The rain was coming down on the little town of Storybrooke in heavy sheets. The power of the heavy droplets mixed with the strength of the wind made it almost impossible for anyone to venture outside. Anyone brave enough (or stupid enough for that matter) to try their luck against the storm would be in for a serious shock.
Regina Mills stood at one of the large windows in her living room trying to get a view of the street through the downpour, but absolutely nothing was visible in the darkness. The reflections in the windows coming from the candles she had lit made it even more difficult to see outside.
The power had been out for almost an hour now and the rain had been persisting for even longer. A chill ran through the brunette as the cold air seeped through the glass and she decided to call it quits. As she turned away from the window she wrapped her light brown cardigan tighter around her slender form, tying it at the front to keep it in place. Unfortunately the long sweater that fell to just above her knees did little to keep her warm tonight. She was beckoned across the room by the softly crackling fireplace, the elaborately carved white structure had never looked so inviting as it did now. Quickly curling up under her favourite red fleece blanket, she half laid down on the settee. Even with the light coming from the candles and fireplace, it was still too dark to get very much done so she deemed that tonight would simply be for relaxing. She never really gave herself much down time and this storm provided the perfect excuse. And besides, the room was actually quite cozy at the moment despite not having any electricity or heat, it deserved to be appreciated.
Regina glanced towards the windows facing the back of the house as more lightning illuminated the sky for the briefest of moments. She had left the curtains on those windows open specifically for this reason because in a strange way, lightning had its own beauty. That is of course when it wasn't taking out innocent trees or streetlights. As if on cue, a few seconds after the flash of lightning there was a deep roar of thunder which Regina could feel reverberating throughout the house. Deep brown eyes stared into the fire as there was another flash of lightning followed by a clap of thunder, just as loud as the one before it.
"What a storm." Regina thought. "My apple tree better still be standing in the morning..."
"Mommy?" A tiny voice broke through her thoughts.
Regina half sat up, turning her attention towards the door.
"Henry... did the thunder wake you?" She asked her two year old son softly.
The boy nodded, and as another clap of thunder shook the house he ran towards her, crawling into her lap.
"Shhh don't worry sweetheart. I've got you." Regina whispered, pulling the blanket over him.
Little Henry didn't say anything as he burrowed closer to her, hiding his face from yet another strike of lightning. His mother gently ran her fingers through his hair.
"Are you afraid of the storm?"
The little boy shook his head. "No," he mumbled, attempting an air of bravery but drastically failing. A smile graced Regina's lips as she watched him cowering in her arms.
"Well I'm glad to hear that, because there's nothing to be afraid of." She gazed lovingly down at him for a few moments before continuing. "Do you want me to let you in on a little secret?"
Henry's face became visible and he looked up at her through watery eyes. There was a slightly curious expression showing through his fear as he nodded his head. Regina affectionately swept the back of her index finger across his cheek.
"All of this thunder that you're hearing... it's actually footsteps. From the giants who live in the sky."
Henry's eyes widened. "Giants?"
"Yes sweetheart, giants. The loud booming we can hear is them running around up above the clouds."
He continued to watch her, hanging on to her every word.
"Believe it or not they are trying to help us. They create the rain that helps everything on our earth grow. The grass, the trees, the fruits and vegetables... without their help we wouldn't be able to grow any of our food. That's why often when it is raining we can hear them moving around up there. They try to tiptoe when they aren't busy making the rain, they don't want to bother us because they know their noisy footsteps can be frightening to some people. They aren't really trying to scare us, they only want to help."
"What about the lightning?"
"Ah the lightning. That is how the giants put nutrients into the soil. This makes all of the plants grow beautiful and strong. It's what makes the trees green and is what gives colour to the flowers. And also, it's what makes the apples from our tree so yummy." She tapped his nose.
"Really?" Henry asked in wonder.
Regina gave a small laugh. "Yes." She could practically see the gears working in his mind to process this new information. He was so young but already he was very intelligent.
She couldn't be more proud of him.
"Why don't they come down?" He asked. "Why don't they come visit us?"
"They are forbidden to come down, it would be too dangerous. Many many years ago the giants made an attempt to visit, but unfortunately it didn't end well. Their feet were so big that they kept accidentally walking on houses and trees. No one was hurt, but they had to cut their visit short and go back home. Everyone was upset that they had to leave but both the giants and the humans agreed it was for the best. The giants continue to help us out of the goodness of their hearts but as much as they'd like to, they can never come back down to Earth."
"Can we go up there?" He pointed towards the sky. "To visit them where they live?"
"No sweetheart. I'm sorry but it's even more dangerous for humans to visit the land of the giants then it is for them visit us. Compared to them we are almost the size of insects. We could get crushed much too easily."
"Okay..." Henry said sadly. He leaned against his mother again and she wrapped her arms snuggly around him.
There was another clap of thunder and Henry's head rose a bit. He didn't flinch, but listened to the sound with a new perspective.
"Not so scary now is it?" Regina said kindly.
Henry shook his head.
Regina gave a happy sigh. "Do you want to stay up with me for a while longer and listen to the storm?"
Henry nodded, huddling closer against her and the two remained in comfortable silence. Within five minutes the two year old had fallen fast asleep. His mother remained seated in the semi-darkness. An orange glow played over her skin from the flames dancing in the fireplace in front of her, and the small, content smile that spread across her lips was caused by the young boy she was protectively holding close to her heart.
A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this fic. I am hoping this story will help me get over the writer's block I've been having with my other stories. For those of you who have been waiting a really long time for updates, I am very sorry.
Please review! I'd love to hear from you