I don't own OUAT. To the guest reviewer who was so kind to tell me about the latin term 'Imperatrix' , thank you! I will use the 'Imperatrix' from now on and also correct it in the other chapter ( probably only in about two years because I am kind of shit at editing already written chapter but I will do it. One Day)
Emma is very special, too. For some reason, Henry keeps thinking about that. Perhaps it was the way his mom had said it- with not just the slightly exesperated fondness she often had in her voice around Emma, but something more. Something heavy. Something he feels like he should know about, but it is probably a secret.
He tosses and turns, straining to make out his mother's face in dark. The curtains are closed, so he can't see much but a dark shape that makes a gesture he cannot decipher. What does Emma want? Is she asking me to go back to sleep, or is she just saying it's okay. He can't see any expressions in the dark, but he just knows she is slightly rolling her eyes because- well she does that a lot. She does that a lot around mom.
" Hi" he mumbles sleepily when she squats down next to his bed.
" What are you doing, kid? " .
" Thinking about stuff" he smiles at her. "Thank you for staying to guard mom".
" Eh- it's my job".
His heart gets all weird when he thinks about it- like that time a really large dog wanted to bite him and his mom totally freaked out. " Your job is to hurt mom, isn't it?".
" wooh, kid no way. It is never a hero's job to hurt a - well to hurt anyone".
" But it is like your duty to stop the bad guys. And m-mom" he swallows and pushes on. " Mom is- mom did bad things. Really bad ones. And she will always fight, because that is what a Mills does. We are not really quitters- unless it makes us extremely unhappy. It is okay to quit when you're unhappy- but not otherwise'.
"Maybe your mom was unhappy".
He hates her supersight- that is why she starts to reach for him and probably has that expression adults have when they offer platitudes ( mom never does that. Mom may lie and deceive, but she says he is too smart for platitudes. That's how he learned the word in the first place)
"You think I made my mom unhappy" he hopes she thinks it is puberty that makes his voice like that.
" I think you are the only thing that gave you mom a little happines. She doesn't - I don't think she wanted to be on the other side".
" On the other side? Oh - you mean a villain".
" Yes. You know, I didn't really chose to be a hero".
" But-".
" For a while, I didn't want to " he even forgets to glance at his mom every ten seconds. But Emma is good. That doesn't make sense!
" You have no idea what it is like kid. You have these talents, and you kind of love them you know? But they come with a whole lot of baggage. I didn't matter before that- no one looked at me twice. And then- I exploded and it was discovered I had powers".
Now he is the one reaching for her. He grabs her hand, squeezes the fist. Don't be sad, or angry like that. He doesn't really know what to say, so he just listens.
" People suddenly cared about me. And there were people telling me how to be- they sometimes take you away even if you want to stay with your parents, did you know that?".
" Is it like camp? " he hasn't been to any, but he has heard about them. He used to be mad he couldn't go to them, felt like it was mom not allowing him to find friends.
Emma hufs. " No. It is forever".
"F-forever?" he stammers. He imagines someone in a suit trying to take him. He bites his lip and scolds himself at the immediate thought- mom would stop them. She would hurt them before they could even touch me- , at how it is more comforting than sad.
" Yeah. I knew this one girl called Lily. Her specialty was shapeshifting. One day, you hear all this rubling and screaming- like there is an earthquake and a freaking bomb at the same time. And there was this thing, like a dinosaur or probably a dragon , I don't even know . It is Lily. She tried to get away from the pri- the place so she can see her mom again, you know".
He tugs his blanket. He keeps shivering regardless. " Did she?" They let her go, they must have. Heroes don't-
" No. They caught her again" her doesn't think Emma's laugh sounds very happy. It is definitely not her usual laugh. " She swore at them, and she kept breaking the rules. She swore they would have to let her go if she misbehaved enough".
" Oh. Why wouldn't let her go to her mom? ".
He is about to repeat his question when Emma replies again. " Her mom had made some wrong choices".
