You Are Not Your Yesterday: Chapter Ten: Murder Most Foul
Title: You Are Not Your Yesterday
by Jesterlady
Pairing: Robin/Regina
Summary: At the end of S5, Robin has died and his soul is saved from destruction by the Greek god Zeus, but he is presumed gone forever. Regina is devastated with grief and struggling with her own darkness. After she removes her evil half, the Evil Queen doppelganger begins to wreak havoc on everyone in Storybrooke, finally making a wish that creates a whole new realm and provides a way for Zeus to send Robin’s soul into an alternate self. But this Robin doesn’t know who he is, having an alternate set of villainous memories. When he and Regina meet again, they must struggle with the disconnect and longing they both feel. Can he reclaim his heroic self? Can Regina accept her own dark past and defeat the Evil Queen? And can their true love win through the trials that would reunite them?
Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT. Some lines are from the show. The title is from Ann Voskamp
I really thought the show missed the mark with the return of Robin Hood on the show. So I wanted to take this opportunity to write the story in the way that made sense to me.
I wanted to focus on Zelena and Regina’s relationship here as well, making it a lot more intentional than canon. I think Zelena provides a great foil for Regina’s growth, and I think Zelena’s character deserves better. It provided a way for me to delve into Regina’s growth, her understanding and acceptance of redemption, and how she will continue to be strong and fight. In allowing Robin to go through his own villainous redemption, it gave them an equal ground they hadn’t been able to share before.
I have strong feelings about the Wish Realm. Apart from the its creation, I hated how it was used (so illogical)! So just to be clear, in this story the Wish Realm is not real. Only Robin (with a real soul inside him) can come through to the other side; it collapses as soon as Emma (the point of it) leaves. We see this as Wish Rumple tries to leave and wasn’t able to. This also explains why Robin (and characters connected to him) were young when everyone else had aged.
You definitely need to be familiar with S6 to read this fic. I do ignore a lot of S6 ie Gideon and Black Fairy. You can assume those things are happening alongside of the main events, but I’m ignoring it and deliberately changing where it intersects, because the story needed to focus on Robin and Regina and have a resolved ending that didn’t immediately jump into the next problem.
Robin was beginning to wonder if his split-second decision to jump into another world was a good one. Granted, he would have been obliterated out of existence if he’d stayed, but he didn’t like the looks he received from the people here. Regina herself was bad enough-the hungry longing she couldn’t quite disguise practically poured from her eyes whenever she looked at him. He’d found it endearing at first, but it was starting to feel smothering. He didn’t know her and he couldn’t be what she clearly wanted him to be.
No one looked right here-decades younger than they should be-and they all started upon seeing him, as if he were a bloody ghost. Which, he might as well be. They all acted as if the other Robin were their friend, their ally, someone they knew well. He’d seen King David from a distance in his realm, and he’d crossed swords with a rather elderly and eccentric Captain Hook once or twice, so it had been surreal to see them and interact with them when Regina and Emma had introduced him.
He watched from the outside as they all ran toward Emma and Regina, hugging them, celebrating, a reunion of clearly dear friends and family. He wasn’t a part of it. And, once they’d gotten over the shock of seeing him, they began to disperse to their clearly appointed homes and places. He didn’t have one. Granted, he’d not had one for a long time, but here he didn’t know how to conceal himself or where the dangers lay. He was reliant upon Regina’s kindness, and he didn’t like that trapped feeling.
“Um,” he said, when she walked back toward him. “Perhaps I can find an inn for the night?”
“Oh, well,” she said, her eyes panicked, as if letting him out of her sight was excruciating. “We do have Granny’s. She’s kind of full right now. We had a bunch of unexpected visitors a while ago and I’m not sure what her availability is.”
“That’s fine,” he said. “I’ve slept many a night under the stars. Perhaps you could point out a good spot?”
“That is something you would do,” she said, “but, really, it’s not necessary. And it might not be safe.”
“Meaning?”
“Well, I did just hear that the evil version of me running around causing havoc has been turned into a snake,” Regina said-a sentence that caused no end of confusion to Robin, especially when she didn’t explain further. “So that’s one thing fixed, but, um, we do have our own Dark One, and he’s not too happy right now.”
“So this better, real world is just as perilous?” he asked wryly.
She laughed awkwardly.
“It’s definitely got its moments. Listen, I can put you up for the night. I have a spare room and we can figure out your next steps tomorrow. Does that sound acceptable?”
She looked at him so hopefully, he was reminded of himself, begging Marian for their wedding. He nodded.
“Yes, m’lady. Would you lead the way?”
Regina took him to her home, a towering white structure, fancier and stranger than he could have ever imagined. Stepping inside was confusing and he didn’t know what to make of all the odd contraptions, the lights that appeared without flame, and the source of warm air blowing inside the house.
Regina made up a bed for him in the spare room she’d spoken of, though he assumed she had many rooms to spare considering the size of her home.
“I think that should be all you need,” she said, fumbling with her hands. “Um, you remember how to turn off the light?”
“A simple flick will do,” he said, demonstrating his new expertise.
“Then I’ll say goodnight and, uh, talk to you tomorrow.” She turned to go and then looked back at him. “I . . . hope you will be okay.”
He wasn’t sure whether she meant for the night or here in this world, but he certainly hoped along with her that the answer was affirmative for either situation.
“I’ll be fine,” he said.
When she left, closing the door behind her, Robin examined the room more closely, admiring the structure and security such a dwelling brought. But it was foreign to him, overwhelming even. He made sure his bow and quiver were close by as he took off his outer garments and stretched out on the bed. He was surprised at how comfortable it was, though it took him a long time to relax and enjoy it. He was used to the hard ground of the forest or the lumpy cot of an inn. His body didn’t know what to do with such luxury.
