"Please don't shut down on me. You always react this way when I bring up the subject." Libby, Henry's girlfriend of three years, stared at him. Her tone of voice booked no argument. He'd avoided the topic whenever she brought it up, always refusing to even talk about it, but she was done with his evasion. He was going to talk and she was going to listen.
"I told you its a touchy subject," Henry mumbled.
Libby clasped Henry's hand in her own, partially to comfort him and partially to reassure him that she wasn't going to leave if he gave a response she didn't like. "Please, just talk to me Henry. I love you."
"Mmmmm," Henry grunted and Libby frowned at his response. It was always a bad sign when he did not tell her he loved her too.
Libby inhaled deeply, but Henry's gaze did not deviate from the distant point on the wall he was blankly observing. "All you need to tell me is you don't want to have kids."
Henry sighed as well. Focusing his gaze on her, he said, "I do want children, Libby. That's the problem."
Henry made to pull his hand away but Libby's firm grip kept it in place. "We're getting married in a month, and every time I've tried to talk about it you stop talking to me. I want children and you want children. I don't see what the problem is."
Libby watched in concern as Henry shuddered and pulled her into his arms as if she was a lifeline. She knew Henry was preparing to speak so she didn't push him. He would talk when he was ready. Trying to get him to speed up would only be detrimental.
"You know my birth mother abandoned me when I was born," Henry began. Libby nodded and started rubbing his shoulder soothingly. "And then the woman who raised me abandoned me when I was nineteen."
Henry quieted again. Libby waited. She knew Henry had abandonment issues. When she first got him to confide in her, she was saddened to learn that his birth mother, Emma Swan, gave him up for adoption when he was born. To be fair, Emma was in prison at the time and she was only trying to do what was best for her son. Years later when Henry was nineteen, he got into some kind of dispute with his other mother. Libby didn't know any of the details, only that three months after their argument, she up and left without any explanation. Henry searched for her for five years, eventually giving up when there was no trace Regina Mills had ever existed. While Emma was still in his life, he never seemed to fully get over Regina's abandonment. Emma's decision, at least, he could understand, and she did eventually become the mother he wanted her to be. Regina's betrayal stung him far worse. She was the person who had been there for him throughout his entire childhood, and she left without explanation or way to be found.
"I can't stand the thought of any child of mine being abandoned by his or her parents. I can't risk letting another child go through that."
Libby turned in Henry's lap so she was facing him once more. "Would you ever abandon your child?"
Henry stared at her shocked. "Of course not," he gasped and shook his head vehemently. He would be there for his child, through thick and thin. He would never do to them what Emma and Regina put him through.
Slightly saddened, Libby asked, "And do you think I would abandon our child?"
Henry froze for a moment before protesting again, "No, Libby, I know you wouldn't do that. I'm sorry if you thought I implied anything..." He trailed off, unsure how to continue the conversation.
Libby was equal parts saddened and joyous. On one hand, he was finally talking to her, making progress for the first time, and opening up was a good thing for him. But she was also upset by his pain. "We've established that neither you nor I would ever leave a child behind, so what else is going on?" Libby finally prompted.
Henry bit his lip as he considered her question. Finally, he replied, "We might not abandon them intentionally, but what if we died in a freak car accident or were stranded in an alternate world or got amnesia and forgot they ever existed."
The first reason, Libby could understand. The second two, not so much. To Henry, however, they were perfectly logical. He'd watched Emma struggle with the same dilemma as her parents sent her out of the Enchanted Forest and into this world. Then there was the time during the second curse when Regina wiped his memories and he forgot everyone in storybrook. To him, both of those explanations were perfectly reasonable, but he couldn't very well tell Libby about them. She would think him crazy and send him for psychiatric help.
"Henry," Libby said soothingly, "The first is unlikely and I don't know where the later even came from. But I do know this, even if we did die or were somehow involuntarily taken away from our child, my parents and your mom would all take over for us. Our child would never be completely alone."
