A/N: First of all English isn't my native language, so I apologize for any linguistic errors. Secondly, I'm not sure where I'm going with this. As I was going through my old stuff, I found this and I thought, why not post it and see what happens. Anyways, happy reading!

"Robin?"

"Yeah, Buddy," Robin replied a bit absentmindedly as he was trying to get the proportions of the right, back leg of the horse he was sketching correct.

"I think someone's hurting my mom."

The hand that had been moving the pen over the paper froze and Robin's head snapped up to look at the boy. The boy in question had his head tucked down and moved his crayon absentmindedly over the paper, creating an abstract pattern. His shoulders were slouched and he wore a sad expression.

"Why'd you say that?" Robin asked, the knot in his stomach growing with each second that passed by. His full attention was now on the boy, the drawing long forgotten.

Henry shrugged without meeting Robin's searching eyes and kept moving his crayon, adding circles and lines without much enthusiasm. "We had this Awareness Day in school yesterday because of what happened last week," he began.

'Because of what happened last week.' Robin remembered Regina unexpectedly having to leave the office early last Thursday after having received an urgent phone call during their afternoon staff meeting. She never returned that day.

When they talked Friday morning, she had revealed to him that the reason for her urgent departure the day before had been due to that a girl two years older than Henry had jumped from the roof of the school. Through the hearsay of other parents, Regina had found out that the girl had left a note behind, accusing one of her teachers of molesting her. When Robin asked her if her son had seen the girl jump, her reply had been that Henry, and the rest of his class, had thankfully not witnessed the incident.

Either way, the school had called for all parents to take their children home until everything was back under control. Robin, having become quite close friends with her over the months they had worked together, had noticed that the incident had taken a toll on Regina, her son being just two years younger than the girl who had been declared dead at the scene. Regina had also told him about the conversation she had had with Henry afterwards, how she had almost pleaded with her son to tell her if something was wrong or if someone had done anything that made him feel uncomfortable. She had also made him promise that if he felt he couldn't talk to her, that he at least talks to someone, but that she hoped that he felt he could talk to her no matter what.

Robin was pulled from his memories when Henry continued speaking. "There was this woman there, telling us what's okay touching and what isn't. She told us what signs to look for so that we can see if someone might be in trouble, so that we can help. She told us that it's not unusual for the person to be jumpy, to get startled when you touch them unexpectedly, even if it is just a friendly touch or brush when you pass by. She also told us that sometimes, the ones in trouble usually keep to themselves, they don't try to make a lot of friends. And my mom does those things. She jumps if she doesn't hear me coming, she usually tenses up when someone is accidentally brushing against her at the supermarket and she doesn't have a lot of friends that she likes to hang out with. She says it's because she likes spending time with me, but I don't think that's the only reason she doesn't see her friends as often. And then there's the crying, and the nightmares. Sometimes, at night, when she thinks I'm asleep, I can hear her crying in her room. Other nights, I wake up to her screaming and when I go into her room to see what's going on, she looks terrified. On those nights, she usually lets me sleep in her bed, she says it is to make me feel better, an apology for having scared me awake. But I know she needs it more than I do, I know she's more scared than I am."

Somewhere in the middle of his speech, he had abandoned the drawing and locked eyes with Robin. Now, he was looking pleadingly at him, almost as if he was begging for Robin to believe him, to not just put it off as the vivid imagination of an eleven-year-old.

Upon receiving this look, Robin felt the absolute need to assure him that that was not the case. He reached across the table and took Henry's hands in his. "Henry," he said with what he hoped was a respectful and comforting voice, "I don't know what's going on with your mom, but I promise I will make it my mission to find out if someone's hurting her. And if that's the case, I promise I will make sure that it will never happen again."

Henry didn't look convinced, despite Robin's assurances that he would look into it. Robin, now very concerned for Regina, had, when he thought about it, noticed her being jumpy. He had noticed her tensing up whenever people got near her, and also, how much coffee she drank some days, always brushing it off with a dismissive wave and 'Didn't sleep well last night' whenever he commented on her being on her fourth cup before noon.

Robin released one of Henry's hands only to place a finger under the boy's chin, using it to tilt his head slightly upwards so that he could look him straight in the eyes as he spoke his next sentence. "I give you my word, I will do everything in my power to protect her."

The boy still looked slightly torn, his want to trust Robin in conflict with his knowledge that the words of eleven years olds were not always taken seriously. "Promise?"

