Hello, my lovely followers.
Sorry I haven't written much lately. I just felt this story very strongly today. I hope you like it.
Song: Dance With My Father by Luther Vandross
On her wedding day, Regina Swan-Mills watched her new wife dance with her father. The Swan father and daughter smiled brightly at each other, the quirk of their lips almost exactly the same. David whispered something in his eldest's ear and the blonde threw her head back and laughed, bountiful curls falling over her bare shoulders.
The other bride was so distracted by the sight that she didn't notice her mother snake an arm around her waist. Cora Mills kissed the crown of her daughter's head and joined the silent admiration of the woman who stole her only child's heart.
To be entirely honest, Cora didn't understand their relationship. They fought like oil and water, their fury unrelenting. Everything about them was polar, charged like powerful molecules. Emma was loud and boisterous. Regina was soft spoken and reserved. She was a public nuisance, with her protesting and festering presence, and the other was the mayor of a small town in Maine. Their union didn't make sense to anyone. But, no one else really mattered. The Swan girl made Cora's daughter smile and nothing else seemed relevant.
"Your father would be proud."
A lump formed in Regina's throat. She tried her best to not think of the absent man but she couldn't keep running from it.
When Regina was six, she went through a sweet tooth phase. Her little teeth craved the taste of chocolate Kisses but Cora would not allow it. The girl's smile was too beautiful to rot with sugary treats. The child held her strong gaze for 10 seconds before crumbling under the strong "No" that came from her mother's red lips. She scrambled out of the kitchen and into her father's study, brown eyes leaking across pink cheeks.
Henry Mills felt the force of his daughter jumping into his lap, her buried into his chest. Her tears stained his crisp, grey shirt but he held close to her.
"What happened, mi Chiquita?"
"¡Mama no me deja tener dulces!"
The woman in question stood in the doorway.
"Don't let her fool you, Henry. It's almost time for bed and she doesn't need to rot her teeth this young." The mayor's voice was stern and frightened the timid child. Henry rubbed his hija's back as her sobs continued.
"Cora, sweetheart, she's just a child niña. Let her have the dulces."
"No, and that is final. Now, come, Regina, it's time for bed."
"No!" Henry smiled at his daughter's defiance. He was excited to see her grow into a beautiful young woman. She would have a fiery soul, just like her mother. Too bad the two women in his life were always at odds. They would become indomitable spirits if they could stop fighting each other long enough.
Instead of hanging a brunette child to her short-tempered mother, he decided to tuck her in himself. She asked for a story and he told her about the Evil Queen and the Savior, two unstoppable woman in another realm. She giggled and said magic wasn't real. He told her to never stop believing and snuck into her room during the night to leave a single Hershey's Kiss under her pillow. She wondered if magic existed as she munched on the treat in secret in the next day.
The sound of a familiar voice interrupted Regina's thoughts. Emma and her father had vacated the dance floor and the blonde stood next to the DJ booth with a mic in her hand. The newlyweds smiled at each other and the commotion of the room seemed to fade.
"An unknown number of years ago, Cora and Henry Mills brought an amazing child into this world. Their child would become the love of my life and I could never ask for a more amazing woman. I've thanked Cora to the stars and back, but I haven't been able thank Henry for raising Regina to be the most astoundingly beautiful and intelligent human being I have ever encountered. I know both of them miss him very much. So, this song is for Regina and Cora, and the late Henry Mills."
Back when I was a child, before life removed all the innocence
My father would lift me high and dance with my mother and me and then
Spin me around 'til I fell asleep
Then up the stairs he would carry me
And I knew for sure I was loved
The Mills women had tears in their eyes as the song resonated with a shared yearning in their hearts. Emma ran in her dress to pull them both to the dance floor and pushed them into each other's arms. For the first time in too long, they held each other as mother and daughter. They danced around the floor, their hearts heavy with emotion.
Henry's death was sudden.
They said it was a heart attack, but he went quickly. The doctor's words did not comfort the mother and daughter who found themselves alone in the world. Henry was everything to both of them and they found themselves lost without him.
The night after his funeral, Regina found herself in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Mascara dripped down the sides of her face and onto her pillow but she couldn't bring herself to care. The house felt so empty. Henry was always el sol and Cora la Luna. She was las estrellas. They were a beautiful unit but they couldn't exist alone. The moon and the stars need the sun to bring light.
She crept through the house, feeling the need to walk, and found herself outside of her parent's room. Was it just her mother's room now? The fifteen year old didn't know.
A ghastly wail penetrated the door. Were those cries? Cora Mills didn't cry. She spent the last three days as the perfect grieving wife. Her makeup and dress was impeccable and she stood to accept condolences from everyone in town. The hand she placed on her daughter's shoulder was neither wanted nor comforting.
Regina crept into the room and was unsure how to proceed. Her mother was always such a powerful force, nothing could bring her down. To see her curled in a ball, a bundle of sobs and unintelligible words in the bed she shared with her husband for nearly 30 years broke Regina to the core.
She tore herself from her haze and walked to the side of the bed. She climbed behind her mother and wrapped her arms around the waves of sorrow rolling from the widow's body. She held her until the sobs subsided and the sun peaked through the curtains the next morning.
I know I'm praying for much too much
But could you send back the only man she loved
I know you don't do it usually
But dear Lord she's dying
To dance with my father again
Every night I fall asleep and this is all I ever dream
"I still miss him."
"I do too, mi Chiquita." Regina smiled at the endearment. There was a suddenly chill in the room. The two women looked around but it seemed like no one else noticed. An invisible hand pressed against their hearts and they both sucked in the cold air around them.
"Did you-"
"Yeah,"
"Could it be-"
"Impossible?"
"Magic."
"What?"
"Papa always said magic was real. Maybe he's giving us a message."
"What kind message?"
The mysterious wind blew again. Something about it was too familiar. Regina felt the warmth of the absent sun press sweet kisses to her cheek and smiled.
"That he misses us too."
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Or, Regina won't get her happy ending.