I don't own these characters; Disney/ABC does.
12: Transformation
Regina and Emma knew they should take stock of the town, but the first thing they wanted to do was make sure Henry was safe. Regina should not be surprised to find him in the street with his grandmother, who apparently did not think he might be hurt in the aftermath of the chaos, but she still could not believe that Snow brought him outside. How could she not think keeping Henry safe was the top priority and that included staying in the loft rather than helping these morons after a dangerous situation that still had potential to be dangerous? At least she put a coat on him.
Henry's face lit up when he saw both of his mothers and he rushed to their sides, grabbing them both in a big wrap-around hug. Regina tensed almost immediately. Her brain did not know what to make of this. Whatever "this" was. He stepped back and focused on Regina, squinting as he studied her. Her stomach quivered as she tried to brace herself for the diatribe he was about to unleash.
"Are you all right, Mom?" Henry asked, his voice low, like he cared, like he was worried.
Regina blinked. "I'm sorry, what?" Her brain could not process his concern. "I've returned your mother unharmed." She motioned to Emma. She would never let anything happen to Emma. She was not sure why Henry would think otherwise. Well, he thinks the worst of you, so there's that. Her heart sank into her chest, swallowed by an abyss inside of her. Even though she had saved the town, he still thought she was horrible enough to harm his mother.
Henry flinched. "Um… yeah, thanks. But, I meant you."
Regina looked at Emma, needing a translation. Why would he be asking if she was all right?
Emma shook her head and patted Henry on the shoulder. "Kid, I think you need to have a conversation with your mom because it's kinda sad that she doesn't get you were worried about her and that's not on her this time around. Not to mention, she just risked her life saving this town and she already knows how thankless that job is."
Regina shook her head. "It's all right, Henry. We can talk when you're ready." She tried her best to smile, but her mouth refused to cooperate and then her throat betrayed her. A sob escaped her and she covered her mouth as quickly as she could to cover it up.
"We could've died!" Henry threw his arms out as tears welled up in his eyes. "Just like in Neverland, we could've died! It's like we almost always could've died and you always worry about me!" His face twisted, turned red, and he latched onto her like he never planned to let her go. He broke down, weeping into her shoulder. "We could've died and I just wanted to show you I can take care of myself! You didn't have to worry about me. I did die and I just wanted to be able to take care of myself, so that didn't happen again and you didn't have to worry and you didn't have to hurt someone because of me! I just wanted to be normal and not need my moms to babysit me, but we could've died!" He clutched her back, digging in through her coat into her flesh.
Regina finally relaxed and held him tight, saying without words that they were all okay. All of this time, he had not rejected her. He had just been trying to show he could be independent. She inhaled, taking in his smell, flooded with memories of him as a baby, as a toddler, as her son. Tears escaped her eyes and she did not bother to wipe them away, as that would mean having to let him go. She ran her fingers through his hair, which was quite long.
"I died because I couldn't take care of myself and I just wanted to not die and make it easier for both of you, so you don't have to worry," he bawled.
"Look at me, Henry," Regina said.
He did as asked, pulling away just enough to look at her. His face was red and wet, fat tears pouring from his eyes. She wiped his face with her hand and smiled at him as she caressed his cheek, not even caring about the snot cascading from his nose.
"There's nothing wrong with needing help, especially to get you out of trouble. I had to learn it the hard way, as I could've died several times, but your mother was there. So, now I know to take your mother's assistance whenever it's offered and I think she's learned the same with me. It's never weak to lean on people you can trust and you can trust me and Emma. All right?" Regina asked.
Henry nodded and sniffled, inhaling deeply and taking the snot back into his nose. Her little prince would need a few tissues after this. "I just don't want to keep needing saving. I keep getting in trouble…"
"Sometimes…" Regina glanced at Emma, who was assisting her mother getting the streets in order. Regina had not even noticed her step away. "Sometimes, trouble is the best way to learn important lessons."
With another nod, he sniffled and wiped his face right on his coat sleeve. "I'm so sorry for everything, Mom. I really just wanted to show you I could take care of myself. Maybe I wanted to prove to myself I could take care of myself and I said so many horrible things to you and I hurt your feelings and I was just awful, to you and Emma."
