guys, I'm so sorry this chapter took me so long, but the school has started again and... ugh. hope you like it. as always, excuse me for all the mistakes, english is not my first language and I don't have a beta (lookin for one!) so... yeah :)

enjoy!

Robin drove for several miles, Regina didn't ask him once where they were going; she didn't care. It was, for sure, a place where Victor could never reach her and that was enough.

She didn't dare to look at Robin, not even for a moment. She was afraid to meet his eyes that, instead, were constantly searching for hers. Her head rested on her knuckles as she looked out of the window. Sometimes she searched for his reflection in the glass and stopped to admire his figure. Her guardian angel. The one who had finally taken her away from that monster.

She had been so brave to go away, God only knew how much, but without him, without Robin, she surely wouldn've been able to do such.

She heard him turning off the car and she finally turned to face him:
"where are we?" she murmured

"at the beach."

What? The nearest beach was... who knew how many miles away from her house! She smiled, spontaneously. God, how could that man always be so damn wonderful?

Regina got out of the car and, immediately, the salty air filled her lungs. She took off her shoes and let the sand tickling her feet, then she looked at Robin: he had just done the same.

"you wanna give me your scarf?" he asked, giving her a kind smile. That same smile she had missed more than anything, in the past days.

"no, I'm fine, thanks."

He nodded, without saying anything else; she was going to talk first, over time, when she would feel at ease. They walked by the sea without saying a word, until Robin, tired of the insufferable silence that had fell between the two of them, tried to make her laugh by dipping his feet in the water, shivering like a wet chick as it was cold.

"you're crazy, Locksley!" she found herself laughing, out of nowhere, at the sight of his already-wet-to-the-knee trousers. He rolled them up, joining Regina in her laughter:

"the water is... a bit cold." he commented. She laughed again.

God, she was laughing. After all she had been through in the past three years and, particularly, that night, she was laughing. How could that man make her feel so terribly good? She wanted to know.

"mh, really?" she dipped a foot in the water too and immediately pulled it out, shivering "yeah, well, let's just say that a bit is an euphemism."

She left herself fall on the sand, followed by Robin. He saw her shivering again and took off his leather jacket:

"here, take it."

"oh" she smiled tenderly "it's not necessary!"

"I insist, you're cold and..."
"Robin, really, it's not..."

"you're shivering..."

"I said no!" she exclaimed, all of a sudden, making him jump on his seat.

"ok" he murmured, staring at the sand underneath his arse. Damn it, Locksley. He didn't say anything, he just stood still, hearing the long, deep breathe that she took:
"I'm so sorry, I... I don't know what came over me, I just..." yes, you know it, the goddamn voice inside her head kept on repeating. Maybe this time, she had to listen to it.

"it's nothing." he replied, but she felt guilty anyway. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him after all he had done for her; after all he had started to mean for her.

They stood silent for a couple of minutes, minutes that looked like hours, then she took his hand, smiling sweetly. Like she had never smiled to anyone:

"I would love to lay down with you a little and tell you what happened." she said in a voice not at all insecure, determined and sweet at the same time. Robin returned her smile:
"I would love to hear it."

He laid down first, stretched out an arm and invited her to lay down on it, so that he could hold her in a tender embrace. It took a while to Regina to get used to the contact between their bodies, but she didn't say anything. She didn't let him understand how much she was still suffering.

"are you comfortable?" he asked, making her smile even more.

"very much. Would you want to cover us with your jacket?" she looked like a child and Robin couldn't say no. He smiled at her lovingly and covered her body carefully, as if he was taking care of an actual baby, then he laid back next to her.

It was still dark, they were lighted only by the moon and the stars, but they didn't care; they still managed to look into each other's eyes.

"Victor and I... we discussed." oh come on! Be honest for once. "three years ago. We started discussing three years ago." she corrected herself and Robin gave her a puzzled look. "I haven't been completely honest with you the other day; since we found out that I can't have children, Victor hasn't treated me the same way. He used... strong words with me, as a start. Then, slowly, the violence became physical." she saw him widening his eyes and she couldn't tell if it was because he was angry or shocked, or confused. Maybe the three of them.

"he..."

