent the whole week making a pendant for her. It was simple, an arrow crossing a crown, worked in silver material. Marco had helped him with some tools, despite the man being an expert at working with wood, his orientations had been very helpful.
He had decided to give her the gift on one of the times he took Roland to her house. He was sweating, with shaking hands and fast heartbeat. He was really nervous and feeling ridiculous but willing to do all effort to have his Queen back. If she asked him to build a castle for her, he'd do it!
When he gave her the pendant, with hopeful eyes and a shiny smile crossing his lips, she had only said "Thank you, you didn't have to". She didn't even smile at him. His world fell apart and the only thing he managed to say back was a timid "You're welcome".
"I think we're finished for today." David's voice broke the silence as they were walking in the woods, dragging Robin from his deep thoughts.
"Besides, there's a town meeting going on soon." David completed.
"A town meeting?" Robin asked confused and David widened his eyes, as if he had said something wrong.
"Why don't I know about that?" Robin said with an indignant tone in his voice and stopped on his tracks, staring at David.
"I don't think it's anything important…" David cleared his throat as he continued to speak:
"I can tell you tomorrow what has been discussed there. You don't have to go."
"I don't have to go or you don't want me to go?" Robin's eyes narrowed because he noticed his friend was trying to prevent him for going to the meeting.
"Man, it's nothing personal, is just…" David said awkwardly.
"Regina will be there." He added quietly and shrugged.
"Of course she will, she is the mayor." Robin retorted quickly.
"Exactly." David forced a smile on his face, the most unexciting smile that Robin had ever seen in his life.
"So?" Robin raised an eyebrow and signaled for his friend to give a plausible explanation to him.
"So…I don't think you two being at the same place after everything that happened would be comfortable." David blurted and stiffened, waiting for Robin's reaction.
"Maybe it's uncomfortable but we can avoid that forever, right? We're living in Storybrooke, sooner or later we'll have to face each other." Robin respected David and Snow's concerned towards Regina, but he couldn't miss the chance to see her, to hear her voice, to be by her side again.
"That's my chance to see her." Robin bit the inside of his cheek and looked down, admitting the truth to the Prince.
"I know." David nodded.
"Are you sure?" David had been concerned about Robin; he could see the sadness in his friend's eyes and he knew Regina was avoiding him. David had been on his place before and he understood how difficult it had been for his friend to lose the woman he loved.
"Yes." Robin said with hope in his eyes and couldn't help but been excited to see her.
"Can we start now? We don't have time to lose." Regina was impatient, pacing back and forth in her office, as the others were sitting on their places, around the table.
"David is coming, Regina. We have to wait for him, maybe he has something new to tell us." Snow said, trying to calm down her step mother.
"He's late and we have to start this as soon as possible." She said, not in the mood.
"Fine, let's start without dad." Emma motioned for Regina to sit and she did.
"Since we don't know who Merlin is or what he wants, we have to be careful and act normal while we're putting the plan in action." Emma warned them.
"How come you don't know who he is, mate?" Hook asked to Arthur.
"He used to have a lot of faces and he disguised behind different appearances, to protect himself. Actually, I've already seen him once but I'm not sure if that was his real face. I'm sorry I can't help you properly." Arthur apologized for his lack of information.
"Then how do you know it was him?" Emma glared at him.
"Because I saw him performing strong magic to save my people." Arthur said.
"But…" He let out the word and stopped talking, keeping the others in suspense.
"But what?" Regina asked him, really curious about the answer.
"I'm not sure, but he seemed really weak after performing his magic. I had to help him stand on his feet and he told me his time was expiring." Arthur completed.
"Is he dying? I thought he was the greatest sorcerer that ever existed!" Emma argued.
"He is, but I think even he has limited time." Arthur guessed.
"He is not immortal, Emma!" Regina pointed out.
"Anyway, we had already decided he is a good guy…" Emma tried to say but Regina intervened, before she could finish her sentence.
"Who decided that?" Regina bit out in an irritated tone, raising an eyebrow towards Emma.
"We don't know anything about him yet." Regina warned them.
"She's right, love." Hook said and Emma frowned at him.
"We only know he is here because he is weak and certainly he is looking for a source of power." Regina concluded.
"The dagger?" Snow widened her eyes as she said.
"But I thought he wasn't evil." She completed.
"Maybe, we don't know his intentions yet, but I think he's searching for something powerful to keep him alive …" Regina started to explain but she was interrupted.
"Sorry, I'm late!" David arrived breathless and kissed his wife's forehead.
"That is Regina's line." Snow joked, making everybody laugh.
"Oh please …" Regina rolled her eyes. She was happy to have them as her friends but right now was not the time for jokes. However, she couldn't help but smile from the corner of her mouth.
"Good afternoon." Said a strong voice invading the office.
Everybody froze and stared directly at Regina with wide eyes.
Regina opened her mouth to talk but nothing came out. She gulped and tried to prevent her eyes from watering. She had to control herself, she was the mayor and she was in the middle of an important meeting. But there he was, in all his glory, looking directly at her and waiting for her next move.
She had been the Evil Queen for a long time, she only had to remember how to act like that, to build her walls back up again and be cold and sassy, because now was definitely not the time or place to show her emotions and insecurities.
"What are you doing here?" She wet her lips and shouted the words at him in her most regal tone, breaking the awkward silence that had befallen the room.
He went quietly momentarily, contemplating how he should answer her.
I'm here because I miss you…
That answer was fighting to leave his mouth but he couldn't say it out loud. First, because everybody was staring at them, and, second, because he could also act sassy; after all, he had acted like that with her in the missing year. If she wanted to do that…fine, he'd play along.
"I'm here for a meeting." His answer was blunt.
"Thank you for not inviting me." He said, like it was the most obvious answer, smirking at her as he sat down.
"If you were not invited it's because I don't need your help." She quickly darted her eyes over him and this time he rolled his eyes.
Insufferable woman!
"You've been saying that for a long time, Your Majesty." He raised an eyebrow and gave her a mischievous grin, making her blood boil in her veins.
How dare him?
And he wasn't finished with his provocation. He couldn't miss the chance to rattle her bones. He knew it was a dangerous path to follow, but what else he have to lose?
"If I well recall, if it weren't for me saving your ass more than once, you probably wouldn't be here right now." He leaned on the chair, making himself comfortable and smirked at her even more.
"How dare you…" Regina felt her blood boil even more at his audacity and stood up from her chair.
"Guys, please! We're trying to solve a problem here, not create another one." Emma tried to lighten the mood between the former couple.
"Fine." She huffed demandingly, sitting back on her chair just because she couldn't give a show of her intimate life for these people.
Her only desire right now was to take away that damn smirk from his face and she knew exactly what had to be done to accomplish it.
