This is a short one, and I've been looking at it and re-working this story for quite some time. But I figured that because you guys have waited so long - and even though it feels like I'm doling out a pittance - I had to post something to let you know that I haven't forgotten you.

Regina's heart was feeling lighter; five weeks and she was managing to stay sober. She hated the meetings, listening to the rest of the anonymous crowd, ranting their woes to a judgement-free audience. She often found herself tuning out, until she'd meet those crystal blue eyes across the room, he'd smile and wink his eye and she could feel her cheeks redden as she sat up in her seat and cleared her throat.

He didn't push her to speak in the meetings, letting her continue on using listening as her method of recovery. He could see there was a lot in her life she wasn't yet ready to talk about and some things she probably never would.

Every now and then, when they stood on the stoop of the community hall, with a dusk chill seeping into their bones and a cigarette between Regina's fingers, she wanted to talk. She'd turn her head and part her lips and he'd smile in-wait, urging her to speak with those compassionate eyes of his.

Something always stopped her.

Sometimes it was an image of Killian, dangling a bottle of rum before her minds-eye. Sometimes it was the knowledge that David had suffered, near as much as she had and yet she was the barely kept-together wreck.

Sometimes she simply feared that the way he looked at her would change; then she'd close her mouth, look to the horizon and pretend she hadn't inched just a little bit closer to telling him everything.

"I'll see you next week?" Rob smiled over his shoulder in askance and Regina nodded.

"Yeah, sure." She waved with the hand that held her cigarette, keeping her other hand warm tucked into her armpit. "See you then."

"And don't forget," He grinned widely, walking backwards as he spoke. Regina tried to force her smile down as she watched him trip up over a dip in the sidewalk, stumbling with a laugh as he caught himself and kept walking. "Meet me here Thursday, I've got something I want to show you."

Regina shrugged. "I'll be here."

Regina sat with her legs dangling off the stage and a microphone hanging in her hand, down by her side. David was tuning his guitar behind her as Killian tapped his drumsticks on the edge of his stool, impatiently amusing himself and staring at the back of Regina's head.

She could feel his eyes on her, searing the back of her head like hot pokers. She hadn't spoken to him beyond a group setting for weeks and in doing so, managed to keep herself entirely clean and sober. She was even working up to being proud of herself and believed she almost could be, if she could shake the great sense of guilt that continued to plague her.

They were all silent and Regina's senses were filled with the random noises around them - Killian's tapping, David's tuning, Neal's bumping and scraping of glasses and trays around the bar and the heavy thud of Emma's Docs on the battered wood floors.

Regina's head shot up when she heard voices; startled by the oddity of it when they'd all been silent for what felt like hours, each of them in their own little worlds. It was Mary-Margaret's voice that reached her first, singing David's praises and harping about her own pride in him.

It was then, when Mary-Margaret and her silent charge moved into the light from the stage that Regina's skin crawled. Ice spread through her whole body in a flood and she arched back, hopping back up onto the stage like the movement was a reflex. One could say it was, seeing as her main instinct was to run as far and as fast from that man as possible.

"Daddy, you know David, of course," Mary-Margaret gushed. "And this is Killian, he's the new drummer, he's Irish," She waved to the drummer who's concerned eyes were set on Regina's back as she turned away, pacing the stage.

"Pleasure," Leo inclined his head and Killian nodded, expressionless.

"And of course, I don't need to introduce you to Regina," Mary-Margaret beamed and Regina spun around with anger practically seeping from her pores.

"How dare you," She hissed. "How dare you," She stormed forward, leaning down from her perch on the stage to growl in Mary's face. "What right do you have to bring him here."

"Now, Reggie Darling," Leo started, reaching out to grasp her elbow but Regina stood up straight, back stiff and eyes hard, wrenching her arm violently away.

"Get the hell out of here!"

"I was invited by my daughter, Regina, I will stay to see the show."

Regina hopped down off the stage, moving quickly away from the man, feeling her heart shaking in her chest with barely contained rage. She wanted to yell and scream at Mary-Margaret, to condemn her thoughtlessness, to slap her across the face for her cruelty. But instead she backed away, ignoring David's and Killian's concerned faces and Emma's shout of her name.

"There's not going to be a fucking show." She muttered, smacking the curtain to the back room aside as she disappeared behind it, shaking right down to her bones just at seeing his face.

She hadn't ever been a woman easily frightened. David had been her guardian angel all through high school and even as they'd stood together in her foster parent's bathroom, staring down at a little white stick, she hadn't been nearly as frightened as Leo made her.

When he was in the room she quaked, when Mary said his name she could feel her blood run cold and her skin break out in a sweat. Her long-healed scars seemed to burn like fresh wounds when he was near and the corners of her eyes pricked with tears.

She had never been completely, properly scared of anyone, until Leo had left his first handprint on her arm.