"he started beating me up. First only on my arms, but then..." a tear ran down her cheek "even on my face. He said it was me who pushed him to do that, because I was an useless woman and he regretted marrying me." a sigh shook her and Robin wanted to hug her tight, but, right then, he noticed that something was keeping him from doing it: fear. Pure and simple. It was as if he had just found himself touching the most delicate crystal in the world, so fragile that even a touch could break it into a million pieces.

"I didn't say anything, ever, to anyone. I was so afraid that they wouldn't believe me, I... I don't know. Victor was so kind when there was someone else with us, maybe... maybe they wouldn't believe me. Not to mention how scared I was that he could kill me." she kept on talking but Robin noticed that she wasn't looking into his eyes anymore: she was looking down, concentrated on the way his dark-blue t-shirt collided with her white tank top, his abs against her breasts and, for a second, she felt naked in front of him.

"tonight he came so close." it was then that she finally removed the heavy woolen scarf from around her neck and threw it away, behind herself. It was dark, but he could perfectly notice the purple signs of Victor's strong hands as they had closed around her fragile neck.

"God..." yes, to Robin, that was the right moment to invoke God. What that woman had felt, every pain, it was as if he was feeling it on his own skin, all together. He wanted to touch those signs, as if he wanted to cure them with his fingertips, with his caresses. There, where there had been so much pain.

He didn't. He stood still, like paralyzed.

"don't... don't feel obliged to go on, if you don't want to."

"no, please! I want to. I want to tell you everything. I want you to know every part of me, even the darkest." saying this, she began to tell him everything that had happened that night. Every detail, every emotion, every gesture.

"I called you because I have no one else." she concluded, finally finding the courage to create a contact: she rested her delicate fingers on his face, brushing his beard, touching his skin where she had never done it.

"I'll kill him." she felt his teeth clenching against her hand and suddenly widened her big, brown eyes:

"no, please, Robin! Don't do that, don't leave me."

"Regina, that bastard deserves to pay! And I'm not talking about a couple of years in prison, I want to kill him, I want him to feel the same exact things he made you feel!"
She had had that desire too, trying to deny it to herself and to Robin would've been stupid. But, in that moment, she didn't care about Victor; she felt as if, by saying everything to the handsome man right in front of her, she had erased him from her life. Once and for all. As if she had definitely closed that horrible chapter of her life and she was ready to start a new one. Not then, not in that moment, but she would. With that man.

She was sure of that.

"hold me. Hold me in your arms. This will hurt him more than anything else, trust me. Just... hold me." her eyes were buried in his blue ones and Robin couldn't help but notice the gleam of supplication that was inside of them. He nodded imperceptibly and gently wrapped his arms around her. He was so afraid to hurt her in some way... he absolutely didn't want to risk it, so he left her guiding him: he felt her making herself comfortable against his chest, burying her face in his abs, her ear so close to his heart she could feel it beating. Only then he finally managed to smile again: she was the most beautiful angel he had ever seen and, right then, she was in his arms.
Regina was feeling so incredibly protected... nothing could scare her at that moment; she was in the arms of the only man she trusted in the whole world, she wouldn't be afraid anymore.

They stayed in that position for quite a long time, without saying a word. It seemed like they were sleeping but they both knew they weren't.

Robin was the first one to see the light of the sun, because Regina had her eyes closed and the head still buried in his chest, while his eyes were widely opened, aimed to develop god-only-knew what thought. His lips pressed against her forehead:
"look." he whispered around 5 AM. It had been exactly an hour and three quarters, but to Regina it looked like five minutes since he had wrapped his arms around her.

He gently pulled away and sat up, followed by her who joined him moments later. They both looked at the sun rising on the other side of the street, in the hills. They smiled like curious children who were seeing the world for the first time, then Regina looked at him.

God, those eyes were so deep, Robin swore he could spend every second of his life buried deep into them.

"it's beautiful." she breathed, unable to help herself from staring at his lips. Damn, she wanted to kiss him; she wanted to kiss him right there, right then. She wanted him to hold her like he had done before, just with their lips finally joined. She wanted him to kiss her back, feel his body against hers, make love to him. There, on that beach. Fuck everything.

But, perhaps, it was too early. For both of them.

"yeah, definitely." Robin whispered and, for a second, Regina thought he was answering to the questions she had secretly made in her mind.

They remained there, staring at each other for a couple of seconds more, without having a single clue what to do. Both with a mad desire of kissing each other, both too damn scared to try.

