A/N: Originally this was posted on Tumblr because I didn't think this was polished enough to post here, but what the hell.

This fic is part of an angsty multi-chapter fic that I'm planning, and while this is a side-story that takes place before the events of the fic, I felt that it stood well enough by itself that it could be read and understood and enjoyed independently.

Hope you all enjoy!

Empty Space

Regina sat on a nearby bench, watching as Henry shot arrow after arrow at a makeshift target he had created out of some debris lying around. It was crude, but it did the job, and Henry was satisfied with it enough to use it for target practice. He was quite good, and Snow had taught him everything she knew about bows and arrows, how to make them in a hurry, and how to fire them smoothly and accurately.

After a quick lesson, Snow had sent Henry to practice, and it was here in the park Regina found him. She had watched him quietly for a while before he noticed, but Henry just smiled at her and asked what she thought of his progress.

"So, Mom, what do you think? Am I getting better?"

"Every day, Henry," she responded, a proud smile on her face. "Just keep practicing, and soon you'll be just as skilled as your grandmother."

Henry grinned at her and went back to his practicing, pulling an arrow back and staring at the target for a few seconds before letting it go and watching it sail just left of the bullseye.

"Nice shot, kid," a deep voice called out. Regina and Henry turned to see Neal standing a few feet away, an easy smile on his face as he slowly limped over, a shiny black cane with a gold handle in hand. He sat down next to Regina, a small grimace twisting his smile, and Regina eyed the cane with an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Hey, Dad! Have you come to watch me practice, too?" Henry asked. He put his equipment down and walked over to his parents, standing tall in front of them as they looked up at their teenage son.

"You bet. You've improved a lot. I'm impressed." Neal gave Henry a firm pat on the arm and Henry grinned back at him before saying, "I'm going to go practice some more. Maybe we can go to the diner after?"

"Of course we can. The three of us can go together. What do you say, Neal?" Regina asked, turning to her co-parent and friend.

"Well, the prospect of making dinner all by my lonesome tonight isn't really appealing," Neal said, leaning back on the bench and stretching an arm behind Regina. "I think a pot pie from Granny's would hit the spot."

"Awesome! Thanks, guys," Henry said, running back to his spot to continue practicing.

Regina and Neal looked on, fondness in their eyes for their son. They sat in silence for a few long moments, just watching Henry as he practiced, before Regina spoke up.

"Nice cane," she remarked, a hint of a smirk on her lips.

Neal smiled to himself and held the cane up to the light and turned it slightly to get a better look at it.

"Not really my style, but Papa insisted I use his cane if the pain was too much," Neal replied, shifting slightly into a more comfortable position before continuing, "Though I think it was just an excuse to give me something personal of his in a weird bonding moment...or something."

"Oh, give Rumple this small thing. Maybe later you can get your own. Like father, like son."

"Yeah."

Regina noticed Neal watching Henry with a wistful smile, and he kept shifting in his seat and rubbing at his right leg. Thinking about lost moments between family herself, she decided to do something for her friend.

"I can take the pain away," Regina said, looking at Henry as he shot a perfect bullseye into the target. She felt Neal shift to face her.

"What?"

"The pain. I can't heal it, but I can take it away enough that you won't be hindered by it. You can spend time with Henry the way you used to." Regina turned to Neal and gave him a knowing look.

"We both know what it's like to lose time with people we love, with family. Let's not waste anymore time."

Neal stared at her for a moment and sat back on the bench. It wasn't making a decision that was difficult; of course he wanted to be virtually pain-free, even if it was only for a little while, but after they swore not to use magic for purely selfish reasons, it seemed like a risk.

"Regina, I… I can't thank you enough for that offer. Really," he began, "But we agreed not to use magic for this stuff. We don't know what it could do, we-"

"A legitimate concern, I agree," Regina interrupted with a nod of her head, "But I'm sure we can allow ourselves this small thing."

Neal bowed his head in acquiescence, feeling grateful for this opportunity to spend time with his son. He remembered swordfighting with Henry, and teaching him to sail, but it had been a long time since they had done those things together, or tried something new. To be able to relive those moments was a truly precious gift.

"Ok. Let's do it."

Regina gave him an encouraging smile and placed her right hand at the small of his back, her fingers pressing into his skin. He grunted from the pressure, but gave her the go-ahead with a quick nod. Regina then closed her eyes and concentrated, her fingertips glowing a dark blue as Neal felt a sharp jolt through his back that travelled down his legs and burned for a few moments.

When Regina removed her hand, he was gasping at the burning sensation, but it slowly started to fade, and when Neal expected the sharp pain to return, instead he felt relief. Sitting still in disbelief, he slowly rotated at the waist, turning both ways, and did not feel any pain. He stretched out his right leg and bent it at the knee several times, and again, he felt nothing. There was a dull ache in his lower back, perhaps a side-effect of Regina's magic or something else, but he didn't care. That was manageable to him, and he would gladly endure that if it meant being able to walk around without feeling like his leg and back would give out at any moment.

Regina watched him carefully, looking for any signs of pain or discomfort, but saw only surprise that gave way to joy on Neal's face. He turned to her with a grateful smile put his large hand over her own, squeezing gently as his dark eyes sparkled.

"Thank you," he said, "I can't...really tell you what this means to me."

Regina looked at their hands and turned hers over, grasping Neal's tightly before returning his gaze.

"You don't have to explain anything." Regina then let go of his hand and held hers out as two wooden toy swords materialized in her hands. She gave them both to Neal, a soft smile on her lips as he took them gratefully, turning them over in his hands and grinning just like Henry would.

"Now, go play with our son, Neal," she said, nodding her head in Henry's direction.

