Entry tags:
A 5 Times Fic: A Different Mother
Working Title: A Different Mother
Author: Kat Lee
Fandom: Once Upon A Time
Character/Pairing: Henry and Regina with cameos by Grace and Mary Margaret
Rating: G/K
Challenge: This is for a challenge for
lands_of_magic. If you join, be sure to tell them Kat Lee of Team Neverland sent you!
Warning(s): None
Word Count: 1,892
Summary:
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
He was four, just starting Kindergarten, when he first noticed the other children pulling away from him. They seemed to watch every move he made as he sat down at his desk. He looked at his folder, his crayons, his little notebooks, anything other than the gawking eyes that faced him.
He didn't even know when she first came to sit beside him, but he only looked up when he heard a quiet voice speaking to him. "Don't worry about them," she told him. "They look at me like that, too. I don't know why. I never did anything to them."
"Then why do they look at us like that? Like we're from space or something?"
The blonde girl shrugged. "I dunno why they look at me like that, but they're scared of you 'cause you're mom's the Mayor."
"So? She's the Mayor. It's her job. It's not like she's an evil stepmother or anything."
She smiled. "They'll learn, but right now, they're just scared and being silly." She stuck out her hand. "My name's Grace. You're Henry, right?"
"Yeah." He shook her head, and together, they looked back at the other kids. Maybe his mom was different than theirs. Maybe she was better, but that didn't mean they had to stare at him. He would've stuck out his tongue, but his teacher was looking. He tried to ignore them as he settled in to his first day of school.
=^.^=
He was three, maybe younger. He didn't feel good. His body ached. His room was dark, but his mother was there. He could feel her holding him, and then they began. Colorful lights zipped from one part of his room to the next. He watched the colors and the beautiful designs they made, and slowly he began to giggle. He still hurt, but he didn't really feel the pain any more. He was too excited about the lights.
They crashed together, making a beautiful, rainbow-colored splash, and as he laughed, Henry awoke. His room was dark. It was the same room he'd been in then, but he'd forgotten about the lights. Where had they come from? he wondered but knew no answers would come in the dark. Turning over, he tried to get back to sleep but never quite made it.
The next morning, over breakfast, he asked his mom about them. She smiled and laughed, the sound like tinkling glass. "It was just a dream, Henry. Honestly, where would such lights come from? It sounds like Faeries, or magic. Neither one exists."
He fell silent, and she watched from the sink as he finished his breakfast. Drying her hands on a nearby towel, Regina knew she would have to be more careful. Creating those lights had cheered her baby, but now he was at a precarious age. He was both too old and too young to know the truth about her and what their family did. She would tell him one day, but right now, he was still too young. She was thankful he spoke no more about his memory and hoped, although she knew he would, he would never ask her about magic again -- at least, not until he was old enough to learn some himself.
=^.^=
"Drink this. It'll make you feel better."
"It looks horrible. I bet it smells worse."
"Can you smell it?"
"No."
"Precisely, because you can barely breathe, young man. Now drink up." Regina smiled at her son. "I promise you it will make you feel better."
"What if it doesn't?"
"Then when you do feel better, I'll buy you all the ice cream you can eat."
"Promise?"
"Always."
He drank the awful, bubbling concoction. It tasted truly awful and made his tongue want to cringe, but before he had even lowered the bowl, Henry was feeling better. The liquid had been hot, and he could feel the warmth spreading all throughout his body. "You're right," he said, clearly surprised. "I do feel better." He glanced over at his backpack. "I guess I can go to school, after all."
Regina took the bowl from him and continued smiling as she gazed upon her growing son. "How about we both take the day off instead," she offered, "and spend it together?"
"Can you do that? I know how important your work is."
"I'm the Mayor, Henry. I can do whatever I want, and I want to be with you." Both were beaming as Regina kissed his forehead. "Get dressed," she said, standing to leave, but as she reached his door, he called to her.
"Mom?"
"Yes, Henry?"
"What was in that?"
"It's just an old, family recipe." She slipped quickly out of his room, then leaned against the closed door. She knew better. She knew she was playing with fire, as the phrase went, but she couldn't stand him being so sick, and Doctor Whale seemingly knowing so little to help him feel better. She knew how to make him better. She knew how to make her son happy and healthy, and he would be so for as long as there was breath left in her body. She just hoped she would always manage to dodge his questions, at least until he was old enough to know the truth.
