A/N: Disclaimer; the storyline in this chapter was suggested by a reader ages ago and I've been saving it for the right moment. I'm sorry, I can't remember/find who it was who suggested it but thank you!

Regina chewed her lip as she stared at the computer screen. But it wasn't the contents of the web browser which she was contemplating. Her brow creased. Eyes narrowed. She let out a gentle sigh.

"Everything ok?"

Looking up, she noticed her boss standing beside her desk and remembered that she was at work. How long had she been zoned out for? Not the best performance of a new member of staff. Regina forced a smile, leaned back in her chair and nodded. "Sorry, I'm a little distracted today."

"Anything you want to talk about?" Graham asked, leaning his hip against the edge of her desk. "I've been told I'm a great listener."

Regina didn't doubt that. Her boss was clearly very intuitive, judging by the way he had perfectly read her during their first meeting; her interview. But she didn't think it was appropriate to discuss what was on her mind with Graham. Already he knew a lot about her situation with regards to living in a shelter and the fact that she was a single mother. So early on in her new position, she didn't want to share even more. "No, I'm fine. I'm trying to decide which book to read to the preschool group tomorrow morning." Not entirely a lie; that was what she had been doing before her mind wandered. "Any ideas?"

Circling around so he could see Regina's screen, Graham scanned the list she had pulled up and got distracted from. "Elmer," he announced almost immediately. "Can't go wrong with everyone's favourite elephant. Plus, it's a good way to remind children that it doesn't matter what you look like, everyone is equal."

"Ok, thanks. Um, do you mind if I head out at three today? I have to pick Henry and his friend up from school, but I can come back here with them afterwards."

"Of course," Graham nodded. "But you don't have to come back here. You're not scheduled for any activities this afternoon so as long as you're prepped for tomorrow's events, you can just go home."

"Thank you. And are you sure it's ok for me to have Wednesday off?"

Again, Graham nodded. He looked like he wanted to ask why Regina had requested the day off but seemed to decide against it. The form she had filled in simply said 'personal day'. It was curious, and Graham was naturally inquisitive. But he also recognised in his newest employee a desire for some privacy.

"Well, I'd best be getting on. Enjoy Elmer tomorrow morning if I don't see you before you start and say hi to Henry for me."

Graham and Henry had only met a handful of times but they had hit it off. Henry had already identified his favourite beanbag in the children's area of the library and Graham had pulled several books off the shelf which had proved a big hit. Regina was grateful for her boss' flexibility around her child as well as his welcoming nature. It was a relief to know she was able to bring Henry to her place of work on the days when Marian couldn't collect him. Roland too had come to the library one or twice although he was less interested in books.

Which was particularly apparent after school later that day when Regina stood by the gate, watching the stream of children pour out into the playground. Her son appeared before Roland, nose in a book. Regina couldn't help but smile. She loved that Henry was a reader. Behind him came Roland, dragging his school bag behind him as if the effort to hoist it onto his shoulders was too much. As she watched, Roland tapped Henry on the shoulder. Looking up from his book, Henry followed Roland's finger which was pointing at a child on the far side of the playground.

Henry tucked his book into his bag and followed Roland, the pair of them jogging over to a blonde haired boy who looked a little younger than the two six year olds. Regina didn't recognise him but wondered whether he was one of the other friends Henry had mentioned in his class. After a few seconds, however, she realised she was wrong. Before her eyes, Roland shoved the boy hard in the chest. He stumbled, his bag dropping to the floor. Roland looked at Henry. After a moment, Henry stepped forwards and mimicked what Roland had done. The smaller boy fell backwards at once and even from across the playground, Regina could hear him crying.

"Shit," she muttered. "Excuse me." Pushing her way through the throng of parents waiting to collect their children, she reached the gate just as the teacher on duty noticed what was happening. "Can I come in? My son is …" She trailed off. Over the shoulder of the teacher standing by the gate, she could see Roland and Henry, side by side, looking down at the boy whose face was red and streaked with tears. What was she supposed to say? My son is bullying another child?

