"Absolutely not! Just who in the hell do you think you are?" Regina's entire body vibrated with rage as she glared at the man before her. Adrenaline flooded her system as she glowered at Gold, her hands balled into fists at her sides; meanwhile, he was firmly planted in his stance, an even expression painted across his face.
"I believe I have made my terms quite clear," Mr. Gold replied.
Standing beside Regina, Emma could hear the woman's labored breathing. When Regina took a menacing step forward, Emma debated whether or not to intervene. "We invited you here as a courtesy. If you think for one second that entitles you to anything—"
"My grandson deserves to know who I am," Gold countered. "And I him."
"How dare you give us an ultimatum!" Regina snapped.
When the nurses and orderlies began to stare, Emma finally decided to take action. "Regina, maybe we should—"
Before Emma could finish her thought, though, Regina's ferocious glare fell upon the blonde. "Don't," she warned. "This is not an option."
"We were going to tell him sooner or later," Emma offered.
Regina practically snarled. "On our own terms! When we decided it was the right time!"
"And just what do you believe the 'right time' is, hm?" Gold interjected. "You have carried out this… fairytale for over a decade. Am I to simply trust you on your word to tell him the truth?"
Shaking her head in frustration, Regina turned away from Mr. Gold, unable to bear the sight of him. The muscles in her legs twitched as she struggled to remain standing and she wrapped her arms around herself in a tight hug. The urge to hit someone had never been so strong.
"Regina," Emma attempted once again, mindful to keep her distance. "Even if my parents lent us money, there's no way we could cover this bill. Neither of us have worked a day since Henry came here. We're already running on empty."
One hand covering her face, Regina closed her eyes and wished for life to return to normal. She wanted so badly to wake up from the nightmare she'd been thrust into— to be able to have a good day without something terrible following. In the blink of an eye, everything had been turned upside down once again. Even in the wake of good news, with Henry's improvements, she began to feel as though she would never be happy again.
"All right," Regina heard herself say. Slowly, Regina turned around, though she only looked at Emma. "You," she shot at Gold, "you say nothing." Gold responded with a simple tilt of his chin.
Holding her head up high, Emma met Regina's gaze. As they locked eyes, a moment passed between them, a silent, mutual surrender. For the first time since Emma jumped out of bed and ran out of Regina's room, the awkwardness had vanished.
Regina assumed the lead. Always one to take charge, she led Emma and Gold back into Henry's room. Distracted by the many comics he'd just been presented with, the boy hardly took notice of the adults' return. It was only when the door closed behind Gold that Henry looked out from above his graphic novel.
"Mom! Look! He's even got Fantastic Four!"
"That is quite the collection," Regina agreed. Behind her, Emma inhaled deeply, as if bracing herself. "Henry, dear, can we talk to you about something? It's important." Lowering his comic book, Henry looked up at his mother.
Although she couldn't see her face, Emma could sense that Regina was starting to panic. She imagined the steely expression Regina wore anytime she was uncomfortable, the tight pursing of her lips. And, while Emma's own flight instincts were buzzing, she suddenly felt a spark of courage.
Taking the seat at the foot of his bed, Emma crossed her legs like a pretzel and sat across from him. "OK, Kid, so here's the thing." Suddenly, words had escaped her. That spark of courage extinguished before she could even use it.
"Henry," Regina began, "Mr. Gold… here, is… erm, well, he's just offered a very generous gift."
"You mean, besides the comics?"
Regina couldn't help but chuckle at Henry's innocent nature. "A bit more than the comics, yes."
"Did he get you something?" asked Henry.
"It's more for all of us," Regina said.
"Why?"
"Well, Henry, you see, Mr. Gold isn't just Emma's boss."
"He's not?"
"No, he's, well… He's…" Regina shook her head, unable to find the right words.
"What's wrong?" Henry asked, concern growing in his chest.
Taking her cue from Regina, Emma cleared her throat. "Henry, Mr. Gold is… he's your grandfather."
Confusion filled Henry's eyes as he turned to Gold. "You were married to grandma?"
"No, Kid, he wasn't," Emma said swiftly. "He… he was your dad's dad."
"My dad?"
Sitting beside her son, Regina looked him in the eyes and swallowed hard. "You know how much I love you, right?" Henry nodded. "This is not how I wanted to tell you, Henry and I am so sorry that I didn't tell you sooner."
"Tell me what?" the boy wanted to know.
Regina could feel the tears stinging behind her eyes and although she fought them with every fiber of her being, she couldn't help when they rolled down her cheek. "You're my son," she whispered.
"I know," said Henry.
"But," Regina said, "you're also Emma's son." As soon as the words slipped from her lips, Regina felt the weight of 11 years wash away.
"It's true," Emma promised, though she wasn't sure why she'd felt the need to. "I mean, you don't have to be. I mean, you came from me, but Regina is— always has been, your mom."
Henry sat quietly with his hands in his lap. He blinked, perhaps, twice in the span of two minutes. Two long, silent minutes. As he looked from Regina to Emma, and back to Regina, he finally let out a slight shrug. "OK."
