Chapter Eighteen
Emma's appetite escaped her completely so she readily threw out the bearclaw and drove straight to her parents' loft.
She had no idea what Regina could say to change the mind of the most adamant boy that she knew, but there was the inescapable fact that she had ten years of Henry-experience over her.
There was literally no one in the family that knew him better, which meant being within earshot of another difficult conversation.
She had yet to recover from what she heard the night before but she painted on an expression of determination, one that would suit the sheriff searching for the accomplice to a murder.
It was rather difficult to hide the undeniable fact that things felt like they would be better if they failed in their current mission, but she wanted nothing more than to give Regina what she desired in this terrible situation.
Entering the Charming loft treated her to the second worst thing about her circumstances.
Snow White paused at the pan that she was hovering over so that she could shower her daughter in sympathy and Emma was dismayed to find an almost identical expression on her father.
Of course, Snow would tell her husband straightaway.
On the one hand, she was elated that their acceptance was not quite as unattainable as she thought it was, but on the other, she could imagine entirely other expressions if they knew that the object of her affections was currently glowering at them with a raised eyebrow.
"Emma," Snow said in the voice she often used on her grandson lately, but a pointed glance from Charming apparently reminded her of some agreement not to push, "Did you get anything from Jefferson?"
Emma blew out a breath between her teeth and replied, "He won't talk until he sees Grace, I was hoping that I could convince Henry to talk to her…"
"That's a good idea," David agreed and Emma had to try to not smile. If only he knew that he was agreeing with the Evil Queen's suggested course of action.
"Yeah," Emma said as she resisted looking at any satisfaction that may be exuding from Regin, the cuteness would only distract from the task at hand, "So…Where is the kid?"
"In your old room," Snow replied, "He said that he needed some space to study but I think that he just didn't want to talk."
"Sounds about right," Emma muttered, "I'll just go."
She head to the stairs amid a whispered conversation of concern at her back and once she was sure that they were out of prying ear-shot, she added, "How long do you think they're going to be like that?"
"Until they think you're better," Regina replied.
Emma scoffed as they got to the bedroom door, "How could they ever think I will be?"
Emma paused before her closed fist touched the door to find Regina's face had softened and then twisted in guilt.
Her own set of guilt washed over her for making the woman she loved feeling that way, so she proceeded to just rap against the bedroom door before pushing it open.
"Grandma, come on, I'm trying to do my homework…" Henry sighed but trailed off when he looked up from the papers sprawled across the mattress.
He lingered on Emma as she stopped inside but brightened upon finding that she wasn't alone as promised.
His parents' solemness was enough to wipe any vestiges of his Regina-induced smile.
"We need a favour, kid," Emma announced.
Henry slumped and picked up a random book to hold up to his face, "No way, I already said I don't want to help with this."
He stared at a sentence that he was incapable of reading as Emma caught Regina's gaze and, with a kind of sad confidence, Regina crossed to take a seat on the edge of the bed.
Henry put his book down as she peered around the multitude of homework he'd completed in the last few hours.
Henry grinned again at what Emma had to assume was a familiar scenario for the mother-son duo.
"See," Henry said triumphantly, "It's like you're here! You could be my mom for a while longer and then…"
Regina's hand passed through a notebook, but Henry remained unmoved, so she asked gently, "When do you think you would be prepared to let me go, Henry?"
The boy's mouth twisted and he glanced at Emma for support, probably knowing that she was the only one in town that could feel some modicum of what he did, but she just remained leaning against the door.
This was completely Regina's thing since she couldn't think of any collection of words that could convince a boy to let go of his mother, so she was content to remain silent throughout what was going to be an extremely difficult conversation for all involved.
Shifting among the crumpling papers, Henry replied, "I don't know…just…not yet…"
The pleading in each word was inescapable so Emma was genuinely shocked that Regina didn't break and give him what he wanted.
This was the woman who engaged a shooter to protect the boy who ignored her for six months but sharing a bed with her spirit meant that she was well aware that the emotion was liable to come out later.
"Once you accepted that you missed me, what was it that you wanted most from me?" Regina asked.
Henry made a show of shrugging to stall for time before he replied, "A hug I guess…but I can deal without them as long as you stay."
