A/N: Huge HUG thanks to Kiki who was basically my bitch this whole chapter, I kept complaining and whining and ranting to her and she deals with me guys and we both laughed and giggled and played our hands at this chapter. It was a pain in the ass it's so long guys about 100 short of 10k words! That's nearly the whole story so far in ONE chapter! And shout out to Jess who made this process much easier (and also somehow harder?) by introducing me to outlining chapters! (And also I used those two sentences you replied with on making saliva sexy so there in here somewhere.) And thank you guys for being so patient! Also happy birthday to me! I'm officially 17 as of right now! Enjoy guys!

Regina shifts awkwardly in the the cab, the smell of sour alcohol and bad body odor is smothering her senses as she cradles her hand to her chest, a ruby pool of her own blood forming in the palm of her hand, drenching through the napkin wrapped around the sliced flesh, the copper smell that normally overwhelms her at the exposure of blood faint in comparison to the smell of New York City cab. Robin changes his position beside her and she wonders for the umpteenth time if letting a man, who was a stranger no less, accompany her to the emergency room in a cab, under cover of nightfall was the smartest thing to do or if she should have taken her chances going by herself. She decides it does no good to sit on that now (telling herself that if she had chosen to fly solo she could have taken any of the shit the city through at her, she was a Brooklyn woman, she could handle it) and retires herself to looking out the window, watching as the city blurs by in flashing lights and billboard signs. So many people come here searching for their dreams, their purpose in life, but this city is just one big mosh pit of broken people, broken people hoping the bright lights and shiny skyscrapers can fix them.

They can't.

"How's your hand?" Robin asks beside her, moving his chin slightly to follow his gaze, fixated upon her almost entirely crimson hand now, regardless of the napkin applying slight pressure to the wound, the blood seeps through it, around it, running down to the tips of her fingers and lighting up every line on her skin in red, so many lines she had never seen before, never bothered to look for until they were made blatantly obvious to her.

"Well two idiots at my bar got into a fight and I fell into some glass which then mutilated my hand, how would you be?" She counters, daring to turn and look him in the eyes. The light dances perfectly across his blue irises lighting them up almost iridescently in the silver slivers of moonlight that make it between tall buildings and into the cab. It puts her off slightly, and no, she turns her head away, she only has one man in her life, only needs one man in her life and that's her son, Henry. Shit. Ashley.

Regina fumbles with her one hand to reach her phone in her back pocket, and why did she insist on putting it back there? Her hands struggles between the seat back of the cab seats and her jacket, and she thinks about how strange it is (yet again) that her right hand can do anything but her left hand can barely hold things. Robin chuckles softly at the sight of her scrambling and scratching try to grasp her phone with her left hand and she stops, gives him daggers, that dare him to comment further.

"Here, here," he says biting on his bottom lip to hold back laughter, and god-no. She will not look because this man is not fair, she is not fair. None of this is fair. She had sworn off men, sworn off letting people in once she had finally cleaned herself of Leopold and she was not about to start now just because this man had come to her aid when she was down (literally) and had perfect blue orbs that sent shivers down her spine and when he bit his lip she wanted to tell him she would be more than happy to bite it for him.

Robin's hand snakes behind her and she sucks in a breath, his fingers palming her arse as he searches for her phone in her pocket and she is struggling now, really struggling because she can not remember the last time she was touched like this by a man and consensually, she should not be this strung up over a simple skim of a man's hand on her ass. It just is not her- but it is, it so is and it is him. He finds her phone and his fingers curl around the metal box, and she jerks as his fingers press into her with slightly more pressure. Regina instantly scolds herself, thankful for the darkness of the cab because her face would be lit up in fifty shades of red.

"Jumpy are we?" Robin asks as he straightens up and extends his hand in front of her, opening his palm and she quickly snatches up her phone with a simple nod of her head as thanks. She slides the bar on the screen, unlocks her phone and the keypad jumps up, ready for service when he speaks again. "Calling for help already? I've never made a woman flee so fast before." He means it as a joke but she can hear the curiosity behind it, of why she might be calling someone now as she sits in the dark smelly downtown cab with a cloth napkin wrapped around her hand and a strange man at her side.

"You wish," She snaps with a haughty air automatically and then softens as she types in the final digits of Ashley's number. "No, my son, I have to call the sitter, I assume I'll be home later than expected because of-" she lifts her hands and smiles slightly, "-unforseen circumstances."

Robin laughs and it's a sound deep in his chest resonating out and she finds it comforting and encouraging, she made him laugh, she did that and there goes her ego. She lifts the phone to her ear, leaning slightly away from Robin, and propping her right elbow on the window ledge of the car as the phone rings in her ear.

"Hello? Regina?" Ashley's cheerful voice calls out.

"Yes, it's me dear," Regina assures her and then sighs, sheer exhaustion over the whole events of tonight taking over her and making her head pound. (The bright lights of the city not helping at all.) "I'm going to be later than I first thought, there was an..incident at the bar tonight and I'm on my way to the E.R. If you can't stay I understand I can call-" Regina trails off. Who can she call? She could call Mary Margaret, her ex-step-daughter, their relationship is rather rocky and last Regina heard from her she had just had a son so maybe not her. Ruby, but what time was it? Nearly one am on a Friday, she was probably well sloshed by now at whatever club or bar she had chosen, so no that would not work. Emma? No. She would not release her from time out yet, she still had several issues she needed to work out with that sheriff before she let her near her son again.