Regina took a deep breath. "It's all right for now, Henry. We can talk more about it tomorrow. Now, go hug your mother."
He nodded. "I love you, Mom."
Her heart actually stopped. As did her brain. There was a moment there, Regina was certain, she actually died of shock. Henry loved her.
"I love you, too," she replied.
He smiled. "I know."
Henry trotted off over to Emma and Regina felt like all of her insides spilled out into the street, but in a good way. It was not that Henry rejected her. He was trying to deal with his ordeals by becoming stronger. But, he was a child and did not know actually what that meant beyond trying to stand on his own, and possibly with the one parent who did not know of his ordeals and would not treat him as if he was made of glass. She and Emma needed to get him to understand it was not that they were scared he would break, but that he was precious to them. He was not glass. He was an heirloom.
She left Henry with Emma, trusting Emma to take care of him, and teleported to check on D'Artagnan and Mikey. She appeared in the living room and found it empty. She walked upstairs and went to Mikey's bedroom. Also empty. Stepping over to the master bedroom, she knocked and was greeted by the barrel of a gun in her nose. She locked eyes with Nanette, business in her gaze and lines under her eyes.
"Greetings, dear," Regina said in a calm tone, even though she was not confident she had enough time to stop a bullet should Nanette decide to pull the trigger. At least she would die knowing her son loved her.
Nanette sighed and lowered the gun. "Is D'Artagnan with you? I'm not sure I can do this much longer."
It did not seem that way on Regina's end, considering how steady her hand was. "It's all right. I'm assuming Mikey's glamor didn't return?" From the glimpse she got of the spell, it would take more effort to return the facades to people because they would have to make a conscious decision to accept the magic.
"No." Nanette turned and waved Mikey over. Mikey tucked herself under Nanette's arm. If only their reunion could have been calmer and more pleasant for both of them. Mikey was still in her true form, mouth trembling.
"What happened, Regina? Mom came in, said everything was fine, and then ran off, but everything's not fine! I can't go outside like this!" Mikey's eyes welled up with tears as she held up her hands, displaying her green skin.
"Shh." Nanette caressed Mikey's head and kissed the top of her hair without hesitation. "It'll be all right." She looked to Regina, eyes pleading with her. "You can put her glamor back, yes?"
Regina nodded. "For now, but after this, we have to come up with another solution. In case something like this happens again." Regina waved her hand in front of Mikey and put her human facade back in place.
"Have all the animals gone back to… normal for this realm?" Nanette asked.
Regina nodded. "They have, but I'm not sure about any of the people. It's easier to disguise an animal with magic. This spell needs you to consciously accept it to reverse and after what happened the first time it was cast, I doubt anyone did that when it pulsed out the second time. Not that it matters, as it would still take more magic to turn everyone human again."
Nanette gasped. "So, there are defects out there now without their human face?"
"Mama," Mikey said with a stern look.
Nanette winced. "I'm sorry. I'm a little out of sorts. I'm just… worried. D'Artagnan's still out in that mess."
Regina sighed. "I'll go take care of it. Just make sure you keep Mikey safe."
Nanette nodded and Regina vanished, back to the streets with her. Not every person affected by the magic was a so-called defect and not all defects were affected by the magic, but it was still chaos outside. There were several centaurs trotting around, a few satyrs within sight, and spirits ducking into buildings. This would need organizing or there would be mobs soon enough. She could not stop the groan that escaped her. I should find Emma, if only to see if she has new information. And, maybe to make sure she and Henry were all right.
-8-8-8-8-
Emma would like to believe that D'Artagnan's assessment of her mother was a little off as she watched Snow work with Regina to settle the town and organize an emergency town meeting. Snow had not ignored the mistreatment of any of the less-than-human people. Although, Emma understood not all of them were considered "defects." Poor Ruby was stuck in her werewolf form, even though she had all of her wits about her, so no one freaked out and called her names. Still, Tinker Bell was glued to her side, like she wished someone would, which was amusing to Emma. Granny was also there, crossbow in hand, in case someone got stupid, like Ruby could not take care of herself.