"you want me to..." Robin began, definitely breaking that sort of spell they had created around themselves "you want me to drive you to the police?"

He saw her flinching for a moment, as if she had remembered of Victor only then.

"I... I don't think it's a good idea."

Robin wanted to protest, to tell her that it was the right thing to do, the first one to start a new life; then he realized that that woman had probably been told what to do for far too long, so he didn't say anything.

"ok. So... where do you want to go?" he smiled and she thought about it for a second, taking a bit of sand in her hands, playing with it like a baby.

"mmh... can't we just stay here? Say... forever?" she looked at his with those sparkling brown eyes of hers, to which she knew he couldn't resist, and made him laugh:

"oh, of course milady. We can stay here all the time you want, but I don't think we'll be alone for much longer..." he pointed to an old man with a dog who had started to walk along the shore. Regina rolled her eyes and sighed:
"I don't understand what they're doing here at five in the morning." yes, she definitely looked like a child.

Robin laughed heartily: "that's probably the same thing they think of us." he said, brushing her nose with his index finger, just to see her curling it and laughing again. My God, he just wanted to see her like that for the rest of his life.

He wanted to kiss her but he didn't tell her. None of them said anything, until she took his hand and interlocked her fingers with his:
"I want to go to the police and report Victor." she said serious, without looking into his eyes. Instead, she looked at their joined hands.

"it's a really brave gesture, Regina, I really admire you for-"

"at one simple condition." she buried her eyes into his and smiled sweetly: "you will stay next to me."

He returned her smile and brought the hand she had joined with his on her face, gently, making sure she understood, on every instant, that all he wanted to do was to love her. With every gesture.

"you don't even have to ask, Regina, of course I'll be with you. As long as you want me to." she felt his thumb drawing circles all over her cheek and smiled at the sweetness he was treating her with. It was all she had asked for, all she wanted.

"thank you, Robin. For everything. And excuse me if I called you at 2 AM, if I... kept you up all night, I-"

"hey, ssh... you're an extremely brave and strong woman, Regina Mills. The least I could do was staying next to you." he brought his face close to her and Regina gasped at the sudden proximity. She felt his lips so close to hers, she wanted them, they were drawing her.

She couldn't help but feel a bit of disappointed as he kissed her forehead. As if she was... a simple friend.

They left the police station only at two in the afternoon. The agents had made sure they had every picture of the marks around Regina's neck, they had collected her deposition and assured her that Victor was going to be arrested by the end of the day.
Regina had cried when she'd heard that last sentence, but she couldn't tell if it was sadness or relief. Maybe one part of her, a small one, still wanted good things for Victor. But that man... he wasn't Victor anymore. He wasn't the man she had married; instead there was a monster that she could hardly recognize.

Robin noticed how silent she had been for the whole time and got worried; he smiled and took her hand, caressing it gently, circumscribing circles on its back:

"hey..." he whispered, looking at her for an instant, distracting from the road.

"hey." she returned his smile, but there wasn't anything similar to the ones she had made him the morning before on the beach. That smile didn't reach her brown eyes.

"are you okay?"

"no." she admitted, biting her lower lip. She felt so incredibly safe that she wanted to open herself up with that man; he had always been there for her when she needed someone. He had been the only one.

"you want to... talk about it?" he clenched both of his hands on the steering wheel, as if he wanted to keep himself from stopping the car and hugging her tight.

"perhaps in front of a sandwich, I'm starving." a slight smile curved her lips.

"of course. My treat. Where do you want to go?"

"no, I... I want to be alone." she shrugged sweetly but he misunderstood: she saw his face darkening and she immediately put her hand back on his "with you. I want to be alone with you." she blushed like a tomato as she realized what she had just said. "I-I mean..."

"don't worry. I understand." despite the fact that his heart was beating wildly in his chest, Robin managed to smile like nothing had happened. That phrase had struck him, had deceived him for a long instant, he could not deny it. "but if we go at my place, I won't ever let you eat a sandwich. You deserve so much better, Regina Mills. What about... spaghetti bolognese?"

Regina smiled and unconsciously licked her lips at the thought. When would she stop looking like a baby? He smiled.

"oh, it looks great, but I don't want to bother you... you've already done so much for me, I-"

"but I didn't say I'll do it all by myself! You're gonna help me. I intend to make homemade pasta, miss Mills."

