So here we are, all just the same
And you will never know
My secret plan, how close we came
To share another road
Granny's diner was always considered a neutral place in Storybrooke. The two fearless werewolves had served many alike; dark ones and evil queens; rulers and jesters; djinns and street rats; and once even a former clock. But that exceptionally sunny winter afternoon, even Granny's nib stopped halfway through the letter S when she saw three people entering the diner together. The old lady recovered instantly though, calling Red to serve the table, but most diners didn't have the same resilience. It took them a couple of more visits to get used to the idea of Henry sharing a peaceful meal with both his mothers.
All three members were sticking to the daily lunch with a discipline, approaching their time together with a set of unspoken rules: always stay alert, no loud noises and definitely no sudden movements. The first meal had hardly been accompanied with words but it didn't take time for Regina and Henry to open up. The only one late to the party seemed to be Emma Swan.
For Regina, lunch instantly became her most cherished time of the day. She loved each and every minute spent in the horrid little diner she despised, the establishment succeeding in regaining the quaint charm it held over Regina in the first few years of the curse. Focussing on Henry she felt the people and their curious eyes fade into nothing. Besides, no one seemed to bother her; no one actively chose to come up to her with a fight, no one came to demand justice or some sort of retribution. Regina had concluded earlier on that it must be because of Emma's company.
Henry had been very curious about Cora. They spoke about what he did and how it was unacceptable to behave that way, taking matters into his own hand was not something Regina wanted Henry to think he had a responsibility towards. After being thoroughly chastised, he had promised to always come to either of them before any such idea could even form in his mind. He even informed her that Emma had already had a talk with him before bringing him over to apologise, something she hadn't expected of the blonde but was grateful about, if she allowed herself to be honest.
Regina remembered the pang of jealousy she had become accustomed to upon witnessing Henry adapt so quickly, letting a group of strangers so easily form an impenetrable fortress of blood and family around him. But seeing him smile at the colourful incidents of her mother using new technology, she felt indebted to the very same nature. Even if she suspected him to only making up for the guilt he felt for not believing Regina over Archie's murder or from trying to exorcise Cora, it still filled her with unbelievable joy when he would ask how his nana was doing. However every time she shared something about Cora, she could feel the waves of tension flowing from the mute participant in their lunches. She had once feared her inability to read the blonde's face, but now it seemed the longer she spent time under the Charming household, the weaker her mask became. She was not blind to the warmth contained in those green eyes, she was not unaware of the way her fingers would tighten around the nearest object on mentioning her mother, and she was definitely not aloof to how something gnawed inside her chest when another lunch would pass by without hearing a direct word from Emma apart from their standard hellos and goodbyes. The only time Emma had directly expressed concern was when she commented on how Regina never wore gloves. But seeing Regina's bare hands the next day, she hadn't mentioned it again.
The good sheriff, on the other hand, spent her lunches observing Regina and Henry, mostly Regina and mostly in discretion; watching her smile, seeing her nose wrinkle on Henry's eating habits, telling herself that this was better for all three of them. The voice inside her would taunt her, was this how you were going to fight for her, sitting in the corner too afraid to even ask her about the weather. She suppressed those voices and focussed on Regina's earring that would sway each time the brunette would stifle her melodious chuckle on hearing Henry's lively descriptions of school.
However aloof Emma tried to be, she still held onto every word rolling out of the former mayor's mouth. To say she was uncomfortable when Regina spoke so fondly about Cora would be a great disservice to the levels of uneasiness she felt. It was unnerving that Regina would only talk about her mother from during her time in Storybrooke and never from her past, or even before the pawnshop incident. But still, whenever Regina would glance towards her, she would offer a polite smile and continue eating.
The same seemed to be happening that day, as Regina finished regaling how her mother was taking over the kitchen slowly.
"I'm done. I think I'll head back to the station. Regina please drop Henry home." Emma parroted same as every day, letting Regina spend some extra time alone with Henry. After a quick smile and ruffle to Henry's head she left the table, heading to the counter to pay for the meal. Regina's eyes followed the sheriff, her lower lip being punished by her teeth as they dug into the red skin seeing Emma disappear into the white outside.
Henry's voice managed to bring her back to the booth from the corners of her mind.
"So doesn't she get bored all day? Does she", his one eye pinched as he thought of the right words, "knit or something?"
Regina let out a long and slow laugh, envisioning her mother on a rocking chair surrounded by colourful balls of yarn.
"Not really, but if she gets too bored she visits her friend, Killian."
"Hook", Henry supplied, like he was correcting. The way his head bobbed casually in doing so made Regina raise her one eyebrow in amusement, "No, Killian, his name is Killian Jones."
The young brunet's eyes suddenly lit up, an idea forming inside the adventurous brain of his, "Have you ever been to his ship?"
"No", Regina narrowed her eyes, "And we aren't going either. I don't want you anywhere near a pirate ship."
