What ifs gone wrong
Sorceresses of Stories asked for a oneshot of Henry overhearing his grandparents wishing they got a second chance with Emma. He's upset because if they had, he would never have existed. They all have a heart to heart.
Snow and Charming hadn't known Henry had come over to their house straight from school. If they had known he was in the house, of course they wouldn't have been having the discussion.
It was only natural for the parents to sometimes get down about all they had missed with their daughter. Who in their situation wouldn't? Every so often, Snow and Charming needed to talk through how they felt about missing so much of Emma's life with each other, as nobody else really understood. Most of the time, these talks went down the path of "what ifs" and the dream of a second chance. If they could do it all differently. Unfortunately for Snow and Charming, on this occasion, Henry had overheard their conversation after popping by after school. Of course to him, this only meant one thing. If his grandparents got a second chance to raise Emma, if they went back and didn't put her through the wardrobe, then he would have never existed. Midway through discussing it, Charming noticed his grandson at the doorway. With Charming blocking the front door, Henry had no choice but to run up the stairs to Emma's old room and lock himself in. He wasn't coming out. He didn't want to talk to them.
Charming and Snow felt dreadful. Of course they always wanted Henry in their lives…it was a complicated situation. If Henry wasn't prepared to come out to talk to them, then they would talk to him through the door.
"We know how that must have sounded to you." Snow spoke through the door. "We promise you, Henry, it's not like that. Ok, yes, your grandfather and I if we could have would have raised your mother. Surely you can understand that bit?" Silence. Snow sighed. Charming squeezed her shoulder supportively.
"All we've ever wanted, Henry, is all our family to have had the lives they deserved. To us, that meant being able to raise Emma like the princess she is right from the beginning. You know life hasn't always been easy for your mom. In turn, that would have meant she could have raised you like the prince you are from the beginning as well. I believe that you were always going to be born, Henry, regardless of where Emma was raised." Charming honestly told his grandson.
"What about my other mom? In this happy make-believe land of yours am I meant to have just despised her like you all would have? She was the Evil Queen to you there!" Henry shouted.
"You're right, Henry. It was a complicated situation. In the way we imagine things, we didn't really think much about Regina's role in things. I know to you that's hurtful, and for that we are truly sorry. But can you maybe try and see things from our point of view as well? It's hard knowing we'll never get that time with your mom, or with you, back. Sometimes daydreaming is the only way for us to deal with that. Of course had we known you were there and might see things the way you have, we wouldn't have been discussing it." More silence. Then, feet. Finally, the door unlocked. Snow and Charming let out a breath neither of them knew they were holding.
"I guess I can see where you're coming from." Henry admitted reluctantly. "I know our family life is confusing." Charming placed a loving hand on his grandson's shoulder.
"It ain't half, buddy." He said empathetically. The problem was, there would never be a nice, clean, fix for the family. There could be no do-over that would keep everyone happy. The best they could all do was be satisfied that they were, at least, all together now.