As people poured into Town Hall, it seemed like it was Regina's show more than anyone else's because she glared at anyone who looked ready to step out of line. Emma glared right along with her. She was not interested in anyone else starting anything.
"Everyone come to order," Snow said as people settled into seats or stood off to the side of Town Hall. Some people made faces at others or cringed away as they talked loudly about those who were different. It was disgusting. David was just behind Snow, as always, gesturing for people to calm down, but it did nothing.
"Everyone just sit down and shut up," Regina said, her voice a sharp snap. Everyone went down and the room was silent. While she and Snow put the meeting together, the other two dozen mayoral candidates were in front with them. Emma was not sure how much they helped with the efforts of last night and early this morning.
"Now, I'm sure we're all aware that last night there was a magical anomaly," Snow said.
"I bet it was the Evil Queen trying to kill us all!" Grumpy sneered at Regina.
Regina sniffed. "Yes, because in this plot to kill you all, I would then go out of my way and risk life and limb to stop the creatures coming after you. Makes perfect sense." She rolled her eyes.
Snow jumped in before there was blood. "Regina's actually the one who stopped the anomaly."
"How do we know that?" Doc inquired, also glaring at Regina.
"I'll be sure to let the next anomaly kill everyone to avoid these accusations and questions," Regina replied.
"Was this really a magical anomaly?" Ruby asked.
Regina shrugged. "It was in the sense that someone cast a spell they didn't understand and the magic ran amok."
It was not a lie. Everyone who was in the know decided not to mention Neal was the reason half of the town was destroyed. Emma did not agree with it, but she did not want to see Henry's father harmed while Henry was still trying to get to know him. In return for their silence, Neal and his father had to help rebuild or Emma would tell everyone just what he did, including the reason behind it. They just had other things to worry about beyond punishing Neal for being an idiot and with the way Storybrooke acted, half of these morons would want to punish him before doing anything else. They would happily live in a pile of rubble to see someone publicly shamed and then have a fit over living in that pile as soon as the punishment was over.
"Uh… is there a way for us to change back? This town isn't really made for the centaur life." The centaur, forced to stand in the back, motioned to his body. He was not alone. There were almost a dozen of them.
"Regina?" Snow stepped back, actually giving Regina the floor.
"I am willing to change anyone back who wants it," Regina replied.
"Does it have to be you?"
"If you would rather trust Rumple or the Blue Fairy to perform the task, enjoy. It doesn't bother me in the slightest." Regina gave another shrug.
"Are we getting rid of these damn defects now?"
Snow stepped up, but Regina put her hand up. "I'll handle this one, dear." She looked at the crowd in a way Emma imagined the Evil Queen surveyed villagers as she sought Snow White. "If any of you should decide to touch the hair of a single so-called defect, I promise you'll hope that Sheriff Swan and her deputies get to you before I do."
"What Regina means to say is, we are all citizens of Storybrooke," Snow started.
"Oh, please! You allied with the Blue Fairy, who once sought out any and all halflings to turn us into fairies for your army!" someone growled. Several other angry noises followed.
Emma was not sure what that meant, but it did not sound pleasant. Worse still, her mother did not deny it. This was what D'Artagnan was worried about with Snow becoming mayor.
"Better a fairy than a defect!" someone else said and there were sounds of agreement.
"Enough!" Regina's roar and slashing hand movements was enough to quiet the crowd. "We're not harming any people of Storybrooke. If that's something you want to do, I suggest you organize yourselves a fight club. This is not some new version of the Enchanted Forest. There are people here living in peace and harmony and don't want any of your shit."
Emma had to hold in a snicker at the word "shit." She looked across the room and locked eyes with D'Artagnan, who was slack-jawed. Okay, so it was not just her. Regina, for all her bad-ass-ness, did not swear and it gave people pause.
"Now, here's what's going to happen," Regina continued, voice somehow regular volume yet booming at the same time. It was kind of hot. Whoa, where'd that thought come from? Emma shook her head and focused on Regina's words. "There are forms to fill out about property damage, all drawn up by our wonderful interim-mayor, Atalanta Lionheart." Regina motioned to the interim mayor, who stepped forward like bullets bounced off of her.
