A/N: So this started out as a prompt about Regina falling in love with her bodyguard, Robin, and it's become this whole big thing. It is loosely inspired by a Nora Roberts book as well and if you know which one you will get major brownie points ;) So I am really excited about this story and where it's going and I hope you all love it as much as I do. I would really love to hear all of your feedback on it.

It starts out innocently enough, not something she thought she should be worried about. She's a well established and esteemed actress after all, Regina is used to people fawning over her, enjoys it most of the time. The letters hadn't been concerning at first, talking about how much he adores her, the occasional bouquet of flowers delivered to her at the studio, trinkets he says reminds him of her. All signed in the same manner, "You're most devoted fan". In the beginning she doesn't think too much of it. But gradually things began to shift and suddenly the letters weren't so well meaning. In the last several weeks they had taken a decidedly darker turn, no longer flattering but almost violating. They've turned into monologues of his thoughts, what he wishes he could do with her.

Despite the troublesome sense of déja vu they bring her, Regina has fairly thick skin and probably would have ignored them and hoped they would stop once her admirer lost interest. Even with how uncomfortable the notes make her it's not until they start arriving at her home that she becomes truly concerned that the situation is going too far. Every time one arrives it makes her skin crawl and she's not always quick enough to catch them before Henry finds one. How does one explain the unwelcome notes and flowers to one's ten-year-old son? Ultimately that is what had done it, what had forced Regina to seek out help in the matter. She would not let this affect Henry in any way.

So Regina finds herself sitting across from this man. His name had been at the top of everyone's recommendation list when she'd casually brought up the fact she was looking for a new bodyguard with several of her costars and friends. They face each other from opposite couches in her sitting room studying one another. He looks out of place is all she can think, with his jeans and hoodie beneath a leather jacket, the scruff on his face leaning just a tad toward unkempt. He doesn't fit within the stark white and black décor and clean lines of her home. Perhaps this isn't such a great idea after all.

The pair simply stare at one another for several more seconds before Robin finally breaks the silence. "So why don't you tell me why I am here, milady?"

She blinks at him. "Is that not rather obvious, Mr. Locksley? I am in need of a new bodyguard and from what I've heard of your reputation you are the top man in the field. I want the best."

Robin smirks at her. "Well I am certainly the best, Ms. Mills, you are correct in that. And I have quite a bit of experience with those in the entertainment business, among others..." he trails off, thinking of his thieving past and the trouble it's gotten him into in the past. He'd been skilled enough at stealing to know how to read a situation and he is positive he hasn't gotten the full story here yet. He'd rather be blunt and to the point than dance around the elephant in the room. "I am excellent at reading people, Ms. Mills, and you haven't told me all there is yet. So if you wish for me to work for you then you are going to have to be honest with me." Robin pauses as surprise flickers through her eyes and his expression grows serious. "Something has you spooked, I can see it. Now are you going to tell me what it is so I can help or shall I simply leave?"

Is she being that transparent? It's true that she has yet to tell him the primary reason for his being here, but Regina had thought she had been hiding her concern fairly well. Apparently not though. This is the moment of truth, she has to decide if she is willing to trust this man with her life, and more importantly her son's life. Though she doesn't know him, has only just met him ten minutes prior there is a part of her that trusts him. She can't say what it is but some part of her is screaming for her to tell him everything, that this is a man who will keep her safe. She's not quite that desperate yet though so she sighs and begins with, "I have been getting some notes..."

"Is it not normal for someone in your profession receive that type of thing on a regular basis?" he interjects and Regina narrows her eyes at him.

"That is true, yes, but these are different, they aren't your typical fan mail. And usually all of that goes through the studio," She pauses for a moment, contemplating how quickly the letters had escalated in the last few months. "In the beginning they did. However, now they are arriving here and I do not feel comfortable with the tone of the letters, especially when I have to try to intercept them before my son gets ahold of them."

Surprise flickers through his eyes as he stares at her. Not many people know that she has a son. Regina prefers to keep her personal life private and guarded, entirely separate from the public persona she puts on. It is no ones business what she does privately and unfortunately in the business she's chosen it comes with the territory. But she will not have it affect Henry's life, not after what happened to Daniel.

