Chapter Three

Five days passed during which Emma did very little but drift through the hours until she was allowed to go to sleep and dream about her. In her waking time, she saw what had happened, relived over and over again how her own heart had clenched as Regina's was reduced to dust.

Around her, people seemed to be making arrangements. Snow spent most of her time with Belle but appeared more downtrodden each time Emma laid eyes on her.

Going to the Underworld had already been one of their most likely adventures so Emma didn't see how they would get back, especially now that Hades explicitly did not want them back there.

David, on the other hand, seemed to be arranging something that Emma had little interest in, and that morning she found out what it was.

The funeral for Regina Mills would be held the following day and whoever wanted to come was invited.

Emma wanted to point out that a funeral was hardly necessary if Snow and Belle found a way to get her back but she wasn't capable of uttering such a hopeful statement.

Regina's body couldn't stay in the hospital forever, it would be far too disrespectful which was why Emma agreed half-heartedly that it was something that the town probably needed to process what happened.

After all, Regina Mills had quite literally created the town and the cracks from the mayor's trip to the Underworld were beginning to show.

Were the people really prepared to survive without their latest saviour? It wasn't as if their original one was of much use lately.

She'd barely left her parents' loft other than to have an important conversation with Hook, but news of the funeral made her realise there was a much more important discussion that needed to happen.

She'd only seen Henry a handful of times but hadn't made eye contact with him since the Underworld.

How could she face the gaze that was physically the same as her own but had so much of his adoptive mother in it?

She was guaranteed to see him the next day though and that would hardly be the place to have this overdue talk so she broke her solitude to seek them out.

When Emma thought about where her son would be spending his days, she figured it would be at his real home but the mansion was the last thing she could handle right now.

The scent of spiced apple was liable to cause yet another session. It was for this reason that she was grateful when her father informed her where the teen actually was.

His intel proved correct as she entered the diner to find Henry alone in a booth with an untouched hot cocoa next to a pile of books. They all appeared to be for school except for the one that he had open.

Emma swallowed thickly but still approached, unsurprised to see a rendering of the Evil Queen interrupting her parents' wedding day.

Her heart jumped into her throat as she compared the picture to the fearful woman who had just been told that the saviour loved her back.

"Hey kid," she greeted, "You know we have a load of photos if you would prefer to…you know…"

Henry jumped and closed the book, seemingly remembering that he was in a public place.

"I was doing my school work, I got distracted," he mumbled, exchanging his storybook for the first textbook on the pile.

Emma sat opposite him, expecting the scowl she received, not that it hurt any less.

"You know, your teacher would understand if you fell behind a little…"

"I'm already behind because of Dark Ones and the Underworld, I promised mom I would catch up when we got back," he replied.

"I'm sure she would get it too," Emma retorted.

"Because you obviously understood everything about mom, didn't you? I should totally trust the person who didn't even notice she was your True Love," he said, his face covered by the book until Emma pulled it down.

She wanted to run but knew that wasn't an option now that she was his only remaining parent. She could handle some well-placed anger, right?

"I think we need to talk?" she said, going for the firm maternal voice that Regina's memories had taught her, but after days of not talking, it came out a more hoarse than intended.

"What's there to talk about?" Henry sighed.

"You know exactly what it is."

"Can't you talk to your boyfriend about it?" Henry snapped, "You traded mom for him so I hope you're not wasting it!"

Emma winced hard and Henry softened, she figured that she knew him well enough to know that he would feel bad for that comment and he proved her right.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"It's okay, I get it. I'm angry too," Emma assured, deciding against touching his hand. It seemed improbable that was something he would be wanting for a long time.

"At who?"

"Hades…myself…your mom…Peter Pan…" Emma listed, Henry was close to actually sneering on the third one but the last wiped his face blank.

"Peter Pan? Why?" Henry asked.

"You remember we told you about the Echo Cave?" Emma replied and he nodded, "Well, Pan accepted that I didn't love your dad anymore but if he'd forced me to go a little deeper…everyone would have already known how I felt about Regina and none of this would have happened."

"Since Neverland?" Henry asked, gripping the now cold ceramic of his cocoa.

"Yep, but I guess I knew for sure when she offered to give us new memories. I realised that I didn't want to forget her, but when we got back to town she was with Robin and…"

"And you decided not to fight for her? You asked Hook out instead?" Henry scoffed and Emma was getting the distinct feeling that this discussion was not having quite the effect that she thought it might when she decided to leave the loft.

How could she blame him for being angry under these abjectly horrible circumstances? It was making her feel more defensive than it perhaps should have.

"How could I fight for when she had her soulmate?" she demanded.

"Obviously she didn't," Henry snapped, pushing the mug away from him violently so Emma had to hold up her hands in an attempt to placate him.

