A/N: This work is intended for enjoyment and by no means is this for profit. I don't own the characters only the story is mine.

Enjoy.

Chapter 1

Regina Mills sat wringing her hands nervously as each second progressed closer to the end of the game. And as each second passed she saw as her son's hope at playing slowly dwindle with each tick of the game clock. "He's not going to play," she voiced saddened as she watched her little prince slump on the bench.

"There is still enough time." Kathryn responded trying her hand at optimism.

"Not enough. Just under three minutes left." The thought of consoling her son after yet another game that he has not played, after yet another year he has been looked over, was tying the woman's stomach into knots. "He is going to be devastated."

"Yes he will be but I'm sure a milkshake from Granny's will cheer him up. And if that does not work then I am sure that the surprise will."

Regina huffed, "I just wish Leroy would give him a chance." She glared at the back of the offending coach, "you would think as a once prolific drunk he would know how not to make bad decisions by now," she mumbled growing more agitated the more she thought about the stunted man.

Kathryn smiled at the sight of her friend getting worked up. After years of friendship watching a riled Regina still always managed to make her smile. "Henry will get a chance and when he does he is going to make Leroy and the rest of his team realize how utterly stupid they've been by not allowing your beautiful boy to play."

"How is it you can be a truly amazing friend one day but another you can be a demon sent from the underworld to torture me into oblivion?"

Kathryn's shinning blue eyes sparkled, "It's a talent very few are gifted with."

"No doubt you sold your soul to achieve such an irritable quality?"

"Oh please. I am a lawyer some say I never had one."

The pair laughed and momentarily forgot about the upsetting disregard of their favorite boy, at least until the whistle blew. Their laughs cut off and their eyes latched onto Henry as he dolefully picked himself off the bench. His mother could care less who won the game she only cared that her son was let down again.

"I swear I am going to poison that poor excuse of a coach."

"No you're not."

"I swear I will rip out his heart."

"You most definitely will not!"

"I will discretely slip him his favorite bottle of alcohol and maybe sneak some into his morning coffee then watch as he rapidly descends into alcoholism—"

"—Regina—"

"—then the team will have no choice but to hire a new coach," she finished her master plan with a deadly smirk. Missing the look of terror that crossed over Nova's, Leroy's longtime girlfriend, face.

"Regina!" Kathryn warned again as some of the mayor's constituents quaked in terror.

Regina relented on her deadly effective plans, out loud that is, but in her head the different scenarios to get her son to play his favorite sport played liked a film reel. "Fine. I am going to march over to that vertically challenged little rat and demand that he pull his balding head out of his—"

"—Regina the children—"

"—derriere and play my son who is way better than that Peter kid. How old is he anyway? The child looks fourteen, much too old to be in a nine to ten year old soccer league." Enlightenment came to Regina that did not involve ruining a man's life, "I will report that Peter kid, as he is much too old, and Leroy will have no choice but to play my Henry."

"No you are going to calm down. Remember you are one strike away from being banned from coming to the games all together."

Regina harrumphed at the threat of being banned. She would like to see them try to keep her from supporting her boy. She owned the town. It was absolutely preposterous to think the referee held any power over whether or not the mayor could attend a game, even if he happens to be the sheriff.

"I remember your first and second strike all too well Madam Mayor and I am sure Henry does as well. He was thoroughly embarrassed." Kathryn continued to attempt to reason with her best friend. "Remember the teasing he endured from his teammates? He does not need Mama Bear to be unleashed and to come save him he only needs your support."

Kathryn was right of course but Regina did not want to hear that she wanted a solution on how to get her son to be able to play the game he truly loved and a chance to prove how hard he had been working on improving. She almost stormed at Leroy regardless but the memories of her two prior "outbursts" surfaced and the sight of one fuming mayor, an equally fuming child-sized man, one tomato red Henry, and several laughing teammates was enough to dissuade her of the notion.

Making their way to the parking lot with the other parents, the wide berth they were giving Regina went ignored as the duo waited for Henry at Regina's Mercedes. During the wait Regina fretted over the state of mind Henry will be in when he finally comes to meet them. She just wanted her boy to be happy and Leroy was ensuring that his happiness would not occur. Maybe she did need to enact one of her plans…

"Henry will be fine Mama Bear. He has the best mother the world could offer and the best surprise that you have sitting in your purse. He will not stay sad forever. Besides he will get to see his idol."

Regina and Kathryn exchanged worried glances at the thought of his idol. They hadn't yet had the chance to discuss the fact that they were going to see her but now was definitely not the time. The glances exchanged were a promise of all they had to discuss before they brought Henry to see Emma Swan's game. "That's what I'm worried about."

Kathryn gave the worrying mother a look that said "not here." Henry had a way of finding out things he should not know about. He was a curious boy and they had to be careful.

"I know you cannot wait to see his smile when you tell him." Kathryn blatantly settled on a topic that could be discussed in the open and not behind closed doors with two bottles of wine and deep feelings of regret for what went wrong.

A nod and a pathetic twitch of a smile told Kathryn that the mother was still fretting. The elephant in the room was becoming oppressive for the two friends and neither could continue to avoid the subject for much longer.