"No, oh my gosh, are you okay? It's fine, it's fine, I can stay as long as you need. Don't worry about it, are you okay?" Regina can feel the anxiety Ashley is feeling as she imagines every worst case scenario for why a bartender would be sent to the E.R because of an incident at work as she tries to break through Ashley's string of worries to tell her she's fine.

"Ashley, stop, I'm fine, it's okay, breathe honey, breathe," Regina practically yells into the phone to have her voice heard over Ashley's babbles. "I just fell into some broken glass and sliced my hand pretty badly, nothing too major, nothing to get in such a fuss about. I can take it," She assures the young woman, only twenty years old.

"Oh, okay, I guess that's an improvement from a bar shooting or a broken bone, right?" Ashley asks, and she can hear her deep breathing as she calms herself, Regina laughs. Yes, she promises, it is an improvement.

"Ashley, is Henry still awake?"

"Oh, no, ma'am, I put him to bed at eleven, just like you said, why?" Regina debates whether to have Ashley wake him or not, and then decides yes, because what if he wakes up and she's still not home and he worries about her and the news of her injury would be better delivered coming from her, she can truly reassure him that she is in fact one hundred percent fine in a way that Ashley simply can not.

"Will you take the phone to him, and wake him, I want to personally tell him what's happened," She instructs the woman and listens as she pads through her apartment. Henry, Ashley whispers gently, and she pictures the blonde woman shaking her son gently by the shoulders as he lays curled up asleep on his bed, a Percy Jackson book no doubt fallen beside him or off of him and onto the floor. Henry, and with that second, more firm voicing of his name she hears his answering mumble of what and the static of the phone being handed off.

"Mommy?" Henry says sleepily into the phone.

"Hey, baby," Regina replies softly, not wanting to make putting him back to sleep any harder for Ashley and speaking softly to keep him calm and as near sleep as possible. "Hey, listen baby, Mommy's not going to be home when she said she would, okay? It's going to be a little later than that, I got a cut on my hand and have to have a doctor fix it up for me, okay?"

"Are you gonna be okay?" Henry pipes up suddenly wide awake and Regina sighs, she tried.

"I'm going to be fine, honey, I promise, okay? Now go back to sleep easy for Ashley, she can make you some hot cocoa if you need it. I'll come in and tell you goodnight when I get home, deal?"

"Okay," Henry pulls away from the phone then and she can hear him informing 'Miss Ashley' that Mommy said he could have more hot cocoa. "Make sure that doctor takes good care of your hand Mommy or else how will we hug? How will I give you high fives?"

Regina chuckles and reassures him that even if she only had one arm she would still be able to give him hugs, and then goes on to promise him nothing has happened to make her lose an arm and she was just giving him an example and yes, she will make sure the doctor does not take away one of her arms by mistake, and yes she will be fine, yes, yes, yes. "Goodnight, baby, I love you."

"Oh, Mommy?"Yes? "Are you still mad at Emma, am I not going to see her again?"

And shit. Regina could keep Emma in time out for her own personal spite, but to hurt her son by prolonging her confronting the sheriff and working some things out, that is just selfish and Regina refuses to be a selfish mother like Cora was to her. She hangs her head and let's out a heavy breath.

"Don't you like Ashley?" She says instead trying to distract her son. He is quick to assure her that oh yes, Ashley let him make an even bigger fort than Emma and had not made him clean it up at all, she had cleaned it up all her own, but that he misses Emma and Regina can understand that. He's known Emma for four years of his life, she's practically family. "I don't know baby, when Emma is going to be watching you again. She upset Mommy pretty badly, and I will see what I can do, but for right now can you be happy with Miss Ashley?"

He assures her that yes he cans and adds, "Night Mommy, I love you," and with that the phone is handed back to Ashley, who accepts it with a gentle thank you, Henry.

Ashley returns to the phone speaking immediately and asking Regina if she is sure she will be fine and again, yes, yes, yes. "Ashley!" Regina interrupts her finally, having enough of this needless worry. The girl quiets on the other line and Regina takes a breath. "Thank you so much, for this."

"It's no trouble Regina." Ashley promises and with her easy going personality she can tell she means it. The innocent soul has not yet had a curveball thrown at her by life. Regina talks idle things with the sitter for a moment more before hanging up with a puff of exhaustion and stuffing her phone in her front left pocket, as best she can. Robin shifts uncomfortably beside her and the way he continues to tug at his ear, then run his fingers through his neck hair, does not go past her. She quirks the corners of her lips up, almost amused, almost curious to know what has got him suddenly so antsy but she instead says nothing and goes back to sitting in silence watching the New York City scenery pass by.

Finally, Robin clears his throat and leans forward. "You..uh.. you have a son?" He asks even though he already knows the answer to his question.

Regina decides to humor him and purses her lips, nodding before adding, "Yes, I have a son...Henry." She does not miss the man's glance to her ring finger and tears her hand away from his sight, with a scolding sigh, and a roll of her eyes. She forces her body to turn ever so slightly away from him (against its wishes) and tries to focus on the passing billboards, her thumb absentmindedly toying with her ringless ring finger, sadly.

"Divorced."

"What?" It seems neither of them were tuned into conversation mode anymore.

Regina gives him another scathing sigh and twists herself to face him again as she says as if it's paining her to repeat herself, "I'm divorced."

"Ah," she is about to retort on the fact that that is all he has to say when he surprises her by adding, "As am I." And it's then she notices the lovely drawl of his accent and something flutters deep in her abdomen.

"Besides, my son's adopted, so it's not like it would have mattered anyway," She snaps and she swears she sees the fear of God drop in his face when she says he's adopted. It angers her, only slightly and she has a good sense to lecture him about adoption being a good thing but he does not seem judgemental he seems, terrified, and that puzzles her.

