Chapter Text
Her heart thunders violently in her chest and all the air evaporates from her lungs, forcing a small gasp to break through her quivering lips. For once in her life, she is stunned into complete silence while her arms nervously bounce off the fluff of her elaborate dress.
Her eyes finally tear away from the sparkling jewels intricately decorating the crown presented to her, to meet David's soft gaze. His ocean irises are shimmering in a sea of emotions. Snow is a bubbling mess beside him, but Charming isn't too far from crumbling either when her brown eyes meet his watery smile.
Regina slowly spins around to confirm that this is indeed what all the realms would truly want. For some peculiar reason, truly undisclosed in her mind, she finds herself seeking the approval of only one person in this crowded room. Her eyes scan the overpopulated expanse where their stories all began; an encouraging smile from her sister, an overjoyed expression from her niece and her girlfriend, along with the new Hook, and proud smiles upon both versions of her son.
She swallows thickly, all eyes are on her, expectantly watching through watery smiles, but hers falters. Her brows draw automatically together from the sudden ache clinging painfully to her heart and the sensation of feeling miserably alone.
"Are you ready?" David gently questions, tearing her eyes away from the crowd, but only for a brief second, before she's in search once again.
"Uh," she stammers, contemplating whether or not she should even ask. Her arms anxiously twitch at her sides again, bouncing once more from the width of her powder blue dress like the nervous princess she once was when Leopold proposed. She glances down and summons all the courage necessary to question her curiosity. She leans forward and lowers her voice for only the Charmings to hear. "Is everyone here?" She softly inquires with every bit of nerves tingling her limbs and quaking in her tone.
Even in a crowded room, with all eyes on her, there is only one person she is in search for. Only one person's opinion that matters to her.
Only one.
~~~~~~~
Storybrooke: Before Henry ever left, in search for his own story
"Henry! We are going to be late, honey!"
She shakes her head at her son's untimely manner in which he inherited from his blonde mother, without a doubt. She adjusts the silver charm decorating her wrist and smiles at the Mother's Day present Henry purchased this year. Even though she has a sneaky suspicion the purchase was to soften her up for something she hasn't a clue of just yet. She smiles fondly as the light catches the simple diamond bracelet in just the right way, sparkling brightly in the reflection of the mirror before her.
However, the doorbell rings, prying her eyes away from the beautiful gift and forcing her to realize just how late they must be if Emma is ready before their son. Her lips twist from her son's tardiness as her heels click against the marble floors toward the front door.
"Henry!" She shouts again just before she swings open the door and she smiles softly at Emma and Hook lingering upon the porch.
"Regina."
"Hook," she curtly replies.
"Hi," Emma softly chimes in.
"Good morning." She steps aside, allowing the couple to enter before she gently closes the door behind them. "Your son can't seem to put his feet to work this morning," she mocks as a warm vanilla scent wafts through the air around her.
Emma's signature scent.
The sheriff spins around on her heels and flashes her infamous cheeky grin, producing that adorable dimple Regina always pretends not to notice. "I have no idea where he gets his ability to always be late. I think it's only safe to assume Neal bequeathed that trait to our son."
"Yes, Miss Swan, his inapt concept of time has nothing to do with you," she sarcastically retorts, pursing her lips and folding her arms across her chest, just daring the woman to challenge her like she used to.
Yet, Emma spins back around abruptly and leans closer toward the staircase. "Henry! Move your butt!"
"I'm coming, jeesh," their son gripes as his heavy feet clash against each step with determination and what Regina can only assume is frustration. The thumping sound once drove her mad when he was younger, but now, she happily welcomes the sound, knowing soon she will be drowning in the silence surrounding the home. "This stupid tie..." he mumbles to himself as his long fingers fumble with his silky black tie.
"Come here, my dear," she softly instructs. "I thought you had ties figured out after your mother's wedding?" She inquires, raising one eyebrow as her fingers reach for his tie and he throws down his arms in defeat.
"I did. I YouTubed it, but I don't know, something's not right...every time I try, I swear it looks lopsided."
"You sure you're just not nervous, kid?" Emma questions in a teasing manner while leaning into their son's personal space, eliciting a small smirk to tug at the corner of Regina's mouth.
