As Esme opened her eyes, much like the night before, the world slowly and gradually came into view. The sight that greeted her was a room, adorned with purple curtains, grey stoney walls and black decor. Esme watches, a bystander, as Regina slowly and quietly got up, ensuring not to make even the slightest of sounds, and headed straight to her mirror. She stood sideways and softly placed her hand on the little bump that was quickly developing, and was elated and terrified at its growth. It was becoming harder and harder to hide now and she knew that she had to leave. Robin noticed within weeks, and Regina couldn't help but smile at his reaction; he hugged Regina tightly, kissed her softly, placed his hand on her little belly and stooped down to talk to it.

"You are going to be so loved, little one", he said, with a tear rolling down his face. That was a few weeks ago now and their meetings from then on were primarily used to discuss how and when leaving. Regina's mother had only one wish for her daughter and that was for her to marry a king. She wouldn't care how much Regina loved Robin, she wouldn't care about how much Regina already loved this little baby inside of her; she would gladly take them both away, just as she had Daniel. Regina used to feel sympathy for her mother; a lonely woman who was trying so desperately to live through her daughter, she was willing to literally kill anyone or anything that threatened her. But now that she had Robin and a baby, a family, to look after, she knew that she had to take them away from the threat her mother posed. Her desire to protect the two people she loved most in this world overwhelmed her sometimes; family dinners went from undesirable to unbearable, mother-daughter moments became stomach churning and father daughter moments became guilt ridden. She had grown to hate her mother and everything that she stood for, but she loved her father, and felt a huge wave of guilt rush over her every time he looked her in the eyes. It was his sad eyes she was thinking of now that she was preparing to leave, grabbing the basket of clothes she had made and leaving her childhood bedroom; she and Robin had agreed that he would meet her tonight and they would, hopefully, run off into the sunset without any motherly intervention.

Regina had tried leading her mother off the sent as much as possible in the weeks prior to tonight. Although she and Robin had been careful not to be seen anywhere, Regina was terrified her mother somehow saw them both and would stop them. The secrecy had almost tore them both apart in the beginning of their relationship. They met in the woods when Regina's horse bolted and he helped her. She remembered how he told her off, telling her to let him help her. From then on, the two met in those same woods three or four times a week; Regina said she was trying to break in a new horse and her mother seemed to believe her. Regina's insistence on keeping things a secret baffled Robin at first, but then it began to annoy him. He told her all his plans; a moonlit walk down the street of the town, a romantic horse ride and countless other things Regina desperately wanted but couldn't get. It was only when she saw the hurt in Robin's eyes when she turned down his offer of a romantic meal for a pathetic picnic in the woods that she decided to tell him about Daniel, and the very real threat her mother posed.

Now, as she made her way through the palace she had always called home, she thought back and tried to remember her mothers face. Had she believed her? Really believed her? Or would she come after them both just as she had with Daniel? She knew that she wouldn't feel content until she and Robin were safely away from here, so she was relieved when she finally made it to the huge front door without her mother or any of the guards seeing her. As she slowly opened it, her heart stopping with every squeak and screech, she heard a rustling from outside.

"Regina?" a lour whisper said. Regina could see the figure of a man with a bow and arrow, unmistakably Robin, and her heart filled with joy; she was almost there.

"Shhhh!" Regina said, slowly closing the door behind her before running to him.

"You…. suck…. at…. this….!" she said in between kissing Robin. Robin simply laughed and ran his fingers through her hair.

"I'm afraid i don't have an awful lot of practice at kidnapping pregnant women!" he joked, still holding her close to him.

"It's not kidnap if they go willingly," Regina teased, kissing him back with just as much passion, which he enjoyed for a few moments until he initially pulled away.

"Well, lovely as this is, i want to get you," he said kissing Regina's lips, "and you," kissing Regina's belly, "out of here as fast as possible," he said looking her in the eyes adoringly. She loved that look; the look that made her feel like they were the only two people in the world. She gazed back at him, with just as much love in her eyes and kissed him in response.

Robin took her hand and the two walked for miles before finally venturing into Robin's territory; the woods. He began to try and set a fire, but he couldn't quite get it to light which Regina couldn't help but laugh at.

"You know i could help you with that, right?" Regina giggled, putting her arms around his chest and kissing the back of his neck.

"No, no. I can get it," he said, with as much concentration on his face as a child putting together a puzzle. That was until a spark eventually caught, which meant his face filled with elation. Suddenly exhausted, Regina immediately lay down next to the fire he made. She was beginning to dose off when she felt him lay behind her, cuddling up to her, with one arm supporting her neck and the other rubbing her belly, and in that moment, she was the happiest she had ever been as she slowly began to fall asleep.

It felt like she was only asleep for a few moments when she heard Robin shouting something she couldn't quite make out. She couldn't see him, but she could hear in his voice that whatever was making him so angry was dangerous. She sat up silently and slowly began to walk towards the noises, hoping to somehow help Robin with whatever situation he was in, but when she heard who he was shouting at, she couldn't move. It felt like her feet were cement and she didn't have the strength to lift them.

"HA! You think you can provide for my daughter as well as a baby?" a very smug Cora spat.

"Of course i can! Listen, I love your daught-"

"Are you really that naive?" Cora said, looking at Robin like he was an idiot. "Love isn't enough! Maybe for now, but when the baby grows up and needs food, clothing, books, pens-"

"We'll manage."

"No you won't. But if you accept my offer, you can lead a comfortable life. You can buy that drinking hole you ranted on about and Regina-"

"Will be raising our child alone, thinking that i don't love her. I'm sorry, but I will never let that happen."

"Where is my daughter?" Cora said, with venom seeping into every word.

"Lost our diplomatic front have we?" Robin taunted.

"Tell me where she is, or i'll"

"Or you'll what? Rip my heart out? Go ahead. I would rather die than ever let you near her again."

"That can be arranged," Cora replied, with a vindictive smile cracking along her face. Regina couldn't listen to this anymore and immediately ran towards them both, and she was immensely glad that she did as her mother was forming a hot, green fireball and aiming it directly at Robin.

"No! Mother leave him alone!" Regina screamed, begin the universe to spare Robin.

"Ahh and here she is. My beloved traitor." Cora was glaring at her in a way no mother should look at her child; with hate in her eyes. She began to walk towards Regina and as she did so, all hell broke lose. Robin immediately aimed an arrow at Cora the second she made her move towards Regina, who responded with a very prompt fireball. Regina lumped and grabbed her arm, preventing her form hurting Robin, but it resulted in the ball of death crashing into a branch just above Esme. The branch crunched and creeped before finally beginning to fall, and Regina immediately felt someone shove her. She fell, hard, onto the ground and felt an acute pain in her stomach so intense she could hardly breathe. Regina desperately grabbed her stomach, terrified she was losing the baby she and Robin longed for, and suddenly she saw Robin; he was lying on the ground, trapped by the fallen branch with blood trickling down his head. Cora looked shocked at the events that had unfolded and looked horrified that her daughter was in such pain but Regina didn't care. The pain was almost unbearable, and Robin looked like he was going to die, if he wasn't dead already and it was all Cora's fault.

"My baby! What have you done!" Regina said, but the pain was excruciating and all she could do was scream in agony as he mother poofed out of the woods.