"I see I've offended you, and I apologize, it was never in my interest to hurt you feelings, milady," Robin ducks his head apologetically.

"You didn't 'hurt my feelings', I'm not a child, I grew up in Brooklyn for heavens' sake, it takes more than a man's opinion to bruise me," She remarks saucily with a disapproving raise her brows.

"Either way, let me make it up to you, let me make up for this whole shitty night, after your hand is fixed up and if you want to, of course," Robin suggests and Regina hmms. Intrigued at what exactly he might be suggesting, before she can think herself out of it he chimes, "It's not too terribly cliche to take a bartender drinking, is it?" He has a smirk on his face, dimples that make her putty and she gives an exasperated breath, cracking a smile when she responds.

"I suppose not."

"Fantastic," Robin let's out the breath he had not realized he had been holding. "There's this bar in Brooklyn I've been dying to try, I doubt their bartender will be as talented as the Rabbit Hole's but I figure, it's still worth a shot." Regina snickers and that leads to full on laughing and she should not be laughing this hard and he echoes her laughter with softer satisfied chuckles of his own at watching her like this.

"I saw what you did there, with that, good job," She struggles to form coherent words between gasps for air and breaks for laughs. She gives one last happy sigh that marks the end of all laughing sprees and adds, "Good bar pun."

"I figured I had to try my hardest you are a bartender, I was certain you would have heard them all," He says by way of excuse.

She wants to respond but before she can the cabbie informs them gruffly that they have arrived at the hospital and the journey has run the meter up a decent bit, she reaches for her wallet but he stops her and hands the driver his card, making a small scowl form on her lips. He finds out why once he's exited the car and paraded over to her side, offering her a helping hand out of the cab, "I could have paid. I'm a working woman, I can pay my way."

Robin shakes his head, "You also have your hand all bloody and cut up because of my friends, it's the least I can do." He lifts her elbow , taking her uninjured arm on hand and helping her from the taxi and on to the curb. The hospital doors an eerie iridescent white looming before them, she shivers. Hospitals always rubbed her the wrong way.

"You know, I'm perfectly capable of walking myself in without assistance, it's just my hand," Regina says saucily and he rolls his eyes, dropping his hold on her arm instantly and instead holding the hospital door open for her to pass through. She smiles and as she passes through adds, "I wasn't complaining." She swears she hears him mutter, is impossible, under his breath with a shake of his head as he follows through behind her and she smirks.

"Here I'll go-"

"I can do it," Regina cuts him off and saunters over to the nurse's desk. He sighs and retires himself to sitting in one of the surprisingly comfortable hospital waiting room chairs and watching her figure as she bends over the desk and converses with the nurse, explaining what happened for sure, and then blinks hard in surprise when she is standing in front of him again, a clipboard with paperwork clipped on in hand, and a shit-eating smile on her face. She raises an eyebrow at him and takes a seat beside him, silently.

"Enjoying the view, Mr.-" She stops, she doesn't know his last name and her lips part to ask but he gives it to her without asking.

"Locksley."

She bobs her head, taking the pen from the clipboard and going down the list filling out her information, birthdate, address, insurance, social security, traveling out of the country lately, etc, and adds, "Well, Mr. Locksley, then."

He chuckles and unfolds and refolds his arms, straightening his legs out in front of him and shrugs. "I was actually." She swats him playfully and he scoffs. "What makes you think you were the view I was enjoying?" Regina raises her gaze from the clipboard and he holds his arms out in a surrender position, "Not that you weren't." She purses her lips coyly and returns to filing her information. Regina scolds herself, why should she even care if she was not what he had been staring at so admirably? Why should she care? He did ask you out after this, she reminds herself and sighs with a heave of her shoulder, filling out the final pieces of the paperwork and standing to return it to the nurse.

Robin stands beside her but does not follow, turns down a hallway instead and she watches him go. Watches as his dark blond hair disappears from view, and the smell of pine gone with him. Not that's she complaining, except, well, she is.

"Ms. Mills?"

"Hmm, oh I'm sorry," She apologizes realizing she had tuned out the nurse who was trying to give her instructions. "What were you saying?"

"You can take a seat now, the doctor will be with you shortly," she instructs her with a look to her still vacant seats and Regina nods, forcing a smile and walks back to the empty two seats Robin and her had occupied moments earlier. She busies herself playing on her phone and genuinely jumps when he returns, tossing a bag of potato chips onto her lap and laughing as she nearly jumps out of her skin.

"Well, hello to you too," She snarks and he shakes his head playfully, reclaiming his seat beside her.

"Diet or Regular?" He asks holding up two cans of soda.

"You tell me, does the figure you were admiring look like it drinks regular?" She asks as she opens the potato chip bag and begins to stuff herself with chips, gods, she can not remember the last time she had potato chips. The grease on her fingers making her feel like she was truly getting away with something.

Robin hands her the diet and she swallows her mouthful of chips, "Good answer," and takes a swig. He fancies himself with his regular pop and a weird protein bar with a foreign label that he claims he nabbed from a cart on his way back there and she laughs. "It's like we're on a fucked up first date," Regina tells him raising her bloody hand and they both laugh.

Robin leans in then, closer than they had been before and she gets chills just from his presence. She takes a breath, trying to steady the erratic beating of her traitorous heart inside her chest. "Oh believe me," He starts and she is sure he can hear her heart. "You'll know when I take you out on a date." Regina smirks.

