[closed] just know you're not alone

[madehervows]

Who: Regina & Henry Mills
Where: 8th: Henry & Emma's room, possibly elsewhere. 11th: Regina's room
When: Backdated to January 8th & 11th (After Henry's chat with Peter Pan)
Rating: G-ish? It's family bonding and bombshells being dropped, shouldn't get too high.
Summary: 8th: With Emma having vanished, Regina's jumping at the chance to spend some time alone with her son. | 11th: Henry has a message to pass on from a mysterious stranger. (Could this be creepier?)
The Story:

8th--

[With Emma gone, Regina should be happy. (She is, just not as much as she'd thought.) Perhaps it's what Emma's gone back to that's keeping her from being too happy. (She wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even Emma.)

But with Emma gone, she can take this chance to spend some time with her son. After her arrival, she'd taken the room across the hall and given them some space. As much as she could from across the hall, at least. She'll deny that she's the one that needed time, should anyone ask. But it's the real reason.

But the morning of the 8th leaves her standing outside Henry and Emma's shared room. Hand raised to knock at the door, but her body's frozen. He'd been happy to see her, and she'd been so, so happy to see him. But her relationship with Henry is fickle, who knows what it's like when Emma has been the only constant mother he has.

Eventually she knocks.]

----------------------------

11th--

[The 11th brings a lot of things, another conversation between Emma and Regina that's too many things to classify here, and across the mansion, a reveal that doesn't count as a reveal because the revealee doesn't know who the revealer is.

After her conversation with Emma, she'd retreated into her room. She's been spending a lot of time there lately, slowly adjusting to Wonderland and everything it holds. Every day she's thankful it isn't her Wonderland, because if it had been? The whole place would be on fire.

But today, there's no fire. Just Regina curled up on a lounge, with a glass of water.]

Comments

[inmybook]

Okay.

[Henry is happy to order for both of them with a bright smile on his face. Her barb aside, he was pretty sure Granny's grilled cheeses were better, but he wasn't going to say as much.

He did, however, immediately dive into his food the moment it was set in front of him. He at least managed to eat with manners, other than the dipping his grilled cheese into the soup. But can she really blame him for that? (Probably)]

Is this what the other Wonderland looks like?

[madehervows]

[Regina eats slower, and neater, from years of etiquette training under Cora that couldn't be forgotten. But she enjoys the meal, and the warmth it brings her.

But his question surprises her, and she slowly swallows. She's not surprised that particular story was in his book, everybody's seemed to be. Despite how absurd it sounded.]

Not quite, it's much bigger. [She hesitates, because even if she doesn't regret what she did to Jefferson there, she's not proud of it either.] And there's no mansion, only the Queen of Hearts' castle and maze. But I didn't spend much time there.

[inmybook]

[Right now, Henry isn't judging. He's still trying to find a way out of Wonderland, for all of them, and if it was similar, then maybe they could find a way out with knowledge of the other Wonderland...

It was possible, right?

He frowned a little, sandwich gone and poking at his soup with his spoon.]

Oh.

[The book had not had that many pages on what Wonderland looked like, so he couldn't be sure.]

That's okay. We can still find a way out of here. We'll just have to look harder.

[Was that Henry hesitantly including Regina in Operation Dormouse? It just might have been.]

So, how is it.

[It being the soup he gestures to, with a small smile. Engage Distractions! Form of: Soup discussion.]

[madehervows]

[Admittedly, it kind of ruined the mood. But mostly because Regina hadn't expected such a sudden question, sometimes she forgets how much of her previous life Henry actually knows about.

And the times she remembers that are the few times she feels like a monster.]

If the tale of the Queen of Hearts is in your book, you'll know why I didn't want to spend much time there.

[That's as much as she's willing to say on that subject, unless Henry asks of course. But she's thankful for the distraction, even though she totally knows what you're doing Henry.]

It's good! Maybe not as good as Granny's, but it's good. [You win this round, Granny. She hesitates, putting the spoon back in the bowl.] I'm glad you wanted to spend time with me. [Whoops, try not to emotionally manipulate your son, Regina.]

