Chapter 4
Belladonna POV Dream
I pull my sword from the minion's chest, he drops to my feet and I advance through the broken and bloody corpses. Heather releases an arrow that wizzes past my head, my heightened gaze follows it into another minion's throat, I smile, "Nice one sis!"
"I'll say." I know that voice and I turn with my sword at the ready to look at the golden face of the Dark One. "Go ahead Princess, see if your arrow can be quick enough to take me down. First one's free!"
Heather puts away her bow and draws her sword, "Even if I shot you full of arrows, it wouldn't make a difference."
"That's true, well well, isn't this just wonderful. It has been years since I have seen you two. Just a couple of gangly bucktooth little girls that couldn't manage walking without tripping over sunbeams, and now here you are, The Warrior Twins! I am flattered!" He gives us a mock bow.
"Well I'm not." I sneer.
"Belladonna, the Black, rumor has it you really live up to your name. You're more ruthless than even I! You made killing an art form. I've been watching you, really brilliant. Dispatching your victims with such grace and style!"
"Glad we could entertain you." Heather bit out.
"Oh and Heather, let us not forget the Golden Princess. As fair as your sister is Dark. I hear you are a real lady, fluffy ball gowns and everything!"
"My Blade stings just as much as my sister's. Wanna taste?" Heather wasn't backing down.
"Well times a wasting, and the Queen is on her way! So shall we dance?" He pulls out of thin air a long sword. The Dark One toys with us, beating our blows effortlessly, while striking out lazily. But the point was only to get close to him, so we bid our time. But 5 minutes turns into an hour and I am tiring, Heather is too. Then as it begins to look bleak, I see Ma charge over the hill in all her golden glory, her gleaming golden sword drawn as she wordlessly joins the dance.
"Emma! The Swan Queen! Come to save the day?" The Dark One smirks. Ma swings her sword causing the Dark One to stagger back at the force of her blow. "Old age hasn't weaken you I see."
"I haven't gotten that old." Ma clinches her jaw.
"How about I ensure that day never comes?" He throws a fireball at her that she deflects with her sword.
"Girls, are you okay?" Ma asks over her shoulder.
"Never better." Heather calls back.
"Fan Fucking Tastic!" I grin.
"Well what are you waiting for? Not sure about taking us all three on?" Ma stands tall and at the ready with Heather and I standing on each side of her.
"Oh, I know better than to attack you head on Savior. Your loved ones are your strength." The Dark One stairs at his palm as if contemplating the likelihood of his surviving this confrontation.
"Love is strength, you use to know that." Ma tells him, almost sad.
"Oh I still do, but I know what happens when love is removed from you." Before I realized it vines twisted around my legs pulling me down and dragging me back five feet. Heather screamed reaching out to help me. Yet the Dark One throws her back against a tree knocking her out. I claw at the ground but it is useless because what happens next freezes the blood in my veins. The Dark One, taking advantage of Ma's momentary distraction, runs his sword through her chest. "You become weak." He whispers.
"No." The word is strangled in my throat. He pushes his sword a little deeper, and Ma coughs up blood, she locks eyes with the Dark One and swings her sword once more, but he catches her arm and draws her closer to him, almost as if he were embracing her.
"No you wouldn't want to hurt your little boy would you Ma? He feigns sorrow and he takes her sword from her dropping it to the ground just out of my reach.
Ma grabs his shirt with both fists pulling him closer, "If I thought there was ever a way to save you Henry, I would, without hesitation. As it stands my boy is gone, devoured by this Darkness, and the dagger is the only way I know to give him peace. I love you Henry." She hangs her head as more blood flows from her mouth, then she turns her head to look at me, "Tell your mother," She coughs, "Tell her I'm sorry. Belladonna," She gasps for air.
"Ma, NO! No fight! You have to keep fighting! Don't give up!" I beg as tears stream down my face.
"Belladonna, I love you." She smiles sad and true never leaving my gaze. Then the Dark One pulls his sword out of her and she falls to the ground, blood flowing from her chest. Like that she is gone, the sun of my life, a paragon of my childhood, vanished.
Then the Dark One kneels before me picking up Ma's sword, laying its blade upon my shoulder at my neck. I hold eye contact, I wanted him to remember me, I hoped to haunt his every waking dream. "Coward." I growl.
"My brave, brave Belladonna. Fight, you have to keep fighting, don't give up." He whispers my words to Ma back to me. I want to expire right there, but he stands, sheathing the sword, "You have so much more left to lose." He smiles as he turns and walks over to Heather.
