Hey all, long time no write! But after finishing my first semester at college, I'm pleased to tell you I will be back on track with this fic. I apologize for the major delay, but you haven't been forgotten! A big thank you for those who have stayed with me. Please enjoy this short little chapter that wraps up the events of the previous, and don't forget to review! Thanks a bunch!

It's a funny thing how distorted the mind can be when drunk, how amplified and intensified one's emotions can become when under the influence. And to a person like Graham, the effects are staggering. Regina has never seen him like this before. Somehow, somewhere, amongst the frenzy the brunette can't help the painful constriction in her chest as she sees her friend in this state. The man was desperate. But never in her mind would she have ever pictured him to be this desperate.

"Graham…," Regina pleads, struggling against his deathlike grip, "Let go."

"Just kiss me please," the man slurs, holding her close to himself, "One more time…before you leave with him."

"What?!", Regina yelps as she finally manages to wrench her wrist free from his tightened grasp. "Graham stop. I'm not leaving with anyone."

"Yes you are," the man protests, staggering towards her, "You're leaving…leaving me alone."

"You're not thinking straight," Regina states, refusing to take a step backward, refusing to be afraid.

"Please just kiss me, Regina," Graham begs, reaching forward to take her face into both his hands, drawing her close once more. "I need you." He starts forward abruptly in a messy attempt to connect their lips, causing Regina to stumble backward this time.

The brunette twists her face to the side, but he holds onto her like a vice. "Graham," Regina warns shakily as she reaches up to grab his wrists in attempts to pry him off, "St—stop. Please." But Graham surges forward, causing Regina to keep teetering backwards until she hits a wall with a thud. He presses her hard against it with his body.

Trapped between the wall and Graham, Regina tries desperately to shove the man off her and wiggle out from being up against his hard form. "Graham!", Regina yells fervently as the man catches one of her wrists, pinning it to the wall behind her. Her chocolate eyes are wide in desperation as she tries in vain to reach the man underneath the alcohol. "Please, you need to listen to me—Graham!" Suddenly his lips are upon hers in a harsh kiss. Regina's eyes widen, her breath stolen from her lungs. With a groan, she breaks forcefully from the kiss; the man's teeth raking her lower lip in the process. It is her knee that suddenly surges upward, connecting with the inside of the man's groin. Graham gives a sharp cry as he stumbles backwards, doubling over in pain.

It takes him but a moment to recover before he is moving towards her again. But this time, Regina is ready as she thrusts the heel of her palm upwards against the man's nose. "Ack!", Graham yells, staggering backwards yet again as blood suddenly gushes from his nostrils, dribbling down his chin and soiling his hands.

Regina lets out a gasping breath, pressing her back against the wall in shock, her entire body quivering as she struggles to regain her focus. Her chest heaves up and down, heart still pounding away at her chest. She watches as Graham stands halfway buckled over, his hands cupped beneath his chin as blood rushes from his nose.

The man stares downwards, suddenly silent and still. It almost frightens Regina as she ponders what his next move will be. But he merely sighs, finally gazing up to look at her with hazy grey eyes. "Regina I-", Graham begins.

But the brunette clears her throat, shaking her head before pointing in the direction of her bathroom. "Get the fuck out of this room," she growls.

Water flows from the faucet. Regina is seated on the toilet cover with a towel, softly dabbing at Graham's nose as he sits idly next to her on the edge of the tub. It's quiet other than the soft trickle of water in the background until Graham breaks the silence.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs, his voice still slurred.

"Come to your senses now huh," Regina remarks bitterly, yet still continuing to wipe the blood from the man's face. At least the bleeding has begun to slow. "My punch has seemed to sober you up some?"

"Maybe…"

"Just—got a little more—drunk—than I thought I would," comes the answer in a stutter.

"What the hell were you thinking?", Regina questions, tilting his head towards her so that she can see that there no longer remaining traces of blood.

"I don't know…lost control."

Regina sighs, shaking her head as she stands up, discarding the towel into the corner of the bathroom. "Come on," she says, helping the man stand before taking the small wads of tissue gingerly from his nose. "Let's get you home."

"Home?", Graham echoes, not budging.

"Home."

"Aren't I home?"

