Too Little, Too Late (tag - Regina)

[Henry Mills]

Sometimes Henry could not really believe that he wasn't dreaming. The curse was broken, everyone could find their happy endings again....and it was all thanks to Emma. One day Henry vowed to be as brave and strong as she was, but for today he didn't feel very brave or strong at all. The curse breaking did not mean immediate happiness the way Henry imagined it would. Everyone was confused, some people were angry, and some were panicking. Henry knew that Charming and Snow would probably be able to handle things or that maybe Emma would step up to take charge instead. So right now he didn't have much to do and to be honest? It made him feel a little useless.

Henry wondered why they were still all stuck in Storybrooke. He
thought the curse breaking would mean going back to the enchanted
forest, but nobody seemed to know why they were still here. He
wondered if something was wrong. He wondered if Regina would know.
He could always find her and ask....

But Henry wasn't sure going near her was the best idea anymore. She was the Evil Queen again now. She could even be mad at him because of how he had helped Emma break the curse. She probably didn't want to see him right now, and she probably decided that he was her enemy because he was on Snow White's side.

He sat down on the bench near the playground and sighed. His mom built this place for him, but he always thought she was just giving him things to trick him into thinking she loved him. But after the curse broke Regina would have no reason to make him think that anymore. So why was it the last thing she had said to him? He didn't want to believe it if it wasn't true, it hurt too much. Emma was the coolest and most fun person he knew, but the more time Henry spent with her the more he realized that she didnt know the things that Regina knew. Like what his favorite kind of sandwich was or that singing to him calmed him down when he was scared. Those kinds of things.

He would never tell anyone out of fear that he would get in trouble,
but he was really missing his mom.

[Regina Mills]

Regina wished she could will away whatever it was that kept drawing her to the newly built, rarely used playground that was situated in the woods just a few minutes outside of town. It was just another reminder of one more mistake she'd made where Henry was concerned. She'd torn down the old playground on the beach for his safety - the place was old, and ready to fall apart, despite how much he'd loved it. ...And Emma had been the only person he'd ever openly shared it with. Perhaps that had something to do with it, in some minuscule way - perhaps she hadn't been able to tolerate even more evidence of this bond that Henry shared with his birth mother, one he hadn't had with Regina herself for quite some time. But she'd given him this new, better, safer playground instead, one which she'd been certain would make him happy.

And like most other material things she'd so desperately turned to to win back her son's love, he'd rejected it entirely.

Despite all of that, the playground still reminded her of him - and thus it still haunted her, drawing her to it time and time again only to tug at her heart with all the bitter memories it held. It had become something of a routine: during her walks through the woods, Regina would pass by the site, pause to visit it only for a couple of moments in which she'd quickly become lost in thought, and then just as quickly depart, attempting to leave the playground and everything she associated it with far behind her.

She'd intended to do the same today - that was, until she realized that the place was not quite as deserted as it usually was. A small, lone figure sat on a bench nearby. His back was two her, but it only took Regina a second to recognize that sandy brown hair, that distinctive way his little shoulders hunched when he was thinking hard about something. The moment of recognition stole her breath away and she froze, able to do nothing more than stare for a moment. Henry. What was he doing out here? Instinctively, she cast a wary glance around the clearing - if Henry was here then it was likely that Emma, Snow, or James were nearby - but as far as she could tell, the site was empty apart from the two of them. Regina pushed down the anger she felt at the thought of Henry's supposedly responsible guardians allowing him to wander off alone now, of all times. There were more important things to deal with than anger right now.

Not wanting to startle him, she remained where she was, a good five or six yards behind the bench. It had been so long since she'd really, truly seen him - or spoken to him, for that matter. Though it had only been a few months since the curse had broken, to Regina the amount of time she'd been separated from her son felt like an eternity. She wanted to stretch this moment out forever before he inevitably noticed her and fled - and yet, even guessing what his reaction would be, she could not stop herself from speaking to him.

"...Henry?" she called, her voice holding none of its usual coldness - in fact for once, the former queen sounded soft and almost vulnerable, as if the name had nearly gotten caught in her throat.