And then he pulls back. The moment breaks and Regina's heart rate returns to normal with a simple roll of her neck and light hearted laugh as they return to munching on the snack food. She is thinking up a counter to meet his smart ass comment with when the nurse calls her name out.

"Ms. Mills?" And just like that the pair are following after the plump young woman into an emergency room and being left alone, yet again. Robin starts to inspect the miscellaneous items on the counter surfaces, picking up a few of them.

"Don't touch anything!" She scolds mother-like, but she cannot help herself.

Robin seems amused by her and picks up a jar of cotton balls, "So I should not be holding this right now, like this?" He asks and she shakes her head.

"No, you should put it down, what if you break the glass jar and then we get into another mess just like the one that brought me here?" Regina reasons.

"Well the way I see it we're already here," He shrugs and let's the jar fall from his hands, her heart drops, her whole expression drops, and then he is catching the jar smugly in his other hand and laughing at her like she is the funniest thing he has ever encountered, and she wonders if maybe, in fact, she is.

"I will kill you Robin Locksley," Regina manages between gasps for air, left hand clutching at her heart.

"Relax, there's no need to be so tense and uptight all the time, for a bartender you're really not the party type," Robin informs her as if she does not already know.

"They are called stereotypes for a reason," She remarks.

"I was not being prejudiced simply stating an observation," Robin defends and she mhmms. Their childish banter is interrupted by a doctor, Dr. Whale according to his name tag, coming in and taking Regina's hand into his.

"Ms. Mills, do you want to tell me what happened to your hand?" He asks, removing the bloody napkin from the wounded hand and starting to wipe away at the blood with a damp cotton ball (from the same jar that had almost perilously crashed onto the floor moments earlier at the hands of Robin).

Regina shrugs, "I just fell on glass."

Dr. Whale pauses, looks up from her to Robin and then back down to her hand. "You're sure this was just an accident of clumsiness, because you're safe here if anyone's-"

"No!" She interrupts too abruptly and then adds quieter, "No it's not like that, we aren't even-he's just some random guy," she fumbles on her words and just forfeits shaking her head. "Nevermind, but no- these two animals got into a drunken brawl at the bar where I bartend and then I was trying to break up their fight and the bigger of the two brutes, shoved me back and I caught myself on my hands in the pile of broken beer bottle glass."

"Well, I suppose then I can save the rest of my domestic abuse prevention speech, but maybe I should give you a stranger danger one instead," Dr. Whale jokes and she moves slightly closer to Robin, of the two men who are strangers to her, he gives off less of an 'I experiment on my girlfriend's ex-boyfriend's bodies in my free time' vibe that was oozing off of Dr. Whale.

"Bartending is a dangerous art, then?" He asks attempting to make idle conversation to distract her as he begins to stitch up her hand, having numbed the area she feels no pain, but pressure, slight pressure as a needle weaves string through her flesh. The thought makes her shudder and he laughs.

"Yes, I suppose," She answers turning her face away so she does not have to watch him stitch her hand, focusing instead on the floor space in front of Robin's shoes, shoes which are suddenly moving and then his hand is on hers, squeezing lightly and she looks up at him and he shoots her a reassuring smile. She smiles gratefully and wraps her fingers around his hand appreciatively.

"Just a random guy, huh," She swears she hears Dr. Whale mutter under his breath but when she questions him he swears he did not speak and she figures it is best not to piss off the man stabbing her hand with a needle. (And the man in control of the pain pills she so desperately wants.)

Regina nods her head instead and soon her hand is fixed up, black stitches making her seem like one of Dr. Frankenstein's creations, and Dr. Whale places a bottle of pills in her hands, taking two out and handing her a small cup of water. "For the pain, because you don't feel it now but you will once the numbing spray wears off and trust me, you'll want those."

She hesitates momentarily, wondering if she should take pain pills or if she should tell the doctor about her past history of drug abuse. Regina decides that no, she won't. It's years behind her and she has overcome it, she is stronger now, she will not abuse these pills, she vows it. Regina pops the pills in her mouth and washes them down with the tiny paper cup filled to the brim with water, and hops off the bed, ready to get the hell out of here.

Robin leads her back outside and they stand a foot apart in the chilly air as he hails them a new cab. "We don't have to go drinking, you should probably just go home to your son, I doubt alcohol mixes well with the high those pain pills are sure to give you."

Regina startles for a moment thinking he knows something about her past and then she relaxes, realizes that pain pills are strong and he is simply making a broad assumption not labeling her. She shrugs, and maybe it's the haze the pills have given her or that she genuinely trusts him, and she could use a drink given the hell her night as been.

"No, I agreed to go drinking with you and drinking with you I shall go," She teases. "And I can take care of myself, thank you." He nods his head and motions for her to board the rusty cab that's parked curbside for them and she does so, mock curtsying as she passes him by.

The cab ride over to Brooklyn is passes by quickly, Robin and Regina finding out random details about each other, like how Robin has a scar that runs up his bicep from when he was in a bad car accident s a reckless teenager, but he had told his son he had wrestled a tiger and it got a good swipe in, making him instant hero material in his boy's eyes.

"You have a son?" Regina interrupts, sidetracking from his next gallivant tale he's telling her. Robin's jaw clenches and she realizes she has touched a nerve, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have interrupted," she apologizes weskly, biting gently on her bottom lip.

