So, this is being posted as a (slightly belated) birthday gift for a friend, Ksenia :) (sorry about the lateness).

The chapter became longer than expected, and so I've had to split it… This mission is technically a trilogy now.

Please feel free to leave a review if you have the time.

Take care y'all.

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When Robin had fallen asleep in the bed - their bed - he hadn't foreseen many issues. In fact, he had been quite happy their room only had the one bed; it had been an excuse to get closer to Regina, perhaps even encourage her to trust him a bit more.

He hadn't expected it to backfire on him so quickly.

He'd awoken to a sharp pain in his fingers, as if someone was trying to pull them out of their sockets. Reflexively, he'd tucked his hand towards his chest and used the other hand to push away the source of his ache.

It was only when he heard a feminine yelp that consciousness returned to him.
"Regina?" Robin blinked the sleep from his eyes, looking at her with pure confusion on his face. Why was she trying to break his fingers? "What the hell?"

"'What the hell?'" She mocked - with his accent and tone of voice too. "Do you have a habit of groping people in their sleep?"

"Groping?" Robin's jaw dropped. He hoped to god he hadn't been inappropriate. He'd made no secret of the fact he was attracted to her, but there was no way he would resort to touching her when she was vulnerable.
"I woke up to find your hand on my hip," she declared, and Robin was rather thankful it wasn't somewhere more intimate. Regina still seemed to take it personally though, lips pursed as she mocked: "are you not used to sleeping without a teddy bear?"
Sighing and rubbing a hand over his face, Robin muttered: "I think you could be mistaken for a grizzly right now."
"Can I get back to breaking your fingers now?"
When she reached out towards him he shuffled back, and when she reached out again he stood from the bed completely.

"Woah wait, who said anything about breaking fingers?"

Regina also stood from the bed, eyeing his hands from three feet away as his back pressed against the wall. "I did. I told you last night; if you touch me I will break your fingers…"

Robin's sleep-addled brain was still kicking into gear, but now that she mentioned it, he seemed to recall her warning him of something like that before they turned in for the night. He hadn't believed her to be quite so serious though.

"Regina, come on," he started, slightly pleading. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"I don't care."
"I'd rather all my fingers were intact."
Regina scoffed, teasing; "I bet you would..."
In his frustrated state, Robin's mind tried to come up with the best retort, and unfortunately came out with: "If you weren't so hellbent on hating me you'd be kissing these bad boys..."
Robin immediately cringed. Ashamed at the terrible innuendo and the corny phrase that should never ever be repeated. Ever.

It was so bad that it stunned them both into silence, but after a moment's quiet, Regina vowed; "If you say anything like that again I'll shoot you down where you stand. Got it?"
"I think that would be for the best," he muttered, and he almost missed the way Regina's lips curved into a smile. Almost.
With a self-deprecating smile, he stuck his hand out and waggled his fingers. "Truce?"
Her glare was back, but there was a definite light in her eyes that wasn't there before - and less violent intent.
"Robin…"

She paused, struggling with something. But when her mouth opened again, preparing to say something else, Robin decided she didn't need to explain anything and interrupted her; "no more touching. I promise."

"Thank you."

"Unless you want me to," Robin added with a smirk. "In which case I am one hundred percent up for that."

She rolled her eyes and smiled, reaching forward to grasp his offered hand and slowly shake it.

In a weird way, Robin felt their connection strengthen a little, either from her forgiveness or her trust, he didn't really know.

But perhaps, sharing this bed might bring them closer after all.

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After the morning's unfortunate incident, they both took their turns in the bathroom getting ready for the day.

Robin would be lying if he stated he wasn't the slightest bit nervous. He liked familiarity, and he liked knowing what he'd be getting into. He had never worked with Regina before, and whilst he trusted her, she was still an unknown variable. She was unpredictable; he didn't know how she dealt with setbacks, or how she dealt with unexpected combat - though he hoped he wouldn't find that out just yet; this Op needed to run as smoothly as possible.

