Chapter 14
'Awkwardness Abound'

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There was an awkward silence that filled the room after Henry's statement. Emma shifted nervously, her packages crinkling beneath her arm. The plastics crinkle sounded louder than it would in any other situation. It only made Emma's muscles tighten, her anxiousness rising, but she wouldn't look away.

Still, no one was saying anything and the slightest of sounds were deafening.

Kathryn cleared her throat again to break the staring contest between Henry and his birth mother.

"Can I take your jacket, Ms. Swan?"

Emma turned to her, her movements slow and stiff. Her eyes were glazed over with unshed tears and a fear so profound Kathryn was drawn in immediately. However the fear was gone as soon as it appeared as the blonde shook her head, clearing her emotions away, while she shrugged out of her jacket. Awkwardly juggling her bag of goodies as she did.

"It's Emma." The younger woman reminded her gently, her voice lower than it had been when she was addressing Henry.

"Yes, of course. My mistake."

Kathryn's smile was disarming and put Emma at ease, at least for a moment. Then she remembered where she was standing, who she was talking to, and who was watching her from across the room. Whatever tension she had lost returned.

"Let me," Regina tried to cut in, appalled that she hadn't offered to take Ms. Swan's coat before while they stood in the foyer.

Kathryn would have none of it. She held up a hand to forestall the woman.

"I'm perfectly capable, Regina. I'll bring in some of the snacks. Let you three talk." The nurse folded Emma's leather jacket over her arm and offered her friend a reassuring smile.

Regina seemed unsure, whether to correct her faux pas or remain at Henry's side. It wasn't until Henry's hand reached out and threaded his fingers into hers that she made her decision. She squeezed Henry's hand as she retook her kneeling position beside his armchair. She wouldn't leave him.

Kathryn watched the silent communication between mother and son with a grin. She took her leave from the room willing to bet that when she returned Ms. Swan would still be standing and Regina would have taken a seat beside Henry on the love seat.

Emma watched as Regina released Henry's left hand only to pick up his right on her way to taking a seat on the love seat. There was hardly any space between the couch and the armchair that Henry sat in. It kept mother and son in easy contact with each other. Contact that both of them seemed to need at the moment as it offered a comfort Emma could not understand. The large frame of the chair Henry sat in looked like a throne, with Henry the image of a regal King anointed long before his time.

A smile played across Emma's lips at the thought. The smile caught Henry and Regina's attention immediately. Henry squeezed Regina's hand while Regina's eyebrow raised in question long before she voiced it.

"Is something funny Ms. Swan?" The Mayor hissed, a warning clear in her tone.

Emma bit her bottom lip and shook her head from side to side. "No, no I just, I understand now."

"Understand what?" Henry asked, his voice much softer than Regina's had been. He chewed nervously on the inside of his cheek as he awaited Emma's response.

Emma turned to look into Henry's eyes, the replica of her own, rather than at Regina's intimidating gaze. "Why the people of this town consider you a Prince. You have a very regal air about you even when so young."

Whatever fears Henry had about Emma's smile disappeared instantly and a smile unlike anything Emma had seen spread across his face. It made him seem so much younger than he appeared. So sweet and innocent but so very young.

"You think so?" The light in his eyes was like that of any child his age when they found something entertaining.

Emma inclined her head, "I do."

Henry glanced between Regina, his toothy grin making Regina's shoulders lower, her tension dissipating. Henry's happiness was like a balm to the fiercest of moods or wounds, at least for Regina.

"I was thinking of going as a Prince for Halloween this year." Henry couldn't decide who to look at, his mom or Emma. So he split his gaze looking quickly from one woman to the other.

Emma's eyes narrowed in wonderment as Regina groaned at the idea. Henry's energy seemed to triple in seconds at the sound. The solemn air around him completely disappeared as he grinned slyly at his mother and then looked to her. She recognized that look. The kid had an idea, a sneaky one at that. It reminded her of how she had looked as a teenager and…God! His dimples were as deep as the Baltic sea.

"That sounds like a pretty great costume, kid." Emma couldn't help but look to the slightly miffed Mayor. "What Prince did you have in mind?"