"But I can't deal without them," Regina said firmly, continuing despite Henry's attempt to argue, "I want to be able to spend time with you independently of Emma. I want to be able to hug you when you're upset or when I'm proud of you. When you get sick, I want to be able to soothe your fever. I thought that our time apart after the curse was broken was torture but this is infinitely worse."
Henry sucked in a gasp as her fingers glittered ineffectively against his cheek and Emma had to cringe for him. She was aware of exactly how uncomfortable the lack of contact was, Henry didn't look in his birth mother's direction though, he was far too occupied hanging onto every one of Regina's words.
"I am no longer capable of most things that gave me any joy in life and the more that I am forced to watch the people I love suffer because I cannot be what they need me to be, the worse it gets. I need you and Emma to move on so that this torture can come to an end. The only way that I can have a happy ending now is knowing that you both have a chance at yours. Do you think that you could give me that chance?"
Henry sniffed and asked vulnerably, "Without you?"
"Eventually…yes. There is no other option."
Henry dragged the heel of his palm over his eyes and asked, "What do you want me to do?"
Emma unhitched from the door and replied, "Jefferson…he won't talk unless he sees Grace. I promised she would never see him again so if the sheriff asks…it's too much pressure. But if you ask…"
Henry drew his eyebrows together, "What can I say?"
"I believe that you have some experience with reconnecting with a parent you were afraid of?" Regina supplied as Emma became lost for words.
"I was never afraid of you," Henry retorted, "I knew you wouldn't hurt me."
Regina's confidence appeared to momentarily crumble into an appreciative smile but she recovered and amended, "Reconnecting with a parent then."
Henry nodded, playing with some math homework as he replied, "Okay…I'll try."
"Thank you, my little prince."
Henry swallowed hard and shifted closer, "I'm sorry mom, I didn't think about what this is like for you. I just…really wish you could stay."
"I wish I could," Regina agreed.
Emma opened her mouth, hoping that talking would stop her impending tears, but was interrupted by a voice breaking through the strange bubble that surrounded their unlikely family.
"Emma!" Snow called.
Emma sighed and slipped, "Sorry kid…we'll be right back."
Henry was about to protest but flopped to the mattress as Regina had to stand and follow his other mother outside.
Once she closed the door, Emma was unable to respond to her own mother as she had to round on her companion. As expected, there was the pain she would always hide from their son etched into her beautiful features.
"How did you know that the hug thing would work?" she asked.
"Because…it's all that I want," Regina replied.
Against all logic, Emma found herself leaning forward, but stopped as Snow's voice carried up the stairs more clearly.
"Emma, are you hungry?" she asked.
"It's been hours since breakfast, Henry should eat too," Regina said before the saviour could claim to be fine.
"Always a mother," Emma muttered but headed down the stairs to endure yet more sympathy from her parents.
It would allow her to get some food to share with their son while they discussed the best way to approach the Mad Hatter's daughter.
S
In the interest of not putting too much pressure on Grace, they agreed to wait until the next day when she arranged to meet Henry.
This allowed for at least one night where they could pretend that everything was normal.
Or as close to normal as one could get when their mom was literally a ghost.
Regina couldn't partake in dinner even if she took a lively role in the conversation. During the movie they opted for, Henry saw the longing between his mothers, it was palpable now that he was aware of what was going on between them.
He could almost see Regina falling asleep on Emma's shoulder and the saviour pretending not to blush as she covertly played with the former queen's hair.
It may have taken some getting used to but he could see how the Evil Queen and Saviour would just make so much sense.
As it was, they would never find out what they could have been to each other.
Each missed opportunity caused pain to overcome Regina, making it clear that she wasn't exaggerating about being tortured by her state of being (or lack thereof).
The final straw was his failed attempt to kiss her goodnight, it was enough to harden his resolve.
He could give her whatever she wanted, no matter how difficult it was going to be, at least until Isaac showed himself again and revealed what his great 'next step' was.
For now, he could focus on the task at hand, which led him to trudge heavily through the light rain dotting the park in the mid-morning breeze.
Tugging at the scarf that his mother had instructed him to put on, Henry, at last, reached their agreed meeting spot.
