A/N: There was a prompt type thing that said this:

"Okay. So I saw this post about the fate of the show, assuming CS and OQ are endgame and how it would look like Henry being shuffled back and forth between his step father Hook (ow that hurt to say) and Emma and his other step father Robin and Regina and Replacement Henry and how this didn't look like a happy ending at all.

So SQ writers, I challenge you to write a fic in which, it's five years down the line, assuming CS and OQ are canon, in which Swan Queen gets to happen, but not in a conventional way.

Five years later, Regina is miserable because obviously Robin has no respect for her boundaries as we have seen and it's become like Leopold part 2, only this time, because she believes it's her soul mate, that she'll never have anything better.

On the other hand, Emma is miserable because Hook is an alcoholic who thinks rape jokes are funny. Nuff said. Maybe he even isn't faithful to her because lets face it, PIRATE.

So it's up to 17 year old Henry to get his moms out of their situations and he discovers what real happiness and what a real happy ending is, when his moms are together. Obviously with a Swan Queen endgame

Thoughts?" - from here: post/83146843224/okay-so-i-saw-this-post-about-the-fate-of-the

So, I said, heck yes, I will fic this. :)

Some Things Never Change

"Ma, come on. It's not your weekend this week. It's Mom's. After five years of this back and forth stuff you still don't remember?"

Emma looks up at Henry towering over the kitchen table, holding his cell phone securely in one hand and his empty cereal bowl in the other. His voice is dark, his eyes smiling, but clearly he's irritated with her memory. "I'm sorry. I forgot," she says, a shrug of the shoulders and a lopsided smile following her words. "I was just looking forward to hanging out. Since Killian's out of town. Again."

"I know," Henry says before he plops down on the couch in the living room. "Where is he this time?"

"Somewhere off the coast of Greenland. I think. I don't really know." Their apartment in Storybrooke is bigger than it was at Mary Margaret and David's, but it's still small. Apparently a pirate's, scratch that, fisherman's salary isn't as lucrative as Killian made it seem. Emma watches Henry prop his size 13 Nikes up on the coffee table from her position in the dining room. He's furiously texting someone and by the looks of the grin that follows the ding signaling a new text, it's probably his girlfriend, Alice. Emma shakes her head, looks back down at the newspaper in front of her and takes a deep breath. "You're leaving for college in less than 10 months. You know that, right?"

Henry laughs. "Oh, so you do know how to look at a calendar?"

"Very funny," Emma responds, rolling her eyes at her son in the process. "I just mean that soon you'll not have to do this back and forth thing."

"Ma," Henry breathes. "It's not the back and forth that bothers me. I've told you that."

Emma knows. She does. But it still is too weird to really talk about it and honestly, things aren't how she expected they would be, so it all just hurts too much. "I know," she answers him, even though he wasn't asking a question.

"I just thought…" his voice trails off and he looks at his mom. She turns her head to make eye contact with him, her eyes are shining and he knows that he doesn't have to finish his thought. She knows what he's going to say. Things should have been different and they're not and sometimes it's the only reason he's happy about packing up his rooms and getting the hell out of this town.

"So did I, kid," Emma says, a soft smile playing on her lips. "So did I."

"Mom?"

"I'm in here, Henry."

Henry rounds the corner of the study and sees his mom on the couch, her feet pulled up underneath her, a leatherbound book in her hands, a small tumbler filled with whiskey in front of her on the table. He knows what that means and of course it always seems to happen on his weekends with her. He still isn't super fond of Robin Hood and honestly doesn't know if he ever will be. He seems pushy and nosey and everything his mom hates. But five years later and they're still together. He remembers asking her one time why and her only response was that fairy dust is powerful. It still makes no sense, because magic is powerful and clearly she isn't with his ma. "Is everything okay?"

Regina's body stiffens slightly before she says, "Of course, dear. Everything's fine."

"You know I'm 18 now, right? Like, I can tell when you're lying."

"Just because you're your mother's son does not mean you have inherited her so-called superpower."

"Actually," Henry starts, his Swan lopsided smile showing, "I think it does mean that."

"Well, then, you got me," Regina finally concedes. She pulls her reading glasses from her face and pats the seat next to her. Henry takes a step, his tall, thin body moving towards the couch. When he sits down, the smell of spice and lavender hits regina and she can't help but think of Emma and autumn.

"What's going on, mom?" Henry asks, looking over his shoulder at Regina. She's aged since the curse broke, but not in a bad way. She still looks like his mom and more regal than ever, but her eyes are sad and dark. "You know you can tell me."

"I know," Regina says. She smiles as she reaches forward and places her hand on Henry's. "I can't believe you'll be leaving soon for college. I don't think I'm ready."

Henry laughs. "Is that what's wrong? You're worrying about that?" Just as he asks that question, the front door slams and the sound of young footsteps tromp through the house, followed by heavy boots and a loud clearing of the throat. Henry watches his mom's reaction, her eyes, her mouth, her jawline. It's becoming more and more clear to him that not everything is going smoothly at the mansion.

"Henry, laddie, how's it going?"

"Good," Henry answers, never pulling his eyes from his mom's face. She makes eye contact with him, purses her lips together and nods her head ever so slightly. Just enough to tell Henry they'll talk about it later. After a deep breath, Henry finally looks at Robin. "How's hunting going?"

"It's going well. Still no sign of a kill, but we'll get it."

Roland comes sprinting into the study, carrying a video game controller and a grin. "Henry, you have to come see this. I'm almost done with the game. You have to come check this out," he says, his little accent adorable and his dimples even more so. Henry laughs. Even he can't say no to the quickly growing Roland Hood.