Robin was currently rummaging through his bag, pulling out the clothes he had brought with him as he decided what to wear for their mission. He grasped a grey t-shirt in one hand, and a white one in the other.
"Wait," he muttered before turning to Regina. "I thought it was a black tie event."
"It is," she responded, not even bothering to look up from her own bag.
"I- I don't have anything black tie-ish."
She flippantly waved a hand at him. "You get the uniform when you get there. Just wear whatever you've got that doesn't scream 'I'm an assassin'."
Robin nodded, comforted at her confidence. "You've done this before?"
"Quite a few times," she admitted. "It's worked out pretty well for me in the past."
"Let's hope it works equally as well today."
"As long as you don't screw anything up we should be fine."
Robin stopped, turned to Regina with anger creasing his brow. "Me? What about you?"
"I don't make mistakes," she quipped.
He blinked slowly, not entirely sure he was hearing her right. "Regina, everybody makes mistakes. It's a part of life."
"I can't afford to. If you lived like me you'd understand."
"Well, I bow to your holiness," Robin sassed, feeling the glare Regina threw his way. He was going to leave it and brush it off, but then his temper got the best of him and he threw his shirt on the bed before turning back to Regina. "Are you always this bitchy before an op, or is it just with me?"
"Is both not an option?"
With a low growl of frustration, Robin threw his hands up in the air. "You know what? Forget it."
With that, Regina turned to him. "Look, we'll get into this place, kill Blue, then you never have to deal with my bitchiness again. Unless you need me to hold your hand on another tricky op…"
"Hey, that's not-" Robin started, before something Regina had said clicked. "Wait, 'Blue'?"
"Yes, Blue; Skylar's alias."
"I know that's her alias," Robin admitted, crossing his arms over his chest. "How do you know that?"
For a moment she froze, caught in the headlights as she realised she'd screwed up. But then she tried to turn the blame back on Robin with a flippant; "You must have mentioned it."
"No, I know I didn't." Robin dropped his folded arms, softening his edges as he grew serious. "Don't lie to me, Regina."
She lowered her gaze to the floor, opening her mouth to answer - then closing it again.

"Regina…"

"It's a long story."
Robin shrugged. "I'm not going anywhere."
"And I'm not willing to tell it," she finished.
Robin huffed, frustrated at her reluctance to tell him anything that could even be remotely classed as personal. "Look, I'm trusting you to have my back here, I need to know of any conflict of interest."
"There is no 'conflict of interest'," she declared as she glared at him. "I'm wanting to kill this bitch just as much as you are."
Robin took note of the fire in her eyes, the snippiness to her tone, the tension in her body... She wasn't wanting this as much as he was; she was wanting it more.
So this was personal.
It made sense; why she did a complete 180 when Robin had mentioned Skylar's name on the phone, why she was working so hard to make this plan as fail-safe as she could.
"What did she do to you?"
Regina's eyes flicked up to his, and Robin caught a flash of pain before she hid it. "That's none of your business."
"Regina…"
"Why does it matter? Blue dies, you get paid, your boss is happy. End of discussion."
"Regina-"
"End of discussion, Robin."

Despite his desire to know what had happened, Robin let it go. For now. Because he wasn't quite sure on when to push and when not to with her yet, and this certainly seemed like one of those times to back away.
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Their discussion had put Regina in a mood for the rest of the day; she had barely said anything unless it was to do with the mission. He had driven them both to the venue, and on the way there, they had gone over the details of their operation again. And once he had driven up the gravel drive and parked in one of the allocated spaces, they exchanged the last minute details; emergency protocol, dos and don'ts, a quick run-down of their false identities.

Regina handed over their IDs that she'd created; Betty Black, and Michael Green.

"Why the colours?" Robin asked, taking note of their new surnames, but then something clicked in his mind and he answered his own question with a smile. "A dig at 'Blue'..."

"Is that too petty?" She asked with a smirk, in a way that suggested she didn't really care in the first place.

It was subtle - too subtle for them to get caught with it - but Robin found amusement in her sense of humour.

"Come on, let's go get her."

With one last smile towards her, he turned and opened the car door, climbing out and straightening his clothes before grabbing his stuff from the boot.

Regina had already started making her way towards the house and he had to jog a little to catch up. Every step that they took to the main venue had gravel crunching underfoot. They'd both worn boots, but Robin had no idea how Regina managed to walk on this uneven ground with those heels.

Robin had to admit, the venue became more imposing the closer he got to it; it looked like something out of one of those historical dramas his mother always used to watch when he was a child. A large mansion that looked fit for royalty, and no doubt worth millions; Robin wondered if this belonged to Blue, or one of her acquaintances. It was too big for one person to live in, and so he assumed it was used for hosting events such as this rather than as residential habitation. The front double doors were central, and Robin counted four windows either side on the ground floor, the first and second floors were just as wide, and the windows in the roof implied there were also rooms in the attic too. The grounds must have been two acres, he could already hear the tinkle of water features, and no doubt there would be a pool somewhere.

For a moment he felt a pang of disdain for these people; with all the money between them they could likely house half the homeless in the country, or feed those on food stamps for a year. But no… Instead they used their wealth to buy stolen goods, influence, and power.

What a waste.

"Are you just going to stand and brood, or are we actually doing this?"

He looked to Regina with a sheepish gaze, not realising that he had paused in his musings and caused a hold up. "Sorry," he muttered. "After you, milady."

With a small huff, she turned and pressed the doorbell, shoving her hands in her pockets as she waited for someone to answer the door. A brunette woman answered the door, a small smile gracing her features. Dressed in a black suit, she gave off the impression of professionalism - so much so that if they didn't already have entry, Robin would think he was going for a job interview.

