A Thief and a Queen

The Fire

He also was madly, deeply, truly in love with her.

It had crept on him slowly and he didn't realized it had happened until he was already head over heels for her. He loved how passionate she was about the things that were important to her, how intelligent she was, how compassionate she was. Robin was also privileged to see the side of her that she kept private—the one who loved to bake, who sang and danced along to the class rock station, who absolutely melted at the sight of either a baby or a dog, who read comic books when she needed to unwind, and who love to listen to science podcasts. They had had interesting debates from who was better—Batman or Superman—to ways to stop the growing threat of global warming. Robin couldn't imagine his life or this world without her and so he couldn't just leave her in the burning building without trying to save her.

He just had to think like her.

Regina would first make sure everyone had gone out. If she had gotten trapped, she would remember that smoke and heat rises, so would probably head to the basement of Town Hall. There were also utility tunnels that led from the building, so she was probably trying to make her way out of them. He raced toward one of the entrances, hoping to find her emerging—perhaps a bit dirty and coughing, but relatively unharmed. Robin even started to prepare his arguments for her to go check out at the hospital for smoke inhalation as he rounded the corner to face the door.

Disappointment filled him when he saw it closed but he didn't let that deter him. His heart told him she was going to come out through the tunnels, so he would go to her and help her. Robin pressed his hand to the door and once assured it was cool, he opened it and slipped inside.

It was dark and he wished he had grabbed his flashlight from his car. Robin pulled out his phone instead, using that to light his way as he headed toward the back entrance to Town Hall. "Regina?" he called out. "Regina, are you down here?"

He didn't get a response but he pushed forward, knowing that at least he could get into Town Hall from the tunnels. So even if she hadn't been able to make it into the corridors, he hoped he could still rescue her using them.

Robin approached the service entrance to the building, noticing a haze in the air. It had gotten hotter but when he reached out to feel the door, it didn't feel hot. He prayed that meant the fire hadn't gotten there yet as he opened the door unsure what awaited him on the other side.

The air felt thick beyond the door and sweat started to trickle down his face from the heat. He kept low to avoid the smoke clinging to the ceiling, covering his mouth with the t-shirt he wore under his button-down shirt. Tears pricked Robin's eyes and blurred his vision but he kept pushing on, determined to find the woman he loved.

He glanced down one hallway, eyes widening as he saw flames at the very end. It wouldn't take them long to get to where he was and that would block his escape route. Time was not on his or Regina's side.

"Regina?" he called out again, briefly uncovering his mouth. "Regina?"

He pulled the cotton fabric over his mouth again, stomach clenching when no one called back to him. Robin went the opposite way of the flames, checking every room he could for Regina—even going into the women's bathroom on the first floor. All were empty, forcing Robin to head upstairs to check for her. The stairway had no smoke and fresh air, so he lowered his t-shirt to take a few gulps of fresh air as he climbed the stairs. He hit the landing for the second floor and felt the door. It was warm to the touch but it didn't burn his hand, so he took the chance. With one last gulp of cool, fresh air, he covered his mouth and nose again and pulled open the door.