Path to You

Chapter 1 Content

After the missing year, and Henry Mills regained his memory of his former life, and the town all recalled the past year, Regina found herself smitten with Robin Hood. 

"Regina you should enjoy this," Snow encouraged. "I know, and I am, finally now that Henry is back and remembers me," Regina smiled. 

"Care for a walk? Roland wanted some ice cream," Robin asked her. 

Tinkerbell smiles as Regina gathered her coat and left. She's pleased with herself that the pixie dust which led them to a tavern all those years ago, to the "Man with a lion tattoo" was coming true. 

Robin Hood possessed a lion tattoo on his right forearm, which Regina saw not long after the missing year. Battling herself internally, she didn't want to accept that this man could be who he was. 

A soulmate? 

What was a soulmate? A person that she was meant to be with, always? Initially conflicted, Regina let her enjoy Robin, and his son, and got to know them through some time. 

However, thoughts of before the missing year led her to think about someone else, Captain Hook.

Flashback-- Neverland 

"You know I never thanked you for saving me from Greg," Regina huffed through the thick trees on the cursed Island. 

"Oh I see, so you intend to thank me now?" The pirate smirked at her, with a devilish expression. Regina rolls her eyes at his obvious suggestion.

"I just did, thank you," Regina scoffed. "That's it? That's all your life means to you?" He touched his lips softly in a teasing motion. 

"What do you expect?" Regina asked. "Hmm," he huffs a bit. "Oh please, you couldn't handle it," Regina muses at him. "Is that so? I think you're the one who couldn't handle it," he steps forward, in amusement. 

Blinking her eyes once at him, and staring at his jaw line, she pulls him towards her, and presses her lips on him, wrapping an arm under his coat. 

Aggressively she kisses him, and he receives it, taken more by surprise than he first thought, cracking his mouth slightly to let her move more into him. 

She halts, and pulls herself back from him. "Uhh, that was...." He's dumbfounded in the moment, "The thank you, come on," She gathers herself, and walks ahead. 

Pausing behind, he touches his mouth, in confusion, and lust, and calmness. "phew," he breathes, before following her. 

Present Day - Storybrooke 

Regina walks hand in hand with small Roland, his other hand occupied with his ice cream cone, as Robin smiles adoringly at Regina. 

Outside Granny's, Roland heads back inside, and Robin gently captures Regina in a romantic kiss. 

Everyone in Granny's is joyous and happy, but outside, as Regina blushes, they're watched from across the street. 

As Hook folds his telescope, furrowing his brows as he watches the smile cross Regina's face. Killian sighs deeply, discouraged, but keeps his eyes on the woman he loves, yes loves. 

Unsure what to do, he makes his way around the quiet town, not sure where he can go, as he has no ship now. 

Brooding in his mind, he rotates his rum bottle in his hand, thinking if he should bother another sip or not, as if it would help him. 

"Goodnight," Regina gently kisses Robin goodbye as he leaves her doorstep. Henry has gone to the Charming loft for the evening, and Regina enters her dark home.

Flicking a light in her hallway, she hears a glass clang. 

Lifting a brow towards the sound in her dining room, unafraid given her magic, she flicks the light on. 

Sitting before her, she stares at the hook resting on the table next to a bottle of whiskey. Her eyes travel up to see his face. 

"Hook.." She utters, with barely a breath in her lungs. Stunned to see him sitting there, in her house. 

"How.. the.. Hell.." She stammers. "Hook can unlock doors," He mused at her. "Wha-- What are you doing here?" She shakes her head, still in disbelief that he's here.

"Well not quite the greeting I hoped," He sighed, and stood up. 

"Well what do you expect?" She scoffs at him, as he steps forward to her. 

"Well I don't know.." He shakes his head. 

"So why are  you here? In my house?" She crosses her arms at him.

"I can't come to see you?" He shrugs. 

"You haven't been here for over a year, you left," She snapped. "We all left," He argues. "You know what I mean, you left the Enchanted forest," She states. 

"Yeah well.." He begins. "Did you find HER?" Regina demands.

"Her?" He quirks a brow. "Your ship, you know what I mean, I know you call it a Her," She says roughly. 

He raises his own brow in return, "I did find her, yes," He nodded. "Then what are you doing here? Clearly that's your truest love," She mocks. 

"Maybe a man needs more than a ship," He jeered. 

"Oh? Like what?" She inquired. "Maybe this man needed a woman," He implies. "Well, I'm..." She's interrupted.

"With someone else..." he murmured. 

She opens her mouth, and has nothing to say, she simply nods. 

"I thought we shared..." he started. "We shared a kiss.. that was it." she states. "That was all it was to you?" He laments. 

"Well it was obviously all it was to you, when you just left like that," She gets angry. "And why are you so angry about my leaving when you clearly have someone else?" He belittles. 

"I'm NOT!" She barks at him. 

"Clearly you are! I came here for YOU," he growls. "Well you're TOO LATE, I'm with Someone, I'm happy, and he's my soulmate!" She snarls at him. 

"What?" He asked. 

"My soulmate. Years ago, Tinkerbell led me to a man in a tavern with a lion tattoo, and he has one, it's him I'm meant to be with, not YOU," She scolds. 

He breathes a moment, "You saw nothing else of this man, but a tattoo?" He asked. 

"Yes," She nods. 

Turning away a moment, he's discouraged, but abruptly takes her towards him for a kiss. 

A kiss that she can't push away, and doesn't want to.