" So they were protecting her".
" They were keeping a girl from a loving mother, that's what they were doing". Why does she sound so angry? They were protecting her friend.
" But if her mother was bad , then she could have hurt her. Or she could've turned Lily bad".
" Well, they weren't good for her either. Most of the people there were just always talking about our talents and how we were going to be heroes. That's all you heard each day. And every day, you had this strict stupid schedule thing. Like - " she twists her voice, so it sounds like slighly higher. " it is 7.15 girls, time to rise and eat your perfectly made food that should turn you into our little perfect superheroes"
" But- you guys needed to be taught how to save civilians and everything right? It is elite teaching- for the most fortunate".
" Fortuna- I was in the freaking system, seperated from my parents, raised by shitty families and then I was in a shitty boarding school-like place where you could joke about at least of the teachers being cyborgs but some probably were and others were just emotionless creeps".
" I - but you were a hero, surely you had all these friends and the teachers must have been heroes- " he interupts himself, frowns. " And you cannot claim cyborgs are evil, that is not accurate and it also kind of bad and mean".
He hears her sigh. " I am not saying they are. And my point is just that - it is not all it is cracked up to be. And sometimes- too often, actually- you feel like you don't have a choice. I didn't ask to be a hero, and from what I know about your mom, she definitely didn't ask to be a villain".
He slowly sits up, and stares at his mom. It is too dark to see anything more than the general outline of her laying in bed but he has known her his entire life. He knows what she looks like, knows what look is reserved for 'incompetent' councilmembers, which smile is genuine and which one is politician, and how her glares don't always means she is angry. She just glares a lot.
But he doesn't know why she is a supervillain.
Worse, he never thought to ask.
And suddenly, it is all he can think about. Because there had been a small bit of doubt, a large bit of confusion because how could the mother that would sing Spanish lullabye's whenever the storms frightened him, or that would allow him to watch her cook and rub flour over his cheeks to make his laugh- how could the woman that would do all those things, how could she also be the terrifying villain he has been taught to hate? He had eventually decided it was all a lie- every single time his mom would call him 'mijo' or beam at a drawing he handed her, or create stories with him- it was all a lie. A deception. Because villains can't also be loving moms, that is not how it works
And he had been angry at her, and this stupid world that told him his mom was a villain and villains don't love their sons, and he had been angry at himself. Because he hadn't wanted his mom to go to jail, or into any of the reform programs the classes and journals talk about (which had given him such horrific nightmares that his mom had made one of his teachers cry ) - he had just wanted her home. And actually loving him. Not fake-loving him. Like a villain.
But amidst all that, he had never written in his notebook something like 'Mom- villain. Why? '. What if she didn't choose to- if she was forced? Then she could- then - " Do you think my mom has always been a villain- that she is meant to be one?" he whispers.
" No. No, I don't think that at all".
And Henry looks at his mom, imagines the injuries he can't see right now but are burned into his mind forever, and she saved Emma and thinks about the massacre of the Dark and he decides-
I am gonna find out why she became a villain. I am gonna find out , and make sure she doesn't have to anymore. And then I am gonna make Emma less sad, and we are going to be a family.
He starts by interrogating auntie Kathryn ( except he is totally subtle and sneaky, so she doesn't know it is an interrogation)
" So you have to interview redeemed villains for this project?" she asks. She is shaking the coffee machine, possibly thinking about turning it into rust with one small touch, and sounds distracted. Distracted is good- that means his plot is working. Heroes plot too. Probably. Maybe I should ask that, too.
" Yup. The teacher thought it would be good- because of the protests against the redemption projects, you know".
" I am not really a fan of the projects, Henry" he can swear that a small piece of the coffee machine just turned rusty. And her voice makes him take a small step back, even though he knows she would never even think about hurting him.
" Yeah, but you actually know anything about it" she jams the buttons on the coffee machine again, the material beneath her fingers slowly turning into something different. " And uh- I was thinking about giving it a twist. Like- I would speak about the advantages, like how it is giving villains a chance, but I would also be critical where needed and offer solutions to the things that need a lot of improvement".
