A/N: Hello again! I know I must sound like a broken record, but thanks AGAIN for following/favouriting/reviewing. Now that we're in the second half of the story, there's going to be a bit of a change in gear as we move towards the resolution, starting from Chapter 12. Thanks for sticking with it, and I always forget to remind you that there's a mix on 8tracks to go with this so be sure to check it out! ( /swarklesinstorybrooke/it-doesn-t-always-have-to-be-beautiful-swan-queen)
Enjoy!
All the cars running fast along the interstate
Can feel the love that radiates
Illuminating what I know is true
All will be well
Even after all the promises you've broken to yourself
All will be well
You can ask me how, but only time will tell
- The Gabe Dixon Band, All Will Be Well
Regina had been busying herself around the kitchen for almost an hour as Emma watched nervously when the door knocked.
"That'll be Henry." Emma offered redundantly, and immediately sensed a change in Regina's energy as she appeared jumpy and anxious, her hand shaking slightly as she chopped vegetables. "Hey, relax. It'll be ok, remember, Henry loves you." Emma ran a hand down Regina's arm, and the woman offered her a tense smile as reassurance.
"Go let him in." Regina said shakily, and turned back to face the counter as Emma exited the room.
She bounded down the hallway, excited to spend time with her son, and upon opening the front door was greeted with a hug.
"Hey, Ma." Henry said into her shoulder, as Emma once again realised how much Henry had grown up since she first met him. She'd missed so much of him, that now all of his growing seemed to be happening at an ever increasing speed.
"Come through, we're in the kitchen." Emma guided him through, sensing his sudden reluctance, and as they entered the room Regina turned from the counter to face them, a trying smile plastered on her face.
"Hello Henry." she attempted to say in a strangled voice, her eyes a little wide and her face looking frankly terrified.
"Hey, M…" Henry stumbled over the word and then stopped himself completely.
"You can call me mom. Only if you want to." Regina reassured him, and Emma was reminded of the mother and son relationship that had been shared in the years before, with Regina trying desperately to please him, just as she was now.
"Ok then.. mom." Henry decided awkwardly, and sat down on the chair Emma had pulled out for him. "So what are we having?"
"Lasagne. I seem to be able to remember how to make it rather well, and Emma told me that you like it."
"Yeah, it always tastes awesome when you make it." Henry sensed Regina's need for any kind of reassurance or compliment, and was rewarded with a small smile from his adoptive mother.
"It'll be about another half an hour I believe. Why don't we go into the other room?" Regina walked over to where Henry was sat, and considered touching his shoulder for a moment before changing her mind. Seeing the other woman looking lost, Emma got up from where she herself had been sat and walked into the front room, the other two following her.
"So what have you guys been up to?" Henry asked after a few minutes of intensely uncomfortable silence.
"Not much, you know. I've been going into work a couple of hours every day, and your mom mainly stays here. She's been speaking to Ruby, though."
"You have?" Henry seemed shocked.
"Yes. Ruby and I have became quite good friends. She said she knows how it feels to feel a little… lost and confused about who you are. It's been nice to have someone to talk to."
Emma immediately felt guilty. "Yeah, and we've started going to see Archie too."
Regina gave Emma a briefly hurt look, but said nothing.
"Archie's really great, isn't he? I used to go and see him when I was younger. He's a really cool guy." Henry noticed the tense atmosphere, and so offered up more about himself to bridge the gap.
"You used to go and see Dr Hopper?" Regina looked at the boy with sadness.
"Yeah. You thought I had some problems."
"Henry, I'm sorry." Regina sounded disgusted with herself, a betrayal of her own son, and could feel tears building up in her eyes.
"No, no, you were right. Going to Dr Hopper really helped me. You did the right thing." Henry once again said what was needed in the moment, and Emma couldn't help but be overwhelmed by how much of a grown up he could be when it was required.
Regina still didn't seem to be too sure, but Henry interrupted her thought by declaring he was going to pick up a few things from his room while he was thinking about them, leaving the two women alone. Without saying anything, Regina stood up and exited back into the kitchen, not giving so much as a glance in Emma's direction.
"Hey, Regina." Emma followed her, and grabbed onto her arm in an attempt to stop her. "Did I do something wrong?"
"You told Henry about Dr Hopper."
"..Yeah?"
"I wish you hadn't been so brazen about it."
"He's our son." Emma explained, as if the explanation of her actions was obvious.
"It was not your information to share." Regina's voice raised slightly, but after taking a deep breath in she calmed back down. "I just wish you hadn't. But it's done now." Regina seemed so reasonable about something that had clearly upset her, and Emma took the time to dwell on that.