Atalanta surveyed the crowd like a hunting lion and they did not say a word. Emma locked eyes with D'Artagnan, curious what to make of it. D'Artagnan mouthed the word "defect" and Emma arched an eyebrow. She wondered what the hell made Atalanta a defect, but would never ask. This sort of prejudice sucked just as much as real world bigotry and she did not even get it.
Regina's voice carried through the auditorium. "You will fill out the property damage form if what happened last night affected your property in any way and you will return it to its proper place in the mayor's office without a word. You will wait your turn for someone to come and access the damage. If any of you decide to cut corners, I will not hesitate to turn you into a frog. Are we clear?" Regina scanned the crowd with narrow eyes. There was silence. "Are we clear?" she repeated, voice a little sharper now. Emma's heart thumped at the sound.
"Yes!"
"Good." Regina nodded. "Next, we need volunteers for cleanup. So, unless you're going to help clean up or want to get in line to change back to your human form, now would be the time to leave."
And like smart people who did not want to piss Regina off anymore, they began to file out. Emma tried to ignore her body's reaction to this whole meeting. To help her get over it, she waved people out, even though they did not need directing.
"You're a mess, you know that?" D'Artagnan stepped over.
"If my life was a room, it'd be a garbage dump," Emma replied with a shrug. She never needed anyone to tell her that.
D'Artagnan chuckled. "It doesn't have to be that way. Just like some of the so-called defects will choose to stay as they are. Or, in my case, declare being a defect proudly now. So, you, too, can make a decision to just be who you are."
Emma glanced at Regina and then at her mother. "Yeah, there are things to do."
-8-8-8-8-
After a day of dealing with the denizens of Storybrooke, Regina did not know how she would react to returning to the condo and finding Nanette still there. With everything calm and going back to normal, she was not sure how Nanette would feel about her being around in her home, even if it was a Cursed home. She did not need another argument or fight for the day. Nanette was in the kitchen, cooking if the smell was anything to go by. Mikey was by her side, moving about the kitchen.
"Regina, how'd everything go?" Mikey asked, turning to her with such a bright smile it was easy for Regina to forget the hated all of the Storybrooke.
"I have a list of people who I have to change back to humans, but you get to be the first one," Regina replied, which was part of why she was there. She really just wanted to be with Henry, but Emma requested him for the evening as she would speak to him and her parents together about her life and Neal. She would not be able to get real time with Henry until tomorrow anyway. She was not welcomed at the loft, even though she and Snow put their differences aside to help fix the town.
Mikey rushed over to her while Nanette looked on from the kitchen. "Really? What do I have to do? What will make this different from the glamor?" She grinned with eagerness and her eyes sparkled.
"You don't have to do much. This is a more permanent spell than the glamor, which can sometimes be given away with something as simple as a reflective surface. I don't want them to be able to spot you out of a thousand yous if possible."
Mikey nodded. "Okay. That sounds cool. So, what do I need to do?" She bounced on the balls of her feet.
"First things first, get something that you're not likely to lose and can carry everyday. I have a potion to enchant it, just in case. But, all you really have to do is drink this potion." Regina waved her hand and a small vial appeared in her hand. She handed it to Mikey.
Mikey held up the vial, dazzled by the sparkling gold liquid. "Wow."
"You had time to make that? D'Artagnan said you were swamped with work," Nanette said.
"Spoken to D'Artagnan, have you?" Regina asked with an uptick of her eyebrow. D'Artagnan had been helping the clean up effort and had been home long enough to shower, and apparently speak with Nanette.
Nanette frowned. "We discussed our child."
Mikey preened at that and Regina smiled. "Are you making dinner for just you and your child then?"
Nanette grunted and turned her attention back to her pots. "Well, according to Michela, you are a guest in this house and you've been cooking every night, so I think you've earned a meal. And it's D'Artagnan's home, so…" She shrugged. There was a hint of bitterness in her voice.