"No! Don't you dare touch her!" I claw at the ground.
He picks her up and turns to me once more before he vanishes with her, "Give my regards to Mom!"
"HEATHER! NO!" I scream to the air. The vines that held me vanished and I crawl to Ma's lifeless form, "No." I whimper gathering her into my arms. I let my grief fill me in the form of rage throwing my head back and screaming.
I feel someone shaking me, "Belladonna wake up!"
I open my eyes and gasp for breath, and I am covered in sweat. Bell is holding my shoulders as Mulan and Red lean over the other side of the bed trying to assist her.
"It is just a bad dream." Bell soothes.
"More like a memory." I sigh laying my head back into my sweat soaked pillow.
"What did you see? Mulan asks.
"Let us help you." Red offers. I look hopelessly at all three of them.
"It will ease the pain your suffering, let us help you carry this burden." Bell pats my forehead with a cloth.
I sigh, I am so tired and I know that I cannot keep this up much longer. I need to tell someone, I need another to comfort the pain I am feeling. "If I tell you, you must swear to remain silent!" They look at each other and then nod. "Well take a seat you two, because this first one is a whammy." Mulan and Red sit on the bed next to me and I take a steadying breath, "My full name is Belladonna Kiara Swan – Mills Princess of the Winterlands. My Parents are Regina and Emma."
Regina POV
Oh dear lord these butterfly's in my stomach just won't stop. I have been laying here, wide awake for the past two hours, and I am not supposed to be up for another. She said yes. I stare at the ceiling not seeing it, as a smile refuses to leave my face. Emma said yes. By Monday night both she and Henry will be here, every day and every night. I bolt straight up in bead Emma will be here every night, five feet from my bedroom door. But I don't want to rush anything I can't afford to ruin this, I am not sure I could survive it. I am not sure even what this is. Trying to fall back asleep is going to be a pointless endeavor, so I get up deciding to prepare for the day. I move to my master bathroom and begin to draw my bath. This room is a luxury upon the senses, a place where my soul can be pulled to the surface to be caressed and soothed. The walls are a dusty rose accented with cream, where hanging statuaries of nude torsos, appeal to the eyes. Scent of apples with a hint of vanilla fill the air, you can almost taste it. I pick up a remote and turn on my music, a piano tumbling away within my ear. I sink down into the warm water, my tense shoulders relax with the heat. I sigh at the relief and close my eyes. I hear my phone buzz on the side of the tub. I pause for a moment considering ignoring the text, but I sigh again this time from annoyance and look at my phone. But in a moment my frustrations vanish, it is Emma.
"Hey, are you awake?"
"Yes" I reply, "Why are you?"
"Couldn't sleep."
"Excited or nervous?"
"Would it be cheesy to say both?"
"Maybe just a little, so why both?"
"I am excited because I can feel my life beginning. It is just it hasn't happen quite yet. So I am counting the moments till it does."
"And why are you nervous?"
"All my life whenever I offered myself to another, opening myself emotionally and they usually reject me. I really don't want this to turn into that. I don't want it to fail."
"Nor do I."
"So what are you doing right now?"
"Having a soak in the tub."
"Luxurious. I can imagine you strategically covered in bubbles with strawberries and champagne."
Sorry to disappoint, just some vanilla scented bath salts."
"Carrying stress in your shoulders too?"
"Well in the past 24 hours I have had my son attacked was nearly strangled, found out a woman who spends a great deal of time with my son, is not only a powerful witch but from the future, and soon my son and his other mother will be living under my roof within another 24 hours. You can say I have had quite a day."
"How can I help?"
"Tell me it will be okay, that we will make it, and that our happy ending will soon be here. And I can stop searching." My phone was silent, I thought I said something wrong. However 5 mins later my phone starts ringing and Emma's face pops up on my phone. "Hello?" my voice is Horace from the mist in my eyes.
"You sound scared." Emma breathes.
"No, just a little hormonal. I was concerned that I upset you with my last text."
"Well it did evoke an emotional response, in fact I am standing on your doorstep. May I come in?" She sounded hopeful.
"Okay, come up." I get out of the tub and magically open my front door. I hear Emma's light footsteps on the carpeted stair, and I take my grey plush robe and wrap it around my body. I hear the light tap on my bedroom door. "Come in." I call. Emma walks in and stands just inside my room, and suddenly I feel very vulnerable, "Yes?"
