A/N: I was feeling sad yesterday, and instead of working on my current fanfics, I wrote this story. It is short and angsty. It is most likely a one-shot, but I could potentially continue it with an investigation into Regina's death at some point.
At least Henry hadn't actually seen it. As he, Emma, Snow, and Charming stood in the cemetery, he couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. He kept picturing it, and he didn't want to.
"Are you okay, Henry?" Emma asked him softly. She had asked that so many times today.
Henry nodded. He wasn't really okay, though. His mom had been murdered. He still couldn't believe it. She had always been so strong. She was the Evil Queen; surely she could get herself out of anything? In the end, though, she couldn't.
They lowered the coffin into the ground. Snow was crying, and Charming's arm was around her. Emma's arms were around Henry, and he had been crying a lot himself. He wasn't sure if he had any tears left.
Henry couldn't remember the last time he had told his mom he loved her. The last time he really remembered saying it was his ninth birthday.
Henry had loved all his presents, but there was still one thing he was really wanting.
"Henry, I have one last present for you," his mom said.
"Really?" Henry said, excited. Could this be the present he was looking for?
His mom smiled. "Yes. I hid it somewhere new since you discovered my last hiding spot."
"Oh," Henry said, feeling a little guilty.
"It's all right," Regina said. "After all, it's your birthday."
She handed Henry the box, and he opened it eagerly.
"You got it for me!" Henry said.
Inside the box was the Marvel action figure he had wanted. Henry jumped up and hugged his mom.
"I love you, Mom."
Regina smiled again. "I love you, too, Henry."
Now he would never be able to tell her he loved her again. He hadn't even fully realized that he still loved her until after she was gone. He hadn't talked much with her after the curse had broken. She had survived the mob that had come to her house, but apparently there was something she couldn't survive. She had been found dead just outside her house a few days later. Emma was still investigating her death.
Of course, most of the town wasn't mourning at all. There weren't a lot of other people at his mom's funeral besides them. A lot of people seemed to be pretty happy about it, and it just made it hurt more. Henry had never really thought about what it would be like if somebody actually killed her. He kept thinking about the moment Emma told him the news.
Emma walked into the living room, and Henry could tell that she was upset about something.
"What happened?" Henry asked.
Emma looked at him with tears in her eyes and walked over to the couch.
"Henry, I don't know how to tell you this."
"Tell me what?" Henry was confused.
"Henry, I got a call about an explosion outside Regina's house." Emma closed her eyes for a moment. "Henry, your mom is gone."
"Gone?"
"She didn't survive the explosion."
"She's…she's dead?"
Emma nodded and hugged him. "I am so sorry."
It took him awhile to process it, but when he did, he found himself remembering all the times he had yelled at her recently. He wished that he could go back in time and at least tell her he loved her.
As the coffin was lowered into the ground, they all threw flowers onto it.
Snow gave him a hug. "She was family to me, too, Henry. No matter what happened between us, she was still family."
Henry found himself crying all over again. He took one last look down at the coffin, and he and the only family he now had slowly walked away. He knew that he would see his mom in his dreams tonight, and she wouldn't be the Evil Queen. She would just be his mom.