CHAPTER 49

As soon as she'd been assured that the blonde was in a dead sleep, Regina rushed from the room to find her Mother.

Cora was on the phone updating the family on the situation when her daughter ran up to her frantically. She jumped in surprise as her daughter latched onto her for dear life, "Sweetheart - ?"

"I forgot Henry!" she practically screamed before the hysteria from before set in. She was on the verge of hyperventilating, "I just – I can't – ," she looked at her mother with tear drenched eyes. Her next words came out so broken that her Mother ended up dropping the call without a goodbye before scooping her up into her strong arms. "I forgot Henry."

"It's okay dear," she shushed her. "It's fine. We'll go and tend to him now," she stroked her daughter's hair trying her best to calm her. She grabbed their belongings in one hand while maneuvering her toward the door with the other.

She hurried them to the car because she wanted to get there before Regina's body gave out on her. She'd experienced multiple shocks today and the adrenaline holding her up would wear off eventually. Being an avid fan of torture - in the past that is – Cora was also an expert at the human mind and body and what it could and could not take before being broken.

She helped her into the passenger side seat before hurrying around to the driver's side. She glanced at her daughter as she got into the car and nearly gave a start.

Her hair was wild about her head, her makeup had long since been cried away, her face was pale and drawn. Without her makeup she actually looked younger. She looked almost like the young girl who'd watched her lover fall at the hands of her Mother. Cora was still amazed at all she'd done during her darkest days. And even more so that her girls had chosen to forgive her and create their own happily ever after.

"How are you holding up?" she asked as she reached over and cranked up the heat. She made sure the vents were turned in her daughter's direction before heading back toward the school. It was clear her girl was still in shock.

Regina sat staring out the window and only vaguely heard her Mother speaking to her. "I can't believe I forgot him," she whispered aloud to herself. It made her ashamed to say such a thing.

For 10 years she and Henry had lived a happy life. Then as usual Snow just couldn't stop herself from ruining things. Or so she'd told herself at the time that a certain blonde showed up on her doorstep.

But if she were to be honest with herself, she hadn't been completely happy. As close to it as one could be maybe. But there was always something more missing. During the time that she had him Henry had been enough. But not everything.

The bond she had with Fae and Blue was of a different yield than the one she had with Henry. With them there was no holding back. There were no secrets between them and the only thing they needed was for her to be their Mum.

But with Henry the curse had been active. And it had been like living a secret double life. There was her old Evil Queen presence in the cloudy glaze of Storybrooke's residents eyes but there was also her. Just Regina. A woman who loved her little boy more than even herself.

It wounded her deeply that her son was never able to see past his storybook. He sneered and jeered at her and acted as if the 10 years they'd spent being happy were nothing. She just couldn't reconcile it.

If he were just angry for a bit that she could understand. But he was beyond that. He was enraged. She saw it in him everytime she tried reaching out after the curse broke. But she finally accepted it the day he raised his fists to her and almost used them against her.

She'd be lying if she said it didn't scare her. She'd seen that face before. On her Mother before she'd gotten her heart back, on Leopold's face when she didn't respond to him the way a 'real' wife was supposed to, with Rumple when she didn't pick up fast enough to satisfy him, and for a long time she'd seen it even in her own mirror. Henry had way too many negative traits vying for dominance inside him. No wonder he was messed up. With his genetics he really didn't have much of a choice.

It was times like those that she was glad he had no magic. With all his anger and self-righteousness he would've been the king villain of all villains. She didn't think even Rumplestiltskin could've held a candle against her boy if he had magic in the midst of his fits of anger.

He didn't want her to just get some payback for her being the Evil Queen once upon a time long before he was even born. He wanted her to suffer. He wanted her pain. And he was only 10!

It's why she'd stopped fighting for him and allowed him to go to Emma. Everyone kept telling her she was just filled with so much evil. And the Charmings were nothing but pure goodness. And Emma as the Savior was the purest of them all.

So she accepted her failure as a parent of him and let him go. She'd hoped that maybe some of Emma's goodness would rub off onto him. And he would become a better person.

She'd been happy with the new life she'd created for herself and her kids. One of many mistakes she'd known she'd made with Henry was in encouraging his entitled behaviors. She'd thought giving him everything was the path to making him happy.