"Hey, Mikey, how about you go to your room and take that potion while I talk to your mama." Regina offered Mikey a smile to let her know it would be all right. Mikey nodded and rushed off. Regina kicked her shoes off as she focused on Nanette. "You're still upset with me. Is it because the Curse placed you with this family?" It was easy to be resentful of living with "defects" and to now be associated with them, but Regina did not get that vibe from Nanette. Does she really think I'm with D'Artagnan or have been with D'Artagnan?
Nanette turned to look at her. "I'm not upset with you. I'm upset with myself. I wasted so much time worrying what other people thought, not just my parents, but everyone when my child was hurting. Hell, I hurt my child for them. What the hell is wrong with me?"
"Fear makes us do strange things," Regina replied.
Nanette scowled. "It's unacceptable. I've spent time with women who walked away from the children given to them in the Curse, families they were given in the curse. We all put on the same facade, all smiled even as it hurt, and we all knew, but said nothing. Then, when all of this went down, when it seemed like we could die, all I could think was that I wanted to hold my baby again. I wanted this time back. I wanted to love her again, love her right. I said that to my parents and they said it's just the Curse. That it was messing with my head and my heart, but it's not. I know the memories are fake, but they're there to let me know I could build something with her now. I want to build something with her now."
Regina nodded. "I knew you would."
Nanette let loose a laugh that sounded like a sob. "Glad one of us did. I had no idea. Even after you visited me, I was willing to go along with my parents, because I was expected to. But, I've been miserable since I left here and I couldn't imagine that being life now. And, again, I know the memories aren't real, but, god, thinking about Mikey…"
"And D'Artagnan."
Nanette blushed. "Yes, her as well, all I ever felt was happy. Thoughts of them got me through the day and worrying over them hurt. I couldn't live like that."
"Nor should you have to. And, consider this, even if they do find a way to go back, you don't have to go with them. You can stay here with your family and be normal."
Nanette took a deep breath. "And you could do the same thing."
Regina blinked. "Excuse me?"
Mikey poked her head back into the kitchen-dining room area. She was fully human again. "You could stay with your family."
"Mikey, what have you been telling your mama?" Regina gave Mikey a stern look.
Mikey shrugged. "Just some of the stuff I talked about with Henry. Look, I don't want to go into too much detail because Henry's business is his own. But, the big thing is he wants to be normal."
"I've spoken to Henry," Regina said, not wanting to have this conversation and acknowledge that other people knew her family business.
"I'm sure you have, but I doubt he told you everything. Whenever I talked to him, we kept arguing about what a real family was. He gets that you're his mother, but he seems to think that blood means they automatically love you and will do what's best for you. Not just him, but he thinks that for his birth mother, too. I wanted him to understand that family doesn't always have to be blood. Sometimes, family is choice." Mikey looked at Nanette and they both smiled at each other before Mikey turned back to Regina. "And, sometimes, that choice is right in front of you and you don't realize it."
Regina frowned. "I assure you, I've chosen my son already."
Mikey had the nerve to face-palm. "That's not who I mean."
"You should go after what makes you happy, like you told me," Nanette said.
"My son came to me, just as I knew he would," Regina replied.
Both of them gawked at her, like her answers were incorrect. Before she could say anything else, D'Artagnan came in. Mikey rushed her and grabbed her into a tight hug. D'Artagnan melted in the embrace and when she looked up and saw Nanette, it was clear what went through her head: I'm home. Regina wondered what that feeling was like.
-8-8-8-8-
Emma managed to talk her parents and Henry into going to Granny's after the work day was done. Snow treated it like a campaign appearance at first, shaking hands with people and smiling, but Emma pulled her away, quite rudely, as she was speaking to some people. She yanked her mother to their booth.
"I asked you all to come here, so we could talk," Emma said, trying to control her tone already. Hopefully, Regina's idea of a change in scenery would improve their listening skills.
"What is it, Emma?" Snow asked as she settled in across from Emma and next to David.
"I'm gonna move out," Emma replied. Whoa, what? Where did that come from? While she had thought about it, she had not meant to say that. It was definitely not supposed to be her opening line, but now that it was out, it was the truth. She had to get out of the loft for the sake of her sanity and her relationship with everyone at the table.
