I am currently in the process of transferring my OQ stories from an account that was mainly my SQ stories - ChelseaDaggz - so bear with me. I'm also editing as I go along to try and make the story a little better. I hope it's okay and that you enjoy reading it :)

He shouldn't ask, it's not his place, not in any sense of the word not only because he barely knows the young man sitting in the back of his car but also because he has absolutely no idea of his mental state save for the little bit of conversation he'd managed to maintain the whole way here but then the boy had been so distressed, sniffling pitifully in between broken sentences, had looked up at the large mansion with something in those dark eyes akin to fear and Robin wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't ask, so he bites the bullet, steels himself for whatever the answer may be and he asks.

"Henry," he began tentatively, his eyes on the boy through the rear view mirror. He's not poorly dressed, had at least had the foresight (and the supplies which suggests that his parent/caretaker at least provides for the boy) to dress warmly before he'd done a runner from home and nor does he look poorly fed, not like the children Robin sometimes comes across at the shelter. On the surface he looks just like a normal boy, no cuts, no bruises, nothing but, as Robin himself knows, not every mark is visible. "Henry," he tried again, sighing at his own cowardice because this could most certainly open a whole can of worms if it turns out that home isn't safe for him, "did you run away from anyone in particular?" he asked, completely unsure of what crossed the lines of delicacy, of what may scare the child and keep him from answering, keep him from telling the truth.

He looked away from his garden path with a brow furrowed, finding Robin's eyes in the mirror with questions of his own evident in his dark orbs.

He didn't understand, was that fear? Denial? Or had he misjudged this completely? Making a drama out of a simple misunderstanding…in all honesty, despite the implications of his question, he quite hoped that he was wrong and that he had done the right thing in bringing the boy back, half hoped that inside the walls of the somewhat foreboding was a kind, caring mother and father waiting anxiously for their son to return home…but what if there wasn't? What if his assumption was completely founded and his wariness justified? He had to know. It was with that thought in mind that he exhaled a steadying breath, reached down to unbuckle his seatbelt and turned to face the boy still awaiting an explanation patiently in the back seat.

"Why did you run away from home Henry?" he asks plainly, hoping he's gained enough of the boy's trust to hear the truth, "because if you're unhappy…" he continued when Henry remained confused, "if someone's making you unhappy Henry, there are people you can talk to," he nodded encouragingly, a little confused himself when Henry's brow furrowed further, "places you can go if you feel at all…unsafe."

And it seemed to click in his head then, what Robin's implying, because his eyes grow wide as his hands come up, palm outwards as he insists "my Mom's not hurting me if that's what you mean" he's seen enough of the commercials on television aimed at children, telling them to call if anyone is hurting them, making them do things they don't want to and that's not right at all, "she would never hurt me," he continues, sounds almost pleading because he doesn't want Robin to think of his mother like that, doesn't want him to assume she'd do such a thing to him, "I wasn't running away, I was-" he begins to explain but it's at that moment that both hear the echoed shout of his name and turn to find a silhouette emerging from the mansion, a true image unable to be made out with the darkness of the night and the distance but Henry knows instantly if his shout of "Mom!" is anything to go by.

Within 5 seconds he has unbuckled his seat belt and is throwing the car door open, jumping from the vehicle and sprinting through the gate left open towards, Robin has deduced, his mother. He doesn't follow right away, merely processes what Henry had been saying…he hadn't been running away? He hadn't been running away? It just didn't make sense but, as he glances over to find mother and son embracing, the mother still not completely visible with her distance from him and the backlighting of the porch light throwing her face into further darkness, but he could tell she was looking towards his car, no doubt wanting an explanation from her son about just whose car he had willingly hopped into, he decided to cut the kid a little slack and climb out himself.

The air was cold, biting as the night breeze washed over him when he stepped onto the pavement, closing the door a little louder than necessary and wincing with the silence of the area around them indicating many most likely to be sleeping (or at least trying to sleep) and what a great first impression to make, waking the neighbours, well done Robin. If he thought the place was foreboding from the car then it most certainly was in actuality with its neatly trimmed hedges lining the yard, the perfectly white wooden gate that swung without noise and with complete ease as he stepped through it onto the beautifully cobbled pathway, the grass on either side freshly mowed it seemed and vibrantly green even under the shadow of night. He felt like he was lowering the property value just by breathing on it. Looking up, he found the house to be just as aesthetically pleasing as the yard but looking up also brought Henry's mother into complete view with his closer proximity and there was nothing as aesthetically pleasing as she.

She was still wrapped around her son, most likely satisfied that she would soon gain the answers she needed and wanting to feel his warmth in her arms once again, her perfectly toned arms around his shoulders and his back. Her head was on Henry's shoulder, her face turned into his hair as she inhaled her boy's scent. He could see that her eyes were closed, savouring, possibly staving off her tears and he wondered if they were the same colour as her son's, decided, by her colouring, that they most likely were, dark and almost impossible to read. Her hair was not short but not quite long, it fell just past her shoulder, or so it seemed with the way she was stood. It shone in the light, though he believed it would look just as vibrant, as silky in any light and, strangely, he found himself wanting to stick around to find out, don't be an idiot Robin.

