A/N: Whew! Here it is at last! Been looking forward to this one since I started the story!

And I'm sorry it took so long. I really, really thought that it was way closer to being done than it turned out to be. It really needed a lot of modification. Just... don't ever trust me when I say how long something's going to take. 10 minutes becomes an hour, an hour becomes three, and apparently a few days means more than two weeks.

Anyhow, I'm thinking there'll be about three more chapters here, assuming they don't grow enormous and I have to split them again. BUT I've no idea how long they'll take. I'll try, I really will, but I can't even promise a chapter before my semester starts (in two weeks!), and after that I really won't have much free time... The price I pay for an education, I guess.

Enjoy the chapter!

Regina felt the carriage halt. That's odd, she thought. They shouldn't reach the castle until nightfall, still a few hours away. She heard a commotion to the front of the carriage, but she couldn't see anything out the tiny carriage window.

A moment later there was a knock on the door.

"What is it? Why have we stopped?" she asked as she opened the door.

"The— the bridge is out, your majesty," the boy began. "We— We'll have to go around. The— the next bridge is— It'll add a day to the trip. We'll have to find an inn, stay the night. I— I hope that's not a problem, your majesty…"

"No," she sighed, "No, of course not."

"V-very well, your majesty…" he said, bowing his head as he left her carriage.

She sighs, frustrated. This boy… she doesn't like him. Not that he's not competent, he is. But that's it. He's competent, nothing more. And he's scared, intimidated by her. He doesn't see her, he just sees the queen.

She… gods, she misses Robin. It's been six weeks since he finally got fed up with her and left, and she misses him. Once he left, all her anger evaporated, she realized how ridiculous she'd been acting, how horrible she'd treated him. Her magic had vanished for a few days, but she had learned to manage to make it work without horribly mistreating anyone else. But it was too late to make amends with Robin, and she's just so lonely in that castle all the time, with no one to talk to.

She had been almost grateful when she received that letter. Not that she'd been happy to hear of her uncle's death, of course, but she was grateful for the excuse to leave the castle for a few days. She had hoped this unexpected — unavoidable — trip would give her the chance to get out, stretch her legs a bit. But, of course, her husband had been home when she had received the news, and he had insisted she bring guards. What if she was abducted and held for ransom? he reasoned. If I were abducted, she thought bitterly, I would pay them the ransom myself, just so I could have some time out in the world instead of being delivered back to the castle like a disobedient child.

Her thoughts are interrupted by the carriage stopping again. They have arrived in a small town, and her guards inform her that they are securing a room in the inn for her, under an alias, of course, posing as some minor nobility, so that no one knows that she's the queen.

Regina paces her room like a caged lioness. She's been here for an hour already, shut up in her room. For her own protection, of course. And she had at least three more hours to look forward to before she could even think about going to sleep. She missed being able to be out and about, talking to people, interacting with them. There's no one for her to talk to back in the castle.

A thought struck her. There was that teleportation spell Rumple had been trying to teach her. And she'd been getting better and better of late, successful more often than not. If she really wanted to escape, well, no one would notice her absence for a few hours at least. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes to focus, and…

…materialized on the street outside the inn. She almost laughed with joy at her success. She was free! For a few hours, at least— until the guards noticed her absence. She wandered around the streets for a while, reveling in the feeling of freedom. With no guards, wearing plain clothes, with her hair tied back into a ponytail, no one noticed her. She was free not just from the guards or the walls of the castle, but also from the burden of being queen.

As it got dark, the streets emptied, and Regina, unwilling to return to her confinement so soon, ducked inside a tavern.

Robin sat down at the bar of the tavern where he worked. It was his night off. He got one night off a week, for all the good it did him. He had no one to spend it with, nothing to do with his free time besides think about the queen. Regina. He thought about her constantly. He missed her. He's still in love with her, not that he'd expected that to change in a few months. But it was still so hard. Getting harder, even, to be apart from her, even though he knew it was the best choice.

He still feels terrible for leaving her. Despite her behavior that had convinced him to leave, he remembers how important their friendship had been to her before. She had thanked him profusely for being friendly with her, and nothing he said seemed to reassure her that he did, in fact, enjoy her company. But, he reminded himself harshly of why he had left. He was in love with her, she wasn't going to ever return his feelings, this situation was just bad for the both of them.

He has to get over her, he reminds himself. It will hurt, It will take time, but this really is best.

Regina sat down at a small table, and asked the waitress for a glass of water. She had some gold on her— always did when traveling— so she wasn't worried about payment.

As the woman brought her drink, she surveyed the room. It might have been a mistake to come in here, she realized. Few of the other patrons were women, and none of them were alone. She wasn't invisible anymore. In fact, a few of the men were leering at her. She debated going back outside, but alone on the streets at night would probably be worse for her. She would have to teleport herself back to the inn, and she wasn't ready. She wouldn't give up her freedom so easily. She had her magic, and if anyone made a move to hurt her, she would roast them. Or, at least, she could teleport out of the way. She hadn't quite mastered that fireball just yet.

