Birthday Boy

by Erin Griffin

Fandom: Once Upon A Time

Characters: Regina, Henry, Ruby

Summary: It is Henry's birthday.

Note: This is mostly something to say Happy Mother's Day to Regina because she needs some fucking validation that she is a good mother and did a fine job raising Henry on her own and holding down the position of Mayor or Storybrooke.

Henry held onto Regina's hand as they waked away from the park. He had a ong day, what with the park topping off the puppet show he had seen. He skipped, he jumped in small puddles from the rain that morning, he hummed the Reading Rainbow theme tune which Regina was sure was going t be stuck in her head for days, but he was a happy kid. Birthday boys were supposed to be the happiest boys on earth, as Regina thought. "Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"Can we go see Ruby for dinner?"

"Not tonight baby. I have a special dinner for you at home, but we can stop by to visit Ruby on the way. Do you want to show him your Batman?"

"Yeah, and I wanna show her my boots."

"I thought she saw your boots." This caused the boy some pause. "I think Ruby might want to see them again, now that they are all muddy." Regina smiled even though she knew she had to hose them down before he went back to preschool the next day. As it was, he had birthday cake and was still wound up even after two hours in the park. Regina was worn out, even with the said special dinner she had to make. Still she smiled as Henry swung on her hand, using her to keep steady as he jumped about, stomping on more puddles, stepping in the soft grass, avoiding seagull droppings, and so on.

"Can I have cake for dessert?"

"No more cake tonight," Regina said. "There will be leftovers tomorrow if you're good in school all day."

"I'll be good," Henry promised. A flicker of Regina's past washed over her for the fraction of a second, but she pushed it away. She was better than that, she hoped. Henry had said it offhandedly, not in fear, she reminde herself. "Mommy look! Graham's car!"

"I think he is busy, but let's wave." Regina put her hand up, and Graham stopped his inspection of a busted trash can long enough to wave back, his arm shaking in an exaggerate mostion for Henry's sake.

"HI GRAHAM!"

"Happy Birthday Henry!" he called back from across the street.

From there, Mother and Son walked into Grans Diner, where Ruby finished filling the order and stopped by the door on her way to fill it. "I am still jealous that you have such cool boots," Ruby said holding her hand up. Henry high fived her as he always did, and then he held up the action figure he had clutched in his hand. "you get that for your birthday?"

"Mommy did," he said proudly. Ruby shared a smile with Regina before she looked at the boy.

"What else did you get?"

"Mommy said I get something special for dinner. I hope it is mac n cheese."

"you had that for dinner last night here at the diner remember?"

"Yeah, but at home I get french fries in it."

"Yeah, you can't beat that."

Regina watched as Henry showed Ruby the few things his action figure could do, and then Ruby said he had to get back to work. "Granny still needs my help, but we'll play tomorrow after school when I babysit, okay?" she said. Henry held up his hand fr another high five.

"bye Ruby, I love you!" he called as he left.

"Bye Henry."

"Do you really want mac 'n' chhese with french fries for dinner?" Regina asked. It would be faster and easier than the lasagna she planned to make him.

"YEAH!" he said, his eyes growing wide and his butt seeming to wiggle in a small dance.

"Alright, so I will make dinner, and what will you be doing?"

"Watching Rainbow," he answered easily. Of course, that was his show of the month. She stopped walking when Henry leaned down for his sock or his boot, Regina couldn't see what exactly it was he was doing, but he was soon off again.

"Sounds like a plan kiddo. I make dinner, you watch Reading Rainbow, and then it is bath and bedtime. You gotta be good for Mrs. Potts."

Henry began to jump more, yanking on Regina's arm, but she didn't mind it.

Later on in her study, Regina looked at the picture of henry as a baby that she had on her desk next to her dayplanner. She compared it with the little boy now asleep in his room, and she was in awe at how fast he's grown in four short years. She had been used to not aging that she forgot that people still do, notebably Henry. She refused to use her magic that way to manipulate him like her own mother had her, and she wanted to watch him grow into a great young man much like, dare she think it, Charming. If there was any true love left in her heart after the curse tore a hole in it, it all belonged to that boy, and if anything wre to happen to him or his genuine love for her, she knew there was no force to stop her from going darker than even The Dark One had ever known. She would forever fight for her son. There was nothing else to it.