Here's Chapter 10 of Fairy Tales & Happy Endings
Title: Simple As It Should Be
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Pairing/Characters: Emma/Regina, Henry
Rating: I'll say E for Everyone
Summary: On Saturday, Emma takes Henry to the arcade. It's there that she finally breaks the news to him about her feelings for his mother.
Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. If I did, we'd be watching this instead of writing/reading it. For reals.
A/N: Okay, guys. We're almost done here. I've got one more chapter after this. It's already written, but I won't post it until later this evening. If I get around to it. If not, it'll be tomorrow. Thanks to all those who have stuck with me, read and enjoyed the story and left such lovely comments. You, my lovelies, are wonderful, beautiful people who make my writing worth while. I couldn't do it without you. :)
+++
On Saturday, Emma takes Henry to the arcade. It's there that she finally breaks the news to him about her feelings for his mother.
It's not that she had planned to, really. The words just seem to come bumbling out before Emma can think better of them, all awkward and stilted. Henry simply looks at her, without bothering to pause his game, and furrows his brow in curiosity. Emma thinks he looks adorable, but then his expression changes. When the realization hits him, when the truth of those words sinks in, he goes from cute to scared in under 10 seconds, and Emma's heart sinks. All the way down to the pit of her stomach.
"You--you love my mom?" Henry asks, saying the words slowly as he tries to process them in his mind.
Emma takes a deep breath and wipes her sweaty palms on her jeans. "Yeah, kid, I do," she says finally, with as much conviction as she can muster with Henry's eyes boring into her.
And then, Henry's going into full-blown panic mode. "You can't love her!" he says, a little too loudly, causing the other people in the arcade to turn and stare at them.
Without a word, Emma tugs Henry by the sleeve of his shirt, away from the game console and all the way outside. When they're standing out on the sidewalk, Henry continues his rant.
"She's the Evil Queen!" he says. "She's not capable of being loved. She doesn't even have a heart! You can't love her."
"Henry," Emma begins, mustering all the patience she possibly can as she stoops down so that she's eye-to-eye with the terrified little boy in front of her. "Your mom is not the Evil Queen, okay? She's--she's made some mistakes and she's done some things that maybe she shouldn't have, but so have I. I've probably made more mistakes than she could ever even dream of making. It's not fair that you put me on a pedestal when you tear her down every chance you get. She's trying to do what's best for you, kid. Even though I didn't see that at first, I do now."
"But--" Henry starts, but Emma cuts him off promptly.
"You remember that agreement your mom and I came to?" she asks, and Henry nods reluctantly. "That was so that we could do what was right for you. Your mom and I have gotten to know each other over the past few months, and we--well, we like each other. A lot. And you may not understand that now--"
"I know you're gay, mom," Henry cuts in, quite matter-of-factly. "And I know what that means. I'm ten, not stupid."
Emma fumbles for a second, completely taken off guard by Henry's words. "I never said you were, kid. I just--I want you to understand that I'm not doing this to hurt you. I don't ever want you to think that. If anything, your mom and I are together because we want to make things better for you. For all of us. And like I said, you may not understand that now, but I hope you'll at least try. You think you can do that?" she says, and there are tears pricking her eyes now.
Henry looks angry, for the most part, and there are tears in his eyes as well. Emma's heart clenches in her chest as she watches his tiny hands clench and unclench at his sides, his jaw hard set. He reminds Emma a lot of herself, and of a certain stubborn brunette. She can't help smiling just a little at the thought.
The silence seems to drag on for hours. In reality, it's barely a couple of minutes, in which Henry stands before Emma, trying desperately to get a grasp on what Emma is telling him. And then he just stops. His fists uncurl and his hands hang limp at his sides; the expression on his face no longer looks angry and pained, but like he's just figured something out. He straightens, a spark of understanding lighting up his eyes.
"The book was wrong," Henry says, all of a sudden.
Taken aback, Emma can only stare, one perfectly arched eyebrow raised in confusion.
"The book says that the only way to break the Evil Queen's curse is for the savior to kill her, in the final battle," Henry goes on. "But I think it was wrong. Maybe the only way for the Evil Queen to break her curse is for her to find true love, just like Snow White and Prince Charming."
Unable to do anything else, Emma finds herself nodding along.
"You're her true love," Henry says finally. "I can't believe I never thought of that, but it all makes sense. You guys never hated each other. You just had to get to know each other, to see how much you love each other. And how much you both love me. You're on the same side."
"Two sides of the same coin," Emma mutters.
If this were anyone else, telling her these things, she'd probably think they were crazy, but Henry is her son. And whether it's real or not, all this talk of fairy tales and happy endings, Emma would be hard-pressed to deny that his theory does make sense.