Henry continued to puzzle over the magic of his family's healing recipe and how quickly it worked to heal his lungs, nose, and chest as he dressed, but soon after their day together had started, he almost forgot all about it. He did think about it later that evening but quickly shrugged it away. Whatever was in it, it had worked, and he'd had a fabulous day with his mother. That was all that really mattered.
=^.^=
"Mom, can we get a computer?"
"A computer?"
"Yeah."
"Absolutely not. Whyever would you ask for one of those things, Henry?"
"Miss Blanchard says we can use them to talk to people all over the world. I think it would be cool to learn about other places and maybe friends in other places. Don't you?"
"We don't need friends, Henry. We need only each other, and I'll show you the world when you're older."
"But computers are also great for learning. You can find out anything on them."
"Henry, I promise you, when you are older, I will show you things you'll never be able to find on a computer."
"But -- "
"No buts. We are not having one of those things in our home. I'll show you everything you could ever want to learn when you're older. Now shut off that horrible idiot box, do your homework, and get ready for bed."
He sighed and did as instructed. He knew there was no arguing with her when she was like that, but he couldn't help wondering why she was like that. His mother didn't like televisions, computers, or any of the other modern advances of science. And what did she mean she could show him things that were not on a computer when he was older? Everything could be found on a computer. He thought she used one at work, but clearly, she must have no idea how good a computer was. He'd try again to convince her when he was older, and if he could get her to let him have one, he'd show her everything could be found on a computer.
=^.^=
Henry wasn't at all certain what he had walked into when he rounded the corner of his school and saw his mother locked in a staring competition with his teacher. He'd seen cartoons where fire and sparked leapt out of characters' eyes as they glared at one another. He could very easily see that happening now between his mother and Miss Blanchard. He walked quickly up to them. "Mom?" he asked nervously, eager to get the two to stop looking at one another. It couldn't be good for a student to have his mother and teacher looking at each other like that!
"Come along, Henry. You're leaving this institution, if it can be called that."
"But, Mom, it's Blue's birthday, and we were going to have a party this afternoon!"
"You will not be partaking of that. We will have our own party instead."
"You can't just take him out of school like this!"
"Henry is my child, Miss Blanchard. You will do well to remember that and that I am the Mayor of this town. I can have you removed from your current position at my slightest whim, and I had best not see a score like that again on one of my child's tests."
"I scored him fairly, Reg -- "
"Excuse me?" Ice seemed almost to drip off of the Mayor's words.
"Madam Mayor. Henry is a bright child, but he has not been applying himself to his studies as he should."
Regina was in Mary Margaret's face in a second. "Do not attempt to blame my child for your poor teaching skills. You will do well to mind your tongue and treat your students more fairly in the future, Miss Blanchard, if you wish to keep your job." She whirled around; the clicking of her black, high heels echoed in the school's hallway. "Come along, Henry. We're through here today."
"Yes, ma'am," Henry murmured, but as he trudged after her, he couldn't help but to wish he could get along better with her teacher like the other kids' parents did. No wonder they made fun of him! He knew this would be all over school by the time he returned tomorrow.
=^.^=
He stared down at the picture in the book. His whole body seemed frozen. He couldn't believe his eyes, but there in the pages of the book of fairy tales his teacher had given him, was his mother. He gawked at her illustrations like the other kids in school still sometimes gawked at him. He stared at her, unwilling, unwanting, to believe what he was reading.
He shut the book. It couldn't be. His mother couldn't be the Evil Queen! Slowly, he reopened the book and turned back to the page. There she was again. He sighed and hung his head. The other kids were right: His mother was different not because she was the Mayor or because she loved him more than the other mothers loved their kids or, at least, had at one time. She was different, because she was the Evil Queen!
He remembered the lights she'd made dance in his bedroom when he was a baby. He remembered the bubbling concoction she'd had him to drink to become well. He recalled her hatred of modern science and some of the things she'd told him over the years. She'd told him she would show him the world. She'd vowed she would show him things that could never be found on a computer.
Henry shook his head and shut the book again. He held it to him for a moment as he thought, his young world spinning. His mother was the Evil Queen! He had to find his real mother. He had to break the curse. He had to remind everybody of who they were, and somewhere along the way, the young boy promised both himself and his mother who couldn't hear him now that he would find a way to help her break the curse of her broken heart. She didn't have to be evil. She could be good; he'd help her find her way, just as she had always helped him.