He thought about his plans for the future. He didn’t have any. His desire to jump had come from a wish to escape the annihilation that awaited him if he stayed. Survival and comfort were his two main goals in life. Here it seemed neither would be a problem. But was the price of pretending to be the Robin they all missed so much, one that he was willing to pay? He couldn’t be sure. He decided to play it slow and closed his eyes, eventually drifting into darkness.
He was wakened by the most abominable, shrill sound, repeating over and over. Robin leapt out of bed and grabbed his bow, as morning light streamed through the window. The sound was emanating from the black box sitting on a table beside the bed. Numbers were blazoned in red and, as they changed, Robin came to understand them as a clock. But why the clock needed to make its presence known so loudly was beyond him. And he sat, unsure how to fix it without ruining it.
A knock barely heard sounded on the door and it opened to reveal Regina, dressed in more of the strange garments she’d worn in his world, which appeared to be the favored manner of dress for the people in Storybrooke. She held more in her arms.
“You're up.”
“Hard to sleep when that demon box keeps screaming at me,” he said, pointing.
“Oh.” She grimaced and moved toward it, hitting something on top of it. “That's called an alarm clock. Sorry.” The sound blessedly ceased. “Anyway, I, um . . . brought you some clean clothes.”
“Thank you.”
He accepted the garments, figuring he might as well dress the part he was being expected to play.
“Okay, then.” Her gaze flickered toward the tattoo on his arm and Robin watched her close her eyes, as if in remembrance of something painful. “Um . . . I'll let you change.”
She left, closing the door behind her. Robin sighed, wishing that there was something easier about joining a world where you were a ghost. He examined the clothing she’d brought and frowned, not sure how it all went together. He’d just have to figure it out.
---
Regina had not expected her morning to contain a bright and early arrival from Snow, demanding coffee and answers Regina had hoped to have time to compile that before being demanded to give them.
Regina made the coffee slowly, glancing at her spare room door where Robin was changing before she carried a mug in to Snow at her dining room table.
“Regina, what were you thinking? How could you bring him here?”
Regina squirmed under the interrogation, wishing she could snap back a pithy response.
“You weren't there. He was miserable in his world, and . . . he wanted a fresh start, and I'm just trying to help him.”
“But you don't know who he is. Looking like Robin Hood doesn't make him the same person. Trust me, I once kissed David's twin. World of difference.”
Regina rolled her eyes.
“We've barely even talked.”
“Well, there's some things you should probably tell him. Like, for example . . . he has children.”
“They’re not his children.”
“Exactly my point,” Snow emphasized. “They're different people.”
Regina knew that, but there was a part of her that hoped otherwise. Things were just too off about this Robin. There were things that didn’t make sense.
“But there could be a part of him in there. He was able to cross into the real world. That . . . that has to mean something.”
Snow put out a hand to cover Regina’s.
“Regina, I want this to work out for you. You deserve this. I'm worried though. Please confirm your suspicions before letting your heart get too attached. And be prepared for him to disappoint you.”
Regina nodded, forcing a smile of acceptance on her face. She wasn’t so sure that her heart wasn’t already involved. As for disappointing her, most of her was worried that she was going to disappoint him.
Before she could reply, the door opened and Robin stepped out. Regina’s breath caught and she turned away quickly to blink back the unsummoned tears in her eyes. Seeing him dressed in her Robin’s clothes-clothes only her Robin had worn-suddenly made the possibilities and fears too real.
Snow gave her a look before getting up and going to greet him.
“I see you’re well rested. I’m Snow, in case you didn’t know.”
“Yes, thank you,” Robin replied, but Regina could see his eyes were on her. “Naturally I know of you. Just a little older.”
Snow laughed.
“Well, I just dropped in to see how it was going, but I’ve got to get to work.”
Regina cleared her throat and stepped forward.
“Goodbye then.”
“Thanks for the coffee,” Snow said, sending Regina another warning look. As Snow opened the door to leave, Henry was just opening it to come in. “Oh, good morning, Henry.”
“Grandma,” Henry replied, stepping aside for her. “See you at school?”
“I’ll see you there,” Snow said.
Henry came inside and stopped short when he saw Regina and Robin standing there. Regina’s eyes flitted nervously between the two of them. They hadn’t really talked last night since Henry had gone home with Emma.
“Uh, Robin, formally meet my son Henry.”
“Nice to meet you,” Robin said, sticking his hand forward.
Henry shook his head and stepped forward, grasping the hand offered to him.
“Welcome to Storybrooke.”
“My thanks.”
Henry turned to Regina.
“I just stopped by to get some books before school.”
“Of course,” Regina said. “No problem. Have you had breakfast?”
“I’m fine,” he assured her, smiling.
He put his backpack on the table and started pulling things out of it, including the book of stories. Regina watched Robin’s eyes fasten onto it. It gave her an idea.
“Uh, Henry, do you think we could borrow the book?” she asked. “I think it might fill in some gaps.”
“Oh, uh, sure,” Henry said, handing it over. He looked from her to Robin again with concern, but she smiled her brightest smile for him. “Have fun.”
“Have a good day, sweetie,” she said.
Henry left after grabbing what he needed, nodding to Robin.
“Bright lad,” Robin said, staring after him.
“Yes, he is,” Regina said. “I’m so proud of him.”
Robin turned to look at her, their eyes connecting.
“As you should be.” Her breath caught and she couldn’t say anything. After what felt like forever stretching between them, he spoke again. “So, the book.”
“Uh, right,” she said, leading the way into the living room. “It’s all of our stories.”
