A/N: This story is currently unfinished. I know where I want it to go so I'm working on it. At this point (3/28/22), I have 9 chapters finished. Since I'll be posting once a week, that should give me time to work on more chapters as I post. Thanks for reading!
Chapter One
I used dialog from the show for certain scenes in the first few chapters. I own nothing. If I did, the show would have been a lot different.
The shrill screech of my alarm startled me awake. After shutting it off, I laid staring at the ceiling. Something felt different. Before I could dwell on the sensation any longer, I heard a crash in the kitchen. Tossing back the covers, I grabbed my housecoat and dashed down the stairs.
"Henry, are you okay?" Dread filled my chest as I saw a thin line of red running down my son's hand.
"I'm fine. The bowl slipped and I tried to clean up the pieces." Walking towards the sink, Henry reached for the paper towels.
"Here, let me." Wetting one, I inspected Henry's hand before wrapping it. "Put pressure on the cut while I clean up the glass." Taking the dustpan and broom from the pantry, I knelt beside the shattered bowl.
"Okay." Henry winced as the coolness touched the wound. "I'm sorry." He mumbled.
"It's okay, dear. Accidents happen." Sweeping the pieces into the pan, my mind wandered back to the odd feeling I woke with. Why can't I shake this feeling? Something is different about today. I can't place it. "There we go. I'll clean the floor once we bandage your hand."
Henry followed as I entered the guest bathroom on the main floor. "Do you think I'll need stitches?"
"I don't believe so but let me take a better look." Unwrapping my son's hand, I inspected the cut. "It doesn't look too deep so I don't believe stitches will be necessary. It's too long for a band-aid, so I'll need to cover it with gauze." After cleaning the cut, I gently wrapped Henry's hand with gauze and taped it. "As long as you're careful, that should hold."
"Okay." Henry watched as I worked.
"We'll clean it again in a few hours and change the dressing." Bringing his hand to my lips, I kissed his hand gently. "All better."
Scrunching his face, Henry pulled his hand away. "Mom, I'm not a little kid anymore."
"No matter how old you are, you'll always be my little prince." I immediately regretted my statement remembering Henry's storybook theory. He can't know the truth. If he found out, everything would fall apart. He would hate me. As if on cue, Henry's stomach growled. "Let's get something to eat. What would you like for breakfast?"
"Don't you have to work today?" Sitting at the bar, curious eyes watched as I poured two glasses of orange juice.
"I do but not until noon. I wanted to spend some time with you since it's a teacher work day."
Henry studied me, eyes narrowed. "Pancakes?"
"With bacon and eggs?" Henry nodded. "Pancakes it is."
Lunch time came and I dropped Henry off at the library like he asked. Before getting out of the car, I gave him some money to buy a snack or two if he wanted. "Don't forget your appointment with Doctor Hopper this evening."
"I won't." With that, Henry grabbed his backpack and made his way towards the door.
Rolling down the window, I called out. "I love you, Henry."
Nightfall came, and still no sign of Henry. Frantically, I called Doctor Hopper to see if he knew where my son could be.
"Hello Madam Mayor, how-"
"Is Henry with you?" I waved Graham towards the dining room as he walked in.
"No, Madam Mayor. I was about to call and-"
Ending the call, I slammed my phone onto the table. Panic surged through me. "Damn it!"
Cringing, Graham ran a hand through his shaggy hair. "Safe to say that didn't go the way you wanted."
"No, it did not." What if something happened to Henry? What if I never see him again?
Hearing a car engine, I ran towards the door. Opening it quickly, relief washed over me seeing Henry in the walkway. "Henry!" I wrapped my arms around my son, holding him tightly. "Are you okay? Where have you been?" Leaning back, I glanced over him to see if he was okay. "What happened?"
"I found my real mom!" Ducking under my arm, Henry ran inside.
Not knowing what to think, I stood. Finally giving attention to the blonde woman who brought my son home. She stood timidly, not quite sure what to do or say. "You're Henry's birth mother?"
"Hi." She smiled sheepishly.
Graham's voice broke the silence. "I'll just go check on the lad to make sure he's alright."
The taller woman shoved her hands into the pockets of her red leather jacket. Am I making her nervous? There's something different about her. Does she have something to do with the feeling I've had all day? Looking her over slowly, I smiled. There's only one way to find out. "How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?"
"Got anything stronger?"
"Not quite. I'm Regina Mills." Holding out my hand, I waited.
"Emma Swan." Her hand trembled as she took mine. I wasn't sure if it was because of me or the damp October air.
The woman followed me inside. She kept a few feet away from me at all times. "How did he find me?"
