It had been hours, or maybe even mere minutes, Henry did not know, nor did he care. He hadn't moved an inch from his place within his mother's arms, and her arms hadn't gone any less tight around him, even when she drifted off to sleep.
Regina stayed wrapped in their arms, staring blankly at the blazing fire, and receving the silent comfort she so desperately needed. Tinkerbelle had whispered countless apologizes to Regina, which only seemed to make Regina sob harder. And now, the blonde fairy sat silently behind Regina, her arms still wrapped around the fragile woman, and her ever growing son.
After some time, Henry felt Tink pull back from their embrace.
"She's asleep," she pointed out in a whisper.
"I know," was all Henry mumbled against Regina's moving chest. He didn't need Tink to tell him that his mother had fallen asleep, he knew from the sound of her beating heart that she had. He knew her, and he was glad that he hadn't forgotten the small things that he had picked up about his mother over the years.
He had listened to the echo of her sobs, resonating inside the hollowness within. He knew her heart broke, and that she was filled with despair, and he could clearly hear it within the echoes. He heard her sobs quiet down to sniffling, before they turned into the occasional sleeping whimper. Her heart rate had slowed down when she drifted off to sleep, but he could still feel the sadness and despair seeping through her veins with every beat, and it broke his heart knowing that he can't take it all away. Her head had turned at some point, so her mouth was no longer buried in his hair, but rather her cheek rested on top of his head, where he was sure a lake of her tears had formed by now.
He heard the shuffling sounds of Tink as she got to her knees, so she can face him.
"Can you go get your wand, so we can move her to bed? I don't think this is comfortable," he asked her quietly, and she smiled at his thoughtfulness, before she reached into her pocket.
"I brought it with me to the naming ceremony, I wanted to give the baby a present," she explained, before she moved the white, glowing stick, and in the blink of an eye, Henry found himself sinking into his mother's soft bed, her arms still wound around him like vine.
He heard Tink's footsteps, and craned his neck to take a better look at her, watching as she tiptoed towards the room. She stood in the doorway, a small smile playing on her lips at the sight of mother and son. To Henry's surprise, she waved the wand again. He smiled at her gratefully, when he felt himself liberated from his jeans and coat. He looked at his mom, and found her in one of her silk pajamas, while he was in sweat pants, and comfortable shirt.
"Thank you," he said softly, and she only nodded in response.
He watched her pull the door closed, before he turned around and once again buried his face in his mother's chest, taking in her comforting scent, and allowing it to flood his brain with tons of memories from his childhood.
Now that he had his memories back, he knew what it felt like for everyone else when the curse broke. They had two sets of memories in their heads, but he did not see why they were all so confused. To him, it was a matter of choice, because for some of them, the fake memories that Regina gave them was better than the life they had. But for him, it wasn't as simple.
Regina gave him and Emma memories that they always had each other, the memories of the life that they both wanted, but she was mistaken. Yes, at first Henry thought he wished he wanted to grow up with Emma, but once the fairytale fog cleared, and when he actually moved to live with Emma, he discovered that he missed Regina. He missed her more than he ever thought possible, but every time her name came up, Emma's face showed signs of betrayal, so he would change the subject.
And now, he actually has memories of growing up with Emma, but he didn't want them back, and he didn't want them to come true. He loved Emma with all of his heart, but she wanted to once again take him away from Regina, and this time, without even telling him about what he was giving up. She didn't want him to get his memories back, so she can take him away and go back to a life where only a fraction of it was real. She wanted him to live a complete lie, just so that she wouldn't feel guilty. And the sad truth is, he was the one who made her think that she had the right to make that kind of decision for him. He was the one who told her time and time again, that Regina did not matter, because she wasn't his real mother.
So as he snuggled more into his mother's arms, who instinctively tightened her arms around his body, and adjusted the position of her head on top of his, as he tucked his beneath her chin, he knew that he was finally home.
