Chapter 1

Regina got out of her mom's car, looking around at all the freshmen moving into their new dorms, excited chatter conveying their exuberance to experience this new step in their lives.

She envied them, the freedom they had- little did they know just how lucky they were. They had the freedom to choose where they wanted to go to school and where they lived. Thanks to her mother and her vision, she didn't. When discussing college the year before, her mother had made it clear that commuting to Storybrooke University was the only acceptable option. She had, however, allowed Regina to choose her major, so Regina had chosen Spanish. The major would allow her to explore other worlds beyond her own, as well as pay homage to her late father's heritage. Of course, given that her mother thought it was impractical compared to her dream of having her daughter major in business and be the CEO of her own company, she disapproved.

Her mother's overprotectiveness had affected her relationships with peers as well. She had only ever had one close friend, Emma, who she had known since kindergarten. Other than Emma, she had always been a loner, too afraid of her mother's impossibly high standards to subject anyone else to them. Thankfully Emma was hybrid this year, both taking classes online and at the university a half hour from Storybrooke.

And guys? Forget it! Thanks to her limited socialization with people her own age, she had never figured out how other girls managed to talk to, let alone date, guys. She never found the words to say, an invisible Great Wall of China separating her from the opposite gender.

Her mother led her to the rooms for each of her classes and Regina grudgingly followed. While she appreciated the help, at the same time she didn't understand why her mother had to be with her every second of every day. So afterwards, when it was time for lunch and buying her books for the coming semester, Regina hesitantly suggested, "Mom, why don't you go save us a seat for lunch while I get my books? We'll literally be in the same building, I'll be fine. Plus, you know you take the longest to choose what you want to eat; this'll give you a chance to take your time."

"Are you sure, Regina? I'd really be more comfortable if I went with you." her mother responded.

Exasperated, Regina affirmed, "Positive, go ahead." She gently pushing her mother toward The Rabbit Hole. Not looking back, she hurried down to the bookstore, using her monocular and the sounds of fellow students buying their books to guide her.

When she arrived, she found a longer line than she had expected. Once she got to the front, her friend Anna, who worked at the bookstore, handed her a large stack of books to supplement her classes.

Taking the tower of teetering books, Regina carefully walked away from the front toward where she knew the elevator would take her to the hall that connected the two halves of the building.

"Look out!" an accented voice shouted as she felt something collide with her, toppling the already precarious pile of books and making her follow them in rapid succession, a life-sized illustration of the Domino effect. As she fell, she felt the full-page receipts, which were sticking out from a book on Latin American civilization and culture, graze her hand.

She caught herself with her hands and knees, feeling both take the full impact of her fall. Examining her hands, she saw mild bruises from her fall as well as the paper cut, which was already beginning to ooze blood.

"We're so sorry," she heard that same beautiful British tenor reassure her adamantly. "Can I give you a hand up?"

Ever someone who valued every chance to be independent, she rejected his offer, using the hand that wasn't bleeding to push herself up. She looked up at the source of the collision and saw two boys, one skinny and pale with dark hair, and the other taller and more built, with dark skin and a smile that she instantly knew she'd never be able to resist as she smiled back.

"Here, let me help you with those," the taller of the two boys said, bending over with her to collect the books that were now strewn throughout the hall. As they gathered the books, he caught sight of her injured hand. "Oy mate, I can't believe you caused that!" he exclaimed, glaring at his friend.

"What can I say, neither of us was paying attention enough to see her." his companion, who also had a British accent that was sharper than his companion's, shot back as he shrugged, determined to throw his friend under the bus with him.

"No, no you weren't." an indignant girl, her origin apparent from her New Zealand accent, piped up as a slight girl with wild hair, dark at the roots with highlights on the ends, caught up to them. "And these two are so busy apologizing that they haven't introduced themselves. I'm Alice Hare, and this," she playfully nudged the slimmer of the two boys, "is Will Scarlett, and that's Robin Locksley." A nod indicated the other boy as he smiled at her once again, leaving her at a loss for words.

"I'm Regina Mills," she introduced herself shyly, ducking her head partly from embarrassment and partly so she didn't get lost in those chocolate eyes again.

"Let me look at your hand." Robin insisted, taking her hand in his. Seeing the damage he and Will had caused, he offered, "Let me fix it for you."

"No, no, don't bother, my mother's waiting for me, I'm sure she's hysterical by now." Regina implored. "Plus, how can you fix it? Is your major nursing or something?"

"Media production actually," he answered, chuckling, "But I believe it can be done."

"Trust him, Regina, it'll be as good as new after he's finished." Alice concurred, supporting her friend as she turned to him. "In the meantime, Robin, Will and I will go ahead to the booth and let the others know you're coming. We'll pray on the way." Grabbing Will by the elbow, she hurried off, calling over her shoulder, "Nice to meet you Regina!"