She pressed her palms to the wall in the back stage corridor, feeling the cool concrete and running her fingers over the flaking burgundy paint as she sighed, resting her forehead against the wall and taking long, deep breaths.

She thought she had a handle on how he made her feel, she thought sobering up would help. But Leo was a force and as much as she wanted to fight it, she was a woman with weaknesses like any other. Daniel had dulled the pain for a time; he'd soothed her scars with gentle caresses but his death had left her wounds raw and unprotected.

"Come now, Regina, I haven't heard you sing in so long."

Regina jumped clean out of her skin at the sound of his voice. She pulled away from the wall and staggered back into it, pulling away as he moved towards her, inching further down the hall when he blocked her path.

"Sing for me, darling."

"Get away from me, Leo." He reached for her hand but she slapped him away. "Don't touch me!" She hissed, shuffling away as he menacingly moved forward.

"Come on, Reg, for old time's sake."

"Don't call me that," She whimpered, staggering down the hall, unable to push past him back into the club; her only way was backwards, toward her empty dressing room.

"Don't call you what, Reggie?" He smirked, blocking her way with a hand against the wall just to the right of her head. Regina turned her eyes away, looking down at the floor, refusing to meet his eyes. He reached his other hand up, pressing his palm to her hip with a lecherous smile.

Regina pushed his hand away with both of her own, fighting his attempts to tug at her shirt, pulling her face away as he leant in to nip at her neck. "Stop it," She whimpered. "Get off me!" She shoved at his hands, pushing herself off the wall and thumping at his chest with closed fists.

"Regina!" Killian's voice sounded in the hall as she managed to scramble away from Leo, pulling at the curtain to drag her body out of his determined hold. "Get off her!" He boomed, shoving Leo in the chest and blocking his path so that Regina could dash back into the club.

When she burst through the curtain the first thing she saw was David's livid eyes over Mary-Margaret's shoulder. His expression one of guilt, terror and clear understanding - after all, he was the only one that truly knew the damage Leo had caused. Mary-Margaret was pawing at him, holding him back from her, gushing at him with praises for her father and her naive proclamations of his innocence and though Regina knew in her heart why David had never told Mary the truth; that he stood there, out of reach, made her heart hurt.

His face fell even further when he saw the hurt in Regina's eyes, the pain at knowing he wasn't able to come after her. For the first time, Regina was realising David couldn't always be there for her. Be it Leo or rabid fans or a bottle full of amber; David wasn't always going to be there to save her and Killian only knew how to fight and claw the way that she did.

She could feel her heart rate increasing, the beat of it thrumming in her ears until all she could hear was a dull roar. Her breath hitched, her chest heaved and with Killian and Leo's voices behind her and David's eyes before her, Regina had no idea what to do beyond running.

She dashed out the door, forgetting her coat and ignoring the shouts behind her for her to come back. She stumbled out into the street, feeling the icy wind the moment it hit her skin but she set her jaw, folded her arms over her chest and walked against the wind.

Robin smiled politely as he spooned out the final serve of sausages and mashed potato to a man in a dark coat with a dirty yellow scarf. He had gaps in his teeth and a smell about him that most arched away from, but the small, scruffy dog that followed him everywhere he went didn't seem to care.

He watched, with his hip rested against the trestle table and his arms crossed over his chest as the group before him sat about the cart with their small bowls of warm sausage and gravy; heating their bones with hearty food and sharing stories that would marvel anyone who cared to stop for just a second and listen to them.

He checked his watch, frowning, shaking his head in disappointment as he turned to start clearing up. He'd hoped she would come. He had been wanting to show her, even since she'd really started to make progress, that she could find joy in life if she tried. He wanted to show her that helping people could help her heal, that listening to them could help her understand her issues better.

But he wasn't entirely overwhelmed that she hadn't come. A little part of him was completely unsurprised and that part of him had tried to kick him so many times, even as he'd tried to squash the thought.

His regular group had ditched their bowls and shuffled away back to their shadows and street corners as he packed up his cart; he was folding up the last table when his phone started to buzz.

He pulled it from his pocket, frowning at the caller before he answered with surprise. "Regina?"

She didn't speak. There was a sniffle on the end of the line and heavy breathing but for a long time, she didn't say a word.

"One sigh to say you're safe or two for me to call for help."

Regina sighed and Robin pressed his eyes closed in relief, smiling gently as he waited for her to be ready. Still she didn't speak, but he could hear from her laboured breathing that she had been or still was crying and for a moment, with thought of all the resistance she'd put up, he wondered why she'd called him.

"I'm drinking." Regina sobbed and he blinked in surprise before he schooled his voice to let her hear the disappointment.

"What happened?"

"Can you come?" She whimpered and he let out a long breath, looking at his watch. He was meant to get home, it was getting dangerously close to midnight and he was on a tight schedule, but Regina sounded distraught and he'd worked so hard to get her to open up that he couldn't pass up the opportunity to have her air her fears.

"Where are you?"

