5I don't own OUAT. I already posted this on tumblr, but decided to post it here as well. Hope you guys enjoy :)
Emma Swan has a pretty good life. It is a lot better than she expected really. The rare times she had thought about her future when she was not yet wearing jackets but did actually wear stolen watches occasionally, her goals were pretty much keeping out of jail ( she hadn't ) and being able to eat grilled cheese twice a week.
Now, she had far more than that.
She had a kid , a beautiful kid with a happy smile and an abundance of sass he couldn't have gotten from either of his parents. And 17-year-old Emma might have punched you in the face for suggesting she would everwant this, but she was so happy she had Henry. Even when he left his gross socks laying everywhere.
" Henry- can I pick these socks off without needing to wash my hand with a lot of disinfecting soap?"
Henry rolls his eyes from his place on the coach. " It is a sock, mom, not a small population of microorganisms"
"Because your teenaged body is so clean" she teases, well aware he hasn't had a shower in one and a half day and he has had gym- because let's face it, her kid may be insanely smart and very good at strategy but even he cannot keep avoiding gym indefinitely.
He glares at her. Emma is a little tempted to take a small step back, because he is crazily good at glaring (seriously how is a child his age better at being intimidating than the legit criminals she chases that have guns sometimes) but she doesn't. That would be ridiculous and you know, probably undermine her authority. " Stop the glaring Henry, I am just sayi- ".
"I was going to take a shower "he says, turning his attention back to what is either homework or a book he is writing. " And you do not smell like daisies and roses either".
" Well, I would hope not" she says, laughing. " That is not really the kind of thing I would want to smell like".
His lip twitch. She kisses his cheek as she walks past him with the sock held between two fingers. " Have you finished your homework?".
" Have I ever not?".
" Henry- ".
" yes, I have finished my homework. Like ages ago"
" Good. Do you want to shower first or should I?" she says it as soon as she has dropped the sock in the laundry basket. " Oh and don't forget to put your dirty clothing in the laundry basket. Seriously, why do you think I bought the thing in the first place?".
" Just go take a shower mom " Henry says, giving her that look that is a little haughty and very unimpressed but also loving somehow. It is a pretty good look.
"I mean it. And you are not a toddler anymore, nor are you a dog , so I shouldn't have to like train you" she smiles at him and makes sure to keep her tone light, to know she is joking. But also being serious, because if she nearly slips on an article of clothing one more time-
He sighs, then shrugs. " Fine" .
She smiles at him. "Awesome" she lets him be slightly annoyed for several more moments before showing him the bag. "Are you up for pizza?".
He grins at her. " Pizza is cheesy and delicious, so it is like asking whether water is wet, mom".
She chuckles. " I definitely share the sentiment" she stretches. "Okay, I am going to grab that shower now, before the stench clings to me forever. Can you- ".
Henry is already standing up. He really is a great child. He approaches the cardboard, throws her a grin. " I would hug you, but I really do not want your smell transferred to me".
"You do realize I can ground you, do you not?".
" You won't. You have a sense of humour" like she said, her son is great at strategy. He knows exactly what to say as he toes the line between the fond 'little shit' and 'damn, you are grounded'. He smiles, most likely because he knows this. " And you should be extremely grateful for that" she winkles her nose. The smell really is bad.
" I am going to grab that shower now, do not touch the pizza before I am back".
" I wouldn't mess with your love for pizza" Henry promises solemnly, then arches his eyebrow a little. " Are you going to recount the tale of how on earth you managed to fall into a trash can afterwards?".
" Shut up" she mutters.
" I mean, I assume that it is not a fashion statement, that bit of spaghetti smeared into your hair"
" One more sassy remark and you are grounded " she warns, but her lips are twitching.
He grins at her. " Please take the shower, so the apartment won't smell like someone dumped its garbage somewhere in it".
"You should be immensely grateful for that sense of humour I have Henry "she says, but she is laughing as she walks away from him and towards the shower she really wants to take.
