Quiet Souls

Two days later, Granny opened the front door to the closed diner, letting in Emma who was running late that morning. The old woman kindly, albeit somewhat reluctantly, let them use the empty restaurant to meet and discuss their next plan of action.

"If you want privacy, talk fast," she told them, walking around the counter on her way to the kitchen. Pouring a large glass of orange juice, she came back around the counter and over to the table in the middle of the room where Regina sat, eating a plate full of breakfast foods Granny had placed in front of her no sooner than she arrived. Placing the orange juice next to the former queen's plate, she barked, "We open in twenty, and no one gets between Leroy and his bacon."

Unused to people taking care of her, Regina sat in stunned silence as the older woman retreated to the back.

Hook spoke up, tearing Regina from her thoughts, "Is there any sign of our quarry?"

"I went all over that farmhouse and the land around it, nothing," Emma replied, grabbing a cup of coffee.

David looked around at everyone. "Well, now that the sun's up, we should hit every place Gold might go. His house, shop, his cabin…"

"Cause dead men love vacation homes. Can someone explain to me how this is even possible?" Emma looked around for clarification but was met with blank stares. "We all saw Gold... He …"

Snow broke in, "Disappeared into nothingness… I know."

The pirate stepped forward. "I might have an inkling. When we went back to the Enchanted Forest, Neal was talking about the possibility of getting his father back."

David quickly asked, "What? How?"

Hook answered, "He didn't know how. He just…" With a quick glance at Emma, he continues, "He missed his family, and he was desperate to find a way to return to this world. He believed that bringing his father back was the key."

Emma shook her head. "Well, if that was his plan, then obviously something went wrong, because while Gold might be alive and kicking, Neal is… he's…" Emma trailed off, clearly the Savior was losing her patience, as they all were. "We don't know what he is. We don't even know if he made it back to Storybrooke. No one's seen him since this new curse."

David assured her, "He's out there somewhere."

Regina, who had been silent during all this, spoke up, "With all due respect, we have bigger issues right now than who brought Gold back." She paused looking around at everyone before she continued. "The fact that he was in the Wicked Witch's basement, for one. I want to know what the hell she was cooking up with him."

Hook responded with only a touch of sarcasm,"Well, the best way to find that out would be to ask Gold, right?"

David nodded in agreement. "He could tell us who the witch is. Maybe how to track her down?"

Deciding on her own plan of action, Regina stood up."I'm gonna head back to that farmhouse. It's possible this witch left behind some trace of potion or a special ingredient."

Concerned, Snow asked, "By yourself? You're supposed to be resting."

Regina shook her head in reply, adding a brisk, "I'll be fine. Besides, I'm not fighting a witch, I'm just looking around."

Snow stood from the bar stool and grabbed her coat. "I'll go with you."

Regina sighed. "No, I'll be fine on my own. Besides, you don't even know what to look for."

Emma straightened, throwing Snow a 'drop it' look, to which Snow reluctantly gave in. "Just be careful."

The former queen smirked. She may be pregnant, but she still had her magic. "Well, she's the one who needs to be careful. She invaded my space. When I return the favor, I'm not pulling any punches."

Turning on her heel, Regina made her way to the door and missed as Snow called her name, but she had already left the diner before she could be stopped.

The arrow came almost out of nowhere, but she was ready for it. She heard it just as it was released. She could feel it as it moved toward her, sailing gracefully through the air, just before it met its mark. Just. She moved, catching it easily in her hand. She gasped, not out of fright but out of anger. Who in the hell?

"Apologies, milady."

Regina's eyes widened, as she took in her would-be assassin, before they narrowed into her usual glare. "You."

He shook his head only slightly abashed as he walked toward her, flashing her an apologetic smile. "I thought you were the Wicked Witch."

Her anger started to dissipate somewhat, luckily enough for him. "And I thought you were a flying monkey."

"I do hope my mistake hasn't cost me my head," Bowing a bit, he finished, "Your Majesty."

She smothered a smile, relaxing a little. "I think I can let it slide this once. I am the one in your debt, after all."

He raised an eyebrow at her, and she ignored the flip of her stomach in response. She looked down at his bow. "You think you can bring down the Wicked Witch with sticks?"

Following her gaze, he replied, "Well, I'm certainly going to try."

She shook her head. "I'm afraid we're too late. She's long gone."

He looked around them, studying the terrain. "Well, perhaps she left a trail."

