I meant to post this yesterday when I got back home from the land of no internet I call camping ;) but then the Calgary Stampede happened and floor seats to Shania Twain happened and needless to say I got nothing done yesterday except for some excessive fangirling, broken eardrums, and a lost voice lol! But here you guys are! A day late but that's alright ;) CM has hit a bit of a road block but that should be fixed in the next day or so so it shouldn't be too long before that gets updated as well :) enjoy! Please leave a review!

Henry snuck in to the room quietly with the tray in his hands. He tiptoed around the bed with his bottom lip caught between his teeth and when he reached the side table he quietly placed the tray on top of it. When he turned to look at her she was still fast asleep and just as she did in Storybrooke, she looked much younger as she slept. Gone were the lines of pain and anger and loneliness and it made her look softer and prettier and gentler.

He smiled at her with a cock of his head and watched her sleep for a few seconds before he reached forward and gently took her hand in his and she stirred, "mum," he whispered and she blinked her eyes awake as she focused on him, "good morning."

"What on earth has you waking me up at this ungodly hour?"

Henry laughed quietly in his amusement and shook his head, "actually the sun's been up for a while. Plus I made you breakfast," he added cheerfully and stepped a little to the side so she could see the tray of food.

"...Why are you making me breakfast?"

"Because I always make you breakfast on your birthday," he smiled and she paused, "the cook just about had my head for being down there but the seamstress happened to be there and she vouched for me and told him I wasn't a thief. Now he and I are friends and he showed me how to use the stuff here to cook for you," he shrugged his shoulders a little and smiled down at her and she looked up at him with a confused expression.

Still she said nothing. "Is it not your birthday? I kind of just assumed that it would be the same as my other mum's because everything else in the world is so similar and-"

"No, no," she cut him off gently and began pushing herself up in to a sitting position, "it is my birthday..."

"Awesome!" He grinned and turned around to grab the wooden tray of food and carefully spun back and placed it over her lap, the wooden legs over either side of her thighs. Her hands were up a little and her expression was still thoroughly confused as she stared at the food before her. "What's the matter?" Henry chuckled and leaned forward against the bed, "never had breakfast in bed before?"

"Well...no..."

"What seriously?"

"Yes...is this something you do often in your world?"

"Well sort of," he shrugged and climbed up on the bed and sat by her feet, "we do it on special occasions. Birthdays, Mother's Day, Valentines Day, stuff like that."

"Why?"

"So you don't have to get out of bed and cook your own breakfast!" He chuckled and she furrowed her brow and parted her lips to speak but he beat her to it, "now eat before it gets cold!"

...

He found her where she was most often. Looking out over the forest from her favourite hallway. The one with its entire side constructed of glass so you could get a spectacular view of the vast forest. She leaned forward just a little so her forearms rested on the railing and her wrists hung limply over the bar. She looked to be lost in thought and it had him sighing quietly and tilting his head a little as he walked toward her.

There had been nothing he could do to comfort her or brighten her spirits since she had become queen. She just continued to fall further in to darkness. He hated watching his beloved little girl lose herself in the shadows and to the lustful call of dark magic. Her attention was not drawn from the trees by himself but by a young boy rushing up to her side with a bouquet of various flowers he must have worked hard to find for it was not yet spring. He watched curiously while he continued to approach them and Regina accepted the boy's gift with a gentle smile as he over exaggerated a bow and extended the bouquet.

What jolted his heart and brought a smile to his face was the soft sound of his daughter's laugh. It was a sound he hadn't heard in many years. It was quiet but his ears tuned in to that perfect sound as soon as it left her smile. When he caught her eye he smiled a little more and she did the same. Also something she had not done in a good long while.

"It looks as though your spirits have been lifted today," he smiled and she hummed softly as the boy looked up at him curiously from Regina's side.

"Yes they have," she nodded once and Henry looked up at her with a proud grin and stepped in to her side a little.

"And who is this young lad?"

