Chapter 17: The Other Shoe
Robin's flight was a stormy one, at least internally for him. Outside, it was smooth flying all the way to California.
For the first hour, Robin was elated. Regina wanted to work on their relationship and was willing to give him a second chance. He vowed to do everything he could to prove to her she wasn't making a mistake. There was no way he was going to risk losing her for good.
The second hour was him raging at Cora Ozgreene. How she could offer up one child as a sacrifice to protect the other? She didn't deserve the title mother. There was not a single maternal bone in her body.
After that, he raged at Zelena. She was stealing from him, even after he had placed so much trust in her professionally. He should've trusted his gut about her personally and kept her as middle management. Maybe not have hired her at all.
He sighed, rubbing his face. No, she had been a good executive. She might have been a pain who couldn't take a hint about his lack of romantic feelings for her, but she was just what his company had needed. Zelena had really helped him build up his West Coast operations.
Which brought him back to Cora. He had no doubt she was the reason Zelena had decided to steal the money. Regina had spoken of her mother's expensive tastes and everything he had seen of Cora supported that. She probably had put her stepdaughter up to taking more money so she could live a more lavish lifestyle.
The plane landed and he headed over to the hotel, trying to ignore the fact it was the last place Marian had been before she died. He specifically requested a different room, not that it made much of a difference. But he had other things to focus on.
Robin opened up his laptop and soon was connected. Opening his video chat software, he called home. He stared at the screen, waiting for Regina to pick up back at home.
"Papa!" Roland's smiling face filled the screen. "You're safe!"
"Yes, I am. Can you move back a bit so I can see you better?" Robin suggested. Roland did as he asked, settling on Regina's lap.
She smiled at him. "How was your flight?"
"Uneventful, thankfully." He grinned back at her. "How are my two favorite people?"
"Oi! You mean three, right?" Will's face appeared upside in the screen.
Robin rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. How are my three favorite people?"
"We're good," Regina replied, motioning for Will to join her and Roland on the couch. He did, grinning cheekily at Robin.
"When are you coming home, Papa?" Roland asked, leaning against Regina as she wrapped her arms around him.
Robin sighed. "I don't know. But I'm going to meet with the detective out here and we can work out a plan. I'll probably have a better idea tomorrow."
"Okay." He pouted and looked upset.
Will leaned forward. "Well, you just focus on nailing Zelena and getting back home. Regina and I will hold down the fort."
"Thanks. And I'll call you tonight, Roland, right before you go to bed. I promise," Robin said.
Roland nodded before panic crossed his face. "Papa, where's Sparky?"
"He's still in my bag. Why?"
"You need to put him on your nightstand so he'll watch you and keep you safe in California," he explained, almost crying.
Regina nodded. "That's how I did it."
"Okay then." Robin picked up his laptop, allowing Roland to watch as he pulled out Sparky from his bag and placed him next to his bed. "There. I'll be nice and safe now."
"Good," Roland decreed. "I love you, Papa."
"I love you too, Roland. And you, Regina. And yes, even you, Will." Robin smirked at the screen.
"We'll talk to you soon, Robin." Regina leaned forward, letting her face be the last one he saw before they disconnected.
Robin closed his laptop and leaned back on the couch, deciding to order some lunch before his meeting with the detective. He doubted he would have much of an appetite after it.
The detective arrived as Robin put out his dirty dishes. He had spotted the young man with blond hair cut neat and dressed in a navy blue suit as he read the room numbers. The man came to a stop by Robin's room. "Robin Locksley?"
"Yes," he said, straightening up. "And you are?"
The man held out his hand. "I'm Kris Andersen. I've been working with Graham Humbert on tracking down your embezzler."
"Nice to meet you. Come on in." Robin shook Kris' hand before motioning for him to enter the room.
Kris sat on the couch, pulling a laptop from his bag. "Do you mind if I set up here?"
Robin shook his head. "Be my guest. Can I get you anything?"
"Water, please?" Kris asked, starting up his computer.