Neal gave her a smile that could light up the world before standing up in one fluid motion, no trace of pain or discomfort on his face, and walked toward Henry without his limp. He waited until Henry fired an arrow before approaching him.

"Hey, Henry! Look what I've got!" Neal called out, holding his hands up high, wooden swords on display. Henry lowered his bow and turned to Neal, his face lighting up in excitement as he saw the swords in his father's hands. He set his bow on the ground and ran toward Neal, grinning the whole way.

"Dad, where did you get those?" he asked, taking one in his hands and twirling it once. "I haven't played with one in a while…" Henry turned the sword around in his hand, inspecting every inch of it. It was a simple design, made for nothing more than play-fighting, but Henry had such fond memories of playing with his grandfather and later Neal. It felt wonderful to be so close with his family, and even at 15 years old, he was ready to challenge his father to a duel with a toy sword.

Standing back and suddenly looking serious, he raised his sword so it was level with Neal's face and took a fighting stance.

"I am Sir Henry of Storybrooke, and I challenge you, evildoer, to a duel," he said, his deepening voice sounding even deeper in his effort to exert authority.

Neal smirked but played along, taking a few paces back and readying himself for a fight.

"But of course, Sir Henry. I can't possibly trespass here without fighting the mighty knight," Neal replied with a flourish of his hands as he readied himself for the first blow.

He didn't have to wait long as Henry charged, but Neal was quick and he blocked Henry's attack before jumping back and preparing for another blow he knew would come. Blocking him again, Neal decided to throw a few quick jabs in Henry's direction, but he was smart and swiped them away before dodging the last one and taking a swipe at Neal's side.

The two swords clashed over and over before a strong blow from Henry weakened Neal's grip enough for his sword to fly out of his hands. Grinning in triumph, Henry went to attack but Neal jumped out of the way and ran for his sword. He slid to grab it, but his son was too quick. Neal felt the pointy end of the sword at his throat, just barely touching, and he looked up with a tiny smirk on his face.

"Looks like I'm in a predicament," Neal said, slowly inching for his sword.

"Ah ah, don't try it," Henry commanded, motioning to Neal's sword. "I've got you right where I want you."

Neal's face scrunched up in thought, so similar to how Henry's would, and he glanced at Regina sitting on the bench, watching intently. An idea came to him then, and he hoped she would go along with it.

"Well if Sir Henry has me beaten," he began loudly, "Then I must call upon my ally, the Evil Queen, for assistance!"

Regina had been paying attention to their little game, but she froze when she heard 'the Evil Queen'. It had been a long time since anyone had uttered that name, and her eyes narrowed as she stared Neal down as best she could from her position.

Henry faltered for a moment, the sword in his hand lowering slightly, but Neal gave him a wink and he understood.

"Is that the best you have? I'm not scared of the Evil Queen!" Henry exclaimed, turning to his mother and smiling with encouragement. Neal gave a grin on of his own, and they both waited patiently for a response.

Regina hesitated. Who she was as the Evil Queen wasn't someone she was proud of, and she believed she wouldn't have use for her anymore, but being afraid of the person she used to be, of a person from another life, wasn't going to hold her back.

Making a decision, Regina stood up, and with a elaborate flourish of her hands, she was decked out in one of her favourite outfits from the old world. Neal and Henry were engulfed in purple smoke for a moment before their outfits had also changed to better reflect their roles in this game. Henry looked at himself in amazement, and grinned at his parents. He twirled the sword in his hands, just like Charming would, and tested a few attacks in his new clothes.

Neal looked at Regina and patted her back a few times, impressed.

"The kid looks happy," he said.

"Happier than we've seen him in a long time," Regina agreed. "Shall we?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

Neal swiped his sword from the ground and held it ready while Regina summoned a fireball and threw it at Henry.

"Whaaaa!" he cried as it hit him in stomach, but instead of burning, it tickled him greatly and he couldn't suppress a laugh. Neal's eyebrows rose in surprise as he stared at Regina. She looked back at him, her own eyebrow arching in challenge.

"What? You didn't think I'd actually hurt him did you?"

"...Fair enough."

For an hour, Regina and Neal spent time with Henry, pretending that the Evil Queen and her trusted thief had come from another realm to terrorize Storybrooke, and Henry was the only one who could defeat them. Henry was a fit of giggles from Regina's special fireballs, and she had thrown one or two at Neal to give Henry the upper hand sometimes.

Exhausted from their little adventure, the three of them sat down on the ground and tried to catch their breath. Neal leaned back a little and grimaced, and Regina knew that the pain was starting to come back. Henry was quiet as he stared into space.

"Well, that was fun," Neal said. "A little tiring in our old age, but fun."

"Just who are you calling old, Mr. Cassidy?" Regina asked, glaring at him.

Neal and Regina continued to bicker, no sting in their insults, but Henry remained quiet. Regina noticed.

"Something wrong, Henry?"

He shrugged and said nothing, but Regina and Neal knew better.

"You know you can tell us anything," Neal added, shifting uncomfortably on the ground.

"It's just…" Henry sighed and looked over at the bench his parents were sitting at earlier. There was a sudden emptiness then, as if the fun they had shared was sucked out of the air as quickly as it had come.

Neal looked at Regina, but she was looking at the ground, sadness washing over her. She quickly wiped a tear away, not wanting Henry to see it, but Neal did. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders tightly, pulling her closer and placing a light kiss on her forehead. He knew exactly how she felt at that moment.

Henry glanced at his parents, but turned his focus back to the bench.

"I just wish she was here."

"We know, kid. We know."

A/N: I'm turning into Fire Queen trash and I'm not even sorry. Best friends, co-parents, lovers, siblings; I don't care! I will take Fire Queen in any capacity (with and without SQ).

I hope it was worth the read! Let me know what you think of this odd pair.