She laughed without any control, letting herself go for a second, then she realized that he was serious:

"oh my god! And what if I refuse? Are you going to fire me, chief?"

"no. I say worst: I'll leave you starving."

Before arriving to his house, they went to the supermarket to buy the ingredients for a good launch. Regina smiled serene while she pushed the shopping cart next to Robin, who was choosing a good wine. They joked everytime they could, they smiled to each other and he couldn't help but appreciate how truly beautiful that woman was. Everytime she looked away, his eyes wandered down her body and he smiled. He smiled because she was perfect, in every single detail. He smiled because, in spite of all the horrible things she had been through, she managed to smile. In spite of everything, that angel managed to smile.

When they arrived home, Robin made her put all the things they'd bought on the kitchen table and they started to unpack the ingredients.

"where do you keep the containers? I would like to start preparing the mixture for the dough."

"right there." he pointed to the lower part of his huge belief and watched as she bent to take what she needed. He bit his lower lip so hard he almost made it bleed. Goddamn it, you have to stop. Those tight, dark jeans Regina was wearing, highlighted her butt perfectly and were seriously testing Robin's self-control. He had to mentally slap himself a couple of times and repeat in his mind that she wasn't the kind of woman he could spend up to two nights and then give her up with a futile excuse -not that he was used to that sort of thing, but still. That woman deserved so much more, she deserved someone who could take care of her, always. Someone who was going to be there for her no matter what, someone who didn't think of her as if she was a sex-toy. She deserved to be loved and he... he couldn't be the man she needed. He was just a close friend.

"perfect. So, how many eggs do I start breaking?" for the millionth time that day, she looked like a baby and Robin couldn't help but smile. He pulled out of the box the exact number of eggs she needed to prepare the dough, then he started to prepare the bolognese sauce. While they were busy with their jobs, the only noise they could hear were the ones of the spoons colliding with pots; until Regina, tired of that silence, started to sing.

"I don't know where you're going but do you got a room for one more troubled soul?" Robin heard her and giggled softly, careful not to be seen. He absolutely didn't want her to stop, he had never seen her like that, completely carefree. She was there, handling the dough, rolling it into flour from time to time, while she sang a song that he thought was from the Fall Out Boys. Yeah, he had heard it once before on the radio! It was certainly Alone Together.

"say yeah!" she exclaimed, raising one hand in the air, as if she was at a concert. Robin's giggle became slightly more audible but she still didn't notice "and let's be alone together! We can stay young forever. Scream it from the top of your lungs, lu-lungs, say yeah!" again, she raised her hand, but thim time it was covered with flour, so she dropped a bit over her head, in her hair. This time, Robin literally burst into a laughter and Regina realized she was laughing too only when she turned to look at him:
"it's been a while since I felt this way. It's been ages since I sang!" she said happily, the widest of smiles on her face "this is the road to ruin, and we're startin' at the end!" she took a bit of flour in her hand and threw it at him with nonchalance, ignoring the guilt that came over her as soon as his dark blue shirt started to turn to white. He opened his mouth, pretending to be angry, then she dipped his hand in the flour and started tickling her, covering her tank top and most of her arms with white.

They started laughing like idiots, chasing each other, running all over the kitchen. Regina threw a piece of dough to him but he promptly picked it up and threw it back at her, hitting her on the shoulder. She tried to catch his hands and he seemed to surrender, except that he was planning to reverse the situation. And that's what he did: in less than a second, Regina found herself trapped between the cold marble of the kitchen and Robin's warm body.

"Miss Mills, I can't accept this behavior, you know that, right? You disrespected your chief..." his voice was involuntarily deep and it managed to penetrate in Regina's mind easily, driving her completely crazy. Oh, God.

"mmh, really?" she pretended not to understand, tilting her head on the side.

"yeah. I'll have to take measures..." he wanted to keep on joking, but Robin couldn't help himself from noticing the bruises on her neck that that bastard had left. They had faded away at least a bit, but they still had to hurt, judging by the purple color that they still had.

She saw his face darkening and immediately dropped her smile:
"stop it." she said serious, looking down for a brief moment.

"w-what?"

"I don't want you to look at me like that anymore. As if I was sick or God only knows what else. Robin, stop. I don't want to be pitied anymore." she threw the cloth on the table and walked away, leaving him there alone, speechless. Like an idiot.