She introduced herself as Fiona Blackwell, and Robin remembered her name from some digging he did before setting off on this mission. She was a member of Blue's inner circle, frequently seen with her at these types of events and someone not to be crossed with. It was unclear how much she was involved in criminal activity, but if she was hosting Blue's clientele, Robin had no doubt that she was as morally corrupt as the rest of them.

It was difficult to play nice, but in order for their plan to go off without a hitch, he needed to appear as impartial as possible. And so he pushed down the bitter taste in his mouth, and followed Fiona and Regina through the elegant archway on the right into the reception room - which had been turned into a security area of sorts. There was a metal detector in front of him, and next to that was a table and chair with a burly guy sitting in it. It was more security than he usually had experienced at meetings like this; he'd usually just be patted down. But no, he watched as Regina set her bag down on the table to be searched, and then step through the metal detector.

Robin was glad their plan didn't involve smuggling weapons through; god knows that would have been difficult to explain. Fortunately, the method of Blue's demise was a small vial of Tetrodotoxin secretly stowed away - Robin will have the memory of Regina slipping the vial between her breasts forever burned in his mind. It was ideal from their position in the kitchen; they could add anything to the dishes and not be scrutinised. Regina was right - not that he'd willingly admit that of course - this was definitely the best method to take her out.

After they'd cleared security, both of them were taken back to the foyer and through the opposite archway into the kitchen to meet the other staff. There were a dozen people there to carry out the same roles as Robin and Regina, and once everyone was confirmed as present, they were all given a run through of the event rules; don't engage the guests in conversation, ensure their glasses were always filled with liquor, and be at their beck and call if they ever needed anything.

They were also given strict rules on their appearance; their shirt needed to be buttoned all the way up and tucked into their trousers; their bow ties should not be crooked at any time; their hair was to be neat and tidy, pulled back if long enough, and not covering their face; makeup was to be minimal and barely noticeable; piercings should be removed and tattoos covered; no rings, necklaces, or other jewellery should be worn…

Robin huffed, bored with the constant barrage of 'this is how you look', 'this is how you behave', 'this is how you speak'... He leant down to whisper in Regina's ear: "Do you think we're allowed to breathe?"

She merely rolled her eyes and nudged him with her shoulder. He got the picture; don't draw any attention to them and continue with their plan. Though, he still bristled when being given lectures on proper posture, the whole 'one hand carrying the tray, the other behind one's back' nonsense. It was almost like when he was enrolled into Ballroom Dancing classes as a boy. He wasn't sure if this would be better or worse than his time there, but at least here he had a partner he enjoyed being around - mostly. The girl he used to dance with was irritating at best, unbearable at worst...

"You're drifting again," Regina quietly reminded him, and to be honest; she had him there. But this was just so dull that he needed his mind to wander, otherwise he'd fall asleep where he stood.

"I'm having trouble staying awake, let alone paying attention," Robin explained with a smirk.

Regina turned to face him with steely eyes as she warned him; "if you fuck this up for us because you're tired…"

The threat remained unsaid, but it was perfectly clear; his life would not be worth living if they failed because of him. "I won't," he assured her. "I promise."

He wasn't sure if Regina was like this for all of her missions, or if she was just so keyed up because of the significance of this one. She may not have explained it to him, but he knew that there was a story behind her and Blue. He could understand her frustration with a partner who didn't seem to be listening to what was going on. If their positions were reversed he'd have a difficult time keeping calm too. So, he spent the rest of the time actually making an effort to pay attention to the rules Fiona was laying out.

It wasn't long before they were given the instruction to change into their new attire, having been passed directions to the makeshift cloakrooms used for the men and women to change in private. As he was getting dressed, Robin tried to avoid becoming too familiar with the men around him; too busy making sure his bowtie wasn't crooked and his dress slacks were lint-free. Plus, he didn't want too much guilt to set in if he had to frame one of them for Blue's murder - they would no doubt be executed - or even if things went awry and he had to take them out himself. No; he wanted to remain as detached from them as possible. It was better that way. He left the room before they did, choosing to return to the foyer where they were due to meet back up.

Regina was already there, fixing the cuff button on her white shirt whilst standing away from the other women who had arrived. It appears she had the same mindset as he did about keeping her distance. It was a sad reality they had to face; the lonely life of an assassin.

She looked beautiful though. Her hair had been pinned back from her face and twisted behind her head, her makeup had been substituted for something a little more subdued, and whilst they may all be wearing a white shirt, black slacks, and a black bowtie, their getup looked better on her than it did on anyone else. Not only was she stunning in a black dress in a hotel lobby, but she was also gorgeous dressed in a basic uniform that looked like it could be bought at the nearest supermarket.

