Robin sat at the dining room table, staring at his phone and willing it to vibrate. He'd turned the ringer off the day that Emma and Regina had left New York, afraid that if Zelena saw any contact with them, she would go over the edge. Seemed he needn't have worried; he had not heard from either since his phone conversation with Emma a few days ago. And Regina had not responded to his text last night. He supposed he couldn't blame her; after all, what kind of man resorted to hiding behind a text message when the honorable thing to do was to apologize in person?

The trouble was, he couldn't apologize in person. He was trapped in New York with Zelena, his sanity hanging on by a thread, and he was beginning to fear that Emma and Regina intended to leave him there.

Robin shook the thought from his head. He knew Regina was angry, and she certainly had cause to be, but she wouldn't punish him like that. More than that, she wouldn't punish Roland for his father's mistakes. For the hundredth time that day, he kicked himself for not listening to his gut when it told him that something about Marian had been off. She'd been colder than he had ever known her, hadn't remembered little jokes they'd shared, and had frequently looked at Roland as if he were a stranger. Which, Robin had tried to convince himself, Roland was. He had barely been crawling when Marian died. Excuse after excuse for Marian's behavior. Rationalization after rationalization for his own. Meanwhile, he'd lost more of Regina each day, pushing her smile out of her mind, telling himself that he was being unfair to Marian by holding on to Regina.

What a fool he'd been. And now there were two children in the middle, not just Roland.

Roland. Since Zelena had revealed herself, she'd given up the pretense of doting mother. She barely tried to hide her contempt for his boisterous energy, his clumsy attempts at affection, and his constantly running nose. Robin was exhausted at playing referee between them, and it had only been a couple of days. He couldn't keep it up much longer without his son getting hurt, and Robin had hurt enough people in the last two months. He was going to keep his son out of harm's way if it killed him.

I'm sorry, Marian, he thought. She was gone again, and he couldn't even grieve properly, but he could make sure that her son was safe. He owed her that.

He picked up the phone and scrolled through his contacts for Emma's number. Regina would very likely not answer his calls, but he suspected Emma might. Roland was absorbed in the television, some nonsense about creatures under the sea with square pants. Zelena was off getting a manicure. Envy might have been her sin of choice, but it seemed that vanity wasn't far off in the running.

"Robin," Emma's voice was wary on the other line. Robin was so grateful for a live voice, he could have happily reached through the phone and kissed her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing for the moment. We're fine, but Emma, you and I both know that won't last."

He heard Emma sigh. "I know," she said, "and I didn't mean to leave you hanging. We've just had some…problems here."

"What? What happened? Is Regina all right?" Robin very nearly shouted into the phone.

"She's fine. And so am I, thank you for asking."

Robin smiled. "Sorry. I'm glad you're all right. What happened?"

"Oh, you know," came the cavalier reply. "Revenge, dragons, magical showdowns. In other words, Tuesday."

"Dragons? Maleficent's daughter?"

"Yeah, she went after my mom. Regina and Maleficent talked her down, though, so I think everything's ok."

"How is your mother?" Robin had a soft spot for Snow White that went far beyond sharing Wanted posters in the Enchanted Forest. He smiled to think of the knowing glances she'd cast his way when he and Regina had verbally sparred during the missing year and the encouraging words she'd offered every time he'd wanted nothing more than to rip the queen's ponytail right out of her smug head.

"She's fine," Emma replied. "Still a little shook up, so we brought her to Granny's for a cheeseburger and a chocolate shake."

Robin laughed. "You know Regina hates the food there, yes?"

"Believe me, I know," Emma responded drily. "She's not here, though. I think she went chasing after your boy Will."

"Will Scarlet?" Robin felt a jolt of jealousy hit his chest. Why was Regina chasing after Will? "She's really something, all right. If evil queens are your type, which I get."

"Yeah, she sent him off with Belle's heart to keep Gold from chasing us down. I think she wanted to make sure he wasn't, you know, dead."

"Why would she give Belle's heart to Will?"

"Wow, you really have missed a lot. Belle and Will have been pretty cozy since Gold's been gone."

Relief swept over Robin. "I trust you're going to make sure she's all right."

"Of course I am. Now, why did you call? I'm guessing it wasn't just to catch up."

Right. The point of the phone call. "I need to know if you've figured out how to get us back to Storybrooke. I don't think I can keep up this farce much longer."

Emma sighed. "I wish I had something to tell you, but I don't. I know my mother and Regina were talking about it, but I don't know if they came up with any answers."

So she had been thinking about him. Even if it was just a way to get him out of this mess, Robin would take it. "I need to talk to her, Emma. But I don't think she wants to talk to me."

A heavy silence settled over the conversation. "She doesn't," Emma finally responded, "but she will. Just…just give her some time. And give me until tomorrow. I'll call you and let you know what the plan is."

"Thank you, Emma." He knew he should end the call, but he couldn't stop himself. "Is she all right? Truly?"

"She will be." Robin could hear the smile in Emma's voice. "I promised her she would be, and I keep my promises." It wasn't the answer he wanted, but for the moment, it would have to do.

"Thank you, Emma. And tell her-" he stopped.

"What?"

"Tell her I'm sorry."

Emma's reply was gentle. "Tell her yourself." And with that, she said goodbye.

Robin put the phone gently down on the table. His conversation with Emma wasn't what he needed, but it was enough. He could handle one more day with Zelena.

Until tomorrow, he promised himself.