"This is Henry," she nodded and looked down at him as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Again she was happy to see him smile up at her rather than try to escape her touch, "he is a long way from home and we have decided it's best he stays here until we find him a way home. Henry this is my father; Henry."

"Really?" Henry grinned up at her in excitement and she nodded once so he look back to the older man, "it's so nice to meet you!" He laughed and stepped forward a little as he extended his hand for him to shake.

Henry breathed out a laugh at the boy's enthusiasm and took his hand and shook it, "it is nice to meet you as well. May I ask how you managed to find your way in to this palace?"

"I ran in to her on the road the other day and she found me interesting so she decided to keep me around," Henry shrugged with a smile. A smile that grew wider when she began combing her fingertips through the hair above his ear. It was almost affectionate. But she was mostly just touching him because he let her and didn't lose his mind over the fact that the evil queen was so close to him. He enjoyed her touch and she found joy in being able to touch someone without them being afraid.

"Oh? And what is so intriguing about yourself?"

"I'm from another world."

"Which one?"

"Storybrooke. But I am running this theory that it's also in like a totally different universe. Like parallel universe," he nodded and spoke with his hands while Regina continued to play with his hair with one hand.

"Parallel?" He inquired and the boy nodded, "how parallel?"

"Like could be mistaken for having gone back in time, parallel," he nodded slowly and the older man's eyebrows lifted, "yup. Accidentally dropped a magic bean."

"Your parents must be worried."

"Oh I'm sure mum's losing her mind right now. Both of them. But especially my mum. Emma's probably freaking out too but not as much. Grandma and grandpa are probably going all hopeful and 'we'll find a way!' and that's going to drive mum crazy...thing is she knows she won't be able to come find me because she knows I could be literally anywhere and it's up to me to get back to her. She doesn't know I'm in good hands though," he smiled and leaned in to the queen as he wrapped his arms around her waist while the older man watched him curiously.

Henry glanced up at his daughter and then back to the boy attached to her hip and cleared his throat gently, "I do not mean to insult you, my darling daughter. But Henry do you know who Regina is?"

"Yeah. Who doesn't? She's the 'evil' queen," he shrugged and nuzzled his head in to her side and smiled a little more because she was getting used to him wanting to be close to her and wasn't tensing as much or as often. "I was adopted as a baby by the evil queen in my world," he smiled and the older Henry cocked his head in surprise. He didn't say anything more and instead looked back up to his mother.

Her expression was of pure curiosity as she gently raked her fingertips through his hair. It had him smiling up at her and she tilted her head as her big brown eyes flitted across his features. She was relaxed and had let her stoney mask fall a little for him to reveal the woman he knew. The woman who had raised him. Gentler and cautious about love but still fierce and ready to fight if it was demanded of her.

"You're funny," Henry laughed lightly and those dark gentle eyes flicked to meet his while her fingertips moved behind his ear and followed the line of his jaw to where they stopped beneath his chin.

...

He now stood a distance from her with the man he was named after while she lost her temper on a pair of unfortunate black knights. Her gentle eyes were now burning with a rage he had never seen and her teeth were bared in a snarl so vicious he did not think her capable of. Her posture was aggressive and tense and her voice was absolutely furious. It had something to do with Snow, that much he knew, but he did not know what exactly.

He had to admit she was terrifying when she was in full on evil queen mode. It made him uneasy and it made him want to turn and run but he stayed put. "Is she always like this?" He questioned quietly as she yelled at her guards for being incompetent.

"More often than not," he replied solemnly.

"...what did she used to be like? Before she was forced to marry the king? Before Daniel was killed?"

Henry gave a long tired sigh and a slow shake of his head, "she was a gentle girl. So kind and so incredibly gentle. Her heart was big and pure. While it is still big today, she keeps it locked away so it is not in danger of getting hurt again. She used to smile all the time. It was a beautiful smile and I miss it dearly. Her laugh was music to my ears and now that melody is heard by no one. She was generous as well. Always giving aid to those who needed it. Her mother never approved so she hid it from her but she never had to worry about hiding her generosity from me.