The saddened boy was walking their way looking exactly like the time he found out Santa wasn't real when he was seven because of a blonde big mouth that Regina had the nerve to call her greatest friend.

"There he is!" the blonde big mouth shouted. "I'm telling you Henry; you plus cleats plus shin guards equals one attractive Stud. May all interested parties watch out! Henry Mills is dressed to kill!"

Henry tried for a smile but other than a slight upturning of his lips he remained sullen. He entered the backseat without a word.

The drive to Granny's was a silent affair. The only sound that stirred from the sulking boy was when he decided to take his cleats off and put on more practical shoes. The blonde in the passenger began sulking when she caught a whiff of the boy's shin guards. Even though he did not get to play it did not stop the stench from spreading through the car.

Mama Bear swallowed her reprimand as her son was hurting and that was the only reason he didn't remember the rule to never take his soccer stuff off in her prized car. It never ceased to amaze her how truly horrendous his gear smells in spite of his lack of play.

Yet, the smell does not hold a candle to the truly gag inducing smell of Emma's gear after her old games.

Regina froze. That traitorous thought is best left until her and Kathryn can talk about what they have been avoiding for years. Of course accompanied by at least a whole bottle of her hard cider and agonizing feelings of guilt.

"It's going to be okay dear." Regina consoled from the drivers seat letting her mind focus on her boy instead of…

"You said that last year."

The accusation in his tone was heard loud and clear. She was his mother and when she said things would be okay they had damn better be. Only it wasn't okay because Henry did not get his dream of playing in yet another game. Even though this was the last game for a couple of months she could still do something to convince Leroy. Even if she knew that she really couldn't. And that really only spurred her to want to do something even more.

"I know I did. We just have to keep working on it and next year Leroy will have no other choice but to play you."

Henry's soft voice mumbled, "you said that last year too."

Again the thought of that too old Peter kid swam through her head. He really shouldn't be on the team. Maybe an anonymous tip would see to his disposal from the team.

"I know I did but sometimes people have to work harder than others to get what they want."

"I don't want to play anymore."

Regina slammed on the brakes harder than necessary as she went to park in front of their destination and turned her head with enough force to cause whiplash. "What?" Surely he must have been mistaken. The same boy who woke up in the middle of the night when her and Kathryn were watching one of Emma's games and demanded in the same breath that he was her biggest fan and that he wanted to play like her.

"I'm not good enough. I just don't want to play anymore."

The defeated tone in her son's voice caused Regina's shoulders to sag. She looked to Kathryn for help. "Hen, you can't quit you love soccer."

"Football," he corrected almost instinctively.

Another thing he picked up from his love of Emma Swan. The women can still remember when she used to correct them about the term. "It's not soccer it is football. Honestly, you play with your freaking feet. It's impossible to equate this game to a bunch of lumbering steroidal men tackling each other."

Kathryn continued to try and reason with the sulking boy. "You can't quit because it's hard or because things are not going your way. Your mom raised you better than that, you have to persevere."

"Exactly." Regina easily agreed. Kathryn was right and although she would not admit it to the woman in fear of her ego growing any larger but she usually has sound advice. "Don't Stop Believin'!"

"Mom? Did you just quote Journey at me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about dear." The sparkle in her eye and the smile twitching at her lips proved otherwise.

With a scrutinizing look that met doe-eyed innocence from his mother, Henry laughed at the look that was unbelievable on his mother's face. "Whatever. Let's go eat. Keeping the bench warm has made me hungry."

"Anything makes you hungry. It's a wonder your stomach hasn't driven your mother to bankruptcy." Kathryn snarked.

And Henry snarked back, "I'm a growing boy sue me."

The trio made their way into the diner to the tune of the ringing bell announcing their presence.

In the booth in the back of the diner Henry sat across from his mother and aunt. "Is Uncle Fred coming?"

"No. He is tied up at the site. I believe he said something about the structure being unstable."

"Is it the castle again?" Regina asked, not so secretly hoping that it isn't.

"Yes. Fred thinks that they might have to tear it down."

The words hit Regina's heart with a ferocity that threatened her composure and without a doubt Kathryn's as well. Both knew the importance of that structure. Regina's panicked eyes met those of a woman she has known since childhood and her longtime friend was resigned to the news. It seemed she must have been keeping that bit of news from Regina for a while.

"I used to go there all the time. Are you sure it can't be saved?"

"Frederick was certain that they most likely would be unable to save it."

"Oh." The departure of Henry's sullen mood was brief but threatening to reappear as he thought about the castle that was often his safe haven.

"How would you like a milkshake?" She was not above bribing her son to get him out of his moods. She knew it. He knew it. More often than not he capitalized on it.

With a quick "yeah" he took off for the counter, where Granny was tending the bar, to order his favored treat.

"When he returns are you ready to tell him of his surprise?"

The blonde grimaced. "Do you mean am I ready to dig up years of history between you, me and Emma?" The question was rhetorical but Regina answered with a slight nod regardless. "No. I'm not ready." Her usual sunny and boisterous attitude was abandoned and Kathryn allowed for her unease to shine through. Twisting the ring on her left ring finger as her thoughts traveled to a time where they weren't so broken. "But it has been long enough."

Yes, it has been long enough.