"I know." Henry's reply was quiet and he was lost in inner contemplation. Libby sensed he had undergone enough of an emotional roller coaster for the day so she decided not to pry further. There would be plenty of time later to discuss what he revealed.
"On a side note, my friend Candice is throwing a party for her daughter and she asked me for help setting up. It's tomorrow afternoon. I think you should come along too."
"To a nine-year-old girl's birthday party?" Henry asked skeptically. Candice was Libby's coworker and friend, and while he had never met her personally, he knew she was a single mom with a young daughter.
"Why not?" Libby asked disarmingly, already sensing his reluctance. Henry was about to reject her offer when she added, "Besides, you can't expect Candice and I to set up the inflatable Princess Palace."
Henry and Libby both knew that she was more than capable of setting up an inflatable palace by herself, but Libby's attempt to stroke Henry's male ego was, unfortunately for his resolve, working. "Fine," he grunted, "but don't expect me to wear a tiara."
"Deal!" Libby grinned. Henry was drawn in by her enthusiasm, and despite his morose mood her enthusiasm managed to draw a smile to his face.
The next day, Henry found himself standing on an unfamiliar doorstep. He was going to meet the famed Candice and her daughter for the first time. As an afterthought, it was kind of odd that he'd never met Libby's closest friend in all the years they'd been together. She'd met all of his friends and he knew the rest of hers.
The door opened, and Libby and the woman he assumed must be Candice embraced, but he couldn't see the woman's face. He waited patiently on the doorstep. "I brought my fiancé to help," Libby said when she and her friend pulled apart.
"Candice, this is Henry. Henry, Candice," she stepped aside and Henry's eyes fell upon the familiar face of the woman in the doorway, only her name wasn't Candice.
Both Henry and the woman stared at each other for a fully minute. Libby's eyes flicked back and forth between the the two. There was some kind of strange tension going on, and she had no idea what it might be. "Am I missing something here? Do you already know each other?"
Neither Henry nor the woman answered her. Henry's eyes were drawn to her familiar face. "Mom," he whispered quietly. The words flowed unhindered through his mouth. Long ago, he'd stopped calling her mom. She didn't deserve the honorific after she betrayed him. He'd called her Regina for years, but seeing her in the flesh was so overwhelming he instinctively reverted the the name he'd called her throughout his childhood.
"Henry," Regina whispered as tears unknowingly formed into her eyes. Before Henry had a change to say anything, she swept him up into a bone crushing hug. "I've missed you so much, darling."
Henry abruptly pushed her away as soon as he was able. "Funny way of showing it," he said snidely.
Turning to Libby, he said as calmly as he could manage, "I"m leaving. Text me when you need to be picked up."
He turned on his heel before either woman had the opportunity to stop him. Libby stood shocked for a moment before muttering, "You're Regina?"
Regina nodded minutely in the affirmative.
"Shit," Libby gasped as she ran after Henry. Grabbing his arm, she stalled his movement. "Henry, stay."
Henry spun to look at her. His face was alight with fury. "I can't, Libby. I just can't, okay. She hurt me so much. I can't face her. Not right now."
"Then when?" Libby questioned. "If you run away now, you may never have a chance to talk to her. Don't you think you deserve an explanation?"
Henry sighed, knowing she was right but not wanting to admit it. Subconsciously, he'd grabbed onto her hand, gripping it reflexively as emotions, primarily anger, swirled through his mind.
Libby tried to loosen his grip. Finally, she said, "You're hurting me."
Henry dropped his hand as if burned. His expression changed from anger to remorse. "I'm sorry. I'm not angry at you."
"I know," Libby murmured soothingly.
She didn't have a chance to say anything else when a ball of pink fluff tackled her around the waist. "Libby!" a young girl exclaimed. "You're here."
Libby grinned down at the young girl. "Of course I'm here for your birthday party. How could I miss it?"
Straightening up, she said, "Roxy, this is Henry. Henry, this is Roxanne."