"No, you are not," Regina states impatiently as she grabs the man's arm and tugs him from his seat and back into the living room. Grabbing her coat and keys, the brunette opens the door; a soft gust of wind blowing into the room. "Come on. Let's go. I don't have all night," she states impatiently. And Graham shuffles through, keeping his head down all the way.

The walk is about ten minutes, around the corner and down a few blocks. Regina has walked the route many times before, however never in a circumstance such as this. Upon reaching the destination, Regina grabs the spare key from underneath the rug, unlocks the door, and pushes it open before stepping aside. Graham turns to look at her, eyes glazed over and distant.

"Shall I put you to bed too, tuck you in, or can you manage?", Regina questions in bitter sarcasm.

"No."

"Then get your ass inside, drink a lot of water, take an Advil, and go to bed." Graham sighs, shaking his head as he steps inside the apartment. "Don't sigh at me like that," Regina chides, "You got yourself into this mess in the first place."

"I'm sorry…"

"And I don't need to hear it," Regina states before pointing behind the delirious man, "Go to bed."

"But-"

"Go!"

Graham sighs, turning and teetering further into the room. One last look at Regina and he disappears into the darkness of the apartment. With a sigh of her own, the brunette shuts the door. She turns and presses her back against the door, tilting her head and resting it against the wood. She closes her eyes, willing herself to inhale deeply through her nose in a count of five and exhaling through her mouth.

Upon arriving back at her apartment, Regina is beyond exhausted. Frustrated with not only Graham but her own self as well, she plops down onto the couch and throws an arm over her eyes. Perhaps it is her fault. Why else would Graham put both himself and herself at risk like this? Had Regina not been half as cruel as she was to him these past few days, none of this would have happened.

In her mind, Regina debates giving Robin a call, terribly in need of the comfort and escape that which he offers. However, the man surely must be sleeping by now if he had spent time with his son this entire day. It is past midnight. But then again, the need for his solace builds a yearning within her chest, just to hear his soothing voice again. So with that final thought, she lifts her phone from her pocket and dials the number.

"Regina." His voice is practically instantaneous.

"You're awake," Regina states, shifting herself to sit on the couch, "What are you doing up at this hour? Did I wake you?"

"No. No you didn't. Don't worry," Robin responds, "Is everything all right?"

"Not exactly," Regina sighs.

"What happened?"

"Nothing I want to talk about right now. I'm sorry. I just—I just wanted to hear your voice."

"My voice?"

"It's…comforting."

"Why thank you I suppose."

Regina smiles just a little, shaking her head. "How was your day with Roland?"

"Very nice, thank you. He dragged me to the park for the umpteenth time. We fed the ducks, ate some gelato. He's still asking about you."

"Really?". Regina's brows arch.

"Yes. He's excited to see you at his birthday party."

"So am I," Regina replies, smirking, "I'm honored to be invited."

"Well the pleasure is ours," Robin chuckles, "He has indeed developed quite the crush on you."

"Really?", Regina asks, eyes widening.

"Yes. He can't but help going on about how pretty you are, and how 'awesome' and 'cool' it is that you do ballet. You're practically a goddess to him."

Regina blushes. "Wow," she breathes.

"Wow indeed."

"And what does his father think?", comes the following question, accompanied by a bite lip.

"Well I think I'm the luckiest man alive. Cliché I know, but it's true. I'm the luckiest man alive to have someone so beautiful, and so filled with a fiery passion such as you. It's only been what? A little over two weeks since I've met you, but I feel as if I'd known you for even longer. You're the most interesting woman I've ever met. You're intelligent, witty, incredibly sarcastic but in the best of ways. You're sensitive, thoughtful, and compassionate despite the way you present yourself outwardly to others. Underneath it all, you have a gentle heart, one that is soft, tender and loving. You've had to make me work hard to dig deep and find it. But that's what I love the most about you."

Regina shakes her head as she listens to his monologue, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "I don't deserve such words," she whispers softly.

"But you do," Robin insists, "You deserve every bit of it. And the fact that you say this now, that you don't deserve it makes it true. You are so humbled."