Instead Henry had taken it to extremes as he had a tendency to do with almost everything. There was never a middle ground with him. It was always intensity ratcheted up to the highest degree with him.

Recognizing that anger in him and being appalled by it was what made it easy to walk away from him. It was his best chance. For him to have a fresh start with someone who wasn't as consumed with anger and hate as she once was.

Her kids were her center. And her family was her happy. There were some days she felt slightly guilty about how happy she'd become since letting go of him in order to live her best life. But she wouldn't trade the joy and love she found when she looked at her kids for anything. Even for him.

The thought of him being back in her life filled her with dread. Last she'd seen of him, Henry was still bound and determined to stay mired in the past. He wanted everyone to stay there with him.

Even Emma was having a hard time with him. She knew from Karen that they were attending therapy and trying to do the best that they could. Still on some of the rare occasions she and Emma spent exchanging more than a few words and arguments she'd admitted that Henry hadn't really gotten any better over time.

She didn't want to have to deal with him again. And yet she knew she had to. There was no one else.

"What the hell am I going to do with him?" she turned to her Mother looking lost and confused.

Cora glanced at her daughter before refocusing on the road ahead, "You'll do whatever you have to dear."

Regina looked at her Mother skeptically. This wasn't something she wanted to do. Still she knew it had to be done.

The rest of the drive was made in silence. Both women stared straight ahead as they came closer and closer to their destination. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut.

Once they reached the house they both sat staring at it looming before them. Though the house was a nice little cottage, in this moment, it seemed like the Bate's house.

Regina sat playing with her hands as dread pooled in her belly. Now that her adrenaline was wearing off she just found herself weary down to her bones. She wanted nothing more than to just sleep for the next ten years. But this was what the job of being a Mother was about. Carrying on when you want nothing more than to rest, "What am I going to say?"

Cora looked at her little girl. She had given up any claims to Mother her daughters years ago. But still they'd found it in their hearts to forgive her and let her back in. Now their hearts beating in her chest were the fuel and the anchor that allowed her to carry on.

"Look at me," she commanded. When her daughter turned to her with eyes as large and wide as saucers she leaned forward and pinched her chin between her thumb and forefinger.

"When the time comes, the words will come to you. This I'm certain of. Because you already know what needs to be done. And it's in your nature to get it done."

Regina started to shake her head but her Mother held firm. "I know exactly who you are. And I always have." She gestured toward the house, "that boy in there taught you how to love again despite all the odds stacked against you. And you've become all I ever could've imagined and more."

Tears glistened in large russet colored eyes but she worked hard to blink them away. Though her Mother went out of her way to let her girls know they were appreciated and loved it was still always a treasured surprise when she allowed her emotions to flow. Regina reached up and grabbed ahold of her Mother's hand and clutched it in hers.

"I have three beautiful grandchildren with one more on the way. But still there is one missing," she looked at her daughter and nodded. "You know what you have to do."

She nodded, "I know what I have to do. But I don't really want to do it. Henry is just so - ," she broke off unable to continue on about the hot mess that had become the relationship between her and the boy. There were no words to describe how complicated the situation with Henry was. Though they'd discussed it many times over the past year there was still never a resolution in sight.

"Henry may be lost," Cora agreed. "But he is not lost to YOU yet."

Regina nodded even though she was still unsure if she believed her Mother's words. She took a deep breath and looked back at the garden home. Then she opened the door, stepped out of the car, and walked into the house.

MF

The movie was already over and yet Mandy nor Henry moved. Their thoughts had been 1000 miles away the entire time it had played. They had no idea what they had even sat watching for the past couple of hours. Now they just sat idly staring at the end credits rolling.

If they spoke they'd have to speak aloud as to why. Why was Emma not yet home? Why hadn't she called? Why was there no news of her?

None of the answers to the questions led them down a good path. There was just no reasonable explanation for her absence. Which left only painful ones. And they hadn't yet reached the stage where they wanted to accept that.

So they sat still and stared at the end credits. And waited. But for what they had no idea.

When the door opened they both startled. Then they sat openly gaping at the visitors.