Robin shakes his hand, rubbing his hand over his knuckles and clearing his throat. "My son, died," He lowers his eyes from where they had been taking in her full effect. A true beauty, but that was hiding her darkness, he could see it. They are much alike, both have wars waging in their minds to drown out the screaming in their hearts, but pain is pain. And it's evident in her features, in everything, pain is like a disease, it taints you, and as much as you try and ignore it, push it aside, hide it away, it will only grow stronger until eventually all you are is an existence, because pain will find you. Pain will find you when you are relaxed and trying to sleep, pain will find you when you're laughing, a gentle reminder that you do not deserve to be this happy, pain will always find you.

"Robin, Robin!" Regina's urgent cries and tender hand, gripping him slightly and shaking him save him from the rest of his thoughts.

He shakes his head, rubbing his fingers in small circles over his temples. "I'm sorry, what-?"

"I was apologizing for bringing up the subject of your son and apologizing just because, you know when people say something shitty has happened to them in their life I don't know that's just what people do," She explains her eyes drooping slightly in the same adorable way they have been since she took those pain pills.

"Why do people say that?" He wonders latching on to anything that could possibly be a change in subject. She purses her lips, releasing him from her one-handed grip and leans back against the taxi seat.

"I don't know why," She decides promptly. "I mean why-"

"It's not like saying sorry changes anything-"

"And it doesn't bring the dead back from the dead, dead is dead-"

"It doesn't make anyone feel better-"

"No, it really doesn't," Regina agrees with a sad smile and they both sigh, welcoming the silence this time. The rest of the ride is under cover of silence and neither of them makes an attempt to change that until the cab driver informs them that they have reached their destination.

"I'll tell you about my son another time, but tonight, I just want to enjoy a couple drinks with a beautiful woman," Robin practically pleads with her, his blue orbs finding hers again and she smiles, a slow misleading smile that spreads into a full on grin and then she's laughing and he's laughing.

"You know you're rather presumptuous," She says in faux protest as he helps her out of the car and pays the cabbie, who takes off in a rush.

"Am I?" Robin asks, his brow quirking up as they start towards the entrance to this bar he's picked out. MacLaren's, the sign announces.

Regina nods dramatically, "Oh yes," she laughs and reaches for the door but Robin dodges forward and grabs it, stepping out of her way, ladies' first. He falls in line behind her, a hand on the small of her back guiding her towards the bar. She scans the room, taking in the crowd of people, young college girls standing with fruity drinks in tow and swarming around booths in the corner or the old jukebox machine in the back. In a one of the booths making the barrier that separates the empty floor space and bathrooms from the rest of the bar, sits a small group of six. Regina smiles at one woman with dark hair, curling slightly, she's older than Regina, and she smiles back, nods her head slightly before something the blond man wearing a suit says steals her attention away.

Regina takes the bar stool beside Robin and leans closer to him, mischief dancing in her every move. "But I like a man with confidence," She adds and he tilts his head, brows raised and mouth hanging open as if he wants to say something but does not know what to say to her so she just presses her lips together and winks.

"Can I get you guys anything to drink?" the bartender asks interrupting the two.

"Ah, yes, I'll take a whiskey and-" Robin glances at Regina as if she would need to order something lighter than the whiskey and she scoffs.

"Make that two," She gives a definitive nod and stares promptly back at Robin. She never could say no to a challenge. Robin grins and gods, he is a sight for sore eyes, and maybe it's the pills or maybe it's the lust, because it's been a long time, oh it's been such a long time. Focus.

"So," Regina flirts, biting on her lip. "Are you always this charming?"

"You say that like it's a bad thing," He chuckles and leans closer, their noses nearly touching and she wants to lean in, to close the distance and slam her lips against his (slam her whole body against his if she's being honest) but she restrains herself. Saved by the distraction of their drinks being placed before them and she grabs hers, lifts it to his.

"Cheers," the clink of glasses music to her ears. She gives him one last glance and simply smiles, then she's throwing her head back, whiskey scorching down her throat and she does not care, she'll show him who can take her whiskey. She gasp for air, slamming the now empty cup of whiskey onto the counter, eyes wide and pants for breath.

Robin stares at her like she is the most magnificent being to ever grace this earth, like he's been searching for her his whole life, and just a twinge of fear. "Well that's one way to take your liquor."

"Carl!" She says extending her fingers over the bar. The bartender laughs comically and replaces her empty whiskey glass with a new one and she raises it to her lips, sipping at it slowly, properly, this time. She has already shown Robin who he's dealing with now she can be civil and have a decent enough time.

"So, Miss Mills," Robin's voice lowers an octave, scratching in a way that makes her core burn.

"Deputy Locksley," Regina blinks her brown beauties up at him.

"Let's play a game," and he has her full attention, Regina Mills is nothing if not competitive. She straightens at his words, attentive through her haze.

"Okay," She agrees, compliantly.

"I want you to pretend you're a spider-" A black widow, Regina insists as she closes her eyes. He chuckles in her ear, leaning forward and resting his forearms on the bar counter. "Now spin yourself a beautiful web, now tell me how many insects you've caught, tell me what they're like."

"Two." She replies and he makes a mental note, two past lovers. "One is like one of those big ugly bugs with the things and the thing," she makes little clinchers with her fingers and places them against her cheeks and laughs. "He's an asshole bug. The other one is blue and just a little bug."

"Now one of them gets away which one?"

"The blue bug."

"If he could talk what would he say?" Robin inquires.

"He wouldn't say anything," She concludes opening her eyes, and wiping at a hint of a tear. "The blue bug gets away but he dies right as he's escaping. The black widow eats the other bug and then she's alone, perfectly perfect on her perfect spider web." Regina downs her second glass of whiskey and shakes her whole body, there it is, now she feels it.