They sat on the couch and she paged through it with him, pointing out things she thought would be useful for him to know about the people he would likely encounter.
“So, everybody in this book lives here in Storybrooke?”
“Most of them,” Regina said. “There’s actually been a lot of back and forth. That’s why most of your friends aren’t here.”
“My friends?”
“Oh, um, I just assumed.” Regina ducked her head. “My-our Robin had a band of Merry Men, fellow outlaws. They were quite devoted to him.”
“I see,” he said, and she thought there was a trace of bitterness in his tone. “My ways tended to run more along a solo path.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, hating that she kept fumbling over the differences between them.
“I don't see any tales of you and Robin,” he said smoothly, changing a page. “That must be-” he looked at her “-quite the story.”
He was so close to her, eyes open wide toward hers, face expectant, and Regina had to force herself to breathe, to remember the cold facts of their situation. She would not do either of them any favors by confusing her feelings and driving him away. It was just so hard not to be reminded of what once was.
“It is.”
“Perhaps you'd care to share it with me sometime.”
Share it? Share the most intimate pain and exquisite love with the most dangerous person in the world to her? She wished it were that easy.
Luckily, the doorbell rang and she was startled back into reality.
“Oh, that means someone’s here,” she explained. “Sorry. Um, don't go anywhere. I'll be right back.”
He nodded and Regina got up, biting her lip, grateful for the interruption, until she saw who was on the other side of the door. Zelena stood there, full wrath on her face, nearly vibrating with fury.
“So, when were you planning on telling me? Where the bloody hell is he!”
Regina looked back quickly, but Robin remained unmoved. She stepped outside, lowering her voice, shutting the door behind her.
“Zelena! You can't see him yet.”
“Why? Because he's scheming to take back baby Robin?”
“That's not gonna happen. Trust me.” Regina folded her arms across her chest, feeling the need for the extra protection against Zelena’s anger. “That's not the problem.”
Zelena’s eyes flashed in understanding.
“You haven't told him he's got a child, have you?”
“Why would I tell him that?” Regina hissed back.
Zelena stopped for a second and then continued on, unappeased.
“Come on, you’ll do anything to get him back.”
“If it was really him, maybe,” Regina said. “But it’s not, stop suggesting that I would ruin both our lives because you can’t understand what true love is.”
Those words had been a mistake. Zelena’s eyes narrowed.
“If I wasn’t worried about my daughter, you and I would be ankle deep in fireballs right now,” Zelena said venomously. “You tell him that he has no rights to her. None! And if he comes anywhere near her, I will make him bleed!”
“Go home, Zelena,” Regina said, frustrated and goaded into anger.
“Ta-ta.”
Zelena disappeared and Regina slumped back against the door. She had handled that terribly. She’d been trying to repair things with her sister and now she’d just made her an enemy again. It was exhausting having family, she decided before stepping back inside to her other huge relationship problem.
Except Robin wasn’t there. Regina called out for him, but he didn’t answer. She glanced down at the book left on the table and the picture it was turned to.
“Nottingham?” she breathed. “Oh, no.”
---
Robin walked through the main part of Storybrooke, part of his mind marveling at how different everything looked. But he was mostly focused on his mission, on enacting his revenge, on finally making sense of his apparently fake life. Maybe killing the real thing would make up for his failure to kill the fake man.
He spotted his quarry across the street, dressed like all the denizens of this town, shambling along, clearly a worthless lounger. No loss to the community then.
Robin pulled back his bow and let loose, the arrow flying to pin the man against the wooden structure holding up more of those strange lights. Unhurried, Robin crossed the street, stalking down his vengeance with ease.
“Well, fancy that. The Sheriff of Nottingham.”
He stood above the man as he gibbered.
“Now wait. Look, I heard you were back. Look, I'm not that man here. Nobody calls me that in Storybrooke.”
“I'm not from Storybrooke,” Robin replied. “You know, I could've killed you with that arrow. But after all you did to me, I wanted this to be more personal.”
Robin bent down, anxious for the first hit, the first burst of pain across his knuckles, and the taste of blood in the air. He’d become almost accustomed to it these last few years, and he didn’t feel satisfied unless he was dealing out the pain he felt to others.
It didn’t satisfy him, but he obviously wasn’t trying hard enough.
“Stop!” cried a voice behind him.
Robin tilted his head back in aggravation. This was not what he wanted to have happen.
“Regina, leave now!” he shouted.
“Don't do this. This isn't you,” she said, edging into his field of vision, hand held out in supplication.
A burst of irrational anger left his mouth, but the words flew true and he didn’t regret them.
“No, you mean, this isn't him. This isn't your Robin, but me? I've wanted to do this for years.” She raised her hand, whipping it around, and then Nottingham disappeared in a cloud of red smoke. He was bereft of the kill. “What the hell did you do?”
“I sent him somewhere else before you did something you'd regret.”
“Who says I'd regret it?” he snapped.
“Well, trust me,” she said, examining him, “someday, you would.” He scoffed as she gestured at him. “Here, let me see your hand.” He held it out wordlessly and she sighed, looking at the cracked skin. “I know someplace where we can fix this up, but-but I need you to promise that you'll stop running away and trying to kill people.”
Clearly, he wasn’t going to get away with things quite as easily in Storybrooke, not with the Mayor always watching him.
“All right. Lead the way.”
She took him out into the green areas and he found himself breathing easier under the scent of the trees, newly washed with rain. They entered a large clearing, trees dotted here and there, stone markers scattered around. Slowly, he realized it was a graveyard. He wondered if a decaying skeleton of himself was buried here. It was an odd place for healing, but he let her lead him toward a larger stone building and down into some type of vault.