"Mom?" Henry croaked as his Mother walked into the room followed by her Mother. Mandy sat up and threw them all a confused look but he just continued to stare at the woman before him. He rose awkwardly and met her halfway across the room, "Hi Mom."

For a moment Regina could do nothing but stare. Her little boy was no longer a boy. He had been a small scrawny thing last she remembered. He was now practically at her eye level and his body was filling out. His arms stuck out gangling from the pajamas that he wore. He was definitely coming into his own.

She couldn't believe the many months that had passed since the last time she'd laid eyes on him. Again that flash of guilt and shame blew through her.

She wasn't being neglectful. It was just that being around Henry was equivalent to reopening a wound that she was wanting desperately to heal. He only wanted to live in the past. He branded himself and his 'real' family heroes. She wanted a new future that wasn't filled with pain. Yet she was the one called evil.

Mandy was the first to shake herself out of her stupor. "Can I help you?" she asked as she wondered what the hell was going on. She knew Emma had another child … there were plenty of pictures around of the baby not to mention the nursery. And Emma talked about her a lot. But she'd never met her. They apparently spent time together at the school. She'd never heard of Henry having another mother though.

Regina shook off her daze and reached a hand out toward her son. Or started to rather before she pulled it back just short of touching him. She took a breath and ran her hands through her disheveled hair instead. "Henry - ," she blinked and threw her head back as he stared at her with wide frightened eyes. He almost looked like the little boy who'd climbed into bed with her after a bad dream. She gave him a gentle smile and gestured to the sofa set again, "I'm going to need you to have a seat."

Henry didn't really like the sound of the request but his body had already responded before he could put up a fight. His mom was looking like death warmed over. He'd only ever seen her that upset in the hospital the night the curse broke. And there was no Emma along with her. He knew that meant something bad was coming. And the dread that had already been making a home in the pit of his stomach started to rise. He felt bile in the back of his throat and swallowed thickly to try and keep it at bay as he dropped heavily onto the ottoman near the sofa.

Regina squatted down until she was at just below eye level with her son. She knew she had to do this quickly to put him out of the misery she saw he was in, "Emma is fine."

Relief flooded Henry as his eyes darted around as if expecting her to walk in any minute now. He caught himself before he sagged down in his seat. "Where - ?"

Regina held up a hand to stop him before he finished the question, "she's at the hospital. She had an accident and she'll be there for a bit. But she is perfectly fine. And the doctors are sure she's going to recover just fine."

Henry's heart was thumping so loud he thought it'd pound out of his chest as he became lost in his head. The hospital? Emma was in the hospital? But she was the Savior. Saviors don't get hurt. His head snapped back as his Mom snapped her fingers in his face.

"Henry," she held her fingers inches from his nose. She waited with a frown until his eyes once more focused on hers. "Now I need you to go upstairs and get dressed. Then grab whatever you're going to need for a few days and put them in a bag."

He wanted to protest and ask more questions. But they died before leaving his lips as his Mom helped him stand before pushing him towards the stairs.

Mandy stood and faced the brunette, "are you his Mom?" she asked incredulously.

Regina ignored the girl and instead turned to her Mother, "I'm going to run upstairs and grab a few things for Emma." She turned and made her way up the stairs.

She passed by Henry's room where he was distractedly putting things into a bag. She left him to it as she continued down the hall. As she walked past Blue's room the splashes of color caught her eye. She peeked her head into the room and was amazed by all that Emma had done.

The room was made up of a combination of lavender and mint. The walls were painted mint and the furniture was all white with lavender accents all over the room. Murals were painted all along the walls. One in particular caught her eye. It was a castle sitting on a cloud. It shocked her that she and Emma had similar tastes when it came to their daughter. She herself had patterned her daughter's room with a Princess in Fairytale land theme.

After giving an approving nod, she walked past the room and continued to the Master suite. The room had basically been untouched from the way she'd decorated it before Emma and Henry had moved in. Except of course for the unmade bed and clothes messily thrown about. She clucked her tongue as she moved around ignoring the untidiness. Emma had never been known for neatness.

She found a bag in the closet and began to fill it with different items she found lying around the room before heading to the bathroom and doing the same. Once she was sure she'd gathered as many items together that she would think the blonde would want or need she made her way back into the hallway and down to Henry's room.