Robin continued with their internal battle and kept staring at Regina, innocently thinking he was in control. He noticed she quickly blushed, darting her eyes away from his gaze and he smiled proudly.
Good! She gave up and he won!
But she put a lock of hair behind her ear, wetting her lips and he could notice she was sighing heavily from the movements of her chest, mimicking her actions during their intimate moments when she had been underneath him and he was deep inside her. She bit her lower lip and closed her eyes, making him widen his.
Was she teasing him?
Immediately, he gasped and looked around, eyes full of concern and tried to see if the others were seeing her display of sassiness, but thankfully, they were babbling about how they could put whatever they had in mind into action.
Damn her! She knew exactly how he loved that!
He was hard…really hard. A wave of lust was growing fast inside him.
The thought of her biting her lips, with her hair sprawled on the pillow when they were making love and she was about to come, were driving him insane! He could take her right now over the table and right here in front of all these people. He didn't care at all!
He couldn't express in words how much he enjoyed the sweet smell of her locks invading his nostrils and the sensation of running his fingers through them…and the way she bit her lips and how he could make her moan and…
"Ok, here's the plan…" Emma said, dragging him from his deep and dirty thoughts.
He shook his head and tried to concentrate on what the woman was saying but he could catch a tempting smirk appearing on Regina's face.
Admit it, Robin! She'll always win!
He cleared his throat and tried to understand Emma's plan.
"Regina and I are going to perform our magic and try to reenact what Merlin has done in the forest. I'm sure when he sees it, he'll come to our meeting and then we catch him." Emma finally revealed their plan, taking Robin away from his memories and making him pay attention on the madness that they were about to do.
"Wait!" Robin had finally processed Emma's words and came back to reality.
He waved his hands, making everybody stare at him, except Regina, who was pretending to check on her cell phone, but he was certain she'd listen every single word he was about to say.
He knew her!
"How are you going to do that if you're having problems with your magic? This could be dangerous, Regina!" Robin changed the tone of his voice because he was really concerned about her. He hoped he could convince her not to do that, but he knew she was the most stubborn woman he had ever met – and the task would be really difficult.
"I can manage it and this is none of your business anymore." She lifted her head, sharply turning to him.
"The hell is not!" He almost yelled, anger seeping through him, making Snow jumps on her chair.
"Your stubbornness could kill you, Regina. Is that what you want?" He was breathing fast, his hands were shaking because he could sense she was lying about her magic. She could trick everyone, but not him, and he wouldn't let her get herself hurt.
"The fairies can help us if you're not sure your magic is controlled, Regina." Emma suggested, with concerned eyes.
"Help with what? I don't trust certain dust anymore." She scoffed a little, looking directly at Robin, who knew exactly what she was insinuating at that moment.
"If they have it, we should definitely use it. I've heard about that and it's very powerful." Emma interfered.
"You have heard wrong or they obviously only have expired dust." She answered sarcastically, avoiding Robin's eyes, but he scoffed, knowing exactly what she was implying by her words.
"I'm not following you, Regina." Emma gave a confused look at her, genuinely intrigued by her suggestion.
"Never mind. I can assure you about my magic." She confirmed but truth was that she didn't know how to control her magic anymore. However, she was persistent and had to try.
"Ok, let's start tomorrow morning." Emma concluded and they stood from their chairs and started to leave the room.
"Are you sure you can do this?" Arthur asked her in a low voice, really close to her ear and squeezed her hand over the table.
"Yes, don't worry." She said softly and nodded to him.
Meanwhile, their interaction had stolen Robin's attention, who kept watching them from his seat. His heart stopped as he saw the image right in front of him.
Wait!
Who was that damn man touching her? Was he there all the time? Why did they seem so close? Since when Regina knew that man? And where was that disgusting British accent coming from anyway?
A lot of questions crossed his mind as he stared at them and tried to listen to what the man was telling his queen.
Robin had a feeling he knew that man but he couldn't remember from where. Maybe because jealousy was blinding him.
The bastard kept his hideous blue eyes looking at his Regina and his fingers rubbing her hand. Luckily for him they have an audience, otherwise, he would break that man's fingers for daring to touch his woman. He was motionless by the display of affection in front of him.
Where were his arrows anyway?
He had never missed a target and right now he would certainly not. He could put an accurate arrow in the middle of the man's heart and take away the pain he was feeling inside his chest, taking away that irritating smile from that man's face. Of course he was smiling, he was touching and God knows what else he was doing to his Queen.
He couldn't believe it!
He was suffering miserably without her, dreaming about her every single night and she was moving on? Until last week they were practically living together, as a family, but right now she was letting another man touch her?
Robin was an idiot!
Wait…no!
What?
Was she smiling back to that man? If he dared to touch her hair…
Robin was about to throw up right in front of everyone. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move…his only desire was to put an end to that. He was panting and couldn't even think properly.
He was insane!
His primitive senses were taking over him. Images of that man on top of Regina and making her moan, were crossing his mind like a dirty porn movie – that she had introduced him to it - and he squeezed his fists tight automatically.
No!
He couldn't see the color of his face but he was sure that red couldn't describe properly the growing burn inside him. He was snorting, breathless and his heart was racing in his chest like it was going to come out of his mouth at any second. He was a volcano about to erupt.
Without thinking, he stood from his chair abruptly.
"Regina, may I speak with you?" He gave her a serious look.
"Is he your Robin?" That bastard asked to Regina in a low tone and she nodded her head but Robin could listen a lit bit of their private conversation.
"Do I know you?" Robin saw that something was going on between him and Regina because he had heard his name coming out from the man's mouth.
"Of course you do, Robin of Locksley. I'm King Arthur Pendagron." The man answered but didn't reach out with his hand for Robin to shake.
Robin froze as the realization took over him.
No!
How had he not known that man when he first came into the office? Maybe it was the new outfit or because it had been a long time since they had met.
Both the men had remained looking at each other in silence, exchanging deadly looks, as Regina noticed the awkward situation and decided to intervene.
"Do you know each other?" She frowned and kept looking to one at another, waiting for an answer.
Nothing again, butanother awkward silence.
"What are you doing here?" Robin finally broke the muteness, with a harsh voice.
"I'm the king of Camelot and, as you can see, my people ended up here." Arthur spoke with a petulant tone Robin knew so well.
"I strongly suggest that you find a way back. This is not your place and you have to go!" Robin said, gruffly.
"Robin!" Regina raised her voice, throwing an anger look directly at him but he didn't care, he didn't even listen to her, he just wanted that man to disappear.
"I'm not offended, Regina." Arthur squeezed her hand, but seeing the furious look of Robin's face, she withdrew her palm shyly.
"It's fine, as long as he doesn't cross my path again." He pointed his finger at Robin as he spoke.