"Why would I be nervous?" Henry snaps anxiously, revealing just how nervous he truly is. "I'm just graduating."
Out of Regina's peripheral vision, she observes as Emma eyes her with amusement, but she continues dutifully knotting the tie and ignoring the woman. Henry's dark green eyes are cast down intently, watching Regina's hands move effortlessly in front of him.
"There," she breathes, slowly straightening the tie once more, but she can't seem to let go of her son just yet.
Her palms flatten against the lapels of his jacket while she examines his face. Tears well up and blur her vision as her eyes scan over every detail of his complexion, reminding her that he's just not her little prince anymore.
His once chubby round face has significantly thinned out and has become longer in the process. His adorable little chin is now sketched with faint stubble that he just can't seem to shave close enough to yet. Her eyes suddenly flick to her son's stepfather, knowing the man will be useless in teaching Henry how to properly shave.
She guesses she will have to make it a point to speak to Charming this evening.
"Mom? Aren't we going to be late?" Henry meekly questions, understanding completely the emotions that must be flitting across her mind right now.
She gently pats his chest, a watery smile on full display for everyone in the room. "Yes, of course. Let's get a move on," she complies, before leaning forward to press a delicate kiss to his cheek.
"Mom," he groans, already nervously rubbing at his cheek. "You didn't leave any lipstick behind, did you?"
Emma laughs as she clasps a hand upon each of his broad shoulders. "Come on, you don't want your mother's lipstick gracing your face as you accept your diploma?" She sarcastically teases, shoving him toward the front door.
"There are far worse things than that I suspect, mate," Hook chuckles along with his wife as they shuffle out the front door.
Regina takes one more glance around her mansion and sighs, knowing all too well that her son is no longer a little boy. He's graduating high school, off to college and from the hints he's been dropping lately, will be very far from their quaint town of Storybrooke. She subconsciously frowns and slowly shuts the door behind her, closing the past.
~~~~~~~~
The moment they park the Mercedes in front of the high school, Henry is climbing out the back with his cap and gown clenched tightly in his fists.
"Bye moms, I'm going to catch up with Violet," he informs them and Regina watches in amusement as his cheeks tinge a light shade of pink from the mention of the young girl's name alone.
"Well, good luck, Henry," she laughs, rushing out of the car. "We will see you right after the ceremony," she calls out, but he's already running toward the school in full speed.
"Do you remember a time when he was running toward us?" Emma teases as she softly closes the passenger door.
"Is it bad to wish for a villain again, just so our son will need us once more?" Regina muses, locking the door and stepping around the car to meet the couple.
"Yes!" Emma quickly replies, but then she's laughing lightly and shaking her head. "No, but do you think we can summon a demon or something," she whispers as she leans into Regina's side.
And of course, her breath catches in her throat, just as it always seems to do whenever the blonde lingers just a little closer. Emma's familiar scent clouds her mind and fills her heart with this warm feeling that just feels like home. She smirks salaciously just as she always does while Emma returns the smile with a cheeky grin that consumes her entire face. However, it isn't very long before her clingy pirate drapes an arm around her shoulder and tucks her into his side, just as he always does when he believes she and Emma are too close for comfort.
Regina's not entirely sure when her feelings for the insufferable blonde presented themselves. Sometimes, she thinks back to when Emma's strong fingers wrapped around her arm and their magic combined to open up a portal from Jefferson's hat. Other times, she convinces herself that maybe she is being silly, and she actually didn't feel anything until they were deserted on Neverland's island together. There is always one scenario that plays on repeat in her mind, when Emma chased her outside of Granny's when she thought Regina was leaving the party and blurted out that Archie made a cake. Then there are those rare moments when Emma flashes her adorable, shy smile and Regina's heart sinks and she knows the blonde stole her heart when she muttered 'Hi', the very first time they met.
However, none of that matters now. Emma is happily married to the pirate that pined obsessively over her. The sheriff was either too busy batting the man away to notice the way that Regina felt for her or maybe she chose to ignore her feelings, because who wants to have to reject the Evil Queen's love and affection?
"Regina?"
"Hmm?"
"Can you put your purse on the end? I think we should save two seats for my mom and dad," Emma asks just as Regina shuffles through the bleachers.
