Henry's reaction to 'Robin' returning and him comforting his mother. I love OQ and Robin but I also love angst and Regal Believer- wish!Robin is not entirely mean though.
Thank you to Charlee who beta'd this for me. It makes sense because of her.
Disclaimer. None of the characters belong to me!
He had to say he was shocked when he saw Robin, or at least someone that looked like Robin on main street that night. He was shocked but pleased, for the first time in months his mother had properly smiled- not the fake one she had painted on, no this one reached her eyes.
Robin hadn't really known who he was, or rather he had not realised the significance of who he was. Henry was back to being his mother's son, far from a bad thing, it's just that Robin had become a father figure for him. He had missed that. He missed having someone to talk to- man on man: there were certain things you didn't want to talk to your mother about. He missed having someone to plan surprises with- little things that would make his mother smile. The house, with Roland and Robin had felt lived in. The house had always been a home, he couldn't really explain it, it just felt different, empty. He guessed when he saw the man again he assumed that everything would fall back into place, that was perhaps a bit too much to wish for. He still hoped that someday they could be a family again.
He had gone to Emma's that night, his mom and Robin needed to talk about well everything.
/
He returned home late the following night, he had been canoeing with his mother, it had been a long time since he'd seen her be free, without being scared about her destiny. On the lake it had just been easy, but he was ready to crash, and sleep for days.
The house was strangely quiet when he entered, his mom was always pottering about, making turnovers or cookies, cleaning something for the umpteenth time. His mom had to be doing something, he guessed it was something to do with the way she had been brought up, the consequence of her childhood spent training to be a monarch, her marriage to Leopold treating her like nothing more than a photograph - someone to complete the picture. There were no signs of Robin either- no clash of pans or muttered curses. He supposed his mom could be at snow's or possibly granny's. He checked his phone to make sure he hadn't missed anything before calling "Mom"
/
Regina didn't realise how late it was until she looked up, on hearing Henry's shout. Since the kiss everything had been a blur, talking to Snow had helped but it didn't change anything.
Quickly drying her eyes she hollered back, "I'm up here Henry"
/
Henry knew instantly that his mom had been crying the second he reached her bedroom door, the hiccups and heavy breathing, a tell tale sign
He didn't say anything just hugged her, burying his shoulder in her neck.
Regina lost herself in the warm embrace of her son, she just let herself breathe, feel. She couldn't help but let the tears fall again.
After 5 minutes, Henry spoke.
"Mom what's wrong, what happened"
She could lie, say it was nothing, or at least nothing for him to worry about. But Henry was far too mature to fall for that though.
"Robin. He's... he's different" she whimpered. It sounded pathetic when she said it out loud.
However, Henry heard the pain in her voice.
"Mom, Storybrooke isn't the easiest place to understand, to settle into, it's full of magic, where past, present and future all somehow converge, Ancient spells meet technology. This guy has been living, no surviving in a forest, searching for happiness, for a reason. Maybe you were his reason, just because things are different it doesn't make them bad, or doomed to fail. This Robin is different, he has different motivations, different ambitions, a different history not all of it is good, not all of it should be encouraged but we can only learn. You're different too, you're not the Evil Queen, nor are you a girl so scared to love they walk away from a story. You're my mother- you love more than anyone I've ever known, you fight with a fierce determination in your eyes. It's not the same, but it's not nothing."
Regina chuckled- Snow was clearly rubbing off on him, although hope speeches are a lot less annoying from her son. He saw his mother's dance with emotions, sadness, pride, grief all competing for control, that's when he realised something, something which he should have known all along.
Regina just hugged tighter She hated being, no feeling weak, like she was was in a hole and unable to escape but she just needed to let it all out.
"I miss him. I thought that bringing this version back would help, I didn't bring him back to replace him. I brought him back because Robin was more than a common thief. I brought him back because if my life has taught me anything it's that when someone offers you a second chance then you have to grab it and squeeze everything out of it. I guess I wanted to let him live. I thought I brought him back for him, but what if I've brought him back for me. "
It hits her now, the realisation, of how selfish she has been. How she had just thought of herself, her feelings, her happy ending, disregarding the true extent of his feeling, confusion
"Mom we all miss him, but what you did wasn't wrong or selfish, he made the decision to come, he wanted that. Don't forget that. Robin would understand, he'd be proud of you. He was always proud of you."
She smiles at that she will never stop being proud of her son, it's weak and she still feels slightly selfish over the whole thing but he's right. This Robin did agree to come back, she may have prompted him, but it was his choice and that's enough to make her feel like maybe she doesn't have to feel guilty."
Henry stays with her, making sure she feels better and doesn't leave until he's certain she's fast asleep. Once she is, he tiptoes out of her room, hoping that one day, his mother will finally find happiness.
Thank you for reading, please let me know what you thought. C x