They are in the middle of eating pizza and Emma is recounting her tale- careful to be a little less animated this time, so she won't accidentally throw the food on the floor and have another 'does the five second rule actually exist' fight with Henry - when the doorbell rings.
" So he ran at me , which I did not- " she stops in the middle of the tale to throw Henry a confused look. "Did you invite anyone?" .
" No. Did you?".
She snorts. " When do I ever invite anyone?"
Henry frowns a little. "That is not funny , that is more- "
" Henry, I really do not need many friends. You know that".
" Yeah, I know" he hesitates, then adds " but you do not really have friends. I mean, the mothers of some of my friends do not count. And I really would like you to have friends, it would be good for you".
Sometimes, Emma wonders whether Henry is the universe's 'I am sorry for all the goddamn awful years in the system' gift. Because really, which other boy his age would ever be thoughtful and caring and still mostly comfortable with showing he loves his mom? She gives him a one-armed hug. "I am fine without them, Henry, you know I only need you. And stop stealing my job, will you?".
Henry laughs. " Well, maybe if I didn't have so much more credentials than you do… "
" How dare you! I totally- " the bell rings again. Emma had kind of forgotten all about it. She gets up and starts walking towards the door.
" Hah! I win" Henry explains, before tearing into his pizza again. She throws him a glance over her shoulder, then opens the door. She stares a little at the person in front
It is a woman she has never seen before. She is probably around Emma's age, with dark hair and skin that looks like she avoids the sun a lot. Emma nearly steps forward, a little concerned by how the hands that are holding a box are trembling slightly. Then again, the look in the eyes of this stranger keep her frozen on her doorstep, wanting to take a step back.
There are actual tears in those eyes. There is a wobbly smile that makes Emma uncomfortable, but strangely also makes a small lump form in Emma's throat. And there is something about her expression that makes Emma think the woman is mistaking her for someone else. Why would you look at a stranger like this?
" Can I help you?" she finally asks, when it seems obvious that the woman is not going to speak.
She slowly shakes herself. "Uh- I – " she has to clear her throat , then offers Emma the box in her hands. " I am your new n-neighbour"
Emma relaxes a little bit. Perhaps the tears were just hormones and the woman is just awkward? She is quite certain that the woman's stomach is not like that because she eats a lot of fast-food, no – she is pregnant. And Emma still remembers how her own pregnancy messed up her hormones.
" Oh, nice to meet you. I am Emma" she says, taking the box from the stranger and offering her a hand.
The woman grabs it with lightning speech and Emma stares down in confusion as her hand is grabbed tightly and for a too-long. When she tries to subtly pull it back, it takes an additional (really weird) minute before the woman let it go. " Sno- Mary Margaret" she says, after a short hesitation.
" Well. Thank you for the pie" she is about to close the door when the woman – Mary , was it? – gasps and almost starts crying. She throws her a disturbed look before glancing behind her. It is Henry, staring at the woman with concern. Not entirely unwarranted concern, considering the woman's trembling lip and the expression she is wearing.
" Are you all right? "he asks.
Emma subtly shifts, tensing. The woman does not look dangerous , but she is not taking chances, not with her son behind her. Maybe she does not have to worry though: Mary ma- something nods even when she is nearly crying and gasps out " pregnancy hormones, sorry".
It is not entirely believable- not when the tears are not the only weird behaviour- but Emma will take it. For now. She even offers the woman a smile. " Been there, it is awful is it not?".
Mary nods, manages another wobbly smile. "It really is" she whispers, giving Emma an intense look that nearly has her step back. She throws an arm around Henry, offers him the pie without looking. " You can put this in the fridge".
He grins. " Pie? Awesome!" he turns that grin on Mary, who immediately sniffles and sounds half-a-second away from crying. "Thank you!" Emma kind of wants to slam the door when she sees Mary's eyes follow Henry but she doesn't. Instead, she leans against the threshold. There is a short silence as the woman of her tries to pull herself together.
" My apologies" she wipes her eyes, smiles. " I am such a mess lately".
" That is okay. So you have moved her today?".
