Chapter Twenty-One
Regina Mills shouldn't feel nervous.
She'd had dinner with Henry a million times, the meals had run the gamut from wonderful to mundane to painfully awkward. She had enough experience to get through any scenario.
Things had changed substantially, however.
By all meaningful metrics, they were actually closer than before, often spending multiple hours a day at the stables. They talked about anything from Hooper to details about the Enchanted Forest.
As well as they got along at the stables, though, if this meal went south, it wouldn't bode well for their family.
She chopped a cucumber, deaf to her surroundings as she dropped into these thoughts, which was why she failed to hear the door opening until a flash of blond made her jump.
Emma stood in the doorway with one of those crooked smiles and her hands stuffed into her pockets as she said shyly, "Sorry, the kid said knocking would be weird. We used his key, I hope that's okay?"
"It's not a problem, in fact I could get you a key if you…" Regina said absently but halted mid-chop to look up at Emma cautiously, finding that her eyes had widened as expected, swiftly changing the subject, she asked, "Where is Henry?"
Emma cleared her throat and approached Regina's side of the island, "He ran upstairs, said he needed a comic book. Anyone would think it was urgent."
Regina hummed, not putting much thought into touching the bump, especially as it washed a wave of calm over her.
"How was your day?" Regina asked.
"It was good," Emma replied as Regina removed her hand to finish chopping, "David didn't ask a single question about the computer. Pretty sure he can cover my maternity leave at this rate."
"I'm happy for him," Regina said, non-committedly and Emma took a long breath in through her nose.
Leaning closer to Regina by way of accessing the oven's personal space, Emma asked, "What smells so good?"
"Lasagne, Henry's favourite."
"Mmmh," Emma said appreciatively, leaning even closer, "Smells delicious."
Regina's hand came back to the bump but the squeaking of sneakers forced Emma to move back so that they could both behold Henry at the entrance clutching a few volumes of Spider-Man.
Each of their faces bore a light dusting of blush that had Henry tilt his head, likely curious having never actually seen the pair act interested in each other despite being True Loves.
Regina stepped away to resume her preparation, smiling at the boy warmly, "Henry, it is so good to see you…Dinner is almost ready."
Henry nodded, still looking between the pair, obviously thrown.
Was it possibly because they were maintaining that they were only friends in spite of all evidence to the contrary?
"How about you set the table, kid?" Emma suggested.
"Sure," he said, leaving to do as agreed.
Regina signed deeply and ran her hand over her face, but her resignation fizzled out as strong arms pulled her into a hug.
The former Evil Queen allowed herself to be held for a few seconds before pulling back.
Grinning, Regina asked, "Was that supposed to be encouraging?"
Dropping her hands to her waist, Emma shrugged, "Did it work?"
Regina's smile broadened but before either could make another move, a shrill alarm parted them and Emma had to give Regina some space so that she could open the oven to check the lasagne.
Scratching the back of her neck, Emma said, "I'll go help Henry."
"Thank you, Emma," Regina called after her, hoping that her blush could be attributed to the heat from her cooking.
S
Dinner started out awkwardly, silence descending quickly after they all gave a generic account of their days.
Henry was also in the process of devouring the quality of cooking unavailable to him at the Charming loft.
Once he'd processed just how good the lasagne was and remembered that table manners were important, he instead turned his attention towards surveying his mother and birth mother.
They were sat beside each other, completely comfortable in each other's presence, other than what seemed to be some invisible barrier preventing them from actually touching.
Henry at last decided that he couldn't handle the oppressive silence over the three of them. There was no reason to act aloof or bratty when he genuinely did want to be here with them.
He just wanted to get through this initial part so that he could figure out what their family were supposed to be now.
How things would work with two mothers and an impending little sister.
In this moment though, it was him that Regina kept glancing at periodically, she hadn't touched the bump once, it fuelled his desire to speak.
"I meant to tell you, mom, grandpa let me practise with a wooden sword earlier, it was awesome," he said, after making sure to swallow his mouthful of food.
"That sounds amazing, Henry," Regina replied, "I trust that this knight training is not interfering with your school work?"
Shaking his head, Henry lamented, "He makes me finish my homework first too, after…we explained what it was…"
They all knew that 'we' was actually referring to his grandmother but it seemed pertinent to keep Snow White's existence out of the conversation, at least for their first meal back together.