Regina sighs, still unable to believe his words. "About a week ago you said that you wanted to see me as I truly am without the facade, without the mask. You said you wanted to see what happens behind the curtain when it falls." She shakes her head again. "I'm a monster," she whispers, allowing tears to dribble down her cheeks, "It's my fault. I did this to myself, but more importantly to Graham. I hurt him. I was so cruel to him. Because I loved you. I put him in danger tonight, and made him do something he would normally never be so stupid as to do. And thank God he ended up at my home, and not assaulted, or run over by a car."

"Regina," Robin's voice states, becoming slightly more forceful, "What happened?"

"He came to me drunk," Regina sobs, "I didn't know he would come to this but he did. I didn't know how fragile he was, how desperate his mind was."

"Did he do anything to you? Regina did he hurt you?"

"No," Regina whispers shakily, "Just emotionally, but nothing I couldn't handle."

"Where is he now?"

"Back at his apartment. I walked him home."

Robin sighs, "Regina, I wish you had called me earlier. I wish I was there for you, to protect you, to comfort you."

"No Robin. Please don't get the wrong impression. Graham isn't a bad man. He didn't try to intentionally hurt me. He was just desperate."

"Yes Regina, but desperate people do desperate things. Trust me, I would know."

Regina frowns. "You would know? How?"

"Never mind about that, Regina," Robin sighs. "Look, all that matters is that you are safe."

"Now that I've talked to you I am," Regina murmurs.

"Then I'm happy to have helped in the least bit possible." Regina nods although he cannot see. "And don't blame yourself for what happened. The man must be held fully accountable for his actions. He won't do that again?", Robin questions.

Regina shakes her head. "No he won't."

"Be careful Regina."

"I will. I promise."

"Good. Now get some rest. You must be exhausted."

Regina nods. "I am," she states.

"Goodnight," Robin whispers.

And her smile returns. "Goodnight."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Her phone rings at precisely eleven o'clock. Groaning, Regina rolls over, refusing to answer it especially when she flips over the device to see her mother's caller ID flashing on the screen. She instead falls back into a light sleep, still terribly exhausted from the events of yesternight. An hour later and she hears the door slam, a sound which jolts the brunette awake, awake for good this time. Rubbing her eyes, Regina's eyes widen as she catches glimpse of the time on her bedside clock.

"Damn," she mumbles, pushing back the covers to come and stand on wobbly legs, still wrought with exhaustion. Trudging all the way to the bathroom, the brunette splashes cold water on her face in meager attempts to wash away the groggy feeling. Upon staring at herself in the reflection of the mirror, Regina sighs softly. She looks pale, tired; her expression that of uncertainty, of profound confusion. Shaking the somber feeling away, she continues to fix herself; applying makeup to cover up the bags underneath her eyes for whatever's left of the day.

"Dang you look awful Regina," Tink comments as she turns from the kitchen counter and gazes at her friend. "What gives?"

Regina shrugs the subject off. "Nothing," she replies, "Just tired."

"Just tired?", Tink repeats, "That's what you always say."

"So?"

"So, 'just tired' always means something more Regina. I've known you a little bit you know."

Regina shakes her head, brushing past Tink to grab herself a bowl for cereal. "Graham came by drunk last night," she confesses after a silence.

"Drunk?", Tink asks with a furrow of her brow, "That's so unlike him. He doesn't even really drink…"

"I know. And he was really drunk. Practically wasted."

"What did he say?"

"He wanted me to kiss him and kept trying too. But I gave him an uppercut to the nose."

Tink snickers. "The poor man," she chuckles.

"The poor man?", Regina echoes offendedly, "What about me?"

The blonde shrugs. "He's a desperate guy, what more could you say?"

"He's weak, that's what he is."

"He loves you."

"That's his weakness."

"Love?"

"Yes."

"Then that must apply to you."

"According to my mother yes. She knows that is why I won't take the job."

"Because you love Robin." Regina nods.

"But don't you know that love is strength too?"

"Not in this case."

"But it is. It's what will keep you fighting for what truly matters to you. It gets you through times like this. Think about it. What has been allowing you to wake up each and every morning? What keeps you going through even your lowest days the past few weeks?"

Regina thinks a moment before smiling softly. "My meetings with Robin," she whispers.

"Yes Regina. See?"

"I called him when I got home from dealing with Graham. I just needed to hear his voice."

"See that's what I mean. You love Robin. He's your-"

"Sanctuary."