The End
Author: Kat Lee
Fandom: Once Upon A Time
Character/Pairing: Henry and Regina with cameos by Grace and Mary Margaret
Rating: G/K
Challenge: This is for a challenge for
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
Warning(s): None
Word Count: 1,892
Summary:
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
He was four, just starting Kindergarten, when he first noticed the other children pulling away from him. They seemed to watch every move he made as he sat down at his desk. He looked at his folder, his crayons, his little notebooks, anything other than the gawking eyes that faced him.
He didn't even know when she first came to sit beside him, but he only looked up when he heard a quiet voice speaking to him. "Don't worry about them," she told him. "They look at me like that, too. I don't know why. I never did anything to them."
"Then why do they look at us like that? Like we're from space or something?"
The blonde girl shrugged. "I dunno why they look at me like that, but they're scared of you 'cause you're mom's the Mayor."
"So? She's the Mayor. It's her job. It's not like she's an evil stepmother or anything."
She smiled. "They'll learn, but right now, they're just scared and being silly." She stuck out her hand. "My name's Grace. You're Henry, right?"
"Yeah." He shook her head, and together, they looked back at the other kids. Maybe his mom was different than theirs. Maybe she was better, but that didn't mean they had to stare at him. He would've stuck out his tongue, but his teacher was looking. He tried to ignore them as he settled in to his first day of school.
=^.^=
He was three, maybe younger. He didn't feel good. His body ached. His room was dark, but his mother was there. He could feel her holding him, and then they began. Colorful lights zipped from one part of his room to the next. He watched the colors and the beautiful designs they made, and slowly he began to giggle. He still hurt, but he didn't really feel the pain any more. He was too excited about the lights.
They crashed together, making a beautiful, rainbow-colored splash, and as he laughed, Henry awoke. His room was dark. It was the same room he'd been in then, but he'd forgotten about the lights. Where had they come from? he wondered but knew no answers would come in the dark. Turning over, he tried to get back to sleep but never quite made it.
The next morning, over breakfast, he asked his mom about them. She smiled and laughed, the sound like tinkling glass. "It was just a dream, Henry. Honestly, where would such lights come from? It sounds like Faeries, or magic. Neither one exists."
He fell silent, and she watched from the sink as he finished his breakfast. Drying her hands on a nearby towel, Regina knew she would have to be more careful. Creating those lights had cheered her baby, but now he was at a precarious age. He was both too old and too young to know the truth about her and what their family did. She would tell him one day, but right now, he was still too young. She was thankful he spoke no more about his memory and hoped, although she knew he would, he would never ask her about magic again -- at least, not until he was old enough to learn some himself.
=^.^=
"Drink this. It'll make you feel better."
"It looks horrible. I bet it smells worse."
"Can you smell it?"
"No."
"Precisely, because you can barely breathe, young man. Now drink up." Regina smiled at her son. "I promise you it will make you feel better."
"What if it doesn't?"
"Then when you do feel better, I'll buy you all the ice cream you can eat."
"Promise?"
"Always."
He drank the awful, bubbling concoction. It tasted truly awful and made his tongue want to cringe, but before he had even lowered the bowl, Henry was feeling better. The liquid had been hot, and he could feel the warmth spreading all throughout his body. "You're right," he said, clearly surprised. "I do feel better." He glanced over at his backpack. "I guess I can go to school, after all."
Regina took the bowl from him and continued smiling as she gazed upon her growing son. "How about we both take the day off instead," she offered, "and spend it together?"
"Can you do that? I know how important your work is."
"I'm the Mayor, Henry. I can do whatever I want, and I want to be with you." Both were beaming as Regina kissed his forehead. "Get dressed," she said, standing to leave, but as she reached his door, he called to her.
"Mom?"
"Yes, Henry?"
"What was in that?"
"It's just an old, family recipe." She slipped quickly out of his room, then leaned against the closed door. She knew better. She knew she was playing with fire, as the phrase went, but she couldn't stand him being so sick, and Doctor Whale seemingly knowing so little to help him feel better. She knew how to make him better. She knew how to make her son happy and healthy, and he would be so for as long as there was breath left in her body. She just hoped she would always manage to dodge his questions, at least until he was old enough to know the truth.
