I'm loving the feedback you guys have been sending so far! It's awesome to know that the same fans of We Can Love Again are loving this sequel so far. There's going to be Hace in this chapter- I think it's a ship all of us can agree on in the fandom haha. I know I originally called her Paige, but I think I'll be sticking with calling her Grace. I'll be introducing adult Henry in this chapter too. Hope you all enjoy!
Regina quite liked her job at city hall as the mayor. She was hesitant to accept the position again, since she had two children at home to take care of, but it was an offer she knew she couldn't refuse. Being mayor was something she enjoyed doing. Her mother had forced so many leadership tactics in her head in order for her to become queen one day- Regina couldn't let those skills be put to waste. The intentions of Cora's plans were entirely selfish, but that didn't mean her daughter couldn't make something positive out of it. It was so much easier to rule over a kingdom where everyone treated her like they would anyone else. She had earned their respect, and she couldn't be more grateful for that.
As much as she loved her job, being stuck in an office on a Saturday afternoon wasn't the ideal situation. Especially with the excitement of Henry returning to town. She didn't love the fact that her son was so far away, but she knew she could trust him to make good decisions on his own. Having a child attending a university made her feel so old. Much to everyone's surprise, however, Regina really didn't mind getting old- it meant she and Robin spent many happy years together, as well as many more in the future. Seeing her children grow was quite possibly the greatest rewards she could ever think of for being a mother.
Over the years, her office had generally stayed the same. In the days before the curse was broken, she had kept the decorations down to a minimum. She had no reason to do otherwise. In her current age in time, Caroline stopped by the office frequently. A few of her things were still scattered across the room from her last visit. Pictures now lined her walls and her desk, capturing the happy moments of her daughter's first ten years of life.
She was occupied with the task of filing papers for another parking lot that was supposed to start construction in the next week. It had been a long day of contracts and phone calls, something she was used to doing. But with the excitement of her son coming home, it was near impossible for her to focus on anything. She sent the Charmings (and Grace) a text to meet at her house at five, when she got off, but that didn't give her any time to help out or get ready. Henry said he would be there around then if traffic wasn't too bad. Regina knew Caroline was practically bouncing off the walls to see him again; Roland was too, even if he didn't show it. Things had been slow at the animal shelter where Robin worked, so he sent her a text that said he would be closing up early and heading home- that meant Regina was the only one not there.
Her nails tapped against the wood of her desk as she forced herself to concentrate on the paper long enough to slap her signature down at the bottom. After she did so, she glanced back down at her phone to check the time. 4:13. Dreadful.
"Regina?" A small voice from her doors sounded, instantly bringing the mayor's attention to her personal assistant in her doorway. Her name was Penny- Regina quite liked her.
"I can finish things up here if you want to head home. It's no problem."
The brunette smiled softly and shook her head. "No, I could ever ask you to do that for me. I'll be fine- Henry will probably be late getting here anyways."
"Caroline called here about eight times begging me to tell you to come home. I can't just say no to a nine year old."
Regina sighed. "I told her to stop calling you for things. I'm so sorry-"
"No need to apologize," Penny chuckled, "I like talking to her. And, if my son were visiting from Canada, I'd want as much time with him as possible."
After she said that, Regina knew there was no talking her out of it. Penny was just as stubborn as she was. So, she grabbed her purse, her keys, and her coat, abandoning her paperwork without a second thought.
"Thank you so much," she smiled, "I'll owe you coffee for a week- something like that."
There was no way she could object to that offer. "That'd be great. Now go spend time with your family- they need you."
And she knew she was telling the truth. Regina just hoped she would have time to get things ready- anything for her oldest son.
Sometimes it slipped Snow White's mind that there was a time in her life where she hated her stepmother, wanted her dead, even. Ever since Robin came into the queen's life, her cold outward appearance had dissolved into a woman who was full of love, kindness, and hope. Snow had known all those traits were inside of her from the moment she had met her, even if Cora had done everything in her power to make her her daughter would live a miserable life within castle walls.
But, ten years later, Snow openly invited herself into Regina's house, along with her husband and her daughter, knowing exactly where her spare key was hidden. In just minutes, the quiet white house had transformed into a lively environment- the kitchen was alive with wafting smells and sizzling sounds, the living room filled with laughs and animated conversations.
"Roland, your dumb dog is getting in the way!" Caroline shouted, swiveling the vacuum cleaner around the beagle, who was laying down in the middle of the carpeted floor.
"She's not dumb, she's just half blind, give her some slack." Roland countered, gently picking up the ten year old dog and setting her on the couch.
"How's it going over here?" Snow asked, carrying two cups of hot chocolate in her hands as she assessed the living room.
Caroline smiled with pride. "All vacuumed. Does that mean I get some cocoa?"
"It most certainly does," Snow answered, handing her a cup, "and what about you, Roland?"
The fifteen year old held up the feather duster in the air. "Everything's dusted. Not like there was much dust in this house to begin with; Mom's an obsessive cleaner."
His dry sarcasm always made Snow laugh- most of the time he didn't even try to be funny. But Roland was right, Regina was so acute about making sure everything in her household was perfectly in its place.
"Very true," she admitted, handing him the second cup.
From the kitchen, Emma's phone went off, causing everyone in the house to stop what they were doing and turn their attention towards her. There was a collective gasp hanging still in the air as the blonde quickly read the message. When Emma finished, her eyes widened to the size of saucers.
"He'll be here in ten minutes." She announced in a graven tone, glancing up towards her family, "he'll be here in ten minutes. Where the hell is Regina?"
