Once Upon a Time 1. Chapter 1

**Authors note – Ok sorry for the rambling but i have a few things i think i need to say before you get stuck into this story. Ive read Fanfiction for years but ive never wrote one before ever. There are so many unbelievably talented writers in the fic world and I'm a firm believer in leave it to the professionals. However this story hit me and wouldn't let go so i thought I'd give it a bash lol. I'm in no way a professional, I've not written creatively since school so im not in any way confident in this but a couple of my nearest and dearest on twitter have assured me its good enough to publish to the masses so I'm taking the plunge lol.**

**This is going to have at least two parts; this is just the first ill post the next one if this is well received. My lovely Beta thinks it could be more than two parts and it could be a possibility ill see how it go's but for now I'll just say it's going to be at least two parts.**

**I started this before Sundays ep so any inconsistencies to the ep is because of that, it's mainly the ice wall i forgot about so that's just pretend that's not a factor lol. Please review I welcome constructive criticism just bear in mind please it's my first time. **

**Thank you to my lovely Beta Geli without her this would make even less sense than it does now. Also thank you to Ivana who also took a look and assured me that its good enough to go out to the masses. If its crap than blame these two lol but either way their encouragement has been vital.**

**Ok ill stop the rambling now hope you enjoy.**

**Not mine, that pleasure is Adam and Eddy's **

Robin held Roland closer to him and watched as the thick cloud of silvery, grey smoke came closer and closer to Storybrooke. A few more seconds, the spell of shattered sight would engulf the entire town, bringing out the worst in everyone it touched, causing everyone to turn against each other.

As he watched from the safety of beyond the town line, his mind, heart and soul screamed one word over and over again.

Regina.

She had insisted to him, no matter how much he insisted back that he needed to stay with her, that he get out of town. He had fought her tooth and nail, refusing to give in, telling her she had lost her mind if she believed for a second he would be anywhere but with her if she was going to be in any sort of danger. However after going back and forth for hours, her telling him over and over that she didn't want him to see her like that, The famous Evil Queen, and him repeatedly telling her he did not care, she had delivered her final and fatal blow.

"What about Roland?"

He looked at her, his forehead creased in confusion.

"What about him? You know I'd make sure he was safe. My men would guard him with their lives."

She let out a heavy sigh and looked to the floor and Robin could tell she was bracing herself for whatever she was about to say. Finally she raised her head and fixed her brown eyes with his blue ones, they shone with unshed tears and he took a step towards her, his automatic impulse to take her into his arms and comfort her setting in, unable to see her distressed, his heart and soul forbid it. However she held up a hand to stop him coming any closer and he stopped in his tracks.

"So you would leave your son without a father, when it's uncertain he will ever get to see his mother again?"

Robin sighed "Regina I'm sure I can handle anything anyone in that town can throw at me, besides it's not like anyone has an axe to grind with me"

"I'm not talking about the town idiots Robin I'm –"Her voice waivered and she drew in another shaky breath as he saw her struggle with whatever she was about to say. "I'm talking about me."

It then dawned on him what she meant and he walked swiftly towards her, cupping her face in the palms of his hands and lifting her face so he could look into her eyes.

"You won't hurt me either," He spoke with conviction, believing in his words one hundred percent and urging her to believe it too.

She stared back at him and spoke, her voice small but even and steady.

"I wouldn't... But she would"

He pondered her words, he had heard stories of "The Evil Queen" at the height of her terror and devastation of course but he had never seen of it firsthand. All his dealings when he was on her most wanted list had been with her Black Knights and as mighty in numbers they may have been, they were all seriously lacking in the wits department. He and his men never had much of a problem giving them the slip. However for all the stories he heard, as frightening as they may have been he could never imagine his Regina being anyone other than the beautiful woman standing in front of him how. The warm, kind, hot-headed, passionate beauty who he would fight for with his last breath.

His love. His soulmate.

And he would not leave her.

"I'll take my chances..."

She moved so quickly she startled Robin, yanking his hands off her face and taking two strides back from him, fixing him with a furious glare.

"No you won't take your chances you fool! You will get the hell over that town line and stay with your son. He does not need to lose another parent, his last parent. I don't want to be the one to take you from him"

"Regina..."

She cut him off again and kept talking like he hadn't even spoken. However, the anger had now left her voice and she spoke in a small broken voice, her tone taking on a slight pleading quality.

"Robin, please. I need you safe. I need to know that when I come through this you will be here, unharmed. I can't run the risk of you getting hurt... of me hurting you, just please get out of town and stay safe with Roland"

"Regina..." He tried again, seeing her increased anxiety, she was now looking frantic and his heart squeezed at the sight of her building hysteria.

"You would be her number one target, she believed love is weakness and she would want to eliminate that weakness... I won't be able to stop her. She's too far gone; you won't be able to reason with her."

He couldn't take anymore; he quickly closed the distance between them and took her into his arms. She struggled at first but he held her tighter, holding her against his chest till he felt her give in and laid her head on his chest, both hands clutching at the cotton if his shirt as she tried to calm her ragged breathing. Right that moment he would have promised her anything if it meant the end of her distress.

"Sssssh Regina, calm down, it's ok, it's ok... I'll stay away, I promise just sweetheart please calm down." As he held her he ran one hand through her hair as the other trailed up and down her back in soothing trails. He rocked her side to side and continued to whisper soft words of comfort as she calmed.

"You promise?" She said lifting her head to gaze into his eyes. "You will stay away?"

He sighed and reluctantly answered her what he knew she needed to hear even though it was the last thing he wanted to say to her at that moment.

"I promise my love, when that curse hits, me, Roland and the rest of the Merry Men will be out of town."

...

So here he was

Him, and his men had set up temporary camp in the forest just outside the town limits and now they stood and watched as the curse came closer and closer to the town. Soon it would and chaos would take over, making everyone it touched give in to their darkest impulses.

"Papa" the small voice of his son pulled him from his thoughts and he focused on him.

"What is it my boy?" he said looking down to the small, brown haired boy in his arms

"Where's Gina?"

"She's in the town Roland"

Roland looked up at him with confusion and fear.

"But the bad cloud will get her. Papa we need to save her!" The small boy began struggling in his arms, trying to get down, the thought of "his Gina" in any danger causing him to spring into action.

"Roland no, Gina will be OK, she has magic and it will keep her safe" Robin heard the words come out of his mouth but did not feel the conviction in them. A tight knot formed in his stomach and he felt a deep, ache in his chest, an ache he was quickly discovering was his soul crying out, recognising the distress of its mate and fighting deep inside him to go to her, to ease any suffering she may be going through.

No. His heart and soul wasn't convinced by his words and it appeared neither was his son.

"But you have to keep her safe papa, it's what you do, it's what you always do. If Gina is sad or hurt you make it better and make her smile again."

His son's words hit him like a punch to the gut. Was that true? It certainly was at one point, he made it his personal goal in life since the moment he met her to make sure that heart-stopping smile never left her face. A task he was failing at since the return of Marian, a fact that weighed heavily on him. He knew he had a lot to make up to her.

So why was he here while she fought alone... likely for her life? Likely confused and scared?

Why? Because of an ill made promise he made to her because she would rather fight alone than put him in danger?

No, he wouldn't let her, she had fought her last fight alone and he would make sure she never had to fight without him again. Mind made up he called out to his friend in a strong convicted voice, knowing he would be met with some resistance from his men for his decision.

"John"

With a last look at his son he placed a kiss to his mop of brown curls.

Little John made his way over to Robin stopping at Robins side a look of question on the larger man's face. He passed Roland over to John who took him without hesitation. And spoke one last time to his boy.

"Roland I need you to be a good boy and stay with John, help him guard the camp OK?"

"But where are you going papa?"

"I'm going to make sure Regina is safe my boy"

Roland beamed at him and reached over to give his father one last hug, clutching at the labels of his jacket. John focused weary eyes on his best friend and leader approaching what he was about to say with caution.

"Robin the Queen said... "

Robin focused steely eyes on John, making the large man stop his words midsentence, making it clear with just one glance to not even try to talk him out of going to find his true love.

"I know what she said John I was there, but I will not let her get harmed or go through this alone because of her misguided attempts to keep me safe. I'm going; I trust you will keep everyone safe here while I'm gone?"

Little John heaved a heavy sigh, shuffling to balance Roland onto one hip so he could free one of his hands to clasp his friend and brother on the shoulder.

"Do what you have to Robin, just please, please be careful."

With nothing more than a grateful glance in the direction of his friend and a ruffle of his son's hair Robin took off in a run towards the town of Storybrooke. Deep inside his chest his soul seemed to howl and fight within him, alerting him further of its mate's distress. Robin quickened his pace, Boots falling heavily on the wet grass as he sprinted through the forest, over the town line heading straight towards the Sheriff station. Robin had no idea why he would head in that direction. Surely he was more likely to find her in her vault or her home; however something told him he was heading the right way.

Towards her.

The knot in his stomach tightened, squeezing uncomfortably.

He had no idea what he was going to find when he got to her.

...

The only way to describe what was happening on the streets of Storybrooke was chaos, total utter chaos. Apparently precautions people had made to keep themselves safe from doing any harm had been in vain. Ropes, chains and locked doors were no match for the rage that the curse had unleashed in the residents of the small town.

People fought in the street; grabbing anything and everything they could to inflict maximum pain on what they perceived to be their enemies. One thing was startlingly clear; this battle would not be without casualties.

Robin paid them little mind has he sprinted towards the sheriff station. Throwing open the glass doors with more force than necessary. His eyes scanned the scene as he entered, his eyes going from Hook, to Emma to Elsa, before coming to settle on the hunched up figure locked behind the metal bars of one of the jail cells.

The figure was dressed in an elaborate outfit befitting a Queen, all black and purple lace and leather, jewels sparkling on the bodice of her corset.

Regina.

Her hair was up in an elaborate style, something he had not seen on her since the year they spent back in the Enchanted Forest, and held in place by two jewelled pins. This was the only clue he had so far that anything about her had changed. Regina had confided in him once in the Enchanted Forest how much she hated her wardrobe as the Queen, spoke of how she found them to be suffocating. That she missed her sophisticated but comfortable and practical clothes from her own land. When he had asked as to why she wore them if that was the case she had laughed and told him it was "armour" that it served to make an impression and announce her presence, instantly striking fear into people's hearts. She confessed this bitterly, gazing at him expecting him to look disgusted or even to mock her, however he just smiled gently at her and told her he believed she would look good in anything she wore. This had brought a small smile to her lips even as she rolled her eyes and told him she hoped he was a better thief than flirt.

As he observed her now he was confused. Of all the scenes he had imagined greeting him as he saw her under the influence of the curse this is the last one he expected. He expected to have to talk her down as she wreaked havoc; he expected to see her shooting fireballs at anyone who dared cross her path. Hell at the very least he expected her to be throwing sarcasm and harsh words at anyone in earshot, but she wasn't.

He moved closer to the cell to take a closer look, barely registering Emma telling him that it wasn't a good idea he was there, and squinted through the low lighting. He frowned at the sight that met him. Despite the elaborate outfit and hair Regina appeared to be unkempt, strands of hair had escaped her fancy undo and clung to her sweaty forehead. Her chest heaved against the harsh pull of her corset as her breath came out in ragged pants and sweat glistened on her heaving chest. She was hunched in the far corner of the cell, head down to the floor so he was unable to see her face, oh how he needed to see her face at that moment.

He turned to the others in the room in confusion about to ask what had happened to her when a glint of something shiny caught his attention from the corner of his eye, his head whipped back towards Regina and his eyes widened in horror. He felt his blood start to boil and a burning hot anger begin to build in his chest as he registered fully what he had spotted.

Wrapped tightly round each of her tiny fragile wrists were metal cuffs which joined in the middle by a thick linked chain.

Restraints, the bastards had restrained her.

If that wasn't enough to make him angry enough to kill whoever was responsible closer inspection made him have to close his eyes briefly as his stomach rolled in distress. She had clearly been fighting against the restraints for some time and judging by the mess they had made of her wrists she had put up one hell of a fight against them. The skin he could see not covered by metal was an angry red where the metal had chaffed at her normally smooth olive skin and the skin was torn in places. Streaks of red ran on either side of the cuffs, trails running down to her fingers and down to her elbows where the sleeves to the long coat she wore over her corset ended.

Blood.

He whipped round to the three others who stood nervously in the middle of the room, his eyes dark and dangerous, and his voice deadly as he barked out.

"What is the meaning of this?! Why is she restrained?"

Elsa jumped back in shock; Emma shuffled her feet and swallowed nervously. Only Hook appeared unaffected by Robin's anger and just stared back at him evenly, one eyebrow raised.

"Easy mate, it's for our protection, as well as hers."

That answer didn't wash with Robin, "She is behind metal bars, why does she need to be cuffed as well?"

"They are spelled cuffs," Emma spoke for the first time. "It's to block her magic."

Hook spoke again, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Yeah mate, you see, it's not that I mind babysitting your girlfriend. However, I'd quite like for her not to barbecue me in the process."

Somewhere far back in Robin's mind the pirate's words registered a small amount of sense, however it was swept away with the raging emotions he felt at seeing his loves skin marred and bloody by the blasted cuffs meant to keep her tamed. He was pulled from his thoughts then by Elsa's soft voice barely above a whisper asking a question that in his focus on Regina he hadn't thought to consider.

"Erm, Robin... Killian, why is the curse not affecting either one of you?"

Robin's mind half ponders the question, his eyes and mind not straying far from has true love who was now slightly rocking back and forth and muttering lowly to herself, too low for him to hear what she was saying.

"I'm not completely sure," Robin answered, his eyes still on Regina, his fingers itched to touch her, comfort her. The burning deep in his chest intensified as his soul resisted the growing distress of its mate in the cell. "My best guess is that I missed the effects because I wasn't in town when the curse initially hit."

Emma looked thoughtful for a moment before shrugging "Sounds as sound a theory as any. That doesn't explain why Killian isn't affected though."

Robin glanced over to Hook catching the panicked look that crossed the pirate's face briefly before he quickly settled it into an indifferent look.

"Well I'd love to go into the gory details with you love but I think we have more pressing things to attend to you right now."

Emma frowned and looked for a moment like she wanted to press the subject further however Robin did have a more pressing issue he needed answers to. He spoke before Emma had a chance, his voice restrained and worryingly calm as he gently ran his fingers over the bars to the cell holding his true love.

"What's wrong with her?"

Emma shuffled her feet again looking nervous before answering carefully.

"We already told you, the cuffs are blocking – "

"No" Robin interrupted, turning away from the cell and placing his full attention on the blonde before speaking again.

"You have explained to me why she has no magic, what you haven't explained to me is why she's so weak right now."

Emma and Elsa was looking increasingly uneasy at his question as he fixed his steely gaze on them, making it plainly clear to them that he expected answers. Hook took pity on the two ladies taking it upon him to answer his difficult question.

"She's tired herself out mate that's all, she has spent the last hour before you joined us screaming and kicking and struggling to free herself like a woman possessed."

Robin glared at Hook and spoke his voice darkened further as his fists clenched at his sides.

"You would do well to not try and lie to me, MATE," Robin said, throwing the cocky pirates signature word back at him. "I know that woman in there better than I know myself and I know for a fact that she would not lie down and give up just out of exhaustion. She would keep fighting with her last breath, magic or no magic, whether it be with her fists or her words, she would not be like this. Now I'll ask you again, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?!"

Robin paused in his rant, breath leaving him in harsh pants as he struggled to calm an anger he knew had nothing to with the god forsaken curse plaguing the town. It was an anger that could only be sparked from the knowledge that someone had tried to harm the woman he loved.

The three in the room looked between themselves, all unable to look Robin in the eye, all seemingly at a loss to form the right words. The silence in the room was thick and heavy broken only by Regina's incoherent mumbling, the silence stretched on for an uncomfortable length of time before Emma's uneasy voice quietly broke the silence.

"Blue... she thought it best if...the cuffs..."

Hook taking pity on his girlfriend laid his one hand on Emma's arm silencing her stuttering. Letting her know he would take over. Hook visibly took a deep breath in, bracing himself for what he was about to tell Robin.

"The long and the short of it is mate, those cuffs don't just block her magic, they are designed to weaken her until removed."

Robin shocked them all by not reacting at all, he kept his steely, cold eyes on the three individuals in the room, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides, the muscle in his jaw twitching due to his teeth being clenched so hard.

Emma looking increasingly uneasy by Robin's lack of immediate reaction rushed on to try and explain herself.

"Robin, I know this looks bad but Regina would have reverted back to her former self, The Evil Queen. You haven't met her but I have and believe me the results would have been dire. Everyone would have been in danger. All of us, my parents, my brother. Believe me Robin if I thought there was another way I'd have never done this, I had no choi – "

Emma's cut her words off and everyone in the room jumped, startled by the loud, thundering bang that vibrated through the room. The source of the sound coming from Robin as he slammed his fist down on Emma's large oak desk. The only person that did not appear startled by the abrupt loud sound was Regina who carried on mumbling and rocking as if nothing has happened. Robin let out a dark laugh, a scary sound under the circumstances.

"Go on then Emma, try and explain away why you have the woman I love chained, weakened and locked up like nothing more than a wild animal, I'd love to hear any excuse you can give me for this."

Emma had the grace to look ashamed, Hook however seemed to not know when to leave a bad situation alone, whether it was arrogance or stupidity Robin wasn't sure, but Hook tried again to explain away the couple's actions.

"Mate Emma was only trying to do what was best for the whole town."

Robin raised his hand to silence Hook, his voice shaking with anger.

"Hook the only sound I want to hear out of your mouth right now is the gurgling of blood caused by an arrow in your heart, now GET OUT, all of you."

The three looked confused by Robins request appearing torn on what the best course of action to take. Emma tried one last time to reason with the thief.

"Robin I'm not sure it's wise that you be left alone with her right now, that woman in there, she's not the woman you love, it's The Evil Queen and she won't think twice about hurting you if you give her the chance."

Robin laughed again but there was no amusement in the sound.

"You just don't get it do you Emma?" The thief bit out as he walked closer to the blonde looking her dead in the eyes. "Every part of her is the woman I love. The good parts, the parts you have never seen and are never likely to see and the bad, and no matter what she throws at me, Evil Queen or not she is still the woman I love and I love those parts of her too, and I will not stand by and allow her to suffer alone for something that she has no control over, you hear me? As long as I have air left in my lungs she will never suffer alone again, now all of you out and leave me alone with the woman I love"

The tone of his voice and the dangerous glint in his eyes left the trio no room to argue further with him. With one last worried look in Robin's direction the three left the station, the bang of the double doors alerting him to their exit.

Robin let out a deep breath and ran a hand, shaking with anger, through his sandy hair before turning his full attention on the hunched, rocking figure in the cell. After a few seconds he was finally able to focus his full attention on her. From the moment he entered the station his first impulse had been to go straight to her, his body and soul aching with the need to be close to its other half and ease the obvious pain he knew from instinct she was going through. However Robin was a patient man, you had to be in his line of work, and a quick survey of the situation as he entered the room told him if he was to help Regina he would need to know the full gravity of the situation, and now he did, every grim and heartbreaking detail, so now he could focus on helping her, and he would help her.

Robin slowly approached the bars of the cell and gently ran his fingers over the metal; He was as close as he could get to touch her right now. He took a couple of deep breaths, bracing himself, for what he wasn't sure. He looked at the hunched figure and for the first time since he entered the room, his voice took on a sense of tenderness and he started to speak in a soft voice.

"Regina..."

To be continued.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok first the boring stuff. I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the lovely reviews, faves and follows. I'm overwhelmed by the support and shocked beyond belief that this fic has been so well received. I have to admit though i am feeling the added pressure to not disappoint you all with this next chapter; i just really hope I don't. **

**Again i owe a giant thank you to my amazing beta Geli, she is seriously invaluable. As a first time writer she's perfect for me because not only does she correct my sucky grammar she will let me know if something doesn't sound right and make sure I'm staying true to the original characters. I asked for brutal honesty and she gives it which I love her for. Plus i enjoy her fangirling very much lol. **

**I also want to thank my twitter followers for their encouragement and support. Anyway ill stop not... on with the show. Enjoy ;o)**

**Not mine.**

Regina...?

He paused after whispering her name and waited for a reaction, any indication that she had heard him at all.

Nothing, he heard nothing, just the continuation of her rocking and incoherent mumbling. His heart clenched painfully in his chest as he fought against the burning in his eyes as tears tried to escape. No, he needed to be strong for her until she came through this.

Taking another couple of steady breaths he tried again, his voice louder and firmer.

Regina...?

It happened so fast and he jumped back in shock as she launched herself at him quick as a cat, arms outstretched, hands curled into claws. She didn't get very far, the chain of the cuffs tangling with the bars of the cell and effectively stopped her movement. That didn't stop her from fighting, even if it was obvious that it would be in vain. Even at her full strength the Evil Queen would be no match for solid metal cuffs and a jail cell. Still she kept launching herself forward even as the bands of the metal cuffs pulled at the skin of her wrists further chaffing and tearing her skin.