"I thought you said Henry was handsome." Roxy looked Henry up and down, arms crossed. She clearly didn't agree with Libby's assessment.
"I think he's very handsome," Libby informed the young girl.
Henry, meanwhile, was dumbstruck. She looked nothing like Regina. Her nose was small and her cheekbones low. Her hair was brown, not black, and her eyes were green, just like his eyes. Her father must have looked a lot like him, for there was no other explanation for their apparent similarity.
Henry crouched down so he was eye level with the young girl. "I'm hurt, Roxy," he repeated the nickname he'd heard Libby call her earlier, "Why don't you think I'm handsome."
"I dunno—" Roxy shrugged her shoulders, "—you just aren't."
"That's just as well," Henry laughed. He might be mad at Regina, but her daughter was sure cute, and she certainly had done nothing to deserve his anger, "I'm your older brother."
By that point, Regina had come closer to them.
"You can't be my brother!" Roxy exclaimed.
"And why not?" Henry couldn't keep the grin off of his face. If only he'd been able to meet his sister sooner. He loved her already.
"You're too old," Roxy said authoritatively. Turning to Regina, she said, "Tell him, mommy, he can't be my brother."
Regina was frozen in shock before she said, "Of course he's not your brother."
Henry felt as if an icy dagger had been plunged straight into his heart. Regina had clearly never intended on seeing him again, and had no desire to make him a part of his sister's life.
"Coming here was a mistake," he snapped. He turned around and was sitting in the driver's seat to the car before anyone had a chance to react. He didn't even both to say goodbye. He needed to get out of there, and quickly.
The car was already in drive, his foot hovering over the gas pedal, when Libby knocked on the window. He gestured for her to step back so he could go, but she placed her hands on her hips and firmly refused to go. Rolling down the window, he snapped, "Get out of my way."
Libby's expression remained firm. "You get out of that car, Henry Mills. There is an upset child over there. She doesn't understand why you're angry, and you might be pissed at Regina but that little girl is innocent and deserves better from you. If you don't get out of the car this instant, so help me..."
Luckily, Libby didn't need to finish her threat as Henry cut the ignition. He stepped out of the car, slamming the door closed firmly.
"I'm sorry, Roxy. I didn't mean to upset you. Can you forgive pathetic old me?"
Roxy glared at him for a moment, but his sincerity grew on her. She dropped her arms from across her chest, opening up to him. "I forgive you," she announced. "Now come set up my castle."
Roxy grabbed Henry's hand and began dragging him towards the backyard. Libby and Regina were shell shocked. Roxy was normally quite introverted, preferring to only talk in front of her few close friends and even fewer adults she considered friendly. She'd never taken to anyone before the way she'd taken to Henry.
Libby remained silent for a few minutes, taking time to digest all the information she'd learned. Regina was Henry's mother. It seemed too impossible to be true, but from both of their reactions she knew it could be nothing less. The irony of fate. Henry spent years searching for her, and they finally met up accidentally.
"Candice, or I suppose your real name is Regina," Libby said at last, "This is weird."
Regina laughed softly. "It is weird." Behind Regina's laughter, Libby could sense her friend's pain.
"I'm engaged to my best friend's son. What are the odds?" She tried to lighten the mood, but Regina was gazing towards the back of the house where her two children had disappeared. "I'll have to call you mom soon." Regina failed once more to smile.
Libby laid her hand on Regina's shoulder. "You left him why? You clearly still care about him. What happened?"
Regina inhaled deeply. "If I told you, you probably wouldn't believe me."
"That bad?" Libby asked. Regina's lack of answers confirmed her question, but she decided Regina was shocked enough for one day.
Mostly ignoring Libby, Regina stared towards the backyard where Henry and Roxy were playing. Instead of talking to Libby, she walked slowly and hesitantly towards the backyard. She watched with an unfathomable expression as Roxy giggled while Henry struggled with the inflatable castle. Soon, the air pump was working and the castle's turrets were slowly soaring skyward. Henry stepped back to admire his work.