"Ready?" she called to the boy's back.

Henry jumped slightly at hearing his Mom's voice. "Su- sure," he stammered nervously. He had no idea where they were going or what lay ahead of him but he knew he didn't want to be left behind. Regina led the way back down the stairs and he followed close behind her. Once they made it downstairs he quickly put back on his shoes that were kept in the mud room.

Cora waited patiently by the door, "The girl asked if she should still pick Henry up tomorrow as usual. I told her until she hears from us that it was best to stay on their regular routine."

Regina nodded as she looked around the room before turning to Henry, "well come along then," she gestured toward the door. She made sure to remember to cut off all the lights before they left. She secured the security alarm and made sure the door was locked when they left.

The trio made their way out to the car. As they waited for the door to open on their side Henry turned to Regina, "can we go to see Emma?"

Having already known that it was going to come up she nodded as they opened their respective car doors. "I know you've been worried about her. It will only be for a minute or so though. She needs her rest."

Henry stared into the car as he took that in gratefully. He really did want to see for himself that she was alright. The suspense of the past few hours had nearly killed him.

The sight of two car seats staring at him though made him pause before getting into the car. The sight of them together made it clear that the car was not set up with him in mind. He said nothing as he climbed over what was apparently Fae's seat since it was a bit larger than the other. He tossed his bag on the floor as he wiggled to get comfortable in the small gap between the car seats.

"Seatbelts please," Cora stared at him in the rearview mirror.

Her daughter turned to her with a small smile and nodded her approval. She knew that Cora's acclimation to this land and its rules was a huge hurtle. At least she and the rest of Storybrooke had memories of this land built into their new lives. Cora had to learn to do everything on her own the hard way. She was quite proud of the progress that her Mother had made.

As they began the short drive back to the hospital Henry's curiosity finally got the better of him. He piped up from the backseat, "what happened?"

Regina twisted in her seat and looked over her shoulder at the boy. She pinched her lips together as she weighed how she would tell him about Emma and her injuries. "You're aware that she's an idiot," at the boy's nod she continued. "Being an idiot she tried to move a horse. But instead the horse moved her."

"She has a broken arm and a sprained wrist. There's bruising over her body from the crash and it may be scary looking. But those will fade," she bit her lip nervously while debating whether she should downplay the rest of Emma's injuries or not. It had been awhile since she'd been around Henry but his terror was apparent. From the way his eyes appeared ready to pop out of their sockets and his harsh breathing it was clear that he was still visibly agitated.

She shook herself out of it. He was no longer a small child and he deserved to know. "She has a few broken ribs. They then punctured her lung and she needed surgery to repair it. The doctors have assured me it went well. Now all we have to do is wait for her to heal," she finished with a soft smile hoping that the boy would soon settle himself.

Henry's fingers were starting to hurt from him anxiously working at his hands. But he welcomed the pain as a distraction from his thoughts. He'd known that whatever had stopped Emma from coming home was really bad. She'd promised that it was the three of them from now on. Her, the baby and him. The three amigos. He and Karen had gone over his trust issues in therapy. She said it might be a long road but that they'd get there together. Again – trust was key.

Recovering his Mom had said. She was recovering. The doctor said she would be alright. She was going to be fine. And she would come back home. It was going to be alright he kept repeating to himself internally. She's going to be fine. She will come home. She wasn't gone.

He sat busy trying his best to keep himself calm. As the car took them closer to him being able to see for himself that the one person he had left wasn't gone another thought occurred to him. "Am I going to be staying with you?"

Regina was a bit startled by the simple yet loaded question. She would've been more comfortable if he'd pointed a loaded gun at her. But this - .

The two of them had not spent any time together in well over a year and a half. And for the year before that Henry had insisted on making every interaction with him as miserable as humanly possible. Now she was stuck because there seemed to be only the one answer to his question.

She hated having choices taken away from her. But the nauseating feel in the pit of her belly made it clear that this was about so much more. Instead of answering she turned and stared out the window grateful when the hospital came into sight.

Cora waited in the car as Regina took Henry into the hospital to see Emma. The walk down the hall to Emma's room was quiet. When they came to the Nurse's station Regina walked up to the duty nurse.

