Chapter 4! It's been awhile and I'm sorry. Life got in the way.
My writing style got a little cluttered in this chapter, but I think I got what I wanted across. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Although, I'm pretty sure this is more filler. I'll get better at writing, I promise!
I have a brief outline of the rest. There should be approx 12 - 15 chapters in total if all goes to plan.
Any suggestions are always welcome.
Emma and Regina are sitting on the leather couch across from Dr. Archie Hopper in his office. Emma fidgets a little, tapping her foot and drumming her fingers lightly on her knee as she tries to avoid the daggers that Regina, ever poised as usual, is glaring her way. They can each hear the breathing of the others in the room as the silence lingers.
After Emma introduced herself, Dr. Hopper led the two women into his office to get out of the hallway. He wanted to understand how the presence of Emma Swan was going to affect Henry and the mayor's relationship. He didn't want to do anything wrong. From the moment he saw Emma arrive in town, he felt like some part of him was waking up from a long sleep. He wants to help people do the right thing even more so than usual.
A few seconds pass of only Emma's mindless finger tapping before Regina lets out a frustrated sigh.
"You have no right to be here, Miss Swan. Henry is my son," Regina says, turning slightly towards Emma. "You did choose a closed adoption, did you not?"
Emma stops her tapping and looks at the slight smirk on Regina's face. She bites her lip for a second before realizing what she was doing and stops. She sits up straighter and faces Regina a little more, determined not to show any more weakness.
"Yes," Emma responds, keeping her voice steady, "But now that Henry sought me out, I want to be a part of his life."
Regina purses her lips, ready to respond. Henry said earlier he wants both of us to work together. I will allow Miss Swan to stay, but how can I share him and work with this woman? She's going to take him away from me.
Regina sighs. Henry, you're all I have.
"Well, Miss Swan, we will see about that. Now I will be going–" Regina starts to push herself up off the couch but relinquishes when Dr. Hopper interrupts.
"Wait a minute, Regina, I would be willing to be an unbiased third party to help you two talk through anything, if you want," Archie says in his naturally calm tone before looking over at Emma, "Emma, you have to realize that you don't have any legal rights to Henry. It is up to Regina to allow you to see him and Henry as well. Although, I'm sure that won't be a problem. Henry does seem taken with you." He places his hands gently on his lap, smiling warmly as he leans back in his seat.
"I just want what's best for him," Emma says softly, "That's why I gave him up. I didn't want him to go through the system like I did."
Emma turns to Regina again.
"Henry obviously wants me in his life. He wouldn't have come to me otherwise." Emma sighs, watching Regina's expressions intently, "I'm not a mother. That's pretty self-evident. I don't think I can take over for everything you are to him, but no matter what you do, I'm not going to leave. Even after only two days, I can't leave Henry. I won't."
Regina sighs. She nods her head at Emma, "Fine, Miss Swan. I don't have time to get into this with you. I have other business to take care of today and I've already spent more time here than I allotted. Anything you do with Henry, you must run by me first." Emma nods, scrunching her eyebrows slightly, feeling like she's missing something really important.
Regina stands up and takes a step towards the door, turning back to Dr. Hopper.
"I trust that you will keep the integrity of Henry's files?" she asks him pointedly. At his nod she continues, "Thank you. If I need any more help with Henry's… situation… I'll make the arrangements to continue, but for now I'll take it from here. Miss Swan, if you want to start over, come over to my office at 5 pm and we'll discuss going forward."
Emma manages a quick "I'll be there" before Regina briskly makes her way out of the office, the sound of her heels echoing down the hall and stairs. She stands up then too, looking at Dr. Hopper curiously.
"Before I leave, just tell me something. This fairy tale obsession, what is causing it? I mean, he thinks everyone is a character in his book. That's… crazy, right?"
"I hope you don't talk that way in front of him," Archie responds slowly, "The word crazy is, um, quite damaging. These stories… They're his language. He has no idea how to express complex emotion, so he's translating as best he can. This is how he communicates to help deal with his problems."
Emma nods, though still confused.
"But he got the book a month ago. Has he been seeing you longer than that? Why would the mayor want to terminate his therapy?"
"Um, he… he has," Archie coughs a little before he continues, "His mother is, uh, a very complicated woman. Over the years, her attempts to try and bring Henry close to her only backfired. You'll have to take this up with her if you have any more questions, I'm not at liberty to disclose personal information."
"Okay… uh, thanks," Emma turns to leave. So, it's Regina.
"And Miss Swan, one more thing," Archie stops her as she reaches the door.
Emma turns and faces him, holding the door open.
"Just for the sake of the boy, be careful how you handle his belief system. Destroying his imagination would be… devastating."
Emma nods once and heads out of the office with more questions swimming around her head than answers.
After school, Henry walks home to Mifflin Street, taking in the appearance of Storybrooke at this time. Many things have changed in eight years time and, along with the newer technology that Storybrooke had finally adopted, Henry looked at a few of the storefronts thinking of the newer ones that will take over later.