[Henry Mills]

Henry heard his mom’s voice behind him and immediately turned around
to make sure he was not imagining things. There she stood, a ways off
still, but she was there. Part of him wanted to run away to the safety
of Emma’s house and part of him wanted to run straight toward Regina
and just let her hold him, as if that would make everything better. So
he compromised by just sitting there on the bench. Looking at her but
not moving. She did not appear to look angry, she just looked….sad.
But part of Henry still worried.

It was also confusing, because Henry couldn’t think why Regina would
be out here. Evil queens didn’t visit playgrounds just for no reason.
He thought she would be busy planning her revenge on Snow White or
something. Henry still wasn’t sure why the two hated each other as
they did. His book did not have very many details on the evil
queen….before she was the evil queen….and it made him wonder. He
sometimes wanted to ask, but he wasn’t sure that was a good idea.

Henry knew he couldn’t just keep sitting here staring at her. But he
wasn’t sure what to say. “Mom?” he asked in return. It felt weird
calling the evil queen mom, but it felt even weirder calling her
anything else. She was still his mom, nothing in the future could
erase what happened in the past. Suddenly he really registered the
situation and found the words he was looking for. “What are you doing
here? I thought you were supposed to be hiding…” He had not seen her
since that day at the hospital. The separation was a lot harder than
he expected. He’d realized that before now he’d never really been away
from his mom before.

But Henry wasn’t angry because he knew what would happen if Regina
walked around out in the open. Somebody would try to hurt her. Even
though she did bad things, he didn’t want his mom getting hurt and he
didn’t want her hurting anyone else either. She had magic now, after
all. But now worry clouded Henry’s face. “What if somebody finds
you?”

[Regina Mills]

The expression on her son's face tore at her heart as their eyes met. He was afraid. Afraid of her. She'd never wanted that for him, never wanted him to live in fear of her the way she'd lived in fear of her own mother. And the knowledge that he did - the realization that he must see her now as only the evil queen, the same way everyone else did - it left her feeling broken in a way she hadn't for quite some time. This was why Cora had been right, this was why love was weakness...and yet even knowing that, Regina wouldn't have traded Henry or the way she felt about him for all the power in the world.

She lingered for a moment as silence rang out between them, wondering whether it would be best to just leave him alone - and then, Henry spoke. It took Regina a moment to register exactly what he was saying: he was concerned for her, at least on some level. The brief happiness that stirred within her at the confirmation that her son at least somewhat cared for her battled with the guilt of having worried him in the first place. It was her job to worry about him, to take care of him, not the other way around. Just how greatly had she failed as a mother? What she wanted for Henry, above all, was happiness, and that was why she still allowed him to live with Emma. That at the very least made her minimally better than Cora...didn't it? Even the very thought of inflicting the sort of pain on Henry that had been inflicted on her was enough to make her feel sick, to make her want to run far away and put as much distance between them as possible so that she'd never, ever hurt him.

Instead, she unconsciously took another step towards him. And then another. And then, before she knew it, she was nearly at his side, bending down beside the bench so that she could speak to him at eye level. "You needn't worry about that, darling." she told him quietly, keeping her tone as reassuring as possible. "Snow...Miss Blanchard, she's asked the people in town not to harm me." A faint hint of bitterness edged her tone at the mention of her stepdaughter, and confusion as well - she still wasn't sure why Snow would want her alive - but she was able to keep it mostly subdued for Henry's sake. Giving him a faint smile and resisting the urge to lay a comforting hand on his shoulder or brush his hair back out of his eyes the way she liked to do (she was lucky she hadn't scared him away by merely approaching, after all), Regina paused a moment to allow that to sink in before she answered his earlier question.

"I come out here sometimes, just to visit. It reminds me a little of you, this place." she lowered her gaze briefly, but in the next moment was staring steadily at her son once again, frowning with sudden concern. "What are you doing out here, Henry? It isn't safe for you to be venturing too far on your own right now." There were plenty of people in town who bore a grudge against Regina now - and others still who might not be so fond of Henry's birth mother, Emma. Any number of those people might try to exploit Henry as a result, and that was not acceptable.

