Robin Hood

It was nearly perfect.

Robin knew that it was not exactly the home she perhaps once envisioned herself in long ago, admittedly. It was a shame no such place existed in the sphere that was Darrow, unless there was one so out of the way it would not be practical in this strange new world. But what it was was a place that was just out of the way enough to be peaceful in a place that wasn't so peaceful sometimes. It was a place that was not too far from everything, but far enough that the distance could be felt. Most importantly, though, the home felt like a home - far more than the apartments they were given ever felt.

It was cozy - two floors tall, with three bedrooms on the top floor and a spacious, open area on the first with an impressive open kitchen. The backyard was large enough for Roland to enjoy, with a fence around the area for privacy. The price was reasonable - apparently it was quite hard to sell land here, in a place most lived in the city - which felt like it just proved itself once again to be exactly what he wanted.

He did not buy the house, not until she saw it. For as much as he kept it hidden, he wanted to make sure she liked it before he placed his name upon the papers that would make it theirs. He set up a viewing with the seller, who was eager to allow it and perhaps set the sale in stone.

Then he told Regina they were to go on a small trip, the two of them, and had Roland being watched for the time they were going to be gone. The time was set for mid-morning, and he spent much of the time feeling some amount of trepidation. As much as he felt like it was something she wanted

Though they could easily get there via one of the bus lines, he had a cab waiting - quite an easy thing to summon, as it turned out - for them at the appropriate time. All he had to do was go to get her, which he did after what was more than a few moments of preparing himself for what was to come.

(All good things, he hoped.)

Knocking on her door, he waited for her to answer, knowing she would be expecting him.

The library was a place he'd come to enjoy taking Roland to. The boy had taken to books a great deal, and it was rare they didn't leave the place without at least a handful for him to go through with Robin. It was a particularly cool day that day, and Robin decided it would be a good place to go, if only so they weren't cooped up inside. They were done with the last books they took out, anyway, so returning them seemed the best thing to do.

He never would have expected something...strange to happen.

He was perusing the child's section of books himself - Roland was looking at a stack of books nearby - when he noticed a book that appeared to have a sheet of something sticking out of it. He pulled the book out and opened it to take a look at what it was, assuming some child had accidentally left something when they brought it back.

What he found instead was a...picture of some sort. Or perhaps more to the point, a page with a picture on it, of Regina and he kissing. Except it was certainly no moment he remembered, and it was clear from what they were wearing that this was not when they were in Storybrooke. While it was numbered on the bottom - clearly the page was from some book - it became obvious very quickly the book it was stuck in was not the book it was from when he looked at the rest of it.

And yet here it was, and he wasn't sure what to think about it.

Roland broke him from his thoughts to tell him he had found some books, so he put the page out of his mind for the moment, carefully folding it and placing it in his pocket to talk about with Regina later. They returned to the apartment a few hours later, and he gave the books to Roland and nudged him off to play in his room. He certainly had no qualms with that.

Pulling the still-folded page out of his pocket once his boy had left with his books in tow, he called out, "Regina, are you here?"

He knew she had mentioned having a few things to do that day, but he wasn't sure if she'd returned yet.

The danger, it seemed, had passed. Stragglers remained after the giant bee's demise, but for the most part, they had done it. Robin could feel safe to return and assume the rest would be taken cared of by others.

Robin had been compelled to help simply because he knew there was little choice. Everyone had seen the beast making fire, and the sort of magic he found himself able to do would be an asset. In a city that they could not leave, there was no taking the people he cared for for safety. So he fought. And they won.

He had suffered a few injuries. He saw burns and blisters that dotted his arms. It was the exhaustion that truly was getting to him, a feeling deep within him that likely stemmed from how much magic he had used in his attempt to ward off what came at him and the people around him. As it turned out, the need to protect was a powerful emotion to focus on, but he still was a man not used to what he put his body through. Regardless, he did not take the help offered to him. He only wanted to return to the people he knew were waiting for him.

It was at least not a far journey from where the bulk of the fighting had been, especially so as he found he had little trouble with his magic any longer. He had not really let go of his fear until he knew he had to that day, and the difference was incredible. He certainly had no assumptions he could have the kind of control Elsa had over it, but he was starting to feel normal.

That it took fighting off a fire breathing insect whose height he would have assumed impossible until he saw it seemed...almost appropriate for this bizarre city.

Being able to use it really wasn't the victory, though. No, the victory came when he returned. He opened the door to the apartment, and for the first time was not worried if Roland would come running. And the boy did, in fact. He'd been playing on the floor of the main room, and within moments of seeing him, he was up and coming toward him.

He did not shrink away.

In fact, despite any sort of pain it caused, he scooped his son up as he always used to, injuries and pain be damned, hugging him tightly to him as he was overwhelmed with a feeling of relief. It did not take him long to see Regina approaching as well, and it was only then that Robin gently put his son down beside him.

"Everything's alright now," he said, and though he meant that the city was safe, it was a statement that rang true in general as well.

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