I wonder if I can influence how quickly Storybrooke integrates new technology this time around. Once mom is sheriff again, I'm sure she'll appreciate a higher quality computer.
Henry continues his musings as he approaches City Hall where he meets his mom before they have dinner. He's earlier today than usual as he remembered that he used to go to the school library before going home when he was younger, well, this age. He remembers how he started going to library more frequently as he discovered more of his mom's evil queen past. He shudders at how insensitive he was to his mom back then. He's determined to make things right this time around and that requires time. The more time he has to talk with her the better.
Henry walks around the back and smiles up at the unblemished apple tree as he passes to go to the back door. I saved mom's tree from being cut this time around too. I'm on a role. That's got to be a good thing!
Once inside, he makes his way to his mom's office and opens the door.
"Hey, mom!" he greets, seeing Regina at her desk with a bunch of papers in front of her. She looks up when she hears him come in.
"Henry," Regina smiles genuinely, "you're early."
"I know," he smiles in return, "I thought we could get a head start on Operation Cobra." He slips his backpack off and puts it on the couch before he starts to unzip the largest pocket to take out the book. He looks up at his mom again, noticing her perplexed expression.
"Operation Cobra?"
Oh, right. She didn't find out about the operation name until later.
Henry shrugs.
"Yes. It's what I'm calling our mission to help Emma believe and break your curse."
"Henry I–" Regina stands up from her chair, her hands on her desk. She sighs. "This may not be a good idea." She makes her way around her desk and over to Henry, standing a couple of feet in front of him.
Henry smiles again. His mom is trying to do the right thing. She just needs help. He looks up at her.
"No, Mom. This needs to happen. It's the only way for you… to be happy. And you promised you would tell me the truth later," Henry smirks, looking much like the woman who raised him, "Well, it's later."
Raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms across her chest, Regina looks down at her son, amused. She bends down slightly, smirking.
"You want to try that again?"
Henry gapes at Regina for a moment, taken aback at her response before shaking his head to clear his thought. That was funny, mom. I see what you're doing. My memories are sill of an 18-year-old; I know all your parenting tricks.
"Mom, it's later, please?" he asks, elongating the please, "will you please tell me the truth?"
Regina puts her hand on his shoulder, standing upright and patting him gently.
"That's better," she says before sitting on the couch. She sighs as pats the space next to her for Henry. "Sit, sweetheart."
He complies and joins her on the cushion, leaving a few inches between them. She folds her hands in her lap not knowing how to begin.
"Well, you know that… your book says—I want you to know that I," Regina stammers before letting out a long breath. She pauses before she speaks again, quietly, "I'm the evil queen."
Henry puts his hand on her shoulder and pats gently like she did to him just before. She looks at his face, seeing only acceptance in her son's eyes. She lets out a relieved sigh, shocked and confused at how much her son's opinion matters to her.
"You can ask me anything," Regina adds, reaching her hand to gently push Henry's hair back off his forehead, "I… will do my best to answer honestly."
Henry takes a breath and thinks over his questions. Where should he begin? He already knows about the curse and what happens during and after. Should he ask about magic wishes? Is it crazy that I was 18 years old yesterday? If anyone will understand, it will be mom. She knows magic. Okay, just start off slow.
"Do you ever regret casting the curse? Would you want to go back to Fairytale land?" Henry asks, always curious to the answer. He decided not to mention he knew the name of the Enchanted Forest, not wanting to reveal too much of what he knows too fast.
"No," Regina responds immediately, before taking a moment to think, "Although the curse was not all it was cracked up to be, it brought me to you. If I was still in the Enchanted Forest I would be… very lonely, with no one except maybe my—"
She trails off, thinking of her father and his sacrifice she made to get here. She lost so much. She often thought about what her life would have been for the past 28 years if she never cast the curse, but that line of thinking always ended when she thought of Snow White. Snow White would have had her perfect family, living her happy ending with her baby daughter and husband and she would have no one. No one but her father who, while loving, was not what she needed.
She places her hand gently on the side of Henry's face and looks into his eyes. She shakes her head, "No, my sweet prince, I don't regret it. I love you more than anything I could have had over there."
"I love you, too, mom. So much. I'm sorry that I haven't been great at showing it lately." Henry leans into Regina's hand before scooting closer. He sits up straighter before speaking again. He inhales and lets it out slowly.
"Mom, I have something very important to tell you. Please don't think I'm crazy."
"Henry, I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like you were crazy for believing your book. I'm just… I'm not… I'm…" Regina stammers. Admitting she was afraid has always been hard for her. Living her whole life with Cora as a mother, then forced into a marriage to a man thrice her age with a daughter less than ten years younger than herself, Regina does not know how to love very well. She only just began to learn after adopting Henry.
Henry holds up his hand in front of her. "I know, Mom. I believe you. This is… different. I wouldn't be surprised if you did think I was crazy."
