"Still, I had to go meet him myself." Mayor Mills, sitting on the sofa, gulped down her whiskey and held out a glass to the Queen. "This is his first Christmas here, I should be at the airport now."
"With a broken leg, that's quite a problem." The Queen put the glass down on the mantelpiece.
"It's not broken!" The Mayor protested. "There is only a torn ligament. Isn't that so, Dr. Stern?" She turned to David who was sitting next to her.
"It would be better if you didn't put pressure on this leg at all now. If you're planning to use it again in its full capacity that is." He took her by the shoulders. "Be patient for a while, okay?"
"It would be better if I had stayed home on Christmas Eve.", the Mayor said irritably. "As planned."
"Regina, please stop doing this." Stern pleaded. "I already admitted that the trip to Aspen was a bad idea. But seriously, it never crossed my mind that on the third day you would ski on a black track. I still don't understand how you got there at all. As far as I remember, I left you on the green one, under the supervision of the instructor."
"It was boring there." Miss Mills shrugged. "I already told you."
"Yeah you had a lot of fun on the black one." He hugged her tightly, leaning against him. "You know, I really think that everything ended very well, despite the complete lunacy of this act. From one orthopedist to another." David grinned, kissing Regina on the cheek.
"Maybe it will be better to take off the ring?", the Mayor addressed the Queen who was arranging plates on a large oval table.
"Well, that's too much!" Stern was playfully indignant.
"I don't mean it." The woman waved him off. "Maybe I shouldn't say to Henry yet that am I engaged? I don't know how he will receive the news."
"Please don't start again." The Queen twirled the glass around in her hands, examining it meticulously in the light. "It's time for Henry to come to terms with the fact that you also have a life. You won't stop being his mother simply because you'll get married. You have been only and exclusively his mother for too long. But this should not be the only occupation and the only role in your life. And that's fine, Regina."
"Yes, I don't say that it's not normal," the Mayor sighed. "Just why do it all at once."
"What "all"?", her sister asked.
"Listen…" Regina hesitated. "Don't get me wrong... But you know... Maybe it's not a good idea to bring him here. I need to meet him and take him to my place. And take off the ring for now. So at first, everything will be familiar. And then, gradually..."
"Regina, that's enough.", the Queen interrupted her. "Stop patronizing him like a little child. Yes, you know, it will be useful for him to spend Christmas with his family. With all of his family. To get to know Charlotte and his stepfather. Maybe then he'll finally realize that this is his family."
"With his stepfather...", the Mayor repeated. "David, could you leave us for a couple of minutes?"
"I'm already scared." Stern cringed in pretense. "What do you want to say about me?"
"Not about you." Regina smiled, kissing him. "But it's between Regina and me."
"Okay." He got up and headed for the door. "But I insist the ring being on you when I get back." He smiled at the door.
"It will be.", the Mayor assured him.
"So what kind of secret conversation awaits us?" The Queen grinned, sitting down next to her.
"David doesn't know who you and I really are.", her sister said gravely. "And Henry, as you know, can say a lot of superfluous things." She looked probingly at her sister.
"Hm." She thought for a moment. "Well, there are two options: push David away without an explanation or with a far-fetched one; or trust again in the course of life and his feelings for you. In the first case though, a crack will appear between you two which will grow with Henry's each visit and you'll never know what would have happened if you had left everything as it was and didn't try to manipulate the events and control everything."
"And what if he leaves me, believing that my son is out of his mind? After all, a normal person can interpret only in this way his words about magic and so on.", the Mayor asked after a pause.
"Very good then." the Queen nodded. "Why would you need someone who is not ready to accept you together with your "out of his mind" child? Although, frankly, David isn't going to leave you because of such nonsense. You could have noticed this yourself if you hadn't spent all your energy on constant anxiety. And, by the way, about Henry…" She took the vibrating phone from her pocket and opened a message. "Gold has already picked him up, they are coming here. So get ready for a meeting with your son. More whiskey?"
"Perhaps.", Regina answered quietly.
"Really? Family dinner?" Henry grinned. "I mean, with you and the Queen?"
"Yes, we planned to spend Christmas a little differently ourselves," Gold sighed, looking through the strip with the suitcases, "but life dictates its own plans. Your mother injured her leg and cannot dance around you now. So we have to take care of both of you. Where is your suitcase?"
"Maybe I'd better go back to school?" the young man grimaced. "Not very bright prospects open up here."
"Well, of course you won't." He picked up a bag from the stip. "Henry Mills, aren't you? Take it, baby. Mom is waiting. Excited, worried. So you will go to her now and you will smile at her properly. Come on!" He went towards the parking lot.
"Of course, smile." He nonetheless stumbled after his grandfather. "As if my life is even remotely good."
"It can get much worse." Gold said without turning around. "If I stop refilling your card; which you use, by the way, very actively. I still have questions for you about some of the withdrawn amounts."
"And I'm not going to answer!" the teenager snorted.
"You'll have to." his grandfather answered indifferently. "If you want to continue receiving money. Get in."
They reached the parking lot and Gold opened the car door for his grandson.
"And you really think it will be a sweet family dinner?" Henry asked after a while, when they had already taken the highway.
"Yes, it's unlikely." he grinned slightly. "Although I don't understand what else you want from us. Regina and I filed a petition for Emma..."
"Which was rejected!", his grandson interrupted him.
"They rejected it." Gold agreed. "As I had told you. This is a public charge. Nothing can be done here. Nevertheless, I found a way to reduce her term by two years, through the help of my friends. I don't expect you to ask what it cost me. And I don't even expect you to ask what it took for my wife to sign that petition. But it's time to admit to the fact that I did everything I could to get your biological mother out of prison..."
