Chapter Text
Henry paused in the doorway of his room, listening to the faint sounds of Snow White and Emma making dinner in the kitchen, and stared at the huddled figure sleeping in his bed with her back to him. Swallowing thickly, Henry closed the door behind him and crept around to the other side of the bed. Tear tracks were still visible on Regina's face. Henry's heart twisted when he realized she must have cried herself to sleep. How long had she been here, sleeping in his bed? The Blue Fairy had told her to run, and everyone assumed she had. No one, not even Henry, had thought to look for her at home. He had checked her room quickly when he first came upstairs, and her bed had been untouched as had her clothes. He had just thought she hadn't come back at all...
"Mom," he whispered. She hated it when he shook her to wake her up. "Mom, wake up."
Regina jerked, eyes snapping open. "Henry?"
He placed a finger to his lips. "Emma's here. Snow White is with her. We can trust Emma. Wait here while we have supper, okay, and I'll come get you once Snow leaves."
"Henry..." Regina gripped his shoulder, eyes searching his for something. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." Gaze darting to the door, he said, "Have you been here the whole time? What if someone found you?"
Regina shook her head. "No one would come looking for me here." She frowned, squeezing Henry's shoulder to get his attention. "What are you doing here? I thought Miss Swan - "
"Emma said there wasn't enough room at Snow White's apartment so we could stay here," he said, shrugging. "She said it would be best for me." The frown on Regina's face lessened, and he knew he'd soothed her ire. She might not like the idea of Emma staying at their house, but if it was for him, she wouldn't be mad.
She really did love him, he realized. He'd already known that, mostly, from the hospital. Those had been real tears in her eyes, anyone could tell, but he thought that might have changed after magic had come back to Storybrooke. But no one had seen even a glimpse of Regina or Rumpelstiltskin in the three days since. Until now, of course.
"Why have you been hiding here?" he asked. "You have your magic back. I expected you to do...something."
Regina hugged him. "There's nothing to do but make sure you're safe. Rumpelstiltskin will be coming after me, and he may use you as leverage. I've been keeping an eye on you with my magic." It was then Henry noticed the mirror laying on the floor beside the bed. She must have put a spell on it like the one she had back in the Enchanted Forest to be able to spy on people. Except it didn't seem like she was doing any spying. Unless she was lying, she had spent the past three days watching over him. Henry shifted in Regina's arms. He didn't know how he felt about this.
"You're the Evil Queen," he said. Regina tensed, pulling back to look him in the eyes but not letting go completely. "You need to be brought to justice. But...I don't want you to die. Snow keeps saying it's what you deserve, and Emma doesn't know what to do. I don't think she wants you dead either. She's just scared. Now that the curse is broken, she doesn't know how to be the White Knight." He glanced down at his shoes. "Emma read the book. She made me understand some things I hadn't before, and I get it now. Why you did those things. It's not right, but I understand now." His eyes stung, and he raised his head to meet her gaze. "You need help, Mom. Let me and Emma help you. Please?"
Regina took a deep, shaky breath. She covered her mouth, muffling a sob. "Henry..."
Henry flung his arms around her neck. "Please, Mom."
He felt her nod against his shoulder. They both stilled when they heard Snow call up the stairs that dinner was ready. Henry pulled away. "I'll be back."
Regina nodded, already pulling herself back together into the calm and collected image she always projected. He tried not to be too disappointed; this mission was going to be even harder than getting Emma to believe. He would have to come up with a code name for this operation soon. Pausing with his hand on the door handle, he said, "I'll bring Emma up as soon as Snow White is gone, okay?"
"Yes," she said. There was a tremor to her voice that comforted him, though he couldn't say why.
He turned the handle and cracked open the door. "I love you, Mom."
Regina smiled - a real smile that made him think maybe she would be okay after all. "I love you too."