Robin rushed forward and as gently as possible took her hands firmly into his, reaching through the bars in an attempt to still her movements and prevent her from doing any further damage to herself and her wrists. He badly wanted to take the cuffs off of her but logic told him that bringing back her magic while she was so disorientated wouldn't baud well for either of them. The little he knew of magic he learnt from observing Regina and one thing had been clear from the start, the use of magic drained her and in her weakened state he did not believe her body could cope with those effects.

"Calm down." he told her gently, he was both relieved and despaired by how easy it was to keep hold of her hands. Regina may have been a petite woman but she seemed to always radiate strength from every pour, those cuffs had really done a number on her. Still she kept on fighting him, twisting her hands in his grasp in an attempt to get free. Growls and hisses came out of her mouth and she vainly kicked her leather-clad legs trying to make contact with him as the chain of the cuffs prevented her from getting close enough.

He placed both her hands to one of his, stepping closer to the cell and reached out through the bars towards her face. He grasped her chin firmly between his thumb and index finger and lifted it so he could look into her eyes.

"I said calm down Regina, now." His voice was commanding but caring and it must have struck a chord in her because she stopped fighting him. For a moment her body seemed to sag in exhaustion. It didn't last long though just a few seconds before she straightened her shoulders and allowed her eyes to meet his.

It was the first time since entering the sheriff's station he had managed to get a look of her face and his eyes swept over her features, drinking in her appearance, his forehead creasing in worry. She had clearly applied the elaborate make up of the Evil Queen to go along with the outfit she wore. Robin imagined that when first applied it would have been all dark smoky eyes, long eyelashes and plump dark red lips, remembering her look from back in the Enchanted Forest during the year they had spent together. However, clearly the events of the day had taken its toll on her as dark smudges framed her eyes and trailed down to her cheekbones, sweat from exhaustion making it run and red lipstick smeared down to her chin, that was a minor detail though what really caught his attention was her eyes. Her eyes were always so expressive, no matter the words that came out her mouth every one of her feeling always shone through her eyes; they always gave her away like a map straight to her heart. When directed at him they mostly always glistened with love, or pain since the return of Marian but what he saw in them right now was something completely new to him and it made his blood turn to ice in his veins.

Her eyes were cold and hard not an ounce of love or tenderness to be seen, they flashed with anger, distain and hate. Robin took a harsh breath in to steady himself and forced himself to remember it was just the effects of the curse and that it was only temporary. Regina's lips pulled back and she spoke for the first time though it was more accurately a snarl.

"Thief."

Her voice was weak and broken yet still managed to sound harsh and scathing.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have a popsicle you need to be getting home to?"

The words stung and he forced himself to look unaffected by them as his eyes never wavered from hers. "Straight to the point there I see my love."

She glared at him, "I'm not your love Thief, I'm not your anything except your Queen. So I suggest you remember your place and address me accordingly. It's 'Your Majesty'."

Robin let the words roll off him internally telling himself again that this wasn't his Regina talking, that the curse had pushed down all the good in her and had left just the dark parts. She was still in there and he just had to roll with the verbal punches she threw until the curse broke.

"Well technically we aren't in The Enchanted Forest anymore, you're not the Queen here so how about we meet halfway here and I call you Regina?"

She smirked at him but it was without amusement "Or I could set you on fire?"

Robin raised one eyebrow, his eyes keeping steady with hers, his voice even. "I think we both know that's not an option for you right now don't we? Now I'm going to let go of your hands because I think we have established that you're not going to win any fist fight any time soon, all you're going to do is hurt and exhaust yourself so its best you just keep calm, OK?"

She continued to glare at him as she appeared to ponder her options until she seemed to reach the same conclusion he just had and she reluctantly gave a curt nod.

He let go of her hands and sighed inwardly in relief when she made no other move to attack. He watched as she slowly rotated her wrists trying to relieve some of the stiffness from having them held in his grasp for so long. He frowned deeply as he caught her wince in pain from her damaged skin.

"Does it hurt?" he said softy, his voice laced with concern.

"I'm fine." She snapped back at him.

He should have expected that. As much as she was learning to open up more to him she still found it very hard to show weakness to anyone and under the influence of the curse there was no doubt that that was last thing she wanted to do.

"Anyway," she continued. "If you care so much you could always take these cuffs off?"

He looked seriously at her letting out a deep sigh "I wish I could my lo – Regina, but I think we both know that giving you your magic back would not baud well for either of us, but I wish I could so much. I hate that these cuffs are hurting you."

She let out a scoff at his comment and retorted "Tell me thief, has the PG 13 version of me really allowed herself to fall for your pretty words? Robin stepped away from the bars of the cell and walked a few steps towards Emma's desk before bending slightly to open the drawer. After no luck in the first he moved on to the second, then third, answering her as he continued his search. "Well I'd say it's a mixture of the pretty words and the striking good looks." He said briefly throwing a smirk in her direction.

His words made Regina roll her eyes. "Your confidence in yourself is just as misguided as your confidence in her" She spat the last word like it had deeply offended her and her tone made Robin stop his task for a moment to look at her.

He spoke softly his eyes studying her intensely. "She is you, Regina You're the same person."

Her eyes shot daggers at him as she glared in his direction. "She's weak."

Robin kept his eyes on her as he spoke, pouring as much honesty into his voice as he could. "She… you are the farthest thing from weak. Your emotions don't make you weak Regina. Fighting to be a better person for yourself and for the people you love makes you stronger than you ever could imagine."

He looked intently at her face as she stared back unwavering at him, hoping that his words had made some effect on her. Despite the curse he desperately wanted to believe he could reach her.

She answered quickly like it was an automatic response that she didn't even have to think about.

"Love is weakness." She started to stand and made her way towards Robin's direction, grabbing the bars as she stumbled slightly on her feet. He automatically moved to assist her, pure instinct making him go to her to offer his support. He stopped in his tracks as she shot him a warning glare. It took all his strength not ignore it and go to her anyway, but he knew it was likely to make her fight him and possibly further weaken her. He needed to keep himself busy. Continuing his earlier search after no luck with the drawers, he moved to the other side of the room to the overhead cupboards, finally finding what he was looking for in the third one he opened.

He pulled the green rectangle box down from the high cupboard and peered inside checking the contents, happy with what he saw. Yes, he had everything he needed. He walked over to the small sink in the corner of the station and turned on the water, filling the dish bowl with warm water. He spoke to her while he was filling the dish bowl and then grabbed a clean dishtowel from the side of the sink.

"A weak woman could have not have defeated the wicked witch the way you did. You fought her to save the people you love. No part of you is weak Regina. If anything, you are the living embodiment that love is not weakness. Its strength. He glanced at her and watched as she regarded his words, he thought she would carry on arguing with him however she just smirked at him.

"Shame big sis isn't around anymore. I'm sure me and her could have had a whale of a time today, imagine it Evil and Wicked let loose on the village idiots." She laughed hysterically, no doubt thinking of what fun she would have had, had Zelena been here with her right now."

Robin ignored her comment. It was a thought he would rather not ponder on, and he thanked the gods that was a family reunion that wouldn't be taking place today. He concentrated on the task at hand, tucking the green box under his arm and slinging the towel over his shoulder before grabbing the bowl and walking back towards Emma's desk.

Regina watched his movements like a woman that had grown accustomed to having to constantly watch her back, waiting for the moment anyone in her presence turned on her so she could take them down before they did the same to her. He guessed that was most likely the case, his blood boiled as he thought of all the people in her life that had hurt her, even the people that was meant to love and protect her. This wasn't the first time he desperately wished they had met much sooner. He would have declared war on anyone who dared to hurt or manipulate her. He tried not to dwell on that thought too much though, she always told him when he voiced these wishes that if that had been the case, he wouldn't have Roland and she wouldn't have Henry, and neither of them could bear to think of a life without either of their boys, even if that had meant they would have found each other sooner rather than later. Still it caused a physical ache in him to imagine the hurt and betrayal his soulmate had endured all her life. Which reminded him, when all this was over he needed to have a serious chat with a certain blue fairy.

"What the hell are you doing thief?" she said her voice laced in confusion.

Robin grabbed two sets of keys off of Emma's desk; one was an ordinary looking set on a large metal ring which he quickly determined was for the cell that held his soulmate. The other was a lone key, much smaller and was looped onto a fancy looking metal keychain sporting a detailed crafted fairy. It didn't take much wit to figure out it was the key to the cuffs. He finally had everything he needed, he just hoped his theory was right and his next move wouldn't have dire consequences.

He took a deep breath and spoke calmly to her; he knew he was likely to be met with resistance.

"I want to see your wrists and treat your injuries, if you will let me."

She looked confused for a moment as she took in his words before scoffing and replying rather harshly to this "I do not want or need your help thief!"

He sighed deeply; he had expected this, even as his Regina she found it hard to accept help. She was independent to a fault, having spent so many years having only herself to rely on. And now her cursed self was even more reluctant to trust someone enough to admit she needed assistance of any kind.

"I know you don't need it Regina but I'd like to give it all the same."

She seemed to think about his request for a while and he waited for her answer with baited breath. Eventually he was shocked when she let out a deep sigh and gave him a small nod in acceptance. He let out the breath he was holding and gave her a small smile of thanks before making his way to the door of the cell and unlocking it. His eyes never left her as her eyes never left his, both watching for any sudden movement, any indication that the other was likely to attack. Once in the cell he locked the door again and placed the keys in the pocket of his jacket. He knew she was far too weakened to be able to make a run for it without him being able to stop her but it just seemed easier to eliminate the chance entirely.

He gestured towards the small bed in the corner and she let out an annoyed sigh and rolled her eyes before backing up towards it slowly, eyes never leaving him. Her movements were still unsteady and she stumbled a little but managed not to fall. Once she felt the back of her knees hit the bed she slowly sat down.

He approached her carefully, speaking gently as he moved. "I'm going to take the cuffs off one at a time while I treat your wrists; I'm working off the theory here that your magic won't return fully until they are off completely"

"Or you could remove them completely and let me out of here so I can go kill me two blondes and a pirate." She spoke sweetly like a child asking for ice cream, and it made him smirk despite the evil intent behind her words.

"Nice try Regina but I'm afraid you will remain here until the curse lifts. Although I admit after that I'm tempted to let you inflict some pain on Hook."

She didn't answer and he reached the bed and sat next to her a small distance away, putting his supplies between them. He opened the first aid kit and took out all he needed, readying it on the bed beside them. His heart sank as he saw her visibly tense at his close proximity. He slowly reached out and gently took one of her hands, his skin tingled slightly as it touched hers as it always did and the deep burning in his chest eased slightly as his soul calmed at being in contact with its mate. He gently turned the hand over palm up, placed the key in the lock and turned. The cuff snapped open with a click and he gently eased it off her wrist.

He saw it coming, she had tried to be quick but her movements were sluggish and he as an archer and a thief had fine tuned reflexes. He quickly grasped her fingers as she raised her hand attempting to make contact with his face. She growled in frustration and struggled in vain against his strong hold.

"Let me go!" she screamed as she kept struggling.

"No," he growled back. "Stop Regina, now."

"I don't want your help." she spat at him.

"Well you're getting it whether you want it or not." he told her firmly. "Now think logically Regina you don't have any magic and you're not at full strength, you can't fight me and I don't want to fight you either."

He felt her sag, the fighting taking a toll on her and she stopped struggling, appearing to accept that it was useless.

"Why are you doing this?" She sounded tired and the question sounded slightly desperate, though he was sure she was fighting hard to disguise it. It was full of confusion, like she couldn't grasp why someone would want to ease her pain without a hidden agenda. The burning in his chest intensified responding to the growing distress of its other half. He longed to take her into his arms and ease the confusion but he knew she wouldn't allow it. Baby steps, this situation required baby steps. This was the first time her Evil Queen mask had slipped and he saw a glimpse of the true Regina, the person whose good parts are in combat with her dark parts.

He slowly used his free hand to reach out and gently grasp her chin tenderly. She tensed and weakly tried to pull away but he firmly lifted her face so he could look into her eyes before speaking, trying to pour every ounce of sincerity he had into his voice.

"Because I love you, and I can't stand to see you in pain."

Her eyes met his in shock and he thought he saw a flicker of recognition in her eyes before she quickly forced it down, her eyes becoming hard again.

"I don't want your love." she stated coldly, though her words seemed to lack the conviction they held before.

He answered her firmly allowing her the feel the full impact of his words.

"Well you have it whether you want it or not. Now I want to take care of your injuries. So, how about you stop being a pain in the arse and let me?"

She glared at his comment but then gave a big sigh and relaxed her wrist in his grasp, which he took as a sign to continue.

He loosened his grip on her fingers and gently turned her wrist over so he could observe both sides, finally seeing the extent of the damage. He sighed in relief as he saw the damage wasn't as bad as he first believed, her skin was red, raw and broken in a couple of places, which was the source of the blood streaking her skin but it seemed minimal. Still it was enough and he frowned as he felt her wince in pain as the flexing of her wrist pulled at the split skin.

"I'm going to clean it up, it may sting a little and I'm sorry for than but I'll be as gentle as possible, ok?"

"Why are you asking me when you're going to do it anyway?" she asked him coldly. "Get on with it so I can have you away from me, the smell of pine is making me nauseous."

He knew she meant it as an insult but it made him smile a little anyway. Her sass was one of the things he loved most about her. He could spend hours with her just exchanging verbal jabs, just like they did during the year spent in the Enchanted Forest. She rarely crossed a line with them, though he knew she was capable of inflicting as much pain with her words as with her magic. Although he knew she would deny it with her last breath, their banter boarded on affectionate even back then. She enjoyed the distraction from loosing Henry and he was only too happy to assist her, just revelling in being able to be near her.

His tone was light as he spoke to her while picking up one of the balls of cotton he had found in the first aid box, dipping it in the bowl of warm water, squeezing off the excess.

"You know this version of you isn't so different to the one I first met back in our land." as he spoke he gently dabbed the cotton over her injured wrist wiping away the blood and cleaning any dirt that may work its way into her broken skin.

She hissed lightly through her teeth, tensing further and he knew he was right about it stinging. He stopped for a moment and looked at her, his fingers automatically beginning to caress hers in comfort. She regarded his action and he stopped instantly before she pulled her hand from his. As much as he wanted to give it, she did not want his comfort right now.

"I beg to differ dear, this version of me wants to kill you not make out with you." she said the words casually the tone not fitting the malice behind them and he let them bounce off him, again reminding himself that this wasn't his true Regina and carried on gently cleaning her wounds.

Suddenly he felt it, several tiny shocks pricked at his fingers, it wasn't painful just a strange feeling and slightly uncomfortable. He looked up at her in confusion but one look at her face and he knew the source of it. Her forehead was creased in concentration and her breathing had become slightly harsher while her whole body shook slightly with the effort she was putting into her current act of rebellion. It appeared removing one cuff had lessened the effect somewhat, her magic had returned slightly but it wasn't enough to cause the pain she desired. Still she kept trying, stubborn as always, the effort causing a bead of sweat to trickle down her temple.

"Enough!" he growled at her "It's not going to work and you're going to hurt yourself."

She stopped, letting out a series of harsh breaths, her body going limp in exhaustion and she let out a growl of frustration as she leaned heavily on the wall behind her.

He gave her a few moments to catch her breath before he carried on with his original task. Once he believed he had done his best to clean her wrist with the equipment he had. He took the towel and gently patted it dry. This world was still so new to him and he still had much to learn, especially about its odd medicine and medical supplies but he believed he was getting the hang of it. He thanked his lucky stars that an incident a couple of months back had widened his knowledge on this subject greatly. Before Marian's return he and Roland had been at Regina's home along with Henry, a day full of laughter and warmth, just the two of them and their beloved boys all basking in their new found extended family. He and Regina had been in the kitchen preparing lunch while the boys were playing in the backyard, laughing together and stopping now and again to exchange sweet lingering kisses. Their bliss was interrupted by Roland's high pitched wailing as he ran into the kitchen with Henry trailing behind him explaining that his boy had fell and scraped his knee. Regina had amazed him that day and he felt his heart swell with love as he watched her take items out of the green box like the one he worked from right now and cleaned up his son's scrapped knee. Cleaning it with cotton and water, applying an odd looking white substance to it and coving it with a small fabric strip. He felt warmth in his chest as he remembered how she had placed a gentle kiss over the fabric covering his sons small injury and wiped his drying tears away telling him brave boys like him got ice cream after lunch. This woman was born to be a mother, she had so much love to give and he was so happy he had found her.

He picked up a thin tube which sported an odd word he did not understand, however reading the writing below the word promised the substance inside soothed skin and helped prevent infection. Both sounded good to him so he unscrewed the cap and squeezed some of the strange white ointment onto his figures like he saw Regina do to treat Roland.

He began to gently rub it into her wrist, he was doing this to ease her pain but he got lost in finally having the freedom to touch her and his rubbing became a caress. He spent a lot more time than necessary on the task and it appeared this fact wasn't lost to Regina. He felt her shudder slightly and his heart stuttered in his chest, thrilled by the fact that despite the curse and her current disdain for him, her body still responded to his touch. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and saw her bite her bottom lip, a tiny flicker of something that looked like longing in her eyes. It didn't last long as she noticed him looking and she squashed it down.

Robin released her hand before she had the chance to pull it away trying to limit the embarrassment she would be feeling right now at letting herself momentarily give in to his touch. He grabbed a roll of bandages and taking her hand again began to carefully wine it around her wrist, making sure to cover the broken skin and anywhere the cuff may touch once it was back on.

"So thief," Regina addressed him, her voice dripping with malice. "Who is watching the wife while you're here playing medicine man with me?"

Robin winced at the tone of her voice, there was a deep accusation in it and he took a deep breath, in attempt to not allow her to see how much her words had stung. He knew what she was doing; he could read her like an open book. She felt vulnerable, no magic, too weakened to fight and she knew he had just caught a glimpse of a crack in her ice-cold exterior. So now she was fighting with the only thing she believed she had left to fight with: Her words.

"She's somewhere safe." He told her calmly as he finished wrapping the bandage. Once done he gently eased the metal cuff back onto her wrist and snapping it back into place making sure that the bandage cushioned the harsh chafing of the metal against her skin.

"Better?" he asked gently. Regina flexed her wrist and just gave him a small disinterested shrug but he caught the small look of relief across her face and that was enough for him. He quickly took the keys to the cuffs and released her other wrist, repeating the same process he had with the other wrist.

She spoke again her voice mocking "Seems odd to me though that a married man with a child would be here with The Evil Queen instead of protecting his family."

He let out a deep sigh before answering. "I told you, they are both safe and I'm exactly where I want to be right now."

This pulled a loud mocking laugh from Regina. "My mind is a little fuzzy right now but I vaguely recall you made the watered down version of me a promise before this curse hit, to stay away and remain with your son. It appears you're just breaking vows all over the place lately thief."

Her words had the desired effect, they hurt deeply. He knew it was the curse talking but this was still Regina and he worried that even before the curse this was how she felt deep down. He forced himself to ignore her comment and just continued to treat her injuries.

"The history books have you painted as one of the most honourable men that ever lived" She smirked in his direction as she spoke. "I wonder what they would say if they knew that the great and honourable Robin Hood cheats on his wife with The Evil Queen, and when her life lays on a balance no less."

Robin laughed without any humour and spoke, his voice even; she would not break him with this game she was playing. "Yes well unless any one of them can tell me the perfect and honourable way they reacted when their wife came back from the dead after they had fallen in love with another woman then I'm not interested in their views on my behaviour."

He finished wrapping her other wrist and snapped the cuff back into place over the bandage. Getting to his feet and moving a few paces away to alert her to the fact he was done. She rose to her feet as well, putting them once again on a similar level, refusing to have another reason to feel weak in her current state. She looked him dead in the eye as she spoke.

"So you believe your actions are justified?"

He answered straight away not having to think about it for even a second. "Not at all, I messed up. I should have been honest with Marian from the beginning and not try to fix something that was beyond repair. By the time I accepted what I knew all along she was frozen and it too late to tell her. I should have focused on saving her so I could end our marriage in the proper way but I was weak, I couldn't stay away from you but I just missed you so much. I was trying to do what I believed to be the right thing and I ended up hurting both of you, so no Regina, I don't believe my actions were justified."

By the time he was finished he was breathing heavily, having finally confessed to her what had been haunting him ever since he had left her alone in her office with tear streaks on her cheeks. Walked away from the woman he loved, ignoring his raging soul deep inside of him demanding he go back to his soulmate.

"Are you expecting your words to have an effect on me?" She asked glaring at him, her voice harsh. "The tamed version of me may fall for them but not me. You would have never made it out of that office alive and your precious Marian would have soon followed. You cast her aside like nothing but a cheap one night stand and she allowed you to not only do it but then agree to help save your wife's life. Just because your wife seems to walk around with a target on her back visible to every villain that wonders through town. And if that wasn't enough she allowed herself to become your mistress and you try to tell me she's not weak."

Her words cut him down to the bone, the harsh truth laid out on the table. His heart clenched painfully as he wondered with horror if this is what she truly believed even without the effects of the curse. The thought made him sick to the stomach, the mere thought he had made her feel used and cheap like a mistress. He wanted to deny it, tell her that it was untrue, that she was always the choice his heart wanted but he knew it was useless right now, knew anything he said would just make her angrier.

