It feels much later than it is when Regina returns to the hospital. She's tired and her shoulders feel weighted and there's a dull ache at her temples—it's been quite the day, and she's barely had a moment to breath, a moment to stop and collect her thoughts, a moment to process how she feels. Up until this point, she's only been reacting.

Now, she stands at the end of the hospital corridor, watching through the small window in the door as Robin holds his daughter. A nurse is with them, handing him a bottle, adjusting her arms as she explains, presumably, to Robin how to feed the baby. He's listening diligently, his arms mimicking hers as he adjusts the small girl who's nestled in his arms. He beams with pride as he looks down at her, smiling so deeply that his eyes crinkle at sides. She watches as the baby takes the bottle, her small mouth forming around it as she sucks. From the corner of her eye, she sees Robin's shoulders relax—a small triumph, no doubt; but her eyes remain focused on the little girl–her cheeks are rosy, her dimples pronounced, and her bright blue eyes are locked into Robin's. She looks just like him, Regina finds herself thinking—and already, she's such a Daddy's girl. Regina smiles at the thought.

Regina finds that as she watches them, so content together, her own shoulders begin to relax. She takes a breath before pushing the door open, not wanting to intrude on the sweet moment between father and daughter, but not wanting to position herself as an outsider looking in.

"Looks like you two are enjoying some much-deserved quality time together," Regina says gently as she enters, taking the first step into the room, the first step toward acceptance.

Robin's eyes slowly meet hers, and he nods. "Indeed, we have—but we missed you."

The nurse stands and excuses herself, and Regina moves to the chair she'd been occupying. Leaning in, she peers at the baby girl in Robin's arms and again, she finds herself smiling. Regina can feel Robin's eyes watching her. She reaches out, tentatively running her two fingers over the bottom girl's tiny socked foot. "She's absolutely perfect," she breathes, finding it difficult to look away from the baby.

"She's got a clean bill of health, too," Robin reports. "She's been poked and prodded and scanned, and everything's just as it should be." Regina looks up. "The doctors were worried that, perhaps, because of the way things progressed so quickly, something might not be fully developed or caused some sort of issue, but, everything checked out just fine."

"That's such a relief," Regina says, watching as he sets down the bottle and slowly turns the child upward, laying her against his shoulder. Again, Regina smiles, as Robin's palm presses into the baby's back, covering it almost entirely, as he gently tries to burp her. "And you are looking like quite the baby expert."

Robin laughs softly at the comment, "Funny that you say that because I've spent the last several hours wondering how Roland survived infancy."

Regina laughs, too; and for a moment, she realizes, she's forgotten—she forgotten about Emma and Hook, forgotten about what happened in Camelot, forgotten about Zelena's escape. The things that occupied the forefront of her mind just minutes before, things that demanded so much of her focus, somehow, at least in this moment, seem so much less important to her.

She takes a breath and sits back in the chair. "Zelena…escaped." Robin's eyes dart to meet hers; and instantly, his jaw tenses and his grip on the baby tightens. "Emma was going to kill her, so that idiot pirate cut off the cuff."

"So, Zelena's just…out there…with her magic," he says, his eyes meeting hers as his jaw tenses.

"I thought she might have come here, but…"

Robin shakes his head, and closes his eyes as he grimaces; the expression on his face is heartbreaking. "No," he confirms. "She hasn't been here since Emma vanished with her."

She reaches out, touching her hand to his knee and wanting nothing more than take away his pain and undo all of the terrible things Zelena's done in her name. Her hand slides up his knee. "Robin, I promise you—Zelena is not going to get her hands on your daughter. She's not going to hurt you or her, or any of us anymore. Magic or not, she won't hurt us."

"You can't know that," he tells her, his voice suddenly hoarse.

"Oh, I'm not saying that she won't try. But if she does, she's going to have to go through me first." Robin's eyes shift to meet hers, and even she is struck by the ferocity in her voice. "Because if she thinks that she's going to be able to exploit this sweet girl to cause more pain, just because she gave birth to her, she's sorely mistaken." Regina shakes her head, "I won't let Zelena use her like that."

He moves his hand to cover hers. "Thank you, Regina."

"You don't have to thank me," she says easily. "I grew up with a manipulative mother who used me at every chance she got…and…your daughter deserves better than that."

He starts to respond, but is interrupted by the gurgling sounds coming from his daughter. Regina eases back her hand and watches as he gently pats the baby's back, watching as he turns his head to look at the little girl against his shoulder, watching as he gently taps her back, rubbing his palm firmly as whispers to her.

She catches herself smiling, watching as he cares for the baby, remembering how she used to watching him interacting with Roland in the Enchanted Forest and remembering how much she loves this side of him—the selflessly devoted father—and remembering how she slowly and secretly fell in love.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs, as she shifts the baby to the crook of his arm, glancing up at Regina as he wipes the corners of the baby's mouth.