"You scrub down nice," Robin commented into her ear the moment he was within hearing distance. She turned to face him, and Robin smirked as she gave him the once over.

"You don't look too bad yourself, either."

"'Don't look too bad'?" He mocked. "Is that the only compliment I get?"

She made a show of giving him another glance over, though she took her time in letting her eyes rake over him. So much so, that when she'd finally reached his face, Robin was sure he'd turned a shade pinker.

He was half expecting her to say something distracting, something to get him even hotter under the collar to tease him like she usually did - but this time she surprised him with a simple; "I like the bow tie."

Reaching up to grasp the loops and wiggle them a little, Robin smirked and announced; "bow ties are cool."

The chuckle she let out and the resulting smile on her lips brought a grin to his face. She may be rather irritating from time to time, but her smiles never failed to lift his spirits.

The clack of heels drew everyone's attention to the doorway. "We all seem to be here, so if you'd like to follow me to the main hall…" Fiona announced, before leading them through a stone archway straight ahead of them into what would be the room for all the guests to mingle.

It was an incredibly large space, at least 50ft from wall to wall in both directions, and there were at least a dozen tables scattered about. This was obviously the main venue, and where the bidding would take place for those items available for auction. The coving around the high ceiling was carved and ornate, and the numerous crystal chandeliers hanging from above scattered the natural daylight all around the pale room. Robin had no doubt that at night this was a beautiful room to be in.

But as it happened, they were there at midday - and if all went well, they weren't planning on staying into the evening.

Fiona started explaining the rooms they could and could not enter. There was the room they were in now that would be the room for the guests to socialise and sit with food, then there was the kitchen which they had already been in, and then there was a corridor which led to the rooms which housed the exhibits. They were allowed in the latter to service the guests only - Fiona was strict that there would be no looking at the exhibits themselves. Robin had managed to sneak a glance at the floor plan whilst he was going through security; there were all manner of themed rooms for the items which had been 'procured'. There was a pottery exhibit, a gun exhibit, a sword exhibit, an art exhibit, and then the VIP exhibit - which was accessed by permission only. There were armed guards on that door - Robin didn't feel like testing his luck there.

All the staff were advised to stay in the main room until the guests had arrived - they were only to leave in order to refill the food or drink they would be carrying.

Robin eyed the trays with disdain, a literal silver platter for all those who didn't need such things. He was already having to prepare himself to grin and bear it. It was the only option; they weren't going to leave here without completing their mission. It was clear this meant a lot to Regina, he didn't want them to fail. He certainly didn't want to be the reason Regina didn't manage to get the closure she seemed to need so much.

He didn't seem to be doing well in that respect though; for the third time today, Regina nudged him out of his musings and back to the present - where he was being told to collect a tray and stand to one side.

The guests were due any moment now, and when they arrived, all the staff were expected to be ready with refreshments.

Grasping a tray with a dozen champagne flutes, Robin obediently stood to the side of the room to join the line of waiting staff. The moment the doorbell rang signalling the first arrival, soft music started playing in the background, and there was a flurry of activity with everyone assumed their places.

Robin wasn't sure what he was expecting of their first guest, but he certainly wasn't expecting to see a boy who looked barely out of college. He didn't seem to have been taught about manners though; barely even glancing at the person who offered to take his coat, and completely ignoring the person who gave him his champagne.

"Peter, how nice of you to join us," Fiona greeted, welcoming him with open arms. He reciprocated the hug and smiled, complimenting her on the venue and expressing desire to own several pieces.

"I'm sure we can work something out with a generous person such as yourself."

And in one sentence, Robin knew how they were acquainted; he was one of their donors. The kid probably had more sense than money, choosing to invest in criminal activity rather than something which may actually benefit the general public - as was the way with high net worth individuals. Still… Robin liked to believe that at some point they would turn their life around - though he didn't hold out much hope.

The second guest arrived not too long after, then the next, then the next, until the main hall was full of people ready to purchase goods that were being sold in order to raise funds for criminal activity. Robin wasn't oblivious; he knew most of these items had been stolen from their rightful owners - or swapped out with clever forgeries without them even knowing. It all went to show that if the rich and powerful want something, they will get it. By hook or by crook.

Robin managed to sneak a glance at Regina, and whilst she was good at hiding it, he saw she had the same distaste for the guests as he did.

"Do you think we have enough poison to take them all out?" He joked into her ear.

She glared his way, an obvious warning at speaking about their mission in the open. But then she softened and glanced around the room, and he almost missed her low utterance of: "I wish we did."

Robin scoffed in agreement. He was astounded at how many people had taken a drink off of his tray and not even glanced at him. Regina was right to suggest this way; he doubted anyone would even remember they existed.

He was hoping the same could be said for their host.

