Her Dark Heart

Chapter 8

A/N: This chapter takes place during 1x15. We'll see Robin's POV here, so we'll get to Regina's feelings about seeing the lion tattoo in chapter 9.

Also for those wondering how Regina hasn't seen the tattoo yet, she just wasn't looking and Robin was keeping it out of sight as best he could to humor Henry. More than likely, she would have seen it beforehand, but for the purpose of the plot, she needs to discover it now.

Anyway, enjoy!

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Robin woke up to soft-hued sunlight filtering in on him. He rolled over, expecting to bury his face in his girlfriend's silky hair but he ended up grasping blindly at an empty bed which smelled vaguely of her. Robin's eyes shot open and he discovered that he was in her bedroom alone. The spot beside him was cold, which meant she hadn't been beside him for a while.

As he stood up, still naked, he noticed his clothes were neatly folded on the chair by the window rather than carelessly thrown on the floor as they had been last night. Passing by his pile of clothes, he headed for the master bathroom and helped himself to a quick shower. Then, he dried off and returned for his garments.

After pulling them on, he slipped into the hallway. The house was quiet. Henry's room was left ajar, but it was empty. The boy was most likely at school.

But if that were the case, that meant Robin had slept in, late for work again. And what of Regina, where was she?

He continued down the hall and the winding staircase until he reached the first floor. It was then that he noticed the smell of coffee and heard the sizzle of the frying pan on the stovetop. Continuing down yet another, grander hallway, he found himself in the kitchen.

Henry, dressed in his school uniform, was hastily gobbling down toast, bacon, and scrambled eggs. Regina was frying bacon, looking adorable with her messy bun, bare face, and apron. She'd let her hair grow a bit longer, not by much, but it was now enough to pin some of it up, however, little wisps always escaped.

"Robin," Henry said, a little surprised. "I didn't know you had a sleepover."

Robin bit his lip. If one could call it that, then yes, he'd had a sleepover with Regina. "Yes, I did," he replied. "Good morning."

"Morning," the boy said as he shoveled food in his mouth.

"Henry, manners," Regina reminded him. Her tone was slightly snappish, perhaps a little more than necessary.

"Sorry," Henry muttered once he had finished his bite. He gave Robin a look and rolled his eyes, an unspoken 'My mom is in a bad mood today'. He cleaned his plate after shoveling a few large bites in and took his dishes to the sink. "Gotta go! I'll miss the bus," he said.

Robin watched as Regina took a deep breath, almost as if to reign in her case of 'woke up on the wrong side of the bed'. She leaned in, hugged her son, and kissed his cheek. "Have a good day."

"Thanks," Henry said, squirming in her arms.

With a sigh, Regina let him go. "I love you."

Her son was spreading shrugging his book bag on. "Bye," he said without returning those three words.

His mother looked on, expression pained, as he left the house to catch the bus without even looking back to give her a smile or a wave.

Robin let her have her moment before carefully approaching. "Hey," he said softly.

Regina looked up at him with those dazzling brown eyes he was born to gaze into. "Hey," she replied forlornly.

Sighing, Robin gently removed the cooking supplies from her hand and tugged her into his arms. He brought her head to his chest and gently carded his fingers through her hair. He buried his nose into the top of her head as he had wanted to do when he woke up. It seemed worth the wait, as he was reminded that without her heels, the top of her head only came to his shoulder and it was adorable.