Once he had retrieved two bottles, Robin joined the detective on the couch. "So, what have you found?"
"Well, I focus more on the technology side of things. So we did an extensive review of all your databases and computer systems, which is how we were able to narrow it down to here on the West Coast. Though a few days ago, someone tried to change everything to throw suspicion back to the East Coast division," Kris explained.
That made sense to Robin as the person Regina was supposed to frame worked in Storybrooke, not San Diego. "Do you know who did it?" he asked.
Kris nodded. "He didn't do a good job of hiding his trail and we were able to find him quickly. Name's Hans Larsen and he's down at our precinct, probably still singing like a canary. Told us that he was hired by someone named Cora Ozgreene, which led us to your VP of Operations, Zelena. She's the embezzler."
Robin knew that, but it was nice to have evidence to back it up. He hoped, then, that if Cora tried to make good on her threat, he could point out that the discovery was made by the police and pretend Regina had nothing to do with it.
"Thank you," he said. "What are our next steps?"
"We're just waiting for warrants and should be good to go for an arrest on Monday. How does that sound?"
"Monday works," Robin agreed, already planning everything out. He would have to call Mulan to let her know, but he was certain they could have a plan in place by then.
Sunday was spent planning for Monday. Mulan was on the speaker phone while Robin met with Alan Dale in the San Diego offices. Alan wasn't much older than them and had been with the company since Robin had started it. He had volunteered to go out to help establish the West Coast branch but had taken a step back after getting married. Now, Robin asked him to take the lead until they could fill Zelena's spot.
"Of course," he replied. "Do you want to fill it internally or find someone new?"
Robin sighed, resting his head in his hand. "I don't know. Mulan?"
"Find someone new. Shake things up and imbue some fresh blood into the office," she said.
"Then we'll have HR put out a job posting Wednesday, once Zelena's been arrested and we have our press conference." Robin glance up at Alan. "You can make sure that's all arranged?"
Alan nodded. "I'll have my secretary set everything up tomorrow. Which reminds me—what are we going to do about Walsh?"
Robin ran a hand through his hair. "You think he knew anything about what Zelena was doing?"
"I don't know. We'll have to interview him and maybe let the police clear him just to be on the safe side," Alan said.
"Sounds like a good idea," Mulan chimed in. "So you want me out there for Wednesday, Robin? So you can get back to Roland?"
"That sounds perfect," he agreed, knowing Roland would be relieved. Robin wanted to be back by his family's side as well, ready to help Regina fight whatever her mother tried to throw at her.
Alan stood, rubbing his face. "This is going to be difficult. I trusted everyone in the company."
"So did I," Robin replied, leaning back in his chair. "I never thought someone would stab me in the back like this."
"This is a surprise to everyone. Good luck tomorrow," Mulan said before ending the call.
Robin saw Alan out before opening his laptop. It was time to talk to his family back home.
"Regina! Papa's calling!" Roland called from the den.
She smiled, closing the washer door. "You start without me," she called back. "I'll be right there."
Regina started the washer and took a deep breath. It was getting easier to talk with Robin now that she had decided to work toward forgiving him, to give him a second chance. But she still had so many worries lying on her shoulders. She just wished everything would go away and they could be happy again.
As she approached the den, she heard Roland's excited voice say: "Wednesday? Really?"
"Yes," Robin said as she entered. "It looks like I should be home with you and Regina by Wednesday afternoon. Only two and a half more days. You think you can wait until then? It won't be too long."
Roland hesitated before nodding. "But you'll keep Sparky by your bed the entire time?"
"Of course." Robin glanced up, smiling at her. "Can I talk to Regina alone for a few minutes?"
"Okay." Roland hopped off the couch and looked up at her. "Don't take too long, okay?"
She smiled, kissing the top of his head. "We'll try not to."
"He's getting bossy," Robin said once his son was gone.
Regina shrugged. "I think he's just trying to assert some control over this situation, you know?"