"You have a son?" Robin questions with a touch of disbelief. He ran in many of the same circles as she did, albeit from an observational perspective rather than participatory but there had never been any indication she had a child, from any of the people he'd worked for. And surprisingly enough or not, given her success, her name had come up quite often amongst her colleagues, some praising her talent, others spitting insults at her out of jealousy. However, it was quite a feat for someone so engrossed in the public eye, to keep the existence of a child a secret. It cast a new light on the enigma of a woman before him and an unforeseen connection between them. He certainly understood wanting to do everything possible to protect your child.

Regina simply nodded. "I keep my personal life as exclusive as possible and I would like it to remain that way. I don't want this escalating or interfering in Henry's life. That's why I need you. I need someone who I can trust to protect myself as well as him."

"If these letters have made you this uncomfortable, this unsure of your safety why have you not gone to the police?" he questions. Something about this whole situation still feels off to him but a voice somewhere in his mind is telling him not to walk away yet. He's spent fifteen minutes in her company and yet it is as if a part of her is pulling him to her. Robin doesn't understand the connection he feels to this woman but he'll be damned if he leaves before he figures it out.

"As I've said, Mr. Locksley, I am a private person in a very public profession and unfortunately it's all too easy for something like this to leak to the press. I would prefer to handle it quietly." Last time the damn tabloid magazines had only made everything worse. Perhaps there would have been a very different outcome before if their taunts hadn't been hanging over them. And there is so much more at stake this time around. Regina can not risk it.

Robin understands that, can respect it, but there is a flicker of what he thinks is genuine fear in her eyes as she says it. Had he not been studying her so closely he would have missed it but it has an unwelcome and unusual feeling of dread forming in the pit of his stomach. What had happened to her? "Tell me about the notes."

Regina hesitates. She doesn't want to talk about what's in the recent letters she's been receiving. Logically she knows she's going to have to share them with him if she expects him to do his job, and to find the man that is sending them, but the idea of sharing those images makes her skin crawl. "At the start they just appeared to be typical fan mail, praising and admiring my work. In the last few weeks, however, they've become more vulgar, describing fantasies about me, some of them truly disturbing images. I'm worried that he's developed an obsession." She pauses, not used to showing her vulnerable side to anyone, particularly a stranger, but she's about to place her trust in this man to protect herself and her son and she has to start somewhere. "I'm frightened." she breathes almost inaudibly. "He shouldn't know where I live. I don't feel comfortable anymore, constantly looking over my shoulder, afraid to let my son run around the yard. I don't give into fear or let it control me, Mr. Locksley, so I am doing something about it. That's where you come in."

Robin says nothing for several seconds, tapping his thumb against his knee. He studies this glamorous woman who from all appearances seems to have a perfect, blessed life, sitting across from him scared and vulnerable. In that moment he makes his decision, there is no way he is going to be able to walk away from this, from her.

"Alright, Ms. Mills, I will help. I am an honorable man after all and I can't walk away in good conscience from a woman who could potentially be in danger." Robin leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees. "Our first order of business is going to be stepping up your security." he informs her.

She breathes a sigh of relief, barely, just a slight almost imperceptible dropping of the stiffness of her shoulders. Before she can thank him Robin is continuing.

"From this point on I will be with you at all times. Anytime you leave, anytime you go to the studio, the gym, the salon I will be with you. I'll need access to all of your current security and we will have to improve upon that. Oh and a room in this lovely mansion you've got here."

Regina stares at him in shock, her eyes wide and nostrils flaring as she narrows her gaze at him. She'll be damned if she will let this man into her life only for him to start making demands no matter how much she may need his help. "Excuse me?" Robin says nothing, the corner of his mouth tipping up slightly in a grin. He can almost see the wheels turning in her head and he can tell she's about to spit fire at him. She's gorgeous. The thought filters through his head before he even has the chance to quell it. Its a dangerous one, something he can not afford to let happen if he's going to do his job the way he needs to.

"If you are under the impression that you can come in here and take over you are..."

"With all due respect, your majesty, you are paying me to protect you and I will do whatever I feel is necessary to ensure that. Frankly, I don't give a damn if it upsets you or not."

Regina is speechless for a beat. She is not accustomed to people standing up to her, usually those around her bend to her will. But this Locksley seems to have no problem toeing off with her. As irritating as she finds it she can't help but admire the quality. With a huff Regina narrows her eyes at him but relents, she's too spooked not to agree to his terms. "Fine. I will go along with this and make sure you get all the information you need. As far as a room… I do not see why it is necessary for you to move in here to do your job."

