Hey guys sorry about the wait! I would've posted this last night but I was too caught up in last nights episode! That was way too sad, nearly made me cry! This however should make you smile :) enjoy!
Henry woke up to find he hadn't moved an inch during the night and neither did Regina. Her arm was still wrapped around his body as he took a deep breath in through his nose to wake himself up, the scent of his mother was a welcome addition. As he exhaled he gently rubbed his face into Regina and closed his eyes to shut out the world and focus solely on the slow and steady rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. Slowly he pulled himself up higher so that he could lay his head on the pillow with his mother and he could watch her. Her arm tightened around him slightly as he moved but not enough to mean she was awake.
Resting his head on the pillow a soft smile came over his mouth when he laid his eyes on her sleeping face. It was soft and gentle, even more so than when he had caught her and James on the couch. She had less to worry about now and less to keep hidden from everyone was the conclusion he came to. Maybe she could change. She was definitely trying and she hadn't killed anyone yet. The whole storming in to the town hall to take him was the only thing she had tried since the curse had been broken.
He focused his gaze onto his mothers face again, this time with a bit of admiration. He had always thought of his mother as pretty but now he saw her as beautiful as the evil slowly faded away and her true self began to shine through.
Feeling someone watching her, Regina slowly began to stir. Opening her eyes slowly and adjusting to the sunlight she made out Henry's face. "Hello," her voice was quiet and a little rough from not being used yet. She smiled at him and gently kissed his forehead.
"Hello," he let her kiss him, he missed her and he wanted her to take care of him like she'd always done even when he pushed her away.
"How long have you been awake?" Her throat was beginning to warm up and her voice was returning.
"I don't know. A while I guess," he shrugged.
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
"You were sleeping, so I started thinking."
"Oh yeah?" she smiled at her son and raised her eyebrows in curiosity, "what about?"
Henry paused, he didn't really want to tell her so he skipped to what he wanted to say, "I'm sorry."
Regina shook her head, "for what?" Henry looked down away from his mothers dark eyes, "for pushing you away. You were always so good to me and I just kept pushing you away. I'm sorry."
Regina smiled gently and placed a hand on the side of his face, "thank you, Henry," she caressed his cheek with the side of her thumb, "it wasn't all your fault though. Like I said, I don't know how to love very well." She gave him a sad smile, "I may have smothered you a little."
It made Henry laugh softly, "yeah you kind of did," he looked back up to his mother who was laughing with him. "You're doing better though," he nodded in encouragement.
Regina laughed a little louder, "I'm glad to hear it! Come here," and she pulled him in to a hug while they both laughed.
"Mom?" She still savored that word coming from his mouth, "yes?" She spoke into his dark hair.
"I'm hungry," he smiled as his mother's body shook against his from her laughter. She squeezed him once more before she let him go, "come on then, lets go eat," she laughed as she sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed to stand. Walking to the door she heard Henry run up behind her and follow her down to the kitchen right on her heels. It shot warmth through her knowing her son was back on his own accord, "what do you want for breakfast?"
"I want...pancakes! And I want to help you make them," he ran past her down the stairs and swung into the kitchen with Regina laughing behind him. Padding quietly in to the kitchen in her bare feet she started helping Henry gather the ingredients and dishes for their breakfast and aligning them along the counter top. "Alright this is how it's gonna go, I will put in the ingredients and you will mix them together," she held out a large wooden spoon in front of her, "deal?"
Henry smiled and took the spoon, "deal," and he jumped up on to the counter beside the big mixing bowl. As she added more to the bowl he mixed and the batter became thicker and thicker and his arm grew tired, "my arm feels like jello," he slumped his arm over the side of the bowl as Regina added the flour.
"How are you supposed to ride horses and sword fight if you can't mix with a spoon," she dipped her finger in the batter and playfully dabbed it on his nose with a laugh, "here let me give you something else," she took the spoon and turned to the cupboards.
Wiping the batter off his nose with the back of his hand he laughed back, "I'm going to have to practice, that's how," and he waited for Regina to plug in the beater before he took it.
"Now this," she pointed to the switch that controlled the speeds, "is how you control it. Do not put it at full speed or we will have quite the mess to clean up," she bent over the counter resting her forearms on the cold surface and watched Henry.
Nodding at the instructions he put the metal beaters deep into the bowl and looked at Regina in case he was doing it wrong but she didn't say anything, only smiled and waited. He smiled back and pushed the switch forward thinking it would need more of a push than it actually did.
The beater spun on high exploding the flour all over the kitchen. It coated Regina as she lunged backward with her eyes closed and hit the cupboards behind her with a crash, "Henry!" She half laughed as she wiped away some of the flour from her eyes.