Robin heard a commotion behind him. He turned and saw a couple men standing around a table. He couldn't see the table past them, but he heard raised voices, they seemed to be harassing someone.

"She must be rich, too, out here all alone," he hears.

A woman, here, alone? That was unusual. Robin concentrated, assessing the situation.

The woman ducked her head, muttered something clearly meant to send them on their way, but that seemed only to encourage the men, who continued to antagonize her, saying crude things to the point where, very soon, Robin had had enough. He got up, marched over to them.

"Leave the lady alone."

The man who had been speaking turns to face him, quick with his response. "Hey, the lady and I were just having a little chat. Not really any of your business, if you ask me. Is it?"

"It is absolutely my business to step in and stop you bothering this lady when she clearly does not want to be bothered." He said as calmly as he could, despite his building rage. "Now, as I said: Leave. The lady. Alone."

The man steps forward threateningly, and Robin's temper snaps. He pulls back and punches the man right across the face.

"I will tell you one more time. Leave. The lady. Alone."

The men blink at him stupidly for a moment, surprised at his outburst. Then, apparently not yet drunk enough to be stupid enough to pick a fight, they turn and are quickly out the door.

A moment later, Robin turns to face the young woman, asking, "Are you okay, my lady?"

"I'm fine, I— Robin!?" she exclaimed.

Robin? Joy filled Regina at the sight of him, followed quickly with renewed shame at how she had treated him before he left her. What now? What can she even say to him? Nothing, she supposes, just thank him and be on her way, back to the inn, then to her castle. Never see him again, just like he wanted. Like he'd clearly intended when he left.

"Regina?!" He was amazed to see her. The queen, in a place like this? What was she doing here? In this town? In this tavern? And the men who had just been here… He was immensely grateful that he had been here to defend her. Those men… she could've been seriously hurt, or worse.

"Your maj—"

"Shhh," she hisses. "Not here. No one— No one knows. If my guards heard about this…"

"But what are you doing here, Regina?" he whispers, but his tone was frantic.

"We— we were traveling back from my uncle's funeral." She explains, startled at the worry in his voice. "The bridge is out, so we had to stay in town for the night—"

"No, here at this tavern, Regina." His voice rises, as he makes an effort to keep it under control. "It's… dangerous for a woman to be alone in a place like this. Especially at night."

"I just… I was free for a moment, and I didn't want to go back… But, I… never mind. Thank you," she says formally. "I'll… I'll just be going now."

She moves forward, trying to brush past him, but he steps in front of her, stopping her.

"Regina, wait, it's not safe."

"And it's not going to be safe until morning, by which time it will be too late. I'll be missed," she snaps. "I'm more competent than you seem to think, Robin. I'll take my chances."

"Regina… I didn't mean to chase you off. You didn't want to leave yet. Don't. Sit down. Stay a while longer. I—I've missed you." He shouldn't, gods, he's trying to get over her. But seeing her… this is right, being with her, even just for a moment, and if he can get her to stay… he will.

"You miss me?" she asks, incredulous. "You miss me? You left me, Robin." It's not really fair of her. She'd driven him away, she shouldn't be angry with him for leaving. But she is, suddenly. She'd thought they were friends, she'd thought she could count on him, and…"

"You left in the middle of the night, with no warning." Her voice rises, drawing attention to them, but she can't bring herself to care. "I know it was… complicated," she says, careful not to let on to the other patrons that she is queen. "But I thought we were friends. I told you time and time again I thought of you as my friend. Did that really mean so little to you? Did I really mean so little to you?" she finishes, breathing hard.

"No!" he replies vehemently. "Of course not. Regina, I do care about you. We were friends. Still are, if you'll let me. I—"

"Then why, Robin? Why did you leave?" she interrupts. And she doesn't sound angry now, she sounds defeated.

"I— It's complicated. We— Regina, can we talk? I work here— I live upstairs…"

She hesitates, but he had taken care of her when she was ill, he had been such a good friend to her, and then he just up and left, without a word. She looks at him, and he seems earnest, and she knows that he's an honest man. She nods and follows as he leads her upstairs.

He's worried as he leads her up. He has no idea what to say to her. He knows they need to talk. She's always been insecure about their friendship, and he needs to reassure her. But he has no idea what to say to her, his feelings for her are all tangled up, his friendship and his love for her.

His apartment is tiny, just one room with a bed in one corner, cupboards and a counter for preparing food along a wall, one small window, and a small, two person sofa in the middle of the room. It is neat, though. Robin had long learned to make a habit of keeping things neat.

He gestures for her to sit, and she does so, primly. He sits down beside her, and looks at her, trying to figure out how to begin.

"Alright, Robin," she says, "You wanted to talk. Talk."

"When I… you were… I do care about you, Regina. I want you to be happy. And, before I left, you were so irritable. Upset, all the time. And I tried to help, really I did, but nothing I said or did seemed to cheer you up. And… no one else seemed to notice a change in your behavior. I thought… it must be me. And if my presence was upsetting you, then I should leave."

"I'm sorry, Robin. It—it wasn't you, it was me. I was just… I don't know, moody I guess, for a while. You were… in the line of fire, I guess."