Henry continued to puzzle over the magic of his family's healing recipe and how quickly it worked to heal his lungs, nose, and chest as he dressed, but soon after their day together had started, he almost forgot all about it. He did think about it later that evening but quickly shrugged it away. Whatever was in it, it had worked, and he'd had a fabulous day with his mother. That was all that really mattered.
=^.^=
"Mom, can we get a computer?"
"A computer?"
"Yeah."
"Absolutely not. Whyever would you ask for one of those things, Henry?"
"Miss Blanchard says we can use them to talk to people all over the world. I think it would be cool to learn about other places and maybe friends in other places. Don't you?"
"We don't need friends, Henry. We need only each other, and I'll show you the world when you're older."
"But computers are also great for learning. You can find out anything on them."
"Henry, I promise you, when you are older, I will show you things you'll never be able to find on a computer."
"But -- "
"No buts. We are not having one of those things in our home. I'll show you everything you could ever want to learn when you're older. Now shut off that horrible idiot box, do your homework, and get ready for bed."
He sighed and did as instructed. He knew there was no arguing with her when she was like that, but he couldn't help wondering why she was like that. His mother didn't like televisions, computers, or any of the other modern advances of science. And what did she mean she could show him things that were not on a computer when he was older? Everything could be found on a computer. He thought she used one at work, but clearly, she must have no idea how good a computer was. He'd try again to convince her when he was older, and if he could get her to let him have one, he'd show her everything could be found on a computer.
=^.^=
Henry wasn't at all certain what he had walked into when he rounded the corner of his school and saw his mother locked in a staring competition with his teacher. He'd seen cartoons where fire and sparked leapt out of characters' eyes as they glared at one another. He could very easily see that happening now between his mother and Miss Blanchard. He walked quickly up to them. "Mom?" he asked nervously, eager to get the two to stop looking at one another. It couldn't be good for a student to have his mother and teacher looking at each other like that!
"Come along, Henry. You're leaving this institution, if it can be called that."
"But, Mom, it's Blue's birthday, and we were going to have a party this afternoon!"
"You will not be partaking of that. We will have our own party instead."
"You can't just take him out of school like this!"
"Henry is my child, Miss Blanchard. You will do well to remember that and that I am the Mayor of this town. I can have you removed from your current position at my slightest whim, and I had best not see a score like that again on one of my child's tests."
"I scored him fairly, Reg -- "
"Excuse me?" Ice seemed almost to drip off of the Mayor's words.
"Madam Mayor. Henry is a bright child, but he has not been applying himself to his studies as he should."
Regina was in Mary Margaret's face in a second. "Do not attempt to blame my child for your poor teaching skills. You will do well to mind your tongue and treat your students more fairly in the future, Miss Blanchard, if you wish to keep your job." She whirled around; the clicking of her black, high heels echoed in the school's hallway. "Come along, Henry. We're through here today."
"Yes, ma'am," Henry murmured, but as he trudged after her, he couldn't help but to wish he could get along better with her teacher like the other kids' parents did. No wonder they made fun of him! He knew this would be all over school by the time he returned tomorrow.
=^.^=
He stared down at the picture in the book. His whole body seemed frozen. He couldn't believe his eyes, but there in the pages of the book of fairy tales his teacher had given him, was his mother. He gawked at her illustrations like the other kids in school still sometimes gawked at him. He stared at her, unwilling, unwanting, to believe what he was reading.
He shut the book. It couldn't be. His mother couldn't be the Evil Queen! Slowly, he reopened the book and turned back to the page. There she was again. He sighed and hung his head. The other kids were right: His mother was different not because she was the Mayor or because she loved him more than the other mothers loved their kids or, at least, had at one time. She was different, because she was the Evil Queen!
He remembered the lights she'd made dance in his bedroom when he was a baby. He remembered the bubbling concoction she'd had him to drink to become well. He recalled her hatred of modern science and some of the things she'd told him over the years. She'd told him she would show him the world. She'd vowed she would show him things that could never be found on a computer.
Henry shook his head and shut the book again. He held it to him for a moment as he thought, his young world spinning. His mother was the Evil Queen! He had to find his real mother. He had to break the curse. He had to remind everybody of who they were, and somewhere along the way, the young boy promised both himself and his mother who couldn't hear him now that he would find a way to help her break the curse of her broken heart. She didn't have to be evil. She could be good; he'd help her find her way, just as she had always helped him.
The End