(A/N-Special thanks to Bekki for beta reading this. Thanks so much boo, now rest lol. And special thanks to those who read this 'one shot', follow, fav and especially review it. I can't thank you all enough.)
A month and a half had passed since their breakup, with Robin and Regina working tensely around the other. They kept their interaction to a minimum, being around the other being extremely hard on the other. Whenever they were in the same room, Regina kept her eyes off of Robin as much as possible and vice versa. It was incredible how two people, who were once so internally linked, were now two separate beings. Regina was staying with Emma and Killian as she just couldn't stay in his apartment anymore. The memories were too much for her to bare right now. His presence always lingered around her, even after she went home. His scent seemed to be one with her.
One day, Robin woke up on a mission. He had a target this day that he was determined to meet with, a score to settle if you will. He quickly got dressed and drove to the person he desperately wanted to have a word with, he parked his car and walked into King's Castle loans, and quickly found the person he wanted to see, sitting behind his desk, the man stood up as he walked in.
"Can I assist-" Leopold Blanchard began, and then stopped as he saw who was here. "Robin Locksley, I didn't know you would be by today."
"I just bet you didn't, you son of a bitch!" Robin said as he walked around to where Leopold sat.
Leopold quickly stood up and moved away from Robin, "I'm going to assume that bitch Regina ran her trap."
Robin moved quickly, the remaining few feet separating him from Leopold. He grabbed Leopold and reared back and punched him in the stomach, causing Leopold to double over. "That was for calling her a bitch," Robin roared at him, "and this was for putting bruises on her." He then punched Leopold on the jaw which made the older man fall backwards onto the floor.
But Robin wasn't finished just yet.
He grabbed Leopold and brought him back to a standing position. "This is for pressuring her to sleep with you." Robin hit him again in the jaw, sending him again to the floor.
"Let me be perfectly clear, Blanchard, if you ever think about her, go anywhere near her," Robin growled out the words as he stood above the man, holding him by the front of his shirt as the man coughed up blood, "I'll make you pay and wished you never heard of her, do you understand me?"
"She's...just a...piece of ass-" Leopold choked out.
"You bastard! That's the woman that I love and I promise I'll kill you if you ever threaten her again," Robin yelled down at him, before punching him again.
"She owed me that money," Leopold stated.
"Maybe she did, but that didn't give you the right to try to force her into doing something she didn't want to do," Robin said.
"Are you sure that she didn't want to?" Leopold suggested. "Maybe she wanted my attentions."
"She would never have anything to do with you," Robin said.
"Maybe you are right, maybe she decided she wanted a bigger meal ticket, like yourself," Leopold said.
"I'm not going to let your feeble attempt to put doubt into my mind about her intentions," Robin said.
"You know you can't trust her, women like her are always trying to find a way to gain access to your trust. Because once they have your trust, you become blind to everything," Leopold said.
"Regina is different, she is trustworthy," Robin said. he knew deep down she was. He just had to work things out with her. He realized how he had not let her defend herself against his accusations. Later, later he would let her say everything that she needed to say.
"You keep telling yourself that, Locksley," Leopold said with laughter, "You're here for a reason, and she's it."
"You're right, I am here for Regina," Robin said, "I'm here because I care about her and I will fight for her. She is an inspiring, loving, strong woman. Head my warning, Blanchard, don't ever come anywhere near her again."
Robin got the papers from Leopold's cabinet about Regina's loan and tore them up, even though the loan was paid back in full.
Robin then headed towards Emma and Killian's place, figuring that Regina would be there. He still needed to talk over a few things with her. He had calmed down quite a bit from last month, it had been such a shock to his heart, his system to not just find out she was working in a strip club, but that she had lied to him.
He had thought after their talk at the cabin, that everything was in the clear. He was not such an arse that he thought he had to know everything about Regina, but he felt like he had deserved to know about her double life. He still had a hard time when he thought of how she had been forced to parade herself around that club, had another man touched her? Had she performed lap dances for all those faceless men?