"You are the one crossing mine!" Robin retorted quickly, pointing a finger at his own chest.
"And I never did that! You were the one trying to marry a woman who loved someone else. I just helped her." Robin continued to argue.
"You stole her from me and took her to Lancelot!" Arthur reiterated angrily.
Regina was following their gazes, trying to understand what they had done to each other in the past.
"Yes….to a man who actually loved her and who she loved back." He said and put a fake smile on his face.
"You didn't have the right! I could make her happy and she knew it!" Arthur clenched his jaw a little whilst looking at him in the eye.
"Still, she happily agreed to going away with me!" Robin's answer was blunt and made Arthur sigh heavy.
"Robin…" Regina tried to say something but apparently the men had been waging their internal duel.
"And it seems you didn't learn the lesson, did you?" Robin teased him.
"What are you talking about?" Arthur asked, intrigued by the insinuation.
"You are still trying to seduce another man's woman." Robin snapped, making Regina widen her eyes, but before she could say anything, they started approaching each other.
"Lucky for you, I don't have my sword with me." The king tilted his head high while he was getting closer and closer to Robin.
"Lucky for you, I don't have my bow and arrows with me." Robin closed his fists tight and didn't show to be intimated in any way by the other man.
"That's enough! Both of you!" Regina put herself in the middle of them.
Robin and Arthur eyed each other for a moment, until the king relented and stepped back.
"I'm sorry." Arthur said and Regina sharply turned to Robin, waiting for his apologies. Instead, he stood still, panting and throwing a deadly look at Arthur.
He was about to defy the other man again and make his intentions pretty clear but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"Calm down, man." David murmured close to his ear, but he couldn't even listen, the only thing he could care about at the moment was staring at her.
"Robin, come on." David insisted, he had been about to leave the office when he heard the men arguing.
"Don't do anything you might regret later." He concluded, really concerned about Robin's actions.
Robin's heartbeat didn't even get a chance to slow down before David practically dragged him out of the office.
Finally, he came back to reality, nodding silently to his friend and left the room, but his thoughts stayed there…with Regina and that disgusting man.
He was drunk, really drunk.
He knew it was late but he had lost the perception of time along with the second bottle of whiskey. He was trying to stand on his feet as he walked towards her house. He had to see her. He needed to see her.
He couldn't take his mind away from her, no matter how hard he tried to think about something else, there she was again, invading his mind.
Damn Her!
For a moment, he hated her. They had plans for their future; they were trying to build a family together. She said they would face everything together, but now, there he was, standing right in front of her house and praying for her to be alone in there.
What if that man was there with her?
The single thought made him shiver and tears came to his eyes. He wasn't a man who cried like that but he was losing the woman he loved, what else he could do, but cry like a baby? She was not his anymore. He had messed up again.
You idiot! You had caused that!
Robin knew it, but he had to get her back, and he would. He wiped away the tears and knew she'd be really mad at him for doing that, but he didn't care; the need of seeing her was bigger than anything.
Stumbling through the gates of her house, he yelled out Regina's name with a heavy breath. His chest was heaving. His lungs feeling as if they were about to shrivel up and his head, beading with sweat. Yes, he was sweating, despite the cold night.
"Regina!" He yelled out her name louder, knocking abruptly on the door.
Nothing.
Good! She wasn't there, maybe she was in her vault.
He breathed deeply, relieved, and had started to feel comfortable but his face changed into a furious expression when a memory crossed his mind.
Your idiot! The first time you made love to her was in her vault, wasn't it?
He was about to run to her vault when he glanced up and saw the lights on inside her room, but immediately, they were off. He started to walk around the house to see if there was any way to get inside. He thought about breaking into her house, about picking the door's lock but he remembered he didn't have anything to help him to do that. He looked around, trying to find something but nothing seemed useful. He sighed heavily, throwing his head back and then he saw the lights coming from her room one more time, and then, out again. He felt a twinge of worry that she was awake so late at night.
Why didn't she want to answer him? Was she trying to hide something…or worse…someone?
Robin groaned in frustration and clenched his jaw. If that man were in there and Robin caught them in the act...He would definitely kill that bastard! He just had to find a way to enter her house and he couldn't waste time anymore. He groaned in frustration but saw something that could help him accomplish his task.
The tree.
Of course!
Why didn't he think about that before?
He could climb the tree and enter through Henry's window, which was always unlocked. It wasn't the best idea because he wasn't sober enough and he could fall down and break his neck, but what else he could do, right? He could blame it on the alcohol because drunken people always did stupid things. So he started to climb the tree, but his feet slipped down at his every attempt.
"Damnit!" He cursed and kicked the tree.
He had lived in the forest for a long time and couldn't climb a tree? Pathetic!
"You won't beat me!" He was determined on his task and wouldn't let a damn tree or a few shots of whiskey stay on his way.
He chuckled at himself as he noticed he had been talking to a tree, but his smile faded away as he thought of Regina and the other man inside her home, doing God knows what!
He shook his head, took a deep breath and tried to climb again. This time, he grabbed the tree trunk firmly and took a good impulse, which enabled him to start to climb it.
"Robin?"
Her voice. He froze at his spot.
"Robin! What the hell are doing?"
Again, her voice. He didn't know what to do. He could picture how ridiculous the situation could seem right now: Robin Hood climbing a tree in the dark of the night to spy on the Queen. That was not the way he intended to do it. He was supposed to be the one surprising her, not the opposite.
He kept his position, hugging the tree confidently and trying to find a way to get out of this situation. He could climb down the tree and run away, pretending that that never happened, but of course she wouldn't let this go. Or he could make up a stupid excuse, because there were no good excuses for climbing a tree in the middle of the night.
Either way, that was really embarrassing!
Finally, he turned his head and looked down, seeing her standing by the threshold, tying her robe, with an interrogative look. Despite his shame, he had to face her, especially because he needed to know if she had been alone in there. He started getting down the tree carefully and approaching her, trying to not stagger in front of her.
"Why were you climbing that tree?" She demanded with an imperative tone, arching her eyes brows and noticing he was drunk.
"I…" He cleared his throat and tried to speak a few coherent words but he was still out of breath from the climbing.
"You what?" She asked, genuinely curious about how he would answer her.
"I want to talk." He supported his body on the threshold but didn't look at her.
"From the top of the tree?" She asked and saw him gulp. It was clear he was embarrassed and didn't have an excuse for her. Regina wasn't naïve and she could bet he was trying to breaking in into her home, but decided to not press him further, due to his condition. She eyed him for a moment, head to toe and finally spoke:
"There's nothing more to talk about." She was resolute; she needed some time away from him, especially now.
"Please, Regina…" He begged and lifted his head, stepping towards her.