"Okay, okay." Henry stands and then leans over to kiss his mom on the cheek. "I love you," he says against her skin and feels her cheeks when she smiles.

"I love you," she responds.

"Do you really think we should get him this?"

Emma looks up at Regina from across the dining room table at her apartment. They've been hanging out together more and more and tonight? Tonight was Regina's idea and it made Emma giddy like a schoolgirl. She smiles at the brunette finally. "Are you kidding me? He'll love it. He's been wanting that MacBook Pro computer for years. If we start saving now, we can do it."

"Emma, I could buy it now and put the tag on it and say it's from his moms, but isn't this too much for an 18 year old?"

"That's not the point, Regina," Emma says softly. "I know you can afford it. But I want to help. I want him to have something from both of us."

Regina looks up at Emma, her green eyes pleading. "Okay," she says softly. Her breath catches in her throat when Emma flashes that megawatt smile she has and for the one millionth time, Regina kicks herself for not extinguishing the spark in her heart for the blonde. She thought it'd flicker and burn out when Robin and Roland moved in and as she watched Emma and Hook (no, Killian - NO, Hook - he'll always be Hook in her mind) start with the courting and the moving in together.

"I'm glad you could come over and hang out today," Emma says over the soft music playing in the background. "I mean, I know we've come a long way and everything."

Regina smiles as she lifts an eyebrow. "We certainly have," she says with an air of confidence she saves only for Emma Swan.

"It's kind of nice, ya know."

A pain shoots through Regina's heart and she knows she needs to answer, but lately, being around Emma is so hard she can barely see straight. All she is reminded of is green pixie dust and lion tattoos and chains and Leopold. It makes her heart hurt and her hands ache.

"Hey," Emma's voice breaks through her thoughts. "Are you okay?" Emma asks.

Regina looks up at Emma, her eyes clearly have betrayed her. They're filled with tears and the tremble in her lip is a traitor, as well. "I'm fine, Emma," Regina says quietly. "Just going to miss Henry when it's time for him to go." It's a good save, but a part of her feels guilty for continuing to use missing Henry as the reason behind her pain.

Emma immediately stands up and goes to Regina's side of the table. She kneels down next to the brunette, the smell of apples - always so insanely strong - radiating off of her. "Regina, hey. Look at me," Emma says, placing a finger underneath Regina's chin and tugging the brunette's face towards her. When their eyes meet, Emma feels that familiar stirring in her chest and stomach that first manifested itself all those years ago. Those dark eyes and those red lips are there and honestly, she'll never understand how true loves work, because magic and feeling and being a mom shouldn't have led her to Killian. "You're going to be okay when he leaves," Emma finally says. "You have Robin and Roland. You'll be fine." It's a lie Emma has been telling herself since forever. Hopefully Regina believes it.

"I know," Regina finally says, the tears making their brave trek down her cheeks. "It's just scary."

"Tell me about it," Emma scoffs, her smile bright. "We have each other, you know?"

Regina feels her heart swell inside her chest at those words. "Do we?" she asks, softly, gently, almost inaudibly.

"Of course," Emma whispers. She feels that strange pull that she always feels when she's near Regina. She has played it off a million times as the pull of their magic, the attraction of light and dark, but lately, it's becoming harder and harder to ignore. "I'm not going anywhere," Emma finishes. "Ever."

Regina's hand seems to move of it's own accord as it reaches up to cup Emma's cheek. She moves the soft pad of her thumb along her cheekbone, feels the blonde lean into the touch, and then runs her fingers lightly down Emma's jawline. "You better not leave me," Regina says, her voice husky and thick with emotion.

Emma's skin burns from the touch, the kind of burn that feels good, that makes you want more. She opens her mouth to say something just as the door to the apartment swings open. "Jesus," Emma breathes as she shoots up and over towards Killian as he stumbles inside with his best friend Smee leading the way. "What the hell?

"Our fishing trip wasn't successful, Emma," Smee says. "Captain Hook here decided to drown his sorrows."

Emma helps get Killian over to the couch and then plops him down. He groans and then shouts, "Watch it, you two! I didn't drink the better part of a gallon of rum for you two to break a bone."

"Forgive me, Captain," Smee grovels.

Emma rakes her hands through her hair. "You're lucky Henry isn't here," she hisses. She tromps over to the kitchen and pours a glass of water and dumps out four aspirin into her hand. She makes her way back over to Killian, grabs his only hand and says, "Take these. And drink this. And then lay down."

He fights her a little, but eventually he's laying down, his hook laid across his chest, his boots up on the end of the couch. "Smee, thank Swan for you. And for me," he mumbles before he's out like a light.

"Smee, you can leave," Emma instructs. She's pointing at the door and it's evident that her composure is waning. "Now."

"Yes," he says before scurrying out of the apartment.

Emma is looking at the floor, standing in one spot, when she feels Regina's hand on the small of her back. She looks over her shoulder at the older woman. Her dark eyes are sad, pleading, and yet full of understanding. "The life of a pirate's wife for me," Emma says with a tone she rarely lets Regina hear. she feels Regina's fingers intertwine with her own and then the gentle squeeze before she speaks.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Emma leans in quick, without thinking and places her lips directly on Regina's full, red ones. The kiss is fast, chaste, but full of emotion and when Emma pulls back she sees those dark eyes lighten just a bit. "Tomorrow," Emma says quietly. When Regina smiles and turns to leave, she tugs at Emma's hand before letting it go.