Does auntie also have superstrength? She definitely is wickedly fast, because she is suddenly pulling him into her arms and hugging him. He immediately places his arms around her, hoping to soothe her ( that was a sob, he knows it was ). She pulls back several seconds after that, with a look that makes him feel more nauseous about the redemption iniative than ever.
" You're such a good child, honestly".
He grins a little. " So I have heard before".
He lets her smile at him until he starts to squirm. " So interview?"
" Yes. I will answer your questions- if you promise to keep this our little secret. Your mother would disembowel me if she discovered I had been speaking about this particular subject".
" She is your friend".
"True. She is also terrifying however. And she loves you enough to slowly and utterly destroy me if I ever even upset you".
He wonders whether mom would really hurt auntie Kathryn. When he had just found out, he used to think she would. He thought villains didn't even really have friends anyway- or if they had, that they wouldn't mind hurting them. Now, he isn't so sure. " You think she would hurt you? ".
" She would be furious, that is for sure" she hesitates for a moment, then smiles almost mischievously and adds " although she is has been more.. mellow lately. Ever since a certain blonde woman entered her life, in fact".
He snorts a little. " I don't think mom could ever be mellow" he says, then adds " But she is definitely better, isn't she?".
" I think so".
He deflates. Don't be stupid, this is what you wanted for mom. And it was and it is - he just can't help but feeling all sort of things at the thought that he didn't make mom happy as well. "She never was like that for me, wasn't she?" . She only stopped doing bad stuff when Emma started becoming friends with her. She was also bad when she raised me.
His auntie abandons the machine, glaring at it one last time. She uses enough force that her grip on his shoulders is nearly painful, but her eyes are really gentle. " Henry, don't ever think that you do not matter- or matter less than Emma. Regina would kill and die for you. There is nothing painful she wouldn't go through for you, and there is nothing she wants more than for you to live a happy life".
He looks down. He can't look at her directly, or he might do something like crying. Heroes are strong, and selfless. I can never be a hero if I cry about stuff like this. " But she was still doing bad stuff at first".
" Your mother is a very complicated woman, Henry. But the moment she had you - " . She smiles. "Do you know you are the reason Regina and I are friends in the first place?".
" No" he scrunches his brow. " How is that possible?".
She gently leads him towards a chair, like she can feel how he sort of feels weak right now. Maybe it is weeks - no months- off stress and anger and sleeping too little and not just this moment but he thinks he may be trembling.
" Regina had just adopted you - and she was struggling. She wanted so badly to be the right mother for you, and whenever there was even the slightest sign you were not completely happy, she was very influenced by it. It was during one of these occassions we really started to bond".
" But you were friends before that, weren't you?" he doesn't really remember his mom ever saying when exactly their friendship started. He just remembers auntie Kathryn has always been in the background.
"No, not really. Regina was friendlier with me than with most- but she is used to keeping people at a distance".
" Oh "
" Yes. But we were similar, and she sometimes allowed me to chat with her during her lunch breaks. But we only really became friends after she had adopted you".
" I don't understand. Why would my- my" he stammers and she just starts to talk again, like she knows it still feels like speaking a language that is so very different from your own. Like speaking Russian, or Greek, or Chinese, when you're used to English.
" Your adoption meant that Regina was even more exhausted- and desperate for a little help really" she winks at him. " Although she would never have admitted that".
" So you helped her and then you became friends?"
She snorts. " It is a little more complicated than that. Much like your mother, actually".
He is vaguely aware that he needs other information than this, but surely this is important too. Everything that would make things less confusing is. " Why? What happened?".
" Well, your mother was in the dinner for breakfast. And she actually didn't look impeccable, for once. Your drool was on her blazer - and the make-up could not fully hide she had bags. It was obvious she had not slept properly for a while" she shrugs " So I approached her".
