First of all, thank you so much for the amazing support - and of course the reviews, I love to read your thoughts :) and here I am with the new chapter... sorry, I won't give you the ball yet! But let me welcome some new characters :) lots of love!

Hope is the thing with feathers

"Hope" is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -

I've heard it in the chilliest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.

When Regina woke up, on Sunday morning, she felt a dull sensation all over her body. She blinked once or twice, and tried to move an arm, a leg, anything. Oh. That's not good. She was shivering, the mattress cold under her stomach, and she analyzed the situation slowly. Even her brain was functioning awkwardly. Okay. Her head was squeezed by a strong headache, which started from the core of her cells and sent waves of pain down to her spine. Breathing was hard. She couldn't feel her nose, heavy and blocked. But above all, there were the familiar, feverish shivers of cold. The bathrobe, still wet and stiff, was glued to her back.

She let out an annoyed moan, then tried again to move her hand. Her fingers met the cold surface of the phone, from where a soft light pulsed intermittently, signaling a message. She groaned when the screen lightened, hurting her eyes.

It was late, nine in the morning. She had slept ten hours straight, her hair damp, without a blanket, with her wet bathrobe. Shit.

She let her thumb unlock the screensaver. There was a vocal message from Emma, three missed calls from Mal, a text from Robin.

She read his text, and her first smile, that morning, was for his words.

I can't wait.

She blinked again – didn't answer, she needed a few minutes to type an appropriate response. She switched to the other conversation and opened Emma's message.

"Oh my god, Regina," Emma's voice was high, hyper-excited – she was probably drunk, "I have important, very important, like absolutely important news and you must," there was a noise, Emma stopped talking, she heard her saying Killian, give that back, and then her voice returned, "you must call me okay? You can't miss this, call me Ah-S-Ah-P, got it? Bye and have fun"

She groaned again – a drunk Emma Swan was the last of her problems right now. Then she opened the missed calls – all three from Mal. She was about to press the green button – when she felt the familiar taste of the bile rising up from her stomach to her throat. She pushed up, quickly, on her arms – just in time to avoid the mattress – and suddenly, the floor was covered by the disgusting product of her cold night.

Regina passed an arm over her mouth, cleaning up the liquids – her head was currently being stabbed by thousands of daggers. The phone was buzzing again, and she picked it up, falling on the bed again, trying to stop the nausea.

"Yes," she whispered weakly.

"Regina, why weren't you answering?" Mal said, annoyed. "You told me half past eight, I've called you three times alre –"

"Mal" she interrupted her, and her friend stopped talking, maybe because her voice was like a croak. "I'm not feeling well"

"What happened?" she could hear concern in Mal's voice, now.

"I've thrown up," she muttered.

"Oh, darling," her annoyance gone, sympathy was filling her words. "I'll be right there, okay?"

"Thank you," answered Regina. "Knock when you're here"

"Okay," said Mal, and she closed the call, and shut her eyes, and just lied on the bed, waiting. Her head was throbbing, quivers of ice running on her back, and she didn't know how much time had passed when she heard three gentle knocks. She rolled over the bed – too quickly, a sudden dizziness had her put a hand on the night table to stand up, and she walked slowly towards the door, and opened it.

Mal was there, her suitcase next to her, taking in her trembling figure, and she took a step forward, grabbed her arm, she welcomed her touch and leaned on her.

"Oh, Regina, you look like shit," the blonde said, and despite her words, there was nothing but worry in her voice. "What have you done? You seemed well yesterday"

She accompanied her towards the bed and pushed her down – she sat again. "I took a shower and fell asleep without drying my hair… and with only a wet bathrobe to cover me," she explained, and Mal shook her head.

"I'm gonna kill Gold someday, I swear, nice and slow," she spat out, bringing up a hand to her forehead. She took a breath and looked at her. "Okay, I'll take care of this, you just lay down under the covers, alright?"