"I don't know. I mean, not yet anyway. I still have a while. But I wanted mom to go as Princess Leia."

Ah… Emma smirked, that was the reason the Mayor was seemingly beside herself at Henry's choice of discussion.

"I think she'd make a pretty decent Princess Leia, bun hair and all." Emma ignored the Mayor's flaming cheeks as best she could. "But what about Maleficent?"

"Hmm…that could work." Henry appraised his mother critically, attempting to imagine her dressed as the Maleficent he saw in his book.

Regina's gaze snapped up, any amusement lost immediately at the notion that Ms. Swan was casting her as a villain, a witch. It was something far too close to who she had once been, and still was. What stung most was Henry's apparent intrigue at the idea.

"How generous of you Ms. Swan. To cast me as an evil…"

"Woo, woo…I only meant that you'd look better in black and purple than in white. Your skin tone…just…it would suit you better. In my opinion. But it's not up to me." Emma was quick to point out. "It was just an idea. Besides, I always liked Maleficent." Emma held up both of her hands to try and stall for time or escape the scathing rebuttal Regina was moments away from spewing. As she raised her arm she fumbled to keep a hold of the shoe box as she did. The bag from the toy store was wrapped around her wrist and rose up with her arms.

"Oh crap…" Emma muttered as she tried to grab the shoe box. How embarrassing would it be if it fell and all the contents spread all over the floor? Then she'd have to bend down and pick it up while trying not to die of embarrassment as Henry and Regina watched her clumsy self, pick up her mess.

Taking a step to the right Emma slapped her palms against the bottom and top of the shoebox in order to catch it and keep it from tumbling over and spilling all the contents around them on the floor.

"Everything alright in here?" Kathryn asked having heard the loud echoing bang Emma's catch had released. She looked nervously between Emma and the two Mills sitting beside each other. Emma was still standing in the doorway, as she predicted, just grasping tightly to a shoe box in an awkward pose.

"Yes," Regina assured Kathryn immediately. "Ms. Swan was just demonstrating her ability to save herself." Regina explained.

Regina met Emma's sheepish grin with pursed lips, the only way the Mayor could contain an amused smirk.

She would let the blonde off the hook. For now, but only because she seemed so truly frazzled and off her game. She was too easy a target at the moment, and thus no fun.

Meanwhile Henry was a giggling mess at her side, his eyes widening and zeroing in on the bag from the local toy store immediately. Regina rolled her eyes, her son loved receiving presents and she wasn't averse to giving him them. And neither, would it seem, was anyone else in this town. Including Ms. Swan.

"What's in the box?" Henry leaned up in his seat in an attempt to get a better look at what Emma was holding.

"Well…ah…" Emma swallowed nervously as she ran her fingers over the faded Nike symbol on the top of the ratty old shoe box. "It's a surprise I brought to show you. It's ah, well you see. You're mom told me that you liked comics. I like 'em too. So I thought…" Emma swallowed again, feeling decidedly overheated as she stood in front of a captivated audience, not something she was very skilled with handling.

Taking the momentary pause, Kathryn touched Emma's arm to gain her attention. She gestured to the open armchair. It sat across from Henry's putting the coffee table between Emma and the two Mills.

"Oh, thanks." Emma bowed her head in as she took the seat, sitting at the very edge of it so that she could reach out and put the shoe box on the coffee table. "Anyway," She wouldn't pull at her shirt collar, she wouldn't pull at her shirt collar! "I thought I could bring my collection. Let you borrow a few of them if you found any you liked."

Henry's eyes lit up as he turned to Regina, seeking approval. Regina nodded her head in the briefest of movements before leaning over to take up the shoe box. As her fingers touched the ratty looking box her eyes met Emma's seeking the woman's permission to touch her property.

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead." Emma nervously rubbed her hands together as Regina put the box on her knees and opened it.

Regina reached in and took out the first few comics and handed them to Henry.

Emma wondered why Regina didn't just hand Henry the box but didn't have the gall to say anything about it. Sure it had to do with where the box had been and germs and such. So she kept her mouth shut and watched Henry look over each of the comics. His eyes widened with each title he read and his fingers gently, practically reverently, leafed through some of the pages.