"She used to love so easily and so freely and I wish that naivety was spared in her. But it wasn't. She used to despise magic. In a way I believe she still does. But dark magic is seductive and she fell victim to it and has been unable to escape its clutches. She is lost and she is stubborn and she is proud. Too proud to ask for help when she needs it most of all..."

"Well...why don't you help her anyway?"

"I do not know where or how to begin. She pushes me away every time I try."

"Of course she does but you're her father, you have to be more stubborn than she is!"

"I am afraid I simply am not," he shook his head regretfully and looked to the boy to find him with his lips pursed together in irritation as he let out a tense sigh out his nose. It brought a gentle smile to his face. It was an identical expression to that of Regina's when she was irritated, "you certainly were raised by a form of my daughter weren't you."

Henry opened his mouth to argue further for the queen's case but let his jaw close again when she raised her voice to its highest volume saying something regarding why she even had them when they were so incapable and she could do it better on her own. Then she spun around and stormed off with strong furious steps and the guards held their place until she motioned for them to follow with a sharp jerk of her arm and they quickly obeyed.

With his and her father's presence forgotten she stalked off with a sway to her hips, a bounce in her long wavy hair, and the fabric of her long fitted coat twisting and flowing behind her. He knew he shouldn't be because he had only been there a grand total for two days and three nights, but he was disappointed. Disappointed that she had so quickly lost her temper and was off to go cause harm once again when only hours ago she was so gentle and content. He supposed he was just going to have to try harder.

...

When she came back she was more furious than before she had left. She hadn't greeted him, hadn't so much as looked his way. He could hear her though from the other side of her door. She was throwing things and shouting in her rage and he took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he squared his shoulders. Then he let out his breath, opened his eyes, and pushed open the door.

He ducked when she whirled around with teeth bared and if he hadn't he would have been hit square between the eyes with some sort of glass ornament that now laid unrecognizable in hundreds of shattered pieces behind him on the stone floor. When he met her eyes he suppressed a shiver at the cold anger that filled her and instead held her gaze bravely. Or foolishly. He wasn't all that sure which one yet.

"What do you want?" She growled out through her bared teeth, her chest rising and falling sharply with each angered breath.

"I want to help."

Regina gave a low chuckle through her teeth and then leaned forward with a stiff nod of her head and snarled, "get out."

"No," he stated simply and stood his ground. He was walking on incredibly thin ice in dealing with her like this. He was talking with the evil queen now. Not Regina, not his mother, but the malicious queen. He was starting to believe himself to be a fool for even trying. Especially when her expression flickered dangerously in to murderous. She could kill him, she didn't love him, he intrigued her and she was growing fond of him but that was pretty much it. She could kill him with very little guilt or grief on her part.

"Get out," she demanded again, her voice low with an unspoken threat. He didn't so much as blink and she watched his resolve strengthen. Her lips curled in to a deadly grin as she cocked her head and bit out viciously, "who do you think you are to disobey me?"

"Stop it," Henry bit back and stepped further in to the room as he leaned forward a little to enhance his stubbornness.

"Excuse me?!"

"This isn't you!"

"Who are you to say who I am and who I am not?!"

"I am your son!"

"You are not my son!" She bellowed and closed the distance between them and leaned forward so she loomed over him so her face was inches from his, "you are a boy I picked up of the street! You are nothing more than that to me! Do not forget your place, boy."

"Fine! I may not really be your son but this is not who you are and I know that better than anyone!"

"You know nothing about me!"

"I know more than you know yourself right now," he snapped back and refused to back down despite how much she made him want to run away and cry, "you don't even know who you are!"

"I know exactly who I am," she growled, her dark eyes moving pointedly between his equally dark eyes.

"You have no idea," he countered sternly and her grinning teeth parted and closed in her anticipation for more words to leave her sharp tongue while her stormy eyes moved between his. Her chest was rising and falling sharply once again as her anger bubbled inside her. His mother back home would have knocked him senseless if he so much as dared to speak to her like he was speaking to the queen now. But he believed she needed to hear it.