He nodded before growing serious. "We're busting Zelena tomorrow. I wanted you to know so you can be prepared."
"Thank you," she said softly.
"How are you holding up?"
She sighed. "As well as can be expected. I just feel like I'm walking on eggshells, waiting for Gold to make his move. Or worse, for Leopold to call."
"You think he will?" Robin frowned.
"I don't know," she replied. "He might, he might not. Everything is all up in the air."
"I'll be home soon. I promise," he vowed.
She nodded. "I heard you telling Roland. Wednesday afternoon?"
"If I can get there sooner, I will. I miss you and Roland. And Will. I miss him too," Robin added hastily.
"You better be!" Will shouted from the next room. Regina glanced over at the door, eyebrow raised.
Robin chuckled. "He has a gift. Or the house bugged. I'm leaning more toward the latter."
She chuckled this time before her nerves took over again. Regina tucked her hair behind her ears. "I'm terrified, Robin."
"Me too," he admitted. "And it's all my fault. Because I was a fool who thought he was being a white knight. Some knight, huh?"
"Don't be so hard on yourself. Yes, you made a rather big mistake but beating yourself up won't help."
He shrugged. "Makes me feel a little better."
"I'll feel better when you're home and we can have a proper conversation about all of this," she told him.
Roland appeared in the door way, little hands on his hips. "Are you done talking alone yet? I want to say goodbye to Papa!"
She glanced at the screen and Robin sighed, nodding. Regina turned to the boy, patting the couch. "Come on, sweetheart."
He hopped up, nestling against her as he smiled at his father on the screen. "I can't wait to see you, Papa."
"I can't wait to see you either," Robin replied. "Though I'm not pleased with how bossy you've been lately. We're going to have a talk about that when I'm home."
"Yes, Papa." Roland hung his head as Regina disconnected the call once they said their goodbyes.
She turned to Roland and held him close. "Come on. Let's go see what Will has made for dinner, okay?"
He nodded, holding up his arms to her. She picked him up and settled him on her hip, letting him cuddle against her. Regina kissed his head, enjoying the comfort he offered without knowing, before taking him into the kitchen.
Robin got into the office early Monday, instructing security to revoke Zelena's access once she got into the building. IT was also working on disabling her access to their systems as well and they froze Walsh's—just in case. Alan had instructions to intercept the man when he got in so that he couldn't warn Zelena. It would also allow the investigators to figure out if he had any role in the embezzlement.
When Zelena stepped off the elevator, Robin was waiting for her in her chair. She paused, her black bag hanging off her arm as her sunglasses rested atop her head amongst her red curls. Her crème skirt suit was crisp without a single wrinkle. She would have a very nice mugshot, he figured.
She paused for only a moment, quickly replacing her surprise with a big smile. "Robbie! What are you doing here?"
"I'm here for you," he told her. As hope lit up her eyes, he shook his head. "Not for that. I'm here because of the missing money."
Zelena blanched but she didn't let her smile drop. "What about it? Have you found the embezzler?"
"We have. The authorities will be coming in in a few moments to arrest you, Zelena. I just asked to speak with you first, to try to figure out why you would betray me like this," he asked, leaning back in her chair.
She shook her head, sitting down. "I didn't. Someone must be setting me up."
"No, Zelena. The investigators were very thorough. And the man your mother hired told them everything. They have the proof, Zelena. You're going to be arrested. It'll probably be best to make a deal."
"You're making a big mistake, Robin." Gone was her innocent façade. Instead, he saw a hard and menacing look in her eyes. "People you care about will pay for this. People like Regina."
He leaned forward, glaring at her as his hands shook from the urge to wring her neck. "Leave her out of this."
Zelena smirked. "She's not an angel, you know. Regina has a dark secret in her past."
"I know," he said. "Your stepmother, her biological mother, has already used it against her. She didn't cave because she's strong."
"You're being a hypocrite, Robin. How can you condemn me for the same crime your precious Regina committed?" She held his gaze, challenging him.