"Where she got in because of you!" Henry boiled up.
"Where she got in because of the attempt to abduct a child.", his grandfather patiently continued.
"That you stole!" The teenager concluded triumphantly.
"Here we go again, the same thing for the thousandth time." Gold breathed wearily. "That Belle wasn't able to take away from me. Deal with it. This is my son. I have already lost your father and am not ready to go through it again."
"My mother ended up in jail because you couldn't come to an agreement!" Henry exclaimed with resentment. "Is that fair?"
"It happened.", he answered calmly. "But I didn't make her try to steal the child and certainly not my wife. We did everything to help her. It's time for you to calm down and start living in peace with us. We are your family. Whether you like it or not, you have no other family."
"What about the family that's trapped in Storybrooke?" His grandson asked displeased.
"They are all in perfect condition, including your uncle Neal, only thanks to my good will." He turned off the highway into the city.
"Really?" the guy muttered, looking darkly out the window.
"Really." Gold said calmly. "And everything will be fine with them further on, despite the attempts of your grandmother, Snow White, to create more difficulties for me and Regina. How is, by the way, her research in federal investigations progressing as Mayor of Storybrooke? Over the past year, she didn't seem to have made much progress."
"I'm not going to tell you anything." Henry answered without looking at him.
"Don't.", his grandfather agreed. "But think about it. Perhaps you will come to the conclusion that I am not treating my relatives so badly. In any case, much better than I could have, given all the facts."
"Wow! What a generosity!" the young man grinned.
"Actually, yes." Gold continued just as calmly. "You see, I don't owe anything to your grandparents, as well as your biological mother. Nevertheless, I've always helped them, receiving no gratitude for it. And it continues to this day. They break in dirty boots into my bedroom and I have to bow on top of that. It's impossible to change them but you, I think, you can still rethink everything. For starters, I would advise you not to test the limits of my patience. If possible, put a smile on your face and be a good son for your mother. Today and throughout all the holidays. Believe me; it will benefit everyone, starting with you."
"Henry!" The Mayor wanted to greet her son.
"Regina, don't step on that foot." Stern held her back.
"Sorry, honey, I'm a little out of shape." the Mayor smiled shyly.
"It's okay, mom." Henry went to the Mayor, leaned over and hugged her. "I've missed you!"
"And how I missed you!" She hugged him in response and pulled him to her, both sitting on the sofa. "How are you doing?" She took her son's hand.
"A beautiful ring." He examined her finger.
"Yes ..." the Mayor was a little confused. "I didn't know how to tell you, but now I have to, yes?" She stroked his shoulder. "Well ... David and I are planning to get married."
"Wow." Henry looked at Stern. "David. Just like my grandfather, who cannot be with us today because he is trapped in Storybrooke."
"Well, there it is." The Queen whispered to her husband, leaning against him and resting her head on his shoulder.
"The vacation lasts only a week." He put his arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head. "We can survive it."
"Are you sure you can handle him yourself?" The Queen stood at the hallway next to her sister, who Stern helped to get dressed.
Henry, already in his coat, stamped on the threshold.
"Of course." the Mayor nodded. "Besides, David will come in the morning. Right?" She turned to Stern.
"Of course." He threw a fur coat over her and kissed her on the temple. "I'll drop to the clinic for a short while and then immediately come to you."
"See? Everything will be fine." She hugged her sister.
"You know, let me accompany you." The Queen also threw a fur coat over her shoulders. "I'll put you to bed while David takes care of his patients. I'll be much calmer."
"C'mon! This isn't necessary.", the Mayor dismissed her.
"You know, I will also be so much calmer.", Stern intervened. "I already have to be at the clinic, so I'll just drive you home and leave right away. It will be nice if Regina stays with you for a while."
"Lord David I just torn a ligament." Regina grinned.
"I know." Stern nodded. "And it's pretty dangerous with your temperament. You can't sit still for a minute unless you are constantly reminded of your ligament."
"Okay, fine, do whatever you want." She bowed her head in playful obedience. "I agree on everything."
"Come on." Stern easily picked her up. "We'll take you home for starters."
"Are you still awake?" The Queen asked in surprise, entering the living room and seeing her husband sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace with knitting needles in his hands.
"Dark Ones don't sleep." Gold smiled, raising his eyes to his wife. "Remember?"
"I'll remember this tomorrow morning when the children have to wake up." the Queen sat down beside him. "What will it be?" She nodded at the long knitted fabric.
"I don't know." Gold shrugged a little. "An endless scarf? I mostly like the process itself. Very soothing. You should try it too."
"I've already tried." the Queen yawned, wrapping herself in a blanket laying next to them on the sofa. "It annoys me, on the contrary."
"This is because you do not know how." Gold remarked, not looking up from his occupation. "Do you want me to teach you?"
"No, I have my own ways." She lay down on the sofa, all curled up and resting her head on her husband's hip. "That's really relaxing." she sighed, hugging his knees with one hand.
"How's Regina? Is she all right?" He gently stroked her hair.
"Regina is already sleeping." the Queen yawned again. "And we should too."
"We will soon." Gold assured her, returning to his knitting.
After some time, he put down the knitting needles and gently stroked his wife on the cheek.
"Regina?" He called softly. The Queen rolled over, lying comfortably on his hip.
"Regina?" He barely touched her shoulder.
"Yeah, another five minutes." the Queen muttered sleepily.
"Okay, it doesn't matter. Good night." He laid his head on the back of the sofa, closing his eyes.