"No! You should go home, take a cold shower and stop drinking the way you are." She immediately stepped back and put a hand on his chest, trying to prevent him from entering her house.
She could guess he had been drinking after their meeting and if she knew him well, and she did, he had been walking in the forest without a real destination. She had seen his reactions when he had seen her with Arthur. Regina felt guilty for that but what could she have done for him? She could barely look at him without remembering he had betrayed her and hidden a lot of important things from her. Add the fact that he had moved on fast and got her sister pregnant. It wasn't her fault she was feeling that way; he brought that upon himself but still, she couldn't stop thinking she was the guilty one.
Was there a guilty one in that complicated situation?
Regina didn't know, but right now, she couldn't stay with him anymore. She had other important and complicated issues to deal with and she couldn't tell him about them, she couldn't tell anyone. She was conflicted because it, at some point, concerned him too, but their situation wasn't allowing for such a thing. She had to deal with her problems by herself.
"Yeah, it's easy for you to say that." He replied sarcastically.
"Easy?" She said, anger starting to leak through her.
"Do you really think this is easy for me?" She felt her blood boil as she heard his insinuation.
"Well, you moved on with your new boyfriend." He looked up at the stairs with angry eyes and entered her house.
"Where is he?" He made his away to the living room but she stopped him before he could go upstairs.
"Is he already in your bed?" He asked through clenched teeth, still looking upstairs.
Regina couldn't control herself anymore and slapped him on the face.
"How dare you to come to my house and offend me?" She pointed her finger at him as she shouted angrily.
He led a hand over his face and rubbed the spot she had hit him. He knew he deserved that and he had been expecting it when he came to her house, but he was decided to get her back, no matter how much that would cost to him. He couldn't let his queen move on without couldn't believe nor accept the idea that she was not his anymore.
She was his, no one else's.
"I saw the way you two were close." He said in a low tone, still rubbing his face with his hand.
"He doesn't deserve you! He's only doing that to get his revenge against me!" He pointed a finger at himself.
"I really doubt that!" She gave a little scoff, shaking her head no.
"Are you defending that man?" He widened his eyes, sounding totally irritated.
"Why didn't you tell me you knew him?" She asked, a small bit of bitterness showing in her voice.
"I didn't know he was here and it doesn't matter." He retorted quickly.
"It doesn't matter?" She said, arching her eyebrows.
"You stole the love of his life! Of course it does matter!" She trailed off.
"She didn't love him! I saved her from a loveless marriage!" He exclaimed.
"And there are a lot of things from your past that you haven't told me either!" He narrowed his eyes, staring at her.
"Like what?" She had huffed, demandingly.
"Let's start with you flirting with Nottingham!" He said, pointing at her, making her frown, then widen her eyes and gasp, as she realized whom he was talking about.
How the hell did he know about that?
"It wasn't important and I didn't flirt with him!" She inhaled deeply, wondering why she had to explain herself, for that had happened a long time ago and it meant nothing to her.
"Really? You knew he was my arch enemy!" A wave of annoyance hit him.
He knew she had had an encounter with the sheriff in the past because, of course, the bastard had the audacity to spread the tale through the whole land. Robin had never brought this issue up, despite his need of knowing what had really happened, because the mere thought of Regina with that man, disturbed him deeply. But now he was angry at her and he couldn't miss the chance to dump it out of his mind.
"At the time, I thought he was you!" She replied immediately, with a lower tone to her voice and he gave her a curious look.
"My dear mother arranged the whole thing to me." She said with sad eyes and seeing her expression changed, he immediately regretted to bring this subject up.
However, he shook his head and tried to focus again. He was still deeply annoyed and worried about whatever she was having with Arthur. He noticed the way the king looked at her and touched her, and worse, the way she was acting towards him, smiling and letting him approach her so easily.
No! He couldn't let her stay with that stupid man with that annoying British accent!
"While I am trying to find a way back to you, you are moving on with another man! Unbelievable!" He waved his hand through the air, sounding totally outraged.
He knew that maybe he deserved to see her with another man, he had broken her heart more than once, but the awful pain in his heart was burning him alive.
How could she have moved on so fast? And with that bastard?
He couldn't believe it.
"Oh, dear…It's not unbelievable! You did exactly the same thing to me! Can you remember that?" She knew she was playing a dangerous game because he was really mad, but he deserved to hear it.
Arthur and her didn't have anything, just a bidding friendship, but she wouldn't tell Robin that because she wanted him to feel at least a bit of what she had been through this whole time.
"That was different!" He pointed that out.
"Of course it was, he didn't get me pregnant yet!" She dangerously teased him.
That was it! She wanted to make him feel exactly the way she had been feeling inside since she had figured out he had moved on with another woman without even thinking about her. She knew that maybe that wasn't the right thing to do but she was a woman with feelings, she wasn't perfect. Maybe seeing him jealous and hurt would make her feel better. And actually, looking at his face right now, she had accomplished her goal.
"Don't play with me, Regina. You have no idea what I'm capable of! And if I find that guy dared to touch you…" He felt insulted by her answer and the idea of other man touching her was driving him insane.
He said that and tried to catch her by her waist but she stepped back, avoiding his touch.
"Do I have to remind you that we are not together anymore?" She lifted her eye brows.
"It doesn't matter. I wouldn't allow it anyway." He shook his head no, closing his eyes.
"This is none of your business! This is my life! You don't have the right to allow it or not." She was huffing demandingly.
"This is our life and I'm not giving up on you." He responded hastily, in a tentative to make her understand that she was a part of his life, a really important one.
"Too late! You already did that!" She left out a quickly laugh and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply.
"But I'm not doing that again." He walked towards her and this time she neither move or opened her eyes. His proximity had always made her weak, no matter how hard she tried to fight against it, he would always find a way to break her walls.
He held her hands and put them on his own face. The feeling of his skin touching her hands made her shiver and her heartbeats accelerated. She could sense the warmth of his face mixed with the tears that were falling from his eyes. How much she had missed him, his touch, his warmth, his scent, his voice…she couldn't help but stroke his cheeks tenderly, making him lean his head towards her palm.
"I love you, don't you understand that?" He said, eyes softening.
She opened her eyes and dropped one single tear. She couldn't do that, she had to keep her walls up. She couldn't stay so close to him like that, otherwise she would go back on her decision and everything would be back to the same point: she still doubting of him and he making his choices based on his honor…not on her.
"Go away, Robin. You're drunk!" She took her hand out of his grip and made her way to the door, signaling the exit for him.
"Maybe I am, but it doesn't mean I'm lying to you, Regina." Robin spun around to face her again.
"Please, give me another chance!" He begged her, with tears in his eyes, not worrying if he was looking weak or ridiculous because he needed her back.
"I can't…" She chuckled sadly because she was sure he you'd hurt her once more if she let him enter her life again.