Tinkerbelle walked back down the stairs, her eyes quickly scanning the surroundings in search for any signs that Regina had a violent meltdown before they arrived, but happily found none. She was about to head to the kitchen to get some water, when she heard the distinct sounds of car doors closing, and hushed voices. She narrowed her eyes, almost as if daring her own thoughts to be true. She had a feeling she knew who those voices belonged to, and she wasn't sure if she was hoping-for their sakes-that she was wrong, or-so she can give them another piece of her mind-that she was right.
She made her way to the door, and swung it open, revealing the last three people who should be on the other side of that door in particular, about halfway through the footpath.
"You three have got some nerve coming here," she hissed, as she stepped onto the front porch, and pulled the door closed behind her.
She saw Emma sigh in frustration, and an eye roll from David, which only added fuel to her already blazing fury.
"How is she?" Snow asked, worry evident in her voice, though Tink was not sure if it was for Regina, or their own safety.
"How do you think? Your daughter just brought Robin's lost wife, effectively taking him away from Regina, and once again breaking her heart, and proving to her, that love only brings you pain and heartache!" Tink seethed, and saw David's posture change to one of attack, but a don't-even-think-about-it look out of her wisely kept him quiet.
"It's not like I consciously wanted to destroy Regina's happiness, I didn't think…."Emma's explanation was interrupted by Tink's angry voice.
"Yes, that's the problem, you didn't think. You never think about the consequences, even back in Neverland, you were always the one who never thought anything through. If you had given it any thought, you would've recognized the name…." this time Emma's frustrated voice cut through her angry rant.
"I didn't know they were together!" she exclaimed.
"What about the effects it would've had on the timeline? Did you ever think about that?" Tink countered, and Emma looked to the ground.
"You never think anything through Emma, and this time, there is no one to clean up after you!" Tink dead-panned.
"Where's my son?" Emma asked, almost through gritted teeth. She did not like what that fairy was saying one bit-mostly because deep down she knew it was true-but she didn't want to pick a fight in front of Regina's house, and risk pissing off the brunette even further. After all, it was a miracle that Regina wasn't out here trying to rip out her heart in the first place, and she was not about to rock that boat.
"He's upstairs asleep in his mother's arms," came Tink's simple answer, but the underlying meaning was not lost on any of them.
"I can carry him," David suggested, his eyes daring Tink to counter his offer.
"I'm sure if he wanted to go anywhere, he would've left with me, as opposed to asking me to magically change his clothes to something more comfortable so he can sleep, before snuggling more into his mother's arms," she countered, the fury within her eyes was enough to light up the dark night, making David decide not to piss her off any further.
"Regina asked him to stay?" Emma asked, and Tink nearly slapped the woman for her stupidity.
"She's his mom, she doesn't have to ask him to do anything. She cried herself to sleep, as she desperately clung to him. He decided to stay on his own accord, she didn't ask him to stay, and she didn't put a spell on him."
Emma's jaw clenched at the constant blows she was receiving from Tink, and briefly contemplated picking that fight she had put off as to not anger Regina any further, but one look at the green fairy, and she realized that she won't be the winning party.
"I'll…uh…."she cleared her throat to get rid of the lump that had formed, "I'll swing by in the morning to pick him up."
"If I were you, I'd wait for his call, because I am guessing you are the last person Regina wants to see at the moment. And if Henry needs you, he'll know how to get ahold of you," Tink snapped.
She did not like one bit how Emma perceived herself to be the primary parent in Henry's life, while completely discarding Regina onto the sidelines. She had seen her do it many times while they tried to battle the witch, but had decided not to pick a fight among them, so as to not divide the troops. But now, the Wicked Witch was gone, and she did not care one bit about how Emma was treating Regina when it comes to Henry, and she was going to let her know.
Emma just nodded solemnly at Tink, before she turned around and rushed off to her car. Snow gave Tink one last sad smile, before she followed her daughter, with David's arm around her.
Tink looked at the house, and briefly wondered if she should spend the night. After all, those three idiots may ignore her warnings, and come back in the morning. Or worse, Robin might.
She stood there, in the middle of the footpath, her eyes looking at the window that belonged to the Mayor's room, which no longer housed the mayor, but rather a broken mother and her son. After a few seconds of contemplation, she decided that what Regina really needed was nestled safely in her arms, and that she should give mother and son some time alone. God knows they haven't had that in far too long.