Regina nodded, relief spreading in her chest, and she gladly accepted her help to get into the bed. She closed her eyes, listening to Mal while she cleaned up the floor – thankfully, she had barely anything in her stomach, so it was mainly a liquid mess. Then, the blonde began to retrieve her things, putting them in her suitcase, inspecting all the room, making sure she didn't forget anything.

She hummed a song, while she worked, and in her numbness she recognized Lana Del Rey's version of Once Upon A Dream. At some point, the sounds stopped, and Mal was shaking gently her shoulder.

"Come on, time to go," she said, and Regina got up slowly, a new rush of nausea went straight to her head, but this time she managed to reach the toilet bowl, and emptied there her stomach – Mal was holding her hair, she could feel the cold ceramic under her fingers.

"I think I've finished," she said, and tried to stand up.

"Are you able to dress yourself or you need help?"

"I can manage," she answered. Mal silently handed her a black sweater and a pair of trousers. "I'll wait outside," she murmured exiting, and closed carefully the door behind her.

Regina sat on the edge of the bathtub to put up her clothes – the wool was a welcoming embrace, and she felt warm and comfortable for the first time that morning. She kept her eyes closed – the dizziness wasn't gone.

She exited after five long minutes, hair tied up in a bun, without any trace of make-up. Mal was on the phone, and she leaned on the door, listening.

"No, you listen to me," she said angrily. "I don't care, she's sick, for Christ's sake! You can't expect her to..." she stopped to let the other person talk. "Fine," she answered after a while. "Thank you, I appreciate that. See you," she lowered the phone and closed the call.

"Who was that?"

"Gold," she answered sharply. "He wanted us to meet today, but I've told him you're sick, so he'll call only the others"

Regina rolled her eyes, "He said no meetings until Thursday!"

"That's why I was yelling," said Mal. "Come on, let's go to the apartment"

She looked at the blonde, dumbfounded. "Now?"

"Yes, come on, it's a five-minute walk from here, it's not far," Mal urged her towards the door, pushing the suitcases outside. "You'll see, it will be better than this room"

§§§

The air was fresh outside, and Regina welcomed the wind on her face, the bright blue sky of the Sunday morning, and the heat of the sun on her skin. The sea was calm, that day. Thin waves hit the stone of the banks. She closed her eyes, paying little attention to the people that surrounded her. Her fever was probably high, and in regular times, she would never have gone outside without make-up, hair like a mess and dressed like a thirteen- year-old. But she was feeling terribly, and she didn't care, as long as her stomach held on.

Mal joined her, touching her arm, and she opened her eyes. There was a guy from the hotel's staff with her. He was holding their suitcases, and she felt Mal take her by the arm. "I made sure they send the bill to our boss," she informed her, with a satisfied smirk, "and this is Peter, he'll help us with our things, okay? Can you walk?"

Regina nodded, and she met Peter's concerned eyes. He was quite handsome – black hair, gentle eyes, he seemed worried. "Thank you," she said in his direction.

They started to walk, and she spent the time trying not to throw up again. Mal's arm was steady, under hers, and it was holding her weight almost completely. She kept her eyes fixed on the ground, the grey pavement sliding under her gaze.

Mal stopped in her tracks, "We're here," she said, and Regina looked up.

The first impression she got of the house, was that it seemed to be born of a fairy tale. Three stone steps led to a door, painted of an electric blue, two windows at each side, lively flowers popped out from earthenware vases. The walls were white, and bright, almost too much vivid. There were other windows upstairs, and she shifted her gaze to the side of the house: there was a bridge, up there, a private boardwalk which led to another building, with another blue door and twin windows. Under the bridge, a narrow canal. She looked at the other house: the same flowers were placed in similar vases, and the two houses were practically identical, except for one thing: a wooden plaque above the other door, with elegant letters craved on the wood, she squeezed her eyes to read: Dalla Nonna, it said, and she turned towards Mal, who had just knocked at the door.

"What does that mean?" she asked, but before Mal could answer, the door swung open, and she looked up. On the top of the three steps, there was an old woman, grey and curly hair, round glasses, a light blue apron covering her chest and stomach, and she was holding an enormous bowl with a spoon inside.

