Heal Her, Love Her

''First step''

Regina is sick. Not physically but emotionally. She has depression of the worst kind, Archie had said. The kind that doesn't let you eat, sleep, talk, smile or feel anything but sadness and desperation. She doesn't have hope anymore. Not that she was that kind of person, but still something inside her then dared to hope as much as she never admitted this to anyone. Now she doesn't have that.

For a month she just sat on her couch or on her bed, her gaze empty, looking at nowhere and her breathing steady and quiet. No one knows what goes through in her mind. She doesn't talk to anyone. Not even to Henry.

From the day Robin left, she's been like this. She is pale, thinner -so much thinner, she was crying on the first day of his absence, but since then she's been like this. No tears, no words, no life anymore.

Emma, Henry and Snow tried everything in their power to find Robin during three weeks and finally after the Queens of Darkness had undone the spell on the town line, Emma left to find Robin immediately. Only he could save her now, Archie had said. The same day Emma found him and told him everything. Robin was listening to her like his life depended on it, because his life indeed depended on it. The minute she stopped talking, Robin grabbed his bag, said goodbye to Roland and Marian and told them he would check on them soon but now he had to find her. Marian understood instantly. She wished him the best of luck, told him that they were going to be fine and Robin left as quickly as he could.

Now he is here, running to her, as fast as his legs can drag him towards her house. He opens the door furiously and finds her sitting on the couch. She hasn't even turned her back to look who's standing behind her.

Robin studies her from behind for a while, looking around to see if anyone else is there too and takes a deep breath as he walks until he is front of her.

She looks up then and her gaze meets his. This is just as Emma had told him. Empty. He calls her name, gets on his knees in front of her.

Regina doesn't respond and this seems the right time for him to start worrying, because everyone believed that when she would see him, she would change and would be better. But Regina is just looking at him, and she doesn't change at all. Robin calls her name again. He takes her hands in his and Regina breathes sharply and moves her hands away.

And now Robin is worrying. A lot.

"It's just me, my love." He says softly without taking his eyes off of her. He says it's him and he is here, he loves her and he will never leave her again. Never. But Regina doesn't respond again. Robin wants nothing more than to know what she is thinking, if she is thinking, or feeling.

He tries, tries to bury the urge he feels to take her in his arms, to breathe her sent, to be close to her. He tries for ten minutes. But he doesn't manage to fight it any longer and he moves, sits next to her and wraps his arms around her. He cradles her close to him, his hands caress her hair, she has her head in the crook of his neck and he feels her breath against his skin and it's a relief that he can feel that again. He can feel her against him, can feel her calm breathing. He doesn't want anything else now. Regina will get through this with him. She will, she can and he will do everything he can to help her. He will always be there and he doesn't care how long this will take. The important thing is that he can have her in his arms. That's all that he's dreamt of every minute of every day for the last month.

She doesn't hug him back but he is fine with that. It'll take her a while. He is thankful that she doesn't push him back like she did before. He takes her head between his palms now and moves her to stand in front of him. They are face to face and he is caressing her cheeks with his thumbs without taking his gaze from hers for a single moment.

''I love you.'' he say and he hopes she can feel it. It's okay if she doesn't talk. He just wants her to feel how much he means it. Regina blinks a few times and then he can see her eyes watering. The tears are running down her cheeks as she is looking at him. And he instantly moves his lips and kisses them away, tasting the salty liquid on her cheeks. He slowly trails his lips lower and brushes hers. He kisses her then, pushes more firmly his lips against hers but she doesn't kiss him back and he stops. The last thing he wants is to push her.