" Yesterday actually. I thought I would introduce myself" .
" Welcome to the building, I guess".
" Thank you. Have you lived here for long?".
" A little over a year"
" Oh. Where did you live before that? " does this woman look at anyone this way, or does she just look at Emma with really intense eyes? Either way, it makes her uncomfortable.
" Here and there. Uh listen- ".
" I am sorry, I was prying " she forces a laugh. "I am just new to this city and thought it would be nice to know someone who actually knows where to find things".
" That is fine" she hesitates, but then decides to offer it anyways. Perhaps her son is getting to her " I can show you around sometime, if you want".
She immediately gets a bright smile. " That would be wonderful. So – ".
" Well, you know where I live" Emma says, a little awkwardly.
" Right. I hope you enjoy the pie".
"Thanks again"
" You are welcome"
Emma is waiting for the woman to say something like 'have a nice evening' when she decides it won't happen. The woman – Mary, right? – just stares at her until Emma decides she has had enough of this and firmly says " good evening".
" Oh. You too"
And then she is alone with her son again, thinking what the Hell
Weirdly enough, they actually become friends. Quick friends, too.
They just click for some reason and even though MM ( as Henry has started to call her) still has her weird moments, she is mostly just a pretty great friend. She likes half of the series Emma likes as well, is a lot tougher than she looks and is pretty good at helping Henry with stuff like homework. So really, Emma can deal with the too-emotional hugging and looks as well as things happening like Mary Margaret dropping her plate when Emma was in the kitchen making desserts and casually shared the really great memory of toddler Henry helping her make apple turn-overs.
She still doesn't understand MM's look, that went spooked-pained-amused-thoughtful.
However, for all MM's weirdness, she has quickly become a fixture in the Swan family. Henry seems really glad - even though he gave her the 'you hurt my mom and I will destroy you' talk – and gets along with MM really well. And Emma is just happy that she finally has a friend like this, because she realizes that she has actually missed a lot. So really, everything would be peaches and roses despite the fact that Emma's job is still catching sleaze balls-
Were it not for two things that are pretty much like earthquakes.
The first one would be like a seven on the Richter scale ( her son is an adorable nerd who likes sharing facts he deems interesting with her): Emma suddenly dreams. She used to have weird dreams every now and then – like the time she dreamt she was in an orchard and there were flying apples that turned into unwrapped condoms- but this is a different kind of weird.
These are dreams that feel more like déjà vu (you can also thank Henry for her knowing bits of French now that are not swear words or pick-up lines) .The first dream she has is about a ten-year-old Henry. The sound is off, but she can see herself possibly bicker with him before they step into the car. She remembers little off that dream ,except from a sign and someone wearing a grey dress.
She wakes, feeling off-balanced and hurt. For some inexplicable reason, she still wants to remember the dream instead of forget forget forget like you would expect. She needs to know who was wearing that dress, what was that on that sign. It kind of consumes her, but she just can't remember.
It is the first time in years she dismantles a toaster out of sheer frustration and anger (and really MM why are you smiling fondly like that?)
That dream seems to be the first of a line of confusing, frustrating déjà vu dreams that keep slipping away into her subconsciousness , the jerks. Emma dreams of a playground, of a book that she is reading without seeing the letters, of the barking of a dog, of a black turtleneck… she dreams of gentle brown eyes and a low voice and strains to hear the words. She dreams of blood in her mouth and holding someone up against a building. She dreams of hospitals and mines and what looks like the jungle.
It is definitely earthquake-like, with how Emma feels unbalanced and of kind of taken apart- with pieces missing. She logically knows they cannot be memories, but she stills strains and strains to remember them. She never really does, but the dreams keep happening.
Then there is the second reason things aren't as great as they could be.
The second reason is a ten on the Richter scale. Yup, the buildings are turned to ash, there are no people just corpses and basically everything is upturned and changed forever. Perhaps they might even invent a new Richter scale, one that has a place for 'earthquake that pretty much moved the continents and made all the buildings fall like domino stones and just –"
MM visits someone in the hospital, asking them to go with her 'for moral support and because I would like you to meet her'. Emma is nearly immune to the weird looks she gets from MM every now and then, so hardly thinks about it. That turns out to be a mistake.