As much as it might hurt him to know, he would ask her. She might not answer him, which was her right. But if they still had any chance at a future together, then he would have to know everything about her other job. He knew it would eat at him alive if he didn't know, if he didn't ask.
He needed this talk, they needed this talk.
Meanwhile, Regina was getting ready to leave Emma and Killian's home to run an errand. Which Emma was trying desperately to talk her out of it
"Please, Regina, don't do this," Emma pleaded with her as she watched Regina getting ready to leave.
"I have to, Emma," Regina said. "I owe this much to Robin."
"But, Regina, it's the last thing you have of your mother," Emma said as she watched Regina pull out of her pocket, a pair of rings.
Her mother's engagement and wedding rings.
She had held onto them all this time. Once her father had gotten himself somewhat cleaned, he had told her never to sell them. No matter what.
"Emma, I appreciate your words, I truly do," Regina said, "And I can't thank you enough for getting me a job at Killian's pub."
"It's the least we can do, lass," Killian said as he walked into the room and pulled Regina into his arms.
"Regina, please don't act in too much haste with your mother's rings," Emma said.
"I have to pay Robin, something," Regina said. "I can't work there with him, seeing him every day and knowing what I threw away...it would be too much for me to take."
"I understand about you wanting to remove yourself from the office with him, but your rings, Regina," Emma said.
"Emma, I'm doing this, I'm going to the pawn shop and then I'm going to head to the office to leave him a notice," Regina said.
"So I guess we're moving you out as well?" Killian asked
"I can't use his generosity," Regina said. "It wouldn't be right."
"I know he's upset, rightfully so," Emma said, "You know I'm on your side, and I also know that he'll cool down eventually. I'm sure the wound is too raw right now for him."
"I'm sure it is," Regina said as she clutched at her mother's rings.
"Do you want me to go have a word with the lad?" Killian asked.
"No, he has a right to be upset with me," Regina said. "I need to go if I'm going to catch the subway."
"I'll drive you, lass," Killian said as Regina quickly thanked him and they were on their way.
Ten minutes later, Robin was parking his car outside of Killian's and Emma's. He had just by chance, went by the apartment he had let Regina stay in. He had walked into the the apartment that for a short amount of time, had been Regina's. He had been a little caught off guard by finding the key he had given Regina. He knew how she must be feeling that she wasn't worthy of staying here any longer. He didn't know what was going to happen between them, but he did know he wanted her to stay there for as long as she wanted to. So here he was walking up the walkway towards the front door, a hundred questions going off in his mind.
Was there a future for them?
Could he forgive how she had lied to him?
What else had she done at the club?
If she had done other things, had it been before they had started seeing one another?
How were they going to work together?
Could they work together?
How could he keep looking at her every day at work, and not want to bring her into his office to make out with her across his lap?
How could he look at her, and feel the love he had for her overwhelm him?
Robin arrived at the front door of the house and took a deep breath, before ringing the doorbell. He waited a few seconds until the door was opened by Emma.
"Hello, Emma," Robin began, "I'm sorry for coming by unannounced. Is Regina here?"
Emma sighed before she started talking, "I'm sorry, Robin, but Regina isn't here now. Would you like to come in?"
"Thank you," Robin said as he walked into the home. He sat down on the couch, while Emma got them both a cup of coffee, then came back and sat down beside him.
"Has she been staying with Killian and you?" Robin asked.
"Yes, she was in no condition to stay by herself after what happened," Emma said.
Robin's guilt over how he had reacted to all this, came over him. "I know I reacted poorly to finding out about Regina's other job."
"Robin, she didn't want to work there," Emma explained, "and neither did she want to hide it from you. She was embarrassed over the whole ordeal, and she was going to quit that job very soon. I had tried to talk her about quitting it over and over."
"I know, but it just eats at me to think of her being subjugated to those men," Robin said.
"Robin, as far as I know, nothing happened with other men," Emma said, "Regina loves you very much."