"I was thinking on what I wanted to say to you. I wanted to tell you that I wasn't here to seduce you, but that isn't entirely true."
"So how do you wish to seduce me?" I step closer, taking in her jogging shorts, white wife beater, black sports bra and tennis shoes. "Take me for a run? I guess that is one way to leave me breathless." I smirk at the blush rising on her cheek.
She smiles and shakes her head, "No this is my cover, and my parents just think I am out running." She takes both of my hands pulling me closer.
"Are you ashamed of me?" I frown.
She looks at me confused and then tucks my hair behind my ear, "Never, I just don't want my meddlesome mother in the middle of this when I am just trying to get it started. I just want to keep you to myself for a little while longer. Soon, when you let me, I will shout it from Granny's rooftop." We share a laugh, neither doubting the sincerity of her claim. "Besides I am not a huge fan of texting, it doesn't relay the emotion I want to convey in my response. So I am here to ensure you know my intentions, what I desire for you. I want to give you comfort, in any way I can provide it to you."
I stiffen, and the soft caress of her hands tell me she senses this, "What do you purpose?"
"Well, I know as a woman that a good bath is a great way to relax, however I also know that there is nothing better than a good massage."
"I am not sure that would be a prudent course of action." I look away nervous that she was asking more than I can give.
"I meant what I said before, the first move is yours." She pulls my chin to face her once more, "Now my intent for this is to bring you comfort, but I will not do anything you don't want me too. So let me suggest a compromise. How about I just give you a foot rub?"
I look at her, unsure. "That's it?"
"On my honor. I will move no higher than your ankle, and we can talk about Henry."
"Yes. Henry is a safe topic I think, and I would like to discuss Miss Black as well."
Emma walks over to the bed and fluffs up the pillows against the head board. "Come." She holds out a hand to me, "let me take care of you."
I feel my fear melting away, that somehow by proxy Emma makes me feel pure and good. I take her hand and my breathing quickens, "I know you are waiting for me to make the first move. However I hope you can understand how unsure I am of me. I lose everyone who gets close to me. Pieces of myself are chipped away, I am unsure if I could survive another."
As I set down upon the bed she faces me, pulling both of my feet into her lap, "That's not true, Henry is still here. And even when he has pulled back he never stopped loving you."
"That's not what it felt like."
"Our son, loves you. He believes in you. And as you and I both know he has the heart of the truest believer. So I say that is the best sign that you could ever have of being worthy of love. That others find you to be of great worth."
"What about you? What do you think? If I could do it over, give you the life of the Princess you were born to have, would that change how you think of me? Would you think better of me then?"
"My life wasn't great, but if I could do it otherwise, I wouldn't. I have Henry and you. And that was worth everything."
I lay my head back and moan as Emma pushes her thumbs into my arch, I can feel the confident smirk grow across her face, but I can't bring myself to care, "You are really good at this."
"There was in one of my foster homes an old woman and I rubbed her feet. Became rather a pro at rubbing her feet, don't you think?"
"Are you calling me an old woman?"
"You can't tell with a body like yours. But what are you? 70?" I raise an eyebrow, "Oh to look as magnificent when I am your age."
"That is assuming you live that long."
"How do you do it my Queen?"
I wiggle my fingers, "Magic my dear." I smile back at Emma and sigh.
"So what are we going to do about Belladonna?"
"Watch her closely until we can be sure of her intent. I am rather anxious to know what she has to say Monday evening."
"As am I. She was fierce and unnerving when she lost it. I was so stunned I couldn't move, I wanted to, but it was as if I was looking at another person."
"You were. I can but wonder who she truly is. She seems so at peace and gentle even thoughtful."
"Then she turned, like nothing, one moment a normal controlled combatant into a ragging monster."
"Her acts might have been monstrous, but she herself I would not call a monster."
"Tragic soul?"
"Perhaps, we will have to wait and see."
As Emma had finished her work she patted the tops of my feet. "Feel better?"
"Much." I sigh contentedly.
"So do I, well it is almost time for me to go back."
"How did you get here?"
She smiled and wiggles her fingers, "Magic!"
"Well I should get ready, see you in a couple of hours?"
"I'll be in the red jacket."
I pull my robe closer to me to hide the blush covering my chest, secretly I like that old leather jacket. It had become synonymous with her presence. My symbol to herald a true hero. "I can't wait. What would you like for breakfast?" I scoot forward a little closer to her on the bed and tuck an errant strand of hair behind her ear.