"How many do you own?" Kathryn asked as she took the seat on the couch beside Emma's arm chair, closest to the other blonde. A strategic move on her part so as not to alienate the blonde from them all even though she would have much preferred to sit next to Regina and offer the brunette silent strength and comfort.

"I probably own over two hundred." Emma admitted with little embarrassment as she watched Kathryn's eyes widen at the number. "There are only about fifty or sixty in that shoe box. The rest I have back at my apartment in Boston. Some in other boxes others in cases."

"Cases?" Kathryn asked while Regina and Henry whispered over one of the comics he'd found.

"Yes, some of them are rare, worth a lot of money now. Most of those ones I could probably sell for a bit of money too, but I didn't keep them in the best conditions. The others I have."

"So they're collectables?"

"Oh yeah." Emma nodded enthusiastically. She didn't have many conversations with other adults about comics, hadn't since the last time she went to a comic con which had been a few years ago. "I'm a bit of a nerd."

"Yes, I can see that." Kathryn grinned, making Emma blush

Emma's attention was quickly diverted to Henry as the boy gasped. For a moment Emma panicked thinking he wasn't feeling well but when she saw the astonishment clearly written across his face she relaxed. Across from her Kathryn did as well.

"Can I get you something to drink, Emma?"

Emma watched Kathryn stand from her seat. "Oh, uhm, water is fine."

"Regina, Henry?"

"Kathryn let me…"

"Don't." Kathryn warned and Emma watched in awe as Regina stopped moving and sank back into the couch, the mayor's mouth snapping shut at the order.

Emma couldn't help but wonder how long it had taken Kathryn to wield such power and control over the Mayor. How long had the woman been working with Regina? How long had they been friends? When did their relationship change from employee and employer to friends and confidants? Hell how long after that had Kathryn found she could tell the Mayor what to do without repercussion?

Emma remained amazed and Henry didn't even look up from his comic books as he answered. "Me too, please."

"Henry…" Regina's tone was low, her gaze disapproving.

Henry looked up from the comics and addressed Kathryn. "Please and thank you, Kathryn."

"Oh, Gina leave the boy alone. He's got his hands on some classics." Kathryn stated even though she knew very little about comic books and her exaggeration was for entertainment purposes only. "He'll need to look at them now before Graham gets here. Then he'll never get them back." The nurse winked as she made her way from the room.

Henry's jaw fell as if he just realized he had a time limit with how long he had a chance to look at the comics. His pace picked up as he flipped through them quicker.

Emma watched Kathryn leave over her shoulder before she turned to Regina. The name the nurse spoke rang a bell but she didn't know from where. Had Regina mentioned a Graham before? As she raked her brain she couldn't pinpoint a moment that Regina had mentioned him, no.

Suddenly Emma considered something she hadn't before.

Regina wasn't married.

Emma had been able to deduce that from her lack of ring. She hadn't asked around to see if there was any divorce to speak of or a significant other. Hell for all she knew Kathryn was Regina's lover.

Emma stopped breathing for a moment at that thought. She really could use that water right about now. Her face had to be as bright as a neon sign. She was just lucky no one could read her mind to see what she was thinking. The idea of Regina and Kathryn certainly wouldn't be surprising. Not really. There was something about Regina that prompted Emma to believe the woman didn't strictly date men or hadn't in her past.

Actually, the way Regina held herself and the vibes she gave off left Emma struggling to imagine a man at Regina's side. Regina, to Emma, was a man eater. That was for sure. Regina was a strong, confident, intelligent, wealthy, hardworking 'single' mother. Oh yeah, Regina definitely ate men for breakfast. And Regina had to enjoy it, revel in consuming men (and hell maybe women too), if the brunette's heated gazes and demeanor told an accurate story.

So was this Graham, Regina's boyfriend? He spent enough time around everyone in this room, Emma could tell. None of them had even questioned the man's like of comics or of his upcoming appearance. They'd all continued on as if it was a natural occurrence. But for Emma that still left the question. Who was he?

"Graham?"

Regina turned away from watching Henry's enthused eyes take in as much of the comics in his lap as he could. It was a wonderful sight to see, for him to be as excited and thrilled as he was in this moment. He radiated happiness and enthusiasm.