Sniffling somewhat, Regina frowned. "'OK?'"
"Do- do you want to ask us any questions?" Emma posed. "Because, you totally can. We understand. This is a big thing to take in. If you're confused or- or mad, that's all right."
"I'm not mad," Henry said.
"You're not?" Regina wowed.
Henry shook his head. "I do have one question, though." Craning his neck to look over at Gold, who'd been standing uncomfortably in the background, he asked, "What am I supposed to call you?"
Before Gold could answer, Regina held up a hand and said, "Henry, do you… do you understand what Emma and I are saying?"
"Yeah," Henry chirped.
"And you're not upset?"
"Not really. I mean, I already knew," Henry replied evenly.
Emma let out an odd choking sound. "What?"
Nodding, Henry clarified, "Grandma told me."
Feeling as if the wind had been knocked out of her, Regina stammered, "I- I'm sorry, what was that?"
"Cora told you what?" Emma's question fell on the coattails of Regina's.
"She told me the whole thing. She said Emma got pregnant with me and needed help, so you adopted me," Henry said.
"When exactly did she tell you all of this?" Regina asked, somewhat sharply.
For the first time since Emma and Regina walked in with Mr. Gold, Henry appeared nervous. "Right before she— well, before she passed away." Regina practically leapt to her feet; she pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail before letting it fall over her face. Red cheeks flared as she stood before the window.
"If you knew, why didn't you say anything?" said Emma.
"Grandma made me promise not to. She said you and Mom would explain everything someday." When Regina didn't say anything, Henry looked to Emma with puppy-dog eyes. "Am I in trouble?"
Reaching for Henry's chin, Emma gave him a half-hearted smile. "No, Kid, you're not in trouble." Peeking over her shoulder at Regina, Emma made an executive decision. "Look, your mom and I are gonna get something for dinner. When we come back, we'll talk about this together, OK?"
"OK. Can Mr. Gold stay here while you go?" Henry gestured to the man by the door.
Emma looked to Gold. "That's up to him."
Taking a step forward, Mr. Gold nodded to Henry. "If you would like me to, then I shall."
"Cool," Henry grinned. "Can you tell me about my dad?"
The cab dropped them off in the heart of the city. Emma and Regina walked through the streets of New York side-by-side. Well, Emma walked. Regina had more of a stomp to her pace. Steam rose from metal crates and jackhammers drilled into the hard cement. Gentle drops of rain began to fall as they crossed through traffic and horns echoing through alleyways.
Regina hadn't said a word since they left the hospital. It wasn't until Emma pulled Regina by the collar as a car zoomed by that the brunette finally broke her silence. "Jesus, Regina, watch where you're going!" the blonde rebuked.
Her arms folded across her chest, Regina ignored Emma's chastisement. "I can't believe she did this," she growled. "She had no right!"
"I know," Emma said calmly.
"Henry already knew?!" Regina shrieked. "For months, he's known?! I don't understand!"
"I know," Emma repeated.
Tossing her hands into the air, Regina shook her head in disgust. "Dammit Mills!" Which Mills she was referring to, Emma wasn't so sure. All she knew was that Regina was losing it, and others were starting to notice as well— a feat rather difficult in New York City.
Reaching for Regina's arm, Emma pulled her to the nearest park bench. Beneath the shade of a vibrant oak tree, the women sat on the metal surface and Emma waited for Regina to catch her breath.
"Henry would make a good CIA agent," Emma mused.
"What?"
As she crossed one leg over the other, Emma shrugged and said, "He's 11 years old and he hid this since, what, March? That's impressive. Imagine how good he'd be at 20 or 30." Before she knew it, Regina was laughing and shaking her head. Soon, her sides began to hurt and her eyes began to water. "It's not so bad, you know," Emma commented after a few moments. "In a way, I think Cora did us a favor."
Regina scoffed angrily. "Yeah, right."
"I'm serious. Gold was right. We only decided to tell Henry after he got sick. Even then, we never said when we would or how we would." Peering down at her lap, Emma added, "I wouldn't be upset if I never saw Gold again… but, even if our reasons were wrong, we did the right thing." As singles and couples passed them by, Emma and Regina sat beside one another in silence. There were less then three inches between them, and yet, they felt as if they were at opposite ends of the bench. "Regina," Emma began slowly, "about this morning…"
"You don't need to—"
"I'm sorry," Emma said. "I don't- I didn't meant to… I don't want you to think that I was upset or anything. I mean, I guess I was, but not because of you." Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Regina twiddled her thumbs anxiously. And, before she knew it, Emma was reaching for Regina's hand. "When I woke up and saw you next to me, I- I panicked because… because it was comfortable. Too comfortable. Being with you— being next to you, it felt good. Still does."
As Regina took in Emma's words, she focused on the way Emma's touch felt; how soft it was, how gentle it was. As fingers became intwined, Regina felt a shiver roll down her spine. She'd been craving this contact for days. This was a side of Emma she'd scarcely seen before, a side she wasn't even sure existed. Now that she was on the receiving end, Regina found herself second-guessing everything she'd known about Emma.