"I am nearly eleven you know, grandpa says it wouldn't be time before I became a knight." said Henry, leaning back as he crossed his arms.
"Well Henry, I guess your grandpa and I have a difference of opinion." Regina replied, mirroring her son's position differing only by the addition of a small smile resting on the corner of her lips.
Red cut in the mother-son moment by placing two milk shakes on the table.
"Sheriff's compliments to the two fine Mills", she said to Henry but her eyes remained at Regina, "Enjoy."
She left soon finding no reaction but the controlled jumping from Henry's side. As happy as she was with this arrangement, she still couldn't help but feel sad when, like every day, she cleaned the emptied booth and had to take back a licked-clean glass accompanied by an untouched one.
"Oh thank the gods", David cried out when he noticed his lunch pack entering the station, along with Red.
The tall brunette chuckled as she deposited the greasy bag in her hand carefully away from the pile of papers on his desk, "Always at your service. Where's our sheriff?"
David opened his bag, taking out the wrapped sandwich with a sigh, "I think she is still out having lunch. By the way, Snow has me on a diet, so this-", he paused waving the packed bread, "- never happened."
Red nodded as she gave him a two-finger salute, "Got it. How's everything at home? We should get together soon yeah? It feels like forever since you guys came over."
"We should. Things at home are good, so much better since.. you know."
Red smiled at the prince, "And why is that?"
David eyed his sandwich with veiled disinterest, keeping it down to answer Red's question, "I don't know, but I guess it's Regina. Ever since they started going for their lunches Henry seems to be doing so much better." He chuckled as he added, "He even makes time to hang out with his poor grandfather now."
"So you're ok with Henry hanging out with Regina?"
"Wasn't really, but Snow sat me down to give me a lecture on Henry staying in touch with both his mothers." David crossed his arms, as he remembered the day, unpleasant as it was, it was also necessary, "But now that I see how happy he is I don't see a problem. Regina hasn't even done anything since Gold's death. We don't really speak you know, when I run into them anytime, so it's more of a 'you don't bother me and I won't bother you' system now."
He exhaled tiredly as his hands unwrapped his lunch, "Will I have lunch with her? No. Will I stop someone else from having lunch with her? No."
David's teeth sank into his sandwich and Red took that as her cue to leave. Emma's seat was empty even though she had left the diner half an hour ago. Unsettled at the thought, she made way to leave the station only to bump into the said sheriff at the gate.
"Emma, hey, I was just here to give David his lunch."
Emma nodded and smiled briefly before she made her way to the table. Red had tried talking to Emma so many times, but Emma seemed more private now. She had smiled and said how Red had been right and everything was for the best now. But watching Emma everyday in the diner, the controlled conversations, the mechanical smiles, it soon dawned on her that this wasn't what she wanted at all. Red teetered on the gate, thinking whether to head back to the diner or stay and have a chat with Emma. When she saw the woman dive into the pile of paperwork stacked nearly on her table, she decided to leave. She'd just have to get hold of her alone some other time.
"You're back." Cora commented from her chair as she saw Regina entering the room.
She removed her glasses placing a bookmark on the page she had stopped on. It also gave her a chance to control herself from saying something she'd regret about this arrangement. It was baffling that Regina could agree to some sort of supervised hourly visit just to catch a glimpse of her son, her son. If it was in her power she would make the blonde disappear faster than she could blink and that boy would be back by Regina's side. She suspected the inane saviour to be the reason why Regina hadn't still asked Cora to meet Henry. But patience she could muster, for her daughter she would muster it.
"So, how was your lunch?" she asked as she followed Regina to the couch.
"It was good, did you enjoy yours?"
"Yes dear. How about for dinner, I make something special?"
Regina smiled, "What were you thinking of?"
"I am not sure yet, did you have a favourite growing up dear?" Cora asked but as the words left her mouth she instantly bit her tongue.
Regina blinked, her smile losing spirit by the second. Her head sank to the back of the couch, slowly as though in thought, and she whispered out after a while, "Anything mother."
Cora replied with a small smile and excused herself to go to the washroom. Locking the door behind her she released the breath she'd been holding. Her eyes locked with their duplicates as her reflection mocked her, cruelly reminding her that her daughter never had anything growing up and the only one responsible was the face staring back at her. Trembling hands splashed cold water a few times, trying to focus on the cool sting on her face and not the barren look she'd witnessed in Regina's eyes. Cora Mills was never the one to be easily deterred. She could win back her daughter, she just needed some help.
A/N:
Thank you all for the kind reviews, and words from sweet guests, I appreciate them so much. Can't wait to hear what you think of this chapter.
Next chapter is more Cora & Regina. Ooh I also have a surprise for my readers. See you soon.
(Pssst, hey guest, the parseltongue one, are you sssstilll heerreee?)