Regina wondered what Alice had meant by the prayer comment, but didn't dare ask, her timidity towards guys taking over. Once Alice and Will disappeared, Regina tried to remove her hand from Robin's. His hand moved to her elbow and tightened just enough so that she couldn't escape as he picked up her books, somehow managing to carry under one arm what she had previously struggled to carry in both. He led her back down the hallway and around the corner, where rows of mailboxes were paired with a window for the school's post office and a table.

Robin laid her hand on the table, setting her books down as well. Cradling her hand in both of his, he lifted it for further inspection. Nodding to himself, his eyes locked with Regina's. "Do you believe this can happen?" he asked her.

For the first time, Regina found herself lost in the dark pools of his eyes. They begged her to trust him, with this and with more that she knew she wasn't ready for. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, ducking her head to avoid the intensity of his gaze.

He bowed his head, closing his eyes as his finger skimmed over her bleeding hand.

Suddenly, a flash of blinding white light shone from the injury. "What was that?!" she demanded, alarmed.

Robin grinned, a gleam in his eye as he told her, "Take a look."

She did as he asked and gasped. Her hand looked as good as new, all of the blood gone and the cut healed. Her mouth dropped open as her eyes darted back up to look at him. "How…?"

Robin grinned. "Faith. I'd love to tell you more, but you have to meet up with your mum, right?"

At his words, Regina snatched up her books, practically sprinting down the hall as Robin easily kept pace with her.

Running around until he was in front of her, Robin held up his hands, causing her to stop in her tracks. "Please, wait one more minute. If you're not doing anything tonight, would you like to go to a bonfire? Will, Alice and I are having one with other international students at the beach. I want to explain how I healed your hand. There'll be s'mores and music if that helps you decide," he added, winking. "It'll be fun!"

Smiling at the thought of music and s'mores, her face fell rapidly as she shook her head, starting to walk again as she replied, "I can't." Not only could she not drive herself there, she didn't dare bring anyone within a 39 and a half-foot pole of her overbearing mother, who would never let her go if she knew there were guys at the bonfire. Even if that wasn't the case, she wouldn't let Regina go anywhere with friends unless she had proven to herself that her daughter was safe with them.

"Why not? If you'd need a ride, don't worry about that, we'll pick you up!" His earnest voice filled the elevator he had followed her into.

Her head shot up to look at him. "Really?" she whispered. No one had ever offered to give her a ride before. She was so used to asking, which became exhausting after awhile, making his offer tempting. Maybe she could tell her mom she was staying at Emma's, she lived in the neighborhood, and had Robin and the others pick her up there...

"Yes, of course," he told her.

"Are you sure?" she double-checked, hardly daring to get her hopes up. Slow down Regina, Mom hasn't even said you can go yet, she scolded herself.

He grinned, pulling out a sleek black phone. "Positive. What's your number and address so we can pick you up?"

She gave him her number and Emma's address. "I just have to make sure my friend will be ok with it, but it should be."

She spied confusion as he pondered her comment, but mercifully decided not to question her. "Ok. Hey, why don't you just invite them too? There's one more spot in the car."

She nodded. "I will." That way she wasn't completely lying to her mother and she had at least one friend to be with amongst near-strangers.

They had reached the sign with a rabbit eating a carrot that hung over the doors of The Rabbit Hole. She leaned in closely to read the sign to make sure she was in the right place, then turned to him, setting her books on the ground beside them.

That dazzling smile lit up his face again as he held out his hand. "Despite how it happened, it was wonderful meeting you Regina. Truly the highlight of my day."

She smiled nervously, hesitating. How would he react to her next statement? "I don't do handshakes. I love hugs though." Despite her nervousness about getting the first hug she'd gotten from a guy her own age, it was true. Once people got to know her, they learned she was warm-hearted and generous with her hugs.

She didn't think it was possible, but his smile grew twice its size. "Me too! I'm trying to be more professional with people I don't know though, to get ready for job interviews in a few years- so I started with the handshake."

He opened his arms and she went into them. Immediately she knew she had made the right decision in initiating this. As his arms surrounded her, she felt the strangest feeling, a feeling of belonging and safety, as though at last she had found her place in the world- a place she could call home. Stop it Regina! It can never happen, and it would freak him out! He didn't seem to want to let go either though, as they just stood there for the what felt like the longest moment of her life.

With one last squeeze, which he reciprocated, they separated. Handing her books to her, he teased, "You sure you can handle these until you get to your mom?"

"Positive," she assured him adamantly. "What could possibly happen in the minute it'll take me to find my mom's table?"

He laughed. "All right, if you insist. I'll text you so you have my number for later."

He turned and walked away before she could react. She walked into The Rabbit Hole, preparing herself for the reprimand her mother was sure to give her, but knowing it would be worth it.

Just as she caught sight of her mother sitting in a booth twiddling her fingers, she heard waves crashing, the sound on her phone for a text. She got it out of her purse and looked to see what it said:

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: meeting you was by far the highlight of this already amazing week. Check with your friend and let me know for sure you can come tonight. Either way, the next time I see you can't come soon enough. -Robin

She couldn't help smiling as she returned her phone to her purse. She knew that something had happened between them. Shedidn't know exactly what yet, but she couldn't wait to find out.