"Mallory Elizabeth Drake, look at you," exclaimed the woman, placing the bowl on the window, and she descended the steps, and hugged Mal tightly. She pulled back, and brought up her hands to Mal's cheeks. "You are so thin, honestly, what on hell do you eat in America?"

"Hi, Granny," smiled Mal, and Regina looked at her, her eyes were bright, she was looking at the old woman fondly.

Granny turned towards Peter, who had greeted her too, and she told him "Ruby is upstairs, if you want to say hi". Peter nodded; he picked up the suitcases again, and disappeared inside.

The woman turned towards them again, and finally, she looked at Regina, who was clinging again to Mal's arm. "And who's this beautiful lady?"

"Granny, this is Regina Mills – Regina, this is Maria Lucas," said Mal, and Regina pulled out her free hand, tempting a weak smile, but Granny hugged her too, and she leaned on the warm embrace for a moment. When they parted, Granny let out an annoyed huff. "Here's another who is skin and bones," she complained, and Mal laughed, "I have no doubt you'll make her gain twenty pounds, Granny," she said. Regina smiled, but the thought of food was worsening her health situation.

She squeezed lightly Mal's arm, and the blonde looked at her. "Mal, I think I need the bathroom again," she whispered, and Mal nodded. She turned towards Granny, motioning to the inside. "Regina is a bit sick, can we come in?"

"Sure!" said Granny. "You could have said that right away, Mallory," she scolded her. They held Regina's arms, then Mal left her to Granny, who pushed her towards the bathroom. Regina threw herself above the sink – but nothing happened. "What does she have?" the old woman asked Mal.

"I think she has a mild fever… and she threw up twice this morning," answered the blonde. Regina was still leaning there. She tried not to lift her head and not to look in the mirror; for she was sure she looked horribly. Granny squeezed her arm gently. "Come on, let's go to bed," she said, and Regina nodded slowly. "You need a warm blanket and a fire, girl, it's the only way to heal," she stated.

She threw a quick look to the kitchen, passing by it, but couldn't see almost anything – they helped her climb the stairs, a large passage, a light blue carpet covering the steps. She had taken her boots off, so she could feel the smoothness of the fabric under her feet. From upstairs, she heard music playing, a muffled sound coming from one of the rooms.

Granny was preceding Regina and Mal – the blonde was holding her, while the old woman was carrying Regina's suitcase with a shocking strength for her age.

When Granny reached the last step, she huffed, putting down the weight, and slammed one hand on the first door on the left. "Ruby! Turn down that damned music, girl, we have guests, have some respect!"

"There's no need –" tried to say Regina, but Granny shook her head, and hit the door again. The music had stopped – and the door was opening, Peter exited, followed by a tall woman in her twenties, dark hair and a gentle smile. "Hi," she said to Mal and Regina, who were standing on the last step. "Are you okay?" she asked kindly, tilting her head, and looking at Regina.

"No, she's not, so you two help me or I swear you're grounded for one month," threatened Granny. "Peter, please, bring the suitcase in the last room, and then get your ass downstairs, and take that bowl of cream I left next to the door! Ruby, you go get Mallory's things and make some tea, and use the secret recipe for this one," she pointed at Regina. "Mallory, you'll help her in the bathroom, okay?"

"Okay, boss," laughed Ruby, clearly amused by the orders. Peter was already carrying the suitcase – they followed him, and Mal opened the last door at the end of the corridor. The bathroom was simple and spacious, a white bathtub, a sink and a toilet bowl. It was submerged in a white light, the lilac tiles on the walls were glowing, and Regina had to blink a few times, it was worsening her headache. Mal left her for a moment, and she came back holding her nightgown.

Regina slipped gladly out of the black clothes to wear the comfortable garment, and she washed her face – clean towels were already waiting for her on a chair near the sink. She didn't worry about the clothes; she placed them on the edge of the bathtub. Her nausea seemed to have calmed down, and she was feeling pleasantly sleepy.

