(A/N-Thanks to Kara for beta reading this. And to those who read, review, follow, fav.)
Regina suddenly came to her senses and knew she had to put a stop to this. This wasn't what she could have, not now. Maybe never. She moved from him, his lips, his touch, his arms.
Him!
Robin looked down at her passion glazed eyes. Her lips were bruised from his kiss, and she had marks where his stubble had brushed up against her soft skin.
"You shouldn't have done that," she finally managed to say once she got her breath.
"Why?" Robin asked.
"Because...because I work for your mother, that's why," Regina said. "And this can't happen a second time."
"But the first time, did you enjoy it?" Robin asked with a smirk, "because I sure did."
"That's not the issue," Regina said as she turned away from him to look out on the grounds of the estate.
"Then, please, tell me the issue, because I would love to get to know more about you," Robin said, as he went to stand beside her. When she wouldn't answer him, wouldn't look at him, he took her chin in his fingers.
"Regina, I have felt attracted to you since the day we met. I understand you are working for my mother, but you won't be forever," Robin said with a smile. He was taking a huge risk, opening himself up like this. "Let me take you out one night, just the two of us."
"Are you asking me out on a date?" Regina asked.
"Guilty," Robin answered with hope in his eyes.
"Robin...I can't," Regina said as she moved from his touch,"I'm sorry."
And with those words, she turned and walked away from him, heading back to the house. Robin watched her go, and with her went his hope that he could have something this wonderful back in his life. He inwardly cursed himself for thinking that she would ever feel anything towards him, that she would ever feel this spark he had felt.
Maybe he had been alone for far too long, so when the first woman with a real heart had come into his life, he thought he had been given a reason to believe in hope again. He had thought they had a strong chance of having something, something truly real and wonderful between them. He knew they didn't know one another well, but he had been willing to take that chance and explore things with her. Now, he realized how stupid he had acted. Well, no more. Now it was just going to be about his son and no one else.
Robin took a few more minutes before heading back to the house, his mind and heart in turmoil. He was heading up the stairs that lead back to the patio when he saw his brother standing there, looking slightly upset. "What did you do?" David asked.
"What are you talking about?" Robin asked, aggravated.
"Regina just came by, clearly upset about something," David explained. "You were just with her, so I suggest you tell me what you did."
"I didn't do anything," Robin said.
"Somehow I don't believe that," David said.
"I don't care," Robin said as he started toward the doors. He was stopped when David grabbed his arm.
"If you hurt her-" David said.
"You'll what?" Robin asked, his anger getting to him. His hurt was causing it to boil over to cover for Regina rejecting an offer for them to mean something to each other.
"I mean it, Robin," David said. "Mom went chasing after her, you better not have ran her off."
"Where is my son?" Robin asked.
"He's been taken up to your room by Mom about a half hour ago," David answered.
"If you'll excuse me," Robin said as he moved from his brother's touch and headed indoors. Once inside he headed to the bar. He ordered a shot of whiskey and downed it in one shot.
He would love to keep drinking, but his son was here. He wasn't going to make an arse out of himself with his son around. His son was the most important person of his life, his heart and soul.
After his drink he waited a few minutes before heading upstairs to his room. He unlocked his room and walked in to find his son asleep in the small bed beside the huge window overlooking the grounds. He ruffled his son's curls and leaned down to give him a brief kiss on his forehead. He took off his jacket and was about to head to the bathroom for a shower when he heard a knock on the door. He hurried over to answer it, because he didn't want whoever it was to wake his sleeping son.
He opened the door and saw his mother standing there,"You come outside with me now, Robin Locksley."
Robin looked back to his son, and knowing he had no choice, he closed the door behind him. "What is it?"
"What is it? What did you do to Regina?" Ruth asked.
"Why is everyone asking me what I did?" Robin asked.
"Robin, answer your mother this second!" Ruth demanded.
"I kissed her," Robin answered. He saw the look of joy on his mother's face, and he too smiled softly as his mind traveled back to that kiss. Everything was perfect, until a few moments later. "And then she pulled away from me."
"Why would she do a thing like that? Robin, you did treat her like a lady, right?" Ruth asked.
"Yes, Mother, I did," Robin answered.
"So then what happened?" Ruth asked.
"Mother, I'm not at all comfortable discussing this with you," Robin said.
"Tough! So why did she pull away from you? Were you too turned on by her?" Ruth asked.
"Mom!" Robin said.
"Oh, stuff it, Robin. How do you think you and your brother came along? The stork?" Ruth asked.
"Alright Miss Smarty Pants, but while I might have been turned on by her," Robin said, taking a deep gulp as he couldn't believe he was having this conversation with his own mother,"she just said she couldn't be with me."
"Did she say why?" Ruth asked, feeling bad for her son.
"No," Robin said,"but what does it matter? Here I was, stupid Robin Locksley, putting forth my hope that for the first time since my divorce, a woman I happen to find attractive, intelligent, easy to talk to, refuses me when I ask her for more of her time."