He knew he couldn't really deny that. So he held his chin up high and nodded. "You're right. I guess I am being a hypocrite. But my heart tells me that there's more to her story. And it tells me yours is just greed."
The investigators came in, Kris leading them. "Zelena Ozgreene, please stand up."
"Reconsider this, Robin," she hissed. When he didn't move, she sighed. "Fine. It's Regina's funeral."
Kris handcuffed Zelena, reading her the Miranda Rights before leading her from the office. The entire time, she glared at Robin and he returned it with as much hatred as he could muster.
Once she was gone, Robin took a deep breath before calling down to Alan. "She's been arrested. Send out the email and then let's figure out what we're going to tell the press."
"The business world is reeling from the arrest of Zelena Ozgreene, the Vice President of Operations for Sherwood's West Coast division. She was indicted on embezzling charges. Robin Locksley, Founder and CEO, has released a statement saying that he was surprised and upset about Ms. Ozgreene's actions and that the company plans to see her punished to the full extent of the law," the news anchor announced.
A sick feeling settled over Regina as she folded laundry while sitting on the couch. Her nerves were frayed, waiting for her mother to do something. She knew the woman had to know her beloved stepdaughter had been arrested. Regina would've been surprised if Cora wasn't Zelena's first call. So it had to be a matter of time before she was in cuffs too, Regina figured.
The phone rang and she jumped, her heart pounding in her chest. She pressed her hand to it, hoping to calm her nerves. It wasn't going to be Cora or Gold. Not yet, she told herself.
"Regina?" Will opened the door, holding the phone. "It's for you. It's Emma."
Confused, she took the phone from him. "Emma? What's wrong?"
"I've been trying to reach you on your cell! Why do you have it off?"
"I'm avoiding my mother. Why?"
Emma hesitated before answering: "It's your father, Regina. I'm in the ambulance with him now. We're heading…"
"Ambulance?" Regina jumped up, now panicking for a different reason.
"Yes. Henry felt very weak and I couldn't lift him. He then passed out so I called the ambulance."
Regina's heart pounded in her chest. "Okay, okay. I'll be out the door in a few minutes and I'll meet you there. Has Dr. Whale been contacted?"
"I think so, but maybe you should call him just to be sure." Emma hesitated. "If you feel okay doing that. And how are you getting to the hospital?"
"Don't worry about me. Focus on Daddy. I'll see you soon." Regina ended the call and went to hand the phone back to Will.
"Mary Margaret is on her way over but Tuck can watch Roland until she gets here so I can take you to the hospital," he told her.
Regina shook her head. "It's okay. I can take a cab or something. No one has to go out of their way…"
He silenced her with a look. "Go get ready. I'll be waiting in the limo for you."
The automatic doors slid open and Regina strode inside, approaching information. "Do you know if Henry Mills has arrived yet?"
"Let me check," the woman said, typing something into the computer. She frowned. "No, there's no information for him from today. Is he en route?"
"He should be here already. I left after them and had to come farther," Regina said, panicking.
As the woman kept typing, someone called Regina's name. She looked up to find Dr. Whale hurrying toward her and her heart leapt in her throat. "Where's my father?" she called out to him.
"We're admitting him now," Dr. Whale said, reaching her. "His numbers are startling and I fear the cancer is progressing."
Regina was trembling now. "Progressing? So he's getting worse?"
"I don't know. That's why I want to admit him and run some more tests on him. Okay?" He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
She nodded. "Can…Can I see him?"
"Of course. I'll show you to his room," he said, leading her down the hall. She clutched her bag closer and found herself wishing Robin could magically appear by her side.
"I'm going to go grab a snack. You want anything?" Emma asked once Henry was all settled in his room.
Regina shook her head, holding her father's hand as he slept. "I don't think my stomach can handle it."
"Okay. I'll be right back." Emma squeezed her shoulder before leaving the room.
Alone, Regina busied herself with making sure her father's blankets were covering him completely. "You need to get better, Daddy. I can't lose you," she said.