Mal peeked through the door. "How are you?"

"Better, I think," she answered, replacing the towel down. She exited, and followed her friend across the corridor: apparently, her room was right opposite the bathroom. Mal opened the door, and she forgot about her headache for a moment, because the place was absolutely beautiful.

Her open suitcase was the only thing which disturbed the harmony of the room: Mal had placed it on the floor, and if she weren't feeling like that, she would have roasted her friend for the way she had messed her things up. She shook her head, and lifted her gaze to take the place in.

The walls were all white, except for the one opposite the door: a golden shade of paint surrounded the window – and from the window, she could see the sea, shining in all its mid-day splendor. The curtains were open, white, silken fabric cascading on the ground, elegantly laced by a golden ribbon.

The bed was queen-sized, with a blue quilt to cover it, white bed sheets, and two pillows, one above the other. A red, steaming mug was waiting on the night table, and Mal had put her phone next to it, and plunged it into the socket. There was a writing desk, next to the bed, made of dark and craved wood, it seemed to be antique. A chair in front of it, covered by blue velvet upholstery, its legs of the same material as the desk. There was a huge wardrobe in front of the bed – again, the same wood, and five bookshelves on the other wall. Her gaze flew to the ceiling – someone had painted it, and she could admire beautiful fluffy clouds and a blue sky. There was a tiny cupid in a corner: a beaming child holding a bow and pointing it towards the bed.

"Told you it was better than the hotel room," smiled Mal, she was observing Regina, as her friend watched her room with a stupefied look.

"You know I hate to say you're right," she answered, gaze fixed on the ceiling.

"It had to happen someday… come on, there's your tea here," said Mal. Regina approached to the bed, and she climbed under the covers, and Mal passed her the mug, "Careful, it's hot"

She circled the mug with her hands, blowing once or twice to push the vapor away. "So, who's Granny?"

Mal sat on the bed, straightening invisible wrinkles of the blue cover. "Well, she was my nanny, when I was young," she said, and Regina sipped her tea, listening. "I've always stayed in touch with her, always phoned her for Christmas, and at some point she moved here with her husband. You'll meet him later, he's the Italian half of the family, and a sweet, caring man," she said. "The girl you saw, Ruby, is her granddaughter, and she's here to study. Her mother, Anita, lives in Pennsylvania"

Regina nodded, she thought she had understood almost everything, but her eyes were really starting to close, and Mal had to notice it, because she shook her head, smiling, and she got up from the bed.

"Alright, I'll let you sleep," she said, and Regina handed her the empty mug – she was already starting to feel the blissful effect of the herbs. "Thank you," she said, and Mal smiled again, approaching the window to close the curtains.

She exited, closing the door behind her, and Regina settled herself on the pillows, and she was starting to doze off, all cozy under the quilt…

Robin.

The thought hit her mind like an arrow, and she slammed her eyes open. She rolled on the bed, and stretched an arm towards the night table – almost dropped the lamp – but managed to take her phone.

He answered after three rings, and hearing his voice… oh, she was almost ashamed of hers.

"Regina?"

"Hi," she whispered.

"Is something wrong?" he said, and she wondered how he could have understood it from a simple hi.

"Actually, yes," she answered. "I don't think I can make it to our date, this afternoon". She tensed, what if he misunderstood, and thought it was a poor excuse to avoid him? She felt her heart accelerate, while she waited for his answer.

"What happened?" he asked kindly. He didn't sound angry.

"I think I'm sick, I… I don't feel well," she said, trying to avoid the details.

"Don't worry," he said, and she smiled in the dark. "Just rest, okay?"

"Yes," she said in return. Then, she bit her lip, hesitating before speaking again. "Listen, would you… even if I can't go out today, would you like to come and visit me?"

She held her breath, pressing the phone on her ear.

"Oh, I… wouldn't want to intrude," he said, "only if it's okay with you"

"Of course it is, I've invited you, you dumb," she chuckled softly. She heard him laugh, and continued, "let's say… at half past five, then?"