It was just as he had internally scolded himself that she finally began moving to unwrap herself from Henry, that she turned her face towards him as she straightened up and her eyes fell upon him. Dark, just as he had assumed, but filled with a myriad of emotions, far too many for him to name or even try to decipher, especially when she was parting those beautifully full lips, was making her way over to him, the clicking of her heels causing his eye to drop down and take in her sinfully toned legs encased in thin nylon before trailing back up to find her in a slate grey dress he assumed to be her own take on office wear, what did Henry say she did again?

"I'm Mayor Mills," she introduced with a hand raised out towards him, a perfectly polite smile gracing her features despite the tears still shimmering on her cheeks, she hadn't quite managed to keep them at bay it seemed but in that moment, all Robin could focus on was the smoky tones that practically caressed his ears as she awaited his response.

His mouth opened, closed, and opened again dumbly before he was able to stammer out "R-Robin," and take that outstretched hand into his own, trying to ignore the slight tingle he felt when they made contact and holding back a shiver when her soft skin slid against his own upon letting go. She was looking at him curiously and, in all honesty, it was only then that he remembered why he was here in the first place. He looked over her shoulder to find Henry moving into the house with a man Robin hadn't noticed before, of course she's not single, and why the hell would that bother him? She was a complete stranger, it wasn't as if he had a chance anyway. Just as he was about to enter the home, Henry turned and met Robin's eye, gave him a wave of thanks before he was gone.

"My son tells me you found him wandering the streets of Boston?" she brought his attention back to her, though his eyes found the small, almost unnoticeable freckle at the corner of her mouth, would it disappear when she smiled? And what the hell was wrong with him?! He'd never found himself so affected by anyone in his life.

He shook his head subtly to clear his mind enough to actually talk to this woman, meeting her eyes once more as he nodded (and was that amusement dancing within there now? Did she know what she was doing to him just by standing in front of him?)

"Yeah, he uh…" he began, kicking himself for being such a dunce in front of her, what the hell was she going to think of him if he couldn't even form a coherent sentence?! "He looked pretty scared and rightly so," her eyes flashed then, a panic reminding him that she had probably been sat in her house thinking of the worst possible scenarios with every passing second that her son was gone, "Boston can be a scary place but luckily," he wanted to reassure her, to put her mind at ease, "he'd just stepped out of the apartment complex I live in, looked a little upset so I stopped and asked if he was okay," he explained, not surprised that she still eyed him a little warily, "he wouldn't talk to me right away," he laughed, "you've taught him well," and she smiled then, a small thing but it was a smile all the same, almost reaching her eyes, "but then I explained that I work for the child welfare department at the police station, could help him get to where he needed to be if he so desired," he pulled his badge from his pocket then, held it out for her perusal and, as he expected, she took it instantly, looking over his badge and ID until she seemed to accept he was who he said he was, "and he told me that the person he thought would be able to help, who he'd come to see, wasn't where they were supposed to be" she sighed at that, a small furrowing of her brow that he recognised as disappointment but would not press, it wasn't his business, "and asked if I could help get him home."

She sighed again at that, her arms crossing over her chest reminding him that he was cold, even with his leather jacket and here she stood in just a dress. It was as he was about to ask if she wanted to borrow his jacket, just whilst they talked, that the man from before appeared behind her, his hands gentle upon her shoulders as she turned her face towards his. Don't kiss him, please don't kiss him. And seriously, what the hell was wrong with him?! He didn't even know this woman!

"Henry's down for the night," the man explained as the brunette nodded at him with a thankful smile, bringing a hand up to rest lightly atop one on her shoulder as he continued, "I'll see you tomorrow Regina."

She smiled once again before replying, "Thank you for everything Sheriff," Sheriff? Well then, that was comforting.

They both watched as the newly identified Sheriff gave a short wave of goodbye as he passed before he was disappearing down the street, Robin had deduced that it was something of a small town but perhaps it was even smaller than he had assumed if the man had walked here as opposed to driving. It was the brunette's inhale that had him looking back to her, ready to take his leave too since he'd probably already taken up too much of her time as it was now that she had her son back home. It was as he opened his mouth to tell her such a thing that she stopped him with her own words.

"How would you like a glass of the best cider you've ever tasted, Robin?"

She was smiling a little more freely now, a little more at ease he assumed with her son home and, in all honesty, he was pretty tired of driving for the moment, perhaps he could ask her for directions to a local hotel. He could get his head down for the night, recharge his batteries, have a nice breakfast and get himself back to reality tomorrow but first "I'd love to Mayor Mills," he replied with an easy smile, beginning to follow her as she made her way back towards her house.

She looked over her shoulder only to tell him, "please, call me Regina," before climbing the steps up the porch and moving across and through her open door leaving Robin no other option than to follow and reply with a much too happy, "okay, Regina."