Nightmare – Regina asks Henry if he would let anything happen to her, follows Regina's nightmare from 1x21.
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He's young, Henry shouldn't be blamed for her doubts, but the things he's been saying to her, they're really getting to her, hitting her more than the aftermath of Daniel's death and she just can't stand the uncertainty. Regina loves her son, loves him more than she had ever loved anyone and the fact that he keeps picking the Saviour over her, each sharp word he throws at her, cripples her in a way that nothing ever had.
It's during dinner that it finally gets to her, after that nightmare, it shook her to the core (rotten core), the hatred that he looked at her with in that dream was what he was looking at her with now. His thin lips were in a pout, only opening to allow the food in, his hazel eyes were narrowed and wouldn't meet hers. Before that book he would talk her ear off, would go on and on about his day and what he did, what he ate, what he watched, each dilemma he faced in the last 12 hours. Now it's just an awkward silence and glared looks.
She actually feared that that dream she had was a prophesy and she was just waiting for the shoe to drop, for the door to knock, for Ms. Swan to finally come to kill her. Her heart stuttered when she realised it was probably coming sooner that she expected, the curse was already breaking, bit by bit, each of Ms. Swan's actions weakened her evil and soon the curse would break.
Regina looked at her son, her sweet boy who was munching on his chicken, her heart tightened in her chest, they would take him from her if that curse broke. Regina nibbled on her lip, "Henry?" she asked hesitantly; he looked up at her expectantly, "Would you let them take you away from me?"
"You're evil," he answered simply and immediately.
"But – but would go with them and never see me again?" she pressed.
He shrugged his shoulders, "If by 'they' you mean my real mum, then yes," he said with a wishful smile on his face.
Tears pierced her eyes, her dream flashing through her minds eyes, Henry's angry glare, his sharp words, the way he looked ready for her to die, "Would you let them kill me?" it was a rather loaded question for a 10 year old boy and she didn't want to mentally scar him more than she probably already has but she just needed to know. She needed to know if there was anything left fighting for.
Henry dropped his fork causing it to clatter loudly in the silent room, his mouth dropped open as he looked at his adoptive mother, the Evil Queen. She didn't look evil at that moment, she looked more like a scared child.
Henry breathed for a few minutes, it's one thing to live with Emma with the knowledge that Regina was probably causing trouble and another to live with Emma because his mother, his care giver, was dead.
It was a loaded question and Henry didn't really want to answer it, he was just staring blankly at her.
She was the Evil Queen, she had ruined everyone's lives, including his own; it would be for the best if she was six feet under. But then again she was the woman who had raised him and not all of it was that bad.
He was silent for a long while, the conflict showing on his face, suddenly she stood up and walked out the room, she returned moments later with her phone, "You can call Ms. Swan if you want to stay with her," she then walked over to her chair and picked up her plate which she took to the kitchen.
She should have expected him to have been indecisive about it, Henry was a good boy, he wouldn't just wish death upon someone, but Henry also hated her and most likely wanted her out of his life. The look on his face had spoken volumes about it and she regretted asking him, she shouldn't have because she knew it would just lead her to more pain.
As she sat in the kitchen sipping on her wine and listening to him dial and then talk to Ms. Swan on her phone she sighed deeply to herself. She had done all this to win, she had sacrificed the only person who loved her enough to stay with her through her darkness, she had lost all her friends through the years and on top of that she lost the single most important person in her life, dream Henry was right, she did this all to herself.
As she listened to Henry ask Ms. Swan to pick him up from the mansion (he said mansion, not home because a home was were you felt most safe, where you were surrounded by love and light and Henry didn't see her as someone who loved him or someone who was good, he no longer saw her as home) she felt her heart shatter even more and briefly she thought that maybe being killed would be freeing, death would free her.
Out of habit he went into the kitchen to put his plate away. He had spoken to his birthmother and she promised him she would be there as fast as she could and he couldn't be happier, except there was a weight on his shoulder and he didn't know where it came from.
As he entered the kitchen butterflies took off in his stomach and his palms started sweating causing the plate to slip from his hand and shatter onto the ground.
His mother didn't even flinch, she looked as if she was having an out of body experience, her face had this dark blank look and her eyes were empty, the type of emptiness he saw whenever he called Emma his real mum.
Henry nibbled on his bottom lip as he bent down to start collecting the shard of plate from the ground.
"Why don't you go get your stuff ready for Ms. Swan and I'll take care of that," her voice made a shiver run down his spine; it was so empty and detached and emotionless.
Henry said nothing as she bent down and started collecting the white ceramic into the palm of her hand.
"Why are you doing this?" he finally asked, "Why are you letting me stay with Emma?"
"I'm not letting you stay with Emma," she looked up at him, eyes red with tears and chin quivering as she finished in a broken voice, "I'm giving you what you want," she shook her head and looked back at the glass that was digging into her skin, "Your real mum," she sounded choked up and Henry said nothing just watched her for a moment.
He got his things ready without saying a word to her, he opened the door to let Emma in without looking at her, and he left her with a bleeding hand in the middle of the kitchen without a goodbye.
He was with his real mother now, but why did he feel empty?