Cursed Hearts

Target Practice

For the first time in their marriage, Robin felt a distance between him and his wife. He assumed it was just something that could be ironed out in time, but with each second passing by like an eternity, it was hard to keep the faith. Sure they had fights before, arguments that could be resolved within a day or two with a surge of sympathy. They were always on the same page, the two of them, and could never stay angry at the other for very long.

When he looked at Regina then, the love was still there, but she felt a million miles away, even with a warm embrace. So much had happened before the night Zelena ruined everything- their daughter had discovered the secret they kept from her, and he feared the betrayal of it all still loomed inside her somehow. Stress had been something Regina could manage, but her current actions were a new thing entirely. He wanted to connect with her and share her grief- instead, she only retreated further with every advance he tried.

"Caroline's been really wanting to do target practice," she told him, in the middle of fixing her hair. It had been the first words exchanged that morning. "She's been talking about it for three days now."

Robin knew she was right- Caroline had been bringing it up every chance she could get, getting more and more persistent each time. Truthfully, however, he didn't feel like teaching her. It hadn't been a full week since their return, and he was still craving normality. He remembered the glimmer of excitement brimming in her eyes after she fixed that villager's bow in the Enchanted Forest.

"If she really wants to, sure," he replied halfheartedly, applying shaving cream to his jawline. He soon became nervous, watching his wife curl her hair from the reflection in the vanity mirror. There was so much he wanted to talk to her about, fear that needed to be expressed instead of hidden away. He had no idea what he would unleash if he started talking- but the silence was slowly tearing away at him, bringing him to a point of insanity. Something had to be done.

"Hey, I know all of this has been hard for you," he began, the uneasiness of it all sending him into new territory. Robin waited for her eyes to catch his in the mirror, finishing up the final strokes to his face. "I still have no idea what happened to you after Zelena put that spell on you."

Wiping his face with a towel, he turned towards her, noting the initial surprise that showed through her expression. She took a moment to collect her thoughts, seeming unsure of where to begin.

"I went to the place I believed I was finally free from," she said solemnly, confirming Robin's deepest fears. All along he knew that she had returned to Leopold's castle- something within him refused to believe it was true. A rush of sadness flooded through him, and soon he was standing behind her with a hand on her shoulder. She had given up on the hair curler, her long, dark hair only halfway done.

"Tell me how I can help you," he continued, the words flowing out before he could stop them, "I can't stand to see you like this."

The hollow look in her eyes was something that couldn't be ignored; her gaze went straight through him, as if he wasn't there at all. "There isn't really anything you can do- there's so much going on right now. The psycho wicked witch is nowhere to be found, Caroline's dealing with her magic, Roland needs us now more than ever-"

"You can't do any of those things until you've taken care of yourself," Robin told her, cutting her off. "No offense, but you haven't been very present these last few days. You're not sleeping soundly and I've barely seen you eat anything."

He could feel her nature turn cold, and instantly retracted his hand from her shoulder.

"Well, no offense, but you don't know what I've been through. What do you want me to do, talk to the only therapist in town and spill all my problems?"