Disclaimer: I have no intent to profit from this story and am merely borrowing from the Once Upon a Time Fandom.
Summary: Five years after rescuing Henry from Neverland, things in Storybrooke have changed. Henry is a brooding teenager and when he goes missing once again, Regina and Emma will have to rely on each other to find him in more ways than they've ever had to.
A/N: So, I'm pretty new to this fandom and this is my first SQ story so try to go easy on me. If I get a decent response I'll continue it, and forgive me if there are similar themes from other SQ fanfictions—there are a lot of them and I haven't got enough time to read them all. I hope you all like this. *shuffles off*
One year after the fact, and Emma still missed her old bug. The old gal had finally given up after Henry had driven her into a stop sign during a driving lesson. She still had a bug, but it was newer and didn't sputter, chug and groan loudly enough to alert and annoy Regina to her presence as she zoomed recklessly into her driveway.
"Where are you, anyway?" Emma muttered as she knocked on the older woman's door and received no answer. She decided to see if she was out back in her garden or with the horses and looped around the huge house until she heard children giggling.
Henry had decided to live with Emma after they'd returned from Neverland. He was twelve at the time and legally old enough to decide on his own anyway, so the former Evil Queen had agreed with surprisingly little backlash. He still saw her several times a week and sometimes stayed with her on the weekends, particularly when Emma and Neal were fighting. But since she was no longer Mayor, Regina still found other ways to occupy her time and there was now a small pasture and barn in her expanded backyard with three meticulously cared for horses.
Emma soon discovered the source of the giggling. Several small children had gathered around Regina's favorite stallion and were decorating the huge white horse with glitter on his hooves, a clown wig on top of his mane and balloon face paints on his muzzle. The horse merely grazed good-naturedly as they decorated him. He was a sharp contrast to his owner—even-tempered and patient.
The sheriff grinned and leaned on the fence to watch. Several years ago no one would have dared cross Regina, much less prank her, but these kids in particular were too young to remember her at her most fearsome.
They were just beginning to tie ribbons in a flicking white tail when Regina appeared in a billowing cloud of purple smoke. "Fools!" she yelled, her eyes flashing. "Release my steed or face my wrath!"
The children squealed and giggled as they took off for the woods and Emma caught the faintest glimmer of amusement or something like it in Regina's eyes before she turned and glared at the blonde.
"You kids be careful!" Emma called to the children lazily. A faint chorus of "Yes!" and "We will, Miss Emma!" faded away as Regina strode towards her, dark eyes smoldering. The years had softened both Emma and Regina's hard edges somewhat—the former mayor dressed somewhat more domestically than she once had, trading her intimidating suits and fuck-me heels for more simple jewel-toned dresses, pearl necklaces and the occasional cardigan. Her hair now nearly touched her shoulders in gentle waves and at times she almost appeared to have a pleasant demeanor. But of course, she was Regina and that impression usually evaporated the moment she opened her mouth.
"I see you're setting an excellent example for Storybrooke's children as usual, Emma," Regina said as she gestured to her ridiculously attired horse. "By allowing them to vandalize my property without a single reproach."
Emma grinned and approached the beast to stroke his muzzle. "I know a couple of those kids. They're in my girls scout troupe. I'll have to make sure they get their community service badges."
Regina smiled one of her old politician smiles. The one that could make little kids pee their pants and grown men run away screaming in the opposite direction. Emma was too used to it to be affected. "I was just about to take Cloud for a ride in the woods. Now I have to clean him up and groom all over again."
"Why bother?" Emma shrugged. "Ride him as-is. It suits you. Besides, I actually stopped over to see if you wanted some company."
"I don't." Regina growled.
"Too bad. I'm riding with you anyway," Emma replied as she made her way to the barn to saddle up one of Regina's mares.
"And to what do I owe this annoying and rude pleasure?" Regina asked Emma's retreating back.
"I need some private time with you to talk about our son," Emma said over her shoulder. "And it needs to happen now."
SQSQSQ
Emma had come up with both of the names for Regina's other two horses—Euphoria and Paranoia. rebima didn't want to know where her inspiration had come from and didn't ask, though she'd made sure to throw a few derogatory remarks about drug abuse the Savior's way when Henry was out of earshot.
They were both barely older than fillies, but Paranoia—a lovely chestnut with a star on her forehead—was skittish around anyone but Emma and so only she rode her. It didn't bother Regina since she'd secretly gotten her and Euphoria specifically for her and Henry to ride, though she'd never admit to it. She pretended not to be aware of a number of things—such as the reason for Emma's frequent visits. There was always an excuse about wanting to learn to canter, borrowing milk or needing advice about a spell but it was really because Snow and Charming wanted to sheriff to make sure she wasn't up to any funny business during her rehabilitation from the long process of atoning for her crimes. And Henry wanted her to make sure she was doing all right.
Emma was aware than Regina was aware of all this but they both simply pretended she wasn't. The fallen Queen eyed her blonde companion wearily. Gone were the once wild, unruly curls as she had kept her hair straight and often wore a headband or other foolish hair accessory that made her look like a brainless cheerleader. She had long since replaced her red leather jacket with a plain high-collared denim. She wore the late Rumplestilskin's old pocket watch at her hip—presumably a spoil of her failed relationship with Baelfire—and form-fitting khaki slacks. Motherhood had rearranged her priorities and it showed. It had been the brief look of concern in her eyes that worried Regina. The lost-girl scowl that had seemed permanently etched to her face when she first came to Storybrooke was back, but it disappeared as she glanced over at Regina and contorted her face as she tried not to laugh.