She smirked in victory knowing her words had hit their mark, relishing in his uncomfortable silence. She continued, attempting to dig the knife in a little deeper. "On another note thief, what kind of man allows his son to spend time with the Evil Queen?"

He commended her for her change in tactics, however this particular subject he was well prepared for, having had many a similar conversation with several of his Merry Men back in the Enchanted Forest when he had first met Regina and again when they first came to S torybrooke. Tuck had nearly lost his hand one day after questioning his sanity at allowing Roland to be in the presence of such a "monster". He looked her straight in the eye, his eyes shining with sincerity as he made sure she absorbed the truth of his words.

"You love my son and he loves you back just as fiercely, there is nobody in this world I'd trust with my son more than you Regina. Besides whom do you think finally made me see sense and come here, breaking my ill made promise to you?"

His words made her stumble back a step. That made an impact. He saw the flicker of hope in her eyes as she imagined that his son had sent his father to make sure she was safe. Robin knew that Regina loved him, however he also knew there was too much pain between them at the moment for her current self to focus on. That was not the case with Roland, the love between the two remained untainted and her cursed self could not find a thread to pull. She tried her hardest to right herself, to straighten her shoulders and regain her composure however this time when she spoke her words lacked the conviction they had before.

"Children are naive; they only see the good in people. I'm not the type of person one wants around a child."

He had his opening, it was risky he knew but if anything could get though to her this would.

"I think Henry would disagree."

He saw her take a harsh breath in and her eyes narrowed, flashing at him in blind fury.

"Don't." She hissed at him.

"Don't what?" He asked "Remind you of your son who loves you more than anything in this whole world?"

She was beyond furious he could tell, her chest heaved and her hands clenched into fists, the knuckles turning white.

"I don't want to talk about my son with you." she spat the word "you" meaning it as an insult. "What I want is to be out of this godforsaken prison so I can seek my vengeance on every person in this town who ever wronged me."

He spoke calmly "Well that's not happening Regina, you have worked too hard to redeem yourself and I will not allow you to have more things to beat yourself up about once this curse lifts."

She let out a dark laugh at his words "Have you any idea how many people I have killed in my life? What's a few more on a very long list matter?"

He answered her question seriously urging her to believe his words.

"It matters to me and Roland, it matters to Henry and most of all once this curse lifts it will matter to you."

She stalked forward, stopping inches from him, glaring up into his eyes. She tried to make her voice hard and emotion free but he caught the crack in it. This woman, The Evil Queen had free reign to wreak havoc, destroy lives and cause maximum pain because she truly believed that she had nobody to disappoint with her actions. The only people in her life that had not been taken from her were people that encouraged her darkness, gave her the praise for it she so desperately wanted.

"Every single one of you are better without me, I taint everyone who crosses my path. You all have better options, options that aren't dirty and broken beyond repair. You and Roland have Marian, Henry has Emma and as for me, it's too late. I'm unredeemable; I can't possibly disappoint myself more than I already have. I may as well carry on down this path because it's all I know and its inevitable I'll eventually go right back to it."

She looked like she was about to pass out, her energy was zapped by the cuffs and she was using strength she simply didn't have. He wanted desperately to stop and just gather her in his arms, telling her it was ok but now the cracks were visible he had to keep on, knowing he had almost reached her.

"No you're not." he told her firmly. "The woman who plays with my son, the woman who reads to Henry at night, the woman who makes baby Neil giggle and the woman who I hold at night after we have made love is not unredeemable, she's not."

"I KILLED YOUR WIFE!" She screamed at him.

"No you didn't Regina she's right here." He answered her firmly.

"But I did." she fired back at him. "If Emma and Hook hadn't changed history I would have been the person who killed your wife. What kind of man sleeps with the woman who killed his wife? What kind of man loves the woman who made his son grow up without his mother?"

"I'm not interested in the past." he snapped at her. He gently reached for her chin and gently guided her to look him in the eyes, needing her to feel the full impact of his words. She struggled against him to begin with but gave in when she realised it was useless. "I'm interested in the person you are now and I know you Regina. You're my soulmate and I know you better than I know myself. The good and the bad, the light and the dark, I know it all. **And I still love you**"

His words ended with a crack to his voice, his voice breaking from the emotion he felt. He breathed heavily, looked at her to gauge her reaction. Her eyes filled with tears and she closed her eyes briefly before opening them again. He took his chance, he had to. He slowly slid the hand gripping her chin to her cheek, cupping it softly in his palm. His thumb brushed a single tear away that had trailed down her cheek and he looked deep into her eyes.

"Come back to me my love." He whispered.

His words made her let out a tiny gasp and he noticed her choke back a sob. He kept his eyes locked with hers watching the eternal fight she was having with herself play out in her chocolate orbs. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak.

She never got the chance.

Suddenly the room began to shake as if an earthquake had hit out of nowhere. The impact made them stumble apart and they both grabbed onto the bars of the cell to steady themselves. Even with the added support Regina could not keep herself up right and she slid down to the floor of the cell still clinging to the bars.

He watched in amazement as thousands of what looked like broken mirror pieces appeared out of the floors all over the station and floated like feathers up into the air before disappearing out of the ceiling. He dropped his eyes to the floor and lifted one hand to shield his face. He lifted his eyes slightly and squinted towards Regina, seeing gratefully that she had done the same. This carried on for a few minutes until the last mirror piece had disappeared out of the ceiling.

The last sound either of them heard before everything when silent was the clatter of the cuffs as they slipped useless from Regina's wrists onto the floor.

Robin slowly lifted his head and looked over to Regina. Her head was still down to the floor and he could hear her heavy breaths echo through the silent room.

"Regina…" he whispered.

After a few moments she lifted her head and glanced in his direction. Her eyes clouded with confusion as she looked around at her surroundings before coming to settle on him. The confusion stayed in her eyes for another few seconds before they lit up with recognition and love.

"Robin…" She she gasped in relief at the sight of her soulmate

He sucked in a large breath of relief as warmth flooded his chest, she was back. His Regina was back.

"Yes my love," he reassured her "I'm here."

She smiled and scrambled to her feet, stumbling over to him to make her way into his waiting arms. Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes had never left his since she first whispered his name and he watched as the happy sparkle left them and was replaced with another emotion.

Horror.

She stared at him brokenly and her eyes filled with tears.

His voice was laced with confusion as he spoke "Regina what – "

His words were cut off as she let out a heartbreaking sob. He moved towards her and he caught the look of sheer panic cross her face. He never made it to her, she moved so quickly, waving her hands over herself.

He was left clutching at air, purple smoke billowing around him.

And he found himself alone in the cell.

Stay tuned for part 3.

**Ok another quick note. As I'm sure you have now gathered this story will have at least 3 parts. I know a couple of reviewers said i should keep it at 2 and I did think about it however this chapter got so lengthy that it would have been insanely long if I tried to add the aftermath of the curse to it as well. I can't say right now if it will be any longer, I'll have to see where the next chapter takes me. Drop me a review guys if love to know what you think. Laters Jo xxx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Season's greetings, my beautiful readers. Again thank you so much for your wonderful comments on the last chapter, I was very humbled by your kindness. Again I hope I don't disappoint with chapter 3 but drop me a review and let me know what you think.**

**Again huge thanks to my beta Geli, she really is a gift from fanfiction heaven and i adore her. **

**That's enough from me. Enjoy.**

**Not mine.**

Robin walked through the town of Storybrooke taking in the aftermath of the curse. He watched as the townsfolk hugged their loved ones, frantically apologising for their behaviour towards each other. A few seemed to have some minor injuries, however the most damage appeared to have been done to the town itself. Windows were smashed, buildings have been looted and a few small fires still gently burned. Snow White had one hell of a clean up to organise, he thought absently.

He paid the people of the town little mind and nobody tried to speak to him, likely discouraged by the hard set of his face and the determined way he walked. There was only one person he wanted to speak to right now.

Regina.

He wasn't completely certain as to where she had gone but he had an idea, he just hoped he was right because he needed to get to her and make sure she was alright. A picture of her face just before she magically disappeared from the sheriff station flashed through his mind and he quickened his pace, his heart squeezing painfully in his chest.

She had looked devastated, purely heartbroken and although he wasn't completely sure of why, he had a good idea. It broke his heart that she had disappeared instead of letting him comfort her, but he wasn't surprised. His Regina had learnt an age old way of combating her distress and pain and they manifested themselves in one of two ways.

Fight or flight.

He let out a deep sigh as he made his way to the forest towards "their" spot, the spot where she had first opened up to him in this new land. The place she confessed her fears of not being strong enough to defeat her sister.

He quickly weaved his way through the trees instinctively knowing the exact place of the fallen log, despite the fact the forest would all look the same to the casual observer. He saw the outline of the log in the distance and he became disappointed when he did not see her sitting on it.

He made his way over anyway to be sure he wasn't just missing things. He let out a small growl of frustration once he reached his destination and saw she really wasn't there.

Feeling disheartened he turned to take his search elsewhere when a tiny sob broke the silence of the eerily quiet forest.

He paused, listening intently for a few seconds before slowly making his way around to the other side of the fallen log. His heart both warmed in relief and sunk in despair as he took in the sight before him.

There she was. She sat on the dirt and leaves of the forest floor, her back against the fallen tree and her knees drawn up to her chest. Her head was down resting on her bandaged arms which were folded over her knees and her shoulders shook with the impact of the hiccupping sobs that left her mouth.

The rustling of leaves under his heavy boots alerted her of his presence as he carefully moved closer to her. Her head shot up and her teary eyes met his. He saw the distraught look in her eye before she wiped the tears away with her hands, tears that were threatening to escape her eyes any moment now.

He moved closer to her and her eyes filled with panic once again. He recognised the look instantly, the need to run overwhelming her. His voice was firm but gentle as he spoke to her, stopping her movements.

"Don't even think about it Regina, you're just delaying the inevitable. You could magic yourself to the ends of the earth and I would still follow you."

She didn't answer him. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a couple of deep breaths to try and calm herself down. When he was sure she wasn't about to disappear, he approached her again, sinking down to the forest floor, to sit beside her. She tensed at his closeness and turned her head away so he couldn't see her face. His heart clenched painfully at her reaction as he fought against the desire to take her into his arms and hold her until all the pain went away.

"Regina please," he whispered, "Talk to me."

She tried to make her voice sound strong as she spoke but it came out weak and thick with tears.

"I don't want to talk."

Robin let out a tired laugh, the stress of the day taking its toll on him.

"Yeah I've heard that a lot from you today."

She scrambled to her feet and he tensed thinking she would make a run for it. However, she just walked a few paces away and stopped, her back to him.

"Regina?" He tried again, his voice was now begging. He was at a loss of what to do to get her to talk without pushing her too hard.

Suddenly she whirled round to face him, her eyes flashing in anger. It wasn't as intense as it had been while she was under the influence of the curse, but it was enough to make him flinch.

"You promised me." She yelled in his direction. "I asked one thing of you. To stay away while the curse was in motion, but no you always have to play the hero don't you?"

The words stung him and he jumped to his feet walking determinedly over to her, stopping inches from her and meeting her eyes, unwavering.

"You think I came to you to be a hero?" He asked her hurt.

Her eyes never left his as she answered him, her voice sharp. "I think your confidence in being able to reach me under the influence of the curse was misguided and it could have gotten you killed."

"It was an unfair promise to have me make Regina and you know it." He told her in a calm voice. He had watched as her tears had quickly turned to anger. Her emotions were always so extreme and could change rapidly; she seemed to rarely be on an even keel. When she was sad she struggled to hide it no matter how much she tried, her eyes always gave away her heartache. When she was angry it was like an untamed beast, although she tried so hard these days to contain it. And when she was happy, oh she was amazing when she was happy, it radiated from every pore and her smile lit up even the darkest corners of his heart and soul. He needed that smile so badly right now.

"Then why did you?" she asked him, raising her voice even further.

"Because I know you Regina. If I hadn't promised to stay away, would you have forced me to, by casting some kind of spell on me." His voice remained even and calm as he watched her eyes confirm his words. He continued on, realising he had her full attention. "You honestly expected me to sit idly by while you were alone in that town, an open target to anyone who still deep down held a grudge against you?"

"I don't need saving Robin; I'm not some helpless damsel in distress." She retorted, clearly still angry with him, but her voice thawing slightly.

He let out a deep tired sigh, feeling like they were going around in circles right now. He adored her but she was so stubborn, and she wasn't going to like what he was about to say.

"I know you're not Regina, you couldn't be further from a damsel in distress. However, whether you want to admit it or not, you needed someone today. You were locked up and shacked in a cell, weakened and with no magic in a town full of vengeful people." His heart beat painfully in his chest as he imagined what may have happened to her if he hadn't gotten to her when he did. Again burning anger raged inside him thinking of the people responsible for what has happened.

She rolled her eyes at him and let out a sarcastic laugh, which sounded more tired than irritated. "I've taken care of myself my whole life, I've never needed anyone to fight my battles before and I don't need anyone to now."

Robin took a chance by reaching out and cupping her chin, guiding her eyes to meet his as he spoke his next words, making sure she saw the truth behind them. He was relieved when she didn't try to pull away and allowed her eyes to hold steady with his.

"I don't want to fight your battles for you Regina; I want to fight them with you. Just as I know you would fight mine with me. I can't make up for not being there to fight with you in your past battles, however I can make sure I'm here from now on. And whether you want me to or not, I'll never let you fight your battles alone ever again."

The anger left her eyes and they filled with tears, tears of deep appreciation and love. She tried her hardest to blink them away but the emotions overwhelmed her and a single tear fell. His hand left her chin and slid up her cheek, his thumb wiping the single drop of salt water away. His raging emotions calmed at the freedom of being able to touch her again and he allowed his thumb to caress her damp cheek.

"I'm here sweetheart." he whispered. "And I'm not going anywhere."

He watched as she choked back a sob and raised her hand to clutch the wrist of the hand on her cheek; her thumb automatically found the inked lion upon it and caressed it. She did that a lot, he wasn't even sure she realised he had noticed but she was always gazing at it or running her fingers over it almost like she was assuring herself that it was still there. The tattoo that proved he was hers.

"I never wanted you to see me like that." she whispered in a broken voice, her eyes dropping to the floor.

He refused to let her hide from him and tilted her face up to meet his eyes once again; his voice was gentle and sincere as he spoke to her.

"I know my love, and I know that was half the reason you wanted me to keep that promise. But I'm not afraid of that side of you, I'm not afraid of any side of you. If anything seeing what you fight against everyday makes me love you more. Everyone has darkness in them Regina and given the right circumstances anyone can give in to it."

Her breath came out in harsh pants as she struggled to keep her emotions in check. Her voice was full of distress as she gasped.

"All those awful things I said to you..."

He cupped her other cheek as well as he spoke in a soothing tone, shushing her along the way.

"You think some harsh words are going to chase me away? If that were the case, we never would have gotten together in the first place." His tone changing from soothing to teasing, making her shake her head in his grasp. He chuckled and continued his voice back to its serious tone "I know that you don't see things that black and white Regina. I know under the influence of the curse you were just focusing on the pain you felt over my actions since Marian's return. And I understand that completely. I'm glad that it's out in the open because it means we have an opening to discuss it."

A look of panic crossed her face and she began to shake her head again, beginning to tell him she was fine and didn't need to talk about it but he shushed her again with a finger to her lips. "Regina, you may not think that my actions were as wrong as you did when you were under the curse but somewhere deep down you feel some of it and we need to talk about that."

He saw the panic in her eyes lessen as she took a deep steadying breath before giving a small unsure nod. He gave her an encouraging smile and leaned in to press a small kiss to her forehead. Robin then took her hand and led her over to the fallen tree where they both sat, both staring at the forest, not looking at each other. He kept their hands linked, stroking her fingers soothingly as he began to speak, his voice full of sincerity.

"For such a long time all I wanted was to have Marian back. Losing her was the single most painful moment of my life. Well at least it was."

She looked at him curiously has he continued.

"Now it has given way to a new more painful moment," He turned to look at her and she did the same. "And that was seeing your reaction when I told you I had to stay with Marian."

"Robin – " Regina began but was cut off when he held up a hand for her to let him continue. He turned away from her, looking straight into forest and continued, still holding on to her hands.

"I was so confused. My wife was back, I had my Marian back and it has been all I have ever wanted. I should have been thrilled, and for the first few moments I saw her I was, but then I turned around and you were gone and it was like I forgot she was even in the room. All I wanted at that moment was to find you and to tell you it wasn't the end."

His voice was full of pain and confusion and he felt Regina squeeze his hand offering him comfort and the gesture gave him the strength to continue.

"It took mere minutes for me to realise that although I was thrilled she was back, that Roland's mother was back, I couldn't just pick up where we left off, because there was you and my feelings for you were so strong and so real that the thought of giving that up made me almost insane."

He turned, looked at her face again and saw the tears in her eyes from his words. He lifted their linked hands to his lips placing a kiss on her fingers before laying them to rest on his knee, tracing circles on the back of her hand. He looked away again as he continued to pour his feeling out to her.

"I wanted to come to you, I was going to. I was going to tell Marian that things were different now and as much as I loved her, I wasn't in love with her anymore. But then she started talking, telling me that it was a miracle she was back and our love was so strong that even death couldn't keep us apart." His voice caught and he squeezed his eyes shut as he allowed the guilt to wash over him. This time Regina lifted their fingers to her lips offering comfort as he continued.

"I felt so guilty, she was so happy to be back with me and Roland yet so scared and confused about this new world and yet I was thinking of leaving her. Like you Regina, I have not always been on the side of good. I have a dark past and I've worked really hard to be better for myself and mostly for Roland, yet I was ready to break my vow to his mother and abandon her after all she had been through."

"Robin, I understand," Regina told him softly. "You chose to keep your vow and keep Roland's family whole. Your love for your son and your desire to always do the right thing for him is one of the things I love the most about you."

He lifted his free hand and ran it through her hair before tucking a stray piece behind her ear.

"It wasn't the right thing Regina. I don't know how I even convinced myself it was. It was a lie to Marian. I led her to believe that I still felt the same for her, yet my heart and mind was full of another woman. I was well on my way to making us both miserable and having both his parents unhappy would have surely made Roland as such too. I didn't need true loves kiss failing to wake Marian from the curse to tell me what I already knew."

He turned his body on the tree in order to face her fully and gently tugged on her arm encouraging her to do the same. He needed her to hear his next words and for her to see the truth in them.

"Walking away from you that day in your office was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I will never forgive myself for having hurt you. I never want you to believe that I came to you that day in your vault because you were a second choice Regina. **You were already my first choice.** I was just too much of a coward to accept that. I don't regret our time together since Marian has been frozen. I probably should. I shouldn't have betrayed her like I have. But I can't regret a second of time I've spent with you and I couldn't keep on fighting my need to be with you for a second longer. You are my everything, my soulmate."

Regina let out a small sob as tears began to roll down her cheeks. Her words were muffled as she began to speak.

"I was telling you the truth when I said I don't blame you for choosing Marian over me Robin. I don't and I never did. What I said while I was under the curse about feeling like I was tossed away once Marian came back, I guess a small part of me did feel that way, but I don't see it as harshly as Regina. As "her", the Evil Queen, she always used to blame everyone else for her problems so she didn't have to admit the truth that she had no one to blame for her misfortunes but herself. When you told me you had to stay with Marian, it just confirmed to me what I knew all along, that a happy ending wasn't in the cards for me."

Robin began to protest but she held up a hand, stopping his words and continued.

"I've done so many bad things and deep down I knew that such actions can't be rewarded with the happiness I felt when I was with you. I know we shouldn't have been together while you were still bound to Marian but I couldn't stay away from you either. And although I knew it would have to end again eventually I just wanted to be with you while I still could."

By the time she was finished tears were running down her cheeks and Robin felt his own eyes burn from the tears that were trying to escape. Not being able to resist anymore he tugged her to him and wrapped his arms around her, one hand threading in her impossibly soft hair while the other rubbed soothing circles at the bottom of her spine. She sagged against his chest and brought her hands up to fist the material of his shirt tightly like she was terrified he would disappear. He relished the feeling of having her in his arms again and his soul became still and calm, the intense burning became a warm glow at having its mate so close. He spoke softly, his mouth brushing her ear.

"I know things are tough and up in the air right now Regina, but we will come through it and we will be together."

Her voice was muffled against his chest as she spoke.

"But how? Marian – "

He shushed her softly, interrupting her fears before speaking.

"We will do what we should have done all along. We find a way to save her, and I tell her the truth. It won't be easy, she's Roland's mother and my first love and I'd hate to hurt her but I can't live a lie anymore. I need to be with you."

"I don't want to take you away from your family Robin." Regina exclaimed her voice was strong but he heard the heartbreak in it.

He slid his hand out her hair, down her neck, across her cheek before cupping her chip and lifting it so he could look in her eyes. He felt her shiver at his touch and his heart fluttered as he watched her bite her bottom lip. His tone was loving and gentle as he spoke to her, making sure she saw the truth in his eyes.