The interior looked more like something from his world and he stared with interest, wondering what kind of power was held here. She was clearly bringing him to a place where she did magic.
She cleared her throat awkwardly and he raised his eyebrows.
“My hand's really not that bad.”
“I didn't bring you here for that. We need to talk.” She looked intensely at him. “Were you really going to kill Nottingham?”
His defenses raised and he didn’t see why she had the right to ask the question.
“Wait, you're not judging me for that, are you? You told me it was your curse that created this place.” He gestured. “I mean . . . bloody hell, look around. I mean, wh-what's in these?”
He pointed to a carved chest with tiny compartments. Regina looked down at the ground.
“Uh . . . the hearts of my enemies, but, I-”
“Oh. And this? This looks nasty enough.”
She grabbed the box he was attempting to pick up.
“Oh, no, don't touch it! It's . . . powerful.” He took note of where she put it away in a chest before she straightened up and faced him. He waited expectantly, not sure what she was going to say, and oddly desiring to hear it. “Yes, I know . . . I sound like a hypocrite. But I have changed.”
She reached for his hand and hers was warm to the touch. She put her other hand over his, passing her fingers gently through the air. His skin glowed purple and the tingling accompanying her movement vanished, along with his wounds.
“I guess there are some advantages to good instead of evil,” he said, moving his fingers.
She blushed and he liked the look. He had a feeling she didn’t do it often. She was clearly a decisive woman, a trait he appreciated. If there weren’t years of brokenness and strange history between them, he might be tempted to explore figuring out who she was under her insecurity around him.
“There is,” she said. “And look, I know, I keep making mistakes with you. I’m honestly not trying to compare you to him. For both our sakes.”
“I suppose I’d likely be doing the same,” he answered, offering her a way out.
“Either way,” she said, “you’re here now. And we have to make the best of it. I want to help you, but I can’t if you’re going to run around killing people.”
“I don’t make it a habit for fun,” he said, stung. “But he deserved it.”
“I thought that about everyone I cursed,” she whispered and he shifted uncomfortably. “So, just try to take it easy while you learn to make your way.”
“I guess I can do that,” he agreed.
He wasn’t promising forever; he wasn’t sure he could take a forever constantly being compared to someone who was clearly a more righteous man.
“I did want to tell you something else,” she said, and he held his breath. “The person who came to see me today was worried about you being back. Or just here, not back. Because the other Robin, he had a child. Two children, but only one is here, an infant daughter. But, I mean, she's not yours. Not . . . not really.”
Robin blinked, a sudden vision of a pink-faced infant staring up at him. A swelling of pride burst through him, before Regina’s face reappeared. Then he registered her last words; they hurt for some reason.
“And the mother? You?”
She shook her head.
“Roland is from Marian.” Robin’s chest hurt, picturing the child he’d never gotten to give her. “And baby Robin, well, my sister. It's complicated.”
He shook his head, trying to clear his confusion. He was regretting his decision more than ever.
“Apparently, everything here is complicated. Did you bring me here just to drop me in the middle of this mess?”
She stepped back at his accusatory tone before smiling softly.
“I hoped I could be a part of a fresh start. Your fresh start.”
“And maybe one of your own, too?” he questioned, watching her closely.
She clenched her hands at her sides.
“I’m trying not to want that, because I don’t think it’s fair. But maybe. I don't know. I think if we give ourselves a chance . . . maybe your being here could be a good thing.”
“Well, then,” he said slowly, playing his hand carefully. He could sense his heart being tugged in her direction, but that way probably led to a lot of pain and reform. And his path had become dark long ago, diverging from where she had clearly ended up. “I’m not saying I’m opposed to that. But I’ve been here a day. I don’t know you; I don’t know this place. And I’m not him.”
“I know,” she whispered. “So let’s just start with you not killing people and go from there.”
He chuckled and gave a bow.
“As you wish.”
---
Regina climbed the stairs thoughtfully, pondering the events of the day. She and Robin had agreed it was probably best he not stay with her any longer, and Regina had managed to finagle a room from Granny. It was better because Regina didn’t trust herself around him, and, since his actions with Nottingham, she didn’t trust him either. She was worried that he would turn out to be someone so different from her Robin that he wouldn’t be able to come back from the darkness that had clearly laid claim to him. But why was his past so different in the wish realm? Why was he able to get through the portal? Something wasn’t right and she wanted to know what it was.
“Mom?”
Regina started, turning to see Henry standing at the foot of the stairs, looking up at her.
“Henry.”
“Are you okay?” he asked. “You’ve been standing on the same step for a while now.”
“Was I?” she said, looking around her. “I guess I was.” Sighing, she sat down. “It’s just been a long day.”
“Dealing with the other Robin?” he asked, climbing the stairs and sitting next to her.
“Uh, yeah. I’m sorry about him being here.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
“He could be dangerous,” Regina said, shrugging. “He’s not my Robin.”
“But when you guys were there, he was the only one who could make it through the portal with you,” Henry said. “That’s got to mean something.”
“I think so too. But I’m afraid of being right or wrong.”
“I can get that,” Henry replied. “Does he know about the other Robin’s life here?”
“A bit. He knows about him and me and about his kids and stuff from the book. But all the details? No.”
“Just be patient, he’ll come around.”
Regina laughed.
“Henry, I wish I had faith like you do, and some part of me is trying. I just want to know why he is able to be here if it’s not because some part of Robin is in there.”
“Maybe we need to find out,” Henry said. “I can ask Belle to help. We can research the weapon.”
“You think there’s something there?”
“There’s always something,” Henry replied with confidence.
“And what Operation will this be?”
Henry thought a moment and then smiled softly at her.
“Operation 23.”