"Of course," she happily replies, claiming the seat next to Emma before she sets down her purse next to her other side, allowing enough room for the Charmings.
Emma suddenly leans into her side, seizing her heart yet again and immobilizing all her limbs and she curses herself for always feeling far too much.
"This is so exciting. To be honest, I never thought I'd see this day." A warm wave washes through Regina's blood and encourages her to turn and meet those dancing green eyes. "Not like...because I was going to die or anything. It's just...when I gave him up for adoption, I knew this would be a huge moment I was going to miss out on and it killed me," Emma confesses, nervously wiping her palms against her sundress and offering a lopsided smile. "I'm so happy I'm here to see this."
"Well, I know Henry is happy that you are here as well." She pauses for a moment and really assesses the woman's choice of clothing this morning. "You're wearing a dress," her mouth unexpectedly blurts out.
Green eyes quickly flick down to her own clothing while her fingers anxiously tug at the hem of the dress like she's terrified of showing too much leg. "Uh...yeah. I mean this is a special occasion, right? You're wearing a dress."
"I always wear a dress," she retorts, observing as too many insecurities flash across Emma's mind. "Relax dear, you look really nice. I'm glad you decided against the skinny jeans and that tacky red leather jacket."
"Oh, shut up, you love that jacket just as much as I do."
"I love that jacket, I love all your leather jackets," Hook chimes in, leaning dangerously close into Regina and Emma's intimate bubble, successfully popping the moment, just as he always does. "I thought the black leather would have suited you well today."
"I told you this dress is more appropriate," Emma exasperates, sounding awfully tired.
Regina quickly leans back, removing herself from the marital squabble. There's nothing she finds more uncomfortable than listening to those two fight. It's bad enough she has to watch Hook constantly staking his claim over Emma like a dog in heat.
"Emma! Regina!" Snow exclaims with Neal tucked suffocatingly close to her chest and David following behind.
"Hook, Emma, Regina," David politely greets all of them individually as they sink down into their seats. Charming quickly shakes Hook's hand then reaches over to kiss Emma's forehead before he squeezes Regina's arm affectionately. "How was Henry this morning?"
"He was quite nervous, but I think as soon as we arrived all that worry washed away by his excitement."
"Oh good," Snow huffs out a long breath as she readjusts Neal upon her lap.
"Gina!" Neal squeals, his little hands reaching out for a hug.
Regina happily accepts the little blonde and lifts him out of Snow's lap. "Well, hello, my sweet boy," she gushes, placing a small kiss to his cheek. "Let's try this again, shall we? Re-gina," she softly encourages the little boy to properly pronounce her name while Snow simply laughs beside her. "Honestly Snow, are you not a teacher? We can't have this little one calling me Gina all the time."
The three-year-old ignores the request and wraps his arms around her neck, squeezing as tight as he can while he laughs. Her fingers methodically run through his hair, the same way she always did with Henry when he was younger.
"He's three, Regina. Do you fear people won't take you seriously anymore with the new nickname, Gina?" Snow muses, but Regina chooses not to comment because she will be damned if she allows Snow the satisfaction of knowing her so well.
"Hey, kiddo," Emma beams, leaning in close enough to where her nose almost touches her brother's. She lifts her hand and waits for her brother to reciprocate the gesture, slapping his palm against hers.
"Hi, Ems."
All too quickly, the chitter-chatter from around the noisy gymnasium falls dead to their ears as the principal begins his speech. The amount of excited energy buzzing from the blonde beside her is palpable to say the very least. Emma's knees are bouncing as she excitedly leans forward to spot Henry in the sea of maroon caps and she smiles from ear to ear.
The principal finishes up his speech and soon the valedictorian is making his way to the front of the stage. His fists clench tightly into balls of white bony knuckles as his feet try not to shuffle and trip against the squeaky floor.
Emma's clammy hand slips over Regina's knee, luckily, she had enough sense to wear pantyhose this morning and not drown in the lovely skin to skin contact. Emma squeezes with anticipation, provoking Regina to jerk a little from the surprise gesture and causing Snow and Hook to immediately turn their attention to her. She smiles weakly and notices right away as Hook's blue eyes travel down to where she and Emma are conjoined.
