Chapter 6

I am looking in the mirror and applying makeup when I come to.

It is still discombobulating how I am just thrust into these dreams.

But then I guess that is how dreams work. All of a sudden you are just somewhere and usually have no sense of how you got to be there. At laest that is how I remember dreams to be.

That is certainly how the nightmares happen. Most of which involve people who I have executed who are coming after me, or even worse, the nights I spent with Snows father. Those nightmares always felt so real. They were almost as real as the dreams of my mother and me when I was a child.

I hear a knock on my door, and turn towards it.

I see Henry peak in, "Can I go play outside until Emma gets here?"

He has the little helicopter toy I gave him last year for Christmas. I told him he couldn't use it in the house after he broke two of my vases.

I guess this is the evening Emma will be coming over for dinner, I bet Henry just wants to show it off to her when she arrives. Perhaps even convince her to play with him for a bit.

"Yes that's fine, dear, just make sure not to go out on the street." I turn back and focus on applying my makeup.

Once I finish I look out the window to see that Henry is alright before I make my way downstairs.

I really do not feel up to entertaining tonight, even if none of this is real. It still feels real and I still have to carry out all tasks as such.

I look down to see that I am wearing one of my more uncomfortable pair of shoes with a blue dress. I groan internally at the thought of having to keep up appearances. Then it hits me, I really do not. It's not as though anyone will ever remember this.

Once upstairs again I go down to a drawer that I don't often frequent. I grab an old pair of jeans I used to wear when Henry and I used to spend our weekend playing around the house. I throw on a silk button up shirt, and add some comfortable flats.

I wonder if Robin would like me dressed like this. It's far more casual than I am used to dressing in front of people, but if we are to be together then I suppose I should start being a little more comfortable around him.

I have always dressed to enhance my power and that didn't change once we were in Storybrooke. My power suits and outfits have always helped me to get what I need, whether it is attention, or respect. My mother raised me to stand straight and always be as regal as a queen. Never a hair out of place, and clothing always finely fitted to accentuate my curves. She was the master of manipulation, and I was her greatest accomplishment.

I decide there and then that I am just tired of keeping up all of the facades.

How long have I just done what others have expected of me? Even when I thought I was in complete control, I was just a puppet on Rumples strings.

I head downstairs again, and check on the food and decide to just sit and wait for everything else to fall in place. Soon Ms. Swan - Emma will be here and we can get this over with.

The realization I had about Robin and Zelena still lingering on my mind as I decide to have a glass of wine while I wait. How could I have been so rash again? I don't know what I am going to tell Robin when I see him. How do we move forward when there are so many obstacles, obstacles that will not go away anytime soon, if ever.

And what of Henry? Will he ever have a normal life? He should be worried about school, and having crushes on girls, not about which of his mothers' he will lose that week. This is not the life I wanted for him, for us. He is so bright and loving and he deserves to enjoy what is left of his childhood. Maybe once this is all over we can take him somewhere, give him a little vacation. Being Mayor for 28 years definitely had its benefits, and I have enough money to last me many lifetimes.

But who am I kidding really? Who knows when this will be over? Will it ever really be over? Even if we rescue Emma somehow, what else will be unleashed as a consequence? Who will the next dark one be?

I hear them walk into the kitchen before I see them. As the door opens I see Emma walking alongside Henry laughing at something he has said. They both look to me.

"Can Emma and I please go out and play for a little while before dinner?" his big toothy grin is quite infections and before I even know it I've already replied, "Ofcourse dear."

Smiling, I turn to Emma who is looking at me, but not at my face. Rather she is slowly making her way up to my eyes. "Hello Regina." She nods slightly having obviously been caught looking, "we will just be out front."

I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks as I sit again. Well that was certainly something different. I was not used to this more timid version of Emma, and I definitely was not prepared to have her look at me that way. What was happening?

It must be the wine.

….

30 minutes later and I feel I have given them enough time together outside.

I have set the table, and put the food in the oven to stay warm; riple checked that everything was in its right place, and switched from wine to water just in case anything else strange happens.

I wonder to myself how I can be getting any real sleep if my mind is constantly working, while awake and apparently while asleep. Perhaps that's why I had looked so tired in my bedroom. When I woke up here I didn't have a headache even though my head was pounding before.

As I head to the front door I can hear Henry talking a mile a minute, I slowly open the door enough to look out but they haven't seen me yet. Emma is so absorbed in what he's saying as they both look at the helicopter that Henry is flying. Their heads both cocked to one side easy smiles on their faces.

It's a beautiful sight to see. One that I'm glad I am able to witness without detection; it allows me to fully take in both of them.

Over the years I have accepted Emma as a co-parent and I am glad for it. In all the places I may lack, she is able to fill those spaces for Henry. She has the street smarts of the modern world that I just have not been exposed to. While I may have other strengths I'm glad she is able to help him with such important things. Although I would never readily admit it to anyone, I know that before she came along it was a much scarier thought of raising Henry by myself in this world that can still be so foreign to me.