"Regina…"
"No! That's enough!" She needed him to go away before she changed her mind and she couldn't do that.
That was not the right way he would have her back. She was done with his words, words that he had totally contradicted by his actions.
"Go to your son, I'm sure he needs you." She said steadily.
"I'm going…" He walked towards the door and stopped right in front of her.
"But I'm not letting you stay with another man!" He wiped away the tears of his face with his shirt sleeves and said that with a determined look.
"You don't have the right." She felt annoyed by his tone. He was the one that had caused that and now he was in her home requiring explanations about her life.
"I do and if I see that man close to you again I swear to you I'll…" He was pointing a finger to her but before he could pour all his anger out, she cut him.
"You will do what?" Her eyes narrowed and the vein in her forehead popped out.
"Don't you ever come to my house threatening me again." She closed the distance between them, anger trickling through her, pointing a finger right to his chest and staring into his eyes.
"I'm threatening him and I'll tell him that in person."
"Robin…please!" She decided to change her tone and trembled at the determination she saw in his eyes.
She could feel his heart beating fast, wildly. She had never seen him like that before. He was panting, closing his fists tight and staring at the floor. For a moment, she thought he was imagining the guy right in front of him and he was deciding what to do with him. Regina couldn't let him hurt Arthur, first because the man had nothing to do with that and second because Robin could hurt him badly or worst…kill him and spend the rest of his days in jail. She could see Robin was out of his mind and she was afraid he would do something bad against Arthur and he didn't deserve that; he was just being a friend, being there for her to tell him about her fears and problems.
"Don't do anything you'd regret later, Robin. Arthur is only my friend and if you do anything against him, you'd do it against me."
"Do you love him?" He got out of his trance and these words were out before he could stop them. He asked her but was afraid to listen to her answer.
"Excuse me?" She said bluntly.
"DO YOU LOVE HIM?" He asked, pausing between the words, through clenched teeth.
He went quiet, dreading how she would answer him. The panic seeped back into him.
What if she was in love with someone else?
"Robin…" She darted her eyes away.
"Go away, please! You have no conditions to talk tonight." Regina closed her eyes and sighed.
"Fine, just…I miss you…" He blinked away the unshed tears.
"I miss you in a way I never thought I'd miss anybody in my life." He admitted, sadly.
"I miss your smell." He leaned his head to her hair, taking her smell into his nostrils.
"I miss your hair." He played with a strand of her hair.
"I miss your warm body." He held her waist and brought her body to his, making her gasp at the warmth radiating from his body and enveloping hers.
"I miss your lips." He closed the distance between them and pressed her lips light with his own.
"I miss you, Regina…badly!" Robin cupped her face and she opened her eyes.
"You have to go." She managed to mutter these words, despite her growing desire to give in into his touch, his kisses, his body…
"It's late, I have to go to bed." She lowered her head and stepped back slowly, missing the warmth of his body immediately.
"I'm sorry." He whispered.
"You've already said that a lot of times."
"I know…just try to understand that I'm not a perfect man but I love you…and I always will." He muttered softly and left, as a conflicted Regina kept looking at him until he finally disappeared into the dark night.
**FLASHBACK OFF **
Robin sighed as he remembered his actions from last week. He didn't know what to say to her, he didn't know if she was mad at him or, more importantly, what kind of relationship she was having with Arthur. He had seen them at Granny's one time but before he could approach them or say anything, they were already out. He had asked David about them but he always said Regina and the king were only friends. Robin didn't believe it, maybe they were friends for now, but of course Arthur was trying to gain her love.
"Can I come in and play videogame?" Roland broke the silence.
"Of course you can but just a little bit. It's late and I'm going to take you to bed." She said and his lower lip protruded in a sulky pout.
"I promise I'm reading Harry Potter for you until you sleep."
"Yeah!" The little boy giggled happy in reply and entered the house.
Robin signed, clenched his jaw a little whilst, looking at her in the eyes, but he didn't know if he could ask her what he really wanted to know…or not know. The situation was awkward but he'd do everything to talk to her, even if it was just for a little while.
"The plan didn't work." He said, trying to start a neutral conversation and she frowned.
"The plan to catch Merlin." He completed, making her understand what he was talking about.
"We're trying to figure out another way." She wetted her lips and like him, she wanted to ask a lot of things, but didn't know if it was for the best.
"Good." He gave a shiny and short smile.
"How's Zelena?" She finally took the courage to embrace that subject.
Actually, Regina hadn't seen the woman since she had been free from the hospital and it was better that way.
"I think she's fine. She's under control." He bit the inside of his cheek and leaned his head down.
"Good." She shortly answered and started to play with her necklace because she didn't know what else to do.
"You're using it." Robin pointed to her bust.
"Yes." She glanced at him and smiled that radiant smile of her.
"I made it for you." Maybe it meant nothing but he couldn't help but feel proud of that. She was using the necklace he had made for her and if she was using something so simple like that, it was because she had liked his gift.
"It's beautiful. Thank you." She blushed as she saw his gorgeous dimpled smile towards her.
"Are you two together?" The words were out before he could stop them and he cursed himself for that.
"Robin…" She seemed taken aback by the question and her eyes opened wide. She closed them and sighed.
"I'm sorry but I have to know, Regina." He begged her with watering eyes.
"This is killing me." He admitted quietly, running a hand through his hair and not facing her.
"Arthur is my friend. I told you that." She inhaled deeply, trying to not to be irritate by him as in the previous week. Her voice was deep and sultry.
"Alright." He didn't seem to be convinced but didn't want to upset her. He shook his head and tried to focus again.
"Can I take Henry to the park with Roland some time?" He tried to change the mood.
"I miss seeing the boys together." He really had missed them, their jokes and talks and laughs.
"Of course." She couldn't help but feel her heart warm up.
"Call him and set a date." She knew he had become close to Henry during the time he had spent with her and her boy had been drawn to Robin since the beginning.
"Thank you." He said and she nodded.
"And thank you for Roland too." He gave her a genuinely and sincere smile.
"Anytime."
"Regina!" Called the boy with his thin voice from inside the house.
"I have to go." She signaled towards the living room and he nodded.
"Good night, milady." The urge to hug and kiss her was terrible but he had to control himself. That was not the right way to get her back.
"Good night." She closed the door and rubbed a hand over her face.
How she missed that time back when he didn't have to go away but, instead, he would stay there with her.
Regina was walking by Storybrooke streets and looking at the sky, inhaling deeply and taking in the nice breeze of Saturday morning. It was a beautiful and promising day, and she hadn't usually appreciated these kind of things, she chuckled with herself. She had changed and now she was certain of that. Despite the circumstances and everything she was going through, she was feeling light, refreshed, like a new woman. Or like herself? She smiled proudly because she knew exactly the reason she was feeling like that, notwithstanding of her growth as a person.