Henry had let go of the device and half dived half fell off of the counter with a yelp in an attempt to get away from the inescapable cloud of flour and the batter that was flinging off of the silver beaters.
Ducking to avoid the spinning and bouncing machine Regina yanked the cord out of the wall and it came to a stop. The room was quiet again except for the soft laughter coming from Regina as she looked at the fine white powder that layered the entire corner of her kitchen. She made her way to the other side of the island to find Henry on the floor trying to dust the flour off his pajamas, "the one and only thing I tell you not to do, you do," she looked up at her from the floor, his face was white and his hair and eyelashes were coated in flour and Regina couldn't help but laugh at the sight as she offered him her hands.
Henry was waiting for her to start reprimanding him for the mess but she only laughed and offered him help to get up which threw him for a loop. He took his mothers white hands and let her pull him up on his feet with a smile.
"You are just a mess!" Regina laughed as she ran her fingers through his short hair in an attempt to get the flour out.
Henry chuckled, "you are too," the sight of his mother made him laugh. Her pristine, not a hair out of place self was no where to be seen. The whole front of her was white and flour fell down from her hair with every shake of her head.
"Whoa what happened in here?!"
Both Regina and Henry spun at the voice to find James laughing at them in the doorway. Letting go of Henry, Regina stood up straight and turned to James, "James! What are you doing here?"
"It's after one, I thought I'd come see how you two are doing," he walked forward looking around the room and then back at them with a grin.
"We were making pancakes and Henry spun the flour too quickly," she motioned to the mess with her hand with a wide smile, "is it really that late?"
"Yes, what have you been up to?"
"We only just got up, I didn't realize how late it was," her gaze dropped and her smile became forced at the realization that he was probably here to take Henry back.
James stepped forward and reached his hand out to hold her arm gently, "hey it's alright," she didn't put up her walls around him anymore and it made it easier for him to read her. He rubbed her arm and laughed at how the flour puffed off her pajamas, "I'm not here to take him, I'm just checking in on you guys.". He could physically see the tension and worry leave her body at his words and her eyes met his sparkling with happiness and relief.
Henry watched the two of them interact and they weren't doing a good job of hiding anything. He was quite sure they were together and they were trying to hide it and keep it a secret but it wasn't working. His suspicions were confirmed when James began dusting the flour off of Regina's face and she leaned subtly into his touch. He didn't like it, Prince Charming was supposed to be with Snow White but if even in their un-cursed state James and his mother were still fighting to be together then there must be something there.
He bounced slightly on his toes as he fought to get the words out, "guys, will you just kiss already," he watched them freeze and tense at his words.
Regina stiffened and then turned around to face her son, "what do you mean, dear?" Her voice was tight and she gripped the countertop.
"I'm not blind mom," he was quiet as he watched his mothers face contort in conflicting emotions.
"Henry, James and I," she pointed between her and James, "there's nothing-" but she was cut off by her son.
"Don't lie anymore. Please! You two were together before the curse was broken and James already told me he still sort of loved you. If you guys are still trying to do this even with the memories of before you came here then there must be a good reason. So please mom, stop lying you've lied enough," his voice slowly melted in to a plea throughout his small speech. Regina's features slowly formed in to a frightened sadness at his deduction but he was relieved when they softened and she nodded in agreement.
James walked up behind Regina and slid his arms around her waist all the while holding eye contact with Henry, "how about I help you two clean up?"
"James I-"
"No, I insist," he kissed the top of her flour dusted head before he let go of her and took a dish cloth from beside the sink, "or how about this, you two go get cleaned up while I sort this mess out and then we'll go to Granny's for pancakes?"
"I like my mom's pancakes better," Henry risked a glance at his mother to find her smiling at him.
James nodded, "good so do I! So you two get cleaned up while I do this and then we'll get your mom to make us pancakes. Sound good?"
"James I can't let you clean up this entire mess on your own," Regina tried to object but she knew it was useless.
"Oh I'm not doing it for free," he shook his head at her, "no I'm doing this for pancakes."
Regina raised an eyebrow in amusement, "pancakes?"
James nodded and moved closer, "and maybe a kiss," and he hovered over her mouth, "when you don't taste like flour," he grinned and pulled away leaving Regina standing there flustered.
Henry rolled his eyes at them and took his mothers hand and pulled her away from James and out of the kitchen, "come on.". He had to admit that it was rather funny to see his mother at a loss for words or even a glare.
Once Charming was out of her line of sight she became fully aware of Henry's fingers intertwined in hers. He had never done that, not even when he was smaller. She quite enjoyed it and he did it even after he had caught her and James. If only the townspeople would be so forgiving.