Chapter 10
Regina woke up with a stupid grin on her face and she could only think of Emma. It was a nice distraction to have her back and have her memories, but she still wanted to know who had cursed them all to forget in the first place. She knew that Emma would help her, but it hurt knowing that Henry still didn't remember. She wondered what they would tell him now that they were courting.
It still sounded so odd to her in her head. She couldn't believe that she was courting Emma. But more appropriately, Emma called it dating, and that Snow was allowing it. Not that she could really stop her daughter from doing anything. It was still a nice gesture from Snow. Maybe she wasn't as bad as she thought. Maybe the years had tempered them both.
She got out of bed and headed for the shower to officially start her day. It was still odd not having to go down the hall and wake Henry, but she was making it. He was back in town and that gave her enough hope that he would soon remember who she was to him.
She made her way into town and stopped at Granny's. She hoped that she would run into Emma and Henry and join them for breakfast. She didn't know if it was a good idea, but she didn't care. She felt herself being drawn more and more to Emma. Henry was a pleasant and added bonus.
He was her son, but he wasn't right now. He was getting to know the Regina that she wanted to be and not the Regina that she was. It was something that she hoped they could rebuild their relationship on. It wasn't much, but it was enough now to sustain her. The fact Henry had already given Emma permission to be with a woman only made her smile more. Her son was accepting and loving. She couldn't be happier. Well, she could…once they all had all their memories again.
The bell over the door signaled her entrance. She was rewarded with a smile from Ruby as she walked towards the counter to her normal stool. She sat down and waited. Ruby automatically poured her a cup of coffee, black, and put it in front of her. She took a sip of the hot and bitter liquid. As she put her cup back on its saucer, the bell over the door jingled again.
She turned sharply to see if it was Emma. It wasn't. It was Snow and Charming. He was carefully guiding her to a table where she would be comfortable. Charming gave Regina a knowing look and smiled as he got Snow settled.
"She'll be down in a minute," he told her as he rounded the table to sit in front of Snow.
And, just as he said, Emma entered with Henry in tow a minute later. Emma gave her a huge smile as she joined her parents. Henry nodded in acknowledgement and gave her a small smile. Regina's heart fluttered. She didn't know if she could survive without him knowing him as his mother, but every time he smiled at her, she knew that she would find a way.
Once Emma got Henry settled, she excused herself from the table and went to sit next to Regina. She didn't know what the official story about Snow and Charming with Henry yet. She just assumed that Emma had told him they were friends from earlier in her life. She knew that Emma would have to explain why they were staying with them and it would have to be a good cover story.
"So, why are you here all alone?"
"I am here, all alone, by myself, every day, Miss Swan," Regina replied.
"Why don't you come sit with us?"
"And, what pray tell would Henry think of that?"
"Well he knows that I like you. He likes you, too. It would be a friendly breakfast."
"And, your mother and father?"
"They are old friends of mine."
"Ah ha."
"What?"
"You haven't told him the truth about them, yet."
"Nope."
"Why not?"
"The kid doesn't believe in magic."
"You didn't believe either."
"I know that, Regina. I remember, but he doesn't. He never grew up here. He has never seen the book. He knows the same fairy tales that I grew up on, which are far from the truth in some respects."
"I know. I've read most of them since we got back. I am highly upset at their betrayal of me."
"They really weren't that far off, Regina," Emma stated.
"I am not some old hag that was jealous of her beauty."
"Well, you've got a point there. But, come on, it's Henry. I know that you want to join us. I can see it in your eyes. Spend time with him. Make him like you for you."
"And, if he doesn't?" Regina asked.
"He will," Emma stated grabbing the cocoas with whip cream and cinnamon that Ruby just happened to have made and placed in front of her.
"Why is that, dear?"
"Because, I already do," Emma replied, walking back over to the table.
She sat down before she handed Henry his cocoa. He took a tentative sip and smiled in appreciation. He looked over at Regina and smiled again. When he turned back to face Emma, she shot Regina a look that told her to get her ass over there and sit down with her family.
Regina shook her head, grabbed her coffee and sauntered across the diner to their table. Emma kicked out a chair for her in a most Emma-like and ungracious way. Regina just stared at her for a moment. Emma finally took the hint and got up from the table. Regina took her seat on the bench part of the booth facing Henry and thus making Emma take the chair she had kicked away from the table.
"Henry," Regina stated, sitting.
"Madam Mayor, good morning," he replied and her heart sank.