She smiles again, and rolls her eyes a little. " You know your mom, so you probably know what her reaction was like". Pretending she is completely fine, and sort of stare at you with slight disdain like you are being an idiot or perhaps a little crazy for thinking otherwise.
"She kept staring at me like that and then you just started wailing. So I reacted normally- I flinched and took several steps back- but your mother immediately picked you up and cradled you. I actually remember thinking something like - is she crazy? Who would want that sound closer- but I couldn't walk away. Not when she started muttering to you and she just sounded.. well oddly young".
" What did she say?".
" Por favor Henry, mijo, please do not cry. And then she just kept asking what was wrong, and doing things like checking your diaper-
His cheeks flush slightly, and he wrinkles his nose.
" and offering you a bottle, and toys but you wouldn't calm down. So I offered to take you".
" And that worked?".
" Well no. Your mother first glared at me like she was pretending to be Medusa, but finally allowed me to take you after three more minutes of sobbing. But only because she had to go to the toilet. And when she returned- " he immediately feels a sense of foreboding at the way his auntie shudders. " it was pretty much an apocalyptic scene. You had thrown up all over my clothes, so that I reeked and my clothes would have to be burned. But not only that- you had also decided that was the exact right moment to fill your diaper and you had not stopped screaming from the moment Regina disappeared".
She playfully glares at him. "You nearly made me cry".
" But mom offered to take you home so you could borrrow a shirt or whatever, and you became friends ".
" Uh no. Your mother was already wrapped around your little finger and still very likely to blame others for what was going wrong than herself, or anyone she loved. So she more or less ripped you from my arms and beraded me for 'upsetting her son'. What followed was a rather intense argument, until your mother decided she 'had enough' of me 'upsetting her son' and stalked away".
" Wait, so she just got mad at you" he scowls. She was just being nice, why can mom not see that.
" I did comment that you were a handful. She was being civil before that" .
" Hey!".
" What, you were crying"
" I was a baby, that is what babies do! ". He is pretty sure they do. That is nearly all he ever sees babies do.
" I know, but there is no reason for all the crying" she silences him with a gesture when he tries to protest. " Besides, I apologized the next day. At which point I realized Regina must be ready to collapse, because I knew for a fact she had been working late and she did not have a babysitter so she must have been taking care at you for a while".
"I thought Ruby took care of me when mom had work and really could not take me with her".
" No, at this time in your mother's life she did not really have contacts. Of course everyone knew her, but she was sort of isolated".
" Oh" he has to swallow several times and he misses half of what auntie Kathryn says after that, because all he can think about is his mom sitting alone, and eating alone, and being alone while everyone around her is with friends. It is pretty awful.
" ... which of course led to your mother being amused forever, because she is a sadist".
" Uh what?".
" Nothing. I was just- you know what, it is not that relevant anyways. And it is one of the parts of the story Regina will really have my head for if I tell it to you".
" But- ".
" No. I should have not told you".
" But you didn't".
" Don't Regina Mills me".
" What?".
" Your expression. It is an exact copy of your mother's. Please do not use it on me ever again, I am not actually a moron".
" Okay. But you still haven't told me how you two became friends".
" It is a long story. But the gist of it is that I tricked and coarced your mother into letting me take care of you, which led to her actually getting sleep and also to me discovering your mother was the evil queen because you got abducted and- ".
" I got abducted- ? ".
His auntie hesitates, then - " Did your teacher already talk about the Annihilation?".
" Wait the one where the evil que- ".
"Yes. But what the books never mention, is that it was not just a terrible fight between two supervillains that cost civilian lives as well".
" Because of me, people d-died?" he stammers, struggling to remember what his teacher had talked about. Several hundred injured. Dozens deaths. Two cities destroyed- earthquakes, lava erupting from the ground, civilians that collapsed because of mind control. They had even been to some of the monuments , but - " they never talk about a baby".
His auntie scoffs. " They don't like to talk about anything that could humanize villains".