"The Evil Queen and the White Knight," Henry says, and he's smiling again. It's a smile so big and so bright that it goes all the way up to his eyes. "You're meant to be together."
"Yeah, kid, I think you're right," Emma says, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"I'm sorry I freaked out," Henry says. He takes a step forward and wraps his arms around Emma, hugging her tightly. "I thought she'd gotten to you, made you turn against me. It was stupid."
Emma holds Henry close. "No, it wasn't stupid. I understand," she says softly. "You know your mother and I care about you, right?" she asks, as she pulls away a little to look at Henry's tear-streaked face.
Henry nods. "I know," he says and sniffles.
"We love you, and I'm so sorry if us fighting hurt you or made you think any less of us," Emma says. Her lower lip trembles and she bites down on it to stop it. "I love your mom, very much, and I want us to be able to continue to work things out. I want us to be a family. Is that okay with you?"
Henry nods again. "I want us to be a family too," he says. "I love you, Emma."
Emma pulls Henry back into an embrace. They stay that way for a long time, unaware of the people passing them by, looking on in confusion, and the darkness falling around them.
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They make it home at half-past seven. As Henry and Emma make their way up the front walk, Regina yanks the door open and rushes down the steps. There's a worried look upon her face, and her mascara is smudged a little around her eyes. She's been crying. Emma feels her heart clench in her chest for the second time that day.
"Where have you been?" Regina asks, concerned.
Emma has the sudden urge to wrap Regina up in her arms, just like she did with Henry just hours before, and hold her until she knows everything will be okay. Henry beats her to it. He runs the rest of the way to Regina and jumps right into her arms, hugging her like there's no tomorrow. Regina looks surprised at first, and then she's returning the hug with equal fervor.
"I'm sorry, mom," Henry says, clinging tight to Regina. "I never meant to hurt you. I love you."
Upon hearing those words, Regina's eyes fill with tears and she blinks to keep them at bay. "It's okay, baby," she says, hugging Henry a little tighter.
She looks to Emma, a silent question written all over her face, and Emma simply smiles, tears pricking her own eyes. When Henry pulls away, he looks to Emma, gives her a tiny nod, a knowing look, and then bolts into the house.
"What was that about?" Regina asks.
"I told him," Emma says simply. At the confused look on Regina's face, she clarifies, "About us."
"Oh."
"As you can see, he was more than accepting."
"I--well, yes."
"I'm sorry I didn't wait for you. I just--when the opportunity came up, I took it. I think it went well. He was angry at first, about me falling in love with the Evil Queen and ruining everything. But then he realized that maybe, just maybe, this is how the story actually goes," Emma says, as she takes a few steps forward, until she's standing directly in front of Regina.
"How the story actually goes?" Regina asks.
"Mm-hmm. Maybe the Evil Queen's curse can only be broken by true love," Emma says, leaning in closer. She brings her hand up, thumbing away the tears on Regina's face. She hears Regina take in a breath, and then leans in further, until she can taste Regina's lips with her own. "Maybe a little lovin' is all the Evil Queen needs to break through that icy armor of hers," Emma says, when she pulls away a moment later.
Regina lets out a sigh, dark eyes fluttering open. She hums softly. "I think Henry is a very smart boy," she says. "But maybe we should test out his theory. See just how much love it takes to convince her to be... not quite so evil anymore."
Emma grins. "I like that idea," she says, "but we'll have to do that later. Right now, I think we need to talk to our son."
"Our son?"
"Yeah. You're okay with that, right?"
"I don't think I've ever been more okay with anything in my life," Regina says, a smile breaking out onto her face.
Emma's own smiles grows wider as she takes Regina's hand and leads her into the house.
They spend the next few hours up in Henry's room, listening to him chatter on about how much sense it makes that the Evil Queen's curse be broken by true love. After all, that's the way most fairy tale curses go. Emma and Regina listen to his theories in rapt attention, watch the way his eyes light up and his little hands swirl about as he speaks. Regina no longer finds it all to be nonsense, no longer just an excuse for Henry to hate her. It's a reason for him to understand things as they are now. A way to help them all see the good in things, the path to their happy ending.
Later, much later, when Henry is fast asleep, the house quiet and still, Regina and Emma find comfort in each other, in the privacy of Regina's bedroom. They make love for hours and then fall asleep in the safety and warmth of each others' arms, both content with the knowledge that this thing between them, what was once fueled by hatred and anger and fear, has now become something so different. So different and right and good.
This family dynamic they've managed to piece together, little by little, from the ground, up, isn't fancy. No, it's anything but. But it suits them, and really, it's as simple as it should be.