"You're not taking me away from anything Regina. I'll always be there for Marian, I care about her and I will make sure she's settled in this new land. As for Roland, he needs his mother and he will have her but he also needs a father who is happy and that can only happen if I'm with you."

He watched as his words sunk in and her eyes became hopeful. They sparkled with happiness and he knew the tears were now happy ones. His heart hammered in his chest as her lips carved into the first genuine smile he had seen from her in days. He returned her smile and it only widened as she let out a laugh of pure joy. It was music to his ears.

"Now," He said still looking into her eyes, his voice taking on a serious tone. "I'm going to make you a promise. One I can without a doubt keep, and I want you to make me one in return."

She looked at him with curious eyes that were also a little weary and he continued before he could worry her further.

"I promise I will never stop fighting for us and I want you to promise me the same thing."

He waited with baited breath for her reaction but he didn't have to wait for long. Her eyes were full of love and sincerity as she whispered her vow to him.

"I promise."

They had matching smiles as they sat there on the tree, their arms wrapped tightly around each other and their eyes radiating love between them. They stayed like that for a few minutes, both basking in the ease and calm they both felt after their confessions to each other before he spoke again, his voice serious.

"Now my love, I think we need to seal this promise with a kiss because it's been far too long since our last one and I can't wait another second."

His smile got impossibly wider and her eyes fluttered close as they both moved in to close the distance between them. Their lips met in a soft brush against each other as they relished in the comfort of the touch of the other. They kissed languidly for a while, just enjoying the feeling of being connected again after what felt like forever for both of them. His tongue brushed her bottom lip, seeking entry, one that she gave to him willingly. The whole mood of the kiss then changed, became heated and passionate as their tongues battled for dominance. At certain moments, Regina lets out a throaty groan, which Robin would reply with by pressing his lips harder onto hers. They broke apart for only a few seconds before lips came crashing back on top of each other. It was Robin's turn to let out a groan, while tilting her head back to deepen the kiss even further. His hands wonder from her cheeks down to her hips, pulling her closer to him. Regina moaned as she felt her body near Robin's and she responded by wrapping her arms around his neck, one hand coming up to fist his hair, making sure he didn't stop kissing her. He had no intention of doing so even though in reality this wasn't the time or place. This had to stop; they both knew that for a fact. They were in the open, the air was still chilly and this kiss was becoming more passionate by the second. Her fingers were now on the back of his neck, her nails digging into the tender skin. The hand he hadn't got in her hair was on the exposed skin at the bottom of her back where the corset ended and her leather pants began, his fingers dancing over the softness of her skin. A shiver he believed was more to do with the cold than their activities shook Regina's frame and it finally gave him the strength to pull back from the kiss. He placed one last lingering kiss on her forehead before resting his against hers. They both were breathless and he wrapped his arms around her to protect her from the cold, smiling as she burrowed further into his arms. His voice was husky as spoke.

"Gods I love kissing you, but I think we better stop before I'm no longer able to restrain myself and I forget I'm meant to be a gentleman." She let out a tiny whimper at his words and her eyes darkened further as she felt the full meaning of them.

He pulled away from her fully and stood up, reaching instantly for her hand. She took it with a smile and allowed him to pull her up. Once she was on her feet he placed a kiss on her knuckles before dropping their hands to their sides keeping them laced together.

"Come on," He told her happily. "Let's go and get out the cold. I'm certain there are two anxious young lads that will want to know that you are safe."

Her eyes widened and she gasped her son's name.

"Henry."

"Don't worry my love, you go find Henry and spend some time with him, I'll go do the same with Roland and then how about we both come over later and we can all spend some time together? I know Roland will want to see Henry, as well as you."

She smiled warmly at the mention of time with both their boys as a family.

"I'd love that." She said sincerely, squeezing his hand.

His smile was just as warm as he beamed back at her before leading her out of the forest towards the clearing. They walked in silence, just enjoying each other's presence before finally reaching the edge of the forest. They turned towards each other and prepared to part ways, happy in the knowledge that this time it was only for a short time.

Her eyes became slightly unsure again as she asked him softly.

"Do you promise? We will be alright?"

He took her in his arms before answering, wrapping his arms around her waist and laying a kiss on top of her head.

"I promise my love, we will be fine."

Her sigh let him know she believed his words and he continued to hold her, preparing to leave her to go to his son.

The only sound to be heard was the beating of their hearts against one another in the quiet forest as they stood his face buried in her hair and hers in his chest. The silence allowed them both to hear the soft sound, a small gasp.

They both looked up in time to see a dark haired figure running into the forest, red cloak billowing behind. His voice was full of sorrow as he called out to the retreating figure.

"Marian!"

Stay tuned for chapter 4.

**Ok my original 2 shot has now grown to a 4 shot... for now lol.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys. First of all I'm very sorry for the delay in getting this chapter to you, Christmas took over my life and gave very little time for writing. I hope you haven't got bored waiting.**

**As always I owe gratitude and maybe even a pony to my Beta Geli for sorting through my original writing mess ups and making this acceptable for general viewing, seriously she rocks harder than Guns N Roses. **

**Anyway I hope you enjoy.**

**Not mine. **

Robin stared in the direction that his wife had run to in shocked silence. He knew he had to go after her and sort this whole mess out. She deserved an explanation, yet he was glued to his spot, unable to do anything but stare after her with a look of guilt on his face.

He was drawn out of his daze by the feeling of Regina struggling to get out of his arms. Instead of letting her go, like she clearly wanted, he just held on to her tighter, bowing his head to whisper in her ear.

"Shhhh my love, it's ok."

She instantly stopped struggling in his arms and let him hold her for another minute before she spoke lowly, her words slightly muffled against his chest.

"You need to go after her Robin." Her voice sounded tired, not that he was surprised, it had been a long and trying couple of days for the both of them, especially her.

"I will, but first, I need to make sure you know that I'm coming back to you as soon as I've spoken to her."

Regina looked at him with a mixture of hope and unease and it hurt him that even after the long talk they had she still wasn't a hundred percent convinced by his words. It hurt because he knew he only had himself to blame after abandoning her after Marian's return. That's why from this day forth, he made a vow to himself to spend the rest of his life proving to her he was here to stay.

He leaned forward and planted a kiss on her forehead, lingering there before he pulled back and looked deep into her eyes, making sure she saw the honesty in his own.

"Tonight, you, me, Henry and Roland are going to spend the evening together and it's going to be wonderful. Not only because we will be there together as a family but because it will be the first night of the rest of our lives. I love you Regina and after I sort all this out I'm coming back to you, I promise."

A tear slipped down her cheek and he used his thumb to wipe it away. She gave him a small smile and a nod.

He gave her one more, brief, gentle kiss on the lips before speaking again.

"Do you know how she's even awake?"

Regina thought about it for a second before giving him an answer.

"The Snow Queen must have met her demise, meaning that all her curses broke when she died, the Spell of Shattered Sight and the Ice curse on Marian. She should be okay now. Although Robin I will need to return her heart as soon as possible."

Robin nodded, wanting to show her he understood, while his fingers absentmindedly played with the ends of her hair. The feeling of the silken strands running through his fingers soothed his troubled mind. He spoke his next words carefully.

"Can I have this conversation with her without her heart? Will she understand?"

Regina nodded in reply.

"Yes she will, being without your heart doesn't stop you feeling fully it just numbs your emotions. Once it's returned she will still feel how she did, it's just those feelings will be stronger. When I was without my heart I still felt strongly for you, and I still loved Henry deeply it just intensified once my heart was back inside my chest. It's subjective, whether it will be easier on her to have this conversation with or without her heart. It will certainly feel worse for her once it's returned but under the current circumstances this is our only option. I'm the only one who can return it and I'm sure I'm the last person she wants to see right now. Besides, this is a discussion that needs to happen between the two of you."

Robin nodded in acceptance, trusting in Regina's words completely and without question.

"Go spend some time with your son, my love. I will be back with you later." He sealed his words by brushing his lips across her knuckles, squeezing her hand one last time before letting go of her completely.

Regina gave a small nod and gave him a nervous but encouraging smile before turning away from him, heading back towards the town square. Robin watched his soulmate go, his eyes not leaving her form until she was out of sight. He stood in place for a few more moments before making his way into the forest in the direction his wife had run off in.

...

Robin had a sense of déjà vu as he made his way silently through the forest; the only sound to be heard was the rustle of leaves under his boots. His mind was a mess of chaotic thoughts as he tried to make sense of how to explain to his first love how he had fallen for another. Once again he cursed his own stupidity at not having the courage to follow his heart to Regina in the first place when Marian had returned. He gave his head a firm shake, telling himself it was pointless dwelling on that fact now. What was done was done and all he could do now was to give Marian the courtesy of the truth.

It was relatively easy to find Marian. Robin knew she wouldn't have gone too far. Although she had lived with him a fair few years in the forest, she had never been as attuned to the surroundings as he had. Even in their home, the Sherwood Forest she would never venture too far into it without him or one of his men, and the surrounding forests of Storybrooke were still very new to her.

He found Marian sitting on the ground, her back up against a large oak tree, much like he had found Regina earlier. She stared into space as silent tears streamed down her cheeks and Robin felt the burning guilt intensify as he carefully approached her. He thought that she hadn't noticed his approach, so it caught him by surprise when her voice rang across the silent forest.

"You know how unbelievably confusing it is to one day have everything you could possibly want in life, a loving husband and a beautiful, healthy baby boy, only to wake the next to find out not only does said husband appear to have fallen for another but that the object of his affections is "The Evil Queen" of all people? Oh and not only that but her baby boy is now nearly five years older and doesn't even recognise her?"

Her voice was surprisingly strong despite the silent sobs she was trying to muffle. Robin closed his eyes against the sting of her words. He may not love Marian the way he once did but he still cared for her deeply and he hated how sad and confused she was now and he hated even more that he was the cause of it. He took a deep breath before speaking to her for the first time since she had found him with Regina in his arms.

"I'm so sorry Marian, I never meant for any of this to happen. I know you may not believe me right now but the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you."

He winced as she answered him with a bitter laugh which held no humour at all. Her voice was ice cold as she spoke.

"Never meant what to happen Robin? Never meant to fall for another woman or never meant to fall for the woman who tried to have me killed?"

He struggled to answer her; afraid any words he said right now would sound hollow and meaningless. He knew how the situation would look to anyone on the surface. He questioned himself in the beginning how he could forgive Regina for causing Marian's death in the original timeline. How his love for her remained as strong and untainted as ever even knowing what she did. There was no easy answer to that question; he just knew that he couldn't dwell on what used to be. He was only interested in the now and Marian was here. Not only had Regina's past act been erased by Hook and Emma but Regina had tried her hardest to save Marian since her return, just as she tried her hardest to make up for every wrong she has done.

He answered her carefully, his voice sincere.

"I'm just sorry I hurt you Marian. This whole situation must be so confusing for you, as I know it is for me. I know it's only been mere days for you, but it's been years for me. I didn't just wake up one day and decided to love another. I mourned you for years."

"And now you love another." She told him firmly her eyes and voice sharp as she looked at him "You love _her_."

Marian spat the word _her_ like she was deeply offended by it and Robin fought against the intense protective instinct to race to Regina's defence. Marian was hurt and she had every right to be angry. He forced his voice to sound calm as he spoke to her.

"I should have been honest with you as soon as you returned Marian and I'm sorry I wasn't but yes..." He looked deep into her eyes as he spoke his next words gently but firmly.

"I'm in love with Regina."

Marian took a deep breath as the full impact of his words hit her. His heart squeezed painfully as he saw another tear roll down her cheek.

"I don't understand." She whispered. "I thought you loved me."

Her words cut him to the bone and he let out a deep sigh before carefully moving to sit beside her on the ground.

"I do love you Marian. I always have and I always will." He told her softly before continuing. "When you died I didn't think I'd be able to go on. I missed you so much everyday and if it wasn't for Roland I honestly believe I would have gone insane. You see, when you lose someone you love, as much as you believe it can't be so, the world inevitably keeps turning and you have no choice but to move with it, I had to for Roland's sake."

He turned to her and taking a chance he gently took her hand, causing her to look at him. He looked into her pain filled brown eyes and continued.

"My love for you through the years remained unchanged, sacred and untouchable. I, however, did change. Grief changes you. And as much as I know my love for you remains, it's not of the present. But my love for Regina is."

"But we can get that love back Robin, if you tried I know we can be a family again. You, me and Roland." Her voice was tinged with desperation and he squeezed her hand before gently shaking his head.

"I can't live a lie, Marian. It wouldn't make you or me happy and both our sadness would affect Roland. I need to follow my heart and my heart lies with Regina."

Marian removed her hand from his and scooted away from him on the forest floor. Her voice had a slightly hard edge as she spoke again.

"I just don't understand how you can fall in love with _her _of all people Robin. You're a good, noble man and she's done such terrible things."

Robin fought against the urge to jump aggressively to his soulmate's defence again, instead taking a deep breath before gently continuing.

"I will not go too far into Regina's past with you Marian, as it's not my story to tell. However, I will tell you that I believe everyone has darkness inside them, you certainly saw mine when we first met. I believe given the right circumstances anyone can be driven into succumbing to those impulses and believe me when I tell you; although it does not excuse her past actions Regina has been through so much that I believe anyone would be driven down any number of paths if they had to endure what she has in her life."

Marian scoffed at that and Robin felt his anger rise slightly.

"Robin you can't possibly compare your past light thieving of horses to all the lives taken and ruined by the Evil Queen."

"And if you hadn't taught me the error of my ways Marian who's to know what that light thieving of horses may have lead to." He carried on his voice full of conviction. "You made me into a better person; you showed me a better way of living. Who knows what my life may have become if you had not, I cannot rule out the possibility I could have been lost to the darkness too."

He saw his words had gotten to Marian as she appeared to think them over. Marian may be angry and hurt right now but she was at her core one of the most gentle and compassionate people he had ever met. Her voice had lost its earlier conviction as she spoke again.

"A life of hardship does not excuse her past actions Robin."

"Your right it doesn't, but Marian have you ever considered what your life would be like if you had been made to marry The Sheriff of Nottingham as your father had wanted? What would have happened if we hadn't had run away together and you had been forced into a loveless marriage?

Marian swallowed thickly and he saw his words had hit their mark.

"The Sheriff was on the surface a respectable and well connected man, yet we both know what a scoundrel he was when nobody was looking. If you had been made to marry him can you honestly say what darkness would have overtaken your life? What path you would have been led down?"

Marian looked to him and eventually gave a small nod in acceptance. Robin let off a silent sigh of relief before continuing.

"I know this is going to sound hollow to you Marian but she has changed, she fights so hard every day to become a better person and she's done such good since I've known her. Since you succumbed to this curse she has worked endlessly to free you from it, she's a good person. She even saved Roland's life."

This caused Marian to look at him in surprise and shock as she absorbed his words. Robin saw as several emotions crossed her face.

Confusion, relief, gratitude before coming to settle into one of fear and sadness. A tear rolled down her cheek and he strained to hear her as she whispered lowly.

"What about me? Robin I'm all alone in this strange land and I don't understand anything. How am I going to do this without you?"

Robin took her hand and turned to face her, tugging gently on her hand to urge her to do the same. He looked into her teary eyes and spoke, his voice full of sincerity.

"You are not, nor will you ever be alone Marian. You have friends here; all of the Merry Men are thrilled you're back and they will support you through this every step of the way."

He tilted her chin gently so she looked at him before continuing.

"As will I, you will always have me. We may not be together anymore but I love you and I'll always be here for you. You weren't just my wife Marian; you were my best friend and the person who gave me the most important thing in my life, our son. You're anything but alone."

"I don't even know where to start rebuilding my life." Marian spoke, broken.

He took her by the shoulders and shook her gently before speaking to her with conviction.

"You start by being a mother. You have a little boy that has always wanted to know you and now he has his chance. You have been given a second chance to be a mother Marian and you need to grab that chance."

Marian seemed unsure and nervous as she spoke again.

"I barely know him and he barely knows me. I never really learnt to be a mother. What if I can't be?"

"You can." Robin told her firmly. "He's part of you Marian and he's an amazing child. He has your patience and your goodness and I know the two of you are going to fall in love with one another. You're his mother and it will come natural to you."

Marian sniffed and let out a hiccupping sob, taking a deep breath to steady her before asking him softly.

"Does she make you happy Robin?" She asked curiously, peering at him.

Robin didn't know how to answer. He didn't want to hurt her and rub his happiness with another woman in her face but he owed her the truth. He answered her honestly.

"She makes me very happy."

She closed her eyes briefly before opening them again and nodding in understanding.

"Is she good with Roland?" She asked him softly. "Does he like her?"

He nodded gently.

"Roland loves her, and Regina's son Henry." He caught the look of hurt on her face so he quickly reassured her.

"She can't take your place Marian, she never will and she would never want to. She's been through the pain of that herself with her own son and she would never want to do that to another. You're Roland's mother and that will always be the case."

Marian appeared to accept his reassurance. She took a deep breath before looking in his eyes, her own eyes accepting as she spoke with conviction.

"I release you from your vows Robin. Go and be happy with her."

Robin felt a rush of relief and gratitude wash over him and he pulled Marian into his arms, pressing his lips to her forehead.

"Thank you." He whispered against her skin. He held her for a few more moments before he pulled away from her and asked.

"Would you like me to take you to Roland?"

Marian quickly shook her head.

"Tomorrow." She whispered "Right now I think I need to be alone for a while. I'll just sit here a while then I'll make my way back to camp."

Robin looked unsure and was about to protest, before she stopped him by raising her hand.

"I'll be ok Robin I promise I know it's not far back to camp and if I need anyone Tuck and John will be there. Go to her Robin, you deserve your happiness."

Robin placed one more kiss to her forehead and with a promise that he and Roland would see her tomorrow, turned to hurry out of the forest. He felt a sense of calm settle over him for the first time in weeks as he thought of his freedom to now be with the woman he loved. He felt sadness at hurting Marian but he knew that in this unbelievably messy and complicated situation they had found themselves in, it was inevitable that he would hurt her but at least he had been truthful. He felt unending gratitude for Marian and her good heart and made a vow to himself that he would never stop being there for the mother of his child, something he knew Regina would understand.

Robin wondered about his choice to not tell her there and then about her missing heart, wondered if he did the right thing. He brushed the thought aside, Marian had been confused and upset enough tonight without springing that on her and scaring her further. He would tell her tomorrow when he could return her heart to her straight away before she panicked too much about it.

He moved faster through the forest to the town square. He badly wanted to see his son and Regina and he would soon enough. They would all along with Henry have an amazing evening together.

There was just one more person he needed to speak to before that happened.

**Ok guys cookies for whoever can guess who Robin is going to speak to. **

**Drop me a review, I like to know I still have an audience and I'm not just writing for me and Geli lol. Though she fangirls to the power of 100 people which is great.**

**Big kisses guys and HAPPY NEW YEAR!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Happy New Year my little love munchkins. So here we have chapter 5 and i really hope you like it. **

**Thank you again for all that read and reviewed this, I'm so happy anyone enjoys it let alone as many that have faved and followed it. I love the reviews, keep them coming.**

**As always i owe this chapter to Geli my beta, I know i do this every chapter but i cant say enough good things about her, seriously this story would be a mess without her. **

**Not mine, not ever I just like to play with them. **

Robin reached his destination, the town sheriff station. He paused outside and took a deep breath, bracing himself to enter the place that now held so many unpleasant memories for him. The place where he had watched his soulmate get hurt, mistreated and distressed. He felt the boiling anger deep in his chest and it gave him strength to pull open the door to the building and enter. He was good at reading people and he had an instinctive feeling the person responsible would be here.

Robin paused in the doorway, he was right and he watched quietly as the small brunette woman ransacked the sheriff station. She had not heard his approach, as she frantically searched through drawers and cupboards, carelessly throwing items to the ground. Robin watched her in vague interest for a few moments before he cleared his throat, successfully alerting her to his presence.

She jumped in shock as she turned towards him, her hands clutched to her chest and her face drawn in a guilty expression. Robin would have laughed at seeing the normally so poised fairy so frazzled if he wasn't trying so hard to keep a check on his anger.

"Robin." The fairy spoke and he could tell she was straining to make it sound cheerful.

"I wasn't expecting anyone, you startled me."

He moved into the station, allowing the door to swing shut behind him and he paused in the doorway, folding his arms across his chest and looking the nervous fairy in the eye. His voice was calm, pleasant almost as he spoke to her for the first time.

"Looking for something Blue?"

The fairy's unease seemed to increase at his question and her eyes nervously darted the room before answering him.

"I... I was just searching for something Emma asked me to pick up for her. It doesn't appear to be here though, so I will be going. I need to be getting back to help the others with the town clean up."

She moved towards the door to make a hasty escape but paused as she heard his cold voice ring across the station.

"Really? I thought you may be searching for a set of magical cuffs you had used to imprison the woman I love, or have I got that wrong?"

Blue swallowed nervously and appeared to struggle to find an answer before she spoke, her voice sounded small.

"Robin, try to understand – "

His sarcastic laugh halted her words. His voice was ice cold and sharp as a blade as he spoke.