"No idea." Scooping a few cubes of ice into each cup, I filled them with a golden liquid. "I adopted him when he was three weeks old. It was a closed adoption. I was told the birth mother didn't want any contact."
"That's right."
"Is there a father?"
"There was one." She swayed from foot to foot. Still very guarded.
"Do I need to worry about him?"
"Nope. He doesn't even know."
I can feel her eyes on me. Turning, I walked towards the blonde. "Do I need to worry about you, Miss. Swan?" Holding out a glass, I waited for the woman to take it.
"Absolutely not." She kept my gaze. The cubes in her glass clinked together when I walked past. She's nervous around me.
"Madam Mayor, you can relax." Graham descended the stairs from Henry's room. "Other than being a very tired little boy, Henry's fine."
"Thank you, Sheriff." Giving me a nod, the man left. "I'm sorry he dragged you from your life. I don't know what's gotten into him."
We made our way towards the den. I needed to know more about this woman and the only way to get answers would be to talk with her. "Kid's having a rough time. It happens."
"You have to understand. Since I've become Mayor, balancing things has been difficult." Closing the door behind us, I took a seat in my chair while Miss. Swan sat on the couch. "You have a job, I assume?"
"I keep busy." Placing the half empty glass on the table, the younger woman leaned back trying not to fidget.
"Imagine having another job on top of that. That's being a single mom." I brushed hair out of my face. "So, I push for order. Am I strict? I suppose. But I do it for his own good. I want Henry to excel at life." I paused. "I don't think that makes me evil, do you?"
"I'm sure he's just saying that because of the whole fairytale thing." Leaning forward, she took another sip of cider.
"What fairytale thing?" What is she talking about?
"Oh, you know, his book. How he thinks everyone is a cartoon character from it. Like his shrink is Jiminy Cricket."
"I'm sorry. I really have no idea what you're talking about." I need to find this book and see what she's talking about. Does she know something? No. She can't.
"You know what? It's none of my business. He's your kid and I really need to get back." Finishing her glass, Miss. Swan stood.
"Of course." Like any good host, I walked the woman to the front door. "I hope you have a safe trip back."
The blonde studied me for a moment. "Thank you."
With that, I closed the door and went back into the den. I sat in my chair watching the fire. The dull ache I had in my chest all day progressively became worse. She has something to do with it. I should have kept her in town somehow. Feeling something warm on my wrist, I turned my gaze downward. My brow furrowed when I saw a light red band around my wrist. What is that? I tried scratching at the redness to see if it was solid. Nothing happened. Taking a piece of ice from my cup, I ran it over the same area. Nothing again. It doesn't look like a rash. What the hell is it? It feels warm and tingles. Glancing towards the clock, I hadn't realized how late it had gotten.
Making my way upstairs, I peeked into Henry's room. He was sound asleep. What does he know? And how does he know it? I need to find that storybook and get to the bottom of this.
Xxx
The next morning, I woke and Henry was nowhere to be found. His backpack was gone and there wasn't a note. The red mark was still around my wrist too. Everything that happened yesterday did actually happen. It wasn't a dream. What if he went to Boston again? What if he went to find her?
After getting dressed, I raced down to the station. "Graham, Henry's gone missing again." Turning the corner, my eyes fell on a familiar blonde in a leather jacket. "What are you still doing here? I thought you left. Do you know where he is?"
"Lady, I haven't seen him since last night." Shifting, the blonde put her arms through the cell bars. "And I've got a pretty solid alibi."
"He wasn't in his room this morning."
"Did you check with his friends? It's Sunday. Maybe he forgot to leave a note."
"Henry doesn't really have friends. He's a loner." I tried not to show how terrified I was.
"All kids have friends. Did you check his computer? If he was close to someone, he'd be emailing them."
My brow furrowed. "And you know this how?" Did she ever say what her job was? I don't believe so. She said she just keeps busy.
"Finding people's what I do." She paused. "Here's an idea; how about you guys let me out, and I'll help you find him." Graham looked to me for guidance. With a simple nod, he went to open her cell.
"Thanks. Let's get back to your place and go through his computer." The taller woman studied me. "We'll find…I'll find…" She stumbled over her words. "He will be found."
I watched as the woman snooped through Henry's computer. "Smart kid. He cleared his inbox." Reaching for her keyring, Miss. Swan found a flash drive. "A little recovery tool I like to use." In seconds, all of Henry's emails came up. Reaching for the mouse, the sleeve of her jacket moved. My stomach dropped seeing a faint red cord around her wrist. It's just like mine.