Regina turns to face him a little more, still a little skeptical over his abrupt change in attitude from the last few days.
"Henry, you're starting to worry me. What is it?"
Henry takes a deep breath and releases it slowly. He looks up into his mom's eyes. This is the right thing to do.
"I've already lived through this," he starts, noting his mom's brows begin to scrunch. He continues, "Yesterday I was 18 years old in my college dorm room. I was looking out the window and saw a shooting star. I made a wish and this morning I woke up here, in my bedroom, 10 years old again, way before the curse was broken."
Regina drops her bottom lip slightly, eyes widening trying to wrap her head around this development. If this were true… magic was definitely involved. How? There was no magic in Storybrooke. Well, there were her magical items that she brought over, but other than that, nothing.
"What?" the mayor asks, tilting her head to the side.
"I was sent back in time. I don't even know how… I was in Boston. There's no magic there," Henry tilts his head too, frowning. Now that he was talking about it and really thinking about what happened, it was all so confusing, even though he knows that wishes on shooting stars hold their own special magic. His mom taught him that after she and Tinkerbell became friends again and he had a lot questions about wishes and fairies. The fact that I made a one-off, harmless wish, randomly one night and it came true is still a little weird, even for the truest believer.
Recovering from her shock, Regina rests her hand in a fist under her chin for moment, looking down before back at Henry.
"Well, you are correct. There is no magic here, except for select items," she explains, "I would imagine if magic were to be brought here, which, if I am to believe you are from the future, I assume it was?" Henry nods. "Then it will work differently than in the Enchanted Forest. Regardless of that, shooting stars have their own magic. The magic they use works outside of that of a sorcerer or sorceress."
"So it's not odd that someone answered my wish?"
"No, it's not. A wish is a very special thing," Regina explains before looking down at her lap.
"Unless you're me," she mumbles under her breath. Growing up, none of her wishes were ever answered, no matter what she asked.
Unfortunately, her mumbling wasn't low enough and Henry heard her. A contemplative look came over his face, deciding to file that information away for later. He was going to help his mom be better, maybe by getting her wish to come true.
"What was your wish, Henry? That will help us figure out why you were sent back here?" Regina asks, getting back to business.
"Well, I was thinking about my family, my entire family, and how at that time everyone seemed to be happy. I noticed the star and wished that everyone could, um, maybe have happiness sooner. Like, what it would have taken for you to have your happy ending without all of the other sh—crap that happened before."
Regina smiles slightly, not used to having someone care so much for her. Thinking over Henry's wish, she wonders why it would be this point in time. It must be important in the grand scheme of things. If Henry already lived through this, then decisions must have been made here that influenced the future dramatically. The savior's presence must be a part of this.
"That's very sweet, Henry. How did I get so lucky to have you as my son?" Regina says wistfully. "However, you need to tell me one thing."
Henry looks at her intently, shifting in his seat and straightening his back. He nods, smiling slightly through his closed mouth.
"Tell me one thing of this… future, something that I know now but you did not learn until later. Then, I will have no doubts that you lived this before."
Henry contorts his face and looks up and to the side before answering. After his mom is fully, completely, absolutely on board, everything will begin to change. With Regina in on Operation Cobra, so much can be avoided. Everything that he went through before will be of no consequence. He's starting over. He and his mom will be more open and closer than ever. With these new developments, any conflicts or problems that are unavoidable will be more easily dealt with and understood… by everyone.
Henry takes a breath, thinking of this better future.
"Your mother, Cora. I know about her. She is the reason you were brought up thinking love is weakness. You told me you banished her when you were younger so you'd finally be free," Henry pauses, seeing his mom's face drop and her breathing quicken, almost unnoticeably at the mention of her mother.
Henry continues, "But it didn't work and you were still married to the king, my… my, um, great grandfather? You told me it was only when you started learning how to use your magic that you finally started to feel more in control of your own life."
Henry notices a single tear fall down Regina's cheek and her deep breath to bring her emotions in check. A couple minutes pass of thoughtful silence before Regina speaks.
"Okay," she says, letting out breath. She sounds relieved and a little nervous at her son knowing of her mother.
"Let's talk about how we shall begin. We have a few minutes before Emma should be arriving. I invited her over to make amends."
Henry perks up at the mention of Emma coming over. He wants his moms to work together and this will only speed up his plans for that happen.
Regina sighs before she continues, "I… trust you, Henry. I will help you with this, this Operation Cobra." She smiles and sighs gratefully, placing her hand under Henry's chin, "I finally managed to get something right in my life. How did I wind up with someone as great as you?"
Henry widens his smile in a large toothy grin.
"Because of you, mom," Henry says, willing Regina to believe, "You were, are, a great mom. You just need to believe in yourself." He reaches forward and wraps his arms around her. She responds immediately this time and holds him tight, keeping her little prince in her arms as long as possible.
Things are much better this time. He thinks. Operation Cobra 2.0 is better than ever.