[Henry Mills]

Henry looked worried when Regina started to come closer, but he didn’t move. No matter what he was pretty sure she wouldn’t hurt him, even if she was mad. But she didn’t sound mad. She was talking to him in a soft voice and trying to comfort him, something she hadn’t done in awhile. Henry was surprised to hear what she had to say. ”Snow White wants to protect you? You don’t have to use her Storybrooke name by the way, I know who she is.” said Henry. It was pretty obvious now that the curse was broken. He wondered why Snow would want to protect Regina. Regina was the evil queen, so that meant they were worst enemies. ”Why did she do that? Don’t you guys hate each other?” He honestly wanted to know.

He wasn’t sure what to say to the next part. It was hard for him to believe that his mom really missed him that much. He wanted to ask her if it was true, but he didn’t think he should. He tried not to say anything until Regina asked him what he was doing out here. ”I don’t know, just to be alone I guess.” Henry shrugged. It was true that he did want to be apart from everyone in Storybrooke for awhile, just so they wouldn’t see his sadness. The curse breaking was a time for celebration and Henry didn’t want to ruin that for anyone by making them worry. He also didn’t want to tell Emma that he missed his adoptive mom after Emma had fought so hard to get her away from Regina.

”I’m just not feeling very good today.” Henry tried to explain. He didn’t know how else to put it without making things worse for both of them. He wanted Regina to magically understand and know just what to do to make her feel better the way she had when he used to get sick. Back when he used to think of her as his Mom who could do anything, and not the evil queen. He wasn’t sick now though, and he was also pretty sure that Regina didn’t know the cure for being sad.

[Regina Mills]

Right. She supposed there was little point in trying to avoid using the people of Storybrooke's real identities now - she'd done that for long enough. For the first time, however, Regina averted her gaze from his as he questioned her about her relationship with Snow. Honestly, Regina wasn't all too sure how to answer that. Her anger at her stepdaughter's betrayal was still violently present; it still ripped and tore at her the way it had for so long, but in all honesty...she wasn't sure why Snow had stopped the dwarves from hurting her. Perhaps it was simply out of that irritating, inherit goodness that Snow was so beloved for - but Regina didn't want her pity, and she certainly didn't want to have to owe her anything. "..It's...I'm afraid it's very complicated. You'd have to ask her about that." Regina responded quietly, forcing the hostility out of her tone. Whatever problems she and Snow had, she was not bringing Henry into it.

And besides that, there was something in Henry's tone when he spoke next that nearly made her heart stop. Sadness. Even if he'd attempted to hide it, she would have recognized it easily - she was his mother. And right now, for whatever reason, her child was hurting, and she didn't know why. Several emotions washed over her at once as a result; anxiety that something was truly wrong, the overwhelming urge to somehow immediately make it better, and immediate, defensive anger towards who or whatever had made him feel like this. It wasn't like Henry to be antisocial, and it certainly wasn't like him to want to distance himself from the rest of the town only shortly after the curse had broken. She would have assumed he'd want to be right in the middle of the action, so...what had happened?

She wanted him to explain, but when he attempted to her worry only increased. "What do you mean? Are you sick?" she asked immediately, this time, unable to resist reaching out to him. Apprehensively, Regina put a hand to his forehead, feeling for a fever. If Henry was ill, then the last place he should have been was outside in the fall weather. What had Emma been thinking, letting him sneak off like this?! ..Yet, he didn't feel warm, and her brow furrowed at this, her hand moving to rest on his shoulder instead. "Henry, tell me what's wrong." Regina urged him quietly, her expression a mixture of concern and protective determination. Whatever was bothering him, she would fix it. If he was sick, she'd take him back to her home for just a little while - not long enough for anyone to notice and panic. She'd let him lay in bed and watch his favorite shows on tv, despite the general disapproval she held towards electronics, and make him his favorite soup and argue with him about taking his medicine. She'd -

...No. She couldn't do that anymore. He wasn't hers anymore. She was getting way, way ahead of herself; she didn't even know what was wrong yet. "You know no one can help you if you isolate yourself like this. Please don't do this to yourself." She rubbed his arm in a way that she hoped was reassuring. The last thing she wanted was for Henry to make the same mistakes she'd made - to shut down and let whatever negative emotions he was experiencing overwhelm him.