Blue was due to show up any minute to start the event, and Robin just hoped that she didn't really pay much attention to them. He wanted this to run as smoothly as possible; a quick wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am style op where they got out without a hitch. Though, one thing that made him nervous on top of the usual mission worries; Regina. Her history with Blue could affect this op in one of two ways; she could be so focussed that it went better than expected, or she could become distracted and this op would be compromised. And with the way Regina tensed and took in a sharp breath the moment Blue walked into the room, Robin wasn't confident which way this would go.

Her fingers tightened around the tray, her knuckles turning white with the pressure, and her breathing becoming heavy. The moment Blue started speaking, the glasses on Regina's tray started to tremble - not enough to noticeably clink together, but enough that the liquid inside them was disturbed.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. It's a pleasure to see so many of you willing to participate in this once in a lifetime opportunity."

Robin huffed. 'Opportunity', as if this was anything but an excuse to flaunt wealth.

He felt for Regina though; if he could reach out to her, he would. But instead, he had to appear unaffected to avoid drawing suspicion.

In the end, he settled on shifting so he was standing closer to her, and managing to partially block the view so Regina could have a momentary respite to pull herself back together.

"Are you going to be okay?" He quietly asked - saying 'fuck it' to appearing nonchalant and just wanting to make sure she could handle this.

"I'll be okay," she responded. "I just…"

"Need a minute?"

"I haven't seen her in a long time," Regina admitted. "I'd forgotten how much I hate her."

So, Regina seemed to be loosening up her own rules now. At least Robin knew they were on the same page. Still, their little conversation allowed Regina to compose herself and reassemble her walls a little higher.

Blue spoke for longer than was necessary, mostly praises and compliments - probably in an attempt to loosen her guests' wallets - mixed in with some subtle manipulations that Robin liked to think he was immune to. And as soon as Blue had bowed her head and exited off of the raised platform she was speaking from, Robin couldn't give into the urge to roll his eyes.

All the guests were free to mingle from that point. There were a few tables laden with small foods, and half the staff changed their trays from champagne to hors d'ouvres. This was where both Robin and Regina had to keep their eyes out; the moment that Blue requested a drink or some food, they had to be there with the poison ready to put their plan into motion.

Frustratingly, Blue didn't order anything for most of the evening; Robin started to keep tabs on Regina to make sure she didn't run out of patience and kill Blue with her bare hands. God knew he'd understand if she did. But that would result in Regina getting killed straight after, and he'd rather not see that; he may have grown somewhat fond of her. Not that he'd ever admit such a thing out loud.

The time Robin spent not keeping an eye on Regina, he was keeping an eye on the guests. He didn't think anyone was here that would recognise him - these people seemed to be a bit too far into the depths of criminal activity for him to have brushed paths with. He'd overheard someone bragging about the money they'd made from correctly timed assassinations of public figures, and another person who had discussed their war profiteering as if it was something to be proud of. If it wouldn't draw suspicion, Robin might have been tempted to make a list of everyone there and cross them off himself. The world would be a better place without them.

There was one particular guest who creeped him out more than the rest. Robin had been making his way back from the sword exhibit and had overheard him discussing his daughter with a few of the other male guests. He had only caught part of the conversation, but it had sounded as if he was trying to use his daughter as a bargaining chip, implying that should their deal go ahead, she would be more than willing to 'show her appreciation'.

Robin felt sick to his stomach. That poor woman… He doubted she even had a choice in the matter - as was the way with all of these rich people with beautiful children. Still… there wasn't much he could do for her at the moment. Perhaps one day he could find her and help get her out of this life - if she wanted to - but right now he had to focus on the task at hand. Which was rather difficult when he was being ordered in every which way to 'fetch me another champagne' or 'get me some more of that food from earlier'.

If Robin didn't have one particular target in mind, he'd be shooting them all regardless of consequences.

Especially the man who kept eyeing up Regina.

He wasn't a jealous man, not really, but Robin couldn't help the urge to punch whichever lecherous creep looked her way. Even the guy who tried to pawn off his daughter had taken a couple of glances, and Robin wanted to shove that pricey champagne flute down his throat until he choked.

Gritting his teeth, Robin made his way to the kitchen to refill his tray. All this criminal activity must be thirsty work…

It was on his way back to the sword exhibit that he saw the man from earlier talking to one of the security guards. Trying not to make it obvious he was eavesdropping, Robin approached the nearest group of people and offered them his tray. He took the time they used to swap their empty glasses for refilled ones to overhear what was being said.

He only caught bits and pieces, but what he did hear caused his stomach to drop and his chest to tighten.

'She's dangerous', 'assassin', 'dispose of her'...