"Understand what? That you had the woman I love shackled and weakened with no means of protecting herself during a curse that brought out the whole town's violent tendencies?"

"Robin – " Blue tried again but he went on as if she hadn't spoke.

"You see to begin with I was angry with Hook and Emma. I don't think I have ever felt so much anger in my life than when I saw them holding Regina captive, but I've had a lot of running around to do today and in that time I've had time to think. You see Emma would believe any rubbish fed to her if it was by someone who is meant to be on the side of "Good" and she would do anything if she was lead to believe it was to keep her parents safe, and Hook, well, he would cover himself in honey and feed himself to the bears if Emma told him it was a good idea. So I have come to the conclusion that as misguided as their actions were, they really were just convinced by someone them it was the right thing to do."

He moved closer to the fairy and she backed up a few steps, trying to keep a distance between herself and the angry archer. He continued to speak to her as he walked towards her. She had now backed herself up against the bars of the cell that had held Regina hours before and he stopped, keeping a respectful distance between them. He was angry, unbelievably so, but he was not the kind of man who was in the habit of intimidating women, even if the woman in question had committed in his view an unconscionable act.

"You." He stated, his eyes holding onto hers, giving her no escape from his scathing glare. "You had Emma and Hook imprison Regina with those cuffs and I want to know why."

Blue looked for a moment like she may deny his allegations and he braced himself for a verbal fight with her. However she sighed and shrugged, looking disinterested. This made Robin's anger rise even further. This fairy had put Regina in mortal danger and she didn't even care!

Blue's voice sounded harsh and unfeeling as she spoke and Robin knew the innocent act she had attempted was over.

"I did what I had to do for the sake of this town and the people in it. The curse would have unleashed The Evil Queen and she would have gone straight after the prince and princess, she had to be stopped."

His voice was low and dangerous as he spoke and he clenched his hands at his sides in restrained fury.

"Regina herself had taken measures to ensure she would not cause any harm during the curse. She had planned to seal herself in her vault. You did not need to take such brutal measures. She did not deserve such treatment."

One look at Blue's cold, unfeeling eyes made it clear to Robin that his words had had no effect on her.

"You want me to show mercy to the woman who spent years inflicting terror in the hearts of anyone who stood in the way of her goal to kill Snow White and the Prince? Ask yourself this Robin Hood, do you think Regina cared how she achieved her goals? Do you think she cared who was hurt in her quest?"

Robin was livid.

"She is making up for her past mistakes every day. She saved your life, along with every else's in this town more than once now. Does that count for nothing in your eyes?"

Blue shrugged again and stared him coldly in the eyes, not backing down at all.

"A couple of good deeds do not make up for a lifetime of evil."

It then dawned on Robin. It was useless to reason with the fairy, she had made her mind up and nothing would change it. His voice came out calm at the realisation and he regarded the fairy, staring coldly back at her.

"It will never be enough for you people will it? No matter how hard she tries, no matter how pure and good her intentions are, you will never see her as more than whom she was, will you?"

One look at the fairy's face told him his observations were right.

"She will always be a risk, no matter how much she may want to change. Regina Mills has darkness inside of her and sooner or later it will be unleashed again. She can't help it. That is who she is."

Robin stalked towards her, stopping inches from her. His voice rose.

"You do not get to tell me who my soulmate is fairy. I know her better than anyone. She is not a bad person, she never was. She just made bad choices because she was unhappy and had bad things happen to her. Everyone has a limit and she reached hers. She's trying so hard to make up for that now and others can see that too. Show White sees that and if she of all people can, then why not you?"

Blue opened her mouth to answer him but Robin never gave her the chance. He continued speaking to her, his voice loud and shaking with anger.

"It will never be enough for some people though will it? Especially you, you have perverted the meaning of good and evil to fit your own personal opinion. It's all black and white to you, no grey areas. And you left her bound and powerless in a cell and justified the cruel act on the grounds you believe she's a villain. You believe your actions were just because you claim to be working for the side of good."

Once Robin had started he found it hard to stop. It had been an unbelievably stressful and emotional day and now he had the cause of Regina's distress in front of him now. Blue was looking increasingly uncomfortable at his outburst and he saw his words have somewhat of an effect on her. The fairy prided herself of being on the side of good and Robin was currently shaking that whole belief system. Robin continued his passionate speech, letting all the love he felt for Regina and all the outrage he felt at her mistreatment pour out through his words.

"You people have believed for too long now that you can treat her how you wish and nobody will question it. That her past indiscretions mean that nobody will be on her side to fight for her. Well no more. I'm here to tell you Blue that she has someone who will fight for her now."

Robin moved closer to Blue and looked into her eyes, making sure she understood how deadly serious he was.

"She has me and I will fight for her with my last breath. So the next time you think about making an attack on the woman I love, I want you to remember you're not just dealing with her, you're dealing with me."

He stopped then, his breath ragged as he gauged the fairy's reaction. She appeared to be shocked at his fierceness when it came to speaking of Regina's safety; however her face then settled into an amused look. Blue was clearly unconcerned about any sort of impact he could have in any battle because he was without magic, unlike her. Robin however was uninterested in proving himself to her at that moment, right now he wanted to see his son and get back to the woman he loves. He turned his back on her and began to walk towards the station door. He was stopped in his tracks as he heard the fairy's cold voice ring out across the room.

"Where are the cuffs Robin?"

He didn't bother turning just answered her plainly and simply.

"They are in a safe place."

He carried on walking and was almost at the station door when her voice stopped him again. It was louder this time and was tinged with panic.

"I'm going to need them back, they are useless to someone like you who has no magic and they need to be protected from falling into the wrong hands. You should not mess with something you can't begin to understand."

Robin turned back to her and his voice was almost mocking as he asked her.

"Do you honestly believe that I would give them back to you after what you did? That I would ever run the risk that you may use them against Regina again?"

He laughed in disbelief and watched, as the fairy appeared to shake in anger.

"Do not trifle with me _thief._ It is in your best interests that you return those cuffs to me without delay, as is it in Regina's_."_

Robin walked slowly towards the brunette woman with purpose. His voice was shaking with anger and his eyes flashed dangerously as he spoke slowly to her, making sure she absorbed the full impact of his words.

"You will do nothing Blue, nothing at all and do you know why? Because the second I sense even the slightest threat towards Me, Regina or our two boys, I'll hand those cuffs straight over to The Dark One."

Blue gasped in shock and stumbled back a few steps. Her voice shook in fear as she answered him.

"You wouldn't."

"I wouldn't what?" Robin asked her. "Wouldn't make a deal with a man I loathe in order to keep the woman I love safe? Believe me Blue, try me and you will discover there is nothing I am not capable of doing if it means keeping Regina safe."

Blue looked frantic and she tried again in vain to make him see sense.

"You are a noble man Robin. How could you even consider something as dark as handing over a powerful, dangerous object to someone as wretched as Rumplestiltskin?"

Robin answered her truthfully.

"I understand your fear Blue; after all you played your part in the loss of his son all those years ago. See I may not like the Imp and I do not care for his methods but from one father to another I can understand his desire to stop at nothing to be reunited with his son. Even his most despicable acts were in the pursuit of being with Baelfire again. But just imagine what he could do to you with those cuffs, and I imagine you would be top of his list as a test subject for them."

Blue breathed heavily at his words and swallowed hard, he saw the shake to her hands as she realised the truth in his words. Robin's voice sounded almost pleasant as he spoke to her again.

"Not to worry Blue, you have nothing to fear. I am a man of my word and I promise you that those cuffs are very safe and no threat to anyone. And they will remain so, as long as you and the rest of the fairy's leave Regina be."

He did not wait for her answer. He didn't need to. He had played his hand well and he knew he had her cooperation even if it wasn't willingly. He turned and walked from the station this time not stopping, leaving the shell-shocked fairy behind.

Once outside he let out a deep breath and ran a shaking hand through his hair. He had an uneasy feeling in his stomach at what he had just done. He was not the kind of man who would make such threats and he felt his noble reputation had been unchangeably shaken today. He could not feel guilty about it or wish to change his actions, as he told Blue, there was nothing he wasn't capable of doing if it meant Regina's safety, even making a deal with the devil himself. He just hoped that it never came to that and Blue would be discouraged from any attack on Regina again.

The sun had begun to set alerting him to how late in the day it now was and he began to hastily make his way towards his camp. He was finally free to go to his son. After a day of such turmoil he was eager for Roland's easy childish laughter and innocence.

He made his way back to his camp, to where he was sure the merry men and Roland would be now that the curse had lifted and it was safe to return to town. The chilly air soothed him and cleared his mind as he reached the edge of the forest and he made his way knowingly to his current home. He saw the sparks from the campfire in the distance and felt a small sense of relief that he was almost to his son and that the two of them would soon be able to make their way to Regina's house. He felt an aching need to be with his soulmate after the events of the day. His nerves were frayed even more than they had been before after his confrontation with the Blue fairy and he knew that he would feel a lot calmer once he had Regina in his arms while he watched their two boys play together.

As he made his way closer to the camp he saw Roland's blurry form in the distance and he quickened his pace. His boy was seated on Will Scarlett's knee and Roland was laughing gleefully as Will appeared to be telling him an amusing story. Robin smiled to himself and he felt a pang of brotherly affection for the once shamed Merry Man. Will's behaviour may sometimes be questionable but he was extremely well loved by Roland, Robin had a feeling it was to do with the fact that Will a lot of the time appeared to be almost childlike in his behaviour and seemed to be on a level with Roland. Robin smirked at his analogy as he thought of how disgruntled Will would be at hearing this.

Will spotted Robin first and he smirked before getting Roland's attention, saying something lowly to his son and pointing in Robin's direction. Roland's eyes followed where Will was pointing to and his son let out a shriek of delight, hopping off Will's knee and running towards him as fast as his small legs could carry him.

"Papa!" He screamed in glee, a bright smile on his angelic face. The sight made Robin's heart catch and a lump form in his throat. Just as he expected some of the tension of the day eased away at the sight of his son and the sound of his voice.

Robin crouched down and spread his arms out wide ready for the small boy. The impact of Roland throwing himself into his arms still almost knocked him back though and he stumbled a bit but still managed to stay on his feet. He wrapped his arms around his son and buried his nose in his mop of brown curls, inhaling his familiar, comforting scent. Roland rested his head on his father's shoulder and the two just enjoyed being together for a short while. Roland eventually pulled back to look at his father but kept his small arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Roland's voice remained excited as he spoke to his father.

"You're back! I missed you, you were gone a long time."

Robin placed a kiss to his son's forehead and spoke lovingly to him.

"I'm sorry my boy, daddy had a lot to do today but I'm back now and I missed you too."

Roland looked at him in curiosity before he appeared to remember the reason his father had been gone in the first place. His voice came out small and almost fearful as he questioned his father.

"Is Gina ok papa? Did the bad cloud hurt her?"

Robin smiled at his son's concern for Regina and he answered his son as best he could. He could not give his son the full truth that yes the "Bad Cloud" had hurt their Gina, it was a complicated and scary situation for a child to grasp. So he chose to answer in the present and keep his son safe from the horrors of what had happened over the last long hours.

"She's fine my boy, she's with Henry now but they are both waiting for us. How would you like a sleepover with your papa, Gina and Henry tonight?"

Roland let out a shriek of glee at his words and hugged him tighter. His voice got higher in his excitement.

"Really papa? I get to spend the night with Gina and Henry?"

Roland's enthusiasm was infectious and he smiled widely at his son before answering him.

"That we do my boy. Now why don't you go pack your satchel for the night and we will be on our way."

Roland fidgeted in his father's arms and Robin released him, he straight away made a run towards his tent eager to be on his way to Regina's house.

Robin stood up straight again and looked as Will made his way to his friend and leader's side. Will regarded him with interest and Robin felt slightly uneasy under his scrutiny.

"What?" Robin asked defensively, scowling in Will's direction.

Will shrugged indifferently before stating casually.

"You look like hell mate."

Robin rolled his eyes and scoffed, his voice laced with sarcasm as he answered his friend.

"Always lovely to hear, thanks mate."

Will shrugged again, his own voice casual but with a hint of concern.

"Just an observation Robin, looks like you had a rough day."

Robin laughed bitterly and ran a hand tiredly over his face.

"I've had better." He stated.

Will looked nervous and looked to struggle to say what he wanted to before sighing and telling Robin gently.

"Marian is back, she came back to camp about an hour before you returned."

Robin looked at Will with caution before asking quietly.

"Is she alright?"

Will answered him gently.

"She seemed a little sad but she's ok, John and Tuck are with her now."

Robin sighed deeply. He was glad his friend's were not here to chastise him over his treatment of Marian. John would understand, he would want Robin to be happy but he would be sad on Marian's behalf. John and Marian were close, almost like brother and sister and he knew although John would agree that Robin should follow his heart he would be sad it came at the price of hurting Marian. Tuck was another story though. The old friar would quote scripture to him and preach endlessly on the sins of making a mockery out of holy matrimony. Robin knew he would have to face them both eventually but he gave a small prayer of thanks that it wouldn't be tonight. It had been a long, hard day and he doubted he would keep his anger in check if his friends were to lecture him right now.

Suddenly a worrying thought crossed his mind and he asked Will, fearful of his answer.

"Did Roland see her upset?"

Will quickly shook his head in reassurance, before answering.

"Little man was taking a nap; he doesn't even know his mum is back with us."

Robin sighed in relief, the last thing he wanted was for the next time his son saw his mother after such a separation to be a sad one because she was distressed. He wanted to keep Marian's wishes of giving her the night alone before reuniting mother and son tomorrow.

He looked to Will and found that the younger man was scrutinising him, looking like he was about to say something. Robin got in there before him though.

"I don't want to hear it Will." He told him sharply.

Will put his hands in the air in surrender assuring Robin he wasn't going to get a lecture from him.

"Wasn't going to say a thing mate, the heart wants what it wants and you owe it to yourself to follow it."

Robin looked fondly at the once disgraced member of his team; he didn't know how to express his gratitude to him in words so he settled for clasping Will firmly on the shoulder. Will gave him a small smile in understanding before asking him seriously.

"Is she worth it then?"

Robin didn't have to ask him to what he was referring as he remembered the discussion him and Will had had over drinks at Granny's mere weeks earlier. Robin didn't have to think for a second. He looked Will in the eye and his voice held conviction as he answered him.

"Every second."

Will smirked at his answer and in return clasped Robin tightly on the shoulder. They were then interrupted from their moment of bonding by Roland tearing out his tent while struggling to put his very full satchel onto his back. Both men turned and looked at the small boy with affection as he made his way over to the two adults.

"I'm ready papa." He said excitedly. "I'm ready to go and see Gina and Henry."

Robin scooped the little boy up, satchel and all and settled him on his hip.

"I see that my boy, but we are only going to Regina's for one night. Do you really need to pack so much?"

Roland looked to his father like he had asked an unbelievably silly question before answering him.

"Yes I do papa, I've got my nightshirt and my toothbrush and a book for Henry to read to me and monkey."

Robin smiled warmly as he spotted the grey monkey's soft head peering out of the top of Roland's satchel. His son adored that toy and had never slept a night without it since Regina had given it to him.

"Well then my boy I guess we should get going. Oh by the way did you have fun with the merry men?"

Roland nodded enthusiastically before answering in excitement.

"Yes papa! Will told me all about the big talking caterpillar."

Robin smirked in Will's direction before answering his son with matched enthusiasm.

"Oh he did, did he?"

Will smirked back at him, answering him cheerfully.

"Plenty more stories like that to tell little man but for now you and your dad better go, must not keep The Queen waiting."

Robin threw Will one more grateful glance before he and Roland said their goodbyes. Together father and son walked through the forest towards the centre of town. Robin felt a sense of calm wash over him as he thought he would very shortly have his soulmate in his arms again. He could not wait to see her. It had only been a few hours since he had last seen her yet he felt a strong undeniable urge to go to her, like his soul was crying out for its other half. He quickened his pace as much as he could with Roland on his hip and stated silently to himself, like a whisper from his soul to hers.

"I'm on my way, my love."

**Ok we have one chapter left and maybe a epilogue so stay tuned for that. **

**Im a little surprised nobody guessed Robin was going to talk to Blue, I thought I had hinted but (Shrugs) maybe not enough, my bad. **

**See you soon my little sweet potatoes xxxxx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys love and kisses to you all. Huge thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed and ice cream for everyone who has reviewed, I adore reading them and they are huge encouragement to keep going.**

**Ok first things first you will notice a rating change with this chapter... I'm assuming you all guess what that means ;o) I had no intention on adding smut, I wasn't even sure i could write at all and the thought of writing smut terrified me. It's hear regardless due to demands from my twitter nearest and dearest but I'm not sure it's any good, will leave that to you guys to judge. **

**As always huge thanks to my superstar beta Geli I love her like Roland loves ice cream. **

**Not mine... never mine""**

Robin and Roland were just walking up the path to Regina's house when the front door opened, and Regina stepped into view. Robin's heart fluttered familiarly in his chest, as it always did whenever he first saw her. He noticed that she had changed out of her Evil Queen outfit and was now clothed in a simple pair of dark jeans and a red silk blouse. Her face had been scrubbed clean of all the smeared make up, fresh faced and make up free. God she looks so beautiful, he thought to himself. Her hair was damp and down, curling around her face and brushing against her shoulders, she had clearly showered on her return home, likely eager to wash the stress of the day away.

Roland broke out into a run upon seeing her, bolting towards the dark haired beauty, as Robin called after him to be gentle. He was still weary of Regina's damaged wrists that he noticed she had not bandaged them after her shower. He hoped she had not magically healed her wrists. He didn't like seeing her hurt, but he didn't like the thought of her using her magic after the tiring events of the day."

"Gina!" Roland shrieked in glee, as he raced over to her.

Regina crouched down and held her arms out ready for the young boy's approach, wrapping them around him once he was close enough. Robin watched in pure adoration as the two halves of his whole world embraced, holding each other tightly. Roland had his head resting on Regina's shoulder; her nose was buried in his dark hair and they were mumbling softly to one another words Robin could not hear clearly.

Another movement caught his eye in the doorway, one that had not come from either Regina or Roland and he looked up to see what it was. He relaxed as he saw that it was Henry. The events of the day had clearly left him with a touch of paranoia when it came to others being close enough to Regina to cause her any harm. He told himself to get a grip; she was fine, here and unscathed. If there was one thing he knew Regina would not stand for, it was an overbearing, overprotective partner.

He watched as Henry smiled down at his mother and the young boy with affection before stepping around them to make his way down the path towards Robin. Henry stopped in front of him and appeared to struggle to find the right words to say. Robin remained quiet, giving the young man a chance to speak. Robin was nervous, he and Henry had gotten along very well in the time they had spent together, but that was before he had hurt his mother. Robin wouldn't be surprised at all if Henry hated his guts now and told him to stay the hell away from Regina.

Robin was taken aback to say the least when the boy hugged him tightly. Robin stood in shock for a few moments before he lifted his arms to gently pat the young man on the back. Henry's voice was so quiet as he spoke that if Robin had been breathing in that moment he would have missed it.

"Thank you." He whispered. "Thank you for taking care of her."

Robin gave Henry one more firm but gentle pat on the back before he pulled back to look at him. He smiled at the young man before telling him seriously.

"No need to thank me Henry, I'll always take care of her. I'm just sorry I hurt her when Marian returned, but I promise you I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to her."

Henry smiled back at him and his voice was easy as he spoke.

"I know you will Robin, and it's ok. I'm not saying I was thrilled when you hurt my mom, but I get it. I may only be a kid but even I can see it was a pretty messy and complicated situation."

Robin's eyes burned with unshed tears and his chest grew warm at the young man's words. Henry's understanding meant the world to him. He knew there would be many people who would question his decision to be with Regina and not Marian, but he could honestly say he didn't give a damn about any of their opinions. Apart from the boy in front of him, he was the most important person in Regina's life and there was nobody else's blessing he required apart from Henry's and Roland's.

Robin smiled his thanks and clapped the boy on the shoulder, telling him warmly.

"Thank you Henry, you have no idea what that means to me."

Henry just smiled back at him fondly, the two males sharing a quiet understanding before Robin asked seriously.

"How is she? Has she seemed OK since you saw her?"

Henry appeared to grimace a little, before looking back towards Regina. Robin followed his eyes to her and his son again, watching briefly as Regina and Roland spoke enthusiastically to each other.

"She seems okay, I guess. Tired and a little weary but putting on a good front as always. It's not like I'd know if she wasn't, she won't tell me what happened. She keeps things from me."

Robin noted the sadness in Henry's voice and he squeezed the young boy's shoulder in comfort before speaking to him.

"There are some things we can't tell our children Henry. Not because we don't trust them, or that we think they won't understand, but because it's our job to protect them. She had a rough day, it was unpleasant but I promise you she's okay and she will keep being okay. It's nothing you need to worry about."

Henry appeared relieved by Robin's words but his voice still remained sad as he told the older man.

"I just want to help her. She's my mom and I should help her. I was awful to her when I first found out about the curse and I need to make up for that."

Robin took Henry by his shoulders and turned looking him straight in the eyes.