"I'm sorry, I get it. You're allowed to be pissed off with me, I deserve it."
"You're the last person to deserve it. Everybody makes mistakes." Regina turned and checked on the lasagne in the oven, feeling Emma's eyes still burning on the back of her head. "Emma. Why don't you go and check on our son?" she offered the woman a smile, as if to tell her they were fine, but Emma didn't believe it.
Emma knocked lightly on Henry's bedroom door, and entered to find him sat cross-legged on his bed, with the book open on his lap.
"What are you doing?" Emma asked him, taking a seat beside him and looking over his shoulder at the page he had open.
"Looking at mom. The evil queen." he corrected himself. "I don't get it, Emma. This isn't mom… but it is. How is the evil queen the same person stood downstairs?"
"She isn't. I don't think she has been in a long time. She'd changed, even before this. But now… your mom had a really rough time when she was younger. And that's why she created this person, to protect herself. But now she doesn't have any memory of what happened to her, and maybe that's why she doesn't feel the need to be that person. She isn't hiding behind evil, or magic. Maybe she can't."
"Do you think this is it, then? Do you think she's changed for good?" Henry picked at the corner of the book, embarrassed by the serious nature of the conversation.
"It's impossible to know. We don't even know if she's going to get her memories back. I hope she's changed for good though, for you. She's gone through so much effort today, and she doesn't even know you. She's trying so hard to be a good mother to a son that she doesn't know, and that must mean something. Do you think?"
"I guess." Henry closed the book and turned to his mother. "Thanks for… treating me like an adult, ma. I never liked it when you guys would try and keep things from me. I like that you trust me."
"Come here." Emma pulled Henry into her side for a hug, despite protests. "I love you, kid."
"Love you too. Let's go back downstairs."
Though the silence as they sat around the table eating was deafening, it was markedly more comfortable than it had been before.
"So Henry, how has school been?"
"Good." Again, silence.
"Emma tells me you like comic books. I saw some in your room..." Regina attempted next.
"Yeah, I love them. Spiderman's my favourite."
"I have to admit.. I had a glance at a couple a few days ago." Emma chuckled at Regina's admission.
"Did you like them?" Henry perked up.
"They were thrilling, I have to say. You will have to show me your favourites one time, I would like to look at them with you."
Henry began to babble about comics for the rest of the meal, and both women were more than happy to indulge him. Regina in particular felt an unexpected sense of comfort overwhelm her as she heard her son talk, his face lighted up and his eyes wide as he spoke animatedly. She'd caused this, she realised. She'd made him happy.
Henry asked for seconds, only partly to please Regina, and after the three had finished eating they returned to the front room to continue the conversation.
"So Henry.. do you have a girlfriend?" Regina asked him, her eyebrow raising accusingly.
"Oh god. Did ma set you up to this?" Henry buried his head in his hands.
"I'm simply trying to get to know you, that's all." Henry could see from Regina's eyes that she was using that excuse to her advantage.
"Let's just not have this conversation. I beg you."
"That's a yes, then." Emma snorted to Regina. "You know, you'll have to introduce us some time. We have to embarrass you, it's tradition."
"No, it's not." Henry tried to insist, his voice eliciting terror.
"It is, kid. Bad time to have 2 moms." Emma punched him lightly on the arm as his face continued to turn crimson.
"Just... next topic please." Henry tried to recover himself.
"How's your grandparents and uncle?" Emma asked.
"They're good. Neal cries all the time though, I think he misses you, mom."
"Oh?" Regina sat up straighter.
"Yeah, when he was first born you and my mom would sit for hours trying to get him to sleep. She'd call you the baby whisperer." Emma laughed at the memory, and also at the fact that what she was remembering was only a couple of months ago. "…Neal's… a baby, he'll grow out of it." Emma still choked on his name.
"Did you say his name was Neal?" Regina realised the significance.
"Yep, Neal."
"That seems…" Regina paused, "in bad taste." she settled on eventually.
"Tell me about it. Anyway Henry, we best be getting you home." The three rose, and Emma gave him a hug goodbye. "You'll be alright to get back?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Henry moved away from Emma, and hesitated in front of Regina. "Bye mom."
After a second's deliberation, Regina gave him a brief, tight hug. "Come and see us again soon, it's been really nice seeing you."
"I'll see you soon." with one last smile, Henry left, and Regina and Emma both seemed to sigh a breath of relief.
A/N: Don't forget to review! :)