"You did WHAT?" Robin bellowed so hard the leaves nearby leapt off the ground.

Rubbing his unshaven jawline, Robin felt embarrassed. He was normally calm and cool as a cucumber, but something about Will set him on edge. He'd never yelled at anybody like this in his whole life.

Because no one had ever upset him like Will just had.

Not that Will didn't have many opportunities.

Robin took a deep breath to cool off some of his blood pressure so he could stop the swirling red spirals blossoming in his sight and envisioning how nice it'd feel to swat Will upside the head. Zelena put her hands on the sides of Robin's tattered fox fur jacket in a manner he found naturally soothing. She had seemed to sense he would.

Will was prattling on about duty and guile and how Regina had no honor. Blah blah. If Robin weren't tuning him out and digesting only mere snippets, he wouldn't be gaining control of his emotions.

When Will stopped mouthing off, Robin stretched his mouth and lifted his shoulders apologetically. "Will, man…" He draped his arm around Will's shoulder and tried to say, "you're good people," but found his tongue refused the lie. Stepping back, he murmured, "That was a really shitty thing to do."

Robin had told Zelena before they searched the closest Waygate, they needed to check on his Merry Men. He'd expected to find them waiting in one of their usual hideouts. When he'd checked them all and found them empty, he'd ended up in taverns, drinking, dicing, and collecting information with Zelena on his arm.

Will opened his mouth wide to defend himself. Robin cringed openly. He couldn't bear to listen to any more drivel.

Holding his palm up, he silenced Will. "Regina is hope. She's the reason I felt confident I could fight the queen's foul taxes. She is my inspiration, and I will not put up with you taking advantage of her." He was breathing a lot harder than he wanted, and he was focusing so hard on relaxing that he was unaware his jaw was clenched.

Will pouted a la puppy-dog style. "You need better role models," he huffed. "I guess your mother tried to drown you when you were a baby if that's who you look up to."

Robin bristled. Before he could take a step forward, Zelena placed both of her palms on Robin's chest in a calming way. Robin dropped a kiss on her mouth while placing his hands on the sides of her ribs. He got lost in her scent and the feel of her closeness. Most importantly, he forgot about Will.

He was thoroughly enjoying the movement of their kisses. Getting lost in the moment, not needing more than the taste of her lips. One of his hands crawled up to burrow in her lovely red tresses.

Will cleared his throat. Robin's mouth tightened. Other than that, he ignored the fool.

The throat clearing continued until Robin lazily cracked a blue eye open and studied Will's gloating features. Robin took his sweet time before withdrawing his mouth and letting his arms drop from Zelena to his sides.

Smirking slightly, Robin pondered, "Do you have something important or different to say, or do you intend to stand there, gawking at me all day like some kind of stalker?"

Will took a step back, a scowl freely roaming his puppy-dog face. "Geez! Get huffy with a man for looking out for you, why don't you?"

Robin swirled his finger through his ear and pulled out a chunk of earwax. Gripping Will's wrist, he put it in his hand. "Sorry, mate. Knew I heard you wrong." He released Will then rolled his shoulders. "Zelena and I have some errands to run, so I'll see you later."

"You just got back."

Arching his brow, Robin wondered, "Your point is?"

"Don't you want to stay a while?"

Robin spread his arms. "Now, Will, I never dreamed you'd develop a little crush on me. This is…This is mildly flattering and extremely head-inflating, but it is with regret that I must pass on your offer. I've found…a lady. No offense?" He held out his arms for a hug. Will slapped him away.

"If I were to have feelings for a man," Will uttered icily, "he'd need to be a really pretty man, with thick lips and hair flopping in front of his left eye."

Robin regarded Will scrutinizingly. "That's oddly specific. Look," he wet his lips with his tongue, "I've been out of the hospital for a week. Trying to find you guys like a buck hunts a doe in heat. I've found the camp, now I can relax. Steal a few bored horses, cut some rich people's purses, and toss the coin to bakers about to be homeless because no one's buying their cupcakes. I'll be back sometime around midnight." He grabbed his pointed olive green hat out of his fox fur jacket pocket and left with his arm wrapped in Zelena's.

Snow's haughty sun-haired cousin, Isendre, was yakking to her companion, a tall, dark-skinned royal. The companion was plainly less interested than Isendre would like, judging by the constant eye-rolling as the silent woman listened to the bragging.

Isendre swung her purse, her ego butchered. "Well, what would you have done?"

"First of all, I would have told him to kiss it. Then I would have said, 'Get bent.'" Patting her chest, the companion finished, "But that's just—"

An arrow whizzed by their heads, snatched up the ruby-encrusted purse, and pinned it to a tree.

Isendre screamed as a hooligan came straight at her purse. Riding an excited black mare, a lady clutching his back with a wide smile.

The women's bodyguards made a strong, skilled attempt to stop the three beings sharing one pounding heartbeat and four legs. One of the bodyguards managed to grab the red-haired man's fox fur coat, but slippery as a fish, he got loose with no effort, snatched up the purse, and the three beings were gone in a cloud of dust and evil smirks on each mouth.