Regina shakes her head dismissively, quietly noting there's nothing to apologize for, still smiling and still remembering, as she watches him stand and place the girl in the clear, plastic basinet. She watches as he waits, making sure the infant's eyes stay closed as he adjusts the blankets around her, making sure she's safe and secure. She watches his gaze as looks down lovingly at the child, and she feels a small flutter deep within her chest.

With a final glance at the baby, he turns to her, offering his hand. She takes it and he pulls her up and kisses her forehead, then her cheek, and then her lips. He lets his lips hover, and she can feel his warm breath against her lips. Closing her eyes, she stands there, basking in the small moment and in his closeness, releasing a long breath, as he pulls her up against his chest and wraps his arms around her and he head settles against his shoulder.

"Thank you," he murmurs softly in her ear, as he holds her close. She shakes her head, and whispers that there's no need to thank her, but he only replies with more words for gratitude.

She steps back slightly, just enough to look him in the eyes. She smiles as their eyes meet—his blue eyes are soft and tired, mixed with so much emotion that she can't quite decipher how he's feeling. Reaching out, he traces the back of two fingers along her jaw and his thumb gently traces the scar on her lip. "But I do have to thank you, Regina."

"For what?"

"Because you're here," he says simply. "I know this is difficult for you. That this whole situation has been hard, and it's been painful. I thought we'd have more time to…adjust and figure all of this out…"

"None of this is your fault."

Robin nods, "But it's not your fault either. And I would never have faulted you had you walked away."

"I can't do that," she counters, shaking her head and wondering how he could think that would ever be an option for her—how he could ever believe she could turn her back on someone she loves.

"And that's why I'm thanking you," he tells her with a soft sigh. He steps back, and his hand falls down to hers, gently tugging her in the direction of the glider. He sits down and tugs her down onto his lap, and she laughs a little as she settles herself with an arm around his shoulders. "I really thought we'd have time to…discuss all of this," he tells her, almost as though confessing something. "I wanted to discuss it, but every time there was a spare moment, I told myself, it wasn't the time."

"In your defense there haven't been many spare moments to chose from."

"Well," he sighs, "Regardless, it just seemed unfair to take one of those rare moments and use it to discuss something that brought you pain…especially with everything else you have to worry about these days."

"We should have had seven more months to discuss it," she offers in reason, offering him a sad smile as she wonders how long he's wanted to tell her this. He's right—this has been difficult; but, it hasn't just been difficult for her. She's watched as he's struggled to cope and comprehend his situation, struggled with the conflicting emotions, and struggled to put on a brave face and move forward, to support her through Stroybrooke's next and current crisis. "Robin, this hasn't been easy on you, either."

"No," he's quick to admit. "I just wish that…there was more time for us to…" He sighs, shaking his head. "I just wish there was more time for us." He glances away from her, she follows his eyes, watching as they fall on the sleeping infant. "And now, we'll have even less time."

She watches as Robin turns back to her and offers her a sad smile and again, she sees that indecipherable mix of emotions; he's struggling against his own happiness, struggling against the 'how' and the 'why', unable to enjoy it for what it is. Her heart clenches.

"I wish we'd had time to talk," Regina hears herself say. "I wish we'd had time to discuss, and plan, and be honest about what we're feeling." She pauses and waits for his eyes to meet hers, and then she smiles. "I wish that I could have told you that even though I hate everything about this situation—I hate that my sister was able to use you to hurt me, I hate that she manipulated you and Roland, and I hate that she used your love for me against you." She feels her shoulders tensing and for a split second, she wonders if she was wrong to not let Emma kill Zelena. But she pushes the feeling away; this isn't the time or the place to try and sort out her complicated feelings for her sister. Her sister has already intruded enough. "I hate so much about the situation, Robin, but…the thing is…" She shakes her head and feels a smile tug at the corners of her mouth as she glances to the baby sleeping beside them. "I don't hate her. In fact, now that she's here, I'm realizing that it's quite the opposite."

She looks back at Robin to find his eyes looking intently at her.

"Up until tonight, I didn't know how I felt about her. It was hard for me to separate her from Zelena, from the situation." Reaching out, Regina rubs presses her fingers over his stubly cheek, in an attempt to comfort him, in an attempt to reassure him. "But I really did mean what I said earlier—you having a daughter, it really is wonderful." She pauses and again feels a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, "And I think it's going to be wonderful for us."

Robin smiles and she feels his shoulders relax. "You know, whenever I thought about another a child, I wanted it be a girl." He shakes his head, "I just thought it'd be nice—since we both have sons." Regina smiles, too; then watches as Robin's smile fades. "I hate that Zelena took that away from us."

"Zelena didn't take that away from us," she replies, feeling her breath catching at the back of her throat, as she looks away from him. "I did."

"Regina…"

"I took that away from us before I knew that you and I were a possibility." She shrugs her shoulders, "I wanted to hurt my mother and I…thought…" She shakes her head as a knot forms in her stomach and tears threaten to fill her eyes. "It doesn't matter why I did it, just that I did it. We can rightfully blame Zelena for a lot of things, but…not that."