"Well, think of it this way—if he dies, he won't have to see you in one of those ugly orange prison jumpsuits."
Regina looked up, eyes narrowing when she saw her mother in the doorway. "How did you know where I was? Are you having me followed?"
"Perhaps, but that's for you to wonder about." Cora walked into the room, clutching her purse close. "Zelena was arrested for embezzlement."
"I know. I couldn't do it," Regina said.
Her mother shook her head. "Too bad. Gold is going to the authorities now. You might want to start putting your affairs in order."
"Why are you doing this to me?" Regina asked, shaking her head. "Why are you choosing Zelena over me, your flesh and blood?"
"You need to make up your mind, Regina. You can tell me that I'm not your mother and that you want nothing to do with me but then turn around and play the 'I'm your daughter' card." Cora sighed in exasperation.
Anger boiled Regina's blood. "Fine. And I won't bother trying to appeal to your humanity because you don't have any of that either. If all you did was come to gloat, you can leave. We don't want you here."
"Well, don't say I didn't warn you." Cora turned and left the room, bumping into Emma on her way out.
Emma frowned as she sank down into the seat next to Regina. "What the fuck did she want?"
"I need to make a call," Regina said, standing. "Can you watch Daddy?"
"Of course, but what's going on? Is everything okay?" Emma was concerned and looked ready to fight someone for her.
Regina nodded before shaking her head. "Everything may be going to shit soon. You'll take care of Daddy?"
"Yes, but don't sound so defeated. You are a fighter, Regina. And you have a lot of people on your side—me, Henry, Robin…if you two are okay again, and so many more. I'm sure you'll beat this," Emma told her, hugging her.
With tears threatening to fall, Regina pulled away from her friend. "Thank you. And now I need to call someone who can help me. I'll be back in a little bit."
"Come on!" Regina hit the vending machine but the bag of chips didn't budge. After the day she had had, it seemed all too fitting. She moaned and hit it again, just out of anger and not from expectation the bag would suddenly fall.
A strong and familiar hand covered hers. "It's okay, Regina," Robin said, softly.
Regina closed her eyes at the sound of his voice, tears starting to fall. She spun around, throwing her arms around him and burying her face in the crook of his neck. "What are you doing here?"
"Roland called me and told me Mr. Henry was in the hospital," Robin explained, rubbing her back. "I hopped on the first flight back. How is he?"
She told him everything in between sobs. His hold on her grew tighter and when she told him about her mother's visit, he growled. "I can't believe she would sink so low."
"That's my mother for you," she replied, taking the tissue he offered. "I've called John and he said that he was going to see what was going on."
Robin nodded, kissing her forehead. "He'll handle everything, Regina."
"Yes, I have," John said, walking up to them. He looked solemn, setting Regina on edge. "They are going to charge you for embezzling from Blanchard Financials. But I've convinced the District Attorney's office to let you surrender on your own within forty-eight hours."
"Can you work to getting the charges dropped? Does the District Attorney have nothing better but to prosecute someone for a decade old crime?" Robin asked.
John sighed. "I'm going to start negotiations once Regina surrenders and is arraigned, but I'm going to need to know everything that happened back then."
She nodded. "I'll tell you. Just not here. Can we go back to Robin's?"
"Of course. I'll meet you there," he said, shaking Robin's hand before walking back to the exit.
"Let's go get Emma," she told Robin. "If I'm going to tell everything, I'd rather do it once with all of you present."
A/N: I know half of you are probably going to be panicking because I put Henry in the hospital. Sorry.
This was a bridge chapter, setting up for the big reveal next chapter—it's time to finally learned what happened at Blanchard Financials and what went down between Leopold and Regina. I will warn that it will take a dark turn and I will be writing something I've never written before. Appropriate trigger warnings will appear before that chapter.
Anyway, I'm off on my work conference so once again, there will be no new chapter of The Dark Legacy. That will go up next Friday.
-Mac