"Jump with me," Roxy demanded.
"Not now," Henry replied, "maybe later."
When Roxy started to pout, Henry scolded, "Birthday girls aren't allowed to pout."
"Are too," she protested and stuck her tongue out.
Had Regina not been surprised by Henry's unannounced presence, she would have scolded Roxy for such behavior. As it was, she was too entranced by the sight to say anything.
Libby came up beside Regina. "I don't pretend to understand what happened between you two, but it hurt Henry a lot. And judging from your reaction, it hurt you too. You need to talk to him. I'll finish getting ready and watch Libby while you talk to him."
Regina attempted a weak smile, but it did not work. "Streamers and tablecloths are on the kitchen table. The lemonade mix in the pantry needs to be made up and the watermelon on the counter needs to be cut. Platters are in the cupboard just left of the oven. The cake also needs to be picked up. It's at the Fry's just down the road and under Roxy's name. It's a Rapunzel cake.
Roxy had begged for a different cake, one with five different Disney princesses, but Regina adamantly refused. Something seemed inherently wrong about having Snow White's image on her daughter's birthday cake.
When Libby finally managed to coerce Henry and Regina into the same room and shut the door, leaving them alone, Henry and Regina stared at each other awkwardly.
"Henry—"
"Don't call me that," Henry cut her off, "you clearly hate me."
"I don't hate you," Regina protested immediately though her voice was weak. Henry almost didn't believe her, but there was something in her tone that made him think twice.
"Then why won't you let me be Roxy's brother."
"Because you're not her brother," Regina replied smoothly with more forced confidence than she felt.
Henry raised his eyebrow. She might as well have twisted the imaginary dagger in his heart for the searing pain deep within his chest her words inflicted.
"I see," Henry mumbled. Regaining his composure, he said, "Staying here was wrong. I'm clearly unwanted, so I can take a hint."
Had Regina commanded him, ordered him, or even asked him to stay he would have ignored her, but he instinctively stopped at the broken "please," she whispered. "Please let me explain." All those words were said in a whisper, though he heard them quite clearly.
"I'm listening," Henry crossed his arms and returned to stand directly in front of her in an attempt to intimidate her.
Regina inhaled deeply before beginning, "I never wanted to leave you, but something happened. I should have told everything to you sooner, but my emotions were all over the place. I couldn't think. When I left, I longed for you every day. I loved you so much, and after seeing you today I realized I never stopped loving you. For a while, each breath hurt I missed you so much, but leaving was the right choice. If I had stayed, I would have ruined your life."
"You ruined my life by leaving," Henry interrupted crossly.
Regina winced. She deserved it. The bite in his tone stung more than any physical blow ever could.
"Why won't you let me be Roxy's brother?" Henry asked again.
"Because you're not her brother," Regina mumbled quietly.
Just like that, Henry's anger returned full force. "See, you do hate me."
"It's not that," Regina protested.
"YOU WON'T LET ME BE A PART OF MY OWN SISTER'S LIFE!" Henry shouted, unable to keep his voice quiet.
"I can't let Roxy call you brother because..." Regina was unable to finish.
"BECAUSE WHAT?" Henry yelled, sick of her evasions.
"Because you're her father." It was a huge relief to get those words off of her chest. It was as if a damn had broken, flooding her with feelings and emotions she'd long since denied.
Henry was rendered incapable of speaking. Roxy...his daughter. Suddenly, her similarity to him made so much sense, her brown hair and green eyes, her nose and mouth that were identical to his.
She was turning nine years old. A few months short of ten years ago, Regina left without a word. Holy shit. There was only one night she could have possibly been conceived if she was, in fact, his daughter. He'd returned home to Regina's house late one night very upset. Normally, he'd have stayed with Emma and Hook, or even gone to his grandparents, but he couldn't stand to be surrounded by two loving relationships when his own had just gone to hell. At age nineteen, he'd found out that his girlfriend at the time was secretly dating his best friend, now ex best friend, and was planning to elope with him. The shock had stung. Apparently, she'd only been dating him because there were certain advantages to being close to the son of the Savior and the Evil Queen and the grandson of the Charmings.
