Henry jogged up the walk, his backpack flung haphazardly over his shoulder, his button up shirt only halfway tucked into his pants in his haste to get dressed and get home. It's not like he'd been out doing anything he shouldn't have, he'd only been at his Grandparent's house, but he was hours later than expected and he knew that his mother would be worried, especially with everything going on with the Evil Queen. Honestly, he was surprised that she hadn't showed up on the Charming's doorstep with a stern expression on her face demanding to know why he thought it appropriate to disregard the rules and stay out without contacting her. He knew something had happened with the Queen, Regina having called him after the showdown at city hall to assure him, in the vaguest way possible, that she was ok and would fill him in on everything later. She'd sounded tired when she'd asked him if he wouldn't mind staying with Snow and David for a while longer, playing up how much she knew they loved having him and how much of a help he was to them while their sleeping curse remained in effect. He was pretty sure that she was really asking because whatever had taken place had left her feeling vulnerable and she wanted some time to collect herself before allowing him to see her. She did that a lot, even these days when they were so much more a team than they used to be, and though he wished she didn't feel the need for the distance he did respect it. Unfortunately, he knew he'd messed up coming home so late, especially when he was supposed to be at school for science fair preparation over an hour ago, and he was really wishing it was Emma and not Regina whom he was about to face. It's just that when his grandmother had arrived home from what she'd told him would be a relaxing get together with his moms, actually falling through the door of the apartment at somewhere around 3am, the noise she'd made (while clearly trying very hard not to make any at all) had woken him from his slumber in the lofted room that used to be Emma's and once he'd passed out again he'd ended up completely over sleeping. He paused just outside the door, his key in the lock, and took a deep breath as he put on his best innocent puppy dog face before finally pushing the it open as quietly as he could and stepping inside.
The first thing he noticed was that the house was almost astonishingly quiet. It's not that his home was often noisy, but at 11:45am on a Saturday the record player that his mom kept in peak condition was usually playing one of her favorites (which had lately included an abundance of Bowie) while she cleaned up from the big weekend breakfast that she took pride in preparing for the two of them, even sometimes welcoming Emma and Hook, Snow and David, and little Neal too. Today though there wasn't a sound to be heard, and there were no scents of delicious breakfast foods dancing their way out from the kitchen. The next thing he noticed was a bright red leather jacket in a rumpled heap on the floor next to the staircase as if it had been draped over the banister but had since slid off. So, Emma was here...or she had been at some point. Practically tip-toeing, afraid to make a floorboard creak and shatter the stillness around him, Henry made his way across the house to the kitchen, confirming his suspicions that no food had been cooked, no juice fresh-squeezed, and no coffee made. He was halfway back to the staircase, thinking that maybe if he could get to his bedroom he could fool his mom into thinking he'd been home on time after all, when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye that froze him where he stood. Through the partway open door to the study he could see a figure asleep in the most uncomfortable looking of positions on one of the wingback chairs. There was a book in the slumbering woman's lap, glasses perched so low on her nose that they were in danger of sliding off. It had been a long time since he'd found his mom like this. Much like her desire to protect him from seeing her when she was feeling emotionally vulnerable, she always tried to keep her troubles and problems hidden. It's not like he didn't know when she was up all night researching or testing her magic, he wasn't blind and he'd see the circles under her eyes, the way she'd pour that extra cup of coffee, the way she'd massage her temples when she thought he wasn't looking. The last time he'd seen her like this had been during Operation Mongoose when she had worked herself ragged, practically passing out amongst dusty old books looking for any and every clue as to where she might find the author. Regina was so deeply weary that day that it had taken all of his strength, with his mom's arm wrapped tightly around his shoulders and his around her waist, to get her upstairs and into her bed. When she'd finally come back down, 8 hours later, it had been with a bashful expression that harbored more than a little shame, though she'd held him close and kissed his head and thanked him for being her little Prince before insisting they go out to Granny's for dinner where she'd allowed him to order everything he wanted (including two helpings of fries, a huge chocolate and strawberry swirled milkshake, and a slice of apple pie with ice cream on top). Henry managed to get himself so lost in the memory of that day, smiling wistfully as he recalled the way his mom's face had lit up with a broad grin when Emma (who had caused a very similar smile to appear on Regina's face just a couple of nights before when she'd enthusiastically agreed to join the mission to find Regina's second...or third...chance at happiness) had sidled up to their table with her own milkshake in hand, a milkshake which Regina would go on to sneak sips from while he distracted Emma with endless challenges to rounds of thumb wrestling, that he didn't notice deep brown eyes popping open and watching him until a sleep-hoarse voice broke the silence and caused him to jump and drop his backpack to the floor with a reverberating thud.
"Henry?" He watched as his mom sat up, pulling her glasses off and placing them neatly on the end table, eyeing him with confusion and, was that...fear? He opted to ignore the perplexing emotions mixing across her face, deciding to play it cool and hope she wouldn't notice the time. He gave her a half smile and ducked his head just a tad as he moved forwards into the study.