Regina’s eyes filled with tears and she smiled back.
“Perfect.”
by Jesterlady
Pairing: Robin/Regina
Summary: At the end of S5, Robin has died and his soul is saved from destruction by the Greek god Zeus, but he is presumed gone forever. Regina is devastated with grief and struggling with her own darkness. After she removes her evil half, the Evil Queen doppelganger begins to wreak havoc on everyone in Storybrooke, finally making a wish that creates a whole new realm and provides a way for Zeus to send Robin’s soul into an alternate self. But this Robin doesn’t know who he is, having an alternate set of villainous memories. When he and Regina meet again, they must struggle with the disconnect and longing they both feel. Can he reclaim his heroic self? Can Regina accept her own dark past and defeat the Evil Queen? And can their true love win through the trials that would reunite them?
Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT. Some lines are from the show. The title is from Ann Voskamp
I really thought the show missed the mark with the return of Robin Hood on the show. So I wanted to take this opportunity to write the story in the way that made sense to me.
I wanted to focus on Zelena and Regina’s relationship here as well, making it a lot more intentional than canon. I think Zelena provides a great foil for Regina’s growth, and I think Zelena’s character deserves better. It provided a way for me to delve into Regina’s growth, her understanding and acceptance of redemption, and how she will continue to be strong and fight. In allowing Robin to go through his own villainous redemption, it gave them an equal ground they hadn’t been able to share before.
I have strong feelings about the Wish Realm. Apart from the its creation, I hated how it was used (so illogical)! So just to be clear, in this story the Wish Realm is not real. Only Robin (with a real soul inside him) can come through to the other side; it collapses as soon as Emma (the point of it) leaves. We see this as Wish Rumple tries to leave and wasn’t able to. This also explains why Robin (and characters connected to him) were young when everyone else had aged.
You definitely need to be familiar with S6 to read this fic. I do ignore a lot of S6 ie Gideon and Black Fairy. You can assume those things are happening alongside of the main events, but I’m ignoring it and deliberately changing where it intersects, because the story needed to focus on Robin and Regina and have a resolved ending that didn’t immediately jump into the next problem.
Robin was beginning to wonder if his split-second decision to jump into another world was a good one. Granted, he would have been obliterated out of existence if he’d stayed, but he didn’t like the looks he received from the people here. Regina herself was bad enough-the hungry longing she couldn’t quite disguise practically poured from her eyes whenever she looked at him. He’d found it endearing at first, but it was starting to feel smothering. He didn’t know her and he couldn’t be what she clearly wanted him to be.
No one looked right here-decades younger than they should be-and they all started upon seeing him, as if he were a bloody ghost. Which, he might as well be. They all acted as if the other Robin were their friend, their ally, someone they knew well. He’d seen King David from a distance in his realm, and he’d crossed swords with a rather elderly and eccentric Captain Hook once or twice, so it had been surreal to see them and interact with them when Regina and Emma had introduced him.
He watched from the outside as they all ran toward Emma and Regina, hugging them, celebrating, a reunion of clearly dear friends and family. He wasn’t a part of it. And, once they’d gotten over the shock of seeing him, they began to disperse to their clearly appointed homes and places. He didn’t have one. Granted, he’d not had one for a long time, but here he didn’t know how to conceal himself or where the dangers lay. He was reliant upon Regina’s kindness, and he didn’t like that trapped feeling.
“Um,” he said, when she walked back toward him. “Perhaps I can find an inn for the night?”
“Oh, well,” she said, her eyes panicked, as if letting him out of her sight was excruciating. “We do have Granny’s. She’s kind of full right now. We had a bunch of unexpected visitors a while ago and I’m not sure what her availability is.”
“That’s fine,” he said. “I’ve slept many a night under the stars. Perhaps you could point out a good spot?”
“That is something you would do,” she said, “but, really, it’s not necessary. And it might not be safe.”
“Meaning?”
“Well, I did just hear that the evil version of me running around causing havoc has been turned into a snake,” Regina said-a sentence that caused no end of confusion to Robin, especially when she didn’t explain further. “So that’s one thing fixed, but, um, we do have our own Dark One, and he’s not too happy right now.”
“So this better, real world is just as perilous?” he asked wryly.
She laughed awkwardly.
“It’s definitely got its moments. Listen, I can put you up for the night. I have a spare room and we can figure out your next steps tomorrow. Does that sound acceptable?”
She looked at him so hopefully, he was reminded of himself, begging Marian for their wedding. He nodded.
“Yes, m’lady. Would you lead the way?”
Regina took him to her home, a towering white structure, fancier and stranger than he could have ever imagined. Stepping inside was confusing and he didn’t know what to make of all the odd contraptions, the lights that appeared without flame, and the source of warm air blowing inside the house.
Regina made up a bed for him in the spare room she’d spoken of, though he assumed she had many rooms to spare considering the size of her home.
“I think that should be all you need,” she said, fumbling with her hands. “Um, you remember how to turn off the light?”
“A simple flick will do,” he said, demonstrating his new expertise.
“Then I’ll say goodnight and, uh, talk to you tomorrow.” She turned to go and then looked back at him. “I . . . hope you will be okay.”
He wasn’t sure whether she meant for the night or here in this world, but he certainly hoped along with her that the answer was affirmative for either situation.
“I’ll be fine,” he said.
When she left, closing the door behind her, Robin examined the room more closely, admiring the structure and security such a dwelling brought. But it was foreign to him, overwhelming even. He made sure his bow and quiver were close by as he took off his outer garments and stretched out on the bed. He was surprised at how comfortable it was, though it took him a long time to relax and enjoy it. He was used to the hard ground of the forest or the lumpy cot of an inn. His body didn’t know what to do with such luxury.