Upset, he'd stormed home in a rage, only barely thinking to text Emma that he was staying at Regina's for the night. Regina had been sipping tea in the kitchen when he entered the darkened house. Tears were streaming down his face. As much as he tried to tell himself that men didn't cry, men sure as hell did cry when they found their girlfriends fucking their best friends and he was no exception.
Regina had offered him tea, which he accepted though was unable to force himself to drink. Slowly, Regina pried the story out of him. "Oh baby," she muttered and hugged him close.
They moved to the couch, Henry nuzzling his nose in her neck surrounded by the familiar scent that he associated with safety and home as she cuddled him in a way she hadn't done since he was a young child. She peppered his tear stained face with kisses and rubbed his arms soothingly. In the comfort of her embrace, he'd felt himself becoming aroused. He attempted to conceal his arousal, stimulated purely by comfort and not lust, but Regina had flushed when she realized his little problem. From there, one thing led to another and soon they were both half naked, lips sore and bruised from kissing.
He'd needed emotional comfort that night, and he found it in Regina. It was unconventional, but she was not his biological mother. They didn't make love. They fucked. It was a pity fuck on her part, lending her emotional support in the way he needed most at the moment.
After that night, they'd never spoken of it again. Things had become tense between them, but gradually Regina stopped avoiding him. She felt guilty, and he tried to be understanding. They'd finally started mending their relationship when she'd just up and left a month later. She must have been pregnant at the time, but she hadn't even bothered to tell him.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Externally, Henry sounded calm but inside he was a mess. He was a father. He'd been a father for years without even knowing it, and the mother of his daughter was his mother.
"You were so young at the time. I didn't want to saddle you with a child. And I didn't want you to have to face the scorn of all your friends and family for what we did together, so I left."
"You should have told me," Henry said, though in truth, he was glad she hadn't. His life had been crazy enough at the time and he was still a child then. He wasn't prepared to have the responsibility of a child thrust upon him. As much as he hated to admit it, he truly believed she had been acting in his best interest. At the same time, anger boiled in the pit of his stomach. She'd kept his child from him. Unknowingly, he'd done the one thing he swore he'd never do, abandon his child.
"Yes. I should have told you." Henry was shocked that Regina agreed with him so easily and devoid of argument.
He allowed himself to study her face honestly for the first time that day. The lines on her face were familiar. She looked older than when he had last seen her, though her magic had kept her from looking physically a full ten years older. He could see the unforgiving traces of years worth of regret built up in her countenance. She had been placed in an impossible position. Stay and have her son's child and face the disdain of the town and thrust responsibility on his shoulders prematurely, or disappear and leave behind the one thing she loved most: him. She had decided to do the impossible all for him, and as much as he wished to, he couldn't hate her for it.
"You could have gotten rid of her," Henry said coldly, though he was relieved she hadn't. Although he'd only met her that day, and even more recently found out she was his daughter, he already couldn't stand the though of her having never been born.
"I could no more have gotten an abortion than I could kill you. She's a part of you, and I treasured that. I see so much of her in you, her belief and her love of fairy tales. I see it in the way she looks at me that same way you did when you were her age. My heart warms each time she says mommy. In the end, it wasn't a decision at all. Having her is as necessary as breathing."
"Poetic," Henry commented, at a loss for what to say.
"She wanted to have a Snow White cake. She called me evil when I told her she couldn't, but it seemed wrong to have her great-grandmother's face on the cake. I've always wondered if she'd hate me if she knew I was the Evil Queen once upon a time." Regina laughed, though it was forced, and Henry felt sorry for her. He'd hated her once for being the Evil Queen. Apparently his betrayal of her, even if he was but a young child at the time, had left lasting repercussions as well.
"So where do we go from here?"
AN: I'm not sure whether I should end here or continue. Any thoughts?