"You're Henry Mills' mother, right?" the woman asked.

"Yes," Regina nodded. "And I think I'm about to need to speak with the head teacher."

She pointed, unable to say more, at the altercation. The teacher glanced over at the three children, noticed that another of her colleagues was helping the crying boy to his feet and turned back to Regina. "Go on in," she replied with a look of distain on her features.

Regina walked through the gates, feeling a hundred eyes on her, judging her. The mother of a bully. The mother of a child who made other children cry. What sort of mother was she? What had she taught her son? Didn't she know how to raise her child?

"I'm so sorry," Regina said to the teacher as soon as she was within earshot. "Is he ok?"

"Mrs Mills, I assume you saw what just happened?"

With a jolt, Regina recognised the teacher. It was the head. She hadn't spoken to her since Henry had been accepted into the school. Their first meeting had been pleasant and the woman, Mrs Thomas, had been very welcoming. Regina got the feeling that this second meeting was going to be less pleasant.

"It's Ms but yes," Regina nodded. "I'm so sorry. Henry, say sorry, please. Roland too. Apologise, both of you."

"Sorry," both boys muttered in unison. Henry looked horrified but Roland was just kicking a small pebble with the toe of his shoe.

"Well, I'm afraid sorry isn't going to cut it. We have a zero tolerance rule on bullying in this school. You'll have to come with me. Do you know Roland's mother?"

"Yes, we live together. Marian's at work. Do you need to speak with her?"

"I will do but for now, you'll do."

That sounded ominous, Regina noted. But she nodded nonetheless.

"Do you remember where my office is?"

"Yes," Regina nodded.

"Go there and wait for me. I'll going to take Hansel to his father and explain what has happened. Henry, Roland, go with Ms Mills please. I'll be speaking to you later."

Regina reached down to take the boys' hands and marched them, red-faced into the school. Sitting them down on two chairs outside the headteacher's office, she crouched down in front of them. "What did I just see?" she asked, voice low and slow.

"Nothing," Roland replied at once. "Hansel fell over. We were just standing by him."

Ignoring the lie, Regina turned her attention to her son whose eyes, she realised, were shimmering with tears. "Henry, why did you do that?"

Bottom lip wobbling, Henry tried to speak but gave up, bursting into tears instead. Despite her anger at his actions, Regina gathered her son into her arms. Beside them Roland frowned.

"Ms Mills, come on through," Mrs Thomas said as she walked past the little family and Roland.

Regina moved to stand up but Henry's arms tightened around her neck. So she stood, with him clinging like a monkey to her front, and helped Roland off his chair, guiding him into the headteacher's office. She hadn't been in that room since the day Henry had started, since he had been accepted into the school. Emma had been by her side then. Regina suddenly wished Emma was there now. But she wasn't. She was in court. Giving evidence. Against Leo. Regina already had more than enough on her mind. She didn't need the worry of her son becoming a bully added onto the top.

"So, Henry and Roland, would you like to tell me what happened in the playground?" Mrs Thomas asked as soon as the trio on the far side of her desk were sat down.

"Hansel fell over, Miss. We didn't do nothing bad," Roland said at once.

"Is that so? Does that mean that when I saw you push Hansel and then when Henry pushed him, I was imagining things?"

Roland shrugged. The headteacher turned to Henry. "Do you agree with Roland, Henry? Did Hansel just fall over or did something happen to make him fall over?"

Through his tears, Henry sniffled something but neither Regina nor the headteacher could decipher any words.

"Henry, I saw what happened too," Regina murmured to her son. "Can you please tell us why you pushed Hansel?"

There was a pause, more snuffling and then Henry wiped his snotty nose on the sleeve of his sweater. "Roland made me," he hiccupped. "Ow!"

In retaliation to the betrayal, Roland had swung a kick at Henry's ankle. The injury set off another howl of tears and Henry climbed into his mother's lap, away from his violent friend. Regina wrapped her arms tightly around her son, secretly glad that he wasn't the ringleader in the unpleasant bullying incident but knowing this was far from the end.

"Roland, why did you push Hansel?" Mrs Thomas asked again.