He stares at her. " I d-don't understand".
"The books- they probably speak off your mother attacking unprovoked, right?".
" They- " they spoke about it a while ago- before he knew who his mom was, he thinks. " They say it was a powerplay. My teacher says that meant that the two villains were just kind of challenging each other? To see who was strongest?".
" That is not what it was like at all".
" I got abducted" he whispers.
" Yes. And it was not just supervillains either".
" What?".
" I do not have all the specifics either, Henry, I believe not even your mother does. But on that day, they took you. And the trails that were left- well, it indicates a hero was involved".
" Maybe it was a Rogue".
" No. This one of the higher ups, we are certain of it".
He suddenly thinks of Emma's angry, steel voice and they were keeping a girl from a loving mother. It's forever. He almost wants to ask for a bag to help with his breathing. " They- they wanted to take me from m-mom?".
" Yes".
" Why? Did she think she would be bad to me, because she wasn't, she is mom and she is really good with voices and stuff and- " he suddenly stops. His mom is not bad to him. Sure, she is super strict sometimes and some of her rules are dumb (like not running on the stairs) but before he knew who she was, he would never have wanted to leave. And even now- the thought of someone making sure he never sees her is just wrong for some reason.
In the middle of another thing that feels like a missing puzzle piece slowly clicking into place, his auntie continues talking. He forces his attention back to her. " The motives are a little unclear. But that is not the most important thing. You were taken, Henry, and your mother lost it".
" How did they even manage to take me?".
" They attacked townhall".
" But- the books never talk about that. About any of it".
" I know. But that is what happened. You were with her in her office when they blasted the door apart. They hurt your mother pretty badly, but- ".
Henry gasps. "What, why? What did they do!".
" They tried to take you from her Henry. She was obviously not pulling her punches- even if she was being very careful, to avoid hurting you- and they fought back just as hard. She should've rested, but she tried to go after you as soon as she was conscious again".
" What happened?".
"She had been out for a while, and we had not found her immediately, so the abductors were nowhere to be found. It costs us several days to find them - and then your mother refused to wait another day. So we had to attack without information on who we were attacking, or what kind of forces they had".
She shakes her head. " All for you. That entire nightmare- ".
He stands up and kicks his chair. "I don't want her to do stuff like that for me! I want her to be good. " .
" Henry, heroes are not always rig-".
" I want her to be good because I don't want to be hurt. Because she could hurt Ruby, or anyone could hurt her back. Anything could go wrong. I don't want that! " he takes a deep, shuddering breath. " And- and - she lied to me. She told me I was her son, and that she loved me, and she did all those nice things that made me think she was good but it was all a lie ".
She takes advantage of the seconds he needs to gasp for air. " Henry, your mother's love for you was never a lie. All the things she did were never lies. And you are her son".
" But she lied about so much".
" Yes. She did lie about what she was, and what she was doing. And she did not tell you that you were adopted. But everything else was genuine".
" How can you KNOW" his voice breaks again. " How can you know, because I don't. I don't know whether she is just smiling at me, or she is actually plotting something. I don't know whether 'te quiero' actually means anything to her. I don't know and it is r-really s-shitty okay?".
"Oh honey" she says, and he kind of wants to push her away when she opens her arms and he kinds of wants to hug her back. He eventually just her hug him briefly. " Do not ever doubt your mom loves you. Even if she shows the wrong way, she does love you so much. I promise".
She quickly stops the hug, and keeps him at arm's distance with a slightly horrified expression. " Did you just wipe your nose?".
" Yeah, it was-".
" And you get away with that? I did not think Regina was a fan of germs either".
" Mom does not mind that much. Like, she cares but it is not like she throws a box of tissues at my head when I have a cold".
" What.".
" Emma did that once. Mom did not let her eat the risitto, nor the ice cream we had afterwards as punishment. Just vegetables. So many vegetables".
Auntie Kathryn chuckles. "Those two" .
