Robin walked through the forest without knowing where he was headed. He tried to wrap his head around everything John had told him. It was impossible to believe, or would have been had it come from anyone else. For a moment, he thought it was all a joke. Or perhaps it was a mistake; perhaps John had been the one who fell victim to a magical spell that removed memories. But Robin was never one to suspend reality for long, and John's story made a frightening amount of sense. The potion explained Robin's memory gaps. It explained the delay between Marian being cursed and waking up. But the reason for him taking the memory potion was disturbing.

How could he have fallen in love with the Evil Queen? Even without knowing she had killed Marian. It took Robin a long time after losing Marian to believe he would ever love again. But he always assumed if it happened, it would be with someone like Marian. Someone good, and honorable. Someone who inspired him to live honestly, as Marian had. He would never be involved with someone with a past like the queen's. What kind of person must she be to have done the things she did?

Robin picked up his speed, marching to keep himself warm and to let out some of his anger. "She's good," John had said. The Evil Queen is good. Robin almost laughed at the absurdity - the contradiction did not require interpretation.

And yet, John had looked so earnest. He claimed the Queen deserved his gratitude. John, his best friend, his brother and confidant. If John said it, it must be true

And Emma had said it, too, that the Queen had helped. Emma, the daughter of Snow White and her Prince Charming. The embodiment of everything that was good, and she had rescued Marian, brought his wife back to him. So she, too, must be trusted.

But Robin did not give his trust easily. He trusted his men. He trusted Snow White, who had been a bandit in the woods near where he had begun as a thief. He trusted her daughter, despite her being a sheriff. But he could not trust the Evil Queen. If all that he had heard was true, then she was accepted now as part of the town, so he would avoid open hostility. But he would never, could never, forgive her for all she had done.

Robin let out a relieved sigh as he came to this conclusion, feeling the load on his mind lighten a bit. Fortuitous timing, as he seemed to have arrived at an unintended location: Granny's.

This was the first place he recalled entering upon his arrival in Storybrooke, the place he had first seen the Wicked Witch (she had spoken menacingly, about what, he could not recall). It was also the place he would come often with Roland, and, most importantly, the place where he was reunited with Marian. She had appeared so suddenly, and he had embraced her, and she had embraced Roland, and his family was back together.

Robin entered and immediately noticed Will Scarlett, pouring generously from a flash into his coffee. Robin slipped into the booth across from him and pulled the cup toward him, ignoring the other man's words of protest.

"I need to ask you something strange," Robin said, keeping his eyes trained on Will, even as Will's gaze followed the path of the waitress passing by them.

When Will turned back to face Robin, he said, "Go on, then."

"Tell me everything you remember about our conversation."

Will raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't so drunk I don't remember a conversation from yesterday. So you can just give that back, now." Will reached for his cup, but Robin brought an arm around to block his access.

Robin's eyes hadn't moved. "Your memory is not in question here. Mine is. I remember the conversation, but it all seems a blur. I want to make sure I haven't forgotten anything I shouldn't have."

Will regarded him suspiciously for a moment. "You didn't seem that far gone yesterday." But then he shrugged and said, "well, I'd be happy to oblige. But as long as my sobriety is not in contention, may I have my lunch and dinner back?" Robin hesitantly pushed the cup back towards will, who took a long sip. Will smiled. "Well, as I recall, we talked about women, about love, and about Marian. You told me the story of how you met her, again."

Robin smiled. "I stole her father's horse."

Will groaned, "please, not again." Robin's smile dropped.

Robin said, "You told me something about Marian, about how she believed in me." Will nodded. "But you said something else, about fighting for true love. And how it's always worth it, even if it ruins your life."

Will looked up, thinking back. "I don't think those were my exact words."

Robin didn't seem to hear. "You realize what horrible advice that is, don't you? Loving someone shouldn't ruin your life. If it does, how can it be right? And you, you didn't only ruin your own life, you risked ruining other people's lives as well. Mine, and my men's."

Will straightened and put a hand out. "Hey now, I apologized for that. And after all, nobody was hurt."

Robin leaned forward. "You apologized. So now I suppose it's like it never happened? We could have all been killed. All because you thought your love was more important than the lives of a group of men who believed in you, who took you in!"

Robin's voice was getting louder, and Will raised his to match. "Hey now, your men were willing to break into that castle for the promise of gold! And it all turned out fine. And I said I wanted to make amends." Will now had both his hands up, trying to calm Robin down.

Robin got out of the booth and pulled Will up by the lapels of his jacket. "You had no disregard for the well-being of anyone around you." Robin lowered his voice to a whisper, his cold eyes only inches from Will's face. "All our lives were worth nothing to you. So tell me, why should I value yours?"

Robin could see the fear in Will's eyes. The coward. He had been a coward years ago, stealing what he needed with the protection of men he left to be punished in his stead, then sneaking away before he could be found out. Robin had let him go at the time.

Will made a joke, apparently trying to ease the tension. Robin couldn't register the exact words, but it didn't matter. What was funny about putting his men's life in danger? So now Will was a fool, as well as a coward. He should have stayed away. Robin felt his anger grow at this man's selfishness, his cruelty. He saw red, and suddenly everything went silent. The next thing he knew, the knave was on the floor, holding his jaw where Robin had punched him.

Robin reached down with his left hand and grabbed Will's coat, punching him again. Then Will's hands were up, whether to block Robin's punches or to try for a few of his own, he didn't know. But he kept swinging going after Will, barely aware of tables and chairs crashing around him, and possibly a person or two moving out of their way. He kept punching Will, again and again, until he felt himself suddenly pulled away at the same time as two arms wrapped around Will from behind and dragged him back. Robin struggled only for a moment, before he could suddenly hear again, as if the noise had been turned back on. Men were yelling, strange men, holding him and Will apart from each other. There wasn't a single chair or table still upright in Granny's several of them broken. Whoever had Will was dragging him out the front door, while Granny yelled at the two men holding Robin to bring him out back. Robin let them, pushing their arms off him as soon as he was outside. Then he shoved his hands into his pockets, only now noticing the pain in his right hand, and walked off.

…

A/N: I suck. I owe you all an apology: it's been too long since I updated. And now I left you with a short chapter. But another one will be along shortly, and I'll do my best to post more often, I promise! And there might be some Regina/Robin interaction in the next chapter or two...

Also, your reviews make me so happy! Please keep them up!