"Henry, please, I'm not here to argue. I'm trying to apologise!"

"Apologise for what?! For being a terrible saviour?!" he shouted, unaware that the rest of the diner had fallen silent around them, "You were supposed to bring back everyones' happy endings and you missed the most important person! Did you even think about her when Hades made his offer? Didn't you think that it could be a trick?!"

Emma flopped back into the booth, suddenly very cognizant of the eyes trained on their conversation. Naturally, the citizenry was more than hungry for more details regarding what had happened.

Unlike their other quests, they never had their celebratory part to listen intently to every word.

"I…guess I wasn't thinking. I never would have thought that she felt the same way. I was just so guilty over what I did to Hook. I wanted to fix it!"

"Well, I'm happy for you, really. You got everything you wanted, so why don't you just go back to your boyfriend and I'll stay at the loft until I can stand looking at him again," Henry said, harshly.

Emma bit her bottom lip and then whispered, "I broke up with Hook, Henry."

Henry froze while ripping his hand away to prevent her from trying to touch it, disbelief written across his features and demeanour.

Now that certainly wasn't what she was expecting.

Was this how Regina once felt when all of his ire was directed at her from their son? Was it more deserved in these circumstances?

Henry's response was the most painful yet.

"So my mom died for nothing?!"

"Henry," Emma gasped, "That's not…"

"She fought for you when everyone else thought that the darkness had won," Henry released what seemed to be a long-held in rant, "She tried to reason with Hook when he was trying to destroy us all because she didn't believe that you could love someone like that. Who would give into the darkness so easily? She travelled to the Underworld because she thought that it was the only way to make you happy and it was all pointless?!"

Emma sucked in a breath, he hadn't called her by her name since the missing year, but right now he was obviously very aware of which set of memories were real.

Her silence did little for Henry's boiling rage so he pushed out of the booth, seemingly forgetting about his promise to complete his schoolwork.

"She loved you so much and all she got for it was pain, how is that fair?!"

At last, the murmuring of the other patrons pierced Emma's psyche, was it also judgement that she could feel burrowing into her soul?

Did everyone hate her for what she had caused? She wouldn't blame them if they did.

Nothing came to mind to defend her actions.

What did it matter that she didn't know? That she had no conceivable way of knowing? That if she had known, things would have been very different.

None of that mattered, not when Regina Mills was gone from their lives forever.

Henry was shaking visibly as Emma stared at him pleadingly but he wasn't backing down, not until a patron materialised from the silence.

"Hey Henry," Dr Hopper said kindly and the teen at last stilled but his anger was hovering over them.

"Your grandma tells me that you're not sure what to wear tomorrow?"

Henry wet his lips and reluctantly nodded, "She deserves something nice and all of my good clothes are…at home…I can't…"

After sharing a look with Emma, Archie suggested, "Perhaps it would help if someone came with you?"

"Can you come?" Henry replied, "Right now?"

Emma inclined her head after receiving a smile from her therapist that said 'give him time' but she was very much doubtful that could help.

Time wouldn't change what happened.

Archie led Henry away and Emma wouldn't have known that he was obstinately refusing to look at her during the short walk to the door.

She was too busy crying, openly sobbing really, with little concern for the fact that she was in public.

S

The day was here.

There was much argument about whether they should go ahead with the event while Snow was certain that this wasn't the end, but it was Henry who convinced them in the end.

There was no one in town currently capable of preserving her body magically and the thought of his mother laying lifeless in a morgue was so much worse than the alternative.

Unfortunately, this meant that he had to attend the funeral of another parent, this time with over a decade's worth of memories of her.

Archie told him that comparing grief was not an exercise that he should be pursuing but he felt so much emptier than with Neal. He constantly felt her absence rather than periodically lamenting what could have been.

As the Charmings walked through the cemetery, he tugged at the tie that his grandmother had down for him with his head downwards until they got to the plot just outside the vault, unaware of whose hand was on his shoulder.

He glared at the coffin.

It was the grandest one available in Storybrooke but he didn't see how it could have been worthy of a queen. He wanted to bring that point up but knew well that Archie would see straight through what he was doing.

It wasn't like it would delay this or change who was in the coffin.

All thoughts of bitterness towards the situation were dashed as he turned to the seats laid out in front of the ceremony.

Every seat was taken, with some standing, all of them dressed respectfully and suitably solemn.

He hadn't spent much time dwelling on how many people would attend the funeral for the former Evil Queen.

His feet scraped across the dirt so that he could swallow the lump in his throat as the attendants shot him sympathetic looks.

If only he could show his younger self who called his mother evil that almost the entire town would attend her funeral after she became their saviour against the Dark Ones.