She leans forward and inhales, rubbing her nose against the nape of my neck, "Oh why would I want food when I could feast my eyes on you?"
We begin to giggle, "You are forfeiting food? My dear are you ill?"
"Love sick."
"So cheesy." I pushed her away.
"Within your embrace is my only hope for a cure."
"You MISS SWAN," I emphasize with another shove, "are incorrigible!" I move to stand only to have arms wrapped around my waist throwing me back upon the bed she leans over me.
"Emma."
"Emma." I whisper.
"Sounds like a prayer coming from you." We lock eyes and my heart leapt up into my mouth then dropped right back into my stomach. I want to, I want to kiss her and just before I decide to do just that I feel her phone buzz, startling both of us. Emma tries to get up as I jump thrusting my hips upward causing Emma to land on the floor.
"Are you all right?" I lean over the edge of the bed worried.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She squirms struggling to get her phone out of her pocket, "Hello? Hi mom." Once again here is Snow getting in my way. "Yeah, I'll be home soon!" Emma keeps her eyes on me as she remains kneeling on my floor. "Yeah love you too mom, hey wait, Henry and I won't be having breakfast at the apartment today. We are having breakfast with Regina. I know I did, but there something she and I need to talk about with him." She lays her head down on my bed as she is still listening to Snow's needless worrying. I go to my closet and take a pair of jeans and a white button up shirt and put them on. When I walk back into the room she sits up and says into the phone, "No mom nothing is wrong." Then as she locks eyes once more with me, "Everything is perfect. See you soon." She hangs up and walks over to me and takes a hold of my waist pulling me in to her embrace. "Well it looks as if I have to run. Literally but I wills see you in about an hour." She leans in and kisses my cheek. Emma then takes off in a jog toward the stairs.
"Emma?" I call after her.
She turns on the top stair and looks at me, "Regina?"
"You never told me what you want for breakfast."
She smiles, "Pancakes, I love pancakes."
"We shall see what we can do." I nod in her direction as she jogs down the stair and out the door. I sigh and head down the stairs toward the kitchen and start to pull out the ingredients to start making our breakfast.
Belladonna POV
A heavy weight of silence hangs in the air as Bell sits with her back against my footboard with Red stretched across her lap staring up at the ceiling and Mulan sits next to me staring past Bell's head at the far wall. Having told them all I could of my past their future, the remained for a time in a stunned silence.
"Fuck my life." Red breathes out, "That is all just so…"
"Fucked up." Mulan mumbled.
"I quite agree." Bell whispers through teary eyes.
"That is the future that I know of, but I am here to help change it." I try to pull them from their depression.
"So many deaths, how can we stop them?" Mulan looks at me, despair etched into her face, a look I recognized all too well from my youth. Because soon, I know not when, Aurora and her baby little Phillip are going to be killed. After that fighting and killing was Mulan's only solace. She would blaze into battle cutting anyone in her path down. Ma called her fearless because she had already survived her worst nightmare. I watched her sometimes, it was as if she was trying to get killed, but no one ever could.
"I am here to try and keep that from happening. Perhaps we can keep them safe, keeping our numbers strong, and that will make all the difference."
"You hope." Red scoffs.
"It is all I have." I start picking at my coverlet.
"That is sometimes all you need." Bell breathes.
"Okay." Red sits up, "I think I need a drink. What do ya got?" I lean over and hand Red the bottle of rum next to my bed. She takes a swig and offers it to both Bell and Mulan. Mulan declines but Bell up ends the bottle and swallows an impressive amount of liquor. As she finishes she lets out a long deep belch. Which pushes the group of us into a fit of giggles and peals of laughter. "Impressive reach there Bell!" Red laughed.
"Thank you. It's a natural talent." She giggled.
"I bet you could drink Red under the table." Mulan smirked.
"Been there done that, own the table." Red saluted.
"Oh you got nothing on mom," I laughed, "One night she does shots of whiskey with Bell and Snow. After Snow and then Bell couldn't take three steps she downs one more and exits the room in heels. She didn't get much further than the door as Ma followed her out and carried her back to their chamber. Heather and I got caught by granny shortly following. We were cheering for mom after she won the game. She took us by the scruff of our necks scolding us for being out of bed."
"Sounds like my childhood." Smirked Red.
"Oh you were our partner in crime. Saved our backsides once or twice!"
I reached for the rum bottle taking a swig. "You sounded like a handful." Mulan took the bottle from me for a drink of her own.