Regina woke up the next morning to persistent pounding, though it did not come from the door, but rather her head. She knew the feeling of that rhythmic pounding-like a tribal ritual was being performed inside her head-after all, she had woken up to it many times before.
On the many nights when she would cry herself to sleep, she would wake up with that headache in the morning, and if she wasn't careful, it will turn into a raging migraine.
She hadn't opened her eyes yet, she didn't want to. She wanted to escape the harsh reality, and go back into her dream world. Back into the world where she was happy, a world that held no heartache, and no sadness. She didn't want to face the repercussions of the events of the previous night. And she most certainly did not want to meet any of the Charmings! She may not be out for their heads any more, not even Emma's-after all, hurting her will upset Henry, and she wasn't about to lose him again- but that did not mean that she was ready to play nice. If she were to have it her way, she would never see their faces again, Emma included.
She did not want to face any of the townspeople, she did not want to see the looks in their eyes. She knew those looks, for they were one of two; either pity, or satisfaction that she was once again suffering.
And the one person she really did not want to see, was the man who broke her heart to begin with, the one whom she knew was going to try and talk to her. She did not want to hear what he had to say, nor did she have anything to say to him. All she wanted was for everyone to leave her the hell alone, except for her son.
She knew that if it weren't for Henry, she would've probably put the sleeping curse on herself the second she walked back into the house. Or maybe even packed all of her stuff and left the town all together, but she was not about to give him up again. She gave him up once, and it nearly destroyed her, and she had promised him that she will never do it again. The promise that had been so genuine, that even though she did not have her heart, it was still enough to break the curse.
Therefore, the only person she wanted in her life right now, was her son, her little prince, her one true love.
But then she suddenly remembered, that in the midst of everything, she had forgotten to take his cellphone number, which meant that the only way to get a hold of him, was to ask one of the insufferable Charmings, or even worse, Emma. Even if she managed to avoid talking to them, she would still have to leave her house to see him.
She scolded herself, and sighed in frustration, when she suddenly felt the bed move behind her.
She opened her eyes, and was met with bright red numbers on the clock, signaling that it was nearly ten. She slowly turned her head around, as her body slowly followed suite, so she can look at who was the source of the shifting. Her eyes landed on a brown mop of disheveled hair, one that she hadn't seen in her bed in a very long time, and one that the sight of, always brought her joy, even in her darkest moments.
She turned around fully, so that she was now facing him, with his face turned away from her, as he slept on his back. Her mind finally caught up to the fact that not only were they both asleep in her bed-when the last thing she remembers is sitting by the fire with him in her arms-but that they were also in their sleepwear.
She didn't give it much thought, as she reached forward and brushed her fingers through his hair, subconsciously moving closer to him in the process. She watched him sleep, just like she used to when he was little. She remembers standing in the nursery for hours on end, just watching him sleep. Or sat on the couch, doing absolutely nothing but watch, enticed, how he played with his bare hands, or some simple toy. The sound of his carefree laugh, and his squeals as she mercilessly tickled his stomach, still rang in her ears. Especially when he would look at her, and claim that she wasn't his mother, those were the times that she had wished more than ever that she can have a time machine, so she can go back to a time when she was his whole world.
She had to admit that she was surprised that he stayed, even when he came barging through last night, and even though he sat with her for God knows how long till she fell asleep, even then she was sure that he will leave; which was why she clung to his body, trying her best to prolong the moment of his departure. But it seems that she was mistaken, for there he lay, right next to her, looking so peaceful in his sleep, that she couldn't help but lean forward and plant a soft kiss to his head.
Even though it was the last thing she intended, the kiss made him stir, as he turned his head towards her. She instinctively moved even closer to him, put her arm around him, and buried her nose and mouth into his hair, where she tried to lull him back to sleep.
To her surprise, he snuggled more into her, and moved one arm to lie on top of hers over his stomach, before he pressed his head into her mouth a bit harder, making her wonder if he knew whose bed he was asleep in, and if he knew that he was in her arms and not Emma's.