"To find a place with Neal?" Snow's face scrunched up, like she could not believe the words coming out of her mouth.
Emma sucked her teeth. "Of course not." She looked at each one of them carefully. "I need you to all hear me because I'm not going to say it anymore. I'm not getting back with Neal. I'd never put myself through that again. He hurt me, a lot. There is no True Love. You don't seem to understand what he cost me and now he has to pay the price just like I did. I will never be with him again." She turned to Henry. "I won't stop you from trying to know him, but you need to understand, it's never going to be what you want it to be with all of us. I hate Neal in a way I've never hated another human being because he's the reason I couldn't keep you. He's the reason I had to trust a system that I knew was worthless to take care of you."
"Ma…" Henry winced. It was nice to have a term of endearment to go with her title, but Emma could not even enjoy it at the moment.
Emma continued on. "I'm just telling you how it is. This fantasy you have that one day we're all gonna live this charmed life as a little family isn't going to happen. It's not just about not having romantic feelings for him. You might not understand that, but you have to know and accept I will never be with him again. Nothing will ever change that." She looked at each of them.
David opened his mouth and then shut it. "Why is it unforgivable?" If only he kept his mouth shut.
"You guys don't understand, somehow, the hurt that goes with losing a dream. This thing with Neal isn't just about the betrayal where I went to prison, where I had to give up Henry, but I had to give up this dream where we would be a family together. And I know you think I can have that dream now, but that dream is dead and Neal killed it. He didn't care what happened to me or Henry. He only cared about himself, his needs, and those are still the only things that matter to him." She looked at Henry. "Sorry, kid, but that's how I feel."
Henry nodded. "I hear you and I accept your feelings. I'll leave you alone about it. Yes, I wanna know him, but you don't need to even be in the same room with him. I don't want to hurt or upset you anymore."
"But… if you're not going to be with Neal, why do you need to move out?" Snow asked.
"Because this is all too much." Emma made a vague circle motion with her hand. "I don't feel like you guys listen to me or even realize I exist when we're in the loft. You talk to me like I'm a cardboard cut out and no matter how upset I am over it, you don't hear me. I think we all need distance to appreciate each other."
David glanced away. "Guess that's why you always almost bite my head off at work, huh?"
Emma sighed. "I slept in my car the other night to avoid you guys after this Neal thing. Twice actually. I don't want us to be like that, but you weren't hearing me. I don't want to be wrapped up in campaign stuff at home and at work. I don't want to talk about Neal beyond what he's doing with Henry. I want to be able to come in and relax. I want to be able to come in some place and just be Emma and I don't think I can do that in the loft anymore."
"You slept in your car?" Snow's eyes watered.
"Yes. And I'm mentally prepared to do it again, which is why I know I have to find a place of my own. Now, I wouldn't mind you guys coming over or me going to the loft but being able to leave at the end of the night, but I think that's the way it has to be," Emma said.
"But, we only just found you," David said.
"Yeah, on my end, it doesn't feel like you guys care beyond the fact that you found me. It feels like you don't care about me as a person," Emma replied.
"Emma, that's not true!" Snow reached over to take her hand.
"I'm telling you what it feels like and I think we can save this, which is why I wanted to talk and which is why I'm moving out. I'm not leaving. I'm not walking out of your life. I'm just doing what's best for me, which is probably best for us as a group," Emma said. It felt good to get that off of her chest and it felt good to finally be heard by these guys.
Snow and David looked at each other. They seem to have a conversation with their eyes. Emma glanced at Henry to check on him. He stared at the table, hands bunched up in his lap. She rubbed the top of his head and he gave her a shy smile.
"You might be right, Emma. We definitely haven't heard your frustration," Snow said.
"Or respected your thoughts and desires. We're just so overwhelmed to have you back," David said.
Emma was not sure they were overwhelmed by her presence, but if that was what got them to accept this, then she would take it. "Good to know. So, how about we have a nice family dinner and then you guys help me find an apartment?"
Her parents smiled at her and Emma could finally breathe a little easier. Henry was muted for the meal, but he would talk when he was ready. For now, the hard part was done.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: even more aftermath of this.