"Not a word, Sherrif," Regina barked. "You're the one who made me ride Cloud before I could rid him of this stupid carnival get-up."
"Yeah, sorry," Emma snickered. They steered Cloud and Paranoia through low-hanging branches and over tree roots at a slow trot, since Emma wasn't a very experienced rider. The sun was beginning to set behind the trees as twilight approached. "It's just that I've always dreamed of my Queen coming to rescue me on such a noble steed." She laughed and added, "The look on your face… it's priceless!"
She whipped her phone out. "I have to take a picture and snapchat it to Mary Margaret!"
She raised to device and made to snap a photo, but Regina waved her hand in annoyance and in a flash of purple Emma's phone turned into a banana. "There." Regina grumbled. "Now all you have to do is scratch your ass and you'll be the ape I always knew you could be. Now kindly explain what's going on with our son that's caused you to disturb my solitude."
Emma shrugged and stashed the banana in her back pocket. "You're right, Regina. It's time to stop horsing around." And then she was off on another laughing fit. Even Paranoia uttered a soft whinny that sounded like a chortle underneath her.
"Sheriff!" Regina hissed. "Don't make me incinerate you!"
"All right, all right. Geez louise," Emma said, wiping away tears of mirth from the corners of her eyes. She slowly become more serious, lowering her head so a curtain of blonde hair partially covered the setting sun's shadows dancing off her high cheekbones. "It's Henry," she said finally. "The way he's been acting."
Regina had noticed their boy growing distant and quiet over the past year. "Dr. Hopper said it's probably a phase," she reassured the blonde. "It's common for bright teenage boys like him to become somewhat sullen."
Emma shook her head, frowning. "It's more than that. Mary Margaret said she found an empty bottle of tequila in his backpack yesterday."
"What was that imbecile doing in his backpack?" Regina asked, hiding her concern.
"I don't know. She said he was withdrawn at school."
Regina rolled her eyes. "Sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. Typical Snow White."
"She's his grandmother!" Emma defended her mother reflexively.
"Yes, well, I'm technically your grandmother but you don't see me digging through your belongings," Regina replied smugly.
"Step-grandmother, barely," Emma amended. "And you actually do that. All the time. My grandmother! Are you high? I don't see you baking me brownies, unless you're trying to poison me. Not to mention you're physically about five years older than me. My grandmother! That's rich. If Regina Mills is my grams than Leroy is my designated driver! That is the biggest load of—
"All right, all right! I get it!" Regina barked. "Henry? You were saying?"
"Right," Emma resumed her story. "Henry says it wasn't his."
"Then it wasn't," Regina said. Now that his mothers raised him on a joint-custody basis, Henry wasn't known to lie.
"I'm inclined to agree," Emma replied. "You raised him, and you're both a couple of major-league pixies. But… I don't know. I was pretty bad at his age."
Regina considered that for a moment. After all, genetically Henry was Emma's son. She imagined there were worse things that could be found in 17-year-old Emma Swan's backpack than a liquor bottle.
"I think," Emma said. "He needs, I dunno, a male influence in his life."
"Oh, Emma," Regina shook her head. "It's been a year since Neal left. Besides, he's got a fine example of masculine influence in you, Dear."
"Har de har har," Emma retorted. "But seriously, I think… he's resentful of me." She frowned. "Maybe he blames me for me and his dad splitting up. The other day he told me he wants to go live with him, and that's what concerns me."
"Absolutely not!" Regina almost yelled. She made an effort not to fly off the handle so as not to startle the horses. She tried to pat Cloud affectionately and got glitter on her hands. "Rumple's son? Never! Besides, Neal never stays in one place for long. That's not a good environment for Henry. He needs stability. I absolutely forbid it!"
"Regina, forbidding it isn't the answer," Emma's expression was pained. "Remember what Dr. Hopper said? You'll just end up pushing him further away! He's probably just… who the hell knows? Maybe he wants to go on fairy tale adventures again. He's been through a lot. He might just want to escape the reality of a broken home."
Regina sighed. "Well, there are no happy endings in this world. The whole reason we decided to stay in Storybrooke instead of the Enchanted Forest was so he could avoid going through what we went through." She paused for a moment, waiting for the sudden burst of emotion to pass. The Cricket had helped her gain control of her volatile disposition somewhat, but some things never left you. Even thinking about the Enchanted Forest caused the Evil Queen inside of her to stir. "If he wants to go on adventures, he can wait until he's eighteen."
"Or never," Emma agreed. "Aren't there any… spells?"
"I suppose we could an enchant an object that would track him and give it to him as a gift. He's been bugging me for a new pair of kicks."
"Sounds morally iffy," Emma mused. "But we have a teenager, so all bets are off."
After that it was getting too dark to continue riding, so they would have to resume parenting strategies the following day. Emma helped Regina feed and bathe the horses before returning home.
Regina went inside and poured herself a generous glass of cider—they were always generous these days—and set to work on finding an appropriate tracking spell for her son. She was just about to turn in when the brunette's cell phone rang.
"I hope you butt dialed me Sheriff," the Dark Queen slurred into the phone. She'd admittedly had one too many while going through her spellbooks. "It's late."
"It took me forever to turn my banana back into a phone you lunatic!" Emma shrieked on the other line. "It's Henry! Regina, he's missing!"