Regina…

He wasn't sure how she had been recognised with this crowd; he figured anyone associated with these people had souls just as black as they did. Most of the people here had their hands practically dripping in blood, he hadn't expected Regina to have had dealings with them before. He didn't know what she had been involved in, and it was just now occurring to him that perhaps he didn't want to.
Still, he needed to get Regina out of here. Undoubtedly she wouldn't be happy with this, but her life was at stake - and far more important than what they were doing here.

He was just about to set off to find her when the man who had reported her turned to look at him. "You. Stay there."

As heavy footsteps walked towards him, Robin felt his heart start pounding. Had he worked out he was with Regina? Was he going to turn him in too? How did he know him? ...

Robin catalogued every item near him that could be used as a weapon, the exits easiest for him to get to, and created several plans that could get both himself and Regina out of there - not all were fatality-free.

But as it happened, this stupid buffoon of a person only wanted one of the champagne flutes on Robin's tray, and didn't appear to have any manners.

Letting out a long, relieved breath the moment the man had walked away, Robin scanned his eyes across the room in an attempt to find Regina. When he was certain she wasn't there, he broke the rules and placed his tray down on the nearest flat surface so he could search for her unhindered.

He found her in the corridor between the art and gun exhibits, holding an empty tray and no doubt on her way to fill it back up again.

Checking that nobody was following her - or him - he waited until they were almost on top of each other and then dragged her into the nearest empty room.

"Robin? What the hell are you doing?" Regina asked, still recovering her balance from being pushed into what looked like a home office.

"I'm sorry, Regina," Robin started, ensuring the door was locked before he turned back to her. "But you've been made."

Her face fell, anger being replaced by confusion. "What?"

"There's a man in there, he knows you. Or at the very least recognises you; he's aware that you're an assassin, and he's told security," Robin explained. "They're searching the building for you now."
"Shit."

Well… that was one way of putting it. "Yeah."

Robin watched as she ran a hand over her hair, turning away from him as she muttered a string of other curses. She kicked the chair closest to them in her frustration, sending it skidding across the floor so fast that the wheels couldn't keep up.

"Because that won't draw attention," Robin deadpanned.
Regina rounded on him and Robin instinctively took a step back. "Who was it?"
"What?"
"Who noticed me?"
"I don't know… Some middle aged, white dude?"

Regina let out a sharp laugh - the kind reserved for situations that weren't funny in the least. "That's practically everyone here, Robin!"
"I know, I know…" he sighed, running a hand over his face. "I can't remember his name. I was too focussed on getting you to safety."

He should have been concentrating more, he knew that, but he was too worried about something happening to Regina. She didn't even know she was in danger. Yes, she was skilled enough to hold her own, but security had an advantage. And an advantage could be deadly in this business. That was how he rationed his lack of attention. Instead of the possibility he had been emotionally compromised.
Robin turned his gaze back to Regina, unaware of what she was thinking – the only indication she was feeling anything was the anger swirling in her eyes. It seemed to be the calm before the storm.

And sure enough, within the next second she had let out a low growl from the base of her throat before swiping her hand along the desk, making all of the items neatly placed on its top scatter upon the floor.

Robin was under no illusions that this woman didn't have a temper, but he hadn't quite realised the extent until now.

He glanced behind him towards the locked door, hoping that nobody on the other side had heard and reported it - that was the last thing they needed.
"We're not going to get her, are we?" Regina asked - her voice surprisingly calm again, as if she had worked through all the stages and straight into acceptance.

"Blue," she clarified when she realised he hadn't responded. "We have to leave, and we'll miss this window, and she'll know someone is after her and up her security. This is it."
With another, smaller swift kick to the desk in front of her, Regina let out a frustrated sigh.
It meant a lot to her. He could see that now. He could live without killing Blue – yes, his employer would likely have a few choice words and he'd be once again back on desk duty for a while – but this was obviously something Regina needed. Some sort of closure for whatever had happened to her.
With a plan in mind, Robin turned to leave. It was a pipe dream, but better than nothing. His risky backup plan could go tits up in so many different ways. But if what Regina said was true and this was their only opportunity; he had to at least try.

"Where are you going?"
"I may have something…"

"What?"

Robin shook his head. "I'm not getting your hopes up, but I'll let you know if it works."
"Robin…"
"Nobody's made me. I'm clean," he assured her. "You get yourself out, and we'll meet at the big oak tree down the road, like we said. Okay?"
She glared at him, but he glared back, holding her gaze to prove he wasn't going to be swayed on this - something she seemed to pick up on.

Regina pressed her lips together and exhaled, suddenly looking rather unsure and concerned. "Be careful."

Robin blinked in surprise. Was that… was that actual concern he heard in her voice? "Wow, that almost sounded like you care."

"Don't be daft," she dismissed, her expression back to her usual, mostly unreadable state. "You're just my lift back to the hotel."