"Oh, hey Mom. I didn't know you were down here, sorry if I woke you." He should have stopped there, but she was still looking at him in the strangest way and it was making him nervous. "Say, since you didn't feel like making breakfast, or at least it doesn't seem like you did, which is fine. You're obviously tired-"
"Henry."
"-not that I mind, it's totally cool-" He was rambling, he knew that. It was something he did when he knew he was anxious or trying to talk his way out of a pickle he'd put himself in, a pesky trait inherited from Emma, but he couldn't seem to make himself stop.
"Henry."
"-we could go to Granny's, just me and you, like old times. Or, not really that old since we just went there like, 2 days ago, and we eat there all the time anyway, but-"
"Henry Daniel Mills!" the use of his full name, coupled with his mom rising from the chair and approaching him, as well as the increase in both volume and sharpness of her tone, finally stopped his word-vomit midstream. Only when his jaw slammed shut did he dare make eye contact with her, and he did so right as she gave her hair that little flip she did when she was frustrated and he realized in an instant that something was very, very wrong.
"You! You're not...! Where is...? What are you doing here? Where is my mom?!" He pulled his shoulders back, attempting to look taller and stronger than he was, all the while feeling his feet back peddling away from the woman he now realized was the Evil Queen. To his complete shock, the Queen raised her hands not in an offensive gesture but in a defensive and rather placating one, one that Henry hadn't seen his mother use with him since the days of "I found my real mom!" and "I don't want to be like you."
"Henry, I'm not going to hurt you." The Queen spoke and there was a quivering in her voice he wasn't used to hearing from this always flamboyantly confident version of his mother.
"If you hurt my mom, you hurt me. Where is she?" He heard his voice start to crack as he surprised himself by raising it to a near shout. He watched, perplexed, as the Queen's mouth opened and shut a couple of times like she was trying to figure out the right thing to say, her hands smoothing down her wrinkled dress before knotting in front of her and worrying at the space between her thumb and forefinger in a nervous gesture that Henry recognized because it was how he could always tell when his mother was anxious no matter how big her smile or comforting her words. Before she was able to formulate a response, or a biting retort, the sound of feet pounding down the staircase and calls of "Henry? Are you ok?" drew both of their attention to the hall.
"Henry?" Emma's voice, full of concern, reached him just before the sight of her skidding in socked-feet around the corner, gripping the doorframe to slow herself as she nearly slipped on the sleek wood floors. He was about to open his mouth to announce that the Evil Queen had infiltrated the house and was impersonating his mom when he was stunned into silence by the next person to come skidding around the corner, only slightly more gracefully than Emma had managed. Her hair had gone all curly from being slept on while it was wet and, if he wasn't mistaken, she was wearing the over-sized Harvard University hoodie that Emma usually kept in the back seat of her bug (she'd bought it during the year he and Emma had lived in New York when she'd surprised him with a weekend trip to Boston and insisted they visit the college and take a tour despite him being far too young because "This is where you belong Henry! With a brain like yours, kid, you'll rule this place.") and a pair of yoga pants that he was fairly certain no one other than himself had ever seen. To top it all off, once Emma regained her footing and came to stand next to Regina, Henry felt his brain completely short-circuit because there was absolutely no doubt that Emma was wearing his mother's dark grey silk robe over...far less clothing than he ever wanted to think about his mom wearing.
"Moms?!" This time there was no stopping, excusing, or hiding the high pitched, mid-puberty screech that broke the word in half. He wasn't sure what to think as he looked back and forth between them, and then back towards the Evil Queen who was moving around to stand by Regina, the two of them exchanging a look that was clearly some sort of silent conversation. Emma watched them for a second before rolling her eyes and turning back to Henry.
"Ok kid, it's like this: Your mom and the Ev-I mean, the Queen, they've work things out. I don't know all the details yet-" Henry scowled at her with an incredulous expression he had definitely learned from Regina, so she emphasized her next words to make sure they got through loud and clear, "-And that's ok, because we trust your mom, and if she says it's cool, then it's cool. Alright?" The look she gave him told him he'd better say yes, and so, after taking in the twin expressions of trepidation gracing both his mom and her other half's face, he nodded.
"Ok, fine. But I want to know absolutely everything that happened."
"Deal kid, but not right now. I don't even get that privilege yet, but I'm sure your mom will tell us when she's ready." Emma reached out and pulled him into a one handed hug, brushing a quick kiss to the top of his head (something she could only just barely still do when he bowed his head ever so slightly) before winking at a still uncertain looking Regina and attempting to catch the eye of the Queen who was doing her best to look disinterested in the whole family scene and failing miserably as she kept peaking at the three of them out of the corner of her eye with such longing it pulled at Henry's gut. Deciding for now that he needed to do what Emma said and just trust that his parents knew what they were doing and that things were ok, he opted to do what he did best and believe in his family, believe in his moms, and believe in the power of good to prevail. He smiled at all three of them before slipping out of Emma's grasp and scooping his backpack up off the floor, the action reminding him of the reason he'd been sneaking around his own house in the first place. Maybe, if he played this right, it could work out to his advantage, since it did seem that his moms had failed to notice how late he'd gotten home, or that he was technically supposed to be at school.
