Disclamers and authors notes on the first chapter

A Happy Ending for a Dragon

Back at the mansion, Maleficent had just arrived and was still in the living room exchanging their usual jibes and pleasantries when Henry came down the stairs. "Hi mom! Hi Maleficent! How is Lily?" the dragon had just the hint of a smile at the mention of her daughter's name, "Hello darling" she said in her best solemn tone, which was completely lost on the kid.

Mal and Regina were just back chatting without noticing the sudden change of expression on the boy's face who now looked intently at Maleficent. It was her who noticed first sensing him staring at her. She turned her attention to him "Yes?" The boy seemed lost in thought so she insisted "Darling is there anything I can help you with ?" it wasn't menacing enough to trigger Regina's protective instincts, but it should have been menacing enough for a 10 year old. Well, if that 10 year old wasn't Henry...

The boy smiled shyly "well since you asked... can you turn into a dragon? I only ever seen you in human form." Maleficent was momentarily speechless, but the same could not be said of Regina "Henry Daniel! Is that a thing to ask a guest?!" in the Enchanted Forest that would be considered very rude, but here, well, he didn't have a way of knowing that.

Before she could apologize to Mal, Henry defended " She is not a guest guest.. she is a friend isn't she?" Maleficent would never admit, it but it touched her that Henry though of her like that, she didn't exactly have many friends and wasn't used to someone wanting to befriend her.

She actually smiled "Well Regina, I supposed your child is right, I did ask." The smiled didn't escape Regina, although she did not mention it, she making a mental note of starting to teach her son more about the social etiquette of other realms, in hindsight there have never been any time for that before, still she huffed "That may be so Henry, but that is not something you should ask dear. You didn't know that but now you do" it was Henry's turn to huff, just like his mother, Maleficent thought, and stood by his case "I don't see what the big deal is... I mean she is almost family since you were together in the Enchanted Forest" they both blushed furiously simultaneously asking "Who told you that?!" the boy shrugged "Lily did. She said it was funny that you two had history in the Enchanted Forest, and that she and Ma had history here in the States.", he looked puzzled for a moment "I didn't get what was so funny about it." he even had made hand quotes when saying history.

Regina looked like she was going to have a stroke, so Mal changed the subject as quick as possible, making a mental note of murdering her daughter before Regina did. She turned to the boy "I think we are getting off topic. Now tell me have you ever seen a live dragon?" Henry shook is head no and she proceeded "I do not mind showing you. But it can be quite scary, even the saviour thought so when she... Well, I'm quite an imposing figure, if I do say myself".

Regina still couldn't believe the interaction in front of her but Maleficent turned to her "Well darling, this does is part of what our project is about... Shall we go outside? I would just hate to break the coffee table" Regina just smirked, knowing that the dragon would break the whole house if it was indoors. Her son took her by the hand to the back yard while telling Maleficent all the other creatures that he had seen. Scary as they may be, none of them as close to a dragon of Maleficent's kind.

Once outside Regina put a spell on the place, so nothing could be seen or heard outside her backyard - the last they needed was someone panicking about another creature wrecking havoc. She stood behind her son whispering to him, "It is quite a sight dear. If it scares you in the least, you tell me. It's natural and it's okay" She always made sure her son knew that it was okay to have fear, given her own personal trauma. Henry, however, just smiled enjoying his mother's hands on his shoulders "Okay mom, don't worry." Regina just smiled whispering conspiratorially "It's what mother's do, little Prince" although she had complete faith that Mal would never hurt her child, like she couldn't ever bring herself to hurt Lily despite her previous remarks... She was still fuming about that.

Mal let them have their moment before distancing herself, as much as possible, and asking one last time "Henry are you ready?" He vigorously nodded towards her, even squaring his shoulders a bit, and the dragon couldn't help to think that, for a small human spawn, he looked cute.

She summoned the dragon within, feeling the all familiar magic envelope her, it had been so long since she last transformed. The change in perspective in her vision confirmed her transformation as soon as she opened her eyes.

And to her surprise, the child didn't even flinch. She took a brief flight to stretch her wings and feel the wind around her, she couldn't help but scream in delight enthralled in her freedom. After a while she came back down landing as delicately as her gigantic form allowed, she saw the look of nostalgia in Regina's eyes, and the boy... just looked at her amazed.

She turned her head upward, so as to avoid damage, and screamed once again breathing fire out. She turned to look at them again, smoke still exhaling from her nostrils. To her surprise the boy couldn't take his eyes off her, he slowly approached her, under mama bear's watchful gaze, until he was right in front of her, she lowered her head to meet his eyes, and he tentatively touched her nose, almost petting her. She was staring right in his eyes when his face broke into a bright smile and he uttered "you are... Magnificent!".