He thought about his plans for the future. He didn’t have any. His desire to jump had come from a wish to escape the annihilation that awaited him if he stayed. Survival and comfort were his two main goals in life. Here it seemed neither would be a problem. But was the price of pretending to be the Robin they all missed so much, one that he was willing to pay? He couldn’t be sure. He decided to play it slow and closed his eyes, eventually drifting into darkness.
He was wakened by the most abominable, shrill sound, repeating over and over. Robin leapt out of bed and grabbed his bow, as morning light streamed through the window. The sound was emanating from the black box sitting on a table beside the bed. Numbers were blazoned in red and, as they changed, Robin came to understand them as a clock. But why the clock needed to make its presence known so loudly was beyond him. And he sat, unsure how to fix it without ruining it.
A knock barely heard sounded on the door and it opened to reveal Regina, dressed in more of the strange garments she’d worn in his world, which appeared to be the favored manner of dress for the people in Storybrooke. She held more in her arms.
“You're up.”
“Hard to sleep when that demon box keeps screaming at me,” he said, pointing.
“Oh.” She grimaced and moved toward it, hitting something on top of it. “That's called an alarm clock. Sorry.” The sound blessedly ceased. “Anyway, I, um . . . brought you some clean clothes.”
“Thank you.”
He accepted the garments, figuring he might as well dress the part he was being expected to play.
“Okay, then.” Her gaze flickered toward the tattoo on his arm and Robin watched her close her eyes, as if in remembrance of something painful. “Um . . . I'll let you change.”
She left, closing the door behind her. Robin sighed, wishing that there was something easier about joining a world where you were a ghost. He examined the clothing she’d brought and frowned, not sure how it all went together. He’d just have to figure it out.
---
Regina had not expected her morning to contain a bright and early arrival from Snow, demanding coffee and answers Regina had hoped to have time to compile that before being demanded to give them.
Regina made the coffee slowly, glancing at her spare room door where Robin was changing before she carried a mug in to Snow at her dining room table.
“Regina, what were you thinking? How could you bring him here?”
Regina squirmed under the interrogation, wishing she could snap back a pithy response.
“You weren't there. He was miserable in his world, and . . . he wanted a fresh start, and I'm just trying to help him.”
“But you don't know who he is. Looking like Robin Hood doesn't make him the same person. Trust me, I once kissed David's twin. World of difference.”
Regina rolled her eyes.
“We've barely even talked.”
“Well, there's some things you should probably tell him. Like, for example . . . he has children.”
“They’re not his children.”
“Exactly my point,” Snow emphasized. “They're different people.”
Regina knew that, but there was a part of her that hoped otherwise. Things were just too off about this Robin. There were things that didn’t make sense.
“But there could be a part of him in there. He was able to cross into the real world. That . . . that has to mean something.”
Snow put out a hand to cover Regina’s.
“Regina, I want this to work out for you. You deserve this. I'm worried though. Please confirm your suspicions before letting your heart get too attached. And be prepared for him to disappoint you.”
Regina nodded, forcing a smile of acceptance on her face. She wasn’t so sure that her heart wasn’t already involved. As for disappointing her, most of her was worried that she was going to disappoint him.
Before she could reply, the door opened and Robin stepped out. Regina’s breath caught and she turned away quickly to blink back the unsummoned tears in her eyes. Seeing him dressed in her Robin’s clothes-clothes only her Robin had worn-suddenly made the possibilities and fears too real.
Snow gave her a look before getting up and going to greet him.
“I see you’re well rested. I’m Snow, in case you didn’t know.”
“Yes, thank you,” Robin replied, but Regina could see his eyes were on her. “Naturally I know of you. Just a little older.”
Snow laughed.
“Well, I just dropped in to see how it was going, but I’ve got to get to work.”
Regina cleared her throat and stepped forward.
“Goodbye then.”
“Thanks for the coffee,” Snow said, sending Regina another warning look. As Snow opened the door to leave, Henry was just opening it to come in. “Oh, good morning, Henry.”
“Grandma,” Henry replied, stepping aside for her. “See you at school?”
“I’ll see you there,” Snow said.
Henry came inside and stopped short when he saw Regina and Robin standing there. Regina’s eyes flitted nervously between the two of them. They hadn’t really talked last night since Henry had gone home with Emma.
“Uh, Robin, formally meet my son Henry.”
“Nice to meet you,” Robin said, sticking his hand forward.
Henry shook his head and stepped forward, grasping the hand offered to him.
“Welcome to Storybrooke.”
“My thanks.”
Henry turned to Regina.
“I just stopped by to get some books before school.”
“Of course,” Regina said. “No problem. Have you had breakfast?”
“I’m fine,” he assured her, smiling.
He put his backpack on the table and started pulling things out of it, including the book of stories. Regina watched Robin’s eyes fasten onto it. It gave her an idea.
“Uh, Henry, do you think we could borrow the book?” she asked. “I think it might fill in some gaps.”
“Oh, uh, sure,” Henry said, handing it over. He looked from her to Robin again with concern, but she smiled her brightest smile for him. “Have fun.”
“Have a good day, sweetie,” she said.
Henry left after grabbing what he needed, nodding to Robin.
“Bright lad,” Robin said, staring after him.
“Yes, he is,” Regina said. “I’m so proud of him.”
Robin turned to look at her, their eyes connecting.
“As you should be.” Her breath caught and she couldn’t say anything. After what felt like forever stretching between them, he spoke again. “So, the book.”
“Uh, right,” she said, leading the way into the living room. “It’s all of our stories.”
They sat on the couch and she paged through it with him, pointing out things she thought would be useful for him to know about the people he would likely encounter.