It's truthfully exhausting trying to come up with a reason as to why her best friend's husband is so jealous now. Emma is simply ecstatic that their son is about to present his valedictorian speech and why shouldn't she be? Henry is their son, a young man who they have raised together and they should be enjoying this precious moment, together.
The former pirate masks his emotions well, she must say, but the man forgets that she too was once a villain. She can see the jealously clouding his judging eyes and the way his spine stiffens with rage. He slides his hand over Emma's leg, squeezing her thigh until she glances over at him. The sheriff quickly releases her knee and Regina rolls her eyes in annoyance from his possessive ways, but she ignores him because her son is about to speak.
"Well, I think this is the last time I will be able to speak freely. I believe the next school I attend will have me committed if I ever divulge in my time in Neverland with Pan," Henry begins and breathes out a nervous chuckle, but the entire gymnasium laughs along with her son and washes away the last of his nervous jitters.
Pride overwhelms her heart as she listens to her son produce his speech with confidence. Henry is the author now, but this speech that he wrote is remarkable. He has the audience laughing in all the right moments and tears welling up from all the proud parents filling the room. He's proving with each line delivered, exactly why he was the proper choice as valedictorian and Regina doesn't think she has ever been prouder.
It isn't long before the entire room is filled with joyous applause for her son's outstanding speech. Henry's cheeks flare up while he offers the audience a small, shy smile, reminding her so much of his other mother. He quickly exits the stage and then his eyes are drifting up toward their family. He smiles, just a half smile before his head falls down and he scampers off toward his seat.
Regina's heart is soaring with so much unconditional love as she watches a few students congratulate Henry on his wonderful speech. The principal begins calling off names in alphabetical order and soon Henry is walking across the stage. Charming and Hook are undeniably loud, hollering and making all sorts of noises as Henry walks across the stage. While she and Emma clap along, the blonde bumps her shoulder into Regina's and smiles brighter than she has in quite some time.
Her heart aches from the realization.
The year before Emma and Hook were wed is when Regina first noticed a drastic change in the sheriff. At first, she chalked up the odd behavior to Emma once being consumed by the darkness after she stupidly sacrificed herself to become the Dark One. Regina assumed the monotone and dull behavior was a reaction to feeling that darkness weigh down her heart, but soon she discovered how wrong she was.
She waited patiently for the quirky, sarcastic and silly Emma to return, but she never did. When they returned from the Underworld, she thought Emma was depressed about losing the spineless pirate, but all too quickly he was allowed another chance on Earth. She thought this would bring Emma out of whatever slump she was going through, but she remained this new, unfamiliar version of herself.
She understands that everyone changes, she, herself, experienced this first hand, but with Emma, something just doesn't feel right with her peculiar behavior. Her sparkling green eyes used to shimmer with mischief and wit, now her irises are dull with a pain Regina cannot unsee. Even her golden locks were always styled so beautifully, but now those tresses are lifeless and thrown carelessly into a low ponytail every day.
She believes the first thing that ever attracted her to the woman was Emma's ability to challenge her. Never once did the woman ever falter because of who Regina was, on the contrary, Emma Swan fought Regina every step of the way, with her head held high and chainsaw even higher. Emma didn't give a damn about her title as Mayor or even the Evil Queen, she stood up to her and challenged her as often as possible. She never feared Regina and she also never lost hope in believing in her.
Emma Swan stuck by her side time and time again, believing in her, trusting her, to be the best version of herself. To be the young girl she was before corruption and evil were forced upon her. Not once did Emma ever leave her side and now that she reminisces, what choice did the astounding woman leave Regina, but to fall in love with her?
Maroon, square-shaped hats fly into the air, but Regina's eyes fall toward her son. Her handsome young man, whose face is beaming with joy and pride. She makes a mental note to never forget this moment, to never forget the smile gracing her son's beautiful face.
Where have eighteen years gone?
~~~~~~~~~
"We are so proud of you, Henry," Snow's face scrunches painfully tight as she tries to ward off her inevitable tears. "We have all watched you from the tiny infant who just wouldn't stop crying, to the little boy who believed in all of us to the young man we see today, our author." Snow pauses to collect herself as a few tears trickle down her cheeks. "We love you so much and we cannot wait to be a part of whatever adventures life has in store for you."
