Chapter Two: Breaking Point
Regina was terrified. All of Henry's life, she'd taken care of him, loved him, and allowed him to be himself. Had she let this fairytale obsession go too far? If Henry got hurt because of this, she'd never forgive herself. She didn't want to crush his spirit, but now, it seemed like there was no convincing him that fairytales were just made believe. Where had she gone wrong? Sure, she wasn't a perfect parent, but she didn't understand how her son believed she was some storybook villain.
Henry and Regina had been so close when he was little. They did everything together, and Henry thought Regina hung the moon. But, when Henry turned 9, he started asking questions. She decided he was old enough to understand, and she told him he was adopted. He lashed out after that. Mary Margraet Blanchard thought he needed something to believe in, so she gave him that fairy tale book. Not long after, Henry started calling her the Evil Queen, and soon, he went looking for the woman who gave birth to him.
"The well?" Regina asked as Emma stopped her car just before the path to the well. Emma nodded. "Why would he go here?"
"August told him some bullshit about this well being magical and healing, and some other weird stuff that, of course, Henry ate up. If he thinks he can break the curse, he'd start here." Emma replied. She put the car in park, and she and Regina hurried to find their son.
When Emma first came to town, all Regina wanted was for her to go back to Boston. She was convinced that Emma wanted to steal Henry from her. Somehow, Emma convinced Regina that she just wanted to make sure her son was loved and taken care of. She could clearly see how much Regina loved Henry, and proved that she wasn't a threat. Still, she stuck around, and now, Regina wasn't sure what she'd do without her.
"Henry!" Regina exclaimed when she saw her son at the well. He was holding something in his hand. Was that dynamite? "Sweetheart, put that down. You're going to get hurt."
"I'm going to explode the well." Henry replied, trying to strike a match. He was unsuccessful.
"Kid, stop. Please, listen," Emma sounded nervous, which made Regina more afraid. "Put that down."
Henry must have heard the desperation coming from both of his moms. He slowly sat down the dynamite stick, and Emma let out a sigh of relief. Regina quickly grabbed the dynamite before her son could change his mind, and Emma pulled Henry close to her.
"What were you thinking?" Emma asked, her voice shaky.
"I thought if I blew the well up, it would break the curse." He confirmed.
"Get in the car, we'll talk at home." Emma said.
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Henry was angry. His moms were upset after the incident at the well. He realized what he had tried to do was dangerous. He could see how scared Emma and Regina were when they saw him trying to light the stick of dynamite. But he needed to be heard. Emma was the savior, and she was getting farther and farther from the mission at hand. She didn't believe him, no one did. Everyone thought he was crazy.
"Henry, do you know what could have happened today?" His adoptive mother asked as they sat in the living room of the mansion.
"I could have gotten hurt." He answered. Regina let out a quiet cry.
"Kid, it could have been much worse than that." Emma replied, squeezing Regina's hand. Henry looked at the pair, and felt the same anger from early rise up.
"Like you would have cared!" He threw it at Regina. He looked to Emma next. "And you're letting her distract you!"
"Henry, for one second, let's pretend the curse is real. Even if, and let me clarify that I in no way, shape, or form believe it, she is the evil queen, Regina loves you. If something happened to you…" Emma trailed off, unable to think about what would happen to either of them if Henry was hurt or died. Emma took a breath and collected herself. "We want to help you."
"Then tell me how to break the curse." Henry looked desperately at Regina. He just wanted her to come clean. Emma shook her head.
"If there was a curse to break, I'd do it. I would do anything for you, Henry. Anything. But, I'm just a normal person. I'm your mom. And, Emma…I love her too. So much more than I ever thought possible. Please, tell me what I can do to make you see this. I want us to be happy, all of us. Don't you see, sweetie? We could be a family."
Regina was practically begging him now. He almost caved. It would have been so easy to give up on the curse right then, but deep down he knew. He was the only one who believed. So, it was on him to bring back everyone's happy endings.
It was then that Henry remembered something very important. He wasn't the only one who believed. There was someone else in this town who was an expert in magic. And, if anyone could help him, it was Rumplestiltskin.
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Mr. Gold's shop was empty except for the pawnbroker himself. Henry was a little afraid to ask for his assistance. After all, deals with the dark one were very serious, and all magic would come with a price. But, the ten year old was out of options. So, after school the following day, he found himself approaching the most powerful man in Storybrooke.
"Ah, Mr. Mills, whatever can I do for you?" He asked. Henry nearly gulped. He needed to be brave.
"I want to break the curse, and I know you do too." Henry stated. Mr. Gold looked at him curiously.
"What on earth do you mean?"