"I didn't. Henry's lying. And Hansel just fell over. I didn't touch him," Roland yelled, his own face now red from anger, not tears.

Turning to Regina, the headteacher raised her eyebrows. "Do you have Marian's cell phone number? I'll need her to come in."

Regina nodded and fumbled in her bag for her new cell. She had got it only two weeks ago, as a celebration for completing her first week at her new job. Emma had helped with the contract by connecting it to her own debit card, 'just until you can apply for your own,' the blonde had assured her. The gesture had meant a lot to Regina who was still unsure if and when she would get access to any of the assets from her marriage to Leo. Finding Marian's contact details, she handed the handset to the headteacher who copied down the number.

"Ok, take them home," Mrs Thomas said once she had the details she needed. "But let Marian know to expect a call from me. And Roland and Henry, during lunchtimes for the rest of the week, you'll be inside with Mr Price and you will both need to write a letter to Hansel to say sorry for pushing him."

Roland huffed and muttered "fine," as he slid off his chair. Henry just kept crying.

"Thank you," Regina replied. "And I'm very sorry. I will speak with Henry about his behaviour later today."

"Goodbye, Ms Mills."

Walking somewhat awkwardly from the office, Regina let Roland go on ahead as she adjusted her increasingly heavy son, so he was precariously balanced on her hip. In fact, halfway back to the shelter, she had to lower Henry to the ground and insist he walk himself. He did so, hand gripped tightly in hers, tears now rolling less frequently down ruddy cheeks. Roland, several metres ahead, had picked up a stick and was hitting every streetlamp they passed, a dull clang the only sound as they walked.

The sooner we leave the shelter, the better, Regina mused to herself as she dropped Roland off in the common room where he ran to another of the children and started to play. How long had this bullying been going on for? How many other unpleasant behaviours had Roland encouraged her son to get involved in? She was so wrapped up in her thoughts about Henry that it wasn't until she saw Emma sitting on her bed that she remembered with a jolt where the blonde had been all afternoon.

"How was it?" Regina asked as soon as the door to the bedroom was closed.

"What happened?" Emma asked, as soon as she saw Henry.

"What?" Regina frowned. Emma gestured to the boy who had thrown himself, face down, on the bed. "Oh, he pushed a kid over at school. Roland told him to, apparently. But he still did it. Henry has to spend his lunchtimes this week inside and write a letter to Hansel to say sorry, don't you Henry?"

The boy didn't answer. Emma however, had more questions. "Henry pushed another child? And Roland was involved too? Why?"

"I can't answer why Roland acts the way he does, although from what Marian has told me about his father, I can guess. As for Henry, well, I suppose it's in his DNA."

The words caught in her throat as she said them, slicing like glass. The truth. Emma saw her girlfriend crumbling and jumped up off the bed to wrap the shaking woman in a hug. There were no words. She had no idea how to comfort Regina. While she was fairly confident being a bully wasn't a genetic trait, she could understand why Regina would make the connection. In fact, it was more likely that both boys had witnessed bullish, unpleasant behaviour from their fathers towards their mothers and were re-enacting that. It wasn't the first time a child from the shelter had been involved in an incident of bullying. Emma knew some of the mothers had a hard time counterbalancing the negative exposures which their children had experienced for many of their formative years.

"He'll be ok," Emma soothed, at least knowing that to be true. Henry would be ok. He had a loving mother who would do anything for him. And he was young enough to learn the right way to interact with people. One incident, for now, wasn't something to be worried about. Most children went through a phase of throwing their weight around at school. That didn't mean they were going to continue doing that and become … well, someone like Regina when she was a teenager.

The brunette cried into Emma's shoulder and Henry cried into his pillow. There was nothing for Emma to do but wait it out. She held Regina closer, whispered soothing statements into her ear and slowly, eventually, the tears stopped.

"Sorry," Regina whispered when she pulled back.

"What for?"

"For getting mascara all over your shirt," Regina replied, pointing to the black smudge on Emma's shoulder.