Robin leans forward, his forearms resting on his thighs. "You've already said he knows where you live, milady, and how uncomfortable it makes you. If he's willing to send you things here what's to stop him from showing up one of these days. In order for me to protect you I have to be readily available. At all times. That requires having a space of my own here." he pauses and shoots her a grin, one that is far more charming than it should be given his next sentence. "Unless you'd rather I bunk with you in order to truly ensure your safety round the clock." Robin isn't quite sure where that had come from. It is definitely a poor idea to flirt with her, completely unprofessional and senseless given he's just pissed her off and as Regina gaps at him for several extremely long seconds he feels utterly foolish. "Although a room within a reasonable distance should serve just fine." he quickly back tracks. As the seconds tick by he feels increasingly like the idiot he may be.

He's thrown her off balance and Regina could kick herself for it. Robin is a rather attractive specimen of the male species she has to admit. And if she said that some part of her didn't feel a slight tug in her belly when he looked at her she would be lying. However, before she can even begin to contemplate the mild attraction she feels toward him he is backpeddling. It's better that way. They can ignore whatever allure is between them and focus on the job. Which brings Regina back to his ridiculous demands. "And just how do you expect me to explain to my son why a stranger has moved into our home?" she demands.

A part of him wants to tell her that's not really his problem. He's here to do a job not help her explain what's happening to her son but a larger part, the one that is a father himself won't allow the words to leave his mouth. So his brow furrows as he exhales, "You've said you don't want this to affect his life but if it's having this great an influence on yours then surely he already knows things aren't quite right." Robin pauses, tilting his head slightly. "You mentioned trying to intercept these letters before he sees them, am I correct in assuming you haven't always been successful in that?" The slight wince at his question is answer enough.

It's true she hasn't been able to catch them all. One had slipped by her a few weeks ago when Henry had been a bit over zealous to retrieve the mail, anxiously awaiting the newest Wolverine comic. Thankfully that note had been rather mild in content compared to the others, but it had been a bit of a wake up call. "No," she answers, "I haven't always managed to get to them before he sees them."

"Right, then he must be at least partially aware that things are a bit out of the norm. Just tell him you are being extra cautious and that's why I'm here."

Its not an entirely unreasonable suggestion. But Henry is a curious boy and he's going to ask questions. Questions Regina is not prepared to answer nor does she want to. A new body guard for extra security, especially when she's about to start a new production? That she can explain to him. One who is going to be a temporary house guest for the foreseeable future? That's a bit harder to justify to a 10 year-old without unwanted questions. "I'm not sure that'll be enough." she murmurs under her breath with a heavy sigh.

"Why don't we just see how it goes." Robin offers to which Regina nods her consent. What else can she do really? It's entirely unavoidable and her priority is Henry's safety and Robin is helping provide that. "Now, I would like to meet your son." he requests.

"Alright, but despite what he's seen he still doesn't know much and I would like to keep it that way. He's only ten, he does not need to be worried about this. But Henry's a curious boy," Regina smiles, it's both a pain and a pleasure to deal with, especially during moments like this. "and he's going to ask questions. Let me handle it."

Robin nods graciously, "Of course." He has a son himself after all, one he doesn't get to see nearly enough, and it drives him mad when Marian tries to control the way he parents Roland. He would never dream of encroaching upon how another parent handles their child.

Surprised by his easy concordance with her request Regina nods curtly and then stands, smoothing her hands down her neat black pencil skirt to divest it of wrinkles. The movement draws Robin's eye, his gaze roaming over her luscious curves and causing his mouth to water slightly. Oh this is not good. He's far too attracted to her for her to be his client, an attraction they can not act upon and will only serve as a distraction. Robin clears his throat in an attempt to quell the images of running his hands over that body of hers from his mind. "Lead the way, milady" he gestures with his arm out as he rises from the opposite couch.

He follows her out of the sitting room in which they'd been seated and into the open foyer of the house, a long winding staircase, which she begins to ascend, leading to the second floor. Her home is large and spacious, certainly luxurious, all what he'd expected to find when coming to an A-list actresses home and yet there is modestly to it as well. It has a warmth to it. Climbing the stairs behind her Robin can't help but notice the lovely way her skirt hugs her rear. Get it together, Locksley he chides himself. She is your client and absolutely off limits.

