Always: a Regal Believer one-shot
Regal Believer one-shot: Regina comforts Henry after they receive the news of his childhood hero dying.
May you rest in peace, mister Alan Rickman.
(No OQ this time, but oh well)
Henry hasn't been downstairs for three hours. Unusual, Regina thinks, he should have come down an hour ago for a snack. After they returned from the Underworld, things had gotten back to normal. Not normal as in: another villain to defeat. No, normal as in: everything was peaceful, people were kind and weirdly, everyone got accepted. Regina had suspected it to be another curse, a peculiar one at that, but it had stayed like this for a while now, and she was starting to actually believe that the inhabitants of Storybrooke were genuinely friendly. That meant school going on again as usual. Henry has tests to study for, so he spends most of his afternoons after school studying in his room. He will always come by around 5 to fetch a piece of fruit or a cookie. But no Henry yet, and it's already 6. Regina will start dinner soon. So she decides to go and take a look in her son's room.
She walks up the stairs, treading lightly along the steps with her fluffy socks. Knocking on his door and opening it, she whispers, "Henry? Everything okay in here?" That's when she sees him laying on his bed, arms around his pulled-up knees. She speeds towards him and sits next to him on the bed, "Henry, sweetheart, what happened? Are you okay?" she says while wiping his hair out his reddened face. "Darling, have you been crying? Wha- what's going on?" Henry turns around, teary eyes staring up at her. Sobbing, he says - or tries to at least - "Snape died, Mom." Regina frowns, "But honey, you've finished those books and movies years ago. Where is this coming from now?" He huffs and turns around again. "Snape died, for real now," he mumbles. "Look at my computer screen." Regina rises and walks over to his desk, and she moves the mouse lightly, making the screen light up.
"Actor Alan Rickman (Severus Snape) dies of cancer at 69."
Henry loved Snape, loves Snape. He had always seen the good in him, even during the time where he was just a Dumbledore murderer to others. He had known this wasn't true, didn't believe that this misunderstood man was nothing more than a liar and a murderer. And he had been right.
Regina walks back over to him, rubbing his arm, "Oh sweetheart. I know you've always loved him." He sits up and jumps into her arms, whispering into her ear: "You know why I love him so much?" She shakes her head slowly. "Because he reminds me of you." She pulls back and looks into his eyes with a confused expression. "What? Why?" Henry swallows, "Because he was misunderstood, like you. He was… mean, but not without reason. Like you, you both just wanted to be happy." Regina's eyes started filling with tears. "Henry, I-"
He immediately envelops her in a tight hug, "I love you so much, Mom." She pulls back and says the only thing she's able to say:
"After all this time?"
Henry smiles.
"Always."