"You are an arrogant child," she hissed and felt her fingers flex with the desire to put him back in his place.

"And you are a murderous witch," he bit back and the corners of her mouth twitched higher for a moment and then he leaned in a lite closer and whispered harshly, "just like your mother."

That sent her over the edge and his head jerked to the side when she laid a hard slap across his cheek and his hand immediately found the tender skin. But he did not back down.

"Don't you dare compare me to her!" She screamed but heard her voice start to shake as panic surrounded her and slowly started constricting around her like a snake.

"I am not wrong though am I?!" He shouted back with tears burning in his eyes. Not once had his mother ever laid a harmful hand on him. It hurt him more than he thought it would. It was an achy pain that filled his chest and tightened his throat with the desire to cry. She stood up tall and turned from him but not before he as the panic start to show in her furious expression.

"I am not my mother!"

"You are! You play with people's minds! You tear their hearts from their chests and use them as puppets if you decide not to kill them! I bet you don't even know how many hearts you have in your vault anymore! You let your magic take over! You don't even remember the days that you despised magic! You are cruel! You are cold! Your eyes are empty just like hers!"

"Stop it!" She screamed at him, her coat swirling around her feet as she spun around to face him but he continued on with tears in his eyes that mirrored her own.

"You locked your heart away! How could you do that?! Your heart is so good and so strong and you locked it away!"

"I will not put myself through that pain again!"

"But you will let yourself suffer instead?!"

"I am not suffering!"

"Stop lying to yourself! You are suffocating in this castle! Do you not even remember the girl you used to be?!" He yelled and he watched her first tear fall despite the snarl that curled her lip back, "the girl who laughed and smiled?! Who rode bareback just because it got her on her horse's back faster?! The girl who loved so fiercely she was prepared to live the life of a peasant rather than that of a queen?!"

"Do not bring him in to this!" She screamed and felt her tears run down her cheeks. What had she become?

"You let her die!"

"I could not live like that!"

"You were a coward!"

"I was not a coward!"

"You were a coward! You still are! You chose to lock yourself away and let yourself die rather than fight to regain your footing and let yourself love again!"

"There is no living after that!"

"Yes there is! You didn't give yourself a chance to learn how!"

"Get out!"

"I am not leaving!" He cried and she yelled at the top of her lungs, her voice shaky with the cries that threatened to consume her.

"Leave me!"

"I am not going anywhere! I am not going to let you destroy yourself again! I can save you! You don't need to hurt anymore! You don't need to go through what my mom went through! You don't have to be miserable anymore! Just let me love you! Let me take care of you! Let me save you!" He screamed and she lifted her hands to cover her face as she let herself drop to the floor in defeat and exhaustion while quiet sobs shook her shoulders.

He felt his tears rolling down his cheeks but he did not bother to wipe them away as he cautiously approached her. Her legs were curled up beside her and one hand was covering her mouth while her other arm wrapped around her middle as she cried. He sniffed softly as he lowered himself to the floor next to her folded legs and sunk down further so that he could rest his head and shoulder on her legs and wrap his arms around her middle. He nuzzled the side of his face in to her lap as he pulled his legs up to curl beneath him as his tears continued to fall and his heart continued to ache.

He discovered he hated fighting with her like that. It hurt. But he needed to do it, he needed to be stubborn, he needed to force her a little, he needed to make her see what she was doing and he knew he was forgiven when she began moving her fingers softly through his hair as she tried to quiet her tears.

His arms wound tighter around her waist and squeezed a soft shuddered breath through her lips as her tears fell quickly down her damp cheeks, "I'm sorry," she whispered and bent forward so she curled over him and wrapped her arms around his head and shoulder.

"It's okay," he replied quietly through his silent tears and heard her give a small cry of relief in to his hair while her shoulders gently shook, "I love you still."