I just heard this song and couldn't get this story out of my head. Usual disclaimers.
Emma isn't sure exactly when she fell in love with Regina. Maybe it was when they were both hugging Henry after Regina put his heart back in his chest, and they were a family. Or maybe it was before that, when Regina was willing to die to save the whole town, and instead they stopped the trigger together. It could have also been when they worked together to get that true love potion to save Henry's life. It may have even been the first night they met. Whenever it was, Emma knows now that she cannot keep it hidden anymore. They are back in Storybrooke, and everyone is happy, except Regina. Snow and Charming are attempting another child, Rumple and Belle are together, Ariel has her Prince, Wendy is reunited with her brothers, and Henry has his whole, messed up family. Neal and Hook are slightly dejected at Emma's constant rebuffs at their declarations of love, but they seem to be trying to move on. It seems only Emma and Regina are discontented. Emma because she pines after Regina, and Regina because almost the whole town still hates her, including the Charmings, even after she saved them from the trigger and saved Henry from Pan. After three weeks of settling back into normal Storybrooke life, Emma cannot stand seeing Regina so unhappy any longer. She has to do something to cheer her up.
Regina sits at her desk in the mayor's office, trying to catch up on the all the paperwork from while she was in Neverland. Despite the fact that the whole town hates her, they realized while she was gone that they could not run it without her. So here she is, fulfilling her mayor duties. Taking a break from the written documents, she clicks on her computer to her email. She has only one new message, which is from an anonymous source. Steeling herself for hate mail, she opened the message. There is no subject line, and the only thing in the writing section is a link. Still rather curious, Regina clicks on it. Immediately a picture of a beautiful rainbow fills her screen, and a soft song begins to play.
You with the sad eyes
Don't be discouraged.
Oh I realize
It's hard to take courage.
In a world full of people,
You can lose sight of it all
And the darkness inside you
Can make you feel so small.
But I see your true colors
Shining through.
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you,
So don't be afraid to let them show.
Your true colors,
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow.
Regina listens to the song with a smile. She is surprised when it stops after the chorus. Wondering what comes next, she is about to close the window to search the song when writing rolls across the screen.
Hope this brightened your day. Please do not look up the rest of the song. It's a surprise.
Still smiling, Regina closes the window and leans back in her chair. There is only one person who would have sent her that message: Henry. Glancing at her watch, she sees that he should be arriving at the bus stop any moment. Closing her computer, she grabs her coat, tells her assistant that she'll be back in a moment, and hurries out to the street. Ignoring the looks she receives from the townspeople passing by, she walks briskly to the bus stop, arriving just as the children are filing off. Henry sees her while exiting, and quickly walks over to meet her.
"Hey mom, this is a surprise." He greets her, while wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug.
"Well, I thought I'd come thank you for that little surprise you sent me." She smiles appreciatively down at him.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Henry replies, puzzled.
"You know, that email you just sent me."
"Mom, I've been in school all day, I haven't had a chance to send you an email."
Regina is taken aback. "Oh, of course, dear, I forgot about that."
"What was the email about?" Henry inquires.
She shakes her head. "It was just a very thoughtful song."
"Who do you think sent it?"
"I don't know, Henry. I don't know." Regina frowns in bewilderment.
Later that night, when Henry tells Emma about the strange email that Regina assumed was from him, Emma smiles, knowing she has succeeded. Henry notices, and stares at her intently.
"It was you, wasn't it?" He asks.
"What was me?" Emma inquires innocently.
"Stop playing dumb, mom, you are the one who sent that email."
Emma tries to deter him. "Of course not." She stammers.
"You're a terrible liar."
"Fine," Emma sighs. "Just don't say anything, alright kid?"
Henry looks confused. "Why not? And why did you send that email?"
"Um," Emma stalls.
"Oh my god," Henry exclaims, making Emma almost jump out of her chair.
"What?"
"You like her, don't you?"
"What are you talking about, Henry?" Emma tries to avoid him.
"You like my mom."
"Of course I like her, kid. We learned to get along alright while we were in Neverland. She grows on you. We're sort of friends."
"No, I mean really like, as in love." Henry persists.
"That's ridiculous."
"Oh really? Then why did you send that message, whatever it was, and why are you trying to keep it a secret it was from her?"