" Yeah. Pretty much".
She studies him quietly for a moment. " Are you okay again?".
" Yeah. I think so. It is just- " he looks at his feet as he drags them on the floor. " It just really confusing ".
His auntie just throws her arm around him briefly, and smiles gently. " Perhaps we can do that interview another time, huh?".
He grins at her. It is not insincere , but it isn't all there either. His head is too filled with how lonely his mom must have been, and how one of the worst villain attacks in history was apparently about how his mom loves him.
" I would like that".
He watches them from the doorway
They're bickering a lot- " Gently" , " Seriously you are complaining about how I tend to you? Which is totally not what I am supposed to do, by the way" - and taunt each other a little bit and most people might even be deceived, and think they do not like each other.
But mom never smiles like that. And Emma? Emma hasn't stopped smiling. She smiles when she carefully slides her fingers over a large bruise on mom's arms ( operation save mom is too important. Don't go in and ruin this moment. Mom is fine. She is Emma. She is fine), even if she also clenches her teeth for a moment and looks willing to throw another person through a window ( she admitted this once - he thinks to make them both, and especially his mom, laugh- ; she used to do stupid things like that when she was still struggling with controlling her powers).
And mom takes full advantage from the slight blush Emma has as she tugs mom's shirt up - only a little, thank the Gods- but she is just as bad as Emma is honestly. I mean, her breath even hitches and she kind of falters in the middle of her teasing-taunting.
He grins as he watches them, Emma's fingers as gentle as mom's eyes, sharing little glances whenever they stop bickering, the way Emma looks at his mom when she whispers "thank you" and how his mom sounds so fond when she replies " You certainly are not obliged to thank me" with an implied 'moron'.
It almost makes him believe the rest of operation mom is going to be easy
Except it got so much more complicating, because I don't think your mom wanted to be a villain and I never wanted to be a hero. Why do the books never talk about that? Why do his teachers, and classmates, and Ruby never talk about that? He has never heard one story about a superhero who didn't want to spend their entire lives saving people, and he certainly has never heard about a villain that wanted something else for themselves.
That could explain it. If mom- if she didn't want to be a villain, then she could love. Right? It is almost easy to believe when his mom smiles and opens her arms wide, doesn't say anything ( even though he suspects he accidentally hurt her jumping onto the bed) but just kisses his forehead when she brushes away his hair.
" Hey mom".
" Henry. Was your afternoon with Kathryn enjoyable".
" Yeah" he smiles. " She had a fight with the coffee machine again".
His mom chuckles. " Of course she had".
" Uh coffee machine?".
" Auntie Kathryn always breaks machines" Henry explains. " I think it has got to do with her talents".
" Henry" his mother warns, glancing at Emma.
" What? She is not going to tell".
" She is a hero. She is brainwashed to tell such facts".
" You know, I have a functioning brain just like you" Emma says. His mother briefly grabs her hand, and squeezes it.
" I am aware of that. However, you are still- ".
" Is that how you think off me? As a superhero, an enemy".
" No" the answer makes both Henry and Emma stare at her. " I think off you as a woman who feels like her worthiness depends on saving people, but who also is a good enough person to actually want to help to save those who deserve it. Who actually is not obtuse enough to believe there is something like 'evil' and 'good'".
He is like 94.73 % sure that the look Emma has right now could be described as 'adoring'. He is 100% sure that if anyone - even a hero- would come in right now, Emma would punch them if they as much as insinuated they wanted to hurt his mom.
Of course, she has to break the moment by sort of squirming before asking " what uh does obtuse mean?".
" Stupid. Foolish".
He immediately knows Emma has misunderstood when she actually reers back a little, before her face flushes with anger. " Hey just because my situation didn't allow me to buy fancy dictionaries, or always go to school- " .
" That is not what I mean. The definition of obtuse is foolish".
" Oh. You think I am not stupid?"
