Warnings: This is a Believer Queen story, which means a sexual paring of Henry and Regina. Includes, sexualization of a minor, underage sex (16 yrs old), incest, dub con. This is rated M for a reason. If you would like to comment on this story complaining about incest or underage sex, then I will happily eat your complaints and drink your salty hater tears. And my evil laughter will be heard atop my tower of immorality as I look down on the that small pedestal that you put yourself on. Other than that all comments are welcomed and loved! Thanks for reading!
AN: This will be multi-chaptered, but it's pretty much just a long one-shot that's divided in chapters, because I want to post it as I write it. And this ship has ruined my life. That is all.
I need you. I love you. And that word; love was her Achilles heel. It was her weakness.
The first time she noticed it was when Pan took over Henry's body. And it should have sent off all of the alarm bells and raised red flags, but Henry—who she thought was Henry—suddenly wanted nothing but to be by her side, and after so long of fighting with him, and watching him shut her out and run away—he was there, and telling her with such conviction; I need you. I love you. And that word; love was her Achilles' heel. It was her weakness. She needed it, desperately, and only from him. She knew she was selfish to want something that she felt incapable to give. But she was sure she loved Henry. Loving him was never the problem, it was always knowing the right way to do it. That was what Regina was truly incapable of doing.
And Emma tried to warn her, made her own suspicious hints that maybe something was wrong with Henry when they had gotten back from Neverland, but she couldn't listen, because it hurt too much to think something had to be wrong with him for Henry to love her. She couldn't see the darkness or the difference in his eyes, because maybe that was what his love for her had always looked like, and she had just forgotten. Though, looking back at the way he would watch her, the way his hand would take hers, how his hugs were closer than usual and lasted too long, it was things that a man would do, not her little boy. And it was noticeable, so much so that she noticed even with the fog that his 'I love you's' condemned. She just couldn't bring herself to care at the time. Because even if he loved her in all the wrong ways, at least he did love her.
It was a frightening and horrible thing to think, but it was in her head none the less, and she couldn't get it out.
The second time she noticed it was when he still had no memories of her, but he was in town with Emma, and things seemed so much like it was, but he wasn't Henry, not her Henry, and she had to keep remembering that. Especially when they would go for walks in the park, and Emma would let him, but there was hesitance after so many times, and the blond would tell her to just keep an eye on him, and it made her defensive, asking if she was worried about Henry or about her.
"I think he has a crush on you." Emma whispered, out of hearing range of anyone else at the Diner.
"Why would you think that?" She asked, incredulously, as if it was appalling to even think. But she had thought it too, she had noticed what Emma noticed. But the shock and disgust in Regina's tone made the Savior back off, hands raised in defense, before giving Henry a stern 'behave' before going off with the Charmings.
So he may have had an innocent admiration for her, but she didn't mind because it made him so nice to be around, and so polite and pleasant. He wanted to be with her, at least. No questioning or fights when she would show up to take him out for the day. She felt as if she was his entire world again. And there was no harm in that.
So they walked through the park, talking about random things, and he bragged a bit about his studies and how he was captain of his soccer team, and he saw her parental pride as something else, that she was sure of.
"You're really pretty." He said so suddenly that it took her back a bit, and it was with a blush and eyes downcast that made it so endearing to Regina, it warmed her heart, seeing him so fond of her.
"Well, you're very handsome." She shouldn't have encouraged him, because that was exactly what she realized she was doing when he looked back up at her with hope in his eyes. But the smile he gave her outweighed it, grinning and happy and all because of her. Besides, there was no harm in it, he was her little prince whether he remembered it or not, and she was his mother. And it was only because of that, and because they had walked to a particularly empty part of the park, that she ran her hand through his hair and leaned down slightly to give him a chaste peck on the cheek.
He turned his head at the last moment though, apparently expecting something else, so her lips landed on the corner of his mouth. She pulled away because it was what she should do, to keep boundaries and to be appropriate, but before she could, he leaned up just a bit to place a small kiss against her lips.
They looked at each for a long time after that. Watching for any kind of reaction, until she placed a finger to her lips and made a shushing noise, indicating secrets kept between them. His eyes lit up like Christmas, grinning wildly, in light of not being chastised for doing things he knew he shouldn't do.
And as they walked back to the Diner, she wondered if she was Henry's first kiss. And it was a frightening and horrible thing to think, because the thought didn't bother her as much as it should have.