She put on one of her award winning mayoral smiles, "Hi. I'm aware that it's after visiting hours. But this is Emma Swan's son," she put her arm around Henry's shoulders. The boy played the game well and put on his poutiest face. Which wasn't hard to do considering the role was his current life. "He only just found out that his Mom was in the hospital. She's a single parent and she's all he has in the world. If it's alright with you we'd just like to stick our heads in and out really fast just so that they can sleep tonight knowing that the other is fine."

The nurse had a stern expression on her face and looked like she was about to say no. But a glance at Henry's earnest brown eyes had her caving in. "Alright. But just for a minute. She's had a sedative and she should be just about to sleep now," she relented while still staring at the boy.

Regina gave her a real warm smile as she pushed Henry ahead of her and toward Emma's door. Just before they walked in she turned to him again to try and alleviate his worries over what he saw. Henry had always been a highly sensitive child and she'd protected him from everything. That time was now over and he needed to learn to face things on his own terms. But she still wanted to be there to soften the blow as much as possible.

She took a deep breath before they continued, "I want you to know that what you see might be scary. She has a lot of bruising. And there are a lot of tubes and monitors attached to her. But it's all completely necessary. And the doctor already assured me that she will be perfectly fine. OK?"

Henry took a breath and nodded. He understood that she was obviously banged up pretty badly. But he still needed to see her for himself.

Regina quietly opened the door and walked inside first. She was glad to see that Emma had been returned to her bed. She was half sitting up and her eyes were closed.

"Ma!" Henry cried out as he surged forward.

Regina wrapped her arms around him before he could reach out and do any damage. "Careful," she warned.

Emma startled and her eyes opened wide in shock at the commotion. She blinked drowsily. "Hen - ," was the only thing she was able to wheeze out before she was gone again.

"Come on," Regina patted Henry on his chest. "She needs her rest," she said as she guided him back out the door.

Henry hesitated, "But how will she know that we were here?"

The brunette regarded him thoughtfully before nodding. "Go to the nurse's station and ask for pen and paper. We can leave her a note for when she wakes up."

The boy turned and did as told. When the nurse handed him over the items he'd asked for he stood for a moment debating what he wanted to say. Then he put pen to paper and wrote a quick note, "Ma," he tried the new name out. He liked the sound of it. It seemed to fit Emma and the situation of having two Moms and two different lives at one point well. He wished he'd thought of it sooner as a way to differentiate the two. He continued on with his note, "we'll be back to see you soon. Please get well and come home fast."

At the door to Emma's hospital room he faltered. Regina was cupping Emma's cheek and looking down at her in a way he'd only ever remembered her doing with him. And if he wasn't mistaken, Emma seemed to be smiling in her sleep and leaning into the touch. He cleared his throat awkwardly which had his Mom pulling back with a slightly guilty blush on her face. He pretended not to see it as he folded the note and placed it on Emma's bedside tray.

He looked at his fallen savior and took inventory of their surroundings. She really was pretty banged up. There was a breathing machine and heart monitors attached to her. One arm was in a full cast while the other had a bandage wrapped around the wrist. He could see bruising on her arms and there were large dark circles under her eyes making her appear even paler than usual. He swallowed thickly and blinked back tears before Regina began to lead him out of the room.

The walk back to the car was quiet. So was the ride back home. Or rather to his Mom's new home. The one he wasn't invited to. He knew that the only reason he was there was because of Emma's accident. And he'd probably never be invited here again after she was well. But for now there was no other choice.

When they got out of the car he asked a question that had been nagging at him since he'd realized his Mother was only a mile away from him, "does Emma know you live here?"

Regina pursed her lips before answering as her Mother opened the front door. "We've never had a need to speak about it. Emma and I work together. And I allow her visitation with Blue. But she is not a part of our lives. Our relationship doesn't go beyond that of colleagues."

Henry felt better that Emma hadn't been lying to him about all of this. And he felt a deep pang in his heart at the obvious exclusion of himself from any relationship reference. He gripped the handles of his overnight bag as he pushed it away and ignored it.

