Chapter 5

The bottle clinked against the glass as she poured herself a glass of red wine, her hand trembling as she put the bottle back onto the counter with a little too much force and the bottle tilted, her hand shooting out to catch it, and a splash of red liquid landed on her white blouse. Of course.

"Shit."

She clenched her eyes shut, willing the tears back down. This day just kept getting worse.

How could she be so stupid? How could she sleep with him?

Leaning forward, she pressed her hands flat onto the counter, gulping hard. She could still smell him on her and she shivered. She had missed him so much, and having him in her again, feeling him move inside of her, his hands and mouth all over her body, had torn every wall she had put up to protect her heart to shreds.

She had wanted him. The anger rushing through her body making it impossible for her to push him away. She had needed him. Desperately.

It had been so long since the last time and ...

She staggered forward, her heart leaping into her throat. The last time. Oh my God, she had stopped taking the pill after that. She hadn't seen the point.

God, she forgot. How could she forget?

She swirled around and reached for her purse, searching for her car keys. She needed to get to the pharmacy before it closed. But then she suddenly stopped, the keys falling out of her fingers and clattering down on the floor as she pressed one hand over her stomach.

She couldn't do it. She just couldn't.

If their meeting in the forest would have consequences she would accept it. She would not destroy it. It would be Robin's child, and a selfish part of her wanted it. If she couldn't have him, maybe she was allowed to have his child.

-/-

She didn't say anything. Just looked at him, and after a moment of hesitation he started to speak.

"I ... I can't do this anymore."

"What are you talking about?"

"Us." He said quietly. "I ... you were dead for over three years Marian, and losing you had torn me apart, but one day I realized I need to move on. Even if it was only for Roland's sake, and I did."

"You fell in love with another woman."

It wasn't a question, but he still nodded in affirmation. "Yes. I did."

Her eyes suddenly took on a hard gleam, her brows furrowing.

"Don't tell me it's the Evil Queen." Marian said harshly, his face apparently telling her enough as she yanked her hand out of his grip and jumped up. "Are you kidding me?"

"Marian, please."

"You fell in love with the woman who wanted to murder me in cold blood?"

"I didn't know that."

"But you do know now." Marian's voice shrilled through the room. "How can you love her?"

"She is different now."

"Everyone keeps telling me that. But I don't believe it."

"She saved Roland's life." Robin said calmly. "A Flying Monkey descended on him and she stepped in between. If she hadn't ... Roland wouldn't be here."

"I know. And I'm grateful for that. But she still wanted to kill me."

"Why were you in her dungeon in the first place?" Robin asked, tilting his head. Since she had come back from the dead he had always wondered. "I haven't heard from you in months. I had already given up all hope to see you alive again."

"Why does it matter how I got there?" Marian questioned with a harsh voice, averting her gaze to the ground as she added. "She would have murdered me if Emma hadn't rescued me."

"What are you not telling me?"

"Nothing."

Robin kept staring at her but she didn't look up, and he knew this was not the time to keep poking. He would come back to that another time.

"Look, Marian." He grabbed her hand and pulled her back onto the couch. "I love you. I will always love you. You are the mother of my child but ... I am not in love with you anymore. I can't live a life based on lies. You deserve to know the truth." He paused, watching her carefully, but she only looked down at her lap, and he continued softly. "You were dead, Marian. And I decided to start living again. Regina ... it just happened. I saw the second chance in her and took it. I'm sorry to hurt you, but I can't go back. I can't change what I'm feeling."

"And what about Roland?" Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper, and when she looked up at him, he could see the hurt flickering over her eyes. "Are you going to take him away from me too?"

"No!" Robin exclaimed quickly, squeezing her hand for reassurance. "Of course not."

"Good." She said, exhaling a soft breath. "We can talk about the arrangements tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure." Robin replied. "I'll just grab a few things and be out of your way as fast as possible."

"Robin?" She called after him, and he stopped in the doorway and turned around to her. "I knew it before you told me. I knew something wasn't right."

"I know. I'm sorry that I waited so long to tell you. I should have talked to you sooner."

"You should have." Marian said with a tired voice, her next question barely audible. "Are you going to her?"

"Yes." He replied, not wanting to lie to her. Not anymore. "I'm going to her."

-/-

Regina was sitting on the couch, staring at nothing as the door bell rang, and she almost dropped the glass as she jumped up. One look at the clock was telling her that it was pretty late for any visitors and she walked slowly to the door, peeking through the spy hole.

Her heart stuttered in her chest as she saw Robin standing in front of the door, and it took her some tries until she was able to grab the handle and open the door.

"Hey." She leaned against the doorframe, wrapping her arms around her as she waited for him to give her an explanation what he was doing here.

"Hey." He said softly, adjusting a sleepy Roland on his arm. "Can we sleep here tonight?"