I wonder if they have ever been able to do this together. Of course there was a time when Henry completely rejected me and spent more time with Ms. Swan, but I hardly think they had time to do such simple things together. Especially since all of his toys and things were here, a place I did not allow her.

Ever since Emma arrived to Storybrooke she and I had fought, and after the curse broke she fought to keep me safe, and then fought others in the Enchanted Forest. Always fighting for everyone is a full time job.

Henry had his own problems, being shuffled between Emma and me, the incessant bickering and not having a constant in his life. Have they ever been able to just fly a little mechanical motored toy together on a random afternoon?

I can't help but to frown at such a thought. Was I so blinded by my own worries that I did not think of what was best for him?

Standing behind the door and so engrossed in my inner musings, I don't even notice them pushing it open the door until it hits me and sends me floor.

"Mom!" I hear Henry yell as I most ungracefully fall backwards.

My heart starts pounding as the air is literally knocked out of my lungs. I try to gather my bearings and am grateful that I did not bump my head. I must have been quite distracted not to hear them entering.

Now that I think of it I am feeling quite warm and a bit tingly but do not feel as bad once I get my breathing under control, maybe I did hit my head since I still feel disoriented. That door hit me square in the chest, and I have told Henry so many times not to swing the door so hard. I will have to remind him of that later.

I am feeling a bit of humiliation at actually falling to the floor. I know that if I had not been so distracted in my own head I would not have fallen quite so easily. Of course then I remember that they actually didn't know I was there watching them.

I lean my head back and that's when I feel it, it definitely isn't the floor under me. I open my eyes slowly and see Henry standing in front of me, obvious shock on his face and he's saying something. "Mom, can you hear me? Are you okay?" he asks starting to crouch down next to me.

I try to get up but am pulled back down, so I turn to my left to see green eyes starting back at me, worry etched on her face. "Henry why don't you go get some water for your mom" she doesn't take her eyes off of me, "not so fast there Regina, you just fell pretty hard, I luckily was able to break some of your fall but maybe you shouldn't try to get up so fast."

That's when I finally look down and see that I am practically leaning my upper body on hers. I'm not sure how but she managed to get behind me as I was falling but she now has my back to her front with both of her arms over my arms from behind.

Its feels very comfortable but uncomfortable at the same time so I try to pull away once more, this time she doesn't try to stop me. I add some distance between us and I feel like I am really burning up now. My throat is dry and my palms a little sweaty as I grimace at the fact and wipe them discreetly on my jeans. I scoot further out of her reach and she gets the idea as she slowly backs up as well and comes to a crouching position next to me.

"Are you okay? You haven't said anything yet, what were you doing behind the door…" She's looking at me, speaking with a gentle voice, and taking such care that it only leaves me more speechless. The usually abrasive and clumsy woman, now showing such a soft side

"I.." just then Henry comes back with some water and a wet washcloth. He must have remembered when I would bring him a wet washcloth whenever he was ill, so he assumed I would need it now. It only makes me smile at him as I turn away from Emma. Taking a long sip I actually do feel better.

"Thank you Henry, and Ms Swan, thank you for breaking my fall." I look down, I know my cheeks are red but I am sure that they think it is from embarrassment.

"It's ok Mom, It's my fault I hit you with the door, I didn't see you and we were just running in because we could smell the food and it made us hungrier." He smiles then relieved that I am okay.

"Here let me help you up, why don't we get you on the couch for a bit." Emma practically lifts me into her arms then, and I let a little yelp escape my lips before I can help it. I fear she will drop me so I try to push my legs down to the floor which only makes her tighten her grip effectively lifting me completely off the ground and into the living room.

"Ms. Swan, I think I can walk, I do not need you carrying me like some knight in shining armor. Its not as though I broke my leg or something" I scoff as she slowly lays me down on the couch.

"There there, see that wasn't so hard now was it?" She just smiles as she grabs Henry's hand and leads him away. "We'll be right back, just try to relax."

I reach again for another sip of water and try to calm myself. My heart is still beating intensely in my chest. I feel so silly sitting here with a washcloth over my head like some sick old woman. Although I have to admit it was nice to be taken care of in such a way. Especially with how attentive Henry was being. He had followed closely behind us, and as soon as I was on the couch he draped the folded washcloth over my head with such concentration.

At that moment he had the same look of determination that Emma has as she basically hoisted me in the air.

I would it was like a caveman but if I'm going to be honest with myself, it was in fact very chivalrous.

I close my eyes and try to imagine what I would have been doing right about now the first time around. I'm sure that Henry would be off somewhere with Emma, or locked up in his room. He had hated me so much.

I love the attention he is giving me now though, so I am going to soak it all up and just pretend that this is how it really went. I'm going to pretend that this is how the friendship with Emma began, instead of forming a friendship built on hurt and so much loss. Maybe we can forego that this time and just enjoy the time we have together.

It may be the only time I ever get to spend with Emma again, and that thought scares me more than I'd like to admit. We really weren't that close, just barely friends but I have come to depend on her and more importantly, Henry needs her in his life.

…

I'd like to thank everyone again! Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Please review if you can. I would really appreciate it.