Author's Note: This fic was written for the Wishes Come True challenge at OnceUponALand where I picked a summary that someone else had written for a fic and then actually wrote the fic. The summary was exactly what the summary of this story is. Hope you all enjoy!
"This is absurd." Regina hisses, not for the first time, as yet another knock sounds on the mansion door.
"I can answer it." Henry offers, looking far too amused by the turn of events of the past week. "I'll just take whatever gift of love," he wiggles his eyebrows and lowers his voice to a ridiculous level, "this one has and then tell them that you just left for work. Let them deal with Leslie and her letter opener down at Town Hall."
Regina sighs, considering the idea. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I don't want to send anyone to their death over all of this. And you saw how Leslie reacted on Monday."
Henry shudders just a bit. Who knew his mother's mousy secretary could look that menacing or move that quickly? The answer, now, was Hook, which was hilarious in and of itself. "So we're just going to ignore it?"
"They'll go away eventually." Regina says and then, in a quieter voice, "Right?"
"I don't know, Mom." Henry shrugs and Regina lights up at the term, as she always does lately. "They haven't really taken any hints so far."
"I swear, I'm going to kill Rumple when I get my hands on him."
"That is," Henry smirks, "if he doesn't get his hands on you first."
It's Regina's turn to shudder. "This is not funny, Henry."
"The whole town being in love with you and vying for your affections because Mr. Gold's spell to make Belle fall back in love with him went haywire? It kind of is, Mom. Not only because of how ridiculous everyone's being but because if they realized –" He stops his train of thought suddenly.
"Because if they realized they were in love with the Evil Queen who cursed them all to a land without magic, they'd probably all go jump to their deaths off the Troll Bridge?" Regina tries to sound unaffected, but the hurt in her voice is obvious to him now.
"Toll bridge," Henry corrects. "And I didn't mean it that way. Not, like, in a bad way. Just, you gotta admit, Grandma sending you all those love letters by bird and Grandpa trying to woo you by bringing you a puppy is kind of hilarious."
"It is not hilarious. It is absurd and awful. And you are not keeping that dog, Henry."
"But Mom, look at him!" Henry protests, holding up the puppy who, Regina has to admit, is rather adorable. She does have to give Charming some credit – Henry is the easiest way to get to her affections and Henry certainly loves that damn dog, so it's not the worst "romantic" gesture he could've made.
The knocking persists, only now it's getting louder and Henry has a feeling he knows who is behind the door. "If I don't answer it, he's going to break down the door. I mean, I don't think purposely but you know how strong he is."
"Fine. Fine." Regina frowns, getting up and heading to what has become her hiding place – the hall closet.
Once she's safely tucked away, Henry pulls the door open with a wide smile to reveal Tiny, holding a rather large plant. "Hi, Tiny." The puppy at his feet yips in greeting, too.
"Oh," Tiny frowns, looking disappointed. "Hello, Henry. Is your mother home?"
The puppy rushes over towards the closet and whimpers at it. Henry hopes Tiny doesn't notice. "No, sorry. She left a little bit ago. Probably going to work, you know?"
"Work." Tiny perks up at that. "Yes! Work. I'll just go there."
"Uh, Tiny?" Henry asks, biting the inside of his cheek so as not to laugh. "What's with the plant?"
"Plant?" Tiny scoffs, sounding offending. "This is not a mere plant, Henry. This is a love fern."
"A – a love fern? Really?" Henry wonders if that's really a thing back in the Enchanted Forest or if Tiny's just been watching romantic comedies trying to figure out a good gesture.
"Yes. It's for your mother."
"Oh, uh, well then, why don't you leave it here with me? I mean, it seems awfully big. And you can tell her all about it when you see her and if you happen to miss her, she'll be surprised when she gets home."
Tiny looks Henry over, as though trying to decide if he's trustworthy enough to leave his love fern with before he finally relents. "Okay. I guess that makes sense. But you'll tell her it's from me? I don't want her to think it's from anyone else."
"Oh, believe me, I'll make sure to tell her it's from you." Henry grins as he takes the large potted plant and carefully maneuvers it into the hallway.
"Thank you, Henry." Tiny nods to him before he sets off down the path, turning to head for Town Hall.
"Oh no, Tiny, thank you." Henry calls after him, before shutting the door and dissolving into giggles.
"This is not funny." Regina huffs as she comes out into the hallway to find Henry doubled over and hanging on to the love fern for balance. The puppy jumps at her legs, clearly looking for attention and she briefly wonders if animals can also be subject to love spells.
"He – he brought you a – a love fern." Henry gasps out. "Please – please tell me that's something they did in the Enchanted Forest?"