"Perhaps he is learning quickly," Regina mused and Emma smirked as she shook her head.
"Did you ever use a wooden sword?" Henry asked, eager for tips he could use to impress Prince Charming. It had worked wonders with the horse to the point where he agreed that his assistance was not required.
It didn't even occur to Henry before now that was a decision that he likely had a fight with Snow with, as if they couldn't trust the woman who had raised him to look after him for a few hours a day.
Regina shook her head, responding to his question, "I had no need for weapons until much later in life, I started with a real blade."
Emma choked on her food so Regina patted her back out of concern. Henry, though, could tell that the redness across her cheeks was not just because of the sudden coughing fit.
She often got that look about her whenever it was brought up how Regina would have appeared back in the Enchanted Forest.
Adding a sword into the mix was seemingly too much to handle so Regina had to bring up the glass of water to the saviour's lips to calm down the fit.
"Are you okay, darling?" Regina asked.
Emma recovered, looking cautiously at her son who had raised an eyebrow at her, hopefully it was exactly as knowing as he was going for.
Clearing her throat, Emma assured, "It just went down the wrong way, I'm all good."
Regina kept her hand on her back a moment longer and as Emma took another drink of water.
Henry was quick to change the subject for Emma's benefit, delving into every question he had about fighting on horseback which led to discussions of palaces and royalty.
Eventually, Regina excused herself, promising dessert (insisting that Emma remain seated).
As soon as Regina had retreated Henry leaned forward and asked, "What are you waiting for?"
Emma opened and closed her mouth, glancing over her shoulder, deciding that she didn't have the time to be evasive.
"True Love is a lot," Emma admitted in a rushed whisper.
"You already act like a couple, what's the problem?" he demanded.
Emma clamped her mouth shut as their host returned, holding what smelled like a freshly baked pie.
Completely stuffed, having already had second servings of lasagne, Henry announced, "Actually, I have homework, I should probably…"
Deflating, Regina put the pie in front of Emma, rubbing her hands together and forcing a smile.
"Oh that is…okay," Regina replied, "I am sure that Emma can take you…home."
The strain lifted Henry's spirits more than the meal had thus far and he was bolstered enough to suggest, "I have it with me. I can stay here, right? That way, Emma doesn't have to drive back and forth."
This turned Regina's slight frown into a full blown smile, which she shared with Emma before she replied, "Of course you can, Henry. But only if you are sure you want to?"
Henry, carried by the depth of care in her voice, hugged her as he went by, "Thanks for dinner, mom. It was great."
"Anytime," Regina called after him as he dashed away.
He skidded to a stop outside the dining room, endlessly curious about how the pair interacted with which other, especially when he was not there.
It didn't take long for Emma to say, rather smugly, "Told you he's your biggest fan?"
"What makes you think that he is not agreeing to stay simply out of convenience?" Regina challenged, resignedly.
"That isn't what that was, Regina."
"Are you sure?"
"Are we overthinking again?" Emma shot back.
"When it comes to making Henry happy, I overthink everything," Regina sighed.
"Which is why he came back," Emma insisted.
Regina hummed and Henry crept slowly to the stairs.
It turned out that Emma was right, coming to dinner with his family really was the right decision.
S
In all of his conflicting thoughts about living in the mayoral mansion with the former Evil Queen, one factor he had not considered was how much he missed his bedroom.
All that time in the cramped loft gave him a great appreciation for the sheer size as well as the multitude of items he'd collected over a decade of life.
He was currently sitting on his bed a couple of hours after dinner surrounded by comic books, trying to decide which one to reread next. Unconsciously, he was already deciding that he could get used to this, particularly with the knowledge that both of his parents were in the house.
He couldn't place the exact reason, but it was nice.
A tentative knock cut short the decision between Avengers and X-Men and he called, "Come in."
The door creaked open and Regina leaned against the frame with her arms crossed.
"Hey mom," he said, brightly.
Regina smiled back at him, and said, "Emma tells me that you have been upset with me?"
"What? No I'm not!" Henry said defensively through a rush of indignation that Emma would share that with her.
This promptly fizzled away, of course they would share things like that.
"Henry, sibling jealousy is perfectly normal, you can talk about it," Regina replied.