She feels his arms tighten around her and she feels his lips press against her hair in an effort to console her. She closes her eyes and focuses on breathing in and out, and keeping her tears at bay. "Regina, I didn't mean…"

Opening her eyes, she blinks back her tears and looks at him directly, "Does it bother you? When I told you I didn't ask because I didn't want to know. Then, I didn't want to bring it up because, again, I didn't know if I wanted to hear your response." She takes a breath, "But I think I need to."

His eyebrows arch and he looks genuinely surprised by her question, and for a brief moment she wonders if she only imagined that she told him that night in New York. "Regina, you can't possibly think that I…" He stops. "No, it doesn't bother me that you and I will never conceive a child. I didn't mean…" He sighs. "Regina, when I mentioned wanting a daughter with you, I meant that I thought that one day, we might adopt a little girl."

"You…did?" She asks, smiling as she feels a rush of emotion.

"I did," he confirms with a nod and a slow smile. "I thought, maybe in a few years, it was something we could start to think about." Reaching out, he tucks a straying stand of hair back behind her ear. "I didn't think it was a conversation we were quite ready for, but it was something I thought about from time to time, and then…" He sighs. "Then everything happened."

She nods and her smile deepens; and she doesn't admit aloud that she's had those same thoughts about their future. "So, you always saw us together for the long haul," she says instead.

"Always," he replies easily. "One thing I've always been absolutely sure of was my love for you, no matter the circumstance."

Regina feels her cheeks flush and she glances away, her eye catching the little girl, soundly sleeping in the bassinet beside them. And for the first time, she wonders if perhaps Zelena has inadvertently given them everything they've always wanted. She lets her eyes linger for a moment, looking at the sleeping child and letting herself imagine what it would be like if the baby were hers.

Taking a short breath, she looks back at Robin, "So, when did they say you can bring her home?"

"Tomorrow," Robin answers, slowly dragging the word out. "Regina, I don't want to…"

Her eyebrows arch and she turns her whole body toward him, "Robin, if you are about to say you're going to take that tiny, infant back to camp in the woods…"

He laughs out, and again, she finds herself surprised at the certainty and conviction in her voice. "I don't want to impose. Having a baby around isn't…easy."

"I've always assumed that when she was born, she'd live with…us." She pauses and smiles gently, keeping her voice even. "I guess it's just another thing we never really got around to discussing, but we do live together. Since you and Roland came back from New York, we haven't spent a night apart. Roland has a bedroom at my house. Your clothes hang in my closet. Henry sets four spots at the table and we eat dinner as a family." At that, Robin smiles and Regina feels her own grin deepening. "So, regardless of whether or not we've discussed it or made any formal decisions, you and I are living together…and your daughter is more than welcome in my home…our home." She pauses, "The room next to ours is practically empty. We can turn that into a nursery."

Regina watches as Robin grimaces at the mention of a nursery.

"I've spent a very good portion of the evening thinking about all of the things babies require in this world." He shakes his head, "And I haven't even begun to understand what half of them are, let alone start to accumulate them."

"Well, it's a good thing you have me," Regina replies with an easy smile as Robin's eyes meet hers. "With a flick of my wrist, she'll have everything she need. And more." She stops, considering for a moment. "I still have bassinet and a glider from when Henry was a baby that we can put in our room, so we have easy access to her until she's sleeping through the night in her own room, and I'm sure Mary-Margaret will be over with tons of advice on infant care…she won't be able to help herself, and…"

"Thank you," be breathes out. She opens her mouth, ready to remind him that he doesn't have to thank her, but he stops her, touching his fingers to her lips. "Thank you for accepting her."

Regina nods and glances over at the baby, "How could I not? I mean…look at her." She rests her head on Robin's shoulder, glancing up to see him turn to look at the baby. "She looks like you, you know that?"

"You think?"

"Those blue eyes? Those dimples?" Regina asks, as her eyes turn back to the baby, "Absolutely. And she's beautiful."

"Well, I agree with you there. She is beautiful, but I am rather bias."

Regina laughs, "Have you considered what we'll call her?"

She feels Robin nod, "I was considering Eloise."

Regina lifts her head from his shoulder, "Eloise," she says. "That's a beautiful name."

"It was my mother's," Robin tells her. "Everyone called her Ellie when she was a girl."

Regina smiles as she looks at the little, sleeping so peacefully in spite of the chaos she was born into, as she mulls over the name. "I think it fits her. She looks like an Ellie."

"Do you think so?" Robin asks, his voice piquing. "I…wasn't sure."

"I think it's perfect."

Regina rests her head back against Robin's shoulder, and her eyes remain focused on the sleeping baby. She lets him hold her, as she drags her fingers back and forth against the base of his neck, as she finally allows herself to relax; and finally allows herself to dream about what raising this little girl together might be like.