"I have no idea about the mating customs of giants." Regina frowns, staring at the plant. "But I've certainly never heard of a love fern before."
Henry doesn't tell her that it's in a movie, not least because the movie is PG-13 and he's definitely not supposed to be watching those without her permission. So far in this endeavor he's managed to stay out of trouble – except for the occasional teasing – and he's actually enjoying the time he's spending with his mother. Apparently having the whole town trying to score a date with her makes her more mellow, at least when it comes to him.
Another knock sounds on the door and Regina just barely manages to contain her shout of rage. It won't do to give herself away. "This has got to stop!" She flings her arms out, encompassing what used to be the living room, but has now been turned into a weird sort of shrine to her, composed of all the ridiculous "gifts of love", as Henry likes to call them, that people have been bringing her. "There's got to be a way to break this spell and put an end to all of this."
"Well," Henry begins and Regina already knows what he's going to say before it's out of his mouth, "there is one thing that can break any curse."
"Henry," she sighs, slumping down onto the couch. Henry has never seen his mother slump before in his life. "I've already told you, my True Love died a long time ago."
He doesn't want to hurt or upset her, not now, not after everything they've gone through to get to this place, but he also can't shake the feeling that she's wrong. "I know that, Mom, but… did you ever think that maybe you have another True Love out there? I mean, you said that Daniel told you to love again, right? So, doesn't that mean, if you're going to love someone else, that they'd also be your True Love?"
"Oh Henry, I don't know. I – I honestly don't. And even if that was the case, and I did have another True Love out there somewhere, how am I supposed to find them?"
Henry's nose crinkles up as he ponders that, and Regina can't help but think of just how much like his birth mother he looks when he does that. Emma Swan, who is one of the only citizens of Storybrooke that hasn't shown up at her door yet. And why is that, exactly? Regina wonders.
She would have thought that of all the people in town, Emma would be the first knocking down her door, what with her brashness and confidence. It's puzzling and for the first time, Regina finds herself feeling a little bit disappointed – instead of just annoyed – by the outcome of this love spell. If Emma isn't affected by it, then what does that say about the woman's feelings for her? That she hates her that much that not even something like this love spell that can change everyone else's opinion of her can affect Emma? And why does the thought of that – of Emma hating her that much – sting so badly?
"Well, I mean, isn't that part of True Love? Always finding each other?"
"Hmm?" Regina snaps out of her thoughts, trying to focus on what Henry has just asked instead of the dull ache that is suddenly in her chest. "That may be so with your grandparents," and Henry knows how much she hates referring to them that way, but he loves that she is trying, "but that's not always true with other people."
Henry sighs. "You could always just start kissing people as they show up at the door?"
"Henry!"
"What? If you don't have feelings for anyone then –" He stops as he stares at her, noticing the way that she flinches just slightly, "but you do!"
"What?" Regina tries to quickly school her features.
"That look. You do have feelings for someone in town, don't you?"
"No. Of course not. Who could I possibly have feelings for? Besides you, no one even gives me the time of day."
"That doesn't matter. You can have feelings for someone even if they don't like you back. And that's not true either. Emma gives you the time of day plenty. She always says hi and she defends you to everybody and – and –" His eyes widen as realization hits. "Mom –"
"Henry –" She quickly starts to protest, but both their words are drowned out by a sudden burst of music, blaring from outside the mansion. "What in the –"
Henry runs to the doors that lead to the patio and the puppy – who until that point had been happily munching on one of the bottom fronds of the love fern – bounds after him. "No way!" He exclaims as he takes in the sight in the backyard.
"What? What is it?" Regina starts to approach and Henry quickly swings around, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the stairs. "Henry!"
"You've gotta see from upstairs. C'mon!"
She allows him to tug her up the stairs and to her bedroom. "Henry, what on earth is going on?"
"Look." Henry points toward the doors that lead to her balcony and she moves over to them, looking out to the backyard.
It is not the most shocking sight she's ever encountered when looking down from one of her windows, although the culprit is one and the same. Although this time, instead of a chainsaw, Emma is wielding a rather giant boom box.
"Miss Swan," she exclaims, marching out onto the balcony and yelling over the sound of the music, "what do you think you are doing?"
Emma shrugs, the boom box lowering a bit as well. "Being romantic?"
"And how is you blaring this – this – I don't even know what this can be classified as – out of that monstrosity considered being romantic in any way?"
"Hey!" Emma exclaims, before she settles the boom box on the ground and hits the power button to allow quiet to settle over them once again, "I had to pay Gold an arm and a leg for this monstrosity, I'll have you know. And Queen is an awesome band. Plus, I didn't think Peter Gabriel would have quite the same impact in this case."