She took a deep breath and willed her sadness out of her eyes. Snow and Emma must have both caught the look in her eyes because they simultaneously both put a hand on Regina's knees trying to comfort her. The shock of both women doing the exact same gesture wasn't lost on Snow. She graciously pulled her hand back once she saw that only Regina had seen it. She took another deep breath and let it out slowly. She covered her sigh with her coffee cup as she faked drinking. Finally composed and somewhat comforted by the strange family situation, she sat her cup back down.
"How's case, Mom?"
Emma squeezed Regina's knee before Regina could answer. It was like she knew that Regina was about to say something in response to Henry's question. She leaned a little closer to Emma and their knees bumped under the table. She rubbed her leg against Emma's to let her know that she understood.
"David and I are still looking into some possible leads."
"But, you are going to find him?"
"I hope so, Henry."
"He must be some big catch for you to come all the way up here to find him."
"The biggest that I've seen, lately, and he has the reward to match it," Emma lied.
Henry scrunched his face up and Emma mentally kicked herself. She knew that he would eventually catch her in something while they were in Storybrooke, but she had hoped that it would take longer. Seems not only did Henry have the heart of the truest believer, he also inherited Emma's lie detector.
Regina recognized the look on Henry's face. She, herself, had seen it too many times. She didn't know what kind of case that Emma told her she was working on, but she was going to help. She had to, for Henry's sake. He was her number one priority. She might be beginning to love Emma, but she already knew that she loved Henry. She would do anything for him. Even if it meant, walking away, again.
"Henry, do you know why I called your mother here?" Regina asked.
Snow, Emma, and David all shot her a look. Regina remained as poised as she ever did. Her face never one betraying her emotions or thoughts. Emma actually sat back in the chair, hanging one arm over the back in a lounging type position, and stared at the Mayor, wondering what in the Hell she thought the she was doing by asking that question.
"No, Mayor Mills, I don't."
"Please, don't call me that, Henry. You may call me Regina, if you would like. I don't like when you call me Mayor Mills. It makes me feel…like an old hag with an apple," Regina told him with a bit of flair.
Snow near choked on her cup of cocoa. David coughed and Emma just laughed. Henry just looked at her wondering what he had just missed between them.
"O…kay, Mayor…Regina, why did my mom take this case?"
"I asked her to," Regina replied, like it would answer everything.
"By why her? Why now? What is it about this case that is so special?"
"Let me tell you a story. Can I tell you a story? It might help," Regina offered.
"Sure, I love stories."
"Good," Regina replied and then turned to Ruby, "Red, would you be dear and get another round of cocoa and coffee. Oh, some of Granny's apple pancakes for everyone."
She leaned over to Henry, looking him straight in the eye and told him, "I hear they are to die for."
Emma couldn't help but laugh. The look on Snow's face was priceless. Snow and Emma were the only ones that had ever seen Regina so…playful before. She was mocking their situation and he didn't know. It was epically Regina. She knew that Henry would be laughing too, once he remembered.
"I love pancakes."
"I know."
"Huh?"
"Sorry, your mother told me," Regina stated, quickly recovering. "But I thought that you wanted to know more about your mother's case? Shouldn't I tell you that story."
"Yeah, go ahead," Henry replied, not realizing that they had all just avoided a big issue.
"Well, once upon a time, there was a person that was so bad and hideous, they hid away. But, they were unknown the people. They committed crimes against the kingdom, but they were a part of it. No one knew who the criminal was, but they knew that he or she lived in near the castle and its village."
"What sort of crimes did they commit?" Henry asked.
"What sort of crimes?"
"Yeah, Regina, what were their crimes?" Emma asked her.
"Well, arson for one. They liked to use fire as a tool of intimidation. The kingdom didn't have a big fire department, so the Queen had to find other ways of discouraging such behavior."
"What did she do?" Henry asked.
"She enlisted the help of a knight," Regina told him.
"A knight? One of her knights? And, just one?"
"This knight was special. He wasn't from their kingdom. He didn't have any ties to the community so he could come and go without too much gossip or worry. He would be able to investigate better because he wouldn't have a bias towards the criminal."
"Sounds smart on the Queen's part."
"Oh, it was. However, before the Knight could find the criminal, a sorceress took all the town's memories and sent the Knight away. He didn't remember what he was looking for and he got lost in the woods trying to remember. He wandered and wandered, but one day he found something in the woods. Something that made him remember the kingdom and the Queen," Regina told him.
"What was it?"
"His father's sword,"
"His father's sword?" Emma asked, as she leaned down on the table with her elbows, propping her chin up with her hands, getting really involved in the story.