She let him walk around her, see her claws and wings, when suddenly a shout brought them back to reality "Holly shit, its back!" Emma had just arrived, and seeing no one she went out back into the protected area stumbling her sight on the dragon.

Regina rose her hands to both calm and freeze, if necessary, her wife "Emma it's okay! Everything is alright!" and as soon as she heard her voice, Emma knew there was no danger. She was just shocked, but Regina quickly approached her. At the exact same time as Regina had first reacted, Henry had opened his arms and shouted "It's okay ma! Don't hurt her" the dragon was mesmerized, not only had he not feared her, here stood this puny little human spawn, arms outstretched protecting the colossal dragon behind him. She swiftly changed herself back, so as to not pose a threat. She certainly had gained a new admiration for the boy, blood be damned, he was truly and undoubtedly Regina's son!

She collected herself, put a hand on Henry's shoulder to alert him she had changed, so there was no need to protect the dragon anymore from the big bad sheriff she thought wryly, "Please excuse my appearance Emma, it must have been unexpected." The saviour collected herself "Unexpected is an understatement! I hadn't seen you like that since..." they both winced and she continued "Never mind" she said with an uneasy smile. Regina was explaining to her that Henry had requested to see a real dragon and she had put on a spell to avoid causing relaxed more and more under her wife's voice until she was genuinely smiling

"And I thought my afternoon had been interesting" she joked, now with her wife and their son in her arms, all was well in the world.

Maleficent just smiled at her friend's well deserved little family and turned to Regina "Well I think the secret is up! We should finally show them the project and my new job!" Regina smiled "Yes you are right"

Almost at the edge of the central garden, there was a huge house on which a discrete sign said Storybrook's Therian Society Regina started explaining as they entered "The idea started when we were discussing Mal's attempts at teaching Lily how to be a dragon", Maleficent continued "Although she was living in a world without magic, our separation forced her to repress unknowingly the dragon in her, specially because I wasn't there to teach her. It's different for shape-shifters, without our forms we always feel incomplete, and I... was not there to help her through it" she got a sad look in her eyes, so Regina promptly picked up "Which reminded me that since he return of magic and the two curses, there are many people in Lily's situation! And others still carry the trauma of life in their other form in the Enchanted Forest. So we thought Mal could become a counselor" Henry smiled at the dragon "So you are going to help people like Ruby?" the dragon actually smiled "Yes. I want to teach them to accept themselves fully, to help them live and control whatever form they have. And to end the stigma it carried back home, many people didn't accept and even forced themselves into exile because they feared what they were and they weren't taught how to control it. It was one of the reason all this had to be a secret in the first place" the next voice was Emma's "Mal that is awesome!" The dragon smiled proudly "We even made an agreement with Archie for joint counseling. And he will also become a member himself."

They showed them the house, the outdoor area with a paddock for first forays in other shapes and even a pond and pool for those who were aquatic.

Later that night while Regina was tucking Henry in bed, he asked "Mom, having history mean like you dated right?" Regina was crimson red, "Yes Henry it does. But it was all long ago, okay? Your mother and I love each other very much. Does it bother you though?" She really wanted to know but he just smiled "Duh you guys are true loves! You are meant to be together. You just didn't know it then. Its good that neither of you were alone while you waited" Regina frowned "what for?" Henry just laughed "For each other! True loves don't need to be the first, but they are always the last!" Regina held back tears of joy, she had wrecked herself so much trying to compute the existence of Daniel and later Mal and now Emma... When in a single sentence her child put it all in place, she liked this ten year old philosophy "besides it was super cool that your girlfriend was a real dragon!" they both laughed and he sighed "I knew it, that was what history meant! Why can grownups say what they mean?" She smiled ruffling his hair "I don't know my little prince but life would be much easier. But you told Mal earlier...How did you know?" he smiled he had been unsure but it was a gut feeling, it made sense with the rest, "I didn't want to say in front of Mal, but ma always acts weird when you two meet. Like you acted when Lily came back, or before you got together the way you acted when ma and Ruby would hang out." Regina was mortified, was she really that transparent to her son? "You are very perceptive my little prince, now sleep" they shared a hug and she kissed the top of his head.

Back in her room she was hugged by her wife "I am so proud of you" Regina smiled and teased her "Oh hush, you are just happy there is no more need for Mal and I to meet as much" Emma just gave a look that said busted "Hey, but I do am proud of you" they were laying in bed when Emma asked "Sometimes I kinda wonder a little why you stay with me" Regina just smiled "Then you just consult me or our son for the answer", "Which is?" Emma asked with a raised eyebrow and Regina solemnly replied "Duh! We're True Loves"