"The other day, with the coffee," Regina started, "you were afraid to show me your scars." Neither she or Emma could remember the last time they'd discussed the markings on the blonde's skin, the imprints of memories they'd both wish they could forget. "Why?"
Turning to look out at the street life before them, Emma said, "Four people in my life have ever seen them. One of them died. An two of them can't stand to see them."
"I was there when most of them happened," said the brunette.
"I know," said Emma. "So, why relive it if you don't have to?"
"You choose to relive it alone, then?" Regina questioned. She could sense that there was more to it than that, but she also knew Emma would tell her when she was ready.
Checking the time on her phone, Emma let out a heavy sigh. "We should get going." Her hand still holding onto Regina's, Emma looked down their connected palms. Somewhere along the way, the friendship that they'd shared for years had turned into something more. The tether that bound the two of them had shortened and Emma found herself longing to be with Regina. She wasn't sure when it happened or how it did; all Emma was certain about was that she didn't want it to end.
When they returned, Henry and Gold were sitting across from one another passing photos back and forth; old pictures of Neal that Gold carried in his wallet with him. He'd just finished telling Henry about Neal's knack for baseball when Emma and Regina strode in with a box of pizza.
"Pizza!" Henry cheered excitedly, his eyes wide and a line of drool trickling from his lips. "Grandpa, do you wanna stay?"
Regina and Emma shared a perplexed expression at Henry's quick sign of affection. "If only I could," Gold replied, much to the women's' relief. "But I'd best be going." As he gathered his things, Gold paused briefly before passing a photo to Henry. "You keep that," he said. "I have plenty more."
"Thanks," said the boy. Without warning, Henry wrapped his arms around Gold's waist, who staggered before he could catch his balance. "It was really nice to meet you," Henry muffled into the man's coat.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Henry," Gold replied kindly. With a cordial nod to Emma and Regina, he was off. As soon as the door closed, Emma felt as though she could breathe again.
"Alright, we've got a half cheese for your mom, and half Hawaiian for us," Emma declared as she lifted the lid. "Dig in."
Henry was quick to reach for two slices, while Emma and Regina each started out with one. They sat scattered around the room; Henry on the bed, Regina at end, and Emma by the window. The silence was awkward, though surprisingly, painless.
"So, Henry," Regina began as she wiped her fingers on a napkin. "About earlier. I think we should take the time to talk about it, just the three of us. Now that it's been a little while, do you have any questions you'd like to ask us?"
Setting her plate aside, Emma sat on the edge of the bed and shrugged. "Anything you can think of, go for it."
As he licked the tomato sauce on the corners of his mouth, Henry put his pizza down and puckered his lips. "Did you love my dad?" he asked Emma.
"I did," the blonde responded earnestly. "Very much. Especially because he gave me you."
"Did you want to keep me?" Henry wondered casually.
Although she was struck by the question, Emma had no intention of running from the issue. Not this time. "I did, yeah. But I knew that Regina could be a better mom for you than I could."
"Henry, dear, did Cora tell you why Emma asked me to be your mom?"
"Sort of," Henry murmured. "She said something about best chances, I think."
Emma nodded encouragingly. "Exactly. I knew that I couldn't be what you needed, so I wanted to give you your best chance at everything. Can you understand that?"
Fidgeting with the edge of his plate, Henry looked almost guilty as he asked his next question. "Do I call you both 'Mom' now?"
"You call me whatever you want. 'Emma' works just fine," she assured.
Regina watched as the wheels continued to turn in Henry's head. He'd always been rather mature when it came to processing change and it was never more apparent than right then. Finally, Henry turned to Regina and Emma and said, "Does this mean we're really a family?"
"Henry, we've always been a family," Regina piped.
"But, does this mean we can be together? All three of us? Because I like when we're together. It's fun."
"More than we already are?" Emma asked.
Henry nodded eagerly. "You could move in with us!" he exclaimed.
Regina felt her cheeks go hot as she stuttered, "Oh, Henry, I- I'm not sure…" The heat of Emma's gaze bore into Regina, and though she was dying to look back at the blonde, she was also terrified of what she might see.
"Why not? That way we'd always see each other!"
As images of the three of them living together filled Emma's mind, she heard Regina reply, "That's something Emma and I would have to discuss some other time. For now, let's just stick to our usual routine, hm?"
"Fine," Henry sighed, almost as though he were pouting. His disappointment quickly disappeared though as he smiled at the women. "I'm glad you're both my moms, Moms." With a giggle, he added, "That sounds funny. But I like it."
A/N - OK, y'all. I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter! I debated very heavily on how to write the scene where they tell Henry, since it's basically been built up since chapter 1. I went down every avenue I could think of, and this was the one that felt most fitting. Now that the semester ended, I'm thinking I might be able to finish this during break. But, we'll see. Until next time!