Robin studies her in awe, his semester of psychology giving him insight into her beautiful and complex mind, that she keeps hidden away but it holds the secrets to her heart, the one she seems to have forgotten she has.

"Now what?" She asks excitedly.

"Nothing," He says, "That was the game."

She pouts her bottom lip out, "That was a stupid game." And so their evening goes, drink after drink. They change it up, have a round of shots, and then sip at some specialty drink for a while before deciding that it is horrible and no one should have to endure that drink ever again.

The bar empties out, the time flies back, the sky darkening and in the back of her mind she thinks about Henry but she remembers that she would not even be off work yet so she is allowed to stay out and enjoy herself at the very least until her shift would have been over. The stool swivels beside her and Robin is on his feet, stumbling off-kilter, but catching his balance and he extends his hand to her, a sly grin on his face.

"Regina, would you give me this dance?" Robin even bows slightly looking at her just above his palm. She chuckles, truly chuckles, and sets down her drink she had been sipping at (more or less when she was not just chewing on the tiny black straw in it) and gets somewhat standing, taking his hand and letting him lead her over to the area of the bar that is just empty floor space. It's not much, just a few square feet of walking space before you reach the hallways that holds the bathrooms, but its perfect for now, for this moment.

"It's a good thing I'm drunk, Locksley," Regina giggles as she joins him on the dance floor to the up tempo song that's playing. They dance. Drunkenly grinding and shaking their bodies in ways that would surely humiliate them come morning and laughing, falling, taking twice as long to stand back up and get the world to stop spinning but from this cloud of passion and then as the old jukebox changes songs and she closes her eyes listening to the music. Her body stills and before either of them realizes it they are in each other's arms.

And all I can taste is this moment.

And all I can breathe is your life.

"And why is that?" He clears his throat, "Why is it good you're drunk?" His voice is soothing in her ear and somewhere in the back of her mind she wants to run, in fact she would run but she does not want to run, even if she knows she should. Knows she would be better off, because no one's ever truly cared for her in the past, not the way she had cared for the ghosts of her past, and now, now she did not know what to do with affection.

When sooner or later it's over.

I just don't wanna miss you tonight.

"Because you're some strange man who's friends got into a fight at the bar where I work, because you're a man who's interested in me and I don't do men," She speaks of men as if they are drinks and she does not daytime drink. "I don't do this- whatever this is."

And I don't want the world to see me.

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand.

"What's different about you now?" He asks as they spin around the floor, not really dancing but not really not dancing. Standing in each other's embrace, swaying and shuffling their feet along the wood floors.

When everything's made to be broken.

I just want you to know who I am.

"I don't know," She confesses raising her head from his shoulder and smiling up at him, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "It's just strangely different here, right now, with you."

He leans in close to her ear pulling her closer by the waist, lips brushing against her neck and he places soft kisses along her jawline, up her throat, over the edges of her lips, her nose, before returning to her ear. "Let's get out of here." She can barely nod before they are heading out the door.

Robin fumbles with his keys, Regina giggling hysterically behind him at his inability to unlock his own door and he turns shushing her (and even that manages to be slurred in his current state) as if that will help him get the damned key into the door. She ducks her head and bites on her lip and for a moment he abandons the key, abandons the door, and takes her into his arms, biting on her own lip for her, sucking it between his teeth, burying his fingers into her hair and she catches up quickly. Starting forward and looping her fingers through his pant belt loops and shoving her hips against his, he's already half hard for her and she smiles seductively.

"Get a room or I'm calling the cops!" a gruff old man's voice interrupts them and Regina grunts in protest, turning to glare at whoever dare disturb them.

Robin laughs and waves his hand as best he can and nods his head, his lips tickling her ear as he informs her, "That would be my neighbor, Gold." Robin turns then and grasps his doorknob in his hand, he twists and the door opens. "Unlocked!" He tells her and starts to laugh again. "It was unlocked!" She starts to babble with laughter again and Robin scoops her up into his arms, carrying her inside cradled against his chest and kicking the door closed behind them.

Regina kisses hungrily along his neck, working her way up and down his throat until she reaches his collarbone, sucking at his pulse point and eliciting a small moan from him. He grasps her chin, tilting it up, meeting her lips with his own, as he drops her back onto her own two feet, splaying his hands along the small of her back and pulling her closer, closer, closer. His fingers ghosting over her neck as their lips brush together. She shivers, pulls back and brushes her nose against his, nudging into the hollow of his cheek.

"Are you going to make out with me like a school boy all night or are you going to fuck me?" Regina husks her fingers wandering increasingly lower, and she's palming him through his jeans, the devil dancing in the silver reflection of moonlight in her dark eyes.

Robin does not need any more goading, taking her back into his arms, gods how he loves the feel of her, not even bare, just her intoxicating presence is enough for him, he thinks. He places a finger on her lips, tilting his head to the side teasingly as if in thought and lets his breath tickle her ear before speaking. "As you wish, milady."

He takes her by the wrist and she feels light, giddy even, but that may just be the pain pills, alcohol and prospect of being had by a man after the drought she was going through mixing together. He props open the bedroom door and pulls her through behind him, leading her to the bed. She pushes him back onto the bed, sinking to her knees, her dark eyes never leaving his and she shoves a hand between his legs, raising up slightly and parting her lips to take his zipper between her teeth when she feels his hands on her, hooking beneath her shoulders and raising her up, changing the game up on her and laying her out on the bed before him.