"Exactly. That's not something you should let go so easily."

Regina nods firmly, staring straight into her best friend's eyes. "Trust me, I won't."

It's the beginning of another long week of rehearsals to which Regina is dreading, mostly for having to see Graham's face for the next six days. Speaking of which, she hasn't heard from the man all day yesterday. However, she can't really blame him. She is most certainly not surprised.

When Regina strides through the doors at nine o'clock this Monday morning, she heads for the normal studio for warmup class. Walking towards her normal spot at the barre, the brunette catches the eye of the one man she hoped she at least would not have any contact with for at least the duration of this class. But alas the man makes his way towards her, carrying his shoes in his hand.

"Regina," Graham greets, sitting down next to her place on the floor.

"Graham," Regina returns with a nod, continuing to fiddle with her perfect bun, pinning up an imaginary loose strand of hair.

"I'm sorry…"

"Graham, I don't need to hear it," Regina sighs, refusing to look at him, "It's in the past."

"I know. But for me, for me to forgive myself I need to tell you that. I need to know that everything will be all right between us."

"So that what?"

"So that I can move on."

Regina furrows her brows, turning to look at the wide grey-eyed man in confusion. "Move on?", she repeats slowly.

"Yes," Graham mutters with a shake of his head, almost as if in shame. There's a silence before he speaks again. "You're right you know. I am weak."

"Glad to finally hear it."

"It's just that you're the first woman I fell madly in love with. And seeing you with him…It tore my heart to pieces."

"I'm sorry Graham," Regina murmurs, "But I can't help the way that I feel."

"I know," Graham sighs, "I know that now." He shakes his head again. "I almost hurt you last night."

"You did almost."

Graham gazes at the brunette, eyes shining and glossy. "I don't know if I'd be able to live with myself if I harmed you…all because of my jealousness, my anger and frustration."

"But you didn't. You were just desperate."

"I was. But after what I almost did to you…I see clearer now."

Regina frowns. "It took you one day to finally see clear?", she asks somewhat skeptically.

"The fact that I almost hurt you-"

"My uppercut knocked some sense into you?"

Graham chuckles humorlessly. "Yes, I suppose you could put it that way." Regina nods. "But the truth is, is that I'm willing to let you go now." Regina exhales softly, looking away to avoid his eyes. But the man reaches out towards her slowly, taking her chin to move her to look to him once more. He holds her in his hand in a soft touch. "You love him?", he asks.

"Yes. I do."

"Well I love you Regina," Graham states gently, "But no matter what you choose or who you choose, I'll still love you."

Regina smiles softly. "Thank you Graham," she whispers, "You'll always be dear to me, no matter what."

The two remain locked in each other's gaze until the teacher enters the room and the sound of the pianist warming up the piano begins to echo through the studio. Regina and Graham stand, turning their attention towards the instructor as he begins giving the first warmup practice combination.

The class commences, Regina having thrown herself as usual into getting her muscles warm and ready for the long day ahead. She works up a decent sweat by the end of the class, one that leaves her satisfied and confident in her preparation and readiness for the day, yet not overly exhausted. Heading towards the grand studio just after warmup finishes, Regina mentally prepares herself for rehearsal for the swan scene in Act One with the corps de ballet. This is always a somewhat of a more stress-free rehearsal, as the Master Cassidy tends to focus more on the corps as they need special attention in making their movements to be the utmost precise as well as synchronized with the rest of the group. It is always the backup dancers who make the ballet complete, as they set the tone as well as highlight the lead dancers.

As Regina stretches on the side, keeping warm, whilst Cassidy busies himself with the other dancers, she glances at her phone discreetly to find another missed call from her mother. Rolling her eyes, she tosses her phone on top of her dance bag and groans under her breath.

"Regina?", Cassidy suddenly speaks, calling the brunette, "I'd like to have you mark where you are for the pas with Graham, just so I can view the spacing for the corps."

At that Regina raises her head and nods, jumping up to stand and head towards the center of the studio with Graham. All other thoughts having been pushed aside for now she takes a deep breath and begins to mark through their pas de deux amongst the other dancers.

Don't worry it's not over yet! So much more to come! Thank you for reading and I'll have an update for you shortly!