"Perfect," he agreed.

"Okay," she smiled. "I'll text you the address"

"Deal. Now rest, Regina, please," he said, and she nodded, even if he couldn't possibly see her.

"See you later," she whispered, and he she waited for his okay before closing the call. She slid down from the bed and stumbled a bit, holding on to the mattress, until she found her purse – his blue rose was still inside, a little ruined on a petal, but otherwise still perfect. She searched in her bag for a bottle of water and she opened it, placing the rose inside, then she returned to the bed, and settled the bottle on her night table. And finally, Regina could return under the blankets and close her eyes.

§§§

Her text reached him at five. He had kept fidgeting with the phone for all the afternoon, removed the mute function, and finally, he had heard the ring he expected. And there he was, in front of the blue-painted door, waiting for it to be opened. He was nervous, he couldn't lie to himself. Sure, two dates were one thing, but going to her apartment was another tale entirely.

He had spent a long and boring day. Calling Roland after lunch – before his son went to kindergarten – had been the only thing he had enjoyed doing. He missed him terribly, but despite his many differences with his ex-wife, Robin was still grateful, because Marian had immediately agreed with him about Roland, after the divorce: they had tried not to involve their son more than it was necessary in their fights, and it seemed they had succeeded, because he was a happy, gleeful child, who didn't bear visible signs of after-divorce traumas.

The sound of steps from the other side of the door shook him from his thoughts – and finally, it opened, revealing a beautiful, tall young woman smiling at him.

"Hi! You must be Robin," she said, extending a hand. "I'm Ruby – come in, it's freezing," she urged him, and he barely had time to shook her hand and to say hi that she pushed him inside, closing the door.

The first thing he noticed was the heavenly smell coming from a door on the left – and he followed Ruby, entering the kitchen. The place was bright and spacious, three pots on the burner, the oven also working, and an energetic old lady, who was giving vigorous hits with a rolling pin to a white dough, splayed on the table.

"Hey Granny, look who's here," said Ruby nonchalantly, nearing the counter to steal a piece of cheese.

"Hands off, you sneaky wolf – oh, good morning!" the old lady greeted him. She passed her hands, dirty of flour, on her apron, then she looked at them and shook her head.

"You won't get a handshake, I'm afraid," she smiled. "Anyway, hello! I'm Maria Lucas, but you have to call me Granny! And you… you must be Regina's boyfriend!"

Robin stumbled a bit, surprised. "Oh, well, actually… did she say so?"

"Come on, I know how it works with you young people," said Granny, a wide grin on her mouth. "You hang out, you kiss, you swirl around one another for months, like two moths with a flame, and then, maybe, one of you is brave enough to admit their feelings! You waste so much time," she complained, and he could only smile. "But that's not my business," she added, and he didn't miss Ruby rolling her eyes from the other end of the room.

"Granny, leave the poor guy alone," she said, and he chuckled at her. "Come, let's leave the old hag to her food," she proposed, and she passed her grandma, who smacked her lightly on an arm.

He followed her outside, and she stopped in front of a staircase, motioning towards the steps. "Upstairs, end of the corridor, last door on the right," she smiled, and he thanked her with a nod, before starting to climb the steps. He removed his jacket, on his way, placing it on his arm.

Finally, he reached a white door and knocked softly twice. He heard a raspy "Come in," and he pushed the door, which creaked a bit but opened smoothly. The room was half-darkened, with a single ray of golden light coming from the window.

Regina was sitting on the bed, surrounded by pillows, her back resting against the bed head. A smile opened on her face, and he gladly returned it, entered and closed the door behind him. He approached to the bed and she patted on the mattress. He sat, leaning on to kiss her cheek, but she turned her head, and he met her lips instead. He savored her taste for a moment – vanilla and… mint? – and he brought up a hand to her hair, replacing a dark lock behind her ear.

She parted from the kiss and smiled again, and he just took in that moment – she was radiant, sitting there, in the golden light of the sunset.