“So, everybody in this book lives here in Storybrooke?”
“Most of them,” Regina said. “There’s actually been a lot of back and forth. That’s why most of your friends aren’t here.”
“My friends?”
“Oh, um, I just assumed.” Regina ducked her head. “My-our Robin had a band of Merry Men, fellow outlaws. They were quite devoted to him.”
“I see,” he said, and she thought there was a trace of bitterness in his tone. “My ways tended to run more along a solo path.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, hating that she kept fumbling over the differences between them.
“I don't see any tales of you and Robin,” he said smoothly, changing a page. “That must be-” he looked at her “-quite the story.”
He was so close to her, eyes open wide toward hers, face expectant, and Regina had to force herself to breathe, to remember the cold facts of their situation. She would not do either of them any favors by confusing her feelings and driving him away. It was just so hard not to be reminded of what once was.
“It is.”
“Perhaps you'd care to share it with me sometime.”
Share it? Share the most intimate pain and exquisite love with the most dangerous person in the world to her? She wished it were that easy.
Luckily, the doorbell rang and she was startled back into reality.
“Oh, that means someone’s here,” she explained. “Sorry. Um, don't go anywhere. I'll be right back.”
He nodded and Regina got up, biting her lip, grateful for the interruption, until she saw who was on the other side of the door. Zelena stood there, full wrath on her face, nearly vibrating with fury.
“So, when were you planning on telling me? Where the bloody hell is he!”
Regina looked back quickly, but Robin remained unmoved. She stepped outside, lowering her voice, shutting the door behind her.
“Zelena! You can't see him yet.”
“Why? Because he's scheming to take back baby Robin?”
“That's not gonna happen. Trust me.” Regina folded her arms across her chest, feeling the need for the extra protection against Zelena’s anger. “That's not the problem.”
Zelena’s eyes flashed in understanding.
“You haven't told him he's got a child, have you?”
“Why would I tell him that?” Regina hissed back.
Zelena stopped for a second and then continued on, unappeased.
“Come on, you’ll do anything to get him back.”
“If it was really him, maybe,” Regina said. “But it’s not, stop suggesting that I would ruin both our lives because you can’t understand what true love is.”
Those words had been a mistake. Zelena’s eyes narrowed.
“If I wasn’t worried about my daughter, you and I would be ankle deep in fireballs right now,” Zelena said venomously. “You tell him that he has no rights to her. None! And if he comes anywhere near her, I will make him bleed!”
“Go home, Zelena,” Regina said, frustrated and goaded into anger.
“Ta-ta.”
Zelena disappeared and Regina slumped back against the door. She had handled that terribly. She’d been trying to repair things with her sister and now she’d just made her an enemy again. It was exhausting having family, she decided before stepping back inside to her other huge relationship problem.
Except Robin wasn’t there. Regina called out for him, but he didn’t answer. She glanced down at the book left on the table and the picture it was turned to.
“Nottingham?” she breathed. “Oh, no.”
---
Robin walked through the main part of Storybrooke, part of his mind marveling at how different everything looked. But he was mostly focused on his mission, on enacting his revenge, on finally making sense of his apparently fake life. Maybe killing the real thing would make up for his failure to kill the fake man.
He spotted his quarry across the street, dressed like all the denizens of this town, shambling along, clearly a worthless lounger. No loss to the community then.
Robin pulled back his bow and let loose, the arrow flying to pin the man against the wooden structure holding up more of those strange lights. Unhurried, Robin crossed the street, stalking down his vengeance with ease.
“Well, fancy that. The Sheriff of Nottingham.”
He stood above the man as he gibbered.
“Now wait. Look, I heard you were back. Look, I'm not that man here. Nobody calls me that in Storybrooke.”
“I'm not from Storybrooke,” Robin replied. “You know, I could've killed you with that arrow. But after all you did to me, I wanted this to be more personal.”
Robin bent down, anxious for the first hit, the first burst of pain across his knuckles, and the taste of blood in the air. He’d become almost accustomed to it these last few years, and he didn’t feel satisfied unless he was dealing out the pain he felt to others.
It didn’t satisfy him, but he obviously wasn’t trying hard enough.
“Stop!” cried a voice behind him.
Robin tilted his head back in aggravation. This was not what he wanted to have happen.
“Regina, leave now!” he shouted.
“Don't do this. This isn't you,” she said, edging into his field of vision, hand held out in supplication.
A burst of irrational anger left his mouth, but the words flew true and he didn’t regret them.
“No, you mean, this isn't him. This isn't your Robin, but me? I've wanted to do this for years.” She raised her hand, whipping it around, and then Nottingham disappeared in a cloud of red smoke. He was bereft of the kill. “What the hell did you do?”
“I sent him somewhere else before you did something you'd regret.”
“Who says I'd regret it?” he snapped.
“Well, trust me,” she said, examining him, “someday, you would.” He scoffed as she gestured at him. “Here, let me see your hand.” He held it out wordlessly and she sighed, looking at the cracked skin. “I know someplace where we can fix this up, but-but I need you to promise that you'll stop running away and trying to kill people.”
Clearly, he wasn’t going to get away with things quite as easily in Storybrooke, not with the Mayor always watching him.
“All right. Lead the way.”
She took him out into the green areas and he found himself breathing easier under the scent of the trees, newly washed with rain. They entered a large clearing, trees dotted here and there, stone markers scattered around. Slowly, he realized it was a graveyard. He wondered if a decaying skeleton of himself was buried here. It was an odd place for healing, but he let her lead him toward a larger stone building and down into some type of vault.
The interior looked more like something from his world and he stared with interest, wondering what kind of power was held here. She was clearly bringing him to a place where she did magic.