"She understands Henry. She's not ignorant to her past and she understands why you reacted the way you did. What matters most is now and your understanding, forgiveness and love are more important to her than anyone else's. As for being there for her, Henry trust me when I tell you, you are there for her in the most important way. Like Roland is for me, I may not share with Roland the gory details of how I'm feeling, but him just being there; him just being himself is the greatest comfort I could ever ask for. And I know it's the same for your mother. Let me and your mother worry about the unpleasant details, you just keep your innocence for a few more years and I promise you if there's anything going on that you need to know we will fill you in."

Henry looked thoughtful for a minute, appearing to contemplate Robin's words before he nodded and gave him a small smile.

"I'm glad she has you Robin. I'm glad she has someone else on her side."

Robin smiled at the boy before answering him.

"Hey I'll always be on her side lad, as I know you will too. And I know he's only small but believe me when I tell you Roland will fight for her too. Don't let the cuteness fool you; the boy has quite a bite on him."

Robin's tone became teasing at his last words and Henry let out a chuckle at them, the tension gone from the conversation.

They were distracted from their bonding time by the boy in question's excited voice and Henry was almost knocked off his feet as Roland crashed into him, wrapping his tiny arms around the teen's legs. Robin steadied him with his hand that was still firmly on his shoulder.

"Henry, you're here! I'm excited to play with you."

"Roland," Robin told him in warning. "Be careful, you almost knocked Henry down."

Roland looked guilty for a moment, his big brown eyes looking up to Henry innocently.

"Sorry Henry." He told him shyly.

Henry laughed good-naturedly before crouching down so he was eye level with Roland.

"No worries Roland, I'm excited to play with you too! How about we go up to my room and get my Lego bricks, we can build a castle for the knights to protect."

Roland let out a shriek of delight before grabbing Henry by the hand and tugging him into the house. Robin shouted after Roland to tell him to be good for Henry and his boy replied with a carefree "I will papa."

He watched as Regina smiled at both boys affectionately and ruffled both their hairs in turn as they reached her, following their movement up the stairs with her eyes until they were out of sight.

Robin slowly walked towards the door to the house and towards Regina. He noticed she looked nervous yet relieved and he was eager to reassure her that all was fine and he was indeed there to stay.

Once he reached her, he took her hands in his and guided her back inside the house and allowed Regina to close the door behind them, effectively blocking out the rest of the world, at least for a few hours. Regina turned to him and slowly lifted her head to look at his face. She bit her bottom lip anxiously and spoke to him in a quiet, cautious voice.

"So... how did it go? Are you okay?"

He smiled at her reassuringly, his first priority to ease her worries before telling her soothingly.

"I'm fine my love, It wasn't pleasant but it went better than I had expected it to. I'll tell you all about it later, I promise, but first I need... God Regina I need to hold you."

He moved towards her at his last word and Regina came to him willingly a second later. She all but threw herself into his waiting arms and both of them let out a sigh of relief at the contact. Regina wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and rested her head on his chest and he felt her shudder slightly against him. One of his arms wrapped around her back while his other hand came up to tangle in her hair. The height difference meant he could bury his nose into her hair and his frazzled nerves were calmed by the scent of apples and cinnamon. He skimmed his nose and lips over the top of her head and sighed in content as he felt her nuzzle impossibly closer into his chest.

They stood like that for a few perfect moments before he pulled back to eagerly look at her face. Her eyes shimmered with happy tears and she gave him that heart stopping, genuine smile of hers. He returned it just as happily and lent forward to brush his lips over her forehead, then against her nose, before bringing them down to her lips.

The kiss was sweet and brief but it ignited a burning desire in him for more. One look at Regina told him she felt the same as he took in her darkened eyes and parted lips, they badly wanted to kiss again but the fact that both their son's could come tearing down the stairs at any moment told them both to hold off until they could be alone later.

He settled for dropping his forehead to hers and they both started a familiar dance as they stared deep into the others eyes and softly rubbed their noses against each other's. His hand slipped from her hair and down to her cheek, cupping it in his palm and skimming his thumb back and forth over her cheekbone. He felt one of her hands leave his waist to tail up his back and settle on the back of his neck playing with the short hairs there and occasionally scrapping her blunt nails gently over it.

Who knows how long they silently stood there, basking in their deep connection before two pairs of eager feet descending the stairs drew them out of their own private world. They slowly pulled away from each other, Robin taking her hand to still keep some contact with her. He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze and smiled as he felt her squeeze his in return. Both turned towards the stairs to see both boys come into view, Henry struggling under the weight of a large box of bricks. Robin gave Regina's hand one last squeeze before he let go of it and moved to take the box from Henry, who let him with a relived look of thanks.

"Hey, what are you guys still doing in the hallway?" He asked slightly out of breath.

"Yeah," Roland said in confusion. "Come build with us."

Regina let out a small laugh before answering both boys, her tone lighter than he had heard from her in weeks.

"We were just talking about grown up things, boring stuff I'm afraid." She winked in Robin's direction and he smiled lovingly at her in return. "Now I'd love to build with you guys but first I need to get dinner ready, it's getting late and my growing boys need to be fed."

The thought of food seemed to make Roland and Henry accept her answer without question and both boys moved into the living room, sitting on the rug, as Robin placed the box of bricks between them. Robin smiled with affection as both boys immediately dived into the box of bricks, talking excitedly about the plans for their castle. Once he was sure that both boys were occupied he went to join Regina in the kitchen.

He frowned as he found her standing at the kitchen counter, struggling to wrap a bandage around one of her hurt wrists, an open first aid box beside her. He rushed over and placed both his hands over hers, stilling her movements. She jumped slightly in surprise at his presence and whipped her head around to look at him.

"What are you doing sweetheart?" He asked her in concern.

She sighed in frustration before answering him.

"I thought I'd better recover these before I start preparing dinner. The old ones got wet when I showered earlier."

He carefully removed the poorly wrapped bandage from her wrist and lifted both her hands so he could inspect them for himself. He gently turned them in his grasp to expect them fully. He ran his fingers gently over the edges of the broken skin. He was relieved to see that they appeared to be healing nicely. The skin, though still broken in places, appeared clean and not as red and angry as it had been earlier.

Grabbing the tube of ointment from the box and squeezing some on his fingers, he set about treating her injuries like he had earlier.

"You don't have to do this." She told him quietly.

"I want to." He answered her, rubbing the ointment gently into her skin. This time he enjoyed the freedom of being able to show the care he had wanted to earlier, taking his time to caress her skin as he applied the ointment and placing gentle kisses to her wrists before wrapping the bandages around them. Regina's eyes brimmed with tears as he cared for her and he quickly stopped his movements.

"Did I hurt you sweetheart?" He asked her worriedly.

She shook her head quickly, sniffing and giving him a watery smile.

"No it's not that, I just... I've never had someone care enough to do this for me."

He lifted his hand to brush a fallen tear away with his fingers and she leaned into his touch. His stomach knotted in anxiety as he thought again about all the years she had spent feeling lonely and unloved but he squashed it down choosing to focus on the future instead. Looking deep into her eyes he poured every ounce of love and honesty he had in his voice as he told her.

"I can't change the fact I couldn't be there for you in the past, my love, but I will always be here for you in the future, in any way you need me to be."

Regina smiled at him lovingly but didn't answer, instead turning her head to kiss his fingers that were still caressing her cheek. After a few more seconds she took a step back from him.

"Well, I better get dinner ready! We don't want hungry, grumpy boys on our hands tonight."

He chuckled at her words, placing everything back in the First Aid box and putting it back under the sink before washing his hands that were greasy from the ointment.

"Well I'd hate to get in the way of the expert cook but I'm here to help in any way I can." He told her teasingly.

Regina chuckled in return as she turned to pull out items from the fridge. Both of them worked in comfortable silence for a while, him on simple tasks such as slicing mushrooms and grating cheese, and her on the more complicated tasks it took to make the lasagna she had planned for their dinner. Once everything was prepared and in the oven and there was nothing to do but wait for it to finish cooking the two sat close together on the stools at the kitchen counter. Hands entwined, stroking over the backs of each other's hands. Robin had already checked on the boys in the living room, taking his time to comment on their building work, the castle already taking shape.

"So, are you going to tell me how it went with Marian or are you going to keep me guessing?" She asked him nervously.

Robin let out a deep sigh, grimacing slightly as he thought back to Marian's tears earlier in the day. He answered her carefully.

"It was rough, she cried and I felt like the world's biggest jerk for hurting her but she understands and she gave us her blessing."

Regina's eyebrows shot up in surprise and she looked at him in disbelief, her voice surprised but hopeful as she asked him.

"Really? She's fine with it just like that?"

"Not quite. She's sad and confused which I'm not surprised with, but at the end of the day she understands that I've moved on with my life and I no longer love her the way I used to, that I now love someone else. She's scared, this world is still so new to her and she's worried that she will never bond with Roland the way a mother would, but I promised I'd help her." Robin turned towards Regina to look at her reaction before continuing. "You understand that I have to help her, don't you?"

Regina squeezed his fingers in reassurance before answering him.

"Of course you have to help her Robin. She is still Roland's mother and I have no doubt you still love her dearly. You wouldn't be you if you didn't do all you could to make sure she was safe and settled here."

His eyes shone as he looked at her in awe and he thought for the millionth time since he met her how unbelievably lucky he was that he had found her.

"You're amazing. DO you know that?" He asked her in adoration, lifting her hand to his lips and brushing them softly over her fingers. She gave him a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes and he frowned at her deeply before asking her with concern.

"What is it?"

"It's nothing." She answered too quickly and dropped her eyes to the kitchen counter. Robin was having none of it though and he let go of her hand and cupped her under her chin, guiding her to look at him.

"You know better than to lie to me sweetheart. You're my soulmate and I'll always know if something is wrong so you might as well save us both some time and tell me the truth." He told her gently.

Regina let out a heavy sigh and Robin's insides squeezed painfully as he saw the tear run down her cheek and felt it hit his fingers. Her voice was small and full of tears as she spoke to him.

"I'm just scared you will wake up one day and realise choosing me was a huge mistake. She's the mother of your child Robin, and you loved her deeply for years. And I know it pained you to hurt her but I'm not sure I'm worth it. We have barely known each other for eighteen months and I don't want you to feel that you're stuck with me just because a green fairy and some pixie dust told you to.

Robin's heart ached for her. It pained him that this amazing woman in front of him refused to believe she would ever be his first choice. He slid his hand up from her chin to cup her cheek, he looked deep into her eyes and made sure she felt the full impact of his words.

"Yes, I hated hurting Marian today. I love her like I would a best friend, like a sister and it pains me greatly that I caused her such sadness. But Regina today when I was feeling hellish after my talk with Marian, all I wanted was to come to you because I knew the only one who could make me feel whole again was you. As for pixie dust, hell that doesn't change a thing! All it did was confirm what I already knew. I was already so completely in love with you when you told me about it and knowing that we were fated to each other just made sense."

Regina's tearful eyes looked hopeful and she tell out a choked sob of happiness at his words. Robin carried on while stroking her cheek tenderly.

"Even if I live to be a thousand years old I know one thing for certain my love, I'll never, ever regret you. You weren't even my first choice, you were my only choice."

Regina let out a bubble of laughter and her eyes sparkled with happiness at his words. Her hand came up to grip the arm of the hand on her cheek and she instinctively traced his tattoo.

"I love you." She whispered, her brown eyes looking deeply into his blue ones. His heart leapt in his chest at hearing her say the words to him for the first time and he gave her a happy smile.

"I love you too... so much."

They both then moved towards each other, lips meeting in a hungry kiss. His hand tangled in her dark hair and he used his other arm to wrap around her waist and pull her to her feet, coaxing her to stand between his legs where he still sat on the high stool. She came willingly, both hands coming up to grip at his shoulders and pulled herself impossibly closer to him. His tongue brushed her bottom lip silently asking permission for entrance. She accepted eagerly and she moaned as his tongue tangled with hers. The sound pulled a deep growl from his throat and he pulled her closer to him, pressing their chests fully together. One of her hands slipped from his shoulder, slid up his neck and came to twist in his hair, ensuring that he didn't stop kissing her. She needn't have worried. Stopping was the last thing on his mind, even though this wasn't an ideal situation with their sons only in the next room. Robin let out a groan as he felt her gently nip at his bottom lip and he tightened the hand in her hair to tilt her head back and deepen the kiss further. The sound of the oven timer going off snapped them out of their passion filled moment causing them to break apart. Both of them laughed breathlessly as they pressed their foreheads together.

"I better get that." She told him softly. "Why don't you go tell the boys to go wash up and get them settled at the table?"

He pressed one last kiss to her forehead before releasing her fully to go do as she asked.

"It seems the world is conspiring against my wishes to kiss you today my love." He told her jokingly before he left the room to tell their sons to get ready for dinner.

Dinner was a pleasant affair. Both adults smiling fondly as their boys spoke excitedly about their castle and Roland told Henry all about the book he had brought for him to read at bedtime. Robin's eyes never strayed far from Regina, she seemed cheerful enough but he couldn't help but notice how pale and tired she looked, likely that the strain of the day had caught up with her. He wondered if there was any lingering weakness left over by the cuffs. She was putting on a brave face though and he had to firmly tell her to sit down when she attempted to do the dishes after dinner, telling her he would do them. Henry quickly jumped up to help him, leaving Regina and Roland to snuggle on the sofa watching a cartoon on the TV which kept his son enthralled, still amazed by the wonders of the picture, storytelling box.

Once the dishes were done it was getting very late and the tell tale signs of his sons drooping eyes, as he leaned heavily on Regina on the sofa, told him it was his bedtime. Roland tried to weakly protest but was quickly talked round by Henry who told him he was very excited to read the book he had brought.

After sweet kisses and hugs from Regina to both boys Robin escorted them up the stairs to help Roland to get ready for bed as Regina turned the TV off and turned out the lights downstairs. Once he had got Roland changed into his nightshirt and snuggled down under the covers on the air mattress set up for him at the end of Henry's bed, he kissed his son on the forehead and ruffled Henry's hair affectionately, telling both boys goodnight as he turned to leave. The last sounds he heard before clicking the door closed were Henry beginning to read from the book on his lap.

Robin crossed the hall and gently opened Regina's bedroom door, he thought about knocking first but after seeing how tired she had looked at dinner he fully expected her to be asleep and he did not want to risk waking her. He intended to just change his clothes, crawl into bed beside her and hold her all night as she got some much needed rest.

His breath left him as he entered her room and saw her, his eyes hungrily raking fully over her form. She had changed for bed and he swallowed thickly as he took in her appearance. She was dressed in an extremely short nightgown, all black silk and lace, leaving nothing to the imagination. He closed the door behind him and slowly walked towards her as she watched his approach with hooded eyes and parted lips. Upon reaching her he lifted his hand and cupped her cheek, running his thumb over her plump bottom lip.

"God, you are so beautiful." He told her huskily, moaning deeply as she parted her lips and let the tip of her tongue brush across thumb.

She smiled coyly at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his. His hands automatically landed on her hips, sliding over the silky material. Her head landed on his shoulder and he pulled her closer, moving his hands up and down her spine. He meant it as a loving embrace but it quickly turned into a caress. He let out a deep groan as he felt her lips ghost across his collarbone, before he felt her tongue trail up his neck. He felt his jeans become uncomfortably tight and he swallowed hard, god he wanted her so badly but he forced himself to think clearly, using every ounce of his self-control as he spoke to her in a shaky voice.

"Regina, maybe we shouldn't do this."

Her head shot up to look at him and he saw the look of panic and rejection in her eyes. His eyes widened, as he understood what she was thinking. He cupped her cheek in his hand, bringing her eyes to look straight into his, before rushing to explain.

"No, no sweetheart, I want to, never doubt how much I want you, how much I will always want you. I just mean you have had such a long day, you must be tired and who knows how weak those cuffs have left you. You need your rest and we have all the time in the world."

The panic left her eyes at his words and her eyes softened her voice husky as she told him softly.

"I'm fine Robin, I promise. Yes it's been a crappy day but right now I can't think of anything that would make it better than you."

"But – " He attempted again but she stopped his flow of words with a finger to his lips.

"Please," She whispered throatily. "Make love to me."

He let out a desperate groan at her words and pulled her forward, crashing his lips onto hers. Unlike the other kisses they had shared today this one had a totally different tone to it. It was hungry and desperate from the start, all teeth and tongues and hands roaming greedily over each other's bodies, eager to be everywhere at once. Now that they weren't out in the middle of a cold forest or have the risk of being interrupted by one of their sons, they gave in to a primal desire they had been fighting to control all day.

Robin gripped her hips tightly and backed her up to the nearest wall. She gasped into his mouth as she hit it with a soft thump and gripped tightly onto his shoulders, her blunt nails biting into his skin through the material of his shirt. His hand trailed down to her hip, past the hem of her nightgown and trailed down her thigh. Regina let out a throaty moan as he hooked his hand under her knee without warning and brought her leg up to wrap round his waist, allowing her to feel fully how much he wanted her. His other hand moved up to tangle into her hair, tilting her head back so he could deepen the kiss further. They both groaned into each other's mouths as he thrust his hips forward, grinding his hardness into her core.

She nipped and sucked at his lips as she brought both of her hands to the hem of his shirt dragging it upwards, he shivered in need as he felt her rake her nails up his stomach as she went. She tore her mouth off his as she lifted his shirt over his head and dropped it to the floor.

Once the shirt was gone he took advantage of the break in their kissing to place hot, opened mouthed kisses down her neck, stopping to suck harshly on the junction where her neck met her shoulder. She whimpered out his name and trailed her fingers down his back. He carried on kissing down her shoulder until his mouth met with the strap of her nightgown. She moaned deeply and threw her head back as he allowed his tongue to slip teasingly under the thin strap and thrust her hips forward, trying to desperately rub herself against his erection.

"Robin, please." She breathed out the plea. He ignored it, carrying on teasing her with soft brushes of his tongue across her shoulder and to her collarbone, dipping his tongue into the groove he found there. That's when Regina decided to take matters into her own hands and brought her hands to his belt, trying to undo it. She didn't get very far before he grabbed both her hands and pinned them above her head against the wall.

Regina let out a growl of frustration that quickly turned into a moan as his mouth attached itself to the swell of her right breast above where the nightgown ended. He sucked at the flesh there then scrapped his teeth over it before soothing the small sting with his tongue. Once he believed he had paid enough attention to one he moved onto the other repeating the process until Regina was a panting mess, desperately jutting her hips forward to try and get some friction. He knew she needed it, now.

Taking pity on her he let one of her hands drop so he could skim his hand over the thigh still draped over his hip, lifting it a fraction higher and helping her to grind against his stiffness. She let out a cry of relief, which only became louder as he lowered his head to suck a nipple into his mouth through the lace of her nightgown. Her free hand fisted in his hair tightly, keeping his head in place as the other hand he was still holding moved to lace their fingers together.

He felt the roughness of the lace under his tongue as he teased her hard nipple through the nightgown, before gently scrapping his teeth over it. Regina cried out again and her hand tightened further in his hair bordering on painful. He moved on to the other nipple to give it the same attention but released her hand so he could roll the one he had left between his fingers through the now damp material.

Regina carried on thrusting against him steadily and he growled deeply in his throat at the feel of his rock hard member grinding against her heated core. He had to stop her, if he didn't they would both cum right here, thrusting against each other still almost fully clothed like horny teenagers.

His mouth left her breast and he dropped her thigh from around his hip. Regina whimpered in displeasure but it turned into a gasp of surprise as his mouth fell back on hers with no warning, tongue finding its way into her mouth. His hands skimmed down her waist and to her thighs before he came to the hem of her nightgown, hands dragging over the bare skin of her hips and sides as he dragged the material up. They broke the kiss so he could tug it over her head and he dropped it to the floor to join his shirt.

He greedily raked his eyes over her, his eyes drinking in the sight of her dressed in just her tiny lace underwear. He felt himself grown impossibly harder as he took in her dark half lidded eyes, kiss swollen lips and flushed, heaving chest. He was on her again in a heartbeat, bracing one hand on the wall behind her while his other hand and his mouth went back to her now naked breasts. He sucked, licked and bit at one nipple while his hand plucked at the other one like it was the string to his bow, before switching to pay the other the same attention. He did this until she was a quivering mess, moaning and gasping while clutching desperately at his shoulder and hair.

"Robin, please." She asked him, her voice bordering on begging. "I... I need more."

He effectively shushed her by kissing her deeply again, swirling his tongue around hers. Regina kissed him back eagerly but growled in frustration into his mouth. She wasn't disappointed for long though and she cried out in relief when he cupped her through the lace of her underwear, he groaned as he felt the sodden materiel.

"God Regina, you're so wet." He told her huskily.

She whimpered at his words and nodded, reaching for his belt again. He firmly batted her hands away from him though and leant forward, she shivered as he whispered lowly to her, his breath tickling her ear.

"All in good time my love. We will get to that, but right now I need to taste you."