[Henry Mills]

Right away, Henry felt bad for making her worry when she asked if he was sick. But at the same time it was nice to know that she still cared, even if he wouldn’t say that. He let her feel his forehead and then just shook his head. ”No. That’s not what I meant.” he mumbled. Then she asked him to tell her what was wrong. Henry probably should have seen that coming but he didn’t know what to say for a long moment. What if he told her that he missed her and she yelled at him for breaking the curse and leaving her in the first place? Or she might think that he wasn’t happy with Emma, which wasn’t true at all. Henry definitely didn’t want Regina to get mad at Emma again.

But he also agreed with the statement that nothing would ever get better if he didn’t talk to someone about it. Henry didn’t want to keep things bottled up, but he just wasn’t sure who he could talk to. He was scared Emma might take it the wrong way or think he was wrong for still loving his adoptive mom even though she was evil. The same went for Snow and Charming, he didn’t want them think he was siding with their enemy. He was just getting to know them and he definitely couldn’t have them disapproving of him already. He had thought about maybe talking to Archie. Archie was always someone he could talk to, but Henry had not seen him lately. He wondered whether maybe Regina was the best person to talk to after all. He decided to tell her at least a part of what was bothering him.

”I thought you’d be more mad at me.” Henry said after taking a deep breath. ”Like because I helped Emma break your curse. I’ve been trying to get her to break it this whole time, we had this whole plan. Operation Cobra.” Operation Cobra was over now, they’d won. He figured that telling Regina about it now wouldn’t do any harm….unless it made her even more mad. ”If you are mad at me, just don’t keep it a secret like you did with Snow White when she was little, okay? I just wanna know.” Henry looked away. He did not regret the curse breaking at all, he wouldnt change a thing if he had to do it all over again. Everyone in Storybrooke deserved to get their happy endings. But in his book it said that Regina had kept her anger at Snow White a secret and had pretended to love her for a long time. He didn’t want that to happen to him too, he would rather just know the truth.

[Regina Mills]

Regina desperately tried to make sense of the conflict etched in her son's expression as she waited for him to respond, still entirely unsure of what to do. How could she act, when she didn't know who or what was bothering him? Absently rubbing her thumb in repeated comforting motions against his arm, she tried not to appear too frantic - that would only make him pull back more, she imagined. When he finally answered her, however, it took Regina a moment to assure herself that she'd heard him correctly. She blinked several times, her concerned expression briefly giving way to one of blank shock. Why on earth would she be angry with Henry? Had she done something to make him think this way? Was it because they'd barely been in contact since the breaking of the curse? She'd stayed away from him for his own safety, not because she'd ever had any intention of abandoning him, and she was about to tell him as much before he spoke again.

Her eyebrows raised, and her expression became slightly bemused. It was oddly sweet that he was trying to come clean with her now, but really. As if she hadn't known that he'd been trying to convince Emma that the curse was real, and that she had to be the one to break it, since the moment the blonde woman first stepped into Storybrooke. Admittedly, it had been part of the reason she had tried to keep them apart. And admittedly, what Henry said was true - the curse had been broken because of him. But if he thought she was angry at him because he hadn't died to preserve the curse, then Regina was fairly certain that he still had absolutely no idea how fiercely she loved him.

It didn't matter. She would just have to prove it to him.

The moment he mentioned her being angry at him the same way she had been at Snow, however, Regina drew a sharp intake of breath. He...had he just implied that he believed she hated him, that this was all a cover for the revenge she was plotting against him, the same way she had against her stepdaughter? For a moment, Regina was stricken entirely speechless as she stared at him, wide-eyed. Whatever sudden swell of emotion she felt, however, she quickly forced it aside. This was not about her, this was about Henry. He needed to be reassured right now, and so that was exactly what she'd try to do.

