Thanks for the feedback guys! As you can see it inspired a speedy second chapter.
Emma was finding it difficult to see straight. She felt like her nerve endings had been put in a blender.
The wraith. Fairytale Land. Cora. The portal.
It was a giant swirling mess inside her consciousness and the one beer that she'd had since getting to Granny's was well and truly amping up the spin cycle.
On top of all that she still wasn't entirely sure she'd come to grips with fact that she was the offspring of Snow White and Prince Charming who were her parents... but her age...and simultaneously the good friends she's still been getting to know as Mary Margaret and David.
She felt like her entire life since Henry had shown up at her door in Boston had been played like a series of surprise birthday party moments. Not that she was complaining about the way things had turned out. Henry was amazing and having parents while weird was wonderful. It was something she'd dreamed about her entire life.
So no, she wasn't finding fault with her new life. She just wished it would slow down a bit.
"Mom, can I get another milkshake?"
Mom, that would take some getting used to as well. Another wonderful but weird.
"Sure kid," she immediately replied.
The look of pure delight on his face had two effects on Emma. One, she realised she'd do anything to keep that look on her sons face now that they were reunited. And two, she was probably being a really irresponsible parent if he was that pleased.
Ah, what the hell, she thought to herself, you're only ten once right? Let the kid have another milkshake.
As if in response a voice that sounded suspiciously like Regina's started listing nutritional requirements for growing boys in a stern but obviously concerned voice.
Regina.
That pulled Emma up short.
Just the thought of her son's adopted mother was enough to send her into another spin these days. The woman was an absolute mystery. In fairy-tale land Emma had been almost murderous with rage whenever she had thought of the dark haired witch. This was the tyrant who had separated her family and cursed them all to lives of unhappy endings.
She had been ready to go all Rambo on Regina as soon as they got back from the Enchanted Forest. And then they'd climbed up that well and Henry had called her "Mom" and Regina had been looking at her with that odd, half pained and half admiring smile.
And all thoughts of vengeance had been well and truly wiped clean from her mind.
She still wasn't sure what it was she felt for the woman who had raised her son. There was anger there, definitely. A lot of envy too. A little pity, which she was sure Regina would hate her for.
But there was also something else. Something that wanted to protect Regina and help her follow through on this quest for redemption – a quest which Henry had assured Emma that Regina was on.
Maybe it was the saviour thing, the white knight inside her that couldn't help but try to rescue the damsel in distress.
Or maybe it was that Emma saw so much of the same kind of hurt she'd tried to hide in her own face in Regina's eyes. If Cora was anything to go by then their pasts were not all that different.
Emma had thought about inviting Regina to this gathering tonight. She deserved it for saving them. But in the end she'd taken her cue from Henry – trusting that he knew his mother better than she did and he'd know whether she wanted to be asked or not.
It was probably a wise choice. She couldn't see Regina finding Leroy's impersonation of a walrus with bread sticks as amusing as the rest of the diner seemed to.
Still, Emma thought ,she should go over to the mansion personally and thank Regina for everything she'd done to help Snow and her return. It was the right thing to do and besides, there were a lot of conversations that needed to be had about Henry's future now that he had both his Mom's in the picture.
The room was still spinning slightly and Henry was looking up at her with his face half buried inside his giant milkshake and it was so nice and warm inside Granny's – with the laughter of the relieved citizens of Storybrooke washing over her.
Tomorrow, Emma thought, I'll thank Regina tomorrow.