The answer came, when his eyes fluttered open, and peaceful, serene green eyes met her terrified and anticipating brown ones. He smiled brightly at her, and she was shocked when he showed no signs of surprise that he was in her bed. On the contrary, he looked absolutely content.
"Morning," he greeted, his voice still a bit hoarse, and slightly groggy.
"Morning, sweetheart," she said affectionately, as she rubbed his stomach in an effort to help him shake off the last remnants of sleep.
She saw how when the last remaining sleep fog cleared away, his eyes saddened a bit, and the guilt began to creep into them, along with held back tears.
She furrowed her brows in confusion as to the sudden change of state, but did not get a chance to ask, since his next words stunned her into complete and utter silence.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice sounding much-too much-like her when she begged him to forgive her before.
"Wha…"
She didn't get a chance to finish, since he interrupted her, "I left you when you needed me the most, I saw the love in your eyes, but I chose to ignore it, ignore all those years I had with you, ignore all the things you did for me…" he listed tearfully, "I thought you didn't love me, that I didn't have a family because you and I were not related by blood, but I was wrong. I thought that just because you didn't give birth to me, that you don't love me. You tried to change for me, but all I did was hurt you, or let others hurt you without even defending you. I didn't believe in you when you needed it, and I didn't even come to you when I missed you….I….."His hysterical rant was cut short by Regina pulling him into her arms, and wrapping them tightly around him.
His body shook with sobs, as he gasped for breath, his face buried in his mother's chest, and his head tucked under her chin. He missed being in her arms like that, for that was when he knew he was safe. He knew that she will never let anything happen to him, after all, she never did.
"Henry, you have nothing to apologize for. You did what you thought was right, and you were just a child," she soothed, "I told you before that I don't know how to love very well, and I may have showed it in all the wrong ways," she choked out into his hair.
He shook his head against her chest, but did not pull back from the hug," you never let anything happen to me, even when I was mad at you, you always told me you loved me, always made sure I was safe. You even went on a ship with people that you couldn't stand for my sake, you tried to change and instead of me standing by you, I walked away and left you. You were always there for me, even when I kept pushing you away, you never left…"he gasped.
"Of course I never left, you're my son, and nothing in this world can ever change that," she assured him, "you are the one thing I got right in my life, and I will be very much damned if I let anyone hurt you," she added lovingly, smiling when she felt him nod.
"I know," he said confidently, and she couldn't help but smile tearfully at the trust in his voice.
She loosened her arms a bit, when she felt him pull back, her heart clenching a bit at the sight of tears in his eyes, before she cupped his cheek, softly caressing it with her thumb, as she wiped away the tears.
"I know that it seemed that I always go to Emma, but don't forget that I always come back to you. Even when this whole town was about to perish, I wanted to be in your arms till the last second," he confessed, and it was now her turn to allow the tears to slide down her cheeks, "I saw the surprise in your eyes yesterday when you saw me, and today when you found me here, and I know that you didn't expect me to stay all night. But even though I love Emma, and even though I know what it feels like to have her as my sole parent, but I don't wish for that life any more. I can't wish for a life where you weren't my mom," he added sincerely, and Regina was having a hard time keeping the sobs at bay, "I know I hurt you a lot before, and that I only proved Cora's words-that love was weakness- and what you believed and feared-that it would only bring you pain-but I promise that I won't do it again. I won't leave you again, I promise," he vowed, trying his best to show all the love he has for her in his eyes, and on his face.
"Thank you baby, that means a lot to me, but…"she cleared her throat, as she averted her eyes, "it wasn't all your fault. I lied to you, made you feel like you were crazy and unloved, even unwanted. I did terrible things in my past, and even some of it while I still had you," she confessed, unknowingly repeating the words he said to her right after the curse broke, and making the guilt within him increase a thousand folds.
"I know that I told you that, but I was wrong. If anything, the way you acted when Emma came, proved that you loved me more than anything else," he retorted, and she finally met his eyes again in a confused look.
