Rebuilding the castle

Ginger asked for a oneshot of Emma re-building Henry's castle that Regina destroyed in season 1. Regina feels guilty, her parents are proud and Henry is happy.

Guest and HMES: Both these requests have been repeatedly asked for and repeatedly explained. Asking over and over again will get you nowhere. If I've said no, I mean no. You can use whatever name you desire, it won't change the outcome!

"Can't you just tell me what the surprise is?" Henry asked impatiently from the passenger seat. Emma just chuckled.

"Not yet. Be patient. You've waited this long. You only have to wait a few more minutes." She told him. Henry huffed beside her. Emma had promised Henry she had a big surprise for him a week ago. He was fed up of being patient!

Henry wasn't to know that his mom had rebuilt his wooden castle. Sure, it was now in a different spot because of Regina's playpark but it was an exact replica. She had called in a favour from an old builder friend in Des Moines from when she used to stay in Iowa and got in some proper tools. Sure, she could have probably done it with her magic, but she thought it would mean more to Henry if she built it with her own two hands. Emma pulled up round the corner from the new castle. She took out a scarf from the glove compartment. She held it out towards Henry.

"Turn around." She instructed him. "Let me tie this round your head like a blindfold." Henry pouted, but let her. Emma then finished off the drive. As planned, Regina and her parents were also in attendance to see the look on Henry's face. Although Regina looked happy, there was an unmistakable look of guilt on her face. Presumably because she felt bad about the first castle, and wished she had replaced it properly herself. Snow and Charming were just so excited. They knew how much Henry had loved that castle and were so proud of Emma for not only having the idea of restoring it, but going through with her plan and reconstructing it. Charming, Snow and even Regina had all offered to help Emma with the building, but she had politely declined. Emma wanted to do this by herself, her own gift to Henry.

Emma guided Henry until he was right in front of the new castle.

"Ready kid?" She asked him. Henry nodded impatiently. "Ok then, surprise!" Emma whipped off the scarf. Henry blinked, his eyes readjusting to the light. When he saw the castle, his jaw nearly hit the floor. Emma grinned. "So you like it, kid?" She asked. Henry turned and flung his arms around his mom's middle. Emma laughed, patting his back. "I'll take that as a yes."

"How?" He asked her.

"I have some connections. When you move about a lot you meet a lot of people with different trades. I knew how much you loved this castle, so I called up an old builder friend of mine to have him send me some proper tools and got building."

"This is so awesome mom! Thank you so much!" Henry exclaimed.

"You're welcome Henry." Emma said, ruffling his hair. Sure, it hadn't been easy building the castle again. She'd bashed her thumb with a hammer more times than she cared to remember. But seeing how excited her son was to have his castle back, well, that made it all worth it.