"But a song about me being a killer is somehow romantic?" Regina rolls her eyes and turns to go.
"Mom!" Henry frowns at her from inside the bedroom. "She's trying." Even if trying means stealing an idea from another PG-13 movie that Henry totally hasn't watched without permission either.
"It's not about you being a killer! I mean, not literally!" Emma shouts from the backyard. "It's actually about a prostitute – not that I'm comparing you to a prostitute or anything. Just – the lyrics remind me of you, is all."
"The lyrics to a song about a prostitute remind you of me. Yes, I can see how very romantic that is." Regina snarks, but she has to admit that watching Emma squirm is rather amusing.
"That's not – ugh! Why are you making this so difficult?" Emma brushes her hair back, her mind already flipping through the catalogue of all the romantic movies she's ever watched.
"I'm making it difficult?" Regina raises her eyebrow. "No one else has had any trouble so far."
"No one else has made it past the front door." Emma shoots back.
"Neither have you." Regina taunts.
"Oh yeah?" Emma smirks, accepting the challenge as the perfect movie pops into her head. "I'm coming up."
"You – what?" Regina moves quickly to the balcony rail as Emma disappears underneath it, only to reappear a few moments later, carefully climbing the trellis that leads directly to where Regina is standing.
"Are you out of your mind?"
"Possibly." Emma grins as she flings one leg over the railing and then hauls the rest of her body over. "But I just made it past the front door."
Regina looks her over and can't stop the way that her heart suddenly beats faster. "Well?" She asks, trying to keep her voice steady.
"Well what?"
"Well, everyone else has shown up to woo me with gifts. Where is yours?"
"Gifts?" Emma frowns, as though she's never heard of the concept.
"Yes, gifts. Flowers, chocolates, jewelry."
"Love ferns." Henry giggles from the bedroom and both his mothers turn to look at him.
"Love ferns? Seriously? Like in –"
"Yep." Henry affirms.
"Wow. Snow?" Emma asks, wondering who else would have an affinity for plants.
"Tiny. Snow sent love notes by birds."
"Ah."
"If you two are quite done." Regina frowns.
"Not even close." Henry grins. "Wait 'til you hear what Dr. Whale brought."
"Henry, enough. And you – you can just march your way to the front door and leave." Regina tells Emma.
"Leave? After I just stood in your yard with a boom box and then climbed the fire escape –"
"Trellis." Henry supplies helpfully.
"Trellis for you?"
"Yes. Leave. I am tired of this insanity. I thought that perhaps you were the one person in this town besides Henry that had managed to not lose your mind with Gold's spell but clearly, I was –"
"I am." Emma says simply.
"Excuse me?"
"I am. The only one not to go all gaga over you because of Gold's spell."
"You just stood in my backyard with a boom box and then climbed up to my balcony and you're telling me you aren't gaga over me?"
"Nope." Emma grins. "Well, not any more than usual anyway."
"Not any more than usual?" Regina repeats, the question obvious in her voice.
"Yeah. I thought it was weird too. I mean, my mom's sending you love letters and my dad's bringing you puppies and Ashley's writing you love songs like she's the next Taylor Swift or something and me? Nothing. No desires to run out and buy you flowers or take you for long walks on the beach. And that's when it hit me."
"That you hate me so much even Gold's spell couldn't counteract it?"
"What? Are you nuts? No! That I wasn't affected because I already have feelings for you." Emma says it easily, casually, but inside her stomach is flip flopping.
"But –"
"I figure it's why Henry wasn't affected either. Besides, you know, how creepy that would be. He already loves you, so nothing about his behavior changed."
It makes sense, Regina admits to herself. No one in town holds any real feelings of love for her except Henry – and perhaps Sidney, but he's still locked away in the hospital basement – and so his true love of her caused him not to be affected. But if that was true…
"You stood outside my house with a boom box." She protests quietly.
"Yeah, but I would've done that anyway. I just figured now was as good a time as any. You know, in case…"
"In case what?"
"In case you found someone else while everyone was so in love with you." Emma admits, kicking at the balcony floor with the toe of her boots.
"Someone like Tiny, with his love fern." Henry adds, breaking the tension of the moment, for which Emma is thankful.
"Exactly. I mean, who am I to compete with a love fern?" Emma grins.
"You? You are insufferable and annoying and exhausting and –"
"And more than likely her True Love. So kiss her so things can go back to normal, huh?" Henry cuts in, ready to get all of this over with.
"Well?" Regina raises an eyebrow to Emma. "You heard our son. Are you going to –"
Her words are cut off by Emma's lips, pressing firmly against her own. A pulse of light shoots out from them and Henry can't help but grin.
"Told ya. So, can we keep the dog?"