I've wanted to try my hand at writing fanfiction for a while now and I've had this idea in my head for some time. I'll be doing a bunch of these little one-shots of life for Henry and Regina before Emma came to Storybrooke. Most of them will be like this: short, sweet and an abundance of fluff.
I don't own Once. Does this actually surprise anyone?
Regina's lullaby is Sleepsong by the Secret Garden. It's one of my favorite songs. Please review! :)
Regina paced up and down the foyer wondering what on earth was taking Mr. Gold so long. He had told her he would be there at five thirty and it was already-she glanced down at her watch-5:03. Oh.
She took a deep breath to calm herself and decided to go back upstairs and check the nursery again. The room was decorated in stark contrast to the minimalistic blacks, whites and grays that adorned the rest of her house. The nursery was painted a soft blue with a dark stained crib in the corner opposite the rocking chair. A row of stuffed animals sat on the dresser and Regina couldn't resist the urge to rearrange them for the tenth time in two hours.
She checked the drawers on the changing table and noted that the diapers, wipes, diaper cream and baby powder were all in their places. There was a pacifier and a blanket hanging off the side of the crib. Once she was satisfied with the room, Regina made her way back downstairs and checked to make sure that the formula and bottles were all in the cabinets still.
With ten more minutes to spare, she returned to the foyer and resumed her pacing. She had never felt anything like this before. It was a mixture of anxiety and excitement that was turning her stomach and making her glad that she had only had a cup of coffee and an apple to eat today.
Finally, she heard a knock on the door. It was exactly five thirty. Gold was nothing if not punctual. Regina paused to glance at herself in the mirror. She smoothed her hair, smacked her lips and then opened the door. She had her best mayoral smile plastered on her face, but it instantly became real when she saw the bundle in Gold's arms.
"Mr. Gold," she said struggling to keep her voice level. "Good evening."
"Good evening, Mayor Mills," Gold replied. "Here he is." The pawnbroker held out the small bundle wrapped in a soft blue blanket.
Regina accepted the baby. "Thank you," she said. She let her smile show and gently rubbed a finger on the sleeping baby's head.
"He seems like a good boy," Gold said. "Didn't make a peep. What are you going to call him?"
Regina inclined her head so that she could see her new son better. She thought for a moment and then said, "Henry."
"Henry. What a nice name. Good evening, Henry. I look forward to seeing you again." Then he looked up at Regina. "Good evening, Mayor Mills. Enjoy him."
"Goodbye, Mr. Gold," Regina said as she closed the door.
The second the door clicked shut she let her true emotions show. This was her son and she truly loved him. "I'm your mommy now," she whispered. "And I promise you I'll be good to you."
She sat down on the couch and gently reached up to touch the soft brown curls on the top of his head. As soon as her finger made contact with his head, Henry started to cry. Regina pulled her hand away and stared at him in a way reminiscent of the first days of the curse when she was learning about this world.
After a moment though, she regained her composure and lifted him up. "Are you hungry, Henry?" she asked. "Why don't we go eat?"
She shifted her grip on the baby and walked into the kitchen. She mixed the formula with one hand and poured it into a bottle. When she was finished, she sat down at the kitchen table. She held the bottle for Henry and watched as the infant latched onto it and started drinking. He had the biggest, most curious brown eyes.
Regina smiled as she watched the small boy. After a few minutes, she gently pulled the bottle away and lifted Henry onto her shoulder. She rubbed his back until he burped and then she held the bottle back out to him.
They continued this pattern until Henry had eaten his fill. Regina heard her own stomach growl and knew that she had to eat, but she couldn't bear to part from her son. She held him for a few more minutes until she decided that she couldn't wait any longer.
Regina hugged Henry to her and set about making her dinner one-handed. She was thankful that she had leftover lasagna in the fridge so all she had to do was cut a piece and stick it in the microwave. Eating, however, was a different story. She reluctantly placed the baby in his high chair and pulled it over next to her as she ate.
The second she was done, Regina had Henry in her arms again. He yawned and rubbed one tiny fist at his eyes.
"Are you tired?" she asked. "You wanna go night-night?" Regina was a little shocked at the sudden change in her language, but she didn't care. She went upstairs with Henry in her arms and entered the nursery. She changed him first and then dressed him in a blue onesie.
Henry started to whimper and Regina cradled him in her arms and sank down into the rocking chair. The pair rocked for nearly half an hour before Henry was fully asleep. Regina wanted to get up and set him in the crib, but she couldn't make herself. She was content to sit here like this forever.
Regina wasn't even aware that she had fallen asleep until she was jolted awake by the baby's cries. She looked down. Henry was still in her arms, his eyes squeezed shut and his face twisted with wails.
"What's wrong?" Regina asked sweetly. "Henry, sweetheart, what do you need?" She glanced over at the clock and saw that it was almost one in the morning. Maybe he was hungry again.
Regina brought the crying infant downstairs and mixed another bottle, but Henry refused to take it. Well if he wasn't hungry then maybe he needed his diaper changed, but that didn't help either.
Regina started rocking him gently again in the rocking chair, but he kept on crying. She paced the room and tried walking up and down the stairs, but to no avail. After nearly an hour, she was nearing crying herself. This was her baby; the same baby that had looked at her with those inquisitive brown eyes when she was first feeding him. Now she had no idea what he wanted. She was failing him.
"Henry, sweetheart," she said. She had to struggle to keep her voice from wavering. "What do you want? I don't know what you want. Can't you just go to sleep?"
The infant kept sobbing. Regina finally decided to try the last thing she could think of. She sat down in the rocking chair and shifted Henry so that his head was right over her heart. Then she started to sing gently:
Lay down your head and I'll sing you a lullaby.
It was a lullaby that she remembered from one of her earliest childhood memories. One of her nurses had sung it to her when she was young. Now she gently rubbed Henry's back as she sang. By the end of the lullaby, the baby was asleep.
Regina stood up and carefully made her way over to the crib. She set him down in it and pulled the blanket over him.
Planting a small kiss on his forehead, Regina said, "Good night, Henry. I will always love you."
The baby snuggled a little more into the blanket and Regina smiled. She switched on the baby monitor and pulled the door mostly shut. She didn't want to leave him, but he would be alright. And if anything happened, she would be right down the hall.