"Robin," Ruth said as she watched her son walk over to one of the huge windows and look out on the night fallen sky.
"It's just as well, I'm sure things would have ended badly considering my track record," Robin said as he closed his eyes on the memories that flashed through his mind.
"Robin Locksley, don't you dare think that because of what Marian did to you, that you can't be happy again," Ruth said as she walked up to him and took his hand in her good hand. "I know you, Robin, and you feel things deeply with your entire being. I'm sure once Regina thinks things over, she'll come and talk to you."
"I think I screwed this up, Mom," Robin said,"besides, there might be someone else she wishes she was with."
"Who?" Ruth asked,"David?"
"I thought he was… I thought you both were working together to get Regina and me together, but maybe she is attracted to him after all."
"Robin, look-" Ruth started to say, but was cut off.
"Mom, I just can't anymore. I was just about to take a huge risk and open myself up to her, give her the power to destroy me if she wanted to," Robin said as he thought of how he had not opened up, not wanted to open up since Marian.
"Robin, don't give up on Regina. I have such a good feeling about her, she is honest, caring, warm-" Ruth began.
"Mom, you don't have to give me a list of all of Regina's good qualities. I'm well aware of them," Robin said,"I was just wrong about what I was starting to feel for her. I thought after this weekend that there was a chance that I could start dating her. I was wrong."
"No you weren't," Ruth said, hating to see her son suffering. "I know Regina is attracted to you, I have seen the way she looks at you when you're not aware of it."
"Attraction is not enough, Mom," Robin said. "I have to accept that she's only going to be your nurse, and that's all. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to get some sleep."
"Robin," Ruth said as she watched her son start towards his room.
"Look, it's alright," Robin said as he walked to his mother and took her by her shoulders gently, mindful of her hurt arm, "At least I gave it a shot. The timing just wasn't right or something."
Robin gave her a look of defeat. Ruth could only stand there with her mouth open, wanting to say something to help ease her son's mind, but nothing was coming to mind.
"Good night, Mom," Robin said as he leaned down and kissed her on her cheek before going into his room. He looked over at his son, who was sound asleep, completely unaware of his father's turmoil. He had gotten his hopes up and began to look into a possible future, one where Roland would have a mother, him a wife, with the possibility of more children one day, a sibling for Roland. But alas this wasn't meant to be.
He went to the bathroom and took a quick shower, a lukewarm one, then headed to bed. As soon as he closed his eyes, his thoughts were of Regina. How it had felt to kiss her, to hold her in his arms. She had responded to him, damnit! There was more than just attraction there between them. But no matter, she didn't want that sort of relationship with him. She was only here to work for his mother, and he would have to respect her wishes.
He may have to respect her wishes, but that wasn't going to take care of his desire and want for her. He would have to keep his wants to himself, and just try to either act like she didn't affect him or just avoid her from now on.
In her room, Regina was sitting at the head of her bed, thinking about what had happened earlier with Robin. She had wanted to stay in his arms and forget the world, forget the past. But once it had its talons in you, it was hard to forget. She had wanted nothing more than to get to know him, to spend more time with Robin. She had ignored when Ruth Locksley had knocked on her door, pretending to be asleep already.
But her past was once again rearing its ugly head and destroying her future in the process. She couldn't take the chance of that man finding her, of finding out she was still alive. Too much was at stake, not just her life but her father's as well.
So she would have to continue to try to keep her pull towards Robin at bay. The way he would smile, the way he would laugh, and that way he would look at her occasionally.
The way he could kiss...
She shook her head to stop those thoughts, but as soon as they went away, others invaded her head. Ones of days spent in the park with Roland and Robin, of watching Robin pushing Roland on the swing while she stroked her swollen stomach.
She brought her hands to her head and just shook her head at the forbidden dreams. She sobered at her own reaction and stretched out her limbs. Resolutely she faced the issue of being in a relationship with him, mostly because of all her past issues, and because of the pain she sensed he held inside of him.
She knew it had something to do with his past marriage, and she knew his torment was real and in some way it beckoned to her. It wasn't easy to forsake her dream of having a happy marriage, a family one day, but perhaps that was all it was, a dream held close to her heart where it wouldn't be trampled on by harsh reality.
His kiss and his want to continue things with her had affected her greatly. He had affected her greatly. She would have to be more careful from now on, keep it cool between them. She knew now that things would be awkward between them, but she couldn't take the risk, too much was at stake.
She would do her job and try to act like just a member of the staff after this weekend. She would lose this chance she had of a second chance. She laughed cynically at the thought of a second chance for herself. She wasn't going to be that lucky, her future was going to be one filled with loneliness and pain. It was as if she had upset the fates and they were somehow punishing her.
As she closed her eyes that night, her dreams were filled of a certain blue eyed thief, who had somehow stolen a part of her heart.
Her thief.