It turns out to be a mistake, because they walk into that room and she feels Henry freeze next to her and she stares. Stares at brown hair and closed eyes and tightly entwined fingers on top of the frozen body. For some reason, she vaguely remembers reading fairy tales.
She is only snapped out of it when MM squeezes her hand briefly. Usually, she would be questioning the way she looks at Henry- so very concerned and sad and apologetic- but now she is staring at this woman, that is in a private room and attached to machines. She feels Henry press against her and when she glances at him, he is frowning at the woman and she can see him trying to push down on the urge to grab her hand like he used to when he was scared or upset.
She throws her arm around him. " Do you want to say hello? " it is Mary Margaret's voice. Emma glances at her: she has her hand on Henry's shoulder and is wearing one of her strange expressions. Emma can hardly concentrate on it, instead glancing from her son to the literally comatose woman on the bed. " Just say hi, Henry" Mary Margaret says, her voice trembling a little.
Henry slowly pulls away from Emma before walking towards the bed. Emma follows him. They're on either sides of the bed. Emma looks at Henry as he swallows and starts talking.
" My name is Henry. I am sort of a friend of M- Mary Margaret" he hesitates, glances at Emma for a moment. She smiles at him, nearly runs around the bed to give him a brief hug. Should I get him away from this, is it too- she is always wondering whether she is giving Henry what is best for him. Now she wonders what this will do to him- whether it's too scary or emotionally loaded.
" There all these stories about people that wake up from a coma and can recount things that were said to them, or around them. So I am just going to talk and hope you think it is interesting. I would not want to bore you, definitely not when you are stuck with me!".
He glances at Mary Margaret. "What would she like hearing about?".
The tears are back. " You" MM whispers.
When Henry and Emma glance at each other, not understanding why a stranger would want to hear all about a teenager, she adds "she- used to have a son. She was snappish and distant with a lot of people, but- with children, she was often different. I am certain she woul- will love to hear about you".
Henry nods. Emma's stomach is in knots and there is tension knotted in her muscles at the very idea of ever losing a son. She suddenly looks at the woman with different eyes, imagining her smiling at a boy with her hair and looking at him with gentle eyes. She suddenly wants to know the colour of those eyes. Would they-
" I like writing. I suppose I enjoy creating new things, or making the impossible happen. So there's that. And I think English is pretty great! We have this English teacher that is a little wacky, but in a good way and he gives extra marks for creativity. So we get to write stories and act a little" Henry laughs. He is not as frozen, as tense and uncertain as before. " Last week, we were discussing Shakespeare and he started reciting parts really dramatically. He even made his voice higher to mimic Julia and it was actually real good. Did you know that the female roles in Shakespearian plays used to be played by male actors?".
Emma feels her breath caught and hears a sound that could be a sob but also a gasp. Henry voice fades as he leans forward. " I am sorry, I did not mean to – " he stares at the single tear on the woman's cheek. " I am sorry" he repeats, clutching his fist a little.
She steps forward. Henry has never been able to deal with people's pain. He always wants to help so badly and gets frustrated and hurt himself when he can't. He might be growing up, but she does not think he will ever grow out of that.
" Henry- " she shuts up when she realizes she doesn't know what to say, just throws an arm around him and pulls him into a hug. " You were doing great kid. She probably just- " she looks at Mary Margaret helplessly. " Does stuff like that happen often?".
She shakes her head. " No "she whispers, staring at the lone tear. " No, it doesn't ".
Henry insists on going back. And she has to admit, she doesn't really try to keep him away. And Mary Margaret tries to hide it, but she is weirdly relieved when he goes back. And again. And again. And again.