"Still, I am sorry, Regina. I left without telling you… But I couldn't— I just couldn't tell you."

"Why not? Robin, what was so important?"

"I couldn't tell you, because you would have asked me to stay."

"I— well of course I would have." She's more confused than ever, now. "What does that mean?"

He hears the confusion in her voice, the desperation. And he understands her, he does, two years of talking to her, being her friend, and he hears, behind her words, the need for affirmation, the need to believe that he didn't leave because of her, that she didn't drive him away. The heartbreak that she has already endured believing that. He needs to give her this, even if it's his own heart that gets broken, he needs to assure her that she will never not be enough for him, that he was only trying to do what he thought best for the both of them.

"It's complicated… You would have asked me to stay, and I— I fell in love…"

Oh, she thinks, there's a woman. "Well, why not just tell me? I would have understood."

"No, no, I know you would have. That's not the problem… Regina, I fell in love…" he takes a deep breath and admits, "with the queen."

Her hand flies to her mouth, and she had been dead set on being angry with him, but this… this is so far from anything she expected. "Me?" Her lips form the word, but no sound comes out.

He nods. "I fell in love with you. I am in love with you. I was… so conflicted. You… I could tell how important our friendship was to you… I didn't want to ruin that. But I— it was driving me mad– seeing you, being your friend, being so close to you, but not – not truly sharing your life, not the way I wanted to. I couldn't tell you I was leaving, because you would have asked me to stay, and I would have. In an instant. To see you happy… to be the one to make you happy… Your happiness is worth more to me than I could ever express.

"And you were so miserable, so upset, and nothing I said seemed to help…I'm sorry, Regina. I thought you'd be happier if I left. And I thought… I thought it'd be easier. To be away from you. I thought it would be best…"

She stares at him in shock for a moment, trying to absorb what he is saying. "When…" she starts, but rethinks, "Why… why now, Robin? It's been almost two years, and suddenly… What changed?"

"I… I didn't know. I didn't realize… didn't admit my feelings for you for a long time. I think… I think I might have fallen in love the moment I met you. You were— you are— you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. And you were so sad. And I just… you remember, the day after we met? I came to your chambers, to tell you your apple tree was in the courtyard."

"I remember," she murmured.

"You were still in your nightdress. I was mortified, but I told you where the tree was, and you smiled— you have the most beautiful smile, Regina. And I think, from that moment, I would have done anything for you to be happy, to see you smile again. But… you're married, and you're queen. I just… I tried not to think those things. It worked, for a while. I wanted to make you happy, but I managed not to think about wanting to. I never held on to the thought for long enough to realize that it meant— that I was in love with you."

"So, what changed?" she repeated.

"When… when you got sick. You were so ill, I'm not sure you realize. I thought… everyone thought you were going to die. Even Rumplestiltskin… he appeared one day, looking for you. I begged him to save you, and he said there was nothing he could do. I thought you would die, I thought I'd never see you again, and I realized… I realized how much you meant to me.

"You recovered, and I was so, so grateful. But then… you told me about Daniel, and I… I know there's no hope for you to love me the way I love you."

She gets up, walks to the window, looking out but not really seeing anything. "Robin," she begins, trying to gather her thoughts, to put words to them.

"I… when you left, I had been angry, like I said, just, for no reason, and when you left, it all… went away, and I just, I missed you. So much, so much more than I should have. And you… and it's been six weeks, and I just let it… didn't think about it. And then, seeing you again, just now, I felt… something, I don't know. I do… care about you, Robin. You've been such a good friend to me, and I care about you even beyond that… But, I… I loved Daniel. And I don't know… I don't know if I can reconcile my feelings for you with my feelings for him. I— I'm sorry, Robin. I just… I don't even know what I'm feeling…" she trails off, struggling to understand her own heart.

He walks up and stands beside her at the window. "Regina, I— I can't begin to understand your loss. But I do know that, if it were me… All I care about is your happiness, Regina. I would not want you to mourn and be miserable for the rest of your life. It is clear to me that part of your heart will always belong to Daniel. But, just because you could love again doesn't mean you loved him any less. If Daniel loved you as I do, he would want you to heal, he would want you to move on and find happiness."

"I don't know if I can," Regina whispers almost inaudibly, still facing away from him. "What if… what if I do and then… I don't want to get hurt again."

"Regina…" he breathes, putting a hand on her shoulder, desperate to comfort her, "I can't promise you'll never be hurt. I wish I could. But I can promise to love you, if you'll let me. And I can promise to stay. If you want me with you, I will always be here."

"Promise?" Her voice is soft as she turns to face him, tears on her cheeks.

His hands come up to cup her cheeks, thumbs stroking away her tears. "I promise. Regina, as long as you want me, I'll be here. Whatever you want, Regina."

"I want… I want to be free. To be happy. It's all I ever wanted. And I think… I think I want to be with you."

"Oh, my darling." He whispers, kissing her forehead before wrapping his arms around her in a crushing embrace. "Then you will be. As long as you want me, I'll be here for you, Regina."

A/N: Hope you liked it! I always appreciate your reviews. :)