"Henry. Look at me." Her voice was firm, but not angry, as she moved her hand from his shoulder and used it to gently tilt his chin upward so that he was indeed looking at her again. "Don't you ever think that. Don't you ever think that the curse meant more to me than you do. I'm not going to pretend that I'm particularly thrilled that the curse is broken, but you're alive because of it." The open, genuine vulnerability, the uncharacteristic way her voice broke slightly as she spoke, right down to the way she was now clinging to him as if terrified he might suddenly disappear - none of it so much as faintly echoed the 'Evil Queen' that Regina had once been. She was throwing everything she had into getting Henry to believe her, to make him see how much she truly meant all of this. "I'd break it a thousand times over myself if it meant saving your life."

The selfless, unconditional love that spurred the words she never would have spoken to anyone else scared Regina, a little. It had been such a long time since she'd ever felt love strong enough to overcome the hatred that had darkened her for so long, every word she spoke was the truth. Henry was her whole world. "So no, I'm not angry at you. I love you, Henry. And nothing in this world or any other will ever change that. Do you understand?" Willing back the tears that pricked at her eyes, she fell silent at last to await his response. She needed him to understand.

[Henry Mills]

Henry was honestly…..not sure what to say as Regina spoke. The only time he ever heard her sound so open and genuine was in the hospital, when he woke up after eating the poisoned apple. It was then that Regina told him she loved him, and she sounded just like she did now. Like she really meant it, not like she was hiding anything. He still couldn’t believe he was even hearing this though. All this time he thought that the curse was all Regina cared about, she was the evil queen after all. Could she really mean that she thought he was more important? Henry had felt such betrayal when he realized who his mom really was, he thought everything else had been a lie too. But maybe….maybe not…

Just like in the hospital, Henry couldn’t find words to reply. He truthfully felt very relieved to know Regina wasn’t mad at him. And here she was telling him she loved him, and nothing could ever change that. Henry wondered whether it was true. If there came to be a battle, and Henry was on the side of good, would Regina really still love him then? He wanted to avoid that if at all possible though. He used to think that the Savior was destined to battle The Evil Queen. But now he really didn’t want to see his two moms fighting. Maybe that could be avoided somehow. Maybe if Regina really meant what she said, she would leave the rest of his family alone if he asked her to. For now, he wondered how to respond to this. Henry really did love his mother, but he wasn’t sure how to express that. He wasn’t sure if it was okay to. And he didn’t think either of them were ready.

But after everything Regina had just said, he couldn’t just ignore it either. So just for now, Henry let himself forget that his mom was evil, and just focused on how it used to be. He slid off the bench and threw his arms around her in a sudden hug for the first time in a very long time, and hid his face in her shoulder.

He lifted his face a little after a minute so he could talk without sounding muffled. ”Mom? You gotta promise me something okay?” he said, wondering what her reaction would be to this. ”Don’t fight with Emma. Don’t hurt Snow or Charming either. I know you hate them, but….I just don’t want there to be any more fighting. I don’t want to lose them. …….and I don’t want to lose you.” Was it possible not to lose anyone? Would he have to choose between them? Who could say at this point.....

[Regina Mills]

It was lucky, really, that Regina hadn't lost her balance and toppled over out of sheer shock when her son threw his arms around her. Henry was hugging her, for the first time since...well, probably since he'd found out about the curse over a year ago now. Actually, it was probably longer than that - their relationship had been growing strained even before then. But that was all irrelevant at the moment, because all that Regina currently cared about was the fact that her son was hugging her now. There was a brief pause in which she instinctively tensed, too stunned to even think how to respond. And then realization hit her, and in an instant she was hugging him back tightly, eyes closed, half-convinced that nothing in the world would ever compel her to let him go.