Isendre had never been so furious in her life. Bathing in rage, she snatched up her bodyguard's sword out of its hilt and lopped his head off.

"That was exhilarating!" Zelena gasped as Robin helped her down from the horse in front of the brown cottage. She patted the black muscled mare on the nose then smiled beautifully into Robin's face.

A muscle in Robin's jaw jumped. He was mortified by how easily her smile melted him and also the whiff of perspiration he knew was emanating from him.

Robin tied the mare to a tree. She thrust her muzzle to the ground and greedily ripped up some grass. Placing his arm around Zelena and touching her elbow, Robin escorted her to the door of the cottage.

He rapped on the door three times. A grisly voice asked, "Who's there?"

Robin roared, "If you don't open up, old lady, I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow yer house down."

The door whipped open to reveal a smiling grey-haired woman with a bow slung over her shoulder. Her hair was in a net, and flour smudged her cheek. Folding her arms over her chest, she raised her brow in amusement. "You'll huff and you'll puff?" she parroted cynically.

Robin dropped his gaze to his boots in faux mortification before swinging his head back upright, a playful smile licking his chops. "Sold any baked goods lately?"

Granny scratched the side of her jaw. "Considering the Queen's ghastly taxes, I'm lucky if a fly tries to make off with a muffin. She's charging two hundred quid to all residents who exist in her kingdom. I'm lucky that husband of mine bought this cottage fair and square because if Her Majesty owned it, I'd have to shoot my own foot. They're getting geared up to toss Red and me in prison. If I had a good horse, I'd go to Gaston's land. In spite of the rumors of him being a jackass, his country is kind to its citizens.

"They're also less sexist. Most of the menfolk here think all women are good for is baking, sewing, cleaning, gossiping, and fixing their manly itch. The sky's the limit in Gaston's country. A majority of those men contribute to the cleaning of a household, and if they live alone, their house isn't filthy."

"Yes, that's the dream, isn't it? But," Robin tapped his chin with a finger, "if you didn't cook, what would you do?"

Crossly, Granny countered, "I meant for Red. I'm excellent at cooking, but not because I'm a woman. Because I like it. I'm decent at tracking, but I couldn't do it for a living. Lost some of my touch over the years. But Red could be a tracker in another country if she wanted. Here, no one would bloody well hire a woman. Mother's milk in a cup!" she bleated. Involuntarily, she spat on the ground then grinded her jaw.

Lightly, Robin enlightened, "I've got something that will perk that sourness off your face." He offered her a coin pouch, extending his hand as he dropped to a bow.

Robin's eyes were closed when Granny inquired formally, "Did this come from the queen?"

"Her family. Isendre."

"The snob herself." Granny snatched the purse and pocketed it in her apron.

When Robin straightened from the bow and opened his eyes, Granny thanked him with humble sincerity.

His eyes twinkled when he informed her, "It was my pleasure."

Wind rushed Robin and Zelena's ears as if a helicopter was right atop of them.

They were standing in a clearing surrounded by a foray of trees. Searching for the Waygate leaf, which was distinct in shape and size but had camouflaging color and therefore blended in with the leaves still attached to the surrounding trees.

It was on one of the trees, if their eyes would comb over the right spot and recognize it…

The roaring wind stemmed from the crack in the door to the Waygate. It hadn't been properly shut, but it wouldn't open any further without the leaf. The magic leaf, which fit in its shape on the door where a knob would be on a normal door.

Zelena and he had to shout to hear each other. Plainly, they'd need magic to travel the actual Ways, or they would probably emerge from them completely deaf, thanks to the violent wind within.

That was the tamest permanent possibility. It was also possible the wind might pick a few men up and kill them without the aid of magic acting as a barrier against the wind.

Robin would worry about that later. For now, his task was finding the leaf so they could open the Waygate, have a peek in the Ways, and decide what they needed for their trip.

Robin couldn't wait. It'd be an adventure. He could taste it. Even if they couldn't wash Will from their tracks, he loved Zelena for bringing this adventure upon him.

He loved Zelena…

Gripping her arm, he pointed. "Isn't that it?"

She blushed. "It's glowing."

"They say Waygate leaves glow in the presence of true love."

Softly, she murmured, "Yes, I've heard."

They exchanged a meaningful glance then a hungry kiss.

After plucking the leaf, Zelena placed it on the Waygate. Then she slid the door open just wide enough for them to peer inside. Their hair was pushed out of their faces by a violent wind blowing in their direction. It was so strong, Robin felt surprised it didn't snap their necks broken. Their eyes hurt and watered from the strength of the force shoving against their eyeballs.

A vicious black funnel shape was sweeping in their direction, which they could see in the sunset color stemming from the broken ground of the Ways. The sunset color originated far below the ground.

They shut the door approximately thirteen seconds after opening it, all the way this time. The roaring was silenced. It took several long minutes of blinking and pacing for them to feel normal again.

Scratching the back of his head, Robin deduced, "We'll have to wait for that thing to move on before traveling."

"The Machin Shin."

With a large trace of admiration, Robin murmured, "You know your Ways."

"I'm a good listener," she corrected, and arm in arm, they returned to the stolen mare with big, dopey smitten smiles upon their faces.