[inmybook]

[Wow Regina Wow. But Henry just offers a little smile and a nod, setting his spoon down. He wasn't entirely willing or ready to eat so much right then But he rested his arms on the table (no elbows) and watched her. He was trying really hard to make this work. He wanted things to be... the way they almost were before.

And while he still wasn't sure he could trust her, he couldn't expect her to be a better person if no one believed in her. Belief was almost as important as love. And he had a feeling she needed it. Even if it was hard. No one ever said being a hero would be easy.

Instead he slid the book back over, flipping through it to distract the conversation away from the topic of Wonderland. Should he tell her who his friends were? Was that safe?

He hoped so, because it was better if she knew than not. But before he found James or Luke in the book, he stumbled across a familiar face and his brows furrowed at the name.]

Peter Pan...?

[Why had Peter told him he was a lost boy? Henry wouldn't have treated him any different knowing he was Peter Pan. Maybe he didn't remember somehow? The words were nearly a whisper of confusion but Regina was right there. It was almost a guarantee she heard him.]

[madehervows]

[Henry's belief is a powerful thing, and now it's something they can actually measure in terms of power. The fact that he chooses to believe in her may very well be the one thing that keeps her on the straight and narrow.

The silence is nice, peaceful. The cause might've been awkward, but sitting here with Henry without threat of an angry mob, Emma or any of the other dangers they've faced is rather nice.

There's a clattering sound when the spoon drops from her hand and hits the side of the bowl.]

... What did you just say?

[She doesn't want to grab the book away from him.

But she totally does. And when she sees what he's referring to, she stares at the page for several moments.]

Henry, Henry. Listen to me, okay? You need to stay away from Peter Pan. He's incredibly dangerous, and you can't trust a word he says. Promise me you'll stay away from him.

[inmybook]

He told me his name was Rufio

[Confusion, surprise. More confusion. Regina's sudden change of mood catches Henry off guard and he pulls back a little. Why did she get so upset? Peter Pan couldn't be that bad. Except even 'Rufio' had said something about him.

Something that made him suddenly very nervous. You never know how far Pan's reach goes. But he's so surprised by the sudden change that rather than argue he just nods, wide eyed and confused at first.]

I... I promise.

[But wait.]

Peter Pan is dangerous?

[There it is. The hesitation. Peter is supposed to be the good guy. Forever young Peter Pan and his lost boys, fighting the terrible Captain Hook and his pirates as they terrorize Neverland. I don't understand.]

How?

[madehervows]

[She isn't proud of her reaction, and the way Henry shrinks back. But if Peter Pan is here, then her priority is keeping Henry safe.

She's accepted that sometimes keeping him safe means he won't like her.]

Henry...

[She trails off, because she really doesn't want to answer that question. Doesn't want to give Henry more information about his future than he might already know.]

Greg and Tamara were acting under his orders when they tried to destroy Storybrooke. [She swallows, the words caught in her throat and briefly looks away.] And when they kidnapped you.

[She can't tell him that Pan wanted his heart to keep himself young. Can't tell him that his grandfather nearly died saving him, or that Storybrooke is in danger again.

Can't tell him that she gave him up to save everything and everyone.]

[inmybook]

No- He can't ... He's supposed to be the good guy.

[Henry doesn't, for once, sound like he believes his own words. But 'Rufio' lied to him, and if he was really Peter Pan, then why did he lie? Not to mention all those things he had said about Pan.

If even Peter Pan himself said Pan was a bad person, it was probably true. It was just difficult for Henry to wrap his head around.

Did you think you were getting off that easy Regina? You're not.]

Why did he have me kidnapped? Why would he want to destroy Storybrooke, I don't understand.

[At least he doesn't ask what Regina did to him. Mostly because he really didn't want to know.]

[madehervows]

[When has Regina ever gotten off easy with Henry?

The questions aren't unexpected, and she can't blame him for wanting to know. She would too, but there's a difference here. Henry might be able to handle things other kids his age can't, but she doubts he can handle being told that Pan is technically his great-grandfather, who wanted his heart so he could live forever.]

Henry, I know you've been through a lot.

[And there's a pause because most of it was because of her.]

But there are some things you're better off not knowing until they happen for you.

[Is that satisfactory? Not at all. Does she actually believe he shouldn't know the truth until he's experienced it? Yes.]