Robin smirked, humouring her with a drawn out; "right."
She gave him one last glare before she moved over to the far wall. Brushing aside the baby blue curtain, she pushed the window pane up until there was a quiet creak and a sudden draft of cold air. With one hand pressed against the wall for leverage, she leaned forwards and peered out to gauge the distance she'd have to fall to get to safety. "Yeah, I'm not jumping that…"

With a huff she stood back up straight, closing the window again and replacing the curtain. She turned to face Robin, a frown on her face as she placed her hands on her hips. "I guess I'll just have to work my way through the house to another exit and hope I don't get caught."

The thought of that filled Robin with dread. Not only did she have to go through the house with the guest who recognised her, and the security guards who had been told to 'dispose of her', but they hadn't been able to get a full floor plan. They had the general entrances and exits memorised, but they weren't aware of what doors were blocked or where the guards were stationed. "Regina…"

"What?"

And 'what' indeed? He wasn't exactly in the best position to provide back-up, especially considering they had some items in lockers that he really wanted to get back - including a couple of subtle weapons. He'd have to go back in too.

It was risky; he had no idea if he'd been compromised. He didn't think anyone had put two and two together and realised that he was working with Regina, but he'd prefer not to find out. So whilst Regina was finding her way out and back to the oak tree they'd agreed to meet up at, he'd be gathering their stuff and making his own way there.

If circumstances allowed, he may even be able to initiate his secret back-up plan. But that was a very big if. And an even bigger maybe.

So… this was it. Hopefully they both made it out of this alive.

"You be careful too."

She looked rather surprised at his sentiment - though quickly managed to get her features back under control. Her lips quirked in a sly smile; "it almost sounds like you care", she mocked, repeating his earlier jibe.

"Don't be daft," he joked. "You're just my gun for hire."

With a small chuckle she rolled her eyes and nodded towards the door. "Go."

He didn't have any witty retort to throw back at her, but he was rather glad that she wasn't taking his sentiment to heart. Robin was aware that she avoided most displays of feelings, as if they were a weakness to her. But the truth was; he cared. A lot. Too much, perhaps. The thought of anything happening to her was… paralysing. The sooner he could get them both out of there, the better.

"Don't get yourself killed," he requested, trying to play it off but unable to remain wholly impartial.

"How can I? You're taking all the incompetence with you."

He smiled, comforted that even with all their plans going to shit, she was still the feisty Regina he knew.

With one last look at her, he unlocked the door and headed back out into the mostly empty corridor. Fortunately, nobody paid him any mind, and so he made his journey back to his lockers, picking up his discarded tray on the way and trying to focus his mind on the task at hand - rather than the woman currently at risk of being caught and killed.

...

..

.

Keeping his mind off of Regina was easier said than done, but in the end, Robin had managed to make his way back to their lockers, grab their stuff, and hide it in the corner before the exit he planned to use. But one final thing before he made his way out; his plan B.

It was probably the most riskiest of plan B's he'd ever come up with, and in all honesty, he wasn't intending to use it. Not until he saw how much this had meant to Regina. And then like an idiot he'd let himself be put in a situation where he had more chance of being killed than not - and all because of his 'bleeding heart' as his friends had described it. He just wouldn't be able to live with himself if Regina missed out on this once in a lifetime opportunity when he had a chance to do something about it.

So that was how he found himself walking up to where Blue was currently stood with Fiona and the first guest who came through the doors.

He eyed the security guards who were stood further back on the stage keeping an eye out on all the guests. And he also tried to monitor Blue's private security team who were attempting - rather poorly - to blend in as guests. With each step closer to Blue, her personal security moved closer to him, and once he was barely two meters away from her, they reached for their weapons concealed under their dinner jackets.

Blue, Fiona, and the guest - Peter, if Robin remembered rightly - seemed to be in a rather intense conversation judging from the low whispers and unimpressed glares. Robin hated to interrupt, but really, what choice did he have?

"Excuse me, my sincere apologies for the intrusion, ma'am," he started, lightly touching Blue's shoulder and almost taking a step back at the way she turned to him with a dangerous look in her eye. He figured he better continue talking before she arranged for his quick demise. "Your presence is requested by one of the guests in the art room. He is prepared to make a rather large donation but only if you can discuss the matter with him."

Her eyebrow raised, and for a moment Robin felt less at risk of being shot. "Is that so?"

"I can advise him that you are otherwise occupied?" Robin offered, hoping that he wouldn't have to escort her there himself. No doubt her own security would shoot him on pure suspicion if he led her to a spot where nobody was standing. Fortunately, she told him to tell the guest she'd be right with him and then dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

Robin nodded, grateful that he was managing to stay alive pretty well, and then made a swift retreat - with part one of his back-up plan in motion.

To keep up appearances he went back down the corridor and into the art room - though he just tucked himself past the doorway and waited a couple of moments before making his way back through to his planned exit.