"I promise," Robin vowed and gave the hand he still had in his a small squeeze.

Henry's want to trust him seemed to finally win over as he nodded his head once, a small smile, that did not quite reach his eyes, forming on his lips as he said, "Thank you."

"No need to thank me, young man. I can only hope that my own son will grow up to be just as kind, caring and protecting of his parent as you are," Robin replied sincerely.

Henry slipped his hand out from Robin's and went back to his drawing, looking less conflicted and more at ease. Robin, on the other hand, found himself unable to let go of the disturbing news.

In an attempt to appear comfortable for the boy's sake, he tried to continue with his drawing by picking up the pen he had abandoned earlier. Though, his concentration seemed to have disappeared. No matter how hard he tried to focus on the horse's leg, his mind drifted off to Regina. He had noticed the signs, at one point he had even considered asking her about it, but as the weeks went by, he had put it off as a part of her personality. Regina Mills, slightly jumpy, mindful of her own space and excels at drinking coffee.

Now, as Henry has voiced his worries, he felt bad about not making the connection on his own. If someone's truly hurting her, he could have helped her a long time ago, spared her at least three months of pain and misery. Not that he knew who could be causing her that pain. Frankly he had no idea at the moment.

The usual suspects where not there, not that he knew of. Least he knows, Regina's single which makes a deadbeat boyfriend an unlikely scenario. Though, on the other hand, how much does he, Robin Locksley, editor at Leopold Blanchard's firm The Enchanted Forest, co-worker of Regina Mills, know about said co-worker's personal life?

He knows of her son, of course, through his after-school classes in creative writing. He knows she likes apples, red not green, and that she makes a killer lasagna, having been fortunate enough to have been offered a piece that one time he forgot his lunch.

But when it comes to her relationships, he has no clue.

He's never heard her speak of a boyfriend or even of a date. He doesn't know who her friends are, he thinks the ones he met at the bar the night he, fortunately according to him, almost hit her with a dart. Mal was there, and someone named... Tink? Yeah, they definitely introduced her as Tink, which he's pretty sure is a nickname. Or the poor result of her parent's attempt of new thinking... Either way, Robin realized that he had not a single guess who might be hurting her.

A knock on the open door leading to his office brought him back from his rambling thoughts and as he looked up from his drawing to see who it was, he was met by the dark eyes of the woman occupying his mind.

"Hi," she greeted and slipped inside the office, walking straight up to Henry and placing a kiss at the top of his head.

"Hi, Mom," the boy replied and turned his head up, smiling at her.

Regina smiled in returned and brushed some hair off his forehead before turning to address Robin. He must have looked at her strangely because the smile faded and a second later she asked him what was wrong.

"Nothing," Robin quickly replied and scolded his features into what he hoped would come off as relaxed. It must have, because after giving him a last questioning look, she dropped the subject and moved on to what she had meant to ask him. "He hasn't caused any trouble, I hope?" She phrased it as both question and a statement.

"He's been noting but the good boy that he is," he assured her with a smile.

"I'm right here, you know."

As the boy spoke up, both adults turned their attention to him, wearing matching expressions.

"I know, Sweetheart," his mother said. "Just making sure that you behaved."

Henry eyed his mom, looking so much like Regina that Robin had to suppress a grin. He was definitely her son. A second later, the boy's face turned into a huge grin, one that any parent would recognize as a trick to get what they wanted and the boy did not disappoint.

"Can we still go for ice cream?" he asked his mother.

Regina glanced at the watch fastened around her left wrist before answering. "It's a little late but since I did promise you, I will agree to it." Henry's smile grew wider and he immediately began cleaning, putting away the crayons and paper, but Regina put a finger up, halting his movements. "As long as you promise to finish dinner."

"I promise, I'll even leave a special void in my stomach for it."

Robin exchanged knowing looks with Regina and chuckled at the boy. Then all three of them began cleaning the table.

Just as Henry and Regina was about to leave, Robin asked if he could speak to the boy alone for a second. Regina had no objection.

Robin kneeled down in front of the boy. "I just wanted to give you my phone number. You can call my whenever you want, no matter the time."

Henry accepted the note Robin was holding out for him. ""Thank you," he said.

"Now go and get that ice cream your mum promised you," Robin said and ruffled Henry's hair.

The boy smiled at him and ran out the door towards his waiting mother.