He paused upon discovering that he wasn't as early as he thought he was, but squelching of his shoes was enough to garner the attention of the slightly older girl.
In spite of everything going on, he was unable to do anything about the blush that engulfed his entire body as she ran to hug him tightly.
He had thought that she would be more suspicious of his request to meet in a neutral place away from an adult presence, but he had also discovered that losing one's mother gave him a lot less need to explain their actions.
It was one of the very few benefits of grief.
Unfortunately, there was no way to get through this interaction without letting on what he wanted, though maybe he could do so without revealing the twisted end goal of all of this?
"I'm so sorry, Henry," Grace said as she stepped back and plopped onto the bench with tears already shining in her eyes.
Henry frowned and rounded the bench, "What are you sorry for?"
"Your mom…" Grace sighed, "I can't imagine what it must be like."
As Henry sat, he tried not to make it obvious that he was clenching his jaw. His resentment wasn't her fault, she couldn't know just how bad things had gotten.
"I miss her, but it's not your fault," Henry assured.
"If it wasn't for me…"
"You didn't ask him to…What he did, you didn't want that…" Henry said, firmly hoping to put an end to this line of discussion promptly.
Grace sighed, deflating against the bench, "I know that papa and the Evil Queen…"
"Don't call her that!" Henry snapped and sighed as she pulled back into herself, "I'm sorry. It's just…she's my mom, not the Evil Queen. It just makes it…easier for me, okay?"
"I get that," Grace said, "I hate thinking of him as…the Mad Hatter…Did you want to talk because he's back in Storybrooke?"
"How did you know?"
"Dr Hopper asked me where he would go in Wonderland. I know that Sheriff Swan has been looking for him…to arrest him…" she said, covering her face.
Henry touched her arm after a brief hesitation and said, "Yeah, he's back," she tensed under his touch but dragged her face up to reveal the tears had escaped.
So she was really afraid of her father?
That was something that he couldn't relate to, not fully. Even after the curse broke, he was much more concerned with what she would do to others, he always knew that he had nothing to worry about when it was just the two of them.
"What does he want?" Grace asked brokenly.
"Your dad…he admitted that he had help in the hospital. Emma needs to find out who the accomplice was," Henry admitted.
"Why is that so important?" Grace asked with her brow pinched and Henry's heart lurched as he considered editing that he was giving up on the woman who had raised him.
He banished the feeling as he remembered that he had an answer prepared.
"For justice, you know?" he replied, "I need to know who did this to my mom. They deserve to be punished."
Grace blew out a breath but nodded, "You're right, but what do you need from me?"
"He won't tell Emma who his accomplice was unless…he gets to talk to you one last time…"
Grace shot to her feet with a wild look in her eyes and Henry recognised that it was born from a similar sensation that came from watching Snow White applying pressure to his mother's bleeding chest.
It was the first time in his young life that he had experienced true fear. That he wasn't completely certain that everything would end well, that there wouldn't be a happy ending.
He slowly stood and held up his hands as she moved back.
"I know that you're afraid but…I really think this is something that you need to do. He's going to be in prison for a long time, this could be your last chance…" Henry said.
"He doesn't deserve it," Grace shot back.
"I thought that about my mom," Henry replied, doing little to hide his shame, "I thought that she was too evil to deserve me visiting her. There isn't a second where I don't regret not saying goodbye to her."
"That's different. Completely different," Grace said defensively, "You're mom, she's…"
Grace trailed off and Henry stepped closer to her, "You can say it! My mom is dead! Your dad isn't. Please, Grace, all I'm asking is that you talk to him one last time so that I can find out who helped to kill my mom! I know it's a lot to ask but my…family really needs this."
"But what if…"
"Emma will be there the whole time, you trust the saviour, right?" Henry bargained, perhaps sounding a little too desperate.
The absolute last thing that he wanted was to return to Regina as a failure after everything that she had done for him.
Grace reluctantly inclined her head and asked, "Do you think…could you be there too?"
"Of course!" Henry replied, eagerly accepting another hug.
He didn't blush this time, however, all he could think about was how he was certain that Isaac would return once he did anything to help Regina.
There was no way that the Author would let this story end in tragedy.