"Oh." In Emma's mind, she ran through the products which were kept in the cupboard under the sink. She would soak the shirt first. Add bleach. Soak it a little longer, after carefully reading the instructions. Then rinse. Then wash. "It's ok," she declared. "I'll be able to get it out."

Remembering why Emma was wearing a smart white shirt, Regina asked her question again. "How was court?"

"Fine but I'll tell you about it later," Emma replied, not wanting to speak in any detail with regards to Leo in front of Henry. "Do you want dinner? How about we order some pizza? I think all three of us could do with it."

"You need pizza too? Did it go badly?"

"No, it went fine. The lawyer didn't ask anything I wasn't prepared for."

"And the jury? Do they hate him?"

"I wouldn't go that far but they're hearing what happened. They're hearing the truth. The lawyer seemed confident. He said there's still a plea on the table though. If he takes it, you won't have to testify."

"But he hasn't taken it. So does that mean Leo thinks he might be found not guilty?"

"It's the first day of the trial. They've only heard from me and one of the cops. Once they hear from the other cop and you, plus they'll get to watch the security camera footage, there's no room for reasonable doubt. He's guilty, Regina, and I trust the jury to find him that way."

"What's the plea for?"

"Taking a civilian hostage at gunpoint, that's me. Possession of an illegal firearm. His gun wasn't registered. The offer is five years for each. The lawyer said he couldn't push for more as the jury finding him guilty wouldn't make it much higher than that and there has to be incentive. And there'll be a restraining order attached, to protect both you and Henry."

"Do you think he'll take it?"

"I don't know."

"Does the lawyer?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask. You can ask on Wednesday, if the plea hasn't been taken by then."

Regina had, selfishly, been trying to ignore the trial. She had obediently been prepped when the lawyer asked her to come in but aside from that, she was pushing it from her mind. But the realisation that Emma had been standing in a courtroom, testifying as to how her soon to be ex husband had held a gun to her head brought it all back. This was happening. Leo was facing charges. Henry's father was, in all likelihood going to prison. And she was going to have to stand in open court and tell everyone what he did to her during their marriage.

"Will you come with me on Wednesday?" Regina asked, voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course," Emma nodded. "Whatever you need, just tell me, ok? I've supported women through divorce proceedings and criminal cases before but I've never had a girlfriend go through it. If you need something, ask. I want to be here to help you. But you will need to tell me otherwise I won't know the right thing to do."

"Thank you," Regina replied, collapsing into Emma's arms again.

There was a pause and then a small, watery voice piped up; "pizza? I'm hungry."

Well, at least Henry was starting to get over the day's events, Regina mused as she and Emma set about ordering their dinner, Regina also wondering how she was going to discuss the playground bullying incident with her son.

It had been an underlying fear, she supposed. Most parents would wonder whether their child had a mean streak, a spiteful or cruel personality. But thanks to Regina's own behaviour as a teenager, she was more concerned than most about whether or not Henry would become a bully. Today confirmed that fear. Although she did believe her son and had watched the event unfold with Roland as a the ringleader, Henry had still pushed the child over. Mortified with his own actions afterwards, yes, but he had still been the one to push Hansel to the ground. Perhaps the repercussions would be enough to stop him doing it again but Regina couldn't help the creeping doubts about her own personality. Was she an unkind person? Did that mean Henry was unkind too?

Except Henry had always been a sweet, generous and empathetic child. Nothing about his behaviour until today had given Regina any cause for concern. Given what the two of them had been through, she supposed that was remarkable. After all he had seen and heard back in Maine, it was a miracle Henry was as good natured as he was.

He'll be ok she thought to herself as he watched her son offer Emma the final piece of pizza that night. We'll help him.

We. Was that what she and Emma were doing? Were they raising Henry together? As the thought crossed her mind, Emma poured Henry another glass of orange juice and passed him a napkin to wipe the tomato sauce from his chin. Catching the brunette's eye, Emma sent her a wide, genuine smile. And despite everything, Regina couldn't help but smile back.

A/N: Sorry it's later than usual! Next week – Regina's testimony!