It is a month later and he is still visiting Regina. When he had to read 'to kill a Mockingbird' for class , he brought it with him and read his favourite parts to her. When they made apple turnovers together, he brought her a piece and described it – " It is that kind of hot where you can feel your tongue feeling slightly burnt, but it is not hurting. It is baked perfectly- here, feel- so " . He does that a lot actually, describing things. He has described himself –" I have short brown hair- it kind of the colour of Nutella, the cocoa spread" and Emma – " Did you ever read the wonder woman comics? Mom is pretty much like Wonder woman- she even has an inbuild lasso of truth!" and objects that he brought. He is really careful and gentle and still happy in a way that she knows she doesn't imagine Regina's lips twitching with a smile whenever he is gushing about something.
Right now, he is reading his newest story to her. Emma is very silent as she listens- that was Henry's condition : 'you cannot make jokes or anything mom. You are only invited if you can be silent' even if which gets easier the longer she listens. The only sounds she makes in the end are gasps- when the villain that has discovered a fountain-of-youth formula captures the very sarcastic and kind of hardass antihero as she tries to stop him- and half-formed questions – when that same villain somehow manages to trap the person in a coma that will slowly destroy her supernatural abilities and eventually things that might be sob as the antihero's tragic past is revealed, as well how she will never –
" It was so very unlikely, the possibility so infinitesimal that Regina herself would have scoffed at it. She had learned to live with a heart whose pieces were hardly hanging on to the stitches in between them and the idea that no one would ever genuinely love her. But this child did. He did, because he had known something was missing for a while – and it was more than the fear he got whenever his mom was hunting bad guys. So he started to fight, knowing he had a family for the first time. And with his mom helping him – how could they lose? "
Henry's cheeks are flushed, his hands are clutching his notebooks and his eyes are wide open. " How could they lose- " he repeats, softer now. He slams the book down, bends over her. "How could they l-lose"
Emma finally stands up, clearing her throat. " Hen- ".
" How could- "his voice cracks. She suddenly realizes he had hoped she would wake up. She grabs his hand when it reaches for the book, that expression in his eyes that means she has to be quick or he might explode and tugs him gently towards him. She doesn't touch him, apart from the gentle grip on his wrist.
He swallows, stares at the ground. She hates the tears that fall. "They're going to turn it off" he whispers.
" What- ? ".
He yanks his head up. He is really crying now, but trying to stop it. " The r-respirator. They w-want to turn it off"
She glances at Regina, feels sick herself. " They- " she shakes her head. " Ki- Henry, they won't. Mary Margaret won't- ".
" They s-said it was costly and she would n-never- "
"Henry" Emma finally breaks and hugs him. He immediately hugs her back, shaking. She wants to punch the idiot that thought about taking Regina from them. " Nothing is worth than a life, okay? And I am sure MM knows that".
" I am afraid" he confesses, making his voice so very quiet. She hugs him tighter. " I will punch anyone who even thinks about it" she whispers, and she doesn't even know whether she is trying to lighten the atmosphere of no no no no no or that she means it.
She glances at Regina, thinks of evenings where sitting next to her bedside and talking about the shitty day she had, sharing the parts she could never share with her teenage son with this woman. The times she has imagined Regina's eyes, or her smile. How she has made her into this whole person, sarcastic and witty and so very loving in her head.
She would punch anyone. No one takes a person Henry cares about. " They can take her" he whispers. " We are not- ". Her family. It is not our decision whether she remains on life support.
" I don't care. They're not messing with her" she pulls back, puts her hands on Henry's shoulders. "If you want someone to be family, they only have to feel like it, you know? Does she feel like family? ".
He nods. " yeah ".
" Then she is. Simple".
He laughs, then sobs once. " Y-yeah" he hugs her again. " Thank you".
She rests her hand on his head, closes her eyes. They remain like that for a minute, perhaps. Then- " Do you love her too?".
It is easier to admit things when people cannot read all your vulnerabilities and wants in your eyes. "When MM told me her son had been adopted…. I think I loved her then".
