If Not For You

[katleept]

Title: If Not For You
Author: Kat Lee
Fandom: Once Upon A Time
Character/Pairing: Henry, Regina
Rating: PG/K+
Challenge/Prompt: 1_million_words Bingo: The Wizard
Warning(s): None
Word Count: 1,105
Date Written: 26 June, 2016
Summary:
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.




"I thought by now, I'd be a Wizard."

Her son's quiet admission makes Regina stop writing the rejection letter she's penning for the colleges he won't be choosing in this new world and look up. "Why would you want to be a Wizard?" she asks, puzzled.

He shrugs. "I thought you'd teach me magic, rather I wanted you to or not."

"Henry, you know I've tried very hard to put those days behind me."

"I know, and you've succeeded mostly. But I still thought you'd teach me. Magic can be good or bad. It all depends on how it's used."

"Of course," the former Evil Queen is quick to agree and remind her son, "but it all comes with a price." She lays her pen down and walks over to where he's sitting on their sofa. "Henry, you're far more important to every one in this town than a mere Wizard."

"I know. I was a Story Teller."

"Yes, and you saved us all before making one of the hardest decisions any one could have been asked to make You made it out of the goodness of your own heart without any one asking you to."

"Yeah, but that doesn't change -- "

"Who and what you are today?"

"I know, and I couldn't be more proud of you." Regina smiles into her son's eyes as she takes his chin and turns him to face her directly. "Henry, you are a remarkable young man, and we are all lucky to have you in our lives. Don't you know you're the reason we're all finally getting along?"

"I . . . "

"You mended this family and helped us all to heal and find love that we never thought we could have. I've been married to your stepfather now for three of the happiest years of my life. I never would have dared to think I could find love again if not for you. David and Mary Margaret are doing well together in this new world, and they never would have found each other if not for you. You brought them together. You broke the curse, and you brought Emma here. I've never seen her as happy as she's been while she's been planning her wedding to that Pirate."

"I still think helping me to find my True Love was the greatest miracle you've worked, but there are others in this town who would argue that 'curing' the Dark One and I are the greatest feats any one could achieve. You did that, Henry. You made me want to be better, and you helped Rumplestiltskin to finally put his past behind him. Not even Belle could do that single handedly. None of us would be the people we today if not for you, Henry." Smiling, she leans forward and kisses his forehead. She leans back on her heels, still beaming. "Thank you for all of that."

"But that's exactly why I don't want to go! You can teach me more than they can ever teach me at any of those colleges out there, Mom, and so can Grandpa! I don't want to leave here! I don't want to leave you!" He throws his arms around her and hugs her tight.

Regina returns his hug and gently pats his shoulder. "Why didn't you say so before now?"

"Because you were all so determined that I should go. Everybody was saying how much more I can learn in this new world, but I don't want to learn about this new world! I want to learn about our world!"

"They have video games -- " Regina starts, remembering how much he adored those modern contraptions when he and Emma were in New York.

"So? I'd rather have a thousand sword fights than a video game!" He does miss the games sometimes and still, on occasion, indulges in them when no one else is watching, but he'd rather take a thousand sword fights over a single game for the sword fights quite simply means that he is where he belongs. He doesn't want to leave this town. He doesn't want to leave this world, and although Storybrooke is too small to really be considered a world to itself, it still is. There is nothing else in this time like the people and adventures right here in his home town. "Please don't make me go!"

"Henry, I promised you a long time ago that I would never make you do anything you do not want to do." Regina hugs him swiftly again as she assures, "That promise still stands."

He hugs her back hard and doesn't let go. "Thank you, Mom."

"But I still mean what I said earlier: You are far, far more than any ordinary Wizard or Story Teller."

"I'd still like to learn -- "

"Magic?"

"Everything! Everything you can teach me, everything Rumplestiltskin can teach me!"

"Not everything," Regina interjects, sounding more forceful than she intends.

"Well, not the dark stuff, of course, but everything else! And I want Grandpa David to teach me about sword fighting and how to be a Prince and -- "

"Henry," Regina cuts in, her dark eyes twinkling merrily. She's almost laughing as she cuts him off. "You don't need lessons about being a Prince. You are already the best, kindest, most gracious and giving Prince our world has ever known."

"Really?"

"Really, and we're all lucky to have you, to have had you grow up with us, and to have you choose to stay with us now."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Then why were you trying so hard to send me away?"

"Because . . . I thought that was what you wanted. I thought you liked everything this new world has to offer."

"I like a lot of the things it has," he replies honestly, "but don't you know what I really want by now, Mom?"

"No." Regina shakes her head. "What do you want, Henry?"

He hugs her again, even more tightly, and this time, he doesn't let go. He lays his head on her shoulder, wrapping her in the embrace of his love. "To be with you," he answers as she quite nearly glows with her joy, "and my other Mom. To be with our family. To be loved by you all."

"You already are, Henry," she assures him, hugging him back just as tightly, "and you'll always have my love forever."

"Promise?"

She nods. "I promise."

He beams, still hugging her. "And that," he vows softly, "is all I could ever want." They're all going to get their happily ever afters, he realizes, feeling loved in her embrace, including himself. They're going to live happily ever after together at last. He smiles, feeling loved and satisfied, his own quest complete at last.

The End

Comments

[vexed_wench]

That was so sweet.

[hughville.livejournal.com]

This is so wonderful and so sweet and so perfect. You are just such a marvelous writer. *hugs*

[tellshannon815.livejournal.com]

This was a great moment with Regina and Henry!