And then Henry began to speak, and faintly concerned that she might have inadvertently been making it difficult for him to breathe, Regina loosened her grip somewhat but still made no move to pull away. She simply nodded wordlessly when he asked her to promise him something - and then faltered a little at the realization that she now actually was crying. Apart from the incident where Henry had nearly died in the hospital, Regina couldn't remember ever allowing herself to cry in the past twenty-eight years. It left her in awe, somewhat, how much Henry had changed her. The first time she'd been a mother, it had all but destroyed her - but this time, it seemed to be slowly piecing her back together. Or at least, that was what Regina willed herself to believe. Henry deserved so much more than an evil queen for a mother; he deserved someone who could love him the way he deserved to be loved, who would be there when he needed them, who knew how to make him feel safe and cherished and important rather than isolated and deceived and crazy. Regina wanted to be the former for him. More than anything, she wanted to change - for him.

It was only when Henry elaborated on that promise he'd asked of her that Regina realized exactly what 'changing' would entail.

He was asking her not to harm the rest of his family, and that was only a natural and expected request - but his family now included Snow White. Snow, who had lost her mother at such a young age, who had in turn ensured that Regina would become her new mother even if it meant taking everything from her. Regina had not only lost Daniel because of her stepdaughter - she'd had to endure years of suffering as the wife of the King, with only the slowly solidifying desire for revenge enforcing her will to live. To give up that longing for vengeance now? It wasn't a matter of would she; Regina wasn't sure if she could.

Slowly, reluctantly, she pulled away just enough to steadily meet Henry's gaze. She hadn't thought anything was more powerful than the hatred and darkness she'd clung to for so long - but now, she was beginning to think that perhaps the love she felt for her son might be. Regina took a slow, steadying breath, as if bracing herself for some incredibly painful procedure. "You're not going to lose anyone you love, Henry." she told him, her words ringing with determination. No matter what she felt, Regina realized, she would not take away someone her son loved - she would not stoop to the lows her own mother had stooped to. "Not because of me or anyone else. I will not put you through that - you have my word." And although she would stick to it with all the strength she had, a part of her still worried that it just wouldn't be enough. What would happen if she allowed hatred to overcome her again?

"That being said, you need to realize that forgiving Snow is..." Regina paused, biting her lip slightly, wanting so very badly to be honest here - but not sure how to word this. "It's not going to be easy for me. In fact, it may be something I will never be capable of doing." So much had happened between Regina and her stepdaughter that there was no certainty that things would ever be okay between them again, even if a truce was called. Right now, Regina didn't really even want to think about how to approach that - she only wanted Henry to know what to expect. She hesitated briefly for a moment longer. "...What do you say we take this one step at a time?"

[Henry Mills]

Henry was surprised when his mother’s words made him feel…safe. It was a long time since she’d made him feel safe. But now he realized that even though she was the evil queen she would never hurt him, and now she was saying that she would protect the rest of his family too. If she was true to her word then his family was safe. He sighed in relief. Who would ever want to mess with the evil queen? Or maybe it was time to stop calling her that since she promised not to be evil anymore. It still sounded pretty cool though.

She still had a long way to go. Henry could see that much. Even he noticed how painful it was for her to get those words about Snow out. Now more than ever Henry really wanted to know the real story about what happened between them. Regina raised Snow. It just seemed so weird that she could be such a loving mother to Henry and yet hate Snow so much. Henry frowned, knowing that this change would take a long time. He would have to come up with a plan to make things better between them. But for now he nodded. ”One step at a time sounds good.” Henry said. ”Maybe you guys should talk about whatever happened. Dr. Hopper says good communication is a vital step in making things work.” Henry said, using bigger words than he would normally as he quoted Dr. Hopper.

He really hoped that it would work out though. Maybe one day he would have his mom back. He imagined a future where Regina was good, and made peace with his family, where he got to spend some time with Emma and some time with Regina. Henry knew it was unlikely that things would work out that perfectly. But if they were all supposed to be getting their happy endings, then that was his. He then asked, ”I should get back before they start worrying about me I guess. Do you…wanna walk with me?” If everyone was ordered not to hurt Regina then he didn’t see the problem with it. He actually didn’t want to leave her just yet.

