Emma sighed from her spot on the couch as Henry ran through the house again. One of these times, he was going to slide and fall. And most likely break something.
Even though she knew this, Emma could never bring herself to scold him. She left that to Regina. Only problem was that Regina currently wasn't home. Which left Emma in charge. And Henry knew that Emma would never yell at him for anything.
Emma heard running again, followed by a thud and a crash. "Oh no," Emma said. "Things are about to get interesting."
Henry walked slowly into the room, looking extremely guilty. "Hi Ma. How's the paperwork coming?"
Emma laughed. "What did you break?"
Henry winced. "I hit the wall and one of her mirrors fell."
Emma's eyes widened. Of all things to break, of course it had to be a mirror. One of Regina's most prized possessions.
"What do we do?" Henry asked.
"I'm sure I can fix it," Emma said, getting off of the couch. "Magic tends to come in handy when it comes to these things."
"Unless of course the person who owns the item you broke comes home before you can fix it," Regina said, walking into the room.
"Uh oh," Henry said.
"Uh oh is correct," Regina said. "Go grab the broom and clean up the glass on the floor, then go to your room."
Henry nodded before quickly leaving the room. Once he was gone, Regina turned to Emma. "Why didn't you tell him to stop running in the house?"
"I didn't notice he was running," Emma said.
Regina rolled her eyes. "Sure you didn't."
Emma sighed and sat back down on the couch. "I can't scold him. No matter how bad he gets, I always feel like I have to be the nice one because I'm the one that gave him up in the first place. I'm trying to make up for lost time."
Regina sat next to her and grabbed her hand. "I know. But letting him walk all over you isn't the way to go either. There's a balance."
"But I don't want to make him upset," Emma said.
"He's your son, not your best friend," Regina said. "You may be close to him, but you still have to be his parent."
Emma sighed. "I don't think he's going to like that."
"It's not about what he likes," Regina said. "It's about what's best for him."
"You're an amazing mother, you know that?" Emma asked, nudging Regina gently.
Regina blushed and smiled. "It took a lot of practice. Trust me, you'll get the hang of it."
Emma shrugged. "Eventually. But for now, I think I've got the best teacher possible."