"Here, here!" David hollers, provoking all the guests crammed inside Granny's to raise their glasses in unison. "To Henry!"
"To Henry!" The entire crowd praises before they all sip their beverages.
Emma sets down her dark beer upon the counter and smiles at their son, too excited to wait another minute for the surprise.
"Come here, kid." She delicately wraps her fingers around his wrist and drags him into a booth in the back. Henry quickly glances over his shoulder in wonderment, but Regina just smiles and nods toward the booth while she follows along. "Sit, we have a surprise for you."
Henry obediently follows the direction and slides into the old booth. Emma slips in next to him, forcefully bumping into his shoulder for fun while Regina claims the seat across from them.
"What's going on, moms?" Henry nervously grins as his curious, dark green eyes flick back and forth between his mothers.
Regina reaches inside her purse and slowly slides a white envelope across the table. Henry's eyes are glued to the surprise, the anticipation driving him mad, no doubt.
"Henry," she softly whispers, encouraging his eyes to finally meet her own. "This is our gift to you," she claims, smiling from ear to ear, slowly releasing the envelope.
Their son doesn't waste one single second as his long fingers greedily snatch up the present. He tears through the back of the envelope while his eyes dance with excitement. Henry pulls out the folded up white sheets of paper and immediately begins scanning over the print.
"Wait...what?" He mutters mostly to himself, spreading the papers wide open in front of himself.
"I know all the colleges I've been taking you to visit have been nearby in Boston and New York. Emma and I sat down, and we discussed how you had slyly mentioned Los Angeles to both of us, for film school." Henry blinks rapidly as his eyes dart to hers again and he holds her gaze in pure shock. "So, with that being said, we agreed we would take you to California, so you can visit some schools and we could make the trip a special graduation vacation in the process."
"Whoa, seriously? You guys are okay with that? You're okay with me going to a school in California?" He enthusiastically investigates, with the optimism of his whole life dangling in front of him.
"Oh god no," Regina rapidly shakes her head, persuading Emma to laugh lightly. "But, I don't ever want to hold you back. Whatever you decide, your mother and I will support you every step of the way."
"We want you to be happy, Henry and we want you to decide for your future. We don't ever want to dictate your life, like ours were," Emma explains, clenching Henry's shoulder before pulling him into a hug. "We love you, kid."
"I love you too, moms."
"So, the three of us leave tomorrow morning," Emma adds on, pulling away from their son and ruffling his hair to stop any deep emotions from bubbling too close to the surface.
"The three of us? Hook's not coming?"
"Nah. Someone needs to help David at the station while we are gone. Besides, Regina and I thought it would be best if it was just the three of us. Our family."
Green eyes slowly drift in Regina's direction. There's a proud glint sparkling in those golden flecks that always seem to pull at her heartstrings. However, she doesn't ever want Emma to see the longing in her own eyes for just her, so Regina nods curtly and turns her attention back toward their son.
"Thank you so much, moms. This is awesome. Hey! Can we spend at least two days camping?"
"Camping?" Regina blurts out and Emma doesn't even attempt to stifle her obnoxious snort.
"Yeah, come on. We never go camping. I think it'll be fun. I'm eighteen and have never been."
"Sure, kid," Emma agrees, lightly bumping into him, her ecstatic smirk stretching as far as her cheeks will allow. "Can't wait to go camping with you," she claims, but her eyes are solely focused on Regina and the mayor isn't ignorant, she knows when she is being mocked.
"That's fine with me, dear," she concludes, reaching across the table to place her hand on top of Henry's. "Whatever you want to do this week, it's all up to you."
Suddenly there seems to be a dark cloud wrapped in leather hovering over their table, just as he always does.
"So lad, you excited for your trip with your mothers?" The former pirate questions with a large mug full of beer in his only hand.
The man smiles that fake, charming smirk that Regina loathes more than anything in all of Storybrooke. She has known the pirate for far too long and there was a time when she knew that selfish man better than he knew himself. She knows his smiles are all insincere unless he's drooling over Emma. She must say, she actually prefers the former villain to the whiny little man that stands before her today.