"Oh don't worry, you whipped our butts into shape in the training yard."
"Oh did I?" A happy grin came across her face reaching her eyes.
"Oh yes! Between you and Red we perfected our skills with all manner of weaponry. My favorite was twin short swords, when I finished my formal training Mom presented me with two black short swords, Ma with black armor and I embraced my role as a military leader."
"What was your final test?" Mulan asked.
"Disarm both you and Red."
"Impressive!" Red nodded.
"How about your sister?" Bell asks.
"Heather was just as good as I, but she was like Snow, she preferred the bow."
"Did she wear black like you?" Bell ever the scholar and historian asked.
"No she wore gold, we were twins but were like night and day. The men use to call us the Black Gold. We were raised to be these larger than life legend. It is funny now to think about it. It feels so strange and distant as if that wasn't even us, some other set of twin sisters." I became quiet, lost in thought of times long past, an age ago.
"What I am having an issue with," Bell breaks my ponderings, "is how and when Regina and Emma get together?"
"Oh that is happening as we speak." I smirk.
"Yeah, you can smell it on them." Red mused.
"Are you sure?" Bell sits a little straighter.
"Do they know?" Mulan asks.
"Well from what I recall of yesterday morning if they haven't crossed that bridge, they are about to!" I laugh.
"I had a feeling I was interrupting something yesterday when I arrived at the stables. Regina looked flushed and Emma was forcing a relaxed stance." Mulan added.
"So who seduces who?" Red leers wagging her eyebrows.
"You would be surprised." I sip further on the rum.
"No! Emma?" Red sits up on her knees.
"Not how I would imagined that." Mulan chuckles.
"Well mom requires a little push towards faith, in ma, in love and in herself."
"So what does push her over that edge?" Bell takes the rum bottle from me.
"Henry's birthday celebration, ma make this great romantic gesture that mom can't refuse."
"Henry's birthday is in a month isn't it?" Bell looks thoughtfully.
"Well that doesn't leave us much time." Red gets up from the bed in search of her shoes.
"What kind of celebration will it be?" Mulan starts to follow Red's suite.
"Leave that to me, Henry has yet to decide, it is supposed to be a big coming of age and crowning of our Prince in true Enchanted Forest fashion." I stretch slowly rising off the bed and grabbing clean clothes to change into.
Bell gasps and claps her hands, "Oh a ball! It has been far too long since we had a ball!"
"Any excuse to dress up right Bell?" Red laughs.
"The gowns and smartly dressed men, shining gems and waltzing across the floor. Oh a waltz!"
Mulan rolls her eyes, "At least there is good food."
"What are you three doing?" Bell inquires as we start to gather our belongings.
"Tell me, has your stomach spoken to you yet?" Red grinned wolfishly.
"Not yet." Bell pouts.
"Well soon it will, and as we are on guard duty we need to feed the prisoner." Red smirked over at me.
"Come on Bell, breakfast at Granny's my treat." I offer at the door and Red hauls Bell up on her feet and places her sandals in her hands. As Bell pulls her shoes on we make our way out the door and pile into Red's car and the four of us head into town.
Emma POV
Here we go, standing at Regina's door. Soon it will be our door, waiting for the soft click of heels across the tile. Yet they never come, instead as the door opens there stands Regina dressed just as I left her. Barefoot and cooking in the kitchen, I suck in a breath trying to control my heated thoughts. She is a vision of relaxation and control, the opposite of what I am feeling. I am sure the grin spread across my face looks dopey, only made better by my so ineloquent, "Hey Regina." Yet she smiles affectionately at Henry, opening the door wide to both of us and giving Henry a warm hug. Henry enthusiastically hugs her back and we move inside, "Hey kid why don't you take your bag upstairs and we can work on your project after breakfast." He runs upstairs and it is then just Regina and I left alone in the hall. "So what's for breakfast?" I rock back and forth on my heels nervously.
"Can I take your jacket?" Regina moves behind me and runs her hands over my shoulder blades up over my shoulders taking the lapels of my jacket and peeling it off my body. Stars appear behind my eyes as the piece of clothing leaves my body. God this woman is going to be the death of me. There can be no mistake of the desire that is between us, a desire I want to further pursue. Regina hangs my jacket up in the hall closet, "We are having pancakes with blueberries. I figured a compromise could be made on tastes this morning."
I follow her into the kitchen full of the mouthwatering smell of our breakfast, "Trying to butter up the kid, make him more agreeable to the new arrangement? I support this!"
