A/N: I intended to move forward with this chapter, but apparently, that wasn't going to happen until Regina told her side of the story. So here it is.

…

Regina awoke several hours later. She turned to face Robin, still sleeping soundly next to her. She smiled at him, allowing herself to enjoy the feeling of being in his arms. She brought her hand up to rest on his heart, feeling it beat and letting the steady rhythm calm her. She allowed herself a few minutes of indulgence, but before long, thoughts of what would come next crept in. He hadn't listened. This changed nothing - he still had to forget about her. Her heart soared even as it ached, knowing how strongly he clung to his love for her. He might deny it, but she knew what had to be done.

Regina got dressed quietly and stepped out of the room. Once the door was closed behind her, she poofed herself back to her vault. Luckily, she had spent so much time there that she knew just where to look. She rummaged through the pile of spell books she had gathered. Rumpelstiltskin had made the potion with lake water and a wave of his hands, but Regina didn't have that kind of magic. She remembered seeing the recipe for such a potion, though, and located it quickly. She read the list of ingredients. Good news. She had everything she needed right in the vault. Then she read the instructions. More good news. The potion called for specific measurements, but nothing time-sensitive; it would be ready in as little time as it took to mix the ingredients.

Before long, Regina was pouring a small amount of clear liquid into a glass vial. She slipped it into her pocket, grabbed Henry's storybook from where she had left it by the trunk and poofed herself directly back into her bedroom. Robin Hood was beginning to stir. He rolled over and reached out to the empty bed next to him, frowning in his sleep when he encountered nothing. She slipped out the door and headed for the living room.

Regina poured a glass of whiskey and took a sip. She wanted more than anything to go upstairs, crawl back into bed with him and forget about the rest of the world. She would be perfectly happy with that. But she knew he wouldn't.

Robin was a better person than she had ever been. But somehow he had seen the good in her. He made her better. When Marian first came back, Regina wanted her dead, could have killed her easily. She had considered it, when Robin told her he was leaving her. But she couldn't go through with it. Robin had chosen to do the right thing, to be a good man. She couldn't fault him for that. She couldn't love him for being a good man and hate him for it simultaneously. And then Robin had come to her for help. He had trusted her, believed that she would do the right thing. She couldn't let him down. Not just with Marian, but with herself. She had to be deserving of the faith he had put in her.

So she accepted that he stayed away from her. And she stayed away from him. She stayed away even though she ached from missing him. She stayed away even knowing he still loved her. She stayed away even though he wanted to be with her as much as she wanted to be with him.

For weeks, she had searched for a way to break the freezing curse. She knew it would hurt when she figured out how to save Marian, but she had no idea how much. Because she couldn't save Marian. Only someone who loved Marian could do that.

"You have to forget about me," she had said. And from that moment, she cut herself off. She wouldn't let herself miss him anymore. She didn't dwell on memories of them together, avoided even looking at him. 'It's over,' she said to herself. 'We can never be together.' That was what she was thinking when he showed up at her vault. She knew it was him without having to look up. She composed herself, making her face and her voice cold and unreadable. After so many years as the Evil Queen, and then as the only aware person in Storybrooke, it came easy to her. But when she looked into his eyes, her face softened. She had stayed away, and she wondered why he couldn't do the same.

"Because today is not one of those days."

He grabbed her face and kissed her with a desperation she had never felt from him, and her resolve melted away. She stood up and wrapped her arms around him hesitantly. As he pulled her closer, she kissed him back with a passion that had been restrained for too long. She had missed him so much.

Next thing she knew her back was pressed against the wall of her vault. She couldn't focus on anything other than the man who was currently kissing his way down her neck. She heard her heart beating furiously in her ears. It sounded like hundreds of hearts beating all at once. Regina's mind cleared a little as she realized the sound was hundreds of hearts beating in the drawers lined behind her. Realizing where they still were, Regina pulled Robin's head up to look at him. She had intended to say something to stop him, or at least to ask if he was sure. But the look in his eyes matched hers - full of longing and desire, and lacking in any hesitation. She couldn't stay away anymore. She kissed him and they disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.

Regina snapped back to reality when she heard the faint sounds of movement from upstairs. She took another sip of whiskey and poured a second glass for Robin, knowing she had a rough discussion ahead of her. She carried the glasses over to the fireplace. She chose to forego the couch, sitting instead on the floor where they had shared a bottle of wine a few weeks ago, one of their last moments together when things were good between them.

She pulled the vial from her pocket and tried to think of what words she could use to convince him that he had to leave her. She didn't want to do it. She knew he wouldn't want to either. Last night had been more than she could have expected, but she knew it for what it was: a goodbye. She and Robin had to be separated. She pressed her eyes shut and wondered how she could stay resolved once he tried to convince her there was another way. There wasn't. And she couldn't see him like this. He was so torn, trying to do the right thing. She had seen one good man destroyed because he loved her. She couldn't let it happen again, not to Robin.

Hearing Robin come down the stairs, her decision was made quickly. She poured the contents of the vial into the full glass of whiskey on the table. She would just make him drink it before he had a chance to talk her out of it. It was for the best.

…

A/N: So as I mentioned, this is my first story. I'm so thrilled to find that more than one person read it! (I have low expectations.)

To everyone who reviewed - thank you! Rest assured - this is not a one-shot (obviously) and I'm hardcore Outlaw Queen, so I want them together as much as any of you. And I agree, this is what should happen in the show. But the writers don't listen to me, so I wrote it myself.

To those who followed/favorited: you're my favorite people ever and I'll try not to disappoint you.

Next chapter will be the next day, I promise.

Please keep reading & reviewing!