She cleared her throat awkwardly and he raised his eyebrows.
“My hand's really not that bad.”
“I didn't bring you here for that. We need to talk.” She looked intensely at him. “Were you really going to kill Nottingham?”
His defenses raised and he didn’t see why she had the right to ask the question.
“Wait, you're not judging me for that, are you? You told me it was your curse that created this place.” He gestured. “I mean . . . bloody hell, look around. I mean, wh-what's in these?”
He pointed to a carved chest with tiny compartments. Regina looked down at the ground.
“Uh . . . the hearts of my enemies, but, I-”
“Oh. And this? This looks nasty enough.”
She grabbed the box he was attempting to pick up.
“Oh, no, don't touch it! It's . . . powerful.” He took note of where she put it away in a chest before she straightened up and faced him. He waited expectantly, not sure what she was going to say, and oddly desiring to hear it. “Yes, I know . . . I sound like a hypocrite. But I have changed.”
She reached for his hand and hers was warm to the touch. She put her other hand over his, passing her fingers gently through the air. His skin glowed purple and the tingling accompanying her movement vanished, along with his wounds.
“I guess there are some advantages to good instead of evil,” he said, moving his fingers.
She blushed and he liked the look. He had a feeling she didn’t do it often. She was clearly a decisive woman, a trait he appreciated. If there weren’t years of brokenness and strange history between them, he might be tempted to explore figuring out who she was under her insecurity around him.
“There is,” she said. “And look, I know, I keep making mistakes with you. I’m honestly not trying to compare you to him. For both our sakes.”
“I suppose I’d likely be doing the same,” he answered, offering her a way out.
“Either way,” she said, “you’re here now. And we have to make the best of it. I want to help you, but I can’t if you’re going to run around killing people.”
“I don’t make it a habit for fun,” he said, stung. “But he deserved it.”
“I thought that about everyone I cursed,” she whispered and he shifted uncomfortably. “So, just try to take it easy while you learn to make your way.”
“I guess I can do that,” he agreed.
He wasn’t promising forever; he wasn’t sure he could take a forever constantly being compared to someone who was clearly a more righteous man.
“I did want to tell you something else,” she said, and he held his breath. “The person who came to see me today was worried about you being back. Or just here, not back. Because the other Robin, he had a child. Two children, but only one is here, an infant daughter. But, I mean, she's not yours. Not . . . not really.”
Robin blinked, a sudden vision of a pink-faced infant staring up at him. A swelling of pride burst through him, before Regina’s face reappeared. Then he registered her last words; they hurt for some reason.
“And the mother? You?”
She shook her head.
“Roland is from Marian.” Robin’s chest hurt, picturing the child he’d never gotten to give her. “And baby Robin, well, my sister. It's complicated.”
He shook his head, trying to clear his confusion. He was regretting his decision more than ever.
“Apparently, everything here is complicated. Did you bring me here just to drop me in the middle of this mess?”
She stepped back at his accusatory tone before smiling softly.
“I hoped I could be a part of a fresh start. Your fresh start.”
“And maybe one of your own, too?” he questioned, watching her closely.
She clenched her hands at her sides.
“I’m trying not to want that, because I don’t think it’s fair. But maybe. I don't know. I think if we give ourselves a chance . . . maybe your being here could be a good thing.”
“Well, then,” he said slowly, playing his hand carefully. He could sense his heart being tugged in her direction, but that way probably led to a lot of pain and reform. And his path had become dark long ago, diverging from where she had clearly ended up. “I’m not saying I’m opposed to that. But I’ve been here a day. I don’t know you; I don’t know this place. And I’m not him.”
“I know,” she whispered. “So let’s just start with you not killing people and go from there.”
He chuckled and gave a bow.
“As you wish.”
---
Regina climbed the stairs thoughtfully, pondering the events of the day. She and Robin had agreed it was probably best he not stay with her any longer, and Regina had managed to finagle a room from Granny. It was better because Regina didn’t trust herself around him, and, since his actions with Nottingham, she didn’t trust him either. She was worried that he would turn out to be someone so different from her Robin that he wouldn’t be able to come back from the darkness that had clearly laid claim to him. But why was his past so different in the wish realm? Why was he able to get through the portal? Something wasn’t right and she wanted to know what it was.
“Mom?”
Regina started, turning to see Henry standing at the foot of the stairs, looking up at her.
“Henry.”
“Are you okay?” he asked. “You’ve been standing on the same step for a while now.”
“Was I?” she said, looking around her. “I guess I was.” Sighing, she sat down. “It’s just been a long day.”
“Dealing with the other Robin?” he asked, climbing the stairs and sitting next to her.
“Uh, yeah. I’m sorry about him being here.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
“He could be dangerous,” Regina said, shrugging. “He’s not my Robin.”
“But when you guys were there, he was the only one who could make it through the portal with you,” Henry said. “That’s got to mean something.”
“I think so too. But I’m afraid of being right or wrong.”
“I can get that,” Henry replied. “Does he know about the other Robin’s life here?”
“A bit. He knows about him and me and about his kids and stuff from the book. But all the details? No.”
“Just be patient, he’ll come around.”
Regina laughed.
“Henry, I wish I had faith like you do, and some part of me is trying. I just want to know why he is able to be here if it’s not because some part of Robin is in there.”
“Maybe we need to find out,” Henry said. “I can ask Belle to help. We can research the weapon.”
“You think there’s something there?”
“There’s always something,” Henry replied with confidence.
“And what Operation will this be?”
Henry thought a moment and then smiled softly at her.
“Operation 23.”
Regina’s eyes filled with tears and she smiled back.
“Perfect.”