"So...I don't know about you guys but I'm starved." He turned to Regina, his eyes twinkling, "maybe you could make that special french toast Emma loves so much, you know the one that you taught me to make when I was little? We could all have brunch together. Like a family." The Queen gave a tiny little gasp at the word family, and Henry knew his words were having the desired impact by the extraordinarily warm way that his mom was looking at him and blinking just a little too fast. Even now, even after years of things being good between them, it always worked in his favor to remind her of simpler times, when they were each other's whole world. Regina cleared her throat and then narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously before nodding her approval at his idea.
"Sure Henry, that sounds like a wonderful idea. But, you'll have to do the dishes."
"Of course Mom, it's worth it if you make your homemade blueberry syrup."
"Oh my god Regina, I didn't know you made that stuff!" Emma was grinning and practically bouncing on her feet, nothing bringing out her inner child quite like breakfast foods. Regina blushed slightly and bowed her head in thanks before turning to leave the room, Emma hot on her trail while she continued to praise her cooking and spew out requests for a side of sausage, and a hot cocoa, and maybe some eggs. Henry was about to follow them, enjoying their happiness even more than he enjoyed the perk of getting away with missing the science fair prep course (it wasn't that he didn't like school, but science had never been his favorite subject and after everything that had been going on this year he just wasn't motivated to spend what little free time he had working on a project he could barely understand), when he remembered the Queen standing off to his right. She was watching him studiously, having not said a word since his moms had barged into the room and broken up their stand-off. Henry reached out his hand and grinned.
"Hi. I'm Henry. Nice to meet you." For a second the Queen looked like she thought he might have hit his head on something rather hard, but when he just continued to grin at her like he was including her in some inside joke, she slowly reached out her hand and clasped his own.
"Regina. It's a pleasure to meet you too, Henry."
"So, my mom makes a killer breakfast, well, not literally...not anymore..." The Queen's smile faltered, a haunted look passing across her face for just a moment before she shut it down and tried (and failed) to look relaxed, so Henry plowed on, "I mean, I guess you probably already know how good her french toast is, since you've made it too...I guess." His brow scrunched up as he tried to keep things straight with this confusing new development in his family dynamic, before deciding it was better to just roll with it. "Maybe you can help make it?" The Queen hummed in response, a smirk sliding across her features.
"Help? I think not. What I can do is give those too a lesson in how to make the very best vanilla bourbon french toast that this realm has ever seen." With that she offered up her arm for Henry to take which, after a moment of awkward hesitation, he did, linking their elbows and escorting her from the study. They were halfway to the kitchen when she leaned in close and whispered in his ear "Do you know what the secret to the blueberry syrup is?"
"Of course, Mom!" (the title falling from his lips without a second thought) "You cook the blueberries down in the drippings from the bacon. Gives the syrup that real "umami" flavor. You taught me that when I was-"
"5. I remember, Henry." The Queen's eyes were shining but he pretended not to notice, not wanting to scare her away by drawing attention to her emotions. Instead he simply held her arm a little tighter and rubbed his belly exaggeratedly with his free hand.
"I'm so hungry you're going to have to make a double recipe! I can't wait!"
The Queen let out a genuine chuckle, rocking closer to him and bumping their shoulders together fondly. They entered the kitchen like that, earning a surprised once-over from Regina and a proud smile from Emma as they each took in his acceptance of the Queen and the way she was looking at him like he was the most incredible being she'd ever met. He was just about to pull away and reach for the drawer where his mom kept the aprons when he heard the Queen, and his mother, clear their throats simultaneously.
"Henry darling," Regina had crossed her arms over her chest and was leaning back against the stove, doing a shockingly good job at looking superior despite her casual appearance. "Don't think we've forgotten about that science fair meeting you've clearly missed."
"Nor the fact that you came home," the Queen looked over at the kitchen clock to check the time, "3 hours later than you were supposed to. And without calling, I might add."
Henry slumped, his eyes suddenly finding a spot on the floor super interesting, and mumbled, stumbling over his words, "Sorry Mom. Moms. Regina." Emma's barking laugh broke the tension.
"Oh my god Reginas, give the kid a break. It's not like he was out partying. And with all your expertise in spells and stuff I'm sure you two can help him whip up a wicked chemistry project in plenty of time for the fair." Both Reginas gave little indignant huffs, earning them each an eye roll from Emma, the whole scene making it impossible for Henry to keep the smile off his face. Having three moms was certainly going to be...different. Sure, there would now be three of them to keep an eye on him, worry about him, bug him about his homework and his curfew and whether or not he was wearing enough layers for the chilly Maine weather (who was he kidding, Emma had never remembered to tell him to bundle up, usually failing to put on her own winter clothes), but having two moms had turned out to be pretty awesome so why not see how things went with one more. Who knows, maybe he could even use the Queen's wild side to his advantage. Maybe she'd teach him to drive! Oh yeah, maybe this could be awesome.