A masterpiece in her own right. The way the light hits her, the mischief in her eyes, the lust, the yearning, for him. He lowers himself, rucking his fingers into her pant loops and yanks them off, the way Regina's breath hitches in her throat does not go past him. His fingertips skim her thighs, his lips following peppering her legs with warm wet kisses and she trembles beneath him, breathing heavily, as his fingers curl beneath the cloth covering her sex and she bolts up, shaking her head, even in her drunken haze, maybe only because of her drunken haze would she be this bold.

Robin drops his hands instantly backing away from her but she reaches out, catches his arm and pulls him back. "I'm sorry," she whispers lightly, innocently, an air to her that she lacked earlier. "I just-" a loose lock of hair falls to her face now and she pushes it back, back behind her ear, batting her eyes up at him and then no, she can not look him in the eyes. "I've never done- I just it's never been about me." She fumbles, tripping over her own words, clawing her fingers through her hair, raking them over her skin, her own frustration at her incompetency to form a coherent sentence growing.

"I just- I've done this, but I've never done this," She tries again and he cocks his head to the side studying her, pursing his lips in thought.

"You've never been pleasured before," He states simply.

She shakes her head, a ghost of a nope falling from her lips. "I was the pleasurer in that marriage, it was never about me, I don't really know- I just-" she let's out another exasperated sigh and he shushes her, taking a seat on the bed beside her and cupping her face in his arms. He presses a kiss to her temples, and promises, "Only when you're ready."

Regina startles at that, her hands gripping his biceps, holding his hands to her, "Really?"

Robin furrows his brows, who had taken this precious woman before him without her being ready, without her wanting it, who had hurt her? Her husband? Robin practiced his self control in refraining himself from curling his hands into fist, which would surely scare her off.

"I will never hurt you Regina Mills," He vows. "You say when."

She studies him for a moment, takes him in, the strength he has she judges that he could force her by sheer brute strength if he wanted to, but he was choosing not to. She is wary at first, unsure of herself as she leans in slowly and he does not move, let's her come to him, and then she knows, feels that she's safe with him, and when her lips meet his the fiery passion driven rhythm of earlier is reignited in her, in them.

They kiss languidly for a minute, satisfied with the gentle, intimacy a kiss relinquishes and then Robin tenderly lays her back down along the bed, propping himself on his elbow as he lets his hand coast above her neckline, tracing gently over the contours of her breasts, roaming lower, tugging her shirt to the side and letting his fingers splay over the tender flesh of her abdomen; flesh to flesh. He wants more of her, to pleasure her but not to pressure her so he stops, letting his fingers trail sensually along the length of skin just above the cotton lining of her cheeky underwear, pulling back, just a hair's length and she nods her head, nose brushing his skin, and he smiles sinfully.

He rotates his body, his lips planting soft kisses on her neck, his fingers raking down her body, leaving where they had been anchored in her dark heavenly tresses. She moans as he ravages her pulse point, releasing the skin and biting then planting wet sloppy kisses over it. His hands find her blouse and again he lifts his head slightly but she pushes him back, a hushed please falling from her lips. With pleasure, he wants to add. Robin starts with the buttons on her shirt and then she surprises him, her hand grasping the fabric and tearing it straight off, letting it fall from her fingers over the edge of the bed.

Robin grips her body by the rib cage running his parted lips down over her abdomen, dipping his tongue into her navel, making her squirm. He takes his time, worshipping every inch of her body, something that should have been done long before. He feels her breath in her throat as his lips ghost over her hip, a hand dipping between her legs, helping her free herself of her cheeky under garments. He affectionately caresses her curves with his palms, lifting his head one last time to let her stop him, he desperately wants her to want this, he wants to take care of her.

Please, Robin, and that's all he needed to hear.

He lowers his lips to the tops of her thighs, taking the skin between his teeth, giving it a few swift licks, before placing another one, closer to where she is burning, where she needs him if her clawing at the sheets is any indication. Gods, she is a sight, her back arching as the silver light illuminates her olive toned skin, dark raven hair tresses framing her face, luscious lips parted in a pant. He swipes a finger through her folds and she mewls desperately at the tease, she's slick and needy. Her hips jerk, searching for the friction she craves.

Robin's fingers press into her sides and he flicks his tongue through her folds. Regina yelps, her fingers tangling into his hair, hips thrusting towards him and he takes her, sucking her clit, lapping hungrily at her, hooking his arm beneath the crook of her knee and situating her legs on his shoulders. She moans and he grins devilishly.

"Oh, gods," Regina keens, pulling at his hair, face scrunched up in ecstasy. Robin can not help but feel prideful, he's doing this to her, he's pleasuring her the way she never rightly was. He moans, gods, you're so beautiful, Regina, he husks darkly. So so beautiful.

He rubs little circles over her clit and then inserts two fingers and groan. She's slick and slippery between her folds, wet from his spit where he lapped and kissed and nipped. He curls his fingers and she cries out, pleads for more, and he happily obliges. He removes his fingers for just a moment, she hisses at the loss of contact. He smiles smugly at his effect on her. She's about to ask him what the hell he thinks he's doing when he re-inserts them adding a third finger. Yesss she purrs silkily.

He knows she's close, can feel it in the way she tenses around his fingers. He changes the angle, knowing he's hitting just that spot (wondering if she's ever been pleasured there before), and continues pumping in to her, careening her closer and closer to the edge.

Regina cries out and it's like shockwaves rippling through her as a fire pools low in her abdomen, she has never experienced something so earth stoppingly wonderful. Fuck- oh fuck, Robin, fuck, oh god, yes, oh fuck- oh- she clenches around his fingers and finds her release, hips jerking and he holds her, helps her ride out her orgasm, letting her down easy.