"I know, I mean my head tells me that," Robin said as he took a sip of the coffee, "but my heart that is hurting is what keeps reminding me of how she lied to me when I told her just tell me everything. I literally begged her to after I saw those bruises put on her by Leopold Blanchard."
"He did what?" Emma asked. "I'll kick his ass."
"Not much left," Robin said as he looked at his knuckles which were slightly bruised.
"I don't even feel sorry for him, just too bad there's probably not much left for me," Emma said.
"He won't be bothering her again, especially since she no longer owed him anything," Robin said.
"Robin, she is very grateful that you did that, and I know she had to swallow her pride to take the money," Emma said as Robin nodded, "She loves her father that much and was just trying to help him in any way that she could. Don't we all do that for the person we love the most? Lie, steal, cheat...kill even, to protect the ones we love?"
Robin could only sit there and no in agreement, because he would have done anything he could for Regina. "I just wished she had come to me sooner and told me everything. I asked her flat out if there was anything else."
"I know, Robin, I'm not making excuses for that. I told her so many times to just tell you, I knew it would be worse if you ever found out. I was always afraid that somehow you would, even if it was years down the road, after..." Emma stopped as she realized she had almost said too much.
"After the two of us were married?" Robin finished for her.
"Yes," Emma answered, "Robin, you have made her so happy. I have never seen her like this ever, she had always had to struggle to try to keep her head above water, which meant that she couldn't let anyone get to close, especially with her two jobs, one of which we both didn't like."
"I know I keep saying this, and it's not the fact that she had another job, it's the fact that she withheld something so important from me," Robin explained.
"I understand why you're hurt, and she was always torn up over keeping this from you," Emma said as Robin let out a deep breath.
"Do you know when Regina will be back home? We really need to have a talk," Robin asked.
"She's...had to run and errand and has started working for Killian at his pub," Emma answered gently.
"What? She can't leave her job," Robin said.
"She was giving you a notice, Robin," Emma said.
"But I don't want her to leave her job, she needs it," Robin said. "I need her."
"Then I suggest telling her that very soon," Emma said.
Robin nodded as he said, "You're right, I need to explain why I'm truly upset and if this relationship between us can be saved."
"I truly think that would be the best, for both of you," Emma said, "Killian's club is down on Friendship Ave, called the Pirate's Cove."
"I know that one, I'm going to head over there now," Robin said as they both stood. "Thank you, Emma for listening to me."
"Anytime, anyone important to Regina is important to me," Emma said. "I do hope the best for you, and that you both can work through this. You're really good for one another."
"Thank you, again," Robin said as he left the house and headed towards Killian's club.
Regina was just finishing taking another order for a table at the club, she liked working here so far. Killian ran his club like a great boss, it was efficient and fast faced, but that also helped make the day pass quickly. The tips were good too, she had gotten a few questions on if she was single and felt a fresh wave of pain when she just said yes to them. They could tell that whatever had happened was new.
"You doing alright, lass?" Killian said as he walked up to her.
"Yes, and thank you again for this job," Regina said.
"You're welcome lass, hang in there," Killian said as he gave her arm a quick squeeze.
"I've got to go put their order in," Regina said as Killian nodded.
Minutes later she was bringing the drinks to the table and had put them down, "Hey Regina, there's a new customer on table 23," Ashley, another waitress told her as Regina headed towards the table.
She was getting her pad and paper out as she walked up, looking up she stopped in her tracks upon seeing who was at the table. A figure she knew all too well.
"Robin," she whispered.
(A/N-Well looks like someone wants to talk. I have a public twitter for my fics and such if you are interested, please feel free to follow. It's atMyFicsAndMore. I post sneaks into things I am working on, if you have a question about a fic I'm working on or a past one, I'll answer what I can. I do plan on updating on Halloween my Vampire inspired Fic Born For The Dark Prince, so be on the lookout for that. I also have another project scheduled for February if I can get it in order in time, so fingers crossed.)