Perhaps she had even loved her before that. Emma definitely doesn't believe in love at first sight. Sometimes, she doesn't even know whether she believes in love in the first place. But hearing that this supposedly tough, angry woman had chosen to raise a child all on her own and tried everything and anything to keep him safe and loved.. even if she had messed up a little like MM told her , she had always loved her son. How could Emma not love someone like that?
" I loved her when I heard about how she had made she many wrong choices , but made the right one in the end".
" For her son".
She feels him shrug. "Yeah. And she just-"
" She just feels like family".
" Yeah".
" I know, ki- Henry" she had. She had even had a dream she had hardly dared to acknowledge, one with barbs and eyerolls but also one where Regina had been smiling so fondly at the both of them and had held her hand gently as she promised her she would do anything to make them happy. And really, how unfair is it that Emma finally manages to love like she once had and the person is in a fucking coma.
(and yes, maybe Regina would have never fallen in love with her. But now, they won't even have a chance for an epic love story or slightly awkward friendships)
Henry pulls away. He wipes his eyes, clears his throat several times. He gives her an embarrassed smile. She smiles back, aware that he is not the only one with dry, red eyes and a running nose. " Go get your book" she says, gently pushing him towards the bed.
He sniffs, then grabs his book from where it has fallen on the floor. She takes the time to wipe away tears and pull herself together. She looks at Henry again, who is standing next to the bed with a forlorn look. She sighs. "Henr-"
" Do you think she would mind if I kissed her forehead? You know, like you used to after reading to me".
She manages a nod, biting on her tongue. She really has cried enough. He tugs at her sleeve." Come on " .
" What?" she whispers
"Are you not going to say goodnight as well?"
" Henry- I am pretty sure she wouldn't want me to".
" Maybe she would" he wrinkles his nose. " And I am definitely not asking you to kiss her on the mouth".
She laughs." Okay. But if she wakes up and obsesses over avenging this kiss, you can explain it" Mary Margaret had been very vague but Emma had still gathered that Regina was the 'my ghost will still hold this grudge " kind of person.
She walks over to the other side of the bed, slowly bends forward. She holds her breath, hesitates for a moment. Then slowly presses her lips to skin, closer to that mouth than she had meant to. She can hear nothing but her rapid heartbeat for a while, is starting to relax and pull back when-
Her hair is pushed back, she turns her head away to avoid being blinded by the light and then she can feel a startled gasp where her lips are still mostly pressed to a cheek but also really close to lips that are usually- Red. She always wears- omg. Did I-
She pulls back, stares. That is Regina sitting there. Regina Mills, the woman in a grey dress that pulls her son into her arms as she runs towards him. Regina, who hands her cider and talks about how difficult it is to raise a son when you are a single mother and the mayor. Mayor Mills, who offers apples as a passive-aggressively 'fuck you, get out of my town' and gets a look somewhere in the middle of angry and excited when you cut down a branch off her tree. The Evil Queen, who wants you to tell the story of her death like it is okay, like 'it wasn't too late for me to do the right thing' will heal the pain of a ten-year-old that lost his mom.
Regina, who takes your hand and promises you a happy ending. ( never knowing it would only be happy if she would also be in it)
" Henry " she gasps and he chokes and crawls into her arms. Emma smiles sadly at the chorus of 'mom' erupting from his mouth. Not me. But her who used to kiss him on the forehead after reading about superheroes. She is already stepping back, when her hand is taken again. Regina's eyes are just as gentle as they had been then. "It was not just one person who broke that curse" Regina says, trying to make her voice strong and indifferent but Emma can hear the tremble in there. She sees her own disbelief echoed in Regina's eyes, her own hope.
She slowly sits down on the bed. Regina tries to scowl, but ends up smiling instead. ' The saviour. Seriously?".
Emma laughs and feels less inclined to bolt out of the door in the face of emotions and very complicated ones at that. Instead, she curls up next to what is apparently her true love and listens to that voice she now remembers was in her dreams. Henry talks and talks and Regina smiles and nearly chokes on laughter and tears and it is all Very Good.
Atop the cover, their hands slowly intertwine.
.