" I think you are a great deal smarter than the average person" she says, then quickly adds " That does not mean I think you are a prodigy, just that you are smarter than the idiots I am surrounded with".
Emma laughs. " Sure, your majesty. It it too late, I know your secret now".
His mom just stares at her, unamused and unimpressed. "You think I am smart. And you think I am a good person".
" But you're a hero. Doesn't everyone think you are a good person? ".
" Y-your mother knows a little bit more about me than most " Emma hesitantly admits, glancing at Regina. She only calms down when mom places a comforting hand on her arm.
" So wait. Does this mean you have done- ".
" Henry, this is not the appropriate time and place for questions like that. If Emma ever wants to answer them, then you are free to ask. But she has to indicate she wants to discuss this with you, you are not to force her to reveal anything. Promise?".
"But mom, it is not- ".
"Henry"
"But- ".
" Kid. Your mother is right- I really don't want to talk about that".
" Why not? You're a hero! Surely you can't have done anything really bad?".
" Because they're painful memories".
" Oh. Like with Lily?".
He glances at his mom when he feels her tense next to her. That's weird. He studies her for a while- that vein is pulsing a little, and she is trying to hide how annoyed she is right now. At least he thinks it is annoyance.
" Something like that, yes".
" Lily, miss Swan? "
Apparently he is not the only one noticing how his mom is suddenly using miss Swan again; Emma throws her a look that makes mom cross her arms and scowl. " Yes. She was a friend of mine".
" A hero".
" You can keep the disgust out of your voice" Emma warns. Her voice softens five seconds later. " I think you would have liked her actually ".
" And why is that?".
" She hated the system. She didn't agree with anything. She thought they were brainwashing us- she used to skip classes to find evidence and got me into so much trouble".
" She was a Rogue?".
" No. She was- Lily was just Lily. She was just homesick, I guess. But she was right about some of the things she said".
There is something smug about his mom right now. " So you do think the heroes iniative is flawed".
" I think it is unfair" she is looking at him when she adds " you should never take kids away from parents- not when they've got loving ones".
" Even those parents are supervillains?" Regina whispers
" Especially then. I mean- if the villain is doing something good, if they are raising a kid in a loving way, why would you take that child away? It's bullshit".
Mom doesn't even comment on the cursing. She just stares at Emma with an expression he has never seen before. "I think you one of the very few - " she spits the word like it is a piece of brusselsprout " heroes who thinks like that".
" That's because I have lived through stuff like that. It's not always the villains who make the worst parents- and it is not always heroes who make the right ones".
" You did not live with parents".
" I had foster parents, sometimes".
" Yes, but only children with talents live with heroes or villains, is that not so?".
" You would be surprised. Villains aren't really allowed to have kids- or at least there are special jobs that try to keep villains away from kids - but it still happens. Lots of kids actually get offered a home by villains- there is even an underground network that makes sure the kids get good parents".
" But they're villains" Henry says. All those children are in danger!
"Yes. But they're also people. And it is not like there is a 'villain type' and a 'hero type'. The whole network is focused on making sure the kids won't go to villains that would hurt them, or just try to make them into villains or use them in other ways. It is pretty strict".
" It is also very illegal" his mom comments. He looks at her; does she disapprove? She is the mayor.. but I am pretty sure she breaks laws regularly.
" So? Are you going to turn me in?".
" Of course not. I am merely surprised you have not turned these people in. You are risking a lot, Emma".
" I know. But I believe that anyone who wants to be a parent, who can actually provide for a child and would love them unconditionally- they should get the fucking chance".
" Language".
" Right. Sorry".
" But wait, if all these kids live with villains- doesn't that mean they're in danger? ".
" No. In fact, some of the villains decide to become regular civilians so they can raise their child better".
" But they're still villains. They hurt people!".
" Sometimes, people just need to find a family- or someone who needs them, to have a better purpose in life than crime".
" Yeah, but- that's not- that's not how it is supposed to work!".
" Villains are evil. Heroes are good. You do bad stuff, you are bad. You do good stuff, you are good".