"Hello," she whispered, and he smiled back, "Hello to you," he replied. "What happened this morning?"

She lowered her eyes, biting the inside of her cheek. "Well, I went to the meeting, yesterday," she said, "and I was so tired that I fell asleep practically naked, and so this morning I threw up twice… then Mal has brought me here and I've slept for six hours straight," she explained. "I took a shower… and here you are," she smiled.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, reaching for her hand. "Are you feeling better now?"

"I don't think Granny would let me rot in this bed any longer," she laughed. "So yes, much better… I'm actually famished, to be honest"

"Do you want me to go downstairs and fetch you something to eat?"

"Oh, no, stay," she said, shaking her head. "Granny said I'll need an empty stomach for my first Italian dinner" she added, and he chuckled.

"Granny is surely phenomenal," he nodded, and she widened her eyes. "I'm sorry, I should have been there to introduce you," she said, but he shrugged. "Don't worry, I think I've survived pretty well".

She stood silent for a moment, stroking her thumb over his hand. "What did you do today?"

He kept his gaze fixed on their hands. "Well, I've had a boring day… I've worked on a project, then called my son," he heard her chuckle fondly at that, he wondered if she was thinking about her godson. "Then I went for a stroll… I've brought you a gift, by the way," he said, and lifted his eyes – she had a curious smile on her lips. He turned a bit towards his jacket, that he had placed behind him, and retrieved a little plastic bag.

She tilted her head, and left his hand to take it. She pulled aside the white over and revealed his gift. A red mask exited from the bag, and Regina widened her eyes, passing her fingers between the elegant feathers placed on the right side of the mask.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, and he relished her smile as she turned around the object – there were two black ribbons attached to the sides, and she lifted it to her face, then leaned on to kiss his cheek.

"Do you like it then?" he asked, and she nodded. "Thank you," she told him. She lowered the mask and placed it on the night table. "Come here," she said, and he shifted on the bed, going to sit next to her, and passing an arm behind her shoulders.

Regina placed her head on his chest, and he dropped a kiss on her hair, inhaling the fresh, fruity scent of her shampoo. "So," she said lazily, tracing patterns on his stomach. "Tell me more about this ball you want us to go"

He chuckled against her hair, his heart fluttering when he heard her saying us so casually. "Well, there are going to be a lot of masks," he started, "and I can't wait to see your costume"

Her hand stopped. "I guess I'll have to work on that," she said, almost to herself. "So all the guests are going to be dressed up?"

"Well, it's Carnival, after all," he said, and felt her nod under his chin. They stood silent, and he was simply enjoying the moment, holding her, when her hand dropped and remained still, and her breaths slowed down. She had fallen asleep. He didn't move, but closed his eyes, and adjusted his neck against the pillow.

He didn't know how much time had passed – but he was startled by a loud bang!, and he opened his eyes with a jolt – the light had completely disappeared from the window, and he blinked a few times, Regina protesting against his chest. The door had opened, and standing on the door frame there was a tall, blonde woman.

"Alright, lovebirds," came her throaty voice. "Time to get up! Oh, look at you, all snuggled up," she said, and Regina's arm moved past him to reach a pillow – she threw it at the woman, who caught it at mid-air.

"Go away," Regina snorted, deeply annoyed.

"Be grateful I didn't take a photo and send it to Emma," replied the woman. "Anyway, dinner is ready!"

"Oh, okay!" said Regina, exasperated, and she lifted a bit from her position, rubbing her eyes. "Ah, yes," she exclaimed. "Mal, this is Robin,"

"Yeah, thanks, I figured," Mal rolled her eyes, but smiled at him.

"And Robin, this annoying bitch is normally called Mallory Drake, but you can call her Mal," she laughed. He nodded dutifully, and stretched a hand – Mal took two steps to shake it.

"It's… fascinating… to finally meet you," she said, with an expression he couldn't read, so he replied with a polite "The same holds for me".