Henry shifted, frowning deeply. He'd felt ridiculous enough saying it to Emma but after a night seeing first hand how much she cared it would be worse to voice it to the subject of his thoughts.
"I'm not jealous of Tamsin, she's not even born yet," he said unconvincingly.
Regina rushed off the door frame to sit on the edge of the bed, stacking the comics with appropriate reverence before placing them onto the side table.
"Emma is not the only one who can tell when you are lying," Regina said as Henry's mouth twisted.
He did think that the topic would never come up but maybe voicing it wouldn't hurt?
Playing with the edge of his duvet, he said, "I…I don't really think that I'm jealous anymore…but…you almost died for Tamsin, you broke the curse for her."
Regina nodded understandingly and replied, "I was not aware that was how a sleeping crude would work without magic, I am very sorry if I scared you but I truly had no doubt that Emma would be able to wake me when I bit into that apple."
The apology had Henry look up at her to find her features matched the softness in her voice.
This side of her may have temporarily disappeared when he began accusing her of being the Evil Queen and not loving him, but this was the kind of mother she had always been. In fact, there was an argument to be made that she was even softer now that she'd stopped lying twenty-four hours a day for twenty-eight years.
"You didn't have a doubt because you made a baby together?" Henry asked and Regina nodded, "I guess sharing DNA's what you always wanted, right?"
Less than a second went by before Regina replied, "I do not care about DNA, I never have."
Henry hunched his shoulder, a part of him still unable to believe that.
"But…she'll be more your kid than I ever have…"
Her hand dropped to his knee and Henry swallowed hard.
He'd been trying for weeks to banish his doubts, to recognise that what Regina had been doing wasn't just for his sister.
The following verbal confirmation was exactly what he needed:
"No, she won't be, Henry. Tamsin is my daughter genetically but you are my son by something else."
"What's that?" Henry asked sceptically.
"By choice," Regina said certainly, "You have been my son from the moment we met and you will be until my last day. I will never allow that to change."
Henry's mouth turned upwards, "So you won't love Tamsin more?"
"That is not possible," Regina replied, slotting in next to him as he moved to accommodate her, stroking his hair, she added, "I will love you both equally."
"That's what all moms say," Henry mumbled, leaning against her.
"If you ever have children, you will understand," Regina hummed.
Throwing his arm across his mother Henry hugged her, not feeling a single doubt anymore.
As the time stretched on, Henry propped his chin upon her shoulder and asked, "Don't you need to help Emma sleep?"
Continuing to stroke his hair, she replied, "She can wait a while."
Furrowing his brow, Henry pressed, "You love her, don't you? Is that…equal?"
Regina remained contemplatively silent until she responded, "That is a different kind of love."
Thinking back to the scene in the kitchen where he had witnessed what they would look like as a couple for the first time, his next question felt particularly pertinent.
"So…Why are you waiting?"
Regina dropped her fingers from his hair but her explanation sounded to be well thought out, "Emma's life has changed dramatically in a short period of time. I am willing to wait until she feels ready."
"What if she's never ready?"
Sighing, Regina asked, "Would it be so terrible if your parents were to be close friends?"
Seeing a certain sadness reflecting back, Henry said, concernedly, "Would that make you happy?"
Pulling him into her, she assured, "As long as I have my family, I will be happy."
"You deserve more than that," Henry said, yawning.
Regina returned with a watery smile, "There are many people who would disagree with that sentiment."
"They don't know you," he murmured.
"That means a lot coming from you, my little prince," Regina said contentedly as his breathing began to even out, slumping against her.
Regina pressed her nose into his mop of hair as if there was any semblance of the baby smell she'd been so enamoured with a decade ago.
Roughly ten minutes later, Regina looked up at the flash of blonde at the open doorway.
Emma stood, already in her PJs, smiling unabashedly at the pair.
"Everything okay?" she asked quietly.
"I believe so," Regina replied.
"So, have I been replaced?" Emma quipped.
Smirking, Regina shot back, "Is the saviour jealous?"
Emma unhitched from the door frame with a chuckle and said over her shoulder, "I'm going to sleep, see you when that tiny bed gets uncomfortable, your majesty."
Regina continued smiling as the mother of her children retreated, letting out a huff as she sank into said tiny bed, drinking in the fact that her son was finally home.