"Yes, it was his father's sword. It was a magical sword and only those of his line could wield it."
"Like Arthur?" Henry asked.
"Yes, like Arthur, but this was Excalibur. This sword's name was Charming. And, it was a magnificent specimen. It had slain two dragons, saved a princess multiple times, and it had been lost before the knight ever found it. You see, his father had come before him to save the Princess, who one day became his Queen, but the sword had been lost in battle. The Knight never knew about it until he touched it that day in the woods."
"What happened?" Henry begged.
"Well, the knight remembered who he was and where he was from. He had to go back to the kingdom and save the Queen. It was his duty. He took up the sword and rode as fast as he could to the castle, but the Queen would not let him. She didn't remember him or his valiant efforts. She only saw him as a knight coming to take away everything that she loved. She barred him from the castle. She tried to expel him from the kingdom, but the Knight fought back. He wanted her to know that he wasn't doing it for riches or power, but love."
"Love?"
"Yes, Henry, love. Sometimes we do things because we love others and they are the only ones who can't see what is hurting them is themselves. Sometimes they need someone from the outside to point out what is really wrong, so they can fix it from within."
"Did the Knight get through to the Queen?" Emma asked.
"One day, he finally did. He broke through the magical bonds that the sorceress had put up. The Queen instantly recognized the knight as her son and welcomed him back to the castle. The King who had been lost was found by the Knight and the Queen's Magician. He was restored and brought home. This made the sorceress very angry and she vowed to destroy their happiness."
"And, how did she do that?" Snow asked, realizing how close this tale was to their own.
"Well the Knight and the Magician went in search of the sorceress, but they got separated. The Knight found his way into a far off village, again with no memory of who he was. The Magician was placed under a curse along with the rest of the kingdom by the sorceress. But, it was the Queen who told them not to despair. For she knew that the Knight would return and save them all, again."
"Did she?" David asked, not realizing that he had slipped up.
"She did."
"Wait, she did? I thought the knight was a man. Then who saved them?"
"No, Henry, the Queen knew that Knight would save them because he was their Savior. It was his destiny. The court magician was a woman, and together with the Knight they would defeat the sorceress," Regina told him.
"Oh," Henry replied, "But, how did they do that?"
"Well, they went to New York of course and hired your mother to find the Knight," Regina answered with a smile and calmly took a drink of her coffee.
"Wait…what?"
"Your mother is the best tracker, I've ever seen, besides her friend Mary Margaret there. She's an expert hunter, you know? And, David, there he is an excellent law man, but they are too close to the town. We needed someone from the outside. Someone with 'magic' to help us, and your mother was the best of the best from all the calls I made. I asked her here to help us flush out the person that is hurting my residents. I was running out of options. I would have called in my magician, if you will, but he died last year. He helped train your mother a long time ago."
"He did."
"He did. I found her number in his roll-a-deck. I checked out some things online. Made a few long distance Skypes with some old friends and finally your mother, before I asked her to come here. She didn't agree at first. Do you know why?"
"No, why?" Henry asked.
"Because of you."
"Why me?"
"She didn't want pull you out of school and bring you to our quaint little fishing village. I can't say that I blame her. The Big Apple must be glorious compared to our little hamlet," Regina told him.
"But, she did, pull me out of school," Henry said.
"She did. I know. I have spoken with your teachers. And, it seems that your mother's old friend Mary Margaret has agreed to help home school you after a fashion while you stay here. They are willing to work with her on your studies, so you won't fall behind when you go back."
Emma gave her knee a gentle tap with her own. She knew that it was lie, but it would help cover up the reason that he was staying with Snow so much. He didn't look like he knew she was lying. God bless, Regina's upbringing on remaining stoic and lying through her teeth when needed.
"But, that still doesn't explain, why Ma?"
"Because, when I want something done right, I get the right person for the job. The Sheriff was doing a good job. I was helping where I could, but I realized that I needed someone from the outside, someone who didn't have a real strong tie to the town, but understood how it worked. It has been years since your mother was here. She was perfect. I called. I made her offer. She's accepted it."
"Besides the money, what else did you offer her?" Henry asked, very serious.
"I offered her free lodging. She will be a deputy sheriff for the town. You will be able to attend Storybrooke's schools or stay home with Mary Margaret for your studies. If I was you, I'd study with her. She has a way about teaching things that I actually find very…encouraging."
"That still doesn't explain things fully. This is just all so weird. What else aren't you all telling me?"
"The Mayor may have found your father," Emma told him.