She muttered the name of a park he knew well, she was on the park bench right by a huge oak that stood by the side of a popular playground. And he nodded down the line.

"I have to make a stop, but I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Okay," Her voice shook down the line and Robin rushed, slamming the door of the trailer shut, locking it up and dashing for his truck.

When he pulled into the parking lot he could see her in the headlights, curled in on herself with her legs pulled up on the park bench. His heart wrenched at the sight of her, curled over with clear mascara stains on her cheeks and blue, chattering lips. She had a bottle rested in her lap and she was gripping the neck of it with white knuckles. Her lipstick was smeared and her arms were shaking. She looked so very small sitting there, freezing to the bone.

Regina watched him from across the playground as he scrambled out of his car, reaching into the back for a moment before closing all the doors and moving towards her. She could see that he had something in his arms; something small that was wrapped around him and held securely at his hip.

It wasn't until he was standing in front of her that she realised what he was carrying. Regina's tears started anew, her eyes began to water, reddening and swelling until she sobbed out her words. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-I didn't-"

Rob sat down quickly, resting the small boy against his chest and using his free arm to wrap around Regina. "No," He pulled her into his side. "Shh, it's alright." He could feel her shaking against him, her body was frozen down to the bone and he could hear her lips chattering. "How long have you been out here?"

Regina shrugged. "Maybe two hours."

"Two hours, Regina," Robin gasped. "Come on, we have to get you out of here."

He made to pull her up but Regina held firm, shaking her head. "No, I shouldn't have called you," She cried. "I didn't even know you had a kid and you're out here," She waved her arm, gesturing at the sleeping child with his cherubic face resting on his father's shoulder. "And he's asleep but I called and I made you come," She whimpered. "I shouldn't have done that, you should leave me here."

"Regina,"

"No," She sobbed, awkwardly trying to unscrew the bottle of whiskey in her lap. "Just leave me."

"Regina," Robin spoke gently, crouching down in front of her, expertly shifting the small child to his other arm so that he could still her fingers on the bottle cap; they were ice. "I'm not leaving you, not ever." Regina's eyes shot up to his. They were rimmed red and stained with smeared eyeliner, but they locked on the clear, fresh blue of his and she licked her lips feeling, for a change, a spark of hope. "I promised to be here for you and Regina," He smiled, reassuringly gripping her fingers tighter. "I'm here."

"You shouldn't be." She breathed and Robin smiled, reaching up to brush a lock of hair behind her ear. Something passed between them, a spark of something she knew could be dangerous. His fingers felt like a flame, heating her skin to the point where, she almost couldn't feel the cold any longer. His eyes hadn't left hers, keeping her grounded, keeping her steady and making her forget that her small fingers gripped the cap of the bottle.

"I can't think of anywhere else I'd be of better use." His thumb brushed along her cheekbone and Regina's eyelashes fluttered. She felt like she was breaking in half but with Robin's hand rested against her cheek, she felt tethered and somehow, she felt safe. It wasn't the bottle grounding her but the calloused pad of his thumb that touched her cheek and touched her heart.

Thunder cracked overhead and the small boy in Robin's arms made a gentle little sound of discontent. Regina's breath hitched; her attention drawn to the little eyes that blinked in the dim light of the street lamp overhead. "Daddy," The boy groaned, curling in closer to Robin's shoulder as Robin shushed him back into a fitful slumber.

"Come on," Robin gripped Regina's hand and stood. "Come with us out of the rain before it soaks you through."

Regina hesitated, feeling her fingers twitch in the palm of his hand. She looked down at the bottle in her lap, feeling the rim of the cap digging into her skin as she ran her fingers around it. She had to stop this, she had to let him help her. David wasn't always going to be there, Killian was more danger than he was help and she was petrified that if she saw Leo again, she'd break down and cry like a little girl. She'd tried to fix herself on her own, but her relationship with Killian was testament to how sourly that had worked.

With a shaky, uneven step, she got up from the bench and made to follow him. Robin surprised her when suddenly he pulled his coat out to the side and wrapped her in it, pulling her under his arm and stilling her shivering frame almost instantly. Her body quaked for an entirely different reason then, when she felt the taut muscles of his chest against her and the warmth of his body through his shirt.

"What do I do?" Regina whispered.

Robin hugged her tighter. "We can start by throwing that bottle in the trash just there."

Regina looked down at it, feeling her fingers resisting. Everything inside of her told her that it was for the best. The drink didn't help, it never had. It barely even numbed the constant ache around her heart. But something had shifted, something was changing. Something was starting to feel like the few brief moments she'd spent loving Daniel. She felt stronger, she felt braver and she felt courageous for long enough to toss the bottle into the trashcan and not even look over her shoulder and wonder if she'd made the right decision.

"Do you want to go home?" She could feel the timbre of his voice against her side.

"No," She breathed out, unsure that if she was left alone again, she'd shatter into pieces.

To Be Continued.