" You want to find your son. I know Emma is supposed to be the one to do it, but that's not possible. She's fallen in love with the queen, and now, I'm afraid the curse will never break," Henry replied. "So if you want any chance to find Baelfire, you have to tell me what to do."
"Emma is in love with Regina?" Mr. Gold asked. It wasn't often that things could be kept from him, but the secret relationship between the mayor and the sheriff hadn't reached him yet.
"Regina says she loves Emma too, but if she's the evil queen, she can't love. Right?"
"Not exactly, in fact, most 'villians' love very deeply. Most of our origin stories start from losing something or someone we love, so it wouldn't be far-fetched to think the queen could find love again."
"Again?" Henry asked in confusion.
"There are, Henry, some stories that are not told in your book." Mr. Gold said. He began rummaging through a cabinet. "There's something I need to tell you before I can help you."
"Okay, what is it?" Henry watched as Mr. Gold pulled out a black velvet bag. He sat it gently on the counter.
"When Regina came to me all those years ago asking for help, I knew she'd be the one to cast my curse. The problem was, and still remains, Regina didn't want the curse to ever be broken. I, on the other hand, only cast the curse to find my son. So, I need it to break. Before I gave Regina the curse, I was able to manipulate its chemistry to throw in a loop hole," Mr. Gold explained. "The queen would try and stop the savior if she knew the truth, so I had to be certain that wouldn't happen. Unfortunately this wasn't something I saw coming, which is strange. Anyway, I took the queen's memories. She's under the curse too, Henry."
"She was telling the truth?" Henry asked. The dark one nodded.
Henry felt as though the world was spinning too fast around him. All this time, he thought his adoptive mother had been lying to him, making him feel like he was crazy. In reality, she had no idea that the curse was real, or who she truly was. Getting her memories back was going to be a shock. Was this really the right thing to do?
"True Love's Kiss. It can break any spell," Mr. Gold said. "Eat this apple from Regina's favorite tree on her childhood farm, and you'll fall asleep. The savior must kiss you to bring you back, which will end the curse for good."
"But…I-"
"Take your time, this is a lot to take. But, Henry, you know what the right thing to do is, and I know you can be the hero."
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He had a lot to think about. Henry knew the curse needed to be broken, but now, he was conflicted. He had spent the last year thinking that Regina was hiding this huge secret from him, but she didn't even know the truth. He would be bringing darkness back into her life. Maybe, just maybe, they could go on like this. If Regina truly didn't know she was the evil queen, then she was just his mom. Like she had been for the last 9 years. Was it worth risking everything? He didn't want his mom to turn back into the villain. Henry decided to take some time to think everything over. He'd make his choice in a few days.
"Alright kid, your mom is at the office, so it's just us for lunch today." Emma said. It was Saturday, and Regina had a rare weekend meeting.
Emma had been happy to have some time alone with their son. She was hoping she could talk to him and understand what was going on in his head. All Emma wanted was for them to be a family, and she believed with all her heart that it was still possible. She just needed to get Henry on board.
"Emma, do you think people can change?" Henry asked her. Emma thought for a moment before nodding her head. "Even if they did bad stuff?"
"Henry, I stole a car once, and did what I could to survive. You know how you came into the world. I was in jail when you were born. But, I got it together. Look at me now: the sheriff of Storybrooke, Maine." Emma pointed out.
"And my mom, you think she's better now?"
"Henry," Emma sighed. "I know you think Regina was strict, but she was just being a parent. When I first came here, I was the fun parent, and it wasn't fair of me to try and make Regina out to be the bad guy. I don't know everything about her past, but I do think she's a good person. She loves us so much, and she'd do anything for you to see that."
"I know you don't believe me about the curse, Emma. It's okay. It does sound crazy. But, I know it's real. And if the curse never breaks, I think I'd be happy. It's just, it's not fair to everyone else," Henry said. "So I have to break it."
Henry reached across the counter and grabbed the apple from Mr. Gold. Emma gave him a questioning look when he pulled the fruit from the bag. Henry held it out for her to look at.
"This apple will make me fall asleep, and when I do, you just have to kiss me and wake me up, okay?" Henry said. Emma laughed and reached for the apple. "Be careful! It's magic."
"Actually, I think it's red delicious." Emma joked. Henry rolled his eyes. "Did you get this from your mom's tree?"
"Not exactly," Henry replied. "But, that's not the point. The point is, I need to eat it to prove the curse is real."
"So, whoever eats this apple will be cursed?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow. Henry nodded in confirmation. "You mean if I take a bite of this right now, I'll fall into eternal slumber until my true love comes and saves me?"
"Emma, this is serious." Henry frowned.