"I sent her that message because we are friends, and she seems to have been sad lately. I sent it anonymously because I wasn't sure how she'd react, so I didn't want her to know it was me if she didn't like it."
"Well she really liked it. She tried to thank me for sending it. So why can't I tell her it was you?"
"Because…" Emma trails off, unable to come up with a good answer.
"Because," Henry fills in for her. "You love her, and you are afraid to tell her it was you because it is obviously sent from someone who cares deeply about her and you're afraid she'll reject you."
"No, it's not…" She trails off again under Henry's intense gaze. "Fine, kid, you're right. Now will you just shut up about it.?"
"Yes!" He yells, punching the air.
"What're you so excited about?" Snow inquires, walking into the apartment with David flanking her. Emma stares hard at Henry, willing him to understand that her parents cannot know about this.
He smiles wickedly. "Emma just told me that we can watch any movie I want tonight and eat tons of ice cream."
"Emma?" Snow questions her, obviously disappointed and unimpressed by her parenting skills. "I thought we were going to watch Titanic tonight?"
"I'm sorry. It's a Friday night and he's been good all week. He deserves a reward. We can watch it another night." Emma swings around in the chair to face her mother with an apologetic look on her face, but inside she is secretly blessing Henry for helping her delay that torture.
Snow shakes her head disapprovingly but drops the subject. David winks at Emma before following his wife over to the couch and turning on the television.
"This conversation is not over." Henry mutters to Emma.
"Fine, come upstairs and we'll talk." Emma replies under her breath, and leads Henry up to her bedroom.
"Alright, kid. What do you want to talk about?"
"Um, the fact that you are in love with my mom of course!"
"Keep your voice down!" Emma hisses.
"Sorry," Henry mutters, dropping his tone.
"So what about it?" Emma asks.
"Why not tell her?"
"Have you met your mother? Approaching her with any topic that may displease her is practically suicide." Henry raises an eyebrow. "She's not evil, of course, but her anger is not something to be taken lightly."
Henry laughs. "Alright, I see your point. But you have to do something about it. Are you going to continue the emails?"
"Yeah, I was planning on it. I only sent her part of the song, and I was going to send the next part tomorrow." Emma shrugs.
"Okay. Sounds good." Emma could see the wheels turning in Henry's brain. "You sure you're not gonna tell her?"
"Positive, kid. It was just supposed to be a way to cheer her up. You better not tell her either. Promise me, you won't tell her it was me."
Henry seems to ponder for a minute, which makes Emma's heart race. "I promise."
"Thanks, kid. Now it's time to go home, okay? Your mom will be worried."
"What about that movie?"
"Another night, I promise."
"Okay," he mutters and goes to grab his coat. As they're driving through the quiet streets, he pipes up again. "Will you do one thing for me?"
"What's that?"
"Will you send the second email as soon as you get back from dropping me off?"
"Why?"
"I just think it would brighten up her night. I like seeing her happy."
"Alright, kid. I'll do it for you."
As soon as she hears the doorbell ring, Regina springs from her desk and rushes to answer. Checking her watch, she sees that it is three minutes past eight. Opening the door, she bites back the sarcastic comment about Emma's punctuality as Henry rushes in and wraps her in a tight hug.
"Well hello to you too, dear. What's this about?" Regina asks in surprise.
"I just really love you, mom." Henry replies with a cheesy grin.
"I love you too, dear." After releasing her, Henry bounds up the stairs, leaving his mothers alone. Regina smiles slightly, watching Emma's awkward shifting in the doorway. She wonders when she began to find Emma's annoying habits to endearing.
"Would you like to come in, dear?" Regina inquires softly.
"Um, no, thanks." Emma squirms under Regina's raised eyebrow. "Snow's been demanding some mother daughter time. She wants to watch the Titanic together tonight." Emma shudders.
Regina laughs. Not just a little chuckle, but a full throated, head thrown back laugh. She's not sure if her merriment is caused by the image of Emma sitting awkwardly on a couch with a sobbing Snow or the clear disgust and discomfort on the face of the blonde in front of her. All she knows is she cannot keep her amusement locked inside. Once Regina calms down a bit, she sees that Emma's discomfort had grown considerably, and confusion has joined in the mix.
"I'm sorry," Regina sputters, feeling sorry for the terrified blonde. "I'm just picturing Snow crying almost the entire movie, and then running up to her Charming and proclaiming that she will always find him, even if they are on a sinking ship in the middle of the ocean."