The question about Graham caught her off guard, startled her even. She had almost forgotten that Emma was present she was so consumed by memorizing Henry's expressions.

"Sherriff Graham." Henry answered before Regina could open her mouth. "He's Kathryn's boyfriend and mom's friend. He loves comics too. He buys me some every once and a while and lets me look at his." Henry answered, never looking away from the page in front of him. His fingers skimmed over the images before turning the page. He wasn't so engrossed in the worlds available to him that he wouldn't answer any of Emma's questions. That was why Emma was here, to talk to him, get to know him, let them talk and get to know each other.

It was as he thought about answering Emma's questions that he realized he was being rude and his mother wasn't stopping him. Which was odd on his mom's part but he didn't comment on it. So he closed the comic he had been looking at and saw how Emma ran her palms up and down her legs. He did that too. When he was nervous he did it the most since his hands always got sweaty.

Emma blinked as Henry peered up from the collection suddenly more interested in her, than in the classic comics now available to him. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. The comics were a diversion, and had been a good one thus far. A buffer of sorts but Henry's enthusiasm was waning and his attention now fully diverted to her. She gulped audibly and leaned back a little, preparing herself.

"These are awesome! I can't believe you have some of these. They don't, they don't sell most of these anymore." He gushed glad to see Emma's face brighten at his enjoyment over the comics.

Emma chuckled, "Yeah, well I've been collecting them since I was your age."

"Really?" Emma nodded in answer. "That's cool. What uhm…" He licked his lips, his mouth a bit dry. "What else were you into when you were my age?"

Emma looked up at the ceiling, suddenly trying to think of all the things she was interested in when she was ten. "Wow, uhm, let's see. I liked comics, obviously. But I also liked video games. At ah, one of the homes I stayed in, there was this arcade a few blocks away. The foster parents were…"

"You were in the foster care system?"

Emma's head dropped back down heavily, her eyes widened, her mouth hanging open halfway into saying her next word when Henry interrupted her. She clicked her mouth shut suddenly. Her eyes moved between Regina and Henry, looking for some help, some advice from the Mayor. She hadn't realized Henry wasn't aware of her time in the system and she really didn't want to tell him much about her bouncing around. The kid had enough to deal with, he didn't need her baggage.

"Yes, Henry," Regina began, "Ms. Swan was in the foster care system until she was sixteen."

Henry nodded his head, trying to understand what that really meant for his…for Emma.

"Did, how many, uhm…homes were you in?"

Emma saw Regina cringe, if you could call the sudden twitch in her cheeks a cringe. "Fourteen, in total." Mostly every year it was a new place, sometimes twice a year.

"Oh, that's ah a lot." Henry conceded, though he didn't really know if that was a lot or not. By the sadness that colored Emma's expression and clouded her eyes he knew it wasn't a good thing at any rate.

"Yeah, kid is was." Emma finally pulled at her shirts collar, unable to stop herself from doing so.

Henry cleared his throat, his eyes downcast suddenly. "Is that…" Henry sighed heavily, "Why did you give me up?"

Emma felt her chest tighten and her body jerk forward then back on it's on accord as if absorbing a blow to the ribs. She saw Regina had stiffened at Henry's question and was holding onto his hand with both of her own again.

"Henry that's a very personal…" Regina tried to give Ms. Swan a bit of leeway. She didn't need Henry to know anything about the story of his conception and birth. She didn't truly want him to know much about Emma's time in the system, she wanted to protect him from that as best she could. He didn't need the ideas in his mind that he too could have been sent to fourteen different homes in his time in the system. He didn't need those kinds of images. He had enough to worry about.

"I gave you…." Emma's whisper stopped Regina from continuing.

Regina twisted her head sharply, but slowly towards Emma, and let the woman compose herself before continuing.

Henry glanced up at her through his eye lashes, putting her on the spot.

"Oh god…okay. Uhm…" Emma slapped her hands against her thighs and squeezed tightly. She forced herself to stare at Henry. "Henry, I gave you up for adoption so that you might have your best chance. I wasn't, there was a lot going on in my life that made it impossible for me to take care of a child. I wanted to." Emma admitted, her throat closing on her and forcing her to clear it loudly. Her nails, what was left of them, dug into her thighs fiercely.