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Pairing/Characters: Emma/Regina, Henry
Rating: I'll say E for Everyone
Summary: On Saturday, Emma takes Henry to the arcade. It's there that she finally breaks the news to him about her feelings for his mother.
Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. If I did, we'd be watching this instead of writing/reading it. For reals.
A/N: Okay, guys. We're almost done here. I've got one more chapter after this. It's already written, but I won't post it until later this evening. If I get around to it. If not, it'll be tomorrow. Thanks to all those who have stuck with me, read and enjoyed the story and left such lovely comments. You, my lovelies, are wonderful, beautiful people who make my writing worth while. I couldn't do it without you. :)
+++
On Saturday, Emma takes Henry to the arcade. It's there that she finally breaks the news to him about her feelings for his mother.
It's not that she had planned to, really. The words just seem to come bumbling out before Emma can think better of them, all awkward and stilted. Henry simply looks at her, without bothering to pause his game, and furrows his brow in curiosity. Emma thinks he looks adorable, but then his expression changes. When the realization hits him, when the truth of those words sinks in, he goes from cute to scared in under 10 seconds, and Emma's heart sinks. All the way down to the pit of her stomach.
"You--you love my mom?" Henry asks, saying the words slowly as he tries to process them in his mind.
Emma takes a deep breath and wipes her sweaty palms on her jeans. "Yeah, kid, I do," she says finally, with as much conviction as she can muster with Henry's eyes boring into her.
And then, Henry's going into full-blown panic mode. "You can't love her!" he says, a little too loudly, causing the other people in the arcade to turn and stare at them.
Without a word, Emma tugs Henry by the sleeve of his shirt, away from the game console and all the way outside. When they're standing out on the sidewalk, Henry continues his rant.
"She's the Evil Queen!" he says. "She's not capable of being loved. She doesn't even have a heart! You can't love her."
"Henry," Emma begins, mustering all the patience she possibly can as she stoops down so that she's eye-to-eye with the terrified little boy in front of her. "Your mom is not the Evil Queen, okay? She's--she's made some mistakes and she's done some things that maybe she shouldn't have, but so have I. I've probably made more mistakes than she could ever even dream of making. It's not fair that you put me on a pedestal when you tear her down every chance you get. She's trying to do what's best for you, kid. Even though I didn't see that at first, I do now."
"But--" Henry starts, but Emma cuts him off promptly.
"You remember that agreement your mom and I came to?" she asks, and Henry nods reluctantly. "That was so that we could do what was right for you. Your mom and I have gotten to know each other over the past few months, and we--well, we like each other. A lot. And you may not understand that now--"
"I know you're gay, mom," Henry cuts in, quite matter-of-factly. "And I know what that means. I'm ten, not stupid."
Emma fumbles for a second, completely taken off guard by Henry's words. "I never said you were, kid. I just--I want you to understand that I'm not doing this to hurt you. I don't ever want you to think that. If anything, your mom and I are together because we want to make things better for you. For all of us. And like I said, you may not understand that now, but I hope you'll at least try. You think you can do that?" she says, and there are tears pricking her eyes now.
Henry looks angry, for the most part, and there are tears in his eyes as well. Emma's heart clenches in her chest as she watches his tiny hands clench and unclench at his sides, his jaw hard set. He reminds Emma a lot of herself, and of a certain stubborn brunette. She can't help smiling just a little at the thought.
The silence seems to drag on for hours. In reality, it's barely a couple of minutes, in which Henry stands before Emma, trying desperately to get a grasp on what Emma is telling him. And then he just stops. His fists uncurl and his hands hang limp at his sides; the expression on his face no longer looks angry and pained, but like he's just figured something out. He straightens, a spark of understanding lighting up his eyes.
"The book was wrong," Henry says, all of a sudden.
Taken aback, Emma can only stare, one perfectly arched eyebrow raised in confusion.
"The book says that the only way to break the Evil Queen's curse is for the savior to kill her, in the final battle," Henry goes on. "But I think it was wrong. Maybe the only way for the Evil Queen to break her curse is for her to find true love, just like Snow White and Prince Charming."
Unable to do anything else, Emma finds herself nodding along.
"You're her true love," Henry says finally. "I can't believe I never thought of that, but it all makes sense. You guys never hated each other. You just had to get to know each other, to see how much you love each other. And how much you both love me. You're on the same side."
"Two sides of the same coin," Emma mutters.
If this were anyone else, telling her these things, she'd probably think they were crazy, but Henry is her son. And whether it's real or not, all this talk of fairy tales and happy endings, Emma would be hard-pressed to deny that his theory does make sense.