He smiled softly at her, before he said the words that she never thought she'll hear from him, "if you only cared about the curse, you would've given me to Emma to end it all, but you didn't. You fought to keep me, and didn't want me to believe that I was right because you knew I would leave you. You weren't just trying to keep your curse intact, you were trying to hold on to me. And yes, you may have gone about it the wrong way, but who hasn't gone the dark path once or twice? Even Snow and David, they both did. The only difference being that they both had someone in their lives who pulled them back, they both had someone who believed in them unconditionally, but you never did. No one ever offered you a second chance without any strings attached, not even me."
Regina's eyes were gaping at him, she never thought she would ever hear those words spoken to her, and certainly not from him. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and leaned forward to plant a soft kiss to his forehead, "I love you so much," she choked, "my little prince," she added tearfully, when she pulled back to look him in the eye.
He grinned at the title she had been calling him for as long as he can remember, "I know, I love you too, and I want you to know that, from now on, I will always be here for you," he vowed.
"Thank you baby," she said gratefully, and he smiled reassuringly at her.
"So do you want to tell me how we got here?" she asked, in an effort to lighten the mood, "I don't think you've grown enough to carry me," she teased, smiling brightly when he laughed. God did she miss hearing him laugh like that.
"Sadly, I'm not. Tink transported us here with magic," he said, though he regretted saying the fairy's name as soon as it left his mouth.
"She did?" Regina asked.
"Yeah, she had her wand with her, because she wanted to give the baby a present, so she used it to move us both to the room," he explained, and she nodded.
"And the clothes?" she inquired.
"She did that too," he replied.
"I suppose I owe her a thank you, especially for coming," she stated.
"Yeah," he agreed.
"And I suppose we also need to buy you some new clothes, cause I'm willing to bet that you've outgrown everything I have here," she added.
"Yep, but I don't even know what Tink did to the clothes I wore last night, and it's too cold for me to go out like that," he pointed out.
"You don't have to," she said softly, and Henry saw something flash in her eyes.
He expected her to snap her fingers, and a bunch of clothes to appear on the sofa by the window. But instead, she pushed the covers off the two of them.
"Come on, I want to show you something," she urged.
He followed her silently to her closet, and saw her bending over to grab a few shopping bags that were neatly placed under her hung dresses.
"When I saw you at the diner, and realized that you were back, I went out and bought you these," she confessed, as she pulled out a pair of jeans, a dark red sweater, and royal blue pajamas.
"I figured since I missed a couple of your birthdays…." Her voice trailed off, sadness suddenly taking over her features, as she remembered that one of those birthdays she missed was because he shunned her, and preferred to spend it with Emma.
Henry was speechless, and like his mother, he too remembered that one of those birthdays took place in Storybrooke, and he was also not so happy to realize, that no one had remembered it. They were too absorbed by Snow killing Cora, the stranger who entered the town, Neal and what not, that they totally forgot his birthday, even Emma.
"I had already bought you a gift before we left for Neverland, but when we came back here, I didn't find it, I guess the curse didn't care for it," she stated, when he didn't say anything.
Henry's eyes moved back to hers, and she saw the tears in them. But before she could get anything out, he put the things on the bed, and threw himself at her. She caught him with ease, and wrapped her arms around him.
"Happy Birthday baby."
Henry tightened his arms around her even more, and inhaled her scent. The amount of love in her voice overwhelmed him, and made him regret all that wasted time.
"Thanks, Mommy," he mumbled against her body, using the title he had forgone when he turned six, and had decided to be too old to use it. And judging by the soft whimper that escaped Regina's lips, she missed hearing as much as he missed saying it, if not more.
OMG! The response I got to the story was overwhelming. Thanks to all who followed/favorite and of course reviewed, I am speechless. And very very sorry for the late update, this was supposed to be last week, but work and the flu got in the way.
I will try to update every week, but I cant make any promises, I'm afraid, but I do promise that I wont keep you waiting for long.
I know that this is borderline Emma bashing, but like I said in the first chapter, Emma was never one of my favorite characters, and now I REALLY don't like her, so if I offended any one, I do apologize.
Let me know what you all think of it.
Thanks.