[Regina Mills]

Oh, Doctor Hopper. He thought all the world's problems could be solved with communication and hugging it out and love. If there had once been love between Snow and herself, Regina doubted any lingered now. And the time for talking had long passed, as far as she was concerned. Still, she had to give the bug credit - as much of an idiot as she sometimes thought he was, he'd helped Henry out of a fairly lonely place in his life not too long ago. When the relationship she had with her son grew strained, when Henry began to pull away from her and slip further into loneliness and what seemed suspiciously like depression, Regina had been terrified. It pained her, to see him suffer the way she had, knowing there was nothing she could do to fix it - that it was probably her fault in the first place for bringing him here, for raising him in a place where he was the only child that aged and friendships were not something that would endure for long. And when he'd finally found out about the curse, well...that had only made things even worse. Doctor Hopper had helped Henry when she herself could not, and for that Regina was begrudgingly grateful to him.

"Doctor Hopper's a smart man." she replied as lightly as she could, slowly trying to compose herself as she offered Henry a faint smile. Whatever issues Regina had with her stepdaughter, she vowed to no longer bring Henry into the middle of it. And she couldn't quite bring herself to crush his hopes for reconciliation now. So she said nothing more on the matter, instead allowing herself to be distracted by his next question. It had caught her off-guard, him asking her to walk her home, and she blinked. If it would give her the opportunity to spend just a little more time with her son, then of course her answer would be yes. She didn't much like the idea of him walking back home through the woods alone anyway - and, no matter what promises of redemption she made, if anything or anyone attempted to harm Henry then she would resort, most violently, to magic. There was no point in getting worked up about that right now, though. There were very few people in town who would dare to harm Henry anyway, especially with his mother, the Evil Queen, right there with him. Not unless they were suicidal, at least.

Giving his arm one last quick, reassuring squeeze, Regina rose to her feet. "I'd like that." she told him softly, slipping her hands into the pockets of her peacoat and waiting for him to lead the way. She wasn't too fond of the idea of showing up at the Charmings' doorstep with Henry in tow, but nor did she particularly care what they had to say on the matter. Especially Emma. She was allowing Henry to live with them for now, because of what he wanted - and because it was too dangerous for him to return home just yet. But if Emma Swan or anyone else thought that gave them any more authority to tell her when she could and could not interact with her son, they were gravely mistaken. As they started down the trail leading out of the playground, she glanced down at Henry and quirked her head a little to one side. "How have things been, back at Emma's?" Regina asked him, trying her best to sound genuinely interested as opposed to...well, just bitter. That probably wouldn't go over too well, she imagined - Henry was more perceptive than most people gave him credit for.

[Henry Mills]

Henry walked alongside his adoptive mother as they left. For the first time in awhile with her, he started to feel content. Now that the curse was broken maybe Regina really didn't have to be evil anymore. They could still be a family....he wasn't sure how that would work since he had Emma too, but this was a town full of fairy tales. Anything was possible.

He walked quietly through the woods for awhile until Regina asked the question. He looked up at her in curiosity. She really was interested? For a minute or two he debated on how much to tell her, accustomed to keeping secrets from her about what Emma was up to. He guessed there wasn't really a reason to do that anymore now. It did feel nice to know that she wanted to know how he was doing. Henry smiled up at her. "Pretty good. She's busy a lot of the time now that everyone knows she's the Savior. They keep wanting her help with everything, and Snow and Charming are busy too since people want them to take charge again." Henry explained. He would bet it'd probably be a lot worse if they were back in the Enchanted Forest. Being part of a royal family wasn't all it was cracked up to be. He worried about that sometimes and what people would expect of him when he grew older. He really didn't want people having high expectations of him like they did with Snow, Charming, and now Emma. It felt too overwhelming.

He realized he could probably ask Regina about that. After all she used to be a queen. Well...he guessed she still was, she just didn't have a kingdom. She could probably teach him a lot about how royalty behaved. "Being a king or queen seems really hard. I never thought about it before. If Emma's going to be the Queen after Snow, does that mean I'm going to be a King after her?" asked Henry. If that was the way things worked then he wouldn't neglect responsibility. It just seemed like even though you gained power when you were King, you also had to give up a lot. Charming didn't have much time to have fun anymore, for instance. "I'm not so sure if I'd be any good at that....or if I would like it."