"Good morning." Arthur approached and greeted her, kissing her knuckles softly and taking her away from her sweet thoughts.
"Hi." She gave him a sincere smile.
"I'm happy to see you're happy." He smiled back and put one of her arms around his, following her in her walk.
"But you're late." He leaned his head to hers, playfully.
"I'm sorry, I had to take Roland to the camp this morning." She was still enjoying the beauty of the day and now, his company.
"Did he sleep in your house?"
"Yes." She nodded and a proud smile formed on her face. She loved to spend time with Roland. The boy had the ability to make her smile bright and causeless, even in her darkest days.
"He had a nightmare last night, woke up calling for me and Robin took him there." The smile on her face suddenly dropped as she remembered the burden he was carrying in his eyes. She knew she was the reason for that, and of course she was feeling guilty to cause him pain, but there wasn't another way.
"Did you two talk?" He dared to ask her.
Actually, Arthur had been careful about everything involving her relationship with Robin. Especially after he had known her Robin was the man who had caused him so much pain in the past. He wasn't a fool and knew it wasn't the man's fault that his loved one had ran away from him, from their marriage and, maybe, his happy ending; but he couldn't help but put at least a little of the blame on the thief. Moreover, he was trying to move on, to be happy, to love and to be loved back. Unfortunately, the woman he was drawn to since the first day they had met happened to be Regina…that man's Regina.
But he was determined; the woman right beside him deserved to feel truly loved and revered because life had been so cruel to her and despite her mistakes in the past, she didn't deserve to suffer anymore. He knew she had been manipulated by her mother and dark forces; she was a victim of the circumstances.
"Did you talk about me?" He asked her again because of the lack of an answer.
"No." She lied.
"Regina, I just want to make things clear here…" He stopped right in front of her and held her hands, making her stop with him and look directly at his eyes.
"I'm interested in you…I'm falling for you!" He admitted to something he was sure she already knew but he hadn't had the courage to speak out loud yet.
"Arthur…" She muttered under her breath, her eyes widened and she gasped, despite of herself. She knew it, but now he was admitting it in a low and clear tone, right in front of her.
"I know, you are not ready and I understand that…I really do." He squeezed her hand and, automatically, led one hand to caress her cheek.
He was falling for her, and luckily for him, she didn't step back or avoid his touch, as usual. He didn't want to take advantage of her fragility but he couldn't control his actions anymore. It seemed that his body was acting for itself and he had this urge to touch and comfort her.
"Please, look at me." He held her chin up wisely as he saw she was distressed by his confession. The last thing he wanted was this woman being embarrassed because of his rashness and running away from him because of that.
"I just want you to know that this…" He led her hands to his heart and his strong heartbeats made her widen her eyes.
"This is not because of revenge against him…This is because of you and I can do whatever it takes to make you happy." He brought her hands to his mouth again and kissed them.
"I didn't even know that man was your Robin…I swear to you!" He honestly admitted with a bit of despair.
Regina was lost. There were a lot of new things happening in her life at the same time and she couldn't think properly. She loved Robin…she was sure of that. But she couldn't stay with him anymore; she had decided that because their relationship was hurting her too much and she had to learn how to live her life without him. It was hard…she wasn't ready for another relationship and she couldn't hurt that man right in front of her. He didn't deserve that, he was a great man and if he had showed up in her life in another moment, maybe she would be falling for him too. But, right now, she couldn't give her heart to another man because her heart didn't belong to her anymore. She had given it to Robin, literally speaking, a long time ago in the forest and since then, he was the only one holding it.
"I know that and I never thought that you could do such a thing. We're fine." She nodded and let her hand squeeze his on her face.
"Thank you for trusting me." He opened a beautiful smile to her and squeezed her hand tight but gently.
"I do trust you." She smiled back and gave him the confirmation he was waiting for.
"I have to go to the library." She was the one breaking the moment.
"I have to find some specific and important books." She completed.
"I can follow you there." He mildly offered.
"No, you can't!" She widened her eyes in panic, with a frightened tone.
"Why not? Are they some kind of secret books?" He smirked at her.
"It's just…private." She admitted shyly. She had to figure out about important issues as soon as she could and she was hoping to find the answers in the books.
"Oh! I had heard about those kinds of books of this land!" His smirk opened even more and she laughed.
"Shut up! It's not about that!" She said and couldn't contain a quickly laugh.
"It's serious!" She was trying to convince him but failed.
"Right!" He grimaced teasingly.
"I mean it." She tried to sound serious but couldn't stop laughing.
"Alright." He blinked at her and tried to restrain his smile.
"You're impossible!" She let out a growl of frustration, making him laugh even harder.
They were lost in their internal joke when a familiar voice came behind her. She knew that sooner or later she would have to deal with that, but she had that naïve hope that the day would never come.
"Good morning, Madam Mayor. It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" Zelena approached them but Regina didn't turn around to face her.
"I'm going to shop for Robin's little one here." She walked and stopped right in front of Regina, rubbing her hand on her stomach and laughing wickedly.
"Is she your sister?" Arthur asked, eyes widening.
"Since my sister is showing her impoliteness let me introduce myself, I'm Zelena and you are…" Zelena extended her hand to him but he stood still, staring at her with an unfriendly look. He knew what that woman had done to Regina and he hated her for it.
"King Arthur." He said sharply but didn't take her hand to greet her, instead he leaned closer to Regina, who was quiet and staring at her sister.
"Oh, I have heard about you." Zelena smiled at him.
"Arthur, let's go! Don't waste your time with this woman." Finally, Regina had found her voice back, looking at Arthur and trying to continue their walk. She definitely didn't want to talk to her sister, she knew that woman was there to tease her, mock her and make her feel bad.
"You're fast, aren't you?" Zelena insinuated, as Regina was passing beside her.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Regina stopped and threw these words over her shoulder.
"While I thought you were suffering because your soulmate, another man was already warming your bed." She teased Regina.
"Don't you dare!" Regina whirled around, anger seeping through her. She was panting, stepping towards her sister and pointing a finger at her.
"Regina…" Arthur caught her arm, trying to prevent her from doing something wrong against her sister.
Regina was outraged but inhaled deeply, trying to calm down her nerves.
"You have no right to judge me!" Regina said, with a calmer tone.
"Stay away from me, Zelena. You already have what you wanted." She tried her best to snarl out her words but they ended up sounding more vulnerable than she had hoped.
"I guess not. Despite everything, you look happy and I don't like that!"
"Leave her alone!" This time, Arthur intervened.
"Oh, the king has balls!" Zelena snapped and let out a sarcastically laugh.
"Come on, Regina." Arthur eyed her and signaled for them continue to walk.