Anytime Emma is in danger or he is worried about her, Hook becomes this pathetic, obsessive, whiny little baby. At least the Captain she knew, was strong, brave, and had the balls to accomplish whatever he set his mind to. Now, he just mopes around and follows Emma like a lost puppy. God forbid Emma is ever in danger he comes crying to Regina to fix it.
"Yeah Hook, California seems great."
"Well, I have no clue to where this other realm is, but cheers!" The drunken pirate holds up his glass and smiles wickedly before he tosses back half the glass.
"It's not a realm," Emma begins to explain, "it's a state...like...you know what, never mind," she shakes her head as if his incompetence is cute and quickly stands from the booth.
"How about we get you another drink, love? We should enjoy the night before you leave me tomorrow," he enthusiastically suggests, his hook pressing into Emma's lower back and escorting her away from the table before she even has a chance to respond.
Regina watches intently as Emma stiffens slightly and she wonders if the blonde hates the damn hook pressed up against her skin as much as she does. It truthfully takes every ounce of energy to keep her face impassive and not display the disgust twisting in her gut.
She deserves so much better.
"Mom?" Regina blinks rapidly, turning her attention back toward her son, who unmistakably is judging her face right now. She fakes her best smile and hums in response. "Do you think Granny will serve me a beer since this is my graduation party."
"What?" She shrieks and shakes her head violently. "Oh no, mister. Just because you graduated doesn't mean you're a man just yet. You are still underage," she strictly informs him, plastering on her scariest Evil Queen face, so he doesn't even think about asking that question again.
"I'm just kidding, mom," he laughs a little too hard and slips out from the booth. "I don't even like beer."
"Good," she firmly states as she too rises from the booth, but then she pauses and glares at her son, who somehow grew taller than her in this past year. "What do you mean you don't like beer, anyways?"
"Gramps, blame him," her son laughs like a small child once again as he weasels his way through the crowd to slip away from her.
"Henry Daniel Mills!"
Henry continues laughing as he knocks into the back of Grumpy and spills just the tiniest bit of beer. "Watch it!" Grumpy growls before he turns around to see who rudely bumped into him. His permanent scowl turns into a bright smile before he tucks her son into his side. "Henry! Hey kid, you think you can write me a happy ending with a smoking hot fairy?"
Regina smiles and shakes her head before she squeezes through the guests toward the bar. Immediately, Snow slides some red drink her way, smirking and she already knows how intoxicated this woman must be from her smile alone.
"Apple Martini, Your Majesty, hold the poison," Snow laughs a little too hard at her lame attempt at humor and rests her forehead against Regina's shoulder.
"Snow, my dear, haven't we discussed your consumption on alcohol?"
The drunken princess perks right up and lazily smiles up at her. "You are not my mother," she sternly dejects, before she giggles like a school girl all over again.
"Thank god for that. I am only six years older than you," she comments, but Snow just waves her off. "Where is your husband? I need to speak with him about teaching Henry how to properly shave, since his stepfather is useless."
Snow grows rather serious and sips her mixed drink, appearing deep in thought. "Why can't you teach him?"
"I've tried, but I think Henry would prefer if this particular lesson comes from another man. He became rather embarrassed when I tried to explain the task."
"Hmmm..." Snow regards her for a moment before she waves her arms in the air and starts screaming like a banshee for her husband.
"I do hope David is not drinking tonight. You do have a son, remember?" She quips, but Snow just waves her off again and laughs boldly in her face.
"My charming," she gushes as she slithers her limbs all around her husband like an octopus smothering their prey with their clingy tentacles. "Regina needs you to teach Henry to shave...properly," she hiccups and reaches for her drink again.
"Your wife is correct, but also highly intoxicated," she acknowledges, swiftly stealing the drink from Snow's clutches.
"I noticed his stubble," David laughs, wrapping his arm around Snow's midsection. Not a claim to his wife like the dirty pirate, just holding the woman up before she collapses in a drunken stupor. "I thought he was trying to take after Killian."
Regina cannot stop the dramatic eye roll from her annoyance. "Oh please, my son would never."