He followed quietly along behind as they entered the house. This house, though still obviously a mansion, was significantly smaller than the other one they'd had Fae's adoption party at. That one was sprawling with different wings. This one was closer to the house they'd shared in Storybrooke.

They took off their shoes in the coat room and stored them in cupboards made for such a thing. Then they walked into the foyer that opened onto the main living room. He stared in wonder at a huge streamer that was above their head saying Happy Birthday.

"What's with that?" he pointed upward at it.

Regina followed his finger and gave a little laugh. "We were planning a surprise party for Emma on Saturday when she brought Blue back home. I was going to have her drop her off here. Now I guess we're going to have to reschedule it for another time."

Cora felt weary down to her bones and thought she'd earned herself a nice long rest. She was having trouble keeping her eyes opened at this point. But she needed to make sure her daughter was taken care of first. "I'm going to turn in now dear. If you're sure you have everything covered from this end?" she asked her daughter as she studied her closely. Though she was pale and obviously exhausted from the long emotional day she seemed to be handling things just fine on the outside. On the inside she knew her little girl had to be raging. After receiving a tired smile and a small nod she gave her daughter a long hug and a kiss before making her way upstairs to her room. "Just shake me if you need me," she called back over her shoulder as she departed.

Regina's plan was to do the same once she'd gotten Henry settled and checked on her children. But once they were alone and she'd started to turn away she'd whipped back around to the boy as a new thought occurred to her, "are you hungry? I could whip you up something if you'd like?"

Henry shook his head in response, "we had pizza earlier." Though he'd been too keyed up then to eat now he was too exhausted. It had been a long day for him and he just wanted a place to lay his head and grab himself a few hours of peaceful oblivion.

"Come along then," Regina urged him up the stairs behind her. This house had only 8 bedrooms in it. There were 5 upstairs, one downstairs that she would leave for Emma since she was obviously not going to be able to be left alone to recover. And a 2 bedroom basement apartment. And most were already accounted for.

Abby and her family had one, Zelena and Hades had another, Cora had her own suite, and she had hers with the kids sharing the last one available. Or so that was the plan for right now at least.

She opened the door to what was supposed to be the kids' room as quietly as possible. For now the room was technically Fae's. She'd had it decorated just for him while Blue's crib rested in a corner of her own bedroom.

The room was decorated much like the forest in Avatar. It was lit up with sconces that resembled the flowers in the movie. They lit up different colors and served as a nightlight throwing a soft glow around the room. Fae's bed was a tree in the middle of the room. At the top was a full-sized bed hidden amongst the limbs of a weeping willow tree. And because she was afraid of him taking a tumble Fae slept in a small toddler bed that rested halfway in a hollow at the base of the tree.

There was a huge dragon in one corner and a huge horse just like from the movie in the other. There were ropes that hung down from the ceiling which had tree limb like walkways all around it. Henry jumped amazed as they passed by and the dragon moved. But it didn't scare him. It was way cooler than his room had ever been.

"You're going to be sharing with Fae while you're here," Regina turned and smiled at her little man. She went over to his bedside and righted his body before tucking him securely back in. Her boy was active during the day and while he slept.

Henry shifted uncomfortably as she gazed down at him lovingly. Then she swept a lock of hair off his forehead to kiss him.

"The bathroom's through there," she pointed out to him as she rose. "And my room is on the other side in case there's anything you need in the night.

Henry nodded and clutched his bag tighter. Emma came at night to his room and made sure that he had whatever he needed before bed. And that was nice. But it wasn't the same as life had been with his Mom.

Regina felt awkward and unsure as she stood there. It had been forever since she'd interacted with the boy. She wasn't certain how they were going to go about this. But due to the circumstances there was no other choice. She coughed and shifted ungracefully as the loaded silence stretched between them. "Well, goodnight," she called as she took her leave.

Once he was alone, Henry entered the bathroom and went about his nightly routine. Then he changed back into his pajamas and hurried back out into the room. He climbed up the side of the tree to the bunk at the top.

He thought he'd lie awake forever given that he had so much to think about. But as he fell into what had to be the world's most comfortable bed he felt his body become as heavy as his mind was. His Mother always bought the best of everything. As his head rested upon the pillow it was instantly fade to black.