"I'm not finished yet, you know, sis?" Said the woman in front of them and Regina sighed deeply.
Regina was tired of fighting against Zelena, she only wanted a time of peace. She didn't understand why her sister hated her so much and kept threatening her constantly, even after she had destroyed her relationship with Robin.
"And I won't stop until I destroy you completely!" She almost screamed these words at Regina's face and touched a finger to her chest, braving her sister.
Regina closed her eyes tight but, before she could reply to Zelena, a familiar wave of magic started to take over her body. She never had used that kind of magic before but she had already dreamed about that, and in her dream, she had killed her mother.
Was that dream trying to warn her?
She started to shake in panic at the mere thought of the danger of this situation. If it happened like in her dream, she could hurt her sister and worse, the baby. She had to control it, but how? She could barely open her eyes!
She could hear Arthur saying her name and her sister's screams about "what the hell she was doing". She had no idea of how she was supposed to stop that but she knew she had to find a way.
Regina took a deep breath, inhaling deeply and trying to concentrate. She managed to open her eyes with difficulty and saw a light blue smoke surrounding them. That was definitely not her magic but she could guess the source of it. She looked at her hands and noticed that strong blue flashes started to emerge from them wildly.
Please! No!
Regina mentally begged, tears streaming down her cheeks. If she wasn't able to stop it and hurt the baby, she'd never forgive herself…Robin would never forgive her.
She didn't know how to control it but she could deduce that this unknown magic appeared whenever she was feeling threatened by someone.
Instinctively, she led her hands to her stomach, rubbing it softly and whispering these words several times:
It's fine. We're safe!
After a few seconds, the wave of magic began to slowly disappear. She inhaled deeply, looking around and mentally thanked she hadn't hurt anyone, especially the baby.
"What the hell have you done? This is not your magic!" Zelena said, widening her eyes and pointing a finger at her sister as she shouted.
Regina tensed and closed her eyes, before shrugging.
"Robin would love if I told him that you tried to hurt me and his baby."
"I wasn't trying to hurt your baby." Regina seemed taken aback by Zelena's words and she admitted sincerely.
"I don't believe you, especially because you're unable to have your own baby!" Zelena said bitterly and that hurt Regina a lot, more than she thought it ever would, but she gulped the words that could contradict Zelena's affirmation and stayed quiet.
"That's enough! Please, go away!" Arthur put his body protectively in front of Regina and stared at Zelena, with angry eyes.
"You'll pay for this, Regina! I swear to you!" Zelena said in a defiant tone, as she turned around and started to walk away from them.
Zelena was panting, anger seeping through her. She had meant every single word and after she had seen her sister's display of strong magic, she wouldn't waste any time. She had to admit she was apprehensive because she had never seen that kind of magic before. She mumbled furiously and mentally cursed herself for not knowing what kind of power her sister was using but she'd definitely figure out a way to stop it, not matter how much it would cost. She'd never let her sister beat her or be happy. That was unacceptable. She'd find Merlin and her plan for him wasn't the good one.
"Are you alright?" Arthur said, placing a supportive hand on Regina's shoulder, who was still trying to compose herself.
"I need to find some books." Regina seemed to be in an automatic pilot, she started to walk, staring at nowhere. She could only think about finding the answers and she had to act as fast as she could. She knew what or, more specifically who, was doing that to her but she needed to know why and how to control it; there was a lot to lose. She had succeeded today but she knew it wasn't easy…it was stronger than she had ever thought and that was scaring the hell out of her. She couldn't and wouldn't let anything or anybody hurt her…
"Wait!" Arthur grabbed her arm and made his stance in front of her.
"I don't think this is a good idea. I think you should go home right now and rest a little, or maybe go to the hospital."
"I'm fine, I don't need rest or a hospital." She said and tried disentangling her arm from him.
"Regina, you're not fine." He glanced at her with concerned eyes.
"You have to admit that something wrong is going on with you." He completed and tried to touch her face but she turned it away from his touch.
"Nothing is wrong with me." She barked out loud.
"And how can you explain what just happened?" He had to admit that he was afraid of what he had witnessed. He had seen Merlin's magic before and he was aware of its power. And what Regina had just done….he couldn't be certain but he had seen that kind of magic before.
"That's why I need the books!" She was persistent, decided and apparently no one could stop her from getting the information she needed to know.
"Please, at least let me follow you." He finally understood that nothing could stop her. He was feeling that something important was going on with her by the fear he saw through her eyes, and decided to help her, even without having any clues of what she was facing.
"Fine!" She reiterated angrily, but he didn't care….he'd help her no matter how indifferent she was treating him right now.
They walked together to the library, where they spent a lot of time reading a few books. Arthur noticed that Regina was getting impatient as she leafed through books over books and apparently didn't find what she was looking for. He offered his help but she refused it and he had no idea of what was troubling her so deeply or what kind of information she had been looking for. He knew it was important but he didn't dare to ask her, instead, he went to Granny's and brought something for them to eat.
"This is useless!" She said as she threw another book on the floor.
"What are you looking for?" He finally got the courage to ask, but she just shook her head no.
"Regina…"
"No!" She replied gruffly.
"We've been here for hours….you didn't even touch your food!" He signaled the bags of food he had brought from Granny's hours ago and which certainly had gone already cold by now.
"I didn't ask for your help!" She looked at the food but refused to concentrate at anything, but the books in front of her. She wasn't hungry…or maybe she was, but she had more important things to deal with right now than to eat.
"I know…still, I'm here to help you!" He tried to catch her hand but she quickly collected it back to her body. She just needed to be alone!
"But how can I help you if I don't know what are you looking for?" He insisted.
"Regina, please…trust me! We're friends!" He tried to search for her eyes, to look into them, but she was avoiding any contact.
"It's…complicated!" She breathed deeply and finally admitted, speaking honestly to him.
"I can tell it is, but try me, tell me what's wrong…please!" He begged her.
"I'm sure when I tell you the whole truth, you'll walk away…" She needed him by her side, he was a person she could trust and talk about her fears. She closed her eyes and tried to fight against the tears that were almost leaving her eyes.
"I won't walk away." He was finally able to catch her hand on his.
"I promise you." He sealed his promise squeezing her hand tight and looking at her with sincere eyes.
Regina looked at him, saw the honesty on his face, the face of the man who was there to help her, no matter what.
She hesitated for a moment but then, after taking a breath, she finally told him everything.
Robin was sitting on a bench at the park. It was a beautiful sunny day. Roland was there feeding the ducks and Henry was sitting by Roland's side, reading comic books and once in a while, raising his head and smiling at Roland.
Despite the age difference, the boys had always got along. Roland had been drawn to Henry since the first time they had met and Henry really cared about the little boy.
Robin smiled at the sight of them. He rested his head on his hands, still watching the boys' interaction.