"The Evil Queen and the White Knight," Henry says, and he's smiling again. It's a smile so big and so bright that it goes all the way up to his eyes. "You're meant to be together."
"Yeah, kid, I think you're right," Emma says, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"I'm sorry I freaked out," Henry says. He takes a step forward and wraps his arms around Emma, hugging her tightly. "I thought she'd gotten to you, made you turn against me. It was stupid."
Emma holds Henry close. "No, it wasn't stupid. I understand," she says softly. "You know your mother and I care about you, right?" she asks, as she pulls away a little to look at Henry's tear-streaked face.
Henry nods. "I know," he says and sniffles.
"We love you, and I'm so sorry if us fighting hurt you or made you think any less of us," Emma says. Her lower lip trembles and she bites down on it to stop it. "I love your mom, very much, and I want us to be able to continue to work things out. I want us to be a family. Is that okay with you?"
Henry nods again. "I want us to be a family too," he says. "I love you, Emma."
Emma pulls Henry back into an embrace. They stay that way for a long time, unaware of the people passing them by, looking on in confusion, and the darkness falling around them.
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They make it home at half-past seven. As Henry and Emma make their way up the front walk, Regina yanks the door open and rushes down the steps. There's a worried look upon her face, and her mascara is smudged a little around her eyes. She's been crying. Emma feels her heart clench in her chest for the second time that day.
"Where have you been?" Regina asks, concerned.
Emma has the sudden urge to wrap Regina up in her arms, just like she did with Henry just hours before, and hold her until she knows everything will be okay. Henry beats her to it. He runs the rest of the way to Regina and jumps right into her arms, hugging her like there's no tomorrow. Regina looks surprised at first, and then she's returning the hug with equal fervor.
"I'm sorry, mom," Henry says, clinging tight to Regina. "I never meant to hurt you. I love you."
Upon hearing those words, Regina's eyes fill with tears and she blinks to keep them at bay. "It's okay, baby," she says, hugging Henry a little tighter.
She looks to Emma, a silent question written all over her face, and Emma simply smiles, tears pricking her own eyes. When Henry pulls away, he looks to Emma, gives her a tiny nod, a knowing look, and then bolts into the house.
"What was that about?" Regina asks.
"I told him," Emma says simply. At the confused look on Regina's face, she clarifies, "About us."
"Oh."
"As you can see, he was more than accepting."
"I--well, yes."
"I'm sorry I didn't wait for you. I just--when the opportunity came up, I took it. I think it went well. He was angry at first, about me falling in love with the Evil Queen and ruining everything. But then he realized that maybe, just maybe, this is how the story actually goes," Emma says, as she takes a few steps forward, until she's standing directly in front of Regina.
"How the story actually goes?" Regina asks.
"Mm-hmm. Maybe the Evil Queen's curse can only be broken by true love," Emma says, leaning in closer. She brings her hand up, thumbing away the tears on Regina's face. She hears Regina take in a breath, and then leans in further, until she can taste Regina's lips with her own. "Maybe a little lovin' is all the Evil Queen needs to break through that icy armor of hers," Emma says, when she pulls away a moment later.
Regina lets out a sigh, dark eyes fluttering open. She hums softly. "I think Henry is a very smart boy," she says. "But maybe we should test out his theory. See just how much love it takes to convince her to be... not quite so evil anymore."
Emma grins. "I like that idea," she says, "but we'll have to do that later. Right now, I think we need to talk to our son."
"Our son?"
"Yeah. You're okay with that, right?"
"I don't think I've ever been more okay with anything in my life," Regina says, a smile breaking out onto her face.
Emma's own smiles grows wider as she takes Regina's hand and leads her into the house.
They spend the next few hours up in Henry's room, listening to him chatter on about how much sense it makes that the Evil Queen's curse be broken by true love. After all, that's the way most fairy tale curses go. Emma and Regina listen to his theories in rapt attention, watch the way his eyes light up and his little hands swirl about as he speaks. Regina no longer finds it all to be nonsense, no longer just an excuse for Henry to hate her. It's a reason for him to understand things as they are now. A way to help them all see the good in things, the path to their happy ending.
Later, much later, when Henry is fast asleep, the house quiet and still, Regina and Emma find comfort in each other, in the privacy of Regina's bedroom. They make love for hours and then fall asleep in the safety and warmth of each others' arms, both content with the knowledge that this thing between them, what was once fueled by hatred and anger and fear, has now become something so different. So different and right and good.
This family dynamic they've managed to piece together, little by little, from the ground, up, isn't fancy. No, it's anything but. But it suits them, and really, it's as simple as it should be.