Day 1 - Getting to know you

Robin was fascinated by the Queen from the very first moment he saw her. She looked just like Regina, the woman he wanted to forget, and yet she was different, she had something that pulled him to her no matter how much he wanted to fight it.

He couldn't stop thinking about her.

When he came back to the Wish Realm, he thought he would never see her again.

So he was stunned to see her in the tavern, offering a drink and a new beginning for the both of them. He'd accepted her drink and enjoyed her company and her laugh, and then it was him who ordered another drink and then one more and all of a sudden he was sitting right beside her with his hand at the back of her head as he pressed their lips together for the first time.

It felt like magic.

That first night Robin figured out that she's quite a good kisser (the best, if he was being honest) but that was all. She asked him questions and talked about everything but when he thought about their conversation again he realized that he knew nothing about her.

She had stone walls all around her, Robin realized. She had spent her whole life living all by herself (he knew that from Regina, she'd told him that much) and didn't trust anybody but herself.

He was determined to break her walls down and get to know the real her.

Robin worked on his task very carefully and slowly, trying not to push her too far, watching her closely. But everything was useless. Every question he asked, she answered but not with the answer that let him know her better.

It took time, lots of time.

They've lived for a month together and yet he knew only her name and what she let him to know (which was basically nothing) while she knew everything about him. But one night everything turned upside down.

She was sleeping peacefully beside him as he watched her – she'd threatened him that if he fell asleep and let some bug touch her again she'd set him on fire - when all of a sudden her face turned into a frown and she started shaking her head from side to side, her whole body tensing. Robin was surprised – that had never happened before.

He waited for a moment or two, thought it will pass and she'll fall into a peaceful sleep again but her shaking became even worse. He had to wake her up!

Robin shook her slowly, gently, not wanting to startle her even more but she just murmured something he couldn't quite understand and continued to shake. He tried again, this time his shake was a little more insistent.

It worked!

Her eyes shot open, desperately running around the tent and he pulled away a bit, giving her space in case she needs it. Her eyes focused on him and her mouth opened but nothing came out except harsh breaths.

"Everything's okay," he says quietly and she nods her head, presses her lips together in a thin line. There are tears in her eyes and she struggles to breathe.

Robin touches her cheek gently, not actually knowing what else to do – he never had to comfort anybody, he's not used to it – and all of a sudden she lets out a sob and breaks down.

It's the first time he sees her like this. She's been always strong and confident and sassy around him, never showing her true feelings. But now, now something's changed.

Without thinking he pulls her into his arms and holds her close to his chest, whispering words that are meant to comfort her.

"Please, talk to me," he asks her later when she's calmed down and looks almost just like her old self despite tear tracks on her cheeks and red eyes and running nose.

He's still holding her in his arms and expects her to pull away but she surprises him by taking a deep breath and whispering that it was a dream about her past, she remembered things she would like to forget.

That night she tells him bits and pieces about her life as the Evil Queen.

He gets to know her that night, it's nothing compared to the mystery she still carries around herself, but Robin thinks that he's getting somewhere.

A few days later Robin comes back from the woods to find her sitting in a tavern with a little boy, playing what looks like a card game. Her smile is bright and her eyes are lighter than he'd ever seen and for the first time she looks actually happy.

That day he realizes another thing about her – she has a weakness for children.

She seems to be getting more and more relaxed around him, Robin notes, because she tells him more about herself, about her likes and dislikes and she's smiling and laughing and kissing him more carelessly and more often.

But he thinks they've reached another level in their relationship when she tells him about her dreams.

"I've always wanted to live a happy life," she tells him one day when they're laying near the river. "But I also wanted to live a life everyone talked about. You know, like some kind of a legend," she tells him and when he hums in response, she continues, "I thought we should start living this life of my dreams together."

"What do you mean?" he asks interested, lifting himself a bit so he can see her better.

"The Evil Queen and Robin Hood, we should really make something out of our lives," she explains with a laugh and turns back to look at the sky for a moment. Then she takes a deep breath and turns to look at him again, "We could steal from the rich and give to the poor. Or keep some things to ourselves," she adds with a smirk and he laughs at her before pulling her into a quick kiss.

"I would've never thought you wanted to be a thief," he teases and she rolls her eyes at him, but the smile is still on her face.

"You still don't know many things about me, thief,"

Indeed, he thinks, but doesn't say anything, instead wraps his arms tighter around her and kisses her again.

It's two years later when they're celebrating their relationship anniversary with wine and delicious food and him between her legs that he realizes he will never get to know her completely. Bits and pieces of their life together, her reactions and fights and breakdowns helped him to learn some things about her but she's still a mystery to him.

She'll never be an open book.

However, it doesn't bother him anymore.

He's realized that he will be the happiest man in all the realms if she lets him spend the rest of his life trying to figure her out. Because life with this mystery woman beside him is more than he could ever dream of.

(...)

Hope you liked it! :)