"An added bonus, the first intent was to thank you for this morning." She smiles as she takes two of the warmed plates of food into the dining room already set for us three. I follow with the third plate.
"I promise you the pleasure was mine, no thanks needed." We share a quiet moment, tender and fragile before Henry bursts in grinning at the spread. Quickly he sits down at the right of Regina's chair at the head of the table.
"Wow mom! Pancakes!" He then pauses and looks critically at both of us, "Wait, what did I do?"
"What do you mean kid?" I look to Regina who sits composed as the queen she has always been.
"Well, mom only makes pancakes when she wants to talk." Henry holds to his suspicion.
"We have several things to discuss that Emma and I need your input on. I thought this breakfast would be a nice change to help us relax and let us enjoy ourselves. Besides I know you two, if your stomach is happy then you are in a better mood to discuss heavy subjects." Regina speaks matter-of-factly placing a napkin across her lap and begins on her plate of pancakes.
"So I am not in trouble?" Henry asks.
"Why? Should you be?" Regina raises a regal and motherly eyebrow.
"Nope!" Henry looks down and starts on his food.
I smirk as I have already begun on my heavenly plate of goodness. "That's right kid, if we don't know, don't tell." I wink at him across the table.
"Don't encourage him Emma." Regina looks at me.
"Come on mom, with you as the mayor and Emma as the sheriff how can I get away with anything?" Henry looks at her innocently.
"As cleverly as possible." I add enjoying the look of embarrassment coming across his face. I change tactic, becoming unperturbed, "But with a mother like Regina, how could we expect you to be anything but brilliant?"
"You just saved yourself Miss Swan." Regina gives me a mock glare.
"And with my charm, you will get out of anything else." I wink at Henry bringing all to a relaxed laughter.
"Well," Regina starts, "Your birthday is in a month, have you given any thought to your party? What would you like?"
"Yeah, 16 is a big one, it deserves a big party." I say before taking a drink of my coffee.
"I was wanting something we could invite everyone to." Henry looks at us hopefully.
Regina and I look at each other in silent pondering and nod as Regina speaks, "That sounds like a good idea. Any thoughts on to the theme?"
"Pirates!" I interject.
"Or ninjas!" Henry and I giggle.
"You two are incorrigible, any other ideas?" Regina shakes her head at both of us.
"Hey kid you know that book you have been reading for your English class?" I point at Henry with my fork.
"Three Musketeers?" He cocks his head.
"Yeah, they could throw a pretty cool party. What do you think about that idea?" I ask and he thinks about it for a moment.
"I like it," He nods, "Can I wear a sword?"
"I don't see why not." I shrug. "We can have a mock battle with the Cardinal's guards!"
"You two know you're talking about a ball, dresses and waltzing right?" Regina looks at both of us measuring our expressions.
"As long as I don't have to wear one I am good!" I hold up both of my hands.
"Me neither!" Henry holds up his hands, "Could we wear black tunics?"
"Much classier!" I nod, "Heroically themed, I think I like this idea, what about you Regina? What do you think?"
"We should have plenty of time to plan something like this. We can send out invitations this week. I am sure I can come up with an appropriate venue." Regina finishes up her breakfast wiping her mouth with her napkin, then she picks up her coffee and she settles a concentrated look on Henry. Here we go, "Henry dear, Emma and I want to talk to you about something."
She looks at me and I guess I am dropping the question, "Hey kid, your mom and I are talking and we were thinking if for now you would be okay with all of us: your mom, me and you, living together here?" I hold my breath as Henry takes time to register my words.
"You mean here?" He looks at both of us wide eyed.
"Yes dear, Snow and Charming's apartment is getting small," Regina begins, "And I have so much unused space here it seemed logical that for now, the two of you live here, with me. But only if you're okay with that."
"I can stay in my room? With all my stuff?" He starts to grin and I start to breathe again.
"Sure thing kid!" I grin at him.
"Cool! When do we move in?" He looks at Regina.
"Well tonight you can stay here and Emma will go back to the apartment, and break the news to your grandparents and you can start transferring everything Monday evening after school." I reach for my water wanting it to be Regina's hand, needing something to ground me and my wild beating heart. "So why don't you go and get started on that project and this evening we can go out together and eat." Henry jumps up from the table and kisses Regina and takes his dishes to the sink before running up stairs.
I look at Regina and smile with her, expressing our joined relief that we had a son so wonderful and that the sun was dawning upon our lives finally, the darkness was irrevocably gone.