Regina sucked in a shaky breath at his words and he kissed a path down from her ear, down the side of her neck and across, back to the centre of her chest. He trailed open-mouthed kisses down in between her breasts as he began to circle her clit through her underwear. Regina let out a moan of relief now she finally had him where she had been aching for him and she thrust her hips forward trying to get more of his fingers.

Robin dropped onto his knees as his kisses descended down her stomach, his finger now rubbing slowly up and down her slit; making sure she felt the friction of the lace against her clit. His mouth reached the top of her underwear and he ran his tongue teasingly under the elastic. Regina whimpered again in need and opened her mouth to speak, the words however got cut off and she shrieked in surprise as he yanked at her underwear, tearing them at the seams and dropping them at her feet.

If she was going to complain about him destroying her underwear it never came, she let out a sob of relief and pleasure as he hooked her right thigh over his shoulder and buried his head between her thighs.

He moaned in pleasure as he felt her for the first time on his tongue and the vibrations of it made her moan and grab on to his shoulders to steady herself while the other gripped at his hair. He lavished her bundle of nerves with his tongue, flicking over it repeatedly. She tasted amazing and he was enjoying this amnesty, and by the cries and pleas of his name above him Regina was too. Her voice was breathy and her words were only just coherent as she babbled.

"Oh Robin, please don't stop, oh god, please, oh, oh."

Her words shot straight down to his groin, he didn't bother to reassure her he wouldn't stop, choosing instead to make it clear he wouldn't by sucking her clit into his mouth. He felt her legs almost buckle and he strongly gripped her on the waist to keep her in place while he carried on sucking and licking at her swollen flesh. He felt her orgasm approaching as she became wetter and wetter under his tongue and he decided to prolong her enjoyment for a while longer. He moved his tongue down to her opening and thrust it inside her, moaning against her as she coated his tongue. She let out a deep moan of pleasure and he felt as the muscles in her stomach tightened under his hands. He fucked her lazily with his tongue some more before her voice pleaded with him.

"I can't take it anymore Robin, please, please make me cum."

He granted her request and he moved his tongue back up to her clit, circling it and thrusting two fingers inside her. She let out another sob of pleasure and breathed out a "Yes, please." He thrust his fingers steadily in and out of her, allowing the pressure to build. He knew she was close as her moans and gasps got longer and louder. He knowingly curled his fingers inside her to stroke her g spot and she cried out "Yes, there, right there." He obliged her and gave her the last little push she needed by sucking her clit into his mouth hard.

She came with a broken cry of his name, gripping painfully onto his shoulders and he felt the leg wrapped around his shoulder shake and the gush of her against his fingers. He carried on softly licking, helping her ride out the last of her orgasm before her cries and moans died off into breathy sighs. He unhooked her leg from around his shoulder and placing one last lingering kiss to her clit, then to just above her navel as he climbed back to his feet.

She was still breathing heavily when he reached her flushed face, her chest was covered with a light sheen of sweat. Burying his hand into her hair he kissed her deeply, letting her taste herself on his tongue. Her legs began to buckle but his arms around her waist stopped her falling and he scooped her up, hooking both legs around his waist, never breaking the kiss. Regina locked her legs at the small of his back and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, bringing them as close as possible while he moved his hands to her arse, squeezing the supple flesh there.

Robin broke the kiss first and Regina took advantage of it to kiss and suck at his chest. He moaned as he felt her tongue against him, and Robin's voice was shaky when he spoke.

"Not that I don't enjoy your verbal displays my love because lord knows I do but if we don't manage to keep it down we may find we are interrupted again by one or both of our sons and I doubt either of us wants to stop this now."

Regina chuckled against his chest and lifted her sparkling eyes to his, giving him a bright smile.

"Not a problem." She told him huskily. "Room is magically soundproofed so feel free to make me scream as loud as you want to."

He growled low in his throat both at her offer and in possessiveness as his mind thought about the reason's she may have needed a soundproofed room in the past. He wasn't an idiot. He certainly knew he wasn't Regina's first lover but, the thought of another man touching her made him want to kill anyone who had dared and he squeezed her arse tighter, making her whimper. He quickly got a hold of himself and pushed the feeling aside even as the word "Mine," echoed in his mind. Anyone before him didn't matter all that mattered was that there would not be anyone after him.

He cupped her cheek and brought her lips back on to his, tangling their tongues together, as Regina fisted both hands in his hair making him groan again. He walked them both backwards until he felt his knees hit the edge of the mattress and carefully dropped her on it. He broke the kiss and leaned back to look at her, her legs dropped from around his waist and she looked back at him kneeling over her, her teeth capturing her bottom lip. He looked at her naked form, still slightly flushed from the earlier orgasm and her nipples still hard from the desire she was still feeling and he let out a shaky breath before whispering to her.

"You're stunning. I can't believe you're mine."

She smiled at his words and reached out to run a hand down his chest, looking longingly at what she saw.

"You're not so bad yourself." She told him huskily.

She opened her legs more to accommodate him further between them and ran her foot teasingly over the back of his still clothed thigh. Her hand reached his belt again and this time he didn't stop her as she began to undo it. Her other hand joined her in her task and his hands trailed Goosebumps up the outside of thighs.

She finished undoing his belt and went to work on his zipper, pushing it down and pulling down his jeans to his knees. Robin let out a low moan as she cupped him through the material of his boxers and he jerked his hips forward. She raked her nails gently over him, teasing him through the material. Robin thought he was going to lose it and he was about to tell her so when she tugged his boxers down to his knees to meet his jeans. Robin let out a strangled moan as her hand curled around his length, her thumb brushing over the tip.

"Oh Regina." He moaned, his hands gripping at her thighs as she began to steadily pump him, stroking a burning hot fire inside him. He felt himself grow impossibly harder under her touch and he bit his lip hard almost drawing blood. He allowed her to work him as long as he could stand before he placed his hands over hers, stopping her movements. She moaned in displeasure and he leaned forward to place a brief kiss to her swollen lips.

"This won't last long if you're going to keep doing that my love and I don't plan to finish this without being inside you." He told her huskily.

She whimpered at his words and nodded eagerly, bringing her legs up to wrap around his waist and pulling him closer to her. He went willingly and leant fully over her, supporting his weight on his forearms. She tightened her legs around his waist and wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to bring her closer to him still. He sealed their mouths back together in a kiss that was heated and wet, tongues battling for dominance. He reached between them and took his length in his hand, guiding it to her core. She let out a needy whine into his mouth as he rubbed himself teasingly against her swollen clit a few times before he pushed forward and sank into her fully.

Their lips tore apart as they both cried out in pleasure at being joined finely. Her head fell to his shoulder and he lifted one hand to tangle in her hair. He kept still for a few moments just enjoying the feeling of her wrapped snugly around him and was startled when he felt moisture tricking down his shoulder where Regina's head lay.

He slid his hand to her cheek and he felt the wetness on his fingers. Startled he startled to pull back but she let out a desperate cry and pulled him back to her tightly. He gently tilted her head back to look at him and he saw her eyes swimming with tears.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" He asked her brokenly. "Did I hurt you?"

She quickly shook her head and turned it to press a kiss to his palm, whispering to him hoarsely.

"It's not that, it's just... you inside me, It feels... You make me feel complete."

He nodded to her in understanding and his free hand reached blindly over to lace with one of hers above her head. He knew exactly what she was talking about because he felt it too. From the first time and every time since, making love to her, being inside her was never just sex, it felt like a homecoming. He ran his thumb lovingly over her damp cheek and stared deep into her eyes before telling her softly.

"I feel it too."

She nodded at his words and leant forward to kiss him gently, still passionate but gentle and sweet. He kissed her back, moulding his lips against hers before pulling back and resting his forehead against hers, he rubbed his nose up and down hers a couple of times before stopping to lock his eyes on her brown ones, making sure she knew how much he meant his next words.

"I love you." He told her with conviction.

"I love you." She responded with just as much.

"You ready my love?" He asked her huskily and she nodded biting her lip.

He slowly drew his hips back before thrusting strongly back into her. Regina let out a cry and gripped his shoulder, nails biting unto the flesh, the sting only encouraged him further and he pulled back again before thrusting back into her even harder.

He felt a trickle of sweat run down his chest and moaned as Regina leant forward, tongue darting out to lick at the moisture. He kept with his steady pace and he felt the build up of pressure deep in his stomach. He learnt forward and took one of her nipples into his mouth, lavishing it with the flat of his tongue before moving on the give the other the same attention.

Regina was a marvel as she writhed beneath him, a string of incoherent words and moans leaving her mouth and her hands scratching up his back in frenzy.

"Mmmmm Robin, harder, please, Oh god."

He complied, lifting her leg higher to settle on his shoulder, and thrusting harder. The new position made him slip deeper into her and she threw her head back and cried out loudly, her hand dropping to grip at his forearm. He moaned out as he felt her walls clench around him and he sped up his movements, thrusting into her deeply a few more times.

Suddenly it wasn't enough and in a movement that made her shriek in surprise he flipped them over so she was on top, needing her above him like the goddess she was. He gripped her hips and squeezed, his voice was a growl as he told her.

"Ride me baby, don't hold anything back. "

She moaned at his words and complied, moving herself up and down his length without caution, her hands caressing his chest and her head thrown back in a cry. Robin groaned at the sight of her and he felt the knot in his stomach tighten as his hands on her hips encouraged her movements.

She sped up her movements, thrusting down upon his length as hard as she could and scraping her nails down his chest. He felt her walls tighten around him and he knew she was close. Instead of allowing her to finish just like this though he sat up and crossed his legs so she was seated on his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist and his arms round her back, pulling her closer to him. She welcomed the new position with a breathy "Yes," and rolled her hips as she carried on riding his length.

The new position was much more intimate, every part of their bodies was pressed together and it allowed him the freedom to kiss her, which he did deeply. His tongue battled with hers and he tangled a hand in her sweaty hair as she moaned into his mouth. His hips met hers thrust for thrust and he felt himself getting closer to his orgasm. He knew Regina was close by her walls clenching around him and her moans getting louder and closer together, she just needed that last push to tip over the edge which he gave her.

His mouth dropped to suck a nipple into his mouth making her cry out louder and thrust into her harder and faster while one hand slipped between them to rub his fingers firmly against her clit. Regina shouted out in pleasure and threw her head back, her eyes screwed shut. Her voice sounded desperate as she gasped out.

"R- Robin, I'm going to cum."

He lifted the hand not stroking her clit to her cheek and spoke to her firmly.

"Regina, look at me, eyes on me."

She complied, her eyes finding his blue ones and gasping at the heated look in them.

"Let go my love. I've got you, I've always got you, cum for me."

That's all it took, she gripped his shoulders painfully and screamed out his name loudly as she came hard against his length inside her. Her walls squeezing him was the last push he needed to throw him into his own orgasm, and with a loud growl he came as well deep inside her, crying out her name as his lips pressed against her naked shoulder.

The only sounds that could be heard in the room were the breathless pants from him and the tiny whimpers from Regina as they both tried to calm their breathing. Robin let himself fall back on the bed, bringing Regina with him to drape across his sweaty chest, legs still tangled. He placed a kiss to her damp forehead before his still breathless voice interrupted the quiet.

"Wow. _Sleep_ with you just gets better and better every time we do it."

She chuckled as he mirrored the word he had used to describe their passion filled night in her vault. She was still slightly out of breath as she spoke, placing a kiss over his heart.

"I don't think it's me so much as us, apparently soulmate sex is something to write home about."

He chuckled back as he shifted to pull out of her. He halted his movements as he heard her whine in displeasure.

"No, not yet, stay please."

He granted her request, never able to deny her anything but at the same time more than happy to stay inside her a little longer. He trailed his fingers up and down her sweaty spine and basking in the feel of her breath against his chest.

They stayed like that a while longer, silently basking in the delicious afterglow of their lovemaking until Robin felt himself begin to soften inside of her. He pulled out of her fully this time and softly shushed her whimper of protest, rolling them onto their sides and spooning himself snugly against her back.

"Sleep my love," He told her softly, his lips brushing against her ear. "I'm right here."

Regina moaned softly in contentment, burring herself deeper into his arms, within minutes Robin heard her breathing even out and he knew she was asleep.

Robin's heart swelled with happiness as he thought about where he was now after the hellish events of the day. Regina was safe in his arms, their sons were asleep across the hall and they had their whole future ahead of them. The last thing Robin remembered as he drifted off to sleep was pulling Regina closer to him when she let out a soft sigh of his name, their hearts beating in a matching rhythm.

Go's and hides blushing face behind a big book, Hope you enjoyed.

Just epilogue to go now.


	7. Epilogue

**Ok folks here it is the last chapter of this story. I feel pretty emotional about it, I mean I honestly just decided to give writing a go cos I had an idea and I honestly believed the people I asked to read it before I released it would tell me I sucked. I was so shocked that people liked it and so over whelmed by the response it's been an amazing experience and im sad its come to an end.**

**I owe so much thanks to Geli my beta, without her I wouldn't have had the confidence to let this even off my computer. Her support has been key in this and seriously the best beta i could have ever asked for im so lucky she offered to look at the first chapter and kept me motivated to write more.**

**Without anymore rambling please enjoy the last chapter.**

**Not mine. **

"Regina, don't you think you're going a tad overboard with this whole thing?" Robin asked his girlfriend seriously. They were both sitting at opposite ends of the sofa in Regina's living room, her legs up on his lap as he rubbed his hands soothingly up and down her calves. The boys had been in bed the last hour or so and the two adults were indulging in some much needed down time together.

Regina looked up at him from over the notebook she was engrossed with a frown.

"Not really." She told him with a shrug. "It's Roland's first birthday in Storybrooke and I think it needs to be celebrated."

Robin smirked at her, squeezing one calve before carrying on trailing his hand along it.

"Celebrate I'm in agreement with, but this is turning into quite the royal affair."

A couple of weeks ago when Regina had told him she wanted to throw a party for his son he had been touched and quick to agree but he had had no idea to what lengths Regina was planning. She had already hired out Granny's for the occasion, sent out invites to not only the whole town but almost Roland's whole class at school, and that was the tip of the iceberg. The last two weeks Regina had been on the phone to various child entertainers, cake makers, brought items for elaborate gift bags. Hell, he even thought he had heard the words "Pony Ride's" mentioned. He had always known Regina wasn't the type to do anything by halves but this was getting beyond a joke.

Regina just smirked up at him before replying innocently.

"If it helps Granny said a firm no to the ponies."

Robin chuckled, smiling lovingly at her.

"Can't say I'm not relieved about that my love, but still you don't have to go to so much trouble.S Roland would be happy with just dinner at Granny's and ice cream."

Regina groaned before answering him, her eyebrow raised in his direction.

"We can do that any day Robin, hell we do it at least once a week! It's his birthday and it should be special. And it's not too much trouble, it will be worth it to see his face. I miss doing this now Henry is older."

Robin looked at her in awe, it never ceased to amaze him how much she didn't only welcome his son into her life, but treated him with just as much love as she did Henry.

"Besides," She continued. "This will be a great way for Roland get to know the other children in his class and make friends easier."

Robin couldn't deny the sense in that statement. Roland had started school this week, something that filled Robin both with pride and anxiety. He loved the fact that in this world his boy would get a high class education, that of which went deeper than he could manage himself and he couldn't deny that the idea that Roland would get to play with children his own age overjoyed him. There was only so much enjoyment a child could get from adults. He saw that when Roland was with Henry, the older boy tapped into Roland's imagination in a way that was just not in any adult's grasp. However he could not deny that after years of raising Roland by himself with only his nearest and dearest being trusted with his boy, he was having some difficulty letting go. Regina had been helping him with that, soothing his worries and understanding his pain at having to spend such large chunks of time away from his boy.

Regina carried on talking, pulling him from his deep thoughts.

"I also think that we need to consider as well the biggest reason this is a good idea."

Robin looked at her in interest. "And what might that be."

Regina sighed, before telling him plainly.

"Roland should have all his family there on his birthday. And it will be a lot less awkward for Marian if there were a considerable amount of people there to act as buffers. She's Roland's mother and she deserves the courtesy to spend this day with him but not feel uneasy about it. This way she will have Tuck and John there as well as Emma and Snow."

Robin pondered her reasoning, giving her knee a gentle squeeze in reassurance. It had been four months since the day of the Shattered Sight curse, four months since he had told Marian their relationship was over and that he was in love with Regina. They had been the happiest in his whole life, being with Regina openly with no need to hide and being a family with her and their two boys filled him with a bliss he never believed he would be able to achieve. Things between him and Marian were good, amicable for Roland's sake; mother and son's relationship was thriving and Robin was truly grateful for that, he wanted Roland to have his mother in his life. Things between himself and Marian had been awkward at first but Roland acted as the perfect buffer and he believed he and his former wife were slowly working towards a friendship. That wasn't to mean that all was plain sailing now though, he still caught the flash of pain in Marian's eyes whenever Roland mentioned Regina and spending time with her and that made Robin sad that she felt that way. Marian hid it very well from Roland, far too kind to make her son feel bad for mentioning a woman that had clearly become so important to him. But never the less it was obvious it still stung her. Robin was doing his best to reassure Marian that she would always be Roland's mother and the most important person in his life and she was slowly believing it as her relationship with Roland became stronger and stronger. The tension on the few times the two women had been in the same company though had been thick, not that he blamed either woman for that, but still because of this reason it was a situation they all avoided for now while the wounds were still fresh. Still Robin hoped that one day that wouldn't be the case and on times of celebration all of them could gather together tension free like Henry's family had learnt to.

"She doesn't hate you Regina." Robin told her gently, while rubbing soothing circles on her thigh over her jeans.

Regina scoffed at his words; her eyes were serious as she answered him.

"She doesn't much like me either Robin, which I understand. She has plenty of reason not to and I don't deserve her forgiveness and normally I wouldn't care what she thought of me, hell I'm used to not being this town's most popular resident, I just wish this wasn't so hard for you and I don't want Roland to pick up on it once he's older."

Robin shuffled closer to her on the sofa so he was close enough to cup her cheek in his palm, his thumb running over her cheek bone. Regina sighed and leaned further into his touch as Robin answered her gently.

"It will take time Regina, maybe a lot of time but it will get better. As for her forgiveness my love you deserve it but it's up to her to give it, and if she doesn't, then we will have to accept that but in the grand scheme of things it changes nothing for us. So stop worrying about things you can't control."

Regina took another deep sigh before giving him a tiny nod. He smiled at her encouragingly before leaning forward to give her a brief but sweet kiss on her lips.

Robin's mind drifted to the day after the curse when he and Regina had returned to his camp with Roland and Marian's heart safely in the box in Regina's hands. Marian had been delighted to see her son but visibly uneasy by Regina's presence, as had been some of his Merry Men. Robin had shot them warning glares and they had looked sheepish and gone about their business as he had made a mentel note to have serious words with his men later, they could disprove of him all they wanted but his protective instinct forbid them to treat Regina with anything but respect. John and Will had been the most understanding, clearly seeing the happiness radiating off himself and Roland and had treated Regina with care, chatting to her like she was an old friend. He had seen the surprise and relief in Regina at John and Will's friendliness towards her and he felt truly grateful that they trusted in him enough to look beyond Regina's fearful reputation and treat her with kindness.

He had asked Will to keep Roland entertained while he and Regina spoke to Marian as he tried (with Regina's help) to explain that she needed to have her heart returned. Marian had understandably responded with fear and anger, throwing some nasty accusations at Regina before Robin firmly told her to calm down and let them explain. His heart had tugged in his chest as he saw Regina's defeated look, he had on instinct tried to grab her hand to comfort her but she had shook her head and moved back a step out of his reach, silently telling him now wasn't the time in front of Marian. After they had managed to get Marian to understand that they had removed her heart in order to keep her alive she had sent a reluctant thank you Regina's way before fearfully allowing Regina to replace her heart. Heart back in place had indeed made Marian's sadness more intense and she had tearfully asked them to give her some time with Roland that night at camp. Robin had agreed, knowing that John and Will would be there if Marian needed some support and that Roland would be happy and content with the merry men for the night, while giving him some bonding time with his mother.

That night he had soothed away Regina's sadness brought on by Marian's harsh words by making love to her slowly and tenderly, whispering how much he adored and loved her until the hurt of the day became nothing but a far away memory for the night.

Now Robin saw the logic in Regina's words, it wasn't an option for Regina and Henry not to be present during Roland's birthday, that would crush his boy but he could see that Marian also deserved to feel at ease too and this seemed like the best solution for Roland to have all the people he cared about under one roof for his special day.

"You're right my love, and I love you for working so hard to make this day special for Roland, just try not to make Granny hate us after this event, we still have to eat there you know."

Regina let out a musical laugh at his words before answering him with amusement in his voice.

"No promises, but I'll try."

...

Two evenings later he and Regina were just finishing up dinner with Roland and Henry when his boys voice rand out across the table.

"Papa, Gina, I have decided what I want for my birthday."

Robin smiled at his son, Regina had told Roland that he could pick one gift to have for his birthday and Roland had been so excited by this that he had insisted he took some time to think about it.

"Finally my boy, I was beginning to think you would never decide." Robin told his son teasingly, smirking in Regina's direction. Regina smiled back at him before putting all her attention on Roland asking him enthusiastically.