Regina lays limply, catching her breath as Robin rises back on to the bed. This is what sex is supposed to feel like, she finally knows it, and he hasn't even been inside her yet. She smiles and he smiles back, "I've never-" she giggles and blushes turning her head away.

"And I haven't even fucked you properly, yet," Robin teases sinfully, eyes dark with desire. For the first time in a long time, she's glad she's relinquished control. She just grins, places her hands gingerly on his face, stroking his cheeks, and kisses him slowly. The taste of his lips is foreign, and it takes a moment to realize it's her.

This realizations stirs a fire in her and she reaches to him, her fingers coiling tightly in his neck hairs, crashing him back down against her and he rises up on to the bed, hovering over her, his length hard against her stomach and she takes him in her left hand. He groans, leans into her touch and she brings her stitched hand, using her arm to pull his hips down harder to hers. She wants him, needs him now.

"Are you-" he pants and she cuts him off nodding. He pulls back, leans across her into his nightstand drawer and retrieving a condom package. She feels him lining up against her and then he's sinking into her and she's gasping, gods, it's been so long. She's tight and he gives her time to adjust, pumping slowly into her until she's hot and needy, clawing at his shoulders with her left hand, moaning and writhing breathless, and needing more. His lips are on hers again, fingers in her hair and she squirms uncomfortably as he crushed her hurt hand, he feels her tense up and pulls back.

"Sorry," she laughs and moves her hand, extending it out to the side. "Okay, continue." Robin stares down at her laughing devilishly but obliges, leaning back down and pressing soft kisses to her, and they fall into a perfect rhythm that has him hitting just that spot in her and she moans audibly, tries to stifle it but he assures her, encourages her, that she should be loud.

"Let me hear you, you stunning," his lips trail down her neck, "beautiful," sucking in the sweet tender skin at her collarbone, hand traveling down to her clit, because he's not going to last much longer and he wants her to come for him again, wants to make her come again. "creature," and her hips jerk up against his, creating more friction just where she needs it and that's enough. "That's it, Regina," He husks.

Regina turns her head to the side feeling her orgasm coming, falling back into the pattern of her life as the body for her ex-husband, turning her head so he doesn't have to see her but then there's a hand on her chin, pulling her back and her eyes blink open confusion written in the knit of her eyebrows, and oh, fuck- she pants, whines desperately, afraid of letting him watch her.

"You're beautiful, Regina," Robin promises, returning to pressing kisses all over her. Her collarbone, the arch of her brow, her right temple, her left. She tenses around him and the pleasure washes over her, rocking through her body and she can't help it, can't move, eyes screwing shut as for the second time this night orgasm overtakes her, shockwaves of electricity pulsing through her and she moans noisily. Robin peaks shortly after her, burying himself deep within her, and then for a moment they both lay there, breathless, breathing the other in, flesh to flesh, foreheads touching and then he rolls off of her. She does not make an attempt to leave or move and Robin curls beneath the covers, drawing her into his arms and she does not protest.

Regina stares at this man in disbelief, this man who might as well be a god to her because she did not know sex could be like- like that. She had been having vanilla sex and she never even knew it, never knew what she was missing until she went to the shop and all they had was superman flavor, and gods was it great.

"Thank you." She gasps.

"Don't thank me for giving what you deserve, Regina," Robin tells her softly, pressing one last kiss into her hair before they fall asleep.

Regina wakes up and the first thing that registers is the pounding in her skull, as if it's trying to split itself apart from the inside out and second, the scorching pain in the palm of her right hand. Only after those two things have registered does she realize where she is, and what she's not wearing, and who she never went home to and shit, shit, shit! This was not meant to happen, she agreed to a date, not a sleepover, but as she recalls the details of last night regret is not one of the emotions racing through her mind. She redresses in a blur of movements and pulls out her phone, and fuck! Where are the pain pills, if she does not do something about her hand she may just cut it off!

Seven missed calls from Ashley. Fuck. She calls her back, cradling the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she slides her jeans back on, working at the buttons with only one hand usable, when Robin saunters in, yawning.

"Look who's finally woken up," He greets with a smug grin on his face and she glares playfully.

"Hello? Regina?" Ashley yawns.

"Ashley! Hey-"

"Henry, isn't up yet, if you're calling about that, and don't worry-"

"I'm so sorry, Ashley, I should have called I just- I had some really strong pain pills for my hand and crashed with, er," She sucks in her bottom lip and gives Robin a glance over before adding, "with a friend. I'm on my way over."

"Okay, Ms. M, I'll see you then," Ashley chirps happily and Regina is only mildly irritated by that and it's mostly her hangover speaking. She hangs up and pockets her phone, channeling all her focus to her damned pant buttons and Robin walks forward, brushing her hand away and buttoning them for her.

"Thank you," She sighs with relief and starts past him.

"I can make a mean french toast and coffee if your head hurts as much as mine, oh! And here," he reaches over to the bed stand where he had laid out two of her pain pills and fresh water when he had woken up this morning, pressing them into her hands. "You probably need them right about now. Who knows, maybe it will even help with the hangover."

"Bless you," She utters as she throws back the pills and washes them down with the cool refreshing better. "And the french toast sounds amazing but I really have to go." Regina pushes past him without another word and then stops as she stands in his front doorway, under the small terrace the building has. "I'll- I'll call you." And with that Regina Mills does something she had only ever made fun of in her life. She takes the walk of shame back to her apartment with a shit eating smile on her face the whole time.