"Pretty clever." Graham started looking over the woman's shoulder. "I'm a bit more old-fashioned in my techniques. Pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, that sort of thing."
Miss. Swan brushed him off. "You're on salary; I get paid for delivery. Pounding pavement is not a luxury that I get." She paused. "Ah, there's a receipt for a website, . It's expensive. He has a credit card?"
"He's ten." I scoffed.
"Well, he used one. Let's pull up a transaction record. Card belongs to a Mary Margaret Blanchard." Green eyes met mine. "Who's that?"
Irritation started to boil inside me. "Henry's teacher." That little flake of snow is ruining everything.
"Do you know where she is?" Graham chimed in.
"Most likely at the school. She has a weekend lesson she does for students. I remember seeing the release form for the program."
"It's a place to start." Graham grabbed his keys from the desk. "Let's go."
Entering Mary Margaret's classroom, children flooded out. Unlike Graham and Miss. Swan, I went straight for the shorter woman. "Where's my son?"
The mouse-like woman cringed. "I assumed he was home with you, Miss. Mills. I was going to call you soon to check on him."
"You think I'd be here if he was? Did you give him your credit card so he can find her?" I motioned towards the blonde leaning against the wall.
"No. Of course not." Mary Margaret's gaze moved past me. "I'm sorry, who are you?"
"I'm…I'm his.." She stumbled. Not quite sure what to address herself as.
"The woman who gave him up for adoption." I snapped.
Pushing off the wall, she made her way towards us. "You don't know anything about this, do you?"
"No, unfortunately not." Opening her purse, Mary Margaret fished out her wallet to see a credit card missing. "Clever boy. I should never have given him that book."
"What in the hell is this book I keep hearing about?"
"Just some old stories I gave him. As you well know, Henry is a special boy: so smart, so creative, and as you might be aware, lonely. He needed it." Mary Margaret started to fidget under my stare.
"What he needs is a dose of reality." I paused, taking a calming breath. I have to keep my wits. "This is a waste of time." Turning on my heels, I started towards the door. "Have a nice trip back to Boston." With that, I stormed out.
Where the hell is that storybook?! Searching Henry's room, I looked everywhere for the book to no avail. I have to find out what Henry knows or everything will fall apart. I can't have that happen! I gave up too much for this curse to be broken. The whole town would rise against me. Feeling my wrist tingle, I glanced down to see the redness glow a little. Hearing a car door shut, I peered out Henry's window. A yellow VW bug was parked in my driveway.
I made it to the main floor as the doorbell rang. Opening it, I was met by Miss. Swan and my son once again. "You kept your word." I paused. "Thank you." Without a word, Henry ran into the house and up to his room.
"No problem." Shoving her hands into her pockets again, the blonde tried not to fidget under my gaze.
I need to get her out of my town but I also want to know why we both have this red mark on our wrists. It can't be a coincidence that it just appeared when she showed up. "He seems to have taken quite a shine to you, Miss. Swan." What was that? Something changes when I call her that.
"You know, it seems kind of crazy. Yesterday was my birthday. When I blew out the candle on this cupcake I bought myself, I actually made a wish. That I didn't have to be alone on my birthday. Then Henry showed up…"
My brow rose. "I hope there's no misunderstanding here. This isn't an invitation back into his life."
"Oh, I wasn't-"
"Miss Swan, you made a decision ten years ago. In the last decade, while you've been," I looked her over quickly. "Well, who knows what you've been doing. I've changed every diaper, soothed every fever, endured every tantrum. You may have given birth to him, but he is my son. You don't get to do anything. You gave up that right when you tossed him away. Do you know what a closed adoption is? It's what you asked for. You have no legal right to Henry, and you're going to be held to that. So I suggest you get in your car, and you leave this town. Because if you don't, I will destroy you if it is the last thing I do." The words came out harsher than I intended but I wasn't about to let someone take Henry from me.
"Wow, lady." Miss. Swan held her hands up in surrender. "I'm not trying to step on your toes or anything like that. I'm also not trying to take your son. I'm no mother. When I gave him up, I hoped he would end up in a place like this." She motioned towards the house. "I could never have given him this. Or had the strength and know how to be a single mother." My defenses eased the more she spoke. "I want to thank you for taking care of him." She paused. "Do you love him?"
"Henry?" She nodded. "Of course I love him. He's my son." What kind of question is that? She's up to something.
"Okay." Turning, the younger woman started towards her car.
Part of me wanted to keep her in town but the other wanted her to leave and never return. I've never been torn like this before. What am I supposed to do? "What are you going to do?"
Glancing over her shoulder, she answered. "I don't know yet."