"Well don't keep us guessing Roland, what do you want for your birthday?"

Roland looked sweetly at both adults before innocently giving them his answer.

"I want a baby sister."

Robin coughed heavily as he choked on the juice he was just taking a drink of. Once he had calmed his breathing the room had gone deadly silent. Regina was looking at the table refusing to meet anyone's eyes and Henry was staring open mouthed at Roland. Roland appeared unaware of the effects his words had had on the others in the room and starred innocently at both adults, waiting patiently for their answer. Robin took a deep breath before speaking at his son carefully, shooting a look to Regina who was still not meeting his eyes.

"Roland, that's a pretty big thing to ask for, what made you decide on that?"

Roland's voice was carefree, oblivious to the adult's unease as he answered.

"Jack at school has just got a baby sister and he told me he gets to be a big brother now and it sounds like fun."

Henry chuckled lightly before getting up from his seat, grabbing dishes as he went. His voice amused as he spoke.

"I think I'll leave you three to talk about this while I go and do the dishes."

Robin waited until Henry disappeared into the kitchen, the door swinging shut behind him before he turned back to his son.

"You know Roland, we can't just give you a baby sister for your birthday, they... take time to get."

Roland looked at him like he was silly before answering his father.

"I know daddy. Jack told me his mommy had to grow his sister for a long time in her tummy before she came out but I don't mind waiting for my birthday present while Gina grows her in her tummy." Robin swallowed hard as his eyes shot to Regina who appeared to be breathing heavily trying to calm herself. He frowned in worry at her but before he could ask her what was wrong she shot up from the table, her voice forcibly cheerful.

"It's getting late and I'm going to go run you a bath young man while you and your father talk about this."

She ruffled Roland's hair, forcing a giggle out of him before softly caressing Robin's cheek as she passed him, giving him a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. He caught the hand on her cheek in his before lifting it to his lips to drop a soft kiss on her palm before letting it go. He watched her back in concern as she walked swiftly up the stairs noting the tenseness of her shoulders before turning back to his son.

"You know Roland." He told his son seriously. "A baby is not something you ask for a birthday. _If_ that was to happen it would be because me and Regina had spoke about it and decided it was something we wanted as well as you and Henry."

Roland looked crestfallen for a brief moment and Robin braced himself to continue arguing with his son when Roland just shrugged, his voice cheerful as he asked his father.

"Can I have a toy train then?"

...

Once both boys were tucked up in bed Robin crossed the hall to Regina's bedroom. This was the first chance he would have to talk to her since Roland's question at dinner. Regina's reaction had worried him, he would understand if she had appeared shocked, even uncomfortable at Roland's request but she hadn't. She had just looked sad and Robin felt the desire to find out why. It wasn't that he hadn't thought about in the future having a child with Regina, the thought of a son or daughter half his and half hers filled him with a undeniable warmth and longing. However, none of that mattered if Regina did not feel the same and he needed to make her see that.

Robin opened the door and stepped inside, spotting her with her back to him, staring out the window. He closed the door and slowly made his way over to her, knowing she sensed his presence by the further tense in her shoulders, it pained him to see it. He stood closely behind her and wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling her snugly to his chest and kissing the crown of her head. Regina sighed deeply and laid her head on his shoulder, her hands coming to rest upon his and nuzzling into his neck. They stood in combatable silence for a while before Robin broke it.

"Could have been worst, he could have asked for a puppy."

His tone was teasing, made to break the tension and Regina let out a small chuckle. Robin turned her to face him in his arms and looked into her troubled eyes.

"I know it isn't something we have never discussed Regina and we most likely wouldn't have for a while yet but I must confess I wasn't expecting you to get quite so upset by it."

Regina shook her head to deny his words but her voice came out small as she spoke.

"I'm not upset."

Robin cupped her chin in with his thumb and forefinger, guiding her eyes to lock with his, eyes that were shiny with unshed tears.

"Regina please don't hide things from me, please talk to me."

When she didn't answer he continued speaking.

"Look Regina I'm not saying that I don't love the idea of one day having a child with you. I think it would be wonderful! However, if you don't want to, it's not a necessity for me. All I need is you and the boys and I will be happier than I ever believed I could be for the rest of my life."

A tear slipped down her cheek and Robin swiped it away with his thumb, caressing her damp cheek. Regina's voice was small as she spoke.

"Really? You would be happy if we never had another child?"

Robin's eyes searched hers, allowing her to see the truth in his words.

"Like I said all I need it you."

Regina let out a sob before fighting to get a hold of her emotions before speaking in a shaky voice.

"It's not that I don't want to have a child with you Robin. I'd love that. You have no idea how much. I just don't think I'm able."

Robin looked confused, but he didn't speak, just let her continue.

"You know I hate to talk about my marriage, it wasn't exactly a happy time in my life and it's something I try to forget."

Robin kept his expression neutral giving her the freedom to continue though inside he was raging. Hate burned in his veins for the man he couldn't even confront because he was long gone. The man who had neglected his true love and made her feel trapped and worthless. He could not for the life of him understand why he had not treasured her like she deserved to be.

"Leopold wanted a male heir, but after a couple of years of trying it became apparent it wasn't going to happen, I had no choice but to accept that I am just not able to conceive a child."

Regina fought her gaze away from him to look to the ground; he denied her chance to look away, holding firmly to her chin. She looked ashamed by her confession and his heart bled for her, responding to the distress of its mate. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her tightly. She wrapped her arms around his waist as he pressed kisses to her hair and whispered soothing words into her ear.

"I can't give you what you want." She sobbed into his chest, her hands clutching his shirt tightly like she believed her confession would make him run from her. He lifted her head and pressed his lips to her forehead, whispering his words into her skin.

"You already give me everything I want."

She tried to protest but he didn't give her the chance, stopping her flow of words with a firm voice.

"No, Regina. Yes a child would have been wonderful but it isn't the be all and end all for me. You are."

Regina let out another pained sob and buried her head back into his chest, sobbing a desperate "I love you."

"l love you too." He returned in a heartbeat.

He held her until her heavy sobs had turned into small hiccups and lifted her chin to look at him again, running a finger under her eye to catch the last of her tears. He said his next words carefully not wanting to distress her.

"Regina, I may still not be fully familiar with this world but even I can see that your medicine has evolved extremely impressively. Have you ever been to the doctor to find out for sure?"

Regina frowned up at him before taking a deep sigh her voice scratchy as she spoke.

"No, I figured there was no point, I have never been with someone I wanted to have a child with before and once I had Henry I never felt the need. Why would I go to a doctor to tell me what I already know?"

Robin nodded in understanding before speaking gently to her again.

"I understand that my love and it's completely your choice. I will never pressure you to do anything you don't want to do. Like I said you're all I need, however it seems like something you want. If you're able, I think it's unfair to deny yourself that without finding out if you can do anything about it."

Regina still looked unsure, so he trailed his hands down her arms before linking their fingers together, speaking to her encouragingly.

"Your choice sweetheart, but it will be one visit and then we will know if we have the option and if not then we will deal."

Regina still looked unsure before she let out a deep sigh, her voice firm as she told him.

"I'll make an appointment."

...

Two weeks later Robin sat next to a very anxious Regina inside the small doctor's room after being shown in by a nurse. Robin rubbed circles on the slightly shaking hand in an effort to sooth her, an effort he believed at this moment was having little or no effect.

Two weeks prior Regina had undergone numerous procedures in order to allow the healers of this land to determine if it would ever be possible for her to conceive a child. Robin had wanted to be with her during the whole ordeal but Regina had made it clear the tests were something she wished to do alone and Robin had reluctantly respected her wishes. Regina had not just agreed but desired him to be with her for the verdict from the doctor though which he was grateful for, if it was bad news she received today he could not allow her to be alone to hear that.

Regina had made it very clear from the beginning that she would not allow Dr. Whale to have anything to do with any of her parts and Robin had quickly agreed. He didn't trust the leach of a doctor after one or more occasions catching his wondering eyes drifting towards Regina. On every occasion he had shot a murderous glare in his direction making the man scurry away quickly. Regina had requested Dr. Gwen Harris to deal with her care and Robin had been happy with her decision once she had explained why.

Gwen had been Regina's personal nurse back in the Enchanted Forest ever since Regina had become Queen and one of the few people that had shown Regina respect and kindness throughout her whole reign. Regina trusted her as much as Regina was able to trust anyone back then and so grateful was Regina for Gwen's care towards her that when she had cast the first curse she had not only kept Gwen in the role of healer in this new land but made her a doctor.

The sudden sound of the door opening in the quiet room made Regina jump and Robin squeezed her hand in comfort. In walked the doctor in question, a woman in her mid sixties Robin guessed with short greying hair, holding a thick stack of papers. She gave the couple a friendly smile and Robin decided straight away he liked the woman.

"Regina." She said kindly "It's good to see you, this must be the handsome man of yours you were telling me so much about on your last appointment."

Robin held out his hand to the doctor and introduced himself and the doctor shook it warmly before turning her attention back to Regina who was looking increasingly nervous. Robin sat back down and picked up one of Regina's hands that were on her lap, lacing their fingers together and he felt her gratefully squeeze his fingers before turning towards the doctor as she spoke in a kind voice.

"First of all, Regina I would like to ask you why you believed you would not be able to conceive a child naturally?"

Regina let out a deep sigh of announce and her clipped tone regarded the doctor.

"Didn't we cover all the gory details at my last appointment?"

Robin gave Regina a warning look, telling her with his eyes to calm down. He knew she didn't mean to sound rude; it was a automatic defence mechanism Regina used when she felt sad, anxious or scared. He needn't have worried that Regina had offended the doctor who just rolled her eyes and chuckled, clearly very accustomed to Regina's fiery temper and sharp tongue.

"Humour me." The doctor told her with a smirk.

Regina let out a deep sigh before answering, her voice only holding a small amount of the annoyance it had before.

"Me and Leopold tried for years to have a child and it never happened, simple as that."

The doctor flipped briefly through the stack of papers in her hands before placing them on the desk in front of her and focusing her full attention on Regina before speaking again.

"Regina I have extensively gone over the results of your blood tests, internal examination, hormone levels and other samples you gave us and I can see no reason at all medically why you wouldn't be able to conceive a child just fine."

Robin's heart thudded in his chest, he had understood very little of what the doctor had said but her last part and he felt a swell of hope raise in his chest. He looked over to Regina whose hand had gone slack in his grasp. He looked as a flash of hope crossed her eyes before she squashed it down and all was left was shock and confusion as she breathed heavily. Her voice was shaky as she spoke.

"But... But how can that be possible? Two years of trying and I never got pregnant not even once, how can everything be fine?"

The doctor looked seriously at Regina before speaking in a soothing voice that Robin was very grateful for at that moment.

"Regina, it takes two people to make a baby, Leopold was 58 years old when you two were married, what on earth made you believe that it could only have been you that was the problem?"

Regina shook her head, her voice small as she answered.

"He had Snow, he had already had a child."

The doctor snorted in amusement.

"Yes he had Snow... twelve years prior; he was certainly no spring chicken when the two of you would have been trying for a child. Also have you not wondered why he and Eva only had one child when he was so desperate for a male heir?"

Regina raised her eyes to the doctor, appearing to struggle with her answer as the doctors words dawned on her. Robin wanted to comfort her more than he was currently, but he was mindful they were not alone so he settled for squeezing her knee briefly before lacing their fingers back together and rubbing soothing circles on the back of her hand.

"He always said it was me." She whispered sadly. "He said it had to be."

Robin squeezed Regina's hand tighter and pushed down his anger at the dead king knowing it was useless on this occasion. Still his insides raged as he thought of the man that had all but forced a grief stricken, heartbroken girl almost forty years his junior, a mere six years older than his own daughter to marry him and then expect her to begin popping out his children and blaming her when it wasn't to be.

Gwen laced her fingers together and leaned forward on her desk, her voice soft but firm as she spoke to Regina.

"Regina, I worked for that man since Snow was a tiny baby and despite the false persona of the kind and gentle king he laid on thick for his kingdom I knew the truth very quickly. The man was an arrogant, entitled pig, too full of himself to ever consider he was the problem and not you. Hell, he did the exact same to Eva when she didn't get pregnant, blamed her. The more I think about it the more I'm certain that even Snow was a fluke, a simple stroke of luck for them both."

He watched as Regina absorbed the words and turned to look at him. Some of the shock had left her eyes and happiness had begun to creep into them. He gave her a happy smile and lifted her hand so he could brush his lips over the back of it. Regina turned back to the doctor and let out a small happy laugh before speaking.

"I just can't believe it."

Gwen smiled at the couple before answering cheerfully.

"Well believe it. Now I see you are taking the contraceptive pill in order to regulate your cycle?" Regina nodded at the words he didn't understand and the doctor continued.

"When you decide the two of you want to begin trying then just stop taking it and I see no reason why the pair of you would have any issues getting pregnant. It isn't strictly professional for me to say this but by goodness I believe the two of you will make some extremely good looking children together."

The two beamed at the doctor as she beamed back before giving her their thanks and goodbyes and leaving for surgery.

Once outside Regina threw herself into his arms without warning, causing Robin to stumble back slightly as he laughed at her enthusiasm. He hugged her tightly before drawing back to gaze at her lovingly, threading a hand through her hair and smiling at her sparkling eyes. Her voice oozed happiness as she spoke.

"We can have a baby."

He leant forwards to place a lingering kiss on her forehead before leaning his own against hers and brushing his nose against hers. His voice was just as happy has he spoke.

"We can my love and in the future nothing will make me happier than to make a perfect little prince or princess with you."

Regina sighed happily before a mischievous smirk crossed her face.

"What do you say we go home and practice?"

He growled low in his throat at her words and held firmly to her hips, bringing her closer to him.

"I'd say it's something we are already amazing at but practice does make perfect. Let's go."

Regina giggled at his answer and looked at him seriously for a moment before telling him softly.

"I love you."

He answered her without hesitation.

"I love you too."

...

Robin, Will and Little John stood motionless in the corner, identical looks of horror on their faces.

"Robin." John spoke to him, his voice holding a hint of fear. "We have faced some fearsome things in our time, Black Knights, King's Guard not to mention the Wicked Witch. But never in my life have I ever seen something so terrifying."

Will visibly shuddered at the sight in front of him, nodding in agreement at his friend's words.

"I'm with you mate. This makes Wonderland look like a stroll in the park."

Robin chuckled at his friends but he had to agree with them, even being tortured by The Dark One wasn't as scary at what was going on in Granny's Diner right now.

The first thing you noticed was the volume, the noise hit you like a wall as the thirty plus children and thirty or so adults gathered for Roland's sixth birthday party. Children screamed and laughed as the adults chattered loudly trying to be heard over the sound of the children. Granny's was a colourful bustle of activity and it was extremely over whelming for Robin who was used to the quiet of a open forest but he could not deny how his heart felt warm at the sight of his son's beaming face and the sound of his gleeful laughter.

Robin's smile had got wider and wider with every gift that was given to him by his guests and every decoration and balloon that adorned the chairs, ceiling and walls of granny's. His son and his friend's were currently looking on in awe as a man dressed as a clown made animals out of balloons and handed them out to the gleeful children.

"Have to hand it to your lady Robin." Will told him "As frightful as this is the little ones seem to be having a ball."

At the mention of his love, Robin's eyes automatically searched the room for her, finding her in the opposite corner talking to Snow and Tink as she candled a sleeping Neil in her arms. Robin smiled at the sight, his heart swelling with love as he imagined her one day cradling their own child.

Robin was brought out of his daydream by Marian's approach and he smiled at her warmly. She smiled back her voice light as she spoke.

"This is quite the event, Roland is delighted. It was very kind of Regina to plan this for him."

Robin's smile widened at Marian's acknowledgement, his voice warm as she he answered while Will and John excused themselves, leaving the two to talk.

"She cares about him; she wanted him to have a special birthday."

Marian was halted in her reply to him by Snow coming to join them.

"Sorry to interrupt." The Princess said in a friendly tone. "I just wanted to make Marian an offer."

Marian looked curiously at Snow remaining silent to let her continue.

"Now that I'm mayor I don't really have the time to work at the school anymore. They have just made my old teaching assistant Ms. Logan up to teacher so she's looking for an assistant and I was thinking you would be perfect for the position."

Robin looked on as Marian stared at the princess in shock, confusion laced her voice as she spoke.

"I don't understand, you want me to work in a school? But I have no experience, no education."

Snow smiled kindly placing her hand on Marian's arm.

"You're a mother, that's the most important experience there is. Besides you will be working with the younger children, not much teaching required just lots of play and soothing tear's and tantrums. It's not great pay but it should be enough to keep you occupied and you will be in Roland's class so you would get to see him lots during the day."

Marian looked at Robin in question and he gave her a small encouraging smile.

"I think you would be wonderful Marian." He told her sincerely.

Marian looked thoughtful for a few more moments before her face broke into a happy smile.

"I think I would love that."

Snow gave her a warm smile before giving her arm a squeeze."

"Alright then, drop into the school Monday, they will be expecting you." Snow told her with a smile before leaving them alone.

Robin's eyes fell on Regina again across the room and her eyes met his. He gave her a questioning look and she smiled back at him innocently which made him beam at her. He knew by the look on her face no matter how she tried to hide it and it appeared she wasn't fooling Marian either.

"I assume I owe Regina thanks for my new job."

Robin's eyes went back to Marian and he chuckled before answering.

"It's likely, but I wouldn't acknowledge it to her, she will never admit to it."

Marian nodded and gave him a small smile, looking thoughtful before she told him softly but sincerely.

"She's a good person Robin, I see that now, and I'm glad you have her."

Robin reached up to squeeze Marian on the shoulder in thanks, his eyes looking into hers with affection before telling her.

"She is and thank you Marian, you have no idea what it means to me to hear you say that."

Marian gave him an affectionate pat on the back before leaving him with a smile. He meant every word he had just said, although he didn't require Marian's blessing to be with Regina he was happy to have it none the less.

Robin looked across the room to see Belle and The Dark One engaged in a conversation with Henry. It always amazes him that the most fearsome man in all the land could be softened so much by his wife and grandson. From where he stood, the imp almost looked like any happy man, though Robin knew that was far from the case.

Belle's hold on Rumplestiltskin had never been so apparent than when Robin had gone to speak with him a few days ago. Against his better judgement Robin found himself (at Belle's recommendation) to seek his advice. The imp appeared to be the only one in town with the knowledge of not only this land's law but the ones from The Enchanted Forest, and Robin needed to know how he began the process of making his marriage to Marian truly final. Rumple has not been forthcoming to begin with and Robin had found himself frustrated as he prepared to leave without answers, refusing to make the deal, any deal Rumple was clearly about to offer him for answers.

That's when Belle intervened and he felt a swell of love for his friend as she told her husband under no certain terms that he was to give Robin the answers he required, with nothing in return. Rumple had argued weakly for a brief time before he had given a deep sigh and given Robin reluctantly the answers he required.

Turns out as The Dark One had told him somewhat patronisingly, his marriage as real as it had been in The Enchanted Forest had no legal grounds in this world. No signed paperwork meant he was free from his marriage in this land anyway, or as Rumple had so delightfully put it.

"Exchanging some "I do's" in a forest in front of a fat, drunken friar doesn't hold up in court here dearie."

Despite Rumple's harsh words Robin had felt a surge of happiness as he thought he was now completely free to be with Regina with no more marital ties to Marian.

Robin glanced over at Regina who was now standing with Emma, both appearing to have an amicable conversation. His heart soared at the sight of her and the knowledge that once the time was right he would be able to ask her to marry him and he could not wait to make her his wife.

Granny's gruff voice brought him out of his daydream as she yelled for everyone to gather round so Roland could blow out his candles on his cake. The old woman was carrying a very impressive castle cake which had Roland wide eyed from his perch on his mothers hip. Robin moved to stand by his son and his mother, running a hand through his excited son's curls. His other hand blindly reached out to his other side and he felt Regina's familiar one grasp onto his. He looked towards her as she stood, her other arm around a happy Henry and he mouthed the words "I love you" to her which she mouthed back without hesitation.

As someone shouted to Roland to make a wish Robin's heart felt so full he felt it may explode. He watched Roland blow out the candles on his cake, he heard the cheers from the Merry Men and Henry ring out as Regina's hand squeezed his. Robin wasn't sure he believed in the finality of Happy Ever After but if this is what that was, he would happily take it.

The End.

**Ok I know the ending is vague and I'm not sure you guys will be happy with it but let me explain. I struggled to think of an ending, us as OutlawQueen shippers all know our ultimate goal, marriage and a little baby princess and I thought about writing one or the other but there are lots of wonderful OQ fanfic's out there which have this in it and I just wanted something a little different. I did however still want a happy ending so that's when I came up with this, not the complete Happy Ending but the promise they could have one as soon as they both want it and in my head that's where they will end up.**

**If you guys want to hear more from me (Roland eyes) put me on author alert cos I'm taking a couple of weeks breaks then I'll be starting my next multi chapter fic set after midseason final of s04. I have the plot bunnies just need to write it.**

**Thanks again my lovelies, see you again soon.**

**Xxxxx Jo xxxxx**


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