He left his tray behind a large plant-pot, took one last look around the people in his immediate vicinity to ensure nobody was watching him, and then slipped away into the evening.

…

..

.

Sneaking around the side of the large mansion, Robin kept to the shadows wherever possible. There were some areas which were illuminated by a decorative arch or a fancy water feature, but the rest he was able to navigate fairly well without a chance of being picked up on any kind of security cameras.

When he reached the area near the car park and the lawn underfoot turned into gravel, his steps became lighter to avoid the crunch of stone under his boots. His eyes fell onto the large oak tree at the edge of the grounds, and his eyes strained in the darkness to try and catch sight of Regina. The closer he got, the emptier the area around the tree appeared. Did she make it out? Did something happen? Was she…?

Completely forgetting all of the protocols he had set for himself, he recklessly put himself in the open to take the quickest path there. He had to see if Regina had made it, if not he'd be going straight back in there to get her. Fuck their in-case-of-emergency plan to get out of there alone if the other got caught. There was no way he'd be leaving without her.

"Regina?" He called, keeping his voice to a whisper but still loud enough to fall within earshot of the tree. "Regina, are you there?"

There was a moment where his heart dropped, his mind believing that she was in real danger and that he'd have to organise a rescue mission in addition to their termination mission. But then there was a slight rustle and a figure stepped around the tree into his field of vision.

Regina...

A very irritated Regina. "Are you insane?" She hissed. "Are you trying to get us both killed?"

Robin didn't care; too busy recovering from his 'Regina's in trouble' mindset. But she was okay, she was safe. "I didn't know if you'd made it."

"I barely did," she admitted. "But we need to get out of here before they find out I escaped and send their guns after me."

Nodding in agreement, Robin let his gaze fall onto the car they'd hired, already plotting his route out of the event and back to their hotel in his mind. Regina reached the car before he did, making a show of tugging on the locked door handle before he pressed the fob and let them both in.

Robin sat in the driver's seat, and Regina glanced in the rear-view mirror for the security officers now making their way out of the building to the car park. "Robin, go. Now."

He reversed out of their allocated space then floored it, hearing the chips of gravel pinging off of the car's bodywork as he sped out onto the main road. Regina seemed to spend most of the drive turned to look through the rear-view window, and the only comments she made were to give him instructions and routes for him to take back to avoid being tracked by those after them. Eventually, the stress of the situation got under Robin's skin and he snapped; "I know how to dodge a tail, Regina."

Regardless, she ignored him and continued spouting tips and tricks to avoid being picked up on cameras.

He could tell the moment she was sure they weren't being tailed; when she was certain that they'd made it, she turned to face the front, sat back in the seat, and let out the most frustrated sigh he'd ever heard. She ran a hand over her hair and huffed again, then, as if she couldn't bear to have it on a moment longer, pulled the black bow tie from around her neck and threw it onto the dashboard.

He'd have to remember to collect that later, lest the hire company collect it and keep it in lost property - they'd used false IDs to collect the vehicle, the last thing they needed was to leave their DNA all over the car.

"Look, today didn't go great, but we'll sort it," Robin assured her. "We'll go back to the hotel room, perhaps order room service, relax a little, plan our next move, and-"

"If you're going to suggest 'fuck the stress away'..." she started, her voice having a hint of warning, but not enough for Robin to tell if she was joking with him, or seriously about to shoot him in the kneecaps for even suggesting such a thing.

"Uh, we... we could do that, if you want?" He offered, not one to turn down spending some time getting sweaty between the sheets with Regina.

"Don't flatter yourself," she griped, obviously not joking around this time.

With their failed plan, wasted resources, and Regina's attitude, Robin lost what little patience he had left. "We're not going to get anywhere by sitting here and having a temper tantrum."

"And we're not going to get anywhere by knocking hips either," she sassed. "So just shut up and let me think of another plan."

Robin opened his mouth to argue back, but then he decided better of it. If she wanted to channel her energy into plotting ways to kill people then she was more than welcome to do that. As long as he wasn't one of her targets, she could do whatever the hell she liked.

Suddenly he felt a little less willing to dive into almost certain death for this woman. He'd have to remember this the next time they found themselves in danger - if there even was a next time. Right now, they'd be lucky to even have a this time. He doubted that his back-up plan would be working; it was wishful thinking to believe it would lead to any kind of results.

He supposed that Regina would have to get over it, and wait and hope for another opportunity. Robin was more than willing to work with her on a second attempt if they had one - if she wanted him to.

But it was then that he realised that the whole reason for this operation in the first place was as a work assignment. Never mind Regina; his own boss would be plotting to kill him for yet another failed mission.

Suddenly, his mood soured and his attention was no longer on the woman sat next to him.

He needed to come up with an excuse.

Or find another job...