The Most Resilient Heart.

The Evil Queen.

The forest always seemed to calm him down. This was his place. The place he spent years running, years hiding, years stealing, years living, years loving... 

Everything seemed to confuse him so much. Seeing Marion again was something he never expected, never imagined would ever happen and now it just made his decision impossible. Marion wanted to start again. She wanted to stay with him and Roland just like it used to be but this was what she wanted. For her, she would just be going back to a life she had a week ago but for him, it would be like going back decades. Decades he spent trying to move on from her. He was now trudging, his anger showing through the deep footprints left behind him. He was never known for having a noticable temper but this woman seemed to do that to him. And he wasn't refering to his wife.

He could see her beautiful smile that showed through her dark, passionate eyes. He could still feel that first kiss, the way she pulled him in hungrily, the first time she had looked almost insecure; like it was the first time she was taking a chance. They had known each other for such a short amount of time but he couldn't remember being without her. He couldn't remember the pain he had felt when losing Marion. He couldn't remember the years he had spent despairing. He couldn't remember when it was just him, Roland and the Merry Men. All he could remember was every moment he had spent with Regina. Every moment was as clear as if they had all just happened a second ago. 

And now it was killing him to imagine she was out there somewhere alone and believing that he didn't care for her. That he didn't... love her.

He hears a small gasp and he stops his furious ramble to look up. And there she was with her usual black, curve-hugging dress. She leant there again the tree with her hands behind her back. He wanted nothing else but to push himself up against her, to feel her warm body against his and her lips pulling at his but it wasn't possible. He couldn't do that to her. All he could do was stare into her eyes. He seemed to be waiting for that smile again, some sort of witty remark or insult, as if everything was exactly the way it used to be. But she didn't say anything. Her expression didn't change from the mix of fear and sadness and her mouth stayed open taking in small and quick breaths. 

"Regina," He whispered.

She watched him from as many aspects as she could. Her eyes would move from his eyes to his mouth to his chest. 

"Yes?" She choked weakly. She could feel the tears coming and she was trying so hard to hold them back. 

"I am so sorry," She looks at his genuinely apologetic expression but it just made her temper return.

How dare he apologise? After everything that had happened.

"I just don't know what to..." He realises how stupid he is being. He shouldn't be talking to Regina about this. She didn't need to hear it.

"What to do?" She raises her eyebrows with disbelief. "You don't know what to do? Robin, you're wife just came back from the dead and you don't know what to do?"

He continues to stare at her with an expression she didn't understand; one she had never seen before.

"This could be one of the easiest decisions you have ever made! I don't need to hear you say that it's hard!" She sighs and pushes herself off the tree back on her feet. She shakes her head at the ground. "You've seen my heart."

He sighs sadly. "Regina, I just-"

She interrupts him as she pushes past him. "Robin, you love your wife. Stop making this harder than it needs to be. No one can compete with a wife and a mother. And I'm certainly not about to try..." She didn't seem to be talking to him any more.

"Regina!" He grabs her arm and she spins around, their faces centimetres apart. Her eyes stare deeply into his and he loses his words and his urgency to say them. "I just..." Her dark eyes seem to get darker the longer he stares and he almost loses himself in them. "I just need more time..."

She breaks away. "You need time?" She growls frustrated. "Time? You don't even need to choose!"

He stares at her bewildered. "Regina! You had years. Years to decide whether you wanted to make a move on me or not. Decades." He sneers.

She advances towards him and glares."And I was right to wait! Just look what happened!"

"You just don't believe that I could choose you!" He steps towards her as well until they're incredibly close again. 

A small gasp leaves her lips as her chest rises against his. "I don't have a chance." She sneers before turning and walking away. She stops before she's out of his sight. "Robin," His name leaves her lips weakly and more questioningly than acusingly. She head tilts to the side but not entirely in his direction. "Who could ever love the Evil Queen?"

... On Beat...

CC;)