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From a distance, she watched him. She watched him laugh as he grabbed up the little boy and toss him in the air. She saw a flash of the lion tattoo and looked away. Every time she saw that tattoo, she remembered the moment with Tinkerbell, staring at the man through the saloon window. Regina shook her head and whirled away, slowly making her way through the woods surrounding Storybrooke.
Confusion gnawed at her. She didn't want anything to distract from the current goal of taking down the Wicked Witch of the West, but she wanted to believe she might have a second chance at love. But she did not want to let emotions, even the potential of emotions, get in the way of what she must do. She hastily brushed a tear away. She wanted a second chance at love, almost to the point of tasting it. For some reason, the sweet taste of love was tinged with bitterness. To have a second chance at love meant she'd either lost or squandered her first chance.
More tears trailed down her cheeks. Memories of Daniel and their afternoons in the sun, riding across the meadows, flashed through her mind. She could feel the warmth of the sunlight on her shoulders, the wind rustling through her hair, the tender touch of Daniel's hand on her waist. Regina stopped to lean against a tree, pressing the back of her hand to her lips. Just one more kiss; that's all she wanted. One more ardent press of her lips to Daniel's. One more taste of him, their mouths fused, and their bodies pressed close.
A harsh sob escaped her. She fumbled in her pockets for a handkerchief or a tissue to wipe the tears.
"Take this, milady," a male voice said.
She opened her eyes and saw a gloved hand holding a handkerchief. Lifting her gaze, Regina looked at Robin. She wanted to lash out at him for the sympathy she saw in his expression, all the while wanting to wrap herself in the empathy she saw there. Doing neither, she simply reached for the handkerchief and wiped away her tears. "Thank you." She paused then added, "Robin."
"Mine come late at night, when Roland is asleep and no one else is around. And I find that I miss her most after something mundane happens."
"What do you mean?"
Robin nodded. "Your tears. They are for the love you lost, correct?"
Regina stiffened, standing up straighter, setting her shoulders back. "Why would you assume they are tears for a lost love? How do you know I didn't receive bad news?"
"Because only a lost love would elicit such a primal sob." He shrugged. "Or at least that's what I've found in my experience."
Her shoulders slumped, and she nodded her agreement. "I suppose I never got over seeing my mother rip his heart out of his chest and crush it."
Robin winced. "I can see why. Losing your beloved is never easy, but I can't imagine how painful that must have been."
She let out a sigh. "One of many things I'd change if I could. But we rarely get a second chance in life, do we?"