Regina-
"Regina, Regina"
Her eyes flutter open, the ground is cold beneath her but her front is warmer, a collar obscures her view and she raises a trembling hand to move it. Robin is calling her name again, she attempts to sit up and her helps her, wrapping one arm around her back, the other at her front on her shoulder.
A look of deep concern on his face, her eyes are heavy as she blinks them, she doesn't remember how she got here or what she was doing before.
"Robin?" She questions.
"Do you remember how you got here"? he asks"
She looks around and sees she is in the woods, near his camp but far enough from it they are not easily observed and she is relieved.
She says her head no, fingers gripping his arms "no no I don't remember."
He shifts her fully into his arms, "it's okay" he tells her "you're okay now" but she isn't sure she is. They sit for awhile, she buries her head into his shirt, he holds her in place, hand gently running through her hair and its a comforting touch, warm and she feels safe, like she can breathe for the first time in days.
"Regina" Robin mummers into her hair "I think perhaps we should go to the hospital, I can take you or I can call Mary Margaret or Emma if you rather?" She should choose them but she wants him, to stay with him for as long as possible and it is selfish but she longs for his touch and his comfort now like never before. "You don't have a phone Robin" she tells him.
He chuckles "No I don't".
He helps her stand, she brushes the dirt from her clothes, she has no coat, is holding his, he helps wrap it around her and she feels ashamed, weak and pathetic, she is not this weak woman, falling apart. He will take her to the edge of the woods and then she will make her own way she promises herself.
Robin talks of inconsequential things, he is distracting her, trying to pull her out of her thoughts with no pressure but she can feel the worry flowing off him. When they reached the road, she tells him she will go to Snow, she thinks Mary Margaret but says Snow, he nods I will walk you he insists, she shakes her head and it leaves her dizzy.
"No" she is adamant, she cannot abide the stares when people see them together, the looks and how they wonder, they judge her capable of tempting him from his wife, it angers her that they think him weak, that he cannot make his own judgments. He stands his own ground, as he did with her in the year they shared at her castle. He has made his choice and she has accepted it.
She does not want his comfort anymore, it is not hers to take and she pictures the look on Marian's face, the woman who Roland already shares his brightest smiles with, the woman Robin loves, she sees the look that Marian reserves for her when their eyes meet, it is a hard stare, the look of a survivor, a fighter. She knows this woman, she could have been her.
She leaves him at the woods, makes her way into town, is halfway down the road when David pulls his truck to the side, hops out and helps her in.
Emma -
Regina looks horrified at the mess, she says she doesn't remember, Emma looks into her eyes and believes her, Emma thinks if Regina did trash her house she would not have touched Henry's room.
Regina sweeps the room for traces of magic and shakes her head. Emma wonders if she can wave her hand and put it all back together again, pull a Mary Poppins? she asks Regina. Regina nods and says yes but not now, she looks exhausted, Snow takes her back to the loft. Dr Whale could find nothing wrong so Emma shuts the door to the mansion and makes her way to Gold's.
"How do I get my magic back?"
"And what will you do with this magic, Emma?" Gold asks.
His response tells her getting her magic back is possible, she watches him as he weighs up whether or not this is in his best interests.
"No price" she gambles "you do this for free, for the town, the potion I asked for before, I will pay the price" "No deal" he replies simply, his face blank.
"Cut the crap Gold, we both know you don't want to be the town protector, give me my magic, help Regina and you don't need to be involved". She has it all worked out, they will use the potion, get Regina's heart back, Regina will teach her magic again. Constantly being around magic without understanding it, is getting on her nerves, she's supposed to be the saviour but is always on the back foot, well not any more, if this is to be her life then she will own it. Gold is smiling his small smile, he tilts his head to her, "i thought the potion was for you?" Emma rolls her eyes at him, they both knew she had lied, there was no time to play games.
"Very well Miss Swan but I'm sure I don't need to tell you".
Emma sighs "all magic comes with a price" she intones.
She talks to Robin first, potion heavy in her jacket pocket, he confirms no one has been near the clearing since the last time she was here, the woods, the parts his men have patrolled is empty and he suspects no recent visitors.
She is not surprised, the weather has been dreadful all day, misty and cold and although it is only mid afternoon, it will be dark soon she thinks.
Robin shifts his weight, concern marring his brow, Regina he asks, did she go to the doctor. Emma sighs, runs a hand through her hair "yeah she did and he found nothing".
"It's her heart then?" Robin hums.
"I think so" Emma says slowly weighing her words "it doesn't make sense, a person can live without their heart, it can be crushed and they will die, it can be controlled but Regina protected hers so" she gives a small shrug.
"Perhaps whoever has the heart is trying to gain control over it" Robin flicks his eyes to her, gives a small sigh, looks over to his busy camp, Emma follows his gaze to Marian and Roland, Roland is showing her what appears to be a collection of leaves and twigs.
"This is my fault" Robin confesses.
Emma says nothing, yes it is and no it's not, just like it's her fault and not her fault, shit happens she thinks.
Robin is speaking again, "I do care for her, I would have loved her deeply but I love my wife, I want my family and I want Regina but I cannot have both."
Emma understands, its a hard choice, either way someone loses.
"She understands I think" she allows.
"I know she does but it doesn't make it any easier, I'm glad she has family to look out for her". Emma laughs a little "yeah I guess".
Robin gives her a displeased look, "during the missing year, it was very clear to me that your parents consider her to be family and although I doubt she will say so, Regina too believes this".
I've just been told off by Robin Hood Emma thinks, gives herself a mental shake.
She nods her agreement at him "I spoke to Gold," she noticed Robin's mouth tighten, history there? she wonders, "he gave me a locator potion that works by tracking emotional objects, I'm heading back now" Robin glances again at his camp, eyes on his wife and boy "Now?" "Yeah, thanks for this" she waves generally at the woods. He nods "No problem, excuse me I have a matter I need to attend to" he is still looking at his camp, eyes narrowed, hand shifting his bow in his shoulders.
"Ok, I'll let you know what happens" she offers but he is already jogging away from her, raises a hand in farewell but does not look back.
Emma glances again at his camp, sees nothing that appears to require his urgent attention, she slips her hands in her pockets, one hand tightening around the potion and heads back to the loft.
NOTE - so what's going on? Love to know your thoughts on what's happening and you think what will happen next!