That was a question nobody had an answer for.
"He has to be close to the town line then," Robin said, in the kitchen helping Ruby construct sandwiches as she managed a kettle of soup on the side. Emma, Killian, David, and Will had joined in to make a makeshift assembly line.
"You three want to join in?"
Caroline grabbed Snow's hand and took off towards the kitchen, fishing out a stack of plates from the cupboards and piling sandwiches onto them. It was amusing to see the girl reach so eagerly for each finished sandwich Will handed to her. The nine year old was finally tall enough to see over the countertop- it seemed like just months ago Snow had to lift her up to be able to grab anything from up there.
Everyone was so focused on finishing up the sandwiches, they didn't even notice the door opening behind them. Regina had rushed home as quickly as she could, coincidentally bumping into Grace on the way. The two entered the house, instantly feeling the warm air melt away the cold they had endured through.
"Mom!" Caroline shouted, leaving the job for Snow and Roland to finish so she could run over and give her a hug.
"What's going on in here?"
"Sandwiches!" The girl answered quickly, giving Grace a hug too. Her brother's girlfriend was still in her purple scrubs, with her blonde hair pulled up in a bun and her tired eyes still managing to sparkle with a happy excitement.
"Excited to see your brother?" Grace asked, a playful smile on her face as she admired the girl's enthusiasm.
"Yes! We've spent the entire day getting the house ready."
Regina offered to take Grace's jacket, sticking it in the front closet and evaluating the scene in front of her.
"Seems like you've all been hard at work," she smirked, placing her hands on Roland's shoulders and glancing down at the sandwiches that were beginning to pile up.
Though she had only contacted the Charmings about coming over, Regina knew she would come home to a herd of people. If Emma came, so did Killian. Same with Will and Ruby. But she didn't mind; they were all her family, a huge band of misfits maybe, but family.
"We've got less than ten minutes until he says he's coming," Emma told her, equally as excited as she was to see her son again.
"Then me made it just in time," Grace smiled, "seems like you guys have everything under control here. Did you get that science project finished, Caroline?"
She nodded. "And I got an A on it. Highest grade in the class, right Snow?"
The woman chuckled. "That's the price of having you as one of my students, huh?"
"But we love it," Regina interjected, wrapping her arms around her daughter from behind, "even if there aren't a lot of kids in her class."
They all knew Caroline was somewhat of a shy girl- having five other classmates didn't help in that matter.
"There were only thirteen other kids in mine and Henry's class even we graduated," Grace reassured, "you just have to make due with what you have."
"Isn't that the truth," Will added in when he passed by, carrying silverware in his hands and helping Ruby set the table.
With most all of the work completed, everyone else had began friendly conversations with one another. Regina loved these- simple family gatherings at the house, getting a laugh or two out, forgetting about everything else, just for a moment.
There was then a knock on the door. Everyone stopped their talking and turned their eyes towards the front door, smiles covering all their faces instantly as Henry Mills came walking through the door.
He was just as they all remembered him- tall, just over six foot, with dark eyes, tussled brown hair, and a kind smile. He had a slight shadow of facial hair, though, that was different. But he was still Henry, Regina's little prince, the boy with the heart of the truest believer.
"Hey guys," he smiled, waving toward the crowd of happy faces as his two mothers came to embrace him. "Missed you both, Moms."
Emma promised herself she wouldn't cry, but seeing her son again caused all the memories to come flooding back into her mind, making her so thankful she had him back.
Obviously they all wanted to hear about what he had been up to, but they could wait. Just having Henry back with them was more than enough for the moment.
"Hey buddy," Henry smirked towards his younger brother, who instantly rolled his eyes at the nickname.
"I'm fifteen, you don't have to call me that anymore."
He hugged him anyways. "But it's cool you're back. Nobody around here is as good as Call of Duty like you are."
"We'll have to play sometime soon," Henry chuckled, "but we both know I'll cream you."
There was that ambition Roland had missed so much.
"Henry!" Came Caroline's voice as she bounded towards him, practically jumping into his arms. "I missed you!"
The twenty two year old loved the relationship he shared with his little sister. Like him, she craved adventure, making for great stories that were exchanged between them.
She was a dreamer- full of belief in things unknown, still clinging to the same childlike attributes he had when he first went to find Emma in Boston.
"You're getting taller!" He exclaimed, instantly comparing her current height to when he had last seen her, "it's like you're a little tree- you just keep growing."
Caroline smiled back, some of her top teeth still missing, giving her an even more adorable appearance. "Did you talk like a Canadian yet? I watched a movie at school where these guys said eh after every sentence. Do you do that?"
The seriousness of her question caused Henry to crack up on the spot.
"Not yet. It's a skill that takes practice," he answered, looking up to see the greeting smile of his girlfriend, Grace. Holding his arms out playfully, he hugged her tightly, instantly feeling the peace he had waited months to feel again.
"I've missed you so much, eh?" Henry grinned, causing both his sister and his girlfriend to laugh.
"Oh shut up," Grace muttered, leaning in to place a kiss on his lips.
The next few minutes were filled with more hugs, friendly conversations, and the simple joy of catching up. There was so much to be done in the little amount of time they had with him, but neither of Henry's mothers would trade it for the world. Their family was once again complete; though they all had their pasts, trials, and mistakes, they all had one another- that was a simple gift not everyone in Storybrooke was blessed with.
I can't wait to develop more relationships in this fanfic as it continues on. How do you guys like Henry so far? Next chapter I'll write more of Henry and Grace, as well as more family feels. Zelena will make her return very soon too, don't worry!