His response brought her up short. She hadn't expected someone outside of her little group to be hunting the witch as well. "I was hoping the same thing."

Startling her once again, he told her, "Well, then you've got yourself a partner."

With a raised eyebrow and as she stepped around him, she replied, "I don't remember asking for one."

"You didn't, but I would be remiss if I let you go into that house all alone." He looked at her and waited until her eyes met his. "Especially while you carry a precious little one inside you."

She waved away his concern. "I know how to take care of myself."

"Of that I have no doubt, but you can never be too careful."

She looked at him in all seriousness. He was persistent; she had to give him that. "Just don't get in my way."

Smiling, he bite the inside of his cheek and stated, "I wouldn't dream of it."

Her tone softened, and she tilted her head. The expression seemed so familiar to her. "Have -have we met before?" Regina did an internal eye-roll at herself before clarifying, "I mean, before the other day at the park?"

"I doubt I'd ever forget meeting you." Her breath caught, as he smiled at her again. She couldn't help but feel she knew him. "Unless, of course, it was during that pesky year no one can recall," he said, offhandedly, walking towards the house. "All the more reason to find this witch, perhaps she can offer some insight into our lost memories."

"Nothing useful here." Regina mumbled. "Unfortunately."

Robin turned and gestured to the shelf behind him. "So, none of these contain magical properties?"

"Well, a good witch covers her tracks, but a better one can uncover them." Regina smirked, walking by Robin, a little closer than necessary, to the shelf that stood behind him. She scanned the items displayed. "We'll find her. Just be patient."

Robin turned and leaned back against the table. "You know, I've heard many stories about the great and terrible Evil Queen, but from this angle, the "evil" moniker seems somewhat of an overstatement. Bold and audacious, perhaps, but, um… not evil."

Regina smiled, as she listened with her back to him. The way he so easily separated the woman she was then from the woman she was now. That woman was not the person she was today, and somehow he knew that. When his eyes met hers, she could see it was not the evil queen he saw but just her.

Just Regina.

She turned around to face him slowly. Despite it all, she wouldn't insult him by denying what she used to be."The name served me well. Fear is quite an effective tool."

His eyes locked with hers, and she watched enthralled, as they seemed to burn into hers. Filling her with such intensity she hadn't felt in a long time. They were both barely breathing as time seemed to stand still the closer he came. So close that she could feel the heat of him. Could feel the material of his jacket on her rounded belly. Smell the woodsy-outdoor scent that was uniquely him. He stared at her for several heartbeats. Her lips parted expectantly, then right before she thought he was about to kiss her, he turned his face and reached for something behind her.

Regina straightened, she felt his breath on her neck, and a shiver ran down her spine. He was still so very close.

She swallowed.

"What about this?" he asked, his blue eyes met brown. "Is this magical?"

Though, he had what he reached for he never moved from her. Tearing her eyes away from his, she slowly turned her head to look at the bottle in his hand.

In a low voice she answered, "Not exactly. But it is a liquid that can conjure courage, give strength, or even act as a love potion of sorts." Regina chuckled at his look of intrigue and her own playfulness. My god she was actually flirting with him! "It's called whiskey, and, no, it's not magical, especially the next day."

A sly smile spread across his face with recognition. "Oh."

He reached for something that was again behind her and then took a step back holding up an empty glass.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You want to have a drink? Now?"

He shrugged smiling."Well, I'll have a drink anyway…" He sat the glass down and pushed back the sleeves of his jacket.

She took a deep breath as he turned his back to her pouring himself a drink. What was she doing? How could she let herself get even remotely this close to someone until she got her memories back? The father of her child was out there somewhere, and here she was flirting like a teenager with Robin Hood? She would have to put a stop to this until their memories were restored. Though, she was loath to admit it, he already stirred something inside her that she could not explain.

His voice jarred her from her thoughts as he continued on, unaware at her wondering mind. "The way I see it, in the last few days, I've survived a curse, woken up in an entirely new realm, and forgotten a year of my life. I'd say I've earned it. Wouldn't you?"

She put on a smile at his reasoning and looked at him as he turned back to face her. When he brought the glass up to his lips, the smile fell from hers.

A lion tattoo.

She sucked in her breath and put her hand on her stomach. Memories from long long ago came flooding back to her. Memories of a green fairy and a far off tavern.

"You need love."

"You're gonna help me find another soulmate?"