"Well, I guess if this is how I need to prove to you that the curse isn't real, so be it." Before Henry could stop her, Emma sunk her teeth into the juicy apple. He gasped. For a moment, she was fine. She even began to tell him so, but then, without any warning, she fell to the ground. Emma Swan was under the sleeping curse.
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"Mayor Mills, please calm down," Dr. Whale's nurse begged as the mayor came hurrying into the ER.
Henry had called 911, not knowing what else to do. They called Regina right away, and she practically ran in her heeled booties to get to the hospital. All they would tell her was that Emma was unconscious, and that Henry had been the one to make the call.
"Mom!" She heard Henry call for her and halted her steps. They had made him wait in the waiting room while they figured out what was happening to the sheriff.
"Henry!" She exclaimed. To her surprise, her son wrapped his arms around her middle. It had been a long time since Henry had initiated affection with her. She wished desperately that this was under better circumstances, but still, she held him close. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, and I know what's wrong with Emma." He stated.
"What is it?" She asked.
Before Henry could answer, Dr. Whale exited the doors of the ER and approached them. His face looked grim. Regina felt nauseous, knowing that this was probably not good news. She just wanted to hear that Emma was okay, but from the look on his face, Whale was going to tell her the opposite.
"She's alive," He started. "But, there's no improvement. She's unconscious still, and it seems like she's only declining. We can't determine a cause, which means we don't know how to treat her."
"So…if you don't find out what's wrong with her…"
"It's not looking good, Madame Mayor. I should get back, I'll update you when I can." Whale replied.
Regina felt as if the air had been knocked out of her. She couldn't lose Emma. The thought of it alone was too much. They had to help her. What was causing the sudden illness? Emma had been perfectly fine just that morning.
"Mom?"
"Sweetheart, what do you think happened?" Regina asked him.
"Do you trust me?" He asked. She nodded. "And you'll do anything to save Emma?"
"Of course I will, Henry." She assured him.
"Then we have to move fast."
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Regina had to admit, Henry insisting on going home wasn't what she expected. She was hesitant, not wanting to leave Emma, but Henry needed her to trust him. He could know the answers they needed to save Emma. Plus, Regina knew Henry would do anything for his birth mother, and if what he needed resided at the mansion, she'd take him there.
Henry dashed up the stairs when they got home. He was only up there for a moment before he came running back down. He urged Regina to sit on the couch before he pulled his book out of his bag.
"Henry-"
"No, please, just listen to me." He pleaded. She sighed, but nodded her head. "I know you don't believe me about the curse. I thought you were lying, but now I know, you're under the curse too. You think I'm crazy, or that my imagination is too big, but this is real. Emma's under a sleeping curse."
"Oh, honey. I wish the answer was that simple." Regina said.
"It is that simple, mom. Rumplestitltskin himself gave me the apple that poisoned Emma. I was supposed to eat it, but she thought she could prove to me that the curse was pretend. I didn't mean for this to happen, I just wanted to break the curse."
"Emma at an apple from Rum…wait who?"
"Mr. Gold." Henry clarified.
"Henry, we need to call the police!" Regina exclaimed, reaching for the phone. Henry stopped her.
"It won't do any good. It's going to waste time. Besides, the sheriff is in the hospital, remember?" Henry pointed out. Regina realized he was right. "You said you trust me. I need you to believe me, too. The curse is real. You casted it to get revenge on Snow White, and 28 years later Emma was supposed to come save the town. You weren't supposed to be affected, but you were. And, then you fell in love with the savior, so you have to help me. Please, mom. It's the only way to save Emma."
"What do I need to do?" Regina asked. The curse being real still seemed impossible to her, but at this point, she'd do anything to save Emma.
"Take this, and open your heart and mind," Henry said, handing the book to her. "Just believe."
When the book touched Regina's hands, white light flashed through the air. Memories of being held against her will be her mothers magic, saving Snow, Daniel dying, trying to kill Snow, casting the curse, it all came flooding back. She shook as every moment she'd forgotten about reentered her memory. She was the Evil Queen.
"Mom?"
"H-henry," She cried. "Oh, Henry, I am so sorry. I didn't know."
"It's okay, I know." He replied. Henry took her hand to comfort her. "Are you alright?"
"I don't know." She said truthfully. How could this have happened? She fell in love with Snow White's daughter. What was she supposed to do now?
"We have to go save Emma." Henry told her.
"How?" Regina asked him.
"True Love's Kiss can break any spell…or curse." Henry reminded his mother. "And you're the only one who can wake Emma up."
A/N Now that Regina knows the truth, do we think she'll save Emma? I am going to try and post chapter 3 this week sometime!