Her Dark Heart

Chapter 12

A/N: I'm back from my trip, so here's the next chapter! I'll try to update as often as I possibly can over the next few weeks before I go off to college. Once I'm there, I'm not entirely sure how much free time I'll have to write, so I want to try to give you guys as much as I can before updates become infrequent.

Anyways, enjoy! This chapter takes place during 2x01 but will take an alternate turn from the show at the end.

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Robin watched as Regina hurried out of the hospital room, his mind abuzz with two lives inside his head, so many questions, and mixed feelings. Just minutes ago he had been a normal man comforting a woman he cared deeply for because her son had died and seconds later, he was Robin Hood, prince of thieves, who hated the Evil Queen for tearing his family apart. Robin Locksley was falling in love with Regina Mills but Robin Hood wished to strangle her until she couldn't breathe until she told him where his dear, sweet Roland was, because now that he remembered, he knew he wasn't dead.

"Robin," a voice said, drawing him from his thoughts.

He snapped out of his reverie and turned to see Emma and Henry staring at him.

"Robin," Henry said again. "Please, don't hurt her."

Robin realized then that he was standing with his feet spread apart, muscles flexed, hands made into fists. He would be lying to Henry if he said the thought of it had not entered his mind. He was angry at himself for falling into bed with a woman who had deceived him, who had taken away his son, and at her for doing all of this, for hurting him and everyone else.

But was he going to act upon that? No. He couldn't hurt Regina. Maybe it was because another side of himself cared for her, or maybe it was because he had seen her at her most vulnerable and knew there was more than the Evil Queen to Regina Mills. Or perhaps he was now bound by honor and Henry's wishes, but he knew he couldn't hurt her.

"I won't, Henry. That's not who I am," Robin said gently.

"Good," he said. "Because she's still your soulmate."

Robin felt his heart drop into his stomach. Now that he remembered and undoubtedly believed Henry, he knew that everything in that book was true which meant that Regina was more than the woman who had wronged him, used him, taken his son away from him. She was his soulmate.

Emma sighed. "Henry, I don't think the last thing Robin wants to deal with right now is you trying to set him up with—"

"But it's true," Henry interjected. He picked the book up and opened it to the page he had shown Robin what felt like centuries ago.

"It's fine," Robin assured Emma. "This is the last thing we need to focus on now though. You're the savior, yes, but you're also the sheriff." He took the badge from his belt and handed it to her. "We're about to have a town full of chaos. People are awake. They'll be confused, angry. They'll go after her. It's still your job, and mine, to keep the peace."

Emma nodded and took the badge reluctantly. "Are you sure you don't want this? You'd make a better sheriff than I would."

"Ironic you should say that, considering I spent a majority of my life running from one," Robin snorted playfully.

Henry laughed and when Emma gave him a confused look, he elaborated, "He's Robin Hood."

"Ah..." she said slowly, taking time to process that. "I made a thief my deputy?"

"That you did," Robin replied. "But I've put those days behind me. It's far too dangerous when you have a son. And I think you should keep the badge. You've earned it."