They come to a door off the landing and Regina knocks quietly before opening it and peeking her head around. "Henry, there's someone I want you to meet." Robin hears a muffled question of 'Who?' from inside the room before Regina is pushing it open fully and standing just inside the doorway. His view is now unobstructed and Robin sees a young boy laying on his bed, face buried in a comic book. He doesn't even glance up as she opens the door, so engrossed in his reading. The room is decorated in hues of blue and evidence as to the owner being a child scattered everywhere. "Henry." Regina repeats in a tone with just enough motherly steel to have Henry looking up from his comic and studying them. Robin can't help his slight smirk at her intonation.

"Henry, this is Robin. He's just taken the job as my new bodyguard and is going to be staying with us for the next few months." she tells him casually.

The boy furrows his brow at her, his nose scrunching up slightly. "Why?" he questions immediately. "Is something wrong? Are you ok?" There's a look in Henry's eye as he studies his mother with a serious expression, his concern quite apparent. Robin can tell his resistance comes more from worry than outright objection and thinks perhaps the boy might be more aware of what's been going on than Regina would like to believe.

Despite the fact that she'd asked to handle him on her own Robin takes a few steps into the room, placing a hand lightly on Regina's forearm as she shoots him a puzzled, slightly put-out frown. His focus is all on Henry though, doesn't want to step on any toes but thinks he might be able to offer the boy some reassurance. He moves further into the room, "May I sit?" he gestures to the empty space beside the boy on the bed. At Henry's nod Robin plops down. "Your mom's a pretty big deal right?" he asks him.

Henry's eyes flicker to his mother briefly, a small grin settling on his features as he looks back at Robin. "I guess so, yeah. She's really good in her movies and sometimes when we're out people recognize her and stuff."

Robin grins at Henry's description, eyes finding Regina's, the edge of her mouth tipping up slightly at her son but is studying Robin curiously. He can't help but notice how beautiful she is when she smiles. "And when someone is popular like that people want to know all about them and what they're doing in their life. It's my job to give your mom some peace and make sure they leave her alone. It's easier for me to do that if I'm around all the time."

That's one way to describe what he does she supposes. A bit simplistic and vague perhaps but then again he is talking to a ten year old. Even more baffling is why he's trying to explain the situation to her son at all. Regina isn't used to anyone helping her out with the difficult questions Henry is prone to. Definitely not some stranger she's just met and hired as her bodyguard. From what she's seen Robin Locksley is someone she's going to have to watch out for if she's not careful. Though she's hired him to protect her Regina will not allow herself to become dependent on him. No one ever stays in her life for very long and she's quite sure Robin will be no exception.

Henry is still staring at Robin skeptically but she sees the moment that he decides to trust what he is saying. Regina moves into the room and sits beside Henry as well, her hand coming up to run through his hair gently. "Robin is just going to look after you," she pauses for a moment and her eyes meet Robin's over Henry's head before continuing quietly. "and me, for the next little while." Henry murmurs okay, returning to his comic book and Regina smiles and kisses the top of his head. "Dinner will be ready in a bit, don't forget to wash up before coming down."

Motioning for Robin to follow her Regina rises and strolls out of the room. He follows her out and down the hallway to what is surely a guest bedroom. She pushes the door open and gestures inside. "Since you're insistent on staying here this will be your room."

"It's appreciated. This is for your own good, milady." Robin quips with a grin as he steps forward to enter, stopped by Regina's hand coming to rest on his bicep, eyes locking with hers inquisitively. She's about to show him some more of that quick tongue he's sure, so Robin is surprised when her voice comes out softly.

"Thank you," she murmurs, "for what you said to Henry back there. It wasn't necessary, I could have handled it. But this is a rather delicate situation and your explanation was one that he could understand. So thank you for that."

Robin moves just a touch closer, their bodies only a foot or so apart now, reminding Regina her hand is still on his arm and it shouldn't be. She should not be touching him. Hastily removing it, her eyes flicker up to his and they are a bright, clear blue that draws her in. "It's no trouble. I understand how difficult it is to shelter a child, particularly from situations so common in my line of work."

She nods and takes a step back from him, away from those alluring eyes and the puzzling feelings they are bringing out in her. "Yes, well, thank you just the same. I'm sure our acquaintance will be quite the experience, Mr. Locksley."

With that Regina turns and starts back down the hallway to a room in which she disappears, one Robin can only assume is her bedroom. "That it will be, Ms. Mills." he mutters to himself with a smirk as he turns to his own room and shuts the door.