He turned his gaze towards Regina, just in time to catch her throw a meaningful look towards Mal. He wondered what was going on – but the blonde nodded imperceptibly, and Regina shifted on the bed to reach the floor. She got up and approached to a chair – there were some clothes on it, a blue sweater and a pair of jeans, and she grabbed them, walked towards the door and turned to look at them.

"I'll go and dress up," she said, and threw a glance to her friend. "You two, behave, in the meanwhile," she warned, and suddenly he was alone with Mal.

She didn't waste a second, and went to sit on the chair. They exchanged a few looks, and finally, she started talking.

"Well, I'll make this quick," she said, and he knew what was going to happen next. Mal crossed her legs, and looked straight in his eyes. "You hurt Regina, Robin Locksley, and I swear I'm going to chase you anywhere, and your death is going to last for days," she said, with a kind and hard smile.

Robin clenched his jaw. "I would never hurt Regina," he said, and Mal's eyes softened.

"Oh, I know you wouldn't," she told him, "but you could".

He looked at her, opening his mouth to reply, but he was interrupted by a sound behind him. Regina cleared her throat, and they turned towards her in sync.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, eyes darting from him to Mal.

"Just talking," Mal shrugged, and she got up, approaching the door and squeezing Regina's shoulder. His eyes followed the blonde leaving, and Regina looked at him, puzzled.

He glanced at her, and smiled, getting up to join her. "What happened?" she asked, suspicious.

"Nothing, don't worry," he shook his head, but she wasn't quite convinced. He neared her and pecked her lips, then took her hand. "Really, don't worry," he repeated. "I should probably go now –"

"I thought you were staying for dinner," she said, surprised.

He shook his head, and smiled. "No, really, I should go, I've already stayed too much," he told her, and she made a pouty face, but he just laughed. "And don't look at me like that, silly lady," he said, and pulled her closer.

"Ah, shut up," she murmured, and he felt her pushing on her tiptoes to kiss him – and he forgot of Mal, of the ball and of the dinner, circled her waist, and lifted her a little – she smiled against his lips, then broke the kiss, and leaned her forehead against his. "You're impossible, thief of suitcases," she whispered, and he let out a chuckle.

"Come on, let's go downstairs," she said, and she disentangled herself from his embrace, but kept holding his hand. He followed her outside her room, stopping to grab his jacket, and turned off the light before exiting.

§§§

Regina held his hand, descending the stairs, and they entered the kitchen like that. Granny smiled at them from the counter, and she returned the smile, then looked at Mal – her friend was lightening the candles in the middle of the table, and she lifted her head, eyes flickering up to their hands for a second. She met her gaze, and Mal smiled.

"So, Robin, are you staying for dinner?" asked Granny with a hopeful face.

Regina felt his hand tightening around hers, and looked up at him – he exchanged a look with her, before smiling at the old woman. "I'm afraid not," he answered. "Perhaps, another time"

"Well, you're missing home-made pizza, but it's your choice," she replied, crossing her arms. "Regina, darling, it's almost ready, if you need a moment to say goodbye"

She laughed, and leaned on to squeeze her shoulder. "Don't be crossed," she said, "he'll stay the next time"

Granny eyed them like an old owl, pretending to be angry, and Mal rolled her eyes, lifting the corner of her lips in a fond smile. "He'll better," she said, and she stretched a hand towards Robin. "It was nice to meet you," she said solemnly, and Regina thought she had to hurry and drag him away from the two women, before they ate him alive.

She met his eyes, and he understood, because he smiled at Mal kindly, and waved at Granny one last time before following her outside.

They stopped in front of the door, and she brought up her hands to his cheeks. "Sorry for the overprotective glares," she apologized, and he shook his head, kissing her lips.

"I hope I won't fail the trust Mal places in me"

"And I hope she didn't go too far," she replied. "I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Perfect," he agreed, and caressed her cheek one last time before turning to open the door. "Good night, beautiful," he said, and she smiled, watching him go. She leaned on the door, waiting until he turned the corner, and she closed her eyes, a blossom of hope beginning to bud in her chest.