The memories, every memory, horrid yet beautiful and happy, flooding back to her mind painting out the dream. Was this a dream? Or a horrible nightmare? She couldn't tell… It felt like both.

The feel of the wind whipping past her as her horse flew through the open, smiling happily as she saw the one person she always wanted to see. "Daniel!" Her voice rang with joy as she jumped off her horse into his arms feeling his tight embrace. Then it all changed, the happy scenery disappearing as the dark night in the stables appeared in her mind. "I want to be with Daniel." Her voice was hurt, worried, but she stared straight into her mother's eyes. "No!" her mind screamed as her mother ripped his heart out, grabbing his body in her arms as he started to fall.

The scene changed again, a wrinkled face with gray hair appearing in her vision. "Revenge is a dark and lonely road Regina, something you can't come back from," the dark look in her eyes was so apparent. "What else is there for me to go back to?" Her hand reached into her father's chest, taking the heart of the thing she loved most, all she had left at the time.

Mother… the vision of her mother, coming back just for her. "She always wanted the best for me. That's love!" Regina's eyes filled with tears, directing the angry words at the black haired woman she had always hated for destroying what she loved so dearly. "You would've been enough…" there was nothing else to see of this vision, her mother going limp in her arms as she starred up at the woman she hated even more at the moment.

"Let's go home Henry," her baby boy, her little prince, coming home with her as she realized she needed him. "I do love you Henry," the machines of the hospital beeping all around as her son had just woken up, but then the image changed to a place she didn't want to see. The yellow bug sat behind him at the town line, "You're not a villain, you're my mom." Her eyes flooded over with tears as the last thing she could see was her whole world riding off over the town line. Knowing he would never remember her again.

The dreamed painted together so perfectly. She had been happy at points, but no matter what she always lost everything she cared about. She would never get any of the things she had lost back, everything was gone. The small kiss Regina and Robin had shared played in her mind before it turned to blackness. "I can't go through that again. The loss, the pain. I can't." She forced her muscles to move wanting to wake up from these thoughts.

….

Robin's heart beat grew faster as he felt Regina start to move. Don't wake up, don't wake up, I don't want you to move, he thought over and over again. He knew Regina would have a fit once she realized she had slept cuddled up to him the entire night, Robin locked in with Roland on top of him as well. "Mm mm…" She shook her head and her eyes flew open.

Regina didn't realize until her eyes were open that she had been extremely comfortable all night besides the nightmares. Why…? Pulling her cheek away from the soft surface it had been on she looked back to see Robin's arm, her eyes nervously moving up to meet his. "Morning," he smiled. "What happened?" Regina asked hoping what she was thinking was wrong. "You fell asleep and sometime during the night you sort of moved on to me." Shaking her head in disbelief, Regina stood up, walking away as the memory of the kiss the night before came back. "Where are you going?" He asked looking her up and down.

"Just into another room," Regina hurried away before any more questions could be asked. Robin knew what she was trying to hide from him. He couldn't let her go, not right now, not after they hadn't even talked since the kiss. Slowly shifting Roland, who was still dead asleep, he stood up. Regina started to bolt down the hallway, the long Queen gown getting in her way. She picked it up and continued on, stopping as she saw the old bedroom she use to stay in. Stepping in her legs made her move straight to the balcony. This balcony, where she had looked out at the land she wanted so badly to be rid of, this balcony where she had come to get away from Leopold.

"Where is she?" Robin mumbled to himself, searching up and down the halls. Large castles like this had never really worked for him. He wasn't use to all the space, it was hard to find your way around. "Regina?" he called out but got nothing in return. Regina, not hearing him, was lost in though. Robin had kissed her, and she… didn't want to admit that she liked it. Running her thumb over the rail of the balcony, something started to come back to her. Tinkerbelle… Tink had come to her rescue one night in this very spot. Well a few hundred feet below actually… She had saved her and become her friend, but there was something else that the back of her mind was trying to tell her. What else had happened in those few days…? She pushed the thought away, unable to remember, as she heard footsteps come up, and stop by the door, snapping a little. "What?"

"No need for that tone Queenie," he grinned as she acknowledged him, stepping closer to her even though she was still facing the other way. "I was just coming to see how you were doing." Regina turned on her heel sharply, opposite him now, she wasn't happy to see he had come closer. "You don't need to check in on me. Go back to your son." She crossed her arms, taking a step back as Robin took another step toward her. "Regina…" he made his voice come in that soft tone again. "Why are you acting like this? We both know we kissed."

She didn't want the feelings that had been planted inside her, she couldn't understand this. Taking a seat on her bed, Robin sat down beside her, trying to get her to tell him why she was so upset. "Regina why are you so mad? Did I do something?"

"No. You didn't do anything," She leaned forward putting her face in her hands. "Robin, I can't feel this way. I can't," Robin not understanding, wanted her to say more. "What?" Regina knew she had to explain, but couldn't find the right words. Looking up to meet his eyes, she wasn't use to the soft caring look he had. "Robin, you know what I told you. I've been in love before, and it ruined me. I lost him and I've spent my whole life fighting the pain. I've lost everyone I've ever loved. I don't want that again."

The man… the man she had spoken of, even if he hadn't been told an awful lot about him, he knew enough to know Regina loved him. He had felt the same way when he lost Marian, but he had Roland to help him through. Regina had been forced to marry the king after she had lost the man, she hadn't been given what she really wanted. Even the son she so obviously cared for wasn't here now, even though he didn't know that story yet. Who else could she have lost? "I know what you mean by that Regina, I understand. I was torn apart when I lost my wife, but I had to move on and accept that she was gone. You need someone to show you that you can be happy again."

She stood up abruptly, "Don't you get it? I can't be happy! I'm the Evil Queen Robin. Villain's don't get happy endings." Robin still hadn't thought through the whole idea of her being the horrible Queen everyone spoke of her as, "I don't want to see you as that. I want to know Regina. The real Regina."

The real me… The real me? I don't even know the real me anymore. Regina couldn't understand why he was giving her this chance. Robin, not liking how quiet she had gotten, reached out for her hand as she was looking down. "I like you Regina, whether you like me or not." Regina let her hand stay in his. "I want to prove to you that what you think is wrong. You can be happy, if you let yourself."

Robin was tired of waiting, he didn't like seeing her this upset. Grabbing her other hand he pulled her in closer, closer until her soft lips met his. He wanted to take the thought out of her head, the thought that she could never be happy again. He wanted to make her happy.

She did like this man, the way he placed his hand in the dip of her back, pulling her closer, made her feel secure. The feeling was unusual, strange. Her arms moved around his neck. Robin pulling Regina down on the bed to her back as the kiss became deeper. Feeling something she hadn't felt in such a long time, Regina found it difficult to pull her lips away from his. Staying close, she whispered, "A chance."

His lips curled up as he heard her acceptance. "Yes… a chance." He leaned back down for another soft kiss.