A small smile grows on Emma's face as Regina talks, and turns into full out laughter as she finishes describing the scene.
"I can totally imagine that happening." Emma exclaims, making Regina laugh even harder at the blonde's glee. Once their laughter dissolves into smiles, an awkward silence ensues.
"So," Emma mutters, scuffling her feet on the ground. "I guess I better get going."
"Yes, of course." Regina replies, straightening back into her regal manner. Emma nods, and then turns to go. "Wait." Regina calls, surprising herself.
"Yes?" Emma asks, turning back.
Regina is at a loss. She has no idea why she called the woman back, except that she enjoys her company. Luckily she can think on her feet. "Would you let me know if my image of this evening's end comes to pass?"
"Uh, sure." Emma replies confused. "I'll let you know."
"Thank you, Ms. Swan. Have a nice night."
"Uh, thanks. You too."
Emma returns to the little apartment, still shaking her head in confusion. Why was the mayor so kind to her? It is disconcerting. Although it is true what she told Henry, that she and Regina had become less antagonistic towards each other while in Neverland, everything seemed to return to normal in Storybrooke. Perhaps Emma was wrong. However, Emma forgets her Regina problems when as soon as she walks through the door, Snow is upon her.
"Emma, dear, since Henry had to go back to Regina's, do you think we could watch Titanic now?" Her face is so hopeful, Emma can't say no.
"Alright," Emma sighs. "I just need to do something first." She has not forgotten Henry's last request. After scurrying upstairs to send off the email that was saved in her draft folder, Emma returns downstairs to face the horrors of a dramatic, romantic film.
After finishing her paperwork for the night, Regina pours herself a glass of her apple cider and flips open her laptop. Reopening her email, she clicks on the anonymous message and replays that lovely song. She had decided earlier that day to abide by the sender's request and not look up the rest. Instead, she listens to this little snippet on repeat for the next few minutes. A small beep interrupts her quiet musings, and she glances at her computer screen to see that she has a new message. Curious, she opens it and finds it is from the same source. As before, there is only a link, which she clicks on with anticipation. Immediately, those soft tones fill her ears.
Show me a smile then
Don't be unhappy, can't remember
When I last saw you laughing.
If this world makes you crazy
And you've taken all you can bear,
Just call me up,
Because you know I'll be there.
And I see your true colors
Shining through.
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you,
So don't be afraid to let them show.
Your true colors,
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow.
The rest of the song is just a repeat of the chorus with some previous lyrics mixed in. Regina listens to it with a smile on her face, closing her eyes and just appreciating the music. Once the song is finished, she opens her eyes and glances at the screen as words roll across it.
Please never forget to be happy. Your smile will always brighten my day.
Regina feels tears flowing down her cheeks. No one, not even Daniel, has ever done something so beautiful for her. An overwhelming urge fills her to find out who this mysterious person is. She wants to make them as happy as they have made her.
"Mom?" Henry calls, peeking through a crack in her study door.
"Come in, dear." Regina replies, wiping away the tears.
"Mom, are you okay?" Henry asks, concerned, as her approaches her desk.
"Yes, dear, I am perfectly fine."
"Then why were you crying?"
"I… Someone sent me another email."
"Was it mean?"
"No, dear, it was wonderful." She murmurs.
Henry smiles broadly. "May I see it?"
Regina nods, motioning her son over to stand beside her. She reopens the first message, plays the link, and once that is finished, shows him the most recent one as well.
"Well done." Henry comments softly.
"What was that, dear?" Regina asks, confused.
"Nothing." He responds quickly. Regina lets it rest. "So, do you know who sent these yet?"
"No, though I would love to. They sent them anonymously."
"You know you could track the email and find where it comes from. That could help you figure out who it's from." Henry offers with a cunning smile.
"Thank you, Henry that is a wonderful idea." Glancing at the clock, she notices how late it is. "It is way past your bedtime, dear. Please go straight to bed."
"Yes, mom." He says dutifully, hugs her, and then bounces out of the room.
Regina leans back in her chair and studies the screen thoughtfully. Finally she leans forward and picks up her phone. She knows only one person who would be able to help her track someone down through the internet: someone who has plenty of experience in finding people. She taps in their number and listens patiently as it rings.
Thanks for reading! What do you think? Should I continue?