Robin hurriedly removed Holly's damp winter clothes, his gaze frantically checking her for injuries from the collision as he did his best to focus on her well-being over the sight of her exposed flesh.

 Fortunately, aside from some additional bruises and abrasions on her arms and legs, she seemed relatively unharmed. Robin let out a sigh of relief when Holly started to shiver from the cold, a sign of life after she had lain motionless in his arms. Robin slowly stood to his feet, lifting her carefully, as he carried her back into her room, tucking her under the heavy duvet and black-and-red tulip quilt atop her bed.

Holly's room mirrored the grandeur of the rest of the house, but on an even more dizzying scale. Mirrors and paintings covered the walls, reaching up to a meticulously painted mural of a cloudy summer sky on the ceiling. Strings of diamonds and stones hung from the ceiling, glittering in the artificial light of the numerous decorative lamps that adorned nearly every surface. A cluttered vanity in one corner was covered in various makeup vials and powders. 

Its mirror was so dirty that Robin cringed, almost wondering if he might clean it before she woke up. The rest of the room was also a mess, with clothes and shredded paper (Robin couldn't tell if it was Cookie's mess or Holly's) scattered across the floor, immune to the magic floorboards that typically swept messes away.

Cursing at himself to refocus, Robin dashed downstairs, using the pile of old mail and firewood to kindle a large fire in the parlor's fireplace in an attempt to warm up the house that had become affected by the blizzard's chill. As the fire began to dance over its kindling, he quickly turned to the kitchen, rushing to grab a kettle and set the water to boil for tea.

Robin had just started back up the stairs to check on Holly when he jumped at seeing her standing at the top of the stairway, slowly descending in her loose green velvet nightgown, the tulip quilt from her bed wrapped around her shoulders.

"How are you feeling?" Robin asked, his tone hesitant as he retreated backward down the steps, ready to catch her if she suddenly fell unconscious again on her journey down the stairs.

"I'm fine now, thank you...and thank you for fixing me," Holly replied, focusing on the stairs with her eyes not meeting his, as one hand delicately rose to her face to trace where Robin had fixed the cut from a branch, as if searching for a lingering scar. "I took quite a nasty tumble there," she mumbled, her tone light in an attempt to minimize her experience in the frightening situation they both just experienced.

"Of course. I am so glad you are alright." Robin reassured her with a soft smile. "Um... and you were—?"

"I was the bird, yes," Holly confirmed, with an awkward laugh.

"Oh," Robin replied awkwardly, uncertain what to say, especially since he had tried so aggressively to fight the bird that had scooped him up. As if in apology, he quickly closed the gap between them and extended his hand for her to hold as he helped lead her toward the fire in the parlor.

"I meant to get us all the way to Sunshine Acres," Holly explained, laughing lightly as she weakly pulled a blanket from the settee and laid it out for them in front of the fireplace. "But I should have told you what I was planning so you wouldn't have used your necklace."

"What do you mean?" Robin blinked as he watched her settle by the fire and begin warming her hands.

"Well, the magic in my heart stone is tied to my abilities. Even though it's broken, I get extra strength from the nearby pieces. When you used the magic in your necklace to call for me, it drained some of the energy I needed to get us home. And since my magic is connected to my life force, I ended up falling unconscious from overexerting my magic."

"Oh..." Robin mumbled, feeling a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I should have told you I planned on transforming into a big, scary bird to carry you. I wasn't thinking very clearly in that moment," Holly replied, suddenly coughing as her face flushed. "So, I'm sorry that I put you in that situation...Good thinking with the transportation spell," she added, steering the conversation to a new subject. "Otherwise, we might not have made it."

"Yes, well... I'm glad you had some magic left to use."

"Me too," Holly mumbled with a light laugh, her fingers playing with the soft fabric of her loose nightgown as she watched the fire.

The kettle whistled in the kitchen, and Robin hesitated for a moment to watch her before he quickly fetched their tea.

 When he returned, the two sat by the fire in comfortable silence, sipping the warm drink and soaking in the healing heat of the crackling fire.