"You did?" Henry and Regina both asked at the same time. Mother and son both squeezing tightly onto the other's hand at the news.

It worried Regina immediately. If Emma had wanted to keep Henry before what was to stop her from trying to get him back now? What was stopping her from hiring a lawyer and taking Henry from her? Regina couldn't lose Henry. Not to this illness and certainly not to Ms. Swan. She would be damned before she…

"Yes, I, wanted to keep you. So much, it hurt." It pained Emma to admit to her previous desires. "But I wasn't what was best for you, Henry." Emma closed her eyes for a moment. "So I trusted in an adoption agency to find you a good home with people that could take care of you in ways that I couldn't." She opened her eyes and stared directly into Henry's eyes, willing him to understand. "Because I couldn't Henry. I couldn't give you a home or clothes or even food. I wasn't capable of being a mother. I couldn't keep you safe and…" She stopped herself from saying healthy because that seemed too cruel in their current situation. So she moved on, quickly, wishing and praying and wondering why the hell she'd agreed to this to begin with.

"I think. No. No," Emma stated firmly as she kept herself from panicking. "I know…that it was the right thing to do, to put you up for adoption, don't you?" Henry didn't answer and the longer he remained quiet the stiffer and darker Regina's demeanor and expression became.

"You have a mom who loves you more than anything in this world. Who is willing to do anything for you. You have a whole town who thinks the world of you, a safe house to come home to. A bed to sleep in, lovely clothes that you look dashing in." Emma blinked away the tears in her eyes. She laughed at herself and the use of the word dashing, somehow expecting Regina to comment on the use of it, but she didn't. So Emma pulled herself together and tried her best to say the next truth she needed to level on a ten year old. "You wouldn't have had that with me."

Henry blushed at the word dashing, but kept silent. Regina held her breath, too entranced by Emma's words to dare say anything at all.

"I couldn't have been your mother then. I wasn't ready. I wasn't capable in the ways that really matter. Because loving you was easy. But love wasn't food. It wasn't warmth. It wasn't safety."

Emma swallowed thickly, wondering where Kathryn was with her water. She sure could use some about now.

When Henry remained silent Emma noticed how Regina seemed to be shrinking in on herself. The wounded, betrayed, devastated aura began to pulsate around the mayor stronger and stronger the longer Henry remained stoic.

Henry continued to stare at Emma, nibbling at the inside of his cheek like Regina did when she was considering something important.

"You just wanted me to be happy and safe." Henry sounded so confused.

Emma nodded once. "Yes, I did."

The boy took a deep breath and finally looked away from Emma. He stared down at his right hand, saw how it was covered almost completely by his mother's hands. He felt the warmth of her touch and the tight squeeze of her fear as clearly as he did her fingers. "You are right. I did get all of that, have all of that." Henry smiled as he stared at Regina. "Thank you."

Regina sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes brimmed with tears as she tilted her head up to see Henry wasn't looking at Emma any longer but was staring intently at her.

"Henry?" Emma flinched at how broken, vulnerable Regina sounded.

Henry smiled softly, knowingly, and gazed at Regina with the same love and adoration he had when he was an infant and held onto her finger with his whole hand. Nothing would ever change how he felt for his mom. He loved her. Regina was his mom. She always would be.

"I got the best mom ever." Henry switched his gaze between his mom and Emma. "I've had an amazing life and I wouldn't have had that anywhere else."

Emma knew what Regina meant when she spoke of how Henry was far older than he seemed. The kid turned to look at her and the gratitude in his eyes was enough to make her tears finally fall. They escaped and slide unapologetically down her cheeks.

"Thank you for giving me my best chance."

"Yeah…" Emma croaked, "…no problem kid."

He then turned to his mom. "And thank you for giving me the best."

Regina dry sobbed once, and bowed her head low so she could smother Henry's hand with kisses. "Always, my dearest, always."

Kathryn took that moment to make her way back into the room. A smile plastered on her face even if her cheeks were still a bit damp from the tears that had fallen as she listened to the conversation from just inside the kitchen.

"Lunch is ready."

End Chapter Fourteen

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