"Would never what, love?" Hook rudely interrupts the conversation with his wife firmly tucked into his side, provoking her nose to twitch in disgust.
"Nothing, Hook," she grumbles and sips her poison-less martini, somewhat wishing it was laced with a sleeping curse.
Her gaze catches her son down at the other end of the counter. His face is serious, and she knows he's ignoring Grumpy's drunken rambling by the way his eyes are glued onto her face. He tilts his head just the slightest and she desperately wishes she knew what her son is so deep in thought about. The corner of his mouth deepens, and she swears he's flashing her a sorrowful frown. She simply smiles in return though to help ease whatever anguish is running through his mind before she turns her attention back toward her friends.
"How about some celebratory shots?" Hook exclaims, but Emma softly pats his chest.
"I don't think that's such a great idea. We have an early flight and being hungover is not ideal for any of us."
"Come on, love, just a couple," he nuzzles his nose against her ear and whispers something that the loud restaurant effectively drowns out.
Emma's green eyes frantically shift back and forth while his lips press into her temple. The former pirate begins peppering her neck with rough kisses causing Regina's stomach to turn in despair. Her blood burns hot beneath her skin from the public claim of affection while Emma's cheeks flare up in obvious embarrassment.
"Killian," she sighs and lightly taps his chest in a silent plea to stop.
"Hey mom!" Henry anxiously interjects the awkward moment. His presence is like a cool bucket of water washing away the burn in Regina's heart. "Can we maybe...call it...a night," he timidly suggests and for a moment she panics that he might not be feeling well by the look of queasiness on his face.
"Are you alright, honey?" She immediately sets down her drink and feels his forehead, but he swats her away far too quickly.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm just fine. We have an early morning so..." his eyes flick to his blonde mother with an expression she's not quite too sure of before he meets Regina's eyes again. "...uh, so I think we should call it a night."
"Sure, sweetie."
They quickly say their goodbyes and sneak out of the restaurant and thankfully away from the clingy couple. She hates that after all this time of burying her feelings for the sheriff, she still feels hopelessly in love with her. She knows it's too late to tell Emma the truth and she could never break up a happy home, anyways. She just doesn't know how she is going to be able to remain friends with the blonde once Henry leaves for college. He is the only reason for her happiness and without him around, she just doesn't know how she will survive.
She and Henry enter the foyer, exhausted from a long, eventful day. She slowly peels away her jacket and tries to pretend that she wasn't just internally dying from watching Hook attack Emma's neck like a starving vampire.
"Thank you for saying you wanted to leave early. I could not handle another one of Grumpy's, 'of all the curses I've known before' toasts," she playfully teases.
"Yeah, I was starting to think that wasn't hot chocolate in his mug," he smirks, fully proud of himself and appearing so much older than just this morning. "Thank you for tonight, that was a great grad party and thank you for my trip."
Just the corner of Henry's mouth deepens, and she knows that look all too well, something is bothering him, but he's not ready to voice his reasoning why.
"Well, you're very welcome. Why don't you head up to bed? Big day ahead," she smiles just as her son leans in to peck her cheek, catching her completely off guard. She gasps slightly before he pulls away.
"Goodnight mom, I love you."
"I love you, too," she beams with pride while Henry turns around and rushes up the stairs, as though he's still that ten-year-old little boy, exploding with energy and excitement.
A/N: Welcome back! First, I want to start off by explaining why I wrote this story the way I did because I know it will get pretty angsty at times. When the series finale ended, I was inspired by Zelena's mention of a graduation trip, but also because I hated how the show made Emma and Regina so awkward in season seven when Emma announced her pregnancy. I thought it was awful, because even if you are not a SQ shipper, you cannot deny that these two women became good friends and coparented well with Henry in the end. Emma would have at least said, take care of Henry and Regina probably would have said I always do, goodbye Miss Swan. But to have them say nothing at all, was ridiculous. So, I started writing this story that night and came up with an explanation as to why no words were exchanged and why it was so uncomfortable. I will warn everyone, that this is all told from Regina's point of view so things may not always be as they seem. I strive to write different stories, not the same thing over and over again and I like my stories realistic, but I always promise a happy ending. I hope you all stick around and enjoy this story, it has been quite popular on other sites. Enjoy!