After several nights of celebrating the homecoming of Snow White and her Savior daughter things were starting to calm down.
Tonight, at yet another late night celebration, the family and a few of the townsfolk gathered at Granny's. When the party died down everyone headed their own separate ways.
Henry wanted to stay over with his mother Emma to share stories about her adventures in "Fairy tale land" while Snow and James planned to spend the night together at Granny's bed and breakfast to do some grown up "celebrating" of their own.
Emma and Henry walked to the apartment she had previously shared with Mary Margaret. It was light out because of the full moon. They laughed a bit and she would ruffle his hair every few minutes simply enjoying being able to have her son close.
She sent Henry in for a shower and went to make up her bed for him upstairs. She searched around for their storybook and left it out on the nightstand. Henry quickly made his way up and they snuggled close as he asked her questions about what she saw and who she met while in the other world.
"So you're mother saved you from an Ogre?"
"Yeah, she did. She came back for me after I tripped running from it. I mean it was my fault the thing was chasing us in the first place... and that I tripped when we were running, but she came back for me."
"So how did she save you?"
"She shot it in the eye with an arrow. I was... I was really shocked. I've never seen anyone use a bow and arrow before and the fact that it was Mary Margaret... I mean... you know... Snow White..."
"Cool! I wish I could have been there to see it."
"Yeah... I wish I could have seen my own face when she shot the thing down. I was.. I was totally shocked." She chuckles a bit.
"Yeah... ha... you didn't know you're mom was cool did you?" Henry jests.
"No... I guess I didn't."
"Were you scared?"
"Of the Ogre? Hell yeah!...uh... I mean... Yeah I was scared." She says correcting herself.
"You were really scared?"
"Yeah. Who wouldn't be? I mean have YOU ever seen an Ogre after thinking it was imaginary your whole life? I mean... hello?"
"Hmmm... I guess I would have been scared too. Kind of like when my mom was threatening Gramps when you and Grandma got sucked in the portal."
"Say what!? You're mother is a real piece of..."
"Hey! She saved you remember?" Henry defends. "She was just in a moment of weakness... but it scared me to see her doing bad magic. She even used it on me."
"What?! Henry..."
"No... please don't get upset now. Just... just tell me more about the other world."
"But Henry... if she hurt you..."
"No, she didn't hurt me. She just scared me. She used a barrier spell to keep me from leaving my room. She let me leave later that day with Gramps though. She never hurt me I promise."
"Well... it better stay that way or so help me..." She says gritting her teeth.
"Emma. Please..." He pleads with his eyes. "So what else happened? Did you get to save anybody?"
"Yeah... Yeah I did actually." She stops to think. "I saved Snow White... twice." She says holding up two fingers in a boastful way.
"You did? She saved you and you saved her. Sounds like it runs in the family." He says with a silly grin. "So, when did you save her?"
"Actually, both times it was when we were going up against Cora... Regina's... I mean you Mom's... I mean..." She sighs. "This is confusing."
"You're telling me. According to our family tree my adoptive mother is my Step-Great-Grandma... talk about confusing."
"Oh geez... let's not get into semantics now. I don't even want to go there." She grimaces which causes Henry to laugh out loud.
"So... did you get to use a sword?"
"I did actually. I used a sword to fight Captain Hook. He was trying to keep me and Snow White from getting to the portal. He was working with Cora."
"Wow! Awesome... I mean... that you had a sword fight with Captain Hook!" He says full of enthusiasm.
"Yeah. I think I did pretty good too. I beat him. I would be lying if I said it wasn't fun. It totally was. Then I knocked him out with the compass in my hand. I went over to help Snow who was fighting with Cora and then when Cora tried to hurt her I ran towards them to try to save her but Cora used her magic to push me away. Then... then she was going to try to take Snow's heart. I just... I used all the strength I had left and pushed Snow out of the way. Cora's hand went right inside my chest."
"Inside your chest!? Did she..."
"No, she couldn't take my heart... and do you know why?" She asks with eyebrows raised.
"Because you are a product of true love!"
"Hey! I wanted to say it..." She says pretending to be hurt but secretly proud of him for figuring it out. "How did you know that?"
"Please..." He says snidely. "You're talking to the guy that went out to Boston to bring back the Savior to break the curse on the people of Storybrooke. I know." He says smiling feeling pretty proud of himself.
"Oh, do you now?" She says pulling him into her arms and ruffling his hair again. They laugh and cuddle together before the silence sets in. "Henry?"
"Yeah?" He says looking up into her eyes.
"I missed you."
"I missed you too." He says with the cheekiest grin ever.
"Okay... now... don't laugh at me alright? I don't have a lot of practice with this kind of thing but... I'm going to tuck you in now okay?" She says as she gets up from the bed.
"I'm ten... you don't have to tuck me in."
"I know, I know... but cut me some slack here. I've missed out on some things and I want to tuck you in alright? Geez... you can be so difficult."
"Ha ha... I get it from my mom."
"Hey! Watch it buddy." She says pointing a finger at him in warning.
He laughs again before she bends down the pull the blanket to his chin and pat his chest. "Just so you know Henry... I love you."
He smirks before he replies. "Just so you know, I love you too Mom."
She lets this name sink in for a moment. "Mom? Are you even allowed to call me this?" She says with a timid smile.
"Well... you are my mom..I think it's safe to say I can... unless you don't want me to." He frowns a bit.
"No, no... " she rushes to console him. "I don't mind I just feel... I kind of feel bad. I mean I don't feel like I'm your... mom yet... do you know what I mean?" She says with a pained look.
"No matter what, you are my mom..." He says smiling. "Even if you don't feel like you are."
"How can I be your mom? You're braver than I am." She says with a breathy laugh as she reaches out to brush his own hair away from his forehead.
"I am?"
"Yeah. Look at all you've done Henry. You went to Boston, like you mentioned, to find me. You... you stood up to everybody no matter how many times we told you that the curse wasn't real. You lived with The Evil Queen all your life and survived... and... and you just called me... Mom." She takes his smaller hand in hers before she continues. "Henry, I haven't even found the courage to call Snow that yet. You are so... so brave." She says smiling at him.
At this he sits up and hugs her. "It's easy to be brave when you know someone loves you. Even if you had never said it to me I would have known you love me and that makes me brave."
"Ah... but see I did say it to you just then. I said... just so you know I love you."
"I know." He smiles.
"You know too much Henry! You are just way, way, way... too smart for me." She pulls him in for another hug. "Alright well... I'm gonna head downstairs to get some rest and then we'll wake up tomorrow and have some breakfast alright?" She says as he lays back on the pillow and she once again pulls the blanket to his chin. "Goodnight Henry." She bends down to kiss his head.
"Goodnight Mom."
She couldn't help but smile the whole time she walked downstairs. She crawled under the covers and wondered to herself at how easy it was for him to be so open and so giving. It had to have skipped a generation because she simply was not that kind of a person.
It was so easy for him to accept that she was his mother. It was so easy to accept that the love they had for each other was mutual.
She could not deny how good it felt to hear him call her Mom. It was such a simple act but it went a long way. He just said it and there it was.
"Mom" she whispers to herself as she reaches to turn out the lamp on the nightstand. "Mom?" she questions to herself once again. Maybe if she said it enough she too would be able to address her own mother with that same bravery.
Henry was just too smart for his own good. She repeated in her mind what he had said, "It's easy to be brave when you know someone loves you." The wisdom of a ten year old... no, make that her ten year old.