" But humanity is flawed, Henry" it is his mother's voice, but it doesn't really sound like her. Not in a villanous way, just that he has never heard his strong mom sound so.. small. " Good people can do terrible things. And people you think are monsters- " he automatically reaches for her when her voice trembles " t-they can do good things".
" Your mom is right" .
When he still just stares at Emma, only breaking the gaze to glance at where his hand is hurting a little because mom is squeezing it, Emma sighs and asks " Do you think it was a bad thing your mom raised you? ".
The reply is instanteous. " What, no!".
" Because- " his mom nods when Emma glances at her. " she wasn't actually allowed to".
" W-what?".
" Villains- they are rules in place that keep them from certain things. They're not allowed to be a bartender, or to even be out at certain times. They should be registered - and if they don't want to go to jail, enter the redemption projects. And they are never allowed to adopt".
" W-why?".
" It is to protect civilians" his mom says, in this really monotone voice that tells him something is wrong. Her voice gets less terrifying when he scoots a little closer. " The theory is that villains would poison them. That they would attack if they were allowed to be on the streets when civilians are too. And they think that villains will automatically hurt children".
" But they're villains" he said softly.
" Yes. But you can't just put them all in one group. There are villains who are terrible, who are empty and wouldn't mind watching toddlers burn. But there are also villains who actually do have a gentle side, and who could even become civilians if you just gave them a chance. There are a lot of different people who are all called 'villains' - and often it is not a monniker they chose. But the system doesn't find these people, it just focuses on the bad and doesn't recognize the good".
His mom is oddly quiet. So quiet, he is almost afraid to look at her. But heroe- we are brave. Emma, and mom, and I. We're brave. He looks at her. She looks- " M-mom? Are your injuries reopening or something?".
" No- it is - " her voice cracks and he pushes. " Mama? ¿Qué pasa".
"Nada".
"You're lying! " .
He is about to say more, but then she opens her eyes and he realizes she is crying and- "Perdón" he whispers.
She manages a tiny smile. " It's okay".
" Does talking about these things make you said?" he kind of wants to facepalm because duh. She is crying, so it must make her said.
" It makes me very frustrated. And sad, yes".
" Why?"
She gently touches his chin, kisses his forehead. " Because you are very dear to me. And these people would take you away" she says when she pulls back and-
Take me? " W-where? And why would they, everything is getting better now!".
He doesn't know why she flinches. " Was it so terrible before?".
" Well- not when I didn't know. But then I - " he hesitates, then presses on. " then I discovered you were hurting people".
" You know, villains aren't the only ones who hurt people. We are called villains, and we seem so terrible but the world cannot be divided like that. It is not that simple. Some of the things the heroes do- " there is enough loathing in her voice for a moment that he wants to pull away. He stays, because his mom is sad. And there is still that nagging - I do not believe your mother ever wanted to be a villain.
" it is evil. But they never get called that".
" But you have to do bad stuff to be called a villain".
His mom's laugh makes him flinch. " Not always. Sometimes having certain talents, or a certain last name is enough".
"And sometimes, there are people who attempt to shape you. Who won't let you go" it is like his mom is in a trance, using her powers to project something really awful on the wall. He can't see anything, but he thinks she does.
" Did that happen? Did someone- " Did someone make you this way? He swallows. Am I bad for wishing that that is what happened, that someone forced you to be a villain?
"Henry- ".
" Because if it did- then surely they can't take me from you. They can't!".
"Oh Henry, they have been trying for a long time to steal you from me" she hugs him closer.
He doesn't know whether it is comforting or not. What is she going to do to anyone who tries? " I will never let anyone take you from me".
I don't want to lose my mom- but I don't want anyone getting hurt either.
I really don't know whether I am satisfied about the last part. The laws & how people decide you're a villain and everything - I feel like I should develop that better hm.. So this might change - or I might decide I will use the next chapter to kind of improve it. I don't know yet.