Robin stole a glance at the sorceress beside him, her eyes distant as the fire's warm glow played across her features. the light reflecting off her light lashes and the faint freckles that scattered across her cheeks. These minor marks were usually hidden beneath her makeup, and her lashes seemed lighter without the dark pigment that usually coated them. 

He studied her face, and he felt his heart leap to his throat with his thoughts, the words slipping out before he could stop them. 

"You know," Robin said, breaking the silence between them." If you need to, you can always give me more, if you want. I will try to take good care of it. "

Holly tilted her head, green eyes still fixed on the fire. "More?"

Robin's cheeks flushed in embarrassment, but it was too late to stop what he wanted to say now. 

He pulled the necklace from under his shirt, turning it over in his fingers as he eyed the small pieces of green stone that made up the Ivy leaves on the dark metal whistle.

"I-I mean, I'll do my best to protect any part of your heart you give me. I know I don't have much magic, but I-I'm pretty handy with a scalpel, and I know the easiest ways to kill a man, medically speaking, so I think I could manage on my own... And- if it would help you be stronger... I'd carry your whole heart, if you'd let me."

Robin swallowed the nerves that built in his chest as he rambled. His heart was beating so nervously in his ears that he couldn't hear his own thoughts before they tumbled out of his mouth in this horrific confession.

Holly's confused gaze turned from the fire, her eyes watching him with a sad contradiction as he fiddled with the necklace, then back into her mug of tea.

Each moment without a response felt like an eternity, the embarrassment of Robin's offer tightening in his chest. 

He knew it hadn't been long since her last heartbreak, and maybe he had no right to ask for more of her heart...

But after everything they'd just been through, he wanted to try.

"I—" Holly began, her gaze raising to meet his. "I'd be happy to give you as much as you're willing to carry."

Robin breathed out in relief, causing Holly's face to twist into a confused smirk as she searched his eyes for an explanation.

"Sorry, I just—" Robin chuckled, his gaze dancing between hers, as he leaned forward to softly place a hand on her exposed knee. His thumb hesitated before tracing a path across her skin, biting back a blush as he tried to be reassuring. 

"Holly, your heart isn't nearly the burden that others have made it out to be."

Holly's lips parted as she swallowed a breath, as her gaze snapped to his hand on her knee. 

She licked her lips and tilted her head, as if she were about to argue, but hesitated as her eyes quickly darted back and forth, searching his gaze. 

As if something in them might reveal an alternative hidden truth behind his words.

"In fact, you know, I..." Robin trailed off, lifting his other hand in an attempt to move himself closer to her, causing Holly's heavy-lidded eyes to wander to his lips as he brought his face closer to hers.

He brought his hand down beside her and, in a quick, accidental move, knocked over her mug, spilling the hot tea onto her legs. 

"Ah—oops! I'm sorry. Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—" Robin began to ramble, but stopped as he chuckled awkwardly, mortified at how he'd ruined the otherwise perfect romantic moment. 

Shaking his head, Robin carefully leaned over her to push up her mightgown and press his thumb against her thigh where the tea had burned it, praying that his magic might be able to fix this moment...

Somehow.

A gentle tug on his necklace drew his attention from his own mental barating over his clumsiness to the chain circling his neck.

 Following the chain, he found Holly's fingers toying with the green stones in the whistle as she twirled the charm back and forth between them.

Holly's eyes met his, and her other hand slowly rose to rest on Robin's, his palm still pressed into the skin on her upper thigh.

Holly slowly pulled at the necklace, drawing him closer, the warmth of their breath on the other's lips becoming more of a healing comfort than that of the fire before them.

Her gaze once more searched his, as a knowing smile climbed onto her face. Her expression made it clear what she wanted, and Robin already knew he was doing a poor job of hiding the desire in his own.

Without any hesitation, Robin swiftly closed the gap between them, gently bringing his lips to hers as his other hand slipped around her waist.

Holly used her free hand to run through his hair, cradling his head as she pushed his lips harder against hers, her fingers on his necklace wrapping themselves in the chain as Robin quickly pulled her closer to him.

The chill of the blizzard felt like a far-distant memory, as the way her lips played against his suggested one thing.

 She planned to kiss him and not stop kissing him.

Which is precisely what Robin wanted.

And so,

 That's exactly what she did.