"There he is. The guy with the lion tattoo."

Alarmed, he lowered the glass. "Is something wrong?"

Regina's heart was hammering in her chest. She had to get out of there. She couldn't think.

Hell, she could barely breathe.

She pushed past him, making her way out of the house as fast as she could. She heard him call her name, but she never stopped. She couldn't. Pulling her car keys from her pocket, she was already outside and about to open the door to her car, but was stopped as she felt his hand on her arm.

"Regina, tell me please, are you alright?" Robin had captured her hand, although her back was still turned to him. When she still didn't say anything, he asked again, this time more gentle. "Have I offended you in some way?"

Regina looked down at the ground and then up at him again. She shook her head slowly, "No, I'm sorry. I'm just… tired. It's been a long couple of days."

He didn't know what he could say that would make this better. He was not sure what had scared her, but he could see it in her eyes that in that moment, she was terrified. It broke him to think that it was because of him. "Well, I apologize if I…"

"You didn't," She said, closing her eyes as she tried to steady her racing heart and the tears she held at bay. Telling herself to breathe. Just breathe. Promising herself she could cry once she was alone.

His voice was a whisper, but his concern he wore loudly in his eyes. "Are you going to be all right getting home?"

His genuine caring was nearly her undoing. She swallowed hard. "Yes, I'll be fine."

The others were easy to fool, but Robin somehow knew her far better than anyone in her life it seemed. The look in his eyes told her he would be hard to convince that all was well. The fact that she was keeping the knowledge of their fate from him made her very uncomfortable in her current state. What could she tell him? With everything so uncertain, the ramifications could be dire for both of them, and at the moment she just wasn't feeling that brave. One day, once their memories returned, could make all the difference, and it would also give her time to come to terms with this sudden drastic change in her circumstances. A baby that never should have been possible and finding her soul mate all in one week was more than she could handle at the moment with her emotions riding on the surface.

Her eyes drifted to the skyline, and she stared at the view. Storybrooke. Home. This wasn't quite the way she'd envisioned ever meeting him. In fact, it was a realm away from what she'd imagined. Not even in her wildest dreams would she have thought of this. She closed her eyes.

"Milady?"

She was jolted out of her reverie by his soft voice, and she looked up at him, hoping that he couldn't see that her smile didn't reach her eyes. "Robin."

"Please, just tell me you're alright?" He swallowed hard, controlling his own emotions. "I don't think I could take it if I let you leave when you're obviously very upset. Is it the baby?"

She turned and leaned against the car. When she answered her voice was so low he almost didn't hear her reply. "No, it's not the baby."

He glanced at her, keeping her hand in his, he gripped it tighter. "But you...you're not really all right, are you, Regina?"

She snapped a look at him but gave him a gentle smile despite her watery eyes. She should have known that he wouldn't be so easily fooled. "I am all right, really. I just remembered something... unexpected. And yes, it did upset me, but I just needed some air."

He took a deep breath. "I didn't mean... I... ." That muscle in his jaw was jumping, and she knew he was trying hard to contain his concern.

Laying her hand on his arm, she reassured him. "Robin, I promise it's nothing you did, just surprising. And I will tell you soon, just don't ask me to explain now. Please?"

Robin frowned and then relenting to her nodded. His eyes never leaving hers. He leaned closer, and she could smell his scent. She couldn't explain it, but she had to fight the irrational temptation to wrap her arms around him and bury herself in his neck. His brow was furrowed, and she had to clench her fist to stop herself from reaching up and smoothing over the lines of his face.

He held her eyes for a long moment then looked down.

Robin turned back towards her. "Alright then, but I hope you would allow me to check on you later?"

Regina huffed a laugh. "You don't give up easily, do you?"

"Not where you're concerned, milady."

"Well, I'm making apple turnovers tonight. I'm sure by tomorrow I'll have one or two left over, if you're lucky enough to stop by in time."

"Breakfast with the Queen it is then. Around mid morning? Allow for you and the little one to get sufficient rest?"

Regina nodded. "That sounds wonderful." She straightened up, and he opened her door for her.

He pulled his other hand from hers. "I'll let you go then."

"Thank you," she whispered. She could still feel the heat from his hand on hers. She was not sure if she was relieved or disappointed that he was letting her go.

He touched the small of her back as she got into her car and gave her a sad smile as she left.

Tears fell down her cheeks as she drove home.