The past weeks had been really hard for him and seeing the boys together was reassuring. Despite his situation with Regina, the image could calm down his heart and make his lips smile unwittingly.
The worse part of this whole mess it was that stupid man! The guy wouldn't give Regina a break. It seemed he was glued to her, no matter where she was, that king had been by her side, always!
Couldn't he just disappear from Storybrooke and come back to whatever land he belonged to?
That was why Robin was trying endlessly to help the new people to find a way back to their land. Not that he didn't care about those folks, but his main concern lied with their regent.
That bastard!
Robin didn't know what kind of relationship that man was having with Regina but he could guess his intentions were not the best ones. He hadn't seen them together anymore but he could sense that that man was doing everything to please his Queen. Robin didn't care… he'd do everything in his power to show how much he loved her.
"Hi." A voice echoed by Robin's side. He turned his head and saw a beautiful little girl sitting on the bench, swinging her little legs on the air. Immediately, Robin opened a huge smile.
Who was that girl? Why did she seem so familiar?
"Hello." He greeted her back and kept examing her figure. She was staring ahead and had not looked directly at him yet.
"Are you alone here at the park? Where is your mom?" Robin asked, worried about her.
How had the girl sat by his side without him notice it?
She turned her attention and looked at him for the first time. When he saw her face, he gasped; she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life. Robin couldn't stop staring at her, trying to memorize her features, especially her deep blue eyes and dark locks.
Who was this girl?
"My mommy is in danger." She said with teary and sad eyes.
He couldn't resist. Instinctively, he hugged the little girl and tried to comfort her.
"Shiuuuu!" He kept trying to calm her down.
"Where is your mom? What is going on with her?" Robin had to help the little girl, and of course, her mother. She was crying and sobbing on his chest, making his heart skip a beat. He didn't know exactly what to do and if he could help her but he couldn't let the little girl like that.
"Honey, where is your mother? I want to help her, but first, I need to know where she is." He said holding her beautiful face in his hands and wiping her tears with his thumbs.
"Come on." The girl said and got up, raising one hand for him to hold.
He took her hand on his and followed her. They began to walk into the woods and Robin didn't know if the girl actually knew what she was doing or where she was going. How old was she? Maybe four? No, she was younger than Roland, but he couldn't tell. He just followed her without asking anything else. They walked and walked and Robin was pretty sure that girl was lost.
What was her mother doing in the middle of the forest?
That was weird. Robin stopped and looked at her.
"We are far away from the park. Are you sure your mom is here or are you lost?" He asked, kneeling in front of her with an understanding look.
"There!" The girl just pointed with her index finger at something standing on the ground. It was too far and Robin couldn't exactly see what it was.
"Stay here! I'm going to check it. Please, wait for me here, ok?" Robin didn't know if it was as dangerous as the little girl had said or not. But, in case of doubt, he wouldn't put the girl in risk.
He began to walk towards the place she had pointed and, the closer he came, the more conflicted he was about it. That was bad. He could feel it. He looked back to check on the little girl and noticed she had gone.
Great!
Of course she wouldn't stand still waiting for him, she was a child. He should know by experience that she wouldn't wait for him. What now? Should he go after the little girl or go ahead and check on what she had pointed at him?
He was about to turn around and go after the girl, because children came first, but a little moan captured his attention. He looked towards the noise and fixed his look on the ground.
Jesus!
He realized there was a person laying down on the ground.
Was it the little's girl mother? Was she hurt?
He ran and ran, really scared about what he was about to see. His heart was beating fast and his breath was caught in his throat.
Yes, it was definitely a woman.
She was lying on her side with her back to him. He kneeled on the ground and tried to turn her head around carefully to his lap because he didn't know how badly she was injured.
"Robin!" The woman whispered with difficult, as soon as he put her head on his lap.
Robin's eyes widened in realization. She had an injury on her stomach. Apparently, somebody had stabbed her. And the blood…A lot of blood was covering her hands above her stomach.
No! It couldn't be! No!
He was shocked. His whole body was shaking. He didn't notice but tears started to running down his cheeks.
No! Not again! Not this way!
He tried to open his mouth to say something comforting but the words wouldn't come out. He was losing her again.
"Save her! Save us! Please!" The little girl was kneeling by the other side, caressing the woman's hair.
Robin gulped and closed his eyes. What was he supposed to do? Scream for help? They were in the middle of the forest, nobody would listen to him. Should he carry her to the hospital? Would she endure until they got there?
He was desperate. He didn't know what to do.
He kept one hand over hers, trying to make pressure on the injury. His other hand was holding her beautiful face and touching her lips softly.
How stunning she was?
He couldn't lose her. She held his heart and his soul. No matter if they were together or not, he'd always love her. She was a part of him and if he lost her, he would lose himself.
"Regina…" He whispered, his eyes were shining with fear.
"You're going to be alright!" He tried to say this between sobs.
With all her strength, she raised one hand to his face and caressed him softly.
"No, I'm not!" She said with a shy smile.
The panic seeped back into him. His mind was in full speed with all sorts of scenarios going through it. The urge to cry and let the desperation take him over was tremendous but he had to stand strong for her.
"Regina, don't do this to me. Don't die on me again! You can't! Are you listening to me? You can't!" He said these last words slowly.
"I just…I just want you to know that…" She was trying to say something to him but she was too weak.
"Shhhhh, my love! Save your strength! I'll try to find help". Robin managed to say this between the tears that kept running down his eyes and wetting Regina's face.
"I…know that I loved you." She tried to put a smile to her face.
"I…loved you…with my whole heart and…soul!"
Said that, she gave her last breath and dropped her last tear from the corner of her eyes.
"Regina! Regina! Please, my love! Wake up! Wake up for me, Regina! Please!" He screamed and started to shake her.
Nothing.
Robin felt as if a knife was had been tucked into his chest. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. Memories of them together were passing like a movie in his mind. The whole forest felt so small and it was hard to breathe. He had never felt so much pain in his life. He brought her face to his and kissed every bit of her still warm face he could reach.
She was dead. His Regina…his Queen was dead.
"No! No! Nooooo!" His screams echoed between the trees. His head was aching and his heart was pounding hard inside his chest.
Then, he heard a wicked laugh coming from behind a three.
"You! You did this to her! Why could you do it? Why? Why?" He screamed between sobs.
"I thought my intentions were pretty clear. I wouldn't allow her to be happy. Never!" Zelena said with a winning face.
"You killed her, you sick witch! You killed her!" Robin would kill that woman. He was blinded by anger. He would definitely kill her.
"Oops!" It's was the last thing Zelena said before disappearing in green smoke.
Soooo, did I kill Regina, my favorite character?
Hmmmm….wait until the next chapter.
See you! *-*