The thought consumed him with guilt and he didn't bother fighting the tears spilling down his face.

He was torn between gratitude for the townspeople and despair towards the fact that he was at his mother's funeral.

"Come on, Henry, it's about to start," David whispered, revealing that he was the one touching his shoulder.

Henry swallowed and looked beyond him to see that Snow was doing the same for Emma, who wasn't reacting to whatever her mother was saying.

Henry narrowed his eyes at the listless woman and moved towards the vacant seats at the front that must have been reserved for them.

He clasped his hands together and stared at the coffin until Archie stood, bathing the gathering in silence.

Henry didn't listen to him thanking everyone for coming or lamenting the loss to the town.

He didn't mention what led to this but Henry's mind still chose to conjure images of Hades' hand disappearing into Regina's chest and then the way that the god's revelation had destroyed every conception that she had about what her life should have been before he ended it.

He'd spent so long on Operation Mongoose trying to find her happy ending that he knew what it looked like when she lost hope, but having it for a second to have it taken swiftly was so much worse.

As Archie continued his heartfelt speech for their late mayor, Henry glanced at the woman responsible for Hades' actions and he clenched his jaw to find Emma staring blankly ahead, not even at the coffin just seemingly into the air.

He may only be barely listening to Archie, but it still caused anger to surge through him until Archie's words finally pierced his psyche:

"...As I'm sure you all know, Regina couldn't have gotten to where she was without her son. Henry wanted to say a few words about his mother."

Taking the queue, Henry rose. He was surprised that he had strength in his legs to carry him to Archie, but he managed to stand straight with his head high while he reached into his blazer to find the crumpled paper he'd proofread over a hundred times.

As the Author, he knew that it was the perfect mix of heartfelt and nostalgic, but as Archie grasped his arm to leave him to give the eulogy alone, Henry's vision blurred and he couldn't remember a single thing that he had written.

He looked at the coffin one more time and decided he couldn't break down now, so he stashed the carefully written speech and just opened his mouth, unsure what was going to come out:

"Before the curse broke, I thought my mom was evil, it took me a while to realise that I was wrong. She adopted me when I could have had no one," he said, finding Emma not reacting to the statement, was she even listening?! "I used to think that everything was so black and white but she proved me wrong. She was the Evil Queen, but she was also the first person who love me. She never gave up on me no matter how many times I pushed her away and when I finally gave her the chance, she proved that she was also a hero. In the end, she chose to go to the Underworld for love and I will always be so proud of the person my mom became and I'll miss her so much," towards the coffin, he finished, "I love you so much, mom."

The gathered townspeople all had their heads bowed, except Emma who was finally showing some semblance of emotion.

She was looking at him, her eyes swimming clearly even from this distance.

The eye contact was broken by a crashing and a collection of derisive gasps.

Despite sharing no DNA with the woman Henry was sure that he could feel Regina's patent vein popping in his forehead in response to the rum-soaked pirate stumbling down the central aisle.

David stood, grasping the cuffs hidden under his blazer and demanded, "Hook, what are you doing?"

Killian pointed his canteen at the deputy sheriff and slurred, "I've come to see all of the obedient townspeople come to celebrate their local monster."

The gasps were more audible this time and it was Belle who spoke over it, "Isn't she the reason that you're alive?"

Hook scoffed, getting closer to the front where Henry was clenching his fists, forgetting every lesson that Regina had ever taught him about avoiding violence.

What kind of person was so ungrateful for their life that they would gate crash a funeral?

"Oh, such a passionate defence from the bookworm her majesty imprisoned for twenty-eight years, who could have seen that coming?" Hook called and by now he was at the front row staring straight at Emma who was not registering his presence at all. Her lack of reaction contorted the pirate's face into pure rage and he demanded, "You really love that bitch over me?!"

Henry's fists shook and he was about to launch at the captain but stopped as another force knocked him down.

Killian grunted with Snow White's foot placed at the centre of his back.

"Didn't Henry tell you never to talk about Regina again?" Snow growled and Hook yelped as she pushed her foot in harder.

"Snow, not here," David whispered and she stepped off the pirate after some hesitation (and a moment to look between Emma and Henry).

David released the cuffs from his belt and slapped them onto Killian's wrist as he continued to spout Evil Queen-related insults until he was just a distant speck.

Henry's nostrils flared but he snatched up some fresh dirt as he went to the coffin.

He placed his other hand atop its polished surface, somehow certain that Snow's efforts to reverse this wouldn't work.

Trying to hold onto the final laugh he had elicited from her, he whispered, "Goodbye, mom."

It took a nod from him for the coffin to begin lowering itself into the ground and the dirt filtered through his fingers onto his mother's final resting place.